Monday, September 30, 2019

Separation of Powers

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Separation of Powers doctrine built into the Constitution. Discussion will cover the origins of the doctrine, the factors that made it attractive to the founding fathers, and the question of its usefulness in modern America. Political theorists as far back as Aristotle had discussed the merits of various forms of government. The point had been made over and over again that to have all governmental authority vested in a single person or organization is to make it easy for despots to seize power.The more a society and government aspires to democracy, broad-based suffrage, and respect for individual rights, the more it would need to disperse power over a number of institutions and officials. The theory was clear, but finding a practical way to apply it was not obvious. Congress under the Articles of Confederation had those aspirations, but found that the way it was attempting to disperse power instead produced paralysis.In fact, the American e xperience with the Confederation Congress gave the fledgling United States a set of positive reasons for wanting separation of powers, to go along with the negative reasons derived from colonial experience under the British Parliamentary system. There had once been a separation and balance of powers in the British system, at least for the upper classes. As long as the monarch and the House of Lords still had independent power and authority, they were able to counterbalance the House of Commons.But after the British Civil War, when Great Britain had the opportunity to experiment with being a republic, with unitary government, and even with military dictatorship, the Parliamentary system was fundamentally changed. The Restoration of Charles II did not reintroduce a balancing factor. Charles was perfectly clear that he reigned at the pleasure of Parliament. His unfortunate brother James did not understand this, and his obstinacy led directly to the Glorious Revolution: the day when Par liament simply had James arrested and exiled to France.One may suppose that what was most glorious about that revolution is that it was peaceful: not a shot was fired, no one was even injured. (That James later invaded northern Ireland with a French mercenary army is a different issue, most political theorists seem to think. ) Parliament next simply hired William of Orange and his bride-to-be, Princess Mary, as co-monarchs, and arranged the glorious spectacle of their arrival in London, royal wedding, and double coronation. It would next hire George I of the House of Hanover. It was this Parliament, whose authority was absolute, that governed the American colonies.Any law it passed was final; there was then no institution that could declare a law passed by Parliament to be ounconstitutional. o The only check on its authority was the will of the voters who elected the members of Parliament. This is a major reason why the American colonists made such an issue of their lack of represen tation in Parliament. The rhetoric against King George III in the Declaration of Independence is a vestige of British custom; it is Parliament that has committed all the outrageous acts agaainst the colonies, and it is Parliament that is being attacked.Americans generally fail to grasp how centralized power had become (and to some extent still is) in the British system. There were and are no state governments in the British system, not for the shires, and not for what had once been independent countries; there is only the national Parliament and tiny local governments at the town level. In the eighteenth century Parliament also wanted there to be no independent legislatures in the colonies, and felt free to override colonial legislative measures at its own pleasure.Of course, the colonial legislatures went ahead and acted independently in almost all local matters, but Parliament? s refusal to recognize their authority was another reason why the colonial legislators supported the Ame rican Rebellion, as the English called it. In the British Parliamentary system, there is also no distinction between legislative and executive powers. The Prime Minister is elected by the members of the majority party in Parliament, and thus becomes the head of government. The Prime Minister? s cabinet functions essentially as the standing Executive Committee of the Parliament.It is structurally impossible for the Prime Minister to have one policy and Parliament another. If a majority of members of Parliament disagree with the Prime Minister? s decisions, a vote of no confidence will immediately remove the Prime Minister from office and begin the process of setting up a new government, that is, a new Executive Committee. The British Parliament thus cannot be in a state of deadlock such as sometimes seems to paralyze the American government when the Democrats control Congress and the Republicans have the Presidency, or vice versa.However, there is also nothing in the British system t o keep Parliament from pursuing a disastrous policy, as it has in Northern Ireland, whenever its members are overcome by mob psychology. The unicameral Congress created by the Articles of Confederation resembled the British Parliament in not separating the legislative and executive powers. There was supposed to be a balance of power between the interests of the states represented in Congress, as well as between the state governments and the national government.However, what there was in practice was a neutralizing of power: opposing forces or concepts, when embodied in the same persons, instead of having their separate advocates, simply canceled each other out. It thus became clear that there were positive reasons for wanting separation of powers in a new form of American government. A legislature could do a better job of creating laws if it were not burdened with the task of overseeing their execution. Likewise, an executive branch could be more effective in carrying out laws if it s authority were independent of the legislative branch.Similarly, there had to be an independent judiciary that could rule on legality, not only of how laws were carried out, but also of the laws themselves, so that Parliament? s trick of passing laws that were unchallengable could not be repeated in the American system. The new American system could not have been unitary, because from the beginning it was clear that one of the structural problems that the new country faced was how to balance the authority of thirteen independent nation-states against the authority of the union that they were jointly creating.The Confederation Congress did not solve this problem because it did not grant enough authority to the central government. Powers that are not equal cannot be balanced, and so cannot be separated: the stronger will always tend to overcome the weaker. One lasting achievement of the Confederation Congress was its provision that every new state to be admitted to the union would ha ve to become fully self-sustaining as an independent nation-state before it could be admitted, so that all states within the union would deal with each other as equals.One brilliant provision of the new Constitution was the compromise that created a bicameral legislature. The Senate, where each state has two votes, recognizes the original autonomy of the states, whereas the House reflects the actual growth of the population. It was equally brilliant to provide that, whereas the authority of Congress came from the states, the authority of the President would come from the people of the whole union. Their powers would thus be equal, balanced, and separate.It is sometimes argued that American government would be more efficient, could solve problems more quickly, if there were less separation of powers, if the checks and balances did not slow the wheels of progress. It is not clear how governmental powers could be made less separate, since the principle has been woven so thoroughly into American government at every level. Aside from that, it seems unrealistic to suppose that the human frailties which called for the separation of powers when the Constitution was written have somehow been cured during the last two centuries.The checks and balances and separations of power in the American system have the overall net effect of forcing people to compromise, of preventing extremist approaches to social problems from gaining a foothold in government. It is sometimes thought that having Congress and the President be of different parties was intended to be one of the checks and balances in government. Not so: the plan was to have them be of the same party. It is also thought that the deadlocks that occur under these conditions are a problem that must be solved, for example, by having the President or a Premier be elected by the majority party in Congress.However, it is actually not obvious that there is any problem to be solved here at all. When the President is of the maj ority party in Congress, then the compromises that lead to a legislative bill being passed and signed are made between the liberal and conservative members of the majority party. When the President belongs to the minority party, then these compromises are made between the members of the two parties. Although it is commonly thought that Democrats are much more liberal than Republicans, in fact the spectra of liberal and conservative members in each of the two parties are almost identical. Europeans often comment that America is the only democracy governed by two moderate parties. ) There thus seems to be little objective reason for tampering with the current traditional system of separation of powers. Bibliography Eliot, Charles W. , ed. American Historical Documents, 1000-1904. The Harvard Classics, ed. Charles W. Eliot. New York: Collier, 1910. Bibliography Eliot, Charles W. , ed. American Historical Documents, 1000-1904. The Harvard Classics, ed. Charles W. Eliot. New York: Collie r, 1910. This valuable volume can be found in many libraries.It gives the texts (sometimes in translation) of important documents that are discussed more often than they are read. There is a freshness to read the Vinland documents and the words of Columbus and Vespucci first reporting their discoveries. It is informative to read the precise wording of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (the first written state constitution), of the Articles of Confederation, and of the 1794 Treaty with the Six Nations (of the League of the Iroquois). History should when possible be done with primary documents, of course; this volume makes some of them easier to find. Separation of Powers ‘The separation of powers, as usually understood, is not a concept to which the United Kingdom constitution adheres. ’ The doctrine of separation of powers was perhaps most thoroughly explained by the French Jurist Montesquieu (1989), who based his analysis on the British Constitution of the early 18th century. This essay will discuss the doctrine of separation of powers, its meaning and importance within the United Kingdom’s un-codified constitution. It will analyse the relationship between the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary and how the United Kingdom does not strictly adhere to the doctrine. Montesquieu (1989) argued that to avoid tyranny, the three branches of Government, the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary should be separated as far as possible, and their relationship governed by ‘checks and balances’ (Montesquieu, 1989), Montesquieu (1989) described the divisions of political powers between the three branches and based this model on his perception of the British Constitutional System, a system which he perceived to be based on a separation of powers between King, Parliament and the law courts. Originally it was the Monarch who had all the power, however, it has now been transferred. The Legislature, or law making function, which covers actions such as the enactment of rules for society. The Executive, or law applying function, which covers actions taken to maintain or implement the law, defend the state, and conduct internal policies. Finally, the Judiciary, or law enforcing function, which is the determining of civil disputes and the punishing of criminals by deciding issues of fact and applying the law. These functions of Government should be carried out by separate persons, or bodies and that each branch should carry out its own function. For example, the Legislature should not judge nor should the Executive make laws. The Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary should also all have equal legal status so each could control the excessive use of power by another branch. The  British  Constitution  is fundamentally different to  the  US constitutional model and its fragmented structure. The  American model is a deliberately designed political body constructed with precision by  the  18th century ‘founding fathers' and maintained to  the  present day by an entrenched codified document. By contrast, the  British constitutional model has evolved and adapted over  the  centuries, deriving from statute law, customs and monarchical power among various sources. Such contrasting constitutional evolution has led to differing interpretations and applications  of  the  theory  of  the  separation  of powers. In essence,  the  separation  of  powers  within Britain's constitutional system tends to be far less explicit and somewhat blurred in comparison to  the  more rigid US system  of  government. Indeed, some would say that  the  basic principles  of  the  separation  of  powers  are not specifically adhered to within  the British political model. The  most obvious evidence  of  this is reflected in Britain's parliamentary system  of  government, as opposed to a presidential type in the  USA, where ‘the  assemblies and executives are formally independent  of  one another and separately elected'. In practice this means that in  the  USA the  President and members  of  the  legislature (Congress) are elected separately and occupy completely different political branches, whereas in  the  UK  the most senior elected members  of  Parliament also form  the  executive branch  of  government. This more fused political structure leads to a situation where the  Prime Minister and Cabinet (the  executive) are also elected members  of  Parliament (legislature), creating a scenario that conflicts with  the  essence  of the  separation  of  powers. The  British political system also had  the  historic position  of  Lord Chancellor possessing  the  greatest theoretical power, being part  of  the  executive (Cabinet), legislature (House  of  Lords) and  the  head  of  the  judiciary simultaneously. Such a concentration  of  power is broadly prohibited in  the  USA and other western democracies due to  the  nature  of  their codified constitutions. Such constitutional developments have led to  the  creation  of  political circumstances in  the  UK  whereby  the  executive has gradually come to dominate  the legislature, despite  the  British political tradition  of  sovereignty ostensibly residing in Parliament. This scenario has led to allegations  of  excessive power within  the  executive and  of  an ‘elective dictatorship', with ‘public policy originating in cabinet and being presented to a party-dominated House  of Commons'. In such an environment, a government with a significant parliamentary majority, e. g. Labour since 1997, can maintain control  of  both  the executive and  the  legislature, with Parliament becoming a mere ‘rubber-stamp'  of  approval in  the  process  of  creating legislation. The  judiciary, symbolized by  the  role  of  the  Lord Chancellor who is a member  of  the  ruling party, has over  the  years appeared to have been manipulated by  the  governing regime in a way that  the  US Supreme Court could never be. Such trends  of  excessive executive power have been exacerbated by dominant Prime Ministers such as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. However, in recent years  the  British government appears to have accepted this constitutional imbalance and has taken specific measures to enhance its version  of  the  separation  of  powers, addressing its rough edges and tackling some  of  the  growing criticisms  of  executive dominance that has been a consequence  of  the  UK's constitutional development. This process has been evident in a number  of  key constitutional reforms, starting with  the  Human Rights Act  of  1998, a piece  of  legislation that has created more explicit safeguards concerning  the  distribution  of  political power within  the  UK. In particular it appears to have provided additional  powers  to  the  branch  of  government that is often overshadowed within  the  UK's political system, namely the  judiciary. This Act has subsequently enforced  the  need for British law-makers to strictly adhere to  the  principles  of  human rights when passing legislation in order to remove  the  prospects  of  legal challenges at a later stage. After this Act was passed, one  of  the  most prominent judicial challenges under human rights legislation occurred in December 2004, when  the  Law Lords declared that  the  detention  of  eight terrorist suspects without trial at Belmarsh Prison was in conflict with  the  suspects' human rights. In practice, as evident in  the  Belmarsh case, it means that legislation that derives from Parliament, under  the control  of  the  executive, can now be more closely scrutinised and challenged by  the  judiciary, bolstered by an enhanced human rights framework. In this context, Parliament: ‘retains its sovereign status†¦.. if  the  courts cannot reconcile an Act  of  Parliament with  the  European Convention on Human Rights, they do not have  the power to override†¦.. that legislation†¦.. (but)  the  courts can declare  the  legislation incompatible with  the  European Convention on Human Rights and return  the  Act to Parliament for revision' . Thus, a clearer  separation  of  powers  now appears to be in place as a result  of  the  Human Rights Act. However, while  the  Act does provide added powers  of  judicial scrutiny over  the  executive and legislative branches in their law-making role, Parliament retains ultimate sovereignty and can change the  law as it wishes, in spite  of  judicial criticism. In terms  of  ignoring such judicial interventions, any government would probably cause itself considerable political damage in doing so, but it has  the  right to do so nevertheless. In this respect,  the  UK  Human Rights Act is not as robust in preserving fragmented government and civil liberties as  the  US Bill  of  Rights is, which it has been compared to. Indeed,  the  current British Conservative opposition has even talked  of  abolishing this legislation, and this would have implications for tackling  the  effectiveness  of  the  separation  of  in  the  UK. Britain modernised its constitutional model with further legislative and institutional reforms such as  the  Constitutional Reform Act (2005). A key element  of  this Act was  the  creation  of  a Judicial Appointments Committee that limited executive patronage in appointing  the judiciary, as well as a British Supreme Court, reflecting a more explicit  separation  of  judicial. This new court has replaced  the  Law Lords as  the  highest Court  of  Appeal in  the  UK. The  Law Lords have in many ways symbolised  the  blurring  of  the  branches  of government in  the  UK, with their dual role as interpreters  of  the  law on behalf  of  the  judiciary, but also as law-makers due to their membership  of  the House  of  Lords. This Act also significantly reduced  the powers of  the  Lord Chancellor, formerly  the  most powerful position in British politics with a foothold in all government branches. The  Law Lords and Lord Chancellor were increasingly viewed as nachronisms within  the  UK  political system and subsequently deemed to be in need  of  significant reform as part  of  the  process  of  refreshing Britain's implementation  of  the  separation  of  theory. a In conclusion, it is recognised that certain degree of power and functions between the three organ s do overlap, which suggest that although each organ functions within its own sphere, none is supreme. The sphere of power conceded to Parliament to enact law to regulate its own procedure is a clear example of the existence of Separation of Power. Therefore, the doctrine of Separation of Power is deemed to be a rule of political wisdom.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Wound Healing

The third phase of wound healing is granulation phase, which takes place to repair the damaged cells by regenerating new cells. This phase consists of different subphases, which can last up to 4 weeks in the clean and uncontaminated wound. These sub phases do not happen in discrete time frames but constitute an overall and ongoing process. The sub phases are â€Å"fibroplasia, matrix deposition, angiogenesis and re-epithelialization† (Cho & Lo, 1998). The first sub phase of granulation process is fibroplasia. In days 5-7, fibroblasts have migrated into the wound, laying down new collagen of the subtypes I and III. In normal wound healing, early type III collagen predominates but is later replaced by type I collagen. Tropocollagen, which is the precursor of all collagen types, is then transformed within the cell's rough endoplasmic reticulum, where proline and lysine are hydroxylated. After tropocollagen transformation, disulfide bonds are established, allowing 3 tropocollagen strands to form a triple left-handed triple helix, termed procollagen. As the procollagen is secreted into the extracellular space, peptidases in the cell wall cleave terminal peptide chains, creating true collagen fibrils, which mark the hallmark of fibroplasia. After fibroplasia, matrix deposition takes place. In matrix deposition, the wound is first suffused with GAGs and fibronectin produced by fibroblasts. These GAGs include heparan sulfate, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate, and proteoglycans. Then, proteoglycans bond covalently to a protein core and this contributes to matrix deposition. Later, angiogenesis takes place. Angiogenesis is the product of parent vessel offshoots which is known as new vasculature. The formation of new vasculature requires extracellular matrix and basement membrane degradation followed by migration, mitosis, and maturation of endothelial cells. Basic FGF and vascular endothelial growth factor are also involved in the modulating angiogenesis. Finally, re-epithelization occurs with the migration of cells from the periphery of the wound and adnexal structures. This process commences with the spreading of cells within 24 hours. Leter, division of peripheral cells occurs in hours 48-72, resulting in a thin epithelial cell layer, which bridges the wound. In addtition, epidermal growth factors play a key role in this aspect of wound healing (Lynch, Colvin, ; Antoniades, 1989). The last phase of wound healing is remodeling. Remodeling process takes place after the third week, whereby the wound is altered constantly. Constant alteration of wound can last for years after the initial injury occurred. In remodeling, collagen is degraded and deposited in an equilibrium-producing fashion, resulting in no change in the amount of collagen deposited in the wound. In normal wound healing, the collagen deposition reaches a peak by the third week after the wound is created. Then, contraction of the wound takes place following collagen deposition. Wound contraction is an ongoing process resulting in part from the proliferation of the specialized fibroblasts termed myofibroblasts, which resemble contractile smooth muscle cells (Deodhar ; Rana, 1997, para 3). Wound contraction occurs to a greater extent with secondary healing than with primary healing, whereby it leaves a scar in socondary healing. By the 12th week, maximal tensile strength of the wound is achieved although the ultimate resultant scar has only 80% of the tensile strength of the original skin that it has replaced (Brunner ; Suddarth, 2008, p. 38). In brief, the process of wound healing constitutes an array of interrelated and concomitant events of hemostasis, inflammation, granulation and remodeling.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Architecture in the Middle Ages: Chartres Cathedral Essay

The cathedral was the most important building in the town of Chartres. It was the centre of the economy, the most famous landmark and the focal point of almost every activity that is provided by civic buildings in towns today. Chartres cathedral has upheld its importance in the life of the people within the community, and has lived up to its labour and expectations. The cathedral was important in the everyday life of all, whether it was used as a church, a marketplace, or just a marvel for all to view. Because of its diversity, it brought a lot of attention and prosperity to the city of Chartres, which helped it grow more, which then created a magnificent cycle to be lived up to. Chartres cathedral was an important structure in Medieval Europe because of its religious aspects, socio-economic impact and architectural styles that it brought forward. Religion plays a key role in many lives today, and has been for many years—Chartres cathedral fed this appetite with the stories behind the windows, the history behind the sacred tunic and the uses behind the labyrinth. For the longest time, the stained glass in Chartres were one of the main sources of religious knowledge. The windows have been supplying all around it with the stories of the Old Testament, the Virgin Mary and the life of Christ—many of the windows were used as â€Å"a ready source of instruction for the illiterate population† because education was not as valued in these times. These windows, through their extreme importance, proved to be a huge benefactor in the lives of the inhabitants of Chartres. In addition, the cathedral was said to have housed a tunic that supposedly belonged to Blessed Virgin Mary. This tunic was thought to be lost when the first cathedral burned down, but â€Å"after three days of cooling, priests who had taken shelter in the underground vaults emerged from the ruins, amongst many witnesses, with the relic intact. † This in itself had proven to the people of Chartres to be a miracle, and it was believed to be a sign from Mary herself, therefore the construction was begun again. It was also believed that this tunic provided the community and the church with a protection, and when the townspeople believed they had been deserted by their protector in the fire, they thought that â€Å"the rebuilding was futile. The labyrinth also provided to the religion aspect of Chartres cathedral. This labyrinth was used as a pilgrimage or for repentance, though â€Å"as a pilgrimage it was a questing, searching journey with the hope of becoming closer to God. † The labyrinth was considered to be a religious, protected part of the church because it survived the fire, and once you get to the middle, you are greeted by a cross, a symbol of enlightenment. Although the religion makes up a good portion of the history of Chartres, the socio-economic aspects have to be considered when judging its importance. Chartres cathedral gained its importance socially and economically by its mysteries, its uses as a market and its uses as a social club. The mysteries of Chartres cathedral, such as the tunic and the windows, attract much attention to the community, which helps increase population as well as the money created from tourists. It is the fact that â€Å"Chartres’ windows are unique in the sense that a stained glass window became the object of devotion† that makes people keep coming back for more. Also, Chartres cathedral was used socio-economically in the ways that it had been used as a marketplace within the community; â€Å"The cathedral was the most important building in the town of Chartres. It was the centre of the economy, the most famous landmark and the focal point of almost every activity that is provided by civic buildings in towns today. † As well as there being merchants within the doors of the cathedral, there were also the odd workers who were â€Å"gathered in the cathedral seeking jobs, such as carpenters and masons. † To add to that, Chartres cathedral was used as a social club during World War II. While the windows were removed from it, the Germans would use the cathedral as a social club during their occupation in France. This cathedral is first seen as †¦a place of worship and reverence, sacred to God. But crossing that threshold in the Middle Ages took you into many places at once: a town hall, a social club, even a marketplace, and yet also a temple, a place of authority, and indeed nothing less than a kind of heaven itself. Although Chartres is known for its socio-economic success, its architecture is also a renowned subject pertaining to this cathedral. This cathedral is important because it has changed the way that many people look at architecture by looking at new architectural features, structural defeats and architect’s modesty. â€Å"In 1194, the master-builder of Chartres outlined new principles which would inspire all the great architects of the 13th century†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â€Chartres cathedral had â€Å"established several new architectural features never seen before (flying buttresses and the arches used) and pioneered new techniques for construction at high elevations above ground (†¦war machines†¦ into hoisting cranes). This would later change some of the techniques used to build and create other Gothic styled cathedrals. Also, this cathedral had overcome a couple structural defeats to add to its list of greatness. Chartres had to succumb to many different fires over its span, and it had to keep on getting rebuilt time after time. Also, with towers standing at around 115 metres tall, this cathedral had been the tallest of its kind around—â€Å"before this, nothing had ever been built at such heights. †Another aspect adding to the importance of this building architecturally is the modesty and selflessness of the architects that planned its building. Many of the architects involved in the creation of this cathedral have went on nameless because it doesn’t matter who made it, but what was made—â€Å" To make something as exquisite as this without wanting to smash your†¦ name all over it. All you hear about nowadays is people making names, not things. † The religious aspects, socio-economic impacts and architectural styles of the Chartres cathedral are the reason it deserves to be known as an important structure. Chartres was built and rebuilt based on its religious hopes and beliefs, and it served to be an occupant to the people while the other problems of the time were occurring. This building was also beneficial for the townsfolk because they had a way to get together, trade, and communicate in a safe and forgiving place, under the eyes of God. The architecture in itself is enough to consider this building important: it provided architects with ways of getting around their problems and it bettered things to use and do to improve what I being done. Chartres has been a very helpful and important building in helping us study past beliefs, life and helping us to acquire the knowledge we need for innovations and the construction of future great buildings, much like this one.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Middle east Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Middle east - Essay Example He was a prominent composer of the Classical period and he played an important part in developing chamber music, like the piano trio and he is also known as the Father of Symphony. A prominent characteristic of Haydn’s music is the development of the sonata form and simple musical motifs, which he derived from large structures. Haydn was more interested in monothematic exposition, in which the music is dominant is similar to the theme that is presented in the opening. Unlike other composers, there was humor found in Haydn’s compositions like the Surprise Symphony; his compositions were particularly developed for the delight of a prince. His compositions also reflected his own personality, which was healthy and well-balanced. The role of Haydn was important, because he proved to be an example for other composers like Beethoven. He is known for his contributions towards Opera and chamber music; he made 42 compositions fro opera, 29 compositions for oratorios, 120 compositions for cantatas and many compositions for chamber music. The most popular piece produced by Handel is Messiah, which is known in contemporary music as Hallelujah; it is a composition of choral music and is mostly sung at Christmas times. Handel also composed Music for the Royal Fireworks, which was attended by 12,000 people, when it was first performed. The transition piece, which encouraged Handel to move from Italian to English, was his choral work called Saul. Handel did a lot of experimenting in this composition with his trombones, carillon and military kettledrums. Johann Sebastian Bach was a skilled German composer and musician, who changed the German styles by introducing counterpoint, harmony and motives in his compositions. His prominent works included as an organist; he was known for composing organ works like preludes and fantasias. However, his works involving

Thursday, September 26, 2019

How did Procter & Gamble Globalize Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

How did Procter & Gamble Globalize - Essay Example In the early 1990s the company changed its marketing strategy, by introducing products worldwide early in their product development. Today P&G manages a world roll-out within 18 months (Ball et al, 2005, p. 479). Since 1980 P&G has increased four times the number of consumers the company serves to five million people around the world. P&G today has operations in more than 80 countries employing 110,000 people; its products are sold in over 140 countries, transforming P&G into one of the biggest consumer goods companies (Ball et al, 2005, p. 9). With global headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, P&G has manufacturing facilities in 114 plants in 42 countries worldwide (Graph 1) (Sustainability Report 2004). It manufactures and markets nearly 300 products and is one of the world's most successful brand creation companies (Graph 5). P&G has one of the strongest portfolios of quality brands, including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper and many others (Datamonitor, 2004). Most of the company's products are produced and assembled by P&G-owned facilities; approximately 10 percent of products are outsourced to third parties (Graph 2). P&G purchase annually more than $25 billion materials and services to manufacture and market their products. In company-owned plants P&G purchases the majority of raw materials within the regions where products are manufactured (P&G Sustainability Report, 2004). P&G's globalization strategy is straightforward. The company is focused on its core businesses and leading brands, countries and customers. The global company structure has established regional organizations for seven world regions - North America; Latin America; Western Europe; China; ASEAN, Australasia and India; North Asia; and Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (Graph 3) (P&G Sustainability Report, 2004). The company's majority of sales come from the mature markets of USA and Western Europe (Graph 4, 6). A balanced future growth has drawn investment in developing countries and low-income markets that represent majority of world population (P&G Annual Report 2005). As a result, sales in those segments are growing, and China has become P&G's sixth largest market (Ball et al, 2005, p. 479). 2. "Why" Market access Procter & Gamble's globalization strategy is focused on customer similarities worldwide. In this aspect market access has been the major driver for P&G's global expansion, whereby relatively standardized products have been produced in similar manufacturing facilities around the world and then sold under the same brand names globally (Ball et al, 2005, p. 9). This "brand internationalization" (Enke et al, n.d.) has increased P&G's competitiveness. Sustained further market expansion requires P&G to look to other consumer segments. P&G's sales have been focused on premium-priced branded products in relatively affluent Western consumers. Still, according to P&G CEO A G Lafley the company has "a tremendous opportunity to serve lower income and value-conscious consumers around the world" (cited by Mitchell, 2005). The rationale behind this strategy is simple. Mature markets, where P&G is present face intense competition and slow growth in demand. This impedes organic growth and forces P&G to look for alternative markets, like the developing countr

TECHNOLOGY AND REIMBURSEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

TECHNOLOGY AND REIMBURSEMENT - Essay Example It was also effective in preventing outright stealing of babies from the hospital. This helped to create a feeling of security among the mothers at the hospital which is good for the recovering mothers and also for the hospitals administration. In case of any of a mother switching her baby with another whether intentionally or by accident, there would be an alarm that went off attracting the attention of the security staff and other administrators. The only drawback to this system was whereby the nurse forgot to enter the code in the computer after a mother took her baby; as a result the alarm would immediately go off and the whole unit would be under security lock down. This also happened whenever a nurse would take a baby to the mother’s room and neglect to enter the baby’s code in the system thus triggering the alarm. This was the only disadvantage to the system but it can be overcome by ensuring the nurses do not forget to in put the security code when needed to. The chances are there that these mother baby bracelets can malfunction or may confuse the operator. It is important that nurse operating the mother baby bracelet should possess thorough information on the device and its functions. The usage of Smartphones is another example. Smart phones can also play a vital role in helping the nurses with EMR (electronic medical record). They can be of great help to the students on the rotations. During my experience, I have seen staff using smartphones for direct and quick consultation with other clinicians, to search for related drugs, to check the patient’s record and files and to maintain the patient’s record. Portability is the basic advantage of smartphones. They are handy and easy to carry. One can access the required information from anywhere, so the clinicians are not bound to one particular location. Along with advantage, some disadvantages are also associated with these smartphones. Sometimes, they can stop working (no

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Emplyment Relation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Emplyment Relation - Essay Example Another problem which is aggravating the situation is the arrangement of finances for the back-pays and the future wage increases by the councils. The dispute resolution process can be divided into three phases based on the types of grievances. All the three phases will be at work simultaneously with three separate HR teams working on the assignment. The first phase will address the issues of the employees who have been subjected to salary cuts. It is apparent that no employee will accede to their salary cut on the pretext of social justice. However, the financial prudence of implementing the equal pay policy requires that some financing of hike in wages be done through some salary cuts. So, the first thing that can be done is to re-evaluate the grades of those employees who have been subjected to salary cuts. This will be a time consuming exercise, however it will help in avoiding any further litigation. Some time can be saved by looking at data from previous litigations by such employees. It has been observed that some particular jobs had been upgraded after going into litigation. This data can be helpful in re-grading. A ta rget time can be set for this phase and during this time the salaries and other employment terms remain unchanged. For those whose grades are upgraded after the re-evaluation exercise, arrears can be paid at a later agreed-upon time. With this step the problems of the most aggrieved section of employees can be addressed. The time period for this re-evaluation of grades should not be more than 9 months. For those whose salaries will be upgraded after the re-grading exercise, there will be appropriate salary raise. For others whose grades still need to be revised towards the lower side, there will be no reduction in salary but only grade change. There other benefits will be downgraded but not the salary. They will be given a signing bonus in the form of 2.5% of their salary increment. These

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Bio Comprehensive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bio Comprehensive - Essay Example Its inner layer invaginates and form thylakoid disks that are arranged in stacks called "grana" where chlorophyll is concentrated and so with other pigment absorbing organs. The membranes are very much important in the process of photosynthesis of plants because it is where the organelles responsible for absorbing light (chlorophyll in chloroplast) are suspended or being housed One way to measure the efficiency of chloroplast when it is intact is through Fluorescence. This will be able to measure the chlorophyll in the flourimeter. The spectrum of fluorescence is different to that of absorbed light, with the peak of fluorescence emission being of longer wavelength than that of absorption. Therefore, fluorescence yield can be measured by exposing a leaf to light of defined wavelength and measuring the amount of light re-emitted at longer wavelengths. When transferring photosynthetic material from the dark into the light, an increase in the yield of chlorophyll fluorescence happens over a time period of around 1 s. This increase has then been explained as a consequence of reduction of electron acceptors in the photosynthetic pathway, downstream of PSII, notably plastoquinone and in particular, QA. Once PSII absorbs light and QA has accepted an electron, it is not able to accept another until it has passed the first onto a succeeding electron carrier (QB). Du ring this period, the reaction centre is said to be 'closed'. At any point in time, the occurrence of a fraction of closed reaction centers leads to an overall reduction in the efficiency of photochemistry and so to a matching increase in the yield of fluorescence. Our body part is made up of cells. These cells multiply in a process called cell division. If the division of the cells is having irregularities in number tumors develops. There will be too numerous divisions of cells. But what triggers human malignant cancers is due to mutations of both signal transduction pathways and in the mechanisms that control the cell cycle. Signal transduction responses are responsible for gene activation, manufacturing of metabolic energy, and cell movement. It has something to do with the cell activity. It has even something to do with the modification of the cell skeleton. Since it is responsible for gene activation it leads to gene expression as proteins. Gene activation leads to further effects, since genes are expressed as proteins, many of which are enzymes, transcription factors or other regulators of metabolic activity. Because transcription factors can activate still many genes in turn, an initial stimulus can trigger via signal transduction the expression of whole suite of genes and a panoply of physiolgical events. When there is a mutation of the pathway the expresion of genes also mutates. This mutation may lead to cancers. There sequence is sometimes affected by the mutation. In every expresion like GUC for example when mutated may lead to GUA and this does not mean the same as what GUC codes for. To determine a patient with cancer caused by mutation of the tranduction signal pathway, you can conduct mutation analysis. With this, you can be able to trace if the patient's cancer is cause mainly of his/her signal transduction being mutated. Enzymes are catalysts. Mostly of these are protein based. Enzymes attach temporarily to one or more of the reactants of the reaction they catalyze. In doing so, they decrease the amount of activation

Monday, September 23, 2019

Buddhism Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Buddhism Philosophy - Essay Example It is clear that everything in the world according to Buddhism has a purpose and is subject to change to fit their purpose. Every component in the environment has a connection that affects another with none having a permanent state. From the text, it is clear that healing according to Buddhism involves physical, emotional and spiritual in recovery from sickness (Barry, 22). It takes the holistic perspective that differentiates it from the conventional treatment that only considers treating the symptoms. However, the philosophies of Buddhism differ from other religions by purporting that there is no resemblance to God or future immortality. The differences originate from the perspective that everything is subject to change.The article extinguishes education, economic status, culture and social life as factors that affect people’s health. All these show the relationship of individual being with the environment where they live. There is a need to consider all relevant factors whi le dealing with health and diseases to ensure better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. People always cause an impact on the surrounding and at the same time, the environment acts on them. Hence, Buddhism takes into consideration of mental, social and physical health status of a person when considering the healing process since there is interconnection in all. Treating the physical symptoms is just a section of the healing process. Suffering also forms part of human life that only ends when they cut links with things from the world.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and 7 General Codes of Conduct Essay Example for Free

Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and 7 General Codes of Conduct Essay Since the adherence to international social standards has become a mandatory requirement in the international business arena, the local suppliers have to be compliant to these standards in order to remain in business. There have been some significant revisions to the Bangladesh Labor Law in 2006. This newly revised law already covers a lot of the common standards like employment conditions, occupational health and safety issues as well as the ILO core labor standards. Besides being complaint to the national labor law, the suppliers must also adhere to the international standards. These international standards may be defined through their individual buyers’ codes of conduct or general codes of the conduct. Compliance to the buyers’ codes of conduct is mandatory but compliance to the general codes of conduct is optional unless the buyer accepts a specific general code as a substitute for its own audits or requirements. These voluntary monitoring or verification initiatives have taken root since the 1990s to add legitimacy and credibility to companies’ social and environmental compliance programs. The comparative analysis shows that the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 significantly covers majority of the requirements of the different general codes of conduct. This indicates that if a factory is 100% compliant to the national law, it will cover approximately 85% of the requirements of the other general codes of conduct. Hence RMG factories should be encouraged to improve their compliance with the national law as a first step towards meeting the compliance demands of the brands and retailers who they supply to. The analysis does reveal that a few requirements are not fully or partially covered by the national labor law. It should be noted that the components which are not fully covered by the Bangladesh Labor Law are either covered by the Bangladesh Constitution or are not directly applicable in the Bangladesh context. This study clearly reveals that the revised Bangladesh Labor Law along with other supporting national legislations such as the Bangladesh Building Code and the Environmental Conservation Rules as well as the overall constitutional framework of Bangladesh, provides a comprehensive guideline for factories in the RMG sector to comply with majority of all international social compliance and environmental standards. By being 100% compliant with the national labor law, a supplier has significantly met majority of the international requirements. The Bangladesh Labor Law has gone through some majority revisions in 2006 which has made it into a strong piece of legislation. However, it is not still 100% perfect. There are still few gaps and lackings which need to be adjusted and amended in the future. As implementation of the revised law is ongoing, numerous other deficiencies might gradually be identified over time. Since recent revisions just took place, another series of revisions are not anticipated in the near future. This comparative analysis of the newly revised Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct clearly illustrates where the commonalities and differences are. Overall, the recent revisions to the Bangladesh Labor Law and other national legislations that are associated with the RMG sector such as the Bangladesh Building Code and the Environmental Conservation Rules jointly provide comprehensive guidelines for RMG suppliers to manufacture and export products under socially and environmentally responsible working conditions which also meet majority of all prevailing international standards. 2. 1 General Codes of Conduct Definition of Codes The interest in the social situation of workers in developing countries has increased constantly over the last years in particular under civil societies and consumers in the industrialized countries. Social criteria have become an important part of consumer and investment decisions of individuals and organizations and therefore also big brands and retailers become more aware of compliance to social standards. Since Bangladesh is part of 1 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct he global market social compliance is extremely relevant for the export-oriented industry of Bangladesh, especially for the RMG sector. For competitiveness in the global markets, the compliance with environmental and social standards is a key point. Through modern information and communication technologies the economic activity of companies becomes increasingly transparent and makes it easier for the civil society to uncover and communicate social and ecological failure of multinational companies. Companies know about the vulnerability of their brand names and messages concerning bad working conditions can easily damage their image as well as the market position. A social responsible management policy is therefore in the long-term interest of the enterprise. However companies can have a positive influence on the economic development in the target countries through the introduction of social standards and on the same time improve their image and market share through social and ecologically responsible behavior. To address these issues voluntary monitoring or verification initiatives have taken root since the 1990s to add legitimacy and credibility to companies’ labor compliance programs. They are all voluntary, meaning that companies opt to participate in them. Each requires member companies to adopt its respective workplace code of conduct and verifies that they have complied with organizational requirements. Today, some industries have developed or are developing codes for the entire industry. That can be best seen for the apparel and footwear sector. General Codes of Conduct as well as buyers’ codes are very common in this industry. These codes of conduct are rules, which companies impose upon themselves in order to embody social and ecological goals in the enterprise. Companies formulate these rules mostly for itself and partly also for the suppliers and orient themselves with the formulation at the international regulations and agreements already mentioned. Codes of conducts may also be recognized as useful instruments to build on the companies’ image. A lot of companies are participating in this initiatives to show their interests in improving the working conditions of their business partners/suppliers across the global. Fair trade and buying practices are a competitive advantage for many businesses. The codes show their commitment to this process. Codes of conduct may be developed through a multistakeholder approach such as ETI etc. or companies may have their own codes of conduct which are specific for their suppliers or codes could be sector specific such as for garments, food, electronics etc. 2. 2 Basis of codes Social compliance can be measured in relation to a certain standard. Concerning environmental and quality management a multiplicity of standards and certification systems already exist. The introduction of examinable social standards represents however a new challenge. Internationally recognized social standards exist, e. g. ? United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights UN Convention on Childrens Rights UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women ? ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work ? Rio Declaration on Environment and Development However these are guidelines and recommendations which can be converted voluntarily. Standards that can be certified only exist to a small extent. Most of the codes refer to these mentioned international standards, especially the ILO core labor standards. The ILO formulates international standards in the form of conventions and recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labor rights: Freedom of association The right to organize 2 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct Collective bargaining Abolition of forced labor Equality of opportunity and treatment Besides the above mentioned standards, there are other standards regulating conditions across the entire spectrum of the work related issues. These principles are concretized in eight ILO conventions, in each case two for the four fundamental principles mentioned (see table 1). The ILO conventions are obligatory only if they are ratified by the member states. The entire number of the ratifications increased in the last years noticeably and varies depending upon convention in the order of magnitude between 148 and 172. Until July 2007, 128 countries had ratified all eight conventions. Bangladesh has ratified seven out of the eight core conventions. Table 1: ILO Core-Conventions and ratifications in Bangladesh1 Standard Freedom of association and bargaining Elimination of forced and compulsory labor Elimination of discrimination Abolition of child labor Convention Convention 87 (Freedom of association) Convention 98 (Right to organize; collective bargaining) Convention 29 (Forced labor) Convention 105 (Abolition of forced labor) Convention 100 (equal remuneration) Convention 111 (employment and occupation) Convention 138 (Minimum age) Convention 182 (worst forms of child labor) Ratification Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Codes of practice develop frequently from public pressure or are preventively developed. In addition to the mentioned core labor standards these codes include general working conditions like occupational health and safety, minimum wages, leave days and working hours. Other common aspects include women’s rights or environmental standards. Also the implementation of a management system can be a requirement. 2. 3 How codes evolved The overall aim of social standards is to protect the workers. During the industrialization in Europe they evolved as a reaction to bad working conditions in the newly emerging factories. The depletion of large parts of the workforce moved child labor, forced labor, freedom of association and collective bargaining as well as women’s rights in the centre of public attention. Socially responsible behavior this means also ecologically responsible behavior has its starting point predominantly in the developed industrialized countries. The observance of social standards must be further supervised also in these countries. The by far larger action needs lie however in developing and emerging countries. Through the increasing world-wide division of labor large parts of the production chain are located in developing countries which have deficits with the observance of social standards. While working abroad companies are supposed to be compliant to the legal regulations. In developing and emerging countries legal regulations do not always correspond to the domestic standards of the companies. So it can be difficult for companies to combine national legislation and generally recognized basic values. Even if the legislation in developing and emerging countries corresponds to the standards of the industrialized countries there are deficits in monitoring and implementation of the standards. 1 Refer to the ILO website: http://www. ilo. org/ilolex/english/docs/declworld. htm. 3 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct However an internationally defined and recognized social standard does not exist. Thus different stakeholder came up with the idea of codes of conduct to verify the compliance to international social standards. Social standards are extremely important in an industrialized world. Nowadays due to financial benefits, most companies outsource their production to developing countries where compliance to social standards is not as important. The problem is that consumers and respective governments ask for socially responsible behavior and working conditions and often the suppliers and governments of the developing countries cannot enforce or ensure compliance to these international standards. This issue has become a concern for the companies located in Europe and the USA and hence the companies came up with formulating codes of conduct which their suppliers have to adhere to if they want to do business with them. Companies started off by developing their own codes of conduct. Then gradually as the codes evolved, many companies teamed up with NGOs, trade unions, academia etc. to formulate common codes of conduct. Most general codes of conduct were developed with this multistakeholder approach. 2. 4 †¢ Classification of codes epending upon the standards they contain (all codes have similar requirements but differ in the definitions/design and some have also additional requirements e. g. waste management or anti-bribery policy); depending upon which organization or institution introduced the code and who controls the observance (companies, enterprise federations, trade unions, NGOs, management consultations or testing institutes); depending upon their members and their prevalence. Within these four categories subjects were identified as well as indicators to measure the implementation and coverage of the subjects. The indicators were selected according to the most common aspects of the general codes as well as the Bangladesh Labor Law. 2 Please refer to Annex I for a broad overview on the general codes of conduct. 4 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct Subjects of Codes of Conduct ILO Core Labor Standards Employment Conditions Occupational Health and safety

Saturday, September 21, 2019

From Cinematic Space To Mental Space

From Cinematic Space To Mental Space Space is an the unlimited three dimensional expanse in which all objects exist or it is the interval of distance and time between two points, objects or events.  [1]   The concept of the term space evolved with time. Initially this term strictly had a geometrical meaning evoking the idea of an empty space which is Euclidean, isotropic, or infinite, basically a mathematical concept.  [2]   Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicist usually consider it with time to be a part of the boundless four dimensional continuum known as Space-time.  [3]   According to the Wikipedia information, the concept of space has been discussed throughout history. Plato has discussed about this concept of space in one of his treatise Timaeus, where he reflects on what the Greek called: Chora/ Khora (that is space). Aristotle has dealt with space in Book IV, Delta, in the definition of topos which means place. In a discourse on place (Qawl fi al makan) by the eleventh century Arab Polymath Ibn al _Heythum (Alhazan) discusses geometrical conceptions of place as space qua extension. Aristotelian tradition had held that space and time were those categories which facilitated the naming and the classing of the evidence of the senses. On the other hand, the thinker, Descartes was taken to be important in shaping the concept of space and the key to its matured form. According to most historians of the Western thoughts, he has brought an end to the Aristotelian tradition. As the Cartesian logic evolved, space was considered to be absolute. It became dominant containing both the subject and the object. Science and mathematics has defined this concept of space in their own way respectively and later even the philosophers. Some scholars has studied and analyzed the relationship of time and space. The metaphysicist Immanuel Kant defined space and time as elements of systematic framework that humans use to structure their experience. In his Critique of Pure Reason, he said that space is a subjective pure a priori form of intuition. Therefore its existence depends on the human faculties.  [4]   The Kantian space has revived and revised the old notion of space. Here space is relative, a tool of knowledge, and a means of classifying phenomenon, separated from the empirical sphere. It has a transcendental and ungraspable structure.  [5]   According to Henri Lefebvre, the mathematicians, quite contrary to philosophy, has identified space as Non-Euclidean spaces, curved spaces, x-dimensional spaces( even spaces with an infinity of dimensions), spaces of configuration, abstract spaces , spaces defined by deformations or transformation, by the topology and so on.  [6]   Though the mathematicians has defined and constructed the term spaces, classifying in various ways and measured them, what philosophy did as Leonardo da Vinci had said, is that it helped in the formation of the mental thing that is the mental space. According to Isaac Newton space exists independently and permanently even without the presence of any object in it and therefore it is absolute. On the other hand naturalist philosophers thought that space was a collection of relations between objects given by their distance and direction from one another. The 18th century philosopher and theologian George Berkely attempted to refute the visibility of spatial depth in his essay Towards a new theory of vision. Initially time and space was viewed as independent dimensions. Einsteins discoveries showed that due to relativity of motion, our space and time can be mathematically combined into one object space-time. One can freely move in space but not time. In the middle of the 19th century, psychology first began to study the way space is perceived. Psychologists analyzed the perception of space and were concerned about how the recognition of an objects physical appearance or its interactions is perceived. The philosophy of space and time are inspirations to and central aspect of early analytic philosophy. There are questions related to whether time and space exist independently of the mind and each other. From the theory of logic, space has transcended to nature, practice and theories of social life which unfolds in space.  [7]   The modern field of enquiry has the notion that space has acquired the view of mental thing or mental space. This concept of mental space has no generalization and even no clear account. We hear of different spaces like literary space, ideological spaces, the space of the dream, psychoanalytic topologies etc. Michel Foucault said that knowledge (savoir) is also the space in which the subject may take up a position and speak of the object with which he deals with in his discourse.  [8]   But he neither explained the spaces nor defined their distinctions. The linguist Naom Chomsky has given the idea that a mental space has certain specific properties with orientations and symmetries but completely ignores the gap between linguistic mental space and social space. Lefebvre believed that the modern thinkers had fetishized the philosophico-epistemological notion of space and that the mental realm envelopes the social and physical ones. The quasi-logical presupposition of an identity between mental space (the space of the philosopher and epistemologists) and the real space creates a gulf between the mental sphere on one side and the physical and social spheres on the other. He said that there cannot be a fixed knowledge of space and without it we transfer to a level of discourse-the level of mental space a large portion of the attributes and properties of what is actually social space. Between the sixteenth and nineteenth century, he said that space was not only read but there existed a code which is architectural, urbanistic and political, with a specific language which is common to all strata of people. He said that anything like leisure, work, play, transportation etc., can be spoken of in the spatial terms in an artists or writers world. Therefore there is an indefinite multitude of space around us. He questions whether space can be nothing more than the passive locus of social relations. In general he talks about three kinds of spaces: 1. The physical space nature, the cosmos. 2. The mental space with its logical and formal abstractions. 3. The social space. What he is concerned with is the logico-epistemological space, the space of social practice, the space occupied by sensory phenomenon, including products of imagination such as projects and projections, symbols and utopias.  [9]   There are certain specializations of space. When we think of a space, we are immediately concerned with what occupies the space and how it does so along with the energy present within the space. Without energy, the physical space has no reality. This space is always associated with time. space considered in isolation is an empty abstraction.  [10]   According to Fred Hoyles theory, space is a product of energy. Henri says that multiplicity of particular spaces, yet diverse are offered by this universe. Apart from the concept of physical space, mental space and social space, he dealt with the minute elements in space like ideal space related to mental space and real space associated with social space These two spaces are in a way related to each other. He said that philosophy has played an important role in the development of the abstract (metaphysical) representations of space, where the Cartesian notion of space became significant due to its homogeneous, isotropic character which helped it to become absolute and infinite and divine. But space is even beyond this. Plato talks about the cosmic space, where the space of the city is a reflection of the Cosmos. Literature too reveals different spaces to us. But the problem is that the space here is enclosed, described, projected, dreamt off and speculated about. When we talk of a particular space, we distinguish it and not isolate it. Various kinds of space comes together to produce a space. In relation of language, Henri questions whether a language follows or accompanies a social space. Many people have explored space in different ways. In his work, George Bastille has played with the space on inner experience on one hand and the space of physical nature on the other and social space. Through Hegelian viewpoint, space is considered to be a product and residue of historical time. Though Hegel had the idea of a concrete universe. Social space is a social product and when produced serves as a tool for thought and action. As said by many thinkers, it is difficult to distinguish social space as distinct from mental space and even physical space. Every society produces a space of its own. The Asiatic mode of production of space is different from the Western mode. There are multitudes of intersection in space. The way certain spaces are represented by the society, lead to the representations of space. Representational spaces on the other hand deals with spaces associated with its images and symbols. These spaces represent something of their own. It overlay the physical space, making symbolic use of its objects. Even though they are abstract, the representations of space, has a role in social and political practice. They have a role to play in the established relations between objects and people, following certain rules. This is not the case of representational spaces. It is filled with symbolic and imaginary elements. According to Henri Lefebvre, a psychoanalyst or anthropologists are students of representational spaces. Childhood memories, dreams are all part of this representational space. The gap between representations of space and representational spaces is culture. Therefore what can be concluded is that the producers of space are related to the representations of space while the users of a space are related to their representational space. Here I conclude that space with its original and represented identity occupies a part of our physical and mental self and even helps in the identification of these self. Each physical space creates a mental space, a space with certain intimate values. A house can be used for the phenomenological study of the intimate values of space.  [11]  All inhabited space bears the essence of the notion of home. Thoughts and experience is not the only thing that sanctions human values. We will deal more with this later in the thesis. After dealing with the basic idea of space with the help of the views and ideas of Henri Lefebvre, I want to connect this idea of the concept of space in dealing with the cinematic space. Cinematic space is the represented space, selected, manipulated and projected as a finite field of vision.  [12]  As Henri Lefebvre has said that it depends on the producers of space. This space is what we see on the screen. This screen space is marked by a frame which acts like the borders in a painting. It is geometric and represents the space that we see on the screen. In this way it divides the screen space into onscreen and off-screen spaces. The frame acts as a window connecting u to the film space and on the other hand separating the space we inhabit from the film space.  [13]  We the spectators look through the frame. According to Gilles Deleuse, the cinematic frame is a relatively closed system Which includes everything which is present in the image ­- sets characters and props framing  [14]  . The frame acts as a system providing us with all the information regarding the image and all these information acts like a data which are known as the elements in the frame. Therefore the frame is inseparable from two tendencies towards saturation or towards rarefaction.  [15]   This image that the frame provides is not just to be seen, it is a message, and it gives us certain information, which are produced by the elements present in the frame (these elements are also some information}. This is how the space produces its own language. He said that the frame is a spatial composition of parallels and diagonals, helping to form equilibrium. the frame is conceived as a dynamic construction in act, which is closely linked to the scene, the image, the characters and the objects which fill it.  [16]   The frame cannot be separated from its rigid geometrical boundaries. It has certain limitations. Like many Western painters this has been explored by many film makers like Griffith, Eisenstein. Deleuze said that light too is a subject of geometrical optic, when it is divided into two parts forming light and shadow.  [17]   They help in the making of this space. The presence of objects inside the frame creates secondary and tertiary frames like for example the house, doors, windows, mirror and even a fence. Therefore a frame is never fixed. A gradual progression takes place which is physical and affects the viewers psychologically. Each object inside the frame has something to say, something to express and therefore have a meaning. Here geometrical divisions in the frame becomes insignificant. The framing angle is also an important characteristic of the frame. Deleuze said the frame is related to an angle of framing. This is because the closed set is itself an optical system which refers to a point of view on the set of parts. Of course the point of view can be or appear to be bizarre or paradoxical: the cinema shows extraordinary points of view at ground level or from high or low, from low to high, etc. but they seem to be subject to a pragmatic rule which is not just valid for the narrative cinema: to avoid falling into an empty aestheticism they must be explained ,they must be revealed as normal and regular either from the point of view of a more comprehensive set which includes the first, or from the point of view of an initially unseen, not given element of the first set. give an example if It is here that the frame becomes an optical system, logically justified. But this justification does not always work. In the conclusion of his essay, Deleuze says that the frame finally determines an out-of-field, in the outline of a larger set which extends it or in the figure of the whole into which it is incorporated.  [18]   In the book Republic, Plato talks about two modes of representation which are distinct and opposed to each other. These two modes are mimesis (imitation) and diegesis (narration). Theatre is related to imitation which shows us something whereas novel tells us a story. Cinema on the other hand incorporates both these characteristics.  [19]   In its early years, cinema followed the theatrical mode of representation. Here the frame is tableaux form, static and faces the audience. Therefore the cinema much influenced by the theatrical stage. The camera is static. The character enters the stage, performs and walks out. The camera does not follow the movement of the characters. Hence just fixed in the centre. Traditional theatrical space is an architectural product, where beyond the proscenium it does not exist for the viewers. Classical narrative cinema has transformed this space into an illusorily continuous cinematic space. The cinematic film space is a figurative construction, resulting from medium specific techniques such as framing, camera movement and editing.  [20]  This space is linked to the codes of renaissance perspective, where the property of centering addresses to the subject whose position the space determines. Classical Hollywood cinema gave lot of importance to the use of space. This graphic space of the image, that we see on-screen acts as the vehicle for the narrative development.  [21]  These films created an illusion of reality where the screen became just a transparent object and the frame became invisible. A powerful three dimensional space is represented through the use of lens, lighting, camera movement and angles and other techniques. The space became as important as the narrative structure. So, what is the basic function of the frame? The frame shows us the image and creates an illusion of reality. We already know that the Classical Hollywood films were highly inspired by visual art and as art has evolved, cinema has also evolved gradually taking inspiration from it. Film studio developed, taking inspiration from the workroom of artists and painters. There is a lot of similarity between classical Hollywood cinema and classical novels. Their style is influenced by the post Renaissance painting. Along with centering, the main aspect of this style is balancing, frontality and depth. Here, in the composition of the image, the subject or the character is always in the centre, with all the attentions, in focus. With the coming of the Renaissance period, human thoughts became anthropocentric. It is no more centered on the religion, god. The importance of man as an individual identity instead turned out to be the thought of the period. There was a highlight on the facial expressions and the human body became the centre of attraction other than the narrative. Like in the paintings, a balance is always maintained in the visual composition of the film. The characters are evenly distributed in the film space. Both these technique helps in the progress of the narration. The use of frontality is an influence of the Greek and Roman theatre. Through this technique the narrative action is addressed to the viewers. The depth is established through the use of lighting mainly 3 point lighting (the key, fill back lighting and etc.) and costumes. Sometimes the set is painted in different colour to create the various depths. I think the use of sound to produce an illusion of depth came much later. By the establishment of depth, the film s tries to portray a perspective which is more or less linear, influenced by the ancient Greek Perspective, where the vision is organized around the static monocular observer, and in his vision all the parallel lines recede in the vanishing point. In this way, a personalized space is achieved, trying to conceal the flatness of the film space. The emergence of this classical narrative logic gives rise to cinematic subjectivity and the isolation of the spectator.  [22]   Classical Hollywood cinema places the spectator in an ideal position of intelligibility.  [23]   A film uses onscreen and off screen space to produce the diegetic world. Cinematic off screen space is different from the theatrical off stage space. The off screen film space has a pro filmic reference. The early films of Lumiere a Melies, had camera pointed at the action and remained static for the duration of the action. The early films acknowledged the space outside the frame, for example the workers leaving the Lumiere factory 1895, showed the people moving through the frame and off the edge. The most important element of the film frame is mise-en-scene, a theatrical term. Both are depended on each other. It means everything which is put into the scene, or what we find in the film space. The frame along with the set design, camera and character movement, lighting and even sound, everything combined together form the mise-en-scene. And this mise-en-scene helps in the formation of the composition. Mise-en-scene can be defined as the articulation of the cinematic space, and it is only concerned about the space.  [24]   On the film set it creates an illusion of the reality or fantasy. The setting of the film is an important aspect of the mise-e-scene. It includes the shapes, designs and color of the film set. Colour also helps in the development of the narrative. It is used as a symbol. A set can be artificially constructed for an indoor shot or manipulated in the outdoor shot. Apart from the design and colour, props play an important role, in the development of the narrative. In the absence of the actors, they even tell a story and which are not possible in a theatre. They express certain mood, and say what is unsaid by the film narrative. the elements of the setting turns into motifs  [25]   Along with the props and costumes, the make up of the actors also furnishes the setting of the narrative. The props and costumes are also used for the film publicity, and they even help to turn certain characters into cult figures. Lighting is another aspect of the mise-en-scene, other than creating the illusion of reality, artificially producing light for an indoor shoot or day for night shoot, light along with colour and sometimes the prop creates the mood of his film. In the shot composition light and shadow works together. It helps in the development of the film space, sometimes maintaining continuity when camera movement takes place within a space. And at other times, different lighting helps to distinguish various spaces used in the film. I must say here that along with lighting sound also plays the same role. Light, colour and sound combined or individually can create suspense, horror, happiness and even loneliness. Light creates texture.Four major features of film lighting can be isolated are: its quality, direction source and colour. Light quality depending on its intensity creates a sharp or a soft image by diffusion. With the use of hard light the shadow becomes bold creating definite contours. Light along with the lens and camera angle can be used to manipulate the shape of an object to enhance a mood. the proper use of light can embellish and dramatize every object -Josef von Sternberg. As earlier film makers used the frontality of the characters to highlight their presence, to give them a central position, similarly light is used to keep certain character at the centre of attention. This technique is also used in theatre. The direction of light in the film space, creates the presence of an off screen space. This idea also developed from the influence of paintings from the Renaissance period. Every light has a point where it is brightest and a point towards which it wanders to lose itself completely.The journey of rays from that central core to the outposts of blackness is the adventure and drama of light.   [26]   Depending on the narrative, the film space is generally lit up by top lighting, backlighting, side lighting, and frontal lighting and under lighting. Backlighting creates a dreamy; fantasy image similarly under lighting is used to create a horror image. Different sources of light works together in the cinematic space to create the mental space of the spectators. Generally during a shoot three point lighting is used with key light (primary), fill light (secondary, softens the shadow) and backlight which highlights the character and separates it from the background thus creating depth. We have already discussed earlier how this method of lighting is use in Classical Hollywood cinema. Along with the direction, the source of the light on the film space creates an impact. For out door shoot during the day, we get the sun light, the sky light and the reflected light from the objects around. The lighting is natural and therefore the look is also natural. This light can be manipulated to give a bluish tone with the use of 85 filter and the light can be further controlled with the use of neutral density filters to avoid over or under exposure of the film. In the case of indoor shooting, it is obvious that artificial light is to be used even to give the reference of a natural source of light. Light is continuously measured and blended to create the ci nematic space. Here I want to say that though the basic reason for the use of lighting in a cinematic space is similar to theatrical space but the technique is different. This is because lighting in the theatrical space is more loud and dramatic whereas in the film space it is subtle. From all the information that I have acquired and the knowledge that I have gained, I therefore say that light is a language through which we can also tell a story. Its use is dynamic and is very important in the cinematic space. Only through light, we can see the film space. Mise-en-scene helps the character to express feelings and thoughts. The movement of the actors, their action, everything gets enhanced by the presence of the mise-en scene. Even acting in the cinematic space is different from the theatre. Cinematic space creates an illusion, where the screen frame acts as the window but the actors never stairs at the window; they do not stare back at the audience, unless and until it is required by the film narrative. So through the presence of the actors, the way they move, talk, behave provides the film with an illusory realistic space. When we take a shot, the space in front of the camera is two dimensional when we take the shot, it remains the same but when the film is projected, and we see it on the screen, we see a three dimensional space and this space is enhanced through certain aspects of the mise-en-scene like colour, balance, size and movement. In a static set the movement of certain objects draws the attention. Colour can enhance certain mood. We know that it is used as a symbol. It can refer to different time space or change of space. The balance in placing the figure is also important. It determines the attention of the viewers. Size work in relation to the movement, colour and balance. The size of the objects creates the illusion of depth, where the objects in the foreground are generally larger in size and the objects in the background are small. The closer the object, it is more in focus. The depth creates a volume in the space. A different plane of the shot gets established due to the use of depth wh ich creates the illusion of space. A film suggests volume by the use of movement, shape and shading.  [27]   Mise-en-scene can control not only what we look at also when we look at it.  [28]   It creates a sense of movement in time. Mise-en-scene helps to compose the film shot in space and time. Inside the film space, therefore it is the mise-en-scene which creates the cinematic space using both the onscreen and off-screen space and it is this cinematic space which creates the illusion of a real world or a fantasy world. The film narrative does not work with space alone but space and time. Time is ever changing and space also keeps evolving. Leaving aside, all the scientific reasons for the evolution of space, what I think that a space evolves with time only with the intervention of a man. It evolves in the imagination of the man. The cinematic space is an example of this space. Other than cinema this space can also be created through literature, music, dance, painting and even food. We prefer more of this cinematic space other than where we belong to, because it incorporates our likes and dislikes, keeping in mind that it is our own creation. In dealing with the space and time in a film, it is necessary to study their unity within a shot and between two shots. It is not possible to visualize time on a screen without any action or movement in the space. Movement in reality is continuous but movement on the screen is discontinuous and is achieved very quickly by a series of still photographs.  [29]   In a film the dimensions of space and time cam be manipulated and this has become easier with the digital techniques. Slow or fast motion is used by changing the film speed. This manipulated space is artificial. From the early years of human civilization, paintings, sculptures have evolved as a language. A visual language, which can preserve itself. It creates its own memory. With the coming of industrialization and modernity, photography became more popular. Its basic function or utility is to freeze a moment, capture it and create a memory. Cinema moves a step ahead. It not only captures a specific a moment, but a period of time  [30]   It is som

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Powers of the Core Executive

The Powers of the Core Executive My chosen question shall see me discuss how the reform of the British State affected the power of the core executive. I shall be focusing on key themes such as looking into the concept of the core executive and how its seen to have traditionally operated, including the Westminster model. I shall discuss debates into the relationships and powers within the core executive, focusing directly on Thatcher v Blair. I will go onto discussing the reforms within the British State, explaining what they are and how they operate, and how they affect the core executive. I shall look at the different perspectives of the contemporary core executive by looking into the hollowed out and differentiated policy systems. Lastly I shall look at contingency core executive model before concluding. ******Concept of the core executive and traditional perspectives of its operation ie Westminster model†¦.. What is the core executive? The core executive is at the very centre of British government. It covers the very complex web of institutions, networks and practices surrounding the Prime Minister, cabinet, cabinet minister as well as committees and the less formalised groups. Smith.J.M (1999). It focuses on roles not just structures; also it has to be ready to react at all times as certain incidents such as the London riots would have caused a reaction within the core executive. This is known as fire-fighting, managing a crisis suddenly sometimes a matter of life and death. POLITICS AND GOVERNENCE pg 96. The treasury is always within the core executive, as every time it agrees to commit resources to a specific area its denying its resources elsewhere. Therefore the treasury maintains a structure of balance within the core executive. POLITICS AND GOVERNENCE IN UK PG 116. Westminster Model is seen to be an organising material, one which is built on the assumption that there is parliamentary sovereignty. It is argued that the Westminster Model was failing due to the reform of the government and as a member of the European Union. Smith.J.M (1999). It is a dominant figure over the central government, with its governing party mainly in the House of Commons. The main characteristics of the Westminster model apart from parliamentary sovereignty are that the cabinet ministers have collective responsibility, party discipline maintained and voters are offered a choice between parties, GOVERNENCE PG 48. ******Debate over relationships and power in core executive- cabinet v PM v Presidential style government, maybe utilising Thatcher and Blair example†¦.. There is an on-going debate over relationships and powers within the core executive. Along with this are the different styles of government which every leader adopts to their own personal style. The main figure head is the Prime Minister, in which all policies have to be passed and accepted before they take their place within society. The Prime Minister also represents the country during international debates and relations. The Cabinet is another prominent figure within the core executive it tends to consist of around 20-23 ministers, each is appointed by the Prime Minister themselves. The Cabinet helps with government business such as public expenditure and constitutional issues. The Cabinet is strongly supported by the Civil Service. McEwan.N (2004). The Prime Minister V Cabinet debate has gone on for many years and shall continue to be seen as a battle between two important figure bodies. Relating strongly to the circumstances and the resources that are available at the time, may determine who may take the leading role. Prime Ministers are dependent on the support of the cabinet and without the appropriate team work wouldnt be a successful unit. Blair V Margaret Thatcher. Its believed that the resignation of Margaret Thatcher was forced upon her as she failed to recognise her dependency on colleagues within the core executive. This was due to her ignoring pleas and views from colleagues during a recession and unpopularity in the polls. During 1980 and 1990 Thatcher was seen to be a strong figure but this started to deteriorate rapidly causing more resignations under her such as John Major. THE CORE EXEC IN BRITAIN PG 102. Tony Blair did follow some traits left behind by Margaret Thatcher, but he also introduced significant changes to the way in which the government was run. Blair and Thatcher between them are the two longest serving prime ministers in the last hundred years. Thatcher when in government instituted reforms within British government, as well as opening up economic and global competition. BRITISH POLITICS PG 302. *****Reforms in the British state, what are they? What has been their effect? How have they affected the core executive There have been many reforms within the British state over the years, with each prime minister bringing in reforms that they believe are needed at that time. Margaret Thatcher had big involvement in the reform of the central government when she was in power. Thatcher wanted to reduce the size of the state by reducing the amount of civil servants. This was mainly due to privatisation; thatcher believed that by reforming the central government it would become more efficient and better value for money. CORE EXEC PG 200. With many new reforms being introduced this brings implications to the core executive such as resources and relationships, and how they are utilised. Thatcher wanted to increase the power of authority and was committed to ensure that the reforms she brought in wouldnt be easy to reverse. CORE EXEC PG 212. Tony Blair was known to be trying to adjust the way in which the core executive was set up, after Margaret Thatcher. With the British state being a parliamentary one the core executive works within a parliamentary framework. The core executive has lost power, due to the reform and the movement of powers within the core executive. It is believed by Rhodes that the differentiated polity has had a great impact on the core executive making it more about co-ordination rather than direction of power. PAGE242. A key issue that comes out of this is that the ministers within the core executive can identify what needs to be done to improve British society, but its whether they have the approp riate resources to do so. *****Different perspectives of the contemporary core executive ie Rhodes hollowed out model and differentiated polity and Richards and Smiths dependency/resource exchange and contingency core executive model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ There are different perspectives of the contemporary core executive; I am focusing on Rhodess hollowed out and differentiated polity models. Rhodess Differentiated Polity model is one of the most complex attempts at providing a contemporary organising perspective on the British system of government. There are many key strands to the differentiated polity including policy networks, power dependence, governance, intergovernmental relations and a hollowed out state. GOV AND P.P IN UK PG 20. The hollowing out of the state is the most important aspect of the differentiated polity model. The hollowing out of the state summarises many changes which have taken place in the British government. GOV AND P.P IN UK PG 26. Rhodes 1997 states that central government authority has been reduced and dispersed:- Upwards to the supranational level. Outwards through privatisation and market testing. (Core executive.) Downwards, through the creation of quangos and agencies. British government is seen to be hollowed out from the top as a result of our membership with the European Union. A few factors that are seen to be responsible for hollowing out are globalisation, Europeanization, internationalism and privatisation. Privatisation can benefit the government such as it helps raise a lot of money, which can be then spent on public expenditure. It also encourages private investments as well as reducing power of trade unions. Globalisation and its causes are hard to identify and it has many levels. Consequently its brought down to economic, social, political and scientific developments in which people associate globalisation. GOV PUB POL UK PG 126, Prime Ministers and Cabinet officials believe that globalisation has changed politics and made it problematic. ******Conclusion†¦..

Thursday, September 19, 2019

We Must Put an End to Police Brutality Essay -- Black Lives Matter

â€Å"If you wish for peace, prepare for war.† This Roman proverb can be applied to police; they must be trained for the worst possible incident but they should try hard to avoid using their training in real experiences. Most police departments and officers would believe strongly in this proverb, however there are a few examples in the U.S. in which the officers’ use of force has been excessive and unnecessary where they used their training to harm rather than protect and enforce the law. During their service, police are given several authorities to exercise the law and make sure that the law is carried out among citizens. This can lead to an officer having a sense of entitlement and a possibility of them losing respect for their boundaries. Such a case is called police brutality and even though police officers are responsible for enforcing the law, they have breached these laws and taken advantage of their position; such violations of human rights must be eliminated . Lt. Col. David Grossman compares innocent people to sheep and officers and soldiers to people who have a compassion for citizens but also a capacity for violence. "The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.†(139) Officers can be compared to the sheepdogs since most citizens don’t enjoy a cop’s presence and are fearful of police; however citizens need their presence to protect them from harm. But when an officer does harm a citizen he must face the consequences like the sheepdog since they violated the basic rig... .... "Controlling Police (Excessive) Force: The American Case." International Journal Of Human Sciences 10.2 (2013): 285-303. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Lewis, Neil. "Police Brutality under Wide Review by Justice Dept.." New York Times 14 Mar. 2010: 1. Print. "No Applause, Please." National Review 32.12 (1980): 703. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. "Shielded from Justice: Overview." Shielded from Justice: Overview. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. . Walter, Andrew. "Police Brutality: An Overview." Points Of View: Police Brutality (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. "What Is Police Brutality? Depends on Where You Live." NBC News. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. . We Must Put an End to Police Brutality Essay -- Black Lives Matter â€Å"If you wish for peace, prepare for war.† This Roman proverb can be applied to police; they must be trained for the worst possible incident but they should try hard to avoid using their training in real experiences. Most police departments and officers would believe strongly in this proverb, however there are a few examples in the U.S. in which the officers’ use of force has been excessive and unnecessary where they used their training to harm rather than protect and enforce the law. During their service, police are given several authorities to exercise the law and make sure that the law is carried out among citizens. This can lead to an officer having a sense of entitlement and a possibility of them losing respect for their boundaries. Such a case is called police brutality and even though police officers are responsible for enforcing the law, they have breached these laws and taken advantage of their position; such violations of human rights must be eliminated . Lt. Col. David Grossman compares innocent people to sheep and officers and soldiers to people who have a compassion for citizens but also a capacity for violence. "The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheepdog who intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed.†(139) Officers can be compared to the sheepdogs since most citizens don’t enjoy a cop’s presence and are fearful of police; however citizens need their presence to protect them from harm. But when an officer does harm a citizen he must face the consequences like the sheepdog since they violated the basic rig... .... "Controlling Police (Excessive) Force: The American Case." International Journal Of Human Sciences 10.2 (2013): 285-303. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Lewis, Neil. "Police Brutality under Wide Review by Justice Dept.." New York Times 14 Mar. 2010: 1. Print. "No Applause, Please." National Review 32.12 (1980): 703. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 11 Apr. 2014. "Shielded from Justice: Overview." Shielded from Justice: Overview. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. . Walter, Andrew. "Police Brutality: An Overview." Points Of View: Police Brutality (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. "What Is Police Brutality? Depends on Where You Live." NBC News. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. .