Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Education And Egalitarianism In America Essays - Educational Stages

Education And Egalitarianism In America Essays - Educational Stages Education And Egalitarianism In America The American educator Horace Mann once said: As an apple is not in any proper sense an apple until it is ripe, so a human being is not in any proper sense a human being until he is educated. Education is the process through which people endeavor to pass along to their children their hard-won wisdom and their aspirations for a better world. This process begins shortly after birth, as parents seek to train the infant to behave as their culture demands. They soon, for instance, teach the child how to turn babbling sounds into language and, through example and precept, they try to instill in the child the attitudes, values, skills, and knowledge that will govern their offspring's behavior throughout later life. Schooling, or formal education, consists of experiences that are deliberately planned and utilized to help young people learn what adults consider important for them to know and to help teach them how they should respond to choices. This education has been influenced by three impo rtant parts of modern American society: wisdom of the heart, egalitarianism, and practicality... the greatest of these, practicality. In the absence of written records, no one can be sure what education man first provided for his children. Most anthropologists believe, though, that the educational practices of prehistoric times were probably like those of primitive tribes in the 20th century, such as the Australian aborigines and the Aleuts. Formal instruction was probably given just before the child's initiation into adulthood the puberty rite and involved tribal customs and beliefs too complicated to be learned by direct experience. Children learned most of the skills, duties, customs, and beliefs of the tribe through an informal apprenticeship by taking part in such adult activities as hunting, fishing, farming, toolmaking, and cooking. In such simple tribal societies, school was not a special place... it was life itself. However, the educational process has changed over the decades, and it now vaguely represents what it was in ancient times, or even in early American society. While the schools that the colonists established in the 17th century in the New England, Southern, and Middle colonies differed from one another, each reflected a concept of schooling that had been left behind in Europe. Most poor children learned through apprenticeship and had no formal schooling at all. Those who did go to elementary school were taught reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion. Learning consisted of memorizing, which was stimulated by whipping. The first basic textbook, The New England Primer, was America's own contribution to education. Used from 1690 until the beginning of the 19th century, its purpose was to teach both religion and reading. The child learning the letter a, for example, also learned that In Adam's fall, We sinned all. As in Europe, then, the schools in the colonies were strongly influenced by religion. This was particularly true of the schools in the New England area, which had been settled by Puritans and other English religious dissenters. Like the Protestants of the Reformation, who established vernacular elementary schools in Germany in the 16th century, the Puritans sought to make education universal. They took the first steps toward government-supported universal education in the colonies. In 1642, Puritan Massachusetts passed a law requiring that every child be taught to read. And, in 1647, it passed the Old Deluder Satan Act, so named because its purpose was to defeat Satan's attempts to keep men, through an inability to read, from the knowledge of the Scriptures. The law required every town of 50 or more families to establish an elementary school and every town of 100 or more families to maintain a grammar school as well. Puritan or not, virtually all of the colonial schools had clear-cut moral purposes. Skills and knowledge were considered important to the degree that they served religious ends and, of course, trained the mind. We call it wisdom of the heart. These matters, by definition, are anything that the heart is convinced of... so thoroughly convinced that it over-powers the judgement of the mind. Early schools supplied the students with moral lessons, not just reading, writing and arithmetic. Obviously, the founders saw it necessary to apply these techniques, most likely feeling

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Black Codes and Why They Matter Today

The Black Codes and Why They Matter Today It’s hard to understand why African Americans are incarcerated at higher rates than other groups without knowing what the black codes were. These restrictive and discriminatory laws criminalized blacks after slavery and set the stage for Jim Crow. They are also directly linked to today’s prison industrial complex. Given this, a better grasp of the Black Codes and their relationship to the 13th Amendment provides a historical context for racial profiling, police brutality, and uneven criminal sentencing. For far too long, blacks have been dogged by the stereotype that they’re inherently prone to criminality. The institution of slavery and the Black Codes that followed reveal how the state essentially penalized African Americans just for existing. Slavery Ended, but Blacks Weren’t Truly Free During Reconstruction, the period that followed the Civil War, African Americans in the South continued to have work arrangements and living conditions nearly indistinguishable from those they had during slavery. Because the cost of cotton was so high at this time, planters decided to develop a labor system that mirrored servitude. According to America’s History to 1877, Vol. 1: â€Å"On paper, emancipation had cost the slave owners about $3 billion - the value of their capital investment in former slaves - a sum that equaled nearly three-fourths of the nation’s economic production in 1860. The real losses of planters, however, depended on whether they lost control of their former slaves. Planters attempted to reestablish that control and to substitute low wages for the food, clothing, and shelter that their slaves had previously received. They also refused to sell or rent land to blacks, hoping to force them to work for low wages.† The enactment of the 13th Amendment only amplified the challenges of African Americans during Reconstruction. Passed in 1865, this amendment ended the slave economy, but it also included a provision that would make it in the South’s best interest to arrest and imprison blacks. That’s because the amendment prohibited slavery and servitude, â€Å"except as a punishment for crime.† This provision gave way to the Black Codes, which replaced the Slave Codes, and were passed throughout the South the same year as the 13th Amendment. The codes heavily infringed on the rights of blacks and, like low wages, functioned to trap them in a slave-like existence. The codes were not the same in every state but overlapped in a number of ways. For one, they all mandated that blacks without jobs could be arrested for vagrancy. The Mississippi Black Codes in particular penalized blacks for being â€Å"wanton in conduct or speech, neglect[ing] job or family, handl[ing] money carelessly, and ...all other idle and disorderly persons.† How exactly does a police officer decide how well a person handles money or if he’s wanton in conduct? Clearly, many of the behaviors punishable under the Black Codes were completely subjective. But their subjective nature made it easier to arrest and round up African Americans. In fact, a variety of states concluded that there were certain crimes for which only blacks could be â€Å"duly convicted,† according to The Angela Y. Davis Reader. Therefore, the argument that the criminal justice system works differently for whites and blacks can be traced back to the 1860s. And before the Black Codes criminalized African Americans, the legal system deemed runaway slaves fugitives for stealing property - themselves!   Fines, Forced Labor, and the Black Codes Violating one of the Black Codes required offenders to pay fines. Since many African Americans were paid low wages during Reconstruction or denied employment at all, coming up with the money for these fees all too often proved impossible. Inability to pay meant that the county court could hire out African Americans to employers until they worked off their balances. Blacks who found themselves in this unfortunate predicament usually did such labor in a slavery-like environment. The state determined when offenders worked, for how long and what kind of work was performed. More often than not, African Americans were required to perform agricultural labor, just as they had during slavery. Because licenses were required for offenders to perform skilled labor, few did. With these restrictions, blacks had little chance to learn a trade and move up the economic ladder once their fines were settled. And they could not simply refuse to work off their debts, as that would lead to a vagrancy charge, resulting in more fees and forced labor. Under the Black Codes, all African Americans, convicts or not, were subject to curfews set by their local governments. Even their day-to-day movements were heavily dictated by the state. Black farm workers were required to carry passes from their employers, and meetings blacks took part in were overseen by local officials. This even applied to worship services. In addition, if a black person wanted to live in town, they had to have a white sponsor. Any African Americans who skirted the Black Codes would be subject to fines and labor. In short, in all areas of life, blacks lived as second class citizens. They were emancipated on paper but certainly not in real life. A civil rights bill passed by Congress in 1866 sought to give African Americans more rights. The bill, for example, permitted them to own or rent property, but it stopped short of giving blacks the right to vote. It did, however, allow them to make contracts and bring their cases before courts. It also enabled federal officials to sue those who violated the civil rights of African Americans. But blacks never reaped the benefits of the bill because President Andrew Johnson vetoed it.   While the president’s decision dashed the hopes of African Americans, their hopes were renewed when the 14th Amendment was enacted. This legislation gave blacks even more rights than the Civil Rights Act of 1966 did. It declared them and anyone born in the United States to be citizens. Although it did not guarantee blacks the right to vote, it  gave them â€Å"equal protection of the laws.† The 15th Amendment, passed in 1870, would give blacks suffrage. The End of the Black Codes By the end of the 1860s, many Southern states repealed the Black Codes and shifted their economic focus away from cotton farming and onto manufacturing. They built schools, hospitals, infrastructure and asylums for orphans and the mentally ill. Although the lives of African Americans were no longer dictated by the Black Codes, they lived separately from whites, with fewer resources for their schools and communities. They also faced intimidation by white supremacist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan when they exercised their right to vote. The economic woes blacks faced led to an increasing number of them to be incarcerated. That’s because more penitentiaries in the South were built along with all of the hospitals, roads, and schools. Strapped for cash and unable to get loans from banks, former slaves worked as sharecroppers or tenant farmers. This involved working other people’s farmland in exchange for a small cut of the value of the crops grown. Sharecroppers frequently fell prey to shopkeepers who offered them credit but charged exorbitant interest rates on farm supplies and other goods. Democrats at the time made matters worse by passing laws that allowed merchants to prosecute sharecroppers who couldn’t pay their debts. â€Å"Indebted African American farmers faced imprisonment and forced labor unless they toiled on the land according to the instructions of the merchant-creditor,† states America’s History. â€Å"Increasingly, merchants and landlords cooperated to maintain this lucrative system, and many landlords became merchants. The former slaves had become trapped in the vicious circle of debt peonage, which tied them to the land and robbed them of their earnings.† Angela Davis laments the fact that black leaders of the time, such as Frederick Douglass, did not campaign to end forced labor and debt peonage. Douglass primarily focused his energies on bringing an end to lynching. He also advocated for black suffrage. Davis asserts that he may not have considered forced labor a priority due to the widespread belief that incarcerated blacks must have deserved their punishments. But African Americans complained that they were frequently jailed for offenses for which whites were not. In fact, whites usually eluded prison for all but the most egregious crimes. This resulted in blacks jailed for petty offenses being incarcerated with dangerous white convicts. Black women and children were not spared from prison labor. Children as young as 6 years old were  forced to work, and incredibly women in such predicaments were not segregated from male inmates, making them vulnerable to sexual abuse and physical violence at the hands of both convicts and guards. After taking a trip to the South in 1888, Douglass witnessed firsthand the effects of forced labor on the African Americans there. It kept blacks â€Å"firmly bound in a strong, remorseless and deadly grasp, a grasp from which only death can free [them],† he noted. But by the time Douglass made this conclusion, peonage and convict leasing had been in effect for more than 20 years in certain places. And in a short stretch of time, the number of black prisoners grew rapidly. From 1874 to 1877, Alabama’s prison population tripled, for example. Ninety percent of new convicts were African American. Crimes formerly considered low-level offenses, such as cattle theft, were reclassified as felonies, ensuring that impoverished blacks found guilty of such crimes would be sentenced to longer prison terms. African American scholar W.E.B. DuBois was disturbed by these developments in the prison system. In his work, Black Reconstruction, he observed, â€Å"The whole criminal system came to be used as a method of keeping Negroes at work and intimidating them. Consequently there began to be a demand for jails and penitentiaries beyond the natural demand due to the rise of crime.† Legacy of the Black Codes Lives On Today a disproportionate amount of black men are behind bars. In 2016, the Washington Post reported that 7.7 percent of black men between the ages of 25 to 54 are institutionalized compared to 1.6 percent of white men. The newspaper also stated that the prison population has quintupled over the past four decades and that one out of nine black children has a parent in prison. Many ex-convicts can’t vote or get jobs after their release, increasing their chances of recidivism and trapping them in a cycle as relentless as debt peonage. A number of social ills have been blamed for the large numbers of blacks in prison - poverty, single-parent homes and gangs. While these issues may be factors, the Black Codes reveal that since slavery ended those in power have used the criminal justice system as a vehicle to strip African Americans of their liberty. This includes the glaring sentencing disparities between crack and cocaine, a higher police presence in black neighborhoods, and a bail system that requires those  arrested to pay for their release from jail or remain incarcerated if they’re unable to. From slavery onward, the criminal justice system has all too often created insurmountable hurdles for African Americans.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility Essay - 3

Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example The aspect of good and wellness encompasses a comprehensive range of aspects that includes development of the society, and other aspects that promote the general well being of the entire society at large. The main aspect of business organization in this regard comes from their actions and behaviour that is reflected from their actions and strategies. Business organizations do not operate in a vacuum but in a set up that includes multiple stakeholders and hence ethics in business also implies the aspect of relationship that a business organizations hares with its stakeholders. In this regard the scope of business ethics goes beyond the elements of behaviours, relations that helps generate a mutually beneficial relationship with all the stakeholders. The challenge for business organizations lies in promoting an effective balance of profit and societal development that helps generate long term sustainability in the market (Hanson, n.d.). Anglo American is a mining and extraction company that operates around the globe. The company has a fair amount of strategies directed towards ensuring ethical standards in business. Some of the strategies that are being used by the company include a program named ‘Good Citizenship’ that lays down the code of conduct for business operations by following all the legal code of conduct. It has also participated in various community development programs of international organizations like UN. The company works towards social security and human rights with regards to its mining operations that are mostly located in African nations. The company has gone one step up by including the community as a major stakeholder in its business. This way it justifies the popular notion that the ultimate aim of the organization should be the profit to the stakeholders. There is a process named SEAT that helps in evaluating the effects of mining programs and supporting the community by taking up steps such as

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The 7-Lesson Schoolteacher Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The 7-Lesson Schoolteacher - Assignment Example Parents know and understand their children, and are influential in their lives, even as they enter the teen years. The family is the main engine of education. â€Å"A family trained to snitch on each other is likely to be able to conceal any dangerous secrets. I assign a type of extended schooling called "homework", too, so that the surveillance travels into private households, where students might otherwise use free time to learn something unauthorized from a father or mother, or by apprenticing to some wise person in the neighborhood.† (Gatto, 1992) Schooling permits premature parent-child separation, and it does not avoid inappropriate pressure on children. Rose articulated â€Å"School can be a tremendously disori ­enting place. No matter how bad the school, you're going to encounter notions that don't fit with the assumptions and beliefs that you grew up with - maybe you'll hear these dissonant notions from teachers, maybe from the other students, and maybe you'll read them.† (Rose) It is because children spend most of their time at school; therefore, schooling does not create and maintain positive family relationships. Schooling is not good for children because the structure of school assumes that children are not natural learners, but must be forced to learn through the efforts of others. Natural learners do not need such a structure. Schooling is one of the attempts that does not follow the principle of natural learning and does not help children retain the curiosity, interest, and love of learning that every child has at birth.  

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Alcoholic beverage Essay Example for Free

Alcoholic beverage Essay Is the End of the German Beer Industry Near? 1. Discuss how the changing technological environment present international threats and opportunities to the German beer industry. To discuss how changing technological environment presents international threats and opportunities for the German beer industry, the term of changing technological environment has to be explained. The literature distinguishes between a micro environment and a macro environment. Micro environment concludes factors, which are directly influenced by a company. These factors are organizational – Marketing-Mix, Structure, processes etc. Macro environment contains political decisions, cultural and social changes and technological changes (Lee and Carter, 2009). Technological changes can include three sections to improve business processes of companies. The First is through technological innovations in products and processes. For instance producing processes in different Industries are much easier and faster today than before 30 years. Product life cycles are less long today – modern technology allows permanent improvements and innovative new products detach older products. That is a Development of modern Industries, which can be observed (Dicken, 2011). The second one is through communication and information. Technology increases productivity by time saving devices and allowing companies to work in collaboration with team members within a Network, who are not present or the ability of fast access to data from anywhere of the world (Obele, 2004). Furthermore modern Technology allows companies to do consumer or market research in a very short time, especially through the internet which provides opportunities for companies to enter new markets across several countries and regions in a very fast and easy way now (Litan et al. , 2010). The third one is through mobility and innovation in transportation. Today manufacturers are able to transport products with the help of airplanes, trains and ships in a geographical freedom without losing quality of products (Dicken, 2011). By increasing productivity generally through time and space saving devices modern technology provided the German industry opportunities to increase general production output. Improved Information and communication technology (ICT) and innovative transport systems results a less complex of processes to enter new markets by aimed communication and fast distribution. But one of the most important international opportunities that changing technological environment presents to the German beer industry is the improvement in production processes. Process optimisation and increased efficiency are priorities of the most companies. For Instance high-gravity wort fermentation or efficiency of wort sugar uptake are process activities resulting in reduced capital expenditure and gains in economies of scale (Stewart, no date). Economics of scale eventuates when a decline in average cost can be achieved through an increase in output of one product (O’Sullivan A.and Seffrin S. , 2003). In addition many of the big global players are leveraging from innovated brewing and fast fermentation processes. There are heavy investments in brewing development to produce more efficient for instance to exploit ingredients or save water and gain economies of scale. In the USA breweries like Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors managed to dominate the mass-producing sector and gained in economies of scale (Tremblay et al. , 2005). World market leader AB InBev from Belgium owns more then 200 beer brands today, undaunted Becks, a German beer. Local breweries did not attempt to expand in the past and today they are suffering from acquisition of big global players. The device of big breweries is to produce efficient and cheap. But many German customers are struggling against this mass-production provided by modern technology. Most of them argue that the quality of the beer is suffering from mass-production and decide to buy local German beer brands, which are more expensive (Schimansky, 2012). In times of cheap mass-production there are still customers, who are ready to pay more for quality – according to the case study the same applies to emerging markets. So local German breweries could use their quality as a unique selling proposition and start to cooperate and get together by mergers for instance to share costs and risks of overseas operations. It is logical, that only a few German breweries will be able to invest in international operations, because of small financial resources. Therefore maybe only 100 of the 1300 German breweries will stay alive in future – but these breweries will be strong enough to create an availability of German beer internationally. One opportunity for German breweries is to expand to emerging markets like China then, where according to the study customers are ready to pay for quality, as we mentioned. Producing towards the Reinheitsgebot promises that required quality. Referring to the Paper that most of the small German breweries got small financial resources and no experiences in overseas markets, so cooperation with another famous German brewery, as we mentioned, or a joint venture in a foreign country like China to reduce certain risks, costs and gain specific market knowledge, could be profitable. The infrastructure, especially communication and information channels to gain knowledge about local preferences will enhance the way of doing business there. But new technologies and innovative processes provide rival producers new opportunities and form new threats for the German beer industry. By producing more efficient and creative with support of modern producing opportunities beer companies adapt their product following new trend of the new generations. Example is given in the study by offering alcopops or mixed beers etc. Eventually global players, who enter the German market by acquiring German breweries and are close to the market, will be in a position to adapt their own products in the future with support of modern technologies in research methods etc. to gain knowledge of local preferences by ongoing efficient industrialized mass producing processes. And if German breweries still stay small in distribution, big global players will be able to dominate more of the almost saturated market. This is especially because of modern efficient way of brewing and the declining costs involved through economies of scale for example. 2. Discuss the impact of the current economic global crisis upon the operations of the German Beer industry, given that it appears to be fractionalised and has smaller financial resources than its main competitors. According to a publication of the new economics foundation (nef, 2012), the world is in the second phase of an economic crisis, which has a global reach and affects nut just only the world’s major institutions, but also the established ways of thinking. The nef asserts that the contemporary global economic crisis is a continuation of the financial crisis of 2008. In 2008 the world’s third-largest investment bank at that time, Lehman brothers, bankrupted and led to eventual a collapse of the whole financial system. The nef explains that the crisis of 2008 was halted but not resolved. Now the results of the second phase of the global economic crisis are stagnation and austerity to cut public spendings, so the nef. Furthermore the nef argues that austerity is hindering economic growth, because firms sell fewer goods and services and therefore this creates job losses as we can see in Ireland, Greece and now in the United Kingdom. That global economic crisis impacts the beer industry in several countries proves a declining number in annual per capita consumption of beer in Greece, which has been hit hardest among the countries by the beer recession and by the crisis itself (Ewing, 2011). The main impact of the economic global crisis upon of German beer industry is, that more and more people loss their jobs worldwide within the crisis (BBC, 2009). Therefore they are not able to spend much. Because of that they fear about the uncertain future and want to save money. This fear impacts their customers buying behaviour. There is a strong resistance to buying and therefore prices have to be lowered (Herrmann, 2009). In addition more and more people are drinking at home rather then in bars or restaurants to save money. This in turn leads to that more people loss their jobs, especially in the hospitality industry, like Hotels, pubs or restaurants. Furthermore governments are hindering productivity by value-added taxes, which lower consumption and cots jobs (Ewing, 2011). That means that there is a declining buying power and changing careful buying behaviour, especially of price sensitive German customers, like it is told in the study. The paper shows already a declining number of beer consumption, because of some factors, like Trends, demographic changes and government decisions against alcoholic drinks etc. The fact that the people spent less money, as mentioned before, will accelerate this process. The general economic crisis in Europe, like in Greece, Italy and Spain intensified the situation (Bloomberg, 2013). So this countries import less to overcome the crisis and are out of the question of a potential markets. There is one matter occurred within the global economic crisis especially in Europe that could have a huge affect on the German beer industry in future. The European Union follows a common policy outwards in interests of each country. But in times of economic crisis like in Greece, the idea of a common Identity of several nations within the European Union failed. Many Greeks for instance are blaming Germany and France to benefiting from their spending for Greece in order to help (The Independent, 2012). Both are the main supporters for Greece attempt to overcome the crisis by attempt to support investment and economic growth there (RTE, 2012). But as mentioned, not only Greece; Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy are heavily indebted countries, who are next to face the economic crisis in an extreme kind (BBC, 2012). Situations like these can destroy a common relationship between countries within the EU, because everyone seeks for reasons for the fail of the economy in each country and as it had been said especially Greece is blaming the policy of EU about that. This fact forces countries and governments to shut themselves off from the EU and concentrate on local policy, economy and matters instead showing common interest in the EU as a whole. This could lead people to think more nationalized and consumption could concentrate on domestic products instead of expensive imports, like of a good quality German beer, to save money. These happenings, particularly in Europe, show a negative initial situation for German beer industry and as we said above potential markets in Europe in the future. According to the case study the German breweries are fractionalised and got smaller financial resources than their competitors, which is hindering the Industry to expand overseas an enter new markets to gain sustain success and profit. Like Koenig says in the study the German market is saturated and as I said before the economic crisis in Europe precludes a potential market there. Emerging markets are potential markets because for instance of several factors like the market size in China etc. and according to the paper the fact that customers are ready to pay more for quality in emerging markets. Economy in China for example has continued to grow, while the economy in Europe has fallen into a critical situation. Increased consumer spending and the open business policy of China provide really new opportunities for western companies (B2B International, no date). The expansion to such markets is related with new costs, which complicates the operations of the German beer industry, because of small financial resources. Grave et al. (2012) analyzed the beer industry in China in a journal article in the case of Carlsberg. The paper argues that Porter’s (1980) differentiation or focus strategy may work in western countries, but not in emerging ones. The challenge is, it says, to maintain value proposition as a quality beer while responding to local demands. The Five forces industry analysis resulted that there is a high competition in the Chinese beer market, high supplier power, low buyer power, medium threats of entrants with high entry barriers, i. e. language barriers, and low to medium threats of substitutes. So no matter how attractive emerging markets are, it might be risky to enter China; but first you are established, you will gain big success. This success requires financial resources, which German breweries can only gain by consolidation with associated German breweries or joint ventures with Chinese companies. Carlsberg gained big success by Chinese acquisitions and undergone little affects of the economic crisis, so the journal article. So certain German breweries should get together to share costs and try to enter new emerging markets – as we mentioned European and German markets are almost saturated; if they do not try to find new markets, most of them will collapse, raddled from the impacts of the global economic crisis by declining numbers in consumption, less buying power and changes in buying behaviours. 3. With reference to the EU market only, explain how contemporary cultural and social changes might affect the future development of the German Beer industry. Cultural and social changes are macro environmental matters that businesses have to adapt on to stay competitive. Consumer preferences are dynamic and invariably changing. As consumer preferences have to form adaptations, companies have to consider trends to produce goods which satisfy consumer needs in real. Not only demographic changes, on which I will be come back later, but different ethnical, religious, racial groups and changes in proportion of gender within a society can affect companies in their businesses (Richards, no date). By referring to the Paper an important social change is that more and more people in Europe and in the world become more health conscious. This includes government decisions about penalties related with alcohol in public and suggestions, like it says in the study, to general lifestyle and nutrition of the public. Science and medicine promote this trend by distribute the opinion that long term use of alcohol leads to cancer, liver failure, neurological, psychological and social problems (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Wellness products are shaping food markets, especially in Germany. Health is status symbol for newly olds and young people are interested in healthy products, as well to prevent illness (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2010). Further drinking beer has a bad image today. We associate beer drinking with lushes and riots in football stadiums. In an era in which apparently health and wellness plays a significant role, especially people who cares about their outward appearances, do not drink beer, because they do not want a beer-belly (Reilly, 2012). These described trends can have a significant affect on German beer industry, especially in a shrinking market, like the paper says. According to the Study besides this there is a declining number of consumption of beer. A low birth rate in Germany, within a declining number of population impacts every area in life and influence economy, as well. (Bundesministerium des Innern, 2011). Particularly demographic changes in Germany and Europe lead to a cease of the core target group. A low birth rate in Germany, within a declining number of population impacts every area in life and influence economy, as well. In addition the case study provides that younger generations prefer to drink alcopops and mixed beers instead of traditional beer. The beer industry recognized the demand and for example the German brewery Schofferhofer gained a big success in 2007 with Schofferhofer Grapefruit – a mixed wheat beer with grapefruit extract. Bitburger, another famous German brewery introduced Copa, a Caipirinha flavoured beer and a pomegranate flavoured one, containing less alcohol to satisfy health awareness of customers (Strohmaier, 2007). Therefore more German breweries have to adapt their beers to local consumer preferences and trends to gain sustainable success in future, which is associated with new costs, like for research and development. Small breweries are threatened, because of small financial resources. Besides that the sophisticated choice of alcoholic drinks is wine, as the study says. At this end the low consumption of beer, changing buying behaviour of German price sensitive customers and less buying power of customers in Europe within the economic global crisis reduce chances of German beer industries of a positive development in the future at the moment. In addition cultural and social changes, like demographic changes, health consciousness, trends of new generations and government behaviour against alcohol consumption, argued above, are threats for the German beer industry, especially in the case of small breweries.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Issues of Neglected Children Essay -- Child Abuse Neglect Childhoo

The Issues of Neglected Children â€Å" â€Å"Child†: means a boy or a girl apparently or effectively aged less than eighteen years† (Van Stolk 146). â€Å"Rich kids, middle-class kids, poor kids - all deal with risk and neglect on a scale unimagined in previous generations† (Hewitt 11). There are problems of poverty, absentee parents, divorce, violence and drugs, plus much more that is simply out of hand. Deprivation and rejection dominate the lives of many children, among both poor and middle-class. We cannot ensure the safety of children on the streets or in our homes. On the educational front the news is even more disturbing, since underachievement and failure are now very popular. Something else that contributes to child neglect is a fast rate of family breakdown. This is an effect of divorce and rapid increase in single parent pregnancies. Couples marrying today face an even higher chance of divorcing at some point during their lives together. â€Å"A family’s deterioration can come about in ways other than separation† (Wilson 50). Staying together, in certain conditions and situations may increase further economical or psychological problems that may affect the child. Social attitudes today are scarcely more tolerant. â€Å"With the ratio of one divorce in four marriages moving towards one in three, we have been forced to look beyond those unexamined assumptions to asses realistically the changing role and changing needs of the family in Canadian society† ( Canadian Council 28). For women, and their children, divorce can often put severe economic hardships on them. Another part of family breakdown can occur when the absence of a male presence or male support to single mother families. â€Å"In the years following divorce living standards for ex-wives drop by an average of 30 percent while those for men rise an 8 percent† (Hewitt 41). Although babies from teenage girls have declined, the unmarried single parent teenagers who have children has risen rapidly. â€Å"There are now close to half a million live births to unwed teenagers every year† (Hewitt 41). The children in our society are defined by their dependent status. â€Å"From birth, to early adulthood, children must look to others to provide the adequate and dependable economic support required to meet their needs† (Canadian Council 21). Even in early childhood, they cannot support themselves and even if th... ...ore worth doing than easing the pain and improving the life chances of vulnerable, blameless children† (Hewitt 283). We need to invest in our children to save ourselves from further disaster. An additional distinctive character, is if we revise our civil policies so that children may prosper, it will greatly improve the economic status of women. â€Å"Enhancing and enforcing child support awards eases the lives of the children of divorce but also bolsters the standard living of ex-wives; mandating parental leave improves life circumstances of infants but also protects the earning power of women and reduces wage gap..† (Hewitt 282). â€Å"If we fail to look after our children they will drag this nation down† (Hewitt 10). Bibliography: 1. Canadian Council on Children and Youth. Admittance restricted: The child as citizen in Canada. Ottawa, Ont. , c1978. 2. Hewitt, Sylvia Ann. When the bough breaks: the cost of neglecting our children. New York, New York. 1987. 3. Van Stolk, Mary. The battered child in Canada. Rev. ed.Toronto, McClelland and Stewart, c1978. 4. Wilson, Jeffrey. Up against it : Children and the law in Canada. Toronto, Anasi. c1980.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Conflict and resolving issues sources of conflict and conflict resolution Essay

Hello everyone. My name is Isaac and welcome to my presentation. First of all I would like to give thanks to our honorable course instructor for organizing such a pretty session. Well, today the topic of my presentation is about conflict and resolving issues. So here I will discuss about conflict and resolving issues, sources of conflict and conflict resolution. Many people lead busy and challenging lives, so they encounter conflict on a daily basis and sometimes hourly basis at home or at work. As for the people who become engaged in conflict, they rarely have any or little understanding about the roots of conflicts or how to manage it when it happens. The entire other level that many people fail to understand is how regularly they encounter conflict and how difficult it can be to find a solution. As human we are regularly being placed in situations where conflict can occur and how we respond to it is grounded on different personalities. Conflict is an inevitable factor in our daily personal and professional lives. We are surrounded by conflict even if we may not recognize it. Usually we don’t like to experience conflict, although we enjoy watching others deal with it. For example, television shows highlight the fact that arguments, disputes, and disagreements are normal and a relevant part of life. Conflicts can result for various reasons, including miscommunication, differing values, relationship breakdowns and lack of information. In the workplace conflicts, divergent needs are usually at the heart of bitter disputes. A conflict can occur at any time when two or more people have a difference of opinion. Whether or not the conflict expands rely on the resolving skills of each person involved in the conflict and analyze the elements of conflict and resolving issues involved in the situation. While knowledge in resolving issues skills and negotiation tactics can result to successful conflict resolution, the outcome lies strictly in the hands and mental abilities of the conflict initiator. When you acknowledge the legitimacy of conflicting needs and become willing to analyze them in a surrounding of compassionate understanding, it open pathways to team building, creative problem solving and improved relationship. When you resolve conflict and disputes quickly and painlessly, mutual trust flourish. Basically, the capability to successfully manage and resolve conflicting issues rely on the four conflict resolution skills; swiftly relieve stress, recognizing and managing your emotions, improving your non verbal communication skills, and using humor and play to deal with problems. In conclusion,conflict is a normal and even healthy part of life. Furthermore, two people cannot be expected to agree on everything at all times. Resolving issues is an approach that we require all throughout our lives. Conflict is obviously unavoidable no matter what precautions are taken, but resolving issue is always possible if done correctly. Feelings of frustration may happen, but resolving conflict can make such a difference in our interpersonal relationships rather than just avoiding it. It may appear hard at times to resolve the conflict and reach a median, but in the end, regardless of the difficulty, it will be well worth it and will improve our performance. References Akgun, Serap, and Arzu Araz. â€Å"The Effects of Conflict Resolution Education on Conflict Resolution Skills, Social Competence, and Aggression in Turkish Elementary School Students.† Journal of Peace Education (2014): 30-45. Print. Nan, Susan Allen. â€Å"Consciousness in Culture-based Conflict and Conflict Resolution.† Conflict Resolution Quarterly (2012): 239-62. Print. Source document

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Observations of Child Development

This paper will discuss a child that was observed on a number of occasions in their family setting at home. It will explore the student social worker's understanding of child development linking theory and reality.. A critical account based on six observations sessions of the child development on†¦.. Drawing on what has been seen and student knowledge on appropriate milestones, literature research and social work theory.The student will reflect on their role as an observer and what has been learnt during the process of observation and it's relevance to social work Different areas of development are inter-related. The ideas, language, communication, feelings, relationships and other cultural elements among which each child is brought up influence his or her development profoundly. (Carolyn Megabit and Gerald Cumberland) (2000) Child Development : An illustrated guide. Henchman.The skills of observation are important and the importance of tone of voice and body language, particula rly when the words spoken might be saying something completely different. Sometimes observing teaches you things that you can't be told and sometimes we are tuned to listen instead of look. A part of the process of becoming a social worker is observation. Observation is the power to see what isn't obvious. Observation is seeing and hearing, and also seeing what's missing, picking up on what is omitted, analytically processing whilst doing the observation.It's important we understand observation is a powerful tool in our assessment and intervention. Observing is an essential skill for everyone working with children. ( Carolyn Megabit and Gerald Cumberland) (2000). Observation helps social workers and students to reflect upon situations before intervening (Pat El Richer and Karee Tanner) Using observational methods are helpful in describing individual's behavior as they interact in real time; and allow the reader to create a verbal picture of the behaviors as they unfold.This is impor tant when social workers are working with children and families in their home (Pipelining, 1996:1), and there is a growing recognition in social work literature around observation in practice (Richer & Tanner, 1998:17). On my first observation I was not nervous but did feel intrusive about entering the Morris's home, I had meet them a few days before and they were very welcoming which eased some of the anxieties I had. I know that as a qualified social worker on some occasions (e. G. Hill protection) I will be meeting the family for the first time when conducting a home visit and they might not be welcoming.Taking the role of observer is what I was most apprehensive about, I was unsure of what to expect on†¦ Cognitive and language development Cognitive or intellectual development is development of the mind- the part of the brain that that is used for recognizing, reasoning, knowing and understanding. Language development is development of communication skills : Receptive speech : what a person understands Expressive speech- the words the persons produces Articulation- the person's actual pronunciations of wordsETC can build towers, can copy a building pattern of three or more cubes 3 years ; Remember and repeat songs and nursery rhymes ; Use personal pronouns and plurals correctly and give their own name and sex and sometimes age ; Carry on simple conversations, often missing link words such as the and is ; Learn to speak more than one language if they hear more than one language spoken around them as they grow ; Enjoys listening to and making music ; Can control their attention, choosing to stop an activity and return to it without much difficulty ; Counts by rote up to ten or more Enjoys playing on the floor with bricks, boxes, toy trains and dolls ;Joins in active make-believe play ; y with other children A Child Observation Assignment By Marie Tree Date Posted: December 1 5th This article was written by Marie Tree in 2010 as a record of her child obser vation assignment for her post-qualifying Specialist Social Work Award course at Portsmouth University. When submitting it article Marie wrote remarked that when completing this assignment she was taken â€Å"back to my early days in the sass's when I did have what now seems the luxury of reflecting on my practice. † [pick] Marie Tree In childhood, everything was more vivid – the sun brighter, the smell of fields sharper, the thunder louder, the rain more abundant and the grass taller†.Constantine Passports The context for my observation was a local authority Children's Centre which provides Offset registered care for babies and children between O months and 5 years. The Children's Centre has been classed as ‘Outstanding' by Offset since June 2006 and has been working with children with additional needs since the sass's. The setting was a group of 12 children of mixed sexes, all of mixed abilities such as physical and learning difficulties. The group was we ll staffed (by women) with some children having one to one support. The setting is headed by a teacher and the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum guides the work, and the children learn through play.The observations were based upon the Atavistic model (Pick 1964) and my remit was to observe a child for lax hours and record my observations after the sessions. I also included my reflections, dilemmas and prejudices with my seminar group. The staff at the Children's Centre were aware of my role, and the purpose of my observations. A oh year old little girl was selected and I shall call her Anna (pseudonym). I had no contact with Anna's parents, although the Children's Centre informed them of my remit and they gave their written consent. The first session took place after lunch and I placed myself at the back of the room, discreetly tucked into a corner hoping that my presence would not be noticed. How wrong I was!The room was filled with an array of spontaneous discoveries, books, toys, computers, sand, paint and dressing up clothes and the clutter of noise and emotions reminded me of my own home where I have three young children, where exploring the world extends their nascent theories as to how the world works. Initially, I found it very difficult to sit and focus on Anna solely, as I was used to talking and making eye contact with children, and not being able to engage or speak was difficult. For the first session, I watched Anna intently and I had to clear my head of any Judgments of her which were purely based on bits of information I had picked up from staff.I had based assumptions of Anna's background and life, which were purely speculative and ill informed. It was this reflection that helped me focus between fact and feeling and challenging myself on how the information I had been given about Anna had given considerable weight in owe I thought she might play and socialize with other children. I needed to separate these two contradictory parts (Goldst ein, 1990). I watched Anna carefully glide from one activity to the next, first playing with the sand letting it quickly sift through her fingers and making shapes and marks with the palms of her hands. She slowly toddled off when a young boy, eager to play more adventurously nudged her out of the way.Watching Anna play, I did think of her goals and what she was trying to create through her thought and actions, and I did think of Piglet's (1973) theory on children's cognitive development. Again, I had to challenge my assumptions on stages of Piglet's theory as they are not fixed and concrete in any child. On several occasions, children came up to me bringing toys, books and requests to go to the toilet, and at one point, a young child stood in front of me for what seemed like a very long time. I replied only briefly to the children and avoided eye contact when possible. My desire to become involved with the children was very strong, and it was difficult to refuse a simple request fr om a small child.However, remaining in a passive role allowed me to stand back and slow down and examine in detail the allegations with the child. (Bridge et al, 1996, p. 1 13). The method of sitting observing Anna was at times alien to me and having no prescriptive focus other than observe made me feel vulnerable. It felt like the anxieties that Seal (2003) identified in his work as ‘professionals giving up control and being open to what is emerging'. (Seal, 2003, p. 16). How I managed my feelings around observing Anna also reminded me of the work by Isabel Minimizes Lath (1989) who wrote about anxiety and how its experience, expression and sublimations are a major factor in determining personal ND institutional behavior.I often refer to the work of Isabel Minimizes Lath when I am faced with uncertainties, and it is my acknowledgment and containment of these feelings that will impact on the overall work that I do with children and their families. In the room with Anna, I had to contain my feelings around the observation. Anna continued throughout my observation to drift from one activity to the next. At one point, I observed her clasp the hand of a worker and pull her gently towards the book corner. The worker gently tapped the hand of Anna, letting her know she was aware of the request. At that moment, I thought of how unique and complex children are as they do not have the language to explain how they think and explore the world that surrounds them. By slowing down and observing them, we have the advantage and a willingness to speculate.Ending the hour observation was less problematic than I thought and I quietly put my coat on and said goodbye with a few children holding gaze with me as I left the room. In the next session with Anna, I felt more relaxed and in tune with what I was trying to do. It was much more comfortable not having to put any kind of theory into practice. I had the added luxury of not having paper and pens or an assessment to compl ete. It was a time to observe Anna and explore my own feelings. Anna made eye contact with me on a few occasions and I would not be convinced that she knew that I was watching her; however, that is purely my interpretation. In this session, Anna lay dozing on and off on a bean bag, and although she already had had a nap earlier, she seemed somewhat tired and lethargic that day.Beside Anna, on a separate beanbag, lay a child with cerebral palsy, and at that moment, I felt a gush of emotion run through me, and I was minded of my own child with learning and mobility problems. Two children, side by side, one able bodied and the other, confined to a soft cushion. Rusting (2004) identifies this problem well and suggests that recognizing feelings and working with this is very important in the work that we do. I am aware as a practitioner, that we risk professional dangerousness if our roles and boundaries are not clearly defined. Our relationships with clients need to be based on objectivi ty and self awareness. This allows us to step outside our emotional needs and to be sensitive to the needs of others. (HOMOS, 1988: Protecting Children).I believe for any effective intervention, the worker must remain quite distinct and separate, whole and intact. It was good to be able to discuss my feelings with my seminar group and it is Erikson (1950) who talks about basic trust as the first stage of the eight stages of man. I believe that talking about observations was now similar to that described by Wainscot (1965) as holding and Boon (1962) as containing, and what emerged from the seminar group was a secure base where thoughts and feelings could be openly discussed amongst ourselves, and it was the first time that as a seminar group, that we spoke freely and openly about experiences during observations.The remaining sessions observing Anna became enjoyable and watching her play was fascinating as her tiny hands grasped and touched the toys and objects around her. By observin g her, I was to enter her world of self wonderment and capture moments by focusing solely on her. I am aware of the importance of endings and although I had clearly given my remit to the staff, I said goodbye to the children and thanked them for allowing me to sit in their class. I think that they were more interested in circle time and the nursery rhymes to notice my quiet departure from the room. Conclusion Observing Anna had brought back the sense of refocusing on the child and their world. Being able to discuss feelings within the seminar group helped to contain hidden ideologies and prejudices within myself.Humphreys (1988) puts this very well by describing ‘perspective transformation' in which we can reflect and challenge our belief system, and through this, transformation occurs. Having no social work task to do was a luxury. To sit and observe was a chance to explore the children's lack of power, vulnerability and dependence on adults. So much of social work time is sp ent n the speed of completing assessments, ticking boxes, and only the neediest of children receive a service. In my view, much is lost to the benefits of observing children. Too often, only a snapshot of a child is all that a social worker can grasp when working with children and much is lost by not having a space for reflective and analytical practice which gives the worker a platform to critically evaluate and challenge their work.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Animal Cruelty and Circuses

Animal Cruelty and Circuses Most accusations of animal cruelty in circuses focus on the  elephants, but from an animal rights perspective, no animals should be forced to perform tricks in order to earn money for their human captors. Circuses and Animal Rights The animal rights position is that animals have a right to be free of human use and exploitation. In a vegan world, animals would interact with humans when and if they want to, not because they are chained to a stake or trapped in a cage. Animal rights is not about bigger cages or more humane training methods; its about not using or exploiting animals for food, clothing, or entertainment. Attention has focused on elephants because they are considered by many to be highly intelligent, are the largest circus animals, may be the most abused,  and arguably suffer more in captivity than smaller animals. However, animal rights is not about  ranking or quantifying suffering, because all sentient beings deserve to be free. Circuses and Animal Welfare The animal welfare position  is that humans have a right to use animals, but cannot harm animals gratuitously and must treat them humanely. What is considered humane varies greatly. Many animal welfare advocates consider fur, foie gras, and cosmetics testing  to be frivolous uses of animals, with too much animal suffering and not much benefit to humans. Some animal welfare advocates would say that eating meat is morally acceptable as long as the animals were raised and slaughtered humanely.   Regarding circuses, some animal welfare advocates would support keeping animals in circuses as long as training methods are not too cruel. Los Angeles recently banned the use of bullhooks, a sharp tool that is used as punishment in training elephants.  Many would support a ban on wild or exotic animals in circuses. Circus Cruelty Animals in circuses are often beaten, shocked,  kicked, or cruelly confined in order to train them to be obedient and do tricks. With elephants, the abuse begins when they are babies to break their spirits. All four of the baby elephants legs are chained or tied for up to 23 hours per day. While they are chained, they are beaten and shocked with electric prods. It can take up to six months before they learn that struggling is futile. The abuse continues into adulthood, and they are never free of the bullhooks that puncture their skin. Bloody wounds are covered with makeup to conceal them from the public. Some argue that elephants  must love performing because you cant bully such a large animal into doing tricks, but with the weapons at their disposal and years of physical abuse, elephant trainers can usually beat them into submission.  There are, however, tragic cases where the elephants rampaged and/or killed their tormentors, leading to the elephants being put down.   Elephants are not the only victims of abuse in circuses. According to Big Cat Rescue, lions and tigers also suffer at the hands of their trainers:  Often the cats are beaten, starved, and confined for long periods of time in order to get them to cooperate with what the trainers want.  And life on the road means that most of a cat’s life is spent in a circus wagon in the back of a semi-truck or in a crowded, stinking box car on a train or barge. An investigation of one circus by Animal Defenders International found that the dancing bears spend around 90% of their time shut in their cages inside a trailer. Their time outside these miserable prison cells generally averages just 10 minutes a day on weekdays and 20 minutes on weekends. ADIs video shows one bear desperately circling a small steel cage measuring about 31/2 feet wide, by 6ft deep and about 8ft high. The steel floor of this barren cage is covered in just a scattering of sawdust. With horses, dogs, and other domesticated animals, training and confinement may not be as torturous, but any time an animal is used commercially, the animals well-being is not the first priority.   Even if the circuses did not engage in cruel training or extreme confinement methods (zoos generally do not engage in cruel training or extreme confinement, but still violate the animals rights), animal rights advocates would oppose the use of animals in circuses because of breeding, buying selling and confining animals violates their rights. Circus Animals and the  Law Bolivia was the first country in the world to ban animals in circuses. China and Greece followed. The United Kingdom has banned the use of wild animals in circuses, but allows domesticated animals to be used. In the United States, the federal Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act would ban the use of nonhuman primates, elephants, lions, tigers, and other species in circuses, but has not been passed yet. While no U.S. states have banned animals in circuses,  at least seventeen towns  have banned them. The welfare of the animals in circuses in the U.S. is governed by the Animal Welfare Act, which offers only the bare minimum of protection and does not prohibit the use of bullhooks or electric prods. Other laws, like the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act  protect certain animals, such as elephants and sea lions. A lawsuit against Ringling Brothers was dismissed based on a finding that  plaintiffs did not have standing; the court did not rule on the cruelty allegations. The Solution While some animal advocates want to regulate the use of animals in circuses, circuses with animals will never be considered completely cruelty-free. Also, some advocates believe that a ban on bullhooks just causes the practice to remain backstage and does little to help the animals.   The solution is to go vegan, boycott circuses with animals, and support animal-free circuses, such as Cirque du Soleil  and Cirque Dreams.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Write a Good Literature Review Paper

How to Write a Good Literature Review Paper How to Write a Good Literature Review Paper A literature review can differ from other assignments, but it is basically a review, which defines the rationale and the preface regarding the primary research. It is essential that a literature review be included since it is mandatory in a research paper. The basic objective is to examine, while being very critical, a part of a published source from its classification, summary, and assessment by using previous research studies, theoretical studies, and assessment of literature. Meanwhile, while writing the introduction, the scholar needs to define the main topic, the problem or the area or concern, which would give the necessary background for a literature review. The student needs to mention the basic trends which have been written about the topic; or evidence, methodology, conflicts in theory, and conclusions; or scholarship and gaps in research; or different view of immediate interest, or a unique problem. Moreover, the writer’s opinion and point of view needs to be established, the scope, the sequence, and the criterion for analyzing the literature needs to be mentioned. Once you move to the body, you need to combine research articles and different sorts of literature such as case studies, theoretical articles, and reviews, which should all have common factors, such as objectives, author’s conclusions, quantitative versus qualitative approach etc. The writer should summarize all the individual articles, and components, which may include small or large amounts of details, depending on merit. Keep in mind that the length of writing signifies its importance. You need to give the reader well balanced information, and structure in the beginning, body, and conclusion so that there is sufficient comprehension of the knowledge provided. While drafting the conclusion, sum up the main contributions of the important studies, and incorporate them into the main body of the thesis draft, while making sure that the focus and theme created in the beginning of the dissertation is maintained in the writing of the draft. You then need to analyze the existing state of the art regarding the body of information, which has been reviewed. Pick out the main methodological gaps, or errors, while carrying out the research, irregularities in the findings and in theory, and issues and areas which are essential for future study. Conclude the paper by giving some of ideas of the link between the main essence of the literature review and the superior area of study, for example, the profession, scientific endeavor and the discipline. The student needs to make sure that the main elements of the topic are covered, and that the thesis statement is relevant to the text written in the draft. Moreover, there needs to be sufficient attention given to the minor concerns such as good grammar free of mistakes, and correct sentence structure. Also, complete the paper well before the deadline so that there is sufficient time to proofread the paper and make sure that it is in a perfect condition before it is submitted. You can also order such a paper online to find out how a proper literature review paper looks like, and save yourself a lot of stress concerned with reviewing and studying guides. Do not hesitate to ask our service for literature review writing help provided by professionals!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Political cartoon Gay marriage Threat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political cartoon Gay marriage Threat - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that gay marriage has lately become an extensive contemporary debate across individual, social and political contexts. Cultural and social beliefs on sexuality matters have always differed from legal provisions on the same topic. While cultures and societies are guided by norms, traditions, customs and beliefs, the legal system is driven by rights and freedoms of individual persons. As a result, legal systems are known to provide for homosexuality amid social concerns and belief for heterosexuality. The political systems around the world have shown a significant role in the gay marriage issue, with some advocating for gay marriage and others against. The political cartoon by Mike Luckovich which goes by the title â€Å"Gay marriage Threat† is a current presentation of the views and opinions of persons, political leaders and the gay marriage fraternity. Discussions on this issue have exacerbated in the recent past, with powerful leade rs such as Barack Obama, the President of the United States, airing his take on the matter. Concerns surrounding gay marriage are diverse and far-reaching. While some social settings have incorporated gay relationships as a normal and rightful social phenomenon, others have remained adamantly against it. The role of politics in this matter have cannot be ignored. Political leaders and systems of governance remain split for and against homosexuality.