Chinas Hukou System

Chinas Hukou System Chinas Hukou system is a family registration program that serves as a domestic passport, regulating population distribution and rural-to-urban migration. It is a tool for social and geographic control that enforces an apartheid structure that denies farmers the same rights and benefits enjoyed by urban residents.    History of the Hukou System The modern Hukou system was formalized as a permanent program in 1958.   The system was created to ensure social, political, and economic stability.   Chinas economy was largely agrarian during the early days of the Peoples Republic of China.  In order to speed up industrialization, the government prioritized heavy industry by following the Soviet model.   In order to finance this expansion, the state underpriced agricultural products, and overpriced industrial products to induce an unequal exchange between the two sectors, essentially paying peasants less than market price for their agricultural goods.   In order to sustain this artificial imbalance, the government had to create a system which restricts the free flow of resources, especially labor, between industry and agriculture, and between city and countryside.    Individuals became categorized by the state as either rural or urban, and they were required to stay and work within their designated geographic areas.   Traveling was permitted under controlled conditions, but residents assigned to a certain area will not be given access to jobs, public services, education, healthcare, and food in another area.   A rural farmer who chooses to move to the city without a government-issued Hukou would essentially share the same status an illegal immigrant in the United States.   Obtaining an official rural-to-urban Hukou change is extremely difficult.   The Chinese government has tight quotas on conversions per year.    Effects of the Hukou System The Hukou system has historically always benefited the urbanites.   During the Great Famine of the mid-twentieth century, individuals with rural Hukous were collectivized into communal farms, where much of their agricultural output were taken in the form of a tax by the state and given to city dwellers.   This led to massive starvation in the countryside, and the Great Leap Forward would not be abolished until the effects were felt in the cities. After the Great Famine, rural residents continued to be marginalized, while urban citizens enjoyed a range of socio-economic benefits.   Even today, a farmers income is one-sixth that of the average urban dweller.   Farmers have to pay three times more in taxes, but receive a lower standard of education, healthcare, and life.   The Hukou system impedes upward mobility, creating essentially a caste system that governs Chinese society.    Since the capitalistic reforms of the late 1970s, an estimated 260 million rural dwellers have illegally moved to the cities, in an attempt to partake in the remarkable economic development taking place there.   These migrants brave discrimination and possible arrest while living on the urban fringe in shantytowns, railway stations, and street corners.   They are often blamed for rising crime and unemployment.    Reform With Chinas rapid industrialization, the Hukou system needed to be reformed in order to adapt to the countrys new economic reality.   In 1984, the State Council conditionally opened the door of market towns to peasants.   Country residents were allowed to get a new type of permit called, â€Å"self-supplied food grain† Hukou, provided that they satisfied a number of requirements.   The primary requirements are that a migrant must be employed in enterprise, have their own accommodations in the new location, and be able to self-provide their own food grain.   Holders are still not eligible for many state services and they cannot move to other urban areas ranked higher than that particular town.    In 1992, the PRC launched another form of permit called the blue-stamp Hukou.   Unlike the self-supplied food grain Hukou, which is limited to certain business peasants, the blue stamp Hukou is open to a wider population and allowed migration into bigger cities.   Some of these cities included the Special Economic Zones (SEZ), which were havens for foreign investments.   Eligibility was primarily limited to those with familial relations with domestic and overseas investors.   Ã‚  The Hukou system experienced another form of liberation in 2001​ after China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO).   Although WTO membership exposed Chinas agricultural sector to foreign competition, leading to job losses, it galvanized the labor-intensive sectors, particularly in textile and clothing, leading to an urban labor demand.   The intensity of patrols and documentation inspections were relaxed.    In 2003, changes were also made to how illegal migrants are to be detained and processed.   This was the result of a media and internet-frenzied case in which a college educated urbanite named, Sun Zhigang, was beaten to death after he was taken into custody for working in the megacity of Guangzhou without the proper Hukou ID. Despite the reforms, the current Hukou system still remains fundamentally intact because of the continuing disparities between the states agricultural and industrial sectors.   Although the system is highly controversial and vilified, a complete abandonment of the Hukou is not practical, due to the complexity and interconnectedness of the modern Chinese economic society.   Its removal could lead to a migration so massive that it could cripple city infrastructures and destroy the rural economy.   For now, minor changes will continue to be made to the Hukou, as it coincides with Chinas shifting political climate.

Sample Strong Supplemental Essay for College Admissions

Sample Strong Supplemental Essay for College Admissions The supplemental essays for college admissions can be a stumbling point for applicants. Many students put significant time into their longer personal statement but then rush off the shorter supplemental section of the application. A typical result can produce a  weak supplemental essay. The strong essay below was written in response to the application to Duke Universitys Trinity College. The guidelines for the optional supplemental essay ask, If you are applying to Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, please discuss why you consider Duke a good match for you. Is there something in particular at Duke that attracts you? Please limit your response to one or two paragraphs. Example Strong Supplemental Essay The question asked here is typical of many supplemental essays. Essentially, the admissions folks want to know why their school is of particular interest to you. When I visited the Duke campus last fall, I immediately felt at home. The Gothic architecture and tree-shaded walks created an atmosphere of peaceful but serious reflection. The place is at once Southern - which, as an Alabamian, is important to me - and universal as it reflects the traditions of Europe and the classical world. The Trinity College liberal arts curriculum also reflects this unique pairing of the modern South and the global past. For example, I am considering a major in history, and am very interested in the combination of geographic and thematic areas of study offered by Duke’s history program. The combinations of areas offer seeming endless areas of specialization. One interesting possibility is a focus in the geographic area of the U.S. and Canada, combined with a thematic study of Women and Gender or African Diaspora. By juxtaposing and intertwining these two foci, my understanding of the American South - and much more - would be greatly enriched. This i nnovative and flexible approach to both traditional and non-traditional subject matter is greatly appealing to me. I know by reputation and from a friend currently enrolled in Trinity College that the liberal arts curriculum is very challenging, but also rewarding. I believe I am more than prepared for these challenges, and that I will thrive in this climate. Duke University’s campus already feels like home; I believe that its academic opportunities will also provide a stimulating environment in which I feel I belong. Critique of the Supplemental Essay First, think about the prompt. The admissions officers want to know if there is something in particular at Duke that makes the applicant want to go there. A bad essay never discusses features that are unique to Duke. A good essay gets specific and shows particular knowledge of the school. The sample essay succeeds on this front. Although the essay is just a paragraph long, the author presents three specific features of Duke that make her want to attend: The attractive campus with its Gothic and Southern appealThe flexible nature of the history curriculumThe fact that she has a friend at Duke This last point doesnt matter much in the admissions process and the writer was correct to mention it only indirectly. The first point has moderate importance. Many colleges have impressive Gothic architecture, so the feature isnt unique to Duke. However, the writer connects the campus to her own Southernness. She also demonstrates that she has visited the campus, something that is not true of many applicants who haphazardly apply to a long list of prestigious schools. The second point about the history curriculum is key to this essays success. This applicant knows what lies beneath the universitys surface. She has clearly researched the curriculum. She is not applying to Duke simply because of its beauty or its reputation, but because she likes how the university approaches learning. Avoiding Supplemental Essay Mistakes In general, the author has avoided common  supplemental essay mistakes and written an effective response to the universitys prompt. Admissions officers will certainly take note of the fact that this applicant has done some research and has thoughtful reasons for wanting to attend Duke. If your supplemental essay to the question asking Why Our School? could be applied to numerous schools, you have failed to respond to the prompt effectively. This is not the place to be generic or lazy. Do your research, and articulate the unique reasons why the school is a good match for your interests, personality, and goals. Write your  supplemental essay  so it is strong, specific, and targeted toward that specific college.

Equity and Trusts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Equity and Trusts - Essay Example The formal declaration is not subject to any alteration and therefore settles any dispute that would possibly arise from the process of sharing the property. A will is a binding document that is always not subject to any form of alteration. Alan Jones leaves behind a will elaborating how he would wish to share his wealth. The terms of the will just as is the situation with any other are legal terms and therefore require effective analysis and interpretation. Everyone referred to in the will must receive the resources allocated to them and utilize the resources as directed by the deceased. This implies that the lawyer does not only oversee the interpretation of the will by making the terms understandable to the parties but also ensures that the specific parties carry out the mandate bestowed upon them by the author of the will (Ross, 2004). In his will, Alan Jones begins by allocating his former wife, Lucinda an amount of money worth five hundred pounds. In the directive, Alan says th at he hopes the woman puts the money in a trust to help the Ilchester animals sanctuary so that the money helps the sick animals in the sanctuary (Garth, 1998). The terms of the will in relation to the former wife are liberal. Alan gives the woman the amount and in so doing, he bestows on her the mandate to invest the money as she wishes. He later advises that the woman invests the money in a trust, the tone of the directive is an advice and so, the woman has no prerogative to comply with it. He says that he wishes she invested the money in trust to help sick animals in the sanctuary. Despite this, the woman has the right to invest the money as she so wishes only that it would make him happier if she did invest the money in the trust as he advises (McKendrick, 2012). From the composition of the directive, it is possible Allan knew that his former wife and a passion for conserving the animals. He, therefore, presumes that the receipt of such an amount would help her realize her dream of reaching out to the animal orphanage. This information compels Alan to advise her to do so with the money. Possibly, the woman may decide to invest the money in the trust as he advises but the terms of the will does not bind the stakeholders to use the money in the assistance of sick animals since this again is another random advice such he believes that the sanctuary protects only sick animals (Amsterdam & Bruner, 2002). The sanctuary after receiving the money has the authority to invest it in a manner they deem necessary since the terms of the will do not influence their budgetary allocation and internal operations. In the second sentence, he gives his two houses to his brothers Kip and Tim. He makes it clear on the location of the houses by naming thereby making it clear that the two houses include the one on number 12 High Fullchetser while the other in 42 High Ilchester. By naming the location of the houses, Alan makes the will clear and does not, therefore, create confusio n with any other interested parties on the two houses. On the same sentence, he says that Kip to have the first choice, a depiction of presence in which he apportions his brother Kip the chance to choose either of the house before his other brother Tim. Kip, therefore, makes the first choice on which house to retain after which Tim retains the other.     Ã‚  

Create a Security Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Create a Security Policy - Essay Example igital era, anything can be breeched even the most innocent must be subjected to a vetting process to ascertain the genuineness of the information and details they present for processing. To ensure that the McBride is successful, in processing these information, the key issue is to ensure that before the client is cleared to access the a loan, the firm is first aware of the clients loan status with any other institution if it exists, and whether he or she was able to service previous loans within the given time frames (IBM Redbooks. 2011). One of the security policies that will have to be put in place include the need for a guarantor, to ensure that the loan is secured. This information should also be verifiable for instance, if a client has a vehicle, with a genuine log book, that property should be verifiable with car registration agencies. The other security policy involves members and or clients who will want to seek for the same service online. Clients will be required to register themselves to create an account in which communications will be dropped at. While registering, the password to be used will be tamper proof one, thumbprints will be used to ward of any local threat to growth. The other aspect of security that will be used to ensure that the client taking the loan is able to pay back the full amount or lose the property is to be in possession of the title deed. The fact that McBride is the financier, means that it will be in the best interest of the business to be in possession of the title deed to ensure that incase the client fails to service the loan, the property will be repossessed with ease. The other most crucial security policy is that of conducting timely security audits to establish any areas of vulnerabilities that can be a setback to the mission of firm. For instance, the chance that someone can infiltrate the network and fill in dummy data that will legitimize his or her application for a loan and perhaps the number of times that has

Faster Fitness Inc. Case Study Analysis. Essay Example for Free

Faster Fitness Inc. Case Study Analysis. Essay This is bound to be a great breakthrough for faster fitness as a result of the introduction of Body Flex 100 and Body Flex 200. These brands have already commanded interest in many dealers whose orders in the recent trade show have even exceeded our production capability. Faster Fitness Inc. has the opportunity to exploit this new market for these machines that allow users a wide range of motions depending on the exercise performed. Body Flex 200 especially with its unique capabilities should be able to put Faster Fitness in the lead in exercise equipments in future. We have every reason to be sure of making good profits especially because we have a lot of advantages in the production of these machines. First of all, this new technology is patented to Faster Fitness. Patents are an advantage to the company as they protect the technology of the firm from being copied or adopted by other companies. A company that tries to use the technology without permission can be sued (Stim, 2007) under the United States law. This way, we are assured of market for as long as no superior technology overtakes us. The increasing market for home exercising machines in the United States is bound to provide the desired income given the unique capabilities of our machines which are specifically designed for home use. Resources required for the manufacturing of the machines are also available and what needs to be done is to organize for their supplies. Presence of a good workforce is also of great importance to the company. Though not enough at the moment it will work well with the few additions in the painting and finishing. There are challenges in that the production capacity is not adequate to meet the demand currently. The problem may not be solved until after a year due to the resources required upgrading the department. Inventory space is also very limited. The fact that staff needs training before the start of the project may delay production. Other details in this paper include quality control strategy selection, long range forecasts and profit estimates. It analyzes the whole production process for the production of BF100 and BF200 while analyzing profitability and efficiency in production through creating a production schedule. The production schedule helps in organizing the factors of production and ensures that the targets are met (Pinedo, 2005; McKay and Wier, 2004). Designing a production schedule is required in order to organize the production of the machines and also make sure that the customer’s needs are met. A production schedule according to Herrmann (2006) provides a guideline on the daily duties that should be performed so that no detail is left out in the process.   It also guides the employees in the daily duties as it provides for time taken to do each chore. Process and the production schedule. The process involves about seven processes divided into three departments. The machines parts components and other resources will have to pass through the various departments before they can be made into the final product ready for delivery. Production of the machines therefore follows the sequence shown below. The machine parts pass through the machining shop and welding shop for fabrication and welding. These two shops are in the machining and welding departments. They are then taken for finishing and painting before landing in the assembly, testing and packaging departments where they go through the final stage before reaching the consumer. Production of BF100 requires at least eleven hours (a total of 660 minutes) completing while BF200 will take twenty four hours (1440 minutes) due to its complexity and the additional leg press sub assembly. Consider that 300 hours are available for both machining and welding, 450 hours for painting and finishing and 150 hours of Assembly, testing and packaging. The schedule will be made to produce fifteen units of BF100 and fifteen units of BF200.   Out of the three hundred hours available for machining and welding per month, BF100 will take up one twenty hours (120) while B200 will take up 180 hours. Given that there are twelve hours of overtime per week then we can produce four more BF200 machines to make it 19 machines since they are more valuable to the company.

Curleys Wife Essay -- English Literature

Curley's Wife ============= At first, Curley's wife is described to the reader through the comments of the men on the ranch. Candy tells Lennie and George when he first meets them that she ' got the eye' for the men on the ranch, even though she has only been married to Curley for two weeks. Candy thinks that she is 'a tart'. We first meet Curley's wife when she comes into the bunkhouse, when Lennie and George are in there. She is apparently looking for Curley but she already knows that new men have arrived. Steinbeck gives a detailed description of her as she stands in the doorway of the bunkhouse and talks to Lennie and George. She is 'heavily made up', with 'full rouged lips' and red fingernails. Her body language is provocative as she positions herself in the doorway so that 'her body was thrown forward'. She smiles 'archly' and 'twitched her body'. The general impression the reader gains is of a young girl who is pretty and wants the attention of men. George's reaction to Curley's wife, however, makes the reader realize that she is a potential threat to the two men. George sees her as 'poison' and 'jailbait'. He is angry with Lennie's admiration of her 'she's purty' and fiercely tells him that he must stay away from her. 'Don't you even take a look at that bitch.' Later, when we find out what happened at Weed, where Lennie frightens a woman by stroking her dress and they are forced to flee the town from a lynch mob, we understand why George is so alarmed that she will be the cause of more trouble for them. Whit's opinion of Curley's wife is one of bewilderment, he sees through the flirty appearance and just sees a girl trying too seek attention, but he still doesn't understand why she acts like ... ...only married Curley to get away from home. She met him at the Riverside Dance Palais, probably attracted to him because he was the son of a ranch owner. Now, however, the reality is that she doesn't even like him. 'He ain't a nice fella', she confides in Lennie. When they are talking together she shows some kindness to Lennie when she realizes that he understands little of what she is saying. After she is dead we are shown by Steinbeck a different side of Curley's wife. In death the 'meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention' have gone from her face. We see she is just a young and pretty girl. Steinbeck's description of her dead body seems designed to make us see her as a victim of life. The best laid plans o' mice and ------------------------------- men gang aft agley. (Robert Burns) Best laid Plans often goes astray.

Popularity of Short Message Service (Sms) Usage & Its Effect on Written Language Deterioration

Communication technology is changing our way of life. Language is no exception. Some language researchers argue that written language is deteriorating due to the increase usage of electronic communication. The present study investigated 50 mobile phone users selected randomly using Short Messaging Service (SMS) as one of their daily communication tools with the purpose to find out whether SMS language will cause written language deterioration in Malaysia. SMS language is defined as using abbreviations, newly created words, code-switching, code-mixing and emoticons in the messages. The findings indicated that the majority of the respondents agree that SMS language causes written language deterioration. This could be because messages are full of spoken-like spelling, unconventional use of punctuation and abbreviations, and ungrammatical sentence in order to conform to the conditions of electronic communication to reduce space, time and effort. Although the language change due to the advancements in electronic communication technology is inevitable, we have to bear in mind that the negative impact on the written language has to do with the technology users not the technology itself. Introduction What is communication? Communication is a process of transferring information whereby information is enclosed in a package and is channeled and imparted by a sender to a receiver using a channel (Wikipedia). In recent years, mobile phone has been viewed as an important communication tool and has become an integral part of the Malaysian society. Nowadays, it is very common to see Malaysians chatting or texting on their mobile phones in the streets, in the shopping malls, while waiting for public transportations to the point that the mobile phone has become an essential item to some people especially the younger generation. The mobile phone first appeared in Malaysia in 1998 and was mainly used by professionals. It was bulky, expensive, and built with basic features such as voice call. Today, mobile phones are equipped with other hi-tech features that allow faster communication and entertainment such as Short Message Service (SMS), MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) player, games, internet and videos. These additional features attracted people from all walks of life including the younger generation, and consequently led to the increase in the number of mobile phone users in Malaysia. According to the survey conducted by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), there were 24,253,000 mobile phone subscribers in Malaysia at end March 2008. It was also reported that as many as 50. 7% mobile phone users send out an average of five (5) SMSes a day. Compared to 2004 which recorded a percentage of 31. 7%, the number of mobile phone users sending out an average of five (5) SMSes per day has increased by 19% (Hand Phone Users Survey, 2008). The factors which have contributed to the popularity of SMS usage could be due to its widespread usage, mobility, low cost and convenience. For example, sending a message via text to a family or friend across the country or even living abroad, would be cheaper than the cost of roaming and long distance phone charges. SMS is extensively used not only for communication purposes, but also as a major marketing tool due to its low cost. Besides that, it is also very convenient for mobile phone users. A message can be easily and quickly transmitted just by pressing a few buttons instead of the conventional method of waiting for the telephone call to be put through or waiting to leave a voice message after a lengthy and annoying answering machine message. Due to character limitations and restrictions in a SMS message, it is a common practice for SMS users to maximize the contents of the messages sent by using abbreviations, newly created words, code-switching, code-mixing and emoticons in their SMS messages. How has this increasingly popular practice affect our written language then? As most Malaysians are multi-lingual, will the widespread use of SMS cause language deterioration? This research aims to investigate and analyze the relationship between SMS usage and whether it causes language deterioration in Malaysia by using abbreviations, newly created words, code-switching, code-mixing and emoticons in the messages.

How well is Whole Foods Market performing from a strategic perspective? Essay

The chief elements of the strategy There are chief strategies are WHOLE FOOD, WHOLE PEOPLE and WHOLE PLANET. * Selling the Highest Quality Natural and Organic Products Available This is brand image of whole food market. And John Mackey created the first market in highest quality natural and organic products. It is successful. * Satisfying and Delighting Our Customers Worth of mouth is better than advertisement. Though the price more expensive than the other market, if customers have enough money, they are willing to buy highest quality and price natural and organic products in whole food market * Team Member Happiness and Excellence Make employee excellence; make customers happiness, Whole Food Market put customer in first, employees in second, shareholders in the end. * Creating Wealth Through Profits & Growth Sell highest quality health food in higher price not only earn more money but also can Survey of most or worse market demand * Caring About Our Communities & Our Environment Good environment about produce natural and Organic Products such as vegetable and animals growth in their growth cycle without chemical pesticide and Hormone WFM’s core values These core values are the soul of Whole Foods Market. * Their deepest purpose as an organization was helping support the health. Selling the highest quality natural and organic products is their goal. Now our life is becoming better and better, and many people more and more attention to their health. The price of Whole Foods Market are more expensive than other similar market, but customers also want to buy it. Because they have high quality products. * The customer is God. Company provides with the best customer service, more meaningful value products and has a competitive price to customers. Try to achieve or exceed customer expectations as much as possible, and then help company to improve other performance. So, satisfying and delighting customers is very important. * The company has a good internal environment. Let employees can try their best to get a good job. Team members will communicate and cooperate with each other and obtain the many kinds of information and knowledge. Employees can creative more ideas. Using the power of groups to make an effort to company. The key of contributed to Whole Foods Market success are highest quality, satisfying customers and team force. How well is Whole Foods Market performing from a strategic perspective? Is the strategy working? Does the company have a winning strategy? The Whole Foods brand stands for best- quality, organic goods, is performing well from a strategic prospective as they are increasing their locations and markets. They continue to provide healthy high quality foods and brands that are good for consumers, the environment, and their own growth in the industry. Whole food appeals to a greater social responsibility and has a strong distribution network. They have a competitive advantage to other supermarkets because of their high and fine products that they carry. This company had different acquisitions. One of the acquisitions Whole Food had was when they bought Wild Oats Market. This was a good acquisition Whole Foods made because it opened a lot of opportunities to success as a better company. Whole Foods also has the advantage of a well-known name that’s associated with a higher quality for supermarket products at more competitive prices. Whole Foods has a variety of products and brand selection. These included some 30,000 natural, organic, and gourmet food products and nonfood items. The company has a broad range of products including beverages, snacks, frozen items, pantry staples and different supplements. In addition, Whole Foods appraise quality by nutrition, freshness, and appearance. This company put a lot of emphasis in the health of their customers; therefore the company wants to offer the best quality possible. Recommendations 1. Deferment of Expansion Market: carrying cooperation approach is more cost-effective. You can also detection of this place is whether or not suitable for whole food to survive. The characteristics products and self-owned brand of the food put on the supermarket of cooperation to sale is very good way. 2. Adjust Measures to Local Conditions each busy section or prosperous business district faces high-end consumers is not the same. For example cooperation with the Chinese market , if whole food will open in Shanghai, because the Shanghai is the cosmopolitan city, The high-end supermarket target consumer groups will be mainly focused on a foreign high-end consumers. High quality high level of the organic food will no longer be whole food characteristics, but can afford a high price of people would not less. If whole food market will locate in Xiamen, high quality high level of the organic food can be whole food characteristics, not like Shanghai that would have so many people to buy. 3. Local Culture: Internationalization is a huge barrier, China is a large agricultural country, cooperation with the Chinese Farm, into some of the local culture, it can cut down the price, and also can helps to keep food fresh cooperation with the local farm, launch of the local characteristics of organic food, so as to attract more high-end consumers. Road transport conditions of China are good; it has a great degree of protection for fresh food

Bali essays

Bali essays Bali is located in an archipelago country of Indonesia. It is an island in the Southern part of Indonesia, in the Indian Ocean. There is no other island more beautiful than Bali. The island is nicknamed "Island of the Gods" for its natural beauty and friendly Balinese. Bali is one big sculpture. Every status is manicured and polished with such delicate details, every niche and field is carved by men. The surface of the island is marked by deep ravines, fast flowing river, and a stretch of volcanic chain. On the plains of Bali, rice fields are exquisitely carved out of hills and valleys, and the water is just sparkling with green. Besides rice, crops such as tea, cacao, groundnuts and tropical fruits flourish in the island. Balinese are skilled artists. They do extremely well in woodcarving. The women of Bali are noted for their traditional dancing and for their skills in weaving clothes from thread as well as embroidering silk and cotton. The majority of Balinese believe in the teaching of Hinduism. Unlike Hinduism in India, in Bali Hinduism has developed on its own line of faith. The Balinese are scared witless of ghosts, goblins, and the like, which could disguise themselves as black cats, naked women, and the crows. Spirits dominate everything the Balinese do, and they are constantly offering fruit and flowers to calm down angry deities. According to the Balinese faith, there are sun gods, deer gods, deities, and many other gods. Clay figures of some of the gods are put in the house. Offerings are then offered to these figures. Usually the offerings consist of banana leaves holding a few grains of rice, fruits and flowers. In Bali, there are temples everywhere. There are temples in houses, in courtyards, marketplaces, cemeteries, and rice paddies, on beaches, even within the roots of really old trees. At most intersections and other dangerous places, temples are erected to prevent mishaps. Even in the middle of jungl...

How Jurors Are Chosen in the U.S. Court System

How Jurors Are Chosen in the U.S. Court System If youre trying to get out of jury duty at the federal or state levels, your best chance of doing so is by never registering to vote or canceling your current voter registration. As important as the right to vote is, many Americans opt out of voting to avoid being called for jury duty. However, keeping your name off the voter rolls does not guarantee you wont be randomly chosen for jury duty. Thats because many  state federal  court  districts also pull prospective jurors from lists of licensed drivers and tax records to  supplement their stable of potential juror from  voter lists.  So that means you could be called for federal jury duty in some federal court districts if youve got a drivers license. Nonetheless, voter rolls remain the primary source of prospective jurors. And as long as they remain so, your best chance of avoiding jury duty at the state or federal is to stay off the list of voters in your county and federal court district. Or to get a job as a professional police officer or firefighter, or even run for elected office in your town or state. Simply complaining about having to work wont cut it. How Prospective Jurors Are Chosen in Federal Court Potential jurors are chosen for federal court from a jury pool generated by random selection of citizens names from lists of registered voters, the federal court system explains. It also may use lists of registered drivers. Each judicial district must have a formal written plan for the selection of jurors, which provides for random selection from a fair cross-section of the community in the district, and which prohibits discrimination in the selection process. Voter records - either voter registration lists or lists of actual voters - are the required source of names for federal court juries, according to the federal court system.   So if youre not registered to vote, youre safe from jury duty, right? Wrong. Why You Still Might Be Picked For Jury Duty Canceling your voter registration card of never registering to vote at all doesnt mean youre exempt from jury duty everywhere, and heres why: Many courts supplement voter lists with other sources  including  lists of licensed drivers.   According to the Federal Judicial Center: Congress requires that each district court develop a plan for selecting jurors. Generally, the selection process begins when the clerk of court randomly draws names from the list of registered voters in the judicial district, and sometimes from other sources, such as the list of licensed drivers. Only in Ohio and Wyoming do state courts use only the list of registered voters to build jury pools, not drivers lists or tax rolls. That means you can avoid jury duty in county and state court by simply staying out of the voting booth. Everywhere else? Youre likely to end up in a jury pool at some point in your life if you drive a car or pay taxes. Is That Really Fair? There are lots of people who believe drawing prospective jurors from voter-registration lists is wrong because is discourages people from entering the political process. Some academics argue that the connection between voter registration and jury duty represents an unconstitutional poll tax. As of 2012, 42 states used voter registration as the principle means of choosing prospective voters, according to a research paper by Alexander Preller of Columbia University. Jury duty is a burden, but not one which a concerned citizenry should gladly bear. However, jury services should not be allowed to parasitically burden other civil rights, Preller wrote. The economic burdens of jury duty do not pose  constitutional problems so long as they remain separate from voting; the problem is the link itself. Such an argument claims the current mechanism for choosing jurors forces many Americans to abandon their most precious civil right to carry out a civic obligation.  But other experts believe the wider and more racially and economically diverse the jury pool, the fairer the justice system is. The whole point is for the master jury list to be as inclusive as possible, Greg Hurley, a lawyer and senior analyst with the National Center for State Courts, told the Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. Whos Exempt From Jury Duty There are some people who will never have to report for federal jury duty, regardless of whether they are registered to vote or not. The federal Jury Act, which requires the random selection of citizens names from voters lists, states that members of the military serving in active duty, police officers, professional and volunteer firefighters and public officers such as elected officials at the local, state and federal levels do not have to report for jury duty. Some courts also exempt the elderly and people who have served on a jury in the previous two years. If youve got another reason you think jury duty represents an undue hardship or extreme inconvenience, the courts might consider granted you a temporary deferral, but these are determined on a case-by-case basis. The other people who dont have to serve on a jury are: Non-citizens who have lived in their judicial district less than a year.People who cannot speak English or read, write or understand English with a degree of proficiency necessary to fill out a qualification form.The mentally ill or physically infirm.People charged with a felony crime that is punishable by more than a year in prison.Those who have been convicted of a felony and have not been granted a pardon, which restores their civil rights.Minors.

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Book Review - Essay Example Hamer’s work received much criticism immediately after it was published. The key problem with the book that undermines its scientific value lies in the realm of methodology. Hamer employs traditional tools to study the spiritual phenomena. For example, he measures abstract concepts of transcendence that has much to do with the phenomena of faith, belief and religion using methods of molecular biology and traditional psychology. This approach produces certain ambiguity with definitions and makes the book look rather speculative at least from the positions of traditional science. A number of third-party studies Hamer refers to throughout the paper to support his challenging argument are questionable themselves. Thus, Hamer relies upon the experimental studies of Dr. Michael Persinger (magnetic simulation of the amygdala, the hippocampus, and the caudate nucleus) and studies of monks involving Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). Nonetheless Hamer’s work is far from being a mere non-scientific speculation. The novelty of his daring attempt to relate traditional science and non-physical phenomena is perhaps the major reason for abundant criticism. Traditionally, spirituality and religion have not been considered by science, partially due to lack of applicable tools, partially due to the philosophic paradigm underlying traditional scientific research. These concepts are explored within the specific discourse concerning spirituality, God and religion termed ‘theology’, which historically has been perceived as the antipode of science. Consequently, even contemporary science that at times seems virtually almighty lacks appropriate tools and methodologies to study certain non-physical phenomena such as spirituality. It is hardly surprising that from the position of traditional science Hamer’s work can be labeled as