Effects of Long-Term Unemployment Insurance - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1776 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/05/31 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Unemployment Essay Did you like this example? Through econometric regression techniques, this research seeks to analyze data in regard to the effects of Unemployment Insurance Benefits (UI) extended beyond the initial allocation cap on Unemployment. This research will explore the extension of such benefits within the United States through the examination of original research in economics and government databases. This research will contribute to the current knowledge we have in regard to various social-welfare projects. Previous research on the subject contends the existence of basic unemployment benefits has a positive economic correlation in various areas; however, the data on extended benefit consumption has been varied. The analysis of data pertaining to individuals whose benefit has extended beyond 26 is expected to have correlated a negative impact. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Effects of Long-Term Unemployment Insurance" essay for you Create order History of UI Throughout history modern societies have been subject to economic cycles in which economic booms and down turns occur. In the United States we have seen many low cycles with the most notable down turns being the Great Depression of the 1920rs/30rs and more recently the Great Recession that occurred in 2008. During these times, the unemployment rate (calculated as the people out of work and actively looking for reemployment) generally rises. During the Great Depression of the 1920rs and 1930rs, the United States faced some of the largest unemployment numbers ever recorded in history. This economic devastation rendered many people without work, consequently the widespread economic suffering inspired the U.S. government to enact several social-welfare policies. One of these policies was use of Unemployment Insurance (U.I.) benefit programs to ease the intermediate burden of joblessness. U.I. benefits are intended for people whom have become unemployed through no fault of their own and meet particular eligibility requirements. The social-welfare program supplements the income of the unemployed person(s) while they are searching for other employment opportunities. The U.I. benefits are meant to lessen some of the immediate financial needs to cover essential bills and necessary costs of living (Perez 2015). Since its creation like many of the other social welfare programs, U.I. benefits have seen many changes in order to adapt to the current situational needs. In general, the maximum duration of U.I. benefit entitlement has been at or below 26 weeks. For the purpose of this research, however, we will examine data where economic recessions have forced the extension of such beyond the traditional amount. Purpose for Research Initiative The volatility of economic conditions provided by the interaction between world markets lends a great likelihood for economic declines. For this reason, it is relatively unavoidable to evade periods of increased unemployment rates which lends to the importance of deeper examination of the policies and benefits employed during such occasions. Due to the contradictive positive and negative correlative evidence previously presented by the various studies conducted on this policy, it is imperative further research be conducted to aid legislators in the decision-making processes. One of the more prominent arguments for continued U.I. benefits beyond traditional amounts is that they create an economic stimulus. In the short run, there is evidence to support this claim. According to former research U.I. benefits save jobs and prevent decreases in consumption initially (Furman 2013; Perez 2011). However, this cannot be a sustainable model. Keynesian economists believe government entities should transfer money to workers in times of economic downturns with the intention of such workers immediately spending it. This is beneficial because greater spending increases aggregate demand and thus stimulates the economy (Rustici 2015). Unfortunately, contributions such as Milton Friedman, have discredited Keynesian theories. It is seen that workers base their consumption decisions on their expected permanent income, not a fixed percentage of any income they receive, meaning prolonged U.I. benefits will see a diminishing return on society. Problems and Issues Unemployment can affect individuals, families, and communities in various ways that may contribute to prolonged unemployment and use of UI. Often times when individuals are out of work, their skills may degrade due to lack of use. That erosion of skill is known as depreciation of human capital. The longer a person remains out of work the more their human capital diminished, meaning as time passes that the potential wages the unemployed person meaning both the potential earning wage and the chances of finding a new job decrease the longer that they are out of work. Another disadvantage to unemployed persons is the depreciation of their ?social capital. A persons social capital consists of the network of business contacts and associates they interact with which often aids in finding desired employment easier. Other issues surrounding reemployment, in addition to the depreciation of skill and network, include the possibility that being out of work may affect a persons physical and mental health. The impact unemployment has on a familyrs ability to sustain childcare or standard of living may also contribute to prolonged unemployment and use of U.I. Model design and Data It is impossible to completely control the noted and various other inconsistencies that may contribute to unemployment duration. To protect the integrity of the results regarding the effect of extended U.I. on unemployment we have to control for such socio-economic factors and personal differentiation amongst the sample population using a regression equation. The data is compiled from data.iowa.gov showing Iowars Unemployment Insurance recipients and UI benefit payments for the years 2008-2011 along with various statistics from the Burau or Labor Statics regarding Iowa over the same years. We are looking to show a positive correlation between recipients of UI beyond the standard 26 weeks with longer unemployment durations than otherwise observed. The dependent variable is weeks of unemployment. The independent variables are: benefitspaid = recipients receiving less than 26 weeks; firsttimepayment = recipients receiving the full 26 weeks; finalpayments = recipients receiving UI beyond 26 weeks. To account for the socio-economic conditions the following dummy variables were set equal to 1: Sex, Age, Education. Findings For this particular dataset, the coefficient for initial UI payment does not contribute to prolonged unemployment. The coefficient for UI ending at the standard entitlement indicates that for every additional UI payment you can expect unemployment prolonging to increase by an average of 7. The coefficient for UI payment beyond the standard length of entitlement suggests an average increase in length of unemployment by 13.5. The dummy variables were omitted for multicollinearity problems. Unfortunately, the dataset used for this experiment is likely not applicable to the real world. The data set is biases and lacked appropriate control variables even though coincidently agreeing with some current literature. This regression experiment had room for improvement in which variables are best for creating a valuable model. As it currently stands, the model did not account for the fact that people using UI are unemployed and therefore will positively correlate UI with unemployment. This research essentially does not give new insights as to the effects of extended UI entitlements. Conclusions This research, in addition to the growing research surrounding this topic suggests extended UI benefit entitlement is positively corelated with weeks out of employment and thus has a negative societal economic effect in the aggregate. Further research on such UI polices is necessary as to answer the controversial conversation surrounding their benefit. Existing literature suggests UI may encourage the pursuit of low skill activities more so then they aid in workers finding gainful employment. This means that prolonged UI benefits make the labor force more vulnerable to skill biased shocks as human capital depreciation ensues. There also exist from previous research conducted on the topic, an association with the discouragement of gaining employment correlated with welfare entitlements. It is important to observe study and take seriously the impacts of welfare programs so that policy makers may one day successfully employ such benefits in a beneficial manner that renders low unintended consequential tax burdens. While of significant importance to human capital depreciation, prolonged unemployment from UI extension is not the only outcome that should continue to be explored and researched. The social capital and physiological side-effects are much less explored and have their own important impacts for society. If UI does in fact create an employment disincentive prolonged unemployment is positively correlated with negative socio-physiological increases, extended UI entitlement policies should not only not be enacted but may be of a danger to those using them and society as a whole. References Cuomo, M, Harnett, T. 1994. A History of Unemployment Insurance Legislation in the U. S. and New York State (1935-1989). N.p.: DIANE, 1994.Google Books. Google. Dellas, Harris. Unemployment Insurance Benefits and Human Capital Accumulation. NeuroImage, Academic Press, 11 June 1998, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014292197000184. Furman, J, Stevenson, B. Dec. 5 2013. New Report: The Economic Benefits of Extending Unemployment Insurance. The White House. United States Government. Henry S. Farber, Jesse Rothstein, and Robert G. Valletta. The Effect of Extended Unemployment Insurance Benefits: Evidence from the 2012â€Å"2013 Phase-Out. American Economic Review. May 2015, Vol. 105, No. 5: Pages 171-176 Howell, D, Azizoglu, B. 2011. Unemployment Benefits and Work Incentives: The U.S. Labor Market in the Great Recession. Economic Policy Research. Iowa Economy at a Glance. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ia.htm. Iowa Unemployment Insurance Recipients and UI Benefit Payments by County (Annual). Data.iowa.gov, 25 July 2018, data.iowa.gov/Economy/Iowa-Unemployment-Insurance-Recipients-and-UI-Bene/yhbr-3t8a. Isidore, C. Sept. 8 2010. Do Unemployment Checks Keep the Jobless at Home?CNNMoney. Cable News Network. Murphy, G. C., Athanasou, J. A. (1999), The effect of unemployment on mental health. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72: 83â€Å"99. doi: 10.1348/096317999166518 Nichols, Austin, et al. Consequences of Long-Term Unemployment . Urban Institute, July 2013, www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/23921/412887-Consequences-of-Long-Term-Unemployment.PDF. Nicholson, Walter, and Karen Needels. Extended Unemployment Benefits: A Review of the Literature. July 2004, wenicholson.people.amherst.edu/EBLITREVIEWrev.pdf. Perez, T. 2015. Unemployment Insurance U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Government. https://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/unemployment-insurance/ Perez, T. 2011.The Economic Impact of Unemployment Insurance. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Government. Pavoni, N. 2009. Optimal Unemployment Insurance, with Human Capital Depreciation, and Duration Dependence. International Economic Review 50 (2): 323-362. Repeat Use in the U.S. Unemployment Insurance System : Monthly Labor Review. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1 Sept. 2014, www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2014/article/repeat-use-in-the-u-s-unemployment-insurance-system.htm. Rustici, T. 2015. Macroeconomics. ECON 104. GMU, Fairfax. Lecture. Shirk, J., Tyrrell, P. Jan. 18 2008. Unemployment Insurance Does Not Stimulate the Economy. The Heritage Foundation. Solon, Gary. Labor Supply Effects of Extended Unemployment Benefits The Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Spring, 1979), pp. 247-255 Tefft, N. 2011. Insights on Unemployment, Unemployment Insurance, and Mental Health. Journal of Health Economics30 (2): 258-264. Whittaker, Julie, and Katelin Isaacs. Extending Unemployment Compensation Benefits During Recessions. Congressional Research Service, 2 May 2013, fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34340.pdf.

I Learn A Great Deal About How Conduct A Case Study Essay

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Why Study Criminal Justice Essay Example For Students

Why Study Criminal Justice Essay Outline1 Introduction2 Constituents of the Criminal Justice System2.1 Law enforcement body2.2 The court2.3 Correction3 What to Expect As a Student of the Justice System3.1 a)  While in School3.2 b)  Your career path4 Conclusion Introduction Criminal justice is a comprehensive social science whose primary purpose is to bring offenders to justice and protect the innocent in society. If you are interested in this field of study, you have to lead by example to uphold the justice system. A criminal justice system is a series of several government agencies like the police, prosecution and defense attorneys, the court and prisons that together reinforce criminal law. Since all felonious cases are in the hands of the state, it takes a team to do this. Constituents of the Criminal Justice System This justice system is subdivided into three main parts. It is up to you to decide where you lie best depending on your interest. 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It includes the prisons, probation and correctional centers. What to Expect As a Student of the Justice System You may have heard a lot about the justice system and have different ideas on what is expected of you if you major in this field. How is it taught in campus – will you have to write piles of argumentative essays to score highly in academia or cramming the constitution is all that counts? Shall you practice as a parole officer, a legal secretary or the police with the most respectable titles in town? How long does it take to get a job in the police department? Do I need a degree to work in court? Wonder no more. a)  While in School You shall handle all sorts of topics in criminology, psychology, public administration, constitutional law, political science, and the likes. You should be prepared to be a role model with a high level of integrity, impartiality and critical thinking. 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Practice the following qualities and skills: Integrity Patience Self-control Leadership skills Research and writing skills Critical and fast thinking Personal ethics Physical fitness Stress management Anger management Technology skills .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 , .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .postImageUrl , .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 , .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77:hover , .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77:visited , .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77:active { border:0!important; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77:active , .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77 .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua822259a0a4477073bc86c2bfe47da77:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Two Contrasting Organizations Tesco And Oxfam Commerce EssayWhile in school, ensure that you know each aspect of the government and master the roles of each part of the criminal justice system. Be well versed with all that is expected of the police and detectives in law enforcement, roles of attorneys and magistrates in the court and how to reform a convict. This is regardless of the topics you will specialize in. It is important to note that not all those who practice in the justice system went to college for this knowledge. The police, for instance, go to training school because this is more crucial. With a college education, you are likely to get higher salaries, be promoted in the police unit and actualize your brilliant ideas in the court. However, the experience is vital in this field. Dealing with felonious individuals and restoring sanity in the society needs more â€Å"do† than books. Get out there. b)  Your career path In recent years, movies and TV shows have made this career path look very interesting. In reality, it still is. What are you more interested in? The courts as an attorney/magistrate, the police system or are you more like a probation officer? Below are examples of the most common careers you can consider and become an expert in the criminal justice system: Private detective The Police Officer FBI agent Bloodstain patterns analysis The police/ sheriff’s parole officer Crime scene investigator Forensic psychology Forensic computer Ballistic expert Legal secretary The court clerk Paralegals Probation officer Prison Warden Parole officer You may be lucky to land a great job at the court or law enforcement agencies after completing your training and education. In most cases, however, an internship will be an excellent place to start. It will give you the exposure you need while still new in this career path. Be patient and learn while on the hunt for a job since the whole process may take 4-6 months. There are vacancies to be filled in the criminal justice system, but the hiring process is lengthy. It involves the following steps (depending on your line of specialization, it may go through some or all of the steps.): After applying for a job at the police department, correctional office or the court, you shall be required to provide your educational history and your criminal record history evaluated. Have every relevant paper ready. Your physical fitness shall be tested. It is thorough if you are in the law enforcement part of the justice system. The police, FBI, and correctional officers serve best when physically fit. A background investigation shall be conducted. You will be required to take a polarography and/or a psychological exam to test your sustainability and trustworthiness. Your personal life and employment history will also be looked into. If you qualify, you will be shortlisted and expected to appear before a board for an oral interview. If you pass, then congratulatory messages are in order. You just joined the justice system, and you are free to serve – be the police, warden, attorney – whatever you desired. Conclusion It goes without saying that the justice system is the most organized arm of the government. It is through it that law and order are enforced by the police, offenders and brought to trial and judged accordingly in the court and convicts are reformed. If you major in the justice system, you will need to be disciplined and match the standards set. You will be the face of the police department, the court system, the probation centers, name it, in all that you do. Abuse of office makes you one of the societal problems to the police needs to rid of. Be the best you can be.

Richard Essays - Richard Rodriguez, Cultural Assimilation, Hispanic

Richard Rodriguez Richard Rodriguez wrote in his essay, Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood, about the struggles he faced growing up as a bilingual Hispanic in American society. Throughout his essay, Rodriguez discussed such topics as assimilation and heritage. He goes into depth about the pros and the cons of being forced to assimilate to the American culture. Growing up Hispanic in America was a struggle for Richard Rodriguez. This was due to the fact that he was a Spanish-speaking boy living in an English-speaking society, and he felt like he was different than the other children. Rodriguez attended a Roman Catholic school where many of his classmates were the children of high-class lawyers and doctors. He felt out of place because he was a child of two immigrant, working-class parents. Assimilating to the American culture helped Richard feel more at ease among the other American students. In school, Richard spoke English, but as soon as he got home, Spanish was the language of choice. This had a positive and negative effect on him. By speaking Spanish, it helped Rodriguez preserve his own culture, but as a disadvantage, it yielded his learning of English. A few times Richard heard his parents speak English, but that was only in public. Rodriguez felt safe in his Spanish speaking home because it was familiar to him. English seemed odd and difficult for Richard until a few of Richard's teachers visited his house. They asked Richard's parents to encourage the use of English, by using it more themselves. As Richard began to hear English more and more, "the high, troubling sounds of los gringos" became unnoticeable to him(92). Learning English helped Richard to achieve many things. He began doing well in school, he made friends and he began to feel more comfortable talking to people. It also had a negative effect on him and his family. Richard stated, "I no longer knew what words to use in addressing my parents"(93). By speaking English so much, a gap grew between Richard and his parents. His parents mainly still spoke Spanish, and the children spoke English. He wanted to forget about his Spanish speaking days, and felt that his parents should also assimilate to the American culture. Rodriguez's change from Spanish to English, is one of the leading factors to his strong belief in assimilation. He feels that it is necessary to be assimilated to the culture you live in. This is due to the fact that Rodriguez had a harder time in life sticking with his own culture. As soon as he made the leap to the American culture, he began having a "normal" life. Although Rodriguez believes that assimilation is a necessary part of society, I would argue that family traditions and backgrounds are just as important if not more than conforming to a culture. I believe this is true because with assimilation, many lose their family background and heritage. Although I feel it is necessary to learn the language of the culture native to the region, I believe that people can maintain their native culture within another. I believe that Richard Rodriguez could have kept part of his Hispanic heritage and still become Americanized. Rodriguez feels that assimilation is necessary and because of this belief, he partially lost his family. He now has little contact with his parents, because he assimilated to a society different than his parents. The topic of assimilation is under much scrutiny today. Many Americans feel that they have a "supreme culture" and that anyone who lives in America should follow along with their beliefs, traditions and language. Americans have to realize that we are all made up of different cultures, backgrounds and races. No one culture is better than any other. Rodriguez stands strong on his opinion of assimilation of cultures as stated in his essay. This has its pros and cons. A pro of assimilation would be that it is quite a bit easier to live in a society if beliefs and traditions are the same. As I stated before, a major con is that your previous culture may be lost. Rodriguez demonstrated his point of view well through his writing. Though I don't agree with all that he has to say, I do believe that his argument was heard. Through his writing, Rodriguez stated not only facts, but also real life experience. This I feel is critical in writing a good essay, because then the writer truly knows what they are writing about. As stated before, the main point hit on in this essay was

Free Essays on An Analysis Of The 2001 Recession

An Economic Analysis of the 2001-2002 Recession The recession is commonly defined as â€Å"Two or more consecutive quarters of a shrinking economy.† During the month of March 2001, the world’s largest economy - The United States of America - began experiencing a downturn, leading into a recession. (â€Å"Economists call it recession†). In comparing previous recessions that occurred, it appears that similar patterns exist also in the 2001-2002 recession. Such patterns start with increasing interest rates by the Federal Reserve Open Committee, proceeded by growth slowdowns, the fall of real output, and eventually the rise in unemployment. According to Robert E. Scott and Christian Weller, â€Å"further increases in real short - term interest rates herald a slowdown.† Further evidence that suggests a recession was on the horizon was information released from the National Bureau of Economic Research that states, â€Å"A peak marks the end of an expansion and the beginning of a recession.†(The B usiness Cycle Peak, March 2001.) During an expansion, however the economy is experiencing normalcy, and during this period the economy is between a trough and peak. The National Bureau of Economic Research, however, defines a recession as, â€Å" a significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, visible in industrial production, employment, real income and the wholesale-retail trade.† (the Business Cycle Peak.) Therefore, when a peak date was determined in March 2001 it marked the end of an expansion that began in March 1991, and hence the beginning of a recession. This marked the end of the longest economic expansion that lasted ten years of rising incomes and employment. Because the longest economic expansion came to an end this led to lower incomes and higher unemployment rates. Employers thus required fewer employees which leads to fewer employed people and a higher unemployment rate. Recessio... Free Essays on An Analysis Of The 2001 Recession Free Essays on An Analysis Of The 2001 Recession An Economic Analysis of the 2001-2002 Recession The recession is commonly defined as â€Å"Two or more consecutive quarters of a shrinking economy.† During the month of March 2001, the world’s largest economy - The United States of America - began experiencing a downturn, leading into a recession. (â€Å"Economists call it recession†). In comparing previous recessions that occurred, it appears that similar patterns exist also in the 2001-2002 recession. Such patterns start with increasing interest rates by the Federal Reserve Open Committee, proceeded by growth slowdowns, the fall of real output, and eventually the rise in unemployment. According to Robert E. Scott and Christian Weller, â€Å"further increases in real short - term interest rates herald a slowdown.† Further evidence that suggests a recession was on the horizon was information released from the National Bureau of Economic Research that states, â€Å"A peak marks the end of an expansion and the beginning of a recession.†(The B usiness Cycle Peak, March 2001.) During an expansion, however the economy is experiencing normalcy, and during this period the economy is between a trough and peak. The National Bureau of Economic Research, however, defines a recession as, â€Å" a significant decline in activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, visible in industrial production, employment, real income and the wholesale-retail trade.† (the Business Cycle Peak.) Therefore, when a peak date was determined in March 2001 it marked the end of an expansion that began in March 1991, and hence the beginning of a recession. This marked the end of the longest economic expansion that lasted ten years of rising incomes and employment. Because the longest economic expansion came to an end this led to lower incomes and higher unemployment rates. Employers thus required fewer employees which leads to fewer employed people and a higher unemployment rate. Recessio...

Write How You Write, Not How You Speak

Write How You Write, Not How You Speak Write How You Write, Not How You Speak Write How You Write, Not How You Speak By Mark Nichol Recently, I wrote about word patronage, the often-unnecessary inclusion of self-referential expressions as â€Å"as you will† and â€Å"so to speak† in one’s writing. This post expands on that one to recommend that you inspect your writing for anything that smacks of spoken English. If you’ve ever seen a transcript of an extended discourse a written record of someone’s comments, rather than the prepared script for a speech you’ll understand how widely spoken and written English can diverge. Spontaneous speech, at least, is riddled with qualifications and equivocations. It’s easy enough to dispose of â€Å"um†s and â€Å"uh†s, â€Å"well†s and â€Å"you know†s when converting a transcript to an essay, but writers should purge their prose of other utterances, words, and phrases as well that add a lot to a word count but little to a description or an argument. (See this post, for instance, for a list of adjectival intensifiers and their adverbial forms to avoid.) In addition, omit hedging phrases such as â€Å"as I see it,† â€Å"from my point of view,† â€Å"in my opinion,† and â€Å"it seems to me.† Search and destroy such pompous filler as â€Å"be that as it may† or â€Å"other things being equal.† These are all understandable (though not necessarily forgivable) indulgences in spoken English, whether impromptu or rehearsed at best, they’re nearly meaningless phrases one tosses off while thinking of what to say next, and at worst, they clutter a speech, distracting and discouraging listeners. But readers expect your prose to be direct and dynamic, and there’s no place for such self-gratification in written form. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good WithLatin Plural EndingsOppose and Opposed To

How Can Science and Technology Help Fight Global Problems Term Paper

How Can Science and Technology Help Fight Global Problems - Term Paper Example If science is the base of knowledge and experiment then technology is its application which focuses more on developing a use for something. Science is more about the analysis, hypothesis, theories, and concepts whereas, the technology relies more on analysis and fusion of design. Technology is an applied science so it explains how these experiments are applicable to the species and how it controls them to adapt to its environment. We can find best examples of technology and science in daily lives of human. Firstly comes the internet, it is technology and to create it the experiments were done which is called science. Furthermore, the example for mobile phones can be taken. A mobile phone is a technology and the experiment accomplished to make it is a science. Hence, technology is incomplete without science as they both are incorporated with each other. 2) Pick one of the following natural events and describe how large events help to shape the Earth as it is today. Make sure to explain what causes the event and how scientist tries to predict such events. An earthquake occurs when two blocks of earth suddenly dislocate from one another. Fault or fault plane is the surface from where they slip or dislocate and the location below the earth’s surface where an earthquake begins is known as hypocenter and location directly above on the surface of the earth is called as an epicenter. The earthquake has three shocks: foreshocks, mainshocks and aftershocks. Foreshocks are the smaller earthquakes which are later followed by the larger earthquake known as mainshocks. Mainshocks are always followed by aftershocks which are, also the small earthquakes which occur at the same place and continue for days, weeks, months and years.  

Journal learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal learning - Essay Example The approach assists in ensuring that the restaurants management meets all feedbacks and requests (Fox, 2011). I approached the issue through bonding with the employees and determining the barriers to communication. As a result, I recommended training classes so that employees would improve their communication and relationship skills. Leadership styles should be employed depending on the situation and diagnosed problems (Bacon, 2011). The service industry requires an approach that ensures close relationships with the customers and employees. A delegated approach will ensure that the decision-making process has been distributed to the employees and management (Beatty and Hughes, 2013). Including employees in decision-making processes through provision of ideas will create a competent workforce. I practiced such leadership styles that included bonding with the employees and training them on issues that were not to a standard. Ensuring employee satisfaction will increase individual production because they will not feel left out in making core decisions. Additionally, managers just make decisions while employees experience them while performing their roles. It should also be noted that the success of training and coaching depends on the approach style of leadership (Beatty and Hughes, 2013). Strengths include being a team player, self-motivated and a natural leader. I have utilized the skills in the provision of expertise to employees that I am in charge of at the restaurant. My weakness is trusting everyone easily without having a background check on the performance of the employees. I would improve on the setback in the case of another internship

Steps to Writing a Grant Proposal Essay Example for Free

Steps to Writing a Grant Proposal Essay A grant proposal for human services is a written presentation of a program plan. This plan details how the applicant will approach the identified needs or problem with their proposed course of actions. The narrative section of a grant proposal usually includes the following sections: abstract, table of contents, specific aims/background and significance/needs and problem statement, target populations, approaches and methods, long- and short-term goals, process, outcome, and impact objectives, activity plans and scheduling (timeline), evaluation plan, agency capacity and project management and budget and budget justifications. Grant writing involves lots of planning, organizing, integrating, evaluating and critical thinking. The quality of grant proposal is one of the most important factors in funding decisions. The city of Portland is similar to many other communities throughout the country. As a large metropolitan city, the region has experienced increasing reports of domestic and youth violence, spousal and child abuse, assault, and incidents of road rage over the last 5 years. The PEACE Domestic Violence Agency has a mission to reduce victim trauma, empower survivors, and promote recovery through direct services. PEACE is committed to reducing the incidence of sexual assault and domestic violence through education and strives to challenge societal norms and beliefs that condone and perpetuate violence in the community. In the case of the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency, the grant starts by identifying the program’s critical needs within the targeted community. The city of Portland has been experiencing an increase of domestic violence and youth violence, spousal and child abuse, assault and reports of incidences of road rage over the past five years. The abstract is the shortest section of the proposal, however it is the most important and most read section of the proposal. The abstract typically includes: the name of agency, type of organization, purpose and objectives of the project, specific interventions for the project, target population: demographic, age, race, gender, special needs, location and setting of project and relevance of the proposed project to the funding intentions. There is then usually a table of contents developed, which will also be one of the last parts to finish. It is a guide to what is in the proposal and tells you where information is located. The table of contents serves as a checklist during the writing process as well. The next section that should be completed is specific aims. This section is where the statement of problems and the issues to be addressed by the project go. This section will also include the working hypothesis for the project. The PEACE has a particular belief that is motivating them and guiding them through the development of the program. In this section, the PEACE organization will also describe the expected outcomes, and interventions proposed to achieve these outcomes. When it comes to writing target populations, the PEACE organization will want to describe the target environment such as the community, neighborhood, city and district as well as the population being served. This section will include who and how many people will participate or be served through the PEACE organization. The organization’s mission statement is a permanent expression of the reason for existence of the organization. But in order to bring the PEACE organization’s mission statement into a more manageable level, there needs to be a list of goals created that are appropriate for the organization. Objectives should be included as well, which are a statement of measurable and directional change for a specific population in a specific time period. A time line should be created which is an expected schedule for activities by each component. A time line helps the writer to realize the program’s time limitations and the need to plan well for the distribution and implementation of program activities. Program evaluation is a type of evaluation research that systematically assessed the achievement of a specific program, in this case the PEACE organization. An evaluation plan is a design that the program’s staff and evaluators will follow to assess the progress and results of the PEACE organization programs. A program evaluation plan should be developed along with the formulation of program goals, objectives and activities at the beginning of the program. The program evaluation will achieve some basic objectives such as: documentation of program implementation strategies, intervention models, and other process information. It also is a measurement of the PEACE program outcomes and results and an assessment of overall impact and success of the program. The agency capacity is associated with how much trust others put in the PEACE organization. It is important that the PEACE organization convinces the funding sources that it is uniquely qualified and competent and they can entrust it with funding. The budget is a financial plan that estimates the cost for implementing a program and the allocation of these costs. There are many costs to consider in the PEACE organization budget such as: salaries for employees including payroll tax, health insurance, life insurance, rent, utilities, furniture, supplies, travel expenses, materials, trainings, etc. The PEACE Domestic Violence Agency is a great agency with the goal in mind of reducing the rates and incidences of domestic violence, through the process of education, as well as providing assistance to people who have been hurt or mistreated. This organization has programs put in place to help the men, women and children regardless of their ages and personal background who have undergone some sort of abuse or mistreatment and are in need of assistance. This program is very important for a number of reasons, but mainly for the much needed help it would provide for those persons who have been involved in such a terrible situation like domestic violence. There are many financial needs that arise with any organization, but especially in a situation such as a domestic violence situation because the people in need of assistance may not have the funding to afford the help he/she will need to be safe. Depending on the situation at hand, the people seeking assistance from the domestic violence program may be looking for shelter from a loved one who has hurt them. If this is the case he/she would most likely be without much funding and would need a place to live as well food and clothing. These are things that could be provided with ease if the grant was approved. Domestic violence is a very serious situation that is important for people to escape from while they can. They need all the help and assistance they can get and it is important that there is an organization willing and ready to help with this transition.

Humanitarian Intervention Essay examples -- Humanitarianism Definition

Humanitarian Intervention Hypothesis: That despite the incidents where humanitarian interventions have proved seemingly unsuccessful, they are, nonetheless, a vital tool in alleviating the human suffering that so plagues contemporary society. The post-Cold war world is one that has been riddled with conflict, suffering and war. In the face of such times, the issue of humanitarian intervention and about who, when and how it should be employed, has become hotly debated. While some critics declare this kind of intervention to be a violation of national sovereignty, others believe that relief efforts aimed at ending human suffering are perfectly justifiable. (7) The key question here is, if internal wars cause unacceptable human suffering, should the international community develop collective mechanisms for preventing or alleviating it?(5) This essay will attempt to address such a question, by outlining the arguments for and against humanitarian intervention in the context of the Bosnian crisis of 1991. In light of the evidence, it will be proven that although humanitarian intervention does have flaws, it is a vital tool in alleviating the human suffering that so plagues contemporary society. The complex issue of humanitarian intervention is widely argued and inherently controversial. Humanitarian intervention involves the coercive action of states intervening in areas for the sole purpose of preventing or halting the killing or suffering of the people there. (1, 9, 5) It is an issue argued fervently amongst restrictionists and counter-restrictionists, who debate over whether humanitarian intervention is a breach of international law or a moral requirement. (10) Restrictionists argue that Articles 2 (7) and 2 (4) of the United Nations (UN) Charter render forcible humanitarian intervention illegal. The only legitimate exception to this, they claim, is the right to self defence, as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. (1-472) This position is contested by counter-restrictionists, who insist that any and all nations have the right, and the responsibility, to prevent humanitarian disasters. (8-5) Despite the declaration of a ‘new world order’, the post-Cold war world has not been a more peaceful one: regional and ethnic conflicts have, in fact, proliferated. Between 1989 and 1993, for example, thirteen new peacekeeping operations were launched by th... ...gue that the Bosnian crisis is a prime example of why humanitarian intervention is a flawed and unsuccessful option. Critics argue that, even though the UN prevented hundreds of thousands of Bosnians in besieged towns from starvation, it did little or nothing to stop Bosnian Serbs from shelling these areas and ethnically cleansing them of Muslims. Furthermore, others claim that NATO’S degrading of Serb military capability from the air did nothing to save those civilians trapped in UN-created safe areas. In 1995 at least 7,414 Muslim men were rounded up in a Screbrenica enclave and systematically killed in the worst war crime of the whole war. However, while such examples may indicate that humanitarian interventions are not a legitimate option, there are also positive aspects that in some cases, compensate for, and override these negative flaws. However, such a definition is open to much controversy. Who can authorise such interventions? What is classified as human suffering, and furthermore, what type of action is considered a legitimate response? (5- pg155) These are the questions that underpin the issue of humanitarian intervention, questions that remained unanswered today.

Language and Violence

The Abstract: This paper will be dealing with the use of Violence and its legitimization through manipulation of language by the state in dealing with â€Å"the other†. In an attempt to investigate the role played by the state, which monopolizes the use of violence for the sake of civilizing its people, inspired by a documentary titled â€Å"where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? †, this paper tries to go beyond spoken and written words to reach a better understanding of this role. It starts by defining the concept of â€Å"violence† and drawing a clear distinction between its meaning and that of other related, but not similar concepts, and specifying the agents of violence, mainly focusing on the state, for the entire paper focuses on its use of violence. Thinking in terms of methodological nationalism, this paper tries to find an answer to how we define ourselves and why do we define anyone outside this â€Å"we† circle as â€Å"the other† and how, as a result, violence became the means of dealing with â€Å"the other†. It then moves to justifying this â€Å"legitimate† use of violence by the state against the other and highlights the important role that language plays in this process. Finally, there is an attempt to understand the usefulness of violence advocated by some against that of the mainstream thinkers and philosophers, accompanied by exploring the role the civil and the global civil society can, and do, play in finding new means of communication and dealing with one another. It comes to the following conclusion: violence as used by individuals before the formation of the state resembles violence as used by the state apparatus, Civility is a myth. The only difference is in the agents, the targets, the interests and the domain where violence is practiced. And for that, an informed, aware and active role should be pursued by the civil society, to curb the use of violence either by the state or by any other actor. The outline: I. Introduction II. Body: Defining violence: What does the concept of violence mean? Making a clear distinction of violence vis a` vis other related concepts Recognizing the agents of violence Defining the â€Å"we† and the â€Å"other†: The constituents of identity The way we perceive ourselves The way we perceive â€Å"the other† Dealing with the â€Å"other†: The psychological mindset The use of violence as a means of dealing with the other The role of language in legitimizing the use of violence: The manipulation of language The reasons behind the manipulation of language Providing a moral cause Avoiding opposition The means by which language is manipulated Dehumanization of violence Replacement of direct descriptors by * euphemistic equivalence The areas where language can be manipulated In the public sphere In the battle field An assessment of the usefulness of violence The role of global and civil society in curbing violence III. Conclusion IV. List of References I. Introduction: â€Å"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. †Ã‚  Mahatma Gandhi In an interesting movie called â€Å"where in the world is Osama Bin Laden†? A newly father-to be, fearing that his son comes out to life in such a violent world, decides to set on a mission to track down and kill Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaida, and the world will thus seize to know violence and will be a fit place for him to raise his son in. He visits Egypt, Morocco, Israel, Palestinian territories, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. He goes around and talks to people there asking them questions like: where is Bin Laden? What do they think of the Americans? How do they view terrorism and the war on it? What do they want in life? And questions of that sort. He didn’t find Bin laden, however what he found was that the people in the countries he visited are ordinary people just like himself and the audience. They are not â€Å"the barbarians† he once thought them to be, they have no desire or interest in using violence against the United States and its citizens, and their goals in life is for them to secure good living conditions for their children, just as the goals of the American newly father to be. This movie inspired me to raise a question, to which I sough of an answer through writing this paper. The question is: Why and how does the state monopolize and legitimize, through manipulation of language that enables it to portray such a barbaric and violent image of the other, its use of Violence against them? I raised this question because of a simple fact: the state was created to â€Å"civilize† people and tame their use of violence, but now I found that this was nothing but a change in the agents of violence, its targets, and the space where it is practiced. I started exploring different ideas, different opinions, and different studies, that were all concerned with violence, language, manipulation, identity, and other concepts related to my topic. Stances and views varied, but I decided on adopting the following position concerning the topic at hand: The state manipulates the use of violence because we’ve willingly subordinated this right to the state; however our consent depends on the manner by which violence is used, for if its illegitimate and goes against our consent, we ill no longer continue to support the state apparatus in its actions; that is why, via the manipulation of language, the state creates an exclusive identity to its people, portrays the other as a threat to this identity, demonize him, and thus legitimizes its use of violence when it’s used by posing it as an act in response to defend the â€Å"we† against the â€Å"other†. If that is so, this led me to raise other questions related to the usefulness of violence, and our role, as active members in a civil society, be it domestic or global, when it comes to violence. To these questions, and to other ones, I try to find answers as follows. II. Body: A. Defining violence: In this section my aim is to clarify what the concept of Violence means, and who has the right to practice it, before I further investigate why we resort to violence in dealing with others and how states and their apparatuses make use of such thing. 1. What does the concept of violence mean? Violence is an extremely wide and complex phenomenon. Defining it is not an exact science but a matter of judgment. Notions of what is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of behavior and what constitutes harm, are culturally influenced and constantly under review as values and social norms evolve, domestically and internationally. Besides, there are many possible ways to define violence, depending on who is defining it, for what purpose, and depending on one’s political orientations and ideological beliefs. Generally speaking, the World Health Organization defines violence as: â€Å"The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. † In this sense, we could distinguish between so many kinds of violence; †¦accumulated violence, cultured violence, self-protective violence, the violence of aggression, the violence of competition, the violence of trying to be somebody, the violence of trying to discipline oneself according to a pattern, trying to become somebody, trying to suppress and bully oneself, brutalize oneself, in order to be non-violent†¦ † 2. Making a clear distin ction of violence vis a` vis other related concepts: It is very important, though, to make a clear distinction between violence and other related concepts to be able to apprehend what violence means. Such keywords include power, strength, force and authority. According to how Hannah Arendt puts it, power is related to the â€Å"ability† to act â€Å"in consent†, thus its existence depends on the group providing such consent, in other words, it depends on legitimacy; Strength is a natural endowment and an inherent property; Force indicates the energy itself that later manifests physically through an act of violence; And authority entails recognition either to a person or to an office; it requires neither coercion nor persuasion. Violence on the other hand is distinguished by its â€Å"instrumental† character; it denotes the physical manifestation itself. . Recognizing the agents of violence: There are many agents of violence; formal and informal, institutionalized and un-institutionalized, state, and non-state agents. However, our only concern in this paper shall be the state and the state apparatus institutionalizing, legitimizing and practicing violence. Typically described in normative terms as a vital necessity of modern life, the nation-state has employed violence to accomplish questionable ends. Its apparatus is charged with committing unprecedented barbarism. Examples of disasters brought about by the nation-state are the extermination of indigenous peoples in colonized territories by â€Å"civilizing† nations, the Nazi genocidal â€Å"holocaust† of Jews, and most recently the â€Å"ethnic cleansing† in the former Yugoslavia, Ruwanda, and so on. Thus from postcolonial perspective, the nation-state and its ideology of nationalism are alleged to have become the chief source of violence and conflict since the French Revolution. In the same vein, Marx regarded the state as an instrument of violence at the command of the ruling class; but the actual power of the ruling class did not consist of, nor rely on violence. It was defined by the role the ruling class played in society, or more exactly, by its role in the process of production. B. Defining the â€Å"we† and the â€Å"other†: In this section I try exploring how identity defragments, divides and thus paves the road for violence to occur. 1. Identity and its constituents: In pre-modern societies, identity was mainly related to affiliations, both in the private and in the public space. Identity depended on the place attributed to each individual by his birth, his lineage or his group. Later on it involved the Legal recognition. However a person was not only a legal or civic entity, but also a moral being with an individual soul. That is why under the influence of postmodernism and debates over multiculturalism, the late 1980s and 1990s found historians, anthropologists, and most of all humanities scholars relying heavily on â€Å"identity† as they explored the cultural politics of race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, citizenship, and other social categories. â€Å"Identity† is presently used in two linked senses, which may be termed â€Å"social† and personal†. In the former sense, an â€Å"identity† refers simply to a social category, a set of persons marked by a label and distinguished by rules deciding membership and characteristic features or attributes. In the second sense of personal identity, an identity is some distinguishing characteristic (or characteristics) that a person takes a special pride in or views as socially consequential but more-or-less unchangeable. It is the social sense of identity that would be of use in this paper; namely the national identity, that denotes the depiction of a country as a whole, encompassing its culture, traditions, language, and politics. It must be noted here that a sense of conflicting identities may result from the presence of multiple identities for the same individual, but the issue of concern here is the â€Å"inter-conflicting identities† rather than the internal conflicts related to identity. 2. The way we perceive ourselves: Since identities are necessarily the product of the society in which we live and our relationship with others, there is therefore a desire and a need to identify with a nation or group; to take up a â€Å"collective identity†, an example of which would be the â€Å"national Identity†, that is described by some as a†self-aware† ethnicity. This way, identity provides a link between individuals and the world in which they live i. e. their state. 3. The way we perceive â€Å"the other†: The individual defines himself, but he also needs â€Å"significant others† to acknowledge this definition. This is the base of the ethic of â€Å"authenticity. † Identity, however, implies definition by negation, inclusion based on exclusion for a â€Å"we† to be present, there has to be an â€Å"other† outside this â€Å"we† circle. Identity, mainly national identity in this case, has been constantly charged of being racist and exclusive, and sometimes even demonizing the other. That is why governments in boosting nationhood and asserting the Nation’s identity are, whether they recognize it or not, advocating more exclusion and hostility in perceiving the other. C. Dealing with the â€Å"other†: What gives rise to violence? Are identities really to be blamed? Or does the problem lie in their manipulation which results in violence being deployed when we deal with different identities? 1. The psychological mindset: To Krishnamurti â€Å"†¦The source of violence is the ‘me’, the ego, the self, which expresses itself in division, in trying to become or be somebody which divides itself as the ‘me’ and the ‘not me’; the ‘me’ that identifies with the family or not with the family, with the community or not with the community and so on.. † . However this doesn’t require that all human beings respond to difference in a violent manner, for it hasn’t been proven that the human nature is in itself violent, and it is believed by many that violence is bred from social interactions. An interesting idea of how violence is a societal creation can be found in the writings of Amartya Sen concerning colonialism. Sen talks about the social memory that colonialism, which is in itself an act of violence, has shaped. General psychological attitude towards the subject people often generated a strong sense of humiliation and imposition of perceived inferiority, one which the subject tries to overcome through hostility and supporting acts of violence against the humiliator. Franz Fanon also subscribes to such a view on colonialism, and sees that it is healthy to use violence to get rid of colonialism, which is again, an act of violence in itself to begin with. 2. The use of violence as a means of dealing with the other: â€Å"†¦ Violence in postcolonial discourse is thus deployed to suppress difference or negate multiple â€Å"others† not subsumed within totalities such as nation, class, gender, etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Everything that man has put to another man, belief, dogma, rituals, my country, your country, your god and my god, my opinion, your opinion, my ideal. All those help to divide human beings and therefore breed violence. This is due to our tendency of adopting a spaceless and timeless conception of culture, which is linked either to the identity or to the belief system of the others; a form of stereotyping if you might say. Thus Violence is embedded in the dialectic of identity and Otherness. This is something that governments not only understand, but try to make use of to achieve its interests. D. The role of language in legitimizing the use of violence by the state: 1. The manipulation of language: According to George Orwell, â€Å"Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. † Therefore those who are charged with committing violence on behalf of the state will adopt language designed to obscure from themselves or the people, the reality of what violence they do on their behalf. Generally speaking, Language is an instrument for expressing and not for concealing or preventing thought. However it is an instrument which we shape for our own purposes as well. And as Hegel puts it, when we think, we think in language against language, which implies that selective language will lead to selective ideas formed and advocated. This is why language itself, the very medium of non-violence and of mutual recognition, involves unconditional violence. This manipulation of language involves: â€Å"†¦ enhancing the power, moral superiority and credibility of the speaker(s), and discrediting dissidents, while vilifying the others, the enemy; the use of emotional appeals; and adducing seemingly irrefutable proofs of one’s beliefs and reasons†¦ By manipulating the language, the government wishes to alter the public’s way of thinking. This can be done, psychologists theorize, because the words that are available for the purpose of communicating thought tend to influence the way people think. The linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf was a firm believer in this link between thought and language, and he theorized that â€Å"different language s impose different conceptions of reality†. Habermas also pondered upon the role which language plays in masking political interests with apparently sophisticated terms. This distortion of communication and misuse of concepts, in his opinion, might be the reason that has brought about violence in the first place as a manifestation to such distorted communication. a) The reasons behind the manipulation of language: The reasons why language can and does get manipulated by the apparatus of the state when it comes to violence are many, and they vary according to the situation. But mainly because Violence absorbs power, and lessens authority when it’s used, that is why providing a justification for the use of violence and legitimizing it is important. Here, it might be useful to distinguish between â€Å"justification† and â€Å"legitimization†; (i) Providing a moral cause; Justification: We find the state using terms like â€Å"national security†, â€Å"defensive war†, â€Å"maintaing peace and security†, â€Å"spreading democracy†, etc. But the use of such terms is supported by good reasons and arguments; it is consistent and attempts to place such ideas at the core of its concerns. This way, the state is attempting to â€Å"justify† its use of violence, i. e. roves it has good reasons for using it, which is closely linked to the following reason; (ii) Avoiding opposition; Legitimization: When these moral causes succeed in convincing the public, through its appeal to fundamental values and claims, appeals to the emotions of the masses, and its reliance on ungrounded cultural prejudices and inconsistent doctrines, the state manages to â€Å"legitimizes† as well as â€Å"jus tifies† its use of violence, i. e. the state not only has good reasons why it is using violence, but it managed to convince the masses with these reasons as well. This way the monopoly of the state over the use of violence cant not to be questioned, threatened or shared by others. b) The means by which language is manipulated: (i) Dehumanization of violence: â€Å"Terrorists, Fundamentalist, Extremists, Seditionists, Rebel, Communists†¦Ã¢â‚¬  These and other terms perform the role of the â€Å"distancing of humanity†, but they also are designed for other purposes. These terms have persuasive power to allow the directors of violence to feel comfortable with the human destruction for which they are opting. It suggests that those toward whom the state directs its violence are either irrational (and thus diplomacy or persuasion are impossible) or have objectives (â€Å"the destruction of the people’s way of life†). (ii) Replacement of direct descriptors by â€Å"euphemistic equivalence†: Euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces. So for instance we call it â€Å"collateral damage† when it means unintentional killing or damage; bystander deaths and injuries. But because collateral damage sounds less troubling, and more likely for the people to accept than â€Å"unintentional killing or damage†, it is used by the state to justify sometimes the results of its use of violence and what it has brought about. That is why we find government officials and politicians talking about just wars, liberation, war on terror, national security, and so forth, instead of just explicitly mentioning the truth behind their use of violence against others. c) The areas where language can be manipulated: (i) In the public sphere: The heart of the terms used in the public sphere stress ideological or political otherness, where the use of language is indirect and emotionally distancing. The state apparatus does all it can to deny that the violence of conflict is occurring, suggesting that â€Å"areas† are being secured rather than people killed, that violence is being prevented rather than initiated by its actions and that its ends are always just rather than self-serving. (ii) In the battle field: The heart of the terms used for the â€Å"enemy† on the battlefield arise primarily from the racial, ethnic or personal otherness of the opponent. There is no place for the persuasive or the justificatory on the battlefield; the situation on the battlefield is understood as follows: â€Å"kill or be killed†. The requirement of the manipulation of language at the point of conflict is therefore to reinforce hatred and distance so that violence can be pursued without real threat to the mental health of the soldier, which would be in danger if the humanity of the opponent were fully absorbed. Thus in the field, language will serve to dehumanize the other while in the public sphere the language will be designed to convince us that our violence toward others is justified. That is why the â€Å"National identity† card and related usage of language are used by the state to legitimize its actions within a delimited territory, to insure mobilization and coordination of policy. E. An assessment of the usefulness of violence: I have tried to expose how the state makes use of identity, difference and language to pursue its interests through deploying violence against â€Å"the other†. But does it follow that this process performed by the state is an evil one, or can it be a useful one with good coming out of it? In a series of lectures at the College de France in the 1970s, Michel Foucault put forward the interesting hypothesis that history is actually the history of violence. Foucault’s ideas on history indicate that we do not enjoy democratic privileges due to some divine decree: rather, they are the product of successful wars and civil struggles; the result of â€Å"successful violence†. The pioneers of Post-colonialism like Edward Said, Franz Fanon, among others, concerned themselves with the social and cultural effect of colonization. Fanon looked at violence in positive terms. His engagement with decolonizing violence was a form of a strategic response of subjugated peoples to the inhumane violence of colonial racism and imperial subjugation. Fanon was very clear in his message, the struggle for power in colonized states will be resolved only through violent struggle, because the colonized states were created and are maintained by the use of violence or the threat of violence, it is a necessity that it will take violence to reverse these power relationships. However, according to Edward Said's reading of Fanon’s â€Å"liberationist† critique, nationalism is always a tool of the hegemonic oppressor and holds no socially emancipatory potential. This leads us to the following conclusion, that violence is the mediation that enables state power to prevail, for good or for bad. It cannot be eliminated by counter-violence that simply inverts it. The state's hierarchical structure is made possible because of this institutionalized violence that privileges the hegemony of a bloc of classes over competing blocs and their alternative programs. But hegemony is always underwritten by coercion. Thus as Max Weber puts it, the state monopoly of legitimate violence would be used to defend private property and promote the overseas interests of the domestic business class. An opinion which is also shared by Marx and Engels who defines violence as the accelerator of economic development. These are not only the world of theories, but a truth backed up by evidence. This evidence can be tracked down as far as the nation-state itself wasn’t still created. However since I am interested in investigation the use of violence by the nation state, then if we look at the colonial experience, the two world wars, the cold war and the war on terror, we will know that the state did not used violence as it should have done. I will not use the term â€Å"misused†, but I would rather question the ends to which the state has deployed violence, and I will question the justifications and arguments it gave to legitimize its actions. And if the state is such a questionable agent of violence, and if already its monopoly of it has been breached by informal, outlawed or legitimate non-state actors, this means that we are in a serious need of not only questioning, but reviewing the concept of violence, its use and its agents. For this, scholars like Heba Raouf and Mary Kaldor think that there is a powerful case for questioning the state’s monopoly of â€Å"legitimate† violence, and suggest placing the use of force by the state under greater constraints, not only that, but to take over the â€Å"civilizing role† that the state has failed to achieve. F. The role of global and civil society in curbing violence: The prospects of peace are dependent upon the institutionalization of traditions of dialogue. And it is precisely here that civil society agents can play a vital role by bringing people together and invoking understandings that are common across difference. Basically, humankind has been rendered â€Å"civil† because violence was tamed. And violence was tamed because states had acquired, as Max Weber argued, a monopoly of violence; the modern state replaces violence by order and authority and firmly controlled the production and reproduction of violence. But this has been fundamentally challenged by the pervasive violence that infiltrates all corners of a globalised world; all controls and all norms that prescribe when the use of violence is permitted and for what reasons have been lifted. â€Å".. The employment of violence at any time and at any place sends a powerful message, no one agent howsoever powerful this agent may be, can control the use of violence, or penalize the perpetrator of violence. Violence has escaped all restraints, all monitors, and all notions of where the use of violence is legitimate and where it is illegitimate, where it is sanctioned and where it is not sanctioned. Today there is no recognized owner of violence, the adversary is unrecognizable, the goals are unclear, and the site where violence will be consumed is unknown†¦ † Therefore, civil societies are caught between two kinds of violence; that employed by trans-state and sub-state agents, and the violence of the state. A way out and a means to counter such violence appears to be in the development of a culture of civility. This happens when members of the civil society address the phenomenon of violence, intolerance and even hate, as the notion of civil society is based upon a peaceful world which is marked by the spirit of dialogue, negotiation, compromise, and coordination. This dialogue means recognizing the â€Å"other† in a conversation, and validating his moral standing. Thus civil society is important because the values of civil society encourage dialogue. But the limits of civil society have to be understood. And one of these limits is institutionalized violence within the state that has led to the breakdown of dialogue, thus making civility and toleration mere dreams. On a wider level, the Global Civil Society would have the mission of recapturing the power of language, regaining its â€Å"civilizing† role, providing a forum for deliberative democracy, re-rooting legitimacy in civil society, and highlighting the importance of the â€Å"politics of presence† rather than the â€Å"politics of representation†. III. Conclusion: A lot of theoretical debates and concepts could lead us to talking about violence and boil down to it, because violence is too wide a subject, too complex and debatable a concept that is intertwined and tangled in our everyday life affairs. The attempt of this paper was to try to investigate and explore the conditions that are responsible, if not single handedly, but to a great extent, for setting the conditions for violence to be practiced. I didn’t involve myself in questions related to human nature, and whether violence is something innate or socially created, I rather tried exploring it from the â€Å"we† and the â€Å"other† point of view, that can and does have both innate and social roots. With such conditions set for violence, it’s only a matter of who practices it. I picked the state as an agent of violence, and tried to highlight why and how it manipulates language when it uses violence to achieve its interests. The conclusion I reached was unfortunately the one I had in mind when I first started thinking about this topic. Violence did not disappear with the rise of the nation-state, it only took different forms, sometimes even more devastating than it used to be before its use was subordinated to the state, and it penetrated different domains and corners in our life. Different situations came to being, different language was used, different arguments and different debates, but the fact remained: violence did not disappear, it was not curbed, and the state did not â€Å"civilize† the people. That is where and why our role comes. Not that I advocate the complete incompetence of the state in achieving its â€Å"civilizing† mission, but I do believe that we, as citizens, as individuals and as human beings, should engage in this process as well, not because we are bound by a social contract to do so, but because we are part of this process, we can stop, alter, change, direct and correct its path when we feel it has gone out of its lane. Our engagement should take different forms and be on different levels. On one level and in one form it can be through monitoring the manipulation of language conducted by the state apparatus, on another one it can protesting against it when it fails in curbing the use of violence, it can be in the form or raising awareness and spreading a culture of negotiation, communication and tolerance, trying to understand one another, instead of dealing with those outside the designated â€Å"acceptable† identities, as the other, and the list can go on and on forever. That is our mission as citizens of the nation-state, and as citizens of the world. Because after all, as Spurlock concluded in his movie â€Å"where in the world is Osama Bin Laden? †, we are not so different after all, and our similarities are more than our differences. We just have to understand and tolerate both. IV. List of References: Books: * Arendt, Hannah. On Violence. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, INC. , 1969. * Edwards, John. Language and identity. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2009. * Gaus, Gerald F. Political Concepts and Political Theories. United States: WestView Press, 2000. * Sen, Amartya. Identity and violence, the illusion of destiny. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006. Books online: * Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. Trans. Constance Farrington. New York: Grove, 1963. http://ls. poly. edu/~jbain/socphil/socphillectures/F. Fanon. pdf (19th of May, 2010) * Krishnamurti, Jiddu. Beyond Violence. India: Krishnamurti Foundation, 2002. http://www. scribd. com/doc/6568712/Beyond-Violence-Violence-Chapter6 (19th of May, 2010) * R. P. Lorin. â€Å"History of violence† in International Encyclopedia of the Social and Bhavioral Sciences. ELscier Science ltd. , 2001. http://www. scribd. com/doc/12497335/Violence-History-Of (19th of May, 2010) Reports: * Ezzat, Heba Raouf, and Mary Klador. â€Å"Not even a tree: delegitimizing violence and the prospects for pre-emptive civility†. Global Civil Society. Reports – Online: * â€Å"World Report on Violence and Health: Summary†, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, 2002, p. 4, http://www. who. int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/summary_en. pdf (18th of May, 2010) Articles in Journals – Online: * Ashley, Larry. â€Å"The language of violence†. Peace Studies Journal (Vol. 1 Issue 1) Fall 2008. www. peacestudiesjournal. org/archive/Ashley. doc (19th of May, 2010) * Fairchild, Halford H. Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth in Contemporary Perspective†. Journal of Black Studies (Vol. 25, No. 2) December 1994. http://www. jstor. org/pss/2784461 (19th of May, 2010) * Orwell, George. â€Å"Politics and the English language†. The journal Horizon (Vol. 13, Issue 76) (1946): 252-265. http://www. scribd. co m/doc/65590/Politics-English-language (19th of May, 2010) * Zizek, slavoj. â€Å"Language violence and non-violence†. International Journal of Zizek Studies (Vol. 2, Issue 3) http://www. scribd. com/doc/12605279/language-violnce-and-non-violence (18th of May, 2010) Online Publications: Chandhoke, Neera. Is violence constitutive of civil society?. The London school of Economics and Political Science (NGPA) Program, 13th July, 2007. http://www. lse. ac. uk/collections/NGPA/publications/WP_Violence_Civil_Society_Web. pdf (18th of May, 2010) * Fearon, James D. †What is Identity? †. Department of Political Science, Stanford University, November 3rd, 1999. http://www. stanford. edu/~jfearon/papers/iden1v2. pdf (18th of May, 2010) * Juan, E. San Jr. â€Å"Nationalism, the postcolonial state, and violence†, Center for the Humanities, Wesleyan University. http://www. leftcurve. rg/LC26WebPages/Nationalism. html (18th of May, 2010) * Manjula, B. â€Å"Identity and C ulture†. Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, http://www. scribd. com/doc/4119098/Identity-and-Culture (19th of May, 2010) * Van Dijk, Teun A. â€Å"Discourse and manipulation†, Discourse and society, Sage publications, 2006. http://das. sagepub. com/cgi/content/short/17/3/359 (19th of May, 2010) Web Sites: * Berkes, Jem, â€Å"Language as the â€Å"Ultimate Weapon† in Nineteen Eighty-Four†, May 9, 2000, http://www. sysdesign. ca/archive/berkes_1984_language. html (19th of May, 2010) * De Benoist, Alain, â€Å"On Identity†, ttp://www. scribd. com/doc/3323754/On-Identity-Alain-de-Benoist (18th of May, 2010) * â€Å"A History of Violence†, http://www. scribd. com/doc/937601/Foucault-and-Pinker-on-Violence (19th of May, 2010) * â€Å"Questions of identity: What is identity? †, the Open University, http://openlearn. open. ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=176757 (18th of May, 2010) * â€Å"Questions of Identity: who am I? †, the O pen University, http://openlearn. open. ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=176759 (18th of May, 2010) * http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/national+identity (20th of May, 2010) * http://jcomm. uoregon. du/~tbivins/J496/readings/LANGUAGE/euphemism_defandlist. pdf (19th of May, 2010) ——————————————– [ 1 ]. â€Å"World Report on Violence and Health: Summary†, World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, 2002, p. 4, http://www. who. int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/summary_en. pdf (18th of May, 2010) [ 2 ]. ibid. [ 3 ]. Jiddu Krishnamurti, Beyond Violence (India: Krishnamurti Foundation, 2002) , pp. 3-4 http://www. scribd. com/doc/6568712/Beyond-Violence-Violence-Chapter6 (19th of May, 2010) [ 4 ]. Hannah Arendt, On Violence (New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, INC. , 1969), pp 43-46. 5 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , â€Å"Nationalism, the postcolonial state, an d violence†, Center for the Humanities, Wesleyan University, http://www. leftcurve. org/LC26WebPages/Nationalism. html (18th of May, 2010) [ 6 ]. Hannah Arendt, ibid, p. 11, http://www. uc. edu/nationfamilystate/Authors/Hannah%20Arendt/HAOnViolence1. pdf (19th of May, 2010) [ 7 ]. Alain de Benoist, â€Å"On Identity†, pp. 9-10, http://www. scribd. com/doc/3323754/On-Identity-Alain-de-Benoist (18th of May, 2010) [ 8 ]. James D. Fearon ,†What is Identity? †, Department of Political Science, Stanford University, November 3rd, 1999, p. 4, http://www. stanford. du/~jfearon/papers/iden1v2. pdf (18th of May, 2010) [ 9 ]. http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/national+identity (20th of May, 2010) [ 10 ]. â€Å"Questions of identity: What is identity? †, the Open University, http://openlearn. open. ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=176757 (18th of May, 2010) [ 11 ]. â€Å"Questions of Identity: who am I? †, the Open University, http://openlearn. open . ac. uk/mod/resource/view. php? id=176759 (18th of May, 2010) [ 12 ]. John Edwards, Language and identity, (United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2009), p. 162. [ 13 ]. â€Å"Questions of Identity: who am I? †, ibid. [ 14 ]. Alain de Benosit, Ibid, p. 5. [ 15 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid. [ 16 ]. J. Krishnamurti, ibid, p. 4. [ 17 ]. Sen, Amartya, Identity and violence, the illusion of destiny (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006), pp. 85, 89. [ 18 ]. Fanon, Frantz, The Wretched of the Earth, Trans. Constance Farrington (New York: Grove, 1963), http://ls. poly. edu/~jbain/socphil/socphillectures/F. Fanon. pdf (10th of May, 2010) [ 19 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid. [ 20 ]. Ibid, p. 12. [ 21 ]. Ezzat, Heba Raouf, and Mary Klador. â€Å"Not Even a Tree: Delegitimizing Violence and the Prospects for Pre-emptive Civility†, Global Civil Society, p. 24 [ 22 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid. 23 ]. George Orwell, â€Å"Politics and the English language†, The journal Horizo n, Vol. 13, Issue 76, (1946), p. 9, http://www. scribd. com/doc/65590/Politics-English-language (19th of May, 2010) [ 24 ]. Ashley, Larry, â€Å"The Language of Violence†, Peace Studies Journal, Vol. 1 Issue 1, (Fall 2008), p. 84, www. peacestudiesjournal. org/archive/Ashley. doc (19th of May, 2010) [ 25 ]. George Orwell, ibid, p. 9. [ 26 ]. slavoj Zizek, â€Å"Language violence and non-violence†, International Journal of Zizek Studies, Vol. 2, Issue 3, p. 11, http://www. scribd. com/doc/12605279/language-violnce-and-non-violence (19th of May, 2010) [ 27 ]. bid, p. 2 [ 28 ]. Teun A. Van Dijk, â€Å"Discourse and manipulation†, Discourse and society, Sage publications, 2006 ,p. 380, http://das. sagepub. com/cgi/content/short/17/3/359 (19th of May, 2010) [ 29 ]. Jem Berkes, â€Å"Language as the â€Å"Ultimate Weapon† in Nineteen Eighty-Four†, May 9, 2000, http://www. sysdesign. ca/archive/berkes_1984_language. html (19th of May, 2010) [ 30 ]. Heba R aouf Ezzat, and Mary Klador, Ibid, p. 21 [ 31 ]. Hannah Arendt, ibid, p. 46. [ 32 ]. Gerald F. Gaus, Political Concepts and Political Theories, Tulance University, (United States: WestView Press, 2000) , p. 39 [ 33 ]. ibid [ 34 ]. ttp://jcomm. uoregon. edu/~tbivins/J496/readings/LANGUAGE/euphemism_defandlist. pdf (19th of May, 2010), [ 35 ]. Ashley, Larry, ibid, p. 81. [ 36 ]. Ibid, p. 84. [ 37 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid [ 38 ]. â€Å"A History of Violence†, http://www. scribd. com/doc/937601/Foucault-and-Pinker-on-Violence (19th of May, 2010) [ 39 ]. B. Manjula, â€Å"Identity and Culture†, Centre for Media and Cultural Studies, p. 9, http://www. scribd. com/doc/4119098/Identity-and-Culture (19th of May, 2010) [ 40 ]. Halford H. Fairchild, â€Å"Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth in Contemporary Perspective†, Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 5, No. 2 (December 1994), Sage Publications, p. 192, http://www. jstor. org/pss/2784461 (19th of May, 2010) [ 41 ]. E. San Juan, Jr. , ibid. [ 42 ]. Ibid. [ 43 ]. Hannah Arendt, Ibid, P. 9. [ 44 ]. Heba Raouf, and Mary Lakdour, Ibid, p. 21 [ 45 ]. Neera Chandhoke, â€Å"Is violence constitutive of civil society? †, The London school of Economics and Political Science (NGPA) program, 13th July, 2007, p. 39, http://www. lse. ac. uk/collections/NGPA/publications/WP_Violence_Civil_Society_Web. pdf (19th of May, 2010) [ 46 ]. ibid, p. 40 [ 47 ]. Ibid, p. 41 [ 48 ]. Ibid, pp. 42 [ 49 ]. Heba Raouf, Mary Kaldor, ibid, p. 36

Google Books Essay

The Google Books project has been a working progress ever since Google was created. The co-founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page had been working on a research project that was supported by the Stanford digital Library Technologies Project in 1996. Google intends to scan every book ever published and make all of the text searchable so that people can find the relevant information they need about book. They want to make books more accessible to the public and create an easy mechanism of sorting a book’s content and relevance to a subject. In 2002 a secret â€Å"books† project was launched and research was underway to identify the challenges that lay ahead of them. Over this period, Googlers discovered a quick and harm free way to scan books and began to meet with Libraries to begin the digitalization of books. In December 2004 Google announces the launch of the â€Å"Google Print† Library Project thanks to partnerships from Harvard, The University of Michigan, The New York Public Library, Oxford and Stanford. Together it is said that these libraries exceed 15million volumes. In 2005 Google Print is renamed Google Books which is a more fitting title as it better explains it’s use. With the launch of Google Books and its fast development many will argue of the advantages and disadvantages of the site. The whole project seems a little bit overly ambitious and it obviously has many flaws in its system. It is a timely process to scan hundreds of millions of books and the pivotal question here is â€Å"Are Google books doing it right? † Scanning books is an extremely time consuming process so once Google books have done it, it seems unlikely that the books will be rescanned. If some of the books are not scanned properly, important literature and information could become obscured or lost through the process of digitalization. Geoff Nunberg (2009) published an article Google books: A Metadata Train Wreck and pointed out many errors in the system. One example being that he googled the name of an author and restricted the search to the works published before their year of birth. It was found that 182 hits came up for Charles Dickens alone. The Chief Engineer for Google Books, Dan Clancy claimed that the incorrect dates where the fault of the libraries. However, when the matter was investigated further it shows that the first ten full read books published before 1812 and that mention Charles Dickens are correctly dated in the catalogues that they had come from. Although one can argue that the correct information is given on the title page, there have been some other inexcusable errors too. Google Books has classified many of its books incorrectly and once again Dan Clancy has claimed that both the libraries and publishers where to blame because the classifications were drawn from the BISAC codes that is given to booksellers. BISAC codes have only been around for about 20 years meaning that any book that was put in the wrong category before this time is a mistake of Google themselves. Google have decided to take on an extremely large project but it seems apparent that they are not doing it very well. They are quick to push the blame on others and the whole project is based more towards commercialism rather than to help make knowledge available to the world. Project Gutenberg was one of the first â€Å"digital† libraries and was created by volunteers. This project seems to focus more on the importance of literature and the quality of the books available are much greater than those on Google Books. The books are proof read by human beings and their workers are not paid which is a clear sign that they actually care about making books more available to people. Google Books produces books in a much larger mass but they should be aware that people will value â€Å"quality over quantity† most. Google quickly scan these books and it’s obvious that they rarely check them for errors. In Paul Duguid’s (2007) essay Inheritance and Loss? A Brief Survey of Google Books, He addresses the Google books system hands on by using Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinion of Tristram Shandy as an example. He choose the first link that appeared in the search engine and claims his results were as follows; The book he was examining did not start with the word â€Å"wish† meaning that the left hand side of the page that had the word â€Å"I† was missing. On page seventeen the left hand side of the page is not legible because the gutter of the book is blocking the first few letters and by page twenty-seven, Sterne quoted Hamlet’s phrase â€Å"alas, poor Yorick! † and inserted a black page of mourning. However the version that is on Google books has left out this page and is somewhat ignorant to the fact of how iconic it is to the astute reader. On further investigation of Duguid’s essay I clicked on the links that were given to the book and realised that it was no longer a link to the book. I then searched Tristram Shandy just had Duguid had done into Google Books. I clicked on the first link which is the same Harvard edition that Duguid was referencing and discovered that the first page had the word â€Å"I† before â€Å"wish† and page seventeen was now fully legible. Although some corrections had been made the black page that was to follow on from page twenty seven has still not been inserted. This is perhaps due to the fact that the people scanning these books are not scholars themselves. It is very easy to recognise a page with a missing word or one that is not fully legible but many would mistake a black page as an error in printing. Another flaw in the digitalization in books is the actual book itself. There is something so pleasant about flicking through a book and holding it in your hand while you read. The book in its own physically is magnificent, depending on how old it is it could have been passed on from generation to generation. The book itself is a story in its own right. Throughout its lifespan the book can acquire various annotations, signatures and other interesting characteristics. There has also been a lot of conflict with regard to the publishing industry and the digitalization of books. Google has offered to provide a search engine what they aspire to be every book ever published but for those which are copyrighted and cannot be viewed online, Google provides the option to purchase them online through sites such as Amazon or Barnes. In January 2007, Google held a conference on the future of the publishing industry. The conference quoted Charles Darwin and projected it on a screen: â€Å"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor is it the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change. † Toobin (2007) states in an article Google’s Moon Shot: â€Å"As Laurence Kirschbaum, a long time publishing executive who recently became a literary agent, told me at the conference, â€Å"Google is now the gatekeeper. They are reaching an audience that we as publishers and authors are not reaching. It makes perfect sense to use the specificity of a search engine as a tool for selling books. †Ã¢â‚¬  This statement has a lot of truth because since the growth of technology, the popularity of books has fallen drastically. People in the 21st century care more for mindless television shows and tacky magazines than a good well written piece. Reading books challenges the mind and fuels the imagination and by incorporating literature with technology it is a great attempt to try and revive such an excellent thing. Despite Google’s attempts, it looks as if they are not doing a good job. Many authors and publishers filed a lawsuit against Google Books claiming that Google has violated their copyrights by scanning the books, creating an electronic database and displaying short excerpts without their permission. The Authors Guild filed a lawsuit against Google Books alleging copyright infringement and after four years of discussion a settlement was finally reached in 2009. It was decided that Google was allowed to copy, display and sell millions of books that were out of print but still in copyright. However the agreement was reviewed several times and was summarily rejected in March 2011. This gave organizations a chance to voice their concern about the privacy policy for users of the system. Google claims that it has reviewed its privacy policy and that an advance policy has been created for Google Books but it seemed that the policy still left a large number of gaps and something appeared to be quite vague. On September 4th 2009 the Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC) entered a motion to intervene in the Google settlement case to help the readers of Google Books regarding their privacy online. EPIC states that readers will be required to part with particular information that will be stored in a database to create detailed profiles of preferences of the reading with regard to their purchases and browsing. Marc Rotenberg appeared in court on February 18th 2010 and stated that: â€Å"A person at any library or any university in the United States that attempted to retrieve information from Google’s digital library would be uniquely tagged and tracked. There is simply no precedent for the creation of such power†. The court rejected the settlement but it did however state that Google should review it’s privacy policy to better protect its users. Google should not have the right to disclose any information to government or third parties and secure browsing should be a priority. Many people do not realise that these profiles are being created or that their privacy is being invaded. If this is supposed to be the library of the future, then it should be dealt with in the correct manner. People should be able to browse through books anonymously and have their own thoughts kept private. Google Books seem to have rushed the whole process of scanning such a vast amount of literature and by doing so they seemed to have forgotten about â€Å"quality over quantity. † It seems that the dream of creating a digital library will remain one for the foreseeable future due to the numerous flaws that the system has. Whilst Google Books are trying to correct their many errors it is apparent that the whole project was done quite carelessly and insufficiently. It is evident that Google Books motive leans more to the commercial side of things rather than making knowledge available to a wider audience. This is particularly clear with regards to their privacy policy. Google will suggest recommended pages and sites by analysing all of your browsing. The option to purchase a book that is not available online makes Google Books more of a digital bookstore rather than a digital library. The concept of Google Books is a great one and though it has some advantages, the disadvantages outweigh the good. Bibliography: †¢Duguid, Paul. â€Å"Inheritance and Loss? A Brief Survey on Google Books. † N. p. , Aug. 2007. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . †¢Nunberg, Geoff. â€Å"Language Log. † A » Google Books: A Metadata Train Wreck. N. p. , 29 Aug. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. http://languagelog. ldc. upenn. edu/nll/? p=1701 †¢McSherry, Corynne. â€Å"Good and Bad in Google Book Search Settlement Decision | Electronic Frontier Foundation. † Good and Bad in Google Book Search Settlement Decision | Electronic Frontier Foundation. N. p. , 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. . †¢Rogers, T. â€Å"Google Books: Good for Knowledge, Bad for Privacy. † Information Privacy Law. N. p. , 28 Mar. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. http://www. brianrowe. org/infoprivacylaw/2011/03/28/google-books-good-for-knowledge-bad-for-privacy/ †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Google Books. † Google Books. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .