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Bill Cosby essays

Bill Cosby essays Bill Cosby was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 12, 1937. He was the oldest of four boys. He had three brothers, and their names were: James, Russell, and Robert. His father ran away near Christmas time when he was very young and he had to get a job to help support the family. In school he was the class clown and was sent to a special school for rowdy boys. In his new school his teacher was Mary Forchic. She saw that he was a great comedian and she put that into her lessons to make them more understandable for Bill. She made the lessons fun for him and made it easier to learn. He said that she made him what he is today. After a couple years he went back to his old school and even though his grades were dropping he still kept it together. Bill was starting to look up to comedians on the radio and the TV. They were comedians like Sam Levenson, Sid Caesar, and Carl Reiner. Even though his grades were poor in junior high, when he took the standardized tests he was accepted to Central High School, which was a school for all the gifted children in Pennsylvania. Now being six feet, he was on the high school football team. But in the first week of football he broke his arm. Since there were few blacks in the school and he was slightly a target of biggotous remarks he went back to getting attention by clowning around in class again. He was later sent to Germantown Highschool where all his neighborhood friends went. He was back with his friends but his grades started to drop. He was left back twice. He was also too old to participate in the city track meets (which he could easily win). Bill dropped out of h igh school. He went to be a shoemaker=s helper, but the shoemaker didn't like it when he nailed the ladies heels onto the mens shoes! Then Bill decided to join the Navy. There he found discipline and no room to joke around. He spent four long years in the Navy but he says that it made him more mature and able to control himself ...

Student Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Student Analysis - Essay Example I do not blame her nativity though, neither her ignorance. However, responding to a topic one has no adequate knowledge of is not a simple task. She does well though in explaining why she feels that her failure to understand the deer problem is Kristof’s fault. Despite the fact that she defends her ignorance on the deer problem by pointing out that many people are as confused as she is, she does not give enough evidence supporting this argument. Nonetheless, she agrees that Kristof has a point that there is a problem with the deer. Swinton successfully though convinces the reader that the failure of Kristof to give solid evidence on the deer problem is the main reason for her ignorance. This is understandable, especially because of her assertion that in the short essay, Kristof did not adequately raise enough arguments to support his thesis. She agrees that he is convincing enough on the fact that the deer problem needs a solution. However, she takes a stand that there must be alternative solutions to the problem, rather than just hunting

History- African Health and Society Research Paper

History- African Health and Society - Research Paper Example Africans relied on traditional medicine emanating mainly from plants. There were other believes about health and healing and some Africans believed on praying their God for healing. Though Africans criticized certain features of Western biomedicine, there were a variety of compromises and accommodations. Conflicts The proponents of Western biomedicine espoused an uncompromising stance toward African healing strategies. Through the introduction of Western biomedicine, the colonizers aimed to supersede traditional values, beliefs, and knowledge that were vital to African therapeutic practices. The Africans and Europeans were involved in conflict where the Africans aimed at guarding their traditional health practices, whereas the West aimed at replacing these African traditional health practices. In Kenya, the conflicts were manifest in avoidance of public hospitals and drug prescriptions, formal protests, and indifference to the European public health campaigns (Ndege 2002, 4).2 One co nflict arose as a result of the interpretation of the causes of diseases. Western biomedicine came along with hospitals and medical laboratories. This introduction and institutionalization of Western biomedicine led to empirical and intellectual conversations among Africans and the state regarding issues and implications concerning health, sickness, and therapy. The colonizers relied on laboratory based system to examine the causes of diseases, whereas Africans relied on traditional explanations concerning causes of diseases. The colonial government conducted aggressive public health campaigns, and this weakened the attempts by Africans to comprehend the objective of the state officials (Ndege 2002, 2).2 The colonial state established commissions of inquiry to address the problems of race and conflict, injustice and equality, and the power of the rulers and the followers. The colonial state gave little attention to the function of such commissions on the issue of health care (Ndege 2002, 3). For example, there is an argument that such commissions in South Africa are established by the state with an aim of legitimizing citizens’ minds and what the government desires, which the government is incapable of accomplishing through formal policy proclamations. However, the appointing authority of these commissions determined the final report of the commissions. A conflict arose in regard to recognition of Western biomedicine and African biomedicine. The laboratory system of the Western biomedicine enabled the identification of the causes of the diseases through the examination of the blood and other tissues. The colonial state absorbed, extended, and customized the medical operation of blood and other tissues, thereby embracing this brand of medicine irrevocably to the administration of the colonies. The colonial state did not accord similar recognition to the African medicine. The instantaneous conflict originated from the refutation of indigenous curative kno wledge, agency, and personhood. The denial motivated a domestic, cultural critique, which questioned the very principles that Western biomedicine advocated (Ndege 2002, 5).3 In particular, this happened during the shadow-boxing era of medical

Industrial Property Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Industrial Property Rights - Essay Example The first software patent ever granted is probably a patent for a "computer having slow and quick access storage, when programmed to solve a linear programming problem by an iterative algorithm, the iterative algorithm being such that (...)" applied for in 1962 by British Petroleum Company . The patent relates to solving simultaneous linear equations. The USPTO has traditionally not considered software to be patentable because by statute patents can only be granted to "processes, machines, articles of manufacture, and compositions of matter". In particular patents cannot be granted to "scientific truths" or "mathematical expressions" of them. This means that most of the fundamental techniques of software engineering have never been patented. The USPTO maintained this position, that software was in effect a mathematical algorithm, and therefore not patentable into the 1980's. The position of the USPTO was challenged with a landmark 1981 Supreme Court Case, Diamond v. Diehr. The case involved a device that used computer software to ensure the correct timing when heating, or curing, rubber. Although the software was the integral part of the device, it also had other functions that related to real world manipulation. The court then ruled that as a device to mold rubber, it was a patentable object. The court essentially ruled that while algorithms themselves could not be patented, devices that utilized them could. This ruling wasn't as straightforward as many would have liked, forcing many electronic device makers into the courts to establish that their inventions were in fact patentable. Due to different treatment of federal patent rights in different parts of the country, in 1982 the U.S. Congress created a new court (the Federal Circuit) to hear patent cases. The new circuit rejected rulings from some parts of the country, and nationalized others. For example, the court made patents generally easier to uphold by presuming patents were valid unless proven invalid and weakening the defense of non-obviousness. This court allowed issues, such as patentability of software, to be treated uniformly throughout the US. Due to a few landmark cases in this court, by the early 1990s the patentability of software was well established, and in 1996 the USPTO issued Final Computer Related Examination Guidelines. See Software Patents under United States patent law. Also in 1998, the U.S. court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in the case of State Street Bank & Trust Co. v. Signature Financial Group, Inc. (1998), upheld as valid a patent directed to a computer-implemented business method designed to perform financial calculations and data processing for mutual fund investments. This case was important because prior to this decision, it was widely believed that business methods and systems were not patentable. The State Street case made clear that business methods were to be evaluated in the same manner as any other type of process. In 2000, the JPO followed suit and revised its Guidelines to allow for the patenting of computer-implemented business methods when there is clear "involvement of inventive step." Europe The European Patent Convention (EPC) serves as the basis for a harmonized system of patent protection for all members of the European Union. European patents have the same effect as patents granted by each nation under its own national patent laws. Article 52(1) of

State of Nature in the Modern Society

State of Nature in the Modern Society INTRODUCTION According to John Stuart Mill The state of nature that precedes civilization is where originality resides [1] and the society leaves its individuals to their own devices as long as they do not harm others. [2] But what really is the state of nature? Moreover, why this idea as it was presented by the theorists never played its real role in practice? Was the state of nature that chaotic that people choose to have a superior, rather than being free from any obstacles? Were people afraid of their fellow human beings as Hobbes insinuates? I am working on the topic of the state of nature in the modern society, because I want to find out if there is still a state of nature in the 21st century, for example in the indigenous societies, or that is some kind of social contract or anarchy. I am doing this in order to understand how people today live and if the basic human rights, as are the right of life, the right to liberty and security, the right of freedom etc., respected in those societies. In this paper, I will try to analyze why despite the overall technical and technological progress, the cultural development, the democratic values that we stand for and the globalization of the countries in the world, yet in some parts of Planet Earth we can meet the remnants of what Rousseau, Hobbes and Locke call the state of nature. These societies living in the state of nature are trying to tell us that not always rule of law is needed; not always people need government to live proper and in peace. The world never was, and never will be without number of people living in that state, the state of nature. If we only look at the examples of many Indigenous people round the Globe, we can see that people can live without legally established government, without constitution and without laws, and still respect each other and live in peace. This is contrary to Hobbess claims that people in the state of nature cannot live just because homo homini lupus est. [3] So the need for social cont ract is not really a need. We can observe that sometimes the human nature is egoistic, wolfish and greedy: what is mine is mine, and what is yours I want to be mine. That is a result of population growth, the limitation of the resources, the enrichment of certain class of people and the innovations and development of the world. Contrary to this, that is not the situation in many undeveloped African tribes, as I will show later in the paper. In the first chapter of this paper, I will expose the main ideas of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau and their picture of the state of nature. Following, in the second and last chapter, I will try to find out if there is a state of nature in the 21st century. As an example, I will be taking the Indigenous peoples and their structure of society and their development. Furthermore, I will discuss the significance of the human rights that these people have and the way they manage to exercise them in the world they live in. There is a lot to say on this topic and there are a lot more examples on this subject, but due to limited time and resources, I will keep my research and my analysis short and within these frames. My research is contained mostly from research of the main theories or Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau, relevant articles concerning the state of nature, articles concerning the life and the society of the indigenous peoples (primary and secondary sources). 1. WHAT IS STATE OF NATURE? There are many definitions on what is state of nature. According to Hobbes: The state of nature is a state of incessant mutual exploitation, all individuals seeking to dominate one another and to acquire honor and profit (fame and fortune). [4] Many encyclopedias consider the state of nature as uncivilized and uncultured condition, [5] a wild primitive state untouched by civilization. [6] State of nature is described also as a condition before the introduction of the rule of law, and as a state where there are no rights but only freedoms. In such a world where there are no laws, government, power, the people are in a natural condition of humankind. Nevertheless, the state of nature in its true form [7] never existed in human society. Perhaps as a state of nature we can take the examples of the emergence of human society when man was savage and lived in hordes. The human at that point of development was not aware of anything, except livelihood and survival. People acted free from all restrictions and pressures. They showed their true existence and the desire to own fulfillment. As creatures of that kind, all people were and are equal by their nature. At that stage, all people without restriction tend to insure and optimize their own fulfillment, then this unlimited competition lead to a state of complete uncertainty and danger. [8] Moreover, they consider themselves indispensable for the elimination of this tendency to establish a state of security and peace by entering in a civil society. [9] Many of the Enlightenment theorists claim that the state of nature existed in the human society, but man came out of that state because h e was afraid of the other humans, [10] considering that in the state of nature dominates social chaos and in order to protect himself the human was obliged to conclude the social contract. With this contract individuals freedom of self-fulfillment was restricted, so that individual freedom of all can exist together. Everyone gives up their unlimited right, accepts limitations and with that accept the security and the peace in coexistence. [11] Everyone has the natural right of personal fulfillment. This right of personal fulfillment cannot be abolished because it would mean the destruction of livelihood. [12] However, it may be restricted and in that way can exist in parallel with the other inalienable rights of all people. The restrictions are codified in legislations. Following, these restrictions were the basis of the doctrines of the Enlightenment thinkers Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hume. [13] They created the laicism of governing and new political legitimacy of any fair ruling to be extracted from the social relations and based on respect of humans rights. [14] 1.1. State of nature according to Thomas Hobbes Hobbes believed that human beings in the state of nature would behave badly towards one another. [15] He believed that such a condition would lead to a war of every man against every man [16] and make life solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. [17] He was strictly against the state of nature because as he said, there can be nothing worse than a life without the protection of the State, [18] especially since in this state there is no justice because there is no law. Hobbes argued that there are no human rights in the state of nature. [19] People have natural right to do anything to preserve their own liberty or safety, and by this implies they act savagely to each other by trying to preserve their own life. This is very arguable nowadays. Every human simply by just being human is entitled with rights when born, despite on what level of development he is in, or if he is aware of the existence of human rights. For Hobbes, natural right is the human freedom to manage himself in relation to issues of his own self preservation. The man, in this capacity has an inalienable dignity, because he is a goal for himself and a kind of absolute value (man as imago dei). [20] This term has its roots in Genesis 1:27, wherein God created man in his own image. . ., [21] which does not mean that God is in human form, but rather, that humans are in images of God in their moral, spiritual, and intellectual nature. [22] The moral implications of the doctrine of imag o dei are apparent in the fact that if humans are to love God, then humans must love other humans, as each is an expression of God. [23] This means that people are obligated to respect one another, but according to Hobbes at the end the wolfish nature of humans [24] dominates. Hobbes develops the way out of the state of nature into civil government by mutual social contracts. Only by concluding the social contract man can save himself and become just (in this State there is no room for the unjust). He says that only the fear of death can lead to the creation of a State. [25] This saying in the modern world was a reason for many wars. Many rulers, dictators, tyrants, for example as Hitler did with Germany in the Second World War, were guided by Hobbess ideas that the man is obedient of the State and should delegate his rights to the Sovereign because the Sovereign is sinless and just, thus has the unlimited powers of rule and punishment. [26] The rulers will define good and evil for his subjects. The ruler can do no wrong, because lawful and unlawful, good and evil, are expression of the will of the ruler. [27] Hobbes gives authorization to the ruler to kill everyone who disobeys this will. In other words, the ruler is always right, because he has god given rights and is messenger of God, so if someone does any wrong (which will mean opposite to the rulers wishes) he will lose his life. This contradicts with one of the basic human rights [28] the right to life. It is not that there should be no State rules and regulations and that people should live in total anarchy, but rules that are in line with peoples rights, wishes and desires, for example regulations brought due referendum, which is a true expression of peoples will and democracy. Therefore, Hobbes, despite the pretty picture he has in mind of people being safe by concluding the social contract, is neglecting the basic human rights. [29] Moreover, Hobbess social contract was in favor of the ruler, not the people. 1.2. State of nature according to John Locke Locke holds different position compared to Hobbes. He believes that people could live in a state of nature, and life would be possible even without the legally established government. The state of nature for him is pre political, but not pre moral. [30] Furthermore, this state of nature for him is a state of complete freedom where all people are equal and only bond by the law of nature. [31] He worries that an absolute sovereign, with absolute power, would be even more of a danger to us than life in the state of nature. This is positive in Lockes thought because is better to live in a state of nature where you live in complete freedom without limitations of the personal rights and liberties. On the other hand, giving the absolute power to a sovereign means that people have to obey the wishes and the demands of the ruler, rather than following their own needs and desires, and disobeying those demands leads to penalization. Why would someone want to have limited human rights? Why wou ld someone want someone else to pressure him in doing something that is against his opinion and his beliefs? It is not the case of not having rules at all but rather that the rules should be made from the people and for the people. The people should not feel oppressed if they do something that is against ones will and feel scared of punishment if they do not meet those requirements. This is against the commonly accepted notion of democracy in which the individual is free in expressing his own will and making statements. Locke argued that although we do need a sovereign to settle disputes and administer justice, we must also set constitutional limits to the sovereigns rule. [32] We have a right to rebel if the sovereign abuses our trust. [33] Assuming that we were all honorable in all our dealings with each other, then the need for sovereign would not existed and we could have remain forever in the state of nature. [34] Is this asking for too much? On one hand it might be, because with no rules at all, people might have tendency to become more violent and even greedier towards others who have more than them (wealthier people). On the other hand, it might not be too much asking for. People behave decent when there is not big gap in equality and people do cooperate with each other in order to survive. Later in this paper, I will show examples of people living in a state of nature with no government, no legislative, and still managing to live in peace with each other and with the rest of the world. Another thing with which Locke differs from Hobbes is his view of the human rights. For Locke, human rights are rights that every human holds and they belong to all humans, and are inalienable, that is they are not transferable to anyone else. [35] If someone tries to restrict one mans human rights for Locke that is equal to slavery. [36] He set forth the view that the State exists to preserve the natural rights of its citizens. [37] Moreover, if the State (government) fails to retain the natural rights of its citizens, than they are allowed to stand up to it and protest against. The same is today in most of the democratic countries, where people if not satisfied with the measures and regulations that the government lays down raise their voice and oppose them. Following this further, Locke does not see the state of nature as something bad as Hobbes does, and therefore, he claims that is better for the people to reject the particular government and to return to the state of nature, [3 8] than to live in an oppressed regimes. Nevertheless, despite the free man that Locke stands for, he still points out that people should engage in a social contract. He says that we should partially give up some of our rights, but not the right of life, liberty and property, [39] for impartial justice. Furthermore, the social contract cannot be concluded without the explicit consent of the people. Property is the linchpin of Lockes argument for the social contract and civil government because it is the protection of peoples property, including their property in their own bodies, that men seek when they decide to abandon the State of Nature. [40] Lockes property is pre- state institute determined by natural law and the property is a result of individuals labor. [41] For him the right of property is a right to life, freedom and estate. [42] He connects the humans/one persons rights with having property; the one who does not own property does not have rights. [43] 1.3. State of nature according to Jean Jacques Rousseau What distinguishes Rousseau from the other two theorists is his statement that in the state of nature man would act like savage, [44] whose actions are primarily determined by immediate needs food, sexual satisfaction, sleep and fears only hunger and pain. [45] However, the thing that distinguishes the savage from the animal is the free will and capacity of self-improvement. [46] For Rousseau is an exaggeration to say that the state of nature leads to war of all against all, as Hobbes said. According to him, the state of nature is peaceful and free of vice. On the other hand, he agrees with Hobbes and Locke that in the state of nature mans main drive is towards self preservation. [47] Rousseau gives a general picture how would the life be in the state of nature, which resembles in a good way with the life that some African tribes have today. He says that the human in the state of nature acts similar to animal satisfying his basic needs. Furthermore, Rousseau gives a critique of the modern man vs. the natural man. He says that the situation of the natural man is better than the one of the modern man because the natural man is free of social norms, morals, obligations, and duties. [48] Having no moral relationship or duties to other men and no subjugated inequality, natural man is better for himself and society. [49] His actions are neither good nor evil [50] because he is not bounded by social rules, which dictate how people should act and think towards each other and the world as a whole. [51] According to that, man should not care much about others opinion of him or his actions. [52] Certainly, according to Rousseau, people are neither good nor bad. [53] People are restrained in harming others by the compassion they have for their fellow humans and have aversion to pain and suffering. [54] In addition, Rousseau claims that men knew neither vice nor virtue since they had almost no dealings with each other. [55] Moreover, in his view their bad habits are the products of civilization, the conditions of nature forced people to establish the civil society. [56] According to this, if man leaves the state of nature than he becomes corrupted and unjust. The modern world and the development of it are responsible for peoples depravation because the wish for self improvement brought misfortune to people. Then why at all should human beings leave this state? On this, Rousseau says that despite the corruptive potential, the life in the society can bring the possibility of a higher form of human existence, [57] like cultural or technological development of the human itself a nd the society he lives in. When talking about the peoples/humans rights, Rousseau points out that that the people have rights in the civil state that are sacred. Therefore, people agree to live in a civil society because that society will protect their rights. But is this a real reflection on what the reality looks like? If taken for example the dictatorship regimes, lets say in Sudan, or as it was in Romania when Ceausescu was on power, the people were in a fictional social contract with the country, and the state did not meet its main duty: the protection of the individual that is not able to protect himself! Different from Locke, who stands on the position that the human has rights even without the existence of the state, [58] Rousseau does not says that the human can exist and just be in that kind of state. For Rousseau, the people only have human rights when engaged in a contract with the state. Here he contradicts himself. First, he says that the civil society corrupts the people, and then notes that hum an rights exist only when people engage in social contract with the state. Rousseaus second point about the requirement of the people to conclude the contract in order to be safe and in a possession of human rights is questionable. The second chapter of my paper will show that people that are not part of a civil society still have human rights and are free. 1.4. Analysis Do we get any general picture of what the state of nature is from the perceptions of these theorists? Hobbes is the opponent of the state of nature. His opinion is that man could not survive in the state of nature therefore there is the need of creating a State, by people engaging in social contract and the necessity of people giving up their rights to the Sovereign. On the other hand, Locke is more liberal when talking about the state of nature. For him people can indeed, live in this state in peace with each other. He does not support the State that limits the rights of humans and the absolute power of the Sovereign (as Hobbes does). Rousseau is in between with his approach. According to him, the state is the only one that can protect the human and his rights. Contrary, he says that the civil society corrupts the person; the development of the society makes man more greedy and unjust. How is this possible? We should enter the social contract for the main purpose of protecting ourselves from others and be able to exercise human rights, but not to become corrupted by the same society. Is not this statement too contradictory and illogical? !!!Finally, summing up all the ideas from these theorists, we can define the state of nature as freedom. A freedom of man to do whatever is his own will, but not damaging and delimiting other peoples rights and personality; freedom from restraints, restrictions and oppressions. In the following chapter, we can see that it is possible for people to live in this kind of state and not being threat to one another. 2. IS THERE A STATE OF NATURE IN THE 21st CENTURY? Looking further than our own surroundings, we will find examples of people that live in a condition that is completely different from the democratic, modern and technologically developed world. Those people live in harmony with nature. Although, the number of those people is very small due to the colonization period and the constant force of assimilation, the ones that succeed in keeping their culture and traditional way of life, help us understand that people can indeed live without rule of law and without engaging into social contract(s). Today, many of the Indigenous people in the world are under the law of the ones that colonized their land, for example the Aborigines in Australia, when colonized by the British were put under the British legal system, [59] but as Australia gained independence from the Crown, the Aborigines are under the Australian law. [60] Other examples where people still managed to keep their natural state are some African tribes that are not subject to the la w of the State, like the Bushmen in South Africa who live in bands. [61] Following in this paper, I will elaborate more on these people and their way of life. 2.1. Indigenous peoples 2.1.1. Definitions on Indigenous Defining Indigenous peoples can be very difficult. Whom do we put under the term Indigenous? There are many definitions. According to the special reporter on discrimination against Indigenous population from the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Population, Mr. Jose Martinez Cobo Indigenous populations are composed of the existing descendants of the peoples who inhabited the present territory of a country wholly or partially at the time when persons of a different culture or ethnic origin arrived there from other parts of the world, overcame them, by conquest, settlement or other means, reduced them to a non-dominant or colonial condition; who today live more in conformity with their particular social, economic and cultural customs and traditions than with the institutions of the country of which they now form part, under a state structure which incorporates mainly national, social and cultural characteristics of other segments of the population which are predominant. [62] This definition was considered to be with flaws. Therefore, the UN Working Group on Indigenous Population decided to enlarge the definition by adding more criteria in defining the term Indigenous. In the first place, they added that as Indigenous people would be considered the ones who are the descendants of groups, which were in the territory at the time when other groups of different cultures or ethnic origin arrived there. [63] In addition, Indigenous are the ones who because of their isolation from other segments of the countrys population have almost preserved intact the customs and traditions of their ancestors which are similar to those characterized as indigenous. [64] Finally, in this group belong people who are, even if only formally, placed under a state structure which incorporates national, social and cultural characteristics alien to their own. [65] In 1986 one more criteria was added, and that was any individual who identified himself or herself as indigenous and was a ccepted by the group or the community as one of its members was to be regarded as an indigenous person. [66] Another definition is provided by the International Labor Organization in the 1989 Convention on Indigenous and Tribal peoples, defines Indigenous peoples as those who are regarded as such on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonization or the establishment of present state boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions. [67] We can give lots more definitions on who and what Indigenous people are, but in the end, summarizing all this definitions, we reach a single conclusion that the Indigenous people are people that only differ by their origin and culture. In other words, Indigenous people enjoy human rights as all the other people do. Furthermore, this people, despite the stage of their development, and by development I mean mostly technical and technological development, generally stand for the common values of freedom and peace. Moreover, Indigenous people, although often distinguishable by virtue of their race, language or religion, are a discrete group. [68] To explain this in more precise way, I will be taking as an example two groups of Indigenous people, one is the Australian Aborigines and the other one is the Bushmen from South Africa. Although, both of these groups of people are considered as Indigenous, they are different in a way of their social structure, the way of life, their customs, law s etc. Later, I will point out that one of these groups is living in a kind of state of nature, with total equality among its members, while the other one was assimilated by the State that overruled them and obligated by the States legal system, notwithstanding that Indigenous peoples are constantly exempt from laws, which may interfere with their tradition. [69] 2.1.2 Examples of Indigenous peoples: Australian Aborigines and the Bushmen of South Africa I decided to take these two groups of Indigenous peoples as an example because there is diversity between them in many ways, but still both belong to what goes under the term indigenous. Since the European invasion of Australia in 1788, the Aboriginal people have been oppressed into a world unnatural to their existence for thousands of years. [70] The British Monarchy invaded the Australian Aborigines during the colonization period; hence, they were put under the British legal system. After Australias independence changes were imposed, the Aboriginal people started the request for self-determination, because the government at the time tried to assimilate these people, and destroyed their land, with that their way of life and culture. Prior to the arrival of the colonists and the destruction of the homeland of the natives, the Aborigines lived in a state of nature. The Aboriginal lifestyle was based on total kinship with the natural environment, everything they needed for normal and h ealthy life was already provided. [71] They lived in tribes or clans and were obligated by their own customs and inter clan contract. [72] No one had authority over anyone else in the sense of ruling them, but this is not to say that there were not leaders. [73] The leaders were people who had personal qualities that others admire, and were considered as smart men, but there were no elected leaders in Aboriginal society. [74] Today, the Aboriginal still live under their customs, but are also obligated to respect the States legal system, which limits some of their human rights, for example like the right to education and using of their mother tongue. [75] Therefore, the colonization brought disturbance of the peace of this people. Armed conflicts and lack of understanding from the modern men resulted in killing of dozens of Aboriginal people and forcing them on different way of life. [76] The Aboriginal people lost most of their tradition and culture, and today most of them are living in the developed and modern world. Only few of the Aboriginal tribes can be found living in a state similar to the state of nature, though obliged by rule of law by the State in one way or another. On the other hand, we have the Bushmen of South Africa that still live in conditions mostly similar to those before the white men invade their land. Along with the arrival of the European settlers great disadvantages started. [77] In this period number of Bushmen was reduced, because they fought to death trying to survive due to limited resources (limited and abused by the settlers), or were captured and forced to slavery and eventually die of extortion. [78] Today, as it was in the past, the Bushmen population lives into groups that are called bands. [79] No leader or superior exists as a figure in the Bushmen band. That makes all of the members of the band equal, both male and female. [80] Thus, they are all equal in the making decisions, [81] and govern themselves by group consensus. [82] If a dispute arises and there is some kind of misunderstanding between the band members, they are resolved through discussions where all involved take part with argumentations until some agreemen t is reached. [83] However, the governments of many African states are trying to exile the Bushmen from their homelands and to assimilate them. For example, In Botswana the government has intensified its campaign to drive the Gana and Gwi Bushmen off their ancestral homeland in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve by cutting off all water supplies. [84] Clearly, we can see that the modern nations and the modern men forced this Indigenous people in leaving the state of nature they used to live in. The colonialism destroyed this peoples way of life. It was not that people abandoned the state of nature because they started to feel intimidated by the others. On the contrary, these Indigenous peoples lived together in peace and in equality, with little resources available that were enough for them to survive. Today, the Indigenous people living in a state of nature are a slowly dying race [85] because of all of this; nevertheless, the fact that they are still trying to maintain their existence is a proof of how perfectly their way of life is adopted to their natural surroundings. [86] 2.2. Do indigenous peoples today enjoy the human rights like most people do? According to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples in Article 1: Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental fr

Gender Bias in the Classroom Essay -- essays papers

Gender Bias in the Classroom RESEARCH IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND THEORIES OF LEARNING Gender inequity is not only learned and accepted in the socialization process that starts at home, but is also present in the school environment form the very early years. Parents and teachers consciously or unconsciously reinforce sex stereotypes. In 1992 Olivares and Rosenthal's research findings examined three areas: 1-interactions in the classroom that are both teacher-to-student and student-to-student 2-instruction features involving relation between classroom activities and the gender of the students assigned to perform the activities 3-the perceptions of gender roles through teachers modeling of sex stereotypes in the classroom. There are fundamental elements of the school environment develop and reinforce inequity: teachers may be unaware of their gender bias; there is a lack of school textbooks and other instructional materials are sex-bias free; and children may interact according to strongly stereotyped gender blueprints. There are teachers who promote gender equity and believe all students should receive the same opportunities to classroom resources and participation an activities. A number of teachers believe the cause of gender equity is best served through a approach of extending equal opportunities to all students and being sensitive to the special need of the groups perceived to be "at risk." Commeyras et al. (1997) stated that teachers generally agreed the there is a need for implementing gender-fair strategies, yet feel uncomfortable actively addressing gender issues in their classrooms. They are often unsure how much authority they should exert in determining the content and direction of students' talk during classroom discussions. Singh (1997) states educators need to decide upon a philosophical position to follow. Teachers need to be aware of their role in shaping gender perceptions among learners. In 1995 David and Jacqueline Sadker found that females were being shortchanged in classrooms. Girls received less praise, help, and intense instruction that creates academic confidence and success. Boys attracted more attention by calling out and acting up, demanding more teacher time and talent. The well-behaved girls became spectators as... .... [http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed328610.html](9/18/00). Dickman, C. B. (1993). Gender differences and instructional discrimination in the classroom. Journal of Invitational Theory and Practice, 1993. Vol. 2, No.1.lycos.com.[http//www.uncg.edu/ced/iais/journal/v21p35.htm] (9/18/00). Manjari, S. (1998). Gender issues in the language arts classroom. ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading English and Communication Bloomington IN. [http://www.edgov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed426409.html] (9/18/00). Rothenberg, D. (9/95). Supporting girls in early adolescence. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary Childhood Education Urbana IL. [http://www.edgav/databases/ERIC_Digest/ed386331.html] (9/18/00). Sadker, D. & J. (11/1/95). Equity update. lycos.com. [http://www.lycos.comsrch/more.html] (9/18/00) Sadker, D. (5/6/99). Gender equity: Still knocking at the classroom door. Educational Leadership 56 no7 22-6 Ap‘99.[http://vweb.hwwilsonweb.com/cgibin...GT.&SP.URL.P=(H9Z7)J(0O00041 061)& (10/10/00) Sanders, J. (5/97). Teacher education and gender equity. ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education Washington DC.[http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed408227.html] (9/18/00)

Best Business Tips

When producing minutes for a business meeting it is required that formal language is used. This is because minutes are records that are stored for business use. Minutes could be later used by an employee, as evidence to show a meeting has taken place or used in another discussion with other professionals. Formal language makes minutes of a meeting clear and make sense. The tone required for meeting minutes must be serious and formal. They do not need to be persuasive or intriguing, as they are a set record of the discussion within a meeting so they just need to be clear and understandable. The image of a set of minutes should include in the organisations set logo, colours and themes. This is so that it is easily recognisable as the organisations document. The presentation of a set of minutes must be structured into different agenda items, which may be in a table or just simple paragraphs so that the document is clear and people can easily navigate the parts they need to read.When writing an email, the language should be formal. This only tends to vary when the audience changes. For example, if an employee was to email another colleague, they may be friendlier and slightly informal. Formal language should be used to internal and external business people, so that it gives a good impression of the sender as an individual and shows professionalism of the company they work for. The tone required for emails are dependent on the recipients. For instance, when writing a sales email, a more persuasive tone will be used. When writing a complaint response, a more sympathetic and helpful tone will be used. However, a professional tone should be maintained in emails to keep up an organisations reputation and professionalism. The image of an email should have the organisations particular style of font and email signature to make it easily identifiable by other companies. It also makes the email look more professional to make people take the company seriously. The presentation of an email is required to be structured into paragraphs with a professional greeting and closing message. When integrating images into documents it's important to use the format and theme to use that is the same as the businesses. It is important to think about what the business needs to accomplish and what impression needs to be given to the reader. Whilst creating the image of the document that we want to reflect well on the business, it is also important to make sure copyright laws are not being breached. Therefore images and themes should be checked to make sure it is not that of another brand or business. A good image has to be unique and professional as it will be used often for all kinds of documents being sent to external customers and internal workers.An image can be inserted into a word document or PowerPoint by attaching an image saved onto the computer by clicking on the insert tab and pressing pictures. To easily locate the desired picture it is best to save it somewhere and name it something memorable. Another way of integrating images into documents is to copy and paste them by right clicking on the image and pressing the copy function, then right clicking where the image needs to be copied to and pressing paste. This is the quickest option however sometimes it doesn't always work and we have to save images to the computer instead. Corporate identity allows documents to have their own trademark. Corporate identity makes a businesses documents look professional, draws in more customers and makes them easily recognisable. This includes the company's logo, header and footer styles, theme colours, personalised document templates and font choice. When this is changed and updated it could affect previous documents with the outdated corporate identity by making them not recognisable as that company. It is important the corporate identity is only amended slightly and still maintains it's unique theme so it is always recognisable. It's also important to notify all staff members of these changes so that everyone is using the same corporate identity to avoid confusion. To avoid breaking copy right laws, a company must ensure they have their own corporate identity that is not the same as another company. To avoid breaking copy right laws, a company must ensure they have their own corporate identity that is not the same as another company. When designing or creating a document you must follow corporate identity by using the businesses fonts, logos and themes etc. If another businesses fonts, logos or themes are used in your businesses documents, it could appear as though your business is stealing another businesses identity. This looks like your business is trying to commit fraud or frame another business. In regards to the Data Protection Act, it is important that a persons personal information isn't included in letters or emails unless permission is given by that person. Data stored on documents about a person must be stored safely and securely and only accessed by permitted persons. Documents including data with someones personal information must not be shared with any one other than permitted persons and must be kept strictly confidential, else this is a breach of the act. To avoid breaching the Copyright laws, a company must not use images, ideas, or work etc. that is copyright protected. A document producer must check this before integrating images or information on to their documents. The same goes for intellectual property. Any original idea owned by someone or a company cannot be used by another person when protected by copyright.Intellectual property is something unique created by an individual or a group. To avoid breaching intellectual property legislations when producing business documents, it is important to make sure other peoples creations, e.g. names or brands are not included in the documents. This means documents must be strictly the creation of the company itself and not copied from another company's. Version control is when changes that are made to a file are traced with the details of who changed them, when they traced them, why they did and any problems enhanced or resolved when the change was made. Organisations do this to ensure that previous versions of a document are accessible as well as current ones to follow up problems occurring or to compare them. Organisational procedures for version control are that employees must always record their name, the date and what changes they have made to a document so that other employees are aware. This is crucial for tracing back to old documents and comparing them to recent versions. Other organisational procedures for version control is that old documents must be maintained in case newer versions may contain errors or having missing information. Security requirements for documents are having set passwords to gain access into a file so that only particular people have access to it. Other requirements are read only settings so that the author only has permissions to make changes to the document so that other people cannot edit and make unwanted changes to it. A document created for external use needs to have the recipient checked if any personal data is included within it to prevent breaching the data protection act if the email was to be sent to the wrong recipient. If personal data included on a document is being sent by mail, it is important the mail is stamped with ‘private and confidential' on the front to ensure safe delivery.

Biogeochemical Cycles Essay Example

Biogeochemical Cycles Essay Example Biogeochemical Cycles Paper Biogeochemical Cycles Paper Take the hydrological cycle, for example, and throw in an area of heavy pollution and we are bound to get a reaction a lot like throwing tennis balls In a dryer. While you might have harmless Intentions. It makes a lot of noise and causes a lot of damage. The biochemical cycles consist of the carbon, hydrological, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus cycles. Carbon is important to all living organisms and each organism reacts to it differently. Some organisms need carbon to survive while others produce carbon for others. On page 107 of the textbook. They talk about deferent options the planet has to create carbon. Water and Its corresponding cycle Is probably the most well-known cycle of the five. It is general knowledge that rain clouds produce a natural filtration system of water from oceans. The rain falls into rivers, lakes, land and what is not removed or needed is recycled back into our oceans. On page 109 of Visualizing Environmental Science the authors Hager and Berg discuss and diagram the nitrogen cycle. They talk about how there is seemingly no shortage of nitrogen In the atmosphere, how Important It Is to proteins and nucleic acids, and centerboards role In the production line. According to the text. He sulfur cycle Is the least known and least studied of the biochemical cycles. Sulfur may enter the atmosphere by both land and ocean modalities and only a small portion of sulfur is in living organisms, however it is an important player in the formation of proteins of both plants and animals. Bacteria are the organisms that stand to gain the most and they are the main drive of the sulfur cycle. The phosphorus cycle Is the last cycle discussed In this section of chapter 6 In the textbook. It is unlike the previous cycles because It Is not present In the atmosphere. This cycle moves from step to step by and and ocean only. When asked about the biochemical cycles, most responses were What is a biochemical cycle? Once I explained briefly, I asked what level of importance it has on them. Well, the cycles are life and I would say life is pretty important to me, said Connors Carpenter. The rest of the interviewees responded with a similar answer once they understood what It meant. However, even the most Intellectual person In my little sample of society needed further explanation and description of the cycles before he could respond with an educated answer, making me realize that the geochemical cycles are not important nor on the minds of the general public. In addition, I believe the group of individuals I sought out to interview was diverse enough to represent our entire community. As stated previously, the topic Is very Important to me especially considering solutions as well as reasons Tort pollution. Narragansett ten natural now AT ten matter within ecosystems coincides with understanding where the cycles can become more efficient as well as recognizing areas where production can be easily blocked. In addition, I mean natural when talking about natural matter cycles to include human needs and do not mean to exclude us from this term. Humans are part of nature and it is a necessity to consider the resistance we have to any major change when studying the p ossibility of improvements. The biochemical cycles span six pages of the textbook (from 106-112) and include diagrams of each. The diagrams provide a visual way to help understand and an accurate map of different types of water, land, and atmosphere all in the same picture to help understand how they work. The biochemical cycles are always present in society and always will be. They re life and how it is made possible and that is something that will always be a topic on everybody minds, subconsciously. It is not every day that the average person considers why they are alive at any given moment and for that reason, I do not think the life cycles of matter within our atmosphere, water, and land are ever at the front of the mind. As always when considering environmental topics, human pollution must also be purposed as an issue worth discussing. I think humans are effecting the cycles by adding more chemicals in steps of the cycle where they would not normally be. While viewing the diagrams, it is easy to see that an added ingredient anywhere in the mixture will cause an uneven balance and eventually disrupt each individual cycle. According to the text, the sulfur cycle is still not fully understood or documented. Research still continues and scientists are learning more about sulfur and how it reacts within our ecosystems. A majority of the reason the sulfur cycle has not been researched and broken down as much as the other cycles is because it is mostly only relevant to bacteria. Human nature is to be selfish. The matter that is most relevant o humans is focused on sooner than things that have little or no impact on us. Once again, I believe that all parts of the cycles should be carefully studied if we want to purpose solutions to our environmental problems. The 5 biochemical cycles describe how all matter interacts within different ecosystems. Learning about how they work and why they are necessary will help the general public become more ecological conscious of the role they play within the cycles. The first step in any process is to first figure out exactly what needs to be done and I think these cycles provide a blueprint and a starting point to make some major changes.

Why People Visit Websites Essays

Why People Visit Websites Essays Why People Visit Websites Essay Why People Visit Websites Essay List at least five reasons why people visit Web sites. Learn about products or services that the company offers Buying products or services that the company offers Obtaining information about warranty, service, or repair policies for products purchased Obtaining general company or organization information Obtaining financial information for making an investment in the compnay or organization Identifying the people that manage the organization Obtaining contact information for a person or department in the organization 2. What are the guidelines that must be followed by Web designers when creating a Web site that is intended to meet the specific needs of customers? Design the site around how visitors will navigate the links, not based on companys organization structure Allow visitors to access information quickly Avoid using inflated marketing statements in product or service descriptions Avoid using business jargon and terms the user may not understand Build the site to work for visitors who are using the oldest browser software on the oldest computer connected through the lowest bandwidth connectioneven if this means creating multiple versions of webpages Be consistent in the use of design features Make sure the navigation controls are clearly labeled or otherwise recognizable Test text visually on smaller monitors Check to make sure that color combinations do not impair viewing clarity for color-blind visitors Conduct usability tests by having potential site users navigate through several versions of the site. 3. List five goals that businesses should meet when constructing a Web site, so that it successfully conveys an integrated image and offers information to potential customers. Offer easily accessible information about hte organization Allow visitors to experince the site in different ways / at different levels Provide vistors with a meaningful two-way (interactive) communication link with the organization Sustain visitor attention and encourage return visits Offer easily accessible information about products and services and how to use them 4. An effective site is one that creates an attractive presence that meets the objectives of the business or organization.List at least five common objectives. Attract visitors to the site Make site interesting enough for users to explore Convince users to follow sites links to obtain information Create an impression consistent with the organizations desired image Build trusting relationship with visitors Reinforce positive images th at the visitor may already have had about the organization Encourage visitors to return to the site

Police Subculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Police Subculture - Essay Example police officer sets individuals apart from society and that it is difficult for them to manage non-police relationships which might be compromised by the requirements of the job or which, according to Stanley (2002), might compromise their job. Chan (1997) documents Australian police and offers new conceptualization of police culture. The author notes that policeminority relations have engaged substantially with reform, and 'the routine brutalism of the cops' seemed to signal not for the need for reform but its failure. She criticises their existing conceptualizations for 'their inability to account for differences in culture, their neglect of the active role played by officers in the reproduction or transformation of culture, their failure to situate police culture within the political and social context of policing, and their silence about the scope and possibility for cultural change' (Chan, 1997; p.12). Police officers working at the 'street' level function in a highly stressful and dangerous professional role. Numerous studies have examined whether police officers exhibit personality traits different from those of the general population (e.g., Carpenter & Raza, 1987; Fenster & Locke, 1973; Hanewicz, 1978; Lefkowitz, 1975; Sheppard, Bates, Fracchia, & Merlis, 1974; Simon, Wilde, & Cristal, 1973). Adlam (1982) concluded that the personality and social attitudes of police personnel change over time. Veteran police officers are more cynical, suspicious, and socially isolated than other people (e.g., Goolkasian, Geddes, & DeJong, 1985; Niederhoffer, 1967; Norvell & Belles, 1990; Skolnick, 1976). Officers are exposed to much more tragedy and human suffering over time than the vast majority of the general population. In addition, police officers become increasingly... Chan (1997) documents Australian police and offers new conceptualization of police culture. The author notes that police\minority relations have engaged substantially with reform, and ‘the routine brutalism of the cops’ seemed to signal not for the need for reform but its failure. She criticises their existing conceptualizations for ‘their inability to account for differences in culture, their neglect of the active role played by officers in the reproduction or transformation of culture, their failure to situate police culture within the political and social context of policing, and their silence about the scope and possibility for cultural change’ (Chan, 1997; p.12). Police officers working at the ‘street’ level function in a highly stressful and dangerous professional role. Numerous studies have examined whether police officers exhibit personality traits different from those of the general population (e.g., Carpenter & Raza, 1987; Fenster & Locke, 1973; Hanewicz, 1978; Lefkowitz, 1975; Sheppard, Bates, Fracchia, & Merlis, 1974; Simon, Wilde, & Cristal, 1973). Adlam (1982) concluded that the personality and social attitudes of police personnel change over time. Veteran police officers are more cynical, suspicious, and socially isolated than other people (e.g., Goolkasian, Geddes, & DeJong, 1985; Niederhoffer, 1967; Norvell & Belles, 1990; Skolnick, 1976). Officers are exposed to much more tragedy and human suffering over time than the vast majority of the general population. In addition, police officers become increasingly aware that many citizens feel uncomfortable interacting with them, even when they are off duty; some people acti vely dislike the police. [Newburn, 2005] Police subculture is often considered as both a cause of police deviance and an obstacle for police reform.

Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) Literature review

Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) - Literature review Example The antigen HOM-TES-14 which is repeatedly encountered during CDNA expression library is encoded by the SCP-1 gene, which is mainly expressed during prophase of mitosis in spermatocytes and involved in homologous chromosomes pairing therefore is less restricted in its expression. CTA is expressed less in non-seminomatous germ cell tumors than seminomas germ cell tumors (Chen, et al., 2013). There are CTA that are encoded on the X-chromosome called the X-CTA genes and those that are not referred to as non-CTA genes. More than half of all CTA are X-CTA and often constitute multi-gene families organized in well-defined clusters along the X-chromosome where different members are arranged into complex direct and inverted repeats. The genes encoding non-X-CT antigens are distributed throughout the genome and are mostly single copies (Cheng, et al., 2011). The X-CTA genes are expressed basically on the spermatogonia that are proliferating germ cells while non-X-CTA are expressed in the late stages of differentiation such as spermatogenesis in the normal testis. MAGE-A3, MAGE-8, MAGE-A10, XAGE-2 and XAGE-3 have been found to be expressed in the placenta in addition to testicular expression. The CTAs have different functions as various CTAs are expressed during different stages of spermatogenesis (Fratta, et al., 2011). In tumors of diverse histotypes, CTAs are largely distributed. Among various kinds of tumors, CTA varies and is depicted by data from the evaluation of its transcripts (Fratta, et al., 2011). The division of cells resulting to nuclei whereby the total chromosome number is reduced by a half its original number is termed as meiosis. The nuclei that arise from the parent nuclei are normally same as the parent nuclei but they genetic makeup is normally different. This is because genetic diversity is permitted during reproduction. Meiosis is composed of two phases, Meiosis I and II. It is through these stages that meiosis gives rise to