Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Bio

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Bio Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is an American government official and previous network coordinator. Her grip of vote based communism and financial, social, and racial justiceâ issues earned her a huge after among individual dynamic twenty to thirty year olds, which moved her to a seat in the U.S. Place of Representatives. Her climb is essential since she crushed the fourth-most elevated positioning Democrat in Congress and turned into the most youthful lady chose for the House. Quick Facts: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Occupation: Member of the U.S. Place of Representatives from New YorkNickname: AOCBorn: Oct. 13, 1989, in Bronx County, New York City, New YorkParents: Sergio Ocasio (perished) and Blanca Ocasio-CortezEducation: B.A. in Economics and International Relations, Boston UniversityKnown For: Youngest lady chose for Congress. She was 29 when she got down to business in January 2019Interesting Fact: Ocasio-Cortez filled in as a server and barkeep before running for CongressFamous Quote: â€Å"Where did I get off? That is to say, I’m going to tell individuals that I, as a server, ought to be their next congresswoman?† Early Life Ocasio-Cortez was conceived in New York on Oct. 13, 1989, to Sergio Ocasio, an engineer brought up in South Bronx, and Blanca Ocasio-Cortez, a local of Puerto Rico who cleaned houses and drove a school transport to enable the family to take care of the tabs. The couple met when he was seeing family in Puerto Rico; they wedded and moved to a regular workers neighborhood in New York City. The two guardians had been naturally introduced to neediness and needed their little girl and child, Gabriel Ocasio-Cortez, to have increasingly prosperous childhoods. The family in the long run moved from New York City to a well off suburb, Yorktown Heights, where they lived in a humble home and sent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to a generally white secondary school, where she exceeded expectations. Ocasio-Cortez moved on from Yorktown High School in 2007 and entered Boston University, at first contemplating natural chemistry. She got her first taste of governmental issues by electing to make calls for Democrat Barack Obamas fruitful 2008 presidential battle. Her life changed drastically, however, when her dad was determined to have lung malignant growth while she was at school. Ocasio-Cortez said her dads passing her sophomore year constrained her to place every last bit of her vitality into school. The exact opposite thing my dad had let me know in the emergency clinic was ‘Make me proud,’ she said in a meeting with The New Yorker. I took it truly. My G.P.A. skyrocketed.† After her dads demise, Ocasio-Cortez changed gears and started contemplating financial aspects and universal relations. She graduated with a four year education in liberal arts degree from Boston University in 2011. At that point she had additionally ventured once more into legislative issues, working low maintenance through school in the Boston office of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, the supposed liberal lion and enduring individual from the Kennedy political line. The 2016 Campaign and a Career in Politics After school, Ocasio-Cortez filled in as a server and barkeep. She got associated with legislative issues at the national level in the 2016 Democratic primaries, when she campaigned for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the Democratic Socialist who ineffectively looked for the presidential designation against previous Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After Sanders lost, similar Democratic Socialists started enrolling contender to run for the House and Senate as a feature of an exertion called Brand New Congress. In the fall of 2016, as Republican Donald Trump was making a beeline for a dazzling appointive resentful about Clinton, Ocasio-Cortezs sibling sent an application to the gathering for her sake, and her battle for Congress was conceived. Like Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez supports such proposition as free open school and ensured family leave. <img information srcset=https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/J6WEy4FRtErhaf6vJnB62HtpXeo=/300x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/AlexandriaOcasioCortezsign-5c76e99346e0fb00019b8d17.jpg 300w, https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/twCUFKxZ1uTD71b2MjRxrFkmylQ=/1334x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/AlexandriaOcasioCortezsign-5c76e99346e0fb00019b8d17.jpg 1334w, https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/rlH7STHyYKGqL_Ew9l4bhFJCT7I=/2368x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/AlexandriaOcasioCortezsign-5c76e99346e0fb00019b8d17.jpg 2368w, https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/XWqW9i3DaBoYbkDWPK0SlyS5Jss=/4437x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/AlexandriaOcasioCortezsign-5c76e99346e0fb00019b8d17.jpg 4437w information src=https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/ujp8p06NjbpXhSoNBM2QydqDQdg=/4437x2958/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/AlexandriaOcasioCortezsign-5c76e99346e0fb00019b8d17.jpg src=//:0 alt=Alexandria Ocasio Cortez bio class=lazyload information click-tracked=true information img-lightbox=true information expand=300 id=mntl-sc-square image_1-0-15 information following container=true /> A marcher holds a sign that state, If Youre Scared of Me, You Are The Problem with a picture of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Democratic of the fourteenth congressional area of the House Of Representatives before Trump International Hotel during the Womans March in the ward of Manhattan in NY on January 19, 2019. Ira L. Dark - Corbis/Getty Images In the June 2018 Democratic essential, Ocasio-Cortez sufficiently vanquished U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley, who had amassed a lot of impact in his region as well as among his partys congressional initiative more than two decades. Ocasio-Cortez proceeded to overcome a Republican, school teacher Anthony Pappas, in the fall political decision to sit down speaking to New York states emphatically Democratic fourteenth Congressional District, which is focused in New York City and spreads portions of the Bronx and Queens precincts. Almost a large portion of the occupants of the region are Hispanic, and less than 20 percent are white. At age 29, she turned into the most youthful lady to win a House seat. The most youthful individual chosen to Congress was William Charles Cole Claiborne of Tennessee, who was 22 when he started serving in 1797. Popularity based Socialist Ideology Ocasio-Cortez has advocated financial, social, and racial equity in the House. Specifically, she has assumed the issues of riches uniqueness and the treatment of undocumented settlers in the United States. She proposed charging the wealthiest Americans at annual duty paces of as much as 70 percent; required the abrogation of U.S. Movement and Customs Enforcement, the Homeland Security organization that captures and ousts individuals living in the United States illicitly; and pushed for the disposal of revenue driven detainment facilities. <img information srcset=https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/FIzG1d7ptWkZDo5xvW7OhiniyUk=/300x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/just legislators repalexandria-ocasio-cortez-and-sened-markey-divulge their-green-new-bargain goals 1128062786-5c76e9f646e0fb00011bf23b.jpg 300w, https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/EGJOTPYKEK-J_Cg4yA-OPzc8EfI=/1332x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/law based administrators repalexandria-ocasio-cortez-and-sened-markey-uncover their-green-new-bargain goals 1128062786-5c76e9f646e0fb00011bf23b.jpg 1332w, https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/w1utWlBY00YAAVU66dk_7KKitio=/2364x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/majority rule officials repalexandria-ocasio-cortez-and-sened-markey-disclose their-green-new-bargain goals 1128062786-5c76e9f646e0fb00011bf23b.jpg 2364w, https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/VGoiK1zh1RXjXMoOQ0izi0hAPMQ=/4428x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/law based administrators repalexandria-ocasio-cortez -and-sened-markey-reveal their-green-new-bargain goals 1128062786-5c76e9f646e0fb00011bf23b.jpg 4428w information src=https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/uR_SOvs5KT2DXOD2jcilfG27Rnw=/4428x2952/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/just legislators repalexandria-ocasio-cortez-and-sened-markey-disclose their-green-new-bargain goals 1128062786-5c76e9f646e0fb00011bf23b.jpg src=//:0 alt=Democratic Lawmakers Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez And Sen. Ed Markey Unveil Their Green New Deal Resolution class=lazyload information click-tracked=true information img-lightbox=true information expand=300 id=mntl-sc-square image_1-0-23 information following container=true /> U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) talks as Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) (R) and other Congressional Democrats tune in during a news gathering before the U.S. Legislative center February 7, 2019 in Washington, DC. Sen. Markey and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez held a news meeting to divulge their Green New Deal goals. Alex Wong/Getty Images Her most aggressive strategy recommendations were contained in the supposed Green New Deal, which she said is intended to battle environmental change by moving the vitality portfolio in the United States from petroleum products to every single inexhaustible source, for example, wind and sun based inside 12 years. The Green New Deal likewise proposed non-vitality moves, for example, an occupation ensure program to guarantee a living compensation employment to each individual who needs one,† just as all inclusive social insurance and an essential pay. A significant part of the new spending to finance those projects would originate from higher expenses on the wealthiest Americans. Numerous political eyewitnesses have proposed that Ocasio-Cortez-whose battle was subsidized by little contributors and not corporate interests, and whose plan separates her from the foundation individuals from the Democratic Party-has supplanted Sanders as the true chief of the left. Sources Remnick, David. â€Å"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs Historic Win and the Future of the Democratic Party.† The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 17 July 2018, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/07/23/alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-memorable win-and-the-eventual fate of-the-popularity based party.Chappell, Bill, and Scott Neuman. â€Å"Who Is Alexandria Ocasio-

Employees Motivation on Organizational System †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Examine about the Employees Motivation on Organizational System. Answer: Presentation The HR are the most indispensable asset of a business association. In this way, organizations follow a few techniques with the goal that the human asset creates in the association and intensifies its efficiency. It is significant for a business association to build up approaches, decides and procedures so the representatives stay happy with their work environment. The worker fulfillment considers their efficiency and execution at the working environment. Thus, business associations actualize a few arrangements, for example, representative adaptability, work-life balance with the goal that the representatives can be progressively profitable at their work environment (Manzoor, 2012). Notwithstanding, there are as yet a few difficulties for the human asset the executives of an association. In such manner, the current paper will talk about the human asset challenge experienced in Uber, a taxi sharing help. The paper will talk about the issues placed by a news story in regards to the unca lled for treatment with the cab drivers. Uber is a creative business association which depends on the idea of sharing economy. It has embraced a one of a kind plan of action wherein the association builds up organizations with the taxi drivers. The taxi or the taxi drivers download the versatile use of the association and profit countless rides. In lieu of benefiting the office, the drivers pay a commission to the association. It very well may be scrutinized that the association doesn't enroll driver and recruit them as colleagues. This approach of the association shields it from government enactments identified with the work rights. As the association is setting up contracts with the drivers, it isn't obliged to give a few work t rights, for example, annuity, compensation or to give business assurance to these drivers. With this special model, the association has built up contract with greater part of the drivers in the nation. The organization is doing genuinely acceptable and has set up severe approaches for the enrollme nt of the drivers. The association ends the agreement with the workers who don't carry on well with the clients. As of late, the association has fired a couple of agreements; anyway disregarding the way that it doesn't give business, it has given remuneration to the representatives (Yoo, 2017). The most reasonable justification for giving pay to the representatives is that the association needs that its relationship with the driver isn't formally tried. Key Human Resource Issues brought up in the Article The article has featured the human asset issues related while working in Uber Corporation. The association initiates drivers as self employed entities with the goal that it doesn't need to follow the administration enactments identified with the work rules. The drivers work autonomously for the association and they invest a lot of energy driving for the association. The business association is additionally acquiring benefits from the administrations of the driver. In this manner, the connection between the drivers and the association is that of business. Since the drivers work for the association, their wellbeing and security ought to likewise be guaranteed by the association. In any case, the association is avoiding its duties and isn't giving the drivers their privileges. The article has raised the human right issue of the work. It very well may be scrutinized that the Uber taxi drivers are driving vehicles to gain their job. The drivers put forth attempts and drive throughout the day their vehicles. The association gets benefits by procuring a commission on each ride. Be that as it may, a few times, the driver gets harmed while in a fender bender or other working environment peril. In this circumstance, the laborers ought to be given pay with the goal that they can treat themselves and anticipate their future life. The plan of action of the organization is as with the end goal that it acquires the full-time or low maintenance administrations from its drivers. In this way, they ought to be remembered for the classification of the business rights. Thee taxi drivers ought to be furnished different rights related with the all day business. It incorporates the arrangement of benefits, retirement plan, security and protection inclusion (Griego, Geroy and Wright, 2000). Another hypothesis related with the current case is that of representative inspiration. As per Maslows pyramid of inspiration, security is a fundamental part of inspiration. In the event that the workers won't be happy with the security game plans of the association, they will feel unreliable and leave the association at the earliest opportunity. Along these lines, it is significant that the association actualizes methodologies which inspire the security norms of the association (Frydman Saks, 2010). Worker commitment hypothesis is additionally applied in the current case. The association is recruiting self employed entities as drivers and has no worry for the wellbeing and development of these laborers. This situation of the association doesn't add to its great picture. The drivers are not worried about the picture of the association and do things which may hurt the notoriety of the association. IT additionally influences the impression of different representatives and they expect that the association isn't worried about the prosperity of different workers. In any case, representative commitment is significant for the turn of events and the development of the association. The worker commitment alludes to the relationship of the representatives with the association. It is the readiness of the representatives to leave their predefined obligations to work for the associations advantage. Today, the majority of the business associations are concentrating on expanding the commitment o f the representatives with the association. It will build the profitability just as the effectiveness of the representatives (Brun Dugas, 2008). So as to forestall any lawful hearing, the association has likewise settled all the business issues outside the court. It proposes that the administration of the association are doubtful that there business procedures and activities will be analyzed by the association cautiously. Suggestions The present new article has expounded the issue of work in Australia. So as to inspire the security standard in the association, the business association should execute various techniques. In the current segment, a few suggestions have been made which will be valuable for the association. The association ought to recognize the reasons through which they can acquire the HR arrangements from the contenders. The association should look at the arrangement and change them so more clients are pulled in towards the association. The association will likewise modernize all the frameworks to that it turns out to be additional time-productive. Be that as it may, it is critical to execute preparing framework. The preparation should concentrate on down to earth just as social preparing. The drivers ought to be trained different angles so they can carry on appropriately with a client. The preparation ought to likewise incorporate essential self-protection preparing. With this preparation, the worker would have the option to ensure himself in the event of unfavorable circumstances (Cuevas-Rodrguez, Gomez-Mejia Wiseman, 2012). The association ought to be sure about business and legally binding strategies. During the agreement with the drivers, the association must talk about upon the laborers wellbeing and security. The business association ought to give a few other worker benefits which incorporate security stipend and protection. In a few disasters, there is a necessity of critical measure of assets. Be that as it may, drivers frequently don't have pros to that measure of cash. In such manner, the association can open a store which will be utilized to help the drivers if there should arise an occurrence of any crisis (Frydman Saks, 2010). End Indisputably, it very well may be expressed that HR are the most significant issue for an association. All together for an association to create itself, it might require human asset at each activity and procedure. In any case, there are as yet a few issues which may affect on the human asset the board of an association. In the present, the news story of Uber has been taken. Uber is a taxi sharing specialist co-op. Be that as it may, the association initiates drivers as self employed entities. Thusly, the association doesn't need to stress over the human asset strategies in an association. Nonetheless, this circumstance is totally off-base and exploitative. The association deals with various workers to conceivable degree. References Manzoor, Q. A. (2012). Effect of representatives inspiration on hierarchical viability. Business the board and strategy,3(1), 1. Griego, O.V., Geroy, G.D., and Wright, P.C. (2000). Indicators of Learning Organizations: A Human Resource Development Practitioners Perspective. The Learning Organization: An International Journal, 7(1), 512. Brun, J., Dugas, N. (2008). An examination of representative acknowledgment: Perspectives on HR rehearses. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 19(4), 716-730. Cuevas-Rodrguez, G., Gomez-Mejia, L.R., Wiseman, R.M. (2012). Has Agency Theory Run its Course?:Making the Theory increasingly Flexible to Inform the Management of Reward Systems. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 20(6), 526546. Frydman, C., Saks, R. E. (2010). Official pay: another view from a drawn out point of view, 19362005. Survey of Financial Studies, hhp120. Yoo, T. (2017). Uber Australia is settling uncalled for excusal cases, in spite of demanding drivers are not representatives. [Online]. Accessible at: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/uber-australia-is-settling-out of line excusal cases-in spite of demanding drivers-are-not-workers 2017-6 [Accessed on: 24 September 2017].

Positions Paper Example

Positions Paper Example Positions Paper â€" Essay Example > Media GlobalizationIntroductionMedia globalization is the trend where media systems are shifting their operations from local and national level to international level (Sean Sasha, 2004). Advance in technology have significantly contributed to media globalization. New and old media companies can now share huge amount of information with their customers in almost every part of the globe (Wildman Siwek, 2009). As a result of this, the media companies offer their services to larger geographical regions and therefore large groups of people. The role of the media is to facilitate networked communication. Through this communication, the media becomes an instrument for social control that influences economic, political and cultural development of many parts of the world. When this is done on a global scale, the nature of information dispatched to cross section of society would have mixed impact to those societies (Internet Service Provider's Association, 2001). This essay seeks to discu ss the cultural, political and economical implications that results due from media globalization. PoliticsMedia plays a huge role in the political direction of any nation. Medias offers a platform where the political leaders are analyzed by the citizens of the countries. Due to globalization of the media, there is possibility of information distributed being less biased than that which is distributed by media companies that are not global. A foreign media company that broadcasts its information in another country among many other countries may not have any special interest of impartiality in the countries it operates. However, a local media company is likely to have influence from the local politicians who may want to be favored. Media globalization therefore ensures that the population of a nation under which the media operates enjoys impartial information that contributes to making of better decision. For any media to operate on global scale, it needs to invest heavily especiall y on technology. The technological advancement that comes with globalization of media ensures helps to create an avenue through that the political leaders are kept under microscope at any given time (WSIS Civil Society Plenary, 2003). This pushes the politician to deliver quality services and be responsible in their leadership role. Media globalization also creates an avenue through which nations observes and exchange political ideas to the interest of the citizens. On the other hand, there are some elements of media globalization that have negatively impacted the society politically. Most of the media companies that operate on the global scale are difficult to regulate (Wildman Siwek, 2009). The policy that drives these media promotes privatization, deregulation and public broadness. As a result, these media may be used by the rich countries to negatively influence politics of a country. Media is a very powerful in influencing the political direction of any country. If the media favors a given group or region, then the distributed information is likely to result to impartiality on how politics are operated in the country. In some situations, the media may broadcast propaganda that would result to citizens judging the leaders wrongly. Responsible media should be able to point out all the issues including the negative issues associated with the media themselves. However, in most situations negative issues that happens within the media, they cannot publically point out these issues since doing so may tarnish their image to the in the eyes of their customers.

Chinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart - 2170 Words

The widespread influence of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart not only has earned it a number of accolades, but also led to its reputation as one of the most influential works of fiction by an African writer of all time. According to an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, the novel has sold about eleven million copies in fifty different countries, was a part of Harold Bloom’s 1994 selection of the canonical works of world literature, and The Sunday Times named Achebe one of the â€Å"1,000 makers of the 20th century† for his work. For many years, literary representations of Africa had been immersed in negative conceptions of reductive romance, primitivism, and colonial sentiment. With a fresh new perspective, Things Fall Apart†¦show more content†¦Throughout most of the novel, he writes in a perspective from inside the clan of Umuofia, and describes the customs and traditions of the Igbo in detail. Achebe introduces the role of the Umuo fian town crier by describing, â€Å"Okonkwo had just blown out the palm-oil lamp and stretched himself on his bamboo bed when he heard the ogene of the town crier piercing the still night air. Gome, gome gome, gome, boomed the hollow metal. Then the crier gave his message, and at the end of it beat his instrument again† (21). Rather than explaining Igbo culture in an informative tone or introducing any of his own opinions or judgment, he simply allows it to be assumed that one traditionally uses the ogene drum to convey messages from distant villages. His integration of Igbo culture in this fashion establishes an alternate perspective to the usual portrayal of Nigerians, while still keeping an objective tone. By telling everything exactly how it is, Achebe not only maintains historical accuracy, but also presents the dualities of Igbo culture. He shows both the good and bad aspects in equal amounts throughout the story. He depicts courage, nobility, humanity, and complexity within his characters and their lives, while still including the cruelty of some Igbo customs, such as the beating of women, the murdering of children, and the treatment of the sick. Achebe

The Misleading Debate On Stem Cell Research - 853 Words

â€Å"The misleading debate on stem cell research† written by Mona Charen is a cautionary tale of the escalating manner in which life will be dehumanized should society begin to support this research with federal funding. Stem cell research crosses a moral line that society should be reluctant to cross even for the best intentions (Charen). Stem cell research has been picketed by pro-lifers since the first whispers of its use. The results of stem cell research are rarely attacked since we really don’t know the fruits of such research without funding and supporting it. In the United States, stem cell research remains legal, however it is not funded by the government. Germany, Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Austria all have a ban on it, begging the question to be asked â€Å"What do they know that we don’t?† (Charen). Going a step further we are warned that scientists have been frustrated by their inability to ascertain certain results, speculating th ings will go a step further. What is to stop the research from moving forward to allowing an embryo to reach a later stage of development (Charen)? It is easy to shame society into shying from the idea of growing embryos for spare body parts to be dismantled by mad scientists, and yet that is not where the argument currently lies. Instead, scientists use embryos that will be discarded and whom the owner has agreed to their donation to science. It is wrong to take a scientific matter and wrap it in a morality issue. The argumentShow MoreRelatedThe Debate Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research931 Words   |  4 Pages Embryonic stem cell research is the study of stem cells derived from the undifferentiated inner mass cells of a human embryo. For many years now, the ethics of embryonic stem cell research has been argued. A recent advance in this line of research is the ability to clone the embryonic stem cells, which allows for researchers to create a completely compatible embryonic stem cell to the individual’s tissue type. Though this new science may be very beneficial, not everyone can agree on the ethics ofRead MoreA Research Study On Stem Cell Research1644 Words   |  7 PagesStem cell research has covered many parts of research today and is growing progressively and becoming more common in research today. These cells have the potential to grow and develop into any other cell type in the body and form or make up the tissues of the body and organs. There are millions of people today who suffer from birth defects or diseases because of damaged cells or tissue. Stem cells give researchers the ability cure and replace almost all the cells in the body and help grow new tissueRead MoreThe Ethics And Procedures Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research1902 Words   |  8 Pagesnew frontier of human embryo stem cell research. Even the most noble ends do not justify any means.† This quote comes from former president George W. Bush during a radio conference where he discussed his decision to allow federal funds to be used for stem cell research only in cases where the embryos were not harmed. While still in the beginning stage of exploration, stem cell research, and more specifically embryonic stem cell research, has become a topic of great debate. The ethics and proceduresRead MoreThe Different Types Of Stem Cell Research2084 Words   |  9 Pages Stem Cells: An Evolutionary Step in Medical Research by Summer Billings ENGC 1101 77 Freshman Composition Bradley Brothen 20 November 2014 â€Æ' Outline Thesis: The different types of stem cell research are a necessary medical advancement needed in our communities, regardless of its ethical controversies. I. Stem cell research has been around for almost 200 years, but the research done has only skimmed the possibilities that there is with stem cells. a) The discovery of stem cell research andRead More Embryonic Stem Cell Research is Destructive Essay2730 Words   |  11 PagesWill embryonic stem cells prove to be equally disappointing as many hoped for cures in modern history? No one knows. However, a tragic occurrence following one particular fetal tissue transplant for Parkinsons disease, when such was thought to be a cure, should give us pause. Some of the tissue placed in this mans brain may have been from an earlier gestational age than is customary in American clinical trials - that is, it may have been more embryonic than fetal in nature. Within two years afterRead MoreEssay on Stem Cells2760 Words   |  12 Pagesof the most recent advances in stem cell research. 2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Stem cells should be defined by their ability to renew themselves and diversify into other cell types. 3.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;There are several readily accessible sources of stem cells. Strict criteria apply to the use of these sources in medical research. 4.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Stem cells have wide potential application in medicine. quot;Adultquot; stem cells have already been used in the worldsRead More Stem Cell Research is an Assault on Life Essay example2623 Words   |  11 Pageshistory of the cloning debate, no Administration of either party funded a research project that relies on destroying live human embryos - until President Bush in 2001 authorized limited funding for such. The Clinton Administrations plans to do so were delayed by public opposition, then halted for good reason by the Bush Administration. The federal government has now decided to partially implement the National Institutes of Healths guidelines for embryonic stem cell research. This has opened the doorRead MoreThe Stem Cell Debate is Not About Medical Benefits Essays2607 Words   |  11 Pagesanalysis, the debate about embryonic stem cell research is not primarily about medical benefits. In his great novel The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky raised the question whether it would be right to build a world without human suffering if it was essential and inevitable to torture to death one tiny creature such as an innocent child to achieve that end. Each of us must answer that ultimate question in the depths of his or her own conscience. The claim that destructive embryo research will achieveRead MorePhysician Assisted Suicide Or Euthanasia1597 Words   |  7 Pageswith great physical suffering should be allowed to hasten their own deaths. Such groups consider the word suicide a misleading term, since they only support the practice in cases where death would be inevitable, and where the patient and doctor are merely attempting to ensure a more pain-free, peaceful death rather than a painful, drawn-out end. On the legal note of this debate, an important legal decision on assisted suicide was the 1997 Supreme Court case in which a group of Washington doctorsRead MoreAbortion Is An Action That Ends Pregnancy Before The Unborn1773 Words   |  8 PagesAbortion is an action that ends pregnancy before the unborn can survive outside the mother s body. Debate dates to Assyrian culture in the â€Å"fourteenth century BCE† and in early Hebrew law (Kaplan, Tischauser, Chara, 2014). Historical reasons according to Kaplan, Tischauser, Chara for debate are listed as follows: Hippocrates said â€Å"it violated a doctor s responsibility to heal†, Roman law was based on an unborn being part of the woman which makes it her decision, unwanted pregnancies are reason

Chapter 14 The Unforgivable Curses Free Essays

The next two days passed without great incident, unless you counted Neville melting his sixth cauldron in Potions. Professor Snape, who seemed to have attained new levels of vindictiveness over the summer, gave Neville detention, and Neville returned from it in a state of nervous collapse, having been made to disembowel a barrel full of horned toads. â€Å"You know why Snape’s in such a foul mood, don’t you?† said Ron to Harry as they watched Hermione teaching Neville a Scouring Charm to remove the frog guts from under his fingernails. We will write a custom essay sample on Chapter 14 The Unforgivable Curses or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry. â€Å"Moody.† It was common knowledge that Snape really wanted the Dark Arts job, and he had now failed to get it for the fourth year running. Snape had disliked all of their previous Dark Arts teachers, and shown it – but he seemed strangely wary of displaying overt animosity to Mad-Eye Moody. Indeed, whenever Harry saw the two of them together – at mealtimes, or when they passed in the corridors – he had the distinct impression that Snape was avoiding Moody’s eye, whether magical or normal. â€Å"I reckon Snape’s a bit scared of him, you know,† Harry said thoughtfully. â€Å"Imagine if Moody turned Snape into a horned toad,† said Ron, his eyes misting over, â€Å"and bounced him all around his dungeon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Gryffindor fourth years were looking forward to Moody’s first lesson so much that they arrived early on Thursday lunchtime and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung. The only person missing was Hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson. â€Å"Been in the -â€Å" â€Å"Library.† Harry finished her sentence for her. â€Å"C’mon, quick, or we won’t get decent seats.† They hurried into three chairs right in front of the teacher’s desk, took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited, unusually quiet. Soon they heard Moody’s distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor, and he entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. They could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes. â€Å"You can put those away,† he growled, stumping over to his desk and sitting down, â€Å"those books. You won’t need them.† They returned the books to their bags, Ron looking excited. Moody took out a register, shook his long mane of grizzled gray hair out of his twisted and scarred face, and began to call out names, his normal eye moving steadily down the list while his magical eye swiveled around, fixing upon each student as he or she answered. â€Å"Right then,† he said, when the last person had declared themselves present, â€Å"I’ve had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you’ve had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures – you’ve covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?† There was a general murmur of assent. â€Å"But you’re behind – very behind – on dealing with curses,† said Moody. â€Å"So I’m here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I’ve got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark -â€Å" â€Å"What, aren’t you staying?† Ron blurted out. Moody’s magical eye spun around to stare at Ron; Ron looked extremely apprehensive, but after a moment Moody smiled – the first time Harry had seen him do so. The effect was to make his heavily scarred face look more twisted and contorted than ever, but it was nevertheless good to know that he ever did anything as friendly as smile. Ron looked deeply relieved. â€Å"You’ll be Arthur Weasley’s son, eh?† Moody said. â€Å"Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago†¦.Yeah, I’m staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledor†¦.One year, and then back to my quiet retirement.† He gave a harsh laugh, and then clapped his gnarled hands together. â€Å"So – straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I’m supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I’m not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you’re in the sixth year. You’re not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore’s got a higher opinion of your nerves, he reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you’re up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you’ve never seen? A wizard who’s about to put an illegal curse on you isn’t going to tell you what he’s about to do. He’s not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. You need to put that away, Miss Brown, when I’m talking.† Lavender jumped and blushed. She had been showing Parvati her completed horoscope under the desk. Apparently Moody’s magical eye could see through solid wood, as well as out of the back of his head. â€Å"So†¦do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?† Several hands rose tentatively into the air, including Ron’s and Hermione’s. Moody pointed at Ron, though his magical eye was still fixed on Lavender. â€Å"Er,† said Ron tentatively, â€Å"my dad told me about one†¦.Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?† â€Å"Ah, yes,† said Moody appreciatively. â€Å"Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse.† Moody got heavily to his mismatched feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Three large black spiders were scuttling around inside it. Harry felt Ron recoil slightly next to him – Ron hated spiders. Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that they could all see it. He then pointed his wand at it and muttered, â€Å"Imperio!† The spider leapt from Moody’s hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a back flip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance. Everyone was laughing – everyone except Moody. â€Å"Think it’s funny, do you?† he growled. â€Å"You’d like it, would you, if I did it to you?† The laughter died away almost instantly. â€Å"Total control,† said Moody quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. â€Å"I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ron gave an involuntary shudder. â€Å"Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse,† said Moody, and Harry knew he was talking about the days in which Voldemort had been all-powerful. â€Å"Some job for the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will. â€Å"The Imperius Curse can be fought, and I’ll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone’s got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!† he barked, and everyone jumped. Moody picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar. â€Å"Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?† Hermione’s hand flew into the air again and so, to Harry’s slight surprise, did Neville’s. The only class in which Neville usually volunteered information was Herbology which was easily his best subject. Neville looked surprised at his own daring. â€Å"Yes?† said Moody, his magical eye rolling right over to fix on Neville. â€Å"There’s one – the Cruciatus Curse,† said Neville in a small but distinct voice. Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes. â€Å"Your name’s Longbottom?† he said, his magical eye swooping down to check the register again. Neville nodded nervously, but Moody made no further inquiries. Turning back to the class at large, he reached into the jar for the next spider and placed it upon the desktop, where it remained motionless, apparently too scared to move. â€Å"The Cruciatus Curse,† said Moody. â€Å"Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea,† he said, pointing his wand at the spider. â€Å"Engorgio!† The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula. Abandoning all pretense, Ron pushed his chair backward, as far away from Moody’s desk as possible. Moody raised his wand again, pointed it at the spider, and muttered, â€Å"Crucio!† At once, the spider’s legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently – â€Å"Stop it!† Hermione said shrilly.† Harry looked around at her. She was looking, not at the spider, but at Neville, and Harry, following her gaze, saw that Neville’s hands were clenched upon the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and horrified. Moody raised his wand. The spider’s legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch. â€Å"Reducio,† Moody muttered, and the spider shrank back to its proper size. He put it back into the jar. â€Å"Pain,† said Moody softly. â€Å"You don’t need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse†¦.That one was very popular once too. â€Å"Right†¦anyone know any others?† Harry looked around. From the looks on everyone’s faces, he guessed they were all wondering what was going to happen to the last spider. Hermione’s hand shook slightly as, for the third time, she raised it into the air. â€Å"Yes?† said Moody, looking at her. â€Å"Avada Kedavra,† Hermione whispered. Several people looked uneasily around at her, including Ron. â€Å"Ah,† said Moody, another slight smile twisting his lopsided mouth. â€Å"Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra†¦.the Killing Curse.† He put his hand into the glass jar, and almost as though it knew what was coming, the third spider scuttled frantically around the bottom of the jar, trying to evade Moody’s fingers, but he trapped it, and placed it upon the desktop. It started to scuttle frantically across the wooden surface. Moody raised his wand, and Harry felt a sudden thrill of foreboding. â€Å"Avada Kedavra!† Moody roared. There was a flash of blinding green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air – instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead. Several of the students stifled cries; Ron had thrown himself backward and almost toppled off his seat as the spider skidded toward him. Moody swept the dead spider off the desk onto the floor. â€Å"Not nice,† he said calmly. â€Å"Not pleasant. And there’s no countercurse. There’s no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he’s sitting right in front of me.† Harry felt his face redden as Moody’s eyes (both of them) looked into his own. He could feel everyone else looking around at him too. Harry stared at the blank blackboard as though fascinated by it, but not really seeing it at all†¦. So that was how his parents had died†¦exactly like that spider. Had they been unblemished and unmarked too? Had they simply seen the flash of green light and heard the rush of speeding death, before life was wiped from their bodies? Harry had been picturing his parents’ deaths over and over again for three years now, ever since he’d found out they had been murdered, ever since he’d found out what had happened that night: Wormtail had betrayed his parents’ whereabouts to Voldemort, who had come to find them at their cottage. How Voldemort had killed Harry’s father first. How James Potter had tried to hold him off, while he shouted at his wife to take Harry and run†¦Voldemort had advanced on Lily Potter, told her to move aside so that he could kill Harry†¦how she had begged him to kill her instead, refused to stop shielding her son†¦and so Voldemort had murdered her too, before turning his wand on Harry†¦. Harry knew these details because he had heard his parents’ voices when he had fought the dementors last year – for that was the terrible power of the dementors: to force their victims to relive the worst memories of their lives, and drown, powerless, in their own despair†¦. Moody was speaking again, from a great distance, it seemed to Harry. With a massive effort, he pulled himself back to the present and listened to what Moody was saying. â€Å"Avada Kedavra’s a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it – you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I’d get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn’t matter. I’m not here to teach you how to do it. â€Å"Now, if there’s no countercurse, why am I showing you? Because you’ve got to know. You’ve got to appreciate what the worst is. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you’re facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!† he roared, and the whole class jumped again. â€Å"Now†¦those three curses – Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus – are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That’s what you’re up against. That’s what I’ve got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills†¦copy this down†¦.† They spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. No one spoke until the bell rang – but when Moody had dismissed them and they had left the classroom, a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices – â€Å"Did you see it twitch?† â€Å"- and when he killed it – just like that!† They were talking about the lesson, Harry thought, as though it had been some sort of spectacular show, but he hadn’t found it very entertaining – and nor, it seemed, had Hermione. â€Å"Hurry up,† she said tensely to Harry and Ron. â€Å"Not the ruddy library again?† said Ron. â€Å"No,† said Hermione curtly, pointing up a side passage. â€Å"Neville.† Neville was standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone wall opposite him with the same horrified, wide-eyed look he had worn when Moody had demonstrated the Cruciatus Curse. â€Å"Neville?† Hermione said gently. Neville looked around. â€Å"Oh hello,† he said, his voice much higher than usual. â€Å"Interesting lesson, wasn’t it? I wonder what’s for dinner, I’m – I’m starving, aren’t you?† â€Å"Neville, are you all right?† said Hermione. â€Å"Oh yes, I’m fine,† Neville gabbled in the same unnaturally high voice. â€Å"Very interesting dinner – I mean lesson – what’s for eating?† Ron gave Harry a startled look. â€Å"Neville, what -?† But an odd clunking noise sounded behind them, and they turned to see Professor Moody limping toward them. All four of them fell silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was in a much lower and gentler growl than they had yet heard. â€Å"It’s all right, sonny,† he said to Neville. â€Å"Why don’t you come up to my office? Come on†¦we can have a cup of tea†¦.† Neville looked even more frightened at the prospect of tea with Moody. He neither moved nor spoke. Moody turned his magical eye upon Harry. â€Å"You all right, are you, Potter?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry, almost defiantly. Moody’s blue eye quivered slightly in its socket as it surveyed Harry. Then he said, â€Å"You’ve got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you’ve got to know. No point pretending†¦well†¦come on, Longbottom, I’ve got some books that might interest you.† Neville looked pleadingly at Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but they didn’t say anything, so Neville had no choice but to allow himself to be steered away, one of Moody’s gnarled hands on his shoulder. â€Å"What was that about?† said Ron, watching Neville and Moody turn the corner. â€Å"I don’t know,† said Hermione, looking pensive. â€Å"Some lesson, though, eh?† said Ron to Harry as they set off for the Great Hall. â€Å"Fred and George were right, weren’t they? He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn’t he? When he did Avada Kedavra, the way that spider just died, just snuffed it right -â€Å" But Ron fell suddenly silent at the look on Harry’s face and didn’t speak again until they reached the Great Hall, when he said he supposed they had better make a start on Professor Trelawney’s predictions tonight, since they would take hours. Hermione did not join in with Harry and Ron’s conversation during dinner, but ate furiously fast, and then left for the library again. Harry and Ron walked back to Gryffindor Tower, and Harry, who had been thinking of nothing else all through dinner, now raised the subject of the Unforgivable Curses himself. â€Å"Wouldn’t Moody and Dumbledore be in trouble with the Ministry if they knew we’d seen the curses?† Harry asked as they approached the Fat Lady. â€Å"Yeah, probably,† said Ron. â€Å"But Dumbledore’s always done things his way, hasn’t he, and Moody’s been getting in trouble for years, I reckon. Attacks first and asks questions later – look at his dustbins. Balderdash.† The Fat Lady swung forward to reveal the entrance hole, and they climbed into the Gryffindor common room, which was crowded and noisy. â€Å"Shall we get our Divination stuff, then?† said Harry. â€Å"I s’pose,† Ron groaned. They went up to the dormitory to fetch their books and charts, to find Neville there alone, sitting on his bed, reading. He looked a good deal calmer than at the end of Moody’s lesson, though still not entirely normal. His eyes were rather red. â€Å"You all right, Neville?† Harry asked him. â€Å"Oh yes,† said Neville, â€Å"I’m fine, thanks. Just reading this book Professor Moody lent me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He held up the book: Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean. â€Å"Apparently, Professor Sprout told Professor Moody I’m really good at Herbology,† Neville said. There was a faint note of pride in his voice that Harry had rarely heard there before. â€Å"He thought I’d like this.† Telling Neville what Professor Sprout had said, Harry thought, had been a very tactful way of cheering Neville up, for Neville very rarely heard that he was good at anything. It was the sort of thing Professor Lupin would have done. Harry and Ron took their copies of Unfogging the Future back down to the common room, found a table, and set to work on their predictions for the coming month. An hour later, they had made very little progress, though their table was littered with bits of parchment bearing sums and symbols, and Harry’s brain was as fogged as though it had been filled with the fumes from Professor Trelawney’s fire. â€Å"I haven’t got a clue what this lot’s supposed to mean,† he said, staring down at a long list of calculations. â€Å"You know,† said Ron, whose hair was on end because of all the times he had run his fingers through it in frustration, â€Å"I think it’s back to the old Divination standby.† â€Å"What – make it up?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Ron, sweeping the jumble of scrawled notes off the table, dipping his pen into some ink, and starting to write. â€Å"Next Monday,† he said as he scribbled, â€Å"I am likely to develop a cough, owing to the unlucky conjunction of Mars and Jupiter.† He looked up at Harry. â€Å"You know her – just put in loads of misery, she’ll lap it up.† â€Å"Right,† said Harry, crumpling up his first attempt and lobbing it over the heads of a group of chattering first years into the fire. â€Å"Okay†¦on Monday, I will be in danger of – er – burns.† â€Å"Yeah, you will be,† said Ron darkly, â€Å"we’re seeing the skrewts again on Monday. Okay, Tuesday, I’ll†¦erm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Lose a treasured possession,† said Harry, who was flicking through Unfogging the Future for ideas. â€Å"Good one,† said Ron, copying it down. â€Å"Because of†¦erm†¦Mercury. Why don’t you get stabbed in the back by someone you thought was a friend?† â€Å"Yeah†¦cool†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Harry, scribbling it down, â€Å"because†¦Venus is in the twelfth house.† â€Å"And on Wednesday, I think I’ll come off worst in a fight.† â€Å"Aaah, I was going to have a fight. Okay, I’ll lose a bet.† â€Å"Yeah, you’ll be betting I’ll win my fight†¦.† They continued to make up predictions (which grew steadily more tragic) for another hour, while the common room around them slowly emptied as people went up to bed. Crookshanks wandered over to them, leapt lightly into an empty chair, and stared inscrutably at Harry, rather as Hermione might look if she knew they weren’t doing their homework properly. Staring around the room, trying to think of a kind of misfortune he hadn’t yet used, Harry saw Fred and George sitting together against the opposite wall, heads together, quills out, poring over a single piece of parchment. It was most unusual to see Fred and George hidden away in a corner and working silently; they usually liked to be in the thick of things and the noisy center of attention. There was something secretive about the way they were working on the piece of parchment, and Harry was reminded of how they had sat together writing something back at the Burrow. He had thought then that it was another order form for Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, but it didn’t look like that this time; if it had been, they would surely have let Lee Jordan in on the joke. He wondered whether it had anything to do with entering the Triwizard Tournament. As Harry watched, George shook his head at Fred, scratched out something with his quill, and said, in a very quiet voice that nevertheless carried across the almost deserted room, â€Å"No – that sounds like we’re accusing him. Got to be careful†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Then George looked over and saw Harry watching him. Harry grinned and quickly returned to his predictions – he didn’t want George to think he was eavesdropping. Shortly after that, the twins rolled up their parchment, said good night, and went off to bed. Fred and George had been gone ten minutes or so when the portrait hole opened and Hermione climbed into the common room carrying a sheaf of parchment in one hand and a box whose contents rattled as she walked in the other. Crookshanks arched his back, purring. â€Å"Hello,† she said, â€Å"I’ve just finished!† â€Å"So have I!† said Ron triumphantly, throwing down his quill. Hermione sat down, laid the things she was carrying in an empty armchair, and pulled Ron’s predictions toward her. â€Å"Not going to have a very good month, are you?† she said sardonically as Crookshanks curled up in her lap. â€Å"Ah well, at least I’m forewarned,† Ron yawned. â€Å"You seem to be drowning twice,† said Hermione. â€Å"Oh am I?† said Ron, peering down at his predictions. â€Å"I’d better change one of them to getting trampled by a rampaging hippogriff.† â€Å"Don’t you think it’s a bit obvious you’ve made these up?† said Hermione. â€Å"How dare you!† said Ron, in mock outrage. â€Å"We’ve been working like house-elves here!† Hermione raised her eyebrows. â€Å"It’s just an expression,† said Ron hastily. Harry laid down his quill too, having just finished predicting his own death by decapitation. â€Å"What’s in the box?† he asked, pointing at it. â€Å"Funny you should ask,† said Hermione, with a nasty look at Ron. She took off the lid and showed them the contents. Inside were about fifty badges, all of different colors, but all bearing the same letters: S. P. E .W. â€Å"Spew?† said Harry, picking up a badge and looking at it. â€Å"What’s this about?† â€Å"Not spew,† said Hermione impatiently. â€Å"It’s S-P-E-W. Stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.† â€Å"Never heard of it,† said Ron. â€Å"Well, of course you haven’t,† said Hermione briskly, â€Å"I’ve only just started it.† â€Å"Yeah?† said Ron in mild surprise. â€Å"How many members have you got?† â€Å"Well – if you two join – three,† said Hermione. â€Å"And you think we want to walk around wearing badges saying ‘spew,’ do you?† said Ron. â€Å"S-P-E-W!† said Hermione hotly. â€Å"I was going to put Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status – but it wouldn’t fit. So that’s the heading of our manifesto.† She brandished the sheaf of parchment at them. â€Å"I’ve been researching it thoroughly in the library. Elf enslavement goes back centuries. I can’t believe no one’s done anything about it before now.† â€Å"Hermione – open your ears,† said Ron loudly. â€Å"They. Like. It. They like being enslaved!† â€Å"Our short-term aims,† said Hermione, speaking even more loudly than Ron, and acting as though she hadn’t heard a word, â€Å"are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, because they’re shockingly underrepresented.† â€Å"And how do we do all this?† Harry asked. â€Å"We start by recruiting members,† said Hermione happily. â€Å"I thought two Sickles to join – that buys a badge – and the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign. You’re treasurer, Ron – I’ve got you a collecting tin upstairs – and Harry, you’re secretary, so you might want to write down everything I’m saying now, as a record of our first meeting.† There was a pause in which Hermione beamed at the pair of them, and Harry sat, torn between exasperation at Hermione and amusement at the look on Ron’s face. The silence was broken, not by Ron, who in any case looked as though he was temporarily dumbstruck, but by a soft tap, tap on the window. Harry looked across the now empty common room and saw, illuminated by the moonlight, a snowy owl perched on the windowsill. â€Å"Hedwig!† he shouted, and he launched himself out of his chair and across the room to pull open the window. Hedwig flew inside, soared across the room, and landed on the table on top of Harry’s predictions. â€Å"About time!† said Harry, hurrying after her. â€Å"She’s got an answer!† said Ron excitedly, pointing at the grubby piece of parchment tied to Hedwig’s leg. Harry hastily untied it and sat down to read, whereupon Hedwig fluttered onto his knee, hooting softly. â€Å"What does it say?† Hermione asked breathlessly. The letter was very short, and looked as though it had been scrawled in a great hurry. Harry read it aloud: Harry – I’m flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore – they’re saying he’s got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he’s reading the signs, even if no one else is. I’ll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry. Sirius Harry looked up at Ron and Hermione, who stared back at him. â€Å"He’s flying north?† Hermione whispered. â€Å"He’s coming back?† â€Å"Dumbledore’s reading what signs?† said Ron, looking perplexed. â€Å"Harry – what’s up?† For Harry had just hit himself in the forehead with his fist, jolting Hedwig out of his lap. â€Å"I shouldn’t’ve told him!† Harry said furiously. â€Å"What are you on about?† said Ron in surprise. â€Å"It’s made him think he’s got to come back!† said Harry, now slamming his fist on the table so that Hedwig landed on the back of Ron’s chair, hooting indignantly. â€Å"Coming back, because he thinks I’m in trouble! And there’s nothing wrong with me! And I haven’t got anything for you,† Harry snapped at Hedwig, who was clicking her beak expectantly, â€Å"you’ll have to go up to the Owlery if you want food.† Hedwig gave him an extremely offended look and took off for the open window, cuffing him around the head with her outstretched wing as she went. â€Å"Harry,† Hermione began, in a pacifying sort of voice. â€Å"I’m going to bed,† said Harry shortly. â€Å"See you in the morning.† Upstairs in the dormitory he pulled on his pajamas and got into his four-poster, but he didn’t feel remotely tired. If Sirius came back and got caught, it would be his, Harry’s, fault. Why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut? A few seconds’ pain and he’d had to blab†¦.If he’d just had the sense to keep it to himself†¦. He heard Ron come up into the dormitory a short while later, but did not speak to him. For a long time, Harry lay staring up at the dark canopy of his bed. The dormitory was completely silent, and, had he been less preoccupied, Harry would have realized that the absence of Neville’s usual snores meant that he was not the only one lying awake. How to cite Chapter 14 The Unforgivable Curses, Essay examples

The Scaffold Essay Research Paper The ScaffoldThe free essay sample

The Scaffold Essay, Research Paper The Scaffold The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is characterized by three major events that occur on the town scaffold. What takes topographic point on this platform will find the way which the three chief characters, Hester Prynne, Mr. Dimmsdale, and their girl Pearl will follow. The three scenes mark the beginning, in-between, and terminal of their shame. The scaffold is a platform where felons are punished before all the townsfolk. In this instance, the felon is Hester Prynne and the crowd has gathered to witness her shame. The first scene at the baleful platform is Hester? s foremost public visual aspect with the kid and the vermilion missive. Hester? s hubby, Roger Prynne ( Chillingworth ) makes a sudden reappearance and is among the looker-ons. The Reverend Mr. Dimmsdale is besides at that place but he does non stand with Hester on the scaffold, alternatively he stands on the balcony with those who pass judgement on her. We will write a custom essay sample on The Scaffold Essay Research Paper The ScaffoldThe or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page During this clip, Reverend Mr. Wilson demands that Hester give the name of her lover. He gives her the opportunity to? take the vermilion missive off [ her ] chest? if she were to? talk out his name? ( 64 ) . Had she relented and revealed his name she might neer hold had to digest the humiliation of the vermilion missive. But she refused, and so her way was set. The 2nd clip at the scaffold was a turning point for Hester. She, Pearl, and Dimmsdale are together for the first clip, ? # 8230 ; the three formed an electric concatenation? as if the Ys were ever meant to be together if something, or person, had non gotten in their manner ( 140 ) . But it is here that Hester eventually realizes the harm which concealing Chillingworth? s individuality has caused Dimmsdale. Chillingworth was? a secret enemy # 8230 ; continually at his side, under the gloss of a friend and assistant # 8230 ; ? when in truth he was torturing Dimmsdale at every chance ( 153 ) . When Hester sees the suffering province that he is in, weak and? on the brink of madness? , it leads her to later seek him out in the wood to squeal the true individuality of Chillingworth, which in bend leads to their program to go forth Salem. Their programs were neer carried through because of another visit to the scaffold. This clip, Hester, Dimmsdale, and Pearl stood manus in manus before the town. Dimmsdale relieves his scruples and denounces Chillingworth for his lecherousness for retribution. After this concluding katharsis, Dimmsdale? sinks into a deep rest? and receives some closing before he decease ( 233 ) . ? ? There was no 1 topographic point so secret, no high topographic point nor humble topographic point, where 1000 couldst have escaped me salvage on this really scaffold, ? ? says Chillingworth ( 231 ) . In the terminal, the topographic point of their penalty besides brought them peace. The way of Hester, Pearl, and Dimmsdale? s lives were changed by the fatal events at the scaffold. The rhythm of their shame was expressed throughout The Scarlet Letter by these scenes. The scaffold became a topographic point where the truth and their wickednesss were exposed.

Tapping Essays - Tapping, , Term Papers, Research Papers

Tapping Do you hear the tapping at my window pane? They who hear it are insane Sharply tapping, slightly screaching I can feel it getting closer, now its reaching My heart is beating faster and loud I want to hide and not be found For if the tapping finds me I'll no longer be free I feel alone except my thinking But now I feel my thought slowly sinking I don't want to die but if I do I'd like once more to see the sky pale blue My fear is finally disappearing The tapping is gently clearing A rush of thoughts to my mind Makes it easier for me to find That I can slightly open my eyes To see everything and all the lies That the tapping at my window pane The whole time was just the rain!

Essay Sample on Youth Culture and Its Development

Essay Sample on Youth Culture and Its Development For this assignment, I shall explore some factors that influence the development of culture, and sub-culture, reflecting on consumer products, and how they help to develop identity. In particular, my study will focus on music, media, and fashion, in relation to young people. As Williams, Hall, and Jefferson (1977) suggest, in this context culture refers to distinct patterns of life, and the ways in which social groups give expression to their social and material life experiences. (Cited in Wyn, J. White, R. 1997:pg72) Subculture highlights diversity, such as individual group cultures, sub-cultures give young people the chance to express their difference from the rest of society, yet coexist within it. (Brake,1980 cited in Roche,J.Tucker,S.1997:pg149) Consumer products alone do not make identity, but do attribute to the formation of it, with todays teen consumer market is the most lucrative it has ever been. Marketers historically have recognised this, and therefore, use certain elements of youth culture to promote products. The media influence on the development of youth cultures and sub-cultures is also instrumental, with young people facing a barrage of messages explaining what it means to be young. How we consume determines who we become, our value base, and how we interact with people in the broader context of the world. Youth culture has changed over the generations, for parents of teens, the gap seems to be ever widening. Young people have faced similar challenges to each other, but each generation is unique, and experience situations that shape their attitudes and behaviours. However, when entering into any particular culture, although influences exist, it is still usually a conscious choice. A useful way to examine influences, on young people over time, is that of Strauss and Howe in their book the fourth turning. Each generation are labelled, to offer the reader an understanding. According to Strauss and Howe, the silent generation grew up with the harsh realities of war and a depressed economy. (www.health.org) This group of young people where at a crossroads, too young to be heros of the war, and yet too old to be young free adolescents, they paved the way towards civil rights, and the rock and roll era. The next generation were to be known as the baby boomers, growing up with idyllic views of life, accepting the notion of father knows best (www.health.org) They engaged in a culture of free loving, urban riots and unrest, and as this generation were to mature, idealism allowed the introduction of materialism; hence the word yuppie (www.health.org) arrived. Generation X was born into an era of high divorce rates, and an increasing rise in the number of single parent families. These young people entered the labour market, when jobs were scarce, and youth crime and disorder soared, the aids epidemic was rampant. Their outside status helped spawn the angst-filled grunge movement and they also fuelled the hip-hop explosion. (www.health.org) The next generation Y/Millennials, were born into both good and bad influences at the same time. At the top of the national agenda is child welfare, although negative school violence and drugs is at the forefront. Computerisation and technology is ever increasing, and equipment is predominately digital. The Y generation, is a representation of todays teens where surfing the internet is the norm, and emailing is as common as using the telephone. This era is much more multicultural than it was when their parents were growing up, and images containing sex and violence are common themes that surround them on a daily basis. To an extent the Vietnam war and the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Malcolm x, Medgar Evers, and Dr. Martin Luthur king, Jr, are ancient history. (www.health.org) The speed at which cultural objects and ideas are transmitted globally today, are significant factors in the number of youth subculture groups that are identified. A major change with regards to counter cultural groups today, is the large number of them around. For example, in the sixties it was common to be classed as a mod or a rocker, you tended to be on or the other. Today youth can align with many other groups, because there is such diversity. The mass media has a large role to play in encouraging the formation of sub-cultural groups, by helping young people to see and identify which role models represent what groups. Perhaps more fundamentally, youth culture has become more accepting and accommodating of various different groupings within the community. There are groups on the fringe of society who may be counter cultural in orientation, like punks, goths etc.. by large there now seems to be a strong sense of tolerance for difference, and a felling that diversity may even be positive. Media targeting of young people is all too common, with the hunt for consumer money on. Advertisers view teens in particular, as uniquely profitable, they buy themselves, influence parents to buy, and indeed will be future adult consumers. Consumer advertising through the media is highly influential on young people, especially when they use popularity by association: Product advertised by famous people. Although, adolescents I work with are sometimes quite cynical to this approach, seeing it as someone who gets paid for a job, without actually believing in the product. Media advertising uses signifiers to appeal to different groups, visual and verbal elements are combined to produce particular meanings and effects. If we look at an advertisement for the chocolate bar bounty, the light blue packaging denotes the product as food. Related visual images of a sunny desert island, gives connotations of youth, freedom, and happiness. The music can be powerful in giving the feeling of energy, and pleasure. This example is to illustrate how powerful semiotics and the use of signs in the media can be. Media uses semiotics in portraying fashion and beauty items, and has done over time. Clothes are an important indication of social interaction, and media images even in the sixties helped to determine what groups young people engaged in,clothing fashion both sprang from and had influence on the various youth culture groups of the time which diverged and evolved as the decade progressed. (www.sixtiescity.com) The teddy boys dressed in Edwardian style clothing, Hells angels wore leather, which was symbolic of their brotherliness and motorcycling ventures. This code of dress although sub-cultural, was mainly to facilitate their mode of transport as opposed to a fashion statement. This dress sense may have been influenced by films of the time such as the wild ones. Mersey sound in 1963, eminently the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and later the Who, led to a huge rise in the different cultural groups. One such group were the modernists (mods), who followed jazz music, cultural habits of this group revolved around dancing, fashion, and music. Mods were to popularise the usage of drugs, this was how they preserved energy to attend the all night ..dance-till-you-drop lifestyle. (www.sixtiecity.com) They began to take drynamil, which although originally prescribed for those with anxiety, had an amphetamine like effect, commonly know as purple hearts. Other drugs began to circulate like French blues, dexedrine, and strong black bombers. Following mods came a brief culture of regency, their look included buttons, bows, frills, and velvet, typical of some major pop groups like the Kinks, and the photographer Patrick Litchfield. Surviving only a short time, this trend was taken over by the huge hippie flower power culture, hippies epitomised individualism, and made their own preferences very much apparent. Hippies motto make love not war, gave them a key to their own specific culture, pro-drugs and doing their own thing was what they were about. They dressed in kaftans, afghan style coats, had body painting, flowers in their hair, and would often be seen wearing lots of beads. Their indulgence in the LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) scene is possibly where the feeling of freedom and youthfulness derived from. Ð ¡In many different parts of the world popular music is a primary, if not the primary, leisure resource for young people. (Bennett,A.2000:pg34) Pop art was a movement attempting to withdraw popular and high culture boundaries, it was a reaction to the seriousness given to abstract impressionalism. (www.sixtiescity.com) Pop art was a simplistic style, with a focus on exaggerated colour. An example of this is ЕÐ ¢WarholÐ ¢s silk-screen paintings that made use of monotony and repetition such as the images of Marilyn Monroe and ElvisÐ ¢. (www.sixtiescity.com) Certainly some of the more famous pictures of this time included daily objects like coca-cola bottles. Pop music is still seen in todays society, as a significant piece of youth culture, which can be traced back to the advent of rock Ð ¡nÐ ¢ roll in the early 1950s. (Bennett,A.2000:pg34) Dance music to an extent has become known, as a separate culture in its own right: club culture, signifiers are hairstyles, clothing and attitudes. Subcultures can be defined as being subordinate to the dominant culture, and club culture fits this category. Dance music embraces a variety of different cultures, class, and lifestyles. Fundamentally its venue is a club where people socially interact, and dance to electronically engineered music. The people who attend any particular session, will vary depending on where it is held, how it is publicised and the price it will be. For example, In London a rave commonly known as the jungle scene is predominantly black-led, attracting a diversity of young people, mainly from urban settings. Conversely the venue cream in Liverpool uses the local radio station to publicise the event. Tickets are sold at a price of approximately  £25.00, and attendance is usually by middle class, white sections of society. One young person commented on how Ð ¡nowadays there arenÐ ¢t many free parties about cos things get busted up more cos of the criminal justice act. (Garratt,D.Roche,J.Stanley,T.1997:pg9) Cultural theorist, such as Hall and Hebdige are concerned with dance music as a sub culture, and how they believe it can lead to young people being corrupt and turning against what society view as Е. established order. (www.studentcentral.co.uk) They believe this happens as a result of alternative dress code and rituals. To an extent I disagree with their theory with regards to dance music in particular, as I dont believe dance music has an identifiable code of dress at present, and people who participate in my experience, do not consciously set themselves apart from the wider culture. My conclusion is that There are no barriers within dance, (Rietveld,H. Cited in www.studentcentral.co.uk) the music does not discriminate against people on the ground of ethnicity, class or sexuality. Dance music encompasses both underground and mainstream facets of society; in its multicultural approach. Starting in the United States of America in the late seventies as a underground subculture, it has developed to the mainstream of the mid 1990s, beginning to create its own unique culture in the twenty first century. Drugs were a cultural part of different sub-cultural movements, as far back as the sixties, and even today the way we behave in different groups, and associate as individuals is very time, place and culturally specific. Media gained great exposure in the topic of drugs, and still does. Young people and adults alike were associating songs with drug experiences, such as Yellow Submarine by the Beatles, Strawberry Fields, and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. Today songs still celebrate the psychedelic experience of drug use, for example, I want to be a Hippie and I want to get Stoned. Young people, as a form of individualistic identity, could interpret this as it was in the hippie era. It is an example of the younger generation wanting to express their own views, rather than succumbing to the values and rules left behind from the older generation. Through the different youth cultures and sub-cultures, we can see how influential attitudes and behaviours can be. For example, Madonna was in the charts singing with her bra in full view, as a result impressionable teenagers were to begin wearing undergarments outside their clothes. Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, used youth culture as a publicity stunt for his own personal gain. He gave free clothes to influential youth trendsetters, like the rappers of the early nineties, enabling him to further market his brand. Hilfiger already having the attention of many young people learnt about the computer games world and so decided to sponsor Nintendo. Putting computer systems in his many stores, his jeans were soon to be rated number one by young people in America. Fashion is a huge influencer of youth culture, especially in relation to young women, where all around are representations of ..what it means to be young and female. (Mc Robbie,A.2000:pg198) The daily tabloids, such as the mirror constantly use imagery of petit young females, often using famous people modelling the items. Young people are influenced by these trends, and either purchase the clothing themselves, or rely on their parents goodwill. As young people experience their adolescent years, they may be faced by peer pressure, both positive and negative. At this age, involvement with peers increases, and can offer a sense of physical, emotional, and social comfort. Being part of a peer group can be a source of acceptance, affection, and a place for experimentation. Young people begin to understand their identity and learn about their autonomy, with some peer groups encouraging drug use and anti-social behaviour. Others discourage deviant behaviour, by favouring school activities such as sport, and extra curriculum activities. Peer pressure can by a huge influence, in the development of culture amongst young people, as often they have their own set of rules and norms. For example, to be part of some peer cultures means conforming to certain unwritten rules such as dress code, my own experience was to have Nike trainers was to be accepted. Being accepted into a group, through the necessity to consume a certain product, can have a direct effect on your parents. For those who could not afford to buy into the culture, catalogues and getting into debt was the answer. Of course you could argue that parents choose to buy or not to buy, and most bought from fear of their child being bullied, and so If the negative effect of peer pressure is to be minimised, youth, parent, school and community leaders must come together to establish workable and effective strategies to guide teenage behaviour and to support their transition from children to mature, responsible adults. (www.ianrun.unl) In our everyday life, we here adults and parents complain of how young people and themselves lack the same experiences, complaining about the generation gap between them. Through the media and from a political point, young people are viewed as irresponsible, materialistic and so on. Adults tend to speak of young people in a way that represents them, as being venerable, and easily mislead, often not intellectually developed. These assumptions form the basis for exclusion of young people in policies, such as the age of drinking, driving a car, watching certain movies and reading certain books. Some adults see young people as immature, and say everything has been handed to them on a plate. The common theme is that young people today did not experience hardships their parents had to, or the reality of the labour market. The new generation, are seen as ungrateful to their elders who worked hard to reach this level of wealth. These kind of comments were said about youth in the 50s, right through to the present day, and will continue to be said about the following generation. Government policies will affect youth culture, to the extent that young people choices will be limited. For example the banning of various song lyrics like the rapper Eminem, takes away the right to choose which materials to buy. For young people to be regarded as citizens in their own right, it is indispensable that they are involved in the making of policies affecting them. Citizenship teaching in schools is a relatively new initiative, enabling young people to engage with issues affecting them. Learning how to become active citizens, through the development of skills, enabling them to challenge government officials, will be instrumental in the process of young people be listened to and heard. For citizenship to be productive and promote equality, it needs to be focused on not only the production of the ideal citizen, where people conform to government requests. It will undoubtedly affect youth culture, by educating people to think along the same lines. To an extent removing the element of choice, by stopping the natural developmental process. Citizenship in many ways, is based on the very subject of consumerism, young people to an extent can consume, for example fashion. Although fundamentally, not being economically stable is a barrier to their being a fully-fledged citizen, of the consumer society surrounding them. Theorists such as Thornton (1997), (Miles,S.2000:pg3) have emphasised how in studying young people, sociologists have tended to focus on culture and subculture negatively. Using young people as a key element of their study, they have ..labelled and therefore framed, shaped and delineated social formations. (Miles,S.2000:pg3) This has resulted in difficulties when distinguishing between the dominant and less dominant cultures. Wyn and White (1997), explain how when using age to distinguish between culture, it can lead to the portrayal of a masculine, white (and rebellious) middle-class experience of the norm. (Wyn,J.White,R.1997 cited in Miles,S.2000:pg4) The danger here is the eradication of important influences in young peoples lives such as institutions, political and economical circumstances. To an extent, sociologists have misused the concept of youth and their sub cultures, focusing too much on theory. Used appropriately, the study of youth sub-cultures can help us all learn a great deal into the experiences that shape young peoples lives. In conclusion, I believe that consumer capitalism through its marketing products, promotes the idea that young people can develop their own identity. Fundamentally important, is the need to recognise that young people of the twenty-first century are more likely to create their own lifestyles. This will undoubtedly be to a greater extent than their parents ever would, and consumption is a useful element in this process. People are both producers and consumers of goods, and I argue that young people through their consumer habits choose goods, which reflect and express their identity and individualism. To consume certain marketing items such as a mobile phone, the latest fashion accessories or the most updated computer, is fast becoming the key to acceptance into certain cultural groups. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on   Youth Culture topics at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with custom papers written by highly qualified academic writers. High quality and no plagiarism guarantee! Get professional essay writing help at an affordable cost.

Balance Score Card Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Balance Score Card - Essay Example 10). Niven highlights the importance of the BSC in allowing ‘an organisation to translate its mission into concrete objectives that align all employees (2006, p. 93).’ The Balanced Scorecard is a document that integrates the vision, mission and objectives of the organisation and provides a dashboard view of the status of the many initiatives being taken towards organisational goals. The initiatives are drilled down from a larger purpose based on financial performance and customer appreciation. Initiatives that seem to go off-course, can be brought back on track with this approach. This method allows the organisation to steer the course and make immediate changes to plans in the face of unforeseen business circumstances. The dashboard view allows the organisation to foresee chosen methods that need to change and enables immediate action. On the other hand, an organisation may devise plans to provide flexible schemes to attract different customer types. The cost versus flexibility advantage is continuously tracked and the customer is enabled to take an immediate decision regarding this strategic initiative. Drury (2004) points out that this approach provides a snapshot of four perspectives: the financial perspective brings out past performance while the customer perspective involves looking inward to understand the customer’s view of the company. The internal process perspective forces an external view of the impact of adopted processes and the learning and growth perspective provides a view to the future and the organisational capability in harnessing and progressing internal intelligence (p. 1005). This approach also provides the business with measures to gauge past performance and likely future performance. Lead measures should provide a prediction of lagging measures (Niven, 2006, p. 144). The combined use of these measures helps the

Cheap Food, Poverty and Obesity -- Is there a Correlation Essay

Cheap Food, Poverty and Obesity -- Is there a Correlation - Essay Example s levels is mostly consumed by deprived communities and individuals due to inability to access affordable healthy food, cheap junk food has high starch, calorie and fats contents which is taken to the blood streams and go directly to build adipose tissues in the body hence accumulation of facts which leads to obesity. Deprived people are known not to take concerns on exercises which help in burning down the calories in the body. Additionally, individuals in impoverished regions have poor access to fresh food like vegetables which have fiber which helps in digestion of fats hence its excretion from their bodies. Poor countries have the greatest sedentariness. Sedentary individuals move more two hours per day which is less than active individuals and hence expend less energy making them prone to obesity and chronic metabolic diseases. Consumption of semi processed or unprocessed food which is not fresh which carries a lot of calories that when taken builds up the fat content in the bod y which include sugars bread and other cheap milk products. When this research began, the question was whether or not, â€Å"a correlation existed between people, who ate at fast food restaurants, poverty, and obesity†. The development of the paper exposed many factors leading to obesity without fast food being the major contributor. There are a number of reasons why people are obese or heading for obesity. Environment or heredity can be contributors as well as the lack of physical activity, becoming sedentary, over use of technology; watching television, driving as opposed to walking, and failing to exercise. People have developed heart disease and may also develop diabetes, high blood pressure, and additional health problems when lifestyle changes occur and obesity sets in. In America’s cities, there is a fast food establishment on many corners. At a young age, children begin eating fast food because of the convenience, propaganda involved, and the cost. There are many people

Housing and Sustainable Development

Housing and Sustainable Development 1. What is ‘Sustainable development? Sustainable development is a very simple proposal of very high significance, which suggests achieving equilibrium between economic, social and environmental issues and concerns. â€Å"If we are to maintain and improve the quality of our own lives and pass that quality on to future generations, we must use finite natural resources in an efficient way without waste, and protect the natural environment to enhance the ability of future generations to maintain and improve their lives.† (Housing Corporation, 2008) There are mainly two definitions of sustainability which are related to ‘Planning Field, the first one says, â€Å"Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.† (Housing Corporation, 2003) And secondly the UK definition says, â€Å"Ensuring a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.† (Housing Corporation, 2008) The main aim of sustainable development is to ensure that the people can use the necessary services without the use of automobiles. They should be promoted to use the public transport. The placement and location of the development should be such as to modify the access to the local amenities by walking, and using public transport. The features of our built environment are very fundamental in attainment of sustainable patterns. This may include the reduction of green house gases and CO2 emissions, less pollution, preservation of the natural resourc es, consistent and comprehensive local communities and wealthy and safe economy. (Archive2 official documents, 2009) This seminar paper will try to explore the relationship between housing development and sustainability. The term ‘Sustainability is very vast and depends upon various aspects like economy, transportation, environment, social communities, residential development etc. In this seminar paper I will explain the role of housing sector in the process of achieving sustainable development. On the other side it will explain the benefits to the housing sector via achievement of sustainability. Eventually this seminar paper will enlighten the role of the planning systems in achievement of sustainable housing development, with the help of some major issues in new housing development, like transportation, higher density, social inclusion, mixed land use development and use of brown field sites. I will also try to focus on the provisions in the planning systems for the sustainable development in rural areas, with the help of PPS7. 2. Housing development and Sustainability With the reference to the above mentioned definition of sustainability, housing development plays a very important role in the achievement of sustainability, because housing development consumes the resources in its construction, maintenance and use, on a larger scale. There is a correlation between housing and sustainability, it is a two way process. Integrating morality of sustainability into housing development, its maintenance, and restoration will not make important input in accomplishment of general sustainability objectives, but it will also offer significant progress in the quality robustness and cost efficiency of the housing development. How housing development contributes to sustainability? Global climate change is the most extensive and potentially harmful environmental issue now days, as a cause of the green house gases emissions, remarkably CO2. The solution on this issue can be found in decreasing the travel overall and minimising the use of cars specifically. Housing sector also has a significant contribution to play, in features of the dwellings, the structure and the location of the housing development. The unhealthy change in the local climate occurs due to the poisonous gases and green house gases emissions from the houses in the development. This is the main reason of the contribution of housing development in achievement of sustainability. (Archive2 official documents, 2009) When the life of any building ends, the recycling and reuse of the materials and resources will help in reduction of the quarrying and other resource activities for new resources, this will eventually help in the reduction of landfill amount at the demolition of the mines and quarries.   With respect to the green house gas emissions and the higher consumption of energy from every house produces some dangerous gases like SO2 (causes acid rain), NOx and CO, these gases are very poisonous for human health. The maximum use of energy efficiency will optimistically reduce the emissions of these pollutants. There is a chance of causing the ill health effects called as, ‘sick building syndrome (Archive2 official documents, 2009) due to very compact and air-tight arrangement of houses in the development and the increasing utilisation of synthetic materials. So the cautious selection of building materials will help to enhance the use of renewable resources, helping to improve the macro and micro level climate in the development. (Housing Corporation, 2003) How sustainability benefits housing development? There are some benefits which housing development gets through sustainable patterns, like energy efficiency, social inclusion, and economic effectiveness. These terms are related with the environmental, social and economic development of the community. Many poor families are not able to heat up their houses at a required level; also some houses suffer from the condensation and dampness, which affects the health of the community. The sustainable housing development not only include the environment responsive and energy efficient houses but also will have provision of employment, schools, shops, primary health care centre etc local amenities which will be accessible for the residents of the development using public transport or by walking. This new sustainable housing development will be a mixture of various groups like income groups, age groups and tenures. This will help in achieving the social inclusion. (Archive2 official documents, 2009) 3. Planning systems and ‘sustainable housing development Achievement of the sustainable development is one of the important issues in front of our society, where we live, work. In 1992, ‘The Rio Earth Summit, documented that, in the achievement of the sustainable development, the local government has a very important role to play, because it has the control of the local development and the land use. This role of the planning systems is explained practically in the UK Governments ‘A Better Quality of Life a Strategy for Sustainable Development for the UK (May 1999). The national strategy sets out four ‘key objectives that must be achieved simultaneously: Effective protection of the environment Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment Social progress that recognises everyones needs; and Prudent use of natural resources.† (Nicholas et al, 2005) In the new planning system, as mentioned in ‘Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the local planning authorities are supposed to encourage the sustainable development by means of application of sustainability considerations while preparing the planning documents like ‘SPD and ‘DPD. This technique will be useful for the local planning authorities to appraise the insinuation of the sustainability in their local development plans. (Dudley MBC, 2006) To achieve the broad objectives of sustainable development, the country requires a â€Å"transparent, flexible, predictable, efficient and effective planning system† (ODPM, PPS1, 2005, p3, paragraph 7). UK government has made some provisions in the planning system like, planning policy guidance and statements (revisions), national planning policy, regional planning guidance, and the code for the sustainable homes, which will provide a structure for the planning of ‘sustainable development. These provision s in made in the planning systems will optimistically help the local planning authorities to implicate and encourage the sustainable patterns in the new developments. Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS 1) Delivering Sustainable Development (2005) states that â€Å"Planning authorities should ensure that sustainable development is treated in an integrated way in their development plans. In particular, they should carefully consider the interrelationship between social inclusion, protecting and enhancing the environment, the prudent use of natural resources and economic development.†(ODPM, PPS 1, 2005, paragraph 24). 4. Elements encouraging the ‘Sustainable housing development Mixed land use development and higher residential densities Mix land use means; use of the land, for development of houses, businesses, schools, recreational areas, etc., public, semi-public, and private development, in the close proximity of each other. There are some important prospective of the mixed land use development. It helps to reduce the often travelling because it brings the various deeds and amenities comparatively close to each other. Mixed land use development raises the ‘safety and security of the development. Also helps to increase the access to the local jobs and employment. The reduced residential density, isolated land use and detached street patterns are related with the increased automobile use and increases the ‘obesity and the persistent illness in the community. The increased residential density can minimise the ‘land take. It helps in reduction of travel and minimises the use of private vehicles by enhancing the use of public transport.   Higher residential densities decrease the area of the land r equired for roads, car parking, which helps to make the development more pedestrian responsive. It also helps in increment of Social inclusion by growing number of people inside walking distance. It helps to make the development socially strong and sustainable. Eventually this will increase the number of people on the street, which can enhance the liveliness and apparent safety of the development. The important thing to be kept in mind while providing a location for high density areas in the development is, to locate these areas nearer to the traffic nodes and should be having easy access to public transport. If the high density areas are located away from the public transport, the ‘car dependency in the development will start to increase creating the development unsustainable. Mixed land use and the increased residential density is the key in achievement of sustainable patterns and making the development more comprehensive. (Archive2 official documents, 2009) Use of Brownfield sites    In UK, the term ‘Brownfield site is described as, ‘previously developed land, and on which redevelopment is possible. In general, this land has been utilised previously for commercial or industrial development, and which is now in a dilapidated condition and probably polluted. The deficiency of ‘Green land availability for new development, in the recent time, ‘Brown field sites came in to the picture, particularly in those areas where the requirement of the ‘residential or ‘commercial development is more. The ‘Brownfield sites are meant not only for the residential or commercial development, but also can be utilised as open spaces, recreational spaces, local amenities etc. The repossession and reuse of ‘Brownfield site is a key factor of UK governments ‘Sustainable Development Strategy, which incorporates a variety of ‘economic, social and environmental objectives. Redevelopment of ‘Brownfield sites helps to improve th e environmental strength and the ugliness of the surroundings. The increased use of ‘Brownfield sites promotes the practicability of public transport, also makes helps in utilising existing communication and infrastructure. It also enhances the overall residential densities, and proposes chances for the improved quality residential developments, with the provisions of the employment and the other local amenities. The ‘Brownfield sites can be redeveloped in Urban as well as Rural areas, depending upon the accessibility and feasibility. (Archive2 official documents, 2009) Car free development (sustainable transport) Any housing development to be considered as sustainable neighbourhood development should minimise the necessity of private transport, like cars. There should be promotions to walking, cycling and use of public transport. This will not only result in reduction of the pollution but can be considered as a important factor in the creation of a healthy ‘community cohesion, a neighbourhood development, where its residents feel relaxing, walking which will result in more social interaction to make the development community healthy and wealthy. Mixed land use development and higher residential density will help in reduction of general travel and will promote walking and cycling, reducing the use of private transport. (Department for Transport, 2008) There are several ways which will encourage and promote a reduction in ‘car dependency, like Proposing entirely or partially a ‘car free environment, and maximising provision of walking plazas and designing separate tracks for cycling. Controlling car spaces and charging for residential car parking. Controlling the admissions of the cars in specific period of the day in the whole development or certain areas of it. Limitation of ‘Non-residential car parking and providing restricted parking at workplace. Promoting use, offering some concessions and favouring actions on eco-friendly cars or scooters. The transportation decisions in the proposed development will totally dependent upon its location, scale and the kind of the development proposed. Also there should be a focus on the capacity of the existing transportation network. (Department for Transport, 2008) 5. Sustainable housing development in rural areas UK government has made a provision in the form of ‘Planning Policy Statement 7 Sustainable Development in rural areas, to encourage and deliver the sustainable patterns in new housing development in rural areas. ‘The policies in PPS 7 applies to the rural areas like country towns, villages and the wider, mostly undeveloped countryside areas which are on the periphery of the larger urban settlements. (ODPM, PPS 7, 2004, p3) As specified in PPS 7, local planning authorities should emphasis on the location of the new development in rural areas, that it is near to the ‘local service centres where the basic needs like jobs, residences and the local amenities will be provided closer to each other, so that they can be accessible via public transport and by walking or cycling. (ODPM, PPS 7, 2004) In UK there are various ‘country towns and ‘villages which are having social, historical and architectural importance, or the make a considerable participation to â₠¬Ëœcountryside character. PPS 7 suggests to the local planning authorities to make sure that the proposed new housing development admires and where essential, promotes these specific values of that area. PPS 7 also advise planning authorities to prepare a ‘positive framework for enhancing the sustainable development which supports the conventional ‘land-based activities and the provide the entertaining facilities and amenities which needs the ‘country side location by making sure that doing this will not affect the value and natural characteristics of the rural area in which the development is proposed. (ODPM, PPS 7, 2004, p8) 6. Eco Housing in India- ‘Government of India had taken an initiative for encouragement of ‘Sustainability in new emerging housing developments. Currently in is being tested in ‘Pune, Maharashtra on a trial basis, and is called as ‘Eco housing policy. This initiative was formed with the partnership of the local government authorities (PMC, PCMC) with some national and international private organisations like, USIAD (United states agency for international development), TERI (Tata Energy Research Institute), IIEC (International Institute for Energy Conservation) etc. The main objective of this project to construct urban and rural sustainable ‘habitat, encouragement and distribution of the achievement gained via this project, through a Pilot study in Pune, to the other large urban cities in India. Also to start a ‘procedure of improvement in housing market for ‘Eco Housing in India to carry ‘the supply and demand of eco housing mutually, was the initiative goal of this project. This project got a financial aid by US-AEP (United States Asia Environment Partnership). The main characteristic feature of this project is estimating ‘eco-ranking of existing building output and appraisal schemes for acclimatizing to the Indian reference and creating catalogue of ‘eco-friendly materials, tools and techniques as advices and suggestions to the Builders and housing developers in Pune. (Eco Housing Corporation, 2009) Eco housing program has started to create awareness and getting noticeable reply from other ‘Municipal Corporations like Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), who appointed SciTech Part (STP), Pune for assisting MCGM in modifying the measures of the program to suit conditions of Mumbai City. (Eco Housing Corporation, 2009) 7. Summary- Housing is a corner stone component of sustainable development. Providing higher density residential development will encourage sustainable patterns like social inclusion, car free development, through planning systems. In the surrounding area there are many dilapidated sites we can find. Instead of using new green field site for the development, planners can amalgamate these waste land, and increase use of brown field sites for new development, will obviously help in encouragement in environmental and social sustainability. Doing this will help in enhancement of the surroundings of the housing development, restoring the urban form of the area. Mixed land use development will reduce the car use of the residents, bringing required amenities like shops, retails, employment within the walkable distance or by using public transport. Some rural areas having natural and architectural or historical importance should be treated carefully while proposing the new housing development. This wil l help in retaining the ‘village character of that area. Indian government also initiated an ‘eco-housing policy for encouragement of sustainable patterns in new housing developments. Though it was in a starting age, in current times many municipal corporations became aware of their own environment and social issues. They have started adopting this new policy of eco-housing. Pune Municipal Corporation with the help of University of Pune, planning to construct an institute which will help in spreading this ‘key issue of sustainability through education.