Friday, March 6, 2020
The Best and Worst States to Make a Living
The Best and Worst States to Make a Living Weââ¬â¢ve all heard about the American Dream, right? Itââ¬â¢s a lovely concept that has driven millions of people to set up their lives and careers all over the country. It speaks to the hard work that people do every day, hustling to maintain the best life possible for themselves and their families. The only trouble with ââ¬Å"the American Dreamâ⬠as a notion is that the U.S. is made up of 50 distinct entities, each with its own government, culture, and set of challenges. So career opportunities are not always created equally. Some states are definitely more hospitable to career growth and maintenance than others. Every year, the personal finance and investing site MoneyRates publishes the results of their research on the best and worst states to make a living. This is not to say that the ââ¬Å"worstâ⬠states should be shunned, or that you should pack your bags immediately and move to the ââ¬Å"bestâ⬠ones. But MoneyRates has evaluated five of the most crucia l, career-impacting factors to help you make an informed decision about where you want to be:Cost of LivingWorkplace safetyState tax burdensMedian wagesUnemployment ratesThese ratings are designed to help you decide where you should be, depending on your job priorities and goals.The 10 BestFirst, the good newsâ⬠¦letââ¬â¢s look at the top-rated states for making a living for 2017.1. WashingtonWashington sits at the top of the poll after knocking out six-time champ Wyoming (now #6). Although it has a fairly high cost of living (about 7% higher than other states), other factors helped elevate it above the crowd this year, like high median wages, and solid employment rates and workplace safety. Washington also does not have a tax on wages, which makes it appealing as well.2. MinnesotaIf you can handle cold winters, Minnesota is a good choice for people seeking work. Its high median wages (itââ¬â¢s in the top ten), low unemployment rate, and low number of workplace safety issue s make it a welcoming place to start your career, or make the jump to a new level. MoneyRates notes that Minnesotaââ¬â¢s state tax is the fifth-highest in the country, however, so those high wages do come with a catch.3. IllinoisIllinois is a good all-around candidate, scoring above the median in cost of living, state tax burdens, workplace safety, and median wages. The fly in the ointment: its unemployment rate of 4.9%.4. TexasDonââ¬â¢t mess with it. Texas consistently ranks highly in this study year over year, including a #1 finish in 2015. Texasââ¬â¢s shining metrics are its low cost of living (significantly lower than the national average) and the fact that workers do not pay state income tax on their wages. These benefits come with a caveat, though: Texasââ¬â¢s unemployment rate is the tenth highest in the U.S., so that is definitely something to consider if youââ¬â¢re looking to change jobs without having one in the works already.5. ColoradoAlthough itââ¬â¢s home to some of the best skiing in the country, Colorado offers more to potential employees than its outdoorsy mountain charm. Colorado earns its place on the list by having the lowest unemployment rate in the country, 2.6%. The state ranked 11th on the list of states with the highest median wages, and if youââ¬â¢re a fan of the movie This is Spinal Tap, that is basically the same as finishing in the top ten. Coloradoââ¬â¢s low unemployment and high wages are balanced out somewhat by its higher cost of living and taxes paid by workers.6. WyomingThe previous ââ¬Å"best in showâ⬠from 2016, Wyoming is still a contender- however, it lost some of its standing by an uptick in workplace safety incidents after the list was expanded to include both fatal and non-fatal incidents. Given that Wyomingââ¬â¢s top industries include mining, manufacturing, and logistics, this fact may be dismaying, but not entirely surprising. If you are in a lower-risk industry, then Wyoming can be a great place to make a living, with a strong median wage, no state income tax, and a low cost of living.7. VirginiaVirginia is for lovers, as the tourism slogan goes, but it turns out itââ¬â¢s also for workers. Like many of the top ten, Virginia is a state that gets consistently high marks year after year. Itââ¬â¢s a large state with diverse industries, and has above-average wage and unemployment rates. The state tax burden is high (perhaps keeping it from the upper echelons of the top ten), but it has a top 5 workplace safety ranking.8. OhioThe factors that sealed Ohioââ¬â¢s place in the top ten are two big ones: low cost of living and low state income tax burden. This means that although the state is about average when it comes to wages, that money can go farther than it might in other states. As with Texas, however, the unemployment rate may give you pause: at 5.1%, itââ¬â¢s the fifth-worst unemployment rate in the country.9. MichiganIf you love college football, the n Michigan just might be the place for you. While there, you would also enjoy a reasonable cost of living, strong median wage, and safe workplace. However, its state income tax is higher than other states, which keeps it from being at the top.10. KansasThereââ¬â¢s no place like home, right? If youââ¬â¢re thinking of clicking your heels and heading to Kansas, youââ¬â¢d be selecting a highly affordable state with a very low unemployment rate of 3.8% (lower than the national average). Kansasââ¬â¢s best feature is its cost of living, which is the eighth best of any state.The 10 WorstNow the less-good news. These are the ten states deemed to be the worst for making a living.1. HawaiiIt turns out that living in tropical paradise doesnââ¬â¢t come cheap. Hawaii features a high median wage (the tenth-highest of all states) and a low overall unemployment rate, but also has a very high cost of living and a very high state income tax burden. Hawaii has the dubious distinction of being the worst state for making a living for the past seven years.2. CaliforniaIf youââ¬â¢ve been humming ââ¬Å"California, Here I Comeâ⬠and thinking about making a permanent scenery change to the West Coast, the stateââ¬â¢s performance on the survey may cause you to put a pin in it. Californiaââ¬â¢s high cost of living is Hawaii-esque, and workers in the state pay high income taxes.3. MontanaKnown for its rugged terrain and independent spirit, working in Montana can be risky. The state is the third worst state in the ranking of workplace safety, thanks to injuries and workplace fatalities. The state also has a low median salary, placing in the bottom ten among all states.4. West VirginiaLike Montana, West Virginia earned its spot near the bottom with risky working conditions and low wages. The cost of living is relatively low, but this is not supported by other factors as it is in the states ranked higher on the list.5. VermontAlthough it has a low unemployment rat e (itââ¬â¢s among the top ten in the country in that regard), Vermont also has a very high cost of living (itââ¬â¢s among the bottom ten in the country in that regard).6. OregonKnown for its Pacific Northwest charm (and, more recently, its hipster cred thanks to Portlandia), Oregon unfortunately also has a high cost of living. Itââ¬â¢s also the dubious winner of the ââ¬Å"highest state tax burdenâ⬠prize, ranking dead last of all the states.7. South CarolinaSouthern charm aside, South Carolina ranks low in almost all of the metrics measured by MoneyRates: median wages, state income tax burden, and workplace safety, specifically.8. MaineWhile Maine has many coastal charms (and the best lobster rolls youââ¬â¢re likely to find anywhere), its cost of living and state income tax burdens are among the higher ones on the list.9. New YorkFrank Sinatra might disagree about the inhospitability of his beloved home city, but as a state New Yorkââ¬â¢s high cost of living (pa rticularly in the metro areas) and very high state income taxes counteract its high median wages.10. MississippiMississippiââ¬â¢s affordable cost of living is unfortunately counteracted by its low median wage and dismal workplace safety ratings.Again, whether you want to move somewhere might be based on factors outside of the ones evaluated here. Your career is about what works best for you, but the best asset you have is information, so itââ¬â¢s in your best interest to take metrics like these into account when youââ¬â¢re making major life and relocation decisions.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Using PESTLE framework, analyse the impact of external business and Essay
Using PESTLE framework, analyse the impact of external business and economic environment of your focal organisation that affect its strategic decisions and performance - Essay Example The factors analyzed using PESTLE model includes political, economic, social, technological, and legal and environment (Henry 2008, P.51). Political factors in this case include government policies, conflicts, and wars, pressure groups, trading policies, grand, findings and initiatives and government term and change. Economic factors include general taxation, situation of home economy and trends, market and trade cycles, international economies and trends, factors affecting industries, monetary issues, exchange, and interest rates among others. Social factors analyzed include demographics, lifestyle trends, media views, consumerââ¬â¢ patterns of buying, Company, brand and technology image, lifestyle trends, consumer attitudes and preferences, and religious/ethnic factors. Others include major events and influences, publicity and advertising and changes in laws that impact on social factors. Technological factors include technological advancement, maturity of technology, laws governing technology, and consumer purchasing mechanism among others. Legal factors on the other hand include current and future legislations, European/foreign legislations and regulatory processes and bodies. Finally, environmental factors include corporate social responsibility expectations and awareness, environmental legislations, consumer buying patterns, public awareness on issues affecting the environment and political issues pertaining to the environment (Allen 2010, P.54). Wars and conflicts are some of the elements of the political factors that affect an organizationââ¬â¢s strategic decisions and performance. Wars and conflicts usually come because of political instability and lack of democracy in a country. The UK is one of the most stable countries politically, which has witnessed minimal incidences of wars and political unrest for more than 3 decades. This trend is expected remain constant in the future following the measures
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Communcation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Communcation - Essay Example Cross-cultural differences among citizens and consumers may cause cognitive, behavioral and emotional constraints that form barriers to effective communication. Therefore, human resource managers should develop business strategies that reduce communication barriers created by cultural differences among people in the business world. When companies are expanding their business territories, they find themselves handling people from various cultures either I the same country or different countries for the case of international businesses. Cross-cultural differences among citizens and people may be problematic for businesses and other organizations. Cultural differences on local, regional, national and international perspectives may influence how organizations communicate with clients. Cultural differences are a central issue in operations of any organization, business or firm. Variations in cultures across organizations and regions worldwide present several barriers to communication. International businesses and companies operate in areas with diverse cultures worldwide. Therefore, managers of such companies should develop marketing strategies that incorporate cross-cultural issues. The marketing and advertising strategies should develop business relationships among people from different cultures. An effective communication strategy starts by considering the fact that both the sender and the receiver of the message are people from different cultures. Therefore, understanding such cultural diversity is important in ensuring successful cross-cultural communication. To ensure successful integration of cross-cultural aspects in co mmunication strategies for companies, there is a need for proper research on the effect of cultural diversity on business communication (Romani and Claes, 2014). In order to develop effective measures to manage cross-cultural variations affecting communication it is imperative to understand different cultures. Each culture has its
Monday, January 27, 2020
Stalin vs Trotsky
Stalin vs Trotsky The weaknesses and failures of Stalins opponents were not the main reason why Stalin rose to power over Trotsky. However, it did slightly affect the outcome of the power struggle. In some historians point of view, such as E.H Carr and I. Deutscher, they hold the conviction that Trotsky had no talent for leadership among equals.à [1]à On the similar side of the debate, G. Hosking, a Scottish historian, described Stalins opponents to be rather incautious. They were content to leave him to assemble and classify the personnel files, not yet realizing what power were accumulating therein.à [2]à However, I do not totally agree with these historians because Stalins personality is dangerously strong since no one could have possibly stopped him. Deutscher who agreed with this point of view wrote, It seemed to Trotsky almost a bad joke that Stalin, the willful and sly but shabby and inarticulate man in the background, should be his rival.à [3]à Deutschers work could be interpreted in two ways. He could be saying that Trotsky was foolish enough to not target Stalin as his rival but in a more logical sense, it should be interpreted as Stalins sly personality that made Trotsky not able to his is true intentions. Trotsky was not weak since he commanded the Red Army and Lenin disagreed with the historians point of view because in 1924, Trotsky was recommended and claimed the most capable man in the present Communist Party. In Lenins Testament, he wrote, Comrade Trotsky, on the other hand is distinguished not only by his outstanding ability. He is personally perhaps the most capable man in the present Central Committee.à [4]à The evidences state that Trotsky was a great intellectual and he was one of the best orators in the Soviet Union and he was able to work crowds to bring them around his point of view. His position as Commissar for War also gave him a strong base in the Politburo. E.H. Carr wrote, He (Trotsky) could not establish his authority among colleagues by the modest arts of persuasion or by sympathetic attention to the views of men of lesser intellectual caliber than himself.à [5]à This analysis is accurate because in the 1900s, most families were from the working class or t hey were peasants whom were mostly illiterate. Trotsky had a great advantage because as commander of the Red Army, he was in a strong position to crush his opposition. However, Trotsky did show some weaknesses and his arrogant manner convinced the Politburo members fears. In Lenins view, He has displayed excessive self-assurance.à [6]à Trotsky had also openly disagreed with Lenin on policies at times and Trotsky bombarded Lenin with long memoranda, explaining why so much was wrong in Soviet Russia and how to correct it.à [7]à His acts did not give Lenin a good impression since he was questioning the decisions themselves. By fate, Trotsky was a former Menshevik and he had a Jewish origin which halted his progressive promotions in the party. The Bolshevik Party was heavily founded on heavy bureaucracy and Trotsky was dull enough to criticize the party for becoming too bureaucratic and less democratic.à [8]à His attack on bureaucratization was a contradiction with the nature of the Bolshevik Party. On the other side, Rob ert Conquest wrote Trotsky had no clear political tactics and E.H Carr added, He had made major mistakes that affected the outcome of the power struggle.à [9]à Both of these points are very logical and clear because in 1925, to reassure his innocence, he relinquished his position as Commissar for Military Affairs. Trotsky could fire masses of men to acclaim and follow him but historian Chris Corin wrote, He had no intention of becoming a dictator and had always been aware of the tendency for a power struggle after the revolution.à [10]à History has shown that Trotsky had not attempted to use the Red Army to secure his position. But Deutscher argued, The truth is that Trotsky refrained from attacking Stalin because he felt secure.à [11]à Nevertheless, Trotsky had major flaws in his attitude, argument and his political tactics since he was determined that he would be Lenins successor. Trotsky should have voiced over the debate on censoring the Lenins Testament to prove his innocence. However, we can see that Stalins political skills are overwhelmingly important in the struggle for power. Stalins strategies were powerful and his opponents had no clear thoughts before they acted. The party members were all focusing on defeating Trotsky because he was a commander of the Red Army.à [12]à The Politburo leaders were very incautious because if they had noticed Stalins moves on setting up loyalists in the Central Committee, they would be in an alliance with Trotsky. With the same point of view, G. Hosking said, Most of them, being well read in the history of past revolutions, were obsessed by a very different danger: that of finding the revolutions hijacked by another Bonaparte.à [13]à What G. Hosking said is very true; they have never seen anything like Stalins Administrative Approach in history therefore the significance of Stalins tactics consumed most of the reasons to his uprising. Stalins opponents took the wrong move in the event of Lenins testament. Lenin wrote a testament in December 1922 called Letter to Party Congress and presented to congress in 1924. Lenin wrote, Comrade Stalin has enormous power. I am not sure that he always knows how to exercise that power with sufficient caution.à [14]à In this situation, we can see the weaknesses of his opponents that led to Trotskys downfall. This, Testament was censored because Stalins opponents Zinoviev, Kamenev and the others were criticized and they were afraid that Trotsky would soon become the leader. Lenins testament recognized Trotsky as the most capable man. Lenin wrote, He is personally perhaps the most capable man in the present C. C. Stalins opponents did not listen to the advice of Lenin because if they did, Stalin would have lost his General Secretary position. Lenin wrote, Stalin is too rude, and this faultà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦becomes unacceptable in the office of General Secretary. Therefore, I propose to the comrades that a way be found to remove Stalin from that post an d replace him with someone else.à [15]à If the letter was to be uncensored by the Politburo members, Stalin would have a harder time succeeding Lenins role over Trotsky. Conclusion After having examined the true factors that led to Trotsky not being able to become the sole leader of Soviet Russia since he was the favorite Candidate, this investigation came to the conclusion that Stalins political skill and ruthlessness was the most important cause of Trotskys downfall because his weaknesses were only limited to his complacency and party views. When Stalin took control of the General Secretary position, it was nearly impossible to stop him from becoming the sole leader of Soviet Russia. Through Stalins administrative approach, he had won his perceived survival game. Trotskys weaknesses were circumstances that existed as a benefit to Stalin but it was ultimately his cunning personality that allowed him to take full advantage of them. It is, evident that the use of Stalins own skills played a major role in the events in Soviet Russia from 1924-1929. Therefore in history, we see that Stalin is ruthless and skilled in his journey for power.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
The Unattainability of Perfection: A Critical Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorneââ¬â¢s ââ¬ÅThe Birthmarkââ¬Â
Perfection is one of the most sought-after qualities in society. People are willing to shell out large sums of money for dieting plans, training regimens, and plastic surgery ââ¬â all in an attempt to be perfect, whether that means having a slim waist, a defined core, or a more attractive nose. However, nobody is flawless. Even if an individual alters their physical appearance to what they believe to be ââ¬Å"perfect,â⬠they will nonetheless have other, non-physical faults that will limit their ability to attain perfection. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a 19th century American writer, expressed his feelings about the attainability of perfection in his fiction.In particular, in ââ¬Å"The Birthmark,â⬠Hawthorne uses the birthmark as a symbol, the characterization of Georgiana, and the foreshadowing of Georgiana's death to promote the unrealistic nature of perfection; Hawthorne highlights the impracticality of flawlessness so that society, in general, will stop going to great len gths trying to achieve the unachievable and, instead, spend their collective time more productively. To begin with, to endorse the improbability of perfection, Hawthorne establishes Georgianaââ¬â¢s birthmark as a symbol of earthly imperfection.For instance, the birthmark is described as being ââ¬Å"the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature [â⬠¦] stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and painâ⬠(Hawthorne 14). From this, it is evident that the birthmark represents, not only the mortality of humans, but that while humans are mortal, perfection is elusive. Hawthorne goes so far as to indicate that the birthmark is ââ¬Å"a symbol of his wifeââ¬â¢s liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death [â⬠¦] [and that it is a] symbol of imperfection [â⬠¦] [of which] the spectral hand [â⬠¦] wrote mortalityâ⬠(14).Although Georgiana is otherwise a beautiful woman, her birthmark keeps her from being flawless. Hawthorne promotes the unrealistic nature of perfection in that, even though many may be relatively close to achieving perfection, there will always be one small factor that stands in the way ââ¬â in Georgianaââ¬â¢s case, it is her birthmark. Moreover, Hawthorneââ¬â¢s characterization of Georgianaââ¬â¢s physical attributes, most notably her birthmark, accentuates the unlikelihood of achieving perfection.Specifically, ââ¬Å"in the centre of Georgianaââ¬â¢s left cheek there was a singular mark [â⬠¦] [that] wore a tint of deeper crimson, which imperfectly defined its shape amid the surrounding rosinessâ⬠(13). It is interesting to note that, although Georgiana is labeled a gorgeous woman, the only aspect of her physical appearance that Hawthorne describes in detail is that of her birthmark ââ¬â the symbol of imperfection. Hawthorne does this intentionally to fully emphasize the notion that perfection is unattain able and that it is wrong for people, such as Aylmer, to believe otherwise.Furthermore, Aylmer deems his wifeââ¬â¢s birthmark as having ââ¬Å"an almost fearful distinctness [â⬠¦] [whose] shape bore not a little similarity to the human handâ⬠(13). From this, a connection is made between the birthmark and mortality, in that Georgianaââ¬â¢s birthmark is depicted as being in the shape of a human hand and not, for example, the hand belonging to G-d. This serves as a reminder that Georgiana is human and that, so long as that is the case, it is unfeasible to achieve perfection of any kind.Similarly, Hawthorne evokes the unlikelihood of attaining perfection by foreshadowing Georgianaââ¬â¢s death. For instance, Aylmer dreams of ââ¬Å"attempting an operation for the removal of the birthmark, [â⬠¦] [whose] tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgianaââ¬â¢s heart [â⬠¦]; [Aylmer] was [â⬠¦] resolved to cut [â⬠¦] it awayâ⬠(15). Even in Aylmerâ â¬â¢s dream, it appears difficult to achieve perfection ââ¬â and the dream world is not reality. As a result, Hawthorne is commenting on the fact that, in the real world, it is virtually impossible to attain flawlessness.Later on, Aylmer insists that Georgiana touch the ââ¬Å"perfect and lovely flower [â⬠¦] [which] no sooner [â⬠¦] suffered a blight, its leaves turning coal-black as if by the agency of fireâ⬠(18). From this, Hawthorne makes the point that perfection is unattainable. The moment Georgiana touches the otherwise perfect flower, the plant dies ââ¬â foreshadowing Aylmerââ¬â¢s impending failure. This failure, in addition, is foreshadowed when Georgiana, reading through her husbandââ¬â¢s folio of past experiments, discovers that ââ¬Å"his most splendid successes were almost invariably failuresâ⬠(20).This example of foreshadowing Georgianaââ¬â¢s death, again, indicates that their intention for perfection is not a fruitful one. To advoc ate the degree of difficulty associated with achieving perfection, Hawthorne, in his short story ââ¬Å"The Birthmark,â⬠employs the birthmark as a symbol of imperfection, characterizes Georgianaââ¬â¢s physical attributes, and foreshadows Georgianaââ¬â¢s death; from this, Hawthorne hopes people will acknowledge the senselessness inherent in trying to be perfect and use their time to accomplish more realistic goals.It is evident that Hawthorneââ¬â¢s outlook on the inability to achieve perfection is sensical. For example, people the world over spend not only time, but their hard-earned money, on various products and endeavors that they believe will bring them closer to perfection. However, no matter how ââ¬Å"closeâ⬠these people get, they will never be fully capable of obtaining perfection. Instead of getting plastic surgery, a toupee, using steroids, or dieting excessively, people would be better off accepting who they truly are. That is the closest anybody will ever get to achieving perfection. The Unattainability of Perfection: A Critical Analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorneââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Birthmarkâ⬠Perfection is one of the most sought-after qualities in society. People are willing to shell out large sums of money for dieting plans, training regimens, and plastic surgery ââ¬â all in an attempt to be perfect, whether that means having a slim waist, a defined core, or a more attractive nose. However, nobody is flawless. Even if an individual alters their physical appearance to what they believe to be ââ¬Å"perfect,â⬠they will nonetheless have other, non-physical faults that will limit their ability to attain perfection. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a 19th century American writer, expressed his feelings about the attainability of perfection in his fiction.In particular, in ââ¬Å"The Birthmark,â⬠Hawthorne uses the birthmark as a symbol, the characterization of Georgiana, and the foreshadowing of Georgiana's death to promote the unrealistic nature of perfection; Hawthorne highlights the impracticality of flawlessness so that society, in general, will stop going to great len gths trying to achieve the unachievable and, instead, spend their collective time more productively. To begin with, to endorse the improbability of perfection, Hawthorne establishes Georgianaââ¬â¢s birthmark as a symbol of earthly imperfection.For instance, the birthmark is described as being ââ¬Å"the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature [â⬠¦] stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and painâ⬠(Hawthorne 14). From this, it is evident that the birthmark represents, not only the mortality of humans, but that while humans are mortal, perfection is elusive. Hawthorne goes so far as to indicate that the birthmark is ââ¬Å"a symbol of his wifeââ¬â¢s liability to sin, sorrow, decay, and death [â⬠¦] [and that it is a] symbol of imperfection [â⬠¦] [of which] the spectral hand [â⬠¦] wrote mortalityâ⬠(14).Although Georgiana is otherwise a beautiful woman, her birthmark keeps her from being flawless. Hawthorne promotes the unrealistic nature of perfection in that, even though many may be relatively close to achieving perfection, there will always be one small factor that stands in the way ââ¬â in Georgianaââ¬â¢s case, it is her birthmark. Moreover, Hawthorneââ¬â¢s characterization of Georgianaââ¬â¢s physical attributes, most notably her birthmark, accentuates the unlikelihood of achieving perfection.Specifically, ââ¬Å"in the centre of Georgianaââ¬â¢s left cheek there was a singular mark [â⬠¦] [that] wore a tint of deeper crimson, which imperfectly defined its shape amid the surrounding rosinessâ⬠(13). It is interesting to note that, although Georgiana is labeled a gorgeous woman, the only aspect of her physical appearance that Hawthorne describes in detail is that of her birthmark ââ¬â the symbol of imperfection. Hawthorne does this intentionally to fully emphasize the notion that perfection is unattain able and that it is wrong for people, such as Aylmer, to believe otherwise.Furthermore, Aylmer deems his wifeââ¬â¢s birthmark as having ââ¬Å"an almost fearful distinctness [â⬠¦] [whose] shape bore not a little similarity to the human handâ⬠(13). From this, a connection is made between the birthmark and mortality, in that Georgianaââ¬â¢s birthmark is depicted as being in the shape of a human hand and not, for example, the hand belonging to G-d. This serves as a reminder that Georgiana is human and that, so long as that is the case, it is unfeasible to achieve perfection of any kind.Similarly, Hawthorne evokes the unlikelihood of attaining perfection by foreshadowing Georgianaââ¬â¢s death. For instance, Aylmer dreams of ââ¬Å"attempting an operation for the removal of the birthmark, [â⬠¦] [whose] tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgianaââ¬â¢s heart [â⬠¦]; [Aylmer] was [â⬠¦] resolved to cut [â⬠¦] it awayâ⬠(15). Even in Aylmerâ â¬â¢s dream, it appears difficult to achieve perfection ââ¬â and the dream world is not reality. As a result, Hawthorne is commenting on the fact that, in the real world, it is virtually impossible to attain flawlessness.Later on, Aylmer insists that Georgiana touch the ââ¬Å"perfect and lovely flower [â⬠¦] [which] no sooner [â⬠¦] suffered a blight, its leaves turning coal-black as if by the agency of fireâ⬠(18). From this, Hawthorne makes the point that perfection is unattainable. The moment Georgiana touches the otherwise perfect flower, the plant dies ââ¬â foreshadowing Aylmerââ¬â¢s impending failure. This failure, in addition, is foreshadowed when Georgiana, reading through her husbandââ¬â¢s folio of past experiments, discovers that ââ¬Å"his most splendid successes were almost invariably failuresâ⬠(20).This example of foreshadowing Georgianaââ¬â¢s death, again, indicates that their intention for perfection is not a fruitful one. To advoc ate the degree of difficulty associated with achieving perfection, Hawthorne, in his short story ââ¬Å"The Birthmark,â⬠employs the birthmark as a symbol of imperfection, characterizes Georgianaââ¬â¢s physical attributes, and foreshadows Georgianaââ¬â¢s death; from this, Hawthorne hopes people will acknowledge the senselessness inherent in trying to be perfect and use their time to accomplish more realistic goals.It is evident that Hawthorneââ¬â¢s outlook on the inability to achieve perfection is sensical. For example, people the world over spend not only time, but their hard-earned money, on various products and endeavors that they believe will bring them closer to perfection. However, no matter how ââ¬Å"closeâ⬠these people get, they will never be fully capable of obtaining perfection. Instead of getting plastic surgery, a toupee, using steroids, or dieting excessively, people would be better off accepting who they truly are. That is the closest anybody will ever get to achieving perfection.
Friday, January 10, 2020
Fusion or no Fusion of Equity and the Common Law at a Substantive Level
Since the administrative fusion of the Common Law and Equity Courts after the 1873 and 1875 Acts, there has been a lot of controversy over whether to fuse both equity and common law. There are valid arguments both for and against fusion. Those arguing for the fusion of Equity and Common Law at a substantive level often comment on the inconsistency created by equityââ¬â¢s intervention in law.ââ¬ËThere would sometimes be arbitrary gaps in the common law, that is situations where the common law refused a claim despite allowing claims in other situations which were materially similar.1 With both Common Law and Equity offering different solutions to the same legal issues, it is argued that for justice there must be consistency with judicial rulings.2 The current system means that in certain cases the right to an equitable remedy is more valuable.An example of inconsistencies between case verdicts due to Equity and Common Law having different principles is that of having legal and eq uitable title to property. If a person has the legal beneficial title to a house and the deeds are stolen and sold to a third party they can only claim the value of the house back. Whilst with equitable title the person could use Equity to get the house back. Examples like this reinforce the argument for fusion because everybody would get the same remedies.Some might also argue that rather than the facts of the cases being used to determine the outcome of a case, with Equity the fact that different people made the decisions at different times had an influence on the rulings. Using Equity to bypass the Common Law rather than amending the Common Law. Another reason for fusion is that Equity allows judges to depart from common law and statutes in order to create new law. With Parliament being sovereign the idea of unelected judges creating law is undemocratic.Without the power to use Equity to depart from Common Law judges would be more accountable to parliament. If Equity and Common L aw were both fused then the discrepancies between cases would disappear. A mix of Equity and Common Law principles would be applied and the same conclusion would be found in each case. Although Equity and Common Law have already fused the courts in which they apply the substantive law has not been fused yet. There is a good case against the fusion of the two on a substantive level.Many argue that the purpose of the Judicature Acts was only to fuse the administrative aspects of Equity and Common Law. Those who argue for a substantive merger are often accused of committing a ââ¬Ëfusion fallacyââ¬â¢.3. Equity has often supplemented Common Law where the interests of justice and of social and economic change arose. Equityââ¬â¢s trust concept and the modern law of mortgages would not exist if it was not for the intervention of equity. Although it may seem that the day of equity establishing legal principles before their time has passed, one day equity may be needed again.However ââ¬Ëthere is a danger that we will have elevated equity to the status of free-standing moral guardian of societyââ¬â¢4.If equity is still allowed to have the power of extending the boundaries of the law. This is dangerous because there would be no legislative body to check the power of equity. Despite all this it would be extremely difficult to actually integrate the two, let alone compare them because they are entirely different. ââ¬ËEquity accordingly gives the common law a much needed injection of morality.ââ¬â¢If Equity was merged with Common Law it wouldnââ¬â¢t be able to express its identity and intervene in cases of unconscionability, due to the rigidness of common law. The two are so ideologically distinct that one of the two would be dominant over the other. They ââ¬Ëare working in different ways towards the same ends, and it is therefore as wrong to assert the independence of one from the other as it is to assert that there is no difference between them.6 However it would be wrong to say that the two have not mingled. Many believe it is better to view the two as distinct and mutual dependent of each other.With the fusion of Equity and Common Law would come the destruction of equitable concepts; ââ¬ËEquitable concepts like trusts, equitable estates and consequent equitable remedies must continue to exist apart, if not in isolation, from common law rules.8 These concepts have been formed in areas where Common Law would not allow suitable solutions to be created. Equity and common law might well be merged one day but the harmonization process required to allow them to integrate with one another would probably change the two so much that they are no longer as they started as.This would mean one would likely become dominant over the other. I believe that the two should be kept distinct and separate from one another, Equityââ¬â¢s sole purpose is to supplement the Common Law where it would operate harshly. If the two became fused tog ether Equity would no longer be able to deviate from the strict rules of law to deliver an equitable solution for those in need. It is said that Equity works on discretion, though some might believe the common law now works on a degree of discretion, and so the need for them to be fused together is not even necessary never mind more desirable.
Thursday, January 2, 2020
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