Constitutions Abroad :: essays research papers

The Constitution of the United States of America is unique in many ways. It is also has various similar qualities from the constitutions of other countries around the world. The constitutions of Switzerland, Poland, and Germany have commonalties with that of the United States’ constitution because they all talk about freedom and personal liberty, use the separation of powers as an effective way to run the government, and the elections process. Article 2 of the Swiss Constitution states that, â€Å"The Swiss Confederation protects the liberty and rights of the people and safeguards the independence and security of the country.† This article is very similar to that of the First Amendment of the United States’ Constitution. This amendment states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Freedom and basic personal liberties such as these are widely exercised in many worldly constitutions. However, this is not the only shared characteristic that the U.S. Constitution shares with those of the rest of the world. Other countries such as Poland have the effective system of the separation of powers working with them, as does the United States. We all know that the separation of powers was established so that no one specific group in the government would be able to dominate our country. This concept is very much like Poland’s way of keeping the power out of one single unit. Article 10 of the Polish Constitution states: The system of government of the Republic of Poland shall be based on the separation of and balance between the legislative, executive and judicial powers. Legislative power shall be vested in the House of Representatives and the Senate, executive power shall be vested in the President of the Republic of Poland and the Council of Ministers, and the judicial power shall be vested in courts and tribunals. Because more than one country uses this method and has been successful for quite some time, it is safe to say that this particular way of running the government is fair and effective. Other effective measures have been taken by the U.S. to ensure a smoothly operated government. Much like the Constitution of the United States, the German constitution holds the law of fair, free, and secret elections.

Comparing and contrasting between two poems Essay

In this essay I am going to look at the differences and similarities between two cultural poems. I will look at the language used by the poets to describe the different cultures and I will also look at the imagery used to portray the cultures in the poems. The two poems I will be looking at is ‘Island man by Grace Nichols’ and ‘Blessing by Imtiaz Dharker’ The poem ‘Island Man’ is about a Caribbean Island man who lives in London and still wakes up to the sound of the sea and the poem ‘Blessing’ is about a third world country who have hardly any water and can’t wait for the water pipe to burst so that they can have some more water for a while. Island Man is broken up into four stanza’s with one line at the end on it’s own. The first stanza is where he is waking up after dreaming about the island and he is slowly coming back from his dream. In this stanza they have used a metaphor ‘wombing’, which is actually a made up word, however, this word makes you think that he could have possibly grown up here as the word gives the impression that he feels a sense of safety towards the island and so he could have grown up there. It also uses sibilance with the words ‘Surf, steady and wakes’. This creates a calm and gentle mood for the island where ‘Island Man’ possibly grew up. The second Stanza is also about him waking up from his dream and coming back from the island in his head and also expands on the image created in the first stanza. The first line ‘Wild seabirds’ gives you the feeling that on this island you are free and you can relax and have fun without being stressed out all the time. There is an adverb ‘defiantly’ used on the third line to describe the sun ‘Sun surfacing defiantly’ this is a lexical field, creating the image of independence or refusing to be organized. Also the word ’emerald’ has been used to describe the island, this suggests that the island is precious to him and that it has many vivid colours whish are really special to him. Then the last line of the second stanza is stood out from the rest of the poem ‘groggily groggily’ is used to describe the him coming back from the island to the stress of everyday life, and it emphasises the way that he doesn’t want t o come back. The third and fourth stanza’s are about him waking up from his dream about the island and realises that he is in London and not where he wants to be. ‘Grey metallic soar’ and ‘Dull, north circular roar’ are used to describe London as really dull and having a lack of colour, whereas the island appeared to be very colourful, for example ‘ Blue surf’ and ‘sun surfacing defiantly’ and ’emerald island’. Also in the third stanza the third line stands out from the rest of the poem ‘ Surge of wheels’, this is describing the sharp sound of London compared to the soft and relaxing sounds of the island. In the fourth stanza, the first and second lines link back to the island ‘muffling, muffling’ deadens the sharp sounds from earlier in the poem and ‘his crumpled pillow waves’, links to the sounds of the island, him thinking his pillow is the waves of the island. And finally the last line in the fourth stanza ‘island man heaves himself’ which is followed by the last line ‘Another London day’, Contrasts with wakes up and shows how much he really is longing to be on that island instead of in London and how he has to pull himself away from his island and begin another London day. The poem ‘Blessing’ starts with a similie which really emphasises the meaning of the poem ‘the skin cracks like a pod. There is never enough water’, onomatopoeia is also used with the word ‘cracks’ to add emphasis to show how desperate these people are for water. Like ‘Island Man’ the second stanza expands on the image created within the first two lines. The second line uses onomatopoeia twice, ‘splash’ and ‘echo’. This makes you realise how precious the water is to the people in the poem, especially when it says how they imagine the echo of it in a tin mug on lines 3-6, this really shows there desperation and longing for something everyone else would take for granted. In the third stanza, various metaphors are used to add emphasis to the previous stanza and also create a new image of how they react when they receive more water than they normally have. They describe the water as ‘silver crashing to the ground’, this shows how important the water is to the people, especially when the water is described as ‘silver’. The people are described as a ‘congregation’ to again add emphasis and show how much these people want the water and how desperate they are, this is shown again by using another metaphor on the very last line of the third stanza ‘frantic hands’, this again shows the desperate people trying to reach for the water. Finally, the fourth stanza describes how fantastic and amazing they find this water by using another metaphor to show how much they treasure the water ‘as the blessing sings over their small bones’, also in this final stanza it describes how poor they were and how little they had by saying that the children were naked and their ‘small bones’ could mean that they are really weak as they don’t have much to eat and obviously not enough to drink. Overall the two poems are fairly similar as they are both about people wanting things and longing for something that they don’t have. For instance in ‘Island Man’ he continuously dreams about the island where he possibly grew up and where he wants to be everyday instead of the dull and stressful life that he is currently living in London. Likewise in ‘Blessing’ the people who live in the poor country have hardly any water and are longing for water. A phrase from each poem could possibly link this to each poem, for example in ‘Island Man’ on the fourth line it says ‘In his head’ and in ‘Blessing’ on the third line it says ‘Imagine’. These phrases could indicate to the reader that both poems are about people wanting things that they can’t have and are so desperate that they dream about them. However there are differences between the two poems, for instance in the way the poems are written, because Island man has no punctuation apart from a capital letter on the first and last line and also on the first line in the section of poem that starts to describe the city of London. This could be to distinguish between the two different places described in the poem and then the last line of the poem where it shows how he is feeling about waking up for another London day when he really doesn’t want to. And also because in ‘Blessing’ they are longing for something which they need to survive (water), whereas in ‘Island Man’ he is desperate to go back to the island where he grew up and is precious to him however unlike the people in ‘Blessing’, he could actually live without the island, even though he may not want to, although you cant live without water.

Got Milk Essay

In the fast paced world of today, advertisers have to keep up with the times. One of the best ways they do this is through the â€Å"Got Milk† advertisements. Milk is a part of everyday life. The â€Å"Got Milk† campaign is seen in all types of magazines from sports to beauty, featuring many different kinds of celebrities selling their product. By putting familiar faces on magazine advertisements and using interesting television commercials, the company sell their products. It also gets people to drink more milk and it is a very effective campaign. They are trying to reinforce that the calcium in milk keeps bones strong and helps prevent osteoporosis but is that the way everyone views the ads and commercial advertisements? The first Got Milk advertisement ran on October 29, 1993, and featured an extreme history buff receiving a call to answer a radio station’s $10,000 trivia question , â€Å"Who shot Alexander Hamilton in that famous duel? † The man’s apartment is shown to be a sort of museum to the duel, packed with artefacts. He answers the question correctly, but because his mouth is full of peanut butter and he has no milk to wash it down, the radio station couldn’t make out his answer and he ran out of time. For most, this commercial would have been just funny and comical but others weren’t so amused. Some history buffs said this was a disgrace to the Alexander Hamilton and said that it was mocking him. This just goes to show we all see things differently. Irony is the secret weapon to get the point across for this advertisement. There is a green eyed blonde with a low cut â€Å"little black dress† caressing her flawless body with her arm around a martini glass filled with milk. She is seductively leaning against a glass covered wooden bar with a luring gleam in her eyes. Her and the milk are the main focus of this advertisement. In the background is faded liquor and wine bottles. While looking at her you cannot take your eyes off of her milk mustache and the milk martini glass that got to touch her full pink lips. The irony of this advertisement is that out of all the handsome tall liquor bottles, she chose the thin lean martini with milk in it. Now maybe next time the viewer of this advertisement is consuming alcohol they will think about having a nice cold refreshing glass of milk when they get home. Even though that’s what the message of this cosmopolitan magazine was, some mothers made complaints saying that their daughters read their magazines and that it was promoting drinking alcoholic beverages with the martini and wine glasses all over the advertisement. Surely not all people have the same views and opinion. Another â€Å"Got Milk advertisement I would like to examine is the Superman advertisement. When you think of superman what comes to mind? Do you think of his ability to fly? Maybe, you think of his attractive face? Or possibly, you think of his rocking physique? Superman is a heroic icon known by people of all different types. They see him as a credible character that devotes his life to saving the damsels in distress. At one moment or another in most people’s lifetime, they dream to be the hero in some situation. They hope to be recognized for their good deeds and give credit to those that they look up to. Whether they are young or old, people do their best to imitate the actions of their icon, superman, every day. In this advertisement, the author is trying to get people to drink more milk by making them believe that in order to be like superman they have to drink milk. The advertisement depicts superman floating high in the crystal blue sky surrounded by fluffy white clouds. Superman is made to be the center of this picture because he is enlarged compared to the background. Although his tights and the sky are a similar shade of blue, the bold red makes him stand out. Superman also makes a statement because of the body language he displays. In the midst of this calm and serene background superman stands with his arms crossed, looking powerful and bold with a milk mustache. Although he looks a little silly with the milk mustache he has a very serious look on his face. The underlying message is that if you want to be as powerful and strong as superman you have to get down to business and drink your milk. In the depicted advertisement the author is trying to persuade everyday people by making it seem as though the only reason superman has strong bones is because he drinks milk. The point of the advertisement is to make people think that if they drink milk they will feel great and have super strong bones like superman. This is exactly why comic book fanatics were furious over this ad. They said his strong bones and super powers came from his home planet â€Å"Krypton† and not from drinking milk. We see this as silly but when someone is passionate about something they stick to it and don’t let it go. Even something so fictional can have an effect on how a person takes an ad. In conclusion the â€Å"got milk† campaign is a very well organized and structured campaign that makes others want to drink milk from seeing their role models with their milk mustaches. Eighteen years ago this campaign started and it is still grasping the attention of viewers. The population is getting healthier from drinking more milk therefore these got milk advertisements must be working. The â€Å"Got Milk† campaign and there white mustaches will be around for a very long time encouraging people to drink more milk but if people see the innocent â€Å"Got Milk† campaign as offensive then there will always be people that don’t like what their lo.

Realism and Non-governmental organizations essays

Realism and Non-governmental organizations essays The contemporary political world has existed relatively unchanged since the ratification of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Under this system, states and their leaders became the ultimate decision-makers in the world. For hundreds of years, this system has provided a guideline for the behavior of states. The need for a more formal state system came as the world became more closely linked. Even if the system has not changed, the world in which exists has transformed since 1648. One of the major forces working and creating pressure to change the system is globalization and the interdependency. The purpose of regimes and international organizations is to supplement governmental power to provide additional support and stability. A non-governmental organization is any group of people relating to each other regularly in some formal manner and engaging in collective action, provided that the activities are non-commercial, non-violent and are not on behalf of a government (Baylis hierarchical dualism of the Westphalian system because it was an empirical reality, reinforced by the absence of any significant international actors capable of autonomous action (Falk, 138). Nevertheless, according to Hobbes, a covenant without swords are but mere words, and thus any decisions made without the force to back them are nothing more than writing on paper. States are the only significant actors in the system; in spite of that, non-government organizations attempt to create change within the system. Most of the times, NGOs seek a role in order to alleviate some of the negative features that results when governments make decisions, but globalization-from-above has strong positive consequences and potentialities (Falk, 139). It is impossible to make every person happy. The best that can be done is to try to create a favor...

Protest Globalization essays

Protest Globalization essays When I look at the word Globalization many things come into my mind. However, the most positive of them consist of; a world that is more connected, the sharing of different thoughts and ideas and a world in which there are almost no barriers on what we listen to, read and even think. My generation has grown up in the prime of this and I have seen first hand the goodness that can come out of it and I have benefited in many ways from it. However, where there is a good side to Globalization, there too must be a bad one and that can be seen in the term Corporate Globalization. This term has been used a lot in the past decade, not only by me but by people all over the world that have seen the horrible affects of Corporations going global. In the following essay I will try to portray to you why there are a growing number of protests over this type of Globalization and I will give suggestions as to how we may end the corporate slaughter that is affecting all of us. The term Corporate Globalization is very self-explanatory in nature, but so are a lot of things. It is by looking within the term that we will find the true definition of what Corporate Globalization really is. Corporate Globalization is the way in which huge corporations all over the world (not just in the United States, although that is where a lot of it comes from) go into countries where they feel they can make a profit in (mainly countries in the Third World). In doing so these companies are taking a country that was once completely self sufficient and reliant on no one and putting them into the hands of major First World Powers. These corporations then force a huge change among the country that they are entering; this can be seen through the way in which the labourers are affected. When these corporations higher workers, they are only hiring them because they know that they can make a huge profit from being there ...

French Surname Meanings and Origins

French Surname Meanings and Origins Coming from the medieval French word surnom translating as above-or-over name, surnames or descriptive names trace their use in France back to 11th century when it first became necessary to add a second name to distinguish between individuals with the same given name. The custom of using surnames did not become common for several centuries, however. Most French surnames can be traced back to one of these four types: 1) Patronymic Matronymic Surnames Based on a parent’s name, patronyms and matronyms are the most common method French last names were constructed. Patronymic surnames are based on the fathers name and matronymic surnames on the mothers name. The mothers name was usually used only when the fathers name was unknown. Patronymic and matronymic surnames in France were formed in several different ways. The typical form of attaching a prefix or suffix that means son of (e.g., de, des, du, lu,  or  the Norman fitz) to a given name was less common in France that in many European countries, but still prevalent. Examples include Jean de Gaulle, meaning John, son of Gaulle, or Tomas FitzRobert, or Tomas, son of Robert. Suffixes meaning little son of (-eau, -elet, -elin, elle, elet, etc.) may have also been used. The majority of French patronymic and matronymic surnames have no identifying prefix, however, being direct derivations of the parents given name, such as August Landry, for August, son of Landri, or Tomas Robert, for Tomas, son of Robert. 2) Occupational Surnames Also very common among French surnames, occupational last names are based on the person’s job or trade, such as Pierre Boulanger [baker], or Pierre, the baker. Several common occupations found prevalently as French surnames include Berger (shepherd), Bisset (weaver), Boucher (butcher), Caron (cartwright), Charpentier (carpenter), Fabron (blacksmith), Fournier (baker), Gagne (farmer),  Lefebvre (craftsman or blacksmith), Marchand (merchant) and  Pelletier (fur trader). 3) Descriptive Surnames Based on a unique quality of the individual, descriptive French surnames often developed from nicknames or pet names, such as Jacques Legrand, for Jacques, the big.Other common examples include Petit (small), LeBlanc (blonde hair or fair complexion), Brun (brown hair or  dark complexion), and Roux (red hair or ruddy complexion). 4) Geographical Surnames Geographical or habitational French surnames are based on a person’s residence, often a former residence (e.g., Yvonne Marseille means Yvonne from the village of Marseille). They may also describe the individuals specific location within a village or town, such as Michel Là ©glise (church), who lived  next to the church.  The prefixes de, des, du, and le which translate as of may also be found used in geographical French surnames.   Alias Surnames or Dit Names In some areas of France, a second surname may have been adopted to distinguish between different branches of the same family, especially when the families remained in the same town for generations. These alias surnames can often be found preceded by the word dit. Sometimes an individual even adopted the dit name as the family name and dropped the original surname. This practice was most common in France among soldiers and sailors. Germanic Origins of French Names As so many French surnames are derived from first names, it is important to know that many common French first names have Germanic origins, coming into fashion during German invasions into France. Therefore, having a name with Germanic origins does not necessarily mean that you have German ancestors! Official Name Changes in France Beginning in 1474, anyone who wished to change his name was required to get permission from the King. These official name changes can be found indexed in: L Archiviste Jà ©rà ´me. Dictionnaire des changements de noms de 1803–1956 (Dictionary of changed names from 1803 to 1956). Paris: Librairie Francaise, 1974.   Meanings Origins of Common French Surnames 1. MARTIN 26. DUPONT 2. BERNARD 27. LAMBERT 3. DUBOIS 28. BONNET 4. THOMAS 29. FRANCOIS 5. ROBERT 30. MARTINEZ 6. RICHARD 31. LEGRAND 7. PETIT 32. GARNIER 8. DURAND 33. FAURE 9. LEROY 34. ROUSSEAU 10. MOREAU 35. BLANC 11. SIMON 36. GUERIN 12. LAURENT 37. MULLER 13. LEFEBVRE 38. HENRY 14. MICHEL 39. ROUSSEL 15. GARCIA 40. NICOLAS 16. DAVID 41. PERRIN 17. BERTRAND 42. MORIN 18. ROUX 43. MATHIEU 19. VINCENT 44. CLEMENT 20. FOURNIER 45. GAUTHIER 21. MOREL 46. DUMONT 22. GIRARD 47. LOPEZ 23. ANDRE 48. FONTAINE 24. LEFEVRE 49. CHEVALIER 25. MERCIER 50. ROBIN

Comprehensive SWOT analysis for the Proposed performance Improvement Essay

Comprehensive SWOT analysis for the Proposed performance Improvement Plan - Essay Example Additionally, the improvement plan will also be a basis for sufficient financial resources for the Unit from the California Pacific Medical Center, a better image and reputation for the unit along with insulation from any pressures that might arise from other units in the medical center. The improvement plan will further allow the unit to offer differentiated services while offering cost advantages originating from the improved processes, which will be beneficial to the rest of the medical center. A weakness is an aspect or attribute that puts an organization at a disadvantage with the lack of particular strengths being considered as weakness (Schulz & Johnson, 2003). Weaknesses in the improvement plan may result in the medical surgical telemetry unit facing some vulnerability to various pressures. Weakness needs close assessment since some of them may have negative consequences to the organization. A number of the weaknesses intrinsic in the improvement plan of the in the medical surgical telemetry unit include: having an indistinct strategic direction, working with outmoded facilities, inadequate management vision including depth and skills as well as difficulties in raising capital to execute the implementation plan. Additionally, outdated technology in the unit, low morale on the part of the employees, poor previous record in executing strategies and poor image to the rest of the medical center are some of the weaknesses that may affect the implementation plan. Opportunities are seen as advantageous situations that can be used to benefit the organization and is offered from the outside environment so that the management can choose the manner in which they can best use it (Garcarz, Chambers & Ellis, 2003). Opportunities may arise as a consequence of favorable changes in the external environment or from a productive approach created by the management in making the environment beneficial. Some of the