English Legal System vs Inequalities between Individuals and Groups Essay

English Legal System vs Inequalities between Individuals and Groups Introduction Does The English Legal System Do Enough To Address Inequalities Between Individuals And Groups?            Addressing inequalities are a vital aspect of any government legal system, not only for the economic growth and for the development of the goals such as the millennium goals, but also for security and peace perspective. The legal system of English has not been left aside in the fight against inequalities among its citizens. This is the system of law that has developed in England. Horizontal inequalities have developed and increased among people globally and England has been affected. The inequalities are taken as increasing factor to the risk of violence, conflict, which can in turn worsen the inequalities among people or groups (Haskel & Slaugther, 1999).            This paper looks into how and what the English Legal System is undertaking in the fight against inequalities among groups of people or individuals. There are increasing concerns about persistent and often rising inequalities. These inequalities includes aspects such as age, pregnancy and maternity, disability; race, gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership, religion or sexual orientation among other grounds where discrimination can occur. All these grounds of inequalities are applicable to both individuals and groups people. However, each and every legal system in different countries is tasked with the fight against any form of inequality among individuals or groups of people in the society. The English Legal system has been as well on the forefront in the fight against the inequality menace among its people (Pontusson, 2005).            The law has been and continues to be a tool through which essential democratic ideals have been expressed not only in the English legal system but also in other legal systems around the globe. The egalitarian ideals expressed include the same employment chances, equal right of entry into schooling among many other aspects. Simultaneously, the legal system is on its own a site of unusual discrimination, as discovered in different degree of access of first-class legal aid, discrepancy in arrest rates, or disparity in sentencing. The researches within this field attend show how good has the English legal system done to address the issues of inequalities between individuals and groups of people. Hence, law can be used as a mechanism for equalization and in turn can produce or express inequality as well (International Labor Office, 2007).            Disparity in the legal system, the main question behind the issue of inequality is whether the law is applied fairly to all members of any group? Courts appointed attorneys providing a sufficient protection for their needy clients? Is the death judgment more likely to be forced on African Americans than on whites? Who bears the brunt of the notable increase in the detention rate? When the prisoners re released from the jails, do their potential employers discriminate against them this creating an even larger underclass? In addition, how has the increase in the number of privatized prisons affected how captives are handled? How has it altered the political process (e.g. Entrance by the prison industry) that manages how large our imprisoned residents will be? Discrimination could be integrated as a concern into goals and targets on different sectoral/thematic issues such as (politics, security, justice, poverty, education and health), through speech stressing additio n, fairness, accountability and responsiveness to all social groups throughout the framework is essential in the English legal system (Witte & Green, 2012).            There is numerous discrimination by type that is experienced amongst people in the United Kingdom. These include: age, disability, equal pay or compensation, religion, retaliation, sex and sexual harassment, genetic information, harassment, national origin, pregnancy, race/color,. One of the major areas of concern in the English legal system is the issue of inequality among the disabled people in the community. Not only in the United Kingdom, there has been a unison call from all the corners of the world from the people and groups of people for the disabled people to be respected in the society just like the normal individuals in the community. There have been campaigns all over the globe fighting for the rights of the disabled people. This has been dubbed as disability discrimination, which has resulted in inequality between different people in the society. According to Equality Act 2010, disability discrimination is when a disabled person is treated less favorabl y than a non-disabled person, and is treated in this way for a reason arising from their disability, and the treatment cannot be justified (Keister et all, 2012).            The fight against disability discrimination, in the United Kingdom has been defined by numerous acts in the English legal system. These include ‘The Equality Act 2010’ this provides disabled people with protection from discrimination in the workplace. England and Wales have had laws against, against discrimination since the 1960’s. For example, the Race Relations Acts of 1965, 1968 as well as that of 1976, all of which outlawed race inequity among groups of people or individually. In addition, there is also the 1970 Equal Pay Act and the ‘Sex Discrimination Act’ of 1975 which themselves proscribed discrimination in the line of gender. Moreover, there was the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 which outlawed disability discrimination. Putting all of these acts together, in the year 2010, all, the anti-discrimination laws were confined together under one Act, namely the Equality Act 2010 (Chant, 2010).            The English Legal System comprises one of the greatest tools for people with disabilities, in order to ensure and also protect their fundamental rights. According to the ‘Equality Act 2010’ section 6 disability is defined as a ‘person who have an impairment either physically or mentally, however, the impairment should have substantial adverse as well as the lasting effects on their capability to perform their normal daily activities’. Under the act, there is direct disability discrimination as well as indirect form of discrimination. Section 15 of the Equality Act forbids the  unfavorable treatment  of a disabled person where the reason for the unfavorable treatment is not the disability itself, but something that comes up as a result of the disability (Partington, 2014).            Despite the wide and all inclusive act in the fight against disability inequality in the United Kingdom, there have been numerous cases reported of disability inequality among people, more so in the private sector of employment. The government has, however, embarked on the massive implementation of disability discrimination laws. Some of the achievements that have been beneficial to the fight against disability inequality in the United Kingdom are the implementation of the required facilities for the disabled in order for them to access services. This includes laws in building and constructions, whereby public buildings should be accessible to the disabled; this is through revision of the relevant facilities and services such as no stairs, washrooms for the disables among others. In addition, an important issue for some disabled people is the provision of adaptations of dwellings to improve safety, mobility and quality of life. Effective adaptations can lead to red uced pain and enhanced well being, self-esteem and control. Hence it can be said that the English legal system has done quite a lot in the fight against inequality among the disabled people or groups and in turn more should be implemented in terms law, implementation for the complete acceptance of the disabled people. The most affected sector where inequality is most felt is through employment (Fafinski & Finch, 2008).            Another aspect that has given rise to inequality is the United Kingdom is the religious identification or differing peoples beliefs. According to human rights and anti-discrimination legislation in the UK, every person has the right to hold their own beliefs as well as any other philosophical beliefs that are similar to religion or beliefs. Under the Equality Act 2006, it is or prohibited or illegal for someone to differentiate or discriminate against another person or a group of people because of their religion or belief or else for the reason that, they have no religion or belief (Elliott, 2012).            There has been a case of religious discrimination in the United Kingdom, especially the issue of Britain’s divided schools that has been a disturbing portrait of inequality. With the increased differences between the Middle East countries and the western especially between the Muslims and other religions groups. In many cases, there has been a correlation between the increasing trend in terrorism and the Muslim religion. This has resulted in the inequality between the Arabs/Muslims in the UK and other people especially whites. Advance in achieving liberty of religion or belief and thwarting inequity based on religion or belief in the place of work and in public services has been widely advocated in the United Kingdom. Equally, the capability to draw conclusion continues to be stalled by Government’s reluctance to distinguish between the various Christian denominations, when recording people’s religious profession, either in the population censu s or the Labor Force Survey (Boaler, 2011).            Generally, the act on equality, human rights and religion or belief has been interpreted watchfully in domestic tribunals and courts as according to section 5.3 of the equality act. While some indirect inequity claims relating to dress codes and working hours have been successful, most claims based on religion have failed. This is largely because courts have mostly found that intrusion with the autonomy of belief or religion under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is not easily recognized. Over the years, religious conviction has played a less leading role in public culture. Temporarily, the rival status hierarchies have fallen away. The meritocratic ladder of specialized success is pretty much the only one left standing. We can see a correlation between inequality and religious faith (Warren, 2006).            The presence of religious diversity in today’s times in the United Kingdom has resulted in increased contact between religious, which has sometimes revealed deep-rooted stereotyping and prejudice, which in turn leads to tension and sometimes conflict between individuals or groups of people in the community. Indeed, religion is an indispensable component in the identity of some of the groups that make up our society, however, it has also been connected with stereotypes or depressing preconception, including the assumption of a so-called ‘clash of civilizations. Political events and popular discourse have repeatedly been revealed in the media and have negatively linked terrorism and Islam. This has in turn prejudiced social attitudes and led to a Renaissance of religious and racial discrimination in the community and most public places. A latest information on the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) found that Muslims are often fat alities of inequity, negative stereotyping and of manifestations of prejudice and hatred. These take the form of verbal threats and physical attacks on people and property and racial and mostly religion affiliation profiling (Oliva, 2008).            The growing visibility of religious and belief variety in Europe and especially United Kingdom has been depicted by an increase in unfairness, inequity, and prejudice against religious and ethnic minorities. While a great deal of development has been achieved, biasness on grounds of racial or ethnic origin and religion is still a problem for many people in our societies, even though this is tricky to accurately measure due to short of data on the religious composition of the inhabitants of the UK, mainly in regard to minority religions. The English Legal system has created a structure of legal tools, policies, and initiatives for fighting religious and racial unfairness and in turn promoting fairness. Nevertheless, it could be argued that the principles of equality and non-discrimination and the respect for the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion have not been fully implemented in all Member States (Lansley, 2012).            Despite the tremendous effort by the government and the vast established English legal law, there are still cases of religion inequality and discrimination within individuals and the UK citizens towards either an individual or a specific group or community. People affiliated to religious minorities, especially migrants; also, experiences disproportionately lower incomes and higher rates of unemployment, as they face problems accessing housing and in turn living in poor environs. They suffer from prejudice and experience exclusion or marginalization in social, political, and economic activity and from unfair treatment in public or social services (Blanden & Machin, 2013).            The enactment of the Equality act 2010 in United Kingdom has redefined people’s rights regardless of their religion affiliation. The introduction of the law has targeted all people in the country, and in turn offering the right protection to people. In addition, the human rights movements have been active in fight for the people’s rights and in turn bringing along equality among the countries populace. English Legal system has been deemed as one of the all-inclusive legal system and has been a positive aspect in the fight for equality among the United Kingdom citizens. The ‘Equality Act 2010’ has been drawn-up to deal with inequality and also prevent prejudice against all sorts of people on the basis of ‘protected characteristics’. It brings together several presented laws and aims to make understanding the law simpler. It also introduces a new single public sector equality duty, which requires public bodies to actively advan ce equality. This has enabled the UK government to be able to handle the numerous issues of inequality in the society. In accordance to the question posed ‘whether the ‘English Legal System’ is doing enough to address Inequalities between Individuals and Groups, the answer is YES. Although there has been numerous handles in the full achievement of equality, the government has been able to implement laws that has been effective in curbing inequality. Moreover, the legal system has developed an effective criminal justice system which has enabled in the fight against inequality (Keister et al, 2012).            In conclusion, there are many experiences that remain invisible and ignored within the wider agendas in the fight against inequalities within the English legal system. While the inequalities are widespread and all-encompassing, the legal systems have tried to be all inclusive in solving all forms of inequalities that are experienced within the individuals, and groups in the society. It is clear that there can be an experience of far-reaching inequality, prejudice, favoritism and racism from politicians, the media, and the public. However, numerous recommendations have been made in different chapters for the introduction of ethnic monitoring, for example in health, social work, substance use services and criminal justice. In many of these domains, existing equality and human rights law provides the framework for addressing these injustices, but it needs to be proactively and effectively implemented. References Haskel, J., & Slaugther, M. J. (1999).  Trade, technology and U.K. wage inequality. Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research. Pontusson, J. (2005).  Inequality and prosperity: Social Europe vs. liberal America. Ithaca, NY [u.a.: Cornell Univ. Press. International Labour Office. (2007). Equality at work: Tackling the challenges : global report under the follow up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Geneva: International Labour Office. Witte, J., & Green, M. C. (2012). Religion and human rights: An introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Keister, L. A., McCarthy, J., & Finke, R. (2012). Religion, work, and inequality. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Pub Limited. Chant, S. (2010). The International Handbook of Gender and Poverty. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Pub.Partington, Martin. (2014). Introduction to the English Legal System 2014-2015. Oxford Univ Pr.Fafinski, S., & Finch, E. (2008). English legal system. Harlow: Longman. Elliott, C. (2012). English legal system. Harlow: Pearson. Stephenson, M., & Harrison, J. (2011). Unravelling Equality: The Impact of the United Kingdom’s Spending Cuts on Women.Political Quarterly,  82(4), 645-650. doi:10.1111/j.1467-923X.2011.02256.x Boaler, J. (2011). Mathematics and science inequalities in the United Kingdom: when elitism, sexism and culture collide.  Oxford Review Of Education,  37(4), 457-484. Warren, T. (2006). Moving beyond the gender wealth gap: On gender, class, ethnicity, and wealth inequalities in the United Kingdom.  Feminist Economics,  12(1/2), 195-219. doi:10.1080/13545700500508502 Oliva, J. (2008). Religious Symbols in the Classroom: A Controversial Issue in the United Kingdom.  Brigham Young University Law Review,  2008(3), 877-896. Lansley, S. (2012). Inequality, the Crash and the Ongoing Crisis.  Political Quarterly,  83(4), 754- 761. doi:10.1111/j.1467-923X.2012.02357.x Blanden, J., & Machin, S. (2013). Educational Inequality and The Expansion of United Kingdom Higher Education.  Scottish Journal Of Political Economy,  60(5), 597-598. doi:10.1111/sjpe.12031 Source document

Holden Caulfield from “The Catcher in The Rye” Essay

â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye† the reader can see the world through his eyes as he is the one narrating the story in first person. Holden is a young teenager, the age of sixteen who is emotionally disturbed and confused boy who is entering the journey of adulthood. Holden is a typical teenager who is rather irritated and disgusted by the society that surrounds him. To me he comes across as a witty individual because of the way he makes fun of, as he likes to call it the â€Å"phony† people in society he comes across with in the novel. He is from a family formed of two parents who seem to be quite wealthy, as they live in an expensive part of New York most people have to be wealthy to live in New York. Holden also was two bothers, D.B. and Allie, Allie whom is dead at the age of thirteen and he has a younger sister Phoebe. During the novel we discover that Holden is rather depressed young man because of his past, with the death of his brother and the failings of his grades in the recent schools he has attended to, he has become unhappy which leads him to have a breakdown. It seems that Holden is very dissatisfied with life and has never had any help during his time of confusion so I figure he is rather week and in some parts of the novel he feels like committing suicide. Holden has a huge sense of moral values, which often seems to interfere with other people’s loss of values. Because of other peoples values he gets frustrated and thinks people are â€Å"phony†. Holden seems to be a rather mean person as you read his feelings and how he feels towards people but it is only what he thinks. When Holden does something wrong he feels really guilty about his behavior and it often eats him up inside. Like the time when he went out with Sally Hayes and he calls her â€Å"a pain in the ass† when she refuses to run away with him, after he feels really guilty and can barely stop thinking about it. He is also a person who can’t get things out of his mind when things bother him like when Ward Stradlater goes out with his old girlfriend Jane Gallagher; throughout the novel he thinks about it a lot and wonders how the date went. Holden hates the movies and loves books. Holden behavior while he is in New York going to bars and meeting women he acts like a adult by smoking and drinking, but he is very critical to others that live that kind of lifestyle. It would be rather hard to see myself as Holden or even acting like him even for a day because I’m very different from him and I’m not as critical towards people as he is. I think it would be difficult to be friends with him because I would always be wondering what he is thinking about me and usually when he does think of someone it is always in a negative way. But still it was easy to identify him because I have friends that are sort of like him and they act the same way.

Functionalism Conflict Theory Essay

â€Å"Knowledge is shaped by the social world.† (Karl Mannheim.) Though trying to understand the social world may seem difficult, sociologists managed to create three theories on how different areas of the world fit with one another as well as working hand in hand with each other. The three theories are known as Symbolic Interactionism, Functionalism and Conflict Theory. Each theory serves as a significant perspective on how individuals view social life and how it effects society as a whole. The first perspective would have to be the simplest of all and is categorized as a micro level since it is focused on smaller scale than the remaining perspectives. Symbolic Interactionism was founded by Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929), William I. Thomas (1863-1947) and George Herbert Mead (18-63-1931). According to the textbook, symbolic interactionism means a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world and communicate with one another. In other words, it means symbols have an attached meaning that effect the way we view the world and communicate with individuals. Examples of symbols are family members, relationships, language, co-workers, etc. If there were no symbols in our life, we wouldn’t know who we are related to or who to give authority to. For example, at your job you are required to respect the person of high authority which may be your manager or your boss, (depending on your symbol at your facility). In your family, the symbols would be your mother, father, brother, sister, aunts, uncles, etc. No matter what area, each symbol has a different behavior and interacts differently unlike the rest. To narrow this down, let’s compare the relationship with a boyfriend to a brother. A brother would be loving and caring but would not be as intimate as the boyfriend would be. If we didn’t have symbols, we wouldn’t be able to differentiate how to act with those two. The only positive side about not having symbols would be the fact that there would be no war since we wouldn’t be able to understand who our enemy is let alone knowing what an enemy is. The next perspective is focused on a macro level since it is aimed at the large scale of society. Functionalism was founded by Robert Merton (1910-2003), â€Å"The accomplishments of functional analysis are sufficient to suggest that its large promise will progressively be fulfilled, just as its current deficiencies testify to the need for periodically overhauling the past to build for the future† (Social Theory and Social Structure Page 74). According to the textbook, functionalism means a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with a function that when fulfilled, contributes to society’s equilibrium. In other words, various parts work together as a whole to maintain society’s balance. Robert Merton defined functions as positive consequences based on human’s actions that benefit the society. Functions that are intended to help a system are known as manifest function. Followed by this would be the unintended consequence to adjust the system which is known as latent functions. The textbook breaks these two down using an example of giving married couples an extra $10,000 for child bearing (this is the manifest function). Unknowingly, this increases the products used to care for a baby which is known at the latent functions. Though manifest and latent functions are used to balance a system, there are also some dysfunctions that can actually break down the system. These consequences are unusually unintended and because of that, it’s referred to as latent dysfunctions. Referring back to the example stated in the textbook; a latent dysfunction about giving $10,000 to each married couple that bears a child would be the rise in taxes which the couples may not be able to afford since they will be living off of the bonus. Another example that many individuals can relate to is our family. Every family member plays a significant role in their household. Examining the financial state of the family, it’s the bread winner that holds the financial issues together. Without the bread winner, the family would struggle and even turn for help towards the government. If the function of the bread winner begins to take a turn for the negative, the family weakens and loses their ability to prosper as a whole. This is an important factor on how functions can either make or break society. The smaller units affect the larger units in both negative and p ositive ways. Last but not least, the next perspective would be conflict theory. References Cooley, Charles H. â€Å"The Roots of Social Knowledge.† American Journal of Sociology 32.1 (1926): 59-79. Print. Merton, Robert K. Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: Division of Macmillian Co &, 1968. The Free Press. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. . Coser, Lewis. â€Å"Chapter IX.† The Functions of Social Conflict. Glenoe, IL: Free, 1956. 151-57. The Functions of Social Conflict. Web. 18 Nov. 2012. .

Are the courts policymakers or not Put it in the perspective of Research Paper

Are the courts policymakers or not Put it in the perspective of judicial restraint versus judicial activism. Use relevant court cases to justify your position and explain why you chose those cases - Research Paper Example To demonstrate the validity of the above argument, the paper will briefly explore the United States Supreme Court and how its rulings have shaped American policies. According to Boundless.com (2013), â€Å"the Supreme Court holds the power to overturn laws and executive actions they deem unlawful or unconstitutional.† This means that the court has the power to nullify a policy if it is found to be unconstitutional. Let’s examine two cases from the US Supreme Court, these cases have been chosen since they originated from the highest court in the land and they touch on the highest office; the presidency. The case of Humphrey’s Executor Vs United States was decided that the president does not have the power to remove a member of an independent federal regulatory agency without the consent of Congress (Mauro, 2012). Another case is that of Nixon Vs United States in 1974 addressing the executive privilege; the Supreme Court declared that no president is above the law (Phschool.com). From these two cases it can be safely argued that courts are policy makers as they establish checks and balances to the institution of presidency and this forms part of policy pertaining to this office. Even as the court exercises its constitutional mandate, it is critical that judicial restraint be used as opposed to judicial activism. This is because the former emphasizes the limited nature of court’s power to honor only the past precedents while the later advocates for the use of personal views in deciding cases (Slimef 2010).Personal views are known for biasness and prejudice and should not be used in deciding cases of national importance. Policy can only stand if it is supported by the law and courts are the custodians of the law hence it is safe to argue that courts are policy makers as has

US foreign policy during the Iraq Iran war Essay

US foreign policy during the Iraq Iran war - Essay Example The foreign policy of America is very influential to the world since it is the only super power left. The US foreign policy towards Iraq was illegitimate since it contravened the procedures and justifications provided by the United Nation’s charter. The UN charter stipulates clearly the procedures that should be followed by a country to perpetrate coercion or violence to another state. The UN charter is the only legitimate basis that a country can use to attack another sovereign state since it has been reached through consensus by the member states forming the United Nations. The United States of America acted in total disregard of this charter and used its influence in the world to attack the regime of Saddam Hussein, condemning it of threatening the world peace. Iraq was supported by America during its war with Iran; it was assisted both financially and technologically. The US supported Saddam despite the fact that it knew that it was Iraq that had invaded Iran as a result o f border disputes which had been in existence for several years. The US used its foreign policies in an attempt to solve the crisis but was biased since it decided to support one side.The war was also as a result of suspicions of Shia insurgency which was influenced largely by the revolution in Iran. The United States of America supported the Iraq government and as a result about half a million people died comprising soldiers from both countries and civilians too. A lot of economic loss was also lost, the US which was supposed to use its foreign policies to enable it to effectively play the role of big brother to help the two countries resolve their differences, instead took sides in the war which only made matters worse. In fact, before the war began, American president, Carter, gave Saddam Hussein and his government the much needed green light for him to invade Iran. Zbigniew Brzezinski, the United States national security advisor met the Iraq president in Jordan so as to discuss how the two nations can join their efforts to oppose Iran on the issue of the border disputes which was the main contentious issue between the Iranians and the Iraqis (Gerber, Para 7-8). Brzezinski recommended in a memorandum, the destabilization of Iran by the US government by use of the surrounding countries. Although, the government of the united states of America denied any involvement in the Iraq-Iran war in the early 1980s, a few months before Iraq invaded Iran the US security advisor indicated that US was willing to work with Iraq. Just two months before Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, Brzezinski assured him that US was fully behind the Iraq government and that US was not opposed to the separation of the Khuzestan which was part of Iran. In this case the united states used their influence to attack Iran through Iraq and thus its foreign policies could not be said to be for the welfare of the world but for the good of the Americans and their allies and thus if a country is opposed to the opinion of the united states of America like Iran was in the 1980 war then it might be attacked either directly or through its neighbors by the US government (Gerber, Para 5). By the end of the US sponsored war both Iraq and Iran were devastated both economically and politically. The two countries had lost a lot of property and thousands of lives. Had the US kept off the war could not have reached such high magnitudes and thus such losses could have minimal. The US foreign policy in Iraq during the Iraq Iran war was favorable to the Iraqis but very unfavorable to the Iranians (Hiltermann, pp 180). US foreign policy during the 2003 Iraq war Things later changed when the regime of Saddam Hussein was blamed by the American government to threaten the world peace by manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. Again the

Development of motion picture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Development of motion picture - Essay Example A French dissenter threw a molotov cocktail in one of the theaters during its exhibition. The criticisms leveled at the film, just like in the case of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of Christ (2004), indicate a certain risk for filmmakers, which could affect the articulation of the material. This paper takes a closer look at three significant ‘Jesus-films’: The Last Temptation of Christ (Scorsese, 1988); The Passion of Christ (Gibson 2004); and, Son of God (Spencer, 2014). The differences between the three films reviewed in this paper are perhaps best articulated in the genres chosen by each of the directors. Scorsese’s work, which was an adaptation of Nikos Kazatzakis’ novel of the same title, would qualify as a Hollywood biopic, presenting a Christ tortured by God. In a way, this is not surprising because the director is known for these type of anti-heroes - those caught in the web of human failings, torn between their passion and beliefs (see, for instance Taxi Driver and Raging Bull). There was an objective: to resolve what it must have been like for Jesus as a human who was struggling with his divinity and his humanity. Throughout the film, Jesus was depicted as a Messiah who constantly questioned and doubted. The primary thesis was that Jesus was human and must have grappled with human frailties because - it is assumed - that it was part of his purpose. In order to resolve Scorsese’s goals, the director had to answer Jesus’ initial attitude towards his divinity and how he came to terms with it. In the process, he had to break away from the traditional tone and setting of previous Jesus-films. For instance, in his depiction of one of the temptations, the devil was presented in a suit that somehow resembled a modern-day CEO or even a preaching evangelical. In addition, Scorsese also had to create scenes

Israeli and Palestinian Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Israeli and Palestinian - Term Paper Example The government of Israel has become so strict about the publication of news regarding this conflict because it is spelt out in the constitution. In fact, according to the Israeli government, journalists are free to handle any topic rather than those that touch on national security and can be able to compromise it by insisting the people and promoting violence. On the other hand, the media freedom in Palestine is better than that in Israel. The Palestinians are free to cover much information about this conflict and avail to their audience. Although it is a matter of national interest, the government has appreciated that there is a craving demand for news about this war (Vipond, 2000). Hence, unlike in Israel, the Palestinian journalists are not put under strict censorship and restrictions (Jonathon & Karolides, 2009). Thus, they can adequately inform the people about the war without many restrictions. Mass media involve many different media technologies that reach large audience through mass communication. The media technology where communication is effected varies; broadcast media transmit information electronically and they include television, recorded music, film and radio. Print media employs the use of materials to distribute information, and includes books, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets and comics. Outdoor media transmits information through signs, placards and billboards (Lorimer & Patty, 2004). The digital media entails mass mobile and internet communication. Internet media has many services; for example websites, social networks, internet television and radio. Companies that control these media technologies are also referred to as mass media; for example publishing houses, television stations, social networks and radio stations. Glocalization involves adaptation of a given service or product uniquely to a given culture,

A city (ISTANBUL) that has been continuously inhabited for hundreds of Essay

A city (ISTANBUL) that has been continuously inhabited for hundreds of years - Essay Example The city covers more than five thousand three hundred square kilometres and is coterminous with the Istanbul province whose administrative capital is the city itself neighbouring Bosporus strait in the northwest. The establishment of Istanbul occurred as a Greek colony known as Byzantium in the seventh century BC then in AD 196, it fell to the Roman Republic up to 330 when it became the capital of the Roman Empire and renamed Constantinople (Spielvogel, 2012). In the later antiquity, Constantinople grew to become the biggest in the western hemisphere with almost half a million inhabitants and was the headquarters of the Eastern Roman Empire referred to as Byzantine Empire which came to an end with the Muslim conquest after which it became Ottoman Empire’s capital. There has been a decline in population in the medieval era, but as the Ottoman Empire was approaching its peak, the population of the city rose to about seven hundred thousand inhabitants in the sixteenth century which was second only to Beijing and surpassed only by London later in the eighteenth century (Lafferty, 2009). With the founding of the republic of Turkey in 1923, the headquarters were moved to Ankara from Constantinople and from the thirties, the native title Istanbul has been the only official name of the city and has replaced Constantinople. Istanbul’s public transport can be traced back to mid-1869 when a contract was signed to construct a tram in Ottoman Empire’s capital and by the 1950s, the tram lines were almost one hundred and thirty kilometres long. The trams remained serviceable on the European side up to 1961 and on the Asian section up to 1966. O the other hand, the ferry can be considered as the oldest transportation means in Istanbul, which has to parts split by the Bosporus strait and encircled by the sea. In 1837, boats that belonged to Britain and Russia began transport in the Bosporus with the Istanbul maritime company being started in 1851 through a decree of

This novel is peopled with a landscape of loners and outcasts Essay

This novel is peopled with a landscape of loners and outcasts - Essay Example two great novels, which are â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath† which had rightfully earned him a Pulitzer Prize and also eventually, the Nobel Prize for Literature while the â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is a much shorter work but equally a realistic portrait of the travails of poor, working men who often had to travel to faraway places in search of meaningful work. In the absence of that, these migrant workers were forced to accept any jobs they can find at any wage that can offer a chance of keeping body and soul together. This novella is peopled with a landscape of loners and outcasts; people who are essentially rejects of society, in a sense, but somehow have to struggle on and exerted their best efforts to attain their dreams. â€Å"Of Mice and Men† was set in the context of the Great Depression during which a lot of people were thrown out of work compounded by the problems of itinerant migrants who in desperate situations have to somehow find a job. These workers transfer from one ranch or a farm to another ranch or farm doing menial tasks but despite doing backbreaking farm labor, a few of the characters in the novella found it appropriate to dream of finally owning a farm. A poor worker, like an itinerant farm hand, can still attain his dream if he works hard enough and strives to attain his dream, which may seem at first impossible to most people or even impractical to some people. It is the right of anybody to have a dream and the dream was what binds the two protagonists in the novella. George Milton is a quick-witted worker while Lennie Small is mentally retarded but the two of them surprisingly found good fellowship in each other. George has a good understanding of Lennie and took care of him in a way, out of pity for this mental impairment although ironically, Lennie Small is a big man physically. Most of the characters in the story are loners because they are migrant workers who out of necessity do not have roots in one place but move from one farm to another

The Shakespeare Authorship Conspiracy Essay Example for Free

The Shakespeare Authorship Conspiracy Essay William Shakespeare was one of the most popular playwrights in history. With 38 plays, 154 sonnets and many other poems, Shakespeare’s work has been performed around the world more often than any other playwright. One gentleman, Hank Whittemore, created a blog that is strictly related to the notion that William Shakespeare was a pen-name of Edward De Vere who was the Earl of Oxford from 1550 to 1604. To many, this is an outlandish claim and is considered a conspiracy theory. His monthly blog continues to be filled with a narrow history lesson lined with an unpopular opinion. Interesting But Not Creditable Whittemore states, â€Å"It’s true that for twenty-three years I’ve been studying the life of Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604) as the author of the â€Å"Shakespeare† works, but I never considered myself a â€Å"conspiracy nut† in any way. First of all I notice that it’s an opinion apparently held by a lot of otherwise rational, fair individuals. â€Å"Hey, you don’t think Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare? You must be one of those conspiracy minded whackos!† I’ve seen this opinion expressed so often in so many books and blogs and it’s been repeated so often that it must be true, right? No, I speak here for myself†. (H. Whittemore, 2012) His blog is very extensive going back to November of 2008 and he appears to have followers according to the comments left at the bottom of the blogs. Analyzing the validity of the data used by Whittmore, it appears that he is very knowledgeable and could be considered an expert on the history of this time period. As much content as Whittmore blogs on his site, it still appears one-dimensional and has a â€Å"fake† feel to it. His credibility comes into question because he doesn’t even place a biography on his site. There is no mention of what he does for a living or where he studied. For all we know, it is fiction. Endorsed By the Prince of Wales Another website that has large amounts of contributors and many opinions on the subject of Shakespeare’s authorship validity, is www.60-minutes.bloggingshakespeare.com. This site has amazing amount of information from many creditable sources including MacDonald Jackson, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Auckland and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and Martin Wiggins, who is a Senior Lecturer and Fellow at The Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham. There are 60 contributors on this site and is promoted by The Prince of Wales who is President of The Royal Shakespeare Company. A.J. Leon, a senior digital advisor to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, states, â€Å"What I cannot understand is the way people who say he didn’t write the work have to ignore all the evidence that shows he did. We are not talking about a belief that can be interpreted differently depending on our point of view. The evidence for William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon is not circumstantial. It is factual and multi-faceted† (Leon, 2012). Conclusion On October of 2011 a new movie has been released called, â€Å"Anonymous†, a film based on the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford, who penned Shakespeares plays. As much as Mr. Whittemore blogs about a Shakespeare conspiracy, this film must be considered a fiction. On his site, his logical fallacy is that he states many facts about the time period and the relationship between Edward De Vere and Queen Elizabeth I, but he never backs up his opinions with evidence. Although very informative from a historical point of view, Whittemore’s lack of resources and an overabundance of opinion damage his reliability and credibility.

Impacts of Increased Tuition Fees

Impacts of Increased Tuition Fees In times of economic uncertainty, questions on the purpose, value, and investment of higher education (HE) come to the fore. Such questions have a particular relevance in the study â€Å"The decision-making and changing behavioural dynamics of potential higher education students: the impacts of increasing tuition fees in England† (2013) written by Stephen Wilkins, Farshid Shams, and Jeroen Huisman. One of the major challenges of higher education is funding and how the government is providing the needs of the students. Due to inadequate funds, raising tuition fees becomes inevitable (Wilkins, Shams, & Husiman, 2013, p. 126).  This article focuses on the changes in the English tuition fee policies and how it correlates to student choice for higher education institutions (p. 125). Research confirms that financial considerations are the most important factors in the student-decision process when choosing a HEI (Maringe et al. 2006). Higher Education in the UK is no longer just a public good, but a public good with a private cost. Since 2006, all university students in the UK have been charged a tuition fee and each following year tuition fees have increased (Wilkins, Shams, & Husiman 2013, p. 126). By 2012, the UK government decided on a  £9000 tuition cap in England (Business Innovation & Skills [BIS] 2011). With the recent changes in the global economies and rising unemployment rates the question arises: how are students understanding and responding to increases in tuition fees? The study examines three scenarios as the possible outcomes of the increase in tuition fees: 1) not entering HE; 2) going abroad; and 3) looking for a cheaper alternative in the UK (Wilkins, Shams, & Husiman, 2013, p. 129). The central focus of the study is to evaluate whether financial factors take a first priority in students’ choice of applying to higher education institutions (HEIs). A survey was used to collect data amongst students in their final year of secondary school, specifically students who were following a General Certificate of Education Advanced Level programme (A-levels) in England (Wilkins, Shams, & Husiman, 2013, p. 131). To supplement the survey, two focus group discussions were conducted, each lasting one hour. According to the study, the first group â€Å"consisted of five year 12/13 students who were studying A-levels at a school sixth form, while the second group had four students from a further education college† (Wilkins, Shams, & Husiman, 2013, p. 131). The researchers do not go into depth as to why they choose this selective group of students. It makes one think of the potential biases of selecting these students and if their perceptions were tailored to match the propositions. By only conducting a discussion with nine students the study cannot fully capture the diversity of choice within the student body. Wilkins, Shams, and Husiman (2013) assess the impacts of the tuition fee increase by presenting the following six propositions: Proposition 1: Facing substantially higher tuition fees, financial issues will become the key influencer determining a student’s higher education choices.Proposition 2: Facing substantially higher tuition fees, working-class students will be the most likely to consider not entering higher education. Proposition 3: Facing substantially higher tuition fees, working-class students will be the most likely to seek cheaper higher education opportunities. Proposition 4: Facing substantially higher tuition fees, females will be more likely than males to be influenced by financial issues when making decisions about higher education.Proposition 5: Facing substantially higher tuition fees, students in England are still not likely to consider studying at higher education institutions (HEIs) abroad. Proposition 6: Facing substantially higher tuition fees, students who take at least one modern foreign language at A-level will be more likely to consider studying at HEIs abroad. (language inf luences). (p. 129-31) The six propositions have a focus on gender, language,   socioeconomic status, and geographic considerations. However, a potential flaw within the propositions is not considering ethnicity. Student ethnicity is not considered within the study nor the impacts of ethnic background on students choosing a HEI. This is a potential limitation when considering student choice of HEIs in the United States, specially the historically black colleges including Howard University, Spelman College, and Hapmton University. Since these schools do not have large endowments in comparison to large prestigious HEIs such as Harvard University, with an endowment of 36 billion dollars (Mulvey, J., and Holen, M., 2016), they cannot offer as much financial aid. Therefore, many students decide to attend a different HEI which can offer a more attractive financial aid package, but at the cost of sacrificing the opportunity of being part of a unparalleled cultural experience at a historically black college (Gasman, M., 2009). In the United States, endowments are the universities’ largest financial asset and serves a major determinant in student choice in HEIs. This study would benefit by having a comparative approach to HEIs in the United States if time and word limit permitted. A further point of tension within the study is the ambiguity of terms. Firstly, two out of the six propositions (ie. propositions two and six) did not provide a description which puts into question the validity of the study. Furthermore, the phrase â€Å"not entering HE† occurred nine times throughout the study. The researchers did not specify in any of those sentences what it means by â€Å"not entering HE.† An important question to ask is whether â€Å"not entering HE† refers to students taking a gap year and eventually returning to higher education or entering the labour market and never pursuing HE. This is a significant distinction because if students are taking a gap year but will return to HE it shows that they are impacted by the economy and having financial stability is an important consideration for them before starting their studies. There are no statistics in the study to outline the percentage of students not pursuing HE and no words to explain their decision. These are important considerations to help build depth within the study.    The epistemological assumptions of this study help us to understand student choice of HEIs by hypothesizing and testing empirical approaches through a natural science lens. On the other hand, the ontological assumption concerns the natural world, taking in account the effects of the global financial crisis in 2008, and the human behavior within the global HE context (Pring 2005, p. 232). Wilkins, Shams, and Husiman embrace quantitative methods approach to the study, using SPSS software to generalize the findings and test the propositions. Since the data is in a numeric form, statistical tests are applied in making statements about the data.  Quantitative studies help to produce data that is descriptive but difficulties arise when it comes to their interpretation. For instance, it is helpful that the study includes the demographics and socioeconomic statuses of the participants, but the study would have more depth if it integrated a qualitative approach in addition to the quantitative research. The students had a one hour discussion on the questionnaire yet there is no student voice, only statistics from SPSS. With group discussion responses we can have a qualitative measure of analysis of the data caption. Without properly interpreting the data behind these numbers, it is difficult to say  why  students choose HEIs based on financial considerations. In conclusion, the rise of tuition fees in England has altered the ways in which students choose to enter HE and if so, which HEIs. Wilkins, Shams, and Husiman mention that this study is not intended for policy reform (p. 137); however, it calls attention to the pressures placed on students in determining to enter HEIs and brings awareness to the major factors of student choice. An important consideration for restructuring this study is incorporating a mixed methods approach, by utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods. Without the necessary qualitative data, there is no authentic way to determine why students are choosing a certain HEI. If Wilkins, Shams, and Husiman used an interpretive paradigm and observations from the discussion groups to investigate the issues on the increase tuition fees it would create a more holistic picture of the student experience and behaviors with statistical data to prove the point.   Lastly, the data used in this study was gathered before the increase in fees in 2012 (Wilkins, Shams, & Husiman, 2013, p. 129). Students were aware of the fee increase but it was not a real determining factor for them at that point in time. It would be most helpful to have a follow-up study at the same colleges from which the data for this study was collected, using the questionnaires, and group discussion in order to compare and contrast student opinions and choice patterns overtime.   References Business Innovation & Skills (BIS). (2010). The impact of higher education finance on university participation in the UK. BIS Research Paper No. 11. London: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Foskett, N., D. Roberts, and F. Maringe. (2006). Changing fee regimes and their impact on student attitudes to higher education. University of Southampton. Gasman, M. (2009). Historically Black Colleges and Universities in a Time of Economic Crisis.  Academe,  95(6), 26-28. Heller, D. 1997. Student price response in higher education: An update to Leslie and Brinkman. Journal of Higher Education, 68 (6), 624–59. Leslie, L., and Brinkman, P. (1987). Student price response in higher education: The student demand studies. Journal of Higher Education, 58 (2), 181–204. Mazzarol, T., and G.N. Soutar. 2002. ‘Push-pull’ factors influencing international student destination choice. The International Journal of Educational Management, 16 (2), 82–90. Mulvey, J., and Holen, Margaret (2016). The Evolution of Asset Classes: Lessons from University Endowments. Journal of Investment Consulting, 17 (2), 48-58. Pring, R (2005) Philosophy of Education: Aims, Theory, Common Sense and Research. London: Continuum. Wilkins, S., Shams, F., & Huisman, J. (2013). The decision-making and changing behavioural dynamics of potential higher education students: the impacts of increasing tuition fees in England.  Educational Studies,  39 (2), 125-141.