Thursday, October 31, 2019

Intimate Partner Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intimate Partner Violence - Essay Example It occurs on a continuum, ranging from one hit that may or may not impact the victim to chronic, severe battering. Victims of domestic violence who are overwhelmingly women, are at high risk for mental problems (Intimate partner violence: Intervention in primary health settings by Carlson and McNutt, 1998). There are four main types of intimate partner violence (Intimate partner violence surveillance: uniform definitions and recommended data elements by Saltzman et al. 2002): Physical violence is the intentional use of physical force with the potential for causing death, disability, injury, or harm. Physical violence includes, but is not limited to, scratching; pushing; shoving; throwing; grabbing; biting; choking; shaking; slapping; punching; burning; use of a weapon; and use of restraints or one's body, size, or strength against another person. Sexual violence is divided into three categories: 1) use of physical force to compel a person to engage in a sexual act against his or her will, whether or not the act is completed; 2) attempted or completed sex act involving a person who is unable to understand the nature or condition of the act, to decline participation, or to communicate unwillingness to engage in the sexual act, e.g., because of illness, disability, or the influence of alcohol or other drugs, or because of intimidation or pressure; and 3) abusive sexual contact. Psychological and emotionalIntimate Partner Violence 2 emotional violence may involve trauma to the victim caused by acts, threats of acts, or other coercive tactics. Compared to White women, Latinas tend to be younger, to have lower socioeconomic backgrounds and lower educational levels, factors that are known to increase intimate partner violence. (Sociodemographic predictors and cultural barriers to help-seeking behavior by Latina and Anglo American battered women by West, Kantor and Jasinski, 1998).In the field of practice, intimate partner violence among Latino households had increased over the years. Krishnan etal. (1997) in Documenting domestic violence among ethnically diverse populations: Results from a preliminary study, noted that approximately 61% of Anglo Americans reported experiencing partner violence in the past compared with 36.5% of Latina women in the U.S. There is a need to address the specific requirements of the Latina situation.I would like to focus on the frequency and extent of IPV in terms of the ethnic and soci odemographic data. The socioeconomic data I will propose are the age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors (SES). An added data that I will use is the data on past physical abuse and present physical abuse. The theoretical framework that I will use is the Anderson and Umberson framework which characterizes gender as performance. They found that the men in their study "attempted to construct masculine identities through the practice of violence and the discourse about their violence that they provide" (GENDERING VIOLENCE: Masculinity and Power in Men's Accounts of Domestic Violence by Anderson and Umberson 2001; 359). They also contend that the subjective accounts provided by men about their viole

Monday, October 28, 2019

How Communication Affects Relationships Essay Example for Free

How Communication Affects Relationships Essay Communication affects relationships at work in a big way. Communicating in a positive manner will give me a very different response to communicating in a negative manner, it is also important that I alter the way i communicate dependant on who I am speaking to as everybody will respond differently to different styles and variations of communication. One of the parts of my job is to communicate with my colleagues. I must insure that as the environment I work in can and often is stressful, that I speak in a calm manner and that I am clear and concise. By doing this I lessen the chance of information that I passed on being misheard or misunderstood and by being calm I have a reassuring effect on my colleagues. When speaking to families of patient I must insure that I an understanding and come across friendly and professional as a good relationship with a patient’s family can have positive effects on the patients because it is important that families understand the patients treatment plan and how they can have positive influence on the patient. I must communicate with the patients in the most effective way possible. As a health Care worker I need to be able to build trust and a good relationship with those I look after. It is important that I use variation of communication skills to relay what I am trying to get across, this will help the patient understand what is be communicated and in turn will help the patient communicate there needs.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Main Reason Behind Trade Union Decline Commerce Essay

Main Reason Behind Trade Union Decline Commerce Essay Trade Union decline is today common across the world. However, in the first half of the last century unions were at the zenith of their power, and were almost synonymous with employment relations in most of the industrialised nations. They were perhaps the only vehicle for employee voice through collective bargaining and industrial action in those times (Freeman and Medoff, 1984). Since the early 1950s, the union movement started seeing a downfall in the United States (Blanchflower and Bryson,2008). While the effect was more pronounced and early in the USA, the trend soon caught up in the UK and European nations. By the 1980s, the effects started to show dramatically on union membership and density figures in UK. Countries like Australia (Waddoups, 2001), Japan, India, and China (Kuruvilla et al.,2002) have also seen a southward trend in membership since the 1990s. Even in a country like Germany where the union membership has not declined sizeably, a variety of factors suggest that u nion power has been declining (Katz, 2005). In the UK, as per the WERS2004 data, aggregate membership density fell from over 50% in the late 1970s to around 30% by 2000. The number of workplaces with union members present fell from 73% in 1984 to 54% by 1998. The proportion of workplaces where unions are recognised by employers fell from 53% in 1990 to 45% in 1998. The number of employees whose pay is determined by collective bargaining fell from around 70% in the late 1970s to 27% in 2004 (Bryson and Forth, 2010). But why is membership so important? Unions derive power by controlling the supply of labour through union organisation and thus union membership is an indicator (or rather a prerequisite) of trade union power (Blyton Turnbull, 2004 p138). The other headspring of union influence is their voice within the political arena and the ability to clog businesses through industrial action. All of these have taken a hit since the 1980s owing to multiple influences arguably leading to membership decline. The scope of this essay is to examine the critical reasons for this decline through the workers lens largely in the UK, with support from similar trends in other parts of the world. It is now beyond dispute that union membership and density have fallen beyond imagination causing much agony to unionists, but, what needs to be explored is whether the perception of unions in the eyes of the worker has indeed diminished. Hence Diminishing Worth, Increasing Woes might have been an apt title for this essay. The CBIs Director of Employment Affairs had once quoted: collective bargaining no longer presents itself as the only or even the most obvious method of handling relations at work; fewer employees and employers feel the need for union mediation in their dealings (Gilbert 1993: 252 as cited by Claydon in Beardwell,1996 p144); Millward et al, (2000) have also concluded that union membership decline was the result of a withering of enthusiasm on the part of workers ( cited in Charlwood, 2003); So, one might be tempted to agree that workers no longer see value in membership; but there is not one single reason which can be attributed to this precipitous fall in union membership. A myriad of factors like the political landscape of the times along with the legal reforms, some macro and micro-economic issues, and the socio-demographic changes have to be considered. In fact, some researchers have looked internal to hint that unions are the architects of their own fall (Dunn, 2009). In order to understand the reasons for decrease in union membership, it might be prudent to ask , Why do workers join a union? Why or Why Not Unions?: The main motive for employees to join a union comes from a pluralist view where they feel they have different interests from managers (Bacon in Redman Wilkinson, 2006). Waddington and Whitstone(1997), provide the top two reasons as to why employees continue to join unions; first, to get support if there was any trouble and second, to improve their pay and conditions. Guest Dewe, advocate a relationship between job dissatisfaction and willingness to unionise (1988); Ratified to some degree by Charlwood,(2002). The rational choice theory explains that workers are inclined to join a union if the benefits they receive exceed the cost of joining (Guest and Dewe,1988). The sociological point of view provided is that, an individuals social context, parental occupation and pattern of social interaction are likely to influence the desire to be a union member (Guest and Dewe,1988; Visser, 2000). Therefore, people do come with a pre-conceived belief whether to join or not join a union which might get subsequently modified based on their experience and political inclination(Charlwood, 2002). Hyman was quoted on BBC News, (2004), being a union member has ceased to be the social norm, and a new generation has grown up who not only are not trade unionists, but whose parents have never been in unions either. John Monks (2001), former General Secretary of the TUC, also confessed, there is a general assumption among non-union workers that unions are for blue collar workers with problems, not white collar workers with opportunities (Blyton and Turnbull,2004 p141). These socio-psychological contexts are to be borne in mind before we look at the other reasons which might have influenced workers attitudes and thereby union membership. Thatcherism: 10 Downing Street is considered to be the place where it all began; where the future of employment relations in the UK was rewritten by the conservative government under Mrs Thatcher in 1979. The impact of the iron ladys legislative reforms on trade unions and membership is an all time favourite with most writers. The exclusion of unions from any role in national policy making, encouraging management to assume greater control within the workplace (Waddington, as cited in Edwards 2003 p216) were direct hits on the source of the Unions power. At the peak of union membership and density in 1979, almost 40 per cent of all trade unionists (23% of all workers) were covered by a closed shop (Dunn and Gennard, 1984). So in 1980, when closed shop agreements were almost made illegal, coverage fell to 8% and in 1990 to 2 %.(Millward et al., 2000 as in Blyton and Turnbull 2004). The 1982 Employment Act, also delivered a severe blow to the Unions which had its desired repercussions ( Taylor, 2000). In fact, the WERS98 data indicates that only a minority of members (46%) believe that unions can make a difference to what it is like to work here'( Cully et all,1999, p213) Blyton and Turnbull suggest the reason behind this cynical view might be the impact of the legislation that weakened both individual and collective employment rights (2004). Hence government legislation combining with employer policies can be seen as a synergistic project to create a potent gradualist route to union exclusion (Smith and Morton 1993: 100 as cited in Beardwell 1996 p156). But this might not hold true in hindsight today, since the Conservatives have lost power for over 15 years and yet the trend has not reversed or even rectified even after some of the future governments have taken a liberal view of the unions with the statutory support for unions reinstated in 1999. In his book charting the growth and leadership of the TUC, Robert Taylor (2000) indicates that the union leadership wa s well aware of the changing times much before the Thatcher government came into power and that the termites of ineffective leadership had already hollowed the unions from within; so when the winds blew hard after the winter of discontent the structure just fell apart as a natural process. Union De-recognition: Managements attitudes towards unions and their growing indifference to union recognition has also been considered to be an additive to union decline (Disney et al., 1995). Ackers and Payne are of the view that, businesses are increasingly turning hostile to unions (1998). Edwards, mentions a unitary view where unions are looked upon as external pathological elements causing disturbance [to management] (2003). Encouraged by the changing legislations, management in the private sector did not miss the opportunity to sideline unions. While they did not really work towards de-recognition, they carefully eliminated collective bargaining rights affecting pay conditions from unions in newer and private sectors (Beaumont and Harris, 1995). This has been a key determinant in membership decline as mentioned by Bryson and Forth, (2010). Thus, Charlwood, (2003) agrees any withering of enthusiasm for unions on the part of the workforce was a response to the assertion of manag erial prerogatives. Undoubtedly, the presence of a union is the least required for an employee to join a union. Green (1990), for example, found that ( using data from the general household survey) 30% of female part-time workers were Union members, but where a union was available to join, the membership rose to almost 60%. The 1998 British Social Attitudes survey shows 40% of non union employees expressed a willingness to join a union if they had one. If all these people join a union then membership will increase by 3.2 million, this is consistent with similar studies in North America (cited in Charlwood, 2003). Rise of HRM: When the news of alternative practices in non unionised companies like IBM and HP travelled the Atlantic in the early 80s, it affected management practices here in the UK and Europe as well. It has been suggested by Lucio and Weston(1992, as cited in Blyton Turnbull,1992) that unions were unable to focus on the emerging issues concerning employment such as health and safety, equal opportunities, worker participation and others and continued to reflect on the narrow areas of pay and conditions; and as they neglected to tie the new issues back into collective bargaining , the legislative framework surrounding these issues left management the task of unifying these rights within Employment relations as HRM. In a study of an IBM plant in the UK by Dickson et al(1988), employees identified with the individualistic ethos of the company and deemed no requirement for a Union, since the company provided them with good pay and conditions, fair performance management systems and i ncentives, opportunities for growth and development, job security and grievance mechanisms, and a positive ER climate which might have been the functions of a union (cited in Redman and Wilkinson,2006). The rise of newer practices of voice representation and direct employee participation have added to the agony of traditional IR practitioners. These HRM strategies are perceived by trade unionists as an encroachment into their territory (Blyton and Turnbull, 1992) However, empirical evidence does not support this view in totality. The first general finding from WERS98 is that HRM practices are strongly associated with a recognised union presence (Cully et all 1999). Guest (2001), mentions in the 1998 IPD survey among union members 26% employees felt they were more fairly treated because they were union members; only about 3 percent felt that they were treated less fairly. This means about 69% were indifferent about unions; a similar trend showed in non union members where almost 70% thought union membership made no difference. It also showed that workers are more likely to put credence to a union at work where they felt management did not have great HRM practices (Storey, 2001). Workforce Composition: In the 1950s union membership was largely concentrated among the 3M workers male, manual and manufacturing (Visser, 2000). Between 1999 and 2009, the pedigree of union members became more feminized, older, educated, dominated by workers in non-manual jobs and those working in the public sector (Bryson and Forth, 2010). Many researchers (Brown et al., 1997; Millward et al., 1992, Bryson and Gomez, 2005, Towers, 1989) have argued that the changing composition of the workforce, like the shift in employment from manufacturing to services and the growing labor market participation of women and part- time workers have been important contributory factors to lesser propensity to unionisation . However, this is just a symptom, not a diagnosis of the problem. As Kelly(1990) pointed out there is no reason why a decline in manufacturing or growth of female employment should automatically signal a decline in union membership'( as cited in Blyton and Turnbull, 2004 p142). A point worth considering is that with the rise in real wages, workers had no stipulation to join unions, while the rampant unemployment of the times provided employers with wider choices and hence an opportunity to resist unionisation. The increase in free-riding and never- membership have also posed a setback to unions as mentioned by Bryson and Forth(2010). There are currently almost three million free-riders among the eight million covered employees in Britain. This increasing trend is causing more problems for trade unions since they are representing such workers in collective bargaining without receiving anything in return in terms of membership dues. By 2006-8, half of all employees were never- members (Bryson and Forth,2010). This might be attributed to a rise in individualism among workers as opposed to a collective approach in the past or it might be an indication of failure to organise on part of the Unions. Failure to Organise: Undoubtedly, the perception of union power has diminished over the years leading to the waning of appetite to join unions. One of the primary causes might be that Unions could not organise themselves well in the changing years to retain their agenda or increase their agenda. Whether pressurised by legislation or de-recognition by management, unions have accepted concessions in collective bargaining in recent years, which has led to further erosion of their perceived powers. Trade unions were initially slow to meet the neo-liberal challenge posed by the Conservative government, with the consequence that its impact was amplified. Until 1987, the majority of unions openly opposed the legislation and hoped for the election of a Labour Government that would repeal the legislations (Taylor, 2000; Edward 2003). Millward et al, (2000) and Machin (2000) believe the key reason for union decline is their failure to organise workers and gain recognition for collective bargai ning in new firms and workplaces. The poor organisation of the union leaders and stewards has also led to a loss of faith in members and left no choice for workers but to renounce their collective rights and give in to the devils bargain in lieu for a more individualistic employment contract. Geary, (2006) found that only 24 percent of non union employees in unionised companies were ever asked to join the union and the remaining 76% were never even approached. In difficult times as these, this lackadaisical approach has cost unions a lot more than what they could anticipate. Union Response and Future Trends: Unions of late have embarked on a series of reforms to policy, structure and activity to pull up their act (Williams, 1997; Wright ACAS, 2011). In spite of the decline in membership, Unions still have many areas of opportunity. As Hyman (1997) has indicated, workers have a broad range of potential and competing interests, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (as cited by Heery, 2003) and Unions as representatives have the choice both in terms of picking the interests and the methods. Some studies suggest that HRM initiatives introduced over the past 20 years have had little impact on workers perceptions of them and us ( Kelly and Kelly 1991;Dart and Turner 1999) So unions will benefit if they were to take a more proactive approach rather than reactive to HRM practices. Guest (in Storey, 2001) mentions that WERS98 offered a list of nine conventional items like pay, payment systems, grievances handling, health and safety and training. There was no negotiation with union re presentatives over any of these nine issues in half the workplaces where unions were recognised. On a average unions negotiated on only 1.1 of the nine issues while non-union reps negotiated over 0.9 issues. Hence, the picture that emerges is one of limited industrial action. There are almost half of all organisations and a majority in the private sectors where there is neither a union presence nor great HR practices this could be an opportunity for unions. the other ray of hope for unions is that, the percentage of employees in British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA) who say the workplace union is doing its job well has been rising since 1997 both among union and non-members (as seen in Fig 1. Bryson and Forth, 2010). There is thus some support for the notion that unions have re-oriented themselves in recent years. Fig. 1 Percent age agreeing union doing its job well, 1983-2008 (Note: Employees working 10+ hours in unionised workplaces.) Source: British Social Attitudes Survey. In conclusion, it cannot be denied that the perceived power of unions has been severely affected and this could have led to workers not seeing value in their membership. The reason why workers might have been indifferent to unions are manifold but the key reason that emerges is the inability of the unions to organise and sell their benefits to their customers. The legislation, alternative management practices, undoubtedly aided the workers feelings and so the statement given cannot be the main reason for trade union decline. But if we take the BSA in fig 1. above, this notion is slowly giving way to some expectations from unions. While the image and brand of trade unions has been severely affected and the damage is considered beyond repair by many, as Purcell (1993) said, this is the end of institution IR, but there are areas where unions can make a difference only if they organise themselves well and there are pockets of opportunity if they are willing to look beyond traditional IR practices. But can they reverse the trend? Do they have the will or skill to do it ? Only time can tell.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Unemployment in the United States - The True Story :: essays papers

Unemployment in the United States - The True Story This article is an attempt to examine the numbers of unemployment in the United States more closely. It contends that the Bureau of Labor Statistics misrepresents the percentage rate of unemployment in the United States in its monthly surveys. The definition to unemployment given by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the article is as follows: â€Å"People who had no employment during the reference week and that were available for work at the time, they made efforts to find employment sometime during the four week period ending with the reference week.† The article argues that the definition of unemployment given by the Bureau of Labor Statistics limits the number of individuals who can participate in the survey therefore, misrepresenting the nation’s perception towards the rate of unemployment. The article contends that there are millions of people in the United States that have been unemployed prior to the 4 weeks required to be counted in the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. It also describes the different kinds of unemployment and why it is that the monthly survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics is misleading. It explains the composition of unemployment and the duration of time it lasts among people. Instead of the 3.9% calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics it concludes that an estimate of 7% is more accurate. This article derives from a recent paper done by David Anderson of Centre College in the Journal of Law and Economics. It attempts to quantify the total yearly cost of all crime in America on a yearly basis and is constructed based on the thought of how much money would be saved if we lived in a crime free society. The total money saved, according to the article, would be 1.7 trillion dollars. The article explains in detail the way that this number was calculated. In the article, the total number calculated in the production and services of preventing crime would be 397 billion annually. Also, it calculates that the average American spends 4 minutes a day preventing crime by locking and unlocking valuables. The estimated number wasted by not producing money in those four minutes a day, by all Americans yearly, is 89.6 billion dollars. The article explains that millions of people are sitting idle in jails when they could be out helping the economy.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Health and Safety Roles Essay

Prepare to discuss the differences in the roles and responsibilities of the manager, employer, employee and owner of an organisation of your choice in respect of health and safety. Note: it is essential that you identify the differences and similarities between these roles / titles) Suggested sources: HSE SUCCESSFUL HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT HMSO HSE website Any Health and Safety Book http://www.forbes.com/sites/gcaptain/2012/01/19/a-captains-responsibility-by-a-former-norwegian-cruise-lines-safety-manager-and-ship-master/ FORBES Cruise ships, as well as all vessels plying the Navigable waters of the world are subject to strict Maritime Rules and regulations including, Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations, Standards of Training Certification and Watch keeping (STCW), The International Safety Management (ISM) rules, and most importantly, the Rule of the Sea whereby the Master and officers and crew never abandon the ship until all passengers and crew are accounted for, and everything possible has been done to save them. HSE.GOV HSE Executive Responsibilities The Executive: †¢ensures that a member of the Executive is available for out-of-hours notifications of major incidents †¢decides if the incident should be categorised as ‘major’ by consulting with relevant head(s) of Division/Directorate, the Chair of the HSC, the Commission and Ministers, as appropriate, on the nature of the incident and the proposed action When considering whether to declare a major incident, the Executive will consider the following points: †¢the significance of the event †¢any separate investigations by other regulatory bodies †¢the involvement of other regulatory bodies in the investigation †¢the  effect of the investigation on HSE as a whole and the Directorate’s/Division’s programme of work †¢the concerns of the Commission, ministers, other government departments, devolved administrations and regulatory bodies. Once a major incident is declared, the Executive: †¢agrees which of the major incident arrangements should be invoked for the investigation – in the case of a HSWA Section 14(2)(a) investigation, in conjunction with the HSC Chair †¢decides the scope of the investigation appropriate to the scale and complexity of the incident †¢determines whether a policy and procedure review should take place & its timing, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, and sets the terms of reference – in the case of a HSWA Section 14(2)(a) investigation, in conjunction with the HSC Chair †¢ensures that contact with the Secretariat and all members of the Executive is maintained during the response to the major incident †¢monitors and as necessary approves briefing for the Commission Chair, the Commission and Ministers †¢oversees the investigation and any policy and procedure review process, altering the terms of reference of the investigation/review process if appropriate †¢approves publication of t he reportfollowing a major incident investigation and considers whether to publish interim technical reports if broader health and safety lessons emerge †¢agrees decisions on the timing of the release of information to the public. †¢considers the policy and procedure review report and ensures that any appropriate response to the recommendations is taken. The office safety company http://www.officesafety.co.uk/quick-guides/whos-responsible.html †¢The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 †¢Requires employers to be responsible for ensuring the health and safety of workers and for reducing risks to others affected by work activities. †¢Health and safety functions should be delegated and health and safety risk management legally requires the active participation of the company’s workers. However the legal responsibility for health and safety rests with the employer. †¢Employers need to prepare, and make sure their workers know about, a written statement of the health and safety policy and the  arrangements in place to put it into effect. †¢Where a ‘body corporate’ commits a health and safety offence, and the offence was committed with the consent or connivance of, or was attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate, then that person (as well as the body corporate) is liable to be proceeded against and punished. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 These regulations include requirements for employers to: †¢Assess the work-related risks faced by employees, and by people not in their employment †¢Have effective arrangements in place for planning, organising, controlling, monitoring and reviewing preventive and protective measures †¢Appoint one or more competent persons to help in undertaking the measures needed to comply with health and safety law †¢Provide employees with comprehensible and relevant information on the risks they face and the preventive and protective measures that control those risks HSE.GOV http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf Most employers are required by the law to insure against liability for injury or disease to their employees arising out of their employment. This guide is intended to help you to understand what is required. It is not a legal interpretation of the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act and it has no formal legal status. You should be aware that only the courts can authoritatively interpret the law. Compare safety officer and Captain Safety Officer In this role you delegate and oversee safety drills. The safety drills include abandon ship procedures, fire drills and maintenance of the ship’s tenders. In addition this role is responsible for instructing the crew on safety issues and drills. Responsibilities: †¢he Safety Officer is responsible for monitoring and assessing hazardous and unsafe situations and developing measures to assure personnel safety. †¢The Safety Officer will correct unsafe acts or conditions through the regular line of authority, although the †¢Safety Officer may exercise emergency authority to prevent or stop unsafe acts when immediateaction is required. †¢The Safety Officer maintains awareness of active and developing situations. †¢The Safety Officer ensures the Site Safety and Health Plan is prepared and implemented. †¢The Safety Officer ensures there are safety messages in each Incident Action Plan. Captain – must have liability insurance The Captain is the highest ranking officer on the ship with the most perks, it definitely pays to be Captain. However, this title comes with a lot of responsibility such as the care of all the crew and passengers aboard the ship. In cases of emergency the Captain makes all executive decisions. Additionally, the Captain is in charge of navigation and operations. Regulates company policies, environmental policies such as pollution effects as well as national and international maritime laws http://www.ehow.com/list_5977262_duties-ship-captain.html †¢The captain’s first duty is become the leader of their ship. They are trusted and respected among their peers because they are chosen as the leader of their ship. †¢On a ship, the captain is the highest rank you can get. Think of them as the President of their ship. They have to keep the crew safe and make life-or-death decisions that can affect everyone on the ship.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Incorporation of Snake Cult in Indian Religion Essay Example

Incorporation of Snake Cult in Indian Religion Essay Example Incorporation of Snake Cult in Indian Religion Essay Incorporation of Snake Cult in Indian Religion Essay Evolution Deities Aspect Introduction: India has seen the birth of many cults and religions. A lot of factor governs the beginning of these cults. It is common knowledge that many deities in Indian religion were began to worship out of fear. As humans it is soothing for us to believe in a super power which is capable of giving as well as ridding us off our problems. This principle applied for animals too and it became the basis of animal worship in India, as all the existing creatures are either useful of harmful to humans so it is better to worship them. Naga clan of ancient India were the first clan to begin the snake worship. Not only Hinduism but also Buddhism and Jainism are worshiper of snakes. Worshiping the deities of natural elements like water, springs and rivers also are symbolized by the waving form of snakes. Snakes are mostly depicted as gigantic cobras with many hoods or human upper torsos and serpent body and are believed to live in patal loka. Different religions have adopted snake worship for their own reasons. But there has always been a fear of snakes in human beings as they were the reason of many deaths. People also believed that if angered and disrespected snakes will course them and that action may result in sickens or death, and so they started worshiping and offering milk to snakes to please them. Evolution: Worshiping sun and snake with prayers and rituals have been practised in India even before the Vedic times. Snake or serpent worship is one of the oldest â€Å"denominations† of Hinduism. There are various myths associated with the beginning of the snake worship in India. It is believed that the custom of worshiping snakes was incorporated from the â€Å"Naga clan† of ancient India, and the Indo-Aryans carried forward the tradition by continuing to worship various snake deities. According to Puranas, snakes were believed to be offspring of Sage Kashyapa and Kadru. Whereas according Brahmanda Purana snakes were produced from water. The Linga Purana has totally different say on this, it believes that the snakes were produced from the first tear Brahma shaded after realising his inability to create universe single-handedly. Having such a close contact of snakes with varies sages and deities can also be one of the reason of worshiping snakes and association it with mainstream deities. There is mention of snake worship in Atharva Veda too. In Rig Veda, there are hints of snake worship, where earth is considered as the Sarpa-rajni or the queen of the serpents or the queen of all that moves†. On the walls of temples of Medieval era were founded the engraved paintings of snakes. This shows the existence of snake worship from early medieval era and in fact it started 500 years before Buddha’s birth. This tradition is still alive in India and in its religions as well as it got spread across different countries of the world. There are eight pre-eminent snakes mentioned in Hindu mythology having their association with one or the other god or goddess. Sheshnaga, a snake with 1000 heads and a messive hood is believed to have been born of what was left after the universe had been created. She is the couch of Vishnu on which lord rests. It is even believed that earth rests on him. This snake is worshiped as manifestation of lord Vishnu. Ananta, a very long snake, and dark blue in colour is also considered as manifestation of lord Vishnu. This snake is endless, and believed to encircle the whole earth. Vasuki is also considered as one amongst the royal snakes and Naga king with 7 heads. Vasuki means the divine being. He was used as a Churning rope for sumndra manthan. Mansadevi is considered as a queen of snake. She is sister of snake king vasuki. She is goddess who can save mortals from snake bite. Takshaka, saffron coloured snake with 9 hoods is worshiped as lord of nagas. Kaliya, was a five headed demon serpent living in river yamuna. He was a curse for people of vrindavan and have had also troubled Krishna in childhood. But later Krishna subdued him. Padmaka and padmanabha are two snakes believed to guard the south side of the country. And the last snake kulia is a dusky brown snake with half moon crescent on his head. Deities: In India, snake gods are linked with health, wealth and great securities when one is in difficulty as believed by Hindus. Snake gods are believed to live in their separate world. Large numbers of deities like lord Shiva and Vishnu are associated with holy snakes or snake gods in one or the other ways, and so are many temples dedicated to the worshiping of snake. Abul Fazal (the court historian of Akbar) stated that there are 700 places sacred to serpents. Lord Shiva: Lord Shiva has many associations with snakes. According to Puranas, Lord Shiva was associated with Naga cult. Shiva has snakes around his neck, arms, hair and sometimes around his body, symbolizing the yogic power of him for destruction and creation. Snake is compared as yogi living on mountains and forests, who carries nothing, builds nothing, can stay without eating for months living just on air. The Vasuki snake shown curled 3 times around the neck of Shiva symbolizes the time cycle- past present and future. Shiva lingam is also associated with snake and covered with snake hood. In the text of Mahabharata Harivamsa, sheshnaga was connected with Shiva rather than Vishnu as son of him. Lord Vishnu: SheshNaga also called AnantaNag having 1000 heads is the couch of Vishnu, and is also worshiped as a manifestation of Vishnu. Lord is believed to rest on the Nag during the process of destruction and recreation. Earth is believed to respite on SheshNaga. The snake is believed to be a representation of time and symbol of eternity. This snake is manly worship during the sacred Hindu festival of Nagpanchmi. Balram: Balram, elder brother of lord Krishna, is believed to be personification of the snake Ananta. MansaDevi: MansaDevi is sister of Vasuki and snake king Shesha, and she herself is also considered as queen of the snakes, possessing the special powers over the snake venom. Her body is ornamented with snakes. She possesses the power of both destruction and recreation almost like the snake shedding its skin and being reborn. If believed some legends, she is daughter of Lord Shiva with a beautiful mortal woman. MansaDevi is worshiped all across the country as a snake Goddess, and is mainly worshiped during rainy season when snakes are most active, to prevent snakebites. She is believed to be a pre Aryan Goddess worshiped commonly in different parts of West Bengal. Lord Buddha: Snake has always been a vital part of Buddhist icons. The Buddha with naga is called naga Buddha. He is depicted with the coiled up snake serving as cushion with seven heads covering the head of Buddha. Snakes have vital association with Buddha, cause it is believed that during the initial days of Buddha, snake saved the life of lord. According to legend the cobra once tried to harm Buddha but instead saved his life and became his disciple. Parshwanath Parshwanath, the 23rd tirthankar of Jain is most of the time depicted with snake hood over his head. This deity has association with snake before his birth. He is named Parshwanath after his mother saw a black snake crawling by the side of her bed. Parshwanath had soft corner for snakes since childhood. Nagarajan and Nagarani: Nagarajan and Nagarani are the male and female snake gods. Most of the Hindu temples have idols of both Nagarajan and Nagarani. Sarpa yakshi and Naga yakshi are the consorts of Nagaraja. In villages of southern side of India people worship them in their live form. These gods are offered milk and raw eggs to please them. Mannarasala temple is ancient shrine and internationally renowned pilgrimage centre located near Harippad. . Shri Rahu and Shri Ketu: Planetary deities of Hinduism Rahu and Ketu are also worshiped as snake Gods and are mostly have their icons in Lord Vinayaka temple next to him. These deities are associated with the accidents and adversity in the life of people as Shri Rahu is both averter and creator of these adversities, whereas shri Ketu is deity of gnan (knowledge). Some people worship these deities out of fear and to maintain their distance from any hardship in life. If worshiped Rahu and Ketu, one can obtain all the desirable things and fortune in life as they are also associated with horoscopic conditions. Vasuki Vasuki, one of the great kings of Naga with a human head and a gem engraved in his forehead is considered auspicious in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. According to Hindu mythology, Vasuki served as a rope wrapped around the mountain Mandara, to churn the ocean of milk to decide the victor of immortality between Devas and Asuras. This caused him immense pain which resulted in the exhale of his venom, considered most intoxicating venom ever and enough to destroy all the beings of the universe. To protect everyone from this lord Shiva had to swallow the venom keeping it in his throat. After which Shiva was named Nilkantha too. Vasuki with eight other snake kings were first one to be present during the first preaching of Lord Buddha and have always been even after that. They are considered responsible to save the life of Lord Buddha and are part of many of the Buddhist icons. Talking about snake gods, Sushavas and Padma Nagas were some tutelary snake deities associated with Wular Lake. Nila who is considered as lord of naga is worshiped in Kashmir (Muslim-Dominated city), specially during festivals and snowfalls. There are almost 527 Nagasworshiped in Kashmir itself. Vairoti devi, parshva yaksha, Janguli are some deities from Jainism showed with snakes. Kerala has many temples exclusively for snakes. Mpummaikatu and Mannarsala are some 2 main temples of Kerala worshiping snake gods. In some part of Karnataka and Kerala, Snakes are not associated with particular deities but have their own shrine under a neem tree, in corner of the garden. Killing snakes intentionally, especially cobra results in curse by snake till eternity. Sources: ecoheritage. cpreec. org/Viewcontall. hp? $mFiHPEyWNks6UXr4nWU indiancultureonline. com/details/Snake-Worship. html festivalsofindia. in/nagpanchami/Celebrations. aspx http://zenatrophy. blogspot. com/2010/06/buddha-and-snake-king. html koausa. org/Gods/God9. html http://hubpages. com/hub/THE-SNAKE-GODS-OF-HINDUISM bibliotecapleyades. net/sumer_anunnaki/reptiles/reptiles15. htm theholidayspot. com/nag_panchami/nag_panchami_history. htm indiamike. com/india/ yoga-spirituality-and-religion-in-india-f54/snake-worship-in-india-t8470/

Monday, October 21, 2019

Essay about Twelfth Night Character List

Essay about Twelfth Night Character List Essay about Twelfth Night Character List Viola - A young woman of aristocratic birth, and the play’s protagonist. Washed up on the shore of Illyria when her ship is wrecked in a storm, Viola decides to make her own way in the world. She disguises herself as a young man, calling herself "Cesario," and becomes a page to Duke Orsino. She ends up falling in love with Orsino- even as Olivia, the woman Orsino is courting, falls in love with Cesario. Orsino - A powerful nobleman in the country of Illyria. Orsino is lovesick for the beautiful Lady Olivia, but becomes more and more fond of his handsome new page boy, Cesario, who is actually a woman Viola. Orsino is a vehicle through which the play explores the absurdity of love: a supreme egotist, Orsino mopes around complaining how heartsick he is over Olivia, when it is clear that he is in love with the idea of being in love and enjoys making a spectacle of himself. Olivia - A wealthy, beautiful, and noble Illyrian lady, Olivia is courted by Orsino and Sir Andrew Aguecheek, but to each of them she insists that she is in mourning for her brother, who has recently died, and will not marry for seven years. She and Orsino are similar characters in that each seems to enjoy wallowing in his or her owns misery Sir Toby - Olivia’s uncle. Olivia lets Sir Toby Belch live with her, but she does not approve of his rowdy behavior, practical jokes, heavy drinking, late-night carousing, or friends (specifically the idiotic Sir Andrew). Maria - Olivia’s clever, daring young waiting-gentlewoman. Maria is remarkably similar to her antagonist, Malvolio, who harbors aspirations of rising in the world through marriage. But Maria succeeds where Malvolio fails Andrew - A friend of Sir Toby’s. Sir Andrew Aguecheek attempts to court Olivia, but he doesn’t stand a chance. He thinks that he is witty, brave, young, and good at languages and dancing, but he is actually an idiot. Feste - The

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Schlieffen Plan and World War One

The Schlieffen Plan and World War One As the crisis which began World War One was developing from assassination, through calls of revenge round to paranoid imperial competition, Germany found itself facing the possibility of attacks from east and west at the same time. They had feared this for years, and their solution, which was soon put into action with German declarations of war against both France and Russia, was the Schlieffen Plan. Changing Heads of German Strategy In 1891, Count Alfred von Schlieffen became German Chief of Staff. He had succeeded the wholly successful General Hellmuth von Moltke, who together with Bismarck had won a series of short wars and created the new German Empire. Moltke feared a great European war might result if Russia and France allied against the new Germany, and decided to counter it by defending in the west against France, and attacking in the east to make small territorial gains from Russia. Bismarck aimed to prevent the international situation from ever reaching that point, by trying hard to keep France and Russia separated. However, Bismarck died, and Germanys diplomacy collapsed. Schlieffen was soon faced with the encirclement Germany feared when Russia and France allied, and he decided to draw up a new plan, one which would seek a decisive German victory on both fronts. The Schlieffen Plan The result was the Schlieffen Plan. This involved a rapid mobilization, and the bulk of the entire German army attacking through the western lowlands into northern France, where they would sweep round and attack Paris from behind its defences. France was assumed to be planning – and making – an attack into Alsace-Lorraine (which was accurate), and prone to surrendering if Paris fell (possibly not accurate). This entire operation was expected to take six weeks, at which point the war in the west would be won and Germany would then use its advanced railway system to move its army back to the east to meet the slowly mobilizing Russians. Russia could not be knocked out first, because their army could withdraw for miles deep into Russia if necessary. Despite this being a gamble of the highest order, it was the only real plan Germany had. It was fed by the vast paranoia in Germany that there had to be a reckoning between the German and Russian empires, a battle which should t ake place sooner, while Russia was relatively weak, and not later, when Russia might have modern railways, guns and more troops. There was, however, one major problem. The ‘plan’ was not operational, and wasn’t even really a plan, more a memorandum briefly describing a vague concept. Indeed, Schlieffen may even have written it just to persuade the government to increase the army, rather than believing it would ever be used. As a result their were problems: the plan required munitions in excess of what the German army had at that point, although they were developed in time for the war. It also required more troops on hand to attack than could be moved through the roads and railways of France. This problem was not solved, and the plan sat there, seemingly ready to use in the event of the great crisis people were expecting. Moltke Modifies the Plan Moltke’s nephew, also von Moltke, took over Schlieffen’s role in the early twentieth century. He wanted to be as great as his uncle, but was held back by not being anywhere near as skilled. He feared that Russia’s transport system had developed and they could mobilize quicker, so when working out how the plan would be run - a plan that was possibly never meant to be run but which he decided to use anyway - he altered it slightly to weaken the west and reinforce the east. However, he ignored the supply and other problems which had been left due to the vagueness of Schlieffen’s plan, and felt he had a solution. Schlieffen had, possibly accidentally, left a huge time bomb in Germany which Moltke had bought into the house. World War One When war looked likely in 1914, the Germans decided to put the Schlieffen Plan into effect, declaring war on France and attacking with multiple armies in the west, leaving one in the east. However, as the attack went ahead Moltke modified the plan even more by withdrawing more troops to the east. In addition, commanders on the ground also veered away from the design. The result was the Germans attacking Paris from the north, rather then from behind. The Germans were halted and pushed back at the Battle of the Marne, Moltke was considered to have failed and replaced in disgrace. A debate over whether the Schlieffen Plan would have worked if left alone began within moments and has continued ever since. No one then realised how little planning had gone into the original plan, and Moltke was vilified for having failed to use it properly, whereas its probably right to say he was always onto a loser with the plan, but he should be vilified for trying to use it at all.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Does the prison exacerbate or improve the mental health of those it Essay

Does the prison exacerbate or improve the mental health of those it contains Consider with reference to contemporary data on the social backgrounds of prisoners and the inherent harms of incarceration - Essay Example Crime and criminality is as old as the history of man. The society’s way of dealing with criminals, however, has changed over the ages and varies from society to society. Crime is recognized as an integral part of the social fabric of the society. French sociologist Emile Durkheim argued that crime is normal and is necessary for society. According to Durkheim one of the benefits of crime is that it ‘establishes and clarifies the moral boundaries of a society’ (Henry & Lainer, 2001). From a historical point of view imprisonment was designed not only as a form of punishment but to separate those guilty of criminal acts from the general population. In ancient societies and in some parts of contemporary societies the guilty is locked away for life or is rewarded by death. Imprisonment, therefore, is not a new phenomenon. In ancient Egypt and as recorded in the Bible, Joseph the Hebrew slave was placed in prison by the pharaoh of the day and was ordered to work while incarcerated. Many stories are also told of prisoners in Ancient Rome and in more recent times with the persecution of Christians and other religious activists. Different methods of imprisonments have been used. In some ancient societies, for example, prisoners used to be locked up in dungeons. In modern society a considerable part of the general population is locked up in penal institutions. Worldwide there are ten million persons who are under imprisonment with the majority being in the United States, China and Russia (Maeyer, 2005). Prison reform, however, came under the microscope when the prison population increased dramatically as a result of many social changes in society. Countries enacted new bills and policies that influenced the prison system. Some of those policies fuelled the increase of the prison population. Sentencing reforms in the United States led to a great increase in the rates of incarceration (Morris & Rothman, 1998). One of the problems that contributes to the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Media representations and the palestinian experience of the intifadas, Research Proposal

Media representations and the palestinian experience of the intifadas, an oslo accords - Research Proposal Example The force with which the Intifada started and carried on for the last eight years shocked not only Israel, but indeed, all countries of the world. One of the consequences of this first Intifada was the international conference in Madrid. No matter how regularly the negotiators conversed in Washington and elsewhere throughout this time, Israel did not attempt to fulfill the fundamental requirements for peace. United Nations resolutions 242 and 338 were unexpectedly not suitable for Israel, not to mention Resolution 194, which demands for the right of refugees to come back. The Madrid Conference served to redirect the increasing public consciousness of Israel as an occupying authority with an aggressive, tyrannical, expansionist, colonialist, and racially prejudiced character. Two years later, the world was taken by shock at the declaration of the Oslo Accord, signed in September 1993. Whereas the world was deceived by "peace myth," the reality was something rather different. The main intention of Oslo was to kill the Intifada and to guarantee that Israel acquired as many political benefits as likely, all the while changing its identity into that of a peace-making country. Israel did not withdraw from the taken territories, as it had been decided upon at Oslo. Hebron was separated. An immense span of land was confiscated. Jerusalemites were strained to give up their residency rights. Settlements augmented at breakneck speed, which constructed the notion of Israeli pulling out almost impracticable. Lastly, Palestinian lands were divided into areas A, B, and C, constructing easily- controllable and easily-suppressible bantustans. Provided with all the confusion, the majority of Palestinians were waiting tolerantly for Oslo to bring back their national freedom which was lost over three decades ago. They were waiting for Oslo to carry peace as well as prosperity. They were expecting to see how they could at last move without restraint within and outside the

Qualitative Market Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Qualitative Market Research - Essay Example The researcher aims to develop primary research and gain first hand information from the customers for the launch of Kit Kat chocolate slab. Hence, employed in this research are two techniques of primary research to update perception of Kit Kat among chocolate eaters. Findings of the primary data have been presented. In addition the researcher has discussed in detail the various aspects of the research techniques employed. Researcher has also shed light on other techniques (that have not been employed due to resource constraint) identifying aspects that could have been explored based on employment of other techniques. Research Method 1- PRIMARY RESEACH Among two broad categorization of research is primary and secondary research. Primary research refers to research methodology with analysis and fact finding from data that has been collected for the first time and has not been through application of any techniques before (Glass, 1976). Among many techniques designed for primary researc h, two that have employed in this research are individual interview and focus group interviews. Both techniques have been employed face to face. Interview method of data collection refers to oral and verbal response to oral and verbal queries. ... The other method of unstructured interview provides interviewee with freedom to response but increases deviations resulting difficulty in comparing responses (Sekaran, 2006). 1.1.1- EFFECTIVENESS Effectiveness of personal interviews is dependent on the level of contribution from both sides; i.e. interviewee and interviewer. Interviewer shall provide comfortable environment providing ease to interviewee to openly and comfortably present his/ her views. Moreover, interviewer possessing dominant attitude affect the effectiveness of overall methods. Interviewee is usually asked for prior consent and hence, shall be true in information provision. 1.2- FOCUS GROUP SESSION Focused group discussion is conducted to explore responses of individuals' to any existing products, concept or ideas. It is based with degree of formal discussion usually among group of 6 to 8 participants. Participants are directed by moderator towards point of discussion acting as a psycho-therapist. During discussion moderator avoids reflecting any of personal views and encourages participants to provide increased response. This format also is generally initiated by moderator; however, rigidness of the order of question is somewhat relaxed in this format. 1.2.1- EFFECTIVENESS Effective focused discussion can be achieved with moderator playing role in true spirit, avoiding taking side of either participants and encouraging entire group to participate almost equally. Moreover, participants must also maintain to present their view than dominating the group. Effectiveness of the focused discussion can also be achieved with carrying discussion in well defined flow: initially warming up participants with thoughts; exploring important

Locke and Rousseau on Social Contract Research Paper

Locke and Rousseau on Social Contract - Research Paper Example It is selfish in a way that they did not care for the welfare of other humans. Nevertheless, they were bounded by some natural laws that regulated their behavior. For instance, they were mindful of the rule that they should not hurt each other (Locke 192). They were ought to preserve the existence of humans on earth. Significantly, humans have deemed it necessary and convenient to make a social group (Locke 253). They have actually felt the importance of belongingness -- that is to become part of a human gathering. They have found it convenient to be able to utilize the skills of others to pursue an endeavor. In this sense, humans have learned to become social. They have considered the importance of others to their continued existence. As a consequence, relationships were formed. Forms of interactions have developed. Humans have known each other. They demonstrated ways to help others. In other words, mutual understanding has developed between them. This was the beginning of man to wo man interaction. As cited by Locke, "the first society was between man and wife" (253). This social inclination began the relation between parents and their children (Locke 253). Stated otherwise, the first social institution is the family. Locke specifically referred the family as a conjugal society (253). It is conjugal because the union of man and woman carries with it reciprocal benefits. Mutual assistance and support as well as communion of interests are examples of these benefits (Locke 253). These advantages may have driven humans to form a family. The family therefore is the first form of social group that humans have created. It is the original proof of society’s existence. In a family, humans could find security in all aspects. This finding as proposed by John Locke may have contributed to the present understanding of filial relationship. In another case, Locke included the topic on slavery. He emphasized the fact that slaves are not "part of civil society" (Locke 2 58). In this context, it can be claimed that to be part of civil society, a particular social group must have freedom. This freedom encompasses the right to own, use and enjoy a property. This could mean that an individual belonging to a civil society has the corresponding right to exercise his or her civil rights. To note, the right to own a property belongs to the larger scope of civil rights. As time goes by, humans have found it necessary to protect and preserve their life, liberty and estate (Locke 259). Locke actually considered the three as forms of property (Ashcraft 412). In such case, they formed a political society. In forming this society, the members of the civil society are to surrender some of their natural powers to "the hand of the community" in which they can ask for protection (Locke 260). This protection is made possible by the establishment of a political structure; hence, the creation of the government. This body politic would be the representative of the peopl e as a whole. For this body to be legalized, a majority consent from the community is needed (Laski 16). Locke actually preferred a commonwealth than absolute monarchy. He described the commonwealth as an independent community and not a democracy (Locke 301). For him, a commonwealth has three powers, legislative, executive and federative. These powers are ought to be separated according to Locke. At the end of his treatise, Locke

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Evaluate E-Business Website (www.universalorlando.com) Assignment

Evaluate E-Business Website (www.universalorlando.com) - Assignment Example 2- INTRODUCTION In the ever increasing worldwide economy, e-commerce and e-business have progressively turned out to be a necessary element of business strategy as well as a powerful channel for financial progress. Additionally, the incorporation of ICT (information technology) in traditional business practice has transformed associations inside businesses, among stakeholders (such as workers and managers) and outside businesses. In addition, the utilization of information technology in business area has proficiently improved production, offered enhanced customer contribution, and facilitated through massive personalization, with the intention of minimizing business expenditures to some extent. Moreover, with the developments in web-based technologies and internet, differences among customary marketplaces and the worldwide electronic markets are slowly being confined. In this scenario, in e-business platforms, the use of ICT is intended to improve business performance. Additionally, it comprises some procedures that a business (legislative, a revenue or non-profit unit) can perform over a network supported by computer systems. In this scenario, wide-ranging description of e-business could be the change in a business’s practices to provide extra customer support through the implementation of technologies, computing models and thinking of the modern financial aspects (Andam, 2003), (Ray, 2011) and (Turban et al., 2005). 3- BUSINESS OVERVIEW Universal-Studios-Florida, Orlando was started in 90s as theme park that allows visitors to have rides as well as enjoy movies based entertainment. Additionally, the ideas of Universal Studio are aimed at providing the guests with an experience resembling that they are in a movie set watching shows, enjoying rides and a lot of children based facilities and attractions that are inspired by well-liked television, film and music productions for example Harry Porter based theme park. In addition, the park is composed of 6-t hemed sections those are Production Central, Hollywood, San Francisco/Amity, New York, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone and World Expo. Universal Orlando Resort is a theme-park and attractive visiting place in Florida, Orlando. It is a combined business framework among Blackstone Group along with NBC Universal. In addition, Universal CityWalk is a night time activity place, and it comprises three Loews Hotels. Moreover, the Universal-Orlando-Resort is the leading assets owned by Universal Studios. Subsequent to the Walt Disney World Resort, the Theme Parks of Universal-Studios-Florida are the second biggest resort in Greater Orlando (Universal Orlando Resort, 2011). Furthermore, the Universal-Studios-Florida, Orlando uses a web technology based website that is www.universalorlando.com. This website is an e-business platform that allows visitors to purchase and take information about the business rides and resorts online. Moreover, this website also provides Universal Studios Florida Parks , Vacation Plans, tickets, hotels, packages and Park Tickets. 4- E-BUSINESS OF UNIVERSAL ORLANDO E-Business Universal Orlando is formed on multiple business paradigms. Universal Orlando

Stem cells Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stem cells - Research Paper Example James E. They started working in unison in the 1960s and their research laid an ideal platform for the others to take it forward from there and that is exactly what the others did. Stem cells are really useful and they have saved several lives which would not have been plausible had stem cells not been invented. â€Å"Mouse embryonic stem cells treated in culture with a growth factor and then injected into the liver reverse a form of hemophilia in mice analogous to hemophilia B in humans, the new study shows.† (Stem Cells Treated with Growth Factor) Stem cells have several pros and this paper will extensively shed light upon the various uses of stem cells, stem cells have changed many a life. What changes has it brought will also be shed light upon in this paper. The versatility of the stem cells is arguably their biggest strongest point, stem cells can easily grow in certain bodies and they are more than capable of achieving specialized functions. In addition to this they can also renew themselves on their very own and this versatility makes them really useful. There are two types of stem cells namely, Embryonic stem cells and Adult stem cells. The two are really different from each other and understandably have different characteristics. They also differ in functions from one another. Cancer patients undergo chemo and radiation therapy, stem cells are used in this treatment and they have been pivotal in saving several lives. James Thomson and his pupils worked indefatigably hard in the Madison University, stem cell research has been put on the world map because of James Thomson and his pupils. Their research has been incredible and they have made significant progress in the field of stem cell research. â€Å"Adult or somatic stem cells exist throughout the body after embryonic development and are found inside of different types of tissue. These stem cells have been found in tissues such as the brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin,

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Locke and Rousseau on Social Contract Research Paper

Locke and Rousseau on Social Contract - Research Paper Example It is selfish in a way that they did not care for the welfare of other humans. Nevertheless, they were bounded by some natural laws that regulated their behavior. For instance, they were mindful of the rule that they should not hurt each other (Locke 192). They were ought to preserve the existence of humans on earth. Significantly, humans have deemed it necessary and convenient to make a social group (Locke 253). They have actually felt the importance of belongingness -- that is to become part of a human gathering. They have found it convenient to be able to utilize the skills of others to pursue an endeavor. In this sense, humans have learned to become social. They have considered the importance of others to their continued existence. As a consequence, relationships were formed. Forms of interactions have developed. Humans have known each other. They demonstrated ways to help others. In other words, mutual understanding has developed between them. This was the beginning of man to wo man interaction. As cited by Locke, "the first society was between man and wife" (253). This social inclination began the relation between parents and their children (Locke 253). Stated otherwise, the first social institution is the family. Locke specifically referred the family as a conjugal society (253). It is conjugal because the union of man and woman carries with it reciprocal benefits. Mutual assistance and support as well as communion of interests are examples of these benefits (Locke 253). These advantages may have driven humans to form a family. The family therefore is the first form of social group that humans have created. It is the original proof of society’s existence. In a family, humans could find security in all aspects. This finding as proposed by John Locke may have contributed to the present understanding of filial relationship. In another case, Locke included the topic on slavery. He emphasized the fact that slaves are not "part of civil society" (Locke 2 58). In this context, it can be claimed that to be part of civil society, a particular social group must have freedom. This freedom encompasses the right to own, use and enjoy a property. This could mean that an individual belonging to a civil society has the corresponding right to exercise his or her civil rights. To note, the right to own a property belongs to the larger scope of civil rights. As time goes by, humans have found it necessary to protect and preserve their life, liberty and estate (Locke 259). Locke actually considered the three as forms of property (Ashcraft 412). In such case, they formed a political society. In forming this society, the members of the civil society are to surrender some of their natural powers to "the hand of the community" in which they can ask for protection (Locke 260). This protection is made possible by the establishment of a political structure; hence, the creation of the government. This body politic would be the representative of the peopl e as a whole. For this body to be legalized, a majority consent from the community is needed (Laski 16). Locke actually preferred a commonwealth than absolute monarchy. He described the commonwealth as an independent community and not a democracy (Locke 301). For him, a commonwealth has three powers, legislative, executive and federative. These powers are ought to be separated according to Locke. At the end of his treatise, Locke

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Stem cells Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stem cells - Research Paper Example James E. They started working in unison in the 1960s and their research laid an ideal platform for the others to take it forward from there and that is exactly what the others did. Stem cells are really useful and they have saved several lives which would not have been plausible had stem cells not been invented. â€Å"Mouse embryonic stem cells treated in culture with a growth factor and then injected into the liver reverse a form of hemophilia in mice analogous to hemophilia B in humans, the new study shows.† (Stem Cells Treated with Growth Factor) Stem cells have several pros and this paper will extensively shed light upon the various uses of stem cells, stem cells have changed many a life. What changes has it brought will also be shed light upon in this paper. The versatility of the stem cells is arguably their biggest strongest point, stem cells can easily grow in certain bodies and they are more than capable of achieving specialized functions. In addition to this they can also renew themselves on their very own and this versatility makes them really useful. There are two types of stem cells namely, Embryonic stem cells and Adult stem cells. The two are really different from each other and understandably have different characteristics. They also differ in functions from one another. Cancer patients undergo chemo and radiation therapy, stem cells are used in this treatment and they have been pivotal in saving several lives. James Thomson and his pupils worked indefatigably hard in the Madison University, stem cell research has been put on the world map because of James Thomson and his pupils. Their research has been incredible and they have made significant progress in the field of stem cell research. â€Å"Adult or somatic stem cells exist throughout the body after embryonic development and are found inside of different types of tissue. These stem cells have been found in tissues such as the brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin,

The Hunger Game by Suzanne Collins Essay Example for Free

The Hunger Game by Suzanne Collins Essay The novel The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins. This novel talks about 12 districts that are controlled by the Capitol and the Capitol created The Hunger Games to remind people of the districts about dark day. In the novel, the most prevalent tones are sadness and anger. The Capitol provides 12 districts a dark life, and it also sets a cruel game for the people. All the time, tributes are forced to do something that they do not want to do. Capitol provides 12 districts a dark life. First of all , there is not enough food to feed people, so they have to hunt in the woods, but this is not allowed for anyone. For example, â€Å"Most of the peacekeepers turn a blind eye to the few of us who hunt because they are as hungry for fresh meat as any body is.† ï ¼Ë†P5 Collinsï ¼â€°As the leader of 12 districts, of course the Capitol should provide them a good life, but in fact they are just thinking about themself and do not give their citizens enough food . To support citizens’ life ,these people aret forced to do some things that are not allowed. So people will be happy with a comfortable lifeï ¼Å'and If the life for them is struggleï ¼Å'then that would be very sad. Secondlyï ¼Å'there is a lot of cruel rules for people. For instanceï ¼Å'â€Å"My father could have made good money selling themï ¼Å'but if the officials found out he would have been publicly executed for inciting rebellion.†Ã¯ ¼Ë†P5 Collinsï ¼â€°People need weapons to protect themself in such a dangerous districts. However it is not allowed. the Capitol should not kill people who owns weaponsï ¼Å'because that person may have not done anything. So the rule that weapons are not allowed is so sad for the citizens of Panem. Finally, There is not enough electricity for people,â€Å" But since we are lucky to get two or there hours of electricity in the evening.†(P4-5 Collins) Electricity is very important for living, but the Capitol just gives a few hours of electricity to their citizens, this may bring about bad effect to people’s life. So a life without electricity would be very sad. In conclusion, the life that capitol gives to 12 districts is dark and sad. Th e Capitol created a cruel game to make tributes from 12 districts kill each other. First of all, The Hunger Games breaks many warm families. In detail, each year, there will be two young children chosen from  each district, and at the end, there will be just one tribute left, and other will have died. A child is very important to a family ,but in the game , they are just entertainment tools. At the end of the Games most families of these tributes will lose their child. So the game is so cruel to citizens. In addition, in this game, the tributes’ life are meaninglessï ¼Å'this game is just to make the people merry in the Capitol. As proof, people in the Capitol do not mind tributes die or not, they just enjoy this game , and the Capitol wants make more fun from this game. A life for person is priceless, but capitol just make tributes kill each other. In The Hunger Game ,these tributes are just tools that make the audience happyï ¼Å' so they are being ignored. This is so cruel to the people. Finally, in the Games,the gamemakers give the tributes hope that t wo tributes from the same district would both be the winner,but the Capitol destroyed it at the end. More exactly, â€Å"Under the new ruleï ¼Å'both form the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive , Greeting to the contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed.† (P342 Collins) Two people from same district might have mutual feelings with each otherï ¼Å'so the new rule for them is pretty goodï ¼Å'this is a good hope for themï ¼Å'and they can be a team,but at the end, the another new rule is asking two persons that have already formed an alliance kill each otherï ¼Å'that is so cruel for these two people. So what the gamemakers did would make tributes so angry. In conclusionï ¼Å'the rules that the Capitol gives to tributes are so cruel. All the timeï ¼Å'the tributes are forced to do something that they don’t want to do. First of all, Katniss was asked to fall in love with Peeta. In detail, Haymitch wants Katniss and Peeta to get more help from the audience, so he asked Katniss and Peeta to fall in love with each other. Katniss knows that other tributes will be her enemy in the game, include Peeta. So she tries to be far away from Peeta, bu t she just wants to get some help in the game, Haymitch asks her to fall in love with her enemy, and Katniss is so angry about this. Secondly, in the Games, Katniss wants to keep away from the other tributes, but to make more fun, the gamemakers make more danger to try to put all tributes together. For example, the gamemakers are afraid Katniss would not meet another tribute, so they don’t mind whether Katniss dies and they make a fire to change  Katniss’s direction. This game is making the tributes fight by their own and their fate is handed into their own hands, but the gamemakers interfere in the process of the Games. So the tributes are angry with what the gamemakers did . Finally, at the begin of game, what Katniss wants to do is get the weapon ,but she is asked to find water first before the Games started. â€Å"Just clear out ,put as much distance as you can between yourselves and the others, and find a source of water.†(P149 Collins) Katniss has her own thoughts, and she thinks she is good at hunting, so she needs a weapon, this is what she really wants to do at the beginning of the Games, but Haymitch asked her to do other things. This is not the way Katniss wants to do ,so Katniss is so angry about Haymitch’s advice. In conclusion, the tr ibutes always were asked to do what they don’t want to do, this is so sad and creates anger in them. In summery, the Capitol provides 12 districts a dark life ,also creates a cruel game for citizens . All the time , the tributes are forced to do some things that they do not want to do. So The Hunger Games make people of 12 districts and tributes sad and angry. Work Cited Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 2008. Print

Monday, October 14, 2019

Capital Punishment On Drug Trafficking Criminology Essay

Capital Punishment On Drug Trafficking Criminology Essay With the capital punishment being carried out by China, issues on how it will affect the relations between the Philippines and China emerged. Moreover, there are calls of international organizations such as Amnesty International, International Harm Reduction Association and United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) to abolish death penalty for drug offences. As reiterated by Lines (2007), drug related crimes are not considered as most serious crimes in the International Human Rights Law, therefore, it should not be punishable by capital punishment. The study intends to analyze how capital punishment of OFWs affected the bilateral relations between the Philippines and China and how it violates the International Human Rights Law. Moreover, the study is to assess the policies, treaties and agreements made and signed between the Philippines and China in relation to capital punishment on OFWs. In addition, the study aims to examine why clemency was not granted by China to the OFWs on death row despite of the Philippines appeals and to analyze the effects to the political, economic and social factors between the two countries. Furthermore, the study will contribute to policy developments appropriate for the resolution of the problem. It is significant to engage in this topic for lessening, if not, preventing OFWs from being involved in future drug trafficking cases through the study of Chinese laws governing the execution of capital punishment to foreign drug traffickers. Theoretical Framework of the Study The paper attempts to define a deterrence theory of punishment framework by Cesare Beccaria (1764) and revised by Anthony Ellis (2004) for discussing the issue on capital punishment to overseas Filipino workers in China that are involved in drug related crimes in which within this paper, a better understanding will be cultivated in analyzing the existence of capital punishment on drug related crimes. Under this framework, it could be established that there are negative effects in the outlook of other nations towars countries that are still executing capital punishments. This framework would help justify the reasons why such punishments was formed and implemented. The theory discusses on the different ideas as to why these kind of punishments is being implemented in some states and one of the reasons is that it assumes that those crimes made needs equal sufferings in return and that of which is argued by Ellis that is not morally plausible. Ellis also argued that the deterrence theory is about a concept that crime gives some pleasure and because of that, there is a need for punishment in order to prevent individuals from committing criminal acts again. This theory also justifies the reason of those countries that has capital punishment in a way that criminals should be given heavier punishments like death penalty if the committed crime was grave and detrimental to the state and safety of the public. The deterrence theory of punishment could be defined in which it is the undertaking of punishments of those people who violated a law so that the crime committed will not be done again. In that context alone, it could be understood that deterrence is created to set limitations for people not to abuse its liberties and that is why countries like China who has capital punishment believes in making things right if it will teach law offenders, such as drug traffickers a lesson and to those who has intentions in doing crimes such as drug trafficking will fear of doing such act due to the punishment being given. 2.0 Review of Literature The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is one of the countries in the world that performed the most executions of capital punishment on drug trafficking cases (Amnesty International Death Penalty Statistics, 2011). This statement is also supported by Hays (2008) by explaining how the PRC has executed many people already compared to other countries altogether. The PRC is categorized as an iron fist country that implements the laws equally towards its people, including foreign nationals (Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China, 1997). Drug trafficking is considered as a serious crime and is subjected to capital punishment (Guiang, 2012). It is characterized as an act which involves the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances, which are subject to drug prohibition laws (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2012). According to Bi (2012), there are different factors that need to be considered before the verdict of capital punishment could be decided. The one responsible for the decision and approval of capital punishment cases is given to the Supreme Peoples Court of the Peoples Republic of China, which is the highest judicial court in the country (The Supreme Peoples Court of the Peoples Republic of China, 2009). It is guided by the Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China (1997), which serves as the basis of crimes and the corresponding penalties, wherein it classifies drug trafficking as a crime deemed punishable by capital punishment. The Chinese Government believes that by executing drug traffickers, it would discourage others from committing the same crime, which they termed as the Strike Hard anti-crime campaign (Hays, 2008). At first, drug trafficking cases are not directly subjected to capital punishment, but due to the uniqueness of the Chinese legislation, the possibility of having a verdict of capital punishment becomes higher (Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China 1997). Bi (2012) reiterated that the Chinese legislation has two specific elements, it uses a quantitative model as a basis on estimating the seriousness of the drug trafficking case, and that if the drug trafficker who is caught is a repeated offender; as a result, there is a great chance for the Supreme Peoples Court to approve an execution contributed by previous minor cases, since offenses and penalties are being calculated cumulatively. The step-by-step processes that a drug trafficker go through before an execution, is provided under the Criminal Procedure Law (CPL) of the Peoples Republic of China, which is being handled by the procuratorate, an agency that is tasked to prosecute criminal cases (National Bureau of Corruption Prevention of China, 2009). In accordance with Belkin (2000), there are seven procedures to be observed under the CPL, which are the following: (1) Preliminary Investigation, under articles 84 and 85, the police and the procurate would take actions on a suspected drug trafficker; (2) Filing a Case, the police or the procurator would bring up a case against the drug trafficker that would declare that a crime is officially made; (3) Compelled Appearance, it requires the suspect to present himself to the police station for further questioning; (4) Detention, the part where the suspect is being arrested; (5)Formal Arrest, where the suspect is being held under custody which usually takes about two months or more; (6) Trial Procedures, a process involving three decision makers and the part where the evidences are presented to prove that the suspect is indeed guilty of drug trafficking, and lastly; (7) Sentencing, it is when the court would announce its verdict. It takes about two years a nd beyond for the whole process to be concluded and once the verdict has been made, the sentencing of capital punishment is then given; there is only one way of execution for foreign drug traffickers which is through lethal injection (Lu, 2008). Though, it usually results a verdict of capital punishment if the drug trafficker illegally possesses more than one kilogram of narcotic drugs (Hays, 2008). The Supreme Peoples Court of the Peoples Republic of China (2002) has reformed the capital punishment by conceptualizing distinctive features within the system. It stipulates that minors below 18 years old and pregnant women are automatically exempted from being executed (Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China, 1997). Lu (2008) explained that in the Chinese context, minors are exempted because their intellectual, mental and psychological capacity is not yet fully developed; as a result, minors are unaware of their actions. The capital punishment with a two-year reprieve of execution is one of the unique aspects within the capital punishment system of the Peoples Republic of China (Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China, 1997). Under Section 5, Article 48 of the Criminal Law of the Peoples Republic of China (1997), it states that there is a possibility of having a two-year reprieve for capital punishment on cases which needs not be punished immediately. Wang (2011) explained that the rationality behind this is for the reduction in use of the death penalty, cautious application of the death penalty, and tempering justice with mercy. It is because in the past years, the growing number of people sentenced with capital punishment has become alarming, and with this, the Chinese Government hopes that the imposition of the two-year reprieve would bring a decline to the number of cases (The Supreme Peoples Court of the Peoples Republic of China, 2002). According to Wang (2011), if the person observes goo d behavior during the two-year reprieve, there is a chance that his punishment would be reduced into life imprisonment. It also serves as a period where drug traffickers are subjected into forced labor, as a way of reforming them (Belkin 2000). The bilateral relations of the Philippines and China are weakened with the executions of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who were convicted of drug trafficking. Since 2011, China executed four OFWs with drug trafficking cases namely: Ramon Credo, Sally Villanueva and Elizabeth Batain in March 2011, and an unnamed 35-year old Filipino in December 2011 (Santos, 2011). It is reiterated by the Presidential Communications Operations Office [PCOO] (2011) that China carried out the execution despite of the Philippines appeal for clemency to commute capital punishment to life imprisonment. Clemency cannot be granted to the Filipinos on the death row because of the strict implementation of the Chinese laws. According to Guiang (2012), once a verdict of the Supreme Peoples Court of the Peoples Republic of China [SPA] has been made, pleads of the Philippine government will no longer change the decision. Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay went to China on March 2011 to appeal for clemency to the three OFWs who were on the death row (PCOO, 2011). As stated by PIA (2011), in view with the diplomatic relations with the Philippines and in accordance to the Chinese laws, Chinese officials granted the postponement of the execution of the three OFWs to a month, from February to March. The Philippines appreciated the postponement of the execution and fully respected the final verdict of the SPA (PCOO, 2011). The execution of capital punishment to the four OFWs did not cause strains to bilateral relations, as reiterated by both countries. This argument is proved by the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines [OGRP] (2011) that the executions of the OFWs produced stronger bilateral relations between China and the Philippines through the Joint Statement of both countries which aimed to promote and strengthen political cooperation between the two countries. In the political aspect, both countries advocated in combating transnational crimes, including drug trafficking, protection of nationals, negotiations for a treaty in relation to mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and transfer of sentenced persons are made, as reiterated by OGRP (2011). Moreover, a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of the Philippines and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of China is signed to strengthen political cooperation between the two countries to pr event OFWs from being involved in future drug trafficking incidents (OGRP, 2011). The Capital punishment is considered a violation to the International Human Rights Law. The Capital punishment or popularly known as death penalty in China to drug offenders has been a great concern for the international community because it violates the International Human Rights Law and the most fundamental law which is the Right to life (Lines, 2007). There are three major international organizations that protects human rights because of Chinas procedure on execution and sentencing and making the death rate of executions a state secret and that is why organizations such as Amnesty International, International Harm Reduction Association and the United Nations are fighting to abolish it. According to the International Human Rights Law drug offenses is not applicable to what they refer as crimes that are punished with death it is only those persons that committed the considered most serious crimes should be given a punishment of death sentence in Article 6 (2). This law was also give n a resolution by the United Nations and that Drug trafficking is not recognized and considered by the International Human Rights Law as one of most serious crimes (Gallahue, 2011). There are major organizations that are taking substantive measures to stop the execution of capital punishment in some countries. The organizations are the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), the International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) and the Amnesty International (Lines, 2007). According to the International Harm Reduction Association (2007), the Chinese government violates the International Human Rights Law which is proved by Lines (2007) in a way that it doesnt consider drug offences a crime that is punishable with death sentence. In Chinas legal system, the law on death penalty on drug traffickers is stated in Article 347 of Chinas Criminal law, they have specific laws on the amount of grams of drugs that was being handled by the foreign national shall subjected to interrogation immediately without having a legal counsel to defend him and only after a certain period of time then he shall have a legal counsel but if the accused foreign national have witness ed that he did carry such drugs then he shall be on trial and sentenced with death penalty (Supreme Peoples Court of the Peoples Republic of China, 2002). Although the Chinese government have its system of investigating the prosecution in the trial, still, the foreign national could not defend himself because of the circumstance that the lawyer is not of which of his choice to defend him, that alone is bias, that fact is discriminating and is therefore a violation to the International Human Rights Law (Gallahue, 2011). The international community, as a whole, does not perceive drug offences as punishable by death sentence. According to Lines (2007) the approach of the countries that follows this practice does give rationale justification that drug offences are indeed punishable by death. It is viewed by China that a drug offences is a grave crime while in the International Human Rights Law, it is only when a crime against the state and a homicide should be considered a crime punishable by death (Bi, 2012). According to the International Harm Reduction Association [IHRC] (2007), there have been disproportionate execution and sentenced foreign nationals when it comes to drug trafficking because of the lack of due process in the procedure of determining if whether or not the assumed criminal is guilty of smuggling drugs or not because of discriminatory laws on drugs with foreign nationals. This is why drug cases in China pertaining to foreign nationals are very alarming to the people who are planning to visit China or work there perhaps (Lines, 2007). A retentionist state like China reasons that they are following this death penalty procedure to safe guard their country from hard drugs and according to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that countries that have death penalty punishment to drug trafficking should be abolished because they failed to give an adequate protection on due process (Gallahue, 2011). In Chinese law procedure, in Article 61, which states that those that will be given a punishment will be based upon the nature of the incident of when he was caught with the drugs and the circumstances of whether how harmed the society, But in drug trafficking they do not follow as such, they just determine a drug trafficker when he is caught with the drugs on his bag but they do not consider the other mitigating circumstances on whether it was planted by someone else and this makes it even contradicting to laws they have on their system (Supreme Peoples Court of the Peoples Republic of China, 2002). The Peoples Republic of China argues that executing capital punishment on drug offenders a grave offense and therefore is subject to death penalty. In accordance to this, the Human Rights Committee have also made it clear that in Article 14 which states that, including a right to a fair hearing by an independent tribunal, the presumption of innocence, the minimum guarantees for defense and the right to review by a higher tribunal and also the right to seek pardon on the sentence (International Harm Reduction Association, 2007). However, in Chinas legal system in punishing drug offenders, it is not stated there that they have the right to seek pardon and that alone is a violation in the International Human Rights Law. China as a retentionist argues with the fact that although drug related offences are non-violent crimes, it is still a grave crime because it is heinous, grievous and it destroys their traditional values and with these things it results to social harm (Supreme Peoples Co urt of the Peoples Republic of China, 2002). 3.0 Results and Discussion In 2001, four OFWs were sentenced with capital punishment in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) due to drug trafficking. Ramon Credo, Sally Villanueva and Elizabeth Batain were caught smuggling drugs weighing 1 kilogram in March; meanwhile an unnamed 35-year old Filipino in December was caught with 1.5 kilograms of drugs. With the application of the Chinese Criminal Law, these four OFWs were immediately subjected with capital punishment for illegally possessing more than one kilogram of narcotic drugs. Like any other criminal cases within the PRC, there were set of procedures being observed during the whole process of their trial. The Chinese and the Philippine governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 31, 2011 and made a Joint Statement on September 01, 2011 to prevent further future drug trafficking incidents that will involve OFWs (The Philippine Embassy in China, 2012). This is pursuance of the commitment of both countries to combat transnational crimes, which includes drug trafficking. Table 1 and 2 shows the data on the Philippine imports performance with the Peoples Republic of China from January to May 2012 and 2011 and the Philippine exports performance of May 2012 and 2011 with the said country. Table 1. Philippine Imports Performance with Peoples Republic of China: January to May 2012 and 2011 (in Million U.S. Dollars) Source: http://www.census.gov.ph/data/sectordata/2012/im120503.htm Table 2. Philippine Exports Performance with Peoples Republic of China: May 2012 and 2011 (in Million U.S. Dollars) Source: http://www.census.gov.ph/data/pressrelease/2012/ex1205tx.html The figures presented in Tables 1 and 2 show that there is no decline in the imports and exports between the Philippines and the Peoples Republic of China after the execution of capital punishment for drug trafficking of the three OFWs. Instead, the trade between the two countries strengthened as imports and exports increased. Table 3 presents the data on the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) Cash Remittances from the Peoples Republic of China on January to June 2012 and 2011. Table 3. Overseas Filipino Workers Cash Remittances January to June 2012 and 2011 (Landbased and Seabased) (in Thousand U.S. Dollars) Source: http://www.bsp.gov.ph/statistics/keystat/ofw.htm The data presented in Table 3 shows that there is no drop in the in the cash remittances sent by OFWs from China to the Philippines despite of the execution of the three OFWs in March. Instead, the cash remittances flow from China to the Philippines grew stronger in January to June 2012. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) [2012] that promulgated the International Human Rights law have strongly disprove on the capital punishment issues on some countries that are executing individuals that have committed crimes that are not considered as most serious crimes (UDHR, 2012). As all other human rights, the right to life is the first and foremost core value of the UDHR and that is what the Peoples Republic of China violated (Nowak, 2005). It does not only protect individuals against arbitrary interference by Government agents, but also obliges States to take positive measures in order to provide protection from arbitrary killings, enforced disappearances and similar violent acts committed by paramilitary forces, organized crime or any private individual (Nowak, 2005). Under the laws of the UDHR, the countries that have capital punishments should follow fair trial to give the accused person the opportunity to defend himself. States must therefore outlaw such act s as crimes, and must implement appropriate legislation (UDHR, 2012) According to the Article 5 of UDHR No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The moment that the declare to a person that he/she will be subjected to capital punishment such as death penalty through lethal injection is already a mental torture to a person. It is already causing mental pain for a person to have the agony of waiting for the time he/she will be killed (UDHR, 2012) A punishment such as lethal injection to foreign drug offenders in the Peoples Republic of China can be considered already as cruel punishment because it is killing of another individual and therefore it is inhume and a degrading punishment. (UNCHR, 2012) The International Covenant Commission on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) [2007] is the covenant made by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights with regards to the protection of the individual rights of a person such as the Right to Life. According to Article 7 of CCPR No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation. The UDHR and the CCPR clearly has the same position with cruel punishments. The CCPR also is strongly fighting for its abolition. In Article 6 of CCPR, it stated Nothing in this article shall be invoked to delay or to prevent the abolition of capital punishment by any State Party to the present Covenant. Prior to this law, there are still retentionist countries that are passive to what these International Laws are advocating (CCPR, 2007). Moreover, since retentionist countries still do what they have practiced, the international law provides for procedural requirements applicable to all death penalty cases: fair trial guarantees, the possibility of appeal to a higher court, and clemency (Nowak, 2005). According to Article 6 (4) of CCPR, amnesty, pardon or commutation of a death sentence may be granted at all times. Clemency may postpone or set aside a death sentence for instance, by commuting it to life imprisonment and can be used to make up for errors, mitigate a harsh punishment or compensate for any criminal law provisions that may dis- allow consideration of relevant factors. The right of any death convict to seek clemency is clearly affirmed in international human rights law. However, the Peoples Republic of China rarely grants clemency to drug offenders in their country, they have a strong stand point in their laws on drug related crimes (Nowak, 2005). According to CCPR, the death penalty should constitute exceptional punishment, always meted out in accordance with the principle of proportionality. Article 6 of CCPR refers to the most serious crimes and, under the Safeguards, the definition of the most serious crimes punishable by death should not go beyond intentional crimes, with lethal or other extremely grave consequences. But this is not being applied to the Peoples Republic of China because they are executing death penalty on foreign drug offenders caught in their state (Nowak, 2005).