Newell Company Essay

1. Does Newell have a successful corporate-level strategy? Does the company add value to the businesses within its portfolio? * Newell’s corporate-level strategy focuses on the growth through acquisitions of companies that manufactured low technology, nonseasonal, noncyclical, and nonfashionable products that volume retailers would always keep on their shelf. These companies usually manufacture brand-name staple products that ranked #1 or #2 but may not be efficiently managed. * Newell’s goal is to increase its sales and profitability by offering a comprehensive range of products and reliable service to the mass retail channel. Newell has chosen to develop its product line through key acquisitions, rather than internal organic growth. The strategy succeeds based on their two pronged approach of following an established acquisition process (Newellization) and ensuring corporate continuity across the division to support its performance in the market. This strategy helps Newell successfully diversify their portfolio of products for mass retailers. 2. What are Newell’s distinctive resources? * Pricing model that that covers across all product categories: Newell used different pricing point, â€Å"good,† â€Å"better,† and â€Å"best† to meet all customers needs achieving the critical mess 3. What challenges faced the company in the late 1990s? * One of the main challenges in the late 1990s was the increase in customer buying power. By 1997, three mass retailer chains controlled 80% of the discount retailer market. This allowed retailers to obtain significant leverage over price and scheduling. * Another challenge in the 1990s was the acquisitions of Calphalon and Rubbermaid. These were both major stepping stones for Newell in that both companies will bring greater brand recognition to the Newell brand. It was a challenge because of the speed in which the companies were acquired and the short amount of time between the two acquisitions. At the time, Calphalon was in a different market, and Newell wanted to enter the department and specialty store competition. This required changes within the Newell Company because of a different view of products and competition. Rubbermaid was a difficult acquisition because of the vastness of the company in general. Some  industry observers worried that this target would be too large to be â€Å"Newellized.†

Boundaryless organisation Essay

1. Theoretical Background A boundaryless organization is a modern approach in organization design. It is an organization that is not defined by, or limited to, the horizontal, vertical, or external boundaries imposed by a predefined or traditional structure. This term was coined by former General Electric chairman Jack Welch because he wanted to eliminate vertical and horizontal boundaries within the company and break down external barriers between the company and its customers and suppliers. Traditional companies with boundaries, rules, and extensive plans are at a supreme disadvantage in today’s globalized world, where technology changes daily and the value chain commands changes of its own. In a traditional company where people are categorized into neatly defined positions with their job descriptions filed in three copies in the human resources department, the way a company plans its business can cause it to sink or swim. Bad planning can mean lost opportunities, being overtaken by the competition, loss of revenues, or watching its position slip away because of a new technology, an alteration in the global marketplace, or simply a failure to market its product effectively. When  changes occur, they happen too quickly for its organizational processes to meet them. As a result, opportunities are quickly lost, problem situations take over rapidly, and before the company can respond appropriately, it has lost customers, opportunities, and market share. Although that company likely has more than enough talent within its walls to offset all of those disasters, the talent is never put to use, because employees are constrained to operate within the confines of their job descriptions, where only the prescribed talents can be put to good use. The answer to this dilemma lies in boundaryless organizations. The boundaryless organization does not operate according to volumes of planning documents, job descriptions, or tradition, instead it regroups and innovates. The boundaryless organization has developed primarily due to the widespread distribution of information and the presence of information technology. But if you have great innovative companies such as Newskool Grooves that is always ready and ahead of the game, with a little guidance, the company ca n make it through. The company has to always be alert of impacts of every decision made. Boundaryless organizations communicate mainly through email, phone and other virtual methods rather than more traditional face-to-face communication. The freedom to telecommute with international employees removes geographical barriers to productivity and allows for schedule flexibility. By organizing expert employees in groups and giving them decision-making authority, these companies can change quickly to meet needs and function efficiently in an ill-defined hierarchy. 2. Facts of case Employees no longer work in isolation but work as part of a team on broad, company-wide projects, quality management, just-in-time methods, lean production, and supply-chain management. The advantages of a boundaryless organization are that it is highly flexible and responsive and draws on talent wherever it is found. The disadvantages are that there is a lack of control and it presents communication difficulties. As in the case study, we can find that Newskool Groove has a decentralized culture and a company which reinvents itself 2 to 3 years; the bigger fight is a constant war against stagnation and rigidity. In boundaryless organization developers had a major communication breakdown about their hardware DJ controller, which required many hours of discussion to resolve. The boundaries of an  organization can be divided into following four types: Vertical – Boundaries between layers within an organization Classic Example: Military organization Problem: Someone in a lower layer has a useful idea; â€Å"Chain of command† mentality Horizontal – Boundaries which exist between organization functional units. Each unit has a singular function. Problem: Each unit maximize their own goals but not the overall goal of the organization External – Barriers between the organization and the outside world (customers, suppliers, other government entities, special interest groups, communities). Customers are the most capable of identifying major problems in the organization and are interested in solutions. Problem: Lose sight of the customer needs and supplier requirements Geographic – Barriers among organization units located in different countries Problem: Isolation of innovative practices and ideas 3. Analysis Many companies are crossing lines that have set boundaries linking them to communication. All over the world healthcare facilities are requiring employees the opportunities to connect through a wide variety of networking resources. Contact methods that expand knowledge, ideas, sharing, and finding solutions are all trigger points. Environments that provide healthcare are responding with other organizations through networks that promote social media. Companies are responding to other organizations by relaxing barriers that keep them from communicating with others. Organizations in healthcare are providing boundaryless organizations encouraging and managing a blur of boundaries to provide a better knowledge and understanding of a situation characterized by uncertainty. Organizations are promoting a resourceful outflow of information through the exchange of authority. Barriers that divide groups and isolate individuals from communicating are allowing leaders the cooperation to become mo re involved. A boundary organization allows businesses the opportunity to express their concerns. Boundary organizations are formed to manage meetings in distinct areas and encourage the production of knowledge. These organizations are eliminating the older ways of communication done through the traditional one-way flow. They are effectively changing the hypothesis that supports the  existence of boundaries. The exchange of transferred knowledge has been a great challenge for many organizations. Boundaryless organizations communicate mainly through email, phone and other virtual methods rather than more traditional face-to-face communication. The freedom to telecommute with international employees removes geographical barriers to productivity and allows for schedule flexibility. By organizing expert employees in groups and giving them decision-making authority, these companies can change quickly to meet needs and function efficiently in an ill-defined hierarchy. The four main types of boundaryless organizations are modular organization, strategic alliance, network organization, and virtual organization. Modular and virtual organizations outsource all non-essential functions. When two compa nies collaborate to form a partnership that is beneficial to all parties, they are a strategic alliance. A network organization is one in which companies outsource their major business functions in order to focus more on what they are in business to do. 4. Conclusion The boundaryless organization is a paradigm shift that recognizes the limitations inherent in separating people, tasks, processes, and places, and emphasizes the benefits of moving ideas, information, decisions, talent, and actions where they are most needed (Ashkenas, Ulrich, Jick, & Kerr, 1995). Companies often use a boundaryless organizational structure when they (1) collaborate with customers or suppliers to provide better-quality products or services, (2) are entering foreign markets that have entry barriers to foreign competitors, or (3) need to manage the risk of developing an expensive new technology. The boundaryless organization is appropriate in these situations because it is open to change, it facilitates the formation of joint ventures with foreign companies, and it reduces the financial risk to any one organization. References 1. URL: http://mysite.verizon.net/lpang10473/web/ldc_flat.htm 2. URL:http://www.slideshare.net/AnujSharma4/presentation-on-boundaryless-organization 3. URL: smallbusiness.chron.com †º †¦ †º Organization Structure‎

Scholarly Writing Skills

Writing in a scholarly manner is one of the most difficult tasks for a student. It involves the correct knowledge, comprehension, and expertise to be able to produce a good output. One important skill in scholarly writing is being able to compose statements and paragraphs with reliable content. This means that there should be adequate supporting evidence to posed arguments. Also, proper citations on both in-text and reference list must be included to avoid plagiarism. Another important skill is producing a readable output. Readability is achieved through writing in a scientific manner which means that words and statements should be clear and concise. Highfalutin words and vague statements should be avoided (Goldbort, 2001). Lastly, an important skill in scholarly writing is being consistent with standard academic conventions for writing. This means that the output should follow basic grammar rules and use correct style, tone, and argument formation (Hall, 2000). Hall (2000) discussed in detail the basic grammar rules which include writing in complete sentences, subject-verb agreement, appropriate punctuation, right vocabulary, and correct use of apostrophe. Furthermore, she explained the style conventions which include typing and spelling, avoidance of abbreviations, capitalization of letters, etc. A writer should also write formally (avoiding cliches and jargons) and make sensible use of paragraphs that involve analysis and answering the questions or supporting the thesis (Hall, 2000). On the other hand, I need to improve and learn common referencing styles as I am only familiar with the American Psychological Association format. Based on feedbacks from my professors, I am able to provide good review of literature containing supportive and sound evidences for my thesis, but my skills in providing accurate in-text and reference citations should be improved. Another aspect that I need to improve on is forming sound arguments. Sometimes, I provide too many information and focus too much on specific details that the most important subject or even the answer to the question is not emphasized in my writing. These are the two skills in that I need to improve the most. Meanwhile, I am able to produce readable outputs that helps my readers understand my writing easily. I have learned and practiced not too use cliches and jargons in academic writing. I also allot ample time in proofreading my writings in order to minimize and correct grammatical and typographical errors before I submit them. The best way to improve my skill in accurate referencing style is by studying the common reference styles used in scholarly writing such as the APA, MLA, Turabian, and AMA. It is also important to consider when to use these types of referencing styles aside from learning how to use their format (Delany, n. d. ) To address my lack of competence in forming sound arguments, I need to organize my thoughts by structuring an outline on my topics and subtopics so that my statements and paragraphs would be coherent and clear. I would also need to define exactly the question I need to answer, the supporting evidences for my answer, and the analysis and critique of the supporting statements that I presented.

Corporate Responsibility and Governance Assignment - 1

Corporate Responsibility and Governance - Assignment Example There are multiple constituents included within stakeholder theory, apart from staying inclined towards just shareholders. Multiple stakeholders existing within business environment are employees, government, suppliers, customers, financial institutions, shareholders, competitors, trade unions, public interest groups, legal institutions, etc (La Porta, Lopez-de-Silanes, Shleifer and Vishny, 2000). Corporate governance structure of Nestle indicates giving equal importance to all stakeholders. The board of directors are responsible for handling all stakeholders and undertaking combined business strategy. Compensation principles of Nestle Group are taken into consideration by board of directors. Total compensation of executives and board members are thoroughly reviewed by shareholders. Stakeholder theory clearly demonstrates that all stakeholders would be given equal importance for obtaining stabilized firm position. Nestle has its business operations spread across the globe. The compan y handles its extended business base by giving importance to all stakeholders. Board Members are responsible for compensation plans but it is also thoroughly reviewed by other team members. Long term business purpose of the firm is retained by considering team interests and then implementing them into realistic plans. Good governance codes can be stated as a set of rules followed by top management in order to accomplish corporate objectives. These codes comprise of best mechanism which are related to other stakeholders as well as board of directors. Effective governance principles are established through governance codes. Governance codes do not possess any such legal binding but are necessary to influence board of directors so that they are able to control behaviour of top management. An appropriate regulatory framework is maintained by Nestle so as to guide overall operations of board of directors. These codes for

Women Rights within The Antislavery Movement Essay

Women Rights within The Antislavery Movement - Essay Example In the world political history, it has been revealed that a group of courageous women stood tall and began to push for a fair treatment of the fairer sex .Among such outstanding female figures is Sklar and Grimkes disobeyed gender norms and began to campaign against the positioning of women in the kitchen. This paper therefore seeks to discuss the social, economic and political realignments that took place in the American continent in the wake of Anti-slavery movement.2 When this slavery abolishment was gaining popularity and spreading across the North America, some women took this chance to advance the right of women in the early 1830’s .The ensuing battle between women and men over this gender agenda is the subject of focus in this paper and it will shed light on how this turned social tables across the globe that its effects is in play to date. When the anti-slavery set in across North America, it came as a godsend to the womenfolk because they grabbed this opportunity to h ighlight the plight of fellow women. Sklar and Grimkes played an exemplary role negotiating for the rights of women in the society within the confusion of slave trade abolition. It has been believed from time immemorial that the societal framework gives men the absolute authority over women who are expected to submit in return. Some of the gender roles that the society imposed on women in the North were oppressive and demeaning to women. Before this social revolutionary movement, womanhood was associated with reproductive issues, home care, kitchen and total submission to the male counterpart. On the side of the coin, men boasted of autonomous decision making which gave them upper hand in matters revolving around social, economical and political aspects of the society. It should however be noted that during this politically tensed period, religious revival missions was sweeping across the continent and the major participants were women. It was relatively easy to drive points home wi th the revival campaigns and this made it a bit easy for the message to penetrate the society. With this atmosphere, there was a reckoning force that could not be contained by the long standing demands of the civil society.3 This finally forced a changed in the notion that existed concerning the confined role of women in the society and the patriarchal power of the male over female. Although the wind of anti slavery was an overriding matter of debate, it did not come to the realization of men that a gender coup was also brewing in the guise of religious revival dominated by women. The female members of the society made great noise about the recognition of their rights and they mobilised women to take up political roles and fight for their rightful place in the society. The word that persuaded many women is the perceived gender equality as stipulated creator in the religious scripts and the bible. This came as a surprise to men as it dawned on them that they were losing the equality war to women but it seemed too late. Sklar and Grimkes were themselves daughters to slave owners but broke the silence and were at the forefront of championing for recognition of women amidst the anti-slavery movement. The oratory skills displayed by women during that time were to the shock of many people and went further to win the heart of women and socially moderate men. At this point the womanhood had already begun to change its face and gain new position in the society. Gender mainstreaming in the political and economic decisions began to gain recognition and started extending its roots gradually across the world. In this respect, men started to face cut throat competition from women in

Critically evaluate the difficulties of assessing malingering in Essay

Critically evaluate the difficulties of assessing malingering in anxiety disorders - Essay Example In view of the basic assumptions that are made about the honesty of self reporting by the patient, the detection of mild forms of malingering becomes difficult. Forensic and other tests have been developed to detect malingering, especially in the case of those individuals whose competency to stand trial for criminal convictions is being tested. Malingering has been defined by the American Psychiatric Association as the â€Å"intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated physical or psychological symptoms† in the pursuit for â€Å"external incentives† (APA, 1994, p 63). Some of these incentives may be escaping criminal conviction, receiving financial compensation or in order to gain access to drugs or medication. In some cases, individuals may exhibit symptoms of malingering solely for the purpose of receiving sympathy and care through being cast in a patient’s role, and in particular may be a component of psychiatric conditions such as anxiety or personality disorders. (APA, 1994:648). Malingering is generally encountered in the case of those individuals for conditions that may be easily faked such as pain or anxiety and is most prevalent in male dominated environments such as the military or in correctional facilities and veteran hospitals. Malingering poses a challenge in health care because it affects the delivery of health care to patients who may genuinely need it by diverting treatment and medical resources to those who are not really ill and by wasting the time and energy of staff members thereby resulting in burnout among nurses and medical personnel.(Resnick, 1998). Malingering on the pretext of anxiety disorder is particularly prevalent among school children. It shows up in the form of refusal to attend school. Evans (2000) conducted a study on malingering in school refusals due to purported anxiety disorders and found that

Using examples of your choice critically examine how ideas about the Essay

Using examples of your choice critically examine how ideas about the nation or national identity have become an important part of contemporary culture and socie - Essay Example Britons constructed their identity in opposition to an â€Å"other†: Catholic France. Gender roles were central to this moderate Protestant national identity. By looking at eighteenth-century British writers such as Sir Walter Scott and by analyzing William Hogarths prints, it was clear how British identity was constructed as strong and â€Å"masculine† while â€Å"others† especially the French, were described as weak and â€Å"feminine† (Taylor, 2000: 63). National Identity as a Part of Contemporary Culture and Society: The diversity, the multitudinous cultural effects and the flexible symbols of the national produce an enormous cultural resource that is a seething mass of cultural elements. Culture, according to this conception, is constantly in the process of developing, of emerging out of the dynamism of popular culture and everyday life whereby people make and remake connections between the local and the national, between the national and the global, between the everyday and the extraordinary. However well established and institutionalised nations may become, they remain elusive, perpetually open to context, to elaboration and to imaginative reconstruction (Edensor, 2002: vi). There are several routes towards expressing identity that exist within this matrix, some branches of which wither, are renewed, and multiple connections which exist between cultural spheres according to Edensor (2002: 1) emerge. Despite the globalisation of economies, cultures and social processes, the scalar model of identity is believed to be primarily anchored in national space. Partly, then, the space in which culture and everyday life operates is indisputably the nation which is a social and cultural construct. Edensor: (2002: 3) states that the position of the state towards already existing cultures is complex, for certain cultures may be eradicated (especially in the case of ethnic or

Leading and Managing in Early Years Settings Assignment

Leading and Managing in Early Years Settings - Assignment Example In this case, through effective education, the leaders have a direct impact on the general quality of the setting. All practitioners working with the young children have a responsibility of developing the communication skills for the children. Whether the practitioners work pre-school setting, in the playgroup or with the toddlers, they have a key role in ensuring that they develop the children to their full potential. Besides, effective learning affects feelings and behavior of the children and, therefore it is vital in the early years setting to ensure friendly communication. The leaders and managers ensure quality practices of the setting by putting in place an example regarding how the staff interacts with the children they teach and care for. The interaction between the staffs and the children that they teach helps in securing high-quality teaching and learning. Children and staff are in the most effective early years setting with an inclusive, warm and trusting relationship. Be sides, the emotional well-being and development of the children are also other vital ingredients in the setting. According to Rodd, effective learning strategies in the early year setting helps in the identification of the communication difficulties that exist between various children. Investigations have showed that most of the students that are prone to these difficulties are those that start schools with delayed skills in language because of lack of responsive parenting.

Role Of Muse In Haute Couture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Role Of Muse In Haute Couture - Essay Example A model haute couture garment is hand crafted to specific body measurements and fitted to perfection for each client. It is for this reason added to the hours of toil and the highly exclusive materials that haute couture garments are extremely expensive. Not only is the dress custom-made, the fabrics and embellishments are of the highest quality, and the tailors, seamstresses, embroiderers, lace makers and other craftspeople who spend hundreds of hours assembling these pieces are the most skilled in the world (Sherman, 2006). In Greek mythology, the muses were the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddesses who presided over literature and the arts and sciences. A muse is not simply an icon but a constant source of inspiration by her presence or the input she gives a designer. In Greek mythology, muses served as inspiration to artists of various disciplines, be it photography, paintings or even fashion. Like the daughters of Mnemosyne, whose name translates as 'memory', they held in their power the ability to make an artist remember or tap into an ocean of creativity held internally or collectively. The muses did not create new inspiration in non-creative people, but instead helped their creative admirers to reconnect with lost or forgotten creativity and inspiration. The muses were noble and strong beings that were held in the highest regard. Muses were valued participants in the creative world and have been given that magnitude in the artistic world throughout history. The relationship shared by a muse and her admirer is not typically a sexual one, even though the inspiration most often comes from the sexual charge between them. This sexual tension lays the foundation for the admirer's interest to impress the muse and stays as the only link that ties them together. A muse doesn't necessarily define perfection; she should be one who is able to project a global vision and self-awareness that inspires her admirer. The idea of a muse has existed for millennia. Artists still believe that creativity is a phenomenon that exists outside of them, rather than inside a skilled mind that creates art. So when an artist sees someone, who provides as a source of inspiration that sparks interest and enjoyment, and also challenges their skills as a creator, a muse or an idea of a muse is created. Even today, male fashion designers have their muse, who is usually a beautiful, high-society female. They move from one muse to another, constantly in search of an expression of the ideas that define fashion for each of them. Yet, in classical tradition, muses were independent figures, 'active, willful and manipulative practitioners of their art'; creators and artists in their own right (Gerrard, n.d.) A muse creates an inspiration by making a fashion statement. The famous Isabella Blow, a fashion personality who dressed to express her love of innovation and daring and not merely to look pretty or conventional. For her, fashion was not about wearability or lifestyle; it was about art (Flanagan, canada.com). Emmanuel Ungaro, a master of texture and prints, trained under Balenciaga and Courreges, always looked for something different for the women whom he dressed. He wanted his women to be sexy and seductive, in short, women with a lot of sex appeal. When a man sees a woman who inspires him by some quality within her, she is simply projecting an idea or belief that the man carries within himself that he holds with high regard. It could be some aspect of her personality, her beauty or as most often is the case, the sexual charge that exists between them that creates this mysterious bond of muse and admirer

Bible as Literature Essay Example for Free

Bible as Literature Essay One of the central arguments of the Old Testament book Genesis is its credibility as a historical account. Nobody may never really know if the events written in this book actually happened or not, especially parts (or chapters) where hints of culture and detailed places can be read. Except maybe chapters 1 and 2 which is the beginning of existence itself. Then again, details may have been passed through oral tradition, but considering the eternity of years between the time of creation and the time words were even put on to the most primitive of ways, details may be greatly distorted. After the creation story (Chapters 1 and 2) virtually all introductions of all chapters start out with the father siring a son, and that’s son’s son. A family tree in other words. An elaborate one at that, because the writer can trace back up to Adam. The Chapter starts out as, again, that familiar family tree starting from the children of Abraham and Keturah, Abraham’s other wife, up to the twins Esau and Jacob. By this, Genesis chapter 25 provides evidence that it should be taken as part of history and not as fiction. Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshirim, and Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epherm and Hanochm and Abidahm and Eldaah . All of these were the children of Keturah. (Genesis 25: 1- 4) It is not clear whether Abraham married Keturah when he was still with Sarah or after her death. At any rate, Keturah seemed to be more fruitful, which just helped Abraham seal his place as the Father of All Nations. Patriarchal Theme Indeed Abraham is the father of all nations, heck, we even have a nursery rhyme to prove it, but what about the mother of all nations? Or in this case the mothers of all nations? The patriarchs are always one of the great figures in history and literature, which what the Bible actually is, a piece of (very old) history and literature. Patriarchy is the accepted system in most societies since people evolved into social creatures. Social groups are based in this system, governments, religion, and the family alike. Perhaps the most controversial of all, would be in religion, God is branded as â€Å"He† even though no one can ever really tell. But if Jesus and God are one in the same, logic tells us that the Supreme Being is also male. There’s a popular saying that in order to be of worth in this world; one must either write a book, plant a tree, or sire a son. Sons were always cherished by families, especially fathers since they would be able to inherit the family’s wealth and continue the blood line. In fact, during biblical times, and in some countries, even today, people are addressed by their names following who their father is: I am (name) son of (name of father), or I am from the house of (name of father) They only recognize who the father is. The theme of Patriarchy is a sensitive topic today, especially when women now are becoming more and more involved in the society, and sometimes more successful than most men. It has long been argued what the role of women are in the world. If they are fit in every position the world has to offer. Tradition (and our patriarchal society) tells us that men are supposed to be the leaders, but things has changed since Abraham’s time. There’s no doubt that men should hold high positions in the church, that’s just the way it is. Feminists can’t argue with that, but with everything else, men and women should have fair chances in finding their place in society. Covenant Theme Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so, you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. (Genesis 12:1-3) This is the covenant that God made with Abraham, it’s more like a promise of God to Abraham than a mutual agreement since Abraham benefited a lot from this covenant regardless of his future actions. As long as he leaves his country, his relatives, and his father’s house, all of God’s promises to him would be fulfilled This covenant making business isn’t new to God, e has done this in a couple of occasions. First was his covenant with Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit and was expelled from Paradise, God cut them some slack so they could still live and procreate. Another was during Noah’s time after God destroyed the rest of Mankind, except Noah’s family, He promised Noah that he would no longer destroy man by the use of flood. Then came Abraham. (Genesis 6-9) Abraham lived a comfortable life before God called upon him. What God was asking Abraham wasn’t easy. Nomads were considered inferior during that time plus the fact that God didn’t specify where exactly He wanted Abraham to be. Regardless of this uncertainty, he followed God’s will, and left the city, with all its comforts, to live the life of a nomad in the desert plains. (Genesis 12:1-3,7; 13: 14-18; 15: 4, 5, 13-18; 17-19; 22: 15-18) The covenant that God made Abraham is known as an Unconditional Covenant, for the promises that God made to Abraham would not be revoked even if he does not continue to comply on his side of the bargain. As long as Abraham leaves the city, all the conditions would be fulfilled by God. There’s more to it than God blessing Abraham’s descendants and making them more numerous than the stars. Let’s see what are some of the things that Abraham got from this deal: 1. Abraham will become the father of all nations (technically just Israel) 2. Abraham would inherit Canaan 3. He would be blessed 4. His name would be great 5. He would be a blessing to others 6. He and Sarah would have a son despite their old age Brewer, David, God’s Covenant with Abraham These promises however aren’t instantaneous, some are in the distant future ranging from Isaac’s birth, about 20 years later, and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, which is a good 400 years later after the covenant. Critical Analysis of the literary, cultural, and religious issues The first issue that may be noticed in this chapter is from the first verse. Abraham taking a new wife, Keturah. The author does not say if Keturah was concubine of Abraham or if she was â€Å"taken† by Abraham after his wife’s death. One thing’s for sure, God is fulfilling His promise that Abraham would have descendants more numerous than the stars. It might sound a bit odd for a Christian to read about a Christian figure having concubines, but apparently, Abraham have had lots of concubines, and have had many sons with them. Another issue is Abraham’s death. Genesis tells us that he died one hundred and seventy five years old probably three times, on average, of today’s life expectancy. Sure, people back then lived a lot longer than today, but 175 is way too old. The calendar year then may have been different from today. Abraham gave gifts to his sons and sent them away towards the country to the east, while everything else he gave to Isaac. There’s Hebrew story that Abraham sent the other sons away fearing that they might begin conflicts. He might be right, because Islam can be traced back from the other sons of Abraham. On the family level, favouritisms were already a part of the family during that time. Isaac preferred Esau while Rebecca likes Jacob. Isaac probably liked Esau more, because he was a hunter, he provided the family with his game. Esau would make any typical dad proud. Esau liked the outdoors and was very masculine . Jacob on the other hand stayed at home, tending to the tents or in modern day terms, doing household chores. Of course mothers would have loved this. (Genesis 25: 27-28) Divine election is the power of God to choose whoever He desires, to do something or receive his blessing. God had already chosen Isaac and Jacob to be the recipients of Abraham’s blessings way before they were born. However this doesn’t mean that God chose them because he already knew that they would be more pious than the others. In Jacob’s case, Esau might have been more worthy of God’s blessing since Jacob took advantage of his brother’s weakness. Esau sold his birth right to Jacob for food, saying that he doesn’t need it since he is dying. God had chosen them simply because it is his will. He is God after all. (Deffinbaugh, Th. M, Divine Election) Arguably the most controversial issue is Jacob, as mentioned, Jacob schemed to buy his brother’s birth right so he can have most out of the inheritance he would get from his father. He need not do this because he was already chosen by God. Which Rebecca probably revealed to him already since he is her favorite. (Genesis 25: 31-33) Genesis’ Author The author of Genesis was probably a nomad just like Abraham, who raised livestock like cattle, and sheep on the plains of their land. The author may have written the book out of the urge to tell a story to trace their roots, or if it’s true, really trace his family tree up to Abraham. The author must have felt that he had to write into account his family’s heritage. What Genesis is, is really just an extensive family tree from Adam, to his last descendant in the book. The author might have written the chapters of the book, sitting under a shade of tree after tending to his flock. To pass time, he might have decided that he might as well do something productive during his break. It’s possible that these stories were later told at his household and soon became popular that it was told to every tent in the community. There’s also a chance that the author was a scholar, born several hundreds of maybe a thousand years after the estimated date of its last chapter. He (assuming he was a man) maybe the very first ethnographer of the world. If in deed, he was, he was very successful. He gathered a large number of information; from traditions/cultures: what the ancient people actually do during those times and how they lived, what they wore†¦etc. , history; detailed accounts of what happened, including probable conversations that might have happened between the people and God, and among themselves. What the author has done is simply astonishing, generations upon generations of ancient history, written in just one book, and its not even as thick as today’s novels. which may hypothesize that the book wasn’t just made by a single author but by the family historian in each generation. Works Cited Deffinbaugh, Th. M. â€Å"The Principle of Divine Election† bible. org. September 1, 2008 http://www. bible. org/page. php? page_id=104 New American Bible. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3211 4th Street, N. E. , Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000

Unilateral Decision Making in Human Resources

Unilateral Decision Making in Human Resources Human resource management is a series of activities which first enable working people and the organisation which uses their skills to agree about the objectives and nature of their working relationship and secondly, ensure that the agreement is fulfilled Torrington and Hall (2002: 13). There has been an argument about who are the decision makers in the organisation. Is it the Management who are responsible for strategy forming and implementing the strategy or is it the employees who are the life line of the organisation who have the knowledge about the product. Who are best capable of making the decisions? In the essay there is the discussion about the various perspectives and the way decisions are taken. A brief introduction of three types of perspective: Unitary Perspective: A Unitary perspective has one source of authority and one focus of loyalty, which is why it suggests team analogy. Each accepts his place and his functions gladly, following the leadership of the one so appointed. Fox (1966) ( pg 2). Pluralistic Perspective: A Pluralist frame of reference recognises that the legitimacy and justification of trade union in our society rests not upon their protective function in labour markets or upon their success, real or supposed, in raising the share enjoyed by their members, but on social values which recognise the right of interest-group to combine and have an effective voice in their own destiny. This means having a voice in decision making. Marxist Perspective: the Marxist perspective sees the process and institution of joint regulation as an enhancement rather that reduction in managements position; at best they provide only limited and temporary accommodation of the inherent and fundamental division within capitalist based work and social structure. In the essay we would be concentrating more on unitary perspective and pluralistic perspective as they have closer relevance to the statement/argument. The essay gives the outline of how various perspectives effect the decision making process. The effects of various factors on factors like employee relations, employee contract, job regulations, and perspectives have been discussed representing them with a few examples. The corporation is the master, the employee is the servant. Because the corporation owns the means of production without which the employee could not make a living, the employee needs the corporation more than vice versa. Peter Drucker Business Capitalism Work Management regards its own unilateral decision-making over Human Resource issue as legitimate and rational; any opposition to it, either internal or external to the organisation, is seen as irrational. Managements unilateral decision making over Human Resource issue is legitimate and rational can be accepted only if the employer and employee feel that they are one big family (unitary perspective). As fox has summarised that the unitary perspective can be justified when employees and employers have a common goal and objective i.e., to maximise the success of the organisation and workers willingly accept to obey the decision taken by the management. Armstrong (1999) says that the philosophy of Human Resource Management with its emphasis on commitment and mutuality is based on the unitary perspective.fox also states that in unitary perspective there are no teams. Nor are they any outside it; the team stands alone, the members (employees) have an obligation of loyalty to their leader Fox (1966) (p.03). Therefore from the above references it is clear that the decision taken by the management is legitimate and rational and its the duty of the employees to follow it without opposing it. The employers are responsible for the effective running of the organisation and they would have a long term plans of the organisation and the decisions would be taken according to the company vision and objectives. The employees need to understand that the employers would always think to better the company and maximize the profits, opposing decisions taken by them would not only be disloyalty shown towards the organisation but also unethical practise to go against the people who have provided them with food and shelter which are the basic needs (Maslows hierarchy). The above statement is very strong in countries like India where the trade unions have more political view than the welfare of the members of the trade unions. The trade unions go on strikes just to overpower the management. States like West Bengal where the trade unions have the upper hand to the management. That is the main reason why no multinational company wants to set up their base in west Bengal. Whereas states like Karnataka where the unions are discouraged have come up because the IT industry does not encourage trade unions. It may not affect the Industry, but there would be change in the perception and image of the industry if trade unions are introduced. We must seriously consider whether it is the right time to have trade unions in the IT sector. It might hurt the industry Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO MD, Infosys Technologies (Forbes rated Infosys among the 5 best performing companies in the software and services sector in the world). The success of the organisation has been unitarist approach. Unitary perspective also overcomes the problems of disputes between rivalry unions. In this method the accountability becomes clear because everyone is assigned a responsibility. Unitary perspective approach towards job regulation is unilateral in internal regulations. A unitary approach manager takes all the decisions without the consultation of the employees as the employer would know best for the employees. If the decision would be put forward to the employees there would be conflicts of interest. For example during the recent recession period, when the companies had to lay off employees it would not be advisable for the organisation to consult its union about whom and how many are to be removed. The union which is formed for the welfare of the employees would not agree to such decisions and hence it would result in strikes (Jet Airways employees calling for a strike because 150 of its employees were given the pink slip. The organisation was going through huge losses and the only way it would reduce its loss would be by reducing its man power which was not accepted by the Union, hence it resulted in strike). Therefore it is necessary for an organisation to limits the powers of trade unions in decision making. When the Theory X and Theory Y- Mc Gregors is taken into consideration it proves that employees of Theory X would oppose any decision taken by the management as the employees under theory X dislike work and do not care about the organisation goals. Thereby it becomes necessary for the management to take the decisions and employees opposing it are seen as irrational. But the organisation does not have any control over the external Job Regulations because external job regulation consists of forces which are partially outside the enterprise. Therefore, the organisation does not have complete control over the external job regulation. In context with the labour contract, the unitary perspective manager recruits the employees for a particular assignment and when an employee enters into a contract with the employer its his/her duty/responsibility to follow instructions given by the employer, as the statement refers anyone opposing it is seen as irrational would be true because when an employee goes against the contract it is irrational or not fulfilling the terms of the contract. The method of negotiations and bargaining is not encouraged in unitary perspective because the organisations face the problem of firstly recognizing the right union (multiple numbers of unions in an organisation has increased). Therefore the only way to solve this problem would be non recognition of unions. If the management needs to make unilateral decisions which has to be accepted by the employees the decision makers need to have a few traits in them. Firstly they should have a problem solving ability and how they can fit into the wider scheme. Secondly they should have a strong desire to achieve the goals, they should be self confident and self disciplined, they should have the ability to listen and communicate effectively. Finally they should be analytical and intelligent (not to intelligent). Robert.H. David Wilson. Managing organisations. (Pg198) When Unitarism is related to the labour process it becomes clear that the management has the whole authority to make all the decisions because in it is perceived that all the raw materials, means of production and the product of labour belongs to the management. Therefore the decisions taken by the management are legitimate and rational as they own everything and anyone opposing would be considered as irrational. The statement holds true in this situation because once a person/organisation is the owner of a particular thing, he/they should have the freedom to do what he/they want to do with it, without anyones interference. When there is a problem with the organisation it is the management that is held responsible for it. For example even if an employee has faulted in his work and the customer may have some problem with it is the organisation that has to pay the compensation to the customers not the employee. The statement is only applicable for a unitary approach organisation but it has its own draw backs which are low employee morale, low productivity and absenteeism, negative attitude towards work/ job, management rivalry, disagreement, incompatibility, incongruence. There may be various reasons for the following. But to avoid the following there has to be a two way communication between the employee and the employer. The above theory can be accepted but to a certain extent as the external factors cannot be controlled by the organisation. Factors like supply, demand, government policies all play a major role in the working of an organisation. Therefore external factors cannot be considered as irrational. The organisation needs to be flexible and change accordingly to the change in external factors. According to Dunlop (1950) industrial relations system consists of three agents management organizations, workers and formal/informal ways they are organized and government agencies. The Du nlops model gives great significance to external or environmental forces. In other words, management, labor, and the government possess a shared ideology that defines their roles within the relationship and provides stability to the system. The Dunlops theory projects that all the actors have to a common understanding; they cannot work without each others support. The effect of a decision taken will have an effect on the other actors; therefore considering there interference is irrational will not help in the smooth running of the organisation. This is the reason why trade unions were formed which represents the employees. Trade unions have been recognised by all the governments. In a free market unions are encouraged as it is a symbol of democracy which allows the employees the right of expression. In the modern day business there are new techniques like Delphi method; Quality Circles are introduced for the betterment of the organisation. This shows employee participation in the de cision making process of the management has become very important; therefore the management considering any opposition from the employees as irrational will be wrong. A unitary approach becomes really hard when the company is a Multi National Company, because the business market would be different in different countries therefore having a unilateral approach may not suite the organisation. To gain a competitive edge the organisation needs to make the best use of its resources and there are more chances of mis communications in unitary approach, which may result into conflicts. A pluralistic perspective completely agrees with the above said statement as a pluralistic manager believes conflicts are inevitable. It is something that cannot be avoided. The only way the conflicts can be solved is by collective bargaining. In a collective bargaining, its a Win-Win situation for both the employers and the employees. It keeps the morale high and even the productivity high. Therefore considering any interference of the employees of the organisation as irrational cannot be justified, its the right of the employee to have a say in the decision taken by the employer as it will be the employees who would be following those decisions. Ex. If an employer decides to extend the shift (working hours) it has to be consulted with the employees as it will be them who would be working for long hours. If the decision is taken without consultation it would result in conflicts. Every organisation has a member representation of the employees because the organisations have understood the importance of employee satisfaction. Therefore the above statement cannot be agreed on if the organisation follows pluralistic approach. Workers in various countries have been opposing the unilateral decision making process. They feel the managers have been mis using their powers. Even though the management owns the organisation it can only buy the labour power it cannot buy labour because labour is not saleable, therefore the management can restrict its decisions to labour power not labour. Therefore any decision taken which affects the labour can be opposed and it would be considered as rational. When pluralism is related to job regulation as stated by Bean (2000) (p.370) it is generally conceded in the liberal democratic world that working people should have the right to participate in the making of decisions that critically affect their working lives. From the above quote it shows the importance of employee involvement in the decision making process. The employers need to understand that employees play a major role in functioning of the organisation, by involving them into the decision making process not only increases the motivation of the employees but also increase the productivity of the employees. In the modern techniques there are various methods adopted like to increase employee participation in the organisation. It may sometimes result in new fresh ideas which may work in favour of the organisation. Therefore considering ideas from the employees while making decision can be very useful. Sometimes these ideas may contradict the decisions of the management, the manage ment needs to analyse the suggestion and implement it if it is for the betterment of the organisation. The management cannot consider these ideas as irrational. While making rules for the organisations various factors influence them, factors like State, the availability of labour. Supply and demand etc. play a crucial role and none of them can be considered as irrational when they oppose the decisions made by the organisation. The draw backs with pluralistic approach would be rivalry between the trade unions, it makes it hard for the organisation to negotiate when there are more than one trade unions and hence the unions and the management would loose valuable time and money in negotiating the problems. It is the duty of the unions to act as a mediator between the employees and management, but the unions have become so political that they just see how the party(the political) party they represent is benefitted. Example. TATA Nano project was shifted from Singhur (West Bengal, India) to Gujarat (India) because the opposition party wanted to put the ruling government down. There was loss of employment for the state (west Bengal) when the company made the decision to move out, and the union did not achieve any gain out of it. Therefore it can be concluded that the unions no longer work for the welfare of the employees, they have diverted themselves to work for the political party that is supporting them. The Marxist approach states that the management makes profit by exploiting the labourers, i.e. by paying them low wage compared to the work they have done. Conclusion From the above arguments and analysis it becomes clear that the argument is an Management regards its own unilateral decision-making over Human Resource issue as legitimate and rational; any opposition to it, either internal or external to the organisation, is applicable only in Unitary Perspective but this can be implemented in very Public/Private sectors. Some organisations have been successful after adopting such approach but this method cannot be adopted in all sectors as in this fast growing business world and the rate of attrition increasing it becomes very essential for an organisation to take care of its employees and other concerns which are attached to the company, considering their opposition as irrational can be very easily be a reason for the downfall of the organisation. An organisation may enjoy supreme authority when they have a unitary approach but the organisation to decide its transfers and promotions very carefully. It would play a major role because if a manager is recruited from outside the organisation may not be able to adapt to the organisations culture and there would be regular oppositions for his decisions. From the above essay we can argue that no one type of perspective is suitable for all organisations. Some companies may adopted a particular perspective and been successful but it does not confirm that all companies will be successful by following such a perspective. An organisation may have both Theory X category employees and even Theory Y category employees, it is the responsibility of the managers to use the resources available and make the best use of them. To conclude from the above essay it can be concluded that an organisation needs to be flexible but also needs to have authority over its employees. The management needs to take suggestion from its employees but the final decision needs to be taken by the management and its the duty of the employees to follow the decisions as they are under contract/agreement with the employer to render there services to the organisation. The management can have complete control over its internal part of the organisation and anyone opposing it would be going against the contract therefore can be considered as irrational but this can be said the same towards the external forces, the management does not have complete control over them, and considering their opposition as irrational would not be appropriate. Both the perspectives have their own advantages and disadvantages, its the responsibility of the management to balance their business and make profits after all- The only and only social responsibili ty of a business is to make profits- Milton Friedman (Noble Prize in economics).

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Debate

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Debate Eunae Jeong Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act should continue When people heard the news that the first patient with the Ebola virus arrived in Dallas, they were frightened by not only panic about the Ebola virus itself but also by fear that someone in the early stage of infection might not see the doctor because of the enormous cost of health care. In March 2010, President Barack Obama signed into the law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or obamacare. It is the United States’ first health care reform since legalization of Medicare in 1965. Provisions of PPACA include that, in brief, all Americans should buy health insurance from the Health Insurance Marketplace in their state. Another provision states that the federal government should support insurance exchange’s financing (â€Å"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)†). PPACA needs to continue because through the implementation of this Act, people with pre-existing conditions as well as a lot of uninsured people can be aided, and the bud get for Medicare can be reduced at any time. Although there are many opposing views on PPACA, the implementation of PPACA has to be supported because of its clear advantages. For example, imagine that there are a man with type I diabetes, which developed when he was young. To manage type I diabetes, periodical injections of insulin are needed. This means that he needs to visit the doctor to get insulin throughout his life. The cost of insulin depends on insurance coverage. If he tries to apply for insurance in this situation, the insurance company will decline his application due to he has a pre-existing condition. The reason why he is worried about this problem is that he is an American. Fareed Zakaria reports that other countries, such as Switzerland or Taiwan, support their people’s universal insurance independently of pre-existing conditions (22). This is possible because the government, not private insurers, provides the coverage (22). Before PPACA came to the front, Americans had to be anxious about the United Stat es’ terrible health care support system. To address this issue, PPACA prohibits that insurance companies deny an application on account of applicants’ pre-existing conditions (â€Å"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)†). Also, another benefit of the program is that the uninsured Americans can be aided by expansion of PPACA. With the implementation of PPACA, they can have opportunities to get medical service when they require it. According to the article written by Leonard Zwelling, for example, 28 percentages of adults, about 6 million people, in Texas are currently uninsured and about 3 million uninsured Texans can get coverage by the implementation of PPACA (13). In addition, because the budget cuts for Medicare are possible if the states’ finances are endangered PPACS should continue. One of key facts that the Obama administration provide PPACA includes current Medicare and has a plan to expand it with states’ cooperation. Uninsur ed adults do not have as much political leverage as wealthier insured citizen who can contribute to political campaign. Therefore, the securing of the budget for Medicare can be threatened easily when there is pressure to cut the budget. â€Å"Already, there are calls for curbing the law’s subsidies that will help the uninsured buy coverage as part of a bipartisan budget deal-an extraordinarily bad idea, given the limited scope of those subsidies.† Clearly, PPACA is required to protect and expand Medicare. / reference: Oberlander, Jonathan, The New England Journal of Medicine. The debating on the implementation of PPACA continues even though PPACA has already begun implementation. Young Americans oppose the implementation of PPACA because they already have health insurance, and they might spend more money if the federal government and states try to expand health insurance. The Institute of Politics of Harvard University questioned â€Å"2089 citizens aged 18 to 29: 56% of those 18 to 24 disapproved of the President’s job performance; 53% of those 25 to 29 disapproved; and 47% maintain they would recall President Barack Obama if that were possible† (Emord, Jonathan W. â€Å"YOUNG AMERICANS TO OBAMACARE: NOT INTERESTED† USA Today, February 2014. 16). They argue that PPACA is primarily attractive to those who have been uninsured in the past and who suffer from chronic or acute and costly diseases. It is likely that only those individuals will sign up for the program. Most of interviewees have already health insurance. They think that PPAC A’s benefits will not affect them because they are already insured by some other way. Instead, those polled might think that they will have to pay the money that allows expanding health insurance through PPACA. Also, because PPACA does not target a specific population, money might be wasted in the allocation of funds in the federal governmental budget for PPACA’s implementation. In his article â€Å"The Future or Obamacare†, Jonathan Oberlander argues that there is no â€Å"clear programmatic identity: unlike Medicare and Social Security, PPACA does not have a well-defined population of beneficiaries, and its benefits are diffuse.† (Oberlander, Jonathan. â€Å"The Future of Obamacare†, The NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL of MEDICINE (2012). Furthermore, Texas and 15 other states assert that PPACA, with expansion of Medicare, should be reconsidered because it will raise state expenses. (Zwelling, Leonard. â€Å"Obamacare: Why Should We Care?† Journal of Oncology Practice Vol .10, Issue 1 (2014). This is the most difficult, prolonged assault, which the federal government and states should overcome for continuous implementation of PPACA. In spite of these opposing opinions, PPACA should continue to go to the fore. First of all, nobody can assure that they will have enough insurance when they will need health care. In 1963, Kenneth J. Arrow wrote, â€Å"UNCERTAINTY AND THE WELFARE ECONOMICS OR MEDICAL CARE†. In his article, Kenneth J. Arrow contended that health care industry could be explained with â€Å"uncertainty in the incidence of disease†. Namely, the reason why young Americans oppose PPACA implies that young Americans are literally young. Current situation can change suddenly; the insurance is for risk and uncertainty. Reference : Kenneth J. Arrow, â€Å"UNCERTAINTY AND THE WELFARE ECONOMICS OF MEDICAL CARE†, The American Economic Review, Vol LIII December 1963 Number 5 941-973. Moreover, PPACA’s ta rgeting to the universal population of the US is not a weak point, but a strong one. There are other countries with universal access and universal insurance such as Switzerland and Taiwan. Their types of insurance are similar to Medicare supplied by their government instead of being supply by private insurance companies. Surprisingly, while the United States spends 17% of its GDP on health care, Switzerland and Taiwan spends 11% and 7% respectively, of their GDP on it. Because PPACA is not completely enacted Act yet, addressing concerns over budget waste and discussing solutions are necessary to make PPACA move forward Reference: Zakaria, Fareed, Time magazine, 3/26/2012. Last but not least, the Federal government, not each state, will support the expansion of PPACA at a 100% level until 2017, a bit less later, then at 90% indefinitely after 2022(Zwelling, Leonard 12). For example, in Texas, for every $1 the state spends on health care for the poor, the US government matches $9 doll ars. This effectively means that, during the first 10 years of the program in Texas (current Medicare program plus expansion) the federal government would increase payments to the Texas health care system by nearly $90 billion, whereas the state of Texas’s share would be $15.6 billion. However, there are no specific plans after 10 years. More patchworks should be added in many holes of PPACA for its sustainable implementation. PPACA is not perfect yet, but its direction is right. Because PPACA can aid people with pre-existing conditions or uninsured people and can support Medicare, which may be endangered. The opponents argue that they have already health insurance, money might be wasted, or state expenses will be increased. PPACA, supported by the federal government, however, can guarantee people’s future health insurance. In the process of the implementation, although waste of the budget can occur, and PPACA does not have enough time to be revised, it can be getting better with continuous debating with many opposing views. Therefore, PPACA needs to go on in spite of several opposing opinions. Works cited Arrow, Kenneth J. â€Å"UNCERTAINTY AND THE WELFARE ECONOMICS OF MEDICAL CARE† The American Economic Review LIII (1963): 941-973. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Oct 2014. Emord, Jonathan W. â€Å"YOUNG AMERICANS TO OBAMACARE: NOT INTERESTED.† USA TODAY Feb. 2014: 16. Print â€Å"Health Care that Works for Americans.† the White House PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA. The government of the United States of America, 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2014 Levy, Michael. â€Å"Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).† ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2014 Oberlander, Jonathan. â€Å"The Future of Obamacare.† New England Journal of Medicine 367.23 (2012): 2165-2167. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Oct 2014. Zakaria, Fareed. â€Å"Health Insurance Is for Everyone.† Time 26 Mar. 2012: 22-23. Print. Zwelling, Leonard, and Hagop M. Kantarjian. â€Å"Obamacare: Why Should We Care?† JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY PRACTICE 10.1 (2013): 12-14. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Oct 2014.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: essays research papers

In the opening chapters of â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird,† Harper Lee introduces several subtle instances of racism. However, when Jem and Scout are welcomed into Cal’s Church in chapter 12, the reader really gets to travel behind the false disguise of Maycomb County’s white society to see the harsh realities of the injustices suffered by the blacks. The black community is completely separate from the whites -- in fact, Cal lives in a totally different part of town! Another example of total racial segregation is the fact that Jem and Scout have never been to â€Å"that part of town,† so they are unfamiliar with the Church’s way of singing hymns (â€Å"lining†), and they don’t understand â€Å"nigger talk.† Even Lula, one of the black church members, says, â€Å"they got their church, we got our’n.† Poverty is another injustice suffered by the blacks. Their First Purchase Church is very old and worn out. The paint is cracked and peeling, it has no ceiling, there’s a rough oak pulpit, and cheap cardboard fans must be used to keep the congregation cool. There is no piano, organ or church program in sight, and the whole church has to share one hymnbook! The graveyard contains only a few expensive headstones, with most graves merely outlined by broken glass. A further degradation occurs during the rest of the week, when the church building is used by whites for gambling. A majority of the black community is illiterate because there are no schools for blacks in Maycomb County. Their only way of learning is from their parents or another elder. For example, Mrs. Buford taught Cal, and Cal taught her son, Zeebo. Consequently, only four blacks in the whole church can read. In Tom Robinson case, he has virtually no chance of winning strictly due to his race. During his trial, Bob Ewell accuses Tom of raping his girl. Even though the Ewells are considered to be the â€Å"white trash† of Maycomb County, nearly all of white community supports them because they are white and Tom is black. Despite all of these injustices, Chapter 12 also creates a feeling of support and sympathy for the black community. For example, even though they’re oppressed, the black community still has a sense of pride. Their church is called First Purchase because it was paid for with the first earnings of freed slaves. This shows the black’s great devotion to their religion.

Schindlers List Essay -- Film Movie Nazi Germany Jews Schindler Essay

Schindler's List Schindler's List is one of the most powerful movies of all time. It presents the indelible true story of enigmatic German businessman Oskar Schindler who becomes an unlikely saviour of more than 1100 Jews amid the barbaric Nazi reign. A German Catholic war profiteer, Schindler moved to Krakow in 1939 when Germany overran Poland. There he opens an enamelware factory that, on the advice of his Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern, was staffed by Jews from the nearby forced labour camp at Plaszow. Schindler's factory prospered though his contacts with the Nazi war machine and its local representatives, as well as his deft skill on the black market. Then, somewhere along the way, Schindler's devotion to self-interest was supplanted by a desire to protect as many Jews as possible. This desire ultimately grew into 'Schindler's List,' which was directly responsible for sparing the lives of 1100 Jews - a charming and sly entrepreneur, Schindler bribed and befriended the Nazi authorities and manage d to get them released from the labour camp and brought to the safety of his munitions factory in Czechoslovakia. Aspects of good and evil are portrayed in a number of different ways throughout the film, ?Schindler?s List?. The story of Schindler's List reminds us that there is hope; that sometimes the actions of one person - one ordinary person even, for Oskar Schindler is not the stereotypical altruistic hero - can make a difference, even in the face of mass apathy and e...

Angels Demons Chapter 113-117

113 Something was wrong. Lieutenant Chartrand stood outside the Pope's office and sensed in the uneasy stance of the soldier standing with him that they shared the same anxiety. The private meeting they were shielding, Rocher had said, could save the Vatican from destruction. So Chartrand wondered why his protective instincts were tingling. And why was Rocher acting so strangely? Something definitely was awry. Captain Rocher stood to Chartrand's right, staring dead ahead, his sharp gaze uncharacteristically distant. Chartrand barely recognized the captain. Rocher had not been himself in the last hour. His decisions made no sense. Someone should be present inside this meeting! Chartrand thought. He had heard Maximilian Kohler bolt the door after he entered. Why had Rocher permitted this? But there was so much more bothering Chartrand. The cardinals. The cardinals were still locked in the Sistine Chapel. This was absolute insanity. The camerlegno had wanted them evacuated fifteen minutes ago! Rocher had overruled the decision and not informed the camerlegno. Chartrand had expressed concern, and Rocher had almost taken off his head. Chain of command was never questioned in the Swiss Guard, and Rocher was now top dog. Half an hour, Rocher thought, discreetly checking his Swiss chronometer in the dim light of the candelabra lighting the hall. Please hurry. Chartrand wished he could hear what was happening on the other side of the doors. Still, he knew there was no one he would rather have handling this crisis than the camerlegno. The man had been tested beyond reason tonight, and he had not flinched. He had confronted the problem head-on†¦ truthful, candid, shining like an example to all. Chartrand felt proud right now to be a Catholic. The Illuminati had made a mistake when they challenged Camerlegno Ventresca. At that moment, however, Chartrand's thoughts were jolted by an unexpected sound. A banging. It was coming from down the hall. The pounding was distant and muffled, but incessant. Rocher looked up. The captain turned to Chartrand and motioned down the hall. Chartrand understood. He turned on his flashlight and took off to investigate. The banging was more desperate now. Chartrand ran thirty yards down the corridor to an intersection. The noise seemed to be coming from around the corner, beyond the Sala Clementina. Chartrand felt perplexed. There was only one room back there – the Pope's private library. His Holiness's private library had been locked since the Pope's death. Nobody could possibly be in there! Chartrand hurried down the second corridor, turned another corner, and rushed to the library door. The wooden portico was diminutive, but it stood in the dark like a dour sentinel. The banging was coming from somewhere inside. Chartrand hesitated. He had never been inside the private library. Few had. No one was allowed in without an escort by the Pope himself. Tentatively, Chartrand reached for the doorknob and turned. As he had imagined, the door was locked. He put his ear to the door. The banging was louder. Then he heard something else. Voices! Someone calling out! He could not make out the words, but he could hear the panic in their shouts. Was someone trapped in the library? Had the Swiss Guard not properly evacuated the building? Chartrand hesitated, wondering if he should go back and consult Rocher. The hell with that. Chartrand had been trained to make decisions, and he would make one now. He pulled out his side arm and fired a single shot into the door latch. The wood exploded, and the door swung open. Beyond the threshold Chartrand saw nothing but blackness. He shone his flashlight. The room was rectangular – oriental carpets, high oak shelves packed with books, a stitched leather couch, and a marble fireplace. Chartrand had heard stories of this place – three thousand ancient volumes side by side with hundreds of current magazines and periodicals, anything His Holiness requested. The coffee table was covered with journals of science and politics. The banging was clearer now. Chartrand shone his light across the room toward the sound. On the far wall, beyond the sitting area, was a huge door made of iron. It looked impenetrable as a vault. It had four mammoth locks. The tiny etched letters dead center of the door took Chartrand's breath away. IL PASSETTO Chartrand stared. The Pope's secret escape route! Chartrand had certainly heard of Il Passetto, and he had even heard rumors that it had once had an entrance here in the library, but the tunnel had not been used in ages! Who could be banging on the other side? Chartrand took his flashlight and rapped on the door. There was a muffled exultation from the other side. The banging stopped, and the voices yelled louder. Chartrand could barely make out their words through the barricade. â€Å"†¦ Kohler†¦ lie†¦ camerlegno†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Who is that?† Chartrand yelled. â€Å"†¦ ert Langdon†¦ Vittoria Ve†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Chartrand understood enough to be confused. I thought you were dead! â€Å"†¦ the door,† the voices yelled. â€Å"Open†¦!† Chartrand looked at the iron barrier and knew he would need dynamite to get through there. â€Å"Impossible!† he yelled. â€Å"Too thick!† â€Å"†¦ meeting†¦ stop†¦ erlegno†¦ danger†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Despite his training on the hazards of panic, Chartrand felt a sudden rush of fear at the last few words. Had he understood correctly? Heart pounding, he turned to run back to the office. As he turned, though, he stalled. His gaze had fallen to something on the door†¦ something more shocking even than the message coming from beyond it. Emerging from the keyholes of each of the door's massive locks were keys. Chartrand stared. The keys were here? He blinked in disbelief. The keys to this door were supposed to be in a vault someplace! This passage was never used – not for centuries! Chartrand dropped his flashlight on the floor. He grabbed the first key and turned. The mechanism was rusted and stiff, but it still worked. Someone had opened it recently. Chartrand worked the next lock. And the next. When the last bolt slid aside, Chartrand pulled. The slab of iron creaked open. He grabbed his light and shone it into the passage. Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra looked like apparitions as they staggered into the library. Both were ragged and tired, but they were very much alive. â€Å"What is this!† Chartrand demanded. â€Å"What's going on! Where did you come from?† â€Å"Where's Max Kohler?† Langdon demanded. Chartrand pointed. â€Å"In a private meeting with the camer – â€Å" Langdon and Vittoria pushed past him and ran down the darkened hall. Chartrand turned, instinctively raising his gun at their backs. He quickly lowered it and ran after them. Rocher apparently heard them coming, because as they arrived outside the Pope's office, Rocher had spread his legs in a protective stance and was leveling his gun at them. â€Å"Alt!† â€Å"The camerlegno is in danger!† Langdon yelled, raising his arms in surrender as he slid to a stop. â€Å"Open the door! Max Kohler is going to kill the camerlegno!† Rocher looked angry. â€Å"Open the door!† Vittoria said. â€Å"Hurry!† But it was too late. From inside the Pope's office came a bloodcurdling scream. It was the camerlegno. 114 The confrontation lasted only seconds. Camerlegno Ventresca was still screaming when Chartrand stepped past Rocher and blew open the door of the Pope's office. The guards dashed in. Langdon and Vittoria ran in behind them. The scene before them was staggering. The chamber was lit only by candlelight and a dying fire. Kohler was near the fireplace, standing awkwardly in front of his wheelchair. He brandished a pistol, aimed at the camerlegno, who lay on the floor at his feet, writhing in agony. The camerlegno's cassock was torn open, and his bare chest was seared black. Langdon could not make out the symbol from across the room, but a large, square brand lay on the floor near Kohler. The metal still glowed red. Two of the Swiss Guards acted without hesitation. They opened fire. The bullets smashed into Kohler's chest, driving him backward. Kohler collapsed into his wheelchair, his chest gurgling blood. His gun went skittering across the floor. Langdon stood stunned in the doorway. Vittoria seemed paralyzed. â€Å"Max†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. The camerlegno, still twisting on the floor, rolled toward Rocher, and with the trancelike terror of the early witch hunts, pointed his index finger at Rocher and yelled a single word. â€Å"ILLUMINATUS!† â€Å"You bastard,† Rocher said, running at him. â€Å"You sanctimonious bas – â€Å" This time it was Chartrand who reacted on instinct, putting three bullets in Rocher's back. The captain fell face first on the tile floor and slid lifeless through his own blood. Chartrand and the guards dashed immediately to the camerlegno, who lay clutching himself, convulsing in pain. Both guards let out exclamations of horror when they saw the symbol seared on the camerlegno's chest. The second guard saw the brand upside down and immediately staggered backward with fear in his eyes. Chartrand, looking equally overwhelmed by the symbol, pulled the camerlegno's torn cassock up over the burn, shielding it from view. Langdon felt delirious as he moved across the room. Through a mist of insanity and violence, he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. A crippled scientist, in a final act of symbolic dominance, had flown into Vatican City and branded the church's highest official. Some things are worth dying for, the Hassassin had said. Langdon wondered how a handicapped man could possibly have overpowered the camerlegno. Then again, Kohler had a gun. It doesn't matter how he did it! Kohler accomplished his mission! Langdon moved toward the gruesome scene. The camerlegno was being attended, and Langdon felt himself drawn toward the smoking brand on the floor near Kohler's wheelchair. The sixth brand? The closer Langdon got, the more confused he became. The brand seemed to be a perfect square, quite large, and had obviously come from the sacred center compartment of the chest in the Illuminati Lair. A sixth and final brand, the Hassassin had said. The most brilliant of all. Langdon knelt beside Kohler and reached for the object. The metal still radiated heat. Grasping the wooden handle, Langdon picked it up. He was not sure what he expected to see, but it most certainly was not this. Angels & Demons Langdon stared a long, confused moment. Nothing was making sense. Why had the guards cried out in horror when they saw this? It was a square of meaningless squiggles. The most brilliant of all? It was symmetrical, Langdon could tell as he rotated it in his hand, but it was gibberish. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, Langdon looked up, expecting Vittoria. The hand, however, was covered with blood. It belonged to Maximilian Kohler, who was reaching out from his wheelchair. Langdon dropped the brand and staggered to his feet. Kohler's still alive! Slumped in his wheelchair, the dying director was still breathing, albeit barely, sucking in sputtering gasps. Kohler's eyes met Langdon's, and it was the same stony gaze that had greeted Langdon at CERN earlier that day. The eyes looked even harder in death, the loathing and enmity rising to the surface. The scientist's body quivered, and Langdon sensed he was trying to move. Everyone else in the room was focused on the camerlegno, and Langdon wanted to call out, but he could not react. He was transfixed by the intensity radiating from Kohler in these final seconds of his life. The director, with tremulous effort, lifted his arm and pulled a small device off the arm of his wheelchair. It was the size of a matchbox. He held it out, quivering. For an instant, Langdon feared Kohler had a weapon. But it was something else. â€Å"G-give†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Kohler's final words were a gurgling whisper. â€Å"G-give this†¦ to the m-media.† Kohler collapsed motionless, and the device fell in his lap. Shocked, Langdon stared at the device. It was electronic. The words SONY RUVI were printed across the front. Langdon recognized it as one of those new ultraminiature, palm-held camcorders. The balls on this guy! he thought. Kohler had apparently recorded some sort of final suicide message he wanted the media to broadcast†¦ no doubt some sermon about the importance of science and the evils of religion. Langdon decided he had done enough for this man's cause tonight. Before Chartrand saw Kohler's camcorder, Langdon slipped it into his deepest jacket pocket. Kohler's final message can rot in hell! It was the voice of the camerlegno that broke the silence. He was trying to sit up. â€Å"The cardinals,† he gasped to Chartrand. â€Å"Still in the Sistine Chapel!† Chartrand exclaimed. â€Å"Captain Rocher ordered – † â€Å"Evacuate†¦ now. Everyone.† Chartrand sent one of the other guards running off to let the cardinals out. The camerlegno grimaced in pain. â€Å"Helicopter†¦ out front†¦ get me to a hospital.† 115 In St. Peter's Square, the Swiss Guard pilot sat in the cockpit of the parked Vatican helicopter and rubbed his temples. The chaos in the square around him was so loud that it drowned out the sound of his idling rotors. This was no solemn candlelight vigil. He was amazed a riot had not broken out yet. With less than twenty-five minutes left until midnight, the people were still packed together, some praying, some weeping for the church, others screaming obscenities and proclaiming that this was what the church deserved, still others chanting apocalyptic Bible verses. The pilot's head pounded as the media lights glinted off his windshield. He squinted out at the clamorous masses. Banners waved over the crowd. Antimatter is the Antichrist! Scientist=Satanist Where is your God now? The pilot groaned, his headache worsening. He half considered grabbing the windshield's vinyl covering and putting it up so he wouldn't have to watch, but he knew he would be airborne in a matter of minutes. Lieutenant Chartrand had just radioed with terrible news. The camerlegno had been attacked by Maximilian Kohler and seriously injured. Chartrand, the American, and the woman were carrying the camerlegno out now so he could be evacuated to a hospital. The pilot felt personally responsible for the attack. He reprimanded himself for not acting on his gut. Earlier, when he had picked up Kohler at the airport, he had sensed something in the scientist's dead eyes. He couldn't place it, but he didn't like it. Not that it mattered. Rocher was running the show, and Rocher insisted this was the guy. Rocher had apparently been wrong. A new clamor arose from the crowd, and the pilot looked over to see a line of cardinals processing solemnly out of the Vatican onto St. Peter's Square. The cardinals' relief to be leaving ground zero seemed to be quickly overcome by looks of bewilderment at the spectacle now going on outside the church. The crowd noise intensified yet again. The pilot's head pounded. He needed an aspirin. Maybe three. He didn't like to fly on medication, but a few aspirin would certainly be less debilitating than this raging headache. He reached for the first-aid kit, kept with assorted maps and manuals in a cargo box bolted between the two front seats. When he tried to open the box, though, he found it locked. He looked around for the key and then finally gave up. Tonight was clearly not his lucky night. He went back to massaging his temples. Inside the darkened basilica, Langdon, Vittoria, and the two guards strained breathlessly toward the main exit. Unable to find anything more suitable, the four of them were transporting the wounded camerlegno on a narrow table, balancing the inert body between them as though on a stretcher. Outside the doors, the faint roar of human chaos was now audible. The camerlegno teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. Time was running out. 116 It was 11:39 P.M. when Langdon stepped with the others from St. Peter's Basilica. The glare that hit his eyes was searing. The media lights shone off the white marble like sunlight off a snowy tundra. Langdon squinted, trying to find refuge behind the faà §ade's enormous columns, but the light came from all directions. In front of him, a collage of massive video screens rose above the crowd. Standing there atop the magnificent stairs that spilled down to the piazza below, Langdon felt like a reluctant player on the world's biggest stage. Somewhere beyond the glaring lights, Langdon heard an idling helicopter and the roar of a hundred thousand voices. To their left, a procession of cardinals was now evacuating onto the square. They all stopped in apparent distress to see the scene now unfolding on the staircase. â€Å"Careful now,† Chartrand urged, sounding focused as the group began descending the stairs toward the helicopter. Langdon felt like they were moving underwater. His arms ached from the weight of the camerlegno and the table. He wondered how the moment could get much less dignified. Then he saw the answer. The two BBC reporters had apparently been crossing the open square on their way back to the press area. But now, with the roar of the crowd, they had turned. Glick and Macri were now running back toward them. Macri's camera was raised and rolling. Here come the vultures, Langdon thought. â€Å"Alt!† Chartrand yelled. â€Å"Get back!† But the reporters kept coming. Langdon guessed the other networks would take about six seconds to pick up this live BBC feed again. He was wrong. They took two. As if connected by some sort of universal consciousness, every last media screen in the piazza cut away from their countdown clocks and their Vatican experts and began transmitting the same picture – a jiggling action footage swooping up the Vatican stairs. Now, everywhere Langdon looked, he saw the camerlegno's limp body in a Technicolor close-up. This is wrong! Langdon thought. He wanted to run down the stairs and interfere, but he could not. It wouldn't have helped anyway. Whether it was the roar of the crowd or the cool night air that caused it, Langdon would never know, but at that moment, the inconceivable occurred. Like a man awakening from a nightmare, the camerlegno's eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright. Taken entirely by surprise, Langdon and the others fumbled with the shifting weight. The front of the table dipped. The camerlegno began to slide. They tried to recover by setting the table down, but it was too late. The camerlegno slid off the front. Incredibly, he did not fall. His feet hit the marble, and he swayed upright. He stood a moment, looking disoriented, and then, before anyone could stop him, he lurched forward, staggering down the stairs toward Macri. â€Å"No!† Langdon screamed. Chartrand rushed forward, trying to reign in the camerlegno. But the camerlegno turned on him, wild-eyed, crazed. â€Å"Leave me!† Chartrand jumped back. The scene went from bad to worse. The camerlegno's torn cassock, having been only laid over his chest by Chartrand, began to slip lower. For a moment, Langdon thought the garment might hold, but that moment passed. The cassock let go, sliding off his shoulders down around his waist. The gasp that went up from the crowd seemed to travel around the globe and back in an instant. Cameras rolled, flashbulbs exploded. On media screens everywhere, the image of the camerlegno's branded chest was projected, towering and in grisly detail. Some screens were even freezing the image and rotating it 180 degrees. The ultimate Illuminati victory. Langdon stared at the brand on the screens. Although it was the imprint of the square brand he had held earlier, the symbol now made sense. Perfect sense. The marking's awesome power hit Langdon like a train. Orientation. Langdon had forgotten the first rule of symbology. When is a square not a square? He had also forgotten that iron brands, just like rubber stamps, never looked like their imprints. They were in reverse. Langdon had been looking at the brand's negative! As the chaos grew, an old Illuminati quote echoed with new meaning: â€Å"A flawless diamond, born of the ancient elements with such perfection that all those who saw it could only stare in wonder.† Langdon knew now the myth was true. Earth, Air, Fire, Water. The Illuminati Diamond. Angels & Demons 117 Robert Langdon had little doubt that the chaos and hysteria coursing through St. Peter's Square at this very instant exceeded anything Vatican Hill had ever witnessed. No battle, no crucifixion, no pilgrimage, no mystical vision†¦ nothing in the shrine's 2,000-year history could possibly match the scope and drama of this very moment. As the tragedy unfolded, Langdon felt oddly separate, as if hovering there beside Vittoria at the top of the stairs. The action seemed to distend, as if in a time warp, all the insanity slowing to a crawl†¦ The branded camerlegno†¦ raving for the world to see†¦ The Illuminati Diamond†¦ unveiled in its diabolical genius†¦ The countdown clock registering the final twenty minutes of Vatican history†¦ The drama, however, had only just begun. The camerlegno, as if in some sort of post-traumatic trance, seemed suddenly puissant, possessed by demons. He began babbling, whispering to unseen spirits, looking up at the sky and raising his arms to God. â€Å"Speak!† the camerlegno yelled to the heavens. â€Å"Yes, I hear you!† In that moment, Langdon understood. His heart dropped like a rock. Vittoria apparently understood too. She went white. â€Å"He's in shock,† she said. â€Å"He's hallucinating. He thinks he's talking to God!† Somebody's got to stop this, Langdon thought. It was a wretched and embarrassing end. Get this man to a hospital! Below them on the stairs, Chinita Macri was poised and filming, apparently having located her ideal vantage point. The images she filmed appeared instantly across the square behind her on media screens†¦ like endless drive-in movies all playing the same grisly tragedy. The whole scene felt epic. The camerlegno, in his torn cassock, with the scorched brand on his chest, looked like some sort of battered champion who had overcome the rings of hell for this one moment of revelation. He bellowed to the heavens. â€Å"Ti sento, Dio! I hear you, God!† Chartrand backed off, a look of awe on his face. The hush that fell across the crowd was instant and absolute. For a moment it was as if the silence had fallen across the entire planet†¦ everyone in front of their TVs rigid, a communal holding of breath. The camerlegno stood on the stairs, before the world, and held out his arms. He looked almost Christlike, bare and wounded before the world. He raised his arms to the heavens and, looking up, exclaimed, â€Å"Grazie! Grazie, Dio!† The silence of the masses never broke. â€Å"Grazie, Dio!† the camerlegno cried out again. Like the sun breaking through a stormy sky, a look of joy spread across his face. â€Å"Grazie, Dio!† Thank you, God? Langdon stared in wonder. The camerlegno was radiant now, his eerie transformation complete. He looked up at the sky, still nodding furiously. He shouted to the heavens, â€Å"Upon this rock I will build my church!† Langdon knew the words, but he had no idea why the camerlegno could possibly be shouting them. The camerlegno turned back to the crowd and bellowed again into the night. â€Å"Upon this rock I will build my church!† Then he raised his hands to the sky and laughed out loud. â€Å"Grazie, Dio! Grazie!† The man had clearly gone mad. The world watched, spellbound. The culmination, however, was something no one expected. With a final joyous exultation, the camerlegno turned and dashed back into St. Peter's Basilica.

Rani lakshmibai Essay

L.K. Advanis suggestion to jointly celebrate the uprising of 1857 by India, Pakistan and Bangladesh is utterly ill-advised. It betrays, apart from our misplaced understanding of history, an obsequious mentality towards Muslims. In independent India, we preserved the myth sedulously cultivated by Gandhi, that everything that was anti-British was patriotic. Adolf Hitler, by that logic, should be our greatest hero because he dealt the biggest blow to the British Empire. We adore a demonic Tipu Sultan, who claimed to have converted hundred thousand Hindus to Islam in a day, simply because he fought against the British. Advani should admit that, by extension of the same logic, RSS is an unpatriotic organization because it took no part in freedom movement. In reality, the RSS founder Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, who had brush with revolution and experience of Non-Cooperation Movement, was a sagacious man. He understood that the need of the hour was to strengthen and reorganize the Hindu society under British rule. Under Mughals, such organizations could not have been raised except under the shade of the sword like Khalsa by Guru Govind Singh. 1857, although it was more than army mutiny, was not the First War of Independence. This term was coined by a young Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who celebrated its 50th anniversary in London. 1857, in reality, was the last war of Islamic resistance. It was an attempt to overthrow the British East India Company and reestablish the Muslim rule. It is for this reason that Bengal, whose Hindus have been benefited by liberal British education, shunned the uprising completely. Sikhs, persecuted by Mughals throughout their history, had little sympathy towards Bahadur Shah Zafar. Some Hindus have created a myth that 1857 was a golden period of Hindu-Muslim amity. R.C. Mazumdar writes-There was communal tension even in Delhi, the centre of the great movement. But it was not confined to that city. We learn from an official report on the night of the Mutiny (June, 4) at Varanasi that news was received by some Mussalmans had determined to raise the Green Flag in the temple of Bisshessur. The communal hatred led ugly communal riots in many parts of U.P. Green Flag was hoisted and bloody wars were  fought between Hindus and Muslims in Bareilly, Bijnor, Mordabad and others places where Muslims the Muslims shouted for the revival of the Muslim kingdom. The communal discord was supplemented by racial animosity of long standing produced by historical causes. The Muslims in Hyderabad were excited by events of North India and developed strong anti-British feeling, but they were more hostile to the Marathas and would have gladly fought under the British under Holkar and Sindhia (British Paramountcy and Indian Renaissance-I p.618-History and Culture of the Indian People Vol. IX) Gandhi tried to rope in Muslims in Non Co-operation movement for Swaraj on quid pro quid basis with Khilafat movement. To ordinary Muslims, Swaraj became co-terminus with reestablishment of Muslim rule in India. Its most eminent example is the Mopla riots (1920) in Malabar. Not a single British life was lost in anti-British uprising by Moplas. But it led to death, rape, mutilation of thousands of Hindus in addition to plunder and desecration of temples. We saw, in recent past, how anti-Bush and anti-cartoon rallies by Muslims had turned into attacks upon Hindus. Today to remind Muslims of their glorious role in anti-British struggle is to encourage more suicide bombers to emerge against the Londoners. 0 MultiQuote Reply #82 ramana Advanced Member Group: Senior Members Posts: 3,265 Joined: 03-October 03 Posted 20 June 2006 – 10:17 PM More from Deccan Chronicle, 20 June 2006 Sunday Section. QUOTE Deciding on a title for 1857 Itihaas: By Akhilesh Mithal The year 2007 will mark the 150th anniversary of the greatest up-surge in nearly two centuries (1757-1947) of British rule in India. The memories of the episode are distorted because the British won and victors usually angle history to serve their own narrow, partisan ends. The Indians who collaborated and helped the British quell the uprising became the major beneficiaries and joined the rulers in erasing and distorting all positive memories of the revolt. Many of these toady families continue to be rich and close to power centers in the Congress and the BJP. Their views colour Indian perceptions along the lines that Britishers had laid down. It has come to such a pass that even the images of the most important leaders such as Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi and Nana Dhondho Pant Peshwa have got lost. The portraits that exist are mushkook or suspect and no schoolchild is familiar with the real appearance of these heroes and heroines. Although the rebel soldiers (nearly 1,00,000) were joined by the Emperor of India, the Peshwa of the Maratthas, the Begum of Awadh; numerous Nawabs, Rajas and Ranis besides peasants, traders and shopkeepers, the title mutiny continues to prevail. The emperors gardens, palaces, mosques and seminaries received special attention from the sappers and miners. The entire villages were burnt down and the ruined mud walls razed to the ground. The heart of Delhi and the center of Lucknow were gouged out. Shahjahanabad Delhi was depopulated and its status reduced to a lowly district headquarters in the Province of the Punjab. Lucknow lost its place as capital of Awadh. Allahabad was the new capital from which Lord Canning announced that Queen Victoria had assumed direct rule. Many leftist historians talk of the uprising as an attempt to re-establish feudalism while ignoring the fact that the British Raj was a military dictatorship displaying the worst aspects of racist Nazism and Fascism while operating under a thin civilian veneer. The British prevarication on the subject of sharing power with Indians is a matter of record. The 20th Century British attempt to pass off bogus and impotent legislatures in India as an experiment in democracy, was exposed by Bhagat Singh and his group when they threw a bomb in the Central Legislative Assembly and followed it up with a shower of pamphlets spelling out the deception being practised. Independence saw an India with 10 per cent literacy, an average expectancy of age at 29, and a franchise covering less than 13 per cent of the population. The country was ruled by the British civil military junta from Shimla or Delhi with collaborators from amongst the Indians helping them justify every outrage and cover up the failures. The British-officered Indian army was posted at strategic bases and could be summoned out at short notice. The army shooting to kill unarmed civilians protesting slavery in Jallianwala Bagh in 1942 are amongst the darkest chapters of British rule. The British claim to have trained Indians in the practice of democracy. In point of fact, their rule in India spawned not Indian democracy but military dictatorship in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It should be remembered that the second most powerful person in India during British Rule was the Commander-in-Chief in India. His lakh rupee salary made him the highest paid man in uniform in the whole Empire including the sceptred Island. (For those born after the dissolution of the Empire sceptred were the title the British gave to their home.) The use of the epithet Great for Britain and sceptred for the island helped the British forget all the want, misery deprivation and suffering  they had caused in India during their rule. The revisit to 1857 should include inputs from what is now Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Nepal under the Ranas came to the help of the British, took its share of loot, established a foothold of Gurkhas in the army, which lasts and they should have interesting material in their records. Both Nana Saheb and Begum Hazrat Mahal died in Nepal and it would be interesting to know the fate of their treasure. Perhaps the Pakistanis should be asked to concentrate on the Bengal infantry regiment revolts in the Punjab and in the NWFP to bring these facts out of obscurity. There also is the story of the rebel leader Ahmad Shah of Nilibar. He exists in folklore and should come out into history texts. We shall talk about NWFP and 1857 in another column. 0 MultiQuote Reply #83 acharya Advanced Member Group: Moderators Posts: 6,411 Joined: 13-August 03 Posted 24 June 2006 – 11:44 PM Rising, Falling As we enter the 150th anniversary of 1857, William Dalrymple casts a new look at one of Indian history’s most enigmatic episodes, and its aftermath WILLIAM DALRYMPLE | e-mail | one page format | feedback: send – read | In June 1858, the Times correspondent William Howard Russella man now famous as the father of war journalismarrived in the ruins of Delhi, recently  recaptured by the British from the rebels after one of the bloodiest sieges in Indian history. Skeletons still littered the streets, and the domes and minars of the city were riddled with shell holes; but the walls of the Red Fort, the great palace of the Mughals, still looked magnificent: â€Å"I have seldom seen a nobler mural aspect,† wrote Russell in his diary, â€Å"and the great space of bright red walls put me in mind of (the) finest part of Windsor Castle.† Russell’s ultimate destination was, however, rather less imposing. Along a dark, dingy back passage of the fort, Russell was led to the cell of a frail 83-year-old man who was accused by the British of being one of the masterminds of the Great Rising, or Mutiny, of 1857, the most serious armed act of resistance to Western imperialism ever to be mounted anywhere in the world. â€Å"He was a dim, wandering-eyed, dreamy old man with a feeble hanging nether lip and toothless gums,† wrote a surprised Russell. â€Å"Not a word came from his lips; in silence he sat day and night with his eyes cast on the ground, and as though utterly oblivious of the conditions in which he was placed†¦. His eyes had the dull, filmy look of very old age†¦. Some heard him quoting verses of his own composition, writing poetry on a wall with a burned stick.† â€Å"He was a dim, wandering-eyed, dreamy old man with a feeble hanging nether lip and toothless gums,† the Times correspondent William Russell wrote of Bahadur Shah Zafar in 1858. The last emperor of the Mughals, a direct but all-too-remote descendant of Genghis Khan. The prisoner was Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, direct descendant of Genghis Khan and Tamburlane, of Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jehan. As Russell himself observed, â€Å"He was called ungrateful for rising against his benefactors. He was no doubt a weak and cruel old man; but to talk of ingratitude on the part of one who saw that all the dominions of his ancestors had been gradually taken from him until he was left with an empty title, and more empty exchequer, and a palace full of penniless princesses, is perfectly preposterous.† Zafar was born in 1775, when the British were still a relatively insignificant coastal power clinging to three enclaves on the Indian shore. In his lifetime he saw his own dynasty reduced to humiliating insignificance, while the British transformed themselves from servile traders into an aggressively expansionist military force. British residents ride behind emperor Akbar II and his sons in 1815 Zafar came late to the throne, succeeding his father only in his mid-60s, when it was already impossible to reverse the political decline of the Mughals. But despite this he succeeded in creating around him in Delhi a court of great brilliance. Personally, he was one of the most talented, tolerant and likeable of his dynasty: a skilled calligrapher, a profound writer on Sufism, a discriminating patron of miniature painters and an inspired creator of gardens. Most importantly, he was a very serious mystical poet, who wrote not only in Urdu and Persian but Braj Bhasha and Punjabi, and partly through his patronage there took place arguably the greatest literary renaissance in modern Indian history.Himself a ghazal writer of great charm and accomplishment, Zafar’s court provided a showcase for the talents of India’s greatest love poet, Ghalib, and his rival Zauqthe Mughal poet laureate, and the Salieri to Ghalib’s Mozart. 0 MultiQuote Reply #84 acharya Advanced Member Group: Moderators Posts: 6,411 Joined: 13-August 03 Posted 24 June 2006 – 11:45 PM 0 MultiQuote Reply #85 acharya Advanced Member Group: Moderators Posts: 6,411 Joined: 13-August 03 Posted 24 June 2006 – 11:45 PM 0 MultiQuote Reply #86 acharya Advanced Member Group: Moderators Posts: 6,411 Joined: 13-August 03 Posted 24 June 2006 – 11:48 PM This fast emerging middle-class India is a country with its eyes firmly fixed on the coming century. Everywhere there is a profound hope that the country’s rapidly rising international status will somehow compensate for a past often perceived as a long succession of invasions and defeats at the hands of foreign powers.Whatever the reason, the result is a tragic neglect of Delhi’s magnificent past. Sometimes it seems as if no other great city of the world is less loved, or less cared foras the tone of the recent Outlook cover story highlighted. Occasionally there is an outcry as the tomb of the poet Zauq is discovered to have disappeared under a municipal urinal or the haveli courtyard house of his rival Ghalib is revealed to have been turned into a coal store; but by and large the losses go unrecorded. I find it heartbreaking: often when I revisit one of my favourite monuments it has either been overrun by some slum, unsympathetically restored by the asi or, more usually, simply demolished. Ninety-nine per cent of the delicate havelis or Mughal courtyard houses of Old Delhi have been  destroyed, and like the city walls, disappeared into memory. According to historian Pavan Verma, the majority of the buildings he recorded in his book Mansions at Dusk only 10 years ago no longer exist. Perhaps there is also a cultural factor here in the neglect of the past: as one conservationist told me recently: â€Å"You must understand,† he said, â€Å"that we Hindus burn our dead.† Either way, the loss of Delhi’s past is irreplaceable; and future generations will inevitably look back at the conservation failures of the early 21st century with a deep sadness.’ Rising, Falling Rising, Falling As we enter the 150th anniversary of 1857, William Dalrymple casts a new look at one of Indian history’s most enigmatic episodes, and its aftermath WILLIAM DALRYMPLE In June 1858, the Times correspondent William Howard Russella man now famous as the father of war journalismarrived in the ruins of Delhi, recently recaptured by the British from the rebels after one of the bloodiest sieges in Indian history. Skeletons still littered the streets, and the domes and minars of the city were riddled with shell holes; but the walls of the Red Fort, the great palace of the Mughals, still looked magnificent: â€Å"I have seldom seen a nobler mural aspect,† wrote Russell in his diary, â€Å"and the great space of bright red walls put me in mind of (the) finest part of Windsor Castle.† Russell’s ultimate destination was, however, rather less imposing. 0 MultiQuote Reply #87 Mudy Advanced Member Group: Administrators Posts: 19,601 Joined: 13-August 03 Posted 27 June 2006 – 09:33 PM QUOTE Title A HISTORY OF THE SEPOY WAR IN INDIA 1857-1858. (VOL II) Author1 JOHN WILLIAM KAYE Author2 ` Subject HISTORY Language English Barcode 2020050020626 Year 1927 Online book are available on this site. http://dli.iiit.ac.in/ They have excellent collection of books. 0 MultiQuote Reply #88 acharya Advanced Member Group: Moderators Posts: 6,411 Joined: 13-August 03 Posted 15 July 2006 – 08:15 AM Chauhan sees a major flaw in textbook Staff Correspondent Referring 1857 War of Independence as mutiny a big mistake, Chief Minister tells Manmohan Singh BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has brought to the notice of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the social science textbook  for Class X prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) refers to the 1857 War of Independence as mutiny and said that this flaw should be rectified immediately. According to information received here, Mr. Chauhan raised the issue at a meeting called by the Prime Minister at his residence in New Delhi on Thursday to chalk out the plan for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the 1857 War of Independence. The meeting was attended by members of the Union Cabinet, senior members of political parties, Chief Ministers, Governors, historians and intellectuals. Drawing attention to the â€Å"fact† that it was Veer Sawarkar who had called it the First War of Independence, the Chief Minister regretted that the CBSE syllabus continues to describe the 1857 War of Independence as mutiny. The Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to have this flaw corrected and requested that a stipend be sanctioned for the descendants of those who had fought the 1857 War. He asserted that textbooks should be used effectively to impart knowledge about the struggle for Independence. This he emphasised by recounting the sacrifice of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Rani Avantibai of Ramgarh, Raja Bhaktbali of Shahgarh, Raja Shankar Shah of Jabalpur and Raghunath Shah in the 1857 War of Independence. He said his government had declared awards in memory of Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah — two heroes of the 1857 War of Independence from Madhya Pradesh. A proposal to increase the pension of freedom fighters is under consideration in the State. Mr. Chauhan said many functions were being organised in the State to celebrate the centenary of Chandra Shekhar Azad. He also informed that every month, on the first working day, Vande Mataram is sung by the Chief Minister, Ministers and all State Government employees. The word â€Å"mataram† gets repeated four times in the Bangladesh national anthem but nobody in that country objects to it whereas the pseudo-secular elements in this country try to create unnecessary confusion about Vande-Mataram, he said. 0 MultiQuote Reply #89 Group: Guests Posted 15 July 2006 – 09:20 AM If I am right – – Mangal Pandey triggers the war in March, 1857 in Barrakpur Cantt near Kolkata. – Uprising began in Meerut on May 10, 1857. I would like to know about two things: – What went on between March and May of 1857. – What triggered the events at Meerut. I also would ike to know some more facts about Oudh (Awadh) Annexation. Awadh was not a total region controlled by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah from Lucknow. In the interiors of Oudh there were independent Hindu princes and independants as well. While Wajid Ali Shah was based in Lucknow (and Faizabad), there were Hidu princes in interiors like Gonda, Balrampur, Tulsipur, Naugarh, Manikapur and various other smaler areas on the borders of Nepal and today’s Uttar Pradesh. Having once lived in that region of UP I had heard some folklores which talked about some of these princes and even one queen having led their people into fighting bravely with British forces. Some other stories are about very active support from Nepal’s kingdm. I also heard stories of bravery of Begum Hazrat Mahal of Lucknow having led the resistance. Though I have not learnt what does â€Å"official† history say†¦anyone knows? Also king of Banaras and people of some towns in Bihar gave stiff resistance to British, which is not well registered? Regards 0 MultiQuote Reply #90 Mudy Advanced Member Group: Administrators Posts: 19,601 Joined: 13-August 03 Posted 15 July 2006 – 10:33 AM QUOTE – What went on between March and May of 1857. – What triggered the events at Meerut. here is link- Link Read first page. 0 MultiQuote Reply #91 Group: Guests Posted 06 August 2006 – 01:38 AM QUOTE(pulikeshi @ Jul 11 2004, 10:45 AM) Interesting thread†¦ but should’nt we change the name or the thread to say something like: â€Å"Indian war for independence – 1857†. I think it is to fall victim of British propaganda to call 1857 as ‘Indian war of Independence’. If the warring parties would have won against the British, individual rulers would have got their own lands, there was no ‘independence of india’ at stake in 1857. this tag was given to nail in the fact that indians historically lack unity. when ever we talk of unity in present day India, inveriably 1857 war is brought up as an example of Indians historic lack of unity. that is most ridiculous. war of 1857 had nothing to do with Indian unity. simply because there was no notion of India. It was war of ‘moghal allies’ against ‘britis allies’. the major strength of british army was due to Sikhs and Gorkhas. which were at that time british allies, but in history they are seen as british subordinates. Sikhs had much greater scorn for moghals then for british, to support them in the 1857 war. British allies had no way to know at that time, that british would enslave whole of india and their own allies for 200 years. for them the atrocities of the Muslims were known. the British seemed to be a better choice. 0 MultiQuote Reply #92 ramana Advanced Member Group: Senior Members Posts: 3,265 Joined: 03-October 03 Posted 08 August 2006 – 08:56 PM x-posted Book review In Pioneer, 8 August 2006 QUOTE Rising for a lesser cause If one believes the account of Field Marshal Lord Roberts, the revolt of 1857 was nothing more than the last and desperate attempt by Muslims to reimpose their superiority over Indian politics, write Prafull Goradia and KR Phanda An Eye Witness Account of The Indian Mutiny, Field Marshall Lord Roberts of Kandahar; Mittal Publications, $60 This book, An Eye Witness Account of the Indian Mutiny, by Field Marshal Lord Frederick Roberts of Kandahar needs to be read for more than one reason. First, it proves that the 1857 uprising was a sepoy mutiny. Second, it was the last attempt by Muslims to recover their own rule from the British. The epicentre of the mutiny was the erstwhile kingdom of Oudh. The role of the Hindu princes was only peripheral. Third, the decision of the Government of India to celebrate now the Mutiny as the First War of Independence would amount to heaping insult on the sacrifices made by the Rajputs, the Marathas, the Jats and the Sikhs to throw out the Muslim invaders from India. Between Lord Roberts and his father Major General Sir Abraham Roberts, they had spent almost 90 years in India. Frederick was in India from 1852 to 1893. He participated in quelling the mutiny at several places including Delhi. In his own words: â€Å"The first threatening of coming trouble were heard in the early part of 1857. During the months of February, March and April rumours reached us at Peshwar of mysterious chapattis (unleavened cakes) being sent about the country with the object, it was alleged, of preparing the natives for some forthcoming event. We heard that the 19th Native Infantry at Berhampore, a military station about 100 miles from Calcutta, had broken open the bells-of-arms†¦ that a sepoy named Mangal Pandey at Barrackpore had wounded the Adjutant and Sergant Major of his regiment; and that Sepoys at the Schools of Musketry had objected to use the cartridges served out with new rifles† (p-34). As the news spread, the native regiments based in Peshwar, Naushera, Umbala, Mian Mir (Lahore), Multan, Ferozpore and other places were disarmed. The happenings at Meerut triggered the revolt elsewhere; and, it is from there that the sepoys marched to Delhi and declared Bahadur Shah as badshah. Soon, thereafter, some 85 soldiers refused to receive the rifle cartridges on the suspicion that these were greased with lard and cow fat. On enquiry, they  were found guilty and punished severely. In retaliation, the British officers, their wives and children and every European on the outskirts of the Meerut Cantonment were massacred. Meanwhile, Delhi fell into Muslim hands. It took three months before General Wilson established his headquarters at the Red Fort. â€Å"Every eye,† Lord Canning wrote, â€Å"is upon Oudh as it was on Delhi.† The Gurkhas and the Sikhs helped in the recapture of the Imambara in Lucknow. The city was recaptured on March 14, 1858. But for the sagacity of diplomacy and the cleverness of strategy, the British would not have been able to recapture north-west India. They received cooperation from the Amir of Afghanistan, the Sikhs and the Gurkhas of Nepal. Commissioner of Lahore Division Sir John Lawrence had strongly advocated the policy of trusting the Maharaja of Patiala and the Rajas of Jind and Nabha. Douglas Forsyth, the Deputy Commissioner of Ambala, met the Maharaja and addressed him thus: â€Å"Maharaja Sahib answer me one question: Are you for us or against us?† The Maharaja’s reply was: â€Å"As long as I live, I am yours.† To the question what brought about the cataclysm, Roberts says: â€Å"The causes which brought about the mutiny were so various and some of them of such long standing, that it is difficult to point them out as concisely as I could wish. Mahommedans looked back to the days of their empire in India but failed to remember how completely. Their maulvis taught them it was only lawful for true Mussalmans to submit to the rule of an infidel if there was no possibility of successful revolt, and they watched for the chance of again being able to make Islam supreme. The late Sir George Campbell says that the mutiny was a sepoy revolt, not a Hindu rebellion† (p-231-24). The annexation of Oudh by the British was considered unjust by Muslims. Their other grievance was the treatment meted out to Bahadur Shah, the last Mughal emperor. In this context, it needs to be pointed out that when Lord Lake captured Delhi in 1803, it was made clear to him that his place of residence would be shifted out of the Red Fort; and his successors would not be called badshah. Thus, the Muslims were aggrieved on several counts and the Meerut  mutineers marched to Delhi and proclaimed him as the badshah of India. Indian historical episodes have seldom been looked upon from the Hindu, as distinct from the Muslim, view point. Most of the time studies have been as if the communities were incidental and they were actually one people with a common heritage. If anything, it is the British who did not hesitate to make distinction. For example, Roberts quotes Sir John Campbell summing up that the mutiny was not a Hindu rebellion. On the other hand, the author himself has highlighted that other than the sepoys, the two great political causes were Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah and the Nawab of Oudh, both Muslim and both perceived to have been deprived of their hereditary thrones. Although it was not the soldier’s business to analyse politics, a professional historian should not miss the point that the primary losers at the hands of the British were Muslims and not Hindus. Most of north India, except Rajasthan, was ruled by a badshah or a nawab who, in turn, had gifted large tracts of lands to his allies and satellites who were also mostly Muslim. The Hindu, on the other hand, had benefited from the advent of the East India Company, which demonstrated since the Battle of Plassey, 1757, that it had the military capability to defeat nawabs. True, the sepoys must have had their grievances such as the new Enfield cartridges, but the substantive economic interests that were lost had belonged to Muslims. Due to the permanent land settlement of Lord Cornwallis, most of the zamindaris that were auctioned were taken up by Hindus, although earlier most of the land had been the jagirs of Muslims. The book is, in any case, a ready diary on he basis of which those decades of Indian history can be interpreted by students of history. It is in this context that W.W. Hunter’s book on the â€Å"Indian Mussalman† and Edmund Blunt’s book and the Pakistan project have to be understood. 0 MultiQuote Reply #93 Group: Guests Posted 09 August 2006 – 03:32 AM QUOTE(ramana @ Aug 8 2006, 08:48 PM) Indian historical episodes have seldom been looked upon from the Hindu, as distinct from the Muslim, view point. Most of the time studies have been as if the communities were incidental and they were actually one people with a common heritage. If anything, it is the British who did not hesitate to make distinction. For example, Roberts quotes Sir John Campbell summing up that the mutiny was not a Hindu rebellion. On the other hand, the author himself has highlighted that other than the sepoys, the two great political causes were Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah and the Nawab of Oudh, both Muslim and both perceived to have been deprived of their hereditary thrones. Bravo my friend. for years we hindus have suffered in guilt and incapabiity of mughals. it is very nessasary that indian history be seen separatly through hindu point of view. Hindus’ weekness is not the lack of unity but readiness to befriend unworthy foes. This is virtue while dealing among hindus, it is a weekness when dealing with other cultures. 0 MultiQuote Reply #94 ramana Advanced Member Group: Senior Members Posts: 3,265 Joined: 03-October 03 Posted 10 August 2006 – 02:30 AM BTW, The above is a quote from a book review and not my ideas. While at it if one studies the colonial period by confining to geographical India only then it doesnt make sense. The key to understand it is that it is a chronicle of British Imperialism and the rest(French, Dutch, Danes(Tranquebar) etc) followed to keep pace in Europe or else they would become beggars. Ever wonder where the Russian colonies were? Central Asia!!! What about the Swedes? None they were Johnny come latelies and the French already took them over by then. 0 MultiQuote Reply #95 ramana Advanced Member Group: Senior Members Posts: 3,265 Joined: 03-October 03 Posted 14 August 2006 – 12:47 AM Deccan Chronicle, 13 August 2006 QUOTE 1857 Ghadar & Madan Lal Itihaas: By Akhilesh Mithal How significant 1857 was for the Indians and the British in pre-independence India can be judged from the following facts. May 10, the anniversary of the Uprising, saw all adult British males carrying personal arms and forts were kept ready as the rallying point for British women and children in case of necessity. Half a century ago, in this very week, we bravely defended our empire.The Daily Telegraph of May 7, 1907 stated. The Indian perception was just as clear. At the beginning of May 1909, a circular invited Indian students to a meeting in the India House to observe the 51st anniversary of the Ghadar on May 10, which, propitiously, was also a Sunday as had been May 10 in 1857. The circular, titled Bande Mataram stated: To commemorate the Indian National Rising of 1857, a meeting of Indians in England will be held at India House on sunday 10th may 1908, at 4 pm precisely. You and your friends are cordially invited to attend. The purpose of the meeting, printed at the back of the notice, was stated as being one of holding up to admiration, martyrs and the principal leaders of the rebellion including Nana Saheb. According to the folklore of the Indian Freedom Struggle, the founder of the India House in London, Shyamaji Krishna Verma had met Nana Saheb in his hideout in the Nepat Terai, thus forging a link between 1857 and the nascent freedom movement of India. Thus readers can see for themselves that for freedom fighters of the 19th century and also for the British the 1857 uprising was something of abiding significance. For Indians, it gave something to look back upon for inspiration while for the British, it was something to fill the mind with alarm fear and trepidation.The story of an Indian living in England in 1909 will illustrate the tension between Indians and the British. Madan Lal Dhingra was the son of a prominent medical practitioner of Punjab. His elder brother had been called to the Bar and was practising law in Lahore. Madan Lal was drawn to the freedom struggle by exposure to firebrands like Har Dayal. He appeared in class at the University College wearing a badge inscribed with names of the martyrs and leaders of 1857 supplied by the organisers of the May 10, 1909 meeting. In the class, he was ordered to remove the badge, to which he refused. This led to him being ragged by the British students and Madan Lal was so incensed by the leader of the raggers that he offered to cut his throat. When news of this incident reached home, his father requested Curzon Wylie, an official appointed for counselling Indian students and keeping an eye on them, to help recover Madan Lal to the cause of loyalty to the Empire. Curzon Wylie had retired from the Indian Army to become political A.D.C. to the Secretary of State for India in 1901. Madan Lal was infuriated and wrote home to say that he deplored an attitude which asked Anglo-Indians like Curzon Wylie to interfere in what were essentially Indias private affairs. Madan Lal bought a Colt revolver and also a Belgian weapon and started  practising shooting at a private range. The National Indian Association had its annual general meeting on July 1, 1909. After dining at the Savoy, Curzon Wylie proceeded to the Associations At Home in Jahangir Hall of the Imperial institute. When the programme concluded, Wylie was seen descending from the staircase. Madan Lal engaged him in conversation and, then, suddenly, pulled out the revolver and fired five shots into his face at point blank range. As Wylie fell down, a Parsi, Cowas Lalkaka tried to shield the victim. The sixth bullet killed him. When overpowered by the crowd Madan Lal tried to shoot himself but there were no more bullets left. In his statement, Madan Lal said, I am a patriot working for the emancipation of the motherland from the foreign yoke. I object to the term murderer to me because I am fully justified in what I have done. The English would have done the same thing had the Germans been in occupation of England. Madan Lal was tried and sentenced to death. He was hanged on August 17, 1909. Thus the link between the Ghadar of 1857 and the freedom movement of the 19th century was clear in the mind of many who took part and risked their all for the freedom of their beloved motherland. This shows link between 1857 and the revolutionary part of the Indian freedom struggle. I think through Tilak and Gandhi the link to the tradtional freedom movement has to be documented so that it clears any persistent cobwebs in the minds. 0 MultiQuote Reply #96 Group: Guests Posted 14 August 2006 – 01:33 AM QUOTE(ramana @ Aug 14 2006, 12:39 AM) I think through Tilak and Gandhi the link to the tradtional freedom movement has to be documented so that it clears any persistent cobwebs in the minds. There cannot be any doubt that the failed 1857 revolt had nothing to do with indian independence. it was only later on when the british crimes became worst than the memories of the mughal crimes that 1857 revolt was seen as inspiring event for indian freedom fighters. 0 MultiQuote Reply #97 Bharatvarsh Advanced Member Group: Senior Members Posts: 2,397 Joined: 13-April 05 Posted 14 August 2006 – 11:36 PM QUOTE the indian war of independence 1857 vinayak damodar savarkor http://dli.iiit.ac.i†¦e=2020050057563 I have to agree with jayashastri, the 1857 rebellion was by no means a war for independence, obviously when Savarkar wrote this he was in his younger days of militant nationalism and wanted these events to serve as an inspiration for future freedom fighters (and they did so) but back then he wasn’t so aware of Islam either and thought that Hindus and Muslims could forge a common bond (which was rejected by him later on if we take his later day speeches and writings as evidence), the 1857 rebellion had a lot of vested interests (jihadis) that had no other motive than to establish Mughal empire again and there were even Hindu-Muslim riots in places where the rebellion succeeded so it can’t really be described as a movement for independence but it served as a catalyst for the beginnings of Indian nationalism and doubtless there were many noble souls who were genuine freedom fighters (they may not have had the conception of a Pan Indian nationhood yet) but they may have fou ght for local independence from the British. Sita Ram Goel also does not consider it as a movement for independence, here are his comments regarding 1857: QUOTE This jihd which was joined by Hindu rebellions on the fringes was named as The Indian War of Independence, 1857 (London, 1909) by V.D. Savarkar. He had yet to learn the history of Islam in India. It is significant that secularists and Muslim who hate Savarkar, hail the book as well as its name. http://www.voiceofdh†¦/tfst/appi1.htm 0 MultiQuote Reply #98 Hauma Hamiddha Advanced Member Group: Moderators Posts: 816 Joined: 13-August 03 Posted 15 August 2006 – 05:35 AM QUOTE There cannot be any doubt that the failed 1857 revolt had nothing to do with indian independence. I believe this is simply too extreme a characterization. It was definitely a widespread movement expressedly aimed at driving out the White man from India. However, in India then as now the heathen interests where not strongly aligned, and then there were the Musalmans. -The Hindus across a wide swath of society from backward classes to the brahmins fought in this war. -Many saw the danger possed by Christianity in damaging the Hindu ethos, however many of the Hindu elite were in the fight due to their personal situation. Many like Nana, Rani Lakshmibai etc led the revolt because of personal interests. Nevertheless others like Tatya Tope, Kunwar Singh were fired by Hindu nationalism. Nevertheless, I agree that the Hindus foolishly thought they could make a common cause with the Islamic elite that had independently called Jihad because Christianity and the British overbearance were intruding into their religious as well as personal sphere. Thus Nana sent a letter calling for the Moslem Jihad to make common cause with the Hindu struggle. It is not some miracle that he succeeded, but merely that the two happened to align due to a common enemy. This did not happen earlier in the Karnatic where Tipu Sultan and Hyder with very ambiguous attitudes towards the Hindus were not aligned in their interest with the Hindu elite. Tipu saw the Maharattas as much or more an Enemy than Christian White men. All said, we must keep in mind the following: 1) Prior to 1857 and immediately after it there were a string of anti-British rebellions throughout the country. The Balwant Phadke rebellion, the Vellore rebellion, the tribal revolt, the Velu Thampi rebellion are all examples. 1857 was merely one of the largest of those. In these rebellions there was disconnect in the firing between the North and South of India. South fired before North and each was quiet when the other was firing. South was no very well-knit in terms of Hindu military leadership so it lacked the coordination seen in the North mainly directed by Maharatta leaders was lacking. In light of this the BJP idea of celebrating 1857 in common with the TSPians and BDs is ridiculous. 0 MultiQuote Reply #99 mitradena Advanced Member Group: Senior Members Posts: 258 Joined: 22-November 03 Posted 15 August 2006 – 10:19 AM Hauma, What is your opinion about Mangal Pandey’s role in this? Was he fired by Hindu nationalism or just an emotional guy reacting to an insult (Beef laced cartridges)? 0 MultiQuote Reply #100 Group: Guests Posted 15 August 2006 – 06:04 PM QUOTE(Hauma Hamiddha @ Aug 15 2006, 05:27 AM) QUOTE There cannot be any doubt that the failed 1857 revolt had nothing to do with indian independence. I believe this is simply too extreme a characterization. No. I think it is very simple and obvious point. Those who were fighting the revolt were not fighting for Indian independence. The 1857 revolt and the ‘(gandhian) fight for Indian independence’ were fought for 2 totally different objectives. and thus could not be considered as one being the precursor to another. yes inspirations were drawn from individual valor of the 1857 revolt, simply because the enemy was the same, not because the cause was the same. The danger of believing so will lead us to false conclusions that Indians were not united in 1857 but became united later. The unity, of mainly Hindu kings, should not come into question because there was no call for their unity. No one single obvious cause under which they needed to unite, other than Hinduism. and Hindus unlike other religions are taught to act according to their own Dharma/role/job. where the dharma of Hindus who were Brits allies was to stay loyal to their words the Dharma of those fighting against Brits was to fight for injustice done to their people. It is only in Islam and then later in Christianity (during crusades, only 1000 year after conception of christianity) that there exist a clause  to fight in the name of religion. This in fact is main cause why there is so much, unending Islamic terrorism. According to Muslim scriptures it is paramount that every Muslim take on himself for fight for the injustice don’t to other Muslims. it does not matter if the other Muslims was right or wrong, as long as he is threatened by a non Muslim he must be supported. 0