To what extent has the CCTV camera reduced the crime in the uk Essay

To what extent has the CCTV camera reduced the crime in the uk - Essay Example proponents of this technology; with an approximated 1.9 million CCTVs in 2011-which easily translates into 1 camera for every 32 UK residents-with this number rising daily. Estimates also claim that the average Briton is normally caught on CCTV 300 times every day. This paper aims at exploring the effectiveness of CCTV in crime reduction in UK (Fenwick, 2012). The use of CCTVs in tackling crime in UK has greatly grown over the past decade. No official figure exists for how many cameras are currently in use, although on the basis of academic research, a 4.2 million figure has been frequently cited. Whereas the underlying principle for use of CCTV has been that it aids in prevention of crime, numerous studies have queried the assumptions behind this claim; drawing attention to a complex variety of factors that must be considered when evaluating the effectiveness of CCTVs. A 2007 Campbell Collaboration report stated that CCTV has a â€Å"modest but significant desirable effect on crime†, however its usage must be more closely targeted than it is at present (Siegel,2015). The beginnings of CCTV usage for public places in UK dates back at the start of 1980s. From then, CCTV system usage has gradually, but considerably expanded. The initial systems were financed in a few places by the local businesses or the police, however, in most of cases local authorities via what were referred to as Safer Cities or City Challenge Initiatives. Successive Government financing assumed the shape of CCTV Challenge Competition between 1994 and 1999, whereby 38.5 million pounds was availed for about 585 schemes throughout the country. Consequently, between 1999 to 2003, core investment was started in public space CCTV via the Home Office-funded Crime Reduction Programme (CRP).Thus, a sum of 170 million pounds of capital financing was availed to local authorities after a bidding process. The coming to an end of the Crime Reduction Programme indicated the finishing of a devoted central

Culture Shock Essay Example for Free

Culture Shock Essay Studying, working or living abroad can be a wonderful experience. However, this can also be an awful time in one’s life with some people finding a lot of discomfort in adapting to a new society. This impact of moving from a familiar culture to one which is unfamiliar is referred to as culture shock. It includes the different feelings and apprehension people have when learning the ways of a different society. This paper looks at this â€Å"occupational disease† as is commonly known. The term ‘culture shock’ was first used by the anthropologist Oberg back in 1960. According to Oberg, there are six main aspects of culture shock. The first is strain, an effect caused by the effort to adapt. Another aspect is a sense of loss and feelings of deprivation in relation to friends, status, profession and possessions. A third common aspect which especially affects people who relocate to a new environment without prior familiarisation with the environment’s culture and way of life is a feeling of rejection by the members of the new culture, or even rejecting the members. Confusion in roles, values and self-identity is another equally significant aspect of culture shock. A certain variety of people may experience anxiety and even disgust or anger about practices they may encounter in their new environment. Last but not least, Oberg identified â€Å"feelings of helplessness†, a case where one may be unable to cope with the new environment. Despite the many negative descriptions that Oberg gave about culture shock, in all its diverse firms, it has been acknowledged as a part of a successful process of adaptation. (Marx, 2001, 5) Culture shock has several stages and the many symptoms known usually occur after the first stage, the honeymoon stage. The honeymoon stage is an excitement stage experienced in the first few weeks of an individual’s relocation to a new environment. The honeymoon stage may last for even months, depending on certain circumstances, such as the person’s popularity. For instance, a well-known person may experience a long honeymoon stage, where he or she may be taken to the show places and given special attention. This experience may not last for long if the person is forced by circumstances to remain in the place for a long period of time. It is then that the person may start having a hostile and aggressive attitude towards the host country, and many symptoms may occur. (World wide classroom, 2008) For example, excessive concern over cleanliness, where one may find the new and strange experiences in-appropriate or plain â€Å"dirty†, especially in relation to drinking water, food and bedding. Another common symptom is a desire for dependence on long term residents of one’s own nationality. Other symptoms such as the fear of physical contact with attendants or servants, irritation over delays and other minor frustrations out of their proportion to their causes, excessive fear of being cheated, robbed or injured, great concern over minor pains and irruptions of the skin, delay and outright refusal to learn the language of the host country; and most significantly, the terrible longing to be in familiar environment, a situation where one would miss one’s relatives and friends. (World wide classroom, 2008) Everyone has been known to be affected by culture shock. Some people adapt quite easily, but others may take years to fully adapt to their new environment. It is therefore critical to understand how to deal with it. Culture shock is unavoidable, despite a person’s status or circumstances. However, various ways have been identified of minimizing it. Some of these steps include, firstly, allowing time to find out about culture shock, which may involve tasks such as reading and carrying out research about the intended place of destination, a step which encompasses learning to recognize the symptoms and their potential impact. Secondly, expecting culture shock to happen is an important step. This should be irrespective of location or distance, as culture shock is likely to occur in a neighbouring country as much as in a far country. The third step is identifying all the opportunities for building support networks with local people as soon as early as possible. Another equally important step to remember is not to give in to any stressful situation. Learning from people who have undergone similar experiences is an invaluable step as someone is able to avoid certain mistakes, hence adapting faster and easier. In some extreme cases, symptoms may persist despite a person’s coping efforts. In such situations, then one is advised to seek professional help through counselors or medical profession. It is critical to remember that reverse culture shock, a situation where the symptoms of culture shock re-occur to people when they get back home is equally normal. Most importantly, is to think about the positive aspects of culture shock; it is worthy noting that people who experience culture shock adapt better than those who do not. (Marx, 2001, 18) According to recent research, the more well-traveled and practiced at absorbing, accepting and adapting one is, the more easily one overcomes culture shock. Good adjustment to a new environment ensures that one competently performs the roles that each social context requires, thus avoiding frustrations resulting from inappropriate behaviour. (International Education, 2008) Managing culture shock is a skill which is increasingly gaining importance in almost all career fields, and can be of invaluable help to international students, job relocation and even living outside a person’s native country. Despite the many painful experiences associated with culture shock, minimizing it using the steps aforementioned can greatly assist in adapting to a new society hence maximizing one’s time and resources. Works Cited: Eickelmann C. , The International Educational Site: Studying abroad and Culture Shock. Retrieved 29 November, 2008 from: http://www. intstudy. com/articles/ec184a13. htm Marx E. (2001) Breaking through Culture Shock: What You Need to Succeed in International Business. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. World Wide Classroom. (2006) Culture Shock and the Problem of Adjustment to New Cultural environments Retrieved 29 November, 2008 from: http://www. worldwide. edu/about/index. html

The Establishment of the Electoral College Essay -- essays research pa

The Electoral College is the system established by the Founding Fathers to select the President of the United States. It is important that Americans have a fundamental knowledge of this system, and the obstacles overcame in its development. There were many obstacles faced by the Founding Fathers while constructing the government. America was comprised of 13 states that wanted to protect their individual rights and leery of a strong centralized government. The nation’s population lay across a vast area with limited communication capabilities. In addition, the Founders believed that a true gentleman should not campaign for office. â€Å"The office should seek the man, the man should not seek the office† was the saying. They challenged themselves with overcoming these and other obstacles in order to produce a system that would provide a stable and powerful executive branch of government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Constitutional Congress set out to develop a way to select the president. One idea proposed was to have Congress elect the president. Some felt that this procedure would invite political bargaining and corruption. They felt the president might feel obligated to aid Congress in passing legislation by not vetoing. Others felt this system would upset the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of government. In spite of its drawbacks, this system was brought to a vote on four separate occasions(Peirce 39). A second idea was to have the president elected by a direct vote system. Many people did not believe in this type of system, however three very prominent figures did: James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, and James Madison(Peirce 41). They believed that the duty of the president was to protect the people from the legislature, and that the people should be allowed to their protector. However, most of the Founders believed that the average citi zen would not have enough knowledge of the candidates to make an educated choice. They believed that the people were generally misinformed and easily misled(Peirce 41). The direct vote system also favored the larger more populated states with little regard for the people of the smaller ones. This system was voted down twice, but aided in recognizing the drawbacks of the Congress electing the president(Peirce 41). A third idea was to have the state legislatures select the president. This idea w... ...tate is allowed to cast only one vote collectively. This applies to the election of vice president also. In addition, either the presidential or the vice presidential candidate voted for by the elector has to be from outside that elector’s own state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Electoral College has been used as the system to select the President of the United States for over two hundred years. The system was devised by the Founding Fathers to ensure that the selected president would receive the support of all the states. The system helped to maintain a strong centralized government and union. The Electoral College has been used to maintain a fair presidential selection system with little room for corruption or favoritism. It has been a part of our system of checks and balances by maintaining a clearly defined separation of the legislative and executive branches. There have been some bumps along the way, however the Electoral College is still an essential part of our elections system. Works Cited Glennon, Michael J. When No Majority Rules. Washington: Congressional Quarterly Inc, 1992. Peirce, Neal R. The People’s President. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1968.

Condoms should be distributed in schools: agree or disagree Essay

The topic of sex is a very controversial matter especially among teenagers. Teenagers are at a point in their lives where hormones are at a high and they feel the need to indulge in sexual activities. Therefore it is important that teenagers understand the importance of safe sex and the consequences of unprotected sex. There are many factors affecting Jamaican high school students as they increasingly participate in unprotected sexual acts and as such condoms should be distributed as they help to reduce these factors; mainly the high teen pregnancy rate, the high STD/STI rate and also the ineffectiveness of abstinence. The first major factor faced by high school students is teenage pregnancy. According to (Guttmacher Institute, 2010), teenagers (aged 15–19) who do not use a contraceptive during sex are twice as likely to become teen mothers; this has become the newest trend among teenage girls. It has also been noticed among health authorities that there is a significant rise in teenage pregnancies, according to (Watson, 2011) from the Jamaican Gleaner; adolescent pregnancy continues to be a major public-health challenge in Jamaica, approximately 18 per cent of children born in Jamaica are attributed to adolescent girls and as such condoms should be distributed in schools as a counter measure. Watson also stated that more than 60 of every 100 pregnancies (66.2 percent) among adolescent girls in the age group 15-19 years were unplanned in 2008. As a result of these findings it can clearly be seen that there is a need for condoms to be distributed in schools to help reduce/ control the teenage pregnancy rate. The second major factor is sexually transmitted diseases commonly known as STD’s. According to (Hirsch, L, MD, 2010) STD’s have become increasingly common among teens. It is well known that latex condoms are the only form of birth control that reduces the risk of contracting a STD, and must be used every time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012 supports this by stating that the correct and consistent use of male latex condoms can reduce the risk of STD transmission, including HIV infection. As a result of this, condoms should be made readily available to students. A study done by (Horn & Keough, 2012) reported that  12 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases occur each year, 3 million (or 25 percent) are among teenagers about 13 percent of youth ages 13 to 19 contract a STD each year; this is a very high percentage of teenagers, if condoms were to be distributed there would be a significant decrease. Another major factor is the increasing ineffectiveness of abstinence programs. Students have begun to neglect this message as they explore their sexuality. According to (Toledo, 2011) schools using abstinence-only sex education programs have significantly higher teenage pregnancy and birth rates than schools with more comprehensive sex education programs. Supporting this is (Douglas, 2008) who states studies show that most abstinence programs did not delay initiation of sex and only 3 of 9 had any significant positive effects on any sexual behaviour. If we cannot convince students to abstain from sexual activities, we should promote safe sex in schools by distributing condoms. An article written by (Stepp, 2007) supports this by stating that a study authorized by Congress in the United States of America in 1997 following 2000 children from elementary or middle school to high school concluded that abstinence-only sex education does not keep teenagers from having sex. Some may argue that condoms should not be distributed in high schools because they promote sexual activities and also due to the fact that schools are institutions of education. According to (Cullinan, 2004), there will be a problem if teachers distribute condoms, as they will be seen to be promoting sexual activity. Cullinan futher states that education is about providing information; we can provide the information about condoms and where to get them, but they should not be distributed in schools. However, I believe that providing information is not enough, it is better that condoms are easily available to students. Condoms do not promote sexual activity, they just provide protection; (Quigle, 2003) states that condom availability was not associated with greater sexual activity among adolescents but was associated with greater condom use among those who were already sexually active. Supporting this is (Fisher, 2011) who states that paediatric studies show the availability of condoms does not increase sexual activity but can decrease unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. In conclusion, I believe that distributing condoms in high school is a great first step as there are many factors affecting Jamaican high school students as they increasingly participate in  unprotected sexual acts and as such condoms should be distributed as they help to reduce these factors; mainly the high teen pregnancy rate, the high STD/STI rate and also the ineffectiveness of abstinence.

Angels Demons Chapter 9-12

9 The corpse on the floor before Langdon was hideous. The late Leonardo Vetra lay on his back, stripped naked, his skin bluish-gray. His neck bones were jutting out where they had been broken, and his head was twisted completely backward, pointing the wrong way. His face was out of view, pressed against the floor. The man lay in a frozen puddle of his own urine, the hair around his shriveled genitals spidered with frost. Fighting a wave of nausea, Langdon let his eyes fall to the victim's chest. Although Langdon had stared at the symmetrical wound a dozen times on the fax, the burn was infinitely more commanding in real life. The raised, broiled flesh was perfectly delineated†¦ the symbol flawlessly formed. Langdon wondered if the intense chill now raking through his body was the air-conditioning or his utter amazement with the significance of what he was now staring at. Angels & Demons His heart pounded as he circled the body, reading the word upside down, reaffirming the genius of the symmetry. The symbol seemed even less conceivable now that he was staring at it. â€Å"Mr. Langdon?† Langdon did not hear. He was in another world†¦ his world, his element, a world where history, myth, and fact collided, flooding his senses. The gears turned. â€Å"Mr. Langdon?† Kohler's eyes probed expectantly. Langdon did not look up. His disposition now intensified, his focus total. â€Å"How much do you already know?† â€Å"Only what I had time to read on your website. The word Illuminati means ‘the enlightened ones.' It is the name of some sort of ancient brotherhood.† Langdon nodded. â€Å"Had you heard the name before?† â€Å"Not until I saw it branded on Mr. Vetra.† â€Å"So you ran a web search for it?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And the word returned hundreds of references, no doubt.† â€Å"Thousands,† Kohler said. â€Å"Yours, however, contained references to Harvard, Oxford, a reputable publisher, as well as a list of related publications. As a scientist I have come to learn that information is only as valuable as its source. Your credentials seemed authentic.† Langdon's eyes were still riveted on the body. Kohler said nothing more. He simply stared, apparently waiting for Langdon to shed some light on the scene before them. Langdon looked up, glancing around the frozen flat. â€Å"Perhaps we should discuss this in a warmer place?† â€Å"This room is fine.† Kohler seemed oblivious to the cold. â€Å"We'll talk here.† Langdon frowned. The Illuminati history was by no means a simple one. I'll freeze to death trying to explain it. He gazed again at the brand, feeling a renewed sense of awe. Although accounts of the Illuminati emblem were legendary in modern symbology, no academic had ever actually seen it. Ancient documents described the symbol as an ambigram – ambi meaning â€Å"both† – signifying it was legible both ways. And although ambigrams were common in symbology – swastikas, yin yang, Jewish stars, simple crosses – the idea that a word could be crafted into an ambigram seemed utterly impossible. Modern symbologists had tried for years to forge the word â€Å"Illuminati† into a perfectly symmetrical style, but they had failed miserably. Most academics had now decided the symbol's existence was a myth. â€Å"So who are the Illuminati?† Kohler demanded. Yes, Langdon thought, who indeed? He began his tale. â€Å"Since the beginning of history,† Langdon explained, â€Å"a deep rift has existed between science and religion. Outspoken scientists like Copernicus – â€Å" â€Å"Were murdered,† Kohler interjected. â€Å"Murdered by the church for revealing scientific truths. Religion has always persecuted science.† â€Å"Yes. But in the 1500s, a group of men in Rome fought back against the church. Some of Italy's most enlightened men – physicists, mathematicians, astronomers – began meeting secretly to share their concerns about the church's inaccurate teachings. They feared that the church's monopoly on ‘truth' threatened academic enlightenment around the world. They founded the world's first scientific think tank, calling themselves ‘the enlightened ones.' â€Å" â€Å"The Illuminati.† â€Å"Yes,† Langdon said. â€Å"Europe's most learned minds†¦ dedicated to the quest for scientific truth.† Kohler fell silent. â€Å"Of course, the Illuminati were hunted ruthlessly by the Catholic Church. Only through rites of extreme secrecy did the scientists remain safe. Word spread through the academic underground, and the Illuminati brotherhood grew to include academics from all over Europe. The scientists met regularly in Rome at an ultrasecret lair they called the Church of Illumination.† Kohler coughed and shifted in his chair. â€Å"Many of the Illuminati,† Langdon continued, â€Å"wanted to combat the church's tyranny with acts of violence, but their most revered member persuaded them against it. He was a pacifist, as well as one of history's most famous scientists.† Langdon was certain Kohler would recognize the name. Even nonscientists were familiar with the ill-fated astronomer who had been arrested and almost executed by the church for proclaiming that the sun, and not the earth, was the center of the solar system. Although his data were incontrovertible, the astronomer was severely punished for implying that God had placed mankind somewhere other than at the center of His universe. â€Å"His name was Galileo Galilei,† Langdon said. Kohler looked up. â€Å"Galileo?† â€Å"Yes. Galileo was an Illuminatus. And he was also a devout Catholic. He tried to soften the church's position on science by proclaiming that science did not undermine the existence of God, but rather reinforced it. He wrote once that when he looked through his telescope at the spinning planets, he could hear God's voice in the music of the spheres. He held that science and religion were not enemies, but rather allies – two different languages telling the same story, a story of symmetry and balance†¦ heaven and hell, night and day, hot and cold, God and Satan. Both science and religion rejoiced in God's symmetry†¦ the endless contest of light and dark.† Langdon paused, stamping his feet to stay warm. Kohler simply sat in his wheelchair and stared. â€Å"Unfortunately,† Langdon added, â€Å"the unification of science and religion was not what the church wanted.† â€Å"Of course not,† Kohler interrupted. â€Å"The union would have nullified the church's claim as the sole vessel through which man could understand God. So the church tried Galileo as a heretic, found him guilty, and put him under permanent house arrest. I am quite aware of scientific history, Mr. Langdon. But this was all centuries ago. What does it have to do with Leonardo Vetra?† The million dollar question. Langdon cut to the chase. â€Å"Galileo's arrest threw the Illuminati into upheaval. Mistakes were made, and the church discovered the identities of four members, whom they captured and interrogated. But the four scientists revealed nothing†¦ even under torture.† â€Å"Torture?† Langdon nodded. â€Å"They were branded alive. On the chest. With the symbol of a cross.† Kohler's eyes widened, and he shot an uneasy glance at Vetra's body. â€Å"Then the scientists were brutally murdered, their dead bodies dropped in the streets of Rome as a warning to others thinking of joining the Illuminati. With the church closing in, the remaining Illuminati fled Italy.† Langdon paused to make his point. He looked directly into Kohler's dead eyes. â€Å"The Illuminati went deep underground, where they began mixing with other refugee groups fleeing the Catholic purges – mystics, alchemists, occultists, Muslims, Jews. Over the years, the Illuminati began absorbing new members. A new Illuminati emerged. A darker Illuminati. A deeply anti-Christian Illuminati. They grew very powerful, employing mysterious rites, deadly secrecy, vowing someday to rise again and take revenge on the Catholic Church. Their power grew to the point where the church considered them the single most dangerous anti-Christian force on earth. The Vatican denounced the brotherhood as Shaitan.† â€Å"Shaitan?† â€Å"It's Islamic. It means ‘adversary'†¦ God's adversary. The church chose Islam for the name because it was a language they considered dirty.† Langdon hesitated. â€Å"Shaitan is the root of an English word†¦Satan.† An uneasiness crossed Kohler's face. Langdon's voice was grim. â€Å"Mr. Kohler, I do not know how this marking appeared on this man's chest†¦ or why†¦ but you are looking at the long-lost symbol of the world's oldest and most powerful satanic cult.† 10 The alley was narrow and deserted. The Hassassin strode quickly now, his black eyes filling with anticipation. As he approached his destination, Janus's parting words echoed in his mind. Phase two begins shortly. Get some rest. The Hassassin smirked. He had been awake all night, but sleep was the last thing on his mind. Sleep was for the weak. He was a warrior like his ancestors before him, and his people never slept once a battle had begun. This battle had most definitely begun, and he had been given the honor of spilling first blood. Now he had two hours to celebrate his glory before going back to work. Sleep? There are far better ways to relax†¦ An appetite for hedonistic pleasure was something bred into him by his ancestors. His ascendants had indulged in hashish, but he preferred a different kind of gratification. He took pride in his body – a well-tuned, lethal machine, which, despite his heritage, he refused to pollute with narcotics. He had developed a more nourishing addiction than drugs†¦ a far more healthy and satisfying reward. Feeling a familiar anticipation swelling within him, the Hassassin moved faster down the alley. He arrived at the nondescript door and rang the bell. A view slit in the door opened, and two soft brown eyes studied him appraisingly. Then the door swung open. â€Å"Welcome,† the well-dressed woman said. She ushered him into an impeccably furnished sitting room where the lights were low. The air was laced with expensive perfume and musk. â€Å"Whenever you are ready.† She handed him a book of photographs. â€Å"Ring me when you have made your choice.† Then she disappeared. The Hassassin smiled. As he sat on the plush divan and positioned the photo album on his lap, he felt a carnal hunger stir. Although his people did not celebrate Christmas, he imagined that this is what it must feel like to be a Christian child, sitting before a stack of Christmas presents, about to discover the miracles inside. He opened the album and examined the photos. A lifetime of sexual fantasies stared back at him. Marisa. An Italian goddess. Fiery. A young Sophia Loren. Sachiko. A Japanese geisha. Lithe. No doubt skilled. Kanara. A stunning black vision. Muscular. Exotic. He examined the entire album twice and made his choice. He pressed a button on the table beside him. A minute later the woman who had greeted him reappeared. He indicated his selection. She smiled. â€Å"Follow me.† After handling the financial arrangements, the woman made a hushed phone call. She waited a few minutes and then led him up a winding marble staircase to a luxurious hallway. â€Å"It's the gold door on the end,† she said. â€Å"You have expensive taste.† I should, he thought. I am a connoisseur. The Hassassin padded the length of the hallway like a panther anticipating a long overdue meal. When he reached the doorway he smiled to himself. It was already ajar†¦ welcoming him in. He pushed, and the door swung noiselessly open. When he saw his selection, he knew he had chosen well. She was exactly as he had requested†¦ nude, lying on her back, her arms tied to the bedposts with thick velvet cords. He crossed the room and ran a dark finger across her ivory abdomen. I killed last night, he thought. You are my reward. 11 â€Å"Satanic?† Kohler wiped his mouth and shifted uncomfortably. â€Å"This is the symbol of a satanic cult?† Langdon paced the frozen room to keep warm. â€Å"The Illuminati were satanic. But not in the modern sense.† Langdon quickly explained how most people pictured satanic cults as devil-worshiping fiends, and yet Satanists historically were educated men who stood as adversaries to the church. Shaitan. The rumors of satanic black-magic animal sacrifices and the pentagram ritual were nothing but lies spread by the church as a smear campaign against their adversaries. Over time, opponents of the church, wanting to emulate the Illuminati, began believing the lies and acting them out. Thus, modern Satanism was born. Kohler grunted abruptly. â€Å"This is all ancient history. I want to know how this symbol got here.† Langdon took a deep breath. â€Å"The symbol itself was created by an anonymous sixteenth-century Illuminati artist as a tribute to Galileo's love of symmetry – a kind of sacred Illuminati logo. The brotherhood kept the design secret, allegedly planning to reveal it only when they had amassed enough power to resurface and carry out their final goal.† Kohler looked unsettled. â€Å"So this symbol means the Illuminati brotherhood is resurfacing?† Langdon frowned. â€Å"That would be impossible. There is one chapter of Illuminati history that I have not yet explained.† Kohler's voice intensified. â€Å"Enlighten me.† Langdon rubbed his palms together, mentally sorting through the hundreds of documents he'd read or written on the Illuminati. â€Å"The Illuminati were survivors,† he explained. â€Å"When they fled Rome, they traveled across Europe looking for a safe place to regroup. They were taken in by another secret society†¦ a brotherhood of wealthy Bavarian stone craftsmen called the Freemasons.† Kohler looked startled. â€Å"The Masons?† Langdon nodded, not at all surprised that Kohler had heard of the group. The brotherhood of the Masons currently had over five million members worldwide, half of them residing in the United States, and over one million of them in Europe. â€Å"Certainly the Masons are not satanic,† Kohler declared, sounding suddenly skeptical. â€Å"Absolutely not. The Masons fell victim of their own benevolence. After harboring the fleeing scientists in the 1700s, the Masons unknowingly became a front for the Illuminati. The Illuminati grew within their ranks, gradually taking over positions of power within the lodges. They quietly reestablished their scientific brotherhood deep within the Masons – a kind of secret society within a secret society. Then the Illuminati used the worldwide connection of Masonic lodges to spread their influence.† Langdon drew a cold breath before racing on. â€Å"Obliteration of Catholicism was the Illuminati's central covenant. The brotherhood held that the superstitious dogma spewed forth by the church was mankind's greatest enemy. They feared that if religion continued to promote pious myth as absolute fact, scientific progress would halt, and mankind would be doomed to an ignorant future of senseless holy wars.† â€Å"Much like we see today.† Langdon frowned. Kohler was right. Holy wars were still making headlines. My God is better than your God. It seemed there was always close correlation between true believers and high body counts. â€Å"Go on,† Kohler said. Langdon gathered his thoughts and continued. â€Å"The Illuminati grew more powerful in Europe and set their sights on America, a fledgling government many of whose leaders were Masons – George Washington, Ben Franklin – honest, God-fearing men who were unaware of the Illuminati stronghold on the Masons. The Illuminati took advantage of the infiltration and helped found banks, universities, and industry to finance their ultimate quest.† Langdon paused. â€Å"The creation of a single unified world state – a kind of secular New World Order.† Kohler did not move. â€Å"A New World Order,† Langdon repeated, â€Å"based on scientific enlightenment. They called it their Luciferian Doctrine. The church claimed Lucifer was a reference to the devil, but the brotherhood insisted Lucifer was intended in its literal Latin meaning – bringer of light. Or Illuminator.† Kohler sighed, and his voice grew suddenly solemn. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, please sit down.† Langdon sat tentatively on a frost-covered chair. Kohler moved his wheelchair closer. â€Å"I am not sure I understand everything you have just told me, but I do understand this. Leonardo Vetra was one of CERN's greatest assets. He was also a friend. I need you to help me locate the Illuminati.† Langdon didn't know how to respond. â€Å"Locate the Illuminati?† He's kidding, right? â€Å"I'm afraid, sir, that will be utterly impossible.† Kohler's brow creased. â€Å"What do you mean? You won't – â€Å" â€Å"Mr. Kohler.† Langdon leaned toward his host, uncertain how to make him understand what he was about to say. â€Å"I did not finish my story. Despite appearances, it is extremely unlikely that this brand was put here by the Illuminati. There has been no evidence of their existence for over half a century, and most scholars agree the Illuminati have been defunct for many years.† The words hit silence. Kohler stared through the fog with a look somewhere between stupefaction and anger. â€Å"How the hell can you tell me this group is extinct when their name is seared into this man!† Langdon had been asking himself that question all morning. The appearance of the Illuminati ambigram was astonishing. Symbologists worldwide would be dazzled. And yet, the academic in Langdon understood that the brand's reemergence proved absolutely nothing about the Illuminati. â€Å"Symbols,† Langdon said, â€Å"in no way confirm the presence of their original creators.† â€Å"What is that supposed to mean?† â€Å"It means that when organized philosophies like the Illuminati go out of existence, their symbols remain†¦ available for adoption by other groups. It's called transference. It's very common in symbology. The Nazis took the swastika from the Hindus, the Christians adopted the cruciform from the Egyptians, the – â€Å" â€Å"This morning,† Kohler challenged, â€Å"when I typed the word ‘Illuminati' into the computer, it returned thousands of current references. Apparently a lot of people think this group is still active.† â€Å"Conspiracy buffs,† Langdon replied. He had always been annoyed by the plethora of conspiracy theories that circulated in modern pop culture. The media craved apocalyptic headlines, and self-proclaimed â€Å"cult specialists† were still cashing in on millennium hype with fabricated stories that the Illuminati were alive and well and organizing their New World Order. Recently the New York Times had reported the eerie Masonic ties of countless famous men – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Duke of Kent, Peter Sellers, Irving Berlin, Prince Philip, Louis Armstrong, as well as a pantheon of well-known modern-day industrialists and banking magnates. Kohler pointed angrily at Vetra's body. â€Å"Considering the evidence, I would say perhaps the conspiracy buffs are correct.† â€Å"I realize how it appears,† Langdon said as diplomatically as he could. â€Å"And yet a far more plausible explanation is that some other organization has taken control of the Illuminati brand and is using it for their own purposes.† â€Å"What purposes? What does this murder prove?† Good question, Langdon thought. He also was having trouble imagining where anyone could have turned up the Illuminati brand after 400 years. â€Å"All I can tell you is that even if the Illuminati were still active today, which I am virtually positive they are not, they would never be involved in Leonardo Vetra's death.† â€Å"No?† â€Å"No. The Illuminati may have believed in the abolition of Christianity, but they wielded their power through political and financial means, not through terrorists acts. Furthermore, the Illuminati had a strict code of morality regarding who they saw as enemies. They held men of science in the highest regard. There is no way they would have murdered a fellow scientist like Leonardo Vetra.† Kohler's eyes turned to ice. â€Å"Perhaps I failed to mention that Leonardo Vetra was anything but an ordinary scientist.† Langdon exhaled patiently. â€Å"Mr. Kohler, I'm sure Leonardo Vetra was brilliant in many ways, but the fact remains – â€Å" Without warning, Kohler spun in his wheelchair and accelerated out of the living room, leaving a wake of swirling mist as he disappeared down a hallway. For the love of God, Langdon groaned. He followed. Kohler was waiting for him in a small alcove at the end of the hallway. â€Å"This is Leonardo's study,† Kohler said, motioning to the sliding door. â€Å"Perhaps when you see it you'll understand things differently.† With an awkward grunt, Kohler heaved, and the door slid open. Langdon peered into the study and immediately felt his skin crawl. Holy mother of Jesus, he said to himself. 12 In another country, a young guard sat patiently before an expansive bank of video monitors. He watched as images flashed before him – live feeds from hundreds of wireless video cameras that surveyed the sprawling complex. The images went by in an endless procession. An ornate hallway. A private office. An industrial-size kitchen. As the pictures went by, the guard fought off a daydream. He was nearing the end of his shift, and yet he was still vigilant. Service was an honor. Someday he would be granted his ultimate reward. As his thoughts drifted, an image before him registered alarm. Suddenly, with a reflexive jerk that startled even himself, his hand shot out and hit a button on the control panel. The picture before him froze. His nerves tingling, he leaned toward the screen for a closer look. The reading on the monitor told him the image was being transmitted from camera #86 – a camera that was supposed to be overlooking a hallway. But the image before him was most definitely not a hallway.

Freedom of the Press and Student Newspapers

Freedom of the Press and Student Newspapers Generally, American journalists enjoy the freest press laws in the world, as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. But attempts to censor student newspapers- usually high school publications- by officials who dont like controversial content are all-too-common. Thats why its important for student newspaper editors at both high schools and colleges to understand press law as it applies to them. Can High School Papers Be Censored? Unfortunately, the answer sometimes seems to be yes. Under the 1988 Supreme Court decision Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, school-sponsored publications can be censored if issues arise that are reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns. So if a school can present a reasonable educational justification for its censorship, that censorship may be allowed. What Does School-Sponsored Mean? Is the publication supervised by a faculty member? Is the publication designed to impart particular knowledge or skills to student participants or audiences? Does the publication use the schools name or resources? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then the publication can be considered school-sponsored and can potentially be censored. But according to the Student Press Law Center, the Hazelwood ruling doesnt apply to publications that have been opened as public forums for student expression. What qualifies for this designation? When school officials have given student editors the authority to make their own content decisions. A school can do that either through an official policy or by simply allowing a publication to operate with editorial independence. Some states - Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Oregon and Massachusetts - have passed laws beefing up press freedoms for student papers. Other states are considering similar laws. Can College Papers Be Censored? Generally, no. Student publications at public colleges and universities have the same First Amendment rights as professional newspapers. The courts have generally held that the Hazelwood decision applies only to high school papers. Even if student publications receive funding or some other form of support from the college or university where they are based, they still have First Amendment rights, as do underground and independent student papers. But even at public four-year institutions, some officials have tried to smother press freedom. For example, the Student Press Law Center reported that three editors of The Columns, the student paper at Fairmont State University, resigned in 2015 in protest after administrators tried to turn the publication into a PR mouthpiece for the school. This occurred after the paper did stories on the discovery of toxic mold in student housing. What About Student Publications at Private Colleges? The First Amendment only bars government officials from suppressing speech, so it cant prevent censorship by private school officials. As a result, student publications at private high schools and even colleges are more vulnerable to censorship. Other Kinds of Pressure Blatant censorship isnt the only way student papers can be pressured to change their content. In recent years many faculty advisers to student newspapers, at both the high school and college level, have been reassigned or even fired for refusing to go along with administrators who want to engage in censorship. For instance, Michael Kelly, faculty adviser to The Columns, was dismissed from his post after the paper published the toxic mold stories.

Maj. General Zachary Taylor in the Mexican-American War

Maj. General Zachary Taylor in the Mexican-American War Born on November 24, 1784, Zachary Taylor was one of nine children born to  Richard and Sarah Taylor. A veteran of the American Revolution, Richard Taylor had served with General George Washington at White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine, and Monmouth. Moving his large family to the frontier near Louisville, KY, Taylors children received a limited education. Educated by a series of tutors, Zachary Taylor proved a poor student despite being seen as a quick learner. As Taylor matured, he aided in developing his fathers growing plantation, Springfield, into a sizable holding that included 10,000 acres and 26 slaves. In 1808, Taylor elected to leave the plantation and was able to obtain a commission as a first lieutenant in the US Army from his second cousin, James Madison. The availability of the commission was due to an expansion of the service in the wake of the  Chesapeake-Leopard  Affair.  Assigned to the 7th US Infantry Regiment, Taylor traveled south New Orleans where he served under Brigadier General James Wilkinson. War of 1812 Returning north to recover from disease, Taylor married Margaret Peggy Mackall Smith on June 21, 1810. The two had met the previous year in Louisville after being introduced by Dr. Alexander Duke. Between 1811 and 1826, the couple would have five daughters and a son. The youngest, Richard, served with his father in Mexico and later attained the rank of lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. While on leave, Taylor received a promotion to captain in November 1810. In July 1811, Taylor returned to the frontier and assumed command of Fort Knox (Vincennes, IN). As tensions with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh increased, Taylors post became the assembly point for General William Henry Harrisons army prior to the Battle of Tippecanoe.  As Harrisons army marched to deal with Tecumseh, Taylor received orders temporarily calling him to Washington, DC to testify in a court-martial involving Wilkinson. As a result, he missed the fighting and Harrisons victory. Shortly after the outbreak of the War of 1812, Harrison directed Taylor to take command of Fort Harrison near Terre Haute, IN. That September, Taylor and his small garrison were attacked by Native Americans allied with the British. Maintaining a vigorous defense, Taylor was able to hold during the Battle of Fort Harrison. The fighting saw his garrison of around 50 men hold off approximately 600 Native Americans led by Joseph Lenar and Stone Eater until being relieved by a force led by Colonel William Russell. Temporarily promoted to major, Taylor led a company of the 7th Infantry during the campaign which culminated at the Battle of Wild Cat Creek in late November 1812. Remaining on the frontier, Taylor briefly commanded Fort Johnson on the upper Mississippi River before being compelled to retreat to Fort Cap au Gris. With the end of the war in early 1815, Taylor was reduced in rank back to captain. Angered by this, he resigned and returned to his fathers plantation. Frontier Wars Recognized as a gifted officer, Taylor was offered a majors commission the following year and returned to the US Army. Continuing to serve along the frontier, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1819. In 1822, Taylor was ordered to establish a new base west of Natchitoches, Louisiana. Advancing into the area, he built Fort Jesup. From this position, Taylor maintained a presence along the Mexican-US border. Ordered to Washington in late 1826, he served on a committee that sought to improve the US Armys overall organization. During this time, Taylor purchased a plantation near Baton Rouge, LA and moved his family to the area. In May 1828, he took command of Fort Snelling in present-day Minnesota. With the beginning of the Black Hawk War in 1832, Taylor was given command of the 1st Infantry Regiment, with the rank of colonel, and traveled to Illinois to serve under Brigadier General Henry Atkinson. The conflict proved brief and following Black Hawks surrender, Taylor escorted him to Jefferson Barracks. A veteran commander, he was ordered to Florida in 1837 to take part in the Second Seminole War. Commanding a column of American troops, he won a victory at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee on December 25. Promoted to brigadier general, Taylor took command of all American forces in Florida in 1838. Remaining in this post until May 1840, Taylor worked to suppress the Seminoles and facilitate their relocation west. More successful than his predecessors, he used a system of blockhouses and patrols to maintain the peace. Turning command over to Brigadier General Walker Keith Armistead, Taylor returned to Louisiana to oversee American forces in the southwest. He was in this role as tensions began to increase with Mexico following the admission of the Republic of Texas into the United States. War Approaches In the wake of Congress agreeing to admit Texas, the situation with Mexico rapidly deteriorated as the two countries argued over the location of the border. While the United States (and Texas previously) claimed the Rio Grande, Mexico believed the border to be located further north along the Nueces River. In an effort to enforce the American claim and defend Texas, President James K. Polk directed Taylor to take a force into the disputed territory in April 1845. Shifting his Army of Occupation to Corpus Christi, Taylor established a base before advancing into the disputed territory in March 1846. Building a supply depot at Point Isabel, he moved troops inland and built a fortification on the Rio Grande known as Fort Texas opposite from the Mexican town of Matamoros. On April 25, 1846, a group of US dragoons, under Captain Seth Thornton, was attacked by a large force of Mexicans north of the Rio Grande. Alerting Polk that hostilities had commenced, Taylor soon learned that General Mariano Aristas artillery was bombarding Fort Texas. Fighting Begins Mobilizing the army, Taylor began moving south from Point Isabel to relieve Fort Texas on May 7. In an effort to cut off the fort, Arista crossed the river with 3,400 men and assumed a defensive position along the road from Point Isabel to Fort Texas. Encountering the enemy on May 8, Taylor attacked the Mexicans at the Battle of Palo Alto. Through the superb use of artillery, the Americans forced the Mexicans to retreat. Falling back, Arista established a new position at Resaca de la Palma the next day. Advancing down the road, Taylor again attacked and again defeated Arista at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma. Pushing on, Taylor relieved Fort Texas and on May 18 cross the Rio Grande to occupy Matamoros. On to Monterrey Lacking the forces to push deeper into Mexico, Taylor elected to pause to await reinforcements. With the Mexican-American War in full swing, additional troops soon reached his army. Building his force through the summer, Taylor began an advance against Monterrey in August. Now a major general, he established a series of garrisons along the Rio Grande as the bulk of the army moved south from Camargo. Arriving north of the city on September 19, Taylor was confronted by Mexican defenses led by Lieutenant General Pedro de Ampudia. Commencing the Battle of Monterrey on September 21, he compelled Ampudia to surrender the city after cutting off its supply lines south to Saltillo. After the battle, Taylor earned Polks ire by agreeing to an eight-week armistice with Ampudia. This was largely motivated by the high number of casualties sustained in taking the city and the fact he was deep in enemy territory. Politics at Play Directed to end the armistice, Taylor received orders to push forward to Saltillo. As Taylor, whose political alignment was unknown, had become a national hero, Polk, a Democrat, became concerned about the generals political ambitions. As a result, he ordered Taylor to stand fast in northeastern Mexico while ordering Major General Winfield Scott to attack Veracruz before advancing on Mexico City. To support Scotts operation, Taylors army was stripped of the bulk of its forces. Learning that Taylors command had been reduced, General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna marched north with 22,000 men with the goal of crushing the Americans. Attacking at the Battle of Buena Vista on February 23, 1847, Santa Annas men were repulsed with heavy losses. Mounting a tenacious defense, Taylors 4,759 men were able to hold though they were badly stretched. The victory at Buena Vista further enhanced Taylors national reputation and marked the last fighting he would see during the conflict. Known as Old Rough Ready for his gruff demeanor and unpretentious attire, Taylor had largely remained silent on his political beliefs. Leaving his army in November 1947, he handed command to Brigadier General John Wool. President Returning to the United States, he aligned himself with the Whigs though he was not in full support of their platform. Nominated for president at the 1848 Whig convention, Millard Fillmore of New York was selected as his running mate. Easily defeating Lewis Cass in the 1848 election, Taylor was sworn in as President of the United States on March 4, 1849. Though a slaveholder, he took a moderate stance on the subject and did not believe that the institution could successfully be exported to the newly acquired lands from Mexico. Taylor also advocated for California and New Mexico to immediately apply for statehood and bypass territorial status. The issue of slavery came to dominate his term in office and the Compromise of 1850 was being debated when Taylor suddenly died on July 9, 1850. The initial cause of death was believed to be gastroenteritis caused by consuming contaminated milk and cherries. Taylor was initially buried in his family plot at Springfield. In the 1920s, this land was incorporated into Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. On May 6, 1926, his remains were moved into a new mausoleum on the cemetery grounds. In 1991, Taylors remains were briefly exhumed following some evidence that he may have been poisoned. Extensive testing found this not to be the case and his remains were returned to the mausoleum. Despite these findings, assassination theories continue to be put forward as his moderate views on slavery were highly unpopular in Southern circles.

The 20 Most Useful Rhetorical Devices

The 20 Most Useful Rhetorical Devices SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Rhetoric is the art of effective communication; if you communicate with others at all, rhetorical devices are your friends! Rhetorical devices help you make points more effectively, and help people understand you better. In this article, I'll be covering some important rhetorical devices so you can improve your own writing! What Are Rhetorical Devices? A lot of things that you would think of as just regular everyday modes of communicating are actually rhetorical devices That’s because ‘rhetorical devices’ is more or less a fancy way of saying ‘communication tools.’ Most people don’t plan out their use of rhetorical devices in communication, both because nobody thinks, â€Å"now would be a good time to use synecdoche in this conversation with my grocery clerk,† and because we use them so frequently that they don’t really register as â€Å"rhetorical devices.† How often have you said something like, â€Å"when pigs fly!† Of those times, how often have you thought, â€Å"I’m using a rhetorical device!† That’s how ubiquitous they are! However, being aware of what they are and how to use them can strengthen your communication, whether you do a lot of big speeches, write persuasive papers, or just argue with your friends about a TV show you all like. Rhetorical devices can function at all levels: words, sentences, paragraphs, and beyond. Some rhetorical devices are just a single word, such as onomatopoeia. Others are phrases, such as metaphor, while still others can be sentence-length (such as a thesis), paragraph-length (hypophora), or go throughout the entire piece, such as a standard five-paragraph essay. Many of these (such as the thesis or five-paragraph essay) are so standard and familiar to us that we may not think of them as devices. But because they help us shape and deliver our arguments effectively, they're important to know and understand. Busting out a dictionary isn't the most efficient way to learn rhetorical devices. The Most Useful Rhetorical Devices List It would be impossible to list every single rhetorical device in one blog post. Instead, I've collected a mixture of extremely common devices you may have heard before and some more obscure ones that might be valuable to learn. Amplification Amplification is a little similar to parallelism: by using repetition, a writer expands on an original statement and increases its intensity. Take this example from Roald Dahl’s The Twits: â€Å"If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.† In theory, we could have gotten the point with the first sentence. We don’t need to know that the more you think ugly thoughts, the uglier you become, nor that if you think good thoughts you won’t be ugly- all that can be contained within the first sentence. But Dahl’s expansion makes the point clearer, driving home the idea that ugly thoughts have consequences. Amplification takes a single idea and blows it up bigger, giving the reader additional context and information to better understand your point. You don’t just have to restate the point- use amplification to expand and dive deeper into your argument to show readers and listeners how important it is! Anacoluthon Anacoluthon is a fancy word for a disruption in the expected grammar or syntax of a sentence. That doesn’t mean that you misspoke- using anacoluthon means that you’ve deliberately subverted your reader’s expectations to make a point. For example, take this passage from King Lear: â€Å"I will have such revenges on you both, That all the world shall- I will do such things, What they are, yet I know not†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In this passage, King Lear interrupts himself in his description of his revenge. This has multiple effects on the reader: they wonder what all the world shall do once he has his revenge (cry? scream? fear him?), and they understand that King Lear has interrupted himself to regain his composure. This tells us something about him- that he’s seized by passion in this moment, but also that he regains control. We might have gathered one of those things without anacoluthon, but the use of this rhetorical device shows us both very efficiently. Anadiplosis Anadiplosis refers to purposeful repetition at the end of one sentence or clause and at the beginning of the next sentence or clause. In practice, that looks something like a familiar phrase from Yoda: â€Å"Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.† Note the way that the ending word of each sentence is repeated in the following sentence. That’s anadiplosis! This rhetorical device draws a clear line of thinking for your reader or listener- repetition makes them pay closer attention and follow the way the idea evolves. In this case, we trace the way that fear leads to suffering through Yoda’s purposeful repetition. When life gives you lemons, use antanagoge! Antanagoge Antanagoge is the balancing of a negative with a positive. For example, the common phrase, â€Å"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,† is antanagoge- it suggests a negative (lots of lemons) and follows that up with a positive (make lemonade). When writing persuasively, this can be a great way to respond to potential detractors of your argument. Suppose you want to convince your neighborhood to add a community garden, but you think that people might focus on the amount of work required. When framing your argument, you could say something like, â€Å"Yes, it will be a lot of work to maintain, but working together will encourage us all to get to know one another as well as providing us with fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers.† This is a little like procatalepsis, in that you anticipate a problem and respond to it. However, antanagoge is specifically balancing a negative with a positive, just as I did in the example of a garden needing a lot of work, but that work is what ultimately makes the project worth it. Apophasis Apophasis is a form of irony relating to denying something while still saying it. You’ll often see this paired with phrases like, â€Å"I’m not saying†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"It goes without saying†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , both of which are followed up with saying exactly what the speaker said they weren’t going to say. Take this speech from Iron Man 2: "I'm not saying I'm responsible for this country's longest run of uninterrupted peace in 35 years! I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a phoenix metaphor been more personified! I'm not saying Uncle Sam can kick back on a lawn chair, sipping on an iced tea, because I haven't come across anyone man enough to go toe to toe with me on my best day! It's not about me." Tony Stark isn’t saying that he’s responsible for all those things†¦ except that’s exactly what he is saying in all of his examples. Though he says it’s not about him, it clearly is- all of his examples relate to how great he is, even as he proclaims that they aren’t. A scene like this can easily be played for humor, but apophasis can also be a useful (albeit deceptive) rhetorical tool. For example, this argument: Our neighborhood needs a community garden to foster our relationships with one another. Not only is it great for getting to know each other, but a community garden will also provide us with all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables. It would be wrong to say that people who disagree aren’t invested in others’ health and wellness, but those who have the neighborhood’s best interests in mind will support a community garden. That last sentence is all apophasis. Not only did I imply that people who don’t support the community garden are anti-social and uncaring (by outright stating that I wouldn’t say that, but I also implied that they’re also not invested in the neighborhood at all. Stating things like this, by pretending you’re not saying them or saying the opposite, can be very effective. Assonance and Alliteration Assonance adds an abundance of attractive accents to all your assertions. That’s assonance- the practice repeating the same vowel sound in multiple words in a phrase or sentence, often at the beginning of a word, to add emphasis or musicality to your work. Alliteration is similar, but uses consonant sounds instead of vowel sounds. Let’s use Romeo and Juliet as an example again: â€Å"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes; A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.† Here, we have repetition of the sounds ‘f’ and ‘l’ in ‘from forth...fatal...foes,’ and ‘loins...lovers...life.’ Even if you don’t notice the repetition as you’re reading, you can hear the effects in how musical the language sounds. Shakespeare could easily have just written something like, â€Å"Two kids from families who hate one another fell in love and died by suicide,† but that’s hardly as evocative as the phrasing he chose. Both assonance and alliteration give your writing a lyrical sound, but they can do more than that, too. These tools can mimic associated sounds, like using many ‘p’ sounds to sound like rain or something sizzling, or ‘s’ sounds to mimic the sounds of a snake. When you’re writing, think about what alternative meanings you can add by emphasizing certain sounds. Asterismos Listen, asterismos is great. Don’t believe me? How did you feel after I began the first sentence with the word ‘listen?’ Even if you didn’t feel more inspired to actually listen, you probably paid a bit more attention because I broke the expected form. That’s what asterismos is- using a word or phrase to draw attention to the thought that comes afterward. ‘Listen’ isn’t the only example of asterismos, either. You can use words like, ‘hey,’ ‘look,’ ‘behold,’ ‘so,’ and so on. They all have the same effect: they tell the reader or listener, â€Å"Hey, pay attention- what I’m about to say is important.† Dysphemism and Euphemism Euphemism is the substitution of a more pleasant phrase in place of a familiar phrase, and dysphemism is the opposite- an unpleasant phrase substituted in place of something more familiar.These tools are two sides of the same coin. Euphemism takes an unpleasant thing and makes it sound nicer- such as using 'passed away' instead of 'died'- while dysphemism does the opposite, taking something that isn't necessarily bad and making it sound like it is. We won’t get into the less savory uses of dysphemism, but there are plenty that can leave an impression without being outright offensive. Take ‘snail mail.’ A lot of us call postal mail that without any real malice behind it, but ‘snail’ implies slowness, drawing a comparison between postal mail and faster email. If you’re making a point about how going electronic is faster, better for the environment, and overall more efficient, comparing email to postal mail with the phrase ‘snail mail’ gets the point across quickly and efficiently. Likewise, if you're writing an obituary, you probably don't want to isolate the audience by being too stark in your details. Using gentler language, like 'passed away' or 'dearly departed' allows you to talk about things that might be painful without being too direct. People will know what you mean, but you won't have to risk hurting anyone by being too direct and final with your language. Generally, fiction books are where you'll find epilogues. Epilogue You’ve no doubt run into epilogues before, because they’re a common and particularly useful rhetorical device! Epilogues are a conclusion to a story or work that reveals what happens to the characters in the story. This is different from an afterword, which is more likely to describe the process of a book’s creation than to continue and provide closure to a story. Many books use epilogues to wrap up loose ends, usually taking place in the future to show how characters have changed as a result of their adventures. Both Harry Potter and The Hunger Games series use their epilogues to show the characters as adults and provide some closure to their stories- in Harry Potter, the main characters have gotten married and had children, and are now sending those children to the school where they all met. This tells the reader that the story of the characters we know is over- they’re adults and are settled into their lives- but also demonstrates that the world goes on existing, though it’s been changed forever by the actions of the familiar characters. Eutrepismus Eutrepismus is another rhetorical device you’ve probably used before without realizing it. This device separates speech into numbered parts, giving your reader or listener a clear line of thinking to follow. Eutrepismus is a great rhetorical device- let me tell you why. First, it’s efficient and clear. Second, it gives your writing a great sense of rhythm. Third, it’s easy to follow and each section can be expanded throughout your work. See how simple it is? You got all my points in an easy, digestible format. Eutrepismus helps you structure your arguments and make them more effective, just as any good rhetorical device should do. Hypophora You’ve probably used hypophora before without ever thinking about it. Hypophora refers to a writer or speaker proposing a question and following it up with a clear answer. This is different from a rhetorical question- another rhetorical device- because there is an expected answer, one that the writer or speaker will immediately give to you. Hypophora serves to ask a question the audience may have (even if they’re not entirely aware of it yet) and provide them with an answer. This answer can be obvious, but it can also be a means of leading the audience toward a particular point. Take this sample from John F. Kennedy’s speech on going to the moon: But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. In this speech, Kennedy outright states that he’s asking questions others have asked, and then goes on to answer them. This is Kennedy’s speech, so naturally it’s going to reflect his point of view, but he’s answering the questions and concerns others might have about going to the moon. In doing so, he’s reclaiming an ongoing conversation to make his own point. This is how hypophora can be incredibly effective: you control the answer, leaving less room for argument! Litotes Litotes is a deliberate understatement, often using double negatives, that serves to actually draw attention to the thing being remarked upon. For example, saying something like, â€Å"It’s not pretty,† is a less harsh way to say â€Å"It’s ugly,† or â€Å"It’s bad,† that nonetheless draws attention to it being ugly or bad. In Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave, he writes: â€Å"Indeed, it is not uncommon for slaves even to fall out and quarrel among themselves about the relative goodness of their masters, each contending for the superior goodness of his own over that of the others.† Notice the use of â€Å"not uncommon.† Douglass, by using a double negative to make readers pay closer attention, points out that some slaves still sought superiority over others by speaking out in favor of their owners. Litotes draws attention to something by understating it. It’s sort of like telling somebody not to think about elephants- soon, elephants becomes all they can think about. The double negative draws our attention and makes us focus on the topic because it’s an unusual method of phrasing. Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia refers to a sound represented within text as a mimicry of what that sound actually sounds like. Think â€Å"bang† or â€Å"whizz† or â€Å"oomph,† all of which can mean that something made that kind of a sound- †the door banged shut†- but also mimic the sound itself- †the door went bang.† This rhetorical device can add emphasis or a little bit of spice to your writing. Compare, â€Å"The gunshot made a loud sound,† to â€Å"The gun went bang.† Which is more evocative? Parallelism Parallelism is the practice of using similar grammar structure, sounds, meter, and so on to emphasize a point and add rhythm or balance to a sentence or paragraph. One of the most famous examples of parallelism in literature is the opening of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way- in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." In the beginning, every phrase begins with â€Å"It was,† which is itself a parallelism. But there are also pairs of parallelism within the sentence, too; â€Å"It was the ___ of times, it was the ___ of times,† and â€Å"it was the age of ___, it was the age of ___.† Parallelism draws your reader deeper into what you’re saying and provides a nice sense of flow, even if you’re talking about complicated ideas. The ‘epoch of incredulity’ is a pretty meaty phrase, but Dickens’ parallelism sets up a series of dichotomies for us; even if we don’t know quite what it means, we can figure it out by comparing it to ‘belief.’ Personification Personification is a rhetorical device you probably run into a lot without realizing it. It’s a form of metaphor, which means two things are being compared without the words like or as- in this case, a thing that is not human is given human characteristics. Personification is common in poetry and literature, as it’s a great way to generate fresh and exciting language, even when talking about familiar subjects. Take this passage from Romeo and Juliet, for example: â€Å"When well-appareled April on the heel Of limping winter treads.† April can’t wear clothes or step on winter, and winter can’t limp. However, the language Shakespeare uses here is quite evocative. He’s able to quickly state that April is beautiful (â€Å"well-appareled†) and that winter is coming to an end (â€Å"limping winter†). Through personification, we get a strong image for things that could otherwise be extremely boring, such as if Shakespeare had written, â€Å"When beautiful April comes right after winter.† Procatalepsis Procatalepsis is a rhetorical device that anticipates and notes a potential objection, heading it off with a follow-up argument to strengthen the point. I know what you’re thinking- that sounds really complicated! But bear with me, because it’s actually quite simple. See how that works? I imagined that a reader might be confused by the terminology in the first sentence, so I noted that potential confusion, anticipating their argument. Then, I addressed that argument to strengthen my point- procatalepsis is easy, which you can see because I just demonstrated it! Anticipating a rebuttal is a great way to strengthen your own argument. Not only does it show that you’ve really put thought into what you’re saying, but it also leaves less room for disagreement! Synecdoche Synecdoche is a rhetorical device that uses a part of something to stand in for the whole. That can mean that we use a small piece of something to represent a whole thing (saying ‘let’s grab a slice’ when we in fact mean getting a whole pizza), or using something large to refer to something small. We often do this with sports teams–for example, saying that New England won the Super Bowl when we in fact mean the New England Patriots, not the entirety of New England. This style of rhetorical device adds an additional dimension to your language, making it more memorable to your reader. Which sounds more interesting? â€Å"Let’s get pizza,† or â€Å"let’s grab a slice?† Likewise, consider this quote from Percy Bysshe Shelly’s â€Å"Ozymandias†: â€Å"Tell that its sculptor well those passions readWhich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,The hand that mocked them.† Here, Shelly uses ‘the hand’ to refer to the sculptor. The hand did not sculpt the lifeless things on its own; it was a tool of the sculptor. But by using just the hand, Shelly avoids repeating ‘the sculptor,’ preserves the poem’s rhythm, and narrows our focus. If he had referred to the sculptor again, he’d still be a big important figure; by narrowing to the hand, Shelly is diminishing the idea of the creator, mirroring the poem’s assertion that the creation will outlast it. Poes' bells are a great example of a tautology. Tautology Tautology refers to using words or similar phrases to effectively repeat the same idea with different wording. It’s a form of repetition that can make a point stronger, but it can also be the basis of a flawed argument- be careful that your uses of tautology is the former, not the latter! For example, take this section of â€Å"The Bells† by Edgar Allen Poe: â€Å"Keeping time, time, time,In a sort of Runic rhyme†¦From the bells, bells, bells, bells.† Poe’s poetry has a great deal of rhythm already, but the use of ‘time, time, time’ sets us up for the way that ‘bells, bells, bells, bells’ also holds that same rhythm. Keeping time refers to maintaining rhythm, and this poem emphasizes that with repetition, much like the repetitive sound of ringing bells. An example of an unsuccessful tautology would be something like, â€Å"Either we should buy a house, or we shouldn’t.† It’s not a successful argument because it doesn’t say anything at all- there’s no attempt to suggest anything, just an acknowledgment that two things, which cannot both happen, could happen. If you want to use tautology in your writing, be sure that it’s strengthening your point. Why are you using it? What purpose does it serve? Don’t let a desire for rhythm end up robbing you of your point! Thesis That thing your English teachers are always telling you to have in your essays is an important literary device. A thesis, from the Greek word for ‘a proposition,’ is a clear statement of the theory or argument you’re making in an essay. All your evidence should feed back into your thesis; think of your thesis as a signpost for your reader. With that signpost, they can’t miss your point! Especially in longer academic writing, there can be so many pieces to an argument that it can be hard for readers to keep track of your overarching point. A thesis hammers the point home so that no matter how long or complicated your argument is, the reader will always know what you’re saying. Tmesis Tmesis is a rhetorical device that breaks up a word, phrase, or sentence with a second word, usually for emphasis and rhythm. We often do this with expletives, but tmesis doesn’t have to be vulgar to be effective! Take this example from Romeo and Juliet: â€Å"This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.† The normal way we’d hear this phrase is â€Å"This is not Romeo, he’s somewhere else.† But by inserting the word ‘other’ between ‘some’ and ‘where,’ it not only forces us to pay attention, but also changes the sentence’s rhythm. It gets the meaning across perfectly, and does so in a way that’s far more memorable than if Shakespeare had just said that Romeo was somewhere else. For a more common usage, we can turn to George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, which often has Eliza Doolittle using phrases like â€Å"fan-bloody-tastic† and â€Å"abso-blooming-lutely.† The expletives- though mild by modern standards- emphasize Eliza’s social standing and make each word stand out more than if she had simply said them normally. What’s Next? Rhetorical devices and literary devices can both be used to enhance your writing and communication. Check out this list of literary devices to learn more! Ethos, pathos, logos, and kairos are all modes of persuasion- types of rhetorical devices- that can help you be a more convincing writer! No matter what type of writing you're doing, rhetorical devices can enhance it! To learn more about different writing styles, check out this list!

'There is more to volunteering than just doing unpaid work' Discuss Essay

'There is more to volunteering than just doing unpaid work' Discuss - Essay Example iduals who stand up to volunteer are themselves members of the community, and eventually derive a benefit which, although not financial, extends to them in some way along with the to rest of society. In the Unites States, for example, it has been estimated that services provided by volunteering teenagers contribute more than 34 billion dollars to the U.S. economy (Gay, 2004, p. 2). Alcock (2004, p 4) shows that charitable and voluntary action were considered essential components of the welfare state by the Government, as long ago as 1909. People volunteer for many different reasons. The most obvious reason is to give back to society - volunteering seems tied to the concept of moral duty to help with a good cause. However, the time, resources and efforts spent on volunteering are often significant, and altruism alone is not the only motivating force for a person willing to work for a cause without financial gain. Volunteering can involve rewards other than financial, and people choose to volunteer for many different reasons. For example, volunteering can include activities or consequences that have significant value in the person’s life. A person who is attached to animals may volunteer at a shelter for stray cats. For this person, the emotional satisfaction gained by tending to the animals, ensuring their care and safety, would have more significance the same time spent working and earning a few extra dollars. For many volunteers, this activity is the best means for them to socialize with people of similar interests. For example, Oxfam used young volunteers interested in music to recruit local young musicians and raise money for charity through concerts – the activity gave the volunteers a channel to put their passion for music to a good cause (Mahony, 2007). Volunteering is in some cases, very inherently associated with financial gains. A student hoping to land a job at a particular firm would, for example, choose to volunteer and spend his spare time

Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Assessment - Assignment Example From my review, it is evident that Mr. G’s condition with arthritis is advancing to a more chronic stage as he reports most of his activities around the joints having rapidly reduced. The subjective data is important in revealing the experiences of the patient from a firsthand account. On the other hand, objective data is important in determining the clinical status of the patient through examination and tests. During the collection of information, confidentiality and information safety is upheld. Upon assuring the patient that their information may be kept private, they can disclose some of the private information related to their condition. In addition, I do not engage in any further research concerning the patient without their consent in order to limit any chances of intrusion into their private information. Some of the patient assessment tools that bare within nurses, which are applied in assessing morbidity of the patients. These tools include the decision-making tools, which provide guidelines on the main approach to determining the morbidity of the patients including ruling out of some of the cases in relation to both the subjective and objective data of the patient. Nurses also carry within them education tools that allow them to consider the best technology for assessing patients at each level. Communication tools are also important in creating a rapport with the patient and thus establishing a proper assessment of the morbidity levels. Inspection involves application of vision, hearing, and smell to assess abnormal deviations and conditions within the body of a patient. An example of inspection is the observation for yellow eyes in an individual with jaundice. Palpation involves touching of the patient’s area of body under examination with varying parts of one’s hands, while employing different degrees of pressure. This can be employed when checking for cancerous lumps in the breast. In addition, Percussion requires one to tap their

Chinese literature response 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chinese literature response 2 - Essay Example And still it turns out to be a psychological novel that can marvel any European novels of that time .The advantage of the novel in traditional Chinese literature was that, it only held a peripheral position in the literary system. Thus novelists could explore new themes with more freedom, from which the orthodox modes of writing shied away. â€Å"The story of the Stone† is a typical example of a novel exploring poetically the unorthodox themes, of romantic, passionate love and emotions in the Chinese classical literature. In its opening itself the novel introduces the main theme of passionate love. It begins by telling the reader about a magical stone that can move by its own, change size and can even talk. It was cast off from the heavens by the Goddess Nu-Wa who was repairing the sky with stones. This particular stone was the only excess one left when she finished her work. The stone had magical qualities because it had been touched by a Goddess. The magical stone was distained to be incarnated into a human being. As the stone waits for its future destiny, near a pond it falls in love with a flower. The theme of love is thus introduced at the very beginning of the novel. The stone gets incarnated as the minor noble man Jia Bao-yu of the influential Jia family, a cultured wealthy family in early Qing dynasty China. The flower gets incarnated as Lin Dai –yu who is related to the Jia family but is a commoner. The novel centers around these two teenagers, who though unaware of their heavenly ori gins, try to come to grips with the human destiny on earth through very ordinary daily events in their lives. The caricature of Jin-Bao-yu is interesting and unique. He is the heir to the family. He is handsome, but very impertinent. The heir of the family should get very high education and pass the civil service examinations. But he is a spoilt boy, spoiled by his grand mother. While all boys of his age study, he spends time in the women’s quarters enjoying the

In this country banks are being urged to lend, especially to small Essay

In this country banks are being urged to lend, especially to small businesses (vide Project Merlin) and for mortgages, but also - Essay Example Loans to small and medium size business ventures form the bulk of the credit facilities offered by banks at any one time and therefore have a critical responsibility in ascertaining the stability of an economic framework. Private developers equally get credit facilities in terms of mortgages and this has been in the rise with the advent of a booming real estate business across the globe. Bothe local and international investors have continuously sought the intervention of banks through monetary assistance through credit facilities which have been termed a critical stimulant to an economy reviving from effects of financial crises or intending to build on internal reserves in finances. In the UK, in the aftermath of the global financial crises, the banks are being encouraged to adopt the lending strategy especially to small business and for mortgages. Moreover, they are required to step up regulatory and precautionary measures in building up capital reserves in order to aid in the smoot h operations within the economy. However, an outright dilemma sets in regarding the balance between the safe lending and the ways to build up the capital reserves as required. The government of the United Kingdom plays the role of regulation and creates an enabling environment for the banks and small business enterprises that are the target in the credit facilities. On the other hand, the banking sector within the country has a central role in formulating and adopting favorable policies, which will serve to regulate the credit facilities, advanced while at the same time monitoring the growth of financial capital stocks in the banking sector. Drawing lessons from the 2007 to 2008 financial crises, Gambacorta and Marques-Ibanez draws the conclusion that stability in financial intermediaries plays a critical role in ensuring that there is a smooth transmission of credit facilities between the banks (lenders) and the borrowers (the likes of small and medium size businesses). The strengt h of bank lending channels plays an important role in provision of credit facilities in that bank-specific characteristics are central in credit provision. However, structural adjustments and changes during the period of crises resulted to favorable outcomes in restoration of sanity within the economy. During the crises, the loan supply suffered restriction greatly from weaker capital positions from banks as well as overdependence on non-interests loans and market funding. This therefore points to the risks that are prevalent to banks over funding liquidities. The conclusion from the lessons learnt support the need of establishing regulatory and monitoring mechanisms on those factors that work in favor of or against monetary transmission more so during periods of crises. The central bank has a specific role that of supervisory role to the other banks and keeping a proper statistical data base of all the banks for monetary regulation and advisory roles (Gambacorta and Marques-Ibanez, 2011, p.1-28). In order to address the rising concerns, there are various tools that can be applied within the banking sector, which would include imposition of monetary policies, deregulation as well as financial innovation. However, monetary policies are argued not to be very neutral from the perspective of financial stability. Financial

Afshar tribe of Iran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Afshar tribe of Iran - Essay Example The exact ethnic breakdown of Iran is unknown as there are no official numbers; however some international organizations have made estimates. The estimates are as following: Persians (65%), Azerbaijani (16Â  %), Kurds (7%), Lurs (6%), Arabs (2%), Baluchi (2%), Turkmens (1%), Turkic tribal groups such as the Qashqai (1%), and non-Iranian, non-Turkic groups such as Armenians, Assyrians, and Georgians (less than 1%). According to them Persian is spoken as a mother tongue by at least 65% of the population and as a second language by a large proportion of the remaining 35%. Afshars, also called Avshar are a branch of the Turkic Oghuz groups. These originally nomadic Oghuz tribes moved from Central Asia through Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and finally most of them s ettled in Anatolia. Beginning from the 9th century, they started migrating towards west. Avshars are believed to have entered Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. They settled in various places in Anatolia. During the Mongol invasion in the following period, some Avshar tribes migrated to Syria and later formed what was called Halep Turkmens, which eventually migrated back to Anatolia and settled there. The Afshar tribes of Iran are two distinct Turkic-speaking ethnic groups. The larger group is concentrated in the north of the country, and the smaller in the south. Afshar or Afshari, is a Turkic language spoken in Turkey, Syria, parts of Afghanistan and Iran. It is considered by many to be a dialect of Turkish. Living in the northeastern Azarbaijan province, Shahsevans (renamed II Sevan after the victory of Islamic Revolution) were organized by Shah Abbas I in the 17th century as a militia from tribes of diverse origin. Mainly Turkish speaking, they were used to put down rebellions of other tribes. They were divided between Iranian Azarbaijan and the Russian or former Soviet Azarbaijan after the occupation of part of our country by the aggressive Russian

Capturing memorable moments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Capturing memorable moments - Essay Example The author, Bill McKibben, in his work â€Å"Year One of the Next Earth,† writes about how the frequency and the intensity of all the hurricanes are increasing year after year. Initially he describes the hurricane by explaining what it actually is and then goes on to talk about a research paper which was presented by a scientist named, Kerry Emmanuel, who had researched on the intensity of all the hurricanes had had shockingly discovered their rising intensity with each passing year. Just after Emmanuel had presented his paper, he saw the nature itself approving it by the incident of the hurricane Katrina. His paper was the proof that the old extreme was the new norm. The author after providing this shocking discovery goes on to discuss about the reasons why the intensity of the storms and hurricanes are increasing. He says that the humans themselves are the reason for the rising intensity of the natural disasters. This is because the destructive activities such as production of smoke leading to overall global warming are accountable for the rise of the natural disasters. He says that global warming leads to natural rise of temperature, which is leading to thwarting of the ice in the Polar Regions, and rise in sea level. Moreover, the overall rise in temperature is leading to rise in temperature in the tropical areas. Even the area where the temperature was unfit for breeding of mosquitoes filled with them now due to the absurd rise in temperature. All these disasters are accountable to the malpractices practiced all over the world. The writer states in the end that we are living in a different world than the world our parents or grandparents use d to live in. Although we do not realize it apparently but the pictures that the writer has provided along with the text proves it. The writer finally concludes that we could call this the Earth that we are living in is the first year of the New Earth and therefore in this way the writer

Afshar tribe of Iran Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Afshar tribe of Iran - Essay Example The exact ethnic breakdown of Iran is unknown as there are no official numbers; however some international organizations have made estimates. The estimates are as following: Persians (65%), Azerbaijani (16Â  %), Kurds (7%), Lurs (6%), Arabs (2%), Baluchi (2%), Turkmens (1%), Turkic tribal groups such as the Qashqai (1%), and non-Iranian, non-Turkic groups such as Armenians, Assyrians, and Georgians (less than 1%). According to them Persian is spoken as a mother tongue by at least 65% of the population and as a second language by a large proportion of the remaining 35%. Afshars, also called Avshar are a branch of the Turkic Oghuz groups. These originally nomadic Oghuz tribes moved from Central Asia through Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and finally most of them s ettled in Anatolia. Beginning from the 9th century, they started migrating towards west. Avshars are believed to have entered Anatolia after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. They settled in various places in Anatolia. During the Mongol invasion in the following period, some Avshar tribes migrated to Syria and later formed what was called Halep Turkmens, which eventually migrated back to Anatolia and settled there. The Afshar tribes of Iran are two distinct Turkic-speaking ethnic groups. The larger group is concentrated in the north of the country, and the smaller in the south. Afshar or Afshari, is a Turkic language spoken in Turkey, Syria, parts of Afghanistan and Iran. It is considered by many to be a dialect of Turkish. Living in the northeastern Azarbaijan province, Shahsevans (renamed II Sevan after the victory of Islamic Revolution) were organized by Shah Abbas I in the 17th century as a militia from tribes of diverse origin. Mainly Turkish speaking, they were used to put down rebellions of other tribes. They were divided between Iranian Azarbaijan and the Russian or former Soviet Azarbaijan after the occupation of part of our country by the aggressive Russian

Managerial policy in HM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managerial policy in HM - Essay Example Many people continue to refer to the discipline by its older, more traditional titles, such as, personnel management. The trend is changing. The new term nowadays used in industry circles is HRM. Its significance lies not so much in the observable practice of its functions but in the assumption that it permits practitioners to make. The assumption are that - (i) it is capable of contributing to, and drawing from, the highest levels of managerial policy; (ii) It is driven by both strategic and operation goals; (iii) It conceives of the organization as an environment in which managerial discretion is permitted freer ruin than in a more traditional employment relationship; (iv) employee attachment and engagement in the organization are seen and accepted as major managerial responsibilities which are not moderated by external bodies such as trade unions. What is more interesting is the fact that HRM activities are now expected to contribute to organizational effectiveness. Looking at the broader perspective of HRM policy within organization, HR practitioners and academicians are also of the opinion that by aligning HR policies and practices with business strategies, the field of HRM can become a greater strategic contributor to organizational performance and success (Mathis and Jackson). HRM, its concepts definition, study and application have d... Secondly, the unity and diversity of these models serve as initial inputs in drafting tailor made HRM model for organizations. Thirdly, these models offer answers to quite a few dilemmas that practitioner encounter in their mission to pursuer an organizationally dove tailed and business aligned human resource function. The focus of HRM is on keeping the optimal quantity and quality of people needed to achieve the objective of the organization. HRM first emerge as a concept in the mid-1980 when American researchers produced two models. One of the model is called Harvard model developed by Beer et al. (1984), who defined HRM as that which maximizes organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality of work. They emphasized a need for coherence in HRM policies and role of the line managers. But it is the Harvard Model that has exerted considerable influence over the theory and practice of HRM. Harvard Model of HRM: The type of HRM policies and practices an organization prefers should be dependent upon its organizational vision, mission, strategy, Goals and objective. In quite a few cases, such HR practices shall also be devised and adopted in time with external environment of organizations. In other words, HR policies and practices are subject to influence by internal and external environment of organizations. Harvard model of HRM propounded by Michael Beer, Richard Walton, Quinn mills, P. Lawrence and Bert Spector highlighted this influence of environment on HRM is their book titled Managing human Assets published in 1984. This model also known as soft model of HRM / Harvard Map of HRM / multiple stakeholders model, argues that human resource policies are to be influenced by two significant considerations: (1) Situational factors: The