Postmodern Literature Essay

â€Å"The Garden of Forking Paths,† by taking the form of a signed statement made by the main character of the story, Dr. Yu Tsun, has a specific instance that reverts back to the past which is the technique of flashback in postmodern literature. That precise instance is when Dr. Tsun reflects on his great ancestor, Ts’ui Pen, and recalls the life of the man. More importantly, the story itself is already a flashback by virtue of its form, a signed statement, which implies that reading the ‘signed statement’ of Dr. Tsun is already a way of flashing back to his life before his death. Apparently, the flashback scene where Dr. Tsun recalls his memory of his great ancestor also indicates a ‘flashback’ within the main ‘flashback,’ which all the more signifies the postmodern character of the short story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chinua Achebe’s â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is also a literary work with a postmodern characteristic. This can be observed from the way in which Achebe preferred not to ‘romanticize’ the story of the Nigerians by portraying the history of the Ibo tribe as flourishing while ending when the colonizers came, and is contrasted by the ‘self-destruction’ of the story’s main character, Okokwo. In sum, the downfall of the Ibo tribe has also been brought about by the self-destruction of the society’s hero aside from the harms done by the invading colonizers. Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain is also an example of postmodern literature because readers can hardly identify whether it is the author who is narrating his life experiences or the characters in the story who are revealing their journeys in the so-called Rainy Mountain. Thus, readers may tend to interpret Momaday’s work as a combination of the stories of his life and his people, or readers may tend to interpret the same work as the story of the characters from the eyes of the author or the story of the author from the eyes of the characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, both Primo Levi’s â€Å"Two Flags† and â€Å"Survival in Auschwitz† indicate the blurring of the character and the elements of the story. For instance, the character in â€Å"Two Flags† mentions an â€Å"umpire† in a soccer game when in fact there is no umpire in a soccer game but a referee. Quite oddly, Levi also reveals how the main character in the story died upon seeing the two flags of the nations he loved and hated respectively swaying side-by-side. On the other hand, â€Å"Survival in Auschwitz† has a climax in the opening parts of the story which tells us that the story departs from the conventional placement of the climax in stories. These elements are just some of the notable examples as to why both â€Å"Two Flags† and â€Å"Survival in Auschwitz† are also postmodern works in literature. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Anchor, 1994. Levi, Primo. Survival in Auschwitz. New York: Touchstone, 1996. Levi, Primo. â€Å"Two Flags.†Ã‚   The Longman Anthology of World Literature. Ed. David Damorsch. Vol. F. New York: Pearson, 2004. 406-08. Momaday, N. Scott. The Way to Rainy Mountain. New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, 1976.

Ptlls Ass 1 Level 4

Ass2. V1 Assessment 2: 008 ‘Evaluate legal issues, policies and procedures relevant to the role and responsibilities of the teacher’ Teachers, Tutors, Industry Trainers and Instructors are governed by a wide range of legislation in their practice. Each piece of legislation is from a different area which makes these professions a challenging and at times a frustrating area to develop those students that are there and willing to learn. 1. 1 The key aspects of legislation that regulate the area that I teach are varied.We are all governed by The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, Data Protection Act 2008 and the Equality Act 2010 to name but a few. The key regulatory requirements that I work to are as follows: The Company Health, Safety & Welfare Policy Company Equal Opportunities Policy CDG (Carriage of Dangerous Goods & Transport of Pressure Equipment Regulations 2011) as amended. ADR (European Agreement Concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by road 2011) . The regulations are amended and updated every 2 years. SQA (Scottish Qualifications Association) Manual of practice.This manual has been produced by the SQA to ensure that all training providers have met the set criteria as laid down for the Instructors qualifications to conduct the ADR Driver Training Courses. The list above is an extract of the key regulations that are within my main teaching responsibilities. In addition, there are many more that deal with differing aspects of industry training that we conduct for other companies. The complete list would be far too long and it is only a summary of the key aspects that are required. 2. With the above mentioned regulations there are key boundaries between the teaching role and other professional roles. I suggest that we analyse the difference between these boundaries. The teacher? s role is to pass the knowledge of the subject they are teaching to the students in a professional manner and without prejudice to any member of the cl ass. At times hurdles could be put in the way for the teacher, such as learning difficulties (dyslexia), according to (Petty, 2009, p. 89) â€Å"Never show impatience with a dyslexic student; they are much more frustrated by their difficulties than you can ever be! 1 Ass2. V1 There are also behavioural issues ADHD, (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and social boundaries (Henley,2009 [online]) following the case against Helen Goddard a 26 year old public school teacher who after having a sexual relationship with a pupil was sentenced to 15 months in prison. There are set boundaries that you as a teacher should not cross or challenge as a „Professional? e. g. ; ignore a sexist or racist comment, criticize students in front of peers, colleagues or other students.You must remember that you are looked up to by most of your students as a role model. You may be the only person that they can talk to about their needs outside school or college. They may want to tell you somet hing in confidence, as a professional you must remind them that you will have to report the conversation to your peers. In my opinion within other professions to give students constructive criticism when other colleagues are present is acceptable as the other colleagues may have more experience within that certain area of the subject that is being taught to the students.Despite this your responsibility as a teacher is to ensure that this situation does not intimidate or become overbearing for the student. As a teacher / tutor within the education profession ask yourself one question: What makes a good teacher / tutor? The answer to this question could come to you from your students or pupils. As a student on a PTLLS course we researched this question in the class and came to the conclusion that most teachers need to be some of the following; Kind, Knowledgeable, Firm but Fair, Doesn? t give up on the students, Tells the truth, Encourages all of the students, Keeps confidences, Profe ssional.Other professional roles can be similar in respect to the type of character and integrity that is required. In the local communities we have numerous adult volunteer organisations that will have certain rules and guidelines that the adults must adhere to. 2. 2 To meet the needs of all your learners you as a teacher / tutor need to ensure that you plan for the needs of all your students. To do this effectively you need to adapt a training cycle. The elements of the training cycle are to plan, deliver, identify needs, assess and evaluate.These processes are necessary, not just to aid the logistics of teaching but to allow the levels of accountability in schools, colleges and training companies to operate. â€Å"They have a particular accountability to their profession, a responsibility to their peers and their students to uphold high professional standards to the culture of the country and the community. † (Scott, P 1989 cited in Briggs and Sommefeldt, 2002, p92) In you r own establishment as to how you implement the training cycle is paramount to how your students will stay motivated.This will allow you as an effective teacher / tutor to evaluate and assess the lessons that have delivered. This all goes hand in hand with the planning process, identifying the needs and delivery of the lesson. This will allow 2 Ass2. V1 you to review your planning through assessment of the students work and your self evaluation of how the lesson has gone. In my career as an industry tutor I have had experience of a student that was diagnosed as having a degree of dyslexia. In the classroom environment this was not a problem as all of the training materials were in colour.However when it came to the exams he used a green filter (Clisby et al. , 2000 [online] ) laid on top of the question paper as it was printed on white paper. This allowed the student to be able to read and understand the questions that he needed to answer to gain a 70% pass mark for the exams that w ere taken on that day. To become an effective and professional teacher / tutor you need to review all your learners? needs in whatever the learning environment. 2. 3 To evaluate your own responsibilities with other professionals you must be able to understand what other professionals do as a profession.As a teacher / tutor you will have a professional relationship with differing types of professionals. School Governing Body, Support Staff and at those others within the local authority that support them. The larger professional bodies associated with the teaching profession are NUT (National Union of Teachers), ATL (Association of Teachers and Lecturers) and the NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers). To evaluate my own responsibilities with other professional bodies that are associated with my profession in this case would include, RTITB (Road Transport Industry Training Board).Within this body as a qualified FLT Instructor (Fork Lift Truck Instructor) I have responsibilities to both my students and to the training manager. These are to ensure the course is conducted the correct time frame, e. g. a Counterbalance Fork Lift course with a ratio of 3-1 it would be completed in 5 days with each day consisting of 8 hours training per day. DSA (Driver Standards Agency) within this professional body I am a qualified LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) Driving Instructor the responsibilities that affect me are to ensure that when the vehicle is presented for a driving test that it is fit for purpose.The vehicle has to be of a set standard e. g. it must have eight forward gears, ABS brakes (Anti-Lock Brakes) seatbelts fitted for both the driver and the examiner (DSA 2012 [online]). I have further responsibilities when conducting courses for drivers in the carriage of dangerous goods. The SQA (Scottish Qualifications Association) are the governing body for the control of the examinations and the syllabus that is to be taught to the students. There are set times and criteria set out by the SQA for the conduct of the course and the set times allocated to each training module. Ass2. V1 To summarise there are many legal issues that can constrain the duties of a teacher / tutor, e. g. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and The Data Protection Act 2008. We must remember that although certain people will say that they hinder you from doing your job, they are there to protect you and the students. There are many boundaries that are set out to protect students and teacher / tutor. You are in a profession that is seen in the public eye as a good profession to be a part of.To keep yourself as a professional you should always act in a professional manner. Honesty and integrity go a long way in this profession. References Henley, J. (2009) „Blurred boundaries for teachers? [online] Available from: http://www. guardian. co. uk/education/2009/sep/23/teacher-pupil-sexual-relationship (accessed 07. 10. 2012) Petty, G. (2009) Teaching Today: A Practical Guide. Fo urth Edition. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Briggs, ARJ. and Sommefeldt, D. „Managing Effective Learning and Teaching, London: Paul Chapman PublishingClisby C, Fowler MS, Hebb GS, Walters J, Southcott P & Stein JF(2000) Outcome of treatment of visual problems in children with reading difficulties, Professional Association of Teachers in Special Situations (PATOSS) Bulletin Nov. 2000, 914. [online] Available from: http://www. dyslexic. org. uk/docs/Visual%20Problems%20-02-11-18. pdf (accessed 07. 10. 2012) Driving Standards Agency (2012) „Minimum Test Vehicle Requirements? [online] Available from: http://www. direct. gov. uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehi cles/DG_4022527) (accessed on 20. 9. 2012) 4

ISMG 3000 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ISMG 3000 - Assignment Example In this way, both parents and children will be in the cafe but separate lodges. With customer ethics, the client is not ethical. He seems to be rude in airing his grievances. He has not given the reasons why children should not be allowed into the cafe and does not provide any solution either. To encourage a communication that is open, I will make use of the business email. This method will enable me to respond to customers complaint without others seeing my response hence I will have an opportunity to handle all their grievances (Ammar, Sedigh-Ali and Ghafoor 40). An email will enable privacy. The above imply that e-commerce is an essential element that I need in my business. I will employ business to customer e -business model. The above entail transaction between a company and the customer on-line (Sri and Srinivasan 9). It will be used to sell cakes. Customer searching and marketing takes place on-line. After full ordering, shipment of the cakes to the clients destination will follow. The e -business strategy will facilitate quick and easy communication with the customers. It will also strengthen market capabilities and increase the operation hours of the enterprise (Sri and Srinivasan 10). The management will have access to broader information through research thus expediting customer service. The strategy will also reduce the location and availability restrictions thus reaching new markets. In a nutshell, it will keep the business relevant. It will also enable be to track various business metrics. The metrics that I will track in my business website include product comparison to see what is outside there. I will also monitor the users segments and customer satisfaction (Sri and Srinivasan 19). Additionally, shopping cart removes and sales funnel will be tracked. To partner with suppliers, I will employ the customer -business strategy. I will create a link of communication and payment system. The link will enable

Thesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Thesis - Essay Example est footballers of all time is currently the president of Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).1Further, football has become a big business game, and all of the English Premier League clubs are currently listed on the London Stock Exchange. By purchasing popular players from different parts of the world, especially Asia, and by holding their training camps in different parts of the world, i.e., effectively touring, clubs are using strategic marketing, thereby creating a significant source of income. This is due to the large population and the rapid development in economic terms of countries to which they are marketing (Ashton-Jones et al., 2008:a). For example, the first appearance of Chinese Lie Tie and Sun Jihai in the English Premier League was broadcast in more than 700 million Chinese homes (Desbordes, 2006, p. 7). On the other hand, leisure activities have been proven to be â€Å"a normal good;† i.e., the demand for leisure increases with increasing income. Research has also shown that the residents of the wealthiest countries spend more time engaging in leisure activities, such as football (Houston and Wilson, 2002).2 Contemporary indication shows that economic prosperity may lead to sporting success than the other way around. Recent evidence indicates that after 1996 since the Bosman ruling, the success in football is dominated by the England ´s richest four teams (i.e. Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea) called â€Å"the big four†. The dominance of these teams since 1996 has led to think that economic prosperity may lead to sporting success in football. Thus, whether economic prosperity leads to sporting success in the case of football or vice versa is unclear and needs to be proved empirically. This is needed to find out the contributing factors for the widening splits between richer and poorer football clubs. This can be considered as a type of inequality between haves and have-nots in football market. This inequality is now

Legal Issues in Sports Gambling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Legal Issues in Sports Gambling - Essay Example With the advent of increased online gambling activities, there had been confusion because a majority of laws applied to gambling in sports and other forms of bet taking were in use long before the internet came into widespread use and were at the discretion of states. Further, laws relating to cyberspace have been hard to craft while older laws are open to broad interpretations in this context. Bills’ seeking to create laws to regulate online gambling has mostly ended in failure. However, Illinois passed legislation which strictly bars advertising of online casinos in the state (Illinois Gambling Laws, 2012). In reference to the Gambling and Related Offences 2012 (US), section 28(1) one is said to commit gambling offence when, he or she makes a wager upon the result of a game. Brief history of sports gambling. Ever since, sporting activities started, people have had the urge to bet on the outcome. Nowhere else is gambling as widespread as in the United States. Thompson (2001), in his research identified the founding fathers of the United States as natural risk takers; therefore the attraction to take part in all forms of gambling was rather inherent. Humphrey (2012), in his research, stated that, in the initial days of United States, the colonists used to gamble on anything ranging from bare-knuckle brawls to cockfights and makeshift horse races.... Thompson (2001) confirmed many colorful characters and factors have played a role in the  growth  of sports gambling, but what is  obvious  is that sports gambling are here to stay despite efforts by various governments’ attempts to curtail its  growth. Sometime back, a sport betting was just a  negligible  part  in  human, social life, but nowadays it runs from the professional bettor, the middle class  family  to the common man on the street (Ziming  and Shaffer, 2009). The effect of this has been that professional bookmakers and gamblers have resulted to bribery of participants and other  uncouth  activities. Horse racing was the first sport which recorded  widespread  bet  activity  due to its increased popularity especially in the United Sates. During the initial years, this was a  game  for the upper class, but after the  end  of civil war, horse tracks appeared and dotted eastern landscapes attracting bettors from every econom ic sector in United States (Thompson, 2001). The peak of horse racing was in 1920s and  decline  began in 1930s. Currently, Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act 2006 (US) has  section  5363 and 5366 which has criminalized taking of money from bettors by online gaming website operators but excludes online betting on horse racing activities from its list of illegal gambling activities. However, these bets must be  legal  at the two ends of online connection (Humphrey, 2012). Formation of professional leagues, they diverted attention of gamblers and made a majority of them  abandon  horse race betting for other areas such as professional baseball. Use of  pool  cards’ became  common  especially in the urban areas of the East. These  pool  cards were similar to the present

The Battle in Seattle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Battle in Seattle - Essay Example The organizations that participated in the protest represented a sea of different interests; they ranged from labor movements, environmental groups as well as human rights organizations. The protest had taken months of planning and organizations working together to plan the protest events (Belmonte 2005, 423). This protest came to be known as the Battle of Seattle since it was the first large demonstration. Before the battle of Seattle, many people were unaware of the disadvantages of free trade. Many free trade agreements had been made in America and the rest of the world before 1999. According to Belmonte, the world trade organization was charged with the responsibility of supervising and liberalizing global trade as established by the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Moreover, in 1993, the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had been passed, and trade officials assumed that the next move was to expand the free trade area to cover all of North and South Am erica. More so, many cities vied to play host to the FTAA secretariat, and many planners laid out expanded transport systems meant to bring in goods from South America to the U.S and Canada. They faced huge opposition from protestors and delegates who were opposed to free trade. As a result, they failed to reach an agreement and efforts of reviving the free trade efforts died (Belmonte 2005, 311). In addition to that, many of those against free trade based their criticism on economic grounds. As a result, the World Wrade Organization, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund faced many protests. However, contrary to their opposition to globalization, most of the protestors use the Internet to mobilize people of common interest disregarding the fact that the Internet is a form of globalization. During the battle of Seattle, approximately 50,000 people met in Seattle to plan the peaceful protest. The labor movements represented during the protests were steelworkers, longshor emen, public workers, farm workers and building trade workers (Moberg 1999). Some protestors stated that there were efforts to marginalize the developing nations. However, some delegates attending the conference were also opposed to free trade. Some delegates from developing nations felt overshadowed and sidelined by the developed nations and feared that labor rights would be violated by the inception of free trade. Free trade would lead to incurrence of huge costs by developing nations since they could not afford to apply the changes brought about by free trade, considering the poverty rate and dependency on the developed nations (Moberg 1999). The groups that demonstrated in Seattle were of different interests ranging from labor groups, human rights groups, animal rights groups, and many others. Moberg says that, although the protest was against globalizations, some protestors showed their support for rebels in Chiapas, human rights in Burma, and ethical treatment of animals. Howe ver, the issues that were raised by all protestors through their banners and placards were related to the World Trade Organization in a way. For instance, the WTO had rejected U.S. laws regarding them as trade barriers, and as a result,

Four hours in my lai Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Four hours in my lai - Essay Example This is because the U.S military taking refuge in one of the Vietnamese villages was waiting for an encounter that would allow them to use their trainings and protection mechanism for the war. However, this opportunity did not come easily thus, they decided to try the attack towards Vietnamese groups. My Lai Massacre happened in the morning of March 16, 1968 which was one of the bloodiest and vicious mass killings in history(Michael & Kevin,102). This Massacre was characterized by the killing spree done in the hamlets in South Vietnam by the U.S. military troupes by the use of bombs and blasting that killed not only men and women, but also innocent children and even animals (Bilton & Sim, 1992). The massacre death toll reached approximately 500 plus people. Though the massacre called for attention, the soldiers involved in the massacre, 26 of them to be exact, one of whom is Lt. William Calley has managed to reduce the buzz from the eventful date. However, during the fall of the year 1969, media was able to open the eyes of the world and bring them to the real tragedy and demonstration of abuse of power by the U.S. military in the My Lai massacre that led to the imprisonment of those involved. The Cleveland Plain Dealer spearheaded in breaking the story to the public where an army photographer from Cleveland, Ronald Haeberle has exposed photographs of the massacre and granted a newspaper firm an exclusive interview of himself . This gave the public an unbiased view of what really happened in the My Lai Massacre. The media has played a big role in giving the world a clear view of the Vietnam massacre. Because of media, I strongly believe that the My Lai Massacre freed itself from the preconceived thoughts of the world being a massacre that had to do with the political and economic insurgency in Vietnam at that time against communism and their leaders (Bilton & Sim, 1992). Instead, this war also highlighted on the American military whose unlawful command needed s ome rethinking and how the American military’s actions strongly shaped Vietnamese history and culture today. The Massacre was indeed not only a big event in Vietnamese history but is still continuing to remind people of the massacre’s remnants because of its short and long term effects. Some of the short term effects of the war would include the stricter guidelines and qualifications set for military volunteers who wish to serve in leadership troops. This was due to lack of in-depth knowledge on making decisions on critical matters that led to the My Lai massacre. Apart from which, there was also a drop in the number of applicants who would want to train for military service through college attendance or homeland service because the Vietnam war drew a bad light on the hopes of producing well-trained and experienced career soldiers who would be put in the front lines. On the other hand, some of the long-term effects of the My Lai Massacre would be the change in the cult ure of military training. As the massacre pointed out the problems with the old military culture wherein the insistence of compulsory obedience is required and the doctrine of â€Å"command responsibility† to the lowest ranks is strictly followed, today, the military command landscape drastically changed (Bilton & Sim, 19

Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Case Analysis - Essay Example One of the biggest quarrels was that Microsoft kept including a media player in their bundle package, despite the fact that they had been told not. RealNetworks, which produces a media player of its own, was not getting the business that it thought it deserved, due to being pushed out by a more well-known company. The greatest assumption made throughout the case is that the abusing of its terms that Microsoft does is the reason that the other companies are not getting customers. Microsoft is a more known name than the other companies, and people are more likely to go to what they are familiar with. The issues that the other companies are facing may have nothing to do with what Microsoft is doing – it may have to do with the fact that people and companies are already more comfortable with Microsoft. Microsoft, as a whole, offers more than a lot of the other companies. Part of the argument in the case is that the other platforms are being ignored because of the want for Microsoft. It can be assumed that people like the Microsoft bundles because they prefer just a single platform for everything on their computers. Other platforms have less to offer, but Microsoft has an entire bundle package that can benefit everyone that uses it, whether they need to make a simple word document, a spreadsheet, or an image presentation. Microsoft is also the most affordable, especially when it comes to the bundle packages that it offers. People can get more for less, instead of bouncing around with other companies. Microsoft itself should not be blamed if more people feel more trusting towards its services and offers. As it was stated in the article, â€Å"They argue that with the new Vista version of Windows and Office 2007, Microsoft is trying to extend its dominance into even more areas of the market—and threatening the open nature of the Internet.† Other companies might benefit

Human Resource Development studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Human Resource Development studies - Essay Example Hard skills are also known as technical/administrative skills that are necessary for an organizations success and overall operations. Hard skills are required for machine operators, computer administrators, safety officers and even financial procedures. Hard skills are easy to quantify, observe and even measure in an individual; moreover, they are attained through training and apprenticeship as opposed to soft skills which are acquired through life exposures and experiences (Wellington, 2005). Hard skills are easy to learn and acquire as they are physical skills that has no elementary background at the brains cell level. Soft skills are learnt as we grow, interact, do mistakes and get exposed to different life and work situations. Once incorporated and integrated into ourselves, soft skills cannot be replaced. This is because the brain cannot simply delete the behaviours and skills that we may feel are unnecessary. Acquiring these skills can also present a challenge once an individua l has grown and become so adept to his old practices. Human resource experts and managers have shifted their focus to soft skills as opposed to hard skills. This has resulted into a wide array of situations for the society, the employees and the employers. In this paper, the analysis of the impacts that this focus has created will be evaluated and critically discussed. Prominence will be given to the advantage of this new approach especially to the domestic and international human resource management and labour issues (Schulz, 2008). Impacts of emphasis on soft skills The increased demand for more employees with both the technical and hard skills has been attributed to the recent happenings in the business world. Competition has reached the highest level and organisations are striving to outdo each other in their innovativeness and good public relations. The growth in multinational companies and globalisation has also created another frontier for competition. The international marke t is more averse with technology and seeks quality and value in the services and products they seek to buy. All these have prompted human resource managers to develop new ways of promoting, recruiting and assigning responsibilities to their employees (Wellington, 2005). Technology intense projects have proved to have high failure rate when compared to projects that integrate the soft skills of the employees. Failure in any project that the organisation has invested a lot of resources, time and staff reduces the company’s competitive advantage and position in the market. This calls for individuals who can fuse both the hard skills that they posses to their soft skills to make them more viable and productive. The increasing competition in the job market and the increase in the number of fresh graduates and technical expertise have made it quite difficult to choose the best individual to engage (Riley, 2006). In an economy where the applicants have the same training, university academic staff and same graduate degrees, a new approach on how to choose new employees should be adopted. Human resource managers have in the recent past, resorted to sorting out the best employees based on soft skills as opposed to the hard skills. As all graduates will have the same technical skills,

Bad Home Life Essay Example for Free

Bad Home Life Essay Children all over the world suffer everyday from bad home life, born with health problems, no shelter, abusive parents, not having enough food or water to have a good living. Majority of the children are robbed of their childhood. Everyone has heard about the problems in Africa mainly children dying of lack of food and clean water causing malnutriton. After researching more about what caught my eye was the problem in Uganda that has been going on for about twentyfive years and still happening today. It’s a very tragic and almost unbelievable story that this would happen in the lives of young children. Imagine the little kids you see on the playground at your nearby elementary school were running around with guns just shooting whatever got in their way. It’s basically an army led by Joseph Kony who was once a rebel of the army. Made up of thousands of children starting at five years old to adulthood. Majority of the children that have joined are dead now reaching a certain age. He was just not just a mass murderer but involved in many sex crimes as well. He starts by kidnapping the children from their homes the parents are killed in front of their children some the children are forced to shoot their parents. They are then forced to become apart of the army some disagree and are killed on the spot. Women are also captured to look after the young children that are captured they are also brutally raped some survive or killed, they become widowed too by the killing of their husbands. They also become responsible for feeding the children waking up early in the morning in search of food. The women become very restless and suffering due to the loss of their relatives and husbands. There is somewhat a change happening in Africa to help with this problem called the SOS Social Centre supports over 250 children and their mothers in the community who have been affected by the civil war with counseling, and medical, nutritional and educational support. Former soldiers of the army that have escaped also receive counseling. To think that these people and children do not have rights or health care that we here in America were born with is unbelievable. Many children in the SOS are orphans due to losing their parents, brother and sisters etc. , they have certain program for this called the Family Strengthening Program so there are less abandoned children. Today, chased beyond Ugandas borders, Kony stalks the wildly remote jungles straddling the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, and southern Sudan, eluding American backed efforts to end his demented war and save the children who suffer at his hand.

Contributory Factors To Formation Of ECOWAS

Contributory Factors To Formation Of ECOWAS Economic of West African State ECOWAS and SADC Southern African Development are two of the numerous regional integration bodies in Africa. While ECOWAS is one of the bodies that focus on West African economies, SADC focuses on southern African Economies. ECOWAS is a regional body created on 25th May, 1975 during its first conference in Lagos, where it treaty was signed. The idea of having a united west African body was first proposed by the then Nigerian head of staff, Yakubu Gowon. His idea was to collectively achieve a self-sufficiency through integration of the sixteen West African countries into an economic block with a single market controlled around an economic and monetary union.the community started with a5 members. Later on Cape Verde joined in 1976, but Mutituana withdrew it membership in December 2000. At the moment, the commission has 15 members namely Benin, Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Sierra Leone ,Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal, Togo, Gambia, Cape Verde and Burkina Faso. Niger and Guinea have both been suspended due to coup dà ©tat incidences. in detail, the main objective of ECOWAS is to promote co-operation and integration in order to create an economic and monetary union for encouraging economic growth and develo pment in West Africa, through: The suppression of customs duties and equivalent taxes the establishment of a common external tariff; the harmonization of economic and financial policies the creation of a monetary zone. However, due to the slow pace encountered in implementing this treaties, the treaty was revised in Continuo in Benin on July 23, 1993. The new treaty adopted a less rigid collaboration. The new treaty subdivided ECOWAS into The Commission, The Community Parliament, The Community Court OF Justice, ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID). These institutions are intended to be the tools used to implement their policies. Southern African Development Community (SADC), in like manner, is a regional integration body that encapsulates Southern African countries. It is an intergovernmental organization that primarily aims at achieving greater socio-economic corporation and integration as well as political and security collaborations among it 15 member states. The current day SADC is actually product of the formerly existing Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), which was formed in 1980. As the name of SADCC implies, it was only a conference since 1980 until the treaty was signed in Windhoek, Namibia, on 17th august, 1992 and SADC was formally created. After the signing of the treaty, it seized from being a coordinated conference to being a development community. The members are mainly southern African countries, namely: Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republi c of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The core objectives of SADC are: Harmonise political and socio-economic policies and plans of Member States; Mobilise the peoples of the region and their institutions to take initiatives to develop economic, social and cultural ties across the region, and to participate fully in the implementation of the programmes and projects of SADC; Create appropriate institutions and mechanisms for the mobilisation of requisite resources for the implementation of the programmes and operations of SADC and its institutions; Develop policies aimed at the progressive elimination of obstacles to free movement of capital and labour, goods and services, and of the peoples of the region generally within Member States; Promote the development of human resources; Promote the development, transfer and mastery of technology; Improve economic management and performance through regional cooperation; Promote the coordination and harmonisation of the international relations of Member States; Secure international understanding, cooperation and support, mobilise the inflow of public and private resources into the region; and Develop such other activities as Member States may decide in furtherance of the objectives of SADC. On 14 August 2001, the 1992 SADC treaty was revised. The revision shows a change in the structure, policies and measures of SADC. One of the transformations is that political and security cooperation is included in the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security (OPDS). To achieve it objectives, the organisation was subdivided into 8 bodies. i.e. The Summit, comprising heads of state or heads of government, are at the top .OPDS, the Council of Ministers, Tribunal, SADC National Committees (SNCs), and the Secretariat. The formation of both bodies (ECOWAS and SADC) have been necessitated and expedited by many factors ranging from social, geographic, economic, political and security factors. In the subsequent chapter, we shall discuss these factors in detail. Discussion Economic Factors Economic factor is one important factor that contributed to the formation of ECOWAS and SADC. Normally countries where they form economic Integration they have stable and close economic condition. The aim of this chapter is to compare the economic condition of member of ECOWAS and SADC. In this chapter we will investigate about key economic Indicators such as GDP (PPP), GDP (real growth rate), and Inflation Rate, Exchange rate, Current account balance and Central bank discount rate. ECOWAS GDP (Purchasing power parity ) First Key indicator is GDP (PPP). Following graph shows the difference between members of ECOWAS. The average GDP of ECOWAS is 35.63 Billion. Nigeria got the highest GDP between member countries.bot rest of countries are bellow 50 billion USD per year. So we can say somehow they have similar condition in GDP (PPP) and their GDP is almost close to each other. GDP Real growth rate Second Economic factor is Real GDP growth rate, because of 2009 finical crisis we cannot have clear picture of economic growth of ECOWAS, however the graph shows that only one member of ECOWAS experienced negative growth rate in 2009 and rest of countries experienced positive growth rate. The average growth rate is 3.2 Inflation rate Average inflation in ECOWAS is 6.08% and Ghana got the highest inflation rate in ECOWAS which is 19.6% , and Niger got the lowest interest rate which is 0.1% Exchange Rate 6 members of 15 members of ECOWAS use one kind of currency which Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) and their exchange rate is 1 USD = 481.35 XOF. So using one single currency make it easier for countries to form and an economic integration and member of ECOWAS have this advantage and it make them to be more successful to reach their economic goals Current Account Balance: Following graph shows the current account balance of ECOWAS member. CoteDIvoire is the only country which had positive current account balance in year 2009 which was 65 Million USD. Average current account balance is negative $16440 million. Central Bank Discount rate 8 members of ECOWAS have same central bank discount rate which is 4.75%. highest discount rate between member countries belongs to Ghana. Having same discount rate is positive points for countries where they want to form an Economic Integration. SADC GDP (Purchasing power parity ) First Kye indicator is GDP (PPP). Following graph shows the difference between members of SADC. The average GDP of ECOWAS is 76.67 Billion. South Africa got the highest GDP between member countries.bot most of countries are bellow 25 billion USD per year. So we can say somehow they have similar condition in GDP (PPP) and their GDP is almost close to each other. GDP Real growth rate Second Economic factor is Real GDP growth rate, because of 2009 finical crisis we cannot have clear picture of economic growth of SADC, however the graph shows that 6 members of SADC experienced negative growth rate in 2009 and rest of countries experienced positive growth rate. The average growth rate is 0.33 Inflation rate Average inflation in SADC is 10.51%. Seychelles got the highest inflation rate in SADC which is 34%, In other hand Mauritius got the lowest interest rate which is 0.1%. over all they have similar condition. Exchange Rate Average exchange rate between SADC member countries is 1 USD = 836.1. The highest rate belongs to Lesotho and the lowest rate is for Zambia. Current Account Balance: Following graph shows the current account balance of SADC members. 3 countries have positive current account balance in year 2009. The average Current account balance is $165 Million. Angola got the best situation which shows that Angolas export is higher than its Import. However the rest of members got almost similar condition and their balance is almost near each other Central Bank Discount rate Following graph shows central banks discount rate of SADC members the lowest rate belongs to Mozambique which is 9.95 and highest belongs to Angola which is 19.57. the average rate is 13.65%.If we look closely we can see that the rates are very close to each other. and lending condition is almost similar in members country. Social and cultural factor By overview the factor of formation of both African union (ECOWAS and SADC), similarity of society can be claim as one of the factor toward the formation for both of the union. Due to geographical reason, nations that locate in same regions will affect each other in any of their decision making. Moreover, society daily activity or culture may also spread easier from one nation to another within a region due to easier of contact in geographical reason. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was created on May 28, 1975 by signed of Treaty of Lagos. It is a regional group of 16 West African countries namely, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d ivore, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and lastly Togo. ECOWAS was form for the purpose to achieve collective self-sufficient for the member states by means of economic and monetary union creating a single large trading bloc. Despite the wide variety of cultures in West Africa, from Nigeria through to Senegal, there are general similarities in dress, cuisine, music and culture that are not shared extensively with groups outside the geographic region. Islam is the predominant historical religion of the West African interior and the far west coast of the continent; Christianity is the predominant religion in coastal regions of Nigeria, Ghana, and Cote dIvoire; and elements of indigenous religions are practiced throughout. Along with historic migrations, these religions have culturally linked the peoples of West Africa more than those in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Traditionally, musical and oral history as conveyed over generations by Griots are typical of West African culture. Many of the religious practices are Islamic, but most are Christian. However, over 50% of the West African populations are Islamic. Mbalax, Highlife, Fuji and Afro beat are all modern musical genres which enjoin listeners in this region. A typical formal attire worn in this region is the flowing Boubou (also known as Agbada and Babariga), which has its origins in the clothing of nobility of various West African empires in the 12th century. The Djembe drum, whose origins lie with the Mandinka peoples, is now a popularly played drum among many West African ethnic groups. The Kora is a 21-string harp-lute of Mandinkan origin, played by various groups in the region. The Djembe, Kora, the silk Kente cloth of the Akan. Peoples of Ghana and the distinct Sudano-Sahelian architectural style seen in the many mosques of the region are the primary symbolic icons of West African culture. The game Oware is quite popular in many parts of West Africa. Soccer is also a pastime enjoyed by many, either spectating or playing. The national teams of some West African nations, especially Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, regularly qu alify for the World Cup. Britain controlled The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria throughout the colonial era, while France unified Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Cà ´te dIvoire and Niger into French West Africa. Portugal founded the colony of Guinea-Bissau, while Germany claimed Togoland, but was forced to divide it between France and Britain following First World War. Only Liberia retained its independence, at the price of major territorial concessions. Southern African Development Community (SADC) was formed in 1980. The origins of SADC lie in the 1960s and 1970s, when the leaders of majority-ruled countries and national liberation movements coordinated their political, diplomatic and military struggles to bring an end to colonial and white-minority rule in southern Africa. The immediate forerunner of the political and security cooperation leg of todays SADC was the informal Front Line States (FLS) grouping. SADC do have 15 members (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Mauritius, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Seychelles, and Madagascar(suspended)) which all of them are from southern part of Africa. Southern Africa is home to many cultures and people. It was once populated by San, Namaqua and Pygmies in widely-dispersed concentrations. Due to the Bantu expansion which edged the previous peoples to the more remote areas of the region, the majority of ethnic groups in this region, including the Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, Tswana, Sotho, and Shona people, BaLunda, Mbundu, Kikuyu and Luo, speak languages which share common Bantu language traits. The process of colonization and settling resulted in a significant population of European (Afrikaners, Anglo-Africans, Portuguese Africans, etc.) and Asian descent (Cape Malays, Koreans, Indians, etc.) in many southern African countries. The region has a wide diversity of ecoregions including grassland, bushveld, karoo, savanna and riparian zones. Even though considerable disturbance has occurred in some regions from habitat loss due to human overpopulation, there remain significant numbers of various wildlife species, including White Rhino , lion, leopard, impala, kudu, blue Wildebeest, Vervet monkey and elephant. Moreover most of the southern Africa country did produce raw material like gold, diamonds, and iron ore. Political and security factors Besides trade and the benefit of the efficiencies of a regional market, the reason for the establishment of a regional block, is to promote political progress, more especially for government which have been installed due to majority votes of its electorates and the population in a democratic election. The report stresses democratically elected government for a few reasons: To ensure that checks and balances are properly in place, thereby preventing against the concentration of power in a particular political office. To ensure that the views of the people are properly addressed, somewhat ensuring that the government is installed to ensure socio-economic development. These and some others are the reasons why we focus on democratically elected government. Furthermore, there are presently 16 countries in the ECOWAS, with the exception of Republic of Guinea and the Republic of Niger which recently were taken over by military juntas ( more on these nations will follow ) all the other members of the ECOWAS countries are ruled by democratically elected governments. REPUBLIC OF GUINEA In December of 2008 a military coup led by a junior officer in the Guinean army, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, seized power in a bloodless coup after the death of president Lansana conte, after years of hanging on to power. As mention earlier, the report focuses on democratic governments and this was displayed when people were killed by the military under the new government. Human Rights Watch accused members of the presidential guard of carrying out a premeditated massacre of at least 150 people at the rally and raping dozens of women. REPUBLIC OF NIGER The ousted president of the republic is president Mamadou Tandja, who dissolved parliament after the countrys constitutional court ruled against plans to hold a referendum on whether to allow him a third term in office. According to the constitution, a new parliament was elected within three months.This touched off a political struggle between Tandja, trying to extend his term-limited authority beyond 2009 through the establishment of a Sixth Republic, and his opponents who demanded that he step down at the end of his second term in December 2009. Besides the example of Guinea and Niger, the political situation in the western Africa sub region, have been marred by conflicts, civil, societal, political and violent changes in government and revolts. In Sierra Leone, the Congo and Liberia, we have conflicts that erupted from the disagreements for the control of the nations vast deposits of Diamonds. This act put these countries in a state of chaos, and also led to the enslavement of individuals, some of whom were used to mine for diamonds at gun point. There were also reports of child soldiers in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The conflict in sierra loane was reportedly initiated by a former corporal in the sierra leoeneian army, Foday Sanko, and he was rumored to be supported by former rebel leader and president of Liberia president Charles Taylor. After years of conflicts, these nations have however achieved relative peace, with new and hopefully stable democratic governments. The political situation in the southern region of Africa is one of relative peace and stability. With the exception of Zimbabwe which has had some unrest due to a change in government policies and a shift in the political situation of the nation. The same also lies for Madagascar, which had a change of government in a bloodless coup, by the mayor of the capital (Antananarivo); the nation was subsequently suspended from the SADC after the fact. Regional peace and security ECOWAS became concerned early on with peace and regional security which are necessary factors in the socio-economic development of the Member States. Thus, the Authority of Heads of State and Government adopted a non-aggression protocol in 1978, a defence assistance protocol in 1981 and a declaration of political principles in July 1991. This declaration which is a plea for democratic principles in the sub-region condemns unequivocally any seizure of power by force of arms. It must also be pointed out that in 1990 the Authority of Heads of State and Government created an ECOWAS cease-fire follow-up group called ECOMOG. This peace-keeping force had cause to intervene in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau. LIBERIA After it had been deployed in the Republic of Liberia in August 1990, ECOMOG worked there to restore peace, ensure security and law and order. It also engaged in many humanitarian activities aimed at reducing the sufferings of the people. In sum, ECOMOG helped considerably to create favourable conditions for the holding in Liberia of the free and democratic presidential and parliamentary elections of 19 July 1997. Eleven Member States of ECOWAS provided contingents for the operations in Liberia these are: Burkina Faso, Cà ´te dIvoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.Two other African States also participated, Uganda and Tanzania. SIERRA LEONE The intervention of ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone occurred following the overthrow of the lawful government of this country headed by President Ahmed Teejan KABBAH. In February 1998, ECOMOG restored constitutional legality and reinstated the government of the democratically elected President. All the antagonists in the conflict, namely, the lawful government, the RUF rebels and the members of the (AFRC) military Junta signed in Lome in September 1999 an agreement protocol on the final settlement of the Sierra Leonean crisis. Following the appeals made to the international community for it to give meaningful assistance for a final restoration of peace, a United Nations peace-keeping force UNAMSIL replaced ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone. The ECOWAS countries which provided contingents for ECOMOG operations in Sierra Leone are Ghana, Guinea, Mali and Nigeria. GUINEA BISSAU In June 1998, units of the armed forces of Guinea Bissau led by the former Chief of Defence Staff went into rebellion. On account of the bilateral defence and security agreements that linked his country to Guinea and Senegal, President Joao Bernardo Vieira asked for the intervention of the armed forces of these two countries. At the request of the lawful authorities of Guinea Bissau and in order to reaffirm its support for the elected government of Guinea Bissau, the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government decided to restore peace and reinstate President Vieira in authority over the entire country. A mechanism for supervision and control of the cease-fire was set up by ECOWAS with the contingents of soldiers sent by Benin, Niger and Togo. In spite of the numerous cease-fire agreements signed between the parties to the conflict in Guinea Bissau, the democratically elected government of President Vieira was finally overthrown. Drawing lessons from this failure and in order to reinforce peace and security in West Africa, the Executive Secretariat of ECOWAS initiated the establishment of a mechanism for the prevention, management and settlement of conflicts and for the maintenance of peace and security in the sub-region. The ECOWAS Mechanism For Conflict Prevention, Management And Resolution, Peace-Keeping And Security Our sub-region has been ravaged in recent times by violent upheavals which, each time, have resulted in the wholesale loss of human lives, wanton destruction of property, and suffering and desolation for the innocent civilian population. These civilians are frequently pushed by famine and disease into taking refuge in neighboring countries or becoming displaced persons within their own countries. It is fortunate that on each occasion, the ECOWAS sub-region, unlike the other regions in Africa, has been able to set in motion ad hoc conflict resolution procedures which have made it possible to circumscribe its crises. ECOWAS peace-keeping activities have in the main been considered commendable despite a few shortcomings noted. However, in view of the heavy human, material and financial cost of such conflicts and their negative impact on the development of the states concerned and on the sub-regional integration process, it has now become necessary to shift emphasis from conflict resolution to conflict prevention. To this end, but also for better management of full scale conflicts as well as internal crises which are now the most common, the Heads of States and Government decided at their meeting in Lome on 17 December 1997, to establish a mechanism for conflict prevention, management and resolution and for peace-keeping. The scope of the mechanism would be extended to include security-related issues. With respect to conflict prevention, management and resolution, appropriate proposals were advanced regarding the establishment of an observation and monitoring system and a number of organs that would assist in containing and defusing imminent conflicts. The observation system would consist essentially in the establishment of a regional network within which states would be grouped into zones. A Regional Observation and Monitoring Centre should be established within the Executive Secretariat to give warning of impending crisis. All information having a bearing on regional peace an security collected by zonal bureaux would be transmitted to the centre. The centre will record and analyze all such data and take action on any signs of a breakdown in relations between Member States or of alarming socio-political developments within Member States. Four (4) observation centers were created with headquarters in Banjul (The Gambia), Cotonou (Benin), Monrovia (Liberia) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). The necessary political implications can quickly be drawn and appropriate measures taken. To facilitate this process, it is proposed that a Council of Elders and a Mediation and Security Council should be established. It was proposed to use African traditional practice as a guide and establish a Committee of Elders made up of eminent personalities from the sub-region, Africa and beyond, who would use their vast experience, good offices and competence on behalf of ECOWAS to play the role of mediator, conciliator and arbiter. Its members would be chosen by the Executive Secretary in consultation with the Chairman of Council as and when the need arose. A Mediation and Security Council comprising nine Member States will be empowered, on behalf of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, to take such emergency decisions as may be required in crisis situations. It is proposed that the Mediation and Security Council should consist of 9 Member States elected for a two year mandate, and that the current and immediate past chair should have automatic membership on the Council. The Council may consider and make recommendations on issues within its area of competence within any or all of the following bodies: the Committee of Ambassadors of the nine (9) Member States; the Committee of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Internal Affairs and Security, and the meeting of Heads of State of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council. These different bodies may solicit the opinion of defense and Security Commission. Membership of the Commission shall be dictated by the issues for discussion. Member States may therefore be represented by their Chief of Staff, security chiefs, experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, heads of immigration, Customs, narcotics, or border patrols. The Commission shall examine the technical aspects of defense matters and advise on the requirements of the administration and logistics support for peace-keeping operations. In cases of armed conflict, ECOWAS shall employ both political and military intervention. The term ECOMOG shall continue to designate the military instrument of ECOWAS. ECOMOG shall be based on a standby arrangement involving the use of national contingents that shall be earmarked, trained and equipped, and organised for deployment at short notice. Another major innovation is the proposal that ECOWAS should intervene to undertake peace-keeping operations in internal conflict where the situation: threatens to trigger a humanitarian disaster; pose a serious threat to peace and security in the sub-region; erupts following the overthrow or attempted overthrow of a democratically-elected government. The draft mechanism lays down the procedure to be followed where the decision is taken to intervene. Proposals are also made regarding the composition of ECOMOG, its chain of command, duties and functions and funding for administrative and logistics support. In order to correct the impression that ECOWAS has failed, in previous operations, to adequately support its peace-keeping operations with humanitarian action, it is suggested that, in situations of conflicts or natural disasters, ECOWAS should ensure a high profile with regard to alleviating the suffering of the populace and hastening the return of normalcy. A number of recommendations were made in respect of this and of peace-building. The scope of the mechanism was widened to include security issues, in accordance with the directives of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs and Security. A number of recommendations in the draft mechanism attempt to address the concerns of our leaders concerning the movement of light weapons and ammunitions and the increasing incidence of cross-border crime. The Executive Secretariat has sought to combat small arms proliferation more effectively by preparing a draft declaration of a moratorium on light weapons based on the moratorium presented by Mali on the importation, exportation and manufacture of light weapons and the Programme for Coordination and Assistance for Security and Development (PCASED). The draft declaration has been adopted by the Heads of State and Government. The European Union generously made available to ECOWAS an amount of 1.9 million Euros for undertaking certain operational activities of the mechanism. Having addressed the issue of a security outfit in western Africa, it is worthy to note that the SADC does not have an established military outfit. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION SADC The community adopted objectives to look out for the welfare of the member states. In dealing with matters of anything against this i.e violation of human rights all must be put in correcting and condemning such situations. However this has not been the case on the ongoing Zimbabwean catastrophe, in fact this is one of SADC s biggest failures. In attending to the matter in which Robert Mugabe has been in power for 40years now, in which he unlawfully took land from white people who contributed a lot to the economy through farming giving it to poor black people who cannot even do anything with it, breaking his own black peoples houses. The opposition took a stand against all the wrong that was going wrong in the country earning many of them brutal military attacks, many died, many imprisoned for no good reason the opposition leader even ran to Botswana after alleged rumors of plots to kill him by the Robert-led millitary. All that SADC did was send the former South-African president Th abo Mbeki for peace talks between the ruling ZANUPF and the opposition MDC. This effort could be applauded however Thabo Mbeki happens to be one of Roberts best friends back from the colonialism days they fought for freedom together, which is why he and SADC adopted the silent diplomacy way to go about the matter. This proved very useless the situation worsened civilians were killed everyday for opposing the ruling party, many people died of diseases even worse the economy collapsed, taking things to the core the world imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe. The world spoke SADC kept saying we will do things our way. This is to say SADC needs more efficient, effective and stronger methods in matters involving peoples lives. They should condemn when democracy is not well practiced only Botswana and Namibia took a strong stance to say this is inhuman and the situation should be given more seriousness. Silent diplomacy is not working more power-backed methods must be put in place to see to it t hat peoples rights are not violated ,democracy an rule of law are seen to. There is a continuing loss of millions of lives to HIV/AIDS but the message is being spread on how to prevent infection. It then becomes a problem when a prominent leader in society like Jacob Zuma the current South-African president promotes promiscuity otherwise. The man is married to five women but 2years back he was involved in a rape scandal in which he was alleged to have raped an HIV positive women knowing of her status but not caring to get infected and passing it on to his wife. The man hid behind culture

American Invasion of Iraq Essay -- Morality, Reasons, Exaggeration

The American invasion of Iraq was morally and humanely wrong. During the invasion of Iraq in 2003, American government went far beyond humanity when they gave spurious and idealistic reasons for invading Iraq. Over 1 million Iraqi citizens were killed and the country lived under terror for over 5 years due to the American actions. In 1991 George Bush Sr., attempted to invade Iraq, however, this mission ended before any major action was taken. George Bush Sr.’s advisers, one of them being Dick Cheny choose not to invade Iraq because of the fear that such an invasion could turn into a â€Å"quagmire†. In spite of that, when George W. Bush, the son of George Bush Sr., began his journey to possibly complete what his father wanted to accomplish 10 years ago, the invasion of Iraq. Bush benevolently argued that â€Å"democracy in the Middle East must occur,† and the best way he choose was by attacking Iraq. According to globalpolicy.org, â€Å"Before the war, Bush was repeatedly told there was no definitive evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. He knew Iraq was not a nuclear threat. He knew there was no Iraq connection to 9/11. Iraq posed no imminent danger to the United States. There was no case for a pre-emptive war.† â€Å"George W. Bush knew there was no solid prove that Iraq was planting weapons of mass destruction. There were no nuclear weapons in Iraq, not enough technology was developed in Iraq to target long range enemies; America was definitely not being aimed at. Nothing was being planned from the Iraqi side.† (globalpolicy.org) About the WMD excuse, George W. Bush lied that the Iraqi were a threat to its neighboring countries [Kuwait and Iran] and to the world peace due to the believe that weapon of mass destruct... ...ading Iraq have been told to the outside world yet. If powerful countries with solid military force like the United States is able to take-over a country for personal benefits then where will the world end up one day? George W. Bush was definitely in hype or hysteria when he made the decision for invading Iraq, this hype led United States into the war. History should always be used for granted; history is just like a lesson that is thought at any school, if you pay attention to it and learn from it, astray will not be your path. Works Cited http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/168/37699.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk /news/worldnews/1560915/Dick-Cheney-Iraq-quagmire-video-hits-the-web.html http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/main592330.shtml http://www.teresi.us/html/writing/iraq_war.html http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3340723/

The Story of the Water :: Water Vapor

Water vapor is the most important gaseous source of infrared opacity in the atmosphere, it accounts for about 60% of the natural greenhouse effect for the clear skies [1], and provides the largest positive feedback in model projections of climate change [2]. Therefore, water vapor variability is an important issue in the discussion of global climate change [3] and in particular the variability of stratospheric water vapor has important radiative and chemical consequences that impact the global surface climate change [4]. An increase of roughly 1% per year in stratospheric water vapor content has been observed during the last half of the 20th century [5, 6], with a more convincingly documented increase during the 1980s and most of the 1990s than earlier. However, an updated trend analysis [7] of water vapor in the lower mid-latitude stratosphere from Boulder balloon measurements and from HALOE (Halogen Occultation Experiment) [8] spaceborne observations provides trend estimates for the period 1980-2000 that are up to 40% lower than previously reported. Methane oxidation is a major source of water in stratosphere, and has been increasing over the industrial period, however, the observed trend in stratospheric water vapor during the last half of the 20th century is too large to be attributed to methane oxidation alone [5, 9]. The temperatures near the tropical tropopause should control the stratospheric water vapor content according to the equilibrium thermodynamics, importing more water vapor into the stratosphere when temperatures are warmer. However, tropical tropopause temperatures have cooled slightly over the period of the stratospheric water vapor increase [10, 11]. Other mechanisms have been proposed to explain the increase of the stratospheric water vapor occurred in the second half of 20th century, but so far the driving causes of this increase are unknown. The upward trend of stratospheric water vapor decreased in the last half of the 1990s with a near-zero trend between 1996 and 2000 [12, 13]. Furthermore, at the end of 2000 there was a dramatic drop of about 10% of stratospheric water vapor [13]. The trend analysis reported in [14] extends until spring 2008 and it shows that a minimum was approximately reached between 2004 and 2006 and an increase is observed afterwards. The drop in stratospheric water vapor that occurred at the end of 2000 is thought to have slowed the rate of increase in global surface temperature over 2000-2009 by about 25% compared to that which would have occurred due only to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases [4]. On the other hand the increase in stratospheric water vapor occurred between 1980 and 2000 would have enhanced the decadal rate of surface warming during the 1990s by about

Abbey, And His Fear Of Progress Essay examples -- essays research pape

Abbey, and His Fear of Progress Edward Abbey The day that the gray jeep with the U.S. Government decal and "Bureau of Public Roads" on it, Edward Abbey knew that progress had arrived. He had foreseen it, watching other parks like his, fall in the face of progress. He knew that hordes of people and their "machines" would come (Abbey 50-51). Most people see progress as a good thing. Abbey proclaims. "I would rather take my chances in a thermonuclear war than live in such a world (Abbey 60)." "Prog-ress n. forward motion or advance to a higher goal; an advance; steady improvement (Webster's)." Is progress really all of that? How can you improve on mother nature? Progress actually detracts from the parks natural beauty. Cars, litter, and vandalism can all be attributed to "progress." In this frame of thinking "progress" kind of contradicts it's self. The most detrimental aspect of progress is the automobile. "'Parks are for people' is the public-relations slogan, which decoded means that the parks are for people-in -automobiles." People come streaming in, driving their cars. They are in a hurry because they are trying to see as many parks as possible in their short vacation time. They have to deal with things such as: car troubles, traffic, hotel rooms, other visitors pushing them onward, their bored children, and the long trip home in a flood of cars. Many of them take tons of pictures, possibly so that they can actually enjoy the park without all of the hassles (Abbey 58). Without leaving their cars they will never actually experience the beauty and wonderment of the parks. They will only find the stress and chaos that they sought to leave at home (Abbey 59). There is a minority though, that prefers to be able to get away from the modern world completely, and travel throughout the parks on foot, bicycle, or horse. With these vehicles they can travel on quiet trails that are impassable by automobiles. These trails will lead them to places where progress has yet to hit. They can sleep in the open, breath the fresh air, and hear nothing but mother nature herself. They will never get pushed out of the way buy the rush of other tourists, cramming to catch a glimpse of the sights (Abbey 59). This is what I call anti-progress. Anti-progress is what progress seeks desperately to destroy. The ... ...y 68)," I tend to agree, people need to get away from the hustle and bustle of their lives. The national parks system is a great way to get away. If we continue to allow our parks to be desecrated by progress our parks system will be just as bad as what you are trying to leave. Abbey strongly believed in his cause. He would also get furious at the destruction of mother nature; he spoke out against this in his lectures and essays. James Bishop wrote in his book The Monkey Wrench Gang (Little 35). Because of Abbey's madcap but deadly serious novel, people of all ages can never again look the same way at massive freeway systems where desert and farmland used to be; at once-lush forests now clear-cut into lunar landscapes-or at huge dams on once-free rivers. Abbey loved the land so much that he wanted to be buried under a rock, in a sleeping bag, in the middle of the desert (Sandlin 11). Carved into the rock reads (Little 35): Works Cited Little, Charles E. "Books for the Wilderness." Wilderness. Summer 1994: 34-35. Sandlin, Tim. "Nightmare Abbey." The New York Times Book Review. 1994, December 11. Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus. 1993. Landoll, Inc.

Gaelic football Essay

My chosen sport is Gaelic football and my local club is called Roger Casements GAC which is situated in the medium sized town of Portglenone. The club was founded in 1940. It is a GAA club with the aim â€Å"The GAA is a community based volunteer organisation promoting Gaelic Games, culture and lifelong participation† (www.gaa.ie). There are 9 teams in my club ranging from under 6 years to seniors, with 20 -25 players on each panel. The club is organised by an elected committee comprising 12 people and assisted by the backroom team for the organisation and management of the teams. The club is the pride of the community with many paying members, 300 in total. The Antrim county board organises fixtures for senior players whereas the southwest Antrim board organises matches at juvenile levels. Development from Grass Roots to Elite: Grass Roots – The lowest level in Roger Casements is the under 6 team which trains weekly and play small scale friendly matches against other local teams. Skill development is the main focus at this young age. Schools – The secondary schools in the area also support the development of young players. Local schools such as St. Louis and St. Mary’s have a high reputation of producing successful Gaelic teams. The standard of competition increases progressively through the age groups as players have access a higher level of coaching and better training facilities. Club – Players progress through the age-groups until they reach senior level, the pinnacle of club football where they compete in the county championship and the county league with the aim of becoming All- County champions. Elite – The elite level for a Gaelic player is the senior county level i.e. elite. To play for one’s county is a great achievement. Regional Development Squad Under age players Senior County player Majority of club players and School Finances of the club: The club raises finances in a number of ways; The weekly club lotto. Advertising panels around the pitch to attract the capital of local businesses. Sponsorship by local businesses in return for the name and logo being featured on the team jersey. Additional social events at the pavilion such as a fancy dress Halloween ball, the X-factor, Golf days and Tribute Acts. Gate receipts from matches. Members pay an annual fee of twenty pounds which includes insurance for the players.. The Lottery funding project is supporting Casements Gac in the provision of new facilities as are the Antrim county board. Facilities: The club benefits from the use of private facilities, bought and paid for over fifty years. It owns its own land consisting of one pitch and high quality changing rooms. Casements also own a club pavilion with a bar and indoor hall which is available to the general public. There is also a local Gaelic pitch owned by the district council which helps the club avail of the use of limited public sector facilities. Local schools, colleges and clubs: The local schools genuinely get on well with each other and allow their facilities to be used for community use. We train in our own pitch, a community pitch or the school pitch. Casements facilities are largely open for community use and other teams may book them by request. Gaelic football is now a major sport with schools as it is taught on the curriculum. The local primary school encourages young children to join Casements to develop their game. Post-primary schools help to further develop a player and work well with my club in organising facilities and training. Club Schemes: The club runs many GAA accredited schemes such as the mini 7’s, Cà ºl Camp and internal club award schemes. The club has a prize giving ceremony every year in which the â€Å"player of the year† and â€Å"most improved† awards are presented. The club also runs a Cà ºl camp to develop the ‘FUNdamental’ skills of the younger players with the emphasis on fun as well as skill (www.rogercasementsgac.com). The club within the voluntary sector as it is run and financed by volunteers. The GAA is a voluntary organisation where managers and players volunteer to take part. Officials are paid a small sum to encourage officiating and as there are small numbers. Disabled Members: Unfortunately, locally there are no GAA activities for the disabled. However proper access is availoable and everyone is made to feel part of the community. Disabled members also have the chance to manage and help to develop young players. Gender issues: The club caters for men’s Gaelic football and ladies camogie at all ages. Unfortunately there is a gender bias within the GAA as a whole as women aren’t allowed to compete with the males. Casements doesn’t cater for a men’s hurling team or a women’s Gaelic team. Lack of numbers is a major influence. I can safely link my role as a leader and performer at my local club. It has clearly developed me as a performer from a young age and this has given me the characteristics and qualities necessary to be a leader. There are also opportunities to become involved in coaching and officiating from a young age e.g. young whistlers and coaching foundation course where there are regular classes in local areas. These are run by the Ulster Council and are generally free to members of the GAA. Critique: Sourcing my information for this study was relatively easy due to the varied supply of information. What I did find less pleasing was the fact that there aren’t any real efforts currently being made within the GAA to adapt the game for people with disabilities, unlike some other sports. This is an area for potential development by the GAA. Female participation is well established in the county and indeed in Ireland but unfortunately, in my club, there aren’t sufficient numbers interested to warrant a team. There are few local public sector facilities available which limit the clubs use of these e.g. leisure centres and gyms. Bibliography: www.rogercasementsgac.com www.antrim.gaa.ie www.gaa.ie Roger Casements GAC-A history of 60 years www.google.co.uk/images

A Critique of the Lin Article Essay

Lin, Mack, Enright, and Baskin (2004) state that prior to the writing of this article anger and related emotions have already been associated as triggers within the realm of substance abuse. As way of illustration the authors cite the Project Match 12-step facilitation therapy manual which states that â€Å"Anger and resentment are pivotal emotions for most recovering alcoholics† (Nowinski, Baker, & Carroll, as found in Lin et al, 2004, p. 1114). The traditional therapeutic method of choice within treatment settings has been that of anger management. The focus of this form of treatment is in establishing surface level coping mechanisms by â€Å"attempting to teach patients to more effectively manage or express anger rather than actually decrease their anger† (Dakken et al, 1995 as found in Lin et al, 2004 p. 1114). The authors present that there is insufficient documentation related to the efficacy of this approach. An alternative approach has been developed by a number of researchers titled Forgiveness Therapy (FT). FT states that while anger, resentment and other accompanying related emotions are correct responses to severe violations, harmful results are attributed to the same on a daily basis. The therapeutic goal, therefore, is in assisting the client in working towards educating the client regarding healthy forgiveness as a choice. The authors advise that â€Å"Robust results have been found when FT has been applied to certain populations† and â€Å"has been shown to decrease the frequency and severity of anger, anxiety and depression rather than simply improving individuals’ ability to cope with these emotions† (Lin et al, 2004, p. 115). Lin et al, (2004) chose support for the validity of FT by presenting the hypothesis that inpatient clients for substance abuse treatment who received FT would demonstrate â€Å"less anger, depression, anxiety, and vulnerability to substance abuse† than similar clients who received traditional anger management treatment. Subjects were randomly chosen within a treatment center to receive either FT or Alcohol and Drug Counseling (ADC) treatment from a group of suggested participants. All were diagnosed as substance abusers. Each participated in four instruments: The EFI, which is a sixty item self-report measure of self forgiveness, the BD1-11, which measures symptoms related to depression, the CSE1 which evaluates attitudes towards self, and STAI which assesses anxiety. Each participant also became involved in a 12 week program, either within the FT procedure or the ADC procedure. The ending result verified the original hypothesis for the researchers in that the FT group â€Å"demonstrated significantly greater improvement from pretest to posttest† (Lin et al, 2004, p. 117), as well as a marked difference in retention of improvements between the two therapeutic groups after four weeks apart from the therapy sessions. The authors did present five cautions. The first was the lack of being able to generalize the findings of the study due to the size of the testing. The second is the degree to which resentments are the norm within client’s treatment histories. The third caution is related to the need for the client to persevere within the therapy due to the length and depth of the therapy involved. The fourth caution is related to providing time for follow up data beyond the initial four month time frame which was provided for the purposes of this study. The fifth caution is that there may have possibly been some unforeseen effects by the therapist involved within the experiment since only one therapist conducted therapy for both groups. The authors summarize their findings by stating that chemical dependency issues may be linked to or are a result of unresolved negative emotional issues such as anger and resentment, and that future study of comparing and contrasting FT with more traditional anger management may continue to reinforce the advantage of therapeutically engaging in root issues rather than simply reinforcing traditional anger management daily coping methods. Critique of the Title From this researchers perspective the overall title is effective and appropriate. It is sufficiently specific while remaining properly concise. The wording provides a descriptive picture of the contents of the article while remaining under twenty words. The title also properly identifies the type of participants in the study, as well as the variables which are analyzed. The authors remain clear of utilizing jargon and acronyms which â€Å"might be unknown to the audience† (Pyrczak, 2008, p. 20). Pyrczak advises that it is normally unwise for the title of an article to reveal the results of the study (Pyrczak, 2008, p. 16). The authors of this article prove to be careful to not reveal the ultimate findings, while still causing interest by the use of their description. It is clear that the authors of this article took careful consideration in the formatting of this preliminary descriptor. Critique of the Abstract Overall this abstract is effective and appropriate. It clearly presents the purpose of the article in a clear and concise manner. The authors reveal the foundational underpinnings, the resulting hypothesis as well as the study group utilized for the overall experimentation. Highlights of the study are provided in the form of mentioning a general overview of the Forgiveness Therapy as well as indicating a favorable outcome linked to the hypothesis. The abstract did not become encumbered with titles of specific measures, except to indicate that there was a 12 week time frame of counseling sessions. While not giving specific statistics, the abstract was clear in concluding that not only were the results of this research positive, but that the authors felt confident to advise that this study substantiated the role of FT as a viable alternative for residential drug treatment. Critique of the Literature Review Overall, the literature review portion of this article is appropriate as well as informative. The purpose of the article along with the stated hypothesis logically flows from the abstract. For example, while reading the article the specific problem area which the authors are addressing is identified within the first paragraph, and this topic of concern is carried throughout the course of the article. Not only do the authors identify the problem area, that of â€Å"levels of anger and violence observed among alcohol and other substance abusers† (Lin et al, 2004, p. 114); but they also emphasize the gravity of the situation by providing specifics regarding the correlation between said negative emotions and the inability of addicts to remain sober. This provides the reasoning behind why greater development in this area within therapy needs to be addressed. In so doing the authors were also careful to properly cite sources for factual statements which reinforced their supposition. In so doing, they were careful to not inundate the article with an over abundance of cited material, leaving sufficient room for their own findings. While drawing out the concerns related to the anger and resentment issues at hand, the authors provide a well developed summary of both the Forgiveness Therapy model as well as the Anger Management Modules. The authors also provided clear and concise definitions of the instruments utilized within the study as well as providing well illustrated table in cooperation with the results of the study, and how those results can be interpreted with each instrument, and how they correlate with each other. For example not only does the article provide a Topic List for each group, (Lin et al, 2004, p. 1117 Table 1) it also provides a significant breakdown of the Means and Standard Deviation for Dependent Variables related to both study groups (Lin, Table 2, p. 1118). The only area in which this researcher may see the Literature Review as somewhat weak is in the fact that the latest research which is available within the article is from the year 2004, due to the age of the article in question. That being said, however, over all this is a well crafted review. Critique of Research Questions The hypothesis stated in this article leaves no room for questioning what it specifically entails. After providing a detailed foundation of why FT is a viable alternative in various counseling arenas as opposed to ADC, the authors then clearly state that they hypothesized that individuals in residential treatment for alcohol and drug dependence after receiving treatment augmented by FT, would demonstrate less anger, depression, anxiety and vulnerability to substance use and more self esteem than those receiving ADC treatment†¦. Lin et al, 2004, p. 1115). This hypothesis clearly provides not only a reference and a background of a therapy; it also provides specific measurable goals, and goals which can be contrasted by other measurable goals, within and on behalf of a specific demographic. Each of the specific parts of the hypothesis are logically developed within the literature review, and the developed research proves to be appropriate for the investigation at hand, albeit with specific concerns related to limitations which naturally apply due to the limited nature of the study in regards to amount of participants, limited amount of time for follow up study for the initial research, and some concern over possible biases inherent due to the fact that one therapist facilitated both study groups.

Exploring Love and Loss Essay

Guiding Question: How can we compare and explore the themes of love and loss within 4 poems of our choice? This essay will be based upon the four poems â€Å"First Love† by John Clare, â€Å"Remember† by Christina Rossetti, â€Å"When We Two Parted† by Lord Byron and â€Å"A Woman to Her Lover† by Christina Walsh. The themes of love and loss will be explored and compared in this essay, and we will be shown how the authors use of language, structure, and form in each poem, can be shown to portray their ideas, regarding love and loss. â€Å"First Love†, â€Å"Remember† and â€Å"When We Two Parted† have a fixed rhyme – (ABAB rhyme). However, â€Å"A Woman to Her Lover† has free verse structure (no iambic pentameter) which was used to develop the idea of freedom because the poem is about â€Å"real love† and freedom. It is the only poem of the four that doesn’t stick to any rhythm, maybe this is because the author wanted to capture the reader’s attention? A good example of this is when Christina Walsh says â€Å"O husband, I am yours forever and our co-equal love will make the stars to laugh with joy. † This is one way that Christina shows freedom in her poetry. â€Å"Remember† has a patriarchal sonnet, which is where the first eight lines discuss a particular idea of loss, and the last six lines offer a resolution/conclusion of that idea. â€Å"When We Two Parted† has a blank verse and uses an iambic pentameter. An example of an iambic pentameter in â€Å"When We Two Parted† is â€Å"Half broken-hearted, to sever for years. † This shows ten syllables, and with every other being stressed, it creates intensity and a certain amount of seriousness. In these two poems, â€Å"First Love† and â€Å"A Woman to Her Lover†, the authors try their best to represent the nature of love. In reading â€Å"First Love†, john Clare gives out a clear message to the readers: How it feels when we fall in love for the first time. He expresses falling in love as something magical. He describes how his legs â€Å"refused to walk away†, in other words meaning he was totally wrapped up in love and so mesmerized by her beauty that he did not actually want to walk away. â€Å"A Woman to Her Lover† is unusual. The poem represents love, but it is as If Christina Walsh doesn’t want to be possessed or worshipped, but respected instead. She thinks love means equal partnership; for example sharing things. It is not love if she does everything for her partner – â€Å"No servant will I be if that be what you ask. O lover I refuse you! † â€Å"When We Two Parted† and â€Å"Remember† both express love in different ways. â€Å"When We Two Parted† shows that you do not know what you have until you lose it. Lord Byron had many affairs and therefore when he found out that his mistress was dying, he could not openly grieve because nobody knew that they were lovers. When he found out about his mistress dying, he felt sad and depressed, but all the same felt trapped, because he could not express himself. This sadness and depression made it so hard for Byron to express his feelings, because maybe it caused her love for him to die. These four poems also represent loss in some ways. â€Å"When We Two Parted† and â€Å"Remember† are very similar. Both poems give a different kind of message to their lovers but have one thing in common – the loss of a good, strong relationship. Byron is portraying that his mistress dumped him and now he does not know how to deal with it because he is married and is having an affair. He cannot openly talk about how he feels as his affair was a secret. He also writes â€Å"A knell to mine ear† in the third stanza. This is explaining that if he hears her name, it would be like a death bell in his ears. This poem also shows love deteriorating. Christina Rossetti on the other hand, is explaining to her lover how she is dying slowly, and to move on and be happy. The first line â€Å"†¦ REMEMBER me when I am gone away† clearly tells us that this is poem is about loss and possibly death. She talks about separating from a loved one – possibly her husband – but it is not clear because in the second line she says that she will go â€Å"far away into a silent land. † This again could represent heaven – the fact that she is dying, or that she is just simply fed up of her relationship and wants to get away from everything, including love. â€Å"First Love† is the only poem out of these four that hardly represents loss (in the sense of never being to experience first love once again). It shows that he has lost his heart to her and is blinded by love. This can particularly be expressed when John Clare writes â€Å"and then my blood rushed to my face and took my eyesight quite away,† and â€Å"I could not see a single thing. † This shows that through his eyes, all he can see is her, and love, and he is overwhelmed by the feeling. However, â€Å"A Woman to Her Lover† represents loss because Christina Walsh’s partner is losing out on getting her. We can see this in the first three stanzas where Christina is refusing her lover and wants to be independent. Focusing on the first two stanzas mainly, there is evidence of Christina refusing her lover; â€Å"O lover I refuse you! † (First stanza) and â€Å"Fool, I refuse you! † (Second stanza), this shows that Rossetti may perhaps be trying to express loss, but the loss of which is derived from love. This is how the poems share a link, they are on the basis of love, but some waver off into loss. These four poems show different aspects of imagery. â€Å"First Love† uses natural imagery – for example â€Å"trees†, â€Å"flowers† and â€Å"snow† to create a positive mood, but â€Å"Remember† creates a dark and depressive mood, which we can clearly see from her style of language and tone, which is morbid. We can see this when Rossetti says â€Å"†¦ REMEMBER me when I am gone away, gone far away into the silent land, when you can no more hold me by the hand, nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. † The rhyme is also important here because it increases the fluency. â€Å"When We Two Parted† also creates a dull and depressive atmosphere because we can see from the title that the relationship is over and that there is bound to be grief from both lovers. Finally, â€Å"A Woman to Her Lover† expresses imagery that causes tension, as the last stanza has a turning point explaining how Christina Walsh will be with her husband forever, whereas in other stanzas she refuses her lover as mentioned above. To explore love and loss, and portray to the reader how they are felt, each writer uses a different mix of literary techniques. Similes can be very effective in comparing human emotions to items that the author can relate to. In â€Å"First Love,† One example of how John Clare uses similes is when he describes and compares his first love’s beauty to flowers – â€Å"Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower. † Clare also uses a hyperbole; â€Å"And then my blood rushed to my face and took my eyesight quite away. † This is known as a hyperbole (an exaggeration) because he isn’t literally blind, he has just lost his heart to a woman, and this highlights the phrase: love is blind, which is often heard these days. Clare was so caught up in love that he could not see anything else. He uses personification when saying â€Å"Are flowers the winters choice? † He is saying that he has never felt these feelings before, and is comparing love to snow because snow is beautiful. It was easy to picture the scene of the poems because it sounded sensible, and is backed up by a clear use of emotive language and imagery. Some things such as â€Å"snow† in â€Å"First Love† are unusual, but not unheard of, and so this results in people finding it is easy to paint a mental picture of. The ideas of love and loss in these poems are important as they show us what the speaker felt at the time. It was a personal experience to them, and the imagery they used was very effective because it took a powerful grip on the reader, and the way imagery was used, is something that readers could relate to. The authors made each poem sound as pure as possible through using literary techniques such as: metaphors, similes, hyperboles, adjectives, personification, and natural imagery. These four poems are effective because they explore the idea and theme of love and loss thoroughly enough for the readers to get a general perspective on how love and loss can affect us in everyday life.