How effective is this scene as an opening to Shakespeare’s play? Essay

Othello begins on a street in Venice; Act 1 scene 1 of Othello is a good opening to the rest of the play as it starts in the middle of an argument. This argument is between Iago, an evil, manipulative and jealous man, and Roderigo a rich man who is susceptible to everything Iago tells him. I think this is a good opening because it begins by telling the main point of the story straight away – from the first few opening statements it is clear that Iago knows something that he is going to use against a man whom he hates, Othello, it is a simple conversation between two men, but they are plotting something, this could instantly grab the audiences attention as they would be intrigued to find out what it is about. Just from the opening scene the audience finds out that Roderigo has been paying Iago to help him win the love of Desdemona; the one he loves, but he has seen no progress, and he has just found out that Desdemona has married Othello, the general whom Iago serves and hates. One of the main reasons that Iago hates Othello is because Othello promoted Cassio over Iago; the job Iago wanted and believed he deserved was taken. In spite of Iago’s service in battle and the recommendation of three â€Å"great ones† of the city, Othello chose to give the position to a man with no experience leading men in battle. As he waits for an opportunity to get his own back, and plots to get the job he wanted, Iago only pretends to serve Othello. He believes he will get the job: â€Å"I know my price: I am worth no worse a place† â€Å"In following him I follow but myself; Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, But seeming so for my peculiar end.† This quote is spoken about the Moor Othello; Iago plans to get his own back in some way for the loss of the job offer, but he will not let out too much of his schemes in the first scene, all of the plotting fits together later on in the play, this is also a good way to get the audiences attention throughout the play as it all builds up gradually, the suspense and the different ideas, they are all put into place for an effect that has eventually gathered from beginning to end to reveal the many mysteries made in the play. This also causes a lot of confusion later on, and involves the audience through soliloquies, the audience may appreciate being included in the play as though the characters are speaking to them as it makes them part of the story. The opening scene also shows the deviousness of Iago, just by giving advice he automatically tells Roderigo to lie and manipulate Desdemona’s father, Brabantio. â€Å"Call up her father, Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight† All of Iago’s advice of telling Brabantio involves influencing his side of the story to make it unfair – he is telling Roderigo to explain to Brabantio that Othello is bad news, and to advertise the fact that Othello is black, where as Roderigo is white – making him a better choice for his poor daughter. In order to do this, the two men come to the street outside the house of Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, and cry out that he has been robbed by â€Å"thieves.† Brabantio, a Venetian senator, comes to the window. At first, he doesn’t believe what he hears, because he has told Roderigo to stay away from his daughter before and thinks Roderigo is merely scheming once again in order to see Desdemona, which ironically he is. Iago makes it seem worse than it is, by vulgarly telling the senator that his daughter and Othello are having sex by putting it as though they are â€Å"making the beast with two backs†, this makes it seem very vulgar. Brabantio begins to take what he hears seriously and decides to search for his daughter. Iago’s plan was successful and so he went to Othello. This scene has already made the play exciting by stirring things up in Othello’s relationship – we haven’t even met the character yet although we know that he is very high ranking in his work and that he has dis-owned the trust of a senator. Seeing as this is all the doing of Iago and his poisonous words we get the picture that Othello is a respectable man but for some reason he can easily loose trust in people. By not meeting the main character in the first scene it makes the audience keen and interested to find out more about this character, another good way to start off the story. Like Brabantio, Othello has no idea of Iago’s role in Roderigo’s accusations. Iago is with Roderigo whilst he tells him of the doings of his daughter, but as soon as they have informed Brabantio Iago departs on the note that he wasn’t to be involved any more, Brabantio comes out of his house, furious that his daughter has left him. Declaring that his daughter has been stolen from him by magic â€Å"charms,† Brabantio and his men follow Roderigo to Othello. The first scene of act 1 shows a small amount of what is to come in the rest of the play, such as, Iago always creates the tension in the atmosphere by messing around with peoples feelings and emotions – managing to get them to do reckless things (also happens a lot later on) yet he always manages to leave the scene before he gets involved in the situation. I think that this is also another good way of beginning the play as it shows signs of what is soon to come next. Overall I think that this is a very effective way to open a Shakespeare play as it is very dramatic instantly and gives enough of the story to know vaguely what the story will be about but it also leaves a lot out to make it very interesting – I think it would make the audience want to carry on watching to see what will happen is it is not entirely predictable of what may happen just from the opening scene – although it is very informative. It is almost like a cliffhanger as it keeps the audience in suspense about the main character, as they do not get to meet him to begin with, this is a dramatic way to begin the play.

Nfl Rule Changes

Sorry ladies but this one is for the guys. Fellas close your eyes imagine you went through college playing your favorite sport or in this case football, imagine your on defense the running back has the ball he’s about to score the game winning touchdown and just as he’s getting to run across the goal line BAM! You knock him clean off his feet before he scores and you guys win the game. But wait you hear whistles and see flags everywhere, you just got penalized for un-sportsmen like conduct, the ball is placed at the spot of the penalty and you get fined over $25,000 dollars, all because your helmet accidently hit the other player’s helmet.This is what the NFL has come down to people. In this speech I am going to share with you the new rules implemented into football, the type of fines you get for playing football (doing your job) and how I think football will be ruined in the next 10 years. To Begin With, according to http://www. nfl. com/rulebook over the last t en years or so football (NFL and NCAA) has been adding rules that are intended to protect players, and rules that have no significance other than to give the offense an advantage .Roughing the passer rules, illegal contact, horse collar tackling, below the waist blocks, head to head contact, and many more. Football to me is a gladiator sport played by tough strong men who play hurt and try to hurt others. It seems that lately the leagues just want high profile players scoring all the time, with no violence or defense. It’s becoming more like basketball, is the game on the decline? Also, look at the tough as nails superstars of last year, where have they gone. And if you can watch a football game from the 50? s 60? s or 70? Yes, these rules have made football rather boring. Obviously, they don’t remember names such as Mean Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Howie Long, and others. These guys were hard hitting players. The NFL says they are looking out for the future of the playe rs and that’s why they implement all these rules but then at the same time they lengthen the season it just doesn’t make sense. Secondly, let’s go back to the 2011 season the infamous â€Å"lockout† where in a few short words â€Å"the NFL was going broke† thankfully they got through it and now we have football for sure until 2016.But it’s funny to see the results of the lockout till this day. Two years ago players didn’t have to worry about all these strictly enforced rules but now since the NFL needs more money you hear about all these ridiculous fines that the players get for simply just doing their job which is to play football. There are people in this world that work hard every day of their lives and most of them don’t make what football players get fined in a whole year of working. For example, according to the Bleach Report at http://bleacherreport. com players such as E.J. Henderson who was fined $5,000 for illegal use of hands, Richie Incognito was also fined for $5,000 for a facemask penalty and an additional $5,000 for an illegal chop block. Plaxico Burress  was fined $5,000 for tossing a ball into the stands after scoring a touchdown against  San Francisco; DeAngelo Williams was fined $7,500 for throwing a couple balls into the stands in their game against  New Orleans. And a real ridiculous one was Lamar Woodley who was fined $10,000 for sacking  Redskins  quarterback Jason Campbell â€Å"in an intimidating manner. I know it’s not just me who thinks these fines are ill-advised. Last, let’s talk about how I think the NFL or the game of football in general is going to change. We can all agree that football now isn’t the same football ten, twenty years ago which in some ways can be good for instance the equipment has improved in great strides but even though they are making more protective equipment they are taking the violence that I and the rest of America like that comes with the game of football.By adding all these rules that you can’t hit players a certain way, you have to use certain body parts to tackle, and even after the tackle you have all that adrenaline corseting through your veins and you can’t even express your emotions without getting penalized and as a football player I can tell you that’s unfair that’s what the people like to see the emotion. Now let’s talk about college football even they have added rules to the rule book.And as much as some of you might not think it’s a big deal it is to us defensive players, because now not only do we have to figure out what the offense is doing, where the ball is at now we have to worry about when they have the ball where to â€Å"properly† tackle them or having to wait till the receiver has â€Å"complete control† of the ball before a defensive player can hit him, how is that football if I’m letting him catch the ball I was under the impression that we don’t let them catch the ball but whatever. And according to http://www. theatlanticwire. om they are even trying to change more rules to make football â€Å"more safe† at this rate kids in college aren’t going to want to play professional football anymore which will cause a big problem cause according to NFL. com NFL merchandise makes up for 53% of its total profit. And no one will watch what is left of what the NFL calls football. To conclude, to sum up what I’m trying to say is if no one stands up to what the commissioners are trying to do with football there’s going to be a lot of changes that no one likes they need to come up with some kind of alternative to fining player and suspending the for doing their jobs.So next time you’re watching a game on TV or at the stadium and you see a player get tackled and it’s a big hit just remember the person who tackled the player is most likely going to get fine d more than most people in America make in a year. And mark my words if the NFL doesn’t do something quick the fans will have a big impact and football will change as we know it. Ron, Rokhy. â€Å"NFL tackling itself with new â€Å"safety† rules. â€Å"Daily Sundial.Copyright  © 2012 – Daily Sundial, 06 09 2011. Web. 12 Feb 2013. . John, Hudson. â€Å"Will the NFL's New Hitting Rules Ruin Football?. †Ã‚  Atlantic Wire. Copyright  © 2013 by The Atlantic Monthly Group, 19 10 2010. Web. 12 Feb 2013. . Derek, Correspondent â€Å"Is Roger Goodell Ruining Football?. †Ã‚  Bleacher Report. Copyright  © 2013 Bleacher Report, Inc, 05 04 2009. Web. 12 Feb 2013. .

Classic Airlines Marketing Solution-Mkt 571

Classic Airlines Marketing Solution WK 3 MKT 571 University of Phoenix Abstract Presently Classic Airlines is one of the largest airline carriers in the world. Last year the company had a net income of $10 million dollars on operating revenues of $8. 7 billion. The year before the company had a net income of $71 million on 8. 5 billion of operating revenues (Classic Airline Scenario, 2010). The net income has decreased $61 million in one year. One of the reasons for the huge decrease in net profit is because of marketing strategies. The company needs to take three stepsto turn the company around. First it needs to analyze the internal and external pressures that has created the present crisis. Second it needs to formulate a problem-solving method, and third it needs to apply the problem-solving method to the current crisis. Analyze current situation {draw:frame} Rising costs, particularly of fuel and labor, have limited Classic Airlines to compete for the valued frequent fliers (Classic Airline Scenario, 2010). To protect the company from possible bankruptcy, a 15% cost reduction has been implementedover the next 18 months. Each department will have cuts, with marketing hardest hit at 21. 5% reduction versus sales and operations at 11. 5% (Classic Airline Scenario, 2010). The following shows the cost reduction goals by department (Classic Airline Scenario, 2010). To make sure Classic Airlines does not go into bankruptcy, the marking department needs to focus on three issues. First, the internal and external pressures causing the decrease in net income needs to be identified. A plan to decrease or eliminate the identified internal and external pressures needs to be formulated. Second, the challenges of the marketing department needs to be solved. The third and final step is to formulate financial strategies by examining possible available resources and other airline's marketing solutions. Internal and external pressures Classic Airlines is faced with many external and internal pressures. External pressures include the present consumer uncertainty about flying. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist high jacking of anAmerican commercial aircraft, every airline has suffered the worse consumer's crisis the country has ever experienced. Since the terrorist attack on airplanes, consumers have an unpleasant feeling about air safety. The travel downturn after September 11 has subsided, Classic Airlines overestimated the reversal,and expanded too quickly. That caused Classic to face a restrictive cost structure (Classic Airline Scenario, 2010). Shortly after the terrorist attack, the county entered its worse economic downturn since the Great Depression,which severely crippled the economic stability of world markets. The rising costs of fuel and labor has affected Classic Airlines ability to compete for the frequent flier. Because of increased uncertainty about flying, the economic downturn, and increased labor and fuel costs, Classic Airlines has seen a 10% decrease in share prices in the past year. Other external pressures include: fierce price cutting from competitors, negative effects of the public created low employee morale, and declining confidence of the consumers. The internal pressures includean increasingly volatile union climate and the lowest employee morale in the company's history. The financial statements including the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statements shows a company headed for financial disaster. Last year the net income of the company was $10 million, however;the year before the net income was $71 million, for a decrease of $61 million in one year. To counter further financial crisis the company has mandated a 15% cost reduction over the next 18 months. If the company can't meet the 15% reduction, the company faces bankruptcy (Classic Airlines Scenario, 2010). Other internal pressures include: increasing cost of labor, low margins, poor employee morale, decrease in customer satisfaction, poor customer service management, and expensive marketing budgets. Objectives,_ obstacles, and resources available in the marketing department _ The main obstacle in achieving the marketing objectives are that Classic Airlines can't cut prices further. The profit margins can't decreased to lower levels. The company's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is not focused on consumer satisfaction. The Customer Relationship Management department has caused faithful customers to turn to the Internet for their travel needs. Another problem is that the company is trying to avoid bankruptcy by mandating a 15% cost reduction over the next 18 months. This is marketing's biggest obstacle, to reduce costs by 15% when they need to increase marketing efforts. _Problem- solving method_ By implementing the 9-Step problem -Solving Model, Classic Airlines can solve their challenges and at the same time uncover numerous opportunities. It serves as a valuable tool for all businesses, both large and small. It identifies the problem, plans the solutions, display ethical dilemmas, and defines ensuing issues. The 9 Step problem solving model includes the following steps: Step 1) Define the problem-Knowing exactly what the problem is. Step 2) Measure the problem- Measurement of the current level of performance, to be measured against future performance, Step 3) Set the goals-Goals provide direction and must be stated in terms that are measurable. Step 4) Determine root causes-determine why the process is working the way it presently does. Step 5) Select best strategy- Select a strategy that will best solve the problem. Step 6) Implement strategy- Develop and action plan to implement the solution. Step 7) Evaluate results- Evaluate the effect of the chosen solution. Step 8) Implement appropriate changes in the process- Improves and perfects the process. Step 9) Continuous improvement- Improve the process continuously (Problem-Solving Model, 2010). To be successful in solving Classic Airline challenges, goals will be set and achieved. The goals must address the main challenges of the company including lack of sales, decrease in net income, low employee morale, downturn in the Classic Rewards program, and required budget cuts. Goals will meet the SMART standard of beingspecific, measureable, agreed upon, realistic and time-based. The goal, must be specific which means it iswell defined. Who is involved, what is to be accomplished, location, requirements and constraints should be identified and the reason the goal should be accomplished. The goal should be clear to everyone associated with the program. There must be an exact way for measuring the progress toward the goal. The goal should be agreed upon by all stakeholders and attainable, achievable, and action-oriented. The goal is realistic when people are willing and able to work for its achievement. A goal is realistic when people believe it can be accomplished in the set timeframe. The goal should be set within a certain time frame (Haughey, 2010). Classic Airlines has formulated a table of SMART questions that address the challenges of lack of sales, decrease in net income, low employee morale, downturn in the Classic Rewards program, and required budget cuts (Haughey, 2010). Marketing recommendations Classic airlines needs to cut expenses to produce a net income and avoid bankruptcy. The following are some methods of cutting costs: direct booking through the internet or call center with no sales commissions. Use uniform aircraft such as just the 737-300 airplanes, use a simple system of pricing, on the aircrafts use high seating density and load factors to be efficient, no frills such as free food or drinks, and use of secondary airports to cut charges and turnaround times. One of the ways Classic Airlines can make the airline more attractive to existing customers and new customers is to restructure the company's frequent flier program. Reforming the Classic Rewards program will be a challenge, however;the returns could turn the company around. Rewarding frequent fliers with new rewards that include various redemption options could improve consumer moral and loyalty. Classic Airlines must provide better service to all their customers, especially the frequent fliers. The goal of the company should be to retain and win back customers, provide exceptional customer service, and offer attractive alternatives to redeeming their frequent flier miles. Providing exceptional service to their frequent fliers and meeting the need of each customer is a duty and obligation of Classic Airlines. Classic Airlines should increase the number of miles Basic, Silver, and Gold members can use in a year by 10%. Classic Airlines should also decrease the number of black-out days. Without improving the frequent flier program, the company will continue to losecustomers, market share, and see net profit continue to decline. Alliance with other carriers would expand available routes and provide more options for frequent flyers to use their loyalty rewards. Alliance with other carriers could decrease its operating costs and increase net income. The company would benefit by becoming a larger company with more services. Conclusion References Classic Airline Scenario, 2010. _University of Phoenix materials-Classic Airlines Exhibit B. _ (2010_). _ Retrieved on March 22, 2010 from University of Phoenix, Resource, MKT/571- Marketing Web site: https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/classroom/ic/classroom. aspx. Classic Airline Scenario, 2010. _University of Phoenix materials-Classic Scenario: Classic _ Airlines. (2010_). _ Retrieved on March 22, 2010 from University of Phoenix, Resource, MKT/571- Marketing Web site: https://ecampus. hoenix. edu/classroom/ic/classroom. aspx. Haughey, D. (2010). Smart Goals. Projectsmart. Retrieved March 23, 2010, from: http://www. projectsmart. co. uk/smart-goals. html Kotler, P. Keller, K. A framework for marketing management, 3rde. (2007). Prentice Hall. Retrieved on March 23,2010 from University of Phoenix, Resource, MKT/571-Marketing Web site: https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/classroom/ic/classroom. aspx. Problem-Solving Model, 2010. BPI consulting. Retrieved on March 24, 2010 from: http://www. spcforexcel. com/problem-solving-model

The Contributions of Migrant Workers in the Hotel Industry in London Essay

The Contributions of Migrant Workers in the Hotel Industry in London - Essay Example Concerning the United Kingdom, the immense contribution of migrants has facilitated the performance of the hotel industry in London because they demand low wages, salary packages and fewer facilities than the native born-born workers. For that reason, the operating costs of running the hotel business have been low due to low costs associated with payroll. These cheap salary packages are often due to migrants receiving insufficient information regarding the rules and regulations governing the international labor market and their rights as employees (Alberti, Holgate & Turner 2014). Consequently, the migrant workers have no idea of the fact that minimum wage policies exist. One of the determining factors of the minimum wage in the United Kingdom is the age group. The wage rates are calculated on the basis of the number of hours spent at work. For instance, the current wage rate per hour of an employee whose age is 21 years and above is  £ 6.50. In addition, the migrant workers might lack the information about the existence of health and safety regulations that impose various limitations on the working condition. Therefore, the level of wage set for them by their employees is just what their employers wish for them to earn. The hotel industry exploits the opportunity created by lack of sufficient information in a bid to reduce the expenses, thus increase the profitability level. (Janta et al. 2012). Migrant workers continually play a noteworthy and significant role in the Hotel industry across the globe. The internal movements of labor that occur within nations will be of equivalent volumes and, in a few countries, more noteworthy and essential in meeting the needs of the Hotel Industry (Shen & Huang 2012). The migrant workers are a vital source of government revenue. The tax on their wages makes a substantial contribution to the global government incomes.

The scorecard measures Between Toyota&Peugeot Essay

The scorecard measures Between Toyota&Peugeot - Essay Example The organizational profits but also the response of the customers to a firm’s strategic decisions indicate the ability of the organization to identify plans that are aligned with the market trends. The role of various factors in a firm’s performance has been extensively studied in the context of management accounting. A series of management accounting techniques has been developed in order to help firms to measure their performance, either in the short or the long term. Current paper focuses on the potential use of Balanced Scorecard, an accounting technique developed in 1990 by Kaplan and Norton, for measuring the performance of a well known, organization: Toyota. Reference is made to potential scorecard measures under each of the four headings of the balanced scorecard that could be applied to Toyota. At the next level, two alternative strategic management techniques are suggested for another well-known firm of the global automotive industry, Peugeot, at the level tha t these techniques could possibly help the organization to measure its performance more effectively. The performance of both, Toyota and Peugeot, is compared with reference to these firms’ potential to apply effectively their strategies. Peugeot is more prepared in order to face the challenges of the global market, a fact that is related to the firm’s ability to avoid failures when measuring its performance. 2. Balanced scorecard as related to the just-in-time technique in Toyota The just-in-time technique used in Toyota is based on the following principle: waste must be controlled, as possible. For this reason, in Toyota efforts are made so that the following philosophy is applied: the volume of the firm’s products is decided in accordance with the level of the existing orders (Toyota, Production system, 2012). In order to be able to respond quickly to new orders, the firm promotes the following strategies: all parts required for the vehicle ordered are availab le in the assembly line, so that the production of the vehicle can proceed with no delay (Toyota Production system 2012). After using certain parts for producing a new vehicle, the assembly line has to replace these parts so that its stock is kept at a specific level, a fact that secures the readiness of the firm’s production units to respond quickly to new orders (Toyota Production system 2012). The above technique could be analyzed using the Balanced Scorecard (Figure 1, Appendix). The Balanced Scorecard is consisted from four parts: ‘Customer, Internal Processes, Employee Learning and Growth and Financial’ (Niven 2006, p.13). A series of potential scorecard measures under each of the four headings of the balanced scorecard as they could apply to Toyota are presented below. 2.1. Customer The relationship between the firm and its customers has faced severe challenges the last decade mostly because the continuous failures in the firm’s products. It is expe cted that customers’ loyalty has been decreased, a problem that should be faced by the organization with no delay. A measure should be developed by the organization for estimating the level of customer loyalty and the level of customer satisfaction in regard to the firm’s products worldwide. The firm would initiate a survey among its customers worldwide; the views of the firm’s existing customers on the quality of the firm’

Global Depository Receipts (GDR) and convertible bonds Law of Intl Essay

Global Depository Receipts (GDR) and convertible bonds Law of Intl Finance - Essay Example DRs offer a number of benefits to investors seeking to diversify internationally. DRs greatly facilitate trading in foreign securities by reducing the risk of fraud. While foreign companies shares typically are written in the language of the issuer, DRs are usually issued in the language of the issuing agent. DRs are legal obligations of the issuing agent and not of the firm that issued the stock. Thus, the risk of falling prey of bogus certificates is eliminated. As such, DRs overcome many of the obstacles that mutual funds, pension funds, and other financial institutions have in investing and holding securities outside the homeland. (Geiders 1997, cited in Webster, 1998, p. 2). DRs are also convenient. Securities do not have to be delivered through international mail, prices are quoted in pounds or U.S. dollars, and pay dividends or interest in the home currency. In fact, the prices of a number of foreign stocks routinely are reported in the financial press. Importantly, global cus todian safekeeping charges associated with purchasing foreign securities are eliminated, which could save the investor as much as 40 basis points annually. (Webster, 1998) An important function of DRs is that they enable foreign firms to raise capital in the most lucrative markets for investment capital such as Great Britain and United States. Listing shares directly on UK or U.S. stock exchanges, however, is problematic, Disclosure requirements are among the strictest in the world. Foreign firms also face significant costs producing UK or U.S.-style financial statements. DRs provide foreign firms with a way around these listing problems. While the potential benefits of direct foreign investment are connected to overseas diversification the potential disadvantages to investing in DRs also are communicated by overseas diversification risks: fluctuating currency values, lower liquidity, and foreign tax liability. Fluctuating currency values. An investor does not have to exchange currency to purchase DRs, but DR prices are still influenced by fluctuating currency values. Since the pricing of DRs reflects the UK pounds value of a foreign security currency movements will work to an investor's advantage when the foreign country's currency drops in value in relation to the UK currency. But the opposite also is true. The value of DRs will drop when the foreign currency increases in value against the UK pound of sterlings. Overall, DRs still tend to track with the performance of their corresponding foreign securities. Lower liquidity. Most DRs are not as actively traded as foreign shares that are traded directly As a result, DRs may not be as easy to liquidate. Brokers that specialize in trading DRs, however, can liquidate them by instructing the foreign custodian to sell the underlying securities. Foreign tax liability. Although DRs pay dividends in pounds, these payments represent conversions of foreign dividends paid to a custodian on the underlying securities. As a result, DR holders must pay foreign taxes on these dividends. Although many DRs are considered highly

Energy Production on Gym Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Energy Production on Gym - Essay Example The water containers also are made up of plastic which practically litters in every gym. Plastic is an environment hazard because it is non-biodegradable and is there to stay in our environment as a pollutant for a very long time. The discrepancy between the environmental consciousness of the gym customers and actual operation of a gym presents a timely opportunity for an entrepreneur who would be venturing into a green gym. The idea of a green gym can still be considered as a sunshine industry because it is a new trend in the fitness industry and is a departure the current operation of most gyms today can still be considered as environmentally hazardous. Sunshine industry is an industry that grows quickly and is expected to grow steadily in the future (investorwords). Sunshine industry could be profitable since the market it intends to carve its niche is still underserved. The present customer of the gym can be considered as a captive market because they are likely to welcome the idea of a green gym because of their intention to live healthy. If the marketing strategy and positioning of the green gym business will prove to be successful, it could expand its client base to include those who are environmentally conscious. The market of the green gym can extend and include the environmentalist which is also a huge segment of the market. If a significant portion of this segment of the market can be translated into actual clientele by enticing them with the green operation of the gym, this could be a huge addition to the present customers of the green gym and will surely have a significant impact on the bottom line of the business. Customers will expect that the green gym will be environmentally clean in its operation and that the carbon foot print of its operation is minimal if any. Meaning, its operation consumes very

Media Perspective on Secure Communities in U.S Essay

Media Perspective on Secure Communities in U.S - Essay Example At the initial stages of implementation, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement took a firm stand that was later diluted by the civil society and the media. According to a report by Alex Johnson, a reporter with NBC News, the agency was stringent in the adoption of the policy. The report states that they were not ready to tolerate opposition from neither the state agencies nor the county authorities. The process seemed difficult but the authority was very keen on its implementation, the media further reported on the issue especially on the criticism and dissatisfaction by the state governments. The New York Times reported about the incidence as well as CNN. Some of the media platforms have their personnel criticizing the nature in which the agency was planning to approach the issue. As early as 2010, two years after its adoption the policy started gaining media popularity for all the wrong reasons. The agency was purported to have been deporting innocent individuals. According to th eir report released in the 2010, up to 27% of the deportees were individuals that had not participated in any criminal activity (Johnson 1). The program has been faulted by some media platforms of targeting innocent people or individuals who have committed minor offences. According to Robert Morgenthau of ‘The Daily Beast’, the federal program has targeted quite a number of immigrants who have no criminal record. He asserts, â€Å"Immigrants with no criminal record, who fall into no priority category for removal, should not become ‘targeted’ for deportation simply because they made a right turn without signalling† (Morgenthau 1). Reporting on the same issue, Elena Shore of the New America Media says that ‘Although the program's goal is to prioritize the deportation of those with a criminal record, it has led to the deportation of thousands of immigrants with  no criminal records† (Shore 1). Reporting on the same issue, Elena Shore of th e New America Media says that ‘Although the program's goal is to prioritize the deportation of those with a criminal record, it has led to the deportation of thousands of immigrants with  no criminal records†. These views demonstrate the dissatisfaction that has been advanced by the media personnel against the program. The opposition can be translated to capture the views of other media platforms since their voice has not been heard. The data sharing system has received criticism from the members of the fourth estate. The Secure Communities Program has been faulty in some instances leading to insurmountable damages. In July 2012, James Eng of NBC news reported a case of a man who was held in maximum prison for allegedly being considered for deportation under the provisions of the program. The man went ahead to sue the government for the illegal jailing, marking the first case to challenge the contentious program. The challenge of the program in a court of law by an ind ividual attracted the interest of the media hence facilitating the media criticism (Eng 1). The mode of data transmission has been questioned with the media personnel casting doubts on the media used. There is also likelihood of probable errors that could have result to criminalization of an innocent citizens, asserts the reporter. Despite the stringency adopted by the Immigration and

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Business ethics - Essay Example The latter was a conspiracy to fix price but against which Virgin Atlantic blew an early whistle to stop prematurely. As one will notice, airline industry is full of stiff competition that takes all forms of unethical practices despite heavy fines that perpetrators are usually aware of (Fisman et al., 2005, p. 56). Ethical theories have majorly made general observations that the foundation of ethics is motivate by human desire to do good. It is a desire to good in the sense that the wish and the necessary action to accompany the wish are not usually mutually inclusive. Ethics therefore comes out as a concern on the way in which people apply moral principles to life. In other words, ethics is concerned with what s just, fair or acceptable by applying the fundamental that guide societal values. Business ethics is therefore guidelines that come out of concerns on how best a firm should relate with the society in a manner likely to promote the principles of justice and responsibility. Justice and responsibility come in the sense that business as a legal entity in its name or in the shareholders name, has a duty to make sure that its pursuit for profits is not motivated greed (Bob, 2006, p. 23). Business ethics therefore act to ensure that elements in business external environment are used in a manner likely to sustain their continued existence without any harm. Such a duty involves having to care for the environment and the community in which the business interacts with in the course of its daily activities. One should also note that business ethics also guide how a business firm will operate internally. In short, ethics in business is about applying all the values, principles, and regulations with the aim of being responsible to the welfare of the public (Hsieh, 2009, p.259). Business ethics is important majorly because it offers guidelines on how best

Reading through “Winter in a Warehouse” Essay Example for Free

Reading through â€Å"Winter in a Warehouse† Essay â€Å"Winter in a Warehouse,† is about a group of warehouse women on their way to and from the washroom of the milling company. The washroom is in the office building which is a considerable distance from the women’s workplace, the warehouse. As it is winter, the trek from one building to the other becomes a tedious and an unwished-for errand. The atmosphere is cold and hostile as the people they come across with. The short journey evokes in the narrator’s mind several issues – gender, class and social status between the warehouse women and the rest of the characters in the poem. In â€Å"Winter in a Warehouse,† Anne Spillard speaks about the condition of the lower- class working women in the latter-day industrial society. The poem started with the narrator’s voice fondly recalling the image of his grandfather, â€Å"Grandad ‘goes for a loo */Behind the old chimbly† (lines 1-2), from a long time ago. The tone here is friendly, the language is colloquial and the mood is gay. Grandad, being old, â€Å"Dragging his feet in carpet slippers† (3), is also probably retired from his work in the mill. The use of grandfather in the poem suggests time difference. The corrugated iron â€Å"Where the wind flaps rusty limbs/ Of corrugated iron† (7-8), denotes a time long gone by. It is probably 40 to 50 years ago since grandfather worked in that company when manufacturing firms employed mostly men in its workforce. Noting the narrator’s familiarity with the setting, it is likely that he or she is a third generation worker employed in the same mill or factory that his grandparent worked for. Grandfather finds the long walk to the office tiresome, â€Å"†¦ ‘It’s too far to trail/ ‘T ‘ the bloody office’ (4-5), so he simply decides to pee against the chimney by the bank. The narrator seems to perceive this as an unusual gesture, â€Å"And pees against the great black chimney† (9). The chimney, great and black, is a thing of significance and not to be trifled with. Grandfather’s peeing where he pleased perhaps constitutes defiance of the convention on peeing and of what the chimney signifies. On the other hand, the narrator’s voice registers a suspicion about grandad’s account, â€Å"Or so he tells us† (10). It implies that grandfather could be lying, that perhaps it is not that easy to break the company regulation as well as the convention. It is only at the 10th line, with the use of â€Å"us† that the narrator is revealed. They are women workers stationed in the warehouse gone for a walk to the office building within the company compound to wash their empty coffee cups and to pee. Upon arriving there, they see the millpond nearby, â€Å"Down to the office/ Where the mill manager used to sit† (12-13). The mill manager, like the grandfather, is a representation of an era gone by. In the early stage of industrialization, it was the manager, who was usually also the owner of the business, who conducted his businesses in an office with the help of a staff or two. He was also visible in the company premises. In more recent times, with further division of labor and the expansion of industrialization, the manager has normally taken to holding his office in an inner chamber within the office building. He is scarcely visible to the workers and as such, there is usually a layer of office staffs that deals with the rank and file or the ordinary workers of the company. It is these office girls that the warehouse women came across with when they went to the office premises to have use of the washroom. The office girls act and speak superior to the warehouse women. They address the women collectively, in a cold and impersonal manner. The washroom is in a state of disrepair, â€Å"Melted snow drips through the washroom ceiling† (18). The water at the mains must be turned on first before the women could flush the toilet. The male washroom, â€Å"†¦ it’s leaking. † (23). These little details describe the ambience of the washroom area – old, ill-kept and deteriorating. And yet, the office girls almost begrudge them for using it. â€Å"‘You warehouse people always arrive/ ‘Just when we’ve boiled the kettle/ ‘for elevenses,’ the office girls rebuke us. † (15-17). The warehouse women do not have a washroom in their workplace. In the period described in this poem, even answering the call of nature, presents a problem. Unlike men, women cannot urinate anywhere. Furthermore, in most manufacturing companies, peeing is only allowed during designated breaks. One girl even goes so far as to point to out to the women that the male washroom must not be used, â€Å"Don’t use the Gents, †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (21). Perhaps, the reminder is unnecessary, as the women have been coming there on the same errand for years and are aware of the fact. It is also not far to suppose that the Gents has not been working for decades. Thus, the part about the male toilet leaking is a take on the grandfather’s story. Perhaps, the male workers in the mill were not subjected to strict regulation on peeing only because the male toilet was leaking. Throughout the poem, the voice constantly changes: from the third person singular (lines 1-10), to first person plural (11-14), to second person plural (15-17), to third person plural(18), back to first person plural (19-20), to third person singular (21-23), and lastly, to third person plural (24-31), making it vibrant and giving the reader the feeling that the characters are performing before him. It also shows the individuality or lack of, the characters within the poem. Nina, one of the office girls, has a distinct voice and she has a name. In contrast, the warehouse women are only referred to as â€Å"us,† â€Å"we† and â€Å"warehouse women. † The warehouse women have only one voice: the voice of a group. The office girls have their voice as a group and their individual voices as persons apart. Despite the office being heated, perfumed and powdered, the narrator notices that â€Å"the office girls sit shivering† (24), a hint that their thinner clothing cause them discomfort during winter. On the other hand, the warehouse women have become indifferent to the coldness. Why? It is because winter is the all-year season inside the warehouse. What is not mentioned here but is implied is the suffering of the warehouse women doing hard, manual and routine labor, whose enclosed workplace is perhaps unheated, full of fumes and dust, and dark as one could imagine. Towards the end of the poem, the engaging voice at the beginning seems to have become somebody else, an alienated figure viewing a scene that he is not part of, But the warehouse women, Shapeless in heavy sweaters and wooly longjohns, Trudge back through the snow, No longer noticing this winter Which may last forever Inside the blankness of their warehouse. The poem begins on a cheerful note, in an informal way and in a youthful voice, with a fond recollection of one’s grandfather and his days. It ends on a cheerless, aged and serious tone about a group of women trudging their way back to the warehouse across the snow, oblivious of the season and what it might bring to them.

Environmental Impact of Ship Breaking Industry

Environmental Impact of Ship Breaking Industry Introduction: We are going to look into Ship breaking industry around the world and its impact on the environment, health and safety, social values and human rights issues. Ship breaking is the course of dismantling an archaic vessels structure for scrapping or recycle, mean to be conducted at a pier or dry dock to dismantling ship, it includes various activities, from removing all gears, parts and equipment to cutting down the ships substructure. Ship breaking is a difficult course of action due to the structural complication of ships. There are thousands of people involved in this industry. So many issues come up during breaking ships which remains beyond our knowledge. We are trying to demonstrate these serious issues and overcome these problems. Increasing demand of raw materials for re-rolling mills and other purposes and negative impacts on coastal environments, ship breaking activities present both challenges and opportunities for coastal zone management in a holistic manner. These activities are example of both the potentialities and the dangers of an increasingly globalised economy. It has achieved a good fame for being profitable but it cost huge environmental damage. A variety of disposable materials and refuse are being discharged from scrapped ships are often mixed with the beach soil and sea water which in turn has a negative impact on our coastal environment and biodiversity. However, accidents are normal phenomena in the ship breaking yards. Over the years more than 1000 workers have lost their lives and were seriously injured. Due to unconsciousness and lack of government patronization, the activities are facing several internal and e xternal problems. Considering all these facts, a distinct and well-balanced policy is necessary for sustainable ship breaking activities. Aims Objectives: There are some aims and objectives have been set to conducting this research: Aims †¢ Solve the serious issues †¢ Set proper guidelines †¢ Make awareness of the workers †¢ Keep the child workers away †¢ Awareness of the government †¢ Finding pros/cons Objectives †¢ Finding the problems †¢ Co-operate with the local authority †¢ Training for the workers †¢ Education for all †¢ Collecting data and analyze them †¢ Implement the outcomes of the research Environmental pollution: According to the report of Jim Puckett (International Conference on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009), the Beaching Method whereby ships are run grounded on ocean beaches for cutting and breaking apart in the intertidal zone can never be achieved in a manner which is environmentally noise or shielding of human health. Careful analyses of the intrinsic characteristics of beaching operations are conclusive that no amount of prescriptive improvements or protections can remedy the four fatal characteristics of intertidal beaching operations: * there is the impossibility of containing pollutants on a tidal beach where hulls of ships are often breached accidentally or by cutting, or toxic paints erode or are abraded sending persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and oils onto the beach and into the seawater; * due to a shifting and soft wet tidal sand surface, there is the impossibility of rapidly bringing emergency response equipment, including fire-fighting equipment and vehicles, ambulances and cranes alongside the ship, to assist or remove persons hurt inside the hull; * the impossibility of allowing cranes to work alongside to lift heavy cut sections of a ship and thereby preventing heavy cut sections from being subject to gravity, shifting or falling directly into workers or into the marine environment; and * There is the absolute incompatibility of conducting hazardous waste management operations (which is what they are as long as ships contain hazardous wastes) in the ecologically delicate and vital coastal zone. Puckett revealed that these fatal flaws of the beaching method inevitably will result in causing avoidable death and pollution and thus make a mockery of the application of Regulation 19 of this Convention. No amount of band-aid guidelines and criteria can cure the malignancy inherent in beaching operations. To ask Parties to prevent adverse effects to human health and the environment from massive toxic ships on an intertidal beach already makes the fulfilment of this objective impossible. However the worst outcome is that by not drawing a clear line at the outset, this fatally flawed method will be legitimized, millions of dollars will be thrown into trying to mitigate the inherently inappropriate and dangerous working platform and the IMO will have succeeded in perpetuating death and pollution for many years to come. Hazardous activities: Ship breaking activities are being condemned as the whole process entails a series of risky tasks and as a depot of hazardous substances, which pose threats to the ambient environment and working people. Depending on their size and function, scrapped ships have an unloaded weight of between 5,000 and 40,000 tonnes (an average of 13000+), 95% of which is steel, coated with between 10 and 100 tonnes of paint containing lead, cadmium, organ tins, arsenic, zinc and chromium. Ships also contain a wide range of other hazardous wastes, sealants containing PCBs; up to 7.5 tonnes of various types of asbestos; several thousand litres of oil (engine oil, bilge oil, hydraulic and lubricant oils and grease). Tankers additionally hold up to 1,000 cubic meters of residual oil. Most of these materials are defined as hazardous waste under the Basel Convention. In Asia old Ships containing these materials are being cut up by hand, on open beaches, under inhumane working conditions. Experts are unanimo us in their opinion that ship breaking is a high-risk industry. Paul J. Bailey criticized in his ILO discussion papers (2000) that By any standards, the demolition of ships is a dirty and dangerous occupation. The ship breaking hazards generally fall into two categories: intoxication by dangerous substances and risk of accidents on the plots. Violations of Human and labour rights: Be short of professional health and safety standard, personal or limited of training protection equipment provided. †¢ Limited or no access to emergency services, compensation when a worker is injured or killed on the job, and treatment. †¢ Less than bare minimum wages. †¢ Child labour uses. †¢ Wide range of working hours without right to overtime, annual leaves or sick. †¢ Short of job security: there is no pay where no work. †¢ No right to form or join or any trade union. In the most of the shipyards, workforces are being privileged of their human rights. They work under dangerous situation however they have no right of entry to job security, a take-home pay or safety kit. OHS, accidents and diseases: Over the last twenty years more than 400 workers have been killed and 6000 seriously injured according to the Bangladeshi media. These are the ones that have been reported. The explosion of the Iranian tanker TT Dena on 31st May 2000 alone is said to have caused 50 deaths. To this toll, the thousands of cases of irreversible diseases which have occurred and will continue to occur due to the toxic materials that are handled and inhaled without any precautions or protective gear need to be considered. On average, one worker dies in the yards a week and everyday a worker is injured (End of Life Ships: the Human Cost of Breaking Ships). It seems like nobody really cares: ship breaking workers are easily replaceable to the yard owners: if one is lost they know another 10 is waiting to replace him due to the lack of work. The Government collects the taxes and turns a blind eye. Workers are not aware of hazards to which they are exposed. The overwhelming majority of workers wear no protecti ve gear and many of them work barefoot. There is hardly any testing system for the use of cranes, lifting machinery or a motorized pulley. The yards re-use ropes and chains recovered from the broken ships without testing and examining their strength. There is no marking system of loading capacity of the chains of cranes and other lifting machineries. Consequently, workers suffer from lung problems which cause temporary loss of working capacity. The hatches and pockets of vessel may contain explosive or inflammable gases. The cutters, if they understand from experience, drill small holes in order to release gases or fumes. This still however, often cause severe explosions. Gas cutters and their helpers, cut steel plates almost around the clock without eye protection. This leaves their eyes vulnerable to effects of welding. They do not wear a uniform and most dont have access to gloves and boots. Those that are unskilled carry truck able pieces of iron sheets on their shoulders and th ere are no weight limits to the sheets they carry. Usually, these workers carry weights far above the limit prescribed in the Factories Act and Factories Rules. The beaches are strewn with chemicals and toxic substances, small pieces of pointed and sharp iron splinters causing injuries. Workers enter into the areas without wearing or using any protective equipment. Occupational health and safety is clearly not a priority for the owners and as for the workers their desperate need to find employment to support their families means that their livelihoods take precedence over their lives. Treatment and compensation: When there is an injury some immediate treatment may be given but there is no long term treatment for those who have a long term or permanent injury. In terms of compensation, only a nominal amount of compensation given and often only when there is public pressure. When a worker becomes disabled by a major accident, he gets a maximum of 10 to 15 thousand taka (1 USD=71 taka) and forced back to his home district. In most cases a worker will only get transportation costs to go back to their home district. When a worker killed in an accident, the contractor, who is responsible for the workers, will only pay the costs of sending the body back to the victims family and arranging for their burial. In the case of local workers from the area, if they die on the job, their family receives more than 50,000 taka as compensation. This is mainly due to the fact that the yard owners and contractors cannot avoid the locals who yield some power and pressure them. Prior to 2006, the labour laws in Ba ngladesh had a lot of limitations. The Workers Compensation Act 1965, only 30,000 taka was proposed for a 100% disable worker and 21,000 taka for dead workers family. The recently passed Labour Law Act 2006 now stipulates that a 100% disabled worker will receive 100,000 taka and a deceased workers family will receive xxx taka. Child labour: In Bangladesh, most poor families are more or less dependent on the childrens income for survival. The Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BASF) has identified 430 risky jobs. Within these 67 professions are classified as very much risky and 11 are classified as dangerous. Ship breaking is falls in the latter. YPSAs baseline survey in 2003, 10.94% of the labour force is made up with children (age up to 18). Most of 5the children come from the northern regions of Bangladesh. It was noticed that ship breaking contractors prefer to recruit children as they are less expensive than their adult counterparts. The children work mainly as gas cutters assistants and move small iron pieces from one place to another. They either work in the yard from sunrise to sunset or do the night shift. On average they receive 50-60 BDT a day for their efforts. There are no educational or recreational facilities. Conclusion: Nobody seems to really care about the workers and their families. Neither the ship owners, nor the exporting countries, the ship breakers or the local governments. They are simply numbers that can be replaced. There is an urgent need to interconnect the reality on the ground, the dominating economic interests of the shipping industry and the discussions taking place at the international level, in order to change the working and environmental conditions on the yards. References: Akther, M. et al, YPSA (2005). Workers in Shipbreaking industry: a base line survey of Chittagong (Bangladesh), chapter 4, pp. 29-36. Bailey, P. J. (2000). Is there a decent way to break up ships? Sectoral activities programme discussion paper, International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved at 03:00 (GMT) Aug 22, 2009, from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/papers/shpbreak/index.htm Dr. Hossain, Md. M. M. Islam, M. M. (2006). Ship Breaking Activities and its Impact on the Coastal Zone of Chittagong, Bangladesh: Towards Sustainable Management, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA). pp 13-17 Vardar, E. et al, Greenpeace-FIDH (2005), End of life ships: the human cost of breaking ships, Human rights report, Puckett, J. (2009). The NGO platform on Ship breaking on the Beaching Method, Presented at the International Conference on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

An Analysis of Beyond Parental Control (BPC)

An Analysis of Beyond Parental Control (BPC) Over the years, parents seeking Beyond Parental Control (BPC) order from the Juvenile Court has increased drastically, in particular during economic downturns. When Singapore was gripped by an economic recession from 2008 2009, the number of applications for BPC increased. 744 applications were filed last year, compared to 720 in 2008 and 673 in 2007 (Eisen, 2009). In any case, it is worthy to note that the perennial issue has seen an increased in delinquent girls forcing parents to apply for BPC and handing over to the court to take control of their daughters. This essay will attempt to discuss the background of BPC and critically analyse the issues faced by the parents and youth. The second part of the essay will define the relevant theories which will be applicable to the issue and relate examples to further illustrate the theories. Thirdly, media effect and their role of reporting the juvenile crimes especially on the problematic girls will also be discussed upon. Last but not l east, recommendations on the way forward for juvenile crimes and prevention methods will be deliberated. Background and Trending of BPC In light of the increasing juvenile crimes over the years, the Beyond Parental Control order was instituted in 1997 and Singapore is the only country in the world which instituted such an order to deal with juvenile delinquency (Balhetchet, 2010). According to Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports (MCYS, 2010), Children Beyond Parental Control refer to children below 16 years of age who is observed to display certain behavioral problems in school or at home. The gathered statistics proved to be alarming as the number of BPCs applied by parents or guardians has tripled over the last decade. In February 1999, one of the Subordinate Court research bulletins (1999) highlighted that an average of 200 BPC complaints were lodged at the Juvenile Court annually. However, in comparison, an increasing trend of BPC applications was observed for the past 3 years (2009: 744, 2008: 720, and 2007: 673). Moreover, the statistics gathered seems to suggest that an economic downturn between 2008 to 2009 could have attributed to the incremental trend. This was also observed during the recession in 2001 when the number of applications for BPC doubled from 244 to 598 cases in the following year (Eisen, 2009 Serene, 2010). According to another set of statistics from Singapore Police Force, there was an increase of 1.2% in the overall crime rate for the last 2 years (SPF, 2010). Elsewhere in United States, while arrests of male juveniles have increased since 2002, statistics for female juveniles have spiked alarmingly. According to US federal statistics in 2003, 25% of the arrested juveniles were females. In comparison to ten years ago, female juveniles only clocked approximately 10% of the arrest made by the police (Geoffrey, 2005). Social Demographics of BPC cases One of the researches conducted by Subordinate Courts in 1999 studied on 379 BPC cases. To understand the nature of the complaints filed, the study includes their family and social backgrounds and demographic profiles. From the research, 49% of the juveniles parents were married, while a substantial figure of the juveniles parents were either divorced (37%), widowed (7%), single parents (3%), separated (3%) or cohabiting (1%). Most of their parents are low-skilled workers and the average household income is less than $2000. The reported figures somehow lead to the assumption that more than half of the BPC cases came from low income and broken families. Most of the parents already spend so much time earning for a living so that the earned money can be given to their children. As they have been working and tend to neglect their children, they have little energy left to gain their attention and communicate with them (Serene, 2009). However, Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of Youth Service s at the Singapore Childrens Society feels otherwise. She shared that the generation has evolved and in recent years, most of the problematic children who face court orders or under warrant arrest by the police come from a complete home (Joan, Chia, He Ong, 2008). Similar to Dr Carols claim, 69% of new probation cases (according to MCYS) in 2006 involved delinquent youth who come from 2 parent families. Another worrying data collated from the study by Subordinate Courts revealed that a total of 65% of the BPC cases were committed by girls whereas male only constituted the remaining 35%. Although a recent trending (as of Sep 10) by Youth Services Centre as elaborated by Dr Carol during a face-to-face session with her, revealed that BPC cases involving girls has generally decreased over the decade (boys: 49% and girls: 51%), 267 BPC cases (out of 523 cases) involving girls is definitely of a concern not only to parents, but to the society as well (Balhetchet, 2010). The next part of the essay will critically discuss and analyze some of the causal factors and problems faced by parents, the children and the society. Why did it happen and who to blame? One may ask, why are some of the girls wilder and getting into trouble? According to a social worker, the sharp increase of problematic girls could be a result of changing attitudes towards bringing up daughters (Roaul, 1997). While parents claimed that they will raise their daughters no differently from their sons, studies by experts have shown that boys and girls are nurtured differently due to the fact that by virtue, boys and girls behave differently due to the genetic differences (Ames Haber, 1989). Boys are perceived to be active and often get into trouble, but when their daughters behave similarly, parents gave up and hand them over to the Court. This may breed resentment in the girls and inadvertently cause Parent-Child relationship to be severely strained. Henceforth, the girls may run away from home and skip school (Roaul, 1997). A typical case is that of a 13-year old girl whose parents applied to the Juvenile Court for BPC order when she is reported to have skipped schoo l and hang out with men twice her age. She became resentful and stay away from home when she is aware that her parents have handed her to the Court (Radha, 2008). Moreover, girls running away from home are often susceptible to committing a variety of crimes, such as shoplifting, rioting, theft and even to the extent of prostitution to survive (McCormack et al., 1986; Phelps, McIntosh, Jesudason, Warner, Pohlkamp, 1982).When a child commits a deviance act, parents tend to ask why do you do that? Based on the Control and Social Bond theories, control theorists hypothesize that crime and deviancy is a natural occurrence in the society simply because all human beings have an innate to commit crime (Jones, 2009). Therefore, when parents need to deal with their deviant children, they should explain to them Why you should not do that. Similarly, Hirschi (1969) claimed that there is no requirement to explain why people commit such acts because delinquency is not caused by beliefs that requ ire delinquency but rather, it is only possible by the absence of effective beliefs that forbids delinquency. In essence, child nurturing starts from young and good child rearing practices will definitely facilitate positive socialization process within the family and the childs circle of friends. Conversely, bad parental skills and negative influences are contributing factors to deviancy acts committed by their children. Studies have revealed that the quality of parent-child relationships is largely associated with some of the high-risk health behaviours such as consumption of alcohol, smoking, drug abuse and sexually risky behaviors. For instance, several large-scale pediatric surveys have discovered that parents who are smokers themselves are more likely to have children who smoke (Green et al., 1990). Another research by Berk (1997) has shown that family members behavior and habits, socialization patterns, environmental influence and a childs inborn personality traits will shape the childs cognitive development and behavior as they grow up. In addition, positive parenting styles with a balance of control and warmth are very beneficial to the childs development in which a rational and consultative approach by parents and children rights are mutually agreed and respected (Subordinate Courts, 2001). On the contrary, parents who are only interested in making money and neglect their children unknowingly must bear the responsibility when their children are recalcitrant and belligerent. A study by Ozawa and Loh (2000) analyze that most fathers of the juvenile offenders appear to be uninvolved, neglecting and permissive towards their child. Generally, fathers, being the bread winners of the family are often not involved in their childs growth and development. The treatment for gender differences is that fathers tend to exert more authority on boys whereas for girls, fathers are usually more permissive and leave it to their mother to handle. As for mothers, they ar e generally observed to be permissive. Although mothers tend to be more caring and loving, their permissive attitudes could ultimately lead to teen delinquency because they may not be exercising control over their children and thus indirectly allowing them to continue with their misbehavior. From the analysis made by Ozawa and Loh, it appears that a deadly combination (which is common in the society) of permissive-neglecting and uninvolved father, matching with a permissive mother is a formula for disaster to happen at home. What we can hypothesize is that low control of children especially female juveniles can potentially lead to delinquency. Behavioral Problems of Youths Nevertheless, looking at another perspective, the parents may not be entirely at fault because the children could be influenced by the environment. According to the Anomie and Strain theory, Merton (1997) described the materialistic dream of being successful and wealthy. Not everyone is entitled and have the opportunity to achieve the goal. Hence, this dissonance between the goal of being wealthy and the structural limitations that prevent people from achieving the goal causes strain within the community. Such strain will therefore cause people to commit deviant acts illegitimately to achieve such desires. As the cognitive development of a juvenile is still premature at this stage, the thought of committing crimes to fulfill certain desires will supersede the moral values that are taught in the school. Accordingly to statistics, the top 3 crimes committed by juveniles are shoplifting, theft and rioting (Subordinate Courts, 2004). When they are in need of money, they will resort to st ealing, extortion and bullying, and prostitution for girls. Typically, a case of a 13-year old girl joined a gang and inherited all the bad habits such as smoking, drinking, glue-sniffing, stealing and rioting. When her father applied for Beyond Parental Control and eventually remanded in Girls Home, she was only 14 year-old (Joan, Chia, He Ong, 2008). Besides that, more girls, as young as 10, are also experimenting with sex. In 2006, teenagers constituted 12,000 abortions that were done in Singapore. Girls who turned to prostitution gave reasons such as financial problems and needed money to buy branded goods. For instance, a 15 year-old girl who needed money and turned to prostitution was pregnant (Carolyn Kimberly, 2009). Many girls have reported that sexual exploitation has somehow affected their eventual entrance into prostitution (Silbert Pines, 1981). At times, they might have been wronged or abused by their parents or guardians as much as they have done wrong. Take it for instance, a girl who had run away from home, was molested by her father before she turned to prostitution. Before she was even 16, she has had slept with countless men and contracted Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) (Serene, 2010). But in the eyes of the law, having sex with girls below 16 years old can be charged for statutory rape. If found guilty, offenders can be jailed up to 20 years and fined and caned. More parents are giving up on their delinquent daughters than sons and seeking assistance from the Juvenile Court. According to the Research Bulletin from Subordinate Courts (1999), some of the more serious delinquent behaviors that were encountered are beyond control, running away from home, involve in gangs, taking drugs and unlawful sexual experiences. Other problems such as rude and violent to teachers, smoking and play truancy in school were also observed in the study. Another aspect of delinquency is the youths exposure to various media such as the internet. In the current Information and Communication Technology (ICT) era, the child and even the parents are constantly engaged in their I-phones, laptops and internet. Because of such exposure and freedom to use the internet, Professor Winslow, a psychiatrist said that teenagers find it a thrill in obtaining and watching pornography on the internet and they are far more sexualized (Shuli, 2008). Besides that, coupled with lack of parents or adult supervision and boredom, things can get complicated when teenagers are left alone. Even when parents are at home, they have little energy left after a long day at work especially when both parents are working. Some parents faced the difficulty of gaining their childrens attention, who even if they are physically at home, are preoccupy with their online games, chatting with friends online and surfing the internet. Gone are the days where children and parents share a family phone, television, or even computer (Serene, 2010). Problems and issues between the children and parents begin to escalate when there is a lack of proper communication as well as mutual trust and support. The cognitive development of a child is largely dependent on their parents. Juvenile delinquency is often traced back to the youths family and social life. Other than trust and support, parents must show that they are keen to engage in their children. Such care and concern from parents would definitely enable their children to open up and share their woes and problems (Jonathan, 2010). Besides medias influence on juvenile, cyber bullying among girls is another worrying trend, abetted by the constant usage of the Internet and mobile phones today. Victims are exploited and bullied by unknown culprits hiding behind the computer screens. For example, on the blogs, victims are abused using expletives and obscene messages, pictures are vandalized and vicious rumours about the victims are broadcasted and made known to everyone. Studies made by Janssen, Craig, Boyce and Pickett (2004) proved that these groups of people are often victimized. In addition, children who are labeled as having lower levels of social acceptance and higher levels of social rejection among their peers are often found to be victims of bullies as well. (Salmivalli, Lagerspetz, Bjorkqvist, Osterman, Kaukiainen, 1996). As the internet is easily available and as simple as one click, the bully does not need to face the victim and their doings can spread like wildfire (Joan, Chia, He Ong, 2008). However , cyber-bullying does not constitute to be a crime. Where cyber-bullying could be serious and consequential, it may be relevant and appropriate for the law to step in to impose penalties on bullies. Under the Penal code, the only law that can be associated is Non-Physical Acts under Section 13b of Cap 224 where offenders display any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting may be fined not exceeding $2000 (Singapore Statutes). Likewise for other countries like Australia, under the NSW Crimes Act, harassing or intimidating a school student while the student is at school is considered a criminal offence. But this offence has its limits as it can only be applied to traditional off-line bullying and activities happening in school (Abrahams Dunn, 2009). Although laws are institutionalized, but such laws do not bring charges to cyber-bullies. That is why victims have been reported to retaliate against the bullies, in horrifying ways elsewhe re (Boulton, 1993). In one of the reports by United States Secret Service cited by Dake, Price, and Telljohann (2003), students who were involved in those deadly shooting in United States cited bulling as one of the strong motivation factors to commit such crimes. The report highlighted that 25 out of the 37 school shootings examined, involved attackers who felt marginalized, bullied and persecuted before the attacks took place. Some even reported that such bullying and harassment had in fact been ongoing for awhile (Dake et al., 2003; Mayer, Ybarra, Fogliatti, 2001). On the other extreme, there were cases reported that children committed suicide after being bullied by classmates. In fact, numerous cases of such incidents have been reported in the media (Kumpulainen et al., 1998; Smith, Talamelli, Cowie, Naylor, Cauhan, 2004). Medias Influence and Portrayal of Crimes Even in Singapore, a newspaper reported a 16-year old girl who committed suicide after being bullied by classmates for several years (The New Paper, 26 September 2005). Sometimes, one may wonder why such incidents were not spotted by the schools especially by the teachers. Had this incident be spotted by the teachers timely, it could have been prevented. In such incidents, the medias portrayal of crime transmits a strong signal to the public and at times, may have amplified the deviance. Such messages are crucial to serve as a warning for schools or parents to observe their children if there are certain tell-tale signs that indicate their children have encountered bullying cases. However, medias amplification of a criminal or deviance acts may result in moral panic and warrant greater scrutiny by the relevant authorities. The generation of moral panic will instill fear and public outcry within the community. For example, the recent incident of a teen who was hacked to death by 4 yout hs at Pair Ris Downtown East, amplified the criminal act (Straits Time reported the incident 5 days in a row in the headlines) and cause public outcry on such incidents (The Straits Time, 31 Oct 4 Nov 10). This would have an effect on the judges as they cannot ignore public opinion and hence might be influenced when passing the sentence (Jones, 2008) in view of media or public pressure. Studies from Leslie (1964) and Stan (1972) have shown that media is seen as an agent of deviance amplification and has the capability of influencing the publics opinion. In fact, the media does not have a role in the criminal justice system and they are supposed to only disseminate to the public about certain crimes and the governments official response to such crime. The media often uses phrases like the public is alarmed by or the public demands that. Ironically, the editors or journalists do not have a direct line to the publics opinion and they are seen to be the creators of opinion and not refl ecting the right message. An interview with a few people from the public does not necessarily represent the opinions from the entire population or the nation (Jones, 2008). Punishment and Treatment of Youths Beyond Parental Control As highlighted previously, Singapore is the only country that has instituted BPC order in Juvenile Courts. Essentially, these children are neither criminals nor offenders, but their rebellious and uncontrollable behavior may warrant serious attention by parents in which they apply to the Court for assistance to manage their children. By doing so may adversely strain or affect the parent-child relationship if such complaint made to the Court is successful. When the parents or guardian of a child can prove to a Juvenile Court that they are unable to control the child, the Court judge, under the Children and Young Persons Act Cap 38 Section 49, may order the child to be (1) remanded to an approved home not more than 3 years or (2) placed on Statutory Supervision for a specified period, of up to 3 years, under the supervision of a social worker (Subordinate Courts, 1999). Punishments meted out by such system are usually acted as a form of deterrence to juvenile from committing wrong doin gs and may eventually commit more serious crime when they grow up. Therefore, this kind of system is more inclined towards a classical approach as this theory is very policy oriented and concentrates on establishing and operating a criminal justice system that is rule-based, consistent and predictable (Joyce, 2006). End of the day, classicism focus on the act rather than the person committing. Unlike a criminal justice system where criminals are punished for their wrong doings, BPC act is not classified as a crime. As such, classical and positivist approaches are usually applied to such acts. During the process of the BPC application (which is seen to be positivist approach), parents and child will be advised to seek further assistance and treatment in the school or other social services such as Family Service Centre, Community Development Council, religious institutions and Youth Service Centre. Besides that, the child can also be referred to Beaconworks (a 6-month structured progr am) for counseling program. In addition, the Juvenile Court Judge has the prerogative to send both the parents and the child for additional counseling program with Singapore Children Society for a 4-week program (BPC, 2009). Rather than focusing on the law and the offence committed, the positivist approach (during the BPC application) looks into the contributing factors leading to deviance act committed by juvenile. It advocates treatment and rehabilitation over punishments (Jones, 2008). Ultimately, a deviance act may not be a product of rational choice but, rather, due to factors such as prematurity, influence from parents and peers over which juveniles have no control in. As youths who are still undergoing the process of growing up and maturity, the BPC order, which perceived to has a combination of punishment and treatment approach is appropriate and will therefore reduce overemphasis on rationality and idealistic, and yet do not overly concentrating on healing and treating the juvenile when the need arises. For example, when the child do not learnt the lesson and continue her delinquent act despite efforts made to treat her, the Juvenile Court will order her to be remanded in an approved Girls Home. Certainly, to prevent juvenile from leading astray and eventually being convicted, prevention measures must be implemented to arrest such situations from further developing. Recommendations and Preventions Problems and heated argument arise when there is a lack of communication and mutual support between youths and their parents. The development of a child is very much dependant on whether both the parents and the child have mutual understanding and support. When Juvenile delinquency is traced back, it is often the actions of the parents that ultimately will affect how the child behaves (Jonathan, 2010). If a child has established a positive relationship with the parents, it is postulated that they are more likely to disclose information to parents (Trost, 2000). Therefore in order to do so, parents must constantly show that they are keen in the childs interests. In essence, parents who are warm and supportive in interactions with their children are more likely to establish a positive parent-child relationship. In addition, it is also noted in one of the studies conducted by Steven and Daniel (1998) where greater parental involvement will improve the childs academic performance in scho ol. To put myself in a position of the role of parents, we should play an active role and constantly involved in our childs education, consistently demonstrating good parenting skills, interested in the childs development and show love, tender and care to their children. Furthermore, education, socialization and transmission of good values to the child should take place within the family environment. Values such as filial piety, respect, honesty, responsibility, contributing to the society, are critical building blocks that parents must advocate to their child (Zaleha, 2005). Nevertheless, youths cannot be strapped and controlled by parents all the time. Excessive control of their child might result in counterproductive and could lead to recalcitrant and belligerent behavior. Sometimes heavy-handed methods may not work for stubborn and strong headed youths. Therefore, parents should explore other methods and avoid using authoritarian style to deal with their child. Sometimes, treating yo uths as adults may be useful and they are given sufficient time and space to ponder the consequences of their actions (Ng, 2010). While parents play an imperative role in child nurturing, many are still being blamed for being incompetence in handling parenting challenges of this era. Increasingly, parents are facing difficulties domestic issues such as stabilizing their marriage, generating sufficient incomes for the families, taking care of their children and at the same time educating and nurturing them (Zaleha, 2005). However, such issues should never be part of parents excuses to dish out their parental responsibility to others such as appointing a guardian for their child, grandparents or even to the government. According to Dr Carol, too many parents are seen to farm out their parental responsibility to the State. In 2007, out of the 676 parents who applied for BPC orders, only 44 parents agreed to join the Beaconworks counseling program. Most parents cited reasons such as wor k commitments and since the counseling program is targeted for their child, they see no reason attending. One of the suggestions would be mandate parents to attend such counseling programs together with their children because parents may not realize that they also require professional help. In order for a mandatory counseling program to be effected, the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) is recommended to be reviewed and amended to exert tighter rein on parents. Another recommendation would be imposing fine on parents if they fail to fulfill their parental responsibility. In UK, parents of delinquent children are fined up to  £1,000 (S$2,670) if they fail to improve their childrens behavior. Current in CYPA, parents may be fined if they fail to comply with any court order pertaining to BCP cases. Perhaps the Juvenile Court can look into imposing such orders into the CYPA to deter frivolous and irresponsible parents (Radha, 2008). Conclusion In summary, ever since BPC order was introduced in 1997 to curb juvenile delinquency, the number of applicants for BCP cases has increased drastically, from an average of 200 complaints in the 90s, to an average of 700 cases over the last 3 years. However, it is worthy to note that although number of BPC applicants has increased, the number of BPC cases awarded by the Juvenile Court has dipped dramatically in the recent years. According to Dr Carol, more than 50% of the BPC applications were dismissed due to lack of concrete evidence to proof that the child is beyond parental control. In most cases, the child could return to normalcy after counseling sessions are conducted. While it is unclear that the statistics gathered can commensurate to the effectiveness of BPC order, the uniqueness of BPC order in Singapore does help and enable juveniles to build self-confidence, self-esteem, positive outlook and instill sense of social responsibility. Besides that, counseling and training prog rams for parents and youths such as Parent Management Training, Parent Support Group, Youth Mentorship Support Program, Beaconworks Program and etc were introduced by the Singapore Children Society to assist parents and youths in terms of counseling, psychological or psychiatric consultations and more importantly, to harmonize the parent-child relationship that might be strained previously.

GCSE English Coursework Gothic Prose Stokers Dracula versus Shelleys

Perhaps one of the most dramatic genres of literature, the gothic genre, already set in unpredictable and unsettling times of revolution ingeniously set the stage for such horror stories as were never before seen by modern society. Artists like Bram Stoker, who was bedridden until the age of seven, and Mary Shelley, whose mother died giving birth flourished, and produced literary pieces that, in the midst of revolution, started their own revolution. Bram Stoker, born in 1847, was a sickly child, and was bedridden until the age of seven. Naturally, due to his being bedridden for such a long period of time, Stoker developed a sense of drama and literature at a young age, and wrote stories all through his life. However, as if to make up for his childhood, Stoker became a superior athlete, and after university, he went on to work in civil service. During his civil work, Stoker continued to write, and his first story, â€Å"The Crystal Cup†, was published in 1872. One of Stoker’s many short stories, â€Å"Dracula’s Guest†, is an example of the gothic brilliance that Stoker brought to dark times. Stoker used the elements of fiction perceptively to his advantage, and created a gothic masterpiece. Stoker’s protagonist, an innocent and adventurous Englishman, is spending â€Å"Walpurgis Night† (the mythical night of the devil) in Germany. Interestingly, all is not as it seems, as the first dialogue from the protagonist is the imploring question, â€Å"Tell me Johann, what is tonight?†, implying that the adventurous Englishman is more ignorant than innocent and foreshadowing his later vulnerability. In addition, the weather and development of increasingly suspicious landmarks become gradually more threatening throughout the story. Stoker uses setting i... ...and so are human, which shows the reader the inhumanity of the protagonist. This creates horror, because human readers can no longer relate to the protagonist, and he becomes increasingly more inhuman to the reader. Both Stoker and Shelley use setting, character and plot in their stories for the development of horror and suspense. While Stoker’s story is more physically frightening in its nature, following a terrified, ignorant protagonist on his journey through a city of the damned, Shelley’s story is equally as horrific as it traces the metamorphosis of a human being into an inhuman immortal who is caught in eternal life. Both authors use dramatic irony and an increasing threat to the protagonist to develop horror and suspense in their stories, and although the two stories use different techniques, both authors succeed in creating unfailingly gothic prose.

Space Flight: The Dangers of Weightlessness Essay -- Research Paper Es

Space Flight: The Dangers of Weightlessness In the awe-inspiring event of man experiencing interstellar travel many detrimental problems arise. Before 1970, the majority of biomedical studies on space flight were conducted immediately before and after flight. They examined the changes and readaptation processes for astronauts from a weightless to a gravitational environ-ment. After the successful Skylab space station projects from 1973-1974 and the Soviet Salyut missions from 1977-1982, biomedical research and experiments commenced in space. These experiments in space have shown that the physiological aspects can be deadly if not prepared for correctly and adequate medical support is not available. Although problems due to weightlessness and lack of exercise have been thoroughly researched and new machines and procedures have been developed to overcome these difficulties, there is still the opportunity to further understand weightlessness. The majority of difficulties that arise can be traced back to the zero gravity environment in which humans experience physiological changes which can be detrimental to their health. When humans enter weightless space they become dis-oriented due to the neurovestibular interactions, those that are processed in the brain cavity (DeHart 840). These cause side effects, such as space motion sickness or Space Adaptation Syndrome (SAS) (Shipman, Humans 99). As astronauts enter zero gravity they experience a nauseous sensation which returns with fast actions or movement from a small to a large space in the space vehicle. Those who are more susceptible to this illusory sensation develop space motion sickness and have personalities that are introversive, neurotic, or fearful (DeHart 840-841). Thi... ... Space Flight October 1997: 350-354. Harris, Philip R. Living and Working in Space: Human Behavior, Culture and Organization. New York: Ellis Horwood Limited, 1992. "Measuring Bone Response to Spaceflight." 26 Nov. 1996. ORBD NRC News You Can Use. Online. Netscape. 8 Oct. 1997. Pirie, N.W., ed. The Biology of Space Travel. New York: Hafnet Publishing Co., 1961. Seedhouse, Erik. "The Use of Biological Response Modifiers by Astronauts." Space Flight October 1997: 357-358. Shipman, Harry L. Humans in Space: 21st Century Frontiers. New York: Plenum Press, 1989. ----------. Space 2000: Meeting the Challenge of a New Era. New York: Plenum Press, 1987. Siconolfi, Dr. S., Dr. S. Fortney, Dr. V. Mikhaylov, and Dr. A. Kotov. "Aerobic Capacity Using Graded Bicycle Ergometry." NASA Shuttle-Mir Web: NASA/Mir Experiment. Online. Netscape. 8 Oct. 1997.

Market Research Report Energy and Sports Drink Market Growth in Asia Essay

The changing consumer preferences, demand for functional beverages, increasing awareness towards healthy lifestyles and growing urban population in Asia would be the major factors that would drive the market in coming years. An increasing awareness towards healthy lifestyles has led to a transition in the taste and preferences of people in Asia. The young urban population has been the target customer for energy and sports drink brands in this region. The energy and sports drinks are majorly consumed by professional sports people, gym goers and by working professionals and students that require a special beverage in order to boost their energy and stay active. â€Å"The increasing participation of the health conscious people in sports and fitness activities has greatly impacted the growth trend of sports and energy drink market in Asia. The young population aged 25-35 years represents a potential group of customers for the energy and sports drink manufacturers in the region. † – According to the research report ‘Asia Energy and Sports Drink Market Outlook to 2017’ by Ken Research. The increasing media exposure towards sporting events on television has captured the attention of people, which in turn has encouraged the youth to adopt sports as a profession or as a hobby. This has impelled the growth of sports drinks in Asian countries over the last few years. Sports drinks market in Asia is dominated by famous brands such as Gatorade, Powerade and Pocari Sweat. Red Bull majorly has dominated the energy drink market in the region. Red Bull has effectively maintained a strong distribution channel in various countries in Asia such as in India, China, Japan, Thailand and in South Korea. The energy and sports drink market is anticipated to be driven by the growing trend of health and fitness is expected to create significant demand in Asian countries. The consumer expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages is expected to surge in the region owing to the rise in disposable incomes of the people. The rising awareness about fitness and health benefits among the people in the region will encourage more people to join fitness and sports clubs which will drive the demand and consumption of energy and sports drink in the coming years. The report provides detailed overview on the energy and sports drink market in Asia and help reader to identify the ongoing trends in the key segments of the industry and anticipated growth in future depending upon changing industry dynamics in coming years. The report will aid industry consultants, food and beverage service companies and marketing companies and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to ongoing and expected trends in future. For More Details Please Click On Following Link: http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/asia-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/429-104. html http://www. kenresearch. com/press/news-asia-energy-and-sports-drink-market/211. html Related Links: http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/japan-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/432-104.html http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/south-korea-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/433-104. Html http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/india-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/431-104. html http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/thailand-energy-and-sports-market-research-report/434-104. html http://www. kenresearch. com/agriculture-food-beverages/beverages/china-energy-and-sports-drink-market-research-report/430-104. html.

Abdul Kalam

Abdul Kalam From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia †¢ Ten things you may not know about images on Wikipedia †¢ Jump to: navigation, search Abdul Kalam 12th President of India In office July 25, 2002 – July 25, 2007 Vice President(s) Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Preceded by K. R. Narayanan Succeeded by Pratibha Patil Born October 15, 1931 (age 76)[1] Dhanushkodi, Rameswaram, Madras Presidency, Political party Not affiliated Spouse Never married Religion Islam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (Tamil: )(Hindi: ) born October 15, 1931, Tamil Nadu, India, usually referred to as Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam ^) was the twelfth President of India, serving from 2002 to 2007. A notable scientist and engineer, he is often referred to as the Missile Man of India for his work and is considered a progressive mentor, innovator and visionary in India. He is also popularly known as the People's President. His term as president ended on July 25, 2007. Contents [hide] †¢1 Honor s †¢2 Political views †¢3 Personal life †¢4 Books 5 See also †¢6 References †¢7 External links [edit] Honors Kalam has received honorary doctorates from as many as thirty universities . [2] The Government of India has honored him with the nation's highest civilian honors: the Padma Bhushan in 1981; the Padma Vibhushan in 1990; and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. Kalam is the third President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna before being elected to the highest office, the other two being Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain. He is also the first scientist and first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan. Referred to as the â€Å"People's President†, Kalam is often considered amongst India's greatest presidents, going on to win a poll conducted by news channel CNN-IBN for India's Best President. In October 2007, Kalam will receive a Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Wolverhampton. [3] [edit] Political views Kalam's probable views on certain issues have been espoused by him in his book â€Å"India 2020† where he strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and into a developed nation by the year 2020. Kalam is credited with the view that India ought to take a more assertive stance in international relations; he regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower. Kalam continues to take an active interest in other developments in the field of science and technology as well. He has proposed a research programme for developing bio-implants. He is a supporter of Open source software over proprietary solutions and believes that the use of open source software on a large scale will bring more people the enefits of information technology. Kalam's belief in the power of science to resolve society's problems and his views of these problems as a result of inefficient distribution of resources is modernistic. He also sees science and technology as ideology-free areas and emphasizes the cultivation of scientific temper and entrepreneurial drive. In this, he finds a lot of support among India's new business leaders like the founders of I nfosys and Wipro, (leading Indian IT corporations) who began their careers as technology professionals much in the same way Kalam did. [edit] Personal life APJ Abdul Kalam was born in 1931 in a middle-class family in Rameshwaram, a town well-known for its Hindu shrines. His father, a devout Muslim, owned boats which he rented out to local fishermen and was a good friend of Hindu religious leaders and the school teachers at Rameshwaram. APJ Abdul Kalam mentions in his biography that to support his studies, he started his career as a newspaper vendor. This was also told in the book, A Boy and His Dream: Three Stories from the Childhood of Abdul Kalam by Vinita Krishna. The house Kalam was born in can still be found on the Mosque street at Rameswaram, and his brother's curio shop abuts it. This has become a point-of-call for tourists who seek out the place. Kalam grew up in an intimate relationship with nature, and he says in Wings of Fire that he never could imagine that water could be so powerful a destroying force as that he witnessed when he was six. That was in 1964 when a cyclonic storm swept away the Pamban bridge and a trainload of passengers with it and also Kalam's native village, Dhanushkodi. Kalam observes strict personal discipline, vegetarianism, teetotalism and celibacy [4] . Kalam is a scholar of Thirukkural; in most of his speeches, he quotes at least one kural. Kalam has written several inspirational books, most notably his autobiography Wings of Fire, aimed at motivating Indian youth. Another of his books, Guiding Souls: Dialogues on the Purpose of Life reveals his spiritual side. He has written poems in Tamil as well. It has been reported that there is considerable demand in South Korea for translated versions of books authored by him. [5].