Compare Enlightened Despotism with the French Revolution Essay Example for Free

Compare Enlightened Despotism with the French Revolution Essay The Enlightenment, an historical period of the 18th and early 19th centuries influenced actions of absolute rulers. This movement also provided a framework for the French Revolutions. Enlightened despots believed that political change could best come from the ruler. Where as the French Revolution did many things, unleashed new forces, destroy old ideas, offered new promises. Not the Revolution itself, of course, but the people who made it. However, Enlightened despots were encouraged by the philosophers to make good laws to promote human happiness. Despots acted abruptly and desired quicker results. They were impatient with all that stood in the way of their reforms. In addition, they justified their authority on the grounds of usefulness, not divine right? Frederick II (Frederick the Great), the most famous Prussian absolute monarch and a military genius, pursued an aggressive foreign policy. In 1740 he seized from Austria the province of Silesia. His action culminated in a major European conflict, the Seven Years War (1756-1763), in which he was pitted against a powerful Europe. Enlightened monarchs embraced the principles of the Enlightenment, especially its emphasis upon rationality, and applied them to their kingdoms. They tended to allow religious toleration, freedom of speech and the press, and the right to hold private property. Most fostered the arts, sciences, and education. Enlightened Absolutists believe that they had the right to govern by birth. Emperor Joseph II can be said to have fully embraced the Enlightened concept of the social contract. In contrast Catherine II entirely rejected the concept of the social contract while taking up many ideas of the Enlightenment. The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a pivotal period in the history of France and Europe. The Revolution is widely seen as a major turning point in European history-from the age of absolutism, to the age of the citizenry, as the dominant political force. Many interrelated political and socioeconomic factors contributed to the French Revolution. It fell to the ambitions of a rising bourgeoisie, allied with aggrieved peasants, wage earners, and individuals of all classes who had come under the influence of the ideas of the Enlightment. It was and remains a system of ideas that are usually goal- directed. Most ideologies are, therefore, fundamentally political, bright descriptions of the means and methods by which the instruments of revolution, party, or government ought to be used for the purpose of social change. The French Revolution was the first major social revolution, of far greater dimensions and of deeper purpose. Elected to the Committee of Public Safety in July 1793, Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794) soon came to dominate that group, hence dominate the revolutionary government. He exhibited himself as a ruthless individual, incorruptible, dictatorial, impersonal, and determined to sweep away all who opposed the Revolution. He urged the war on against the monarchical powers of France, and he encouraged the Reign of Terror. The major causes of   French Revolution include the following: A poor economic situation and an unmanageable national debt were both caused and exacerbated by the burden of a grossly inequitable system of taxation and Frances funding of the American revolution, A resentment of royal absolutism; An aspiration for liberty and republicanism; A resentment of Manorialism (seigneurialism) by peasants, wage-earners, and to a lesser extent, the bourgeoisie; The rise of enlightenment ideals; Food scarcity in the months immediately before the revolution; High unemployment and high bread prices resulting in the inability to purchase food; A resentment of noble privilege and dominance in public life by the ambitious professional classes. In principle and by legislation, French revolution made the individual citizen the center of a new social order. The social order should, therefore, be designed to maximize this freedom, this personal liberty. References Spielvogel Western Civilization Volume II: Since 1500 (2003) p.493, 517. Scott, H. M, Enlightened Absolutism: Reform and Reformers in Late Eighteenth Century Europe (1990), ISBN 0472101730.

Concepts in Differential Privacy

Concepts in Differential Privacy Abstract Stored data in search log is insecure process to the search engine. Search log contains extremely sensitive data, as evidenced by the AOL incident. To Store information in the search log is identify the behavior of user. To maintain this sensitive data is risky process, because some security methods containing the drawbacks. Search engine companies provide security for search logs, in some cases intruder identifies the stored data then loss occurred. This paper provides security methods for the search data against the intruder. To store the data in the search log based on the keywords, clicks, queries etc. Anonymization is the method provides security for data but it loss the granularity. And another method is â‚ ¬-differential privacy provide utility for the problem. (â‚ ¬,∂)-probabilistic privacy used to calculate the noise distribution. ZEALOUS algorithm propose in this paper provide effective results with (â‚ ¬1,∂1)-indistingushability. This paper concludes w ith the comparable utility with the k-anonymity, â‚ ¬-differential privacy. To this algorithm produce the effective result. Keywords: Security, Privacy, Data Anonymity, Information Protection, Differential Privacy, Histogram INTRODUCTION To publish the search query logs are useful to know the behavior of a user. To interact users into search engine information stored in the form of search log. This stores the information based on the following schema {User_id, Query, Time, Clicks} Here User_id identifies the particular user. Query identifies the group of keywords to be searched by the user in search engine. User search the keyword in search engine like â€Å"Java† then relevant information related to Java will be occurred in the browser. User clicks on the particular link it will store in the search log as number counts. And also store the time of the click on the user. Single user consists of a user history or search history by the search entities. User history partitioned into sessions by the similar queries. Queries can be grouped into form a query pair, this used for the preparation of data in the search log. Query pairs can be divided into sessions and each session contains the subsequent query. Generally keywords can be divided into two ways. Those are 1. Frequent 2. Infrequent 1. Frequent Keyword: Previous methods only introduce these keywords. Because of this keywords are produce easily with search logs compare to the infrequent. Users search the keyword in the search engine based on that criteria identify the frequent keywords. 2. Infrequent Keywords: Proposed method for this paper is to publish search log with infrequent keywords. To publish this keyword is to loss the utility and produce less results compare to frequent keywords. In the previous method k-anonymity the main aim of this method is to define effective anonymization models for query log data along with techniques to achieve such anonymiation. Publishing of user query search logs has become a sensitive issue. To develop anonymization methods to publish the searc log data without breaching privacy or reduce utility. Drawback of this method is to identify the data to the external linked attributes. Introduce Quasi-identifier to the identification of an individual by combining to the external data. Following is an example data set User Registration Search_log Fig 1: Anonymization of the data In the above tables explains that the user registration contains all the user details of the user history. Search_log table contains the data of the user searched data. These two tables are externally linked to each other with this data loss occurred. Putting these searches together may easily reveal the identity of the user. The idea behind this k-anonymity is provide guarantee to each and every individual and hidden the group of size k with respect to the quasi-identifiers. To produce the search logs with â‚ ¬-differential privacy provide good utility, but problem with the search logs is noise added to the search logs. Several methods are used to produce random noise in the differential privacy. According to this paper classify them as two categories Data-independent noise Data-dependent noise Adding noise to the data this data-independent noise is most basic one. Laplace noise addition belongs to this category. Compare to the data-dependent noise is most complex, but usually they lead to less distortion being introduced. But this paper focus on the data-independent noise, which is most frequently uses in data sets. To produce effective results with â‚ ¬-differential privacy add laplace distribution to the result. Zealous algorithm consists a two phase framework for the purpose of identify the frequent items in the search log. And set two threshold values to publish the search logs with more privacy. Search engine companies apply this algorithm to generate statics with (â‚ ¬,∂)-probabilistic differentially private to retaining good utility for the applications. Beyond publishing search logs this paper believe that findings are of interest when publishing frequent item sets. This algorithm protects privacy against much stronger attackers than those compare the previous methods. RELATED WORK Search Log Anonymization In the previous incident occur in the AOL search log, it reveals the data of a user. Adar propose a method it appears at least t times before it can be decoded, which may potentially remove too many unused queries. And another method tokenize each query and hashes the corresponding log identifiers proposed by Kumar at el.[21]. This method improve the frequency of the search and leaks the data through hidden tokens. To overcome the problems in previous method introduce the anonymization models have been developed for search log release. Hong et al. [17] and Liu at al.[23] anonymized search logs based on k-anonymization which is not accurate as differential privacy. Xiong at el. [15] presents the query log analysis applications and various granularities of releasing log information and their associated privacy threats. Korolova et al. [20] release first applied the accurate privacy notion to release the search log based on differential privacy by adding Laplace noise. To add the Laplace noise to the counts of selected queries and urls is straightforward directly maximize the output utility with optimization models. Publish the frequent keywords, queries and clicks in search logs and comparison for two relaxations of â‚ ¬-differential privacy. This paper works related to framework for collecting, storing, and mining search logs in a distributed manner. Differential Privacy Dwork at al. [7,8] propose the definition of differential privacy. A randomized algorithm is differential private if for any pair of neighboring inputs, the probability of generating the same output. This means that two data sets are close to each other, a differential privacy algorithm behave same on the two data sets. This process provide sufficient privacy protection for user data. And also introduce the data publishing techniques which ensure â‚ ¬-differential privacy while providing accurate result. Search queries contain sensitive information it can lead to re-identification, approaches include query results, user-id to prevent re-identification of individuals from the search queries. This approach differs from the above it interact access framework that does not directly depend on anonymization for privacy, it differs from the semantic policies and differential privacy.

Food Purchasing Cost Control

Food Purchasing Cost Control In the hospitality industry, purchasing may be defined as a function concerned with the search, selection, purchase, receipt, storage, and final use of a commodity in accordance with the catering policy of the establishment. (Davis and Kotas, 1986:47) Davis and Kotas (1986) suggest that purchasing is a fundamental function in the beverage control cycle. If this function is managed efficiently, then any hotel can attain quality beverage products at the minimum cost possible according to the companys financial objectives. The objective of beverage purchasing is to procure the best quality of items, at the lowest price for a specific purpose. It is a must to give considerable attention to the beverage cost control since beverages will normally throw in more profits than food. Fewer staff is required to process beverage into a finished item for consumption by the customers compares to food. (Davis et al, 2008) 3.2 The Purchasing Personnel Staff members that are responsible for the beverage purchases vary depending on the type and size of the establishment. (Davis and Kotas, 1986) The purchasing manager is responsible for the beverage purchasing function in Hotels One and Two. In Hotel-Three the purchasing manager and the food and beverage manager are responsible for the beverage purchasing function whereas in Hotel-Four the purchasing manager and the cost controller are accountable for this function. In Hotel-Two when there is a special theme night, the food and beverage manager will join the purchasing manager for such occasions. The purchasing function is centralised as hotel purchasing for Hotels One and Four. On the other hand the purchasing function is centralised as a group purchasing for Hotels Two and Three. It was agreed by all the interviewed personnel that the purchasing personnel have to be experienced and knowledgeable about the products that they have to order. In fact the purchasing manager in Hotel-Three has over thirty years of experience in this function. In the case of Hotel-Two it was mentioned that although experience and knowledge are vital for the purchasing function, most items in Malta are standard. Additionally it was also pointed out that the purchasing function depends on the demand of other departments. There have to be cross functional teams (that is team effort) and strong communication among all the hotel departments. Standards for beverage purchasing are developed for all the four hotels interviewed. Quality is given primary priority in all the hotels interviewed apart from for Hotel-Two where the first preference is on the price. In the case of Hotel-One, the products have to satisfy the bar manager and afterwards the purchasing personnel will deal for the best price for the pre-established quality. They will try to obtain the best price at the best quality. In Hotel-Three the purchasing personnel will try to attain a balance between price and quality however Quality is on top of the agenda. It is essential to consider the purchase of some of beverage items of each outlet separately. For example the wines offered at the pool bar will be at a lower quality and at a lower price when compared to the main bar. Each product can have a good quality, very good quality or best quality. The purchasing personnel have to choose the quality that is adequate for the specific outlet. In Hotel-Four both qualit y and price are given right of way however quality will always win. In Hotel-Two price is given precedence in the sense that, when choosing between two products with similar quality but different prices, the purchasing personnel will go for the cheaper product. The quantities of beverages to be ordered are determined by the storekeeper with the skilled assistance of the purchasing manager using a par stock level. When required in Hotel-One the cost controller will help out to determine the quantities to be ordered. In Hotel-Three the food and beverage manager will assist when needed to determine such quantities. 3.3 The Selection of Suppliers The suppliers selected can be either existing suppliers or potential suppliers. The advantage of the existing suppliers is that the quality of the goods received, the price and the service offered would all be already known. According to Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) when dealing with new suppliers it is vital to exercise prudence and to get the subsequent information as a minimum: Full details of the firm and the range of items it is selling; Copies of recent price lists; Details of trading terms; Details of other customers they deal with; Samples of products. Ideally there should be a visit to any potential supplier to enhance knowledge about the size of the company; the range of the products; the size of processing and storage facilities and to meet members of the management team. All these factors facilitate a sustainable long-term business relationship. (Dopsen, Hayes and Miller, 2007) Suppliers can be chosen on the basis of their reputation in the market, upon an investigation of a supplier and on the basis of their performance. The best supplier is the one who provides the firm with the most efficient service with regard to quantity, quality, price and delivery performance. (Davis and Kotas, 1986:53) In all the hotels except for Hotel-Four there is a list of agreed suppliers from whom products are bought. Hotel-One has a list of preferred suppliers from whom the purchasing personnel will buy continually. It is a preferred suppliers list rather than an approved suppliers list. The advantage of having a preferred rather than an approved list is that if any particular supplier will give you a hard time (not reliable towards the hotel), then this supplier can be immediately replaced. Hotel-Two has an approved supplier when it comes to soft drinks and beers. When it comes to spirits, the suppliers are preferred rather than approved. Hotel-Three has contracts with the suppliers containing pre-agreed prices and pre-agreed quality of the listed products, however if something will not vary for example the quality will deteriorate, the purchasing personnel will alter the supplier if the problems will not be tackled. Although there is a contract, it is not a fixed contact that is the hotel personnel are not obliged to buy the beverage products from the specific supplier. Hotel-Four does not have any suppliers list. In this hotel the suppliers are chosen according to the quality of the products, the type of brands required and the services that the supplier will offer to the hotel. When selecting the suppliers, the criteria evaluated by Hotel-One are credit term, quality and prices. The credit term period is given top priority. According to Hotel-One it is useless to go for the best quality and the best price if the credit terms period is short. In Hotel-Two price is given top priority when selecting suppliers while quality and lead time are also analysed to make the right decision. In the other two hotels quality is the most influential factor used to determine the suppliers to be chosen for the beverage products. Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) explained that the supplier performance can be evaluated using the rating system which usually includes: price, quality and delivery performance. Potential suppliers performance is only evaluated by Hotel-Three. Every now and then the purchasing manager will pick some items and verify if there is a better product in the market than the one that the hotel is currently using. The purchasing manager without involving employees in operation will pick up different products and will make a blind presentation and tasting of the product. The purchasing department will decant the product that will be identifiable (delete the tag and the supplier name) and the food and beverage manager will rate the product using a rating sheet including quality, yields among other factors. The person rating the product will not know who the supplier is. Although the decision taken will not be based on price, the food and beverage personnel will know the price to be able to match the product being tasted with its price accordingly. There have to be a balance between quality and price. It can be that the product quality is superior compared to the hotel standard thus the product will not be affordable. Then the rating sheet is filled out. Hotel-One pointed out that the suppliers evaluation and performance is not prepared because this does not add any value on the hotel sales. The cheapest item is not automatically the best to buy since low-cost products can lead to low quality. Normally the responsible persons go for the supplier on the basis of the quality required and then negotiate the best price for it. There is always a trade-off between quality and price. 3.4 The Purchasing Procedure According to Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) the various steps in the purchasing procedure are: The initiation of a request to purchase beverages by an authorised employee such as the head of department or restaurant manager; The selection of the source of supply from which the goods are to be purchased, and the price to be paid; Entering into a contract with the supplier by telephone, electronically or in writing; Obtaining a satisfactory delivery performance from the supplier with regard to time, date and place of delivery; The acceptance of goods ordered and the transfer to the ordering department or to the stores. Purchasing is not a separate activity. What, how and when you buy must always reflect the overall goals of your establishment. Trends change so must you, the purchaser. (Brown, 2005:396) Dopsen, Hayes and Miller (2007) recommend that the procedure should reflect the type of the establishment and the market where it operates. Those responsible should consider: the location of the establishment in relation to its suppliers; the size of the storage facilities of the hotel; the shelf life of the beverage product; and the companys purchasing power. Whatever the establishment is, it is crucial to have a sound purchasing policy so that satisfactory standards will be achieved. 3.5 Purchasing Orders In every hotel it is vital to have purchasing policies and procedures which are planned to allow business transactions to take place smoothly between supplier and receiver. Documentary evidence should confirm that the procedures are actually being followed. In Hotel-One purchase orders are authorised by the purchasing officer and the financial controller while in Hotel-Two these are authorised by the group purchasing manager. In Hotel-Three the purchase orders are authorised by the cost controller or the general manager while in Hotel-Four these are authorised by the head of department and the latter will also communicate with the financial controller and the general manager, if deemed necessary. In all the hotels those authorising purchase orders are independent from those responsible for issuing requisitions. This prevents certain abuses that can be carried out when the same person will be responsible for both authorising purchase orders and for issuing requisitions. In Hotel-Two the persons issuing requisitions are the head of departments or the supervisors. Then the storekeeper will deliver the items that were previously ordered and the cost controller will verify that every order is in its perspective. In Hotel-Four the purchase orders are prepared by the head of departments while for the other three hotels, the purchase orders are prepared by the purchasing manager. Every hotel has a system of par stock level. In Hotel-One the cost controller will work to create a par stock level which will depend on the period of the year, the type of functions that the hotel has, and the type of clients that the hotel has. The aim of these par stock levels is to have some items of every stock with a limited quantity since excessive stock means cash put down the drain. Additionally useless stock will lead to negative cash flows. In Hotel-Two it was remarked that the par stock level used is an informal one that will be adapted according to the company needs. A point to note is that in Malta, hoteliers work a lot on a last minute purchases. This can be used since distances are short and so if there is a stock item missing, you can phone the supplier and the latter will bring the item in a few hours. In Hotel-Three the cost controller is responsible to ensure that stocks in the stores are kept lowest as possible as these will represent idle money. The information contained in the purchase orders of each hotel is nearly identical to each other. Hotels One and Three does not have the terms of payments listed in the purchase orders. The purchase order of Hotel-Three contained a disclaimer that declares that if the supplier (who will receive the purchase order) will not agree with the purchase order in terms of quantity or price or he does not have the pre-agreed brand, the supplier shall inform the purchasing manager before the delivery. In Hotel-Four the type of brand is not listed in the purchase orders. All the hotels have sequentially pre-numbered purchase orders. Normally a copy of the purchase order is being received by the supplier. The goods received clerk/storekeeper will also receive the purchase order and the same copy will go to the cost controller who will attach it with the invoice and passes it through his system and then the cost controller will give the purchase order to the accounts clerk who will pass it through the accounting system. On receipt of an authorised requisition form, it is vital to check the economic quantity to be purchased by checking the existing stocks and the sales volume forecast. After establishing the purchase requirements, a formal written purchase order is prepared. This serves as the basis for ordering. Written records lessen misunderstandings so it is better to maintain some written record of purchases, preferably on a purchase order, to verify the accuracy of deliveries received. (Dopsen, Hayes and Miller, 2007) 3.6 Concluding Remark Think of purchasing as a cycle, not a one-time activity. Purchasing is not just a matter of phoning or emailing another order. You dont want to run out, nor do you want to overstock. (Brown, 2005:395)

Affects of Frontal Lobe Damage Essay -- essays research papers

Damage to the frontal lobe cortex of the brain can cause difficulty in everyday activities. The frontal lobes role in people’s behavior includes executive processes, language, emotional expression and movement. Ryan Godfrey has difficulties in some areas of executive processes due to the damage tumors caused in his brain. Ryan and others with frontal lobe damage can benefit from knowing these deficits by taking steps to reduce their impact. The brain tends to compensate for damaged parts and a faith in God brings power to overcome deficits. Thus, behavioral difficulties for frontal lobe damaged patients are only a guideline not a box, for nothing is impossible for God to accomplish.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A 23-year-old man, named Ryan Godfrey was observed in his everyday behaviors to understand how he deals with frontal lobe damage. When he was 7 years, old the doctors discovered a grapefruit size benign meningioma tumor in his brain. After this, he had six more surgeries and his last one left him paralyzed on his left side. This was because most of his tumors were found in the right hemisphere, prefrontal cortex with his last surgery towards the premotor and motor cortex causing his paralysis. Ryan overcame being paralyzed with a desire to play basketball and video games. Today he is running sound for church, working full time and helping with student ministries. People like him can benefit from understanding the brain and its functions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The frontal lobe comprises a third of the brain and it enables us to engage in higher cognitive functions such as planning and problem solving (Jonides & Smith, 1999). The frontal lobe is divided into 3 regions, the motor cortex, premotor cortex, and prefrontal cortex. The motor cortex is located in the precentral gyrus and directs fine motor coordination. The premotor cortex is involved in planning, organizing, and integrating body movements. The prefrontal is involved in executive functions, including short-term memory, working memory, decision making, and prioritizing behaviors (Wilson, 2003). Some of the frontal lobe disorders than can cause brain damage and behavioral changes are Huntington’s disease, infection, stroke, tourettes, dementia, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, tumors, closed head injury and traumatic brain injury (Chow, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People wi... ... Shimamura, A. (1995). Susceptibility to memory   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  interference effects following frontal lobe damage: findings from tests of paired-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  associate learning. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 144-152. Humphreys, G. & Kumada, T. (2002). Early selection induced by perceptual load in a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  patient with frontal lobe damage: external vs. internal modulation of processing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  control. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 49-65. Jonides, J. & Smith, E. (1999, March 12). Storage and executive processes in the frontal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  lobes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Science, 1657-1663. Lepage, M. & Richer, F. (2000). Frontal brain lesions affect the use of advance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  information during response planning. Behavioral Neuroscience, 1034-1040. Levine, B. & Stuss, D. (2002). Adult clinical neuropsychology: lessons from studies of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the frontal lobes. Annual Reviews Psychology, 401-433. Wilson, J. (2003). Biological foundations of human behavior. Belmont: Thomason   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Learning Publishers.

Freedom of Speech and Expression - Little Freedom in a Complex World

Little Freedom of Expression Freedom of expression, like the air we breathe, is a luxury that most people in western civilization take for granted. I know I certainly took it for granted when I was in the twelfth grade, and that presumption almost got me expelled. In Cornwall, Ontario this last December the idea of freedom of speech did more than get a young man expelled. He was forced to spend the better part of a month, including Christmas, New Year's Eve, and his sixteenth birthday in jail. Finally there is the case of the former mayor of Mukingo in Ruhengeri Prefecture, Juvenal Kejelijeli, who is desperately fighting deportation to face charges for his "freedom of expression," which helped ignite genocide in Rwanda. Free speech and freedom of expression must be protected, but the speakers and writers must also take responsibility for their actions. During the twelfth grade my belief in freedom of expression was put to the test. When I was given an assignment to write a short story for my grade twelve creative writing class on any subject I wanted; I made the mistake of doing what I was told. It was, admittedly, a disturbing story, filled with vengeful death, anti-religious sentiment and gross sexual abuse written by a confused young man. However, none of the characters had any basis in reality, and none of the violence could be associated with any specific people or institutions. This was purely a work of fiction and it almost got me kicked out of private school in England. Not only was I afraid of the reaction I was going to get from my father, but it also shook the very foundations of my beliefs in free speech and freedom of expression. A work of fiction, regardless of the content, is still just a work of fiction ... ...ther number of oppressed countries. Therefore these freedoms must be utilized with a certain degree of caution and responsibility. Once we start censoring it becomes difficult to decide when and where to draw the line. When the responsible use of these freedoms comes into question, we as a society are called upon to decide what constitutes responsible freedom of expression, and what punishments are merited when the lines are crossed. If the judge and jury react too harshly, as in the case of the Avonmore student, they themselves become guilty of a crime far more severe than alleged threats seemingly found in a work of fiction. However had the story included names of current students, or had it been a call to other bullied students to carry out the grim plot, then punishment would be in order. In the mean time let's nourish creativity and be alert for cries for help.

Psmp Unit 1 – Reading Report – Federalism

Purpose: To inform the reader by outliningthe dialogue that took place at the ASSA/IPAA Federalism Rountable in May, 2007. Wanna summarises discussions on the: -historical trajectory and present characteristics of Australian federalism; -perceived shortcomings and challenges surrounding ourcurrent system of government; -relevance of federalism both from an increasingly globalised national perspective and within a nation of small population and relative cultural homogeny; and -various suggestions from those present to bring aboutreform. 77) Argument/Findings The Paper articulates the collective findings of those present at the Roundtable. Wanna makes comment on some main themes that emanated e. g. whilst considerable faith was placed in a clearer demarcation of governmental roles and responsibilities to address federalism’s perceived current ‘malaise’, Wanna notes there was nothing put forward to firmly support this assumption and consequentlyquestions the true wor th of articulating and clarifying roles and responsibilities.The Paper highlightsthe Roundtable’s observationthat numerous federal nationshave tended towards centralisation in recent times, coupled with declines in regional and localised identity; it predicted a gravitation of national issues to the Commonwealth level and a shift of regional and service delivery issues towards State governments over the next 20 years.There was consensus that greater trust, ‘strategic pragmatism’ and improved intergovernmental relations were needed to reform federalism and provide enhanced policy outcomes for the Australian community. (149) Evidence The Paper provides a firsthand summary of discussion, findings and suggestions from a Roundtable of politicians, senior state and federal public servants, and academics, supported by background information papers from credible sources. (32) Observations The Paper is a record of a collective discussion, notan argumentative essay. The do es not, nor does it purport to be, a balanced view of federalism in a broader or historical sense. -Roundtables by their very nature are high level and do not allow for drilling down to the finer details of an issue; this is worth bearing in mind when considering the article as some of the context may have been overlooked in relation to the finer points made by participants. The Paperhighlights that federalism has by necessity proven to be a much more flexible and dynamic governance structure than waslikely envisaged at its inception;it could be argued that federalism’s seeming robustness and changeability is entirely appropriate to what is now a highly changeable local, national and globalised community, despite looking markedly different to what it may have first looked like at federation. -It is submitted that the need for greater levels of trust between levels of government to make federalism work is potentially made more challenging by the dynamic of our two-party system of government. 185) Other relevant or related readings 1. Keddie, J. N and R. F. I. Smith. 2009, ‘Leading from Below: How Sub-National Governments Influence Policy Agendas. ’Australian Journal of Public Administration, No. 68 Vol. 1, pp. 67-82. Rather than outlining a perceived malaise and decrease in the relevance of the States in our federal system, Keddie& Smith argue that States have a responsibility to ensure they remain integral tobroader policy and decision-making agendas. (45) 2. Hollander, R. And H. Patapan. 2007, ‘Pragmatic Federalism: Australian Federalism from Hawke to Howard. ’ Australian Journal of Public Administration, Vol. 6 No. 3 pp. 280-297 The Hollander & Patapan article provides broader historical analysis that seeks to explain fundamental aspects of our system of federalism and conclusions on why the trend of centralisation has occurred. (30) 3. Parkin, A. 2003, ‘The States, Federalism and Political Science: A Fifty-Year Apprais al. ’ Australian Journal of Public Administration, Vol. 62 No. 2, June, pp. 101-112 The Parkin Paper provides broader analysis of the state of federalism than both the Wanna and Hollander & Patapan articles, providing a fifty year appraisal of Australian governance from the States’ perspective. (32)

Country Life vs. City Life

The stimulation of crowds and traffic generate energy that challenges the human spirit. Perhaps this is why the city dwellers seem angry, stressed and unfriendly people. Although, the quietness of the country has appealed to the minds of lots of people. The countryman or woman is usually represented as calm, relaxed and friendly. Health, education, transportation are three major concerns that many consider. In a city, pollution surrounds you wherever you step whether on the streets of a busy financial district or on the lawn of a large park. Pollution could possibly cause health problems later in life.In the country, pollution is scarce. Fresh air, rolling green hills, a few pieces of litter here and there but pretty much everything is clean, you can see the stars. Living in the country is a wonderful experience for a young family to grow on and see what life is really made of. Life in the city is challenging. Yes, there are large number of activities. Shopping is convenient and the presence of public transportation reduces the demand for private transportation and the accompanying expenses. For example, lots of cities have transits to take elderly, disabled or those who don’t drive to were they need to go.City life provides all the advantages of being only minutes away from the grocery store, banks, and gas stations. But the city life carries a heavy price. Housing and food are expensive when you live in a small town, the hometown grocery stores usually have prices higher than your regular grocery store such as HEB and Wal-mart. Services, such as transportation, are expensive. Worst of all, the most expensive component of life in the city is the toll it takes on your body through stress. Stress is present with every waking moment in the city. The crowds, traffic, tight work schedules never let up.The air is not healthy. The poisons of thousands of vehicles overwhelm what little green life remains to clean the air. Crime is high in most cities. The odds of becoming a victim are high even for simple trips to the local grocery or ATM. Opportunities to relax are few and short. Stress builds. Quality of life declines.. People who live in the city looks forward to a day out of the city. Movement patters have been from the city to the suburbs and later to the country. Escape becomes the order of the day. Each move to the outer boundaries of the urban environment makes life a little more peaceful.The move to the country is the greatest move of all. Peaceful is the most concise description of the country. The night is quiet. Soft insect noises and the plaintive call of an owl rule the stillness. No heavy traffic, no sirens, no rush of the â€Å"madding crowd. † Life is simple and calming. Food is grown locally, instead of remotely. Everyone knows your name, and has been to your house. I love to come home and see my horses and cows in my front pasture grazing, my dogs running to my car to welcome me home. My experience from living in the country for twenty one years is great.I was and still am being taught that living in the country, you can learn a lot of different things that some city folks don’t have the advantages of doing because of living in the city. Like raising your own livestock such as cattle, pigs, chicken, and so on to help your cost of spending by going to the grocery store. For example, I love fresh eggs, my chickens lay fresh eggs every morning, I haven’t bought eggs at a grocery store in years. Just like our cows, every year we butcher about three calves, they go through the meat processor which gives my family and I plenty of hamburger meat, steaks and so on for the year.So in conclusion I rarely by meat either. There are some disadvantages of living in the country like not being just minutes away from a store, I live about twelve minutes from town so it is a hassle when I need one little thing from the grocery store and have to drive ten miles to go get it. Another one I dislik e is having family and friends who live in the city, sometimes we seem them once a week or even less. Other than that I have no other dislikes about the country life.