Thai Labour Law on Employment Termination

â€Å"If the parties have not fixed the duration of the contract either party can terminate it by giving notice at or before any time of payment to take effect at the following time of payment. But no more than three-month notice need be given. ?†The employer can, on giving such notice, immediately dispense with the services of the employee by paying him his remuneration up to the expiration of the notice† Section 17, paragraph two – of the Labour Protection Act: Where the employment contract is of no specific duration, the employer or the employee may terminate the employment contract by giving an advance notice in writing to the other party on or before the date fixed for a payment of wages so that the termination of the employment contract takes effect on the date fixed for the next succeeding payment of wages, provided that the advance notice need not be of a period exceeding three months. Compensation for Termination of Employment: Upon terminating an employe e, the employer is required to pay compensation to the employee whose amount depends on the length of the employee's service towards the employer. Periods of employmentAmounts of severance payment An employee who has consecutively completed 120 days, but less than one (1) year, of work:a payment of not less than 30 days of his or her last wages, or, in the case of an employee who works on a piecemeal basis, not less than the wages of his or her last 30 days of work. Before the termination of an employment is to take effect, the employer needs to notify his employee in writing on or prior to a wage payment date so that the termination takes effect on the succeeding wage payment date. However, the period of an advance notice need not be more than three (3) months. Unfair Termination 5. 1 Section 49 – Act on the Establishment of the Labour Court and Labour Procedure, B. E. 2522 (A. D. 1979) Besides the payment of severance pay, an employer may be ordered by the labour court, upon the employee's request to t pursuant to Section 49, either to reinstate the dismissed employee or to pay damages to him or her if it is found that the dismissal is unfair Section 49 provides: â€Å"In the trial of a case of dismissal of an employee by an employer, if the labour court is of the opinion that such a dismissal is not fair to the employee, the labour court may order the employer to accept the said employee to work at the rate of wage payable at the time of dismissal. If the labour court is of the opinion that the employer and the employee cannot work together any longer, the labour court shall fix the amount of damages as compensation to be paid by the employer by taking into consideration the age of the employee, the length of employment of the employee, the hardship of the employee at the time of dismissal, cause of the dismissal and the compensation to which the employee is entitled. † Thai Supreme Court Judgment No. 574/2526 An employee had committed 11 counts of wrongdoings some of which warranted a dismissal by the employer and denied the wrongdoer necessary protection under the labour law. The employer did not dismiss the employee in question by reason of the wrongdoing, but elected to impose a lighter disciplinary action against him. Subsequently, the employer decided to dismiss the employee after he failed to report to work for one day. Apparently, the dismissal was also made in reliance on the employee's previous wrongdoings. The court held the dismissal as an unfair termination of employment because the employer was believed to have no intention in penalising (i. e. dismissing) the employee at the times the past wrongdoings occurred. Therefore, the employer could no longer rely on the past wrongdoings to dismiss the employee again. Summary of What Constitutes an Unfair Termination. In addition, on the basis of court judgments, an unfair termination of employment may be summarised to include (i) a dismissal without cause, or with cause but such cause is unreasonable, or (ii) it is not to such an extent as to warrant a dismissal, or (iii) it lies outside a company's work rules or an employment contract, or (iv) a dismissal in which an alleged offence of an employee cannot be proved or in which an employee has committed no offence, or (v) a dismissal which is intended to harass or persecute an employee.

Reflection Paper Essay

However, after attending the lectures and tutorials for a few weeks, I started to gain interest in this course as I learnt a lot of new things. For example, I am now more capable and confident when it comes to writing a proper academic report, drafting appropriate business replies or even analyze a blog. With these knowledge, I know that I will be doing much better in my future. Despite having to worry about being appointed by my tutor to answer questions, I had funs there. My classmates and I shared, communicated and learnt there! There was once when my group and I were tasked to analyze a piece of academic writing. I was glad because I found the skills taught during lessons highly applicable and useful. For example fallacies including red herring, hasty generalization, post hoc etc. Besides that, we were able to learn how to communicate with each other during discussions. I was delighted by my group mates as we were able to establish good rapport. Now, my group mates are good friends to me as well. Another obvious change in myself is I am now having more confidence when communicating with others. Previously, I was an introvert as I disliked interacting with others because of my low self-esteem. However upon completion of this course, I understood the importance of communication among people. Communication is able to strengthen bonds among one another. In addition, communication creates better understanding among people and effective communication helps to develop our confidence. Hence, I believe that I am more capable of presenting myself in front of others and I strongly believe that this will help me in developing strong bonding and maintain a good relationship with others in my future interactions. In conclusion, I learnt a lot of things and skills from this course. I know that what I had learnt will be able to assist me in my prospective job and future. I gained self-esteem from this course and with that, I appear to be more confident now. I know that I will be a good speaker, writer and I will be also able to communicate with people effectively as well.

What are the purpose of having your school clean Essay

If your school is clean, there is a motivation for students to be clean, even if they are naturally messy at home, school is a play where you learn things. You pick up good habits. Students can learn cleanliness in their schools and bring the idea of cleanliness to their homes. Having a school clean also prevents unknown illnesses from floating throughout the entire school making almost everyone contagious. There’s less room for illness and more room for learning. Having a clean school also encourages students to actually attend that school. I wouldn’t be encouraged to go to a filthy school. I would either want to transfer to another school or just stay home. When the school is clean, students will know that they are unique and special enough to be given the chance to attend such a clean school and they will want to do all they can, including being good students, to remain in that clean environment. Students will be inspired to learn. Teachers will also be more inspired to teach. When they come into a clean school, their spirits will be lifted, and they can spread that spirited attitude amongst their students. Keeping school buildings, floors and facilities clean is essential for health and the positive image of your institution. Schools are designed for teaching and learning. Clean, nice-looking facilities are a key component to a learning environment. If your school is clean, there is a motivation for students to be clean, even if they are naturally messy at home, school is a play where you learn things. You pick up good habits. Students can learn cleanliness in their schools and bring the idea of cleanliness to their homes. Having a school clean also prevents unknown illnesses from floating throughout the entire school making almost everyone contagious. There’s less room for illness and more room for learning. Having a clean school also encourages students to actually attend that school. I wouldn’t be encouraged to go to a filthy school. I would either want to transfer to another school or just stay home. When the school is clean, students will know that they are unique and special enough to be given the chance to attend such a clean school and they will want to do all they can, including being good students, to remain in that clean environment. Students will be inspired to learn. Teachers will also be more inspired to teach. When they come into a clean school, their spirits will be lifted, and they can spread that spirited attitude amongst their students. Keeping school  buildings, floors and facilities clean is essential for health and the positive image of your institution. Schools are designed for teaching and learning. Clean, nice-looking facilities are a key component to a learning environment. If your school is clean, there is a motivation for students to be clean, even if they are naturally messy at home, school is a play where you learn things. You pick up good habits. Students can learn cleanliness in their schools and bring the idea of cleanliness to their homes. Having a school clean also prevents unknown illnesses from floating throughout the entire school making almost everyone contagious. There’s less room for illness and more room for learning. Having a clean school also encourages students to actually attend that school. I wouldn’t be encouraged to go to a filthy school. I would either want to transfer to another school or just stay home. When the school is clean, students will know that they are unique and special enough to be given the chance to attend such a clean school and they will want to do all they can, including being good students, to remain in that clean environment. Students will be inspired to learn. Teachers will also be more inspired to teach. When they come into a clean school, their spirits will be lifted, and they can spread that spirited attitude amongst their students. Keeping school buildings, floors and facilities clean is essential for health and the positive image of your institution. Schools are designed for teaching and learning. Clean, nice-looking facilities are a key component to a learning environment. If your school is clean, there is a motivation for students to be clean, even if they are naturally messy at home, school is a play where you learn things. You pick up good habits. Students can learn cleanliness in their schools and bring the idea of cleanliness to their homes. Having a school clean also prevents unknown illnesses from floating throughout the entire school making almost everyone contagious. There’s less room for illness and more room for learning. Having a clean school also encourages students to actually attend that school. I wouldn’t be encouraged to go to a filthy school. I would either want to transfer to another school or just stay home. When the school is clean, students will know that they are unique and  special enough to be given the chance to attend such a clean school and they will want to do all they can, including being good students, to remain in that clean environment. Students will be inspired to learn. Teachers will also be more inspired to teach. When they come into a clean school, their spirits will be lifted, and they can spread that spirited attitude amongst their students. Keeping school buildings, floors and facilities clean is essential for health and the positive image of your institution. Schools are designed for teaching and learning. Clean, nice-looking facilities are a key component to a learning environment. If your school is clean, there is a motivation for students to be clean, even if they are naturally messy at home, school is a play where you learn things. You pick up good habits. Students can learn cleanliness in their schools and bring the idea of cleanliness to their homes. Having a school clean also prevents unknown illnesses from floating throughout the entire school making almost everyone contagious. There’s less room for illness and more room for learning. Having a clean school also encourages students to actually attend that school. I wouldn’t be encouraged to go to a filthy school. I would either want to transfer to another school or just stay home. When the school is clean, students will know that they are unique and special enough to be given the chance to attend such a clean school and they will want to do all they can, including being good students, to remain in that clean environment. Students will be inspired to learn. Teachers will also be more inspired to teach. When they come into a clean school, their spirits will be lifted, and they can spread that spirited attitude amongst their students. Keeping school buildings, floors and facilities clean is essential for health and the positive image of your institution. Schools are designed for teaching and learning. Clean, nice-looking facilities are a key component to a learning environment. If your school is clean, there is a motivation for students to be clean, even if they are naturally messy at home, school is a play where you learn things. You pick up good habits. Students can learn cleanliness in their schools and bring the idea of cleanliness to their homes. Having a school clean also prevents unknown illnesses from floating throughout the entire  school making almost everyone contagious. There’s less room for illness and more room for learning. Having a clean school also encourages students to actually attend that school. I wouldn’t be encouraged to go to a filthy school. I would either want to transfer to another school or just stay home. When the school is clean, students will know that they are unique and special enough to be given the chance to attend such a clean school and they will want to do all they can, including being good students, to remain in that clean environment. Students will be inspired to learn. Teachers will also be more inspired to teach. When they come into a clean school, their spirits will be lifted, and they can spread that spirited attitude amongst their students. Keeping school buildings, floors and facilities clean is essential for health and the positive image of your institution. Schools are designed for teaching and learning. Clean, nice-looking facilities are a key component to a learning environment.

New Product in Marketing Aspect Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

New Product in Marketing Aspect - Assignment Example This strategy aims at increasing membership rather than maximizing on profits. The company also emphasizes on expansion and acquiring of additional markets, with little focus on marketing strategies, such as, market prices, share prices and characteristic the target market (Yglesias, 2014). Although this leads to increased sales turnover, it is also accompanied with increased operation costs, which reduces the gross and net profit margin significantly. Therefore, there is need for the company to develop sound pricing strategies that focus on maximization of revenue and profits alongside its objective on growth and expansion. Dynamically continuous innovation refers to a technology that articulates effect on consumption practices and patterns, through incorporation of a new technology (Hoyer & Deborah, 2008). Recently, the Guardian Telecom Company has launched an extensive line of indoor industrial voice over internet protocol (VOIP) telephones, in an effort to provide versatile telephone products, designed for use in adverse areas. The technology requires a simple connection to Guardian’s VOIP, over the internet protocol address, and to the users’ phones. The new technology aims to enhance consumer support and communication, in industrial areas that are prone to moderately harmful environment. Compared to consumer phones, this technology is ideal for emergencies and direct assistance communication, since it enables the consumers to initiate calls from any locations with the availability of internet connection (Valdes & Dave, 2014). In addition to its intended use, this new product also pro vides additional services to include, call waiting, call transfer, and repeat dial features. Stewart, J. (2014). Is Amazon’s fairy retail story coming to an end? Retrieved on 7 May 2014 from

Answer the questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Answer the questions - Essay Example Yes the author supported the facts adequately but the statistics were not displayed to strengthen the facts, No, the authorities were not quoted but the analogy was portrayed in an appropriate manner. The grounds provided are fairly acceptable as they related with the reality to a greater extent. Yes, writers assumptions are highly acceptable. that videogames are inculcating anti-social temperament in children. Children find it amusing and entertaining, thereby they are encouraging market of the videogame, but children do not have the wisdom to check the game rating and content and therefore author wants that parents should use their wisdom to guide their wards. Yes, writer has considered all the relevant points except the psychological implication of these games, lack of physical output leading to sedentary lifestyle and eventually obesity has not been highlighted which is becoming the root cause of all ailments prevalent in present epoch in children. The author is targeting affluent class who can spend a lot to meet their childs demand and to the parents who are busy in their own pursuits with little time for their kids. These approaches provide poor understanding in children about good or bad temperament and thus inculcates the feeling of practically performing what they witness or practice in their games. The tone of the author is mild and appealing which is very helpful to generate awareness amongst mass especially for parents. The author seems to be an aware individual who wants to reform the society and prevailing hostile attitude. Although the author has tried to develop ethos but could have done more on the psychological aspects as well to generate impact on parents outlook and future implications of these

IFRS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IFRS - Essay Example The reason for opting for gradual convergence instead of adoption is that the local accounting body may want to become involved in the standard setting process. If IFRS is adopted fully then we will just have to accept what a few people have decided for us. I think we should be involved in decisions that affect us, and other countries have taken a similar approach. In fact, Ramanna and Sletten (2009) indicates that there is evidence to suggests that the more powerful countries like the US are not willing to surrender their authority to set accounting standards to an international body. However, Ramanna and Sletten (2009) found that counties are more likely to adopt IFRS when trade partners or countries within the geographical area in which they operate adopt IFRSs. This is one of the reasons for the importance of the transition to IFRS. Hoogervorst (2013) indicates that 75% of the countries in the G20 group of which Indonesia is apart use IFRS. I found out that the reactions in relat ion to the adoption of IFRS are mixed. There are ongoing changes to IFRS and so the gap between Indonesian Standards will widen as new changes are set for this year. In expressing their views to the Vice President of Indonesia some people indicated that at least a level of convergence with IFRS will help to reduce the level of corruption that prevents change from taking place in the country (Shying 2012). Additionally, at an IFRS Regional Policy Forum which was held in Bali in 2011, participants from 21 countries including Indonesia reaffirmed their commitment to ultimate adoption and to achieve accounting standards of the highest quality (CFO Innovation 2011). One of the concerns expressed at the forum in Bali was the requirement of investors for financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS. This is particularly crucial for companies that need foreign investors. In fact, Hoogervorst (2013) in a speech indicated that full adoption would assist Indonesia sustain economic dev elopment. Hoogervorst further stated that IFRS is close to becoming the global language of financial reporting. Approximately ten years ago only a few countries were using IFRSs. Now over 100 countries have it as a requirement or permit the use of it. The move to accept IFRS has been made for many reasons including the fact that the creation of a common economic market requires a common financial reporting language. With globalisation the world is now one village and so use of the same financial reporting standards make sense for comparative purposes. I agree with Istiningrum (2011) point that the benefits that companies can derive from transition to IFRS outweigh all costs that are incurred during the conversion process. Giri (2008 cited in Istiningrum 2011) makes a compelling case for adoption with an example of a case where translation of Daimler Benz net profit reported of DM 602 million based on a German Accounting Standards changed to a net loss of DM1,839 million when it was translated to US Accounting Standards. With Indonesia adopting this standard more opportunities are provided for investment in Indonesian companies. However, some stakeholders still see a problem since IFRS takes a principle based approach and so Standards can be applied differently by companies (Elena et al 2009). The adoption of IFRS would therefore provide Indonesian compan

Humanities 425 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Humanities 425 - Essay Example Lennox, but still she is able to handle it by busying herself with her passion, that is for agriculture. In the fifth chapter, we notice the change in Mary's disposition as she wanders the moor (page 58). Mary has always known of her connection with nature. She amuses herself by tending to her gardens in India. But back in India, she was kept hidden and deprived of the outdoors. In Misselthwaite Manor however, she was left to roam as she pleased. Both the climate and the landscape presented a determining influence upon her health and well-being. Revelation: Finally knowing the truth that has always been told. Nature gives warnings before natural calamities occur. She also provides cure for diseases of both man and animal. But then, nature can reveal herself only when man is ready to heed her. Chapter eight tells of a gust of wind that brought about Mary's discovery of the door to the secret garden (page 95). It is in that garden that the real improvement in Mary starts to appear. She has changed for the better. She even selflessly shared to Dickon her secret. Renaissance: Starting Anew from an Epiphany. Nature is a part of us and we are a part of nature. Human life cannot be sustained, let alone achieve well-being, apart from the resources of nature. For this, nature must be man's object of moral concern. Colin Craven used to be very frail and ill-tempered. ... Renaissance: Starting Anew from an Epiphany. Nature is a part of us and we are a part of nature. Human life cannot be sustained, let alone achieve well-being, apart from the resources of nature. For this, nature must be man's object of moral concern. Colin Craven used to be very frail and ill-tempered. But when he was shown the garden, he felt very determined to live (page 267). He feels that the garden was especially made for him. He even decided to spend everyday there to aid in his recovery. The human race is made up of differing ideals. Righteous to some may be utterly unacceptable to others. Let us look at the least appropriate relationship man can have with nature. Superiority Complex: A Misconception The Patriarch and a Tiger, a 13th century painting , shows a rather dominating man leaning on a sleeping tiger. Man is not the master of all creation. He is just an overseer. He is allowed to take only what he needs. He is tasked to take care and not to exploit. The greedy beings of the human race use man's superiority in intellect as a lousy excuse to consume nature's resources in order to feed their lust for money and power. This misconception is yet again stated in the book Utopia by Thomas More, "a living according to Nature, and think that we are made by God for that end (Traveling,pg. 48)". To appoint oneself such power over nature is such a disgraceful and even arrogant act. Absolute Knowledge: A Fool's Belief The book Utopia by Thomas More has this certain passage, "They knewastronomy, and were perfectly acquainted with the motions of theheavenly bodies, and have many instruments, well contrived and divided, by which they very accurately compute the course and positions of the sun, moon, and stars (Traveling,pg. 46)". When man starts to think

Case study of Union carbide and Bhopal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case study of Union carbide and Bhopal - Essay Example Most Americans considering its controversial nature overwhelmingly waited for the verdict on Martha Stewart’s case on 27th, December 2001.However, the question on whether Stewart committed the crime is open to question. Martha Stewart was found at fault for selling her ImClone shares. The US attorneys accused her of obstructing fairness and that she was deceitful to investigators. According to attorneys, Stewart was blameworthy of insider trading. I strongly do not accept as true that Stewart committed an insider trading crime given that she acted on her stockbroker’s knowledge. Sam Waksal, the ImClone CEO did not either clue-up Stewart or her stock brokers the defiance of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to appraise the untried cancer drug, Erbitux. Fascinatingly, Sam, on selling his shares, was just speculating on the decision that could be taken by FAD. He did not have the packed information and for that, could not reveal any to Stewart. Decisively, Martha did not commit insider-trading crime (Drew 707-708). Tight spot is whether the US Attorneys and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) used good decision in indicting Martha Stewart. Stewart, having been advised by Bacanovic who was her stockbroker to sell her shares if ImClon shares fall below $60 saved $ 45,673. Banacovic complained that his worksheet had been altered but was considered malice. Although, SEC filed a civil complaint against Stewart, the resolution arrived at in indicting her is doubtful. The issue was supposed to be inside trading but was twisted to conspiracy, obstruction and lying to the investigators. Martha overtly denied accusations against inside trading. Though she got a call that Sam was selling her shares and went ahead to sell her shares too before calling Sam, she was not a victim of inside trade. She just relied on her friend’s trustworthiness. Prosecutors must have had additional motive for pursuing the case. Instead of filling a suit of inside tr ade against Stewart, which was supposed to be a criminal case, the issue of inside trade was left and the suit was certainly turned to a civil case. The prosecutor must have had a motive of proving a point to the public that even celebrities cannot escape the rule of law. There was no enough evidence to rule the case. The government simply wanted to show that it was strict on business crime (Drew 708-710). I certainly do not concur with the jury that Martha was guilty beyond reasonable doubt. How even in a nonprofessional’s language, can failure to provide evidence by an individual’s guilt be termed as obstruction of justice? Surprisingly, no one stood on the courtroom as a casualty of Stewart’s action. The fact that Stewart kept mum was not enough to declare her guilty. Stewart postulates that she acted upon receiving information that Sam was selling his stock. The information that she got was from a competent individual whom she solely depended on for guidance when it comes to stock matters. Upon hearing the information, she decided to sell her stock. Like any other individual, she could have not waited any further but to save her money before loss. In addition, Sam although he was the CEO of ImClone, did not receive any information from the Food and Drug Administration that their drug was going to be rejected. He further did not leak any information to Stewart that could make her gain inside knowledge about the

Interpretation & evaluation of one theory belonging to H.L.A. Hart in Term Paper

Interpretation & evaluation of one theory belonging to H.L.A. Hart in book 'Concept of Law' - Term Paper Example However, his perception on positivism may be defined as the pinnacle of his argument. The central perception that makes this topic outstanding in the ears of the audience is the compelling attitude which it triggers from both convictions. Harts seems to perceive a differing conviction on legal positivism as compared to Ronald Dworkin. The focus of this essay will be narrowed on evaluating the perception embraced by H. L. A. Hart, and subsequently evaluating its contribution to contemporary law. Hart presents a valid argument over the challenges anticipated in the dispensation of the law, however, he does not offer an acceptable path towards the establishment of the proposed solutions to the problem. Interpretation The topic of legal positivism has been re-evaluated accordingly following the erupt of various thinkers airing a varying opinion on the subject. The central argument has been the interrelation shared by the theory and other models of the law, especially on the aspect of sum mation (Coleman 64). Hart argument is distributed in phases, where there exists the primary phase and the secondary phase of execution. The central argument aired by H. L. A. Hart is that the primary rules implicate or impose the observation of the law. This understanding is best exemplified via criminal law, where the law is exercised directly against the injustices and atrocities committed. H. L. A. Hart proceeds to argue that for the primary law to be effective, there needs to be a set of regulation that enacts its enforcement. To this, H. L. A. Hart presented the existence of the secondary phase of law. His assertion on the secondary phase identified various check mechanisms that steer towards the realization of an effective justice system (Hart 89). H. L. A. Hart harbours an opinion that the exercise of the law revolves around the presence of a sufficient check system that ensures its observation is based or founded on the platform of fairness and equity. In the quest to offer an elaborate illustration of this perception, H. L. A. Hart proceeds to illustrate a set of options that are embroiled under the secondary phase. This is captured under a set of rules that aim at reinforcing the continuity of the primary phase. In his opinion, the rules include the rule of the acknowledgement where the public is invited to share opinions on the course taken by the law. Subsequently, the stipulations of the law will further be analyzed via the involvement of supplementary quantification mechanism. On reference, there are options such as the rule of alterations, commonly referred to as the rule of change. The central argument aired alongside this proposal is the perception that rules can be established, altered or redeveloped to match the task of reference (Hart, 78). This implies that the law is never static; a fundamental understanding which Hart believes can only be reinforced via the embrace of the secondary phase of law. Subsequently, Hart is convinced that their desires to be established a set of stipulations that are to be undertaken upon the corruption of the law. This includes issues such as immediate therapy upon the dissemination of the inappropriate or erroneous law. On this regard, Hart proposes the embrace of the rule of Adjudication as a methodology of ensuring that the dissemination of the law is undertaken via the justified manner. A deeper analysis of this perception indicates that the incidences upon which the law is observed

Top 10 News Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Top 10 News - Essay Example This article effectively provides the details that it promised it would in the lead. This article starts off with a look at the Prince Charles and Diana wedding and then talks about the Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding that took place recently. It mainly talks about the government and the general population and attempts to look at how this wedding actually affects the average person, if at all. The marriages of other royals are also mentioned in passing. There is one picture with the article and that is of the massive crowds that gathered to watch the wedding. It seems an appropriate picture in this case as the article does discuss the people who watched the wedding and their attitudes towards the monarchy rather than give details of the wedding itself. This articles starts with a reaction from Chile’s president followed by a details of a major face in this event-the shift manager who tried to keep things organised underground when the miners were trapped. There is a brief description of the events that led to this rescue followed by the names of the men who were trapped underground. The article is effectively written. This article describes the destruction in Haiti as a result of the earthquake that occurred. It provides information about what other countries have said about their staff in the country and also the scale of the destruction. There are three pictures and the first is a schematic showing the epicentre of the earthquake. The second and third are satellite images of two cities affected by the earthquake. The first picture is appropriate for this article as are the other two. This article is very effectively written. The lead provides us with an indication as to the scale of the event by mentioning that this is the biggest earthquake and tsunami in Japan’s history. The article goes on to discuss the concerns over the nuclear plant, reports on Japan’s main city Tokyo and provides information of international

The Greeks and Philosophy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Greeks and Philosophy - Research Paper Example For, â€Å"†¦without any assistance of sense, and perseveres until by pure intelligence he arrives at the perception of the absolute good, he at last finds himself at the end of   the intellectual world, as in the case of sight at the end of the visible.†2 Philosophy is about finding points that will lead one to theorize. Philosophy includes â€Å"†¦steps and points of departure into a world which is above hypotheses, in order that she may soar beyond them to the first principle of the whole†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 3 â€Å"Until the person is able to abstract and define rationally the idea of good, and unless he can run the gauntlet of all objections, and is ready to disprove them, not by appeals to opinion, but to absolute truth, never faltering at any step of the argument --unless he can do all this, you would say that he knows neither the idea of good nor any other good; he apprehends only a shadow, if anything at all, which is given by opinion and not by science; --drea ming and slumbering in this life, before he is well awake here, he arrives at the world below, and has his final quietus.†4 For Plato, what equaled philosophy included the truth. â€Å"And I thought that I had better have recourse to ideas, and seek in them the truth of existence.†5 Naturally, the most logical thoughts that were reinforced as correct were what Plato considered philosophy, saying that â€Å"†¦I first assumed some principle which I judged to be the strongest, and then I affirmed as true whatever seemed to agree with this, whether relating to the cause or to anything else; and that which disagreed I regarded as untrue.†6 True philosophy, after all, lies â€Å"†¦in [the] asking and answering questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 7 Rejecting the false and embracing the truth seems to have been what Plato was searching for all the time in his dialogues. The process of philosophy was about digging into the psyche to find a deeper truth. The process involves lots of rational thinking, evaluation, and critical thinking skills. Not only that, but Plato’s ideas of philosophy held fast to the ideas that what was good and virtuous were things that were worth philosophizing about. This process of parsing out what was good and virtuous in itself was worth it to Plato to take great pains to try to explain—in detail—what was worth expounding upon in his dialogues. Plato consistently maintained that philosophy was a constant search for that which was real, good, true, and reliable—versus that which was fake or a facade, bad, untrue, or inconsistent. Constistency is what made Plato such an emblematic figure in philosophy, because one knew what to expect from his type of logic. Therefore, his points were not only true but rational. B) Find at least two passages in the dialogues that were covered in this module where Plato shows Socrates entering into the dialectical process of Philosophy. Copy and paste the passages usi ng quotation marks and cite the source dialogue. You find two passages where Socrates is exchanging questions and answers with someone on a topic, issue or question. Where do you find these passages? Find them in any of these dialogues: ION EUTHYPHRO APOLOGY CRITO PHAEDO REPUBLIC SYMPOSIUM ?DO NOT USE THE SEVEN PASSAGES SUPPLIES IN PART A THAT DESCRIBE DIALECTICS! Those passages are not demonstrations of the process but are descriptions of it. How long do they need to be? Not the entire dialogue! Just submit a passage long enough to see the back

Childhood Obesity in School Essay Example for Free

Childhood Obesity in School Essay Childhood obesity is a problem in the United States. It affects a child’s life tremendously. Childhood obesity in school is an important subject for one to learn about. People who have children or plan on having children need to know the risks that are involved in this disorder. Childhood obesity is a serious problem for children but it can be worse in schools. School life is hard enough for a child to adjust; it is even harder for a child to deal with school and obesity at the same time. There are many aspects to how childhood obesity affects children in schools: it affects their learning abilities, it affects their social skills and their psychological well-being, and it also affects their health. Childhood obesity is when a child has an excessive amount of body fat in relationship to lean body mass. Childhood obesity is sometimes a genetic disorder and sometimes an environmental situation issue. By genetics it means it can be given to the child by anyone in their family lineage. By environmental situation issues it means it is based on the foods a child eats, whether they exercise regularly, or by the habits they learn. Mass media also is a consideration in child obesity as advertisements can affect how a child wants to eat. Fast food companies attract many children just in their advertisements alone. The internet also affects children and they get to use the internet at school. They see advertisements online or play games online that make them not want to be active in everyday life. There are so many aspects to a child’s life that can lead to obesity and most of it starts at home but then overflows into the academic life of a child. Children who are obese tend to have more health issues and the health concerns can affect their everyday school life. The regularity of childhood obesity is a public health concern. Childhood obesity is connected to a variety of detrimental health conditions including diabetes, metabolic  syndrome, and heart disease (Freedman, Diets, Srinivasan, and Berenson, 1999). The more health issues a child has the more it affects school life. Children with health concerns from obesity end up missing a number of days for being sick and that puts them behind in their school work. The time away from school leads to missed assignments and also less socialization time with peers. Children who are obese tend to be sleepy and not be able to pay attention during classroom lectures. Overweight children also can have serious health issues now and as well in adult years; such as high cholesterol and blood pressure, bone and joint issues, and even sleep disorders which can affect every day routine (John, H., 2011). The problem of obesity is not contained than it will â€Å"surpass tobacco as the leading cause of death† (Bhattacharya 2004, p.1). Childhood obesity affects children with their learning abilities in the classroom. Occasionally how a child is affected educationally by childhood obesity is not as obvious as the health concerns that arise from the obesity. Children who are obese tend to have low self-esteem and do not participate as well in class discussions. As new clinical practice guidelines are being developed to address childhood obesity, the reduction of depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem associated with being overweight should also be considered in developing the guidelines (Cornette, 2008). It has not really been studied accurately or in excess but one would wonder if obesity would affect the brain because of lack of blood flow or just lack of healthiness. If the brain is hindered in any way then learning is definitely impacted. Obese children have a hard time with the affects obesity has on their social skills and their psychological well-being. Being bullied is something that is a common occurrence with obese children. Obese children have a hard time socializing due to being picked on. They also get labeled with titles that sometimes do not fit them just because of their appearance: lazy, slouch, unattractive, and mean. Sometimes they actually get labeled as the bully because of their size when actually they are not. Obesity in children is also associated with an elevated risk of various psychosocial problems. Children who suffer from obesity are more likely to have behavioral problems  and emotional disturbances (Stradmeijer, Bosch, Koops, and Seidell, 2000). Obesity limits students’ ability to excel in social and psychological problems, such as being bullied and low self-esteem. Obese children that are bullied can be very emotional or very quiet and hold everything in and that can lead to other problems as well. Results from a small-scale study of 106 obese children, between the ages of 5 and 18, revealed that obese students were often subject to teasing and ostracism, and that they reported having trouble keeping up with their peers, both physically and academically the emotional and social stress from being obese can be very hard on a child (Browman, Darcia Harris, 2003). Both as a parent or a student, all should understand the emotional and physical impacts that can cause great danger to an overweight child. Children with an inactive lifestyle, large at birth, with high-risk family health behaviors, and from a family with low income or low education attainment, were more likely to be obese. Findings suggest that interventions targeting family and supporting people to implement lifestyle changes are promising to prevent childhood obesity (Brophy, Cooksey, Gravenor, Mistry, Thomas, Lyons Williams, 2009). In addition, efforts appear to be focused on reducing weight, a small amount attention is directed to the psycho-socio-emotional effect that being overweight have on children. Studies are important because they show that childhood obesity is not only associated with health risk but also with problems in social interactions and relationships (Janssen, Craig, Boyce Pickett, 2003). Children that are obese also have a hard time doing some of the activities in school. When interviewing two teachers at Tennessee Ridge Elementary School and asking them about the effects of childhood obesity in their classrooms both had somewhat of the same answer. â€Å"Obese children have a harder time playing most of the physical activities I have planned that involve them getting up and down a lot† (Moore, 2012). As well as Mrs. Tomlinson (2012) stated that â€Å"children who are overweight seem to have a hard time getting up and down during our rug times and seem to have difficulty sitting in the crisscross position for more than a few minutes†. These students end up feeling like they are left out or feeling different than other children. They are also less likely to be able to keep up with  the other children on the playground. This is where one runs into the situation of being picked last on the playground or just simply being left out. This leads to a lot of the other complications obese children face in schools. There are many ways that the school system tries to help children stay fit and not have to battle obesity. One of the ways the schools try to help is by serving healthy lunches and snacks. They have also taken vending machines out of schools as much as possible. Also the schools try to ensure every child gets plenty of physical activity time and recess time. Teachers add activities that involve moving and being active in their curriculums; such as allowing children to sit on exercise balls while doing desk work and doing learning drills with physical activities. Exercising actually makes children less stressed and makes them focused on learning. â€Å"Young children who exercise at school perform better in concentration tests, researchers have said after a study on pupils in Aberdeen† (Williams, 2010). Being active and watching what a child eats can significantly help children it also teaches them good habits that will benefit them later on in life as well. Another way children learn is by example and teachers can set an example for children as well as their parents can. For example, teachers are not allowed to carry soda cans around they have to put it in different containers if they are drinking soda at school. Even with the schools being involved it is important for parents to do the same at home. Most schools and communities offer health programs and exercise classes for parents and children. Children are at school as much as they are at home and so in order to help children with obesity it needs to be a joint effort. Obesity is a serious situation and in children it is more serious. Obesity can affect a child a lot more than an adult because of all the social and emotional situations that arise that obese children are not ready to handle. Sometimes children cannot handle situations as well as adults can. The effects of childhood obesity can be very overwhelming to a child especially in the school environment. It is important for people to be aware of the effects of obesity in children and in the school system. Having obesity affect so much of a child’s school life can also interfere with their  future. Obesity harmfully impacting academics should make parents, educators, and policy makers alike have an even greater incentive to curb the threat of obesity in this country. References Bhattacharya, S. (2004). Obesity to Surpass Tobacco as Top U.S. Killer. Retrieved fromwww.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn4763. Boyce, W., PhD, Craig, W., PhD, Janssen, I., PhD, Pickett, W., PhD (2003). Associations between overweight and obesity with bullying behaviors in school-aged children. PEDIATRICS , 113(1187), Retrieved from: pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/113/5/1187.full.html Brophy, S., Cooksey, R., Gravenor, M., Mistry, R., Thomas, N., Lyons, R., Williams, R.(2009). Risk factors for childhood obesity at age 5: Analysis of the millennium Cohortstudy. BMC Public Health, 9(467), doi: 10.1 186/1471-2458-9-467 Browman, Darcia Harris, 2003. Child Obesity Hurts Emotional Health, Study Says. Education Week: Vol 22, Issue 32, p. 9. Cornette, R. (2008). The emotional impact of obesity on children. Worldviews on EvidenceBased Nursing, 5(3), 136-141. doi: 1545-1021/08 Freedman, D. S., Dietz, W. H., Srinivasan, S. R., Berenson, G. S. (1999). The relation ofobese to cardiovascular risk factors among children and adolescents: The BogalusaHeart Study. Pediatrics, 103, 1175-1182. John, H. (2011, 3 12). Retrieved from http://www.nsba.org/Board-Leadership/SchoolHealth/obesity-and-schools Moore, S. (2012, Decemeber, 01). Interview by B.A. Self [Personal Interview]. What effects do you see childhood obesity having in your classroom? Stradmeijer, M., Bosch, J., Koops, W., Seidell, J. (2000). Family functioning and psychosocial adjustment in obese youngsters. International Journal of Eating Disorders,27, 110-114. Tomlinson, J. (2012, November, 29). Interview by B.A. Self [Personal Interview]. What effects do you see childhood obesity having in your classroom? Williams, J. (2010, April 19). Bbc world news. Retrieved from ht tp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/8629867.stm

Case Study On Hindustan Unilever Limited Commerce Essay

Case Study On Hindustan Unilever Limited Commerce Essay The Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is a software or online solution for the data entry, data tracking, and data information for the needs of the Human Resources, payroll, management, and accounting functions within a business. A human resource information system is an organized, accurate, relevant and appropriate method of providing information about human resources. It is a organized way of storing data and information for each individual employee in decision making, to help in planning of human resources. It can be used to maintain details such as, employees absence reports, salary administration , employee profiles and other various kinds of reports. Evolution of Human Resource Information System (HRIS) In todays world where technology is increasingly developed and touching all aspects of todays business, the use of IT and information technologies is increasing in companys HR department . Now HR managers have realized that there are vast technological changes, with adoption of IT becoming a necessity for them. IT is playing a key role in the HR departments of companies nowadays. Companies are trying to make the finest use of their systems for organizing and storing information of their employees. In the year 1960s the HR professional and managers of the companies used to spend time in gathering information manually on paper, receiving enquiries, and mostly busy in tedious and manual administrative work. Now as times have changed, systems are getting automated. The companies have started investing in their HR department, developing it by including human resource information system. Human resource managers are now giving up with costly, lengthy and outdated processes and customizing for IT-enabled HR systems, which marks the beginning of a new era in the functioning of HR professionals. Human Resource Information System (HRIS) provides- An effective HRIS is used to provide information about anything the company needs to track and analyze about its employees, former employees, and applicants. Managing information of all employees Reporting and analysis of employee information Benefit to administration including enrollment and personal information updating. Applicants tracking, resume management, interviewing, and selection. Complete integration with companys financial and accounting system. Model of a human resource information system Fig-1 Input subsystem:- It deals with gathering of data about various aspects of human resources. HR research subsystem: It gathers data such as job analysis, job evaluation, employee absenteeism, employee morale and employee turnover. HR intelligence subsystem: Information is collected from external environment formally and informally. Output subsystem: It consists of five subsystem HR acquisition subsystem HR development subsystem Appraisal and compensation Maintenance subsystem Industrial relations subsystem HR acquisition subsystem :- (planning, Recruitment, selection placement) It involves functions like planning of human resources i.e forecasting the need and supply of human resources. Recruitment and selection involves the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify and select those with a greater likelihood of success in a job by conducting group discussions, interviews, etc. HR Development System: (operative training, management development and organization development) HRD system requires information about the competencies that are to be developed among employees. It helps in knowing about the changes that are to me made in management system or the development to be made in the organization ,etc. Appraisal and compensation system: (performance appraisal, financial compensation, incentives) Appraisal management Appraisal involves evaluating an employees value and performance for devising suitable compensation package, training, promotion, demotion etc. and compensation involves determining the incentives, benefits etc. Compensation management: It is concerned with designing and implementing total compensation package. Here compensation means providing money or other benefits to the employee like provident fund, bonus, insurance scheme and other payment. HR Maintenance system: (mobility, safety, health and stress management) HRM system looks after the maintenance of employees in the organization. It involves human resource mobility in the form of promotion, demotion, transfer and separation. By taking care of employees by organizing stress management lectures that the employees may face during work. Also taking care of the safety and health of employees Industrial Relation System: (discipline management, grievance handling, management of industrial disputes) IRS is helps with managing good relations between management and operatives. This involves managing employee discipline, managing industrial disputes, redressing employee grievances, etc. Benefits of HRIS Data can be processed at high speed Classifying of data becomes easy Effective in decision making. Higher accuracy of report generated. Quick response to answer queries. Better work culture. Establishing of streamlined and systematic procedure. More transparency in the system. Employee Self Management. CASE STUDY Hindustan unilever limited(HUL)- Doing well by doing good. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is Indias largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company, touching the lives of two out of three Indians with over 20 distinct categories in Home Personal Care Products and Foods Beverages. The companys Turnover is Rs. 17,523 crores (for the financial year 2009 2010) HUL is a subsidiary of Unilever, one of the worlds leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with having its strong hold over 100 countries on the world with annual sales of about à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40 billion in 2009. Hindustan Unilever was recently rated among the top four companies worldwide in the list of Global Top Companies for Leaders by a study sponsored by Hewitt Associates, in partnership with Fortune magazine and the RBL Group. The company was ranked number one in the Asia-Pacific region and in India. It is the mission of HUL that inspires more than 15,000 employees, including over 1,400 managers, is to help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.   This mission is shared by HUL with its parent company unilever which holds about 52 % of the equity. Application of HRIS in Hindustan unilever limited Peoplesoft Hindustan unilever limited uses peoplesoft software to look after human resource management and customer relationship management PeopleSoft, Inc. was a company that provided human resource management systems (HRMS) and customer relationship management (CRM) software, as well as software solutions to large corporations and organizations. It was a self-governing corporation until Oracle Corporation took acquisition over it in 2005. The marketing of PeopleSoft name and product line are now done by Oracle. HUL implemented using peoplesoft since 2003 for its human resource management, Peoplesoft, at that time, was an object of much speculation and suspicion with the owners ( HR Managers ) and the end-users ( HR Officers ), But peoplesoft 7.5 had stopped being used for a while in unilever due to improper working. After a proper examination it was found out that oracle database was the root cause for the improper working of peoplesoft. A big 5 consultancy which was a peoplesoft support company had left the whole implementation of peoplesoft in an unstable state and had to quit its operations from HUL. This problem was further handled by CMSS pvt ltd who analyzed the database thoroughly and restored the database table by table. They not only stabilized the system and made it usable, but also integrated the system with many of their other HR applications. Performance Appraisal and Competency Enhancement system (PACE) Performance appraisals of Employees are necessary to understand each employees abilities, competencies and relative merit and worth for the organization. The employees are rated in terms of their performances. It is essential to measure the performance of the employees and the organization, it helps in checking the progress towards the desired goals and aims and which further helps in improvement of the performance. Past performances of the employees are taken into account and are further it focuses on the improvement of the future performance of the employees. Formal and properly structured performance appraisals help the employees to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities. This further gives direction to look after the individuals performance. It helps the individual performances in aligning with the organizational goals. It also helps them to review their own performances. It was implemented since 2003 and is used till date. CMSS looks after Development, Support, Optimization, Enhancement and Customization of PACE. HUL wanted a Performance Appraisal and Competency Enhancement system for its officers, based on the Performance Management Model followed at HUL but the problem that they were facing was, there were no records of the details of officers in a consolidated form. But CMSS could manage it by getting all the database by setting up helpdesks in 4 metro cities and could implement the working of system in 3 months. Performance Development and Planning system (PDP) It helps in keeping track of the performance the employees. The process enables each staff person to understand their true value-added to the organization. It helps them in setting goals that which would increase their ability to contribute to the success of the organization. HUL wanted a Performance Development and Planning system for its managers, based on the Performance Management Model followed by them. A basic version of this system sent to India, that version was found to be highly lacking in certain features desired by HR in India. The PDP software had to be developed such a way that it could be integrated with peoplesoft because it had all its employees details stored in it and with a feature for real-time data bridge between Peoplesoft and PDP it could be easily be configured and used as required. PDP is till date being used by HUL to manage the performance of its managers. Conclusion:- Thus studying of the report helps in knowing the vast developments that has been occurring in the field of human resources. Not only in case of IT companies where employees are key assets, even the non-IT sector has also realized the importance and need to invest in technology to upscale their HR functions. It is not only time and cost saving but also has the long-term benefit of retaining employees. Appendix: Fig-1: Model of human resource information system.

Effects of Violent Video Games | Essay

Effects of Violent Video Games | Essay Violent computer games, and their possible effect on players. Introduction The Problems Social Effects of Playing Computer Games Conclusion Bibliography Introduction Feeding childrens passion for computers, billions of dollars in both public and private funds are being spent to give children access in school, at home, and in the community. Nearly every school is now equipped with computers, (Fisch, 2004, p. 2) and over two-thirds of our nations children have access at home. (Fisch, 2004, p. 4) But is computer technology actually improving their lives? Computer technology has transformed society in a number of profound ways. For better or worse, the increasing pervasiveness of computer technology is a reality no one can ignore or stop, not that one would. Computers are fast becoming integrated into nearly every aspect of daily living, from school to work, to banking and shopping, to paying taxes and even voting. They provide access to a wide range of information without a trip to the library. They convey personal messages in place of the post office or telephone. And they compete with newspapers, radio, and television in providing entertainment an d news of the day. Computer technology also has a profound effect on our economy. Not only are computers changing the way goods and services are manufactured, distributed, and purchased, but they are also changing the skills workers need to be productive and earn a living. This climate sets the stage whereby we encourage our children to utilize a computer, as such represents not the world of tomorrow, but the world of today, and thus they need to be computer literate. The public generally agrees that for children to participate socially, economically, and politically in this new and different world, they must acquire a certain level of comfort and competence in using computers. National polls indicate widespread support for providing children with access to computers to enable them to learn adequate computer skills and improve their education (Trotter, 1998, pp. 6-9). In surveys, most parents and children report that they view computers and the Internet as a positive force in their lives, despite conce rns about exposure to inappropriate commercial, sexual, and violent content (National School Boards Foundation, 2000). Most parents believe that the Internet can help children with their homework and allow them to discover fascinating, useful things, and that children without access are disadvantaged compared to those with access. The scenario’s described above represent the current generation of parents, as opposed to their children. A generation that grew up on computer and video games that their parents had no idea of what they were playing, or even what the technology was. Thus, there was a real understanding and involvement gap (Brougere et al, 2004, p. 1-4). Those basically unsupervised children are now adults. Adults that grew up selecting their own video and computer games while developing their own culture without guidance to determination as to what was good for them or bad, as they were just interested in the experience of a new technology changing the world of play and relaxation. Thus it was the game, almost regardless of what it was, and not the content that ruled (Brougere et al, 2004, p. 1-4). When discussing violence in computer games, as a result of this foundational background understanding, there are three standards from which to choose, the children of parents who grew up playing games and basically picking them out themselves, those whose parents supervised what they played and purchased, which is a small minority, and lastly, those adults who either didn’t have either video games or computers in their home. The assumption is, that almost all of today’s adults played video and or computer games when they were children, if not their own, then on a friends console or computer. Children of a generation whose parents were maybe exposed somewhat to computers at work, but more often than not, were not. Thus, the problem of violence becomes one that rests on the shoulders of game developers, manufacturers and designers based upon industry research, educational and emotional findings, as well as studies concerning the effects of violence on children. The parents of today’s adults knew about the creeping violence on TV, that they grew up with and which was publicized when they were children and teenagers. But, the circumstances are different today, as there is no television standards board making noise about PC and video game content. Thus, the level of acceptable violence as well as the controls, industry oversight and general standards as to what is and is not acceptable comes into play. If you question the underlying foundation, think about the popularity of Madden football. Like it our not, that U.S. sport tops boxing for all out mayhem, violence, competitive spirit and aggression. Thus, the dilemma as represented by attempting to equate the level of violence and their effe ct is based upon a generation that really had no boundaries. The jury is still out on the subject of the effects of computer games on children, teenagers, and young adults, and it is seemingly hopelessly divided. There are â€Å"an overwhelming number of parents†, pegged at 96 percent, based upon a survey conducted by the Interactive Digital Software Association who indicate that they pay attention to video and computer game content that their children play (Business Wire, 2003). That same survey indicated that 44 percent of the parents in homes that own either video game consoles and or computers stated that they themselves used to play interactive games and that they play with their children either on a daily or weekly basis (Business Wire, 2003). The returns from that survey found that all in all over 60% of the responding parents play interactive games with their children at least once in the month (Business Wire, 2003). The parents responding at a rate of 89 percent stated that they were there when the games were purchased for chil dren under the age of 18. The survey revealed some interesting trends, as well as revealed that the children who are playing computer and or video games are the offspring of former and present players themselves. This brings to mind if these parents acceptance level of violence in computer and video games is slightly jaded in terms of what constitutes violence. In fact, the majority of gamers, as they are termed, are in fact adults, according to the Interactive Digital Software Association survey (Business Wire, 2003). The survey revealed that the entire universe of game players is getting older. The percentage of players who were under the age of 18 made up just 30 percent of the gamer population, which is down from the 34 percent recorded in 2002 (Business Wire, 2003). However, the survey avoided the critical issue, the extent of violence in the games the parents indicated that they were supervising the buying for, as well as playing with their children. The survey did state that 36 percent of the games pla yed on computer were action oriented, which tied with puzzle, board, and card games for the top spot (Business Wire, 2003). In fact, the preferences were almost evenly divided across the four categories, with driving and racing games scoring at 36 percent, and sports at 32 percent. Excessive, unmonitored use of computers, especially when combined with use of other screen technologies, such as television, can place children at risk for harmful effects on their physical, social, and psychological development. Children need physical activity, social interaction, and the love and guidance of caring adults to be healthy, happy, and productive. (Hartmann and Brougere, 2004, p. 37- 41) Too much time in front of a screen can deprive children of time for organized sports and other social activities that are beneficial to child development. (Hartmann and Brougere, 2004, p. 37- 41) In addition, children may be exposed to violent, sexual, or commercial content beyond their years, with long-term negative effects (Brougere et al, 2004, pp. 8). At present, excessive use of computers among children, especially younger children, is not typical. National survey data gathered in spring of 2000 indicated that children ages 2 to 17 spent about 34 minutes per day, on average, using computers at home, with use increasing with age (Preschoolers ages 2 to 5 averaged 27 minutes per day, school-age children ages 6 to 11 averaged 49 minutes per day, and teens ages 12 to 17 averaged 63 minutes per day) (Brougere et al, 2004, pp. 9). Available data on computer use at school suggest that exposure in the early primary grades, at least, is relatively modest. A spring 1999 survey of 26 elementary schools in the heart of Silicon Valley, where computer use might be expected to be high, found that although 70% of teachers in kindergarten through third grade had their students do some work on computers, the students computer time averaged less than 10 minutes per day (Brougere et al, 2004, pp. 11). This data suggest that younger children in particular are not currently using computers for excessive amounts of time. In the case of video games, even their critics acknowledge that they are instructing our children. The critics just dont like the form and the sometimes violent and sexually explicit content of the instruction, which they believe teaches children aggressive behaviors (Suellentrop, 2006). Yet if such games are nothing more than murder simulators, as one critic has called them, why is it, as gaming enthusiasts never tire of pointing out, that the murder rate has declined in recent years, there are more video games, and more violent ones, than ever (Suellentrop, 2006). The important thing to find out about video games isnt whether they are teachers; The question is, as game designer Ralph Koster writes in A Theory of Fun for Game Design (2004), what do they teach? (Suellentrop, 2006). The marketing strategies of game companies links closely to Hollywood action movies as a means to reach more gamers. The Cinema has emerged as the most prominent influence on games. Both cinema and games are superficially alike, in that they are relatively modern media that deliver audio-visual content to paying audiences. The similarities that the media share have meant that some artistic strategies can be transferred between the two. However, there is a limit to the extent that artistic techniques can be taken from one and used in the other. Game designers are increasingly using unsuitable cinematic conventions in the creation of their games. Activision, a Santa Monica based game manufacturer generated the Fantastic 4 game in agreement with its studio, whereby you can â€Å"assume the persona of Mir. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Invisible Woman/Sue Storm, Human Torch/Johnny Storm, or Thing/Ben Grimm and master their individual attributes and unique powers to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and defeat enemies. Another option is to control the Fantastic 4 together as a team and dynamically switch b etween characters during their adventures, and combine super powers in order to level more devastating attacks and accomplish missions† (Society for the Advancement of Education, 2005). And the trend includes almost any Hollywood movie that can be converted to action, with the Fantastic 4 representing a mild version of what the industry has to offer. The basic theme is the ‘good guys, against the ‘bad guys’ in such re-creations as â€Å"X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, the rival X-Men and Brotherhood† where you are â€Å"†¦ bonded by a common enemy, fight side by side for the first time, allowing players to switch instantly between super-power wielding teammates as they overcome obstacles, solve puzzles, and defeat more than 100 types of enemies† (Society for the Advancement of Education, 2005). Violence is a popular form of entertainment â€Å"a crowd of onlookers enjoys a street fight just as the Romans enjoyed the gladiators, and wrestling is a popular spectator sport not only in the United States, but in many countries in the Middle East (Centerwall, 1989, p. 23). Local news shows provide extensive coverage of violent crimes in order to increase their ratings. Technological advances have dramatically increased the availability of violent entertainment. The introduction of television was critical, particularly in making violent entertainment more available to children. More recently, cable systems, videocassette recorders, and video games have increased exposure. Hand-held cameras and video monitors now permit filming of actual crimes in progress. Economic competition for viewers, particularly young viewers, has placed a premium on media depictions of violence, as their attention translates into store sales. The Problems The level of acceptable violence of computer games, as well as violence in itself thus represents the question, as the top selling computer and video games all were violence based. And while the non-violent ‘Sims’ simulation game proved to be the top seller at 16 million copies, the next four games totaled 32 million (Wikipedia, 2007). Of those games Starcraft, 9.5 million copies sold, is a strategy war game played in space, whereby one can get a good idea of its content by the name on its expansion pack, ‘StarCraft: Brood War’ (Blizzard Entertainment, 2007). Half-Life (Planet Half-Life, 2007), 8 million copies, is a first person shooter game featuring blood spatters and other effects. Of the top ten computer games four are violence based, and of the next ten, 11 through 20, 5 are violence-based games (Wikipedia, 2007). Thus the ethics are sales, as well as creative foundation and premise from which the games are fashioned. The differing themes represent dir ections in terms of game development, what the manufacturer has build their reputation on, and the gamer profile they appeal to. Based upon the preceding the industry is split down the middle, with half gong for violence, and the other utilizing non-violent content. There is considerable evidence that violence on television, in video as well as computer games is harmful to children (Hope, 2005). And just as the current parents became adjusted to certain levels of violence in their exposures decades ago, such has magnified for their offspring according to lecturer Lesley Murphy of Robert Gordon University (Grant, 2006). The preceding calls for a scientific psychology concerning the effects violence games had on the parents to understand the level their children are being exposed to. Such should not only help us to understand our own the parent’s violence level, it should help to determine where this all stands in the realm of what is normal, speaking in relative terms. Playing computer games can be an important building block to computer literacy because it enhances childrens ability to read and visualize images in three-dimensional space and track multiple images simultaneously and there is also limited evidence available also indicates t hat home computer use is linked to slightly better academic performance. (Alington et al (1992, pp. 539-553). Dominick (1984, pp. 136-147) expresses concern there are the findings that playing violent computer games may increase aggressiveness and desensitize a child to suffering, and that the use of computers may blur a childs ability to distinguish real life from simulation. Compared to girls, boys spend more than twice as much time per week playing computer games (Funk, 1993, pp. 86-89) and are five times more likely to own a computer game system (Griffiths and Hunt, 1995, pp. 189-193). In a study of self-reported leisure time activities of 2,200 third and fourth graders, computer games topped the list of activities among boys: 33% of boys reported playing computer games, compared with fewer than 10% of girls (Harrel et al, 1997, 246-253). Initially it was thought that this disparity was the result of the games violent themes and lack of female protagonists (Malone, 1981, pp. 333-370). A more likely reason, however, is the difference between the genders in their play preferences: boys ten d to prefer pretend play based on fantasy, whereas girls tend to prefer pretend play based on reality, a rare theme for computer games, even those designed specifically for girls. Social Effects of Playing Computer Games As mentioned earlier, game playing has long been the predominant use of home computers among childrenespecially among younger boys. Although the available research indicates that moderate game playing has little social impact on children, concerns nonetheless have been raised about excessive game playing, especially when the games contain violence. Research suggests that playing violent computer games can increase childrens aggressive behavior in other situations. Existing research indicates that moderate game playing does not significantly impact childrens social skills and relationships with friends and family either positively or negatively. Studies often found no differences in the sociability and social interactions of computer game players versus non-players, (Phillips et al, 1995, pp. 687-691) but a few studies found some mildly positive effects. For example, one study found that frequent game players met friends outside school more often than less frequent players. (Colwell et al, 1995, pp. 195-206) Another study of 20 families with new home computer game sets explored the benefits and dangers of playing games and found that computer games tended to bring family members together for shared play and interaction. (Mitchell, 1998, pp. 121-135) Less is known, however, about the long-term effects of excessive computer use among the 7% to 9% of children who play computer games for 30 hours per week or more. (Griffiths and Hunt, 1995, pp. 189-193). It has been suggested that spending a disproportionate amount of time on any one leisure activity at the expense of others will hamper social and educational development. (Griffiths and Hunt, 1995, pp. 189-193) Indeed, one study of fourth- to twelfth-grade students found that those who reported playing arcade video games or programming their home computer for more than an hour per day, on average, tended to believe they had less control over their lives compared with their peers. (Wiggins, 1997) In addition, some evidence suggests that repeated playing of violent computer games may lead to increased aggressiveness and hostility and desensitize children to violence. (Provenzo, 2001, pp. 231-234) Although educational software for home computer use includes many games that encourage positive, pro-social behaviors by rewarding players who cooperate or share, the most popular entertainment software often involves games with competition and aggression, and the amount of aggression and violence has increased with each new generation of games. A content analysis of recent popular Nintendo and Sega Genesis computer games found that nearly 80% of the games had aggression or violence as an objective. (Dietz, 1998, pp. 425-442) One survey of seventh- and eighth-grade students found that half of their favorite games had violent themes. (Funk, 1993, pp. 86-89) Yet parents often are unaware of even the most popular violent titles, despite the rating system from the Entertainment In a 1998 survey, 80% of junior high students said they were familiar with Duke Nukema violent computer game rated mature (containing animated blood, gore, and violence and strong sexual Content), but fewer than 5% of parents had heard of it. (Oldberg, 1998) Numerous studies have shown that watching violent television programs and films increases children and adults aggression and hostility (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371) thus, it is plausible that playing violent computer games would have similar effects. The research on violent computer games suggests that there is, indeed, an association between playing such games and increased aggression, and that the critical variable is a preference for playing aggressive games, rather than the amount of time spent playing. (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371). Several experimental studies suggest that playing a violent game, even for brief periods, has short-term transfer effects, such as increased aggression in childrens free play, (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371) hostility to ambiguous questions, and aggressive thoughts. For example, one study of third and fourth graders found that those children who played a violent game (Mortal Kombat II) responded more violently to three of six open-ended questions than did children who played a nonviolent computer game (basketball) (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371). Furthermore, it has been found that children who have a preference for and play aggressive computer games demonstrate less pro-social behavior, such as donating money or helping someone. (Friedrich-Cofer and Huston, 2000, pp. 364-371). Studies of television have found that continued exposure to violence and aggression desensitizes children to others suffering, (Rule and Ferguson, 2001, pp. 29-50) but studies of computer games have not yet explored such a link. At least since the 1980s, however, both the U.S. and British military have used violent video games for training, reportedly to desensitize soldiers to the suffering of their targets and to make them more willing to kill. (Kiddoo, 2000, pp. 80-82). Conclusion The foundation of violence in computer games stems from the fascination with violence as spawned by the movies as well as television. These mediums have become an overbearing influence in game development and its expressive methods are being applied in game context. A look at the graphics of any video game reveals the similarities as well as attempt to capture as much realism as possible. Such is a natural evolution of the product and technology, but such also is continually blurring the fantasy atmosphere that used to be clearly delineated. The violence that exists in over 50 percent of computer as well as video games is not so much a product of the designers and manufacturers; it is a product of society in that the function of their businesses is to fulfill a need. And since the foundation for that need is there, they continue to create the games to fill it. The problem starts and exists with the consumer market, one that is a product of television and cinema culture that has been at work long before computer and video games arrived. There is now a sincere understanding that the effects have become deeply rooted facets of industrialized cultures, and games can not be blamed, yet they, along with other entertainment medium are contributing to the problem. Youth violence affects us all, and thus a reversal of the process is going to be a difficult undertaking as a result of the historical context from which it came. A look at the top selling video game categories reveals the extent of the problem: Table – Top Games Genres (Wikipedia, 2007) Rank Genre 1 Strategy / RPG 2 Action 3 Sport Games 4 Racing 5 All Shooter Games 6 Simulations 7 Family Entertainment 8 Children’s Entertainment 9 Fighting 10 Other Games 11 Edutainment With the following games rated as all time favorites, based on violent content: Donkey Kong, 1981, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of America, Inc., Arcade. Doom, 1993, id Software, id Software, P.C. DOS. Dragon’s Lair, 1983. Magicom Multimedia, Cinematronics, Arcade. Duke Nukem, 1991, Apogee Software Ltd., Apogee Software Ltd., PC DOS. E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, 1983, Atari, Inc., Atari Inc., Atari 2600. Final Fantasy series I – IX, 1990 2003, Square Enix Co., Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc., Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, PlayStation, PlayStation 2. Final Fantasy VII, 1996, Square Co., Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc., PlayStation. Grand Theft Auto III, DMA Design Ltd., Rockstar Games, PlayStation2 Half-Life, 1998, Valve Software, Sierra On-Line, Inc., P.C. Win. ’95. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, 2003, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of Europe, Inc., GameCube. Mario Bros I-VII, 1983 –2003, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of America, Inc., Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, GameCube. Max Payne, 2001, Remedy Entertainment Ltd., GodGames, Win. ’95. Metal Gear Solid, 1998, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd., Konami of America, Inc., PlayStation. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, 1998, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd., Konami of America, Inc., PlayStation 2. Myst, 1994, Broderbund Software, Keyboard Mouse, Macintosh. Pac-Man, 1980, Namco Ltd., Midway Mfg. Co., Arcade. Perfect Dark, 2000, Rare Ltd., Rare Ltd., Nintendo 64. Pokemon, 1998, Game Freak, Inc., Nintendo of America, Inc., Game Boy. Pong, 1973, Atari, Inc., Atari Inc., Arcade. Resident Evil, 2002, Capcom Co., Ltd., Capcom U.S.A., Inc., GameCube. Rogue Leader, 2001, Factor 5, Lucas Arts, GameCube. Silent Hill, 1999, Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe (KCEK), Konami of America, Inc., PlayStation. Space Invaders, 1978, Taito Corporation, Taito America Corp., Arcade. Spacewar, 1962, Russell, S. Street Fighter II, 1991, Capcom Co., Ltd., Capcom U.S.A., Inc., Arcade. Super Mario Bros., 1985, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of America, Inc., Nintendo Entertainment System. Tekken 3, 1998, Namco Ltd., Namco Hometek, Inc., PlayStation. Tennis for Two, 1958. Higinbotham, W. Tetris, 1989, Pajitnov, A., Nintendo of America, Inc., Game Boy. Tomb Raider, Core Design Ltd., Eidos Interactive, PlayStation. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, 2003, Core Design Ltd., Eidos Interactive, PlayStation 2. Winning Eleven 6: Final Evolution, 2003, Konami Computer Entertainment Kobe (KCEK), Konami Computer Entertainment Japan Co., Ltd., GameCube. Wolfenstein 3D, 1991, Apogee Software Ltd., Apogee Software Ltd., PC DOS Zelda I –VI, 1987-2003, Nintendo Co. Ltd, Nintendo of America, Inc., Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, GameCube. As a business, the economics of a return on investment figures importantly into the reasons as to why so many violent games are produced. Simply speaking there is a market for them! The high cost of producing games engenders a desire within the companies financing games production to ensure a return on their investment. In most popular mass culture, this has seen a cautious approach to creating content. There has been a streamlining of the creation of content, be it music, films or games, that has seen the removal of as many variables as possible in order to produce content that can be easily quantified and accounted for. Companies are reluctant to take risks and the simplest way of avoiding them is to repeat previously profitable formulae, or in the case of a developing medium, such as games, to adopt the techniques of the more developed and superficially similar medium of cinema. Designers are reliant upon the finance provided by publishing companies to create games. This has seen the production of numerous games based on Hollywood films and characters, or the construction of games that can be marketed and sold on the strength of their cinematic aesthetics and sensibilities. Computer and video game companies base their strategies of what to produce based upon careful market research and raw numbers, and the fact is, since 50% of the market has been and continues to be buying violent game content, they will continue to design and market these types of games! And while the problem is deep seated, there is a logical and easy solution, if only the adults will play along. The survey conducted by the Interactive Digital Software Association (2001), indicated the following statistics: adults purchase 90% of all games sold And that is the only statistic that will be utilized to make the point. As the controlling variable in the purchase, it is the adults that need to be reached. The problem is how? Educating Adults to the problem is the logical answer. But as the primary buyers of games overall, they are also heavy buyers of violent game content themselves. The preceding is more than an ethical dilemma, it is a cultural one. One whereby the cycle needs to be broken with the same vigor and force that instilled it in the first place. But, that took decades and billions in advertising and marketing dollars to put into place. Thus it seems that the only force large enough to impact upon this situation are governments. Therein lies the ethical problem, for this speaks of another regulation is a world that is fast becoming over regulated in order to save ourselves from ourselves! The solution that the preceding is leading up to is the same as has been done in the instance of cigarette smoking, warning labels on each box as a mandated action. Could the foundation for this approach be similar to the health risk utilized in the instance of cigarettes, only in this instance as a societal risk? That represents an extremely touchy subject as it seemingly broaches upon freedom of choice. The warning labels and legislation to curtail smoking has achieved success as a result of the non-smokers who did not wish to inhale second hand smoke in restaurants, offices and other public indoor locales. These restrictions did not and do not restrict smokers for smoking. Thus, why would it curtail violent game players from playing. Thus, could a violent game tax be the solution. This would or might represent a choice in that the extra money so charged would be put into a victims and marketing fund to fuel additional education on the dangers of violence. Seemingly, that might create an outcry as well, however, as is the case with any type of social change, the majority wins out, thus the non-violent lobby would have to organize itself for a long

Healthcare for Immigrants: A Policy to Benefit Everyone Essay -- Immig

Today, the United States faces budget problems at local, state, and national levels. Soon, Congress will vote whether or not to raise the national debt ceiling, hoping to avoid defaults on loans and causing further harm to a slumping economy. While federal budget cuts will have to be made should the ceiling be lifted or not, cuts are also being felt on a local level, even in places like education. While not completely responsible for these problems, there are over 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. Unfortunately, about 59% of them do not have health insurance. With 25% of legal immigrants uninsured, that creates a large population that cannot seek or receive proper medical treatment (Wolf, 2008). Fixing this problem will likely never turn the economy around, but with states making tough budget cuts that affect large numbers of the population, something has to be done about the amount of federal and state dollars that are going toward medical treatment for illegal immigrants. In 2004, a study showed that California was paying over $1.4 billion annually to cover medical costs for uninsured illegal immigrants. Even states like Colorado and Minnesota were found to be paying out $31 million and $17 million respectively (Wolf, 2008). With no strict national legislation pending regarding this issue, these numbers will likely rise with the influx of more immigrants. From 2001-2004 spending for emergency Medicaid for illegal immigrants rose 28% in North Carolina (Wolf, 2008). Illegals can get emergency care through Medicaid, a program for poor and disabled people, but cannot receive non-emergency care unless they pay; they are ineligible for most other benefits. In 2003, Congress appropriated $1 billion ... ... receive care without payment must also be avoided. When that HEALTHCARE FOR IMMIGRANTS 8 money comes from state budgets by the millions of dollars, it causes problems in already tight budgets. A policy must be adopted that makes treatment available and affordable, guides patients to the right health care providers, fails to put the financial burden on taxpayers, and allows ailing people to receive care as a basic human right. That will require tough decisions and significant compromises from all those with something at stake. Still, a new policy would be better than any alternatives, including staying with the current system. This country cannot continue to pay big dollars concerning health care for immigrants when cuts are being made to local and national budgets.

Biography of Aristotle Essays -- biography biographies

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and scientist who lived from 384-322 B.C who was born in Stagira, Macedonia. His father played a major role in society as a physician in the royal court. Young Aristotle took a liking to Plato and decided to go to his academy at the age of seventeen. For the next twenty years, Aristotle remained there first as a student then as a teacher. After the death of Plato, Aristotle moved to Assos in the Asia Minor where he tutored his friend Hermias who was the ruler there and decided to marry his niece. After his death he then tutored Alexander the Great at the capital of Macedonia known as Pella. Later in his life, Aristotle decided to move back to Athens, Greece to open up his own school known as Lyceum. â€Å"Upon the death of Alexander in 323 B.C., strong anti-Macedonian feeling developed in Athens, and Aristotle retired to a family estate in Euboea (Évvoia). He died there the following year† (Brumbaugh, Robert S.). Before he had died, the A thenians charged Aristotle, like Socrates, with impiety that means a lack of reverence to the gods. He remembered the fate that Socrates once had where he was condemned to death. â€Å"He fled to the city of Chalcis so the Athenians would not, as he said, "sin twice against philosophy† (Soll, Ivan). Aristotle has written many works in his lifetime and has had many ideas. One of his many ideas was his idea of freedom. He had many opinions on the way one should live their life. â€Å"Aristotle argued that the goal of human beings is happiness and that we achieve happiness when we fulfill our function† (Soll, Ivan). What Aristotle means by this is that you have to figure out what makes you happy in life and do whatever it takes for one to reach that ultimate goal of happiness. In order to do this, we must figure out what our function is. â€Å"Thus, according to Aristotle, a happy life for human beings is a life governed by reason† (Soll, Ivan). A book that Aristotle wrote in 350 B.C. was called Nicomachean Ethics Book III that deals with his idea of freedom. The purpose of this book is to express his beliefs of the importance of human actions and how those actions could shape up their lives. What he also does is emphasis the difference between voluntary and involuntary actions. Involuntary actions are those that are presented in ignorance or under pressure. An act is under pressure only when i... ...s situation worse if the coach decided to punish the whole team by making them run extra and then his teammates would be disappointed with him. What people must do is realize that the choices they make in life will not only benefit themselves, but will affect those around him/her. One must be as responsible as they can possibly be in order to obtain total happiness, which is their ultimate goal in life according to Aristotle. I agree with Aristotle in his way of thinking because I feel one must make the right decision in life and be responsible with those decisions that they make. Aristotle learned a lot back in this time period when education was very hard to find and this is why he is considered one of the most famous and respected people in Greek history. Works Cited Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics Book III. Editorial. Classics of Philosophy. Louis P. Pojman. 304. Oxford University Press, Inc. 1998. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016. Brumbaugh, Robert S. â€Å"Aristotle," Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2003. http://encarta.msn.com  © 1997-2003 Microsoft Corporation. Soll, Ivan. "Aristotle," World Book Online Americas Edition,

Isolationism, Intervention, and Imperialism: Assignment Essay

Monroe Doctrine: statement issued by President James Monroe stating that the Western Hemisphere was off limits to further European intervention Intervention: involvement by a foreign power in the affairs of another nation, typically to achieve the stronger power’s aims Sphere of Influence: an area or region over which a country has significant cultural, economic, military, or political influence Isolationism: policy of refraining from involvement in global affairs Expansionism: policy of growing a nation’s physical territory or political influence Imperialism: policy of creating colonies in weaker nations in order to generate raw materials and have access to new markets Turner’s Thesis. – An idea advanced by historian Frederick Jackson Turner that argued that Americans should seek a new frontier, one in foreign lands; because this would help Americans maintain their inventive and energetic spirits Big Stick Policy: foreign policy under Theodore Roosevelt that used U.S. power to police foreign nations, particularly those in Latin America Roosevelt Corollary: policy put forth by Roosevelt stating the United States would intervene in Latin America on behalf of foreign powers if Latin American nations did not meet their agreements Dollar diplomacy: foreign policy under William Howard Taft that used U.S. economic power to try to shape international affairs Natural resources: materials such as oil, natural gas, lumber, gold, copper, waterways, and fertile soil that are native to a given place and can be used for economic benefits Markets: places where manufactured goods can be bought and sold Notes: Alaska Secretary of State William H. Seward signed the treaty to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million in 1867. Many Americans thought buying Alaska was a mistake. Alaska was barren and covered with ice. They called it names such as â€Å"Seward’s Folly† and the â€Å"Polar Garden.† The Russians agreed. They had decided to sell Alaska because they did not think it was profitable. But the purchase grew the nation by about 600,000 square miles—about twice the size of Texas—for only about two cents an acre. Despite low expectations, Alaska was rich with natural resources such as lumber, gold, copper, and other metals. Oil and natural gas were discovered in Alaska, which continues to fuel battles between conservationists and energy and mining interests. The discovery of gold in Alaska in the 1890s led to a gold rush. It also encouraged the development of Seattle as a major port. Pacific Islands – Midway, Samoa, Guam After the Civil War, U.S. expansionism into the Pacific began. Merchant ships sought places to refuel. Missionaries wished to spread Christianity around the globe. The United States began expanding in the Pacific with the occupation of the Midway Islands, located about 3,000 miles west of California. Just as merchants needed ports to refuel their trading ships, the U.S. Navy needed safe harbors abroad. The United States began working to gain control of strategic ports in the Pacific in order to meet this need. Small islands that had been mostly ignored by imperial powers thus became more valuable. Before long, the United States had established rights in Pacific island nations including the Marshall Islands and Guam. U.S. traders and missionaries stopped in Samoa en route to Australia. Rivalries among the United States, Britain, and Germany became heated in 1878 after Samoa gave the United States permission to build a military base in Pago Pago. To settle this dispute—but witho ut consulting the Samoans—the United States and Germany divided up the islands. Britain agreed to withdraw in return for the rights to other Pacific islands. In 1899, this division was complete. The United States annexed its portion of Samoa. Hawaii Missionaries and whalers were the first Americans to stop on the Hawaiian Islands. Some eventually settled there. American settlers also began growing sugar and selling it to the United States. Sugar became Hawaii’s most important export. Former Americans came to dominate both Hawaii’s economy and its government. In 1875, the United States and Hawaii agreed to give the United States favored-nation status. This allowed Hawaiian sugar to be imported to the United States without tariffs. In 1887, the United States pressured the Hawaiian government to allow the United States to establish a naval base at Pearl Harbor in exchange for renewing this agreement. This agreement ended when Congress passed the McKinley Tariff of 1890. Under pressure from U.S. sugar growers, Congress revoked Hawaii’s special privilege and forced Hawaiian sugar growers to compete with U.S. and Cuban  sugar producers. As a result, Hawaii faced a severe economic depression. To get around this tariff, planters in Hawaii plotted to make Hawaii a territory of the United States. Political turmoil followed as American Hawaiians clashed with the native government under Queen Liliuokalani. Over the next decade, sugar growers and other U.S. interests pushed to have the Hawaiian Islands annexed by the United States. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1900. Japan Americans wanted to begin trading with Japan to grow their profitable Pacific trade. Japan also offered a place for fisherman in the commercial whaling industry to refuel. But for two centuries, Japan had isolated itself from the rest of the world. It limited outside influence by restricting trade with all but a few Dutch and Chinese traders. Japan also prohibited foreigners from entering the country. This changed on March 31, 1854, when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry landed in Japan. Aware that it would be unable to defend itself and perhaps fearing war, Japan agreed to a treaty of friendship. China In the mid-1800s, China opened its ports to trade with the United States and Europe. However, China’s leaders were unable to keep foreign powers from taking over its territory. In 1895, Japan attacked China, taking over a large Chinese peninsula. China was severely weakened, and the European powers took advantage. In the late 1890s, European powers carved out spheres of influence in China. These gave European nations favorable-trade status. Many U.S. business and government leaders worried that they were not given equal access, so the United States proposed an Open Door Policy with China. This policy allowed all nations to trade freely in China. But European governments realized that the policy would greatly benefit the United States and take away the power that European nations had accumulated. Thus, they were reluctant to accept this policy. In 1899, a group of Chinese martial artists led the Boxer Rebellion. This violent uprising against foreign influence in China was put d own two months later. By then, however, more than 200 foreigners had been killed. Not wanting another bloody rebellion, European powers then accepted the Open Door Policy. The policy respected China’s borders and vowed to maintain its independence. Venezuela Venezuela and Great Britain had long disputed the boundary separating Venezuela and British Guiana. After a 509-ounce gold nugget was found in the disputed territory, tensions rose. Both countries claimed the gold was discovered in their territory. Eager to enforce the Monroe Doctrine and to keep Britain from gaining more land in the Western Hemisphere, President Grover Cleveland attempted to intervene. Eventually a neutral arbitrator settled the dispute. But the message to the world that the United States would enforce the Monroe Doctrine was clear. Virgin Islands When the Europeans began colonizing the Americas, many countries targeted the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Dutch claimed the islands, divided them into plantations, and began to grow sugarcane there. The Virgin Islands were an important stop on the Triangular Trade routes that passed from Europe to Africa and the Americas. After slavery was abolished on the islands and the sugarcane plantations began to fail, the United States set its sights on the territory in the late 1800s. By 1917, the United States had bought the Islands from the Dutch. At the beginning of U.S. occupation of the islands, the U.S. Navy controlled the territory. Alaska purchased from Russia acquire land and resources Samoa agreed to split rights with Germany acquire ports in the Pacific China instituted Open Door Policy gain trading rights in China Cuba refused to support revolution maintain isolationist ideals Dominican Republic sent financial adviser Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine Hawaii refused to, but eventually did annex maintain isolationist ideals; gain valuable resources Japan opened trading gain trading partner Venezuela and British Guiana tried to intervene in dispute gained Monroe Doctrine Virgin Islands purchased from Denmark acquire land, military ports, and resources