Current Situation in Diversity Management in the Workplace Essay

Current Situation in Diversity Management in the Workplace - Essay Example Thus, diversity in management is essential in the current state of economic affairs. Diversity in workplace helps the organizations to attract businesses, corporations and government talents from almost all the directions. It also helps the companies to tap emerging new markets and enjoy the fruits of efficient government policies (Cook, 24). Managing diversity in the firms involves observing legal and policy requirements in a very simple manner. In the current epoch diversity in workplaces helps companies to promote community and comfort with differences (Williams 17). Finally diversity in the workplaces helps firms to achieve successful growth in the long run. Workplace diversity provides immense benefits to an organization. The business firms can expand their thoughts outside-the-box and enjoy efficient teamwork with diversity in managements. A cordial atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect is enjoyed by the workers in an organization that diversifies its workplace.  "A company’s performance is always linked to its ability to recruit the right people. People want to work for companies that demonstrate that diversity matters. There needs to be a sustained culture assault down the supply chain that business must encourage.† (Shakhray 6). ... In order to compete in the growing economy, it is important for the business organizations to select the brightest talent in their agencies. This is easily executed in the current era with diversification of management of the workplaces. More innovative and creative solutions are formulized nowadays by the business firms by diversifying in terms of experiences and skills. Significant improvement in both workplace productivity and work performance can be enjoyed by the firms in the current economy with the help of diversification of bureau. Briefly, diversity of work is the actual key that is responsible to foster the economic growth of the current period. Case Study: Workforce Diversity in U.S. U.S. is a highly developed country in the world both in terms of social and economical development. The rate of urbanization in the country is above 80%. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as GDP per Capita is improving significantly in U.S. with time. About 79.7% of the total population in U.S. is engaged in the service sector. The service sector of the country is highly diverse in terms of skill, race, gender etc. Approximately 155,163,000 was the labor force of U.S. in July 2012. This strength included the workers who were actively employed as well as those who were seeking employments. Figure 1: Workforce diversity in US (Source: American Progress, â€Å"The State of Diversity in Today’s Workforce†) The graph above enumerates the current workforce diversity in the U.S. market in 2011 in the employment sector. It is visualized from the above graph that 16.49% of the total workforce works in the state owned public sectors in U.S. 10.58% and 3.8% are the proportions of the people working in

Globalization of China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalization of China - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, while assessing the effects of globalization in the world, China offers the most classic example, owing to the way the country has been able to match the opening-up of the country to the rest of the world, with development and geographical advancement of most of its provinces, as well as the revolutionized administration and governance of corporate institutions, and the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (Fan and Zhang, n.p.). Notwithstanding the advantages offered by globalization to China, there are several negative effects that globalization has brought about, which essentially backtracks the gains that the country had made, especially in the cultural and social value systems (Ma, n.p.). The closing of the Starbuck’s coffee house in China's former imperial palace is a good example of how globalization can bring about cultural and social transformation that are detrimental to the value-based system that a country has upheld as the core of its identity (The New York Times, n.p.). ... itors, but its presence in the Chinese museum was found to be threat to Chinese culture, thus attracting media and online protests that led to its closure (The New York Times, n.p.). China’s economy has highly been boosted by the investment of foreign firms within its economy, especially starting the early 1990s, when it implemented some of the much desired financial deregulation (Fan and Zhang, n.p.). This allowed for more entry of investment firms within the country from other foreign countries, especially from Europe and the USA, through eliminating the fixed exchange rates of its currency, thus allowing for more flexible foreign exchange transactions (Mckinnon, n.p.). Therefore, globalization has played the role of a major economic booster in China’s economy, which has in turn made it possible for the country to lift a large percentage of its population from poverty, considering that they can now have jobs that are created by the foreign investments firms in the cou ntry (Mckinnon, n.p.). The deregulation of the currency control in China served to ensure exchange stability, while also promoting aligned price-level of products, thus making it easy for foreign investment firms to gain entry into the country, whose business accounts for a huge growth of the Chinese economy. Further, through globalization, China has been able to operate highly in the technological world, through a creation of a platform through which labor can be exchanged with foreign countries (Fan and Zhang, n.p.). Despite the tight control of the internet that the Chinese government has been applying to regulate the use of the internet within the country, China is one of the largest outsourcing global hub, with many large companies outsourcing labor from China, through the application of

English As An International Language English Language Essay

English As An International Language English Language Essay Introduction: Teacher of English as a second language is ultimately faced with a dichotomy between knowledge and performance, especially if they teach courses with a major component of written expression. A class of English language learners can perform sufficiently in routine grammatical exercises, but then fail signally to translate this demonstrated knowledge into reality when faced with the task of writing original prose. The purpose of this paper is to present a numerical analysis of grammatical errors in students writing as a means of identifying those aspects of English grammar that do not translate well from routine testing of grammatical knowledge to original work. The results provide some insight into shortfall in the capabilities of students and, more importantly, identify ways to redress them. Interest in the teaching of English as an international language has been growing throughout the Arab countries, and most Arab governments began to launch the teaching of English as compulsory subject in schools. At present, in most Arab countries, all students who finish the public secondary school education must have had at least eight years of teaching in English as a school subject. So, because of the widespread use of English as a second language, the subject of language teaching in general and teaching English as a foreign or second language in particular, has become the focus of attention of most Arab researchers (Al-Khatib, 2000). As far as English at tertiary level in the Arab world is concerned, (Zughoul, 2003; Sultana, (2001) point out that teaching through the medium of English is obvious in the field of higher education with the exception of Syria which maintained a strong teaching tradition through the medium of Arabic. Zughoul, in confirming this issue has said, no law s have been enacted or language plans drawn to be implemented regarding the use of Arabic in Arab universities in any Arab country (ibid, (2003). As far as Arab students are concerned, recently, Rababah has rightly stated that attitudinal studies conducted on Arab students, consistently showed that Arab students are instrumentally motivated to learn English and that they are well aware of the utility of knowing English. The main stimulus for learning English is instrumental, i.e. to achieve a goal, e.g. a career (ibid, 2003).To shed more about the present status of English in the Arab world, Zughoul rightly states: despite the hegemonic and imperialistic nature of English, it is still badly needed in the Arab world for the purposes of communicating with the world, education, acquisition of technology and development at large. Teaching still needs more efforts to be exerted to raise the quality and standard of English of the Arab learners at all levels, (ibid 2003). General Background Language is a means of communication with individuals. It is a system of sound which is structured and used to communicate peoples feeling, intentions, purpose, etc to the others. It is a special characteristic of human or it can also be regarded as one of human criteria because only human beings speak a language. However, the ability to speak a language should be developed in a social group. Sapir (1921:p 8) says language is purely human and non instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotional, and desires by means of system of voluntarily produced symbols. One of the Languages is English. It is one of the languages used in communication almost all over the world. It used mainly in Britain and its commonwealth all over the world and it has become one of the main languages of international communication. It has a very important role in technological and scientific advances. 2.1 Grammar The word grammar has several meanings and there is no universally accepted definition. Different experts define the term grammar differently. There is no fixed definition of grammar. Leech (1982: 3) defined grammar as something in reference to the mechanism according to which language works when it is used to communicate with other people. Harmer (2001: 12) defines grammar as the description of the ways in which words can change their forms and can be combined into sentences in that language. Gerot Wignell (1994: 2) state that grammar is a theory of a language, of how language is put together and how it works. Having known the definition of grammar, it is not hard for us to understand why grammar is useful and important. Without knowing the grammar of a language, one can not be said to have learned the language. Besides, it seems impossible to learn a language without learning the grammar because it tells him how to use the language. People learn how to construct a good message base d on the rules they have known and try to convey the message to the others. These rules are termed as grammar. The mechanism of grammar cannot be seen concretely, because it is rather abstractly represented in the human mind, but we know it is there because it works. One way of describing this mechanism is by means of a set of rules which allow us to put words together in certain ways which do not allow others. The meaning of a message conveyed by language has to be converted into words put together according to grammatical rules and these words are then conveyed by sounds. Preposition and particles Sawn states that Arabic has a wealth of fixed prepositions and particles, used with both verbs and adjectives. Many of these do not coincide with their direct English translation. There are no phrasal verbs in arabic and this whole area is one of the great difficult for Arabic speakers. Defence mechanisms may involve selecting alternative but regular verbs to avoid using phrasal verbs altogether, or the misuse or omission of the preposition or particle. As prepositions in Arabic are always followed by or linked to a noun or pronoun, preposition- stranding patterns in English will usually be avoided in favour of the Arabic patterns, which are often similar to more formal English. Literature Review: A Review of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Research Over the past years, studies of second languages learning have occupied a significant position in the field of linguistic. The term second language acquisition refer to the subconscious or conscious by which a language other than the other tongue is learnt in natural or a taught setting. It includes the development of phonology, lexis, grammar and pragmatic knowledge (Ellis, 2008). Ellis (2008) defined Second Language Acquisition (SLA) as the study which people have showed great interests although it does not have a long history. Interlanguage Theory (IL) The Definition of Interlanguage According to Selinker (1972), interlanguage refers to the separateness of a second language learners system, system that has a structurally intermediate status between the native and target languages. (p. 201). Nemser (1971:9) stresses the successive approximation to the target language in his term approximative system. Corder (1972:151) makes use of the term idiosyncratic dialect to denote the idea that learners language is unique to a particular individual. While each of these descriptions focuses on a particular idea, they share the idea that second language learners form their own language system. Richards (1974: 124) states that the sources of errors in studying a language might be derived from the interference of the learners mother tongue and the general characteristics of the rule learning. The general characteristics of the rule learning cause the errors which are called the intralanguage errors and the interference of the learners mother tongue causes the errors which are called the interlanguage errors. He (1974) makes a distinction between three sources of competence errors: (1) Interference errors happen as an effect of the use of element from one language whereas speaking another. (2) Intralingual errors reveal the general characteristics of rule learning such as faulty generalization, incomplete application of rules and failure to learn conditions under which rules apply. (3) Developmental errors occur when the learner try to build up hypothesis about the target language on the basis of limited experience. Richards (1971) also classifies intralingual errors into four types: Overgeneralization It occurs when the learner produces an unexpected structure on the basis of other structures in the target language. In other words, it involves the creation of one unusual structure in place of two target language structures. Ignorance of the rule restrictions It includes the application of rules to context where they do not apply. It is in general linked to analogy. It contains a failure to fully develop a structure. As a result, learners of L2 English have been observed to use word order of declaration in questions. This type of intralingual error keeps up a correspondence to what is often referred to as an error of transitional competence (Richards, 1971:174) False concepts hypothesized The final type of intralanguage error, that is sometimes named semantic error, may be derived from faulty comprehension in the target language. The Stages of IL Development It can be said that there are many way to describe the progression of linguistic development and learners are variable in their acquisition. According to Brown (2000/1994:p211), IL development can be classified into four stages. The first stage is random errors, in which the learner cannot recognize that there are some systematic orders to a particular class of items. The second stage is emergent, in which learner becomes consistent in linguistic production. The third stage is a systematic stage in which the learner has a capacity to prove more consistency. When their errors are pointed out, they will correct their errors right away. Certainly, they are more close to the target language. The last stage is stabilization stage which is characterised by the learners ability to self-correct. Approaches to IL Study Contrastive Analysis (CA) According to Johnson Johnson (1998:110), Contrastive analysis is a comparing two linguistic systems, the learner L1 and the target L2 with a view to determining structural similarities and differences. Because of it, making errors in learning language is regularly happen. As said by Brown (1994:193), second language learning basically involved the overcoming of the differences between the two linguistic systems- the native and the target languages. Lado (1957:2) pointed out that the forms meanings and distribution of native language and culture can be transferred to the target language. He also states that those elements that are similar to this native language will be simple for him and those elements that are different will be difficult.(p:2) Error Analysis (EA) Significance of Error Analysis Error analysis in SLA was established in 1960s by Stephen Pit Corder and colleagues. Error analysis was an alternative to contrastive analysis, an approach influenced by behaviourism through which applied linguistic sough to use the formal distinctions between the learners L1 and L2 to predicted errors. According to James (1998:1), error analysis is the process of determining the incidences, nature, causes and consequences of unsuccessful language. It can be said that making errors in language process can be extremely common. As Ubol (1988: 8) said, Errors analysis is a systematic description and explanation of errors made by learners or user in their oral or written production on the TL. That is mean that error analysis is concerned with the explanation of occurrence error and production error of their oral or written expression differs from that of native speaker or Target Language (TL) Corder (1981) noted that Errors can be significant in three different ways. Firstly, teacher can have information about how much the learner had learnt. Secondly, the research can have evidence of how language was learnt. Thirdly, errors served as devices by which the learner discovered the rules of the Target Language (TL) Procedures of Error To analysis the data, I use error analysis method. Corder was quoted by Ellis(2008:46) recommends the following steps to conduct an error analysis investigate: Collection of a sample of learner language by which deciding what patterns of learner language to use for analysis and how to collect thesis patterns. Identification of errors by which underlying the errors the learner made. Description of errors in which errors can be classified as group that found and declaring the classes of the errors. Explanation of errors by which the errors can be established the source of the errors and calculating how often errors appear. Evaluation of errors in which tabelizing errors and drawing conclusion can be involved. Referring to the steps of error analysis method above, the date will be analysis as following: Identification of errors: In this step, I studied the acquired data and tried to find out grammatical errors in particular errors in use of preposition. I tried to analysis the data as objective as possible. Description of errors: Once the errors have been identified. I classified the errors into the category of errors in use of preposition. Evaluation of errors: In this step would be drawing a conclusion based on the analysis. I have to make a valid conclusion in the form of a brief description of the errors. Error Types Brown(1994) pointed out that there are two type (Another division that is widely agreed on is that interlingual errors and intralingual errors believed by linguists. An error that results from language transfer, which is caused by the learners native language, is called interlingual errors. Intralingual errors refer to those produced in using the target language in own terms. They result from faulty or partial of the target language, rather than from language transfer. Errors in the use of prepositions Prepositions are always followed by nouns (or pronouns). They are connective words that show the relationship between the nouns following them and one of the basic sentence elements: subject, verb, object, or complement. They usually indicate relationships, such as position, place, direction, time, manner, agent, possession, and condition, between their objects and other parts of the sentence (Wishon and Burks, 1980: 288). A preposition may be composed of one, two, or three parts. For instance: a. one part: of, on, in, at, for, from b. two parts: because of, according to, etc c. three parts: in front of, on top of, as far as, etc In using a preposition, one should be aware because there is no certain rule for this. One has to determine which preposition should be used based on its context. Previous studies Students on EFL Arab Learners writing Errors Bacha (2002:161) states that L2 writers are known to face problems in developing their writing skills at the university level. These problems are even more accentuated with L1 Arabic non-native speakers of English in required English composition. She has added that Arab learners or a foreign language or second language do have serious problems in writing and may not be motivated to develop their writing skills. Kharma and Hajjaj (1997) described preposition as an everlasting problem for EFL Arab learner. Kharmas statement based on his own empirical and theoretical studies conducted in several Arab countries (e.g. Arab Gulf and Jordan) and because he observed that almost all research on syntactic errors in the Arab world, preposition were found to be the most troublesome grammatical words and constantly continue a significant preposition of error occupied the first of second position among other syntactic and semantic errors. Methodology Participants The participants of this study are the IELTS class of Arab students in English language centre at Manchester Metropolitan University in the academic year of 2010. The class consists of 19 students. I choose nine of their written work randomly. I selected them to be subject of this study because they have already learnt the English grammar and they use English in the classroom teaching learning process as well. Data collection In collection the data, the materials used for analysis were 9 written works on one topic from IELTS course students at Manchester Metropolitan University. The students were asked to write topic about; in my dairy, I will: The topic was chosen for students to practise the simple past tense. The work was done as activity in class, but the students were allowed to use dictionaries. The work created by the students was thoughtful, creative and well structured. I tried to analysis the students errors and to find out the grammatical errors done by students in particular preposition errors. Discussion of errors The subjects of this study made 28 errors ( see appendix 2). There are three subcategories of errors (substitution, addition and omission) will be presented by the side of their source whether it is intralingual or interlingual. The number of errors is small as mentioned above. In the discussion of errors in this study, only few examples for sake of illustration to the three categories will be given and discussed. Errors of substitution Analysis of the data disclosee examples of the substitution of prepositions which seemed to be caused by both, the students mother tongue interference and influence of the target language itself. The majority of the errors were of substitutes, made in the use of prepositions in the composition whether the source was interlingual or intralingual. Interlingual Errors Intralingual Errors Total In instead at: The following are illustrative examples: I felt comfortable to learn English in MMU. I did registration in police. At instead in: Finally, at the first week, I felt homesick. This error are attributed to overgeneralization that arises from the ambiguity in the learners mind, particularly when they face the task of using one preposition to express different connections and meanings. In this case, the learners will overgenerlise one item over the other as in (1) they overgenerlised the preposition at instead of in. To instead for: The following is illustrative example: I took photos to him. To instead in: The following are illustrative examples: I arrived to Manchester. It was my first time to the UK. To instead on: The following are illustrative examples: My teachers asked us to go with group to campus. We took our student cards and to enrolled to our course. For instead to: The following are illustrative examples: I started for study hard. I came here for learn English. About instead for: The following are illustrative examples: My first impression about the university was good. I search about a flat or home. During instead over: The following is illustrative example: During the three weeks. Errors of addition The addition of preposition indicated those redundant propositions are used where they are not needed. The analysis of the date showed that (5) prepositions were added they were not necessary. Analysis of data showed examples of the addition of prepositions which seemed to be caused by both, students s mother tongue interference and the influence of the target language itself. Here some illustrative examples: Addition of of I started stady of Eingliesh. The error in the above example attributed to the TL interference. in the same way, Modern Sanders Arabic does not need a preposition in such context. Therefore, the learner of this sentence overgeneralised the use of the preposition of in position where it is not nedded. Addition of for I spent about three hour for studying. Addition of to I pray everyday to arrive my passport. I met to Staphany at that time. We went to shopping. Errors of omission Analysis of the data revealed that there are prepositions were omitted from places where they were needed. Also, analysis of data revealed examples of omission of preposition which seemed to be caused by both, the student mother tongue and the influence of the target language itself. Here are some examples: Omission of (of) The following are illustrative examples: It was my first time to ride^ a train. I went to Manchester Metropolitan University, because^ registration. Omission of (for) When I came back to my flat with my family^ about one hour. ^the first three weeks, I visited my friend in Manchester. I visited hotel in London ^3 days. Omission of (on) The following are illustrative examples: I got her my passport^ Wednesday. ^the first day in the school language. Omission of (in) The following are illustrative examples: ^ the second week, When I arrived ^Manchester,.. (1) Based on the finding of the analysis, it shows that the students made a total of 235 errors which consists of 153 or 65 % errors in using verb forms, 3 or 1.3 % errors in agreement between subject and verb, 10 or 4.3 % errors in the use of article, 30 or 12.8 % errors in the use of preposition, 12 or 5.1 % errors in pluralization, 23 or 9.8 % errors in the use of pronoun, and 4 or 1.7 % errors in the use of conjunction. (2) According to the findings, it can be concluded that the students have not mastered the use of verb groups. We can see it from the number of the errors made. Although they had been taught about it before, they were still confused which one to use when making a grammatical sentence. It could be because in bahasa Indonesia we do not have the verb conjugations. We do not have time signaling in expressing ideas. They are unfamiliar to this form and because English is still foreign for them. And those are the possible causes of their errors. The students were still confused in making the agreement between subject and verb. It could be because in bahasa Indonesia there is no agreement between subject and verb. The students were still confused in differentiating whether to use the definite or indefinite articles. It could be because in Indonesian language grammar there is no definite article used. The students still confused in deciding preposition which preposition should be used, whether to use in, on, or at. The students overgeneralized the pluralizing of nouns. They just added the -s/ -es without considering that there are some irregular forms of nouns pluralization. The students still confused in deciding which pronoun should be used to substitute nouns, whether it is personal, relative, possessive, or demonstrative pronouns. The students applied rules in forming past time verb to conjunctions. From the explanations above, I can conclude that the students still confused in dealing with English grammar systems. Pedagogical implication:

Childhood Shyness and Childrens Literature Essay -- Teaching Education

Childhood Shyness and Childrens Literature Understanding the Distress of Children Who Suffer from Shyness Almost everyone has felt shy at some point in his or her life. Feeling uncomfortable or anxious in a new social setting is not uncommon or something to be overly concerned about; however, there are many people whose lives suffer because of their shyness. Shyness can have many harmful effects on a person’s emotional and social well being (Bruch, 1999). Even though research on shyness has mainly focused on adults, shyness can be just as difficult, if not more difficult, for children. Because social and emotional development are so important during the school years as children are meeting and interacting with their peers, we see it as very important for teachers to be in tune with these types of developmental needs. Children’s literature is a great way to bring up and discuss emotional and social issues. We found some wonderful children’s books that teachers can use in the classroom to discuss shyness, how it affects people, and how to make others feel better w ho are shy. If you have ever known a truly shy child, you probably know how difficult being shy can be for that child. It can be very painful to see a shy child â€Å"desperately wanting to be accepted by other children yet not knowing what to do to gain their approval, or else too frightened to take the risk of trying to reach out to them† (Zimbardo, 1981, p. 4). A women expresses difficulty with having been a shy child: Growing up is painful at best, but excruciating for the shy. When others could not understand the reason for my lack of zest for life, I knew all along that my shyness was the real problem. I was terribly envious of anyone who seemed comfortable with people. Anyone who could express their thoughts verbally . . . (Zimbardo, 1981, p. 4). A child who is suffering from this much pain needs to be of concern. Anything that makes a child unhappy, such as being unpopular, not feeling comfortable around peers, and not being able to communicate thoughts or feelings directly, is hazardous to a person’s psychological well being (Kemple, 1995). Unfortunately children who suffer from shyness frequently go unnoticed by teachers and parents. Shy children are usually well behaved, quiet, and follow the rules they are supposed to (Zimbardo, 1981). Teachers may mistake a... ...ultz, S. (1999). Social anxiety. U.S. News & World Report, 24, 50-54. Seid, R. P. (1999). Dying of shyness. Joe Weider’s Shape, 18 (7), 42-44. Zimbardo, P. G. (1981). The Shy Child. U.S.A, Mexico, Toranto: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Zimbardo, P. G. (1977). Shyness what it is what to do about it. Reeding, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Children’s Books Bechtold, L. (1999). Buster: The Very Shy Dog. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Co. Brown, R. (1998). The Shy Little Angel. New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books. Glaser, L. (1993). Stop That Garbage Truck. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Co. Henkes, O. (1993). Owen. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. Johnston, M. (1996). Let’s Talk About Being Shy. New York, NY: PowerKids Press. Levete, S. (1996). How Do I Feel About Making Friends? Brookfield, CT: Cooper Beech Books. Lester, H. (1999). Hooway For Wodnay Wat. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co. Mathers, P. (1991) Sophie and Lou. USA: Harper Collins Publishers. Raschka, C. (1996) The Blushful Hippopotamus. New York, NY: Orchid Books. Wood, A. (1995). Orlando’s Little-While; A Scrapbook. New York, NY: Child’s Play International LTD.

Boys

The † Higher Power† In today's society men are looked at as, † the higher power † or, as † more powerful † Naturally Boys feel the need to assert their power to others at an early age. Rick Moody's short story â€Å"Boys†, shows us the relationships between brother and sister and then between the boys and their father. Boys in early ages can be very ruthless and reckless. In Rick Moody's â€Å"Boys†, the power of masculinity takes over the boys lives and through tragedy the boys are able to come together and let down their guard.In the early stages of the boys lives they feel the need to show off their masculinity and they do this by tormenting their little sister. In Rick Moody's â€Å"Boys†, It states, â€Å"not long after which boys gig a hole In the back yard and bury their younger sister's dolls two feet down, so that she will never find these dolls and these dolls will rot In hell† (Moody 196). The Boys relate thei r sisters dolls to femininity and they feel the need to show off their power by destroying them. Without realizing that they're hurting their sister they do it anyways because they felt the need to show off their auscultation.This shows how at a young age boys can be so reckless toward a family member and not care about how they feel and how they are affecting their lives. Young kids in today's society are very destructive and do not care about other peoples feelings. Later down the road in life boys come to see all the bad they've done and are full of regret. There Is even a piece In the story where the boys go as far as making their sister eat a poisonous mixture. In â€Å"Boys† It says, â€Å"attempting to persuade their sister that she should eat the mixture† (Moody 196).This shows that the boys were ruthless enough to have their sister eat something that could possibly kill her. Boys may be reckless at a young age but when tragedy strikes that's when all the regre t comes to haunt them. At a young age boys can be very destructive without thinking of what can happen, but once something traumatic happens they come to realize the bad things they have done in the past. When the sister is diagnosed with cancer the boys start to go a bit crazy and lose themselves. The boys do not know how to deal with the tragedy and are full of guilt and regret. â€Å"Boys enter the house worried; they argue.The boys are ugly they are failures, they will never be loved, they enter house†(Moody 197). This goes to show how the boys are a mess and that they are starting to not Like themselves. In Moody story It also says, † Boys enter the house, having attempted to locate the spot In their yard where the dolls were burled eight or nine years prior, without success; they go to their sisters room, sit by her bed† (Moody 197-198). At this make up for what they have done and attend to their sister who is diagnosed with cancer. This is when the boys are confused about life and do not know what to think f their lives.Their fathers death is what really brings he boys together and turns them into men. The fathers death in this piece is really what brings the boys closer to maturity and reaching their man hood. At this point the boys are teenagers and are finally figuring out who they are and how to handle themselves. The passing of their father is what brings the boys back together and how they are able to connect with each other. â€Å"Boys enter the house carrying their father, slumped. Happens so fast. Boys rush into the house leading Meet's to the couch in the living room where the body sis, boys enter house, boys enter house, boys enter house† (Moody 199).This part of the story is when the boys father is finally dying and the boys have to come together in the dismissal of their father. After this tragedy the boys now realize that they are the men in the family and they are pressured into maturity. â€Å"Boys no longer bo ys, exit† (Moody 199). This is a very big part of the piece because this is where the boys are finally men. After all the tragic time the boys are finally able to exit as men and not Just boys. They have finally reached maturity. Interactions between siblings show us how tragedy between families bring people loser to maturity.

Political Discourse Essay

Political incivility has been around for a very long time. According to the article â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Nasty Politics in America†, a number of studies have been conducted to prove that politics has always been â€Å"a bit rough†. Many people in and out of the political world are agreeing that politics these days have turned in to a horrible cycle. Politics today involves nasty language about fellow members families, angry protests and violent outbursts. Sometimes racial slurs and discrimination is also involved in bringing down your opponent. Furthermore, political incivility has caused a variety of problems in American politics throughout the years. Knowing this, what are some of the things that can be done to help increase political civility? Political incivility has caused a variety of problems in the political process. Politics today is often biased based off of the partisan media and views of opposing sides of various parties. According to the article â€Å"What Is Civil Engagement Argument and Why Does Aspiring to It Matter? † the partisan media only shares those facts that are inconvenient to their opponents, engage emotion, and replace argument with ridicule causing many of the listeners or viewers to have angry views of the policies on the opposing side. Allowing the partisan media to be broadcasted for Americans to see causes outrage and incivility in the world around us. This brings me to my next point where the violence in the political world is getting out of control. The violence that occurs includes both physical and emotional attacks by the opposing parties. For example, the district office of a Georgia representative was defaced with a swastika, and the lawmaker, who happens to be African American, has been the recipient of racist hate mail (Shea and Sproveri, 417). There have also been many other instances where racial violence was used including during the final health-care reform meetings. A lot of the protesters yelled out racial slurs at the African American members of Congress. Also during this time one of the legislators was spat on while entering the Capitol Building to cast his vote (Shea and Sproveri, 417). This type of violence causes politicians to lack the motivation to run for office. Olympia Snowe, a former Senate member, finds it very frustrating that the atmosphere of polarization and the â€Å"my way or the highway† ideologies has become persuasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions (Maisel, 408). She is resigning from office and decided not to run for her forth term in office. Other politicians are afraid of ridicule about their families and therefore will not be running for office any longer. Another reason that political discourse is harming the American political process is it is influencing the ability of govern. â€Å"Incivility leads to an inability to govern and, therefore, more can be done in other areas† (Maisel, 408). The inability to govern leads the government officials to detach from politics and take interest in other areas. Also, politicians in today’s era have only one thing on their mind and that is to win. They do not care about the common good or the similar believes of the opposing parties. All they want to do is finish on top. This situation is causing the president and other officials to lack the ability to pass laws that may benefit the whole population. â€Å"According to NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll conducted in the fall of 2011, more than four out of five voters felt that the Congress’s decisions on the debt ceiling were decisions made for partisan political advantages† (Maisel, 408). This is problematic because it brings other officials to not want to run for office and for the population to be dissatisfied with the whole system of government. This can lead to outburst and protests by the people of the nation. So, what is the best way to increase civility in American politics? First, we can follow the ways of the people during the World War II period where partisan differences still existed but at the end of the day the government officials went back to their families where their wives and children were interacting with the wives and children of those with whom they had been debating with (Maisel, 409). In those times, the politicians worked together for one cause, which was to be united and progress with the well being of the nation. That is what the politicians in today’s world need to realize. The politicians in that era had certain rules they needed to abide by like they had to treat others involved with respect and civility. They also relied strictly on truth and not on the fact that they need to win no matter what the consequences to the nation are. This seems to be one of the biggest problems that the American politics has today. The US House of Representatives has it’s own set of rules that ensure that there is civility. The Congress has a set of rules that ensure that the disagreements in Congress are purely philosophical but not personal and that their views are legitimate even if they are wrong (Jamieson and Hardy, 412). This is exactly the type of rules that need to be set for regular debates and this will ensure that the members do not over step those boundaries. The House makes sure that the members do not call each other bad names or over step any boundaries that may cause them to lie. They are not even allowed to call their fellow members hypocritical even if they are being hypocritical. Their understanding is that each side needs to be heard and then they will come up with a compromise to make both parties accept it. In conclusion, the political incivility going on today is effecting the government in ways unimaginable. Politicians are not willing to run for office because of their fear of having their families or themselves ridiculed and talked about in an inappropriate manner, there is a big increase in violence during debates and the politicians of today are only focused on winning and not on the benefit of the greater good. There is a lot that needs to be improved before there could be any type of change in the political world. The government needs to set a variety of rules for debates just like the House of Representatives or the Senate has that will set a limit to the type of things the politicians can say to each other. This will minimize the political discourse today and help new politicians accomplish more and help the nation prosper in the future.

Should Ethical Principles be Applied by Multi-National Companies Essay Example

Should Ethical Principles be Applied by Multi Should Ethical Principles be Applied by Multi-National Companies Essay Should Ethical Principles be Applied by Multi-National Companies Essay The question ‘Should Ethical Principles be applied by Multi-National Companies definitely deserves serious answer as this question deals with the economic condition of employees and workers. Also, these multi- National companies played an important economic role in the host country not only in the form of government taxes but in the employment of hundreds if not thousands of workers, which in turn, their families economic needs depends on their take home pay.Winkler and Remisova in their paper defined business ethics as â€Å"an official document of a company that specifies ethical norms, principles, values and ideals† (par. 1).   This definition tried to explain that these codes will serve as guidelines for the employees to behave ethically towards external groups, and that the companies set and apply these ethical principles in order to â€Å"achieve different objectives among others the prevention of incidents caused by ethical misbehavior, better fulfillment of st akeholders’ needs, enhancement of stakeholders’ trust in the company, as well as protection against control and punishment by external authorities (Kaptein as cited by Winkler and Remisova, par. 1).In the paper written by Ingo Winkler and Anna Remisova entitled ‘Do Corporate Codes of Ethics Reflect Issues of Societal Transformation,’ presented the different approaches of the Western German and Slovak companies in the application of ethical principles.   The paper presented that the corporate codes of ethics from these two great enterprises differ as they face ethical situations; the Slovak companies usually â€Å"mirror the specific transformational circumstances in the country† while the German companies â€Å"experience a broader range of relevant ethical problems and codes are internally oriented† (Winkler and Remisova, abstract).   This only indicates that ethical principles applied usually based on the cultural orientation of the com pany as it relates to the environment.   The authors added that the â€Å"negative experiences within the past process of transformation and in part the socialist heritage are the main reasons for the differences between the two samples† (abstract).Most companies exist having written policy with the purpose of integrating company values and ethical principles and help organize and control employee for the sake of the company.   Herbert W. Lovelace stated that these companies have these written policies that require ethical behavior but in many cases, managers live only by the words and not by practice (Lovelace, summary, par. 1).   The emphasis of the statement of Lovelace is the gap going on between the practice and the principles especially in the presence of personal gain and the value of treating people fairly.   The author cited the case wherein the company in order to cut expenses, they need sometimes to demote or fire employees in form of reorganization (Lovela ce, par. 3).This fact about principles and practice of ethics in the business has been supported by Eleanor O’Higgins as she discussed why many companies especially multinational companies are fell behind of the supposed to be backbone of the company.   She said that â€Å"principles can easily fall by the wayside under pressure; pressure can emanate from outside forces, like competition or regulation or from within the organization itself† (O’Higgins, par. 2).   She explained further that out of those temptations in the company, employees usually coerced to behave contrary to their own principles and the company’s principles until this behavior became commonplace in an organization.   She emphasized that there is not organization that is exempted from temptation (par. 3), and this is more common in companies with highly competitive environments, highly diversified, complex organizations with far-flung geographical operations; business that rely on government contracts, businesses with products or services that my impact on public health and safety; competing for high stakes; weak corporate governance structures and processes; and, principled people, especially leaders really count but can be hard to find.   One of the consequences according to O’Higgins is that these companies will find difficulty controlling business units and subsidiaries that are â€Å"subject to different industry and political, social and cultural environment and competitive pressures† (par. 9).Worse is, according to O’Higgins, those who made it to the top are those personalities characterized as powerful in decision-making, egocentric, insincere, dishonesty, corrupt, and sometimes â€Å"ruthless murderous hostility towards anyone who threatens their position† (par. 25).The Significance of Ethical PrinciplesDespite substandard society due to lack of ethical principles, moral upgrading is still very significant for many reaso ns.   In the article written by Sven Helin and Johan Sandstrom, they explained that more and more corporations worldwide are â€Å"developing and implementing corporate code of ethics that consists of moral standards that is used to guide employee or corporate behavior† (p. 1).   The idea of a code according to Graves as cited by Helin and Sandstrom, is not a â€Å"cure-all, and it possesses no magic powers by which it can change moral darkness into light† (p. 1).   The author further stated that despite that, it is an effective instrument†¦ that can contribute much to the cause of truth and honor to business relationship† (par. 1).Applying ethical principles globally by these Multi-National companies will surely positively affects the condition of these workers; perhaps their take home pay will become a little bit more uplifting economically. But what is this global ethical principle?John Eade and Darren O’Byrne pointed out that global ethics i s new term which has come into use in the last few decades. They noted that it signifies â€Å"something increasingly important in how we construct and address questions concerning how we ought to live in the global context† (p. 74). Multi-National companies must recognize this global ethics and obliged to commits themselves to apply global ethical principles in their global business operation. How ever, there is a problem as there seems to have no clear consensus on how the frameworks of these ethical principles should be constructed.However, many multinational corporation begin to acknowledge the importance of ethics in the business; profits should be earned upon an ethical foundation for they go hand in hand which must be done strategically.   Findings have showed that companies that hold on ethical principles have increased remarkably its profit and developed further stronger relations with clientele and even shareholders.   Ethical principles also helped to lessen co nflicts between differing interests of people in the company from the owner down to community.Ethics in Business as a Social ResponsibilitySocial responsibility is regarded by many social analysts as an area of business ethics in which it emphasizes every company’s obligation to society and humanity.  Ã‚   Business therefore must help cultivate and maintain ethical principles and practices and at the same time maintaining the business to grow higher.According to John Kirton and Michael Trebilcock, There is now a wide spread agreement that multi-national companies â€Å"do have responsibilities that extend their share holder to their stake holders the values and principles on which regulatory frame work should be constructed and a supportive foundations of dialogue and debate with in and across the government, private, and voluntary sector† (p. 18). Kirton and Trebilcock pointed out that the problem is how the general principles should be interpreted and applied, who should be involved in the interpretive enterprise and how responsibility for ensuring respect and compliance be assigned† (p. 18).   These questions are fundamental because most of these multinational companies protect their profit and they may not initiate such commitments.   Harbhajan Kehal and Vaninder Singh noted that defining code of ethics which would be acceptable to all business organization in all cultures â€Å"has been said to be an impossible task† (p. 12).But they pointed out that since there are some ethical values that can do cross cultural boundaries, then, it could be possible to choose a set of ethical values and construct a set of guiding principles that would be universally acceptable.   They cited current efforts on the international scene which is â€Å"considering the programs that encourage a culture of mutual respect in which everyone understands and values the similarities and differences among employees, customers, communities, and othe r stakeholders.   Kehal and Singh pointed out that besides these global ethics issues, there are some more ethic issues that â€Å"should be the core for any particular company’s code of ethics.†Ã‚   These are follows: diversity, equal opportunity and respect in the work place, environment, health and safety, financial integrity, and accurate company records.   Ethical principles are significant to be applied globally by multinational companies even though they are moral responsibilities that pose threat to their commercial goals and profits.Michael Santoro emphasized that corporate executives and human rights advocates alike need to understand that when it comes to human rights, the world is   entitled to expect multinational corporations to their fair share† (p. 158).   In other words, applying ethical principles globally should not be an option for these multinational companies but an obligation to get huge profit from the skills and work effort of the workers.   This obligation must be based from a framework of moral duties about a minimum standard that should be expected of all.Santoro pointed out some questions such as: (1) What in particular situations should a company fulfill its moral duties while minimizing the possibility of economic loss? (2) What significance should the potential of economic loss have in assessing moral responsibility for human rights that would help multinational companies construct ethical principles they could apply in their global operation (p. 96), given the fact that there can be no unified ethical principles that apply to every business situation, as ethical practices differ in different cultures.Another paragraph most authors argued that there are practical difficulties in selecting particular ethical principles that could be universally applied.   R.G. Frey and Christopher Heath Wellman pointed out that this is because â€Å"background institutions such as socialism, capitalism and cultura l and religious mores confound cross-cultural operations† (p. 546).   Frey and Heath Wellman noted that â€Å"these background institutions create different ethical points of view, and because of their endemic nature, they are difficult for a corporation to confront† (p. 546).Towards Executive ExcellenceNo one in the world of business is excused from becoming morally upright.   As George Ritcheske pointed out in his article that, â€Å"abuses of power and a lack of integrity among business leaders are seemingly rampant† (Ritcheske, abstract par. 1).   Yet, he emphasized that people need to â€Å"run business in accordance with timeless principles.†Ã‚   This could be a difficult battle but if someone aims for a stronger foundation and a successful business, he or she has to be morally upright.   In his article, he presented four principles that a company must take hold on to in order to be ethically principled.   He enumerated them as follows: (1) Do what is right and tell the truth, (2) Trust is a must, (3) Recognize and build people, (4) Respect the importance of balance (Ritcheske, abstract, par.1).   He further emphasized that when a leader begin with honesty, trust, recognition and balance, they can build an organization that â€Å"offers products and services, treats its employees as essential for success, and rises above the competition† (par. 9).Llewellyn E. Piper stated in her article entitled ‘Ethics: The Evidence of Leadership’ that â€Å"†¦leaders must have the ability to make decisions based on ethics† (par. 1).   The reason for this according to her is that, leadership must have values grounded on ethical principles â€Å"to ensure the survivability of an organization† (abstract, par. 1).   She made this idea because in her observations, there are many organizations today that do not give much emphasis on a culture of ethics and because of that, many leaders face eth ical problems and issues.   In the same way, philosophy is encouraged to learn again as it provides definitions, guidelines and models that could assist everyone in pursuing ethical principles in the company.ConclusionI believe that multinational companies can apply ethical principles at least in their own global operations if only they would wish to do so.   It is quite clear that there is certainly no unified ethical principle for these multinational companies particularly because they operate on different countries with each differing cultural backgrounds and social orientation and educational and religious orientation.   However, since the issue of ethical principle is global and that there are widely accepted ethical principles such as, we ought to respect one another’s right, fairness and so forth, there is really a strong ground that these multinational companies should apply ethical principle.As most literature has pointed out, multinational companies have moral responsibilities in the host country, as well as in the condition of their workers.   Many multinational companies tend to exploit the host countries’ weakness by offering minimal per day wages as compared to other country with relatively strong economic condition.   Others however merely exploit the mineral resources of the host country such as mining in most African countries by European multinational companies.   In Angola for example, most Angolans denounced the system which these multinational companies employed.   These companies hired overseas workers and pay them relatively higher than local Angolan workers.   Much worse is that these locals are given the difficult work assignment with very low wages while their own country’s minimal resources are being shipped out of their country.   Thus, despite of their diamonds and other mineral deposits, most of the African countries live in extreme poverty.Kirton and Trebilcock pointed out a similar case of a Canadian corporation in Southern Sudan.   Kirton and Trebilcock noted that nearly two million people in Sudan have been killed since Civil War broke out in 1983, and more than 4.5 million people have internally affected and displaced.   Kirton and Trebilcock noted that this Canadian firm, Talisman energy which is engaged in oil operations â€Å"have focused on its contribution to the massive displacement of people on and around the drilling site, and the millions of dollars in oil revenues going to the central government from the sale of its oil that has increased the regime’s capacity to wage civil war and reduced its incentives to negotiate in good faith with opposition interest† (p. 18).They further noted that despite of Talisman’s endorsement of the international code of ethics for Canadian business and its commitment to issuing an annual corporate social responsibility report, they find that Talisman’s interests and authority are such that â₠¬Å"its activities necessarily undermine international human rights in Sudan† (p. 18).These particular instances are global concerns especially pertaining to human rights that must be addressed to.   Thus, ethical principles are not only applied within business relations but also international relations of countries.   Ethical principles do not simply guide behavior of staff and employees but also an obligation to humanity.   Through which, multinational companies must endeavor to establish a company founded on ethical principles.

Beto ORourke Biography

Beto O'Rourke Biography Beto O’Rourke (born Robert Francis O’Rourke on Sept. 26, 1972) is a Texas politician whose progressive politics, enthusiastic following on the campaign trail, and aspirations to the presidency have earned him comparisons to a  Kennedy  and  a young Obama. O’Rourke is a former businessman who served three terms in the  U.S. House of Representatives  before embarking on what would be the most expensive, yet unsuccessful, campaign for  U.S. Senate  in the midterm elections of  President Donald Trump’s first term. Fast Facts: Beto O'Rourke Full Name: Robert Francis O’RourkeKnown For:  American politician and potential presidential hopeful. His unsuccessful campaign against Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz was the most expensive in the 2018 congressional midterm elections, costing $80 million.Born:  Sept. 26, 1972, in El Paso, TexasParents:  Pat and Melissa O’RourkeSpouse:  Amy Hoover SandersChildren:  Ulysses, Henry and MollyEducation:  Columbia University, bachelor of arts degree in English literature,  1995.Famous Quote:  I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up, or take a knee, for your rights, any time, anywhere, in any place.Fun Fact:  ORourke played bass in a punk band called Foss. Early Years  and an Unusual  Nickname for an Irish Kid O’Rourke was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of Pat and Melissa O’Rourke. His father was in politics, serving as a Democratic county commissioner and judge before switching  parties and mounting an unsuccessful campaign for Congress. His mother worked in a furniture store. O’Rourke’s family had immigrated from Ireland four generations before, but the young man went by Beto- short for Roberto in Mexico. â€Å"My parents have called me Beto from day one, and it’s just- it’s kind of a nickname for Robert in El Paso. It just stuck,† he has said. As a young man, ORourke often accompanied his politician father around town. He told an interviewer in 2018 that he and his father were far apart in their enjoyment of glad-handing and schmoozing.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"He had this real joy in public life, in meeting people and representing people,† the younger O’Rourke recalled about his father. In some ways, I really hated it.  It was the kind of stuff you don’t want to do when you are 10 years old, unless you were really into that. And I wasn’t. I was an awkward and shy kid, so it was the last thing I wanted to do, but now I can look back and bless my experience in it.† As a young teen in high school, ORourke sought distance from his father by transferring from the public high school in El Paso to an all-male boarding school in Virginia, Woodberry Forest. After graduation he entered Columbia University in New York, where he majored in English literature, worked at a publishing house, and wrote fiction while playing bass with a punk band with some friends. After graduating from college, ORourke moved back to El Paso in 1998, and co-founded a software and technology company called Stanton Street Technology Group. He also became a partner in a real-estate firm and invested in property in his home town. Political Career ORourke was catapulted to political fame with his folksy 2018 bid for U.S. Senate against  Republican incumbent Ted Cruz- he livestreamed a 254-county tour of Texas- and his accessibility in the House. He was popular with small-money donors and progressive activists, much the way  Bernie Sanders  was in running for president in 2016. But his political career began on a much smaller level, as a member of El Paso city council from 2005 to 2011. It was during his tenure on city council that he became involved in a controversy that placed him squarely between the interests of his wealthy investor father-in-law and the angry residents and small businesses he was elected to represent. ORourke sided with his father-in-law and publicly supported the plan to replace  tenements and boarded-up buildings in  downtown El Paso with restaurants, shops and an arts walk, a move that angered his constituents. His first step into the national political spotlight came in the May 2012 Democratic congressional primary in Texas, when ORourke knocked off an eight-term incumbent who had been endorsed by  President Barack Obama  and  former President Bill Clinton,  U.S. Rep.  Silvestre Reyes. ORourke was elected that year to represent the 16th Congressional District in El Paso. ORourke served three two-year terms in Congress, and had several pieces of legislation signed into law. One was the â€Å"Honor Our Commitment Act,† which expanded mental health care to veterans with â€Å"other-than-honorable† discharges from the military.   He did not seek re-election to the House in 2018 and chose instead to challenge Cruz for one of the states seats in the U.S. Senate. Cruz narrowly won the race, which in an of itself was shocking because Texas is overwhelmingly Republican. ORourke, though defeated, had accomplished much by running so close to an entrenched incumbent. ORourke has said he is weighing a run for president in 2020. Personal Life and Wealth ORourke married his wife, Amy, in 2005.  She is  the daughter of wealthy real estate mogul  William â€Å"Bill† Sanders. The ORourkes have three children: Ulysses, Molly and Henry.   The Center for Responsive Politics estimated Beto O’Rourke’s net worth as $9.1 million in 2016. His net worth and familial ties to a wealthy real estate investor made him an unlikely star among young progressives in 2018. Arrests O’Rourke has been relatively open about facing criminal charges- one for drunk driving and another for breaking into a facility at the University of Texas at El Paso. Both cases have been used against him by political opponents. In the drunk-driving case, from September 1998, O’Rourke was allegedly driving at a high rate of speed when he crashed his car about a mile from the Texas border with New Mexico. A breath-test administered by police found O’Rourke’s blood-alcohol level was above the legal threshold, 0.10 percent. The 26-year-old’s reading was a high of 0.136, according to published reports. The charge was later dismissed after O’Rourke completed a court-approved program. He has described the DUI as a â€Å"serious mistake for which there is no excuse.† Three years earlier, in 1995, O’Rourke had been charged with attempted forcible entry to the physical plant at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he was a student. He spent a night in the El Paso County Jail, made bail the next day and was released. The charge was later dropped. I along with some friends were horsing around, and we snuck under the fence at the UTEP physical plant and set off an alarm. We were arrested by UTEP police. ... UTEP decided not to press charges. We werent intending to do any harm, he has been quoted saying. Sources and Further Reading Saul, Stephanie. â€Å"Beto ORourke Once Supported an El Paso Real Estate Deal. Barrio Residents Remember.†Ã‚  The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Oct. 2018,  www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/us/politics/beto-orourke-el-paso-texas-senate.html.Golshan, Tara. â€Å"The Raging Controversy over Beto ORourkes Full Name, Explained.†Ã‚  Vox.com, Vox Media, 8 Mar. 2018,  www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/7/17091094/beto-orourke-full-name-ted-cruz-controversy.Bailey, Holly. â€Å"Like Ted Cruz, Beto ORourke Had a Fiery, Charismatic Father. The Similarities End There.† Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 2 Oct. 2018,  www.yahoo.com/news/like-ted-cruz-beto-orourke-fiery-charismatic-father-similarities-end-090017531.html.Livingston, Abby. â€Å"Disclosures Offer Window into Personal Finances of Ted Cruz and Beto ORourke in Senate Race.†Ã‚  The Eagle, 4 Oct. 2018,  www.theeagle.com/news/texas/disclosures-offer-window-into-personal-finances-of-ted-cruz-and/article_6dc925 eb-df8a-5037-8f24-573abc4b35ac.html.

The Battle of the Alamo 1836 - Texas Revolution

The Battle of the Alamo 1836 - Texas Revolution Battle of the Alamo -  Conflict Dates: The siege of the Alamo took place from February 23 to March 6, 1836, during the Texas Revolution (1835-1836). Armies Commanders: Texans Colonel William Travis Jim BowieDavy Crockett180-250 men21 guns Mexicans General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna 6,000 men20 guns Background: In the wake of the Battle of Gonzales which opened the Texas Revolution, a Texan force under Stephen F. Austin encircled the Mexican garrison in the town of San Antonio de Bà ©xar. On December 11, 1835, after an eight-week siege, Austins men were able to compel General Martà ­n Perfecto de Cos to surrender. Occupying the town, the defenders were paroled with the requirement that they forfeit the majority of their supplies and weapons as well as not fight against the Constitution of 1824. The fall of Cos command eliminated the last major Mexican force in Texas. Returning to friendly territory, Cos provided his superior, General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna, with information about the uprising in Texas. Santa Anna Prepares: Seeking to take a hard line with the rebelling Texans and angered by perceived American interference in Texas, Santa Anna ordered a resolution passed stating that any foreigners found fighting in the province would be treated as pirates.   As such, they would be immediately executed. While these intentions were communicated to US President Andrew Jackson, it is unlikely that many of the American volunteers in Texas were aware of the Mexican intention to forego taking prisoners. Establishing his headquarters at San Luis Potosà ­, Santa Anna began assembling an army of 6,000 with the goal of marching north and putting down the revolt in Texas. In early 1836, after adding 20 guns to his command, he began marching north through Saltillo and Coahuila. Fortifying the Alamo: To the north in San Antonio, Texan forces were occupying the Misià ³n San Antonio de Valero, also known as the Alamo. Possessing a large enclosed courtyard, the Alamo had first been occupied by Cos men during siege of the town the previous fall. Under the command of Colonel James Neill, the future of the Alamo soon proved a matter of debate for the Texan leadership. Far from the majority of the provinces settlements, San Antonio was short on both supplies and men.   As such, General Sam Houston advised that the Alamo be demolished and directed Colonel Jim Bowie to take a force of volunteers to accomplish this task. Arriving on January 19, Bowie found that work to improve the missions defenses had been successful and he was persuaded by Neill that the post could be held as well as that it was an important barrier between Mexico and the Texas settlements. During this time Major Green B. Jameson had constructed platforms along the missions walls to allow the emplacement of captured Mexican artillery and to provide firing positions for infantry. Though useful, these platforms left the upper bodies of the defenders exposed. Initially manned by about 100 volunteers, the missions garrison grew as January passed. The Alamo was again reinforced on February 3, with the arrival of 29 men under Lieutenant Colonel William Travis. A few days later, Neill, departed to deal with an illness in his family and left Travis in charge. Travis ascent to command did not sit well with Jim Bowie. A renowned frontiersman, Bowie argued with Travis over who should lead until it was agreed that the former would command the volunteers and the latter the regulars. Another notable frontiersman arrived on February 8, when Davy Crockett rode into the Alamo with 12 men. The Mexicans Arrive: As preparations moved forward, the defenders, relying on faulty intelligence, came to believe that the Mexicans would not arrive until mid-March. To the surprise of the garrison, Santa Annas army arrived outside of San Antonio on February 23. Having marched through driving snow and foul weather, Santa Anna reached the town a month sooner than the Texans anticipated. Surrounding the mission, Santa Anna sent a courier requesting the Alamos surrender. To this Travis responded by firing one of the missions cannon. Seeing that the Texans planned to resist, Santa Anna laid siege to the mission. The next day, Bowie fell ill and full command passed to Travis. Badly outnumbered, Travis sent out riders asking for reinforcements. Under Siege: Traviss calls went largely unanswered as the Texans lacked the strength to fight Santa Annas larger army. As the days passed the Mexicans slowly worked their lines closer to the Alamo, with their artillery reducing the missions walls. At 1:00 AM, on March 1, 32 men from Gonzales were able to ride through the Mexican lines to join the defenders. With the situation grim, legend states that Travis drew a line in the sand and asked all those willing to stay and fight to step over it. All except one did. The Final Assault: At dawn on March 6, Santa Annas men launched their final attack on the Alamo. Flying a red flag and playing the El Degà ¼ello bugle call, Santa Anna signaled that no quarter would be given to the defenders. Sending 1,400-1,600 men forward in four columns they overwhelmed the Alamos tiny garrison. One column, led by General Cos, broke through the missions north wall and poured into the Alamo. It is believed that Travis was killed resisting this breach. As the Mexicans entered the Alamo, brutal hand-to-hand fighting ensued until almost the entire garrison had been killed. Records indicate that seven may have survived the fighting, but were summarily executed by Santa Anna. Battle of the Alamo -  Aftermath: The Battle of the Alamo cost the Texans the entire 180-250-man garrison. Mexican casualties are disputed but were approximately 600 killed and wounded. While Travis and Bowie were killed in the fighting, Crocketts death is a subject of controversy. While some sources state that he was killed during the battle, others indicate that he was one of the seven survivors executed on Santa Annas orders. Following his victory at the Alamo, Santa Anna moved quickly to destroy Houstons small Texas Army. Outnumbered, Houston began retreating towards the US border. Moving with a flying column of 1,400 men, Santa Anna encountered the Texans at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. Charging the Mexican camp, and yelling Remember the Alamo, Houstons men routed Santa Annas troops. The next day, Santa Anna was captured effectively securing Texan independence. Selected Sources The AlamoBattle of the AlamoTexas State Library: Battle of the Alamo

Chinese Women today-qz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chinese Women today-qz - Essay Example China, home to one in five of the worlds women, is around the few nations where women are encountering a rights rollback, as stated by feminists, scientists and information from the All-China Womens Federation, which is designated and run by the legislature to speak to womens hobby. In the 1950s, women appreciated top-down additions gave by the Communist Party and Mao Zedongs proverb that "whatever male friends can do, female companions can do, as well." The blinding shine of the most recent 35 years of budgetary additions clouds the way that while Chinese women have profited from the climbing tide lifting all vessels, they are indeed losing ground. Women livelihoods are falling in respect to mens; conventional demeanor are transferring women to the home; and ladies net fortune may be contracting. While female parliamentary representation somewhere else is climbing, the rate of ladies in Chinas national council, the National Peoples Congress, has level lined for a long time at a little more than 20 percent. Regardless of a compelling authority account that womens rights are overall secured, there is no development in essence to secure women According to numerous feminists, there is no political will to enhance women’s standing. A little gathering of men set approach in China, and they dont see ladies rights as a standard issue. Additionally, women need financial clout. The oft-touted reality that Chinese women possess 7 of the 14 positions on a year ago Forbes rundown of capable billionaires. Numerous women have been closed out of what may be the greatest amassing of land fortune ever, esteemed at over $17 trillion in 2010" by the bank HSBC, she composed. A dubious change to the Marriage Law passed in August says that in separation, unless challenged, property returns to the legitimate manager, leaving numerous women who cannot demonstrate their budgetary commitment with nothing. Generally, although equality has never been attained,

Project Evaluation Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Project Evaluation Report - Essay Example The research carried out at the beginning of the project was quite useful; the development programs were just right and the methodology worked out perfectly for this project. A waterfall methodology was used in the development of the website. All the stages of the methodology proved to be very necessary for the completion of the project to be a success. The website was developed successfully and project finished at the planned time. This report will evaluate whether the development of an online football ticketing and reservation website was successful. The basic purpose of this project was to develop a website that would allow football fans to buy their tickets online as well as make reservations on the games they want to watch beforehand. The purpose was to produce a website using a combination of SQL and CSS development languages and also the use of MS Excel and MS word. Several objectives were defined at the commencement of the project. They included; conducting research to determine the technologies to use in the project as well as specifying the tasks to be carried out in the development of the online booking system and also to determine their deadlines. The basic goal of this project as to create a website where football fans will purchase their tickets as well get to learn of upcoming games whilst booking online from the comfort of their locations. The website was to be developed in such a way as to allow fans to view and log into the website even on their IPhones and other portable internet enabled gadgets. At the end of the project period, several things had to be achieved. A working online ticketing system that will have achieved the objectives and solved the problem statement was the main aim, as well as the submission of the project as a requirement for graduation. The main objectives of this project were to develop an online ticketing system that would also serve to give information to the fans on the upcoming events and also on any

National Environmental Policy Act Research Paper

National Environmental Policy Act - Research Paper Example The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was first passed in 1969, and it is one of the first laws ever written which establishes an encompassing national framework in the protection of the environment. It basically seeks to ensure that all agencies of the government give adequate consideration to the environment prior to undertaking any significant federal action which may affect the environment. This paper shall identity the most significant challenges facing the United States and/or the international community in resolving, identifying and/or dealing with this policy or issue or both. It shall identify and explain two different perspectives that contribute our understanding of the select issues. This paper shall define this issue/policy supported by research and analyses. Discussion There are various challenges which the United States and the international community are facing in relation to environmental policies and issues. When the Industrial Revolution hit its stride, the Earth’s climate and environment started undergoing changes; these changes were mostly seen in the agricultural and industrial practices (Berkeley University, 2004). Due to the increase in population and fossil fuel use seen through burning, toxic emissions, vehicle emissions, and deforestation, various gases have been introduced into our air which are harmful to living things, including human life. These gases are introduced into the atmosphere mostly as a result of human activity, activities which produce high levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide (greenhouse gases or GHGs). These are heavy gases and do not interact well with our ozone layer. As a result, our ozone layer is being slowly depleted (Berkeley University, 2004). This is unfortunate because the ozone layer shields us from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. These greenhouse gases also cause the greenhouse effect where these gases trap the heat in the atmosphere and cause higher earth temperature levels , otherwise known as global warming. The US environmental issues largely stem from its energy use. The US remains to be the largest energy consumer in the world and also the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide (Berkeley University, 2004). Motor vehicles are the main sources of carbon emissions in the US and in recent years, shifts of use from cars to larger vehicles have assisted in reducing carbon emissions. In 2001, the US consumed about 24% of the world’s main energy consumption. The US released about 1,883 million metric tons of carbon in 2001, and this is credited for 24% of the world’s carbon-related emissions (Berkeley University, 2004). In 2003, the US Department of Energy set forth its Climate Vision program which was meant to assist the President in reducing greenhouse gas intensity from 2002 to 2012. This policy included different federal agencies coordinating with industrial leaders to minimize GHG emissions during the time period set. Bush als o states that a $1.2 billion hydrogen fuel plan was aimed at establishing technologies which would produce, store and distribute hydrogen as a fuel during transport (Berkeley University, 2004). The FreedomCAR (Cooperative Automotive Research) was also launched in an attempt to establish hydrogen fuel cell technology and advanced automotive technologies, including hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars. The US energy consumption will likely increase in the coming years and as a

Respond to the online discussion about movie High Noon Essay

Respond to the online discussion about movie High Noon - Essay Example However, you have jointly discussed the position of Helen and townspeople where you should have elaborated Helen’s role in detail since she did have good will within her intentions which the townspeople did not! By saying this, I am not supporting Helen in her decision of moving out of the town. I just want to say is that you should have clearly indicated that having good will is not enough to make an individual’s action morally justified unless it is accompanied with practical action. 2. I agree with you when you rightly analyze the role of Kane as a moral activist fighting not for personal satisfaction, but for a moral cause. But you sound too confused about analyzing the role of Amy, particularly when you say, â€Å"Amy wanted Kane and this is what guided her, but at the end she dropped everything she believed in just so she can help Kane. Is this a selfish act or a dutiful act?† Kane was just as much husband to Amy when she decided not to stand by him when he was when she chose otherwise! It is obvious that she felt good will and her action was driven by her motivation to help her husband out of the trouble as a dutiful wife. She was truly a moral activist. You did not at all discuss the role of Helen and townspeople as was the requirement of the question.

The Student Motor Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Student Motor Company - Case Study Example In order to mitigate the competitive challenges The Student Motor Company invented a subcompact car i.e. Zinger. The normal preproduction testing along with the development of automobiles usually takes around forty-three months. However, the management team of the concerned company had consented for the production of the new car i.e. Zinger within two years. While test driving, the management had analyzed two vital faults within the car being manufactured. In this regard, it has been determined that the company used gasoline tank and the tank had been fixed in a way that a crash would create a puncture in the tank. Moreover, the design also entailed the risk of gasoline entering the driver’s chamber and any further ignite can lead to massive flames (Fall 1-4). Another fault as determined within the production of Zinger is the emission standard. It has been noted that it is the responsibility of the company to meet the emission standards before sale because after the sale it is the responsibility of the owner to abide by the emission standards. Zinger was launched in the market without considering the manufacturing defects. It has been further noted that the director of the company claimed that if the manufacturing department has involved standards to minimize the explosion risk then it would have raised the price of the product. Considering these aspects, it can be viewed that the company did not meet the ethical standard. ... Due to the company’s unethical decisions, the customers faced life risk situation (Fall 1-4). Q2. The ethical standards that might have been considered in resolving this dilemma is to stop the launch of the vehicle. In this regard, it can be ascertained that the company’s management or its stakeholders might have undertaken measures to mitigate the manufacturing defects. The research and development department might have put more effort in the establishment of a product that would be beneficial for the society. In this aspect, it can be ensured that this particular ethical standard has not been met by the company. This has resulted in the vital loss of the customers who purchased the car. This is the major consequence pertaining to the ethical standard that can affect the society at large (Fall 1-4). The following ethical initiative that can be mitigated by implementing certain alternative measures is meeting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission standard. In further discussion, it can be revealed that the company might have followed the emission standards incorporated within EPA. According to the EPA emission standard it is the responsibility of the company to meet the standard before the sale of the products. The Student Motor Company had not ensured emission standards before the sale of Zinger. This will lay greater consequences on the customers. This is because the emission standard of EPA reveals that after the sale of the car, it is the responsibility of the customers to mitigate the emission standard. It is difficult for the customers to gain immediate information on emission standards. In keeping with the economic alternatives, the company might have assured a better

Linking Sexual Satisfaction and Exercise Research Paper - 1

Linking Sexual Satisfaction and Exercise - Research Paper Example   The participants consisted of undergraduate students enrolled in health science courses and were 408 in number. It was conducted on a voluntary basis, and anonymity of the participants was ensured. They were to fill a cross-sectional questionnaire of 130-items. The questionnaire was able to collect information concerning demographic variables, perceived fitness, exercise frequency, the perception of sexual desirability, and sexual performance. Data analysis involve the use of SAS programs and chi-square and mainly based on gender. Females were more than the males while ethnically, the Caucasian was the majority. Ninety percent of males who reported their fitness level being above average rated their sexual desirability and sexual performance as above average or more above average. In the case of females, it was indicated that there was no association between exercise frequency, sexual performance, and sexual desirability. Seventy-one percent of females who rated their fitness lev el being much above average had their sexual desirability above average or more above average. Significant gender differences were noted for sexual performance and sexual desirability by exercise frequency and by fitness. From the data that was gathered and analyzed it was found that higher levels of fitness and longer exercise frequency improved the perception of sexual desirability and sexual performance.   The research also demonstrated that constant physical activity provides benefits to one's psychological well-being.  

The Student Motor Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Student Motor Company - Case Study Example In order to mitigate the competitive challenges The Student Motor Company invented a subcompact car i.e. Zinger. The normal preproduction testing along with the development of automobiles usually takes around forty-three months. However, the management team of the concerned company had consented for the production of the new car i.e. Zinger within two years. While test driving, the management had analyzed two vital faults within the car being manufactured. In this regard, it has been determined that the company used gasoline tank and the tank had been fixed in a way that a crash would create a puncture in the tank. Moreover, the design also entailed the risk of gasoline entering the driver’s chamber and any further ignite can lead to massive flames (Fall 1-4). Another fault as determined within the production of Zinger is the emission standard. It has been noted that it is the responsibility of the company to meet the emission standards before sale because after the sale it is the responsibility of the owner to abide by the emission standards. Zinger was launched in the market without considering the manufacturing defects. It has been further noted that the director of the company claimed that if the manufacturing department has involved standards to minimize the explosion risk then it would have raised the price of the product. Considering these aspects, it can be viewed that the company did not meet the ethical standard. ... Due to the company’s unethical decisions, the customers faced life risk situation (Fall 1-4). Q2. The ethical standards that might have been considered in resolving this dilemma is to stop the launch of the vehicle. In this regard, it can be ascertained that the company’s management or its stakeholders might have undertaken measures to mitigate the manufacturing defects. The research and development department might have put more effort in the establishment of a product that would be beneficial for the society. In this aspect, it can be ensured that this particular ethical standard has not been met by the company. This has resulted in the vital loss of the customers who purchased the car. This is the major consequence pertaining to the ethical standard that can affect the society at large (Fall 1-4). The following ethical initiative that can be mitigated by implementing certain alternative measures is meeting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission standard. In further discussion, it can be revealed that the company might have followed the emission standards incorporated within EPA. According to the EPA emission standard it is the responsibility of the company to meet the standard before the sale of the products. The Student Motor Company had not ensured emission standards before the sale of Zinger. This will lay greater consequences on the customers. This is because the emission standard of EPA reveals that after the sale of the car, it is the responsibility of the customers to mitigate the emission standard. It is difficult for the customers to gain immediate information on emission standards. In keeping with the economic alternatives, the company might have assured a better

Assess the Role of Faith in Supporting Religious Belief Essay Example for Free

Assess the Role of Faith in Supporting Religious Belief Essay In 1877, William Kingdon Clifford propositioned in his book Ethics and Belief that belief in something without sufficient evidence is irrational. Whilst he accepted that in many beliefs there is often an epistemic gap between the evidence and the conclusion (inductive reasoning) he did also claim that It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence. Furthermore he claimed that that tolerating credulity (a tendency to believe readily) and superstition will damage ultimately society. He concurred with David Hume (1711-76) when he said All wise men proportion their belief to the evidence. This stance that belief without sufficient evidence is irrational is called evidentialism, and is adopted by many atheists (including Clifford and Hume) in their view of theology. However, natural theology instead attempts to meet evidentialism on its own terms by trying to show that belief in God is actually rational. It draws collectively upon all of the a posteriori arguments for Gods existence including the teleological, cosmological, moral and experiential arguments. However, it is rare that an atheist will be convinced by the evidence of these arguments anywhere beyond the point of agnosticism. It is generally accepted that belief in God requires some element of seemingly irrational faith. Indeed, the stance of fideism states that reason plays no part in belief. Whoever attempts to demonstrate the existence of Godis an excellent subject for a comedy of higher lunacy. Soren Kierkegaard. Moderate fideists suggest that reason can actually be destructive to ones faith. They claim that reason leads to arrogance by encouraging the idea that human reason alone will suffice and that God unnecessary for moral or spiritual direction. Whilst moderate theists view reason as a barrier to true faith however, (thus disregarding natural theology as irrelevant) extreme theists go so far as to agree with Tertullian when he said (AD 155-222) Credo quia absurdum est. or I believe because it is absurd. Aquinas (1225-74) claimed that there were two ways in which to know God. The first is through natural theology, including his five a posteriori proofs constructed by human reason. The second is through revealed theology which cannot be found by human reason alone, but must involve divine intervention or revelation. The acceptance of these revealed truths requires faith, and this is fundamental to the Christian religion. For example, only faith can reveal the truth behind the statement God is the father, the son and the Holy Ghost or that the bread of communion is the body of Christ. Thus revelation provides us with a body of truths, which must be taken on faith alone. Aquinas claims that faith is a combination of reason and opinion. It involves reason since it is propositional i.e. claims certain beliefs to be true and therefore similar to scientific knowledge. On the other hand these truths cannot be proved, and so involve an epistemic gap. It is this epistemic gap that makes faith a matter of opinion and so allows humanity free will over their belief. The stance that it is our choice whether or not to take a leap of faith was also held by Soren Kierkegaard (1812-1855). Alvin Plantinga (1932-) proposed that the classical foundationalism upon which evidentialism is based is flawed. Foundationalist beliefs are described by Plantinga as the starting points for thought and he summarises their definition as: I am entitled to believe X without any evidence if and only if it is self-evident, incorrigible or certain to me in some way. He argues that this is flawed, since this statement is itself neither self-evident, incorrigible nor is it certain in some way. It appears therefore that foundationalism defines itself as irrational. He also states that there are many beliefs that can be held rationally, but that do not fall under the foundationalist criteria or that can be justified contingently. For example, the trust we have in our memory, or the belief that other people have minds of their own. Plantinga argues that we must ultimately reject classical foundationalism on the grounds that it is incoherent, and also because it rejects many beliefs that common sense tells us to be properly basic. He propositions that his reformed epistemology should take the place of classical foundationalism, and because of this: It is entirely right, rational, reasonable and proper to believe in God without any evidence at all. A theist might claim that it just appears obvious to them that God exists, and for Plantinga this is good enough. However, surely this would mean that anything we like can be a properly basic belief? Could a childs belief in Santa Clause not be defined as properly basic? Plantinga would respond by saying that it is the beliefs directly connected to Gods existence that are properly basic, rather than the belief in Gods existence itself. For example, the guilt felt after committing a bad deed or the sense that something must have created and designed the universe. Blaisà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Pascal (1623-1662) deemed that it was reasonable to have faith in God by a sheer act of will, so certain was he that he put forward a wager: Let us weigh the gain and loss in wagering that God is (exists)If you gain, you gain all, if you lose, you lose nothing. By this, he meant that the theist stands the chance of gaining entrance to heaven at the risk of nothing, whilst the atheist however risks damnation to hell. However, surely this basis of self-gain is at odds with the teachings of the Christian church? W.K.Clifford suggested that God would deny heaven to those who followed Pascals wager on the basis that faith should be founded upon trust and morality, not self gain. Pascal might have responded that true belief would arise from the habit of religion i.e. baptism, mass, prayer etc. However, this is contradicted somewhat by his opinion that ones relationship with God should be somewhat deeper. It is the heart which perceives God and not reason. Furthermore, Pas cals definition of faith appears to ignore the recognition of Gods immanence and His affect on our everyday lives. William James (1842-1910) found Pascals proposition that we can change our beliefs by an act of will entirely ridiculous. He claimed solidly that our beliefs are contingent i.e. each new belief is connected to the previous one. He does agree however that it is rational to sustain a belief even without sufficient evidence given certain circumstances. The first circumstance is where the evidence is indeterminate between two beliefs i.e. favours neither option. The second circumstance is if we are faced with a genuine option i.e. one that is living, forced and momentous. By living James means one that is a reality, as opposed to a dead option, that whilst theoretically possible, isnt actually going to happen e.g. a devout Catholic supporting the gay pride movement. A forced option is one that cannot be avoided, e.g. choosing whether to go to school or to have a lie in when your alarm goes off at 7:30. A momentous option is one that is unique and irreversible e.g. joining the army as opposed to a trivial option which is reversible and one that happens regularly throughout life. James states that it is therefore sometimes rational to believe in God without sufficient evidence if the choice is a genuine option. He disputes Pascals wager as necessarily being a genuine option as it is not necessarily forced (one could deny the possibility of going to hell) nor is it necessarily living (one might be a devout follower of a different religion). However, he does accept that for a person who perceives the evidence as indeterminate and is already open to belief in God, Pascals wager might succeed in tipping the scales and getting them to make that leap of faith. James does believe however that faith can in some instances be a genuine option, and a decision that involves seizing the opportunity and taking a risk. He states that when faced with a genuine option and without sufficient evidence, making a decision will then reveal the evidence to us. For example, one cannot be sure of a strangers kindness until they have decided to trust the stranger and give them a chance. Similarly, by making a leap of faith in God, the definitive truth will be later revealed by eschatological verification. However, natural theologians such as Aquinas would certainly dispute James claim that the evidence is indeterminate, for the cosmological, teleological, moral and experiential arguments whilst inconclusive can be extremely persuasive. Furthermore, like Pascal, he seems to ignore faith as an acceptation of Gods immanence and active presence in our lives. The version of faith held by Aquinas, Plantinga, Pascal and James is propositional in that they all claim that faith about believes in Gods objective existence. However, faith can also be seen existentially as an attitude incorporating God subjectively into the believers life. For instance, when I say I believe that murder is wrong or I believe in free speech I am not stating anything about existence, but rather about my commitment towards certain values. H.H.Price (1899-1985) claimed that the statement I believe in God is similar to this in that it is a way of perceiving the world using certain values. to see oneself as a created, dependent creature, receiving life and well being from a higher sourcethe only appropriate attitude is one of grateful worship and obedience. John Hick. To conclude; each of the arguments examined above vary in their relationship with reason, but what they all have in common is that faith is central to the believer and must work independently of reason to some degree. Some of the arguments incorporate reason, some reject it entirely, but the transcendent nature of God can never be proved, can never be indubitable, for faith is an integral part of religion. Perhaps then natural theology is not trying to prove Gods existence to the point where faith is cast out and certainty resides in its place, but rather it is merely trying to explore Gods nature. I do not seek to understand so that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand St. Anselm (1033-1109) Proslogian 1. Natural theology could therefore be seen as an expression of faith, rather than a foundation for it. The majority of theists argue that faith is necessary, for if God proved himself to us, we would no longer have free will over our belief and so would be robots without dignity. On the other hand, surely God in His omnipotence could find some way of maintaining our freedom whilst simultaneously providing us certainty of his love? Why not give certainty to the millions of His helpless and suffering children who have lost faith; for where is their dignity?