The Constitutional Principle of Separation of Church and State Essay

The Constitutional Principle of Separation of Church and State It has been suggested that there is currently a culture war taking place in the United States. Depending on who you listen to, you will get vastly different descriptions of the two sides. Some will insist that the fight is between the upholders of strong Christian, moral values and godless, secular-minded, moral relativists. Others will tell you that defenders of religious freedom and rational thought are battling religious fundamentalists who wish to impose their radically conservative views on the whole of the American populace. Regardless of which way you view the debate, the entire so-called â€Å"culture war† boils down to a basic disagreement over the place of religion in public life. In light of President Bush’s recent nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, I believe it is prudent to have a thorough discussion of the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state, because how the Supreme Court rules on issues related to this principle in the future will have a profound impact on how we define ourselves as a country. In order to conduct a thorough inquiry into this debate, I believe it is necessary to start at the beginning and attempt to discern how our founding fathers viewed religion’s place in public life, and how they relayed this view in the First Amendment. After I have done this, I will try to apply some of the principles I have gathered to current hot-button social issues which are likely to come before the Supreme Court in the not too distant future. Proponents of a highly limited separation of church and state often argue that America’s founding fathers would be appalled at the extent to which the Judeo... ...ically examine the people we choose to let sit on our nation’s highest court. No person should be afforded a free ride to a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court without some assurances that they will protect and uphold basic Constitutional principles such as the separation of church and state. Failing to do so might well lead to a nation in which we are all less free, just the kind of nation that our founding fathers went to such extraordinary and terrific lengths to avoid. Works Cited Feldman, Noah. "God, government and you." USA Today 10/17/2005. Allen, Brooke. "Our Godless Constitution." Nation 280.7 (2005): 14-20. Isaacson, Walter. "God of Our Fathers." Time July 2004: 62-63. Jacoby, Susan. "In Praise of Secularism." Nation 278.15 (2004): 14-18. Boston, Rob. "James Madison and Church-State Separation." Church & State 54.3 (2001): 10-14.

Comparing Retribution in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Roy’s The God O

Comparing Retribution in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Roy’s The God Of Small Things A close look at two novels, Things Fall Apart, and The God Of Small Things, reveals examples of how their authors illustrate that fate supplies retribution for wrongs done. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, there are three linked instances of this type of retribution. First, Ikemefuna details an innocent young man who is unknowingly punished for the crime of another person. Second, Okonkwo is exiled from his village for an accidental crime. Achebe suggests that this is more than coincidence, that this is repayment for his intentional murder of the boy who called him â€Å"father.† Finally, it is suggested that this punishment is also a consequence of his excessive pride. Without Okonkwo’s fear of weakness, he could have avoided killing the innocent Ikemefuna. In a completely different continent and time period, Arundhati Roy’s novel The God Of Small Things expresses very similar occurrences of retribution. In Roy’s novel, three pe ople’s lives are altered for the worse because of their involvement in two deaths. Ammu makes selfish and hasty decisions that end up coming back to haunt both her and her children. This in turn influences her children to make similar decisions, which prolong the cycle of punishment in their lives. The first instance of fated punishment we find in Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, is in the death of a teenage boy, Ikemefuna. In this particular example, the burden of the crime is not borne by the guilty party. Ikemefuna, innocent of any crime himself, is forced from his village as payment for the crime of a member of his Mbaino community. More specifically, Ikemefuna’s father was involved i... ...ish. After all, they are set on different continents, and in different time periods. However it is clear that Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, and The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy in truth, share a great deal of common ground. On multiple occasions in each novel, characters experience a grave twist of fate that can be attributed to the selfish actions of themselves or someone close to them. This explains why the most interesting similarity these two novels share is the underlying tension, and tone of fated retribution that is detailed above.   Ã‚   Works Cited 1. Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Twentieth Century. Ed. M. H. Abrams. W. W. Norton &Co. Inc.: New York, 2000. 2617-2706.    2. Roy, Arundhati. The God Of Small Things. HarperCollins Publishers Inc.: New York, 1997.

A Farewell to Arms: a Classic Display of Literature Essay

Ernest Hemmingway’s † A Farewell To Arms† is a classic display of literature. The way he develops his characters is ingenious. In the beginning of the story I did not like the way it was going. As I read deeper into the book, â€Å"A Farewell To Arms† I discovered the complexity of the characters themselves. I discovered that Frederic Henry was a rather complex character as well. When you are finally given the full picture of Frederic Henry, you realize that he can be described in several different ways. First, Frederic Henry is a round and very dynamic character. You also realize that because Mr. Henry’s mannerisms are so easily recognizable, he is a stock character as well. The point of view in the story is written in first person. The first person point of view is that of Frederic Henry. The stories underlying theme is identity. Throughout the whole story Frederic Henry is revealing himself to the audience and discovering himself at the same time. A secondary theme in the story is that Catherine, Frederic’s love interest, is slightly crazy. Throughout the story, I was intrigued by the things that Frederic Henry revealed to the audience. While reading the story it was as if you were right there with Frederic, going through the same things he did, and knowing every intimate detail. The aspects that Frederic Henry display are the aspects of a well developed character and a true war hero. The first aspect I would like to touch on is that Frederic Henry is a well-rounded character. As the story progresses we learn more and more about the character Frederic Henry. Though it may seem like a small point, a good example of how we learn more about Frederic as the story progresses is the fact that he is nameless in the first four chapters. Throughout the first four chapters, Frederic Henry is referred to as â€Å"lieutenant† by his peers and â€Å"baby† by his girlfriend. Its not until chapter five that he is referred to as â€Å"Mr. Henry†. Then we learn his full name, Frederic Henry, in chapter thirteen. Another example of Frederic Henry being a round character is that he is closely involved in just about every part of the story. Of course he would have to be involved in the majority of the story because it’s basically the confession of his life. The entire story we learn about Mr. Henry, and we watch him grow to become a good man. Even when Frederic is not involved in the seen, he is still involved in many aspects of the scene. As other characters converse we still learn more about Frederic Henry and his relationship with each character. The second aspect of Frederic Henry as a character that I would like to display is the fact that he is a very dynamic character. Throughout the entire story Frederic Henry grows and changes. In the beginning Frederic is part of a group of soldiers. But as the story progresses and he and Catherine fall more into love Frederic begins to isolate he and Catherine from the group. Instead of saying â€Å"we† in accordance to his group of friends he uses â€Å"we† to represent him and Catherine. Aside from isolating himself from his group of friends Frederic Henry changes from a rather self-centered person to a caring person. Instead of planning for his future and living to fulfill his needs he begins involving Catherine in the picture as well. Not only does he change in respect to Catherine but he changes in respect to other characters as well. Mr. Henry begins to look out for others needs, particularly in the battles he is involved with. A great example of this is when Frederic gets injured badly he insists that the other soldiers be treated first. (Lewis, 46) There are countless other times when Frederic tries to help other soldiers, showing complete selflessness, but unfortunately fails. Though he failed to save Catherine, he showed major change from the way he was at the beginning of the story when he did all he could to save her. As the story progresses Frederic grows more and more familiar to the audience and his personality becomes more audience friendly. The third aspect of Frederic Henry’s character is that he is a stock character. A stock character is a character that is easily identifiable by the way they behave. Frederic Henry is very easy to identify. First off he almost always speaks in the plural form. For example, when he buys himself a gun he turns to Catherine and says, † now we are fully armed†, as if she too is armed. (Monteiro, 71) Another characteristic that Frederic Henry has, is that he is always trying to help other people. Throughout the entire story there are examples of he and his men out on the battlefield, and Frederic coming to someone’s aid. Since this behavior takes place so many times you automatically know that it is Frederic Henry who is coming to the rescue. The event that is most memorable is when Frederic and his men are captured and Frederic manages to help all his men escape. Upon the escape Frederic rows he and his crew for over twenty miles to safety, in Switzerland. (Gellens, 45) The point of view in â€Å"A Farewell To Arms†, is a first person point of view. The interesting thing is that even though it’s a first person point of view, it’s a first person point of view that is expressed in a plural sense. All threw the story Frederic Henry uses the phrase â€Å"we† to refer to himself and his group of friends. Another interesting thing is that later into the story Frederic’s usage of the word â€Å"we† changes from referring to his group of friends to his relationship with Catherine. The story is also a confession in a way. It’s a confession because as he tells the story he admits to his shortcomings early on. Not only does he admit his shortcomings but it’s as if he needed to expresses his regret for the people he was not able save. (Lewis, 46) The entire story is told from Frederic Henry’s perspective. You see things as they happen through his eyes only. While telling the story Frederic Henry sounds almost apologetic, and when he retells his adventures, he uses a negative tone. The theme in the story is identity. The whole point of the story is Frederic Henry revealing himself to the audience and essentially explaining who he is. Time after time Frederic lets the audience in on intimate details. By explaining himself and his actions it is easier for the audience to identify with Frederic and put themselves in his place. By putting the audience member in his place, he forces you to participate in every adventure he goes through. A secondary theme is presented as well. The secondary theme is one that portrays Catherine. Some skeptics think that Catherine’s central theme is craziness. (Lewis, 46) throughout the storyt she is called crazy and is referred to as the crazy one. Catherine even refers to herself as being crazy. An example of when Catherine refers to herself as crazy is when she says, â€Å"I haven’t been happy for a long time, and when I met you perhaps I was a nearly crazy. † She questions her sanity again when Frederic says † I don’t want you to get Scotch and crazy tonight† and the Catherine replies â€Å"I am Scotch and crazy†. (Lewis, 102) Some interesting points about Frederic Henry’s character is that he is actually the antagonist as opposed to the protagonist. (Lewis, 46) The evidence for such an argument is all throughout the story. Time after time Frederic tries to save people, but fails almost every time. Such a quality brings hope into the eyes of the audience but then lets them down time and time again. Though there were several successful escapes and rescues the failures still outweighed the successes. In the beginning of the story Frederic’s self-centeredness is rather annoying and makes you dislike him. Self-centeredness is the quality of an antagonist. Ernest Hemmingway’s â€Å"A Farewell To Arms† was all in all a good story. It displayed the trials and tribulations of an American soldier during wartime. The character Frederic Henry is a well-rounded and dynamic character. The fact that Frederic Henry was a stock character made him easy to recognize and therefore made the story easier to follow. Though the story was told through a first person point of view Ernest Hemmingway kept the story interesting by telling it through a plural first person. The underlying theme of the story was identity. Frederic spent the whole story explaining who he was to the audience. The way Frederic told the story, he made it easy for the audience member to identify with him, therefore making it easier for the audience member to put themselves in his place. An interesting secondary theme is the theme that implies Catherine is crazy. Because of things Catherine says and does the crazy theme seems to fit her personality. Throughout the story there is plenty of evidence of all these things and these aspects made the story even better and much more fun to read. Gellens, Jay. Twentieth Century Interpretations of A Farewell To Arms. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. 1970. Lewis, Robert. A Farewell To Arms (A War With Words). New York, 1992. Monteiro, George. Critical Essays On: Ernest Hemmingway’s A Farewell To Arms. New York, 1994.

Child Marriage Research Paper Essay

Child Marriage: Why is the Act Performed Throughout Countries Around the World? According to the International Center for Research on Women, â€Å"if present child marriage trends continue, more than 142 million girls worldwide will be forced to marry adult men during the next decade-the equivalent of 38,000 girls every day.† Child marriage is defined as marriage before the age of eighteen (International Center for Research on Women, 2012). This marriage is usually forced and comes as a shock to the young girl. Any day, at anytime, a young girl can be taken from her home, sold, married off, and forced to live a life full of threats, violence, and abuse. When I first heard of child marriage I assumed that it happens in countries that aren’t that well off, whom are still living in poverty. I was taken aback when I found out that child marriage is a practice affecting women all over the world: Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and in some communities in Europe and the America ns (Worden, 2010). I want to find out all the usual questions one would ask about a problem in the world today: how, when, who, where, and WHY does child marriage even happen in all of these countries?! After researching these questions in depth, amongst a few of these countries I want to look into what child marriage may have in common in these different countries. In Afghanistan, statistics show that an estimate of 67 percent of all marriages are forced and approximately 57 percent of girls are married before the age of 16. (The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, 2010). Child marriage occurs in Afghanistan despite certain laws that have been made, due to culture and traditions, protection of the child, and economic problems families may face. Child marriage has been part of Afghan culture for thousands of years, and trying to rid a country of a culture event angers a lot of the people living in Afghanistan. Child marriage is known to be apart of Afghan culture as a form of protection. W hen one tries to put an end to child marriage in Afghanistan, the Afghans view this as going against the culture and traditions of the community (Yousef, 2013). Parents of a young girl, believe they are doing the right thing by selling, giving away, or exchanging their child because they know she will be clothed, fed, and sheltered from the violence and sexual abuse that the country of Afghanistan is faced with. Under Afghanistans  constitution, the minimum age for females is 16, but in rural and urban areas the tradition of marrying off daughters while young in order to receive money remains common among the poor. (Irinnews.org) Families living in poverty is one of the reasons child marriage is so high in Afghanistan. Some Afghan families can’t afford to take care of their children once they are born, so their best solution is marrying off their daughters. They view this as â€Å"if she gets married, she will have something for herself†. (Yousef, 2013) As if child marriage isn’t a problem already, a huge problem arises once the marriage is in effect. The problem that arises is childbirth in young girls who aren’t mature enough to carry a child to full term. This results in the baby not making it to full term, or the young girl dying while trying to give birth. In Afghanistan, it is said that every hour, two women die while giving birth- the highest maternal mortality rate in Asia. (Irinnews.org) This all comes as a shock to me as I read that â€Å"most harmful practices are crimes under Afghan law and inconsistent with Sharia law†. Under Islam, marriage is said to be a mutual contractual agreement and consent is required by both the woman and the man for a marriage to be valid. The marriage of girls before the age of sixteen, is against Afghan law. (Gangon, 140) So why are all these marriages occurring?! Well, it is said that â€Å"the police and judiciary in Afghanistan often fail to enforce laws that respect women’s rights, and tend to take a selective rather than impartial approach to administering justic e†. (Gagnon,142) Even some community and religious leaders are prolonging the issue of child marriage because they are uneducated, without any training on women’s rights. Child marriage: a â€Å"practice that robs millions of girls of their childhood, their rights, and their dignity† (Hedayat, 2011). This a quote from Girls Not Brides global initiative that launched in Africa, and made it’s way over to India. Statistics show that 40% of the world’s child marriages take place in India (Hedayat, 2011). Even though child marriages are illegal in India, priests still conduct child weddings, and guests still attend with happiness and excitement. The legality doesn’t seem to affect the people in India, even though one would be charged with a fine of Rs100,000 ($1,600 in US currency) for not preventing or stopping a child marriage. These marriages are still being performed in India, more or less â€Å"secretly†. Child marriages are supported by villages in India, so when these marriages are performed,  nobody informs the police. A difference between India and Afghanistans child marriages, is that once the young couple gets certified as husband and wife, they don’t end up living with each other until they are older (Around 15 or 16). It seems to me in India child marriage is opposed by the Indian government, and largely tolerated by the families, and young girls of India. One young girl says: â€Å"Had I been married later, I’d have learned to read and write† (Hedayat, 2011). The young girls are expressing that one of the biggest struggles with child marriage, is not being able to receive an education. If I was forced into marriage at any age before 16, I’m not even sure I would have the emotional stability to even think about an education because I would be traumatized. This culture shock really intrigued me. The main reason why child marriages are being performed throughout India, is directly similar to Afghanistan. The two main reasons are due to culture, and parents wanting their daughter to be better provided for by an older man, because they can’t provide the type of life they want for their daughter. Which absolutely makes no sense to me! Yes, they maybe getting all the necessary essentials to be surviving, but these young girls are barely even living when they have to suffer through the traumatizing effects of being a child bride. Of course, many young girls in India also are forced into having a baby, resulting in deaths of the young girls and their soon to be child. In India, out of every 1,000 children born due to child marriage, 31 die before they are one year old (Resource Centre for Participatory Development Studies, 2011). These statistics make me cringe, because in reality so many young girls and newborn babies deaths can be stopped, if this horrible acceptable view of child marriage is put to an end. When researching child marriage in Africa, statistics showed that 42% of girls were married before turning 18 (PBS, 2010). As I was reading an article, I came across a horrid sentence that literally broke my heart. I read that in Africa, parents â€Å"consider their daughters second-class citizens and see them as potential sources of income.† (Kamba, 2013). In Central and West Africa, 2 out of every 5 girls are married before they reach the age of eighteen (Kamba, 2013). According to Kambas article, child marriages are being performed in Africa due to parents wanting to protect their young girls from pre-marital sex and unwanted pregnancy, â€Å"which tarnish a family’s honour and  may diminish the value of a future dowry.† South Sudan is known to have the world’s highest mo rtality rate, â€Å"with about 2,054 deaths per 100,000 live births.† The young women having these babies, also don’t have a good chance in living, where as one in seven girls die due to pregnancy at such a young age (Kamba, 2013). Just like Afghanistan, and India, traditional practices play a huge part of why child marriage is still performed in Africa. Child marriage is engraved in Africa as an â€Å"ancient tradition†. Even though tradition plays a huge role on child marriage, the economic struggle of Africa also comes into play. Child marriage can be blamed on â€Å"the country’s poorly-defined and contradictory laws as well as the government’s weak execution and enforcement of them† (Kamba, 2013). Overall, I can find some sense into child marriage being blamed on the government’s weak enforcement, because if the country is facing economic difficulties, how can they have enough money and support to have a strong forceful government? After researching Afghanistan, India, and Africa, I wanted to see if child marriage is performed throughout the European and American nations. European and American nations don’t deal with as much poverty as these other countries do, which made me curious to find out if child marriage is actually performed in these nations. I did some research, and even though there isn’t much on the internet of child marriage in European and American nations, I came across a few sources. In Europe child marriage is practiced in Georgia (rate of 17%), Turkey (rate of 14%), and Ukraine (rate of 10%). Ten percent of young children marry before the age of eighteen in Britain and France (United Nations Population Fund, 2012). According to Dr. Lisa Dana, child marriages are most common in the Southern part of the United States, because laws on marriage are more lenient there. In the United States, statistics found that 8.9% of children were married off young, which is dramatically lower than the other countries that I’ve researched. All but two states in the United States require both the members of a partnership to be at least eighteen years of age or older to be allowed to marry without parental consent (Strat, 2011). I was surprised with how little information on child marriage I came across while researching Europe and Latin/Northern America. I came to the conclusion that a lot of child marriages aren’t reported from these nations, or as sad as it is, it doesn’t happen that  often because these countries aren’t in severe poverty. So, after researching all these different countries, I asked myself two questions: Why does child marriage even happen and are there common reasons of why this is happening throughout the world? I came to the conclusion that child marriage is practiced due to culture/tradition, poverty, security, and failure for authorities to enforce laws. Throughout all these countries, besides the European nations, I found that these four main factors play a common role in why child marriage happens. Culture and tradition is definitely the main reason why child marriage is prevalent in these countries. Culture places strong social pressures on families to conform to everything the culture expects. If families decided to go against tradition, they face the consequences of facing disapproval or family shame. (Equality Now 2010). Culture plays a huge roll in families from these countries, and it is purely unacceptable to go against the culture that you’re from. Poverty is another reason why child marriage happens. Families that can’t afford to raise a child due to low income, look at the child as an economic burden (United Nations Population Fund 2012). If the girls aren’t seen as a burden, they are â€Å"valued as capital for their exchange value in terms of goods, money, or livestock† (Equality Now, 2010). How horrific! I can’t even imagine the emotional insecurities these young girls face when being bargained off to random men who are much older than them. Security also plays a big role on why child marriage occurs around the world. Many of these countries don’t have a secure home base for their children to be safe. Parents want their child to have a safe future, so they turn to child marriage as a secure base. This goes back on the poverty aspect, if parents can’t afford to take care of their daughter, they sell her off to a man whom can. Even though he really isn’t â€Å"taking care â€Å" of her. In my opinion the child would have a â€Å"safer future† if she just stayed with her family, because she doesn’t have the risk of being abused, or dying due to young pregnancy. Lastly, failure to enforce laws that have been made for women, and the issue of child marriage plays a huge roll on why child marriage is still occurring to this day. In most of these countries, there are laws that don’t allow marriage until the age of eighteen, and many laws that are protecting women. Some families aren’t aware that they are breaking the law, while others just don’t care to stop because nobody is strictly enforcing these laws. â€Å"In some  countries early marriage is so prevalent, prosecutions are seldom brought†(United Nations Population Fund, 2012). If authorities went into these countries, and tried to pin point exactly where child marriage is happening, even in the â€Å"secret villages†, and prosecuted the individuals performing in this act, we might see lower statistics. â€Å"According to the Convetion on Elimination on All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)- marriage before the age of 18 shouldn’t be allowed since children don’t have the ‘full maturity and capacity to act’ (United Nations Population Fund, 2012). I couldn’t even imagine being forced into a marriage at a age where I am barely able to read and write. Marriage is ones personal decision, not a forceful requirement. How could anyone force their two year old child into wedlock and ten years down the road force the child out of their home? The concept of child marriage makes me sick to my stomach and leaves me with an uneasy feeling. I am infatuated with children, and the thoughts and images that run through my mind about child marriage, utterly break my heart. Whether the concept of child marriage is due to culture/tradition, poverty, security, or failure for authorities to enforce laws, there is really no excuse for this act being performed! Young girls deserve to be educated and grow to be the best possible women they can in the future. Every girl, deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. Child marriage needs to be put to an around the world, but what can you do? The most important action to take in order to stop child marriage, is to educate and empower girls. â€Å"Education is one of the most powerful tools to delay the age at which girls marry as school attendance helps shift norms around child marriage† (Girls Not Brides, 2013). I encourage each and every girl to educate another women they know about child marriage. Do research, find answers, make your voices heard. One thing you can do is sign UK’s Take the Vow petition. As I was researching, I came across this petition that is urging the UK’s government to take action and early and forced marriage around the world (United Nations Population Fund, 2012). You can take this vow, just like I have, and the world could just be one step closer to the world ban of child marriage. Works Cited â€Å"Child Marrriage: Facts, Causes and Consequences.† About.com Middle East Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Child Marriage in America:a Health Risk.† BabyCenter Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Child Marriage in the United States and Its Association With Mental Health in Women.† Child Marriage in the United States and Its Association With Mental Health in Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Early and Forced Marriage – Facts, Figures and What You Can Do.† Early and Forced Marriage. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Gagnon, George. The Unfinished Revolution: Voices from the Global Fight for Women’s Rights. Ed. Minky Worden. New York: Seven Stories, 2012. Print. Hedayat, Nel. â€Å"What Is It like to Be a Child Bride?† BBC News. BBC, 10 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"How Can We End Child Marriage?† Girls Not Brides How Can We End Child Marriage Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Humanitarian News and Analysis.† IRINnews. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. â€Å"Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and Their Social Worlds [Paperback].† Navigating Interracial Borders: Black-White Couples and Their Social Worlds: Erica Chito Childs: 9780813535869: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. Ryan, Rebecca M. â€Å"Martial Birth and Early Child Outcomes: The Moderating Influence of Marriage Propensity.† 83.3 (2012): 1085-101. Meriam Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. â€Å"The Dangers of Child Marriage in India.† ChildFund International. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. Wondie, Yemataw. â€Å"Early Marriage, Rape, Child Prostitution, and Related Factors Determining the Psychosocial Effects Severity of Child Sexual Abuse in Ethiopia.† Journal of Child Sexual Abuse (2011): n. pag. Meriam Library. Web.

5 Basic Principles Of Energy Security

5 Basic Principles Of Energy Security Energy security is put in first place among the priorities facing the European Union. Although the problems of ensuring energy security were standing in front of a united Europe from the beginning of the integration process in recent years they have acquired the greatest relevance and importance for the EU. This is due to the fact that today the EU depends 50% on external energy supplies to its market and on the policies pursued by supplier states. In addition, European countries are concerned about the well-known problems with the energy supply for them against the backdrop of turmoil between Russia, as the main EU energy supplier and Belarus and Ukraine, through whose territory the Russian hydrocarbons are delivered to the West. Russian-Ukrainian standoff on the issue of gas prices and transportation is the major concern of EU member states and compel them to talk about the need to diversify energy supplies. Concentrating 7% of world population, more than a quarter of world GDP an d 20% of world trade, the EU has only 2% of the world’s â€Å"black gold† and 4% natural gas. Limitation of its own resource base in Europe accounts for a significant dependence of the EU on external energy supplies. The European natural gas market is the third largest in the world. The volume of gas consumption in EU countries reached 513 billion m3 (21% of world consumption). Russia is the second largest EU oil supplier and provides 33% of the EU â€Å"black gold† needs. The Russian Gazprom is the leader in EU natural gas supplies with 46% of total. If we talk about security of energy supplies, the main task in this area is the energy sectors geographical and resource diversification i.e. the expansion of supply sources, supply routes and pipelines. The EU security in energy sector NABUKO I EU The European Union is seeking to protect self from energy dependence on Russia with diversification of natural gas supplies policy by agreements with non-conventional en ergy suppliers, the Caspian states (Caspian states have only 4-5% of world’s gas reserves). But due to the unreliability of Russian energy supplies through third countries (Belarus and Ukraine) as well as the possibility of using Russian resources as a political tool, transporting Caspian Sea hydrocarbons (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) to the West has acquired great importance to the EU. Improve supply reliability and energy security EU responsible implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor. The planned corridor is composed of three parts: the Trans-Caspian gas pipeline (the project provides for delivery of natural gas from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan), Baku – Tbilisi – Erzurum (from Azerbaijan through Georgia to Turkey) and Nabucco (from Turkish territory, via Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary Austria). Thus, the reliability of energy supply in Europe is due to the changing geography of supply, increasing the number of exporting countries, th e creation of new infrastructure facilities. In the face of increasing competition from non-traditional suppliers of hydrocarbons Russia is very important to maintain the competitiveness of their energy in the European market, to ensure effective and reliable conditions for their transit to Western Europe.

Questions detailed below in criteria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Questions detailed below in criteria - Essay Example In light of this a project to get ladies to swim would be beneficial when taking into consideration safety concerns in relating to flooding and the ability to swim to safety in the event that such an event occurs. Getting ladies to learn to swim means that their children and partners who are not able to swim will become interested in learning as well. The question therefore is - How will the project coordinator reach them in order to get them interested? Instead of preparing flyers and dropping them in mail boxes in Tower Hamlets, which can be very costly, the internet and social media is an effective way of reaching and communicating with people. Websites like Facebook, You Tube, Yahoo! and Google are some of the sites that are most visited and which could be tapped into. This project will not be successful without getting the ladies of Tower Hamlets involved. Therefore, the advertisements will focus on the unique features of Tower Hamlet which have already been noted that makes it so important for all especially the ladies to learn to swim. In addition to being a great form of exercise, it can be done regardless of the weather. Furthermore, swimming is a great way to reduce the risk of obesity. In order to make the project work the  £10,000 needs to be carefully budgeted. This amount is relatively small and so it is important to utilize resources within Tower Hamlet in order to remain within the means of the budget. The preparation of a financial budget is therefore critical to the success of the project. Preparing a budget is not always easy. However, it is important to understand that the total expenditure budgeted needs to be within the budget which is  £10,000. The amount budgeted for each expense would depend on the going costs of providing these services and so steps should be taken to ascertain these. Some of the things to be considered (assuming that the infrastructure is already in place) include: The possibility exists that the focus on ladies

Comparison Between Holistic And Subject Based Approaches to Curriculum Essay

Comparison Between Holistic And Subject Based Approaches to Curriculum Organization - Essay Example Influential individuals Gur (2006) explain and outline the key factors that affect change in curriculum structure and composition. The first factor that initiates change is a strong and charismatic leadership system that is accepted by the academic staff members. The Main feature of such leadership is to have the necessary capacity that attracts other academic staff to agree and; rally behind the principled educational objectives supported within the environment or institution. A good and appropriate curriculum will ensure a good output especially for a class with an average or reasonable number of students (Gur, 2006, p41). This is because with a smaller class, teacher-student personal relationship is always possible. There is always an anxiety by students to produce constant excellent results because an alteration in the syllabus or curriculum. The relationship eases the performance anxieties experienced by such students and temptation to submit work that is not theirs to the tutor s. However, it should be noted that individual influence on the curriculum change has its own side effects. 2. The need to improve staff training Research has proven the emergence of curricula related challenges in most institutions, especially at the nursery and primary levels of studies. Change in curriculum always comes with the need for better-trained staff members. It requires new teaching skills aimed at meeting the objectives and goals set by the new curriculum system. This may prove to be a significant challenge to most institutions implementing their own curriculum, as they will be required to come up with an impromptu notice for hiring new teachers or training the existing staff. Therefore, the curriculum change is viewed as one of the main and... This essay stresses that several changes are always proposed because of their undisputable goodness. One would find it hard or rather stupid and awkward to argue. For instance, it would be strange to hear an individual arguing that the introduction of laboratory classes for science-related subjects was a wrong idea. Similarly, it is imagined that most leaders would accept that changes in curriculum are indispensable for the students going to various fields of study. Curricula changes and implementation would therefore ease. This paper makes a conclusion that curriculum in any organization plays a significant role in the teaching-learning process in all the educational institutions. The instructional materials, nature of the training the teachers underwent, development of teaching materials, assessment of learners, designing for guides for both the learners and instructors, and setting the principles, are all anchored on the curriculum which is a vital educational document. Thus the role of curriculum in any organization plays a vital role and absence of the document in any educational organization means that the institution cannot function as expected. Curriculum is an educational document, which guides and used for ordering the teaching-learning understandings, which the learners encounter in the educational organization. Curriculum organization involves provision of curriculum and maintaining it to run uninterrupted.