Rousseau as Totalitarian?

ROUSSEAU AS TOTALITARIAN? Rousseau, known as â€Å"Father of Modern Democratic Theory†, was being accused by other people as a â€Å"Father of Totalitarianism†. This is one of the contentious issues which attack Rousseau’s social contract; he is seen to be advocating totalitarian solution rather democratic. Others may have only misunderstood the concept of totalitarianism but I tell you there is no clear evidence showing he is in favor of totalitarian. Why, then, some considered Rousseau as a totalitarian? Maybe it goes with his controversial concept of general will.The general will can be perceived as an objective truth to which every citizen must conform. Therefore everybody was under the control of the general will. Since totalitarianism is defined as a  political system  where the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life whenever necessary; this means that the general will can be use as a tot alitarian device. But the methods suggested for discovering the general will were basically democratic.This concept was introduced to prevent exploitation and this will only take effect if it is willed by the citizens. In this case, we can see that Rousseau was proposing that the best way for a community to make decisions was really to use democratic procedures. Hence, we cannot condemn him being a totalitarian advocate just because general will reigns. After all, even if it controls every citizen, it still comes from all and it tends always to the preservation and welfare of the whole and every associate.Another thing that can probably make people thinks of Rousseau’s social contract as a totalitarian is due to his view of â€Å"majority binds the rest†. Rousseau was aware that no particular human being knows what the general will truly is that is why he proposes that what the majority has voted, it is the general will, assuming that everybody is thinking for the comm on good of the community and not for his own self-interest. Now problem the decision of the majority is what rules the community and we don’t even know if they are really thinking for the common good of everybody.They maybe considered as one political group who reigns over the community. This cannot be a valid reason for saying that Rousseau was after a totalitarian government. Remember Rousseau has insisted that the sovereign is the people and not a particular group only. And at the start of the compact, before they have voted for what they think is general will; the people should give their consent to all the laws that will be passed even in their opposition.Despite that the decision of the majority wins, the people still has participated in determining that certain law. Rousseau was merely proposing measures aimed at creating community cohesion and preserving democracy. We can now say that his proposal was really an authentic attempt of finding a form of association which will defend and protect with the whole common force the person and goods of each associate, and in which each, while uniting himself with all, may still obey himself alone, and remain as free as before.

Random Acts of Kindness

During one of my Online Facebook sessions, I was watching a video on random acts of kindness called â€Å"Validation†, it reminded me that performing random acts of kindness like simply complimenting people is something that I need to incorporate more into my life on a regular basis. I actually had a warm feeling inside knowing that many people have done so many kind things to me. I too have done many kind things to others; but, I had still not decided to incorporate this small thing into my life. I immediately realized that life is about being a blessing to others; however, there are times when people need to see tangible things done for them.When we give things that are tangible, it is one way to help others see Christ in us. I found out that there are many ways to show random acts of kindness. I had the opportunity to put this concept into action in several ways since our last class. On November 3rd 2013 I experienced firsthand what a difference I can make in young children ’s lives by spending time with them and telling them about a wonderful savior that has a given a free gift and that all we have to do is except him into our lives.I and my family lived in the Central part of Beavercreek Oregon in a 1800 square foot house on an eighth of an acre. We had a pretty good life as kids and there was always food on the table in our house. At the age of 18 I had decided to get involved in my church I had been attending for a little over a year. I talked to the pastor and got a hold of the Children’s ministry Pastor and she set me up to help with a class 4 days later. When I stepped into the classroom I immediately was overwhelmed with joy and a heart serve really serve these young children.After that first day I had many compliments about what an amazing impact I had on these kids and I now volunteer every other week there. Remember that your life can make a huge impact on people young and old. We have a savior that died for us on a cross and w e should return that favor by serving others. I hope you are impacted by this essay in someway and that you can start to make a difference in your community. As a you follower of God I have learned that through prayer and trust in the lord that he knows what is right for all of his children that we can make a difference.If we rely on God and not on our own understanding we are destined for success. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish but have everlasting life. All we have to except this free gift that God has given us and you will be saved. God sent his only son Jesus to come down to this earth to die on the cross for our sins so we can have the hope of heaven and not have to a die a horrible death. I hope you can come to know your savior and believe in the one who created you.

Australian Business Sustainabilit Report

G4 GRI Guidelines offers guidance in a user friendly manner and helps in improving the technical quality of the guidelines, so as to eliminate the chances of ambiguity and diverse interpretations, so that it benefits the users and reports of such information, in a uniform manner. These guidelines help in focusing upon what matters and where it matters. These guidelines also enable the identification of the critical matters which have to be managed and changed, and if the entity is ready to manage such matters or not. Further, these guidelines are focused on the material sustainability related issues. Corporate Governance refers to the practices, standards, and rules, which a company has to follow, to ensure that the company works in a justified manner. Corporate Governance involves social responsibility and relates to balance of the interests of the various stakeholders, including the customers, financiers, shareholders, management, community, as well as, the government. Corporate governance includes the decisions made by the management of the company and often involves a lot of issues with it. The Board of the company has been committed in providing satisfactory returns to its stakeholders, as well as, fulfilling the obligations, along with the responsibilities associated with corporate governance, in the best interest of the company. The company is working towards ensuring that the composition of the Board has the appropriate mix of skills, as well as, is as per the corporate governance standards. The company has to face issues regarding the independent status of one of its directors and had to review the position as well as relationship of all of its directors (Wesfarmers, 2015). The company also complies with the Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations issued by the ASX Corporate Governance Council’s third edition (Wesfarmers, 2015). Wesfarmers is affected by various material sustainability issues. To help the social issues, the company supports the local communities, especially in cases of natural disasters. Further, to monitor the quality issues related to the products of the company, the company offers ‘Greener Work Place’, as well as measures the delivered in-full on time. Other issues relating to the matter of corporate governance and social responsibility relates to the inherent risk associated with the operations of Wesfarmers, for instance, the safety incidents, the supply chain issues, and the products-services liability risks. The company is constantly engaged with its stakeholders to understand the issues which affect them (Wesfarmers, 2015). These issues are addressed and the progress is reported in the sustainability report of the company. The sustainability issues are managed by the Board of the company at divisional level and are regularly reported. In the following parts, these issues affecting the various stakeholders of the company, in line of the G4 GRE Guidelines have been highlighted. The company has been following a range of G4 GRI Guidelines (Wesfarmers, 2015). The level of self-adherence of these guidelines has been summarized below: G4-DMA, G4-EN15, G4-EN16, and G4-EN17 Social: Labor Practices And Decent Work Equal Remuneration For Women And Men Supplier Assessment For Labor Practices Freedom Of Association And Collective Bargaining The level of adherence of these guidelines for the year 2014 and 2015 has been summarized below. A comparison has also been made, along with the comments on the noncompliance of the particular guidelines. The company is responsible for providing employment to one out of 55 Australians. The company earns 98% of its revenues from the country, as well as, 75% of the shares of the company on issue, are held in the country (Wesfarmers, 2014). The company had employed 207282 people till June 2014. The statistics reveal that for the year 2014, the company had made direct contributions amounting to 44.6 million dollars and the indirect contributions amounting to 50.8 million dollars (Wesfarmers, 2014). This makes the community contributions, by the Wesfarmers group as 95.4 million dollars (Wesfarmers, 2014). The company meets the very basic needs of the community by providing food, tools, as well as, clothing to the community. The company is responsible for providing employment to one out of 59 Australians (Wesfarmers, 2015). The company has been paying taxes regularly and also provides the necessary support to the nonprofit organizations. The company earns 98% of its revenues from the country, as well as, 80% of the shares of the company on issue, are held in the country (Wesfarmers, 2015). This creates a major positive impact on the economy of Australia, along with contributing to the other economies. The company paid $43,045 million to the suppliers, in addition to the wages and salaries, where the company paid more than $7,830 million to its 205000 employees. Further, the company paid $1,578 million in royalties, taxes, and levies, and $2,246 million in dividends to our 500,000 shareholders (Wesfarmers, 2015). The company has contributed $50 million to community organizations which equals to 1.5 per cent of profit before income tax. Further, the company has assisted in donations from employees and customers, which totals to $52.7 million (Wesfarmers, 2015). The statistics reveal that for the year 2015, the company had made direct contributions amounting to 50 million dollars and the indirect contributions amounting to 52.9 million dollars. This makes the community contributions, by the Wesfarmers group as 102.9 million dollars (Wesfarmers, 2015). A special attention is paid in the matters like gender diversity, as well as, the inclusion of the Indigenous people. The company has increased the share of providing employment to the people. Further, the company has also increased the share on issue within the country. The company is regularly paying special attention to the matters like gender diversity, as well as, the inclusion of the Indigenous people. So, in comparison to 2014, in the year 2015, the company has maintained and excelled at it’s the G4 GRI Guidelines. The company noticed a decrease in the emissions intensity, along with increasing the activities of recycling. The Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity showed a decrease by eight per cent as compared to 2013. The green house emissions by Coles decreased this year, but the emissions at Target increased by 6.8 per cent. The company is also trying to reduce the usage of water, along with finding more sustainable sources of water (Wesfarmers, 2014). The company monitors and manages its greenhouse gas emissions, along with the possibility of reducing them. The company has realized the importance of reducing waste creates not only environmental benefits, but benefits for the business as well. And so, the company has taken steps to divert its waste to recycling throughout the entire life cycle of the product. The company is also trying to reduce the usage of water, along with finding more sustainable sources of water. The company has taken steps to protect the biodiversity. In order to manage this, the company has established an offset area at Mt Flora, so as to compensate the loss of 220 hectares to the ecological community. The Scope 1 and 2 emissions (CO2e) totaled to 4,011,584. The Scope 33 emissions (CO2e) contained the transport emissions at 13000, the air travel at 27337, the waste at 154701, the transmission and distribution of electricity at 474,622, and the LPG, natural gas and diesel at 103,110. The Equity proportion of joint venture businesses (CO2e) were reported at 275140. And the Emissions intensity (CO2e/$1 million revenue) was at 64.2 (Wesfarmers, 2015). There was a one percent decrease in the Scope 1 and 2 emissions (CO2e). The Scope 33 emissions (CO2e) are not comparable directly as the transport emissions were not included last year. If the transport emissions are excluded, there is a seven percent decrease in these emissions. There has been a four percent increase in t the Equity proportion of joint venture businesses (CO2e). And the Emissions intensity (CO2e/$1 million revenue) reported a one percent decrease. So, it can be seen that the emission intensity of the company has decreased overall. The Company is continuously trying to reduce the usage of water, along with finding more sustainable sources of water. The Total Recordable injury frequency rate was 42.7 this year. The Lost time injury frequency rate for this year was 7.7 percent. The workers’ compensation claims for 2014 were 6940 (Wesfarmers, 2014). As covered above, the company provides employment to one out of every 59 people in Australia. 59 percent of the wealth of the company is distributed in terms of wages, benefits and salaries to the employees. The safety of the workplace is the highest priority for the company. The Total Recordable injury frequency rate was 39.5 this year. The Lost time injury frequency rate for this year was 7.3 percent. The workers’ compensation claims for 2015 were 7462 (Wesfarmers, 2015). There has been a 7.5 percent improvement in the Total Recordable injury frequency rate.   The Lost time injury frequency rate was reduced by 5.2 percent. The workers’ compensation claims decreased by 7 percent. The company failed to provide the breakdown of its employee turnover as per age group; the breakdown of Total Recordable injury frequency rate and the Lost time injury frequency rate; and the aggregate ratio. The company focused towards improving the ethical sourcing of its products. This was done by strengthening the supply chain, as well as, increasing the transparency. The company sources its products from a wide range of location. Some of these nations follow lower levels of regulations and hence, the company is vigilant regarding the associated risks. The company also follows an ethical sourcing policy by setting minimum standards. The company failed to provide the percentage of the employees it trained. The company complies with all the laws, as well as, regulations of all the countries, in which it conducts its business and acts in an ethical way. The anti-bribery policy of the company prohibits the political donations at both business unit, as well as, divisional level. If any such contributions are made, they are thoroughly published on the website of the company. And for the year 2014, no such contributions were made. The company also considers the needs and the interests of its stakeholders. The Company incurred significant fine to the amount of $10 million in penalty by the ACCC for Supplier Unconscionable Conduct, along with a $2.5 million penalty for ACCC/bread litigation case (Wesfarmers, 2015). The compliance levels have been same in both the years. Though, the significant fines were incurred in certain cases in the year 2015, which was not the case in 2014. This implies that the level of compliance has been breached in 2015. The company has continued the innovation of the range of its products, as well as, its categories across all businesses. The company is also committed towards delivering safe and sustainable products, as well as, services to its customers. Even though there are minimal particular legal requirements for the restrictive use of chemicals in production, the company has decided to adopt a range of such aspects of the European Community Regulation. Coles had a significant fine to the amount of $38,250 for incorrect importation classification of cat litter (Wesfarmers, 2015). The company failed to provide the percentage of the categories of the products. In comparison to 2014, the company incurred significant fine in 2015, so, in this aspect also, the company has declined. The company submitted this report for the GRI Content Index Service. The accuracy of the GRI G4 Content Index was then, confirmed by the GRI. Since, the reported was directly confirmed by GRI, the need for assurance, does not arise. The sustainability report for both 2014 and 2015 did not cover clear and defined targets. Further, this report was not user friendly, as a person had to toggle between lots of windows to find the relevant information, pertaining to a particular guideline. And even after that, some of the information was not available easily and had to be searched from the Annual Report. Though, the company has covered all the relevant applicable guidelines which are applicable on it. The Guidelines followed by the company, in 2014 (Australia) and 2015 (Japan), have been compared below: G4-DMA, G4-EN15, G4-EN16, G4-EN17, G4-EN18, G4-EN19, G4-EN20, and G4-EN21 G4-DMA, G4-EN22, G4-EN23, G4-EN24, and G4-EN26 Supplier assessment for labor practices Equal remuneration for women and men Labor Practices Grievance Mechanisms Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining Supplier Assessment for Impacts on Society Grievance Mechanisms for Impacts on Society The G4 GRI Guidelines are company specific, industry specific, and country specific. The business of each company varies from the other, in some aspect or the other. These aspects result in a difference in the adherence to the guidelines. Further, the decisions of the senior management, as well as, the strategies of the companies, influence which guidelines would be adopted by it (Salter Baxter, 2012). The strategic priorities, along with the targets of the firm, also have an impact on the selection of these guidelines (GRI, 2016). The nature of the work of a company, also changes the adherence to these guidelines. For instance, a vehicle manufacturing company would have to follow different guidelines, as compared to a food manufacturing company. Organizations have a range of topics, which they could report. The relevant topics would be such that reflect the entity’s economic, environmental, as well as, the social impacts on the stakeholders. Materiality is the starting point, according to which the Aspects become adequately significant, in a way that the need of reporting them, arises. A blend of the external, as well as, internal factors determines whether the Aspect is material (GRI, 2016). This includes the factors like the mission, vision, competitive strategy, concerns of stakeholders, social expectations, and the influence of the entity on the suppliers, as well as the customers. The second factor that influences the applicability of these guidelines is the industry. The type of the industry also has an impact over the applicability of these guidelines (GRI, 2016). For example, the polluting industry would have different guidelines applicable on it as compared to a non polluting industry. The last factor, the one applicable in this case, is the country specific guidelines. Even though the G4 GRI Guidelines are uniform across the globe, but each country has a different set of applicable legislations (GRI, 2016). And so, depending upon such applicability, these guidelines apply on the company. The sustainability report of Fuji Xerox comparison for 2014, was made in Australia and the sustainability report of Fuji Xerox comparison for 2015, was made in Japan. So, to summarize, the legislations, along with the internal and external factors of the company, are responsible for the difference in the reports produced in Australia (2014) and Japan (2015). The company has grown in the Australian market, from AU$400 million in 1999 to about AU$1 billion in 2014 (Fuji Xerox, 2014). Despite the changes in the industry, the company has improved upon its profitability, as well as, has been successful in creating suitable growth, along with financial stability for the longer run. But the company achieved the consolidated revenues to the amount of AUS$1 billion which was a 3% decline in comparison to previous year (Fuji Xerox, 2014). The community investment amounted to $506412 with 3412 hours of volunteering in order to nurture the future generation. For the year 2014, 57.3 percent of the company’s procurement expenditure was on equipment, which equated to AU$580 million, towards the supplies, as well as, consumables. This was the most significant aspect of the company’s supply chain (Fuji Xerox, 2014). The consolidated revenue and the consolidated net income before income taxes for this year amounted to 1188.9 billion yen and 91.9 billion yen respectively (Fuji Xerox, 2015). There was a remarkable improvement from the last year in the revenues, as well as, ordinary profits. The goals were set for social contribution spending as this segment noticed a decline as compared to previous year. Though there was an increase in the number of participants compared to the previous year. For the year 2014, the air freight to the sea freight split was reported at 4.1% to 95.9%, which was a 1.5% improvement as compared to the previous year. Objectives were set for 2015 regarding the â€Å"procuring responsibly outlook†. All of the mills fulfill an annual based environmental questionnaire to meet the ISO 14001 and ISO 9001. Further, these are monitored for compliance as per the labor standards, specially pertaining to the child labor aspects. The paper sold to the customers of Australia, were a 100% FSC carbon neutral, PEFC certified, FSC certified or made out of recycled material (Fuji Xerox, 2014).   The company is focused towards recycling as well as reducing the CO 2 emissions throughout the life cycle of the products. Out of the 83% of the employees who commenced the annual performance review cycle for this year, only 49% of them could complete the formal review process. 45% of the female and 50% of the male workforce completed these reviews. Further, extensive sales training was undertaken during this year (Fuji Xerox, 2014).   The company has identified its risks and opportunities in this segment, as well as, has set standards to be achieved during the coming fiscal years. During this year, no judgments were made, regarding discrimination, against the company or any of its employees. The few complaints which were received from the employees, including the complaints regarding discrimination, were handled strictly, and appropriate process was taken up to take the necessary actions after determining the facts. The company has identified and outlined a high priority management theme which takes into account the social circumstances, the nature of the business, and the management goals. High priority is placed on the communication as well as monitoring in order to help the management in incorporating the stakeholder evaluations along with the feedback into the management process. Due to stringent ethics and compliance norms, the company is able to fulfill its commitments towards anti-corruption and anti-competitive behavior. The company understands the needs of its customers and delivers on its promises. Through these, the company is able to deliver value to its customers and benefiting the environment through the Green Print technologies, as well as, services, sustainable paper supplies together with the new NCOS carbon neutral certified products, as well as, optimized print environments. The company has recognized the importance of product safety and has made it an overriding priority. This year also, the company held a product safety forum to eliminate product safety accidents. From the above data, it can be deduced that the 2014 sustainability report prepared in Australia, follows lesser norms as compared to the 2015 sustainability report prepared in Japan. Due to the stringent policies in Japan, the same company has to follow a lot more guidelines. Further, the targets have been more clearly set in the 2015 report, which was clearly missing in the 2014 report. Corporate governance, sustainability and social responsibility are interlinked terms and none of it can be used exclusively. Each of these terms intertwines their paths, in one aspect or the other, as was seen in the case of Wesfarmers. The various issues faced by the company, Wesfarmers, included the concepts of not only corporate responsibility, but also interlinked with the G4 GRE Guidelines. From the above analysis, it can be concluded that Wesfarmers has taken a lot of steps, to ensure that it follows, both the principles of corporate governance, as well as the sustainability guidelines. The comparison of the G4 GRE Guidelines by Wesfarmers highlighted the variances in the adoption of the appropriate guidelines. But due to the number of non-compliances, as well as penalties, in the year 2015, by Wesfarmers, it is recommended to the company that it ensures that the guidelines are properly followed. Further, such instances also portray that the principles of corporate governance are not adequately followed, and hence, the company needs to follow these principles in a proper manner, and ensure that the incidents of penalties, are not repeated. From the above analysis of the two companies, it can be concluded that a lot of factors impact the G4 GRI guidelines reporting by a company. A same company, in two different companies can face disparities in the reporting guidelines. Further, the type of the company decides the applicability of the particular guideline on a company. And from the above analysis, it is recommended to the Wesfarmers Limited, to set out particular targets to be achieved regarding the adopted guidelines. Further, the company has to ensure that it follows the guidelines, instead of getting cases established against it, which are detrimental to these guidelines. Fuji Xerox had presented two different reports, due to the change in the nations. Being in different nations, different guidelines are to be followed by the company. To conclude, the reason for variance in the sustainability reporting of Fuji Xerox is the result of the applicability different standards. So, it is it is recommended to Fuji Xerox, to follow the same set of guidelines, throughout all its branches, whether in this country or in Japan. This can be done as the guidelines are uniform across the globe, and so, common guidelines can, in fact, be adopted. Furthermore, Fuji Xerox Australia Pty Limited should set out specific targets as is done by its Japanese counterpart. This assignment was formulated in a way, so as to test my skills regarding the location, as well as, interpretation of the information. Before starting this assignment, I was under the view that the G4 GRI Guidelines just cover the aspects in a broad and general manner. Further, I was under the impression, that a small report could cover every aspect of this guideline. However, my views were changed when I undertook this assignment. The first thing I learned was the number of disclosures undertaken by a company and the extent of disclosures. Even though the headings state economic, environment and social, but it is more than it. Each aspect had a number of standards to be followed. This assignment helped me in clarifying how the corporate governance issues affect the working of any company. Before starting of this assignment task, I had read many principles of corporate governance, but the practicality of such principles was highlighted only after reading about the issues associated with it, in the case of Wesfarmers. The detail and extent of such issues, and the care taken by the companies to ensure the proper compliance, made me realize the importance of such principles. By analyzing the data of two companies, over two years, especially when one of it had reported the two reports in different countries, has given me an idea about the factors that have an impact on the applicability of these standards. The integration of these guidelines in the functioning of these companies was also worth noting. Though, a huge issue that I encountered while making this assignment was the difficulty in locating the information, especially for the part A of this assignment. The information was not properly presented in case of Wesfarmers, but for Fuji Xerox, the information was easily accessible, as well as, interpretable. By gaining the insights on these guidelines in the working of the companies, I was able to clear my concepts related to the integration of reporting in the Aspects covered under these guidelines. Further, this knowledge would help me in my future jobs, as now I have attained a practical understanding regarding the aspects associated with the sustainability reporting. In the future, when I become a manager, or a part of the higher management, this understanding would help me in applicability of the various regulations and standards followed by the companies. Further, by carrying out real time case study of two companies, I have gained insight on how to resolve the issues associated with sustainability and corporate governance. Fuji Xerox. (2014) Fuji Xerox Australia Sustainability Report 2014. [Online] Fuji Xerox. Available from: https://www.fxasustainability.com.au/2014/report.php [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Fuji Xerox. (2014) GRI G4 content index in accordance - Core. [Online] Fuji Xerox. Available from: https://www.fxasustainability.com.au/2014/gri_g4_content_index_in_accordance-core.pdf [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Fuji Xerox. (2014) Report Centre 2014. [Online] Fuji Xerox. Available from: https://www.fxasustainability.com.au/2014/ [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Fuji Xerox. (2015) GRI Guidelines. [Online] Fuji Xerox. Available from: https://www.fujixerox.com/eng/company/sr/2015/guidelines.html#sec10 [Accessed on: 07/10/16] GRI. (2016) G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. [Online] GRI. Available from: https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/g4/Pages/default.aspx [Accessed on: 07/10/16] GRI. (2016) Materiality. [Online] GRI. Available from: https://g4.globalreporting.org/how-you-should-report/reporting-principles/principles-for-defining-report-content/materiality/Pages/default.aspx [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Salter Baxter. (2012) The five things you really need to know about GRI G4. [Online] Salter Baxter. Available from: https://www.salterbaxter.com/the-five-things-you-really-need-to-know-about-gri-g4/ [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Wesfarmers. (2014) 2014 Sustainability Report. [Online] Wesfarmers. Available from: https://www.wesresources.com.au/sustainability_report_2014/ [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Wesfarmers. (2014) Sustainability Report 2014. [Online] Wesfarmers. Available from: https://2014.sustainability.wesfarmers.com.au/ [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Wesfarmers. (2015) 2015 Annual Report. [Online] Wesfarmers. Available from: https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20150917/pdf/431d8fyj0rz8zy.pdf [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Wesfarmers. (2015) 2015 Sustainability Report. [Online] Wesfarmers. Available from: https://www.wesresources.com.au/sustainability_report_2015/ [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Wesfarmers. (2015) GRI G4 Content Index. [Online] Wesfarmers. Available from: https://www.sustainability.wesfarmers.com.au/our-data/gri-g4-content-index/ [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Wesfarmers. (2015) Sustainability at Wesfarmers. [Online] Wesfarmers. Available from: https://sustainability.wesfarmers.com.au/our-approach/sustainability-at-wesfarmers/ [Accessed on: 07/10/16] Wesfarmers. (2015) Sustainability Report 2015. [Online] Wesfarmers. Available from: https://2015.sustainability.wesfarmers.com.au/ [Accessed on: 07/10/16]

The Abortion Controversy in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Abortion Controversy in the USA - Essay Example Simply speaking, it would be practical to say that all women do need to have the right to avail an abortion because eventually it is the woman who should have a decisive role when it comes to deciding as to whether she intends to give birth to a child or not. The one big reason why abortion should be legal is the fact that any woman should have a complete right over her own body and what she intends to do to her body (Harrison 106). In that context it would be totally wrong on the part of the government and the religious bodies to exercise control over a woman’s body by making abortion illegal or unethical (Harrison 106). Denying an abortion to a woman on legal and ethical grounds is like taking away the individual freedom of a woman. Once the government or the religion is allowed to have a say into the right to have an abortion, it is quite possible that they may exceed their limits by imposing varied other unreasonable limitations on the women like making motherhood mandator y or taking away the right to use birth control methods like pills. There are sections of the society who say that abortion is like a murder and it insults the human dignity (Rubin 240). Abortion allows a woman to put an end to a human life. However, realistically speaking these concerns happen to more of ideological in their scope than being practical.

Rhetoric & Stereotypes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rhetoric & Stereotypes - Essay Example The tattooed individuals in this world are one set of groups which is stereotyped as per a single notion. These individuals usually have tattoos signed up on their body which can either be huge or small. But these individuals are stereotyped as per these tattoos. Usually it is thought that these individuals relate to people who are rockers, punks, brats, criminal or a person who has loose morals. The feminists on the other hand are women who consider themselves equal or superior to men. This set of individual argues for the rights of women in this world. These women are stereotyped on the basis of their behavior i.e. their hatred for the opposite sex. Because of this hatred these women are usually labeled as lesbians and chauvinists. Thirdly the politicians are one group of people which can be said to be stereotyped the most. The politicians are one group of people which is thought to be a con group which makes false promises to make up their way to the leading position. Moreover the se politicians are known to be a group which excels in cheating and corruption. And lastly senior citizens are a group of individuals who are old and knowledgeable. This group of people is known to be stubborn and inefficient when it comes to completing tasks. These individuals are considered to be weak and not worthy enough of some work. All these groups mentioned above do not tend to pose the same picture in the society as different stereotypes are developed according to different way of thoughts. The tattooed individuals tend to pose a negative stereotype usually. The feminists can pose both a negative and a positive stereotype. The positive stereotype created by them is related to equality which is long deserved by women. Politicians can also pose a negative and positive stereotype. It is dependent on the individual attributes that the politician possesses to make up the stereotype. And senior citizens can also show both stereotypes. Negative in the sense that these citizens are usually hot headed and don’t tend to listen to others. Whereas positive in the sense in which these citizens can provide knowledge in areas of which they know better than the younger individuals of the society. There are many rhetoric statements which are known for the above mentioned groups. It is usually said that ‘senior citizens are bad at hearing and bad drivers’. However this is always not true for all the individuals. For tattooed individuals these rhetoric statements relate to them being ‘gang bangers and criminals’. And yet again such a statement is not a generalized statement. For politicians it is said that they are ‘cleverly dangerous’. By dangerous here it is meant that these politicians tend to lie from the people. And lastly the feminists are described as ‘unwomanly and guy hatters’. However these two statements are not generalized. The stereotyping which prevails against the above mentioned groups is somewha t justified too but it does not give a right to an individual to consider all the people of the same group to be of the same nature. Studying about the different types of rhetoric and stereotyping I have come to know that I myself stereotype certain people based on the general view. Similarly I believe that I myself am stereotyped at certain instances because of my age. People do not consider

The Curriculum Descriptive Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Curriculum Descriptive Theory - Essay Example (Marsh 2004, p. 201) The analysis in this paper is focused on the curriculum descriptive theory. The descriptive theory is marked against other theories in several ways. But its main distinction resides on its principle which is to understand the various steps and procedures in curriculum development and the relationships among them. This is achieved by identifying how curriculum development actually takes place, especially in school settings. (Marsh, p. 201) There are scholars who label the descriptive theory as the scientific theory as well. The reason behind is, the methods employed in theorizing the curriculum is clinical and follows the scientific approach. Alfie Kohn (2000), who stressed that descriptive theory is technically aligned with constructivism, cites four of its principles that facilitate learning. According to him, the teacher should It is far more difficult to figure out how to implement descriptive theory than it is to generate it. I am reasonably intelligent, and it took me 14 years of almost full-time effort to figure out how to consistently work just four thinking skills into a detailed and effective curriculum. (Reigeluth 1999, p. 15) Indeed, some degree of support was given by Dwayne Huebner (1999, p. 215) asserting that curricularists must be concerned not only with the descriptive theory but also with prescriptive theory. This statement explained the descriptive theory best and its relationship with the prescriptive theory content-wise in the perspective of most of its critics. That is, he who would talk about curriculum must do more than describe what’s going on; many people want him to issue imperatives about what should be done. We should not forget that it is the scholars themselves who widely believe that theories are generally descriptive in nature. This is because situations like curriculum development can be thought of as dealing with cause-and-effect relationships or with flows of events in

Regular question and answer homeword Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Regular question and answer homeword - Assignment Example Second, it tries to emphasize on the need for school attendance as an important part of life. Third, it sensitizes the need for men to become good role models that can be emulated by the young people. Then, it teaches young people not to lose hope by being honest, being people of integrity and working hard. Eventually the life changes and one achieves their dreams in life. Jelani’s paragraph follows the four basics of a good narration since it employs a plot whereby the action is narrated as it happens. Next, it uses character that are realistic.Then, it uses setting whereby it give a picture of where the story occurs. Last, there is use of point of view which gives perspective of the narrator. Tan’s purpose of writing was to inform the reader of the need to appreciate once own culture. She achieved it because despite minister’s visit no changes were made. Tan’s main point was experience with Americans. Tan’s essay is not well organized because it has few transitions like

(writer's choice) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

(writer's choice) - Essay Example Charlie is not considered to be very smart because his I.Q. is much lower than his peers. The experiment involves a surgical procedure that aims to triple Charlie’s I.Q. Even though his intelligence is not very high, Charlie is a hard-working individual, which is shown through his regular attendance at the night class at the Beekman College Center for Retarded Adults (Keyes, progris riport 2). It is here that he was first recommended to be a subject for the intelligence experiment. Charlie works in New York at Donner’s Bakery as a janitor and delivery boy. His co-workers tease and make fun of him, even the ones Charlie considers to be his friends. After the operation is completed, Charlie returns to work only to find that things aren’t always the way he imagined. He is now able to realize that the other workers take advantage of him by mocking him while in the company of the other employees (Keyes, progris riport 8). However, his new behavior surprises many of his fellow bakery workers. Charlie is even able to operate a machine that mixes baking dough. The other workers start feeling jealous of Charlie and his newfound intelligence. Because of this, a majority of the workers agree to sign a petition to remove Charlie from his position in the bakery. Once Charlie is fired from his job by Donner, he begins the process of cramming of whole lifetime’s learning into a few short weeks. Charlie is fascinated by learning a number of ancient languages, and his intelligence level even surpasses that of Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss, the original scientists who began the experiment on Charlie (Keyes, progress report 12). However, Charlie’s increased intelligence allows him to recall his childhood and how he was treated by his parents. His father Matt simply tried to do the best for his son; his mother Rose disowned him because of his mental

What is Macroeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What is Macroeconomics - Essay Example What is Macroeconomics? Macroeconomics deals with the aggregate indicators like prices, unemployment rates and GDP in order to know how the entire economy works. Macroeconomists build models that clarify the connection between factors like international finance, national income, consumption, output, savings, inflation, unemployment, international trade and investment. In contrary, micro economics is basically fixated on individual agents’ action like consumers and firms and in what way do their behavior affect quantity and prices in particular markets. As macroeconomics is a wide study field, two fields of researches which are symbolic of the subject. The move to understand the consequences and causes of short run variations in a business cycle and the move to know the determinants of economic growth are some of its main objectives. Macroeconomics model and its forecast are used by large corporations and government to assist in evaluation and development of business strategy and economic policy (Dwiv edi, pp.7) Macroeconomics concepts Macroeconomics comprises of variables and concepts though there are 3 core issues for macroeconomic research. Macroeconomic theory always relates inflation, unemployment and output. External to macroeconomics, the topics are extensively vital to economic agents inclusive of producers, consumers and workers. Output and income The general economic activity for the economy is briefed by an output aggregate measure. As the manufacture or services and goods output generates income. Each entire output measure relates to the measure of aggregate income. The states of America today employ the concept of aggregate output known as GDP (gross domestic product). The gross domestic product is the measure of services and goods currently produced at market prices value. An individual should note that there are many GDP measure features. To start with, only presently produced goods are encompassed. This means that when one purchases an old Tudor house aged 150 yea rs, it does not add up to the GDP. What adds to the GDP is the service that the estate agent renders in the house purchasing process. Secondly, end products are counted. For avoidance of count, intermediate goods do not add to the GDP. For instance, steel that is used in automobile manufacture is valued as a whole. Lastly, all services and goods encompassed in GDP are assessed at market prices. Hence the prices show the prices paid by consumers at retail level inclusive of indirect taxes like sales taxes. GNP (gross national product) is a similar measure to GDP. Up to late, the government has employed GNP as the core measure of economic activity of the nation. Changes in trends always places more effect on income or output instead of prices (Blaug, pp. 108) There is a slight difference between GDP and GNP. The GDP is exclusive of income that the U.S resident and companies earn abroad. Many other income and output measures are consequent from GNP. They are inclusive of NNP (net natio nal product), which extracts an allowance for tear and wear on equipment and plant from GNP called depreciation. Though these measures change down and up in a general same fashion, it is disposable income which is closely tied to customers demand for services and goods. It is the most outstanding aggregate demand component and entire demand for services and goods in the economy from sources. It should be noticed that the entire output or income measures deliberated above are always mentioned in real terms and nominal terms. The real terms are attuned for inflation and hence widely used as they are not distortion subject introduced by price changes. Unemployment The unemployment number in a state is measure using the rate of unemployment, workers percentage with no jobs in the labor

The image of Martin Luther King giving speech I Have a Dream in 1963 Annotated Bibliography

The image of Martin Luther King giving speech I Have a Dream in 1963 - Annotated Bibliography Example Moreover, the source offers information some of his civil right movements which is critical in answering the question on the ways in which he fought for the freedom of African Americans. Andrew Young the author of this book offers a chronological record of some of the experiences that Martin Luther went through during his struggle to campaign for the freedom of African Americans. The author was one of the leading members of the civil rights movement during that time and hence offers a detailed account of the mistreatment, police harassments and other challenges that Marti Luther remained resilient to because of his determination to see the African Americans treated as equal American citizens. This book is a powerful source in the discussion about Martin Luther’s experience and contributions in the civil rights movements. The author’s close association with Martin Luther as members of the civil rights movement serves to augment the reliability of the source. Daisy Bates the author of this book presents an extensive and intensive description of the efforts of African Americans to fight for equality. She describes the severity of the segregation that existed between the black and whites and then illustrates how some of the leaders of African American collaborated with the same mission of demanding for equality. From the details she provide, it becomes evident that martin Luther king was influential in this course. This book is a reliable source when describing the mission that Martin Luther was working to achieve. Since the book offers an in depth description, it becomes evident that it can be used to develop a clear understanding of how Martin Luther and his contemporaries who participated in the civil right movement strategized as they fought for the freedom of the African Americans. This book offers an extensive description of the belief and certain personality traits that helped shape the leadership of Martin Luther. The author of the book sought

Consumer Decision Making Process for Purchasing Property in Spain Essay Example for Free

Consumer Decision Making Process for Purchasing Property in Spain Essay This study has investigated the decision process of consumers purchasing property in Spain. The report focused on the underlying reasons for purchasing a property in Spain, the methods used by the purchaser to gather information and the overall satisfaction with the purchase process. The intention of the report was to link current theories on consumer purchasing behaviour to the purchase of property abroad. The methodology used was deductive research using a survey approach. The questionnaire was analysed by a means of Chi square and variable comparisons. The results were collected using a postal and an email questionnaire. The investigation revealed a clear link between the level of satisfaction of the purchase process and the level of information and advice sought. The report concluded that the majority of respondents from the questionnaire purchased their property abroad as a holiday home and purchased from an estate agent. The gathering of information and the seeking of advice was prevalent among most respondents; this was reflected in satisfaction levels and the overall purchase experience. The majority of consumers were overall, satisfied with their purchase. However, if given the opportunity to repeat the purchase, most stated they would change something about the process they followed. Many stated they would not use a Spanish agent again due to experiencing communication problems. This area gives scope for future research in order to establish why communication weaknesses are present in the supply of Spanish properties to British citizens.

Aesthetics - the issue of the possible existence Essay Example for Free

Aesthetics the issue of the possible existence Essay Burke follows in the empirical tradition of Locke. He believes that all human knowledge comes out of impressions or sense experiences. We then take these simple bits of knowledge and combine them to form more intricate ideas. Our imagination is limited to use of the knowledge we extract from our impressions and are, therefore, incapable of creating anything completely new. He says that our imagination either portrays pleasing images again in the order we experienced them or reorders and combines these images of our experiences. Burke offers that humans receive pleasure from resemblances. Accurate imitations stimulate our minds. Burkes goal and main concern is the issue of the possible existence of a standard or logic of taste. Burke is searching for certain principles that affect our imaginations in such a common and certain way that they could be a basis for the means of reasoning satisfactorily about them1. Burke states that these principles do exist. He says that even though it seems as though there is such a variety of taste, there is a standard that lies beneath the superficial range of differences. All humans perceive external objects in the same way. We become familiar with these external items by way of our natural powers: the senses, imagination and judgment. The most natural understandings that we receive are quite standard, what appears light to one is light to any other and what is sweet to one is again sweet to another. Burke shows that humans have a common agreement on these issues of preference by giving examples of expressions taken from taste experiences such as A sour temper, bitter expressions sweet disposition, a sweet person1. Burke realizes that there are many people who act in ways that would seem contradictory to these assertions, such as the preference of the taste of tobacco over that of sugar. These divergences from the natural pleasures and pains are a result of custom. They do not uphold the argument for diversity of taste, but rather call for a differentiation between Natural and Acquired taste. A man grows to prefer the taste of tobacco to that of sugar by conditioning his palate from habit. It is a synthetic preference, however, and the man still understands that tobacco is not sweet and sugar is sweet. Also if a man finds sugar to be sour we do not say that his taste is different, instead we say that his taste is not functioning correctly. Burke writes that when talking about acquired taste one must consider the surrounding factors such as the specific habits and prejudices of a particular person. These customs and intolerances do not oppose the agreement of mankind, but rather mask it. This conformity among humanity does not exist only in terms of the palate; it is quite the same in matters of sight. Light is more agreeable than darkness and summer and its conditions are more pleasant than winter and its conditions. Burke states that no man truly, naturally believes a goose to be more beautiful than a swan. To Burke sight is less subject to custom than the palate, however, change is applied. This applied change brings him to his next point about the palate. He says that these changes in palate, which make unpleasant flavors more pleasurable, are a result of frequent use combined with an agreeable effect. This affects humans in the way of substances such as opium, tobacco, alcohol, tea, and coffee. Burke writes There is in all men a sufficient remembrance of the original natural causes of pleasure, to enable them to bring all things offered to their senses to that standard and to regulate their feelings and opinions by it 1. Natural pleasures are still preferred to unaccustomed substances that induce agreeable effects. Someone who has grown to prefer opium to sugar would still prefer the taste of sugar to a drug that they do not have a habit with. There is a standard of pleasure of the senses in all humans. Burke explains imagination as our greatest source of pleasure and of pain. Since imagination is based on the senses then it too must have universal agreement among all men. The mind is much more disposed to picking up on resemblances than to finding differences in what we observe. Our imaginations are incapable of creating anything absolutely new so we must expand our stock through experience, and in resemblances we are able to find new images. We unite and accumulate and move forward with our feelings with likenesses rather then difference which cannot be placed.

compare and contrast the cultures of the uk and your own country

compare and contrast the cultures of the uk and your own country Compare and contrast the cultures of the UK and your own country It is imperative that every country should promote citizens to protect their cultures and identities. This is because recognition of a nations civilization is extremely important. Every country has a different culture because of national differences and history. Culture can be defined as the values, beliefs and perceptions of a group of people. History, tradition and religion are the main influences on culture. Even though there are some comparisons between the cultures of Saudi Arabia and the UK, there are an even greater number of differences. This essay will analyze some of the main aspects of the cultures such as people, business, sport, food and use of the internet. As far as people are concerned, in both countries the majority of people tend to be friendly and helpful. In the University of Glamorgan it has been seen that all the teaching staff do the best they can to help their students, as was found in previous staff at a university in Saudi Arabia. One of the good cultures of British people is that they tend to smile at passersby. This is also one of the major characteristics of Saudi Arabian culture, partly because of Islam. However, one of the major differences is that in the UK children do not respect older generations. This is likely to be because of their upbringing, where parents did not teach them about respect. (Vexen, 2004) In addition to upbringing, the media plays an influential role by celebrating famous people who behave inappropriately. The contrast is that in Saudi Arabia children must be respectful of older generations. This is because of religious reasons and a good upbringing from their parents. It is important that people i n the UK address the way they raise their children. In relation to business, the similarity between Saudi Arabian and UK businesses is that their objectives are to grow their sales internationally. As a result, business trade is increasingly prevalent between Saudi Arabia and the UK. Despite this similarity, misunderstanding culture can have a detrimental effect on business relations. This was illustrated where, according to â€Å"an Accenture study, two-thirds of 200 US business executives said that miscommunication arising from cultural differences has caused problems when outsourcing offshore.† (Silicon.com, 2006) This study shows an example of a possible impact of not understanding each others cultures in business and trade. Regarding sport, people in Saudi Arabia tend to play football, as do people in the UK. There are many beautiful stadiums in the UK such as the new Cardiff stadium, and the same was found in Saudi Arabia for example King Fahad stadium in Riyadh. The majority of the people watching football in both countries also tend to be interested in playing football. However, it is not allowed for women in Saudi Arabia to play football for religious reasons. Meanwhile, in the UK, England is one of the best womens teams in the world. (Ezine Articles, 2007) Although at the moment there are no women playing football in Saudi Arabia, it is likely they will do in the future with specific circumstances. In terms of food, the majority of people in both countries tend to eat fast food. This is because life is getting faster and busier, meaning people have less time for cooking. For example, people go to McDonalds and KFC to have a quick lunch in both Saudi Arabia and the UK. One of the major influences is globalization. The main contrast is that Halal meat is absolutely essential in Saudi Arabia for religious reasons, while any meat can be eaten in the UK. Halal meat is killed in a humane way, and the UK could adopt eating Halal meat to be more respectful to animals. (Executive Planet, 2007) With reference to use of the internet there is a great demand in both countries. This is because the internet is essential for modern life, covering all needs. In particular the internet makes the world into a global village through easy and fast communications. However, there is a clear contrast between using the internet in the UK and in Saudi Arabia. This is because the media in the UK is almost free of restrictions but in Saudi Arabia the media is under control of the government. For example, according to Alfred Hermidas article, research from the Harvard Law School discovered that 2,000 websites were blocked by the Saudi government. Alfred Hermida writes that â€Å"Most of the blacklisted sites were sexually explicit or about religion. But also caught in the net were sites about women, health, drugs and pop culture.† (BBC, 2002). The reason websites about women, such as iVillage, were blocked was for cultural and religious reasons. It is not allowed in Islam to describe t he bodies of women in general. It is also likely that the websites contained swearing which is also forbidden. Websites about drugs will have been filtered because the use of drugs is prohibited by the law of Islam. Sites containing pop culture are likely to be restricted because they can lead to extra marital relations according to Islam. This is believed to happen because mainly young people will be influenced by the people in the content. In the UK it has been observed that internet users are free to use almost any website they wish. Some websites are dangerous for children, in particular pornographic websites, and it is logical for parents and governments to control them, to protect our children. In conclusion, even though there are some clear similarities between the cultures of both countries, there are also many differences. These differences are largely because of religion and history. In the future it is likely that the relationship between the cultures will change. It is very probable that in the future women in Saudi Arabia will campaign for more human rights, similar to those women in the UK enjoy. Furthermore, in the future we will undoubtedly find more Arabic restaurants in the UK. These changes will be most probably influenced by the internet, hi-tech and migration between Saudi Arabia and the UK. One of the most valuable recommendations is that if we respect each others cultures we will live in an ideal community. My wish is that every citizen in Saudi Arabia and the UK will live in a satisfactory way. References BBC (2002) Saudis block 2,000 websites. Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2153312.stm [accessed 18 August 2009] Executive Planet (2007) Your guide to Saudi Arabia. Available from: http://www.executiveplanet.com/index.php?title=Saudi_Arabia [accessed 20 August 2009] Ezine Aticles (2007) Englands Womens footballers 12th Best In The World? Available from: http://ezinearticles.com/?Englands-Womens-Footballers12th-Best-In-The-World?id=565503 [accessed 18 August 2009] Silicon.com (2006) Cultural differences cause offshoring problems. Two-thirds of execs say its the main reason deals run into trouble Available from: http://services.silicon.com/offshoring/0,3800004877,39160348,00.htm [accessed 23 August 2009] Vexen (2004) An analysis of UK trash culture. Available from: http://www.vexen.co.uk/UK/trashculture.html [accessed 22 August 2009]

William Blake: Exposing the Harsh Realties of Life Essay -- William Bl

Sir William Blake was known for his lucid writings and childlike imagination when it came down to his writings. Some will say that his writings were like day and night; for example, "The Lamb" and "The Tiger" or "The Little Boy Lost" and "The Little Boy Found." Born in the 18th  century, Blake witnessed the cruel acts of the French and American Revolutions so his writings also, "revealed and exposed the harsh realities of life (Biography William Blake)". Although he never gained fame during his lifetime, Blake's work is thought of as to be genius and well respected today. "The lack of public recognition sent him into a severe depression which lasted from 1810-1817, and even his close friends thought him insane (William Blake,)". Blake once stated, "Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you (http://brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/william_blake.html  )." Blake was educated at home by his mother, whom he was very fond of. his poem "Cradle Song" was about his memories of his upbringing. Sweet dreams, form a shade O"er my lovely infant"s head; Sweet dreams of pleasant streams By happy, silent, moony beams.    Sweet sleep, with soft down Weave thy brows an infant crown. Sweep sleep, Angel mild, Hover o"er my happy child.    This poem was in his collection entitled,  Songs of Innocence. ""today his most popular volume, he revealed glimpses of life as it appears to innocent childhood, full of charm and joy, and trust"(William Blake Dark 77 or 79 blu)." This is what Blake adapted as his style; his poems were simple, direct, and clear enough for a child to understand. One of Blake's other more popular poems is, "The Lamb." This poem like many others is written in his idiosyncratic view of Christianity, th... ...poetic thought that they express (Frye, 23)."          Works Cited Bernbaum, Earnest  Anthology of Romanticism and Guide Through the Romantic  Ã‚  Movement  Vol 1. New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1938. Biography William Blake. .     9 Nov 2008. Bloom, Harold, ed.  English Romantic Poets. . New York New Haven Philadelphia:  Ã‚  Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. http://brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/william_blake.html  >. 9 Nov 2008. Frye, Northrop. "Blake After Two Centuries".  "English Romantic Poets: Modern Essays  in Criticism. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York London Oxford : Oxford University     Press, 1960. P 67. . 9 Nov 2008 William Blake..    . 9 Nov 2008.

The Daily Collegian of University Park :: Persuasive Presidential Political Politics Essays

The Daily Collegian of University Park Dear students, professors, and residents of the State College area, The 2004 presidential election is right around the corner, only several days away. This election is one of the closest races in American history. It is very hard to tell which candidate is going to win the election. Of the two presidential election candidates, John Kerry of the Democratic Party and George Bush of the Republican Party, they have totally different styles and policies. Their policies will significantly affect our future in various aspects. I will analyze each candidate and evaluate their political opinions on different issues so that everyone will have a better understanding of the two candidates. This is the election you want to participate, since your future will depend on the two candidates. Job opportunities, incomes, taxes, foreign relationships, government spending, and education will be at stake. This editorial will provide insights and information that will help voters to cast their important votes that may alter the result of this election. Let us look at John Kerry’s plan for recovering the poor American economy. John Kerry has a detailed plan for helping America to create jobs instead of enduring the high unemployment rate during the office of George W. Bush as the 43rd president of the United States. When students graduate from college, the first thing they want is job security and income. They would preferably want jobs with good wages. John Kerry will create good-paying jobs in America. According to John Kerry’s campaign website http://www.johnkerry.com, he will end tax breaks to the companies that create jobs overseas. John Kerry will create a New Job Tax Credit to encourage firms to hire the US local citizens. Also, he will increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.00 by 2007. With an increase of the minimum wage, the average wage is likely to go up. This will ensure that people can still make a living from working full-time in those minimum-paying jobs. His plan will reverse the current trend of job losses overseas and bring job opportunities back to America. Employment and wag es will increase under John Kerry's plan for economic recovery. In the area of education, John Kerry's plan will improve school quality and allow students to obtain higher education. He will offer schools the resources and reforms they need to give everyone, regardless of one's income, race, or family background, a great education.

Appearance versus Reality in Shakespeares Othello Essay -- essays res

The play 'Othello' is an epiphany of the ultimate battle between appearance versus reality in the respect that Iago is the complete opposite from what he appears to be. Everyone involved with him separately thinks that he is doing them favors, when actually he is a backstabbing, conniving person who is the essence of evil and is often referred to as half-man, half-devil. Contrary to Iago, Othello is often referred to as a God-like figure, innocent in every way: trusting and naà ¯ve. Unfortunately for Othello, this serves as his eventual downfall helping Iago play Othello like a harp, which results in Desdemona's death. Iago's two-sided face and the other characters' readiness to believe him before thinking twice is the driving force of the play and its plot. Everyone involved with Iago separately thinks that he is doing them favors, when actually he is a backstabbing, conniving person who is the essence of evil and is often referred to as half-man, half-devil. 'I am not what I am.' This is a quote that should not be taken for granted. In this quote, Iago describes himself as a demonic Satan-like person contradicting God's quote 'I am that I am.' Indeed, Iago represents the very essence of the play's theme: appearance versus reality. In reality he is the cunning, untrustworthy, selfish, and plotting evil that the audience gets to know through his soliloquies, but in his appearance he is that same old, trustworthy, run of the mill Iago that they think they know so well. In fact, Othello, after he murders his own wife, accredits Iago as, 'An honest man he is, and hates the slime/ That sticks on filthy deeds.' Inopportunely for Othello, who seems to trust Iago so, Iago is the exact opposite of what Othello takes him to be. Iag... ...by Othello, and yet denied it every bit, preserving her honor as, in her eyes, a sacred and tangible reality. The play ?Othello? is an epiphany of the ultimate battle between appearance versus reality in the respect that Iago is the complete opposite from what he appears to be. Everyone involved with him separately thinks that he is doing them favors, when actually he is a backstabbing, conniving person who is the essence of evil and is often referred to as half-man, half-devil. Contrary to Iago, Othello is often referred to as a God-like figure, innocent in every way: trusting and naà ¯ve. Unfortunately for Othello, this serves as his eventual downfall helping Iago play Othello like a harp, which results in Desdemona?s death. Iago?s two-sided face and the other characters? readiness to believe him before thinking twice is the driving force of the play and its plot. Appearance versus Reality in Shakespeare's Othello Essay -- essays res The play 'Othello' is an epiphany of the ultimate battle between appearance versus reality in the respect that Iago is the complete opposite from what he appears to be. Everyone involved with him separately thinks that he is doing them favors, when actually he is a backstabbing, conniving person who is the essence of evil and is often referred to as half-man, half-devil. Contrary to Iago, Othello is often referred to as a God-like figure, innocent in every way: trusting and naà ¯ve. Unfortunately for Othello, this serves as his eventual downfall helping Iago play Othello like a harp, which results in Desdemona's death. Iago's two-sided face and the other characters' readiness to believe him before thinking twice is the driving force of the play and its plot. Everyone involved with Iago separately thinks that he is doing them favors, when actually he is a backstabbing, conniving person who is the essence of evil and is often referred to as half-man, half-devil. 'I am not what I am.' This is a quote that should not be taken for granted. In this quote, Iago describes himself as a demonic Satan-like person contradicting God's quote 'I am that I am.' Indeed, Iago represents the very essence of the play's theme: appearance versus reality. In reality he is the cunning, untrustworthy, selfish, and plotting evil that the audience gets to know through his soliloquies, but in his appearance he is that same old, trustworthy, run of the mill Iago that they think they know so well. In fact, Othello, after he murders his own wife, accredits Iago as, 'An honest man he is, and hates the slime/ That sticks on filthy deeds.' Inopportunely for Othello, who seems to trust Iago so, Iago is the exact opposite of what Othello takes him to be. Iag... ...by Othello, and yet denied it every bit, preserving her honor as, in her eyes, a sacred and tangible reality. The play ?Othello? is an epiphany of the ultimate battle between appearance versus reality in the respect that Iago is the complete opposite from what he appears to be. Everyone involved with him separately thinks that he is doing them favors, when actually he is a backstabbing, conniving person who is the essence of evil and is often referred to as half-man, half-devil. Contrary to Iago, Othello is often referred to as a God-like figure, innocent in every way: trusting and naà ¯ve. Unfortunately for Othello, this serves as his eventual downfall helping Iago play Othello like a harp, which results in Desdemona?s death. Iago?s two-sided face and the other characters? readiness to believe him before thinking twice is the driving force of the play and its plot.

Ishmael Bernal and Religious Interpretations Essay

Ishmael Bernal’s films have received countless acknowledgements throughout the years because of his unique style of â€Å"working out patterns of symbolic details† (Lumbera 25). And through these patterns, Bernal was able to portray his views on things as an auteur. This paper examines his interpretations of religion and religious activities through his films. But this only includes three of his works: Manila by Night (1980), Himala (1982), and Hinugot sa Langit (1985). These three films’ devotional approaches are analyzed by both their mise-en-scene and fabula. On that note, religion as tackled in this paper only pertains to the Philippine religion of Christianity/Catholicism, since Bernal’s films appear to be only on the Catholic’s view. How did Bernal attack Catholicism? Why did he represent the country’s most widespread religion in that manner? What are the implications of his works on the era during such films were distributed? How do these films affect the contemporary time? And what do these films impose on the society and on the religion majority of it believes in? Hence, this paper has these films examined through the eyes of a spectator, and relates that analogy to Bernal’s own philosophies as an auteur. Religion in Mise-En-Scene and Iconographies Through the apparatus theory, Bernal’s religious interpretations in his works can be examined. Ponsford’s Film Theory and Language from media. edusites. co. uk says apparatus theory suggests that film is created to illustrate different ideas and that everything has meaning even starting from the camerawork up to the editing. Manila by Night is a drama film made by Bernal in 1980. It is a multiple-charactered film where the characters’ existences in the city were unveiled as they live by the ruthlessness of drugs, poverty, adultery, and lust. In Manila by Night, Bernal constantly used iconographies and effigies of divine entities in several sex scenes through elaborate camerawork and editing. An example is a scene where a couple (Adelina, played by Moreno and Pebrero, played by Ojeda) who routinely cheated on each other made love while religious icons peered over them (Santos 21). There is another sex scene where instead of figures, Bernal focused a shot on a chaplet necklace worn by the indolent college guy (Alex, played by Martinez) for a few seconds just before he had premarital sex with his girlfriend (Vanessa, played by Alajar). Bernal not only used these icons in sex scenes. In one scene where the neurotic mother of Alex, Virgie (Solis), trashed their home when she found out he was doing drugs, multiple shots of religious statues were shown simultaneously with the scene of flying plates and broken furniture in the screen. Hinugot sa Langit also has a remarkable mise-en-scene in terms of religious interpretations. It is a film about infidelity, unwanted pregnancy, and abortion. In the scene where Carmen (Soriano) was rushed to the hospital after attempting to commit suicide, the disparity between the two conflicting characters of Aling Juling (Solis) and Stella (Austria) was clearly depicted. Aling Juling, being the sanctimonious that she was, gave the feeble Carmen her Holy Bible, hoping that it helps Carmen as it did to her. Seconds after Aling Juling left the room, Stella put a bag of apples on top of the bible as she jokingly referred to it as â€Å"holy mansanas (apples)† which may be interpreted as the apple Eve took from the treacherous snake in the Garden of Eden. The style Bernal had in Manila by Night was still used in Hinugot sa Langit. There was the scene of Mang David’s (Ventura) child’s wake where an image of Christ hung over Carmen and Mang David’s backs as they talked about the latter’s debts from Aling Juling. There’s still that style but other sightings of the religious icons and statues were not shown in that ambiguous manner anymore; instead they were shown conspicuously to prove a point like every time Aling Juling conducted prayer meetings and worship time. The irony in showing religious images and sinful acts simultaneously is an apparent symbolism of the societal hypocrisy towards faith and Christianity. Morality Issues on Manila by Night, Himala, and Hinugot sa Langit These three films are all packed with morality issues and what are morality issues if there is no religion? Morality, I believe, is bound by the norms and rules of whatever religion an individual believes in. Therefore, people do what for them is â€Å"right† because the religion they keep their faith in tells them to do so. Himala is a story of a girl named Elsa (Aunor) who claims to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary on the top of the very hill where she was found by her non-biological mother years ago when she was still a baby. Since then Elsa started to â€Å"heal† people through the use of the power that was allegedly bestowed upon her by the Virgin Mary. She was situated in a small town called Cupang where the soil was always dry because of a â€Å"curse† from long time ago. Since then people came flocking to Elsa’s house to seek treatment from her miracles. She had her own followers and a bunch of detractors. In the end, when she faced piles of troubles—from not being able to â€Å"heal† anymore to being raped along with her best friend who later on committed suicide—she came clean and announced that there is no miracle, that it is the people who create their own miracles. She was shot dead at that same moment. The morality issues in this film is particularly apparent during the time when documentarist Orly (Manikan) battles with himself whether to have Elsa and Chayong’s (Centeno) rape video shown to the public. In the end he seeks help from the priest, which only made it clear that his decisions still depended largely on the â€Å"Catholic opinion† even though he was a self-proclaimed atheist right from the start. Manila by Night touches more morality issues than Himala. Since it is a film using a multiple-character format, the struggles each persona faces vary. There was a cheating guy (Pebrero), a liar prostitute (Adelina), a hypocritical ex-prostitute (Virgie), a happy-go-lucky gay (Manay Sharon), a dope-pusher lesbian (Kano), a blind whore (Bea), a college dropout (Alex), and his girlfriend (Vanessa). Their characters differ from each other but what’s uncanny about it was that their lives intertwine one way or another. Set in the city during a time when people’s freedom was being suppressed, these characters faced the question of what to do in times like that. Whether they hold on to their principles and strive to live for the good or just continue their dishonest lives to be able to endure everything and coexist. In a country where Catholicism is dominant, what Bernal showed in Manila by Night questions the values the religion upholds for its followers. The ending of the film where after all the mayhem that happened in the city during the past night seemed to be forgotten and the characters are portrayed as monotonous citizens living their routinely-charged lives is a strong point for proving how people trapped in the confusion of what’s good or evil can act as two-faced individuals who eventually become victims of the system. Hinugot sa Langit, on the other hand, tackles a more brazen topic that’s related to religion: abortion. When Carmen found out she was having Jerry’s (Tantay) child, she was faced with only two options: one is to keep it and the other is to abort. The problem the film earlier gave was that Jerry was already married with someone else and he made it clear right from the start that he didn’t want anything to do with the child Carmen was carrying. This, on top of the incessant urging of her straightforward cousin Stella, pushed Carmen to the edge of option number two. But her landlady, Aling Juling, insisted otherwise—saying abortion is a sin to God. As Carmen’s pregnancy became relatively closer to three months (which is the point when a mere embryo becomes human according to the abortionist) she began thinking about the issue of whether abortion is already an act of killing or not. But eventually, she chose to have abortion. Near the end of the film where she pounded on Mang David for stabbing Aling Juling to death, Bernal used a brilliant camera shift from Mang David’s staring face to Carmen’s while she was yelling, â€Å"Wala kang karapatang pumatay ng tao! You have no right to murder anyone! ),† as if giving the former a reason to say that she did not have any right to kill her child either. As Oggs Cruz put it in his blog, â€Å"Hinugot sa Langit may be branded as preachy and anti-abortion but in reality, the film has side stories that suggest a more pressing issue: societal hypocrisy. † This is not only apparent in the abortion issue but also in Aling Juling’s actions. It’s just that, as Cruz again puts it, â€Å"abortion is the most telling of issues. The Philippines being a prominently Catholic nation declares abortion as criminally and morally wrong yet funnily, the practice is unwrittenly accepted among women who are time-pressed with a decision. † Elsa and Aling Juling While Manila by Night’s interpretations of religion banks largely on its mise-en-scene, what Bernal created in Himala and Hinugot sa Langit were characters who seemed to embody the â€Å"divine† and through them, Bernal showed how false devotions and idolatry can be misleading. Elsa’s alleged involvement with the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary made her just as acred as the holy mother of Christ in the people’s eyes. She became, in an obvious way, the people’s source of blind faith that led them to their own pits of darkness as shown in the last part of the film where healthy and sick people alike experienced a stampede that caused them physical pain. This false faith is also ostensible in Aling Juling’s character in Hinugot sa Langit. Even from the start of the film, her character already proved to be a hypocrite. She dressed conservatively, regularly attended prayer and worship meetings, firmly discouraged Carmen to do an abortion, and constantly spoke about the Divine. But she also wanted to have the informal settlers removed from her land at any cost just to be able to build a chapel, claiming it is for the greater good. Aling Juling proved to be the perfect devotee, but failed to act as a true child of God for the other people; and there lies the biggest fallacy built in her persona. There was also one scene where Carmen and Aling Juling went into a brief screaming match about how should the former handle her problems. In the one line of Carmen saying, â€Å"Ano pa bang gusto Niya (pertaining to God), ano pa bang gusto mo?! What else does He want, what else do you want?! ),† the character of Aling Juling seemed to be a symbolism of the â€Å"god† Carmen had come to believe in. Instead of the all-powerful, all-knowing One, because of her problems, Carmen landed on believing Aling Juling’s preaching as that of God’s. Elsa and Aling Juling both died at the end, and both by being brutally attacked. What I see in this phenomenon is the attempt to â€Å"kill off† the wrong and misrepresentative beliefs brought about by these two characters, and probably the only way Bernal suggests to do that is through a vicious, one-time manner. Bernal as Auteur This paper is not about Bernal but about the works of Bernal. But since he is an auteur, understanding his background is essential in understanding the concepts behind his works. The auteur theory proposes that the director is the author of the film and that the director is the primary creative source, therefore the films produced express the director’s distinctive vision of the world (Pramaggiore and Wallis 398). Therefore, his politics mirror his representation of religion, thus making his films a reflection of his own beliefs. According to Bayani Santos’ Bernal as Auteur, Ishmael appreciated the values of Gregorio Aglipay and Catholicism. He also admired the disciplines of Iglesia Ni Cristo but criticized it for its exploitation of religion in politics. It was also said that he â€Å"respected Catholicism as faith, but always qualified it with a historical reminder of its political and economic crimes against the nation† (Santos 19). It was also said in the same article that Bernal’s view of shallow Catholicism among Filipinos as facts of Philippine life was not just mocking jibes against superficial religiosity but rather â€Å"accurate descriptions, as synecdochical of Philippine reality† and having the satirical impact arrive after a realization by the audience that, indeed, the descriptions are ‘us’ (21). Bayani continued on to saying that Bernal’s politics are â€Å"deeply buried in many of his works† (31). His politics involve not only his aforementioned views on Philippine religion but also his involvement in communism. This notion is perceivable in the three films being analyzed by this paper. In Manila by Night, Bernal took jibes on Martial Law more than anything. In Hinugot sa Langit, he â€Å"showed the desperate situation of the poor in a script that scrupulously avoided overt political commentary† (31). In Himala he managed to speculate a Marxist view of religion as an opiate when Elsa’s death became a dismaying reversion to mass hysteria and fanaticism (31). Bernal’s Films then and now These three films were produced during the second golden age of the Philippine cinema, during the years that mark off the end of the Marcos Martial Law regime. Bernal’s films were acclaimed during those times because both the films and timing were apt to belong to the cinema that recognizes the struggle as the most gigantic cultural, scientific, and artistic manifestation our time, the third cinema (Solanas and Gettino 47). This is what makes Bernal’s films timeless. The impact these films made during those times were huge. Bernal revealed how the Marcos regime exploited the Filipinos. This is overtly seen in Manila by Night, where his depiction of the supposed city to signify the â€Å"New Society† is the exact opposite of it. The term â€Å"New Society† claimed that the dictatorship had eradicated corruption and transformed Philippine society (Lumbera 359). This same â€Å"New Society† was also exploited, although for good reasons, by Bernal in his film Himala. According to Lumbera, Himala criticized the manipulative religiosity of this society which â€Å"drew the people’s attention away from the realities of poverty, violence, and moral decay† (359). This, however, is still manifested in the present time. There is this one scene in Himala that is applicable to both the past and present times. When people started coming to Cupang for Elsa and Elsa’s â€Å"apostles† used the water Elsa blessed for profit, it was a hypocritical move on the side of Elsa and her followers to lure people into giving them money when all they were meant to do in the first place was to offer treatment for everyone who asked for it. The past screams about the pretentious â€Å"New Society† and the present stages the scene in real life whenever such religious items or services that are supposed to help them are still sold for amounts to the people. (e. . : a priest’s service fees, blessed rosaries, mass guides) Another thing that might have helped in the success of Himala is the fact that superstar Nora Aunor played the lead role. In the Noranian Imaginary, it is said that Himala is as much about the popular hysteria mediated by the idol Nora Aunor as it is about the mass hysteria endemic to Catholicism as held by many (Tadiar). People saw Elsa in Nora and Nora in Elsaâ⠂¬â€the same poor, unfortunate protagonist who strive against all odds to defend herself and achieve goals. In these times, Nora may not be that same girl many Filipinos used to idolized, but the imprint she left on Elsa’s character is so known to almost every Filipino as â€Å"that† girl who everyone admired. Elsa’s death at the end of the film may be read as liberation from such faith, since she made confessions about the inexistence of miracles prior to his death. But the people’s continuous idolatry in her after she passed away seems to be a symbol of the people of today—those who still continue hang on to false hope and devotion even after such devotion proves to be wrong. As Patrick Flores puts it in Himala: Fall of Grace, â€Å"Himala is against the miracle and it is against the cinema. † Hinugot sa Langit, lastly, also speaks of a timeless issue in Catholicism: abortion. The values the film imbibes a great impact on the beliefs of the majority of the Filipino citizen. The question of whether abortion is or is not an act of murder is still being debated upon until today. Bernal’s films speak of ageless and timely issues concerning the Filipino people and that’s what makes his films succeed not only in the era during which it was manufactured, but also in the present time.

Patient and Professional Development Assignment Essay

There is considerable evidence that many of the new medical technologies are used inappropriately, to generate income. What patient protections against inappropriate diagnostic and other procedures should be considered? There is no doubt that the new diagnostic and therapeutic technology now available has vastly expanded the economic dimensions of medicine, there is evidence that new and expensive technologies are being used inappropriately to generate income. One example of this statement would be the use of magnetic resonance imaging or MRIs. The popularity of this testing has skyrocketed and has in turn been found to be very profitable for hospitals and outpatient facilities. Despite the swooping popularity and booming financial boost this testing has been found not to have changed patient outcomes. The testing gives providers a clear look at the disease or anatomy being scanned there are no controlled comparisons of diagnostic accuracy or changes in medical or therapeutic care for patients (Sultz and Young, 2011). Therefore this new and innovative testing only adds to the cost of the already terribly high dollar of health care. Physicians now have many choices to make and many opportunities to generate income through the use of these and many more new technologies both in the office and hospital settings. The issue is that medical indications for the use of much of the new technology are not precisely causing problems and susceptible influence by economic factors. The range of acceptable options in a given case is often wide enough to give the provider considerable latitude in his/her choice of procedures. It is in this gray zone that economic incentives have their greatest effect on medical behavior (Relman,  2011). I do not believe that providers make decisions based on economic consideration and outcome that they would not decide otherwise. I believe with all of my heart that for the most part providers do things the majority of the time to do right by the patient and the pocketbook. The problem is, however, â€Å"the right thing† is often a matter of opinion because many tests, procedures, and operations have not yet been fully evaluated or scientifically compared with other available measures for cost effectiveness. Is it possible though pressure of financial advantage often sways those good-hearted providers or is it simply to pacify or satisfy patients? To expand on pacification or satisfaction or patients I will use my area of expertise. I have worked in the area of women’s health most of my career so though I am sure there are other areas of specialty with patients such as ours I can only state from true experience that this is a very high-maintained population. This is a media savvy, device driven; patient population that often wants â€Å"drive-thru† service. The issues I see to often are the ordering of tests, labs, procedures that may be unnecessary or cause greater consequence. There are high-technology screenings for every atypical cell we could possibly have on a female reproductive organ. As soon as a pre-menopausal women with heavy bleeding hears that she may have a positive result she wants a hysterectomy. Though this may be the treatment for some, it is not for all a nd I see way too many women loose their uterus for reasons that were much more benign than the outcome. Being in healthcare for so many years I could give example after example of new high technology that may be used inappropriately for reasons that could be generating income, but done simply for the benefit of the patient and their satisfaction. Patient satisfaction brings a whole new topic of conversation to generating income. So how can we protect patients from potentially themselves or those that provide the ordering power that initiates this vicious cycle? I think first we have to mandate facilities and practices to put in place guidelines and protocols to stop unnecessary testing that has been shown not to change the patient outcome. Another intervention and protection to patients is that providers have to have conversations with patients honestly about what the issue is and that they do not need particular testing if asked for. They need to keep it real with patients. It is true that patient satisfaction is going to be at jeopardy  and that they may want to jump providers, but providers and facilities will need to seriously look at the risk benefit of doing procedures that will not weigh up in a court of law or a court of public opinion. In spite of nursing’s vital importance to hospitals, nurses face excessive paperwork, managerial responsibilities, and supervision of lesser-trained aides — tasks that require an inordinate amount of time spent in functions other than direct patient care. These frustrations, combined with long work hours, stagnant salaries, and other difficulties, have resulted in fewer entrants to schools of nursing and increasing numbers of nurses leaving the profession. Discuss possible solutions to this growing problem. Do providers in the health care system recognize a broader social mission than addressing the needs of only those individuals who achieve access to their services? Elaborate. Relman, A. (2011). Cost control, doctors’ ethics, and patient care. Retrieved from http://www.issues.org/19.4/updated/relman.pdf.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay

The recent announcement by the government to declare Telengana as the 29th state with 10 districts and Hyderabad as a common Capital has opened a Pandora’s Box of similar clamors. Many groups have stepped up their game demanding for their own statehood. The government will have to ponder many factors before redrawing boundaries and splitting up states. ‘Nationalism’ has always remained the most controversial creed in the political theory. It cannot be merely defined as the casual association of people within a territory. It is the sharing of some popular beliefs, ascribing a common political identity to its entire people and sharing a common history. In this context the internal outcries for separate statehood cannot be ignored prima facie. Also more and more stifling of these demands will be a call for disaster. These types of internal conflicts have always been a head-ache for governments worldwide and they are still searching for a way-out. India is a nation lauded for ‘Unity in Diversity’ and a large number of minority groups of ethnic, tribal, cultural and social origin exist within the country and have been living harmoniously since Independence. They have been amply protected under our Constitution taking into consideration their capacity to influence the populace so that their voice too is eloquently heard in a highly democratic nation like ours. However in case they feel subjugated or threatened they have the full right to protest. Their demand for separate statehood comes from the limbo they have remained in since time immemorial. They feel that a separate autonomous state would give them a better chance of survival, development and above all better administration. Andhra Pradesh when formed by the union of British-States and princely provinces after Independence was on linguistic basis i. e. they all spoke Telugu. However Jawaharlal Nehru said at the time that in case anyone feels uneasy by their counterparts they can ask for dissociation. The plea for Telengana as a separate state had been going on for several years abrogating its ties with coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalseema. What triggered the demand was its continuing negligence in developmental schemes for the state. However, stiff opposition has also risen from the latter regions thereby placing the government in a quandary. The internecine demands for Hyderabad as Capital of the state, by both the regions have exacerbated the situation. It has conclusively served as a bolster to similar demands from other parts of the nation. The Nagas, an ethnic group claims that they have been demanding for a bigger Nagaland by consolidating the Nagas from various Eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Assam from time immemorial and hence they should be the first to be considered. The cry for Vidarbha, an autonomous state in Maharashtra, Gorkhaland in West Bengal have become more ferocious. There has also been a demand to split up the large Uttar Pradesh into four states for better administration-Avadh Pradesh, Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Paschim Pradesh. The armed conflicts by Kukis, an ethnic group in Manipur is also for their own state. The conflicts ended after signing a Suspension of Agreements (SoA) in 2005 by the Indian Army and the Kuki National Party and United People’s Front, the two main parties under whose umbrella the protests were organized. The Agreement was signed after the promise from Prime Minister to hold conducive talks which is yet to take place. State wide protests and hartaals have already begun in all these states since the announcement for Telengana. However the premise of the argument that smaller state means better administration is fallacious in nature. Splitting up of the nation into several small states might result in the fact that their voices might be trampled upon. It will take some time until they become really autonomous recovering from the protests and conflicts with a stable economy. In such a scenario a hostile contiguous state sharing its boundary is certainly not conducive. Also it will be only a matter of time for these demands to take on a communal character. That is a price we have already paid for and are suffering from its after impacts even today. The government has to hold many productive talks and discussions with the states concerned and should thoroughly look for all other viable options before hastening into any decision. Therefore taking a holistic view and after careful deliberation only the decision to demarcate and redraw boundaries forming more and more states should be taken.