Blade Runner Changed My Life Essay -- Personal Narrative essay about m

Blade Runner Changed my Life    Sitting in the New Yorker Theater on 88th street and Broadway, having been intrigued and fascinated by the long-running previews, I saw Blade Runner for the first time. I was just out of eighth grade, about to move on to high school, and trying to hold on to a middle-school friendship with a girl named Angela. We'd met to see Ridley Scott's new movie with Harrison Ford. Earlier in the summer, I'd seen 70mm booming previews in the giant Loews' Theaters around Manhattan. My head was still filled with dark-skied images of a dark urban future mixed with muted 1940's radio music. Harrison Ford was a hard-boiled detective in an ever-raining city, dwarfed by several-hundred-story spacescrapers and color TV billboards, with musical accompaniment by the Ink Spots.    I thought the film was quite a failure. There were several voiceovers and explanations in dialogue that insulted the viewers' intelligence, and a few last-minute, fear-driven decisions to lighten the touch and the message of the story. Visually, it was a masterpiece, but I would not have been drawn back to the film by its cinematography alone.    Although my grades at the time were still in their pre-highschool mediocrity, and I had only just started that year to read books for pleasure, I was beginning to fancy myself a young intellectual of sorts. I'd grown up assuming my family had money and was just keeping it from me. I had only ever had one torn blazer to wear to school with my plastic clip-on tie and sneakers, but how many kids have the good fortune to attend private school in the first place? I resented not having the money for better clothes, but didn't think I was poor. The five dollars I could never get f... .... The voice-overs and last-minute explanations I've come to ignore, and I watch the film with a nostalgic fondness and respect. Its strongest effect upon me was certainly philosophical, but I can see other influences as well. My general aesthetic is high-tech, dark and ominous.    I've come to think of the anachronistic, multi-cultural and sensuous, post-Information Age world of Ridley Scott and Cyberpunk as a rich playground for the imagination. Granted, this may all seem old-hat and backwards to my 21st-century students when I finally become a professor in a liberal philosophy department somewhere, but I'll keep my finger on the pulse of future philosophy and questions of mind and sentience, long after the science fiction scenarios of my youth have either become the familiar background of a new generation or the cynical prophecy of a past century.   

Food and Tradition Essay

Culture has been existence since the time man came on the earth. Many ethnic groups have their own ways of living. Due to the new technologies and globalization, culture of many societies and families have been affected and altered in one way or the other. Some of the cultural traditions, practices, values and beliefs, values and virtues have faded away never to be heard again in within this new era with new generations. The roots of culture originate from families and clan. So the life styles are now being influenced from their fundamental points of source. This is not saying that culture will come to an end. Several families, clans which grow up to make communities and ethnic groups have struggled to this very far to preserve their culture. The survival of such cultural activities has created major concern over the last few decades. Most people have recently aroused the interest in cultural practices and this has contributed a lot to the tourism industry in our home country. Thousands of tourists are visiting our country entirely to watch over the oldest plays and cultural activities as well as to enjoy our traditional foods during such cultural occasions. This has resulted in dynamic, creative cultural practices of the oldest periods of our fore fathers. Food is something which is taken in the lightest manner possible by the new generations which we have in the entire world. They simply term it as nourishment that sustains growth or furnishes energy or does both to our bodies. They feebly attach much concentration on other importance of food other than the above. They have not known how much it contributes to the social and cultural welfare throughout our life. The role of various foods has deeper implications which are more than satisfying our hungers and other physical requirements. It may structures families schedules or it provide social activities which nurtures the family relation ships as people from one family interacts among themselves or with other family members. To a larger extend, it is used as a representation of certain ethnic identities. Thus, food is used in as part of family cerebrations or ceremonies as well as in our rituals. I as an indigenous person who hails from the northern parts of china, we have varieties of food stuffs. This ranges from the simplest agricultural products both from land cultivations and livestock. Although, the place has no reliable and sustainable rainfalls, many families produce farm products of horticultural natural through irrigation methods. Some of the produces includes vegetables and fruit, cabbages, squashes, pears grapes and apples. From livestock, they are vast lands in which people keep sheep for mutton and lamb. Generally, it is rare to get pork in such a place. This seems to have been influenced by the religion of the people. Most of the inhabitants are Muslims; hence they forbid the practice of taking pork. Pork is seriously fear by this people. The belief the eating of pork is like eating of the fresh of ones supreme being. So, the utilization of food is a very important part of the processes of life. Sometimes we fail to appreciate that food is more than just fundamental. The only other action that we connect in that is of analogous importance to our lives and to the life of our species is a sexual characteristic. But these two activities are quite different. The range of variations is substantially wider in food than in sex. In fact, the importance of food in understanding human culture lies precisely in its infinite inconsistency. For endurance needs, all men everywhere could eat the same food measured only in calories. However, people are of different backgrounds and eat very differently. Chinese eat varieties of foods in their meals which are characterized by quite notable flexibility and adaptabilities. The mixture of different meals in their ingredients remains to be distinctive in the appearance and tastes as well as the flavours. This varies from one cultural activity to another. During the festive occasion of circumcision, children are circumcised to graduate from their childhood to youthful hood. At this particular occasion, people use legume in higher quantities. This includes soybeans, broadens, pea nut and mung beans. They are used to make rapid healing of the wounds. It is also necessary to take bitter spices such as garlic and cinnamons which acts as reminder of the bitter activity they have gone through. (Gernet, 1962) Apart from circumcision ceremonies, many families do not eat meat products during the periods of tragedy such as death. In our culture, meat products are as result of shedding blood to the ground. Shedding of blood is one the acts which are sternly against the practices of our traditions. So, at such time of mourning, people cease from using the meat products which results from blood shed of animals. They believe that this is a sign of maintain peace with their super natural being. Once we eat such products, it like we are provoking the anger of the supreme nature. Thus, the common meals that are taken contain foods full of starch. Reference: Gernet, J. (1962): Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion: Stanford University Press

My Faith And Science Concepts Essay - 1267 Words

Throughout the curriculum of Faith and Science, my worldview has been challenged and strengthened due to new faith and science concepts. I began this course with an uncanny ability to explain what I believe and why; and ended with a solid factual framework that can be both understood and shared. The various topics and ideas presented by Dr. Tackett not only pricked my spirit but enriched my mind as well. His teachings sharpened my eyes and cleared my lenses so that I might see Christ in everything. Now, more than ever, I realize how important it is to be able to reference your beliefs with God’s word. I believe that faith is the foundation to everything I am and everything I am a part of. There is no separation or gray area in which to push my faith aside. Science only exists under the conviction of God’s authority and his divine order for which he should receive the glory for his works (Lennox 2009). My faith in God overpowers man’s words or ideas and even my ow n thoughts or concerns. Who I am and what I believe must be a replica of who God says I am and what his word says is truth. My current worldview motivates me to not just be a hearer but also a doer of God’s word ( James 1:22 NKJV). The various topics explored throughout the Truth Project curriculum has throttled me into new dimensions of discovering God’s truth and has challenged me to adjust the lens in which I view the world. Dr. Tackett emphasized the importance of remembering and why it is critical for yourShow MoreRelated4-Mat-Review1471 Words   |  6 Pages4-MAT-Entwistle Alton Dawson Liberty University 4-MAT-Entwistle Entwistle’s concept on psychology and Christianity allows the student to foster a better understanding the importance of integrating the concepts of science (psychology) and religion. In the book the author’s opinion of integrating psychology and Christianity is displayed to possess the client’s understanding that science and religion when integrated will promote a higher probability of healing. Christianity has been a part ofRead MoreClassroom Reflection1144 Words   |  5 Pagesconfronted with learning new and challenging concepts in the field of science, I rely on a variety of strategies to help me make sense of the content material. To begin, during my early educational experience (K-12), I quickly realized that I am a visual and verbal learner, meaning that if I was to truly learn and remember the concepts of a class (and succeed on assessments), I needed to 1) pay attention when the teacher was explaining the content, 2) write down my own notes—bot h in the form of words andRead MoreIntelligent Design: Science or Faith Essay1640 Words   |  7 Pagesothers that involve absolute wisdom. 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Twain and the Damned Human Race Essay - 849 Words

Student Instructor Course Date The way we live our lives. The way we live our lives in 2010 is not much different that the way man has always lived his life, with imperfection and disregard. Mark Twain pointed out the differences between man and animals in his essay â€Å"The Damned Human Race† which reflects his pessimistic view on humans at the turn of the 20th century. â€Å"Man is the cruel animal† (Twain). When searching the internet using the word cruelty, the search engine comes back with pages of found information regarding cruelty, to animals. Websites dedicated to convincing people to stop eat, wearing, beating, and other terrible deeds to and against animals. While typing in this word, I expected†¦show more content†¦We are a nation of obsess and malnourished. According to the Centers for Disease data as of 2008, six states currently have an obesity rate of over 30% including our own state, South Carolina and thirty two states had an obesity rate of 25% or higher (CDC). Obesity is calculated and defined as a Body Mass Index of 30 or higher. Obese animals in the wild would be captured and eaten by a quicker fitter animal. It is against our genetic nature to be greedy and gluttonous. Man is the only animal that enslaves others into bondage. From pre civilization, slaves from Africa in the 17th century delivered to our shores to the populations of over 27 million currently enslaved today, the largest number of people enslaved or in forced labor in history. Human bondage is a condition we have not been able to cure. Man is the only religious animal. Terrorism is a word most children post 9/11 understands. Islam demands that its believers wage jihad on Westerners. Islamic zealots have increased their attacks on civilians not aware they are in the middle of a jihad. Twain pointed out the sins of the Christians in his writing and the torture and killing in the name of an idea of God or religion is a trait that only man can claim. Catholics befriending Fascist, collaborating with Hitler, protecting pedophilic priests, and opposes the advancement of science and personal freedom. Muslims are not the first religious terrorists; Christians inShow MoreRelatedThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain869 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"And so I find that we have descended and degenerated, from some far ancestor, insect by insect, animal by animal...below us, nothing† (Twain, 4). In Mark Twain’s, The Damned Human Race the purpose is to change the readers mind from the Darwinian theory that man is ascended from lower animals to his own theory that man is in fact a descended from higher animals. Although his argument is successful on some levels, it is weak on others. The diction of which he uses is informal, he uses stereotypesRead MoreThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain860 Words   |  4 PagesMark Twain, in one of his later works, describes human beings as the lowest of creatures in â€Å"The Damned Human Race.† As expected, somebody reading this article may be skeptical at first. However, Twain uses emotion to capture the reader’s attention and uses harsh words to influence the audience. He also appeals to his Human beings have always sought out to be the best, whether worldly or just personally. audience with personal experiences through his studies comparing animals to human beings. HeRead MoreThe Damned Human Race by Mark Twain665 Words   |  3 Pages Mark Twain is arguably one of the greatest authors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, writing unforgettable titles such as â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† and â€Å"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer† which are still read by many today. However, it may be shocking for some to know he also endeavored in argumentative writing as well. â€Å"The Damned Human Race† is one such article. As with any Mark Twain writing, it is filled with emotion and thought. Although this article is extremely persuasive, dueRead MoreThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain856 Words   |  4 PagesThe Damned Human Race The assertion that can be made about the intention of The Lowest Animal by Mark Twain is that he sets store on the thought that mankind is wasteful, vengeful, immoral, discriminatory, vulgar, cruel, greedy, and obscene. Twain tries to highlight the savage side of humans in the essay. The writer is right till a certain extent. The content is impactful but has some shortcomings of its own. Many a times, Twain supports his ideas with proper examples, but mostly this article failsRead MoreThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain849 Words   |  4 Pagesessay â€Å"The Damned Human Race†, he assumes the role as a scientist, analyzing the differences between various species of animals and the human race. It is an essay, loaded with vicious irony that attempts to shine the light upon what Twain identifies as numerous faults within our species. Twain rejects the Theory of Evolution and human supremacy posed by Darwin, and argues that man is actually devolved from the animals as proven by man’s numerous vices. Despite the essay s dark satire, Twain s use ofRead MoreThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain846 Words   |  4 Pagesare strictly confined to man); he invented them† (Twain). 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He states that man is the cruel animal, and that we can attribute thisRead MoreAnalyzing Twain ´s The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and The Mysterious Stranger1137 Words   |  5 Pagesvillagers to the truth whether good or bad. Mark Twain uses such a scenario in many of his works such as The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg, and The Mysterious Stranger. In both stories are set in small towns whos residents are oblivious to their own moral hypocrisy. The sudden appearance of a stranger spreading a sort of knowledge, initiates a chain of events the leads to certain residents to self-evaluate their own char acter and that of the whole human race. Its is through these Mysterious Strangers

Smashed Story Of A Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas Essay

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood is Koren Zailckas account of life as an alcoholic. It traces her life from her first drink, when she was fourteen, to her last, at twenty-two; Smashed chronicles Zailckas struggle with alcohol abuse, in an effort to explain the binge drinking phenomenon that plagues Americas youth. When Koren was fourteen her friend Natalie found a bottle of Whiskey at Natalies parents cabin. This would be her first experience, of many, with alcohol. Later that day she and Natalie went to a birthday party; they took plastic apple juice bottles and filled them with Southern Comfort whiskey for the party. They ended up sharing it with most of the people there. This exposed†¦show more content†¦I think you should really think about what you are doing. In the meantime, I dont know if I want to keep exchanging letters because I just dont want to hear about it. Maybe one day I will trust you again. Margaret P.S. Enclosed is a poem I think you should read. Koren was upset the most by the fact that her fondness of drinking, somehow, caused her to lose the trust of her distant friend. She replied to her pen pal with a poem by E.E. Cummings, Since feeling is first Who pays attention To the syntax of things Will never wholly kiss you: Wholly to be a fool While Spring is in the world. This showed that Koren did not care about other peoples opinions about her problems. She thought that nothing bad would ever come out of drinking. She was wrong. That summer, for the first time, her parents caught her drinking. She was on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland with her family and her friend Natalie. They went for two reasons. They went because her father had received a raise from the technological corporation he works at, and she had torn a ligament in her knee from falling down the stairs. Koren and Natalie went to a Pizza Palace and asked an employee where the college parties were. Later they snuck out of the condo and down the street to a trolley stop. The trolley took them to a beach a couple miles away where they were offered beer and drugs from the people at the party. Koren and Natalie went to a collegeShow MoreRelatedKoren Zailckas, The Author Of Smashed: Story Of A Drunken1532 Words   |  7 PagesKoren Zailckas, the author of Smashe d: Story of a Drunken Girlhood (2005), is a 37 year-old Caucasian female who was born to a Catholic, middle-class family in 1980 (Zailckas, 2005, p. xiii). Zailckas grew up on the Northeast side of the United States with her mother, father, and sister who is five years younger than her—none of whom, according to her, have a history of alcoholism (p. xiv). Zailckas, however, recounts starting to drink as early as the age of fourteen and continuing to do so throughoutRead MoreThe Zailckas Smashed : A Story Of A Drunken Girlhood1465 Words   |  6 Pages I decided to write my final paper on Koren Zailckas Smashed: A Story of a Drunken Girlhood. A memoir based on a young 14 year old girl who drinks for the first time with her friend Natalie before a birthday party. Her experiences with alcohol doesn’t stop there. We learn that she gets her stomach pumped at age 16, and at age 22, wakes up in an apartment in New York City unsure of where she is, because of alcohol. After t his, she realizes that she has a problem and that she needs help. I chose this

Human Trafficking in Europe Free Essays

string(30) " outcome is usually the same\." The Sex Trade of Eastern Europe â€Å"VELESTA, Macedonia – Olga winced as she drew back the bandage on her right breast, revealing an infected puncture wound that hadn’t healed since a man bit her in a fit of sexual rage. But the wound, for which the 19-year-old Moldovan lacked even basic medicine, is only a small part of Olga’s daily agony. For more than a year she has been held as a sex slave in this town in western Macedonia, where human trafficking flourishes and young girls are forced to endure the sexual whims of thousands of men. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Trafficking in Europe or any similar topic only for you Order Now † This story, unfortunately, is reality to roughly 200,000 women and children from Eastern Europe. Sex trafficking simultaneously exploits both the best and the worst aspects of globalization- the champions of globalization flaunt the growing ease of conducting business across national borders. It is due to sophisticated communication tools and relaxed banking laws that it is now possible to exchange assets internationally with ease. Virtual enterprises can operate everywhere and nowhere, making themselves known only when and where they choose. â€Å"Generating around 32 billion dollars annually, human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity of today. While the governments of the troubled countries as well as the European Union make laws and regulations, the perpetrators become smarter; little progress gets made in solving this problem. At the center of human trafficking is the sex trade. The growing sex trade, which is more than visible in most of Europe, plays on the notion of growth in the â€Å"world sex-market†. This market is made possible by the globali zation of consumer capitalism in which commercial sex plays a big role. There are three sides to the issue: the victims, the perpetrators, and the governments, law makers, and groups who are trying to stop the epidemic. Together, over time, these people have built a crime market that is becoming harder to break. Women are being smuggled under the false pretense of a better life. Perpetrators have made a powerful market which works under transnational groups who have become masters at instilling fear in young women. And countries’ governments have made regulations and laws that often hurt the victims, are not successful, or they are working in conjunction with the traffickers. The problem to be solved does not lie in just one group, but it is due to the actions of all three. It is important to see the dynamics of each group in order to understand just how powerful the sex trade is in Eastern Europe. The Woman’s Role Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and end of the Cold War, international borders are easier to cross than at any other time in world history. Also, there has been an increase in worldwide poverty, which has left women to seek the means of economic survival for themselves and their families. It is out of this dilemma that a sense of desperation comes that makes Eastern European women susceptible to the trickery of traffickers. This has caused such an affect that women and underage girls now constitute 90 percent of Eastern and South Eastern European people trafficked into the western parts of the continent. And even though women are knowingly aware of the dangers and prominence of sex trafficking, they continue to be swayed by lies of better lives and economic success the traffickers use. This refusal to acknowledge and actively weigh the dangers of too- good- to- be- true offers from the West is the victims’ greatest contribution to the problem of sex trafficking. Case studies on girls from the 1990’s and at the present time show women’s reasoning for coming over and falling victim to trafficking include economic, cultural and social-psychological â€Å"push† factors. These push factors tend to be coming from a country of low employment and pay rates, frustration at the suppression of women in their countries (often Eastern European women read Western literature which shows women in power, thriving), and also they face the difficulties of obtaining a visa. The prime age for women to be trafficked is 18-25 years old. However, 15-30 percent of girls trafficked are under aged. An interesting place where European victims differ from Asian and African victims is in their education level. Usually, European victims have secondary education. A fair amount even have post-secondary education. These facts and statistics show that it is naivety and desperation that is putting these girls in danger, not knowledge. Studies even show that women are â€Å"generally aware† of the mishaps occurring to their compatriots and how they are occurring. One of the reasons women are still falling victim to traffickers despite their awareness is due to many references are coming from acquaintances. These references ease the fear of the women so they become more vulnerable. And although references are being traveled by word of mouth, the source of them is usually the local newspaper. In the 1990’s, Eastern European newspapers advertised jobs as babysitters, waitresses, and bar girls in the west and also showed western men looking for â€Å"nice Eastern European women† for wives and mothers. Ten years later, the Russian and Ukrainian media largely took over the task. Thus, a typical ad in the Kielce daily reads: ‘Young women needed in Berlin [Helsinki, Vienna, Milan] as maids and babysitters in middle-class homes. Room and board, weekly wage (net) 150-200 Euro, one day off, health insurance provided. Assistance in obtaining travel documents and transportation. â€Å" Other widespread methods used to coerce women into the system are the â€Å"rosy boy† method where a foreign man promises marriage or a â€Å"rosy† future and arranges her travel abroad and the usage of elderly women whose job is to offer young girls jobs in Western Europe. Blackmail is used against the women in most cases to make them obey their owners. Once the girls are under the care and supervision of their transit leader, there is very little they can do to escape. After a woman is transited, the outcome is usually the same. You read "Human Trafficking in Europe" in category "Papers" The perpetrators tell them that they must pay back their travel expenses. These debts can range from 700 and 4,000 American dollars. They are then transferred to a high surveillance boarding house where they are physically and emotionally abused into prostitution. Women often end up working in brothels, night clubs, borderlines serving truck drivers or other passer bys, and pornographic films. â€Å"Managers† transfer them from place to place to not get caught. When a woman becomes too old to be sold or a manager is done with them, they are often thrown on to the streets with no paperwork, money, or guidance. Trafficked women live in fear. Often, they are beaten, abused, and raped on a daily basis. Afraid of their owners, they do not ask questions as to where they are or if they will be released. The victims often depend upon their clients for information and help. And although the predicament of these girls is beyond inhumane, it is important to remember that these girls are often times being foolish when they put a great amount of trust in strangers. Also, it is necessary to understand the sex trafficking system of operation and where the women fall in it. For like in any problem, if you do not understand the entire premise, you will not be able to solve it. The Perpetrators Organized crime is largely responsible for the spread of international human trafficking. Sex trafficking – along with its correlative elements, kidnapping, rape, prostitution and physical abuse – is illegal in nearly every country in the world. However, widespread corruption and greed make it possible for sex trafficking to quickly and easily proliferate. The operation of the sex trafficking business-from location and recruitment of candidates in their home countries to transportation across borders to their exploitation in the place of destination- requires an efficient transnational organization. Within Eastern Europe, traffickers (often mafia involved) create organizations that run similarly to small businesses. There are usually five to fifteen people per each international circuit. These â€Å"businesses† are usually made up of men who each hold a different position within the system. Typically, there is a boss in each origin and destination country. They have managers and recruiters of special travel agencies in every origin, assistants for security, transport, contacts (bribery) with authorities, and helpers along transit points during transport from the country of origin to country of destination, collect money, and there are managers of the women’s employment. These circuits take place all over Europe and through the years the transits have been mapped out and made known to the public. Traffickers as well as government officials have divided the transits in to three main categories: long distance, mid to long distances, and short trajectory. Long distances initiate typically in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. They go through Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and end in Poland, Slovakia, or Hungary where they stay or go to Germany, Austria or Sweden. Mid to long distance transits begin in Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania in East Eastern Europe and Albania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Romania, Bosnia in South Eastern Europe. They go through Slovenia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic to Western Europe, Israel, Arab Republic and North America. The shortest transit is solely moving Eastern European women to West Europe. This is the most common and this transit has been so successful that over 90 percent of prostitutes in Western Europe are Eastern European. Smuggling women has become an enormously profitable business for these men. For example, if a girl around 17 years old is smuggled from Albania, once she reaches Italy she is worth around 10,000 dollars. Once she is sold, she could make upwards of 600 American dollars per night for her owner. In the UK, a woman can sell for up to 14, 000 dollars. European traffickers work on the economic principle of supply and demand. The demand comes from all over the world and since in many countries prostitution is legal, buyers have little knowledge about whether their bought partner is there willingly or is acting as a slave. Clearly, the perpetrators are the ones doing the most harm in this three-sided relationship. What the Enforcers are Doing Since the 1990’s there has been a considerable increase in the attention given to sex trafficking in Europe. The European Union, individual governments as well as Non Government Organizations have been working to raise awareness, educate women and arrest traffickers. Unfortunately, their attempts are not as efficient as they should be. It seems like out of the three major groups aiming to stop sex trafficking, the individualized governments are having the most unsuccessful time. Two major problems individual governments have is corruption and getting around illegal immigrant laws when a trafficked woman is saved. It is important to remember that almost all women who are trafficked are illegal immigrants. Countries are then forced to deal with that issue once a woman is rescued. Often times they are deported. When it comes to law enforcement too often in countries like Moldova and Russia, the traffickers are part of the mafia. Because of this, they often have ties with the government or the government works closely with them. Although the police forces in European countries have been making better strides in catching traffickers, there are also many stories of policemen who are traffickers themselves. â€Å"And even if the traffickers are caught, often times they can pay off the judges, the politicians and the police. In the first three months of 2008 more than 50 Albanian police officers were thrown off the force for taking bribes from the mafia. † Over the last decade both the EU and the COE have devoted considerable attention to trafficking women and the documentation on this issue is xtensive. All of the recent publications stress the gross violations of human rights that trafficking involves, noting that trafficking women is a low risk, high reward, and that it is the responsibility of all states to increase the risks and penalties( COE, 1994; 1996; 1997; 1998; European Commission, 1996, 1998; European Parliament, 1993; 1996; UN, 1998). Specific UN initiatives include the General Assembly†™s 1997 Resolution of the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the Palermo Protocol which entered into law in 2003. The UN General Assembly’s 1997 Resolution of the Elimination of Violence Against Women specified a number of crime prevention principles in the form of model strategies and Practical Measures to be adopted by member countries. The UN General Assembly Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (or the Palermo Protocol- entered into law in 2003) is made up of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Lane, Air, and Sea. Although the UN is taking initiative, the high numbers of trafficked women prove the legislation ineffective. This is often blamed due to the nature of anti trafficking efforts which Dr Rossanka Venelinova, executive director of the Nadja Center in Sofia describes as, â€Å"a jungle†¦ There is no overall strategy, only a large number of programs that are not properly coordinated. That means that there is no sustainability. † Another fact working against the EU is that only a fraction of the countries have ratified the anti-trafficking conventions and the conventions are not properly monitored or verified properly. Now, due to the pressure on international organizations and NGOs, anti-trafficking strategies take more of a human rights approach. Shelters, psychological and medical counseling services, the re-integration of women in their home communities, the granting of temporary residency permits in countries of destination and awareness campaigns help trafficked victims and prevent others from becoming victims. While the NGO’s are successful they are constantly fighting for funding and publicity. One of their most beneficial approaches is through education for young girls in school. It seems that â€Å"the enforcers† are at fault due to a lack of cooperation. If the government, UN, and NGO’s gained forces (and funding), the task of eliminating trafficking wouldn’t seem as impossible. However, the potential victims must also take responsibility for this crime by not submitting themselves to dangerous behavior. Is There an End? This essay addresses upon the three major players in the sex trafficking industry in Europe. It also shows the flaws in the forces combating the problem. Sex trafficking will only end once there is a solidified, enforced plan of action which uses not only the government, but the non government groups as well. One of the most important things that must continue is the prevention education given to young girls. If they are aware of the dangers and know what to look for they are less susceptible to being abducted and held captive. It is possible for sex trafficking to be greatly diminished, but new strategies must be adopted first. How to cite Human Trafficking in Europe, Papers

Case Analysis Home Furniture Ltd.

Question: Give a brief a discussion on home furniture ltd? Answer: With time, corporations have expanded in different parts of the world. Today, the organizations have to manage the employees from different cultural background. The large and multinational organizations like Toyota, Apple, and Google etc. have to manage their operations across the world. Toyota is a Japanese automobile manufacturer that has to manage the Asian workforce in its American plants. Likewise, Apple is an American multinational that has to manage its resources in Chinese plant (Miska, 2011). The organizations have taken the path of globalization to target new customers and to attain cost advantage. The management of Apple realizes that the production cost of an I Phone is much less in China as compared to American plant. It would be correct to say that the cost of operations is the major driver to expand the business in a new country. With this move, organizations also get access to new customers and new target market. The globalization aims to create a singular economy whe re transaction could be free across different regions. It would be correct to say that the cultural differences is the major deterrent of organizations expansion in new regions. There is a fundamental difference in the perception and attitude of Chines and American worker. Therefore, Apple Inc. cannot have the same set of policies to manage its workers in American and Chinese factory. It is correct that globalization and operations in the multicultural environment is the success key for large and multinational organizations. Therefore, organizations must learn to manage employees form different cultures and organizations must use strategies and polices that could foster harmony and team work among employees from different cultural backgrounds. Home Furniture ltd. is into operation for close to 45 years. The company started its operations from Finland and expanded in European countries and United States of America. The future vision of the company is to expand in Asian countries like India and China. It appears that it is a good move for the company as India and China covers more than 35% of the world population. However the management of Home Furniture has faced certain issues to manage its operations in the multicultural environment of America and Europe. Most of the issues are cultural in nature as there exists fundamental differences in the culture of Europe and the culture of USA. The first and the most important problem for Home Furniture is the different employee perception of employees in USA and Europe. The concept of trade unions and employee group is more prevalent in Europe as compared to USA (Frost, 2011). The American employees want more freedom and flexibility, whereas the management wants to control the empl oyees as they control in European region. The second problem is the reward and compensation system. Management in the USA promotes performance pay while the parent company emphasizes other aspects of employment relations, like participation of employees having voice through works councils. The American employees want to work in an independent manner and this contradicts the culture of headquarter. The third problem is the notion of team work. When management from the parent company attempted to introduce teamwork, local management of subsidiaries in the US had a different perception of teamwork facilitating the rotation of jobs and increasing flexibility rather than creating more autonomous work groups (Selmer, 2012). It appears that there is a difference in the definition of team work across these regions. It would be correct to say that there is no easy solution to the problem of Home Furniture. The problem for the company can be broken down at organizational level, at leadership level and at employee level. Recently, there has been a change in the leadership of the company. The new CEO is the British who wants that every communication should be in English (Wagner, 2011). This is a small language change within the organization but it has the potential of big impact. With this move, the old employees of the company that are weak in English might feel cheated. Therefore, the recommended strategy for the new CEO is to focus on a phased approach rather than a big bang approach. At the first step, the CEO should not have eliminate the use of local language. Even if CEO wanted to switch to English, the decision should be based on feedback of various employees (Maznevski, 2010). The CEO should realize that employees are the biggest assets of the organizations that operate in multicultural en vironment. It is also important that employees should also understand their responsibility. The management should develop a system where employees respect the culture of other employees. The objective of the management should be to avoid and overcome the cultural differences. The cultural differences of different regions and cultures have a direct impact on the leadership style. There are various leadership styles like transactional, transformational, democratic, situational etc. The choice of the leadership style would depend on the nature of the business and the culture of the employees (Ahamer, 2011). The democratic style of leadership could be good when the time size is low and people have similar perceptions and attitudes. For the scenario of Home Furniture, the situational leadership style appears to be the best leadership style. It is recommended that the leader should have an open approach towards the various problems in the country. The new CEO should not have any pre-conceived notion of the problem and the decision should be taken based on the situation in hand. The training and development is the other key area that the organizations should focus. The cultural differences of the employees could be mitigated with the cultural training programs ( Verbeke, 2010). It is important that the organizational goals and objectives should be communicated to all the stakeholders through training programs. It is important that the leaders should have flexible decision making skills when they have to work in a multicultural environment. The decision making style that works best in one culture may not be a good style in a different culture. For example, the workers in America wants to contribute to management decision. Therefore, they would want that the senior management would want their suggestions. However, this is not the case in Japan. In general, the Japanese workers are very hard working and they want that senior management should lay down the work for them. They would not want to involve directly in the strategic decision making. The focus of leaders in the multicultural environment should be to address the expectations of different employees (Ricart, 2011). The problem exist as people from different culture has different expectations and therefore it is difficult for the leader to reach a common ground. Therefore, one of the objective of leaders is to bridge the gap between empl oyees expectations and management perception of employees expectations. The new CEO of Home Furniture should look for decentralization as the solution. It appears that the headquarter of the company does not want to leave the control of the firm and the control of employees in different region. This may not be a good approach for the company. It is recommended that the company should explore the avenues of decentralization. The headquarter should act as a mentor and guide for different locations. However, the regional offices should be allowed to make their own strategy and decision. It appears that the decentralization could be the solution for Home Furniture. The new CEO of the company should also focus to improve the team work within the organization. The cross cultural team work within Home Furniture could be improved with the investment on training and development programs. It is recommended that the management of Home Furniture should have the provision of various online and offline training programs. Another key solution for Home Furniture is comm unication. It is recommended that the leaders should focus on both formal and informal communication channels. The communication should be effective across different regions of Home Furniture. The regional offices of America, Europe and Asia should have regular communication. It is recommended that the management should have the strategies and policies to manage the intercultural conflict. It would be correct to say that the conflict management would be a key for organizations to move forward (Berg, 2012). It is expected that the Home Furniture should be able to shape its business operations with the focus on specific needs of employees across different cultures. The internal culture of the organization should be open and flexible that could be changed with any change in the market and industry. References Ahamer, G. (2011). How Technologies Can Localize Learners in Multicultural Space: A Newly Developed Global Studies Curriculum. International Journal of Technology and Educational Marketing (IJTEM), 1(2), 1-24. Berg, R. W. (2012). The Anonymity Factor in Making Multicultural Teams Work Virtual and Real Teams.Business Communication Quarterly,75(4), 404-424. Casadesus-Masanell, R., Ricart, J. E. (2011). How to design a winning business model.Harvard Business Review,89(1/2), 100-107. Fitzsimmons, S. R., Miska, C., Stahl, G. (2011). Multicultural employees: Global business' untapped resource. Organizational Dynamics, 40(3), 199-206. Lauring, J., Selmer, J. (2012). International language management and diversity climate in multicultural organizations. International Business Review, 21(2), 156-166. Martin, J., Frost, P. (2011). The organizational culture war games. Sociology of organizations: Structures and relationships, 315. Pasca, R., Wagner, S. L. (2011). Occupational stress in the multicultural workplace.Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health,13(4), 697-705 Stahl, G. K., Maznevski, M. L., Voigt, A., Jonsen, K. (2010). Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A meta-analysis of research on multicultural work groups. Journal of international business studies, 41(4), 690-709. Tung, R. L., Verbeke, A. (2010). Beyond Hofstede and GLOBE: Improving the quality of cross-cultural research.Journal of International Business Studies,41(8), 1259-1274.