Drinking Age Essays (851 words) - Drinking Culture, Alcohol Abuse

Drinking Age Since the increase of the drinking age to 21 has taken effect in New York state, the argument for lowering that limit has been heated. The current age for the consumption of alcohol in the United States is 21 ("Consequences"). Just as it is stated in the following quote, age limits for minors are inconsistent. " Why is it that 18 year old U.S. citizens can legally obtain a driver's license, register to vote, be forced into jury duty or a draft, can be tried as an adult and even put to death, but cannot buy and consume alcoholic beverages?"("Drinking"). The following quote deals specifically with the problem of underage drinking. "88% of drinking drivers aged 16-20 who where involved in fatal crashes in 1993 were determined to have CAUSED the crash" ("Consequences"). Logically, if parents could teach young adults the responsibilities of alcohol at a younger age, then this frightening statistic would probably be cut in half. As Jeff Roberts* put it in his interview, " I believe that one of the factors that drives young adults to drinking, if not the biggest reason, is that it is illegal. That is where the peer pressure and the glamour of it all comes in. Young adults see the older adults handling alcohol and say well I want to act older so I can do that too. It also makes the young adult feel dangerous and alive. They are getting away with something that is illegal." It is conceivable that if a parent were given the chance to teach his or her child the responsibilities of drinking at a younger age, that child may grow up understanding and respecting the responsibilities of drinking ("Drinking"). Fasier* responded "I am a firm believer in the idea. It is logical, it is the way it should be taught , Laurent 2 and it is right there along with the Constitution and freedom of choice, which is what this nation was built on". Alcohol-related crashes are the leading cause of teenage deaths ("Consequences"). If parents could allow their children to not abuse alcohol and to be responsible drivers, earlier in life they might be more responsible as life goes on. According to Mrs. Frasier, "The worst that alcohol can do is hurt the kidney, when drunk in massive quantities and at a younger age, but, most of the studies I have read indicate that the age where this is a problem is up till 14 in boys and up to 12 in girls.". In some cases, massive amounts of alcohol can cause a problem in almost all people . If these people had been taught at an earlier age, then possibly they might have more respect and responsibility for the " substance that is meant to be consumed maturely." ("Drinking"). " When I was young, the drinking age was 18, but if they had the chance to teach me even earlier then I firmly believe that my bout with alcoholism would not even have happened. Now the age is 21 so I believe that they should at least bring the age back to 18 if not lower." (Fasier*). The push for this decrease is not just isolated to the United States. It is occurring in other nations as well. Some nations have already begun to lower their age limits such as Canada and European nations ("Drinking"). Recently there have been the deaths of two college students. One of the students was attending LSU and the other was going to MIT. In both cases, the students died of alcohol poisoning ("Drinking")."In the case of the two college students it is already too late, let's not lose any more." ("Drinking"). It is more likely that if the two college students had been able to drink at a younger age, their parents might have been more able to teach them the responsibility of the substance that brought them to their demise. " I believe that we should lower the drinking age in the United States to at least 18 if not lower than that" (Fasier). " I believe that we should definitely lower the drinking age, and I am not just saying that because I already drink, but I am Laurent 3 saying that because I believe that it is right moral, and also part of our constitutional right." (Roberts). These are at least two firm supporters for lowering the drinking age who voice the opinion of many people and there are countless reasons for doing so. If nothing else, the drinking age in

Virtual Environments at a Geographical Scale, in either a Rural or an Urban The WritePass Journal

Virtual Environments at a Geographical Scale, in either a Rural or an Urban Introduction Virtual Environments at a Geographical Scale, in either a Rural or an Urban IntroductionReferences:Related Introduction To understand the word Virtual Environments, we have to go through the term Virtual Reality (VR). The term ‘VR’ means a computer simulated environments which can simulate the physical presence in places in the real world and also in the imaginary world. Most of the current virtual reality environments are firstly the visual experiences which are either displayed on the screen or through special additional sound effects. Now-a-days, these virtual environments are being employed in many areas such as gaming, computer science, geography etc. A good example in the context of geography is Virtual Globe. This is a 3D software model or just to say a representation of the Earth or another world. It provides the user, an ability to freely move around in the virtual environment. The viewing angle and position can be changed and provides a real virtual world. Different geographical features such as roads, buildings, and also demographic quantities such as population can also be vie wed in a very real virtual environment. On 20th of November, 1997, Microsoft released a very popular virtual globe in name of Encarta virtual Globe 98, which was followed by Cosmi’s 3D World Atlas in the year 1999. But the first publicized online virtual globes were NASA World Wind (mid-2004) and Google Earth (mid-2005). The application of the virtual environments, in the context of the geographical visualisation which is likely geovisualisation had many challenges that are involves in that. Working on this aspect, over the past decade had many successful results. Visualisation in scientific computing (ViSC) is one of the successful implementations in this area particularly. To be more successful in the visual presentation, one should take the fullest advantage regarding the cognitive systems developed for interacting with the real world. However the use of the virtual environments in the visualisation includes many challenges and poses many questions regarding these either i n a rural or an urban landscape. The special challenges in this are mainly with the kinds of information depicted, methods which are developed on this information over decades on depicting that particular information and then for what that information is applied was the problem. The virtual environments can be analysed by considering many aspects into consideration. The main thing is that â€Å"what may be meant by an environment†. Then comes â€Å"What is meant by the process of virtualization† and next is that â€Å"Some aspects of the human performances that constrain the environmental design†. These are aspects involved in analysing the VE’s. Any experiment that is likely to be conducted in the virtual environment comes very closer to the issue in the real environment. In Conroy, 2001 it was stated that the previous research investigating topological perception and the way finding in the virtual and real patterns has shown the movement patterns in rea l and virtual environments are very much alike. In the experiment conducted regarding the distance calculation through a virtual environment, by taking six urban areas in to consideration, there are many key points that were observed at the end of the experiment analysis. The one with more heights are more confusing, windows and doors doesn’t make any big difference, too much detail etc were the comments received after the experiment. In this experiment, in order to investigate the perceptive of the scale, the virtual urban environment’s were explored and navigated to observe this particular issue. Now, we will consider steamboat Chronicles, which is a game that represents a virtual environment. This is being discussed here because this also interestingly displays some similar characteristics to the urban landscapes. In this game, the player is likely to identify and discover the place by crossing the obstacles and boundaries same as in real life. It is necessary in th is game to stop at stop-signs, respecting the speed limits etc and which is similar to the facets of the urban structures that we generally experience in our own real urban landscapes. And now this leads a viewer to consider this system in our own real urban landscapes, which helps in improving the transportation facilities, helping the law enforcement agencies etc. The innovation in the transportation technology can be observed in this particular game. This is how, the virtual environments brings up the issues and will become as grounds for some new technological innovations. A great change in one system can reflect a change that is made in another system and finally that would reflect on the total system. This is a rapidly changing world with a rapidly increasing technology. Now-a-days, the computer power and graphical display capabilities are tremendously increased. This is why the virtual environments have now proven to be more and more powerful medium for visualising. The visua lisation of the spatial information and sharing these experiences regarding a common virtual study with other people is done through this medium. The combination of the virtual environments and the decision making practices for a good understanding of the real environments and its related dynamic natural processes. By this, these provide us a good opportunity for a greater involvement in the community decision making. When we consider a particular case study area â€Å"Tool bin catchment in Western Australia†, a Live Link provides a network link between some game engine and a GIS. By this action, it helps communities envision landscape changes and in evaluating the decisions made in association with the selected scenarios. Augmented reality usually refers to the technology that is being integrated with the human sensory input or output. There are many good examples for the virtual environments and their capability in the context of rural or urban landscapes. Mostly, when we c onsider some popular games such as final fantasy VII, Farmville etc they present themselves as best examples for the virtual environments and we all know how addicting those games are. We will be in a different environment which provides reality with non-reality. To conclude, the virtual environments provides best ways in visualisation as a good medium for communicating as well as several other purposes in the context of geography. References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_globe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_environment#VR_reconstruction geovista.psu.edu/publications/NPIVM99/ammNPIVM.pdf sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B75C5-48TN3T9-1_user=10_coverDate=12%2F31%2F1991_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=gateway_origin=gateway_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=10md5=1bdd9ec15514f2be59913321de9ed895searchtype=a spacesyntaxistanbul.itu.edu.tr/papers%5Clongpapers%5C105%20-%20Mavridou.pdf http://blogs.utexas.edu/gamegeog/springerlink.com/content/m6542k3nnrm44kgr/ sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6V9K-4DDXMB2-2_user=10_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2005_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=gateway_origin=gateway_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=10md5=18c35dfff1c4c7c51ec78f0190bac901searchtype=a   http://books.google.com/books?hl=enlr=id=M3rAuvR-o-gCoi=fndpg=PA26dq=Virtual+Environments+at+a+Geographical+Scale,+in+either+a+Rural+or+an+Urban+Landscapeots=T-Wfg3hln8sig=vZwcvZYMj3t_twfxRaxG9PZc-34#v=onepageqf=false mrl.nottingham.ac.uk/~cmg/cgreenhalgh-thesis-singlespaced.pdfhttp://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=331781 mightystudents.com/essay/Navigation.Virtual.Environment.160463 geovista.psu.edu/publications/ica/ica99/ http://people.plan.aau.dk/~lbo/SIM/Geoviz_06/19-bodum.pdf

Letting Gays Adopt Children Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Letting Gays Adopt Children - Research Paper Example The concluding portion would highlight the supporting arguments favoring same sex couples to adopt and raise children as their own. Letting Gays Adopt Children: Final Draft One of the most controversial issues in contemporary times is focused on homosexuality in terms of allowing same sex marriages and allowing same sex spouses to adopt children. The significance of the issue is seen in terms of supporting basic human rights pursuant to the principles of American democracy and several researches that validate the fact that children could be holistically raised by same sex couples. Chrisler (2010) cited some relevant statistics from the UCLA's Williams Institute that discloses the number of gay partners, totaling about 1 million, to have raised more than 2 million children. The American Academy of Pediatrics revealed the findings that â€Å"no data have pointed to any risk to children of growing up in a family with one or more gay parents† (Laumann, 2002, p. 344). The current r esearch therefore aims to provide arguments that support allowing same sex couples to adopt children. The article published in The First Post entitled Pros and Cons: Gay Adoption (2007) presented relevant details that provide advantages and disadvantages of allowing same sex couples to adopt children. The article revealed that there are five distinct advantages ranging from: (1) the ability to give adopted children a more secure home; (2) two full time parents are more beneficial than single parents; (3) the option for artificial insemination to female gay parents have been proven to create raising well-balanced children; (4) barring gay parents from adoption is a discriminatory act; and (5) the shortage of adoptive parents make this alternative a better option than foster care system. As emphasized by Jost (2003), â€Å"same sex marriage advocates note that virtually all states permit – any many encourage – adoption of children by gay or lesbian parents because it he lps relieve the burdens on overcrowded and underfunded state foster-care systems† (p. 732). These advantages, therefore, give credence and support to same sex couples being more in an advantageous position in terms of providing holistic support to children than opting for foster care and giving the couples enhanced privilege for a stronger bond through the experience of raising children. After considering the benefits of allowing same sex couples to adopt children, the disadvantages are likewise presented to provide a balanced picture of the situation. The arguments against gay adoption have these following supportive statements: (1) the children’s need for role models for both sexes is not satisfied; (2) gay adoption is contrary to Christian teaching; and (3) society simply views gay parenting unconventional and wrong. These disadvantages stem from some researches that indicate that the traditional basic framework and ideal familial environment is that children need bi ological parents. Cultural norms and tradition have

Critical review on the movieThe lottery directed by Madeleine Sackler Movie

Critical on the movieThe lottery directed by Madeleine Sackler - Movie Review Example As per the film, the UFT fight to repossess the closed down building of a public school whose ownership changes to that of Harlem group of schools. In contrast, the UTF and the public view this move as one to degrade the public schools, which is not. A summary of the movie’s argument The film follows in the lives of four children namely Eric Jr., Ameenah, Greg Jr., and Christian whose backgrounds are seemingly different. The film portrays them as being the carriers of the ambitions and dreams of what their parents could not achieve in their hay days. The four children compete for the one opening available in the school. However, the events surrounding the schools closure give a twist to the whole story. A better part of the anti-charter schooling activists fight all through to lock out Harlem School from accessing public money. In addition, the closure of the public school draws the view that charter schools are better than those public schools. The film depicts the stakes on public education, as not all the stakeholders participate in deciding whether the Harlem Success School should possess the collapsed public school. The chances of winning these lotteries are relatively low, but the movie shows that it is worth trying their luck. The demands and hindrances posed by the teachers’ unions are a constant hurdle that public schools have to overcome. In essence, it makes the quality of learning in public schools to deteriorate. The argument brought out in this film is that they need not do away with public schools but should create more charter schools to benefit many. Sackler’s argument was that for her, she was not a politician but she only wanted to point out the real picture of the situation in the society. About the interview she had with Barry Weiss, the movie was not in any way political, as it did not take any political stand. It neither took sides nor did point accusing fingers at any one. She argues that the inspiration behind the f ilm was the number of disappointed parents she had witnessed during a lottery selection process. The need to ascertain why parents opted to undergo the risky fifty-fifty chance to acquire this chance for their children inspired her to do the film. Essentially, the movie’s argument was on why the chances to attend charter schools were necessary to many parents and children alike. Secondly, Sackler’s argument was that the future of public education was also at stake. According to Weiss, her stumbling upon a group of protesters protesting against the current state of the public schools inspired her into doing the film. The fact that UTF had paid Acorn to silence them over the advocacy of charter schools to public schools during the protest was also present in the film. As per her film, the level of bureaucracy in the public schools and the governing of public schools were detrimental to the children’s future. Therefore, her argument was that a broader look in to th e affairs of the teachers’ unions responsible for the running of public schools was a matter of importance. Her argument was if there were high ranked institutions that could accord high quality of education, and then why not create many others. Thirdly, Miss Sackler argues that many parents ignore what the charter school is about hence they just view it as a gateway to success for their children. In essence, she uses a deaf

Modern diplomacy

Modern diplomacy Introduction In its simplest form diplomacy is the maintenance of peace and the avoidance of war. But this is too simple a definition and denies the complexity inherent to modern diplomacy. Berridge (2001:1) provides more substance, writing that in its most recognizable state form, diplomacy is the term given to the official channels of communication employed by members of a system of states. Berridge (2002:1) adds that the chief purpose of diplomacy is to enable states to secure the objectives of their foreign policies without resort to force, propaganda or law. While this is certainly true of state-to-state diplomacy such Satowesque 5 definitions of diplomacy are rather exclusive in that they suggest no other international actors practice diplomacy. Such parochialism has produced a backlash. John Hoffman (2003:525), a less than traditional diplomacy writer, claims that the state is incoherent, and this incoherence necessarily extends itself to statist diplomacytraditional or conventional notion s of diplomacy must be avoided if the nature of modern diplomacy is to be truly understood. Diplomacy, Hoffman (2003:533) contends, functions much more fully and consistently in a stateless context than in a state centered one. (Hoffman, 2003) These two opinions indicate that there is confusion in response to the simple question what is diplomacyr In the twenty-first century, the traditional form of diplomacy is ubiquitous and increasing in practice. In addition, many nontraditional actors, such as NGOs, multi-national corporations (MNCs), and even individuals can be said to practice diplomacy. It is because of this plurality of actors that this article prefers Paul Sharps (2003:858) broad-and very diplomatic definition of diplomacy: The way in which relations between groups that regard themselves as separate ought to be conducted if the principle of living in groups is to be retained as good, and if unnecessary and unwanted conflict is to have a chance of being avoided. Significantly, Sharps definition suggests that the modern diplomatic environment is not one dominated exclusively by states and their diplomats. A sketch of the modern diplomatic environment confirms this observation. The Modern Diplomatic Environment For most of the twentieth century, the state and its traditional diplomatic institution were the primary conduit for most matters international. However, a snapshot of the modern diplomatic environment suggests a more diffuse landscape. In addition, this snapshot reveals the limitations inherent to the traditional, statist way of thinking and writing about diplomacy. In the modern diplomatic environment the state is the most dominant political actor while its diplomatic institution (Jonsson, Hall, 2005) (centrally orchestrated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) remains the most visible diplomatic actor. In the physical sense, traditional diplomacy has become a growth sector (Hocking 1997:169) and remains the engine room of international relations (Cohen 1998:1). Currently, there are 191 states operating in the modern diplomatic environment, compared to 47 in 1950 and 26 in 1926.8 All of these states interact diplomatically, all need to represent themselves, and all need continuously to negotiate advantageous foreign policy ends in a competitive and occasionally hostile environment. With over three hundred years of related experience, the foreign embassy endures as the leading diplomatic actor, where the conduct of relations on a state-to-state basis, via formally accredited resident missions forms the bulk of international exchange (Berridge 2002:105). Therefore, a traditional approach to writing and thinking about diplomacy must not be abandoned. This approach, with an emphasis on the state and its diplomacy, is ubiquitous, valuable, and necessary for the diplomacy studies field. And in terms of one actor-the state-it is both sufficient and catholic. When attempting to understand modern diplomacy and international relations, it is important to remember that at the heart of any worthwhile theory of international relations must lie a theory of traditional diplomacy (Sharp 2003:856). But all is not well in the traditional backyard. In the face of ever-tightening budgets and shrinking numbers of overseas missions and staff, the reinvention of the t?aditional diplomatic institution is apparent. Now these institutions have to justify their relevance to a more informed domestic audience. This justification includes two-way communication processes with domestic and global publics (instead of the traditional one-way processes which reinforced the hermetic image of many institutions); the inclusion of many nonstate experts into the sacred halls of diplomacy; and the shift in recruitment policies to build staffs truly reflective of the domestic societal strata they purport to represent, to name but a few changes. This snapshot suggests that the traditional gatekeepers are struggling to maintain relevance and are reforming in a bid to hang on to the keys to the gate. On the other side of the gate, energized, increasingly efficient, and numerous nonstate actors are gathering. There is a correlation between their rising numbers and growing influence. For example, the number of NGOs has risen from 997 in 1954 to 20,928 in 2005 / 2006 (Jonsson, 2005). The large numbers of MNCs is also noteworthy. At the beginning of the twenty-first century there are more than 53,000 MNCs, which have over 450,000 foreign affiliates (Kegley and Wittkopf 2003:173). These ever-growing numbers suggest that MNCs exercise significant clout in the modern diplomatic system, with global assets in excess of $13 trillion (USD) and global sales of more than $9.5 trillion (USD) (Kegley and Wittkopf 2003:173). And more than half of the worlds top economies are not countries but global MNCs, with waning affiliations to the nation-state. The growth of IGOs in the last hundred years is also significant. In 1909, there were 37 IGOs, by 1962 this number had risen to 163, and by 2005 / 2006 the modern diplomatic environment had 1,963 IGOs.( Jonsson, 2005) To representatives from this growing nonstate sector, the gate no longer looks so imposing o? absolute; there are many other paths around the side. In the modern diplomatic environment, these nonstate groups have adopted basic diplomatic functions such as negotiation skills, visible representation, effective communication, filtered information, and political reporting from overseas and symbolism (the Greenpeace rainbow flag is instantly recognizable, as are the ubiquitous golden arches). Large MNCs, as one example, are learning of the need to develop their own task-defined diplomatic structures to serve their particular needs and develop local expertise that national diplomatic services find hard to rival (Hocking 2004:149). Where before there was one path and one gate there are now many channels, networks and alternate environments through which to engage in diplomacy. Myriad patterns of asymmetric and polylateral diplomacy are appearing, involving not only state representatives but also representatives from NGOs, transnational organizations (the External Delegations of the European Union, for example), (Hocking 2004:149) and even famous though hardly effective movie stars. The Ottawa Process, the Kimberley Diamonds Process, or the Nazi Gold settlement-success stories of unconventional diplomacy-are regularly trumpeted and are used as evidence to suggest the ushering in of an era of new diplomacy (again!). Whether it is multi-lateralism or summitry or two individuals from different countries conversing on a plane, diplomacy is blossoming and clearly no longer axiomatically linked to the state. Traditional writing on diplomacy only tells part of this modern diplomatic story. It amply accounts for the historical and modern role of the state in diplomacy but fails to explain the proliferation and impact of unconventional, new diplomatic actors. A glance at the canon of diplomacy studies suggests that the traditional way of thinking and writing about diplomacy is being challenged. Beyond Modern Diplomacy Viewing diplomacy in representational terms provides a richer understanding of what diplomats do than does the conventional account of it as one of the lesser tools of foreign policy. The diplomats of the modern state system claimed that no one else occupied the position of detachment from the international society of states, or performed the role of representing its members to the world and the world back to them. Now, it is becoming increasingly plausible to claim that more people are so employed and more are diplomats. An obvious extension of the approach of viewing diplomacy as representation is to apply it to the new diplomatic actors of contemporary international relations. To what extent does their becoming diplomatic involve these actors accepting and internalizing the professional and political worlds as these are presented by diplomacy in the narrow senser To what extent do they bring something new to itr Could humanitarian agencies parlay a local and temporary acceptance, based upon expertise, knowledge, and control of resources, into a more lasting and extensive legitimacy-one recognized by states but not derived from statesr An obvious expectation of the approach outlined above is that the new diplomats, like the diplomats of revolutionary regimes before them, will do much adjusting. Their ability to bring about change in the professional and political universes of diplomacy will be limited. This is not an argument in any simple sense of that term. New actors do not have to conform to the rules of the game as it is played by old acto?s (read rich and powerful) because that is what the old ones want. rather, it is the representatives of actors for whom unity, autonomy, and identity remain important. They face similar predicaments, whether they represent the old or new, the rich or poor, the strong or weak. All face the problem of contributing to the production and reproduction of the identities they represent in, and by, their relations with one another. Other games-economic, military, political, and social-are going on too, but their significance varies by actor, policy, and context. representation, as a lready discussed, is common to all actors in international relations and is particular to it. This is not as big a claim as it may sound. The question of whether new diplomatic actors accept the political and professional worlds of diplomacy acknowledges that they also function in a wider world of international thought and action in which these other actors try to function with their own universesand associated operational codes. Consider two established concepts, sovereignty and nation. Both appear as prominent bricks in the edifice of diplomacys professional and political worlds, yet both also belong to other worlds where the systemic and moderating preoccupations of diplomacy seem to have very little place. In addition to how diplomacy tames, manages, and uses these two ideas for itself, it is worth examining how diplomacy copes when others have different conceptions and priorities. As James Mayall notes, diplomacy was one of the few international institutions to survive the onslaught of popular sovereignty and nineteenth-century nationalism. (Mayall, 1990) Mayalls diplomacy, and nearly everyone elses, is the diplomacy of the modern territorial state, with a practical and clearly identifiable sovereign site. We take this so much for granted that we may ask whether diplomacy in the absence of sovereigns may be properly termed diplomacy. Instead, we might ask, How did diplomacy survive modernityr Clearly the answer is adaptation. How will diplomacy survive encounters with concepts beyond which it has traditionally not claimed, such as race, class, gender, and civilizations (not Civilization)r It is beyond my competence to speak about these ideas, other than to note that even at conventional conferences on diplomacy, papers on issues like the problem of spouses and partne?s are often presented Mayall, 1990). Discomforting though these approaches are to some of the participants, neither these themes nor the universes of arguments and assumptions about social life from which they stem will go away. Establishing an effective diplomatic mission today involves addressing patriarchy and identity issues, as well as the problems posed for security and institutional memory by electronic mailing systems. The study of diplomacy and what diplomats have to say about it will appeal neither to structuralists nor to constructivists in their respective strong forms. Diplomacy presumes that structures do not explain all outcome s, nor even just the important ones, but it also takes existing structures seriously. Structures may be constituted by the practice of agents. In acknowledging this, diplomats are unlikely to concede that we have learned much about the likelihood of particular structures cohering, evolving, or collapsing-even if their own instinct is to bet on cohering. And Outcomes Of Diplomatic Interaction The outcomes of diplomatic interaction between governments and NSEEs vary enormously, primarily according to how powerful the particular state is, and seconda?ily according to whether the NSEE is an MEI that holds heavy purse strings on which a government may depend. Weak states and developing countries are often in the position of supplicant before MEIs such as the IMF, World Bank and regional development banks, whose representatives often wield great power over developing countries domestic economies (Strange, 1996). On the other hand, powerful states and creditor nations interact with NSEEs more as equals or as masters. In terms of power relations and accompanying diplomatic practice, governments of states view MEIs not as a global government, so the analogy is not that of U.S. states or German LÃ ¤nder dealing with their respective Federal Governments. Nor can MEIs any longer be seen as uniformly subordinate bodies to nation-state governments, so a Federal Government to U.S. sta te or German Land analogy, in which administrative considerations might tend to predominate over the political, would be equally off the mark. NSEEs are likely to view governments according to whether the government is a net provider or recipient of the institutions funds. A better analogy for NSEE-government interaction would be the way that nation-state governments regard other governments: each pairing of governments will reflect a different distribution of power, both relational and structural, between them, a different historical and cultural background to the relationship, a different institutional evolution of the relationship. Hence diplomacy between nation-state governments, considered as a group, and NSEEs, considered as a group, is likely to varry in terms of power distribution, institutional compatibility, and other relevant variables in much the same way that diplomacy as traditionally conceived between nation-state governments varies. An understanding of how diplomatic interactions between NSEEs and governments translates into outcomes requires drawing upon the range of theories of power from the International relations/International Political Economy literature. Theoretical approaches such as Neoliberalism and Institutionalism are well adapted to diplomacy between states and non-state economic entities because they presuppose the role of institutions in promoting cooperation between states. A Neomarxist-Gramscian approachs understanding of the material bases for state power offers a way to differentiate between the power of states, and its logic of transnational historic blocs seeking the consent of the governed can explain the motivation to create NSEEs to facilitate diplomacy and one of its main objectives, cooperation and the consensual exercise of power. From Social Constructivism we can draw upon ideas of how states and NSEEs alike c?eate and re-create their identities through their public presentation of th emselves and through negotiations, which in turn can shift power between them (Ford, 2002). From Postmodernism/Post-positivism, conceptions such as time-space compression can explain how the institutional organization of representation has changed and how the speed of diplomatic interactions has accelerated, each of which favour some actors at the expense of others (Harvey, 1990). Neorealisms state-centric focus applies less well to the explanation of power in a diplomatic system in which states themselves do not speak with one voice to NSEEs, and at the same time NSEEs are both venues for multilateral cooperation and actors with agendas and objectives distinct from those of any state. Despite being difficult to place within any single theoretical tradition, Stranges notion of structural power as power to shape the parameters within which others must make decisions seems particularly useful in explaining power in government-NSEE diplomatic interactions (Strange, 1994, 1996). Using Stranges four interlocking structures of knowledge, production, finance and security one can account for disparities of power between states, the particular power of MEIs concerned with global finance, and even the impact of the variability in skills of diplomats on different sides of a negotiation. For example, Stranges approach would expect MEIs to tend to prevail in negotiations w ith developing countries. Conclusions: Power as Mobilization While the scope and visibility of what I have termed the new public diplomacy is novel, the mechanisms that it employs are not. Persuasion, framing, and agendasetting are the basic tools of political influence. However, focusing on them tends to change our understanding of how power operates. The changes in the political and communications context of international politics change make their operation more visible and accessible to more agents. Power is not a magic bullet that can render the interactions of international politics immediately comprehensible, but serves as short hand for what agents do. The analysis presented above suggests that we have been looking for power in the wrong places. IR theory tends to start from the presumption that military power is the ultimate determinant of the outcomes in IR. This military bias results in power being thought of in terms of confrontations between well defined positions. The image of power can be illustrated if we think of the forces ne eded to move a huge boulder securely embedded in a mountainside. Yet if the boulder is already rolling down the mountain, the forces needed to push it in a new direction are very much less. We may be unable to move the boulder, but if it is already in motion, we may be able to move it onto a new course. Human society (and particularly the small sections of it that represent political organizations) are already (and always in motion), thus, a relatively minor impetus delivered at the right place and time and can change outcomes. To think in terms of processes is to see that the mechanisms of soft power are not exceptional but the normal tools of politics. All that the new public diplomacy is doing is allowing more people to use them in a more public way. The consequence of the age of mixed media is that more people can do this changing the dynamics and the outcomes of politics, and that is no small thing. Anthony Giddens treats power and, by extension, agency, in terms of the capacity to use the rules and resources that exist in any social context to produce effects. What the new public diplomacy indicates is the way in which technological and political change is changing the possibilities to act within world politics. Power needs to be treated in terms of mobilizational processes rather in terms of structures or agents. The changes in the global media environment affect the political strategies adopted by both states as well as non-state actors. Analysis of these developments suggests that power in the info rmation age cannot be understood solely in terms of resources or structures without consideration of process issues such as mobilizing strategies and the ability of agents to set agendas and influence the framing of issues via the media. Such a perspective explains the ability of resource poor actors to exert influence in particular circumstances and the limitations of this influence.

Child Poverty Essay

Child poverty is one of the major problems today. Poverty can affect anyone but children are most affected. Poverty in children has become big social problem. Poverty is not having enough for needs. Not having enough can bring many concerns. Poverty is long lasting effect and can leave permanent mark on Childs behavior. Poverty can impact children’s performance in school and poverty can bring many health issues. Many children are born in poor family where their family members lack at providing enough for their children. Many children in poor family suffer from hunger and not having enough nutrition. As mansion in Gregory’s essay â€Å"shame† Richard was not able to focus in school because he was suffering from hunger, and teacher thought he was not smart and they never bother to find out, but the truth was he was just hungry because he was poor and wasent able to provide enough food. Poverty can also cause huge impact on Childs performance. While parents are busy trying to make living they cannot provide enough motivational help to their children while some children have to go to work instead of study because lack of money in family. In the essay â€Å"shame† Gregory describes how Richard had to work hard and polish shoes to make little amount of money. Early labor and not having enough help in their academic progress impact on children’s growth and development of child. Withought proper education child lacks at proper understanding of our society. Poverty also brings many health concerns in children. Because of parents cannot provide enough material. Many children born in poor family are often exposed to miner diseases that may prove fatal. In some poor family where parents always drinking problem, children always learn from their parents and adopt their aggressive behavior, drinking problem or drug abuse. These can also lead in fatal health issue in children. Parents always seem to forget â€Å"what we do. They do. † In the essay â€Å"shame† Gregory talks about how Richard did not learn about hate and shame until he went to school. Poverty is one of the most evil situations we have in our society. And it can transform our children’s entire personality and affect our neighborhood and future. we have to work together to ensure bright and healthy future.

Tom Robinson was the honest, helpful and most trustworthy person I have ever known

Tom Robinson was the honest, helpful and most trustworthy person I have ever known. As long as I remember, Tom has never meant to harm anyone. As a respectful person and a good neighbor he was always first to help someone in need. Right now the person who was supposed to be sitting beside me, with his child in his lap is sleeping in god's lap. Not only me but also everyone else in Maycomb knows that Tom was innocent man and has never done anything to Mayella, but still he was sentenced to jail just because his skin was black. I was always inspired by his habit of helping out other people and giving them respect, but now I feel sorry for his help. All the things that happened to Tom makes me think that in this world now its crime to help a helpless girl. Tom was the only support for his wife and children, which is also taken away from them. Even though whites blamed him for something he wouldn't do he would want us to have respectful behavior with them. Well now it doesn't matter that he was innocent or not, because he is now dead. I grew up with Tom in same community and experienced as same prejudice as him, but I never controlled my self as much as Tom. Tom was very strong-hearted person, but he wasn't strong enough to fight prejudice. Tom always respected other person even though they insulted him. Right now in heaven he would be thinking good of Mayella and would be praying if someone can help her out. In conclusion I will pray that it wouldn't happen to anyone else what happened to Tom.