Martin Luther King Jr’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Essay

Martin Luther King Junior’s â€Å"letter from Birmingham Jail† was the reflection upon protest against unjust laws was established against him and his fellow men. Throughout his letter he uses many great philosophers and historical events to justify his own protest to be necessary to do what’s right. King was the leader of civil-rights group that supported protest against traditional views of the society and unjust laws established in the era.† In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action.† ( Taylor) In his letter from Birmingham Jail King states: â€Å"It was illegal to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country’s anti-religious laws† (King, 6). Here in this excerpt shows that King encourages protest because in some extreme circumstances becomes necessary, be it in Hitler’s Germany, a Communist country, or any situation in which injustices are occurring. In the end of the sentence King openly admits that he would protest against established laws or traditions by all means necessary because they favor the unjust. The letter was written to his fellow clergymen to explain his prior actions and to attempt justified and appropriate for the situation. He expressed that he exhausted every other option to justify them. In the letter he tried to explain to the clergy that his actions although illegal were possible and direct action was the only available option left, which could make a difference. â€Å"One may well ask: â€Å"How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?† The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that â€Å"an unjust law is no law at all†. Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? (King, 5). Throughout history, there have been many unjust laws. Many people follow laws just because they are laws. Sometimes people don’t even agree with a law, but they go along because it’s in society acceptable or because it’s just the law. I think that by writing the letter, and putting forward the definition, King is challenging his readers to consider whether or not a law is just. If a law is unjust, it is the responsibility of the people to get it overturned. A society should not live with an unjust law. By choosing to go against law it shows that king primarily a teleological thinker. In conclusion, King wrote â€Å"Letter from Birmingham City Jail† for the purpose of making his audience realize that they are not carrying out our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence which is the United States was founded upon. King only wants what should be granted to all United States citizens, this being freedom, justice, and equality. He is saying he is in jail for only doing what is right, by trying to achieve what is right through non-violence and the fact that he is in jail is unjust, does not support equality, and freedom. Work Cited Taylor, Justin.† Between Two Worlds. Martin-luther-king-jr-letter-from-birmingham-jail† http://thegospelcoalition.org/. 23 Jan. 2013.

Motorcycle Handbook Essay

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES MOTORCYCLE OPERATOR MANUAL In the District of Columbia, you must have a valid driver’s license with motorcycle (M) endorsement to operate a motorcycle. DC law refers to a motorcycle as a 2 or 3 wheeled motor vehicle that has one or more of the following characteristics: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Piston displacement of more than fifty (50) cubic centimeters Capable of traveling over 35 miles per hour on level ground More than one and one-half (1. 5) brake horsepower (S. A. E. rating) Wheels under 16 inches in diameter Manual transmission. Note: If your 2 or 3 wheeled motor vehicle has none of the above 5 characteristics, it falls under the definition of motorized bicycle and may be operated by a person holding a provisional operator’s permit or a driver’s license (provided the vehicle passes inspection, is registered, and is insured). You may obtain a motorcycle (M) endorsement on your DC driver’s license if you: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Are at least 18 years of age Have a valid DC driver’s license Pass the DC motorcycle knowledge test Pass the DC DMV motorcycle demonstration skills test or provide a motorcycle demonstration course certificate of completion approved by Maryland or Virginia. Service Locations To take the DC DMV motorcycle knowledge test, you may visit any DMV service center. You must obtain a DC motorcycle learner’s permit after passing the motorcycle knowledge test, if you are taking the DC DMV motorcycle demonstration skills test. To submit MD or VA Motorcycle Certificate of Completion, you must visit the Brentwood Road Test Facility to obtain your DC driver license with motorcycle (M) endorsement. To schedule a motorcycle demonstration skills test, you may schedule online or call (202) 727-5000. Rev. 07/2007 PREFACE Operating a motorcycle safely in traffic requires special skills and knowledge. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) has made this manual available to help novice motorcyclists reduce their risk of having a crash. The manual conveys essential safe riding information and has been designed for use in licensing programs. While designed for the novice, all motorcyclists can benefit from the information this manual contains. The original Motorcycle Operator Manual was developed by the National Public Services Research Institute (NPSRI) under contract to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and within the terms of a cooperative agreement between NHTSA and the MSF. The manual and related tests were used in a multi-year study of improved motorcycle operator licensing procedures, conducted by the California Department of Motor Vehicles under contract to NHTSA. These revisions reflect: †¢ The latest finding of motorcyclesafety research. In promoting improved licensing programs, the MSF works closely with state licensing agencies. The Foundation has helped more than half the states in the nation adopt the Motorcycle Operator Manual for use in their licensing systems. Improved licensing, along with high-quality motorcycle rider education and increased public awareness, has the potential to reduce crashes. Staff at the Foundation are available to assist state, private and governmental agencies in efforts to improve motorcycle safety. †¢ Expanded alcohol and drug information. †¢ Comments and guidance provided by the motorcycling, licensing and traffic safety communities. The purpose of this manual is to educate the reader to help avoid crashes while safely operating a motorcycle. For this edition, the MSF has updated and expanded the content of the original manual. Tim Buche President, Motorcycle Safety Foundation 2 Jenner Street, Suite 150 Irvine, CA 92618-3806 www. msf-usa. org CONTENTS WEAR THE RIGHT GEAR †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..    4. Be a responsible rider. WEAR THE RIGHT GEAR When you ride, your gear is â€Å"right† if it protects you. In any crash, you have a far better chance of avoiding serious injury if you wear: †¢ An approved helmet. †¢ Face or eye protection. †¢ Protective clothing. Crashes can occur — particularly among untrained, beginning riders. And one out of every five motorcycle crashes results in head or neck injuries. Head injuries are just as severe as neck injuries — and far more common. Crash analyses show that head and neck injuries account for a majority of serious and fatal injuries to motorcyclists. Research also shows that, with few exceptions, head and neck injuries are reduced by properly wearing an approved helmet. Some riders don’t wear helmets because they think helmets will limit their view to the sides. Others wear helmets only on long trips or when riding at high speeds. Here are some facts to consider: WEAR THE RIGHT GEAR HELMET USE †¢ An approved helmet lets you see as far to the sides as necessary. A study of more than 900 motorcycle crashes, where 40% of the riders wore helmets, did not find even one case in which a helmet kept a rider from spotting danger. †¢ Most crashes happen on short trips (less than five miles long), just a few minutes after starting out. †¢ Most riders are riding slower than 30 mph when a crash occurs. At these speeds, helmets can cut both the number and the severity of head injuries by half. No matter what the speed, helmeted riders are three times more likely to survive head injuries than those not wearing helmets at the time of the crash. There are two primary types of helmets, providing two different levels of coverage: three-quarter and full face. Whichever style you choose, you can get the most protection by making sure that the helmet: HELMET SELECTION 4 HELMETS HELMET USE †¢ Meets U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and state standards. Helmets with a label from the Snell Memorial Foundation give you an added assurance of quality. †¢ Fits snugly, all the way around. †¢ Has no obvious defects such as cracks, loose padding or frayed straps. Whatever helmet you decide on, keep it securely fastened on your head when you ride. Otherwise, if you are involved in a crash, it’s likely to fly off your head before it gets a chance to protect you. A plastic shatter-resistant faceshield can help protect your whole face in a crash. It also protects you from wind, dust, dirt, rain, insects and pebbles thrown up from cars ahead. These problems are distracting and can be painful. If you have to deal with them, you can’t devote your full attention to the road. EYE AND FACE PROTECTION Goggles protect your eyes, though they won’t protect the rest of your face like a faceshield does. A windshield is not a substitute for a faceshield or goggles. Most windshields will not protect your eyes from the wind. Neither will eyeglasses or sunglasses. Glasses won’t keep your eyes from watering, and they might blow off when you turn your head while riding. To be effective, eye or faceshield protection must: †¢ Be free of scratches. †¢ Be resistant to penetration. †¢ Give a clear view to either side. †¢ Fasten securely, so it does not blow off. †¢ Permit air to pass through, to reduce fogging. †¢ Permit enough room for eyeglasses or sunglasses, if needed. Tinted eye protection should not be worn at night or any other time when little light is available. EYE AND FACE PROTECTION 5 The right clothing protects you in a collision. It also provides comfort, as well as protection from heat, cold, debris and hot and moving parts of the motorcycle. Jacket and pants should cover arms and legs completely. They should fit snugly enough to keep from flapping in the wind, yet loosely enough to move freely. Leather offers the most protection. Sturdy synthetic material provides a lot of protection as well. Wear a jacket even in warm weather to prevent dehydration. Many are designed to protect without getting you overheated, even on summer days. †¢ Boots or shoes should be high and sturdy enough to cover your ankles and give them support. Soles should be made of hard, durable, slip-resistant material. Keep heels short so they do not catch on rough surfaces. Tuck in laces so they won’t catch on your motorcycle.   Gloves allow a better grip and help protect your hands in a crash. Your gloves should be made of leather or similar durable material. In cold or wet weather, your clothes should keep you warm and dry, as well as protect you from injury. You cannot control a motorcycle well if you are numb. Riding for long periods in cold weather can cause severe chill and fatigue. A winter jacket should resist wind and fit snugly at the neck, wrists and waist. Good-quality rainsuits designed for motorcycle riding resist tearing apart or ballooning up at high speeds. 6 CLOTHING CLOTHING THE RIGHT MOTORCYCLE There are plenty of things on the highway that can cause you trouble. Your motorcycle should not be one of them. To make sure that your motorcycle won’t let you down: Read the owner’s manual first.   Start with the right motorcycle for you.   Be familiar with the motorcycle controls.   Check the motorcycle before every ride.   Keep it in safe riding condition between rides.   Avoid add-ons and modifications that make your motorcycle harder to handle. KNOW YOUR MOTORCYCLE First, make sure your motorcycle is right for you. It should â€Å"fit† you. Your feet should reach the ground while you are seated on the motorcycle. THE RIGHT MOTORCYCLE FOR YOU 1 A plastic shatter-resistant face shield: A. Is not necessary if you have a windshield. B. Only protects your eyes. C. Helps protect your whole face. D. Does not protect your face as well as goggles. Test Yourself Answer – page 40 At minimum, your street-legal motorcycle should have:   Front and rear brakes.   Turn signals.   Horn. Two mirrors. Headlight, taillight and brakelight. are licensed and know how to ride before allowing them out into traffic. No matter how experienced you may be, ride extra carefully on any motorcycle that’s new or unfamiliar to you. More than half of all crashes occur on motorcycles ridden by the operator for less than six months. KNOW YOUR MOTORCYCLE Borrowers and lenders of motorcycles, beware. Crashes are fairly common among beginning riders — especially in the first months of riding. Riding an unfamiliar motorcycle adds to the problem. If you borrow a motorcycle, get familiar with it in a controlled area. And if you lend your motorcycle to friends, make sure they MOTORCYCLE CONTROLS BORROWING AND LENDING Make sure you are completely familiar with the motorcycle before you take it out on the street. Be sure to review the owner’s manual. This is particularly important if you are riding a borrowed motorcycle. If you are going to use an unfamiliar motorcycle: GET FAMILIAR WITH THE MOTORCYCLE CONTROLS Light Switch (high/low) Turn-Signal Switch Ignition Key (varies) Choke (varies) Engine Cut-Off Switch Electric Start Button Horn Button Clutch Lever Speedometer & Odometer Throttle Front Brake Lever Tachometer (if equipped) Rear Brake Pedal Kick Starter (if equipped) Gear-Change Lever. Fuel Supply Valve (if equipped) 7   Make all the checks you would on your own motorcycle. Find out where everything is, particularly the turn signals, horn, headlight switch, fuel-supply valve and engine cut-off switch. Find and operate these items without having to look for them.   Know the gear pattern. Work the throttle, clutch and brakes a few times before you start riding. All controls react a little differently. Ride very cautiously and be aware of surroundings. Accelerate gently, take turns more slowly and leave extra room for stopping. A motorcycle needs more frequent attention than a car. A minor technical failure in a car seldom leads to anything more than an inconvenience for the driver. If something’s wrong with the motorcycle, you’ll want to find out about it before you get in traffic. Make a complete check of your motorcycle before every ride. Before mounting the motorcycle, make the following checks: Tires — Check the air pressure, general wear and tread. †¢ Fluids — Oil and fluid levels. At a minimum, check hydraulic fluids and coolants weekly. Look under the motorcycle for signs of an oil or gas leak.   Headlights and Taillight — Check them both. Test your switch to make sure both high and low beams are working.   Turn Signals — Turn on both right and left turn signals. Make sure all lights are working properly. CHECK YOUR MOTORCYCLE Brake Light — Try both brake controls, and make sure each one turns on the brake light. Once you have mounted the motorcycle, complete the following checks before starting out:   Clutch and Throttle — Make sure they work smoothly. The throttle should snap back when you let go. The clutch should feel tight and smooth. Mirrors — Clean and adjust both mirrors before starting. It’s difficult to ride with one hand while you try to adjust a mirror. Adjust each mirror so you can see the lane behind and as much as possible of the lane next to you. When properly adjusted, a mirror may show the edge of your arm or shoulder—but it’s the road behind and to the side that’s most important.   Brakes — Try the front and rear brake levers one at a time. Make sure each one feels firm and holds the motorcycle when the brake is fully applied.   Horn — Try the horn. Make sure it works. In addition to the checks you should make before every trip, check the following items at least once a week: Wheels, cables, fasteners and fluid levels. Follow your owner’s manual to get recommendations. 2 More than half of all crashes: A. Occur at speeds greater than 35 mph. B. Happen at night. C. Are caused by worn tires. D. Involve riders who have ridden their motorcycles less than six months. CHECK YOUR MOTORCYCLE Test Yourself Answer – page 40 8 â€Å"Accident† implies an unforeseen event that occurs without anyone’s fault or negligence. Most often in traffic, that is not the case. In fact, most people involved in a crash can usually claim some responsibility for what takes place. Consider a situation where someone decides to try to squeeze through an intersection on a yellow light turning red. Your light turns green. You pull into the intersection without checking for possible latecomers. That is all it takes for the two of you to tangle. It was the driver’s responsibility to stop. And it was your responsibility to look before pulling out. Neither of you held up your end of the deal. Just because someone else is the first to start the chain of events leading to a crash, it doesn’t leave any of us free of responsibility. As a rider you can’t be sure that other operators will see you or yield the right of way. To lessen your chances of a crash occurring: KNOW YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES   Be visible — wear proper clothing, use your headlight, ride in the best lane position to see and be seen.   Communicate your intentions — use the proper signals, brake light and lane position.   Maintain an adequate space cushion — following, being followed, lane sharing, passing and being passed. Scan your path of travel 12 seconds ahead.   Identify and separate multiple hazards. Be prepared to act — remain alert and know how to carry out proper crash-avoidance skills. Blame doesn’t matter when someone is injured in a crash. There is rarely a single cause of any crash. The ability to ride aware, make critical decisions and carry them out separates responsible riders from all the rest. Remember, it is up to you to keep from being the cause of, or an unprepared participant in, any crash. KNOW YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES 9 RIDE WITHIN YOUR ABILITIES This manual cannot teach you how to control direction, speed or balance. That’s something you can learn only through practice. But control begins with knowing your abilities and riding within them, along with knowing and obeying the rules of the road. ASIC VEHICLE CONTROL To control a motorcycle well:   Posture — Sit so you can use your arms to steer the motorcycle rather than to hold yourself up.   Seat — Sit far enough forward so that arms are slightly bent when you hold the handlegrips. Bending your arms permits you to press on the handlebars without having to stretch.   Hands — Hold the handlegrips firmly to keep your grip over rough surfaces. Start with your right wrist flat. This will help you keep from accidentally using HOLDING HANDLEGRIPS RIGHT BODY POSITION BODY POSITION too much throttle. Also, adjust the handlebars so your hands are even with or below your elbows. This permits you to use the proper muscles for precision steering.   Knees — Keep your knees against the gas tank to help you keep your balance as the motorcycle turns. Feet — Keep your feet firmly on the footrests to maintain balance. Don’t drag your feet. If your foot catches on something, you could be injured and it could affect your control of the motorcycle. Keep your feet near the controls so you can get to them fast if needed. Also, don’t let your toes point downward — they may get caught between the road and the footrests. There is more to shifting gears than simply getting the motorcycle to pick up speed smoothly. Learning to use the gears when downshifting, turning or starting on hills is important for safe motorcycle operation. Shift down through the gears with the clutch as you slow or stop. Remain in first gear while you are stopped so that you can move out quickly if you need to. SHIFTING GEARS SHIFTING GEARS WRONG 10 Make certain you are riding slowly enough when you shift into a lower gear. If not, the motorcycle will lurch, and the rear wheel may skid. When riding downhill or shifting into first gear you may need to use the brakes to slow enough before downshifting safely. Work toward a smooth, even clutch release, especially when downshifting. It is best to change gears before entering a turn. However, sometimes shifting while in the turn is necessary. If so, remember to do so smoothly. A sudden change in power to the rear wheel can cause a skid. Your motorcycle has two brakes: one each for the front and rear wheel. Use both of them at the same time. The front brake is more powerful and can provide at least three-quarters of your total stopping power. The front brake is safe to use if you use it properly. Remember: †¢ Use both brakes every time you slow or stop. Using both brakes for even â€Å"normal† stops will permit you to develop the proper habit or skill of using both brakes properly in an emergency. Squeeze the front brake and press down on the rear. Grabbing at the front brake or jamming down on the rear can cause the brakes to lock, resulting in control problems. †¢ If you know the technique, using both brakes in a turn is possible, although it should be done very carefully. When leaning the motorcycle some of the traction is used for cornering. Less traction is available for stopping. A skid can occur if you apply too much brake. Also, using the front brake incorrectly on a slippery surface may be hazardous. Use caution and squeeze the brake lever, never grab.   Some motorcycles have integrated braking systems that activate the front and rear brakes together when applying the rear brake pedal. (Consult the owner’s manual for a detailed explanation on the operation and effective use of these systems. ) Riders often try to take curves or turns too fast. When they can’t hold the turn, they end up crossing into another lane of traffic or going off the road. Or, they overreact and brake too hard, causing a skid and loss of control. Approach turns and curves with caution. Use four steps for better control: SLOW   LOOK PRESS   ROLL   SLOW — Reduce speed before the turn by closing the throttle and, if necessary, applying both brakes.   LOOK — Look through the turn to where you want to go. Turn just your head, not your shoulders, and keep your eyes level with the horizon.   PRESS — To turn, the motorcycle must lean. To lean the motorcycle, press on the handlegrip in the direction of the turn. Press left — lean left — go left. Press right — lean right — go right. Higher speeds and/or tighter turns require the motorcycle to lean more. BRAKING TURNING BRAKING TURNING 11 In normal turns, the rider and the motorcycle should lean together at the same angle. NORMAL TURNS ROLL — Roll on the throttle through the turn to stabilize the suspension. Maintain steady speed or accelerate gradually through the turn. This will help keep the motorcycle stable. 3 When riding, you should: A. Turn your head and shoulders to look through turns. B. Keep your arms straight. C. Keep your knees away from the gas tank. D. Turn just your head and eyes to look where you are going. Test Yourself LANE POSITIONS The best protection you can have is distance — a â€Å"cushion of space† — all around your motorcycle. If someone else makes a mistake, distance permits you: Time to react.   Space to maneuver. In some ways the size of the motorcycle can work to your advantage. Each traffic lane gives a motorcycle three paths of travel, as indicated in the illustration. Your lane position should: Increase your ability to see and be seen.   Avoid others’ blind spots.   Avoid surface hazards. Protect your lane from other drivers. Communicate your intentions.   Avoid wind blast from other vehicles.   Provide an escape route. Select the appropriate path to maximize your space cushion and make yourself more easily seen by others on the road. KEEPING YOUR DISTANCE Answer – page 40 LANE POSITIONS In slow tight turns, counterbalance by leaning the motorcycle only and keeping your body straight. SLOW, TIGHT TURNS 12 LANE POSITIONS In general, there is no single best position for riders to be seen and to maintain a space cushion around the motorcycle. No portion of the lane need be avoided — including the center. Position yourself in the portion of the lane where you are most likely to be seen and you can maintain a space cushion around you. Change position as traffic situations change. Ride in path 2 or 3 if vehicles and other potential problems are on your left only. Remain in path 1 or 2 if hazards are on your right only. If vehicles are being operated on both sides of you, the center of the lane, path 2, is usually your best option. The oily strip in the center portion that collects drippings from cars is usually no more than two feet wide. Unless the road is wet, the average center strip permits adequate traction to ride on safely. You can operate to the left or right of the grease strip and still be within the center portion of the traffic lane. Avoid riding on big buildups of oil and grease usually found at busy intersections or toll booths. â€Å"Following too closely† could be a factor in crashes involving motorcyclists. In traffic, motorcycles need as much distance to stop as cars. Normally, a minimum of two seconds distance should be maintained behind the vehicle ahead. To gauge your following distance:   Pick out a marker, such as a pavement marking or lamppost, on or near the road ahead.   When the rear bumper of the vehicle ahead passes the marker, count off the seconds: â€Å"onethousand-one, one-thousand-two. † If you reach the marker before you reach â€Å"two,† you are following too closely. A two-second following distance leaves a minimum amount of space to stop or swerve if the driver ahead stops suddenly. It also permits a better view of potholes and other hazards in the road. A larger cushion of space is needed if your motorcycle will take longer than normal to stop. If the FOLLOWING ANOTHER VEHICLE FOLLOWING 13 FOLLOWING pavement is slippery, if you cannot see through the vehicle ahead, or if traffic is heavy and someone may squeeze in front of you, open up a three-second or more following distance. Keep well behind the vehicle ahead even when you are stopped. This will make it easier to get out of the way if someone bears down on you from behind. It will also give you a cushion of space if the vehicle ahead starts to back up for some reason. When behind a car, ride where the driver can see you in the rearview mirror. Riding in the center portion of the lane should put your image in the middle of the rearview mirror — where a driver is most likely to see you. Riding at the far side of a lane may permit a driver to see you in a sideview mirror. But remember that most drivers don’t look at their sideview mirrors nearly as often as they check the rearview mirror. If the traffic situation allows, the center portion of the lane is usually the best place for you to be seen by the 14 BEING FOLLOWED drivers ahead and to prevent lane sharing by others. Speeding up to lose someone following too closely only ends up with someone tailgating you at a higher speed. A better way to handle tailgaters is to get them in front of you. When someone is following too closely, change lanes and let them pass. If you can’t do this, slow down and open up extra space ahead of you to allow room for both you and the tailgater to stop. This will also encourage them to pass. If they don’t pass, you will have given yourself and the tailgater more time and space to react in case an emergency does develop ahead. Passing and being passed by another vehicle is not much different than with a car. However, visibility is more critical. Be sure other drivers see you, and that you see potential hazards. BEING FOLLOWED PASSING AND BEING PASSED PASSING 1. Ride in the left portion of the lane at a safe following distance to increase your line of sight and make you more visible. Signal and check for oncoming traffic. Use your mirrors and turn your head to look for traffic behind. 2. When safe, move into the left lane and accelerate. Select a lane position that doesn’t crowd the car you are passing and provides space to avoid hazards in your lane. 3. Ride through the blind spot as quickly as possible. 4. Signal again, and complete mirror and headchecks before returning to your original lane and then cancel the signal. Remember, passes must be completed within posted speed limits, and only where permitted. Know your signs and road markings! stay in the center portion of your lane. Riding any closer to them could put you in a hazardous situation. Avoid being hit by:   The other vehicle — A slight mistake by you or the passing driver could cause a sideswipe.   Extended mirrors — Some drivers forget that their mirrors hang out farther than their fenders. Objects thrown from windows — Even if the driver knows you’re there, a passenger may not see you and might toss something on you or the road ahead of you.   Blasts of wind from larger vehicles — They can affect your control. You have more room for error if you are in the middle portion when hit by this blast than if you are on either side of the lane. PASSING BEING PASSED When you are being passed from behind or by an oncoming vehicle, PASSING BEING PASSED Do not move into the portion of the lane farthest from the passing vehicle. It might invite the other driver to cut back into your lane too early. BEING PASSED 15 LANE SHARING Cars and motorcycles need a full lane to operate safely. Lane sharing is usually prohibited. Riding between rows of stopped or moving cars in the same lane can leave you vulnerable to the unexpected. A hand could come out of a window; a door could open; a car could turn suddenly. Discourage lane sharing by others. Keep a centerportion position whenever drivers might be tempted to squeeze by you. Drivers are most tempted to do this:   In heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic.   When they want to pass you.   When you are preparing to turn at an intersection.   When you are moving into an exit lane or leaving a highway. Drivers on an entrance ramp may not see you on the highway. Give them plenty of room. Change to MERGING LANE SHARING another lane if one is open. If there is no room for a lane change, adjust speed to open up space for the merging driver. Do not ride next to cars or trucks in other lanes if you do not have to. You might be in the blind spot of a car in the next lane, which could switch into your lane without warning. Cars in the next lane also block your escape if you come upon danger in your own lane. Speed up or drop back to find a place clear of traffic on both sides. BLIND SPOTS CARS ALONGSIDE MERGING CARS 4 Usually, a good way to handle tailgaters is to: A. Change lanes and let them pass. B. Use your horn and make obscene gestures. C. Speed up to put distance between you and the tailgater. D. Ignore them. Test Yourself Answer – page 40 16 Good experienced riders remain aware of what is going on around them.

A grotesque discovery

The shift seemed to drag on that night, my coffee had gone stale and there was nothing to amuse me apart from a meagre cluster of people who liked to congregate outside the doors, for light I assumed. Unnoticed to anyone but me the lady of the night cascaded her lean body down the grand staircase towards my direction. Dressed in a crumpled black garment and scuffed well worn shoes she fluttered her weary eyes and began to smile as she got closer. I tried to speak as little as possible to her as I didn't want to get a reputation speaking to scarlet women. Justifying her reasons for being in the hotel I nodded my head gave her a sympathetic look back. She mentioned that I should go and check the room that she had attended and then proudly began to make her way to the door, drained yet glad to be leaving the hotel doors. I decided to take the lady's advice and made my way up the never ending staircase to the fifth floor. Out of breath and now very thirsty I approached the door with its shinny handle apprehensive as to what was waiting for me. I twisted the door handle and commenced into the room. The first thing that hit me was the smell. Fragrances of men's aftershave and women's cheap perfume mixed with stale smoke and sweat. The room was obscure; the lighting was nothing but a tiny ray of light beaming through a small parting in the curtain. My hand slid up the wall to find the switch I turned it on but to my amazement there wasn't as much mess as what I had anticipated. The bed sheets where still warm and looked like they had been slept in or maybe something more. As my eyes made there way round the room I noticed the various cups and saucers, beer cans, half empty wine bottles, cigarette butts and discarded food on trays. These people had no regard for what state they kept the room in as long as they were having a good time. I looked down at my feet only to find numerous stains, food trodden into the carpet and ash scattered throughout. There were draws half open with abandoned socks crumpled up and left; the wardrobe door fully open but bare with only a scatter of coat hangers on the rail. My attention was distracted from the sate of the room by the persistent drip of water I herd coming from the bath room. On entry the bath room smelt clean and fresh with citrus smells in the air, the taps where still shining and had there bright silver ping. The floor was wet and wasn't getting any dryer, a simple toilet blockage was all that was wrong with the room, or at least I thought. I strolled back into the bedroom where the dirty smell hit me again and grabbed a discarded coat hanger and made my way back into the bathroom. I placed one of the crisp white towels down onto the floor so I could kneel and bent the coat hanger into a hook shape and placed the bin bag on my hand so I could unblock the toilet. At first nothing but the feeling of cold water and plastic against my bare skin, then I felt that I had burst something soft. To my amazement what looked like blood started to disperse from the bottom of the toilet, the smell of iron soon filled my nostrils; it was definitely blood. My heart raced and I started to sweat and panic what could it have been I asked my self. Nothing could have prepared me for what I pulled out of the toilet, A Human Heart! I lifted it up and took a good glance at it making sure that I wasn't seeing things. It didn't look as though it had been there for very long as it was still a peachy colour. A joke maybe, I was half expecting hear a laugh from behind me but none came. I stood up still with the thing in my hand, my stomach churned and my hands jerked. I took a nervous glance around bathroom, at this point the bathroom didn't look so clean, and I didn't feel it either. I paced to the main door passing through the various smells and ruffled bed sheets to take a look out of door into the hall way, it was clear so I ran. I panicked, what was I doing? A stocky black man holding a human heart in a plastic bag running with a guilty look; didn't look so good in my eyes. Thoughts where racing through my head, who's heart was this and why was it there. I felt as though my own heart was in my mouth, I could almost hear the thud echo in the elevator. Someone had been killed and there must be a body around some where. I walked through to the staff rooms to tell my manager of my discovery. Slickly dresses with a sharp suit and smile he greeted me and sat me down in the office. I began to tell him what I had found; I wiped the nervous sweat off my forehead and tried to relax so that he could understand what I was trying to say. It was strange but he had no reaction on his face and all that he could mutter to me was â€Å"what goes on in a hotel rooms, stays in a hotel room† like this was a regular occurrence. I stopped to think for a moment but demanded that legal action should be take, my mangers slick smile soon turn into a cold look, knowing full well I was an illegal immigrant he dialled 999 and passed the phone over to me, expecting me to say what I had discovered. I didn't want to risk my life and get sent back to my own country for the sake of this so I put the phone down and he knew that I would do this. I leaped out of my seat in rage my height towering over him but his weight over shadowing me. His eyes met mine and he raised one eyebrow as though he was slightly amused by my actions. I was in a rampage and chucked is prized mangers desk with his tacky photo frame and souvenirs to the other end of the room, I soon got his full attention. I felt his clammy hands around my neck, stubby, fingers stabbing into my cheek and the words how dare you ringing in my ear. I tired to shove him off me but his over sized gut was restraining me. I felt his harsh breath on ma face as he spoke. He knew full well of my situation in this country and could think of nothing better to say than â€Å"I could have you deported for this!† His sweaty double chinned face was all I could see as I didn't want to make eye contact with his beady eyes. I straighten my suit out as did he when he backed away. He picked the bag up with the heart visible through it and chucked it down bin shoot like it was an ordinary piece of rubbish . My heart sank and I felt like I had failed the non existent person and that I had done wrong in the eyes of the law. If I was to stay in this country I would have to keep the guilt of a death on my shoulders and live a silenced life, but that's the price I will have to pay. I came to England thinking I was going to be starting a better life, but its not going as well as I'd anticipated. His smoke stained teeth grinned as I was inhaling second hand smoke from the fumes of his cheap cigar. â€Å"You no where there door his†, his face so close to mine I could see the trickles of sweat on fore head. He had shoved me out of his office like he shoved the heart down that shoot, relentlessly. He obviously didn't care as long as his greed for power and money was being met and nothing bad was bothering him. I pondered for a moment thinking what I should do next, but what could I do? My voice is not meant to be heard.

Comparison and Contrast of Websites on Herbal Drugs Essay

Comparison and Contrast of Websites on Herbal Drugs - Essay Example The first website that is with the title â€Å"The Herb Society of America† gives details about herbs whether they are of medicinal usage or not. The purpose of the website is to accommodate the internet users or searchers of herbal drugs with knowledge about all kinds of herbs and to facilitate them with the buying of those herbs for their personal or professional uses. The viewers of the website can also buy different published papers and articles on various herbs from this website. The first page of the website gives an introductory data about herbs and offers the readers to gain information on various topics on herbs. The content on the website of â€Å"The Herb Society of America† is quite readable and easy to follow because of its simplicity and eloquence. The readers can find beginners’ guide to herbs, which is supportive for people having no know-how of the herbs. The intended audiences of the website are the students, researchers, herb lovers and informa tion retrievers. In addition to the mentioned audience, patients of different diseases also look for herbal drugs on the website. The source is recommendable because of its reliability and validity. The information given on the website is well-researched and detailed. We can find facts as well as opinions on the website backed by the researchers and scholars. The information given on the website is current as the website is updated on regular basis. We can notice new and updated articles and written content on the website about herbal drugs and herbs, which are enough informative. Not only written content but also photographed and video-recorded content can be found on the website. As far as bias or prejudice of the organization â€Å"The Herb Society of America† is concerned in relation to the posted information, there is no such thing found on the website as it is about herbs and all kinds of herbs that are available are listed on the website along with their detailed specification. Not only scientific but also the traditional information is given bout the listed herbs. The other website that is part of the paper is www.herbmed.org. This website is a database of information about medicinal herbs. Unlike the previously mentioned website, this website is only reserved for revealing data about medicinal herbs and we cannot find any data about other herbs that have no drug related usefulness. The purpose of this website is to give information to the information finders about medicinal herbal drugs. The given information is knowledge giving and enlightening due to which, the users of the website access the website. This website is very dissimilar to the website of â€Å"The Herb Society of America† as the information on it is not free for everyone. A limited set of information is free for all internet users but for extended usage and detailed and updated information, the users have to pay to view and access the website. The website is divided into two parts that are HerbMed and HerbMedPro. HerbMed offers access to information to only twenty popular herbs while HerbMedPro offers access to two hundred and thirty three herbs. All of these herbs have medicinal usages. The website is quite useful and comprehensible as it provides all the uses of herbs to the health in a simple manner. Like the previously descr ibed website, this w

I can do anything as good as you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I can do anything as good as you - Essay Example Despite the optimistic perspective and the lure of higher income expected from the demands of the job, the experience of Eisenberg, and other women from the construction workforce indicated that the percentage was permanently pegged at 2 percent since 1980. In this regard, the essay aims to critically analyze the capacity of women to work on an equal footing with men, especially in professions that have been stereotyped as predominantly of men’s domain. The first and critical issue that needs to be addressed is can women do the job? Can women become carpenters, electricians, ironworkers, painters and plumbers? Despite the small percentage of the female gender that delved into these professions, Eisenberg proved that women can to the job – with loads of determination, patience, the will to overcome challenges, and the persistence to succeed. The Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) â€Å"trains women and places them in  careers in the skilled construction, utilit y, and maintenance trades, helping women achieve economic independence and a secure future† (par. 1). As of 2005, NEW revealed that the percentage of women as construction workers have already risen to 3% (NEW, par. 5). The advantages of pursuing this particular career path are: (1) high remuneration (of as much as $10 to $17 per hour during the first year, to increase to as much as $45 per hour upon completion of the apprenticeship program); (2) availment of excellent medical benefits; (3) other benefits such as pensions and paid annuities are offered; and (4) various kinds of training in stages and phases of work are given and availed of (NEW: Programs, pars. 7 - 10). On the other hand, despite the lucrative opportunities of the profession, most women opt to avoid working as construction laborers for the reasons such as: (1) job responsibilities and tasks are mentally and physically demanding; (2) working hours are generally way too early than traditional working hours; (3) outdoor work all throughout the year is required; and (4) perceived male dominance is seen as a barrier to entry (NEW: Programs, pars. 11 - 14). The next concern is should women do the job? The answer is a resounding why not? All challenges enumerated above could be addressed through appropriate training and by giving incentives and support. The fact that the women interviewed by Eisenberg have proven that they can do the job indicates that the demands, knowledge, skills and abilities needed to accomplish required tasks could be developed in women, with proper training and experience. Further, just like in every other endeavor, success in a career begins with one’s genuine interest and enthusiasm to delve into the chosen field. Nothing is really impossible when one puts one’s mind and heart into any endeavor worth pursuing. Regrettably, the labor movement has remained compliant to the plight of tradeswomen. As revealed by Eisenberg in her official website continue to r aise the public and legislator’s awareness on the need, not only to announce the governmental policies on offering construction jobs and apprenticeship to women, but more so, on active promotion and enforcement of these policies to increase participation and outcome. As averred â€Å"In a 1994 interview with LA ironworker Mary Michels, I asked her how many women she thought would be working in construction. Her response: â€Å"

Noise in Multimedia System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Noise in Multimedia System - Essay Example Noise is defined as any unwanted thing in the desired one. Though in some special cases in electronics like oscillator where noise is intentionally introduced but, most of the times they create hindrance to the actual motto. Suppose after faithful encoding data is sent over transmission medium. Spurious electrical signals from environment may interfere to the original signal resulting noise. In other cases noise appears as flicker of screen. For portable devices developers need to design layout for the target device and developing pixels of precise width and resolution sometimes give erroneous result. Again, online content developers who work independently for target devices finally come out with objects which have problem in mapping. This paper explicitly concentrates on various noise sources and their effect on multimedia products. It also outlines ways to overcome it. Noise in one sense is defined as measurable amount of loss of data. It is a random parameter that can be measured by its statistical properties. In telecommunication channel noise is generally gets added in medium during transmission. Figure 1 shows such a transmission channel. In between transmitter to receiver there is the medium. It can be either wire in case of line communication or free space for wireless communication. Signal gets interfered by noise in the medium by various means e.g. thundering, signal from other sources if two signals are close to each other and from mismatch between transmitter and receiver. Shannon defined the limit of transmission in a noisy channel for a given channel capacity in order to maximize the signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio1. But it does not guarantee noise free transmission. This is nothing but the post transmission noise and before it gets received. Different methods exist to detect any error has arisen and if so, to correct it. The seven layer OSI model works well for error detection and correction in any computer communication process. From multimedia perspective transmission and reception methods are somewhat more complex where; total display is fragmented into different components and then all together information is sent to the target end maintaining timing constraint. SMIL is a language format used for encoding multimedia presentations for transmission over the web. It's a structured composition of autonomous media objects. Figure 2 shows one basic timing containers2. In SMIL seq container begin time is relative to predecessor's end. Par container has begin time relative to the containing par but for excl object a is started whenever object x (not shown) is activated and object b, c are started when object y and z (not shown) are activated. It is to be noted that no two common timeline should be used to model the relationship between a, b and c. If it's not maintained then there will be overlap between the objects that will turn to give timing mismatch, which may appear as noise in display. Other than this, before transmission objects are encoded into convenient form. During encoding data might get lost. For example if it's an image then it might have been encoded into jpg form where loss of data and as a result noise can get introduced. This noise will be incorporated throughout its processing and appear finally in

Discuss problems arising from IAS 17 Leases Essay

Discuss problems arising from IAS 17 Leases - Essay Example In a globalized economy leasing activities are increasing in magnitude as businesses strive to improve competitiveness through cost reduction and improved quality of products and services (IFRS Foundation, 2013a). Therefore, changes in accounting standards for leasing will influence the overall preparation of financial statements. Leasing is of great significance to the business entities. â€Å"It is a means of gaining access to assets, obtaining finance, and of reducing an entity’s exposure to the risk of asset ownership† (IFRS Foundation, 2013a, p.5). Initially, the prevailing accounting model for leases required the lessors and lessees to recognize and categorize leases either as finance leases or operating lease. Also, it required them to maintain a separate account for leases. The financing lease used to finance equipment for the most of its useful life and lessee would take the ownership of the equipment after the lease period. On the other hand, operating lease financed equipment for a period less that its useful life and lessee returned the leased equipment to the lessor without any obligation of transfer of ownership. However, the model failed to fulfill the needs of users because it did not recognize assets and liabilities relating to operating leases. This led to the adoption of IAS 1 17 Leases (IFRS Foundation, 2013a). The application of IAS 17, Leases requires the lessee to establish items and maintain track of all right-to-use assets. It requires comprehensive sub-ledgers and creates the need for the establishment of discrete â€Å"property, plant and equipment sub-ledgers for the right-to-use assets† (IFRS Foundation, 2013a, p. 5). In addition, the lessee has to establish a scheme to ascertain each lease as a component of right-to-use asset category. However, the International Accounting Standards 17 (IAS 17),

Exploratory, Descriptive and Causal Research Essay

Exploratory, Descriptive and Causal Research - Essay Example imarily desires to develop insights into the problem Exploratory research must be an initial research to be conducted to clarify and then define the nature of a problem (Eden, Herrmann and Li, 2004). This is not supposed to provide conclusive evidence and subsequent research is expected. Meanwhile, descriptive research as the name implies, intends to describe the nature of business or market characteristics. It can also be used to produce data (Hughes, 2003), enable researchers to recognize associations among factors of interest. On the other hand, descriptive research cannot explicitly establish causal linkages. Mainly, surveys fall in descriptive research. Similarly, causal research is another type of business research method which aims to discover a cause and effect relationship by generating data beneath controlled conditions. Also it is capable of launching cause and effect between factors with a greater degree of certainty. The objectives as well as the research design and methods of the research problems stated in a-f, are critically analyzed and categorized according to the definition, classification, purpose, characteristics and outcomes of the three (3) research types - exploratory, descriptive and the causal research. 2. There are instances that the business team might want to find out the relationships of particular causal factors to the effects which they are predicting. In this case, they may utilize the causal research process. At the moment causes of the effects which are desired to be predicted will be fully understood, they can invariably improve the ability both to predict as well as to control the corresponding effects (Feldman, 1975). The stage in research by which researcher has to know the responses to the â€Å"why† questions without arriving to precise answers is part of the exploratory study. It is often the initial move in a series of actions that is planned by the marketing team. Exploratory research usually answers research

Marketing Plan College Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing Plan College - Case Study Example This will provide Ownership Properties with an opportunity to leverage its core competencies while servicing its business clients in an exclusive environment. Ownership Properties, INC is a privately owned and operated real estate investing /managing company. The group specializes in investing ideas, occupying strategies, inner city locations and serves primarily investing clients. Its available investment properties have between three and five bedrooms plus categories, and include all local and nationwide homebuilders. OPI has a high instance of repeat business across all its brands, particularly with custom homebuilders. The housing market is currently somewhat depressed, due to the economic downturn and restrictions being made on qualifying loans and financing. This threat to these critical sectors could be considered as short to medium term, as indications of a return to business . Observed. Ownership Properties, INC must continue to focus on delivering an exemplary business service at competitive rates, in order to cultivate repeat business. Ownership Properties, INC offers value and benefits to its clients in earning percentage commission on all deals. Its clients need to know that they can depend upon and develop a relationship with the management company that will ensure efficiency, ample value for their money and reliable support when they need it. OPI chooses to build very strong customer relationships, and we want to stay an integral part of the investing market. Market Demographics - Investor sources: California, New Jersey, New York, Chicago and Portland. Market trends can be categorized as follows: Taxation investing - 15% of client base. A 1031 exchange of certain types of property may defer the recognition of capital gains or losses due upon sale, and hence defer any capital gains taxes. Section 1031 investors are mostly seeking to invest concurrently in multiple real estate deals. Quality is a secondary concern to quantity. These prospect investors are the easiest and the most corporate of all time, as their main concern is taxation. Section 1031 investors may purchase investment property without question or even a site visit, as long as the deals can be closed within their desired timeframe. A specific timeline and term have to be met in closing the deals. Investors could incur large losses if they do not meet the specific terms of the 1031 exchange. Cash investing - 25% of client base. This portion consists mostly of experienced investors, who have multiple properties and extra cash on hand to obtain a higher rate of return than the regular CD or passbook account at a local bank. These are the most efficient and mature clients, who can close deals within two days if the price is right. OPI tends to favors these type of customers because they are low maintenance. Long-term investing - 60% of client base. This kind of investing is always connected with financing. The investors who are interested in long-term investing are usually short of cash, but have good credit histories. They are looking for high returns, but are skeptical. fully depend on the rent in covering the mortgage. Since this group has little or no investment experience, investment advisors must usually devote a lot of time to consulting, confidence

Theory of Gravity Essay Example for Free

Theory of Gravity Essay Of all the current nuclear fusion reactor experiments JET and ITER are the largest. JET, Joint European Torus, based in Culham Science Centre in the UK, is the centre of Europes fusion research. JET is currently the worlds largest tokomak capable of delivering up to 30 MW of power, it is used by more than 20 European Countries and also used by international scientists. It is used to test the conditions that will be in use by commercial fusion power plants. JET began in 1978, in operation since 1983 and in November of 1991 became the first experiment to produce controlled nuclear fusion power. It has been a stepping stone for ITER, producing parameters that have been vital in its production. In 1997 a record of 16 MW of energy were produced by JET using the mixed deuterium-tritium fuel with an input of 24 MW; a 65% ratio. ITER, originally standing for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor but dropped due to negative connotations of thermonuclear especially combined with the word experimental. ITER began in 1985, but it was only until 2005 that the south of France was decided on as a location for the reactor. ITER is supported by many countries worldwide including the USA, the EU, the Russian Federation, India, China, Korea and Japan. In November 2006, and agreement was signed which formed the international ITER organisation who owns the device and all aspects of the project. ITER was formulated because it was agreed that a larger and more powerful reactor was needed to emulate conditions in a commercial reactor and demonstrate its feasibility. ITER is built from the collective research made by all the many fusion experiments worldwide; a collaborative effort to provide cheap, clean fuel for many future generations. The first plasma is predicted to be produced by 2016. Nuclear Fusion is entirely feasible as a future energy source though it will be a long time before they will overtake traditional natural resources in terms of percentage of the Earths energy provided. Estimated put it around 2050 until fusion power plants are in full commercial use. It is proven that fusion is the most efficient energy source we have to date; 4 times more than that of nuclear fission. It is inherently safe, and there is no hazardous waste except some radioactive materials from free neutrons, though in future designs this could be eradicated. Research is currently going well; all that remains is for bigger more powerful models and with ITER on the horizon it will not be long before a self sustaining fusion reaction with a positive output is achieved. This means well into the future 100% waste free fusion plants could provide nearly all of the worlds electricity, resulting in a clean safe environment with a massively reduced threat of global warming. Bibliography C. R. Nave, 2006, HyperPhysics, viewed 13 September 2008 http://hyperphysics. phy-astr. gsu. edu/hbase/hframe. html David Sang, 1995, Nuclear and Particle Physic, 2nd Ed. Thomas Nelson and Sons ltd.  https://www.euro-fusion.org/

Sociology of Law: Theories and Concepts

Sociology of Law: Theories and Concepts Introduction The three classical thinkers of Sociology, Marx, Weber and Durkheim have one thing in common regarding the Sociology of Law; their theories were part and parcel of a more fundamental sociological perspective and theory of society. Marx will be the odd one among the three because, the work of Marx is on theoretical ground not evidently connected to the aspirations of sociology, but historically Marxs writings have informed a considerable body of sociological writings until this day. Marx made a contribution to social science by suggesting the instrumentalist theory of law in contributing to and justifying social inequality. Durkheims work orients around the key dimensions of social issues as involving both factual and normative dimensions of society. Whereas Weber is considered as the founding father par excellence of the modern sociology of law. When Weber observed that social life in the modern era had become more and more rationalized in a purposive-rational sense, he no only conte mplated the central role of economy, stat, and bureaucracy, but along with it also discussed the role of law as the basis of modern political authority. Weber specifically outlined the characteristics of a formally rationalized legal system that is primarily guided by the application of procedure. Sociology of Law The sociology of law is often described as a sub-discipline of sociology or an interdisciplinary approach within legal studies. While some socio-legal scholars see the sociology of law as necessarily belonging to the discipline of sociology, others see it as a field of research caught up in the disciplinary tensions and competitions between the two established disciplines of law and sociology. Yet, others regard it neither as a sub-discipline of sociology nor as a branch of legal studies and, instead, present it as a field of research on its own right within a broader social science tradition. For example, Roger Cotterrell describes the sociology of law without reference to mainstream sociology as the systematic, theoretically grounded, empirical study of law as a set of social practices or as an aspect or field of social experience. Irrespective of whether the sociology of law is defined as a sub-discipline of sociology, an approach within legal studies, or a field of research in its own right, it remains intellectually dependent mainly on mainstream sociology, and to lesser extent on other social sciences such as social anthropology, political science, social policy, criminology and psychology, i.e. it draws on social theories and employs social scientific methods to study law, legal institutions and legal behaviour. More specifically, the sociology of law consists of various sociological approaches to the study of law in society, which empirically examines and theorizes the interaction between law and legal institutions, on the one hand, and other (non-legal) social institutions and social factors, on the other. Areas of socio-legal inquiry include the social development of legal institutions, forms of social control, legal regulation, the interaction between legal cultures, the social construction of legal issues, legal profession, and the relation between law and social change. The sociology of law also benefits from and occasionally draws on research conducted within other fields such as comparative law, critical legal studies, jurisprudence, legal theory, law and economics and law and literature. The Classical Thinkers The roots of the sociology of law can be traced back to the works of sociologists and jurists of the turn of the previous century. The relationship between law and society was sociologically explored in the seminal works of both Max Weber and Emile Durkheim. The works of Karl Marx was not immediately influential in the development of the sociology of law as no direct historical path led from his thought to subsequent sociological schools of thought. Marxs work was later appropriated by critical sociologists who sought to break with the consensual thinking that they felt characterized much of mainstream sociology in the years after World War II. The writings on law by these classical sociologists are foundational to the entire sociology of law today. A number of other scholars, mainly jurists, also employed social scientific theories and methods in an attempt to develop sociological theories of law. Notably among these were Leon Petrazycki, Eugen Ehrlich and Georges Gurvitch. Marxs theory is not to be understood merely as a theory of the economy, for his analysis of capitalism is meant to provide the basis for an analysis of society. The economic organization of society is its material core from which all other social developments in matters of politics, culture, and law can be explained. This is summarized in Marxs famous dictum that the infrastructure of a society determines it superstructure. Thus, the division between the economic classes of owners and non-owners appears at the societal level as a class antagonism between the relatively small but powerful bourgeoisie and the relatively large but powerless proletariat. The bourgeoisie can articulate its economic power also at the political, cultural, and legal level because of its control over all important institutions of society, such as government, the legal system, art science, and education. The economic, according to Marx, only the destruction of capitalism in favor of a communist mode of product ion, whereby the workers collectively own and control the means of production, world ensure a successful revolution of society in to a more just social order. Marx did not develop a comprehensive perspective on law and his ideas on law are scattered throughout his writings. Marxs theory of the state provides the most useful entry into his perspective on law. Congruent with his materialist perspective, Marx asserts that the economic conditions of society determine what type of state will develop, which in a capitalist society implies that the state will be controlled by the bourgeoisie as an instrument to secure economic rights and to moderate class conflict. For him the capitalist state represents and secures the power of the dominant economic class which now also becomes the politically dominant class. Interestingly, Marx argues that the democratic republic, rather than being a more egalitarian form of the capitalistic state, for it totally disregards the property distinction that have arisen under capitalism. Marxs notion on law is instrumentalist, similar to that of his notion of state. He views the legal system in function of its role as an instrument of control serving bourgeois interests. Rather than abiding by a principle of the rule of law that holds that it is just for the law to be applied equally and fairly to all, Marx maintains that capitalist law actually enhances the conditions of inequality that mark capitalist society. Marx contends that the capitalist legal system contributes to inequality because capitalist law establishes and applies individualized rights of freedom, which benefit those who own while disfavoring those who are without property. The formal equality that is granted in law by treating the various parties that are in contract with one another or with the state as equal contributes to sustain and develop the economic inequalities that exist among legal subjects. Legal doctrine justifies the practices of capitalist law on the basis of a notion of justice claime d to be universally valid but which in actuality serves the interests of only the dominant economic class. The ideology of capitalist law is ultimately accepted widely even among those members of society who are economically disadvantaged and thus additionally subject to the inequalities brought about by the legal system. For Max Weber, a so-called legal rational form as a type of domination within society, is not attributable to people but to abstract norms. He understood the body of coherent and calculable law in terms of a rational-legal authority. Such coherent and calculable law formed a precondition for modern political developments and the modern bureaucratic state and developed in parallel with the growth of capitalism. Central to the development of modern law is the formal rationalisation of law on the basis of general procedures that are applied equally and fairly to all. Weber specifically outlined the characteristics of a formally rationalized legal system that is primarily guided by the application of procedures. His analysis of law is an intrinsic part of his sociology, in terms of both its perspective of the study of society and its theoretical propositions on the conditions of modern society. Modern rationalised law is also codified and impersonal in its application to specific cases. In general, Webers standpoint can be described as an external approach to law that studies the empirical characteristics of law, as opposed to the internal perspective of the legal sciences and the moral approach of the philosophy of law. Weber developed his perspective on law as part of a more general sociology. In the systematic nature and comprehensive scope of its contribution, Webers analysis is rivaled only by that of Emile Durkheim, whose sociology of law was likewise part and parcel of a more fundamental sociological perspective and theory of society. Emile Durkheim wrote in The Division of Labour in Society, that as society becomes more complex, the body of civil law concerned primarily with restitution and compensation grows at the expense of criminal laws and penal sanctions. Over time, law has undergone a transformation from repressive law to restitutive law. Restitutive law operates in societies in which there is a high degree of individual variation and emphasis on personal rights and responsibilities. For Durkheim, law is an indicator of the mode of integration of a society, which can be mechanical, among identical parts, or organic, among differentiated parts such as in industrialized societies. Durkheim also argued that a sociology of law should be developed alongside, and in close connection with, a sociology of morals, studying the development of value systems reflected in law. At sociologys heart is a concern for morality. For Durkheim, society cannot exist without moral bonds, whether these are bonds of shared belief or of mutual commitment reflecting the interdependence of individuals or social groups. Moral ideas are neither innate in the individual nor to be deduced from abstract first principles. They are inspired by the empirical conditions of social lie in particular times and places. To understand those conditions and the forces that shape social development is rationally to appreciate moralitys demands. Morality provides the normative framework of stable social relationships. In modern society these relationships are primarily domestic, economic and occupational and political relationship of citizenship. Morality expresses the requirements of living together in particular environments; the domain of the moral begins where the domain of the social begins (Durkheim, 1961:60). For Durkheim, Moral ideas are the soul (lame) of the law(1909:150). Law ex presses what is fundamental in any societys morality. So the study of law like that of morality is central to sociology. Conclusion Among the three classic thinkers Marx did not focus on law to any degree of intellectual satisfaction, while the sociological contributions of Weber and Durkheim are not only influential but foundational to the sociology of law.

Country Report on the Philippines

Country Report on the Philippines The Philippines is an amazing country. Many tourists go there to see the many beautiful views. We decided to do the Philippines as our country because two-thirds of the group is filipino. The Philippines is an interesting country to research because there are many things we dont know about it. An interesting fact about this country is that the Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to gain independence after World War II, in 1946. In filipino, the Philippines is called Republika ng Pilipinas. Although, in English it is just the Philippines. It was named after the King Philip II of Spain, in honor of him. The Philippines is located on the continent of Asia. It borders the country of Malaysia. The area of the Philippines is 115,831 miles squared, but the area of the United States is 3.797 million miles squared. The Philippines compared to the United States is that it is 3,681 less miles. The Philippines produced 11 percent of the worlds nickel in 2010. The countrys rich natural resources also include major copper deposits, chromium, gold, and silver;minerals made up 8 percent of merchandise exports in 2011. One popular foods that they eat in the philippines is Adobo. Adobo is a meat, seafood, and vegetable dish. Another common dish in the philippines is Afritada, Afritada is a meat dish cooked in tomato sauce. Lechon is also a common dish in the philippines. Lechon is a dish that is made by roasting  a pig over charcoal. However, the most popular food thats eaten in the philippines is rice. Majority of the people in the philippines love rice. The relationships with family that filipinos have with each other is what makes them connect. The American culture is different from the filipino culture in a few ways. For example, in the American culture, the children are expected to be independent with a little help of their parents. However, in the filipino culture, the parents expect the children to follow their directions step by step and how they say it. Another difference between the two cultures is the amount of privacy they each get. What I mean by this is, in the filipino culture, all of the family is close by and could possibly live together. However, in the American culture, the families are spread out and dont all live in one house. Finally, another difference between the two cultures is the equality. In the American culture, it is known to be said that everyone has equal rights. Also, when greeting it is acceptable to call someone sir or maam. Nonetheless, in the filipino culture, the elderly is treated better/before e veryone else, and everyone is greeted with a handshake, a smile, and some friendly words such as Hi, how are you? or Hi, hows your day so far? One thing that someone researching or learning about the philippines would be about King Philip II of Spain. This would be the most important thing to know because he was the first one to make it to the philippines and, because the philippines was named after him. Since the Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain, the island country has been under Spanish rule for centuries. To go more in depth, he ruled the Philippines for over 300 years in total. Today, it is the largest Roman Catholic country in Asia. The Philippines is an interesting country to learn about with amazing views to see as you are there. After reading this, you will learn that the Philippines is a very different country from other countries. There are many different and interesting cultures you may learn about. Once you actually experience the Filipino culture, you will see a whole different world. There are many interesting facts about the Philippines, but the most interesting one is that the Filipino flag is the only flag in the world that you can determine whether or not they are at peace or at war. You can tell at how the flag is flown. If the flag is flown with the blue on top they are at peace, but when the flag is flown with the red on top you can tell they are at war.

Comic spirit and Bringing Down the House :: essays research papers

Comedy has existed with the human spirit as far back as humans began writing the first plays and stories. Comedy and laughing at other peoples’ situations has always been a very good way to tell an entertaining story. Yet, at the same time, it can be an effective way to share lessons about life and the human condition. The â€Å"comic spirit† takes many forms throughout human civilization and several classic examples can be seen in Roman and Greek comedies. Greek comedies often create humor from the conflicts created by stereotypes and imbalances. For example, the play Lisistrata has a main character who is a woman who tries to stop the Peloponnesian War by convincing all the women of Athens to stop having sex with their husbands. Taking place during a period when women did not have power in society (compared to men), this Greek comedy used the imbalances of women to create a funny story while at the same time as making a statement against war. A more modern comed y that uses imbalances and stereotypes to create humor is the movie â€Å"Bringing Down the House† starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. The humor in this movie is created by the use of multiple stereotypes, imbalances and ultimate role reversals of a white, wealthy male and a black, ex-convict female who first meet each other in an Internet chat room. There are also contrasts between young and old people. Although the imbalances and stereotypes throughout the movie create funny situations, it may have a negative side effect because it takes advantage of racial, gender and age stereotypes, which may be insulting or hurtful to some people, just to get a laugh. The story begins with Steve Martin’s character, Peter Sanderson, chatting online with someone who he thinks is a pretty, blonde lawyer. When he finally arranges to meet her for a â€Å"first date,† he is shocked to find out that the blonde lawyer turns out to be a black ex-convict named Charlene (played by Queen Latifah) who wants Peter to help prove her innocence from being set up in a bank robbery that sent her to prison for four years. The movie uses several elements of imbalance and stereotypes to create humorous situations in the story. For example, there is contrast between Peter and Charlene. On the surface in the beginning of the movie Peter seems to be a regular a white male with a successful, upper middle class lifestyle. Comic spirit and "Bringing Down the House" :: essays research papers Comedy has existed with the human spirit as far back as humans began writing the first plays and stories. Comedy and laughing at other peoples’ situations has always been a very good way to tell an entertaining story. Yet, at the same time, it can be an effective way to share lessons about life and the human condition. The â€Å"comic spirit† takes many forms throughout human civilization and several classic examples can be seen in Roman and Greek comedies. Greek comedies often create humor from the conflicts created by stereotypes and imbalances. For example, the play Lisistrata has a main character who is a woman who tries to stop the Peloponnesian War by convincing all the women of Athens to stop having sex with their husbands. Taking place during a period when women did not have power in society (compared to men), this Greek comedy used the imbalances of women to create a funny story while at the same time as making a statement against war. A more modern comed y that uses imbalances and stereotypes to create humor is the movie â€Å"Bringing Down the House† starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah. The humor in this movie is created by the use of multiple stereotypes, imbalances and ultimate role reversals of a white, wealthy male and a black, ex-convict female who first meet each other in an Internet chat room. There are also contrasts between young and old people. Although the imbalances and stereotypes throughout the movie create funny situations, it may have a negative side effect because it takes advantage of racial, gender and age stereotypes, which may be insulting or hurtful to some people, just to get a laugh. The story begins with Steve Martin’s character, Peter Sanderson, chatting online with someone who he thinks is a pretty, blonde lawyer. When he finally arranges to meet her for a â€Å"first date,† he is shocked to find out that the blonde lawyer turns out to be a black ex-convict named Charlene (played by Queen Latifah) who wants Peter to help prove her innocence from being set up in a bank robbery that sent her to prison for four years. The movie uses several elements of imbalance and stereotypes to create humorous situations in the story. For example, there is contrast between Peter and Charlene. On the surface in the beginning of the movie Peter seems to be a regular a white male with a successful, upper middle class lifestyle.

Multiple Sclerosis :: essays research papers

Multiple Sclerosis Jason Garoutte November 18, 1996 English / Mr. Blunt Multiple sclerosis is one of the most misunderstood diseases of this century. Since it's discovery, there is still no known causes, no proven treatments, and no known cure, yet it affects possibly five hundred thousand people in the United States alone. People need to learn more about this disease so it can be brought to the attention of the nation. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system. It destroys the fatty myelin sheath that insulates your nerve cells. Without this insulation, nerve communication is disrupted. The body then makes this worse by repairing it, and clogging the area with scar tissue. Signals going from your brain and brain stem, such as muscle coordination signals or visual sensation signals, are slowed greatly, or just blocked off. Thus, a person afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis can suffer any number of symptoms. Researchers are not sure yet as to the cause of Multiple Sclerosis. There is a kind of deadlock among scientists and doctors whether it's hereditary, viral, or a combination of the two, with the disease being hereditary, but with a viral trigger, or just a simple chemical imbalance in the immune system. One thing is certain, though. Some sort of defect in the immune system causes white blood cells to attack and destroy the myelin sheath. There are five main types of Multiple Sclerosis. The first type is Benign Multiple Sclerosis. It is the least severe, has little progression, and takes up twenty percent of all cases. The second type is Benign Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. It carries symptoms that fluctuate in severity, mild disability, and it makes up thirty percent of the total. The third type is Chronic Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis. It is characterized by disability that increases with each attack, and it is the most common with forty percent of all cases. Chronic Progressive Multiple Sclerosis is the fourth type. It has continuous disability that worsens as time goes by, and ten percent of all cases are this. The last type is a very rare class called Acute Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. This kind can kill in weeks or months, in contrast with the usual years or decades. Due to the type of disease and the areas it affects, there are a great number of possible symptoms. These symptoms can fool the most experienced physician into thinking that it is a psychological disease. The most common symptoms are bouts of overwhelming fatigue, loss of coordination, muscle weakness, numbness, slurred speech, and visual difficulties. These symptoms may occur for a number of years before one is actually diagnosed, and these symptoms

Drug Pricing and Competition Issues in India Through Dpco and Cdcso Activites

Introduction Drug pricing is a complex phenomena. Different countries have different methodologies of pricing such as Germany has reference based pring. Canada has system of fixing pricing of patented drugs. India fix the prices of prescription drugs on the basis of cost of the drug. Cost is the main phemomena iin the pricing policies of the drugs. Pricing is important aspect of competition law also. But competition commission is not a price control agency. However price based anti-competitive practices are important area in competition law. DRUG REGULATORY REGIME IN INDIA Indian drug regulatory regime is devided in two branches.Drug standards and marketing is dealt by CDCSO and drug pricing is controlled by NPPA. The CDSCO prescribes standards and measures for ensuring the safety, efficacy and quality of drugs, cosmetics, diagnostics and devices in the country; regulates the market authorization of new drugs and clinical trials standards; supervises drug imports and approves licence s to manufacture the drugs. The process for drug approval entails the coordination of different departments, in addition to the DCGI, depending on whether the application in question is for a biological drug or one based on recombinant DNA technology.The issues relating to patent are dealt by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), who heads the Central Drugs Standards Control Organization (CDSCO), assumes responsibility for the amendments to the Acts and Rules. Other major related Acts and Rules include the Pharmacy Act of 1948, The Drugs and Magic Remedies Act of 1954 and Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO) 1995 and various other policies instituted by the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals. PRICING REGULATION IN INDIA The drug prices are regulated under Essential Commodities Act 1955.It is administered by Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. The prices of drugs are fixed under the Section 3 of Essential Commodities Act 1955. National list of essential medicines is prepared under this Act. The prices are controlled according to Drug Price Order 1995. It employs Cost Based formula of drug pricing. In India Drug manufacturing, standards and marketing is done under Drug and Cosmetics Act 1940. There are Drug and cosmetics rule 1945 to assist and provide procedure for the assisiting the Act. NPPA has been reguaslting the drug pricing since 1997.It fixes the prices of essential drugs. The list of essential medicines is updated at regular intervals. As mentioned earlier, pricing policy and industry regulation constitutes one of the key responsibilities of the NPPA. Price control on medicines was first introduced in India in 1962 and has subsequently persisted through the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO). As per the directive of NPPA, the criterion for price regulation is based on the nature of the drug in terms of whether it enjoys mass consumption and in terms o f whether there is lack of adequate competition for the drug.The year 1978 witnessed selective price controls based on disease burden and prevalence. The list of prices under DPCO subsequently witnessed a gradual decrease over a period of time. Around 80% of the market, with 342 drugs, was under price control in 1979. The number of drugs under DPCO decreased from 142 drugs in 1987 to 74 in 1995. Drugs with high sales and a market share of more than 50% are subjected to price regulation. These drugs are referred to as scheduled drugs. The NPPA also regulates the prices of bulk drugs. The MRP excise on medicines was levied by the Finance ministry in 2005.The objective was to increase revenue and lower prices of medicines by using fiscal deterrent on MRP. This change may have had some impact in terms of magnifying the advantage to industries located in the excise free zones. This also succeeded in attracting some small pharmaceutical firms to these zones. (Gehl Sampath 2008, Srivastava 2008). General objective and scope of price regulation in India the general objective of price regulation India is to regulate the equitable distribution and increasing supply of bulk drugs and formulations in india and making it available in india. Consequences of excessive pricingImpact of price regualation on indian drug pricing Coverage of drugs in India Prices of formulations based on scheduled bulk drugs are fixed in two ways: (i) based on applications of the manufacturers and (ii) on suo-motu basis. As per para 8 (2) of Drug (Prices Control) Order (DPCO), 1995, a manufacturer using scheduled bulk drug in his formulation is required to apply for fixation of price of formulation within 30 days of fixation of price of such bulk drug (s). Applications received in NPPA from manufacturers in Form III and importers in Form IV of DPCO are considered for price fixation.As per para 8(4), the time frame for granting price approval on formulation is 2 months from the date of receipt of the complete information from the company. 2. Pricing and Competition Issues 3. NPPA pricing methodology a. DPCO 1995 b. National Drug Pricing Policy 2002 c. National Drug Pricing Policy 2006 Director General (Investigation and Registration) Vs. Fulford India Ltd. Ishaan Labs (P) Ltd v Union of India Director General (Investigation And Registration) Vs. Parke Davis India Ltd. And Ors. MANU/MR/0039/2003, I(2004)CPJ15(MRTP) Director General (Investigation And Registration) Vs.Pfizer Ltd. MANU/MR/0008/1999 (2000)1complj405(MRTPC) Director-General (Investigation And Registration) Vs. Zandu Pharmaceutical Works Ltd. MANU/MR/0012/1994, [1994]81compcas377(NULL). Director General (Investigation And Registration) Vs Biddle Sawyer Ltd. On 11/7/2001 Director General (Investigation And Registration) Vs Infar (India) Limited On 24/8/1999 Director-General (I & R) Vs All India Organisation Of Chemists And Druggists And Ors. On 1/7/1996 Director-General (Investigation And Registration) Vs Indian Dr ugs Manufacturers Association And Anr.On 16/8/1991 Director-General (Investigation And Registration) Vs Indian Drugs Manufacturers Association And Anr. On 16/8/1991 1992 73 Compcas 663 NULL Mars Therapeutics & Chemicals Ltd. V. The Union Of India & Anr W. P. (C) 10277/2009 & Cm Appl 8853/2009 Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited V. Union Of India Union Of India & Anr. Vs. Cynamide India Ltd. & Anr. 1987 Air 1802, 1987 Scr (2) 841 4. Canadian Patented Medicine Prices Review Board Legal Framework Policies Guidelines and Procedures Submissions by Patentees on Level of Therapeutic Improvement Comparable Dosage Forms Therapeutic Class Comparison TestReasonable Relationship Test Median International Price Comparison Test Highest International Price Comparison Test International Therapeutic Class Comparison Test Application of Price Tests for New Drug Products CPI-Adjustment Methodology DIP Methodology Criteria for Commencing an Investigation â€Å"Any Market† Price Reviews Offset of Excess Revenues Updates to the Compendium of Policies, Guidelines and Procedures ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Canada (Patented Medicine Price Review Board) [1996] F. C. J. No. 1065 Shire Biochem Inc. v. Canada (Attorney General [2007] F. C. J. No. 1688 Conclusion

A Beautiful Mind: Ethical and Unethical Essay

There were several ethical and unethical instances in the film and first I will start off with the ethical. John Nash is awarded the privilege to work for Wheeler Laboratory for making up his own original idea. This is something very honorable and being part of the Wheeler Lab was something of high standards. On the same note, it was very noble of Nash’s opponent, Martin Hansen, to congratulate John Nash on winning the chance to be with the Wheeler Laboratory. The position was a very competitive spot, so when Nash won it was good sportsmanship that Hansen was content with Nash’s success. As for unethical incidents, here are the few I picked out. Martin Hansen â€Å"assumed† that John Nash was the waiter at the table. I say assumed because Hansen was playing dumb and just wanted to insult or tease Nash. Second, Dr. Nash tells his student that his ability to speak comes second to how well Nash can hear himself. This was unprofessional because of the lack of courtesy Nash lacked as a professor. The next point is unethical because it is something frowned upon in society. The way John Nash tries to be with a woman by telling her straight forwardly that he just wants sex. This is not something gentlemanly towards a woman. See more: Old Age Problem essay John Nash goes through a series of fantasies where he thinks he is involved with a secret part of the government. Nash later is captured by a psychologist and his employees. When taken to the hospital, the director lets the viewer know that Nash is diagnosed with schizophrenia. This psychological disorder makes the diagnosed generate fantasies from the mind and turn them into real life. Although the fantasies are not real to everyone else the diagnosed believes everything they see is real.

Lewin’s Leadership Styles

Psychologist Kurt Lewin developed his leadership styles framework in the 1930s, and it provided the foundation of many of the approaches that followed afterwards. He argued that there are three major leadership styles:Autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their team members, even if their input would be useful. This can be appropriate when you need to make decisions quickly, when there's no need for team input, and when team agreement isn't necessary for a successful outcome. However, this style can be demoralizing, and it can lead to high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover. Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but they include team members in the decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and people are often highly engaged in projects and decisions. As a result, team members tend to have high job satisfaction and high productivity. This is not always an effective style to use, though, when you need to make a quick decision. Laissez-faire leader s give their team members a lot of freedom in how they do their work, and how they set their deadlines.They provide support with resources and advice if needed, but otherwise they don't get involved. This autonomy can lead to high job satisfaction, but it can be damaging if team members don't manage their time well, or if they don't have the knowledge, skills, or self motivation to do their work effectively. (Laissez-faire leadership can also occur when managers don't have control over their work and their people.) Lewin's framework is popular and useful, because it encourages managers to be less autocratic than they might instinctively be.The Blake-Mouton Managerial GridThe Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid was published in 1964, and it highlights the best leadership style to use, based on your concern for your people and your concern for production/tasks.With a people-oriented leadership style, you focus on organizing, supporting, and developing your team members. This participatory st yle encourages good teamwork and creative collaboration.With task-oriented leadership, you focus on getting the job done. You define the work and the roles required, put structures in place, and plan, organize, and monitor work.According to this model, the best leadership style to use is one that has both a high concern for people and a high concern for the task – it argues that you should aim for both, rather than trying to offset one against the other. Clearly, this is an important idea!The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership ® TheoryFirst published in 1969, the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory argues that you need to use different leadership styles depending on the maturity of your team members. The model argues that with relatively immature individuals, you need a more directing approach, while with higher maturity people, you need a more participative or delegating leadership style.You can use this model in most business situations, regardless of whet her you want to build a new team or develop an existing one.Path-Goal TheoryYou may also have to think about what your team members want and need. This is where Path-Goal Theory – published in 1971 – is useful.For example, highly-capable people, who are assigned to a complex task, will need a different leadership approach from people with low ability, who are assigned to an ambiguous task. (The former will want a participative approach, while the latter need to be told what to do.)With Path-Goal Theory, you can identify the best leadership approach to use, based on your people's needs, the task that they're doing, and the environment that they're working in.Six Emotional Leadership StylesDaniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee detailed their Six Emotional Leadership Styles theory in their 2002 book, â€Å"Primal Leadership.†The theory highlights the strengths and weaknesses of six leadership styles that you can use – Visionary, Coaching, Affilia tive, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Commanding. It also shows how each style can affect the emotions of your team members.Flamholtz and Randle's Leadership Style MatrixFirst published in 2007, Flamholtz and Randle's Leadership Style Matrix shows you the best leadership style to use, based on how capable people are of working autonomously, and how creative or â€Å"programmable† the task is.The matrix is divided into four quadrants – each quadrant identifies two possible leadership styles that will be effective for a given situation, ranging from â€Å"autocratic/benevolent autocratic† to â€Å"consensus/laissez-faire.†Transformational LeadershipThese leadership style frameworks are all useful in different situations, however, in business, â€Å"transformational leadership † is often the most effective leadership style to use. (This was first published in 1978, and was then further developed in 1985.)Transformational leaders have integrity and high e motional intelligence . They motivate people with a shared vision of the future, and they communicate well. They're also typically self-aware , authentic , empathetic , and humble .Transformational leaders inspire their team members because they expect the best from everyone, and they hold themselves accountable for their actions. They set clear goals, and they have good conflict-resolution skills . This leads to high productivity and engagement.However, leadership is not a â€Å"one size fits all† thing; often, you must adapt your approach to fit the situation. This is why it's useful to develop a thorough understanding of other leadership frameworks and styles; after all,  the more approaches you're familiar with, the more flexible you can be.Specific Leadership StylesAs well as understanding the frameworks that you can use to be a more effective leader, and knowing what it takes to be a transformational leader, it's also useful to learn about more general leadership styl es, and the advantages and disadvantages of each one.Let's take a look at some other leadership styles that are interesting, but don't fit with any of the frameworks above.

Is Lebanon a Fragile State?

Introduction Middle Eastern nation states came into existence not as a result of naturally-evolving and unique historical, social, or political processes reaching a nexus of cohesion, but rather, they emerged as a manifestation of the fragility of colonial power in the region (Zweiri a. o. 2008: 4). The history of statehood in the Middle East and its establishment by colonial powers has ensured that this remains a fragile and unstable region (Zweiri a. o. 2008: 4).After the collapse of the Ottoman empire the state structure of Lebanon, for example, was instituted to ensure the protection and local hegemony of the Christian Maronites, who were backed by the French in the 1930s and 1940s (Zweiri a. o. 2008: 4). The consequences of this structuring can still be felt today (Zweiri a. o. 2008: 4). Furthermore, external actors continue to provide support – either through foreign aid or their policies – to certain select actors within fragile state systems.Such a process of â €Å"choosing sides† only causes further instability and exacerbates state fragility (Zweiri a. o. 2008: 4). In the contemporary turbulent world of globalization and ever-increasing interdependence across individuals, groups, international organizations and nation-states, the existence of weak/fragile/failed states is more and more seen as a significant concern (Iqbal & Starr 2007: 2). The media, states, and international organizations have seen such states as threats to order and stability in the international system (Iqbal & Starr 2007: 2).Failed states are seen as being associated with a range of problems: economic, social, political, and military (Iqbal & Starr 2007: 3). And they are seen as having a wide range of negative consequences for their own people, their neighbors, their regions, and the global community; â€Å"the chief reason why the world should worry about state failure is that it is contagious† (The Economist, cited in Iqbal & Starr 2007: 3). Is Lebano n a fragile state?Since her independence Lebanon has struggled in keeping up the difficult balance: a small country in a conflict zone, Christians versus Muslims, the civil war, the negative influence of big neighbor Syria, the role of the Palestinians and the refugee problem, the tension with Israel, the murder of former prime minister Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005 which put the political order of the country in great danger, the emergence of Muslim adicalism and extremism and the rise of Hezbollah, the crumbling of the Christian community and the role of the Lebanese diasporas. To answer this question the political order of Lebanon will be examined from a geo-political and internal perspective. The book Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis, is taken as starting point for this paper. It is one of the books from the ‘Middle East in Focus series’, edited by Barry Rubin. The Middle East has become simultaneously the world’s most controversial, crisis-ridden, and yet least-understood region.Taking new perspectives on the area that has undergone the most dramatic changes, the Middle East in Focus series seeks to bring the best, most accurate expertise to bear for understanding the area’s countries, issues, and problems. The resulting books are designed to be balanced, accurate, and comprehensive compendiums of both facts and analysis presented clearly for both experts and the general reader. To answer the central question, the concept of a ‘fragile state’ will first be scrutinized. In the following section the demographics of Lebanon will be reflected upon. The third section outlines the Lebanese state and political system.The fourth section takes into consideration the external influences on the country. The final section depicts the effects of these various factors on the fragility of the Lebanese political system. 1. Conceptualization and determinants of a fragile state The Failed States Index 2010 ranks Lebanon on the 34th place. With a score of 90. 9/120 the country is considered to be â€Å"in danger† (Foreign Policy 2011b). What does â€Å"state failure† actually mean? There is no agreement on what constitutes fragility and no state likes to be labeled as fragile by the international community (Iqbal & Starr: 4, see also Stewart and Brown 2010).Below a set of existing definitions or characterizations of the general phenomenon of state failure will be outlined. It is helpful to begin by looking at existing definitions within the aid community. According to the Fund for Peace â€Å"A state that is failing has several attributes. One of the most common is the loss of physical control of its territory or a monopoly on the legitimate use of force. Other attributes of state failure include the erosion of legitimate authority to make collective decisions, an inability to provide reasonable public services, and the inability to nteract with other states as a full member of the inte rnational community. The 12 social, economic, political and military indicators cover a wide range of elements of the risk of state failure, such as extensive corruption and criminal behavior, inability to collect taxes or otherwise draw on citizen support, large-scale involuntary dislocation of the population, sharp economic decline, group-based inequality, institutionalized persecution or discrimination, severe demographic pressures, brain drain, and environmental decay. States can fail at varying rates through explosion, implosion, erosion, or invasion over different time periods. (Foreign Policy 2011a). The UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) definition of fragile states focuses on service entitlements (Stewart and Brown 2005: 1-2). DfID defines fragile states as occurring â€Å"†¦ where the government cannot or will not deliver core functions to the majority of its people, including the poor. The most important functions of the state for poverty re duction are territorial control, safety and security, capacity to manage public resources, delivery of basic services, and the ability to protect and support the ways in which the poorest people sustain themselves. (DfID 2005: 7). Four broad categories of â€Å"indicative features of fragile states† were provided: state authority for safety and security; effective political power; economic management; administrative capacity to deliver services (Iqball & Starr: 4). Each was categorized in terms of â€Å"capacity† to provide them, and the â€Å"willingness† to provide them (Iqball & Starr: 4). In as much, DfID explicitly notes that it does not restrict its definition of fragility to conflict or immediate post-conflict countries (Stewart and Brown 2005: 2).Non-conflict countries which are failing to ensure service entitlements constitute fragile states under DfID’s definition; similarly, countries in conflict but which are nonetheless providing an acceptabl e level of service entitlements to the majority of the population would not constitute fragile states under DfID’s definition (Stewart and Brown 2005: 2). The definition which the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) employs, is similar but goes beyond a government’s failure to provide comprehensive services and includes the protection of the population’s human rights and security: ‘States are fragile when state tructures lack political will and/or capacity to provide the basic functions needed for poverty reduction, development and to safeguard the security and human rights of their populations’ (Stewart & Brown 2010: 9). Finally, for the World Bank ‘fragile states’ refers to â€Å"countries facing particularly severe development challenges: weak institutional capacity, poor governance, and political instability. Often these countries experience ongoing violence as the residue of past severe conflict.Ongoing ar med conflicts affect three out of four fragile states† (World Bank 2011). From this brief review, we can see that there are considerable areas of overlap in the current use of the term ‘fragile states’ within the development community, but also differences of breadth and emphasis. Here, in this paper, fragile states are to be defined as states that are failing, or at risk of failing, with respect to authority, comprehensive basic service provision, or legitimacy.Authority failures are cases where the state lacks the authority to protect its citizens from violence of various kinds; service failures are cases where the state fails to ensure that all citizens have access to basic services; legitimacy failures occur where the state lacks legitimacy (Stewart & Brown 2010: 10). 2. Demographic dilemmas One of the features that distinguish Lebanon in the region is its social composition, a spectrum of different religious minorities. (Fawaz 2009: 25). A large majority of t he 4. million Lebanese belong to one of three main sects—Sunni Muslims, Shi’a Muslims, and Maronite Christians—with Greek Orthodox, Druze, and over a dozen other groups comprising the rest (Farha 2009: 83). Demographic and political representations never fully overlapped in the course of Lebanon’s history (Farha 2009: 83). Recurrent phases of incongruity between demographic and political balances of power have been a major driving force in all cycles of conflict (Farha 2009: 83). â€Å"Lebanon’s modern history has been punctuated by periodic outbreaks of fratricidal violence, followed by political compromises that recalibrated the istribution of power and privilege among the major confessional communities† (Farha 2009:83). Let’s have a closer look at the demographics of Lebanon. In Lebanon we find higher Muslims birthrates (Farha 2009: 87). Fertility favors the Shi’a of Lebanon in particular and the Muslims in general (Raphaeli 2009: 110). However, a projection based on fertility rates, ignores the lower infant and child mortality rates among Christians, which have counterbalanced higher Muslim birthrates to some extent (Farha 2009: 87).Some doubt should always be cast on the accuracy of projected estimates with regard to the precise size of the resident population as the last census took place in 1932. Different actors present different numbers for different political reasons (Farha 2009). Emigration is a big issue; there are more Lebanese living abroad than Lebanese-born living inside the country. A disproportionately high rate of Christian emigration took place from the mid-nineteenth- through the twentieth century, particularly during and after eruptions of civil strife in 1860, 1914–1918, and 1975–1990 (Farha 2009: 86). Over 900,000 Lebanese emigrated between the outbreak of civil war in 1975 and 2001† (Farha 2009: 86). By 2006, the size of the Christian community was reduced to 3 0 percent of the total Lebanese population (Raphaeli 2009: 110). However it is said that these recent immigrants were not only Christians, but also Muslims (Farha 2009: 86). It is debated whether the Christian Lebanese people worldwide outnumber the Muslim Lebanese. Against the notion that descendants of Lebanese Christians comprise the overwhelming majority of the Lebanese in the diaspora, Farha (2009: 86) argues that emigration is equally sought By Muslims and Christians.Moreover, a 2006 study conducted by the Lebanese Emigration Research Center at NDU found that the percentage departure rates within each confession were almost equal (Farha 2009: 86). This is politically relevant as MP Nimtallah Abi Nasr hopes to expand the prospective pool of expatriate Christian voters with his campaign for a (re)naturalization of second and third-generation Lebanese abroad (Farha 2009: 87). Also â€Å"Hezbollah has actively encouraged first-generation Shi’a emigrants to register their c hildren as citizens for much the same reason (Farha 2009: 87)†.Lebanon’s current power sharing covenant is far out of step with demographic realities (Farha 2009: 88). â€Å"Even the most conservative statistical conjectures leave Lebanese Muslims significantly underrepresented in the parliament and the council of ministers, an incongruity that will grow in the years ahead† (Farha 2009: 88). A revision of the 1989 Ta’if agreement, which was the basis for ending the decades-long Lebanese civil war, and in which the Christians gave up their majority whereby granting Muslims a true partnership in the political process, has been discussed though.However, up till now we see that the Ta’if agreement is being preserved not amended. Amending the Ta’if will not serve the interests of the Christians considering the population-increase of non-Christians. In view of the growing disequilibrium between demographic and political representation in Lebanon, a recalibration of the Ta’if power-sharing formula along the lines of a tripartite division of power (muthalatha) among Christians, Sunnis, and Shi’a is all but inevitable in the coming years (Farha 2009: 90).While a tripartite division of power may not correspond precisely with Lebanon’s demographic balance, it is the closest possible approximation in the absence of a census and the only recalibration formula that could conceivably win the support of all three (Farha 2009: 90). â€Å"So long as no one sect compromises a demographic majority few Lebanese would feel themselves egregiously underrepresented by a tripartite division of power† (Farha 2009: 90).However, while proposals to this effect have circulated for over two decades a sweeping revision of the Constitution is highly unlikely in the short term (Farha 2009: 90). â€Å"Indeed, the main leaders of both March 14 and the opposition have explicitly rejected Sunni-Shi’a-Christian tripartism a s an alternative to Muslim-Christian parity—a position that perhaps has less to do with innate preferences than with the political exigencies of appealing to a deeply divided and anxious Christian community† (Farha 2009: 90).Ideally, Lebanon should of course be reconfigured on a non-confessional basis. A political system is needed which is not based on the (numerical) strength of religious communities. â€Å"Although, deconfessionalization may be a better cure for Lebanon’s ailments in principle, in practice those who hold positions of power under the sectarian system are not likely to promulgate its abrogation† (Farha 2009: 90) . 3. The dilemmas of the Lebanese political system and state 3. The state â€Å"In Lebanon there is controversy over the nature of the state, as well as over national identity† (El-Khazer 2004: 6). There is a problem of defining the boundaries of the state and, more important, of the nation (El-Khazen 2004: 6). Lebanon is a multi-communal state which raises the question of legitimacy, and, by extension, the effectiveness of the political system in situations of crisis (El-Khazen 2004: 6). We see loyalties transcending state boundaries.El-Khazen (2004: 8) argues that several, interpretations explaining the weakness of the Lebanese state, and later the causes of its collapse in the mid-1970s such as the growing imbalance between loads and capabilities on the political system, the divisive forces inherent in Lebanon’s political system, increasing socio-economic inequalities along sectarian, class and regional lines or government inefficiency, nepotism and corruption, are of limited explanatory value, as none of these problems where unique to Lebanon. While Lebanon shares broad characteristic with other heterogeneous societies, it has particular features of its own† (El-Khazen 2004: 32).First Lebanon has a large number of communities that are politically active, some of whom have distinctly co mmunal agenda’s; second, in Lebanon there is no numerically dominant group which constitutes 60 or 70 percent of the total population (furthermore, the differences in the size of the three major groups are relatively small, which limits political significance); third is the changing demographic balance in Lebanon; fourth, communal transformations in Lebanon have not reached a significant degree of maturity, moreover, in Lebanon communal development has been in constant flux and disputes have changed partly because of internal politics and partly because of the unstable regional situation which has deeply affected Lebanon; fifth, what sets Lebanon apart from other divided societies is the regional order with which it has had to interact, the Middle East in one of the most unstable regional orders in the post-Second World War international system (El-Khazen 2004: 32).Where Lebanon’s problems ultimately differ according to El-Khazen (2004: 10) is in the nature and scope o f externally-generated problems originating mainly from its regional order – specifically the Arab state system and post-1967 PLO. â€Å"Lebanon’s confessional political system (†¦) functioned relatively well for over three decades. It collapsed when it was subjected to pressure, particularly externally-generated pressure, which the system could not contain while preserving its open character and the plural nature of society† (El-Kahzen 2004:32). El-Khazen (2004: 6) suggests three phases which characterize the breakdown of the state in Lebanon: first the erosion and eventual loss of power; second, the political paralysis and power vacuum; third, the collapse of state institutions and the eruption of violence. 3. 2 The political systemEver since it attained independence from the French in 1943, Lebanon’s political system has been based on the National Charter (al-mithaq al-watani)—an unwritten but enforced pact that recognizes the division of t he country into religious communities (Raphaeli 2009: 110). According to the 1943 National Pact between sectarian leaders, the president would be a Maronite; the prime minister a Sunni; and the parliamentary speaker a Shi’a (Harris 2009: 16). The charter’s distribution of power among the various religious communities reflects the fact that in the 1940s, Christians represented 60 percent of the population and the various Muslim communities occupied the remaining 40 percent (Raphaeli 2009: 110).This was adjusted to an even split in 1989. Unstable multisectarian factions rather than ideological parties have dominated the legislature (Harris 2009: 17). The Lebanese political system has some positives to it. First, Lebanon is one of the very few Middle Eastern countries where the government arises from parliament (Harris 2009: 17). Second, the Lebanese system has been the political framework for a dynamic public pluralism unheard of anywhere else in the Arab world (Harris 2 009: 17). Even the intimidation from 1990 to 2005 by the Damascus-directed security apparatus did not destroy a freewheeling civil society and an assertive media (Harris 2009: 17).Third, the reemergence of â€Å"confessional democracy† in May 2005, with Syria’s enforced military withdrawal and the first free elections since 1972, produced a parliamentary balance close to the probable numerical weight of major political forces (Harris 2009: 17). Still, Lebanon’s political system has many deficiencies. Between 1975 and 2005, it effectively ceased to function, with 15 years of violent breakdown followed by 15 years of manipulative Syrian hegemony—a hegemony approved by the West until about 2000 (Harris 2009: 17). Even when operating, the system has never reconciled representation of communities with representation of individual citizens (Harris 2009: 17). Parliamentary deputies are elected under sectarian labels at the same time as they are constitutionally bound to act for the citizenry regardless of sect (Harris 2009: 17).The allocation of parliamentary seats has become out of line with the numerical weighting of the communities (Harris 2009: 17). Only an internationally supervised census, which no one wants, can resolve the issue (Harris 2009: 17). Every community has its demographic mythology, which they do not want punctured (Harris 2009: 17). The Shi’a community has increased from one-fifth of the population in 1932 to probably around one-third today. Even under the 1989 adjustment, it gets 27 seats out of 128 when it should have at least 40 (Harris 2009: 17). 4. Regionally powered dilemmas â€Å"The external connections of Lebanon’s communal blocs involve antagonists in Middle Eastern disputes† (Harris 2009: 10).The Maronite Catholics have longstanding relations with the west; Lebanon’s Shi’a provided religious scholars who assisted the conversion of Iranians to Twelver Shi’ism in the si xteenth century, Lebanese Sunni affinities is more with Saudi-Arabia (Harris 2009: 10). The extension of Lebanon’s differences reach[es] into the divide between Sunni Arab states and Shi’a Iran and into the standoff between the United States, France, and Saudi Arabia on one hand and Syria and Iran on the other. â€Å"In this sense, Lebanon really is the cockpit of the Middle East† (Harris 2009: 10). As we shall see it is in Syrian, Israeli and Iran’s interest to see a high degree of conflict. 4. 1 Syria Due to its geography and history, Lebanon always has to deal with Syria, whose regime had always considered it as an ‘illegitimate political entity’ that has to be dominated.According to Harris (2009: 1) â€Å"Lebanon is therefore the target of all the ambitions and phobias of the Syrian dictatorship, which cannot function as an Arab power without commanding the Lebanese†. Lebanon’s multicommunal history makes for problems of coh erence in modern Lebanese politics. â€Å"Communal suspicion—today principally on a Sunni-Shi’a fault line—produces paralysis that saps Lebanon’s viability and pluralist foundations. This is fine for a Syrian Ba’thist regime that denies there is anything significant about the Lebanese and their history, despises pluralism, and regards restored command of Lebanon as vital to its own viability as the â€Å"beating heart† of Arabism† (Harris 2009: 20). Syria and its Lebanese allies paralyzed the Lebanese state, declaring the government illegitimate, refusing to allow parliament to meet, and blocking the election of a Lebanese president after Emile Lahoud finally left office in November 2007. Syrian military intelligence manipulated so-called al-Qa’ida elements in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon—the Fath al-Islam group—to destabilize Lebanon, debilitate its army, and disrupt Lebanon’s Sunni commu nity† (Harris 2009: 19). â€Å"The problem is that the Syrian ruling clique will not leave Lebanon alone. It is determined on reassertion through its allies, and its victory will be the end of any decent Lebanon. Lebanese pluralism cannot coexist with Bashar al-Asad’s regime† (Harris 2009: 22).The 2005 murder of Rafik Hariri started a period of exceptional domestic political turbulence and regional tensions, it led to institutional paralysis (ICG 2010: i). Initially experts accused Damascus. It is assumed that it is part of a Syrian plot to destabilize the country. Officially no one knows who carried out the attack and who was behind it. What can be said is that the assassination of Hariri opened doors for many political actors to get into the Lebanese and Arab political scene. 4. 2 Israel â€Å"Throughout the relatively short history of their existence as modern states, Israel’s and Lebanon’s mutual border has proven to be largely disadvantageous to both countries† (Spyer 2009: 195).For Lebanon, Israel’s establishment was the primary cause for the eventual arrival of the Palestinian national movement to within its borders in 1970 (Spyer 2009: 195). This, in turn, was a key factor in precipitating the country’s ruinous civil war, the Israel-PLO war on Lebanese soil in 1982, the partial collapse of Lebanese sovereignty after the Syrian entry in 1990, and the partial Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon until 2000 (Spyer 2009: 195). The series of events that would lead to Israel’s involvement in Lebanon began with the Palestinian national movement in Lebanon. (Spyer 2009: 198). â€Å"Beirut became the international center of focus for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and the place of residence of its senior leadership† (Spyer 2009: 198).As a result, Lebanon became one of the theatres in which the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians would be played out (Spyer 2009:198). Civ il order broke down in Lebanon in 1975, in a civil war in which the Palestinians played a central role. Contacts between Israel and prominent Lebanese Maronite politicians had been developing since the mid-1970s against the background of the breakdown of civil order in Lebanon and the central role of the PLO in the Muslim/ leftist coalition against which the Maronites were fighting (Spyer 2009: 199). Over time, Bashir Gemayel, most prominent among anti- Syrian Maronite leaders at the time, became the main Maronite contact for the Israelis (Spyer 2009: 199). Throughout, Bashir’s purpose was to encourage Israel to intervene against the Syrian garrison forces in Lebanon† (Spyer 2009: 199). The 1982 Lebanon War was very much the brainchild of Menachem Begin, the Israeli prime minister from 1977 till 1983 and Ariel Sharon the Israeli Minister of Defense during the war (Spyer 2009: 202). An anti-Gemayel, anti-Israel, anti-U. S. , and pro-Syrian alignment was now emerging as t he key political force in the country (Spyer 2009: 203). A number of inflammatory incidents deriving from Israel’s ignorance of the sensibilities of Shi’a Muslims contributed to the deterioration of the situation (Spyer 2009: 203). In 1985 Israeli forces occupied a strip of territory in southern Lebanon.A â€Å"security zone† close to the Israeli border, which was maintained in cooperation with the SLA (Spyer 2009: 204). Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the security zone took place in 2000, thus ending the 18-year period of Israeli military involvement on Lebanese soil (Spyer 2009: 205). The Second Lebanon War which began on July 12, 2006 was one between Hezbollah and Israel. Resolution 1701, which ended the fighting, changed the situation in southern Lebanon to Israel’s advantage, in that it ended the de facto Hezbollah domination of the southern border area that had pertained since the unilateral Israeli withdrawal in May 2000 (Spyer 2009: 208 ). Israel currently has no dealings with any of the major political actors within Lebanon.However, while large-scale Israeli adventures to make alliance with political forces within Lebanon are part of the past, the weakness of the Lebanese state and central authority remain very much part of the present. One of the results of this weakness, which is itself a product of the country’s divided sectarian makeup, is its vulnerability to outside penetration, and therefore its oft-repeated, luckless fate as the launching ground for attacks by various forces (the PLO, Syria, now Iran and Hizballah) against Israel, its southern neighbor. This fact remains the core reality behind Israel’s relations with Lebanon. It is unlikely that the final word in this story has been written. 4. 3 Iran Lebanon’s Shi’a community resides in the heart of the largely Sunni Arab world and on the frontline with Israel; therefore, Lebanon’s Shi’a are of double interest to their coreligionists in revolutionary Shi’a Iran† (Harris 2009: 10). â€Å"Hezbollah was and remains a militant Khomeinist Islamist movement that adheres to Khomeini’s doctrine of velayet-e-faqih, rule by a cleric in an Islamist state. Its ties to Iran are organic, multifaceted, and complex† (Badran 2009: 47). In order to understand Hezbollah’s origins properly, one must remember that the major force pushing for its establishment was the Islamic regime in Iran, as it worked to unite the Shi’a factions and forces operating in Lebanon (Zisser 2009: 158). Iran wanted everyone to work together under the Hezbollah framework (Zisser 2009: 158).The crisis situation that developed from the early 1970s onward became the breeding ground for a process of religious radicalization (Zisser 2009: 158). In these circumstances, Musa al-Sadr, a religious figure of Iranian origin, appeared and gained a position of great influence and power in the Shi’a community (Zisser 2009: 158). Hezbollah’s dilemma has to do with its identity, which contains a tension built into its very origins and being (Zisser 2009: 156). How is this tension—between the organization’s Lebanese-Shi’a identity on the one hand and its Islamic-revolutionary identity, its commitments to Iran, and its conception of the holy jihad on the other—to be resolved? The balance ow seems to be turning in favor of the Islamic-revolutionary identity, which also means turning in favor of Tehran (Zisser 2009: 156). There is no doubt that the war and its aftermath revealed as never before, and against the desire and interests of Hezbollah, the fact that the organization is the handiwork of Tehran, if not simply its instrument. Hezbollah has also been exposed as an organization dedicated to and active in achieving radical and far-reaching aims (Zisser 2009: 156-157). Its aim in the short term is to gain dominance over Lebanon and in the long te rm to turn that country into a Shi’a-dominated state ruled by Islamic law and closely linked to Iran (Zisser 2009: 157).From the mid- 1980s the organization began (with generous Iranian help) to establish a network of social and welfare services that would draw the support of the Shi’a community and provide it with an alternative to the services provided by the Lebanese state, or, to be more precise, to the benefits and aid the state should have provided for this population and did not (Zisser 2009: 159). With the build-up of this social infrastructure, the movement contributed to undermining the position of the Lebanese government. By the end of the 1980s the Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah grew in popularity as a force combining opposition to Israeli occupation with a wider Shi’a Islamist ideology implacably opposed to Israel’s existence and to the West (Sper 2009: 204).Hezbollah’s advance to the international boundary in southern Lebanon made it eve n more useful to its Iranian and Syrian patrons as a deterrent force in case of threats from Israel or the United States. It seemed to have it within its power to take over Lebanon—or at least those parts of the country inhabited by Shi’a—and to establish an Islamic order there on the Iranian model (Harris 2009: 71). As a result of the Iranian-Syrian agreement after the Ta’if Accord ended the Lebanese war, Hezbollah was the only militia to be excluded from handing over its weapons under the pretext that it was a â€Å"resistance movement† fighting Israeli occupation rather than a militia (Badran 2009: 47). This was a big mistake as it induces fragility.Since the Israeli withdrawal in 2000 and more so after the Syrian withdrawal in 2005, the fate of Hezbollah’s armed status (which has grown massively and developed doctrinally, ironically, after the Israeli withdrawal) is the central issue in Lebanon today (Badran 2009: 47). Hezbollah had pres ented itself as the â€Å"defender of Lebanon† but proved to be its ruination since it brought so much destruction down upon the heads of its people (Zisser 2009: 166). After the 2006 war Hezbollah had difficulty maintaining the ambiguity about its identity (Zisser 2009: 166). In particular, the contrasts and contradictions between the organization’s Lebanese identity and its loyalty to Iran, on the one hand, and its Islamic-revolutionary identity with its commitments to Iran, on the other, were exposed (Zisser 2009: 173).Hezbollah had tried to bridge or obscure these troublesome conflicting elements over the years (Zisser 2009: 173). Yet in the moment of truth it became clear that it was not prepared to renounce its partially hidden agenda—that is, its loyalty to Iran and the ideas of radical Islam and jihad (Zisser 2009: 173). Hezbollah was now perceived more and more as a Shi’a organization serving the interests of Iran, as well as being an organizatio n sinking deeper and deeper into the quicksand of Lebanese politics (Zisser 2009: 166). It dragged Lebanon into a bloody battle with Israel, whose price was paid, first and foremost, by the Shi’a of Lebanon but also by many other Lebanese from other ethnic communities (Zisser 2009: 173).It seems that the organization, inspired and helped by Iran, its ally and patron, is more committed than ever to continue the long and unremitting struggle it began when it was first established in the early 1980s, with the ultimate aim of taking power in Lebanon (Zisser 2009: 174). The possibility that Hezbollah might succeed in its mission has become more realistic, thanks to the demographic processes taking place in Lebanon. Hezbollah is therefore a major destabilizing factor (Zisser 2009: 175). 5. Lebanon: a conflict-affected fragile state When Lebanon gained independence in 1941, the country found itself at a loss without the French hierarchy to maintain internal control and order. A new class of political elites, with little experience, was forced to discover ways to deal with the diversity of Lebanese society. It was with this in mind that the National Pact of 1943 was crafted.The Pact was based on the census of 1932, and sought to address divisions among the Lebanese, but in the end, it would only serve to deepen them. In the years after the Arab-Israeli War, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict landed on Lebanon’s doorstep with the arrival of Palestinian commandos. Many Palestinian refugees, as well as militants, settled in camps in southern Lebanon, the legacy of which continues to influence Lebanese society. The migration of Shi’a to the capital, which was triggered by Israeli raids, heightened the already volatile mix of interests within the Lebanese political sphere. Ignored throughout the mandate years, the introduction of the confessional system saw the Shi’a fight for an equal voice alongside the Sunnis, Druze, and Maronites.As Lebanese s ociety became increasingly divided, individual sectarian groups began to arm themselves militarily through their own militia organizations. Today, these militias still play a key role within the Lebanese security sphere. Ultimately, the Palestinian presence within Lebanon acted as a trigger to the outbreak of civil war among all Lebanese factions. Although Palestinian militants were the original cause of the war, it was sectarian interest and division that sustained the conflict well into the following decade. The ceasefire agreement reached by Syria and the PLO in 1976 sealed Syrian dominance within Lebanon and has had a lasting impact on the country well into the early 2000s.Nonetheless, the agreement did little to improve sectarian division and militia violence on the ground. The decades following the 1982 Israeli War continued to be marred by sectarian conflict and an international tug of war for Lebanon. Tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli border have continued well into the pr esent day, in light of suspicions that Hezbollah is rearming for any future conflict. Ultimately, the greatest consequence of the summer war can be understood in terms of power within Lebanon. Indeed, the summer 2006 war marked the advent of power for Hezbollah, both within Lebanon and throughout the region. Considering it is a non-state actor, and that Lebanese President Fouad Siniora was in power, Hezbollah acted with state authority.This conflict reopened old wounds within Lebanese society, seeing as Hezbollah feels vindicated by the 2006 conflict and now seeks full recognition of its power. Moreover, state fragility is further deepened in a context where conflict has led to the intervention of external actors, each of whom have chosen sides in a dispute whose political and strategic consequences extend well beyond Lebanon. The current dynamics of fragile state security in Lebanon are not being dictated by Lebanese interests, but rather by the broader external policy aims of fore ign parties such as Syria, Israel, and Iran. This situation is particularly problematic for the prospects of long-term and lasting stability within Lebanon.Although sectarian politics have been an influential reality since Lebanon became a fully independent state in 1941, they have taken on a new shape in an environment defined by the post 9/11 context and by three main evolutions, namely the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese President Rafik Hariri, the 2005 withdrawal of Syrian military forces, and Hezbollah’s rise to power in Lebanon. Conclusion The central question throughout this paper has been whether Lebanon is a fragile state or not. The precarious political order of Lebanon has illustrated the distinctiveness of the country. Although colonial rule is not unique to the Lebanon, its colonial past, combined with the evolution of politics, economics, and society in the region, as well as the role played by external actors, molds a very specific set of circumstances vi s-a-vis state security that translates into an expression of fragile state security very specific to the region. The Lebanese State has always been weak.Politicians have generally sought to serve interests of their constituencies instead of the national interest. This factor has its roots in the National Pact that limited the authority of the state to maximize the autonomy of sectarian groups. As a result, Lebanese citizens feel loyalty towards their community instead of towards the country. Lebanon’s political system erodes the authority of the state by fuelling clientelism. Foreign protection of or influence on each community further undermines this authority. Moreover, Lebanon’s political system makes the state vulnerable to any stifled sense of frustration or injustice or dispossession felt by any community. Consequently, patronage networks swiftly re-emerged.In all, Lebanon’s political system is based upon the principle that the State should interfere in so ciety as little as possible. The resulting weakness of state institutions has made Lebanon vulnerable to infringements of its domestic, interdependence and sovereignty. The rise of Hezbollah has made this clear. In section 1, fragile states were defined as states that are failing, or at risk of failing, with respect to authority, comprehensive basic service provision, or legitimacy. In conclusion, in this sense, Lebanon â€Å"passed† on all three domains. Lebanon fails to protect its citizens as there is significant organized political violence; civil war’s.Also there is periodic political or communal violence causing deaths and destruction. Although the authority of the state is being undermined, it does not go as far as to say that the state authority (at present) does not extend to a significant proportion of the country. Hezbollah made sure to illustrate the inadequate delivery of services by the state. Also, in Lebanon the question of legitimacy is raised, inheren t in being a multi-communal state. â€Å"Lebanon, from all observable indicators, embodies the phenomenon of schism in the political and cultural realms (†¦) it is a society without foundation, fragile, divided, disjointed and torn† (Dr.Khalaf, cited in Raphaeli 2009: 109). Bibliography – Badran, T. (2009) ‘Lebanon’s militia wars’, in: Rubin (ed), Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 35-62. – DfID (2005) Why we need to work more effectively in fragile states . Department for International Development. – El-Khazen, F. (2000) The breakdown of the state in Lebanon, 1967-76. London : I. B. Tauris & Co Ltd – Farha, M. (2009) ‘Demographic Dilemma’s’, in: B. Rubin (ed), Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 83-99. – Foreign Policy (2011a) FAQ & Methodology, Foreign policy. Online at: http://www. foreignpolicy. om/articles/2009/06/22/200 9_failed_states_index_faq_methodology(retrieved 28 February 2011). – Foreign Policy (2011b) The Failed States Index 2010, Foreign policy. Online at: http://www. foreignpolicy. com/articles/2010/06/21/2010_failed_states_index_interactive_map_and_rankings (retrieved 28 February 2011). – Harris, W. (2009) ‘Lebanon’s Roller Coaster Ride’, in: B. Rubin (ed), Lebanon: Liberation, Conflict and Crisis. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 63-82. – ICG (2010) Lebanon’s Politics: The Sunni Community and Hariri’s Future Current, Middle East Report, N °96. – Iqbal, Z. and H. Starr (2007) State Failure: Conceptualization and Determinants. Working paper, University of South