Labour party Essay Example for Free

Labour party Essay ‘To what extent is the Labour party still committed to its original principles?’ The Labour party has often been referred to as a ‘socialist’ party. However, this is misleading. For most of its life – dating back to the eighteenth century, the Labour party has always had less ‘radical’ ideologies than socialism and British ‘socialism’ has always been more moderate than elsewhere in Europe. However, the Labour party abandoned a number of its previous principles in favour of new ones, in order to move to the centre ground and enable the party to compete with the Conservatives. It seems that this was ultimately, a successful strategy as it resulted in Labour winning three general elections and beating the Conservatives. Some people are now of the opinion that the Conservatives have, in fact, moved closer to the centre-ground in order to compete with the New Labour party. Within true socialism, there is the idea that the economy should be based upon ‘production for use’; everything produced is just enough to satisfy human need and demand. Socialism also works to reduce or remove hierarchy. The most radical form of Socialism has been ‘Marxism’. Marxists hold the desire to completely destroy capitalism and its political system. It has been said that Marxism is more like communism than socialism. Although Labour has never been revolutionary, it has always argued that its version of socialism can be achieved in a peaceful way, through parliamentary means. All but the more moderate socialists have viewed social class as a crucial aspect of society. Some socialists assume that the majority of people define their position in society in terms of their social class. This was referred to as ‘class consciousness’ by Karl Marx and the idea is that people tend to develop common interests and purpose with fellow members of their class. For example, a number of people within the middle classes feel they need to protect private property interests, as well as feeling the need to promote and protect business and to keep tax as low as reasonably as possible. The working classes, however, are more concerned with issues such as the welfare state, industrial relations, fair wages, good working conditions and policies that promote equality. In most cases, business classes oppose higher wages, mainly due to the fact this conflicts with the need to make profits and generate funds for further investment. Until about the 1930’s, the British Labour party adopted this ‘class position’ as the Labour has always been forced to consider interests of all the classes in British society, in all of its policies, not just those of the working class. To some extent, the reason for this is the need of electoral support the party has always needed. For a large part of the twentieth century, approximately one third of the British public voted conservative and this meant that, electoral reckoning determined, the Labour party could not win by gaining votes of the other two thirds of the working class alone. Collectivism refers to two main ideas – the first being that people tend to prefer to achieve goals collectively as opposed to independently and secondly, action is more likely to be taken by people in organised groups than a sum of many different individual actions. Collectivism is the political principle of centralized social and economic control. One main example of collectivism practised by the British Labour party in the 1940’s was the nationalisation of several large British industries. These industries included the railways, coal, steel, electricity and gas, as well as telecommunications. Nationalisation was a collectivist enterprise and its purpose was to, firstly, prevent the industrial muscle of private industries exploiting its workers, and secondly, ensuring the industries were run in the interests of the community rather than just the owner. After 1997, for the majority of the time, Labour followed the principles of the ‘Third Way’. Yet, today, many argue that it has gradually shifted towards a ‘New Right position’ – that is, even further away from its original socialist values. The term ‘new’ Labour tends to be used to describe the change in Labour party policies, ideas and goals that occurred as a result of the modernisation process. This was started in the late 1980’s and was accelerated under Tony Blair, in opposition and in government. The differences between ‘new’ Labour and ‘old’ Labour tend to be defined by vital policy movements. This includes the abandonment of nationalisation and the recognition of the ‘rolled back’ state, which was inherited from the conservatives. An emphasis on low inflation, for example, demonstrated the wider role. Since 1997, the Bank of England has started setting interest rates; cuts in income tax and have started to refuse to return to the more ‘sharply progressive’ income tax rates of the 1970’s; cuts in some benefits and eagerness to push forward with market reforms of the welfare state. ‘New’ Labour can also be distinguished from ‘old’ Labour in terms of a weaker association with the trade union movement and a reduced reliability on working class votes. During its early years, New Labour was a party very much dedicated to reforming and modernising, but it was not a fundamental one. It did not make any significant changes to the policies put forward but the Conservatives, however, it did seek to improve the way in which policy was executed and it has also attempted to make government action more susceptible to the needs of the disadvantaged and minorities in society. Its principle reforms, therefore, have been to the public services and to the welfare state. Over time, the party seems to have turned rapidly to consolidation rather than reform. New Labour tends to focus now on improving the delivery of the policies it has already implemented.

Country Report: Philippines Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improving conditions for the entire world may seem like a daunting task. It may be more beneficial to look at a single piece of the puzzle and its experience of improving conditions. Narrowing the field of study to a single country allows for a more detailed analysis of the path taken to achieve improved conditions for the single country. Improving the conditions of a country through a process of change is called development. Measuring development in a single country allows us to understand some of the policy, historical trends and natural conditions that are better for development. By looking at the Philippines background, recent political and economic issues, and the economic performance of the past and perspective future, a better understanding of development will be achieved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Philippines became known to the western world in the early 1500’s with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan. In 1565 Spain officially colonized the area under Miguel Lopez. Spain controlled the area for over 300 years before, with the help of America, Spanish control was lost and an American-Philippine joint rule occurred. The colonial system had two major influences on the path of development that the Philippines took. The manorial system set up by Spanish colonialists brought a strong divide in the wealth of the country that is still seen today and the religious influence of the Roman Catholic Church makes the Philippines the only country in Asia that is predominately Christian. Over ninety percent of the population is Roman Catholic or Protestant (ACTD Berkly). These influences took the development path through a constant fight of poverty and western ideas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The isolation provided by a mountainous terrain and an island country was used by the United States to keep influence on the area until occupation during World War II. After the defeat of Japan, the Philippines gained their independence on July 4th, 1946. The country experienced dictatorial rule until President Marcos was ousted in a snap election held in the beginning of 1987. Soon after, the Constitution was written and ratified on February 11th, 1987 (CIA Philippines). This point marks the beginning of an important institutional strength in the form of democratic rule. The Freedom House measuring political rights and civil libe... ...elopment. The future of development for the Philippines would be most effective by focusing on the reduction of poverty and income inequality. Bibliography 2002 World Fact Book: Philippines, updated March 19th 2003: Central Intelligence Agency, [April 1st, 2003]. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rp.html. Academic Talent Development Program, U.C. Berkley, 1996-2003, [April 1st, 2003].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Available through World Wide Web. http://www-atdp.berkeley.edu/9931/jvillatl/history.html. The Philippines Economy, The Economist, August 10th, 2003: The Economist Print Group, [April 1st, 2003]. Available from World Wide Web. http://www.economist.com/countries/Philippines/. World Development Report 2000/01: Attacking Poverty, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 2000: Oxford University Press, [April 1st, 2003]. Available through Lexus-Nexus. A World Free of Poverty, World Bank Report, 2002: The World Bank Group, [April 1st, 2003]. Available from World Wide Web: http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/eap/eap.nsf/87d06ef07cb6cd69852567c90077a6de/d18a645fa0f6e39b852567cb000e55e2?OpenDocument.

Food Adultration

Food adulteration Adulteration is the act of making any commodity impure by mixture of other ingredients. This mixture may corrupt the nature of the original to the extent of destroying its identity, or it may merely lower the value or effectiveness of the finished product. Adulteration of foods and beverages has been performed with the same aim—increasing profits for the manufacturer or merchant—since early times, when laws in ancient Greece and Rome addressed the coloring and flavoring of wine. England has had laws against adulteration of beer, bread, and other commodities since the 13th century, culminating in the Adulteration of Food or Drink Act of 1872 with its stiff penalties. The law was modernized with the 1955 Food and Drug Act. Adulteration not only functions to defraud consumers but it can also pose a health threat. In the case of illegal drugs sold on the street, adulteration is generally in the form of inert or harmless compounds, but deadly poisons, such as sodium cyanide, have sometimes been sold as heroin. Adulteration is not the only source of poor-quality or dangerous foods and drugs: The ingredients of junk foods need not be adulterated to ensure a virtual absence of nutritional value; potentially hazardous medicines will have more adverse effects if unadulterated. The consumer movement of recent times has focused not only on adulteration, but also on the nature of various unadulterated ingredients. For hundreds of years, governments have had an interest in regulating food processing to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of the foods consumed by their citizens. The earliest known food law was written in Japan in AD 702. In Britain, the first Pure Food Laws were enacted during the 1860s to combat adulteration, the secret use of additives to stretch wholesome foods with cheaper, no nutritious (and sometimes dangerous) ingredients. This practice became common during the Middle Ages (5th century to 15th century), when cities began to grow and urban populations no longer got their food directly from the farm, creating an opportunity for deception by middlemen. Today, several United States government agencies carry out inspections and enforce a comprehensive system of regulations governing food processing, packaging, and distribution. The FDA is responsible for monitoring and inspecting most all other food products. The FDA enforces the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, which prohibits the shipping of adulterated or mislabeled products in interstate commerce. FDA inspectors visit food processing plants and warehouses to monitor all phases of processing, packaging, and distribution. Samples of food products are analyzed by FDA chemists to ensure the foods are wholesome and unadulterated and do not contain harmful substances, such as levels of pesticides above the limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 1958, amendments to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act gave the FDA authority to regulate the use of additives in foods. The Delaney Clause, which was part of those amendments, prohibits approval of additives that cause cancer in human or animal tests. Some people have criticized this clause for being too inflexible, because some studies show very small increases in cancer risk and some studies that show a risk of cancer in animals may not be relevant to humans. Since 1969, the FDA has set standards for inspection of retail food stores, restaurants, and cafeterias, although local health departments are responsible for carrying out those inspections.

Internet security Essay

In the developed and developing world, the use of the internet has increased in popularity. The use of the internet has become the preferred mode of communication and resources for various players like industries, corporations, telecommunications, and governments and in business. In business, the internet has facilitated financial transactions that have greatly changed the face of business making it fast and simple and in conformation to the global village the technology has created. With the increased use of the internet, there has been a corresponding increase in cyber crime from criminals who are seeking either financial gains or other advantages for example military. The frequency of these attacks is very high and the levels of sophistication used are great . This makes it difficult for many organizations to determine new threats, their risk factors and ways of dealing with the menace (Cetron, et al, 2009). Many times it is difficult for the organizations to determine which attacks to deal with first and how to allocate resources to deal with them. In the commercial sector, attacks on electronic financial transactions have resulted in great financial losses and corresponding reductions in user confidence. Electronic transactions consist of funds transfers, data interchange, trade confirmations and benefits transfers. Many crimes that occur have plagued the industry for years like theft, service denial, extortion demands or fraud. Technology has however; greatly magnified the ability of major crimes to be committed in a matter of seconds. Electronic security is an industry that is growing and becoming globalised. This industry offers services in the categories of assessment, access and utilization. To demonstrate the severity of attacks on April, 2009, Chinese and Russian spies managed to infiltrate the United States of America electrical grid and inserted disruptive software into the system (Cetron, et al, 2009). An attack which occurred prior to this one on September 2008 would have caused the collapse of the global economy were it not for intervention. Unidentified hackers robbed the lucrative American financial market accounts a total of five hundred and fifty million dollars in a little less than two hours. If the accounts would not have been closed by the Treasury Department they would have lost almost six trillion dollars. This would have caused the global economy to collapse in approximately twenty four hours. One security threat is phishing. Phishing involves the acquisition of sensitive information like passwords, credit card details, usernames and pin numbers. It makes its presentation as being a legal entity. The unsuspecting victims are lured by receiving communications which purport to be from a popular website or payment processors. It is usually done through instant messaging services or emails (Shu-Min & Shann-Bin, 2006). These communications directs the users to enter their details at a fraudulent website which bears a great semblance to the authentic one. Phishing attacks were observed on two popular brands which provide payment services for banks globally in the United States of America in February 2010. The fraudsters created phishing sites in English and other languages, the most popular being French. These websites targeted customers by sending spam mails with the subject proving the card number and claiming that there was a risk of fraudulent transactions taking place. This attack was created using two types of phishing websites. The first utilised Uniform Resource Locators which were created with domain names with many top level domain variants. The most popular domain which was utilised was . cz which represented the Czech Republic. Upon entering their sensitive information into a card holder page for the false verification, the page redirected to the real website. The second attack utilised Uniform Resource Locators with Internet Protocol domains which were hosted on servers based in the United States (Glaessner, 2002). The Uniform Resource Locators’ strings were very long, typically with more than seven hundred characters. The pages asked for sensitive data but had an auto signed debit card or credit card number. This auto signing was done by placing stolen numbers of cards obtained from earlier attacks on the form. Upon receipt of information the page was redirected to a blank page. Cross site scripting is a form of phishing that occurs in programs or websites that allow user input. If the input data is not properly sanitized the program may then process thee input or execute the codes which the original program was not to do. This has been used to redirect users to fake websites. Users are advised not to click on suspicious links in emails and to check the Uniform Resource Locator’s of the website to authenticate brands. It is also advised that one should type the brand domain name directly into the browser address instead of following links. The use of security software has also been recommended. Pharming involves redirecting the redirection of websites traffic and taking it to a false website. Pharming is done by either converting the hosts file on the victims’ computer or exploiting Domain Name Systems servers’ software (Basu, 2009). These Domain Names Systems servers main task is to convert internet names to their real addresses. A compromised server therefore does not direct traffic to legitimate websites. Highly vulnerable sites of compromised are near internet leaves. If wrong entries on a computer’s host file are made it results in circumvention of name lookup using its own name to Internet Protocol mapping, this makes it a popular target for malware. Once it is rewritten a user can be redirected to a fake copy. The better targets for pharming are desktop computers as they receive poor administration in comparison to most other internet services. Host file compromises can compromise the network router. Many routers specify Domain Name Systems to clients on the network and wrong information here spoils the entire local area network. A compromise in routers is very hard to detect. Pharming also occurs by infecting the victim’s computer with malware or a virus. This causes the redirection of a website to a fake one. An unsuspecting user may enter information site unaware. To avoid pharming, users are advised to search for details that prove that the website is authentic. Typing the sites address into the browser bar also offers some protection. Use of an antivirus to reduce virus infiltration into the computers is also recommended. Vigilance is important in warding off attacks. Trojan horses are also a great threat to internet security. Trojan horses present themselves as valuable software which is available for downloading on the internet. This fools many people into downloading the virus in the presumption that it is another application. A Trojan horse is usually separated into parts which are the client and the server. The client is usually disguised as important software and is situated in some sharing networks like peer to peer or uncertified websites for downloads. As soon as the client Trojan is executed in the computer, the attacker who is the person operating the server has great control over the computer and can destroy it depending on his purpose. The spread of the Trojan horse virus can occur through email attachments using various spamming techniques. Malware creators spread the virus through chat software like Skype and Yahoo Messenger. The virus may also infect other machines by distributing copies of itself to those in the address book of the infected computer. There are many types of Trojan horses. Remote access Trojans give attackers complete control of he victim’s computer and access to any information stored in the files. Password Trojans copy all passwords and look for passwords as they are keyed into a computer and send them to a certain email address. Key loggers log the keystrokes used by victims and send the log information to the attacker and can be configured to online and offline modes of recording. Destructive Trojans cause destructions to files and deletes them completely from infected computers. They are able to delete all system files of a computer (Basu, 2009). While there are other types of Trojans not mentioned here, it should be noted that a Trojan may work with a combination of some of the functionalities explained. To best avoid a Trojan hose virus attack, one should open email attachments or files received from strange senders. Installing and updating an antivirus program is also helpful. For secure electronic online transactions certain criteria have to be addressed and met. There must be secure access control which determines who has access to a system and be able to deny access to intruders. Proper authentication of users and message integrity must also be established. Privacy of the parties involved must also be safeguarded and maintained (Shu-Min & Shann-Bin, 2006). Non-repudiation must be ensured where the sender cannot deny (falsely) sending a message. The use of online signatures has also been manipulated to commit fraud. Electronic signatures are a recognized electronic way of showing that a person has accepted the contents of a message sent electronically. These signatures are increasingly being used in electronic commerce and have evolved into digitized signatures which are encrypted and more secure than a simple electronic signature. While they are themselves subject to fraud the purpose of their creation was to combat fraud (Hansen, 1995). Electronic signatures are based on legal principles which have to be understood by the institutions which wish to use it. The use of digital signatures is a code that authenticates the origins of a document. A well done electronic signature causes the signer to be uniquely identified. It also causes the document to be locked using encryption technology and is electronically stamped throughout the process with time and date. It also stores the document for access without fear of being lost or its existence denied. The security of electronic financial transactions can also be enhanced by the use of digital certificates against phishing and pharming. To avoid manipulation of transactions in signature based online banking, utility of Class-3 electronic card readers should be explored. Virus scanners should be used to protect from Trojan horses. Care when downloading software should be exercised. With the mass adoption of technology, countries around the world are increasingly using technological based solutions to address their needs and carry out their functions. The use of the internet has created a highly competitive market. While cyber crime has not infiltrated or integrated itself equally in many countries it is an industry that is growing very fast and deserves much global attention (Shu-Min & Shann-Bin, 2006). As earlier discussed, it has the potential of destroying whole markets and creating great havoc. Attempts to control cyber crime have not been concerted. Many challenges have arisen in trying to control this threat. Technology is a fast changing and cyber crime has achieved very high levels of sophistication. Cyber criminals have designed malware which are virtually undetectable and are difficult to diagnose. It has proved challenging to design and keep up with these creations (Glaessner, 2002). Due to the high levels of vulnerability to cyber attacks there is an urgent need to formulate clear policies. These policies should include guidelines on how to cyber crime is to be dealt with. This should include coming up with laws that will outline prosecution of cyber criminals due to the potential of these criminals to create damage and go unpunished and detected. Users of the internet and the various services it offers should also assume personal responsibility for their own safety (Cetron, et al, 2009). Studies have shown that the ‘human factor’ is largely the cause of the success of cyber crime rather than advancements in technology. In the United States, despite various public campaigns on internet security, people continue to be reckless with their personal information. This leaves them very vulnerable to attacks by cyber criminals. Predictions have been made that incidences of cyber crime will continue to increase. Users should therefore be very vigilant in monitoring their information. Software to combat cyber crime is available and users should take the initiative to acquire this software to alert them of suspicious websites or claims. They should also regularly update their software like antivirus which is highly dynamic due to the creation of new viruses and malware that occurs at a very high rate (almost daily). In conclusion, electronic financial transactions have created great savings in terms of financial savings for both providers and users and reduced the wastage of time. The use of this technology has correspondingly exposed its users newer forms of crime and every effort must be made to combat cyber crime.

Definition of Secession

Definition of Secession Secession was the act by which a state left the Union. The Secession Crisis of late 1860 and early 1861 led to the Civil War when southern states seceded from the Union and declared themselves a separate nation, the Confederate States of America. There is no provision for secession in the U.S. Constitution. Threats to secede from the Union had arisen for decades, and during the Nullification Crisis three decades earlier it appeared that South Carolina might try to break away from the Union. Even earlier, the Hartford Convention of 1814-15 was a gathering of New England states which considered breaking away from the Union. South Carolina Was the First State to Secede Following the election of Abraham Lincoln, southern states began to make more serious threats to secede. The first state to secede was South Carolina, which passed an Ordinance of Secession on December 20, 1860. The document was brief, essentially a paragraph which stated that South Carolina was leaving the Union. Four days later, South Carolina issued a â€Å"Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Justified the Secession of South Carolina from the Union.† South Carolinas declaration made it abundantly clear that the reason for secession was the desire to preserve slavery. South Carolina’s declaration noted that a number of states wouldnt fully enforce fugitive slave laws; that a number of states had â€Å"denounced as sinful the institution of slavery†; and that â€Å"societies,† meaning abolitionist groups, had been allowed to operate openly in many states. The declaration from South Carolina also referred specifically to the election of Abraham Lincoln, stating that his opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery. Other Slave States Followed South Carolina After South Carolina seceded, other states also broke from the Union, including Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas in January 1861; Virginia in April 1861; and Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina in May 1861. Missouri and Kentucky were also considered to be part of the Confederate States of America, though they never issued documents of secession.

Add a MySQL Column Using the Add Column Command

Add a MySQL Column Using the Add Column Command The command add column  is used to add an additional column to any given MySQL table. To do this, you must specify the column name  and type. Note:  The  add column  command is sometimes referred to as  additional column  or  new column. How to Add a MySQL Column Adding a column to an existing table is done with this syntax: alter table add column [new column name] [type]; Heres an example: alter table icecream add column flavor varchar (20) ; What this example would end up doing is adding the column flavor to the table icecream, just as it says above. It would be in the database varchar  (20) format. Know, however, that the column clause is not required. So, you could instead use add [new column name]..., like this: alter table icecream add flavor varchar (20) ; Adding a Column After an Existing Column Something you may prefer to do is add a column after a specified existing column. So, if youd like to add the column  flavor  after one called  size, you could do something like this: alter table icecream add  column flavor varchar (20) after size; Changing a Column Name on a MySQL Table You can change a columns name with the  alter table  and  change  commands. Read more about that in the How to Change a Column Name in MySQL tutorial.

Literature on the Environment; the city as text - graffiti as writing Thesis

Literature on the Environment; the city as text - graffiti as writing - Thesis Example An analysis of graffiti as a form of communication will reveal the language of the art as it speaks for the youth of a city in both pictorial and symbolic forms. Graffiti is most often associated with the emergence of artistic expressions that were applied to public surfaces. The growth of its popularity since the 1960’s was associated with counterculture activities, but by the 1980’s graffiti artists began to find prominence in art galleries with their work reproduced on canvas and sold as graffiti art. Artists such as Keith Hring and Jean-Michel Basquiat became important artists in the period from their artworks that were defined by the graffiti movement and its defining elements. Graffiti becomes an aesthetic that has definition according to theorists such as Phase2 and Rammellzee and is expanded to include work that is not defined by the location of the work on public surfaces (Chang 153). Graffiti can be termed as a type of writing that is based on signatures and styles and those who go out into the city and communicate using this form of writing call themselves writers. The linguistics are created through a focus on the use of the city as a blank page on which their story is told through symbols and images. This essay will explore the origins of graffiti and the reactions by the public to the evolution of this form of communication, its exclusive nature as it speaks directly to those who know the language and its inclusive nature as it speaks to anyone near enough to see the message, whether it is understood for its actual intent or interpreted through a lens without street knowledge. This essay will focus on the notion of graffiti writing as literature, part of a vital need by city dwellers to write their name and story on the space that surrounds them, recreating the visual construction of the city as a huge text, ever changing and often undecipherable to the unin itiated. In order to explore the idea of graffiti as literature, an