Sunday, December 29, 2019

The Psychological Factors Of The Bathroom Bill - 1279 Words

The Psychological Factors of the â€Å"Bathroom Bill† Next month will make a year that everyone has kept their eye out on North Carolina due to the House Bill 2, also known as the â€Å"bathroom bill,† they passed March 23rd of 2016. The particular bill requires transgender people to use the restroom of the gender assigned to them at birth. It also â€Å"banned any minimum-wage increases or anti-discrimination statutes local governments might pass† (McCLELLAND 40). Not only did this aggravate the LGBT community, it has agitated many of their supporters, specially celebrities. The bill has caused a media firestorm, so many people are protesting within and without North Carolina’s state lines. Regardless of where the commotion has started, everyone has†¦show more content†¦In a QA with Walter Bockting, PhD, â€Å"a member of the APA Task Force on Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Clients.† he f urther explained the differences between transgender, gender identity, and sexual orientation (APA). According to Bockting, a transgender means having a gender identity that differs from the sex assigned at birth. Then continues by stating, gender identity is the basic conviction of being man, woman, or other. He lastly defines sexual orientation as to one’s sexual attraction, behavior, and emotional attachments to men, women, or both. All of these are his psychological definitions, which he mainly uses when discussing the challenges transgender people face. In attribute to social stress, transgender people are more vulnerable to symptoms of depression and anxiety (APA). They also struggle with self-esteem, they ask themselves questions on why they should be who they are if society is saying NO.Understanding and compassionate mental health providers have often been an important part of that. This bill has caused so many to speak out, transgenders and their supporters have pro tested, made speeches, tweeted, they have done anything to get the word out for what they believe in. A transgender man, Joaquin Carcano, has definitely had a lot to say, but he spoke out because he is tired. He is tired of the discrimination and fear. Time shared his inspiring words that have captured the very essenceShow MoreRelatedThe Shining Film Analysis1360 Words   |  6 Pages Thematic Analysis of The Shining â€Å"Here’s Johnny!† A famous line from The Shining, when Jack Torrance goes mad and is hacking at the bathroom door with an axe to mutilate his wife, Wendy and son, Danny into many little bloody pieces for disobeying him. The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick. Jack Torrance played by Jack Nicholson, quits his job as a school teacher and takes a job as caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado during the winter, hopingRead MoreGender Identity Essay1288 Words   |  6 Pagespeople to identify with or conform to. North Carolina’s anti-LGBT law House Bill 2, or better known as the HB2 Bill died almost as suddenly as it was born. Unfortunately it didn’t really die, it just changed shape. Over the course of a single day, the North Carolina state legislature passed a bill preventing legislators from passing LGBT-inclusive non-discrimination decrees and required transgender people to use the bathrooms corresponding to their birth certificates. After a full year of backlash fromRead MoreTransgendered in America Essay832 Words   |  4 Pagesfemale; transsexual women are people who have a female anatomy but classify themselves to be male. A To illustrate, a transvestite is a man who dresses like a woman and vice versa. Genetics, the prenatal environment, and life experiences are all major factors in transgender identities. In 1980, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) declared that transsexuals had gender identity disorder. Recently, they changed it to gend er dysphoria, which is the persistent feeling the individualRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie 12 Angry Man Essay1192 Words   |  5 Pagesabout a verdict in the room . Overall Juror Eight and Juror Nine illustrate key traits of good citizenship while enforcing the equality to pursue justice: uncertainty, curiosity, and reasoning. The Bill of Rights was first introduced to United States of America after the American Revolution. The Bill of Rights consists of ten amendments for equal and justice treatment. In reality not everyone was equal. Martin Luther King Jr, a civil rights activist, was once jailed in Birmingham for breaking discriminateRead MoreThe Consistency Of Meeting The Customer Needs Essay1445 Words   |  6 Pageshave a smooth transition out of the hotelier by making sure that their bill is correct. Lastly, the location can be measured by contacting the customer by asking if the location was suitable and made their stay better. Hepple et al. (1990) â€Å"identified four characteristics of hospitality in its modern sense. It is conferred by a host on a guest who is away from home and the host would provide for the guest’s security, psychological and physiological comfort. Moreover, hospitality involves interactionsRead MoreSmartphone Addiction1491 Words   |  6 Pagesphone becomes a par t of their daily lives and controls the whole life style either directly or indirectly. Hence, when the number of calls drops or if they lose their mobile phones, all the addiction-related symptoms become prevalent. According to  Factors Associated with Cell Phone Use in Adolescents in the Community of Madrid[2]  by Sanchez-Martinez, M  ; Otero, at the usage they are more likely to dependent on smartphone and thus, contact people using the social networking with the phone, which isRead MoreTaking a Look at Crohns Disease1552 Words   |  6 Pagesforms and fashion from physiological to psychological. Depression is a major factor that comes into play with this (IBD). Patients live on the edge from day to day when dealing with spontaneous episodes of diarrhea and chronic abdominal pains. Clients may show a lack of interest in the social aspect of life due to illness, and may demonstrate these traits to avoid embarrassment. Jobs and work life have to be comprised, for example pat ients need to have bathroom timeouts as well as always have emergencyRead MoreWomens Rights - A Chronicle of Reform1701 Words   |  7 Pagesposition on the issue is that this type of social control is potentially just as restrictive as the traditional roles of women. The Beauty Myth discusses how society’s viewpoint of beauty is detrimental to women because it causes many emotional and psychological problems to women who strive to become â€Å"perfect†. This book is important due to the fact it raises awareness to the issues that many young women are currently facing. The Female Eunuch (Germaine Greer, 1970) The Female Eunuch is analysisRead MoreEffect Of Smartphone Addiction On Adolescents1838 Words   |  8 Pagesfunctions on the go (Harun et al. 196). They are called smartphones for a reason. Two significant effects of smartphone addiction are how it affects adolescents’ sociability and productivity (Lin, Chiang, and Jiang 1210). Sociability has relation to psychological issues, and productivity has to do with education and academics. Smartphone usage will continue to grow. The ease of use, convenience, and comparatively little costs make it one of the fastest growing technologies (Riola 12). Smart phones haveRead MoreAnalysis of Internal Influences and Consumer Behaviour3821 Words   |  16 Pages â€Å"I can stay at JOZOLI’s for $3,000 per season, or I can stay at a more modest marina for $2,500 per season. At JOZOLI I will be associated with the best crowed and at marina X I will not, and will not have the other amenities such as luxurious bathrooms, cable TV and Wireless Internet†. And finally a potential customer could be faced with the avoidance-avoidance conflict, example: â€Å"the marina we are presently staying at is falling a part – the docks and electricity is dangerous; if no decision

Friday, December 20, 2019

Cultural Awareness Native American - 1349 Words

Cultural Awareness: Native American’s When Christopher Columbus landed in America he thought he landed in the East Indies, but it was the West Indies instead. There were millions of indigenous people when he reached the New World in 1942. He named the indigenous people Indian’s. According to Lehnardt (2015), there are 566 federally recognized Native American tribes. The largest tribal groups in the U.S are the Sioux, Navajo, Chippewa, Choctaw, Cherokee, and Iroquois. In today’s society, we see many Native American cultures being used in various ways. However, there are also many ways that the Native American culture can be used in a positive or a negative manner. Native American’s are clearly misunderstood, especially their culture and†¦show more content†¦Yet many know that it is a Native American symbol. Those of non-Native ancestry have Native American tattoos inscribed onto their bodies in efforts to fashion new identities for themselves, specifically intended to mark them as different from the mainstream Euro-American norms; while those of Native American ancestry in the majority of cases select Native imagery for tattoo work as a means of claiming or reclaiming a native heritage [Haga 2001; Bove 2002; Rangel 1993; Biederman 1992]. (Schwarz 251) Sounds like culture insensitivity to me. We should be careful with what we put on our bodies, and actually research the history of tattoos like this instead of being unaware of how condemning it may be to other individuals. If there is at least one person who has any knowledge of this kind of tattoo, then they should inform others such as friends, families, and co-worker. Otherwise, it may seem ignorant when someone applies the dream catcher tattoo on their body without any insight or information about it. My second artifact is a show called United Shades of America that organized a documentary on Native American issues in society. The host is W. Kamau Bell who is a comedian and political provocateur. He explores Native American’s adversity, and how they are treated in the general public. Apparently, many of the Native American’s do not like being called Native American, because they were here before it wasShow MoreRelatedHow Educational Learning Is Detrimental When Traveling997 Words   |  4 Pagescreate an awareness of the differences in these other cultures to avoid disrespect. The affects of traveling are stated in numerous texts throughout the course. All the readings seem to direct to the conclusion that traveling is most respectable through studying and gaining knowledge of the natives’ culture rather than volunteering through service which is belittling. Educational traveling allows for individuals to learn natives’ culture, behaviors, and daily ro utines allowing for the awareness of theRead MoreAnalysis Of Sherman Alexie s A Native American Activist 862 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† Many underprivileged groups such as, African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, just to name a few, often struggle to flourish within society due to lack of resources and lose their identity in assumption of their â€Å"inadequacy†. Sherman Alexie, a Native American activist, reveals the effects of poverty through the life of Victor, a young Native American living in a reservation, in his short story, â€Å"This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona†Read MoreCulturally Appropriate Counseling Practices And Advocacy766 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstands the client’s cultural characteristics, and is always in a continual process of self-reflection of their own socio-cultural beliefs and biases. This paper will discuss how generic counseling through the lens of culture, class and language and the how Native Americans/First Nations differ when using these same markers. This paper will also discuss the implications of Native Americans/First Nations cultural cha racteristics on counseling methods and advocacy. Cultural Aspects Embedded in GenericRead MoreHeritage Assessment Tool: Evaluation of Different Cultures and Individual Views of Health1326 Words   |  6 Pagesrestoration of individual cultural beliefs. This evaluation helps meet the needs of different patient populations to provide quality holistic care. The purpose of this paper is to explore the Hispanic, Native American, Chinese, and the author’s own personal cultural beliefs from perspectives of health traditions, maintenance, promotion and restoration of health. The objectives are to identify different families and the own common health traditions based of the cultural heritage. Evaluate and discussRead MoreJose Martinez s Phenomenology Of Chicana Experience And Identity884 Words   |  4 Pagesexploration of her Chicana lesbian identity rests primarily in the Chicana history and she disregards the Anglo’s history of lesbian identity. Because of this, it may be argued that Martinez has a stronger connection to her father’s cultural roots over her mother’s Native American, mostly white heritage in attempting to rediscover her Chicana racial and sexual identity. Martinez’s third identifying ethnic mode of consciousness, the knowing – unknown involves an explicit asking of questions of herself, herRead MoreCultural Appropriation : Disrespects Of A Minority Culture776 Words   |  4 PagesCultural Appropriation Cultural appropriation is shown in many ways among the public. When a member of the majority takes an element of a minority culture and attempts to make it their own, they are appropriating the minority’s culture. Appropriating a culture is disrespectful and can lead to loss of valuable meaning of cultural practices. This is shown in many ways, such as the use of blackface or wearing a significant piece of Native American history as a fashion accessory. Each of these elementsRead MoreThe Ways Of Native Americans By Phillip J. Deloria s Playing Indian1153 Words   |  5 Pages The ways of Native Americans have been both a cultural and societal sustainment within the United States today. However, not in the way traditional sustainment is seen as. In Phillip J. Deloria’s book, Playing Indian, he asks how across American history â€Å"has the notion of disguised Indians dumping tea in Boston harbor had such a powerful hold on Americans’ imaginations?† (9) What is it exactly that captivates the minds of Americans’ over the culture of our Native American predecessors? BeforeRead MoreSummary Of A Passage Of India By Quot. Forster1475 Words   |  6 Pagesthe people of India. Dr. Aziz, a native Indian and main character in the novel, is extremely frustrated of the way others think about these two cultures together. Some may say it s the position of superiority the British hold that the Indians perceive as degrading. Throughout the novel there is a clear tension between the natives and the colonists that relate to both fictional a nd historical events. There are several events that occur that demonstrate this cultural division. One event, for exampleRead MoreThe Los Angeles Riots Of 19921524 Words   |  7 Pagesimmigrants and natives, and majority and minority produced an atmosphere of fear, distrust, and hopelessness. Due to the struggle to gain power by racial and ethnic groups, the aftermath of the Los Angeles riots was clouded with racial and ethnical conflicts. However, the riots did increase racial awareness for Korean Americans between the different ethnicities. Dialogue was opened between people, whom prior to the riot, did not interact with each other. Even so, African American, Latino, WhiteRead MoreThe Impact Of Culture On Communication As A Significant Impact On Culture1163 Words   |  5 Pageshave based on cultural norms also affect the interpretation they have about messages delivered by others. Manners, gestures, whether or not to use eye contact, a particular distance between another and belief in which one va lues are all important to take care and consideration of when communicating with cultural diversity. Culture has an influence on perceptions, beliefs, and values. Awareness and perspective factors are essential to understanding and accepting cultural behaviors. Cultural diversity

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Managing Economic Change and Mitigating

Question: Discuss about the Managing Economic Change and Mitigating. Answer: Introduction In recent years, Chinas oil demand is growing continuously. The increased oil demand is a symbol of economic growth of the country. But, it is also true that Chinas oil demand is growing slowly. Oil demand growth rate of China was 2.3% in December 2016 that is less than the growth rate of December 2015 (3.1%) and December 2014 (3.8%). Along with this, the economy of china grew only by 6.7% in 2016; that point towards the slowest pace of economic growth in the last 26 years. The economy has been shift from heavy industry to other service industry that condensed the Chinas oil demand in the previous years. In addition to this, this research paper would be beneficial to discuss the economic expansion of China and the impact of peak oil prices on the economic growth of China. It is well known that, China is the largest population country in the world. It is also the largest energy consumer and greenhouse gas emitter in all over the world. Moreover, for the fifteenth consecutive year, China has remained the worlds largest growth market for energy. The country uses crude oil to produce energy and fulfill nations energy need. China offers huge quantity of crude oil to fulfill the people transportation need in an effective manner. Along with this, as per the report of 2015, China has around 713 oilfields and 267 gas fields in the world. In the last 10 years, the overall oil production of China has been enhanced from 1.34 to 1.55 Bbbl (Wang, 2016). On the other hand, in the recent times, China is the 4th largest petroleum producer in the world after US, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. The below table indicates the oil consumption trends of China. For example, the table signifies that the nation consumed 6900 thousand barrels of crude oil daily at the end 2005. The oil consumption of the nation has reached at 11968 thousand barrels at the end 2015. Along with this, in the last decade, China crude oil production was enhanced and reached at 4309 thousand barrels daily at the end of 2015 from 3642 thousand barrels daily at the end of 2005 (Kim, 2016). The table also designates that the Chinas share is 12.90% in the global oil consumption. The major differences in the production (4309 thousand barrels daily) and consumption (11968 thousand barrels daily) indicates that China depends on imported oil to fulfill their national demand of oil consumptions (BP.com, 2016). China Oil Trend Thousand barrels daily 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Change 2015 over 2014 2015 share of total China Oil Production 3642 3711 3742 3814 3805 4077 4074 4155 4216 4246 4309 1.50% 4.90% China Oil Consumption 6900 7432 7808 7941 8279 9436 9791 10229 10732 11201 11968 6.30% 12.90% In addition to this, the above table indicates the past and current trends of the crude oil consumptions by China that points out that demand and import has been rapidly enhanced over the last decade. During the 2005 to 2014, rapid economic growth and industrialization trends of China have contributed in the increased demand of crude oil. During the last decade, Chinas oil consumption raised almost linearly at 4-6 percent. China has defeated the United States and become largest crude oil importer in the world in 2015. China is the worlds largest oil import countries as accounted growth of 6.3% or 770,000 b/d for the largest increment to demand in 2015. In 2015, China oil imports were exceeded 60% for the first time of total nations oil consumption. Chinas crude oil demand growth was 2.3% in December 2016 that will grow by 3.4% in 2017 to a record of round 12 million barrels per day (bpd) and China will top state-owned oil producer and the second-biggest oil user in the world (BP.com, 2016). On the other hand, the above graph indicates the past five years trends of Chinas oil imports and domestic production. The Peak Oil is the situation while the China total oil consumption reached to maximum and starts to decline. Oil production in China likely peaked at around 4.3 million barrels a day in 2016. The decline trends of Chinas economy in the last year (2016) indicate the peak oil situation of the nation as the imported crude oil demand or growth has declined over the same period. Chinas oil imports growth was down to 2.3% in December 2016 from growth of 3.1% in December 2015 (Coyne, 2016). The decline in Chinas domestic production and economic growth in the last year and current year may decrease oil imports growth of the country. China's Transition to Oil China has become highly dependent on oil imports as nearly 60% of total oil demand is imported. China domestic oil and gas production grew slower than the nations economic grew that point towards Chinas increasing dependency on imports of oil over the past decade. In the long term solution, high dependency on imported oil has created energy challenges in front of nations and it is not good for ecosystem, environment and economy of the nation. Consequently, the country transit oil to other nations. Along with this, China also has unlimited renewable energy sources and vast solar and wind power potential, so the Chinese government focused on the transitions of oil (Zhang and Xie, 2016). China is transiting oil regimes to renewable energy sources in order to reduce its dependency of imports on oil and also trim down carbon emissions in an effective manner. On the other hand, China transit to oil through use of the renewable sources to generate energy, decline oil consumptions and also reduce emitter of carbon dioxide within nation. The crude oil is majorly used in the production of energy that generates emitter of carbon dioxide and harms the climate, environment and people health, so that the Chinese government transition to oil from renewable sources to generate energy to prevent the environment and people (Peng, 2017). In addition, China is the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide with 28.21% in 2016 that creates climate issues to the nations, so the Chinese government has announced that it will launch Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) from 2017. The cap-and-trade scheme will be combined with Chinas ETS to reduce CO2 emissions on power sector through enhance utilization of renewable energy (SBS News, 2016). In addition to this, in September 2013, Chinas State Council introduced the Chinas Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution issues to enhance the renewable sources energy share of Chinas energy mix. The Chinese government has to make very cautious decisions for the development and growth of renewable energy sources. These actions may also be beneficial for the ecosystem, environment and national economy. In 2016, China recorded around 21% growths in renewable in power generation that is the second largest increments in world after Germany growth of 23.5%. Solar power generation grew around 69% in China that accounts for the largest increase in the world. Moreover, China become the worlds top generator of solar energy through overtook Germany and the US (Wang, Xiang, Ruan and Hu, 2017). Moreover, due to enhance in renewable power generation, Chinese emissions declined in 2016 for the first time since 1998. Renewable Energy Consumption by China Million tonnes oil equivalent 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Change 2015 over 2014 2015 share of total China 1.7 2.5 3.5 6.4 11 15.9 23.7 30.8 44.1 51.9 62.7 20.90% 17.20% The above table indicates the energy generation from renewable sources including wind, solar, water, geothermal, biomass and waste by China over the past decade. The above table also point towards the 35 times growth in Chine renewable energy generation over the past decade as it has been reached at 62.7 in 2015 from 1.7 in 2005. Moreover, the table indicates more than 20% growth of renewable energy generation by China in 2015 over 2014 and the country market share of total 17.2% in world in 2015 (BP.com, 2016). It shows that the Chinese government focused on renewable energy sources to transition to oil and reduce consumption or demand of oil in the nation. Oil Companies in China China's biggest four crude oil companies according to volumes, ranks and gross revenues are China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Sinopec Limited, and Yanchang Petroleum. The below graph is helpful to designate the market share of all 4 major Chinese oil companies in terms of production of oil. All four Chinese oil companies have produced around 1.53 Bbbl oil in 2015 (Wang, 2016). Along with this, the above graph indicates that the CNPC covers higher market share of 52% (more than half) in terms of oil productions. CNOOC has second position with 22%, Sinopec Ltd has third rank with 20% and Yanchang Petroleum has fourth position with 6% in the Chinese oil market. CNOOC has defeated Sinopec in 2015 and become the second largest oil producer in the nation. In the downstream sector of China, Sinopec Ltd has the largest share in the country as it processed around 49.3% (1.7 billion barrels) of total amount crude oil processed in 2015 (Kong, et al., 2016). On the other hand, the below graph indicates that that overall expenditure of CNPC, CNOOC, and Sinopec has enhanced from 277 to 634 billion CNY from 2006 to 2012. China had released around 1735 mineral right projects regarding covering 4.07 million km2 till 2014 (Alon, Leung and Simpson, 2015). In these, CNPC has 776 projects that cover around 1.54 million square kilometers, Sinopec owns 484 projects of 0.98 million km2, and CNOOC has 333 projects that covers 1.43 million km2 and the rest of 142 projects owned by other players in the industry. It indicates around 97% of mineral rights in area belong to three major players these are CNPC, CNOOC, and Sinopec. These three major players had covered the whole oil business chain in China from upstream to downstream business sectors (Van Den Beukel, 2016). Chinese oil companies are also actively participating in bidding projects overseas, and seeking for international collaborations, and merger acquisition of other nations smaller oil and gas companies. Peak Oil and Climate Change Impacts on China's Economic Growth In the past year (2016), Chinas was the largest importer of oil in the world and its economy is still growing by 6-7% that is lowest growth over the last decade. As oil prices faltered, China has stopped the production from the highest cost oil fields because of they do not want longer compete with imported oil. Along with this, China will be forced to boost oil imports in nation as domestic production declines, but the demand of oil enhances that will fulfill from overseas. The data so far present a clear picture that oil industry of china has been declined. China domestic crude oil output declined approx 5% in compared with a year earlier. In July 2016, Chinas crude output dropped by 8% to 16.72 million metric tons and 3.95 million barrels a day that is the lowest daily average over the last 5 years (Green and Stern, 2016). The decline of new discoveries and has also declined the domestic oil production. If oil price unexpectedly jumped, then the China would quickly ramp up its out put. For the last quarter, oil prices have hovered around $53 a barrel in the international market, so that the major oil producers of the world including Chinese oil companies will actually lead to a 1.8 million b/d production cut during 2017. The major oil companies taken this action for balanced off by a stronger dollar. Increased production from Libya, Nigeria, Iran and US oil companies has declined oil prices in the international market (Whipple, 2017). China has faced this oil peak situation through cut its domestic production, but its decline economy growth is showing few signs of rebounding and for a long period it could be slower than usual growth (Li, 2014). The recent climate issues and smog that closed down much of Northeastern Chinas industrial production has also declined the economic growth of nation. In addition to this, in January 2017, 20 major cities of China like Beijing were taken over with some of the worst smog record and extremely hazardous air conditions. In some Chinese cities, 2.5-micron particles hit 1000 per cubic meter that yet deadly as 20 times greater than the safe level for humans to breath. All schools and thousands of factories has to be closed in the major Chinese cities as around 1200 factories were closed in the Beijing area alone (Whipple, 2017). This climate issues obviously did not help Chinas economic growth this quarter. Many Asian countries that supply Beijing or other Chinese cities with its raw materials and partially finished products were affected by the closed of thousands of factories in these cities that indicate Chinese economy will be slow in the year 2017. Moreover, Chinas foreign trading partners also focused on the future of their markets due to high probability of the Chinas environmental situation could continue to get worse. The large p opulation, huge numbers of vehicles, and huge industrialization generate harmful gasses and carbon emissions that could continue to get worse environment situation of China (Dong, Pi, Ma and Dong, 2017). China is major producer of carbon dioxide emissions in world with the share of 28.21% of worldwide CO2 emissions in 2016. The global or international pressure on China to clean up its air and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, so that Chinas parliament approved a new law and launch an Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) law that will go into effect in 2018. The Chinese government is imposing taxes on polluters for the first time that created issues for China to maintain its economic viability. The Chinese government is focusing on the reduction of the use of fossil fuels through use of renewable sources to generate energy in order to maintain its economic viability (Gilmer, 2016). China is also trying to get many foreign sources of oil in its hands, so it may invest in the oil fields of other countries to enhance oil production. The China has deals with foreign sources of crude oil from Brazil, Kurdistan, and Curacao and reduced its oil production by about 300,000 b/d in the last year and al so has enhanced its oil imports. Moreover, China is making alliance with the OPEC/Russia to manage its production and response to the slowdown of economy growth in an effective manner (Pennock, Poland and Hancock, 2016). On the other hand, in 2016, Russia overtook the Saudi Arabia as the biggest source of imported oil. As oil prices in international market are now back in the mid-$50s, so that the Chinese are less interested to utilize their reserves as much as they have utilized in the past three years. China is looking for enhancing dependence on foreign oil that has made it more aggressive to focus on foreign sources. For example, the Export-Import Bank of China has approved loan of Angola approx $600 million in this year January month for the construction and utilization of a deep-sea terminal (Whipple, 2017). China spent around $225 billion on acquiring overseas properties of increasing oil production. The major three Chinese oil companies (i.e. CNPC, CNOOC, and Sinopec) also take the low-risk path as focused on aging oil fields rather than looking to new ones fields of enhancing production. Conclusion On the premise of above discussion, it can be concluded that the domestic production of China has increased in the last decade that has enhanced national oil imports. The high industrialized growth required the crude oil for production that is main reason of the Chinas share of 12.90% in the global oil consumption in 2016. China is highly depended on oil imports for economic growth of the nation. In the last year, China was the worlds biggest oil importer. The climate or environment issues faced by China and the peak oil in this January have encouraged the Chinese government to change their policies for the economy expansion of the nation. The use of renewable energy source and alliance with the other nations has used by China to increase oil production for the economy growth of the nation. References Alon, I., Leung, G. C. K. and Simpson, T. J. (2015). Outward foreign direct investment by Chinese national oil companies. Journal of East-West Business, 21(4), pp. 292-312. BP.com. (2016). The BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2016. [Online]. Available At: https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/energy-economics/statistical-review-2016/bp-statistical-review-of-world-energy-2016-full-report.pdf [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Coyne, D. (2016). Has China reached Peak Oil? [Online]. Available At: https://peakoilbarrel.com/has-china-reached-peak-oil/ [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Dong, X., Pi, G., Ma, Z. and Dong, C. (2017). The reform of the natural gas industry in the PR of China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 73, pp. 582-593. Gilmer, A. (2016). How Chinas Transition Will Increase Oil Demand. [Online]. Available At: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/How-Chinas-Transition-Will-Increase-Oil-Demand.html [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Green, F. and Stern, N. (2016). Managing Economic Change and Mitigating Climate Change: Chinas strategies, policies and trends. China's New Sources of Economic Growth: Vol. 1: Reform, Resources and Climate Change, 419. Kim, I. (2016). Refining the prize: Chinese oil refineries and its energy security. The Pacific Review, 29(3), pp. 361-386. Kong, Z. Y., Dong, X. C., Shao, Q., Wan, X., Tang, D. L. and Liu, G. X. (2016). The potential of domestic production and imports of oil and gas in China: an energy return on investment perspective. Petroleum Science, 13(4), pp. 788-804. Li, M. (2014). Peak Oil, Climate Change, and the Limits to Chinas Economic Growth. USA: Routledge. Peng, S. (2017). Chinas Long Road to the High-Efficiency, Clean and Low-Carbon Energy Transition. In Energy Engineering (pp. 51-57). Springer Singapore. Pennock, M., Poland, B. and Hancock, T. (2016). Resource Depletion, Peak Oil, and Public Health: Planning for a Slow Growth Future. Geographies of Health and Development, 177. SBS News. (2016). Which countries have introduced a carbon tax or emissions trading scheme? Check our quick guide. [Online]. Available At: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/12/08/factbox-carbon-taxes-and-emission-trading-schemes-around-world [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Van Den Beukel, J. (2016). Chinese national oil companies: giants built on shaky foundations. [Online]. Available At: https://energypost.eu/chinese-national-oil-companies-giants-built-shaky-foundations/ [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Wang, L. (2016). Chinas crude oil and natural gas industry. [Online]. Available At: https://www.theoilandgasconference.com/downloads_TOGC_2016/China-Oil-and-Gas-Lei-Wang-PhD.pdf [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Wang, Y., Xiang, E., Ruan, W. and Hu, W. (2017). International oil price uncertainty and corporate investment: Evidence from China's emerging and transition economy. Energy Economics, 61, pp. 330-339. Whipple, T. (2017). Peak Oil Review 26 Dec 2016. [Online]. Available At: https://peak-oil.org/peak-oil-review-26-dec-2016/ [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Whipple, T. (2017). Peak Oil Review Jan 3 2016. [Online]. Available At: https://www.resilience.org/stories/2017-01-03/peak-oil-review-jan-3-2016/ [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Whipple, T. (2017). Peak Oil Review Jan 30 2017. [Online]. Available At: https://www.resilience.org/stories/2017-01-30/peak-oil-review-jan-30-2017/ [Accessed On: 17th March 2017]. Zhang, J. and Xie, M. (2016). China's oil product pricing mechanism: What role does it play in China's macroeconomy?. China Economic Review, 38, pp. 209-221. Zhong, J. (2016) Red Gold: The Legal Framework Governing Foreign Investments in China's Oil Industry. Hous. J. Int'l L., 38, p. 653.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Economic and Labour Relations Method †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Economic and Labour Relations Method. Answer: Introduction: According to the partnership act 1891 (SA), a partnership may be formed expressly or impliedly. What was the intention of the parties? Did they share profits and losses? Have both parties had a voice in management? Is there continuity in trading activities? In the case study Peking Duck Restaurant, the owner Alan and lender Bing, have failed to communicate effectively and correctly to clearly outline the terms, nature and authority of their deal. Although a deal has been struck, the contract is extremely vague, creating issues regarding ownership. The contract states that the lender, Bing, will receive a 40% share of profits and losses. This means there was a relationship formed with a view for profit. This, as well as, already having a private friendship shows a level of fiduciary. The contract also states that the lender has the right to any major decisions regarding the business. When Alan and Bing both agree that the way to improve trade is to refurnish the restaurant, they are effectively showing they are making joint decisions, to enhance profits and increase sales. According to the partnership act 1891, this means Bing has a voice in management, a key indicator to a partnership. When Alan and Bing decide to purchase furniture with the money Bing has provided, they now have common ownership of property according to the partnership act 1891. A partnership indicator is a continuity and repetition of trade. With Bing spending considerable time at the restaurant, suppliers have come to know him as a partner. This means according to the partnership act they have been dealing with him continuously and repetitively. The sharing of profits and losses, having a voice in management repetition of trading activities, common ownership and having a common view to profit are all direct legal indicators that Alan and Bing are in a legally binding partnership. The conduct carried out between these parties, in both case studies, clearly show a partnership has been formed. With Bing spending considerable time at the restaurant and their agreement on refurnishing the restaurant, their conduct towards each other is civil and professional. A partnership indicator. Their failures here are not drawing up a clear contract, stating terms, authority, duties and obligations and dispute resolutions. Agreeing to partnership means that each partner can be actively acting on behalf of the other partner as well as their own. Bing purchasing the leather chairs is a case of working on behalf of Alan while he is away on holiday. Alan has shown a level of fiduciary towards Bing when he agreed to go into partnership together. As the chairs are produced for the beneficiary of the restaurant that they co-own, using business funds is appropriate and acceptable. While Alan is away, Bing can act as an agent on Alans behalf and has implied authority. This means Bing can buy and sell on behalf of the partnership. This allows Bing to purchase the chairs without having to consult Alan beforehand. A partnership allows all partners to have apparent authority to act on behalf of the others. This means that partners will be liable for the actions of another partner relating to the partnership business- including debts occurred. Bing has used his apparent authority to purchase the chairs as he has purchased them for restaurant. He has not personally profited from his position, nor is it a conflict of interest. Bing does have an obligation to notify Alan of any activities that affect the business which he has failed to do so until Alan returned from holiday. While there has been a communication break down while Alan has been on holiday, Bings use of implied authority and apparent authority allows him to act as an agent on Alans behalf and therefore Peking Duck Restaurant is liable for the expense of the chairs. What is the legal determination of what constitutes an employee? An employee is defined as a person who is hired by an employer to perform a service. Although Sarah is a uni student and only works when she is available (casual) and she is hired to complete a service for Peking Duck Restaurant. Sarah has been receiving a wage of 150$ a day. If this is paid directly to Sarah without her having to invoice Peking Duck Restaurant seeking debts owed for services, then this is a clear legal indication that she is an employee, not a contractor. When an employee, or a contractor, is conducting services in a workplace, it is the workplaces responsibility to provide a safe place of work. This would involve placing controls into the work area to protect employees from harm and risk. Controls such as documentation, stating safe work practices, hazard analysis and permits should be in place to assist employees in understanding what safety measures and work practises are required. The injury Sarah received during work hours and while being an employee, entitles her to workers compensation. Workers compensation legislation states that compensation and rehabilitation will be provided to an employee who has suffered a work-related injury. Sarahs broken arm was suffered at work, whilst working and in work hours. As an employee, who receives wages from Peking Duck Restaurant, she should receive compensation and rehabilitation. Peking Duck Restaurant must have workers compensation insurance that covers their employees, according to the workers compensation and rehabilitation act 1986. The restaurant was negligent in providing a safe work place by not cleaning up the spill or putting up signage regarding the wet floor to notify people of the hazard. Therefore, the restaurant will be required to pay for Sarahs loss of wages and medical bills until she is fit to return to work. Tully is a Peking Duck Restaurant employee on a regular employment contract. As an employee of the restaurant, Tully has a legal obligation to faithfully and obediently carry out tasks assigned to them. She must not disclose the employers trade secrets and other information. Tully sharing the restaurants special recipes is a clear breach of her contract and against the law. She must not help her employers competitors nor take advantage of information for personal benefit. Considering there is evidence to show there has been a decline in customers since this has happened, then Peking Duck Restaurant have every right to terminate her contract. This is on the grounds of a breach of confidence. They may terminate her contract, without notice, due to this breach of contract. Peking Ducks special recipe is a trade secret and requires the strictest confidence to be kept. The restaurants evidence of disloyalty, must be clear and concise about the specific special recipe and not general and v ague. There must be evidence that the special recipe is now being used by its competitors for their advantage and clear evidence that that recipe was provided by Tully from Peking Duck. If this is in direct correlation with a change in customer number then Peking Duck Restaurant can terminate Tullys employment immediately and sue her for loss of income and damages. Tully will then be required to pay these damages to Peking Duck to the amount of the losses acquired during that period. She may also receive a fine. References https://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1332context=blr A Submission To The Australian Parliament Trojan Horse Clauses: Investor-State Dispute Settlement Dr Matthew Rimmer Australian Research Council Future Fellow Associate Professor The Australian National University College Of Law The Australian National University College of Law, Canberra, ACT, 0200 https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/forms-and-resources/case-studies Kiel, G, Kolsen, HT Smith, C . (2000). Investigating the Economic Cost of Injury in the Workplace: A Case Study Approach. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 11 (1), 108-135.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Joseph Conrad Essays - Joseph Conrad, Congo Free State,

Joseph Conrad In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, there is a great interpretation of the feelings of the characters and uncertainties of the Congo. Although Africa, nor the Congo are ever really referred to, the Thames river is mentioned as support. This intricate story reveals much symbolism due to Conrad's theme based on the lies and good and evil, which interact together in every man. Today, of course, the situation has changed. Most literate people know that by probing into the heart of the jungle Conrad was trying to convey an impression about the heart of man, and his tale is universally read as one of the first symbolic masterpieces of English prose (Graver,28). In any event, this story recognizes primarily on Marlow, its narrator, not about Kurtz or the brutality of Belgian officials. Conrad wrote a brief statement of how he felt the reader should interpret this work: "My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel-it is above all, to make you see.(Conrad 1897) Knowing that Conrad was a novelist who lived in his work, writing about the experiences were as if he were writing about himself. "Every novel contains an element of autobiography-and this can hardly be denied, since the creator can only explain himself in his creations."(Kimbrough,158) The story is written as seen through Marlow's eyes. Marlow is a follower of the sea. His voyage up the Congo is his first experience in freshwater navigation. He is used as a tool, so to speak, in order for Conrad to enter the story and tell it out of his own philosophical mind. He longs to see Kurtz, in the hope's of appreciating all that Kurtz finds endearing in the African jungle. Marlow does not get the opportunity to see Kurtz until he is so disease-stricken he looks more like death than a person. There are no good looks or health. In the story Marlow remarks that Kurtz resembles "an animated image of death carved out of old ivory." Like Marlow, Kurtz is seen as an honorable man to many admirers; but he is also a thief, murderer, raider, persecutor, and above all he allows himself to be worshipped as a god. Both men had good intentions to seek, yet Kurtz seemed a "universally genius" lacking basic integrity or a sense of responsibility (Roberts,43). In the end they form one symbolic unity. Marlow and Kurtz are the light and dark selves of a single person. Meaning each one is what the other might have been. Every person Marlow meets on his venture contributes something to the plot as well as the overall symbolism of the story. Kurtz is the violent devil Marlow describes at the story's beginning. It was his ability to control men through fear and adoration that led Marlow to signify this. Throughout the story Conrad builds an unhealthy darkness that never allows the reader to forget the focus of the story. At every turn he sees evil lurking within the land. Every image reflects a dreary, blank one. The deadly Congo snakes to link itself with the sea and all other rivers of darkness and light, with the tributaries and source of man's being on earth (Dean,189). The setting of these adventurous and moral quests is the great jungle, in which most of the story takes place. As a symbol the forest encloses all, and in the heart of the African journey Marlow enters the dark cavern of his won heart. It even becomes an image of a vast catacomb of evil, in which Kurtz dies, but from which Marlow emerges spiritually reborn. The manager, in charge of three stations in the jungle, feels Kurtz poses a threat to his own position. Marlow sees how the manager is deliberately trying to delay any help or supplies to Kurtz. He hopes he will die of neglect. This is where the inciting moment of the story lies. Should the company in Belgium find out the truth a bout Kurtz's success in an ivory procurer, they would undoubtedly elevate him to the position of manager. The manager's insidious and pretending nature opposes all truth (Roberts,42). This story

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Wharton School Application

Wharton School Application center where I will do my best to provide a great involvement and get a lot of new experience. I am very hard working student who never gives up in any situation. I am ready to meet tight deadlines and always do my work with the special attention. These features of character always help me to be responsible in studying. As far as I am an international student, I will reflect a different culture in the school by making different meetings and parties. Alumnus of Wharton school are very valued among employers of world famous companies as this school represented itself as a top ranked educational institution. Getting education in this school will give me the opportunity to become a professional in my field of science. Those are the reasons why I would appreciate to become a student of the Wharton school.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Dimming the sun is not alarmist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dimming the sun is not alarmist - Essay Example The decline in the solar energy produces catastrophic affects like decrease in the evaporation that affect the formation of clouds and effecting the rain cycles of a region. However, in this research, I will discuss although the affects of the phenomenon named as the â€Å"global dimming† are catastrophic but the phenomenon is helping in maintaining the global temperatures of the world. Like the increase in the global warming verses increases in the global dimming. Scientific Data and Reasons The documentary regarding the global dimming seems to be not such that alarming as the effects of the global dimming are not as disastrous as other phenomenon like the global warming. The cause that made the issue of global dimming is the diffusion of the carbon, sulphur and nitrogenous particles to the region of lower concentration that is environment from the region of higher concentration, like the chemical and other factories, vehicles, and power generation systems. The aerosol partic les are much lighter in weight and remain suspended in the air. These aerosol particles block the solar radiation by acting as mirrors, reflecting the solar radiation back to the outer space. ... The particles in combination with the water particles act as a mirrors, reflecting the solar radiations back to the space (Ackerman et al., 1993). Before the discovery of the global dimming phenomenon, global warming was the major issue that impacted the average temperature of the world. An increase of about 0.6 to 0.8 degrees on the Celsius scale was recorded during the past decade. However, global dimming attracted many scientists all over the world. If the actions are taken to minimize the global dimming, then the amount of solar radiation received by the sun increases and thus the green house effect increases due to the increase in the atmospheric carbon-dioxide. That consequently increases the temperature of the world to a remarkable level. Scientific Data Collection and Reduction in Solar radiations Global Energy Balance Archive (GEBA) is the most reliable sources, which is maintained by the World Radiation Data Center (Gilgen et al., 1998) that can be utilized to observe the r adiation level all over the world. According to the observations by the GEBA, the regions with more industrial zones and more number of vehicles and with excessive population are the major contributors in increasing the global dimming as well as global warming as compared to the low populated countries. According to the observations, an average decline of about 4% in the solar radiations is noted in the past three decades to 1990s all around the world. However, after 1990s a major reduction in the solar radiations is noted industrial revolution, increase in the need for power and increase in the number of vehicles all around the world (Liepert 2002). There is more reduction in the solar

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

New Urban Infrastructure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

New Urban Infrastructure - Essay Example It was industry which caused massive migrations into inner city centers (urbanization), secondary to developing industries and the wealth of new jobs they created. These busy urban centers, prolific in mass production, became economic hubs through which business dealings with other business centers, such as those located abroad, would occur. This phenomenon engenders globalization, not only of material capital, but of human capital as well. The benefits of the industrial age are ubiquitous. The plethora of available consumer goods, efficiencies in transportation, and advances in all types of communication, give evidence to the dynamic impacts that industrialization has had throughout the world. Improvements in production leading to an increase in the availability of jobs provides elevations in per capita income, this in turn elevates the overall standards of living and quality of life for certain individuals. A side effect was urbanization. The positive effects of the situation, can and have, started to take a turn for the worse for some people, not in a pandemic fashion, but in a sporadic way throughout many large cities. The degrees of severity may be more endemic to certain areas, or affect certain peoples based on the demographics, as it pertains to geography. The downsides to urbanizations sequela include overcrowding, environmental degradation, and crime. Economic disruption, unemployment, and homelessness are played out on the streets of every urban center throughout the globe. Adaptations to the many problems provided by industrialization, urbanization, and globalization, occur via social ecology. Social, economic, and moral inequities do not balance themselves, such as molecules across a semi-permeable membrane. What it boils down to, at times, is survival of the fittest. Not of the genetically fit, but of the financially fit. These precepts are based on the "Chicago" school of thought. Unlike the, usual, distribution of resources, as seen in nature, social ecology molds the social environment via unnatural social forces. These unseen forces shape-shift the way social milieus are geographically formed and situated. An example, as pointed out in the text, is that of the formation of ghettos. Formation of ghettos does not happen by a conscious social choice, of the inhabitants therein, but by external social forces dictated by the majority social-rule of a given urban industrial area. Globalization seems to be the social forces of industrialization and urbanization on a larger scale, throughout the globe, if you will. Increasing social interactivity between and global cities and people's, spawn new social worlds within the context of the industrial/ urban/global environment. This helps to create social constructs secondary to the blending of cultural ideologies and behaviors. People are able to adopt new philosophies about life and its social interactions, as opposed to being pigeonholed into a particular moral and social philosophy. The terms and conditions of industrialization, urbanization, and globalization may be dictated by the world's leaders, but the subtle social dynamics that occur within the context of this social paradigm will be dictated by the interactions of men and women across to all geographical, tangible and intangible, borders. Urban Policy looks at ways of regenerating

Monday, November 18, 2019

(Marketing Report)write a marketing report in the role of the Essay

(Marketing Report)write a marketing report in the role of the consultant to the Board of The Birmingham Library - Essay Example It is a 360 degree approach in marketing which enables the marketer raise brand awareness and subsequently brand experience though various touch points. However, electronic marketing can only be successful if it is accompanies with strategies influencing the customer perception from different touch points also, such as print media, advertising, television, outdoor media, etc. In the present report, a situational analysis has been done. E- Marketing has been taken as a strategy for branding and promotions of the newly established library in Birmingham. The target customers fall in the age group of 18-25 years. Since this generation is mostly customer savvy and addicted to internet and other social media activities, using electronic marketing to target these customers will be of sustainable advantage. SOSTAC format have been applied for the development of situation, objectives and strategies. From the specified strategies, tactics, applications and action plans have been recommended. A proper control analysis has been done to identify the future issues and recommended future strategies to control them. Introduction The Library of Birmingham is the new library that has recently completed its construction. Upon completion, this will replace the Birmingham Central Library, based in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The Library of Birmingham is the new extension of the Central Library having modern technology and state of art infrastructure. The new library is a 188 million pounds project. The central library was completed in the year 1983 and was opened for public in the year 1984. Central library is considered as one of the most popular and visited libraries of the country. With the opening of the new library, many new services will be launched. Since it is completely new establishment, most of the products and features of the library will be ungraded and advanced. E-Marketing A description of electronic marketing will be use for digital technologies and electronic devic es in order to sell and promote products and services. According to authors like Xing et al (2004) and McQuitty and Peterrson (2000), the percentage of people accessing the internet and involving in online data gathering about products and services has grown over the years. Business has grown all over the world with the advent of electronic marketing (Joines, Scherer and Scheufele, 2003) and it will create huge marketing opportunity for the organisations (Pollack, 1999; Hoffman, 2000). Electronic marketing can also be defined as an online channel through with customers and marketers enter into a transaction phase for sale and purchase, which benefits both parties. According to Meuter et al, (2000) internet marketing can be explained as a virtual platform where services and products existing as digital information can be exchanged with the help of channels which are informative. In this type of media, people and groups create, share and exchange ideas and information through online c ommunities and networks (Mangold and Faulds, 2009). Electronic media is different from traditional media in many ways such as reach, quality, frequency,

Friday, November 15, 2019

Challenges For British Trade Unions Commerce Essay

Challenges For British Trade Unions Commerce Essay What will be the key challenges for British Trade unions in the next decade? Using materials from across the course identify these challenges and make your predictions about the size, nature and influence of unions throughout the forthcoming decade. INTRODUCTION Industrial Relations in Britain have been at the centre of attention and analysis for many years. There has been a concern on its substance and its future. Its development is associated with the rise and growth of trade unionism. Since the 18th century, it has been a system that relies on voluntary arrangements for negotiation and consultations. Today, industrial relations in the UK has suffered harsh strains and pressure. This is largely attributed to factors such as the change in employment pattern, the growth in scale of industrial organisations amongst others. Also, stories of strikes, wage demands and industrial disturbance constantly hit the news. However, Industrial relations today is very much different from what it used to be. So many things are happening; from the recent recession, to the decline of union membership and the economic changes taking place. Hence, for the purpose of this essay, I shall be examining the trade unions and the possible future challenges they might encounter. Furthermore, it is important to note that one cannot look into the future of trade unions without going on a journey to the history of how they emerged, the present state of these trade unions and then predict what their future might turn out to be. History of British Trade unions The Early years up to 1979 British Trade unions had their origin in the mediaeval craft society which was established to control access to crafts, ensure that craftsmen were not engulfed by numbers and also monitor the degree of price control. In a nut shell, they controlled the market. The society set down rates and gave its members benefits particularly in cases of sickness, accidents and retirements. By the 18th century, when the markets began to expand, there was the need for more people to be employed. This brought about the emergence of craftsman organisation whose aim was to provide joint aid, support and assist a number of people that were facing difficult times. During this period, a number of strikes took place in localities with regards to increase in pay and reductions in working hours and this put so much pressure on employers to ban what was referred to as combinations. Pieces of legislations aimed at banning combinations within 1720 and 1799 led to the emergence of two important combination acts in 1799 and 1990 that prohibited combinations and strikes in Britain. However just before the end of the 18th century, the craftsman societies had developed into trade unions. This period observed growth in the factory system, speedy social change and social disorder. The combination act still didnt do much and was revoked in 1824. By 1825, a new measure emerged which confined combination only to specific actions over hours and wages and new offences were introduced such as molestation and intimidation of workers. Furthermore, an attempt to set up a Grand National Consolidated Trades union in 1834 to bring all union together was never supported. Prior to 1850, unions were just local events (except miners), but by the middle of the century, a number of union mergers began to spring forth and this was as a result of the growth of railway which ensured easy communication. The first was the Amalgamated Society of Engineers (ASE) established in 1850. It was a friendly society that catered for unemployment, sickness, etc. Then, there was the emergence of the Trade union act in 1871 directed towards protecting the union funds. Other mergers following the footstep of ASE included wood work and tailoring. It is essential to note that jobs in this period were restricted to men even though women had begun to gain entrance into the labour market. With the development of national unions came trade councils from 1858 in main cities and towns. The first meeting of what was to be called a trade union was organised in Manchester in 1868 and thereafter in Birmingham in 1869. By 1870, TUC had a general secretary and in 1895, the representation at TUC was restricted only to unions thereby excluding trade councils to avoid dual representation. This period also characterized endless industrial disputes which were due to the change in work practice and the technologies. In addition, the strikes during this period were concerns relating to how work should be done and the kind of people employed to do particular tasks. The Late 1880s saw the emergence of what was called a new unionism. This was the beginning of large scale organisation of unskilled workers, all fighting for better wages through hard fought strikes at the national level. An example was the popular London dock strikes in1889 and the seamens strike also in the same year. The period between 1896 to1914 witnessed very high costs of living and falling wages and as a result led to strengthening of the newly emerged labour party which allowed for more people to join the trade union. The First World War during this period had tremendous effects on industrial relations. By 1919, unions became militant and required long term benefits in negotiation almost immediately after the war when labour was scarce. There were several amalgamations of unions like the Transport and General workers union and the union for Building and Trade workers. Subsequently, small local unions that could not compete soon faded out. By the end of the 1920s, there was a rise in unemployment and trade unions decided to protect jobs rather than increase wages (Tyson, 2006). There was also the emergence of the triple alliance between the transport workers, railway workers and miners which was to reinforce mutual support in times of difficulty and confrontation. The Second World War brought about co-operation between unions and government. Between 1939 and 1951 there was shift in growth of manual labour workers. Also during the wars (first and second world wars), institutions of negotiation were established to prevent strikes, although a number of strikes still occurred. Trade union membership grew mostly in the white collar jobs in the late 1950s and 1960s. However their density did not increase until the 1970s. The change in occupational structures brought about more white collar jobs and allowed more women to join unions. Trade unions from 1979-2000 During this period, there was a dramatic decline in trade union membership in the UK. Four notable features were responsible for this decline which the British trade union had little control of. They were the changes in employment, the growth of individualism, managements human resource strategies and a very hostile government (Stirling, 2005). The changes in employment led to closures of factories and a huge number of redundancies in manufacturing sector, expansion of private sectors and growth of part time jobs. Also in many cases, the HR strategies were often devised to circumvent union organisation. Furthermore, the hostile government inherent in both employment legislation and the process of privatisation was also responsible for the decline. Lastly, individualism was inherent in workplace, where rewards and benefits were tied to individual appraisal and performance related pay rather than on collective agreements. It is worthy to note that trade unions were able to respond to these changes in various ways. The first was their move towards organisational restructuring by adopting new systems of internal management (Brewster Allen, 1998). They also adopted the new realism which was effectively a give in to employers strategies. They countered derecognition by focusing on single union agreements and high profile no strike agreements (Bassett, 1986). In addition, trade unions were committed to recruiting new members as they also wanted to be more organisational friendly, include part-time workers, women and those from minority ethnic groups. Lastly there was the development of a consumer trade unionism where members were seen as consumers and offered individual services and benefits (Bassett Cave, 1993). By the mid 1990s, the TUC and unions decided to change their approach when they realised that relying on political change, waiting for economic improvement , spending so much on consumer service and the struggle for members were results that didnt work. The year 1997 saw several changes with labour returning to government. This brought about the employment relation Act of 1999 which helped unions claim recognition. Also in recent years there have been several changes such as National Minimum Wage, rights to maternity leave and rights of part time workers. KEY FACTS TO NOTE In 2007, TUC had 66 allied unions compared to 109 in 1979 There was a decline of TUC membership at around six and a half million since the mid-nineties. Emphasis on Trade union has changed. There has been rapid growth of legal advice and representation of members at tribunals The importance of training has also been emphasised with government funding a scheme where workplace learning representatives have been developed. Lastly over the years, unions have come to embrace the agenda on equality and diversity. Having looked at the history of the British trade union, lets take a look at where they are presently. Present State of British Trade Unions There are quite a number of trade unions in Britain today. These unions look after the welfare of their members. They also help their members deal with issues of pay, job cuts and pensions in the workplace. Thus, they represent their members in pay negotiations, grievance procedures and also protect their members against clients and the state (Bryson, 2007). Little wonder when employees are asked the question as to why they join unions, they give answers like they join unions for protection, political belief, solidarity, traditions, pay conditions and so on. Recently there has been quite a number of strikes in Britain, all centred on pay cuts, work-life balance, redundancies amongst others. For example, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in 2009 engaged in a bitter dispute with the Royal mail over pay, job losses and modernisation which led to a series of nationwide postal strike. Also bus drivers and bin men decided to stage 24 hours walkout in some parts of the country in 2009. In addition, unions intended to ballot staff at British Airways and Network Rail. However by January 2010, Unite and British Airways embarked on fresh talks. Furthermore, workers at the Fijitsu electronic company started their first of six nationwide strikes on dispute over pay, pension and jobs in December. Trade unions today are in crisis. They do not only face internal difficulties but also have to cope with external, economic and political change. One central problem they might face is that they may be too weak to make a difference. But with the current recession and globalisation, we just cannot tell what they can do. However, a surprising reality is that the rate of union membership (union density) of employees is swiftly declining. In 1979, 13.3million people were members of trade unions and the proportion of employees who were union members stood at 55%. By 2003, union membership as estimated by the labour survey had dropped to 7.42million with the proportion of members at 29.1% and in 2005 to 29%. By the end of 2006, the rate of union membership fell to 28.4%. This subsequently declined to 28% in 2007. As at 2008, the union membership cut down by 27.4%. Furthermore, the density in private sector fell by 0.6% to 15.5% while public sector fell 1.9% to 57.1%, both in 2008. (SOURCE: Labour Force survey, Office for national statistics, department of employment (1892-1974); certification office (1974-2006). Against this background, it is imperative to understand the reason for the decline in union membership and the challenges unions encounter. Current Challenges for British Trade Unions British trade unions have gotten to a point where they need to sit and rethink their strategies. These unions are faced with various challenges ranging from political, economic, to financial that if not resolved soon might pose a major challenge for them in the future. A lot of scholars have tried to identify the challenges that British trade unions face. According to Mcllroy (2008), British trade unions today are faced with challenging conditions such as globalisation, neo-liberal politics, recession and a host of other issues. To Frege Kelly (2003), trade unions are facing challenging conditions in representing their members, they face crisis of membership density, the wearing out of structures of interest representation and declining mobilisation capacity. They stated that a reason for the decline in density has been as a result of the changing structure of employment, the decline of employment in traditional manufacturing industries and the increased employment in service industries They identify several factors that have and would continue to pose a challenge to unions. I find these factors really interesting and they include: Economic and social change (the trends in labour market) The Institutional environment (for example the structure of collective bargaining, legal and arbitration procedures and political system) the state and the employers strategies The structure of the union itself such as union leadership, relationships, networks and organisation of movements. As it has been noted already, Britain currently faces economic crisis which is attributed to the recent recession. In these difficult economic times, when there is a high level of unemployment and drastic cuts in wages and benefits, unions would find it almost impossible to please their members. Borrowing the words of Koelble, (1988) it is worthy to note that the more brutal these economic crisis are the more problems union leaders have to face. Today, unions also face the risk of extinction if they do not progress. A major challenge unions have is in their structure and policies. They need to balance relationship between their members and the employers by showing that they can get through to workers without sidelining employers and deliver to employers while also looking out for the interest of their workers. In some of the articles I read, research carried out shows that so many workers are of the belief that unions need to work more with employers so as to increase productivity which is as important as any action taken on pay, impartiality and fairness. Also, unions like every other voluntary organisation have to provide incentives whether positive or negative so as to attract prospective members. Having attracted membership, they are then faced with the problem of maintaining these members so as to ensure the union survival. Significantly, economic growth has been seen as a requirement for the provision of positive incentives by unions; therefore, in periods of economic growth, it is easy for trade unions to squeeze out some compromise from employers and the state. On the other hand, when there is a decline or stagnation in economic growth, it reduces the ability of unions to provide more benefits (Koelbe, 1988). It might be wrong for me to say that unions are not recognised in some organisations. However, according to Guest who was cited in Storey (2007), he stated that traditional unions may only be tolerated in some business not because they are special but because they have always been in existence and also because they do not incur any unwarranted cost. Some organisations today have the tendency of abandoning collective bargaining without formally derecognising the unions. The presence of HRM in workplaces has further reduced the roles of trade unions and if some organisations could do without them, they would not hesitate. The result of all these is that unions have some members that are not covered by collective bargaining and thus face the difficult duty of convincing such members to remain in the union. They also have to convince employers that they can be trusted. What about the financial crisis these unions face and might continue to face if they lose more members? Unions are facing some financial crisis. This is not surprising though as they rely heavily on membership subscriptions as the primary source of income. Consequently, if membership density continues to drops, their income would drop as well unless they decide to increase subscription fees of members or get their revenue from other means. The question unions should ask themselves is if they can help their existing members without relying so much on voluntary activities. Also, unions organising potential is badly damaged. Trade unions are now confronted with issues such as their inability to organise new workplaces and new workers as they used to. As a result of this a number of workers have never been a member of any trade union. In addition, some relatively new organisations hardly ever recognise unions for pay bargaining. If they cant sort this out, it is definitely going to be a big challenge they would face in the coming decade. It is also important to add that in the case of tight finance; unions might not want to gamble by spending money on organising new workplaces unless they are partially sure of success. It is imperative to state that we currently live in an era of global economic and industrial restructuring. Globalisation has prompted the urge for the development of world economy. It involves several issues like deregulation of the labour market, liberalisation and privatisation, development of communication network technology, the internalisation of financial markets amongst others (Akteruzzaman, 2006). All these issues have posed a challenge to workers and their trade union. Today, unions have a feel of globalisation as there has been a lot of job loss, decline in wages etc. Workers have become one of the many victims of globalisation. Thus globalisation is seen as a threat to trade unions. Still, there is the impact of the current recession of the labour market which has increased tremendously the unemployment rate in the last 20months. Labour market report states that the unemployment rate has risen by 1.3% to reach 7.1% since the third quarter of 2008. In a recent Cipd article (January 2010), it is postulated that unemployment would hit a high rate of 2.8 million by summer 2010 with job markets only slowly recovering in the second half of 2010. As a result of this, the redundancy level has increased. In the recession, the private sector would continue the trends of having lower levels of industrial actions as this is caused by the change in staff attitudes and the increasing need to sustain competitive advantage on the global scale. However, it has been predicted that there would be more strike actions in the public sectors (CIPD, November 2009). As a result of this, unions need to fight for their members in public sectors since strikes might be inevitable. According to Amble (2005), for unions to increase in size again, they need to drop their militant and confrontational attitude and be more dependent and co-operative. He argues that some potential members may be put off by unions style of struggle, strife and strikes which has very little appeal to employees who care more about getting on rather than getting even. Lastly, unions have a problem with their strategy. What appealed to yesterdays workers might not be attractive to todays labour force. They need to set new agendas around so many issues they currently face such as low pay, work-life balance and equality. Although the future challenges of British trade union cannot really be determined by present occurrences, one can however predict what these unions are likely to face in the future. Having looked at the current challenges British trade unions face, unions need to ask themselves some questions: do they have the ability to meet the challenge of an aspirational agenda Are their thoughts channelled to what they want to do or rather how they do it? Can unions achieve the objective of servicing, partnership and organising? How flexible would their role be in meeting the demands and need of members in the next decade? Would they be able to contain different strategies for different employment relations environment? If unions cannot provide answers to these questions, then this might be some of the future challenges they would encounter. The Future of British Trade Unions A lot has been said and predictions have been made with regards to the future of trade unions. Several scholars have come up with predictions and possible solutions to the challenges unions face currently and possibly in the future. There has been the question of what unions can do to achieve membership. According to Metcalf (2005), unions are faced with two potential ways for revival. First, it is either employment in unionized sectors of the economy grows in relations to non union employment or secondly, unions must employ more rigorous means of organising activity with the aim of enhancing their appeal to both employers and potential members. He further goes on to states that unions should invest more in organising and servicing so as to produce significant returns. Furthermore, even if unions are able to put a stop to the decline in membership, there might be a problem with achieving steady growth. Unions need to break more into the contemporary service sector economy. Although there have been a lot of jobs in the public sector, the actual employment growth might come from organisations where trade unions have not been so successful at organising. Thus trade unions might be faced with the challenge of changing themselves even further to remain relevant to certain groups. There is also the need for trade unions to develop better political relationship with the government and other parties. They must learn to abandon the pattern of making unrealistic demands and realise that not all their demands can be met since the government must also govern in the interest of the country in general. In addition, Partnership needs to be encouraged. Unions need to adopt a better process of engagement. They should learn to appeal to employers making them see that effective co-operation helps a great deal in the improvement of performance in organisations. Also, the financial state of unions could have a lasting effect. Unions need to re-evaluate and ask themselves if they can provide for their members without depending on voluntary endeavours. Many scholars are of the belief that unions will be successful only if they align themselves with the new realities of the labour market and can also plead to both the top and bottom of the economy. Unions need to broaden their horizon by aiming at new or previously neglected class of workers into membership and extend organisation and representation towards the low waged employees (Lucas, 2009; Oxenbridge, 1997; Heery, 2002). Several strategies have been identified by scholar as ways of generating renewal for trade unions such as servicing, organising and partnership approach (Heery, 2002). However, some scholars argue that all these strategies can be used together and are well matched. A very brilliant way to address the problems of trade union in Britain is giving by Frege Kelly (2003) who came up with six strategies: organising (gaining of membership) partnership (working together with employers, employees and trade unions would bring about motivated trust and benefits) organisational reforms (such as mergers and internal reorganisation) political action (Lobbying with a focus on legislation and labour market regulations policies) coalition building with other social movements Lastly, possess strong international links to exchange and share information. In my opinion if these strategies are put in place; trade unions would survive extinction and disappearance and remain relevant in the future. CONCLUSION There is so much uncertainty as to what the future of British trade unions would be. These trade unions have come a long way, through thick and thin and their ability to survive the test of time depends on the strategy they employ. One fact is clear though that although there has been a modest amount of industrial disputes in recent times, Britain is not likely to face a repeat of the wide spread strikes that was present in 1979. In conclusion therefore, unions should not be relegated to the background. Employers need to communicate with their employees, the government would need views from workplace and above all, the employees need a collective voice which makes the unions very important.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Huckleberry Finn Book Report :: essays research papers

THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN AUTHOR’S SKETCH Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. When Samuel Clemens was four years old, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, where he spent his childhood. Clemens first approach to literature was through typesetting for a newspaper in 1851. At the time Orion, his brother, was a newspaper publisher in Hannibal. From 1857 until 1861, he served as the pilot of a riverboat on the Mississippi River. He later used this experience in creating his novels. His first writings appeared in a newspaper on February 2, 1863 under the pen name “Mark Twain.'; Clemens fell in love with Olivia Langdon and married her in 1870 after a long courtship. The Clemens’ family lived in Hartford, Connecticut from 1871 until 1891, the period of his best writing. In 1872, he published his first book, Roughing It. He published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, considered his masterpiece of writing, was published in 1885. He received many honors and a great deal of recognition for his writings. Clemens died of Angina on April 21, 1910. MAIN CHARACTERS Huck Finn - the central character of the novel and the son of the town drunk. Jim - Miss Watson’s runaway slave whom Huck helps to gain his freedom. Pap - Huck’s father who comes back to town when he learns about the reward. Tom Sawyer – Huck’s friend who is about his same age. ELEMENTS OF PLOT (1) Setting The setting of Huckleberry Finn was in mid Eighteenth Century America. The first few chapters were set in St. Petersburg, Missouri. The town was patterned after Hannibal, Missouri, where Clemens spent his childhood. It is located on the Mississippi River about 80 miles from St. Louis, Missouri. Most of the novel’s setting is on the Mississippi River south of St. Petersburg. (2) Beginning Situation Huck Finn, a boy of about 12 years, was the son of the town drunk. Widow Douglas adopted him so that she could civilize him and raise him to be a gentleman. Huck did not like going to school, attending church or dressing up. Tom Sawyer, Ben Rogers, and Joe Harper were his friends at the local school. Huck and Tom found a treasure hidden by bank robbers and were allowed to keep six thousand dollars each, for themselves, as a reward. Huck’s father heard about his son’s treasure and returned to St.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

‘Modern democracy’ develop in America Essay

The English colonies on the eastern coast of American can be divided into three groups, the North, the Middle Colonies and the South. They all have very different attitudes but they all came here to America to escape from the oppression back in Europe and to develop a new, democratic country. To establish democracy, they all have to face the same enemy, the British. Modern democracy involves the right to vote, check and balance, and an elected representative. The main reasons for development of modern democracy in America were religion, wealth, political freedom, pragmatism and secularism. Religion and political freedom are strongly related to each other because Christianity provided an essential moral foundation for liberal democratic government. The Pilgrims who reached New England in 1620 escaped from religious persecution by the English church and government and the corruptions of Holland. Soon they decided to set up their own government base on Christian ideas, particular the idea of equality. It was one of the early steps towards modern democracy in America. The Pilgrims drew up an important agreement called the Mayflower Compact. The agreement stated that the government would make â€Å"just laws and equal† with the consent of the colonists. In practice this meant that adult male Pilgrims met from time to time to elect a governor and a small group to assist him. The Puritans also hated the hierarchy system in the English church. But comparing to the Pilgrims, the Puritans were more ambitious. They thought it was destiny and God’s will that brought them to America. Religion and the idea of â€Å"city upon the hill† caused them to form a democratic government. â€Å"City upon a hill† was proposed by John Winthrop. He meant that the new colony would be an example for the rest of the world of how God meant men and women to live. The Puritans should build their city well and it would become a model which England might follow. Wealth also hindered the movement of democracy. First of all, the colonists in the south went to American hoping to find wealth and success which they found by growing tobacco and slave trade. Once they got wealth, they wanted to protect their property and to gain further profit. The only way to do  this is to have a government system where it will concern about people’s self interest. As a result, a democratic government is developed where most issues were approved or discussed by the people before it was passed. Pragmatism means human taking practical actions to problems. America is a new, strange land to the colonists. The colonists had to be very flexible to cope with the wilderness. Secularism means the exclusion of religious and supernatural beliefs. These two ideas combined to develop another characteristic of modern democracy that is religious freedom. It was first suggested by William Penn, a Quaker. They believed all men are equal no matter what race or what religion they believed in. The Quakers thought religion does not dictate political decisions, though the moral views originating in Christianity remain. Rather then concentrating on the religious aspect, they concentrate on improving their lives in this new country. The Shakers held a similar idea with the Quakers. They believed in â€Å"Hands to work, heart to God.† This developed the idea of you can believe in any religion or none at all, with little legal or social sanction, that is the freedom of religion. The main cause of the American War of Independence is how the British treated Americans after the Seven Years War. The Seven Years War (1756-1763) had the French on one side and Prussia backed by British gold on the other. The Seven Years War was mainly the result of trading rights. The British colonials (Americans) were pinned up against the Atlantic seaboard, with only the Hudson Bay Company in the north challenging the French trading. The colonists were running out of land. British found the need to expand. But doing so, they would enter the Ohio Valley, controlled by France. In the end, France was defeated. Although Britain won the war, they found themselves in an unfavourable situation. The war was longer than the British had expected and was expensive. Even worse, the colonists were moving west. In order to maintain their new land in America British must send troops to protect it, this was another huge spending. Since Britain had defended the thirteen colonies, they thought tha t the colonists should pay for the troops by various taxes. Starting from 1763, Britain tried to apply its own policy onto the American colonists. The American colonists were unpleased because the reason why there were here in America was to escape from English rule but now the British government was making decisions, disregarding the assemblies that they established earlier. A few events highlighted the colonists’ resentments and anger toward Britain. In 1764, the Revenue Act was introduced. It stated that colonists have to pay duty for molasses which is used to make rum. It was the first time that the colonists felt the unjust of British rule. The next year, British introduced another tax through Stamp Act. This Act made colonists to buy stamps for newspaper and many other essential items. They even have to buy license for playing cards and dice. The colonists became outrageous, they believed only their assemblies can tax on them, not the London Parliament which is few thousands miles away and they had not much power in it. The anger towards British rule was intense by Britain demolishing all duties in the Townshend Act apart from tea. The colonists regarded this as a bribe to make them end the boycott with British government so that the British can tax them. As a result, a first actual rebellion was broke out and it was known as the Boston Tea Party. Few colonists disguised themselves as Indians and threw cargos of tea into the harbour. This rebellion alerted the British. The British decided to make a harsher plan towards America. The Intolerable Acts were made in 1774 to gain total control over American colonists. The British block ports and only allow American assemblies to meet once a year. This is the ultimate reason for making the American wanted to go to war with Britain. The Acts caused the colonists to stop all trade with Britain and raise their own troops. Americans felt that Britain was taking their democracy away by simply ruling them in British way. Under British rule, Americans did not have the right to vote or to elect government. They did not have religion freedom and must follow the English church. They could not have their own trade. The colonists’ feelings could be expressed through the Philosophes’ arguments. As the famous philosophe, Voltaire said, â€Å"I disagree with everything you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it!†, he believed that the Church stood in the way of truth by telling people what to believe instead of allowing them to think for themselves. The American extended this  idea even further and thought that Britain was in the way of their democracy and that the welfare of the colony and the Empire were not always synonymous. The philosophes also emphasised on human rights and this related to how the American thought when a government does not consent the governed, it sho uld be change. The colonists fled from the oppression back in Europe and wanted to start a new life. Their religion, ambition and attidtues finally led them to the road to modern democracy. But Britain disregarded their rights and democracy and this is the immediate cause of the American War of Independence.

Friday, November 8, 2019

50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and Toes

50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and Toes 50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and Toes 50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and Toes By Mark Nichol Here is a list of expressions that refer to one’s legs or feet or their parts, and the meaning of each idiom. 1. One’s Achilles’ heel is one’s weakness. 2. To be bound hand and foot is to be literally or figuratively tied up. 3. To bring one to heel is to subdue someone. 4. To go somewhere by or on foot is to walk or hike there. 5. To cool one’s heels is to pause to calm down or think before doing something rash. 6. To dig in one’s heels is to be obstinate. 7. One who doesn’t have a leg to stand on is unsupported by evidence or corroboration. 8. To drag one’s feet is to delay. 9. To find one’s feet is to become accustomed or oriented. 10. To be fleet of foot is to be fast. 11. To foot the bill is to accept financial responsibility. 12. To get down on your knees means to figuratively submit or ask for forgiveness. 13.–14. To get one’s feet wet is to have a modest or mild introductory experience; to put one’s toe in the water is to do so even more hesitantly. 15.–16. To get or start off on the right foot is to make a good first impression or to act productively soon after beginning an endeavor, and to get or start off on the wrong foot is to leave a poor first impression or act counterproductively soon after beginning an endeavor. 17. To get one’s sea legs to become accustomed to the pitch and roll of a marine vessel or, by extension, to become used to a situation. 18. To have a foot in the door is to have an advantage that will enable one to obtain a desired result. 19. To have foot-in-mouth disease is to habitually make awkward or inappropriate comments. 20. To have one’s feet in both camps is to be opportunistically sympathetic to two opposing viewpoints. 21. To have feet of clay is to have a hidden flaw or weakness (an allusion to the fragility of clay). 22. To have itchy feet is to be restless. 23. To have one foot in the grave is to be in poor health or near death. 24. To have two left feet is to feel clumsy. 25. To have the world at one’s feet is to be afforded an opportunity for rewarding experiences. 26. â€Å"Head to toe† means â€Å"entirely† or â€Å"thoroughly.† 27. To keep one’s feet on the ground is to remain realistic and responsible. 28. To keep someone on one’s toes is to do or say one or more things that cause the person to remain alert or attentive. 29. â€Å"Knee-high to a grasshopper† is a colorfully exaggerated expression referring to being a small child. 30. To land on one’s feet is to recover from a setback. 31. â€Å"My foot† is an idiom for expressing skepticism. 32. One who is on his or her last legs is in a state of exhaustion or near the point of giving up. 33. To pull someone’s leg is to deceive them for humorous effect. 34. To pull the rug from under one’s feet is to be deprived of support or disoriented by a sudden action; to have the rug pulled under one’s feet is to be the victim of such an action. â€Å"Have the ground cut out from under one’s feet† has the same meaning. 35. To put one’s best foot forward is to make a good impression. 36. To put one foot in front of the other is to begin a laborious undertaking. 37. To put one’s foot in it is to do or say something that gets one into an unfortunate situation, suggestive of stepping into an unpleasant substance. 38. To put one’s foot in one’s mouth is to say something awkward or inappropriate. 39. To put one’s feet up is to relax. 40. To put one’s foot down is to be insistent. 41. To put one’s foot to the floor is to suddenly hurry or increase one’s speed. 42. To set foot somewhere is to go into that place. 43. To shoot oneself in the foot is to do or say something disadvantageous to one’s own interests. 44. To stand on one’s own two feet is to act or live independently. 45. To step, or tread, on someone’s toes is to impinge on that person’s authority or responsibility or interfere with the person’s actions. 46. â€Å"The shoe is on the other foot† means that a situation has been reversed so that one who had been responsible for another’s misfortune is now suffering the same misfortune. 47. To think on one’s feet is to solve a problem reflexively or spontaneously. 48. To toe the line is to remain within the bounds of proper behavior or conduct. 49. To wait for the other shoe to drop is to be in expectation of receiving further developments or news. 50. To wait on someone hand and foot is to serve that person continuously. 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:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryFive Spelling Rules for "Silent Final E"Charles's Pen and Jesus' Name