Hate Groups on the Internet Essay -- Ku Klux Klan KKK Neo Nazis skinhe

The Web of Hate Technology has provided our society with numerous innovations that have been created to improve the quality of life on a daily basis. One such innovation is the Internet. The access to a wide variety of information is perhaps the most valuable tool, as well as the most important tool, that we have entering the twenty-first century. There are virtually no limits on how much can be achieved through the use of the Internet. This is not, however, necessarily a good thing. Most people find that offensive material such as child pornography and hate-related propaganda can be viewed by people too easily via the Internet. While child pornography is a detestable subject, it does not have the sort of appeal that a hate group website does in that there are stricter guidelines preventing individuals from attaining child pornography material from the Internet. These stricter guidelines include the Communications Decency Act (1995), which forbids the use of the Internet for such purposes as attaining material of a child pornographic nature (Wolf, 2000). This law can also be used to monitor the hate group websites, but since the law is too broad, it is rarely held up in court. The hate group websites do, however, have a large enough following that there is legislation being formed to specifically target the material on the sites. Despite the highly offensive nature of hate group websites, the sites should not be censored because the right to free speech must be preserved. In this paper we will define what is considered to be hateful content; why this hateful content should be protected; what else can be done to monitor this material on the Internet; and when are the people cr... ...nt rights in order to completely abolish the views of a entire nation to stop the ignorant views of a much smaller portion of our great democratic nation. Works Cited 1. Control of the Internet at http://alamo.nmsu.edu/library/control.html 2. Join, Free Speech, and the Internet at http://www.orins.com/freespe.html 3. Borland, John, Neo-Nazi Group Sued for Online Threats (10/20/98) at http://content.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19981020S0010 4. Wolf, Christopher, Racists, Bigots, and Law on the Internet at http://www.adl.org/internet/internet_law3.html 5. Creativity Online Church Sites for a New Era of Evolution. 18 Apr. 2000. World Church of the Creator. 20 at http://www.wcotc.com 6. Schleifer, Yigal. Cyber Hate, The Jerusalem Report May 24, 1999: 37+. 7. Schleifer, Yigal. Taming The Wild Web, The Jerusalem Report Jan. 31, 2000: 36.

World Oil Economy

Energy has been the main concern of nations looking for progress and development throughout history, oil has always been one such means of energy that is capable of sustaining the large scale development projects many nations have undertaken, the utility generated by oil cannot be substituted with the same efficiency by any other energy generation means, oil today is used in transportation, manufacturing, infrastructure development, power generation etc. All the uses of oil are so vital and important in nature that any hindrance in the supply of oil can wreck havoc in the world economic system. In recent years, we have seen the prices of oil reach to new heights and it’s an accepted fact that oil prices fluctuating always deal a blow to the economic system on a global level. Whenever there is uncertainty about oil supply due to violence in the Niger delta or political turmoil in Iran or Venezuela or due to the Iraq war. The world markets always react to it and we see a negative impact on the overall economy the prices of oil surge to record heights, such is the case we witnessed in 2008 and early 2009 until recession came into full force and due to dropping demand the prices of oil lowered considerable. But the fundamental question remained energy and the quest for energy and how the global oil economy is working having a direct and immediate impact on the economy of the world. (IEA, 2008) The reason for this issue to come to the forefront are the oil shocks and their negative effects the world has witnessed in the last few decades, it all started with the Arab-Israeli war in 1973, then came the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, then was the attack on Iran by Iraq and later the attack on Kuwait in 1980 and 1990, then was the operation desert storm for liberation of Kuwait in 1991, further down the line was the War in Iraq after the allegations of weapons of mass destruction being in possession of Iraq, the war in Lebanon with Israel and in recent times the Iran issue threatens to jeopardize the supply of oil to other countries of the world. Right before the recession started effecting the economies in the year 2008, the world was experiencing a very healthy growth rate, countries like China and India were booming giving a rise to demand of oil and related products which naturally played a role in the rise of oil prices In recent years due to the economic crisis we see that the price of oil experienced a massive drop from the record heights it had managed to reach, and that prompted OPEC which is a organization of oil producing and exporting countries to undertake supply cuts in hopes of controlling the price and stopping it from dropping below and acceptable level. In the last few years, OPEC has made sure that it controls the supply of oil to the market in a tight manner and the recent surge in prices gave them a windfall of profit but it should be kept in mind that the global inventory of oil is low as well and it should not be forgotten that concerns do exist about a shortage of oil in the future which will effective ly jam the growth of all countries of the world. The fact that is most interesting that the prices of oil start depicting the effects of news and speculation even before anything actually happens which is also a reason that speculation plays a very big role in oil pricing mechanisms, since the whole game is about the supply and oil deliveries reaching their intended destinations that’s the core reason that prices get effected by the news and expected events or incidents. (Jesse et al, 2008) The market does possess certain complaints with the oil producing and exporting countries as well, it has been seen time and time again that whenever there is fear that the oil prices are going to experience a big drop OPEC immediately introduces production cuts to balance the effect but on the other hand when the prices of oil hit the ceiling there is very little or almost no effort done by the OPEC countries to control the situation and hence it creates a negative feeling about these countries in the non-OPEC nations. It wont be wrong to suggest that the entire world economy is more dependent on oil and its resulting impacts then any other single factor, countries like China and India have been going through massive development and they supply their products to markets in the west as well as the east and hence the prices and fluctuations in oil prices and supply have a deep impact on these economies, on the other hand poor nations emerge as the biggest losers in case of major turmoil in oil markets. The rise in oil prices has a fundamental contribution to the increase in inflation and trade imbalances in various countries and the prices of oil start a chain effect hindering the abilities of a country to economically strengthen or at times even sustain the current economic strength. On a long term basis we witness that nations are increasingly taking interest in resources that can be used as substitute to oil, development of ethanol is one such example of work being done in alternate energy sources, another interesting observation is that most oil exporting countries are eager to maintain national control over the oil resources but such a strategy also logically leads to less investment in the sector and that’s subsequently leads to maintenance of higher prices in the near future. (Jesse et al, 2008) â€Å"In an elegant and influential paper, it was shown that oil price spikes might lead to a high degree of subsequent uncertainty that causes firms to hold up their investment projects, thereby leading to a dip in overall output. In theory, this effect could be important, though there is not yet much corroborating empirical evidence. â€Å"(Ben Bernanke, 1983) Some studies done by the IMF in 2003 suggest that a 5$ a barrel increase in oil price would lower the global output by 0. 3%, with Europe and Africa being the most effected areas since Asia, and Latin American does consist of oil exporting countries. The problem here is that the effect on fast paced developing countries is much more then as compared to other countries and secondly if we consider situation of a poor nation which is already facing a heavy import bill, the oil shock can end up being a back breaker for them with the impact being at least 4 times more intense. What makes oil products different from other commodities based on the demand and supply principle is that fact that it is used for energy purposes and the price effects for the oil producers and people who consumer oil are more difficult to be adjusted to in the short run then on the long run. Over a long run the factors induced by oil price uncertainty and the political uncertainties surrounding it can definitely be managed as societies are known to evolve over a period of time, needs and ways of getting the job done change from time to time, already we see that the world has become wary of the Oil weapon in the hands of a particular cartel which gives them an edge and a negotiating slip for their interests as they are fully aware that the dependence of the world is on the recourses provided by them. (IEA, 2008) In relation to the countries which are heavily dependent on oil to meet their energy requirements the picture is not so good, as they are so dependent on oil even short run fluctuations have a major impact on the position of their revenues, Oil industry requires massive investments to setup and a long lead time is involved in making the ventures profitable this situation further complicated by oil price fluctuations make it a risky venture. One option for them is to try and diversify the risk they are taking by the sharing of the costs involved with countries they are allied with or the private sector, the existence of oil stabilization funds in countries like Norway can be made of use to stabilize the shocks arising from volatile fluctuations. (Rogoff, 2006) Another good measure will be for other countries to exercise much more flexible monetary policies, countries that are into commodity manufacturing export like South Africa, New Zealand, Australia allow their exchange rates too adjust accordingly with the fluctuations in the prices for the commodities they export. Similarly oil producing countries will be able to induce exchange rate flexibility helping to avoid the sudden deflation that normally occurs. Another question that comes in every individuals mind is how long will the oil reserves last, every now and then we get estimates providing deadlines like oil will run out in about 50 years time or 100 years time but the fact is we just cant be sure about it, there is another circle of thought that believes that with the developing technology and sophisticated methods it will be possible to discover more oil reserves which may last for a very long time. Recently questions did arise about the size of reserves of particular countries or large corporate entities like Royal Dutch Shell but the point to be understood is the oil industry is covered with various complexities like the large scale work involved in identifying potential spots for oil reserves, undertaking massive investment to explore the marked areas and then judging the size of underlying reserves due to all these factors the experts tend to prefer taking a conservative approach instead of going full board and then coming up with disappointing revisions knowing perfectly that the prices of oil are directly effected by the discovery of new reserves. (Jesse et al, 2008) The Political side of the Oil game can never be ignored or downplayed since it’s a major factor, for countless years the world oil industry was being ruled by a limited number of corporate giants operating in collaboration and keeping away from each others territories all over the world. The companies h ad been able to obtain large number of areas in oil rich countries as their turf and were allowed to operate freely. These corporate entities were operating like state’s functioning within state’s, their roles and ways of functioning have been documented on various occasions by investigative studies and new findings continue to arise on a more regular basis. These companies were allowed to use their massive budgets and resources to influence the elected officials in many of the countries and at certain points even gain outcomes in the political and legal arenas as per their wishes. What resulted from this strong influence were the fantastic terms of agreement and other concessions these companies were able to obtain with ease furthermore they were also able to protect the industry from nationalization policies which were attempted in various countries as well. (Mitchell et al, 2001) Although today the situation is different from what it used to be as many countries have preferred to operate in the oil industry only with their nationally run entities, but there are other countries which seem to be opening up to international entities and the need to tight regulation and control arises from this situation if the mistakes of the past are to be avoided. It can also be said that the roles of the past have been somewhat reversed in current times, these days companies face far stringent regulations and terms to be met with by some of the countries. On other hand we can also see the example of sanctions imposed by the US on certain oil rich countries which directly hinders the American oil companies from undertaking any research and development of oil reserves in the territories being blocked by the American sanctions. It is important to understand that in recent times the situation in the World oil industry has experienced a significant shift from what it used to be, the companies have started taking a more professional and business oriented approach, negotiations are done on the basis of mutual benefits. (Borenstein, 2008) Concerns about the future supply and availability of oil due to political reasons arise every now and then but it is very important to understand that the countries producing and exporting oil cannot hold it and disrupt supply for long periods as they themselves are significantly dependent on revenues generated from oil they sell in the world markets so any disruption can only be of a very small amount of time and not something very substantial to be a matter of great concern. (Jesse et al, 2008) In relation to the growing demand of oil, it is predicted by many researchers that the oil prices will remain high but the high prices should be considered a permanent change in fact the growing awareness of substituting oil and energy based resources should be kept in mind as we know today that large amounts of coal reserves do exist which have not been discovered or are not being utilized at present, such alternative energy resources if brought into action in the future in large scale projects will definitely make the prices of oil dip significantly knowing that the current dip in prices is only because of the recession and demand drops being experienced all over the world, but the recession is temporary and it will pass but the situation will definitely become much more interesting when the alternative energy resources are brought into the market scenario. Obviously the level of oil supplies cannot be sustained indefinitely and some data obtained form research on this topic comes very handy here. (Kate et al, 2008) In the month of November 2007, the World Economic Outlook 2007 of the international energy agency came up with a finding that was alarming for everyone, stated that a â€Å"supply side crunch leading in the period to 2015 involving an abrupt escalation of prices cannot be ruled out , the findings further suggested that due to short term inelasticity a demand supply gap could open up a gap of about 13. 5 million barrels per day in the span of coming seven years, we also saw similar warnings coming from the CEO’s of Chevron, Total and the royal Dutch shell† Interestingly the paper attributed these findings to be more related to the economic and political circumstances around the world that could hinder the exploration and development of new reserves which are fundamental to the world oil economy. Furthermore the paper goes on to state that the methods being used to calculate the current oil reserves in the world are variable and have the tendency to be incorrect which creates confusion since no comprehensive and accurate system exists till this point, most of the figures being quoted are nothing more then reasonable guesses. (IEA, 2004) In terms of the future outlook looking at the world political and economic situation it seems unlikely that a positive platform may get developed for wide scale exploratory and development work in potential spots around the world in search for oil reserves which basically advocates to the fact that the world maybe heading towards another oil price shock. The paper sums it up as that although oil reserves may not run out any time soon and it wont be an abrupt affair as well, the reserves may last for quite some time before the crisis is at our doors but the it is important to develop a system to foresee any undesirable development and take steps to neutralize it before it triggers a crisis which could be one of the worst ones the world is going to see, and like it was suggested that the OPEC countries seem to be taking a lethargic approach towards development of new reserves for the future generation and this needs to be corrected and a more active approach is required from all the parties involved. (Jesse et al, 2008) A study done in the Netherlands also came up with some very interesting findings which are mentioned below: The study suggests that if the world economy was not hit by the recession then at this point in time the prices of oil could have reached a whooping 200$ a barrel due to supply constraints, it is also suggested that after the recession such a situation of supply constraint and high prices could last well for a decade at least. (Barry, 2005) According to this paper, â€Å"Due to the supply strain the oil prices will oscillate between two variables: a) The cost of the marginal barrel of supply as determined by the most expensive barrel plus a margin for supply/demand fundamentals and geopolitical risks, driven by open markets in an OECD economic framework, and ) The real User Value of oil – determined by increasingly closed markets (for new reserve exploitation; for bilateral oil trade flows; for refined products), as supported by several of the major OPEC countries and Russia. â€Å" The two options above are distinctive price regimes and as mentioned in the paper the prices wont follow one single regime entirely in fact with changing trends an conditions each of the two regimes will come in play time and time again. Some other factors in relation to it are about the oil futures market as it is the indicator and signaling mechanism of the future prices of oil in the international market. From a traditional point of view high prices of oil should encourage producers to develop and supply more expensive oil and benefit from the high prices but we have not seen any such scenario developing instead the prices are just a test of the consumer behavior towards the changes and the resulting demand. Due to the political and social situation an uncertainty lingers and when such times of great uncertainty are in effect either the price really shoots up or shoots down depending on the conditions. We have already seen the prices shoot up drastically in the last year 2008. It should be understood that although in the short term the actions and reactions of speculators may have an impact on the oil prices but they have no impact in the long run and in the case of current oil prices it is the long run which is the driver behind the volatility. (Kate et al, 2008) In a period of less the 15 years the consumer base for oil has doubled, the situation has changed rapidly from what it was in the early 1990’s, Countries like China and India plus the other developing nations have substantial energy requirements which is naturally dependent on oil, further more the increase in the demand for oil was not exactly being matched by new discoveries of oil reserves resulting in a scenario where we have an extreme strain on the oil industry and the struggle of the industry to provide sustained supply can be understood. Although high oil prices do have an impact on the growth globally but the rate of responsiveness to high prices has not been as substantial till now, at present oil has become a necessity to meet fundamental energy requirements and the absence of substitute resources on a mass level is mainly responsible for the situation. In any given scenario we see that oil will remain the fundamental and the most basic resource for meeting the glob al energy requirements at least for a few decades. The recently revised figures by the international energy agency show that over the next 22 years the supply of oil will only increase at half the pace then it was originally anticipated to which will be about 13 to 18 million barrels per day as compared to previously anticipated 29 million barrels per day. The figures further suggest that the development and discovery pace of new oil reserves and supply of new oil to the market will require serious efforts if the world demand for oil has to be met and a global energy crisis has to be averted. The scenario suggests that if some drastic discoveries are not made, oil rationing will be done in countries to accommodate the need for growing and developing countries, further more countries will have to take effective steps in withdrawing oil products subsidies without triggering massive inflation so as to curb the growing demand for oil. A fierce battle will also begin for domination over scare resources, this can range from tough price wars to even geo political tensions and ultimately even leading to wars. A deep and prolonged recession can be one of the likely outcomes if an energy crisis takes the world in its grip. Quickly shooting up oil prices may not be the only fate the world may face if countries which are non-OPEC but they do possess significant oil reserves step up to the plate and in collaboration with major oil consuming countries make the oil available in the international market, currently these resources are not being developed and made use of due to the massive investment needed in developing them and the uncertainty relating to demand, not to forget the economic crisis the world has been gripped by. If these countries are able to collaborate and make use of the idle resources then the predictions of massive rise in oil prices in the next decade will fade, although the prices of oil will rise in the future but in a more orderly and controlled fashion without causing any economic turmoil or crisis. (Kate et al, 2008) Steps and measures will be required to change the scenario from an Oil supply constrained condition to a more energy sustainable globe. It is a fact that the world needs time to adapt itself to new measures and steps to reduce the dependence on oil and use the latest technology to develop renewable energy resources and supplement oil with the alternative fuels so that the strain on the oil supply be relieved. Iraq is one of the major producers of oil in the world but the Iraqi oil producing and exporting capacity has been negatively affected by the constant turmoil and violence in the country, if the conflict is resolved and the violence subsides then the capacity development and supply by Iraq can play a big role in calming the international oil market. (Kate et al, 2008) What needs to be understood that the size of the world oil economy is huge, it produces about 84 million barrels a day which is a huge size by any metrics. A resource being generated and utilized on such a large scale cannot be substituted over night, it will take a very long time for any viable alternative to be developed and for it to be available in a mass quantity. Only suitable alternatives being developed by using latest technology are the 1st generation bio fuels and by the estimates it becomes clear that although the supply and size of this option will increase but there will be no dramatic and significant rise in the bio fuels to have a big impact on the strain being experienced by the oil supply side. In recent years we have seen attempts made by geo-economic layers to secure access to oil reserves by getting into understanding with oil producing countries not just by business to business contact anymore but by a government to government contact. The importance of geo-politics and international relations can not be ignored In this scenario when the challenges to transform the world into an energy sustainable entity are mammoth and the complexity is expected to increase we set forth on the path to reforming the world oil economy. We see that the world is in the grip of a credit crisis, very high rates of inflation, imbalances in the balance of trade and a weak dollar, many economies are suffering from the resulting recession and they will find it very difficult to incorporate new measures to adapt themselves to the new situation that has arisen today. The recent windfall earnings made by the oil producing and exporting countries is also something that brings them to the forefront in the global arena, it remains to see whether these funds are used to develop new oil reserves so that the strain on the current reserves is reduced or these funds are withheld and used for other purposes. (Kate et al, 2008) The geographical and political tensions are already on the rise in the quest for energy and resources, specially since these recourses are in the hands of a small number countries with high concentration, the question that arises is whether the oil exporting countries and the oil consuming countries will be able to collaborate and co-operate with each other to turn the situation towards an energy sustainable environment or will things take a turn towards the worse resulting in conflict and competition for the dominance over resources by all means necessary. The situation will of course be dependent on the condition of the gap in supply and demand the level of growth being experienced in the world. Confrontations can be expected between these countries as one group will be of the countries holding the keys to al the resources and the other group will be the one in need of these resources. In recent times we have also seen threats by countries like Iran to not only halt petroleum supplies but also block the channel through which oil is supplied to the rest of the world from the middle east, this is one scenario which we are likely to witness incase there is war in Iran. In recent times King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia invited oil consuming and producing countries to the Jeddah summit to discuss the developing situation in the oil markets and the impact of oil prices on the world economy. Hopefully this can be the start of the collaboration and co-operation hoped for between the countries to a better tomorrow.

Case: Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd., Legal Challenges Essay

The Ontario Human Rights Code states that sexual harassment occurs in situations when one individual is bothering the other by saying or doing unwanted or unwelcome things of a sexual or gender-related nature. This could be characterize in terms of inappropriate touching, offensive remarks about individual, sexual suggestions, unsuitable comments about body parts, exposure to sexually offensive pictures, verbal abuse due to the gender, etc. It is also considered to be a form of illegal discrimination and is a form of sexual and psychological abuse. In terms of the case, this is a clear case of sexual harassment because Rosetta is one of the two women in the department that every morning got called by her male co-workers as risotto, meaning Italian rice with gravy, and teased with Italian greetings. In addition, occasionally they asked her what she was doing with her Italian boyfriend and whether she had a good time with him the night before. Moreover, one of the co-workers asked her whether she prefer Italian over Canadian men and occasionally they loudly bragged to each other about their experience with their girlfriends so that Rosetta can hear it, just to embarrass her. Furthermore, her male co-workers told a dirty jock and asked Rosetta if she understood or if she could tell one as well. Usually, sexual harassment is a pattern of behaviour that happens frequently over a period of time. In this case, there is a pattern of different incidents that occurred over the period of Rosetta’s employment, which created a poisoned effect on the places where she worked. This type of sexual comments made her feel uncomfortable, in some situations even cry, which indicated that the work environment is poisoned. Although, Rosetta tried to make the harassment stop, it is not her responsibility alone, Al also has to make sure that sexual harassment does not occur in his workplaces because sexualized environment can create atmospheres that encourage more serious and direct sexual harassment, such as sexual joking n this case. If in the future more women would have positions in this department, this can create decrease in productivity, increase in team conflict and furthermore, lead to decrease in success at meeting financial goals because of team conflict. Moreover, it can create job dissatisfaction, loss of employees from resignations, and increase absenteeism by employees. In addition, the knowledge that harassment is permitted can damage ethical standards and discipline in the organization in general. Overtime, employees will lose respect and trust in their supervisors who encourage and/or ignored the problem, which can lead to a negative image of the company and create legal actions against the organization. The ignorance of the problem can create large costs to organization through damaged morale, lawsuits and absenteeism. People who harass will have no reasons to stop unless they are challenged. Therefore, it is necessary to support and encourage Rosetta to come forward. Eva can offer suggestions how to solve the problem but only Rosetta must choose what will be the best choice for her. Moreover, Eva can encourage Rosetta to seek help from a counsellor and provide her with helpful telephone numbers; however, it’s up to Rosetta to make her own decisions. In terms of their conversations, Eva should know that conversations that were between Eva and Rosetta are confidential and Eva cannot just go and tell it to somebody. The only time Eva may have to tell someone about Rosetta’s problem without her permission is if Rosetta is in immediate physical danger, which is not the case in this situation. Yet, ignoring or minimizing the problem will not make it go away. To conclude, it’s up to Rosetta to make complains to appropriate authority or to pursue a legal actions against the company in this matter. Eva can only morally support and advise Rosetta but cannot do any legal actions for her. The only think that Eva can try to do is to inform a human resources department in the organization about the situation and ask for the proper investigation about it. The other option that Eva can consider is to have a consultation with the lawyer about this whole situation; however, she should not say any names. All of these options have a good chance for success, as long as all of them conducted in accordance of law. Al’s first responsibility in this case is to properly deal with workplace sexual harassment issues involve the appropriate distribution of the organization’s policy on sexual harassment in the workplace. However, he did not take it serious when Rosetta complained to him, thus she was forced to terminate her employment. The other responsibility that Al should have carried is to show Rosetta that he, as a supervisor of the organization have responded to complain with the process of preventing sexual harassment in the workplace and are dealing with it in a timely and effective manner when it does occur. Al also felled to carry it appropriately, moreover, he blamed Rosetta to be too sensitive and that she takes herself too seriously. And based on his philosophy, such as to be able to laugh at ourselves now and the, it shows that he encourages this type of behaviour in the work place. Furthermore, Al has to take approach to sexual harassment where it involves the development of an internal system for the fair and balanced investigation of every complaint of this nature. Every complaint should be taken seriously. Employees must be aware that they are free to put forward complaints about sexual harassment in their workplace and that they will be free from retaliation and intimidation as a result. They should be encouraged to use and rely upon the company’s internal complaint mechanism and resolution system. In this step, Al also felled to follow the appropriate road. His behaviour with employees encourages them to joke around, which may discourage other employees to complain due to fear of retaliation and intimidation, if Al tells employees about complain. It is absolutely critical that employer who has not yet adopted appropriate policies and attitudes towards sexual harassment in the workplace join the movement towards zero tolerance for these workplace problems. It is critical for the employer not only live up to their legal  responsibility when dealing with issues of sexual harassment, but perhaps more importantly is to show that they have done something. Accordingly, proactive steps are to create sexual harassment policies and well publicized complaint procedures set, which would create the correct tone for the elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace. As a bi-product, the same visible procedures will also help to reduce the employer’s potential exposure to vicarious liability for the acts of employees. Reference Ontario Women’s Justice Network. 6 Jan. 2002. Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children. 10 Feb. 2006 The Ontario Human Rights Commission. 11 Feb. 2007. The Ontario Human Rights Commission. 11 Feb. 2007 Ontario Women’s Directorate. 1 May 2003. Government of Ontario. 9 Feb. 2006 The Canadian Human Rights Commission. 9 July 2004. Government of Canada. 9 Feb. 2006.

Should I Get a Masters Degree 6 Factors to Consider

Should I Get a Master's Degree 6 Factors to Consider SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Whether you've already graduated or are about to graduate from college, if you're asking yourself, "Should I get a master’s degree?" it’s time to dig deep and find the answer. A master's degree can be useful for particular careers- but it's also expensive and time-consuming. So is a master’s degree right for you? In this guide, we go over what a master's degree is, four key questions to ask yourself before you decide to get one, the pros and cons of getting one, and three tips to help you decide on the best master’s degree program for you.

Definition and Examples of Clustering in Composition

Definition and Examples of Clustering in Composition In composition, a discovery strategy in which the writer groups ideas in a nonlinear fashion, using lines and circles to indicate relationships. Clustering Clustering (sometimes also known as branching or mapping) is a structured technique based on the same associative principles as brainstorming and listing. Clustering is distinct, however, because it involves a slightly more developed heuristic (Buzan Buzan, 1993; Glenn et al., 2003; Sharples, 1999; Soven, 1999). Clustering procedures vary considerably, although the fundamental objective is to equip students with tools for arranging words, phrases, concepts, memories, and propositions triggered by a single stimulus (i.e., a piece of information, a topic, a provocative question, a metaphor, a visual image). As with other [invention] techniques..., clustering should first be modeled and practiced in class so students can eventually incorporate the tool into their own repertoire of invention and planning strategies.(Dana Ferris and John Hedgcock, Teaching ESL Composition: Purpose, Process, and Practice, 2nd ed. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2005) Guidelines for Teaching the Clustering Process What instructions should you give to begin this prewriting process? I have found the following both appropriate and effective:(Gabriele Lusser Rico, Clustering: A Prewriting Process, in Practical Ideas for Teaching Writing As a Process, ed. by Carol B. Olson. Diane, 1996)Tell students that they are going to use a tool that will enable them to write more easily and more powerfully, a tool similar to brainstorming.Encircle a word on the boardfor example, energyand ask students, What do you think of when you see that word? Encourage all responses. Cluster these responses, radiating outward. When they have finished giving their responses, say, See how many ideas there are floating around in your heads? Now, if you cluster all by yourself, you will have a set of connections as unique to your own mind as a thumbprint is to your thumb.Now ask students to cluster a second word for themselves. Before they begin, tell them that the clustering process should take no more than one or two minutes and that the paragraph they will write should take about eight minutes. Ask them to keep clustering until the Aha! shift, signaling that their mind is holding something they can shape into a whole. In writing, the only constraint is that they come full circle: i.e., that they do not leave the writing unfinished. Some excellent words are afraid or try or help.After they finish writing, ask students to give a title to what they have written that is suggestive of the whole. Mind-Mapping Mind-mapping is a colorful and creative method of generating, organizing, and remembering ideas. To mind-map, write your topic in the center of a blank page within a visual representation of your topic, such as a giant musical note, a sailboat, or scuba gear. If no central image comes to mind, use a box, heart, circle, or other shape. Then use various colors of ink to color-code related ideas. From the central figure draw radiating lines like the rays of the sun or branches and roots of a tree. Then, as you think of parts of the subject you wish to discuss, jot down pictures, key words, or phrases on or near these lines. Also add examples and subparts using branching lines and more images and words. If you do not already have a central focus for your essay, watch for a key phrase or image as you complete your exploration.(Diana Hacker and Betty Renshaw, Writing With a Voice, 2nd ed. Scott, Foresman, 1989) Also Known As: branching, mapping

Tocquevilles Concept of Social Reciprocity in the Democratic Age Essay

Tocquevilles Concept of Social Reciprocity in the Democratic Age - Essay Example Tocqueville believed that to thrive within democracy, polities require citizens who are highly participatory, who are engaged civically, and who have formed close bonds with one another. From this correlation, he theorizes that civic engagement teaches people to be cooperative, which, in turn, affects the body politic, fostering democracy. Thus, in Tocqueville's view, political/civic participation is not simply the manifestation of the fulfillment of citizenship obligations but is the basis for individual and social improvement. Tocqueville makes much of the spill-over effects of political participation and social reciprocity. He recognizes that political participation has the capacity to create an active citizenry capable of organizing most spheres of social (and, thus, economic) life. The corollary of this view is that the participatory citizens of this kind of social/commercial system will, of necessity, participate in political life. In his view, there is, at the very least, the potential for a sort of sociopolitical symbiosis. Tocqueville states that the fundamental condition underlying American democracy is equality; it is the essential fact from which all others seem to be derived. This social equality did not exist in aristocratic Europe. The aristocracy, although declining, still had considerable power. In the aristocracy social and political power was based on name and birth. Nobility, political influence, and wealth could be passed on from one generation to the next. Social classes were fixed, and it was rare for a person to move up in social class. This lack of social equality prevented democracy from taking hold in Europe. In the United States, there was no aristocracy or rigid social classes, instead there was equality (except, of course, if you happened to be a woman or a slave). According to Tocqueville, this equality of conditions served as a guiding principle of American democracy. Much of the writing in Tocqueville's work documents how the many trends of social and political life-such as the propensity to form associations-stems from the equality of condition as he describes it. He sees participation (specifically, the formation of private associations) as the principal means by which a people might develop personally, intellectually, and, by extension, socially. Tocqueville views the myriad associations formed by Americans as an apt illustration of the idea of individual benefit being consistent with social benefit. Tocqueville observes that, among their participants, associations foster understanding, cooperation, solidarity, and a willingness to take part in political affairs: Among democratic peoples associations must take the place of the powerful private persons whom equality of conditions has eliminated. As soon as several Americans have conceived a sentiment or an idea that they want to produce before the world, they seek each other out, and when found, they unite. Thenceforth they are no longer isolated individuals, but a power conspicuous from the distance whose action serve as an example; when it speaks, men listen. (Tocqueville 517) According to

Monetary Policy in an economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Monetary Policy in an economy - Essay Example However, the effectiveness of monetary in controlling the economy is real terms remains to be a debatable issue. If Central bank attempts to control economy by implementing monetary policy through varying interest rates, it can have some indirect impacts on the overall economic activities that might lead to problems. This paper illuminates the theoretical foundations upon which the monetary policy rests. It discusses the various methods utilised to determine and implement the monetary policy in an economy on the part of Central banks. The paper also elaborates the effectiveness of monetary policy in controlling economy and critically discusses its effectuality in meeting the intended economic ends such as controlling inflation and maintaining price stability. Developing and implementing monetary policy happens to be the most crucial responsibility of a Central Bank. Monetary policy refers to the strategies of Central Banks implemented for the purpose of controlling various economic factors such as inflation and employment etc. Bofinger, Schchter and Reischle propound that "the main aim of monetary policy is a control of final targets of the economic process (price stability, real growth, full employment), which have been set in such a way as to maximise the ultimate goal of social welfare."1 Theoretically, there are four equations that are used to evaluate the impact of money or monetary policy on the overall economy. The aggregate demand function emphasises the impact of total demand on interest rates which consequently affects inflation. The 'Philip-Lucas supply curve' or the supply function relates the total output in an economy to the rate of inflation. The third equation relates the demand of money in an economy to total expenditure as well as the interest rates. The fourth equation of monetary policy relates it to the supply of money in the economy on the part of Central Bank.2 The theoretical foundations of monetary policy rest on the fact that money plays a great role in the economy of a country. Therefore, various economic factors, in particular, the inflation rate and employment level can be controlled by an effective monetary policy. King also propounds that "money growth is higher, the higher is the inflation rate".3 The growth of money or credit in an economy goes a long way in determining the prevailing inflation rate and employment level in the long run. Monetary policy helps Central banks to achieve the goal of economic stability and inflationary targets. Mahadeva says that "Central banks have always been in the forefront of those that promote low inflation or price stability as a or the goal of monetary policy."4 It is because of the fact that controlling inflation or maintaining a desired level of prices is considered to be the important functions of monetary policy and crucial aims of a Central bank. Central banks influence the supply and growth of money in the economy by changing interest rates in order to affect the aggregate demand. Arestis and Sawyer delineate the rate of interest as, "the Central Bank rate can be viewed as the key rate on which all other interest rates are based-often explicitly so as in the case of the interest rates charged by banks on loans and paid by banks on deposits" (2004, p443). Hence the Central bank influences the supply of mon