Meditation :: essays research papers

Webster's dictionary defines meditation as "to reflect on; ponder, to engage in contemplation," which it really is, although, many people believe that meditation is a means of developing a more spiritual or religious life. Meditation does not necessarily have to be religious. Many people just meditate to relax or organize their thoughts. Meditation is a very broad subject since there are many ways in which to perform meditation. Not only are there many ways but, there are also many different religions associated with meditation. Not only is meditation good for the soul but, it is also good for the mind. I myself have experimented with meditation and have found it to be very relaxing and at the same time stimulating. One way to perform meditation is to first find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Then you must have a precise, intense focus on one object. Follow and control your breath and note all of your body sensations or track the sequence of your thoughts. Second, be allowing to any thoughts that may enter your head. Be spacious and open- hearted. This is excellent for the mind. Another form that is good for the body is body relaxation. First lie on your back on the floor, a supportive bed or a couch. Close your eyes and rest for a moment. Wait for a feeling of readiness. When you are ready to begin, tighten all the muscles that you can, but never tighten them to the point of discomfort. Hold this for thirty seconds. Next pay close attention to the sensation you feel and remember it. Then let all your muscles go and allow them to relax. Compare the feeling that you are feeling to the one that you had just felt minutes ago. After a few minutes repeat this but, allow your muscles to relax for a longer amount of time. Yoga, another form of meditation, teaches an eightfold path beginning with the acquisition of pure moral attitudes, proceeding through practices of breath control and postures designed to allow a person to concentrate without having his or her mind distracted by outside forces. By concentrating on progressively more abstract concepts the person achieves higher and higher meditative states, culminating in a contentless trance that constitutes liberation. Yogis, people that perform yoga, in more advanced stages of this process are said to be gifted with remarkable powers , such as special capacities for sight, an ability to levitate and to project their minds into other bodies, and so on. Religion is a major factor in meditation.

Globalization And It Effects Essay

I. AN OVERVIEW. With the growing standards of the world and the existing concepts and complexities in political, economic and socio-cultural ideologies, man has always and continuously pondered over the aspects of his nature. Unity, equality, trade and commerce are at the forefront of man’s complexities. With these thoughts in mind, man has moved through history trying to satisfy his desires in relation to others. The advent of the twenty-first century gave birth to the idea of making the world a single village, thus, globalization. Globalization is the most talk-about issues in the 21st century. However, there is the difficulty of the world to come up with a single and uniform definition. This is because, so many people doubt if the happenings in the world today are as a result of globalization. Thus, due to these global differences of what this concept actually is about, globalization has grown to involve aspects not only of economy, but politics and other socio-cultural issues. Globalizati on affects almost every human being, this is because the process of globalization is said to have expanded almost through out the entire world either through transport, commerce, and communication. In addition, man’s activities on the globe are all located under these sectors. Culture, as a way of living of man, is identified by every one immediately after birth and was often seen as distinct from one another. However, with advent of the process of globalization, there is now the integration and homogenization of cultures. â€Å"Homogenization of cultures is the loss of diversity of culture between two or more cultural groups†. Thus, our topic, â€Å"globalization and its effects on cultural integration in the Czech Republic† The Czech Republic is a country with a rich cultural heritage with works of art seen in theatres, cinemas, libraries, globally recognized galleries, museums and concert halls and with well-maintained traditions especially, in the villages of the Moravian-Silesian region. These villages remain as a sign of the cultural taste of the specific areas. II. THE PROBLEM. Human beings with unlimited quest for wants have let to the advent of the process of globalization. This has come through a dramatic expansion in the volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services. The development of new technologies used for information, communication and transportation; and the huge increase in international flow of capital, has gone a long way to affect the economic, political, environmental and socio-cultural sectors of many countries in the world, both positive and negative. Effects on globalization on cultural integration being our topic of discussion, in recent years there have been programs carried out by the government bodies, United Nations, the European Union and the Non-governmental organizations for the integration of immigrants and foreigners in the Czech Republic. As a way of encouraging integration, the ministry of culture represents intercultural dialogue within the state policy. The ministry also give support to cultural activities of members of national minorities living in the country, support for integration of members of the Roma community and immigrants. The Department of Arts, Libraries, Department of Media, and Audiovisual Policies have also supported intercultural projects. Non- governmental organizations such as: Organization for Aid to Refugees, (OPU), People in Need, and Czech Mobility Center and â€Å"Ethnic Friendly employer†. III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY. The main objective of this study is to examine globalization and its effects on cultural integration in the Czech Republic. Other objectives are to examine the effects of globalization on the economic, political and socio-cultural domains in the Czech Republic in general. To determine how globalization has contributed to the transformation of the national sovereignty to global sovereignty. It is also to examine the current rate of integration and the characteristics of the people in the cultural integration process. Furthermore, the study is intended to identify and describe the techniques in which people become culturally integrated and the number of questions being raised. It is also aimed at examining the role of government, the United Nations the World Bank, the NGOs, the Foreigners, Immigrants, in the cultural integration process. Finally, it is to examine the constraints and consequences of cultural integration, since the long-term results are leaving a legacy positively and negatively. As we move towards the third millennium, a rational planning scheme and utilization of cultures should remain the major pre-occupation of the society. IV.HYPOTHESES In order to carry out the study and achieve the stated objectives, a number of hypotheses were advanced to address the problem; i) Globalization and cultural integration form an interrelated spiral. There is, the more there the futures of globalization, the more there is cultural integration. ii) Intensification of trade and commerce and communication is the main cause of cultural integration in the Czech Republic. V. SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY. The later part of the 20th century has seen a remarkable growth in the level of popular concern for environmental, political, economic and socio-cultural issues, which have come as a result of the advent of the globalization process. It is becoming increasingly clear that if the present environmental crisis is not confronted immediately, we stand the risk of having serious and irreversible effects on our world. The Czech Republic has an interest in its cultural protection. That is why the government in order to preserve the Czech culture organizes annual cultural festivals in the country. However, there is little evidence that sufficient steps have been taken to ensure effective protection is done. This is due to the fact that the local communities, which are directly concerned with the culture, are not often considered when making policies concerning their culture, management and protection. Hence, a study of this nature could have results, which are beneficial in a number of ways. Some of these include; To raise awareness of the community on the significance and ways of proper management of cultural issues, To address a number of problems, caused by globalization and its effects on the cultural integration, To provide policy makers and research institutions with the basic data, this would help in designing new program that will be real and problem specific, To provide citizens of not only the Czech Republic but European Union members as well on the currents effects of changes on cultural issues as a result of globalization. VI. METHODOLOGY VI.IIData Collection Although the writer has interacted for some time in this area, and has grown up with a wealth of knowledge of the Czech culture, a further reading was carried out in order to further knowledge of the recent changes in the Czech culture due to the advent of globalization. The theoretical and empirical research was most based on secondary sources and official websites like the Czech Statistical Office, the Ministry of Labor Youths and Sports and Eurostat. Most of the research was mostly on secondary sources were mostly consulted. Several textbooks, journals, unpublished dissertations and other related publications on the subject were also consulted. VI.II. Data Analysis The descriptive techniques were used in analyzing the data collected from sources such as the Czech statistical Office, and Eurostat website. These techniques included the use of tables and graphs with the calculations of percentages, and averages. In addition to this, the data was illustrated in bar charts, and histograms. This can be seen in chapter three. VII. Limitations of the Study The first limitation is that even when the researcher tried to carry a review on some research in the libraries on the effects of globalization on cultural integration in the Czech Republic, there of few textbooks, which have dealt with this topic. Secondly, even with the few ones, some there were mostly in other languages like the Czech language. So due to the scarcity on text books on the topic and the hindrance to consult some of the available ones most of the materials were been extracted from official websites like the Czech Statistics Office, Eurostat, the Ministry of Youths and Sports. Another constraint on the research was that of finance. Some of materials found on the Internet were on sale, and couple with the financial constraints, the researcher was unable to reach all of the available materials. VIII. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY AREA The study area is situated between latitude 49 ° 45 N of the equator and longitude 15  º 30 E of the Greenwich Meridian. Czech Republic is found in the central Europe, bordered in east by Slovakia, in the south by Austria, in the north by Poland and in the west by Germany. It has a land cover of 78,864 sq. kilometers with a population of 10.2 million inhabitants. Major cities include, Prague (the capital city), Brno, Plzen, Olomouc, Karlovy Vary, Ceske Budejovice, Cesky Krumlov, Liberec, Hradec Kralove, Bechyne, Kolin, Pelhrimov, Sumperk, Trebon , Uherske Hradiste and Bruntal. The main ethnic groups in the Czech Republic include; the Czech who are about 9.25 million of the population, the Moravian (more than 380,000), the Slovak about (193.000), the Roma about (171.000), the Silesians (11.000), the Polish (52.000), the Germans (39.000), the Ukrainian (22.000) and the Vietnamese (18.000) Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs (January 2008). Map 1 The Map Of The Czech Republic Source: World Atlas.com. CHAPTER ONE: DEFINITION OF TERMS. Going back to the topic of our thesis, â€Å"Globalization and effects on cultural integration in the Czech Republic†, there is the need to define what globalization actually is. With the growing debate of what when the globalization phenomenon began and it actual meaning, some social science theorists have come forth with the definition of globalization both from the classical and the contemporary era. 1.1 Definition of Globalization Walters says the Webster’s dictionary is the first major dictionary to mention the word globalization in 1961. The dictionary defines globalization as â€Å"to render global† or â€Å"the act of globalizing† cited in Malcolm Walters (2001:2). The concept globalization has now being use by many academics and there has been a debate on when the concept of globalization actually began. There are some who have perceived the concept of globalization has been in to existence before this period. Thus, the below mentioned are some of the definitions of globalization posed by various social science theorists. Marx (1977) is considered by social theorists as the first author to focus on the dimensional approach in the explanation of the concept of globalization; He explained the globalization phenomenon, basing his argument on the economic factor. Marx in his dependency theory saw that the political-territorial boundaries remain intact and will disappear under a future proletarian supremacy. This is seen because, immediately after his death on 14th of March 1883, his ideas began to invoke a major influence on workers revolts in the world such as, Bolsheviks movement also known as the October revolution in Russia in October 25 1917. Wallerstein (1974) is another diamensionalist, who focuses on the economic view on the definition of globalization. Taking from the works of Marx’s dependence theory, in his world systems theory where he developed a theoretical framework to understand the historical changes involved in the rise of the modern world, defines globalization as, â€Å"an increasing level of interdependence between national systems by way of trade, military alliance and domination, and cultural imperialism† cited in Walters (2001:4). Robertson Roland has been considered as one of the most prominent writers of issues of globalization. He explains globalization in the cultural domain. In is text, â€Å"Globalization as a Problem† in The Globalization Reader says ‘globalization as a concept refers both to the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole† Cited in Frank Lechner and John Boli (2004:94) For Wallerstein, the world started going compression since the beginning of the sixteenth century, but Robertson; he argues that the history of globalization is far longer. For Robertson, through an increase in world wide consciousness a person is looked at and is examined by the whole world and not just by his or her own local environment in which he/she lives. However, both Wallerstein and Robertson’s ideas of the intensification of the world wide consciousness is said to match. According to Giddens globalization is seen as â€Å"the intensification of world wide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa† Giddens (1990:4). These local happenings were said to be may be influenced by distant events and not just the local events, which all have been influenced by the forces of globalization. Looking at Giddens (1990) and Robertson’s (1992) definitions, Giddens believes modernity has come as a result of globalization. That is, he considers modernity to be inherently globalizing. For Giddens globalization is said to have started during the sixteenth century onwards and in Europe in particular. However, in Robertson’s opinion, the problem of globalization is not new. He believes the social compression of the world has begun before the sixteenth century as predicted by Giddens. He predicts modernity and the rise of capitalism to be the cause of the rise of globalization. That is for Robertson, modernization has an influence on globalization. In addition, because of this, it led to a high level of consciousness and the present situation where we in the present day are unable to trace the diffusion of globalization across a large number of areas in the different parts of the world. However, what can be said is that both Giddens and Robertson have tried to show that people are now able to see and understand issues beyond their immediate environments due to the emergence of the concept of globalization. Luhmann in his explanation of globalization focuses more on communication. For him communication is the major factor of globalization. He thus defines globalization as â€Å"the transition from integration to differentiation, from territorial society to world society; from identity to difference; from ‘stratified’ differentiation to ‘functional’† Luhmann (1982:133, 229). Armand refers globalization as â€Å"one of those tricky words, one of those instrumental notions that, under the effects of market logics and without citizens being aware of it have been naturalized to the point of becoming indispensable for establishing communication between people of different cultures† Armand (2000:97). For Armand, globalization has a dominant role in organizing and decoding the meaning of the world. In a similar manner, Beynon John and Dunkerley David in their general introduction to globalization: the reader, made the claim that â€Å"globalization is impacting on the lives of everyone on the †¦ globalization might justifiably be claimed to be the defining features of human society at the state of the twenty-first century† Beynon John and Dunkerley David (2000: 3). Beck on his text, What is globalization, he says globalization is the â€Å"blanket term† and thus describe it to be â€Å"the processes through which Sovereign national states are criss-crossed and undermined by transnational actors with varying prospects of power, orientation, identities and networks† Beck (2000:11). Beck also referred globalization as the â€Å"intensification of transnational space, events, problems, conflicts and biographies† (ibid: 87). He argues that we are moving into a ‘second modernity’ that is seen through growth of the economy, the information and communication technologies, civil society communications and the changes in the environment. He sees globalization to be discontinuous, conflictual and ill reversible because for him, it not different from any other historical process. Although Beck contributed in the explanation of modernity just like other social scientists like Giddens and Marx, he never saw any good in this process. He thus focused more of his attention on the bad side of modernity, which he called a â€Å"risk society†. That is, the new modernity is only concern with the â€Å"prevention, minimization and channeling of risk† Cited in Ritzer (2000:222). Waters Malcolm defines globalization in a less political approach as ‘a social process in which the constraints of geography on economic, political, social, and cultural arrangements recede, in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding and in which people act accordingly’ Walters (200:15). The idea that people are conscious that they are receding (been carried away can to some how be argued. This is because; at time, some people are not always conscious of the fact that the processes globalization is affecting them. People may be moving or acting through the forces of globalization unconscious. Held and McGrew also defines globalization as a â€Å"process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions – assessed in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact- generating transcontinental or inter-regional flows and networks of activity† Held and McGrew (1999:16). Thus, considering the views of the above-cited authors, globalization can be defined as intensification of economic, political, and socio-cultural relations in the localities of the world. Alternatively, it can be seen as the development of equal opportunities in the political, economic, socio-cultural realms of all nations in the world. It’s also related to the spread of modernization throughout the world. Globalization indicates increase linkages between people, goods and technology. It is a process whereby, national business enterprises and markets become world wide or international. That is, a situation whereby businesses which were been carried out within a particular country are now been extended to other countries across the globe. Globalization is the process of making the village a single entity. That is with the advent of globalization there is the continuity of the homogeneity of culture, economy, social and environmental aspects of the world.

Department store Essay

â€Å"What I Heard at the Discount Department Store† ─David Budbill.  Q: How soon do you understand that a character, other than the poet, speaks this poem? What is her tone and how do you know it? In David Budbill’s poem, â€Å"What I Heard at the Discount Department Store†, it is evident by line six that someone other than the poet speaks this poem. The poem starts off in first person. The character is an angry mother â€Å"dealing† with her young child in a discount department store. Stop it. I mean it. You know I do. If you don’t stop, I’ll give you fucking something to cry about right here and don’t think I won’t either (lines 2-5). This displays how the character which is obviously the mother is speaking and it also displays her anger and frustration. The poem continues on and the point of view changes and as the reader, I became the spectator. â€Å"So she did. She slapped him across the face. / And you could hear the snap of flesh against the flesh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (6-7). Understanding that both the poet and the character are speaking in this poem occurs early on and it isn’t until the poem redirects back to first person point of view, that it is understood that there are two speakers in this poem. Budbill emphasizes the tone of the mother’s character (anger and frustration) by the words he chose for the mother to say. In line three of the poem she drops her first â€Å"f-bomb† and does so again in line 20, which is  followed by another curse word. â€Å"You can get away with fucking murder there, / but you can’t get away with shit like that with me† (20-21). It is obvious that she is angry by the words she is using with her young child and it is also evident that she is frustrated with her child’s behavior. The mother’s frustration is demonstrated through line 16-21 when she explains how her child is not at school, where she believes him to get away with misbehavior, and that he is now with his mother where no misbehavior is accepted, â€Å"You’re not in school anymore. / You’re with your mother now† (18-19). The tone of the mother’s character is displayed through her choice of words and how she speaks so aggressively to her son.

Definition and Discussions of Writer-Based Prose

Definition and Discussions of Writer-Based Prose Writer-based prose is a kind of private or personal writing: a text that is composed for oneself. Contrast with reader-based prose. The concept of writer-based prose is part of a controversial social-cognitive theory of writing that was introduced by professor of rhetoric Linda Flower in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Writer-Based Prose: A Cognitive Basis for Problems in Writing (1979), Flower defined the concept as verbal expression written by a writer to himself and for himself. It is the working of his own verbal thought. In its structure, writer-based prose reflects the associative, narrative path of the writers own confrontation with her subject. See the observations below. Also see: Expressive DiscourseBasic WritingComposition StudiesDiaryJournalTwelve Reasons to Keep a Writers DiaryYour Writing: Private and Public Observations Beginning writers often find it difficult to distinguish between public and private writing, or what Linda Flower calls writer based and reader based prose. That is, writer-based prose is a verbal expression. written by, to, and for the writer, that reflects the associative action of the mind when verbally relating a topic. Such prose is typified by many references to the self, is loaded with code words (those known only to the writer), and is usually in a linear format. Reader-based prose, on the other hand, deliberately attempts to address an audience other than the self. It defines coded terms, refers less to the writer, and is structured around the topic. In its language and structure, reader-based prose reflects the purpose of the writers thought, rather than its process as in writer-based prose.(Virginia Skinner-Linnenberg, Dramatizing Writing: Reincorporating Delivery in the Classroom. Lawrence Erlbaum, 1997)Writer-based prose (as it is usually defined) appears in all skilled writers journal entries, in the notes good writers make prior to composing an essay, and in early drafts of writing that in final form will be reader based. Everyone uses the strategies of writer-based prose, says Flower, and good writers go step further to transform the writing these strategies produce.(Cherryl Armstrong, Reader-Based and Writer-Based Perspectives in Composition Instruction. Rhetoric Review, Fall 1986) Knowledge-driven planning . . . accounts for writer-based prose with its narrative or descriptive structure and focus on the writer thinking out loud to herself. For difficult tasks, knowledge-driven planning and a writer-based first draft may be a first step toward a reader-based text revised in the afterlight of a more rhetorical plan.(Linda Flower, The Construction of Negotiated Meaning: A Social Cognitive Theory of Writing. Southern Illinois University Press, 1994)To celebrate writer-based prose is to risk the charge of romanticism: just warbling ones woodnotes wild. But my position also contains the austere classic view that we must nevertheless revise with conscious awareness of audience in order to figure out which pieces of writer-based prose are good as they areand how to discard or revise the rest.To point out that writer-based prose can be better for readers than reader-based prose is to reveal problems in these two terms. Does writer-based mean:That the text doesnt work f or readers because it is too much oriented to the writers point of view?Or that the writer was not thinking about readers as she wrotealthough the text may work for readers?(Peter Elbow, Everyone Can Write: Essays Toward a Hopeful Theory of Writing and Teaching. Oxford University Press, 2000)

Memorandum-Violence Against Women Act Essays - Free Essays

Memorandum-Violence Against Women Act Essays - Free Essays Memorandum-Violence Against Women Act Violence Against Women Act The Violence Against Women Act creates a right to be "free from crimes of violence" that are gender motivated. It also gives a private civil right of action to the victims of these crimes. The Senate report attached to the act states that "Gender based crimes and fear of gender based crimes...reduces employment opportunities and consumer spending affecting interstate commerce." Sara Benenson has been abused by her husband, Andrew Benenson, since 1978. Because of this abuse, she sued her husband under various tort claims and violations under the Violence Against Women Act. Now Mr. Benenson is protesting the constitutionality of this act claiming that Congress has no right to pass a law that legislates for the common welfare. However, Congress has a clear Constitutional right to regulate interstate commerce. This act is based solely on interstate commerce and is therefore Constitutional. Because of abuse, Sara Benenson was afraid to get a job because it would anger her husband. She was afraid to go back to school and she was afraid to go shopping or spend any money on her own. All three of these things clearly interfere and affect interstate commerce. Women like Mrs. Benenson are the reason the act was passed. There has been a long history of judgements in favor of Congress's power to legislate using the commerce clause as a justification. For the past fifty years, Congress's right to interpret the commerce clause has been unchallenged by the Court with few exceptions. There is no rational reason for this court to go against the powerful precedents set by the Supreme court to allow Congress to use the Commerce clause. In the case of Katzenbach v. McClung, the Court upheld an act of Congress which was based on the commerce clause, that prohibited segregation. McClung, the owner of a barbeque that would not allow blacks to eat inside the restaurant, claimed that his business was completely intrastate. He stated that his business had little or no out of state business and was therefore not subject to the act passed by Congress because it could not legislate intrastate commerce. The Court however, decided that because the restaurant received some of it's food from out of state that it was involved in interstate commerce. The same logic should be applied in this case. Even though Sara Benenson's inability to work might not seem to affect interstate commerce, it will in some way as with McClung, thus making the act constitutional. The Supreme Court had decided that any connection with interstate commerce,as long as it has a rational basis, makes it possible for Congress to legislate it. In the United States v. Lopez decision, The Supreme Court struck down the Gun Free School Zones Act. It's reasoning was that Congress had overstepped it's power to legislate interstate commerce. The Court decided that this act was not sufficiently grounded in interstate commerce for Congress to be allowed to pass it. The circumstances in this case are entirely different than in the case of Sara Benenson. For one thing, the Gun Free School Zones Act was not nearly as well based in the commerce clause as is our case. The Gun act said that violence in schools kept student from learning and therefore limited their future earning power. It also said that violence affected national insurance companies. These connections are tenuous at best and generally too long term to be considered. However, in the case of Mrs. Benenson, her inability to work and spend directly and immediately affected interstate commerce. Therefore, the Lopez decision should not have any part in the decision of this case. The Supreme Court, in McCulloch v. Maryland, gave Congress the right to make laws that are out of their strict Constitutional powers so as to be able to fulfill one of their Constitutional duties. In this case, the Court allowed the federal government to create a bank. There is no Constitutional right to do this and Maryland challenged the creation of this bank. The high court ruled that in order for Congress to be able to accomplish it's duties. The same logic should be applied here. The Violence Against Women Act is an example of Congress overstepping it's direct Constitutional rights so it can better regulate and facilitate interstate commerce. In order for Congress to legislate interstate commerce fairly, it must allow people to be able to work and spend as they should be able to. If a woman is afraid of being abused if she gets a job or spends money, it affects

A Brief History of the Doomsday Clock

A Brief History of the Doomsday Clock In June 1947, almost two years after the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic bombs, the first issue of the magazine Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was printed, featuring a stylized clock on its cover. The clock displayed the time seven minutes to midnight, a symbolic representation of how close humanity was to destroying itself in a nuclear war, at least according to the judgment of the Bulletins editors. Since then, the Doomsday Clock has been an ever-present fixture on the world stage, set back when nations behave reasonably, set forward when international tensions wax, a constant reminder of how close we are to catastrophe. As you can probably infer from its title, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was created by, well, atomic scientists: this magazine started as a mimeographed newsletter circulated among the scientists working on the Manhattan Project, an intensive, four-year effort that culminated in the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (The Bulletin is still published today, no longer in print form, since 2009, but on the web.) In the 70 years since its appearance, the mission of the Doomsday Clock has been slightly tweaked: it no longer refers specifically to the threat of nuclear war, but now signifies the likelihood of other doomsday scenarios as well, including climate change, global epidemics, and the unforeseen dangers posed by new technologies. The Ups and Downs of the Doomsday Clock One common misapprehension about the Doomsday Clock is that its updated in real time, like a stock-market ticker. In fact, the clock is only changed after meetings of the Bulletins advisory board, which happen twice a year (and even then, the decision is often  taken to keep the time as it is). In fact, the Doomsday Clock has only been set forward or back 22 times since 1947. Here are some of the most notable occasions when this has happened: 1949: Moved up to three minutes to midnight after the Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb. 1953: Moved up to two minutes to midnight (the closest the Doomsday Clock has ever reached this mark) after the U.S. tests its first hydrogen bomb. 1963: Moved back to 12 minutes to midnight after the U.S. and the Soviet Union sign the Partial Test Ban Treaty. (One interesting side note: the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 started, and was resolved, in between meetings of the Bulletins advisory board. One imagines that if the clock had been reset during these seven tense days, it would have displayed a time of 30 or even 15 seconds to midnight.) 1984: Moved up to three minutes to midnight  as the Soviet Union is mired in war in Afghanistan and the U.S., under Ronald Reagan, deploys nuclear-tipped Pershing II missiles in western Europe. The international social fabric is further weakened by the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games and the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympic Games. 1991: Moved back to 17 minutes to midnight (the farthest away the clocks minute hand has ever been) after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. 2007: Moved up to five minutes to midnight after North Korea tests its first atomic bomb; for the first time, the Bulletin also recognizes global warming (and the lack of firm action to counter it) as an imminent threat to civilization. 2017: Moved up to two  and one-half minutes to midnight (the closest the clock has been since 1953) following Donald Trumps tweets touting the U.S. nuclear arsenal  and the prospect of decreased legislative action to slow global warming. How Useful is the Doomsday Clock? As arresting an image as it is, its unclear just how much of an effect the Doomsday Clock has had on public opinion and international policy. Clearly, the clock had more of an impact in, say, 1953, when the prospect of a Soviet Union armed with hydrogen bombs conjured up images of World War III. Over the ensuing decades, though, one can argue that the Doomsday Clock has had more of a numbing than an inspiring effect: when the world is constantly a few minutes from global catastrophe, and the apocalypse never quite happens, most people will choose to ignore current events and focus on their daily lives. In the end, your faith in the Doomsday Clock will depend on your faith in the Bulletins high-powered advisory board and its network of professional experts. If you accept the evidence in favor of global warming and are alarmed by nuclear proliferation, youre likely to take the clock more seriously than those who dismiss these as relatively minor issues. But whatever your views, the Doomsday Clock at least serves as a reminder that  these problems need to be addressed, and hopefully soon.

A contract to enter into a contract is not enforceable. when contract Essay

A contract to enter into a contract is not enforceable. when contract is subject to Negotiation, it is too uncertain to have a binding force - Essay Example ses the Courts have generally demonstrated a tendency to render a decision on the basis of interpretation of such agreements, taking into account all the circumstances of the case. In the case of contracts where the price for a service or transaction is to be determined, this element of uncertainty has become even more relevant. The extent to which Courts have allowed recoveries in some cases has been determined by the extent to which damages may be suffered by one party, but when there is uncertainty introduced into the contract or pre-contractual agreement, such recoveries may be difficult. In the case of Courtney and Fairbairn Ltd v Tolaini Bros(Hotels) Ltd2 the appellants were property developers and had secured finances for the defendants to develop a hotel. Prior to the appellants securing the monies, they had entered into negotiations with the defendants; there was a written agreement between them that the defendants would negotiate to use the services of the appellant to develop the hotel property. However, when the appellant actually secured the finances, the defendants went ahead and hired different property developers rather than using the services of the appellants. This led to the legal action. Lord Denning, in providing the judgment on the case, pointed out that there had been some preliminary steps taken by both parties as an act of good faith in pursuance of their negotiations. Mr. Courtney of the appellants found a person willing to finance the property development, while the defendant Mr. Toliani appointed a quantity surveyor with a view to negotiating the price with Mr. Courtney. There was a written agreement between them; however Lord Denning did not equate this to a contract. He held that there was no actionable contract between the two parties because the agreement between them was only an agreement â€Å"to negotiate fair and reasonable contract sums†, and no agreement could be found â€Å"on the price or on any method by which the price was to