How Cleanliness Affects the Life of an Individual Essay

The significance of cleanliness and hygiene cannot be overlooked by any society. Every faith and civilisation stresses the importance of cleanliness. Historically, cleanliness has been considered one of the important factors by which to judge a civilisation’s or society’s development. Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness and purity, both physically and spiritually. In Islam, spiritual purity is linked to physical cleanliness and purity. More impor tantly, cleanliness is termed an indispensable fundamental of faith. However, this fundamental and powerful tenet of our faith, unfortunately, is not reflected in our society practically. Serious reflection is required on our individual as well as collective practices in order to make this valuable principle of Islam part of our lives. There are many verses in the Holy Quran which reflect the importance of cleanliness. For example, Allah says â€Å"†¦Truly, Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean† (2:222). In the Quran worship and seeking Allah’s love is conditioned with cleanliness and purity as the Holy Book says â€Å"†¦In it [mosque] are men who love to clean and to purify themselves. And Allah loves those who make themselves clean and pure† (9:108). Furthermore, in one of his sayings the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has termed cleanliness as half of faith. The above few examples from the Holy Quran and sayings of the Holy Prophet reveal that without cleanliness of our body and environment, one cannot receive the proximity of Allah spiritually and most importantly, faith cannot be completed in the absence of cleanliness and purity. Much is said rhetorically about cleanliness in our society but practically its application is missing. A quick observation can reveal how insensitive a culture we have developed regarding cleanliness and hygiene. Throwing garbage in the streets, roads or parks has become a common practice in our society. In public places dustbins are seldom found. Even if dustbins are installed, people do not use them properly. Rather, they prefer to throw garbage outside them. It is also observed that people clean their homes and shops and throw the garbage on the street without considering its implications. It is evident that even students of elite schools throw garbage on the ground even in the presence of garbage bins. This shows our attitude towards cleanliness and hygiene. Another habit that is commonly found in our society is spitting openly. People spit paan from running vehicles without considering the pedestrians walking on the road. This practice not only affects the environment but is also an eyesore. Another area that needs consideration is the horrible condition of public toilets. The shortage of public toilets is a big challenge, hence people are compelled to use open spaces to answer the call of nature. The toilets that do exist are in such pathetic condition that one cannot use them. There are many other examples which can be cited to indicate the pathetic condition of cleanliness and hygiene in our society. Hence, conscious efforts are needed to tackle this issue. There is a dire need to educate and sensitise people about the importance of cleanliness in light of our faith. In this regard social institutions such as educational institutions, the media and religious institutions can play a vital role. It is essential to provide civic education in order to train the younger generations of a society. In Pakistan, the education system needs to transform its practices. Teaching and learning material regarding cleanliness and hygiene should be included in the curriculum and textbooks. Educational institutions should demonstrate cleanliness in their premises. To train young people schools should involve students in cleaning their schools, homes and environment and highlight proper sanitary practices. The use of dustbins should be strictly followed in the school premises. Secondly, the media can be a powerful source to educate and sensitise the masses about the importance of cleanliness and disadvantages of an unhygienic way of life. It should focus on both the good as well as unhygienic practices in our society. Thirdly, religious institutions such as mosques and madressahs can also play their part in educating the people about the importance of cleanliness in the light of Islamic teachings. Furthermore, the role and commitment of the government cannot be overlooked in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in society. The government’s will is very crucial in making policies and implementing them at the grass-roots level. The government can play an important role in cleaning areas, installing dustbins, collecting garbage and enforcing laws against littering etc. The importance of cleanliness cannot be ignored in individual as well as communal life. On one hand it is an important factor for human health and spiritual development; on the other hand it is essential for environmental development. By adopting a clean and hygienic lifestyle, a valuable amount can also be saved where health issues are concerned. A clean and healthy life helps in refining the culture of a society and reflects in every aspect of life such as art, architecture, food, music and so on. Ultimately, it leads towards a higher level of civilisation. Islam has put unique emphasis on the importance of cleanliness by making it a part of faith. Hence, there is a dire need to make conscious efforts in educating the people about the importance of cleanliness. In this regard, serious steps are required at multiple levels to make this precious value of our faith part of our individual and collective lives. Cleanliness  is both the  abstract  state of being clean and free from  dirt, and the process of achieving and maintaining that state. Cleanliness may be endowed with a moral quality, as indicated by the  aphorism  Ã¢â‚¬Å"cleanliness is next to  godliness,†[1]  and may be regarded as contributing to other ideals such as  health  andbeauty. In emphasizing an ongoing procedure or set of habits for the purpose of maintenance and prevention, the concept of cleanliness differs from  purity[disambiguation needed], which is a physical, moral, or ritual state of freedom from pollutants. Whereas purity is usually a quality of an individual or substance, cleanliness has a social dimension, or implies a system of interactions. [2]  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Cleanliness,† observed  Jacob Burckhardt, â€Å"is indispensable to our modern notion of social perfection. â€Å"[3]  A household or workplace may be said to exhibit cleanliness, but not ordinarily purity; cleanliness also would be a characteristic of the people who maintain cleanness or prevent dirtying. On a practical level, cleanliness is thus related to  hygiene  and disease prevention. Washing  is one way of achieving physical cleanliness, usually with  water  and often some kind of  soap  ordetergent. Procedures of cleanliness are of utmost importance in many forms of manufacturing. As an assertion of moral superiority or respectability, cleanliness has played a role in establishing cultural values in relation to  social class,  humanitarianism, and  cultural imperialism.

Crash Paper

Crash displayed various aspects of racism and stereotypes that occur everyday. One of the three major scenes in the movie that stood out was when the two officers pull over a black couple. Obviously they've done nothing completely harmful, reckless or dangerous. The leading officer claims the wife was performing falatio, while driving a vehicle, which could be a form of reckless driving and can be penalized for it. In fear of authority, and in all respect, the husband complies as polite as possible to the officers demands. While doing so, the officer is responding in the rudest manor.He asks the officer if it's okay to reach in the glove department for his paperwork and the officer replies with a very suspicious â€Å"yeah nice and slow†. Now on the other hand, the other officer takes no part in what goes on next because he knows what's right and wrong, he's deemed the â€Å"good† cop. The leading officer comes back to test him if he's drunk and driving and he wasn't. C omplying with the officer once again, he did it. His wife, a little drunk, tries to explain in a firm manor that they've done nothing wrong and what he's doing is wrong.Feeling an undermining to his authority, he gets angry and as she gets out of the car to confront him he tells the couple to turn around and place their hands behind their heads. As he pats down his wife, he grabs her inappropriately and asks what should be done since what they've done can technically be seen as a crime. Coming back to complying to an authoritarian figure out of fear and recognition of authority, her husband had one of two choices; he either could've spoken up, done something about it and got arrested or kept quiet, let him do what he knew was wrong and be let off with just a warning.Thinking that he would not win over an authority figure like the cop's word, he didn't say anything and let it happen. This situation brings up â€Å"The Authoritarian Personality† from one of the theories of prej udice in which the man complied to everything the officer asked for by just being or even just looking to be an authority figure. Also, the officer shows that intolerance and aggression as one would to those who don't conform as well, as you would see in The Authoritarian Personality. There's an automatic fear that comes to people when they think of the police.It's the fact that they're given that title of an officer of the law that leaves you naive to think anything he does is ok and even though you know it's wrong sometimes, you don't have the courage to say it cause you're not supposed to. It's not the norm of society. The second scene is where two black men walk out of the restaurant and the first one is the one that blames everything bad possible on his misfortune of being black. He continues on to complain about how since he's black he had to wait a lot longer than the white people that were there being served.As he complained about what he didn't get because he was black, his friend reminds him that he didn't even want what he was complaining for and it's not cause they're both black. As his friend starts to make his case, he also reminds him that the waitress was indeed black and they weren't racially prejudice. But he goes ahead anyways to continue blaming his skin color and that the waitress presumed that since they were dressed a certain way and talked a certain way they weren't going to tip, so she waited a little longer to serve them.These are all examples of â€Å"Frustration and Scapegoating† from one of the theories of prejudice. It shows his need to blame white people for his personal shortcomings and misfortunes, such as waiting a long time to be served and being looked at as a threatening figure in society. Although, he wasn't going to tip anyways and he and his friend are car-jackers. It's crazy and ironic how he'd think that. And if there was such a stereotype, then why not beat it.To make it worse, he lived up to those same stereot ypes and continued to blame other things. In the last scene, a middle eastern family man has a business which is his only source of income. From past experience and safety reasons he tells his, more educated and literate, American daughter to buy a gun for the store's protection and his own. He orders a guy to come in and change the locks as well, but the problem happens to be the door and not the locks. He hires a technician to change the locks and he happens to be Hispanic.The Hispanic technician is a father of a five year old girl that moved out of his old neighborhood for her safety and a better upbringing. A couple days after, the two get into a fight, in which the middle eastern store owner screams at him for not changing the locks meanwhile the door is the one that needs a replacement, as the technician tries to explain. As the argument sprouts, the technician just wants his money and wants to leave but the owner doesn't pay him and in anger he leaves.The next day the store g ets torn apart, robbed and vandalized in all kinds of ways and now the store owner is left with nothing and his life is ruined. In anger and to gain vengeance, he takes the gun and directly assumes it was the lock technician that left in anger from the other day. As one of the theories of prejudice, selective perception, is portrayed here when he automatically assumes it was the Hispanic guy that talks a certain way and has visible eye-catching tattoos.Coming to an immediate conclusion that it was him, he goes to his house and asks for his money for the store and fires the blank bullet exactly when his daughter came in between. Both were left in shock, to only find out that it was a blank bullet. He had no evidence that it was him but just because he was Hispanic and looked like he would do something like that, he came to a conclusion that it was him. Ironically, the guy was the nicest man and an incredible father and proved his selective perception wrong. Assuming is a root to a ki nd of prejudice as well and this scene was a great example.

Communtiy service assignement Essay

In your own words, answer the following questions. 1. What does the term ‘risk of significant harm’ mean? Answer q1. If the circumstances that are causing concerns for the safety welfare and wellbeing are present to significant extent. 2. What are the types of child abuse? Answer for q2. 1.physical 2.sexual 3.neglect 4.phychological 3. Identify three possible indicators or signs for each type of child abuse/neglect. Answers q3 1 physical > bruising behaviour problems depression anxiety 2 sexual > bed wetting ,nightmares , scared of people touching them 3 neglect >can be unbathed dirty, little to no food ,too big or small clothing thats dirty 4. What does the term ‘mandatory reporter’ mean? Answer q4 a mandatory reporter is a person that delivers health care education or children services to a child/ren under 16 and authorise by the department community services and required to make reports 5. Why is it important to adopt an ‘interagency approach’? Answer q5 1,promoting a partnership approach to child protection Task 2 Read the case studies below and answer the questions that follow. Jamele You are a worker in a family support agency. Your service offers facilitated playgroups each week to young and isolated mothers. Jamelle is a 1year old and attends each week with her mother. Jamelle is a very timid and does not interact with other children during play time. On a few occasions Jamelle has arrived with several large bruises which Jamelle’s mother has explained as accidents that had occurred whilst Jamelle was attempting to walk by  herself. Jamelle often arrives smelling strongly of stale urine and appearing dirty and unwashed. When they arrived today for the playgroup Jamelle had bloodshot eyes and was very drowsy. Jamelle’s mother reported that Jamelle had not slept well that night and would probably need a lot of sleep today. During the session Jamelle began to vomit. 1. What are the indicators of risk? Answer q1. 1.neglect 2.abuse 3.suspected risk of significant harm 2. How you would respond to this situation? Answer q2 1.document and report to supervisor 2.investigate or possible involvement of police and DOCS 3.call ambulance to protect the health and safety of the child 3. How would you prepare to make a report? Answer q3 1. time and date sign all documented 2.follow all policy and procedures in your work place 3.details of child ,dob name , address phone number, parent or carer if child has disability any back ground if known 4.document what the mother has stated 4. Who would you notify and when? Answer q4 1.immediately discuss situation with your supervisor after you suspect the abuse to the child 5. What actions/work practices you would take as a follow up from the report. Answer q5 1.offer support and help for family 2.services for family eg counselling parental courses 3.comply with your work place policy and procedures Taj You are case worker in a local service that supports families where one of the parents has a mental illness. Your service offers a range of support services, one of which is a weekly support group for children aimed at  reducing isolation and developing coping skills for dealing with a parent with mental illness. Taj is a 10 year old boy who attends the service weekly. Taj is popular with both the staff and his peers and likes to participate in most activities. After the last school holidays, Taj returned to the service a changed child, he has become aggressive and picks fights with his peers. He has also become aggressive towards the other male worker and is isolating himself. Taj has started wearing jumpers and long pants, even on warmer days and refuses to remove any clothing when he shows clear signs of being overheated. During an activity, Taj’s jumper became caught on the table and pulled up revealing a mass of red welts and recent burn scarring on his stomach and back area. Over the last few weeks Taj has drawn some explicit sexual pictures during art activities and has been using very sexualised language. 1. What are the indicators of risk? Answers q1 Aggressive behaviour, picks fights, red welts, bur ns 1.physical 2.sexual 3.neglect 2. How you would respond to this situation? Answer q2 1.ask taj whats happening while on school holidays also contact the family 2. report and document speak to principal and report to your supervisor 3.make a child proctection report to DOCS and police 3. How would you prepare to make a report? Answer q3 names and addresses of the child and his parents or responsible caregiver(s) child’s age and gender nature and extent of injury, maltreatment or neglect   approximate date and time the injury, maltreatment or neglect occurred the circumstances in which the injuries, became known to case worker previous injury, abuse/ neglect of the child or siblings  name of the person suspected to have caused the injury, sexual abuse/ neglect any action taken to treat or help the child and sign   any other information the caseworker believes would be helpful What actions/work practices you would take as a follow up from the report. 1 your repsonsibilty regarding the safety welfare or wellbeing of the child does not cease once report has been made docs it is still your responsibilty to use professional resources to provide support appropriate to your role and identify and respond to any concerns for the young childs welfare Karli Karli is a 16 year old resident in a youth refuge. She is quite precocious and outgoing with all the residents. After the first few days, you noticed that she was flirting with one of the male youth workers. This is not an unusual situation and generally does not create major issues. Expectations that staff not engage in any relationship other than a professional helping relationship are clearly outlined in the agency code of conduct, staff recruitment and ongoing professional development and training. You have noticed over the last few weeks that the worker Jackson appears to be flirting back. You have noticed that there is a lot of incidental touching between them and while you have seen no touching that is clearly inappropriate you can â€Å"feel† a lot of sexual energy between them when they are interacting. You have tried to raise it in discussion but Jackson is dismissive and will not engage on the topic. 1. How you would respond to this situation? Answer q1 1.follow your work place policy and procedures 2.report incidents of your observation to your supervisor 3.discuss your concerns with jackson and karli 2. What ethical issues may arise when responding to these situations? Answer q2 1.breaching the client and workers code of ethics 2.client history and vulnerability and mental status 3.disscussion of sexual or romatic relationship have occurred 4.conflict of interest 5.mandatory and disciplinary action for the case worker Task 3 Read the scenario below and answer the questions that follow. Joseph Personal Information about Joseph Date of Birth: 31/10/04 Full Name: Joseph Timothy Drake Address: 13 Short St, Parker Languages spoken: Chinese and English Nationality: Chinese Other children: Only child Mother: Lis’s (09) 7476 9435 & Partner: Jake (no number provided) You are a community worker in a multicultural resource centre. Your service runs a range of programs to support and assist people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Many of your clients have limited social resources and one of the programs that is offered is a women’s friendship group which aims to reduce the isolation of women. Lis attends the friendship group each week. Lis lives with her son, Joseph who is 5 years old. She has had a series of failed relationships and is currently seeing Jake who you have never met. Lis has engaged you in a number of conversations over several weeks, where she often breaks down and discloses details about fights she has had with her partner. Last week, Lis recounted the events of the previous weekend, when she forgot to leave the key under the door mat and so her boyfriend broke the front door and came in yelling at Lis. Joseph was still up with her at this time, and Lis continued to say that she was worried Joseph had seen her get hit several times by Jake. Lis appears increasingly concerned that he might do something to Joseph as he keeps threatening her and arriving late at night after drinking. This week Lis turns up to the group with Joseph, although children are not part of the group. Lis mentions she is very upset as Jake had come home late again and there had been some trouble. During the group you notice that Joseph is aggressive with Lis and does not engage with other people. At one point Joseph wets his pants and you organise for a change of clothes. While Lis is changing Joseph you notice a large impact bruise on his back. When you approach Joseph lashes out. 1. Where would you find information on how your service responds to Child Protection issues? Answer q1 1. document and report to supervisor the worries and fears mother has for herself and joseph 2.ask mother consent to fill out incident report 3.mandatory reporting guide 4.multicultural services,internet/google 5.child protection helpline 2. List the legislative acts that govern Child Protection Services in your state/territory. Answer q2 1.family law act 1975 2.law reform act 1995 3.family law amended act 2006 4.national quality standards 5.onbudsman amendment act 1998 6.children and young person (care and protection) act 1998 7.children legislation amendment act 2009

King Lear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

King Lear - Essay Example King Lear is a person who has many fine inclinations, however, he became a victim of wrong development. The power he possessed as a master over life and death of his citizens, the flattery and general servility strongly developed his self-conceit and vanity. All his goals were directed not at great deeds and mutual benefit, but at the satisfaction of his own desires. But with all his despotism and self-love Lear, even at the beginning of the tragedy, doesnt belong to people for whom the power and wealth are the top priorities. Most of all he wanted to be human. However, his own understanding of dignity got the perverted expression, it developed into self-adoration that reached an extreme point. The division of the kingdom between the daughters and refusal of his property, the deed that seemed reckless at first sight, had the internal logic. Lear believed that all the people loved him as a person, he wasnt able to differentiate those who really fed for it love, from those who loved only a monarch in him. He decided to give the property to his daughters, to become free of royal greatness and to take pleasure in human greatness. He was sure that without the power and property he will have the same respect and love; moreover, he wanted to have moral satisfaction being appreciated as a human. Believing in his superiority, he fondly thought that he remained the king in moral sense even if he was not a king any more. Therefore, making the division of the kingdom, he demands from daughters the expression of love to him. But, in reality, he demands not love, but obedience to his will, because he didnt get used to take into account feelings and desires of other people. Therefore, he turns out Cordelia whose answer did not satisfy him: â€Å"And yet not so; since, I am sure, my loves More richer than my tongue.† (Act 1 Scene 1), and gives all the property to two older

Ethics in Criminal Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics in Criminal Justice - Essay Example When a convict or a person charged and accused of committing a crime approaches a criminal justice personnel; this is the main quality that the latter needs to possess. Performing one's duty, which is that of administering justice or striving to obtain justice for an innocent convict in this case, is of prime importance. When the justice personnel is dutiful towards his professions and maintains the ethics and morals of criminal justice, he automatically begets qualities like honesty and loyalty, since he is committed to performing his Duty sincerely. Discretion comes by, in the process too, as he becomes well aware in the process of differentiating right from wrong, while catering to his Duty. Thus, being dutiful is the most important quality, as it brings along with it, a multi-quality persona! The topic for my research is Ethics governing Cyber Laws. The advent of the Internet has created a revolution worldwide and has made life easy for man. However, there are numerous problems and ethical issues cropping up globally, due to the undeniable access and percolation of the Internet into almost every sphere of our activity.

People, Organizations and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

People, Organizations and Management - Essay Example The strategic management of human resources has been a rapidly growing area, in research, within human resources. There have been numerous links between the HR and the firm’s performance. In choosing of an effective managerial structure, and setting of an organization structure, teamwork and team working are the fundamental areas that should be observed. This should also include organizational design and structure, and organizational culture. No management system can work effectively if these fundamental areas are not effectively analyzed, since they play a significant roles, in the making of a good management system, which is crucial to the achievement of organization’s objectives. This paper seeks to compare and contrast two management systems, and discuss the differences with respect to the three fundamental areas of management. Teamwork and team working Effective teams, which continue to work towards a unified objective, are the foundation of every organization†™s success. Every team member should create a culture of trust and positive energy. For any team to achieve its objective, its members should set aside their personal differences and interests. If the success of an organization is largely influenced by the quality of its leaders, the level of teamwork displayed by a team is influenced by efforts of the people who compose it. Therefore, any team that wishes to be successful should encourage its members to be active in the planning stage, and be open to ideas and positive feedback. All management systems have unique teamwork and team working approaches. Designing team-based organizations addresses issues concerning the implementation of teams, and the focus is on the design that is required to support the attaining of organization’s objectives (Stewart et al,2001 p320). A team is a group of people who are brought together to serve a common interest. Each member of a team should have relevant skills required to achieve the tar geted task. As organizations become more complex, the team-based methodology of solving problems becomes more common than old systems of management (Stanford, 2007 p58). Organizations may choose to use the team approach, in their organization, or to use the one-man one problem approach. The two study cases provided involve two organizations involved in different fields of business. Biogenia is a world-leading business that is involved, in the production of crop-protection products. This organization has a workforce of 15,000 employees, and has branches, in over 80 countries. Sleepeasy, on the other hand, is a mid-market hotel chain that involved in the business traveler and city-break tourist. The company also has branches in different countries. In the area of teamwork, the management of these two organizations display different approaches to teamwork and team working. Biogenia is an organization that promotes cross-functional working, in project teams. It sees teamwork as an essen tial management system of achieving constant product improvement and innovation. On the other hand, Sleepeasy has a policy, which the management does not show reliance on teamwork. In this case, members of the hotel staff are employed to fulfill certain functions in the hotel. These organizations employ different teamwork approaches, which best suit their business. For instance, Biogenia organization uses a number of projects that require the use of teamwork to come up with their products. In

Effects of Structural Changes in the Economy of United Kingdom and How Essay

Effects of Structural Changes in the Economy of United Kingdom and How the Labor Market is affected - Essay Example This means that the manner in which the human resource departments of various organizations operate under different economic conditions is influenced by the prevailing economic conditions hence affecting the labor market. In other words, changes that occur in the economy have significant effects on the labor markets and practices of human resource entities of many organizations. It is arguably true that the past changes in the economy have a close relationship with what happens today. This is probably brought about by the fact that changes in the economy are caused by interdependent events that take place over time. One of the most conspicuous effects of structural changes of the economy is inequality in the labor markets. This effect is because of different factors that dictate certain labor relates issues at a national, regional or even the global economy level. This paper addresses how structural changes in the economy affect the labor market and subsequently how human resource pr actices are influenced by such changes. A closer analysis of this issue draws much information from the trends observed in United Kingdom and London in particular. This explains various economic causative factors that affect the labor market resulting into inequality as one of the main effects. Understanding the Structure of an Economy and the Structural Changes An economy is analyzed using different factors that can be observed within an economy. Parts called sectors are the principal elements of defining and analyzing an economy. It is difficult to assess an economy without understanding the components that make its structures. Sectors may be defined using groups of industries or even different parts of various industries. Sectors are categorized into primary, secondary or tertiary (Anelore 11). These categories are used to explain different phenomena associated with structural changes of an economy. Primary sector embrace all activities that are directly linked to the use of natu ral resources while secondary sectors include all activities of production of goods (Zoltan 11; Anelore11). The tertiary sector refers to all services in the private sector such as insurance, banking, and finance among others (Unknown Author, 2: Mukesh et al. 38). A combination of primary and secondary sectors is referred to as the goods sector (Smith & Grant 76). The three sectors of the economy that define the structures of an economy are pertinent in highlighting various effects of structural changes of the economy to labor markets. It is obvious that when there are shifts in any of these sectors, there are certain changes that are structural within the economy thus affecting the labor market. This is because employment and employment requirements are influenced by the economy. Although there is a no a consensus over what elements that define structural changes of an economy, there are different theoretical explanations that define these changes. Irrespective of the varied perspe ctives by different intellectuals, structural changes within an economy can be defined as changes that have occurred within an economy causing fundamental shifts in the way an economy is organized to hitherto. This makes it necessary to understand past trends of an economy before embarking on investigating current trends. In relation to the effects of the changes to the labor market, structural change of an economy is the shift from manufacturing-dependent to service based

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Accounting - Essay Example d rebounded from the 2008 crisis through an increase of its inventory turnover from 13.51 in 2008 to 19.06 in 2010, Toyota increased from 10.63 in 2008 to 11.73 in 2010. Honda had a decrease from 7.17 in the year 2008 to 7.08 in 2010. Based on FIFO numbers, ford had an increase on its inventory turnover from 2008-2010 by 4.3 and Toyota by 0.89. Turnover drop based on reported and FIFO numbers for Ford remained constant. Ford had highest gross margin increase from 2008-2010 of 11.63% based on reported numbers. Toyota and Honda companies had same increase of 1.41 from 2008-2010. Similarly, ford had the highest increase in profit margin by 17.66 %, Toyota by 6.08% and Honda by 5.44%. Based on FIFO numbers, ford profit margin increased from 2008-2010 by 17.72%, Toyota by 5.9% and Honda by 5.98%. Ford was majorly affected by adjustments from LIFO to FIFO. Adjustments caused ford inventory increase from 3.57% to 4.10%. Gross margin increased from 12.43% to 12.49%. Consequently, the profit margin increased by 0.06%. This adjustment also affected where its inventories increased by 0.19%, had no effect on gross margin but profit margin increased by

Abuse of prescription of narcotics in primary care and its prevention Dissertation - 1

Abuse of prescription of narcotics in primary care and its prevention - Dissertation Example The prescription of opioids to assist the patients with malignant cancers has proven to be beneficial, but the increasing misuse and abuse of these medications by patients suffering from non-chronic pain has served to overshadow the benefits of opioids, despite the wide variety of medications available to treat non-cancer associated pain (Potter et al, 2001). While theoretically, the constant prescription of opioids is necessary and effective only in the treatment of malignant cancer-related, significantly more serious pain (Becker et al, 2011), health practitioners seem to have favored the prescription of these drugs in cases of all chronic pain (Potter et al, 2011). The supposition is therefore that this more widespread prescription has led to NUPM and PUPD. But it is not only the increase in prescription of opioids that can explain the ballooning of the incidence of NUPM. It seems that the failure of health professionals to monitor their patients’ use of drugs may also be a significant factor arguing for restraint, and even the cessation of the practice of widely prescribing opioids (Liebschutz et al, 2010). What are the conditions, consequently, that should accompany the distribution if opioids to patients? Is the only available, effective option to ban these medications outright, or would it be possible to formulate and implement policies that would effectively prevent abuse and misuse of these narcotics? A. Trends in the prescription of narcotics The findings of studies suggested that the varied barriers to the use of opioids must be addressed before any mandates or guidelines regulating the prescription of opioids can be implemented. Primary caregivers are more likely to be frustrated by the barriers, than by conforming to sets of guidelines. Therefore the prescription of opioids for the treatment of chronic pain in older patients is widespread. Spitz et al. (2011) found that the majority of the participants in their quantitative study were prescr ibing opioids to older patients, but only as a second or subsequent line of treatment. This initial reluctance may be due to the possibility of causing harm; the subjective nature of pain; deficient education regarding the effectiveness and consequences of using opioids; and the stigma attached to opioid use. Family members and the patients themselves were reluctant to try opioid treatment due to concerns regarding possible opioid abuse or misuse. In the findings of other studies, it was clear that significant attention had been given to the probability of substance abuse in patients prescribed opioids on a regular and ongoing basis. The clinical significance of the association between opioid use and common mental disorders is often overlooked. The evident lacunae resulting from the overemphasis on substance abuse, and the underemphasized incidence of mental disorders must be addressed. The prevalence of high-risk patients, in the prescription of opioid treatments, is a vital consid eration. Patients on opioid treatment were found to be two to three times more likely to seek mental health assistance by Sullivan et al. (2006) despite their not reporting a higher requirement for substance abuse treatment. In this cross-sectional study, it was found that continued use of opioids in participants, over the period 1988-2001, posed an increased risk for common mental disorders. This study illustrates the link between common mental disorders, as well as substance abuse, with the continuous use of prescribed opioids based on evidence from a large prospective population based data study. Furthermore, a lack of confidence among physicians relating to the prescription of narcotics can be discerned. Nonetheless, urine toxicology screening was rarely carried out either

Saudi Arabia & Bahrain Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Saudi Arabia & Bahrain Economy - Essay Example Approximately 40% of the GDP originates from the private sector. On average, the basket oil price for OPEC was about $77.20 for every barrel during the first quarter of 2010 and $44.79 in 2009 in the same period. It recorded about 77.4 percent in global recovery based on revived demand for energy in the world and increased confidence in business (GulfBaseb, 2015). In April 2010, the basket oil price for OPEC was $82.33 for every barrel compared to $50.20 per barrel in 2009 and $105.16 in 2008. During the peak levels, the prices of oil were at $147.27 per barrel in the international market in 2008 because of a rise in energy demand and geo-political risks witnessed in the Middle East. The prices of oil plunged more due to the economic and financial crisis witnessed during the same period (Heritage, 2015). In an aim to diversify its economy and attract foreign investment, Saudi Arabia has started off with huge projects, such as establishing six economic cities in various parts around the Kingdom to facilitate balanced growth. From 2003 to 2008, Saudi Arabia has witnessed considerable growth in its economy regardless of the high production and oil prices. The other sectors, particularly real-estate and construction industries have contributed significantly to the economy. Both the public and private sectors have played a major role, since increased spending by the government and foreign direct investment (FDI) have supported a sustainable and effective non-oil economy. After realizing exceptional growth due to oil revenues fostered by external forces for six years, the demand for world energy declined considerably because of the economic and financial crisis, leading to a tremendous decline in prices of oil. All countries globally felt the influence including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabi a in 2009. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia was slightly affected among GCC countries as a result of

Global Transport Providers Essay Example for Free

Global Transport Providers Essay The ocean carriers transport providers have introduced the Advanced Transport Communications System (ATCS). The trucker uses a GPS enabled cell-phone to enter information about the truck which is then received in the carriers and shippers systems of tracking. They report when they pick up and deliver the cargo using the first and last mile to track the cargo. This form of tracking has been introduced by the Port of Oakland, the Bay Area World Trade Centre and a group of technology partners and it reduces traffic congestion, air pollution and saves on time. However, one realizes that the rest of the journey is not tracked as only the first and last mile of the journey are reported. The cargo therefore can get lost on its way to the destination point. The freight forwarders provide a tracking system that allows the importer to place orders through the web. There is use of Pangaea which is a system that automates the process. It connects the freight forwarders, importers, exporters and the custom brokers through the web. It informs them on the progress made by the cargo through the forwarders offices placed all over the world. There is also the added advantage of line/part tracking feature offered by Pangaea which allows one to re-order, approximate position and also the arrival date of cargo, contents of the containers and retrieval of line item detail (http://www. pangaeaworld. com/product-linepartaspx). It also has the ability to operate at a multi-national level using multi-lingual employees in their offices. This then opens up the market where they would operate their businesses and those of the customers. The Marine Association of the Port of New York/New Jersey started the testing of the Automated Secure Vessel Tracking System(ASVT)in 2002. this system was developed by the Secure Assets Reporting Services (SARS) of Bellevue Washington. By using this tracking system, the parties involved will be able to locate their vessels worldwide on both ocean transit and on inland waterways.. The information on location and movement of the cargo carrying ship is available by the use of an encrypted password on the internet. The Secured Assets Reporting Services uses multiple satellite sources thus increase the ability of tracing the cargo at sea. The information can also be shared with the state and federal Homeland Security agencies thus increasing the ability to trace cargo when on transit and reduce chances of its getting lost. Advantages and disadvantages When using ocean carriers, there are various advantages and disadvantages. When used efficiently, there is reduction of cot as it carries more cargo thus more is under surveillance at a go. By using cell-phones to track cargo it makes it easier as anyone can do so from any part of the world. The major disadvantage of this system is the fact that it only checks when the cargo is picked up or delivered. It does not extend to when the cargo is on transit. Also it is specific phone brands that can be used for this tracking system. The major advantage of the freight is that it is available over the internet. It also keeps the parties involved informed of position of the cargo as this is done via internet. It is also operated at multinational level with offices in all market locations. The major disadvantage of freight forwarders is that it is very costly due to long distance shipping thus limiting ability of a small scale establishment to operate internationally. It also makes the tracking of the cargo expensive as it is done over a longer distance. The other major disadvantage is tat it does not cover the journey if one is not connected to the web. The port tracking system is designed to track the cargo on transit while revealing this information to a specific person only thus increasing security of who gets the information. The cargo is also tracked at sea by use of satellite whereby by using multiple satellite sources, the information is constantly available. The disadvantages are the requirements to have a computer system and ability to use it also a lot of manpower is needed to run the system. Recommendations Based on the research done and the information gotten, the best company for DD is the port tracking system. The rationale behind this conclusion is because the port tracking system has a way of tracking the cargo even at sea. This enables one to know at which point a specific cargo is. Also the fact that there are multiple satellite sources ensures that breakdown of one does not lead to loss of cargo. Each satellite source confirms the others information and nay anomaly is quickly noticed. By giving a password that is used to get the information from the internet means that information is not tampered with. It also ensures that only the relevant authority gets the information. By getting the information on exact position it means one can be able to conduct their sales with more precision. This is because delivery date is predictable on approximation. Finally, the disadvantages faced are also to be found in the other systems. The man power required is same as in the other systems and use of computers is also to be found in the freight forwarders while being substituted by cell phones in ocean carriers systems. Reference: Buxbaum P. A, 2007. Port Equipment and Technology – Tracking Last Mile Data. http://www. bawtc. com/tradenews-details-asp? partnerID=ArticleID=13317

Setting Up a Network at a New Office Essay Example for Free

Setting Up a Network at a New Office Essay 1.1 General Setting up a new network at a new office will require the purchase of new workstations, installing a new server, or implementing network security and virus protection systems network wide. LC Comm primary goal is to translate the technology needs of your building into an industry standard solution that produces clear, tangible results for the business. It is also my goal to educate and help you understand some of the more technical aspects of your network upgrade by putting it into a simple, easy to comprehend. Network planning and network upgrades performed will follow the accepted best practices of successful installations. This process and my exclusive 100+ point project checklist ensures consistent results with zero or minimal disruption to your office during the course of the network planning, network upgrade, server installation or new computer installation. Since I place my highest values on consistent, reliable solutions for the long-term happiness and productivity of your office, you can feel confident I will only recommend proven network planning and network upgrades that will accomplish these goals and not those that are the coolest or newest at the time. An IT project is an endeavor with a definitive timeline (start date and end date) during which specific goals and objectives are met. Projects occur in addition to the regular maintenance of your network and technology equipment, and often emerge as a result of issues discovered during regular maintenance. 1.2 General Scope of Work LC Comm. proposes to produce contract specifications and construction drawings for all building spaces as well as the communications cabling system. This will include the plan views of all equipment rooms, labs, MDF/IDFs and the elevation views of equipment racks and cabinets. In general, this includes the following: 1.2.1Participation in the design process. LC Comm will work with the Customer to validate space requirements and produce electrical and mechanical program requirements for all computer room and telecommunications facilities and equipment. This includes CAD plan drawings of computer room and telecommunications room equipment. It also includes CAD elevation drawings of the network and server cabinets. As a participant in the design team, these requirements and drawings will be  conveyed to the architects and engineers for inclusion into the schematic drawings, the design development drawings and finalized in the construction documents. 1.2.2 Assist Customer in designing the local and wide-area networking requirements. This includes any high-speed lines that will be required in the new main site and other locations. Full back up and redundancy is assumed. 1.2.3 Assist Customer in placing all computer and network equipment on the drawings. 1.2.4Production of the building communications cabling systems requirements as may be required. These include the data structured cabling system for the building, bus tag cable design should a large mainframe be involved and inter-cabinet cabling systems between the network and server cabinets. 2.0Specific Scope of Work 2.1Schematic Design 2.1.1Validate all space requirements for the technical areas associated with the data center complex. This includes but is not limited to the following: †¢Computer equipment area †¢Operations console area †¢Disk farm and tape robots †¢Network area †¢Server area †¢Printer and paper storage areas †¢Staging areas †¢Environmental systems on or under the raised floor area †¢Technical support areas outside of the raised floor area †¢Meeting rooms †¢Storage spaces 2.1.2Participate in the design and data gathering process to determine, produce or participate in the following: †¢Rough draft of computer and network equipment layouts †¢Discussion of adjacency requirements for the data center operating areas †¢Participate in discussions to determine facility design requirements †¢Participate in meetings to determine what computer and network equipment will be acquired for the new data center †¢Development of preliminary high-level project schedule with milestones. †¢Data gathering for communications and network cabling requirements †¢Data gathering of  environmental requirements for computer and network equipment that will be in the raised floor and telecommunications facilities. (Power and Cooling Profile) †¢Gather requirements for telecom grounding requirements †¢Identify MDF and cable entrance areas †¢Identify fiber and cable provider vaults on or near property †¢Begin early draft of communications cabling specification †¢Participate in discussions on redundancy of environmental systems and the elimination of any single point-of-failure †¢Participate in discussions on disaster recovery and business resumption 2.1.3 Participate in discussions to identify design requirements for the telecom fiber and copper entrance cables. 2.1.4 Participate in scheduled and ad hoc meetings as may be required to produce required deliverables. Meet with vendors as may be required. 2.1.5 Document technical meetings and discussions. Reproduce and distribute documentation. 2.2 Design Development 2.2.1 Finalize plan view of equipment layouts for MIS, IT, network, server, telecommunications and PBX systems 2.2.2 Finalize detailed environmental requirements for all MIS, IT, network, server, telecommunications and PBX systems 2.2.3 Produce final draft of the communications and network cabling specifications. This includes and custom specifications for cable runway, network cabinets, under floor fiber cable tray systems 2.2.4 Produce final draft of telecom grounding requirements 2.2.5 Produce final draft of project schedule with milestones 2.2.6Produce draft of network and server cabinet elevation drawings 2.2.7 Produce draft electrical panel breaker assignments for Electrical Engineer 2.2.8 Participate in scheduled and ad hoc meetings as may be required to produce required deliverables. Meet with vendors as may be required. 2.2.9 Document technical meetings and discussions. Reproduce and distribute documentation 2.3 Construction Documents 2.3.1Finalize all construction specifications for the following: †¢Structured communications cabling system. Includes RFQ †¢Telecommunications entrance facilities †¢Inter-connecting cabling system for the network and server cabinets †¢Cable runway for PBX (MDF) and IDF areas †¢Under floor cable tray for fiber cables 2.3.2 Finalize construction drawings for the following: †¢Structured communications cabling system. Includes elevations telecom racks in the MDF and IDF areas. Includes instructions for seismic bracing †¢Telecommunications entrance facilities. Includes fiber mux areas †¢Inter-connecting cabling system for the network and server cabinets. Includes elevation drawings showing connecting hardware and equipment in the network and server cabinets †¢Cable runway for PBX (MDF) and IDF areas †¢Under floor cable tray for fiber cables 2.3.3 Participate in scheduled and ad hoc meetings as may be required to produce required deliverables. Meet with vendors as may be required. 2.3.4 Document technical meetings and discussions. Reproduce and distribute documentation. 2.4 Bidding and Negotiation 2.4.1 Attend bid conferences and walkthroughs as may be required. 2.4.2 Respond to RFIs as may be necessary 2.4.3 Produce specification or drawing modifications as may be required 2.5 Construction Administration 2.5.1 Walk job site periodically. Observe and comment on construction of equipment and network facilities. Produce documentation where required 2.5.2 Participate in architectural and construction project meetings where required

Islamic Law In Saudi Arabia Sociology Essay

Islamic Law In Saudi Arabia Sociology Essay Islamic law, or Sharia (termed Syariah in Malaysia), refers to the sacred holy laws of the Islamic religion. Sharia mingles with multiple fields addressed by secular law, which may include economics, crime, and politics, as well as personal matters such as  hygiene and sexuality. Sharia mainly derives from two sources, of which the 1st one would be the heavenly revelations in the Quran, and the 2nd being examples and sayings laid down by Prophet Muhammad within the Sunnah. In addition to the above mentioned sources, secondary sources are also adopted. One example of these secondary sources is the ijma of various prominent ulamas in the Islamic world. In regards of the topic at hand, I shall explain how Islamic law is practiced in Saudi Arabia. Before I go into explaning how Sharia is practiced in Saudi Arabia, I would like to point out that this essay will only touch on the developments and the ways in which Sharia is implemented in the Third State of Arabia, also known as the current Saudi Arabia. Sharia was officially enforced in Saudi Arabia by the Basic Law in 1992. The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia is a charter written in Arabic which bears marking resemblance to a constitution. It is divided into nine chapters, and consists of 83 articles. It is based on the Salafi school of understanding of Sharia and it does not bypass the fiqh. In Chapter 1: Article 1 of the said charter, it is expressly written that, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic state with Islam as its religion; Allahs Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet, Allahs prayers and peace be upon him, are its constitution, Arabic is its language and Riyadh is its capital. In Saudi Arabia, criminal cases are tried under Sharia courts. These courts exercise authority over the entire population. In other words, people who are not of Islamic faith are still subjected to the criminal laws of Saudi Arabia. Cases which involve small penalties are adjudicated in Sharia Summary Courts, whilst more serious crimes are tried in Sharia Courts of Common Pleas. In events where either party finds the decision made was unsatisfactory, the said party can also appeal through the Court of Appeal. For civil cases, it could also be tried in Sharia Courts, but with one exception: Muslim of the Shia denomination may try such cases in their own courts. Other civil proceedings, such as those involving claims against the Saudi Arabia government, and claims on the enforcement of foreign judgements, are held before a special panel in certain specialized administrative tribunals, such as the Board of Grieviences, and Commission for The Settlement of Labor Disputes. In strict adherance to the Saudis sources of law, the system prescribes  corporal penalty or capital penalty, which in the Sharia sense may include  amputations  of limbs for certain crimes such as  homicide,  rape, robbery, drugs trafficking, adultery, and  homosexual/bisexual activities. It is to note that petty theft is also punishable by the means of amputation of the hand, although, it is rare for first-time offenders. For less serious crimes, such as drunkenness, the courts may impose less severe punishments, such as  floggings. Under Saudi law, when someone commits murder, accidental death, and/or bodily harm, the said person is open or subject to punishment from the victims family. Retribution may also be, and are usually, sought through the method of  blood money. It is to note that the blood money being payable for causing a womans accidental death, or, that of a Christian male,  is only half as much as that for a Muslim male. All the others (men or women of different faiths and believes other than Islam) are valued at 1/16th. The main reasoning for this, according to the Sharia, men are expected by right to be providers for their families and thus are expected and assumed to earn more fiscally in their lifetimes. The blood money by a man would be expected to be enough to sustain his family, for at least a short period of time. Honor killings are also not punished as severely as murder. This generally stems from the fact that honor killings are within a family, and done to compensate for some dishonorable act committed.   Saudi Arabia is also the one and only country in the world where women are prohibited to drive on public roads. Women can only drive in off-road conditions and in private housing compounds, some of which extend to many square miles. The ban may be lifted soon, although with certain conditions. The Saudi government regard its construction of Islamic law as its sole source of guidance on human rights, and Sharia has failed to evolve and develop to ensure the rights of women are protected. In addition to prohibition on driving on public roads, women are not allowed to travel around without the permission, written or verbal, of their closest male kin. This resulted in women being restricted from travel by their sons and/or younger brothers. Divorcees are required by law to return to the home of their father, and any form of travel must then be approved the father. In other words, under Saudis law, women of 30 or more years old cannot make independent decisions without the approval of male relatives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.MORE TO COME. QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE PRACTICE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN SAUDI ARABIA Human rights  in  Saudi Arabia  are based on  sharia  laws  under the rule of the  Saudi royal family.  The Saudi Arabian government has also been known and criticized for its lack of regard for the religious political minorities,  homosexuality, and  women. The Human rights of Saudi Arabia are specified in article 26 of the  Basic Law of Saudi Arabia, the constitution of Saudi Arabia, as mentioned earlier. Then, in October 1997, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified the  International Convention against Torture according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The first independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia, the  National Society for Human Rights, was established in 2004.  In 2008, the  Shura Council  ratified the  Arab Charter on Human Rights. It is to note that Saudi Arabia, is one of around thirty countries in the world with that still practices  judicial corporal punishment. For Saudia Arabias judicial corporal punishments may include  amputations  of either limbs  for robbery, and  flogging  for smaller crimes such as drunkenness. The exact number of lashes is vaguely prescribed by the law; it is varied in accordance to the judges discretion, and may range from dozens of lashes to several hundred, which is usually applied over a period of weeks or months. In 2004, the  United Nations  Committee against  Torture  criticized and deplored the Saudi Arabian law over the  amputations  and  floggings  it carries out under  Sharia. The Saudi delegates, responded, unfazed, in the defence of legal  traditions that has been held since the birth of Islam 1,400 years ago, and rejected interference of any kind in its legal framework. For serious law-offenders, Saudi Arabia also engage themselves in  capital punishment, which in Sharia include the likes of public executions by  beheading.  Beheading is the punishment for rapists, armed robberers, drug traffickers and of course, murderers, according to strict interpretation of  Islamic law. In 2005 there were 191 executions, in 2006 there were 38, in 2007 there were 153, and in 2008 there were 102. To illustrate how serious is human rights infringement in Saudi Arabia, I would like to draw a simple reference to a spokesman for Saudi Arabias National Society for Human Rights. He reasoned that numbers of executions are rising because crime rates are rising, that prisoners are treated humanely, and that the  beheadings  deter crime, saying, Allah, our creator, knows best whats good for his peopleShould we just think of and preserve the rights of the murderer and not think of the rights of others? WOMEN RIGHTS/GENDER ISSUES Religion affects all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia, and Saudi women face  discrimination  in many aspects of their lives. The Sunni Muslims in Saudi Arabia, which is about 90% of the population, are governed by strict conservative interpretations of Islam. Saudi Arabia is a patriarchal society in which women are treated and seen as 2nd class citizens only. And because of that, they continue to become victims of discrimination, everyday. They have lesser say than men in family matters; their freedom of movement is very limited; and their economic opportunities and rights are restricted. In addition, womens actions and choices depends on the permission or wishes of their mahram. Saudi Arabia also applies rules of strict gender segregation and unrelated men and women are separated in all public places. Women also, do not enjoy the freedom of dress, but are required to cover themselves completely from head-to-toe. The usual dress-code includes a jet black cloak-like garment (abaya) and a matching face veil (niqba). Women who deliberately choose to not cover or as they say, protect, themselves fully, which r ates is increasing in certain parts of the country, run the risk of being provoked and harassed. Although they make up 70% of those enrolled in universities, for social reasons, women make up just 5% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia, the lowest proportion in the world. These treatments of women has been referred by social scientists as Sex segregation  and gender apartheid. Even implementation of a government resolution supporting the expansion of employment opportunities for women, met strong resistance from within the labour ministry, from the religious police, and from the male citizenry. In most parts of Saudi Arabia, it is thought that a womans place in this world is in the home, tending for her spouse and family. Rooting from tradition, there is also segregation inside their own houses as some rooms have separate entrances for men and women. Before 2008, women were not allowed to enter hotels and furnished apartments without a chaperon or  mahram. With a 2008 Royal Decree, the one and only requirement needed nowadays to enable women to enter hotels are their national ID cards, but the hotel must let the nearest police station know of their length of stay and room reservation. The driving ban for women was unofficial until 1990 when it was introduced as official legislation after 47 Saudi women drove cars through the streets of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Even though illegal, women in rural areas and other areas outside cities do drive cars. It may sound made-up, but according to credible studies, many Saudis believe that allowing women to drive could lead to Western-style openness and an erosion of traditional values. Womens rights calls for reform in Saudi Arabia calls that are testing the Kingdoms political status quo. International, as well as local womens groups are also forcing the government to react, taking advantage of the fact that some rulers are eager to project a more progressive image to the West. WOMEN/FAMILY LAW While the Saudi Arabian law is silent on the legal age of marriage, the practice of forced marriages was prohibited by the countrys religious authority in 2005. Nevertheless, to be fair to the case, the level to which said bride is involved in decision-making in regards of her own marriage varies between families. According to Saudis family law, the marriage contract is between the mahram of the bride and the husband-to-be. An estimated 16 percent of girls between 15 and 19 years of age are currently married, divorced or widowed in Saudi Arabia. Polygamy is allowed under Sharia and a Muslim male could take as many as 4 wives, given that he can give equal support and treatment. The practice is reportedly on the decline, but both for demographic and economic reasons. Women are discriminated against with regards to parental authority as, legally, children belong to their father. If divorced or widowed, a woman is normally granted custody of daughters until they reach the age of nine and sons until they reach the age of seven. Older children are often awarded to the divorced husband or the paternal grandparents. Women cannot confer citizenship to their children (if born to a non-Saudi Arabian father). Female genital mutilation is not a general practice, but reports suggest that there is some occurrence of the practice among Shia Muslims in the Eastern Province, and possibly among some Bedouin groups. Violence against women is common and there are no specific laws addressing the issue, nor any adequate protection for the victims. Incidents of domestic violence are rarely reported or even talked about publicly. For instance, the so-called honour crimes, whereby a woman is put to death or punished by male family members for having put disgrace to the family honour, are also prevalent. The suspicion alone of a womans wrong-doing is often enough for her to be subject to violence in the name of honour. Women, as well as men, may be subject to harassment by the countrys religious police, the mutawwain; torture (although outlawed); and physical punishments, often without having their case presented in court. Islamic law provides for detailed and complex calculations of inheritance shares. A woman may inherit from her father, her mother, her husband, her children, and under certain conditions, from other members of her family, but her share is generally smaller than a mans entitlement. A daughter, for example, inherits half as much as a son. This is commonly justified by the fact that a woman has no financial responsibility towards her husband and children. Women, particularly in rural areas, are often deprived even of their entitled share as they are considered to be supported by their fathers or husbands.

Racism, Prisons, and the Future of Black America Essay -- essays resea

Racism, Prisons, and the Future of Black America I came upon an article bearing the above title after entering the word ‘race’ into my web browser search bar. After skimming through the article, I became interested in the topic and decided it would be worthy for using in my Race in the Media Analysis. The topic mentioned is that of the staggering number of Blacks within American prisons. In the year the article was published (2000), the number of incarcerated Blacks were slightly over half of the entire American prison population of roughly 2 million. According to the author, Manning Marable (a black man), that meant that 1 out of every 35 blacks are in prison. These figures astonished me and made me curious as to the cause of such disturbing statistics. However, I had a notion of possible causes. I would expect to find that the reason for such large numbers is based upon poverty, and the amounts of Blacks that grow up in ghettos. If blacks make up the majority of inhabitants of America’s poorest neighborhoods, than that would be an obvious answer. It is my belief that people are more or less products of their environments, and if you grow up where there is poverty and crime, you are likely to remain poor and become a criminal. If a man or woman feels that there are no opportunities for them to make a decent living through an ethical job, then they will naturally look towards crime as a solution. It is simply a survival instinct. After reading the article, it became appare...

Green Laws Boost Clean-up Industry :: essays research papers

Green Laws Boost Clean-up Iindustry Engelskaflevering d. 01.09.95 I Have companies around the globe really become "house-proud", or is planet earth just in for a spring cleaning? It is hard to say - but one thing is for sure; the environmental sector is en-joying a boom. The market for pollution control technology is on a steep exponential growth curve, which seems to be interminable. Especially the European companies put down their names for an immense part of the expansion. But what is the precise nature of this sudden environmental con-cern? After all the deteriorating state of the environment is hardly a novel phenomenon, to say the least. Just how vigorous this potential goldmine is going to be for the clean- up industry ac-tually depends on law and order, so to speak. That is to say that one of the main reasons for the turn up is new legislation. Recent EU-directives as to pollution may cause heavy demands on the purse of one company and consequently pour that money down the pockets of the clean technology indu-stry. Moreover the deadlines for plants to meet EU-directives are getting close, and everything se-ems to show that the laws will be enforced. Yet far from all companies have to meet with the raised finger of the law to start investing in their environmental responsibilities. Investments on a volunta-ry basis are often due to the fact that it makes good ecnomic sense or because it gives the corporate image a face- lifting. Seen from a geoprahical point of view Germany and primarily eastern Europe form tremendously good breeding ground for the sale of clean-up equipment. As a result of opencast mi-ning of lignite coal in Poland, for example, a huge clean-up is left, which will amount to billions of dollars. However accidents also occur at sea, where a spate of oil tanker disasters are likely to fill out the order book at oil cleaning industries. Nevertheless a stroke of bad luck is far from necessary in order to make firms under-stand their green obligations. The power of the consumers has been on the increase over the last few years, and the public environmental image means more to a firm than ever before. The average con-sumer going down to the grocer's for a few necessaries is starting to attach importance to something else than just the product itself. How is the detergent wrapped - is the paper bleached? Is this bottle reusable? Are these outdoor tomatoes? - and so on. Personally I don't think that you notice it, as you're walking alongside the shelves in the local supermarket - but you do pay

Philosophers in the World :: Philosophy Philosophers Paperes

Philosophers in the World Philosophers are often thought of as hopelessly inept in the â€Å"real† world, the theoretical counterparts of the 90-pound weakling on the beach of the material world. Nothing could be more mistaken. As mentioned, Alexander the Great studied with Aristotle and then went on to conquer the world (well, the parts of the world the Greeks knew). Coincidence? Perhaps, but the extent to which other ancient figures were influenced by philosophy is far less ambiguous. To take the most obvious example, Socrates was committed to a life of social criticism and public debate, so much so that he was tried and executed by Athenian officials who felt threatened by his influence over the young. Consider also the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (the guy Richard Harris played in the movie Gladiator). As a young man, Aurelius was so motivated by his love of truth (the Emperor Hadrian nicknamed him â€Å"Verissimus†) that he turned from studying rhetoric to philosophy. Conscientious to his subjects and magnanimous to his enemies, Aurelius sold off personal items rather than raise taxes to fund the imperial expansion into Eastern Europe. Despite his dislike of violence (he made gladiators fight with blunt tips), Aurelius spend much of his reign on the battlefield fighting German tribes on the Danube front; The Meditations was written down as notes, sometimes in military camp at the end of a weary and bloody day. Like many other ancients, Aurelius took the philosophical life to be one lived in the world according to philosophical principles and values, drawing on Epictetus’ admonition: Eat like a man, drink like a man, get dressed, get married, have children, lead the life of a citizen †¦ Show us all this, so that we can see whether or not you have really learned something from the philosophers. (Discourses III, 21, 5) One important thinker who exemplified Epictetus’ ideal was John Locke. Bored with the scholastic curriculum during his studies at Christ Church, Oxford, he spent much of his time as an undergraduate reading French literature. After receiving his B.A. in 1656, Locke plunged into the study of medicine and chemistry, later supervising a surgery to drain an abscess on Lord Ashley’s liver (the operation probably saved Ashley’s life). Locke saw his Essay Concerning Human Understanding, the locus classicus for modern empiricist philosophy, as providing part of the conceptual framework for the new scientific advances of Boyle, Huygens, â€Å"and the incomparable Mr.

New Religious Movements & Religion

When studied, compared, and scrutinized, every religion – though said to be basically similar in that all believe and worship a god/gods – is actually different from each other in many respects. Before tackling diversities however, it is better to start with similarities. Many people view all adherents of any religions share at the very least certain commonalities such as historical roots, practices/rituals, and doctrines. In other words, to be considered religious, one must be a follower of a certain form of ritual/practice prescribed by a founder or guru, a worshiper or believer of a god – whatever or whoever that god might be.When looked at the surface, this might be true. However, looking closely and seeking out the nuances, one can find real diversities. For example, for a Jew and a Muslim, Christianity is a religion represented by Vatican and the pope as its representative. To the eyes of these two, no differences whatsoever are detected between a devout Ro man Catholic and a Protestant and a Mormon. Of course when investigated, marked differences come to the surface and the initial seemingly unified similarities are gone. Actually, differences are underscored every time there occurs along the way a deviation from the fundamentals of any religion. In the history of Christianity alone, schisms are either a deviation or a return to its roots (Adherents.com, 2007).Effects of Religious PluralismPost your response to this question: What effect do you think religious pluralism and the interfaith movement will have on the future of organized religion? Explain your answer.Religious pluralism and interfaith movement are recently advocated by proponents from different religions with certain political aims. For instance, during Holy Week in 1971, there were many demonstrations conducted by different religious groups to voice their antiwar protests. Professor Robert McAfee Brown of Stanford University was among those arrested for blocking the way to a draft board office in Berkeley, California. He said he chose to preach his sermon â€Å"not in a church but on a pavement, not with words but with a deed† (Microsoft Encarta, 2007). Though there are certain benefits to it in terms of rights, there are also disadvantages and innumerable damages that may have paved the way for further confusion in the future.In what ways has learning about world religions influenced the way you think about religion? Why is it important to learn about other peoples' beliefs and attitudes? How will you utilize this information in the future?Knowledge of World religionsKnowledge of the different religions of the world and their adherents’ beliefs and practices is necessary for a better understanding of different peoples and cultures. Religious tolerance means differently when taken in the light of this endeavor. The ability to understand world religions and appreciate people because of their different persuasions and beliefs mean a mor e empathic and compassionate stance towards any group, ethnic or religious assemblage. Those who differ from us will not be seen as enemies, which oftentimes have become a common experience (Adherents.com, 2007).Reference:________ Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2008 < http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html>________ Microsoft Encarta. 2007.

Superflat

Bijutsu Fine art Kindai Bijutsu Modern art Manga Manga are comics and print cartoons, in Japanese and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. Otaku Known as a mass media product presenting Japanese Culture, anime, has gained an increasing exposure and acceptance overseas during the 1990s.The term otaku, which was coined in 1982 and came into popular usage by 1989, is usually translated as ‘geek’ or ‘aficionado,’ and refers to a group of people who ‘take refuge in a world of fantasy, drinking in the images supplied by the modern media – usually from television, magazines and comic books, but also computer images or video games’ (Baral 1999: 22). The etymology of â€Å"otaku† was drawn upon the work of Volker Grassmuck in his seminal otaku-studies article: I'm alone, but not lonely†: Japanese Otaku-Kids colonize the Realm of Information and Media, A Tale of Sex and Crime from a faraway Place. Superf lat art â€Å"The world of the future might be like Japan is today – Superflat. Society, customs, art, culture: all are extremely two-dimensional. It is particularly apparent in the arts that this sensibility has been flowing steadily beneath the surface of Japanese history †¦ [Superflat] is an original concept that links the past with the present and the future. † (Murakami, 2000: 9)Superflat is a concept and theory of art created by the contemporary Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami. The Superflat (2000) exhibition in Tokyo marked the launch of this new aesthetic which took contemporary Japanese art and identity into a globalised milieu of critical thought. The exhibition, which was curated by Murakami and subsequently travelled to the United States, featured the work of a range of established and emerging artists drawn from art and commercial genres in Japan. As an essential part of Murakami’s political strategy, Superflat was always designed to travel g lobally.An elaborate, bilingual catalogue Super Flat (Murakami, 2000), which included Murakami’s manifesto, A Theory of Super Flat Japanese Art, accompanied the exhibition. In this manifesto Murakami affirmed that the Superflat exhibitions were created to provide a cultural-historical context for the new form of art that he was proposing, and which was specifically exported for Western audiences. Superflat art, as a cultural text, is intricately enmeshed in the tensions between the location and representation of local/global cultural identities.These identities, while proffering resistance through the assertion of difference, are also formed as part of the processes of globalization rather than in strict opposition to it (Robertson, 1995). In producing Superflat for Western art markets and Japanese art worlds, Murakami addresses existing discursive knowledge of Japanese art, history and popular culture, while simultaneously presenting a new variant of those identities. In thi s way, Superflat is part of the politics of commodification and expression of cultural difference generated in global consumption.Murakami’s Superflat concept identifies a new aesthetic emerging from the creative expressions produced in Japanese contemporary art, anime (Japanese animation), manga (graphic novels), video games, fashion and graphic design. Superflat is presented as a challenge to the institutions and practices of bijutsu (fine art), which Murakami argues are an incomplete import of Western concepts. Murakami is specifically referring to the modern institutions of kindai bijutsu (modern art) that were adopted during the Meiji period (1868–1912) as part of Japan’s process of modernization and Westernization.To Murakami, the innovation and originality of post-1945 forms of commercial culture represent a continuation of the innovations of the Edo (1600–1867) visual culture. Murakami problematically argues that Edo culture represents a more â₠¬Ëœoriginal’ cultural tradition, because it was a time of restricted foreign contact. At the same time, Murakami self-consciously uses Western art markets and the popular appeal of Japanese consumer culture to propose the Superflat alternative. That is, Murakami utilizes the Western popular imaginings of Japanese culture as a hyper-consumeristic, postmodern layhouse (Morley & Robins, 1995: 147–173) in constructing Superflat. SUPERFLATNESS: GLOBALIZING STRATEGIES IN ART MARKET As the interaction between social groups has become increasingly globalized, the meaning-making and expressivities associated with ‘art’ have also become progressively more engaged through national and transnational gradients (Papastergiadis & Artspace, 2003). In particular, the formation of identity and expressive modes in a national genealogy becomes problematic within a globalizing cultural sphere.Many artists struggle to find the binary position of balancing East and West cultures , while Takashi Murakami, contemporary Japanese artist, with his theory of Superflat art, worked out his way in this dilemma. He provides a useful case study of the strategies artists can employ to negotiate cultural and artistic identities ‘in between’ this binary. This paper investigates the Superflat concept and analyses Murakami’s art works to expose the tensions and dialogues regarding cultural identity and commodification that are produced by their global circulation.The first section maps Murakami’s strategy in constructing Superflat and contextualizes this in relation to discourses of Japanese national-cultural identity. The second section applies this theorization by analyzing the visual codes of Murakami’s figure sculpture My Lonesome Cowboy. This figure sculpture is part of a series in which Murakami combined the aesthetic codes and markers of otaku culture, particularly the prominence of anime and manga characters, with various art histo rical references.This piece demonstrates the multifarious local/global codes and cultures that Superflat art engages. Global Flows and the Soy Sauce Strategy Globalization creates spaces in which mobile elements interact with both positive and negative effects. Three key issues emerge in contemporary theorizations of globalization that are relevant to this discussion: firstly, the problem of how to retain the concept of local/national cultural particularity and to concurrently recognize the onvergences and overlaps between cultures in a global context (Robertson, 1995); secondly, how to recognize the value in cultural difference as a tool of critical (oppositional) agency (Fisher, 2003) and acknowledge that difference can also become a commodity in the global market place (Hall, 1991); and thirdly, to acknowledge the dominance of Western cultural, political and economic imperatives in globalization (Hardt & Negri, 2000), but also to recognize that it cannot be reduced to this condit ion (Held et al. , 1999).Consequently, concerns and celebrations are generated by the increasing fragmentation of national and cultural identities (Morley&Robins, 1995). In response to this process of deterritorializing identity, impulses arise to reclaim local and national identities in a form of resistance (Hall, 1995). This resistance is complicated because it is formed in relation to the transnational imaginings of the Self and the Other, stimulated by the constant circulation of people and mediated images through globalizations (Appadurai, 1996).These are irresolvable struggles and they demonstrate how globalization contributes to rather than eliminates incommensurability (Ang, 2003). Thus, while cultural identities can become territorialized and demarcated, for instance as ‘Japanese’, they are also challenged by the processes of deterritorialization activated through interaction and exchange. The meaning of ‘Japanese’ is therefore open to re-articulat ion by both global and local forces allowing new strategic identities to emerge.These processes are evident in Murakami’s â€Å"soy sauce strategy†. Murakami demarcates the identity of Superflat as Japanese by proposing it as an affirmation of a Pop Art aesthetic that is â€Å"born from Japan† and distinct from Western art: a type of post-Pop (Murakami, 2005: 152–153). Murakami asserts Superflat as an example of the current influence of Japanese culture globally and as a model for a future aesthetic, thereby identifying the ‘Otherness’ of Superflat in a positive way.Even though Murakami acknowledges that this sensibility emerges from the transformations arising from the influences of Western culture, he simultaneously reaffirms the originality of Superflat as a Japanese sensibility. This is what he refers to as his â€Å"soy sauce† strategy. Japanese contemporary art has a long history of trying to hide the soy sauce. Perhaps they will strengthen the flavor to please the foreign palette, or perhaps they’ll simply throw the soy sauce out the window and unconditionally embrace the tastes of French or Italian cuisine, becoming the Westerners whose model of contemporary art they follow †¦I see the need to create a universal taste – a common tongue – without cheating myself and my Japanese core †¦ I continue to blend seasonings †¦ I may have mixed in the universal forms and presentations of French, Italian, Chinese, or other ethnic cuisines – and I am vigilant in my search for their best points – but the central axis of my creation is stable †¦ at its core, my standard of ‘beauty’ is one cultivated by the Japan that has been my home since my birth in 1962. (Kaikaikiki Co.Ltd & Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2001: 130) This essential Japanese identity of Superflat is reinforced by the ways in which Murakami connects (visually and ideologically) the kawaii (cute) forms of anime and manga with the playful aesthetic of Edo period artists and the two-dimensional formal properties of Japanese screen painting. This foundation is then used to propose Superflat as an alternate lineage of Japanese visual culture, one that breaks away from the canon of kindai bijutsu and Western art history.Edo functions in Superflat as the determinant of its cultural authenticity – that is, as the DNA of Superflat (Murakami, 2000: 25). Edo is presented as the site of Japan’s cultural tradition and subsequently as a symbol of its Japaneseness. This is a convention from modern Japanese discourses in which Edo becomes the repository of nostalgic yearnings for a pre-modern, traditional Japan (Ivy, 1995).In the late 1980s and early 1990s this was extended to become part of the debates on Japan’s (post)modernity; postmodern cultural expressions in Japan were considered to be a revival of Edo concepts and practices and thus particularly à ¢â‚¬Ëœindigenous’ to Japan (Karatani, 1997). However, as Gluck (1998) points out, the definition of authentic and traditional Japanese expression in relation to a fixed point of origin in Edo culture has been heavily challenged. Therefore, Murakami’s use of Edo to mark the culturally authentic transmission of the Superflat aesthetic should be treated with caution.At the same time, Murakami has emphasized that he is not presenting Superflat as the definitive interpretation of Japanese art nor does he claim a unified identity for Japan: Unfortunately, I can never give ‘Japan’ a fixed shape. I cannot meet my real ‘self’. Nor can I discern what ‘art’ really is †¦ I thought I could solve the problem by lining up a series of images in a powerful procession that words could not clarify. (Murakami, 2000: 9) Even this position can be critiqued.Murakami self-consciously demonstrates his awareness of the historical interaction between J apan and the West and stresses the hybrid history of Superflat. However, he also tends to celebrate Japan’s skill in assimilating and domesticating foreign influences, echoing other discourses on Japan’s hybridity as a national-cultural trait (Tobin, 1992), which paradoxically reconstructs Japan’s hybridity as an essential identity. Murakami’s intention to create an epistemological context for Superflat is explicitly part of his aim to sell work in international art markets: First, gain recognition on site (New York). Furthermore, adjust the flavoring to meet the needs of the venue. 2 With this recognition as my parachute, I will make my landing back in Japan. Slightly adjust the flavorings until they are Japanese. Or perhaps entirely modify the works to meet Japanese tastes. 3 Back overseas, into the fray. This time, I will make a presentation that doesn’t shy away from my true soy sauce nature, but is understandable to my audience. (Kaikaikiki Co . Ltd & Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2001:131)The impulse in Superflat towards the affirmation of a national-cultural aesthetic can be considered as a form of self-Orientalism: an identity formation that is constructed in relation to the Western Oriental gaze (Said, 1995). While self-Orientalism has been considered (although not specifically in relation to Superflat) as an empowered strategy, because it appropriates the West’s gaze of Japan and re-packages it for the same audience (Mitchell, 2000), others have considered it collusive to Orientalism and a continuation of the Japan/West binary construction (Iwabuchi, 1994).This self-Oriental identity is complicated by a number of factors. First, Superflat does echo conventional discursive constructions of a Japan/West binary, which obscures the connections and power relations in this structure. In particular, Superflat can also be interpreted as being part of the discourses on Japanese identity, particularly the emergence of nihonjinron and postmodernism post-1970s in relation to Japan’s economic and technological influences (Befu, 2001). There was a tendency in both these strains of discourse to emphasize Japan’s national identity as unique and different from the West and the East.Secondly, while Murakami acknowledges the Western influences on the Superflat aesthetic, his simultaneous transposing of this hybrid identity into a reinforcement of a Japanese identity, characterized by cultural assimilation and hybridization, reinforces a unified national-cultural identity. This identity is supported by the references between Superflat and already existing discursive constructions of Japanese culture as post-modern and the interpretation of the two-dimensional properties of Japanese art, which will be discussed later in the paper.Thirdly, Superflat is also part of ongoing trade relations and cross-fertilizations of visual culture forms between Japan and the West particularly since the late nineteenth century. These include the adoption of bijutsu in the Meiji period, the popular consumption of Japanese visual culture in the West (in late nineteenth century Japonisme and since the 1990s with the consumption of anime and manga), and the post-1945 influx of commercial culture from the United States and its subsequent impact on the development of the anime and manga industries (Kinsella, 2000).In some ways, the self-Orientalism of Superflat can be interpreted as a post-colonial defensive reaction. Superflat is presented by Murakami as a localized expression of cultural uniqueness resisting the global hegemony of Western art and transcending the imported colonialist history of bijutsu by presenting â€Å"icons of excessive otherness† (Matsui, 2001: 48). This resistance, in turn, strategically uses identity as a commodity in Western art markets.By explicitly emphasizing the differences of Superflat, and Superflat as Japanese, Murakami becomes open to criticism that h e is merely providing a futuristic Orientalist spectacle for Western audiences (Shimada, 2002: 188–189). Furthermore, the ever-present danger with this position is that the centrality of the United States and Europe is re-asserted rather than challenged. Murakami explicitly reinforces this centrality through his statements regarding the importance of his profile in New York, London and Paris (Kelmachter, 2002: 76).Murakami’s strategy of merging artistic expression and the commercial imperatives of Orientalism also echoes the export art of the late nineteenth century in which new works were created for foreign markets, according to the dictates of those markets (Conant, 1991: 82–84). Export objects were deliberately constructed to appeal to the taste for Japonisme that was fashionable in Europe and the United States at the time. Murakami’s affirmation of Superflat as a Japanese-made model for the future also reiterates the recent rhetoric on Japan’s global cultural power in relation to the export of anime and manga (McGray, 2002).These discourses emphasize the symbolic (and subsequent economic) capital of the Japaneseness of anime and manga texts and they deliberately emphasize the commodity potentials of self- Orientalism. Murakami draws attention to these politics in the Superflat exhibition Coloriage (Coloring) at the Foundation Cartier by referring to it as â€Å"post-Japonisme† (Kelmachter, 2002: 103–104), thereby both connecting with the past market in Japanese art and suggesting a new contemporary context for the consumption of Superflat art.However, to reduce Superflat to a collusive Orientalism, or to see it as just a commodification of identity in a pejorative sense, misinterprets the dynamics in play. Murakami is both proffering resistance as well as marketing his work strategically. Firstly, Murakami articulates his identity through the exhibition structures of the West as well as through conventional signifiers of Japanese aesthetics in order to establish his profile and to sell his work.Yet he also acknowledges the ambivalences of his own position and the playfulness of this global soy sauce flavoring: In the worldview that holds delicate flavoring as the only concept of ‘beauty’ with any value, heavy flavouring is taboo, and too much stimulation is definitely problematic†¦ In order to create something that is understandable both to the West and Japan, what is needed is an ambivalent flavor and presentation †¦ . (Kaikaikiki Co. Ltd & Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2001: 131)Furthermore, dominant scholarly arguments on the popular consumption of anime and manga outside Japan hold that these forms express plural cultural identities and, as Allison (2000) shows, are detached from specific representations of space and place. This suggests that the consumption of Superflat, like that of anime and manga, is not simply based on a desire for reflected images of Japaneseness as a cultural Other; rather, it offers audiences a flexibility of alternate identities, free from specific geo-cultural connections.It can also be argued that a critical factor in the reception of Murakami’s works in the United States and Europe has been the familiarity of the Superflat aesthetic to anime and manga as part of a common rather than Orientalised visual vocabulary. Superflat echoes the paradox of affirming the non-nationality of texts, while also presenting them as expressions of national-cultural identity. However, there is another way to explain this contradiction of Superflat between the affirmation of non-national and specific cultural identities.The critical theorist Yoda Tomiko (2000) presents contemporary anime forms as a useful example of a coterminous fluidity between local codes that are interchangeable and coexistent with non-local elements. Elements in the text can be swapped around and adapted for different audiences, and these elemen ts are simultaneously collated with non-specific elements drawn from a wide variety of sources; therefore, the overall form remains transportable as well as expressing cultural proximity.While this process of adaptation is not new, what Yoda indicates is that it is increasingly becoming a normative process within the logic of postmodern consumer society. The local identity expressed in Superflat utilizes the connections with Edo and anime and manga culture to articulate its cultural specificity and yet it also expresses a postmodern fluidity and self-reflexivity that enables it to be globally circulated. The following section demonstrates the multifarious local/global codes and cultures in Murakami’s figure sculpture My Lonesome Cowboy. Superflat IdentityTakashi Murakami may have been the happiest at Sotheby’s Auction on May 14th. My Lonesome Cowboy, his larger-than-life sculpture of a boy waving an ejaculate lasso, brought in $15. 2 million — quintupling the ar tist's previous record at auction. Just like what Alexandra Munro has written, â€Å"Murakami does not merely appropriate the manga and anime based worlds of otaku subculture; he operates within them. His lushly bright, mutant characters, all of which have names, act coveted by convenience store consumers as much as they are sought after by international art community. Murakami’s works always act in the multiple spaces in and between Japan and the West, referencing there intertwined relations. My Lonesome Cowboy can be linked to a number of familiar aesthetic forms from both Western and Japanese art history, thus it is a field of knowledge operating both within and between the social, cultural and aesthetic conditions of East and West. My Lonesome Cowboy is characterized by a large lasso of ejaculate reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s splash paintings in the late 1940s.The confident masturbatory pose of the figure can be interpreted as a parodic and sexualized reference to the phallo-centric ideology of Western Modernism, in which the autonomy and expressive subjectivity (as well as the masculinity) of artists such as Pollock was celebrated. The title itself, My Lonesome Cowboy, also references the heroism and romanticism of the iconic image of the cowboy, which was celebrated in relation to the New York Abstract Expressionist painters, and was parodied in the homo-erotica of Andy Warhol’s film Lonesome Cowboys (1969).The stream of ejaculation fluid is both an exaggerated and grotesque parody of otaku (hard-core anime and manga fans) imaginings and masturbatory activities and a parody of the ‘unique’ stroke of the brush of the artist. The overt and ironic decorativeness of the fiberglass splash subverts the modernist ideology of the unique mark of the artist’s hand as an expression of interior subjectivity in a manner that is reminiscent of Roy Lichtenstein’s series of screen-prints, Brushstrokes, created in the m id to late 1960s.These references are then combined with recognizable Japanese aesthetic markers. For example, the Dragon Ball Z character Goku is the model for the head of the cowboy; the splash of ejaculate is also reminiscent of the static dynamism of Hokusai’s ukiyo-e print View of Mount Fuji through High Waves off Kanagawa (ca. 1829–1833). The standing pose of the figure with the power and energy concentrated in the hips thrust forward, accentuated by the expulsion of liquid from the penis, is something that has also been specifically linked to the style of character pose developed in anime (Kaikaikiki Co.Ltd & Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, 2001: 96). This is contrasted to the Western comic hero pose in which the concentration of power and muscular strength is emphasized in the pectoral muscles (96). The sense of dynamism between stasis and movement in My Lonesome Cowboy can also be linked to various forms of compositional structures in Japanese screen-paintin gs and anime. One of the key features of early Japanese television animation is an aesthetic based on the frozen pose, in which a figure can leap in the air and freeze the pose, unfixed from gravity.Part of the rationality behind the frozen moment in animation was a response to budget constraints and efficient production processes; by freezing the frame and allowing the dialogue to continue fewer frames of animated movement were needed for the narrative (Lamarre, 2002: 335). As a stylistic tendency, the technique of freezing the action in animation relies on selecting the most dramatic or aesthetic moment to freeze, creating a dramatic pause before the action (2002: 335–336).Therefore, what is evident is that Murakami simultaneously articulates Japanese and Western aesthetic markers in My Lonesome Cowboy. While these references can be individually demarcated and identified, there is also an interchangeable flexibility that is addressed. More specifically, what this means is t hat the splash of semen can simultaneously reference Pollock, Lichtenstein, Hokusai and Kanada. Thus, it becomes a fluid and slippery signifier. This can be explained as one of the reasons for the global prominence and popularity of Superflat and Murakami.Furthermore, the art historical and popular cultural references would be considered relatively conventional markers for audiences conversant with these texts. Many of the Japanese works in the Superflat catalogue are held in Western collections, including Hokusai’s Great Wave. Murakami’s works are therefore characterized by a particular inter-determinacy, which enables him to manipulate the Japanese identity of the works while also utilizing the familiarity of the visual references for Western audiences. This trategy is further complicated by the overlapping historical aesthetic relationship between Japan and the West. First, the concept of Superflatness, as an aesthetic of two-dimensionality, reinforces the Western i mage of Japan as a culture of surface. The development of the flat surface, which has been interpreted by Clement Greenberg as the underpinning aesthetic realization of Western modern painting, was influenced by Japanese art, particularly ukiyo-e prints, in the nineteenth century (Evett, 1982: ix–x).In particular, an aesthetic of two-dimensionality was identified as a distinctive feature of Japanese art in late nineteenth century Europe (1982: 30). 13 In contrast to the Western discursive construct of Japanese art as inherently two-dimensional, Western practices of linear perspective by this time had already influenced Japanese art. 14 Secondly, because anime and manga are increasingly familiar to consumers outside of Japan, particularly since their export in the 1990s, they have become part of the database of visual aesthetics of artists and fans outside of Japan (Craig, 2000: 7).The complex visual cultural relationships between Japan, United States and European art are more politically intertwined than these explicit and obvious references imply because they are influenced by ideologies and constructions of national identity. The image of Japan as a culture of surface continued into the twentieth century and was translated from the mid-1980s into the confirmation of Japan’s post modernity: Japan as a culture of surface was now celebrated (Barthes, 1982; Field, 1997) and it was constructed (arguably) as the epitome of post-modernity (Miyoshi and Harootunian). 5 This was contrasted to Western modernist discourse of the surface as a manifestation of interior subjectivity. Postmodernism presented a challenge to this concept of originality and interior/exterior distinctions through theories of simulacrum, pastiche and the collapsing of surface/depth models as developed by Baudrillard (1983), Jameson (1991), and Virilio (1991). Even the discourses that emphasized Japan’s creative skill in domesticating foreign imports (Tobin, 1992) as a contra st to the earlier pejorative concept of mimicry reinforced the image of Japan as an appropriator of different styles or surfaces.While the distinction between surface and depth is not absent in Japan, the duality between surface and depth in Western modern epistemology (and even in subsequent discourses that challenge it) is not necessarily expressed using those dichotomous terms in Japanese culture; rather, the surface is considered to be meaningful and creative. For example, the art historian Tsuji Nobuo (2002: 18) identifies the decorative surface as providing a link between the ordinary and everyday sphere and the extraordinary metaphysical realm.In this way, the decorative surface does not ‘lack’ meaning but is active as an intermediary expression and aesthetic. Hendry (1993) also identifies the importance of ‘wrapping’ in Japanese culture, in which the external layers, whether they be clothing, architecture or gifts, form the critical meaning structur e. Wrapping operates as a method of accumulating ‘layers of meaning’ that are not normally present in the unwrapped object (1993: 17). This process inverts the Western philosophical privileging of the core (the object inside the wrapping) as the primary site of meaning and the external wrapping as obscuring the object.In fact Hendry argues that the meaning of the enclosed object and the layers of wrapping are conceptually embedded in each other and cannot be separated (1993: 17). While flatness and the emphasis on surface quality and decoration in Superflat art can thus be considered an exploitation of the Western construct of Japan as a culture of surface aesthetics, it can also be interpreted as an assertion of the creative value of the surface in Japanese culture. In this latter interpretation Superflatness becomes a unique aesthetic form that articulates multiple and active spaces, not the erasure or reduction of meaning.The concept of active flatness and continual transformation is a useful approach to understanding the Superflat aesthetic. It is difficult to differentiate a singular point of origin or a stable and unified subject in the multiple cultural identities embedded in My Lonesome Cowboy. Such is the shared history and cross-fertilization of aesthetic forms that these multiple layers of references and aesthetic histories of Japan and the United States/Europe present a significant complexity to the explicit identification of these references as Japanese or Western.Furthermore, to presume that they will even be decoded as signifying geo-cultural aesthetic territories is equally problematic. It is evident that Murakami’s explicitly playful references act as heterogeneous and malleable signifiers of identity, and thus can be readily interpreted as a postmodern expression of multiplicity. Furthermore, the inter-textual references to Japanese art history, Western art history, and imagined constructions of Japanese identity, play to the knowingness of audiences. The Westernization of Superflat and its Japaneseness articulate two forms that can be accessed by Murakami from his database of codes.