The Non-Smoking Policy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 27

The Non-Smoking Policy - Case Study Example These are the people who will be affected by the cost of healthcare that results from smoking. Smoking in the company will affect or harm the non-smokers in the company (second-hand smoking). Non-smokers will have to put have at the risk of smoking-related illness even when they do not smoke. There is a conflict of interest between the employees and the company as employees feel that random testing and smoking ban is a violation of their rights while the employers believe that the policy is for the benefit of the employees. There exists a tension between the rights of the employees and those of the employer. There are no rights that are being ignored, and no one is failing in his or her obligation. The policy is aimed at ensuring a level playing field for all employees (fairness) - to prevent second-hand smoking and first-hand smoking effects. The issue is an ethical issue arising here is whether those employees who are smokers are being discriminated in the workplace. The issue aris ing, in this case, is the cause of the tension between the rights of the employer and the rights of the employee. Â  The possible alternative to the status quo of the affected employees is quit working at Weyco Inc. and seek for a job at the other USA states where measures against smokers are prohibited. The alternative to the status quo of the company is to fire the employees who violate the non-smoking policy for as long as they do not violate the discrimination laws. To achieve a compromise, both the employer and the employees should arrive at a consensus on the way forward. For example, the employer will have to employ a wellness program that will reward those employees who make lifestyle choices that are deemed to be healthy as part of its occupational health and safety.

Project eliverables, WBS and Gantt hart Assignment

Project eliverables, WBS and Gantt hart - Assignment Example Objectives of new market viaduct replacement project:  The main objectives of the new market viaduct replacement project are;1. Construction of fourth southbound lane from Gillies Avenue to the Green Lane.2. To upgrade the current viaduct’s edge protection, traffic load capacity and seismic performance.3. The ability to maintain operation on the local roading network during construction.4. To achieve a residual design life for 100 years.5. Opportunity to provide the collection, treatment and disposal of storm water to Auckland regional council TP10.6. To provide maximum retention of motorway debris and recognizing the land beneath the viaduct. This project involves the replacement of 700 m long new market Viaduct with a pre-cast segmental balanced cantilever structure constructed in two stages using an 800 t gantry. It includes the deconstruction of the existing bridge in two stages by implementing extensive temporary works to maintain stability of the construction. It also includes   50 m long Gillies Avenue over bridge with a Super-T bridge, realignment of the State Highway 1 off-ramp at Gillies Avenue and on-ramp at St. Marks Road to connect the realigned State Highway 1, installation of extensive concrete mass block walls for   on-ramps, and construction of the new Dilworth footbridge. They provide the gate way to Auckland.Scope Details:The NZ Transport Agency utilized the construction and deconstruction staged approach for the implementation of motorway project.

What western companies face when entering China

What western companies face when entering China This thesis will focus on the business environment for MNCs planning to invest their businesses in China. Today, China has a huge market for foreign investment and low labour work force.it has its own unique culture differs from the western countries. The culture shock and the different market characteristics are the key difficulties for foreign businesses, also not an easy business environment to penetrate. China business environment has helped so many MNCs in the past and present to achieve their profit. It also analyse the barrier of entering mode and how difficult it is to get the right Chinese partner to negotiate with. Having the money its not the problem getting fully connected and a good relationship with the government is significant. Another dynamic code for western companies its guanxi, well connected Chinese person although what happens in China now is that the highest guanxi merits the business. China is amazing, the beauty of Shanghai has made several multinational companies to flock into the Chinese market through beverages, furnitures, pharmaceuticals, logistics also contributing in their economy growth through wholly foreign owned enterprise WFOEs and EJVs equity joint venture. However, formal rules need to be backed by informal rules to be inefficient in terms of overcoming any informal limitations of human interaction. Informal rules need to be such that the costs of enforcement, measurement, supervision and monitoring can decrease. The difference between the marketplace China and the west is that both, formal and informal rules are well developed in the west, while they are severely underdeveloped in China. IKEA is a successful case to open the China market recent years. The main goal is to acquire the information in order to provide the overseas retailers with a good entering and starting point for creating an effective business plan and operating successfully in the Chinese furniture market. Another successful case in the Chinese market is Coca-Cola who entered the business market as a joint venture but now have five major bottling plants in five different cities in China, two of them are owned by joint ventures why the others are WFOEs wholly foreign owned enterprise Introduction In an era where consumers are more demanding, critical and possess higher purchasing power, firms increasingly discover that where service was previously a mere factor employed in support of the main organizational functions, the quality of, and efficiency in delivering, service, have now joined the fundamental business pillars of technological advancement and product novelty as principal determinants of success. Nowadays, many businesses in service-oriented industries in China, including MNCs furniture, beverage chains, rely on Chinese culture as a distinctive cutting edge in gaining and maintaining business. Hampden-Turner, (1990) suggests that culture is fast becoming a vital business tool in the encouragement of high performance in China. Where multinational organizations attempt to replicate these values in another national setting, problems may arise. Mead (1994) suggests that such organizations may have to modify these home country systems, structures and values to comply with local norms. China was an emerging market where the main challenge for MNCs was simply getting started, choosing the right joint venture Chinese partner and securing government permission to enter the market, the right city to sell in, and even the right target customer segments in those cities. However, few companies had large, complex operations in this market. Today, over more than 450 of the fortune 500 foreign companies are in China, and they are all facing home-grown competition from Chinese companies is rapidly growing. The Chinese market more profitable, more complex, and also potentially riskier than ever. As Chinas economy grows and open further, the opportunity it presents to MNCs is changing. Now, western companies can actually go after the Chinese domestic market, and its worth going after, the improvements in Chinas infrastructure, workforce, and regulatory environment are making it possible for companies to lower their cost to reap new competitive advantages. Lieberthal.K,and Liebe rthal,G. During the decline in demand brought on by the Asia financial crisis in 1997,then China made massive infrastructure investments, including a huge expansion of the highway, telecom, rail, and water management systems. All these investments have improved connections among what used to be largely separate domestic markets. However, the regulatory environment is also moving in the right direction, also getting more transparent. As China implements its WTO commitments, many opportunities are opening up to foreign firms, which are increasingly in the same position on an equal footing with home-grown companies. Also, with the structural changes established by the National Peoples Congress in March 2003, indicate additional progress in shifting the role of government from the planning and administration of a socialist economy to the regulation of market economy. In 1990, China led the world in the production of only televisions and cotton textiles, by 2002 they added refrigerators, motorbikes, cameras, DVD players, desktop PCs, bicycles, cigarette lighters and cellular phones. China, in sum is rapidly becoming the manufacturing center of Asia. In this thesis I will examine what multinationals need to know before entering China for business, in the next ten years, multinationals should be the biggest winners in China. For, western companies to reap the benefits, a multinational must properly nest its effort into its overall business, show one face to China at the national level and tailor local strategies, be wary of EJV and mitigate risk, and in particular the theft of intellectual property. One important reason for this trend, in FDIs and foreign companies is no doubt globalisation. The phenomenon has given individuals the awareness of opportunities outside their region or territory. In that case it can be seen as an incentive for foreign investors looking to gain global market share. Which off cause globalisation has made the world not only globalised but very competitive. Also, as these foreign investors are expanding they have to be cautious on issues such as culture, negotiation, risk and most importantly the politica l environment. All these issues we be examined in the rest of the dissertation. The research method used is based on case studies. Which are real life examples, showing the success of one firm to the failure of another. At the end one discovers that culture has its own trait into the Chinese working society, based on established theories. Means of Entering China: When entering China, western companies have 3 investment vehicles that can be used, Equity Joint Venture (EJV), Wholly Foreign Own Enterprise WFOE, and foreign-invested companies limited by shares (FICLS). Traditionally and in the past foreigner and western companies enter through EJV using a well connect Chinese partner or middle man, this trend is still stand although in some sectors. Today china is changing, more and more opportunities are created and more challenges face western companies. More western companies are entering and have begun to explore the chines market through WFOE as the best alternative. Although EJV and WFOE are similar in terms of corporate liability and taxation and operate within the same foreign exchange rules. One of the reasons for changing tend would be the time. It takes more time to establish an EJV than a WFEO. WFOE are faster to set up and easier to manage. They allow managers to expand operations more rapidly and meet only minimal resistance from au thorities. Harvard Business Review 2004. Another reason would be the limitation and underperformance of EJVs. Western companies investors are finding greater managerial control and flexibility which makes an excellent start for the competitive market in China. Some analyst describes the new emergency of WFOE as dramatic in china. Access to Chinese markets through a Joint venture is more limited than many foreign investors have hoped, and much more limited than most Chinese partners can deliver.   By 2002, WFOEs comprised nearly 65% of the approved projects and by value 69% of the deals.  Ã‚  Its expected that WFOEs will grow even more in number and value once more of  Chinas industrial sectors become open wholly-owned ventures that are currently restricted to JVs. Some advantages of WFOE is that it gives greater protection of intellectual property rights, know-how and technology since no partner required and therefore more control of IP. It also helps with greater efficiency in its operations like mentioned above, including management and future development. In addition the ability of converting RMB profits to US dollars or other foreign currency for remittance to their parent company outside China. U.s household products company had entered china through an EJV in 1990 with Shanghai Jahwas corporation. Jahwa was Chinas largest cosmetic manufacture. The two companies had conflicting interest and the result was devastating. First the US Company intended to capitalise on the Chinese base company for distribution, brand equity, guanxi in other to push its own production line. On the other hand Jahwa Home Base Company was looking to the foreign company to upgrade the companys technology and increase its competitive capabilities both locally and abroad. Having direct direction, aims and objects except for sales, the joint venture went into halt for 3 years. Following that was a we drawer from Jahwas selling all it shares. This action left the American base company seeking a new local partner to save its investments and to save face. Such actions and the Chinese culture make it extremely stressful and risk taking for western companies to undertake in an EJV. In contrast to Jahwas and the U S base company, the experience of Johnson and Johnson a western pharmaceutical company that entered china as part of an EJV is slightly different and optimistic .The company entered China as an EJV, Although this had been successful, but a change in strategy came in 1992. The company decided to launch new products in oral care, baby and feminine hygiene but as WFOE, looking for more control over sourcing and marketing. This result was achieved, ever since the introduction of the new venture, revenues have increased 40 % to 50 %. Following, that was the decision from the company to continue its business operations as WFOE unless they were given a great and major offer from a Chinese partner. In respect of the different cases, it is important that western companies enter china through the right way, either EJV or WFOE demanding on the offer and the possibility of gaining market share. Although this is exaggerating for western companies to enter and gain market share due to the level of local competition, but having the right partner and long term sight might bring the puzzle together. Despite the criticism of EJV and the thought of been left to hang out dry there are also Chinese in the market looking for westerners to join or buy part of an EJV. This on its own is increasly happening. Short Term and Long term Results This is important for new investor or foreign companies planning to enter china. One would have to look at the long future not the short term. There are uncertainties about political stability and the market economy. What could go wrong? Could it affect the companies aims or objectives. In the case of china, the future some is bright, a rising star, with a demanding population there might always be a market and most especially consumers. Most western companies might not want to enter the Chinese market on the short term basis because of uncertainties, however in most cases it is impossible to do. They end up finding themselves in the market for the long term. Several multinationals are approaching China as a long- term strategic market, and they are investing large sums of money to help build sustainable long-term positions. In the short term, the result might not be as expected, and it is unlikely to make profit gain market share. Companies would have stages to under go, from introd ucing the brand, acquiring consumers to keep sales stable. Many western companies look to the case of Coca Cola as an early entrant in the Chinese markets and back the arguments that one must be around a long time in other to achieve best results. The case of coca cola When Coca Cola entered china in the early 1980s, it wasnt well received by the consumers. The market was saturate with different soft drinks, most being lightly colour or orange flavour. In that case Coca Cola changed strategy and began to invest in sprite and Fanta. While doing this Coca Cola never lost sight of pushing its brand forward. It continued to invest in branding the product coke. By the early 1990s consumers began to accept the soft drink that the sales of other began to decline. Sales of Coke to Sprit volume ratio was four to three. In contrast, Pepsi- Cola has been less successful with 7-Up, the Pepsi to 7-Up ratio is four to one. Coca-Colas long- term success has been also involved taking as much control as possible of its joint ventures. When the company first entered china it was force to merger as a joint venture. It formed an EJV with China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Import-Export Corporation (COFCO). However in 1988 when regulations changed and where more relaxed, the company moved quickly to buy shares from its partners, having full managerial control of firm. It was complete, coke decided to invite 2 new partners when establish a new joint venture. The partners were Citic China International Trust and Investment Corporation, Swire Pacific, and Kerry Group. Citi is a state owned companied founded by Deng xipong, this relationship between the two partners could if not used as a basis for developing guanxi or influence , related to the process of doing business in China. Though the case of Coca Cola was succefully and showed how the long run paid off the company today the company has gained enormous share in the Asian region with China being the third just after Philippines (see chart below) so did other early entrant like Volkswagen report to be successful over the long peiod of time, growing at double digits per year. However, some other western firms have found it different. But Peugeot entered the Chinese market at the same time as Volkswagen, and it has lost tens of millions of dollars each year since 1995. This brings us to the argument of why are short-term results so important? Turbulent market such as Chinas, sustainable long-term positions are necessarily built on a series of successful short-term moves. Short-term results can help build brand recognition, attract local talent, and secure support from the parent company, which can create a virtuous cycle. Source: http://fliiby.com/file/328720/m6qct0zqis.html. By contrast, a vicious cycle is established when a multinational company sees no positive short-term results. Rather than revise the companys strategy, managers typically justify underperformance with the argument that China is a long term market. However, the hard truth is this, when no positive short-term results are seen, critical mass is not achieved, so the overhead cannot be spread over a reasonable volume. Therefore, the operations lose credibility back at the home office. As a rule, the China business is then scaled back in order to reduce short-term losses. What MNCs have to put in mind is that, in general, market share falls and the Chinese operations are second guessed; How far should we go, How hard should we push, When will we see results and How attainable are the long-term targets .Drawing upon these dynamics, players that want to be around over the long run had better be making the right moves today or they we be sitting on the side-lines before tomorrows game even be gins. It doesnt mean that MNCs have to get every thing right? No. Everyone makes mistakes. Moreover, multinationals must learn from their mistakes and learn fast. Long term success is best achieved through measurable short-term results. Guanxi Guanxi can be roughly described as a type of social capital that is developed between two persons via a process of reciprocal exchange (Gregory Osland 993). Has become a familiar term among those involved with Chinese society its creating personal connection, networking and a valuable asset for any one thinking of investing or doing business in China. Access to Chinese markets can be hindered by what is thought to be the great door-opener guanxi. Therefore, guanxi has long been touted as an invaluable asset to western investors. This concept is different to that of the west. Westerners put a premium on the networking, information, and institutions, the Chinese place a premium on individuals social capital within their grow up friends, relatives, and close associates. Although today some argue that the role of guanxi is fading, as some Chinese business practice the western style of business. According to Hexter and Woetzel 2007, more and more western companies are finding out that the scope of their Chinese partners guanxi is limited, which may take them in directions that are difficult to control or may not be strategically suitable. In addition, some companies are finding that guanxi may not be cost effective. This doesnt underestimate the force of having guanxi, it remains an important social force. More often than not, the person with the best guanxi wins. Although the key to using guanxi as a way of establishing reputation is to focus on developing and maintaining a network of high-quality contacts while maintaining the focus on the discrete relationships that constitute the network. Organizations can establish themselves as reputable in China by having a multitude of organizational participants engage in guanxi -based business practices. However, guanxi remains a product of individuals and becomes an organizational asset only to the extent that individuals are willing to use their guanxi in order to achieve organizational objectives. Maintaining guanxi Maintaining guanxi in china is essential and important. It is also important even critical to note that the entire process is embedded in discrete relationships. One must continually invest in their guanxi networks In order to maintain the network and relationship. A survey conducted by the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption (Anonymous, 1993) found that Hong Kong business persons spent 3 5 per cent of their total operating budgets to cultivate guanxi in China. Yan (1996) found that in the north China village of Xjajia, households spent between 10 and 20 per cent of their disposable incomes on nurturing guanxi relationships. Indeed, the cost of maintaining a guanxi network can be quite expensive (Park and Luo, 2001; Yu, 2002 ; Fan, 2002b). However, the penalties for not continuing to invest in the relationships can be rather substantial. According to Tung and Worm (2001), Most European firms appear to have a basic grasp of guanxi. However, these same firms do not appear to recognize the importance of continued investment in the guanxi relationship. Most of the firms surveyed by Tung and Worm showed a reluctance to engage in substantial social activities outside the normal work environment. Consequently, the depth of relationships developed was substantially hampered (a limitation on the quality of relationships established). At the extreme, a failure to focus on the long-term relationship can be perceived as an expectation of immediate pay-out, which can be interpreted as an attempt at bribery. Such a perception can have a devastating impact on reputation. Succeed with Guanxi Having guanxi is only for starts, succeeding with it will yield the owner the benefits Davies  et al. (1995) highlighted a number of benefits to be derived from guan xi: It can serve as an information gathering mechanism; It can act as a means of securing access to important resources; It smooths the process of gaining privileges such as government licences etc.; It is often used to enhance company reputation; It can contribute to the building and enhancement of competitive advantage; and It can serve to open doors where once they were firmly shut. While trying to succeed with guanxi. It is important to note that guanxi remains the product of the individual. It would not only be inappropriate to describe an organization as having good guanxi but difficult in the true sense to achieve .the only way organizations can have the concept as an assets is through its employees. In most cases these who are amongst senior/ high ranked employees, especially in western companies. But the dilemma is that guanxi becomes an organizational asset if the individuals one have it, two maintain it (and that would require at an escalating manner) and thirdly are knowledgeable on how to succeed on it in order to achieve organizational objectives. An organization with the greater number of individuals possessing guanxi has greater possibilities of getting deals done if not faster. It also gives the company greater reputation causing a multiplier effect. In that case organizations should endeavour to promote and support the development of this concept within its employees. Incentives like rewards or bonuses can be given to individuals using guanxi to promote the companies core objective. In that way employees would be enthusiastic about the approach especially westerns who come with a different way of doing business. Negotiation They have different basic cultural values and ways of thinking when it comes to negotiation. The westerners are known to prefer quick meeting and getting deals done fast. The chines on the other hand are known for their long courting process and as some would say Friendship first then business. When it comes to doing business any way, the art of negotiation is important, if ignored could lead to the end of the deal before even getting to start. Westerns approach negotiations with an informal attitude while the chines are formal. What ever the case maybe, communicating in the same direction is needed. However some argue that there are a lot of communication break down that exist between western and Chinese businesses. One of the causes is the failure of westerners to understand the broader context of the culture and values in China. However problem that too often leaves western negotiators confused and whirling. (Harvard Business review pg.32) Western and Chinese approaches often appear incompatibility. Westerner see Chinese negotiators as inefficient, indirect, and even dishonest, while the Chinese see western negotiators as aggressive, impersonal, and excitable. Such perception has deep cultural origins. Yet those who know how to navigate these differences can develop thriving, mutually profitable, and satisfying business relationships. The Chinese cultural threads are shown through the way of negotiation. Cultural threads are like agrarianism, morality, and wariness of strangers. Most western business people often find these elements mysterious and confusing but ignoring them at any time during the negotiation process and the deal can easily fall apart. Culture and Business Hexter and Woetzel 2007 The culture and government of any country could have a significant effect on businesses and China is no exception. Today in China western companies find that the government is quite different. Past of the reason would be that in the last 25years, China has passed more than one thousand laws and regulations related to commerce and distribution, limitation of foreign businesses have been relaxed . Allowing private and foreign enterprise to join and merger with local Chinese businesses or even as wholly owned foreign enterprises in most industries. This approach is most welcomed from MNCs as a choice of entering as mention above. Government also has established the necessary legal codes for mergers and acquisitions (MA) of both state and private assets. In China the role central and provincial governments in the business sphere have become more defined, and decisions more open and transparent. The central government, for instance, today tends to exert more contro l over businesses earmarked for national development, such as high technology and aviation, less control over businesses such as consumer goods or food processing, where provincial and local governments with their growing economic clout compete to offer substantial investment to woo business opportunities. These remarkable developments mean that today western companies in China will find a clear, well-trodden path for almost every activity they may want to pursue. Foreign investment law is much better developed Nevertheless, western companies need to focus on their relationship with the government to achieve success has changed. However, in some ways this appears to be a dilemma. On the other hand, transactions occur, and the government is involved in every one all foreign invested business needs government approval and therefore government relationships must be maintained. The ability of a company to make future deals with the government rests on how well it executes the deals it has already made, including the service it delivers to customers and its ability to hit financial performance targets and thus return expected tax revenue to the government. Therefore, China has been more critical, then for western companies to work with central and local government on day to day basis to identify new opportunities. With more western firms in the field, and much greater competition among foreign -based and domestic companies on the ground in every sector, government has almost no choice but to ado pt more routine processes to manage access. The average CEO will find it much more difficult to see the minister in Beijing nowadays. Conclusion In conclusion doing business in China involves many challenges but also provides many rewards. Challenges include cultural misunderstandings, consumer diversity, and the vast size of the country. However, China is a unique business environment The world is expanding and China in its own way has received in an influx of international companies. Western company in their own way have influence the Chinese way of business, its national culture and identity remain steadfast. Their culture is embedded in the way they do business and management style. But its uniqueness and characteristics is what westerner companies face as a major challenge till today. Multinationals organizations seeking investment opportunities find this an enormous task of researching into the Chinese corporate culture. Now many western companies have recognised the need to under the corporate and local culture than persist in China. ( Pang, 1998) In previous years possessing qualities like guanxi was highly valuable but today with the changing atmosphere having high influence would be more beneficial. Finally if western companies aim to be successful in China they must radically improve the way they execute in the country. High performance is difficult in a country with high competition therefore western companies must increase they scope, maintain high/ quality productivity. They should adapt global managerial practices to the realities of Chinese context (Harvard business review 2004, p 171) not forgetting to embed also the Chinese rules and elements. Companies could always tumble in how they execute tactic and approach in china. The wrong tactics or bad execution of good strategy has terrible consequences. But good tactics and execution on the level that western companies would accept of their operating managers in competitive developed market is exceptional in China, even harder to define. Until now many multinational did not need to focus as relentlessly as executing to world class stands in their china operations as they did in other market. Western companies would urgently need to improve performance is nearly every aspect of their operation in china, if they are going to be profitable in the short or long run and indeed if they are to survive in china. In addition other relevant elements would be securing government permission to enter the market, picking the right joint venture partner and then selling existing brands at premium prices in the right cities to right customers. Time and time have shown that those who make smarter choices about joint venture partners like coca cola, brands cities and distribution networks tends to fair better than rivals. Moreover the reforms in the government and plans to use the WTO entry requirements to force the domestic reforms. many believe will make Chinese firms competitive internationally in the coming decades. So in a remarkably wide range of sectors, western companies must now think seriously about their ways in China and those of their current and potential competitors that are likely to affect their wider future global opportunities To be sure, China will remain an exceptionally challenging environment. It is a country with inadequate legal protections, rampant intellectual property right violations, massive government interference, and severe price competition from state subsidies firms. However Beijing desire to expand the service and private sector, combined with its willingness to allow foreign firms to compete nearly across the board, means that the china market is ever changing and now becoming a real opportunity just as the purchasing power of Chinese consumers is beginning to increase. Western companies should try to try this into their advantage just like Ikea has done in china. Entering the Chinese market in 1998 as an EJV, with a low pricing strategy and today has captured 49 % of the furniture market in china. Although as they say patience is a virtue, Ikea had waited for 10 years before its success came in the Chinese market. In the near future China is likely to remain the worlds fastest growing major economy therefore western companies should turn the situation into their advantage and gain global market share while the sun shines.

Housing and Urban Development: Family Homelessness Essay -- Homeless

Introduction Families now comprise a major segment of the homeless population. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, 222,197 people in families were homeless on a single night in 2013, accounting for 36 percent of all homeless people counted. This condition has been considered as a problem in this country. However, from social constructionist perspective, it is socially constructed by members in its society rather than an objective condition. This paper provides the process of family homelessness problem being socially constructed since the 1970s and discusses how policy solutions was framed throughout the process. Social Construction of Family Homelessness Hidden Stage. Homelessness in the United States has always existed, without interruption. Assistance to homeless population was provided along with assistance offered low-income people before the 20th century, almost entirely delivered by charity and faith-based organizations (Leginski, 2007). However, homelessness did not come to the public’s attention as a national issue until the 1970s and 1980s because to be homeless meant primarily living without the social relations—spouses, parents, or children—before the 1970s (Bagalman et al, 2013). Specifically, the condition of homelessness was slept at night in the cheap accommodations available on skid rows rather than sleeping in public places that people did not have to see them (Rochefort, & Cobb, 1992; Rossi, 1994). On the other hand, researches conducted during the 1950s and 1960s on homelessness issue contain no mention of homeless families. Bagalman et al. (2013) point out that it was because social researchers defined the homeless as â€Å"familyless† ... ...hensive, integrated, and long-term solution (Rochefort & Cobb, 1992) that was also interpreted in the policy product—Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. Works Cited Cronley, C. (2010). Unraveling the social construction of homelessness. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 20(2), 319-333. Gulati, P. (1992). Ideology. Public Policy and Homeless Families. J. Soc. & Soc. Welfare, 19, 113. Rochefort, D. A., & Cobb, R. W. (1992). Framing and claiming the homelessness problem. New England Journal of Public Policy, 8(1), 5. Rog, D. J., & Buckner, J. C. (2007, September). 5-homeless families and children. In Toward Understanding Homelessness: The 2007 National Symposium (Vol. 4). Shinn, M. B., Rog, D. R., & Culhane, D. P. (2005). Family homelessness: Background research findings and policy options. Departmental Papers (SPP).

Favorite Painting by Picasso

Have you ever gone to the museum and glanced at paintings but had to do a double take because a painting grabbed your attention so strongly? This is what happened to me when I saw the painting by Pablo Picasso entitled Mother and Child 1901. This painting was done during what was called the Blue Period. â€Å"Picasso Blue Period was in 1900 and ended in 1904. † (unknown, Pablo Picasso Blue Period 1901-1904, 2009) All of his paintings during this period were created in shades of blue and blue-green with other colors occasionally. Picasso had many paintings that had the same title UT in different time periods.Paintings by Picasso brought out warm and loving feelings in my heart. This one particular had me to think of the Joys of being a mother. I chose this painting by Picasso because it is warm and loving. You can see and feel how much the mother and child loved and cared for each other by their embrace. The mother clothed in a dark blue wrap that covers her head and continues around her body; has her right hand softly touching the back of her child's head. She is delicately bending down towards the child as she kisses him/her on the ordered. It is hard to tell if the child is a boy or girl.The child is in a light blue gown with matching slippers. His/her head is tilted upward to welcome the kiss from his/ her mother. It appears that the child has brought the mother a piece of fruit. Based on the colors of orange and pale yellow, it could possibly be an orange, mango or peach. The mother has a basket next to the black rocking chair she is sitting in. There is a white cloth in the basket along with some thread and scissors. It looks like the child brought the fruit while the mother was sewing. The child may have wanted his/ her mother to take a break and eat something.When I first saw this painting, I thought of Mary and Jesus. It evoked feelings in me of warmth, love and pure Joy. As I look at the way the mother expresses the love for her child, I can put myself in her place and feel how much she loves her child. I can feel my hand embracing the soft hair on the child's head and the soft kiss being placed on his/her forehead. To me the blue color of her wrap evokes the feeling of comfort. I can also feel the child's heart being warmed from the kiss he/she receives room the mother. The mother has her eyes closed as she kisses the child on his/her forehead.I can see that the kiss is a result of the fruit that the child has brought to her. In this painting it appears that the child is in his/her night clothing and is preparing for bed as the mother is busy sewing a piece of clothing in the basket. I can feel that this special moment between mother and child is a soft and loving moment. Pablo Picasso has many paintings that have the women seem to have a religious resemblance to Mary and the child possibly to Jesus. I can see that Picasso held elision as an important part of most of his paintings.I felt that Picasso viewed this painting as one of love from a mother to a child and vice versa. He painted the love of them as beautiful and distinctively warmly. I love how the child shows that he/she loves the attention his/her mother is giving and love they express between them. If I was a mother and alive in Picasso time, I would have asked him to paint a portrait of me and my children. Perhaps I will come across a painting from this century that resembles Picasso and it will make me feel warm and full of love as well.

Ethical Philosophies of Machiavelli and Subramanian Essay

One of the greatest comparisons of all time is to contrast Niccolo Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† with V. K. Subramanian’s â€Å"The Chanakya: Kautilya. † Critically, a look can be taken into several different elements of each author’s work to best compare and contrast them. To that end, a look will be taken at the political, social, and ethical philosophies of Machiavelli and Subramanian to determine how they differ and in which ways the philosophies are similar. Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince† in the early 1500’s as a way of adding his insight from what he had seen of politics and hereditary principality—even though â€Å"it was plagiarized during Machiavelli’s lifetime†¦[and] was never published by him†¦[making] the text [itself as] still disputable† (Machiavelli 11). While current versions of â€Å"The Prince† are attributed to him, this fact of plagiarism and publishing fraud make the work even more intriguing, given the subject matter itself. Of the work itself, Machiavelli said that â€Å"I pour myself out as fully as I can in meditation on the subject, discussing what a principality is, what kinds there are, how they can be acquired, how they can be kept, why they are lost; and if any of the fancies ever pleased you, this ought not to displease you; and to a prince, especially to a new one, it should be welcome† (Machiavelli 11). Machiavelli dedicated the work itself to Lorenzo de’ Medici, even after he was put to torture by the family for treachery. Machiavelli’s methods are one of unique significance as he is writing, having been there, in the thick of things. Essentially, â€Å"The Prince† is meant as a guidebook on how to rule in all princely matters for Lorenzo de’ Medici. Machiavelli wrote about how hereditary principalities worked, how to keep that inheritance, and even how a prince could gain a new principality, and how a prince should rule his people and act, as a prince, and politically. While Machiavelli essentially confined his writings to obtaining fortune, keeping and obtaining power, and virtue as a leader, a look can be taken into his writings to discover the philosophies beneath his ideas. In comparison, V. K. Subramanian’s â€Å"The Chanakya: Kautilya† was published in 1980 about and are translated from are translated from three works known as the â€Å"Chankyasutras,† the â€Å"Chankyanitidarpan† and the â€Å"Arthshastra† and are based upon the time in history around 300 BC. The intro of Subramanian’s work notes that â€Å"Chanakya, also known as Kautilya and Vishnugupta was the famous Indian Machiavelli who was responsible for the overthrow of the last ruler of the Nada Dynasty and the enthronement of Chandragupta Maurya†¦there is an interesting story about Chanakya’s first encounter with Chandragupta, which ultimately ended in their collaboration and capture of power† (Subramanian 1). Subramanian’s work, then, is a direct reflection of Machiavelli’s own. What makes them similar, however, despite the men within the tales, is the philosophies shared between the two. Machiavelli’s political philosophy is perhaps the easiest to pinpoint as the very purpose of his work revolved around the necessity of a prince to reign successfully. Machiavelli, actually, mainly focused on the political aspects of maintaining and gaining principalities. He notes that â€Å"let any one now consider with what little difficulty the king could have maintained his position in Italy had he observed the rules above laid down, and kept all his friends secure and protected; for although they were numerous they were both weak and timid, some afraid of the Church†¦and thus they would always have been forced to stand in with him, and by their means he could easily have made himself secure against those who remained powerful† (30). Machiavelli is urging his prince to take note of the past and understand that had the king protected his weaker neighbors, he would have not only gained them as allies—but also could have gained them as part of his reign. And, at all costs, he should protect his allies as he would protect his own lands. Politically, being a stronger power, he would have been made into the â€Å"leader,† who they would be indebted to and would follow with more loyalty than any money could purchase. And, to Machiavelli, the art of gaining allies and principalities, even de facto ones, was the art to be achieved. Even more so, Subramanian’s fourth maxim entitled â€Å"Advisors, Aides, Counselors, Ministers,† notes that â€Å"after equipping oneself fully, one should seek an ally (aide), one without an advisor has no certainty of counsel, one wheel does not move (the vehicle), the true aide serves alike in prosperity and adversity, a self respecting ruler should appoint as counselor, one who is inferior to him, and respects him†¦deflection to the enemy takes place due to negligence† (22-25). In this, Subramanian agrees wholeheartedly with Machiavelli’s statements. To be a successful ruler, allies must be taken and protected, first and foremost, before true rule can begin. The reason being, that with allies, a force become much stronger, incrementally, with each ally added. Furthermore, each ally must be protected and cared for to ensure their cooperation—but with that cooperation comes an extended kingdom. Indeed, Machiavelli’s social philosophy can be found within his writings on obtaining fortune. Machiavelli writes that â€Å"principalities are either hereditary, in which the family has been long established; or they are new†¦. such dominions thus acquired are either accustomed to live under a prince, or to live in freedom; and are acquired either by the arms of the prince himself, or of others, or else by fortune or by ability† (21). Machiavelli is commenting, simply, that the way in which a prince gains land is two-fold: either he inherits it or he fights for it. The manner in which the prince gains and obtains his land, however, is what makes the prince either beloved by his people or hated. For Machiavelli, gaining the most principalities possible by virtuous means was the ideal result. And, as he instructed his prince, it was best to be good, socially, if any hopes of maintaining that principality are held. In fact, Machiavelli comments that, for example, â€Å"Louis the Twelfth, King of France, quickly occupied Milan, and as quickly lost it; and to turn him out the first time it only needed Lodovico’s own forces; because those who had opened the gates to him, finding themselves deceived in their hopes of future benefit, would not endure the ill-treatment of the new prince† (23). Moreover, â€Å"it is very true that, after acquiring rebellious provinces a second time, they are not so lightly lost afterwards, because the prince, with little reluctance, takes the opportunity of the rebellion to punish the delinquents, to clear out the suspects, and to strengthen himself in the weakest places† (24). Thus, not only is it important for a prince to be clear in his occupation in a land, to become most beloved, he must first get rid of the troublemakers—thus leaving the peaceable, and willing to be occupied. If a prince does not take this step, he is left in hostile territory with people willing to stage an overthrow. On contrast, Subramanian writes out a few of the maxims of Chanakya, citing that â€Å"economic prosperity creates prosperity for the people, if the people are prosperous, even a leaderless state can be governed, people’s fury is the greatest of furies†¦[and] to be without a master is better than having an arrogant master† (22). In this, the two authors cannot be more different from the other. Machiavelli believes that the first step of any prince should be to take a firm grasp upon his principalities, to conquer new ones, and to rout the dissenters by force before they can rally for an overthrow. Machiavelli believes that by getting rid of the rebellious people before they can act, a leader can sustain and mark his position within his land, taking charge before the people even really know that it has happened. Then, once all the rebellion has been stamped out, a leader can begin to make his land prosperous. However, Subramanian cites a very different kind of social philosophy, making note that a leader might as well not exist if he intends to be a tyrant to the people, that a people have more respect for a man intent on prosperity, first, and rebellion last. Because, in an attempt to rout the dissenters, a leader would make a dent on the value the people hold for him—and thus their fury would remain. To really be a true leader and be beloved by his land, a leader must intend on affluence and prosperity as his bottom line. Finally, Machiavelli’s ethical and moral philosophy requires the most interpretation to highlight significantly. As Machiavelli writes about virtue in a leader, instructing a prince on how to act and behave, an ethical philosophy is formed. On contrast, Subramanian’s ethical philosophy stems from his ethical roots maxim that states â€Å"righteousness is the root of happiness, wealth is the root of righteousness, the state of the root is wealth, victory over senses is the root of the state, humility is the root of sense control, worship of elders is the root of humility, wisdom results from the worship of elders, with wisdom one can prosper, the prosperous one becomes the victorious one†¦[and] the victorious one obtains all the riches† (21-22). Despite it’s cryptic fortune-cookie nature, Subramanian’s writings do indeed have a fine message on ethical philosophy, here. In explicating the words, Subramanian is saying that to be a good leader, on must first be righteous, but to be righteous, one must first have wealth, to have wealth, one must first have victory, to have victory, one must first have humility, to have humility, one must listen to their elders to obtain wisdom, and with that wisdom a leader can prosper and be victorious in all they seek to achieve. The value here, is that Subramanian notes the significance of wisdom in all things. Without wisdom and following and heeding the elders who have come before, a leader stands no chance of being successful. Morally, a leader is obligated to his people to be triumphant so that the land can prosper, but without wisdom, a leader is nothing to his people but a tyrant. Subramanian says what Machiavelli does not. To Machiavelli, leading a people, by first disposing of the bad ones, is the best way for a prince to prosper in his lands. While he encourages his prince to be sound and wise, he first sends out the encouragement that the prince must always guard his assets, for fear of being overthrown or taken down by a greater force. To Machiavelli, obtaining land and prospering was, essentially, about war. To win that war, a prince had to be wise, and indeed, listen to his elders as well, but not in the ethical sense. Machiavelli meant for the prince to watch out for himself, first and foremost, and then, once the land became prosperous, Machiavelli encouraged the prince to be good to his people so that they would love him and understand that they were prosperous because of him. To Machiavelli, the ethical philosophy came last, after conquering and protecting one’s principalities. Overall, one of the greatest comparisons of all time is to contrast Niccolo Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† with V. K. Subramanian’s â€Å"The Chanakya: Kautilya. † Taking a look at several different elements of each author’s work critically revealed a great level of significance as to their philosophies on politics, socially, and even ethically. Politically, Machiavelli and Subramanian follow the same philosophy, which intends a leader to find and protect allies first and foremost. As to social philosophy, however, the two authors cannot be more different. Machiavelli intends his prince to take charge and stamp out rebellion, while Subramanian cites that prosperity and kindness should be shown towards the new land. And finally, ethically, the two authors also differ. Machiavelli is intent on a prince who focuses on war and conquering new lands, and in this way a leader can gain wisdom and insight—however, to Subramanian, wisdom only comes by following one’s elders. Morally, a leader is obligated to his people to be triumphant so that the land can prosper, but without wisdom, a leader is nothing to his people but a tyrant. Works Cited. Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Trns. W. K. Marriott. New York: Plain Label Books, 1910. Subramanian, V. K. Maxims of Chanakya: Kautilya. India: Abhinav Publications, 1980.

Lord of the Flies-Animal Farm essays

Lord of the Flies-Animal Farm essays Despite having different plots and backgrounds, Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm both appear to present similar themes and meanings. Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is a story of a farm taken over by its overworked, mistreated animals. They set out to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality. Instead of the utopian society they imagined, the actual farm was soon under the dictatorship of Napoleon. The story, in reality, represents the Russian Revolution and the rise of the Soviet Union under the dictatorship of Stalin, who is naturally represented by Napoleon in the book. Lord of the Flies, on the other hand, is about a group of boys stranded on an isolated island where they have to look after themselves. They try hard to survive on whatever resource they find, while Jack, whos basically a leader, were undergoing a power struggle with Ralph, whos namely and officially the leader. Both books contain power struggle and the theme of the corruption of power. In Animal Farm, Snowball and Napoleon (both pigs) were fighting one another to be the leader. The same thing was reflected in Lord of the Flies between Ralph and Jack. And in both books, the power struggle stops only when one of them (in this case, Snowball and Ralph) were driven out by the other. While Ralph does loves the feeling of being the leader and in control, Jack is apparently the more dictatorial and aggressive one. Both Jack and Napoleon have similar skills and attitudes and have their own little group to support them; Napoleons being the pack of dog he has and Jacks being his little group of Hunters. Both Napoleon and Jack uses their power over their group to kill. By the end of the books, Napoleon and his pigs seem to change in the human and Jack and his boys changed in to savages. Although many of the characters in both books are very similar, there are also different ones. Piggy in Lord of Flies and Squealer in Animal F...

Lights and Sounds Museum Essay Example

Lights and Sounds Museum Essay Example Lights and Sounds Museum Essay Lights and Sounds Museum Essay â€Å" The trip on February 10 , 2011 to Lights and Sounds was very educational and was very fun . The parts about Jose P. Rizal were very interesting and I learned a lot about his life. There were two parts that scared me the most . First , was the one where we saw the characters of Noli Me Tangere and El Felibusterismo . What scared me there was Sisa , because of her laugh( while she cried ) and how she moved . The second thing that scared me was at the last part when we entered the room the lights went of and we could only hear voices . I’m so glad I’ve gotten over it easily . I’ve also seen how big Intramuros is just by looking at it’s model . Although, there were parts I didn’t quite understand . At the end of the tour we all sat down on the floor to watch a video and at the end of that video the doors were opened by a soldier . The light sort of blinded our eyes. I think it was because we spent time in the dark for an hour. I had a laugh with my friends about that part . All the lessons I’ve had since Grade Four started coming back to me . It was like a review for us . I’ve also learned more details to Jose Rizal’s life . My classmates and I enjoyed the trip going there because we got to spend it together . It was our last field trip in CCWB . I’m so glad to have went there and I feel like I want to go back this time with my family .

9 Different Minerals Used as Abrasives

9 Different Minerals Used as Abrasives Abrasives today are largely precision-manufactured substances, but natural mineral abrasives are often still used. A good abrasive mineral is not just hard, but  also tough and sharp. It must be plentiful or at least widespread and pure. Not many minerals share all these attributes,  so the list of abrasive minerals is short but interesting.   Sanding Abrasives   Sanding was originally done with (surprise!) sand fine-grained quartz. Quartz sand is hard enough for woodworking (Mohs hardness 7), but its not very tough or sharp. The virtue of sand sandpaper is its cheapness. Fine woodworkers do occasionally use flint sandpaper or glass paper.  Flint, a form of chert,  is a rock made of microcrystalline quartz. Its no harder than quartz but its tougher so its sharp edges last longer. Garnet paper is still widely available. The garnet mineral almandine is harder than quartz (Mohs 7.5), but its real virtue is its sharpness, giving it cutting power without scratching wood too deeply. Corundum  is the workhorse abrasive of sandpaper.  Extremely hard (Mohs 9) and sharp, corundum is also usefully brittle, breaking into sharp fragments that keep on cutting. Its great for wood, metal, paint, and plastic. All sanding products today use artificial corundum aluminum oxide. If you find an old stash of emery cloth or paper, it probably uses the real mineral. Emery is a natural mix of fine-grained corundum and magnetite. Polishing Abrasives   Three natural abrasives are commonly used for polishing and cleaning  metal:  enamel finishes, plastic, and tile. Pumice is a stone, not a mineral, a volcanic product with a very fine grain. Its hardest mineral is quartz, so it has a gentler action than sanding abrasives. Softer still is feldspar (Mohs 6), which is most famously used in the Bon Ami brand household cleaner. For the most delicate polishing and cleaning work, such as with  jewelry and fine crafts, the gold standard is tripoli, also called rottenstone. Tripoli is microscopic, microcrystalline quartz mined from beds of decomposed limestone. Sandblasting and Waterjet Cutting Applications of these industrial processes range from scrubbing rust off of steel girders to inscribing gravestones, and a wide range of blasting abrasives is in use today. Sand is one, of course, but airborne dust from crystalline silica is a health hazard. Safer alternatives include garnet, olivine (Mohs 6.5) and staurolite (Mohs 7.5). Which to choose depends on many factors other than mineralogical considerations, including cost, availability, the material being worked, and the experience of the worker. Many artificial abrasives are in use in these applications, too, as well as in  exotic things like ground walnut shells and solid carbon dioxide. Diamond Grit The hardest mineral of all is diamond (Mohs 10), and diamond abrasive is a large part of the world diamond market. Diamond paste is available in many grades for sharpening hand tools, and you can even buy nail files impregnated with diamond grit for the ultimate grooming aid. Diamond is best suited for cutting and grinding tools, however, and the drilling industry uses lots of diamond for drill bits. The material used is worthless as jewelry, being black or included - full of inclusions - or too fine-grained. This grade of diamond is called bort. Diatomaceous Earth The powdery substance composed of the microscopic shells of diatoms is known as diatomaceous earth or DE. Diatoms are a kind of algae that form exquisite skeletons of amorphous  silica.  DE is not abrasive to humans, metals, or anything else in our everyday world, but at the microscopic scale, its very damaging to insects. The broken edges of crushed diatom shells scratch holes in their hard outer skins, causing their internal fluids to dry out. Its safe enough to strew in the garden or to mix with food, such as stored grain, to prevent infestations. When they arent calling it diatomite, geologists have another name for DE, borrowed from German: kieselguhr.

CIS256 Final Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CIS256 Final Project - Essay Example First, you need to verify if the problem is caused by the network or corruption of the AD (Rommel, 2008). It is followed performing a recovery for the directory restore thus choosing either authoritative or none. Testing then covers replication and proper functionality of domain controller. There is the development of a lag site for replication in case there is a deletion of objects in large numbers. The aim is to keep a backup of the active directory especially at location 2. You then engage the authoritative restore. Location three will involve creating a print queue to server printers that are standalone. The list generated by the Administrator should direct the users to a print queue on the network that will allow the job to pass through even when the printer is not support by the user’s workstation. Location four will establish a redundancy for the AD to carry forth replication despite the failure of domain controllers. The step is to allow for the most minimal downtime period or none especially when relating to the failure of the software or hardware in use. The administrator also uses the group policy to address alterations to passwords, security and the respective policy as well as settings for configuration when it is critical. Other recovery and continuity plans involve having redundancies for every role in at least one other location to cater for damages caused by natural disasters. Having multiple tapes and performing network diagnostics after a short interval of time guarantees easy detection of a

Haiti Earthquake Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Haiti Earthquake - Research Paper Example Except, this latest earthquake has brought to surface the fragility of the Haitian government and institutions because of their inability to provide survivors basic care and necessary safety nets (Amnesty International, 2011). There has been a considerable amount of evidence and proof that shows the poor functioning of the government in bringing the life back to normal in the earthquake hit zones. Haitian citizens are left homeless, displaced, living in makeshift tents, and now are fighting daily against Cholera which has been introduced into environment by United Nations. In this paper, let us analyze the outcome of the quake which has paved way for the development of internal conflicts and the steps that needs to be taken to prevent the internal conflict. Haiti will have to learn from other such earthquake prone zones as to how to face the consequences. Variable Natural Disaster Internal Conflict (Direct Variable) (Independent Variable) Owing to the imbalance and proper organizatio n of powers there tend to be a lot of problem in a country in case of a natural disaster like that of an earthquake. There are several conflicts that will arise out of a situation like earthquake that will drain out human resource, economy and also life balance in a region. Many political, economic, and social conflicts bound to happen. Hypothesis There is definite relationship between the 2010 Haitian earthquake and internal conflict. Theory The 2010 Haitian earthquake will stimulate internal conflict if the vulnerabilities of the people aren’t handled quickly and efficiently. Currently, earthquake survivors are going hungry, dying from the lack of sanitation, and women are being sexually abuse. These are some of the many vulnerabilities being exacerbated by the earthquake. Haitians were poor and lacked resources before the earthquake but the atrocities left behind have intensified those vulnerabilities. The country will be on the brink of an internal conflict you must defin e/operationalize internal conflict! if proper precautions aren’t taken now. There are various studies that demonstrate that an earthquake and a natural disaster can bring a population closer. Just as there many studies showing that sudden disasters, change on the environment can bring pressure to states with the inability to properly handle a natural disaster. This paper deals with the natural disaster and the potential consequences that may arise out of such tough situation. The output will be compared with that of the Haitian situation in order to get the derivative. Yes, there is obvious unrest, lack of housing, and scarcity of other resources. However, in this research paper I would like to examine how natural disasters that occur in underdeveloped countries can lead to internal conflict by looking at other underdeveloped countries which has experienced natural disasters. Literature Review Natural disasters occur suddenly and thus the reason that these create the most ana rchy within a region. The people are the worst sufferers because their homes have been dismantled and the property that remained within their fore is affected nonetheless (Topkaya, 2011). The United Nations defines natural disaster as â€Å"the consequences of events triggered by natural hazards that overwhelm local response capacity and seriously affect the social and economic development of a region.†

Gender Discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gender Discrimination - Essay Example It is understood that the human rights activist cry for equality, a collective recognition is deemed acceptable for all and not merely censored on a few and singular groups. The potential for random discrimination in relation to gender is not dismissed. The so-called moral activists in adherence to old conservative theories still utter a different lament. The social change will take its toll and be delegated to the far recesses of one's imagination unless laws that protect the identity of women and transsexuals are recognized and properly implemented particularly in the workplace environment where common complaints of gender inequality are often heard. With the passing of certain laws that govern sexual discrimination, how are this implemented in the workplace This seemingly simple question carries a multi-faceted approach that require knowledge of the laws that govern our rights. Since the advent of sex discrimination legislation, the United Kingdom and the European region in general saw significant cultural changes across the workplace. When the European Convention on Human Rights recognized individuals other than the traditional gender classification of male and female a ground breaking law was established. In the field of sexual orientation the protection of transsexual rights of gay and lesbian under Article 8 of the European Convention has been interpreted "to extend to an adult's right to participate in private, consensual homosexual activity". In Cossey v U.K.1, when the applicants challenge the government to change their birth certificates to reflect their new gender the basis of denial dwell on the substantial administrative burdens imposed on the birth certificates. This might have to do with the explanation of trying to see to it that the historical records of accuracy are maintained and discrimination is not cited. At the onset of the recognition of transsexual rights, anti-discrimination laws were reviewed immensely. The current framework of Anti-Discrimination Law is made up of three main statutes in the equal protection sense which deals with sex, race and disability issues. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975(SDA 1975)2 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex; marital status and now includes gender re-assignment in the field of employment, education and provision of goods and services. The applicability of such laws is considered in England, Scotland and Wales. This Act is currently considered the most valuable tool to combat today's discrimination of employees in the work environment. It is undeniable that for some reasons, employers still practice such measures of exclusions despite claiming substantial media attention on the prosecuted violators. The habit of an imperialistic attitude bordering on the offensive refuses to die immediately which brought relevant complaints from women and transsexuals and will probably continue if proper dissemination of this particular law is not made available to the parties concerned. On the basis of gender discrimination a person's right to exercise his/her skills and training are impeded in the workplace. In SDA 1975, sexual classification as the weaker sex is tantamount as an insult to a person's identity as pointed out in Snook 19993. It is a woman's civil right to a career of her own choice and to earn for herself and her family like any man. With the advent of this law, we can now see a

Spitalfields Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spitalfields - Coursework Example The place lured many immigrants from various regions; these immigrants have contributed tremendously towards the richness of life in Spitalfields. The French Protestant (Huguenots) refugees brought with them the skills of silk weaving in 1685. In 19730’s Irish weavers came in to participate in the silk trade. The 18th century or the Victorian era saw a steady decline in the trade and commerce in Spitalfields, with the merchants’ haven degenerating into slums. It became known more a center for criminal establishments rather than a well to do industrial town. Famous tales of Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel murders still fascinate people across the world. More recently as in the late 20th century, saw a steady influx of Bangladeshi immigrants who worked in the local textile industries. They are better known for their culinary skills and hence, most of them today own restaurants in and around Brick Lane. Spitalfields is a unique combination of the modern and the ancient. It still has the quaint ancient flavor while it has welcomed the modern architecture. It developed extensively after the Great London Fire in 1682. The City of London acquired direct control of the markets in 1920, and extended the original market buildings after eight years. For the last 74 years, the Old Spitalfields Market has re-established itself as a thriving market As it happens with modernization, Spitalfields too saw the intrusion of high finance into its old market place. That reminds us of the fact that London has always been very patient and encouraged diverse cultures and East End has been a milestone for its rich and diverse culture. Since its inception, Spitalfields has witnessed many changes in terms of people, history, and culture. Now, the onus is on the people there to preserve and enhance Spitalfield’s historic heritage and architectural beauty. It is only then that one can appreciate the past, enjoy it in the present and carry the rich culture over to the

Essay on Health Studies Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

On Health Studies - Essay Example re is universal access to personal health among many nations of the world but there seems to be a link between the levels of income to the access to healthcare. The differentiations in both countries come in form of age, ethnicity, religion and the surrounding community (Tumushabe, 2006)). Further, many analysts argue that the low social and economic demographics in Africa, where Uganda falls explains the high level of inequality in that part of the world. In that regard, it is wise to argue that poverty stricken areas that have higher inequalities that boil down to the impact of HIV in Britain and Uganda and further explaining why the scourge is worse in Uganda than in Britain. One thing is evident; a fact that would be corroborated in the paper, that Uganda has a higher level of inequality in social, economic and political inequalities than Britain and the same is evidenced in manifestation of the scourge of not only HIV but also other diseases. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a slowly reproducing retrovirus that is responsible for AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), a medical condition that threatens human immune system and leaves it vulnerable for all manner of opportunistic diseases. The virus is caused by transfer of blood from a sick person or exchange of semen, vaginal fluids and other bodily fluids involved during sexual intercourse (Stolley & Glass, 2009). One of the major pandemics of the 21st century, HIV has robbed the world of valuable human resource and left millions of orphans around the world, especially in developing nations. The burden caused by this pandemic has gone beyond affected nations to other countries with relatively low prevalence rates by having huge resources committed to fighting the disease abroad. One such program has been the Global Fund initiated by the United Nations where rich nations contribute into a common pool for a worldwide campaign on HIV-AIDS. Different countries have diverse tactics for fighting

Discussion 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion 2 - Essay Example From Dr. Kenny Handelman’s blog (2012), most users claimed they suffered increased heart rate and increased blood pressure. One patient in particular, Lori’s eight year old daughter, is said to describe the medicine as cardiac medication because it makes her heartbeat go fast. Another patient, Donna, says she suffers vomiting and headache after a few days of taking the drug. Other side-effects that the drug gives are anxiety, decreased or loss of appetite, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, irritability, trouble sleeping, upper stomach pain and weight loss. It is important for patients to inform their doctor about any other medications or even food supplements taken because there are certain reactions of the drug to other medications and vice versa that may cause further health problems. There may also be side-effects that may be caused when the drug is simultaneously taken with vitamins, supplements or medications. With the side-effects specified earlier, precaution must be taken by patients with heart problems, heart defects, high blood pressure, mental problems such as psychosis, tits or Tourette’s Syndrome and seizures. The physician must be informed about the medical history of the patient to make sure there would be no adverse side-effects to the medication (fda.gov,

Essay on Health Studies Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

On Health Studies - Essay Example re is universal access to personal health among many nations of the world but there seems to be a link between the levels of income to the access to healthcare. The differentiations in both countries come in form of age, ethnicity, religion and the surrounding community (Tumushabe, 2006)). Further, many analysts argue that the low social and economic demographics in Africa, where Uganda falls explains the high level of inequality in that part of the world. In that regard, it is wise to argue that poverty stricken areas that have higher inequalities that boil down to the impact of HIV in Britain and Uganda and further explaining why the scourge is worse in Uganda than in Britain. One thing is evident; a fact that would be corroborated in the paper, that Uganda has a higher level of inequality in social, economic and political inequalities than Britain and the same is evidenced in manifestation of the scourge of not only HIV but also other diseases. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a slowly reproducing retrovirus that is responsible for AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), a medical condition that threatens human immune system and leaves it vulnerable for all manner of opportunistic diseases. The virus is caused by transfer of blood from a sick person or exchange of semen, vaginal fluids and other bodily fluids involved during sexual intercourse (Stolley & Glass, 2009). One of the major pandemics of the 21st century, HIV has robbed the world of valuable human resource and left millions of orphans around the world, especially in developing nations. The burden caused by this pandemic has gone beyond affected nations to other countries with relatively low prevalence rates by having huge resources committed to fighting the disease abroad. One such program has been the Global Fund initiated by the United Nations where rich nations contribute into a common pool for a worldwide campaign on HIV-AIDS. Different countries have diverse tactics for fighting

Impact of Globalization Essay Example for Free

Impact of Globalization Essay It has gradually evolved from the 1970s after the advent of different forms of high speed transportation and communication to the age of information technologies around the millennium, to make a single unified community where all the major sources of various social conflicts have disappeared (Scheuerman, 2010 and World Regional Geography, 2009). There are several ways of defining Globalization. As defined by Dr. Nayef R. F. Al-Rodhan (2006), â€Å"Globalization is a process that encompasses the causes, course, and consequences of transnational and transcultural integration of human and non-human activities. The effects of Globalization are manifold. It influences industrial sector, financial sector, labour markets and consumers of a particular country. On one hand it gives rise to more jobs and industries, however, on the other hand, countries are becoming dependant on the other country for a specific product/raw material. Additionally, because of outsourcing jobs from developed economy are being transferred to the developing economy, which has a negative effect on the developed economy and positive on the developing economy. 2. 2 Consumer Packaged Goods and Globalization Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) are sold at relatively low price and are non durable goods like grocery items, soft drinks etc. Large CPG manufacturer has an advantage of strong brands, greater geographical coverage and having major retailers. CPG industry is affected by the change in fashion, fads and consumer preferences, which in turn effects the purchasing decision of a consumer. Therefore, I believe that in the fast and ever changing world of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) it is imperative to discuss the effects of globalization on this industry. Additionally, there is immense pressure and intense competition between the manufacturers globally to fulfill the demand of consumers. 2. 0 Impact of Globalization on CPG Industry 3. 3 Costs and Benefits of Globalization on CPG Industry There are diverse ways in which globalization impinge on CPG industry. Some are beneficial for the industry and some aren’t. The good side of globalization is explained as follows: a. Profits from emerging markets: Procter and Gamble in year 2006, showed a total sales of US $ 68 billion, out of which US $ 21 billion was from emerging markets. Additionally, from 1992 to 2006, globalization has boosted the American economy by US $ one trillion in Gross Domestic Product (Veiders, 9th July 2007, Supermarket news). b. Consumer’s advantage: The consumer gets the advantage of choosing from wide variety of goods, in addition to the comparative advantage. Additionally, the offshore markets are producing goods at a price which is lower than the domestic production of a particular country. Though this is an advantage to the consumer, this could hamper production and associated profits in some countries (Oline Thompson, 2006, CPG Manufacturing) c. Foreign capital access: Foreign capital access is the main driving force of globalization. This in turn increases the investment power of a particular country to produce better produce economically (13th February, 1996, WTO News (press releases). The other side of globalization illustrates some problems faced by CPG Industry: a. Cultural disparity: A product that might be a necessity in one country might not be even known or used in the other, which would have a negative effect on the CPG industry while trying to encourage its use in a particular country. To cite a salient example, Brazilians usually don’t have breakfast, because they sleep late at night and consumers in China for breakfast eat hot, soft and savoury, while the North Americans love cold, crunchy and sweet breakfast. This was the difference analyzed by Kellogg Company in 2007 (Veiders, 9th July 2007, Supermarket news). b. Global Competition: In this fast paced environment any CPG company have to constantly innovate and differentiate their product, to maintain or increase their market share. Every year large number of new products are being roduced and capture the shelve space of the existing labels and compete with them.

Art Of Dissolving Boundaries English Literature Essay

Art Of Dissolving Boundaries English Literature Essay The art of dissolving boundaries is what living is all about. 1 Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, an Indian immigrant woman writer anticipates through her writing to dissolve boundaries among people of different backgrounds, communities, ages and even different world. She spent 19 years of her life in India and learned all the costumes and traditions of her own, thus, she knows her motherland very well. But her migration from one country to another made her comprehend about the feeling of dislocation and homelessness. She felt the adjustments to get shifted from one place, which is your own homeland or roots. Before she became a writer, Chitra Divakaruni was only a simple young woman in a novel country, far away from her own country. She was excited at the prospect studying in America, but forlorn missing her family in Kolkata and the traditions of her culture. For her, it has been such a great attempt just to make it to the U.S. because her very traditional family didnt understand why she would want to leave her home. Ultimately, she was able to convince her family to let her go. In 1976 when she came to the U.S., she went through some incidents and realized the gap between the East and the West. Once while walking down on a Chicago street with some relatives she was horrified when a few white teenagers shouted nigger and hurled sludge at her. This incident deeply shamed that she didnt want to discuss even. But somehow it stayed in her mind and acted as the spur kick her to start writing and then one evening, her five-year-old son Abhay came back from school and tried hard to wash off t he dirt color of his skin. Through these episodes she realized that still there is the sense of other and this made her interest to start writing about her own experience of immigration, which are the same for the many other immigrant women. She identified that people still behave them as alien. Divakaruni said in one of her interviews that, It was a big adjustment, moving from a big city like Calcutta to Dayton, Ohio, which, at that time, didnt have many Indians and was not cosmopolitan; I felt a real sense of being other. People were so startled to see an Indian person in Indian Clothesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. I think all people come to a new country with preconceived notions, so there was an adjustment on both sides. 2 It arouses several views to think about once own identity and roots. The question Where are you from? put her in a shock that people even didnt know about them. It would be really a challenge to get settled in a country where all their lives or their appearance would proclaim them Foreigners. Moving to the United States really made me renegotiate my boundaries and in some ways, even reinvent myself as a woman, says Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni 3. For her, writing is the only way to fight for her self-identity. Before her migration she never thought to be a writer, but later on she felt that whatever feeling she had that was also the same for many-many other immigrant women and she wanted to share it with her readers. That understanding taught Divakaruni that she had stories to tell- stories that could get people together and disclose the common humanity in everyone. The totally new experiences or environment turned her into a writer. She spotted a light on it by saying, In some ways, I think that immigration made me into a writer, because it gave me a subject to write about. When I lived in India, I was so immersed in the culture that I didnt really think about it. But when I moved halfway across the world, I began to think a lot about what it meant for me to be Indian, and also how immigration changes us. 4 Thats why all the way through her skills she wants to write about the life of immigrant women and their problems of dislocation or cultural clash. By showing her own culture the author would like to remove the gap between the two different communities. She believes that situations, conditions, circumstances or destiny are the same everywhere only the implication and reactions are different. The main theme of Divakarunis work is immigrant conflict and acquired values vs. adopted one. There are so many challenges if someone is writing about two distinct worlds. She says, Its okay to be an Indian person who loves Indian culture but now Im an American citizen and committed to making life in this country better. We need to remain secure in our own identity but participate fully in the culture, politics and daily life of America. The important part of integration is that you dont give up, you share. For me as a writer, a major challenge is to keep my finger on the pulse of both worlds. That means talking to people on both continents, observing them, learning what is changing with them and what remains the same. This also means that Im writing for audiences that are very different. This is difficult, especially as I refuse to explicate culture. 5 Divakaruni has studied both Eastern and Western literature. She likes to bring the two together in her writing. She feels this is the only way to enrich both traditions. She recognized that different readers will take different things from her works. She really likes that her books have different kinds of readers or observers. She would want South Asian or South Asian American audience, who will read the books and think about the issues in their communities and lives. She hopes that her readers will see that though we come from different places, what we have in common is humanity. She conveys her great desire that people may eventually come together and make a better world. This chapter will provide an introduction to Divakarunis essential theme. She writes to unite people by dissolving boundaries among them. She is a bridge-builder between these two different cultures, one is her own motherland India and another is where she is living United States. May be both these communities are different in their traditions, customs and lifestyle but feeling, emotions and sensibility are the same. Yet, over the course of 15 books, her motivation remained clear her books are a bridge of words, an attempt to take a reader to understand both themselves and those they might have labeled other 6. So, being an award-winning poet and author, Divakaruni senses a lot about her early days in America. As a creative writing professor at the University of Houston, she makes an effort to use her knowledge to help out worldwide students to feel comfortable in their new environment. Thus, such understanding of her life directed her to write, first poetry, and then fiction. The author also writes about family, domestic violence, emotional abuse, cultural alienation, and human trafficking. Thus, we can analyze how Chitra Benerjee Divakaruni promotes healthy family relationships. She recognizes the positive aspects of traditional culture or values and its places in family and community. Like her fiction her life walks in a careful line between the two worlds. Six months ago, she shifted to Houston with her husband and two sons from the Bay Area to Texas, where she teaches at the University of Houston. Like the characters in her books, she sometimes finds herself struggling to keep in equilibrium the demands of family and career, tradition and modernity. According to her the solution is to combine the best parts of both but she also knows that it is not always easy. Its really a juggling act. Some days, its clear what the best aspects are, some days its not, Divakaruni said with a warm chuckle 7. The author talked about the boundaries between the two East and West plus the two different cultures and the differences among the psychology of the human being. She wants to get rid of the gap between her adopted land and motherland. She has experienced both of these worlds very well and realized that each has its own positive and negative aspects. India has valuable traditions, enrich culture or ethics and on the other side the U.S.A. has modernity, freedom plus lots of exposure in every field. Her writing relates to her homeland and culture of origin; it shows the powerful relations to the culture of the native soil. She tried to give knowledge to her readers about her origin or identity as well as the experience of her new home, thus, she wants to be an Indian-American. Divakaruni shared her views in one of her articles Indian Born in the U.S.A. that, In my dark kitchen I bow my head to pray for strength for India, facing, on her 50th anniversary of freedom, the severe challenges of poverty and illiteracy and communal violence. And for us all, children of the Indian Diaspora, here on the other side of the world, who have our own challenges. I pray that we may be able to preserve the values weve gained from our past: love of family, of traditions, of spirituality and the simple life. That we may combine them with what weve learned in our new home: energy and enterprise and how to fight for our rights. This, perhaps, is the best legacy we can leave our children: The art of being Indian American. 8 Aug 21, 1997. Hence, the act of migration implies a bodily shifting out of the familiar place and relocation in the new and unfamiliar land. It was due to the colonial impact and its after effect which created uprooted and dislocation of identity. Edward Saids Orientalism (1978) enlarged the range of the post colonial approach by revealing the Eurocentric Universalism which establishes Western superiority over the East, recognized as the other. In other World (1987) by Gayatri Spivak, Nation and Narration (1990) by Homi Bhaba, The Empire Writes Back (1989) by Bill Ashcroft, Culture and Imperialism (1993) by Edward W. Said and such other works accelerated the study of colonialism and its effect on other cultures. They all are stuffs of Western education and living outside from their native environment. They can imagine a pre-colonial at best; mythological motherland in Africa or Asia to articulate or end up expressing a cross identity. Therefore, the native speaker of English language shifted to th e foreign land and tried to create their self-identity, culture, and individuality in an alien atmosphere. All those hardships and obstacles which they have faced provide them a new mindset. All these experiences are well dealt in Diaspora literature. This concept of Diaspora often focused on a forced displacement along with centered on negative experiences in terms of unfriendliness, disaffection, loss, and persecution. Even as their ancestral deficiency is an overpoweringly negative concept, the idea of the Jewish Diaspora describes a community whos socioeconomic, cultural, ancestral and political networks across boundaries of states, and protect a common shared identity. Although transformed by the influence of nearby cultures; for many the dream of return to the homeland provided a fundamental principle of identity. Thus, Central to the concept of Diaspora is the image of a journey; however, not all journeys can be understood as the Diaspora. Diasporic journeys are not the same as casual travel; they are about setting down and putting roots elsewhere (Brah, 1996) crossing geographical and mental borders. These discussions of the Diaspora are inevitably bound up with the notion of borders and territories the arbitrary lines of social, cultural and psychic demarcation. 9 The migration experience does not finish with the point of settlement or agreement; it is handed down through the age groups, consciously or unconsciously making its role to the way in which those Diasporas bargain their existence through societies in which they and their culture is in the minority. Being in Diaspora means living in a cross-cultural circumstance, one in which fusion, change, and expansion are predictable. Those alerts of the complexities of this recognize the notice to redefine their identity and the requirement to discover a medium through which to articulate their progress. In their process of defining and redefining their individuality and the struggle this involves, South Asian women in Britain have had to tackle the combined issues of gender and society. Most of all, Diaspora is understood as transcontinental the socio-cultural collection reminiscence of diasporic people is a community having its ties to a homeland, which establishes the false appearance of an ideal past. Emigrants inhabit their communal imagined homeland, which has its location in another place and time. A longing and affection for the discarded homeland is the driving force, which hypotheses an image of the lost country. Divakarunis depiction of her inherited home has, is committed to region in part, her otherwise lost Indian personality. Her accounts are derived from a memory blurred by the distance of time and space. A settler or immigrant are distanced by space and time, as they no longer reside in their country of ancestry and the inhabitance of language and culture of the birthplace is removed from their daily lives. To synthetically recreate the milieu of the lost motherland is flowed due to wistful and false memories, which are created in part to endure a sense of identity and maintain a link to the disconnected motherland. Currently there are almost 20,000,000 people of South Asian origin living outside of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the majority in Africa, the U.S., the Caribbean, and Oceania 10. Although there are regional differences in their adaptations in many ways, still tried to display a common Indian identity. They may want their children to flourish in their adopted countries, but at the same time they may wish them to accept Indian family values, share their common culture, and get married to other Indians. In other words, many Diasporas living over as tend to reproduce their Indian culture, language, values, and religion as much as possible. People are getting migrated to other countries because of so many reasons; it could be education, business, residential, and so on. Many writers have also migrated to the West and have been producing a large mass of literature in English which is a powerful organ to voice their emigrant sensibility and migrant experience in the West. The inactive social or cultural hostilities, feeling of isolation from their roots and thereafter a steady search for attaching and assimilating these ancestries in the Western surroundings constitute the center themes in their works. Themes of homelessness, migration, loss of identity, exile, culture clash, cultural assimilation, and rootlessness are often discerned in their works with remarkable similarities. The dilemma of these immigrant writers in a multi-cultural circumstance often get combined with their personal suffering due to bias or a sense of rootlessnesss, if they are rejected by their host countries. Indian Americans writers have made their presence felt in American culture, society, business, and even politics. These writers are writing about common people, identity, a feeling of uprooted, immigrant experience, East-West relations, and life in the United States or the Indian Diaspora. Indian American writing broke new earth from the 1970s and so on. With the relation of immigration laws, Indians migrated to the United States in large number. One consequence of this has been a propagation of women writers. They got the right exposure may be because of the modernity and free atmosphere of the foreign countries. In large American cities, one can easily find their books. Their readership has widened, with many women who are reading novels and short stories in order to learn about their own communities. Indian American women authors wrote about the experiences of immigrant life, which became the reading materials for thousands of immigrants. As it is evidence in the works of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. She has studied both Eastern and Western literature, thus, she likes to bring the two together in her writing; she feels it is a way to enrich both these traditions. Divakarunis books, which are set in both Indian and American, A feature Indian born woman torn between Old and New world values. She gives laser-like sight and skilled use of story, plot, and lyrical description to give readers a many layered look at her characters and their respective worlds, which are filled with fear, hope, and discovery. 11 Most of her work is partially autobiographical and based on the lives of Indian immigrants which she has dealt with. She writes to help people and unite them by breaking down old stereotypes. Divakaruni skillfully expresses the experience or familiarity of South Asians in America. She says that her books are somewhat based on practice plus social observation. But Divakaruni endeavors to interlace such observation with the factor of magic, myth, and ancient culture alongside contemporary culture. She tries to bring a sense of the daily realities of immigrant life and ancient culture together. But she also insists that she doesnt write for a specific spectator in mind. She explains in a soft, gentle tone of voice that, I like to stay close to the story, think about the story, stay close to the characters. I find it distracts me if I begin to think of audience while Im writing 12. Therefore, it shows that she is still attached to her own motherland while adopting another one very well. She only explains her adjustments and conflicts during her journey to the U.S. from India. Divakaruni accepts that both sides have the same problems and circumstances only the way of looking towards those situations are little different. Somehow she realized the frontiers between these two worlds and strived to remove them. Chitra Banerjee has an empathetically personal and boldly imaginative style of storytelling that draws readers into the lives of people across cultures, particularly the lives of Indian and Indian American women. Thus, she has an unusual ability to breakdown different kinds of boundaries, e.g. those between the East/West, prose/poetry, magic/realism, past/present, and native/immigrant. She was able to do all such through the dramatic style and social content of her work. If we look through the geographical point of view there are boundaries or gaps between the East and the West countries, but its all about our psychology only. If we glance it positively and treat all of them as a human being, then there is no boundary as such. No doubt that there is a difference between the culture, lifestyle, atmosphere, customs, and dressing sense; but it doesnt mean that their sensibility is also different. The author tried to show it in the course of her characters that they are able to adopt the new rules of a new country after a lot of adjustments. Divakaruni wants to explain whether they got shift to another country but they have never sensed any boundary between their motherland and foreign-land. They are still attached towards their own roots and homeland. While they have adopted the lifestyle along with the customs of their new home but by some way they still feel the attraction towards their own tradition. Thus, she makes it clear that shifting to another culture or land doesnt mean to leave something; its all about to adopt another home. By her writing Divakaruni illustrates that how difficult it is to remove the border line between East/West and maintain the gap between these two different cultures. Divakaruni brings together wide critical applaud with the publication of her first collection of short stories Arranged Marriage (1995), which pays attention on women who came from India and caught between two worlds. That book also went on to American Book Award in 1996. Many characters in Arranged Marriage deals with this rapid transform in worldview, at once exciting and also horrifying. They have to build a sense of the new condition, which begins to convert them as women. Even it begins to transform their relations with the people in their family like their parents, who are usually back in India and their husbands, who are with them in the novel country. There are kids also who are now born in the new milieu, still wedged between two cultures, so far with an entirely different worldview. Well this is also an awfully chief theme in her another story collection The Lives of Strangers (2001), with movements back and forth between the two worlds. Divakarunis more than 15 books address the stories about to the understanding of women or immigrants in a new nation. Though she said her books are not autobiographical, but many of her characters contribute to similar apprehensions. She is concerned with how we make a new home for ourselves in a place that is so far away and so unlike from our home culture. The author also said that, she is concerned about how we as immigrants change the places in which we find ourselves. She is very much interested in the ways womens roles have changed as we move into different cultures. Eventually, Divakaruni expects that her words will challenge readers to think about what it means to be an immigrant and about larger issues such as family and home. She further says that, What I hope people get out of my books is that it will encourage them to think about important issues. I also hope that they see that although we come from many different places, what we have in common is the humanity we want the same things, we desire the same things. I hope my books will dissolve boundaries and bring people together. 13 Therefore, in her writing Divakaruni keeps on to be stimulated by her students at the University of Houston, many of them are immigrants themselves. In her time at UH, Divakaruni has been pleased to see the increasing variety among faculties, particularly at the highest level with President Renu Khator, who is also from India. Divakaruni talks about the strength of Renu that, Her having come from a different background and really having overcome many difficulties in her own personal background makes her an inspiring role model. She can also understand the struggles of some of our students who maybe come from different backgrounds where they havent been given the kind of support they need for college success. 14 Through her writing Chitra Banerjee wants to share all her experiences and also wish to unite the East/West by telling the stories of different characters. In her novel Sister of my heart (1999), Divakaruni presented two different characters Anju and Sudha, who were born at the same time. They both grew up together in the guardianship of their mothers in India. After marriage Anju went to America with her husband and on the other side Sudha lives in India with her in-laws. Author figured out Anju as a young woman in a new country, far away from home as well as from the sister of her heart Sudha. Anju tries to adjust in a new atmosphere with the past memories of her family and culture. There was no family support for her and she had to do everything by her own. She says while living alone in her new apartment, I dont like walking into the empty apartment. Theres something about the air unpeopled and stagnant, as though its from the bottom of a well that dried up a long time ago that makes me uncomfortable. Thats when the longing for the house of my childhood shakes me the most. How irritated I used to be at the constant commotion milkmen, vegetable sellers, Ramur Ma shouting at the neighbors cat whod snuck into the kitchen, Pishi calling me to go for my bath. Now Id be glad to see even the teatime aunties!15 Thus, through both of these protagonists the author wants to show two different lives in different cultures. Anjus life is entirely different from Sudhas. There is a gap between both of them, but this is physically only not mentally. Distance didnt change anything much between the relationships of these two sisters, after all they are sisters of the heart. They used to keep their connection through phone calls or letters as well as share each and every experience or growth of their life in different surroundings. By showing the life of these two sisters the writers aim is to remove the gap between the East and the West. She also gave us an idea about the contrast between the two different cultures Western culture splendidly as well as Indian. Anju presents her positive attitude and advantage of American customs. She says, Unlike some of the other Indian husbands I know, Sunil has always encouraged me to feel comfortable in America. He taught me to drive and introduced me to his colleagues at work. He bought me jeans and hiking boots, and when I said, Go for it! Hes taken me to malls and plays and dance clubs and the ocean. And finally though money is short, he has been enthusiastic about my going to college to get a degree in literature. 16 By showing the contrast, Divakaruni gave a picture of her motherland plus her current home (America). Thus in her book Sister of my Heart, she discussed the relationship between the older generation of India, who lives in a world full of mystical tales and magical occurrences plus Anju and Sudhas generation which is more drawn to western ideals. She believes that her readers must know about each others culture. If we put a glance on her other works like Mistress of Spices (1997), Queen of Dreams (2004), and Vine of Desire (2002); we will feel the same sensibility among the protagonists. They all are trying to get adjust and make their life better in the new and free atmosphere of the United States, keeping their past in their heart or memories. In her novel The Vine of Desire, the same story runs between the two sisters. Anju was living in America with her husband and now Sudha also joined them with her little daughter Dayita. Now Sudha is also trying to enjoy the new place and learn new things. Sudha turns on the T.V. Anju has told her she must, it will help her to understand Americans. So she watches a weather report that states theres a 70 percent chance of rain; a commercial for paper towels that features a giant male, a dirty floor, and a tiny, agitated woman; and then return of a game show. 17 They all are living far away from India and somehow they have adopted the new culture but still India is alive in their memories as their motherland. Thus, by heart they never go far away from it. Sudha is pretending to be happy, so once Anju asked her disappointedly, Do you miss India? 18. The whole setting of this novel is in America, but we also get a glimpse of India through the inner feelings of the characters. We can know about the different lifestyle of America, their way of thinking, rules, choices, and culture. Sudha also understands that, All the rules are different in America, and she knows none of them yet 19. The author made an effort to explain us about the reason that why people are getting attract towards the foreign culture; its all because of their free rules and open mentality. Thats the technique of the writer to break down the barrier among different continents. She not even presented the combination of east/west but also blends past and present together in her novels very well. It is to be sure that the element of secrecy or mystery is an integral part of Divakarunis work. She skillfully conveys her experiences of South Asian in America. She said that her books are partially based on the experience of social observation. But the author strives to weave such observations with the element of magic, myth, and ancient culture beside contemporary culture. She tries to bring those belongings together- the daily realities of immigrant life and a sense of ancient culture. She does so in her novel Queen of the Dreams that combines the story of a dream-teller mother and her young Indian-American daughter with the event of September 11, 2001. In her novel Queen of Dream, Rakhis mother is a dream teller, born with the ability to interpret and share the dreams of others. Her work is to foresee and direct them through their fates. This gift of vision fascinates Rakhi but she is totally separated from her mothers past in India and the dream world which she inhabits. She puts an effort for something to bring them closer. Rakhi was totally caught beneath the burden of her own painful secret; her comfort comes in the discovery after her mothers death through her dream journals, which began to open the long closed door to her past. Thus, the whole story wonderfully deals with the concept of past and present. It gives us the sense of a new America as well as the sense of traditional India. Via this novel we also get a glance of dream world and real world, there is a fine combination of both of them. Thus, This story of an emotionally distant mother and a daughter trying to find herself transcends cultural boundaries. Queen of Dreams combines the elements that Divakaruni is known for, the Indian American experience and magical realism, in a fresh mix. The tale succeeds on two levels. She effectively takes the reader into an immigrant culture but she also shows the common ground that lies in a world that some would find foreign. The search for identity and a sense of emotional completion is not confined to small corners of the world. It is a dilemma that all readers can understand. (Denver Post) 20 Divakarunis another novel The Mistress of Spicesis unique in its style. It is written with a combination of prose and poetry, thus this book has a very mystical quality to it. She wrote this novel in a spirit of play to collapse the divisions between the timeless one of myth or magic and the realistic world of twentieth century America. Its her attempt to create a modern fable. The novel follows Tilo, a magical figure who owns a grocery store and uses spices to help the customers and overcomes their difficulties. She also develops dilemmas of her own when she falls in love with a non-Indian. This creates great conflicts, as she has to choose whether to serve her people or to follow the path leading to her own happiness. Tilo has to decide which part of her heritage she will keep and which parts she will choose to abandon. The writer has well succeeded in her aim to remove gap between east/west, magic/realism and past/present in her novels which are discussed as above. In her article Dissolving Boundaries, she shared her experience which made her a new turn towards the theme of dissolving boundaries. She shared her feelings in it, It was Memorial Day. I waved good-bye to my two year old son and his grandma as my husband pulled our car out of the driveway, tires squealing. Ill be back in a few days, I called out to my son, with a brand new baby brother for you. As our car speed onto the freeway, I tried to reassure my nervous husband, telling him the pains werent too bad, and that everyone said the second time around was much easier. I had no premonitions at all. I didnt know that a normal delivery would not be possible for me. That the ensuing Caesarean surgery would go wrong in every way. That I would end up having to remain in the hospital for over a month, unable to take care of my newborn. I didnt know that I would balance precariously for weeks on the frail and perilous boundary between living and dying.21 That was really a tough time for her. She went through no dark tunnel, saw no bright lights. She did not rise out her body even. That encounter with death affected her deeply, though not in ways one might expect. She got the sense of life and death. But that time she felt a strange, dizzy sense of emptiness, of peace, in the way Buddhists use the term. She felt as though she drifted between states of death and life, and that it didnt matter which side she landed on. Because the boundary which we humans had drawn between these two states was not as irrevocable, nor as important, as we believed. She committed, I mused a lot about boundaries as I lay in bed recovering over the next few months, learning to live again. And it seemed t