Implication of globalisation on social policy Essay

It is now difficult to read a newspaper or a book, watch the television, surf the Internet, or participate in a demonstration without coming across references to how ‘globalization’ is affecting our lives. One of the crucial challenges facing many developing and transitional economies is balancing the benefits of globalisation with the risks and costs. According to Sheila L (2004) : ‘Globalization can be described as a process by which the people of the world are unified into a single society. This process is a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural and political forces’Globalisation is a complex phenomenon, with economic, political and cultural dimensions. At the centre are economic pressures stemming from trade liberalization and increased international competition driven by technological change and growth of the knowledge economy. But political globalisation as reflected in regional groupings, American power, and the influence of global institutions such as the OECD and the IMF may also compromise the self-determination of individual countries. According to Giddens (2001) there are also powerful influences that stem from a cultural globalisation of ideas and values. Thus the process of globalization results in the dissemination and transfusion of ideas that attain significant global social policy currency. Individual countries can both contribute to and be influenced by this process . Effect of globalization:Globalization has variety of effects, that are influencing almost every aspect of life, existence, as well as economic, industrial, financial, social area. Increase of globalization can be seen on Table1. In most of the countries given in example, that measure doubled or, as in case of Czech Republic, even tripled. Basing on Wikipedia division, I would like to highlight economic effect of globalization, that seen in sociological context, increased economic inequality throughout the world and within the United States. Globalization since 1980 has also raised the inequality between nations and peoples, and cemented the polarization of the world into rich and poor nations. Increased competition that induces changes in production in an economy will lead to better allocation of resources, greater efficiency and productivity. However, even if there is net benefit from globalization for the whole economy, some groups and sectors will lose. The net benefits are not shared equally amongst the population and globalization can increase inequities to the extent that certain groups, sectors or regions, are able to participate and grow much faster than other groups, sectors or regions within a country. Therefore, whilst the benefits of globalization are generally accepted, the jury is still out on assessing the social impact arising from globalization and more importantly how to best manage the risks and costs in order to maximize the net benefit for all concerned. Impact of globalization on social policiesNowadays all countries are exposed to economic pressures from globalization that has had implications for social policy. Chart 1 show how Social Globalization has developed over time – measured by the average of the individual country indices. There are numerous arguments regarding how globalization aggravates social problems, while at the same time weakening states’ ability to address them. Expansion of globalization, and the preoccupation with business interests and national economic competitiveness inherent to it, is said to erode democracy itself by depriving voters the opportunity to get their governments to provide social protection. Thus, globalization both increases market-based inequalities through increased labor-market inequality and also places pressure on the capacity of governments to ameliorate them through  tax policy and transfer payments and services. They have also employed greater targeting of benefits and encouraged the expansion of private insurance against labor market risks. Health and other social service programmers have been subject to budget caps, user co-payments, internal markets and other efficiency-oriented reforms. Continuing high levels of social expenditure and considerable differences in levels of poverty and inequality provide support for this view and challenge the idea of an inevitable globalization-induced ‘race to the bottom’ in social spending. But as data from Table 2 suggests us, although expenditure patterns over recent years have been broadly convergent, the trend is not, in fact, towards the bottom, but towards generally higher levels of spending and a greater salience of welfare state objectives. Although in some continental countries, like Denmark, Netherlands, Italy etc. rose only modestly, or even decrease. In U.K and USA increase of Gini Coefficient remains as the highest, close to 8%. According to IMF trends in income inequality across advanced economies have been quite different. In the United States, which started out with a relatively high degree of income inequality, it has increased even further. However, other countries with initially low levels of income inequality, including Denmark, France and the Netherlands, saw some further decline. The impact of globalization on social policy can be seen in both developed and developing countries. Globalization at itself suggest that transnationalisation of production exerts pressure on states to reduce the burden of taxes and regulations on firms. While this reduces financial and compliance burden on firms, it also erodes the states’ fiscal and organizational capacity to maintain the welfare state. Second, it is argued that generous welfare  benefits stifle work incentives which gradually undermine an economy’s international competitiveness. Governments are, as a result, obliged to keep benefits in check and preferably reduced in order to maintain international competitiveness. Third, concern for the investors’ sentiments leads governments to focus on balance of payment, inflation and fiscal prudence because governments that do not sufficiently address these concerns find their nations shunned by business, which dampens economic growth, which in turn und ermines voters’ support for the government. As a result, governments can no longer boost their economy through expansionary social and economic investment measures and must instead rely on promotion of international trade and investment, which serves the interests of business more than the society at large. Globalization enters the ways in which the content of social policy and the distribution of welfare are shaped by: governmental and nongovernmental organizations responding not only to domestic issues and sources of pressure but also to circumstances, events, and developments in other countries; the policies of foreign governments, international organizations, and financial institutions; and the decisions and activities of overseas headquarters. In essence, then, globalization draws attention to the ways in which societies, economies, and polities – including labor markets and welfare systems – of different countries are entangled in one another. All this is effecting in lowering social and labor standards, as well as shifting public services (like heath-care and education), to privatization and existence on global market. That’s why issues with which social policy is concerned to the level of supranational institutions, agencies, and forums, both world-regional (e.g. EU) and global (WB etc) are raised. ConclusionIn my assignment I examined the interconnections between globalization and social policy. I have seen that globalization is a complex process, and that ‘globalization studies’ displays a range of theoretical, ideological, and political perspectives. Summing up influence of globalization is taking different directions, what is mostly depended by the stage of development and character of country. Social problems ranging from famine to floods, from pollution to poverty, and from rural depopulation to urban overcrowding are commonly cited examples of the many invidious effects  of globalization on social welfare. Conversely, globalization is trumpeted as being central to many developmental successes, such as poverty reduction, increasing economic prosperity, better services, and enhanced concern with human rights. Even those who are skeptical of the benefits globalization has brought so far may point to the ways in which it has the potential to transform politica l, economic, and social relations within and between countries to the benefit of human welfare worldwide. Globalization brings new potentials for development and wealth creation. But there are divergent views and perceptions among people as concerns its economic and social impact, and indeed widely varying impacts on the interests and opportunities of different sectors and economic and social actors. Some argue that the present model of globalization has increased problems of unemployment, inequality and poverty, while others contend that globalization helps to reduce them. In my opinion, these problems predated globalization, but it is clear that for globalization to be politically and economically sustainable, it must contribute to their reduction. Hence the future goal of a globalization is meeting needs of all people. References: Edwards, R. 2000. Globalisation and Pedagogy : Space, Place and Identity. London, UK: RoutledgeFalmer,Giddens, A. 2001. Introduction in The Global Third Way Debate, Cambridge. Hill M., 2006. Social Policy in the Modern World, Blackwell PublishingJackson A. Globalization and progressive social policySheila L. Croucher. 2004. Globalization and Belonging: The Politics of Identity in a Changing World. Rowman & Littlefield. p.10http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalizationhttp://globalization.kof.ethz.ch/static/pdf/press_release_2008_en.pdfhttp://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2007/wp07169.pdfhttp://stats.oecd.org/wbos/default.aspx?DatasetCode=SNA_TABLE11http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2007/wp07169.pdf

Lecture Notes on Modernism and other ‘isms’

Is a shorthand for the seemingly complex array of ideas and theories that surround art and design as a socially and culturally located practice. With many of these ideas it is difficult to find a starting point, and a lot of these terms have superseded one another or are in conflict in some way. There is no real chronology of these ideas, In fact, a linear approach to these Ideas Is probably misleading. 2. These different ways of formatting knowledge are prevalent in visual culture and art and sign.They are what followers of the French philosopher Gilles Delude might describe as ‘reading machines' or a tool kit for examining the world of Ideas, concepts that shape our lives. 3. They are ways of modeling the world as well as being lenses through which we view our surroundings, the ideas, habits, concepts and histories that make up a culture or society. Ways of thinking Like this provide critical positions from which we organism these seemingly chaotic or impractically complex su rroundings. 4.The following list is by no means exhaustive but I hope that in some says what will become apparent are the different ways that people try to make sense of their subject (Graphic design or illustration), their discipline (art, art and design, applied art, visual communication, visual culture) and the wider world (society, political systems, culture, difference, power etc). 5. These Ideas can often provide insight, comfort and / or revelation to the adherents, but they can also impose dogma, inflexibility and / or a predictable response.Think of the different approaches almost as a set of tools that can be used to strip down the engine of history. 6. My respective on this, and one I think I share with everyone here, is the perspective of the practitioner. 7. Whether the concepts here are familiar or entirely new, what I ask all of you to do Is re-talk these Ideas Interns of how they might relate to each another and to your practice, your practical research and your writ ten work for this module. 8. We will begin to consider race, gender, class, sexuality, in themselves, and as ways of as ways of reading or seeing cultural material. . As we go through the material that you are presented with, you should also try to think of an original idea o research for the essay that you will be writing for the end of the semester. These Ideas may also respond to some more fundamental questions that you may already have about things in general. 10. Modernism. Historical, grand narrative, about progress and humanism. We know modern art, but the first use of the word modern was used In the time of the Emperor Charlemagne In about DADA. 11.The enlightenment in the ICC is the beginning of what we would call ‘modern' with science, the beginnings of industry, rationalism and a belief in progress taking over from a superstition and subsistence. Western values, from the equals-holocaust trope of the 300 (battle of Thermopile) seen as defense of West against East. 1 2. Michael Gave represents English kings model of linear history, Paolo Ferrier educational theorist against this banking model of education. 13. Narrative of the thread of history often still dominant in public discourse. 4. Challenge the idea that to know anything you need to know its entire history. Be wary of this, as it takes up a lot of issues, practices etc. Than to attempt a rambling second hand history that is largely in the public domain anyway, linear history, progress. 15. The ideas and principles of modernism are fundamental to the development of capitalism and the free market. 16. Modernist literature, high modernism, Joyce, Becket, Ezra Pound, Sentiment, De Still, Bauhaus, modern art. 17. Intellectuality – texts' refer to one another.Some would argue that this period of modernism was the high water mark of Western culture, and that we are already going down hill fast. 18. Cultural reproduction. Social and cultural basis for all of the definitions of what we con sider to be of value or what can be classified as art. What we do here at college is a form of cultural reproduction, mom things are taught, some aren't. Some things you learn (by choice) some you don't. We all do this to some extent. 19. It is important to understand these habits and to challenge or break them.Habits in making, thinking and acting can be unnecessarily restrictive 20. Orientation – a kind of patronizing beatifications of the East, or the non – West by the West. Edward Said, post – colonialism. Slavery and Liverpool. The image of slavery, architecture, visual evidence in buildings, street names etc. Liverpool wealth comes in a large part from the slave trade. Liverpool and Bristol. Can this still be seen? 1 . The West genuinely feels that it is the most advanced, civilized, free and valid form of social organization, Like the Romans, Mayans, Egypt, Mesopotamia etc.All civilizations collapse for similar reasons (see Collapse of Complex Civilizatio ns, Law of Entropy) 22. Colonialism, Socialism and Fascism all products of modernism, as is radical Salamis Noon Gray, Straw Dogs, Heresies) in spite of the tendency to compare non-western ideologies to the past, medieval attitudes towards crime and punishment in Saudi Arabia for example, tribal conflicts in Africa or peasant communities of China. 3. Representation of Africa as behind Western Europe in terms of development (Edward Said). 24.Socialism – Meta-narrative of class [power. A socialist view on art and design might be that it supports the power elite (the owners of the ‘means of production', the already wealthy), the forces that subjugate the working classes, by presenting them (the wealthy) in the best possible light. (think about this next time you visit a major art gallery). 25. The means of production, publishing and media companies, art institutions etc. Are all owned or were established by the wealthy, and it is their interests that these institutions ser ve (see Media Lens). 26.Consumerism is one of the mechanisms that dazzle the ordinary folk into coexisting with the mechanism of their oppression (read Ragged Trousers Philanthropists by Robert Treeless, Germinal by Andre Guide, any George Orwell). 27. Capitalism – Corporate ownership of media and publishing. 28. Normative. Progress, idea of the self-made man, level playing field, Work hard and you will be successful'. National lottery or ‘idiot tax' is something that cashes in on the success of this image. 29. Racism – examples in earning, canons in education, National Galleries. Anglo-centric curriculum acts as propaganda for status quo. 0. Children's books golliwogs and teddy bears. Also animal characters and difference, what do they represent? Are there any patterns there? 31 . Anthropomorphism – Children's books, animal characters. Assumption of gender in animal characters. (Anomalousness) Animal Farm (Orwell). Function and reality, the farm, Sue CEO, the bastion. Fur trade and fashion, image and advertising (Theodore Adorn, Peter Singer) 33. Anarchism – Media Lens, Chomsky and propaganda model (Manufacturing consent, E. Herman and N. Chomsky) outlines how western mass media works as propaganda.John Pilfer – obvious propaganda of totalitarianism (USSR, N. Korea) compare to softer more inclusive (more deceptive? ) propaganda of corporate media. 34. Feminism Images of gender, (Butler, Original, Drink), Magazines. Lads mass, women's magazines. Andrea Drink, ironically vilified for her appearance but wrote extensively on the image of sexuality and patriarchal power and the relationship between Sexuality, queer theory and hetero normative. I challenge you all to get your head round these ideas and to seriously hint about visual culture and its affects in this arena. 35.Feminism is an inspiring way of looking at images, artifacts and design. These critical positions are critical of what they describe as the heterosexuali ty that dominates popular media and political discourse. Egg. Top Gear, football, marketing (big pen for her http:// www. Amazon. Co. UK/Bloc-For-Her-Medium-Ballpoint/EDP/BUFFETING). 36. The differentiation of gender roles in print media being an obvious example, but there are examples abundant in the visual language of science, heritage, leisure, commerce, and everything really. 37. Politics – Overtly political – Kendal, Chitchats, Kale Lass, Sue CEO, Joe Image.Covertly political – Marketing, publishing, advertising, product design, packaging (tacit support of Western consumerism, status quo) Apple, Span, suicides. 38. The discreet politics of art and design, consumerism, globalization and the visual cultural economy. Art turning left (Tate). 39. Semiotics – A theory of reading, not sure whether it is a theory of making. Look at Visible signs by David crow, Reading images, for examples. 40. The visual turn – the move to visuals from text based com munication (or the triumph of reading? . If images are seen as texts then ‘reading' still dominant. 1 . Multiplicity (objects can be encountered in a number of ways at the same time). 42. Intellectuality (texts refer to other texts, images exist within a world of images, styles of representation, critical interpretive communities (that maker can also be a member of etc) ever more so in digital communication. As a kind of coda to this presentation I would like to also talk about the upcoming talk on What's New? And briefly mention a couple of things. Structuralism / post structuralism and Post-Modernism – context – We will look at territoriality.Alto-modernism, after the structures and narratives of modernism. Hybrid, cultural, social and material mixing and matching. Common points of reference. Hipster cool, political disenfranchisement or disengagement with class ridden power structures or class identity. Postposition, DC culture, tropes and mimes. Franà §ois L aurelled – Non philosophy – Idea of looking critically or creatively at a discipline from the outside. Non – anything, (this references well known critique of Faculty by Deride, where D argues that Ifs history of Madness is always going to be room the point of view of the not mad.Really, what F was doing was imaging madness from an oblique and UN referenced perspective). Could this inform our practice? What would non-design, non-illustration look like. Illustration that doesn't illustrate? Design that hasn't been designed? What would it be to make work that doesn't do what it is told. Or that doesn't do what it is supposed to? This speculative thinking will be picked up in lecture 4. I have tried to talk you through some of these different that can be asked within these frameworks.The aim, though you are of course alcove to pick up on any of the questions that arise from this talk, is for you to be able to think differently about both your practical work, and yo ur wider cultural landscape. The main thing to remember here is that these are ideas that should inspire you to develop your work along a path that you were previously unaware of, to go off in a new direction or trajectory, one that isn't for everyone but is Just for you. At the moment, your work might not fit in with your ideas on society, politics, culture or whatever. But we are all products of this cultural m ©Lange and so is everything you sake.At the moment, it may be the best idea to strike out in a different critical direction (for the essay) and think about practical research on a module by module basis, keeping some of these ideas in the back of your mind, allowing the cross fertilization of thinking when appropriate. It is not necessary to rush headlong (in terror) into post-modernism. Next week we will be looking at the work of the photographers Adam Broodmare and Oliver Chain. I will send you a link to one of their books and an accompanying text. Your homework is to s tudy this material.

Limits of the UN's Human Rights Agenda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Limits of the UN's Human Rights Agenda - Essay Example However, League of Nations failed to achieve its objectives, which is evident from the occurrence of a Second World War. The formation of United Nations helped a lot in settling human rights issues and global political, cultural and economic issues. According to Kennedy (2007), â€Å"Without the actions and the existence of UN, human kind would be a lot worse off than it is today† (Kennedy, 2007, p.285). However, there are plenty of people who argue that United Nations failed to fulfil its objectives as far as the human right protection of the global community is concerned. â€Å"The first International Conference on Human Rights, held in Tehran in April and May 1968† (Burke, 2008, p.275). Since then plenty of global incidents happened in which human right violation occurred in one way or another. UN interfered in some international crisis successfully whereas it failed miserably on many such occasions. â€Å"The story of UN peace keeping operation in the 1990s - some success and some failures - to agree that the record is a mixed one†(Kennedy, 2007, p.285). This is because of the fact that UN failed to act neutrally on global issues. Some people argue that UN is working as a toy in the hands of America and its allies. In their opinion, UN fails to interfere properly in human rights violation incidents in which America and its allies are the culprits. They cite incidents from Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq etc to substantiate their arguments. This paper analyses the limits of the UN’s human rights agenda. Limitations of UN’s Human right protection efforts The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, declared explicitly for the first time on September 15, 2004 that the US-led war on Iraq was illegal. Mr Annan said that the invasion was not sanctioned by the UN Security Council or in accordance with the UN's founding charter (MacAskill & Borger, 2004). Even though Anan showed the4 courage to openly criticize America’s interventions in Iraq, UN failed to take any effective measures to stop America’s war with Iraq. It should be noted that thousands of Iraqi people suffered a lot because of America’s effort to seize Saddam and weapons of mass destruction from Iraqi soil. Even after years of battle and the execution of Saddam, America failed to establish peace in Iraq or seize any biological, chemical or nuclear weapons from Iraq. In other words, Iraq war was definitely the violation of international laws related to sovereignty and human rights. America vetoes any UN efforts which may go against their interests as well as the interests of their allies like Israel. Middle East is a region in which human right violations are going on for the last few decades. UN is acting as silent witness amidst all human right violations happening in Middle East. It failed to ensure safety and security to the lives and properties of the innocent Palestinian people from the hands of Israel. The right for having an independent state is a human right for Palestinians. However, Israel in company with America blocking Palestine’s every effort to become a sovereign state. Israelis have settled in to lands that Palestinians call home and these Israelis believe that they have the right to live there and call it home themselves. Palestinians want the Israeli "occupiers" to leave, and they desperately want a homeland of their own, a country of their own (The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, n. d). Israel’s ability to stop the functioning of a sovereign Palestine is definitely a failure to United

Legal Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Legal Analysis Paper - Essay Example ecently, most employers have opted for the â€Å"covenant not to compete†, however strict measures have been placed in the rule of law which generally disapproves right to earn a living by former employee which is highly upheld in the courts. This paper generally intends to look into circumstances where court of law can enforce non-competition agreement and the relevant competing policy that are at stake. Also solution offered by the non-compete contract. Enough consideration to encourage a non-competition agreement comes in a variety of forms that is; payments to the employees, previous employment and under certain circumstances of continued employment and also intangibles like; knowledge, skills and professional status. Courts enforce non-competition agreement when; there is necessity to protect certain employer interest; agreement is in reasonable time and scope (period of six months to one year when agreement is to last and where good will is the only interest at stake and the employees customer contract is limited to a specific region); it is consistent with public interest (Garmaise, 2009). Courts uphold this agreement in two major protectable employer interests, an employer’s relationship with customers, clients and venders (i.e. good will), trade secrets and other confidential business information. Conflicts of interest in non-competitive policy fall under two major stakes, that is; contractual limitations, where involved employee sign a clear written agreement promising to avoid doing certain things and agreeing to pay for damages in event of breach of agreement. Policy guidelines; where employer stipulates his/her expectation from employee (Estlund, 380). Protection of legitimate interest of the employer, limiting the undue hardship to the employee and protection -of public from any harm are key policy interest to be considered. Protection of employer’s interest is upheld through requirements by the employees not leak trade secrets and confidential

Nature, perception, reflection and conservation Essay

Nature, perception, reflection and conservation - Essay Example Similarly, Susan Sontag has used imagery throughout his writing to describe the war and its effect. However, the themes of these writers differ as one focuses on nature and the other talks of photography. In his ‘Windstorm in the forest’, John Muir tries to a great extent to personify the nature and the things of nature that are nonhuman. The nonhuman characters such as wind and trees in the forest have been gives both human and superhuman characters. This allows the writer to express his view of beauty and strength of the forest. The whole essay has not mentioned God but a supernatural power is seen to control all these events. The author describes this as nature. The nature in this essay is therefore, given a supernatural power to be in control of the forest. Comparison of nature with human acts is applied by the author. The use of metaphors is used where the wind is allowed by the author in his writing to go to every tree and finger the flowers and the leaves. The storms and their effects are also personified as gardeners. The forest is worked upon and therefore, seen as the patient. Trees in this essay have full human character such as arms, they talk, and swing. Thi s form of writing makes the essay lively and flowing. Susan Sontag focuses on how war photography expresses the effect of military violence. Her description of the photographs of Civil War in New York creates a lot of imagery in her essay. There is a good explanation of how the cameras and videos transform sensibility and vision. She argues that the camera man allows the photos viewer to see only what he or she wants them to see. Casual snapshot expresses a metaphysical aggression against people. Instead of photographs to provide knowledge, they provide what she referred to a semblance of knowledge. Those people who have never experienced war have the wrong knowledge about it from the war photographers (Berry 76). The aim of Sontag in her essay is to give statement

Barry Humphries and Patrick White Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Barry Humphries and Patrick White - Essay Example He was not only an actor but also a script writer, a film producer, an award winning writer, a star of London's West End musical theatre, and a landscape painter. Another noted name in Australian theatre was Patrick Victor Martindale White, also known as Patrick White. White was an author who was considered a major English-language novelist. During his career he published eight plays, twelve novels and two short story collections. "His fiction freely employs shifting narrative vantagepoints and a stream of consciousness technique" (Wikipedia 2007). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1973. Barry Humphries was born on 17 February 1934 in Melbourne, Australia. He is a noted Australian actor and comedian. Humphries nick name was 'Bazza'. Other than acting Barry Humphries also wrote comic strips. His comic strip Barry McKenzie about Australian living in London appeared in the magazine Private Eye. His nick name Bazza gave Australian slang wide distribution, particularly jokes on drinking and its results, much of which was created by Humphries himself. His childhood set the stage for his eventual career of an actor. Barry's father spent little time with him so he spent a lot of his time playing disguise in his backyard. His parent called him Sunny Sam. During his teens he began to go against the constraints of conservative suburban life and became artistic. When he was nine Humphries' mother gave all his books to the Salvation Army. This event led him to becoming a collector of rare books, a reader, a theatre fan and a painter. He dressed in a black cloak and black homburg and invented his first character, "Dr Aaron Azimuth". Barry was educated at Camberwell Grammar School. He was also sent to Melbourne Grammar School where he matriculated with excellent results in Art and English. Later he spent two years studying law, fine arts and philosophy at the University of Melbourne. During this time he became a part of Dada, the deconstructive and absurdist art movement. The Dadaist performances and pranks have become a part of Australian folklore. After leaving university he joined the newly formed Melbourne theatre company. It was now that he created the first version of his most famous character Edna Everage. The old fashioned housewife originally created as a character of Australian suburban narrow-mindedness, evolved over forty years to become a flamboyantly dressed, internationally acclaimed star, Dame Edna Everage. Humphries' other humorous characters include, nephew of Dame Edna, Barry McKenzie which went on to become a legendary comic strip hero. Sir Les Patterson, who has not only contributed to the Australian vernacular but also borrowed from it. An underground film-maker from the 1960's Martin Agrippa, a trade union official Lance Boyle, a failed tycoon Owen Steele and an art salesman Morrie O'Connor. Later, Humphries moved to Sydney and joined Sydney's Philip Street Revue Theatre. He appeared in Australia's first ever production of Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot, as Estragon. In the 1960s Humphries settled in London, where he became friends with leading artists from the British comedy scene including Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, Willie Rushton and the like. While in London he

Horizon Human Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Horizon Human Services - Essay Example Funding of Horizon Human Services derives mainly from governmental organizations such as the â€Å"ADHS, DES-CSA† to provide the services for victims of problems like â€Å"domestic violence† (Domestic Violence Services, 2013). So far it relates to funds for services in the areas of housing, they receive assistance from â€Å"US Department of Housing, Urban Development and the Arizona Department of Housing† (Community Housing, 2013). In addition, they also accept donations from the public as well as corporate entities.   Any person intending to avail the services of Horizon Human Services can call their office for an appointment with a screening specialist and once screening is completed, he or she will be sent to the intake specialist who will assess the individual and provide initial counseling to â€Å"help address the reason† for which services have been sought (Getting Started, 2013). People who seek services will have to produce their ID document, proof of income, social security, and any documents relating the problem they wish to address with the help of the organization. Major services, as per information on the â€Å"services† section of their site, include:   Adult Residential Services: It is a program for mentally ill or substance abusing adults, by providing â€Å"clean and tidy† therapeutic â€Å"environment,† as envisaged in quality social work practices, which is free of substances (Malley & Fernandez, 2010, p.561).   Community-Based Services: This is also a program targeted to mentally ill, within the community to help them cope with the problem. The services include counseling and monitoring of medication apart from a variety of other services that the patient requires from time to time.

How women are seendepicted in the book the things they carried by the Essay

How women are seendepicted in the book the things they carried by the author Tim O'Brien - Essay Example Only on a few time did you find a woman who in fact fought in the war. Two women from a different source affirmed that "women served alongside men in that sink-pit of War." Some positions women had were non-traditional.The women are a load and a difficulty as much as they are a prompt of what the soldiers required. "All that crap about how if we had a pussy for president there wouldn't be no more wars'' 'You got to get rid of that sexist attitude." These men had a variety of vision and emotion about the women they love, the women they disgust, and the women that they may not be acquainted with and can only vision of. While the text given to the thoughts of women is small is physique, it is fairly important in sense. (O'Brien 1990) Mary-Ann, a seventeen year-old girl from Middle America, rapidly becomes fraction of Vietnam. She studies how to chase from the Green Berets, but almost immediately she shifts further than even them, and disappears into the tropical forest. She loves the way Vietnam makes her experience: this portrays the theme of adultery between her and the soldiers as if she is all there, and can not at all lose herself. 'When her boyfriend last sees her, she is wearing a necklace of human tongues'. Mary Anne Bellgirlfriendto soldier Mark Fossie symbolizes the dishonesty of blamelessness that takes place in war. She appears wearing "white culottes and this sexy pink sweater," fresh from suburban U.S., and becomes a foul tool of bereavement, scarier than even the Green Berets. (Herzog 1992) Yet extra than the American soldiers in Vietnam, Mary Anne Bell symbolizes the unknown, somebody who does not fit in where she is. Like Rat Kiley's troubled reply to behavior process only during the night in "Night Life," the story of Mary Anne highlights what happens when someone's environs have an effect on her. Mary Anne is also symbolic of alteration, specially, the loss of blamelessness to experience. Comparable to how the "green" medic Jorgenson is appropriate to make errors, Mary Anne is greener than any man in the work of fiction. She arrives in Vietnam not only not ready for war but also not aiming to take part in it. Her alteration from an attractive girl wearing culottes to an animal-like huntsman who wears a 'necklace of tongues' equivalents and overstates the revolutionize all young men went through in Vietnam, such as "O'Brien" who went from a boy who was fond of school to the man who planned a aggressive vengeance against Jorgenson. (T O'Brien1991) O'Brien leaves out the ending to the story about Mary Anne, as a replacement for letting her quality pass into the dominion of myths. quite than letting us to know what becomes of somebody (like himself) who experiences an aggressive loss of blamelessness, we are left speculating how war influences a person, and to what ends of time that person will carry on to feel its consequence. The one part of "knowledge" that Mary Anne's story educates us is that once blamelessness is lost, it can never be regained. Different from O'Brien or Bowker, on the other hand, when Mary Anne misplaces her virtue, she becomes a mediator of primitive nature. (Heberle2002) As a final point, Mary Anne is the most genuine instance of love in the novel. Even if Lt. Cross and Henry Dobbins carry memento that remind them of feel affection for, Mark Fossie is the

Dropping Out of One’s Future Essay Example for Free

Dropping Out of One’s Future Essay We need another series of milk cartons: one that shows the faces of students who drop out of school. After all, isn’t a kid who has dropped out of school a bit like a kid who has been kidnapped? The circumstances have more in common than one might imagine: there is a moment that finally comes during which one’s life is inexorably altered, and if that moment comes and no one is around to help, the consequences are life-long and most likely devastating. Whether one is taken by force and tossed into a van or one is removed by a force from the basic educational system of society, the result is still a kid whose life will never be the same. There are as many reasons for a student’s dropping out of school as there are for a criminal’s behavior, but ultimately, the reason a kid drops out comes down to one of three things: a lack of support, a lack of success, or a lack of money (â€Å"Youth Who Drop Out†). Educational success or failure is often a result of a support system or lack thereof, and no race, gender, or socio-economic group is immune; however, there is a common factor when it comes to evaluating the reasons behind students’ dropping out: â€Å"No one at home, at school or in the community had established relationships with [those who dropped out], set high academic expectations [or] given them the tools to achieve them† (â€Å"Youth Who Drop Out,† Sacchetti). It appears that those who lack a reliable support system are unable to stick with the rigors of school—rigors that are complicated by the mere act of growing from child to adolescent to adult. Trying and failing is no fun for anyone, and the constant pressure on students to perform based not a personal scale but a fixed one can be overwhelming. â€Å"Recent research suggests that, even for students who have difficult home lives, dropping out has much to do with [both] how schools operate and the educational experiences students have within them (Jerald 3). The relationship between a student’s success and his willingness to continue seems profound, and while there is no doubt that school is supposed to be challenging, the challenge is too great for some. This is a cyclical event: the student who does not understand something on Monday does not wake up on Tuesday understanding it; however, Tuesday comes, and so does more information built upon the prior day’s lesson. Now, the student who was behind one lesson is behind two (Jerald 5). There is a reason most students have a favorite subject along with one or more that they hate, and the reason is generally success-based. Money is perhaps the greatest threat to the continuation of an education, but ironically, it is also the biggest burden over the long-haul. Consider the student who lives at home, pays no rent, is responsible for no bills, and who suddenly gets a job. Even a minimum wage salary creates a false sense of financial security for that individual, and there are plenty of high school students who find work that pays a better wage. Suddenly, the new wage-earner considers just how much more he’d make working full time instead of part time, and because he has not had to budget realistically, it seems clear that the time he sits in a classroom is time wasted as he could be earning more money. Education professor Russell Rumberger of UC Santa Barbara found that, â€Å"A dropout earns an average of $18,826 a year, far less than the $27,280 a high-school graduate makes [. . . and] dropouts pay less in taxes and are more at risk of going on welfare, experiencing health problems or getting into trouble† (qtd. in Sacchetti). Students who lack a support system and who are not successful in school can easily become enthralled by the potential to make an amount of money that seems substantial at the age of sixteen. These students are not likely to consider the dead end they face later when the earning potential they have acquired isn’t sufficient, and lacking a support system, they are certainly unlikely to receive alternate advice. No one blames a kidnapping victim for behavior that might have resulted in the accosting; however, society is quick to judge those who drop out without taking the time necessary to evaluate whether or not the drop out simply didn’t get what she needed in terms of the life education—a type of learning that can’t always be taught in school. Works Cited Jerald, Craig D. â€Å"Identifying Potential Dropouts: Key Lessons for Building an Early Warning Data System: A Dual Agenda of High Standards and High Graduation Rates.† Achieve, Inc. June 2006. Carnegie Corporation of New York. 30 Sept. 2006. http://www. achieve. org/files/dropouts. pdf. Sacchetti, Maria. â€Å"Why Do Students Drop Out of School? † The Orange County Register. 31 Oct. 2004. 29 Sept. 2006. http://www. ocregister. com/ocr/2004/10/31/sections/news/ news/article_294717. php. â€Å"Youth Who Drop Out. † Focus Adolescent Services. 2000. 29 Sept. 2006. http://www. focusas. com/Dropouts. html.

Upbuilding and Awakening Essay Example for Free

Upbuilding and Awakening Essay In Herbert Marcuse’s (1955) book entitled Eros and Civilization, he provides an elaborate explanation to Sigmund Freud’s idea of unconscious and the principle behind it. Freud’s pleasure principle is the necessary factor that prevails in the realm of the unconscious. The unconscious operates mainly for the realization of pleasure and orients itself to the most profitable scenario in which it can achieve pleasurable reward that is free of pain. However, due to the environment to which any human is not capable of living without, the operation and orientation of the unconscious are impossible to realize. In this regard, Freud formulates another principle that â€Å"safeguards† and dictates moderation to the pleasure principle. Marcuse suggests that there can be found some evidences that there were varying forms of repression happened in the course of history in investigating the taboos that are locked in the unconscious. It can be viewed that Marcuse is pointing that humans are not totally free in the sense that he can literally get all the things he wishes to have or do that will definitely provide him the utmost form of gratification. In some of his passages, we could get an idea that this particular condition of humans in the civilization reveals that the culture that we have had is built by the antagonistic forces namely: the pleasure and reality principle. The unconscious is always being repressed, and safeguarded by reality. Soren Kierkegaard, on the other hand, has presented numerous accounts in relation to the unconscious. His idea of unconscious is rather incompatible with that of Marcuse and Freud. Accordingly, he states that â€Å"the unconscious that is relevant is the one which we wish not to notice, or have chosen to ignore, or perhaps made myself unable to comprehend (Conway, 2002 p. 73)†. Kierkegaard regards the unconscious as the spiritual being which must be directed towards God and not, in Freud and Marcuse’s sense, to the painless gratification. Another objection that Kierkegaard might raise against Freud’s notion of the unconscious is his argument that people have to balance the antagonistic actions of their physical and spiritual beings and not the two principles (pleasure and reality) that run against each other. The proper understanding of the unconscious makes it possible for a person to fully realize his self. This understanding is one of the necessary things that a person has to have in order to rule his own unconscious thereby making him conscious of his self and probably have a conscious relationship to God. The direction and orientation of the unconscious, contrary to that of Marcuse’s account, are toward God. Kierkegaard, in his writings, criticizes the middle class Christians because of his view that these people are not definitely having an excellent relationship with God. He considers this â€Å"flaw† of these middle class Christians as the ultimate source of problem in terms of their seemingly stagnant life. Consequently, he offers an accusation stating that these people are lacking of vision in life, that they are afraid of going out of their limitations, they are scared of change for the most gain and that they are merely conformists. It seems, at this point, that he has a high expectation of those who claim to be Christians. He so believes that if you are a child of God, and maintain an excellent relationship with Him, you must not be afraid of going beyond what is normally expect of you. Hence, Christians have to be a living example of how great God can do to His people. There must be no ordinary average religious people. People who claim to have religion must be have a genuine faith, and that, it should be manifested in all of their endeavor. Going back to Kierkegaard’s criticisms of the middle class Christians, we can see directly that he is taking it too seriously in his view of faith and its manifestation in the Christians lives. Moderation, apparently, is being relegated to the background. The idea that â€Å"Christians must have a superior living because his faith along with his actions would bring them the fortune† is like a conclusion based upon a hasty generalization and fallacious claims. If God truly blesses his children, and we regard that fortune and intelligence, for example, are considered blessings, it can also be surmised that there might be other blessings that He might give to his other children that are far more important than what Kierkegaard is arguing about. Social conformity should not be taken against anyone. Though his criticisms somehow reflect the scenario during his times, they did not provide a strong justification such that we would be able to accept them completely and have them against middle class Christians. The case that Kierkegaard has presented pertaining to those average religious people in his time can also be observed at this point in time, only that, these [criticisms] come in different situations and necessitate perspectives that may or may not contradict that of Kierkegaard’s. References: Books: Conway, D. and Gover, K. E. (Eds. ). (2002). Soren Kierkegaard: Critical Assessments of Leading Philosophers. Routledge, Kierkegaard, Soren. (1983). The Sickness Unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening. (H. V. Hong and E. H. Hong, Eds. ) Princeton University Press. Marcuse, Herbert. (1955). Eros and Civilization: A Philosophical Into Freud. Boston, USA: Beacon Press. Internet Sources: Banks, Robert. (n. d. ). The Middle Class and Urban Mission. December 16, 2008, from http://www. urbana. org/_articles. cfm? RecordId=370

The Importance Of Oil Price In Market Economy

The Importance Of Oil Price In Market Economy Oil price has become a fundamental factor of todays market economy as it influences financial markets as well as consumers, corporations and governments. Oil fluctuation has not only a tremendous impact over the stock markets but also a major influence on the global economy: oil is needed for industrial purpose such as power generation, chemical products, transportation etc. In particular oil demand and supply drive volatility and any upward or downward price movements is tracked by any financial market player as it directly influences future outlook and real growth of exporting and importing countries. Higher crude oil price implies higher price of energy leading to a slower economic growth, inflationary pressure, asymmetrical results on consumers and producers side and global imbalances. Oil scarcity and increasing demand of emerging market countries have changed oil market as well as political uncertainty leads to an increase in oil volatility. Since 2000, crude oil has experienced an incredible price rally, moving from $25 in 2000 to over $144 in July 2008 and getting back later December 2008 to $35. These huge price changes are mainly undesired because they increase uncertainty and undermine investment in oil as well as alternative energy sources. Even if we are getting more and more familiar with this price uncertainty or at least with oil price volatility, it is necessary to understand the key driver of this commodity in order to be able to conduct accurate studies and to forecast and prevent new worldwide market chock: there are mainly two different explanation to oil price behavior. The first one is related to the idea that markets are experiencing a structural transformation in oil price fundamentals; the second one is related to substantial speculation in oil market. The supporters of this second view argue that the massive oil crude price cannot be explained by simple change in market fundamentals but can be rather explained through a market distortion caused by speculators. This dissertation will investigate oil and the oil market players trying to understand the different price determinants and the interaction of key players: it starts with an historical overview of oil price and it successively analyzed oil as a commodity, oil as a financial asset, the role of expectations in the formation of oil price, the industry outlook for the next years, oil derivatives on the financial markets. Oil Fundamentals History Oil industry was born in the 1859 in Pennsylvania, United States when Edwin Drake opened the first oil well. The industry grew slowly during the second half of 1800 when the business pioneer George Bissell together with the banker, James Townsend, established the first oil company: Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company. The industry became more and more attractive and in 1870 John D. Rockefeller established the Standard Oil Company. Boosted by the introduction of the internal combustion engine and by an increasing energy demand caused by the outbreak of World War I, the oil industry became one of the foundations of modern industrial society, ready to overcome coal as the most used and requested energy source. As the graph points out the price of oil remained steady from the beginning of the century until the first energy crisis, risen by less than two percent per year. Spot crude oil price moved from $2.83 per barrel of 1973 to $10.41 of 1974. This increase in price was caused by the oil embargo proclaimed by the OPEC, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting countries in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states backing Egypt and Syria. The OPEC countries limited their production as well as the shipment of oil cargos to United States and other countries. The embargo led to quadrupled and extremely volatile oil price and it showed how high was the dependency of western economies from the oil reserves controlled by the OPEC members. Following the first oil crisis, in 1979 took place another sharp rise of oil prices following the Iranian revolution: the overthrow of the regime of Sha h Reza Pahlavi triggered a strong speculative movements of oil price. The price increased from the $14 needed to buy a barrel in 1978 to roughly $30 in 1979 causing a widespread panic and affecting geopolitical forces. Moreover in 1980, Iraqi invaded Iran leading to oil cut production of Iraq and a total stop of Iranian production. All these events strongly influenced oil price and demonstrated how pure supply and demand get overcome from sociopolitical facts. The so-called oil glut of 80s changed again the oil market environment as the price of the black gold fell from $35 to $15 in 1986 due to a falling demand, slowed economic activities in industrial countries and an increase in production. The crude oil price fluctuated between $15 and $25 until 1999. At the beginning of the new century the oil price increased exponentially and reaching $30 in 2003, it moved to $60 dollar in 2005 and peaked at $148 in 2008. This incredible ride of oil can be explained by different factor such as decreasing US Dollar value against other currencies, declining petroleum reserves, speculation, increasing demand from emerging market and OPECs lower than expected increase in production. But after reaching the peak on July, 11th 2008 the price declined consistently falling below $100 on September 2008. Because of the financial crisis world oil demand fell rapidly and in just a couple of months it touched the lowest point at $34. Until April 2009 oil price flu ctuated between $35 and $40 and recovered to roughly $70 in early 2010. Oil as a product People are more familiar with refined oil products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene and heating oil rather than with crude oil. The basic oil refining process is distillation: crude oil is heated and oil products bubble off at different temperatures, the lightest at the lowest temperatures and the heaviest at the highest temperatures  [1]  . Afterward these products are treated further to make finished oil products such as gasoline kerosene etc. Gasoline is commonly used for cars while kerosene is widely developed for airplanes and households illumination heating. Diesel is widespread as combustible for tracks and agricultural machines while heating oil is mainly used for space heating. Oil this different refined products come from crude oil and even if crude oil is considered as a commodity, there are several qualities of crude depending mainly on two different chemical properties: density and sulphur content. Crude oil is therefore divided into heavy or light according to the density level and sweet or sour according to the sulphur content. Nonetheless, in financial market, the three most quoted products are: West Texas Intermediate Crude, WTI very high-quality, sweet, light crude widely traded in Nord-America Brent Crude a basket of 15 similar middle-high quality, light, sweet crude oils extracted in the North Sea Dubai Crude light sour crude oil extracted in Dubai Even though West Texas Intermediate Crude has the highest quality, Brent is used to price two thirds of the worlds internationally traded crude oil supplies according to the International Petroleum Exchange (IPE). Oil characteristics: Exhaustibility One of the leading feature of oil is that oil is a non-renewable resource as once it is consumed, it is no longer available. In particular once extracted, oil is consumed quicker that it is naturally produced: oil is therefore not replaceable within short time. Another very important feature is that supply of such as product is limited relative to demand. This two characteristics are essential to understand that oil can only be analyzed through dynamics models and that unlike standards goods, oil provides oil holder a positive premium known as scarcity rent. When demand for crude oil exceeds supply, oil price earns an economic rent due to its scarcity: in other words, it worth keeping oil underground waiting for increase in demand not covered by an increase in supply. The framework which is widely widespread regarding non-renewable resources is the Hotelling model: first introduces in 1931, the model questioned which is the amount of resources that should be extracted during a certain time frame in order to maximize the profit of the resource holder? Assuming no extraction costs, a risk free rate on investment equal to r and a certain price per barrel, according to Hotelling model, the optimum extraction quantity is the one that leads the price of oil to grow over time at a interest rate r. In other words, the resource holder has two opportunities: he can extract oil today or he can leave it underground waiting for a rose in price. Assuming that he decides to extract a certain amount today, he can invest the proceeds at a risk free rate r; otherwise, if oil price is expected to grow at a higher rate than r, the resource holder is not incentivized to extract oil. Thus, if all the resource holders behave the same way, it is highly probably that oil price will increase. Therefore, according to Hotelling models, the optimum extraction is the one in which oil price grows at the rate of interest. This model suggests and implies that oil price will increase over time: due to oils exhaustibility oil price must increase as fast as it is consumed. Even though Hotellings model is commonly used to predict the shape of oils trend, one of the most important Hotellings assumption is that the reserves of oil are fixed: as can be understood later on in the dissertation, oil reserves calculation is far from being detailed and exhaustive. Oil is extracted as well as found continuously: new reserves become continuously new available resources. Thus, an argument against the Hotelling approach is that it is not possible to evaluate scarcity rent and therefore it is not possible to use models such the Hotelling one which are based on this data. Demand and supply. As for any product, the main drivers influencing oil price are demand and supply. In the long term oil price is determined by the match of demand and supply; however, due to the peculiarities of oil, it is really difficult to predict future price: unknown future events, wars, natural events, OPEC decisions on cutting production and demand elasticity shape different demand-supply equilibriums. While price and income are demands main drivers, on the supply side it is necessary to take into consideration several factor such as reserves, oil depletion, technologies and oil cartel decisions. Oil Supply In January 2010, global oil supply accounts for 85,8 million barrels per day, out of which 51,6 has been produced by non-OPEC countries. There are different factors that are needed to take into consideration analyzing crude oil demand. Evaluating the supply is more complicated than evaluating the demand as there are different player involved, OPEC and non-OPEC countries and there is the central issue related to oil reserves level. First of all, exporting countries do not incur in any storages cost for crude oil as they can simply decide to leave oil underground while importing countries, in order to establish a minimum reserve level, need to built storage facilities. In regard to production countries, the most important and influential player is the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. While non-OPEC countries act competitively, OPEC is a cartel whose aim is to maximize revenues and profits. OPEC The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental organization founded in Baghdad in 1960 and at that time it encompassed 5 countries: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The founding members were later joined by nine other members: Qatar (1961- 2009); Indonesia (1962 2009); Socialist Peoples Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (1962); United Arab Emirates (1967); Algeria (1969); Nigeria (1971); Ecuador (1973); Angola (2007) and Gabon (1975-1994). Since 1965 OPEC headquarters is Vienna. It is interesting to highlight that the declared mission of the organization is to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of member countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers and a fair return on capital to those investing in the petroleum industry  [2]  . In order to understand the relevance of the OPEC countries over oil market, it is important to quantifies to what extend are worldwide oil reserves in OPEC territories: at the end of 2008, world proven crude oil reserves stood at 1,295,085 million barrels, of which 1,027,085 million barrels, or 79.3 per cent, was in OPEC member countries. In 2008 OPEC countries produced around 33 million barrels per day of crude oil, or 45.9 per cent of the world total output  [3]  . Besides owing the largest oil reserves, OPEC countries have the lowest production costs: roughly $4.00 per barrel for Saudi Arabia or $ 4.50 for Iran, as compared, for example, with $9.85 for the North Sea and $12.50 for Brazil.  [4]   Non-OPEC countries Non-OPEC countries are generally considered as price taker and even though in the last decade oil price has grown consistently and observers would expects a proportional increase in non-OPEC supply, the response of oil producers countries outside OPEC has been weak. There are several factors that are needed to taken into account in order to understand this behavior: first of all it is becoming more and more costly to develop oil reserves in this countries and the level of technologies needed to increase or at least maintain stable the production output is really high and expensive. Moreover, price volatility has increased uncertainty, changing the risk profile of non-OPEC countries: they are becoming more sensitive to oil price cycle. Investment are therefore asymmetrical: during tremendous increase in oil price, investment are modest, while during a decrease in crude oil price investment rate in exploration or new technologies decrease consistently leading sometimes to underinvestme nt periods. In order to analyze non-OPEC countries oil supply, it is possible to use a model introduce by Marion King Hubbert in 1956. According to Hubbert model, known also as the Hubbert peak theory, oil production tends to follow a bell-shaped curve which can be divided in three different phases: the first one, the pre-peak phase shows a exponential growth in oil production; around the peak, the production reaches the maximum production level and the production becomes stagnant; in the following phase, the last one, oil production starts a terminal decline due to resource depletion. The peak is reached when half of the oil reserves has been discovered and used: in order to draw the bell-shaped curve, it is necessary to calculate historical cumulative production, discovery rate of new oil deposit and the size of the URR, ultimately recoverable reserves. The main idea of the model is in fact that oil is a finite resources and therefore, when discovery rate is less than the oil consumption rate, oil production starts inexorably to decline with all the related consequences on oil price. The bell curve is drawn considering both the cumulative production and the remaining volume of oil that will be produced as a percentage of the total oil already produced in past. As a consequence it can be used in order to calculate and forecasts oil production and consequently price forecasts. According to Hubbert, North America reached the peak point in 1960, while in United Kingdom and Norway the maximum has been touched in 1999. The limits of this approach are related to the difficulties to calculate ultimately recoverable reserves: improvements in technologies and discoveries of new deposits or higher exploitation of existing deposits are pushing the oil peak to the right. Instead of being static, ultimately recoverable reserve is a dynamic measure: underestimation or overestimation of oil reserves as well as higher rate of technological improvements lead to mistakes in calculation of the year in which world will reach the peak oil. Oil reserves A proper forecast of existing oil reserve is a fundamental aspect of oil supply as it is central to Hubbert peak theory. First of all, it is necessary to define the different type of reserves available: Proved reserves are crude oil reserves that once calculated, provide at least with a rate of 90% of certainty at least the oil crude amount estimated. This depends on how accurate are the geological researches Unproven reserves are crude oil reserves similar to proved reserves but for several reasons such as political or contractual are certain for a rate lower of 90%. Therefore unproven reserves are divided into probable reserves which are reserves that are certain for at least 50 % of the amount estimated and possible reserves which are unproven reserves that are certain only for a 10% of the previous amount estimated Given the different definition of oil reserves, it is very important to highlight that there is not a convergence estimation of oil reserves: several studies calculated different reserves level according to different study methods and according to the extent of proved and unproved oil definition. Another distortion of oil reserve calculation is due to the fact that exporting countries are willing to overestimate their reserves because higher are the reserves, higher is the quantity that they can sell or export. Moreover, higher are the reserves declared, higher are the loan that these countries can raise. There is another issue related to the difference between conventional oil and unconventional oil. Unconventional oil refers to the oil extracted using other techniques than the common oil well method such as biofuels, oil shale, oil sands etc. In addition to these, there are reserves of oil that are yet to be discovered but given the current level of technologies are too difficult to be reached and explored. It is therefore clear that oil reserve calculation is really complicated: according to OPEC annual statistical bulletin 2008, world proven crude oil reserve are estimated to be 1,3 trillion barrels out of which 79, 3% are maintained under OPEC countries ground  [5]  . According to the Oil Gas Journal  [6]  , in January 2009, proved world oil reserves were estimated at 1,342 billion barrels-10 billion barrels (about 1 percent) higher than the estimation for 2008; 56 percent of the worlds proved oil reserves are in the Middle East while just under 80 percent of the worlds proved reserves are concentrated in eight countries out of which only Canada and Russia are not OPEC members. According to BP Statistical Review Of World Energy of June 2009 proven reserves accounts for 1258 billion barrels, AGGIUNGI Oil Demand In 2009 the worldwide oil demand fell by 1.4 percent in comparison to 2008 due to the financial crises that invested mainly OECD countries: this was the biggest drop since early 1980s. During the previous period, 2003-2007 growth rate in oil demand averaged 2,0% per year, 0,8% faster than during the preceding 5 years and 1,2 % faster than it average since 1980  [7]  . Around 90% of demand growth during this period came from non-OECD economies. Indeed, OECD demand has been falling year on year since the end of 2005. Daily crude oil demand in early 2010 has reached 86.5 million barrels as the last quarter of 2009 has been the first quarter of demand recovery after 5 consecutive quarters of decline. GO ON Oil market volatility and elasticity Price elasticity to crude oil demand The relationship between oil demand and price can be analyzed looking at elasticity of demand: elasticity measures the relationship between the change in quantity of oil demand for a given change in oil price. As the chart XX shows, both short term and long term price elasticity of demand are really is low ranging from 0 to -0.6. Furthermore it is clear that short term elasticity of oil demand is even smaller with a range from 0 to -0,1. This means that change in oil price have a very little impact on long term crude oil demand an even lighter effects on short term oil demand. The difference between short and long term demand responsiveness to change in oil price is due to bigger rate of substitution and energy conservation in the long term. What is really important to notice is that oil demand may respond asymmetrical to changes in oil price  [8]  ; in other words there is a substantional difference of demand elasticity for either an increase in price or a decrease in price. For an increase in oil crude price it is expect a reducing demand, but it is not necessarily true that a decreasing oil price would lead to an increase in demand of the same measure: for example an increase in oil price can be exploited in order to invest heavily on innovation and new equipments that would increase oil production leading to a positive impact on price. Last but not least, there is another important aspect concerning demand elasticity that has to be taken into account: the responsiveness of oil demand to a new peak price is different to the responsiveness of oil demand to a price recovering  [9]  . It is possible to describe two different elasticity scenarios at different price levels: elasticity of demand during increase in oil price that lead to new price records, elasticity of demand during increase in oil price following a low point in price history As expected, some studies argues that higher responsiveness of change in oil price can be seen when oil price is reaching new records, while there is a lower elasticity for other changes in price level. Thus, to summarize, elasticity of demand is not always linear, it may respond asymmetrically to changes in oil price and it can be different depending to historical price level. Income elasticity of price crude demand Income elasticity of crude oil demand measures the change in quantity of oil demanded for a given change in income. As the graph xx points out, income elasticity is more responsive in comparison to price elasticity: the long run elasticity ranges from 0,4 to 1,4. Moreover there is an important difference between income elasticity of emerging market and OECD. Emerging markets shows higher income volatility demonstrating how important is oil in their production processes. Spare capacity A very important component and determinant of oil market is oil spare capacity, the amount of excess production that oil producers can bring online quickly. The volume of spare capacity is fundamental as it can be a driver of oil price: spare capacity is in fact utilized to balance excess of oil demand and it can be used to counterbalance temporary oil shock. In other words, spare capacity is a tool that offers flexibility to the market: the higher the spare capacity, the higher is the ability to absorb oil price shock or respond to unexpected increase in demand. Thus in the short term, spare capacity can be exploited to offset increase in demand until oil supply is adjusted to meet demand. As the graph points out , there is an inverse correlation between oil price and spare capacity: high spare capacity level is associated to weak oil price, while when spare capacity is low oil price is expected to be high or increasingly. Spare capacity evolution over years have dropped from 10 million barrel per day of the late 90s to less than 2 million barrel per day or 2% of global oil demand in 2004. In particular, the increase in demand not covered by an increased in supply of non-OPEC countries has been met by OPEC using also spare capacity and therefore diminishing them. As expected, during the credit crunch that took place in late 2008, oil price fell dramatically while the spare capacity increased reaching 6% of global oil demand. According to the International Energy Agency, OPEC spare capacity excluding Iraq, Venezuela and Nigeria, accounts for 5,54 million b/d.. in addition to this, other 5,8 million b/d are estimated to be producible by OPEC countries within 3 months. To sum up, it is clear the role of spare capacity in oil market economy: a relevant inventory allows to maintain the flexibility required in order to play an active role once an oil shock is predicted or strong is conducting price to new records. The key issue is whether it is possible in the current scenario to maintain or even increase spare capacity and which is the player that should take this responsibility. Should oil companies create bigger inventories, even if it is uneconomical from a profits maximization point of view to hold higher reserves than needed, or should national oil companies keep bigger reserves? Oil demand projections According to the World Economic Outlook of the International Monetary Fund issues in April 2009, global oil demand is expected to grow by 0,6% or 540000 barrel per day per year on average between 2008 and 2014. World oil demand will therefore increase from 85,8 mb/d to 89mb/d while in a more conservative scenario it is expected that demand will remain stable around 85 mb/d depending on how fast and how strongly global recovery will take place. Given the recent historical pattern of oil demand it is highly probable that non OECD countries will drive oil demand growth within the next future; oil consumption in OECD countries will tighten. Asia, Middle East and Latin America will increase their oil demand by 2,6%, from 38,3 mb/d to 44,6 mb/d over 2008 to 2014 on average per year while at the same time, OECD consumptions will declined by 1,1 from 47,5 mb/d to 44,4 mb/d. As the graph points out, by 2013 non-OECD oil demand will be equal to OECD oil demand. The growth in oil demand of non-OECD reflects higher GDP growth expected as well as higher income elasticity to crude oil. In fact in several emerging market, oil price is administered: in Iran for example gasoline costs just à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬0,8 per liter while OECD countries are usually more responsive to oil price changes Macroeconomic Variables Exchange Rates The relationship between exchange rates and oil prices is complex and it is necessary to note that generally when there is a depreciation of the dollar, oil price expressed in dollar increases. Being dollar the most widespread currency for oil price, a lower exchange rate of the dollar to another currency leads to a minor foreign currency cost of oil causing a rise in oil demand. This increase in demand put upward pressure on the price of oil. Having said that, it is not possible to estimate a precise relationship between oil price and the value of dollar exchange rate: all it is possible to say is that oil price moves roughly proportionally to change in dollar value ceteris paribus. Thus a 10% increase in nominal exchange value of the dollar causes a 10% decrease in oil price expressed in dollar, ceteris paribus. As the graph XX shows, the dramatically decrease in exchange value of the dollar since 2002 and the strong increase of WTI crude oil price in different currencies, would su ggest the inverse relationship between oil price and dollar exchange rate is true even if it is not possible to evaluate to what extent. Looking at the relationship between oil price and exchange rate, another important factor that should be taken into account is the decision of leading oil exporters: if dollar depreciates against other currencies, oil exporters international purchasing power declines. In order to protect their interest, leading oil exporters tend to tight oil supply, leading to an increase in oil price. Another issue that should be taken into consideration looking at the exchange rate is that United States is a major oil producer and oil consumer; an increase in oil price has therefore a double effect: it leads to a deprecations of dollar against the currencies of exporting countries and an appreciation against the currencies oil importing countries. Even if this two divergent movements of exchange rate should be cancelled out each other, in the last years oil imports of oil in the Unites States has soared causing a major concerns in the American capability to respond to and increasing trade deficit influencing negatively the value of the dollar. Interest rates The relationship between oil price and interest rate is not univocal as it is impossible to identify a singular and unique effect of changes in interest rate on oil price. Generally the correlation between these two data is inverse as a decrease of interest rates would lead to increase in price. On the contrary, a decrease of interest rates in order to recover from a financial downturn would lead to a decrease in oil price which would suggest a positive correlation. An explanation of the reason why there is a negative correlation is that an expansionary policy causes a cost reduction of storing cost for commodities goods, driving up the oil price. On the other hand, a change of U.S. interest rate will have an impact on the pegged currencies to U.S. dollar or to the currency currencies which are traded against the American one: too expansionary policy in the U.S. may not be proper to foreign central banks influencing foreign economic growth and consequentially oil prices. Oil price speculation or massive change in oil fundamentals? One of the main issue related to oil price is whether increasing volatility and rise in prices during the last decade has reflected a massive change in oils fundamentals or if market speculators played an active role in massive price fluctuations. In particular it is necessary to understand if the oil price reached the high ever level in 2008 due to growing flow of money in oil derivatives or due to enormous change in underlying fundamentals, supply and demand. An increase from $28 per barrel in early 2002 to over $100 per barrel at the end of 2007, heading to the record $140 in 2008 and then falling below à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40 by the end of 2008 is the result of the burst of an energy bubble or it the natural evolution of oil price during a worldwide financial crises? In other words, it needs to be investigated if the strong increase followed by the collapse in oil price is a cause or a result of the main worldwide financial crises. As analyzed in the first part of the dissertation, oils demand and supply during the period 2002 and 2008 changed significantly: emerging countries such as China and India drove oil demand while at the same time, oil suppliers reacted slowly and they tighten spare capacity. Those that support oil demand a

Character of Touchstone in Shakespeares As You Like It :: Shakespeare As You Like It Essays

The Character of Touchstone in As You Like It As You Like It features, like so many of Shakespeare's plays, a professional clown, Touchstone, and it's worth paying some attention to his role for what it contributes towards establishing and maintaining the upbeat comic spirit of the play. For the jester is the constant commentator on what is going on. His humour, pointed or otherwise, thus inevitably contributes to the audience's awareness of what is happening, and the way in which other characters treat him is often a key indicator of their sensibilities. Touchstone is one of the gentlest and happiest clowns in all of Shakespeare. He comments on the action, makes jokes at other people's expense, and offers ironic insights about their situation. But throughout As You Like It, such traditional roles of the fool are offered and taken with a generosity of spirit so that his remarks never shake the firm comic energies of the play. When he ridicules Orlando's verses, Rosalind laughs along with him. When he points out to Corin (in 3.2) that the shepherd must be damned for never having lived at court, Corin takes it as good natured jesting (which it is). When Touchstone takes Audrey away from her rural swain, William, there are apparently no hard feelings (although much here depends on the staging). In this play, the professional jester participates in and contributes to a style of social interaction which is unqualified by any more sober and serious reflections. This makes Touchstone very different from the bitter fool of King Le ar or from the most complex fool of all, the sad Feste of Twelfth Night , both of whom offer comments that cast either a shrewd, melancholy, or bitter irony on the proceedings. Touchstone himself becomes the target of much humour by his immediate attraction to Audrey, the "foul" country lass. There is something richly comic here, seeing the staunch apologist for the sophisticated life of the court fall so quickly to his animal lust. But the satire here is very good humoured. Touchstone himself acknowledges the frailty of his vows and does not attempt to deceive anyone about his intentions.

Child Abuse and Neglect :: Violence Against Children

Child Abuse "Trust unto Jehovah with all thy heart, And unto thine own understanding lean not. In all thy ways know thou Him, And He doth make straight thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6, YLTHB) The statistics on physical child abuse are alarming. Of the estimated hundreds of thousands of children battered each year by a parent or close relative, thousands die. For those who survive, the emotional trauma remains long after the external bruises have healed. Communities and the courts recognize that these emotional "hidden bruises" can be treated. Children who have been abused may display a poor self-image, Inability to depend on, trust or love others, Aggressive and disruptive—sometimes illegal— behavior; Passive and withdrawn behavior; fear of entering into new relationships or activities, School failure, Serious drug and alcohol abuse. The child and adolescent psychiatrist is able to treat the "whole child"—medical as well as psychological or emotional problems that have occurred as a result of the abuse. The family can be helped to learn new ways of support and communicating with one another. Through treatment, the abused child begins to regain a sense of self-confidence and trust. Child abuse is a matter of degree: the degree to which a parent uses inap-propriate or excessive control strategies with a child and/or fails to provide standards of care giving. In fact, abusive parents often do not know they are abusive. Our culture has, for generations, used corporal punishment as a means of controlling child behavior. Some parents think society places no restraint on such techniques. Many may recall the old saying, "spare the rod and spoil the child." It is not always clear what the limits are in efforts to get a child to behave. The best way to stop the child abuse and stop the abusive parents from abusing their children is by forming a non-profit organization working in cooperation with U.S. Dept. of Welfare , a resource for children and families to report a child abuse and to search for the abusive parents and put a penalty on them. These type of organizations have worked considerably good in the other fields and I am sure that this solu-tion will work out fairly well. In this Article " The goal of NCMEC," The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children states that "The goals of the NCMEC: A private, non-profit organization working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice, NCMEC is a vital resource for families and America's 17,000 law enforcement agencies in the search for missing children and the quest for child protection." In 1986, six youth and adult survivors of child abuse and neglect formed what

Political Forces in the Glass Ceiling

Despite all of the political forces on the side of women who attempt to break through the glass ceiling, limited progress has been made. Numerous studies lament the virtual absence of women in the elite tier of corporate positions: chief executive officer, chairman, president, and executive vice president. Unfair employment practices strengthen the glass ceiling and hinder the advancement of women in the workplace. These practices include sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and pregnancy discrimination. Although activists have succeeded in getting stronger laws passed, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1991, true progress eliminating the glass ceiling must be based on private sector initiatives. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 gives women considerable more clout in their defense against discrimination than did the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination against women who successfully filed suit against their employers for unfair practices. The Act also states that these women can only receive back pay and reinstatement in their old jobs. However, the 1991 Civil Rights Act, incorporated previous laws while also easing the burden on employees suing to prove job discrimination. Within the new law, a successful litigant can collect monetary damages, as well as, request a jury trial, sue in conjunction with others who have received similar unfair treatment in the workplace, and request the courts to judge the case based on the reasonable woman standard as opposed to the reasonable man. The 1991 Act also places the burden of proof on the employer, rather than the employee. â€Å"Indeed, the Civil Rights Act of 1991 and other recent court decisions have given women new clout in the workplace† (Morris 61). An example of this clout is the intense publicity surrounding the Anita Hill v. Clarence Thomas hearing. Hill, a black law professor at the University of Oklahoma, electrified the nation when she charged that Clarence Thomas, then a Supreme Court nominee, had sexually harassed her when she worked for him in the early 1980s. Hill testified before the all-male Senate Judiciary Committee about her discomfort when Thomas insisted on describing pornographic movies and made sexual advances. An all-white and all-male Senate sought to discredit Hill, some of who accused her of lying or being delusional, but her testimony elicited nationwide support. The Senate confirmed Thomas† actions were inappropriate, but Hill†s testimony was almost entirely disregarded. The hearing angered women, especially those who had suffered similar experiences of sexual harassment in the workplace, and it also empowered many others to come forward with similar allegations. â€Å"The furor that ensued was just the fuel need to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1991† (Stith 187). In recent litigation, women have begun testing the extent of their employment rights beyond the rights guaranteed to them in the Civil Rights Acts. An example of this is a group of eight women employees of the Stroh Brewery Company in Detroit. These women charged that their employer had created a working environment that was hostile to women. As part of their allegation, they pointed to sexually offensive commercials that Stroh†s aired featuring the Swedish bikini team, scantily clad young women with large breasts. The Stroh plaintiffs contended that the ads were proof that the company sanctions sexism. â€Å"The company has defended its ads as simple entertainment protected by the First Amendment†s guarantee of free speech† (Vilanch 7). The plaintiffs in the Stroh case won their lawsuit and created a landmark decision for challenges of this type, particularly due to the fact the courts must now decide based on the reasonable woman. Although the presence of strong laws is powerful ammunition to fight to eliminate discrimination in the workplace, litigation is not the most effective solution to the problem. Women who experience workplace discrimination are often reluctant to file official complaints for a variety of reasons including; feelings of inadequacy, fear of reprisal, and fear of being labeled troublemakers. Some women also fear retaliation from their employers as well. In regard to the latter, other women simply do not have the money to carry out a lawsuit that may take years to settle or reach court. In sexual harassment lawsuits, the prospect of going to trial is enough to scare off many women, particularly once they realize how vulnerable their credibility is in legal matters concerning sexual activity. â€Å"Many labor experts believe women are held back from jobs because of subtle sexual harassment. Only the concerted efforts of enlightened companies, not litigation, can eradicate this form of injustice† (Morrison 15). One enlightened company, Du Pont, has made efforts to help women managers overcome the glass ceiling. Du Pont has established a staff position to focus on advancing the careers of promising women and minorities. â€Å"If a division is looking for the manager of affirmative action and upward mobility then Du Pont is the example to follow† (Gallagher 88). Such a staff position is needed to provide support, counseling, and advocacy for women who find their career advancement has stalled due to subtle discrimination. Despite the efforts of some companies, gender diversity is still sorely lacking in Corporate America. A recent study revealed that of America†s 500 largest companies, women held only 10 percent of the top executive positions. â€Å"For all the bravado of the past decade, women in most organizations are not much further along. The glass ceiling has not shattered† (Himelstein 64). Although some companies are diversifying their executive workforces, most companies prefer to initiate these diversity efforts on their own, rather than being forced into it by legislative quotas or affirmative action. For example, Coopers and Lybrand, whose all-male corporate management committee was confronted by its female employees last year, regarding the absence of women in management, preferred to resolve the situation themselves. At issue, was the fact that women only accounted for 8 percent of the firms† 1,300 partners and only 3 percent of the firm†s 70 regional managers. The confrontation which occurred during a management meeting where it was revealed that gender myths about women†s performance as managers still persisted. For instance, the male partners assumed that the women were reluctant to engage in business travel and informal business gatherings. As a result of the confrontation, Coopers and Lybrand initiated programs to address diversity issues. These programs included mentoring and formal training. â€Å"Coopers and Lybrand proclaimed that 30 percent of their new partners by the year 2000 would be women, up from 17 percent in 1999† (Glover 16). Eliminating the glass ceiling requires zealous planning efforts by corporations that are committed to diversity. The first step involves setting goals. â€Å"A few companies are achieving success in the battle to get women into the executive suit. They have backed sound strategies with effort, money, and long term commitment† (Weiss 191). Various companies base their goals on census data, desiring their workforce to reflect the gender demographics of the surround region, while other companies eschew quotas and internal goals, but seek the same results, increased diversity. Diversity goals can help but women into the pipeline through the hiring process. The presence of women in senior positions tends to attract women who hold similar aspirations. Once employed, women must receive the training that will allow them to move into the corporate ranks. For example, Colgate-Palmolive favors fast tracking its employees through cross training. Cross training exposes the employee to a variety of functions within the organization; the broad base of knowledge acquired is critical to success as a future manager. The efforts that corporations are putting into diversifying their workforces is bearing fruit. An example is J.C. Pennys, which initiated a drive in 1988 to fill 1,000 management positions (created by the relocation of company headquarters) with qualified women. After setting numerical goals and establishing formal networking and mentoring programs. â€Å"Pennys was able to increase its percentage of senior managers who are women from less than 12 percent in 1990 to more than 35 percent by 1997† (WIBC 103). The glass ceiling that prevents women from advancing to top positions will only be shattered by the combined efforts of political activists and the private sector. Strong legislation provides women with the power they need to litigate unfair employment practices. Private sector initiatives help create a climate that is supportive for women to develop their skills and make it to the top. Women have made key victories, both in the political arena and in Corporate America. Thousands of women managers are in the pipeline and on the right track to assume their rightful places in the ranks of corporate executives. If current efforts bear fruit, the glass ceiling will no longer be a limiting factor for women of the 21st century.

2002 Ap Euro Dbq: Manchester

The Effects of Industrialization on Manchester, England 1750-1850 England in the 18th and 19th centuries changed dramatically as a result of the Industrial Revolution, which had many effects on the social structure of England and increased the gap between the rich and the poor. Because of this, industrialized English towns such as Manchester were both criticized and admired by poets, politicians, journalists, and outsiders, who were particularly from France. The most powerful points of view were from supporters of industrialization, those who opposed industrialization, journalists, and outsiders. Supporters of the industrialization of Manchester were typically British politicians or businessmen, impressed by the progress and production of Manchester. One of these was Englishman W. H. Thomson, writer of History of Manchester to 1852. Thomson provides a map that shows the growth of Manchester over a period of one hundred years in which in transformed from a small town into a robust industrial city with railroads and canals. This map shows how industrialization leads to rapid population growth and expansion, making Thomson an obvious supporter of industrialization. Another supporter of industrialization was Englishman Thomas B. Macaulay, a liberal member of parliament and a historian. In his essay, â€Å"Southey’s Colloquies,† Macaulay praises industrialization and Manchester for producing wealth for the nation, which in turn would improve the quality of life for the middle class and peasantry. A final supporter of industrialization was Wheeler and Co. , which praises the industrious spirit of Manchester in the preface to an 1852 business directory, shortly after Manchester was granted a royal charter as a city. The authors owe the fruits of the city’s labor to its â€Å"energetic exertions and enterprising spirit,† which is an unrealistic description of the motivations of the working class, and the preface was likely propaganda, being in association with the Crown. The supporters of industrialization were the ones becoming richer by it. They were separated from the working class and did not understand their plight. Those who opposed the industrialization of Manchester were more concerned with the well-being of those affected by it. These were poets, women, socialists, and health reformers who were disturbed by the living and working conditions of the middle class and the peasantry. One protester was Robert Southey, an English Romantic poet and author of Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society in 1829. Being a Romantic poet, Southey laments on the industrialization of the city and describes it as a miserable place where the buildings which are â€Å"without their antiquity, without their beauty, without their holiness,† and where, â€Å"when the bell rings, it is to call the wretches to their work instead of their prayers. Another protester is Frances Anne Kemble, an actress, poet, and dramatist, who, in her account of a journey of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, depicts a protest by the disgruntled working class over Corn Laws, which were tariffs on imported grain. In her depiction, the protesters scorn the â€Å"triumphs of machinery† and the â€Å"gain and glory which wealthy Manchester men were likely to derive from it. † This is a very Romantic depiction, as the protesters are breaking free from their bonds to choose liberty over wealth. A final protester was Edwin Chadwick a public health reformer, who, in his Report of the Sanitary Conditions of the Laboring Population of Great Britain, argued that the cramped conditions, unsanitary practices, and air pollution of Manchester greatly lower the average lifespan of its citizens, and that more lives are lost due to unsanitary conditions in industrial cities than in modern wars. Journalists reporting on life in Manchester were sometimes in favor of industrialization, but some opposed it. One journal in favor of the industrialization of Manchester featured an article by William Alexander Abram, a journalist and historian, in 1868. Abram claimed that conditions had increased dramatically since the early Industrial Era through law reform. A journal that was opposed to the industrialization of Manchester was the Lancet, a British medical journal founded and edited by Thomas Wakley. In 1843, The Lancet published a chart displaying the average age of death in four districts, two of which were industrial and two of which were rural. The average age of death in the industrial districts was far younger, but was especially young in Manchester, showing that Manchester was indeed the unhealthiest of industrial cities. A final journal that protested the industrialization of Manchester was The Graphic, a magazine that dealt with social issues. The Graphic published a picture of a view from Blackfriars Bridge over the river Irwell in the 1870s. The picture was a very dirty depiction of Manchester, showing smokestacks that blotted out the sky with lack plumes of smoke and waste pouring directly into the river Irwell, both of which caused tremendous health issues for the people of Manchester. Outsiders who visited Manchester in the 19th century were often disgusted by the monochromatic, unsanitary, and dangerous lifestyle of the laboring class of Manchester. These were typically French socialists who spoke out against the maltreatment of the poor by the rich. One such Frenchman was Alexis de Tocqueville, author of Journey s to England and Ireland in 1835. De Tocqueville, a socialist, tells us that the city of Manchester is based on the successes of individuals and the enslavement of others, rather than the success of society as a whole. Another French Socialist opposed to the industrialization of Manchester is Flora Tristan, a women’s rights advocate, who published her journal in 1842. The fact that it is her private journal makes it the most credible source to the opposition of industrialization because she is merely reflecting and not attempting to sway anyone’s mind. Tristan describes the working class of Manchester as sick and emaciated, and ends her entry with this lamentation: â€Å"O God! Can progress be bought only at the cost of men’s lives? † The industrialization of Manchester in the 18th and 19th centuries created wealth for the rich, but conditions for the laboring class worsened, and the gap between rich and poor increased. Many poets, socialists, and health reformers criticized the industrialization of Manchester, but politicians and business praised the industrious spirit of the city that filled their pockets. All of these feelings led to the revolutions of the 19th century and the rise of socialism and communism.