Friday, November 29, 2019

The Importance of Arizona Law

Introduction The creation of a powerful and properly evidenced argument is not an easy thing. There are a number of issues to be taken into consideration and certain opinions to be evaluated. However, when the nation undergoes certain legal changes, many people are ready to share their personal opinions and ideas about the steps taken. The question of illegal immigration and its role in the development of Arizona society plays an important role for a long period of time.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Arizona Law specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Usually, people want to be in safe and feel protection of their government; still, they are not always ready to accept the legal changes offered. One of the latest reforms taken by the government and critically accepted by society was Arizona S.B. 1070. In fact, this legislative Act is considered to be one of the strictest anti-illegal immigration issue s in the state of Arizona as well as in the history of the United States of America. In this paper, the ideas of two different authors will be thoroughly analyzed: Roger Mahony, a famous American cardinal, whose thoughts and activities are supported by millions of people, and Kris Kobach, one of the principle drafters of the Act under consideration. Mahony’s â€Å"Thank You, Arizona!† is an attempt to describe the measure taken as a â€Å"mean-spirited and useless† measure that deprives people of a chance to be free and to be equal in society (Mahony 17). And though Kobach’s â€Å"Defending Arizona† introduces absolutely another point of view, this article should not be regarded as an opposition to Mahony’s work. The two authors share their opinions about the reform taken and try to persuade the reader. Mahony makes use of religion as a powerful weapon to achieve the required justice and protect immigrants from unfair judgments. And Kobach h elps to analyze the worth of Arizona S.B. 1070 admitting that many people’s â€Å"charges are completely false† and lead to â€Å"a vastly disproportionate response† (Kobach 31) . Kobach and Mahony are the writers, those words may be interpreted in a variety of ways; they are not only helpful and influential in the world of politics and religion, but they established the key points according to which governmental activities may be properly evaluated. Summary/Analysis To understand those ideas may play more crucial role in understanding of the worth of Arizona S.B. 1070, it is necessary to analyze each article and the approaches preferred by the authors. Kris Kobach is the drafter of the Act, so, his opinion and explanations of this governmental change should be thoughtful and properly organized. At the beginning of his article, the author admits that many political leaders â€Å"from President Obama on down† jumped into criticizing the law without its tho rough analysis. The point is that some opponents, such as Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano, say that they have not read the whole text of the law, still, they are ready to argue the importance of the reform.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The question is if it is reasonable and normal to create some judgments without clear arguments. Personal opinion should not be the main claim to rely on while arguing the activities of the state Governor. â€Å"Defending Arizona† is Kobach’s chance to explain why so many misunderstandings take place around the law offered. He identifies three charges which are wrong and give clarifications. The point is that the law does not introduce as many influential changes as people actually think. The main claim of the article is not to make fast decisions and find more time and analyze the law from a variety of perspectives to understand that Ar izona officers are provided with appropriate instructions to follow during the contact with illegal immigrants, racial profiling does not become a crucial point, and certain order of immigrants’ documentation is important. Kobach’s supportive facts are powerful indeed: he takes some extras from the law to prove that people’s judgments do not have any grounds, he remembers real-life examples such as â€Å"Gonzales v. City of Peoria† case, and he clearly explains the role of documentation provisions in this particular reform. The tone chosen in this article is persuasive, not hostile. It helps to explain the reader that the author is not satisfied with the conclusions made by some people and is ready to point out the mistakes and give informative explanations. His evidence is his personal experience and desire to create appropriate living conditions for the citizens of Arizona. Still, the creation of appropriate living conditions may be interpreted in a var iety of ways, and one of them is introduced in the article by Roger Mahony. A crucial aspect of this work is the attention to religion. The main claim of the article makes many readers realize that Arizona S.B. 1070 is a successful decision for the citizens of Arizona as it is defined by Kobach. What he suggests is to comprehend the importance to consider immigrants â€Å"no longer as strangers or statistics, but to see and hear them as real, flesh-and-blood human beings – neighbors, family members, whose lives are adversely affected every day that our leaders fail to enact just and fair immigration reform† (Mahony 18). On the one hand, this claim has clear humanistic evidence where God’s role and impact play an important role. People should be kind to each other and do not use the idea of citizenship as the main criteria for human separation. Attention to the Bible and the necessity to hear the stranger may be regarded as an influential factor.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Arizona Law specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Still, it is necessary to admit that not all people are ready to live in accordance with the rules identified in the Bible. So, on the other hand, people’s attitude to the role of the Bible and the ideas supported by a particular religion should not influence the political sphere of life. It is wrong to combine religious and political aspects to create one comprehensive law. What Mahony offers is to consider the Catholic community as one of the main issues to human justice. The point is that the immigrant experience is familiar to the vast majority of people: we are immigrants in society, religion, education, etc. And a properly organized opinion about immigration reform should be â€Å"a matter of justice† as well as â€Å"a part of our identity, of what we are as a church† (Mahony 19). Mahony uses rather convinc ing tone in the article. He does not want to provide people with any other choice but the one he supports. And his thoughts and devotion to religion are the main factors of his argument. Response Though the question of illegal immigration did not touch me personally, I cannot neglect the impact of this reform on human lives. The articles chosen for the analysis in this paper help to comprehend how it is easy to create inappropriate judgments and follow them in life. I found the both articles rather interesting and educative for many people. Kobach and Mahony make a decision to consider the same issue from absolutely different perspectives. If Kobach rely on his personal experience as the drafter of the Act and analyze thoroughly misunderstandings which take place around the issue taking into account different aspects of the, Mahony fails to consider various opinions but choose his religion as the only correct point. It is hard for people, who are far from some religious beliefs, to understand Mahony’s desire to unite politics and religion. This is why I want to say that I have more common grounds with the author of the article â€Å"Defending Arizona†, Kris Kobach. First, this writer does not rely a lot on his personal understanding of the reform but uses the facts. Second, he analyzes what has been already said and explains why the conclusions made should be regarded as false. And, finally, he does not want to convince the reader to accept one particular side but be able to evaluate all ideas discussed in the Act. Certain information in the article turns out to be new. For example, it is interesting to know that some leaders are ready to make conclusion without having clear grounds and reading the law itself. Such attitude to the case can explain why some people are not able to comprehend true essence of the reform offered.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is why the preferred article by Kobach makes me think about many things and understand that each law and reform offered should not be judged superficially. I like the way Kobach introduces facts in his work. Though I cannot say that I dislike the way chosen by Mahony, still, I would like to admit that his approach is less understandable for me and does not correspond to my ideas to rely on clear facts. Works Cited Kobach, Kris, W. â€Å"Defending Arizona.† National Review 62.10 (2010): 31-33. Mahony, Roger. â€Å"Thank You, Arizona!† America 202.19 (2010): 17-19. This essay on The Importance of Arizona Law was written and submitted by user Cristiano Waller to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Up to 75 Percent of US Youth Ineligible for Military

Up to 75 Percent of US Youth Ineligible for Military About 75 percent of Americas 17- to 24-year-olds were ineligible for military service due to lack of education, obesity, and other physical problems, or criminal history in 2009, according to a report issued by the Mission: Readiness group. Since Congress ended the military draft in 1973, the U.S. armed services depend on a constant flow of new volunteers every year.  While that figure has since dropped to 71 percent, the problems with military recruiting remain the same. Military Eligibility Key Takeaways At least 71 percent of Americans between 17 and 24 are now ineligible to serve in the military- some 24 million of the 34 million people in that age range. The strength of the U.S. military depends on a constant flow of qualified volunteers.National security is directly compromised by manpower shortages in the armed forces. Just Not Smart Enough In its report, Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve, Mission: Readiness - a group of retired military and civilian military leaders - found that one in four young people between 17 and 24 does not have a high school diploma. About 30 percent of those who do, states the report, still fail the Armed Forces Qualification Test, the entrance test required to join the US military. Another one in ten young people cannot serve because of past convictions for felonies or serious misdemeanors, states the report. Obesity and Other Health Problems Wash Many Out A full 27 percent of young Americans are simply too overweight to join the military, says Mission: Readiness. Many are turned away by recruiters and others never try to join. Of those who attempt to join, however, roughly 15,000 young potential recruits fail their entrance physicals every year because they are too heavy. Nearly 32 percent have other disqualifying health problems, including asthma, eyesight or hearing problems, mental health issues, or recent treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Due to all of the above and other assorted problems, only about two out of 10 American young people are fully eligible to join the military without special waivers, according to the report.Imagine ten young people walking into a recruiters office and seven of them getting turned away, said former Under Secretary of the Army Joe Reeder in a press release. We cannot allow todays dropout crisis to become a national security crisis. Post-Recession Military Recruiting Goals in Jeopardy Clearly, what worries the members of Mission: Readiness - and the Pentagon - is that faced with this ever-shrinking pool of qualified young people, the US military branches will no longer be able to meet their recruiting goals once the economy recovers and non-military jobs return.Once the economy begins to grow again, the challenge of finding enough high-quality recruits will return, states the report. Unless we help more young people get on the right track today, our future military readiness will be put at risk. The armed services are meeting recruitment targets in 2009, but those of us who have served in command roles are worried about the trends we see, said Rear Admiral James Barnett (USN, Ret.), in a press release. Our national security in the year 2030 is absolutely dependent on whats going on in pre-kindergarten today. We urge Congress to take action on this issue this year. Making Them Smarter, Better, Sooner The action Rear Admiral Barnett wants Congress to take is to pass the Early Learning Challenge Fund Act (H.R. 3221), which would pump over $10 billion into the slate of early education reforms proposed by the Obama administration in July of 2009. Reacting to the report, then Sec. of Education Arne Duncan said the support of the Mission: Readiness group demonstrates how important early childhood development is for the country.I am proud to be joining these senior retired admirals and generals who have served our nation with courage and distinction, Sec. Duncan said. We know that investing in high-quality early learning programs helps more young children enter school with the skills they need to be successful. That is why this administration has proposed a new investment in early childhood development through the Early Learning Challenge Fund. In its report, the retired admirals and generals of Mission: Readiness cite research studies showing that children who benefit from early childhood education are significantly more likely to graduate from high school and avoid crime as adults. Commanders in the field have to trust that our soldiers will respect authority, work within the rules and know the difference between right and wrong, said Major General James A. Kelley (USA, Ret.). Early learning opportunities help instill the qualities that make better citizens, better workers and better candidates for uniformed service. Stressing that early education is about more than learning to read and count, the report states, Young children also need to learn to share, wait their turn, follow directions, and build relationships. This is when children begin to develop a conscience differentiating right from wrong and when they start learning to stick with a task until it is completed. Some Improvement by 2017 In 2017, the Pentagon reported that 71 percent of young Americans between 17 and 24 are ineligible to serve in the United States military. While an improvement since 2009, this still means that over 24 million of the 34 million people of the eligible age group cannot serve in the armed forces. The Pentagon continues to stress the situation’s alarming threat to national security. As former commander of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command, Major General Mark Brilakis stated, â€Å"There are 30 some million 17- to 24 year-olds out there, but by the time you get all the way down to those that are qualified, you’re down to less than a million young Americans.†

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Main Sources of Law in England Today and the Role of Judges Essay

The Main Sources of Law in England Today and the Role of Judges - Essay Example The Human Rights Act of 1998 enables all the UK courts to guard the rights identified in the ECHR (Alisdair 2007, p. 20). The English law is based on three pillars; parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, and separation of powers. Parliamentary sovereignty refers to the supremacy of the United Kingdom Parliament in legislative matters. The principal source of UK law is the UK Parliament. Separation of powers means there is the existence of some degree of independence in the running the different roles of government. Conventionally, these roles are the executive, legislative, and the judicial functions of government (John 2011, p. 145). The rule of law calls for equality of all before the law. The rule of law encompasses basic liberties including freedom from arbitrary laws and arbitrary powers (Alisdair 2007, p. 21). Statutes Statutes are laws, which are made by parliament. The House of Lords, House of Commons, and Monarch are responsible for making legislation. Legislation begin s with a Bill, and there are three types of bills; public bills, private bills, private members’ bills. Public Bills are introduced by the government on public policy matters that affect the entire country. Local governments or large public companies introduce Private Bills. Private Members’ Bills are introduced by the Members of Parliament who are not Government Ministers or Lords (John 2011, p. 147). The Legislative Process Bills may be initiated into either House of Lords (except Finance Bills, which start in the House of Commons) or the House of Commons. A Bill follows several stages; First Reading, the title of the Bill and the main objectives are read out. Second Reading; the Bill is fully read. The main debate takes place concerning any contentious issues; amendments can be made at this stage. Joint Select Committee on Human Rights reports any occurrence of Human Rights issues. After the debates, the House votes whether to proceed or not. Committee Stage; at thi s stage the Committee scrutinize each and every clause of the Bill. The Committee Stage is an exercise of eliminating any drafting errors. Amendments of the Bill may be proposed by the Committee. Report Stage; the committee files its findings to the House of origin. The proposed modifications are then debated, and the members vote for or against the amendments (John 2011, p. 149). Third Reading; The Bill is fully read, and at this stage, a debate will be there if at least six MPs request it. The MPs will vote whether the Bill should continue or not. If a Bill successfully passes all the stages, it then continues to the alternative Chamber. Any modifications made in the alternative House should be submitted back to the House of origin to assent to the amendments; this in known as Ping Pong. Once a Bill successfully passes through both houses, it then goes to Royal Assent. This entails a formal process whereby the Queen assents the Bill, and it officially becomes a statute. The newly generated statute contains a date of implementation shortly following the Royal Assent. Delegated legislation is made under the power of the Act of Parliament. The Act gives an institution or a person authority to make the detail of the law on behalf of the Parliament (John 2011, p. 150). The following are the advantages and disadvantages of Statute Law as demonstrated by John (2011, p. 152). Advantages Parliaments are elected since they have policies citizens want. This means that their laws

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

How does hip hop articulate black marginality in ways that are both Essay

How does hip hop articulate black marginality in ways that are both new to the contemporary city and consistent with African Ame - Essay Example To decode, audience members resort to values, norms and beliefs – root metaphors – tat they, the audience, and hold in order to make sense of the information communicated and their response is not only based on the intent of the communicator but also on the values in which the audience have also been socialised, (Hill, Simona, and Ramsaran, 2009, p. 17) The notion of bardic television is adapted and applied to the entire media hence the framing of the natural order of things in the world by providing a set of images so the audience members can locate themselves in the social stratification system. This is made so by providing justifications for the system of inequality, and by perpetuating images that reinforces the dominant culture/ideology while the exploration of the issues of race, class and gender is rooted in the historical development of the society. It considers the values and images that are important for the contemporary social stratification. Hiphop as well a s the media play a role in the reinforcement of these images that result in the perpetuation of the poser of the privileged. Many of the images that have been brought into the mainstream reinforce the old controlling images of minorities, women and the poor thus serving to perpetuate the system of domination and it fits well into the overall colour-blind ideology promoted to justify contemporary notions such as discrimination and inequality. In the 1980s, cultural and commercial forces united to forge an enduring place for hip hop within the African American popular culture as Tricia Rose (1994) argues that this point effectively as she observes that at the beginning of the urban hip hop, the rap stories continue to articulate the shifting terms of the black marginality in the contemporary American culture. On the one hand, some aspects of hip hop culture can challenge some marginalised ideologies such as racism and sexist stereotypes; however, those images sold by corporate America in hip hop culture increasingly reinforce many of the fundamental factors that further the entrenchment of marginality in America. The contradictory nature of the black male image that is brought into the mainstream culture by the highly commercialised hiphop culture challenges the system of traditions that were associated with racism, polite brutality and poverty while at the same time articulate the contemporary hegemonic values of the oversexed, violent black male. The very images that are now brought into the mainstream about black men can be traced to the ancient forged realities of the North American slavery periods. Black males are portrayed as violent, a threat to the society, and having an uncontrolled appetite for sex particularly with white women as the gangster and thug life perpetuated by the hip hop culture serves to portray those negative stereotypes of black males and despite the negative social impact, contemporary capitalism, with the use of the media, can market dimensions of thug life associated with the gear and mannerisms to suburban white youth for profit so that the youth can experience the other digitally. The performance of the rap artists becomes a vicarious and demonstrative event that captures supposed reality and reinforces

Monday, November 18, 2019

Research and Methodology paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Research and Methodology paper 2 - Essay Example According to the health practice standard, every human being is responsible for quality health practices. Every person is involved in one way, or another to create a better health environment in the community. The health practitioners are accountable for the quality of health services they discharge to members of the community. The code of professional conduct demands that every decision made by the health practitioners is justified according to existing ethics and ethical behaviour standards. In that essence, many agree that the development of treatment on various conditions that affect many people is directly dependant to the research availed to the health practitioners. Research is dependable for facilitating and determining the cure for various conditions (Weinbroum, Ekstein & Ezri 2002). Research is also necessary for the determination of processes during administration of medicines. Apart from medical decision, research is critical in that it helps the practitioners be satisfied that the conditions affecting people are treatable under determined conditions. Research has provided the backbone for nursing practitioners to develop their practices and improve service delivery to members of the community who visit various health centres. The research methodology discusses or rather critiques individual research delivered under the operating practitioners department. Operating department practitioners fall under the umbrella of health care providers. Their main tasks involve is providing the patient with perioperative care. They manage operations towards safe and secure results. They are employed in medical operating departments. Even so, they can be allocated to other departments since they have a wide array of clinical and surgical knowhow. In most hospitals or health centres, they are mainly found in the accident and emergency units, intensive care units, and the ambulance service

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Concepts Of The Seduced And Repressed Marketing Essay

Concepts Of The Seduced And Repressed Marketing Essay This essay will introduce the concepts of the seduced and repressed and explain what they mean in Baumans theory of consumer society The main body will consider how Baumans concepts: help us better understand how consumption fits into and affects our modern UK consumer society. fail to help us understand (what are their strengths and weaknesses ? what are their limitations as tools ?) feedback from TMA01: make it shorter (~10%) Main Body  (approx 1000 words) Introduce the concepts, explain what they mean Summarise Baumans theory (consumption replaces class in post-industrial consumer society as a means of classifying members of society). Explain what Bauman means by Seduced and Repressed as concepts within his theory. How the concepts help (try using Circuit of Knowledge) Question: How do the concepts help us better understand consumption in our society ? Claim: They enable us to create a clear, simplified description of a consumer society Evidence: Examples of what Bauman describes from UK society: Hetheringtons description of his street as an example of a typical UK street, show how the concepts help us describe contemporary UK consumer society as exemplified by his street, how they simplify/clarify the description. Claim: They offer an accurate (enough) explanation of why things are this way in a consumer society Evidence: Show how the concepts offer an explanation of why people shop as they do, using the description of Hetheringtons area. Jackson reached the same conclusion for retail park shoppers. How the concepts fail       Question: How do the concepts FAIL TO help us better understand consumption in our society ? Claim: Baumans theory is a bit out-of-date, patterns of consumption and opportunities for consuming have changed. Distinguishing by ability to consume or not is less meaningful if everyone can consume satisfactorily. We might need a new set of concepts to partition the new seduced, or a re-definition of Baumans concepts to address this. Evidence: Money is more freely available on easy credit terms/store cards etc. Online (ebay), high-street stores like Primark allow more people to consume successfully at different levels, not just a choice between consuming luxury or nothing at all. Rising affluence (chapter 3 evidence, spend on essentials as a proportion of all expenditure has dropped since 1986), Greater access to a wider range of cheaper goods (e.g. cheap clothes in supermarkets chapter 2).   Quote from V.Brown about how people in the UK have more stuff than ever before Claim: They over-generalise/over-simplify they dont explain lots of consumer types and how they behave. Choose from these examples of consumers who dont fit the concepts depending on wordcount: Evidence:: People who may not consume luxuries to fit in/portray a lifestyle normally, but who use occasional retail therapy as an escape mechanism from a stressful or boring lifestyle. They KNOW theyre being seduced, and indeed choose to be for relief. People who consume to reward themselves for working hard. People in both categories simultaneously e.g. may be heavily seduced whenever they spend on hobbies or interests, but begrudge every penny spent on other non-essentials;  Ã‚  Ã‚      People who consume goods and services aimed at the seduced, but who understand the manipulation and dont care People who choose not to consume in order to make a point (Chapter 1 Hetheringtons oppositional, and Audio CD1, Helen Rimmer (FoE) re. Tescopoly and other protesters) People who would be classified as repressed but are not, even though they have  a good income  (e.g. have high demands on their means) or they prioritise essentials over luxury Conclusion (approx 150 words) What has the essay discussed ? What conclusions have been reached ? NO NEW MATERIAL ! It has examined the concepts from the perspectives of how they help us better understand how consumption fits into and affects our society and where they fail to help us in this understanding It has concluded that the benefits outweigh the shortcomings, but that other concepts and theories are required to give a complete picture of the modern UK consumer society. So they leave a number of significant gaps, thus need to be augmented/extended to give a good understanding. References Add references at the end dont forget the CD reference David Byrne (PI: B0984954, DD131, TMA02 Task 2, Essay of not more than 1250 words) Discuss the role of the concepts of the seduced and the repressed for understanding the place of consumption in contemporary consumer society. Zygmunt Bauman has created an abstract model of the typical modern consumer society, as a way of describing this type of society and explaining why it might be so. He has invented a number of concepts to help with this explanation, and this essay will consider two of these that are closely related what Bauman calls the Seduced and the Repressed. This discussion will initially introduce these concepts and explain what they mean in Baumans theory. It will then explore their usefulness by considering each from the contrasting perspectives of how they help us better understand where consumption fits into our modern UK consumer society, and conversely ways in which they might fail to help our understanding. As noted by Kevin Hetherington (2009, p25), Bauman suggests that post-industrial capitalist societies are based on consumption, which he believes is a key characteristic of such societies. In a similar fashion to the class-based divisions in industrial society that group people by their positions in relation to the means of production, he proposes that societal divisions within consumer society are based on peoples ability to consume material goods, services and experiences, and offers the concepts of the Seduced and the Repressed to describe those groupings. The Seduced in Baumans model are those able to acquire the material goods that are valued as status symbols by their peers, and to live lifestyles aspired to by the group. As successful consumers, they are valued as members of society with a positive identity. In contrast, the constituents of the Repressed are those who are unable to access this way of life for some reason, for example because they do not have the disposable inc ome to spend on non-essentials, or cannot access the sites of consumption such as retail parks and high streets due to factors such as physical disability, age or lack of transport. These are seen as negatively-valued members of the consumer society, by the seduced and by those with something to sell. Baumans concepts can be used to describe and explain the different patterns of consumer activity in contemporary UK society. They distil all the subtly different attitudes to consumption held by the individuals in society down to just two consumer types, giving a simplified model that is much easier to understand than one incorporating all the individuals means and circumstances. Consider Hetheringtons account (2009, p13) of the businesses in his local area, a typical example of todays UK urban landscape that includes small local shops, bars and restaurants, and out-of-town supermarkets and retail parks. This society can easily be described using Baumans concepts, where the Seduced are likely to be those people Hetherington identifies as the night-time clientele of the bars and restaurants, and those who drive to the large supermarkets and retail park to shop, while the Repressed could include those such as the latest group of migrants to arrive that Hetherington mentions. Baumans co ncepts also offer a simple theoretical way to explain why those who shop in each of the different outlets in the area do so. They suggest that the shoppers in the local retail park are the Seduced, who shop there because they are buying into a lifestyle that emphasises acquisition of goods available in that environment, who have access to it by virtue of being car owners, and who can afford to shop there because they have sufficient disposable income. Those with sufficient disposable income to enjoy the bars and restaurants in the vicinity would also fit this category. In contrast, those local residents forced to settle for the limited range of goods on offer in the somewhat run-down local convenience stores because they cant afford to shop in the large out-of-town stores, or who do not have the appropriate means of transport to shop there, fit into the category of the Repressed. This explanation of current UK society offered by Baumans concepts is supported by practical studies suc h as Peter Jacksons survey of retail park shoppers (1990, cited in Hetherington, 2009, p45). However since Bauman first presented his concepts in 1988, new opportunities for consuming that they do not accommodate have emerged in the UK. Vivienne Brown (2009, p111) presents evidence from the ONS of rising affluence here over the last fifty years, with the most significant rises in disposable income and in real earnings occurring in the mid-eighties and early nineties, trends accompanied by increased access to credit facilities through loan companies, store cards etc. Giant multinational retailers such as Tesco and Primark, with their global supply chains and huge buying power have brought an ever-increasing range of cheaper goods to the UK market, and online stores and auction sites facilitate high volumes of trade in cheaper goods. This combination of increased access to money and wider range of options means that a growing proportion of people are able to access a level of consumption that satisfies them instead of just being able to either consume or not. As Brown observes : People in the UK have more clothing and shoes than ever before, eat a wider range of food than ever before, and increasingly their homes are fitted with appliances and facilities that would have been undreamed of or classed in the luxury bracket in the past (2009, p108). Baumans concepts distinguish people by whether they can consume or not, and are most effective when these distinctions are clear. When a majority of people are consuming satisfactorily, albeit at different levels, the differences between them as consumers narrow and the concepts may really only be useful for distinguishing between extremes. Additionally, without a baseline for comparison the concepts are hard to apply consistently: those considered Seduced from one perspective might equally be considered Repressed by those even better off. These gaps suggest that alternative concepts are needed to partition the contemporary Seduced in order to satisfactorily explain our society. While Baumans concepts simplify and clarify, they over-generalise and over-simplify. Many people in the UK today either dont fit neatly into the categories of the Seduced and Repressed, or move easily between these groups. Examples include those who do not normally follow a consumption-centred lifestyle but who use occasional shopping (retail therapy) to escape from stress or boredom, or as a personal treat or reward. They know they are being seduced, and indeed choose to be for their temporary specific purposes. Similarly, the concepts do not explain those that choose to not consume in order to make a point, who Hetherington (2009, p47) suggests might be termed the oppositional, such as those who select what they buy on the basis of environmental friendliness, trade fairness or other ethical grounds. Helen Rimmer (DD131, CD1) describes communities in a number of UK locations who have rejected new opportunities to consume by actively opposing the introduction of big supermarkets in t heir area because they object to the local economy being disrupted. The people in these examples are not  seduced, but neither are they repressed: their conscious choices of where and how much they consume compared to others do not impact on their status in society or on how others value them.  This again suggests that Baumans concepts may need re-definition to have more meaning in the context of our modern society. Having evaluated the strengths and the limitations of Baumans Seduced and Repressed concepts as tools in advancing our understanding of the role of consumption in contemporary post-industrial UK society, it seems that they offer a useful way of classifying many of the members of that society, and often help to explain their patterns of consumption. However this essay has presented a number of examples where the concepts fail to offer a satisfactory explanation because they are too generalised and/or simplified. The evidence that Baumans concepts leave important gaps in our understanding therefore suggests that while they are most useful in giving a big picture view of the role that consumption plays in modern UK consumer society, additional concepts and theories are required if we wish to understand the detail. (1331 words)

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Book Review- Of mice and men :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† Who would you prefer ending up dead: The first main hero or the second main hero? If your choice is the second main hero then John Steinbeck’s short novel, Of mice and men, is the perfect book for you. And if you like reading books with the first main hero ending up dead, then the best book for you will be†¦Of Mice and men, as well. Because, in a sense, the first main hero dies too. If you kill someone, who play a very important part in your life, with your own hands, won’t you be almost dead too? Set in the harsh depression years of 1930s of America, Of Mice and Men is a typical American style book. America at that time did not respect relations and this is what the book represents. It is set a few miles south of Soledad near the Salinas River. Every chapter starts of with a very detailed description of the settings. â€Å"The deep green pool of the Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan Mountains†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (ch. 6). Steinbeck believes what he imagines or he imagines what he believes. That’s why the original name of the short novel was ‘Something that happened’. The attractive simplicity of his writing in this novel is that he achieves the difficult task of telling an unusual story in a convincing manner, without having to explain in any detail why it happened. It was nobody’s fault in particular the event turns out as they did. It was all down to specific combination of circumstances which go to make up the plot. It was as if America did not accept friendship at that time, that’s probably why friends broke up soon. It’s not me who’s saying all this, its Steinbeck’s novel. I never knew friendship could cause these many problems. It was only friendship that made the first main character kills the second main character.