Currently Israel controls Palestinian water, what rights does Israel Research Paper

Currently Israel controls Palestinian water, what rights does Israel have to manage water crucially needed or the Palestinian people - Research Paper Example rael has recently reconfirmed its intention to implement the decision of the Local Israeli Assembly for Organization and Building to give a piece of land from the Hadera area to build a desalination plant for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority†¦The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) [...] states that the Palestinian side is unwilling to purchase water at such a high cost from sources that are on the Mediterranean Coast and Jordan River, knowing that this water in fact partially belongs to the Palestinians but is inaccessible for them. (EMIS) If the Palestinians do not want water, what is their agenda? The agenda is Palestinians want to expel Jews from Israel. They believe that Israel should be Palestine, despite the military victories giving Israel more land. The Gaza Strip is a very small area of land with a total area of only 360 square kilometers (roughly 150 square miles — ed.). It is underlain by a shallow aquifer, which is contiguous with the Israeli Coastal Aquifer to the north. Gaza is the â€Å"downstream user† of the Coastal Aquifer system, and hence water abstraction in Gaza does not affect Israeli water supplies†¦In addition, missile strikes and ground incursions have repeatedly damaged and destroyed pipelines, and maintenance personnel have been arrested, shot at, or even killed whilst trying to carry out repairs†¦Inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure and damage to wastewater and drinking water pipelines has allowed sewage water to contaminate drinking water supplies, leading to sharp increases in water borne diseases in many areas†¦Failure to control over-pumping has led to sea-water intrusion into the aquifer to the extent that, in 2003, only 10 % of the wells produced water of World Healt h Organization (WHO) drinking water standards. (Gray) For another, Israel has never â€Å"helped itself† to water â€Å"beneath Palestinian lands.† Israel obtains roughly 50 percent of its water from the Sea of Galilee and the Coastal Aquifer, both

How slaves were affected Essay Example for Free

How slaves were affected Essay When the African Americans were introduced to slavery, they didnt accept what was happening to them and how they were being treated, but as time passed working for their masters, not only physical, but mental abuse took its toll and soon they began to believe the way they were living was normal and alright. Punishment played a giant role in slave life. It showed the consequences of not doing what was asked or disobeying their master thus instilling fear in every single slave the owner possessed. Charity Anderson recalls, But honey chile, all white folks warn t good to dere slaves, cause Ise seen poe niggas almos toe up by dogs, and whipped unmercifully, when dey didnt do lack de white folks say. Mary Reynolds remembers, I seed them put the men and women in the stock with they hands screwed down through holes in the board and they feets tied together and they naked behinds to the world. Solomon the [sic] overseer beat them with a big whip and massa look on. The niggers better not stop in the fields when they hear them yellin. They cut the flesh most to the bones and some they was when they taken them out of stock and put them on the beds, they never got up again. These two accounts show just what these poor slaves had to deal with. They were constantly watched, and felt that if they just as much as gave a superior a wrong look, they would be beaten, or even worse, killed. Of course slaves saw this as inhuman but had no choice to obey as their masters said. There is much evidence that shows how quick they learned to do as they were told and after a period of time, many slaves accepted the idea of being just thata slave. This transformation started with the servants becoming fearful. Surviving was a game of smarts, hard work, and willpower. In order to live, slaves would allow their masters to beat and punish them without questioning so as not to risk a painful and senseless death. Snitching on other slaves who planned to escape was a good way to show their masters how loyal they were. Many slaves went as far as calling their masters nice and sometimes even boasting about their masters to other servants on different plantations. These small acts helped many stay alive but living oppressed lives affecting their minds and emotions forced themselves to cope with their sadness. Singing was common among slaves to express themselves and their hardships. Frederick Douglass recollects, They told a tale of woe which was then altogether beyond my feeble comprehension; they were tones loud, long, and deep; they breathed the prayer and complaint of souls boiling over with the bitterest anguish. The servants shared their feelings with each other through these hymns and so it made them strong enough to have the willpower to keep living by obeying and doing as they were told. Dogs lived a better life than many slaves, We had very bad eatin. Bread, meat, water. And they fed it to us in a trough, jes like the hogs. And ah went in may [sic] shirt till I was 16, nevah had no clothes. And the flo in ouah cabin was dirt, and at night wed jes take a blanket and lay down on the flo. The dog was supeior to us; they would take him in the house. -Richard Toler. The serfs accepted that they lived worse than dogs and at this point, it becomes evident that slaves began accepting th e life of slavery. They knew escaping was a bad idea because they would have no shelter, food, or clothes. If they were caught, they would be in the worst kind of trouble so they were forced to keep living the oppressed life. Being beaten and abused had them physically and mentally feeling that they were a lower race. Being intimidated all of the time had a harmful affect and they started to see slavery as acceptable. Their owners didnt allow them to read or write so living with a roof over their head made them feel privileged. Mr. William McNeill says, The escaped slaves were always trailed down by hounds; they never got away, there were always some good slaves to tell on others. I was glad when the slaves gained their freedom, even though we had a large number and lost plenty of money. They made many people rich and got nothing but punishment as a reward. They tell that some of the masters were good but I never did see a good one. This man is one that didnt buy into slavery and kept his mind from being brainwashed like many other slaves. He knew deep down that slavery was wrong and kept the truth in his reality. Even after the slaves were freed, life for them wasnt as great as they hoped it would be and they soon realized that being freed was near as bad as being slaves. Being freed toyed with their minds; just like they became slaves and felt out of place in the beginning, they were put into another  tough position to have to readjust once again. An after, soon after when we found out that we was free, why then we was, uh, bound out to different people. Anall such people as that. An we would run away, an wouldn stay with them. Why then wed jus go an stay anywhere we could. Lay out a night in underwear. We had no home, you know. We was jus turned out like a lot of cattle. You know how they turn cattle out in a pasture? Well after freedom, you know, colored people didn have nothing. Colored people didnhave no beds when they was slaves. We always slep on the floor, pallet here, and a pallet there. Jus like, uh, lot of, uh, wild people, we didn, we didn know nothing. Didn allow you to look at no book. An there was some free-born colored people, why they had a little education, but there was very few of them, where we was. An they all had uh, what you call, I might call it now, uh, jail centers, was jus the same as we was in jail. -Fountain Hughes. This man described how, after being freed, he and his family lived the life that nomads lived. They traveled around aimlessly, trying to find any place they could possibly stay. He described themselves like cattle which was an understatement because cattle could at least count on being fed. They could eat the grass of the land but the newly freed slaves would be lucky if they could find a piece of fruit. The freed slaves had no money, no beds like Fountain said, no education, basically they had nothing to call their own. Living free was as if they were living in jail Hughes thought, and many others agreed. An my father was dead, an my mother was living, but she had three, four other little children, an she had to put them all to work for to help take care of the others. So we had what you call, worse than dogs has got it now. Dogs has got it now better than we had it when we come along. -Richard Toler. Families were torn apart when all members had to work in order for the family to be able to buy the essential necessities they needed to live. Toler said dogs have better lives now than the lives of black families after being freed which shows just how much of a mess the south was in. Many white people did not accept this idea of freeing the slaves so this had many colored people feeling insecure and out of place. Some white people would go out of their way to try and hurt the colored people like the KKK did.  Frederick Douglass talks about the idea of trust in Getting Help from Others He said he met an Irishman who felt it was a pity for Douglass to be a slave. He then told Douglass to run away to the north where he would find friends there to help him. I pretended not to be interested in what they said and treated them as if I did not understand them; for I feared they might be treacherous. White men have been known to encourage slaves to escape, and then, to get the reward, catch them and return them to their masters. Douglass had this distrust when he was a slave but these feelings were carried on even after people like Douglass were freed. They felt they could not trust anyone but their own people. This idea is seen in the Tar Baby story as well. The main purpose of this tale was to show black people that they shouldnt go out of their way to talk to others. It was better to keep their mouths shut and thoughts to themselves because opening up to white folks could only get them into trouble. Since the colored people did not fit in, they kept to themselves which didnt seem like true freedom. Douglass also said in Thoughts of Escape that he and the slaves rather bear those ills we had, than fly to others, that we knew not of. Once he and every other slave was freed, this is essentially what happened. They had to move and re-adapt to new ills and complications which challenged them as slavery had challenged them once before. The whole time being slaves, black people finally started believing that slavery was what they were meant to do and it was alright for them to be treated at a lower level. Setting them free in an unaccepting world with no help or direction forced them once again, to cope with new problems and start a new theory about what it was they were really supposed to be doing or could be doing if it wasnt working and slaving for the white man.

Views of Modern man :: essays research papers

The Views of Modern Man   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The various short stories of the age of analysis and anxiety do not depict man in a heroic guise, nor do they reflect any deep abiding faith in his destiny. This is especially true in the short stories â€Å"Gooseberries†, â€Å"The Jewels†, â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner†, and â€Å"The Devil and Daniel Webster† In each, theme is used to give a dim view of the future of mankind, and common themes help tie together a picture of what the authors of this age saw as a plague on mankind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In â€Å"Gooseberries† Chekhov conveys through the actions of his characters the theme that success comes at a price, and that the ends don’t always justify the means. In the story Nikolay dreams of having a farm and an estate of his own. Throughout his entire life he scrimped and saved every penny he could find. He married a widower for her money and starved her to death, all the while not realizing that it was through his actions that she died. Nikolay did eventually obtain his estate, but at what price? He had been so blinded by his hunger for money that he did not realize that his wife died because he refused to feed her properly? â€Å"And, of course, it never for a moment occurred to my brother that he was to blame for her death. Money, like vodka can do queer things to a man.† In this quote Chekhov is showing the reader what powerful effect money has on a man. The pursuit of material wealth becomes all-important to a man, and anything e lse can be shrugged off. Chekhov is conveying yet another theme through this quote, that of materialism. He feels that when a man becomes obsessed with money his mind becomes shaded, his vision impaired. It is interesting that he compared money to vodka, as though man becomes impaired against all other ideas but those of increasing his wealth. Chekhov sees money and the pursuit of material gain as an all-important goal in the society that surrounds him. He shows what can happen when someone becomes so obsessed with money that they become blinded to the world around them. Chekhov does this through Nikolay. Sure Nikolay does finally get the estate, but it is not quite the one he dreamed of. There is no orchard or duck pond, just a stream with coffee coloured water that had been tainted by a nearby glue factory.

Employee Participation Essay

Of all the subjects controlled by the societal, public, and employment strategy set by the European Union (EU), the intrinsic worth of implementing worker participation in the administration of businesses on a wide extent has turned out to be highly contentious over the years. The stipulations put forward by the EU, for example, equivalent opportunities for employees as that of employers, operational or working timing, and unusual contracts, all of them, time and again, have triggered disagreements amid employers. Despite the fact that an increasing number of organizations are turning out to be of interest in employee participation as a possible measure for expanding labor efficiency and trimming down nonattendance, staff resignation rate, and rate of recurrence of industrial disagreements. Considered as the most hostile and invasive, is that kind of employee participation, which outwardly inflicts constrictions on the management’s perquisites or their privilege for that matter. Traditional executives dread, though, that due to the pressures on an employee participation system, grounding on their temporary, peculiar interests would, among other things, steer to too much wage upsurge. These could possibly lead to a decline of internal principal on hand for investing or capital spending in the short run and for moving the available capital out of the country in the long run. It is much unexpected that there has been very slight economic evaluation of the present familiarity with employee participation. The majority of researches have dealt with the topic entirely from a philosophical, historical, or sociological perspective. (Svejnar, pp. 1, n. d. ) Recently, employee participation has grown into a central point in labor-management discourse and a significant matter on the European political arena. (Raskin, n. p. , 1976) In certain countries systemized work force has been revealing an urge for involvement in management, as a way of democratizing the whole business systems and policies. Lately, though, this gravity has intensified, nonetheless, creating numerous problems, which are in fact, compounded by a number of reasons, one, and a very major, of which is the utter assortment of standing official and legal frameworks within the associate states of the EU. Various Systems followed by the EU Member States Considering the member states of the EU, the employee participation and representation at executive level, for instance, is obligatory in private corporations situated in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, and most Scandinavian countries. On the other hand, countries like France and the Netherlands practice the ‘hybrid form’, while there are still others like Greece and Spain, which allow for this kind of system only in the communal or public sector. In contrast, countries such as, Italy, Belgium and the UK constitute no stipulation at all. (EIRO, pp. I-IV, 1998) The principles and conventions regulating works councils and coalition representation at workplace or sub-executive levels evenly complicated. In the Scandinavian countries, Italy, Ireland and the UK, there happens to be ‘single channels’ of representation via the joint associations. In case of ‘dual channel’ system of representation, the employees are spoken for by work councils, which function beside the unions. In countries like France and Belgium, the manager presides over the work council; however in the majority of other countries, for example Portugal, the Netherlands, and Germany, the work councils simply contain employee representatives. On the other hand, in Ireland and the UK, employee representation has conventionally been identified merely on a voluntary base, even though elsewhere it is regulated by established rules or communal agreements. Rationales The concepts of a ‘democratic organization’, ‘employee involvement and ‘employee participation’ have sustained arguments and disagreements. The degree to which the management is ready to let their employees to take part in matters concerning decisions about their lives at work is in fact one of the most complicated, vibrant debated features of employment relations as they have developed in technologically advanced countries. All concerned parties differ in their interests and viewpoints. In general, the managers suppose that the employees should be assimilated into organization’s frameworks to make certain that they realize the organization’s intentions, targets and objectives and can add into its success. Unions, on the other hand, may possibly be keen to hold out their impact over the management’s decision making to making sure that their own priorities, for example power over work patterns, or in cases when employment patterns are stable, are suitably met. System Followed by Germany The system of employee participation is developed and regulated by the German co-determination law. This law making has its origin in the Weimar Constitution of 1919, which, grounded on a social-democratic philosophy, created constraints on personal rights over possessions and took care for the social privileges and entitlement to life of its people. Under the Article No. 65 of the very Constitution, it was publicly stated that the waged working staff was to be granted correspondence with managers in settling with salaries and working circumstances and to be allowed a full opportunity to express opinions when deciding the overall economic advancement. The 1920 Works Councils Act specified that organizations with no less than twenty workers ought to set up a works council made up of representatives opted for at workplaces, which consult with the board on the carrying out of business objectives. Two years later, the directive was revised to allow works council representation of a couple of their members in directorial management of corresponding organizations and restricted involvement in the board’s decision making process. These were the fundamental developments that molded the base for co-determination law. Both the Weimar Constitution and the Works Council were done away with as the Nazi’s rule made its entrance. The directive, on the other hand, was revitalized in the shape of the Coal, Iron and Steel Industry Co-determination Act of 1951. The Act was originally designed for the coal and steel firms employing greater than a thousand employees but then later, in 1976, the Co-determination Act enfolding all large organizations was legislated and is presently in effect. In case of major and significant organizations, the present structure grants for an equal number of twenty representatives to in the same way be represented by stockholders and employees, with the stockholders decided on at the general stockholders’ meeting. The worker representatives include delegates from workers’ associations and those chosen from all the different levels of workers. The twofold technique of industrial relations in Germany has maintained collective bargaining and the ascertaining of salary and specifications, not together with the subject of participation for example information release, discussions, meetings and co-determination. Here the industrial relations system has been portrayed as ‘sanctioned, integrated, and cooperative’. Focusing on the effects of employee participatory system in Germany, regarding the wages, both in short and long-run, the representation is said to be quite a fruitful one, because it gives evident examples of several participatory systems from the post World War II events to the Co determination law of 1951, which provided employees with 50% representation on the executive boards. The very Act is also said to have created the rank of a labor director on the management panels of all corporations. Despite of the fact that the employee participatory and representative groups in Germany were considered as distinct from the trade unions and the process of wage determination, an uncertainty comes up that whether their effect on wages was in fact missing. In real, there happens to be a considerable connection between unions and the employee representative groups in relation to their workforce, their objectives and activities. But without any reason, it is said that the union and board representatives diverge substantially in their opinions as to the influence of employee participation and representation on wages. Having a unique system of employee participation in corporate management, the German corporate system is said to have some gain. The very advantage appears when it is about effectively testing out and verifying mistreatments by the management. The German corporate system is a twofold one, where the administrative management performs the role of corporate surveillance, whereas the executive board accountable for execution. Originally, the Co determination Act was envisioned to arbitrate the possible disagreements or conflicting interests between the employees and employers and was highly in the favor of workforce. Currently it has been moving on, assuming to an increased level, the function of managing the corporate administration. Although there is some disapproval regarding the fact that the legislation has mislaid its essence with reported circumstances where the board treated employee representatives, in a way to high officials accommodated for and by them, it stays to be a considerable extent to elevate the understanding of societal responsibilities and obligations amid corporate managers and their movements for public causes. (Otsuka, pp. 3, 2006) System followed in the UK In the UK, the whole world is observed through a prism of collective bargaining by unions, which has provided industrial relations with an argumentative placement. Contrasting with the ‘sanctioned, integrated, and cooperative’ industrial relations followed in Germany, the UK’s system is ‘voluntary, dispersed, and opposition-based’. (William, pp. V, 1988) However, such divergences haven’t been taken much into consideration by the Commission of the European Communities, when it is time for them to propose systems of employee participation. In the year 1970, the European company statute and the Fifth directive were founded widely on the basis of the German model but did not have much appeal for the UK. Moreover, amid the important factors, particularly governments, point of views regarding employee participation have gone through periods of interest and aggression. Taking successive UK governments as instances, the governments in the 1970s, both the Conservative and Labour, were normally in favour of the propositions included in the European company statute and the Fifth directive for employee participation and representation at management’s level. But on the other hand, in the 1980s and 1990s, the Conservative governments were unbendingly against all systems of employee participation, even though these situations were, as a minimum, partly looked over when the succeeding Labour government, in 1997, endorsed the social chapter, and in so doing established European Works Councils into the UK. (Gold, pp. 2 , n. d. ) If looked upon in the past, the Commission has been prosperous in achieving approval for the system of employee participation when it is connected with certain areas of industrial relations. According to the 1975 directive on collective redundancies, the employers are required to notify employee representatives concerning the particulars and to refer to them with a view to pursuing an agreement. Then there was an ‘acquired rights directive’ of 1977, after that, the ‘health and safety framework directive’ of 1989, which provided the employees the privilege to acquire information on threat considerations and safety measures. More recently, the statute adopted in 2004, provides employee representatives in the organizations included several rights to information and consultation without any bias. However, the implementation of all these employee rights has time and again, proved challenging in the UK, because the commandments put away the characterization of ‘employee representatives’ up to the state’s legislation. Under the critical environment of sinking union membership, and prior to the arrival of legislative stipulations for union recognition, leave alone worker representation, this has implied that managers frequently do not possess representatives to advise or consult. In 1994, the European Court of Justice, brought forward two litigations against the UK for failing to suitably implement the directives passed in 1975, and the transfer of responsibilities, instructed that it was mandatory for all the EU states to establish appropriate systems for assigning suitable employee representatives. In the UK, the Bullock Committee was established by the government to assess the matter of executive-level employee representation, but managers and several other officials of the labour movement proved intimidating, and the Conservative governments voted for during the course of 1980s and 1990s ruled out any possibility of lawmaking on the issue, as it has a need of an undisputed, common vote on the Council. Nonetheless, a Green Paper was published in 1975, by the Commission, to inspect the major disagreements provoked. The Social and Economic Committee along with the European Parliament both argued upon the topic in detail. To close, the Commission assumed an amended text, in 1953, on the draft Fifth which has not been withdrawn officially up till now. Conclusion In my opinion, keeping in mind all the aforementioned prospects of employee participation and representation, the UK should certainly respect all the directives passed by the EU and all other Unions formed in coalition with all the European states and should give up its present times general framework, under which representation only occurs through unions, and which leaves large gaps in stipulation in those organizations where union membership is vulnerable and sometimes even non-existent. It is necessary for the UK to revive itself from being isolated in the Council, and should bring about measures in order to mobilise its blocking minority. Following the German twofold system, which is better in every way, and also being successful in introducing European Works Councils, it has been foreseen and seen respectively, by the UK employers themselves that this has enhanced their effectiveness in granting a medium for information exchange

Mental Health and Social Inclusion

Title: An examination of social exclusion policy and its effect on adults of a working age with serious mental health problems To begin, this essay will briefly define the term social exclusion and its historical background. It will then move on to the political history of social exclusion in the United Kingdom. Particularly the essay will focus on the reasons behind unemployment, and the resulting effect of excluding people from society.The policies around employment and the benefit system will be discussed in some detail, and their consequences on working age adults, including those with serious long term mental health issues. The French socialist government termed the phrase ‘social exclusion’ in the 1980’s; it was used to define a group of people living on the edge of society whom did not have access to the system of social insurance (Room, 1995 citied in Percy-Smith 2000). The concept of social exclusion has been defined in many different ways since then.The European commission defines social exclusion as referring to the â€Å"multiple and changing factors resulting in people being excluded from the normal exchanges, practices and rights of modern society† (Commission of the European Communities, 1993 quoted in Percy-Smith 2000 p. 3). This was a move away from using the term underclass in the UK, which was not an acceptable phrase to some, as it was more related to poverty (Lavallette et al, 2001). The term social exclusion pointed at a much more complicated problem rather than just money, if you were excluded something or someone was excluding you and that could be sorted out.Although for some this new phrase just represented a ‘new’ form of the word poverty (Room, 1995 citied in Lavallette). In the UK the New Labour government set up the interdepartmental social exclusion unit in 1997 (Percy-Smith, 2000). Its aims were to â€Å"to find joined-up solutions to the joined-up problems of social exclusion† (No10 Website, 2004). The social exclusion task force works within a number of government departments such as work and pension, children school and family and the ministry of justice (No10 Website, 2004)The social exclusion unit published a series of reports in 1997 that criticised the way both central and local government had failed deprived groups and areas (Batty, 2002). It found that deprived area’s had fewer basic services such as GP surgeries and that little effort had been made to reintegrate some who had been excluded through unemployment (Batty, 2002). Unemployment is seen as one of the main causes of social exclusion (Percy-Smith, 2000). Being unemployed can have serious effects on a person’s confidence, sense of purpose and motivation (Percy-Smith, 2000).The person who works is seen as a full citizen, paying tax and contributing to society (Baldock et al, 1999). Unemployment can also be linked to mental health; a person is twice as likely to suffer from depressio n if they are not working. (Department of health, 1999). The period since the 1960’s saw a distinct decline in the British manufacturing industry leading to a shift in the type of work available, the service sector and office based jobs replaced the manual jobs and altered the pattern of demand in the labour market. Baldock et al, 1999) The unemployment rate for semi skilled / unskilled workers if four times that compared to managerial / professional workers (Percy-Smith, 2000). Those people who live in area’s with low demand for low skilled workers are highly likely to be unemployed for a very long time, leading to a near permanence in exclusion from the labour market (Percy-Smith, 2000). Welfare to work policies were the answer from the Labour government in 1997, `They set out plans to encourage people back into the labour market.Labour came up with the New Deal family of policies. These where aimed at specific groups. For example young people, adults and new deal fo r people with a disability (Percy-Smith, 2000). One of the results of this policy was to create Job centre plus from a merger of the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency. (Hoben, no date given) The Tories previously had set up the job seekers allowance, which had changed the Insurance-based unemployment benefit. (Baldock et al, 1999).With this allowance you had to prove you were actively seeking employment or you would not get your allowance. People who became unemployed would have to go for an initial interview where an adviser prepares an action plan, then short interviews are conducted every two weeks to review the claimants success at gaining new employment and to look at new job vacancies (Percy-Smith, 2000). New deal gateway is aimed at 18 – 24 year olds who had been out of work for 6 months. This offers subsidised work experience within the voluntary sector or with an employer with a ? 0 a week incentive. Also full time education/training is offered to those who did not have sufficient qualifications up the recognized NVQ level two. Young people also have an allocated personal advisor who offers assistance around job seeking, careers advice and in some circumstances drugs/homelessness advice (Percy-Smith, 2000). Anyone who refuses to take up these incentives will have their benefit cut. As Gordon Brown put it (the then Chancellor of the Exchequer) there will be no option â€Å"to stay at home in bed and watch television† (Baldock et al, 1999 p149).For people aged twenty five and above who have been on job seekers allowance for over six months then become eligible for a different set of measures, before becoming eligible for the ‘New Deal’. This is called ‘restart’. Work trials are offered as well as help with interview techniques and CV’s writing skills. After twelve months if the individual has not found work they attend a five-day ‘job plan workshop’ to assess the individuals job prospe cts. This happens again at eighteen months. If after two years they are still unemployed this is when ‘New Deal’ applies. New Deal’ offers training grants as well as an employment credit similar to that of the new deal gateway of sixty pounds a week and the benefit of a personal advisor. The budget for this was ? 250 million for the three years between 1999 and 2002 (Percy-Smith, 2000) It can be argued that jobseekers allowance forces people back to work or forces them to appear to be looking for work in a desperate attempt to keep their benefit. It can be seen as punitive (Percy-Smith, 2000) and with no option to opt out, and it does not actually increase the amount of jobs available.Without the creation of a sufficient number of jobs, people may lose their benefit, though not through lack of trying (Baldock et al, 1999). Also critics have commented on the cost of the new deal strategy with some say this money could be better used creating more jobs. (Percy-Smit h, 2000) Other arguments against new deal look at the timescale difference between the young people and adult services, it cost a lot less to intervene early when someone becomes unemployed so why wait for two years in the case of the adult new deal. (Percy-Smith, 2000).The new deal policy has been quite effective, particularly at getting young people back into the labour market. However, for people with long term significant mental health problems finding paid work can be very difficult. (Layard, 2005) If social exclusion can be linked to unemployment then for people with mental health issues they are excluded by default, with not only unemployment but with the social stigma associated with their mental health difficulties (Layard, 2005). â€Å"There are now more mentally ill people on incapacity benefit than there are unemployed people on jobseekers allowance† (Layard, 2005 p1).Evidence suggests that work can be very therapeutic for people with mental health problems, but i t seems doctors are sceptical about their patients finding and holding down jobs. (Layard, 2005) The problem gets worse the longer the person is on benefits, and as time passes social isolation increases and motivation decreases (Layard, 2005). Ninety percent of people on incapacity benefit say they would like to return to work but would find it very hard to find a job that pays as much as the benefit they receive (Layard, 2005).However, it has been an underlying trend in welfare policy that low paid work should always be the better option than state handouts. This goes way back to the poor law of 1832 where the workhouse provided the last option for very poor families, providing food and shelter for the exchange of labour. For most of those who lived in these workhouses life expectancy significantly dropped upon entering these desperate places (Higginbotham, 2008). In current times, however, sacrificing benefits and returning to work may mean a compromise in quality of life.People receiving incapacity benefit may also claim housing benefit, council tax benefit, free prescriptions and discretionary loans from the social fund to buy large more expensive items (Alcock, 2003). With all this help in place it is quite easy to see why people with a mental illness are unlikely to want to go back to full time employment and run the risk of losing money. This is known as the benefit trap. There is another problem, people who have been on benefits for a long time lack the right qualifications to join the labour market (Dummigan, 2007), increasing social exclusion.If a mentally ill person wanted to find a job but had little or no skills, the choices are very narrow normally leading to a low wage job, again making it unlikely for the individual to want to come off his/her benefits (Dummigan, 2007). The government has tried to rectify this problem by offering further incentives to get people back to work, such as disability tax credits that offer a tax break should some on e find work but there is limited awareness of the financial incentives to return to work (Percy-Smith, 2000).Pathways to work is a recent government initiative with the aim of getting the recipients of incapacity benefit back to work, the claimant will have to take a personal capability assessment which is used to determine whether or not the person is eligable for the benefit, but will focus on â€Å"what the customer can do rather than what they cant† (Department of work and pensions, 2007).A mandatory work focused interview will also take place eight weeks after making the intial claim followed by a screening tool to establish who will have to have more work focused interviews and those who will be exempt from further manditory participation (Department of work and pensions, 2007). Pathways to work will offer a range of programmes to support the â€Å"customer† in preparing for work with a fourty pounds a week incentive or credit for twelve months if their salary is below fifteen thousand pounds a year (Department of work and pensions, 2007).Pathways to work is currently operating in fourty percent of the country. In an interesting move, the remaining sixty percent of pathway to work providers will be from the public sector leading to critism that the government is privatising the welfare system. The government's chief welfare to work adviser, David Freud, said recently: â€Å"I worked out that it is economically rational to spend up to sixty thousand pounds on getting the average person on incapacity benefit into work, somebody will see a gap in the market and make their fortune. † (Quoted in Vaux, 2008).Some voluntary sector organizations have criticized the rather aggressive approach taken by the public sector organizations in winning the contracts, and feel that the voluntary sector would be in a better position to deliver the contracts (Vaux, 2008). Mind charity has criticized the pathways to work initiative stating it â€Å"place s all the emphasis on the individual to find work†, yet, it said  there  was no obligation on employers to actively recruit people with mental health problems. It would also seem that if you disclose to an employer that you have a mental health problem you are more likely to be sacked before your sane colleagues.Also there is a lack of support in the work place for mental health sufferers, which lead to higher sickness rate, which in turn puts off employers recruiting future pathways to work employees (Lombard, 2008). In the recent action plan on social exclusion â€Å"Reaching out† the government recognizes the need for encouragement in the workplace for recruiting people with mental health issues and supports employer based anti-stigma campaigns. It also states that the government alone cannot address social exclusion, and that the wider community has a role to play.But most of all, the individual must want progress for themselves and those around them (Reaching O ut, 2008). In the last five years mental health services have improved greatly (Layard, 2005) Better treatment and early intervention have empowered people to control their own lives, but though these services have improved the medical condition, mentally ill people still suffer from exclusion from society. The association with dependency that being on benefits brings leads to a segregation (Percy-Smith, 2000). In conclusion, social exclusion is a far reaching problem and not an easy task to overcome.Evidence suggests that the government still identifies the problem with unemployment and poverty, and has taken a great deal of measures in providing policies that aim to get people back into the work place. Unfortunately for some, as has been shown, work is not always a viable or the best option, and people who fall under this category may stay on the boundaries of society due to no fault of their own, or be forced into working at the detriment of their health. The changes around the i ncapacity benefit rules may leave some people worse off than when on benefits and this may increase the chances of a relapse in mental ealth issues, which in turn will make them less employable, continuing the cycle of social exclusion. As we enter another recession and unemployment rises again, this is likely to be a huge focus, and the government will have to rethink existing policies around unemployment. Those who are recently unemployed must be given sufficient support to regain employment to avoid falling into the benefit trap in order to avoid the danger of becoming socially excluded. Bibliography Alcock, P (2003) Social policy in Britain, Basingstoke, PalgraveBaldock J, Manning N, Miller S & Vickerstaff S (1999) Social Policy. Oxford University press, Oxford Lavalette,M & Pratt A (2001) Social Policy a conceptual and theoretical introduction. Sage publications London Percy-Smith, J (2000) Policy responses to social exclusion. Open university press. Oxford Batty, D (2002) Soci al exclusion: the issue explained (Online), available at http://www. guardian. co. uk/society/2002/jan/15/socialexclusion1 (accessed on 28/10/08) Department for work and pensions, (2008) Pathways to work process. (Online) Available at http://www. dwp. gov. k/welfarereform/pathways_process. asp (accessed on 5/12/08) Department of health, (1999) National service framework for mental health, modern standards and service models. (Online) available at http://www. dh. gov. uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4009598 (accessed on 1/12/08) Dummigan, G (2007) The benefit trap. (Online) available at http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/programmes/politics_show/6403329. stm (accessed on 4/12/08) Higginbotham, P (2008) Poor laws (Online) available from http://www. workhouses. org. uk(accessed on 4/12/08)Hoban,M & Thomas, J (No date given) DW response to welfare to work – discussion paper. (Online) available at http://www. voicefromthewheelchair. co. uk/ pages/dw-response-to-welfare-to-work (accessed on 1/12/08) Layard, R (2005) Mental health: Britain’s biggest social problem? (Online) Available from http://cep. lse. ac. uk/textonly/research/mentalhealth/RL414d. pdf (accessed on 1/12/08) Lombard, D (2008) The replacement of incapacity benefit. (Online), available at http://www. communitycare. co. uk/Articles/2008/10/27/109795/incapacity-benefit-reform-will-leave-some-disabled-people-worse-off. tml (accessed on 5/12/08) Reaching out, (2006) An action plan on social exclusion (Online), available from http://www. cabinetoffice. gov. uk/media/cabinetoffice/social_exclusion_task_force/assets/reaching_out/chapter1. pdf (accessed on 28/10/08) Social exclusion trends show success (2004) Online, available from http://www. number10. gov. uk/page5544 (accessed on 28/10/08) Vaux, G (2008). Pathways to work, to help those unfit for work. (Online), available at http://www. communitycare. co. uk/Articles/Article. aspx? liArticleID=107551&Pr interFriendly=true (accessed on 1/12/08)

Free Essays on Art History Essay

There were many difficulties and challenges dealt with in the seventeenth century, some which have many similarities to difficulties and challenges in today’s society. During the 17th Century; also known as the Baroque Period, many investigations and discoveries formed and changed the way society viewed the world. For example 2 philosophers of this time, and Rene Descartes’ established a â€Å"new scientific method of studying the world by insisting on scrupulous objectivity and logical reasoning.† Many scientists of the same time period agreed with their discoveries claiming that these philosophers â€Å"simply amplified human understanding of creation.† Although some viewed this as a glorious discovery there were also difficulties and challenges to still be faced. Many people of this time had trouble accepting new ideas and discoveries especially those who were highly religious. The church and many church authorities were not accepting of this disc overy and strongly disagree with these findings. In today’s society many discoveries and ideas are presented and rejected due to the churches rigid beliefs and beliefs of nonconformist. Abortion and abstinence is still a controversial topic today and not thoroughly accepted. Galileo an astronomer, mathematical and physicist discovered the telescope, which lead to the confirmation of the Copernican theory. This theory was previously banned by the church from being taught which Galileo was put under house arrest for and soon after sentenced to death by the church. Although people may believe that being sentenced to death by the church does not occur these days, recently in Africa a woman was sentenced to death for adultery because it is illegal by Muslim society still faces the same challenges and difficulties because people cannot accept new ideas and beliefs. The Role of Art in Contemporary Society has taken on a historical meaning. When people these days visit a well... Free Essays on Art History Essay Free Essays on Art History Essay There were many difficulties and challenges dealt with in the seventeenth century, some which have many similarities to difficulties and challenges in today’s society. During the 17th Century; also known as the Baroque Period, many investigations and discoveries formed and changed the way society viewed the world. For example 2 philosophers of this time, and Rene Descartes’ established a â€Å"new scientific method of studying the world by insisting on scrupulous objectivity and logical reasoning.† Many scientists of the same time period agreed with their discoveries claiming that these philosophers â€Å"simply amplified human understanding of creation.† Although some viewed this as a glorious discovery there were also difficulties and challenges to still be faced. Many people of this time had trouble accepting new ideas and discoveries especially those who were highly religious. The church and many church authorities were not accepting of this disc overy and strongly disagree with these findings. In today’s society many discoveries and ideas are presented and rejected due to the churches rigid beliefs and beliefs of nonconformist. Abortion and abstinence is still a controversial topic today and not thoroughly accepted. Galileo an astronomer, mathematical and physicist discovered the telescope, which lead to the confirmation of the Copernican theory. This theory was previously banned by the church from being taught which Galileo was put under house arrest for and soon after sentenced to death by the church. Although people may believe that being sentenced to death by the church does not occur these days, recently in Africa a woman was sentenced to death for adultery because it is illegal by Muslim society still faces the same challenges and difficulties because people cannot accept new ideas and beliefs. The Role of Art in Contemporary Society has taken on a historical meaning. When people these days visit a well...

Changing My Life Essay Essay Example

Changing My Life Essay Essay Example Changing My Life Essay Essay Changing My Life Essay Essay Changing my Life Essay Roberta Clark Strayer University CHANGING MY LIFE There are many reasons why I decided to return to school. Wanting a better education, money and most of all my sense of accomplishment are the reasons I am now in school. I decided to return to college after leaving school nearly 40 years ago. It has been a long road of getting here and have had many roadblocks in my way. I got married at the age of 17 and became a mother at the age of 18. My husband was very old fashioned and thought no one should attend school while they were pregnant. This reason caused me to drop out of high school only six weeks into my senior year of high school. I was not concerned with school at all. I was happy being a mom to my little boy. Nearly two years later I finally decided to get my GED. I passed the test so easily and again no further thoughts of school or an education. I was married and thought I would be a housewife forever. If that were true I wouldn’t need to further my education. Or at least that was my thinking. After watching my children grow up and go to school I felt something was missing. I couldn’t help my children with their homework because it was too advanced for me. This made me decide that I needed a better education. Years later I was very fortunate to find a job with a great company. A formal education wasn’t required and I have done just fine. I work with many educated people and those made me stop and take a long look at myself. I take phone calls all day long and want something more. I suddenly realized that to have a position with more responsibilities I need to have a better education. The tuition reimbursement was initially the reason I decided to return to school. I thought this was a good way to make some extra money. If I could get student loans and have my company reimburse me that would be great. Once I decided to go to school I got excited learning new things. Going to school on the internet was fascinating to me. I looked forward to learning something new every day. Internet learning was good, but I felt I was teaching myself. That’s when I decided to actually go to school. English 090 is my first time being in a classroom. Each time I attend class it motivates me to do better and learn more. I have learned so much so far and I cannot wait to see what else there is to learn. Now that I’m going to school I have a determination to complete my education and get my degree. I thought returning to school was all about the money and a better education but I have found the real reason. It is the sense of accomplishment I have found.