Experiences of African Americans During the Civil War Period Essay

The 1860s and 1870s were particularly trying times for African Americans. The Civil War which lasted from 1861 to 1865 saw America undergo social and political change as Americans struggled to redefine their idea of race and face the question of slavery. More importantly still were the experiences of blacks during and after the war as they fought to be accorded the same rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In the early days of the war, the issue of slavery was avoided vehemently by Lincoln and Davis (Norton et al. 2008) despite it being an essential issue in the war between the North and South. In fact, freeing the slaves was never an agenda of the North. The North was against slavery because they perceived the South, who was pro slavery, as a threat to the North’s social and political order (Norton et al. , 2008). Consequently, being against slavery did not necessarily mean Northerners were not racist. In fact, many still saw themselves as racially superior to the blacks. Despite the apparent racial prejudice, blacks in the South still saw in the Union army their route to freedom. After Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation allowing blacks to serve in the Union cause, thousands of slaves, amongst them, one John Boston (Linden & Pressly, n. d), fled their masters and joined the Union army in their fight against the South. Many blacks sought to assert their manhood despite discrimination in the army through the display of bravery and valor. Still more died, like the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts regiment, in their fight for equality. Therefore, although Lincoln had given them a motive to reak free, it was the blacks’ own courage to fight for their own freedom which ultimately led to their emancipation. The North’s victory over the South in 1865 meant that the slaves were finally free. As freedpeople, one of their foremost desires was to own land as land meant subsistence and sufficiency (Norton et al, 2008). Also, because it was all they had known to do, many fell back on plantation agriculture as their livelihood. Some, like Josua Culverson and Major X Whiteing, applied for leases through the U. S. Com of Plantations (Linden & Pressly, n. ). Because most freedpeople had no money to purchase land, they could only lend it on credit. However, because of preexisting prejudices, freedpeople found even that to be a task. Consequently, they returned to their old farms where they had worked as slaves. However, unlike previously, these freedpeople sought to better their situation by reaching an agreement with the owner through a system known as sharecropping. Often, such an agreement would entail the provision of food and seeds in exchange for a portion of the crop earnings (Norton et al. 2008). Such is the case between William R. Steen, a white citizen, and Caroline, a colored woman; along with 7 other Arkansas freedpeople whom by contract, had to give one third part of the crop raised upon the farm by their labor to the owner of the farm (Linden & Pressly, n. d). The years 1865 to 1877 saw efforts in reconstructing the war-torn South. A huge hurdle existed then to reconcile the freed blacks with southern whites, who were so used to operating in a slave society that their prejudices could not be eradicated so easily. Furthermore, they were threatened by the rise of black status and into the ranks of political power so much so that a group of whites came together and formed the first Ku Klux Klan; a society which sought to maintain white supremacy through intimidation, violence and terrorism (Norton et al. , 2008). Klansmen committed murder, arson, and rape whilst asserting their notion of white supremacy. As a result, despite having been emancipated, the freed blacks still suffered considerable pain and fear under the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. Amongst the most targeted were blacks who had rose to political power. Ann J. Edwards, the daughter of a black Congressman recounted that â€Å"We, his family, lived in constant fear†¦ A day or two before election a mob gathered†¦in front of the house, and we thought the end had come. † (Sterling, n. d). More gruesome was the story of Joe Johnson who was elected into the Republican office. He was burnt nearly to death, and shot because of his refusal to resign from office (Sterling, n. ). His execution was witnessed by his wife who could do nothing against the oppressive terror and violence of the Ku Klux Klan. Blacks were not the only victims of the Ku Klux Klan regime. Whites who openly supported blacks saw their lives being threatened as well. Hannah Flournoy, a black woman, gave account of an execution involving a white Georgian who had supported the black cause. â€Å"[Men] bolted right in and commenced shooting†¦They were disguised but I knew a great many of them. Hannah â€Å"thought it right to take [Ashburn] in† and was â€Å"willing to die for him† simply on the basis of him being a Republican (Sterling, n. d). The incident reflected the loyalty of many blacks to stand beside those, white or otherwise, who sought to uphold their natural rights. Teachers were another group being targeted. Colored schools came under the attack of the Klan and were burnt to the ground (Norton et al, 2008). Many blacks endured the hardship of abuse and violence despite its injustice and unlawfulness. Recounted Harriet Hernandez, â€Å"He struck me on the forehead with a pistol†¦kicked me over [the fence]†¦dragged and beat [me and my daughter] along. † Despite the blacks being freed in the South, the activities of the Ku Klux Klan ensured that blacks would not enjoy the same rights as whites. â€Å"[Colored people] have no satisfaction to live like humans†¦all summer I have been working and it is impossible for me to enjoy it†, said Harriet (Sterling, n. d). Despite all the violence inflicted on them, blacks exhibited extraordinary courage in the face of threats by Klansmen. Emeline Bremfield whose husband was a target of the Klan, stood unwavering in the face of death, as the Klan confronted her of her husband’s whereabouts (Sterling, n. d). Blacks even went out of their way to fit into a black aggrieved society. Many like, Caroline Smith and Lucy McMillan, dressed down in order not to stand out for fear of being whipped (Sterling, n. d). Although the Ku Klux Klan‘s primary motive was the assertion of white political power, Klansmen took every opportunity they got to assert white supremacy mindsets. McMillan’s house was burned simply because she had mentioned she wanted to own land. Smith was whipped only to remind her not to â€Å"sass any white ladies† (Sterling, n. d). Aside from the destruction of property and life, black women suffered in yet another form – sexual assault. Klansmen sought to assert their superiority over black women by sexually harassing them. Some black women were even mutilated, like Frances Gilmore who was â€Å"cut with a knife†, or gang raped (Sterling, n. d). Racial hostility and terror ultimately brought down the Republican regime in the South. Efforts by the Ku Klux Klan prevented strong presence of the Republican coalition in the South and a restoration of the Democratic majority. The Klan continued to terrorize black people and ran amok until the Enforcement Acts and subsequent persecutions brought an end to the first Klan. Overall, the blacks suffered greatly during the Civil War and Reconstruction Era. Despite having obtained emancipation, prejudices continued to affect their lives. Although we now know that it did not succeed in driving them out of the country, blacks today continue to face the same prejudices.

Environmental Impacts of Aviation Essay

Noise is said to have a variety of definitions. For people who are inclined towards acoustics, noise is identified as a complex form of sound waves that have irregular vibrations and has no known pitch. In the field of engineering, noise is considered as a signal that interferes with the detection and quality identification of another signal. However, for psychoacoustic studies which are focused on the study of human response to sound, noise is deemed as an unwanted form of sound (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2008). According to K. D. Kryter (1996), noise is an enhanced form of sound signals that post a negative effect in the physiological and psychological aspect of an individual (Kryter, 1996 cited in ASHA, 2008). For the most part, noise is something that could be identified as an unwanted sound which is a pollutant and a hazard to the health of human beings (ASHA, 2008). Noise can be derived from a variety of contributors, and such noises have their own levels that are detrimental to the hearing of an individual. Noise levels are measured in decibels. Sounds that are louder than 80 decibels are considered to be hazardous. One of the leading sources of potentially hazardous noise is the airport. Noises from airports could come from constructions and operating machines. However, the major contributor for airport noise is caused by the aircrafts. There are two ways on how aircraft noises are generated. First, airframe noise appears whenever air passes through the fuselage or body and wings of the plane. The activity causes friction and turbulence which often result in the production of unwanted sound. Gliders which are planes without engines produce noise during its flights. Second, engine noise is derived from the action of the moving parts of the aircraft’s engine. Such noise is also produced whenever the sound of air passes through the engines during high speed. Engine noise mainly comes from the plane’s exhaust or the jet situated behind the engine whenever the air sound from the engine combines with the air surrounding it (Wellington Airport, 2008). Based from the study carried out by Daniel Nunez (1998), airplane noise poses disturbance in the human sleep more than any other forms of noises. It was also indicated that more than 50% of the people residing near airports are awakened by airplane noise (Holland-Wegman, 1967 cited in Nunez, 1998). The onset of aircraft noise as a major problem began during the time when there is an upsurge in the need of air transportation after World War Two. By the end of 1950’s, the introduction of jet planes became widely known which later on catapulted the â€Å"aviation revolution† where commercial air passengers were also introduced (Nunez, 1998). The augmentation in the aircraft use also resulted in the increase in the noise level produced by air transportations. Because of the outstanding length of service and success of aircraft operations, airports gradually become larger and noisier. The attractive activities of airports also began to grab the attention of people, wherein surrounding communities started to spread all throughout the nearby areas. The more airports become bigger and nosier, the more residential structures, churches, and schools come closer to the area. Eventually, conflicting issues arise. Aside from the land expansion of airports which often cause nearby residents to act defensively, noise is also regarded as an issue that is very much integrated with airport operations (Bachman, 2003). As such, the painful sound from aircraft take offs and landings were viewed as the primary reasons of annoyance by the residents living near the area. From then on, airport noise has become a complex psychophysiological and economic issue (Nunez, 1998). The issues regarding aircraft noise are said to be complicated because of the aviation industry’s significance in the economy of developing countries. Without the presence of the aviation industry various economic industries would be gravely affected, some of which include the tourism business and mail transportation (Nunez, 1998). Many airports have spent large amounts of money in order to provide sound insulation for residential buildings and community owned structures to reduce aircraft noise (Bachman, 2003). One of the airports that have reached an agreement regarding their noise issue with the people in the surrounding community is the Wellington International Airport Limited (WIAL) situated in New Zealand. WIAL was constituted as a legal corporation on October 16, 1990. The aviation company is partly owned by the Wellington City Council which shares 34% of the total stocks, while the other 66% are owned by Infratil Limited. Wellington International Airport is known as the third largest airport in New Zealand and is classified as a regional hub that extends its international flight service not only in New Zealand but also to the Eastern part of Australia and the neighboring island countries in the south-west Pacific. Almost 90% of the passengers of WIAL travel domestically and majority of whom are business people (Ministry of Economic Development [MED], 2005). As it was said, no other cities in the world have an airport location that could be compared to Wellington International Airport. WIAL is situated on a narrow strip of land in the center of the residential areas. The airport is just minutes away towards the capital’s centre. It is also accessible through a short coastal scenic drive or passing through the tunnel at Mount Victoria. Although the location of the airport is said to be unique, the airport is faced with substantial challenges in terms of its environmental impact, specifically the aircraft noise. The location of Wellington International Airport which is close to the residential area became a ground for the residents to organize the Residents Airport Noise Action Group, the noise abatement requirement, as well as different actions from the internal operations of the airport in order to decrease the noise pollution (Wellington Airport, 2008). Residents Airport Noise Action Group In 1963, Maxine Harris first moved into her home at Strathmore which is near Wellington International Airport. Five years after, Harris reported that the jet noise began. According to documents, Harris and her neighbors were not at all bothered by the jet noise. However by 1980’s, Harris and her neighbors started hearing the night-time acceleration of the airplane engines of National Airways. Harris even noted that they heard the revving of the airplane engines that sounded like a high-pitched whining that would wake her up in the middle of the night and would not allow her to get back to sleep. Harris complained about the noise issue, but an airport official told her that no other individual complained about the noise. Harris talked to her other neighbor about the issue and her neighbor told her that he had also complained, yet the airport official also told him that no other person called the airport to complain. Both Harris and her neighbor responded to the issue by putting leaflets in the mailboxes of their neighbors. The leaflet called for the other residents to phone the airport whenever they were disturbed by the aircraft noise (Samson, 1997a). Because of this, the neighbors responded well, and in 1986, the Residents Airport Noise Action Group was established. The group was focused on performing two tasks: to halt the engine testing at night and to lessen the noise produced by the 737’s. It was in 1986 when the group had their first meeting with the city council. During that time, they have voiced their complaints regarding the noise issue. Their first attempt became successful after the city passed the first by-law which is focused on the engine-testing. The by-law limits the testing times of the National Airways Friendship fleet. However, subsequent efforts of the group were not as successful as their first attempt. The noise problem of the Boeing 737’s still remains (Samson, 1997a). In 1987, the Ansett Airlines became a part of the internal air service market. In return, Air New Zealand has to expand their operations. It was stated that the residents regarded 1987 as the year of â€Å"big explosion† because of the noise produced by the aircrafts. In response to the growing issue of the airport noise, the residents put forward a proposal, stating that all the 737’s should be phased out in 1997. Three months after the proposal was passed, Ansett acknowledged the residents’ plea by replacing the fleets with whisper jets that are much quieter compared to the 737’s. On the other hand, the city council framed a proposed by-law that would have ordered the Air New Zealand to reduce its fleet on a stage by stage process. However, the propose by-law did not take in effect (Samson, 1997a). By 1992, Air New Zealand promised that by the following year seven of their Boeing 737-200’s would have devices that would reduce noise known as hush kits and other fleets would be phased out and will be replaced by 737-300’s. However, the residents did not agree with this. Arguments were once again raised that have even reached the select committees of the parliament, yet the resolutions were unidentifiable (Samson, 1997, p. 19a). As a response to the noise issue that has been gaining public interest, the city council put forth a proposed district plan, but the residents opposed to it. However, in order to resolve the issue, environment court judge Shonagh Kenderdine ruled out in August of 1997 that the airport and the airlines should adhere to the strict rules as proposed by the district plan regarding the air noise boundary wherein a specific maximum noise level will be set. Furthermore, the noise boundary would later on be dissolved if there is an improvement with the airport and airlines noise management. Other regulations that were included in the ruling involve the night curfew, engine-testing, ground noise control, and land-use. The first three issues being disputed were already progressive after the issues were ruled out. The last dispute which was focused on the land use was not settled until November of 1997 (Samson, 1997a). As a follow up to the court ruling done on August of 1997, in order to end the ten-year fight regarding the acceptable noise level in Wellington area, and to finally conclude the last remaining area of dispute which was focused on the land use, Judge Shonagh Kenderdine ended the noise issue on November 20, 1997. The major players during the court case involved the Residents airport noise action group, the board of airline representatives, the Wellington city council, and the Wellington international airport. It was stipulated in the ruling that: â€Å"All new housing developments within the airport’s air-noise boundary would be deemed unrestricted discretionary activity† (Samson, 1997b, p. 3). Under the said ruling, any individuals who are interested to build residential structures within the surrounding airport area and all the application permits have to be approved by the Wellington City Council. Therefore, the council has the right to refuse or consent the details of the application depending on the criteria that are still to be set by the district plan (Samson, 1997b). Despite the criteria being on the process of completion, the interested party should be governed by the assessments set in the ruling wherein new homes that will be built within the airports air-noise boundary should use construction materials that could pass the standards of noise reductions. Such materials include: thicker gib boarding, double or thicker window glazing, and the installation of noise insulations. The ruling also required the city council to implement stricter rules regarding the development of new housings compared to the original proposition of the district plan (Samson, 1997b).

To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter Questions 1-8

Chapter 1: #1 a) â€Å"Tired old town† (pg. 5) b) â€Å"Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing fear but fear itself† (pg. 6) c) â€Å"nothing to buy and no money to buy with it† (pg. 6) d) â€Å"nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County† (pg. 10) #2 The setting of the story take place in Maycomb County, Alabama, during the 1930's. #3 Scout was telling the story about Boo Radley, she said Radley was locked up in a basement as a teenager for once getting in trouble with police. Boo has been locked up in the house ever since and people think he goes out at night. 4 The children find Boo fascinating because he was so mysterious, they thought he was dead and there were many stories about him.Chapter 2: #1 one- the teacher found out that Scout already can read, so she make Scout promise not to read to with her father. second- the teacher found out Scout was writing a letter to Dill, the teacher stop her from writing it and told S cout that in Grade 1, you only learn printing. third- Scout was trying to explain the ways of the Cunninghams and that they were proud farmers who refuse charity because they couldn’t afford it. 2 The professional people is poor at that time because their learning system is so limited, student have no chance to learn things other than what the teacher have taught. #3 WPA stand for Works Progress Administration. He won’t work for it because he is to proud of himself, he doesn’t want help and charity and he only takes what he works for. Chapter 3: #1 The point of view from Cal and Atticus is very different. Cal will give lecture to the children if they did something wrong, but Atticus will try to impact the important message to the children. 2 Walter's family is respectable, but Burris’ family is meaner and keeps to themselves.Burris doesn’t try to look nice for school, follow rules, or even come back to school again after the first day. But as for W alter, he attends school in a clean shirt and tries to be polite. #3 Scout have begin to realize things can be interpreted both ways, and she can't judge something or someone from what she has see/heard. #4 I think Atticus meant that â€Å"common folk† know and understand the laws so they aren’t exempted, but the Ewells live by a different way of life so some of the laws are bent for them so they can still co-exist. 5 Atticus compromise to Scout is that Scout can keep on reading at home with him, but she can’t tell her teacher that she is. Chapter 4: #1 Scout doesn’t like the teacher because she tells her that she’s not allowed to read or right in first grade and Scout doesn’t like her fellow classmates. #2 I think the gum and pennies are coming from either Boo or a mocking bird. I think Boo because its his house and a mocking bird because its in the title of a story. #3 She doesn’t want to get in trouble with Atticus and because she afraid of one she heard someone laughing in the Radley house.Chapter 5: 1 Miss Maudie is a very friendly and warmth person. She hated staying at her house, she is widow, loved flowers and plants, likes baking, gold filling in her teeth and Baptist. She is very nice and friendly to Scout and Jem. #2 Miss Maudie was putting down a specific baptist point of view in which they person takes everything from the bible literally and believe that gods rules are the only rules. #3 Sometimes when someone has a Bible they use the power of it for the wrong reasons. #4 Atticus policy is basically tell the children everyone has their right, if Boo wanted to come out he would do so, and if he chooses not to, that is his right.I agree with Atticus, but I still think its strange. Chapters 6: #1 They went to Radley’s window that night because they knew Atticus wouldn’t notice them leave and it was the last day of summer, so if they died at least they would miss school. #2 He suggests tha t Scout is too much of a girl to handle this type of thing. #3 This have show us that Jem and Atticus have a very good relationship, where Jem would not want to get Atticus angry and dis-trust Jem. That also show us he care about the relationship. Chapter 7: #1 Jem’s pants were poorly sewn and neatly folded when he went back to get them.This scared him because he that Radley knew that he’d come back for his pants. #2 It represented Boo's friendly connection with the Finch children. Everyone thought Boo was a fearsome, crazy ‘phantom' and awful rumors were spread around about him. In actual fact, Boo was a nice person, except he didn't have any contact with the outside world. He left gifts in the knothole for Jem and Scout to find, because he wanted to express his friendship. #3 Jem had asked Mr. Nathan why he filled the hold with cement, and his reply is that the tree is dying, and cement will prevent from growing.But Jem afterward have consult Atticus, and Attic us that the tree look heathy. And now Jem realize Mr. Nathan are trying to prevent his brother Boo from pursuing the friendship. Chapter 8: #1 Jem and Scout make a snowman of Mr. Avery because they thinks he looks a lot like one. #2 Atticus keeps it a secret because he doesn’t want Boo to be gossiped about and doesn’t want Boo to get in trouble with his brother Nathan. #3 Miss Maudie is happy that her house burnt down. This tells us that she is an extremely positive person and doesn’t like to dwell on the past.

Reading Response - play by David Henry Hwang M. Butterfly Essay - 1

Reading Response - play by David Henry Hwang M. Butterfly - Essay Example sha, Linling’s love, and face the subsequent revelation of Linling’s true gender identity, Hwang creates a unique dramatic scope for his audience to experience the extremity of the West’s reaction to the orients’ self-decisive, so called, masculine activity. The development of the West’s stereotypical masculinity and feminization of the Asians as a dominant theme of the play mainly revolves around Galliard’s tragically flawed predisposition to assume Liling as a woman. Whereas at one end of this gender-confused relationship, Gallimard represents the West’s traditional prejudiced attitudes and stereotypes about the Asians, in a broad term, about the oriental people, their culture and nations, Liling serves as a representative of the disguised oriental masculinity. Gallimard as a representative of the West hegemonic masculine self is prone to accept Song Liling as a girl. Indeed his perception of Song is a typical extension of his assumption of the Chinese and Asians in general. Again since Hwang’s protagonist habitually is inclined to stereotype the Chinese women as subservient, compliant, submissive, and modest, the stereotypical feminine role, flawlessly played by Song Liling, keeps the truth of Song’s identity away from being revealed to Gallimard, without much effort. Indeed Hwang’s protagonist’s hegemonic and typical colonial attitude towards oriental cultures determines most part the relationship between Gallimard and Song. Gallimard’s tendency to stereotype Asian women is evident in the following lines: â€Å"She is outwardly bold and outspoken, yet her heart is shy and afraid. It is the Oriental in her at war with her Western education.† (27) The play’s theme is serious and finally it t urns into tragic. But the development of the theme is such that Hwang’s play cannot but assume a slight comic tone due to reversed gender relation. Yet in the play, Hwang’s primary tone is serious, grave and tragic. His deconstructive approach to

Never Give Up - Difficulties Raise Will Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Never Give Up - Difficulties Raise Will - Essay Example My father is a role model in my village. His story is legendary and has inspired the people of my village to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles. I am fortunate to have him as my father and friend and to receive his love and guidance that I am sure will continue to help me in times of distress throughout my life. My father was born into a poor family. His father died when he was just 8 years old leaving him to take care of his mother and sister. Circumstances forced him to work at a tender age to make both ends meet. He told me how he had to beg to feed his family in a severe famine that lasted months. He worked as a laborer and farmer while attending evening school. With little education to speak of, he joined the air force and from the lowest level, he rose through the ranks to become a captain.   After serving the force for 23 years, when he retired at Forty, he had completed not one but two bachelor degrees, one in law and the other in management. Then he joined the local court where he became a successful lawyer and eventually was appointed the president of the court. I was an average student in junior school and, perhaps in the hope of improving my studies, my father enrolled me in the best high school in town. Then something happened that would change my life forever. I had just given my first exam and was waiting for the results. Then, my teacher called me to her chamber and announced that I had failed because of cheating in the exam. I understood that somebody had wrongly reported my name to her. Within minutes the news spread through the whole school like wildfire. Everyone was looking at me, some laughing and pointing, some sympathetic and sad. I felt humiliated and was afraid of facing my father. I was sure that he would beat me to death for bringing disrepute to him and the family name.      By the time I reached home, father had got the news. But, completely different from what I expected, he asked me calmly â€Å"Did you cheat in the test?† I shook my head and he just came over and hugged me. â€Å"Then there is nothing to worry about†, he said adding â€Å"this is the opportunity that God has given you, you got to show them all your true mettle, you have to surprise them with your determination. Go for it, my boy†.   I instantly got the message and was transformed.

A French Bakery Chain Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A French Bakery Chain - Case Study Example They strongly believed that acquisition would help them maintain steady advantage without incurring extra cost on the expansion of business on a stand-alone basis. The LPB stores had decentralized working and functioned as stand-alone stores which it easy for the Fields to amalgamate the administration within its core functioning process. It was for this reason that merely after a month of acquiring LPB, Fields reduced the subsidiary administrative staff from 53 to three. Many of their functions like accounting, finance, human resource, training etc. were merged with that of the Fields’ company that resulted in redundancy of jobs in LPB. The main reason for the action was that Mrs. fields Cookies followed mechanistic approach and heavily used technology within its administrative process to streamline sales and production. While Fields appreciated empowerment of its managers and workforce, they also used technology extensively in their production processes to predict and improve sales. The huge hierarchy of employees in LPB was therefore not suitable for the efficient delivery of Fields’ goals and daily targets. Hence, they could o nly retain two persons in operations and one from their R&D section. As LPB Manager, I believe that the strategy of Fields is not right. LPB has gained considerable credibility in the area of baked products, coffee, and sandwich. The huge size of LPB was a significant factor that had prompted Fields to acquire it. The LPB products and services could offer the huge scope of expansion of interests of Fields as they had already created a niche market for their cookies. The acquisition had provided them with the opportunity to introduce their specialty cookies in the European market. The combination outlet could serve as a major facilitating platform for their business with a wide scope of opportunities for improved revenues. In such a scenario of a win-win situation, the redundancy was neither necessary nor morally correct decision.  

Should the Electoral College be abolished Research Paper

Should the Electoral College be abolished - Research Paper Example The topic represents one of the widely practiced political functions which create a considerable impact in the context of politics and elections. However, the greater emphasis will be laid upon the fact that whether the Electoral College be abolished or not? Analysis of this topic will provide an-in-depth insights to the present scenario of Electoral College and its related pros and cons. Nevertheless, the main concern lies upon the fact that whether the Electoral College should be abolished or not? This topic is considered to be one of the widely discussed topics, especially in the US context and in the recent times, it has also raised numerous debates that have cornered the political system to a large extent. This system has taken the overall political arrangement in a one-dimensional manner and it is giving rise to lot of political interventions that is not favored by most of the citizens (Veldman, â€Å"Abolish the Electoral College†; International Debate Education Associa tion, â€Å"Debates†). However, one of the major arguments for the Electoral College is that it magnifies the margin of victory and produces clear winners. The Electoral College is also supported on the ground that it is equated with federalism while the direct popular election does not promote federalism. In addition, the Electoral College system is viewed to eliminate the fraud associated with direct popular voting system. It can be argued that the system of Electoral College is ideal with respect to the interest of nation as well as its citizen. (Heyrman, â€Å"The Electoral College: A Critical Analysis†). Correspondingly, it can be argued that this system discourages the emergence of small and dangerous third parties. It has been viewed that this system promotes political stability and reduces political conflicts to a great extent. Furthermore, it can be stated that the proper utilization of this system, facilitate in overall welfare of the nation’s political system while its abolition ca n be viewed as threat to federalism. Besides, it has been observed that this system promotes benefit of having clear results and legitimate government (Williams, â€Å"Reforming the Electoral College: Federalism, Majoritarianism, and the Perils of Sub constitutional Change†). It has been reported on number of occasion the Electoral College is an outdated system and has potentially less relevancy in terms of modern political system. Subsequently, it can be argued that Electoral College is considered to be anti-democratic in nature and has arbitrary effects on the political set-up. It can be stressed that selection of representatives by Electoral

Expectancy Violations Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Expectancy Violations Theory - Essay Example However, the scholar argues that personal space is continually reflective of the compromise present between conflicting approach needs that are intact with human beings in relation to having affiliation and privacy (Griffin 85). It is worth mentioning that personal space emanated from an anthropologist, Edward Hall from the Institute of Technology in Illinois. In his argument, he coined proxemics as a study in which people utilise space as special elaboration of culture. Furthermore, he argues that America had four zones that were related to proxemics: intimate distance, personal distance, social distance and public distance. In essence, the four zones range from 0 to 10 fits depending on the zone. In his works, Hall gives clear instances where Americans have continually being insensitive towards the cultures of other people. In response to such behavior, Hall argues that people should be enlightened on nonverbal behaviours that go in line with the communication rules from other peop le. For instance, he argues that people should not cross-boundary in any of the four proxemics zones without an invitation from the concerned person. Similarly, poem author Auden echoes the arguments of Hall insisting that one can only violate the personal space at his or her own peril (Griffin 86). In contrast to the expectation of many, Burgoon’s non verbal expectancy violation model counters the arguments of both Hall and Auden on the fact that people have specific expectations pertaining to invasion of privacy. In fact, her argument point to the fact that at times it is necessary to go against rules that have been put forward. Apparently, the application of this theory is mostly not assumed by the ‘culprit’ who invade the privacy of concerned individual, but the individual who gauge the zone in which the ‘culprit’ invaded in relation to their purported level of closeness and personal communication (Griffin 86). Of importance to note is that Burgo on at some point wanted to dismiss the entire model although she had no intentions of abandoning the concept of expectancy violation as an important concept in human interaction and as such gave an idea that the basic assumptions might have required testing and re-evaluation (Griffin 87). As a result, it was evident that the theory needed to be revised from a ‘convoluted model to an elegant theory’. For instance, in her previous writing Burgoon argued that people would automatically have physiologically arousal when their personal space was invaded. However, after re-evaluation she argued that a person would have mental alertness that would focus on the attention of the violator. In light of this, Burgoon new theory was able to incorporate other crucial nonverbal variables such as facial expression, face to face interaction, and body lean. Additionally, the theory is currently used to solve emotional, marital and intercultural communication (Griffin 88). In the general sense, the works of Burgoon have played a huge role in giving the necessary analysis of interpersonal communication and why people perceive its misuse as violation of personal space as per the limits of emotions and intercultural communication. As such, expectancy violation theory has three core concepts that revolve around it to ensure that its applications are valid.        

W3a2-modernism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

W3a2-modernism - Assignment Example Statement of the house was written and designed by Walter burley griffin around 1909-1910 during the period when he was under the control of his earlier employer, Frank Lloyd Wright the structure was eventually erected in the year 1910. The designer had suggested application of cross-shaped plan that had low flanking wings and additional broad gables which were similar to preceding Wrights design entailed in design of the Ward In contrast, the prairie school is a design of the late 19th century which was constructed in Chicago city, Illinois. The design became very notable in the region considering the distinction of the building architecture. The influence of the architecture spread geographically far wide into the north and central Europe and far into Australia (Mulfinger, Dale & Eileen, 90). The design of the building exposed an excellent combination and integration of the ambience landscape , hipped roofs , broad eaves horizontals lines horizontal assembling of the windows, skillful craftsmanship, solid construction and sparing application of the decorations. The eminent horizontal lines facilitated the unison of the structure with the existent local prairie landscape notable in the Midwest. The design of the building brought up several ambitious architectures who shared a desire to alter customized architecture and bring in new transformational models that would be reflective of new mindset. The youn g designers included Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis H. Sullivan and the term prairie became associated with the new blood of architect involved in this project (Gelfand, Lisa & Eric,

Management and Leadership in nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Management and Leadership in nursing - Essay Example As clinical nurse, in a leadership role, is involved in the provision of direct care to patients and works continuously to improve the quality of care provided by influencing others. It must be understood in this context that leadership cannot be considered to be simply a set of tasks or skills, but is rather the development of an attitude that relies extensively on informed behavior and remains consistent with enhancing performance and effectiveness on a long term basis along with benefit to everyone involved. This clearly means that leaders simply do not control others, but simply perform the role of visionaries, who encourage and guide their colleagues in planning, leading, organizing and controlling their tasks and responsibilities (Bernadette Melynk, 2005). Modern literature defines leadership in many different ways although the inherent traits possessed by a leader possess several common features that fit virtually every associated definition. For instance, leadership is often viewed as a process that exerts influence, acts on a group setting and is used as a way to attain a common goal. Leadership exists at all levels although the style used to deliver leadership varies from person to person. For instance, autocratic leadership is one form that facilitates the attainment of a goal without providing enough opportunities for others to be involved in the decision-making process. a leadership mechanism is termed to be bureaucratic when the person adheres strictly to rules and procedures when delivering decisions (Gladys Husted, 2001). In contrast, participative leadership provides for every member of the community or staff to be an intergral part of the decision making process and actively requires everyone to provide their contributions . This increased involvement among members increases the commitment of members towards the goals. A more liberal form of leadership is the laissez faire format that

BUS Unit 5 DB SA four Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

BUS Unit 5 DB SA four - Essay Example This may also indicate that the government expenditure is higher than what it can produce. However, it can also be observed that the current account deficit is not very bad to the economy especially if the deficit has been a result of investment initiatives that are designed to generate revenue in the short to long run period. For instance, in the paragraph above, the U. S deficit is viewed as a big problem given that previously stood at 1. 1 trillion dollars but has been halved to 680 billion dollars. This shows a 51 percent decrease in the current account deficit and it can be attributed to different policy changes such budget cuts, tax increments on those with a larger income bracket as well as stimulating economic growth. In this case, it can be seen that the current account deficit for USA is still controllable from within the country so it is not that bad. The deficit only becomes bad when the economy is now sustained on external

Fashion Marketing of Sephora Essay Example for Free

Fashion Marketing of Sephora Essay It is a member of LVMH group that surrounds the most influential indulgence brands from all over the world. Currently, it’s the retailer of perfumes and cosmetics in US and the second largest is in Europe. It also offers the latest beauty trends, tips from the experts and whole selection of creative gifts. Its commitment to excellence in quality and customer service and well trained and dedicated employees. Sephoras targeting market: Females and Males of any age and race. Celebrities and socialites have a major impact on todays society. When Sephora comes out with new products, trends and make up ideas they know that we cannot resist being that almost everyone in society strives for a flawless look. Sephora cosmetics have keen eye when on latest fashion trends when producing their products. They have such a keen eye because they know that as time goes on and generations past fashion changes. Sometimes fashion moves forward and sometimes the fashion of today are trends seen yesterday. Whichever way you look at it Sephora knows our lifestyles change so they make sure their products change to accommodate our way of living. Demographic factors: Race: All around the world you find and you see different people of different races, cultures and languages. Because of the diversity in our society Sephora makes products that go with all skin types. Age:Â   Sephora has a huge selection of make- up being that the ages of their customers range from 10 and up. For the younger generation, Sephora has a huge selection of Lip balms, lotions and nail polishes. For teens, Sephora has a huge selection of everything ranging from Lipstick, Lip-gloss, Blush, Eye shadow, and Mascara etc.

Company Law of Directors Duties

Company Law of Directors Duties Chapter 1: Directors’ Duties Formulating a system for holding directors accountable has never been easy. As Roach put it, directors’ duties must be gleaned from â€Å"a confusing and compendious mass of case law and the occasional statutory measure.†[1] Given the vast variations in the types of companies that exist, and the types of directors that exist, a universal approach has not always been easy to apply. Nevertheless, the law sometimes seeks to impose a single standard of conduct on all directors, regardless of the nature and characteristics of the company, and the level of involvement of the director. While recent statutes have started to distinguish between private and public companies, and may vary the duties of a director depending on which type of company is concerned, the vast majority of the case law on directors’ duties makes no such distinction and is of general application. There is therefore a complex body of statutory and case law which attempts to both define the duties tha t a director owes to the company, as well as the level of care that must be exercised when performing such duties.[2] As well as statute and case law, a number of standards and codes of practice have also been formulated which seek to define the nature of the duties owed by directors to companies. The first of these to be considered here is the Cadbury Committee, which was established in 1991 following a number of financial scandals that occurred during the previous decade. It was widely acknowledged that reform was needed in company law to allow shareholders and other stakeholders to hold directors more directly accountable for the consequences of their actions. The Cadbury Committee focused on financial control mechanisms to be used by the Board of Directors, and on auditing procedures, and published its report at the end of 1992.[3] The report focused mainly on larger listed companies and its main conclusion was that a Code of Best Practice should be drawn up and which the Boards of Directors of such companies would be obliged to follow. For smaller companies, it would not be obligatory to comply with the code, but if they chose not to, they would have to publish the reasons why they had chosen not to.[4] Adherence to the Code would be made a listing requirement, which would help ensure compliance among listed companies. The benefits of the Code would be to make corporate governance more open and transparent, would make the equities markets more efficient, would make boards more accountable and also more responsive to the needs of the company, and would allow shareholders to exercise greater control and scrutiny over boards. The report was an early supporter of the importance and need of non-executive directors[5] and recognised that executive and non-executive directors play very important complimentary roles. This area proved to be controversial as many saw the creation of two classes of directors as a threat to the traditional unitary nature of boards. However, the report found that non-executive directors could play a vital role in â€Å"reviewing† the performance of the executive directors, as well as taking measures to avoid and deal with â€Å"potential conflicts of interest†[6]. While the report emphasised the importance of financial auditing of companies, it did not go into detail on what should be disclosed in such audits, nor did it consider the controversial area of auditor liability. These were issues which would later become the subject of heated debate. The Report was also an important element in the growth of shareholder activism in the UK, and it concentrated on the steps that institutional shareholders could take to ensure compliance with the Code. In response to the issues raised in the Report, the Institutional Shareholders Committee[7] published its own paper, â€Å"The Responsibilities of Institutional Shareholders in the UK†[8] which dealt with many of the issues raised in the Cadbury report. The paper stated that â€Å"Because of the size of their shareholdings, institutional investors, as part proprietors of a company, are under a strong obligation to exercise their influence in a responsible manner.† This paper marked a new era in UK shareholder activism and promised to make shareholders more involved in making boards more accountable. The paper went so far as to recommend â€Å"regular, systematic contact at senior executive level to exchange views and information on strategy, performance, Board Membership and quality of management†[9]. Regarding the composition of boards, the paper recommended that institutional investors look carefully at â€Å"the concentration of decision-making power not formally constrained by checks and balances† and â€Å"the appointment of a core of non-executives of appropriate calibre, experience and independence.†[10] Therefore, this new investor oversight was taken for granted in the Cadbury report as another force that would improve the governance of large companies. The Cadbury Report has not been without criticism. Many feared that its recommendations, which put a strong influence on non-executive board members, would lead to the creation of a two-tiered board, a development that was seen as unnecessary and inefficient.[11] The voluntary nature of the Code has also been criticised. As a listing requirement, the Code also drew some criticism on the London Stock exchange which was given the task of enforcing and implementing the Code. Concerns led to the establishment of a follow up report prepared by the Hampel Committee, which re-examined the issues at stake, the criticisms which had been raised, and the conclusions reached in the Cadbury Report. The conclusions of the Hempel Committee were strongly supportive of the Cadbury Report and it was not long before the ‘Combined Code’ was drawn up, and implemented by the London Stock Exchange which listed companies were bound to implement, or give reasons for not doing so. The Combined Code now requires that boards implement a â€Å"sound system of internal control† which must consider all significant risks facing the company, the effect they might have on the company, and the costs and advantages of various means of dealing with such risks. The Code also deals with the terms and conditions on which directors are employed, including their pay packages incentive schemes, and termination payments. When speaking of the duty owed by directors to a company therefore, this includes the legal duties imposed on directors by the case law and statutes dealing with the subject, as well as the soft-law measures implemented in the Combined Code. Such duties may be owed to the company itself, or to shareholders or other stakeholders such as shareholders, employees, creditors, and the general public. That said, it must be remembered that in a legal sense, the duties owed by directors is to the company as a legal person, and not shareholders or other stakeholders. The case of Percival v Wright [1902] 2 Ch 421 established beyond a doubt that the duties of directors is to the company. This case concerned a transaction in which a number of directors purchased shares personally from shareholders at a price of  £2 10s. The directors knew that another purchaser wanted the shares and was willing to pay a substantially higher price. The shareholders sought to have the transaction set aside as a breach of duty to the company. Swinfen-Eady J found that the directors had breached no duty to the company, and that no such duty was owed to the shareholders qua shareholders.[12] The case of Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd v Meyer [1959] AC 324 also illustrates the point. In that case, a parent company appointed some of its directors as directors of a subsidiary. These directors pro ceeded to act in the best interests of the parent, but Lord Denning pointed out the directors â€Å"probably thought that ‘as nominees’ of the [parent company] their first duty was to the [parent company]. In this they were wrong.† The duty of directors is always to the company they are acting for, regardless of the external relationships that the company, or they personally, may have with other persons. Currently there are proposals afoot to allow directors to act in the interests of a group of companies, as this is what happens in reality in many cases, especially where the shareholders and directors of the various companies are identical. Without shareholders seeking a profit from a company, it can be argued that a company is a meaningless concept, or a piece of paper without a purpose. The law therefore recognises that in most cases, the interests of the company, will be closely connected to the interests of the members of the company, the interest of both being to make a profit. However, as shown above, the interests of the members are not paramount, and difficulties will always arise in equating the interests of the company with the interests of the members due to the fact that in many situations, the members will have different opinions and conflicting interests which cannot all be met. Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 also adopts the ‘enlightened’ approach which calls for the interests of the company to be interpreted widely and not only as the maximisation of profits at a cost to all other considerations. Employees are one group whose interests the directors must â€Å"have regard† to un der section 172. This is part of the general duty owed to the company and as such, must be enforced by the company, and not the employees. Many have criticised this provision as meaningless, as employees cannot enforce it, however, given that it is a requirement of the Companies Act, it must be expected that the majority of boards will consider the impact their decisions will have on employees, and such consideration will be minuted. While the provision may not prove capable of persuading callous directors to act other than in the interest of profit maximisation, it will certainly support the efforts of directors who do wish to improve conditions for employees. It also remains to be seen how this provision will be enforced by companies and it may transpire that a strong line of case law will develop which will persuade directors to give genuine consideration to the interests of employees. Another group whose interests must be considered under section 172 is creditors. In Lonrho v Shell Petroleum [1980] 1 WLR 627 Lord Diplock stated, at page 634, that the best interests of the company â€Å"are not exclusively those of its shareholders but may include those of its shareholders.† Since it is the members who appoint directors, it would be tempting for directors to seek to promote only their interests, however, as the court recognised, it is often the case that creditors have put significant money into a company and their interests must be taken into account. Lonrho concerned a company that was solvent at the relevant time. The position regarding an insolvent company arose in The Liquidator of the Property of West Mercia Safetywear Ltd v. Dodd and Another [1988] BCLC 250. In this case the Court of Appeal confirmed that when a company was insolvent, its interests include those of its creditors. In Winkworth v Edward Baron [1987] BCLC 193 Lord Templeman found that th e duty was owed directly to the creditors and in Brady v Brady [1989] 1 AC 755 Nourse LJ stated that where a company was insolvent, or its solvency was at risk, the interests of the company and its creditors were identical. According to Finch therefore, the creditors interests must always be taken into account to a limited extent, but as the company approaches insolvency, the interests of creditors must be given greater weight, until the interests of both groups coincide on insolvency.[13] The full extent of the â€Å"success of the company† as it is termed in section 172 of the 2006 Act includes a duty of directors to have regard to â€Å"(a) the likely consequences of any decision in the long term, (b) the interests of the company’s employees, (c) the need to foster the company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others, (d) the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment, (e) the desirability of the company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct, and (f) the need to cat fairly as between members of the company.† It can be seen that there has been a steady broadening of the concept of the interests of the company to include more and more interests that a pure profit motive would fail to embrace. In March 2000, the DTI Company Law Review Committee stated that an â€Å"inclusive approach† should be adopted.[14] They pointed out that society’s interest in company law was that it promote â€Å"wealth generation and competitiveness for the benefit of all†, and that this can better be achieved if directors are forced to take into account â€Å"all the relationships on which the company depends.† The approach adopted in the Companies Act 2006 towards the creation of a statutory â€Å"general duty† owed by directors to the company is a progression of this concept with section 170(3) stating that â€Å"The general duties are based on certain common law rules and equitable principles as they apply in relation to directors†¦Ã¢â‚¬  At subsection (4) it states â⠂¬Å" The general duties shall be interpreted and applied in the same way as common law rules or equitable principles†. This is clearly maintaining the case law that has built up over the past centuries as the framework on which the new statutory general duties are based. It remains to be seen what effect the new statutory duties contained in section 172 of the 2006 Act will have on this case law. Therefore, in looking at the duties owed by directors, it is necessary to read both the statutory provisions and the pre-existing case law together. These both make a distinction between the ‘fiduciary’ duties that directors owe the company, and their duty to act with ‘reasonable care, skill and diligence.’ Under section 174 of the 2006 Act a director â€Å"must exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence.† The content of this duty has been long ago established by the courts and in The Marquis of Bute’s Case [1892] 2 Ch 100 the limits of the duty were clearly set out. That case concerned the Cardiff Savings Bank, which allowed by tradition the Marquis of Bute to inherit the presidency of the bank from his father. The Marquis in question became president at the age of six months, and in the following 38 years, he attended only one board meeting. He therefore had no awareness of the business or involvement in it, and the court found that he was not expected to be involved. When financial irregularities by the board were uncovered, the court found that the Marquis was not liable due to his remoteness from the business, despite his formal position on the board. However, it appears as if the courts quickly grew stricter and in Dovey v Cory [1901] AC 477 a director escaped lia bility for malpractice but only because he had relied on information given to him by the chairman and general manager of the company, and his decision to do so was reasonable and not negligent. The extension since the Marquis’ case therefore, was the application of a reasonableness test. The standard was further developed in Re City Equitable Fire Insurance [1925] Ch 407 in which three rules were established. These were that: a director must show the skill and diligence that could be expected from a person with his knowledge and experience; his duties are intermittent, and exercised only at board meetings where he participates in decision making; where reasonable, a director is free to delegate tasks and responsibilities to other employees. These rules were affirmed in Dorchester Finance Co. Ltd v Stebbing [1989] BCLC 498 which stated that they applied equally to executive and non-executive directors. One of the features of the standard set out in Re City Equitable Fire Insurance is the fact that the standard is not that of the professional man, but the reasonable man with the skill and experience that the director in question subjectively possesses. This subjective test is useful for most companies as the more complicated the operation and the more money that is at stake, the more qualified the director is likely to be and the higher the standard. The standard will fall short in cases such as the Marquis of Bute, but this is more to do with the fact that a woefully unsuitable candidate has been appointed to the board, such as a six month old baby. In all but such extreme cases therefore, the subjective case set out in Re City Equitable will be sufficient. The second rule only requires the director to attend meetings and make himself aware of the business of the company â€Å"whenever in the circumstances he is reasonably able to do so.† Again this approach gives the law fl exibility to allow for very different types of director, depending on the nature of the business. So for example, you could have an elderly family member sitting on the board because he knows the history of the business, and he will not be required to pay constant attention to the business, but simply offer his guidance when reasonably practicable. You could also have, as most companies do, full time salaried directors who are paid to spend all of their time and attention on the affairs of the company. As both types of director will be useful in various circumstances, the law allows for both, and requires each of them to be as aware of the dealings of the company as is reasonable in the circumstances. The third rule allows directors to delegate responsibility to others, and it might be feared that this will be used by directors to avoid responsibility. However, when taken together with the other rules of the test, it is apparent that a director cannot delegate all of his responsibilities and disallow all awareness of the dealings of the company. He will still be required to be reasonably aware of what is going on and only to delegate tasks which it is reasonable for him to do so, taking into account the nature of business and the circumstances of the case. However, there are many instances in which these three rules will not protect investors or other stakeholders, for example in the Marquis of Bute case, and there have been calls for some time for an objective standard to be introduced into the law. The DTI Company Law Review Committee, in the 2000 report mentioned above, pointed out that an objective standard has been adopted for the protection of creditors by section 214 of the Insolvency Act 1986[15] and in the case of Re D’Jan of London Ltd [1993] BCC 646 Hoffman LJ found that the objective standard set out in section 214 of the 1986 Act reflected the standard that all directors were bound to meet when upholding their general duty. Therefore, the objective standard first set out in the insolvency context became the general standard owed by directors in all cases, and section 174 of the 2006 Act affirms that both the objective and subjective standards apply. At section 174(2) the 2006 Act states that the standard required is that which may be met by a â€Å"reasonably diligent person with (a) the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the functions carried out by the director in relation to the company, and (b) the general knowledge, skill and experience that the director has.† Therefore, as a minimum, the director will be required to demonstrate the care and skill that a reasonable director of a company of that type and standard would be expected to demonstrate. This allows for some flexibility as this minimum standard can still vary depending on the business, so that the director of a small family business will have a lower standard than the director of a FTSE 100 company. At the same time, if a director is chosen because of his particular characteristics, which make him qualified above and beyond what one might expect, he will be held to this higher, subjective standard. This standard, which upholds an objective minimum standard, which may be increased if the director in question is unusually highly qualified, seeks to strike a balance between protecting the interests of the company, and allowing directors to feel relatively at ease with the personal liability they have taken on board. A different approach was adopted in the USA, where the Supreme Court of Delaware, in Smith v Van Gorkom [1985] 488 A.2d 858 found the ten directors of Trans Union Corporation liable in the sum of $23.5 million for agreeing to a takeover without first valuing the shares of the company. While this failure seems fundamental, the sale of the company’s shares was set to take place at a price significantly higher then the quoted price of the shares on the stock exchange, and the takeover would undoubtedly have benefited the company. The massive liability was imposed without any allegation of fraud or breach of fiduciary duty and resulted in a marked unwillingness of q ualified persons taking on the role of non-executive director, at least for a time. It also resulted in a number of states, including Delaware where the decision was made, enacting legislation which allowed companies to exclude or limit the liability of directors for negligent breach of their fiduciary duties. Such a situation has not occurred in English company law, and the standard adopted in section 174 is measured to avoid the need for such a development. The second main area of directors’ duties falls under the heading of fiduciary duties. At its most simple, this covers the requirement that directors act bona fides in respect of the company. The case law that developed however sets out a number of common instances in which directors are in danger of breaching this duty, and the 2006 Act has proceeded to specify these situations explicitly. While it is not set out as such, the duty to act bona fides can be seen as an overriding interest, which cannot be breached, even when authorised by the shareholders in general meeting. For example, in the case of (Re Attorney-General’s Reference (No. 2 of 1982) [1984] 2 ALR 447 the directors of the company were the only shareholders. They took money from the company and the interpretation given was that the directors had taken the money with the authorisation of the shareholders. Nevertheless, the court found that this was breach of the overriding duty to act bona fides. The case of R v Phillipou [1989] Crim LR 559 found the same overriding duty and these cases were upheld by the House of Lords in R v Gomez [1992] 3 WLR 1067. Therefore, it can be said that there is an overriding duty to act in good faith and even if a majority of the shareholders approve of the action, the directors may not breach it, and a minority of shareholders, or creditors, and possibly employees and other stakeholders, would be able to have the action set aside. However, it is also possible for directors to breach one of the explicit fiduciary duties, such as using powers for one purpose to achieve a different purpose, which are not dishonest or mala fide. In such cases, the court can find that the breach of the particular fiduciary duty does not place the directors in breach of their overriding duty of good faith, and a majority of the shareholders can vote to authorise such acts. Section 239 of the Companies Act 2006 allows shareholders to ratify breaches of a fiduciary duty, but subsection (7) states â€Å"This section does not affect any other enactment or rule of law imposing additional requirements for valid ratification or any rule of law as to acts that are incapable of being ratified by the company†. Therefore, the previous case law which was upheld by the House of Lords in Gomez still limits the ability to ratify. In fact, the specific fiduciary duties have been described as â€Å"disabilities† and in Movitex Ltd v Bu lfield and Others [1988] BCLC 104 it was upheld that companies could alter their Memorandum and Articles to amend the nature of any fiduciary duty owed by the directors to the company, subject always to the requirement that nothing purported to allow dishonesty. Movitex concerned the concept of self-dealing, which is ordinarily presumed to be a breach of duty. In this case, the company was able to remove this presumption, so that the director was able to engage in self-dealing, but subject to the requirement that he did in fact act in the best interests of the company. A simple example of this would be if a cheese producing company sought to appoint the owner of a supermarket as a director. Self dealing would disable the director from selling cheese to the supermarket he owned, as it would be self-dealing, and very easy for the director to breach his fiduciary duties to the cheese producing company. However, the company could authorise the director to sell to the supermarket concern ed, on condition that he did not abuse this ability and breach his duty of good faith. An ordinarily disallowed activity would be allowed, but would still be subject to the requirements of good faith. The explicit fiduciary duties of the director set out in the 2006 Act are: the duty to act within powers[16]; the duty to exercise independent judgment[17]; the duty to avoid conflicts of interest[18]; the duty to declare interests in proposed transactions or arrangements[19]; and the duty not to accept benefits from third parties[20]. Section 171 requires that the director â€Å"(a) act in accordance with the company’s constitution, and (b) only exercise powers for the purpose for which they are conferred.† This is an area where the courts have been quite willing to excuse directors if they have used a power for a collateral purpose and a majority of shareholders have been in favour of it. For example, in the cases of Punt v Symonds Co [1903] 2 Ch 506 and Piercy v S Mills Co [1920] 1 Ch 77, the court allowed the issue of shares by directors to prevent a hostile takeover and to dilute the influence of hostile shareholders, because the majority of shareholders approved. This was despite the fact that the power had been granted solely to allow the raising of capital. However, in Howard Smith Ltd v Ampol Petroleum Ltd [1974] AC 821 the Privy Council held that where there were two purposes for issuing shares, to raise capital and to prevent a takeover, the proper purpose of raising capital had to be the dominant purpose. In Re Looe Fish Ltd [1993] BCC 368 the directors were disqualified under section 8 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 for allotting shares for an improper purpose. Section 173 requires the directors to exercise independent judgment. This is a restatement of the common law duty on directors not to ‘fetter their discretion’. This has acted to reduce the risk of directors being in a conflict of interest situation be disabling them from entering agreements which might prevent them from acting in the best interests of the company in the future. In Fulham Football Clun and Others v Cabra Estates Plc [1994] 1 BCLC 363 the company was paid money in exchange for not opposing property development plans. As the planning process drew out, the question arose of whether the directors had fettered their discretion by agreeing never to oppose such plans. However, the Court of Appeal stated that where a â€Å"contract as a whole [was] bona fide for the benefit of the company† it was valid and the directors could bind themselves to do whatever was required to fulfil it. Section 175 prohibits directors from entering a position where his interests actually or potentially conflict with those of the company. If the constitution of the company permits, the directors can authorise a conflicting situation to be entered into, so long as the relevant director does not vote. Section 175 also requires the director to declare their interests in any contracts, and under section 170, this duty extends after the director has ceased to hold office. The declaration is made to the board. The potential complexity of such situations can be seen in Menier v Hooper’s Telegraph Works [1874] LR 9 Ch D 350 in which the James LJ held that a majority shareholder could not prejudice the interests of the company because of its own conflicting interests. Similarly, in Cook v Deeks [1916] 1 AC 554 the directors sought to conclude the final round of contracts in a large railway development programme in their own names. The court held this was clearly in breach of their duty . In Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd v Meyer [1959] AC 324 the directors say on the boards of both a parent and subsidiary company, and as soon as it emerged that the interests of the two companies were conflicting, the directors could not longer remain in that position. As Lord Cranworth said in Aberdeen Railway Co v Blaikie Bros (1854) 1 Macq 461 (HL), â€Å"it is a rule of universal application that no one, having [fiduciary] duties to discharge, shall be allowed to enter into engagements in which he has or can have a personal interest conflicting or which possibly may conflict with the interests of those whom he is bound to protect.† One area that the courts have found difficulty with is when a director comes across a profitable opportunity as a result of his position as director. This situation arose in Regal (Hastings) Ltd v Gulliver [1942] 1 All ER 378 in which a cinema company sought to lease two other cinemas. A subsidiary was formed for the purpose, but the owners of the two cinemas would only agree to the lease if the authorised share capital was paid up. As the parent could not afford to do so, some directors personally purchased shares in the subsidiary. When it came time to sell the shares in the subsidiary, the company demanded that the directors account to the company for the profits they had made, and the House of Lords held that they were liable to do so. This was despite the fact that the company would have been unable to exploit the situation because of its own lack of funds. The same principle was applied in Industrial Developments v Cooley [1972] 1 WLR 443 in which a director learned information which would have been profitable to the company and kept it to himself. He then used the information to secure a position at a rival firm and left his present company. His present company could not have secured this position itself and so could not have benefited in the manner in which the director had. Nevertheless, the court f ound that the director had to account to the company for the profit he had made as a result of information gleaned in the course of his directorship. Gencor ACP Ltd v Dalby [2000] 2 BCLC 734 affirmed that it is no defence that the company would not have exploited the opportunity, although the shareholders can approve of the action and this would justify the director. As a result of the case law and the wording of the relevant provisions of the 2006 Act, it can be concluded that a director is disallowed from entering a position where one of his person

Sherman Act And The Antitrust Movement Politics Essay

Sherman Act And The Antitrust Movement Politics Essay There are three main sections/provisions under the Sherman Antitrust Act. The first section prohibits specific anticompetitive conduct like the establishment of a monopoly. The second section prohibits deals that have the ending results that are anticompetitive in nature. These can be combinations in forms of trusts that lead to restraint of trade or commerce. The third section extends the provisions of the first section into US territories and Washington DC and it also states that people who are hurt by a business that breaks this act are eligible to sue for damages (threefold). The purpose of the act was to oppose the combination of entities that could potentially harm competition, such as monopolies. The Act is not clear because a trust is an older form of contract whereby one party entrusted another with its property. This did not encompass the owning of stock in another company. The courts also would put their own words into the act that the Congress did not actually write into the Act. There was too much room for interpretation of the act which made it inconsistent and not very efficient. The Sherman Antitrust Act was able to pass with only one dissenting vote even though the Congress was mostly comprised of Republicans. I believe it passed because the Congress realized what the snowball-effect of a monopolistic economy would have on everyone, especially consumers. Congress knew that if trusts continued a huge gap between the poor and the rich would develop. The monopolies could charge any price they wanted to and people would have to pay it. The Congress realized this and knew competition increases the quality of goods which would help the U.S. compete with companies outside the U.S. because the global market was forming during this time. The Congress knew that monopolies would stunt the expansion and growth of American industry and technology, which would hurt the U.S. against other countries. The nations view of antitrust regulation was that it would benefit all consumers because competition allows for better products and increased development. Businesses could not have a very big market share because that diminishes the ability of a new smaller business to enter the market and bring new ideas to the market. The nation and consumers want there to be competition because this lowers prices while quality of goods increases. It is a win-win situation for consumers and the American people. The liability of the creation of a monopoly should be the responsibility of the monopoly. The monopoly is creating the unfair trade and is able to control the price of goods. The consumers are the ones who are hurt in the end because of the monopolies. What was Roosevelts analysis of the trust problem? What role should government play in resolving this problem and why? How should it do this? What should it not do? Roosevelt became president in 1901 and had a plan that was between the Republican Laissez Faire policies and the Socialist policies. Roosevelt was able to gain the respect of the public, even though they didnt want big government, because the trusts were growing in numbers and power. Roosevelt never opposed giant corporations because of their sheer size though. He believed that big corporations were more efficient than smaller ones, but believed that competition among these big corporations in the same field would be dangers and wasteful. Roosevelt felt that these large companies should be allowed to combine and cooperate, but they should not be allowed to use their size or power to oppress smaller producers and consumers. Roosevelt wanted to neutralize the power of the great corporations and he supported measures to extend the control of the federal government over the national economy. Roosevelt supported the creation of the Bureau of Corporations (1903), which investigated busines s practices of corporations and other businesses. Roosevelt argued that only an acting and strong government could bring control to big business and there should be different standards for bad trusts and good trusts. I believe government need to regulate big businesses like Roosevelt. A business should be able to be as big as it wants with acquisitions and mergers but it should not be able to control 100% of the market. If a company controlled the whole market then it would affect every consumer, probably in a negative way. The government needs to protect the consumer and put down rules that do allow a company to get very big but not own 100% of the market and have extreme pricing power. There needs to be at least a little bit of competition to give the consumers a better product, being price and quality, through competition. The government should not take control of big businesses once they acquire a large market stake through success because a company should not be punished for that. If though, the company raises its prices without reason or for no reason lowers its prices into an area of net loss to reduce competition or entry into the field they should be punished. How would you characterize the rule of reason and the dissenting opinion? What do you think has been the impact of this ruling? Chief Justice Edward D. White proposed the rule of reason in the Standard Oil Case of 1911. It was difficult to solve by proof whether the particular contracts, combinations, or trusts involved in each case is or is not a unreasonable or undue restraint of trade. The rule of reason is a circumstance test asking whether the challenged practice promotes or suppresses market competition. The rule of reason states that only combinations and contracts that are unreasonably restraining trade are subject to actions under the antitrust laws and the possession of a monopoly is not inherently illegal. A dissenting opinion is when one or more justices disagree with the majority of the Supreme Court. Usually the justice writes an opinion of why they disagree with the majority decision. The dissenting opinion is used to get the public attention and get the public to also disagree with the majority opinion. In the end, the dissenting judge hopes that the Court will reconsider its decision and over turn it. I would then characterize these two to be amendments to the antitrust laws that were already in the forms of acts. The dissenting opinion lets a judge get there opinion out to the public and helps the public more of decide what is right and what is wrong in a judicial case, even if the case does not get overlooked again. I believe the rule of reason does not add that much to the antitrust laws. I believe it lets there be more interpretation and this would then differ from judge to judge. Along with that I believe judges should be able to go against the majority ruling and show their opinion and support it with facts. The public needs to know both sides and they then can decide on their own. The majority decision is not always correct so by there being dissenting opinions more people hopefully will see the correct side and the court could then overturn the result. How did Wilson view the problem of big business and antitrust? What role did he see for government and why? What did he see as the limits to involvement by the government? Wilson was even more outspoken against the trusts than Roosevelt. Unlike Roosevelt, Wilson did not believe in government regulation of big businesses. Wilson wanted to use the antitrust laws to break up monopolies to restore competition, make businesses more efficient, and create a new type of individualism that had before made America a powerful nation. Wilson said, If monopoly persists, monopoly will always sit at the helm of government. I do not expect monopoly to restrain itself. If there are men in this country big enough to own the government of the U.S., they are going to own it. Wilson also said that monopolies are not inevitable and if they were, then the government would have to take hold of monopolies and regulate them. Monopolies, not being inevitable, then there have to be laws to break them up and prevent them from forming again. Wilson does not believe that these big combinations are inevitable and says he can prove they are not by the process of how they were started. Wilsons believes that it was the old form of competition that enabled these men to create their monopolies, so there has to be new systems established to stop it from happening again. Wilson believed that the government may not be able to control monopolies but can regulate competition. It is a criminal law of the U.S. for a company to go into a community and sell below cost for no other purpose than to squeeze out a competitor. Also, Under Wilsons administration the Federal Trade Commission and the Clayton Antitrust Act were passed in 1914. Both of these new developments greatly strengthened the ability of the government to control corporations. The Clayton Antitrust Act made it illegal for directors of one corporation to be directors of another corporation in the same field which reduced the ability for trusts to be created. What was Debs analysis of the problem of big business? What role did he see for government in regulating big business and why? As a Socialist, what did he suggest should be the workers view of antitrust and regulation? How do you think he, as a Socialist, viewed big business and bigness, per se? Eugene Debs believed that big business took away from the work of the working class. Debs believed that the workers should own and control their own jobs and not be at the mercy of the big businesses. Debs said that big business controlled the work environment and destroyed advances and innovations that would help the workers. Debs wanted people to think the only way to overcome big business and the capitalist class was to overthrow it. Debs had a very strong belief in unions and the power of the workers also. When the owners of the trust finance a party to put themselves out of business; when they turn over their wealth to the people from whom they stole it and go to work for a living, it will be time enough to consider the merits of the Roosevelt Progressive Party explained Debs, that only when big business was destroyed would be the time for a progressive party. Debs did not really want the government to regulate big business; he wanted the unions/workers to regulate the businesse s they were a part of, so the power would be with the unions. He wanted the workers to get past big business and form unions to take control. Being a socialist, Debs would agree with how socialism is an attempt to bring social organization, especially in the form of unions. From this social organization comes a new level of technology and progress which can then be fully taken advantage of. Capitalism and big business concentrates power and wealth within small segments of society that controls the means of production and derives its wealth through a system of exploitation, under the socialist point of view. Socialists do not want big business because power is located narrowly and the workers are more like slaves. What is the role of the Federal Trade Commission? What powers does it have that are new for antitrust law? How does it resolve some of the problems of Sherman Act antitrust activity? What is required to make it work? How did the Clayton Antitrust Act affect the enforcement of the Sherman Act? The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the U.S. established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act. The mission of the commission is the promotion of consumer protection and the elimination and prevention of harmfully anti-competitive business practices such as monopolies. The Federal Trade Commission had the power to investigate and prevent deceptive trade practices. If there were unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce and unfair or deceptive acts affecting commerce they were illegal. This commission helps solve some of the ambiguous content that was in the Sherman Antitrust Act. Now the commission has the specific reason to act on anyone who is affecting the consumers or commerce. For the act to work, it is necessary for a company to be doing something inherently anti-competitive. This can also be interpreted so there is again misinterpretation. The company does not have to be a monopoly for this act to affect the company also. The Clayton Act was established in 1914 and it was established to prevent anti-competitive practices in the start up or beginning of anti-competition. There are four principle changes that affect the Sherman Antitrust Act from the Clayton Act. The first, price discrimination between different purchasers, if discrimination substantially lessens competition or tends to create a monopoly, is illegal. The second, sales where the buyer cannot go to different suppliers or where competition is lessened, is illegal. The third, mergers and acquisitions where the affect may substantially lessen competition is illegal. The Clayton Act also allows greater regulation of mergers since it does not require a merger-to-monopoly before a violation. The fourth is that any person cannot be the director of two or more competing corporations. The Clayton Act helped strengthen what was written in the Sherman Antitrust Act with these provisions. Why were there so few convictions under the Sherman Act early on? What changed and why? What types of firms/industries were charged during the 1920s? Why has the prosecution of antitrust violations ebbed and flowed in American history since the beginning of the twentieth century? At first, there were not many convictions under the Sherman Antitrust Act. This is because there was a very loose interpretation of the Act and the Act was not very clear. The Act, only being a few paragraphs, let there be a lot of room for the monopolies and corporations to interpret and present what they defined the rule/Act as. There were few convictions also because of the intense political pressure from the trusts and with the loose wording of the Act. The trusts pointed out that the Sherman Antitrust Act failed to define such key terms as combination, conspiracy, monopoly and trusts. Also, there was narrow judicial interpretation as to what constituted trade or commerce among the states. Five years after its passage, the Supreme Court in effect reduced the Sherman Antitrust Act in the US vs. EC Knight Company in 1895. The Court ruled that the company had not violated the Act despite the fact that it controlled approximately 98% of the whole market place for that sugar industry. The court explained that the companys control of manufacturing did not constitute control of trade. The standard that emerged from this decision applied a two part test to determine if a company was set up to have monopoly power. First, the company must possess monopoly power in its market and second, it must have improperly used acts to gain power or protect their power as a monopoly. In 1920, the US Supreme Court relaxed antitrust regulations so that only unreasonable restraint of trade through acquisitions, mergers, and predatory pricing constituted a violation. Under Herbert Hoover in the 1920s, the government promoted business corporations and this continued with Calvin Coolidge who had a hands-off policy towards businesses. In the 1920s the companies that were charged were not just companies that were massive; it was mostly smaller businesses that were charged. Throughout history the Sherman Antitrust Act kept getting redone with the new acts and commissions that backed up and helped find trust companies. The prosecutions of new companies was able to flow because of these new acts that came about to revise the original Sherman Antitrust Act. When people had been able to find holes in the Sherman Antitrust Acts, these new Acts were there to help patch up those holes and let the process of trust busting continue. Looking at the case against Microsoft, has the efficacy of antitrust law been reduced? In the United States vs. Microsoft case Microsoft was being accused of abusing monopoly power on Intel based computers in its use of the Windows OS and web browser integration. The issue was whether Microsoft was allowed to bundle Internet Explorer browser with its Windows OS. Microsoft stated that the merging of the two was the result of innovation and competition and that the two were the same product. In the final settlement, Microsoft had to prevent from engaging in predatory behavior or other acts that might diminish the ability for another product to enter the market. I do believe the efficacy of the Act has been reduced, I believe it is less trusted now. With this case the government got into the regulation of computer technology which could hinder the progress as a result and many people do not like the idea of a big government. In this case Microsoft was said to just get a slap on the wrist because they were not really punished. I believe they did not do anything wrong, Internet Explorer was part of the Windows OS and people who bought the OS were expecting to have a browser packaged with it. There would be no point for Microsoft to put a third party browser on their Windows OS because they built it. The OS is theirs and they have full rights to whatever goes into the OS and, therefore; they should be allowed to put their own browser integrated into the software. I believe the antitrust law needs to be redefined and the old law is looked down upon because it can be interpreted in various ways. How did the success of antitrust law after 1900 affect the growth of oligopolies in the economy? Growth of oligopolies was greatly diminished because acquisitions and mergers of smaller companies into bigger ones were reduced because of the laws. US Steel in 1901 had 62% of the market share and then in 1920 it only had 40% of the market share. The American Can Company in 1901 had 90% of the market share and by 1912 it was significantly reduced to 50% of the market share. Even though this is just showing one company from an industry it still shows that the laws were effective in breaking the companies down into smaller companies. These laws helped reduce the amount of oligopolies being constructed the same way it broke down monopolies and other oligopolies. The laws have diminished the amount of trusts between companies but there are still companies today that try to get around them. There are many companies who have been convicted of price fixing with their competitors to reach a higher level of market price, which in turn hurts the consumers. For example, Dow Chemical, Dupont, and Bayer, the biggest companies in the chemical industry, were price fixing in the early 21st century and there are still premonitions that they are still doing it today. The Acts have diminished the growth of oligopolies but then again people always will try to get around the law to increase their benefits.

osteoporosis :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Special Assignment NutritionDefine Type 1 and Type 2 osteoporosis, and explain habits that increase a person’s risk of developing osteoporosis.Type 1 osteoporosis is characterized as post menopausal. Women who are approaching the age of menopause should seriously consider consulting a physician to prepare for the changes her body is about to go through. As estrogen levels taper off, the kidneys start to draw calcium the body needs for normal maintenance of the skeletal frame from the bones, which in turn results in a loss of trabecular calcium. Risks involved with such events include sudden breaks, the vertebrae may begin to disintegrate, teeth may begin to loosen, and fall out. Type 2 osteoporosis is known to happen with age. Although not directly related to hormones like Type 1, Type 2 also results in damage to the skeletal frame. Along with losses of trabecular goes cortical calcium, vertebrae compress cause the spine to form a wedged shape, and hips are often know to break. There are several habits of a lifestyle which contribute to the on set osteoporosis. Smoking cigarettes effects estrogen and calcium absorption resulting in lowered calcium levels. Maintaining a proper diet that includes plenty of vitamins (A, K, D, & C) and essentials minerals (phosphorous, fluoride, magnesium, and zinc) is a catch all remedy to fight against osteoporosis. Explain why women are more at risk of developing each type of osteoporosis.Women are more at risk to developing either osteoporosis due to the activity of estrogen in their bodies. Estrogen helps in calcium synthesis and fights against bone destroying osteoclasts cells. Women who have an irregular menstrual cycle or are post menopausal are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis. 3b. Explain what changes in lifestyle you would recommend to your (choose one and circle your choice: mother, sister, wife, girlfriend, friend), to help her reduce her risk of developing osteoporosis. The best way for any woman to fend against osteoporosis are; maintain a diet of adequate

Divorce :: essays research papers

Some say time heals all wounds, and I would have to agree with them in some situations. When I was eight or nine, I went through something I thought I would never get over. My parents divorced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They had been fighting for awhile, but I never thought that they would actually separate. Then the day after New Years my mom left. I was in shock. My older brother left with her. So it was only my dad, younger brother, and me at the house now. My mom moved into a hotel for awhile, before finding an apartment. My older brother just moved out all together, he did not want to deal with things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was very tense between everyone for a long time. My parents did not actually divorce until a year after they separated. It was a bitter dispute. They fought for every little thing they could get. The fight became very expensive, forcing my dad to move my brother and I from our large home in suburbia to an apartment in the city. My mom also moved but she moved further away, in fact all the way down to Texas City from Dallas (where we used to live).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not too long after that the custody battles started. I think this was what was hardest on my brother and me. My mom was awarded custody first, forcing my brother and me to move after being in a new school and all for only three months. After about a year and a couple moves my dad was awarded custody. For the next few years my brother and me bounced from house to house, new school to new school, having to start fresh each time. Finally after about five years of fighting my parents came to a compromise. They separated my brother and me. I moved in with my dad in Houston, and my brother moved in with my mom in Dallas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have now lived with my dad for about three or four years. It was hard adjusting at first, but once I had life has become better. My brother took awhile to adjust also.

Emily Dickinson :: Essays Papers

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet of the nineteenth century. She was one of the greatest masters of the short lyric poem. Not much is known about her life, but what is known is unusual and interesting. Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on December tenth, eighteen hundred thirty, to a prominent family. [ 9. http://www.kutztown.edu/faculty/ reagan/*censored*inson.html ] She was the second child of three children. Her grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, was one of the founders of the Amherst College. Edward Dickinson, her father, held several political positions. He was on the General Court of Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Senate, and United States House Representatives. Edward was also a lawyer and the treasurer for the college. [ 9. http://www.kutztown.edu/faculty/reagan/*censored*inso n.html ] Emily's mother, Emily Dickinson, was a simple woman. She was dedicated to her home and family. Emily's mother suffered a long term of illness so she took care of her. Dickinson had an older brother, Austin, who also served as the treasurer for the college and other civic positions. Austin married Emily's best friend, Susan Gilbert. Lavinia was Emily's younger sister. She didn't marry anyone so she stayed in the family house. The three siblings shared a very close relationship. Their parents didn't have a close rela tionship with them, but they did love and care for them. Emily's parents made sure she had a good education. She went to a primary school for four years then she attended Amherst Academy from eighteen hundred forty through eighteen hundred forty-seven. After that she went to Mary Lyon's Female Seminary ( Mount Holyoke Female Seminary ) for only a year. [ 7. http://www.gale.com/library/resrcs/poets_cn/dic knbio.htm ] The seminary insisted on religious as well as intellectual growth. Emily didn't like the religious environment and was under considerable pressure to become a professing Christian. [ 4. wysiwyg://5/http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/0/0,5716,30830+ 1,00.html ] When it came to religion, Emily was a skeptic. She returned home so she wouldn't have to face the religious environment, and her parents asked her to come home. [ 10. http://www.sappho.com/poetry/historical/e_*censored*in.html ] Emily began to write poems at an early age. She had several inspirations in her poem writing. Emily Bronte was a poet, and after her brother's death she stayed home until her death. Bronte's book became a big success after her death. Emily Dickinson :: Essays Papers Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet of the nineteenth century. She was one of the greatest masters of the short lyric poem. Not much is known about her life, but what is known is unusual and interesting. Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on December tenth, eighteen hundred thirty, to a prominent family. [ 9. http://www.kutztown.edu/faculty/ reagan/*censored*inson.html ] She was the second child of three children. Her grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, was one of the founders of the Amherst College. Edward Dickinson, her father, held several political positions. He was on the General Court of Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Senate, and United States House Representatives. Edward was also a lawyer and the treasurer for the college. [ 9. http://www.kutztown.edu/faculty/reagan/*censored*inso n.html ] Emily's mother, Emily Dickinson, was a simple woman. She was dedicated to her home and family. Emily's mother suffered a long term of illness so she took care of her. Dickinson had an older brother, Austin, who also served as the treasurer for the college and other civic positions. Austin married Emily's best friend, Susan Gilbert. Lavinia was Emily's younger sister. She didn't marry anyone so she stayed in the family house. The three siblings shared a very close relationship. Their parents didn't have a close rela tionship with them, but they did love and care for them. Emily's parents made sure she had a good education. She went to a primary school for four years then she attended Amherst Academy from eighteen hundred forty through eighteen hundred forty-seven. After that she went to Mary Lyon's Female Seminary ( Mount Holyoke Female Seminary ) for only a year. [ 7. http://www.gale.com/library/resrcs/poets_cn/dic knbio.htm ] The seminary insisted on religious as well as intellectual growth. Emily didn't like the religious environment and was under considerable pressure to become a professing Christian. [ 4. wysiwyg://5/http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/0/0,5716,30830+ 1,00.html ] When it came to religion, Emily was a skeptic. She returned home so she wouldn't have to face the religious environment, and her parents asked her to come home. [ 10. http://www.sappho.com/poetry/historical/e_*censored*in.html ] Emily began to write poems at an early age. She had several inspirations in her poem writing. Emily Bronte was a poet, and after her brother's death she stayed home until her death. Bronte's book became a big success after her death.