Blood for sale Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Blood available to be purchased - Case Study Example The diminished worth influences regard between the benefactor and the beneficiary. The British framework comparatively advances blood gracefully better since it has no â€Å"economic and administrative† hindrances that prevent quality and amount of blood flexibly in the US framework (Shaw, 2010, p. 87). The possibility that purchasing and selling of blood decreases benevolence is substantial in light of the fact that purchasing and selling prompt monetary personal responsibility in gifts rather than ability to help other people. This is in opposition to the utilitarian goal of profiting different individuals from the general public (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2009). Realizing that blood can be popularized diminishes a person’s ability to give blood since it limits blood’s worth to the decided expense. A potential contributor who holds higher incentive for blood than the market cost will along these lines not determine utility in giving blood, will be less propelled, and won't give (Shaw, 2010). Singer’s thought is genuine on the grounds that the option to sell and the option to give blood openly at no money esteem are totally unrelated and are controlled by presence of thought. Presence of thought for instance actuates, consequently, request and money esteem for blood and wipes out the unrestrained choice to give blood that is required at no cost (Shaw, 2010). Such a correct exists in a person’s moral commitment to spare life in conditions where there is no blood in a hold to spare a real existence that in a basic condition and no limit can profit blood to the patient (Fernando, 2010). Commercialization ought to be sentenced because of its results that limit advantages to a couple of individuals from the general public who can manage the cost of market costs. This will along these lines hazard lives of the dominant part who can't bear the cost of the popularized items (Shaw, 2010). It isn't right to regard certain things as items, particularly if such things are extremely fundamental to human life.

Marijuana Prohibition Canada Free Essays

The Controlled Substances Act (Marijuana Prohibition) CLN-4U Unit One Essay Cailey Bazik CLN 4U †Unit One Essay Controlled Substances Act Marijuana Prohibition The Controlled substance act relating to Marijuana has been a long on going fight with respect to whether maryjane ought to be lawful in Canada and removed from this demonstration. The law behind the medication has a long history and many bombed endeavors at decriminalization. There are both positive and negative impacts to this law, yet I accept the beneficial outcomes weigh out the negative and that due to this weed will be legitimate sooner rather than later. We will compose a custom article test on Pot Prohibition Canada or on the other hand any comparative point just for you Request Now The Marijuana laws in Canada today are uncertain, as prevalent courts have managed all cannabis laws to be of â€Å"no power or effect†. Despite the fact that the government level of courts have made this decision it has not made any progressions other Canadian locales, the Criminal Code or the Controlled Substances Act. (â€Å"Legal History of Cannabis in Canada) The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act was passed in 1996 by the administration under Prime Minister John Cretien. It is Canada’s government sedate control sculpture. This demonstration traces punishments for ownership, dealing and creation of the substances set up as illicit, including Marijuana. â€Å"Controlled Drugs and Substances Act) Canadian laws relating to drugs started in 1908 with the opium demonstration, which was supplanted by the opium and opiate sedate act in 1920. Pot anyway was not added to the secret confined rundown until 1923. (â€Å"Legal History of Cannabis in Canada†) Marijuana and the laws encompassing the issue just began to get consideration in the 1930’s and that being said it was insignificant. It wasn’t until the 1960’s where issues emerged with the law. As of now the most extreme punishment for ownership of modest quantities of cannabis was a half year n jail and a $1000 fine. An administration injury was dispatched and formal reviews were held to break down the law over a time of three years. A report on the discoveries of this request was distributed in 1972. The â€Å"La Dain Commission† recommended that punishments for can ibis ownership be annulled, yet to not sanction the substance. Obviously this proposition was denied, alongside other potential law changes throughout the years. (â€Å"here to help†) In Recent Years the battle for the decriminalization of Marijuana has been progressively diligent. Research demonstrated that Marijuana for clinical use could help various illnesses and disieses. Clinical Marijuana in Canada was made legitimate in 2001 for things, for example, HIV, AIDS, different sclerosis, spinal string illness and injury, anorexia serious torment, seizures and tireless muscle fits. (â€Å"Legal History of Cannabis in Canada†) Along with the lift in clinical utilize came a lift in close to home use. As indicated by a report from the United Nations Canada is the most noteworthy in maryjane use in the industrialized world and multiple occasions the worldwide rate. â€Å"Canadian Pot Use Four Time Global Rate†) In May 2002 Chretien acquainted a bill with decriminalize maryjane for individual use. This bill was prevented essentially in light of the fact that from securing pressure from the U. S and a danger to hinder outskirt going between the two nations. Paul Martin in 2004 attempted to pass a practically indistinguishable bill, which was likewise di smissed. (â€Å"Legal History of Cannabis in Canada†) It was in 2007 when Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and the traditionalist minority government presented Bill C-26, which introduced obligatory least sentences for sedate wrongdoers (â€Å"Controlled Drugs and Substances Act†). An ongoing survey discharged by Toronto’s Forum Research indicated that dominant part of Canadians bolster loosening up pot laws. Truth be told it indicated that 65 % of Canadians support either the decriminalization in modest quantities or authorization and tax assessment from the substance. (Ballingall) Unfortunately with the new required least sentences it appears our laws don't reflect social orders sees. (Wood, Antweiler) Although it appears Canadians and Americans are supportive of decriminalizing Marijuana it is critical to comprehend the explanation these laws are there in any case. Pot is unsafe to ones wellbeing and to youth. The leader of the Canadian Police Association trusts Canadians are attempting to decriminalize weed rashly. He says supporters of progress are neglecting the dangers. â€Å"We don’t have the instruments and the preparation accessible to us presently to guarantee that individuals aren’t driving vehicles, for instance, or working hardware, while they’re weakened by Marijuana† he said. â€Å" There are a wide range of suggestions that I don’t think individuals are thinking about cautiously enough†¦ Its still a destructive substance ultimately† (Ballingall) That being said there are many negative impacts to having the restriction of Marijuana set up. The Union of B. C districts passed a goals calling research be finished investigating the authorization of maryjane. They arrived at the resolution that the forbiddance has been insufficient in dissuading youth use, and creation of the plant. (Wood, Antweiler) It appears that different estimates should be taken so as to guarantee the young people of Canada don’t use sedates recreationally, and condemning pot has little impact. Specialists from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser’s college have evaluated B. C’s cannabis market would be worth more than $500 million every year. Shockingly the majority of the income goes to criminal associations. (Wood, Antweiler) This number depends on one territory alone, consider how much this number would go up if the entire nation were associated with their exploration. The benefitting of criminal associations thus causes more savagery, firearms and other criminal behavior in the nation. If Canada somehow happened to sanction and duty cannabis the legislature would then get all the benefits, this cash could subsidize government projects, for example, medicinal services, social help and instruction. It would likewise essentially diminish crime, and set aside cash in courts and correctional facilities. One of the principle reasons in the past for the disallowance on weed was the negative reaction from the U. S, anyway there are presently 12 expresses that have decriminalized Marijuana (Wood, Antweiler) which means there is less weight from our flanking Country. This and the undeniable inclination of sanctioning from Canadian residents implies it is just a short time before weed is authoritatively decriminalized, removed from the Controlled Drugs Act, the criminal code and steady laws in every single Canadian ward. This I accept will start things out, and conceivably government controlled deals and tax collection not long after. It would be crazy for the administration to not accept hold onto the open door to get such a great amount of income for the nation. It appears just as the drawn out battle to authorize pot despite everything needs time and The Controlled Substances Act will stay all things considered for some time longer. In spite of the fact that there are possibly numerous constructive outcomes to decriminalization and controlled deals for tax assessment It is clear Canada despite everything need an opportunity to get ready to guarantee it is done security, adequately and not hindering to youth. Canadians might be prepared for a change and the administration will in the long run need to give up, paying little heed to minor medical problems cannabis causes. Book index 1. ) Ballingall, Alex. â€Å"Canada. † Thestar. com. The Toronto Star, 20 Nov. 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://www. thestar. com/news/canada/2012/11/20/marijuana_legalization_or_decriminalization_backed_by_most_canadians_poll. html. 2. ) â€Å"Canadian Pot Use Multiple times Global Rate. † Canadian Pot Use Multiple times Global Rate. N. p. , 10 July 2007. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://www. canada. com/nationalpost/news/story. html? id=67996149-9dee-4a3a-a86e-f7a022274658. . ) â€Å"Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://en. wikipedia. organization/wiki/Controlled_Drugs_and_Substances_Act. 4. ) Hathaway, Andrew. â€Å"Legal History and Cultural Experience of Cannabis. † Www. heretohelp. ba. ca. N. p. , 2009. Web. 21 F eb. 2013. http://www. heretohelp. bc. ca/dreams/cannabis-vol5/the-lawful history-and-social experience-of-cannabis. 5. ) â€Å"Legal History of Cannabis in Canada. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Apr. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://en. wikipedia. organization/wiki/Legal_history_of_cannabis_in_Canada Step by step instructions to refer to Marijuana Prohibition Canada, Essay models Cannabis Prohibition Canada Free Essays The Controlled Substances Act (Marijuana Prohibition) CLN-4U Unit One Essay Cailey Bazik CLN 4U †Unit One Essay Controlled Substances Act Marijuana Prohibition The Controlled substance act relating to Marijuana has been a long on going fight with respect to whether cannabis ought to be legitimate in Canada and removed from this demonstration. The law behind the medication has a long history and many bombed endeavors at decriminalization. There are both positive and negative impacts to this law, yet I accept the constructive outcomes weigh out the negative and that in light of this pot will be legitimate sooner rather than later. We will compose a custom article test on Pot Prohibition Canada or on the other hand any comparable theme just for you Request Now The Marijuana laws in Canada today are uncertain, as prevalent courts have governed all cannabis laws to be of â€Å"no power or effect†. Despite the fact that the government level of courts have made this decision it has not made any progressions other Canadian locales, the Criminal Code or the Controlled Substances Act. (â€Å"Legal History of Cannabis in Canada) The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act was passed in 1996 by the legislature under Prime Minister John Cretien. It is Canada

We can do this!

We can do this! We are in our senior year of college now 01 how??? , and were recently discussing how much this reminds us of senior year of high school.   In high school, we stayed up extra hours to apply to that extra scholarship and that extra school. Now, we are staying up extra hours to apply to that extra internship and that extra job. In high school, we stressed about not being qualified enough to get into the schools we dreamed of, and tried to sign up for extra courses only to drop them two week into the year. Now, we are stressing about not being qualified enough to get a job, and tried registering for extra classes only to drop them two week into the semester. In high school, we existentially asked ourselves “what schools do we even want to apply to???” and ended up applying to WAY too many because of indecisiveness. Now, we are existentially asking ourselves “what jobs do we even want to apply to???” and are applying to WAY too many because of indecisiveness.   We didn’t expect this, but it is actually uncanny how déjà vu senior year of college feels. It’s also a bit upsetting, because we distinctly remember thinking we’d never have to experience the torture of filling out infinite applications again after finishing all our college apps. But here we are, filling out infinite job applications, and dreading the process. Cover letters are absolutely painful to write.   Okay, let’s backtrack a bit. We aren’t writing this post to complain into the void about how annoying applications are to fill out. Though, it was very cathartic to write these first two paragraphs. 02 feel free to vent about your application-filling-out-frustrations in the comment section if you want to! We wanted to write this as a message to our present selves, our high school senior selves, and to you to take a step back, breathe, relax, and self-care! In just this first month of school, we have already reached high levels of stress from this job-hunt season. In just under 4 weeks, all the self-care we practiced over the summer was thrown out the window. We have sacrificed sleep to fill out these applications, gone down unproductive thought avenues about being not good enough, and have pressured and pushed ourselves to apply to jobs we are not actually interested in because “why not?”   We remember doing this exact thing in high school with college applications! Being a senior, whether in high school or college, is just really hard! Uncertainty is right on the horizon, and it feels like the culmination of the first three years’ hard work is going up against the dice of fate. It is scary and stressful.   So, let’s all go easy on ourselves, okay? Let’s all support each other, let’s all try our best to prioritize getting enough sleep, and let’s all dedicate time to doing the things that heal us. As a step in that direction, we want to share a list of things that we have been watching/listening to recently as part of our self-care and destress routine. 03 And we encourage you all to comment your self-care things too! Watching Steven Universe The Movie and listening to all the songs on repeat This was a masterpiece. The music, the story, the characters (Spinel ??). We watched this so many times during this month, and listened to all the songs on repeat. Our favorites are Independent Together, Drift Away, Change, and Happily Ever After. And here is a list of timestamps that *actually* heal our souls: Pearl’s animation in Independent Together, Steven singing “we don’t have to fight,” Pearl’s entire part in Happily Ever After, and the beautiful animation where Ruby and Sapphire fuse for the “first” time again. Watching the cast of Steven Universe The Movie singing live at New York Comic Con! Everyone is so talented omg. We love the fact that Rebecca Sugar is singing Steven’s part in Happily Ever After, and how proud and happy she looks when hearing the voice actors singing their parts. Estelle is SUCH an amazing performer while singing Isn’t it Love and True Kind of Love. Sarah Stiles. SARAH STILES. S A R A H S T I L E S. sarah. stiles.   Endlessly Watching a medley of the Hercules Muses songs!   This video came up on one of our YouTube recommended and we have been OBSESSED with it! It’s so good and uplifting and fun! Our favorite part is here, where they are singing Zero to Hero! Watching Jenna Marbles videos every Wednesday/Thursday   From her cute dog videos, to her extravagant makeovers, to everything in between, Jenna Marbles makes us laugh and smile every week. Watching Evelyn From The Internets This video of Eveyln trying all the flavours of LaCroix came up in one of our Youtube Recommended. We watched it and couldnt stop laughing. She’s so funny and real, so we’ve been slowly making our way through her content. Other favorites are her videos about Meal Prep and Creativity. Watching all of Caleb Hyles Steven Universe Covers We found a very nerdy Youtube cover artist who has covered pretty much EVERY Steven Universe song! He has an AMAZING voice, and dances without a care in the world in many videos! Our favorites are Haven’t You Noticed I’m a Star and Peace and Love. Obsessively Listening to Jennifer Hudson singing Memory in the Cats Trailer We have always LOVED the song Memory from Cats, so when the trailer came out with Jennifer Hudson singing it absolutely incredibly, we literally just played the trailer on loop. Jennifer Hudson is just amazing. The end. Listening to the Hadestown Soundtrack Hadestown was the winner for Best Musical at the most recent Tony Awards and it is Fantastic. Its a twist on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice! We LOVED their performance at the Tony’s and were waiting almost all summer for the full cast album to be released! All the songs are amazing! Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney and Amber Grey (who was in the Great Comet, one of our fav musicals which we have definitely talked about on the blogs before lol) have such unique and amazing voices! Our favorite songs are Come Home With Me, All I’ve Ever Known, and Wait For Me (all in the playlist linked)!   Clearly, what we go to when we are trying to destress is cartoons, music from cartoons, random funny videos, and musicals. Whatever it is that you go to when you are trying to destress, whether its cooking, or taking walks, or working out, or playing tennis, or watching Netflix stand-up comedy specials, or playing video games, or anything else, do that!   Let’s apply to everything we need to, and do it healthily. We can do this!   how??? back to text ? feel free to vent about your application-filling-out-frustrations in the comment section if you want to! back to text ? And we encourage you all to comment your self-care things too! back to text ?

Analysis Of The Lord Of The Rings - 1934 Words

Danielle McDermott Dr. Oldakowski College Writing Research Paper 12/3/14 J.R.R Tolkien and WWI Influence in The Lord of the Rings War has affected the lives of people since the beginning of civilization. Even General Sherman, famous for his March to the Sea in America s Civil War, was known for his saying, War is Hell. That idea would only prove to be all too true for the soldiers of World War I. J.R.R Tolkien was among the young men that struggled for survival in the damp and deplorable trenches as enemy fire hailed from the sky and bombs decimated the terrain around them. Many soldiers returned home, physically and mentally traumatized. J.R.R. Tolkien was no different, and returned home from the war after losing two of his closest friends, suffering from trench fever, and struggling to acclimate back into normal civilian life (Wood 7). The war left an imprint on him, just as it did many other WWI writers, such as Ernest Hemingway and Robert Graves (Ott 1). Tolkien used his writings as a way to escape his trauma, but the scars followed him even into his mythopedia of Middle-earth as he wrote The Lord of the Rings. Sam, Frodo, and other characters, like Aragorn, suffered through similar physical tribulations such as horrid sights of rotting corpses, as well as emotional struggles, such as feelings of despair, similar to the soldiers of World War I (Ott 5). The various emotional and physical vicissitudes that Sam and Frodo encountered were similar to those suffered byShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Lord Of The Rings Essay1506 Words   |  7 Pagesyears (halfway) into The Tribulation. There will be some who read this marvelous verse and conclude, â€Å"The similarities between The Antichrist and Donald Trump are a curiosity, but wild statements that appear as if swiped from a script of a â€Å"Lord of the Rings† film are too sensational for me to accept.† If you feel that way, it is probably because you are either a materialist convinced that the physical world is all that exists, or a Christian whose theological conclusi ons cannot allow the possibilityRead MoreLord Of The Rings Character Analysis723 Words   |  3 PagesThe film, The Lord of the Rings displays many occurrences of the three stages of faith, â€Å"Childhood†, â€Å"Adolescent†, and â€Å"Adult† throughout the movie. An example of the childhood stage is when Bilbo was talking to Gandalph about adventuring beyond the shire once again and Bilbo then says, â€Å"I’d take Frodo on my adventure but I’m afraid he’s still in love with the shire.† This is a clear example of the childhood stage of faith because the childhood stage is a time when someone has no true beliefs andRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Lord Of The Rings 771 Words   |  4 Pagescheerful evenings in a hotel to intense battles in the middle of a doomed volcanic-evil-orc-ridden land, Lord of the Rings is an exhilarating adventure through the lands of Middle Earth. The following text you all about the characters, settings, and plots throughout the LOTR. In order to understand the story, you will need to know the major characters in the story. Frodo is chosen to destroy the Ring, and in the course of this mission, he proves to be a brave and intelligent leader. Sam is a crucialRead MoreLord Of The Rings Language Analysis1292 Words   |  6 PagesThe Power of Language in The Lord of the Rings How powerful can language really be? In The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien there are a lot of powers that the characters have and what I noticed most was the power of language. The characters I found most knowledgeable and skilled with the power of language are Tom Bombadil, Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Grey, and Galadriel. The power of language is shown in a variety of characters and is used to guide the story, also, Tolkien viewsRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Lord Of The Rings 2028 Words   |  9 PagesOne Ring of Power. This magical ring has the ability to play on the desires of its’ bearer in order to get what it wants, which is to return to Sauron- the dark lord who forged it. When the One Ring works its corruptive powers on its’ beholder, temptation plays a tremendous role in the Ring’s attempt to make the bearer value the Ring’s desires over one’s own. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s alternate universe is ruled by m oral conflicts, much of which can be attributed to the existence of the Ring andRead MoreAnalysis Of Peter Jackson s The Lord Of The Rings 1426 Words   |  6 Pagesof The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Jackson’s genius overwhelmed the fantasy genre of film. His innovative use of technology, enormous accomplishments, creation of a mythical world, and respect for the story confirms Jackson’s spot in film history. Despite the opinions of critics, Jackson’s epic trilogy remains a masterpiece of fantasy cinema. His films have inspired amazement and generated many devoted followers. Of its many remarkable components, Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings may be celebratedRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell s The Lord Of The Rings 747 Words   |  3 Pages1) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee 2) 1984 by George Orwell 3) The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien 4) The Catcher In The Rye by J.D Sallinger 5) The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald 6) The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe by C.S Lewis 7) Lord Of The Flies by William Golding 8) Animal Farm by George Orwell 9) Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 10) The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck 11) Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell 12) Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 13) Lolita by VladimirRead MoreEssay on Tolkien: A Racist, Sexist, or Not?1665 Words   |  7 Pagesfantasy stories. Eventually, type I diabetes caught up with Mabel and at the age of 34 she died. As Tolkien became older, he began to write literary essays about middle-earth. He also is the author of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Critics and historians often debate The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’s depictions of evil characters, often classifying J.R.R Tolkien as being a racist and a sexist or defending J.R.R. Tolkien by stating that his character descriptions were merely used to advance the plotRead MoreThe Lady Of The Rings1547 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish CCA The Lady of the Rings Thesis: While some claim that due to the stereotypical roles and lack of female characters in Tolkien’s works makes him sexist, the female characters in The lord of the Rings are far more important and powerful than many make them out to be. The Lord of the Rings is arguably J.R.R. Tolkien’s best and is unquestionably his largest work with mind blowing amounts of details and background texts created to take his world of Middle Earth and make it the definitiveRead MoreThe Lord Of The Rings1736 Words   |  7 PagesThe Lord Of The Rings The story began as a consequence to Tolkien s 1937 fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually improved into a much larger employment. Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, The Lord of the Rings is the second pick-selling surprising ever written, with over 150 million carbon copy sold. The Lord of the Rings is an epopoeia exalted-imagination recent written by English subcreator J. The toil was initially intended by Tolkien to be one roll of a two-volume put, the other to

Analyzing “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty - 1 - 875 Words

Analyzing â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty In the story â€Å"A Worn Path†, Eudora Welty shows an old woman living in a time period where racial prejudice is very high and out of control. Phoenix Jackson is a grandmother whose motivation for living seems to be to nurture her grandson back to health. The strength of love may make people do or say unusual and implausible things. The central idea of this story is that love can empower someone to overcome many life threatening obstacles. This idea is shown when an old woman conquers all odds against her to show her everlasting love for her grandson. Throughout the story, Phoenix Jackson has to overcome many types of obstacles that hinder her in her devotion to help her grandson. To begin†¦show more content†¦The grandson may be too young to realize what his grandmother is doing for his safety. The empowerment of love in this situation enables Phoenix to put aside her fatigue and to continue with her journey. This story made me believe that no matter what happens, Phoenix will hold her principles to make her journey. To continue, the social obstacles that she faces on her journey are perhaps the most difficult to overcome. One of these obstacles is that Phoenix Jackson lives a life of poverty. She accepts charity, but knows that’s what she must do to survive. She takes a nickel from the man in the field and she also accepts money from the nurse at the clinic. Another social obstacle is that she is illiterate. This makes it very difficult and embarrassing at the clinic because she does not know how to read the prescription of the medicine. Instead she has to look for a gold emblem of the doctor’s office that helps her recognize the right medicine. The third social hindrance is again her old age. People she encounters on her journey are very condescending towards her and have no respect for her. The hunter in the field mocks her by pointing a gun at her, while laughing at her. The nurse’s attendant scorns her because she does not feel comfortable talking in the office . All these social obstacles are as a result of her race. Phoenix Jackson is a black woman in the 1930’s during the depression. She has to go through

Good Night and Good Luck and Belonging Free Essays

How has the film Good Night and Good Luck contributed to your understanding the experience of belonging? In your response identify 3 observations about belonging and analyse 3 techniques used to convey this experience. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————- The 2005 black and white film Good Night and Good Luck is able to present multiple views and perspective of belonging through the threats of communism and the sense of belonging that is associated by this context. The three most prominent ideas placed forth throughout the film about belonging are that belonging comes at the price of conformity, that fear can be used to silence those who choose to challenge the authority of the group and that choosing not to belong requires great courage and the acceptance of ostracism. We will write a custom essay sample on Good Night and Good Luck and Belonging or any similar topic only for you Order Now The idea of Belonging comes at a price of conformity is strongly represented throughout the film as McCarthyism is presenting the idea that to belong or fit in one must believe what everyone else must believe in and act likewise. At the beginning of the film no one is prepared to confront or disobey what is considered the ‘right’ thing by McCarthy and his committee as they were too afraid of being accused themselves. Those that did not oppose McCarthyism and their leaders felt that they could belong as they shared a common belief and all acted in the same way to keep their sense of belonging intact and preserved. Edward Murrow uses a metaphor to display this idea of belonging through the statement, â€Å"I see a chain reaction that has no end. This quote displays that if people are pressured to conform to the majority, it will be a never ending cycle with all choice and freedom taken from the individual. A second observation of belonging I observed in the film, Good Night and Good Luck, was that fear can be used to silence those who choose to challenge the authority of the group. Joseph McCarthy uses fear to control the country by accusing anyone that opposes him by declaring them to be communis ts themselves. This fear prevents people from speaking up against McCarthy as they are afraid of being ostracised and from not belonging. This is shown when Edward Murrow stands up to McCarthy and speaks against him, and in response McCarthy discredits Murrow by claiming he is a communist and cannot be believed. Throughout the film, particularly towards the end we get the sense that choosing not to belong requires great courage and the acceptance of ostracism. At the beginning of the story we see that McCarthy has everyone under his control and he has the power of the country. However as the movie progresses we see that Murrow and the CBS news team begin to rebel against McCarthyism and are required to show great courage to do what everyone else is too afraid to pursue. Also we see that as their movement persists, Murrow is framed by McCarthy as he attempts to be ostracised from the mainstream society and not allowed to belong. Good Night and Good Luck has altered my understanding of belonging as it has opened my eyes to the negative aspects of belonging and the harmful consequences that result from belonging. The film is a strong text to be able to create awareness of belonging requiring courage as it can bring fear and conformity among those in the group. How to cite Good Night and Good Luck and Belonging, Papers

Obasan Book Report Essay Example For Students

Obasan Book Report Essay Obasan Book ReportI decided to read the novel by Joy Kogawa entitled Obasan.The novel was written in 1981 and told the details of how the Japanese were discriminated against during World War 2.The authors main purpose was to educated the reader on how hard life really was for her family and other Japanese Canadians living in British Columbia, and especially in Vancouver.Joy Kogawa tried to show how ignorant British Columbians really were, and that we still do not fully understand what really happened during the war.She also tries to teach Canadians the culture of the Japanese. The novel starts in the seventies with Naomi a teacher in Northern Alberta finding out that her uncle has died.When Naomi returns home to console her Aunt Obasan, she begins to relive the difficulties of her life.She recounts the struggle against the government and themselves while trying to stay in Vancouver.Naomi is very small at the time of the war and did not really fully understand what was happening to her race.The novel recounts the struggle of Naomis Aunt Emily to ensure that her family would be together in whatever place they were sent to.Aunt Emily wanted to head east to Toronto, but was unable to get the documentation for the entire family which included her sister children, who she was taking care of.The novel discuses the camps that the Japanese families were sent to in Hastings Park during the war.It described the treatment the families received while there, including the lack of food and the smell of manure.Naomi during this time was being sexually molested by her next door neighbor and did not tell anybody about this.Naomi seems resentful during the novel, as she comes across as a quiet little girl, who does not seem to interact with many people. Aunt Emily finally finds a place in Slocan for the family to go live, but just before they leave finds out her and her immediate family could go to Toronto.This leaves Aunt Emily going to Toronto and everybody else moving to Toronto.In the end almost everybody ends up dying. The novel had many strengths and weaknesses.One strength that really got to me is the great detail in how the Japanese were treated, though they were Canadian citizens.Obasan also taught me a lot about the Japanese culture and background.I enjoyed learning that it was custom to take a bath with your family when you were younger.I also learned that the government took away the vehicles of the Japanese and auctioned them off, which really shocked me.Joy Kogawa also brought in a good insight about what the Japanese Canadians were really feeling and going through during these tough times. On the flip side there were also many weaknesses in the book Obasan.One major weakness was the failure to distinguish between present time and the past.There were to many times that I did not realize that Naomi had switched into a flashback or vice versa.This left me rereading many pages over.I also did not like the way that the novel would drag on.It sometimes failed to have much to do with the rest of the story, and is to wordy.I believe the story could have been told in about one hundred and eighty pages instead of the two hundred and fifty pages.I think that the novel could have also gone into a little more detail about the living conditions at Hastings Park, and also a political aspect of why this was happening to these people. All and all I would have to say this novel helped me a lot in understanding what happened during the Second World War.Before reading this novel, I would have to admit that I really did not even know this happened in Canada, which is really sad.I did know though that the Japanese in the United States were sent from the west coast, but did not realize that it reached the west coast of Canada.Obasan is a very good novel for anybody who did not know what happened during the Second World War.I would recommend this novel to all Canadians, but especially to British Columbians.Obasan was on the most part well written and gives an excellent account of the

In Praise of Illiteracy Essay Example Essay Example

In Praise of Illiteracy Essay Example Paper In Praise of Illiteracy Essay Introduction By Hans Magnus Enzensberger This essay was adapted from a talk given by the author and translated from German, which I took from Harper’s Magazine. Can we dispense with the written word? That is the question. Anyone who poses it will have to speak about illiteracy. There’s just one problem: the illiterate is never around when he is the subject of conversation. He simply doesn’t show up; he takes no notice of our assertions; he remains silent. I would therefore like to take up his defense. Every third inhabitant of our planet manages to get by without the art of reading and without the art of writing. This includes roughly 900 million people, and their numbers will certainly increase. The figure is impressive but misleading for Humanity comprises not only the living and the unborn but the dead as well. If they are not forgotten, then the conclusion becomes inevitable that literacy is the exception rather than the rule. It could occur only to us, that is, to a tiny minority of people who read and write, to think of those who don’t as a tiny minority. This notion betrays an ignorance I find insupportable. I envy the illiterate his memory, his capacity for concentration, his cunning, his inventiveness, his tenacity, his sensitive ear. In Praise of Illiteracy Essay Body Paragraphs Please don’t imagine that I am speaking not about romantic phantoms but about people I have met. I am far from idealizing them. I also see their narrow horizons, their illusions, their obstinacy, their quaintness. You may ask how it comes about that a writer should take the side of those who cannot read. But it’s obvious! -Because it was illiterates who invented literature. Its elementary forms-from myth to children’s verse, from fairy tale to song, from prayer to riddle-all are older than writing. Without oral tradition, there would be no poetry; without illiterates, no books. But† you will object, â€Å"what about the Enlightenment? † No need to tell me! Social distress rests not only on the ruler’s material advantages but on immaterial privilege as well. It was the great intellectuals of the eighteenth century who discerned this state of affairs. The people had not come of age, they thought, not only because of political oppression and econ omic exploitation but also because of their lack of knowledge. From these premises, later generations drew the conclusion that the ability to read and write belongs to any existence fit for a human being. However, this suggestive idea underwent a succession of noteworthy reinterpretations in the course of time. In the twinkling of an eye the concept of enlightenment was replaced by the concept of education. â€Å"In terms of the education of the populace,† according to Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenbergm, a German schoolmaster in Napoleon’s time, â€Å"the second half of the eighteenth century marks a new epoch. The knowledge of what was accomplished in this regard is joyous news to any friend of mankind, encouraging to the priests of culture, and highly instructive for the leaders of the commonwealth†. As far as the project of literacy goes, we’ve made great strides. Here, it seems, the philanthropists, the priests of culture, and the leaders of the commonwea lth have scored triumphantly. By 1880, the illiteracy rate in Germany had fallen below one percent. The rest of the world has also made enormous progress since UNESCO raised its flag in the fight against illiteracy in 1951. In short: Light has conquered darkness. Our joy over the triumph has certain limits. The news is too good to be true. The people did not learn to read and write because they felt like it, but because they were forced to do so. Their emancipation was controlled by disenfranchisement. From then on learning went hand in hand with the state and its agencies: the schools, the army, the legal administration. The goal pursued in making the populace literate had nothing to do with enlightenment. The friends of mankind and the priests of culture, who stood up for the people, were merely the henchmen of a capitalist industry that pressed the state to provide it with a qualified workforce. It was not a matter of paving the way for the â€Å"writing culture†, Let alon e liberating mankind from its shackles. Quite a different kind of progress was in question. IT consisted in taming the illiterates, this â€Å"lowest class of men,† in stamping out their will and their fantasy, and in exploiting not only their muscle power and skill in handiwork, but their brains as well. For the unlettered human to be done away with, he had first to be defined, tracked down, and unmasked. The concept of illiteracy is not very old. Its invention can be dated with some precision. The word appeared for the first time in a French publication in 1876 and quickly spread all over Europe. At about the same time, Edison invented the lightbulb and the phonograph, Bell he telephone, and Otto the gasoline motor. The connection is clear. Furthermore, the triumph of popular education in Europe coincides with the maximum development of colonialism. And this is no accident. In the dictionaries of the period we can find the assertion that the number of illiterates â€Å"as compared with the total population of a country is a measure of the people’s cultural condition. † And they do not fail to instruct us that â€Å"men stand on a level higher, on the average, than women. This is not a matter of statistics, but a process of discrimination and stigmatization. Behind the figure of the illiterate we can discern Hitler’s concept of der Untermensch, the subhuman who must be eliminated. A small, radical minority has reserved civilization for itself and now discriminates against all those who will not dance to its tune. Today we find that the illiteracy we smoked out has returned. A new figure has conquered the social stage. This new species is the second-order illiterate. He has come a long way: his loss of memory causes him no suffering; his lack of will makes life easy for him; he values his inability to concentrate; he considers it an advantage that he neither knows nor understands what is happening to him. He is mobile. He is adapti ve. He has a talent for getting things done. We need have no worries about him. It contributes to the second-order illiterate’s sense of well-being that he has no idea that he is a second-order illiterate. He considers himself well-informed; he can decipher instruction s on appliances and tools; he can decode pictograms and checks. And he moves within an environment hermetically sealed against anything that might infect his consciousness. That he might come to grief in this environment is unthinkable. After all, it produced and educated him in order to guarantee its undisturbed continuation. The second order illiterate is the product of a new phase of industrialization. An economy whose problem is no longer production but markets has no need of a disciplined reserve of army of workers. The rigid training to which they were subjected also becomes redundant, and literacy becomes a fetter to be done away with. Simultaneous with the development of this problem, our technology has also developed an adequate solution. The ideal medium for the second-order illiterate is television. The educational policy of the state will have to align itself with the new priorities. By reducing the library budget, a first step has already been taken. And innovations are to be seen in school administration as well. You can go tot school now for eight years without learning German, and even in the universities this German dialect is gradually acquiring the tatus of a poorly mastered foreign language. Please do not suppose hat I would want to polemicize against a situation of whose inevitability I am fully aware. I desire only to portray and, as far as I can, explain it. It would be foolish to contest the second-order illiterate’s raison d etre, and I am far from begrudging him on the pleasures or his place in the sun. On the other hand, it is safe to say that the project of the Enlightenment has failed the slogan â€Å"Culture for Everyone† begins to sound comical . And a classless culture is even further from view. On the contrary: we can look forward to a situation I which cultural castes will become more and more distinct. But these castes can no longer be described by using the traditional Marxist model, according to which the ruling culture is the culture of the rulers. Indeed the divergence between economic position and consciousness will continue to grow. It will become the new rule to see second-order illiterates occupying the top positions in politics and in business. In this connection, it is sufficient to indicate the current president of the United States and the current chancellor of the Federal Republic. On the other hand, you can easily find whole hordes of cabdrivers, newspaper hawkers, manual laborers, and welfare recipients whose thoughtfulness, cultural standards, and wide-ranging knowledge should have taken them far in any other society. But this kind of comparison falls short of portraying the true state of affairs, which admits of no clear analysis. For even among the unemployed you can find zombies; even in the presidential office there are people who can read and write and even think productively. But this also means that in questions of culture social determinism has become obsolete. The so-called privileges of education have lost their fearfulness. If both parents are second-order illiterates, even the wellborn child has no advantage over th worker’s son. One’s cultural cast will hencefoth depend on personal choice, not origin. For all this I conclude that culture in our country has come to an entirely new situation. As for the perennial claim that culture provides a common denominator for all people-that we can simply forget. The rulers, mostly second-order illiterates, have lost all interest in it. As a result , culture cannot, and need not any longer, serve the interests of a ruling class. It no longer legitimates the social order. It has become useless-but there is a kind of f reedom in that. Such a culture is thrown back on its own resouces and the sooner it realizes this the better. Where does all that leave the writer? For some time now it has not been a class privilege-or requirement to be concerned with literature. The victory of the second-order illiterate can only radicalize literature. When it has lost its value as a status symbol, as a social code, as an educational program, then literature will be noticed only by those who can’t do without it. Whoever wants to can bemoan all this. I have no such desire. Weeds have always been a minority, and every city gardener knows how hard it is to do away with them. Literature will continue to thrive as long as it commands a certain agility, a certain cunning, a capacity for concentration and a good memory. As you recall, these are the features of the true illiterate. Perhaps he will have the last word, since he requires no other media than a voice and an ear. http://www. gardensofresistance. com/ed/i lliteracy. html We will write a custom essay sample on In Praise of Illiteracy Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on In Praise of Illiteracy Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on In Praise of Illiteracy Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Varnasrama-dharma, the Hindu Caste System

Varnasrama-dharma, the Hindu Caste System Free Online Research Papers This paper will explore the Hindu caste system. Varnasrama-dharma, as applied to the varnas, or castes, is one of the fundamental aspects of Hinduism. Its origins trace back to the 1500’s, when the Aryans invaded India from then Persia. The complex hierarchy was devised as a system to facilitate the subjugation of the conquered tribes. The caste system is based upon the principle that human society is like a complex machine, with individuals and communities as its parts. If the parts are weak, broken, or asked to perform a function it was not designed for, the machine will not work. Likewise, each part has its place and function; no part can do the job of another, and all must keep their place for the machine to function smoothly. This Dharma, our place within and duty to the machine of society, is not just essential to our happiness, but the happiness of all. Hindu society is traditionally divided into four main castes, with each main caste divided into hundreds of sub-castes, or jati. The function of these castes is to quantify how ‘pure’ a person is, and thus how close he is to reaching Moksha, or enlightenment. Being born to a higher caste is an indication that one had lived one’s previous lives in a holy manner. As a result, the higher castes must live holy lives themselves, or they will regress to a lower caste in their next life; or worse, be born outside of the castes entirely (Flesher). The highest caste is the Brahmins, the priestly caste. Their dharma is to study and understand the Vedas, Hindu’s four holy texts, and bring this knowledge to others. The second caste is the Kshatriya, the warrior/ruling class, who protects and guides the people. Vaishya, the professional caste, work in business and production to provide economically for the people. The Shudra, lowest of the castes, are servants to the higher three castes, providing the labor which moves society. Some upward mobility is possible, in that each caste has hundreds of jati. It is possible in one’s lifetime, by marriage or economics, to attain a different jati, but never to transcend or fall from the main caste one is born into. There is a segment of society that is so low that it was once not officially considered a caste. These are the Harijan; once known as the untouchables. The untouchables were considered wholly impure, and were given positions within society to reflect that. These jobs typically involved handling dead matter and filth; such as street sweepers, butchers, latrine cleaners, and the like. They are outcast from society to the point that they may not come into physical contact with one of the pure casts. If such contact were to occur, or even if an untouchable were to touch a casted person’s possessions or furniture, the casted person would immediately be required to cleanse his person or property (Anand). At first appearance, the Hindu caste structure and the social laws pertaining to rights based on caste seem to be prejudicial and exclusive. The lowest caste, Shudra, is not allowed to hear or study the holy Vedas. However, from a religious standpoint, the caste system is not abusive in itself. The Shudra are not allowed the Vedas, but they are allowed to participate in the Hindu religion. It may seem counterproductive to deny them the very texts that dictate their caste and dharma, but Hindus believe that everyone who is born into a caste is there for a reason. Karma, how you spend a lifetime, which follows you throughout your many lifetimes, determines which caste you will be in for the next lifetime. You may be demoted to an animal, repositioned within the castes, or granted Moksha. One’s karma and success in fulfilling one’s dharma determine if one is ready for a caste in which he will be allowed to study the Vedas and progress along Samsara; the cycle of lif e, death, and rebirth. Proponents of the caste system argue that it provides the answers that people turn to religion for. It gives the people a social structure that encourages closeness with other members from your caste. It gives an individual a meaning to life, even if that meaning is to serve or sweep the street. It provides a goal and a purpose. The caste system has the advantage of clearly defining morality and giving people a firm place in society. Though one may not be able to raise is caste within a lifetime, neither can his caste be lowered. It enables one to concentrate upon their dharma, to improve their karma, and progress toward rebirth in a higher caste. â€Å"Since it is accepted that one’s caste is determined by one’s past karma, there is no reason to be bitter about one’s lot or envy others† (Ludwig, 109). Granted, the caste system has not been implemented as the Vedas instruct. The system has come to be a hierarchy wherein the lowest levels are not given the respect commanded in religious texts (Embry). Detractors point to this as why, even with the caste system officially dissolved by the Indian democratic government, caste-based discrimination continues to be a hardship on the lower castes when it comes to employment and economic improvement. Today, things are much improved with the introduction of programs similar to Affirmative Action, and free education for all Indian citizens. Still a complete and genuine equality for all continues to elude them. It should be pointed out, with the official removal of the caste system; the door has been opened to social backlash, often referred to as ‘reverse discrimination.’ Policies originally meant to equalize the treatment of all citizens have been over extended and misapplied. Opportunities once reserved for the higher castes are now available to Harijan and Shudra, and actually denied to Brahmins. This upturn has triggered a re-stratification of society, converting it to a new system the where once oppressed become the oppressors. Every society naturally stratifies its population on the basis of influence, wealth, or education. The varna system ensures a high standard of craftsmanship, a sense of community belonging, family integrity and religious-cultural continuity. Indians have clung to these traditions as a source of economic and social stability in an often distressed society. It is unfortunate that the varna system has ended this way. However, it does not mean that classification is wrong. Rather than scrapping a major tenant of the national religion, it should be restructured to properly reflect karma as set in the Vedas. References Flesher, Paul. Social Organization; The Caste System. Retrieved February 02, 2010 from http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/religionet/er/hinduism/HORGS.HTM Anand, Mulk Raj: Untouchable. London. Penguin Putnam, 1940. Embree, Ainslie T.: Indias Search For National Identity. Delhi, India. Chanakya Publications, 1980. Research Papers on Varnasrama-dharma, the Hindu Caste SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfCapital Punishment19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalPETSTEL analysis of IndiaGenetic EngineeringInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceTwilight of the UAWDefinition of Export Quotas

Power Tactics and Sources of Power Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Power Tactics and Sources of Power - Assignment Example Charles was trained to take over from the father since childhood, and he portrayed traits of a great Chief Executive. The training through life involved strict and sometimes harsh treatment from his father that hardened him. Their mother, Mary somewhat protected Bill and David, who were twins. David was athletic and competitive and grew up to be the perfect business partner for Charles. Bill, on the other hand, was the jealous type, always picking fights with David since childhood and often losing. He grew up to be a threat to Charles’s peace, taking Koch industries through strenuous legal proceedings. The brothers owned percentages of Koch industries, each with his shares (Schulman, 2014). Both Charles and Bill Koch had power in Koch Industries. Charles’ sources of power included reward power whereby he was handed the mantle of CEO by his father having been trained since childhood. The father had earlier lost hope in his eldest son Frederick, who was mostly involved in art and theater. Charles also had legitimate power in Koch Industries being the legal CEO. Therefore, he was in charge of many key decisions made within the company and also directed management of funds regardless of how happy or angry others would be with the cash distribution. Charles was well educated in terms of business and market and therefore had expert power which saw him, together with the help of other business partners, grow Koch Industries. Bill’s sources of power included the coercive power that he gained by threatening Charles to make Koch Industries public if he did not meet his demands. These threats were tabled to Charles in writing and got him shaken for some time. Bill always wanted liquidity of assets so that he could benefit from the riches he only had in paper. He even tried to convince Frederick, who had lesser shares in the company to join his course. Bill also had legitimate power in that he owned slightly over twenty

How Changes in Technology Can Affect Service Organizations and Their Essay

How Changes in Technology Can Affect Service Organizations and Their Customers - Essay Example In the modern era of technology it often turns out, that an organization that manages its computer data base the most efficient way is the leading one in high quality customer service. Technology introduces both major problems and major opportunities. In general, technology can be broadly defined as a kind of system of knowledge-based activities employed in the conversion of an input into a useful output. (D'Souza, 1995) The influence of technology on service positioning, service design, service delivery and quality, customer satisfaction can hardly be overestimated. The very essence of service provision type of business results in significant influence of high-tech environment on both quality of service provided and level of customer satisfaction. Services are produced and consumed simultaneously; therefore, customers often personally contact the provider of the service, thus opening an opportunity for an inter-personal relationship. (Lovelock, 2001) Going even further then this, service industry involves multiple service encounters over a period of time, thus require an ongoing relationship with the consumer (auto repair) or an ongoing membership (banking, insurance systems). (Lovelock, 2001) Excellence in service delivery is largely dependent on interpersonal relationships with customer either on a short-term or on a long-term basis, whereas in recent years many processes that used to be manual now are mechanized. This shifts the dependence of customer satisfaction and service quality on workforce quality to the dependence on quality of techn ology management. All five dimensions of service quality outlined in a journal article by Subhash C. Kundu and Jay A. Vora (2004): reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles are directly correlated with technology management.The quality improvement movement that has been so popular within the last few years is mainly driven by technological innovations. Over years technology began to outweigh all other factors that traditionally have been major constitutes of service quality. Eventually the result might be that a service company, that is able to adjust to technological innovations and successfully implement them in service provision, will be the leading in the industry. It is stated far and wide, that the corporate success in the 21st century will largely depend on a company's ability to leverage feedback and to establish an ongoing dialogue with the consumer as a consequence. Technology will provide a basis for enduring customer relations that will be based on t rust and commitment. (Rosello, 1997) Lovelock (2001) introduced the idea of the four quadrants of service types three of which emphasize the relationship with the individual when delivering a service: services directed at people's bodies, physical possessions, and intangible assets. The final quadrant, quadrant 3, represents services directed at people's minds (education, radio, television) and in this case most of the times relationship is often with the organization instead of a usual individualistic approach. Technological innovation by bringing in new channels of product delivery makes this idea questionable. (Prescott, 2003) It should be emphasized, that the categorizing offered by Lovelock is actually much more complex. In

Forensic Case Study: The Murder of James Bulger

Forensic Case Study: The Murder of James Bulger James Patrick Bulger was murdered on the 12th of February 1993 at the age of two. He was abducted, tortured, and killed by two ten-year-old boys Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. Bulger was led away from his mother when she was in A.R. Tyms butcher shop in the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, England. Jamies mother contacted security as soon as she realised her son was missing and the police were called. While reviewing the shopping centres CCTV footage, they saw that Thompson and Venables had approached Bulger before taking him by the hand and leading him out of the shopping centre at 15:42. Thomson and Venables then lead Bulger from there to a railway track 2.5 miles away in Walton, Liverpool. This would later be confirmed by witness statements who saw the three boys together and, at the time, assumed they were family. Once arriving at the railway track, Thomson and Venables threw paint into Bulgers face, some of which went into his left eye. The two boys threw stones at him, kicked him, and beat him with bricks. They then hit him with an iron bar, a partially rusted railway fishplate that was 20ins long and weighed 22lbs. Before leaving the body, Thomson and Venables laid Bulger across the railway tracks and placed rubble over his head, in the hope that a train would hit him and make his death appear to be an accident. After they left the scene, Bulgers dead body was cut in half by a train. His mutilated body was found on the railway line two days later, on February 14th 1993. The first breakthrough in finding Jamess killers occurred when a woman called the police after she recognised CCTV images of the two boys, Thompson and Venables, on national television. She had seen the two boys the day James Bulger went missing and knew that they were skipping school. The police responded to the womans call and the two boys were arrested. The forensic evidence that was found and submitted to the jury was vital to the prosecution. One piece of evidence that put Thomson and Venables at the scene of the crime was the blood found on the right shoe of one of the accused. A home office forensic scientist, Graham Jackson, said that there was only a one in a billion chance of error. DNA testing would have been used to match the blood found on the shoe to that of the victims. Forensic DNA testing is a process that begins with the DNA being isolated from the cells in this case, blood cells -and then is duplicated by a process called polymerase chain reaction. This process copies a specific stretch of DNA over and over, making it easier to analyse. The genetic code is split into separate chunks and then analysed to create a genetic fingerprint. Unlike actual fingerprints, there is a small chance that two different people could have the same genetic markers, especially if they are related to one another. To minimize this risk of error, scientists will test more than one genetic marker from a strand of DNA. Bulgers blood was also found on several bricks and on the 22lb iron bar. A forensic pathologist, Dr Allan Williams, counted 22 wounds on Jamess head and face and another 20 on his body. The wounds were so numerous that a final killing blow could not be established. Dr Williams determined that James would have already been dead by the time the train hit him as he had been stuck at least 30 times and would have endured a short period of survival after the attack began. The deep bruising on Jamess head, along with a cut that went down to the skull and the extensive damage to the back of his head, suggested that bricks and the iron bar had been used. Bulger sustained extensive head injuries, including a haemorrhage at the centre of his brain. Dr Williams also noted a severe blow to Jamess face that left a large bruise and grooved mark on the area around the right cheek and ear. A forensic scientist named Philip Rydeard was able to match the markings left on Jamess right cheek with a shoe worn by one of the boys. The shoe had an unusual arrangement of lacing rings as well as a distinctive stitching pattern. Paint found at the crime scene and on James Bulgers body was also found on the clothes of Thompson and Venables. Paint can be analysed in a few different ways to find a match: solvent tests, gas chromatography, and infrared spectrometry. Solvent tests involve exposing the paint samples to different chemicals and examining any changes that might take place (ie, a change in colour). Gas chromatography is used as a means of telling the difference between two paints that have the same colour, but have a different chemical composition. The paint sample is heated until it breaks down and is then separated into its components. Infrared spectrometry makes use of infrared light to determine the type of paint by examining the way that the paints various components absorb or reflect infrared light. Over the course of the trial, thirty-eight witnesses took the stand and said they had seen Bulger walking with Thompson and Venables, none of which could have ever foreseen the events that unfolded later that day. In addition, the 27 bricks, stones, and the 22lb iron rod used as weapons by Thompson and Venables were all presented to in court to eliminate any idea that the boys may be innocent. To conclude, the forensic evidence provided during the trial of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables was crucial to their prosecution. The DNA evidence from the traces of blood found on their clothes, as well as the shoe mark left on James Bulgers cheek, and the paint found on both the victim and the perpetrators clothing, provided absolute proof that Thompson and Venables had been at the scene of the crime. Backed up by CCTV footage and witness statements, this evidence lead to the prosecution of the youngest murderers in UK history. Sources Used   http://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/crime-files/james-bulger/trial https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Bulger http://www.forensicsciencesimplified.org/dna/how.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/james-bulger-suffered-multiple-fractures-pathologist-reveals-twoyearold-had-42-injuries-including-fractured-skull-jonathan-foster-reports-1503297.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/james-bulger-suffered-multiple-fractures-pathologist-reveals-two-year-old-had-42-injuries-including-1503297.html http://www.murderuk.com/child_killers_thompson_venables.html http://science.howstuffworks.com/forensic-lab-technique3.htm Comparing Leaders: Desamanya Ken Balendra and Sarath Fonseka Comparing Leaders: Desamanya Ken Balendra and Sarath Fonseka This particular assignment concentrates on comparing on two individual leaders, where one individual is a leader at present and the other has been a great leader in his time. This assignment is not only based on to understand about the particular individuals leadership traits and styles but also to gain knowledge and experience on how they have developed themselves to their positions in life and society they are in today. According to Dubrin, Dalgish Miller (2006, p.3) leadership is the principal dynamic force that motivates and coordinates the organization in the accomplishment of its objectives. Appannaiah Reddy (2006, p.261) says that leadership is an influence process of inducing a subordinate to behave in a desired manner. Therefore in order for us to practically understand the reality of the leadership theory, we have analyzed the leadership qualities of two different leaders that are in the fields of Business and military/politics. The first leader that we selected was Desamanya Ken Balendra. He was the first Sri Lankan Chairman of John Keells Holdings Ltd. (JKH), a highly diversified blue chip company and the only Sri Lankan Company to be listed amongst the worlds best 200 small companies by Forbes Global magazine. In year 2000, on reaching the age of 60, he retired from his position. Our next choice was a simple and more popular choice, which was General (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka. The former general of the Sri Lankan army who lead the armed forces of Sri Lanka to victory over the war against the Tamil rebels which dragged on for over 2 decades. A detailed analysis on each individual leader is included in the report, as well as a comparison of their leadership traits and styles through a theoretical background. BRIEF INTRODUCTION ON MR. KEN BALENDRA The major reason for choosing Mr. Ken Balendran for this assignment is because he is one of the most successful chairmans of Sri Lanka to ever be successful in a blue chip company like John Keells Holdings. He turned around things for JKH to reach higher objectives and become a well known people oriented company. And he indeed succeeded. After retirement his ways and pace of business is still been conducted at JKH. The present Chairman is also following the ways and footsteps of Mr. Balendra to bring out the best in John Keells. The reason why we selected him as the current leader is because he is still the Chairman of various other companies. He still runs his companies the same way he used to run JKH. With his experience and his visionary ways he is the most respected man in the corporate world today. He is also the holds the current positions of, Chairman of Brandix Lanka Ltd. A leading manufacturer and exporter of apparel. Director of chevron Lubricants Lanka Ltd., a subsidiary of Chevron Texaco. Chairman of the investment committee of Aureos South Asia fund Honorary Consul-General for Poland Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Council for Mental Health. Trustee of the Royal College Union HOW DID HE EMERGE AS A LEADER? Deshamanya Ken Balendra was always a Team player. At the interview with him, these were the first words he spoke to us. Saying Im a Team Player. When analyzing his history he was a good sportsman playing sports like Rugby. He was the vice captain of his team in royal college. Also he was in charge of the most important aspects of running a rugby team. Although he never became a Captain, he was determined to lead the team in to greater heights. He also played for the Ceylon Barbarians and captained the team for four years. He also received colors in doing so and is a very successful sportsman as well. When Mr. Ken Balendra was immerged to be a leader in the future, the question of role models and inspirations came in to considerations. Mr. Ken Balendra did not quite have his role models or Inspirations like most of us do, but he would recall his role models to be his bosses when he started his working career. He started his carrier with Tea. His family was in to planting and so into planting he went. Having finished creeping at Halgolla estate near Avissawella, he was transferred to Hapugastanne Group. Where he worked for the most part under the late Sepala Ilangakoon. He still reckons Ilangakoon to be Sri Lankas best ever planter. Mr. Balendra learnt readily by Illangakoons account, he was a model planter. Through this he gave Mr. Balendra experience of both tea and rubber planting. This would stand him in a good stead during his early years at John Keells. Illangakoon later put him in charge of welfare and social activities such as the annual sports meet, a sizeable responsibility considering how many families were employed and housed at Hapugastenne. He continued to play rugby as he had at school, turning out for the Ceylon Rugby Football Club as well as for the national team, the Ceylon Barbarians. Mr. Balendra then moved to the capital and started his work as a fairly senior executive in the tea department of John Keells. He did as well at Keells as he had at planting. Mr. Sepala Illangakoon was gratified to learn from Mark Bostock that the new recruit had graduated to auctioneering in a record time of three months, when most others took at least six. Because of his bosses visionary thinking of diversifying ones ability to handle business, Mark Bostock assigned Mr. Balendra in to touring operator companies and also gem miners and merchants. Here Ken Balendra discovered his true vocation. With all the problems with the JVP and at the height of the war Mr. Ken Balendra was finally appointed Chairman of John Keells. He was on set on a course to chair JKH for the next 10 years. As chairman of JKH he worked hard to strengthen and disseminate the values that had built John Keells. Management meetings were opportunities to pass along some of the old spirit, Which Balendra did in extrovert fashion, using humor, irrelevance and a listening ear to encourage people to speak their minds with eh frankness and lack of formality Keells demanded. His main technique however remained that of handing people more responsibility that they thought they could handle and persuading them that they could handle it. HOW DID MR. KEN BALENDRAN DEVELOP HIS LEADERSHIP SKILLS? Mr. Ken Balendra when answering a question of what a leader should be a person who is down to earth and knows exactly what goes in peoples minds. His leadership skills are still respected today because he knew how to handle people and most of all how listen to his followers. He was also able to motivate his followers and guide them in their journey without discouragement. But a leader would not be existent if there were no followers. Mr. Ken Balendra suggested that ones followers should be courages and able to take risks and believe in something that may not look colorful now but if thought correctly it would be in time to come. Therefore to enhance his followers to become the leaders in the future he developed a team called the 2020 Team. Whose members were outstanding young executives deemed likely to be among those running the group in the year 2020. Gatherings of the 2020 team were the most informal of all. As I quote, I used to encourage them to speak up, criticize the board and so on, and that brought out a whole lot of good ideas. Two of the groups are now Chairman and Deputy Chairman: Susantha Ratnayake and Ajit Gunawardene. They were in the 2020 Team in the early nineties and jumped over several heads to join the board at such a young age Even at his time he made it a point to attend every seminar possible and was heavy reader in various books and magazines published both here in Sri Lanka and internationally. And later his art of management came in play of handing responsibility and being accountable for ones actions. This is one of the ways he was able to get his results. But he would never sack someone due to not meeting targets, but would do so if the norms and ethics were breached by anyone. Therefore he was a visionary person who was very much People oriented as oppose to Task Oriented. He was more interested in the welfare of people more than the company itself. After all the companies existence is because of the people who work for it. Mr. Balendras efforts, combined with those of his colleagues, were effective at preserving the Keells Spirit. BRIEF INTRODUCTION ON GENERAL (RTD.) SARATH FONSEKA Named Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka born on the 18th of December 1950 is a former commander of the Sri Lanka Army and a former Chief of Defense Staff of Sri Lanka. As the Commander of the Army General (Rtd.) Fonseka played an instrumental role in ending the two decade Civil War Sri Lanka, in 2009. Thereafter he became the first serving officer to be promoted to a four star rank in the Sri Lanka Army. (Sarath Fonseka the future leader, n.d.) Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka joined the Sri Lanka Army way back in 1970 and witnessed all action throughout the 26 year civil war, culminating in a term as commander from December 2005 to July 2009. As commander, he oversaw the final phase of the civil war of Sri Lanka which end resulted in the defeat of the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam organization (LTTE). Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka has been described and viewed as Sri Lankas most successful army commander by local and foreign nationals alike, and his run of significant military victories against the LTTE during Eelam War IV led the Indian National Security Advisor Mayankote Kelath Narayanan to describe him as the best army commander in the world. (Sri Lanka Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, n.d.) After having chosen a career in the Army in 1970 to serve this great nation, Sarath Fonseka met his life partner Ms. Anoma in 1972. They entered wedded life in 1979 and thereafter have had two daughters named Apsara and Aparna. While a career in the Army meant that Gen. Fonseka had to spend time away from his family, he always made sure that he was a devoted husband to his wife and a loving and caring father to his daughters. (Sarath Fonseka the future leader, n.d.) In mid April, 2006 Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka survived an assassination attempt when an LTTE suicide bomber attacked his motorcade, where he suffered critical abdominal injuries. Following the end of the war he was appointed Chief of Defense Staff, a post from which he retired on November 16th, 2009. (Sri Lanka Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, n.d.) General Foneskas experience in military matters made him a very popular figure amongst all Sri Lankan citizens. Many statesmen admired his courage, stance on military matters, and his astute policy insights into governance and strengthening democracy. As a moderate he has been able to achieve what was once thought the unthinkable in Sri Lankas political history. Due to his determination and commitment to put his country before himself, he has been able to unite major political parties and ethnic communities to work with him to guide our beloved motherland to a prosperous future; a place where every citizen regardless of their ethnicity, religion and identity can live freely with pride and dignity. (Sarath Fonseka the future leader, n.d.) HOW DID HE EMERGE AS A LEADER According to Mr. Fonseka there are many characteristics of a good leader. One is that he/she needs to be very transparent should be unbiased and be able to provide good strategic direction to his followers. And Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka is a strong believer of discipline and abiding conduct. These are some of the main qualities which influenced Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka to be a good leader. Another element of his characteristics is that he was able to clearly handle the pressures of political influence and his own leadership demands and act accordingly; people were called effective leaders because they had followers who trusted them and would go that extra mile for them. An important quality he possesses is the ability to understand his subordinates and realized that influencing others alone is not sufficient in order to be a good leader. In most incidents he tried to lead by example and create a role model of himself to others. However it is a must to influence others, when and where it is required. Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka portrays a high degree of legitimate power as a Commander of the Sri Lankan armed forces. However a point which he mentioned was that some of his leadership qualities were hindered because, according to his position; he is under obligation to the president and he doesnt have the full authority to handle things his own way. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Therefore we can say that situation also plays a vital role in bringing about leadership qualities. Another quality that he possesses is that he has a high level of motivation. He doesnt believe in isolating his team and he delegates power and authority to them. Delegation and follow up is his method of working. Following up is how he attempted to keep his control, where as delegation is how he empowered his team in order to take challenges and complete their tasks. However, in an interview with Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka, it was evident that he was a courageous person. We can say this clearly because when we confronted him about his strengths and weaknesses he said that his only weakness is that he doesnt wait for the opportunity to come to him. He goes behind the opportunity or tries to create an opportunity himself. It would appear to work at times but also vice versa, at times it doesnt. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Gen. (Rtd.) Fonseka also maintains positive work life balance though it is tough to keep up with the different changes in his life. Hence, we view it as, a leader should also know how to strike that type of work-life balance even when their engaged in long, gruesome and tireless line of employment. 3.2 COGNITIVE FACTORS OF HIS LEADERSHIP Problem solving and intellectual skills could be identified as cognitive factors. In order to be a successful leader, the leader must have the mental ability to inspire people, bring about constructive changes and problem solving creativity. The cognitive factors of a leader can be classified in to several parts, and these are a few identified with regard to Gen. Fonseka. Knowledge of business In order to establish a relationship with group members, the leader must have knowledge of the business and technical and professional competence related to the business. Considering the army commander, who has been working with fellow comrades before he was appointed to the position of General, it is obvious that Gen. Fonseka has the relevant technical capabilities, professional competence on operations and more than enough experience. Insight into people and situations This simply means that the leader should have the required level of intuition and common sense to make wise choices in selecting people for key assignments, enabling the leader to make the assignment work better and a better dob training and development. When appointing senior military officers to different areas, the commander acted in a way that is expected by a leader who has that required level of intuition and common sense needed. As an example, the Brigadier Walagama who previously acted as the chief of Diyathalawa army academy was identified by the commander to have brilliant experience regarding Trincomalee area and he was immediately appointed as the commander of the Trincomalee area. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Farsightedness In order to establish a corporate strategy and vision, the leader must have the farsightedness and understanding of the implications in the long run. With regard to the commander, was known to be a thinker and an extremely farsighted individual. For example when the commander had the opportunity to clear the Kilinochchi town are before clearing the Poonarin area, he restrained himself from doing so, because he knew that if he did that the army forces would be undoubtedly ambushed by the LTTE. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Openness to experience The commander admits that he still learns something new every day from his subordinates. And this statement was made of national television. LEADERSHIP TRAITS COMPARISON 4.1 GENERAL PERSONAL TRAITS Self confidence Mr. Ken Balendran: Self Confidence through the analysis of the interview has outlined that the fact of climbing the ladder to being the Chairman of John Keells requires more self confidence than any other factor. Being a Leader would be mostly based on how confident you are in your actions and opinions. Therefore through analysis Mr. Ken Balendra indeed is the most self confident Chairman Sri Lanka has ever experienced. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka Gen. Fonseka is a self assured personality without being bombastic or overbearing, he instills confidence in his team members. He always states that it is possible for the army to reach a position of strength not only to achieve its objectives according to a well conceived plan but also to retain the areas cleared. Trust worthiness Mr. Ken Balendra: Mr. Ken Balendra always believed in his visions. He was able to foresee the future because of the exposure his bosses put him through. He was always the faithful and trust worthy character in John Keells right from the start. This is why he became the chairman of John Keells. He still remains chairman of many other companies due to the fact that he is able to take up responsibility and is trust worthy in his actions to making the company succeeds. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: In Riviresa operations General Fonseka had to face many accusations on fraud due to over use of a satellite phone. The bill was raised up to 10 million rupees. However ultimately the court recovered the reason behind this to be; that the commander had given his phone to soldiers to contact their parents. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) Assertiveness Mr. Ken Balendra: Mr. Ken Balendra always wanted to know what each employee in the company thought about. He even would see the worker of factory at anytime he can. He was always assertive and didnt quite hold his head up high because he was the chairman of John Keells. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: In a television interview Gen. Fonseka once stated that it is his task to eliminated terrorism as practiced by the LTTE leader while the Sri Lanka Government will resolve the political problem with a political solution, which statement sows the assertiveness and of his mind. (I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country, 2009) High Tolerance For Frustration Mr. Ken Balendra: Although he was able to be calm at any stage, he mentioned that he would have any person accountable for their actions. He was also lenient on the other side of encouraging them to take up responsibility. Through this he was quite tolerant and knew how to take up problems or anything that could frustrate the company. He handled them quite well. Because of these aspects he is the most respected man in Sri Lanka today. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: The major factor which enabled the LTTE to increase its strength and influence was because the Government during the earlier periods did not act accordingly and they were undecided whether to fight or not to fight. This gave the terrorists time to motivate and build a nexus. Gen. Fonseka observed and frustrated that due to the lack of a strategy to defeat the LTTE areas which were cleared would soon be lost due to the absence of direction and commitment. However he tolerated that. He thought that the day would eventually come when he would lead the defeat of the LTTE. (Sri Lanka Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, n.d.) 4.2 TASK ORIENTED TRAITS Passion for the work and people Mr. Ken Balendra: In developing the 2020 team as mentioned above, he was quite visionary and interested in the small man. He was interested to educate young recruits in to being the future leaders of the company. And is still motivating young employees of Brandix Ltd. to enhance the future leaders of the company. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: Extremely passionate for his work and for his country. The commander identified group members, their interests and attitudes and the way which can use to reach and to best communicate with and influence them. When the time where he was engaging in operations he would let his personal phone be given to his subordinate to contact their families. Emotional intelligence Mr. Ken Balendra: His emotional level was quite down to earth, sharing his experience and passion often motivated his followers and the young executives at his time. When suggesting his ways of doing things it was clear that his position in the people and task grid was on the far right suggesting that he is indeed a people oriented person. He is definitely interested in the people who make things happen for the company rather than the tasks which are done for the company. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: His staff members and followers always observed his emotions. He always used his emotions to persuade his followers. Flexibility and adoptability Mr.Ken Balendra: Since the 2020 team was quite informal it is clear that he was flexible in his thoughts and tasks. With his adoptability to conflicts in Sri Lanka at his time at JKH he is able to handle any situation when necessary. He is now handling the recession with Brandix very well produces the same output. Therefore his adoptability is no doubt at the best of standards and is flexible because of the fact that his ego levels and his demand of respect are extremely low. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: Considering the behavior of the commander, who changed the structure of the army and established a clear coordination among different forces such as the army, navy and the air force to match with the modern and required level of specifications one could say that Gen. Fonseka was indeed flexible and very much adaptable to new technology and other. Furthermore he went out for new technology and aircrafts such as M27 to battle against the terrorist when the terrorist went for air attacks. These can be identified as evidence of flexibility in his leadership. Locus of control Mr.Ken Balendra: Mr. Balendra is a person with a high internal Locus of control. His ways and decision were based on what he believes in and is based on what his followers want need. His art of obtaining followers were automatic. Followers who were his needed to be able to take up responsibility for their actions and is able to be confident in what they believe. Therefore Mr. Balendra always exhibited his faiths and would allow his followers to make their own decisions. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: The commander once said in a television program, I am confident that once the Tamil youth in the East see the advantages of peace they will not go back to join the terrorists. All communication in the East is cooperating with the security forces and the Government as they can visualize a bright and peaceful future for all communities.Hence this would realize Gen. Fonseka to have an internal locus of control. Courage Mr.Ken Balendra: Mr. Ken Balendra definitely is courages in turning around John Keells. And is also still making things brighter for the companies he is chairman to. Therefore is quite clear that his level of courage to make those changes going through various critics certainly has rewarded him in being the most successful chairmans of Sri Lanka. Gen. (Rtd.) Sarath Fonseka: He can be identified as a courages person. He had to face many barriers in reaching to his position but he never gave up his vision and his target of peace to his mother land. LEADERSHIP STYLE COMPARISON The basic leadership styles can be categorized in to three main stages. And they are; Autocratic: All the decisions of the group are made unilaterally by the leader. The leader does not give any aut hority to subordinates to make any decision. Participative: The leader gives considerable amount of autonomy and authority to take part in the decision making and the leader applies being participative. Laissez Faire The leader has gives full autonomy to subordinates for decision making and to initiate whatever decision they see fit. The leadership style of Gen. Fonsek a could be categorized into the participative style, because he shares the decision making process with the other members of his group and after the decision was made by the subordinates the general would give his consensus, if the decision is at a considerable condition. The Leadership style of Deshamanya Ken Balendra could be categorized as a participative style. He is a down to earth person who likes to delegate work to subordinates and young people to help them gain experience for their future endeavors. His leadership style also reflected that he is quite charm and would listen to anyone and their ideas in any position. His change management is successful and visionary and has made sure everyone was happy in the company. He has been the most suitable man to any company to occupy the chairmanship position. He is still the most respected man in the country and is looked up upon by anyone. CONCLUSION In analyzing of this two great individuals who have made it big in their respective careers, it is evident that these two possess different leadership styles, but whereas the essence to it are almost the same. Though various scholars have explained it in their own respective way, the question still remains; are leaders born or made? Looking at these two highly respected individuals it is quite hard to fathom of how a leader can be made, in fact if it is possible can another Ken Balendra or Sarath Fonseka made? Can you or I become one? It is sometimes too good to be true but if we look into the characteristics and traits of all leaders we tend find common ground. Some may have a bit more on certain traits or characteristics and some less. But it isnt about how good or bad these characteristics and traits are but rather how effective He/she is. Nurturing of these traits and characteristics can possibly make us a leader in our own field too and its quite sure it doesnt happen overnight. REFERENCE LIST Appannaiah, H.R., Reddy, P.N. (2006). Business management (2nd Ed.).Bangalore, India: Himalaya Publishing House ( p 260- 300) De Janasz., Wood., Gottschalk., Dowd., Schneider. (2007). Interpersonal skills in Organizations, NSW: McGraw Hill Dubrin, A., Dalgish, C., Miller, C (2006). Leadership (2nd ed.). Queensland, Australia: John Wiley Sons Australia, Ltd ( p 26 -95) Hosking, D. M. (1988). Organizing, leadership, and skilful process. Journal of Management Studies, 25, pp. 147-166. I Survived To Do My Duty by My Country. (December 13th 2009), The Sunday Leader, p.2. Internet Referencing Sarath Fonseka the future leader. [n.d.] Retrieved January, 2010 from http://www.sarathfonseka.com/about.html Sri Lanka Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka. [n.d.] Retrieved January, 2010 from http://www.scribd.com/doc/11514520/Sri-Lanka-Army-Comander-General-Sarath-Fonseka Anti-Discrimination Laws in the UK | Analysis Anti-Discrimination Laws in the UK | Analysis In recent years the Government has been attempting a massive review of the UK’s anti-discrimination laws. The impetus behind this, amongst other things is the influence from Europe. There have been several European Directives which have required implementing and there is becoming a plethora of confusing anti-discrimination laws. More recently we have seen the introduction of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, The Equality Act 2006 and there is also a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights[1] which replaces the Equal Opportunities Commission, Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission. In light of recent changes in the law and with the decision that more changes were necessary, the Discrimination Law Review was set up in 2005 with the purpose of considering the: â€Å"opportunities for creating a clearer and more streamlined discrimination legislative framework which produces better outcomes for those who currently experience disadvantage†.[2] A Consultation Paper was then published in June 2007 which establishes the Government’s proposal of a Single Equality Bill. Only a few months earlier, in February 2007 was Trevor Phillip’s Equalities Review published. Whilst the consultation paper and the Equalities Review considered the same topic, they have worked in parallel and looked at different angles. The consultation paper considered the legislative framework whilst the Equalities Review looked at the wider issues surrounding the topic of inequality.[3] This essay will consider these reviews and consultation paper, and discuss the Government’s proposals for a new anti-discrimination law in the UK. We will firstly examine the history behind the proposed changes in the law before turning to discuss what exactly the Government is proposing. We will then look to responses to the Government’s proposals, including analysing criticisms that the planned changes fail to address issues of enforcement and access to justice concerns. A fresh look at the anti-discrimination laws of the UK was deemed necessary after the much publicized Stephen Lawrence enquiry.[4] The Macpherson Report concluded that there was â€Å"institutional racism† both within the Metropolitan Police and the Police generally. The report made no less than 70 recommendations and the Government has been keen to implement them. The Race Relations Act 1976 has now been expanded so that it covers public bodies and authorities, and changes to double jeopardy laws have been implemented.[5] The proposed changes in anti-discrimination are intended to be an extension of the review of racism and other discriminatory practices and to move the UK forward into a 21st Century where such discrimination is a thing of the past. The changes in the law brought about by this report are more than likely to be mirrored and taken across so that they do not only apply to racial discrimination but also age, gender, religion and so forth. There is no denying that the Macpherson report has had a resounding effect but how successful the Government’s proposals will be remains to be seen. Trevor Phillips in his Equalities Review provides a definition of an equal society: â€Å"An equal society protects and promotes equal, real freedom and substantive opportunity to live in the ways people value and would choose, so that everyone can flourish. An equal society recognises people’s different needs, situations and goals and removes the barriers that limit what people can do and can be.†[6] He set out 10 recommendations in his review, which were focused on setting definitions and goals for equality and setting up a simpler legal framework with a better enforcement regime. The review recommends that the Government’s proposed Single Equality Act covers all bases of inequality, for example it should cover age, gender, sexual orientation and racist discrimination amongst others all under the same legislation. The act should also be â€Å"simpler, more coherent†.[7] Phillip’s review places a large emphasis and role, to the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. He suggests that the Commission should â€Å"play a more dynamic role in enforcement†, which would involve inspections of known equality gaps and transparency should be encouraged. Public and private bodies should also be made to measure and publish their equality performance. The Equalities Review clearly has ambitious and far reaching aims, but it does not provide very clear explanations for how these changes are to happen. It appears as if most of the regulatory and enforcement work it attributes to the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, as is also recommended by the consultation paper, although seeing as the Commission was not up and running at the time these reports were written, no feedback was possible from them themselves. The majority of Trevor Phillip’s review is concerned with the history of inequality in the UK and its effect and what the future would look like without discrimination. Very little is focused upon definite ideas and practices which could be implemented to ensure that this vision is a success. It works well as a tandem document, providing a background into the necessity for a change in law and for providing an ideal to aspire to. The Consultation Paper, a Framework for Fairness however is supposed to be more concrete and provide definite, workable proposals for discussion. The paper is split into three parts, each of which we will consider in turn. There is also a more recent publication on the single Equality Bill is from the Government Equalities Office – Framework for a Fairer Future: The Equality Bill, which was published in June 2008 which also provides some clarification on some of the issues raised in the consultation paper. Part one of the consultation paper relates to harmonising and simplifying the law. This we will see is essential, not least because of the recent flurry of case law and legislation on discrimination laws. Employers and public bodies need to know the current law and this is easier if it is codified into one document. The proposal is that the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be pivotal in this aspect, publishing practice notes and guidance and working together with public, private and volunteer organisations. This section also includes proposals on equal pay provisions, meaning that truly, everything relating to discrimination is brought under the umbrella of this one act. It is hoped that this codification procedure will make the law more readily accessible and easier to understand and create a â€Å"culture of compliance with the law†.[8] Ensuring that the law is simple and easy to comprehend is vital in enforcing the law, as people are more likely to adhere to a law that they are aware of an fully understand. Greater transparency will also increase access to justice, as citizens will be more aware of their rights and the means of resolving a discrimination grievance. Part two of the consultation paper concerns making the law more effective. This is a large concern where anti-discrimination law is concerned, as it is often felt that it is not the law that is the problem, but rather the fact that enforcing the law is difficult. It is this section of the consultation paper that is the weakest. The proposals include simplifying and extending public sector duties and improving the practice of equality in the private sector and outside the workplace. There are very little concrete ideas or tools which are suggested to ensure that the new laws are adhered to. The proposals mention encouraging the use of alternative dispute resolution outside of workplaces situations and giving an increasing role to the Ombudsman but these are measures that are used after an alleged discrimination has taken place. Whilst access to justice issues are clearly important, surely the primary aim should be to prevent the discrimination in the first place? Preventative measures discussed in the consultation paper are a ‘light touch’ equality check tool and a voluntary equality standard. These provisions are insufficient. They may be all well and good for those businesses that may be discriminating unknowingly, but where are the enforcement procedures for those who wantonly breach anti-discrimination laws? Part three relates to modernising the law. This reflects the proposals in Trevor Phillip’s review. The paper states that whilst part of the aim is a codification of the current law, it wants to go beyond this: â€Å"Rather than just consolidating the current legislation, we want to take this opportunity to review it, and decide whether we can improve it, to make it fit for the 21st century.†[9] This report recognises that the law does need to be streamlined, but also modernised. For example, the proposed single Equality Act will codify the recent changes to the law regarding public bodies and racism and gender and disability discrimination, but it will go further than this and include â€Å"gender reassignment, age, sexual orientation and religion or belief.†[10] Further than this the new Act is proposed to include some altogether new laws regarding age discrimination. There is already new legislation in force protecting from age discrimination in the workplace and the plan is to extend this to the supply of goods and services: â€Å"The Equality Bill will enable us to make it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of their age when providing goods, facilities and services or carrying out public functions.†[11] This is a contentious claim on the part of the consultation paper, as we will see later. There may well be new protections provided but many critics argue that the proposals do not go far enough. Clearly, therefore the new Act proposal promises the world, but can it deliver? There have been several responses to the consultation paper, and many of them negative. We will turn to discuss a selection of these now. We have seen how the Racial Equalities Commission produced a damning response, which is interesting, especially as the Racial Equalities Commission has now merged into the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. If an organisation that is to be at the centre of the new proposals is not entirely supportive of them, it would seem that the Government is on the back foot already. The Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s response is less overt in its criticism but still feels that the proposals for a single Equality Act do not go far enough.[12] The Citizen’s Advice Bureau’s response comments that there appears to be no correlation between the new Equality Act and existing Human Rights legislation. They are of the opinion that the human rights framework should not only be a consideration in the new legislation but that they should be in some way integrated: â€Å"Not to do so seems to us to be a missed opportunity to establish a new, more integrated and effective system of human rights and discrimination law which will be fit for purpose for decades to come.†[13] Amongst other things, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau also believes that the proposals are weak in the areas of public authority duties, and that there is no parity between strands of discrimination. Of particular concern to them is that there seems to be less provided for the elderly, comparably to other strands, specifically regarding to access to goods and services. Predictably also, their response is critical of the lack of enforcement measures in the new proposals. The general consensus of this organisation’s report is that the proposals do not go far enough and they want the new law to go further than simply codifying what exists already. They are of the opinion that the proposals need an urgent review: â€Å"We would therefore urge the Government to look again at the challenge of how to achieve a workable, fair, straightforward and effective single equality law, and to address our concerns about compliance, enforcement and sanctions and the changing context of discrimination.†[14] Another key organisation which has responded to the new proposals is Age Concern.[15] Their report seems to also suggest that they do not think that the new proposals are sufficient. They are fully supportive and understanding of the need for codification and simplification but they also view the proposed Act as a wasted opportunity. They agree with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau concerning the duties of public bodies and feel that by only requiring them to focus on a limited number of equality requirements the law is actually taking a step back. They are again critical of the proposed enforcement methods and show concern about access to justice. They believe that there is still a poor awareness of legal rights under anti-discrimination law and that there is very little legal aid available which will hinder people’s access to justice. They are concerned that the proposals do little to address these issues: â€Å"Low public awareness of legal rights under discrimination law, together with the severe limitations in availability of legal aid for advice and representation in this field, represent serious barriers to effective access to justice. The idea of allowing representative claims, with an appropriate filter stage, should be revisited. This would allow bodies such as the CEHR, trades unions and consumer organisations act on behalf of groups of claimants.†[16] In fact, looking generally at some of the responses to the consultation paper and there is a striking theme. Many organisations have the same concerns on the same areas and while being supportive of the ideology of a single Equality Act are disappointed that it is not more revolutionary.[17] The question of whether the Government should rethink it’s plans for reform is a tricky one. There is definitely a general consensus that reform is necessary, despite the current criticisms of the proposed reforms. There is no doubt that the law needs simplifying and thus making it more transparent. However, there is clearly little point in implementing yet more legislation which is not far reaching enough and will require further legislation in the not too distant future to bring it more up to date. This will only result in adding more legislation to the plethora we already have. The government has an ideal opportunity here to really make a difference and take a stand against discrimination and it is very important that they make the most of it. Nevertheless, whilst the review of the law is clearly necessary, the government definitely need to review the responses to the consultation paper and take them very seriously into account. There are several common points of contention which must be addressed. There are clearly issues that need resolving regarding duties of public authorities and the new proposals for limiting the amount of equality requirements is a concern to both the Citizens Advice Bureau and Age Concern. There is a worry that if the government is too cautious with the new legislation, then anti-discrimination law will be taking a step back and will retreat from the ideas and motivation provided by the Macpherson report. The government will also need to review the numerous concerns regarding the enforcement of these new laws. Additionally, there is little consideration of how to make it easier for people to have access to justice in these proposals. The National Union of Students even comments in their review that they feel that the government has overlooked the role of education and that it can play a vital part, not only in educating about inequality but also about the law and access to justice through it.[18] It is essential that nothing is overlooked in creating such a potentially great piece of legislation, and clearly education can play a vital part, not least in attempting to rid our society of the prejudices that have resulted in the need for such legislation. If the government addresses the issues contained in many of the responses to the consultation paper they should consider bringing out a wider, more expansive and more complete proposal. The current proposals have good intentions but have not been entirely thoroughly thought out. There is also not enough correlation between Trevor Phillip’s review and the consultation paper. Many of the issues raised are covered, but not always to a satisfactory standard. For example, it would probably greatly impress the organisation’s whose reviews we have looked at here if there was some indication of Phillip’s recommendations of measured equality performance and regular and involved action by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights in the proposals, both which would aid enforcement of these laws. Overall therefore, the Government do not need to rethink its plans for reform, just the content of the reform so that the new legislation brings the UK to the forefront of the legal world in the field of human rights and anti-discrimination, which is the position we want to be in. Bibliography ADCS consultation response A framework for fairness: The Government’s ideas for a law about equality. Ideas from the Discrimination Law Review, found online at http://www.adcs.org.uk/ (as accessed on 1st December 2008) Age Concern, Summary: Age Concern’s response to a Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain, September 2007 Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Discrimination Law Review A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain Citizens Advice Response, September 2007 Discrimination Law Review, Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain, June 2007 Equalities Review, Fairness and Freedom: The Final Report of the Equalities Review, Trevor Phillips, February 2007 Government Equalities Office, Framework for a Fairer Future: The Equality Bill, June 2008 Local Government Association Response to Consultation paper, September 2007, found online at http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/103575 (as accessed on 1st December 2008) Lockton, Deborah, Employment Law, Palgrave Macmillan: London, 2008 Lord Lester of Herne Hill Kate Beattie, The New Commission for Equality and Human Rights, P.L. 2006, Sum, 197-208 McColgan, Aileen, Reconfiguring discrimination law, P.L. 2007, Spr, 74-94 McCrudden, Christopher, Equality legislation and reflexive regulation: a response to the Discrimination Law Reviews consultative paper, I.L.J. 2007, 36(3), 255-266 National Union of Students, A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain: NUS Response, September 2007 Smith, Ian Gareth Thomas, Smith Woods Employment Law, Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2008 The Equality Bill, Government Response to the Consultation, July 2008 The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, Report of an Inquiry by Sir William MacPherson of Cluny, The Stationary Office, February 1999 www.equalities.gov.uk (as accessed on 1st December 2008) www.westlaw.co.uk (as accessed on 1st December 2008) 1 Footnotes [1] Established in October 2007 [2] Consultation Paper, Discrimination Law Review, Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain, June 2007, p.3 [3] See McCrudden, Christopher, Equality legislation and reflexive regulation: a response to the Discrimination Law Reviews consultative paper, I.L.J. 2007, 36(3), 255-266 [4] The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, Report of an Inquiry by Sir William MacPherson of Clunt, The Stationary Office, February 1999 [5] See Criminal Justice Act 2003 [6] Equalities Review, Fairness and Freedom: The Final Report of the Equalities Review, Trevor Phillips, February 2007 [7] Ibid [8] Consultation Paper op cit (fn 2) p.16 [9] Consultation Paper Op cit (fn 2) p.12 [10] Government Equalities Office, Framework for a Fairer Future: The Equality Bill, June 2008 p. 13 [11] Government Equalities Office, Framework for a Fairer Future: The Equality Bill, June 2008 p. 16 [12] Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Discrimination Law Review A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain Citizens Advice Response, September 2007 [13] Ibid, p. 4 [14] Ibid, p. 5 [15] Age Concern, Summary: Age Concern’s response to a Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain, September 2007 [16] Ibid, p. 5 [17] Local Government Association Response to Consultation paper, September 2007, found online at http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/103575 (as accessed on 1st December 2008); ADCS consultation response A framework for fairness: The Government’s ideas for a law about equality. Ideas from the Discrimination Law Review, found online at http://www.adcs.org.uk/ (as accessed on 1st December 2008) and National Union of Students, A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain: NUS Response, September 2007 [18] See National Union of Students, A Framework for Fairness: Proposals for a Single Equality Bill for Great Britain: NUS Response, September 2007