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Argumentative Essay on whether university students should be forced to attend all the classes

Introduction

A debate has been brought forward regarding the issue of whether university students should be forced to attend all the classes, or whether attending classes should be optional to the students. Weighing the benefits of attending all the classes and having an option of whether to attend or not, gives the best option in the debate. Emanating from the benefits that attending all the classes has on the students, I would argue that university students should be required to attend classes.

One of the reasons why students should be required to attend classes is because students have the benefit of receiving teacher’s knowledge. Tutors are usually knowledgeable in the specific areas that they teach and this knowledge cannot be replaced by other reading materials that students opt to use rather than attending classes. Whatever is written in the books gives a less practical example than what the teacher teaches in class; the tutor will, in most cases, provide practical examples to match what he is teaching, but books or other reading materials may not. Therefore, attending all classes equips a student with not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical knowledge. Besides, students should be required to attend classes in order to keep focused on the studies. Attendance of classes makes students concentrate on their studies because once in class, they will avoid out of class businesses and activities, thus tune their minds to studies. If classes were optional, it would be exceedingly difficult to keep students focused on their studies since they would irregularly attend classes making it difficult to keep in touch with whatever the lecturer is teaching. Therefore, attending classes makes students focus on studies and keep the students abreast with their career.

A requirement to attend classes encompasses one of the rules established in a university; therefore, attending classes is a show of respect and discipline to an institution’s rules. Hence, attending classes prepares students for their future career in the workplace, where they would be required to attend to work without failure and show respect to the rules of the workplace. Attending classes on time rather than staying in bed late and making studies whenever students want, prepares students for punctuality in their future career. In addition, attending classes gives students an opportunity to interact with others as they discuss topics with the lecturer; through the various viewpoints given by fellow students, students get an opportunity to learn other intelligent thoughts from their friends. Furthermore, students should be required to attend classes since their chief reason of going to university is developing their career; it is remarkably difficult to develop a career by not attending classes since irregular attendance of classes makes students lose focus.

In conclusion, students should be required to attend classes because attending classes help students to gain immense knowledge from the tutor and from fellow students. The tutor has the capacity of giving practical examples, which relate to the subject being taught and students, in class, give different intelligent viewpoints during class discussions, which add to the knowledge of other students. Besides, attending classes is of benefit because attending classes on time prepares students for their future career in the workplace. Therefore, looking at the benefits that attending classes have, individuals that think attending classes, in the university, should be optional are usually misleading.

THE RATIFICATION OF THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

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After President Johnson announced the end of the Reconstruction in 1865 and 1866, Southern States began passing discriminatory state laws collectively referred to as black codes. The goals differed from state to state bur had a fairly similar goal: to maintain the socioeconomic system of racial slavery. The black codes systemized white supremacy by restricting freed slaves from civic participation. The codes deprived blacks of the rights to vote, to serve on juries, to carry or own weapons, and to rent or lease land. The members of the Congressional Joint Committee felt that the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 and the passing of the first Civil Rights Act in 1866 had done little to change the plight of the freed slaves because it posed legal questions over black citizenship. Therefore in 1866 Radical Republicans drafted the Fourteenth Amendment and was ratified by state legislatures in 1868. The Fourteenth Amendment stated, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” It, therefore, gave all citizens equal protection under state and federal law and eliminated the notion that freed slaves were three-fifths of a free white person. Because of its emphasis on equal justice and equal protection, the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment is to date, one of the most important events in the country, not only did the Amendment equalize the American people, it also established the United States as a multicultural society.

The Fourteenth Amendment dramatically transformed the realities of Americans and made the federal government an advocate and guardian of civil liberties. According to an article by Eric Foner dubbed, “The Original Intent of the Fourteenth Amendment” the Civil War changed the roles and powers of the government with the roles of the federal government expanding in Abraham Lincoln’s government as the Republicans tried to manage the dual challenge: maintenance of a Union and eradicating slavery. This expansion of federal powers is evident in the ratification of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. The Civil War had also forced American leaders to acknowledge their responsibility to the four million black slaves who yoked with the bondage of chattel slavery. By ratifying the Fourteenth Amendment, the lives of African Americans took on a different turn for the better.

The Fourteenth Amendment established equal protection and due process for all citizens in the nation by bridging the gap between legal positivism and natural law. The Radical Republicans who drafted the Fourteenth Amendment foresaw the protection of man’s natural rights protected by a social contract (natural law) but also acknowledged the role of the legislature in imposing the law despite natural law. Before the Civil War, the Republican Party condemned chattel slavery on the premise of higher laws. They debated that slavery was in violation of natural rights, to solidify their argument even in territories that lacked legislative sanctions. The natural law tradition had been adopted in the Declaration of Independence and had been used to shape the ideology of the American Revolution. For instance, in a radical pamphlet by Thomas Paine’s that incited colonists on the need for independence from Great Britain titled “Common Sense”, Paine argues that “[all] mankind [was] originally equals in the order of creation…no one by birth could have a right to set up his own family in perpetual preference to all others for ever”. Republicans therefore based the emancipation on the same premise used by Americans while fighting for independence from Great Britain.

The Fourteenth Amendment did not only provide a set of rights for the blacks, but it aimed to also embrace all “races, classes, and conditions of men.” Today, the Court acknowledges the Fourteenth Amendment to have “a broader principle” than to meet the immediate plight of the newly freed black slaves. The Amendment was of course designed to free the slaves and grant them equality in all aspects. However, it was not only confined to the African American slaves, but to all races and classes. The Amendment did not confine the rule to any race but granted all Americans equal protection, privileges, and the right to due process. The concerns of the freed black slaves were obviously present in the Republicans and Congress as they drafted and debated the Amendment but they also concerned by challenges facing other groups such immigrants into the nation, Northern migrants to the South, and Southern Unionists. The integration of foreign-born persons into American society was a primary challenge in antebellum society. White citizens were aware of the influx of immigrants such as the Chinese, and most of the immigrants were met with hostility due to perceived differences and the notion that they would rob them of economic opportunities. The Citizenship Clause, in its non-racial language, protected all persons born in the nation, despite the origin of their parents.

The clauses in The Fourteenth Amendment: the representation clause, the disfranchisement clause, the debt clause, the pardon clause, and other parts of this Amendment are meant to avoid inequality. “These clauses were not only meant to attack the undemocratic socioeconomic system in the South but to avoid future repetition of the same.” Issues such as public debt aim to dissociate the government from insurrections and rebellions against the country. The clause specified that all debts incurred by fighting to defeat the Confederacy would be honored. However, Confederate debt would not be honored since the government would not pay for insurrection or rebellion against the nation. Moreover, the Amendment stated that claims for the emancipation or loss of any slave would be held illegal and void. Therefore, the framers of the amendment aimed at reaching deeply into the political lives of the states to ensure that the amendment would meet Republican standards.

In conclusion, the Fourteenth Amendment is one of the great foundations on which the democracy of America is based. It is said that more litigation is based on this Amendment or the Amendment’s implementing statues than any other provision in the United States Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment shows the determination of the 39th Congress to do away with Chattel Slavery and to build a more integrated nation whose citizens were all equal regardless of their race, gender, class. The Fourteenth Amendment grants all citizens fundamental rights to be protected against the local, state, and federal governments. It not only assisted in demanding equal rights for African Americans but its generality incorporates all peoples hence prompting the multicultural character of the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment takes the primary ideal of the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal, and incorporates it into the U.S. Constitution.

Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bartley, Abel A. 2003. “The Fourteenth Amendment: The Great Equalizer of the American People.” Akron Law Review 473-490.

Corbett, P. Scott, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, Todd Pfannestiel, and Paul Vickery. 2017. U.S. History. Houston: OpenStax.

Farber, Daniel A., and John E. Muench. 1994. “The Ideological Origins of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Berkelely Law Journal 235-279.

Foner, Eric. 2006. “The Original Intent of the Fourteenth Amendment: A Conversation with Eric Foner .” Nevada Law Journal 426-446.

Paine, Thomas. 2008. “Common Sense (2nd ed.: Philadelphia, 1776), pp.1. 6-12, 15-30.” In Voices of Freedom : A Documentary History, by Eric Foner, 93-98. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.

Absolutism

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Introduction

The reign of Peter the Great Russian

Absolutism is a form of government whereby where complete and unlimited authority is sustained by a sovereign individual with no incoming balance from any part of the government. The rulers in these types of governments have absolute power with no challenges to his power. Over time, the term has been used to single out various leaders-from Hitler’s dictatorship to monarch rulers such as Louis XIV of France- to Julius Caesar. Early absolutism existed across Europe; however, it mostly existed among the western states of Austrian, Prussia and Spain. Through absolutism, a central government could exercise much control and command on its people. It is these qualities and components of the system that led to the rise of Peter the great who through successful wars transformed Tsardom of Russia to become a dominant European power.

Analysis

Peter the great is acknowledged with pulling Russia out of the dark ages times to the point that when he died in 1725, Russia had become a leading state in the Eastern Europe. He accomplished these by employing a centralized government, modernizing the army, creating a navy and increasing the subjugation and subjection of the local peasants. It is easy to conclude that Peter’s outlook on life and people was toughened by his childhood. At 17 years, Peter removed his sister (Sophia) and the prince (Golitsin) to step down from the seat as their reign was filled by chaos at the government level much to the public’s dismay. Upon sitting on the throne, Peter portrayed a physical presence (7 feet tall and very broad) which seemed to indicate how his rule would go. His ambition led to his enquiry about how to be a carpenter, talking to mathematicians, and he also leant how best to train soldiers (including how to torture people).

After inheriting an administration full of problems, Peter the great tried to solve these issues. This consisted of navigating to other states in search of knowledge and studying other cultures so as to apply these and even better reforms upon returning home. In his European trip, he visited museums, factories, theaters, arsenals and even attended some sessions in parliaments. By the time Peter was forced to come back home, he was full of knowledge, brilliance and ready to steer Russia towards the Western culture. His actions to westernize Russia, however, did not always produce the wanted effect. As a result of his reforms, the Russian society became splintered in classes that could not even have a dialog-factions and disputes never ceased in the context of the same class. (Olive, 1969)

In his efforts to westernize Russia, he labored at the reform of dressing. His period was marked by people wearing long beards, (which was cherished and preserved with care) thus allowing them to hang on their bosoms without cutting the mustache. Some people even slept with shoes! Short hair accompanied the long beards except for the ecclesiastics who kept their hair long for people to distinguish them from the public. In order to change that custom, Peter ordered that merchants and gentlemen i.e. except priests and peasants should be imposed a tax of one hundred rubles for those who wanted to keep the long beards. The act was regarded as a sin and that it abolished their religion. Also, the Russians wore very long that reached the heels. Peter commanded that all the nobles and those with positions at the court to dress like the English fashion. They were also supposed to adorn the clothes with silver or gold according to their means.

The rest of the people were instructed to wear a suit of clothes cut in accordance to the new fashion. Failure to that, a penalty of 2 grieves or kneeling and having the long part of the garments that went below the knee cut off, was set for any time that a person entered the town in the old style. Women changed their dressing to include stays, skirts and bodices. Also, he introduced practice that-all men and women should be invited to entertainments e.g. wedding and banquets where they would mingle freely. He encouraged people to drink coffee and even smoke cigarettes. His majesty presented himself as an example to all the new rules. (Basu-Zharku, 2011)

Peter took Russia to war against the Ottoman Empire so as to have access to the black sea from where he builds the first ever naval base in Russian history. In 1700, he went to war against the Swedish Empire, which lasted for 21 years. After coming out victorious, the Russian Tsardom transformed to the Russian Empire. During the war, Peter transformed the scattered kingdom into a central state, with 12 provinces being managed by governors. Also, he created a senate and a cabinet to help bring the public supervision closer to the people. In fact, the first Russian newspaper was printed in Peter’s reign. (Cheney, 2013)After setting up two academies, Peter promoted the Russian industry until Russia became the world’s top producer in cast iron melting. The production of the melted iron bolstered the industry as well as the military. He designed new guns from Russia and also made the army and navy professional standing units.

Peter knew that Russia needed immediate change once he took over. He also knew that the majority of the public disagreed with his plans to westernize Russia. So, he decided that in order to inflict the changes he engineered, he would have to push the people. In order to force the people to follow him, he increased his power as an absolute ruler. He brought he Russian Orthodox Church under the state control for closer supervision. He went ahead to abolish the office of the patriarch. Apart from that, he set up a group entitled ‘the Holy Synod’ for the purpose of running the church-under his direction.

To make more impact as the head, he reduced the powers of the great landowners and recruited men from the lower ranking families. He promoted them into positions of authority and even rewarded them with grants of lands. He wanted to make sure that the recruited men would owe everything to him, and be loyal to him. He added potatoes and started Russia’s first ever newspaper, and was the first person to edit it. Peter saw himself as the prime servant of the nation as he accepted the title the great, a title which elevated him above the rest. He controlled nobility while also demanding the state service from them and also drafted their lives. He used his self-elevated powers to force thousands of people to make Saint Petersburg (that he named after himself) without pay. (Cross, 2003)

In 1700, there was a war that lasted for 21 years. The great Northern war comprised of two conflicting groups. A fight raised between the coalitions led by peter the great verses Sweden’s Charles X11. As a result, Sweden lost her supremacy to the Tsardom Russia. The Russian Empire became the most dominant nation in the Baltic area. Though the war occurred from 1700, the causes are traced back to the 1690s. A coalition was made in 1699, and it included Russia, Denmark and Poland. The three nations seemed to agree that a 15-year old Sweden’s king Charles X11 would be a soft target. While Denmark and Poland had their reasons to battle Sweden, Peter’s main reason was to attain greatness in the area. Sweden possessed Estonia, Inglia and Karelia and thus became acknowledged as the greatest in the Baltic region. In order for Russia to become the greatest, Peter needed his area to advance to the West. Thus, Sweden stood as the only state blocking Russia’s advancement to the West.

The only waters surrounding Russia were the Archangelsk, but the water was ice-shut for most of the year. The fact that he could not use these water bodies for export to Europe meant that Russia had to use the ports of Eastern Baltic that were controlled by Sweden. It also meant that the Russia’s goods for export were put in the hands of the customs and tolls of the people of Sweden. Peter’s ambition to make Russia a naval power was not achievable until she had a port in Eastern waters. Russia became successful against the Swedish empire. Peter seized Riga and large portions of Finland (Sommerville, n.d.).

The campaigns of the Russian army under the rule of Peter the great, towards the Sea of Azov occurred at the time of the Russo-Turkish war that happened between 1686 and 1699. Peter’s main purpose of the campaigns was to capture the fortress of Azov with a garrison of seven thousand men, which blocked the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. The campaigns occurred in two phases- the first and second Azov campaign. The first phase started in the spring of 1695. An army of 31000 men with 170 guns composed of rack regiments and Don Cossacks and divided into three detachments was sent towards Azov. A different army comprising of 120,000 noble cavalrymen, musketeers and Ukrainian Cossacks (under the command of B.P. shere-metev) shifted along the lower reaches of the Dnieper so as to distract the Crimean taters. On the th of July, the Russian armies marched and surrounded Azov by land. However, after two unsuccessful assaults, the siege was lifted.

The preparations for a second Azov campaign commenced officially at the end of 1695. On April 23rd to 26th, the main force comprising of 75,000 men commanded by S.A. Shein arrived by boat and land. Peter led fleet galleys on 3rd of May. Azov surrendered on July 19th after bombardments from the land as well as from sea. These campaigns showed the importance of fleets, and it also marked the beginning of the Russia transformation into a naval power. Even before Peter the great came to power, Russia was still doomed by Geography never to become a European naval power because it had no warm-water port and also, no access to the Mediterranean. To improve Russia’s state on the seas, Peter set out to attain more maritime outlets as the only possible outlet since White Sea snowed mostly through the year.

The Baltic Sea was controlled by the Swedish nation in the North. On the other hand, the Ottoman Empire was in full control of the black sea in the south. As a result, Peter’s primary goal became capturing the Ottoman fortress of Azov (located near the Don River). He launched an attack in 1695 but failed to capture the port. He returned to Moscow and rebuilds a large navy. The next year, (1696) Peter the great launched about thirty battle ships against the ottomans. As a result of the assault, Peter the great captured Azov in July. The war marked a conflict that would last for more than a century with the Ottoman Empire over the control of the Black sea.

Peter’s reign was symbolized by great enthusiasm, ambition, authority and will to compete. He employed the western style and also engineered series of reforms. His will to succeed and vision for the future pushed him into inviting the best engineers, merchants, shipbuilders and architects in order to modernize Russia. He also sent lots of people to Europe to attain the best available education so that they can sustain Russia in its future growth. Among his main achievements was regaining access to Baltic trade and sea as well as other access to European trade routes which aided in the development. Success on his part also came as he reorganized the government, introduced a new poll tax, he boosted national trade and product manufacturing; he organized an army and found the Russian navy among others.

Conclusion

Though peter (and his admirers and imitators) tried probably the best he could, he never came into terms with the fact that: human rights, dignity and personal autonomy were and still are the absolute essentials to achieve a cohesive, productive, and self generating community. Peter’s rule only lists in a list of many dictators, absolute rulers and autocrats in Russia who have tried to pick and choose for the western technology and culture packages in the hopes of surviving, maintaining the society cohesion, or even overtaking and surpassing the western. The lesson however is that the entire package applied by these people yields short-lived success before the next one comes and overrides the previous accomplishment to pave ways to his.

References

Bushkovitch, P. (2004). Peter the Great: A Biography. The Journal of Modern History:, Vol. 76 (03), Pg, 732/734

Cross, A.G. (2003). St.Petersburg. 1703-1825. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmllan Publishers.

Olive, L.J. (1969). Russia in the era of Peter the Great. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall publishers.

Basu-Zharku, I.O. (2011). The Reign of Peter The Great. Student Pulse: The International Student Journal:. Vol.3 (01). Pg, 1/2.

THE RATIFICATION OF THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

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Course Code: Course Title

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After President Johnson announced the end of the Reconstruction in 1865 and 1866, Southern States began passing discriminatory state laws collectively referred to as black codes. The goals differed from state to state bur had a fairly similar goal: to maintain the socioeconomic system of racial slavery. The black codes systemized white supremacy by restricting freed slaves from civic participation. The codes deprived blacks of the rights to vote, to serve on juries, to carry or own weapons, and to rent or lease land. The members of the Congressional Joint Committee felt that the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 and the passing of the first Civil Rights Act in 1866 had done little to change the plight of the freed slaves because it posed legal questions over black citizenship. Therefore in 1866 Radical Republicans drafted the Fourteenth Amendment and was ratified by state legislatures in 1868. The Fourteenth Amendment stated, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” It, therefore, gave all citizens equal protection under state and federal law and eliminated the notion that freed slaves were three-fifths of a free white person. Because of its emphasis on equal justice and equal protection, the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment is to date, one of the most important events in the country, not only did the Amendment equalize the American people, it also established the United States as a multicultural society.

The Fourteenth Amendment dramatically transformed the realities of Americans and made the federal government an advocate and guardian of civil liberties. According to an article by Eric Foner dubbed, “The Original Intent of the Fourteenth Amendment” the Civil War changed the roles and powers of the government with the roles of the federal government expanding in Abraham Lincoln’s government as the Republicans tried to manage the dual challenge: maintenance of a Union and eradicating slavery. This expansion of federal powers is evident in the ratification of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. The Civil War had also forced American leaders to acknowledge their responsibility to the four million black slaves who yoked with the bondage of chattel slavery. By ratifying the Fourteenth Amendment, the lives of African Americans took on a different turn for the better.

The Fourteenth Amendment established equal protection and due process for all citizens in the nation by bridging the gap between legal positivism and natural law. The Radical Republicans who drafted the Fourteenth Amendment foresaw the protection of man’s natural rights protected by a social contract (natural law) but also acknowledged the role of the legislature in imposing the law despite natural law. Before the Civil War, the Republican Party condemned chattel slavery on the premise of higher laws. They debated that slavery was in violation of natural rights, to solidify their argument even in territories that lacked legislative sanctions. The natural law tradition had been adopted in the Declaration of Independence and had been used to shape the ideology of the American Revolution. For instance, in a radical pamphlet by Thomas Paine’s that incited colonists on the need for independence from Great Britain titled “Common Sense”, Paine argues that “[all] mankind [was] originally equals in the order of creation…no one by birth could have a right to set up his own family in perpetual preference to all others for ever”. Republicans therefore based the emancipation on the same premise used by Americans while fighting for independence from Great Britain.

The Fourteenth Amendment did not only provide a set of rights for the blacks, but it aimed to also embrace all “races, classes, and conditions of men.” Today, the Court acknowledges the Fourteenth Amendment to have “a broader principle” than to meet the immediate plight of the newly freed black slaves. The Amendment was of course designed to free the slaves and grant them equality in all aspects. However, it was not only confined to the African American slaves, but to all races and classes. The Amendment did not confine the rule to any race but granted all Americans equal protection, privileges, and the right to due process. The concerns of the freed black slaves were obviously present in the Republicans and Congress as they drafted and debated the Amendment but they also concerned by challenges facing other groups such immigrants into the nation, Northern migrants to the South, and Southern Unionists. The integration of foreign-born persons into American society was a primary challenge in antebellum society. White citizens were aware of the influx of immigrants such as the Chinese, and most of the immigrants were met with hostility due to perceived differences and the notion that they would rob them of economic opportunities. The Citizenship Clause, in its non-racial language, protected all persons born in the nation, despite the origin of their parents.

The clauses in The Fourteenth Amendment: the representation clause, the disfranchisement clause, the debt clause, the pardon clause, and other parts of this Amendment are meant to avoid inequality. “These clauses were not only meant to attack the undemocratic socioeconomic system in the South but to avoid future repetition of the same.” Issues such as public debt aim to dissociate the government from insurrections and rebellions against the country. The clause specified that all debts incurred by fighting to defeat the Confederacy would be honored. However, Confederate debt would not be honored since the government would not pay for insurrection or rebellion against the nation. Moreover, the Amendment stated that claims for the emancipation or loss of any slave would be held illegal and void. Therefore, the framers of the amendment aimed at reaching deeply into the political lives of the states to ensure that the amendment would meet Republican standards.

In conclusion, the Fourteenth Amendment is one of the great foundations on which the democracy of America is based. It is said that more litigation is based on this Amendment or the Amendment’s implementing statues than any other provision in the United States Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment shows the determination of the 39th Congress to do away with Chattel Slavery and to build a more integrated nation whose citizens were all equal regardless of their race, gender, class. The Fourteenth Amendment grants all citizens fundamental rights to be protected against the local, state, and federal governments. It not only assisted in demanding equal rights for African Americans but its generality incorporates all peoples hence prompting the multicultural character of the United States. The Fourteenth Amendment takes the primary ideal of the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal, and incorporates it into the U.S. Constitution.

Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bartley, Abel A. 2003. “The Fourteenth Amendment: The Great Equalizer of the American People.” Akron Law Review 473-490.

Corbett, P. Scott, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, Todd Pfannestiel, and Paul Vickery. 2017. U.S. History. Houston: OpenStax.

Farber, Daniel A., and John E. Muench. 1994. “The Ideological Origins of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Berkelely Law Journal 235-279.

Foner, Eric. 2006. “The Original Intent of the Fourteenth Amendment: A Conversation with Eric Foner .” Nevada Law Journal 426-446.

Paine, Thomas. 2008. “Common Sense (2nd ed.: Philadelphia, 1776), pp.1. 6-12, 15-30.” In Voices of Freedom : A Documentary History, by Eric Foner, 93-98. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.

The relationship Between a Business and Important Sustainability Issue: A Review of the Coal Industry

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Executive SummaryThe report looks at how business relates to an important social or environmental issue. Specifically, the coal industry in Australia is discussed with reference to its prominence, effects on the people, communities, and environment, and why it continues to be a key industry in one of the richest nations in the world. Despite the knowledge of the consequences of coal, Australian businesses in the coal sector are still expanding. The report recommends a shift to use of renewable energy sources for the nation, and, in the short-term, the use of technologies that attempt to reduce the number of pollutants and toxic substances in coal.

Table of Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc103781487 h 2Background PAGEREF _Toc103781488 h 4Discussion PAGEREF _Toc103781489 h 4Business Practices and Firms Involved PAGEREF _Toc103781490 h 4Why Companies in Coal Mining Continue to be in Business Despite the Negative Consequences PAGEREF _Toc103781491 h 5How Business is Involved in Minimising Coal Reliance PAGEREF _Toc103781492 h 5Conclusion/Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc103781493 h 6References PAGEREF _Toc103781494 h 7

BackgroundCoal has a number of harms associated with it in relation to usage, its mining, production, and long-term use in industrial levels. First, coal is linked to air and water pollution. When coal is burnt, it emits a variety of poisons and pollutants into the air. Lead, particulates, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, and a variety of other heavy metals are among these pollutants (Bacon & Nash, 2012). Asthma and breathing issues, brain damage, heart issues, malignancies, neurological diseases, and early death are all possible health consequences (Han et al., 2018). In terms of the environment, coal is also known to be a key contributor to global warming. Climate change is the most serious long-term effect of coal on the whole world. The loss of species, along with droughts, floods, rising sea levels, and severe weather, are all potential outcomes of global warming. The intensity of these repercussions is exactly proportionate to the amount of carbon dioxide that was released into the atmosphere. This includes the emissions that were produced by coal power plants. Coal also has a number of negative social and environmental consequences that it causes for people, communities, and the environment. The majority of coal resources are located somewhat deep down, making it challenging to access them.

DiscussionBusiness Practices and Firms InvolvedThe drive for more coal mining in Australia and elsewhere across the globe demonstrates how vital it is for society to have a conversation about this activity and work out the benefits and drawbacks associated with it. Even though the effects of climate change are getting more severe, Franks, Brereton, & Moran (2010) found that several nations, such as those in Southeast Asia and Australia, are moving through with plans to open up new coal mines. The social (including cultural and political), economic, and environmental contexts in which coal mining occurs each have a significant impact on the variety of consequences that coal mining may have. The manner in which a mine is maintained during its full operational lifetime will have a significant impact on the consequences the mine has on a particular location (planning, development, operation, decommissioning, remediation and rehabilitation) (Marsden et al., 2022). The rest of the world relies heavily on Australia as a supply of fossil fuels, yet Australia is also one of the dirtiest nations in the world per capita. For companies like Glencore, coal is a key resource. Other market leaders with significant effects are the BHP Group Ltd., Yancoal Australia Ltd. Coal continues to be Australia’s primary source of electricity generation, which is unusual for a developed nation. When compared to what they were in 2005, Marsden et al. (2022) assess that Australia’s emissions are expected to have decreased by 26 percent by the year 2030.

Why Companies in Coal Mining Continue to be in Business Despite the Negative ConsequencesGlencore, the BHP Group Ltd., and Yancoal Australia Ltd. are primary players in the coal mining sector. Coal is Australia’s primary source of power generation, accounting for around 80 percent of the country’s total demand for electricity. The production of coke results in the creation of many byproducts, including coke tar, ammonia, lamp oils, and coal gas. Cement, paper, food processing, and refining alumina are all processes that need coal as an ingredient (Blondeel & Van de Graaf, 2018). It is already common knowledge that the Australian economy would suffer severe consequences as a result of climate change if more is not done to reduce reliance on coal. On the other side, businesses like as Glencore, BHP Group Ltd., and Yancoal Australia Ltd. are expanding in order to achieve higher levels of financial success. Coal will continue to play a significant role in Australia’s economy far beyond the year 2030 as a result of rising demand in other parts of the globe. Because coal is the primary source of energy generation in Australia, the country is consistently ranked among the top carbon emitters per capita in the world (Blondeel & Van de Graaf, 2018). However, the country’s conservative government has never wavered in its backing of the fossil fuel industry, arguing that more stringent action on emissions would be detrimental to employment opportunities.

How Business is Involved in Minimising Coal RelianceIn coal mining, the removal of enormous tracts of land is required and this causes damage to mature woodlands. The mining of coal is very destructive to natural ecosystems because it causes pollution of the surrounding land and water, the felling of trees, and the removal of mountain peaks. This might cause harm or even death to animals and plants, which would have a negative impact on the ecosystem. The extraction of coal and the burning of coal both have negative effects on the surrounding ecosystem, and both activities are fraught with peril for the workers involved (Carley & Konisky, 2020). The constant inhalation of harmful gases and the inhalation of poisonous dust puts coal miners at an increased risk for a variety of ailments. With this in mind, companies are devising ways to reduce the effect of coal itself, its usage, the production process, mining, and every process.

The coal industry in many countries throughout the globe has devised a variety of strategies to remove sulfur and other contaminants from coal. In addition, the coal industry has developed more effective methods to clean coal once it has been mined, and a number of consumers have shown a preference for low-sulfur coal (Fouskas et al., 2018). Scrubbers are another name for the equipment that power plants employ to remove sulfur from smoke before it is released from their smokestacks. This equipment is used for flue gas desulfurization. Additionally, the American and Canadian companies and businesses in the coal industry (Peabody Energy Corp, Arch Coal, Alliance Resource Partners, and Teck Resources Ltd) have collaborated on the development of technologies that might improve the energy efficiency of coal or eliminate contaminants that are present in coal (Fouskas et al., 2018). This would result in a lower quantity of coal being burnt to produce a given amount of useable energy (Carley & Konisky, 2020). Universally, companies are also switching to renewable energy sources in order to reduce the reliance on coal and other fossil fuels.

Conclusion/RecommendationsMining has been Australia’s primary economic driver for a significant number of years, and the commodity continues to rank as the nation’s second-largest export behind coal. The only nation that exports more coal to foreign countries than Australia is Indonesia. It has been agreed upon by Japan, South Korea, and China, the three countries that purchase the most coal from Australia, to achieve net zero emissions by the year 2050. Therefore, the coal industry is a diminishing market that will only worsen with time due to the potential consequences on people, society, and the environment. Australia, through its coal industry, must begin to explore alternative energy sources.

ReferencesBacon, W., & Nash, C. (2012). Playing the media game: The relative (in) visibility of coal industry interests in media reporting of coal as a climate change issue in Australia. Journalism studies, 13(2), 243-258.

Blondeel, M., & Van de Graaf, T. (2018). Toward a global coal mining moratorium? A comparative analysis of coal mining policies in the USA, China, India and Australia. Climatic Change, 150(1), 89-101.

Carley, S., & Konisky, D. M. (2020). The justice and equity implications of the clean energy transition. Nature Energy, 5(8), 569-577.

Franks, D. M., Brereton, D., & Moran, C. J. (2010). Managing the cumulative impacts of coal mining on regional communities and environments in Australia. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 28(4), 299-312.

Fouskas, F., Ma, L., Engle, M. A., Ruppert, L., Geboy, N. J., & Costa, M. A. (2018). Cadmium isotope fractionation during coal combustion: Insights from two US coal-fired power plants. Applied Geochemistry, 96, 100-112.

Han, S., Chen, H., Harvey, M. A., Stemn, E., & Cliff, D. (2018). Focusing on coal workers’ lung diseases: a comparative analysis of China, Australia, and the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(11), 2565.

Marsden, H., Basu, S., Striolo, A., & MacGregor, M. (2022). Advances of nanotechnologies for hydraulic fracturing of coal seam gas reservoirs: potential applications and some limitations in Australia. International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, 9(1), 1-18.

A critique of the design and sampling methodologies of the studies

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The main purpose of this paper is majorly to critique the underlying design, sample and prevailing ethical issues utilized within the chosen research studies. The underlying article “The Experience of Patients Undergoing Awake Craniotomy” is typically a qualitative study. The whole study is to determine diverse techniques employed in regard to the feeling and thinking of the patients coupled with the kind of the surgery with an anesthetic. Conversely, the article “The effects of Crossed Leg on Blood Pressure Measurement” takes the form of a quantitative study. The underlying study’s major goal is determining if the crossing of a leg at the knee during the process of the blood pressure measurement possess any impact on the prevailing patient’s blood pressure reading.

Research Design

Within the quantitative study the researcher decides to choose the utilization of the experimental cross over the corresponding design. Experimental cross entail comparison of dual prevailing participating groups with each other and then exchanging the procedure. This is suitable design since is permits measurement to be recorded for both of the underlying groups thereby enabling them to acts as their own control variables (Daniels, 2004). Within this study, existing group one act as a control group as their blood pressure is taken with their corresponding feet on the ground. The article mainly demonstrate the standard procedure and protocol for the blood pressure measurement that is required to accurately examines BP readings thus preventing false hypertensive readings. Several factors normally influence a person’s blood pressure measurement. Nevertheless, the underlying guidelines for measuring accurately blood pressure is normally inconsistently specify that the prevailing patient ought to maintain feet flat on the floor. The process represent quasi experimental, solitary center, similar group that entail randomized study for the often scheduled visit. The method that was utilized in the analysis of result entails a single way ANOVA and t-test which depict statistically important difference in BP readings in regard to the leg crossed over the other (Keele, 2011). Causal interpretations of the intervention effects is mainly based on the quasi-experimental study designs, which open more challenges than the corresponding causal clarifications based on the correct experiments. This is mainly due to lack of individual randomization that tend to permit more plausible alternative explanations. Besides, the designs also make it cumbersome to eliminate the observed effect that arises due to confounding variables. On the other hand, quasi-experiments within the study frequently deliver solid evidence when it is combined with analysis strategies that curb some of the salient confounding variables.

Several factors that influence people’s blood pressure measurement entail medications, arm and body position, noise, high temperature, defective equipment and anxiety. Blood pressure typically decreases at night as noted by the particular hypertensive subjects. Single blood pressure measurement is determined on the basis of clinical decisions such as drug dosage. Nevertheless, research is lacking on the effect of crossing the leg at the underlying knee during the process of blood pressure measurement (Stommel, & Wills, 2004). The study design mainly initiate determination process in circumstances of blood pressure measurement that is affected by the leg crossed at the knee than corresponding feet flat on the ground. The underlying model that is employed study design in the repeated measures analysis of variance, which is applicable in determination of type of blood pressure and location of the leg (Keele, 2011). The statistical significance normally affects the model that is the dual subjects’ factors and corresponding interaction. Assessment of suitable analytic statistics mainly distributions and quality of the covariance matrices depicts no violations of model norms (Stommel, & Wills, 2004). Effects of leg crossing are mainly depicted by the systolic and corresponding diastolic blood pressure. Interaction normally results to massive strength that alter systolic over the corresponding diastolic blood pressure across the underlying leg cross situations. The second group acts as a test group in the quantitative study. Moreover, the group possessed their blood pressure taken with their corresponding legs crossed (Daniels, 2004). Both of the underlying groups are compared and the second portion of this study is reverse.

Conversely, qualitative study utilizes descriptive phenomenology as depicted by Yarbro, Wujcik and Gobel (2011). Within the descriptive phenomenology than mainly strive to give detail description of the lived experiences is out preconceived perceptions. It mainly aims at advancing intuit phenomenon through remaining open to the underlying real meanings attributed to the corresponding experienced. The study mainly aims at describing the underlying experience of populace on the well-established neurosurgical. Little information of thepatients’ leads to subjective experience and explores the expectations, recall, satisfaction, and functional results of the underlying patients undergoing awake craniotomy.

These studies affirm that awake craniotomy utilizes anesthetic protocol that is secure and well-tolerated process related to overall satisfactory of the patients’ experiences and neurological results. Quantitative study the researcher decides to choose the utilization of the experimental cross over the corresponding design. Experimental cross entail comparison of dual prevailing participating groups with each other and then exchanging the procedure. This is suitable design since is permits measurement to be recorded for both of the underlying groups thereby enabling them to acts as their own control variable.

References

Daniels, R. (2004). Nursing fundamentals: Caring & clinical decision making. Australia: Delmar Learning.

Keele, R. (2011). Nursing research and evidence-based practice: Ten steps to success. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Stommel, M., & Wills, C. (2004). Clinical research: Concepts and principles for advanced practice nurses. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Yarbro, C. H., Wujcik, D., &Gobel, B. H. (2011).Cancer nursing: Principles and practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

A Description of the Formation of the Rainbow

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A Description of the Formation of the Rainbow

Historically, Aristotle (the classical Greek philosopher) was the first person to devote much effort in studying the rainbow. Despite its appeal to the Pythagorean numerology, his qualitative explanation of the rainbow was relatively consistent and remained unchallenged for centuries. It was not until his death that more scientific theories about the rainbow got formulated. The early scientific explanation coined by Hüseyin Topdemir Gazi, the Persian physicist, asserted that a rainbow is a concentric circle that forms on the axis of concave mirrors. His theory was founded on the refraction and reflection of the sun rays. A number of modern scientists relied on these two scientific principles in advancing the rainbow formation experiments. This research focuses on the dispersion, refraction, and reflection of light as the primary processes involved in the formation of the rainbow.

The rainbow is a multi-colored spectrum of light meteorological and optical phenomenon caused by refraction and reflection of light rays in water droplets. The formation of the rainbow takes place in seven stages. In the first stage, white light produced by the sun strive the raindrops at an acute angle before any light spectrum forms. The angle at which the white light rays from the sun hit the drops of water in the sky is important. It is because this determines the direction of the refracted and reflected light rays after hitting the water surface, thus playing a decisive role in the formation of the rainbow (XXXXX).

The second and the third stages of this scientific process are reflection and refraction of the white light rays respectively. Like a glass window, water reflects and transmits light. When the white light rays radiated by the sun hit water droplets in the sky, a fraction of these light gets reflected in accordance with the laws of reflection (XXXX). Some white light rays get refracted, thereby crossing the air-water boundary layer. However, they slow down in speed because of the differences in medium densities. Therefore, the light path bends upon entering a denser boundary – a process referred to as refraction of light. It is this bending of the white light toward the normal line that gets directed into the eye of the observer (XXXXX).

The fourth stage involves the splitting of the white light into seven component colors. XXXXX (…) established that the white light is a spectrum of different colors and wavelengths. They include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (ROYGBIV). Depending on their wavelengths, these colors have different speeds when they travel from one medium to another of different densities. It is these variations in densities that determine their degrees of dispersion. However, the rainbow remains invisible to the viewer unless total internal reflection takes place. This happens in the fifth stage of rainbow formation. In this stage, the white light hits the raindrop surface at the incident angle that exceeds the theoretical critical angle (XXXX).

The final two stages are double refraction and further dispersion of these light spectrums. The speed of the white light changes again for the second time when it leaves the raindrop boundary. Given that it enters a lighter medium (air), its speed increases and it gets refracted away from the defined normal line. Each component of the white light is further dispersed depending on its wavelengths, thereby forming a circular arc. The red light gets refracted away from the normal line at a steeper angle relative to the blue light. It is for this reason that the red light gets directed to the eye of an observer standing at an acute angle to the ground. The blue light is directed at obtuse angle through a trajectory path that passes over the head of the observer. This is why the red and blue lights are observed at the top and bottom of the rainbow respectively.

In conclusion, the formation of the rainbow is one of the scientific processes that have remained controversial. While Aristotle proposed the first theory explaining its formation, it got dismissed on the account that it was a qualitative to this scientific process. However, most scientists relied on this theory to advance scientifically proven explanations about the formation of the rainbow. There are three processes involved in the formation of the rainbow. These include reflection, refraction, and dispersion of the white light, which is a spectrum of seven light colors. Before the rainbow forms, the white light radiated by the sun and water droplets must exist. Depending on their wavelengths, different components of the white light get dispersed and refracted at different angles away from the normal line, hence the formation of the rainbow.

References

Ahrens, C. D. (2013). Meteorology Today: An Introduction to Weather, Climate, and the Environment. Boston: Brooks & Cole Publishers.

Dawkins, R., & McKean, D. (2012). The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True. New York: Free Press.

Filippenko, A. V., & Leven, J. (2007).Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy. Springfield, VA: Teaching Publishing Company.

Norris, K. D. (2012). A Guide to Bearded Irises Cultivating the Rainbow for Beginners and Enthusiasts. Portland: Timber Press.

Lesson Plan Critique

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Lesson Plan Critique

This paper presents a critique of the Photography for Language Use and Awareness lesson plan. The paper evaluates the lesson plan’s objectives, activities, as well as, the assessment plan.

Introduction

The Photography for Language Use and Awareness lesson plan presents a brainstorming type of lesson plan, which is an organized learning approach that encourages the child’s mind to ‘think’. The lesson plan can be utilized for the special education and English subjects, as it encourages full participation by students and can be repeated without limit. This lesson plan is most suitable for students in grade 10-12, as it is by this grade that start developing specialized interests.

Objective

The main objective of the Photography for Language Use and Awareness lesson plan is to increase and develop the students’ language and communication skills. This lesson plan also aims at increasing student awareness on the components of various subjects, hence promoting academic success. Specifically, the lesson plan aims as ensuring that students understand the connection between written, spoken and visual elements language

Activities

Study activities in the Photography for Language Use and Awareness lesson plan involve both team and individual photography assignments. The activities in this lesson plan entail visual, written, and spoken activities and they occur in a sequence of four key actions. The first activity in this lesson plan involves the issuance of the camera to the student and the students learn and practice how to operate it. As part of this activity, students may be asked to demonstrate their comprehension of how to use the camera by either taking pictures or explaining it to the instructor. After taking pictures, students are then required to note down what is going on in the picture, or in other words, what the picture is about. This is the second activity in the lesson plan, and it is aimed at finding out a student’s interest and their knowledge regarding a particular subject. The third activity in the lesson plan is taping the written materials, i.e., the notes that the student has written down regarding the picture. Sequentially, the fourth and last activity of the Photography for Language Use and Awareness lesson plan is a class discussion of the various photographs that each student has taken for their project.

Assessment

Assessment of students using the Photography for Language Use and Awareness lesson plan takes the form of a formative assessment where the instructor records each student’s development in progress through the four activities presented.

Conclusion

The Photography for Language Use and Awareness lesson plan is a recommendable approach for learning and education. This is because the lesson plan attends to the cognitive needs of the students at grade 10-12. Students at this age are in the process of adjusting their previous ways of thought and reasoning, and for that reason, are easily capable of abstract thought. Accordingly, because this lesson plan can be categorized as a brainstorm form of learning, students can effortlessly carry out and comprehend the subjects being taught. This lesson plan also promotes better communication, which will allow students in understanding the different point of view that each student, as an individual, has regarding a subject matter. This will be easily integrated into the student’s absolute cognition, as students are given the opportunity to learn that knowledge is relative to context.

A designer

Introduction

A designer, a person who many people look upon to invent for them what to wear, we are the people in charge of making one to look smart. We invent put our creative brains to work to find the appropriate design solutions to common queries. These queries sometimes include what is the best way to eloquent a certain brand, how to impress a particular group, or how to sell our ideas across the borders and cultural boundaries but sometimes it is just a matter of how much our design will make for us once they sold.

Each of the above problems has its own unique way of being solved, but we have to admit they are all geared to worthy cause of making money on part of the designer and a satisfied client on the other end just as in any other field of life there are bigger problems apart from the designs and the consumers

Although as designers some of us work with ourselves in mind, others also work with the interests of our client in mind, others still work with both our own and also the client’s interest in mind, no matter where our motivation comes from in this profession our work will eventually cross paths with the whole society so whenever we do our work it is for the good of the community. And when our work is accepted in the whole community it is called good.

Sometimes the so called good designs, are not always the best but it what we convince the clients that will make them accept our work, how skillful is the piece of work and uniqueness of the work and the ay the work is presented to the client may decide the fate of the work

At times the design schools one attends determines the type of designer one will eventually become because the mode of teaching differs in the designing schools as some put more emphasis on cultural design others put emphasis on cooperate work

Conclusion

From my experience what I have come to know is no matter what our goal is or the reasons for doing the work, whether it is the client’s or self motivation the success of these work relies ones will and eagerness and that is what make the difference between a successful design and a failed design

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The Real is Artifice

The sense of belonging and artifice play an essential in an individual’s success in every field as well as the opportunity that comes to one’s life. All that is required is people, who are the consumers and determinants of the success be able to see the reality in you and be deceived that whatever the propaganda depicted are to a profound extent right. Apart from developing the right topic, the right mindset is essential in maneuvering over the people’s conscience and cultural belief that you are the best. That will significantly be the start of success what comes first in-person mind will efficiently determine their final judgment towards your work. The best way of expressing one’s mindset is through the use of personal narrative that significantly moves the audience in the process of getting your point across. There is no magical things or artifact behind success, but all that determines are the efforts put in place and the mindset one has depicted in the public minds as they are the determining factor.

For instance, take an example of the writers and other book authors who significantly requires an enormous number of clients and positive reviews for their work trend. It is right that one can have the right content, but the way of expressing it plays the most significant role in attracting the reader’s attention and portraying their interest towards the artwork. In real life, it is evident that the most emotional and mind catching work trend and goes through the field with no hindrance as the public have the notion that they are real and that is what they need. Being artifice pays as it depicts the cleverness and potentiality in bringing new things that that are rare into being. I many times people survive in artificialness and the efforts as well as the time they take to make people believe that what they have is real and the best in the particular field.

In his work “Empire of Illusion,” Chris Hedges is precise depicting that artifice is the essential quality in the political field where one only appears to have the qualities and significantly create the artificial sense of intimacy with the civilians, which does not necessarily need to be genuine. “Those who have not mastered the art of entertainment, who fail to create a narrative or do not have one fashioned for them by their handlers, are ignored.” Here Chris depicts the reality in the writing field that the authors have first to analyze and master the significant thing in the work that will help them to put the rest of the art together with success significantly (Hedges, 2009). The picture that the action builds in the reader’s mind, as well as the emotions portrayed at the end, determines the end reaction and notion towards the art, whether exciting or standard stuff that ends up being ignored in the society.

Hedges tries to bring across the sense that what matters is the result of the work whether it is worth through paying back or not and this is determined by the publics’ attitude that is significantly created by the author. People who do not appropriately put their selves and skills end up as failures not that their work is not real but because they lacked the sense of artifice that is significantly the tactical way of getting an advantage through deception. The public opinion, at last, determines the success of your work and hoe paying it will be. According to Hedges, the reality of a narrative is beside the point and the essential thing the emotive appeal and consistency of the story that makes it overriding and eye-catching. Therefore, in every field, whether writing or political among many others that involves public demand the critical thing to put in consideration before airing the narratives as well as other points of views is the artifice. Also, dedication and working smart to maneuver the client’s mind to the right perception needs sacrifice as well as proper application of the experience, and the results will be worth.

References

Hedges, C. (2009). Empire of illusion: The end of literacy and the triumph of spectacle. Knopf Canada.