What are the effects of temperature on electricity demand in Essay

What are the effects of temperature on electricity demand in Sacramento, California in July and August 2008 in the daytime - Essay Example Moreover, positive linear relationships have appeared between the electric consumption and the selected variables of weather conditions. For proper planning of future investments in energy generation sector, policy makers require forecasts of electricity demand. The demand of electricity consumption in California has more than quadrupled since 1960. There are various factors, which are contributing to the increased energy consumption in California such as uncertain regulatory environment, swift population growth and economic growth. Apart from that, climatic change is another factor, which can also influence the electric consumption thereby, affecting the long term planning of electricity supply. Since climatic changes such as lower heating demand and higher cooling demand can directly influence the energy consumption in any economy therefore, this research study will evaluate its effects on energy consumption in Sacramento, California. This research will also assist the policy makers to analyze the extent to which the weather conditions can affect the energy consumption in Sacramento. Therefore, it will be very usef ul to meet the challenge of energy consumption demands in Sacramento. After conducting this research study, the answers to various questions will be achieved such as, what is the impact of weather conditions on electricity consumption? What are the affects of global warming on electricity consumption? The forecasts of electricity demand in an economy are made in consideration to the factors such as technological changes, income of consumers, population growth and prices. However, researchers have found that weather conditions variables should be also used to forecast electricity demand. A huge literature work has been done to study this relationship. In California, the population growth in the hotter interior regions of the state is causing growth in cooling demand, which

Is Virtue Knowledge Or Teachable Philosophy Essay

Is Virtue Knowledge Or Teachable Philosophy Essay Plato presents Socrates views on the question whether virtue is knowledge and whether it can be taught in several dialogues, most notably in Meno. In this dialogue, Socrates makes many different arguments on the subject of virtue. These arguments include how virtue is defined and whether or not people can acquire it. He examines the ways that virtue can be attained; whether or not one is born being virtuous, whether virtue can be taught or it is another factor for virtues people have. In this essay I will focus on the question of whether virtue can be taught. Platos answer is that virtue cannot be taught. In this essay I will suggest that Plato could have framed the questions a bit differently, which would have probably given him a different answer. In particular I will argue that Plato might have done better to ask whether virtue could be learned instead of asking whether virtue can be taught. The Meno begins with Meno asking Socrates whether virtue can be taught. The argument then is drifted then to another question, what is knowledge. Then Meno proposed an interesting paradox: one can never find out anything new: either one knows it already, in which case there is no need to find it out, or else one does not, and in that case there is no means of recognizing it when found (Plato 1997, 80d-e.). In other words if one does not already know what arà ªte (virtue) is, he cant even search for it, because if he does not know what it is already, then even h he searches, he wont be able to know when one has found it. Socrates suggests a way to solve this dilemma which is based on the Pythagorean view of the immortal soul. According to that notion, the soul, after the physical body dies, is reincarnated and thus never destroyed. If one can never acquire any new knowledge and at the same time it is obvious we are always learning new things, then it is be concluded that learning mus t be a matter of recollection of past life experiences and knowledge. In other words there is no such thing as teaching, but only remembering. In the Meno he demonstrated with a young slave boy who apparently didnt have any knowledge of geometry. By asking the young boy questions he managed to show that the boy had knowledge of certain mathematical theorems. Meno asks again his original question, that is whether one can be taught virtue, or one gets virtue by nature or in some other way. Socrates consents to proceed but argues that they need a common ground due to the fact that neither of them can say at this point what virtue is. Then Meno is made agree that if virtue is not knowledge then it cannot be taught, and if a knowledge then it can be taught. He points out that one can teach something only if one knows what it is that he is teaching. Someone who does not know himself how to drive a car seems unlikely to be able to teach someone else how to. Socrates and Meno much agree that there is no one that truly knows what is meant by virtue and because of this reason cannot be taught. According to Socrates, If virtue could be taught, we should be able to know not only those who teach it but also those who learn from them, which in truth we cannot easily do (Plato 1997, 96c). Socrates claims that teachers for horsemanship, medicine, etc. exist and everybody recognizes these as genuine teachers, whereas people dont agree about whether the Sophists really do teach virtue. Socrates goes one to speak of Thucydides, who had two sons, neither of which was considered to be virtuous. However, it is said that Thucydides educated his children in many different disciplines, but it seems that he could not find a teacher of virtue even though he found teachers for other aspects of life he found valuable. He could not teach it himself either, even though he himself was known to be virtuous. Therefore it seems virtue cannot be a form of knowledge. In order for something to be knowledge, someone must be able to teach it to others. Socrates concludes that virtue cannot be taught an d that there is no means or method by which virtue can be acquired. Virtue is simply shown as coming to us, whenever it comes, by divine dispensation (reference?) In my view, if Plato had framed the questions somewhat differently, he might have gotten a different answer. That is Plato could have better asked whether virtue could be learned instead of asking whether virtue can be taught. What I mean to say is that asking whether one can be taught something entails that the relationship of a student and a teacher, whereas asking whether something can be learned implies only that there is a student (whose life experiences might be said to be a teacher.) For example, to ask whether I was taught geometry is to ask whether a teacher taught me geometry. Whereas to ask whether I learned geometry is simply to ask whether I learned it, whether or not I was taught it by a geometry teacher or learned geometry myself either from (lets say) a book or by some other means. Learning can come in various forms. In order to learn something, one does not require a teacher in the strict sense. For instance, learning can be achieved from studying people who have virtue and yet the latter may not be aware that they are studied. So a man may be learning virtue, and his teachers may be virtuous, even though the teachers might not even be alive. Another form of learning is experience. Virtue may be learned through personal experience. In this example, the teacher would be both life experiences and the reflective nature of the learner. There is still another form of learning. A man can learn, even if he cannot offer an explanation of how he learned or of what he exactly knows. For instance, after someone has been through a particular problem in his life, he can then detect that a relative of his is going through the same problem. And although he can know it, he cannot give an explanation of how he recognized it. Another example is that of the musicians or painters who have learned their craft and are able to perform well, but find it almost impossible to give an explanation of what they have learned. So the question whether virtue can be taught is a much different, and narrower, than whether virtue can be learned. Plato is right in suggesting that virtue cannot be taught. I believe that we all know or have heard of people who recite rules of virtue (such us be compassionate or be honest,) but find it impossible to put them into practice. Certainly in this sense virtue cannot be taught. A mentioned above, having the ability to be virtuous is like having the ability to be musical, which is to some extent instinctual. So, for example, it could be argued that knowing when, for example, to offer help to a friend when he needs it, is a matter of instinct or judgment. All of this means that although virtue may not be taught, this is not to say that virtue cant be learned. Plato suggests the notion that virtue is inborn. Certainly this is to some degree true. There are some people with an exceptional capacity for virtues like compassion, etc. since they were born. Yet others look as if they are born with little to no moral conscience, which seems to be necessary for virtue to exist. However what this means is just that the foundation of virtue is inborn, not that it cant be learned. In the same way that we comprehend the fact that one can be preached how to be virtuous but fail to be virtuous in practice, the converse is also possible: people can refine the ways they understand virtue, they may become more virtuous by reflective practice, and their views of how to act in a virtuous way changes significantly as they grow up. In my view, if Plato put his questions in a different way (that is if he had asked whether virtue can be learned, instead of whether virtue can be taught) he might have found a much more affirmative answer. Bibliography

The Montessori Method Essay examples -- Teaching Education

The Montessori Method (Word count includes Annotated Bibliography) The Montessori method began in the early 1900's by the first female doctor in Italy, Dr. Mary Montessori, as a way of educating mentally disabled children. Her ideas were so successful with these children that she began to apply her understanding of learning to study the potential of normally functioning children (Oalf, 2001). Dr. Montessori's approach to education stresses the importance of learning styles, independence and responsibility. According to Maria Montessori, 'In the special environment prepared?in our schools, the children themselves found a sentence that expresses their inner need, 'Help me to help myself.' ? (Standing, 1957). The ?prepared environment?, according to Montessori, consists of clean, bright, multi-sensory stimulating materials that are engaging for the child and that are placed in at their level so they can be accessed freely. There is a concentration on ?discovery moments?, defined as when a child learns new information through personal exploration (Fisher, 1964), in reading, math, social skills, and other subjects. The guided discovery approach means careful planning and direction for the child and that adults must know the purpose and meaning of each activity the child chooses in the classroom. Montessori teachers attempt to instill an internal drive into the children using this child-centered approach to teaching. An example of this is the use of mats or rugs in the classroom. Eac h child has a mat or rug to spread their materials out on. Every other child is respectful of this child?s space and he/she, in turn, is respectful of others. The result of this approach is a classroom full of self-monitoring students. ... ...cation Week, 21, 24. Retrieved April 14, 2004 from ERIC/EBSCO database. This article discusses the difference between direct instruction and the Montessori method, using the example of one school in Texas, which offers parents a choice of which instruction they would like for their child. The end of this article tells that test results from each classroom turn out about equal, despite the radically different teaching approach. This is because different children do well in different types of classrooms. Zad, M. (1990, November 18). Montessori way highlights video for preschoolers. The Washington Post, pp. y.08. This is a local article taken from The Washington Post regarding the use of video in Montessori classrooms. The use of video technology corresponds with the Montessori method if it is stimulating to the child and aids in discovery learning.

Poetic Techniques in Kevin Gilbert’s “The New True Anthem” Essay

The poem â€Å"The New True Anthem† by Kevin Gilbert acknowledges the fact that there is more then a single opinion of what has happened to the lives of people both English and native aboriginal, also what has happened to the beautiful land once home to many native aboriginal tribes all over the continent of Australia. It also says that people of English descendent say that they do love Australia while in fact they don’t and are treating it as a land of their own as if nothing was there before the time of their arrival, as they are treating the native Australians without respect and are not treating them as the original owners of the land but rather as slaves. In the poem â€Å"The New True Anthem† by Kevin Gilbert the poet displayed all kinds of poetic technique but the one that stood out for me the most was imagery. In this poem there was a various use of personification which really made this poem more intriguing. Gilbert is displaying the hatred he has towards Australia and the white folk due to the way they have treated Aboriginals culture and their home land. Gilbert wrote this poem whilst he was suffering from poverty and was incarcerated in prison. Gilbert displayed his passionate feelings for Aboriginal rights and dignity through poems. Gilbert at the beginning of the poem stated about Mackellars’ poem â€Å"My Country† to state the differences on their point of view.

Describe and Evaluate Biological Explanations of Depression

Describe and evaluate biological explanations of depression There are many different explanations for depression, including biological. Links have been found between biochemical, genetics and hormonal imbalances with depressed people. In the biochemical explanation, a link has been found between neurotransmitter imbalances and depression. Serotonin is associated with pleasure and mood. Mann et al found impaired transmission of serotonin in people with depression. However Julian disagrees with this statement and says depression may be due to neuron damage rather than a neurotransmitter reduction.The problem with this approach is that it implies correlation and not causation, there may be a link but something else could be causing both depression and low serotonin. There is the chicken and egg problem – does low serotonin cause depression or does depression cause low serotonin? In other areas of psychology low serotonin has been linked with increased aggression and eating disord ers, as well as anxiety. Someone that has low serotonin does not necessarily become depressed. There is also the problem where people are depressed but have normal serotonin levels.This shows that depression is not fully down to biochemical imbalances but other things as well. It is a very simplistic and reductionist model and should only be included as a vulnerability and not the whole answer to depression. Another explanation is a genetic problem. Through many family studies Gershon states there is a clear inheritable component to depression, especially in bipolar disorder. Weisseman et al supports this by saying that for if a child has a parent with depression, the risk of the child having depression is increased by three times compared to the general population.This is a strong finding but as the children share the same environment as their parents, there is a possibility that the child has learnt the behaviour through the social learning theory of imitating and observing and no t through genetics. Kendler et al studied over 15000 twins in Sweden and found that if one twin has depression, there is a 38% chance that the other twin will have it too. This has strong methodology and is supported by many twin studies who have found similar results. On the other hand the twins share the same environment and so environmental influences may still be possible.The results were nowhere near 100% showing that depression is not fully down to genes, the people may have a genetic vulnerability but it takes something to trigger, perhaps. It is also unclear as to how exactly genes play a role in depression, without knowing the exact genes involved. Another way to access the significance of genes is through adoption studies. Wender found that a child is seven times more likely to have depression if the biological parents were depressed and the adoption parents were not.They found little evidence of depression being learnt. However Wender got his information about biological relatives just from hospital records and so there could be error of misdiagnosis or short-term depression only. The knowledge of whether a person has a genetic vulnerability to depression can be useful as the person is able to take preventative measures (change in lifestyle, diet to bring positivity to avoid depression), but it could be fatalistic as they understand they are more likely to become depressed – leading to depression.Diathesis-stress model says that depression can be better understood as an interaction between genes and environmental factors. Carroll found that high levels of the hormone cortisol are found in those suffering from depression and techniques known to suppress cortisol secretion have been found to be successful in depressive patients. However cortisol is released when stressed and so the high levels could be due to the high levels of stress the person has when they are depressed.As depression is twice as common in women as men, it could be due to the differences in sex hormones. Post-natal depression could be due to the high levels of oestrogen and progesterone that are released during pregnancy and then rapidly decrease once the baby is born which may account for an imbalance of hormones. Cooper disagrees with this statement as there was very little difference in the number of women suffering from depression after childhood and a control group of non-pregnant women at the same age.If imbalance of hormones was the cause then most mothers should get this type of illness but it is only a small number that get it. Menopausal depression is where oestrogen levels drop and hormone replacement therapy appears to be affective in treating many (but not all) women who suffer from this type of depression. However this could be due to the negative thoughts of getting older rather than the hormonal imbalance. Through the biological approach there are many possibilities. I think it is a mixture of biological vulnerabilities and stressful env ironments. Describe and Evaluate Biological Explanations of Depression Describe and evaluate biological explanations of depression There are many different explanations for depression, including biological. Links have been found between biochemical, genetics and hormonal imbalances with depressed people. In the biochemical explanation, a link has been found between neurotransmitter imbalances and depression. Serotonin is associated with pleasure and mood. Mann et al found impaired transmission of serotonin in people with depression. However Julian disagrees with this statement and says depression may be due to neuron damage rather than a neurotransmitter reduction.The problem with this approach is that it implies correlation and not causation, there may be a link but something else could be causing both depression and low serotonin. There is the chicken and egg problem – does low serotonin cause depression or does depression cause low serotonin? In other areas of psychology low serotonin has been linked with increased aggression and eating disord ers, as well as anxiety. Someone that has low serotonin does not necessarily become depressed. There is also the problem where people are depressed but have normal serotonin levels.This shows that depression is not fully down to biochemical imbalances but other things as well. It is a very simplistic and reductionist model and should only be included as a vulnerability and not the whole answer to depression. Another explanation is a genetic problem. Through many family studies Gershon states there is a clear inheritable component to depression, especially in bipolar disorder. Weisseman et al supports this by saying that for if a child has a parent with depression, the risk of the child having depression is increased by three times compared to the general population.This is a strong finding but as the children share the same environment as their parents, there is a possibility that the child has learnt the behaviour through the social learning theory of imitating and observing and no t through genetics. Kendler et al studied over 15000 twins in Sweden and found that if one twin has depression, there is a 38% chance that the other twin will have it too. This has strong methodology and is supported by many twin studies who have found similar results. On the other hand the twins share the same environment and so environmental influences may still be possible.The results were nowhere near 100% showing that depression is not fully down to genes, the people may have a genetic vulnerability but it takes something to trigger, perhaps. It is also unclear as to how exactly genes play a role in depression, without knowing the exact genes involved. Another way to access the significance of genes is through adoption studies. Wender found that a child is seven times more likely to have depression if the biological parents were depressed and the adoption parents were not.They found little evidence of depression being learnt. However Wender got his information about biological relatives just from hospital records and so there could be error of misdiagnosis or short-term depression only. The knowledge of whether a person has a genetic vulnerability to depression can be useful as the person is able to take preventative measures (change in lifestyle, diet to bring positivity to avoid depression), but it could be fatalistic as they understand they are more likely to become depressed – leading to depression.Diathesis-stress model says that depression can be better understood as an interaction between genes and environmental factors. Carroll found that high levels of the hormone cortisol are found in those suffering from depression and techniques known to suppress cortisol secretion have been found to be successful in depressive patients. However cortisol is released when stressed and so the high levels could be due to the high levels of stress the person has when they are depressed.As depression is twice as common in women as men, it could be due to the differences in sex hormones. Post-natal depression could be due to the high levels of oestrogen and progesterone that are released during pregnancy and then rapidly decrease once the baby is born which may account for an imbalance of hormones. Cooper disagrees with this statement as there was very little difference in the number of women suffering from depression after childhood and a control group of non-pregnant women at the same age.If imbalance of hormones was the cause then most mothers should get this type of illness but it is only a small number that get it. Menopausal depression is where oestrogen levels drop and hormone replacement therapy appears to be affective in treating many (but not all) women who suffer from this type of depression. However this could be due to the negative thoughts of getting older rather than the hormonal imbalance. Through the biological approach there are many possibilities. I think it is a mixture of biological vulnerabilities and stressful env ironments.

Gay Rights

Gay Rights Free Online Research Papers Although homosexuals are gaining more rights each year, times are still difficult for them. Homosexuals everywhere are being discriminated and denied rights, especially minorities. Gay youth are finding it very hard to fit in at school. This is mostly because homosexuality is not accepted by most kids and families. Most are taught that being gay is wrong. Some are even told they will go to Hell if they commit homosexuality. 75% of students have no laws to protect them from being harassment and discrimination.† This makes it easier for students to get away with bullying homosexuals. â€Å"97% report hearing homophobic remarks from peers.† Simple remarks are made everyday. Some even take the word gay out of proportion (â€Å"11 Facts About Gay Rights†). The definition of gay means to be happy, but homosexuals, better known as gays, are not so happy these days. â€Å"a survey showed that more than 58% of them had been beaten up by their peers and feared they would never be able to complete their education.† They feared going to school, so most made up excuses to stay at home. Some even skipped school to avoid the problems. Some homosexuals even drop out of school and end up on the streets, homeless and alone. To support these types of students, the G.A.Y. youth program and special schools were created. The G.A.Y. youth program is a place for young homosexuals to go after school w hen they need someone to talk to who will understand. Project 10 was created by a teacher for a place for homosexuals to go to talk about their problems. Rev. Lou Sheldon said Project 10 was a homosexual recruitment program. He set up SHAPE: Stop Homosexual Advocacy In Public Education (Homosexuality: Opposing Viewpoints). â€Å"In New York they created the Hetrick-Martin Institute for lesbian and gay youth. It was created in 1979 after a boy was gang raped and kicked out or a shelter just for being gay† (Homosexuality: Opposing Viewpoints). Some people felt that the school was wrong. They said homosexuals and heterosexuals should not be separated. They need to learn to interact and used to being around one another. They felt that the school would just shelter them. Most believed the school was necessary. Most children who ended up at the institute had tried regular schools, but it just did not work out for them. Sadly, schools are not the only place young gay people are bein g mistreated. A lot of young homosexuals receive negativity toward their choice of homosexuality at home. â€Å"26% of gay teens who came out to their parents were told to leave home.† Some were even beaten or abused by their parents just because of their sexuality choice. A young boy who came out to his family was beaten very badly. He told hid brother first about him being gay and he just ran away and would not talk to him. When his father found out, he took him outside and threw him in the snow. He then continued to beat him in his head telling him, †I will stop if you stop being gay.† Once his father stopped, the boy ran away and lived his own life. He never communicated with his family again. Another girl was burned by her mother and told her she would burn in Hell if she did not change her ways. These two are not the only ones who get abused or thrown out for being gay. â€Å"Between 20% and 40% of the 1.6 million homeless American youth are gay.† A higher percentage of them were told to leave. Only a few of them left on their own(â€Å"11 Facts About Gay Rights†). â€Å"According to a 1989 report by the Department of Health and Human Services, gay and lesbian teens are two to three times more likely to kill themselves.† Most of these cases are because they are unaccepted by family of friends and feel there is no better way out than death. Some gays who did kill themselves, had their funerals protested. People showed up with signs and shouted, that they got what they deserve for going against God. At the time, police could not arrest anyone, just ask them to please leave. To help prevent this, more and more outreach programs and support groups are created each year (Andryszewski 12-13). Homosexuality is not any easier for adults. It actually gets harder. They are denied many rights as well. â€Å"There are 1,100 benefits denied gay couples in California alone.† For example, even though there is a shortage, gays are being denied when trying to donate blood. To some people this may not seem like a big deal, but that is simply because that is an everyday right to you. The denied rights only get worse, especially federal rights â€Å"Same sex couples cannot have a non-U.S. spouse become a citizen. They also cannot collect benefits upon death of a spouse of file jointly as a couple. This is a big issue when it comes to taxes or sharing money responsibilities, such as getting loans. Another problem is the â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† rule. Some soldiers are being kicked out of the army for being gay. Homosexuals are banned from the armed forces in Japan, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Brazil, Peru, and Turkey (Graff 29). The federal government has a lso limited homosexuality in media as well. â€Å"Gay couples are limited to holding hands and sharing meaningful looks on television. They cannot kiss one another or share sexual or loving remarks with one another† (â€Å"Gay Rights†). Viewers find it offensive to see homosexuals kissing or doing any of the above. If a guy-girl couple were to share a passionate kiss on screen, citizens would not even think twice about it, because they do not find anything wrong with it. Some humans find homosexuality as being so morally wrong that they protest it. Some even go to the extent of making threats. Many cases or attacks and threats against gays have been reported. â€Å"Violent attacks or harassment of sexual minorities and AIDS activists have been reported in nineteen countries since 1994. Severe police harassment has been reported in eighteen countries† (Love, Hate and the Law† 18-19). â€Å"In 2007 a survey showed that almost 60% of Russians thought homosexuality was unacceptable behavior and almost 25% said it should be criminalized. Lenoid Nikshich said, â€Å"It’s forbidden to propagandize any sin, such as homosexuality and murder. I think homosexuals need to be treated by a doctor† (Gee). â€Å"In may 2007, gay marchers were attacked by members of the Union Of Orthodox Standard-Bearers. The members broke up the parade by throwing eggs at them. Moscow police arrested the gay rights paraders instead of the people who throw things at them. The police officer just let the attackers walk free. Also, taxi drivers have been known to beat and rob pa ssengers picked up outside Moscow gay clubs. Oleg Khrolov said Russia is no worse than the U.S. If homophobia is defined as coming out of the clubs and being beaten it is the same everywhere (Gee). Some countries are worse. â€Å"They even go as far as to kill gays. Out of fear, 2% of women and 4% of men exclusively live as homosexuals. China kills gays and lesbians due to heoliganism laws. Brazil is much worse. They hold the record for murder of sexual minorities. 16,000 gays died between 1980 and 1997. Only 5% of the killers actually went to trial. The other 95% got away with murder†(â€Å"Love, Hate, and the Law†). Now, the District of Columbia and 47 states have anti-hate laws. Also, last year, the Congress passed the Matthew Sheppard Act, which outlaw hate crimes, but it was never approved by Bush (â€Å"11 Facts About Gay Rights’). Homosexuals still deal with threats and attacks in some places because of this, but other issues are way more important to th em today. Marriage and adoption have been two of the biggest, of many, issues on many homosexuals minds. â€Å"In November Proposition 8 was passes banning same-sex marriage in many states. Some states issue marriage licenses, but the laws are very strict† (â€Å"11 Facts About Gay Rights†). â€Å"Supporters of Proposition 8 want to institutionalize homophobia. They want to say homosexuals do not deserve the same status as heterosexuals. Proposition 8 does not interfere with gays living the lifestyles they chose. All it does is prevent gays from redefining marriage for everyone. It protects children from being taught in public schools that same sex marriage is the same as traditional marriage† (Stafford). â€Å"The California’s state attorney argued that there was a long history of marriage being between a man and a woman and that it should therefore remain that way†. Some say if a man lies with a male as a woman, both of them have committed an abomination an d shall be put to death† (â€Å"Love, Hate, and the Law†). Some people still find this wrong. â€Å"Calling same-sex and opposite sex couples by different names made gay couples feel as though they were second class citizens. In the court’s view, banning or classifying same-sex marriage was discrimination† (Ewers). This is why same-sex marriage is legal in some states. â€Å"Same sex marriages can be made official by anyone, but the ceremony involves no civil law and carries no legal benefits or responsibilities. Some states allow Domestic Partnership Registration. The couple goes on file as a non-married couple to establish legal responsibilities for debt after the end of a relationship† (â€Å"Gay Rights†). â€Å"Denmark was the first to introduce registered partnership for gay couples in 1989, while Dutch legalized same-sex marriage in 2001† (Graff 40). â€Å"California and Massachusetts are the only states where gay and lesbian couples can legally marry.† Massachusetts legalized same sex marriage in 2004, but only applied to that state’s residents. California’s will apply to anyone who visit’s the state. They have no residency restrictions on marriage licenses† (Ewers). â€Å"In November, Connecticut became the third state to ever issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a month after the states supreme court ruled the gays and lesbians have the right to marry under the state constitution. â€Å"However, banning same-sex marriage passed in Arizona and Florida bringing the told number of states with constitutional amendments banning gay marriage to 30† (Ewers). Most people believe gay marriage goes against religion. Roman Catholic faith see homosexuality as a sin and marriage should be between a man and a woman. However, most Christians think homosexuals should be able to get married. Polls show that 60% of them support gay marriage and 250,000 couples are waiting for the new law (Graff 40). â€Å"More than 40% of the money donated to defeat the same-sex marriage initiative came from individuals associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A church spokesperson has condemned the protest as discriminatory. Not everything we do is approved by the Bible, so why strictly enforce the no gay marriage law? (Ruggeri 29). â€Å"While three states have laws that effectively ban gay couples from adopting, twelve others allow same-sex couples to adopt. That Leaves thirty-five states where couples can not be sure how likely it is that an adoption petition may pass. According to a 1977 state law, homosexuality prohibits a person from adopting in Florida. While Florida allows gay individuals to become foster parents, it is the only state to explicitly ban them from adopting. Mississippi also bans same-sex couples from adopting. Utah prohibits both adopting and fostering by unmarried couples, including gays, who live together. Arkansas got the 61,797 signatures needed to create an adoption law like Utah’s. In Michigan, courts tend to be conservative, which means they are very unlikely to allow adoption for gay couples. â€Å"19 states allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt children in a complex two -step process, in which one parent first adopts and then the second competition for joint rights† (â€Å"Gay Rights†). The only place that gay couples are for sure able to adopt are in other countries. â€Å"Same-sex couples have been allowed to adopt children in South Africa, Australia, Belgium, Netherlands, Britain and Canada† (â€Å"Love, Hate, and the Law†). â€Å"Italy bans donor sperm, donor eggs, and surrogate mothers which homosexuals could used to have children and only allow assisted fertility treatment to stable heterosexual couples† (Graff 40). Although it seems impossible, some gays can adopt. Gay individuals have an easier time adopting because most courts treat the issue differently for singles versus couples. Some people see gay adoption as another way to give homeless children or foster children a home. If more gay couples could adopt, more children would have loving families. Fewer children would be left in orphanages. Some courts say no credible evidence shows having a gay parent harms children, but no matter what, someone will always have a different view, so it will be a never ending battle homosexuals will fight† (Ruggeri 24). Although marriage and adoption are still being fought, homosexuals have gained many rights along the way. Many laws have been passed to keep gays from being discriminated by cops and others. Many reports of cops abusing gays have been noticed, but never reported. They were hidden. Some homosexuals have reported or told others that they were beaten by a cop, and could not do anything about it. When taken to court, the cop lied and the judge took his side. For many years this went on. â€Å"It was not until November 2007 that discrimination against sexual orientation was barred† (â€Å"11 Facts About Gay Rights†). In 2003 a legislation was also signed that protected homosexuals state wide from verbal harassment and hate crimes. People in Canada who express hate against gays should be aware because they could end up in jail as a prisoner of conscience† (Leisham 6). Now there are many laws and rights being offered to homosexuals. They are protected from discrimination and hatred everywhere. A set of rules, called the â€Å"Gay Bill of Rights:, was created to further extend these protections. Some of the rules are as follows: â€Å"Private consensual sex between persons over the age of consent shall not be an offense.† â€Å"A person’s sexual orientation or practice shall not be a factor in the granting or renewing of federal security clearness or visas, or in the granting of citizenship.† â€Å"A person’s sexual orientation or practice shall not affect his eligibility for employment with federal, state, or local governments, or private employers.† â€Å"The police department nor any government can keep files for the purpose of identifying homosexuals.† â€Å"No government agency shall use the classification of homosexuality as an alleged illness to limit the freedom , rights, or privileges of an indivi dual† (Andryszewski 12-13). These are not the only rights included, but a few. Most rights just protect gays gains discrimination and harassment. Yes, they are very important, but what about the many other rights they are denied? We focus on the little stuff and overlook the bigger and more important things. Marriage and adoption are still being worked on, but not enough is being done. We need to do more. People do not realize how much homosexuals are missing out on. Homosexuals everywhere are being denied marriage to the love of their life. Men and women everywhere are getting married and living happy lives. It is not right to the man-man and woman-woman couples. What is the difference? Shouldn’t everyone be happy? Homosexuals cannot help whom they fall in love with, and we should acknowledge this. It is said that everyone has a soul mate pre-chosen by God. If it was intended for a man to be with a man or a woman with a woman, then so be it. Homosexual couples are not hurting anyone or affecting the marriage rights of heterosexual couples. Yes, it is something most are not used to, but everyone should be happy. We cannot discriminate toward color or race, so why should we be able to discriminate against sexuality. If homosexuals gained the right to marry, it would also make it easier for them to adopt as well. Most agencies prefer to adopt children to couples, If gays could marry, more couples would be available to create more homes for foster children. It would also give them the family they have always wanted. Allowing gay marriage would eliminate many problems we have today and make many people happy. It is just something we need to get used to . Although not all gay right issues have been eliminated, we are getting closer and closer every year. More and more support groups are being created. Still problems occur. Discrimination may be against the law, but it still happens. Laws are still eliminating the problems. Not all states allow adoption or marriage, but it is a start. Gays may have rights, but it is not enough. We still need to continue fighting. Homosexuals should receive 100% of the benefits heterosexuals do. It would only be fair. Homosexuals are not giving up on the fight, no matter how hard it gets, and heterosexuals are slowly realizing it is not so bad. People believe that the ongoing gay rights fight will continue for years to come. Some say we just need to give up or deal with what we got. These people are wrong. In the last 10 years alone, gays have achieved so much and gained many rights. If they give up now, they would have done so much for nothing. Homosexuals just need to continue fighting for a little but longer, and will most likely receive the results they want. Research Papers on Gay RightsTrailblazing by Eric AndersonStandardized TestingHip-Hop is ArtPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Spring and AutumnHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayCapital Punishment19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

Appeasement Now and Before essays

Appeasement Now and Before essays Initially reports suggested the North Koreans fired a Daepondong I ballistic missile over Japan into the Pacific. Later State Department bulletins indicated it was merely an attempt to launch a satellite. Any way you look at it, many disturbing questions about American policy toward North Korea and stability on the Korean peninsula are raised. State Department spokesmen said firing a missile over Japan and into the Pacific did not violate a 1994 agreement freezing North Korea's nuclear weapons program, since this was ostensibly a satellite launch. However the failed satellite launch was tracked for 4000 miles into the Pacific Ocean, a range that could make Alaska and Hawaii vulnerable to a North Korean attack. Although it is not easy to determine motives, the launching of this missile may be designed for Iraq, Iran and Pakistan as much as South Korea. As the leading supplier of nuclear technology to rogue states, North Korea depends on these sales for the only hard currency to be found in this largely impoverished nation. The launch also raises the ante in the "international game of chicken." North Korea delivered a message: If the nuclear plants promised by the U.S. are not built soon and if gifts of oil don't arrive, the next missile fired may be more than a mere satellite launch. Within hours of the missile's Pacific splashdown, State Department Asia hands confirmed the need to underwrite the nuclear plants - a decision that prompted the South Korean government to release $4.6 billion to its neighbor to the north. Like much of what occurs in American life at the moment, intimidation even if indirect, is rewarded. The North Koreans may be facing technical problems for a long range missile, such as not having enough propellant for a third stage, but as former Pentagon officials noted this is not an insuperable problem if they are intent on delivering a first strike to noncontiguous parts of the United S ...

Countries With Multiple Capital Cities

Countries With Multiple Capital Cities Twelve countries around the world have multiple capital cities for a variety of reasons. Most split administrative, legislative, and judicial headquarters between two or more cities. Benin Porto-Novo is the official capital of Benin but Cotonou is the seat of government. Bolivia The administrative capital of Bolivia is La Paz while the legislative and judicial (also known as constitutional) capital is Sucre. Cote dIvoire In 1983, President Felix Houphouet-Boigny moved the capital of Cote dIvoire from Abidjan to his hometown of Yamoussoukro. This made the official capital Yamoussoukro but many government offices and embassies (including the United States) remain in Abidjan. Israel In 1950, Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as their capital city. However, all countries (including the United States) maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, which was Israels capital from 1948 to 1950. Malaysia Malaysia has moved many administrative functions from Kuala Lumpur to a suburb of Kuala Lumpur called Putrajaya. Putrajaya is a new high-technology complex 25 km (15 miles) south of Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian government has relocated administrative offices and the Prime Ministers official residence. Nonetheless, Kuala Lumpur remains the official capital. Putrajaya is part of a regional Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). The MSC itself is also home to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and the Petronas Twin Towers. Myanmar On Sunday, November 6, 2005 civil servants and government officials were ordered to move immediately from Rangoon to a new capital, Nay Pyi Taw (also known as Naypyidaw) 200 miles north. While governmental buildings in Nay Pyi Taw had been under construction for more than two years, its construction was not widely publicized. Some report the timing of the move was related to astrological recommendations. The transition to Nay Pyi Taw continues so both Rangoon and Nay Pyi Taw retain capital status. Other names might be seen or used to represent the new capital and nothing is solid as of this writing. Netherlands Though the legal (de jure) capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, the actual (de facto) seat of government and residence of the monarchy is The Hague. Nigeria The capital of Nigeria was officially moved from Lagos to Abuja in December 2, 1991 but some offices remain in Lagos. South Africa South Africa is a very interesting situation as it has three capitals. Pretoria is the administrative capital, Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the home of the judiciary. Sri Lanka Sri Lanka has moved the legislative capital to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte, a suburb of the official capital in Colombo. Swaziland Mbabane is the administrative capital and Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital. Tanzania Tanzania officially designated its capital as Dodoma but only the legislature meets there, leaving Dar es Salaam as the de facto capital city.

Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Consumer Attitudes and Behaviour - Assignment Example Table of Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1980) Theory of Reasoned Action 3 2.1 Overview of Fishbein and Ajzen’s theory 3 2.2 Critical analysis and evaluation of Fishbein and Ajzen’s theory 5 3. Evaluation of Change 4 Life campaign – use of Fishbein and Ajzen’s Theory in order to analyse how the Change 4 Life campaign has succeeded in changing the eating behaviours and activity levels of young children in the UK 9 4. Conclusion 11 References 13 Appendix 15 1. Introduction The increase of consumption worldwide, as a consequence of the advances of technology and the following changes in the trends and patterns of social life, has led to a series of social and economic problems; the terms under which consumption is promoted are not always carefully monitored; moreover, no limits or rules have been set regarding the access of children to specific products and services. Additionally, in many cases, the rules of health and safety are ig nored, even with involving in sectors, which are critical for public health, for instance the preparation of food. The implications of the above phenomena can be many. As an example, it has been proved that certain parts of the population, especially children, are more likely to develop unhealthy habits under the influence of advertising. Current paper focuses on the evaluation of the efforts of British Government to help towards the change of eating behaviour and activity levels to children – reference is made specifically to the ‘Change 4 Life’ campaign of the British government, a campaign introduced in 2009. The level at which the targets of the British government, as explained above, have been achieved is critically discussed using the theory of Reasoned Action (Fishbein and Ajzen); the elements and the requirements are also presented using the literature published in the specific field. 2. Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1980) Theory of Reasoned Action 2.1 Ove rview of Fishbein and Ajzen’s theory In order to understand the role and the implications of the theory of reasoned action – referring especially to the potential use of this theory in evaluating a marketing project – it is necessary to refer to the conditions under which the particular theory was introduced. In other words, it is important to mention the gaps that the specific theory was asked to cover. Then, the analysis of the elements of the theory can help to understand whether this theory would be effective in modern social and financial environment. The theory of reasoned action of Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) has been introduced as a supplementary theoretical framework to the theory of planned behaviour (Berkowitz 1987). More specifically, the theory of reasoned action – as also the theory of planned behaviour – requires the willingness of a person for a particular action; without this prerequisite, i.e. the willingness of the actor, the theor y of reasoned action cannot be used – neither the theory of planned behaviour; however, this seems to be the only common point between the two theories; after that point, the two theories are differentiated and are applied independently. The theory of reasoned action is based on the claim that ‘most behaviours of interest in the domains of personality and social psychology fall into the volitional

Legal Systems and Contract Law - resit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Legal Systems and Contract Law - resit - Essay Example 4. The position of Constance in the existing circumstances and its impact on Calum. 5. Possible remedies available to Calum RULES In order to conduct a critical analysis of the case at hand, it is necessary to examine the relevant components of the English and the Scottish legal systems that differ. However, to set the discussion rolling, it is necessary to examine the general rules that define the concepts of offer, acceptance and contracts in both jurisdictions. English Common Law In order to form a valid contract, there must be an offer and an acceptance. In the general sense, an acceptance must match the terms of the offer and it. The specific method of acceptance must comply with the required method of acceptance1. Thus, if the offeror specifies that an offer must be accepted via one medium of communication, that medium must be used to accept the offer. In other cases, an equally appropriate method of communication of acceptance to the offeror might be sufficient to create a val id contract2. There is a general issue with acceptance of contract offers by post. This is because when a person accepts an offer via post, the offeror might not be aware. Some issues came up in relation to this trend of affairs and hence, a number of significant rulings came up which defined the postal rule in contract law. The postal rule states that an acceptance is effective the moment an offeree posts a document asserting his acceptance3. A lost letter or a delayed letter does not affect the validity of the acceptance4. However, in modern times, the postal rule applies where postal acceptance is specified as the means of accepting an offer5. Offer In the famous case of Routledge V Grant, it was accepted that an offer is valid until there is a revocation. In the case at hand, an offer was made by Grant to lease his premises to Routledge and he stated that he would keep the offer opened for 6 weeks. However, in the third week, Grant revoked the offer and sold it to another person . It was held that there was no contract between them and Grant could revoke the contract at any time and sell it to anyone he pleased6. This is the general law, however there are some modifications under Scottish Law in this. However, in Byrne V Van Tienhoven, it was established that revocation must be communicated to the offeree7. How an Offer May End It is a general position in English law that request for further details does not mean a rejection of the offer8. However, the lapse of reasonable time or specified time of the offer can render it invalid9. Also, failure to meet a given condition of the offer can render it terminated and the offer will not be available anymore10. A counter offer renders an offer invalid, however, in the case of Butler Machine Tools V Ex-Cello11, the House of Lords held that a counter offer creates some kind of bargaining which they called a â€Å"battle of forms† in which the â€Å"last shot wins†. Scottish Civil Law The relevant aspect of the Scottish civil law that is relevant in the law of contract relate mainly to promises, counter offers and remedies. They are discussed below. Promise A promise seeks to invoke a moral rule that obliges the promiser to keep his word. In most jurisdictions including English law, a promise invokes nothing more than a mere moral obligation which is not enforceable in court. However, promises

Business Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business Proposal - Essay Example New business developments have been shaping up, outdoing and replacing the old ways and bringing on board new ways of operations. With the help of Internet, consumers now can have much more choice for their shopping than was the case previously. It also changed enterprise’s business model, saving cost and more efficiency than before. Businesses enjoy the ease of making money and advertising because of going the e-way. Trading and information exchange is faster and the traditional business mode has had a complete revolution because of the e-business. More companies try to design a good e-business plan for survival in competition and many good samples lead the industry developing fast. E-business brings innovation to the otherwise normal business transactions leading to greater gains for the companies/businesses adopting it. E-commerce reduces cost, unnecessary value-added links and makes company respond directly to their customers. However, there are the set business ethics, co nducts and regulations that must apply even over the online business dealings. As one intends to venture into this kind of trade, specific procedures are bound to apply. Introduction: In order to add capacity or improve capabilities of functionality of an organization that deals with sale of books and such materials that can be converted into audio form, and having not to invest in new infrastructure, the emerging trend is in adopting the online strategy. It is a welcome to small businesses and such low capital ventures, which would be interested in extending the business operations across borders yet with low operating costs. It is most appropriate especially to avoid the extra high costs that are associated with setting up physical infrastructure at different geographical locations. It is also a business opportunity, which can be ventured into either privately or collaboratively (private hosting or public hosting). It has the basic advantage of not being limited by business hours and the purchase of goods the services can be done over 24 hours. However, operating an E-Commerce Website business faces the critical challenge in security matters where as a host, one must ensure the security and confidentiality of customers’ information in the highest levels possible besides putting into place reliable mechanisms to ensure ease of funds transfer. The industrial as well as scientific communities are seen to adopt E-Commerce Website offering such services as library services with conversion of hard copy books into the audio services with relatively high regard as the concept is receiving wide acknowledgement. The business sector has the main objectives of E-Commerce Website for audio books are to provide safe, fast and reliable library services over the internet connections. This critical niche provides a whole range of untapped potential in this era of technological advancement where merely all businesses are adopting information technology for the purposes of their operations. The concerns of

Economics Forecast Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economics Forecast Paper - Essay Example Adjustable home loan rates have attracted more consumers. The risk involved in the possibility of increases in interest / repayment obligations which was not realized by the consumers, is now being driven home literally. The crisis got deepened due to the unregulated growth of derivative markets for mortgage loans, which has now impacted everyone – the consumers, the financial institutions, the industry and the national economy as a whole. As can be seen, the rates remained high during 1995 – 2000 and started declining from 2001 to 2004 but again started firming up from 2005 onwards. Increase/decrease in the bank prime rate has corresponding impact on commercial lending in the economy. This period coincided with the decline in the number of housing starts both nationally and in California, which in the later area reduced from 1 million plus to just about 200,000 during the above period. In view of the serious crisis in the mortgage and financial industries, and in order to avoid the lurking fears of recession, one can forecast that the bank rates across the sectors will soften in the short to medium term period, as already confirmed by the 25 basis points cut announced by the FED this week. This policy approach will help to stabilize the home loan industry and at the same time impact the national economy positively. Budget deficit is the gap between the planned spending and revenues of the government for a given financial year (It becomes a surplus if the revenue exceeds the spending). The higher the government spending, the higher is the economic activity and vice versa. However, pumping too much money into the system, without creating corresponding products or services, will stoke inflationary trends and can lead to a decline in consumer spending and hence, a decline in the demand. A delicate balance is maintained to help economic growth without raising

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Project Management - Essay Example These individuals are normally picked from the team personnel in order to complete the project as planned. On the other hand, alternative scheduling has to be planned to enable successful completion of both tasks and progress on the project to continue (Pinto 357). Resource management is usually difficult in a multi-project environment because it creates several problems. A single project is advantageous because it fully depends on its allocated resources. However, a single project can lead to under utilization of available resources since it even relies on resources that are currently, not under use (Pinto 369). Team members in a given project are afraid to issue out their resources since they believe that it will be difficult recovering them. Similarly, sharing resources can create a delay in multiple projects. Finally, there can be a decrease in employees’ morality as they attempt to juggle through competing assignments (Pinto 371). Approaches use to allocate resources include mathematical programming, fist in line, greatest resource demand, and minimum late finish

Zoltan Kodaly Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Zoltan Kodaly - Research Paper Example In 1906, he attained a PHD with a thesis on Hungarian folk music, and from then, he started to work together with his friend Bartok. They both collaborated in collecting folksong and in advocating for a new vitality in Hungarian musical sector. Like Bartok, the administration at Budapest Academy nominated him to a professorship in 1907, and he stayed in the city for the rest of his life (Griffiths, 1). In his adolescence, Kodaly toured various parts of Hungary due to being the son of a stationmaster. This made him to gain a lot of knowledge of the variety of the nation’s folk music. In addition, he inherited his parents’ passion for classical music. His early work including sonata for cello and piano demonstrate his familiarization to folk aspects into a principally melodic style (Wintle, 279). Contribution to Music education As a well-known Hungarian composer and musician, Kodaly utilized a considerable part of his inventive efforts to the musical education of the Hungarian country. He developed this concern over several years beginning with the folk song collection in 1905. In the 1920's, he started composing for children's choruses and required his composition learners to practice the same. This was after being conscious of the great concern to advance the quality of singing and music training of children and teachers equally. Folk music offered motivation, in addition to the musical foundation, for many of the compositions. By 1929, he resolved to change the teaching of music and make it an essential part of the education of every child (Singers.com, 1).

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Project Management - Essay Example These individuals are normally picked from the team personnel in order to complete the project as planned. On the other hand, alternative scheduling has to be planned to enable successful completion of both tasks and progress on the project to continue (Pinto 357). Resource management is usually difficult in a multi-project environment because it creates several problems. A single project is advantageous because it fully depends on its allocated resources. However, a single project can lead to under utilization of available resources since it even relies on resources that are currently, not under use (Pinto 369). Team members in a given project are afraid to issue out their resources since they believe that it will be difficult recovering them. Similarly, sharing resources can create a delay in multiple projects. Finally, there can be a decrease in employees’ morality as they attempt to juggle through competing assignments (Pinto 371). Approaches use to allocate resources include mathematical programming, fist in line, greatest resource demand, and minimum late finish

Understanding of culture and cultural differences as fundamental for Essay

Understanding of culture and cultural differences as fundamental for international marketing - Essay Example The researcher states that culture and cultural differences has not only impacted on the effectiveness of firms with respect to international competitiveness, but has also progressively generated negative effects regarding efficient usage of international marketing resources. Success of international firms is basically dependent on their international marketing strategies that incorporate cross-cultural intelligence aspects. Moreover, international marketing professionals continuously seek to understand global cultures and cultural differences that exist in the international specific markets ventured. Understanding cultural variations that exists among customers and target markets is important for developing an international marketing strategy that is universal and covers all customer needs. Application and outcome of professional marketing largely depends on the extent to which cultural differences are evident among customers. Firm’s competitiveness in the international marke t recognizes cross-cultural factors as determining factors with which comprehensive information is gathered from the various markets to enable formulation of best marketing strategies. Generally, cross-cultural analysis in the international market is similar to domestic market analysis, although international analysis places much emphasis on cultural aspects due to cross border cultural variations. However, domestic markets have also continued to diversify their cultures although as much as the international markets. ... However, domestic markets have also continued to diversify their cultures although as much as the international markets. Political, cultural, and social barriers and variation in the international markets have remained significant challenges to multinational companies that fail to recognize variations, and thus need for different business strategies. Nevertheless, international marketing strategies are more complex and sophisticated with respect to cross border variations as compared to domestic marketing strategies (Rugimbana & Nwankwo, 2003, p.331). International marketing recognizes a variety of cultural aspects that define one country’s culture from the other. Culture is defined and differentiated by technologies with regards to timing, moving, storing, analyzing, and producing information, as well as motives, accuracy, types, timeliness of data collection, language barriers, ethical standards, and attitudes of individuals collecting information. Different clients from dif ferent cultures seek to satisfy similar needs in different ways, which constitute cultures and common practice. Marketing professionals need to devise marketing strategies and products that are not biased to a particular culture, and are able to cover all cultural needs in question. Through research and information analysis, marketing professionals are able to understand the different needs of their customers with regards to their cultural variations. Cross-cultural analysis is carried out by relevant marketing professionals on the target markets of the firms they work for. International marketers seek to analyze particular cultures and the differences pertaining to their marketing strategies using relevant models of study and analysis. Here, cross-cultural research models used by

The Agrotourism In Malaysia Tourism Essay

The Agrotourism In Malaysia Tourism Essay Agrotourism is also known as agritourism and farm-based tourism. Agrotourism is actually the collaborations between tourism and agriculture since the visitor go to travelling as tourist to enjoy, relaxation, spend time and money for joyfullness and happiness in addition to visiting agricultural area, doing agricultural-related activities like harvesting, planting, fishing, and etc. It is a form of tourism in agricultural areas such as orchards, agroforestry farms, herbal farms and animal farms. According to World Tourism Organisation (WTO, 2002) that agrotourism is part of rural tourism and relates to tourism on farms. It gives farmers the opportunities to expand their activities and also to increase their income. Agrotourism is just a small part of rural tourism and agricultural practice worldwide, excluding in some European countries such as Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland, where the number of farms that offer some form of tourism is remarkably large. Agrotourism has differe nt definitions in different parts of the world. In Italy, it refers to farmstays. However in other parts of the world, agrotourism includes a wide range of activities which comprises of buying produce direct from a farm stand, navigating a corn maze, picking fruits, feeding animals or staying at a BB (bed and breakfast inn) on a farm. Agrotourism covers a wide range of agriculture-related activities about which visitors learn and can try them out by themselves. In ASEAN countries like Thailand, rice farming, flower growing, vegetable and herb cultivation and livestock farming are some common examples of agrotourism. Agrotourists or visitors are exposed to agricultural practices in a more leisure fashion, such as by joining picturesque canal tours or strolling through shady fruit orchards (tasting the fruits right from the trees) and working in rice farms. Almost all the agricultural research and study centres scattered throughout the country are supporting the agrotourism. Visitors are allowed to tour the centres, watch the demonstrations or take part in the hands on activities. Agrotourism and ecotourism are also closely-related. Agrotourism is when a native person or locals of the area offer the tours to their agriculture farm to allow a person to view them growing, harvesting and processing locally grown foods such as coconuts, pineapple, sugar cane, corn or any produce the person would not encounter in their home country. The farmers would also offer a homestay programme and education for the visitors. Activities that usually be offered to agrotourists or visitors: Opportunities for interaction between hosts and guests (visitors) Horseback riding Demonstrating and participating in daily farm work Providing courses in organic farming and gardening Demonstrating or offering classes in making traditional local crafts Demonstrating food processing, serving typical local dishes and offering cooking lessons Organising cultural events Offering excursions to natural and cultural attractions in the surroundings Exhibitions of agrotourist products Agrotourism in many European countries consists primarily of lodging and meals on the farm. Farm buildings are often remodeled by the farm families into rustic lodging facilities, and operate them as a type of bed and breakfast (BB) inn. Some farms especially in Switzerland, do little more than clean out a barn and spread straw on the floor, upon which people roll out sleeping bags. Other farms will provide fairly upscale accommodations for the visitors. Visitors are also able to tour the farms, help out with some farm chores and have meals with the farm family. Invariably, they experience life on the farm genuinely. In England, 23% of farms provide some type of commercial leisure service enterprise such as fishing, nature trails, picnic sites and so forth whereas 24% of English farms provide overnight accommodation and/or catering (Turner and Winter, 2003). In countries like France, hikers and cyclists can follow a network of trails around the country that leads from farm to farm. In the Netherlands and some other European countries, the farmers have centralized clearinghouses for contacting and booking stays services on working farms. Agrotourism, while new to many types of American agriculture, has been a major part of the development of the American wine industry for decades. Many wineries are part of organized regional wine tours, and some special events such as concerts, festivals, and weddings are also held for attractions. And another form of agrotourism that has been around for decades is dude ranches. Dude ranches are more common in the United States and Australian Outback. It offers vi sitors the opportunity to work on cattle ranches and the chance to take part in the cattle drives. In Australia, Canada and the Philippines, agrotourism is deemed as a growth industry. Reynolds (2005) mentions that agrotourism is a type of businesses conducted by farmers whose working agricultural operations for the enjoyment and education of visitors. Since it can complement farmers income and contribute to local economic development, agrotourism is being conceptualized as a business model in terms of product diversification. Referred to as agriturismo in Italy, sleeping in the straw in Switzerland, farmstays in New Zealand, and farm holidays in England, agrotourism is well established throughout Europe and in many other countries (Rilla, 1999a). Agrotourism enterprise as a business conducted by a farm operator or farmer for the enjoyment and education of the public beside promoting the products of the farm, and generating additional farm income (Hilchey, 1993:4). Although the farmers may not always have the time, moneys and necessary skills and expertise to develop the tourism p otential of their business, agriculture and public sector tourism organizations are always promoting agrotourism (Stephen J. and Getz, Don (eds)). Trends of Agrotourism Agrotourism was recognized as a part of ecotourism formerly as both have similar principles to conduct nature attractions (Rilla 1999). Both have been identified as the fastest tourism development model in the world. They have been widely developed in developing countries as a potential development models as natural resources and support of local society economically (OTA, 1992). At the moment, agrotourism has successfully developed in many countries, for instance Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Netherlands, Australia, and Austria (Rilla 1999). In Indonesia, there are eight provinces trying to develop agrotourism such as North Sumatera with rubber and palm plantations, Riau with cacao plantations, West Java by botanical gardens, Central Java and Daerah Istimewa Yogjakarta by salak pondoh agrotourism in Sleman, East Java by sugar plantations, Nusa Tenggara Barat by Rinjani ecotourism, Middle of Kalimantan and West of Kalimantan by palm plantations. Currently, they are still simply managed with limited facilities and are not developed on community-based model, and have not been well promoted (Indonesian Agriculture Department, 2005). Previously, agrotourism attraction was only interpreted as panorama attractions and plantations area, but now agrotourism has been interpreted as a linkage system between tourism and agriculture sectors as well as a model of region development (Indonesia Agriculture Department, 2005). Application of Agrotourism Agrotourism is highly dependent on the type of agricultural activity that is practiced in that particular area. In other words, this means that not all agrotourism destinations in the world provide the same agricultural activities. So in this subtopic, we are going to introduce and discuss about some famous agrotourism destinations in our country, Malaysia. This will definitely exposed us the similarities and differences among the agrotourism destinations throughout the world. First of all, let us look at Malaysias agrotourism spots. There are some famous examples of destinations such as: (i) Cameron Highland (ii) Taman Pertanian Sabah (iii) Parit Jawa Johor (i) Cameron Highland Cameron Highlands is Malaysias premier hill resort. Located in the state of Pahang, on the Main Range of Peninsular Malaysia, at 1524m above sea level, it is the largest of the Malaysian hill resorts. Much of its appeal lies in the net sprawling tea plantations which date back to 1929, as well as terraced flower gardens, strawberry farms, orchard and vegetable gardens. Being a popular hill resort, Cameron Highlands is well-developed with visitor amenities, tourist attractions, activities and a range of accommodation for a comfortable, leisurely holiday in cool invigorating climate. The cool climate which never ranged more than 20 degree Celsius, along with its fertile soil also attracts tourist from various places. Initially, the virgin jungle cleared for cultivation of tea bushes. Thus began Boh Estate, the first highland tea plantation in the country. Subsequently, other tea estates were opened, among them, the Blue Valley and Bharat plantations. The highland was also found to be conducive for the commercial cultivation of vegetables, flowers and fruits such as oranges and strawberries. The increasing popularity of Cameron Highlands in recent years has attracted the development of more tourism facilities and spots to cater to the growing number of visitors. The practice of agrotourism can be observed in various agricultural places which is well equipped with facilities in Cameron Highlands. This is important as the combination of both agriculture and tourist attraction forms agrotourism. There are many activities and places to be visited in Cameron Highlands in the context of agrotourism such as: (a) Sungai Palas Tea Estate It is one of the four tea states on the highlands, also produces the world famous BOH TEA. Tourists may travel 1 km into this estate where the factory is located. Resident guides will introduce the complex processes involved in the production of fragrant tea. These include the picking of tea leaves and the intricate art of brewing a good cup of tea. Tourists can even purchase some tea, the main produce of the highland, as a souvenir. (b) Apiary- Honeybee Farm Apiary- Honeybee farm is a small cottage industry for the production of honey. It is a garden ere some 25 varieties of flowers have been cultivated not for sale, but as a food supply for honey bees in search of nectar and pollen. Honey, believe it contain amazing ingredients for treating ailments such as insomnia, lethargy, skin diseases and even impotence. (c) Strawberry Farm Strawberries are another unique and proud product of the Highlands, seen as a trademark of the hill resort. The variety is known as FRESNO. Tourist will not leave the farm without a jar of strawberry jam. (d) Flower Nurseries Fresh flowers are cultivated in the highlands and are a leading export. Most of the flowers are grown in Brinchang. Bloom like roses, chrysanthemum, carnations, dahlia, geranium and everlasting flowers are grown in the nurseries. No visit to the highlands is complete without purchasing some of these colourful cuts to take back home. (e) Vegetable Farm Cameron Highlands is the nations prime producer of fresh vegetables, with some of the produce exported to neighbouring countries. Most of the vegetable farms can be spotted from the road along Brinchang to Tringkap. Cabbages, cauliflower, tomatoes, carrots, leeks, parsley and pepper are grown here. Purchases can be made at the vegetable stalls. (ii) Taman Pertanian Sabah Taman Pertanian Sabah is part of the 1500 acres of the Agriculture Research Station, Lagud Sebrang Tenom which is administered and owned by the Agriculture Department Sabah. It is a complex consisting of the Agriculture Research Station, Seed production Centre for Cash Crop, Farmers Training Centre and Taman Pertanian Sabah itself. The Park sprawled over an area of 500 acres. The park was first opened to visitors in October 2000, and was officially launched by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad on the 25 March, 2001. With its rich biodiversity, the Park has a magnificent collection for indigenous and introduced plants species. It is also a conservation centre for native Orchids of Borneo. This park would become a heritage for the next generation and this will help to educate people in nature conservation and the preservation of natural rainforest through cultivation of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers. The lush greenery, multitude species of plants or flowers of endemic to Borneo Island and very rare, panoramic view of the lakes, captivating landscaped gardens provide an excellent base to expand your knowledge and ideal environment for those who seek peace, quiet and tranquility away from stressed and urban noise. This park also provides a great trekking ground as well as nature walks and jungle activities. The park is blessed with Mother Natures treasures. The park is a showcase of integrated activities carried out by all the Departments and Agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture Development and Food Industry. It also serves as a training and education centre for agriculture, horticulture, apiculture, seed production, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry. It is divided into four key areas: (a) Agriculture This included Living Crop Museum, Demonstration Farms, Agro forestry, Bee Centre and Germplasm collection. (b) Horticulture This include Native Orchid Centre, Hybrid Orchid, Evolution garden, Model Garden and Ornamental Garden (c) Animal Husbandry This included Animal Park and Animal Farm. (d) Fisheries This included Freshwater Fishing. Objectives of Taman Pertanian Sabah are firstly, as a major Agrotourism centre in the state. Secondly, to provide demonstration farms for Agricultural activities, Animal breeding and Fisheries. Thirdly, to serve as a centre for training and demonstration on Agriculture, Horticulture, Fishery, Apiculture, Seed Technology, Forestry and Animal Husbandry. Next is to provide facilities for nature-based recreational activities and the final objective is to promote awareness and love for nature. (iii) Parit Jawa Johor The following agrotourism destination that i recommended is a place which situated On the western coast of Johor, lies a small town called Parit Jawa. The main attraction here especially during the October-March migration season, is the birdlife. Despite the busy river mouth near the jetty the bird fauna seems unperturbed. The most noticeable of the birds are the Lesser Adjutants of the family of Storks, by sheer virtue of their endangered status and size. Standing at 120 cm tall, with a white body and dark grey wings this species is unmistakable. Its head is virtually bald, apart from a sparse covering of fine hair-like feathers. There are only 2000 odd numbers left in the world and its cousin, the Greater Adjutant, not found in Malaysia, is critically endangered with only 500 odd left in the wild. To be able to sight these amazing prehistoric looking birds is worth the weekend to this classic, pre-war-looking town of Parit Jawa. Birdlife The main attraction of Parit Jawa, especially during the October-March migration season, is the birdlife.  Though there is a regular traffic of fishing boats winding its way through the muddy channels, and though there are local people going about their business near the jetty the bird fauna seems unperturbed.  The most noticeable of the birds are the Lesser Adjutants, by sheer virtue of their size.  Standing at 120 cm tall, with a white body and dark grey wings this species is unmistakable. Comically, its head is virtually bald, apart from a sparse covering of fine hair-like feathers.  Ã‚   Active during the day, these storks feed on fish and amphibians such as the Crab-eating Frog. Once seized, the prey is subjected to a series of stabs with its powerful beak, before being swallowed whole.  At nights the storks roost in mangrove trees along the coast.   Nesting occurs mainly during the dry season, either in small colonies or as single nests.     Ã‚  Other shorebirds not commonly seen in Malaysia but which may be sighted at Parit Jawa include the Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris, the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata and the Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes.  Ã‚   Egrets and smaller herons are easily seen, including the Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus.  The Striated Heron Butorides striatus is very common, and is often seen perched close to the jetty or stalking small fish around the moored fishing boats.   Flocks of terns are often seen following fishing vessels back to harbour, swooping down to pluck small fish from the waters churned up by the boats propellers.   Kingfishers are common too, including migrants such as the Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis and the Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata; there are numerous sticks or posts close to the jetty where they like to perch.  Ã‚   Fishing Village For visitors unfamiliar with the laid-back charms of rural Malaysia the fishing village of Kuala Parit Jawa serves as a fine example.   The tidal inlet is crowded with wooden vessels which fish the muddy waters of the Straits of Malacca, and there are a number of open-air seafood restaurants specialising in spicy fish recipes.   Add to that a couple of brightly coloured Chinese temples and modest Malay kampung houses surrounded by banana, papaya and durian orchards and you have a scene of rural tranquility. Mud and Mangroves Beyond the rickety wooden jetty at the mouth of Kuala Parit Jawa is a wide expanse of mud, which is  exposed at low tide.   The coastal mudflats of the Straits of Malacca are rich in organic content, supporting an abundance of invertebrate life including worms, snails, bivalves, crabs and prawns.   In turn these food groups support a rich web of higher species including fish such as mudskippers, reptiles such as water snakes and monitors, and a wide range of bird species.  Ã‚  Mammals too live in the adjacent mangroves; groups of  Long-tailed Macaque Macaca fascicularis regularly venture out of the mangroves and onto the mudflats, probably to feed upon crabs hence their other name Crab-eating Macaque.   The Oriental Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinerea can also be sighted here.   Implications of Agrotourism Agrotourism has contributed much to both the economic and social sector in our country development. However, there are positive and negative implications of agrotourism. First of all, agrotourism contributes lots in improving the economy of the local communities. When we are promoting about agrotourism, we are actually promoting both the agriculture and tourism as they are combined in this sector. Places of agriculture will sell the products and induce the tourism of the place at the same time. As a result, tourists will buy the agriculture products and spending for tour cost such as accommodation as well. Besides, agrotourism will help to increase the value of the village. For instance, the residents can provide home stay-themed-accommodation for the tourists. Home stay is a form of program that allows the tourists to live with a local family to experience their lifestyle. Besides this program, by spending on the service provided or products bought, the tourists can increase the incomes of the residents in rural area. This additional income will help to raise the status of the residents. Thus, the poverty rate in rural area can be decreased. Other  opportunity  generated from agrotourism is providing local employments. The residents of rural area, especially the youths, can work on accommodation service, tour guide service, restaurant or handicraft industry. This will decrease the migration of youths to cities. Thus, agrotourism helps improving the social situations, particularly poverty alleviation, decreasing unemployment and declining urbanization. Generating agrotourism-related businesses  is the most potential opportunity of agrotourism development. Due to the increasing amount of the tourists, traditional cakes or chips are produced in order to introduce the local food to them. In the handicraft industry, souvenir such as batik and canes products are made to sell to the tourists. To maintain the amount of visitors, agricultural product improvements and stimulations of tourism-related  enterprises are done. Last but not least, abandoned land can be developed in the practice of agrotourism. The development of agrotourism brings about the utilization of lands. These lands can turn out to be a new tourist attraction spot. They can be used as aquaculture rearing, orchard farm or recreational park. Nevertheless, agrotourism has its negative effects towards the environment when it is over-developed. Climatic change is one of the major problems which the agrotourism sector caused. Recently, we can see the global temperature is increasing drastically from year to year. The best example is Cameron Highland, a place that practice agrotourism. It was known as a cold place but now, the temperature is actually increasing. This has caused the crop yield of the agriculture products such as vegetable and fruits to decrease because these plants are only suitable in temperate condition. Another negative effect that we can see is the pollution problem. Extensive agrotourism activities have released polluting by-products which results in environmental problems. The increasing number of tourists causes air pollution in a particular area as they using vehicles which release greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These polluting gases are emitted into the atmosphere and translate into the acid rain. Acid rain has adverse affect on the plants, fresh water and soil because it can kills some of the living organisms. Besides, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides also result in soil pollution. Excessive use of chemical pesticides which exceed permissible limit causes undesirable health effects and reduces biodiversity. Continuous use of fertilizer that contains heavy metals such as cadmium in phosphate rocks will pollute the soil and render the crops to be toxic. When the rain falls, the pollutants in soil will be brought to the river along with the rain, which will then cause water pollution. In addition, increases in use of chemical fertilizer results in higher level of nitrates being washed from the soil into the water ecosystem. This causes an excessive enrichment of the water, eutrophicaton, leading to rapid algal growth that creates oxygen deficit and killing of aquatic life. This chain reaction will further affect our ecosystem and biodiversity. When agrotourism is allowed to develop without proper planning, deforestation might happen. As this sector is growing rapidly, more and more land is required. So, the limited availability of land will lead to deforestation. Deforestation will brings to decrease in the wildlife population and at a more critical state, the biodiversity of the area will be affected. Consequently, there will be agricultural mismanagement which results in less arable land for agriculture and at the meantime, affect the agrotourism sector. Constraints of Agrotourism Lack of promotion is another constraint of agrotourism. Advertisement related to agrotourism is not established to a wider range of places. People will not have much information about the agrotourism places. Besides, the pamphlets that provide incomplete information will confuse the tourists. The information given may not be interesting or fascinating enough to attract the tourists. Furthermore, many places are lack of tour guides to introduce the places to the tourists. These will deter them from visiting the agrotourism spot. The authorities should promote the uniqueness of each village to strengthen the destination by combining with other related activities to reach the goals of agrotourism. Facilities also play an important role in the development of agrotourism. The hardest barriers of agrotourism development are inadequate infrastructures, limited public facilities and imperfect human resource skills. It will be a trouble when the facilities such as transportation, hotel and toilet do not fulfill the tourists demands. Another problem in agrotourism is insufficient government supports. Due to the small amount of governmental expenditure on research and development of agrotourism, technical assistance and support, as well as agro-marketing, agrotourism always faces problems in developing. Government empowerment, investment in agricultural sectors, infrastructure development, human skill improvement, public facilities development, and local communities empowerment and involvement need to be immediately committed to apply an ideal agrotourism. Besides, the younger generation is the important factor in the development of agrotourism. However, they are not concerned and interested about the greenery. From their point of view, agrotourism spot is not an interesting place to travel and it is not worth to go for such an unmemorable and uncomfortable trip. Water World or Extreme Park will draw more attention from them. Also, they are not interested to work in the agrotourism sector. Fresh graduates are not enthusiastic about the job in agrotourism as they thought it is not well-paid compared to the professional sector. As a consequence, there is no new generation to take over this sector. Lastly, scarce investment is a big problem for agrotourism sector. It is more risky to invest in this sector compared to the other sectors which are stable in development. Investors are less likely to invest in agrotourism as this sector is not a popular trend in the world yet. All in all, the government, non-governmental organizations, and even the people of our country should do their best to contribute to agrotourism. The government should not just fork out money in maintenance. Instead, they should find alternatives in supporting the development of agrotourism. Solutions to solve the constraints and implement to improve this sector should be their priority concern. Ways to Improve Agrotourism In Malaysia Agrotourism and homestay programmes provided opportunities for local involvement and additional sources of income. A total of 19 agro-tourism locations were developed with the participation of farmers and fishermen during the Seventh Plan period. The products included day visits, farm-stay and agro-tourism packages. Agrotourism is rapidly carving a niche in Malaysia, especially as the country has a wealth of products to offer locals and visitors alike. Agricultural tourism, as it is formally known, helps by improving incomes and economic potentials of small farms, rural communities and agro-based ventures throughout the country. Visitors can also help with the locals daily chores, feeding the ducks, tending to the vegetables and see how the local communities thrive in todays fast-paced world. There are also homestays where visitors can discover more of local agrotourism practices. There are also fruit farms and parks where locals and visitors can learn more of agroutourism in Malaysia. In Malaysia, an agriculture park measuring over 10000 hectares has been opened, showing visitors how Malaysian agriculture has developed. For example, Cameron Highland located at Pahang and Dusun d Paradise that is situated in Melaka. These places have become tourist hotspot as it offer variety of activity and different experience for tourist. Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agrotourism ( MAHA ) is the main organization that promotes the practice of agrotourism. Today, the industry is still growing and need a lot of improvement to achieve optimum benefit. Supportive government policies are one of the ways of improvement. It maintains a business environment with oppurtunities for growth and profits have made agrotourism in Malaysia an attractive sector. The private sector in Malaysia is encouraged to become partners with the public sector in achieving the nations development objectives. Governments commitment to maintain a business environment should be the main objective that provides companies with the opportunities for growth and profits. Government can also pay constant feedback from the business community through channels of consultation such as regular government- private sector dialogues. These allow the various business communities to air their views and to contribute towards the formulation of better agrotourism. Air, land and sea transportation will be continuously upgraded to facilitate accessibility and the growth of the tourism industry. The comfort, safety and security of tourists are crucial for the success of the agrotourism industry. The government will increase security patrols, especially in remote tourist resorts, to ensure the safety of tourists. At the same time, adherence to safety measures in the transportation of passengers by road, rail, sea and air will remain a top priority. Operators, guides and instructors in the tourism business will need to be more conscious of the well-being of tourists and strive to ensure their comfort and safety. In addition, further efforts will be made to provide tourists with quality goods and services at reasonable prices. Over the years, extensive promotional campaigns have been engineered both locally and overseas to attract tourists from around the world. Despite the economic slowdown, the tourism industry remains strong. Today, Malaysia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. This will allow the agrotourism industry to continuously expanding. Government must take initiative, which are undertaken by its official tourism promotional board, Tourism Malaysia. This will create potential investment opportunities in many areas. Tourism Malaysia has established video clips in local television programme to promote agrotourism. Stable political condition is also essential for marketing in agrotourism even for major tourist attractions. Government should ensure the political condition is always stable so as to allow the continuous of tourist flowing into the country, thus promoting agrotourism. Besides that, this will make investor feel secure and allow them to expand the field safely. Malaysia government should offers investors a young, educated and productive workforce at costs competitive with the other countries in Asia. This will allow the investors to develop and practice agrotourism in a more convenient way. Thus, this will attract more investors to develop in Malaysia and directly contribute to the countrys economy. The investors also need to play their role to improve the practice of agrotourism. They should provide better infrastructure for their customers such as transports, accommodations and catering facilities. They must provide good transport links because even attractive regions can be almost impossible to market for tourism if they are not accessible from the population centres. Investors should ensure that the agriculture they planted must be in healthy condition and always fresh to attract more people to come and have a tour. Investors can cooperate with government to create partnership with travel agency of other country to promote local agrotourism. Tour agency can provide attractive tour packages and promotion for the tourist where is the investor will give cheaper price for the agent. This is a form of symbiosis interaction between the tour agent and investor. Both parties will get benefit from the interaction. Investor must provide wide d

Horatio in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- Custom Essays Hamlet

Horatio in Hamlet      Ã‚   In Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, the closest friend of the hero is a fellow-student from Wittenberg (Granville-Barker 93), an intelligent and understanding young man by the name of Horatio. This essay seeks to carefully present his character.    Marchette Chute in â€Å"The Story Told in Hamlet† describes Horatio’s part in the opening scene of the play:    The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. A young man named Horatio, who is a school friend of Hamlet, has been told of the apparition and cannot believe it, and one of the officers has brought him there in the night so that he can see it for himself. The hour comes, and the ghost walks. (35)    Horatio, frightened, futilely confronts the ghost:    What art thou that usurp'st this time of night,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Together with that fair and warlike form   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In which the majesty of buried Denmark   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Did sometimes march? by heaven I charge thee, speak! (1.1)    Maynard Mack in â€Å"The World of Hamlet† maintains that Horatio’s words to the spirit â€Å"are subsequently seen to have reached beyond their contexts. . . (244). So Horatio and Marcellus exit the ramparts of Elsinore intending to enlist the aid of Hamlet, who is home from school. Hamlet is dejected by the â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† of his mother to his uncle less than two months after the funeral of Hamlet’s father (Gordon 128). Soon Horatio and Ma... ... Frank Cass & Co., Ltd., 1964. p.14-16. http://www.freehomepages.com/hamlet/other/essayson.htm#demag-ess N. pag.    Pitt, Angela. â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Rpt. from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html    West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957.    Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. â€Å"Shakespeare.† Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.