History Of The Spanish Inquisition Of The 15th Century Essay

The Spanish Inquisition is usually synonymous with persecution, brutality and tyranny; and it is thought to be the forerunner of the covert regulatory bodies of contemporary autocracies. Yet how accurate is this picture of an establishment set up in the late 15th century to route out deviation and agnosticism in that land? This report aims to place the Spanish Inquisition in its correct historical context. BACKGROUND The conception of inquisitions to eliminate religious heretics was not new when, in 1478, Pope Sixtus IV sanctioned the formation of Spanish Inquisition. The monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, decided to establish a body (which began its work in 1480) chiefly to deal with the issue of the huge numbers of converted Jews (Conversos) who were alleged of continuing to carry out tenants of the Jewish religion after apparent conversion to Catholicism. Following the formal expulsion of all non-converted Jews from Spain in 1492, the problem of the Conversos increased. The roots of the Spanish Inquisition can therefore be traced quite clearly back to anti-Semitism. In 1518, the Inquisition became a permanently unified body under one head, the Inquisitor-General . Tomas de Torquemada was appointed by the Monarchs as Grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition. The Catholic Church, under the rule of the pope in Rome was a powerful force in Europe during the Middle ages. The decrees of the church provided the basis of law and order. Christians who disagreed with catholic principles were regarded as heretics, and heresy was considered an crime against the church and the state. The â€Å"inquiries† into a person’s faith to determine whether or not one was a heretic, was branded as the inquisition, with the inquisitors being priests or bishops who subjected a suspect to long grilling followed by terrible tortures. Death by fire was often the punishment of those who did not repent. The heretic’s property was then claimed by the church. Between 1478 and 1502, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon took three complementary decisions. They persuaded the pope to create the Inquisition; they expelled the Jews; and they forced the Muslims of the kingdom of Castile to convert to Catholicism. All these measures were designed to achieve the same end: the establishment of a united faith. The Christian, Muslims and Jewish communities existed tolerantly throughout the first centuries of Muslim domination and continued to do so in the Christian Spain of the 12th and 13th century. Tolerance presupposed an absence of discrimination against minorities and respect for the point of view of others. This tolerance was nowhere to be found in the Iberia of the 8th century to the 15th. Spanish archdeacon named Ferran Martinez was busy delivering a sequence of sermons in the diocese of Seville. It was his remarkable eloquence rather than the novelty of his subject which attracted an audience: for he spoke only on a single theme, one that in every age has provided an easy stalking horse for demagogues religious and civil- the iniquities of the Jews. Their veins had venom that poisoned whatever contribution they made. The Jews, he argued, had been guilty, as a body, of the greatest crime in history. They adhered to a faith that had been rejected in no uncertain manner by the Deity. Their ceremonies were outmoded and impious, rendered those who performed them capable of the most heinous misdoings and doomed them to eternal punishment in the hereafter . ORIGIN AND AIMS Jews weren’t newcomers in Spain. They had been settled there since the 1st century. Documentary and archaeological evidence demonstrates their numbers at the beginning of the fourth century, long before the coming of the Arabs or the Visigoths. The latter had persecuted them, but under the moors they had flourished as nowhere else in Europe. They were an important and influential minority. Every Spanish city had its prosperous juderia, or Jewish quarter, comprised of craftsmen and weavers, goldsmiths and carpenters . The Jews had been expelled from England in 1290 by Edward I En masse. His example had been followed in France sixteen later, by Philip the Fair. The Spanish Jews considered themselves secure from anything of the sort. The activities of Martinez disturbed them but didn’t alarm them. Month after month passed without any untoward occurrence. They fell into the error of imagining that nothing would happen. It came as a shock to them when at the close of 1390, just before Christmastide, Martinez succeeded in having some synagogues in the diocese partially destroyed and closed down, on the plea that they had been built without authorization. The community, alarmed, applied for protection to the council of regency then governing Castile in the name of the young king Henry III, which ordered steps to be taken for the protection of the petitioners. Martinez was defiant, however, and his sermons were as violent as ever. On Wednesday, March 15th, 1391 his harangue was particularly effective, and his audience was roused to a high pitch of frenzy. On its way from the church, a turbulent crowd, thirsting with zeal and greed, surged towards the Jewish quarter, which seemed to be in imminent danger of sack. The civil authorities were at last awakened to the necessity of stern measures. Seizing two of the most turbulent members of the mob, they had them flogged, turned them into martyrs overnight. After some further disturbances, order was outwardly restored: but the spirit of unrest still simmered and Martinez continued his unbridled invective from the pulpit. These seemingly unimportant disorders are to be traced some of the greatest tragedies in history – the darkest page in the dark record of the Jewish people, one of the saddest episodes in the history of human thought, and the ultimate decline of sprain from the high status to which her achievements and her genius entitled her – everything, in a word, which is associated with the term, â€Å"the Spanish Inquisition†. On June 6th, a storm broke out. An infuriated mob rushed upon the juderia of Seville and put it to sack. An orgy of carnage raged the city. The dead were numbered by the hundreds, if not by the thousand. Every ruffian in the city flaunted the finery sacked from Jewish houses, or boasted the ravishing of a Jewish maiden . Through some curious psychology of mass psychology, the infection spread from one city to the other, and throughout Spain onslaughts on the Jews became the order of the day. The fury raged that summer and autumn, and at several places the entire Jewish community was exterminated. At Cordova, the ancient Jewish quarter, where Moses Maimonides had first seen the light, was reduced to ashes. Toledo was witness to a similar horrifying carnage. 70 other towns in Castile were doomed to similar incidents of terror. In Aragon, in spite of measures put into force by the authorities to suppress the mayhem, the case was commonly adhered. In Valencia, within a few days, not a single professing Jew was left alive in the entire kingdom. In Barcelona, despite a half hearted protection given by the civic authorities, the whole community was wiped out. From Catalonia, the disorders spread to the Balearic Islands, where a massacre took place on August 2nd at Palma. Outbreaks were prevented only in the kingdom of Granada thanks to the efforts of the crown, in Portugal. Elsewhere in the peninsula, hardly a single community escaped. The total no of victims was estimated as many as 50,000 . The Inquisition did not begin in Spain, but did gather notoriety there. Shortly after commencement, the Spanish Inquisition was accused of numerous abuses. Accusations of heresy ran rampant, and innocent, faithful people were unjustly punished by public trials and condemnation. This usually took the form of strangulation or burning at the stake. The Inquisition, although vastly changed and more humane, remained a strong force in Spain until the early 19th century . By about 1750 the Inquisition had lost its power. It had been created to eradicate all traces of Semitism in Spain. The Jews had long been expelled and two and a half centuries of persecution had eventually eliminated the Judaisers. Yet the statues of blood purity still did not disappear; in fact, in the course of the eighteenth century, they tended to multiply. They no longer constituted a serious obstacle to a career in the Church, the official administration, or civic society. By the end of the eighteenth century, essentially the Inquisition was operating as a political policing force devoted to opposing the introduction of revolutionary and liberal ideas. By this time, it seemed to have softened its attitude. It no longer published edicts of faith encouraging the faithful spontaneously to denounce their neighbors and their relatives. Nor did it any longer torture its prisoners. CONCLUSION The Spanish Inquisition was one of the most powerful organizations used to eradicate heresy and safeguard the unanimity of Christendom. Begun in 1478, by 1512 the Inquisition was under review for a wide range of issues – from corruption, patronage and bribery. The Spanish Inquisition, first established under Queen Isabella was finally suppressed 356 years later under Queen Isabella II, leaving its mark in the annals of Western civilization. The onset of the Enlightenment slowed down the Inquisition. It, however, wasn’t until the Spanish invasion of Napoleon that the Inquisition finally came to an end in 1810, being completely abolished in 1836. It is estimated that more than 20,000 people were killed because of the Inquisition. Numerous more were subjected to torture and others had their possessions confiscated. John Paul II’s teachings are an ever present reminder of how to learn from history: â€Å" †¦we must take account of the complexity of the relationship between the subject who interprets and the object from the past which is interpreted†¦. Events or words of the past are, above all, â€Å"past. † As such they are not completely reducible to the framework of the present, but possess an objective density and complexity that prevent them from being ordered in a solely functional way for present interests. It is necessary, therefore, to approach them by means of an historical-critical investigation that aims at using all of the information available, with a view to a reconstruction of the environment, of the ways of thinking, of the conditions and the living dynamic in which those events and those words are placed, in order, in such a way, to ascertain the contents and the challenges that – precisely in their diversity – they propose to our present time . On 12 January 2000, to mark the Catholic Church’s Jubilee, Pope John Paul II issued a document entitled Memory and Reconciliation in which he asked for forgiveness for the errors of the Church over its 2,000 year history. ? BIBLIOGRAPHY Kamen, Henry. The Spanish Inquisition: An Historical Revision. London, 1997. John Paul II, Memory and Reconciliation, 2000. Finkelstein, Louis. 1970. The Jews: their history. New York: Schocken Books. Kohen, Elizabeth, & Elias, Marie Louise. 2004. Spain. New York: Benchmark Books/Marshall Cavendish. Lea, Henry Charles. A History of the Inquisition of Spain. 4 vols. New York, 1906–1908. Lemieux, Simon. â€Å"The Spanish Inquisition. † History Review 7. 44 (2002): 44-49

Definition of Goals and Objectives Essay

Goals and Objectives Goals and objectives are statements that describe what your Vision Document will accomplish, or the results that will be achieve. Goals are high level statements that provide overall context for what the Vision Document is trying to achieve, and should align to its components. Objectives are lower level statements that describe the specific, tangible products, deliverables and fruits that will be delivered. The definition of goals and objectives is more of an art than a science, and it can be difficult to define them and align them correctly. Goals Because the goal is at a high-level, it may take more than one objective to achieve. It may take many objectives over a long period of time to achieve the goal. Generally, non-measurable: If you can measure the achievement of your goal, it is probably at too low a level and is probably more of an objective. If your goal is not achievable through any combination of objectives, it is probably written at too high a level. It may instead be a vision statement, which is a higher level statement showing direction and aspiration, but which may never actually be achieved. Objectives Objectives are concrete statements describing what the project is trying to achieve. The objective should be written at a lower level, so that it can be evaluated at the conclusion of a goal to see whether it was achieved or not. Goal statements are designed to be vague. Objectives should not be vague. A well-worded objective will be Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound (SMART). Note that the objective is much more concrete and specific than the goal statement. The objective is measurable in terms cost, speed, quantity and / or quality. We must assume that the objective is achievable and realistic. The objective is time-bound, and should be completed by a specific date. Objectives should refer to the deliverables of the goal. If you cannot determine what deliverables are being created to achieve the objective, then the objective may be written at too high a level. On the other hand, if an objective describes the  characteristics of the deliverables, they are written at too low a level. If they describe the features and functions, they are requirements, not objectives.

Setting team objectives in the workplace Assignment

Setting team objectives in the workplace - Assignment Example Good time management is also attributed to doing things in a faster way. In fact, there is nobody who would not want to do things in a faster way. Therefore, it is no secret that things can be done much faster when the time is managed in a better way. Finally, good time management is an incentive that leads to improved productivity. When employees utilize techniques of time management such as calendars, their organization is improved. A well-managed time is equated to higher output, and it in turn creates more opportunities. One of the workplace time management techniques that can be employed to attain a personal objective is ‘make and use lists’. They are four basic lists, which include (1) my schedule, (2) Things-to-Do List, (3) people –to Call-list, and (4) conference planner. My schedule is the list for the entire year, day by day, which can be employed to attain personal objectives. The list helps one to focused and manage time well. The things-to-do list is a list if things to be done, organized by month, week and day. This list is prioritized alphabetically. People –to-call list comprises of individuals to be called and is organized alphabetically. The last one is conference planner is a page for each individual one’s interact with a lot. Concisely, an individual to achieve his /her objectives can use make. Workplace team objectives are an important tool for the organization because of the various benefits associated with it. As a matter of fact, every group that wants to achieve its goals has to be deeply founded on a sense of mission. Workplace team objectives are more important to the organization than individual agendas. Through team objectives, a team is bound together and kept in a unified manner even when internal disagreements or obstacles are high. Additionally, workplace objectives can become an incentive to productivity if everyone involved understands the mission and buys into the idea of moving

Macroeconomic convergence, financial development and economic growth Dissertation

Macroeconomic convergence, financial development and economic growth - Dissertation Example The potential of the developing countries to grow faster is more than that of the developed countries as the developing countries have diminishing returns to factors. Convergence can be of two types, the process of poorer economies catching up with the richer economies is referred as alpha convergence whereas beta convergence is the process in which a country converges to its own steady state rate of growth (Alfaro et al.2005). As pointed out by professor Jeffrey Sachs ,many countries due to its closed economic policies cannot converge, this could however be overcome if the free trade policies are included which will lead to openness of the economy. Between the years 1970-1989, 111 countries have been studied on the basis of their rate of convergence. It was found by Andrew Warner and Sachs that the countries following closed economic policies had a growth rate of 2% whereas the countries following open economic policies have a growth rate of 4.5 % (Alfaro et al.2005) There are many countries that have converged with the developed countries such as the Asian tigers, HongKong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. As sited by many economists the endogenous rather than the exogenous factors triggers the growth of an economy (Alfaro et al.2005). ... tal are important as it significantly influences the savings and rate of investment (Halmai & Vasary.2009.p.3).Technological spread, change in growth rate and total productivity of the factors are the major players in enhancing the rate of convergence. Macroeconomic convergence and economic growth Integration of the national and regional economies with the global economy is one of the salient features over the history. Two models of economic integration which relates to income convergence are firstly growth models and secondly trade models (Kim.1997.p.4). According to the neoclassical Solow model of growth, the regional level of income varies due to the different capital labour ratios. Whereas the Hecksher Ohlin trade model says that the income varies across the regions due to the difference in the factor prices and factor endowments (Kim.1997.p.5). Income convergence occurs due to trades in goods and economic integration via equalisation in prices. Factor endowments vary across the regions and therefore various regions specialise in different industries. Thus if the regional variation in the factor endowments increases then there arises divergence in the income levels as the structure of industries diversifies. Conversely as there exits similarity in the factor endowments then the income level also converges in the due course. Economic integration also gives rise to income divergence (Kim.1997.p.5) The growth models put forward by Romer and Lucas, which are based on increasing returns on physical capital, states the chances of such income divergence. Even the trade models by Krugman states that income divergence may arise due to the differences in the industrial structures. If the industries equipped with high technology and high wages are subjected to external

Report Type Assignment Based of Swatch Case Study Essay

Report Type Assignment Based of Swatch Case Study - Essay Example Based on the case study, working at the company must entail engaging in a lot of conversation, jocular gestures and more informal talk. This is because the management vouches for a less formal and relaxed mood in order to create an avenue for creativity, as well as motivate their employees. Its vertical frequency of communication places it at a highly vertically integrated state such that the open door policy enables individuals at different hierarchical levels, in the company, to interact freely. This makes all members of staff to feel important, valued, and respected. Their opinions must be considered in the decision-making processes, and they are free to share their ideas without fear of being judged or victimized. Such a work environment makes the Swatch organizational setting a fun yet focused place to be as an employee The core business of the company is manufacturing watches that would lead to customers imperceptibly becoming attached to them. Unlike other organizations, they believe that individuals can be manipulated emotionally such that they end up acquiring more than a couple of watches in their lifetime. This is the core of their business, and it is anchored on innovations, which appeal to potential buyers. As a result, consumers will keep coming for more and more watches; hence, keeping Swatch in business by boosting its sales. Finally, a customer would have a pleasant experience at a Swatch store since the staff is jovial and ready to assist them to explore the innovations offered by the company. Swatch has the ability to grow since it has four major development phases. The first phase, which was meant for the survival of Swatch, is its effective international distribution system. This helps the company to acquire a large market base all over the world. Secondly, the management of Swatch has employed good strategies, which have aided the company to succeed in reviving its luxury

You Decide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You Decide - Essay Example 1. Development Stage- As potential business investments, Johnson Angel Investments LLC, will not consider businesses in the early development stages or with untested products or concepts. The company is looking for new, innovative market proven products, concepts or processes that present a unique market opportunity and show potential for extraordinary growth (Tipinvestor, 2008). 2. Geographic Location- As a venture capital company the firm is looking to invest in our local American economy. The company feels that true sustainable economic growth for our economy can only be brought about by reinvesting in redeveloping the productive capacity of our country. Therefore the firm will only consider locally grown and developed business as potential investment opportunities. One of the goals of the firm is to strive to not only provide our investments with the financial and intellectual capital needed to achieve success, but to be able to provide assistance on rebuilding our economy as a whole. 3. Revenues & ROI- Potential business investments must be already established with current annual sales revenues over $100,000. As an investment company the firm favors businesses with high operating margins which help provide a higher level of operating safety. Higher operating margins helps a developing business deal with the higher risks and added difficulties of achieving sales goals in a weak economy and properly growing and developing in a new market. The company requires a ROI of 10% or higher from any business partners to be considered as potential investments. 4. Business and Management- The company is not partial to any specific industry or sector. As a whole we our philosophy is to look for companies that provide unique market offerings that do things faster, more efficiently and cheaper (Sopriscapital, 2002). Possessing the unique competitive

Serial Killers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Serial Killers - Essay Example Moreover, physical or sexual abuse on them by parents or some members of society, like suffering in the hands of peers may cause them physical and mental pain forcing them to seek revenge. They are also thought to be antisocial, introverts, and spend a lot of time thinking of ways of getting satisfaction and control over others. They may also be in the need to dominate their victims completely, and the satisfaction they may get when in total control of their victims lives. This may make them create scenes in their heads of what they could do to people, obtain such pleasure and exert fear in their victims as they commit the murders. The mental scene may sometimes fade in their minds and these forces them to act and try what they envisioned to a victim (Andreu, 1). The performing of the first killing, which is the hardest, may give the killer some satisfaction for only a limited amount of time. Moreover, the guilt of the murder is in the long-run overshadowed by the mental satisfaction that the killer feels as he/she dominated the victims makes them get the urge to kill again. In addition, some serial killers create or have some ideal characteristics that they have envisioned their victim should have. These may be either physical appearance of the victims have or some other criteria from social, cultural or economic traits. For example, if it is a woman she may kill only blonde of a certain age category or from some place. Some may pick victims from a certain profession, for example, a serial may target prostitutes, or high school students. For some cases, the serial killer may also not find his/her ideal victim, and may settle on who nearly meet their criteria for their murders to achieve satisfaction (Mauro, 1). The work of identifying a serial murder and investigation is always hard as this serial killer commit their crimes discretely. The police normally have a hard time creating a profile for these killers and motive for the killing. Moreover, any of the ser ial murders may go unsolved as the police may find it hard to profile the murders and many of the serial killers commit the murders and hide the traces well (Andreu, 1). The police may first need to identify the pattern in the killings and this is normally done to try figure out what the victims have in common to have warranted their killing by the serial killer. For instance, they need to identify if they have any blood relation, whether they knew each other or had been involved in any activity together. If there is no relation at all then they may try to identify a pattern in their activities, whether they go to the same workplace, and same shop among others. In addition, the physical location in which the murder was committed or where the bodies are found is also important. The location may give them the pattern if available on the map on the link or on the place where the next victim may be killed. Serial murders have been known to commit murders on their victims near their home s. In addition, the serial murder may take time and processes depending on one serial murderer to another, as they try to do it as it is in their mind. The serial murderers need discrete places where they may work uninterrupted until they complete their murder. The location of the murders may also act as an indicator of where the next victim may be murdered by the killer. Moreover, the police need to identify what is considered as a signature for the serial killer.

Bar Coding in Administering Medication Case Study

Bar Coding in Administering Medication - Case Study Example Such a situation arises when all the intended information about the patient and the medication is not communicated to the doctors, nurses and other support staff with all clarity. Bar coding provides a reliable solution to such errors. With the help of bar code; Speed of identifying the patient, illness, prescription, past history, complications encountered etc. increases manifold. Instead of going through the lengthy papers, a bar code helps in comprehensively identifying the patient, thus helping in saving the precious time and the life of the patient. Label design, barcode and printing software: The label can be designed with information regarding the medication being given to the patient, his medical history, his identification, lab specimen collection, verification of blood products prior to transfusion, electronic charge capture of supplies at the point of use, automated medicine dispensing system, information about doctors' and other support staff etc. Pharmacy Management Software & Pharmacy Management Technology Providers: Such comprehensive systems are provided by QS/1, PanaceaRX, AmerisourceBergen Technology Group, Retail Management Solutions, Speed Script, SRS Systems, RXLink, RS Software, AdvanceNet Health Solutions, Etreby Computer Company, Inc., Per-Se Technologies (formerly NDCHealth), PharmTrak, OPUS-ISM, McKesson Pharmacy Systems, HBS Pharmacy Services, Soft Writers, Inc., THOT Corporation, CarePoint, Inc., HCC Pharmacy Solutions, JASCORP etc. Hardware Requirements: To handle the bar coding effectively in health care sector, all the above mentioned software require adequate hardware support. For the implementation of eMAR services we need; A dependable computer/s with good amount of hard disk space, DD RAM and a latest processor fitted with the bar code reading software and other peripherals. An LCD monitor works well with such systems as it occupies lesser space and the screen in more readable. Bar Code Scanner/ imager ID Bar code printer. This printer has to be a

Hitler and the Munich Beer Hall Putsch (1923) Term Paper

Hitler and the Munich Beer Hall Putsch (1923) - Term Paper Example After the failed attempt of Munich Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler was sentenced to fie years in prison while being convicted of treason. During the following one year, he dictated his autobiography. Called â€Å" Mein Kampf†, based on his political career. While he did not spend more than one year in prison, the event made him a national hero, as he pursued the fresh attempts to rebuild the Nazi party within the given legal framework. After the heavy loss in World War I and very unfavorable terms of Versailles treaty, the nation had been facing many economic hurdles. The years following this witnessed national instability with veterans and rebellious youths swelling the membership of both the right and left wing parties with the aim of overthrowing the government through armed struggle. The successful â€Å"March to Rome† by Mussolini that gave power to fascists in Rome during October 1922 provided inspiration for the youths who had joined Hitler’s Nazi party to carry out such an attempt in Germany. As Nazis prepared for the coup attempt, the membership of this party had exceeded almost 50,000. Accordingly, Hitler planned to start a â€Å"March on Berlin† movement for taking over the national government. During this time, many responsible authorities of Bavarian state government were agitating against the federal policies on the issue of resistance to Franco-Belgian occupation troops. This resulted in their preparation for a coup against the Berlin rule. Accordingly, they discussed the strategy for such action on the evening of 8 November 1923, while meeting at a hall in the eastern part of Munich. In the meanwhile all nationalist and radical forces had formed a coalition called â€Å"Kampfbund† to give it a shape of a combat league. However, as Hitler was not invited to the Bavarian meeting of November 8, the rivalry of Hitler and Bavarian President Kahr resulted in the deposition of Bavarian government. Accordingly, the

Balance Scorecard Essay Example for Free

Balance Scorecard Essay A Balanced Scorecard is a framework that focuses on shareholder, customer, internal and learning requirements of a business in order to create a system of linked objectives, measures, targets and initiatives which collectively describe the strategy of an organization and how that strategy can be achieved. † The Balanced scorecard retains the traditional financial measures and complements them with measures that are drivers of future performance. The objectives and measures of the scorecard are derived from an organizations vision and strategy and these view organizational performance. The balanced scorecard is a management system (not only a measurement system) that enables organizations to clarify their vision and strategy and translate them into action. It provides feedback around both the internal business processes and external outcomes in order to continuously improve strategic performance and results. When fully deployed, the balanced scorecard transforms strategic planning from an academic exercise into the nerve center of an enterprise. The balanced scorecard is a tool developed by Kaplan and Norton to articulate, execute and monitor strategy using a mix of financial and non-financial measures. It is designed to translate vision and strategy into objectives and measures across four balanced perspectives: financial, customers, internal business processes and learning and growth. It focuses on all the activities that generate financial results rather than the financial side alone. The scorecard depicts strategy as a series of cause-and-effect relationships between critical variables and gives a framework for ensuring that strategy is translated into a coherent set of performance measures. The use of a hierarchy of scorecards cascading through the organisation ensures that strategy and performance measurement is closely aligned. The Balanced Scorecard can act as both a control system and a management tool. In other words, it can be used for monitoring performance as well as for strategic planning. Its versatility may be one of the reasons why so many companies have chosen to adopt it.

Quality of Working Life and Work Schedule

Quality of Working Life and Work Schedule In recent past the term Quality of Work Life QWL has appeared in research journals and the press with remarkable regularity. The increasing concern for QWL has been due to several factors: (a) increase in education level and consequently job aspirations of employees, (b) association of workers, (C) significance of human resource management, (d) widespread industrial unrest, (e) growing of knowledge in human behavior, etc. The success of any organization is highly dependent on how it attracts recruits, motivates, and retains its workforce. Todays organizations need to be more flexible so that they are equipped to develop their workforce and enjoy their commitment. Therefore, organizations are required to adopt a strategy to improve the employees quality of work life (QWL) to satisfy both the organizational objectives and employee needs. This article reviews the meaning of QWL, Models and Components of QWL, criteria of measuring QWL, issues, dimensions, principles of QWL and Various wo rk schedule alternatives. KEY WORDS Quality, Quality of Work Life, Human Relations, Flexi-time, Compressed Workweek, Telecommuting, Job Sharing. 1.1 What is Quality of Work Life? The term Quality of Working Life (QWL) has an assortment of meanings for different persons. According to J. Richard and J. Loy, QWL means, the degree to which members of a work organization are able to satisfy important personnel needs through their experience in the organization. Some regard it as industrial democracy, that is, more of employee participation in the management process. For managers and administrators, the term denotes improvement in the working conditions and respect of psychological needs. Trade unions and blue collar workers construe it as more job security, equitable profit sharing and healthy working conditions. For rest, the term takes a broad view of changing the organizational climate, structure and managerial system. QWL refers to the favorableness or un-favorableness of a total job environment of the people. QWL is the degree of which work in the organization contributes to material and psychological well being of its members. Harrison. One expert defines QWL as a process of joint decision making, collaborating and building mutual respect between management and employees. D.S. Cohan: The Quality of Work Life Movement Training,HRD, Jan.1979,p.24. During 1979, the American Society of Training and Development created a Task Force on the quality of working life, defines QWL as, QWL is a process of work organizations which enables its members at all levels to participate actively and efficiently in shaping the organizations environment, goals of enhanced effectiveness of the organization and improved quality of life at work for the employees. The basic purpose of QWL is to develop jobs and working conditions that are excellent for people as well as for the economic health of the organization. QWL provides a more humanized work environment. It attempts to serve the higher order needs of workers as well as their more basic needs. It seeks to employ the higher skills of workers and to provide an environment that encourages improving their skills. Q Quest for excellence U Understanding A Action L Leadership I Involvement of the people T Team spirit Y Yardstick to measure progress Quality of Work life is concerned with the following types of questions: J.R. Hackman and J.Ll Suttle: Improving Life at Work, Goodyear Pub.Co.Inc., California, 1977. How to develop careers that allow employees to realize their full capabilities and interests? How to design jobs to provide meaningful, interesting and challenging work experience? How to utilize group dynamics and participative management to improve the quality of life at the workplace? What supervisory strategies help to improve the quality of work life? How can the desired organizational changes be carried out? Quality of working life has been differentiated from the broader concept of quality of life. To some degree, this may be overly simplistic, as Elizur and Shye, (1990) concluded that quality of work performance is affected by quality of life as well as quality of working life. However, it will be argued here that the specific attention to work-related aspects of quality of life is valid. Whilst quality of life has been more widely studied, quality of working life remains relatively unexplored and unexplained. A review of the literature reveals relatively little on quality of working life. Where quality of working life has been explored, writers differ in their views on its core constituents. It is argued that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts as regards quality of working Life, and, therefore, the failure to attend to the bigger picture may lead to the failure of interventions which tackle only one aspect. A clearer understanding of the inter-relationship of the various facets of quality of working life offers the opportunity for improved analysis of cause and effect in the workplace. This consideration of quality of working Life as the greater context for various factors in the workplace, such as job satisfaction and stress, may offer opportunity for more cost-effective interventions in the workplace. The effective targeting of stress reduction, for example, may otherwise prove a hopeless task for employers pressured to take action to meet governmental requirements. Wikipedia 1.2 Models and components of quality of working life Various authors and researchers have suggested models of quality of working life which are as follows: Hackman and Oldham (1976) in their research The Job Diagnostic Survey. New Haven: Yale University drew attention to what they described as psychological growth needs as relevant to the consideration of Quality of working life. Several such needs were identified: Skill variety, Task Identity, Task significance, Autonomy and Feedback. They suggested that such needs have to be addressed if employees are to experience high quality of working life. In contrast to such theory based models, Taylor (1979) in The quality of working life in Western and Eastern Europe. ABP more pragmatically identified the essential components of quality of working life as basic extrinsic job factors of wages, hours and working conditions, and the intrinsic job notions of the nature of the work itself. He suggested that a number of other aspects could be added, including: individual power, employee participation in the management, fairness and equity, social support, use of ones present skills, self development, a meaningful future at work, social relevance of the work or product, effect on extra work activities. Taylor suggested that relevant quality of working life concepts may vary according to organisation and employee group. Warr, P, Cook, J and Wall, T (1979) Scales for the measurement of some work attitudes and aspects of psychological well being. Journal of Occupational Psychology. 52, 129-148., in an investigation of quality of working life, considered a range of apparently relevant factors, including: work involvement, intrinsic job motivation, higher order need strength, perceived intrinsic job characteristics, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, happiness, and self-rated anxiety. They discussed a range of correlations derived from their work, such as those between work involvement and job satisfaction, intrinsic job motivation and job satisfaction, and perceived intrinsic job characteristics and job satisfaction. In particular, Warr et al. found evidence for a moderate association between total job satisfaction and total life satisfaction and happiness, with a less strong, but significant association with self-rated anxiety. Thus, whilst some authors have emphasized the workplace aspects in quality of working life, others have identified the relevance of personality factors, psychological well being, and broader concepts of happiness and life satisfaction. Factors more obviously and directly affecting work has, however, served as the main focus of attention, as researchers have tried to tease out the important influences on quality of working life in the workplace. Mirvis and Lawler (1984) suggested that quality of working life was associated with satisfaction with wages, hours and working conditions, describing the basic elements of a good quality of work life as: safe work environment, equitable wages, equal employment opportunities and opportunities for advancement. Baba and Jamal (1991) listed what they described as typical indicators of quality of working life, including: job satisfaction, job involvement, work role ambiguity, work role conflict, work role overload, job stress, organisational commitment and turn-over intentions. Baba and Jamal also explored routinisation of job content, suggesting that this facet should be investigated as part of the concept of quality of working life. Some have argued that quality of working life might vary between groups of workers. For example, Ellis and Pompli (2002) identified a number of factors contributing to job dissatisfaction and quality of working life in nurses, including: poor working environments, resident aggression, workload, innability to deliver quality of care preferred, balance of work and family, shiftwork, lack of involvement in decision making, professional isolation, lack of recognition, poor relationships with supervisor/peers, role conflict, lack of opportunity to learn new skills. Sirgy et al. (2001) suggested that the key factors in quality of working life are: need satisfaction based on job requirements, need satisfaction based on work environment, need satisfaction based on supervisory behaviour, need satisfaction based on ancillary programmes, organizational commitment. They defined quality of working life as satisfaction of these key needs through resources, activities, and outcomes stemming from participation in the workplace. Needs as defined by the psychologist, Abraham Maslow, were seen as relevant in underpinning this model, covering health safety, economic and family, social, esteem, actualization, knowledge and aesthetics, although the relevance of non-work aspects is play down as attention is focused on quality of work life rather than the broader concept of quality of life. These attempts at defining quality of working life have included theoretical approaches, lists of identified factors, correlation analyses, with opinions varying as to whether such definitions and explanations can be both global, or need to be specific to each work setting. Bearfield,(2003) used 16 questions to examine quality of working life, and distinguished between causes of dissatisfaction in professionals, intermediate clerical, sales and service workers, indicating that different concerns might have to be addressed for different groups. The distinction made between job satisfaction and dissatisfaction in quality of working life reflects the influence of job satisfaction theories. Herzberg at al., (1959) used Hygiene factors and Motivator factors to distinguish between the separate causes of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. It has been suggested that Motivator factors are intrinsic to the job, that is; job content, the work itself, responsibility and advancement. The Hygiene factors or dissatisfaction-avoidance factors include aspects of the job environment such as interpersonal relationships, salary, working conditions and security. Of these latter, the most common cause of job dissatisfaction can be company policy and administration, whilst achievement can be the greatest source of extreme satisfaction. An individuals experience of satisfaction or dissatisfaction can be substantially rooted in their perception, rather than simply reflecting their real world. Further, an individuals perception can be affected by relative comparison am I paid as much as that person and comparisons of internalized ideals, aspirations, and expectations, for example, with the individuals current state (Lawler and Porter, 1966). In summary, where it has been considered, authors differ in their views on the core constituents of Quality of Working Life (e.g. Sirgy, Efraty, Siegel Lee, 2001 and Warr, Cook Wall, 1979). It has generally been agreed however that Quality of Working Life is conceptually similar to well-being of employees but differs from job satisfaction which solely represents the workplace domain (Lawler, 1982) Quality of Working Life is not a unitary concept, but has been seen as incorporating a hierarchy of perspectives that not only include work-based factors such as job satisfaction, satisfaction with pay and relationships with work colleagues, but also factors that broadly reflect life satisfaction and general feelings of well-being (Danna Griffin, 1999). More recently, work-related stress and the relationship between work and non-work life domains (Loscocco Roschelle, 1991) have also been identified as factors that should conceptually be included in Quality of Working Life. 1.3 Criteria for measuring QWL Richard E. Walton explains QWL in terms of eight broad conditions of employment that constitute desirable QWL. The proposed the same criteria for measuring QWL. These criteria/ conditions include: Adequate and fair compensation Safe and health working conditions Opportunity to use and develop human capacities Contrary to the traditional assumptions, QWL is improvedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to the extent that the worker can exercise more control over his or her work, and the degree to which the job embraces an entire meaningful task but not a part of it. Further, QWL provides for opportunities like autonomy in work and participation in planning in order to use human capabilities. Opportunity for Career growth Opportunities for promotion are limited in case of all categories of Employees either gibe to educational barriers or limited openings at higher Level. QWL provides opportunities for continue growth and security by Expanding ones capabilities, knowledge and Qualification. Social integration in the workforce This can be established by creating freedom from prejudice, Supporting primary work groups, a sense of community inter-personnel Openness, egalitarianism and upward mobility. Constitutionalism in work Organization QWL provides constitutional protection to the employees only to the Level of desirability on such matters as privacy, free speech, equity and due Process. Work and QWL QWL provide for balanced relationship among work, non-work, and Family aspects of life. In other words, family life and social life should be Strain by working hours including over time work, work during inconvenient Hours, business travel, transfers, vacations etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Social relevance of work QWL is concerned about the establishment of social relevance to work in a socially beneficial manner. The workers self-esteem would be high if this work is useful to the society and vice versa is also true. It is worth nothing that often the condition that contribute to motivation like equitable salaries, financial incentives, effective employee selection etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.will also contribute indirectly to QWL. Some of these activities like job enrichment might contribute indirectly to QWL by tapping the workers high-order need, and motivating them. Still other activities may contribute directly to QWL providing for a safer work place, less discrimination on the job, and so forth. 1.4 Specific issues in QWL Trade unions claim that they are responsible for the improvements in various facilities to the workers where as management takes credit fro improved salaries, benefits and facilities. However, HR manger has Specific issues in providing them so as to maintain a higher order QWL. Klott, Mundick and Schusterd suggested 11 major QWL issues, they are as follows: Pay and stability of employment Good pay still dominates most of the other factors in employee Satisfaction. Various alternative means for providing wages should be developed in view of increase in cost of living index, increase in levels and rates of income tax and profession tax . Enhancing the facilities for human resource development can provide stability to a greater extent. Occupational stress Stress is a condition of strain on ones emotions, thought process and physical condition. It is determined by the nature or work, working conditions, working hours, pause in the work schedule, workers abilities and nature and match with the job requirements. Stress is caused due to irritability, hyper excitation or depression, unstable behavior, fatigue stuttering, trembling, psychosomatic pains, heavy smoking and drug abuse. Stress adversely affects employees productivity. The HR manager, in order to minimize the stress, has to identify, prevent, and tackle the problem. He may arrange for the treatment of the problem with the health unit of the company. Organizational health programs Effective implementation of health programs result in reduction in absenteeism, hospitalization, disability, excessive job turnover and premature death. They should also cover relaxation, physical exercise, diet control etc.., Alternative work schedules Alternative work schedules including work at home, flexible working hours, staggered hours, reduced work week, part time employment that may be introduced for the convenience and comfort of the workers. Participative management control Workers feel that they have control and over their work, use their Skills and make a real contribution to the job if they are allowed to Participate in creative and decision making process. Recognition Recognizing employee as a human being rather than as a laborer Increases the QWL. Participative management award and reward System, congratulating the employees for their achievement, job Enrichment, offering prestigious to the jobs, providing well Furnished and decent work place offering membership in clubs or Associations, providing vehicles or some of the means to recognize the Employees. Congenial superior sub-ordinate relationships Harmonious supervisor workers relations give the worker a sense of Social association, a sense of belongingness; we should not ignore the Impact of social relations at the work place the productivity resulting from this. Grievance procedure Proper grievance procedure that is quick and justified gives employees an opportunity to vent their feelings and represent their case. Adequacy of resources Resources should match with the stated objectives, otherwise, Employees will not able to attain them resulting in employee dissatisfaction and lower QWL. Senior merit in promotions Companies either take seniority or merit as basis for promoting the employees, each of these methods have their relative disadvantages and hence it is advisable to take both of them together in promotion policy there by resulting in higher QWL. Employment on permanent basis Job security adds a lot not to QWL, for employees working on Temporary basis or on probation are constantly worried about this. Employing them on permanent basis reduces their sense of insecurity and enhances the QWL. 1.5 Dimensions of QWL According to Richard Walton, the main aspects of QWL are as follows: 1.6 Principles of QWL N.Q. Herrick and M. Maccoby: Humanizing Work: A Priority Goal of the 1970s in L.E. Davis and A.B Cherns: The QWL, Free Press, New York, 1975, has stated 4 basic principles to improve the QWL: 1. The Principle of Security Quality of work life cannot be improved until employees are relieved of the anxiety, fear and loss of future employment. The working condition must be safe and economic want should be eliminated. Job security and safety against occupational hazards is an essential precondition of humanization of work. 2. The Principle of Equity There should be direct and positive relation between effort and reward. All types of discrimination between people doing similar work and with same level of performance must be eliminated. 3. The Principle of Individualism Employees differ in terms of their attitudes, skill, potential, etc. Therefore, every individual should be provided the opportunity for development of his personality and potential. 4. Principle of Democracy This means greater authority and responsibility to employees. Stop Cribbing! Our Work Cultures the Best It might surprise many. But Indian Inc has emerged top in a recent survey on high performance work culture in Asia Pacific Region. Indian Companies which accounted for over one-third of the respondents consistently outperformed their counterparts from Singapore, South Korea, China and Australia on Parameters like Strategic goals, leaders as role models, employee communication, talent attraction and attention, effective processes, etc. Source: The Economic Times, June, 2003 1.7 How to Improve Quality of Working Life Fair and Equitable remuneration. Reasonable stability of employment. Employee Health and Safety Programmes. Alternative Work Schedules. Participative Management. Recognition of employees as human beings. Grievance Procedure and effective leadership. Management of Employee Stress. Job Redesign and Enrichment. (Gupta C.B Human Resource Management pub: Sultan Chand Sons, edition 2009.) 2.1 Work Schedules One of the most important techniques of improving the Quality of Work Life is to improve the Work Schedule. Various alternative Work Schedules are: Compressed Workweek Some organizations have introduced short work week, that is, instead of coming 6 or 5 days a week, the employees only have to work for 4 days. But the no. of working hour per day is increased say, 10 hours per day which makes to 40 hours per week. Advantages More leisure time Decreased commuting time Decreased request for time for personal matters Disadvantages Decreased employee productivity due to longer day Underutilization of equipment Increased fatigue Flexitime Flexitime is a system whereby employees are required to work a specific no of hours a week but are free to vary the hours of work within certain limits. Each day consists of a common ore, usually of 4 hours, excluding Lunch hour. For example, the core may be 10 am to 3 pm with the office actual opening at 7 am and closing at 6 pm. All employees should be at their jobs during the common core period but they are free to fashion their personal schedules they prefer. Flexible Hour Common Core Lunch Common Core Flexible Hour 7 p.m 3 p.m 10 a.m 7 a.m Source: D.A. Ralston and M.F. Flanagan, the effect of Flexitime on Absenteeism and Turnover for Male and Female Employees, Journal of Vocational Behaviour, April 1985,pp 206-17. Advantages Higher morale Lower absenteeism Longer Length of Service Disadvantages It cannot be implemented at all when the work requires al employees to be present at the same time. It may produce problem to the manger in directing subordinates outside the core time period. Cause confusion where there is shift or interdependent work. Telecommuting Working from home with the help of internet technology is one of the ways of being a part of an organization. Instead of visiting the office daily, the employee is given the option to work from home for some specific duration. It is mainly suitable for research based works, data entry, etc. Advantages Saves time and effort Cost effective No commuting problem Job Sharing It may also be stated as shift working, wherein, 2 persons share same job, say one works in the morning and the other in the afternoon or at night. (Source: Chhabra .T.N.Human Resource Management) 3.1 Conclusion Quality of work life covers various aspects under the general umbrella of supportive organizational behavior. QWL has gained deserved prominence in the Organizational Behavior as an indicator of the overall of human experience in the work place. It expresses a special way of thinking about people, their work and the organizational in which careers are fulfilled.

Interview Report: Leadership in the Healthcare System Essay -- Intervi

Introduction Leadership is increasingly important in today's society. Many experts and scholars point out that the current leadership crisis concerns moral and character problems in many leaders (Ahn, Ettner, & Loupin, 2012; Callahan, 2004; Wright & Quick, 2011). The following interview report is intended primarily for exploration and comparison of the traits and characteristics of leadership. A leader of a clinical medicine centre was interviewed for this report. The purpose of this report is to explore the leadership characters and traits, and how they can be developed in this turbulent environment. First, I make a brief introduction regarding the background of the respondent and her working environment. The report also describes this leader's personal and subjective perceptions in relation to a literature review which investigates the traits and characteristics of leadership. The report concludes with a comparison and discussion of the results of the clinical condition on the basis of the int erview and literature review. At the same time, the report aims to put forward feasible and effective advice and specific programs for present and future leaders and managers in the health care system. Methodology 1. The respondent’s traits and characteristics This is a nearly 40-minute interview. The object of this interview is the leader of a community medical centre. This medical centre has five physicians, two nutritionists, one occupational therapist, a nurse and three service desk receptionists. This medical centre serves the community of more than five thousand patients now. After the interview, integration of the following eight items in this leader’s characteristics and traits. 1) Vision Orientation She is vision orien... ...uarterly, 22, 975-978. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/science/article/pii/S1048984311001172#. Wright, T. A., & Goodstein, J. (2007). Character is not â€Å"dead† in management research: A review of individual character and organizational-level virtue. Journal of Management, 33, 928–958. Winning leadership traits. (2008). Partner's Report, 08(2), 10-11. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/200656366?accountid=14543 Yeh, Q. (1995). Leadership, personal traits and job characteristics in R&D organizations: a Taiwanese case. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 16(6), 16-26. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/journals.htm?articleid=1410392. Zaccaro, S. J. (2007). Trait-Based Perspectives of Leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 6-16.

Minimum Wage Isnt A Living Wage :: Minimum Wage Essays

Reasons for Minimum Wage Worker’s Tough Lives In 1938, federal minimum wage legislation became effective for the first time when the Fair Labor Standards Act passed (Sidey 573). After sixty-seven years, today, the minimum wage, which was originally set to make sure that working people could support themselves and their family, increased twenty times (Sidey 573). Nevertheless, the low-wage workers have never gotten rid of the hardship in their lives. Two main reasons cause the current situation. The increasing renting prices and the increasing rate of health care, which exceeds low-wage workers’ real income by quite a lot, make their lives tough all the time. Minimum wage, the smallest amount of money per hour that an employer may legally pay a worker, became a part of state law in Massachusetts in 1912 (Sidey 573). After 14 other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico set similar laws in America, the first federal minimum wage legislation became valid. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 â€Å"firmly established the federal government as a regulator of wages in the United States by establishing a minimum hourly wage for all employees engaged in interstate commerce or in the production of goods for interstate commerce† (Huckshorn 167). Based on 2004’s Current Population Survey of America, today two million workers earn at or below minimum wage out of 73.9 million American workers who are paid at hourly rates (Characteristics). In 1996, the minimum wage raised to $5.15 per hour. Some people argue that this federal legislation helped low-wage workers a lot. Nevertheless, low-wage people are still suffering from hardship because of the big gap between their incomes and expenditures. In 1998, the minimum-wage was â€Å"$2,500 below the poverty line for a three-person family† if a worker works 40 hours a week without vacations (Rothman). The minimum wage should be $6.24 to maintain the same average purchasing power in 1998 as â€Å"it averaged in the 1970s† (Rothman). Up until 2005, in California, nearly 16 percent of Californian low-paid workers live below the poverty line according to a study of State Industrial Welfare Commission of California (Garcoa). These figures and examples denied the argument that this federal legislation helped low-wage workers’ lives. Two main reasons cause the big gap between minimum-workers’ real income and basic living requirements, the persistent increasing of the rental price and health premiums. The first reason for hardship concerns the high rental prices in America

How Can A Students Cultural Knowledge and School Knowledge be Contextualized Within the Classroom? :: Teaching Education

How Can A Student's Cultural Knowledge and School Knowledge be Contextualized Within the Classroom? Anne, a 15 year old Vietnamese American student stared out the window while the teacher droned on in the background. Her thoughts centered on lunch and her friends, and family. On a deeper level, her thoughts were about friendship, loyalty, kinship, and how children gain status and acceptance in the social structure of the school. Anne's attention was brought back into the classroom when the teacher announced that "this information will be on the test". Mechanically, Anne began to write as the teacher dictated notes. When the teacher had finished dictating the notes, Anne's thoughts wandered back to her own concerns. This true story is about me as a young girl trying to identify with the experiences of school knowledge and real life knowledge. Most of us as students have been in my shoes can readily identify the occasional moments of boredom and daydreaming in an otherwise interesting and engaging school experience, and in other occasions, this is the main reality of the classroom life. Traditionally, the educational community has tended to view culturally diverse students as coming from a deficit model, that somehow these students lacked the right stuff, the educational experiences for success in school. Rarely have schools and educational institutions viewed culturally diverse students as being culture rich and not at risk. When children are not allowed to incorporate their prior knowledge with new experiences provided in the classroom, learning is slowed and the child constructs a disjointed view of the world. This paper explores the multicultural and diversified world of the students and juxtaposes it along the knowledge the students are encountering in the classroom. It explores knowledge in respects to the traditional notions of commonsense knowledge of school, and knowledge that centers on the interests and aims of the learner. Multicultural learning needs to build on student's regenerative (prior knowledge) along with their reified (school knowledge)knowledges, the knowledge must be in relation to the student's home and community, the information must be personally familiar to the child, the understanding must come through a connection with culturally familiar stories and materials, knowledge needs to create a meaningful linkage to give children control over their learning, and multicultural knowledge needs to address the histories and experiences of people who have been left out of the curriculum (Dewey, 125). What I experienced as a little girl was a conflict between two different kinds of knowledge, which R.B Everhart has distinguished as reified and regenerative knowledge. Regenerative knowledge "is created, maintained, and recreated through the continuous interaction of people in a community How Can A Student's Cultural Knowledge and School Knowledge be Contextualized Within the Classroom? :: Teaching Education How Can A Student's Cultural Knowledge and School Knowledge be Contextualized Within the Classroom? Anne, a 15 year old Vietnamese American student stared out the window while the teacher droned on in the background. Her thoughts centered on lunch and her friends, and family. On a deeper level, her thoughts were about friendship, loyalty, kinship, and how children gain status and acceptance in the social structure of the school. Anne's attention was brought back into the classroom when the teacher announced that "this information will be on the test". Mechanically, Anne began to write as the teacher dictated notes. When the teacher had finished dictating the notes, Anne's thoughts wandered back to her own concerns. This true story is about me as a young girl trying to identify with the experiences of school knowledge and real life knowledge. Most of us as students have been in my shoes can readily identify the occasional moments of boredom and daydreaming in an otherwise interesting and engaging school experience, and in other occasions, this is the main reality of the classroom life. Traditionally, the educational community has tended to view culturally diverse students as coming from a deficit model, that somehow these students lacked the right stuff, the educational experiences for success in school. Rarely have schools and educational institutions viewed culturally diverse students as being culture rich and not at risk. When children are not allowed to incorporate their prior knowledge with new experiences provided in the classroom, learning is slowed and the child constructs a disjointed view of the world. This paper explores the multicultural and diversified world of the students and juxtaposes it along the knowledge the students are encountering in the classroom. It explores knowledge in respects to the traditional notions of commonsense knowledge of school, and knowledge that centers on the interests and aims of the learner. Multicultural learning needs to build on student's regenerative (prior knowledge) along with their reified (school knowledge)knowledges, the knowledge must be in relation to the student's home and community, the information must be personally familiar to the child, the understanding must come through a connection with culturally familiar stories and materials, knowledge needs to create a meaningful linkage to give children control over their learning, and multicultural knowledge needs to address the histories and experiences of people who have been left out of the curriculum (Dewey, 125). What I experienced as a little girl was a conflict between two different kinds of knowledge, which R.B Everhart has distinguished as reified and regenerative knowledge. Regenerative knowledge "is created, maintained, and recreated through the continuous interaction of people in a community

Differences Between Us and Russian Business Styles Essay

Everyone knows that the key to effective communication is knowledge. And cross-cultural communication is not an exception to the rule. Quite the contrary we have to know not only the basic data about our foreign partner, but also we ought to be acquainted with numerous rules and standards of behavior established in his or her country. To negotiate with our partner we should possess both the minimum personal information about him or her and the maximum information about his or her country. In this essay I’d like to examine differences and common points in styles, traditions and etiquette of the US and Russian negotiations. I believe that present relations between the United States and Russia are quite good. The two countries still have differences, but they increasingly work together on a wide range of political, economic, cultural issues. Despite the fact that we can still destroy each other with our nuclear weapons, our businessmen and entrepreneurs work very closely, and Rus sian-American enterprises and firms develop with increased speed nowadays. Naturally I reckon it makes no sense to have all those warheads. The Cold War is over, and the best thing our countries can do is to be reconciled and to get along well with each other. And business partnership is one of the factors to establish friendly bilateral relations in all aspects of cooperation. However, sometimes it is very difficult to build relationships with people of different cultures, mentalities and customs. And this point concerns both our peoples too, because the Russians utterly differ from the Americans. In fact I consider that actually we also have much in common. So further in this essay I’m going to compare our countries’ negotiation styles and traditions, and to define how much differences we have and how much we have in common. In the first place I want to compare appearance of business circles in Russia and the USA. Both Russian men and women leading the negotiations usually wear conservative dark, often pinstriped, and well-tailored clothes along with good dress shoes. A Russian man is not supposed to take off his jacket during the negotiations, while a businesswoman is more welcomed to be dressed in a pencil skirt than in pants. However on some shirtsleeve meetings Russian people of business prefer to look more casually, in such cases they untie their ties, take off their jackets and can choose suits of more light classic colors, such as gray or camel. Similarly American business people wear conservative suits and ties of dark colors. But women  are also allowed to put on not only classic skirts and dresses, but also pants. In rural areas American people of business can wear their suits even without jackets and ties. Both Russian and American businesswomen are not supposed to wear jeans even on casual occasions. All in all negotiators of both our countries have an utterly conservative look, avoid vivid colors of fabrics and gaudy accessories. In the second place it’s necessary to compare the ways of behavior of Russian and American negoti ators. Be ready to that your counterpart from Russia will not be in time. It is quite appropriate in this country, so do not wait any excuses. What is more is that the higher is the rank of your colleague in the company the more probability he or she will be late for much time. On the contrary it is inappropriate and very offensive for your counterpart in the USA to be late, as every businessperson in this country follows the rule â€Å"time is money†. Gift giving in the USA is discouraged by many firms and companies, because it can be considered as a bribe. A gracious note will be enough for your partner. In contrast of the USA gift giving in Russia goes without saying. The fact is that it is extremely difficult and even impossible to do business in Russia without help from local authorities, thus a pretty penny, a cognac bottle, a chocolate box, a bouquet of flowers or other items can help you by doing business in Russia. It is necessary to take into account that negotiations with Russians often can be unsystematic, as negotiators in Russia can focus on several issues simultaneously. Moreover, the Russians are very emotional, so tantrums and walkouts can occur during the negotiations. Although the Americans are quite emotional too, the negotiations with them are more ordered, as they prefer focusing only on the one issue. During their negotiations Russian businesspeople can make some pauses, while the Americans seem to fill the silent periods and do most of the talking. The Americans are individualistic aggressive self-reliant businessmen who do not care for cultural customs of other countries and very often just neglect them; they have a greater level of tolerance for a variety of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs within a business team. On the contrary people of Russian business most often resort to collective thinking and take collective decisions. However, there is a great hierarchy within the structure of any company, and the subordinates must respect the chain of command and do not offer any ideas their chiefs do not want to take. The US  businesspeople are really initiative and active in contrast with negotiators from Russia who very often bide their time, demonstrating their well-known patience. Russia is renowned for its hostility, so it will be a serious breach of etiquette, if you refuse to take a drink or to have a toast. In the third place I compare the gestures the Americans and Russians have. Both in Russia and the USA you greet your colleague by a firm and lasting a few seconds handshake, but in Russia this handshake should be a little bit firmer. Also shaking hands with someone in Russia be sure that you have taken off your gloves, as it is considered rude not to. Keep good eye contact during your handshake. In the USA the counterparts who are good friends can briefly embrace, though in Russia it is not appropriate. A smile is a sign of friendliness for the US businessmen, while Russian people of business prefer to maintain gravity during the negotiations and do not smile at every occasion. In Russia it is extremely inappropriate to show soles of your boots, as they are considered to be dirty, while in the USA they can put their legs on the table. To laugh and to talk too loudly is regarded as bad manners in Russia. Just quite the reverse it is regarded as a sign of sincerity of a person in the USA. To summarize everything that has been written above, I want to stress the fact that actually both our peoples, including negotiators, do have too many differences. They have a great heap of differences in all aspects, but nevertheless I assume they have one very important common thing: both the US and Russian strive to maintain economic links and friendly relations with each other. To achieve success, business organizations sand negotiators should follow the culture of every particular country. It can be quite a problem for American and Russian people of business, because they do not pay much attention to cultures of other nations. It is quite a bad trait business circles in these countries have. Without understanding culture of a country in which organization want to do business, the organization cannot achieve success because if they don’t know the norms, values, beliefs and attitude of customers and employees then they cannot run their business successfully.

Funny Persuasive Speech

Evaluate whether it's worth it to lie to your teacher. If you are already at school and simply forgot to do it, then you're probably out of luck here. But if you are at home the night before and just don't want to do your homework, think about your options. Teachers are generally forgiving of those students who forget their homework on rare occasions; they get mad at those ones who repeatedly forget. So, before you decide not to do your homework and to come up with an excuse instead, ask yourself whether it's worth it to waste your teacher's patience on this assignment. After all, there may come a time where you really need to use an excuse.Don't just take the easy way out now if it will cost you later. But once you have decided that you need an excuse†¦ 2 Spend time thinking about possible explanations that sound believable. In other words, these will need to be things which could realistically and likely occur with anyone (regardless of whether or not they are actually true) t hat the teacher, who gave you the assignment, is not likely to easily dismiss away in their mind as nonsense. A good way to start might be to ask yourself what kind of excuse would personally sound believable to you, or alternatively ask a trusted person you know for ideas.Some examples of what might work include: The good old â€Å"My dog ate my homework† excuse. If you don't have a dog, this one certainly won't work, but keep in mind that you can use a friend's dog, especially if you had a friend with her pet come over the last couple days. Better yet, take a piece of scratch paper or notebook paper, and tear it up into a few sizes of chunks ranging small to large. If you really want to trick them out, go to a joke store and buy a package of fake dog drool, only fifteen cents cost worthy. Rub the drool over the pieces of paper, leaving it a little wet but not too soaked.If you don't want to buy the fake drool just use water. Tell your teacher that you had an emergency at yo ur house at the time you would have normally finished the work, and that's the reason why – on this occasion – it's not been done. Saying you've had other homework assignments which clashed with the deadline date for this one, and that this got in the way (it's advisable to ask nicely for a deadline extension after). Saying that you accidentally lost the homework instructions, and haven't realised it until now. For essays, say that you can't get it printed because your printer is running out of ink or you left it in the printer.For online assignments, tell them that your computer crashed last night or your internet got cut off. For homework assignment that requires a book, tell them that you left the book at home or in your locker. 3 Think about how your teacher could find out that you are lying. If you go to a smaller school, make sure not to use the same excuse over and over again, because it is likely that other teachers already know that you have used an excuse. Al so, think about whether the teacher could possibly talk to anyone else who could reveal your lie.For example, if you use the â€Å"family emergency† excuse, think about whether the teacher is likely to call your parents to confirm your story. Adjust your excuse accordingly. 4 Prepare to not be believed. Your teacher has likely heard a thousand excuses before, so prepared when he or she questions your excuse. Come up with an interesting back-story that is detailed but not too crazy. If you get nervous and stumble over your words when your teacher questions you, then he or she is not likely to believe that you are telling the truth. 5Prepare to come up with even more excuses. If, for example, you say that your printer was broken and you could not print your assignment, your teacher will probably ask you why you didn't email it to a friend and have them print it out. In this case, be ready to make up another excuse, and maybe a few more after that. This applies to many of the ex amples listed above, such as forgetting your book or having your computer crash. 6 Be polite and pitiable. When you tell your teacher that you did not do your homework, be as polite and regretful as possible.Offer to have it in ASAP, and beg for forgiveness. Also, portray yourself as the victim of the situation. Shift blame to your dog, computer, etc. , as long as it is shifted away from you. It may be helpful in this situation to cry, if you can manage good fake tears. 7 Stick to your story. Your teacher might not believe you, but if you are convincing and committed, it will be hard for them to know for sure that you are lying. However, be prepared to work extra-hard for at least a couple of weeks to restore your teacher's trust.

Globalization Of The Market Economy Essay

Much has been said how globalization has internationalize the market economy and how this system was able to integrate and create international partnerships between and among nations. Globalization is not just a phenomenon – it is a system, a new world system that has replaced the Cold War. Globalization has transcended economic and political borders without so much undermining the national sovereignty of any nation. This essay will document how the key players and catalysts accomplished the integration of a very complex world market economy, allowing the creation of the so-called global village. Specifically, this essay will look into the following: ? the creation of international bodies collectively known as The Bretton Woods institutions; ? the largest regional trade organizations: how they come into being, its membership, and how they are being seen sometimes as stumbling blocs, instead of building blocs; ? multi- or transnational corporations; and ? technological revolution (information and communication technology, or ICT, and the Internet). The list above will help us see globalization, an intangible system, as an observable, concrete, and measurable concept. This essay will also attempt to explain the future of globalization so as to prepare other areas that it has not penetrated yet, and at the same time, to allow those who are experiencing it already to take advantage of the strengths and opportunities in the system and be prepared with the threats that come with it. Understanding globalization There are two very interesting books on globalization that can serve as a starting point of this essay – MacGillivray’s A brief history of globalization: The Untold story of our incredible shrinking planet and Friedman’s The Lexus and the olive tree: Understanding globalization. MacGillivray argues that the term â€Å"globalization† has rapidly become one of the most overused words in the field of international relations. Unfortunately, its being overused does not guarantee understanding of the concept. In fact, this is one of the least understood or at least broadly construed concepts in the same field. It clearly covers connections between and among political, economic, cultural, and even environmental issues or concerns. And with the recent advance in information technology, we also know that globalization also concerns itself about technology and even war. MacGillivray described globalization as the interaction and integration between and among people, corporations, and governments across national boundaries. Such web of interaction and integration is motivated by international trade and investment with the help of technology, particularly, information technology (MacGillivray 2006). The importance of technology in the era of globalization was further elaborated and described by Friedman in his book The Lexus and the olive tree: Understanding globalization through this passage: â€Å"In the Cold War, the most frequently asked question was ‘How big is your missile? ’ In globalization, the most frequently asked question is ‘How fast is your modem? ’† As compared to other writers who believe that globalization is a phase of human evolution, or maybe a trend, Friedman believes that it is more of an international system which existence was significantly felt after the Cold War period. He argued that the movement of globalization in this contemporary period is just an extension of the previous period which has marked the end of the First World War (Friedman 1999). Whereas the Cold War has changed the whole world into a bipolar one, globalization has changed this into a global village with shared or integrated resources in terms of capital, technology, political and market sentiments, and information across and, even more interesting, through national borders. Establishing new grounds: The collapse of economic and market frontiers Globalization’s effects are very much visible in some aspects of international relations. In this essay, the effect on economic sovereignty would be the focus. It should be noted though that as far as these effects are concerned, globalization does not destabilize the sovereignty and legitimacy of a nation in any one way or another. With globalization, we could say that the economic borders of any sovereign nation has somewhat been transcended, i. e. , protectionist policies are either challenged if not eliminated completely. The Bretton Woods system: The first attempt to international openness One of the best ways of seeing globalization’s effect to international relations is by looking at international financial institutions having direct or indirect effect to sovereign nations. While they do not exactly dictate what the economic policies of countries should be, these bodies without a doubt influence the making of such policies. In the early 1930s, currency exchange rates, even those of the major economies, are unstable. A number of countries are protectionists and had very restrictive trade policies. A decade after that, Great Britain and the United States, the only two super powers then, proposed the establishment of international financial or monetary institutions that would aim to stabilize exchange rates and, more importantly, improve international trade. In 1944, 44 nations through their representatives convened at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The participants of the conference met to plan the recovery and eventual development of post-war Europe and to discuss the monetary and prevailing economic issues of that period – protectionist trade policies and unstable exchange rates of a number of countries (Bretton Woods Project 2007; Canadian Economy Online 2007). This has given birth to the Bretton Woods Agreement. The agreement aims to create a post-war international monetary system of convertible currencies, fixed and stable exchange rates, and free trade across geographical regions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (which was later on referred to as the World Bank) were established to facilitate the objectives of the agreement. The resulting bodies from this Bretton Woods convention have definitely affected the economic sovereignty of countries. Taking the case of International Monetary Fund, its main areas of concern are surveillance (advice and appraisal on the policies of its member economies), financial or monetary assistance for members experiencing short- to medium-term economic problems and difficulties, and technical assistance as well as training in monetary and fiscal policies (Ibid). The Bretton Woods agreement prevented currency and exchange rates competition and promoted monetary cooperation among its member economies. Under this system, member nations and economies agreed to have a system of currency exchange rates that could be adjusted or computed within defined parities with the US dollar. This currency exchange rate could also be adjusted to correct a basic disequilibrium in balance of payments as approved by IMF. Advocates of the Bretton Woods system argued that establishment of a stable exchange rate would discourage the â€Å"beggar thy neighbour† policies, which would eventually benefit several, if not all, member economies by the promotion and expansion of international market and trade. The competitiveness of currency exchange rates decreased overtime due to infrequent changes in parities. Some expressed concerns that a fixed currency exchange rate system may prohibit countries enough liberty for them to actually pursue and implement their own monetary and fiscal policies. IMF uses both its surveillance as well as technical assistance work or functions in developing codes and standards of good practice in its areas of responsibility (Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund 2007). The World Bank, which is officially named International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, is actually a development institution. Its mandate is to build a climate of healthy investment, sufficient jobs, and sustainable growth. It also invests in poor people and empowers them to participate in development projects. Its efforts on poverty reduction can be observed in national as well as global levels (Schiff and Winters 2003, 15–16). The World Bank gives emphasis on extending aids to poor and developing nations. But more than just these financial aids or loans, the bank gives advice on policymaking and training to countries needing them. Now, in return for IMF’s and World Bank’s financial support or any other kind of advice, recipients of these financial aids should implement necessary structural adjustment policies that will encourage healthy public spending, especially on social services delivery systems. These policies usually decrease government’s participation in the economy (or market, to be specific). Currently, the World Bank is the largest international lending institution dealing with least developed to developing countries (Ibid, 25–26). The World Trade Organization is probably the most â€Å"intrusive† of the three bodies established by the Bretton Woods convention. The convention created a provision for an International Trade Organization. However, such plan lay dormant until the actual establishment of the World Trade Organization in early 1990s. This original plan did not materialize in the form it was originally conceptualized because of the refusal of the US Congress to endorse it. (The refusal of the US Congress is primarily anchored on the idea that had the International Trade Organization been approved then, this body would have the power of a supranational body that can implement sanctions, penalties, or disciplines to any member economies that the ITO deem violating the principles and agreements reached at the Bretton Woods. ) In lieu of this, an international organization, so to speak, in the form of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade or GATT was created. As an international body, it has the primary responsibility of reducing trade barriers through multilateral and multinational negotiations. ITO, however, does not have the power to effect any policies, i. e. , its agreements are non-binding (Timeline: World Trade Organization – A chronology of key events 2007). The World Trade Organization came into existence on 1995. It replaced GATT as an international body overseeing the multilateral trading system. One hundred and twenty-eight (128) countries had signed GATT by 1994. And as of the year 2007, there are 151 full-fledged members and 30 economies/countries having observer status. Every member country of the WTO has the right to challenge or simply question other countries’ local, state, or federal laws granted that such laws may impede efficient and effective international trade. In such cases, if the WTO judges the law to contain violations of WTO ideals, it [WTO] may order the government to overturn or modify the law or else, the country can experience or suffer from trade sanctions. This is exactly why the US Congress did not approve the ratification of the treaty for the creation or establishment of the WTO (Ibid). These three international bodies have clearly penetrated the economic barriers, even political to some extent, of any of its member economies. For this purpose, however, it is clear that these effects are for the benefit of the member economy. While it is clear that these Bretton Woods bodies do not directly dictate economic policies, it has the power to influence its members to act towards its direction. Again, this is not to emphasize that economic sovereignty is being taken away from the country itself, but clearly, the economic barriers have been breached. Regional trade associations or blocs Regional trade associations are â€Å"offshoots†, so to speak, of the globalization phenomenon where inter-nation or inter-state agreement is established. These associations are actually the ones that manage, promote, and direct all the trade activities of the concerned group of countries or regions of the world (UC Atlas of Global Inequality, 2007). This is a case where instead of an institution penetrating the borders of a country, the sovereign country itself initiates the â€Å"surrender† of their economic, or more particularly, trading, policies. Regional trade associations, in general terms, are groupings of economies or nations at a governmental level that aims to promote, manage, and encourage trade within and among their own region and defend its member countries or member economies against a larger global competition. Protection against this larger global competition is done by most countries by establishing tariffs on commodities produced by its members economies, import quotas, onerous bureaucratic import processes, government subsidies, and technical and other non-tariff barriers. Trade is not an isolated activity and other areas of relations between countries or economies involved are also affected: political, security, and other issues affecting the region (Ibid). A good example of a regional trade bloc affecting other aspects of inter-national relations is the case of the European Union or EU. This group is the world’s largest trade association, and by far, the most effective in terms of certain aspects. EU has harbored not just economic but also political ambitions extending way beyond the free trading arrangements entered into by the participating economies (Gibb and Michalak, 1994, 75). The ideological foundations of EU were actually focused on ensuring development and maintaining international or even inter-regional stability, specifically, encapsulating communist or socialist expansion in the post-WWII Europe. EU’s plan actually involves possible joint policies on military security and citizenship. Some researchers believe that trade associations complement globalized trade. There are those, on the other hand, who believe that regionalism is a threat to free trade due to its protectionist nature having conservative policies being implemented by these blocs that shield the member- countries from outside competition of global trade. Such debates contain sharp disagreements. In the same work by Gibb and Michalak (1994, 1), they noted, â€Å"the multilateral trading system is in decline and regionalism is on the ascendancy. † They emphasized that regional trade blocs are an alternative form of trade that â€Å"attempts to counter more aggressive policies of trade, especially as espoused by the WTO. †

Gay Marriage: the Recognition of Equal Human Rights Essay

In America, people hold on to the Declaration of Independence as an implementation of their rights. Part of the Declaration of Independence clearly states, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† (Jefferson 80). Gays are human beings too, and they should equally be able to enjoy the human rights. If we believe that human rights are equal regardless of their sexual orientation; then why do gays have to struggle for equal positions in the church, law, and psychological equality? Gay people, their families, and their friends are fighting for these rights. They want equality for gays including legal marriage, and marriage benefits that the regular man-woman marriages enjoy. Gay marriage becomes an option because many gay couples want the equality of human rights. Gays realize their rights are being abolished by the fact that they are not allowed to legally marry and enjoy the privileges as married couples. Only twelve states in America and District of Columbia legally allow gay marriage. The twelve states are: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington (Millstone). Massachusetts is the first state that legalized gay marriage on May 2004 (Tying the Knot). Although gays can legally marry in these states, the couples have limited rights. DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) restricts federal marriage benefits; therefore, it prevents gays from receiving the insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security benefits, immigration, and the filing of joint tax returns (Burns). The documentary, Tying the Knot shows that many gay couples stay together for a long period of time, whether they are married or not. They share their lives: mentally, physically, and economically. But when a spouse dies, the other spouse does not get his/her rights as a normal opposite-sex spouse would get, which includes pension benefits and/or the house (belongings). The movie shows a sad reality to this current unfairness toward gay couples. While gays’ rights are being suppressed, the questions start to come up, â€Å"Is being gay an option? †. This question becomes a part of controversy for gay marriage. According to Dan Eden, a writer for an online journal Viewzone since 1996 on his research, â€Å"Homosexuality is a congenital condition much like being ‘left-handed’. † He provides a scientific point of view that homosexuals are born that way; hormones also affect sexuality, beside chromosomes. Homosexual is not a lifestyle, homosexuals are born gays and they do not choose being gay as a lifestyle. The National Memo, a political newsletter since 2011, interviewed people and asked them, â€Å"Do you think people born gay or choose to be gay? † When they answered, the interviewers added another question, â€Å"When did you choose to be straight? † which made people think. The National Memo wants people to think about this, while Eden wants to make a clear statement that â€Å"being gay is not an option†. The Obama Administration has been trying to bring equal rights for gays, by stating that LGBT’s rights (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) also part of the human rights (Clinton). Hillary Rodham Clinton, the US secretary of state in 2009 stated, â€Å"All people deserve to be treated with dignity and have their human rights respected, no matter who they are or whom they love. † It is clear that people have an equal rights and freedom to love, to choose their partner, and to get married despite their sex’s orientation. On the other hand, according to Ben Newman, a public relations director who had been in position as a â€Å"healed gay†, being gay is an option and can be cured. His name has been changed to protect confidentiality. Newman explained this in his story regarding how his family background and childhood experiences made him being attracted towards men, although he was already married to a woman and had children from her. Later on, he followed a reparative therapy: a reverse treatment through psychotherapy to change his sexual orientation. He succeeded to come back to the society as a â€Å"straight† man after 2 years and 3 months in the reparative therapy (Newman). In this situation, although gay marriage is already legal in some states, gay couples still struggle with their positions in government and law, and also with their positions between church and state. In government and law: when will gay couples receive an equal law for their marriage? Does government have the power to define marriage? It seems that even when gay couples are allowed to marry, they are without any marriage rights, because of DOMA. In regard to their position between church and state, there is much religious objection towards gay marriage. In the United States, Christianity and Catholicism are the primary religions. These religions believe in God and believe that the marriage is rightly between a man and a woman. Although certain churches approve gay marriage (Tying the Knot), the fear is, how it might affect the government, and how it might cause people manipulate the marriage to get the government’s benefits (Boston). Furthermore, in State of the Union 2004, President George W. Bush stated: The union of a man and woman is the most enduring human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society. Marriage cannot be severed from its cultural, religious and natural roots without weakening the good influence of society (Burns 7). President Bush described marriage as cultural and natural way to expand the society, because of the fact that marriage between man and woman would produce and foster children. These man-woman marriages are honored by faith and beliefs. He does not want the changes in marriage values affect the society in a bad way. In addition, for people that do not agree on gay marriage, they have skepticism about how gay marriages will affect children in the future. Although people assume that gay couples will not have children, but in reality they do, either from previous relationships, adoptions or simply have to raise children from other family’s member. However, children who are raised by gay couples need legal assurance from their â€Å"gay parents†. According to Anne Pollock, a graduate student in social studies from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, â€Å"The first priority of civil marriage should be to provide a secure environment for all children. The religious right’s claim that children benefit from their [antigay activists] assaults against gay families is nothing less than hypocritical. Burns)† If the gay parents do not have equal legal rights, like what stated in DOMA; so that, if something happens to one of the gay parent, their children also will suffer from the consequences. For example, if a working gay spouse gets into accident at work and dies, the problems would show up for the other surviving spouse when they are denied for the support, which she/he needs to live with the children. For this reason, the benefit is future’s assurance for children themselves; lastly, it seems self-righteous to take away these rights from the children. The other skepticism towards gay marriage is that it will harm children. An author of several books about marriage, Maggie Gallagher states, â€Å"First and foremost, children need stable families to become the kind of adults who will in turn provide stable families for their future children†¦ Legalizing same-sex marriage would sanction families that would deprive children of the experience of either motherhood or fatherhood. (Burns)† Gallagher wants people to think that a normal family has a father and a mother to raise their children; these children will look upon their parents to build their own family in the future. The family that does not have man-woman parents will create a different effect to their children. Therefore, Gallagher believes that man-woman marriage will produce children, and on the other hand, gay couples could not produce children. Specifically, gay marriage will harm children mentally and in long term, our population. Moreover, there are other questions toward gay marriage: will it promote social stability or harm society? For years, gay people have been struggling for their recognition, although they get married in a party with friends and families, but they did not get marry legally. However, they have not think about their future assurance such as: the insurance benefits for government employees, Social Security benefits, immigration, or the filing of joint tax returns. Their futures seem uncertain; something might happen and take away the rights that a normal opposite-sex marriage would legally have. In addition, The California Health Interview Survey held a research regarding physical distress from legal same-sex marriage and how they legally recognized themselves affect their mental heath, and it showed various numbers about how important the recognition from society for whom they are (Wight). If gay marriage becomes legal, there is some assurance for their future; and, if they are socially accepted for whom they are, the society will move forward and become a stable and better society. On the other hand, there are skepticisms that gay marriage will harm the society. According to Sam Schulman, a popular New York writer, gay marriage is selfish and degrades moral values from our society (Burns). People deserve to love and choose their partner, but if their choices are not base on acceptable morality, then they should not do it. Gallagher is strengthening Schulman’s opinion; Gallagher points out about how marriage is the needs of man and woman, in terms sexually, to produce children, financially, and socially (Burns). In conclusion, in term of human rights, gays are human too. They have rights to be treated equally. The searching of equality has been happening for years, from the rights of black people, women’s rights to mix-race marriage rights. People have the rights to choose their own partner, their love, and their assurance in the future. Why legalize gay marriage if the marriage itself has taken its rights (DOMA)? People mention morality and society in terms for our children future, by rejecting gay marriage and its rights. Gay marriage is not the only problem that people have nowadays, there are other occurrences that ignore the morality and society; there are crimes that ignore morality values (rape), shooting in schools or public places, robbery, and many other crimes that occur. We live in a world that demands morality in society; but, what kind of morality and society that we have now – do we value ourselves better than gay people?