Italy Essays (155 words) - Italy, Republics, Pula,

Italy Location and Population Italy, is a boot shaped country in south-south eastern Europe. Italy, also known as the Italian Republic, is one of the seven most industrialized countries in the world. This lineup includes: United States, Russia, Germany, England, Japan, China and Italy. Italy is about the size of North Carolina and it has a population of around thirty-seven million people as of 1991. An interesting fact about the population of Italy is that it is neither growing nor shrinking. During the last decade, Italy's population hasn't exceeded a .9% increase or decrease in population. Of the 37 million inhabitants of Italy, many work as farmers, and factory workers. Climate The climate of Italy is mild. Along the coastal areas, there is a long hot summer, with a short mild, and windy winter. Italy much of the time is cold and wet especially in the winter. The yearly average temperature is 40 degrees. Main Industries/

Prison Writings Essay

Prison Writings Essay Prison Writings Essay Charlie Fabian Prof. Hubble Eng B50/10:30 September 6, 2013 Learning Can Be Frightening Learning something new can be a scary experience. One of the toughest things I have ever accomplished was learning how to surf. Because of sharks, I had a fear to get in the water, but I believed this new skill would help me get over the fear of the ocean. It would also help me impress my friends and not make them believe i'm a coward. It was eight thirty in a hot summer morning and I called Alfonso, a tall, clumsy, and skinny friend of mine. I told him if we were still headed to the beach and replied, â€Å"yeah man, just let me get ready and ill head to your house.† The day before, my friends and I were talking about going to the beach and hanging out. They also mentioned surfing, which in my mind I was not going to try. My friend came, I could hear his old rusty car from my room. I walked ungainly to his car, I was still somewhat tired. I glanced at the back seat and saw my two other friends (Alexandra and Enrique). I also saw the surf boards tied on the rooftop of his car, my heart start beating rapidly, at that moment I knew we were actually going to surf. We greeted each other and we were off. As we arrived to Huntington beach, I could smell the the saltness and freshness of the ocean. It was a bright sunny day as we expected. My friend Alfonso was untangling the surfboards from his roof, and my other friends were taking a view of the beach from a far. I walked towards Alfonso and asked him if he really wanted to surf, he said, â€Å"Heck yeah man! I haven't surfed in the longest!† I helped him get the boards off and in my mind I was thinking that maybe I should have stayed home. We got the jammed seats out of the trunk and headed calmly to the shore. It was still early in the morning and we were all hungry, so we headed toward a small food shack, it looked like it was an abandoned house, but it was near our spot. The food smelled amazing (don't judge a book by it's cover I thought) but it didn 't get the thought of surfing out of my mind. As I was playing with my shrimp and poking them with my fork, my friend Enrique, also a skinny and clumsy friend, blurted out, â€Å"Do you think the waves will be at our favor today?† I didn't even know what he meant by that. My friend Alfonso replied, â€Å"I think so, every time I come the waves are pretty high.† My tummy gave me a strange feeling, I didn't know why this was so hard for me. Sharks were my first concern, however, I also heard of rip currents, currents that pull people away from shore. We finished eating and walked leisurely to the beach. We finally arrived to the beach and my two friends didn't bother to waste time and went to grab their boards, however my friend Alexandra (a beautiful, funny, and athletic girl) stayed with me. I told her I did not want to surf and told her my problem. She told me, â€Å"don't be afraid, you got to face your fear some day.† She grabbed her board and ran off. I sat their thinking, digging my feet in the sand, â€Å"Damn shes hot.† I laughed a little bit because first of all I didn't even know how to surf, moreoverI told my friends I did so I wouldn't be the only one who didn't know how to surf and ruin it for them. I sat there, observing my friends cruising, jaunting the waves. I saw them stumble and get wiped out by the waves, looked as if they

Subculture, Taste Culture and Counterculture Theory Essay

Subculture, Taste Culture and Counterculture Theory - Essay Example An analysis of subculture, counterculture and taste culture theories must also be thrown into the mix, for they also help explain music scenes and the impact that scenes have on society, and vice versa. Lastly, a broader view may be taken by examining rock and music from a sociological perspective, as scenes are not just emblematic of their localities but are also a part of a larger societal fabric that encompasses larger groups and people, and it is also helpful to place scenes into a certain time as well. Therefore, this paper aims to explicate each of these topics, as well as present examples of particular musical scenes, to show how and why society is impacted by these scenes. Music scenes, and music in general, must be understood as influential by examining the scene’s role in the larger discussion of culture. â€Å"Culture† is a general term for how an individual finds meaning and collectively make sense of his or her world (Cushman, 1996, p. 7). It is how partici pants interpret events and communication to understand the modern world, and is the outcome of concrete experiences of the individual social actors in their social world. It is through making culture that individual and collective identities are formed (Cushman, 1996, p. 7). Culture has its roots in mans relationship to other men and to nature. (Hall, 1964, p. 318).

Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Supply chain management - Essay Example Some scholars revealed that they were unable to find the difference between purchase and supply chain management. Additionally, some marketing analysts have viewed supply chain management as about creating the purchasers creating good relations with their entrusted suppliers. Others argue that supply chain management is not good enough since it does not accommodate all the marketing processes from the industries to the consumers of the goods. The researchers involved these different people to sample their view about the supply chain management as part of the agenda 3. The theory of supply chain management tends to rotate between prescriptions, trend, and description. A major trend identified is the anxiety with the outcome of supply chain management on a variety of marketing functions.The current trend in the market is that supply chain is hastening the corporate theme and there is a lot of proof for this. For instance, some established companies have hired supply chain managers and there has been contest between supply chains rather than between the companies. 3. Christopher, M., (1998), Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow. The above stated example gives a major problem in the discipline of supply network 4. Most businesspersons use an already established domain related with supplier-buyer behavioral mechanism although it has its own weaknesses. Most of these problems relate management issues, choosing the best supplier of goods among others and these can result from the failure of this field to try the broader concept of

Social Institutions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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The Influence Of Money In Philippine Elections

The Influence Of Money In Philippine Elections Election campaigns are now on the roll. Politicians are getting busy thinking of many ways to ensure their victory in the coming elections. Different strategies and techniques are being used by these candidates in order to win the votes of the people. Aside from the techniques and strategies, money plays a huge role in every Philippine elections. The ability to win of the candidate lies on how much money he or she is going to spend for this coming election. The aspiring candidates will definitely spend a large amount of money to catch the hearts of the voters even if it means performing an illegal act. A single vote is very precious and essential for the win a candidate. And in order to possess this single sure vote, candidates resort to buying the votes of the people. Vote buying is overt in the Philippines. It is a disease that continuously rots our political and electoral system. It has already become institutionalized in our system and remains constant despite the condemnation of many Filipinos. Before, vote buying is usually the last recourse of a rich but unpopular candidate to hold a position in office. But today, even popular ones are engaging themselves to this kind of activity because popularity per se is not enough to assure the vote of the electorate especially in local politics. Vote buying reflects a powerful image of graft and corruption. It is just the stepping stone for doing a more fraudulent act. The vicious cycle of vote buying and vote selling in the Philippines is becoming more and more alarming. This paper aims to answer the nature of vote buying, strategies of vote buying in the Philippines, the reasons for doing vote buying and vote selling and to trace the history of vote buying in the Philippines. WHAT IS VOTE BUYING? Vote buying, according to Hicken (2006), includes the individual, immediate and private exchange of goods, services or cash for electoral support, usually in violation of legal norms. It simply means giving out or handing out money to leaders and voters. It also means getting the vote of the people to ensure winning. Vote buying is also a form of economic exchange (Schaffer, 2002) because there is money involve. TYPES OF VOTE BUYING Vote buying can be categorized into two types: direct vote buying and indirect vote buying. Both types are widely used in the case of the Philippines although the idea of direct vote buying serves as the more popular act. DIRECT VOTE BUYING It is the most common type of vote buying where direct payments, in many forms, are given to the voter. It may be in the form of cash donations, shares of stock or a promise of a particular plan of action or payment in exchange for a promise of vote (Dekel, E., et. al., 2004). INDIRECT VOTE BUYING It is a kind of vote buying done in a non obvious and straightforward approach. This type of vote buying uses campaign strategies that target the weaknesses of the electorate. Here in the Philippines, the strategy of the candidates is to use and take advantage of the different Filipino traits. Example of these traits are our values of utang na loob, pakikisama, our close family and kinship ties, our religiousness, and other social values like loyalty, support and trust. They effectively use the various traits to influence and temp us to follow their selfish plans. Bava (1998) gave a concrete example on how this character capitalization happens. Different parties and candidates hire poll watchers and workers who are tasked to distribute sample ballots for their party. Each poll watchers and ballot distributors are given 1500 pesos and 500 pesos respectively, per day of work from 7 am to 3 pm. A poll watcher only needs 4 things in order to land the job: 1) a ball pen 2) a tally sheet 3) at least 18 years of age and 4) a registered vote (Bava, 1998). The last requirement is the most important and advantageous in the part of the candidates. If the hired person is a registered voter, the employer will be sure that the employers vote will go to him or her. A person offered with this kind of job will definitely take the opportunity given all the privileges and comfort that it can give. They can earn almost 1500 pesos a day by just distributing pamphlets and sample ballots. Adding to the convenience is the free meals given to them by their employer. A nd if the candidate won in the elections, most of them are given permanent jobs in various government offices. This is where indirect vote buying takes place. This act, according to Bava (1998), displays the Filipino trait of utang na loob. If a person has done something good to us, we would do anything and everything to return that goodness. In this case, the poll watchers and other employees will feel obligated to vote the candidate/employer because of the job that was given to them. FORMS OF VOTE BUYING Money is the common type of material that the candidates use in order to buy votes. But vote buying not only takes the form of money. It can be other forms of material offers. Schedler (2002) and Schaffer (2002) made a list that summarizes the different kinds of offers into three categories. The first and the most common form is payment. A payment is an amount of money paid. Schedler (2002, p.4) described it as a commercial relationship in which partners trade equivalent values. The citizen trades his vote in exchange of money. The act of accepting money denotes that there is an indirect agreement between the giver and the receiver of the payment. The second kind of material offer takes the form of gifts. A gift is something that is given out of free will without paying something in return. In the context of vote buying, accepting a gift does not give you the responsibility and obligation of voting the giver. The last kind is in the form of wage. A wage is an amount of money paid in exchange of services rendered. Like gifts, it does not require any obligation to the candidate. FACTORS AFFECTING VOTE BUYING According to Schaffer (2002), there are three factors that affect the strategies of the candidates and the perception of the voters toward vote buying. These are socioeconomic, institutional and political factors. The first factor both affects the candidates strategies and the voters perception while the last two factors affect mainly the strategies of the candidates. SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS One of the socioeconomic factors is the social class (Hicken, 2006). The formulation of the different strategies is influenced by social classes existing in society. The candidate must make a strategy that can produce strong and favorable impressions on people from different walks of life. It should cater to the needs of the entire high, middle and low class population. But it is impossible to come up with such strategies given that there is a massive gap and conflicting interests present among these social classes. Different social classes connote different needs and expectations. A strategy that might work to the lower class might be ineffective to the middle and higher class or a strategy that may be good to the higher class might harm those belonging in the lower class. Adding to the problem is the unequal number of population belonging to a certain social class. In the Philippines, the population of the lower class is greater than the population of the middle and higher class co mbined. The solution to these is to focus the strategy to those who constitute the majority. The easiest and most effective strategy to garner votes is to buy the votes of those who are included in this majority (which is the lower class). It will be very effective since those who belong in this class are financially unable who need money to sustain their everyday living. This scenario is very prevalent in the Philippines since many are members of the lower class. Almost all politicians who are running in office are focusing their campaign on the less fortunate because to them, greater number of voters means more number of votes and more number of votes means greater chances of winning. The second socioeconomic factor is education (Hicken, 2006) which affects the voters view about vote buying. For the high and some middle class voters, vote buying is a deviant and somehow an immoral behavior. Those in the higher and middle class are strong attackers of this practice. They are advocates of different anti-vote buying campaigns and they are known for organizing movements that educate the people about this kind of campaign strategies. They have this kind of opinion because education teaches them about these kinds of things. But for some middle class and most in the lower class (who cannot afford to have a higher education), they accepted vote buying because they perceive it as the time when they can receive free money that they can use to buy their necessities. INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS Hicken (2006, p. 48), stated that the rules and institutions under which candidates must operate can influence their incentives to purchase electoral support. Different institutional factors may encourage or discourage the use of vote buying. One institutional factor is the electoral system itself (Hicken, 2006). Under this factor is the district magnitude. It affects the strategy of the candidate because large constituency means larger amount of money needed to buy votes. Large district also has influence on the manner of distribution of the money. The strategy will be more expensive and costly since the distribution of money will take much longer and there should be an increase in the number of employees to properly accomplish the strategy. As a result, candidates will lessen the amount of money to be distributed to the people in order to prioritize other campaign strategies. POLITICAL FACTORS Political factors are different conditions and circumstances in society that affect the creation of various policies political choices. One of the variables under this factor is the election laws, particularly the anti-vote buying laws (Hicken, 2006). The degree of execution of different anti-vote buying laws affect how candidates device their strategy and distribution plans. In the Philippines, vote buying is illegal yet it continues to occur probably because of inefficiency of the laws and the law enforcers and the light punishments that will be given to the law breaker. There is no strict regulation of such laws in our country that is why the practice of vote buying is still a widespread act. More often than not, the law enforcers themselves are the protector of this scheme. BUDGET SOURCES The first thing that comes into our minds when we talk about vote buying is money. Money is the vital element of vote buying. It is the foundation of any vote buying scheme. We usually think that all vote buying funds are coming from the pockets of the candidates since most of them are members of the elite. But I think that the candidates are smart enough not to make use of their own wealth and to think of other alternative ways of budget sources. Some candidates most likely get their vote buying budget from their own political parties. Others accept donations from different business sectors given the condition that if they win the elections, they will repay them by giving them economic benefits and government protection. For example, the candidate accepted the donation from a construction company. If the candidate won the elections and plans to carry out road projects, he or she will be obliged to make the company the contractor of the said projects. Other candidates resort in getting illegal funds. Candidates who seek re-election have the advantage when it comes to money resources because they can easily tap pork barrel and other government funds. Some ask the help of drug syndicates, smugglers, kidnappers, gamblers and robbers to provide them with untraceable funds. It is true because we can observe that many crimes and illegal acts are happening during the election season. In return, the candidates give them financial support and protection. DIFFERENT STRATEGIES OF VOTE BUYING A carefully devised plan of action is needed to successfully carry out acts, especially if it is illegal. Candidates and politicians are wise in strategizing the effective way to buy the votes of the people. Usually, they even hire experts and professionals who are knowledgeable in fields concerning illegal campaign scheming. One specific strategy to ensure that the money given was translated into vote is what Bionat (1998) called Lanzadera system. In this strategy, the watchers give the voters an already completed ballot which will be dropped by the voters in the ballot box. After dropping the already completed ballot, the voter, then, takes with him or her the blank ballot and give it to the watcher. The watcher will complete that ballot and give it to the next paid voter. In this system, the money is given only if the voter returns with a blank ballot. I interviewed people from our barangay in Bulakan, Bulacan about the chronic vote buying in our place. They had first hand experiences on how vote buying takes place in our town. Based from that interview, I was able to learn other strategies and series of actions on how the scheme of vote buying happens. According to them, vote buying is usually conducted a night or two before the election day, usually around eight in the evening until midnight. Each politician has their own leader per community who is responsible for the identification of supporters and potential vote buying targets. They are also responsible in delivering the money to the house of the identified voters, at times in the appearance of paying the watcher. The intense vote buying is very evident and common in our place that the people are the ones coming and lining up in front of the politicians headquarters to ask for the money. Another strategy done by the candidates is getting the trust of barangay officials and other community leaders. In this way, the candidate can almost assume his or her hold in the community. The local leaders, then, are given large amount of money in exchange of buying the votes of their constituencies on behalf of the politician or the candidate. One more strategy that was mentioned by my neighbors is buying non-supporters. Candidates will offer those non-supporters with huge amount money. If they accept it, they will not be allowed to come out of their houses on the day of the election. There will be someone who will serve as a watchman that will ensure that the voter will abide to the agreement. Some politicians, in order to be extra sure, hire a bus that will take all the paid non-supporters to an out-of-town trip on the election day. Another strategy is the taking advantage of the politicians on our deep family and kinship ties. Some politicians use a relative or an influential member of a clan to convince members of the family and close friends to accept the money and to vote for that politician. Vote buying also happens during the election day itself as said by the interviewees. Buying may take the form of 100 pesos attached to the sample ballot. There are also ways in order to ensure that the paid voter will comply with the agreement. Before giving the money, they are required to give proofs that they voted that candidate. Usually, they bring with them a carbon paper or they are asked to take a picture of the ballot with a cell phone camera. Others asked the voters to make an agreed mark (a particular fold for example) on the ballot to serve as identification in the course of the counting of the votes. REASON WHY POLITICIANS BUY VOTES The primary reason why politicians buy votes is the hunger for power. Vote buying is a form of desperation to remain in power. Many politicians fight for the privilege of power because it implies influence and control over other individuals. They see power as the easiest way to achieve fame and fortune. Candidates want to purchase the vote of the people to obtain domination on different public organizations and mechanisms. They are not afraid to spend a big amount of money because once they are elected in office; they can easily recover the money that was used to pay those individuals. REASONS WHY PEOPLE SELL THEIR VOTES According to the April 2007 of the Social Weather Station (SWS), one in two of the registered voters think that there is nothing bad in accepting the money offers from the candidates (refer to Figure 1). Others may not see this from of money-giving as an attempt to buy their votes. They accept the money but it does not necessarily mean that they will vote for that candidate. Another reason is the offer seems as an opportunity to get the money, which was stolen by the politicians, back to the people. They might as well accept the offered money since it came from the taxes of the people. The April 2007 SWS survey also found that those in the rural areas were more probable in accepting money compared to those who live in urban areas (refer to Table 1). This shows that the primary reason for the selling of votes is poverty. Those who live in or below the poverty line mostly are unemployed individuals. They take the money because they needed it. For the poor, payment for a vote can mean a week without hunger. They just accept the offer because for them, dignity and pride cannot create food and money. Some may see elections as the only chance to obtain something from the government. They have this view that it is an obligation of a candidate to give money and other material things to their supporters. There are some reasons that we can consider negative in the part of the voters. People accept payments because they are being threatened. Most of the times, material offers are accompanied with terror, making them very difficult to refuse. Figure 1. In an election, it is not bad to accept money provided one votes according to ones conscience. Source: http://www.sws.org.ph/pr070503.htm Table 1. Rural areas approved accepting money compared to those in the urban areas. Source: http://www.sws.org.ph/pr070503.htm IS REFORM POSSIBLE? For the past few years, many have attempted to stop and eliminate the practice of vote buying in the Philippines. They even formed different organizations that promote the values of an honest election. But none of them actually succeeded. The effectiveness of efforts depends on how organizers or developers predicted the intensity of vote buying strategies as well as the various reasons why people accept the offers. A reform aims to change the behavior of the candidates and the voters. Reforms for givers usually take the form of strengthened laws. Example includes strengthened vote secrecy, tightened campaign finance rules and many others that aim to prevent anyone from buying votes. But these reforms led only to a limited success. Vote buyers, instead of stopping, have adapt themselves to the new environment. To escape punishments, they devised new ways on how to carry out vote buying like increasing the instances of indirect vote buying rather than direct vote buying. It became more uncontrollable even though new laws strained it to become more subtle. On the other hand, reform has always taken the form of voter education. Probably the most successful technique that was done to eradicate vote buying is the campaign against vote buying through different public service posters (see Illustration 1, Illustration 2 and Illustration 3). Successful in the sense that it enables the public to gain information about the wrongness of vote buying. But it did not really help in the removal of this unacceptable practice. None of the attempts to completely stop vote buying became successful. Law enforcers and reformists continue to devise stricter policies and laws against vote buying despite the fact that none of these actually really worked. Instead of wasting the time in just making stricter policies, they should consider focusing their attention on real roots of this act. Government should focus their attention more on improving economic development and education. By doing so, people will not have the reason to accept money in exchange of their votes. At this point in time, I can say that reform is really impossible. Reform will only be possible once our political and economic system become stable. Illustration 2: 3M public service ad, May 2001. blinded by money. Vote with your conscience. Source: Schaffer, 2005 Illustration 1: Namfrel Public Service Ad, May 2001. Your vote is valuable, it doesnt have a price. Your character is priceless. So, in this election, dont sell your character, dont sell you vote. Source: Schaffer, 2005 Illustration 3: Red Horse Beer public service ad, May 2001. A little pocket change wont put you ahead. Dont ask for a bribe. Vote for a good candidate. Source: Schaffer, 2005 HISTORY OF VOTE BUYING IN THE PHILIPPINES Vote buying is not just a recent development in Philippine elections. Its existence started with the coming of foreign colonizers and continued to flourish and evolve with the advancement of new technologies and the development of new ideas. Pre-colonial elections in the Philippines did not have vote buying because the leadership was assumed not through election but through succession. The same thing goes probably with the elections during the early Spanish period (17th to 18th century). I did not find any account stating that there was vote buying but I assume that there was none because there was no elections and the leaders were only appointed by the Spaniards. In the late Spanish period (19th century), Spanish colonial control in the Philippines declined as the Philippine revolution started. The revolution led to the development of a government established by Aguinaldo. Under this government, most officials were selected individuals from the principalia class and elections were only held for higher positions. There was no large scale elections during that time so vote buying was not an option. The coming of the American period started vote buying in the Philippines. The Americans gave all Filipinos the right to rule and the right to vote. Act No. 60, which became the organic law for all municipal governments, started the elite rule in the Philippines (Tangcangco, 1988). The Act provided a requirement that only allowed the elites to vote and participate in elections. The elites became powerful and they may have realized the advantage that the position can give them. They became accustomed to the power that was once denied by the Spaniards. From then on, in order to sustain this power, they did whatever means and costs to be elected in office. Here are some of the documented instances of vote buying from the American period until the present period. In the 1929 Elections (during the American period), money was very essential in the campaign period. Money was used to pay-off rivals to withdraw their candidacy, to buy the votes of the people, to threaten the people, and to bribe campaign leaders of the rival candidate. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996). In 1940 Local elections (Commonwealth period), Money was again a very important tool. Specific example for this one is the case of Pedro Abad Santos of the Socialist Party. He was predicted as the winner of the gubernatorial race in the province of Pampanga because of his massive popularity to his constituents but his wealthy opponent won the election by almost 7000 votes. There was no evidence of the strategies his opponent had used but the Abad Santos camp was really sure that his opponent used his money to buy the votes of the people. Another example was the electoral protest of Dr. Hilario Moncado against Tomas Cabili. They were fighting for a congressional seat in Lanoa province. Moncado accused Cabili of unlawful campaign by promising free legal services and employment for those who will vote for him. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996) In the 1949 National Elections (during the post-independence period), all forms of fraud and manipulation were reportedly done by President Elpidio Quirino to ensure his position as president. Quirino and his other candidates used massive and whole-sale vote-buying in forms of money, jobs and pork barrel. It was reported that Quirino had used almost four million pesos during his election campaign. The three provinces where the massive vote buying occurred include Negros Occidental, Nueva Ecija and Lanao. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996) The 1969 Presidential and Congressional Elections was between The Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party. This was considered as the bloodiest and dirtiest election (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996, p.111) prior to the Martial law period. Both parties reportedly used different techniques to ensure their victory. These included cheating, ballot stuffing and massive vote buying. It was stated in the reports that the Nacionalista Party and the Liberal Party spent around 700 million pesos and 300 million pesos respectively. That money came from the pork-barrel funds and was used as media fees and in buying votes. (Banlaoi Carlos, 1996). During the Martial law period, all kinds of wholesale fraud were committed including vote buying. In order to capture the loyalty of the rural people, Marcos personally distributed 4000 pesos to every barrio captain during his campaign. The barrio captains were tasked to divide the money among the inhabitants of the barrio. (Abueva, 1970). In the 1992 elections, there was a ban on media advertisements so the candidates had more cash to spend on their campaigns. Feliciano Belmonte, Quezon City congressional candidate at that time, was reported to have given cash and free tickets to Hongkong during his campaign. (Bionat, 1998) The media advertisement was also banned in the 1995 elections. According to Bionat (1998), mayors in Cebu received a bonus of 50,000 to 100,000 pesos for campaigning the 12 senatorial bets of the administration. Like what Marcos did, candidates also bought the votes of the grassroots leader. The difference is that the value of their support was more expensive. Barangay captains accepted a minimum of 500 pesos and a maximum of 20,000 pesos from the candidates. (Bionat, 1998) In the 2004 Presidential elections, Arroyo committed almost all kinds of fraud according to Tuazon (2006). One example is the Oplan Mercury that was exposed by Rudy Galang (one of the brains of this idea). The goals of this plan are to use public funds to the campaign, to provide money to local officials and to buy the support of those in the opposition. (Tuazon, 2006). Elections in the Philippines from pre-colonial era to the present show how we incorporate influences of colonial rule into our political system. The good and bad effects of these interventions became part of the changes in Philippine elections. History tells us that the face of Philippine elections has never really changed. We still continue to perform the practices of the past. The difference now is that it just assumes new shape and form. CONCLUSION In a poor country like ours, it is impossible to have a power because our politicians know our vulnerability to pressure and our hardships in life. Majority of our electorate are poor and have no means of livelihood, no education to back them up and they just resign themselves to taking alms and relief. The poorer the country the more prevalent vote buying is. They take advantage of our weaknesses but we cannot blame those who sell their votes. Filipinos minds are set for any answers that are immediate. That is why even when the act is illegal and unlawful, like selling votes, they instantly resort to it to easily come up with a solution to their problem, like poverty. People are quite fixated on short term solutions instead of long term ones. A 500 peso bill can buy you, lets say, a two days decent meal, but it cannot assure you economic stability in the future. For me, vote buying can be associated with surrendering ones right to vote and selling ones principle. I will definitely not sell my vote. Vote buying is based on morality. Money is good by itself but the act is evil because it violates my freedom, my dignity and my right as an individual. Vote buying is not a native Filipino idea. It was only a reflection of our colonial experience. But this experience manifest in us that it became a constant scenario in elections. History has an indirect effect on the start of vote buying in the Philippines. The desire for self-rule that was forbidden to the Filipinos for almost 300 years was suddenly bestowed to us that it might have created the idea of doing whatever it takes (may it be good or bad) to preserve and uphold this right.

Know It Alls :: essays research papers

Know It All’s Just because a person thinks they know it all, doesn’t mean they can teach. In America, the land of the free, gives this privilege every year to many people. They get their Masters or even a PHD degree in college and think they can mold the minds of others. This is such a farce. The degree may give you the right to become a teacher or even a doctor, but it does not mean you will be a good one. Teaching comes from the heart. If you absolutely love what you are doing it will show in class. It will show in the faces of the students. It will show with the in class discussions with the students. And finally, it will show in the test scores from the class. How the class is doing, in the subject, reflects totally on the teacher. If the whole class is failing, then the teacher has failed as well. So couldn’t we say that this kind of teacher has fallen through the cracks? Like so many illiterate people who get all the way through the twelfth grade and still don’t know how to read. People learn in different ways. We are all different. Just because I know how to play the piano, doesn’t mean that the student next to me in class can play the piano as well, and I do not expect it. We all have different levels of talent and different levels of ability to learn. Some people just get it and everything comes easy. Some people struggle with some things and some with everything. This is where the teacher has to adjust their teaching skills to fit these needs. Everyone can not be taught the same way. I had this experience in college with the worst teacher that taught Microeconomics and a Psychology class. Yes I was slammed twice. He introduced himself and bragged for an hour and a half about his vast degrees and his experience in Vietnam and all the places he had seen and basically things I did not need to know. After listening to him I felt like I was in shell shock. I kept asking myself, â€Å"What does this have to do with this class?† He would jump from one subject to another and go off on a tangent. And of course we were all expected to read his mind. He would start a sentence and expect you to finish it.

Chinease theory of discovery of America Essay

There are many theories or ideas on who discovered America first. Many people believe it was Christopher Columbus, the Vikings, or in my case some believe that the Chinese arrived here before Columbus. It is believed by some people that Chinese sailors beat Columbus to America by more than 70 years. Anthropologists, archaeologists, historians and linguists have debunked or out ruled much of the evidence that has been gathered over the years to support this theory. It has been named the 1421 Theory. It is said that sometime 10,000 years ago, the people from China are believed to have crossed over the Bering land bridge from Siberia to what is now Alaska. From there, they are believed to have spread out over the course of millennia. Once they got here they started diverging genetically and populating North and South America. The problem is that the only real evidence they have is maps and some artifacts, which from carbon dating trace back to 2200 B. C. These generally have been found on the coasts of Florida, South Carolina, New York and Canada. Many people believe this theory due to evidence found, like artifacts and maps. Also many people were convinced by books written by scientists, archeologists, and historians. One of these books is 1421: The Year China Discovered America, by Gavin Menzies. It is said that he tells and describes the theory so well. I do believe that it could be possible that China arrived here before Columbus but there are many holes in the theory according to some historians. But over all I do not believe that they beat columbus to the Americas. There just isn’t enough proof and any kind of written or physical evidence to show or prove to me in any way that they were for sure here about 70 years before Christopher Columbus. So I would have to turn down this theory due to the lack of proof given. Citations â€Å"Chinese cartography: China beat Columbus to it, perhaps | The Economist. † The Economist – World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. . Clark, Josh. â€Å"HowStuffWorks â€Å"Did the Chinese beat Columbus to America? â€Å". † HowStuffWorks â€Å"History†. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. . Kolesnikov-Jessop, Sonia. â€Å"Did Chinese beat out Columbus? – The New York Times. † The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N. p. , n. d. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. .

Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2017

Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2017 Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2017 Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2017 By Mark Nichol The Oxford Dictionaries recently publicized its Word of the Year for 2017 and the runner-up shortlist, and the selections, and a comparison of them with those of Merriam-Webster, are intriguing. The Oxford Dictionaries (part of Oxford University Press) and Merriam-Webster, publishers of the predominant dictionaries in the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively, select a Word of the Year (and a shortlist of runners-up) each year, as do other dictionary publishers, and the primary criterion for selection is the same: Visitors to the respective publishers’ online dictionaries looked up the chosen word, and those in the shortlist, significantly more often than most other words. (These words, not coincidentally, tend to reflect the sociopolitical zeitgeist and are likely to have lasting cultural significance.) Two aspects of the shortlists interested me. First, the two lists have no words in common. Second, although I read widely and I was familiar with the circumstances by which nearly all the words on both lists had become so prominent, I had not encountered most of the terms on the Oxford Dictionaries list, though the meanings for some of them are (for me, at least) easily deduced. The top word, according to the Oxford Dictionaries, is youthquake, which reflects the significance of an unexpectedly strong turnout of younger voters in the 2017 snap election in the United Kingdom and an election in New Zealand later in the year. The term, which refers to a significant change prompted by young people, was actually coined in 1965 by Diana Vreeland, then editor of Vogue magazine, but it has maintained a low profile over the past half-century- and similar rumblings have not occurred in the United States on anywhere near the same scale, hence the lack of a concurrent spike in popularity for the term on this side of the Pond. The same is true of most of the runners-up. One strong exception is antifa, a loanword from Germany- a truncation of Antifaschistische (antifascist) dating to before World War II and referring to militant leftist political demonstrators- because of the ubiquity of such protestors at demonstrations in the United States. However, broflake (meaning â€Å"a politically conservative man easily offended by progressive attitudes†) did not make much of an impression in the United States. (The term is a play on snowflake, which in a sociopolitical context refers pejoratively to supposedly oversensitive liberals by comparing them to a very delicate meteorological phenomenon; it substitutes snow with bro, originally neutral slang for brother but here connoting a boorish conservative man.) Nor did the related term â€Å"white fragility,† coined by American academic Robin DiAngelo in 2011 to refer to the general inability of white people to withstand confrontational discussions abou t racial equality. Other terms on the Oxford Dictionary shortlist include kompromat, a Russian loanword derived from â€Å"compromising material† and denoting sensitive personal information that can be used against a political opponent; newsjacking, meaning â€Å"taking advantage of news or current events to promote a brand or product†; and â€Å"milkshake duck,† meaning a social media star who prompts disillusionment when he or she is discovered to have a character flaw- an allusion to being charmed by an internet meme such as video of a duck drinking a milkshake, only to find out that the duck is a racist. Then there’s gorpcore, describing a fashion trend featuring utilitarian clothing associated with outdoor recreation; the term is a play on normcore, which denotes pointedly drab, plain attire and is based on the use of the element -core, derived from hardcore. (Gorp, perhaps deriving from a verb meaning eat greedily, is another word for â€Å"trail mix.†) Finally, unicorn, originally a word for a mythical horned horselike animal (the name literally means one horn), pertains to a product featuring rainbow colors, glitter, and/or other colorful enhancements designed to distract consumers from their mundane lives; the term derives from the prominence of such features in children’s toys and entertainment that feature unicorns. (This sense also supplants the use of unicorn to denote something so rare as to be virtually unobtainable, such as an ideal romantic or sexual partner.) 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating Conjunctions225 Foreign Phrases to Inspire YouStarting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.

15 Idioms for Periods of Time

15 Idioms for Periods of Time 15 Idioms for Periods of Time 15 Idioms for Periods of Time By Mark Nichol A body of idiomatic words and expressions vividly denote brief periods of time or otherwise refer to various durations. Here’s a sampling of such terms. 1. After hours: In the evening or at night, or late in the day (referring to standard daytime hours that most businesses are open) 2. Banker’s hours: A relatively short duration (from the onetime tradition that banks were open for a limited number of hours compared to other businesses; therefore, one who keeps banker’s hours has a light work schedule) 3. Bat/wink/twinkling of an eye: variations of an idiom referring to a period of time so brief that it passes while one’s eyelid moves 4. Eleventh hour: occurring late in a given time frame (from the fact that the eleventh hour is the last in the day before midnight) 5. Flash: an instant (from the fact that a flash of flame is short lived) 6. Heartbeat: an instant (from the duration between one heartbeat and the next); usually seen in the expression â€Å"in a heartbeat†; by contrast, a phrase beginning â€Å"a heartbeat away from† refers to someone being in line for promotion if the heart of that person’s immediate superior stops beating that is, if the other person dies 7. Jiffy: an instant (perhaps from slang for lightning); also shortened to jiff 8. New York minute: a brief time (from the notion that minutes in the hectic milieu of New York City pass more quickly than those in more relaxed locales) 9. On the hour: at the beginning of every hour 19. Shake: a very short period; usually employed in the phrase â€Å"two shakes† (a truncation of the idiom â€Å"two shakes of a lamb’s tail,† alluding to the typically rapid motion of the young animal’s tail) 11. Small hours: the early morning (from the low numbers on the clock that indicate the time during that period) 12. Split second: a fraction of a second (from the notion that a second can be split, or subdivided); a split is also a fraction of the total elapsed time for a race 13. Tick: a moment (from the ticking of a clock); a tick is literally a mark used for measure, as on a clock 14. Trice: a short period of time (from a word meaning â€Å"pull†); often seen in the phrase â€Å"in a trice† 15. Witching hour: midnight or the middle of the night (with the connotation that unsettling or unusual things happen then, from the superstition that witches are about at that time) Note: The DWT Freelance Writing Course will be re-opening next Tuesday, November 6. Make sure to mark it on your calendar if you are planning to join us. The course costs $97 (single payment), and it runs for six weeks. 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Use â€Å"That,† â€Å"Which,† and â€Å"Who†Comma Before ButEnglish Grammar 101: Sentences, Clauses and Phrases

Connectivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Connectivism - Essay Example It is not with the human beings by birth or we cannot call knowledge as an innate part of human beings. The learning theories of behaviourism, constructivism and cognitivism regard knowledge as acquirable and identify various ways with the help of which, a person is able to learn in this world. According to the learning theory of behaviourism, the knowledge that a person keeps or attains by means of experience or rationality can be assessed by means of change of behaviour (Gredler, 2005). When a person attains knowledge, his/her behaviour changes with the acquisition of knowledge. The behaviourism philosophy can be defined as a philosophy that deals with the transformation of behaviour as an indication of learning (Vaill, 1996). Therefore, in behaviourism learning theory deals with the transformation of behaviour of an individual as a sign of his/her learning. Learning theory of behaviourism regards learning as wholly external. Constructivism is also based on the philosophy of constructivism. According to the learning theory of constructivism, knowledge comes to a person with the help of his/her past experience (Gredler, 2005). A person is able to learn on the basis of his/her past experiences in terms of knowledge acquisition. Knowledge is acquired by means of comprehension of experiences that a person goes through in his/her life time. According to the constructivism theory of learning, learning is something based on internal input of a human being (Gredler, 2005). As far as congnitivism is concerned, according to the learning theory of cognitivism, a person is able to get knowledge similarly as the computer does. An input is required, there is some memory where the knowledge is stored on temporary bases and then this knowledge is coded for future employment. Cognitivism also categorizes knowledge as an external element (Vaill, 1996). These theories

Corporate social responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Corporate social responsibility - Essay Example lity (CSR) in brief as â€Å"CSR is about business giving back to society†, and in detail as â€Å"the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development, while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large† (Mallenbaker.net, 2006). CSR is a broad principle involving the way a corporation manages its business processes to provide an end-to-end beneficial effect on society. Business entities are required to consider the quality of their management related to both people and processes, and the type and amount of their social impact in different areas (Mallenbaker.net, 2006). CSR is very similar to the concept of Sustainable Development which requires that corporation decisions should consider social and environmental effects, in addition to economic matters such as profits and dividends (Wikipedia, 2006). CSR suggests that corporations have a duty of care to all of their stakeholders while carrying out their business functions. Stakeholders are those individuals or organizations that have legal interest in the corporation; they are influenced by the corporation’s decisions and actions, while also having the power to influence such decisions and actions. The most important stakeholders are shareholders; other stakeholders include employees, clients, suppliers, community organizations, subsidiaries and joint venture partners (Wikipedia, 2006). CSR is beneficial to the corporation in several ways (Wikipedia, 2006). First of all, it gives the corporation a clean image of having the benefit of society at large in mind, rather than being only interested in making profits for its shareholders. Secondly, the corporation’s reputation and its brand power are strengthened; this is because consumers are increasingly checking the CSR behavior of the corporations from which they purchase their goods and services. Thirdly, chances of investment in the