Monday, September 30, 2019

The Benefits of Healthy Lifestyle

THE BENEFITS OF HEALTHY LIFESTYLE Health is a pattern of individual practices and personal behavioral choices that are related to reduce health risk. Chasing a healthy lifestyle is becoming the hot issue among the citizens nowadays. Why citizens so care about a healthy lifestyle? This is because there are too many benefits of having healthy lifestyle and these benefits are becoming more apparent. First benefit is, it can ensure a good mental health. Mental health depends upon health lifestyle choices.We will experience a good mental health when we are founding a balance in our social, emotional and psychological areas of life. In this case, social contact is playing an important role. When we have a good mental health, we are in a place of peace and it will enhance our life quality. So, it is vital to foster a healthy lifestyle. Also, strength is another benefit. With a healthy lifestyle, we have strength to train to help build the muscle that supports the bones and joints, therefore decreasing the risk of falls and fractures.Our bones will begin to lose mass and strength results of ageing. It is essential for us to develop a healthy lifestyle by doing weight-bearing exercise like walking to prevent osteoporosis. Last but not least, no one wants to overweight. Thus, this is the most common reason that people want a healthy lifestyle. Living by having a healthy lifestyle is the best way to lose weight. The healthy lifestyle choices like stopping smoking, reducing alcohol intake and eating well-balanced diet that is high in fruits and vegetables will help to maintain a healthy weight.The weight within normal limits can also significantly reduce the risk of heart disease and improve overall health and well-being. For people of all ages, weights, and abilities, the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are endless. However, the lifestyle is influenced by our own attitude. If we are yearning for a healthy lifestyle, then we must being proactive in our health and thus, cre ating a healthy lifestyle to guarantee our future life.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Computer Use in Legal Work Essay

Computers have been dominating the workplace these days. In this modern world, companies have become ultimately dependent on computers when it comes to continuous or automatic tasks where humans are no match with when it comes to process time. It completely eliminates the factor of â€Å"human error† and the inherent disadvantages of humans versus computers, such as the need to sleep or rest, the need for variety, etc. Modern technology has enabled data to be sorted, collected and analyzed quickly and perhaps more cost-effectively when compared to hiring a number of people to work on them to collect and analyze the data and then paying them an appropriate level of wages and benefits. Artificial intelligence allows data extraction, sorting and analysis to be tailored to the need of the client, wherein concepts that are identified using deduction processes can be added to their features. These developments are leading to law firms where the majority of staff will be limited to t hose operating the machines alone – not to people doing the gathering, sorting and analyzing of the data. Computer logic has become very much intelligent and has become, at times, more than at par with how humans think. Computers are replacing workers at an alarming pace in many corporations – with the notable exception of tasks needing high levels of creativity. Automation has become both good and bad for the economy. Automation progresses as technology progresses. Applications on computers are replacing the humans who used to do their jobs as computers do those jobs faster – often doing double the work that would be done in 8 hours by a single human being. Economics will be greatly impacted by the changes in technology. Although it may not directly create unemployment since people tend to get more and more creative in finding something to do for work, the advancements in technology will continue to grow. E-discover, an application being used in the legal world, uses both linguistic and sociological logic in order to filter information when users search for information. Ap art from language, the social aspects implied in the searches will be included in the results. Information-sifting has become so sophisticated that applications are already able to identify and deduce human interactions pertaining to events, telephone calls, emails, messages, etc. They are also capable of decoding data used to cloak information being conveyed through these venues. Cataphora, a software that analyzes data, is capable of â€Å"†¦showing who leaked information, who’s influential in the organization or when a sensitive document like an S.E.C. filing is being edited an unusual number of times, or an unusual number of ways, by an unusual type or number of people.† It is also programmed to identify human emotions implied within an e-mail or a call. Detection of shifts in human emotions can mean an alert implying illegal activities. Clearwell, a program from a company in Silicon Valley, analyzes documents by searching for concepts, which simplifies material review in litigation. In an example given by the company, an analysis task that would normall y take an entire work week could be cut down to 3 days using the software. Although computers may seem to have advantages in certain types of analysis tasks, the â€Å"human factor† involved in identifying relevant information still remains in the hands of the person operating the computer. Taking for example the case of Enron, wherein over five million messages had to be processed for the prosecution, Andrew McCallum decided to purchase a copy of the database for $10,000 for the University of Massachusetts and made it available for research, which made a huge impact within the legal community. Although technology has its own limitations as when data need to be audited by a person, it still makes a huge impact in terms of how fast the work is delivered. In terms of accuracy, humans commit errors – hence the term â€Å"human error†. This is what Mr. Herr found when he back-tracked and did analysis on previous jobs to check the difference in results between humans and computers. The 40% difference in accuracy he found in favor of computers leads us to think about companies, corporations and the legal profession as a whole, and the savings from expenses it will have when software as such is used PIL In Indian law, public-interest litigation is litigation for the protection of the public interest. PIL may be introduced in a court of law by the court itself (sumoto), rather than the aggrieved party or another third party. For the exercise of the court’s jurisdiction, it is unnecessary for the victim of the violation of his or her rights to personally approach the court. In PIL, the right to file suit is given to a member of the public by the courts through judicial activism. The member of the public may be a non-governmental organization (NGO), an institution or an individual. The Supreme Court of India, rejecting the criticism of judicial activism, has stated that the judiciary has stepped in to give direction due to executive inaction; laws enacted by Parliament and the state legislatures for the poor since independence have not been properly implemented. Public Interest Litigation Public Interest Litigation as exists today PIL today offers such a paradigm which locates the content of informal justice without the formal legal system. Non Anglo-Saxon jurisdiction directs courts to transcend the traditional judicial function of adjudication and provide remedies for social wrongs. PIL had already molded the state in to the instrument of socio-economic change. Social justice is the byproduct of this transcends from the formal legal system. Evolution of Public Interest Litigation The Indian PIL is the improved version of PIL of U.S.A. According to â€Å"Ford Foundation† of U.S.A., â€Å"Public interest law is the name that has recently been given to efforts that provide legal representation to previously unrepresented groups and interests. Such efforts have been undertaken in the recognition that ordinary marketplace for legal services fails to provide such services to significant segments of the population and to significant interests. Such groups and interests include the proper environmentalists, consumers, racial and ethnic minorities and others†. The emergency period (1975-1977) witnessed colonial nature of the Indian legal system. During emergency state repression and governmental lawlessness was widespread. Thousands of innocent people including political opponents were sent to jails and there was complete deprivation of civil and political rights. The post emergency period provided an occasion for the judges of the Supreme Court to openl y disregard the impediments of Anglo-Saxon procedure in providing access to justice to the poor. Notably two justices of the Supreme Court, Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer and P. N. Bhagwati recognised the possibility of providing access to justice to the poor and the exploited people by relaxing the rules of standing. In the post-emergency period when the political situations had changed, investigative journalism also began to expose gory scenes of governmental lawlessness, repression, custodial violence, drawing attention of lawyers, judges, and social activists. PIL emerged as a result of an informal nexus of pro-active judges, media persons and social activists. This trend shows starke difference between the traditional justice delivery system and the modern informal justice system where the judiciary is performing administrative judicial role. PIL is necessary rejection of laissez faire notions of traditional jurisprudence. The first reported case of PIL in 1979 focused on the inhuman conditions of prisons and under trial prisoners. In Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar, AIR 1979 SC 1360, the PIL was filed by an advocate on the basis of the news item published in the Indian Express, highlighting the plight of thousands of undertrial prisoners languishing in various jails in Bihar. These proceeding led to the release of more than 40, 000 undertrial prisoners. Right to speedy justice emerged as a basic fundamental right which had been denied to these prisoners. The same set pattern was adopted in subsequent cases. In 1981 the case of Anil Yadav v. State of Bihar, AIR 1982 SC 1008, exposed the brutalities of the Police. News paper report revealed that about 33 suspected criminals were blinded by the police in Bihar by putting the acid into their eyes. Through interim orders S. C. directed the State government to bring the blinded men to Delhi for medical treatment. It also ordered speedy prosecution of the guilty policemen. The court also read right to free legal aid as a fundamental right of every accused. Anil Yadav signalled the growth of social activism and investigative litigation. In (Citizen for Democracy v. State of Assam, (1995) 3SCC 743), the S. C. declared that the handcuffs and other fetters shall not be forced upon a prisoner while lodged in jail or while in transport or transit from one jail to another or to the court or back. Concept of PIL According to the jurisprudence of Article 32 of the Constitution of India, â€Å"The right to move the Supreme Court by appropriate proceedings for the enforcement of the rights conferred by this part is guaranteed†. Ordinarily, only the aggrieved party has the right to seek redress under Article 32. In 1981 Justice P. N. Bhagwati in .S. P. Gupta v. Union of India, 1981 (Supp) SCC 87, articulated the concept of PIL as follows, â€Å"Where a legal wrong or a legal injury is caused to a person or to a determinate class of persons by reason of violation of any constitutional or legal right or any burden is imposed in contravention of any constitutional or legal provision or without authority of law or any such legal wrong or legal injury or illegal burden is threatened and such person or determinate class of persons by reasons of poverty, helplessness or disability or socially or economically disadvantaged position unable to approach the court for relief, any member of public can maintain an application for an appropriate direction, order or writ in the High Court under Article 226 and in case any breach of fundamental rights of such persons or determinate class of persons, in this court under Article 32 seeking judicial redress for the legal wrong or legal injury caused to such pe rson or determinate class of persons.† The rule of locus standi have been relaxed and a person acting bonafide and having sufficient interest in the proceeding of Public Interest Litigation will alone have a locus standi and can approach the court to wipe out violation of fundamental rights and genuine infraction of statutory provisions, but not for personal gain or private profit or political motive or any oblique consideration (Ashok Kumar Pandey v. State of W. B., (2004) 3 SCC 349). Supreme Court in Indian Banks’ Association, Bombay and ors v. M/s Devkala Consultancy Service and Ors., J. T. 2004 (4) SC 587, held that â€Å"In an appropriate case, where the petitioner might have moved a court in her private interest and for redressal of the personal grievance, the court in furtherance of Public Interest may treat it a necessity to enquire into the state of affairs of the subject of litigation in the interest of justice. Thus a private interest case can also be treated as public interest case†. In Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Commit. And Anr. Vs. C.K. Rajan and Ors, J.T. 2003 (7) S.C. 312, S.C. held, â€Å"The Courts exercising their power of judicial review found to its dismay that the poorest of the poor, depraved, the illiterate, the urban and rural unorganized labour sector, women, children, handicapped by ‘ignorance, indigence and illiteracy’ and other down trodden have either no access to justice or had been denied justice. A new branch of proceedings known as ‘Social Interest Litigation’ or ‘Public Interest Litigation’ was evolved with a view to render complete justice to the aforementioned classes of persona. It expanded its wings in course of time. The Courts in pro bono publico granted relief to the inmates of the prisons, provided legal aid, directed speedy trial, maintenance of human dignity and covered several other areas. Representative actions, pro bono publico and test litigations were entertained in keeping with the current accent on justice to the common man and a necessary disincentive to those who wish to by pass the, real issues on the merits by suspect reliance on peripheral procedural shortcomings†¦ Pro bono publico constituted a significant state in the present day judicial system. They, however, provided the dockets with much greater responsibility for rendering the concept of justice available to the disadvantaged sections of the society. Public interest litigation has come to stay and its necessity cannot be overemphasized. The courts evolved a jurisprudence of compassion. Procedural propriety was to move over giving place to substantive concerns of the deprivation of rights. The rule of locus standi was diluted. The Court in place of disinterested and dispassionate adjudicator became active participant in the dispensation of justice†. Aspects of PIL (a) Remedial in Nature Remedial nature of PIL departs from traditional locus standi rules. It indirectly incorporated the principles enshrined in the part IV of the Constitution of India into part III of the Constitution. By riding the aspirations of part IV into part III of the Constitution had changeth the procedural nature of the Indian law into dynamic welfare one. Bandhu Mukti Morcha v. Union of India, Unnikrishnan v. State of A.P., etc were the obvious examples of this change in nature of judiciary. (b) Representative Standing Representative standing can be seen as a creative expansion of the well-accepted standing exception which allows a third party to file a habeas corpus petition on the ground that the injured party cannot approach the court himself. And in this regard the Indian concept of PIL is much broader in relation to the American. PIL is a modified form of class action. (c) Citizen standing The doctrine of citizen standing thus marks a significant expansion of the court’s rule, from protector of individual rights to guardian of the rule of law wherever threatened by official lawlessness. (d) Non-adversarial Litigation In the words of S. C. in People’s Union for Democratic Rights v. Union of India, AIR 1982 S.C. 1473, â€Å"We wish to point out with all the emphasis at our command that public interest litigation†¦is a totally different kind of litigation from the ordinary traditional litigation which is essentially of an adversary character where there is a dispute between two litigating parties, one making claim or seeking relief against the other and that other opposing such claim or resisting such relief†. Non-adversarial litigation has two aspects. 1. Collaborative litigation; and 2. Investigative Litigation Collaborative Litigation: In collaborative litigation the effort is from all the sides. The claimant, the court and the Government or the public official, all are in collaboration here to see that basic human rights become meaningful for the large masses of the people. PIL helps executive to discharge its constitutional obligations. Court assumes three different functions other than that from traditional determination and issuance of a decree. (i). Ombudsman- The court receives citizen complaints and brings the most important ones to the attention of responsible government officials. (ii) Forum – The court provides a forum or place to discuss the public issues at length and providing emergency relief through interim orders. (iii) Mediator – The court comes up with possible compromises. Investigative Litigation: It is investigative litigation because it works on the reports of the Registrar, District Magistrate, comments of experts, newspapers etc. (e) Crucial Aspects The flexibility introduced in the adherence to procedural laws. In Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of U.P.,(1985) 2 SCC 431, court rejected the defense of Res Judicta. Court refused to withdraw the PIL and ordered compensation too. In R.C. Narain v. State of Bihar, court legislated the rules for the welfare of the persons living in the mental asylum. To curtail custodial violence, Supreme Court in Sheela Barse v. State of Maharashtra, issued certain guidelines. Supreme Court has broadened the meaning of Right to live with human dignity available under the Article 21 of the Constitution of India to a greatest extent possible. (f) Relaxation of strict rule of Locus Standi The strict rule of locus standi has been relaxed by way of (a) Representative standing, and (b) Citizen standing. In D.C.Wadhwa v. State of Bihar, AIR 1987 SC 579, S.C. held that a petitioner, a professor of political science who had done substantial research and deeply interested in ensuring proper implementation of the constitutional provisions, challenged the practice followed by the state of Bihar in repromulgating a number of ordinances without getting the approval of the legislature. The court held that the petitioner as a member of public has ‘sufficient interest’ to maintain a petition under Article 32. The rule of locus standi have been relaxed and a person acting bonafide and having sufficient interest in the proceeding of Public Interest Litigation will alone have a locus standi and can approach the court to wipe out violation of fundamental rights and genuine infraction of statutory provisions, but not for personal gain or private profit or political motive or any oblique consideration†¦court has to strike balance between two conflicting interests: (i) nobody should be allowed to indulge in wild and reckless allegations besmirching the character of others; and (ii) avoidance of public mischief and to avoid mischievous petitions seeking to assail, for oblique motives, justifiable executive and the legislature (Ashok Kumar Pandey v. State of W. B., (2004) 3 SCC 349). It is depressing to note that on account of trumpery proceedings initiated before the courts, innumerable days are wasted, which time otherwise could have been spent for the disposal of cases of genuine litigants. Though the Supreme Court spares no efforts in fostering and developing the laudable concept of PIL and extending its ling arm of sympathy to the poor, ignorant, the oppressed and the needy whose fundamental rights are infringed and violated and whose grievances go unnoticed, unrepresented and unheard (Ashok Kumar Pandey v. State of W. B., (2004) 3 SCC 349) . (g) Epistolary Jurisdiction The judicial activism gets its highest bonus when its orders wipe some tears from some eyes. This jurisdiction is somehow different from collective action. Number of PIL cells was open all over India for providing the footing or at least platform to the needy class of the society. Features of PIL Through the mechanism of PIL, the courts seek to protect human rights in the following ways: 1) By creating a new regime of human rights by expanding the meaning of fundamental right to equality, life and personal liberty. In this process, the right to speedy trial, free legal aid, dignity, means and livelihood, education, housing, medical care, clean environment, right against torture, sexual harassment, solitary confinement, bondage and servitude, exploitation and so on emerge as human rights. These new reconceptualised rights provide legal resources to activate the courts for their enforcement through PIL. 2) By democratization of access to justice. This is done by relaxing the traditional rule of locus standi. Any public spirited citizen or social action group can approach the court on behalf of the oppressed classes. Courts attention can be drawn even by writing a letter or sending a telegram. This has been called epistolary jurisdiction. 3) By fashioning new kinds of relief’s under the court’s writ jurisdiction. For example, the court can award interim compensation to the victims of governmental lawlessness. This stands in sharp contrast to the Anglo-Saxon model of adjudication where interim relief is limited to preserving the status quo pending final decision. The grant of compensation in PIL matters does not preclude the aggrieved person from bringing a civil suit for damages. In PIL cases the court can fashion any relief to the victims. 4) By judicial monitoring of State institutions such as jails, women’s protective homes, juvenile homes, mental asylums, and the like. Through judicial invigilation, the court seeks gradual improvement in their management and administration. This has been characterized as creeping jurisdiction in which the court takes over the administration of these institutions for protecting human rights. 5) By devising new techniques of fact-finding. In most of the cases the court has appointed its own socio-legal commissions of inquiry or has deputed its own official for investigation. Sometimes it has taken the help of National Human Rights Commission or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or experts to inquire into human rights violations. This may be called investigative litigation. PIL as an Instrument of Social Change PIL is working as an important instrument of social change. It is working for the welfare of every section of society. It’s the sword of every one used only for taking the justice. The innovation of this legitimate instrument proved beneficial for the developing country like India. PIL has been used as a strategy to combat the atrocities prevailing in society. It’s an institutional initiative towards the welfare of the needy class of the society. In Bandhu Mukti Morcha v. Union of India, S.C. ordered for the release of bonded labourers. In Murli S. Dogra v. Union of India, court banned smoking in public places. In a landmark judgement of Delhi Domestic Working Women’s Forum v. Union of India, (1995) 1 SCC 14, Supreme Court issued guidelines for rehabilitation and compensation for the rape on working women. In Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan Supreme court has laid down exhaustive guidelines for preventing sexual harassment of working women in place of their work. Conclusion It would be appropriate to conclude by quoting Cunningham, â€Å"Indian PIL might rather be a Phoenix: a whole new creative arising out of the ashes of the old order.† PIL represents the first attempt by a developing common law country to break away from legal imperialism perpetuated for centuries. It contests the assumption that the most western the law, the better it must work for economic and social development such law produced in developing states, including India, was the development of under develop men. The shift from legal centralism to legal pluralism was prompted by the disillusionment with formal legal system. In India, however instead of seeking to evolve justice- dispensing mechanism ousted the formal legal system itself through PIL. The change as we have seen, are both substantial and structural. It has radically altered the traditional judicial role so as to enable the court to bring justice within the reach of the common man. Further, it is humbly submitted that PIL is still is in experimental stage. Many deficiencies in handling the kind of litigation are likely to come on the front. But these deficiencies can be removed by innovating better techniques. In essence, the PIL develops a new jurisprudence of the accountability of the state for constitutional and legal violations adversely affecting the interests of the weaker elements in the community. We may end with the hope once expressed by Justice Krishna Iyer, â€Å"The judicial activism gets its highest bonus when its orders wipe some tears from some eyes†. 1.Public Interest Litigation Judiciary, being the sentinel of constitutional statutory rights of citizens has a special role to play in the constitutional scheme. It can review legislation and administrative actions or decisions on the anvil of constitutional law. For the enforcement of fundamental rights one has to move the Supreme Court or the High Courts directly by invoking Writ Jurisdiction of these courts. But the high cost and complicated procedure involved in litigation, however, makes equal access to jurisdiction in mere slogan in respect of millions of destitute and underprivileged masses stricken by poverty, illiteracy and ignorance. The Supreme Court of India, pioneered the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) thereby throwing upon the portals of courts to the common man. Till 1960s and seventies, the concept of litigation in India was still in its rudimentary form and was seen as a private pursuit for the vindication of private vested interests. Litigation in those days consisted mainly of some action initiated and continued by certain individuals, usually, addressing their own grievances/problems. Thus, the initiation and continuance of litigation was the prerogative of the injured person or the aggrieved party. Even this was greatly limited by the resources available with those individuals. There was very little organized efforts or attempts to take up wider issues that affected classes of consumers or the general public at large. However, all these scenario changed during Eighties with the Supreme Court of India led the concept of public interest litigation (PIL). The Supreme Court of India gave all individuals in the country and the newly formed consumer groups or social action groups, an easier access to the law and introduced in their work a broad public interest perspective. Public Interest Litigation has been defined in the Black’s Law Dictionary (6th Edition) as under:- â€Å"Public Interest – Something in which the public, the community at large, has some pecuniary interest, or some interest by which their legal rights or liabilities are affected. It does not mean anything so narrow as mere curiosity, or as the interests of the particular localities, which may be affected by the matters in question. Subjects of Public Interest Litigation. Public Interest Litigation is meant for enforcement of fundamental and other legal rights of the people who are poor, weak, ignorant of legal redressal system or otherwise in a disadvantageous position, due to their social or economic background. Such litigation can be initiated only for redressal of a public injury, enforcement of a public duty or vindicating interest of public nature. It is necessary that the petition is not filed for personal gain or private motive or for other extraneous consideration and is filed bona fide in public interest. The following are the subjects which may be litigated under the head of Public Interest Litigation: (I) The matters of public interest: Generally they include (i) bonded labour matters (ii) matters of neglected children (iii) exploitation of casual labourers and non-payment of wages to them (except in individual cases) (iv) matters of harassment or torture of persons belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Economically Backward Classes, either by co-villagers or by police (v) matters relating to environmental pollution, disturbance of ecological balance, drugs, food adulteration, maintenance of heritage and culture, antiques, forests and wild life, (vi) petitions from riot victims and (vii) other matters of public importance. (II) The matters of private nature: They include (i) threat to or harassment of the petitioner by private persons, (ii) seeking enquiry by an agency other than local police, (iii) seeking police protection, (iv) land lordtenant dispute (v) service matters, (vi) admission to medical or engineering colleges, (vii) early hearing of matters pending in High Court and subordinate courts and are not considered matters of public interest. (III) Letter Petitions: Petitions received by post even though not in public interest can be treated as writ petitions if so directed by the Hon’ble Judge nominated for this purpose. Individual petitions complaining harassment or torture or death in jail or by police, complaints of atrocities on women such as harassment for dowry, bride burning, rape, murder and kidnapping, complaints relating to family pensions and complaints of refusal by police to register the case can be registered as writ petitions, if so approved by the concerned Hon’ble Judge. If deemed expedient, a report from the concerned authority is called before placing the matter before the Hon’ble Judge for directions. If so directed by the Hon’ble Judge, the letter is registered as a writ petition and is thereafter listed before the Court for hearing. Procedure for Filing Public Interest Litigation. (a) Filing Public Interest Litigation petition is filed in the same manner, as a writ petition is filed. If a PIL is filed in a High Court, then two (2) copies of the petition have to be filed (for Supreme Court, then (4)+(1)(i.e.5) sets) Also, an advance copy of the petition has to be served on the each respondent, i.e. opposite party, and this proof of service has to be affixed on the petition. (b) The Procedure A Court fee of Rs. 50 , per respondent (i.e. for each number of party, court fees of Rs 50) have to be affixed on the petition. Proceedings, in the PIL commence and carry on in the same manner, as other cases. However, in between the proceedings if the Judge feels that he may appoint the commissioner, to inspect allegations like pollution being caused, trees being cut, sewer problems, etc. After filing of replies, by opposite party, or rejoinder by the petitioner, final hearing takes place, and the judge gives his final decision. Against whom Public Interest Litigation can be filed A Public Interest Litigation can be filed against a State/ Central Govt., Municipal Authorities, and not any private party. The definition of State is the same as given under Article 12 of the Constitution and this includes the Governmental and Parliament of India and the Government and the Legislature of each of the States and all local or other authorities within the territory of India or under the control of the Government of India. According to Art.12, the term â€Å"State† includes the Government and Parliament of India and the Government and the Legislatures of each of the States and all local or other authorities within the territory of India or under the control of the Government of India. Thus the authorities and instrumentalities specified under Art.12 are – †¢ The Government and Parliament of India †¢ The Government and Legislature of each of the States †¢ All local authorities †¢ Other authorities within the territory of India or under the Government of India. In Electricity Board, Rajasthan v. Mohan Lal, the Supreme Court held that â€Å"other authorities would include all authorities created by the Constitution of India or Statute on whom powers are conferred by law†. However, â€Å"Private party† can be included in the PIL as â€Å"Respondent†, after making concerned state authority, a party. For example- if there is a Private factory in Delhi, which is causing pollution, then people living nearly, or any other person can file a PIL against the Government of Delhi, Pollution Control Board, and against the private factory. However, a PIL cannot be filed against the Private party alone. Aspects of Public Interest Litigation (a) Remedial in Nature: Remedial nature of PIL departs from traditional locus standi rules. It indirectly incorporated the principles enshrined in the part IV of the Constitution of India into part III of the Constitution. By riding the aspirations of part IV into part III of the Constitution had changeth the procedural nature of the Indian law into dynamic welfare one. Bandhu Mukti Morcha v. Union of India, Unnikrishnan v. State of A.P., etc were the obvious examples of this change in nature of judiciary. (b) Representative Standing: Representative standing can be seen as a creative expansion of the well-accepted standing exception which allows a third party to file a habeas corpus petition on the ground that the injured party cannot approach the court himself. And in this regard the Indian concept of PIL is much broader in relation to the American. PIL is a modified form of class action. (c) Citizen standing: The doctrine of citizen standing thus marks a significant expansion of th e court’s rule, from protector of individual rights to guardian of the rule of law wherever threatened by official lawlessness. (d) Non-adversarial Litigation: In the words of Supreme Court in People’s Union for Democratic Rights v. Union of India, â€Å"We wish to point out with all the emphasis at our command that public interest litigation†¦is a totally different kind of litigation from the ordinary traditional litigation which is essentially of an adversary character where there is a dispute between two litigating parties, one making claim or seeking relief against the other and that other opposing such claim or resisting such relief†. Non-adversarial litigation has two aspects: 1. Collaborative litigation: In collaborative litigation the effort is from all the sides. The claimant, the court and the Government or the public official, all are in collaboration here to see that basic human rights become meaningful for the large masses of the people. PIL helps executive to discharge its constitutional obligations. Court assumes three different functions other than that from traditional dete rmination and issuance of a decree. (i). Ombudsman- The court receives citizen complaints and brings the most important ones to the attention of responsible government officials. (ii) Forum – The court provides a forum or place to discuss the public issues at length and providing emergency relief through interim orders. (iii) Mediator – The court comes up with possible compromises. 2. Investigative Litigation: It is investigative litigation because it works on the reports of the Registrar, District Magistrate, comments of experts, newspapers etc. (e) Crucial Aspects: The flexibility introduced in the adherence to procedural laws. In Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of U.P., Supreme Court rejected the defense of Res Judicta. Court refused to withdraw the PIL and ordered compensation too. To curtail custodial violence, Supreme Court in Sheela Barse v. State of Maharashtra, issued certain guidelines. Supreme Court has broadened the meaning of Right to live with human dignity available under the Article 21 of the Constitution of India to a greatest extent possible. (f) Relaxation of strict rule of Locus Standi: The strict rule of locus standi has been relaxed by way of (a) Representative standing, and (b) Citizen standing. In D.C.Wadhwa v. State of Bihar, Supreme Court held that a petitioner, a professor of political science who had done substantial research and deeply interested in ensuring proper implementation of the constitutional provisions, challenged the practice followed by the state of Bihar in repromulgating a number of ordinances without getting the approval of the legislature. The court held that the petitioner as a member of public has ‘sufficient interest’ to maintain a petition under Article 32. The rule of locus standi have been relaxed and a person acting bonafide and having sufficient interest in the proceeding of Public Interest Litigation will alone have a locus standi and can approach the court to wipe out violation of fundamental rights and genuine infraction of statutory provisions, but not for personal gain or private profit or political motive or any oblique consideration†¦court has to strike balance between two conflicting interests: (i) nobody should be allowed to indulge in wild and reckless allegations besmirching the character of others; and (ii) avoidance of public mischief and to avoid mischievous petitions seeking to assail, for oblique motives, justifiable executive and the legislature. It is depressing to note that on account of trumpery proceedings initiated before the courts, innumerable days are wasted, which time otherwise could have been spent for the disposal of cases of genuine litigants. Though the Supreme Court spares no efforts in fostering and developing the laudable concept of PIL and extending its ling arm of sympathy to the poor, ignorant, the oppressed and the needy whose fundamental rights are infringed and violated and whose grievances go unnoticed, unrepresented and unheard. (g) Epistolary Jurisdiction: The judicial activism gets its highest bonus when its orders wipe some tears from some eyes. This jurisdiction is somehow different from collective action. Number of PIL cells was open all over India for providing the footing or at least platform to the needy class of the society. Factors that have contributed to growth of PIL. Among, the numerous factors that have contributed to the growth of PIL in this country, the following deserve special mention: †¢ The character of the Indian Constitution. Unlike Britain, India has a written constitution which through Part III (Fundamental Rights) and Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy) provides a framework for regulating relations between the state and its citizens and between citizens inter-se. †¢ India has some of the most progressive social legislation to be found anywhere in the world whether it be relating to bonded labor, minimum wages, land ceiling, environmental protection, etc. This has made it easier for the courts to haul up the executive when it is not performing its duties in ensuring the rights of the poor as per the law of the land. †¢ The liberal interpretation of locus standi where any person can apply to the court on behalf of those who are economically or physically unable to come before it has helped. Judges themselves have in some cases initiated suo moto action based on newspaper articles or letters received. †¢ Although social and economic rights given in the Indian Constitution under Part IV are not legally enforceable, courts have creatively read these into fundamental rights thereby making them judicially enforceable. For instance the â€Å"right to life† in Article 21 has been expanded to include right to free legal aid, right to live with dignity, right to education, right to work, freedom from torture, bar fetters and hand cuffing in prisons, etc. †¢ Sensitive judges have constantly innovated on the side of the poor. for instance, in the Bandhua Mukti Morcha case in 1983, the Supreme Court put the burden of proof on the respondent stating it would treat every case of forced labor as a case of bonded labor unless proven otherwise by the employer. Similarly in the Asiad Workers judgment case, Justice P.N. Bhagwati held that anyone getting less than the minimum wage can approach the Supreme Court directly without going through the labor commissioner and lower courts †¢ In PIL cases where the petitioner is not in a position to provide all the necessary evidence, either because it is voluminous or because the parties are weak socially or economically, courts have appointed commissions to collect information on facts and present it before the bench. Mechanism for protection of Human Rights through PIL Features of PIL through the mechanism of PIL, the courts seek to protect human rights in the following ways: 1) By creating a new regime of human rights by expanding the meaning of fundamental right to equality, life and personal liberty. In this process, the right to speedy trial, free legal aid, dignity, means and livelihood, education, housing, medical care, clean environment, right against torture, sexual harassment, solitary confinement, bondage and servitude, exploitation and so on emerge as human rights. These new re-conceptualised rights provide legal resources to activate the courts for their enforcement through PIL. 2) By democratization of access to justice. This is done by relaxing the traditional rule of locus standi. Any public spirited citizen or social action group can approach the court on behalf of the oppressed classes. Courts attention can be drawn even by writing a letter or sending a telegram. This has been called epistolary jurisdiction. 3) By fashioning new kinds of relief’s under the court’s writ jurisdiction. For example, the court can award interim compensation to the victims of governmental lawlessness. This stands in sharp contrast to the Anglo-Saxon model of adjudication where interim relief is limited to preserving the status quo pending final decision. The grant of compensation in PIL matters does not preclude the aggrieved person from bringing a civil suit for damages. In PIL cases the court can fashion any relief to the victims. 4) By judicial monitoring of State institutions such as jails, women’s protective homes, juvenile homes, mental asylums, and the like. Through judicial invigilation, the court seeks gradual improvement in their management and administration. This has been characterized as creeping jurisdiction in which the court takes over the administration of these institutions for protecting human rights. 5) By devising new techniques of fact-finding. In most of the cases the court has appointed its own socio-legal commissions of inquiry or has deputed its own official for investigation. Sometimes it has taken the help of National Human Rights Commission or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or experts to inquire into human rights violations. This may be called investigative litigation. Conclusion Public Interest Litigation is working as an important instrument of social change. It is working for the welfare of every section of society. It’s the sword of every one used only for taking the justice. The innovation of this legitimate instrument proved beneficial for the developing country like India. PIL has been used as a strategy to combat the atrocities prevailing in society. It’s an institutional initiative towards the welfare of the needy class of the society. In Bandhua Mukti Morcha v. Union of India, Supreme Court ordered for the release of bonded labourers. In Murli S. Dogra v. Union of India, the Supreme Court banned smoking in public places. In a landmark judgment of Delhi Domestic Working Women’s Forum v. Union of India, Supreme Court issued guidelines for rehabilitation and compensation for the rape on working women. In Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, Supreme court has laid down exhaustive guidelines for preventing sexual harassment of working wome n in place of their work It would be appropriate to conclude by quoting Cunningham, â€Å"Indian PIL might rather be a Phoenix: a whole new creative arising out of the ashes of the old order.† PIL represents the first attempt by a developing common law country to break away from legal imperialism perpetuated for centuries. It contests the assumption that the most western the law, the better it must work for economic and social development such law produced in developing states, including India, was the development of under developed men. The shift from legal centralism to legal pluralism was prompted by the disillusionment with formal legal system. In India, however instead of seeking to evolve justice- dispensing mechanism ousted the formal legal system itself through PIL. The change as we have seen, are both substantial and structural. It has radically altered the traditional judicial role so as to enable the court to bring justice within the reach of the common man. Further, it is humbly submitted that PIL is still is in experimental stage. Many deficiencies in handling the kind of litigation are likely to come on the front. But these deficiencies can be removed by innovating better techniques. In essence, the PIL develops a new jurisprudence of the accountability of the state for constitutional and legal violations adversely affecting the interests of the weaker elements in the community. We may end with the hope once expressed by Justice Krishna Iyer, â€Å"The judicial activism gets its highest bonus when its orders wipe some tears from some eyes†

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Analysing The Emerging Democracy Of South Africa Politics Essay

Analysing The Emerging Democracy Of South Africa Politics Essay South Africa is a young democracy that has begun making serious attempts to bring the nation together and create national equality among the people. First to understand what a democracy is it needs to be defined. William Hay Anthony defines democracy as â€Å"liberal representative government under law, sustained by a political culture that accepts open disagreement and demands accountability† (Anthony, pg 135). This definition highlights â€Å"the role of institutions in making a political order work† (Anthony, pg 135). Applying this definition to the South African case is important to analyzing its development within being a democratic nation. Civil and political rights are important to a democratic nation because it must maintain rights to all of its citizens equally. South Africa has made huge steps in ensuring equal rights to all of its citizens, though it is quite clear that a lot more could be done. In terms of economic rights and social rights, South Africa has made attempts in making these rights equal for everyone. The democratic role of South African political parties has been a constant one. The African National Congress has been the party in power of the state since its first democratic election in 1994 and it seems like it is getting more and more support as time goes by. Their policies which have been put forth have the same goal of having equality within the state. In the past 16 years, South Africa has made numerous attempts to make its nation more democratic but it is clear that the work that the nation must do to have a complete democracy, is nowhere near finished. Rights have not always been equal to all people of South Africa throughout history, even in the past 20 years. From 1948- 1994, South Africa was under an apartheid, that is, a segregation of blacks and whites in all aspects of society. Under this rule, all races that were identified by the South African Government were divided. At the time, the government recognized four different racial categories: â€Å" African, coloured, Indian and whiteâ€Å" (Lichbach 2009, 466). There were many laws that were put in place to keep the people of the country segregated at all times; the only exclusion to that was if a black African was working for a white one. Some apartheid laws were the â€Å" Group Areas Act, Land Acts, Population Registration Act and Reservation of separate Amenities Actâ€Å" (Lester 1996, 227). During the apartheid, because coloured people could not vote or own property, they were living in extremely poor conditions and kept in certain black only areas. Even when coloured people could own land, the qualifications amount was raised too high for many coloured people to even consider attempting to purchase land. (Maphai 1994, 3). Without the ownership of property, one could not vote. When the first democratic election was held in April of 1994, it marked a new beginning in South Africa; some called it the â€Å"New South Africa†. Mandela was named as president and many apartheid laws were abolished. People were becoming more equal within this country which meant people of all the coloured races were lawfully allowed to integrate with their white counter parts in education, work, property ownership and other rights that were not given to them before. With a new government set in place, citizens were excited to see how their country would change for the better given its new democratic policies that would soon begin to be in effect. What some people don’t fully understand is that many things like becoming a new democracy take time, especially when dealing with a country with a past like that of South Africa. With that being said, even though these wonderful laws were being put into government, they were not exactly being implemented very well. One of the biggest reasons why so many of the country’s people have to live this way is because of the huge inequalities within the country; â€Å" Ine quality is still higher than anywhere else in the worldâ€Å" (Pons-Vignon 2008, 3). Inequality is something that cannot be changed overnight with the passing of different laws; it is something will be an ongoing struggle for the country. Something that is special with the democratic characteristics of South Africa is the fact that the minority of the country has most of the power; white people are the clear minority of the population but they clearly have the most power. In 1980, it was shown that â€Å" whites, who were one sixth of the population, earned two thirds of total income in the countryâ€Å" (Maphai 1994, 137). Because white people have such great power as a whole, it is more difficult for other citizens of the country to rise economically. Since 1994, the only place that whites do not have the most power is in government. The Party that has been in power since the liberalization movement has been the black- led African National Congress or ANC. When it comes to voti ng, which many black people do have a right to now, whites just cannot even compare with the numbers that the Blacks have; in 2001, â€Å"79 percent of the population classified themselves as African, 10 percent as white, 9 percent as Coloured and 2 percent as Asianâ€Å" (Lichbach 2009, 472). The fact that government is led by a black supported party is not unfortunate for most white people. In the early 1990’s, the ANC adopted many policies and went through many negotiations with the National party (NP) to get more support from the white community. With the attempt that the ANC made toward getting support from white people in the country, white people began to see the ANC more like a rival as rather than an enemy. (Maphai 1994, 75) As well, the leaders of the ANC have done a good job in convincing all people, including whites, that their policies will only help to better the country. Unions are also helpful with making a nation more democratic. The ability to have specifi c rights because of employment is a huge factor in having equal rights for people. It was 1979 when African Trade Unions were finally recognized and the Congress of South African Trade Unions was then formed in 1985. (Lichbach 2009, 477) Recognizing unions that were made up of Black workers was essential in implying that they, as workers within the state, deserve no less than that of white workers. Unions allow a group of workers to negotiate with their employers about better wages and working conditions. In the aspect of civil and political rights, South Africa is making a clear progression towards truly having equality within those rights. Democratically, South Africa is making a big progression towards effectively having equal political and civil rights for all of its citizens. Through the coming years there should be more polices out being put into effect and hopefully a better understanding of equality among races. It is only then that the rights that are actually listed within the South African law will have been respected and truly put into practice.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Healing Hospital- A Daring Paradigm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healing Hospital- A Daring Paradigm - Essay Example The patients rest assured that the treatment they encounter from the hospital is one of happy face and effective clinical attention and care. Chapman (2003) describes a Healing Hospital as being about loving services to other individuals. Components of the healing hospital The components of a healing hospital paradigm are a composition of every aspect of the individual. These are the physical appearance, mental status and the spiritual aspect. Ferrelli and Pulchaski (2010) asserts that as an element of healing of this paradigm, addressing the cognition of the family, emotions, and spiritual aspects can assist in coping. Care goes past the physical concerns and there is an involvement of a holistic approach. (Chapman, 2003) opposes the idea that a Healing Hospital is built with just bricks and mortar. It features three important qualities, which are strong and dedicated leadership, systems and structures, and communication through dialogue. A strong and dedicated leadership from the t op management to the bottom levels is important because it makes the operations of the hospital to run smoothly. It supports the theme of caring, and it is based on love. Healing hospitals majorly use the three signs of loving services (Chapman, 2003). A Golden Thread, which symbolises hope and faith in God, which is a representation of positive culture of healing. A sign of intersecting circles symbolizing hope that gets into and out of the people’s heart when they experience love. When these two signs are combined with the other components, they bring the caring aspect of the healing hospitals. The healing hospital and spirituality The spirituality of a healing hospital begins with the top management down to the bottom management and then the employees. These hospitals should have set standards to serve the whole community with care. This eventually results to spiritual combination that involves the individuals’ body and the spirit, Koeniq (2007). Both the combinatio n of healing and spirituality should be the focus of each patient’s stay in a healing hospital. Spirituality has been observed to have a positive effect on one’s well being because the body, mind, and spirit together work as a unit (Ferrelli & Pulchaski, 2010). For this matter therefore, healing hospitals have to be beyond the ordinary place of treatment but also a place of spiritual fulfillment. This is because spirituality has been observed to form a fundamental part of every person’s life (Koeniq, 2007). It is therefore not a matter of choice but a necessity of nursing practice and the medical regulating bodies. These bodies demand that spiritual care be part of initial plan of patient care. The function of the healing hospitals started long during the time of Jesus on earth. They are a reflection of what God can do only if we believe that we can be healed. 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 28, states that â€Å"God has set some in the church, first apostles, s econd prophets, third teachers, then gifts of healings, helps, governments . . .† This is an indication that God gave the power of healing and it is reflected in the healing hospitals of today, which are not so much into the financial part of their operations but on the well-being of individuals the same way that God cares for people free of charge. Matthew 9:2 states that â€Å"and behold they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy . . .† Jesus healed the sick using the power of God as the healing hospi

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Project times ans costs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Project times ans costs - Assignment Example One would need to consider time and costs in project management since these are the major inputs that need accuracy. To control any project well, accuracy of estimates in mandatory since good project control entirely depends on the extent to which the estimates are accurate. There is no need for under/overruns in a project. In fact, poorly managed project shows such symptoms majorly because of inaccuracies that existed during estimation or estimations were totally absent Project managers usually need to make good and informed decisions concerning the amount of the estimates that they require for the specific projects. For instance, in a project to construct a building, the construction manager would need to make accurate estimates of all the materials required so that cost estimates can be made. This will enable the manager to make informed decision on how much the cost of completing the construction would be without making any losses. This show how important accurate estimates are i n decision making. Another important factor to know in a project is how long the project would take as well as the total cost that the project will need to completion (Michael, 2008). These are questions that can only be responded to well by carrying out accurate estimation of both costs and time. Resources are very scarce, therefore the available ones should be planned well with to meet the intended needs. This can only be achieved in project management by good management of time and financial resources through accurate estimates. To control and manage a project well, one needs to develop cash flow needs. This will enable the project manager to predict the payback period of the project and even make the breakeven analysis. From the payback period, is easy to know whether the project is viable or not. It also becomes easy to know how much funds are required for the project maintenance and to achieve all these correctly, accurate estimate is required. Any good managed project require s a time phased budget. To develop this and establish a baseline for the project, accurate estimates must be done. The time passed budgets include the prices of different materials and how they change with time. Time might cause changes in the prices of materials; therefore, proper estimates need to be done to give accurate allowance for such adjustments when they occur in the future. Errors normally occur to anyone doing anything. The only difference is to what significant is the error to the project. Normally errors occur when estimations are not done correctly or just not done at all. To avoid or reduce errors in a given project, there is need for an accurate estimation to be done. This also helps in reducing under/overruns. The differences between bottom-up and top-bottom estimation techniques One must first appreciate that both bottom-up and top-bottom are project estimation techniques. However, bottom-up technique proves more accurate as compared to the top-bottom technique an d this marks the major difference between the two (Mark, 1997). The bottom-up technique, however, takes much time to carry out in as much as it is accurate. The top-bottom technique on the other hand is very fast to execute but less accurate. Bottom up technique is carried out by thoroughly by estimating each and every package of work in a WBS. This technique is normally applied once the management and its client are already committed to the project and

Spiritual care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Spiritual care - Assignment Example isasters like earthquake, floods and droughts are usually blamed on supernatural causes whereby â€Å"God† has been â€Å"blamed† for the cause, as a punishment to a community. At this point, the spiritual aspect of an individual or a community should be taken into consideration during therapy to recover from the disaster aftermath (Jose, 2010). Community health nurse has a role to play in assisting the spiritual care of an individual, community or colleagues after a disaster has strike. The nurse should listen carefully to the accounts of different people in relation to the event and draw a well spiritual plan of care. The nurse can incorporate various religious leaders to come and provide a spiritual encouragement to individuals or community members. By doing this, the community members may feel spiritually healed since they believe that their prayers have been sent and received, and such a disaster will not reoccur. The nurse should be empathetic, offer prayers, listen actively without judging and share the emotions appropriately. Such methods make an individual to have peace in heart and accelerate the recovery from the disaster. Organizing community memorial services, anniversary dates and retreat opportunities to colleagues as such, interventions offer long-term recovery (Van Leeuwen & Cusveller,

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Individual reflective report on the social marketing campaign. Healthy Essay

Individual reflective report on the social marketing campaign. Healthy Minds Student diet and health concerns - Essay Example If it smells bad it’s to be avoided, and if it smells good then it’s to be enjoyed. We do this with our food, smelling it to see if it is still good to eat, which is why rotten food emit such a foul odour. The same thing is supposed to be true with taste. If it tastes bad, then it is bad, and should be avoided; and if it tastes good, then it should be partaken of and enjoyed. Or so the theory goes, which is why our prehistoric ancestors had been able to make it out of the prehistoric age and make it possible for us, hundreds of generations hence, to be alive and write about good food tasting good. But given what we know now, about proper nutrition and health, it’s right to say that all food that tastes good is not good for you. The words of the good science teacher notwithstanding, it is important to inform the young people today, who make it a point not to listen and to sneak away at the first instance possible, about the merits of healthy eating (and disadvanta ges of unhealthy eating) such as the following: (1) Improving the health of prospective mothers would give children a better start in life, reduce infant deaths, and also the numbers of low birth-weight babies; (2) Educational attainment can be improved and risk of mental illness reduced as well as road deaths, if children’s health could be ascertained; (3) The UK could save up to ?100 billion a year if working-age ill health were reduced; (4) If adults turned from unhealthy habits, 30% of circulatory diseases could be avoided, ?2.7 billion of state funds saved due to reduced alcohol abuse, and ?13.9 billion of social costs avoided in terms of reduced drug-fuelled crime (HM Government. 2010). That the adults of today are in a bad way is not debatable. Already, overweight and obesity has begun to cause as much preventable disease and death as does cigarette smoking. While the interest is to get younger people on the bandwagon towards healthier eating habits, findings to be arr ived at in this study would also pertain to social marketing for the health habits of adults. This reflective paper will present this writer’s ideas about the way social marketing could create an impact in the minds and hearts of our youth, particularly teen-agers, on the merits of eating a healthy diet and living a wholesome lifestyle. Healthy people, healthy nation The need to develop a healthy generation of people is not the sole concern of the individual, but more important the community and the nation. This is the reason why the UK has prioritized the promotion of healthy eating in its health policy agenda (EPPI-Centre. 2009). What may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things, such as the matter of telling children to eat their peas and liver and putting up with the inevitable grimaces, is actually a matter of state priority. The diet children are introduced to early in life become a habit in their teen years, and a compulsion in their adulthood. More than this, during that period in life when children’s bodies and minds develop fastest, starving them of essential nutrients to support this accelerated growth robs them of the maximum potential they would have attained. Long-term studies are still being conducted to determine the exact effects of poor nutrition on health and development in later life (Wachs,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Development of an information technology (IT) project Essay

Development of an information technology (IT) project - Essay Example The project seeks to coordinate and maintain the records of the professional development of its employees spread across Colorado, Illinois, Texas and Florida. The project is estimated to cost the organization three hundred thousand dollars. This project charter formally authorizes the existence of the project and the Project Name. It seeks to provide resources to run the activities to the manager of the project. If there is a change in the project scope, the charter will be updated and submitted for re-approval. The development of the project aims to integrate all the four branches of the company allowing the extensive number of 30000 employees to locate and schedule professional development activities that relate to their positions. Most important is to facilitate coordination and manage a record of its employees and their progress. The project aims to build a system that allows location and scheduling of tasks, has an extensive search capability, and enable employees to schedule events (Bolles & Hubbard, 2007). Further, it should allow integration of a social network platform and incorporate a notification module for both the managers and the employees. The project will cover gathering the requirements for the system, building of the system, developing a guide for the user and making a presentation on the system and its functionality in general. However training the individual persons will not be done at this stage. A project manager is required to be ethical since they need to handle people of various calibers, a lot of cash, and most of all lead the staff to deliver the product. In this endeavor, they need to admit to doing wrong, making hard but necessary choices and centralizing blame in case it

Monday, September 23, 2019

The outline for the complete academic research paper

The outline for the complete academic - Research Paper Example For a cloud to work efficiently, one must have an internet connection. If one is looking for a particular document that is stored in the cloud, there must be an internet connection either through a mobile broad brand connection or wireless internet (Lewis et al, 2009). The advantage of cloud computing is that the same document can be accessed by any device as long as there is internet availability. These devices can be a phone, laptop.tablet or a desktop. This helps an organization to work more with ease because a cloud can access software and store data. There are several types of clouds that can be subscribed depending on ones needs. One of them is a private cloud, which is established for a specific organization or group and access is limited. A public cloud can be accessed by any user with an internet connection. On the other hand, community cloud is usually shared among two or more organizations that have similar cloud requirements. A hybrid cloud is a combination of two clouds in which the clouds in particular are a mixture of community,private and public (Jansen, 2011). Literature review Rittinghouse,J.W., & Ransome,J.F. (2010). Cloud Computing Implementation, Management, and Security. New York: Taylor and Francis Group. claim that each provider serves a role and it gives users more or less control over their cloud depending on the type. When choosing a provider, one has to compare needs to the cloud services which are available. The cloud needs usually vary depending on how one intends to use the resources and the storage space associated with the specific cloud. A cloud provider becomes more expensive depending on an individual's technological needs. There are three types of cloud providers that one can subscribe to : infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and software as a service. Software as a service gives subscribers an opportunity to access both applications and resources. It makes it unnecessary for one to have a physical copy of sof twares to install on the devices. This type of cloud provider makes it possible to have the same software to all devices at once by accessing it via the cloud. Under a platform as a service,this system goes a level above the software as a service setup. This provider gives its subscribers access to the components that they require to operate and develop over the internet. Fatih Erkoc, Serhat Bahadir Kert (2010). Cloud Computing For Distributed University Campus: A Prototype Suggestion, by Mehmet indicate that infrastructure as a service deals with computational infrastructure. In his system, a provider completely outsources storage and resources, such as software and hardware. By subscribing to this type of service cloud,one would be able to maintain his or her business with a larger computational capability. One has to spend more resources on the operation and development of applications. Most information stored on the cloud is often seen as a treasure to individuals with mean inte nt. There is a lot of confidential and private information that individuals store on their computers and this information is now being transferred to the cloud (Strowd, 2010). One has to be careful with the cloud provider he or she chooses. This is because security measures usually vary from one provider to the other. Research Question / Hypothesis One of the ways that service

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Black Rage-Book Report Essay Example for Free

Black Rage-Book Report Essay The pages of human history daubed in bloodshed and thickly coated with ethnic, racial conflicts ask a crying question. How to make this Planet Earth heaven -like? The answer is simple and direct. Eyes full of understanding, heart full of love and the life that refuses conflicts—these alone are enough! When an individual or a people of a particular race are constantly nagged and abused, condemned and ostracized by the society, they become bitter and cynical individuals. Heartfelt care and concern, an understanding approach and tender regard for their feelings are necessary pre-requisites to heal their inner wounds. Adequate opportunities need to be created for their ‘reformation’ and ‘rehabilitation’ into the mainstream of the society. The authors feel that it is not an easy task. Each and every molecule of the Negro race is surcharged with the hidden grudge as for the inhuman treatment meted out to them in all walks of life, from the cradle to the grave and from the womb to the tomb and this process continued for centuries. They were branded from birth as ‘niggers. ’ This insult on their personality is difficult to condone. Brief summary of the book: This is a classic work on black identity. This is also criticized as one of the sexiest books. Slavery is no ordinary crime against humanity. The book explains the race relations and its dynamics in the day to day living of the blacks vs. whites. How at each step of the ladder the blacks were pulled down, how they were made to stumble at deliberately created hurdles by the whites, how slavery dynamics deeply impact the cross-racial sexual relationships etc. It is one thing to have freedom and protection for the essential human dignity of the individual legally. It is good to have uniform constitutional rights for whites and blacks. But what mattes is the interpretation of the laws and their applicability to the ground level situations, concerning the blacks. The book is an authentic source of inspiration to the educated younger generation of blacks, and for the African psychologists of the day. The book cites case studies and they are properly dealt with. The point by point analysis of the â€Å"intra-psychic† dynamics of Black life in every day America is extremely informative and an eye-opener. Blacks, in many parts of the world where the whites were the dominating community, suffered, and in USA they suffered intensely. The authors are psychiatrists by profession and they are eminently suited to treat this subject. The inner conflicts and the desperation of back life, how they carry on with their back to the wall existence—all these have been highlighted, with the zeal of pursuing the truth. As the black race is exposed to various social situations related to the individual growth through education, employment, achievement of status in life, the intra-racial problems have begun to crop up with great intensity. The authors cite the case of an educated school teacher, marrying a laborer. They explain: â€Å"†¦She was embarrassed by his poor education. He felt that she and her friends were phony and that she was preoccupied with maintaining senseless appearances. Their mutual hostility led to verbal and later physical assaults. Divorce was the result. This pattern is so common in Negro marriages that it deserves special study, which might shed light on the broader problems of how in America choice of mate and marriage in general is influenced by a persons blackness. †(p. 75) The authors put forth strong arguments that black people living in a racist, white dominated society have suffered and are suffering psychological pressure by the effects of racist oppression. This sometimes, has the telling effect in on the day to day disposition and black people act in unpredictable manner. The thesis of the book: Will the country ever awake in to that heaven of freedom, and when it will be free from the division of narrow domestic walls created by race prejudices? What you do to mitigate the mental barrier of racial discrimination on so many counts is not important. How you do, what you do is indeed important. More acts and legislations have helped to create a stir in the minds of whites and blacks. But the problem eludes permanent solution. This is so, because the feeling of superiority within the minds of the whites has to change. When the thought process will change, the action process will also change! When the thoughts are changed, the mind is changed; when the mind is changed, the man is changed; when the man is changed, the society is changed; when the society is changed, the Nation is changed. Then only we can way that plenty and prosperity engulfs USA, not otherwise! The contents and arguments in the book contain too much sex, much more than required by the literary standards. But some times, these issues are beyond the control of the authors. Firstly the book must sell. This is the prime objective of the publisher. Fortunately or unfortunately, sex sells. If it is handled well, it sells well. This could be one of the reasons for the extra dose of sex in the book—this may not be as well! This book has about 230 pages with 10 chapters, Who’s angry, the shadow of the past, achieving womanhood, acquiring manhood, marriage and love, character traits, the â€Å"Promise† of education, mental illness and treatment, and how come there’s so much hate and black rage. In a nutshell, the contents of the book discuss and analyze the bitter past of slavery in USA, the tension-ridden race relations in USA today, and the future of black and white race relations which have the possibilities to turn worst, on the slightest provocation, when the black race is making its presence felt strongly, in political, social, and economic spheres. In sports, blacks are dominating! The blacks accepted the domination of the white race-will the whites accept the domination of the black race in times to come? Will the law of divine retribution work in this context? Identify the evidence used by the author to support his/ her thesis That which is evident requires no introduction, elaboration, or appreciation. Light is bright and it is evident. Milk is white and it is evident. Simply say black race in America, and everything is evident. The saga of suffering of the Negro race, the era of slavery, violence and cruelty to subdue their legitimate aspirations rotates on the curtain of one’s mind. The authors of Black Rage do not mince words when it comes to condemning the atrocities committed on the black race. â€Å"The voice of black America has been heard in the explosions of Watts, Newark, and Detroit,† they warn. (p. 3) They assert their aspiration in strongest terms. â€Å"Black people continue to revolt against laws and customs that are deadly and humiliating†¦Aggression leaps from wounds inflicted and ambitions spiked. It grows out of oppression and capricious cruelty. †(p. 3). The younger generation of Negroes is not willing to wait and accept ‘the tactful handling of the situation’ by the whites when their interests matter. The white race is not willing to travel in the boat where the rudder is controlled by the black. The blacks are aware, by their bitter past experiences that the whites will go to any extent when their own interests matter. This causes more frustration and apprehension in the black community and adversely affects their psyche. The example cited in the text is that of Jimmy, a twelve year old boy. â€Å"His face was jet-black, and his expressions ranged from somber to sad. Whether relating stories of home, school, or the streets, he disguised his true feelings. At twelve he had learned one of his first lessonsalways play it cool. As much as possible, he worked to hide his inner life. One day he stared long and hard at his fist and said: I want to hit a white man. †(p. 59) State your own opinion and ideas about this book. The book contains tough opinions about the white race. To tell a black youngster to forget the past, say that he is constitutionally protected and enjoys equal rights as applicable to whites or any ethnic group is as good as telling him a story. The suffering of the Negro race is something very special and closely linked to the destiny of America. The black can condone the past; they can not ignore or forget it. The whites are not obliging the blacks by the present stance of understanding them. They have no other alternative. They must accept their newfound social position—equal in every respect as compared to the black people and it is their duty to say that the black-brother is first among the equal. They must attempt and secure the transformation within. The writers put it crisply and authoritatively. â€Å"After all, the thoughts begin, the Negro is also an American and if he is different it is only matter of degree. Cliches are brought forth and there is a lengthy recitation of the names of famous Negroes. Long association has bred feelings of familiarity which masquerade as knowledge. But there remain puzzles about black people; all is not understood; something is missing. †(p. 23) â€Å"It is better to have a world united than a world divided; but it is better to have a world divided, than a world destroyed,† said Sir Winston Churchill at the time of II World War. Presently, does this quote apply to the solution for the race problem in USA? USA will never be divided in geographical terms, the Constitution of USA is strong enough, the political leaders have enough foresight, but the example given in the book is shocking and is the definite pointer, how the division of the hearts is complete. How Come Theres So Much Hate? â€Å"When the man died, his wife of forty years was pitied by her friends. The widow was a stern New Englander; her dead husband was a black. In spite of strong social disapproval of their marriage, they had raised children and prospered. There had been some discord between them, but they handled it discreetly and the children had never heard them comment on racial matters. Even when a racial incident was prominent in the news, not a word was said about it. The children assumed that their mother had long since accepted the realities of marriage to a black man. They were completely unprepared for her words when her husband died: Thank God that nigger is gone! (p. 181) Spirituality, not religion, seems to be the only answer to this vexed problem of race relations. Once a human being crosses the mind barrier, all differences all tensions, cease! Mind is a bundle of negative and positive thoughts. The usual methods of suppressing the thoughts and emotions are not going to bring permanent peace. If the Negro race has to surrender at any point, it has got to be the dynamic surrender, of a supreme and brave human being. They should not accept the supremacy of the white race, nor demand the pound of flesh for the historical misdeeds of the whites. If the revengeful attitude persists, it will take them and the Nation nowhere. If the Nation does not survive how will the black and white races survive?

Friday, September 20, 2019

Benefits and Drawbacks of Divesting Fossil Fuel Company

Benefits and Drawbacks of Divesting Fossil Fuel Company The environmental issues is the main trend that is concerned by most of the organization worldwide. Those concerns spread through the activist group and are affecting financial sector as well. By pressurizing universities endowment fund to divest the fossil fuel companies, the activists urge for the funds to invest responsibly by moving their money out of the non-environmental friendly companies. They aim to indirectly create the new market norms and change the way people perceive those companies which will stigmatized them if they do not adapt to the more innovative and more sustainable ways of doing business. However, the fiduciary duty of the financial professionals is a big issue to be discussed if the fund manager will consider divesting fossil fuel companies on whether there is a conflict on investing responsibly and maximizing profit or not. By the definition of the fiduciary duty, Boatright (2008) explained that A fiduciary duty may be defined as the duty of a person in a position of trust to act solely in the interest of the beneficiary, without gaining any material benefit except with the knowledge and consent of this person. We may need to reinterpret its definition in accordance to the ongoing situation in order to see if we can add the environmental and sustainable elements to this duty without compromising the sole existing definition of the fiduciary duty itself. I have done research on the topics about this, and here are the advantages, disadvantages, and some discussion on the fiduciary duty on divesting from fossil fuel firms. Divesting from fossil fuel companies is likely to yield three main advantages. Firstly, it may encourage the change toward more innovative and sustainable form of fuel. There was a proverb stated that The stone age did not end when we ran out of stones this is to say that when we discover a better form of fossil fuel substitution, it will be no longer the main form of fuel for our world. For example, the development of alternative energy source. By divesting from those companies, we can stimulate them to intensify their research and development in order to move on to more sustainable fuel. After their successful adaptation, those stocks may become attractive for investing responsibly again and we may reinvest in their stocks. Secondly, according to Smith Schools Stranded Assets (2013), we can indirectly influence the market by changing their norms, which is the last stage the activists hope to archive, affecting their ability to finance themselves in both debt and equity. By doing this, all fossil fuel company in the sector will be affected by the wave created by norm changing. This will result in the same way as the first advantage, but on a lot bigger scale, because the market itself is the main force that can directly affect the stock price. Thirdly, the research by Hoepner and Schopohl (2016) shows that there are no difference in terms of risk and return between the portfolio that excluding some sectors of stocks and the traditional portfolio that does not has any constrains. However, the exclusion portfolio in this research only excludes the securities after they are accused of violating the code of ethics. This findings is a very solid reason for divesting fossil fuel companies, as many people believe that these firms can generate higher return for their portfolio. By getting indifferent return, people will be motivated to seek for abnormal return opportunities by moving their money to more innovative firms with higher growth potential. These advantages can benefit the university and the students by signaling to the whole nation that our university would like to take the leading role in tackling with global warming and other environmental issues. This can also potentially use for a marketing purpose of the university, as it may ranked the university up for being seriously concerned about environment and may attract more scholars and academics in this particular area to joining the university. The university may also benefit from the new investment perspective of its endowment fund, as it can gives higher profit if invest properly. This will enhance the ability to fund any new project which will definitely benefit both university and students, the university can provide better facility for learning and the students will be get a more competitive edge from learning in such environment. There are also three disadvantages for divesting from fossil fuel companies. Firstly, the universitys endowment fund cannot heavily affect the shares price of those firms due to the low proportion of the funds holding in this sector. The Stranded Assets by Smith School (2013) shows that the average university endowment fund in the USA hold the fossil fuel companies stocks for about 2% of their fund, and about 4% in the UKs. This proportion cannot significantly affect the stock price even though the funds liquidate all of their portion. Moreover, there may be some players that are willing to immediately buy these stocks after the fund sold their shares, as the price will be attractive for that period of time. Therefore, the university cannot hope to directly impact the market trend solely on this activity. Secondly, such activity may incur additional transaction cost generated by this activity to the fund itself, which may decrease its profit for some period, especially for the University of Reading, which 12.7% of the endowment fund is invested in fossil fuel related companies. If the trustee of the fund could not find any attractive investment opportunity, this movement will do more harm than good, at least in short term, to the fund and the university. Thirdly, to see the significant effect of this divestment, we will have to be patience. The impact on the sector would not be observable within one or two years, the university is likely to suffer from the divestment, again if the fund managers could not find attractive investment alternatives. Moreover, there are no distinct lists of the targeted company that is not environmental responsible to divest, which means that this will increase the marginal cost for the fund to do the research on those fossil fuel companies to divest. I also believe that divestment is not a solution for climate change, as stated in the article Why Fossil Fuel Divestment is a Misguiding Tactic by The Guardian (2015) as this is can be only served as a mean for increasing peoples awareness about the issue and it can be considered only a symbolic act while the real threats to the climate such as deforestation, short-lived greenhouse gas, halocarbon are still exist. These disadvantages will affect the university in terms of the opportunity cost, which comes in the form of less financial supports, as the fund may not yield as what it used to provide. This may result in lower scholarship for students and lower capacity to fund the researches. I also believe that by divesting its holding in fossil fuel companies, the university also give up its right as the owner of the companies which means that the university cannot influence the companies to move into a more sustainable way that may eventually increase the benefits to the shareholders. For the issues about the fiduciary duty of the trustee, as I stated before, the trustee should aim to provide their beneficiary with highest benefit. Therefore, it should hope to maximize the profit of this endowment fund. I completely agree with Drew Fausts Fossil Fuel Divestment Statement to the members of the Harvard Community (2013) on the topic that the universitys endowment fund has a single purpose, to support the academic mission, and it should not be used for any other purposes. To put the fund in any political position is to put the university in a risky position, as the money in the fund are from philanthropists with different view in politics. However, they share the same perspective in funding academic advancement, taking side in this political activity may result in fund withdrawal from the disagreed benefactors. I insist that fossil fuel divestment will breach the fiduciary duty of the endowment funds trustee, the fund must remain politically neutral to secure the risk position of the university and to serve the funds only single purpose. If the fund is going to divest, it should be a strategic adjustment of the portfolio in order to maximizing profit for the university, not for expressing the view on the particular topic in the society. On the other hand, I agree with the activists view about thinking long-term, not through the channel of divesting. Divestment is, in my opinion, meaningless as we still use the fossil fuel in our everyday life, such as our car petrol, our electricity which is produced by fossil fuel or even our home heating system powered by gas. We can act with long-term attitude by implementing a more productive ways such as influencing the current fossil fuel firms as a shareholder to move them to the good direction, fueling the breakthrough research about alternative energy and fuel, funding for innovative architecture and engineering. All of these ways can be originated from a good academic institution, their research, and proper funding is crucial for the growth of the academics. Hence, the trustee should put their best effort in the fund to keep advancing the academic goals. The campaigns should not about the fossil fuel alone, it should aim to tackle all of the problem stated above to be trul y archive the solution to the environmental problems. I believe the conflict in fiduciary duty can be solved by the fund manager try to take part in the fossil fuel company that the fund invested in through voting rights and keep monitor their use of fund through the companys report. The endowment fund should also keep looking for the new investment strategy which involve alternative energies and other responsible firm in a case that those companies could give higher yield than the current fossil fuel firm, then that would create a win-win situation for the fund, the university, and the students. The other good way is forming the new committee to keep reviewing if the fund invest sustainably and responsible, This committee may consist of students from the university and specialized fund manager. This method is already implemented by some leading American university such as Harvard. Finally, I recommend the University of Readings endowment fund not to divest for the stated reasons. I would suggest the fund to keep monitor the company, keep being aware of the situation in the market and use the recommendations stated above. While the environment issues are the important concerns for everyone, one should not focus only on the companies, but should focus also the people. People are the one responsible for the climate change and should be educated about the problem properly, in order to change their mind set to make it become more responsible for their selfish actions that caused climate change. I insist that the interest of the beneficiary is still remains an undisputed duty of the trustee and the fund managers must put their full effort to see it happen. References   Ã‚   Andreas G. F. Hoepner, L. S. (2016). On the Price of Morals in Markets: An Empirical Study of the Swedish AP-funds and the Norwegian Government Pension Fund. http://ssrn.com/abstract=2828040. Atif Ansar, B. C. (2013). Stranded assets. Oxford: Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford. Faust, D. (2013, October 3). Fossil Fuel Divestment Statement. Retrieved from Harvard University: http://www.harvard.edu/president/news/2013/fossil-fuel-divestment-statement Hulme, M. (2015, April 17). Why fossil fuel divestment is a misguided tactic. Retrieved from The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/17/why-fossil-fuel-divestment-is-a-misguided-tactic

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Julius Caesar :: essays papers

Julius Caesar In the book Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Cassius and the conspirators depicted Caesar as being ambitious. He was also said to not be ambitious by Mark Antony. He was, however, ambitious. This is because he refused the crown three times, he did not listen to the warnings that people gave him throughout the book, and he did not end the punishment he placed upon Metellus Cimber^s brother, Publius Cimber. These were all acts of ambition. On the Lupercal, Mark Antony presented Caesar with a crown. Caesar then proceeded to turn down the crown three times. The reason he did this is because the crown was not the real one, but only a coronet. This is known when Casca tells Brutus and Caesar, ^I saw Mark Antony offer him a crown (yet ^twas not a crown neither; ^twas one of those coronets), and as I told you, he put it by once; but for all that, to my thinking, he would fain have had it.^ The reason that this was ambitious is because it shows that he wanted more than they offered him and that he wasn^t satisfied with just that. It also shows that he feels that he is too good for it. After he turned down the crown, the people watching yelled because they wanted him to take the crown. This shows he does not listen to others. Throughout the book, Caesar received many warnings about his death. All of these warnings he refused. The Soothsayer told him to ^beware the Ides of March,^ Calphurnia told him about her dreams, the owl was seen in the capitol during the daytime, the slaves hand caught on fire, and the sky spit fire. All of these were warnings that Caesar did not listen to. He pushed away the Soothsayer and said, ^He is a dreamer. Let us leave him. Pass.^ This shows that he will not accept advice from anyone. If he does this, then he will be a tyrant. When Calphurnia told him about her dream, he did not listen to her. Instead, he listened to flattery, which he said he disliked. These shows that he was also a hypocrite and that he would only listen to or do what sounded better for him. All of these things reveal that he has a huge ego. This is ambitious because a person with a big ego will only do things that will benefit him. Before Caesar is stabbed, Metellus Cimber and the conspirators approach him and ask him to let Publius Cimber back into the kingdom.

Shakespeare presents Antony, Cleopatra, and Caesar as committed only to

The language Shakespeare uses in Antony and Cleopatra is concerned overwhelmingly with image and display. As Enobarbus describes the first meeting of the lovers we are drawn in to a world of colour and wealth, ‘The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne,/ Burned on the water’. Cleopatra herself is described in even more majestic – even divine – terms, ‘o’erpicturing’ the goddess Venus. Antony himself is ‘the crown of the earth’, whose eyes ‘glowed like plated Mars’, while Caesar is ‘a Jove’, whose ascendancy will bring ‘the time of universal peace’ – an allusion, Rene Weis suggests, to the everlasting kingdom of Christ. However, it is debatable as to whether the characters themselves share the intent of the grand words surrounding them, and if they are as committed to image as this quotation suggests. Antony, in fact, seems to surrender his public image completely for Cleopatra’s sake. The play opens with a comment on the received view, Antony has become a ‘strumpet’s fool’. Indeed, he is willing to sacrifice Rome and his worldly status in virtue of his love for Cleopatra, ‘let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch/ Of the ranged empire fall’. Only absolute political necessity can draw him from Egypt, and even then he recognises that ‘i’th’East my pleasure lies’. His marriage to Octavia angers Cleopatra greatly, but it was enacted only to placate Caesar and is soon rendered useless as he returns promptly to Egypt. Furthermore, his heroic image [he was said by Plutarch to have been like Hercules] is damaged by his preferences, Caesar mocks him as ‘womanly’ while even Antony himself cries at Cleopatra’s servant ‘O, thy vile lady! She has robbed me of my sword!’ In a sense, it appears that Antony has been unmanned by his com... ...d me my robes, put on my crown’ – shows her determination to make a memorable final tableau. On the other hand, and more likely given the divine undertones and implications in the language, she seeks Antony in a life beyond death, realising that life and politics – those ‘baser elements’ – are trivial compared to everlasting love. A conclusion can now be established. Antony is positively unconcerned with display, he sacrifices image and politics alike for the love of his Egyptian queen. Caesar is centred on image – the very nature of his role in power demands it, and his highly rhetorical speeches are testament to this aspect of his character. Cleopatra seems to develop as the play progresses from a character more comparable to Caesar to truly Antony’s lover, ultimately sacrificing the most precious gift – life itself – in favour of an afterlife in his company. Shakespeare presents Antony, Cleopatra, and Caesar as committed only to The language Shakespeare uses in Antony and Cleopatra is concerned overwhelmingly with image and display. As Enobarbus describes the first meeting of the lovers we are drawn in to a world of colour and wealth, ‘The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne,/ Burned on the water’. Cleopatra herself is described in even more majestic – even divine – terms, ‘o’erpicturing’ the goddess Venus. Antony himself is ‘the crown of the earth’, whose eyes ‘glowed like plated Mars’, while Caesar is ‘a Jove’, whose ascendancy will bring ‘the time of universal peace’ – an allusion, Rene Weis suggests, to the everlasting kingdom of Christ. However, it is debatable as to whether the characters themselves share the intent of the grand words surrounding them, and if they are as committed to image as this quotation suggests. Antony, in fact, seems to surrender his public image completely for Cleopatra’s sake. The play opens with a comment on the received view, Antony has become a ‘strumpet’s fool’. Indeed, he is willing to sacrifice Rome and his worldly status in virtue of his love for Cleopatra, ‘let Rome in Tiber melt, and the wide arch/ Of the ranged empire fall’. Only absolute political necessity can draw him from Egypt, and even then he recognises that ‘i’th’East my pleasure lies’. His marriage to Octavia angers Cleopatra greatly, but it was enacted only to placate Caesar and is soon rendered useless as he returns promptly to Egypt. Furthermore, his heroic image [he was said by Plutarch to have been like Hercules] is damaged by his preferences, Caesar mocks him as ‘womanly’ while even Antony himself cries at Cleopatra’s servant ‘O, thy vile lady! She has robbed me of my sword!’ In a sense, it appears that Antony has been unmanned by his com... ...d me my robes, put on my crown’ – shows her determination to make a memorable final tableau. On the other hand, and more likely given the divine undertones and implications in the language, she seeks Antony in a life beyond death, realising that life and politics – those ‘baser elements’ – are trivial compared to everlasting love. A conclusion can now be established. Antony is positively unconcerned with display, he sacrifices image and politics alike for the love of his Egyptian queen. Caesar is centred on image – the very nature of his role in power demands it, and his highly rhetorical speeches are testament to this aspect of his character. Cleopatra seems to develop as the play progresses from a character more comparable to Caesar to truly Antony’s lover, ultimately sacrificing the most precious gift – life itself – in favour of an afterlife in his company.