International Assignments Essay

1. Determine four to six (4-6) components that the pre-departure training will need to cover. Provide a rationale for the use of using the training components in question. The four components that pre-departure training will need to cover are cultural awareness training, preliminary visits, language instruction, and assistance with practical, day to day matters. A well-designed cultural awareness training program seeks to foster an appreciation of the host country’s culture so that expatriates can behave accordingly, or at least develop appropriate coping patterns. A preliminary trip to the host country provides a preview to assess their suitability for and interest in the assignment and country. It helps to encourage more informed external stakeholders as well as host-country nationals. Language skills are a critical component in assignment performance and a gauge on ability to adapt and perform on assignment. Hiring of language competent staff to increase the â€Å"language pool† and up-to-date information on language skills is important and critical. Practical assistance helps provide guidance and assistance with relocation to the host country. Having one fend for themselves in a new country can result in a negative response towards the host country so any assistance from relocation specialists is of value to the candidate/employee (Dowling & Festing, 2009). 2. Propose three (3) criteria that management will use to assess the performance of expatriates working abroad. Support your proposal with examples of the fundamental ways in which these performance requirements have improved performance. An assessment of an expatriate employee’s performance is critical to the success of an international assignment. Issues such as the criteria and timing of performance reviews, raises, and bonuses should be discussed and agreed on before the employees are selected and placed on international assignments. Each international office should use a different appraisal system. Employers should not use a performance appraisal system that was  used for domestic employees and try to modify it for use with expatriate employees because many variables need to be understood and taken into consideration. Performance criteria and goals are best established by combining the values and norms of each local environment with the home-office’s performance standards. An individual country profile should be developed and should take into account the foreign subsidiary’s environment. This profile should be used to review any factors that may have an effect on the expatriate employee’s performance. Such factors include language, culture, politics, labor relations, economy, government, control, and communication. 3. Recommend the recruiting and selection strategy that you believe your firm should use when offering international assignments. Provide a rationale for your recommendation. International assignments, or the act of sending employees to different countries on project assignments, are a growing trend. Because international assignments are typically very expensive, failure can have big impacts on the business. It is imperative to hire more reliable and effective international assignees. The following are criteria that should be used to select the appropriate candidate: 1-Use of a selection panel which consists of a manager from the function being recruited for, staff who have detailed knowledge of living working and conducting business in the intended assignment destination, HR staff from home and host country and international HR. 2- Choose candidates that have successfully completed similar international assignments. Candidates should have previously succeeded in the target country or in a similar culture setting. Consideration should also be taken for those who have studied abroad or performed some other role in the country. 3-Prioritize candidates who are fluent in the language of the assignment destination. 4- Use of intercultural adaptability assessment tools potential of candidates to innovate, lead, manage, collaborate and socialize in different cultures. 5- Candidates should be provided with a realistic job assignment preview so that they know both the good and bad aspects of the assignment. 6- Allow candidates a reconnaissance trip after an offer has been made so that they  see if they are a good match for the work and life in the host country, pending budget plans. If these criteria are taken into consideration, then the assignment has a greater chance of succeeding (Ladimeji, 2012). 4. Compare and contrast two (2) staffing alternatives for foreign operations at your multinational firm. Select the staffing alternative that you believe to be the best fit for your scenario and provide a rationale for your selection. Two staffing alternatives are ethnocentric and polycentric staffing approach. The ethnocentric staffing approach involves the Parent-country nationals, or people from the home country of the corporation who are employed to fill key managerial positions because they are familiar with the goals, policies and procedures, technology and products of the parent company. They are in a much better position to report to the company, especially where there is an inadequacy of managerial skills at the local level. It is the preferred method with a centralized approach to globalization. The second approach is the polycentric and uses HCNs to fill key positions. This is more effective when a company wants to act â€Å"local.† It is also usually less expensive to hire locals, however, there could be difficulty in the areas of coordinating goals between the main and regional offices. 5. Analyze the importance of providing a high-quality mentoring system for international assignees. Provide o ne (1) example of a high-quality mentoring system for international assignees to support your analysis. A successful mentoring system can only succeed if the following are taken: Commitment from senior management, creation of a program that has some flexibility and not too much formality, training for mentors that helps them to support rather than teach assignees, understanding that mentoring needs to fit in with senior employees’ heavy workloads. Just like any job, there needs to be guidance and instruction and a good mentorship will aid the candidate in their international assignment (Cowell, 2004). 6. Suggest the manner in which you plan to measure return on investment (ROI) for international assignments. Provide a rationale for your decision. The best evaluation for ROI investment assignments is to set expectations  for several baseline competencies that will be gained from the international experience. The creation of new networks in the host countries as well as new hires or development of intercultural skills. References Cowell, P (2004, November 8). Mentoring: a step towards successful repatriationRetrieved August 15, 2014. http://www.expatica.com/hr/story/mentoring-a-step-towards-successful-repatriation–10573.html Dowling, P. & Festing, M. (2009). International human resource management: Managing people in a multinational context (5th ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson/South-Western. Ladimeji, K. (2012, August 31). How To Pick the Right People for International Assignments. Retrieved August 15, 2014. http://www.recruiter.com/i/how-to-pick-the-right-people-for-international-assignments/ Major Alternative Staffing Approaches for international operations. (2004, July 19). In WriteWork.com. Retrieved 15 August, 2014, from http://www.writework.com/essay/major-alternative-staffing-approaches-international-operat

Myth Study Guide

CLT3378 Exam 1 Dr. Branscome Section 4 http://quizlet. com/14533032/clt3378-flash-cards/ Above is a link to a useful, flash card, study tool to help master these terms. * Hero: Figures in whom the gods take a special interest. An example of a hero in Greek culture is Hercules. * Trickster: Tricksters are amoral, shape-shifting deceivers in mythology. An example in the Babylonian Enuma Elish is the god Ea. * Polytheism: The belief and acknowledgement of many gods. Polytheistic cultures include the Greeks, Canaanites and Babylonians. Anthropomorphism: Conception of gods â€Å"in shape of human beings,† have features of humans and act like humans. An example of this is Baal in the Canaanite Baal Cycle. * Binaturalism: Conception of gods with as having â€Å"two natures. † An example of binaturalism is the Babylonian Tiamat, who is both a god and a thing (sea). * Syncretism: Adaptation of one culture's mythic beliefs by another culture. An example is the Sumerian Inanna is the same as the Akkadian Ishtar. * Sphere of Influence: Areas with which gods are associated/have power. For example the Greek god Zeus is the god of rain, lightning, kingship, hospitality. Primordial Waters: Waters that exist at beginning of or even before creation. In many creation myths. Usually precede the sea and other large bodies of water * Ancient Near East: The area encompassing Mesopotamia, Canaan, Israel, Anatolia and Egypt in which many myths were adopted such as the Babylonian Enuma Elish. The Ancient Near East does not include Ancient Greece. * Mesopotamia: Mesopotamia is known as the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Cultures such as the Babylonians resided there and assembled the creation myth, the Enuma Elish. * Sumerians: The Sumerians were the first people to inhabit Mesopotamia.They are considered the first human civilization and influenced the Akkadians. * Akkadians: The Akkadians were a culture in Mesopotamia. They overtook the Sumerians and adopted their spoken language. * Babylonians: The Babylonians were a culture in Mesopotamia. They created the myth the Enuma Elish and spoke a dialect of the Akkadian language. * Enuma Elish: A Babylonian Myth was written about 2000 BCE. This myth is a creation myth and succession myth that involves a great battle between the storm god Marduk and Tiamat, the god of the seas. * Marduk: The storm god in the Babylonian Enuma Elish.He is the son of Ea and Damkina, is crowned king of the gods and defeats Tiamat, creating the heavens and the earth. * cuneiform: Cuneiform is a type of script writing on tablets commonly used by ancient cultures such as the Babylonians. The myth the Enuma Elish was written by the Babylonians in cuneiform. * Apsu: Apsu is the binatural, Babyloninan god of freshwater who is the husband of Tiamat. Apsu is killed in the Enuma Elish by Ea. * Tiamat: Tiamat, the wife of Apsu, is the binatural, Babylonian god of the seas. In the Enuma Elish, Tiamat battles the storm god M arduk and loses. Lahmu: Lahmu is the son of the gods Tiamat and Apsu. In the Babylonian Enuma Elish, Lahmu is described as being formed from the mingling waters of Apsu and Tiamat. * Lahamu: Lahamu is the daughter of the gods Apsu and Tiamat. In the Babylonian Enuma Elish, Lahmu is described as being formed from the mingling waters of Apsu and Tiamat. * Anshar: Anshar is the Babylonian sky god. In the Enuma Elish, he is the son of Lahmu and Lahamu. * Kishar: Kishar is the Babylonian earth goddess. In the Enuma Elish, she is the daughter of Lahmu and Lahmu. * Anu: Anu is the son of both Anshar and Kishar.In the Babylonian Enuma Elish, Anu gives Marduk the four winds to defeat Tiamat. * Ea/Enki/Nuddimud: Ea is the Babylonian trickster god who is the father of Marduk. In the Enuma Elish, Ea discovers Apsu's plot to wage war against the gods and Ea kills him. * Mummu: Mummu is a vizier in the Babylonian Enuma Elish. In this myth, Mummu gives Apsu the go ahead to kill the gods and is cap tured by Ea once he discovers Mummu's plot. * Damkina: In the Babylonian Enuma Elish, Damkina is the mother of Marduk. She is the consort of Ea. * Qingu/Kingu: Qingu is the leader of Tiamat's army of eleven monsters in the Babylonian Enuma Elish.Tiamat also gives Qingu the Tablet of Destinies. * Tablet of Destinies: The Tablet of Destinies is given to Qingu in the Babylonian Enuma Elish. Marduk kills Tiamat and her army and reclaims the Tablet of Destinies. * Semitic: Semitic is a Mesopotamian culture that speaks a language similar to the language Hebrew. The Akkadians spoke this language. * Amorites: Amorites are a people that overthrew the Sumerians in Mesopotamia in 1900 BCE. They spoke a dialect of Akkadian. * Babylon: Babylon is the established capital city of Mesopotamia when controlled by the Amorites.People that lived in the capital city of Babylon were known as Babylonians and they are attributed for adopting the Enuma Elish. * ziggurat: Ziggurat is the temple in which gods were worshiped in Mesopotamia. Each city-state had its own patron god, and that god was worshipped in a ziggurat. * Akitu: Akitu is also known as the Babylonian New Year Festival. This festival honored Marduk as the King of the gods in the city of Babylon. * Baal Cycle: The Baal Cycle is a group of poems that surround the Canaanite god Baal. These myths involve Baal's battle with Yam, Baal's battle with Mot, and the dilemma surrounding his palace. Ugarit: Ugarit was a coastal trading city which was prosperous around 1400 BCE. This city is where thousands of clay tablets were found, including the Canaanite Baal Cycle * Canaan: Canaan is the region in which Ugarit was located. In this region, the Baal Cycle was adopted. * Canaanite: Canaanites are the people who lived in the region of Canaan. They were one of the first cultures to use an alphabetic writing system instead of a cuneiform system. * El: El is the father of the gods in Canaanite mythology. In the Baal Cycle, El agrees to give up Baal's hiding place to Yam so they could battle. Baal: Baal is the storm god mentioned in the Canaanite Baal Cycle. He uses two clubs to defeat Yam and become known as â€Å"Baal the Conqueror. † * Hadad: Hadad is another name for the storm god Baal. In Caananite culture, Hadad means â€Å"thunderer. † * Dagon: Dagon is the father of Baal in the Baal Cycle. He is the god of grain. * Zaphon: Zaphon is the sacred mountain that belongs to Baal. In the Canaanite Baal Cycle, Baal's palace is constructed here. * Asherah: In Canaanite mythology, Asherah is the wife of the god El. She is known as the Mother of the Gods. * Anat: In Canaanite myhtology, Anat is the sister of Baal.She is the bloodthirsty goddess of war and hunting who slaughters Yams warriors in the Baal Cycle. * Kothar-wa-Hasis: In Canaanite mythology, Kothar is a craftsman god. In the Baal Cycle, he creates the clubs Baal uses to defeat Yam and Baal's house out of cedar. * Shapash: Shapash is the sun go ddess in Canaanite mythology. In the Baal Cycle, she advises Baal to create a substitute that Mot will kill instead of Baal himself. * Attanu-Purlianni: Attanu-Purlianni is the name of the chief priest of the temple of Baal. The Ugaritic text the Baal Cycle was found in his library. Ilimiku: Ilimiku is the scribe who lived in Canaan. Ilimiku is the scribe who wrote down the Baal Cycle. * Niqmaddu II: Niqmaddu II was the king of Ugarit around 1375-1345 BCE. He was the king of Ugarit when the Baal Cycle was written. * Yam: Yam is the god of the seas in Canaanite culture. In the Canaanite Baal Cycle, Yam is defeated by the storm god Baal. * Mot: Mot is Death in  Canaanite mythology. He battles Baal in the Baal Cycle. * Ras Shamara: Ras Shamara is the modern name for the ancient city of Ugarit. Excavations of Ras Shamara gave light to Ugaritic culture, including the Baal Cycle. Hittites: The Hittites are an Indo-European people who ruled from 1700 to 1200BCE. Their mythology included over 600 gods and created the Kumarbi Cycle. * Hattians: The Hattians are a pre-Hittite people who resided in Anatolia. They were taken over by the Hittites and adopted a lot of their culture and syncretized some of their gods. * Hurrians: The Hurrians were a people who resided in northern, modern-day Syria who had an empire named Mittani. They were overtaken by the Hittites and syncretized some of their gods. * Hattusas: Hattusas is the capital of the Hittite empire.This city is where the Illuyanka Myths were found written on cuneiform tablets. * Hattian Storm God: The Hattian Storm god has no name and was the chief god of the Hittites. In version 1 of the Illuyanka Myths, the storm god defeats Illyanka when she is drunk and tied up. * Illuyanka: Illuyanka is the serpentine dragon in the Hattian Iluyanka Myths. In the first version, Illuyanka is killed by the storm god himself, whereas in the second version, Illuyanka is killed by the storm god’s son. * Purulli Festival: The Purulli Festival is the festival celebrating the arrival of spring by the Hattians.The Illuyanka Myths are associated with the Purulli Festival. * Inara: Inara is the daughter of the storm god in Hattian mythology. In the first version of the Illuyanka myths, Inara creates a feast for Illuyanka, and tricks the serpent into getting slain. * Hupasiya: Hupasiya is a mortal man who agrees to help Inara in the first version of the Hattian Illuyanka myths. In the myth, he ties up Illuyanka when she is extremely drunk and as a reward gets to sleep with Inara. * Kumarbi Cycle: The Kumarbi Cycle is considered a Hurrian literary work but is written in Hittite. These poems describe the Hurrian god of the Underworld, Kumarbi. Kumarbi: Kumarbi is the Hurrian god of the underworld. In the Hurrian Song of Kumarbi, he overthrows Anu and swallows his genitals, becoming pregnant with gods. * Alalu: Alalu is the king of the gods in Hurrian mythology and is the father of Kumarbi. In the Song of Kumarb i, he is dethroned by Anu. * Tessub: Tessub is the sky god in Hurrian mythology. In the Song of Ullikummi, Tessub battles Ullikummi. * Song of Kumarbi: The Song of Kumarbi is a succession myth in Hurrian mythology. In this myth, Kumarbi is ultimately overthrown by Tessub. * Song of Ullikummi: The song of Ullikummi is a succession myth in Hurrian mythology.In this myth, Kumarbi attempts to overthrow Tessub by impregnating a three mile rock with a child named Ullikummi to storm the heavens. * Ullikummi: Ullikummi is the child of Kumarbi and a stone in the Hurrian Song of Ullikummi. In this myth, Ishtanu spots Ulikummi growing and tells Tessub of the plot; a battle ensues and Ullikummi is defeated by Tessub. * Istanu: Ishtanu is the sun god in Hurrian mythology. In the Song of Ullikummi, Ishtanu discovers Ullikummi growing and warns Tessub about the threat. * Ubelurri: Ubelurri is the supporter of the sky in Hurrian mythology, similar to Atlas’ role in Greek Mythology.In the Hur rian Song of the Ulikummi, Ea goes to Ubelurri and cuts off Ulikummi with a cutting tool, removing Ulikummi from his hiding place * Musilis I: Musilis I is the Hittite king who was in charge of the raid of Babylon. This most likely resulted in the syncretism of the trickster god Ea in many Hittian myths. * Hattusilis I: Hattusilis I is the father of Musilis I. He was the king who founded the Hittian Empire in Anatolia. * Indo-European: The language of the Hittites which most likely originated in central Europe. This language is the ancestor to most modern day European languages. Mitanni: Mitanni is the capital of the Hurrian Empire north of Mesopotamia. Mittani is a cultural icon of the Hurrians which influence a lot of Hittite cultures. * Genesis: Genesis is the first book of the Torah and Bible which outlines two creation myths and a flood myth. This Israelite book is written in mostly prose which is drastically different than other myths of the time such as the Enuma Elish and th e Baal Cycle. * Israelites/Hebrews: The Israelites are a culture who resided in Canaan and were monotheistic. They are responsible for constructing the book of Genesis. ‘elohim: ‘Elohim is the title of the Israelite god in Genesis. This name is similar to the Canaanite ‘el but is a title rather than a name. * Yahweh: Yahweh is the name of the Hebrew God. Yahweh is a name given to call God in the Hebrew Book of Genesis. * ‘adonay: ‘Adonay means lord and is the newer name people used to describe god after 538 BCE. This is because people believed that Yahweh was too holy for humans to speak. * monolatry: Monolatry is the acknowledgement that there are many gods; however, only one is worshipped. This was the view of the Hebrew culture. * monotheism: Monotheism is the belief that there is only one god.This is the view of Hebrews after the Babylonian Exile in 536 BCE. * Leviathan: Leviathan is the sea creature that symbolizes evil in the Hebrew culture. In Ge nesis, Yahweh defeats the Leviathan, similar to Marduk defeating Tiamat. * Rahab: Rahab is another name for the sea serpent that Yahweh defeats. In Israelite mythology, the battle between Rahab and Yahweh is symbolism for the battle between order and chaos. * bereshith: Bereshith is the Hebrew word meaning â€Å"in the beginning. † This name is a description of chapter 1 of Genesis because it describes the Israelite myth of creation. JEDP Theory: The JEDP theory is the modern theory describing the Hebrew Torah, which contains Genesis. The theory explains that there are many discrepancies because the author was compiling several stories into one which means there are four distinct authors to the Torah. * shemesh: Shemesh is Hebrew word meaning Sun. This word is used in Genesis to distinguish it from other cultures around the same time such as the Ugaritic sun god â€Å"Shapash,† because the author of Genesis didn’t want to create the impression that Yahweh was cr eating a binatural god. * yareah: Yareah is the Hebrew word meaning Moon.This word is used in Genesis to distinguish it from other cultures around the same time such as the Ugaritic moon god â€Å"Yarikh,† because the author of Genesis didn’t want to create the impression that Yahweh was creating a binatural god. * tehom: Tehom is the Hebrew word meaning deep in Genesis. This word is used to refer to the primordial waters which are associated with chaos and disorder. * cosmocentric: Cosmocentric is used to refer that the creation of both the heavens and earth are created before humans. This idea is used in the first Hebrew creation myth in Genesis, Chapter 1. geocentric: Geocentric is a term used to refer to the creation of the earth, sea and plants. A geocentric creation is mentioned in the first creation myth of the Hebrew Genesis, which occurs on the third day. * anthropocentric: Anthropocentric is a term used to refer to creation of humans being the most important, followed by the Earth and other aspects. This concept is featured in the second creation myth of the Hebew Genesis. * Tree of Knowledge: The Tree of Knowledge is what the serpent in the second creation myth of the Hebrew Genesis lures the man and woman too.The serpent, a trickster, promises the man and woman that eating from the Tree of Knowledge will make them God-like. * Tree of Life: The Tree of Life represents immortality in the Hebrew Genesis. Yahweh warns Adam and Eve to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge; when they disobey, he bans them from the garden so as to prevent them from eating of the Tree of Life and gain immortality. * ‘itsavon: ‘Itsavon is the Hebrew word meaning pain and toil. This word is mentioned in the second creation myth of the Hebrew Genesis to refer to the punishment that Yahweh bestows upon Adam and Eve for eating from the Tree of Knowledge.For women, it means pain during childbirth and for men it means toiling in the soil. * ‘adam: â⠂¬ËœAdam is the Hebrew word meaning â€Å"man. † This word is used as a pun on the word ‘adamah in Genesis because ‘adamah means clay and the first man is made from clay. * ‘adamah: ‘Adamah is the Hebrew word meaning clay. This word is used as a pun on the word ‘adam in Genesis because ‘adam means man and clay is used to create the first man. * Adam: Adam is the name given to the first created man in the second creation myth of the Hebrew Genesis. Adam is very obedient to Yahweh, but disobeys him when he accepts fruit from the Tree of Knowledge from Eve. Eve: Eve is the name given to the first created woman in the second creation myth of the Hebrew Genesis. Eve is tricked by the serpent into eating from the Tree of Knowledge and is punished by Yahweh. * Tanakh: Tanakh is the word given to describe the Jewish Bible. The first book of the Tanakh is the book of Genesis which outlines creation. * Israelite: An Israelite is an inhabitant of the ancient kingdom of Israel. Israelites were the first believers in monotheism and authored the book of Genesis. * Solomon: Solomon is the son of David, whose reign marks the high point of political power of Ancient Israel.Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem to worship the one, Hebrew, god: Yahweh. * Babylonian Exile: The Babylonian exile is when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BCE and deported the Israelites to Babylon. This exile marked the point in which the Israelites shifted from monolatry to monotheism. * Cyrus the Great: Cyrus the Great is Persian conqueror of Babylon in 538. He allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland and rebuild Jerusalem. * Hesiod: Hesiod is the Greek Poet who wrote the Theogony. In the beginning of the Theogony, Hesiod calls on the Muses to assist him in writing the myth. Theogony: The Greek Theogony is both a creation and a succession myth written by Hesiod around 700 BCE. This myth describes the creation of the universe and the succes sion of Kronos over Ouranos, and Zeus over Kronos. * proem: A proem is a short introduction in the opening lines of a poem that introduces a main theme. The Greek Theogony includes a proem in which Hesiod calls on the Muses for inspiration. * Muses: The Muses are goddesses that are believed in Greek mythology to inspire poets. In the Greek Theogony? the Muses inspire Hesiod to write the story of creation. * Helikon: Helikon is a mountain in Greece.In Greek mythology, this mountain is believed to serve as the home for the Muses. * Chaos: Chaos is the first god created in the Greek Theogony. Hesiod describes the binatural god Chaos as a large void and gap of empty space. * Gaia/Ge: Gaia is the binatural goddess of the Earth. In the Greek Theogony, she is considered to be one of the first four primal gods. * Tartaros: Tartaros is binatural god of the area below underworld. Considered to be one of the primal gods in the Greek Theogony, Tartaros is considered to be a prison where the Tit ans were confined. * Eros: Eros is the Greek, binatural, goddess of sexual desire.Eros is considered to be one of the primal gods in the Theogony. * Erebos: Erebos is the god of the underworld in Greek mythology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Erebos is born as a result of pathogenesis and conceives Air and Day with Night. * Ouranos: Ouranos is the god of the sky in Greek mythology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Ouranos mates with Gaia and gives birth to the titans, Cyclopes and the Hundred-handers. * Titans: The Titans are the children of Ouranos and Gaia in Greek mythology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, the Titans are defeated by Zeus and the Hundred-handers and are thrown into Tartaros. Cyclopes: The Cyclopes are the children of Gaia and Ouranos in Greek mythology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Zeus frees the Cyclopes from Tartaros and they make his thunderbolts which are used to defeat the Titans. * Hundred-handers: The Hundred-handers are the children of Gaia and Ouranos in Greek My thology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, the Hundred-handers help Zeus defeat the Titans. * Zeus: Zeus is the king of the gods in Greek mythology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Zeus throws Kronos into Tartaros and becomes King of the Gods. * Kronos: Kronos is a titan in Greek mythology.In Hesiod’s Theogony, Kronos stands up to Ouranos, castrates Ouranos with the sickle of adamant, and becomes the king of the gods until his son Zeus overthrows him. * sickle: A sickle is a weapon that Kronos uses to castrate Ouranos in the Greek Theogony. This sickle is given to Kronos by Gaia because she is furious that Kronos sent her children to Tartaros. * adamant: Adamant is a metal in Greek Mythology described as being the strongest metal in the world. Gaia gives Kronos a sickle made of this to castrate his father, Ouranos. * aphros: Aphros is the sea foam in Greek mythology from which Aphrodite is born.This foam is created when Kronos castrates his father Ouranos and throws his genitals into the sea. * Aphrodite: Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty in Greek Mythology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, she is born from the aphros that are a result of Ouranos’ castrated genitals in the sea. * Rhea: Rhea is wife and sister of Kronos in Greek Mythology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, Gaia tells Rhea to hide Zeus on Crete because Kronos begins eating all of his children as they are born because a prophecy from Gaia and Ouranos states that Kronos would be overthrown by his son. Olympians: The Olympians are the children of Rhea in Greek Mythology. In Hesiod’s Theogony, the Olympians help wage war with Zeus against the Titans. * Titanomachy: Titanomachy is the part of the Greek Theogony that describes battle with the Titans. The titans are thrown into Tartaros by Zeus at the end of the Titanomachy. * Metis: Metis is the early mate of Zeus in Greek mythology. In the Theogony, Metis becomes pregnant and Zeus swallows her because a prophecy is known that Zeus’ son wi ll overthrow the king of the gods. * Athena: Athena is the goddess of wisdom and cleverness in Greek mythology.In the Theogony, Athena is born from Zeus’ head after swallowing the pregnant Metis. * Typhoios: Typhoios is the son of Gaia and Tartaros in Greek mythology. This 100 headed, fire-breathing dragon battles Zeus, loses and is thrown into Tartaros. * Apollodorus: Apollodorus is falsely ascribed as the Greek writer who compiled the Library. Apollodorus includes a different version of the battle between Zeus and Typhoios than what is written in Hesiod’s Theogony. * Library: The Library is a Greek mythological handbook written around the first or second century CE.The Library is falsely attributed to Apollodorus, rather â€Å"Psuedo-Apollodorus† wrote the Library. * Delphyne: Delphyne is a dragon in Greek Mythology that guards the sinews of Zeus. These sinews were stolen from Zeus by Typhon. * Mt. Aitna: Mt. Aitna is the location in Apollodorus’ versio n of Zeus vs. Typhon in which Zeus attacks Typhon. Typhon is trapped under the mountain by Zeus and it subsequently becomes volcanic. * Phoenicians: The Phoenicians were a people living on the coast of modern-day Lebanaon. The Greeks adopted an alphabet script from them and created the Greek alphabet as a result. Ascra: Ascra is the city-state in which Hesiod is born. Hesiod is the author of the Greek Theogony. * Cyme: Cyme is the city in the Asia minor where Hesiod’s father left to move to Ascra. This city is important because living close to non-Greek cultures allowed Hesiod to learn many foreign myths, which most likely influenced his writing of the Greek Theogony * Atrahasis: Atrahasis is a Babylonian flood myth that describes Atrahasis, the king of the city of Shurupakk, survival. In the myth, Atrahasis builds a boat and survives the flood that lasts for seven days and seven nights. Ipiq-Aya: Ipiq-Aya is the author of the Babylonian flood myth Atrahasis. He wrote the poe m on three tablets in cuneiform. * Ellil: Ellil is the gods’ boss in in Babylonian Atrahasis. The noise of the humans anger Ellil and he sends a plague, a famine, a drought and finally a flood to destroy humanity. * Mami/Nintu: Mami is the creator goddess in Babylonian mythology. In Atrahasis, Mami creates humans from the blood of Ilawela and clay, creating seven men and seven women. * Ilawela: Ilawela is a Babylonian god who is slain in order to create humans.Mami uses the blood of the slain Ilawela to create humans to do the work of the gods. * Shuruppak: Shurupakk is the city in which Atrahasis is king. In the Babylonian Atrahasis, Ellil sends a plague to the city of Shuruppak to kill all humanity. * Namtara: Namtara is the god that the people of Shuruppak worship once the plague occurs. In the Babylonian Atrahasis, Namtara notices how all the people of the city are only worshipping him and he uplifts the plague to save humanity. * Adad: Adad is the god that the people of Shuruppak worship once the famine occurs.In the Babylonian Atrahasis, Adad notices how all the people of the city are only worshipping him and he uplifts the famine to save humanity. * reed hut: The reed hut is mentioned in the Babylonian Atrahasis when Enki promises not to tell humans about the flood. Instead, Enki tells the wall of a reed hut that a flood will happen and Atrahasis overhears this message to the reed hut and acts on the advice. * Epic of Gilgamesh: The Epic of Gilgamesh is a popular work made up of 12 cuneiform tablets. On the eleventh tablet of the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, is where the flood myth with Utnapishtim is found. Utnapishtim: Utnapishtim is the king of the city of Shuruppak. In the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapistim is warned of a coming flood by Ea, survives and is granted immortality. * bitumen: Bitumen is the material used in making boats waterproof. In the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim uses bitumen to make his boat waterproof an d survive the huge flood. * Mt. Nimush: Mt. Nimush is the mountain that Utnapishtim lands on at the end of the flood in the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. From this mountain, Utnapishtim releases the three birds, a dove, a swallow and a raven to see if there is land. Noah: Noah is the righteous man who evades the Flood in the Hebrew Genesis. God tells Noah to build a boat and to bring two of each animal with him. * cypress wood: Cypress wood is the wood that is explicitly stated by God to be used in the building of the boat. In the Hebrew Genesis, God gives Noah very specific direction on how to build the boat including that the wood must be cypress and even the exact dimensions. * Mt. Ararat: Mt. Ararat is the mountain in which Noah lands on at the end of the flood. In the Hebrew Genesis, Noah sends out a raven and doves from this mountain to see if there is land. berit: Berit is the formal agreement with life on Earth that he will never send any more floods. This agreement was made between God and Noah at the end of the Hebrew Genesis. * Ovid: Ovid is a roman poet who was exiled from Rome by Augustus. Ovid is the author of Metamorphoses. * Metamorphoses: Metamorphoses is a myth written by Ovid. This Greco-Roman myth explains the creation of the universe and a flood. * Augustus: Augustus is the Roman emperor around the time when Ovid wrote his Metamorphoses. Augustus sent Ovid out of Rome in exile for being critical of his rule. Stoic: Stoic is the architect god in Roman mythology. In the Greco-Roman Metamorphoses, there are two stoic doctrines present which describe the flood and conflagration. * Prometheus: Prometheus is one of the four possible creators of humans. In the Greco-Roman Metamorphoses, Prometheus uses earth and water to create humans. * Golden Age: The golden age is a time of peace and abundance in Greco-Roman mythology. This time was ruled by Saturn and is considered to be the best. * Saturn: Saturn is the Roman god who ruled over the Golden Ag e.In Ovid’s Metamorphoses Saturn ruled and granted an abundance of peace of prosperity. * Silver Age: The silver age is the second age in the Greco-Roman Metamorphoses. This period Is ruled by the god Jupiter and is a time when men become more immoral. * Bronze Age: The Bronze Age occurs after the Silver Age in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. This age does not last very long as men are very warlike and kill each other quickly. * Iron Age: The Iron Age occurs after the Bronze Age in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. This age is considered to be our own age, in which technology is advanced, and humans have begun to sail and mine. Lycaon: Lycaon is the king of Arcadia (Greece). In the Greco-Roman, Metamorphoses, Lycaon is tested by the god Jupiter and is seen as a bad host. Lycaon is transformed into a wolf as a result. * xenia: Xenia is the Greek word meaning hospitality. Jupiter is the god of xenia as he punishes poor hosts. * xenos: Xenos is the Greek word meaning guest or host. In O vid’s Metamorphoses, Jupiter is the xenos of Lycaon and Lycaon shows him poor hospitality by giving him human flesh to eat. * Arcadia: Arcadia is the region of Greece where Lycaon is king in the Greco-Roman Metamorphoses.Arcadia is the place in which Jupiter disguises himself as a human and catches Lycaon’s poor hospitality. * ekpyrosis: Ekpyrosis is a Greek word meaning conflagration. Conflagration is one of the Stoic’s doctrines which describes an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land. Jupiter considers ekpyrosis in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, but rejects the idea in fear that the flames might reach the heavens. * kataklysmos: Katakylsmos is a term describing a devastating flood. This stoic doctrine is the one chosen by Jupiter in the Greco-Roman Metamorphoses to punish humanity for being poor hosts. Neptune: Neptune is Jupiter’s brother in Greco-Roman Mythology. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Neptune aides Jupiter in sending the flood. * adynaton: Adynaton is a Greek word meaning impossible. This refers to the topsy-turvy world in the Greco-Roman Metamporphoses created after Jupiter’s flood, for example dolphins stuck in trees. * Deucalion: Deucalion is the son of Promethius in Greco-Roman Mythology. In Metamorphoses, he survives the flood with his wife * Pyrrha: Pyrrha is the wife of Deucalion and the daughter of Epimetheus in Greco-Roman Mythology.In Metamorphoses, she survives the flood with Deucalion and prays to mountain gods, nymphs and Themis. * Epimetheus: Epimetheus is the brother of Prometheus in Greco-Roman mythology. In the Metamorphoses, the daughter of Epimetheus survives the flood. * Mr. Parnassus: Mt. Parnassus is the mountain where Deucalion and Pyyrha are swept during Jupiter’s flood in the Greco-Roman Metamorphoses. On this mountain, Deucalion and Pyyrha pray to the many gods during the flood. * Themis: Themis is the oracle that survives Jupiter’s flood in the Greco-Roman Meta morphoses.In the text, Themis tells Deucalion and Pyrrha to throw the bones of your mother behind your back, which leads to creation of humanity. * Tomis: Tomis is the place that Ovid, the roman poet and author of the Greco-Roman Metamrphoses, was exiled to. Ovid wrote poetry in Tomis and sent it to his wife in Rome. * carmen et error: Carmen et error is a latin term that means â€Å"a poem and a mistake. † Ovid, the author of the Greco-Roman Metamorphoses, uses this to refer to the reasons he was exiled from Rome. The poem was his guide to pick up women, Ars Amatoria, and his mistake was his sexual involvement with Julia, Emperor Agustus’ daughter.

Review Essay on Major Publication of a Movie Found Engaging or

Essay on Major Publication of a Found Engaging or Meaningful - Movie Review Example Michael is shown as big black kid from Memphis Tennessee. He is leading a troubled and a miserable life. His dad’s dead and his mom didn’t bother about him. He had no clue where his future was taking. Things turn around for him when he bumps into Leigh Ann. She takes him and for the first time Michael finds himself amidst normal things – for instance a house, having food to eat, a bed to sleep and some ray of home for his future. The stirking contrast shown between the lives led by Leigh’s family and Michael stirred very strong emotions in me. The ground reality of the divisions in our society between the upper echelons and the lower echelons could not help but make me feel bad for the state of poor Michael. He did nothing to deserve the kind of childhood and life he was leading. Unfortunately, he is just a depiction and fictitious character but there are many such cases out there that are malnutritioned, with no home to stay and with no hope for future. T he plight of those kids stood before me as Michael maneuvered his way into the track of the movie. It was heart-breaking to know the reality but even worse was inkling in the back of my mind that Michael is just a character and there are many others out there who literally go through this every day. You can’t help but wonder why some people are blessed with everything in the world (Ann’s family) while some don’t even have a roof above them. The disparity in the society raised a lot of questions in my mind. (The Blind-Side Rotten Tomatoes) While I loved the theme of the movie, it had some short –comings too. They did not characterize Leigh Ann deeply. It was never made clear what her motivations were. What was she feeling guilty about? For being so rich or for Michael being so unlucky? Was it guilt over her being white and Michael being black? He goes on to become a player in the NFL. What financial gain did she gain in bringing him down? What was her yout h like? Clearly, there are so many rich people out there but not everyone bothers to offer shelter to passersby in their house. What drove Leigh Ann to such an extent? There are such potholes in the track that need to make sense in the movie. Part of the reason why it garnered flak from most of the critics is because of such places where the movie failed to make sense. I also felt that the casting of the movie was inappropriate for Michael. Quinton Aaron was not the best choice. He didn’t generate a lot of emotions. Most of the time he stood there with a half smile on his face. It was very difficult to decipher his emotions through the course of the movie. Kathy Bates had nothing substantial to offer. Why she was even there made no sense too. However the aforementioned are the only glitches in the track. The Blind Side takes on a very different humanitarian theme. It was heart wrenching to see Michael trying to lead a normal life; doing little things and especially when he pl ayed football. The movie does not have extra-vagant sets or an extra-ordinary script that will fetch it an Oscar but it is good movie that takes on the plight of the unfortunate. It made me feel good to know that there are people out there who feel for the state of the under pledged and tried to depict it through a movie. The film-maker deserves a standing ovation for this no matter what his motive was. While performances are concerned, Sandra Bullock was spot-on. This was one of her career best performances. She carries herself very

Final Research Project Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Project - Research Paper Example I started by looking at the main company website which is at http://www.chevron.com/ I was interested to find out how the company chooses to present itself and so I looked under the tab â€Å"About Chevron† which was on the top left of the screen. There was a short statement: â€Å"At Chevron, we are relentlessly focused on producing safe, reliable energy now and for the future. How are we doing it? By applying the energy we have most in abundance Human energy.† This was not what I expected, because I know already that the main product area is fossil fuels like oil and gas, and I did not expect it to focus on its people. On other tabs there was information on the manufacturing side of things, and distribution through pipelines, shipping and gas stations. The company profile section provided the most factual information such as the founding date in 1879, in an area near Los Angeles, California. The global workforce is about 60,000 employeees and there are another 4,000 s ervice station employees who are linked to the main company. Its production figures are a little out of date, quoting 2.7 million barrels of net oil-equivalent production per day. From its location in California the company expanded in the 1920s to ventures in the Philippines, Alaska and Colombia in the quest for oil. In the 1930s they worked in Saudi Arabia and then from the 1940s through the 1970s they built pipelines to transport the oil from their wells. In 2001 the company merged with Texaco to become the second largest U.S. based energy company. The future ventures of the company focus on the Gulf of Mexico and Kazakhstan. There is a recognition that all kinds of energy are going to be needed in the future, not just oil and gas, and so I was pleased to note that a lot of money is being invested in research. This is an area that I would be interested in working for. The company is bound to present itself in the best possible light and so I looked next for external sources that would give more neutral information. The website www.business.com/directory/ provided a link to the Chevron company website that I had just been looking at, and it also had a link to the Wall Street Journal share prices for Chevron. This is the second source that I used. It gives an up to date snapshot of the company’s performance on the markets and I noted that the share price over the last 12 months had risen: Chevron stock prices, year to 1/14/11 Source: http://online.wsj.com/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=CVX As my third source I followed the course instructions to look at the Hoovers business information page and there I found a list of subsidiaries and locations for the Chevron company. I was interested to note that Chevron U.S.A. which manages the US side of the business has its headquarters in San Ramon, California. The offices and research areas are not located in the same place as the oil and gas fields. I was reassured by my research on the company because I foun d its home web pages to be professional and positive. The market trend over a year is positive, with share prices rising despite the increasing costs of finding oil resources as older fields are getting used up. The company has been involved in mergers, and shows flexibility in its links with other countries, always looking for new sources of raw material. I could see also that there were areas of the business outside pure manufacturing, like the development of additives and various kinds of research. In

Issues Intestacy Shares under Sharia Law and California Probate Code Thesis

Issues Intestacy Shares under Sharia Law and California Probate Code - Thesis Example In addition, a Sharia trust has the added advantage of setting aside surplus wealth to meet contingencies of the future. The law and practice of Sharia tend to be prescriptive, and heirs under this regime obtain rights to aliquot shares in the estate of the individual from whom they have descended.2 With regard to the Sharia law, it is obligatory for a Muslim to follow the strict formulation that it prescribes, in the context of dividing property among the heirs. Moreover, this obligation is religious; and individuals cannot inherit or disinherit the members of their family, in accordance with their whims and fancies. This latter requirement is aimed at averting potential conflict in a family unit. The objective of the Qur’an is to severely restrict any act that could jeopardize a family unit. 3 At several places, the Qur’an provides clear cut instructions regarding the disposal of property. Thus, verse seven of the fourth chapter declares that men and women have a share in the property left by parents and near relatives. Such share hold good, irrespective of the extent of the property. This has the effect of providing them with a determinate share. An elaborate account of the laws related to inheritance shares is to be found at verses 11 and 12 of chapter four.4 Despite these exhortations, the Qur’an does not provide a comprehensive scheme for dealing with the distribution of inherited property and wealth. Further instructions, have to be gleaned from the Hadith or recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. This makes it abundantly clear that a will that complies with the Qur’an and Hadith should be in place. In addition, these sources of inheritance law permit scholars to divide a structured and rule based mechanism of inheritance.5 It is incumbent upon Muslims to possess a written will, as per the tenets of the Sharia law. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad had declared in the collection

Law for Non-Lawyers Summative Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law for Non-Lawyers Summative - Assignment Example The task of interpreting falls on the judge ruling on a particular case. The interpretation of the statute will be aimed at discovering the true intention that the legislature intended and put that into practice. Judges have been interpreting statutes for centuries now. In the past, though, the statutes were being drawn by very competitive legislature people and made the issue of interpretation almost non-existence, the same cannot be said of today. The task of interpretation of statutes has become very critical in the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty first centuries. The courts always find it necessary to interpret the statutes even though they have been drafted by experts. Some of the reasons that may be attributed to the inconsistencies, and therefore the need for interpretation, include the following. First, words are not necessarily the perfect symbols of communication. Depending on the context and the time the words were written or spoken different meanings can be derived from the same words. Secondly, some situations that were unforeseen at the time of making the legislation will also necessitate adequate interpretation to give consideration to the recent development. These developmen ts may include change of culture and or technologies which make the application of a particular statute difficult. The third reason may be the need to take care or give special treatment to special interest groups (Kim, 2008). In their duty of interpreting the statutes, the judges may use several instruments at their disposal; these include rules and canons or doctrines that guide interpretations. Some of the rules include the literal rule, the mischief rule, the golden rule and the purposive approach. The doctrines include ejusdem generis and noscitur a sociis among others. This paper examines a case of Tom allegedly in breach of the Prohibition of Unsolicited Parties (Fictitious) Act 2010 that prohibited the gathering of more than a hundred persons on a

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 18

Sociology - Essay Example As they reach the â€Å"third age† bracket, it is noted that they tend to concentrate more on their family life (i.e. their children and grandchildren). Though others may still prefer career growth, there is a notable change of priorities among people of the â€Å"third age†. In one of the interviews conducted, the subject is quite fulfilled with the social interactions that she experiences at home that she gives more emphasis on the benefits (i.e. joys, respect and getting her mind sharp) that she gains from her children and grandchildren than the â€Å"nagging pains† that keep her at home. People among the â€Å"third age† could also have the same needs and/or drives of improving business and keeping ahead of competition just as people in the mid-30s do, but more so is their urgency to find time with their famililes (e.g. going on long trips with wife and kids). Indeed, older people have the capacity to shape their life stages and cultural spaces (i.e. l ife stages, new norms, new communities) [3] and they can do it incredibly

Ethnography interviewing Parents who encourage their children to play Research Paper

Ethnography interviewing Parents who encourage their children to play aggressive sports - Research Paper Example Several parents are in favor of having their children play aggressive sports. One mother that was interviewed gave her side of the story. According to parent Sandra Hemingway (personal communication, August 8, 2011), she allows her 12-year-old daughter to participate in kickboxing because she believes it not only allows her to â€Å"learn valuable self-defense techniques,† but also because she thinks it is wonderful exercise for a young, growing girl. Another parent felt that having his child play an aggressive sport was a rite of passage, and part of his cultural heritage. According to parent Mark Garcia (personal communication, August 8, 2011), he allows his 14-year-old son to participate in soccer because it is a team-oriented sport which has cultural ties to his native homeland of Mexico. It seems that parents are definitely models for how aggressively participants of certain sports can act. According to Dunlap (2005), â€Å"Parents, coaches, teammates, and sport heroes often model support for aggressive styles of play†¦Ideally, childrens participation in sports should be fun, contribute to physical development, teach skills, [and] help develop social skills†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 38). Social skills are important for younger children. Research seems to suggest that, the more aggressive a contact sport is, the weaker the moral fibers of the child participating in the sport. This also suggests that the parents of these children are also going to have scored lower on moral reasoning tests. According to Hughes (2009), â€Å"People who have the greatest interest in highly aggressive contact sports or have participated in them for the longest amounts of time tend to score lower on tests of moral reasoning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 49). Parents have actually been proven to be more prone to ‘sports rage,’ especially because of their children being involved in aggressive sports events. According to â€Å"New Law Upgrades ‘Sports Rage’ Penalty† (2002), â€Å"[L]awmakers cited

Criminal justice system Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal justice system - Research Paper Example This paper describes the criminal justice system and its importance. The paper concludes with a brief summary of the main content as well as the perception of the author in respect to the topic. Undeniably, the criminal justice system is a broad area. The following is a discussion of importance of studying criminal justice system as well as the comparison between United States of America’s criminal justice system and the international criminal justice system. Proper criminal justice system attempts to restore peace and harmony within a given society. Hence, by training people on criminal justice systems, a society or nation prepares itself in experiencing remarkable peace and harmony as the trained personnel carry out their duty in preventing and reducing crimes. This marks the first significance of studying criminal justice system. Other than equipping people with skills and knowledge, studying criminal justice system enables the learners not only to understand but also appreciate forms of crimes and how they can be reduced or prevented within the society. In addition, studying of criminal justice system provides an opportunity to an individual to understand and appreciate different forms of institutions, public or private, which are actively involved in preventing and reducing crimes. Since criminal law is studied within the criminal justice system, studying the latter informs learners on criminal and other branches of law. Indeed, studying criminal justice system is very vital for ensuring maintenance of law and order with an aim of restoring peace and harmony. United States versus International Criminal Justice Systems United States of America being a western country has different criminal justice system from other international parties especially the non-western countries. USA unlike other international cou ntries has varied goals and conceptions of criminal justice systems. For instance, USA practices the Anglo-Saxon legal culture and system in achieving goals and concepts of criminal justice. Following the culture and system of Anglo-Saxon principles, USA has developed varied legal ideologies in comparison to those of the international arena. In this respect, USA has for a long time through the tradition relied on emphasizing rights of defendants during the trial process as opposed to other international countries such as United Kingdom whose criminal justice system emphasizes on punishing the guilty persons (Reichel, 2007). In addition, America’s processes and procedures in determining the innocence of an individual especially within the court rooms significantly vary from other international countries. Training of personnel to take up positions, functions, and responsibilities within criminal justice department vary

The Family in the UK today is in crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Family in the UK today is in crisis - Essay Example absence of fathers in the lives of their children.2 Aside from the after effect of the feminist movement on traditional family lifestyle, Burgess (1926) states that industrialization and modernization also creates a signifincant impact over the continuously changing functions on nuclear family in our society.3 With regards to the increasing rate of divorce in UK, the essence of a child personally knowing and growing up with his/ her biological parents is highly affected. As a result, a lot of social consequences are becoming significant in the lives of the local citizens. In order to determine whether the family in UK today is in crisis, the researcher will examine the trend related to divorce rate, crime rate, employment rate, early abortion rate and the decline in the UK population as well as its corresponding consequences in our society. One of the main causes of crime is due to poor parenting which is often associated with broken family.4 Many times, children who grew up with a broken family either causes an aggressive behavior or inferiority complex among the children.5 Eventually, these young individuals may end up searching for other alternative ways such as joining a gangster or end up using drugs and alcohol in order to divert their attention from their family issues.6 In line with this matter, Slapper (1997a, 1997b) suggest that parents who practice poor parenting should be controlled by imposing them a penalty.7 Social and economic resources of each family could affect the parents’ capacity to regulate their children’s behaviour.8 In a traditional nuclear family structure, in case the father could not provide sufficient monetary income for the needs of the family, the wife has no choice but to go out of the house to work. Based on the report that was released by the Office for National Statistics in 2006, divorce rate in England and Wales fell by 7% as compared to 2005.9 Eventhough divorce rate in UK dropped from 13.1 to 12.2 persons

An Indian Muslim Wife Essay Example for Free

An Indian Muslim Wife Essay Religion plays an important part in family and society in most of the Muslim societies. Muslims and Christians are spread throughout the world and the puritanical Christian and Muslim wife based in the concepts of scriptures of both religions may be a part of the books only [Rashid, 2007]. Cultural influences, economic conditions and varying influence of religion in the society means that a Muslim wife of one society is not subject to the same kind cultural practices throughout the world. An Afghan or a Saudi Arabian woman is more likely to follow the local religious practices of modesty and veils, while most Muslim women in India only have to observe a modest dress code. The very traditional families or families of religious scholars may still observe the hijab, a dress similar to that worn by Catholic nuns [Women, Islam Hijab, 2007]. For the information given here, I contacted a few of Indian women in my locality and they happened to be of Muslim religion and agreed to share their knowledge and experiences with me [Indian Muslim Wife, 2007]. The first thing one hears in these conversations is that ‘there is no such thing as a typical Indian Muslim or Hindu Wife’. The society in many of the developing countries has vast difference between the rich and the poor, and there is also a fast developing middle class. The very rich have become largely anglicized and the English medium public education under the Cambridge/Oxford based schooling system has given them the perception of family life very similar to that of a European or American family. A few characteristics common to all Indian Muslim families are importance of family life, providing protective environment for the children, fidelity in marriage and finding spouse of Muslim faith. The Muslim wife of a rich Indian family is well provided for. She is normally well educated and even if she is not involved in her own career or business, she has to accompany her husband to social parties; she does not drink even if the Muslim husband has given up practicing the prohibition imposed by religion. A Muslim Indian wife is expected to be faithful to her husband. The pressure of the society is such that even if men were to astray, the wife risks the risk of being ostracized if she indulges in any such activities. Indian Muslim families normally have to live in an extended family. Looking after the parents is responsibility of the male children of the family. It is almost given that she any Muslim woman will have her in-laws living in the same house. Depending on their nature, it may be blessing to share a house with in-laws as a number of women can go out more freely to pursue their career or to attend the social functions while the elder members of the family can look after the children. Most rich Indian Muslim women can hire servants and only have to supervise the household responsibilities. The middle class Muslim Indian wife has many more problems. The man is the breadwinner and the woman looks after the house, brings up the children, looks after the in-laws if they are old and infirm and makes ends meet in relatively moderate income. The Indian middle class society is rather conservative and the religious restriction placed on Muslim middle class women due to conservatism restricts the freedom of movement, ability to work, choice of professions for women in the middle class Muslim families is also limited. The traditional families prefer to keep the women at home or if they have to work professions such as teaching, medicine and assisting family members in their business are preferred. The poor Indian Muslim wife probably suffers the most. They are married off at an early age by marriages arranged by their parents. Low income of the family means that Indian Muslim wife from a poor family has to work hard often in poor paid jobs as domestic servant or on farms. The full day work, however does not reduce her responsibilities at home as she has to do all the household work, cooking cleaning, looking after the husband and children and in laws too. The poverty-stricken family has to stay in huts or semi constructed houses in shantytowns and suffers all the problems of poverty. The Muslim Indian women are brought up in traditional ways and given Islamic as well as normal education. Divorce rates among Muslims are very low. This may also be a result of the problems in the society. Divorce carries some stigma, the women are allowed to re-marry and the young divorcees normally do. The pressures on families are economic, social and emotional. Break-up of family deprives the woman of financial support, women if they do not re-marry are not free to socialize or date as openly as in Europe/America.

Organization Behavior and Leadership Essay Example for Free

Organization Behavior and Leadership Essay The Expectancy Theory of Motivation One of the most widely accepted theories of motivation is Victor Vrooms Expectancy Theory. â€Å"Expectancy theory argues that the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual.† (Robbins Judge, 2007, p.208) [i] In other words, employees will have the motivation to put forth a strong effort, if: They believe the effort will give them positive recognition. (This is called the â€Å"effort-performance† relationship.) That positive recognition must then lead to some kind of desirable reward, such as more money or an increase in status or power. (This is called the â€Å"performance-reward† relationship.) That reward must also be something that fulfills a personal goal for the employee. (This is called the â€Å"rewards-personal goals† relationship.) All three components need to be present for an individual to exert the kind of effort needed to be considered an intense motivation for action and performance of a duty or task. Lets consider the following example: A company that produces a high quality audio products has recently introduced a new production process in an effort to help the employees meet a goal of high production standards. Supervisor As team of employees are not doing well with the production process. Some do not strive to master the process, those that have mastered it are not putting forth effort to reach the goals, and even top-producers dont seem interested in achieving the goals. After speaking to some of Supervisor As team, Supervisor B has discovered that the following concerns are expressed by the team: Some do not feel they can be successful because they believe lack the dexterity needed to implement the process. Some feel that it is not worth the putting forth the extra effort to reach the goals because there is no difference in salary increase for those that meet the goals and those that do not. They believe that performance has to be very slow before it affects the rate of pay. They also say that when a bonus is given, after the withholdings are taken out, the bonus is so small that overtime actually is seen as better way to earn more money than trying to earn a bonus. This scenario lends itself to the perfect situation to implement the expectancy theory of motivation. The employees feel: That there is no recognition for achieving the goal. That there is no reward for achieving the goal. Since there is no recognition or reward, there is no opportunity for employees to evaluated their personal goals to see if reaching the performance goal will help to fulfill a personal goal. The company could implement the expectancy theory by enacting the following steps: Create a specific recognition for those that master process. For those that master the process bonuses can be implemented that exceed those monetary rewards that overtime would bring. Personally interview each employee to discover what their employment goals are and create a personalized plan to reach those goals, make mastering the process one of those steps needed to reach the personal goal. This plan would address all three components of the expectancy theory. However the plan should not be created as one-time policy implementation. Rather it should be tested and evaluated to discover what rewards and recognitions created the most effective levels of motivation. [ i ]. Robbins, S. P., Judge, T. A. (2007). Organization behavior. (12 ed., p. 208). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Should Parents Be Allowed To Choose Sex?

Should Parents Be Allowed To Choose Sex? Sex-selection is the attempt to achieve a desired sex by controlling the gender of the offspring. The selection can be accomplished through pre- and post-implantation of an embryo, as well as at birth. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) and Microsort technique are two new technological methods used to achieve the embryonic sex selection. Prenatal sex discernment, a blood test to test the fetal DNA after the seventh week of pregnancy, is performed after implantation. Microsoft technique is the process where the sperm is sorted to increase the chance the egg is fertilized by a sperm which carrying the desired chromosome. A more precise and accurate, but also more expensive and invasive technique is PGD, a method where the embryos are created and analysed outside the female body or in test tubes before implanted into the females womb. The genetic disorders at the embryonic stage are screened using PGD. Unfortunately, many American clinics offer PGD as a way to choose their babys ge nder by implanting only the fertilized eggs of desired gender into the mothers uterus. Unfortunately, sex selection is illegal in most parts of the world. Several countries like Canada, Australia and also the United Kingdom all have banned the use of PGD for sex selection for nonmedical purposes. In other words, PGD is only justified if a couple has the family history including any sex-linked genetic disorder. Sex selection has raised a lot of arguments whether parents should allow to choose the gender of their future child or not. Before that, what is the factors causing gender selection? Most of the parents are hoping and praying for a baby of a particular gender. First, Male offspring is desired due to the cultural factors. There are a variety of factors causing males more economically and socially valuable than females. For example the property inheritance and the family name of the male heirs, and the workforce can contribute more to the income of once family.1 Women, on the other hand, require the expensive dowries and leave the family upon marriage which are unproductive investment. Since there are many arguments in gender selection, there also rise up the controversy regarding to the abortion or the female infanticide. Although sex-selective infanticide and sex-selective child abandonment is illegal in most parts of the world, they still exist in some countries. The development of ultrasound scanners which can use to determine the sex of unborn children in womb led to the sex-selective abortion, especially in China and India.2 Due to the cultural factors and also the single-child policy in the 1980s and 1990s, male is the only child that ensured or determined by most of the families. In 2000, 120 boys were born in every 100 Chinese girls. 3 Similarly in India, the illegal ultrasound scanning and also the sex selective abortion of female fetus are widespread.4 The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) study indicated that there are 112 boys for every 100 girls born in Albania, while the figures stand at 110 and 109 boys per 100 girls in Kosovo and Montenegro, respectively.5 Besides, the president of 1 Miller, B.D. (1997). The Endangered se: Neglect of female children in rural North India. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2 Greenhalgh, S. (2008). Just one child: Science and policy in Dengs China. University of California Press. 3 The Economist (2011, April 7). Add sugar and spice. 4 Lakshimi, R. (2013). Study: Sex-selective Practises May Be Common in Families of Indian Doctors. The Washington Post. 5 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) the population Research Institute, Steve Mosher also provided some important information on sex-selection abortions in the United States through an article at National Review.6 Dr. Sunita Puri who wanted to find the reason on why many immigrant Indian women in the United States were so eager to know the gender of unborn children and went through abortion if they found out it was not the gender they wanted. Surprisingly, 89% of the women conceiving girls wanted for abortion and nearly half had aborted girls before.7 Sex selection has raised a lot of arguments whether parents should allow to choose the gender of their future child. Another root problem led to the famous gender selection is from the couples with one or more particular gender of children, in which they has an intensified to have another gender of the child. There was a case of a Scottish couple, Mr and Mrs Masterton who had four sons and lost their only daughter in an accident. They were preparing to challenge the HFE Au thority in judicial review due to its refusal in granting the fertility clinic the licence to select the right gender on their embryo to have a girl.8 There are some points and its corresponding argument in whether the parents should allow to choose their future childs gender. First, the incidence of infanticide can be prevent through gender selection. Some of the cultural places still have high incidence although that it is important of having at least one of the particular gender of the child. So, we can prevent the trauma and stress of not having a desired gender of the child which might have negative cultural connotations. The advance of technology doesnt enable us to find which gender the child is. Thus, some couples will be disappointed, then, they abort it and try to conceive again. So, wouldnt it be perfect for the person to choose instead of aborting it until they get the right one? Furthermore, the abandon of children is the most common consequence of the gender selection.9 Some of the parents are willing to throw away their children or hating them because of the undesirable gender. In the past, infanticide was seen the o nly solution if the infants did not have the desired gender that the parents want. But, now, with the advanced medical technology, many parents are going to have an ultrasound scan to determine the sex of the baby. As the ultrasound test and abortion became more available, the trend toward more boys than girls accelerated steadily after 1986.10 A former medical director from the countrys largest abortion provider had mentioned that it was common for the women to decide to terminate their pregnancies because of the gender of the baby.11 Besides, the Dr Vincent Argent had a same opinion and he believed that some of the doctor felt it is reasonable and had arranged the terminations relating to the gender of the foetus.12 The performance of the abortions for the purpose of sex selection is widespread, especially those in South and East Asia like China and India. In India, parents are often willing to pay for an abortion if 6 Mosher, S.W. (2011). Sex-selective Abortions Come Home. National Review Online. 7 Puri, S., Adams, V., Ivey, S., and Nachtigall, R.D. (2011). There is such a thing as too many daughters. But not too many sons: A qualitative study of son preference and fetal sex selection among Indian immigrants in the United States. Social Science Medicine,72(7): 1169-1176. 8 London: HFEA, 2003; www.hfea.gov.uk/docs/final_sex_selection_main_report.pdf 9 Jha et al. (2006). Low female[corrected]-to-male [corrected] sex ratio of children born in India: national survey of 1.1 million households. Lancet, 367: 211-218. 10 Lafraniere, S. (2009). Chinese bias for baby boys creates a gap of 32 million. The New York Times. 11 Newell, C. and Watt, H. (2012). Sex-selection abortions are widespread. Telegraph. 12 Newell, C and Watt, H. (2012). Paragraph 2. it is a girl. Although sex selection test and abortion have been banned for 15 years in India, the figures still state that there are 750,000 girls are aborted each year.13 From an article, Harsh reality of Indias unwanted girls, some Indians believe it is much better that a girl is killed before born rather after.14 Although they know it is a sin to abort, they still turn themselves as a blind eye to let the growing incidence of gender selection. Well, the counterpoint of this is the population of course might become imbalanced if most people just choose a particular gender. These imbalances are harmful because it will interrupt or damage the gene population. The imbalance is expected to steadily worsen among people of childbearing age over the next two decades and could trigger a slew of social problemsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. If youve got highly sexed young men, there is a concern that they will all get together and, with high levels of testosterone, there may be a real risk, that they wi ll go out and commit crimes says coauthor Therese Hesketh.15 An investigative research published in the British Medical Journal, attributed the imbalance almost completely due to the decision of couples to terminate female fetuses. About a million female fetuses are terminated and 10 in thousands of girls are missing.16 Most of the Chinese families in China preferred sons which directly increased the rate of female fetus abortion due to the one-child policy. This policy not only increased the abortion rate, but it also led to a gender imbalance. A study has found that there are currently 32 million more boys than girls under the age 20.17 A similar situation is happening in India too.The data shown that 914 girls are aborted in every 1000 boys in India.18 The termination of female fetuses is not occurred because the parents do not want and love their daughters, but due to the social reasons making them prefer sons.19 Second, the parents should have their own freedom of choice. Why shouldnt the parents to decide their own childs gender, given that no harm is done to others in their decision? The article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that: Men and Women of full ageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ have the right to marry and to found a family. 20 With this right, it should understand and cover the right in making decision on how one family should be built up. Besides, why should a family having a large number of one gender be expropriated of the chance to have a different gender of a child if the technology exists? As the director of the Fertility Institute states: these are grown-up people expressing their reproductive choicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are really happy when they get what they want. 21 13 Prasad, A. (2007). Harsh Reality of Indias unwanted girls. BBC News. 14 Prasad, A (2007). Part 2: Dowry burden. 15 Strickland, E. (2009). Sex-selective Abortions in China have produced 32 Million extra boys. The Discover. 16 Leung, M. (2011). A structural model of sex selective abortion: the effect of one-child policy on sex ratio imbalance in china. University of Minnesota and Washington University in St Louis, p.1-49. 17 Zhu, P.W.X., Lu, P.L., and Hesketh, T. (2009). Chinas excess males, sex selective abortion, and one child policy from 2005 national intercensus survey. BMJ, 338. 18 Lakshimi, R. (2013) 19 The Economist. (2011) 20 U.N General Assembly. (1948, December 10). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Retrieves from United Nations. 21 Stein, R. (2004). A Boy for You, a Girl for Me: Technology Allows Choice. The Washington Post. Well, there is the argument where the freedom of choice is important but it should not be conferred at the unconditional love for ones children. According to the Georgetown professor, the sex selection is a threat to the main value of parenthood that usually expressed by the commitment to unconditional love.22 As Harvard professor Michael Sandel notes, consider the father who wants a boy in hopes of having as a son the athlete he had never been. Suppose the son isnt interested in sportsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ what sorts of expectations will burden a child who has designed with certain purposes in mind? 23 So, the children should be loved whoever they are, not because they are who we wanted. For that reason, parents should be encouraged to love their children equally regardless of gender, and the freedom of choice should not be allowed in this regard. Third, the other argument point regarding to the sex selection should be allowed is with sex-specific, the genetic diseases can be prevented. Some family are carriers of the known sex-specific diseases, it is obviously by gender determination can ensure that the disease will avoid from passing to the next generation or their child. Nearly most of the sex-linked diseases are either more serious among one gender or more common in one gender. For example, haemophilia, HIV, colour blindness, and muscular dystrophy are more common to a male suffering from one X chromosome.24 While, the disease of the immune system is most commonly affected by women.25 Therefore, the Microsoft technique used in sorting the sperm carrying the Y and double X chromosome to determine the gender as well as determining the genetic disorder is carried out. This technique is not harmful to the human genes. Statistical data has shown that over 1200 babies have been born using this advance technology.26 On the other hand, 100% accuracy is not happened for all technology in determining the genetic disease that carries on. Therefore, the medical costs should be considered together with medical benefits. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis involved the embryo development outside the womb and then tested for gender. Only the desired gender is implanted in the womb and how about those are not of the desired gender? All the undesired embryo is destroyed. Over a dozen of embryos or human life has been created with the purpose of destroyed, its also a kind of abortion. The data shown that by using the gender selection technologies, the accuracy rate for choosing a girl is 93% and 82% go to the boys which inevitably most of the selections go for males.27 Thus, most of the couples are so keen to have a child with particular gender and unwilling to take the risk of having one of other gender. Although the Microsort technique is harmless to the parents, some scientists like Lord Winston expressed the fear that the technique will damage the sperm and genetic mutation might be more likely to occur. 22 Stein, R (2004). Page 4. 23 Stein, R (2004). Page 4. 24 Macnair, D.T. (2010). Fragile X syndrome. BBC Health. 25 Doe, J. (2000). Immune System Disorders. Time. 26 Genetics and IVF Institute. (2008). Microsort. Genetics and IVF Institute. 27 Genetics and IVF Institute. (2008). However, one of the points against in sex selection is the pre-selection of sex uses costly medical care for frivolous purposes. The treatment required for gender pre-selection was initially designed to prevent the disease. But many of the patients using the treatment which is capable of conceiving healthy children. A director from the Genesis Genetics Institute said that 70% of patients would not have needed IVF, in other words healthy and fertile couples are choosing this higher risk, sometimes painful and also expensive treatment when they could conceive a baby naturally.28 But, it still depends on the individuals to make decisions whether this treatment is worth or not. There is an evidence from parents who has gone through the treatment. They said that the sex selection of their children was not a frivolous or ridiculous purpose. Sharla Allen replied They are. Theyre totally everything I could ever wantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ but why arent having two daughters that will be just as wond erful as they are? when she was asked whether her three boys had still not been enough for her.29 So, no-one is harmed in this treatment; thus, it should be the parents choice to have the treatment since they know the risks beforehand. On the other hand, the abortion rate can be reduced with this expensive medical technology. The abortion, especially sex selection, is illegal in most of the country. Its same to India where most of the clinics doing illegal abortion were shut down. However, the reality is that sex-selective abortion is still happening behind the door. Thus, it is difficult to control and its not only restricted to the poor.30 There is an evidence that happened to Pooja who married to a multi-millionaire industrialist and had 10 years old twin girls. When she pregnanted another girl, his husband forced her to abort it even he was rich and afford to grow another daughter. She claimed that a girl would only take money with her to her-in-laws without bringing any wealth in.31 Due to the this negative mindset, sex-selective abortion becomes even worse from year to year. Another debate points against the gender selection is the children should not be designed or created to specifications. Children are not pets or toys. So, they are no meant to be designed to let their owner more convenient. Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel argued that it runs the risk of turning procreation and parenting into an extension of the consumer society and it is also one step forward in designing baby.32 The selection of eye colour, hairy ears or hair colour soon will be requested by the parents if the gender selection is allowed. That is only the beginning. This is because we are encouraging the false ideas of perfection if we allowing sex selection. Moreover, there has been no justification for supporting such indulgence at public expense. The gap will grow even bigger between poor and rich people, as the rich designer will want both their design and the appearance of their children to reflect their property or wealth. Let say, if a gay gene is discovered, would parent s be allowed to eliminate embryos containing it? We should follow the idea that we appreciate on everything what we are given. Otherwise, the people will reject their own child more likely when they did not get whatever they want. 28 Gajilan, C. (2005). Gender selection a reality, but is it ethical? CNN Health. 29 Gajilan, C. (2005). 30 Lakshimi, R. (2013) 31 Prasad, A. (2007), Part 3: Tolerated Abortion. 32 Stein,R (2004). Page 1. In contrast, parents have their own right to choose the gender to build up of their family if the technology is available. This can improve the chances of the child to fit into the dream of their family and they are more likely to get loved. Every individual can choose their own partners, and also have their freedom to choose the time of getting pregnant according to their age, wealth or prosperity.33 Parents sacrifice so much for their children. They invest a huge mount of their wealth and years of their lives in growing up their children. So, Isnt fair that in return, they get to choose their child with the gender that they want? This is also an extension of the rights of reproductive field. But, according to the report of Nuffield Council on Bioethnics, an attitude of natural humility, where the parents accept their children is an important feature of parental love. The love the parents owe their children and not dependent on the characteristics of a child.34 Besides, it is a wonder or surprise process in having a child. So, the childbirth should not interfere with human motives. Some people have an opinion that the time of conception is decided by God and do not attempt to play with God. Dr. Mark Hughes, who helped in pioneering the procedure, intended it in preventing the disease of the gender, unfortunately, is not a kind of disease which has no illness and no suffering.35 Furthermore, many people view that there is no morally difference between the new technologies and the abortion where a potential life is taken away. In 2011, there are 196,082 abortions in England and wales.36 How many cases is the consequence of gender selection? The recent news or articles published that the illegal abortion on the grounds of gender might take place in Britain within immigrant communities by analysing the birth statistics.37 As we know, the termination of pregnancy based on the gender is illegal in the UK. But, the abortions of fetuses up to 24 we eks are allowed if the pregnancy was on ground of physical and caused psychological risk to the mother, or in cases the child was severely physically or mentally abnormal.38 According to the recent article by Elena Ralli, there are also evidence shown that the sex-selective abortion is spreading in Europe and the U.S. too.39 If the sex selection is legalized, it will cause the selective abortion became more common and parents will simply kill a human life legally because they want to choose the desired gender of their child. While, there are some arguments stating that the mystery of childbirth is not easy to shatter. Sharla Miller, who go for gender selection, denies the suggestion that it is like playing God. She believed that it is just like every procedure that medical can do for us.40 For example, when the elder child suffers from spina bifida, they fixed it out. Were they playing with God? Moreover, the gender selection is important and helpful for parents to plan their childs future like choosing the clothes, naming etc. The sex selection happened in many countries and cultured by abandonment of unwanted babies or selection abortion. Everyone felt that this is a cruel and terrible waste of human life and also very dangerous for the mother. Obviously, many people strongly object the abortion on moral grounds. The development of new technologies in determining the gender in the early stage of pregnancy will definitely reduce and eventually stop the use of selective abortion. 33 Meek, J. (2001). Baby Blues. The Guardian. 34 Nuffield Council on Bioethics, Genetics and Human Behaviour (2002). The ethical context, Para13.78 35 Leung, R. (2004). Choose the sex of Your Baby. CBS News. 36 Harker, R. (2012) Statistics on Abortions. Page 2. 37 Mason, R. (2013). The abortion of unwanted girls taking place in the UK. Telegraph. 38 HFE Act 1990, Schedule 2, para 1ZB. 39 Ralli, E. (2013). Alarming rise in abortion of female fetuses in Europe. New Europe Online. 40 Leung, R. (2004). After stating the arguments arising in whether the sex selection should be permitted and the most serious effect- abortion because of gender selection. So, what is your opinion on sex-selection? Should the parents be permitted to pre-determine their future childs gender? In my opinion, sex selection should not be permitted to the parents to choose the gender of their future child. From my perspectives, gender selection is extremely bad for women. In other words, girls are discriminated by the social. As mentioned above, the cultural preferences for boys led to the male children are more likely to be educated and employed in good jobs which can earn enough income to support a family. Besides, boys are also expected by the families to contribute to the familys well-being and take care of aging parents. Unfortunately, the girls were not only treated as liabilities rather than assets, they also did not have the same treatment in education and employment.41 But, these ideas were no longer establish in 21st century global culture. We know, of course, that women can also success in education and workplace if there is no sex discrimination and they are given the same opportunities as men. Furthermore, women can be the one to help in raising their families and communities out of poverty. Therefore, we should not offer the sex-selection services that support false and outdated aristocracy system. Next, again sex-selection is not fair to women and even to the baby girl. We know, of course, conceiving a baby need man and woman to work together. It is actually known that the male plays an important role to determine whether the baby conceive is boy or girl. In other words, man is the one who produces heterogametic sperm which containing either X chromosome or a Y chromosome to decide the gender of their child. Why I argued that it is not fair to women? This is because a huge number of husbands keep blaming his wife for not conceiving a boy. Whats wrong with the women? Women only provide an immotile egg to let sperms (which decide the sex) to fertilise. Unfortunately, many husbands still push this responsibility to women and give pressure to their wife. The reason why the women felt that they were unable to save their daughter because many women became the victims of family violence when they were carrying girls. Some had been slapped, bumped and shoved around by aggressive husba nds and in-laws, or even kicked in the stomach in an effort to let them miscarry.42 While, some denied food and water in order to coerce them to abort their unwanted girl babies.43 Most women, who come to the fertility clinic to ask for help in conceiving a boy, are likely under pressure from her husband or her husbands families to avoid from any mishap happened to them. It is not fair to let a woman to undertake this heavy responsibility. Although the reproductive technology today is able to help women free from coercion or pressure, it is actually bringing to the severe problem later on. It will turn to the continuous controversial if gender selection services are allowed. After helping in relieving the pressure of women from their husband, it comes to other problems where the imbalance sex population occurs. Due to this imbalance population, again more and more problems happened. 41 Pande, R., and Malbotra, A. (2006). Son preference and daughter neglect in India: What happened to living girls? Washington, D.C.: International Center for Research on Women. 42 Raj et al. (2011). Abuse from in-laws during pregnancy and post-patrum: qualitative and quantitative findings from low=icome mothers of Infants in Mumbai, India. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 15(6):700-712. 43 Puri et al. (2011). Pg. 1174 If gender selection is permitted, it will bring to the social and economic consequences. Although not every family prefers son over daughter, but it sure will lead to the imbalance of population. For example, the one-child policy which has a limitation on the number of children in each couple, causing the couples with strong son preference.44 Consequently, the shortage of women in China has disastrous and serious social effect. . For example, in China and India, many young men are unable to find a partner, resulting in the rising of sexual violence, prostitution, kidnapping and forced marriage.45, 46 In addition, due to the selfishness of the parents to have a male heir and abort the girl fetuses, it may increase the mental health problems and severely abnormal social behaviour among men as well as leaving some men unable to get married and having their own family.47 The sex-selection problem might lead to the marriage squeeze problem which is happening now in China. This problem has commonly happened between the uneducated male in rural area. A study indicated that 15% of uneducated men at age 40 were still single, whereas there are only 0.5% among those were university-educated men in the early 1980s.48 The percentage keeps increasing from year to year. The Chinese officials predict that after 2030 some 30 million young men will be unable to find a marriage age.49 Besides, the sex-ratio imbalance in one country not only increases the crime, but also the number of sex workers with HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. There is evidence that young single men with HIV positive are more likely to pay for sex.50 There are many negative consequences of sex selection which we can clearly know from some of the country like China and India. So, should the gender selection permitted because of ones individuality? Moreover, gender selection reinforces in oppressing and false gender roles. This problem is most probably happened to the population which utilizes gender selection technology after having one or more same gender of children. An evidence from the Slate article How to Buy a Daughter, profiled a woman named Megan Simpson who was grown up in a family of four sisters and like to sew, bake, make up and so on and she wished to share these interests with her girl who can dress in pink. 51 The problem, of course not every little girl like sewing, baking or even dressing up in pink. Thats same go to the boys, not every little boy like sports, blue colour shirt. So, the relationship between the gender of children and their preferences is unpredictable, changeable and not exactly like what we think. Why we need to have a thought that which things are suitable for girls and which one is for boys? Is that good to allow parents to engineer their children based on their interests or the purpose of achieving the cultural norms? The sex-selection should not be allowed due to this reason. The child will be the one to suffer if their interests are entirely opposite with their parents wish or cultural norms. In this situation, obviously either the child or the parents will disappoint with each other. 44 Leung, M. (2011). Pg 12. 45 Christakis, E. (2013). Rape in India: A Result of Sec Selection? Time. 46 Dagar, R. (2001). Life enhancing mechanisms, life depriving outcomes: case of female foeticide. Chandigard: Institute for Development and Communication. 47 Leung, M. (2011). Pg 12. 48 Wang, F. (2005). Asia Pacific Issues. East West Centre. 49 Vermeer, E.B. (2006). Demographic Dimensions of Chinas Development, Population and Development Review, 32: 115-144. 50 South, S.J., and Trent, K. (2010). Imbalanced Sex Ratios, Mens Sexual Behaviour, and Risk of Sexually Transmitted Infection in China. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 51 (4): 376-390. 51 Sidhu, J. (2012). How to Buy a Daughter. Slate. In conclusion, so far we have discussed the use of sex selection in a reproductive field, where it is practiced for the purpose of preventing hereditary sex-linked disorders. We see no reason why, if a method to determine the sex of a child before fertilization is developed, this technology should not offer to a couple who have good medical reasons and purposely want to choose the gender of their child. But, if an easy and efficient technique of ensuring the conception of the particular sex of the child became available, some couples would obviously hope to make use of it for the purpose of social reasons.51 Such decision will affect the family and the children involved and somehow would bring the implications to society. It is actually hard to predict, either in the short or long term, this practice effect on the ratio of the males to females within society. Studies have shown that the majority of couples would choose the boy as their first child. If this happened, it again raises t he controversy where there is considerable evidence that the first child may enjoy more advantages over the younger siblings. Since there are difficult to predict the outcome of any such practice, we have not found it possible to amend the laws and regulation in the sex selection. 52 Cmnd 9314, London: HMSO, 1984.

Reservior Dogs Essay -- essays research papers

Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty were a duo known as Stealers Wheel when they recorded a Dylanesque pop hit, "Stuck in the Middle With You", in April of 1974. The single reached number five on the charts - little did they know that eighteen years later it would become a cult favorite. In 1992 Quentin Tarantino, a little known writer/director, took the Cannes film festival and the world by surprise with his motion picture Reservoir Dogs. The movie is about the difficulties that occur when five "master" criminals are hired by a crime king pin named Joe to pull off the biggest diamond heist of the century. Stuck right in the middle of the movie, the Egan/Rafferty hit is played as a introduction to one of the best or worst torture seens ever in the history of movies. It depends on how you look at it. I'll set-up the scene in the movie where it is being played, try and follow me... The five criminals hired go by color-coded names . During the heist the cops show and things got out of control. Two of the robbers were shot and killed after Mr. Blonde, the "on the edge" gangster started shooting up the place when an employee triggered the alarm. Mr. White and Mr. Orange (an undercover cop) escaped the scene and headed for the hideout where all the men were supposed to meet. On the way to the hideout Mr. Orange was shot, he was bleeding severely but the injury was not life threatening. Shortly after their arrival, Mr. Pink met with them and they all anxiousley waited for Mr. Blonde. Mr. Blonde, acting cool and unaffected by the mornings events, made his entrance. After being questioned by Mr. White about why he went psycho in the store, Mr. Blonde called them out to see a "surprise" he had in his trunk. Mr. Blonde in an effort to find out how the police heard about the robbery in advance had kidnapped a police officer. They carried the man into the warehouse and after tying him to a chair Mr. White and Mr. Pink commenced beating the hell out of him. They Asked him to tell how the police knew of the heist, he said he knew nothing and after beating on him some more, Nice Guy Eddie came in. He was Joe's son and told Mr. White and Mr. Pink that they would have to come with him to ditch the cars. Mr. Blonde was told to stay and keep an eye on the... ...t's about as cinematic a thing as you can do. You're really doing what movies do better than any other art form. It works in this visceral, emotional, cinematic way that's special. And when you do it right and you hit it right, then you can never really hear that song again without thinking about that image from the movie. That's what comercials are counting on, but it never quite works with commercials. The thing is, once a movie has done that with a song, as far as I'm concerned that movie owns it. I mean, they've used "Stand By Me" so many times, but to me the one that used "Stand By Me" that way was The Wanderers. They play "Stand By Me" as the lead character, Ken Wahl, realizes that JFK has been shot. And it's perfect." I couldn't agree more with what Tarentino is saying. His movies especially draw upon music to make the scenes flow together in a surreal, inspiring style. What more can a movie connoisseur like myself ask for in a movie? As Tarentino says "Stand By Me" is perfect in The Wanderers, I say "Stuck in the Middle With You" is perfect in Resovoir Dogs.