Porple Essay Example for Free

Porple Essay Differentiate among the various types of information systems. Checkpoint Types of Information Systems Compile a list of the various information systems used in your organization or an organization with which you are familiar. Describe the designed function of each. Identify whether the systems are being used effectively. Day 3 Individual The Effects of Technology on the Accounting Profession Paper Resources: Ch. 2 of Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems and the University of Phoenix Material: Application Software Review the Center for Writing Excellence. Write a 700- to 1 ,050-word paper describing how information systems are changing various aspects of the accounting profession. Include a description of several new technologies and their effects on accounting processes. Discuss how these technologies have changed the way accounting is performed in your organization or in an organization of your choice. Cite at least two sources in your paper. Follow guidelines in the Center tor Writing Excellence. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Day 7 1303. 1 Identify major hardware components. 3. 2 Explain the use of accounting software applications. Reading Read Ch. 2 of Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems. Read Ch. 11 of Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems. Read Ch. 12 of Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems. Read this weeks Electronic Reserve Readings.

Powerlessness: Cause And Effect Of Poverty

Powerlessness: Cause And Effect Of Poverty Powerlessness is a cause and effect of poverty because people living in absolute poverty often have no political power and is subjected to exploitation by the state. They lack protection, and report widespread corruption within state education and health care systems. Poor people in many countries speak of being kept waiting endlessly while the rich of the country go to the head of the queue. Situations like these create more problems for that already in absolute poverty, and continue to divide the rich from the poor without providing any help. The problem with a lack of voice and power as a cause of poverty is that it enforces a lack of voice and power as an effect of poverty, creating a continuous cycle that deliberately separates the poor of a country from the rich. The last major cause and effect of poverty is vulnerability. Natural disasters, economic crises, and conflict leave the poor very vulnerable, with nobody to help and a lack of resources to use to help themselves. This idea is best expressed through the story of a poor villager from Benin, in the World Development Report 2000/2001: Attacking Poverty. Three years ago was a very bad year. The flood washed away all our crops, and there was a lot of hunger around here, to the point that many people actually died of hunger. They must have been at least a dozen, mostly children and old people. Nobody could help them. Their relatives in the village had no food either; nobody had enough food for his own children, let alone the food for the children of his brother or cousin. And few had a richer relative somewhere else who could help. This is a perfect example of the vulnerability that is both a cause and effect of poverty. The relatively poor can become the poorest through disasters, both eco nomic and natural, and conflict, which causes more vulnerability that affects their ability to escape poverty. Poverty and conflict are often closely linked. In many developing countries there are huge contrasts in access to power and control of resources, leading to a sense of powerlessness within the poor of the country. This unfair distribution of wealth, power and often land creates conflict, as those with the advantage battle the disadvantaged in order to maintain their advantages. In El Salvador, during the 1980s, Oxfam worked to alleviate poverty and suffering intensified by years of armed conflict. The roots of this conflict lay in the unequal distribution of power, wealth and resources. Poverty causes, and is effected by, many different other global issues. A set of international development goals were created by the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, to address inequities in income, education, access to health care and the inequalities between men and women. In 2000 these goals were updated and the United Nations Millennium Declaration committed all countries to doing everything possible to eradicate poverty, promote human dignity and equality, and achieve peace, environmental sustainability, and democracy. At this time approximately 1.2 billion people were living on less than $1 (U.S) a day, with an additional 1.6 billion living on less that $2 (U.S) a day. The goal to reduce poverty was seen as an essential part of the way forward. It is crucial to understand why this is seen as a fundamental step and to do this one should look into some of the arguments aga inst helping the poor that philosophers and political theorists pose. The basic lifeboat ethics argument against helping the poor, argued by Garrett Hardin, states that the world is like a lifeboat. In a lifeboat there is a limit to how many people can be carried, and there is no fair way to choose from among those who need to come aboard. Therefore the only fair alternative is to let everyone who needs to come aboard drown. What Hardin is getting at is that we, the developed world, can not save every person, and therefore how can we fairly choose those that we do save and those that we do not. He argues that it would be much fairer to let everyone in absolute poverty die. Other arguments against helping the poor include Friedrich von Hayeks Game of Catalaxy. Hayeks theory stems from a liberal laissez-faire view of the global economy. He believed that the global market should characterized by a spontaneous order that happens when individuals pursue their own ends within a framework set by law and tradition. Hayek goes on to argue that his Game of Catalaxy is a game of skill and all players within the global market are different and therefore not all can win. The winners, he believed, won because they took certain chances and therefore deserved to win, while the losers deserved to lose. Therefore, according to Hayek, countries that have problems with absolute poverty have played the Game of Catalaxy and lost, and deserve to lose. Theoretically these countries will continue to play the game and if they take certain chances they may eventually win. This theory may work but meanwhile the problem of absolute poverty is affecting the rest of the world and therefore we cannot ignore it, or let the Game of Catalaxy sort it out. As Ambassador Jams head Marker, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, says, We are all now in the same lifeboat. The continued health of the North [developed, rich countries] depends on the survival and sustainable development of the South [less developed, poorer countries]. Beyond this argument is a belief that food is a basic human right. If hunger is a cause and effect of poverty and food is a basic human right, then theoretically every country should be doing everything within their power to reduce poverty and create a well-nourished world. This argument is reflected in the Millennium Development Goals. The United Nations believes that food is a basic human right. On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration is the only human rights declaration with universal in its name, and most countries have agreed on it. It can therefore be argued as a legitimate international agreement on the rights of all human beings. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services. Therefore, since the declaration is argued to be a legitimate international agreement on the rights of humans, it can be argued that food, along with other basic necessities, are basic human rights. The orthodox approach to development is the view held by many international regimes like the World Bank and United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The basic concepts behind it are the ideas that the free-market system can create unlimited economic growth, that the Western liberal model and knowledge are superior to anything else, and the belief that the process of free-markets would benefit everyone. Theoretically economies would slowly take-off because of the free-market and from there on the wealth would work its way down to the people actually living in absolute poverty. To do this there would be a production of surplus, with individuals selling their lab our for money, as opposed to producing to meet their family and community needs. This orthodox method is known as the top-down liberal method and relies on external expert knowledge, technology, an expansion of privatization, and large capital investments. As already stated, the orthodox approach is based almost entirely on a monetary and material concept of poverty. In 2000: A Better World For All, the World Bank, United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) state that it is possible to cut poverty rates in half by 2015 if countries follow policies that both reduce social and gender inequalities and, most importantly, create income-earning opportunities for the poor. This is the key for, and a perfect example of, the orthodox approach to development. The UNDP Human Development Report 2003 states that there are six basic policies that should be implemented in order to help the countries reduce poverty. Firstly countries should invest early and ambitiously in basic education and health while fostering gender equality. These are preconditions to sustained economic growth. Second, countries should increase the productivity of small farmers in unfavorable environments [environments where hunger and famine are a problem]. Thirdly countries should improve basic infrastructu resto reduce the costs of doing business and overcome geographic barriers. The last three policies involve developing an industrial development policy, working on promoting democracy, and ensuring environmental sustainability. The World Bank concurs with these ideas, as does the World Trade Organization who state that poor people within a country generally gain from trade liberalization. The orthodox approach to development, portrayed by international regimes including the World Trade Organization, World Bank and United Nations involves liberalizing trade and creating empowerment in order to create faster economic growth, which in turn helps to alleviate poverty. This approach is both valid and sound, and has been proven to work in some countries, although not as quickly as the international regimes would like. As this approach is the dominant view, it is seen as more likely to work. However a number of development theorists have discovered problems within this dominant view. The idea that the free market can end hunger, if governments just get out of the way, is seen by some theorists as a myth. These theorists believe that the free-market-is-good/ government-is-bad view is far too simplistic and can never help address poverty and hunger. The top-down approach is seen as unlikely to work in most situations due to corrupt governments who will not let the wealth trickle down to those actually living in poverty. The theory of comparative advantage holds that nations should produce and export those goods and services in which they hold a comparative advantage and import those items that other nations could produce at a lower cost. The problem with this theory, which is also promoted by the World Bank, UN and IMF as a method for alleviating and reducing poverty, is that it falls apart when applied to the real world. Many countries living in absolute poverty can produce large amounts of coffee at a low cost to themselves, however since there are many producing, the price of coffee on the global market is forced downwards and these countries are producing more coffee for less money. These are just two examples of the kind of problems that make the orthodox method for development less viable. The alternative approach to development is argued by many NGOs like World Vision and the World Development Movement. The core concepts of this approach are the ideas that humans should learn to be self-reliant, that nature, cultural diversity and community-controlled commons (water, air, land, and forest) should be valued, and that democratic participation will help to reduce poverty. This approach relies on participation at the community level, working with local knowledge and technology to create a bottom-up approach to community development. It is a grassroots approach, focusing on helping individuals and communities become self-reliant. This approach is often argued by dependency theorists who believe that the structure of the global political economy essentially enslaves the less developed countries by making them dependent on the capitalist, liberal nations. The alternative approach to development is therefore seen by dependency theorists as one of the only ways to develop less developed countries. Much of the anti-globalist campaign is directed at organizations like the World Bank and IMF because their policies encourage less developed countries to become dependent on foreign aid and investment which continues the poverty and hunger within the less developed countries. Although the alternative approach to development also seems sound and viable, it lacks monetary value and places too much emphasis on the power of communities to change governments. Neither approach is perfect in its methods for the alleviation and reduction of poverty. I believe it is a combination of the orthodox and alternative approaches that really has the ability to help reduce poverty in todays world. The orthodox approach focuses too narrowly on money and capital, while the alternative approach believe too heavily in the power of communities to affect change at a national level. I therefore believe that international regimes, like the World Bank and United Nations, should attempt to affect changes at the state level, working to create democratic governments. Non-Governmental Organizations should continue to work at the grass roots level, affecting changes for the individuals and communities while helping them to become self-reliant. This approach is not without problems and cannot be called easy, but I believe it deals with both the individuals and the state at the levels needed and could help to halve the number of people living in poverty by 2015. Ther e are no perfect answers for development. Poverty is a complex issue. The key is that we do not ignore those living in poverty but help, in whatever way we believe is best. We are obliged to try our hardest to make circumstances better for them. http://www.vuwcu.orconhosting.net.nz/warp/poverty.htm

Does Violance On Television Cause Aggressive Behavior :: essays research papers

An 18-year-old boy locks himself in his room, mesmerized for hours by the corpse-filled video game Doom, while shock-rocker Marilyn Manson screams obscenities from the stereo. Shelved nearby are a video collection, including the graphically violent film Natural Born Killers, and a diary, replicating the unrestrained expressions of hate and death, published on the boy's personal website. Should this boy's media preferences be cause for alarm? The question is not new, but the April 20,1999 massacre of 12 students and a teacher by fellow Columbine High students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold has added urgency to the search for answers. The Littleton, Colorado teenagers reportedly immersed themselves in the same media described above, even producing and starring in their own murderous video before gunning down their classmates, and apparently taking their own lives. We live in a world of violence -- Kosovo, Bosnia, the West Bank, and abortion clinics.The value of human life has reduced to, simply, a few vital organs in a hollow body. Life is no longer viewed as the sacred and amazing gift that it is. Human life is now only a temporary, useful commodity. And, when it is no longer useful? Well, it can be thrown away, like used Kleenex. This irreverence for life has been a result of numerous hours of senseless violence society feeds into their brains every day. Yet, media representatives defend the entertainment industry, denying any direct link between violent media and violent behavior. In many peoples' living rooms, there sits an outlet for violence that often goes unnoticed. It is the television. The children who view it are often pulled into its realistic world of violent scenes with sometimes devastating results.Much effort has gone into showing why this glowing box, and the action that takes place within it, mesmerizes children. Research shows that it is definitely a major source of violent behavior in children. The statistics prove time and time again that aggression and television viewing do go hand in hand.Research shows the truth about television violence and children. Some are trying to fight this problem, while others are ignoring it, hoping it will go away with yesterday’s trash. Still, others do not even seem to care. However, the facts are undeniable. The experiments carried out, all point to one conclusion: television violence causes children to be violent, and the effects can be life-long.Here is the scene: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and a well-armed Elmer Fudd are having a standoff in the forest.

Self-Rated Competency Essay -- Language

As of 2000, 96% of Hmong households reported Hmong (L1) as the primary spoken language at home with English (L2) not being introduced to a child until later in their development (Reeves & Bennett, 2004). Upon entering school, Hmong children progress into sequential bilingual speakers where L2 is introduced after L1 is already well established. Bilingualism is frequently stated as the use of two or more languages by an individual (ASHA, 2004). Two of the most common types of bilingualism include simultaneous bilingualism (acquisition of both languages occur early on from birth) and sequential bilingualism (exposure to the second language occurs after the first language is already established, usually after 3 years of age). A potential consequence of second-language acquisition is a process called language loss or language attrition. Language attrition is defined as a process where â€Å"a person may loose his/her ability to speak, write, read, and/or understand a particular language or dialect due to a lack of use or exposure† (ASHA, 2004). Studies that involve young immigrants in the United States found that younger immigrants were more likely to switch language dominance for L1 to L2 and were more likely to rate L2 fluency higher (Jia et al, 2002; Shi, 2011). Several studies have demonstrated that sequential bilingual speakers can provide valid self-ratings of competency in L2 and the variables or factors that could affect L2 competency (Shi, 2011; Westermeyer & Her, 1996; Jia et al, 2002). The following three studies provide further evidence of the correlation of using subjective (self-rating) and objective measures to examine receptive and expressive competency in L1 and L2. Westermeyer and Her (1996) conducted a longit... ...istically appropriate services [Knowledge and Skills]. Available from www.asha.org/policy. Jia, G., Aaronson, D., & Wu, Y. (2002). Long-term language attainment of bilingual immigrants: Predicative variables and language group differences. Applied Psycholinguistics, 23, 599 – 621. Reeves, T. J. & Bennett, C. E. (2004). We the people: Asians in the United States. United States Consensus 2000. Shi, L. (2011). How â€Å"proficient† is proficient? Subjective proficiency as a predictor of bilingual listeners’ recognition of English words. American Journal of Audiology [serial online]. June 2011; 20(1): 19 – 32. Available from: Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson), Ipswich, MA. Westermeyer, J., & Her, C. (1996). Predictors of English fluency among Hmong refugees in Minnesota: A longitudinal study. Cultural Diversity and Mental Health, 2(2), 125 – 132.

Medical Marijuana: A not so new form of medical treatment Essay

Marijuana usage for the purpose of medical treatment has been a debated issue in many states and Countries around the world. The United Kingdom and Canada have both adopted laws that are directed at protecting patients and doctors from prosecution due to possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. Australia has passed laws, but has not put them into effect, and the United States has not made any allowances, leaving marijuana in the same category with other illegal drugs and allowing for prosecution if a person is found to be growing, possessing or using marijuana, regardless of the reasons. According to Dresser, there are currently fourteen states that have taken it upon themselves to enact laws that allow for the prescribing and use of medical marijuana, California being the most liberal in terms of allowed usages (7). While medical conditions that allow marijuana to be prescribed vary from state to state, Hall and Degenhardt write that accepted treatments generally incl ude issues such as nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, wasting due to HIV and aids, movement disorders and muscle spasticity disorders (690-692). Although many government and public agencies disagree on the medical benefits that marijuana may provide in the relief of chronic symptoms, marijuana seems to be growing in popularity among doctors and the patients that benefit from its use and a vast number of people feel it should be legalized for medical conditions across America. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is not a new issue. Prior to the twentieth century, marijuana was often used for treatment of symptoms caused by medical issues in both the United States and throughout Europe, Asia and India. In their report, Hall & Degenhardt stat... ... discusses a study that was performed in California and other States due to concerns about medical marijuana having an elicit effect of influencing young people and causing an increase in illegal marijuana use. The study showed that no abnormal increase was seen among people ages 16 to 25 following the legalization of medical marijuana. Wiwi, Amy Komoroski, and Nicole P. Crifo. "The Unintended Impact of New Jersey's New Medical Marijuana Law on the Workplace." Employee Relations Law Journal 36.1 (2010): 33-37. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. This article discusses the medical marijuana laws in New Jersey and offers suggestions to employers on how to address issues in the work place, such as failed drug testing and employee usage of marijuana. It also addresses the lack of consideration of employment in the drafting and passing of these laws. Medical Marijuana: A not so new form of medical treatment Essay Marijuana usage for the purpose of medical treatment has been a debated issue in many states and Countries around the world. The United Kingdom and Canada have both adopted laws that are directed at protecting patients and doctors from prosecution due to possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. Australia has passed laws, but has not put them into effect, and the United States has not made any allowances, leaving marijuana in the same category with other illegal drugs and allowing for prosecution if a person is found to be growing, possessing or using marijuana, regardless of the reasons. According to Dresser, there are currently fourteen states that have taken it upon themselves to enact laws that allow for the prescribing and use of medical marijuana, California being the most liberal in terms of allowed usages (7). While medical conditions that allow marijuana to be prescribed vary from state to state, Hall and Degenhardt write that accepted treatments generally incl ude issues such as nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, wasting due to HIV and aids, movement disorders and muscle spasticity disorders (690-692). Although many government and public agencies disagree on the medical benefits that marijuana may provide in the relief of chronic symptoms, marijuana seems to be growing in popularity among doctors and the patients that benefit from its use and a vast number of people feel it should be legalized for medical conditions across America. The use of marijuana for medical purposes is not a new issue. Prior to the twentieth century, marijuana was often used for treatment of symptoms caused by medical issues in both the United States and throughout Europe, Asia and India. In their report, Hall & Degenhardt stat... ... discusses a study that was performed in California and other States due to concerns about medical marijuana having an elicit effect of influencing young people and causing an increase in illegal marijuana use. The study showed that no abnormal increase was seen among people ages 16 to 25 following the legalization of medical marijuana. Wiwi, Amy Komoroski, and Nicole P. Crifo. "The Unintended Impact of New Jersey's New Medical Marijuana Law on the Workplace." Employee Relations Law Journal 36.1 (2010): 33-37. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. This article discusses the medical marijuana laws in New Jersey and offers suggestions to employers on how to address issues in the work place, such as failed drug testing and employee usage of marijuana. It also addresses the lack of consideration of employment in the drafting and passing of these laws.

America Is in the Heart

America Is In the Heart Summary The plot of America is in the Heart parallels its author's personal experiences. The protagonist, who is also named Carols (though he goes by the nickname ‘Also' when In the Philippines and tells others to call him ‘Carl' while in the united States) Is a young boy working with his father on their farm in the Philippines at the book's opening.After a period of working throughout the island of Luzon Carols immigrates to the united States, where he continues to work as a migrant laborer until he realizes he is capable of writing in English and pledges to bring his family members jack to life through the written word. He also often uses literature to connect with the united States Itself; Carols reads classic American authors like Whitman and Melville in an attempt to discover and understand a side of the united States far removed from the prejudice and pain of the American society he found himself in.On one occasion Carols and some acquaintanc es were attacked by a group of white men for no reason other than their race, only to be greatly aided by the white men and women working in a hospital. Walking down the marble stairway of the hospital, I began to wonder at the paradox of America. Joss ©'s tragedy was brought about by railroad detectives, yet he had done no harm of any consequence to the company. On the highway, again, motorists had refused to take a dying man. And yet in this hospital, among white people– Americans like those who had denied us– we had found refuge and tolerance.Why was America so kind and yet so cruel? Was there no way to simplifying things in this continent so that suffering would be minimized? Was there no common denominator on which we could all meet? I was angry and confused, and wondered if I would ever understand this paradox. (Bulbous 147) The rod â€Å"paradox† perfectly summarizes Carols' experiences in the United States. Like Carols searched for America through the works of great American authors, the reader can look through Bullion's work and glimpse at an early 20th century America in conflict with itself.The 1 united States, which had Just entered the long years of the Great Depression when Carols arrives In Seattle, is revealed In the novel as consisting of two very different halves, and Carols is constantly vexed by the inconsistent nature of the United States. In America Carols experiences both great kindnesses and great realties, often within the same moment, and this strange combination often drives Carols to tears. He experiences no shortage of prejudice in the united States, and the results of these prejudices range from verbal slights to severe physical and sexual abuse.Yet despite the many hardships and prejudices Carols faces, he comes to think of America in a very positive light?the kindnesses he benefits from in the United States combine with a more intangible sense of hope in the potential of America. Within Bullion's work the reader finds tropes that should sound familiar to anyone who has taken elementary school American history classes; there is assurance and a faint tint of pride in the possibilities of America; by the end of the novel Carols has faith that this is a nation where great things can and do happen, and he ends the novel by stating that nothing will ever take this faith from him again.By recognizing the two halves of this paradox and forgiving the united States for its comes to with his various inconsistent childhood and adult perceptions of America. His ability to not only make these understandings but allow them to evolve throughout his time in the United States makes Bulbous a credible and fascinating source of information on the America that he lived within and further complicates the already tangled and wide-ranging opinions of what the word â€Å"American† should mean at all.By allowing his audience to peek into his experiences through his protagonist and namesake, Carols Bulb ous shows how America both defines and is defined by the masses who venture onto its shore in an attempt to find the lives they were meant to live. The Small Key Summary â€Å"The Small Key† is a beautiful account of the feeling of a man, whose first wife died, ND his second wife. As the story opens Lateran describes in a few lines the rural setting of the story. The man and his wife live far from any neighbors. Their house is surrounded by wild bamboo.Her husband is a very hard working prosperous farmer. They are having lunch and the man cannot linger as the fields need plowing. His wife is not feeling well so as he leaves he tells her he will ask Tia Maria, an aunt or a neighbor, to stop by. Once the husband is gone the wife begins to fold his coat. A small key falls to the floor and the woman, in her late twenties, looks almost old. She tries to throw herself into her work on the laundry but her eyes keep going too small trunk in the corner of the room. She knows in that t runk are the clothes of her husband's late first wife.She tries to tell her self what does it matter if her husband keeps the clothes of his first wife, after all she is dead. She begins to wonder why her husband feels he has to carry to key to the chest with him in his coat when he leaves the house. When the husband arrives home happy that the plowing is completed, Tia Maria meets him at the gate and tells him his wife is sick. The Small Key† is a short story by Philippine author Pas Lateran. It is about a woman named Solaced who is married to a man named Pedro Bubby. They live on a farm.One morning Solaced finds herself knowing that the farm will produce plenty but that she still had some inner feeling of discontent. She planned to mend some of her husband's shirts, which were in a locked trunk. Pedro took out from his pocket a string which held two keys, one large and shiny and one small and rusty. He gave Solaced the large key to his trunk and put the small key back in his Jacket pocket. Since it was hot that morning, he removed his coat before leaving to work in the field. When he was gone, Solaced began to fold the Jacket and the small key fell to the floor.It is obvious that Pedro values the small key while Solaced fears it. Solaced knows that the small key is a key to a different trunk. She tries to busy herself so that she will not think about what the smaller trunk contains, but she cannot stop thinking about it and reveals that the small trunk contains clothing that belonged to Padre's first wife. She wonders why it is that he keeps her old clothing and why he seems to eave a special feeling about them. She obviously fears that Pedro still loves his first wife even though she has been dead for many years by now.She reveals that she hates the things in the small trunk and worries that they will destroy the relationship of the small trunk, Solaced opens it. At this point, Pedro returns home to find Solaced in bed supposedly with a fever. It turn s out she does not. The next morning Pedro discovers a pile of ashes and half burnt clothing in the backyard. He realizes what Solaced has done and rushes to look in the trunk to confirm it. Solaced has indeed, earned his first wife's clothing. Pedro is angry and bitter that this has happened and he expects that Soloed will explain things later.He thinks to himself that he will forgive her because he loves her but that even if she did it out of love for him, it will always remain a matter of some resentment toward her for doing it. The Summer Solstice Summary â€Å"Summer Solstice† is a short story that has received recognition both critical and praising. Written by Nick Joaquin, the story takes place in sass Philippines during the festival days of SST. John. There is a pro-woman feel to the story, which has rendered a lot of debate and attention considering the setting is in a time where women must be submissive.In this analysis, learn about the setting, the themes and symbo lism that this short and interesting story incarnates. The Train, or otherwise known as the Tartaric, was a three day festival that celebrated a ritual of fertility. This was done only by women. Many men frowned upon the extravagant dances and plays surrounding the ritual. â€Å"Summer Solstice† is set during the three days of the SST. John's festival. Lupine, a Filipino woman who feels closed to her womanhood, is aired to Paean, who is no doubt loyal to her.They have three small boys and live a somewhat wealthy life as they have a Cambridge driver named Entry and a maid and cook named Mad. Guide is a cousin of Paeans who comes back to the Philippines after studying in Europe. The story starts when the family is enjoying the days of the SST. John's festival until Guide makes suggestive comments to Lupine, and even bending down to kiss her feet. This makes her leave abruptly and have a discussion with her husband the coming night. Lupine secretly found herself intrigued by the attention of Guide; she felt that he was correct in saying that women should be ravished and men should adore them.This causes her to participate in the last night of the festival, which is the Train ritual. Paean goes with her and tries to drag her back once the dancing begun, but she runs from him to the women. He tries to take her back but the women in the crowds beat him out, leaving him helpless. As the two return home, Paean says he must whip his wife because he loves her and feels that she needs to be put in her place. To this, she shouts and says she wants to be adored, not respected and orders him to kiss her feet. America Is In The Heart I. Authors Biography Carlos Bulosan is said to be one of the earliest and most influential of Asian American writers. 1 He was a Filipino born on November 2, 1911 in Pangasinan to a rural and peasant family in the village of Mangusmana located near the town of Binalonan. His family strived to make both ends meet to make a living and send their children to school like many other Filipinos at that time of economic turmoil; brought by the increasing wealth and power possessed by the elite. Carlos, committed to help support his family, went searching for a better life for himself, continued his education, and made the choice to travel to America with high hopes to reach his ambitions.II. Summary American is in the Heart is the autobiography of Carlos Bulosan, who begins his story by narrating his childhood life in his town Mangusmana. He lives alongside his father in a farm where they both work in. On the other hand, his mother lives in the city with one of his brothers and younger siste r. Because of this living arrangement, Carlos has never met some of his older siblings. One of the sons Macario is said to be â€Å"the hope of the family†. They hope that when he graduates he will return home and find a teaching job to help support their family and pay their debts. He attends high school in another village, and because of this their family pawns their land one hectare at a time in order to compensate for his expenses. Unfortunately, things don’t go as the family hopes for and Macario loses the teaching job.Due to the harsh economic conditions at that time, children like Carlos were working and doing what they could to help support their families. Carlos, at five years of age eventually moved to Binalonan to work in the fields. His salary goes to his mother for paying the moneylender, and to Macario’s schooling. When he isn’t working the fields, he is with his mother, assisting her with her barter business that allowed him to travel to  neighboring villages with her. In these villages, Carlos observed the middle class and their way of life, and later on he grows a loathing towards them.Whilst in the Philippines, Amando, Macario, and Carlos were made to believe that America stood for equality and justice, and ultimately they all separately make their journey to America. Upon their arrival in America, they are faced with the brutal reality of the great exploitation that the Filipinos are subjected to by the Whites. Carlos is amazed by ruthlessness and inhuman treatment that the Whites have shown toward Filipinos, and is forced to move place to place due to one misfortunate event after another. Carlos struggles to sustain a job with a close to nothing salary and with unsanitary living conditions, but his job and stay is always immediately cut short when conflict stirs between Filipinos and Whites forcing him to flee to another town. To add to his pitiful state, many times he is beaten and assaulted because of the dis crimination the Americans have toward the Filipinos.Ultimately Carlos and his companions develop a sense of activism, and fought for the Filipinos and their rights in Filipino labor and rights movements. Their effort to assemble the workers brought them right into the conflict involving agricultural interests. Their labor movement ultimately became associated with revolutionary units. In the succeeding events of his life, Carlos is diagnosed with tuberculosis, and was said to been confined in the hospital for a period of two years.Once he was released, he and his friends grew to be greatly involved in the movement for Filipino civil rights. They then assembled a group of Filipinos with the ambition of achieving American citizenship for Filipinos in America. Unfortunately their efforts were not enough and they loose the fight. When the time came that World War II erupted, Carlos and his fellow Filipinos were prohibited from enlisting in the army. Even to the point where the Philippin es was being occupied and seized, they were still disallowed to enlist. Due to this, the Filipinos where forced to start a movement fighting for their desire to join the armed forces, which eventually resulted with the United States president giving a special proclamation that would allow Filipinos to do so.III. Analysis America Is In the Heart being an autobiography novel, it didn’t have that much symbolism. It was a straightforward novel and the author Bulosan, narrated the events of his life clearly and vividly. Throughout the story, you can’t help but feel sorry for him (Buloson) and all the tragedies and struggles he encountered. To rate this novel, I would say that I have nothing too criticizing to comment about it.The plot is very similar to other stories involving the struggles of Filipinos whilst under the power of oppressors. Overall, the novel was a good reminder and eye opener on the reality of discrimination showed toward Filipinos, which is still very muc h relevant today. Also, it reminds us of the strong fighting spirits that Filipinos possess. This novel is certainly a good piece of literature that is purely and truly Filipino.IV. Insights The life story of Carlos Bulosan in â€Å"America In The Heart† is something I can greatly empathize with. I like himself, went to America at a very young age of nine, with a hopeful heart that America was a land of opportunity. In school I was thought that America fought for equality and everyone was given the same opportunities. I thought, I could go see all the places that I saw in movies, and I generally thought my family and I would have a better life. My naà ¯ve nine-year-old heart was shattered after a few months, when I learned that America isn’t all that beautiful, as it seemed, especially for Filipino Migrants.Finding work was hard even with an undergraduate diploma. Filipinos were looked down on because of how â€Å"uncivilized† the Philippines was. And based on observation, some Americans really do tend to show a bias toward Filipinos. At that point, I then missed our comfortable home and lifestyle back in the Philippines. We had time to go out with the family and enjoy the good things in life; while in the States my parents rarely were home at the same time due to work, and the main agenda was paying the bills.Sometimes we Filipinos complain a whole lot about our country. We aspire for  the western life, and what it can give to us. I think a big reason why this is so, is because throughout history we have always been so oppressed by these western nations. We were made to believe that these nations will always be better, but if there’s one thing that I’ve learned it’s that: we Filipinos are hardworking, loyal, and God fearing people, and possessing these attributes bring us far and past the hardships given to us. America is in the Heart This work is the author’s autobiography. Carlos Bulosan was a Filipino, born and raised to his youth in the largely agricultural province of Pangasinan in the Philippines. His family was of peasant background and together, all of them worked to make the fields productive (p. 4-5). They were uneducated, as first they could not afford it and second, they did not see its need in the backbreaking, manual labor of growing corn.However, as the farm gate prices of farm produce remained low and the price of farm inputs continuously increased together with basic necessities, the family was forced to be at the mercy of moneylenders at exorbitant interests. Unable to pay their ballooning debts, they were eventually dispossessed of the land which was their sole means of survival (p. 15-16). Thus, hiring themselves out was the only way to avoid their early demise. The Philippines, from the author’s birth (1913) to the time of his writing, was under U.S. colonization. This a period l asted from 1989 to 1946, the latter coinciding with the work’s first publication. The American governorship did not pursue large-scale industrialization as an economic policy in that country so that the available industries in the urban areas could not absorb the displaced peoples from the countryside. The economic alternative presented by emigration was embraced when all other means of survival in one’s own country have failed.It is a choice that espoused both hopes and despair – hopes for a better financial situation and despair at uprooting one’s self from family, community and country. Emigration is not a purely individual exercise of freedom of choice but has underlying social factors. For a Filipino, American culture is not something unfamiliar. The colonial mentality which pervaded the educated upper and middle classes, sought to emulate the ideals and lifestyles of America (p. 20). What was American was described as superior or any other superlati ve.This view eventually diffused to the poor, working class. However, the author’s experiences in the 1930’s and 40’s were quite contradictory with what he expected. The tenets of democracy, equality and economic progress espoused by the U. S. to the whole world were challenged by the brutality of racial discrimination. The color of one’s skin severely limited the availability of economic opportunities. The author and his brothers who left for America found their dreams shattered with the scarcity of long term jobs. They eventually engaged in the seasonal harvests in the West.The author has written a life story of his bitter, personal struggles in this book, of working in canneries and taking on other odd jobs in between harvests just to be able to live and send some money back home to his family. With no legal or organizational means to advance their collective rights, Carlos Bulosan (a. ka. Allos) and other Filipinos were susceptible to exploitative wor king conditions. As such, Filipinos and other immigrants of color were faced with the immense challenges of establishing a decent living and security in life.This seemed insurmountable as discrimination is not something that depends on personal beliefs but is a practice actually institutionalized in American society. Labor laws and social norms defined the place of people of color in all spheres of life. Personal rage developed from continually being looked down on and referred to such derisive terms as monkeys and law breakers. Being a Filipino at that time who merely speaks to a white woman was taboo. The added pressures of perennial unemployment, hunger and disease has caused immigrants during Allos’ time to engage in excessive drinking and violent acts.This was regarded as the only venue of expressing resistance to such inhuman treatments and as a temporary relief to such a painful situation. Although racial discrimination was rampant during his time, the author overcame his subjective opinion that all Americans were racists. This was because he encountered many Americans who were humanitarian and even advocates of immigrant, labor and racial discrimination issues. Thus, his hopelessness was replaced with a conscious determination to change current situations.He joined a labor union and became active as one of its leaders in the fight for job security, better labor remunerations and benefits and equal treatment of cannery workers. His efforts were made not just for the present or for himself but for all other Filipino-American workers in the cannery. This consciousness shows how, despite his negative experiences, he has come to see himself as part of American society and to contribute to the creation of better living conditions in it.In a sense, this constituted a form of nationalism, of finally identifying one’s self with a country that was originally not your own, and cultivating a love for it despite its flaws. It has also opened to him th e availability of other tools of expression – writing. The book’s title, â€Å"America is in the Heart†, captures the experience of an immigrant becoming a citizen – that race and country of origin does not preclude you to be an American, you only have to develop a heart for it. EvaluationUsing in poetic prose, Carlos Bulosan’s work is a clearly written, direct-to-the-point, tell-it-like-it-is account of the horrors in his immigrant experience. Valid in this case, the author does not claim it to be typical of Filipino-American experience. His eventual reunification with his family also constituted such a â€Å"happy ending† that may not be a commonplace experience during his time because of distance and financial constraints. Although the book conveys the author’s honesty, a downside of it is its lack of complexity.The presence of consistent historical, time and place references could have made it a more useful source for Filipino imm igrant studies. These references enable us to put into proper context such personal experience, contributing to our further understanding of it. Because experience is removed from its social context, we can not judge it to be representative of the immigrant, colored or Filipino experience and much less representative of the sector’s experience during the early to mid 1900’s.Its value is appreciated through a deeper understanding of the Philippine social context, early American laws and norms with regards to immigrants and that period characterized by the Great Depression. It complements existing studies and researches on the plight of Filipino-American immigrants by providing an actual experience to theoretical frameworks. It also serves as a concretization of concepts of race and ethnicity which may be unfamiliar to many Americans.Because of his background as a union organizer, the work as expected, espouses Marxist or Socialist ideas characteristic of the labor movem ent. Still, the strongly worded concretization of an immigrant’s experience serves to remind every American about our disregard, misconceptions or denial of the existence of racial discrimination. It challenges us to search for the causes of our prejudice and to develop our society to conform to our ideals. This work is central to the theme of multi-culturalism and the need for acceptance and tolerance. ConclusionThis book is for those who wish to understand foremost the Filipino-American experience and complements existing knowledge on racial, ethnic, immigrant and labor issues. At a time when anti-immigrant sentiments seem to be on the rise in our society and our economic stability seems uncertain, America is in the Heart an easy read so that we may have an objective view of why this is happening. This we can accomplish without falling into the pit of prejudice ourselves. List of References Bulosan, C. (1974). America is in the Heart. Washington: University of Washington Pr ess.

Saladin and Jerusalem

Saladin and the Capture of Jerusalem Saladin stands out in Western accounts of the Middle Ages because his beliefs and actions reflected supposedly Christian characteristics: honesty, piety, magnanimity, and chivalry. Unlike many Muslim rulers, he was not cruel to his subordinates; Saladin believed deeply in the Koranic standard that all men are equal before the law. He set a high moral tone; for example, he distributed war proceeds carefully to help maintain discipline in the ranks. As an administrator, Saladin showed great vision. He altered the tax structure in Egypt and elsewhere to conform to Koranic instructions, and he supported higher education. It was his vision—together with luck and military skill—that enabled him to begin a quest for Muslim unification that would bear fruit many years later. Saladin was born in 1138 in Tikrit, Mesopotamia (now modern-day Iraq). His formal name was Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Salah al-Din was an honorary title that translates as â€Å"Righteousness of Faith. † His father, Ayyub, and his uncle, Shirkuh, were both generals in the army of Zengi, the Muslim leader who captured the County of Edessa from the crusaders in 1144. When Zengi died in 1146, Saladin moved with his father and uncle to Damascus in Syria, the main city of Zengi’s empire. Zengi’s son, Nur-ad-din, had taken over Damascus after his father’s death, and Saladin began work for Nur-ad-din, following in the footsteps of his father and uncle. The Muslim world was rent by religious differences. The Seljuk caliphate, ruled by Nur al-Din, was of the more liberal Sunni sect and had its seat of power in Baghdad. The Fatimid caliphate of Egypt, which had embraced the more orthodox Shict, was a volatile agglomeration with weak rulers. Like a splinter between them was the Latin Kingdom, a Christian stronghold along the eastern Mediterranean coast, ruled by a Frank, Amalric I. Nur al-Din believed that if Amalric were able to join forces with the Byzantine emperor to conquer Egypt, the whole Islamic world would be threatened. The stakes were great: Rich trade routes to the Orient, religious and educational centers, and plentiful agricultural lands could be lost. Saladin, as one of Nur al-Din’s primary advisers, helped plan three Syrian invasions of Egypt between 1164 and 1169 to conquer the Fatimid caliphate. During part of this period, Amalric had a treaty to defend Cairo against Syrian invaders. Saladin’s first command came at Alexandria, where he was in charge of one thousand men under difficult conditions. After a short time back in Damascus, Saladin returned on Nur al-Din’s orders to Egypt after the Fatimid alliance with Amalric broke down. Saladin had solemn uncertainties about returning to Egypt, in part because he distrusted the motives of his powerful uncle Shirkuh, who was leading the return. The political situation there was dangerous and unstable. When Shirkuh suddenly died, however, Saladin was well placed to assume Shirkuh’s place as vizier of Egypt commanding Nur al-Din’s forces there; in this case, he was the compromise candidate among many factions. At the age of 30, Saladin drew strength from Koranic exhortations to fulfill God’s purpose. Saladin, like Nur al-Din, was pious. He kept little money, acting instead as caretaker for the whole Muslim community; the proper function of wealth, he believed, was to further the aims of Islam. Both men saw stable leadership in Egypt as a key to preserving Muslim unity. Still, Nur al-Din was suspicious when Saladin insisted on independence to do this—including lessened payments of tribute. Not only did Saladin have military bases on the Egyptian front, but he also had to fight political battles at his rear. Saladin consolidated power in Egypt by getting rid of Fatimid commanders and substituting loyalists; uprisings continued in the provinces for some years, but finally Fatimid rule was abolished. Now Saladin built up the military and raided nearby areas. His strength was growing just when Ayyub, Nur al-Din, and Amalric died in quick succession. Both Nur al-Din’s and Amalric’s successors were young boys; thus, both kingdoms were weakened. Saladin quickly moved to consolidate the empire under his own rule, citing the need for a unified Islam. He struck quickly at the Frankish Kingdom, taking a string of small towns, but the important town of Aleppo did not fall and remained a refuge for al-Salih. Mosul, too, was a holdout, but with other victories Saladin became Sultan of Syria, succeeding Nur al-Din. The Damascus-Cairo axis was all-important to Saladin as he set out on a jihad to drive the Franks from the region. After 1176, he undertook major public works, religious, and educational projects in Egypt, but at the same time he needed military action to convince his critics that the jihad was not a fraud merely intended to further his personal power. After a serious reverse at the strategic outpost of Ascalon, he quickly returned to the attack. Angered by the Franks’ breaking of a truce, Saladin was successful against them in southern Lebanon, and he consolidated troops from Syria and Egypt in order to destroy the fort at Jacob’s Mill. In capturing Frankish defenses, Saladin often destroyed them so they could not be recaptured. He hoped to win strategic territory in Mesopotamia as a base from which to move against Christian-held Jerusalem, his ultimate target. Saladin was keen to get the war with the Christians underway, but there was one main stumbling block. In 1183, Saladin had signed a treaty with the leader of the Christians, Guy of Lusignan. Saladin being an honorable man, felt bound by the truce, disregarding his desire to start the war. Fortunately for him, and unfortunate for the crusaders, the truce was broken in 1187 by a crusader called Reynald of Chatillon. Reynald attacked a group of Muslims and held them as prisoners of war. Despite being angry at this break in the truce, Saladin felt that he should negotiate with Reynald and keep his side of the truce, instead of attacking the crusader. Foolishly, Reynald refused to meet with Saladin and furthermore refused to release the prisoners after receiving orders from his leader Guy Lusignan. Saladin now had a reason he needed to go to war. On July 1, 1187, Saladin marched his troops to a mountain, the Horn of Hattin. The weather at the current time was extremely hot, and the crusader army that had been sent to defend Jerusalem was hot, exhausted, and dehydrated. Recognizing the crusaders’ distress, Saladin devised a plan to make the crusaders situation worse. He set fire to some nearby dry brush, whose smoke quickly mad it’s was into the crusader camp. On July 4, Saladin attacked and the crusaders were quickly defeated. Christian Jerusalem had suffered an enormous loss at the Battle of Hattin. The army had almost been destroyed and the city’s leader, Guy of Lusignan, was a prisoner of Saladin. Unfortunately, the city’s troubles did not end there. There were shortages of food in the city, since the Battle of Hattin occurred during the harvest. With the area in the enemy’s hands, all crops were lost. All of the refugees who flocked to the city to seek shelter from Saladin’s army made the shortage of food worse. Jerusalem was able to house thirty thousand people, but after the Battle of Hattin, the population doubled to sixty thousand. Most of these people were women and children who had no intentions of fighting against the invading Muslim army. By September 20, 1187, Jerusalem was under siege. Saladin first chose the western side of the city for his beginning attack. The western wall of Jerusalem was heavily fortified by the crusaders, who had built the strong citadel there around the Tower of David. Most of the crusader soldiers that were left in Jerusalem went to this tower to defend the city. While the fighting continued, Saladin looked for a superior position from which to attack the crusaders. He eventually settled outside the northeastern section of the city, between St. Mary’s Postern and Jehoshaphat Gate. Saladin used large wooden catapults to bombard the walls and towers of Jerusalem, weakening the city’s defenses and driving the crusaders away from their positions. Saladin then sent 10,000 archers to shoot at the wall’s defenders, followed by 10,000 horsemen armed with lances and bows in the north to prevent a crusader counterattack. The crusaders tried in vain to drive away the invading army, but once the wall had collapsed the end was in sight. Realizing their cause was hopeless, the city eventually surrendered on October 2, 1187. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was at an end. Two knights and ten soldiers were placed in every street in Jerusalem to keep order during the takeover. When Saladin’s victorious army had secured the city, they understood what the first act was to be completed. The most sacred Islamic monument in Jerusalem was a massive building called Quabbat as-Sakhrah, or Dome of the Rock. As soon as the Muslims entered Jerusalem, they climbed up to the top of the dome and removed the cross, immediately showing that it was the Muslims who were now in charge, not the Christians. Saladin’s troops were tired now and not easily disciplined; the European forces were regrouping for a Third Crusade, led by the dashing Richard I (the Lionhearted) of England. Muslim-held Acre, after a long siege, was finally given up in 1191. Yet the cost was high for the Crusaders, and Richard did not want to be gone too long from England. The final confrontation between Saladin and Richard came in July 1192. After a day of prayer, Saladin and his troops were ready to face the Crusaders as they poised for an attack on Jerusalem. Suddenly, the Crusaders withdrew. Saladin attributed the retreat to divine intervention, but military historians say that Richard had decided to attack Egypt instead. Such an attack, however, was not undertaken. The Third Crusade was over. Saladin retired to Damascus to spend time with his wives and children. In the winter of 1193, he rode out in bad weather to meet a group of pilgrims returning from Mecca. He became ill and died a short while later at age fifty-five, penniless by choice. Saladin’s title, al-Malik al-Nasir, or â€Å"Strong to Save the Faith,† was appropriate in his lifetime. Within a hundred years of his death, however, the many tensions beneath the Muslims’ surface unity split apart what Saladin had accomplished. Today, Saladin is remembered a great war leader who conquered an empire and drove invaders out of his homeland. He is honored as a Muslim hero, a fighter of his faith, who led jihad to recapture the city of Jerusalem and restore Muslim worship there. He is admired for his skills at organizing a vast army, planning battles and ambushes, and inspiring loyalty among his men. He is respected for his love of learning, generous gifts to charity, and personal devotion to religious beliefs. Works Cited Ehrenkreuz, Andrew S. Saladin. Albany: State University of New York, 1972. Print. Geyer, Flora. World History Biographies: Saladin The Warrior Who Defended His People (NG World History Biographies). New York: National Geographic Children's Books, 2006. Print. Gibb, H. A. The Life of Saladin. London: Oxford UP, 1973. Print. Hancock, Lee. Saladin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem The Muslims Recapture the Holy Land in Ad 1187 (The Library of the Middle Ages). New York: Rosen Group, 2003. Print. Hindley, Geoffrey. Saladin. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1976. Print. Hodgson, Marshall G. The Venture of Islam. Vol. 2. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1975. Print. The Expansion of Islam in the Middle Period. Lane-Poole, Stanley. Saladin and the Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1898. Print. Newby, P. H. Saladin in His Time. London: Faber and Faber, 1983. Print.