Holes-Why is it a good novel for teenagers? Essay -- English Literatur

Holes-Why is it a good novel for teenagers? In this essay I intend to look at why the book ‘Holes’, is a good novel for teenagers to read. Written by Louis Sachar in 1998, it is a modern novel telling readers a story about the life experiences of a young boy called Stanley. The story revolves around Stanley being unfairly acquitted for a crime leading to him being faced to cope with life at a juvenile detention centre. Along with this main plot, there are several other underlying smaller plots that contribute towards the success of the story as a whole. I will examine the various reasons for why this book would appeal to teenagers. There are three simultaneous plots, which creates more excitement and suspense for the reader. But the main theme is how young Stanley Yelnats IV comes to redeem the curse which was visited upon his great-great-grandfather and all the Yelnats family, through the generations, by Madame Zeroni. Stanley, the main character in the story, is falsely accused of stealing a pair of trainers, which had been donated to help raise money for the homeless shelter. These trainers weren’t any ordinary trainers; they had belonged to the most famous baseball player in history, Clyde Livingstone. Stanley isn’t too disheartened when he is sent away from his family to a juvenile delinquent’s camp (Camp Green Lake) for a crime he did not commit, due to his family’s long known history of bad luck. Stanley doesn’t blame the judge for falsely convicting him, but he blames the whole misadventure on his â€Å"no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather†. For Stanley, his troubles are just a natural part of being a Yelnats, which is a factor of life that he has become accustomed to. .. ...n different parts of the world, not all teenagers may be treated in the same way Stanley had been. This is why it might be interesting to see what different parts of the world are like. The story isn’t really realistic either, because a teenager wouldn’t really expect such events to take place in this day and age. A teenager may want to read something that could happen to them, but from someone else’s point of view. The finding of treasure may seem to be an old-fashioned task and hence may not create the excitement that it was aimed for. Despite some not so appealing events in the story, I would recommend this book to all teenagers due to its suspense and excitement elements. The reader becomes intrigued to reach the ending, which is very successful in connecting all the sub plots to reveal the conclusion to the treasure and Stanley’s family history.

Privatization of Social Services Essay -- Public Policy Management

The Benefits of Privatization of Social Services Contracting out is the process through which public organizations contract with private sector organizations to provide services normally provided by public agencies. It is a form of privatization, which is defined as any shift of activity or functions from the state to the private sector, more specifically, the shift of production of goods or services from public to private. (Starr, 5) Privatization reduces the role of government and increases the role of private sector agencies. However, public agencies maintain ultimate control over the provision of services and they control government funding. In an effort to reduce costs, enhance efficiency or improve services, many states have started privatizing or contracting out many of their social service programs. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 greatly influenced agencies to explore contracting out as a means of delivering services. Privatization is not a new concept for social services, however, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act gives states more flexibility to administer TANF and other related services. (Yates, 1) The County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Social Services is one such organization that is seeking to provide effective, efficient services while meeting the mandates of welfare reform regulations. CalWORKS (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids) GAIN Division (Greater Avenues for Independence) is responsible for providing Welfare-to-Work services to Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) (formerly known as AFDC) recipients. Welfare reform time limits have made it necessary for the organization to becom... ...wn Author. "The Growing Cost of Contracting Out". Internet http://www.afge.org/SWAMP/factsheet2.htm Nelson, F. Howard. "Analyzing the Cost of Contracting Out". Internet http://www.aft.org/research/reports/private/contmanu.htm Nightingale, Demetra Smith and Pinus, Nancy. "Privatization of Public Social Services: A Background Paper". 1997. Internet http://www.urban.org/pubman/privatiz.html Starr, Paul. "The Meaning of Privatization". Internet http://www.princeton.edu/~starr/meaning.html United States Government Accounting Office. "Social Service Privatization". Internet GAO/HEHS-98-6, October 1997. Yates, Jessica. "Managing the Contracting Out Process for Results in Welfare Reform". Internet http://www.welfareinfo.org/contractissue.htm Yates, Jessica. "Privatization and Welfare Reform". Internet http://www.welfareinfo.org/jessica.htm.

Effects of globalization on the politics of China Essay

â€Å"Arguably globalization has served China’s communist rulers well. † (Yahuda China’s Win-Win Globalization) On the political front too, Chinese rulers welcomed globalization rather used it as a tool for the fulfillment of their own purposes. It was suspected that globalization would throw the communist rule out of the country once globalization had set foot firmly in the cultural and economic roots. However, it proved far from it, in fact it promoted the communist rule since all the well balanced economic growth took place in their era and reinforced the existing rulers. The communist party has faced the challenges bravely and tackled them skillfully in order to prove themselves. â€Å"It has accomplished three significant generational changes of leadership – from the heroic founding fathers, to the technocratic Soviet-educated engineers of the generation of Jiang Zemin and Li Peng, and now to the next technocratic generation, headed by Hu Jintao. † (Yahuda China’s Win-Win Globalization) The political front of China has been altogether revolutionized and as its foreign policy. The altered foreign policy has strengthened its international relations and has improved its position which was highly essential for supporting and continuing it’s the success of its economic strategies. Environmental issue [Please Note that this is the ethical issue chosen from a range of women rights environmental etc specified in your order] International trade, economy and politics make it essential for all the countries and regions to abide by strict rules regarding environmental protection. This has lead countries to take effective steps to improve their countries’ environmental conditions to meet the standards set by the international community. Involvement of various states has lead to â€Å"the advent of global environmental challenges that can not be solved without international cooperation, such as climate change, cross-boundary water and air pollution, over-fishing of the ocean, and the spread of invasive species. Many factories are built in developing countries where they can pollute freely. † (Globalization Wikipedia) Hence rules have been made and have to strongly implemented in countries which are possible suspects of spreading pollution. In case of China, globalization has played a vital role in developing the environmental culture. If seen closely initially globalization lead to rapid industrialization which was a major source of pollution. International community with time seemed to give more importance to the environmental issue than to the actual economic growth of a country. It argued that economic growth at the cost of spoiling the environment was not at all acceptable. â€Å"Pollution is invariably one of the first impressions visitor forms of China. From bicycles to cars in 25 years, urban China rarely sees much in the way of blue sky anymore. Rapid and large-scale industrialization only compounds the problem. † (Roach) However, China struggled hard to fight off this problem since international issues got stricter regarding the environmental issue. It is however, highly difficult for China to balance between its economy and the pollution problem it faces. Environmental problem has risen to an extent that China could serious problems if the international community places restrictions on it because of its environmental problem. It is a sorry state of affairs that globalization has lead China to develop into one of the most rapidly growing countries and at the same time it has harbored a much concerned problem for it like environmental pollution. On the cost of its economy it has damaged its own environment for good. However, China has planned a strategy of balancing its economy and the pollution problem in order to reduce the current pollution and minimize future pollution possibilities. Works Cited â€Å"Globalization† Wikipedia. 21 April 2008. Khan, Azizur Rehman and Riskin, Carl. Inequality and Poverty in China in the age of Globalization. 2001. Oxford. Roach, Stephen S. â€Å"China’s Environmental Moment of Truth†. April 4 2007. The Globalist. 21 April 2008. Rothkop, David. â€Å"In Praise of Cultural Imperialism? Effects of Globalization on Culture† June 22, 1997. Global policy Forum. 21 April 2008. Weller, Robert P. Discovering Nature: Globalization and Environmental Culture in China and Taiwan. 2006. Cambridge University Press. Yahuda, Michael. â€Å"China’s Win-Win Globalization†. Yale global online. 21 April 2008. < http://yaleglobal. yale. edu/display. article? id=1017&page=2>

Ancient Greek and Roman Republic Political Developments Essay

Throughout history there have been countless individuals who have etched their experiences and depictions of events during their lifetime. The legendary Greek poet, Homer, is a perfect example of an individual who encompassed his culture into his writing. In the Iliad Homer unknowingly stated, â€Å"A generation of men is like a generation of leaves; the wind scatters some leaves upon the ground, while others the burgeoning wood brings forth- and the season of spring comes on. So of men one generation springs forth and another ceases†. This powerful statement shows the influence a generation of men could make. Similar to the leaves scattered upon the ground, the Ancient Greek and Roman Republic imprinted their political ideals for generations to come. Like spring, new precedents have been established with the intention of preserving and advancing those statutes that the ancient world has instilled in history. Both Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic have made countless political developments, especially in division of power, legislation and execution of power. To begin, both the Ancient Greek and Roman Republic have made several political developments in the division of power. Both the Roman Republic and Ancient Greece had a domestic strife over who should possess the power of its’ respected commonwealth. Despite experiencing comparable internal turmoil, both civilizations divergently developed solutions to end the power struggle. Initially, Ancient Greece had several forms of government. During the Mycenaean period (2000-1200BC) the majority of Greece consisted of monarchies. A monarchy is a form of government in which a king or queen has absolute power. Therefore all political power was held by one individual. Unfortunately, the city Mycenae was burned down, and there was a vast influx new invaders into Greece, the Mycenaean period reached its demise. Around the 8th century, poleis began to flourish in Greece. The polis according to Spielvogel, was a â€Å"community of citizens where all political, economic, social, cultural, and religious activities were focused†. Eventually more colonies began to establish their own independent poleis. As a result, each polis formed their own ideal of politics and government. Following the conclusion of monarchies, many oligarchies were established. Oligarchies were mainly aristocratic governments that held complete authority. The best example of an oligarchy is Sparta. As Spielvogel describes, Sparta was governed by two kings from two different families. In addition to the two kings there was a council of twenty-eight elders who were called, â€Å"gerousia†. Plus, there was an assembly of men, â€Å"apaella† and 5 â€Å"ephors† who were like judges. All 4 components were essential to divide the ruling power of Sparta. Unfortunately, oligarchies were neither as popular nor successful in other parts of Greece. Many citizens were disenchanted with oligarchies and tyrants began to try and take power. According to Spielvogel, tyranny in Ancient Greece was referred, to â€Å"rulers who seized power by force and who were not subject to law. † However, tyranny did not last because it began to resemble a monarchy. Again, the community did not want one individual to hold all of the power. As Theognis of Megora proposed: Their utter disregard of right or wrong, or truth or nonour-out of such a throng. Never imagine you can choose a just or steady friend, or faithful in his trust. But Change your habits! Let them go their way! One example would be the Cleisthenes who overthrew the tyrant Hippas. Cleisthenes reformed Athens pave the way for democracy. Just like the end of Hippias tyranny, many other regions experienced the new opportunity for more citizen participation in community affairs. Thus, tyranny opened the doors for democracy. By establishing the end of the reign of tyranny the opportunity to seize political power was manifested. As a result, a new model of government was erected, democracy. Democracy is a form of government run by the people or elected representatives. The first democratic government was created in Athens, in 510BC. Spielvogel explains that after the tyrannical reign of Hippias, the reform of Cleisthenes established the basis for Athenian Democracy. Spielvogel further describes the division of power in the nation. Cleisthenes made the demes, villages, and townships of Attic the basic units of political life. From there, ten tribes chose fifty members to form The Council of Five Hundred. The Council of Five Hundred controlled foreign and financial affairs and prepared the business for the assembly. Finally, the assembly consisted of male citizens who had the authority to pass laws after an open debate. By giving the citizens the power to make decisions, democracy was formed. Like Ancient Greece, The Roman Republic began as a monarchy. Many believed that many nobles overthrew the reign of Servius Tulius to maintain their position of power. After the demise of the monarchy, the Roman Republic developed an aristocratic republic which was run by an assembly of adult males who were controlled by the wealthiest citizens. Spielvogel proclaims that the wealthiest citizens elected the officials. The Senate then advised these officials. Therefore all political power was retained by wealthy men. As Sallust stated, â€Å"As soon as wealth came to be a mark of distinction and an easy way to renown, military commands and political power, virtue began to decline. This exemplifies that all the political power was held by those who were wealthy rather than those who encompassed the right qualities and values to represent the public. As a result, Rome was divided into two groups; patricians and plebeians. Both groups were citizens and able to vote. However only patricians could hold governmental offices. To distribute the power wi thin the plebeians, the Tribunes of the Plebs and the Council of the Plebs were created. Furthermore after the establishment of the Hortenson Law, both divisions could hold governmental offices. Spielvogel pronounced not only were positions created to control the sovereignty but roles were developed to maintain the right relationship between the state and the gods, â€Å"pantiffs†. All important acts of the state had to be approved by the gods. According to Spielvogel, around the 2nd century the senate was the dominate governing body of the Roman Republic. The senate was controlled by individuals in a high social class. As a result there was political turmoil over the rights and political power amongst the populares, opitimates, and equestrians. Spielvogel explains that around 133 BC the reform of Tiberius Gracchus began. He sought to help the small farmer. Unfortunately he was murdered, and his brother Gaius Gracchus took over. Gaius disrupted the dynamic of the senate by replacing some senators with equites. This strategic move allowed the equites to have more political power. According to Spielvogel a member of the nobiles, Sulla, decided to â€Å"eliminate most of the powers of the popular assemblies and the tribunes of the plebs and restore the senators to the jury of the courts†. In the last 50 years of the republic many leaders came along changing the division of power for the nation. For instance, after Sulla, Crassus and Pompey restored the power of the tribunes and allowed equites back on the jury courts. This allowed the populares to have more political power. By the populares maintaining political power, they tried to distribute more political pull that benefitted the urban plebs. This demonstrates the need for more political power for the common citizen by using representatives. Afterwards there were several political leaders such as Caesar who used the senate and state as marionettes to manipulate the political system to favor their supporting party. But ultimately it was Octavius who ended the Roman republic by becoming Emperor. Next, Ancient Greece made political developments in legislation. As Spielvogel explains, Sparta underwent a legal reform when Lycurgus created a code of laws. From the very beginning of a Spartan’s life it was a legal requirement for the state to inspect the child. The unfit children were left for dead while others were forced into military preparation and then duty when they became of age. This was one of the first noted developments in legislation which promoted a stance for the support of the military. Laws were even established regarding clothing to promote resilience in warlike conditions. According to Xenephon Instead of making them effeminate with a variety of clothes his rule was to habituate them to a single garment the whole year through, thinking that so they would be better prepared to withstand the variations of heat and cold Another big development was the Reform of Solon. Solon changed political legislation when he eliminated birth as being a qualifier to hold office. He then created a class system based upon wealth. As Solon claimed, â€Å"I gave o the mass of the people such rank as befitted their need. † He did not allow the poorest class to hold any political office. As Spielvogel states, Solon made it possible for male citizens to bring court charges against any magistrate suspected of a crime. These were big political legislation developments because it promoted citizen involvement in public affairs. Another reform that strengthened citizen participation wa s Cleisthenes’ reform. This was a major step in political legislation because it allowed for the assembly to have the final say in passing laws. This new law set the groundwork for democracy. The Roman Republic also made many strives in legislation. According to Spielvogel in 450 B. C. the Twelve Tables of Law which included the procedures for going to court; provisions on family, women, and divorce, regulations concerning private property, rules governing relationships and injuries to others; and the provision prohibiting intermarriage between patricians an plebeians This was very important because it created uproar from the plebeians and caused a clash between the social orders. In response to this, the Hortensian law was established. This crucial law forced both social orders to follow all plebiscitas and allowed plebeians to hold office. This was an important development because it allowed for change in office and binded the community together. The Plebeians and patricians were now allowed to interact together in politics to strengthen society. According to Spielvogel, in response for the need of special laws the ius gentium was created. These laws applied to both foreigners and natives. Furthermore ius natural was established which formed the Roman law according to basic principles. Another major legislation that changed politics was Tiberius’s land reform bill. This bill redistributed the land and gave it to the landless. This shift allowed for more power for the equites. The legislative developments in the ancient world created a legal system and created order in a land full of diverse citizens. By establishing lawfulness and creating positions societies have been able to build upon this outline. For instance as Polybius stated The people then are the only court to decide matters of life and death; and even in cases where the penalty is money, if the sum to be assessed is sufficiently serious, and especially when the accused have held the higher magistracies In addition, Ancient Greece made political developments in execution of power. Execution of power is referred to the individual or group of individuals who influence the state. The military executed the power in Sparta. The military controlled every aspect of life in Sparta. A male citizen was forced to be in the military and was bred to die for their country. This was an important development because it was the first example of forced military participation. After years of kings and tyrants having sole command of the public, a swarm of reforms rumbled through the cities which tried to reclaim the power from the exclusive leader. Finally, around 500BC, Athens decided to transition the main executer of power to its people. The male citizens had the final word in passing laws. This was important and became a blue print for future nations. The Roman republic also made developments. In the beginning of the Republic it was the aristocrats who had control of the republic. For instance, the patricians held all political offices; as a result they decided to execute their power to favor the wealthy. Unhappy with the decisions made by the patricians, the Plebeians tried to execute their power and established the Twelve Tables of Law. Following this more laws were created, and Plebeians finally made it on the senate in order to gain authority and make judgments that would aid their social class. After the second century BC, two types of leaders came to power and tried to execute their ideals. The optimates fought to maintain nobile control domination of the senate, while the populares tried to distinguish the reign of the aristocrats. Eventually, equites finally received power and distributed the land to the landless. All of these struggles to execute power demonstrated how the public and the wealth influence political stances and government. Ultimately, Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic have made an impact in political developments including the division of power, legislation, and execution of power. The efforts of these former societies did not happen overnight or in vein. Like the famous proverb, â€Å"Rome wasn’t built in a day†, and neither were early political developments. Political developments in both of these ancient worlds had a snowball effect, where new advancements spread like wild fires to neighboring nations. As Homer said, â€Å"Captive Greece took captive her rude conqueror†. This exemplifies that even when a new society is formed it builds upon the structure of its precursor and makes advancements. These ancient developments are the framework for politics today. Without these developments, today’s world would be a very different place.

Bowlby Juvenile Study

Bowlby Juvenile Study In the following essay I will be looking at the case study of John Bowlby and the 44 Juvenile thieves. I will be describing the original hypothesis of the study and what Bowlby aimed to find. I will then look at two other key psychological studies into human behaviour. Once I have looked at all three of the studies, I will then look at the research methods used by all three. I will closely look at the ethical implications of the studies as well as the practical applications used in each. John Bowlby (1907-1990) was a Psychoanalyst who worked at the London Child Guidance Clinic between 1936 and 1939. Bowlby believed that mental health and behavioural problems could be attached to early childhood experience just as Freud did. He aimed to prove that separation from Mothers or sole carers before the age of five affected children’s adolescent behaviour. Bowlby took 44 patients that had come into his clinic who were thieves that had been recommended by their school, parents or soci al carers. The group of thieves were split into two groups, these were grade I who had only stolen once, and the other was grade IV who were repeat offenders. He then took another group of 44 children who were emotionally disturbed but not thieves, this group was known as the control group. The 88 children involved in this study were all aged between five and sixteen. In the group of thieves there were 31 boys and 13 girls whilst in the control group there were 34 boys and 10 girls. There were three key studies in this case study which were run by a psychologist, social worker and a psychiatrist. The first was an IQ test which was invigilated by one of the clinic psychologists; the test was done as each of the participants entered into the clinic. The psychologist found that as well as all of the participants being similar in age, they were all similar in their IQ so they were no anomalies when comparing the educational background of the children. The second study was an interview o f the participant’s parents that was held by a social worker, the aim of this was to record details of the child’s early life. The third study was an interview held with the child and the parent that they were with; this was held by a psychiatrist to see if the details given by the parents matched with those of the child. The social worker and psychiatrist made separate reports which were compared when they had completed them in regard to each child. Once the reports had been compared, the children were then split into different groups, these were; Normal No Abnormal symptoms Depressed Showing symptoms of depression Circular Showing symptoms of depression and over activity Hyperthymic Over activity Affectionless No affection for others and no sense of shame or responsibility Schizoid Withdrawn and lacking relationships with others Priggish Showing symptoms of anxiety or hysteria    The results have some significant anomalies; the 14 affect ionless characters are statistically significant, this is because 13 of the 14 (93%) were grade IV thieves; this clearly shows that the affectionless have been very misguided and uncared for in the childhood. Over half of the grade IV thieves were affectionless. Other findings are that 19 of the cases had suffered prolonged separation from their sole carer during their first five years. 17 of the 19 that had suffered prolonged separation were thieves and 12 of these 17 were classed as affectionless. Of the 23 that were grade IV thieves, 14 of them had suffered prolonged separation.

Vertical and horizontal integration strategy Assignment

Vertical and horizontal integration strategy - Assignment Example t the end of this integration is the factory plant at River Rouge, Michigan where all these parts are assembled to become an automobile that will be later distributed in the market and sold. For a time, this strategy became very effective and contributed to Ford’s success. This strategy of vertical integration however eventually became obsolete as supply chain became complex and competition became stiffer. The introduction of new supply chain and inventory control such as Toyota’s Just-in-Time rendered vertical integration out of fashion. The recent recessions also exposed the vulnerability of vertical integration to economic and cyclical downturns. Thus, the strategy evolved to horizontal integration which is more appropriate for its global market. Horizontal integration as a strategy involves the acquisition of the production whose products are the same – either complementary or competitive (www.theeconomist.com, 2009). The classic example of this strategy is buying competitors who sell the same product. In the case of Ford this is the acquisition of Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Jaguar, Land rover, Volvo and Aston Martin which was sold as an option of the company’s

Video response on training day Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Video response on training day - Essay Example cer does.† Alonzo does not manifest respect for the law and justifies his unethical behavior by stating â€Å"police can do whatever they want.† Alonzo manifest minimal obligation to the constitution since the laws derives from the constitution, which is the supreme law. The paper explores the film relative to the ethical framework of relativism and legal moralism. Ethical relativism infers the theory that asserts that morality is relative to the norms of one’s culture, meaning that whether an action is right or wrong hinges on the prevailing moral norms within the society (Banks, 2004). The definition of Alonzo’s concept of Street Justice takes the view that is not worth dealing with petty crimes, which entail drug sales and crack addicts. He continues that, his mandate entail dealing with the â€Å"big fish† rather than the â€Å"maggots on the street.† In line with this observation, street justice represents a brand of outlaw behavior embodying taking the law into a person’s own hands, whether the decision arise out of frustration, madness, rage, or an authentic belief that this is the right thing to do (Banks, 2004). Defenders of legal moralism assert that governments also manifest an unchained right to enforce harmless immoralities. Nevertheless, all governments can utilize their coercive power to prevent individuals from engaging in diverse harmless activities that perceived as immoral. It is evident in the film that Alonzo values the informal norms of his department that sanction corruption, street justice, and police misconduct. Alonzo is of the view that his decisions are supreme that he can be the law (Pollock, 2010). Street justice is linked to handling deviant behavior by circumventing the provisions dictated by the criminal justice system, whereby justice viewed as swift and the punishment rendered suits the crime committed. As such, revenge is frequently related to this concept; instead of depending on the police and the government/federal