Case study biomedical science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case study biomedical science - Essay Example He was required to undergo splenectomy and surgical repair to the liver, lungs, and kidneys. A septic shock is defined as a continuum response of human being to infection. It is predominantly caused by gram negative organisms. The most common source of gram negative infection is the genitourinary system, followed by the respiratory system, and lastly, by the biliary system (Schwatz 1994). Plasma sodium concentration is the primary measurement that is available readily to the clinician in evaluating the fluid status of a patient. Under many conditions, it is a reasonable indicator of plasma osmolarity. Although plasma osmolarity is not measured routinely due to sodium and its associated anions that is mainly chloride, it accounts for more than 90% of the solute of extracellular fluid. Hypernatremia is a condition when the plasma sodium concentration is above normal. On the other hand, hyponatremia occurs when the plasma sodium concentration falls below normal level (Guyton and Hall 1996:308). This patient has hyponatremia (plasma sodium concentration of 132mmol/L) that is caused primarily by trauma and volume depletion. In addition, the high amount of potassium in the blood of the patient (6.8mmol/L) is linked significantly with renal dysfunction and haemolytic anaemia. The renal dysfunction could be from severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance secondary to septic shock. Blood urea is an indicator of renal function. Increased urea concentration exhibited by the patient (10mmol/L) is due to enhanced protein metabolism, a normal reaction of trauma injury, stress, haemorrhage in the gastrointestinal tract, and sepsis (RNCeus 2006). Creatinine clearance is a test that gives an estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and is a good indicator of renal function. Increased blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels support the diagnosis of septic shock (Health Diseases 2008). Plasma bilirubin measures

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for Dulux Essay

Integrated Marketing Communications Plan for Dulux - Essay Example are now splashing on colour and comfort since they have ceased the practice of periodically selling their houses where the estate agent’s notion of neutrality ruled the day. Most houses were previously painted white in UK to show neutrality. Just 3% of homeowners like white according to new research from Dulux (Sunday Telegraph 2008). Due to the unfavourable conditions in the property market as a result of the crunch, most homeowners may not afford to move to new places (Sunday Telegraph 2008).. These may need to redecorate their homes as a way of trying to revive interest and give a new feeling to the place. So basically, Dulux is targeting homeowners who have no immediate intention to move out as well as those who need to spruce up the image of their homes to look a bit more attractive. The old consumers who would continue staying where they have been staying constitute the potential market for Dulux. These consumers are likely to redecorate their homes at a lower cost as they wish to spend less in a bid to revive interest in their old places. Even some home owners would want to change colours as a way of moving away from the traditional white colour which previously dominated most homes as outlined above. With Dulux’s paint mixing service at their disposal, these home owners might wish to take advantage of it to improve the appearance of their surroundings rather than stick to the ‘sellable’ creams at the market. Obviously these people would go for a service that specifically meets their requirements at a lower or no cost than spending large sums of money on the same service. Integrated marketing communication is primarily concerned with the strategic coordination of roles of a variety of communication disciplines such as advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations, sponsorship (Cant 2000). Mass techniques like advertising, sponsorship and publicity for instance, can be effectively used as communication

Universalism and Relativism in Human Rights

Universalism and Relativism in Human Rights One of the most pertinent issues of the past twenty years has been the conflict between two different ideologies of human rights on a national scale, universalism, and cultural relativism. Universalism holds that more primitive cultures will eventually evolve to have the same system of law and rights as Western cultures. Cultural relativists hold an opposite, but similarly rigid viewpoint, that a traditional culture is unchangeable. Much like the question whether a tolerant society should tolerate intolerance, the debate between universalism and cultural relativism is more convoluted than it appears. In universalism, an individual is a social unit, possessing inalienable rights, and driven by the pursuit of self interest. In the cultural relativist model, a community is the basic social unit. Concepts such as individualism, freedom of choice, and equality are absent. It is recognized that the community always comes first. This doctrine has been exploited by many states, which decry any impositions of western rights as cultural imperialism. These states ignore that they have adopted the western nation state, and the goal of modernization and economic prosperity. Cultural relativism is in itself a very arbitrary idea, cultures are rarely unified in their viewpoints on different issues, it is always those who hold the microphone [that] do not agree (http://www.aasianst.org/Viewpoints/Nathan.htm). This discourse begs the question that in precisely what way are human rights Western. And even if they were Western in 1948, are they still Western today? Cultural relativism continues to problematize the Universal Declaration of Human Rights since it was adopted in 1948 . In fact, the problem of what universality might mean in a multicultural world haunted the United Nations Human Rights project from the beginning. As soon as news of the project became known, the American Anthropological Association, through the groups executive board, warned the Human Rights Commission through a letter against drafting a statement of rights only in terms of the values prevalent in the countries of Western Europe and America. However, while the anthropologists working from within a framework of cultural relativism issued a warning, the UNESCO Committee on the The Theoretical Bases of Human Rights offered hope by pointing out that even people who seem to be far apart in theory can agree that certain things are so terrible in practice that no one will publicly approve them and that certain things are so good in practice that no one will publicly oppose them. Whenever one group denies rights to another group within a culture, it is usually for their own benefit. Therefore human rights cannot be truly universal unless they are not bound to cultural decisions that are often not made unanimously, and thus cannot represent every individual that these rights apply to. Even though cultural relativism has great problems and a potential for abuse, universalism in its current state is not the ideal solution. Universalism is used by many Western states to negate the validity of more traditional systems of law. For example, if a tribe in Africa is ruled by a chieftain and advised by the twelve most senior villagers, is this system any less representative than the more liberal societies of the West? Is it possible to impose a universal system of human rights if the effects of social change stemming from modernization are not understood or worse yet, ignored? In non-Western societies, industrialization, capitalism, and democracy might not have been the eventual outcome of the process of cultural evolution. These ideologies have been shaped and created by Western imperialism, the slave trade, colonialism, modernization, and consumerism. Todays world shows signs of positive progress towards the universal system of human rights. The declaration of human rights occurred immediately after the atrocities committed during WWII. The globalization of human rights began when the world was awakened to the crimes committed under one government (Hitler), and the need for a more universal system of accountability and responsibility. Through a forum such as the United Nations, cultural differences are better able to be resolved, thereby paving the way for universalism while at the same time recognizing and compromising on the needs of certain cultures. The recent adoption of the International criminal court in June 1998 is an important step in enforcing and promoting the values agreed upon by the member nations. As the world becomes a smaller place with the advent of globalization, universalism makes more sense as a philosophy of human rights. In a world where many people might not be governed by national borders, having fundamen tal human rights instead of ones bound to certain cultures provides the best solution. The question of Westernness versus the universality of human rights remained a live issue throughout the process that led to the framing of the UDHR. In the 1950s the UDHR came under criticism as being Western at the hands of the newly independent states of Asia and Africa. And in the heat of the Cold War, its perceived emphasis on political and civil rights also allowed the countries of the Soviet Bloc to skewer it as such, with the Third World looking on in wonder if the white mans burden was being explouted once again to secure the white mans gain. In 1996, Prime Minister Mohammad Mahathir of Singapore famously declared: Asian values are universal values. European values are European values. (p. xi): Kishore Madhubani writes that any Asian thinker who challenged the prevailing Western ideas in contemporary social and political theory must be advocating the superiority of Asian values. Actually, the only point that most Asians were trying to make was that Asian values were not inferior. They were trying to say that there was a need for a level playing field in the new intellectual debate of the 1990s. With the advantage of historical hindsight, we can now look at those years and see that Asians were not marching out in that period to proselytize to the West, They are only reacting to Western proselytization. The Boston Sunday Globe on 29th April 2001 carried a spread entitled the BIG IDEA followed by the title: Are Human Rights Universal? Or is the West imposing its philosophy on the Rest of the World. It also carried two pieces elaborating divergent perspectives, one by Makau Mutua and the other by John Shattuck, Boston Sunday Globe, 29 April 2001, p. D8. Perhaps it is the intuition of Makau Mutua on this point which finds fuller expression in the following remarks by Upendra Baxi : The more human rights are hailed as the patrimony of the West, the greated is the inclination in most Euroamerican societies towards world hegemony. Also keener, as a result, is the intergovernmental desire in some non-Euroamerican societies to reject the underlying aspiration affirming equal worth of all human beings. not merely repressive regimes but also progressive intellectuals in these societies remain ambivalent towards contemporary human enunciations. And (as Chapter 6 illustrates) progressive Eurocentrism inclines us all towards a postmodernist crtitique of notions of human rights. Authentic intercultural, or even inter-faith, dialogue remains a casualty of warped approaches to histories of human rights ideas and practices. (p. vi of The Future of Human Rights): The principal msg of this work is that the originary authors of human rights are people in struggle and communities of resistance, which standard scholarship demotes to a lowly status Once claims to authorship stand thus pluralized, it follows simply that human rights are not the gifts of the West to the Rest; the dominant discourse is diversionary when it locates the origins of human rights in the Euroamerican tradition and experience and when it pursues endless debates over universality and relativism of human rights. (p. xiv): There is no unified Asian view in human rights and freedom of the press. These are Western concepts. Asians are obliged to react to them An understanding of the Asian reactions is clouded by the fact that many Asians feel obliged to pay at least lip service to Western values. The universalist theory of Human Rights is indeed largely based on Western philosophy and the value it places on the individual. Product of Greek philosophy, Christianity and the Enlightenment thinkers, the universalist approach to Human Rights contends that one can use nature, God, or reason to identify basic rights, inherent to every human, which pre-exist society. Jack Donnelly best summarizes the contemporary doctrine of the universalist approach by putting forward the following conclusions: 1. All humans have rights by virtue of their humanity; 2. A persons rights cannot be conditioned by gender or national or ethnic origin; 3. Human Rights exist universally as the highest moral rights, so no rights can be subordinated to another person (e.g. a husband) or an institution (e.g. the state) By contrast, cultural relativism is based on the idea that there are no objective standards by which others can be judged. The debate between universalism and relativism is as old as the history of philosophy itself and its discussion of truth. Relativism was introduced by, among others, the sophist Protagoras. He rejected objective truth by saying in so many words, later quoted by Plato: The way things appear to me, in that way they exist for me and the way things appear to you, in that way they exist for you. It is a perfect reflection of the European Enlightenment: Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau are its spiritual founding fathers. Indeed the Covenant insists on negative rights, those that limit the role of government and prevent its intrusion in ones life, privacy, and freedom of speech, religion, opinion and association. Political liberalism thus defined has been the force underlying the US Constitution and the US Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and the French Constitution. It is also the emphasis of the International Human Rights legislation and thus legitimizes the efforts by the West to spread-some say impose-Western models of democracy. This is a first level of contention brought forward by cultural relativism proponents. To limit the role of government and its treatment of nationals is an interference with domestic affairs and a violation of state sovereignty, which for most of them is newly acquired and still fragile. The debate in very simple terms could read as follows: As soon as we (usually Third World countries) are granted independence and sovereignty, you (the West) introduce Human Rights and your style of government as a limit or as a condition. Indeed, the old mission civilisatrice is now replaced by the spread of multiparty democracy. Christianization, civilization, democratization: the rhetoric has changed, the interference has not. Furthermore, there is still the underlying concept that Western culture, because it legitimizes itself behind its pretension to universality, also positions itself as superior to non-western culture. Universalism becomes Westernization. A question remains, if it is westernization, then westernization for what purpose? Once again we need to look back at the history of political liberalism and its expression in the modern Human Rights doctrine. Locke cannot be separated from Adam Smith. Central to a western definition of fundamental freedoms is the right to property. Economic liberalism and political liberalism are brothers and in Western philosophy they are Siamese twins. The freedom to vote is often translated in the freedom to consume and/or the freedom to invest. It is very important that one billion Chinese be free to vote and express their opinion as long as they also choose to buy Motorolas and Marlboros. The link between Western-defined Human Rights and globalization of the economies explains the virulence of the West on the issues of fundamental freedoms. In other terms, critics agree that the universalist discourse barely hides a Western attempt to give a moral legitimization to an economic agenda. The ultimate contradiction lies in the fact that political liberalism has supported the same economic liberalism that has legitimized, for example, the Structural Adjustment Programs of the IMF. The SAPs in turn have been the catalyst for the curtailment of political freedoms and human rights in many developing countries. That the universal Human Rights discourse can disguise a hidden agenda is certainly undeniable. But does this mean by contrast that the cultural relativist discourse is agenda-free? Lets place it under scrutiny. The first level of criticism of the use of cultural relativism as an exception to universal norms, lies in the fact that bringing forward culture at a given time is to fundamentally ignore the dynamic and fluid nature of culture. Cultural relativism adopts a static definition of culture: a snapshot of a group of people and their system of meaning at a given time with the underlying assumption that they will not change. It introduces in the paradigm an element of determinism that has no factual or historical relevance. Static definitions of culture also lead to such statement as traditional ancestral ethnic hatred, which explain conflict in terms of culture, obliterating in the process all other determining parameters such as political economy. However, cultural relativisms most fundamental weakness in the work towards Human Rights lies in the conflict of interest between the people who articulate the argument and those they represent. More often than not, cultural relativism is claimed by repressive regimes whose practices have nothing to do with local or indigenous cultures but more with their own self-preservation.4 Cultural policymakers are those who can speak for the group and articulate the group values to the outside world. Such spokesmen are likely to only stress the elements insuring their position. This is especially important in multi-ethnic or multi-cultural states where not only would it be difficult to establish a national identity based on cultural values but also where one group dominates the others at best, blatantly discriminates at worst. Would someone attempt to define what is the culture in Bosnia-Herzegovina? Or in Rwanda? Culture is a construct much more so than a reality and people can always find di fferent levels of allegiance. Indeed, one critique of cultural relativism is that it leads to fragmentation. Cultural relativism as a tool is a legitimization of a behavior designed to preserve a structure of powers. In a study on Iranian women, Karen Miller illustrates that in rejecting the aspirational character if universalism, relativism merely perpetuates traditional practice. Miller insists notably on the fact that generally women have not taken a large part in determining the culture because traditionally, male activities have set the standards. In fact, violence against women seems to be common in many cultures.5 IV. Reconcilability of the Two Approaches. Neither universalism nor cultural relativism is exempt of political manipulations. Does that mean that neither view carries some validity? Furthermore, if they each carry some validity, are they mutually exclusive? To answer the first question by the affirmative-neither is valid, Human Rights paradigms are tools, therefore they do not have intrinsic values-would be reducing critical thinking to syllogism. Letas more importantly see if both notions can and should be reconciled in theory and in practice. That there exist profound differences of perceptions among cultures or groups of people according to their history, language, and economic circumstances might be true. Does that mean that there exist among them no common points? Not necessarily. It is actually quite remarkable to do a comparative textual analysis between Confucius and Locke and to see how both at different times, insist on the centrality of the concept of Humanity in defining individuals.6 4 Donnelly, Jack. 5 Miller, K. Human Rights of Women in Iran: the Universalist Approach and the Relativist Response. http://www.law.emory.edu/EILR/volumes/win96/miller.html 6 Nicoll, N. Confucianism and Human Rights, unpublished paper. Secondly, disagreeing with the content of what is now presented as universal does not have to mean that there are no values or norms universally agreed upon. Western values may not be universal but it does not mean that universal values do not exist. This leads us to a level of conciliation that would embody a true cross-cultural search of what can be universally agreed upon. Universal standards should be the goals while cultural legitimacy would offer a method. This would be made that much more relevant if those defining the culture were not those in power. The search of commonalties would (in theory) bypass the structures of power. It could forge a necessary dialectic between external attempts to build a universal system and the internal assistance of various civil societies. V. The Obstacle of Law It is precisely at this juncture that we see how the debate between universalism and relativism has contributed to perpetuate a situation that has actually hindered, more than benefited, the cause of Human Rights. The defense of Human Rights has been presented as a legal endeavor among state actors. The debate is essentially a legal debate when texts of international law are being drafted. Discussions then follow on what understanding to give to the term degrading treatment or what reservations can a domestic legislation make in the name of religion, culture or constitution (in the case of the US). The debate concentrates on the content of the legislation or its interpretation or application in domestic law, never on the means itself: the fact that there is an over reliance on law to address Human Rights issues. Actually if there is a western influence, it is to be found in that domain. Law as an absolute value is permeating the international realm. In international law nation-states are both creators and parties. In Human Rights, like in any other domain, states are not going to create universal or local structures that bypass their level of control. The western idea that a good litigation can solve all problems is also present in Human Rights doctrine. The fact is that the Human Rights legislation, which by nature of the international system lacks serious mechanism of enforcement, has acted as a smokescreen and has often diverted efforts and resources from other venues. Victory is claimed when a given country finally adopts an international treaty or adequately adapts its dom estic law, i.e. China signs the ICCPR or Kenya outlaws female circumcision. Efforts can then stop or more realistically, MFN status can be renewed. The issue of course is that most people whose rights are violated do not have equal access to the law-especially true for women in many countries. What difference would a change in the legislation make when you cannot drive or go to an urban center, or for that matter, even read? In addition, the nature itself of the existing legislation on Human Rights has indeed under western influence, favored such rights as privacy and property. The legislation has erected a wall between the public sphere and the private sphere to better protect those rights. This has been ultimately catastrophic for womens rights for most violations of women happen in the private sphere. This is really a domain where one can witness how both theories, universalism and relativism, have had a negative impact by creating a double standard. Men readily accepting western norms of respect for privacy and property and women made to bare the brunt of cultural authenticity within a private sphere made untouchable by virtue of respect for fundamental freedoms. Conclusion The debate between universalism and relativism should be a non-issue. Universal goals and cultural sensitivities can be reconciled in the establishment of realistic strategies. However the debate in its present form contributes to divert attention from more important issues. Is International Law, made by states, the right venue to improve human rights? The effective protection of Human Rights requires a transformation not only of government and laws but of the non-state institutions and practices that the present Human Rights doctrine-universal or relative-does not touch.

Reading :: essays research papers

For as long as I can remember, I've loved to read: short stories, fiction, nonfiction sometimes, even philosophy if nothing else were available. This term I've been given more reading assignments than I can ever remember having to deal with. This term has been extra special because we studied no less than three types of literature: short stories, poetry, and drama. While I was in high school, a short story was a book with less than three hundred pages. This term I learned that even though a short story may be only a few pages long, there are chapters of interpretation, ambiguity, and symbolism to understand. In "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, I found a story teeming with so much symbolism that I had to read the story twice before I understood half of it. In "Araby" by James Joyce, I learned to look deeper than just the surface of the original wording to find new meanings to the story. Poetry, on the other hand, has been like a curse to me. I felt as if I were out of my depth when forced to read it. I could read the words, but comprehension was beyond me. Then, just last week I discovered poetry is indeed a foreign language. "I've always picked up languages easily," I thought. I then knew that all I had to do was translate the dead language of poetry into terms I could understand, then, with a blinding flash, comprehension dawned. E.E. Cummings is really just a dirty old man. Carlos Williams is a political activist, and Dylan Thomas is incredibly grief stricken about the loss of some loved one. The emotions of the poems were almost too overwhelming to deal with. Once I was told that as we evolve, so to does our language. I thought my teacher had been in the sun too long when she told me that. But when I started reading works by William Shakespear, I found just how right she was. The writings of Shakespear also have the added benefit of being like poetry. For me drama is tedious, boring, and too hard to keep track of.

Comparison of ‘Bayonet Charge’ and ‘Belfast Confetti’ Essay

Both ‘Belfast Confetti’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’ present individuals caught up in conflicts. However, the speaker in ‘Belfast Confetti’ is a civilian whereas ‘Bayonet Charge’ the subject is a soldier who has chosen to go to war. Carson is writing about a topic he knows well as he is an Irish poet living during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Hughes is imagining what it must have been like for a soldier in World War One. The speaker in ‘Belfast Confetti’ is right in the middle of the action – ‘Suddenly as the riot squad moved in†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and is caught up in the streets of Belfast during a bomb scare. He is panicking because he cannot escape the ‘labyrinth’ of the streets although he knows them very well. Calling the streets a ‘labyrinth’ is a metaphor which shows the confusion and panic he feels as a labyrinth is something you cannot get out of. Carson uses punctuation as a metaphor for the riot squad itself as they block the streets and stop the speaker escaping: ‘blocked with stops and colons’. This is effective because punctuation is used to control and give order to a sentence and this is what the riot squad are trying to do in the chaos of the city. Carson also uses punctuation as a metaphor for shrapnel, saying that it is ‘raining exclamation marks’ which is the metal objects the IRA would pack into their homemade bombs. This is effective because exclamation marks look a bit like lethal weapons because they are thin and sharp like a tomahawk. The speaker feels trapped not only by the riot itself but he is trapped in the political situation of the time. The two sides were trying to resolve conflict but couldn’t find a way to communicate without returning to violence. So Carson using language and punctuation to represent the conflict is effective. He struggles to communicate: ‘I was trying to complete a sentence in my head, but it kept stuttering’. This metaphor gets across the sound of gunfire and the speaker’s struggle to express and communicate the chaos of the situation. It could even be a metaphor for the Troubles themselves. In the same way as Carson, Hughes lands the reader right in the middle of the  action, beginning the poem with ‘Suddenly†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ which creates the same blunt, startled effect that the soldier himself must have felt as he began his bayonet charge. By keeping the soldier anonymous, Hughes makes it seem as if this experience was universal among soldiers who fought in the First World War. He was not a soldier poet himself, unlike Owen, so the powerful images he uses conjure up the energy and physicality and terror the soldier feels. The simile ‘sweating like molten iron from the centre of his chest’ describes vividly the heat and intensity of pounding through ‘shot slashed furrows’ charging at the enemy and facing death. Ironically, any bullet which may kill the soldier would also cut through his flesh but from outside his body, so this ‘molten iron’ coming from his insides creates an awkward parallel which makes us think of the death he is facing. Both poets use enjambed lines, but Carson’s poem is more chaotic and stuttering because of the caesuras in it, whereas Hughes’s is more fluid. Carson breaks up his lines and has a mixture of short and long lines because they represent the streets being blocked as he tries to get down them. Although Hughes uses caesuras too, the effect is different. Because Carson is using punctuation as a metaphor you notice it more and it is more powerful, whereas in Hughes’s poem the caesuras make it more narrative. Also, the caesuras in Hughes’s poem are disguised because the stanzas a re more regular. Neither of the poems use any rhyme. Rhyme can sometimes suggest harmony as the sounds match, but Carson is trying to stress the division in the city and the blunt, aggressive and violent events. In Hughes’s poem the lack of rhyme is perhaps because the man has just ‘jumped up’ and is running in a bewildered way, so again, rhyming would be too neat and ordered to effectively convey this chaotic and panicked experience.

Dang It’s Him Essay

Hassan considers Amir as his friends, but in Amir’s eyes he is more than a servant, except he couldn’t accept him as a friend. Amir is unable to accept Hassan as a friend because he is a Hazara and in his mind, due to peer pressure, he considers Hazaras to be lower in status than he is. Amir constantly tests Hassan’s loyalty because he is jealous of Hassan’s loyalty and therefore wants him to slip up. Amir is jealous that he doesn’t treat Hassan with the trust of a friend that Hassan gives him, so he wants Hassan to slip up so he can feel like they’re equal. He resents Hassan because of the love that Baba gives him and how he never forgets Hassan’s birthday. His Baba always compares Hassan and him consequently his Baba would mention that he is more proud of Hassan than Amir. We begin to understand early in the novel that Amir is constantly vying for Baba’s attention and often feels like an outsider in his father’s life, as seen in the following passage: â€Å"He’d close the door, leave me to wonder why it was always grown-ups time with him. I’d sit by the door, knees drawn to my chest. Sometimes I sat there for an hour, sometimes two, listening to their laughter, their chatter. † Discuss Amir’s relationship with Baba. After hearing Amir’s story, Hassan asks, â€Å"Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to feel sad to shed tears? Couldn’t he have just smelled an onion? † How does this story epitomize the difference in character between Hassan and Amir? Refer to the beginning of Chapter 4. How might Baba’s treatment of Ali have influenced Amir’s understanding of how to treat Hassan? What moral lessons does Baba convey to Amir, and are any of them contradictory? 1. After Amir wins the kite running tournament, his relationship with Baba undergoes significant change. However, while they form a bond of friendship, Amir is still unhappy. What causes this unhappiness and how has Baba contributed to Amir’s state of mind? Eventually, the relationship between the two returns to the way it was before the tournament, and Amir laments â€Å"we actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo could somehow close the chasm between us† (93). Discuss the significance of this passage. 2. As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which a sheep must be sacrificed, he talks about seeing the sheep’s eyes moments before its death. â€Å"I don’t know why I watch this yearly ritual in our backyard; my nightmares persist long after the bloodstains on the grass have faded. But I always watch, I watch because of that look of acceptance in the animal’s eyes. Absurdly, I imagine the animal understands. I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise is for a higher purpose† (82). Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses Hassan’s tragedy in the alleyway? Why does Amir respond the way that he does? 3. What role does Rahim Khan play in Amir’s life? What are the requirements for a true friendship? How can a friendship be damaged? Make sure to refer to a specific example from your experience AND a specific example from The Kite Runner.

CHAPTER 30 Essays - United States, Conservatism In The United States

CHAPTER 30 Essays - United States, Conservatism In The United States CHAPTER 30 UNCERTAIN TIMES, 1974 - 1992 Chapter Outline I.Searching for Direction, 1974-1980 A.A Faltering Economy B.Welfare and Energy Initiatives C.Negotiation and Confrontation in Foreign Policy D.The New Right II.The Reagan Revolution, 1981-1992 A.The Election of 1980 B.Supply-Side Economics C.Curtailing Unions, Regulations, and Welfare D.Reagan to Bush III.Renewing and Ending the Cold War A.The Defense Buildup B.Deploying Military Power C.The Iran-Contra Controversy D.The Cold War Eases E.Post-Cold War Policy and the Persian Gulf War F.The Election of 1992 IV.The Politics of Social Movements A.Women's Issues B.Sexual Politics C.Activism among African Americans D.Activism among American Indians E.Activism in Spanish-Speaking Communities F.Activism among Asian Americans G.Anti-Government Activism Chronology 1974Nixon resigns and Ford becomes president; Ford soon pardons Nixon 1975South Vietnam falls to North Vietnam; Ford asserts U.S. power in Mayaguez incident 1976Jimmy Carter elected president; OPEC sharply raises oil prices. 1978Carter helps negotiate Camp David peace accords on Middle East 1979Soviet Union invades Afghanistan; Sandinistas come to power in Nicaragua; U.S. hostages seized in Iran 1980Ronald Reagan elected president; U.S. hostages in Iran released 1981Reagan tax cut passed 1983U.S. troops removed from Lebanon; Reagan announces SDI ("Star Wars") program 1984Reagan defeats Walter Mondale 1986Reagan administration rocked by revelation of Iran-Contra affair 1988George H.W. Bush defeats Michael Dukakis in presidential election; Congress enacts Indian Gaming Regulation Act 1989Communist regimes in Eastern Europe collapse; Berlin Wall falls; Cold War, in effect, ends 1990Bush angers conservative Republicans by agreeing to a tax increase 1991Bush orchestrates Persian Gulf War against Iraq, 1992Bill Clinton defeats Bush Lecture Outline 1.In the aftermath of the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal the nation was searching for direction, 1974-1980. The presidency of Gerald Ford suffered from popular impressions that he was a weak, indecisive, "caretaker" president. a.Ford was undermined by a faltering economy and his effort to "Whip" inflation was both ineffective and a public relations failure. Under Jimmy Carter, the economy only seemed to worsen with rising unemployment and soaring inflation. b.Carter pushed hard for both welfare and energy initiatives; although he could not forge an agreement for welfare, he used the new Department of Energy to "declare war" on the nation's reliance on fossil fuels. c.The U.S. foreign policy of containment played itself out in Southeast Asia as a long U.S. war in Vietnam ended under Ford with the fall of Saigon. Carter infused his approach with more negotiation than confrontation and a respect for human rights. Though his results were mixed, they did yield the Camp David agreement between Israel and Egypt. d.There appeared a new right on the American political landscape that was as deeply interested in advancing a conservative social agenda as they were for political and economic issues. 2.Ronald Reagan emerged as the brightest star and best hope for the new right. His defeat of Carter in the election of 1980 signified the beginning of what came to be called the Reagan Revolution, 1981-1992. a.Offering a sunny persona and more optimistic outlook than the comparative gloom of Carter, Reagan swept to a convincing electoral victory in the election of 1980. b.Reagan embraced a theory of "supply-side" economics, which held that tax reductions would stimulate investment and thereby create economic growth. These changes in government policy did create wealth, though it was uneven, favored the rich, and led to soaring national debt. c.Another part of Reagan's agenda was the curtailing of government support of union and the cutting of regulations and welfare measures. d.The Republicans Party kept control of the presidency as the personal appeal of Reagan helped his vice-president, George H.W. Bush, gain victory despite the new right's lack of enthusiasm for his candidacy. 3.Reagan's promise to reverse the post-Vietnam "passivity" by the nation on the world stage led to both his renewing and ending the Cold War with an aggressive American foreign policy. a.Reagan supported a dramatic defense build-up with massive increases in military spending, most visibly in the failed Strategic Defense Initiative. b.The Reagan administration proved eager to deploy military power in numerous confrontations. c.The Iran-Contra controversy, the illegal selling of arms to Iran to fund a military effort to overthrow the government of Nicaragua, proved the biggest scandal of the Reagan administration. d.Mikhail Gorbachev, the new Soviet leader, played a vital role as the Cold War eased via his policies of glasnost ("openness") and perestroika ("economic liberalization") until the collapse of the Soviet Union

People vs. Persons

People vs. Persons People vs. Persons People vs. Persons By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between people and persons? The fast-and-loose answer is that people is correct and persons is wrong; the former word has supplanted the latter as the plural form of person. At one time, the distinction between the terms was that people is a mass noun referring to an undetermined number of humans (â€Å"I’ve known a lot of people like that†), while persons is employed when the quantity is known (â€Å"Seven persons were apprehended†). Persons is still appropriate in legal and other formal contexts (â€Å"Authorities are seeking persons of interest†) and when referring to the human body (â€Å"A search was made of their persons†), but in one of those curious cases of illogical semantic shift, it has all but disappeared in general usage. On a related note, some readers are puzzled by peoples, but this is merely the plural form of the collective noun people; â€Å"the peoples of the Arctic region,† for example, refers to multiple distinct ethnic groups: the people of here, the people of there, and the people of the other place: the peoples. People, meanwhile, is occasionally used as a verb synonymous with populate (â€Å"We will soon people the entire planet†); the antonym is unpeople. (Populate and people share etymological origin.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating ConjunctionsAwoken or Awakened?If I Was vs. If I Were

Case Study

Case Analysis # 4Elaine Decides to Try Her Hand at Investing Elaine Tolbert is a 28-year-old management trainee at a large chemical company. She is single and has no plans for marriage. Her annual salary is $34,000 (placing her in the 15 percent tax bracket), and her monthly expenditures come to approximately $1,500. During the past year or so, Elaine has managed to save around $8,000, and she expects to continue saving at least that amount each year for the foreseeable future. Her company pays the premium on her $35,000 life insurance policy. Because Elaine’s entire education was financed by scholarships, she was able to save money from the summer and part-time jobs she held as a student. Altogether, she has a nest egg of nearly $18,000, out of which she’d like to invest about $15,000. She’ll keep the remaining $3,000 in a bank CD that pays 3 percent interest and will use this money only in an emergency. Elaine can afford to take more risks than someone with family obligations can, but she doesn’t wish to be a speculator; she simply wants to earn an attractive rate of return on her investments. Critical Thinking Questions 1. What investment options are open to Elaine? 2. What chance does she have of earning a satisfactory return if she invests her $15,000 in (a) blue-chip stocks, (b) growth stocks, (c) speculative stocks, (d) corporate bonds, or (e) municipal bonds? 3. Discuss the factors you would consider when analyzing these alternate investment vehicles. 4. What recommendation would you make to Elaine regarding her available investment alternatives? Explain.

EXEGESIS PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EXEGESIS PAPER - Essay Example So the words used of the different translations have the same meaning: the speaker or sufferer feels he is abandoned or deserted because of the suffering and anguish. Words used in the first verse instantly provide a description of suffering: anguish, groaning, roaring, and the phrases â€Å"desperately for help†, â€Å"come to my rescue†, â€Å"far from saving me†, all reveal a desperate situation asking for instant help and rescue. Verses 22 and 23 speak of banquet or meeting, assembly, and the phrases â€Å"I will praise you,† â€Å"I will tell of your name to my brothers,† â€Å"glorify him,† â€Å"fear the Lord†, â€Å"praise him, all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him, all ye the seed of Israel†. All these reveal that the sufferer – Jesus Christ – on the cross feels he is comforted and saved by the presence of the Father in him. After the â€Å"abandonment† feeling, there is comfort and joy. Psalm 22 is a collection of songs originally for the Temple of Jerusalem. The Levites had a role in compiling these songs which David composed. As time went by, the psalms were recited or sang as a form of prayer or lamentation. The psalms formed the prayer of ancient Israel, but today they are the foundation of Christian liturgical prayer, used by Christians and the laity alike.1 These are useful prayer when we would like to converse with God, or listen to him instead of talking. Reciting the psalms is a form of listening to him. God whispers to our souls through his songs. Verses 1-21 are prophecies of Jesus’ suffering in Calvary. But it was written a thousand years before it actually happened. This is a great revelation of God – the Scriptures as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Only God can tell an event a thousand years before it happens and with such an unmistakable accuracy.2 The psalm may have been written by David when Saul was

Personal Profile Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personal Profile Paper - Essay Example I am Joshua Leung and I come from Hong Kong. Personality wise, I am a positive person who has a tendency to look for the good in everyone. In addition, I tend to look for the positive in each situation. This can be demonstrated by my persistent in studying irrespective of the fact that I am not very talented on academic matters. However, I still set goals and struggle to achieve them. This has enabled me to achieve quite a lot academically. Moreover, being a positive person helps me deal with difficult situations without giving up since I always hope that things will eventually work out for the best. I always avoid taking offense easily. This has helped me deal with people of different kinds. Sometimes, my friends and people I come across tend to criticize me for being too ambitious. However, I appreciate constructive criticism and make use of it to improve. I consider every situation to be a learning experience and ensure that I learn from it. Additionally, being positive enables me not to be easily irritated since I do not take everything personally. On the assessment score, I scored highest on being a friendly and open person. This is true is true since I manage to cope with people from varying background. This has enabled me live peacefully in United States. I cope well with people in US irrespective of the great differences in culture. Additionally, I take responsibility and accept deal with problems that my action may create even when the situation is not comfortable. I consider myself an extrovert. since I tend to be stimulated by events as well as other people. I tend to show my feelings and love working with people in groups. Additionally, I am inclined to using my senses to interpret the word by making use of my senses and prefer practical exercises. I realized I prefer dealing with practical situations involving problem solving as opposed to theoretical issues. On the personal assessment, I had a score of 135 on the type A person. Being a type A person means that I am aggressive and struggle to achieve more in limited time. This is true because I tend to be quite impatient and often find myself striving to achieve more things in a short period. Ever since I was young, I have always considered time to be an important factor that should be spent wisely. This can be demonstrated by the little time I spend on lei sure activities. Although I spend considerable time with my friend, I always ensure that am participating in something constructive. Another thing about me is that I am very concerned about the political matters. This is because I understand that organizations are political systems. Since I hope to run my own company in the future, I believe this important. The self-assessment proved this since I scored 91 on how good I am in playing politics. Additionally, I tend to monitor myself and love possessing power. Although I consider and show concern on how other people view me, I have a strong positive self-concept. This makes me confident. However, being self-confident does not mean I consider myself better than I consider others. I have a good opinion about myself but I still have great regard for other people’s opinions. How Other People see me After discussing with my friends on what they think of me, most of them though I am creative. When faced by hard situations, my brother always asks for my help since he believes that I am good at coming up

Why is language a cultural resource and Should provisions be made for Essay

Why is language a cultural resource and Should provisions be made for the support of lesser used and indigenous languages in th - Essay Example For an ethnic group, it forms part of the way meanings are constructed and contexts are created, facilitating social relations. It is, hence, easy to understand why ethnic groups cling to their languages with such fervor even when living in a foreign society – language is part of their cultural identity. The dynamics of this fact is illustrated in the way bilingualism persists among Americans. Latinos, Asians and other ethnic minorities speak at least two languages. Collectively, they represent a sizable portion of the American population. In education, this issue is important because, until only recently, the erstwhile government policy on language is â€Å"English only.† The government reduced support for bilingual programs in education, effectively reducing bilingual teachers in the process. According to Katz (2004), if this policy will continue, it will seriously affect the chances of the children of the 47 million non-native English speakers today and in the future . Teachers who understand the language requirements of students would be scarce and students study in â€Å"sink-or-swim† mainstream English classes, effectively compromising the attainment of academic proficiency.

Communication theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication theory - Essay Example With clearer concepts and objective understanding of matters, people are in a better position to play their individualistic and collective roles in the development of a civilized society. In most of the organizations in the contemporary age, communication with confidence and authority has become quite critical (Holmes, 2011). The organization in which I work is to much extent, a functional organization where different departments have well defined responsibilities, so people from different departments do not usually interact with one another. In addition to the organization having a functional organization structure, there were several other factors that have played their role in discouraging interaction among employees. Such factors included but were not limited to differences of gender, age and culture. Employees from different culture have had presumed conceptions about their coworkers from different cultures and would not change their conceptions in the organizational context. Al so, employees from opposite genders would hesitate to communicate with one another. This was giving rise to interpersonal conflicts with various employees assuming irrational things about one another as a result of lack of communication until the new project manager brought about some drastic changes in the system of flow of communication within the organization.

Importance of religion in Persepolis Research Paper

Importance of religion in Persepolis - Research Paper Example The book gives an account of the religious rule in Iran with great sensitivity. ‘Persepolis’ is an autobiographical account of the author, Marjane Satrapi who had witnessed the transition of Iran from the monarchy to the religiously fanatic state under Khomeini. The book is written in two sequels. While the first part gives detailed account of social and religious changes, the second part gives account of her disillusionment with her country in the post revolution time, when she comes back from Europe to pursue higher studies in Iran. The book is unique in its understanding of the Islamic religion as seen through the eyes of a child and succinctly conveys the horror and fears of common man. Persepolis is distinct in its pictorial depiction and textual content that accurately capture religious fanaticism and how it impacts common men and their dreams. The paper would discuss the role and importance of religion in Persepolis and defines various characters and how people in teract with each other under new regime, headed by the religious leaders, Khomeini. The author has sensitively portrayed the changing socio-religious paradigms of Islamic revolution in Iran through graphics which she had drawn herself. The early childhood of the author was spent in modern society which enjoyed the amenities and lived in a free society that was not constrained by religious dictums or fanatic religious guidelines that suppressed the voice of women.

Federal Reserve Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Federal Reserve - Article Example Demand for non-financial services was also reported to have strengthened including transportation and professional services (Federal Reserve Bank, 2013). By the beginning of March 2012, the US economy was reported to continue flourishing at a modest to moderate pace and economic activities rose at a faster rate in various states. Most states also recorded an economic improvement in various sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, real estate and construction industry, banking and services as well as tourism and hospitality industry. The hiring rate was also reported to have increased significantly across several districts. Consumer expenditure was reported to be positive in various states examined. Positive findings were also reported by a similar study conducted in mid-April same year and in the beginning of June (Federal Reserve Bank, 2013). However, despite the positive reports about the performance of the US economy, the agriculture sector was reported to have been affected by the continuous drought conditions in various districts like the Atlanta, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and Dallas. This affected the planting exercise of corn and wheat in areas like Chicago, Minneapolis and Minneapolis. Uncertainty about future demands was another key factor that affected the country’s economy in a tremendous way. The mid April report indicated that some employers preferred to hire employees part-time or temporarily for fear of uncertainties in the future. Such cases were reported in Richmond, Atlanta Districts Boston, Cleveland, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, and Dallas Districts and many employers termed it as a strategy of containing production costs. Therefore, unemployment and drought can be termed as some of the issues that were affecting the US economy. Inflation was another main issue that threatening the country’s economy. This led to demand for salary and

Importance of religion in Persepolis Research Paper

Importance of religion in Persepolis - Research Paper Example The book gives an account of the religious rule in Iran with great sensitivity. ‘Persepolis’ is an autobiographical account of the author, Marjane Satrapi who had witnessed the transition of Iran from the monarchy to the religiously fanatic state under Khomeini. The book is written in two sequels. While the first part gives detailed account of social and religious changes, the second part gives account of her disillusionment with her country in the post revolution time, when she comes back from Europe to pursue higher studies in Iran. The book is unique in its understanding of the Islamic religion as seen through the eyes of a child and succinctly conveys the horror and fears of common man. Persepolis is distinct in its pictorial depiction and textual content that accurately capture religious fanaticism and how it impacts common men and their dreams. The paper would discuss the role and importance of religion in Persepolis and defines various characters and how people in teract with each other under new regime, headed by the religious leaders, Khomeini. The author has sensitively portrayed the changing socio-religious paradigms of Islamic revolution in Iran through graphics which she had drawn herself. The early childhood of the author was spent in modern society which enjoyed the amenities and lived in a free society that was not constrained by religious dictums or fanatic religious guidelines that suppressed the voice of women.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Being a parent is not only about providing a roof over ones head, clothes on their back or food in the belly, it is about responsibility and lessons learned. Huck had never had an adult male to talk to; Jim was a very smart black man and Huck realized he could learn a lot from him. Huck finally had someone he could look up to. â€Å"We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness. It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big, still river, laying on our backs looking up at the stars, and we didnt ever feel like talking loud, and it warnt often that we laughed—only a little kind of a low chuckle. We had mighty good weather as a general thing, and nothing ever happened to us at all—that night, nor the next, nor the next† (Twain 12). As Mark Twain’s character Jim shows us in â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, being a parent is about being there during good and bad times throughout life’s adventures. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain identified several major flaws in Southern culture, including the â€Å"culture of decadence,† the gullibility of people and the treatment of slaves. Through the experiences of Huck Finn he was able to provide the reader with a â€Å"panorama of American life (Microsoft Encarta 2000) before the Civil War. † The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told in the first person perspective; the story has 43 chapters. In the first section, the main character â€Å"Huck† lets you know who he is and how he feels about his adventures from beginning to end. During the second section Huck meets Jim and starts down the river and lands on Uncle Silas’ farm. The third and final section takes place at the farm and continues to the end of the book (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn). Huck introduces you to several characters early on such as The Widow Douglas and Judge Thatcher. Both of these characters appear to have Huck’s best interest at heart, but do not go about things the right way. For example Huck tells us â€Å"The widow she cried over me, and called me a poor lost lamb, and she called me a lot of other names too, but she never meant no harm by it. She put me in them new clothes again, and I couldn’t do nothing but sweat and sweat, and feel all cramped up (Twain). † The widow was determined to bring Huck up to society standards, to be respectful and have manners. The Widow’s sister Miss Watson was an old maid who was set on teaching Huck about religion. She simply could not understand why anyone would want to go anywhere but the â€Å"good place†. â€Å"Miss Watson she kept pecking at me, and it got tiresome and lonesome (Twain). † The Widow Douglas had enrolled Huck into school; â€Å"At first I hated the school, but by and by I got so I could stand it (Twain). † School had become easier for Huck as time went by and he was finding the Widow less annoying as well. Judge Thatcher was determined to look after Huck’s money. Huck tried to give him all of the money, but the Judge set it up in a fund for him and made certain it went into the bank for safe keeping. However, after discovering Huck’s father was still alive, he mistakenly thought it would be good for Huck and his father to make amends. Huck soon knew the real reason his father reappeared into his life and that was simply for his new found money. Huck’s father referred to in the story as Pap is a harsh character. He had been very abusive to Huck in the past and Huck feared the future with him would not be any better. Unfortunately for Huck he was correct. Pap was not happy when he found Huck living a better life with the widow. He thought Huck was putting on airs and that did not please him. He ordered Huck to quit school as he did not want Huck to become smarter than he was. Pap was extremely jealous of Huck’s good fortune; a nice bed, carpeted floor and roof over his head. Although the Judge and widow tried to end Pap’s parental rights the courts would not agree, they did not believe in separating families. The new judge tried to civilize Pap, but Pap just went back to getting drunk around town and stirring up all kinds of problems. Pap was a racist, alcoholic who was only after one thing and that was money. After a while Pap decided to steal Huck away from the widow. The next character we are introduced to is Miss Watson’s slave Jim. Once Jim discovered that Miss Watson was going to sell him, further separating him from his family, he decides to run for his freedom. After Huck decides he can no longer take the abuse from his father, he fakes his own death and he and Jim end up traveling down the Mississippi River together. Jim was a large well spoken black man whom Huck enjoyed listening too. Upon Jim’s departure from Miss Watson, he is immediately sought on suspicion of Huck’s murder. Jim just wanted to get away, earn some money and come back to buy his family’s freedom. It was during this time period that slavery was being abolished in the northern states. While hiding on Jackson’s Island, Huck and Jim meet up with each other. Huck faces moral conflict as he decides whether or not to turn Jim over to the law. Since society at that time dictates that black people are supposed to be slaves and cannot run free, Huck is concerned about helping Jim to escape. However, they set out together towards the Ohio River on a raft that they built together. â€Å"Before they leave Jackson’s Island, they find a dead man – but Jim won’t let Huck look at the guy’s face on account of it being â€Å"too gashly† (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Summary). † This is the first time Jim shields Huck from the identity of the man in the shack; it is Huck’s father. Jim’s gesture is that of a man trying to protect Huck from seeing his dead father. He is the first person in the story to show a real interest in what is best for Huck. As Jim and Huck’s adventure continues they meet up with three robbers while climbing around on a wrecked steamship. Two of the robbers are trying to kill the third robber and Huck wants to get help, eventually all three of the robbers die and Huck and Jim get away. This is Huck’s first real experience with murder. After traveling south on the Mississippi River, Huck goes ashore to find out where they are. It is now that he realizes that he could be suspected of stealing Miss Watson’s property. â€Å"Huck discovers he just can’t â€Å"harden himself† against Jim to turn him in and so concludes he’ll just â€Å"go to hell and take up wickedness again† by keeping his friend liberated. Huck’s moral tension seems to be between his head and his heart. He knows what is right what the law says but can’t bring himself to do it (Marklerch). † When he returns to where Jim is, Huck must let him know they missed Cairo; their exit that they were looking for. At this point they are nearly ran over by a steam ship and both thrown from the raft. â€Å"Huck’s decision to rescure Jim is expedient and humane simultaneously (Blair and Fischer). † At one point in the story Huck feels ashamed for lying to Jim in the name of a joke. Huck finally begins to realize Jim is a real person just like himself. He had always been told that Blacks were not people, just animals to be used as whites see fit. Huck is then taken in by a wealthy family called the Grangerfords. The Granergfords are fighting with their neighbors the Shepherdsons. The Grangerford’s son is named Buck, he is around the same age as Huck. During the fighting with the Shepherdsons Buck is shot. Huck finds this behavior ridiculous and leaves as quickly as possible. Here again is another lesson about people and society that shows Huck bad behavior. The next criminals that Huck befriends are referred to as â€Å"The King and the Duke† (Humanities UCI). Niether of the men previously knew each other prior to this chance encounter, but immediately start plotting their new con. This is where Huck learns the meaning of gullible; many townspeople give the two con artists money for a play that is performed badly. The townspeople are trusting and of religious nature and the two men make off with almost ninety dollars. When the two cons attempt to scam three ladies out of their inheritance by pretending to be the Uncle’s brothers, Huck gets to feeling guilty and tries to think of a way to give the money back. He manages to steal the money back and hides it in the casket of the ladies uncle. After the uncle is buried he lets the ladies know where the money is and manages to flea before the real brothers’ show up. Unfortunately the two con men are still with Huck and Jim. Once the two cons realize they have no money they steal and sell Jim. Huck is determined to get Jim back and luckily runs into his old buddy Tom Sawyer who is glad to help. During the escape attempt and Tom’s silly hi-jinks; Tom ends up being shot in the calf of his leg. Once back at the raft Jim hides in the bushes and Huck goes to find a doctor. Jim is re-captured and the doctor stands up for Jim saying that he assisted with Tom’s care, so instead of killing Jim they decide to enslave him once again. Upon Tom’s recovery he informs those holding Jim that upon Miss Watson’s death she set Jim free in her will, so they no longer can hold Jim as a slave. Jim is set free and finally admits to Huck that the man in the shack was his father, Pap and he no longer needs to worry about him. Instead of going back to the widow’s, Huck decides to set out west so he can have more adventures. Huck’s character was made to witness a large amount of cruelty. â€Å"Huck perceives that â€Å"human beings can be awful cruel to one another† (262). Huck has seen the worst conceivable forms of behavior. But his awareness means that, no matter how much cruelty he witnesses or who perpetrates it, he will remain compassionate towards all human beings (Burg). † Like the Huck Finn character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain faced emotional growth during his writings. As he experienced life, Twain reminisced in his books by focusing on his hometown and era in which he grew up. â€Å"Although Adventures of Huckleberry Finn contains some very poignant critiques of slavery, discrimination, and society in general, it is also important as the story of Huck’s journey from boyhood to manhood (History of Hannibal, Missouri, Back to Marion County). †As an impressionable boy growing up in Hannibal, MO Twain had many of the same types of experiences has Huck. There was swimming, fishing, climbing and cave exploration. He spent much of his time watching the steam ships sail on the river carrying their wares. In Hannibal there were also murders, slaves being whipped and gangs who preyed on river towns (Twains Aurthor Series – Chapter Display). â€Å"Mark Twain â€Å"agreed with Huck that environment determines morality. † All morality is merely relative. Mark Twain wrote in the margin of his copy of Lecky, â€Å"All moral perceptions are acquired by the influences around us; these influences begin in infancy; we never get a chance to find out whether we have any that are innate or not (Blair and Fischer). † Twain shows us through Huck’s adventure that he has grown up on the inside to appreciate his freedom and the people around him. Huck has learned to see all people as human and no longer just by their skin tone, black or white. â€Å"I knowed he was white inside (Twain)†. This statement clearly shows that Huck views Jim as a close and personal friend and confidant. Throughout the story you see the influence Jim has on Huck. â€Å"Jim becomes a father figure –the first Huck ever had in his life. Jim teaches Huck right and wrong, and an emotional bond develops through the course of their journey down the river. By the last segment of the novel, Huck has learned to think like a man instead of a boy (about). † As Mark Twain’s character Jim shows us in â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, being a parent is about being there during good and bad times throughout life’s adventures. Citations 2011 http://classiclit. about. com/od/adventuresofhuckleberry/fr/aa_huckfinn. htm. Blair, Walter and Victor Fischer. March 1990. 22 January 2011 http://www. jstor. org/stable/2926787. Burg, David F. December 1974. 17 January 2011 http://www. jstor. org/stable/2933172. History of Hannibal, Missouri, Back to Marion County. 20 January 2011 http://www. rootsweb. ancestry. com/~marion/hannhist. htm. Humanities UCI. 2005. 20 January 2011 http://www. humanities. uci. edu/mclark/HumCore/CoreF2005/WebCoreF05/F)5TTwa.

The Internally Displaced Persons Criminology Essay

The Internally Displaced Persons Criminology Essay Chapter 2 Internal Displacement has long been a concern of the international community due to its significant implication in international humanitarian engagement especially that it has far reaching and multifaceted consequences to the displaced. It indiscriminately affects human condition and interaction whether it is political, economic or social. It has been observed that displaced persons, especially the more vulnerable groups, are placed in helpless positions and often experienced human rights violations, discrimination and loss of social and economic rights (Turner, 2000; Kellenberger, 2009). In addition, the reality of insufficient or lack of IDP data as proven in the Southern Mindanao can be a hindrance to the humanitarian efforts to address the plight of the IDPs . This is attributed to poor access to comprehensive and updated data on internal displacement. In fact, the need to quantify data is proven to be a major and methodological challenge to all humanitarian actors (Norwegian Ref ugee Council, 2002). As such, there is a need of IDP profiling to determine the degree and accurate numeral account of displacement. In turn, patterns could emerge from these data that can be used to forecast or influence future decision of migration and provide sufficient response to the situation of the IDPs. Data Profiling The first step in responding to the plight of the IDPs is identifying them. The process of collecting data of IDPs is called IDP profiling which is defined in the Guidance on Profiling internally Pisplaced Person (2008) as the collaborative process of identifying internally displaced groups or individuals through data collection, including counting, and analysis, in order to take action to advocate on their behalf, to protect and assist them and, eventually, to help bring about a solution to their displacement Prior to the released of the said guidelines by the Norwegian Refugee Council, each displacement monitoring agencies have their own criteria on what are necessary and what should be included in their reports. This leads to some inconsistency and lack of data (Acketoft, 2008; Ferris, Cernea, Petz, 2011) which posed problems in synchronizing data during analysis and further comprehension on the nature and vulnerabilities of IDPs as shown in recommendations of various studies regarding IDPs. The said IDP guidance released by the Norwegian Refugee extensively promotes proper collection of information as it cites a list of what are the necessary variables needed to consider and this includes the number of displaced persons, disaggregated by age and sex and location/s, the place where displacement happens. Whenever possible, additional information could be included, but not be limited to: cause(s) of displacement, patterns of displacement, protection concerns, humanitarian needs, and potential solutions for the group/individual, if available. IDP profiling is one of the bases of the government agencies on how to do their duty as the primary responsible in securing the lives and welfare of the people. It is because reliable data is necessary for country strategies and operations, fund raising and advocacy. Better data is therefore a means to improve the humanitarian response After all, core data is essential for good planning of humanitarian assistance and protection. Since IDP profiling is merely identification of existing IDPs and their circumstances, the consolidation of IDP data is essential to be able to maximized available data and the next step after IDP profiling. In consolidating IDP data, the analysis during this stage will show the true scenario of the plight of the IDPs and from it derived a clear comprehension of their vulnerabilities and needs. Internally Displaced Persons To be able to properly do IDP profiling, it is essential to first comprehend what is an Internally Displaced Persons or IDPs. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights and natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border (Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, 1998). The description provided by the GPID (1998) highlights two elements: the range of movement and the nature of movement.  The former means that the IDPs move within the country and remain in the jurisdiction of the national government. Meanwhile, the latter describe the situation of IDP and the causes of displacement. IDP move away from their normal place of residence because of several factors beyond their control such as armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations and disasters. All the factors have something in common; they are threat to the survival of the people in their previous place of abode and many, with no choice, thus compelled to move sometimes to the unknown. Walter Kà ¤lin (2008), one of the framers of GPID, in his book entitled Annotations of the Guiding Principles he noted that the above description is not a legal definition since being an IDP does not bestow a legal status since there is no need for it. This is because the rights and guarantees of the IDPs are already inherent in their character as a human being and as habitual citizens of their countries. More than that, the government is primary responsible to their well being since its duty is to safeguard the rights of its citizens. Types of IDPs IDPs can be systematically categorized into two distinct types based on the cause of displacement: conflict induced and environment induced IDPs. Conflict Induced IDPs Conflict induced IDPs are describe as people who were forced to flee due to threat of or active armed hostilities, generalized human rights violation in their area of residence. These people are in danger due to the armed hostilities that may be international (between at least two states or between government and national liberation) or non-international (between armed groups or between government and armed insurgents) in scope. If not, the danger may lie behind internal tensions and disturbances that fell short of armed conflict but still involve violence perpetuated by armed insurgent groups and/or government agents to instill or maintain peace in their area of habitat. In conjunction, the government and/or armed insurgent groups may transgress the rights of these people guaranteed by the national and international human rights law and may or may not endanger their life or freedom through persecution. These factors inflict fear upon these residents and thus forced them to move to o ther place to seek refuge (Kà ¤lin, 2008). Environmentally Induced IDPs The UNHCR has define the environmentally displaced persons as those who are displaced from or who feel obliged to leave their usual place of residence, because their lives, livelihoods and welfare have been placed at serious risk as a result of adverse environmental, ecological or climatic processes and events (Gorlick 2007) as quoted in Forced Migration Policy Briefing 1 (Boano, Zetter, Morris, 2008). It should be noted that the aforementioned definition of environmentally induced displacement has made no reference regarding cross-border movement so the movement of displacement can be within the country or have cross international borders. This study will refer the environmentally induced IDPs as people who flee within the borders of their country due to negative environmental activities and disasters that may be natural or human made such as landslides, flash floods, typhoons, and fire, which perilously endanger their life and their material and economic possessions. Vulnerabilities of IDPs IDP primary concern during displacement is a place to stay due to the fact that they lose/ left their house and other material possessions. They have left their residence to search for a place where in their physical security and integrity can be protected. In addition, they are often deprived of means to restore self-reliance and, subsequently, develop tendency to depend on humanitarian assistance since they lack access to livelihood and work opportunities . Most of them are sheltered in evacuation centers wherein most of the times are crowded. They became prone to illness such as diarrhea, pneumonia and other communicable diseases due to unsanitary condition and congested situation which sometimes lead to death (Philippines: Death and Disease IDP camps, 2009). Another concern is the loss of documents essential for receiving benefits or recognition before the law carried away by typhoon, storm and the like or left behind at home where theyll be at risk if they return to recover it. Without these essential documents, IDPs may be denied of basic services Out of these misfortunes, IDPs experienced a disruption or, in some cases, destruction of their social organization since the family members was separated or disrupted. In addition, there is sometimes reorganization in the family, wife or the eldest child becoming head of the household with the death or disability of the husband or the parents, which aggravates the condition of the IDPs. Vulnerable Sectors Among the IDP population, there are several sectors namely children, women, elder and persons with disabilities, who requires special attention due to their special circumstances (Birkeland, 2009). Internally Displaced Children The Guiding Principles of Internal Displacement and in tandem with the Convention of the Right of Children guaranteed the rights of children from prohibition of their enslavement, use in forced labor and participation or recruitment in armed hostilities. The Principles has also laid down the childrens rights to family life which means they have the right to be reunited with their family and to education. However in reality, children are at high at risk to be conscripted in armed hostilities, most commonly by insurgent or terrorist groups. They are  highly  susceptible  to be  exploited as porter or domestic servants or slaves. Even in environmental induced displacement,  they, especially unaccompanied minors,  can still be exploited  to sexual violations and likely to be neglected and trafficked The 2010 IDMC report on Internal Displacement also said that recruitment remained a grave and particular risk for many internally displaced children. It was seen that recruitment is a form of livelihood for some IDPs facing poverty. IDP camps and informal settlements continued to be prime recruiting grounds, as children there were relatively densely gathered, often without access to education (particularly those of secondary-level age) and unable to engage in other livelihood activities. Children are often exposed to high risk of physical violence and attack when travelling to and from school. Displaced children were also unable to access education because of fees, damaged infrastructure, and other displacement-related factors in 27 countries in 2010 . Moreover, children also lost their identification documents essential to receiving benefits or recognition before the law. Governments and institutions may deny them the services such as enrolment to school, medical services and claim to their properties since they cannot produce legal documents. Internally Displaced Women Women are  entitled  to protection against violence and exploitation, equal access to humanitarian assistance, services and education, and participation in decisions affecting them as explicitly stated in the Principles (Kà ¤lin, 2008). They are very vulnerable and needed to be protected from gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. In some cases, the wife has to replace their husband as breadwinner of the family especially during conflict wherein her husband may or may not die or left disabled. Besides, pregnant women do need special care due to their condition and the trauma of displacement only aggravates their condition. In the displacement, they are highly susceptible in risk delivering of a child because according to the UN Population Funds (UNFPA) Philippines country director, Suneeta Mukherjee, They are very vulnerable because they cant stop from delivering when their time comes. The number one problem is that the whole thing could be septic, the mother and the bab y could get infected and die. Vulnerability of women, such as single mothers and girls, are increasing due to domestic violence among other threats, and the lack of assistance reaching people with special needs. The high rates of trauma and anxiety, particularly among women and children, are more likely caused by the exposure to violence and grief over the death of loved ones . The status of internally displaced women has still remained difficult even though the efforts by international agencies are extensive. In all countries, displaced women who have become heads of households have had to support their children and older members of their family without a steady income, relying on piecemeal support. In merely providing adequate food, not to mention housing, health care and other services, burdens the displaced women in dealing with it . Elderly Displaced Persons   The elderly can have great difficulty in accessing humanitarian assistance. Moreover, they are most likely unable to flee quickly during conflict or disaster and unable to properly protect themselves from harm during times of conflict. Even among them, elderly women are more vulnerable. In some countries where the elders are eligible to receive state pensions, elders are unable to claim their entitlements due to lack of documentation. Additionally, they can easily succumb to illness while fleeing or in evacuation camps According to David Hutton (2008), Older people have often been overlooked in disasters and conflicts, and their concerns have rarely been addressed by emergency programs or planners. Until recently, older peoples needs in disasters and conflicts were addressed only by broader adult health and humanitarian programs. This has changed as several recent emergencies highlighted this populations vulnerabilities. Internally Displaced Disable Persons Disabled Persons are often easily separated from their families and find themselves left on their own. They are very prone to exhaustion and malnutrition due the difficulty of travel to safety and even in evacuation camps. Besides, they are predisposed to be discriminated or be subject to degrading treatment due to their disability. Moreover, the Relief Web report compiled on February 29, 2012 stated that, The problem is that those who are physically weak can hardly go to evacuation centers and access humanitarian aid. Its paradoxical, but it is often those who need it the most who struggle to receive assistance.(Briefing Kit for Philippines (the): Bringing Humanitarian Relief to, 2012) Humanitarian Assistance Historically, displacement has always been one of foremost causes of humanitarian engagement since the start of international humanitarian system. The displacement may endure for days, months and even decades. As such, the USAID recognizes in its Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons Policy that IDPs have needs that can be systematically divided into four phases: emergency phase, care and maintenance phase, reintegration and transition phase, and long term development phase. Emergency Phase Emergency phase is the period of displacement of the IDPs. In this phase, IDPs usually require basic necessities since they are most likely unable to bring emergency supplies due to the upheaval. In their condition, IDPs need immediate help or assistance that typically consists of shelter, food, water, clothing, medical assistance, sanitation systems, and protection (USAID, 2004). Care and Maintenance Phase Care and maintenance phase is the period where IDPs are somewhat settled in evacuation camps or temporary settlement. In this phase, IDPs tend to need access to education, trauma counseling, family tracing, protection from exploitation. Usually at this stage, IDPs are particularly vulnerable to exploitations and in need of protection since illegal recruiters can easily persuade the members of the families to work in abusive jobs since they are in desperate need of source of livelihood. During this phase as well, humanitarian agencies must prepare the IDPs to eventual return to their home through training and support for self reliance Reintegration and Transition The transitional reintegration phase is the period wherein the IDPs are either returning back to their residence prior to displacement or resettlement to a new area of residence. In this phase, IDPs often need transportation back to their home, protection from involuntary return, help to reclaim their land and rebuild houses and businesses, assistance for demining, support to establish accountable local governance and stronger civil society, and programs to reconcile lingering ethnic or political tensions and safeguard the rights of female-headed households. During this phase of transition and reintegration, IDPs often go back to their homes and find their properties destroyed or occupied by others. The damaged infrastructure devastated local economies, weak civil administrations, simmering social and political tensions, and lingering security risks that left behind by the conflict or disaster adds to their vulnerability. Furthermore, conflicts may erupt again exposing the returning IDPs in yet again vulnerable situation. Some IDPs never return home and must resettle permanently in new communities when their home prior to displacement is no longer feasible for habitat Long Term Development Phase In the long-term development phase, IDPs who have returned home or resettled permanently into new communities need assistance to construct or repair water systems, health systems, schools, and transportation routes. Resettled IDPs also need access to vocational training and business or agricultural loans and inputs. Population displacement can negatively affect stability and the longer-term development prospects of a nation. Prolonged displacement typically disrupts or reverses progress made in schooling, healthcare, food production, sanitation systems, infrastructure improvements, local governance, and other sectors fundamental to economic and social development. Failure to address the long-term development needs of previously uprooted population risks new cycles of national instability and population displacement Global trend In the current state of this research the proponents have an access only on disaggregated data of conflict-induced and environment- induced IDPs. Additionally, in effect of late recognition unlike conflict induced displacement which has numerous of monitoring agencies, environmental induced internal displacement has no long history of annual systematically collected and analyzed data base . When adding up the figures of conflict-induced IDPs and environmentally induced- IDPs featured in the website and annual reports of Internal Displacement Monitoring Agency (IDMC), the result is as shown below, although fluctuated in 2009, the number of IDPs remain considerably high. Figure 1. Global Trend of IDPs in millions (2007-2011) Philippines trend of IDP One of the biggest contributors on the abovementioned global estimation of internally displaced persons is the Philippines. In the last decades there are already millions of people who have been internally displaced by armed conflict and human rights, specifically during military operations against Muslim and Communist insurgencies as stated by IDMC. In addition, the numbers of IDPs is fluctuating but never goes lower than 20,000 since 2000. As of 2009, there are at least a total of 750,000 people or maybe more, were displaced in the fight between Armed forces of the Philippines (AFP) and MILF (DSWD, 15 May 2009). Even during the ceasefire between AFP and MILF in July 2009, there were still hundreds of thousands of people living collectively in centers and camps known by the government as evacuation centers, relocation sites and with host communities . Aside from internal conflicts, the country is also geographically situated at the western edge of the Pacific Ocean and sits on the ring of fire which is  prone to geologic and natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions seasonal typhoons, storms and flash floods (World Atlas). Since it frequently encounters natural disasters, this consequently caused displacement, at times in large scale with hundreds of thousands displaced in a single event. For instance in 2009, the Typhoon Ondoy displaced a total of 500 000 people while the typhoon Pepeng was another 500 000 . Moreover, the Center for Research and Epidemiology Disasters (CRED) disclosed that the  Philippines rank first in 2010 as the most  hazard prone country in the world (See, 2010). Region XI: Traces of IDP The Region XI: Davao Region as well accounted several traces of displacement. The New Peoples Army (NPA), communist military group, established fifteen NPA fronts in this region, totaling roughly 800 fighters. Based on several news articles they employed ambush, kidnapping, arson, extortion and liquidation of anti- NPA civilians as methods to pursue their vision. As such, the government conducts series of military operations to weaken the presence, to stop the above stated activities and capture the rebels. As a result mass displacement occurred in fear of being caught in crossfire or being misidentified either NPA or military supporters. For instance, in April of 2007 hundreds of families evacuated as a result of pursuit operations done by military in Brgy. Manay, Panabo City after NPA raided the Davao Penal Farm (Bwaga, 2007). Also, as cited in country displacement profile NDCC estimated that there are 2,060 people displaced at the end of April 2009 in Talaingod, Davao del Norte (I DMC, 2009) Besides the aforementioned military operations in the region, the Davao region is vulnerable too to environmental disasters. The Geo Hazard maps of MGBXI showed landslide and flood prone areas and almost all provinces are at risk to landslides and susceptible to flashfloods. The graphs below show the numbers of sitios/ barangays and numbers of families per province that is vulnerable to mass displacement due to flashflood and landslides in 2009. For instance, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in region XI (MGBXI) declared Sitio Panganason as no habitation zone due to recurring landslide since 2007. Another is that the flashflood in Matina-Pangi, Davao City forced 3000 families to flee their homes and sought refuge in evacuation centers (Tesiorna, 2011). Figure 2. Sitios/Barangays susceptible to Mass Figure 3. Families susceptible to Movement due to Flashflood Landslides displacement due to Flashfloods and Source: MGB XI Landslides Issues of the IDP Data Despite the pursuit of various organizations, both international and local, in the collection of data of the IDPs, there are still various anecdotes that imply the difficulty of generating accurate data on IDPs. In fact, there is a poor access to a comprehensive and updated data regarding IDPs and even if there is such access, public distributed information is often difficult to validate with regards to origin and reliability (Norwegian Refugee Council, 2002). The same sentiment was implied by IDMC in their course of gathering statistics of IDPs. Since population movements in Mindanao are observed to be frequent and official registration has been incomplete, according to IDMC, these made reliable figures on the number of IDPs hard to come by. Besides difficulty in gathering data, Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN), as cited (IDMC, 2011), has also noted that there are existing discrepancies in the IDP reports between the governments and international organizations. In particular, the Philippine government usually issues the lowest figures which can be misleading. In addition, despite the number of IDPs tallied, the phenomenon of internal displacement is still largely disregarded in the region. An anecdote about one RDMMRC director, who stated that there is no IDP in Davao in the aftermath of the Matina-Pangi flashflood, comes into mind. Moreover, the IDP phenomenon in the Davao region is overshadowed by the internal displacement in other regions. Hence, there is a need to acknowledge existing internal displacement in the region so that the concern of the IDPs can be properly responded. There are only various incident reports that can be easily accessible but there is no consolidated data and established trend a vailable to the public. Indeed, the need to quantify IDPs is a major practical and methodological challenge that needed to be prioritized by humanitarian actors. Monitoring Agencies International organizations such as IOM, IDMC, ICRC, USAID, and governmental agencies like NDRRMC, and DSWD take data profiling seriously to improve their humanitarian activities and lessen the human suffering around the world. IOM International Organization for Migration is an international organization committed to uphold a humane and orderly migration that benefits all. It is a leading international agency working with governments and civil society to advancement of the understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and endorsement of the human dignity and well-being of migrants as reflected in its credo. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, be they refugees, displaced persons or other uprooted people (IOM, 2012). Currently, climate change is an emerging threat to human security. As a response, IOM has three main objectives in facing this threat. First is to prevent forced migration resulting from environmental factors, as much as possible through reducing vulnerability and promoting adaptation to environmental and climate changes such as disaster risk managements. Second is to provide assistance and protection to affected populations, and seek durable solutions. Lastly is to facilitate migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change. To fulfill these objectives, IOM conducts several activities such as offering a forum for  policy  dialogue among states and NGOs, undertaking extensive research, conducting operational activities like humanitarian response and developing comprehensive strategies to better manage environmental migration and to address potential impacts of migration on the environment with the cooperation of partners like government and both international and local NGOs (IOM, 2012). Above and beyond, designation of an institutional focal point for internally displaced persons by the government is important. By designating an institutional focal point for internally displaced persons, the government demonstrates a clearest recognition of national responsibility for responding to internal displacement. It facilitates coordination on the issue and cooperation both within government and with local and international partners to ensure that the needs of internally displaced persons are not overlooked. This is the rationale on the reason why governments, such as the United States government and Philippine government, create institutional focal point for internally displaced persons or adds that responsibility to agencies in charge of social developments in their country. IDMC The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is a leading international body monitoring internal displacement worldwide established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) at the request of the United Nations. It runs an online database  that provides comprehensive information and analysis on internal displacement in countries around the world. It contributes to improving national and international capacities to protect and assist the millions of people around the globe who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflicts or human rights violations as well as by natural disaster. In 2009, IDMC has started publishing annual global estimates of the worldwide scale of internal displacement caused by sudden-onset disasters. They are developing knowledge of the nature and patterns of displacement over time caused by different types of disasters. They are highlighting the specific rights and needs of displaced populations and the vulnerabilities of women, children and men who are particularly at risk. Other than that, they are raising awareness, building capacity and contributing to the development of policies and guidance for national and international actors in order to advocate for the protection of disaster-displaced populations (IDMC, 2011). Through the IDP database, reports and other publications, the IDMC promotes awareness and concern to the IDPs, points to gaps in the response of governments and the international community, and promotes durable solutions in line with the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement ICRC The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), established in 1863, works worldwide to provide humanitarian help for people affected by conflict and armed violence and to promote the laws that protect victims of war. It is an independent and neutral organization wherein its mandate stems essentially from the Geneva Conventions of 1949. The ICRC works primarily in situations of armed conflict and other situations of violence. In situations of armed conflict, IDPs are first and foremost civilians, and thus at the core of the ICRCs mandate. It is the ICRC that constantly reminds the parties to conflict of their obligations to protect the civilian population, as set out in the core rules of international humanitarian law. Also, they play significant roles during natural and human-made disasters by providing aid to the victims of natural disasters, both through the local work of the member Societies themselves and through the Federations international support for that work. In fact, they were entitled as the worlds largest provider of humanitarian aid. They act before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people. (ICRC, 2010). USAID The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has special interest in the protection of the IDPs. As one of the principal international donors in the field of internal displacement and humanitarian protection, USAID is driven by humanitarian and development concerns as well as political and security considerations. This is reflected in October 2004 when USAID adopted its Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons Policy, becoming the first donor organization to ever issue a policy statement regarding internally displaced persons. The specific purpose of the Policy and Implementation Guidelines is to ensure that a broad, integrated approach is used to reduce the human costs of population displacement and that long-term development is not reversed. This is done by providing assistance programs ranging from early emergency phase to long-term development phase. It is also responsible for ensuring a coherent response from the US gove rnment and the international community. In addition, it acknowledges particular characteristics of IDPs such as their lack of specia