ART HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ART HISTORY - Essay Example This construction is often used in bazaars in some of the Arab markets today. Pei and Parteners.The Bank of China, 1989 was constructed as beautiful architectural masterpiece with geometrical perfection of the mathematical design of each piece of glass. This was the precursor of his constructing the pyramids of the Louvre. Architecture in the commercial world has been transformed into art in itself. The design of Pei, the US Pavillon of Budminister Fuller and the beautiful buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright are just a small indication of how architechure has changed since the early 1950's. Art is to be beautiful to the eye visible at 180Â ° and promote social cohesion. Chapter 10: MORTALITY AND IMMORTALITY Man was deified and made immortal through art. 3000 BCE were the Pyramids in Egypt or the Chichen Itza in Mexico. Because of many social changes including the overcrowding of cities, graveyards became the responsibility of civil authorities. This can be seen in the Romanticism era wi th Pere LaChaise in 1804. (p265). As more controls were established less ornaments were allowed on gravestones. In some graveyards, stones were discontinued all together as in Memorial Lawn outside of Los Angeles. It is significant to bring up the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square (p 266) for the architecture of the building and for the statue outside. A similar edifice can be seen in North Korea and in Moscow. There are two photos in this section which the writer feels should go in Chapter 12. Chapter 12: SOCIAL PROTEST AND AFFIRMATION The following two photos were in the last chapter for the number of people who have died. It is important to look at the date of publication of this book and the six years that have past and the importance of social affirmation. "Modern commemorative art serves a psychological need of loss" and of closure. The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a commemorative work which promotes cohesion. Other commemorative works in Chapter 11: USA MARINE CORPS WAR ( p 297) and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, (p 1982) No other time in history have people been able to congregate in masses to mourn their losses. The most significant piece of architecture today is the computer designed Liberty Tower or 7TC. Land has been broken and it is scheduled to be finished in 2013. This site represents a corporate structure built will a shape that has never been used before which has no national or cultural significance. It will be used a memorial for the thousands who have died and who have died in war. In building one of the highest buildings in the world, it will be a social protest and a social affirmation that terrorism can be won. The context might be considered subjective to those who were not part of September 11 2001. Context therefore is depended on the person's culture. An American reading this report will not have the same perspective as someone from an Eastern

Diwali Essay Example for Free

Diwali Essay Deepavali or Diwali, popularly known as the festival of lights, is a five-day Hindu festival[3] which starts on Dhanteras, celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna paksha (dark fortnight) of the Hindu calendar month Ashwin and ends on Bhaubeej, celebrated on second lunar day of Shukla paksha of the Hindu calendar month Kartik. Dhanteras usually falls eighteen days after Dussehra. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali is an official holiday in India,[4] Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC.[5][6] Arya Samajists, celebrate this day as Death Anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. They also celebrate this day as Shardiya Nav-Shasyeshti. The name Diwali or Divali is a contraction of deepavali which translates into row of lamps.[7] Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.[8] These lamps are kept on during the night and ones house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome.[9] Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits.[10][11][12] During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year. The second day of the festival is called the Naraka Chaturdasi. Amavasya, the third day of Diwali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The fourth day of Diwali is known as Kartika Shudda Padyami. The fifth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya, and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes. Deepavali or Diwali, popularly known as the festival of lights, is a five-day Hindu festival[3] which starts on Dhanteras, celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna  paksha (dark fortnight) of the Hindu calendar month Ashwin and ends on Bhaubeej, celebrated on second lunar day of Shukla paksha of the Hindu calendar month Kartik. Dhanteras usually falls eighteen days after Dussehra. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali is an official holiday in India,[4] Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC.[5][6] Arya Samajists, celebrate this day as Death Anniversary of Swami Dayanand Saraswati. They also celebrate this day as Shardiya Nav-Shasyeshti. The name Diwali or Divali is a contraction of deepavali which translates into row of lamps.[7] Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil.[8] These lamps are kept on during the night and ones house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome.[9] Firecrackers are burst because it is believed that it drives away evil spirits.[10][11][12] During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends. The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year. The second day of the festival is called the Naraka Chaturdasi. Amavasya, the third day of Diwali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. The fourth day of Diwali is known as Kartika Shudda Padyami. The fifth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya, and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes. It begins in late Ashvin (between September and October) and ends in early Kartika (between October and November). The days in Ashvin are in the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) of that month, while the days in Kartik are in its Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight). The first day is Dhan Teras. The last day is Yama  Dvitiya, which signifies the second day of the light half of Kartika. Each day of Diwali marks one celebration of the six principal stories associated with the festival. Hindus have several significant events associated with Diwali: The return of Rama after 14 years of Vanvas (exile). To welcome his return, diyas (ghee lamps) are lit in total of 14. The killing of Narakasura: Celebrated as Naraka Chaturdashi, one day before Diwali, it commemorates the killing of the evil demon Narakasura, who wreaked havoc. In different versions, either Krishna or Krishnas wife Satyabhama killed Narakasura during the Dwapara yuga. Other events associated with Diwali include: Return of Pandavas after 12 years of Vanvas and one year of agyatavas (living incognito). Diwali being the festival of lights, across India people celebrate it via symbolic diyas or kandils (colourful paper lanterns) as an integral part of Diwali decorations. Diwali celebrations are spread over five days, from Dhanteras to Bhaiduj. In some places like Maharashtra it starts with Vasu Baras. All the days except Diwali are named according to their designation in the Hindu calendar. The days are: 1.Govatsa Dwadashi or Vasu Baras (27 Ashvin or 12 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Go means cow and vatsa means calf. Dwadashi or Baras means the 12th day. On this day the cow and calf are worshiped. The story associated with this day is that of King Prithu, son of the tyrant King Vena. Due to the ill rule of Vena, there was a terrible famine and earth stopped being fruitful. Prithu chased the earth, who is usually represented as cow, and ‘milked’ her, meaning that he brought prosperity to the land. 2.Dhanatrayodashi or Dhan teras or Dhanwantari Triodasi (28 Ashvin or 13 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Dhana means wealth and Trayodashi means 13th day. This day falls on the 13th day of the second half of the lunar month. It is considered an auspicious day for buying utensils and gold, hence the name ‘Dhana’. This day is regarded as the Jayanti (Birth Anniversary) of God Dhanvantari, the Physician of Gods, who came out during Samudra manthan, the churning of the great ocean by the gods and the demons. 3.Naraka Chaturdashi (29 Ashvin or 14 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Chaturdashi is the 14th day This was the day on which the demon Narakasura was killed by Krishna – an incarnation of Vishnu. It signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness (Gujarati: Kali Chaudas, Rajasthan : Roop Chaudas). In southern India, this is the actual day of festivities. Hindus wake up before dawn, have a fragrant oil bath and dress in new clothes. They light small lamps all around the house and draw elaborate kolams /rangolis outside their homes. They perform a special puja with offerings to Krishna or Vishnu, as he liberated the world from the demon Narakasura on this day. It is believed that taking a bath before sunrise, when the stars are still visible in the sky is equivalent to taking a bath in the holy Ganges. After the puja, children burst firecrackers heralding the defeat of the demon. As this is a day of rejoicing, many will have very elaborate breakfasts and lunches and meet family and friends. 4.Lakshmi Puja (30 Ashvin or 15 Krishna Paksha Ashvin): Lakshmi Puja marks the most important day of Diwali celebrations in North India. Hindu homes worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Ganesh, the God of auspicious beginnings also known as the remover of obastacles, and then light deeyas (little clay pots) in the streets and homes to welcome prosperity and well-being. 5.Bali Pratipada and Govardhan Puja (1 Kartika or 1 Shukla Paksha Kartika) : In North India, this day is celebrated as Govardhan Puja, also called Annakoot, and is celebrated as the day Krishna – an incarnation of god Vishnu – defeated Indra and by the lifting of Govardhana hill to save his kinsmen and cattle from rain and floods. For Annakoot, large quantities of food are decorated symbolising the Govardhan hill lifted by Krishna. In Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, it is celebrated as Bali-Pratipada or Bali Padyami. The day commemorates the victory of Vishnu in his dwarf form Vamana over the demon-king Bali, who was pushed into the patala. In Maharashtra, it is called Padava or Nava Diwas (new day). Men present gifts to thei r wives on this day. It is celebrated as the first day of the Vikram Samvat calendar, in Gujarat. 6.Yama Dwitiya or Bhaiduj (also Bhayyaduj, Bhaubeej or Bhayitika) (2 Kartika or 2 Shukla Paksha Kartika): on this day, brothers and sisters meet to express love and affection for each other (Gujarati: Bhai Bij, Bengali: Bhai Phota). It is based on a story when Yama, lord of Death, visited his sister Yami (the river Yamuna). Yami welcomed Yama with an Aarti  and they had a feast together. Yama gave a gift to Yami while leaving as a token of his appreciation. So, the day is also called YAMA DWITIYA. Brothers visit their sisters’ place on this day and usually have a meal there, and also give gifts to their sisters Goddess Lakshmi Puja[edit source] Main article: Lakshmi Puja Diwali marks the end of the harvest season in most of India. Farmers give thanks for the bounty of the year gone by, and pray for a good harvest for the year to come. Traditionally this marked the closing of accounts for businesses dependent on the agrarian cycle, and is the last major celebration before winter. Lakshmi symbolises wealth and prosperity, and her blessings are invoked for a good year ahead. There are two legends that associate the worship of Lakshmi on this day. According to the first legend, on this day, Lakshmi emerged from Kshira Sagar, the Ocean of Milk, during the great churning of the oceans, Samudra manthan. The second legend (more popular in western India) relates to the Vamana avatar of the big three Vishnu, the incarnation he assumed to kill the king Bali. On this day, Vishnu came back to his abode the Vaikuntha; so those who worship Lakshmi receive the benefit of her benevolent mood, and are blessed with mental, physical and material well-being.[13] As per spiritual references, on this day Lakshmi-panchayatan enters the Universe. Vishnu, Indra, Kubera, Gajendra and Lakshmi are elements of this panchayatan (a group of five). The tasks of these elements are: Lakshmi: Divine Energy (Shakti) which provides energy to all the above activities. Vishnu: Happiness (happiness and satisfaction) Kubera: Wealth (generosity; one who shares wealth) Indra: Opulence (satisfaction due to wealth) Gajendra: Carries the wealth Saraswati: Knowledge Diwali is not only celebrated by Hindus; it is somewhat also a Sikh festival as it marks the Bandi Chhor Divas festival. Spiritual significance[edit source] While Diwali is popularly known as the festival of lights, the most significant spiritual meaning behind it is the awareness of the inner light. Central to Hindu mythology is the belief that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. The celebration of Diwali as the victory of good over evil, refers to the light of higher knowledge dispelling all ignorance, the ignorance that masks ones true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With this awakening comes compassion and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings anand (joy or peace). Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this Inner Light. While the story behind Diwali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region (festive fireworks, worship, lights, sharing of sweets), the essence is the same – to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying Reality of all things (Brahman).

Principles for good interpersonal relationship

Principles for good interpersonal relationship To live a contended and successful life with cordial relationship with people around is very important. The life of the person is always connected to others and the level of relation with other person depends on how you deal and treat them. While dealing with people there are many factors with influence the terms one has which includes communication skills, the way of dealing and interacting with others and social ethics. Thesis Interpersonal skills are important to live a happy successful living. In every step of persons life the interpersonal skills of person are tested and observe and those who have excellent interpersonal skills are always successful in both professional and personal living. This paper discusses the points which are important to maintain good interpersonal skills and why they should be kept maintained and polished. Interpersonal Relationship Skills The relation of the person with other people around him is known as interpersonal relationship. The skilled interpersonal qualities are very necessary for living a comfortable life with good social relations. No one is born with social skills. Everyone learns, perceives and absorb the social norms and the way of dealing people; which comes with time. The first school of social learning of a person is home. Home is the first place where one learns basic etiquettes, social norms and how to deal and respond to people. The basic learning of person is started and is leant from home. And since then a journey of learning and improving the social skills is constant. The social skills and interpersonal skills of a person are experienced when he enters the professional life. And with time these skills are polished. The interpersonal skills vary from person to person. There are two types of people while dealing with people, introvert and extrovert. Each of these people would be different in dealing with other and thus the relationship, communication and level of dealing of communication with each type would be different. The interpersonal skills are also affected by the environment we grew in, our personal preferences, the way we feel, the personality type etc. Interpersonal skills are needed everywhere. Whenever a person has to deal or communicate with other people or person the interpersonal skills of person are shown. Basically there are three stages where interpersonal skills are needed; personal dealing, social interactions and cooperation. All such relations such as friends, coworkers, family relatives, cousins, neighborhood and peers all are included in interpersonal relations. Five Principles for good Interpersonal Relationship Good interpersonal relationship leads people to deal and work in friendly and cozy environment. Health interpersonal relations provide people security, satisfaction, enjoyment and contentment towards each other. And those who are not successful to gain good interpersonal relations with people around them feel great sense of frustration, anxiety, failure and loneliness. To have good interpersonal relationship there are five important principals which are as following: Mutual Benefit Principle: The strong interpersonal relations are formed when people share same group of interests. It helps them to form a strong bond and meet up the social need of themselves; and as well as those one which are related or are connected with each other. So a health interpersonal relationship brings satisfaction to both sides of people. And to have such cordial terms both of the parties have to show a friendly affection with acceptance towards other. This is more successful when both parties share mutual interest and are capable of understanding each other. Credit Principle: For making the relation with the people fruitful and pleasant it is important to make people feel that you are useful for them. When people are treated this way they value you but more important is maintaining such interpersonal relation. The mutual understanding can be achieved through mutual sincerity and good intentions for each other. Only such feelings will enhance the good emotions and will make the relationship stronger no matter what type of relationship it is. When there is mutual understanding and benefits people tend to be more positive about such relations and to maintain such interpersonal relationships it is important to value the credit received and given. Respect Principle: No matter how alike the people are there can be many situations were two views are shared. When someone has to deal people socially there is always a presence of different views. And to keep the environment safe, friendly and healthy everyone should have a tolerance to accept and hear other point of views. Many times there comes a point when people exchange views which are different from other, even if someone doesnt seem to agree then the interpersonal skills teaches us to show tolerance and acceptance to listen other views. Everyone has a right of freedom of speech so everyone has right to share their thoughts. So only through tolerance and respect one can maintain good interpersonal relationships. Tolerance Principle: Tolerance means that a person does not care about small minor issues, and by keeping aside the disturbing issues one can work together for a common goal and can negotiate the issues separately without letting the environment and relationship to get spoil. As there is always an individual difference, everyone has different mindset which brings out different view somewhere, through tolerance one can only deal with such situations. If someone had shown harsh behavior or has hurt you then there are two basic ways to deal with it, first keep a grudge, plot revenge or try to forget about it and never bother to expect something from that person. A skilled interpersonal person would prefer the second option and will try to deal the situations with tolerance. Moderation Principle: There should be a health interpersonal relation with people. A distant relation brings distance and lack of communication where as too much communication and time together causes irritation, obsession and lack of sense of space. To maintain a good social interpersonal relation one should keep a moderate way to deal and communicate with people. So the degree of relation should be maintained properly regarding the type of relationship one has. (Elanso.com, 2007) Misconceptions in interpersonal relationships The misconceptions between two people can lead to poor communication and fragile relations. There are many reasons which can bring distance and bitterness in any relations. Following are some of the reasons which can lead to misconceptions. First impression: we often build up the first impression of people very quickly and those impressions get engraved in our mind which becomes very difficult to omit. First impression is not the last impression and one should never judge anyone completely in first impressions. There are many factors which should be noticed before making an observation about people. The reason for which I personally think the first impression causes misconception is that when the person have built a mind set about the person then it became difficult for him to deal with them. Even if they do well the other person would judge and make observation in a reflection of the impression he has built about him. Error in understanding: there are many reasons which can leads to error in understanding the person. As mentioned above due to the building up the first impression very quickly can also cause misconception in interpersonal relationships. There are many other factors which can cause error in understanding other persons impression such as the way of delivering or conveying the message, variety of thoughts and ideas which can also become objectionable to others. Pride and self-worth: if any other the person has too much pride and confidence then it will also militate against the good interpersonal relations. When the person is head headed then people find it difficult to communicate with them which lead other people not to open up with them. Such traits in personality dont let other people to communicate with them which lead to misconception and lack of good friendly terms. Barrier in communication: there can be many reasons which can cause barrier in communication. This barrier in communication between people causes distance and poor communication. When there is poor communication the person is not able to communicate their message or feelings well, which brings out distance in-between people. Barriers to Effective Interpersonal Interactions Following are the most basic and noticeable points which causes barriers to effective interpersonal interactions: Way of communicating the message to other. If the speech or message is not clearly delivered then such situations can lead to barrier in cordial interpersonal relations. Assuming a wrong meaning of message conveyed can also leads to misunderstanding, grudges and sometimes even to verbal fights. The body language and tone of delivering words also makes a great impact. The way of delivering ones message is the first thing which other notice. If the person finds it good and well-mannered then the good interpersonal relations are grown. The reference through which a person came to know someone also makes a great impact on the person. That reference always defines the person in the light of reference one has mentioned. Person is known by the company he keeps. In building a good interpersonal relations this line makes a great impact. If someones comes to know the third person through a bad reference then the image of the third person will be automatically bad. Or somewhere the impact of the reference would stay till one gets to know them properly. Developing the self-concept Having a self-concept about one self is very important. When the person knows his abilities, good points and weak points then it helps him to be a better person and let them to overcome the negative points. A person should be always open to learn new things which include the acceptance to the views which people give. Where the good views and comments help the person to build a confidence; the negative views also give the person the opportunity to see himself with a critical point of view and then overcome such points. Here is a list of points which help person to build a self-concept and how to improve one own self. By recalling the previous achievement. By recalling the good feedbacks and comments received By doing a self-analysis of the personality , keeping in mind the good points and the bad points Indulging oneself in a new tasks and situation to see how good and efficiently you can tackle them By meeting new people and seeing their response about you By adjusting yourself in new situations By overcoming the fears you have, as they will help you in being a better person Handling difficult situations and people and rechecking yourself that how good and successful you were Recalling the past mistakes so that you dont repeat them in future Polishing the capabilities and potentials one has Facing and overcoming the weak points Doing a self-analysis and rechecking the past mistakes and weak points helps the person in being a better person. We often make mistakes which we regret later. So by recalling the mistakes and trying to analysis ones mistakes gives a person a better picture. One should always be open to accept his mistakes so that he can correct them. We loses many of our relations because of our different mistakes, if we do a self-analysis more often than we would be able to maintain our relationships better and can bring the loved ones back in life. Maintaining a self-concept By maintaining a self-concept means that on should keep improving himself and should try to maintain a good self-image. One should cut down and overcome the flaws and try to deal with difficult situations. And keep venturing himself with new situations which will help the person to improve the personality and abilities of socializing. Here is a list of point which one should follow in maintaining a self-image. Being constant in good behavior By being down to earth Open to criticism and realizing self-mistakes Regular self-assessment Keeping tolerance while dealing with people By being polite to people Overcoming the one own flaws and keep improving the personality Finding new horizons in professional fields Giving task to oneself to see whether you can do t or not Challenging your own self in health way Keeping a positive thinking so that you are able to see positive things in people around you. Improving the interpersonal skills Little gestures and care can bring out the best in any relationship. Interpersonal relations are very important for a person to live a happy and successful life. We meet and deal with different types of people. Every person has different personality. So even if we dont seem to agree or like other people we should never criticize anyone with sarcasm. Continuous complaining and whining about others will make the self-image down. And even if one has to make the other person realize their mistakes then always chose a moderate decent way to convey the message. Whereas if someone does something good always appreciate them. Saying nice about other will bring the element of love and affection. A response of smile should be given with a smile. These little gestures and concern towards people bring people together and in such environment its easy n fruitful to carry healthy interpersonal relations. Conclusion Interpersonal skills are very important to maintain a good living. A life of a person is always surrounded by people. So dealing people with right attitude is very essential. For maintaining a healthy relationship with people one should deal other with patience, tolerance and care; one should always accept individual differences and personality traits of others. And very often one should do self-analysis so that a constant improvement in personality should be there. Social skills are only improved when one ventures to experience now situations. Holding good interpersonal skills with people is essential for successful living in all stages; personal, social and cooperation.

Loss of Innocence in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood Essay -- In Cold Bl

"All things truly wicked start from an innocence,† states Ernest Hemingway on his view of innocence. Innocence, what every youth possesses, is more accurately described as a state of unknowing but not ignorance- which connotation suggests a blissfully positive view of the world. Most youth are protected from the harsh realities of the adult world. Therefore they are able to maintain their state of innocence. While innocence normally wanes over time, sometimes innocence can be abruptly taken away. Some of the characters in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood lost their innocence due to the traumatic events they experienced in childhood and adulthood while some had none to begin with. Innocence can be stolen but the desire to return to the innocent state cannot. A traumatic event changes the nature of a small town, yet leaves some residents with a fervent desire to return to normalcy. An isolated city such as Holcomb is thought to be safe from the corruption and crime of city life. In 1959, the town of Holcomb was devastated by the brutal killings of a beloved family, the Clutters. This event completely changed the attitudes of most of the town’s population, which one resident, Mryt Clare, stated had turned them into â€Å"snakes†. While the once blamelessness that had been evident in most of the towns folk had disappeared, Clare had hoped the town would stop â€Å"scaring each other to death†. Clare wanted the usual kindness and innocence that drew her to the town to be restored. The deaths of the Clutter family had taken away the towns trust in one another, but the deaths of the killers and re established some of the innocence they had lost. While no one can completely recover from a traumatic event, the town of Holcomb desired to return to a st... ... become the victims. In the case there was never any innocence present in an individual, the choices they make will shape how corrupt they become. The town of Holcomb was traumatized by the unexpected murder of a respected family, which turned the community into distrusting gossipers. This event can take place in childhood, as it did for Perry Smith, who grew up with no protection from corruption by his parents and killed an entire family. Dick Hickock, impulsive and shallow, formulated a plan to rob and kill any witnesses present at the Clutter household. He was corrupt enough to go ahead with the plan and persuade Perry to kill the witnesses. Innocence must be protected to ensure that others may be kept innocent. The virtuous quality that most people have is connected to their innocence, but if their innocence is lost, their future may be condemned to sinfulness.

Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients? Essay

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a federally funded block grant which provides needy families assistance in finding and obtaining work opportunities. The funds are given to states to distribute. States are allowed some flexibility in how they chose to distribute these funds. There has been a recent movement among states to implement drug testing for applicants and recipients to receive this assistance. Many people see this as a violation of their 4th amendment rights. The ideology behind drug testing is to weed out misuse of funds by recipients, thus alleviating budgetary concerns in hard economic times. Are there other means of easing budgetary issues without potentially violating the 4th amendment rights of the poor? A common stereotype of people receiving public assistance is they are people who are drug addicts, alcoholics, lazy, and don’t want to work. Stereotypes are generalizations made about a certain group of people, good or bad. Stereotypes have a ne gative affect when they keep us from seeing a person for who they really are negating the individual (Iowa State University Study Abroad Center). According to an opinion poll on Debate.org, seventy percent of people responded â€Å"yes† when answering the question, â€Å"Should someone receiving welfare be drug tested?† Respondents stated reasons such as â€Å"You can’t trust someone to use free money on things they need†, â€Å"Help should be given to those who really need it not to people who are too lazy to work†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , and â€Å"I don’t believe it is fair †¦ hard-working people have to pay taxes, and the money goes to lazy people who spend our hard earned money on drugs† (Debate.com). These statements are indicative of stereotyping; stereotypes being pervasive within our society (Iowa State University Study Abroad Center). However, not all applicants or recipients needing public assistance fall within the stereotype. Luis Le bron is a 35-year-old Navy veteran, father of a 4-year-old, the sole caregiver for his disabled mother and a student at the University of Central Florida. He just needs some help after having served his country and while trying to finish school and take care of his son and disabled mother (Bloom). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Florida has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Lebron due to his refusal to submit to a drug test and relinquish his 4th Amendment rights. Lebron feels that, â€Å"It’s insulting and degrading that people think I’m using drugs just because I need a little help to take care of my family while I finish up my education.† The 4th Amendment of the United States Constitution states: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized (Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute). The concept of the 4th amendment is to protect two basic freedoms – the right to privacy and freedom from random search and seizure. (Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute). Twenty-eight states have proposed drug testing public assistance, according the National Conference of State Legislature. Utah has passed legislation requiring applicants to complete a written questionnaire screening for drug use. Georgia passed legislation requiring drug tests for all applicants. The Louisiana House endorsed random drug-testing of 20 percent of the state’s welfare recipients. Ohio is considering a pilot program to test welfare recipients. Florida’s drug testing law required applicants to pay for their tests and then would be reimbursed if the results proved negative (Prah). Federal or state laws that require suspicionless drug testing for eligibility to receive public assistance may be subject to constitutional challenge. Constitutional challenges are aimed towards privacy and unreasonable search. For searches to be reasonable, they generally must be based on suspicion, unless a â€Å"special need† can be shown that may allow for an exception. Public assistance programs do not necessarily create these special needs grounded in public safety that the Supreme Court has recognized in the past (Carpenter). There has only been litigation initiated in two states where the laws require suspicionless drug testing – Florida where the U.S. District Court issued an injunction to stop testing and Michigan where several individuals were granted a temporary injunction. A number of other applicants in Florida chose not to submit to drug testing. Because applicants are not required to explain why they chose not to submit to the tests, there is no statistical data as to the reasons why. Proponents for testing believe it is because applicants knew they would fail the test. However, opponents state that the reasoning could be because applicants may not have been able to afford the tests or because testing sites were not easily accessible (The Assoicated Press). It has been suggested that drug abuse is a major cause of welfare. However , there is only evidence, based on secondhand information, to support this. If drug use among welfare participants were reduced to the levels of non-participants, welfare participation would decline by approximately one percent (Kaestner). A report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states, â€Å"Proportions of welfare recipients using, abusing or dependent on alcohol or illicit drugs are consistent with proportions of both the adult U.S. population and adults who do not receive welfare† (National Institute of Health). The researchers found the rate of drug abuse and/or dependency among welfare recipients to fall between 1.3 and 3.6 percent, as opposed to a rate of 1.5 percent within the general population. Data from the National Household Survey of Drug Abuse roughly coincides with these findings, with the rate of drug dependency among welfare recipients being approximately 4 percent. Further, the data suggests that no more than one in five welfare r ecipients used illegal drugs in any given year; half of those having used only marijuana (Budd). The evidence from these three studies shows that although drug use is tied to homeless and welfare participation, proportionally to the general population there is not a significant difference. Finally, in the study by Kaestner, he suggests that for purposes of reducing welfare, public programs should focus their efforts on something besides drug use (Kaestner). There is the belief that testing welfare applicants and recipients will reduce the payment of benefits to people who are mishandling the funds. In a 2011 article from the Tampa Tribune, Whittenburg reports, with the average cost of test being approximately $30, the state would owe $28,000 – $43,000 in reimbursements for applicants who passed tests monthly. The state would save approximately $32,000 to $48,000 for rejected applicants, assuming 20 to 30 people failed the test monthly. Welfare recipients receive an average of $134 per month, so the state would save approximately $2600 to $3300 which the rejected applicants wouldn’t receive. Over a one year period, which is the disqualification period for one failed test, the state could save $32,000 to $48,000 annually on the applicants rejected in a single month. The net savings would be $3,400 to $8,200 annually on one month’s worth of rejected applicants. Over 12 months, the money saved on all rejected applicants would add up to $40,800-$98,400 for the cash assistance program that state analysts have predicted will cost $178 million this fiscal year (Whittenburg). In a 2012 article from the New York Times, Alvarez reports that during the period that the Florida state law was in effect that required drug tests for welfare applicants, there was no direct savings. It found only a few drug users and didn’t affect the number of applications. According to the law, applicants who passed the drug test were reimbursed, an average of $30 for the cost of testing. Negative testing thus cost the state a little more than $118,000. This alone is more than the cost of benefits to those who failed the test. Ultimately, this turns out to be a cost to the state of an extra $45,780 (Alvarez). In order to avert any further court proceedings initiated by plaintiffs who believe their 4th amendment rights have been violated and avert costly testing programs, it would be prudent for the Federal government to exact language that explicitly prohibits the use of suspicionless drug testing in order to receive money from federally funded programs. Rather, government officials should refocus their efforts in the fight against drugs to the recovery from substance abuse of the general public rather than targeting a specific group of people, namely welfare recipients. Citizens should petition their states representatives to vote against proposed laws that support drug testing. Further, those representatives should seek to supplement existing or fund new treatment programs with the dollars saved by eliminating drug testing programs for welfare applicants and recipi ents. Another step to solidify a stance against suspicionless testing would be an amendment to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) to include language that explicitly prohibits suspicionless testing. Given that the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that substance abuse is no more prevalent in welfare applicants and recipients than the general population (National Institute of Health) then there is no basis for testing as a condition for receiving benefits. Alleviation of budgetary concerns is not guaranteed by the reduction of caseloads due to positive tests (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation). Where challenged, courts have determined that suspicionless testing is a violation of the 4th Amendment (Schaberg). North Carolina’s Governor, after vetoing a bill to implement drug testing, stated, â€Å"Drug testing †¦applicants †¦ could lead to inconsistent application †¦ That’s a recipe for government overreach and unnecessary government intrusion. This is not a smart way to combat drug abuse. Similar efforts in other states have proved to be expensive for taxpayers and did little to actually help fight drug addiction.† (Smith) Bibliography Alvarez, Lizette. â€Å"No Savings Are Found From Welfare Drug Tests.† The New York Times 18 April 2012: A14. Bloom, Rachel. â€Å"Poor People Have Rights Too.† 12 October 2011. American Civil Liberties Union. 3 August 2013 . Budd, Jordan C. â€Å"Pledge Your Body for Your Bread: Welfare, Drug Testing, and the Inferior Fourth Amendment.† 2011. William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal . 7 August 2013 . Carley, Frances. Drug Testing Welfare Recipients: A Review of Potential Costs and Savings. Lansing, 2012. Carpenter, David H. â€Å"Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits.† Report. 2013. Cornell University Law School Legal Information Institute. Fourth Amendment. n.d. 5 August 2013 . —. Fourth Amendment. n.d. 5 August 2013 . Debate.com. Should someone receiving welfare be drug tested? n.d. Iowa State University Study Abroad Center. Stereotypes. 7 June 2011. 21 Augusr 2013 . Kaestner, Rob ert. â€Å"Drug Use and AFDC Participation: Is There a Connection?† May 1996. the National Bureau of Economic Reearch. 6 August 2013 . National Coalition for the Homeless. â€Å"Substance Abuse and Homelessness.† July 2009. National Coalition for the Homeless. 6 August 2013 . National Institute of Health. â€Å"NIAAA Researchers Estimate Alcohol and Drug Use, Abuse, and Dependence Among Welfare Recipients.† 23 October 1996. National Institute on Alocohol Abuse and Alocoholism. 7 August 2013

Effectiveness of National and International Efforts Essay

Discuss the effectiveness of national and international efforts to tackle the problem of global climate change. Since the late nineteenth century, the view that global climate change is directly influenced by human behaviour has become increasingly accepted as scientists have provided better evidence for the relationship between the level of global carbon dioxide concentrations and global temperatures. A large number of natural phenomenon and processes are affected by climate change, and these in turn can have a negative impact on groups of people living around the world; i.e. The melting of the ice-caps is responsible for the decrease in the number of polar bears in the arctic, rising sea levels increase the risk and regularity of floods in low-lying areas like Bangladesh, and the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone failing to reach Niger, Chad and Sudan was responsible for a large prolonged famine in the 1980s. The magnitude of the number of countries affected mean that climate change is not just applicable to one nation; it is of international importance. Therefore, as climate change has increasingly become a global issue in recent years, a number of international organisations have been formed to monitor global climate change and to reduce and possibly reverse global climate change. International efforts incorporate a greater number of people than national efforts, and therefore they can have a much larger impact on trying to tackle climate change. However, tackling climate change is expensive, and for certain less economically developed countries- (LEDC’s), it would be unreasonable to insist that they should prioritise tackling climate change over some of their national problems, such as lowering the infant mortality rate and establishing a good healthcare system. Furthermore, international efforts to tackle climate change also face problems from the disparity of natural resources, which means that different solutions have to be used in different countries. Britain has a large amount of coastline, and can therefore generate s ustainable energy by using tidal barriers; a solution not available to land-locked countries such as Switzerland. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a network of 59 cities ranging from Los Angeles in the U.S.A to Addis Ababa- the capital city of Ethiopia. Despite the aforementioned problems facing international efforts to tackle climate change, cities are ideally placed to influence climate change, as they consume over 2/3rds of the world’s energy and are responsible for around 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions. The C40 Group was formed in 2005 to give support to mayors hoping to cut greenhouse gas emissions in their own individual cities. The group is extremely effective, as increased discussions and communications between the leaders of a network of cities mean that the best and most effective ways of cutting greenhouse gas emissions can be copied from city to city. The group aims to ‘use collaboration, knowledge sharing and metrics to drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action’. So far the group have put in place a range of policies such as using more-efficient lighting and building codes, and capturing methane from landfill sites; these should cut 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. In addition, as these cities grow and develop, so too does their capacity to tackle climate change, with the New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg claiming that they have the capacity to cut their carbon output by one gigaton (a billion tons) by 2030 in relation to the current predicted levels of carbon output for 2030. The achievements of the C40 group are in stark contrast to the results of international negotiations between countries, the majority of which have failed to reach binding targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and thus tackling global warming. In addition to the C40 group, a number of other international organisations work with cities to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. EMBARQ (The World Resources Institutes Centre for Sustainable Transport) has worked with Rio de Janeiro (a C40 cities member) to develop a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. This public transport system will not only reduce pollution, but is also expected to help hundreds of thousands of Rio’s residents, providing them with safer transport and shorter commutes. The first corridor became operational on June the 6th, 2012, servicing around 220,000 people. The buses themselves are energy efficient, and therefore reduce the amount of energy used for public transport, and their emissions are also regulated to ensure that harmful gas emissions are minimized. In addition, the time taken to complete a journey has been cut dramatically through the introduction of bus lanes; this means that traffic congestion in the city has been eased, and the improved buses with their shorter journey times will encourage more of the city’s residents to use public transport, thereby reducing the number of vehicles on the road and further cutting greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. The city has plans for another 3 corridors, to further improve the public transport system, cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy consumption, thus continuing to tackle climate change. The BRT scheme in Rio de Janeiro was a local idea, completely funded by the city council, but it had international advice in how to set up and manage the system. One of the reasons why the scheme was put into place so quickly and effectively was because the international organisation it dealt with was an non-governmental organisation (N.G.O- EMBARQ) which specializes in sustainable transport, and much like the C40 cities group, EMBARQ was able to take ideas which had previously been applied in other countries and reproduce them in Rio de Janeiro. As an international co-operation between two organisations which were reasonably small, (as opposed to two countries), the target set was much more specific- reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption through improving the public transport . However, when a number of countries meet, such as at the RIO+20 conference (the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development), outcomes from discussions are vague, and whilst some ideas may start to be formed, very few actual schemes emerge from such discussions. For example, the primary outcome from the Rio+20 was the document ‘the future we want’, in which the heads of governments attending the conference simply renewed their political commitment to sustainable development. The document re-affirms their commitment to Agenda 21 and other action plans for sustainable development, which were agreed 20 years ago in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. This lack of action and inefficiency compares poorly against the effectiveness of collaboration between EMBARQ and Rio de Janeiro’s city council. The one major exception to this trend is the Kyoto Protocol dating from 2005, when 191 member countries collectively agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% on average for the period 2008-12. Despite what may seem an initially very promising agreement, the Kyoto Protocol does fall short on some aspects; it encourages use of bio-fuels and allows member countries to use land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF activities) in meeting their targets. Whilst bio-fuels do cut greenhouse gas emissions, huge areas of forestry (particularly in Indonesia) are being de-forested in order to make space for the production of crops to be used for bio-fuels. This practice is ultimately unsustainable, but has been encouraged by the Kyoto Protocol. Although the majority of international summits and discussions fail to result in collaboration amongst countries with regards to tackling climate change, a large number of national schemes have been formed due to Agenda 21 and other such documents. An example of this is the ‘carbon action plan’ introduced by the U.K government in December 2011. It has broken down the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions into a number of criteria, as detailed by Agenda 21, such as ‘reducing emissions from business and industry’ and ‘saving energy in homes and communities’. From these the UK government has established steps which will help it achieve the criteria set, and achieving these in turn will then cut greenhouse gas emissions. By breaking down the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions sustainably into achievable stages, the UK government can focus on specific targets which, once achieved, will result in them achieving their end objective. In addition, rather than dramatically changing current systems, or spending lots of money on one way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Carbon Plan takes into account a large range of solutions, which will be implemented gradually. This, like the step by step approach for the Bus Rapid Transit system in Rio de Janeiro, means that progress can constantly be reviewed to make sure that the carbon plan is on track, and that they are going about cutting greenhouse gas emissions the most sustainable way. Furthermore, the research done into preparing the carbon plan has also generated a number of other initia tives, such as the Green Investment Bank (GIB). This is a funding scheme initiated by the U.K government to attract private funds ‘for the financing of the private sector’s investments related to environmental preservation and improvement’. In short, they intend to set up a fund financed by major banks which will make investments in environmental technology, such as off-shore wind farms; this will help the UK government meet its target for reducing carbon emissions, and yet will be funded not by the U.K, but by a collection of banks, who will hope to make a long-term gain in their investment in environmental technology. However, the effectiveness of this scheme has been debated, with the World Development Movement claiming the GIB would be too small to attract the kind of investment needed to generate green jobs and industry in the U.K. In conclusion, the effectiveness of national and international efforts to tackle global climate change strongly depends on whether the solution used is realistic, well planned and appropriate to the context. Where the solution is all of the above, such as the BRT system and the Carbon Plan, they can be extremely effective; tackling global climate change and making other improvements, such as that to infrastructure in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, despite incorporating a larger number of people, international programs tend to be less effective than national efforts, as the latter are normally focused on specific outcomes rather than just the goal of ‘reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% a year’- as set by the Kyoto protocol. Nevertheless, some international co-operation has been shown to produce results, and the international aspect of tackling climate change shows governments and N.G.Os that they are working alongside a larger body of people to achieve the same end goal; therefore providing a framework upon which national schemes are shaped.