Essay --

Saving Our Democracy: Campaign Finance Reform Introduction Since the founding of the United States, money has played a large role in electoral politics. Of course, there was a time when political campaigns were much smaller than they are now – before television, radio, and the Internet. Modern campaigns cost millions, or even billions, of dollars, especially in presidential elections. This enormous increase in spending over the last few decades has caused many to fear for the future of American democracy. If so few can contribute so much, why would politicians even bother to listen to the average voter? Lawmakers have taken steps on numerous occasions to reign in this political spending and even the playing field for the average voter, but that would mostly be undone with the Supreme Court’s decision in the 2010 case, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. This controversial decision struck down many regulations, citing that they violated the First Amendment. In the election cycles since, we have seen an unprec edented wave of shadowy organizations contributing unimaginable sums of money, drowning out everyone else. In order to understand how the Supreme Court came to it’s conclusion and how the average voter can ultimately overcome it, we must understand the history of campaign finance law in the United States. Background Concerns about corporate influence in national elections found its way into the halls of Congress after President Theodore Roosevelt’s 1904 re-election. President Roosevelt himself suggested to Congress that they make a point of passing legislation that would ban corporate contributions to political campaigns. In 1907, the Tillman Act was passed, which did just that. Those that violated t... ...The financing in both states is funded by tax check-offs, as well as fines paid by past violations of their campaign finance laws. Many of these programs also contained a provision that granted matching funds to the publicly financed candidate to counter what a nonparticipating candidate raised, but the Supreme Court struck this down in 2011 in the case Arizona Free Enterprise Club’s Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett. The majority opinion stated that this matching of funds interfered with First Amendment rights, because it could cause donors to withhold their spending – or as the Supreme Court saw it, their speech. After the Bennett decision, New York City devised what has become known as â€Å"flexible financing†, a system in which candidates receive funds that match their own fundraising as opposed to their opponents’ fundraising. Shareholder Authorization Conclusion

Global Civil Societies

There has been a great deal of expansion and formation of new civil societies around the globe. This has particularly come about due to the process of globalization and the expansion of democratic governance, telecommunications and economic integration, in addition, as well as the threat to security. The term is seen as a progressive process particularly because many claim that global civil society is committed to the values of human rights, gender equality, social justice and democracy.On the whole global civil societies are those organizations that operate in the international realm that share the purpose of correcting the world social order, bringing about harmony and dealing with issues that affect human freedom and human equality, in other words these global civil societies are concerned about creating a better world through advocating a fairer, freer and a more just global order. Just to name a few, organizations such as the World Trade Organization, Amnesty International, Gree npeace and Human Rights Watch.Thus the following essay shall critically review the different definitions of Global Civil Societies and look at what are global civil societies are and its purpose as well as share light on criticisms of global civil societies. Although the idea of global civil society fits well with the notion of creating a just global world, there are definitions that are highly contested and argued against. In order for us to understand the concept of global civil societies, one needs to understand the term civil societies.Therefore the following paragraph shall put light on the meaning and nature of civil society. Civil society is seen as a social sphere independent of the state and the market (Thorn and Moksnes. 2012:5). It is understood as the collection of non-state, non-profit, voluntary organization formed by people within a state. These organizations seek to influence the policy of government and international organizations and to complement government servic es. Traditionally civil society includes networks, associations, groups, movements that occupy the social space between the family and the state.Yet there have been various changes to the definition of civil society, which will later be seen as a challenge to the term global civil society. Mary Kaldor, in her article The idea of Global Civil Society, elaborates on the concept of civil society and how it becomes global civil society. She explains, civil society is a modern concept, which can be traced back to Aristotle and other modern thinkers, who came to believe that there was no distinction between civil society and the state (Kaldor. 2003:584). Thus civil society at this time was seen as a type of state that was characterised by a social contract (Kaldor. 003:584). However in the nineteenth century the concept of civil society took on a whole new meaning, it was now seen as dependent of the state. It now becomes to be seen as the intermediate realm between the family and the sta te (Kaldor. 2003:584). For Hegel, civil society was the ‘achievement of the modern world-the territory of mediation where there is a free play for every idiosyncrasy, every talent, every accident of birth and fortune and where waves of passion gust forth, regulated only by reason glinting through them’ (John. 999:3), thus to Hegel, civil societies included the economy and its history (Hegel. 1996). Yet in the early twentieth century, civil society adopted a new definition, it came to be understood as the realm not just between the state and the family, yet the realm between culture, ideology, political debate, the state and the family (Kaldor. 2003:585). One aspect that is associated with the concept of civil society is the relationship it shares with socialism and democracy, in other words it recognizes the sociological underpinnings of modern democracy (Khilnami. 001:16). Thus, one can understand that civil societies were about a rule-governed society based on the con sent of individuals. Overall, civil society is a process through which individuals can negotiate, argue, fight against or agree with each other on political and economical issues, and these can all be done through voluntary associations, movements, parties, unions and the individual. Issues such as political rights, the economy, human rights, and labour rights are the things civil society contests with the government (Anheier et al. 001:4). As stated before they reach boundaries that the government cannot. This leads to the question, what is global civil society, in retrospect; it is civil societies within the global sphere which deals with global issues. However, how global is civil society? What is ‘global civil society’? Many supporters of global civil society have stressed the latter, asserting that global civil society is a progressive concept, in other words, one that advances the values of social justice and human rights.For example, Mary Kaldor (2003), states th at global civil society is also about the â€Å"meaning of human equality in an increasingly unjust world†. Global civil society can be defined as encompassing all associations, excluding governments, the private sectors and families that act transnationally, thus it is about understanding globalization from small levels such as from the ordinary people. In addition global civil society refers to the huge collection of groups that operate across borders and beyond the reach of governments (Anheier et al. 001:3). A simple definition of the concept is as follows, it is a vast, interconnected and multi-layered non-governmental space that comprises many hundreds of thousands of self-directing institutions and ways of life that generate global effects, the ideal type of global civil society, which will be discussed later, brings in the idea that we can strengthen our collective powers of guiding and transforming world order (Storrar et al. 2011). Furthermore, global civil society refers to civil society groups that operate within the global spectrum.It can be linked to the process of globalisation which has allowed the globalization of communication and information and a global market, where you find citizens in one country support citizens in another. Therefore, the term, global civil society refers to non-governmental structures and activities that consist of individuals, households, profit seeking business, non-profit governmental organisations, coalitions, social movements and cultural communities that work towards a common objective (Keane. 2003:7).It also comprises of public personalities, such as Gandhi and Bill Gates, as well as bodies such as Amnesty International and the International Red Cross (Keane. 2003:7). All these associations and organizations despite geographical distance, and barriers of time, have deliberately organised themselves and conducted cross boarder social activities, business and politics outside the boundaries of governmental structures in the hope to create a just global order. John Keane argues that global civil societies is taking shape but that its character and implications for the older state system remain unclear (Keane. 003:7), as many associate ‘civil society’ as being part of the state, yet the concept of the global civil society is that it is independent of the state and that it functions on its own, such as non-governmental organisation and international organizations. This is a contested argument. Consequently, Global civil society adopted a similar concept as civil society, however it is seen as a response to rising concerns for the need of a new social, economic and political deal at the global level.Thus it functions at a global level and looks at issues that affect the whole world. One of the definitions of global civil society is it being an ideal-type, John Keane speaks of the ideal-type of global civil society, according to him, it is referred to as a dynamic non-governme ntal system of international socio-economical institutions that straddle the whole earth, and that has complex effects that are felt in its four corners. It is neither a static object nor a fait accompli (Keane. 003:8). He furthers states that global civil society is â€Å"an unfinished project that consists of sometimes thick, and other times thinly stretched networks—socio-economic institutions and actors who organise themselves across borders, with the deliberate aim of drawing the world together† (Keane, 2003:8). Therefore it is seen as its own form of society, which uses its own powers, influences, without the use of neither violent, nor the help from the state and government to bring about change.On the other hand, many question whether global civil society is democratic. Global civil society in many senses can be said to be democratic as it claims to be independent of the nation states and is not influenced by the government. Hakan Thorn and Heidi Moksnes argue that global civil society can be linked to global democratisation, particularly because it represents a response to the democratic deficit, which is seen as one of the most problematic aspects of the globalization process (Thorn and Moksnes. 012:4). Thus global civil society, as a process of self-organisation of transnational social spheres is seen as a potential carrier of democratic learning processes, as it has the ability to widen the meaning and practice of democracy across nations, allowing for public debate, as well as advocate for human rights, through its cooperation with civil societies and its relation with states and other influential organizations such as transnational corporations.It was mentioned earlier that global civil society is considered progressive, for example in the case of its campaign against Landmines and the Jubilee 2000 campaign for debt relief are two of their successful campaigns (Wild. 2006: 2). They have also, according to Wild, have succeeded in put ting forward new issues and ides onto the international agenda, changing national and international policies and have helped improve the transparency and accountability of global institutions, as well as mobilized public awareness and political engagement (Wild. 2006:2).On the other hand, it is argued that global civil society is not inherently progressive, it is rather seen as being heterogeneous, as you will find that it comprises of groups that are illiberal, anti-democratic, violent as well as liberal, democratic and peaceful. In other words, let’s look at what exactly are global civil societies made of, Thorn and Moksnes state that, global civil society are comprised of civil society actors whom engage across the world within the global arena, in sharing experiences and formulating global norms (Thorn and Moksnes. 2012:4).Thus if Greenpeace is part of global civil societies, surly Al Qaeda is too. Therefore, global civil society as being democratic is highly contested. F urthermore it is difficult to understand the concept of global civil society as being independent of the government, because questions of funding, legal assistance, protection from threats arise, as the state and government are seen by many as the only body that is capable of organizing effective legitimate power. In addition as we look at previous definitions of â€Å"civil society†, it was once defined as having relations with the state.Further on, one may question how can non-governmental organizations poses political influences if it has no ties whatsoever with the neither state nor government. Secondly how can one be sure what is the correct definition of global civil society as the term civil society has in the past adopted several definitions? Corry (2006) writes of the critics of â€Å"global civil societies†, where he shares light on three main criticism of the meanings and definitions of global civil society.According to him, these criticism have awakened par ticularly because, the term global civil society over the years has been seen as hopelessly vague, others doubt its ability to effectively challenge the strong hold the state has, and lastly many question its ability in being a actor on the world stage because of the supposed anti-democratic nature of global civil society. The first criticism claims that it is ambiguous, its definitions is weak and holds no theoretical explanation (Corry. 2006:305).The problem with the term is that there have been so many contested definitions as to what civil society is that it is criticised for exactly what does civil society really mean in this contemporary and modern world. It becomes a problem because now which definition is relevant and most functional. A second criticism is the problem of statist bias, it is argued that global civil society is no product of that state, yet many beg to differ; particularly because of the term â€Å"civil society† which in the past was in relation with t he state (Corry. 2006:306).They accuse global civil society of suggesting a hidden comparison between global and domestic spheres (Corry. 2006:307). Clearly this is seen as contradictory because there are no similarities at global and domestic level. Therefore, one may understand this contradiction as the global civil society not sure itself as whether it wants to be a product of the state or not. Because domestic spheres is highly organized by the state, and you cannot have such domestic issues brought into the global spheres which global civil societies assume it can.A third criticism is that global civil society is undemocratic, its legitimacy is questioned and highly condemned that it undermines democracy by sapping further the authority of the nation-state, as it is seen as the only democratic institution (Corry. 2006:308). Corry quotes from John Fonte, whom states that global civil society, which are transnational agencies and non-governmental organizations â€Å"deny or over ride the national sovereignty of democratic states against surprisingly muted or incoherent opposition† (Fonte. 004), what he means by this is that global civil society bring about new political and democratic challenges to the sovereignty of the state, and undermines the state’s democratic ability. Thus it is more of a problem of what exactly is â€Å"global† and â€Å"civil society† as they both can be distinguished as processes on their own. One needs to look at the â€Å"global† in the term global civil society. The term global separates itself from the state, as it refers to the international arena rather than the domestic arena which is bound by the state.Although, Corry states that the Global may be regarded as a post-statist rather than non-statist term, particularly because the term derived from the concept and structure of the state, he sees it as a continuation of the state rather than a separated sphere. One may argue that the Global is a form of state, yet just within the international arena as it sought to function as a state. Although Keane argues that, civil societies become global once they cross state boundaries (Keane. 2003:17).Overall, the term can be said to be contradictory, particularly because of the changing definitions and meanings of the concept of civil society, as it has made the term global civil society a contested one. Global civil society is understood as the collection of civil societies within the international realm, these are non-governmental structures and activities that consist of individuals, actors, non-governmental organisations, international organizations, profit seeking business, non-profit governmental organisations, social movements and cultural communities that work towards a just global order.These are institutions and organisations that function across borders beyond the reach of government. One of definitions that global civil society tries to pursue is that it is not a produ ct of the nation-state and that is independent of the state, this here is one of the highly contested definitions of global civil society, particularly because it sought to function as a state at the global level. From the above, we saw three criticisms towards the term, which all contested its definition and its contradiction to being independent of the state and its perceived anti-democratic nature.The term contradicts itself merely because, it claims to be a process on its own that is not affiliated with the state, yet it functions towards human rights, gender equality, democracy and global justice, these are all seen as attributes of a democratic institutions. One may argue that the state is the only institution that can hold legitimate democracy. One of the contending arguments is that global civil society in anti-democratic, as you find it comprising of various groups and organizations that do not advocate for democracy. Yet the term is still and evolving concept as we see the increase of globalization.

An Effective Customer Relationship Management ( Crm )

SOFTWARE FEATURES IN CRM AN EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) STRATEGY SHOULD ENCOMPASS RANGE OF ACTIVITIES INCLUDING CUSTOMER CENTRIC SERVICES AND PRODUCT DESIGN, IT ALSO PLAN ON WORKING SOFTWARE CAPABLE OF TRACKING, AUTOMATING, ORGANIZING COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMERS. IN CRM SOFTWARE IS A CLASS OF PROGRAMMING THAT COVERS AN EXPANSIVE ARRANGEMENT OF APPLICATIONS AND SOFTWARE INTENDED TO HELP ORGANIZATIONS OVERSEE CUSTOMER INFORMATION AND CUSTOMER COOPERATION, ACCESS BUSINESS DATA, AUTOMATED SALES, MARKETING AND CLIENT SUPPORT FURTHERMORE OVERSEE WORKER, MERCHANT AND ACCOMPLICE CONNECTIONS. NORMALLY, CRM PROGRAMMING IS UTILIZED AS A PART OF THE UNDERTAKING, HOWEVER NUMEROUS ITEMS SCALE TO A BUSINESS OF ANY SIZE. IN†¦show more content†¦WHY IT IS DESIGNED AND ITS CAPABILITIES. FOR A COUPLE OF DECADES NOW, BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY PUNDITS HAVE TOLD US WE NEEDED A CRM APPLICATION. IT STAFF HAVE CONVINCED EXECUTIVES THAT THERE COMPANIES COULDN’T LIVE WITH OUT ARGUMENTS .YET AT THE SAME TIME; SALES FOR3ECES HAVE CONTINUED TO COMPLAIN THAT CRM IS AN OVERBEARING ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN. CRM SYSTEM ALLOWS BUSINESS TO MANAGE BUSINESS RELATIONSHOPS AND THE DATA INFORMATION ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. TOU CAN STORE CUSTOMER AND PROSPECT CONTACT INFORMATION, ACCOUNTS, LEADS AND SALE OPPORTUNITIES IN ONE CENTRAL LOCATION. THE MAIN FEATURES INCLUDE 1. ACCESS PERMISSIONS: IT SHOULD HAVE AN OBVIOUS WAY OF ALLOWING SPECIFIC USERS ACCESS WITHOUT COMPROMISING DATA SECURITY. 2. FLEXIBLE SECURITY: A GOOD CRM SYSTEM KEEPS DATA SECURE, BUT IT ALSO ALLOWS RIGHT USERS ACCESS TO NEEDED INFORMATION. 3. TRACKING PARTNERS:CRM SOFTWARE CAN HELP EFFECTIVELY COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT PARTNERS AND PRODUCT SUPPORT.THIS HELPS BETTER MANAGE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AS IT ORGANIZES INFORMATION ABOUT WHEN, WHY, WHERE, HOW, ETC. 4. PRODUCT SUPPORT: THE CLIENT WAS DISSATISFIED WITH A PRODUCT OR SERVICE.IT ALSO HELPS TRACK WHETHER AND HOW THE ISSUE WAS ADDRESSED. 5. BILLING FUNCTIONALITY: A WELL-EQUIPPED CRM SYSTEM CAN ALSO TRACK BILLING AND INVOICING STATUS OF EACH CUSTOMER. 6. INVOICING FUNCTIONALITY: THIS HELPS KEEP FINANCIAL INFORMATION

The Hunger Of Hunger Throughout America - 1416 Words

Hunger throughout America is something that 12 million Americans are battling with everyday. That’s one in every six people (dosomething.org) In Texas alone, 4,320,050 people are tackling hunger and of those 4,320,050 people, 1,713,430 are children- or one in four children throughout Texas (Feeding America). Throughout North Texas, â€Å"the number of people living in poverty is 631,261† (Glean Texas). Since hunger is tied to poverty, it is assumed that those living in poverty in North Texas are also living with hunger insecurities. To brighten things up a bit, Flower Mound, is considered to be a more wealthier town in North Texas. Ranked by the American City Business, Flower Mound is â€Å"number 21 on a list of the top 50 cities in the Southern†¦show more content†¦The S Tracy Howard Project focuses most of their work during the summer months due to the actuality that â€Å"this is the most challenging time in a child s life in receiving the proper nutriti on† (sthproject). They do, however, also have an after school program in select communities during the school year, along with providing gently used books, exercise and health education, and job training (sthproject). All of the work that this charity provides shows that although feeding the hungry is their main goal, they are also going above and beyond with the other programs that they offer. Also, in order to better their work, the staff and volunteer members â€Å"partner with local Churches, Community Centers, and Boys and Girls Club of America† (sthproject) in order to help as many families and children as they can. The S Tracy Howard Project does however, pay their employees, which isn t something that is often seen being done in charity work. Having said that, the average amount each employee receives a year is $4,376- which in total is $43,716 after paying all of their employees (findthecompany.com). However, $4,376 is a much lower compensation cost, whereas t he median cost per employee in other nonprofit organizations in Flower Mound is $20,887 and $17,266 nationwide (findthecompany.com). The second charity is Cloud Nine Charities. Founded by Kim Cloud inShow MoreRelatedEssay about Poverty in Janet Poppendiecks Want Amid Plenty676 Words   |  3 PagesJanet Poppendiecks â€Å"Want Amid Plenty: From Hunger To Inequality† she argues that America puts excessive focus upon hunger issues among the poor when there are many other important issues that go unnoticed. Poppendieck believes that it is time to find a way to shift the discourse from undernutrition to unfairness, from hunger to inequality. In todays society, there are many food banks, food drives, soup kitchens, etc. Food is extremely abundant in America, therefore Poppendiecks statement is provenRead MoreHunger And Hunger Related Illnesses1540 Words   |  7 Pagesworld are chronically malnourished. That means that one in nine people do not have enough food to live a healthy lifestyle. This is the biggest problem affecting a considerable amount of the human population. Hunger and hunger related illnes ses kill just over 6 millions children a year. Hunger is not partial to race or gender, it’s a problem in all corners of the world, it affects people in even the most developed countries. The more humans progress the more this problem, logically, the more this problemRead MoreFood Insecurity And Hunger Among Children795 Words   |  4 Pagesthe sever issue that hunger can bring to their community, only because of the lack of knowledge on the situation. Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. Food and hunger are some of biggest social and public health issues people are dealing with in the United States. Over 41.2 million people in America live in food-insecureRead MoreCielo Caldelas. Mrs. Gallos. English Iii Honors. 6 April1598 Words   |  7 PagesPrevention of Child Hunger Many children in this world suffer everyday in very different ways. Suffering ways could be the loss of shelter or having a very chronic disease. â€Å"We could start with hunger and malnutrition, which kill 3.1 million children under the age of five every year† (McGowan 8). Hunger is considered one of those ways and also causes other suffering barriers. Hunger is the craving and want of food. At times hunger causes a person to become very weak. Hunger has caused many childRead MoreWhat Is Working Towards A Solution Essay733 Words   |  3 Pagestowards a solution needs to start at the personal level because in order to change the world, individuals need to first be willing to change themselves. There are many opportunities to participate on a personal level to help combat hunger. One way to personally fight hunger and increase food security is to grow your own produce and produce for your neighbor. By growing personal vegetables, reliance on grocery stores for fresh produ ce is taken out of the picture. Less waste is produced when food is personallyRead MoreA Review On Corporate Sponsorship1654 Words   |  7 Pagesonly cheerful to have the company giving whatever they can, and enterprises have minimal motivator to stay contributed since the relationship doesn t generally profit them.† For example ‘The Kroger Co’ can benefit in many ways sponsoring feeding America. It enhances company s image and visibility, differentiate company from competitors. It helps in establishing good community relationships. 3 Corporate sponsorship support is a business payment to a nonprofit to further the nonprofit’sRead MoreEssay on Maxine Hong Kingstons Woman Warrior1180 Words   |  5 Pagestale of Fa-Mu-Lan, the narrator is given a survival test, where she has to survive a mountain trek without provisions. During that trek, the narrator finds herself weary from hunger. Hunger brings out her animal instincts, because she needs to stay strong to live. On the fourth and fifth days, my eyesight sharp with hunger, I saw deer and used their trails when our ways coincided. Where deer nibbled, I gathered the fungus, the fungus of immortality; (25). 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Death Of The Death Penalty - 1517 Words

Death, a word of sorrow, of pain, and of joy. Death happens to everyone eventually but what if it wasn’t your choice? What if someone else held your life in their hands? The Death Penalty dates back as far as the Eighteenth Century B.C under the ruling of King Hammurabi of Babylon(DPIC Staff). He was the first noted person to begin using the death penalty. The origin of death revolved around him and now the people of today feel that they are able to dictate how people die. Death is a prize to them, an accomplishment and this thinking has only become stronger over the years. Origin of Death Despite common belief, America did not start the death penalty. Britain influenced America’s use of the Death Penalty more than any other country(DPIC Staff). In the tenth century, Britain accepted the hanging method of execution(DPIC Staff). In the following century, William the conqueror forbid anyone to be executed for any crime unless in times of war(DPIC Saff). Unfortunately, a ruler named Henry VIII, disagreed with William’s trend in the sixteenth century. It is said that about 72,000 people were executed under Henry’s ruling(DPIC Staff). Capital Crimes continued rising throughout the next two centuries in Britain. The reasons for execution ranged from marrying a jew to treason. By the 1700s, Britain had begun to use the death penalty for 222 crimes including, stealing, cutting down a tree, and robbing a rabbit warren(DPIC Staff). The settling of European settlers inShow MoreRelatedDeath to the Death Penalty1025 Words   |  5 Pagesany other human being, and this is where the nations that apply the death penalty are failing (Source 1). The death penalty or capital punishment is a legal process in which a person is executed as a punishment for committing a crime. It is still used in over 50 nations worldwide. Centuries before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights existed, important civilizations such as the Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman Empires used death to punish criminals for their actions. It was such an important issueRead MoreDeath Of The Death Penalty963 Words   |  4 PagesDeath has been around for centuries. It started off with single-celled organisms and has transformed into what we know it as today. Murders, dying of sickness or old age, even natural disasters and tragedies. So what about crimes worthy of the death penalty. It all started out in 1608 where the death of captain George Kendall would become the first ever recorded penalized death. He was executed for firing bullets at the Jamestown colony. Death is almost like a design and death itself hasRead MoreThe Death Of Death Penalty1697 Words   |  7 PagesThe death penalty has been notable, in the justice system of the United States of America. Established in the 18th century also known as capital punishment, execution or death penalty Which gives the government permission to punish you by death using 5 authorized methods of? Executions, such As Lethal injection, Electrocution, Gas Chamber, Hanging, or Firing Squad. Alfred Southwick was the first Person to invent the electric chair after hearing a bizarre story of An intoxicated man touchingRead MoreThe Death Penalty1347 Words   |  6 PagesThe concept of the death penalty has been around since the 1700’s B.C. where it was first defined in the Code of Hammurabi (Historical Timeline). Since then, the death penalty has morphed and changed. In 1608 A.D., Captain George Kendall in the Jamestown colony of Virginia was hanged for treason (Historical Timeline). This became the first execution recorded in America (Historical Timeline). After this moment in history, people have debated the concept of the death and if it is truly constitutionalRead MoreThe Death Penalty872 Words   |  4 PagesThe Death Penalty Cynthia Jackson SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology Instructor: Jeanette Maxey December 20, 2010 The Death Penalty Capital punishment in the 21st century endures many inequalities and injustices. The common arguments for the death penalty are filled with inadequacies. Having the death penalty is both expensive and time consuming to sentence criminals to death. The most frequently raised argument for capital punishment is retributive. According to a recent analysis sendingRead MoreThe Death Penalty And The Penalty1005 Words   |  5 Pagesknew how I felt about the death penalty. Growing up in the 70 s and 80 s, it was always an eye for an eye, if someone killed another and was proven guilty then he or she would get the death penalty. 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Death penalty is one of the mostRead MoreThe Death Penalty Essay1549 Words   |  7 PagesThe rehearsal of the death penalty has been experienced throughout the years since the Middle Ages, but as the years go on, many countries have eliminated capital punishment either in law or in practice. This, because of people disagreeing with the fact of taking someone’s life away regardless the gravity of the felony they have committed. As it is written in the 14th amendment â€Å"†¦Nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any pers onRead MoreThe Death Penalty1628 Words   |  7 PagesThe death penalty has been a controversial issue here in the states. It has lived since the 18 B.C. and is still existing in the 21st century. Began with crucifixion, to the failure of lethal injection, and surprisingly a firing squad. None of these sound like a good way to die. We have killed people who were innocent. Not only that, but also its cost is pretty high. Whether it’s actually lowering our crime rates is becoming a problem. The problem lies with the states whether they ll allow it orRead MoreThe Death Penalty And The Penalty2204 Words   |  9 Pagespolitician, lawyer, and author once stated, â€Å"Death row is a nightmare to serial killers and ax murderers. For an innocent man, it s a life of mental torture that the human spirit is not equipped to survive.† The death penalty, or capital punishment, refers to the punishment of a criminal convicted of a capital offense through execution (â€Å"Definiti on of Death Penalty†). With many criminals convicted of a capital offenses awaiting execution on death row, the death penalty has been a seriously debated topic since

Impact of History and Cultural Diversity-Free-Samples for Students

Questions: 1.Investigate your cultural origins, the length of time your family has been present in Australia, and your cultural beliefs, values, attitudes and experiences. 2.Document your experience of discrimination, racism, prejudice, and cultural privilege and dominance in your own history and analyse the influence of this experience on your identity and assumptions. Answers: 1.We can define culture as a complex association of traditions, values, behaviours, beliefs, and material objects. Our cultures are often shared by shared by a large group of people and we pass down the cultures from one generation to the next. Commonalities in social backgrounds such as common religion, language, traditions and origin also lead to classification or differentiation of people (Forehand Kotchick, 2016). I was born and brought up in Australia. My parents belong to different cultures. My mother is from Lebanon, which is bounded on the east and north by Syria. My mothers birth place contains equal proportion of Muslim and Christian population. She is proficient in Arabic. She follows the Beirut accent, which is highly regarded in her community. Owing to her upper middle class family status, she was equally proficient in English. She relocated to Australia during the late 1980s to pursue higher education, following which she met my father. My mother used to live with her family in an apartment in Beirut, a densely populated area. There was an omnipresence of patriarchal religion in her community and women were generally expected to nurture and care for the family (Cleveland, Laroche Hallab, 2013). However, she was one of those who broke the traditional boundaries and reached Australia to pursue higher education. On the other hand, my father is from Egypt. He belongs to the larger population of Arabic speaking Sunni Muslims. There were few Christian minorities in his homeland who were generally Catholic or Protestants. He lived in Upper Egypt and is extremely proficient in English. My father had also learnt French as a foreign language during his high school days. He shifted to Australia after 1982, after receiving a job. Showing accordance to his cultural traditions, he is always considered to have more power in the household than my mother and is responsible for making the major decisions. My parents got married after they met each other in Australia. Their religious beliefs are similar. Both of them were practicing Sunni Muslims. The ethnic backgrounds of my parents have built in us the central belief of oneness of God. We are monotheistic and consider Koran to be the word of God. Our cultural background has inculcated in us the belief that souls exist before birth and after death. Althoug h polygamy is legal among our community, my parents are strictly against it and hold it as a social stigma. However, they are not conservative. Furthermore, the domestic units in my fathers culture regarded marriage as historically patrilocal where the bride had to move to the household of her husband. However, my parents established a new place of residence in Australia after getting married. They have been living in Western Sydney for more than 25 years. Our religion advocates for the division of property of a dead person among his heirs and surviving spouse. Although, male heirs are usually preferred over females in receiving shares that are twice as large, my father does not believe in this custom and has mentioned that we all siblings are equally inheritors of his belongings (Krishna-Hensel, 2016). Thus, I can state that I and my sister have not been raised by conservative parents. They are usually moderates. My cultural background believes in modest dressing in public and all female members of our family wear a head scarf to cover the hair and ears. My parents helped in enhancing our literacy levels by teaching us Engl ish as the first language. English is the language we speak at home. They often communicate with our relatives in Arabic. Although, I and my sisters are able to understand the language well, we tend to make a lot of mistakes while speaking it and need to work upon improving our mother tongue. In addition, they generally follow the principles of peaceful parenting (Coates, 2015). On most occasions they allow me to do what I intend to, but only when they are convinced enough that my demands are justifiable. They do not succumb to the give-in style of parenting and set limits with empathy. This gave me an opportunity to evaluate my wrong demands and helps me to manage self-behaviour. They have helped in defining age-appropriate boundaries for me and have inculcated in me the habit of knowing my own limitations. They trust me completely and are certain of the fact that a parent-child relationship always hinges on mutual trust. They believe that I am well aware of my personal boundaries and am responsible enough to take ownership of my own feelings. They have adopted a mini-democracy system at our home where we siblings are allowed to voice or opinion our thoughts on a particular matter. Middle Eastern parenting values generally emphasize on setting restrictions, permissivenes s and strict discipline among children at an early age. Moreover, this culture generally relies on placing high demands over the children and keep girls under heavy scrutiny (Khurshid, 2015). Unlike this authoritarian parenting style of the culture to which my parents belong, they have always focused on interdependence and have built a healthy and trusting relationship among the family members. Sitting down for dinner together strengthens our family bonding and provides a sense of security and belonging. It helps me to relieve my stress and also assists in adoption of healthy food choices. We usually follow a month of fasting for the Ramadan and also celebrate the Ester and Christmas season with our neighbours and friends. I have been taught to show signs of respect to seniors and use special terms to address them. My parents have adopted the practice of allowing personal and psychological space to us siblings, which immensely helps us in dealing with challenges and enhancing our thinking and physical capacities. Their moderate supervision on our activities have made it easier to talk to them about situations that require help. 2.My parents admitted me to a private Islamic school in our community. I did not face any kind of racial or religious discrimination during my schooling years. However, I did face avoidance from my peers at University for wearing the head-scarf or hijab. The human rights of all nations outline the rules that it is the birth right of all women to practise their religion (Butler Tavits, 2017). Women are always entitled with the prerogative of not being harassed due to perceptions that are related to their religion, ethnicity or nationality (Schachner, Noack, Van de Vijver Eckstein, 2016). Public facilities, education and places of employment are the three major areas where women are discriminated for wearing hijabs. Further, majority of my classmates who were non-Muslims did not approach me during group activities, which were a part of our curriculum. Such religion-based discrimination resulted in inequalities. This created a personal dissatisfaction and I sat at the rear of the clas sroom during tutorials. Discrimination often leads to absenteeism, loss of attachment, lack of motivation and commitment among the people belonging to various cultural, racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. This made me select my class times based on the presence of my friends as they would always help in relieving my awkwardness of not knowing the other classmates who isolated me. I often used to be called names and that created a huge mental stress. Strong evidences suggest the association between race-based discrimination and mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety and ill health (Benner Graham, 2013). Presently, I work at a medical practice located in Liverpool. The place represents the multicultural Australian heritage and as seen a recent upsurge in the number of Syrian refuges due to government resettlement programs. In order to engage in effective conversations with them, I had to rework on my Arabic language skills. This created as a major problem as I was only able to communicate in broken Arabic. Consequently, I faced the wrath and disdain from the Arabic-speaking refugees, who were displeasured with my language speaking inabilities. People are most often comfortable in communicating in their own language and face difficulties in learning new languages (Almutairi, McCarthy Gardner, 2015). Different cultures have various ways of assigning meanings to the words. This creates misunderstandings among people at the workplace who belong to different linguistic backgrounds. These cultural differences become common source of conflict and result in workplace issues and disagreements (Crawford, Candlin Roger, 2017). Effective communication therefore became difficult. In order to avoid miscommunication with the patients, I strictly adopted a professional approach and tried to prevent disagreements. I also relied on non-verbal communications to understand their problems (Romero, Edwards, Fryberg Ordua, 2014). I had been brought up to be a non-conflict person and usually agreed to others thoughts in order to appease them. However, of late I have become quite submissive when tense situations arise even at home. This recent change of my behavior can be attributed to the fact that I dread taking care of aggressive patients. My position in the workplace requires me to maintain utmost composure when a patient explodes or yells at the services. Further, I need to understand the issues being faced by the patient that leads to such an aggressive behavior. My family traditions, cultures and attitudes that have been inculcated during my growing up years have probably instilled this trait in my personality. It is imperative for social workers to have a sound knowledge of the cultures of the clients (Messarra, 2014). Competence should be demonstrated in the provisions of care-giving services, which identifies the cultures that are sensitive to the existence of the clients. Regardless of ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, or religious differences, collaborative relationships should be established in a workplace (Velliaris Pierce, 2017). Cultural competence in a workforce therefore involved a set of congruent attitudes, behaviors, and policies, which come together in the form of a system that leads to effective work outputs cross-cultural situations. A sound understanding of the diverse cultures, traditions, values, and history is not just related to political correctness (Pieterse, Van Knippenberg Van Dierendonck, 2013). It is integral for the elimination of health-care disparities and high quality patient care (Brice, Chu Brice, 2017). Cultural diversities usually shape the perceptions, experiences, and decisions of person in relation to the environment. Such diversity influence the response of the people involved to external stimuli (medical services and preventive interventions in this case). In addition, cultural humility forms the heart of awareness related to prejudices, biases, and privileges. It is often egalitarian and collaborative. A self examination of such biases and prejudices is crucial for the development of an effective workplace (Wang, De Graaff Nijkamp, 2016). The positive aspects of cultural diversity help in analyzing matter from different perspectives (Vangen Winchester, 2014). To summarise, I can state that exploring cultural competency, understanding the role of language and respecting the religious or traditional views of a person belonging to a particular background will help in fostering a work culture, which promotes respect for difference. References Almutairi, A. F., McCarthy, A., Gardner, G. E. (2015). Understanding cultural competence in a multicultural nursing workforce: registered nurses experience in Saudi Arabia.Journal of Transcultural Nursing,26(1), 16-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659614523992 Benner, A. D., Graham, S. (2013). The antecedents and consequences of racial/ethnic discrimination during adolescence: Does the source of discrimination matter?.Developmental Psychology,49(8), 1602. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0030557 Brice, W. D., Chu, E., Brice, A. (2017). Culture-Based Rejection of Taboo-Infringing Imports.International Journal of Management and Economics,53(3), 67-81. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1515/ijme-2017-0019 Butler, D. M., Tavits, M. (2017). Does the Hijab Increase Representatives Perceptions of Social Distance?.The Journal of Politics,79(2), 727-731. https://doi.org/10.1086/690817 Cleveland, M., Laroche, M., Hallab, R. (2013). Globalization, culture, religion, and values: Comparing consumption patterns of Lebanese Muslims and Christians.Journal of Business Research,66(8), 958-967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.12.018 Coates, C. A. (2015). The parenting coordinator as peacemaker and peacebuilder.Family Court Review,53(3), 398-406. DOI:10.1111/fcre.12161 Crawford, T., Candlin, S., Roger, P. (2017). New perspectives on understanding cultural diversity in nursepatient communication.Collegian,24(1), 63-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.09.001 Forehand, R., Kotchick, B. A. (2016). Cultural Diversity: A Wake-Up Call for Parent TrainingRepublished Article.Behavior therapy,47(6), 981-992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2016.11.010 Khurshid, A. (2015). Islamic traditions of modernity: Gender, class, and Islam in a transnational womens education project.Gender Society,29(1), 98-121. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243214549193 Krishna-Hensel, S. F. (Ed.). (2016).Religion, education and governance in the Middle East: between tradition and modernity. Routledge, 10-13. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=enlr=id=Y-rsCwAAQBAJoi=fndpg=PP1dq=lebanon+culture+religionots=7iHG4qaoejsig=NFRGRm5VlPeawax-Dzhd7L37zeI#v=onepageq=lebanon%20culture%20religionf=false Messarra, L. C. (2014). Religious diversity at work: The perceptual effects of religious discrimination on employee engagement and commitment.Contemporary Management Research,10(1), 59. doi:10.7903/cmr.12018 Pieterse, A. N., Van Knippenberg, D., Van Dierendonck, D. (2013). Cultural diversity and team performance: The role of team member goal orientation.Academy of Management Journal,56(3), 782-804. doi:10.5465/amj.2010.0992 Romero, A. J., Edwards, L. M., Fryberg, S. A., Ordua, M. (2014). Resilience to discrimination stress across ethnic identity stages of development.Journal of Applied Social Psychology,44(1), 1-11. DOI:10.1111/jasp.12192 Schachner, M. K., Noack, P., Van de Vijver, F. J., Eckstein, K. (2016). Cultural diversity climate and psychological adjustment at schoolequality and inclusion versus cultural pluralism.Child development,87(4), 1175-1191. DOI:10.1111/cdev.12536 Vangen, S., Winchester, N. (2014). Managing Cultural Diversity in Collaborations: A focus on management tensions.Public Management Review,16(5), 686-707. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2012.743579 Velliaris, D. M., Pierce, J. M. (2017). Cultural Diversity: Misconceptions, Misinterpretations, and Misunderstandings in the Classroom. InIntercultural Responsiveness in the Second Language Learning Classroom(pp. 84-105). IGI Global. DOI:10.4018/978-1-5225-2069-6.ch006 Wang, Z., De Graaff, T., Nijkamp, P. (2016). Cultural diversity and cultural distance as choice determinants of migration destination.Spatial Economic Analysis,11(2), 176-200. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17421772.2016.1102956

Nacirema free essay sample

The dictionary defines an Anthropologist as a person that studies human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture (Webster 2011). I am not claiming to be an Anthropologist however, from my viewpoint, I am not sure if I am capable of grasping my mind around the concept that â€Å"the body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease† explained, (â€Å"Horace Miner†, 2005). Unfortunately, the Nacirema people believe that this statement is true based on their culture and their belief system. The Nacirema has a rich and an untraceable culture and practice of ritual system that is not common to Americans. In fact their true origins are very mythical. The Nacirema’s economic society has an inspiring marketplace, which delivers many goods and produce however, the Nacirema also promotes two unique social classes, one of great wealth and the other poor. We will write a custom essay sample on Nacirema or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Regrettably from my thought process, a large portion of this lifestyle the Nacirema practice rituals that I find to be quiet alarming. I am in no way judging the Nacirema people although, I would like to offer my perspective in one of two ways, the first by identifying one of their ritual/customs and the other defining what that ritual means to me along with our similarities. During the readings of this case study, Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, my heart went out to these people and the more I read the article I compared their experiences to my cultural experiences. For each paragraph that I read in the beginning, I placed side notes to describe the Nacirema practices that were possibly similar to my culture. For example: the Nacirema people go to a person for what they term as the ‘holy-mouth-man’. I have compared this to that of a dentist, that I have to visit at least every six months. The first encounter I remember as a child going to the dentist about the age of four was very frightening. The dentist ask you to sit down in the chair, you look up in to this shining light, and if you know anything about God, one may tend to believe that the dentist is the holy-mouth-man because one may have now seen God as one prays for no feelings of pain. Miner (1956) explains that some of the tools that are used by these holy-mouth-men included: an auger, awls, probes and prods. In my opinion, the names of these tools may not be exact, however when used by a dentist those tools are still probed into ones mouth; the tools still have a horrifying look; and finally at the end of the appointment, one may leave feeling like they have had a form of exorcism! In other words, similar actions when compared to dental procedures such as their rituals produce magical powers if the thesis is correct. Additionally during my reading and when counted, there were about 16 ritualistic practices that the Nacirema people partook in. My second perspective stems from the example of: ‘the listener’. What I find similar is that individuals here in America visit Psychiatrist when one has feelings of depression that is too burdensome to overcome or even too much to bare. While others may have suicidal tendencies in which case, the Psychiatrist prescribes medication. In either case, my perception is that in no way are we much different than the Nacirema. I believe in some malicious way that Horace Miner was trying to down play, a culture who during that time in 1956, were trying to define, find or discover themselves. Conclusion After extended research Robert Jones (1980) explained, that it was the Tsigoloicos clan that Miner was describing, however these people were more spiritual based and did not have any of the ritual practices that Miner described. In Jones findings, â€Å"the ancestral spirit, therefore, is above all and it is just a symbol† (â€Å"Myth amp; Symbol†¦Ã¢â‚¬  1980). My question is, where was Miner getting his information and during that time what was he trying to prove? Needless to say, we are all creatures that will go through an evolutionary process. Furthermore, with internet moving with the speed of light, we shall all discover new cultures and advancements that will promote behavior changes, new cultural awareness as well as similarities. My question is, was this difficult for Miner to accept? In conclusion I would like to point out that, Ellin (2008) explained that when Horace Miner in 1956, was using hyperbole as well as rhetorical misreading to defamiliarized his own culture in this essay Body ritual among the Nacirema. â€Å"Nacirema is American spelled backwards†. He exposed an obsession with the body that contributed to masochistic tendencies including annual visit to ‘holy men (dentist); and weekly head-baking by women (using hair dryers); lacerating the face with sharp instrument by men (shaving); and he iscusses the ritual fast to make fat people thin† (â€Å"Life support: Nacirema redux†). Through this entire scenario, my perspective is that Miner was not prepared for change, growth nor evolution.