Visiting Ireland Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Visiting Ireland - Research Paper Example At the moment, I am going to convince you to visit Ireland instead of another country by elaborating on the Irish geography, ancient attractions, the magnificent natural environment, excellent infrastructure, and the vibrancy of the country’s multicultural background. Geography Let us begin with the unique Irish geography. For a country covering about 70,000 square kilometres of land surface, Ireland is approximately the size of West Virginia in United States (Kockel, 1994). However, in spite of its small size, Ireland has more than its fair share of major attractions, for everyone who values and appreciates the beauty of nature, blend with a touch of human ingenuity. For a country with ancient history and civilisation that rivals Mesopotamia, the beauty of visiting Ireland is that you get that rare opportunity of experiencing the lives of ancient Mesolithic stone age inhabitants and modern exuberant lifestyle in urban centres at the same time. Ireland is the home of scenic la ndscapes, with rich history and multicultural setting that spreads from the capital city Dublin to the smallest hamlet in the countryside (Irishtourism.com 2012). Ancient heritage To appreciate the progress that humanity has made up to the contemporary society, it is important to look back to the ancient civilisations, which have left an indelible mark on the Irish landscape. You should visit Ireland because it offers you the opportunity of seeing and experiencing the cradle of human civilisation in Europe. Ireland has historical artefacts, buildings and structures that have resisted the powerful forces of nature and they continue eliciting awe and admiration from harshest critics and sceptics. The Blarney Castle, Boyne Valley, Cahir Castle, Ceide Fields and Christ Church Cathedral are just a few of the must see historic sights and buildings in Ireland. Others include Hill of Tara, Clonmacnoise, Dublin castle, Glendalough and Newgrange (Cronin, 2003). The Blarney castle was build be fore AD 1200 and the King Muster Cormac McCarthy rebuilt the imposing building after its destruction in 1446(Irishtourism.com, 2012). The Blarney Castle houses the Blarney Stone, a mysterious artefact that is shrouded with mythical and legendary tales. The most popular myths surrounding the existence of the Blarney stone is that Biblical Jacob used it as a pillow. Prophet Jeremiah according to the myth brought the stone to Ireland. The stone is an important Christian artefact because it is believed that Blarney Stone existed during the exodus of Jews from Egypt and Moses struck it with his staff to produce clean water for the thirsty Israelites in the wilderness. Thus, Blarney Stone is a valued medieval artefact and is said to possess mysterious powers (Irishtourism.com 2012). Boyne Valley is a must see for anyone with interests of ancient technology and history. The valley contains valuable information about the â€Å"burial tombs of Knowth and Newgrange† (Irishtourism.com 2 012). These tombs are over 5,000 years old, exceeding the great pyramids of Egypt and the Stonehenge of England in age (Peillon and Slater, 1998). Build during the medieval neolith age, Boyne Valley is recognized world heritage site. For tourists interested in ancient agrarian practices, the Ceide Fields is the place to visit. Ceide fields are the oldest farming systems in the world, dating back to over 5,000 years ago.

Labor Relations in Different Organizations in The United Arab Emirates Essay

Labor Relations in Different Organizations in The United Arab Emirates - Essay Example The following paper analyses, types of work permits, the different categories of violations, and the human rights of laborers in the UAE. A look at the Dubai bank also provides input on the above issues (Allah 1978, p. 78). The beginning of 2011 saw the introduction of work permits in the UAE via the Cabinet Resolution No. 25 of 2010. They include; work transfer, temporary, part-time juvenile persons and personnel sponsored by kin work permits. The work transfer permit covers non-nationals working in the UAE transferred between organizations within the UAE of which must be registered by the Ministry of Labor. Temporary work permits, on the other hand, cover both national and non-national personnel working on a project for less than six months. Part time work permits cover individuals working part time for few hours compared to full time workers who work for extra hours (Allah 1978, p. 156). The number of hours specified by the Ministry of Labor for full time employment includes eight hours excluding lunch breaks; therefore, hours worked less than the outlined eight hours constitute part time employment. This allows both national and non-national personnel to take up more than one job unlike in the past, whereby, people were only allowed to have one job at a time. However, changes of the intricate details of this permit are still underway. This is because various issues keep arising with the encountering of different milestones. Juvenile persons’ permits cover young individuals between 15 to 18 years seeking employment within organizations. Permits for personnel sponsored by their kin cover dependants sought to work for an organization. Meaning expatriates finally have the opportunity to act as their dependants sponsors. This allows their kin to acquire work permits despite them not being eligible for any of the above listed permits (Allah 1978, p. 198). Therefore, the introduction of different types of work permits made it easier for the Dubai Bank Human Resource managers to recruit personnel in an easier way. For example, they were able to capitalize on the permits for personnel sponsored by their kin. This is because; they used these permits as incentive when soliciting the services of expatriates. These permits allow dependants of an expatriate to get employment easily because getting a work permit ceases to be an obstacle. Therefore, Dubai bank officials continue to embrace the gradual changes implemented by the Ministry of Labor (Pawan 2007, p.77). With the recent global recession, violations of labor regulations in the UAE increased dramatically. As a result, the Ministry of Labor came up with policies which sought to address these violations. Companies like the Dubai bank, therefore, readjusted their labor relation policies to accommodate the reevaluated regulations from the Labor Ministry. The Ministry made three categories of violations known to the public. Black points awarded by the Ministry showed the seriousness of the se violations. The more the black points earned by an organization, the severe the penalties imposed. Penalties were either fines or the organization would be downgraded in severe cases. The latter’s imposition occurred when a firm acquired more than 100 black points in any given year (Pawan 2007, p.119).  

Recruitment Methods of ISIS

Recruitment Methods of ISIS Abstract This paper covers a small area of topics on the infamous organization, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). These topics include: a brief history of the organization, who ISIS is recruiting, why the recruits are joining, and the methods in which ISIS uses to recruit its members. Because of ISIS’s clever and effective recruiters and their methods of recruitment, they are on their way to establishing a caliphate, which refers to uniting all Muslims for the purpose of total, world domination. Recruitment Methods of ISIS According to communication strategist and cyber war expert advisor, James P. Farwell (2014), in the summer of 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) made an ostentatious appearance onto the worldwide stage, with the desire to institute its religious authority across the world (Farwell, 2014, p. 49). ISIS developed a caliphate, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (p. 49). The organization’s primary tool for increasing its influence across the globe has been â€Å"brute violence† (Farwell, 2014, p. 49). However, through their methods of recruitment, they have tried to establish credibility and implement legitimacy by skillfully advertising their propaganda through social networking and cyber technology, making it look attractive to prospective fighters (Farwell, 2014, p. 49). This paper will discuss who ISIS is recruiting, why the recruits are joining ISIS, and the recruitment methods that the organization uses to gather members, in order to accomplish their purpose of conquering the world. The slogan, â€Å"Baqiya wa tatamadad,† as stated by Amanda Borquaye (2016), is the slogan created by ISIS, meaning ‘â€Å"lasting and expanding,’† which has produced fearin many different areas around the world (p. 28). As recorded by author, Patrick Cockburn (2015), during summer of 2014, throughout the course of several weeks, ISIS altered politics in the Middle East (p. 1). Jihadi soldiers intertwined religious â€Å"fanaticism† and military experience to succeed in war against Iraqi, Syrian, and Kurdish forces (Cockburn, 2015, p. 1). ISIS aimed to destroy the Sunni opposition to the regimes in Iraq and Syria while it extended all throughout those areas (Cockburn, 2015, p. 1). ISIS did not show any concern that the list of their enemies grew greater over time, which included such areas as the United States and Iran (Cockburn, 2015, p. 1). As history has shown, ISIS generating enemies has not been a problem.    As Iraq and Syria began to disperse into their separate communities, the Shia, Sunni, Kurds, Alawites, and Christians were struggling to survive (Cockburn, 2015, p. 1). If someone was not in compliance with the ideology of Islam, they were labeled as â€Å"apostates† and â€Å"polytheists† and forced to flee or were brutally murdered (Cockburn, 2015, p. 1). The scare tactics and the forms of public violence that ISIS started using to torment their adversaries were the most extreme that had been seen in several decades (Cockburn, 2015, p. 1). The members of ISIS desire to restructure the world by committing violent acts (Cockburn, 2015, p. 5). Parts of this ideology can be attributed to the war in Iraq in 2003 and the war in Syria in 2011 (Cockburn, 2015, p. 5). Because of events like these, ISIS has discovered a new battlefield in which they are able to fight and flourish (Cockburn, 2015, p. 5). They have managed to accomplish this task by recruiting as many jihadists a s possible. Who are they recruiting? ISIS prompts their recruits to institute and obtain a caliphate, which means ‘â€Å"a unified Muslim state run according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law’† (Borquaye, 2016, p. 28). As believed by dedicated jihadists, violence is the single method in which to achieve this caliphate (Borquaye, 2016, p. 28). Over a significant amount of time, ISIS has developed the abilities of recruiting Westerners, despite viewing themselves as common enemies of the West and everything that Western culture honors and represents (Borquaye, 2016, p. 28). According to Lisa Blaker (2015), of the University of Maryland, there has been an estimated 3,000 or more nationalists from Western countries that have immigrated to the Middle East to join ISIS, contributing to the extremist movement (3). Some of these Western nationalists that ISIS is recruiting are American teenagers. According to Husna Haq, a correspondent for the news organization, The Christian Science Monitor, there are four reasons why teenagers, especially American teens, are being seduced in joining ISIS (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). The first reason is that organizations like ISIS are able to help young people to develop a sense of identity (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). They intentionally target this demographic because these teenagers are lost and have no sense of belonging or purpose (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). Joining groups like these makes them feel like they finally have a family and a purpose in life (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). The second reason is that ISIS functions as an advanced propaganda machine (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). Because we live in the Internet age and it is popular among young people, the Internet is an easy tool to lure members of this age group (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). The third reason is that ISIS creates a sense of religious obligation, which is why it is so attractive to American teenagers (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). Lastly, ISIS has made females one of their biggest demographics that they recruit (Blaker, 2015, p. 4).   The demographic of young Muslim-American females seems to be very popular (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). The most common group of Muslim-American females who join are those who feel isolated from their non-Muslim peers (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). Surprisingly, there appears to be a great desire for the recruitment of females to join ISIS. One of the most popular demographics that ISIS recruits are women. In these cases, they have had success by women recruiting other women (Blaker, 2015, p. 5). One of the most effective recruiters is Umm Ubaydah, who immigrated from Europe to Syria in 2014 (Blaker, 2015, p. 5). She has a blog that she uses as a recruitment tool for women (Blaker, 2015, p. 5). Her posts typically incorporate information on what to bring, the appropriate type of clothing, a sufficient amount of money, and includes information about what everyday life for women is like in Syria (Blaker, 2015, p. 5). Additional information that she posts include support on how to cope when leaving one’s family (Blaker, 2015, p. 5). A Senior Counter Extremism Researcher for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Erin Marie Saltman, claimed that women are successful as recruiters of other women because there is a sense of comfort manifested when communicating with fellow women (Blaker, 2015, p. 5). Conversing with a fellow woman provides a sense of consolation of leaving one’s family (Blaker, 2015, p. 5-6). As reported by CNN, about 1 in 6 ISIS recruits are women (Blaker, 2015, p. 6).   Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Alberto Cerzone and Anita Peresin (2015), professors of counterterrorism at George C. Marshall Center, roughly ten percent of ISIS’s Western recruits are females. As of 2015, it was estimated that there were over 200 Western females who abandoned their homes to join ISIS, the majority of them from France (Cerzone and Peresin, 2015, p. 499). The rest of the women were from other European nations, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, and Belgium, with the numbers constantly rising (Cerzone and Peresin, 2015, p. 499). The International Centre for Study of Radicalization at Kings College London, found the majority of these females are between the ages of 16-24, but some are as young as thirteen (Cerzone and Peresin, 2015, p. 499). The majority of these females run away to the Middle East without telling their parents, which raises concerns and questions for security experts and the general Western culture (Cerzone and Peresin, 2015, p. 499). They typically come from Muslim families or have converted to Islam, but in either instance, families are appalled that their daughters are interested in joining this â€Å"violent jihad† (Cerzone and Peresin, 2015, p. 499).   Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Lauren Vogel (2016), of CMAG News, ISIS has also been recruiting doctors and health workers. The recruitment of these specialists began in 2015 when ISIS increased its focus of establishing control over territory to institute a caliphate, which they believe will bring all of the Muslims together to conquer the world (Vogel, 2016, p. 1). Since the summer of 2015, ISIS had advertised the need for doctors through social media, blogs, splashy magazines, and high-budget videos to showcase the state’s emerging health system (Vogel, 2016, p. 1). The advertisements show off the substantial amount of services they provide, the latest facilities and equipment, experienced professionals, and two medical schools (Vogel, 2016, p. 1). ISIS is especially eager for medical professionals because a numerous amount of local doctors have left the organization’s territory (Vogel, 2016, p. 1). There have been reports of doctors who were forced to treat patients at gunpoint, some who were targeted for arrest, and others who were executed for refusing to provide care (Vogel, 2016, p. 1). Like others that ISIS recruits, there are various reasons why they are recruiting medical professionals. Lorne Dawson, co-director of the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society, said, â€Å"‘It’s a storm of factors, from a quest of significance and identity, to maybe some experience of discrimination’† (Vogel, 2016, p. 1). A popular reason why these professionals join is because of social justice (Vogel, 2016, p. 2). A large number of medical professionals are driven by altruism, and the determination to assist others, and the radical message uses that (Vogel, 2016, p. 2). Dawson says, â€Å"‘People find it amazing that a doctor would want to be part of this ultraviolent group committing atrocities, but on the flipside a lot of what ISIS does looks like humanitarian, social welfare and medical work’† (Vogel, 2016, p. 2). Another possible factor that draws doctors is discrimination (Vogel, 2016, p. 2). An American survey was done that showed that 24% of Muslim doctors often were victims of religious discrimination in their careers and 14% currently were experiencing it in the workplace (Vogel, 2016, p. 2). No matter for what reasons medical professionals are attracted to ISIS, they still go through the same radicalization process as any other recruit (Vogel, 2016, p. 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Methods of recruitment ISIS’s skills of maneuvering media is a significant factor in the way that they recruit (Borquaye, 2016, p. 28). ISIS has used the Internet and online social media as a tool of circulating their message (Borquaye, 2016, p. 28). They use these forms of media in hopes of recruiting individuals, especially young people, to join them in the Middle East and fight alongside them with other jihadists, or simply to support the organization (Blaker, 2015, p. 1). These supporting roles typically fall to the young women who join (Blaker, 2015, p. 1). ISIS has designated â€Å"sympathizers† to carry out acts of violence wherever they may be when they are not able to travel to the Middle East (Blaker, 2015, p. 1). Social media networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube do not have complete sanctions that restrict ISIS propaganda from spreading across the world in real time (Blaker, 2015, p. 1). UK surveillance chief, Robert Hannigan, said, â€Å"ISIS and other extremist groups use platforms like Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp to reach their target audience in a language it understands. Their methods include exploiting popular hashtags to disseminate their message† (Blaker, 2015, p. 4). In 2015, John Greenberg, of the Tampa Bay Times, conducted research which found that each day, there are up to 200,000 pro-ISIS tweets per day (Blaker, 2015, p. 1). This study also counted re-tweets and some that were generated through computer programs (Blaker, 2015, p. 1). Some of these tweets even included death threats to Twitter’s CEO and other Twitter employees (Blaker, 2015, p. 2). According to extremism analyst, J.M. Berger (2015), there were 46,000 Twitter accounts that were owned by supporters of ISIS as of the year 2014. Since then, Twitter has suspended a great number of accounts by ISIS supporters, but the supporters simply create other accounts after suspension (Berger, 2015). As of today, there is estimated to be around 40,000 accounts owned by ISIS supporters, with about 2,000 who primarily tweet in English (Berger, 2015).   Ã‚  Ã‚   One form of social media advertising that ISIS uses that is extremely effective is videos. According to a reporter for TheBlaze, Sara Gonzales (2017), ISIS posted a video this past April that featured a boy who seemed to be around the age of six or seven years old, taking part in a double-beheading. The group increasingly uploads videos that are sophisticated, good quality, and with pictures that contain impressive visual effects (Blaker, 2015, p. 1). They post various videos, each one different from another (Borquaye, 2016, p. 28). The goal is to make a different video that will appeal to each of the demographics that they are trying to reach (Borquaye, 2016, p. 28). Their most significant speeches were uploaded to the Internet in seven languages and the videos they post present similar violent characteristics to those used in Hollywood films (Borquaye, 2016, p. 28). Many of the videos that they publish have music with lyrics that have been translated to English and various other European languages (Blaker, 2015, p. 3). The newest videos that they have published feature English-speaking jihadists (Blaker, 2015, p. 3). Sean Heuston, who teaches English and film studies at The Citadel, has done extensive research on extremist video propaganda (Blaker, 2015, p. 3). He said, ‘â€Å"Its actually surprising how contemporary and hip-looking some of these things are, especially considering the fact that the messages that they are promoting are essentially medieval’† (Blaker, 2015, p. 3).    This sort of recruiting technique has enabled the organization to disperse powerful and emotional images (Farwell, 2014, p. 50). This narrative emphasizes that the strength and dominance of ISIS is increasing, asserting that full control is inevitable (Farwell, 2014, p. 50). Many of these images are intended to portray the organization’s members as fearsome warriors by showing gruesome beheadings and executions that are meant to torment their adversaries (Farwell, 2014, p. 50). However, ISIS also post images that display foot soldiers eating candy bars and holding cats, communicating that although ISIS is strictly Islamic, they also advocate for the welfare of people, and not just killing them (Farwell, 2014, p. 50). As written by Imran Awan (2017), ISIS also portrays the fighters in their videos with a â€Å"‘moral conscious’† by showing them helping and protecting civilians (p. 139). A number of their videos feature members visiting fighters in infirmaries and handing out candy to children (Awan, 2017, p. 139). This shows the attempt to showcase the supposed compassionate feature of ISIS.   Ã‚   Additionally, ISIS has developed their own app, which a person could download for free in order to stay updated with current information on the group (Awan, 2017, p. 139). The app was titled â€Å"‘The Dawn of Glad Tidings’† (Awan, 2017, p. 139). However, the app was detected and suspended after it (Awan, 2017, p. 139). Once the app was downloaded, users were able to view tweets, links, hashtags, pictures, videos and comments on their own accounts (Awan, 2017, p. 139). The majority of the information on the app was controlled by ISIS’s â€Å"social media arm† (Awan, 2017, p. 139).   Ã‚   Dr. Anne Speckhard, Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University, and researcher, Lorand Bodo (2017), conducted a short study, measuring the dissemination of ISIS propaganda on the Internet. The study mainly included observing search engines, such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). They based their study on prior research that was gathered from Facebook (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). They used hashtags, keywords and phrases in English and Arabic that were familiar to ISIS members, endorsers, and distributors on social networks (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). As they expected, they found a good number of social network accounts, Internet sites, and forums that were promoting ISIS propaganda (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). Interestingly enough, they found that each one of those sources were connected to the same source, which they called the â€Å"Daily Harvester† (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). In this particular situation, the Daily Harvester is referred to as â€Å"Abu Abdellah Al-Ifriqi† (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). It is presumed that Abu Abdella is an official representative of ISIS (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). Speckhard and Bodo observed Abu Abdellah over the course of a month, while determining the keywords and phrases that he was using to spread his message (2017). They found four specific stages that surfaced in monitoring his activity (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). First, Abdellah observed official ISIS media channels, like Amaq News Agency and Al-Hayat Media (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). Second, he gathered audio, files, news reports, pictures, and videos, in which he uploaded into one document (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). Third, Abdellah posted documents only to two websites, which were justpaste.it and addpost.it (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). These â€Å"‘paste-websites’† permit any person to post a link that may be shared (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). Lastly, he posted the generated link on social networking sites, forums, and various different websites to reach as many individuals as he can, with a wide â€Å"compendium† of the latest ISIS propaganda (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). However, Abu Abdellah is not the sole Daily Harvester (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). There are many Daily Harvesters, each one as dangerous as the other (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). They are extremely dangerous because they are able to disseminate large quantities of ISIS propaganda, with just a click of a link, which makes it available to anybody (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). Essentially, anybody who is capable of maneuvering Google can attain this information and simply input it into Google Translator to see and read in their own language (Speckhard and Bodo, 2017). Due to the ease of access of this information, it would be hard to stop or even attempt to counteract these methods that ISIS uses to recruit its members.      Conclusion The goal of ISIS from the beginning was to develop a caliphate, in which they would unite all Muslims to achieve global dominance (Vogel, 2016, p. 1). Thus far, they have taken steps to accomplish that by performing significant acts of violence and making themselves known on the Internet, mainly through social networking sites (Farwell, 2014, p. 49). Popular ways of doing this are creating high-quality videos, and tweeting thousands of times a day from thousands of pro-ISIS Twitter accounts (Berger, 2015). Because of their cleverness and the forms ISIS uses to promote their propaganda, it is not an outrageous thought that total domination could be inevitable (Farwell, 2014, p. 50). References Awan, I. (2017). Cyber-Extremism: Isis and the Power of Social Media. Society, 54(2), 138-148. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs12115-017-0114-0.pdf. Berger, J. (2015, October 23). Tailored Online Interventions: The Islamic States Recruitment Strategy. https://ctc.usma.edu/posts/tailored-online-interventions-the-islamic-states-recruitment-strategy Blaker, L. (2015). The Islamic State’s Use of Online Social Media. The Journal of the Military Cyber Professionals Association, 1(1), 1-9. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=mca Borquaye, A. (2016). Countering the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria: Why the West Has it Wrong. JUIS. 2027-34. Cervone, A., & Peresin, A. (2015). The Western Muhajirat of ISIS. Taylor & Francis, 38(7), 495-509. http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=d6ffa458-1214-4bad-96b5-b4c5c0931508%40sessionmgr102 Cockburn, P. (2015). The rise of Islamic State: ISIS and the new Sunni revolution. London: Verso. Farwell, J. P. (2014). The Media Strategy of ISIS. Survival (00396338), 56(6), 49-55 Gonzales, S. (2017, April 18). Latest ISIS recruit video shows young school-aged boy participating in execution. http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/04/18/latest-isis-recruit-video-shows-young-school-aged-boy-participating-in-execution/ Speckhard, A., & Bodo, L. (2017, April 23). How ISIS Disseminates Propaganda over the Internet Despite Counter-Measures and How to Fight Back. http://moderndiplomacy.eu/index.php?option=com_k2view=itemid=2494%3Ahow-isis-disseminates-propaganda-over-the-internet-despite-counter-measures-and-how-to-fight-back Vogel, L. (2016). Why are Doctors Joining ISIS?. Canadian Medical Association.   http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2016/01/11/cmaj.109-5217.full.pdf

Edar Allan Poe Essay -- essays research papers

A Reflection of the Life and Works of Edgar Allan Poe  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Edgar Allan Poe is a name even the literary illiterate know, but not many people know Edgar Allan Poe the person. When reading the works of this poetic genius many might think that he had a vivid imagination or just a morbid soul. The truth is that the works of Poe are based on his own life, the life of an orphan who suffered from an obsessive compulsive disorder and who eventually became diseased by alcoholism. Understanding Poe the man, who had true medical problems that caused erratic behavior and depression among many other things, is to have an understanding of the true meaning hidden behind the words of his poetry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poe earned his place as a major figure in American letters for his tales of the bizarre and fantastic, short stories that are structurally brilliant and considered precursors of many forms and themes in subsequent American and European literature (Bloom, Harold p.491). Born of impoverished parents and orphaned at the age of two, Poe lived a brief and tragic life: a life whose legend has often proved an overpowering influence on the critical reception of his work (Bloom, Harold p.491). Before Poe was three years old both of his parents died, and he was raised in the house of John Allan, a prosperous exporter from Richmond, Virginia, who never legally adopted his foster son. Poe attended many of the best schools at that time. At the University of Virginia he distinguished himself academically, but after little more than only one year he had to leave because of financial debt and lack of adequate funds from Allan. Poe went on to enlist himself in the army where he finished and published his first poetry collection Tamerlane and Other Poems. These works received no recognition. When his second set of works appeared in 1829, it received only slight attention. Also in 1829 Poe was honorably discharged from the army, having attained the rank of regimental sergeant major, and was then admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point (Gale Research p.1). However because Allan would neither provide Poe with sufficient funds to maintain himself as a cadet nor giv e the consent necessary to resign from the Academy, Poe gained a dismissal by ignoring his duties and violating regulations (Gale Research p.1). H... ...roversy over the sanity, or at best the maturity of Poe (Paul Elmer More called him â€Å"the poet of unripe boys and unsound men†), it was the question of the value of Poe’s works as serious literature (Gale Research p.5). Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life, especially the stories surrounding his drinking and early death, are dealt with extensively by Poe’s contemporary critics as well as those writing in the twentieth century (Bloom, Harold p. 491). In their confusion of the man and his literary creations, certain critics have ascribed to Poe a morbidity of character and a cruel and unnatural temperament. (Bloom, Harold p. 491). This critical attitude was adumbrated by the publication of Poe’s letters under the direction of R.W. Griswold, his literary executor (Bloom, Harold p.491). Griswold, for reasons unknown, sought to defame Poe by falsifying his letters and printing forged material that portrayed Poe as a bizarre and menacing character (Bloom, Harold p. 491). Although he was ultimately vindicated through the scholarship of A.H. Quinn and others, it has been the work of modern scholars to reestablish Poe’s reputation based on the work and not the man (Bloom, Harold p. 491 ). Edar Allan Poe Essay -- essays research papers A Reflection of the Life and Works of Edgar Allan Poe  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Edgar Allan Poe is a name even the literary illiterate know, but not many people know Edgar Allan Poe the person. When reading the works of this poetic genius many might think that he had a vivid imagination or just a morbid soul. The truth is that the works of Poe are based on his own life, the life of an orphan who suffered from an obsessive compulsive disorder and who eventually became diseased by alcoholism. Understanding Poe the man, who had true medical problems that caused erratic behavior and depression among many other things, is to have an understanding of the true meaning hidden behind the words of his poetry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Poe earned his place as a major figure in American letters for his tales of the bizarre and fantastic, short stories that are structurally brilliant and considered precursors of many forms and themes in subsequent American and European literature (Bloom, Harold p.491). Born of impoverished parents and orphaned at the age of two, Poe lived a brief and tragic life: a life whose legend has often proved an overpowering influence on the critical reception of his work (Bloom, Harold p.491). Before Poe was three years old both of his parents died, and he was raised in the house of John Allan, a prosperous exporter from Richmond, Virginia, who never legally adopted his foster son. Poe attended many of the best schools at that time. At the University of Virginia he distinguished himself academically, but after little more than only one year he had to leave because of financial debt and lack of adequate funds from Allan. Poe went on to enlist himself in the army where he finished and published his first poetry collection Tamerlane and Other Poems. These works received no recognition. When his second set of works appeared in 1829, it received only slight attention. Also in 1829 Poe was honorably discharged from the army, having attained the rank of regimental sergeant major, and was then admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point (Gale Research p.1). However because Allan would neither provide Poe with sufficient funds to maintain himself as a cadet nor giv e the consent necessary to resign from the Academy, Poe gained a dismissal by ignoring his duties and violating regulations (Gale Research p.1). H... ...roversy over the sanity, or at best the maturity of Poe (Paul Elmer More called him â€Å"the poet of unripe boys and unsound men†), it was the question of the value of Poe’s works as serious literature (Gale Research p.5). Edgar Allan Poe’s personal life, especially the stories surrounding his drinking and early death, are dealt with extensively by Poe’s contemporary critics as well as those writing in the twentieth century (Bloom, Harold p. 491). In their confusion of the man and his literary creations, certain critics have ascribed to Poe a morbidity of character and a cruel and unnatural temperament. (Bloom, Harold p. 491). This critical attitude was adumbrated by the publication of Poe’s letters under the direction of R.W. Griswold, his literary executor (Bloom, Harold p.491). Griswold, for reasons unknown, sought to defame Poe by falsifying his letters and printing forged material that portrayed Poe as a bizarre and menacing character (Bloom, Harold p. 491). Although he was ultimately vindicated through the scholarship of A.H. Quinn and others, it has been the work of modern scholars to reestablish Poe’s reputation based on the work and not the man (Bloom, Harold p. 491 ).

The Role of Civil Society in the

THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE DEMOCRATISATION PROCESS IN BOTSWANA INTRODUCTION One of the approaches to democratization is the fostering of civil society organizations. Botswana`s civil society organizations have a role to play in the country’s democratization process. As stated by Maundeni (2005) the argument is that the non-partisan character of Botswana’s civic organisations has not prevented them from participating actively in democratising the public space.In fact civil society has been portrayed as the prime catalyst for promoting democratisation process in developing countries, Africa in particular. This paper attempts to examine the above assertion in Botswana and posits the roles and contributions of civil society to democratisation process. CONCEPTS AND DEFINITONS WHAT IS CIVIL SOCIETY? The issue of defining what constitutes Civil Society is very controversial; it is defined in various ways. Indeed, the use of these terms in many instances depends on place and time, country and the existing legal framework for registering civil society organizations.Other factors include membership, mission, and form of organization and levels of operation. The World Bank defines civil society/NGOs as: â€Å"An association, society, foundation, charitable trust, non-profit corporation, or other juridical person that is not regarded under the particular legal system as part of the governmental sector and that is not operated for profit — viz. , if any profits are earned, they are not and cannot be distributed as such. It does not include trade unions, political parties, profit-distributing cooperatives, or churches. According to the Commission of European Communities â€Å"Civil society includes the following groups: trade unions and employers’ organizations (social partners); organizations representing social and economic players which are not social partners in the strict sense of the term†¦ non-governmental organizations which b ring people together in common cause, such as environmental organizations, human rights organizations, charities, professional associations, grass roots organizations; organizations that involve citizens in local and municipal life with a particular contribution from churches and religious communities.At one level, civil society can be described as all organized activity not associated with major institutional systems: government and administration, education and health delivery, business and industry, security and organized religion. They include religious/faith based organizations, cooperatives, trade unions, academic institutions, community and youth groups (Judge 1996). Civil societies are therefore created in the public interests and can do things which neither of the other national development actors-the government and the corporate sector-can do on their own.Civil societies would have as their main objective the improvement in the lives of the poorest and disadvantaged. This is where there is a role for the state: Harriss & de Rienzo (1997) suggest that the role played by civil society organizations will depend on the wider political setting, and on ways in which inequalities of power and resources are dealt with in the economic and political arena. DEMOCRACY The word is derived from the Greek word demos, which mean people rule. It can be defined as a system where the authority has its legitimacy in the will of what the people have expressed.Democracy at the same time puts demands on how the people’s will should come to expression. Two principles should apply political equality and principles of freedom. The first principle defines political citizenship and focuses on who should be involved in the political process. The second principle concerns freedoms of all kinds of political opinions that may be expressed during the political process. Democratic government aspires to serve under â€Å"the people† rather than ruling over them. Implemen ting some form of a voting system, usually involving indirect representation pursues this ideal.It shares links with the concept of a republic. DEMOCRATIZATION Like Civil society, the definition of democratisation has consistently been subjected to analytical scrutiny by social scientists, in particular, the political scientists. In his definition, Conteh-Morgan (1998) argues that democratisation is an increase in political equality and a decrease in coercive rule. Others argue that democratisation is synonymous to democratic consolidation and or the deepening of democratic practices (Diamond et al; 1995). It implies a process through which a political system becomes democratic.It is a process that is made up and caused by different factors; these can be connected with political or socio-economic structures and political institutions in which they act. It is a transition to democratic political systems, where democratic systems are taken to be those approximating to universal suffra ge, regular elections, a civil society, the rule of law and an independent judiciary. CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRATIZATION PROCESS IN BOTSWANA Civil society can be regarded as organisational life that is voluntary, self-generating, self-supporting, and autonomous from the state, and bound by a legal order or set of shared rules.It consists of a vast array of organisations, both formal and informal: interest groups, cultural and religious organisations, civil and developmental associations, issue-oriented movements, the mass media, research and educational institutions, and similar organisations. The difference between these groups and other society groups is that they are concerned with and act in the public realm, relate to the state (without seeking to win control over it), and encompass and respect pluralism and diversity.Civil society consists out of individuals from different groups who are seeking change within a society. Through organising themselves in various forms of protests to show that they demand their rights, civil society has proved to be powerful when a few societies have transformed from non-democracies into democracies. This implies that the functioning of democracy requires a strong civil society, but a civil society that is politicised, and interacts with the state through concrete participation in decision-making processes.TYPES OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO DEMOCRATISATION Research and Advocacy Groups: these are few without a membership base but effective think-tank research and policy advocacy NGOs. They have easy access to the Botswana policy makers and have established cordial relationship with the foreign donors. Some of these organisations do not only participate in drafting key policy documents for the governments, they also consult for the present regime on governance, economic, security and development issues.They have contributed significantly through research and advocacy to deepen democratic practices under the pres ent government. In his 2005 edition, Maudeni outlined the role of Democracy Research Project (DRP consisting of a academics) in the democratisation process. He showed that the DRP brought together different stakeholders in a way creating a platform where debates would be initiated and set in motion discussion about ways in which Botswana`s democracy might be improved. Maundeni reckons thus,the non-partisan DRP seeks to spark a democratisation debate nationally and infact has done so on past occassions.It has brought together politicians, academics, civil servants, journalists and traditional chiefs were brought together in a forum in which government politicians and officials did not exercise control over its proceedings. Human Rights and Democracy Advocacy Groups: Women NGOs These organisations advocated for the equality and recognition of women in the society, they were headed by a group of educated and committed women who provided leadership and who have worked as volunteers to b ring these organizations to where they are today.The groups include Young Women Christian Association, or Botswana Council of Women. Somolokae (1988) relates that these organisations have been dealing with purely welfare matters for decades and they enjoyed a good relationship with the state. Then during the mid-1980s, radical women’s groups entered the political scene. Examples here included Emang Basadi, and Metlhaetsile. From the onset, these organizations set out to challenge the state on policy issues. Emang Basadi was formed in 1984 to pressure the government to repeal all legislations which were discriminatory against women.At first, the reception was bad. Overtime, Emang Basadi together with other NGOs, began to network and push as a united front. When not much progress was being made, the groups under the leadership of Emang Basadi switched focus to a political agenda. The organization came up with a political education project to sensitize women about their politica l rights, encouraging them to vote for candidates who are committed to addressing the issues and concerns of women. This strategy seems to have worked as more women than ever showed interest in political power. Ditshwanelo – Botswana Center for Human RightsThe Botswana Centre for Human Rights was established in 1993 and since then has remained the only organisation in Botswana dealing with all aspects of human rights. It advocate for changes in laws, policies and practices, and to raise public awareness of rights and responsibilities and also provide paralegal services to those earning less than the minimum wage. Ditshwanelo also targeted its campaigns on the death penalty. In its recent statement commemorating World Day against the Death Penalty on October 10 2012, the NGO remains opposed to the death penalty vows to continue to campaign for its abolition in Botswana. t states that it is particularly concerned about the secretive and arbitrary conduct by the Government of Bo tswana, in its administration of the death penalty. The group also has partnership with other rights-focused organisations in Botswana, such as those focusing on gender equality or the rights of those affected by HIV/AIDS, complementing the work of its partners, and focusing on issues least supported by others, including the Basarwa / San (Bushmen), sexual minorities and domestic workers. Trade Unions These are organisations established to influence policies in favour of their members.They are very active in influencing economic and less of political policies. One of the leading and effective members of this group is the Botswana Federation of Public Service Union BOFEPUSU,it is popular in mobilizing workers to go on strike when the need arises and the government is aware of this strength as experienced in 2011. Inaugurating a New Trade Union Education Centre at Gaborone, Botswana on July 10, 1971, President Seretse Khama discussed the role of trade unions – present and futur e – in his country.He states â€Å"Free trade unions are an essential instrument of participatory democracy. It is through such unions that the workers can not only defend their interests but also make a positive contribution to national development. And if this contribution is to be effective trade unions must be free. They will not be an effective instrument of participatory democracy if they are manipulated by government, or by a political party or by any external agency. A trade union movement must seek to maintain the confidence of all its members irrespective of party affiliation.It must not become the agent of a political party. We in Botswana have given trade unions freedom to represent their members' interests and to guide the aspirations of our workers so that they make a productive contribution to national growth. We have not given them freedom to promote the interests of political parties or external powers. † In summary, below are the four broad roles that the civil society has been playing to deepen its contribution to the democratisation processes. Monitoring Role- This varies from one programme and organisation to another.The monitoring of the executive and legislatures for accountability and good governance for instance are most prevalent among the specialised research and advocacy NGOs while census, elections and budget implementation monitoring are common among the Network and coalitions. They have been performing this role, pointing to mistakes and how governments can overcome such mistakes. Capacity Building Role- Training and sensitization of citizens on their democratic and human rights and how these rights can be protected e. g. he rights of the citizens to hold accountable the elected representatives etc. This capacity building is not restricted to the citizens alone, the elected representatives have also benefited from such trainings e. g. , democratic control of military and security establishments, the making of partic ipatory and gender sensitive budgets etc. Another remarkable, although, ongoing contribution of civil society to the process of democratisation in Botswana; is the campaign for a new constitution for the country through the convocation of a sovereign national conference.Disciplinary Role- finally, the civil society has also been mobilising the citizens and call on government to discipline some of the elected representatives and bureaucrats for misconduct while in office through recalls and dismissal (though they have not been successful in this role). More efforts and capacity building- training and fiscal resources are needed to be successful in this role. The challenges of civil society Usually they represent only those sections of the population that are strong and self-aware.The viewpoints of civil society sometimes are conflicting and contradictory and there is a high possibility of susceptibility to foreign governments or foreign groups particularly if the CSO/NGO receives Int ernational funding. Sometimes, people working or serving in civil society are drawn to this sector due to the potential incomes they expect to receive rather than the ideology. This is particularly true with people working in NGOS. CONCLUSIONThe paper critically analysed the roles and contributions of civil society to the process of democratisation in Botswana and argued that the types of civil society and its advocacy strategies to a large extent determine the level of civil society’s contribution to democratic process. Investing in civil society groups whose activities have found resonance with the population is one way to promote the democratization of politics and the full participation of the citizenry in public life.The civil society must continue to employ a collective advocacy role to mobilize consensus for a national agenda of democratization, peace building and national reconciliation. Moving away from individualized, fragmented and disorganized advocacy to collecti ve advocacy is essential to becoming a strong countervailing force. It can also be concluded that civil society plays a critical role in strengthening democracy in that, it brings about the movement from a bureaucratic administration to a more representative administration.Civil society brings about active co-operation and an on-going commitment in the process of policy formulation and implementation between politicians, senior management, frontline workers, and citizens. Civil society encourages the divergence from the traditional regime-driven policy process to one where there is a multiplicity of negotiated determinants of the problem identification, formulation of policy principles, setting of objectives, development of options according to agreed criteria, and the formulation of an implementation strategy.The manner in which this is done and the contribution at various stages in the process characterize democracy. The dynamism of linkages underscored above ascribes to democracy as being about partnerships of all stakeholders in an endeavour to bring about synergies of efforts and resources. The civil society also strengthens democracy through fostering of complex relationships, not only among different institutions of state, but among all the stakeholders, from the most powerful titans to the poorest and most vulnerable people on society's marginsREFERENCES I. Commonwealth Foundation (1995): â€Å"Non-Governmental organization: Guidelines for Good Policy and Practice,† London. II. Conteh-Morgan Earl (1997), Democratization in Africa: the theory and dynamics of political transitions, Preager Pub. Westport, USA III. Diamond, L; Linz Juan; and Lipset Seymour (1995) Politics in Developing Countries: comparing experiences with democracy (Second Edition), Pub Lynne Rienner, London. IV. Emang Basadi (1998) Political Education Project: A Strategy that Works Gaborone: Lentswe la Lesedi. V. Judge, A. 1996) Interacting fruitfully with uncivil society: the Dil emma for Non Civil Society Organizations, (Transnational Associations, Washington DC, ) VI. Holm J. (1996) â€Å"Development, Democracy and Civil Society in Botswana,† in Leftwitch (ed). I. Policy Press, U. K. II. Maundeni Z. (2005) 40 Years of Democracy in Botswana 1965-2005 III. Somolekae G. (1998) Democracy, Civil Society and Governance in Africa :The Case of Botswana IV. The World Bank (1997): International Center for Not-for-profit Law, 1997. Handbook on Good Practices Relating to Non-Governmental Organizations, Washington

How to Establish Relationships with Adults

How to establish relationships with adults Establishing relationships with adults use the same basic skills, wither it is a friend or colleague. The main difference establishing a friendship with an adult and a colleague is how much formality and professionalization is used. Professional Colleagues. * Formal vocabulary – You speak in a professional manner, using correct pronunciation and clearly. * Know colleagues title – Use their correct titles e. g. Mr, Mrs, Professor, Doctor etc. * Keep personal issues away – Do not bring into work your home issues, or let them distract you from work. Trust, Reliability and Initiative – When working closely with someone, you have to be able to trust that person to be able to carry out instructions correctly, know they will be in and on time, for work and know that they can handle situations on their own or have some input towards a common goal. Also not having to be told all the time what needs to be done next etc. * A pproachable, Helpful and Assertive – Always be friendly and helpful, this way your colleague feels they can come up to you and ask for help etc. without feeling they are putting on you, as you are both working as a team. You must also be assertive, this does not mean attitude, lack of respect or rude but putting your opinion across on ideas or views. * No Attitude or Undermining – In a professional setting you DO NOT give a colleague any attitude or undermine him or her. This not only makes you look unprofessional but also lets everybody else know that there are issues and affects their work. If there are issues, you can ask the colleague for a quiet chat privately and put your opinions across politely and respectably. Body language & Humour – Your body language speaks volumes to other colleagues before you have said a word, so keep yourself happy, smiles, confident and available. If your body language is good, you will be more approachable, accepted and liked. Humour is a good thing but you must always make sure it is acceptable for the situation and is not personal towards colleagues. * Confidential – A colleague must be able to tell you things of importance regarding work or a person and know that you will keep it confidential, without fear of it leaving the setting in which it applies. Dress code – How you dress reflects a lot on you, make sure you are dressed appropriately for the setting, with no miniskirts or very low cut tops etc. You should always be clean and presentable to be able to carry out your tasks in a professional manner. These are especially important guidelines to follow when working within a classroom setting with a teacher every day; you will build a lasting relationship built on mutual respect and trust. In addition, the pupils will see you both work as a team and friendly, which will better their experience in the classroom and their education. How to deal with disagreements Between you and other adults: If you do have a disagreement, it needs to be approached with respect and sensitivity to each other’s feelings as quickly as possible to prevent any further deterioration of the situation. * Making sure a disagreement has occurred – I would ask to have a private conversation with the other adult to check I have not just misunderstood what they have said or asked. * Communication & Respect – Make sure you listen to others opinions and views, without interjecting or talking over; this will only escalate the situation. Also, expect the same respect back. Discuss the issues calmly and fairly. See if any agreement can come from conversation or common ground. * Mediation – If the disagreement cannot be resolved between ourselves, a third party can try to mediate between us. Who is not involved in the initial disagreement and is neutral. * Apologises – Always be ready to say sorry, if needed and be genuine. Also, accept any apologies given. Do not hold grudges or carry it on after it has been resolved. Between you and children or young people: You should never be drawn into a disagreement with a child or young person, if the child or young person is trying to do this, you will have to manage the situation in a number of ways: * Find out what the problem is – Depending on age, lower yourself to their eye level and either repeat or request an instruction, ask them if they understood. If they reply yes, ask what is the problem? * Tone of voice – Keep your tone of voice calm and clear but firm. * Defiant child / young person – DO NOT get annoyed, ask another member of staff to help with situation, give the child a time out ( depending on age, will deter the time out given e. . corner or classroom or out of classroom etc. ) * Distraction – You can sometimes distract the child from what is annoying them to help stop the disagreement. * Show example – Show the child/ young person what you expect by either a demonstration from yourself or another pupil in the class, this will show them you are re asonable in your request etc. * Be genuine – A child or young person will know if you are not and will continue to try to draw you into disagreements. Aggression – If a child is being aggressive, it will depends on the depth of the aggression e. g. strength, anger or even special needs will determine how it is dealt with. Mild aggression can be handled with talking and listening to the pupil, taking the child away to calm down and from what is causing them to get aggressive. Stronger aggression will need extra staff to help and can either restrain the child, then remove or in some cases remove the rest of the pupils from the class until the pupil has calmed down. Personality clash – Sometimes it can be just down to personality clash that you may have a pupil that draws you into disagreements, If this is the case, you must try not to show this towards the pupil but they will towards you. You must remain professional at all times. If you are helping the pupil on a one to one, maybe ask to be moved to another child as the pupils education will suffer if they are more interested in having disagreements with you. NEVER tell the pupil this is why you are being moved and do not make them feel bad for the clash, it happens. Apologies – NEVER be afraid to say sorry to a pupil if you are wrong and say it meaningfully, the pupil will know if you are being honest. All of the above are ways to deal with a disagreement with a child or young person; any disagreement has to be dealt with accordingly with their age and extent of disagreement. Never feel you have to deal with it all by yourself, if extra help is wanted, ask for it as it may calm the situation down a lot quicker and easier.