Women in Law Essay Example

Women in Law Essay It is clichà © to say that women are the weaker sex. It was not too long ago when the things women were allowed to do were very limited. They were not allowed to wear skimpy clothing. They couldn’t even go to school. If they did, they only had limited subjects to study. Women were passive. They were fine about not being prioritized by the law. Then again, this did not last long. There were strong and courageous women who fought for their rights. The women of today are reaping all the benefits, especially when they were finally included in the law. This year, a number of non-residents enrolling in law school are increasing. More foreigners are taking up law. Compared to the part years, more minorities are venturing on the field of law. Some of these ethnic minorities are women. Women, who are also members of the ethnic minority, studying law, are something that is unfamiliar to most of us. It just goes to show that women are getting braver as years pass. It is then important to study women in law in comparison to the different ethnicities and minorities. First, we should look at how women are doing in the industry of law. This will include women as a group of people taken care and prioritized by the law, and women as a member of a group that creates the laws for commoners to follow. In short, women practicing law and women being governed by the law are the two sides of the coin that should be scrutinized. We will write a custom essay sample on Women in Law specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Women in Law specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Women in Law specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Law’s Representation and Treatment of Women In the past years, law paid attention to women. The constitution and basic human rights show it all; however, this attention given to women by the law is very scant. All considerations and explorations, when dealing with rights and when creating a new law, are all centered to the male species. Humanity is explored to be able to come up with a sound law. Then again, this exploration is confined to the exploration of men. The women almost have no place in the law (Tilly and Gurin 1990, p. 485). There was an era of the feminine mystique. During this time, women are passive and submissive. This was also an era of general conservatism. This is partly because of the American societys pervasive permeation, in which all people engaged in psychoanalytic thinking. Consequently, the people made use of the law and of social science as well, as a social control. People failed to see that the law should also be a means of social inquiry (Tilly and Gurin 1990, p. 485). The law, during this time, only described the role of the women in society. It described where they stood, where exactly in the society should they be found. No one had the initiative to analyze the role of women in society. Their capacity to think and do things was generally underestimated, which is exactly the reason why the attention paid to them was very scant (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 205). What the law should have been capable of doing during those early times was to explain why women grew to be that way. There should have been researches and studies conducted to be able to come up with a more substantial and sensible constitution, where women would have been given the voice they rightfully deserve. Such act was not expected, because this occurred during the time when the only voices of the nation were the males. Everyone was busy about other social problems and issues, and complacency about gender issues got the better of most of the people in a given community (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 205). Women, as represented by law, were just members of a group who were different from men. The difference came only in discussions of biology and physical structure. Physiology was highly important in defining the conditions of women, but this did not last long. After some time, interpretations became brand new. Not everyone kept on believing what was already written. Pieces of information established began to be cracked open. Psychological passivity is no longer a trend, and people started to ask why (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 206). All old data were studied again, and this time, with newer tools, and of course, newer interpretations. More considerations in studying the old data were added. Other areas of gender and sexuality were being explored. Studies by social scientists helped women define themselves. They were able to explain why they were not experiencing their freedom for the past years. Women now know that they were passive and submissive because they were trained to be passive and submissive (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 207). The law and society both have a big influence on the general make-up of a woman. Society, since day one, has offered the woman alternatives. She was capable of choosing things for herself, and society has given her all the options she can choose from. The problem came in when the law, especially when it matched the power of society, controlled not the womans options, but her motivation to select from the choices given to her (Tilly and Gurin 1990, p. 485). Motivation of Women Controlled by the Law How, then, was motivation controlled? The law developed women through social science. It has controlled the women to automatically know that they have roles to fill. Women are trained to act as models. Why is this so? There is an accepted image of a woman, which every woman should emanate. All members of a society are governed by expectations. Something is always expected from them. An image is always expected from them. An act, a response, a reaction, a deed, an expression or the lack of it all, are all expected from them (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 209). Because of this, women in law are seen as light, soft, weak and small. They are slow, passive, rounded, cold, relaxed, peaceful and dull. They are domestic. They are expected to wait for their husbands from work. As they wait, they are expected to cook meals for their partners. They are expected to wash the dishes and do the laundry. They should keep the house clean, take care of the children, and watch after the pets. Because of how the law defines a woman, the woman has grown accustomed to the image asked of her. The woman is the patient one. She is grateful, kind, nice, moral, affectionate and loving. She is at the same time silly, sorry, careless and clumsy. The law has generalized women and failed to recognize individual differences (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 209). It is not surprising that there were no women lawyers during the old times. Women are expected to stay at home. They could not think of a simple law to add to the constitution. Today, all these are now being erased, as more women are already taking law, and there are women who take positions in public offices to create laws. It should not be forgotten, though, that they still experience restrictions. Women in law are still governed by laws, whether these are written or not, because society said so (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 205). The Conflict There is huge evidence for gender bias not only in developing countries but also in the United States, where one would expect that the law profession had already reached its maturity. The Employment Law Center together with The Women in Law Committee conducted a survey with some stunning results. According to 85% of the respondents, who are made up of women lawyers, they perceive gender bias in the legal profession. Two out of three say that their male colleagues dont accept them as equals (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 207). Interestingly, a number of women lawyers in the workplace seem to increase women’s perception of fairness. It’s not only the number of females in the workplace that contributes to this perception of inequality, however. Some of those surveyed claimed that the gender bias is caused by the belief in the workplace that woman lawyers are not part of the network of â€Å"old boys.† There are also cases where male lawyers unfairly try to make their points by physically threatening their female colleagues (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 209). It’s even more difficult in the United States to be a female lawyer and a member of a minority group at the same time. In this case, the person may be subject to a double bias in the legal profession. Women lawyers belonging to a minority group perceive both gender bias and ethnic bias in the workplace. According to them, the rules of professional conduct should be changed to prevent the racial and gender-biased behavior by their colleagues. The law profession itself may be in danger of retracting from its upward development as the discontent of female lawyers start to climb. Findings of the survey indicate that while more than seventy percent of the respondents still wanted to stay as lawyers, about twenty-four percent said they would choose to be in another career. Also, more than sixty percent of those surveyed believe that they dont have as much opportunities for advancement as their male counterparts. Its probably wise for the legal profession to accept more women because according to the survey, more than half of the female respondents preferred to work with other females. The legal profession and the courtroom itself seem to be teeming with gender bias based on the beliefs of women lawyers. More than seventy percent of the respondents feel negative bias coming from the opposing counsel and sixty percent say bias is also produced by clients. Almost fifty percent of the female respondents felt that their superiors have a gender bias, while about forty percent claim that bias is also present among their peers. Note that women lawyers are more likely to feel negative bias from the opposing counsel than from their peers. The most direct effect of gender bias in the legal profession is indicated by the fact that more than thirty percent of the respondents made career changes because of their perceived negative bias. Moreover, thirty-seven of the respondents did not make any changes in their careers because they believed that the situation would be the same if not worse in other careers. Its clear here that pessimism is the only thing that binds some women i n the legal profession. Had these women felt that other careers are less biased against women, they probably would have chosen other fields (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 205). Women lawyers deeply feel the gender bias in the legal profession. Results of the survey indicate that almost ninety percent of the respondents felt that there is a pervasive but subtle gender bias in the profession. In addition, almost forty percent believed that they would never be equal with their male colleagues (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 205). The gender bias in law forms a kind of â€Å"glass ceiling† which prevents women from advancing to other areas of the profession. While fifty-three percent of those surveyed believed that half of the women in the workplace received partnerships and promotions, sixty-four percent believed that male lawyers still received more partnerships and promotions. Gender bias is not the only challenge for women in the legal profession. Respondents say that they have negative feelings about having little time for their families, working too many hours, and difficulty in balancing their personal and professional lives. Despite these challenges, however, women are still very competitive in law. More than eighty percent of the respondents claim that they are satisfied with their jobs because of the challenges in the legal profession. They also enjoy the setting and the unique opportunity to meet other people. In 1992, the Ninth Circuit Gender Bias Task Force released some important findings on the issue of gender in the legal profession. They concluded that gender is still a relevant issue in law. The appointment process, conducts of lawyers in the courtroom, outside and other areas of the legal profession all have cases of gender bias. The report also claimed that males and females have different views on the prevalence and definition of gender bias in law (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 205). Like in other professions in the modern world, women are also subject to sexual harassment in the legal profession. The survey reveals some stunning statistics on the existence of sexual harassment in law. Nearly half of those surveyed claimed that they experienced sexual harassment at the workplace. This is disappointing considering that only thirteen percent of respondents reported that they felt sexual harassment decreasing over the past five years. It is always difficult to pin down the meaning of sexual harassment because of the number of behaviors that can be interpreted as sexual violations of women. The Judicial Council Advisory Committee released a report on gender bias in the courts in the 1990 in order to identify some behaviors that constitute sexual harassment in the legal profession. According to the report, acts and words that focus on the physical appearance or sexual attributes of women who participate in courtroom proceedings are considered cases of sexual harassment. The report identified other cases of sexual harassment in the legal profession such as the use of gender issues as a tactic during courtroom trials. Expressions that women are inferior or that they should not be lawyers are also considered to be violations of the law prohibiting sexual harassment. Furthermore, sexual harassment need not be done directly in order for it to be violative of the law prohibiting sexual harassment. The report recognizes th e participation and encouragement of gender bias by judicial officers as constitutive of sexual harassment (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 205). Based on all of the statistics regarding the situation of women in the legal profession, it is clear that all sectors of society should work harder to promote gender equality in law. The legal profession should be more concerned with gender equality since it promotes justice in its field. If the legal profession itself crumbles down to the pressures of tradition and stereotypes, then what hope is there for other areas of society to achieve something higher in terms of gender justice? Law firms must consider and accept more women lawyers to be free of the gender bias that apparently exists and proliferates in the law profession today. Governments also must strive harder to produce more laws that would guarantee women equal footing with men in the workplace. While it is true that gender discrimination cannot be eradicated by laws alone, it is important that sanctions be imposed on all citizens so they will be more aware of the rights of everyone for fair treatment. There should be stricter guidelines on the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace so women will feel less pressure while doing their jobs. Laws must also be more specific on what constitutes sexual harassment so women will be more protected from sexual injustices (Aggarwal, University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Center 2002, p. 205). Society will be improved once womens status in the legal profession is elevated and developed more. It is time for the legal profession and society in general to recognize the huge contribution of women lawyers in promoting justice and equality. Also, more studies should be conducted on the perceptions of women regarding gender equality in law so that more immediate actions could be taken by the government and civil society. Once the legal profession is free of gender bias, then the government and other sectors of society could move forward on addressing the issue of gender bias elsewhere. Women are as talented and as hard-working as men in law, so they should be treated fairly and provided with equal opportunities for advancement. Bibliography Tilly, L and Gurin, P. (1990) Women, Politics and Change, Russel Sage Foundation, USA. Aggarwal, N. and University of Delhi and Womens Studies and Development Centre (2002) Women in Law in India, New Century Publications, Michigan.

Free Essays on Effects on Colored Musical Notes on Learning

Color is an important element in many people’s lives. A reaserch article entitled â€Å"Effect of Colored Rhythmic Notation on Music-Reading Skills of Elementary Students† analyzes the use of color in music. George L. Rogers researched how the use of color affected the learning abilities of young children to read and interpret music symbols. Rogers found that the use of color did not only improve the skills of the children, but they also found the material more fun and enjoyable when the notes were in color. Rogers stated that there is a â€Å" considerable body of educational research outside music suggesting that the use of color in instrumental materials can improve student performance and retention† (15). Rogers presents a number of examples from subjects outside of music that exemplify the benefit of color in educational materials. One of these tests involved students watching instructional videos in class. One group of students viewed the colored version of the video, while another group viewed the black and white version of the film. It was found that â€Å"students who viewed a colored version†¦ scored significantly higher on both immediate and delayed tests than did students who viewed a monochrome version. This study also found that students of different ability levels were affected differently by the presence or absence of color in the instructional materials† (16). There have been other studies that have â€Å"investigated† the effect of color-coded instructional materials in printed form. A reasercher named Lamberski found that â€Å"color-coded instructional materials were more effective than were black-and-white materials† (16). The use of color-coding had a more positive effect on tests of visual memory as compared to verbal memory (16). Rogers also discusses the use of color in math. The use of color in graphs and charts to teach numerical relationships has proven useful in teaching math to low-achieving a... Free Essays on Effects on Colored Musical Notes on Learning Free Essays on Effects on Colored Musical Notes on Learning Color is an important element in many people’s lives. A reaserch article entitled â€Å"Effect of Colored Rhythmic Notation on Music-Reading Skills of Elementary Students† analyzes the use of color in music. George L. Rogers researched how the use of color affected the learning abilities of young children to read and interpret music symbols. Rogers found that the use of color did not only improve the skills of the children, but they also found the material more fun and enjoyable when the notes were in color. Rogers stated that there is a â€Å" considerable body of educational research outside music suggesting that the use of color in instrumental materials can improve student performance and retention† (15). Rogers presents a number of examples from subjects outside of music that exemplify the benefit of color in educational materials. One of these tests involved students watching instructional videos in class. One group of students viewed the colored version of the video, while another group viewed the black and white version of the film. It was found that â€Å"students who viewed a colored version†¦ scored significantly higher on both immediate and delayed tests than did students who viewed a monochrome version. This study also found that students of different ability levels were affected differently by the presence or absence of color in the instructional materials† (16). There have been other studies that have â€Å"investigated† the effect of color-coded instructional materials in printed form. A reasercher named Lamberski found that â€Å"color-coded instructional materials were more effective than were black-and-white materials† (16). The use of color-coding had a more positive effect on tests of visual memory as compared to verbal memory (16). Rogers also discusses the use of color in math. The use of color in graphs and charts to teach numerical relationships has proven useful in teaching math to low-achieving a...

Managing Mixed Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Mixed Economy - Essay Example On its 250th anniversary in 1990 the name again changed to what is now known as the royal London hospital. The first patients were treated in a house in Featherstone Street, Moorfields in November 1740 before later moving to a rented premises in Prescott street the following may. In 1757 it moved to its current location on the south side of white chapel road, in the London borough of tower hamlets (NHS 2013). In 1785, the hospital surgeons began training students by taking them into the hospital and discussing patients aliments,at times students were allowed to administer medication and treatment to patients. This was the basis for the formation of the first hospital based medical school in England.it was founded by William blizzard and James Maddocks. In 1948 the hospital became part of National Health Service as the voluntary hospital system ended. The system which had cared for the sick in the 18th century came to an end as the state took control of the health care system under th e national health act (Banks 2013). The London lost some of its independence but was financially better off than before. Further reorganization in the early 90s allowed the hospital to regain some self-government. The royal London was granted its title by HM the queen on its 250thanniversary and later became part of the NHS trust (Barts Health 2013). The royal London later merged with St Bartholomew’s and London chest hospitals as pioneers to form the new trust, Barts NHS trust. The London is already home to one of Europe’s largest accident and emergency departments, also home to Britain’s biggest children’s hospital services (Banks 2013). The London was the first to offer helicopter emergency medical service while carrying a doctor on board. In 1998 queen Elizabeth the hospital for children joined the trust and transferred its services to the royal London but retained their historical identity; their name that had been granted by her majesty queen Elizab eth (Gavin 2013). Recently in march 2012 a first phase in the construction of the new state of the art royal London hospital began. This was to replace the demolished old buildings so as to support the delivery of 21st century modernized medical care. Facilities Facilities at the royal London include; overnight accommodation, multi-faith chaplaincy Centre, telephones, shops, cash points, restaurants and the royal London archives. Overnight accommodation The hospital offers overnight accommodations to the relatives of patients admitted at the hospital. Also provides facilities for patients prior to their appointments who have to travel a long way to receive treatment at the hospital but who need not to be readmitted to a ward (Barts Health 2013). JamesHora homes are a facility at the royal London hospital that offers accommodation for outpatients who experience difficulties in travelling to and from hospital for daily treatment and to the relatives of patient in need of critical care . The home has a capacity to accommodate up to 26 guests a night. Stevenson’s house another facility of the royal London for accommodation located on Ash Field Street provides families of children admitted at the London with accommodation during long stays (Gavin 2013). It is fully equipped with bathrooms, a kitchen, a

Product Design and Its Impact on Functional Product Information Essay

Product Design and Its Impact on Functional Product Information - Essay Example Marketers and academics agree that product design is important, and there exists a large body of managerial and quantitative research on design as a component of the new product development process. Consumer research on design, however, has been somewhat limited. Consumer behavior investigations into product appearance have included examinations of behavioral responses to product form (Silvera, Josephs, and Giesler 2002; Veryzer and Hutchinson 1998), the interaction of brand strength and design (Page and Herr 2002), the effects of repeated exposure to designs (Cox and Cox 2002), and the role of individual differences in response to design features (Bloch, Brunei and Arnold 2003; Holbrook and Schindler 1994). Bloch (1995) developed a model of consumer response to product form that outlined several stages in the design process from managerial goals through the creation of the products form to the consumer's response. Blochs model addressed the possibility of both cognitive and affectiv e responses to product form but did not speak specifically to how variations in product design might influence the nature of the cognitive or affective reactions. In a discussion of the different roles of product design, Creusen and Schoormans (2005) similarly mentioned the psychological role that product appearance might play but did not offer predictions as to the nature and direction of the influence. The current research contributes to the growing literature on product design by investigating how a product's appearance can influence the processing of functional product information. I examine the extent to which design signals quality, and how such a signal might interfere with the evaluation of more objective product information. Prior consumer research in product design has examined how aesthetics could influence quality evaluations in the absence of other information (Page and Herr 2002).

Design for the crowd Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Design for the crowd - Research Proposal Example He further advocated that the complicated nature of public space means that it has been the core focus in geographical and urban theory.   The quality of urban space can be conceptualized as a function of the built form (Crawford, 1995). This implies that the actual shape and physical structure are significant in defining public space. Let us look at Bryant Park and design consideration for a public park. Introduction - Bryant Park Most people view some places as being more public than others, for instance, parks, squares and traditional public forums are large, but places such as malls and work areas, are small. Others view front yards and stoops as being partially private while interior homes and back yards are totally private (Crawford, 1995, pp. 4-5) Bryant Park is a 9.603 acres privately managed Public Park, which is at Fifth and Sixth Avenue in New York (Bryant Park, 2012). It is a scenic landmark in the city. The park rest on top of the Archives of the New York, national lib rary. The park has undergone numerous changes from a park of prostitutes and drug dealers to a park that can be inhabited by citizens. Today it is one of the largest occupied urban parks in the world. Architectural work of Whyte in 1990 led to a great reformation of Bryant Park in 2012; the success of the park depends on private and public partnership. The Bryant Park Corporation (BPC) runs the park since 2006.   Prior to designing a public park, it is crucial to seek answers to the following questions. What are the existing legal structure governing the land resources in the area? Are there homeless groups in the surrounding area? What commercial activities takes place in the area?  Ã‚   Does a mobile and commercial vendor visit the area? If so, at what time and in what frequencies, do vendors come to the area? How secure is the area to the public activities? What social class of people visits the area? Are the

Outbreak Of One Of The Conflicts In Africa History Essay

Outbreak Of One Of The Conflicts In Africa History Essay Africa from time immemorial has experienced numerous forms of conflicts ranging from ethnic confrontations to interstate wars. The idea of war still plays a veritable role in the post colonial Africa as well as in the international politics. An understanding of the situation in Africa has proved that most of these wars have been fought on the African soils and have had devastating effects on the continent and the world at large. Examples of these wars include Rwanda, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast and just to name a few. These wars have greatly affected the African continent especially the countries involved as it has reduced the economies of these countries to nothing but a shadow on their own. It is obvious that most of these wars are taken place but in the developing countries and therefore leaves one with the question, whether the wars can be seen as a consequence of poverty or is poverty the consequence of war? To my opinion, war is not a solution to confli ct looking at the aftermath of the war, the vulnerabilities of the women and children, the political and economic imbalance of the states. In this light, the international community should seek ways of avoiding the outbreak of such wars especially in the developing countries. In this paper, I will analyzed the outbreak of one of the conflict in Africa which could have escalated to a full scale military conflict between two countries, had it not been settled in a unique showcase of conflict management by the UN. The conflict in question is the Cameroon vs. Nigeria claim of sovereignty over the potentially oil rich Bakassi peninsula, which almost trigger to an interstates war and sends fear and uncertainty across the two nations. B. G. Ramcharan describes the role played by the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan in maintaining peace between the Republic of Cameroon and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and in settling the dispute over the Bakassi peninsula, another fascinating story of conflict prevention at work in practice. The signing of the Green Tree Agreement by both countries enabled both countries to adhere to the ruling passed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), officially put to an end to the Nigeria occupation of the peninsula and fin ally led to the peaceful handover of the occupied areas by the Nigeria military to Cameroon. President Obasanjo Olusegun of Nigeria clearly described the way the conflict was handled in the following words: Our agreement today is a great achievement of conflict prevention, which practically reflects its cost-effectiveness when compared to the alternative of conflict resolution its significance, therefore, goes much beyond Nigeria and Cameroon. It should represent a model for the resolution of similar conflicts in Africa, and I dare say, to the world at large. For most conflicts especially in Africa, has been as a result of natural resources and the politics play by the international community for their own interest which more often has fuel the violent conflicts. I will seek to analyze in this paper the historical background of the contested area leading to the outbreak of hostilities. It will be follow suit with the underlying causes of the conflicts in part 4 and part five will shed more lights on how the conflict was resolved at the level of the ICJ and managed at the UN following the implementation of the famous Green-Tree Accord signed by both countries. While part six will emphasize on the conclusion with the way forward of ensuring that both countries respect the terms of the green-Tree Agreement and the unique showcase of conflict management and resolution achieved. 2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Bakassi peninsula is an island located along the eastern end of the Gulf of Guinea between latitudes 8 °20 and 9 °08E. The area is greatly made up of a low-lying, mangrove and swampy area with a population of approximately 150,000 to 300,000 inhabitants, as of 2005. The island is highly inhabited with the indigenous people of the Efik tribe, which they claimed to belong to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The peninsula is a veritable ground for fishing activities and other maritime wildlife activities, for the simple fact that two great ocean currents meet here that is the cold Benguela Current and the warm Guinea Current, has really made it possible for fishing activities to be the livelihood of the inhabitants. The historical background of the peninsula goes back to the colonial period after the arrival of the European colonial master to Nigeria in the middle of the 19th Century, the King of the Old Calabar kingdom entered into a treaty of Protection with the Queen of England on September 10, 1884. The territory covering this region was at this time under the control of the King of the Old Calabar Kingdom. So in signing this treaty, it means he has officially ceded the territory to the British as a protectorate. In this respect, Britain was free to carry out any activity and equally exercised whatever she deems fit in the territory. The claim of sovereignty of the Bakassi peninsula is one of the numerous conflicts in Africa concerning border disputes. This however, should be in some extent put on the shoulders of the former colonial masters who partitioned Africa without taking into considerations of the ethnic groupings, geography and demography of the area, history, language and socio-cultural affiliations of the people. This has really hampered the integrity and sovereignty of most countries in Africa, as most often people from the same ethnic grouping happen to found themselves on two different colonial territories and governed by different colonial powers. The historical background of the Bakassi peninsula can be traced back during the era of colonialism. The Germans were the first colonial master to colonized Cameroon not until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, which saw the defeat of the Germans by the French and English in Cameroon. Before the outbreak of the First World War, the European powers having colonial territories were largely interested in securing their interests instead of the colonial people they claimed they were civilizing. A country like Germany were only interested in securing for itself the vast territorial waters in order to keep the huge amount of shrimps and other maritime wildlife found in this water for herself. In order to avoid conflict of interest amongst the colonial powers, Germany enter into an agreement with the British who were at this time the colonial master of Nigeria, limiting Britains expansion to the east, while Britain on the other hand required an undisturbed and free sea passage to Calabar, which was an important commercial seaport in eastern Nigeria. This agreement was later code name the Anglo German Agreement of 1913, which clearly defined the exact demarcation of the borders between Cameroon and Nigeria. The first part of the treaty entitled: The Settlement of the Frontier between Cameroon and Nigeria, from Yola to the Sea, clearly situate the territory of Bakassi under the jurisdiction of the Germans. The second part entitled: The Regulation of Navigation on the Cross River, placed the navigable portion of the offshore border of the Bakassi peninsula to Britain. Article 21 of the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, which stipulates the exact position of the border: From the centre of the navigable channel on a line joining Bakassi Point and King Point, the boundary shall follow the centre of the navigable channel of the Akwayafe River as far as the 3-mile limit of territorial jurisdiction. For the purpose of defining this boundary, the navigable channel of the Akwayafe River shall be considered to lie wholly to the east of the navigable channel of the Cross and Calabar Rivers. This however, proves that from 1913, after the signing of the Anglo-German Treaty and onwards, British and German maps clearly show the Bakassi peninsula in Cameroon. Following the dramatic twist of event which saw the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the French and the English decided to extend the war in German colonial territories in Africa, aimed at fighting the Germans in their African colonial territories. At the end of the war, Germany lost all her colonies in Africa including Cameroon to the allied powers. Cameroon was ruled as a mandated territory under the League of Nations and later partitioned in 1919, into two territories among the British and French. The French took 4/5 of the territory called French Cameroons and the British get 1/5 of the territory called British Cameroons. The Franco-British Agreement of July 1919, placed the territory of Bakassi and the rest of British Cameroons under the mandate of Britain. The British introduced the system of indirect rule in their territory of British Cameroons as an integral part of Nigeria with respect to the borders agreements laid down in 1913. In 1931, a further agreement between both powers was signed to further codify the treaty of 1919. The two Cameroons that is French and English Cameroons were ruled as a mandated territory by France and Britain till the outbreak of the Second World War. With the collapse of the League of Nations and the subsequent end of the Second World War, the mandated territories of the British Cameroons and French Cameroons were placed under the United Nations Organization which succeeded the League of Nations as Trust Territories. Worthy of note here is that the agreement creating these Trusteeship territories re-ratified the Anglo-German treaties of 1913 demarcating the borders between Cameroon and Nigeria. Again maps produced during this period placed Bakassi under the sovereignty of Cameroon. It should be noted here, that the British Cameroons was divided into two parts namely British Northern and British Southern Cameroons respectively, with Bakassi falling under the competence of Britain Southern Cameroons. In the advent for the fight for independence in the late 1950s across Africa, tensions have grown in the territory of British Cameroons. In the light of this growing tensions for independence, the United Nations requested Britain to carry out a plebiscite in the territories under her jurisdiction. British Northern Cameroon and British Southern Cameroon were to exercise their rights and willingness as to which country they would like to join and become independent. A plebiscite was held in British Northern Cameroons as Do you wish to attained independence by joining the Federal Republic of Nigeria or by joining the Republic of Cameroon. The outcome of the result of the plebiscite was that British Northern Cameroons voted to achieve independence by joining the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The events of the political parties and their divided opinions made the plebiscite to be postponed in British Southern Cameroons. It was only on February 11th, 1961, that British Southern Cameroons voted to join the already independent Republic of Cameroon (former French Cameroons). It should also be noted here that at the point of independence, Bakassi was a territory under the jurisdiction of Cameroon. This can be seen from the fact that Bakassi itself has 21 polling stations and 73% of the population voted to become independent by joining the Republic of Cameroon. So there is no gainsaying that Bakassi was and remain a territory in Cameroon. The Bakassi peninsula is an area that was of no interest to the two nations, as the territory has been long forgotten and was not an issue looking back at the afore-mentioned paragraphs. It became a centre point of focus after the alleged discovery of oil by some foreign experts. As a result of the suspicion that Bakassi have a huge oil reserve, Nigeria was the first to claim sovereignty of the peninsula and immediately deploy her military in the territory to mark her presence and ownership. This dramatic twist of event gave way for the look back of the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, which clearly defines and demarcates the maritime borders of the two countries and which both countries accepted it. In the wake of this post independent period, both countries sought way of regulating the colonial agreements of 1913, signed by the colonial powers. Leaders of both countries exchanges visits as can be seen in April 1971, the Nigeria Head of State, General Gowon accompanied with his collabor ators visited Cameroon and meet with his Cameroonian counterpart Amadou Ahidjo, in the capital city Yaoundà ©, to discuss the issue. The outcome of this meeting was the signing of the Coker-Ngo Line delimiting the navigable portion offshore border of the two countries, thereby reaffirming the 1913 agreement. Both Heads of States were very satisfied with the outcome of the meeting not only after General Gowon of Nigeria, hearing the advices from his advisers, reverse the decision arrived at the meeting. This trigger a second meeting as General Gowon again paid a second visit to the President Ahidjo of Cameroon at Maroua city in July 1975, in order to correct the wrongs of the Coker-Ngo Line referred in the 1913 agreement. Worthy of note here is that at this point in time, the sovereignty of Bakassi was not the issue, as the meetings were out to understand the colonial borders. Gowon was overthrown shortly after his visit to Cameroon in a military coup in July 1975, General Murtala Muhammed was the new Head of State of Nigeria and he was very strategic. In order to have the support of the Nigeria bulk population, he convinced them to believe that General Gowon has given Bakassi to Cameroon as a compensation for the assistance Cameroon played in the Nigeria Civil War. He goes further to reject the authenticity of the 1971 and 1975 agreements between Gowon and Ahidjo that it has not be ratified by the military council. He too was killed in a military coup just a year after and was replaced by General Olusegun Obasanjo. What a coincidence here that President Obasanjo was Nigeria Head of state during this period and he still re-emerges again as president when hostilities break out between the two countries and help to brokered peace by ensuring that Nigeria police and soldiers withdraw from the territory in accordance with the Green-Tree Agreement of 2006. 3. THE EMERGENCE OF HOSTILITIES As earlier discuss above, the obvious reasons for most violent conflict have been natural resources conflict, territorial and ethnicity, and political and economic. The case of the Bakassi conflict was as a result of the colonial legacy left behind by the colonial powers without taking consideration of the indigenous population. As also said above the Bakassi peninsula came into the lime line after the alleged discovery of huge volume of oil reserves by some Chinese experts. Cameroon and Nigeria share a 1600km long border running from Lake Chad in the north down to Bakassi in the south and a maritime boundary meandering into the Gulf of Guinea. It is worth noted here that with all the different borders that Cameroon share with Nigeria, it is only the Bakassi peninsula which has spark tension. This can be seen as a result of the oil discovery in that area and the water which was a veritable ground for fishing. During the 70s, minor tensions have been building up in the claim of ownership of the territory. Clashes took place where some human lives were lost and on May 16, 1981, the first major form of direct violence occur when the Cameroon National Radio announced that three Nigeria patrol boats have violated and entered the Cameroonian territorial waters in Bakassi up to Rio del Rey, and open fire on the Cameroonian army. This act was widely condemned in Cameroon and in retaliation; five Nigerian soldiers were killed by the Cameroonian soldiers. This incident brought a lot of suspicion between the two countries as both countries were accusing the other for causing the incident. While Cameroon on their part accused Nigeria that they were exploiting the matter politically by blaming Cameroon for the incident, Nigeria on their part, insisted that the incident took place along the Akwayafe River. The Nigeria claimed that the incident took place at the Akwayafe River means that they have not a cknowledge the maritime border set down at the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, thus a gross violation. So Cameroon immediately apologizes for the deaths of those five soldiers and promised to pay reparations. This matter was resolved diplomatically and put to rest. But it has triggered the question of sovereignty over the territory. Things take a dramatic turn in the advent of multi party politics in Cameroon in the 1990s. Anglophone Cameroonians started feeling of been marginalized and under-developed. They started asking for their own autonomy and possible Bakassi been a territory under the English speaking part of Cameroon was a big concern to the government of Cameroon. So there was need to consolidate the entire sovereignty of the territory under Cameroon administration. In order to fight this Anglophone antagonism in Cameroon, the government became so hard on the Anglophones especially the Nigerians who have been living in the Anglophone communities for decades doing businesses. Through intimidation and high taxes, many Nigeria traders were forced to leave Cameroon. But the most deliberate incident that fully lead to the occupation of the territory and sends fear of an impending military conflict between the two countries occur in February 1994. At this point in time, Nigeria had deployed 1000 soldiers to Bakassi on the pretext that they were out to protect the Nigerian Traders and fishermen against the continuous Cameroonian Gendarmerie harassment. The deployment of Nigerian troops was not welcome by Cameroon and it eventually break out to an open fire from both sides. It led to many casualties and deaths on civilian population and soldiers from both countries. Cameroon has lost closed to 40 soldiers and many of its soldiers have been taken as pris oners of war by Nigeria. It was this bloody incident that prompted Cameroon to seize the ICJ for adjudication. A complaint was filed on March 29, 1994 to the ICJ. Whether due to a sense of premonition of defeat or due to the fact that many Nigerians were aware of the Bakassi lie, the Nigeria government criticizes the government of Cameroon for taking the matter to the UN. The pointed out that they would have prefer the matter be settled through a bilateral negotiations. They go as far as challenging the competence of the ICJ for lack of jurisdiction in handling the matter. While the matter was pending at the ICJ, fighting was still going on between the two countries. The Nigerian government again deploys another 1000 troops in February 1996. This last deployment of soldiers was the last major incident that shows sign of an impending full scale military war. The Nigerian soldiers invaded and occupied the territory of Bakassi despite the fact that the case was pending at the ICJ. Record holds it that by May 1996, more than 50 Nigerian soldiers had lost their lives and several others taken as prisoners of war according to diplomatic sources. One of the most leading African magazines, The Jeune Afrique has analyzed the situation by saying that the prerequisite for a major military conflict were all present in the case of Bakassi. It went further to analyze the strategic economic importance of the territory to both countries and as a pivotal factor for the cause of the conflict. As tensions continued to grow on the ground with the military presence of both countries in the territory, the government of Cameroon called on the ICJ to institute measures to halt down the fighting. The ICJ immediately asked both countries to stop the fighting while waiting for the final ruling on the matter. But that notwithstanding, both countries still maintain the presence of their military believing that it might work in their favor for the rightful owner of the territory. 4. THE CAUSES OF THE CONFLICT The claim of sovereignty over the peninsula between the Republic of Cameroon and the Federal Republic of Nigeria is one the several violent conflicts that have plagued Africa for a very longtime as I mentioned in the preceding chapters. It was one of an interstate state war that could have escalated to a full blown war if not of the high sense of responsibilities on the parts of the UN on one hand and the countries concern on the other hand. The causes of the conflict are discussed below. 4.1. Economic factors It is evident that economic factors might have stemmed up the conflict over the ownership of the territory. If we go back to the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, we can see that both countries were more or less not interested in the area. Nigeria under British rule have surrender the area to the Germans who were at that time ruling Cameroon. British Nigeria ceded this territory to the German in 1913, and even after independence, Nigeria still did not made any claim to the territory. Cameroon on her part, knew and sees the peninsula as its territory but failed to carry out any development in the area. The government of Cameroon did not put up any administrative structure in the area to indicate that the rule the place. They equally left the place at the mercy of the dominant Nigeria indigenous population to carry out their trading and fishing activities along the peninsula with little or no control except the arbitrary tax collection from the people by the authorities of Cameroon. This point is to bring out the picture of the peninsula at that time, but things take a dramatic turn when during the late 70s and 80s, there was an alleged discovery of huge volume of oil reserves around the Rio del Rey area of the peninsula. A good number of foreign multi-national companies have carried out surveys in the peninsula and came out with the reports that the territory may indeed be a treasure of immeasurable economic value. The discovery of oil reserves was not the only determinant economic factor that almost plunged both countries to a war. The fact that Bakassi peninsula is situated between two great oceans i.e. the cold Benguela current and the warm Guinea current, makes it a veritable ground for fishing. It also harbors a wide variety of fishes and other maritime wildlife creatures. According to the internet encyclopedia, the Wikipedia, the fertility of the Bakassi peninsula as a fishing ground is comparable only to Newfoundland in North America and Scandinavia in Western Europe. It was as a result of these economic benefits i.e. the prospect of potential oil reserves and securing the fishing rights, that the Germans were so desperate on keeping the peninsula to themselves during the 1913 agreement. It would not be a gainsaying that economic factors attracted the attention of both countries to claim sovereignty of the peninsula, judging from the discovery of oil reserves and the sale of fishing rights. 4.2. Political reasons The Cameroon and Nigeria claim of sovereignty over Bakassi also has a political manoveuvres, i.e. political reasons also contributed to the conflict. It is believed that the political leaders of both countries wanted to use Bakassi as a means to divert public opinion from their respective home countries. This is evident of the fact that there was growing unpopularity of the leaders of both countries. They wanted to shift the public attention to Bakassi so that their citizens will forget about their worries at home when engaged in a full scale war. Both governments have failed to address the economic problems, unemployment, bad governance, bribery and corruption, lack of social services and the bad Human Rights records they hold. Cameroon under President Amadou Ahidjos human rights records was not a good one as he was notorious for the violation of human rights during his time as president. Examples of his bad Human Rights violation is the killing of more than 25,000 people during the UPC revolt in the 1960s as reported by Albert Mukong and Mongo Beti. Then came President Paul Biya who succeeded Ahidjo in 1982 and is still on seat. Under Biya, the economy has faced a severe economic crisis in the mid 80s that saw the currency been devalued. The salaries of normal civil servants was reduced to about 70% while those of the army was increase, and that is why the army is so loyal to the president and do not plan to overthrown him in a coup. On the part of Nigeria, the situation was not too different from Cameroon, but the prominent problem that Nigeria was undergoing before the return to civilian rule was the successive military coups that has seen their governments from time to time been toppled. In fact, Nigeria holds worlds record for the highest number of military coups and counter coup attempts. These coups have led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and soldiers. Looking at her human rights records, nearly all the successive governments have had a very bad human rights record. They are noted for killing their political opponents, an example is the assassination of the minority leader Ken Saro Wiwa and nine others in November 1995. The unreasonable imprisonment of acclaimed winner of the presidential election of 1992 Moshood Abiola and the events leading to his death while in prison still remain a fact to be told. Even the brutal murder of Abiolas wife made the government unpopular. It very evident from the above mentioned paragraphs that both Cameroon and Nigeria had nothing to ride home with because the governments of both countries were facing internal and severe ethnic nationalism and economic fallout. They believe that diverting the peoples mind into an external crisis will work in their favors. They made their citizens to believe that Bakassi was worth fighting for i.e. to defend their fatherland. 4.3. National and human securities Security issues have been very vital and play an important role in the peninsula, as such were one of the causes of the claim of sovereignty over Bakassi. This is true to the fact that during 1884, the Chief of Old Calabar signed a Treaty of Protection ceding the territory (Bakassi) to the Britain. Britain thereafter ceded the territory during the 1913 Treaty to German Kamerun in order to secure a safe passage to the port of Calabar and also reassuring the Germans that she will not made any further advancements to the east. Security in the wider sense could so also be seen in the domain of national security and human security. The former been the security of the states sovereignty and the latter been the security of the citizens. So in this light, both countries were fast to advance security reasons for the military occupation of the peninsula. Nigeria lay claims that she invaded Bakassi to protect her citizens who were doing business and carry out fishing activities in the area against the continuous harassment from the Cameroonian forces, while Cameroon on her part, claimed that the obvious reason was to protect the territorial integrity of the state as she claims Nigeria has violated its sovereignty and posed a threat to her national security. 4.4. Natural resources Natural resources have been the cause of several violent conflicts in the developing countries. The question is can natural resources be seen as a curse or a blessing. This is a territory which was out of the discussion tables of both country, but soon became a bone of contention to the countries immediately after the discovery of oil reserves or black gold as is commonly refer to in Africa. Many oppressive regimes will want to be in full control of the natural resources. For the fact that another border region which is the Lake Chad between Cameroon and Nigeria is gradually disappearing because of over used by the neighboring countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, DR Congo, Tchad and Equatorial Guinea. With the assurance that the Bakassi peninsula is blessed with natural resources such as oil and fishes, both countries divert their attention there claiming sovereignty. 4.5. Territorial integrity The territorial integrity of the peninsula also plays a very important role for both countries as they believed it was the responsibility of the state to protect the sovereignty of its territory against any form of external threat from its neighbors. So we can see here that the Bakassi conflict was an interstates military conflict aim at protecting the sovereignty of the territory as both countries claimed. The government of Cameroon was more than ever ready to defend and protect the sovereignty of the Bakassi people against an impending military occupation from Nigeria. None of the two countries was ready to let go off the territory, as Nigeria on her part, was sending a warning threat that they are very much ready to protect Nigeria citizens leaving in the area from arbitrarily harassment from the Cameroon Gendarmes and as such protecting the sovereignty of the territory. 4.6. Socio-cultural aspects The territory under question was largely inhabited by the Efik indigenous people who see themselves as belonging to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They made up about 90% of the population and would not understand why they should be forced to be governed by Cameroon in case the ruling of the Hague was in favor of Cameroon. This is a territory that has been long forgotten by the government of Cameroon with no social structure put in place to make it look like a Cameroon territory. Nigeria on their part has built some few schools in the area and putting up some structures to give life to her citizens leaving in the area. Nigeria used her large population advantage to claim sovereignty of the territory, though the government of Cameroon accuses the Nigeria government that they took advantage of their large home population and thereby transfer so many Nigerians to live in the Bakassi peninsula, so that it will give them an upper hand in claiming sovereignty of the territory. It can also be justified here that the bulk of the Bakassi population who claimed to be of Nigeria origin, were not willing to lose their territory to Cameroon and so urges the Nigeria government to go to war if it needs arise. Culturally speaking, we can also see that the colonial demarcations of the borders done a great deal to the people, as we can find the Efik people on the side of Nigeria speaking the same language with the Akwaya people in Cameroon. These two tribes have the same cultures, traditional rites and traditional attires during festivities. It cannot be deny here that peoples of the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon have similar cultures with the peoples of Benue, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Taraba states of Nigeria. So it is obvious that Nigeria based her claim of sovereignty over the territory was as a result of their large population in the area. 5. HOW THE CONFLICT WAS RESOLVED AND MANAGED When Nigerian troops violated the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913, by invading the territory of Rio del Rey in May 16, 1961, they claimed five of their soldiers were killed by the Cameroon soldiers. So in respond, the Shehu Shagari the president of Nigeria made it clear that the Nigerian soldiers were not on the Rio del Rey territory but on the Akwayafe territory and as such demanded an apology from Cameroon for the death soldiers. It can be seen here that both countries resorted to diplomatic means to queue down the growing tensions and somehow the conflict was managed. The government of Cameroon made an official apology on July 1981, and promised to pay reparations to Nigeria. This brought the misunderstanding to an end. But worth noting here, is the fact that Nigeria claimed their soldiers were on the Akwayafe river but not on the Rio del Rey river, meaning they indirectly acknowledged and accept the colonial maritime borders delineated by the 1913 Treaty. This sought of management and resolution of

Humang Genome Project :: Science Genetics Technology Papers

Humang Genome Project The Human Genome Project (HGP) is an internationally collaborative venture to identify and mark all the locations of every gene of the human species. The HGP in the United States was started in 1990 and was expected to be a fifteen year effort to map the human genome. There have been a number of technological advances since 1990 that have accelerated the progress of the project to a completion date sometime during the year 2003. The U.S. HGP is composed of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) which hopes to discover 50,000 to 100,000 human genes and make them available for further biological study (1). There are a number of other countries that are involved in the project, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom (1). Besides numerous countries involved in the project there is also a number of commercial companies that are involved in sequencing (6). The collaborative 3 billion dollar price tag will be us ed to sequence the possible 3 billion DNA base pairs of human DNA. The possibilities from the information that will be obtained from the project are virtually endless. It will most likely change many biological and medical research techniques and many of the practices used by our medical professionals today. The knowledge that will be obtained will help lead to new ways of diagnosing, treating, and possibly preventing diseases. Through the discovery of the human genome, the possibilities are endless for agriculture, health services, and new energy sources also. The end result of the HGP will be information about the structure, function and organization of DNA, as we know it today. Technical Aspects of HGP There are a number of goals that have been set forth by the HGP that they hope to have finished by their completion date in 2003. One of the first goals of the project is to identify the 50,000 to 100,000 genes that are found in DNA (2,3,4). The second goal of the HGP is to sequence the 3 billion chemical bases that make up human DNA. DNA sequencing is the process of determining the order of the chemical building blocks "bases" that make up the DNA of the human chromosome. This information will then be stored into a large database so that information can be used by other individuals'. The HGP hopes to then be able to develop tools for the analysis of this data.

FedEx Process Strategy

FedExis the leading global provider of supply chain management services to corporate customers It maintains a fleet of more than 665 aircraft and more than 41,000 motor vehicles and trailers. To complement the express delivery business, FedEx Ground provides small-package ground delivery in North America, and less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier FedEx Freight hauls larger shipments. FedEx Office stores offer a variety of document-related and other business services and serve as retail hubs for other FedEx units. Hoover, n. d. ) I will discuss the process strategies I think FedEx is using in its business operations as well as the location of the company’s headquarters and the benefits to being located there. In reviewing the four types of process strategies; it seems that FedEx uses a combination of all four strategies. Firstly, in looking at the Process Focus, since FedEx provides a variety of different services, their facilities seems to definitely be organized around the differ ent services that FedEx provides.The FedEx office stores are not setup to receive bulk or large freight mail like a FedEx hub. The offices stores are setup like a retail store since the majority of the business would come from providing document related and other business services. Each offices store is also setup as a retail hub for other FedEx units. FedEx Freight haul hubs are setup and designed to ship and receive larger shipments and would have a warehouse look rather than retail store look. The product flow would vary in amounts each day as well as during different times during the day.Looking at the Repetitive Focus strategy, FedEx hubs would definitely have an assembly line type machine involve which would typically scan items being shipped and received and then send them to different areas of the hubs to be shipped out to different locations. In the Product Focus, FedEx would have high volumes of items being shipped and received, but low variety of the types of items being shipped. I say low variety because I would classify what FedEx receives and ships as letter mail, box mail, large freight items etc.The letters, boxes and freight items may have a variety of sizes, but I am looking at the basic classification. Working for FedEx would not require a lot of skilled labor, being that one only needs to learn what part of the operation they are doing, which they then would be doing repetitively. With the different types of items being shipped through FedEx and the different countries these items may have to be shipped to or from, some Mass Customization has to be employed.Some items require special shipping precautions, some customer request certain shipping options, and some countries have different shipping standards. Shipping must be customized for the customer, the items being shipped and the country of origin and destination. In making his dream a reality, Frederick W. Smith; the founder of FedEx; selected Memphis as his hub: it was centrally located and despite inclement weather its modern airport rarely closed. (ASK, n. d. Due to the nature of this type of business, any city with a major airport that’s opened 24 hours a day would be sufficient. As stated above, because of Memphis’s central location in the U. S. I would tend to agree to locate my headquarters in Memphis as well. I have discussed the types of process strategies I think FedEx uses in its business operations. I have identified the location of its headquarters, and the reason why this location was chosen as well as the location’s benefit.

Inside Job Essay

The collapse started back in the 1980’s with the deregulation of Savings and loans, this meant that the government no longer was overseeing the manner in which business was conducted. This in its self did not create the collapse, but as time when along more deregulation in the banking sector took place. Banks could now begin to loosen their lending guidelines, this trend lead to what was know as sub prime lending. Many banks such as Chase, Citi, Bank of America, Countrywide and many more started these companies to lend to the less then slandered banking customers. This way the banks could still make money, but not jeopardize their portfolio customers. Now banks could lend money to customers that had credit scores less then 700 and with resent bankruptcy and even foreclosures and their credit. The biggest reason for the sub prime was money. Now there really was no limit on what interest rate the banks could charge for their sub prime products. The banks could then bundle their sub prime loans and sell them to Wall Street and receive margins on the loans, for example if the prime rate on Wall Street was 4.5% and your interest rate on your loans might be 9.5% Wall Street might pay the bank 3% on all their loans. Now this then is where the collapse is starting, Banks now are offering more and more products to lesser credit worthy customers at high rates and mortgage brokers and bankers are pushing these products because the banks are now offering incentives for these products and why because the banks are making money on them not because they are the best for the consumer. The next chapter of the collapse is on Wall Street as shown in the movie AIG comes up with this great insurance idea of derivatives for the sub prime market. What these derivatives would do is protect the servicers and buyers of sub prime loans in case the loans will fail and who helped AIG come up with this idea, Their next door neighbor and biggest buyer of sub prime loans Lehman Brothers. As we see in the movie everything comes to a head in 2008, Lehman Brothers closes, AIG is bailed out by the government and all sub prime lenders close.  Yet no one is prosecuted and most all the upper management from the companies that contributed to the collapse are either still teaching business in upper scale colleges or hold positions on government cabinets. In conclusion this movie shows how money and the promise of unlimited amounts, can turn Wall Street and the banking sector to do whatever it takes ethically or unethically to achieve it. We see that companies such as AIG and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will lie and doctor their accounting, and even pay to receive AAA rates even days before they went bankrupt so investors wouldn’t know. Has Wall Street learned its lesson or do they even care?

Summary about Romanesque architecture period

Summary about Romanesque architecture period Romanesque architecture period is one of the most cherished periods in the history of architecture. During this period, several buildings were constructed which have remained fascinating in Europe and attractive to people around the world. This essay gives a summary of the Romanesque architecture period, highlighting some of the major events which took place during this period including historic buildings and structures which continue to symbolize this period today.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Summary about Romanesque architecture period specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to historic findings and recordings, Romanesque architecture thrived during the Medieval or Middle Ages and was highly associated with Normans. In general, Romanesque architecture usually refers to structures which were constructed and used from 800 AD to 1100 AD (Sacred Destinations 1). It has arguably been mentioned that this type of a rchitecture generates major confusion as it relates closely to the architectural designs during the Roman Empire. Notably, Romanesque architecture was originally designed by the Normans after the fall of the Roman Empire. Of importance is the fact that the history of Romanesque architecture was primarily linked to the dedication of people to religion, a fact that resulted into the construction of several churches in England which adopted Romanesque design. Many people who visited the Holy Land admired magnificent architectural work done by the Byzantine Empire. This admiration caused a revolution in architecture, castle building ideas and engineering during the Romanesque architecture period (Browne 4). As mentioned above, the existing interest in religion during Romanesque time necessitated construction of buildings which could conveniently accommodate huge crowds in places like Santiago. Due to huge crowds flocking these places, basilicas were unable to hold them resulting into th e need to have the buildings designed to have the shape of a cross. Additionally, architects adopted this design because they wanted to do away with wood as the main construction material (Castles 1). They therefore began using stones, groin and barrel vaults to make ceilings for most of the churches. Although this was adopted, ceiling weight overpowered walls forcing architects to pile stones along the walls for the purpose of supporting them and preventing them from being pushed outward. Alternatively, architectures opted to use thick walls which could withstand the heavy weight of ceilings emanating from ceiling stones. This resulted into the use of small windows, making the interior of most churches to be dim (Sacred Destinations 1).Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, the Romanesque architecture period has been referred to as the Age of Monasticism during which monastic homes became common as they attracted the attention of religious people and scholars. This period also coincided with the Crusades Age when Christians were determined to restore freedom for Holy Lands (Castles 1). These events promoted economic growth through trade, construction of infrastructure like roads and the expansion of the construction industry to meet extra demand for buildings. In analyzing this period, Norman is also considered as one of the most significant modifications of the Romanesque architecture in Normandy, France. It is believed that the interior of St. Etienne clearly illustrates evidence why Norman architecture remains the most advanced construction design of the period (Sacred Destinations 1). Its interior displays a complex design depicting the Gothic style of construction. Notably, the round Roman arch is gives the main difference between Gothic designs and Romanesque architecture. Although there were other construction styles, Romanesque architec ture influenced construction engineers across Europe. This was common in the construction of churches in England which were later converted into cathedrals (Sacred Destinations 1). Even though a good number of the cathedrals were constructed in different ways, Norman styles were also applied especially in the nave arcades. It is important to mention that the Gothic arches of Winchester Cathedral were developed from Norman piers curved by masonries. This was also witnessed in parts of Italy where churches like the Florence Cathedral was built based on the Gothic style (Castles 1). It comprised of the sturdy columns which portrayed a tailored version of the Corinthians. Architects made use of the pointed vault as it was used together with the semicircular arches. Based on this assumption, many analysts have argued that most facades of Gothic churches in parts of Italy are almost indistinguishable from Romanesque as they have a wide range of similarities. Similarly, the Romanesque peri od was an important time that led to defensive architecture manifested through design and architecture in most parts of Europe. Although these architectural designs were common to churches and monastic buildings, it extended to castles and other buildings during the same period (Sacred Destinations 1). Despite the fact that most of these buildings have been ruined throughout history as a result of war and politics, there are some which have remained intact. A good example is the White Tower found within the Tower of London, constructed by William the Conqueror as his stronghold and residence (Castles 1). In parts of Germany, palaces were mainly built for bishops and rulers as wealthy merchants used Romanesque architecture to build their homes in towns.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Summary about Romanesque architecture period specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Based on the above analysis, it is evident that Romanesq ue architecture period was a significant time in the history of several architectural designs. The influence of this period has remained evident from buildings around the world which were constructed during this period. Browne, Edith. Romanesque Architecture. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2005. Print. Castles. Romanesque Architecture. Castles, 2011. Web. ancientfortresses.org/romanesque-architecture.htm. Sacred Destinations. Romanesque Architecture. Sacred Destinations, 2011. Web.

Using Beowulf in the Secondary Education Classroom Research Paper

Using Beowulf in the Secondary Education Classroom - Research Paper Example During the Anglo Saxon era story telling was an integral part of their daily life. Storytelling had a huge significance to the societies them. Storytelling was done for entertainment, to teach, and as a pastime. As a result of their storytelling culture, they are able to keep certain aspects of social conducts in check. The resulting situation is one in which people were able to know the social standards of conduct that is expected of them by the society. It was also used as a way of passing of culture from generation to generation. The stories that were traditionally told in the Anglo Saxon societies had a number of cultural messages that were passed to the audience (Zimmerman 125). As a result of this nature, they were able to give cultural details to people, enabling the continuity of the society’s cultural values. This is the reason as to why storytelling is commonly referred to as one of the most effective means through which societies in the Anglo Saxon era made sure tha t they preserved their culture from one generation to another. Traditionally the Anglo Saxon culture was always passed from one generation to another through oral literature. This made oral literature an important part of the lives of the people during the Anglo Saxon era. The thing about oral literature that is closely dependent on language. Understanding of a community’s linguistic history will enable someone to understand their oral literature. The English language has undergone some changes between the time of Anglo Saxon and the modern British society (Davison, Jon, Caroline Daly, and John Moss 99). This kind of understanding will help someone in getting the most from Anglo Saxon epic poems such as Beowulf. This will also enhance their use in literal and linguistic arts education. The poem depicts the warrior culture of Europe during the period of Anglo Saxon. This is in many ways of high historical

Classic and Non Classic Analysis in Likelife Essay - 7

Classic and Non Classic Analysis in Likelife - Essay Example Classic style is identified by a collection of techniques which are used by the writer rather than the attitude depicted towards writing (Thomas and Turner 8). ‘Likelife’ presents a mixture of classical and non classical forms of writing in literature as the writer uses these styles to explain the events that took place in the 2003 World Taxidermy Championship. It not only depicts the technique but the passion of the writer towards her topic of discussion. Thomas and Turner refer to this aspect as a concept used in classic style. Orlean Susan The uses classic style in ‘Likelife’ as she describes the culture portrayed in taxidermy events. This notion depicts the art of classic writing as the writer tends to know what she is scripting before the actual publication. She describes Taxidermy Championship as a culture that astonishes many people in the world. Susan presents the history of World Taxidermy Championship which portrays the concept of classic writing as it refers to classical events. The World Taxidermy Championship became popular in 1882. It was viewed as a culture of the Society of American Taxidermists. Â   Non classic style is reflected in Orlean’s writing where she presents the transformation of World Taxidermy Championship from being an ordinary cultural event to an economy generating sport (Thomas and Turner 8). This is due to its ability to raise much income annually. Taxidermy is estimated to raise 570million dollars annually. Economic reflection in literature is not a concept used in classic but modern writing as it depicts the influence of pop culture in literature. This form of transition from describing the sport as a traditional cultural practice to an economic event presents the difference between two eras thus depicting the art and role of non classic style as described by Thomas and Turner.