Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 31

Tuesday We all slept that night in the upper room of Joseph's house. In the morning Joshua went downstairs. He was gone for a bit, then came back up the stairs. â€Å"They won't let me leave,† he said. â€Å"They?† â€Å"The apostles. My own apostles won't let me leave.† He went back to the stairway. â€Å"You're interfering with the will of God!† he shouted down. He turned back to me. â€Å"Did you tell them not to let me leave?† â€Å"Me? Yep.† â€Å"You can't do that.† â€Å"I sent Nathaniel to Simon's to fetch Maggie. He returned alone. Maggie wouldn't talk to him, but Martha did. Temple soldiers had been there, Josh.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"What do you mean, so? They were there to arrest you.† â€Å"Let them.† â€Å"Joshua, you don't have to sacrifice yourself to prove this point. I've been thinking about it all night. You can negotiate.† â€Å"With the Lord?† â€Å"Abraham did it. Remember? Over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He starts out getting the Lord to agree to spare the cities if he can find fifty righteous men, but by the end, he talks God down to ten. You can try something like that.† â€Å"That's not completely the point, Biff.† Here he came over to me, but I found I couldn't look him in the eye, so I went to one of the large arched windows that looked down on the street. â€Å"I'm afraid of this – of what's going to happen. I can think of a dozen things I'd rather do this week than be sacrificed, but I know that it has to happen. When I told the priests that I would tear the Temple down in three days, I meant that all the corruption, all the pretense, all the ritual of the Temple that keeps men from knowing God would be destroyed. And on the third day, when I come back, everything will be new, and the kingdom of God will be everywhere. I'm coming back, Biff.† â€Å"Yeah, I know, you said that.† â€Å"Well, believe in me.† â€Å"You're not good at resurrections, Josh. Remember the old woman in Japhia? The soldier in Sepphoris, what did he last? Three minutes?† â€Å"But look at Maggie's brother Simon. He's been back from the dead for months now.† â€Å"Yeah, and he smells funny.† â€Å"He does not.† â€Å"No, really, when you get close to him he smells spoiled.† â€Å"How would you know? You won't get close to him because he used to be a leper.† â€Å"Thaddeus mentioned it the other day. He said, ‘Biff, I believe this Simon Lazarus fellow has spoiled.'† â€Å"Really? Then let's go ask Thaddeus.† â€Å"He might not remember.† Joshua went down the steps to a low-ceilinged room with a mosaic floor and small windows cut high in the walls. Joshua's mother and brother James had joined the apostles. They all sat there against the walls, their faces turned to Joshua like flowers to the sun, waiting for him to say something that would give them hope. â€Å"I'm going to wash your feet,† he said. To Joseph of Arimathea, he said, â€Å"I need a basin of water and a sponge.† The tall aristocrat bowed and went off to find a servant. â€Å"What a pleasant surprise,† Mary said. James the brother rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. â€Å"I'm going out,† I said. I looked at Peter, as if to say, Don't let him out of your sight. He understood perfectly and nodded. â€Å"Come back for the seder,† Joshua said. â€Å"I have some things I have to teach you in the little time I have left.† There was no one home at Simon's house. I knocked on the door for a long time, then finally let myself in. There was no evidence of a morning meal, but the mikveh had been used, so I guessed that they had each bathed and then gone to the Temple. I walked the streets of Jerusalem, trying to think of some solution, but everything I had learned seemed useless. As evening fell I made my way back to Joseph's house, taking the long route so I didn't have to pass the palace of the high priest. Joshua was waiting inside, sitting on the steps to the upper room, when I came in. Peter and Andrew sat on either side of him, obviously there to ensure that he didn't accidentally skip down to the high priest and turn himself in for blasphemy. â€Å"Where have you been?† Joshua said. â€Å"I need to wash your feet.† â€Å"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a ham in Jerusalem during Passover week?† I said. â€Å"I thought it would be nice, you know, some ham on matzo with a little bitter herb.† â€Å"He washed us all,† Peter said. â€Å"Of course we had to hold Bart down, but even he's clean.† â€Å"And as I washed them, they will go out and wash others, by showing them forgiveness.† â€Å"Oh, I get it,† I said. â€Å"It's a parable. Cute. Let's go eat.† We all lay around the big table, with Joshua at the head. Joshua's mother had prepared a traditional Passover supper, with the exception of the lamb. To begin the seder, Nathaniel, who was the youngest, had to ask a question. â€Å"Why is this night different from every other night of the year?† â€Å"Bart's feet are clean?† said Thomas. â€Å"Joseph of Arimathea is picking up the tab?† said Philip. Nathaniel laughed and shook his head. â€Å"No. It's because other nights we eat bread and matzo, but tonight we only eat matzo. Jeez.† He grinned, probably feeling smart for the first time in his life. â€Å"And why do we only eat the matzo on this night?† asked Nathaniel. â€Å"Skip ahead, Nate,† I said. â€Å"We're all Jews here. Summarize. Unleavened bread because there was no time for it to rise with Pharaoh's soldiers on our tail, bitter herbs for the bitterness of slavery, God delivered us into the Promised Land, it was swell, let's eat.† â€Å"Amen,† said everyone. â€Å"That was pathetic,† said Peter. â€Å"Yeah, was it?† I said angrily. â€Å"Well, we sit here with the Son of God, waiting for someone to come and take him away and kill him, and none of us is going to do a damn thing about it, including God, so forgive me if I'm not peeing all over myself about having been delivered out of the hands of the Egyptians about a million years ago.† â€Å"You're forgiven,† said Joshua. Then he stood up. â€Å"What I am, is in you all. The Divine Spark, the Holy Ghost, it unites you all. It is the God that is in you all. Do you understand that?† â€Å"Of course God is part of you,† James the brother said, â€Å"he's your father.† â€Å"No, in all of you. Watch, take this bread.† He took a matzo and broke it into pieces. He gave a piece to everyone in the room and took a piece himself. Then he ate it. â€Å"Now, the bread is part of me, the bread is me. Now all of you eat it.† Everybody looked at him. â€Å"EAT IT!† He screamed. So we ate it. â€Å"Now it is part of you, I am part of you. You all share the same part of God. Let's try again. Hand me that wine.† And so it went like that, for a couple of hours, and I think that by the time the wine was gone, the apostles actually grasped what Joshua was saying to them. Then the begging started, as each of us pleaded for Joshua to give up the notion that he had to die to save the rest of us. â€Å"Before this is finished,† he said, â€Å"you will all have to deny me.† â€Å"No we won't,† said Peter. â€Å"You will deny me three times, Peter. I not only expect this, I command it. If they take you when they take me, then there is no one to take the good news to the people. Now, Judas, my friend, come here.† Judas went to Joshua, who whispered in his ear, then sent him back to his place at the table. â€Å"One of you will betray me this very night,† said Joshua. â€Å"Won't you, Judas?† â€Å"What?† Judas looked around at us, but when he saw no one coming to his defense, he bolted down the steps. Peter started after him, but Joshua caught the fisherman by the hair and yanked him back off of his feet. â€Å"Let him go.† â€Å"But the high priest's palace isn't a furlong away,† said Joseph of Arimathea. â€Å"If he goes there directly.† Joshua held his hand up for silence. â€Å"Biff, go directly to Simon's house and wait. Alone you can sneak by the palace without being seen. Tell Maggie and the others to wait for us. The rest of us will go through the city and through the Ben Hinnon valley so we don't have to pass the priest's palace. We'll meet you in Bethany.† I looked at Peter and Andrew. â€Å"You won't let him turn himself in?† â€Å"Of course not.† I was off into the night, wondering even as I ran whether Joshua had changed his mind and was going to escape from Bethany into the Judean desert. I should have known right then that I'd been had. You think you can trust a guy, then he turns around and lies to you. Simon answered the door and let me in. He held his finger to his lips, signalling me to be quiet. â€Å"Maggie and Martha are in the back. They're angry with you. All of you. Now they'll be angry with me for letting you in.† â€Å"Sorry,† I said. He shrugged. â€Å"What can they do? It's my house.† I went directly through the front room into a second room that opened off to bedchambers, the mikveh, and the courtyard where food was prepared. I heard voices coming from one of the bedchambers. When I walked in, Maggie looked up from braiding Martha's hair. â€Å"So, you've come to tell me that it's done,† she said. Tears welled up in her eyes and I felt as if I would break down with her if she started sobbing now. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"He and the others are on their way here. Through Ben Hinnon, so it will be a few hours. But I have a plan.† I pulled the ying-yang amulet that Joy had given me out of my tunic and waved it before them. â€Å"Your plan is to bribe Joshua with ugly jewelry?† asked Martha. I pointed to the tiny stoppers on either side of the amulet. â€Å"No, my plan is to poison him.† I explained how the poison worked to Mary and Martha and then we waited, counting the time in our imaginations, watching in our mind's eyes as the apostles made their way through Jerusalem, out the Essene gate, into the steep valley of Ben Hinnon, where thousands of tombs had been carved into the rock, and where once a river had run, but now was only sage and cypress and thistles clinging to the crevices in the limestone. After several hours we went outside to wait in the street, then when the moon started down and the night made way into early morning, we saw a single figure coming from the west, not the south as we had expected. As he got closer I could tell from heavy shoulders and the moon shining on his bald pate that it was John. â€Å"They took him,† he said. â€Å"At Gethsemane. Annas and Caiphais came themselves, with Temple guards, and they took him.† Maggie ran into my arms and buried her face in my chest. I reached out and pulled Martha close as well. â€Å"What was he doing at Gethsemane?† I said. â€Å"You were supposed to be coming here through Ben Hinnon.† â€Å"He only told you that.† â€Å"That bastard lied to me. So they arrested everyone?† â€Å"No, the others are hiding not far from here. Peter tried to fight the guards, but Joshua stopped him. Joshua negotiated with the priests to let us go. Joseph came too, he helped talk them into letting the rest of us go.† â€Å"Joseph? Joseph betrayed him?† â€Å"I don't know,† said John. â€Å"Judas was the one that led them to Gethsemane. He pointed Joshua out to the guards. Joseph came later, when they were about to arrest the rest of us.† â€Å"Where did they take him?† â€Å"To the palace of the high priest. That's all I know, Biff. I promise.† He sat down hard in the middle of the street and began to weep. Martha went to him and cradled his head to her breast. Maggie looked up at me. â€Å"He knew you would fight. That's why he sent you here.† â€Å"The plan doesn't change,† I said. â€Å"We just have to get him back so we can poison him.† John looked up from Martha's embrace. â€Å"Did you change sides when I wasn't here?† Wednesday At first light Maggie and I were pounding on Joseph's door. A servant let us in. When Joseph came out from his bedchamber I had to hold Maggie back to keep her from attacking him. â€Å"You betrayed him!† â€Å"I did not,† said Joseph. â€Å"John said you were with the priests,† I said. â€Å"I was. I followed them up to keep them from killing Joshua for trying to escape, or in self-defense, right there at Gethsemane.† â€Å"What do you mean, ‘in self-defense'?† â€Å"They want him dead, Maggie,† Joseph said. â€Å"They want him dead, but they don't have the authority to execute him, don't you understand that? If I hadn't been there they could have murdered him and said that he'd attacked them first. The Romans are the only ones who have the authority to have someone killed.† â€Å"Herod had John the Baptist killed,† I said. â€Å"There were no Romans involved in that.† â€Å"Jakan and his thugs stone people all of the time,† Maggie said. â€Å"Without Roman approval.† â€Å"Think, you two. This is Passover week. The city is crawling with Romans watching for rebellious Jews. The entire Sixth Legion is here, plus all of Pilate's personal guard from Caesarea. Normally there'd only be a handful. The high priests, the Sanhedrin, the Pharisee council, even Herod will think twice before they do anything outside the letter of Roman law. Don't panic. There hasn't even been a trial in the Sanhedrin yet.† â€Å"When will there be a trial?† â€Å"This afternoon, probably. They have to bring everyone in. The prosecution is gathering witnesses against Joshua.† â€Å"What about witnesses for him?† I asked. â€Å"That's not how it works,† said Joseph. â€Å"I'll speak for him, and so will my friend Nicodemus, but other than that Joshua will have to defend himself.† â€Å"Swell,† Maggie said. â€Å"Who is prosecuting him?† â€Å"I thought you'd know,† Joseph said, cringing slightly. â€Å"The one who started the Sanhedrin plots against Joshua the other two times, Jakan bar Iban.† Maggie whirled around and glared at me. â€Å"You should have killed him.† â€Å"Me? You had seventeen years to push the guy down the steps or something.† â€Å"There's still time,† she said. â€Å"That won't help Joshua now,† said Joseph. â€Å"Just hope that the Romans won't hear his case.† â€Å"You sound as if he's already convicted,† I said. â€Å"I'll do my best.† Joseph didn't sound very confident. â€Å"Get us in to see him.† â€Å"And let them arrest the two of you? I don't think so. You stay here. You can have the upper rooms to yourselves. I'll come back or send word as soon as anything happens.† Joseph hugged Maggie and kissed her on the top of the head, then left the room to get dressed. â€Å"Do you trust him?† Maggie said. â€Å"He warned Joshua before when they wanted to kill him.† â€Å"I don't trust him.† Maggie and I waited all day in the upper room, jumping to our feet every time we heard footsteps going by in the street, until we were exhausted and shaking from worry. I asked one of Joseph's servant girls to go down to the palace of the high priest to see what was going on. She returned a short time later to report that the trial was still going on. Maggie and I made a nest of the cushions under the wide arched window in the front, so we could hear the slightest noise coming from the street, but as night started to fall, the footsteps became fewer and farther between, the distant singing from the Temple faded, and we settled into each other's arms, a single lump of low, agonizing grief. Sometime after dark we made love together for the first time since the night before Joshua and I left for the Orient. All those years had passed, and yet it seemed familiar. That first time, so long ago, making love was a desperate way to share the grief we felt because we were each about to lose someone we loved. This time we were losing the same person. This time, we slept afterward. Joseph of Arimathea didn't come home. Thursday It was Simon and Andrew who stormed up the steps to wake us Thursday morning. I threw my tunic over Maggie and jumped to my feet in just a loincloth. As soon as I saw Simon I felt the heat rise in my face. â€Å"You treacherous bastard!† I was too angry to hit him. I just stood there screaming at him. â€Å"You coward!† â€Å"It wasn't him,† screamed Andrew in my ear. â€Å"It wasn't me,† said Simon. â€Å"I tried to fight the guards when they came to get Joshua. Peter and I both did.† â€Å"Judas was your friend. You and your Zealot bullshit!† â€Å"He was your friend too.† Andrew pushed me away. â€Å"Enough! It wasn't Simon. I saw him face two guards with spears. Leave him be. We don't have time for your tantrum, Biff. Joshua is being flogged at the high priest's palace.† â€Å"Where's Joseph?† Maggie said. She'd dressed while I had been railing at Simon. â€Å"He's gone on to the praetorium that Pilate set up at the Antonia Palace by the Temple.† â€Å"What the hell's he doing there if Joshua is being beaten at the palace in this end of the city?† â€Å"That's where they'll take Joshua next. He was convicted of blasphemy, Biff. They want a death sentence. Pontius Pilate is the ruling authority in Judea. Joseph knows him, he's going to ask for Joshua's release.† â€Å"What do we do? What do we do?† I was starting to get hysterical. Since I could remember, my friendship with Joshua had been my anchor, my reason for being, my life; now it, he, was running toward destruction like a storm-driven ship to a reef, and I couldn't think of a thing to do but panic. â€Å"What do we do? What do we do?† I panted, the breath refusing to fill my lungs. Maggie grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. â€Å"You have a plan, remember.† She tugged on the amulet around my neck. â€Å"Right, right,† I said, taking a deep breath. â€Å"Right. The plan.† I grabbed my tunic and slipped it over my head. Maggie helped me wrap the sash. â€Å"I'm sorry, Simon,† I said. He forgave me with the wave of a hand. â€Å"What do we do?† â€Å"If they're taking Joshua to the praetorium, that's where we go. If Pilate releases him then we'll need to get him out of there. There's no telling what Josh will do to get them to kill him.† We were waiting along with a huge crowd outside the Antonia Palace when the Temple guards brought Joshua to the front gates. The high priest, Caiaphas, wearing his blue robes and with a jewel-encrusted chest piece, led the procession. His father, Annas, who had been the high priest previously, followed right behind. A column of guards surrounded Joshua in the middle of the procession. We could just see him amid the guards, and I could tell that someone had put a fresh tunic on him, but there were stripes of blood soaking through the back. He looked as if he was in a trance. There was a great deal of posturing and shouting between the Temple guards, and from somewhere in the procession Jakan came forward and started arguing with the soldiers as well. It was obvious that the Romans were not going to let the Temple guards enter the praetorium, so the transfer of the prisoner was going to take place there at the gate or not at all. I was measuring whether I could sneak through the crowd, snap Jakan's neck, and sneak back out without jeopardizing our plan when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked around to see Joseph of Arimathea. â€Å"At least it wasn't a Roman scourge they lashed him with. He took thirty-nine lashes, but it was just leather, not the lead-tipped whip that the Romans use. That would have killed him.† â€Å"Where were you? What took so long?† â€Å"The prosecution took forever. Jakan went on half the night, taking testimony from witnesses who had obviously never even heard of Joshua, let alone seen any crime.† â€Å"What about the defense?† asked Maggie. â€Å"Well, I put forth a defense of good deeds, but it was so overwhelmed by the accusations that it was lost in the noise. Joshua didn't say a word in his own defense. They asked him if he was the Son of God and he said yes. That confirmed the blasphemy charge. It's all they needed, really.† â€Å"What happens now? Did you talk to Pilate?† â€Å"I did.† â€Å"And?†

Hiv/Aids and Social Support Essay

HIV/AIDS and Social Support Essay The role of social Support in coping in HIV/AIDS As South Africa has a very high rate of HIV infections. The government has increased the availability of antiretrovirals to the individuals who have been diagnosed with this disease. Whereas the availability of the treatment increases there is a great amount of stressors that come with the diagnosis of this virus. Therefor there are other aspects that play a role in the treatment of HIV/AIDS such as environmental factors, stigmazation and social support.This essay will be discussing the role that social support plays in people with HIV/AIDS, the effects of social support and the theories on social support. This essay will also be discussing the role of social support after an individual has been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The related health decline and the stigma attached to this diagnosis. The diagnosis of HIV/AIDS leads to enormous amounts of stress to the individual that has been diagnosed with this c hronic illness.Solomon (1987) as citied in Green (1993) hypnotizes that stress, psychological and social support can influence the pace at which HIV replicates and progresses to AIDS; therefor there is an indirect link between HIV/AIDS and social support. According to Carver (1989) as cited in Koopman, Gore-Felton, Marouf Butler, Field, Gill, Chen, Israelski & Spiegel(2000) the lack of expression of motions, the withdrawal of one’s behaviour and the mental detachment to the world are the three most used coping tactics that are associated with the increasing levels of stress among people living with HIV.There are a lot of stigmas associated with HIV such as that it infects only certain kinds of people. Stigma refers to be bias, negative attitudes, abuse and mistreatment directed at people living with  HIV  and  AIDS. The consequences of stigma are widespread: being rejected by family, friends and even the community. â€Å"Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment if so.It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the social disgrace of speaking about it, or taking easily available precautions. Stigma is a chief reason why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around the world. † (Moon, 2010). HIV/AIDS is a life-threatening illness, and therefore people react to it in strong ways. HIV infection is connected with actions (such as homosexuality, drug addiction, prostitution) that are already stigmatised in many communities many of this stigmatisation is caused by not being informed and the misconceptions that go along with HIV.The effects of the ARVs may cause individual to change appearance which may lead to discrimination based on appearance. HIV/AIDS is a very stressful life event with due to the diagnosis of the chronic event therefore one needs stable social s upport. According to Friedland, Renwick and McColl (1996) social support reflects on the following types of supports: The kind of support in which  the individual is provided with adequate services and goods and financial stability.The second support is where the individual who has HIV/AIDS is provided with all the information she needs regarding the condition she has, the third one is emotional support which is according to House (1981) the feeling that the individual is being cared for. Emotional support strengthens the feeling of self-worth and belonging and is also regarded as the most important one in terms of social support. Friedland et al. (1996) suggests that health professionals could meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS more by developing semi-formal social support so that the burden from friends and family can be decreased.People with HIV/AIDS can be encouraged to attend counselling sessions provided by health professionals. Many communities prove that support provid ed by AIDS survivors, buddy-systems, support centres have decreased the gap between formal and informal social support significantly. Even if these kind of semi-formal support does not provide the closeness that friends provides, it provides a higher level of trust for the individuals with HIV/AIDS. Schreurs and Ridder (1997) emphasizes that close relationships are unique therefor they cannot be replaced.According to Broadhead et al. (1983) in Green (1993) there is a positive association between social support and psychological assets which helps the individual who has HIV/AIDS cope with the illness and also promotes recovery. Green(1993) argues that the is no proof that show the concrete proof that show social support has an effect in the development of HIV. Riello (1990) states that it is more likely for death to occur in an individual who has been diagnosed with HIV in the past 12 months with no social support.When the diagnosis is in its initial stages it is where the rate of it s progression is the fastest and the individual who is being diagnosed is at his/her most vulnerable stage because they are still coming to terms with themselves having the disease. Based on these statements social support plays a big role in the physical health of an individual with HIV. Constructed on the research done by Persson (1991) there is an association between social support and an HIV positive individual’s low CD4 count.There are also symptoms during the duration of the illness that are linked to weak social support. Social support is divided into two categories. The kind that is beneficial for the individuals who are experiencing stress. According to the buffering theory, social support protects people from the unhealthy effects of traumatic events by influencing how people think about and  handle these kinds of events. According to stress and coping theory,  events are stre ssful to the extent that individuals have negative thoughts about the events and cope unproductively.This theory is called the buffering hypothesis. Willis (1985). The main theory is the one that is health improving to everyone. This theory is found when social support is intellectualized. Apparently this is not due to better coping actions but it promotes self-worth and the feeling of stability. In conclusion, it is debatable that there is a link between social support and the health improvement status in individuals living with HIV/AIDS even if it is minimal. As discussed above social support can have a negative effect when it comes to coping strategies.Even if social support help people with HIV deal with the illness it does not play a significant role in the physical well-being of the individuals but it has a big considerable emotional impact. It can be concluded that social support increases the quality of life and self-esteem in people living with HIV/AIDS. Therefor it can be concluded that more research needs to be conducted to prove the definite correlate bet ween social support and the diagnosis of HIV. References Green, G. (1993). Editorial review: Social support and HIV. AIDS Care, 5(1), 87. Koopman, C. C. , Gore-Felton, C. C. Marouf, F. F. , Butler, L. D. , Field, N. N. , Gill, M. M. , & †¦ Spiegel, D. D. (2000). Relationships of perceived stress to coping, attachment and social support among HIV-positive persons. AIDS Care, 12(5), 663-672. Friedland, J. J. , Renwick, R. R. , & Mccoll, M. M. (1996). Coping and social support as determinants of quality of life in HIV/AIDS. AIDS Care, 8(1), 15-32. Schreurs, K. M. G. , de Ridders, D. T. D. (1997). Integration of coping and social support perspectives: Implications for the study of adaptation to chronic diseases. Clinical Psychology Review, 17(1), 89-112. .

To What Extent Is the Labour Party Still Committed to Its Traditional Principles?

The Labour party was founded on the principles of social democracy, which is a traditionally centre left ideology. It has been Britain’s major democratic socialist party since the 20th century and since then has been committed on basing its ideologies on advancement for the working class. Until the 1980’s, Labour had kept its principles consistent, but with the development of Michael Foot’s ‘loony left’ movement which was based largely around the irrational minority issues and racial problems.It was Tony Blair in 1994 that came through with a revised ‘new-labour’ ideology that helped dominate the election polls yet again and stay victorious until 2010. But, did new-labour still resemble old-labour in terms of its principles? This is what i aim to evaluate. Old-Labour has always been seen as the party for working classes. This was demonstrated through the development of the welfare state where economic wealth is redistributed in the forms of tax benefits, job seekers allowance etc. to help people unable to work. But, when ‘new-labour’ was created under Tony Blair in 1994, Labour became more of a catch-all party.This meant that benefits were cut, in order to make middle and upper classes feel less discriminated against. Now, the focus is on ‘economic well-being’ and less on the formidable effects of poverty. Clause 4 was created to exhibit Labour’s affiliation with people from a working background. It stated things like â€Å"To secure for all the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry† and â€Å"equitable distribution† which shows its strong ties with the working man. In 1997 it was reformed, it changed from a predominantly ‘working class’ themed ideology to a more catch all. that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone† This is a revised passage from the post Tony Blair clause 4. You can te ll that it no longer is concentrated on one specific class, it is now generalising to everyone and saying that we are all in it togther. Which is obviously not solely concerned with one group of people. The Labour party belived in the provision of universal benefits to citizens who had no other means of income and/or supporting a familiy. Unfortunately over the past decade, the economy has taken a turn for the worse and Tony Blair identified this.That is why he came to the decision of reserving benefits more and focusing on ecnomic growth. Old-labour were far more concerned with the prevention of poverty but, new-labour seem to be more concerned with stability of the economy. Some may even say their slightly capitalist characteristics may align them more with their opponents, the Conservative party. It is now apparent that the Labour party are far less scrutinious towards who they want to aid in society and are showing a certain prgamatism towards their ideologies in order to fit in more effectively with todays society.The Third way which takes old-labour, thatcherism and liberal democrarcy is definately more pro-active than wiping out just under half of the voting population with your political views. Ed Milliband’s take on the third way is even said to be moving slightly right, which proves that Labour no longer prioritise with the working class and they are aligning themselves more fully with all classes and situatuions in the U. K. This is good for democrarcy, not good for the preservation of Labours traditional socialist values.

Risk management and international finance Assignment

Risk management and international finance - Assignment Example The main advantages of these methods including variance is that they allow individual forecasting on the default risk conditions that a company may be subjected especially in terms of loan and macro variables (Apel and Jansson, 1999; Pg. 381). The study will also be vital in determining the portfolio credit risk of the selected institutions over time. In addition, the approach and formulae to be applied will be vital in assessing the extent through which new accords may be applied to towards achieving increased credit risk sensitivity within a minimal capital charge (Ganguin and Bilardello, 2005; Pg. 186). Finally, the study will be vital in comparing the current capital requirement of banks under the proposed Basel system thereby comparing the underlying provision with the suitability or applicability of the same to the Marylebone Bank. Banks are usually vital in driving economy especially due to their saving roles as well as providing capital and credit facilities. Nonetheless, other than government regulation and supervision, the deposit capitals usually require a limit risks for the depositors. These limited risks will ensure that systematic and insolvency risks are reduced. Additionally, these regulations and measures are fundamental in providing restrictions on the working and operation of banks (Morris and Morris, 2005; Pg. 79). Therefore, their vital aspects are to control unnecessary capital requirements by restraining credit provision on needless situation or creditors. Moreover, the same regulations and provisions control the level of capital where inadequate capitals are discouraged since they may lead the bank into undesirable systematic risk levels. The Basel Capital accord was adopted in the year 1988 since which in had an international framework and recognition that applies until today. A group of central banks among other national supervisory authorities initiated the accord.

US Steel Tariffs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

US Steel Tariffs - Essay Example In 2001, US Steel lost $62 per every domestically produced ton. US Steel, the largest American producer, now that LTV, National Steel, and Bethlehem Steel went bust. US Steel Kosice made a profit of $55 per ton. USSK plans to purchase still mills in the Czech Republic as well. To remedy the situation and the strengthening the domestic steel sector by decreasing imports of cheaper steel and therefore shielding domestic steel producers from foreign competition. The US argued that under the World Trade Organization agreements safeguard measures are acceptable if the domestic industry is severely harmed by the cheaper imports and if these measures are limited to a timeframe of less than four years. The government hopes the industry will take advantage of the break to modernize and become more efficient. The history of the industry, however, sheds doubt on the industry's ability to overcome past inefficiencies (Abboushi, 2006). In March 2002, Bush imposed tariffs of up to 30 percent in th e first year of the new regime on $8 billion of steel imports, mainly from Europe, South Korea, and Japan. This is about one tenth of the global market. The tariffs were scheduled to decline to 24 percent in the second year and 18 percent in the third. Both Europe and Japan are challenging these measures in the WTO (Vaknin, 2004). The optimal tariff maximizes welfare of a large trading country that acts like a monopoly in trade. It is based on the naive assumption that trading partners do not retaliate. It is arguing that US could gain from a tariff if its trading partners do not retaliate. Economists are not arguing that US should restrict imports for this reason. Maximize U[y1 + z1,y2 + z2], subject to F(y1,y2,L,K) = 0. Figure 1 Use Steel trade indifference curves. z2 Optimal Tariff: to = 1/(* - 1), where * = - (z*1/p*1)(p*1/ z*1) is the price elasticity of foreign import demand. For the above reasons, on June 5, 2001, President Bush announced his optimal tariff comprehensive initiative to address the challenges facing the U.S. steel industry. But The American Institute for International Steel (AIIS) opposes the tariffs. Steel distributors largely support President G.W. Bush's decision to impose the tariffs because they expect it to stabilize the market for their suppliers and help financially-struggling mills regain liquidity. Can Protectionist measures ever be justified on economic grounds There is a classic case to suicidal protectionism of the recent steel quarrel between the USA and the EU. American steel producers ended up imposing quotas and tariffs on manufacturers they have only recently purchased in central and Eastern Europe (Vaknin, 2004). This argument has never been used by protectionists. The administration has backtracked. It promised to consider more than 1000 requests to exclude up to $1 billion in steel imports from the tariffs. The gaffe-prone then US Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, said that this is done in order to reduce the "shrillness" of the conversation. More likely, it is aimed to prevent the emergence of an anti-American trade coalition (Vaknin, 2004). U.S. trade policy has been facing widespread criticism around the world. The economic devastation suffered in the United States resulting from the tragedy could be ameliorated by resurgence in the U.S. steel industry. Significant indications of the crisis began to emerge

Internal Proposal - Oklahoma State University Research

Internal - Oklahoma State University - Research Proposal Example The paper "Internal Proposal - Oklahoma State University" concerns the Oklahoma State University, Mechanical Engineering department and aims to research on the cancellation of online classes. The cancellation of online classes leads to a lose-lose situation in both student and institution bodies. The main goal of this proposal paper is to find out why the online classes was cancelled and also to supply sufficient information to the reader; Miss Kristi Wheeler. Who is the manager of distance education programs in Oklahoma State University so as to solve the predicament relating to the cancellation of online classes. Methodology method is inclusive of the collection of three facts points of primary research. This included interviews with the proper administration, questioners with students and evaluation with consultants. Data collected will aid in the evaluation for the need for maintaining online classes. Three essential features are based on those students who use online classes, de partments which offer online classes, and other people who use online classes. Approach based on the collection of data is explained from these three features. In the course of the research, Director of Disability services was interviewed; the findings are in this section. A summary of the secondary research sources follows finally. This includes the online classes’ literature, benchmarking and online classes’ statistics. A questionnaire consisting of several questions was made up for the students. The aim was to know how the students perceive the issue of withdrawing or maintaining online classes and its benefits to students. The questions ranged from asking the students if they have taken online classes, the reasons for taking online classes, and a section for grading reasons for taking online classes on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest (poor) score and 5 being the highest score (excellent). The students were also asked to comment on several aspects regardi ng online classes. The other part of the questionnaire asked the students if they planned to take online classes in future, if they thought online classes were worthwhile and if they thought online classes should be banished. The questionnaire also contained a section that required the students to comment more about the issue of online classes, their individual suggestion concerned the improvement and benefits of online classes. Distribution of questionnaires to the students was done by one of the administrators of the Engineering Department. The questionnaires were completed over a period of a week (March 4-11) and set in a selected place in the department. Surveys were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. In regard to quantitative analysis, each aspect of the online classes was conducted on how the students rated it; poor (1), fair (2), good (3), exceptionally good (4) and excellent (5). Total rating number for every location was also calculated. This was done because not ev ery student uses writing center. In regard to qualitative analysis, the students’ comments for each aspect of online classes were compiled. Observations and recommendations of the students were linked so as to obtain a better understanding of the need to maintain online classes. Broader categories and themes were generated by us the researchers. Secondary research Results from the data collected The

Intro to Philosophy Karl Marx and Engel's Arguments in the communist Essay

Intro to Philosophy Karl Marx and Engel's Arguments in the communist manifesto - Essay Example As its name depicts the book was all about the political ideology of overthrowing the" bourgeois" and bringing the working classes ("the proletariat) to power. This philosophy later came to be viewed as Communism or Marxism. The book was revolutionary where the "proletariat" that is the working classes were asked to Unite based on the ideology of achieving a classless society. This book has been held to be the basis of many political ideologies which later came to form the crux of the socialist/communist revolutions perpetrated by revolutionists like Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and other political leaders. The Book is not just a political agenda but a basis for a certain economic condition based on the "benefit of the Community" (hence the term Communism). In this way The Communist Manifesto not only discusses the relationship between the Communists' theory of history and the relationship between proletarians and bourgeoisie,(part 1),but goes on to discuss how the communists can help the working classes(proletarians) in part two.However the book has addressed what it calls the shortcomings of previous similar revolutions and why they failed to achieve what they had set out for (Part 3) and last but not the least the book gives guidance on how the Communists should interact with the other political ideologies or parties to promote their own benefit. The Com... Marx and Engel have pointed out how the Class Struggles and suppression of the Proletariat or the working class has to stop because it has crossed all boundaries. They have spoken of the "March in History" triggered by the breaking down of Class relationships due to this increased suppression and the new age of technology particularly the breakdown of feudalism. The conflict of the classes society is thus the Bulwark of the modern Industrial times which are pregnant with change due to the increased damage done by the selfish philosophy of the exploitative concept of Capitalism which denies these suppressed minorities of their rights and offers them little in terms of fair compensation. For Marx and Engel this manifest unfairness will lead to a unique revolution where the tables will turn in favour of the new rulers which will be the previously suppressed working classes. To extinguish any memory or trace of yesteryear's cruelty the concept of private ownership, the root of all evil w ill be destroyed and then nobody will be able to deem themselves superior based on their status and priority. For Marx and Engel this development is unavoidable and will happen regardless of how much the bourgeoisie tries to avoid it.The labour/working class will rise against the ruling class and this problem of inequality might need (at times a bloody) revolution rather than a mere set of slow reforms as the bourgeoisie will always be making excuses to divest the working classes of their rights and compensation aswell as their dignity.As they note in Part one "Bourgeois and Proletarians," The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.