Is there a need for reform in Albany Term Paper

Is there a need for reform in Albany - Term Paper Example and corruption matters that occurred in the State legislature in the past two years and the kind of reforms that the Governor and the legislature has put in place to address the matter. The paper then describes the legal and policy structure of the adopted reforms and the public criticism that this has generated. The paper then concludes by giving recommendations to the Governor and to the State Legislature to restore the public trust (Katz). Although there are numerous cases of corruption in Albany, the most pointed cases have been in the legislature. In a recent scandal, the senators from Buffalo state George Maziarz as well as Patrick Gallivan purportedly spent $ 140,000 and $ 80,000 respectively in time they were in office. In this particular case, the problem was not in the spending of the money itself but the fact that they did not find it fit to report their expenditures. Apart from Senators’ George Maziarz and Patrick Gallivan being investigated, the now defunct Moreland Commission was also investigating state Sen. Diane Savino of Staten Island for alleged mismanaging of campaign funds. These two cases are a clear indication of the rot in the state’s Legislature (Frisch). In light of the corruption allegations within the state, Governor Cuomo set up the Moreland Commission (now defunct) to address the allegations. The power to form this commission comes from the Moreland Act, a legislation that gives the Governor the authority to set up a panel to look at waste in the government and to come up with recommendations for reforms. Upon setting up the committee, Attorney General Schneiderman offered to deputize the commission something that bolstered its powers. This was because his presence had accorded the commission a wider legal reach than the current powers that were contained in the Moreland Act (Medina). For Governor Cuomo, there is need to develop a campaign finance system that incorporates the option of public financing. The call for this reform

Leadership Principles Essay Example for Free

Leadership Principles Essay Abstract This paper explores the definition of leadership, and how applying the principles of leadership can yield more success for teams in the workplace. It also serves to further explore personality self-evaluation and how personality traits help to define an individual’s leadership likely traits and strengths. Reference will be made to personality assessments such as the â€Å"Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator† (MBTI) and the â€Å"Big-Five Approach to Personality Assessment†, and what those assessments imply about an individual. While individuals tend to demonstrate particular trends and traits in relation to the personality assessments, the results are not absolute, and in no way offer definitive information about an individual’s specific characteristics (Scholl 2002). Detailed exploration of particular aspects and principles will yield a more refined working knowledge of leadership and practical applications in the workplace, specifically self-awareness and personal recognition of individual characteristics and learning styles. A summary with findings and conclusions will conclude the paper. Leadership Leadership is the ability to get a group to achieve greater accomplishments and achievements than the sum of individuals’ actions. Leadership means taking advantage of opportunities and finding ways to improve upon a situation, whether or not someone else gave you the empowerment to accomplish those goals (Blanchard, Fowler, and Hawkins, 2005, p. 15). Leaders have the innate ability to observe a scenario, realize what needs to happen to realize results, seize the moment and guide others to work together to accomplish a common goal. Ultimately, â€Å"a leader is anyone who can give you the support and direction you need to achieve your goal.† (Blanchard et al, 2005, 133). Self-Evaluation Every person is an individual, and as individuals they naturally have unique personality traits that affect how they interact and interact with others in the world. Personal assessment is a valuable tool that allows an individual to realize their own unique traits and tendencies, allowing them to be aware of precognitive tendencies that they might demonstrate in given situations. For me personally, I was assessed using the MBTI method to be an introvert, who tends to be slightly sensing, somewhat thinking, and strongly judging (https://www.typefocus.com). At first, I took some offence to being categorized in this method, but after researching the general description of my personality, as well as specific definitions of the preference categories, I came to realize that this information would ultimately empower me to become a stronger and more capable leader in the future. A summary of careers suggest that I could become a strong manager that would enjoy a workplace where I could use m y knowledge and organizational skills. I am likely to enjoy occupations that involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. (https://www.typefocus.com). I am able to ascertain that my personality traits suggest I am a person who is capable of teaching others my knowledge and other applicable skills. I am a leader who possesses both information power as well as expert power (Yukl, 2011, p. 193) Another assessment that helped me to understand about my character was the Big-Five Approach to Personality Assessment (Scholl, 2002). The Big-Five assessment provided five factors, along with several more specific traits and facets that help individuals understand and recognize concerning their personality. The five factors, or domains, are neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. My low scoring on the neuroticism portion suggests that I am a confident, optimistic individual who is even tempered and relaxed; able to face stressful situations without becoming upset (Scholl, 2002). I had a low extraversion score, suggesting that I am reserved and interpersonally formal; an independent thinker rather than a follower (Scholl, 2002). In the domain of openness, my score was almost dead center, suggesting that I do not have strong tendencies one way or the other (Scholl, 2002). I believe that this suggests that my reaction depends on the situation and the environment surrounding it. I can be curious and imaginative about certain situations, but cautious and conservative for others. Personal morals and ethics strongly influence my openness, whereas I am open to new ideas and thinking about scenarios, as long as they do not violate my personal ethical standards. For agreeableness, my slightly higher than center score suggests that I am for the most part a generous, trusting person who is sympathetic to others. At the same time, I can be suspicious and impatient with those who have disappointed me in the past. This is one aspect that I need to be aware of my past, and how it influences my present and future. I once had an assistant who I trusted complicity attempt to stage a mutiny to attempt to remove me from my position. Thankfully, my employees had enough ethical standards to make me aware of the decision, so that I could deal with the situation through the proper channels. However, as a result of that situation I have found it much more difficult to trust subordinates, and I tend to be suspicious of actions that could be viewed as disloyal and insubordinate to me as a manager and leader. For the final domain, conscientiousness, my score was again dead center, but the results for this particular section made me think more deeply about myself. I had always thought that I demonstrated the traits associated with someone who scores high for conscientiousness, but I must accept the fact that I may have tendencies that are normally for those scoring low. For me to be successful, I must constantly be aware of these traits, and be able to recognize and adjust my actions when I act in a way that is not conscientious. The guidelines representing how to promote emotional intelligence in the workplace (https://www.eiconsortium.org) suggested twenty-two steps to assess the situation, instigate change, then transfer power and evaluate how everything worked. The company I formerly worked for must have been influenced by these guidelines, as I had been introduced to the process years ago, and was a continual body of work for me as a retail manager. For every employee that was hired, whether full or part time, I had to assess them as an employee, and implement a training program that would yield the best results for the company. Teaching has always been a passion of mine, and I enjoyed showing how every employee had an impact on our store, and their effort and personal pride could have far reaching impact on our daily success, both for sales and customer satisfaction. The process of encouraging transfer and maintenance of  change was mainly designated for the management team, but that was an essential process for our team. I simply could not do it alone: I needed every member of the management to perform to their potential, so that we could function as a team, and each member of management would learn and better their skills for the next advancement opportunity that might come along. It was through this process that I was able to train and advance several members of management, many of whom are now store managers with their own stores to run. Leadership Style My personal leadership style is supportive leadership. I will always try to empower others around me to be aware of their potential, and support them when they need assistance. As Yukl suggests, I use my interpersonal skills to be supportive and compassionate with others as they try to get their work done (Yukl, 2011, p. 64). I attempt to learn more about an individual’s personality, so that I can find a way to best assist them in their own growth and leadership potential. That requires a being a coach who is sometimes there to boost their confidence, and at other times kick them in the rear when they are not putting forth their best effort. At the same time, I realize that it is not possible to provide the motivation for everyone. Every individual has different motivations, and ultimately must take responsibility for creating their own work environment (Blanchard et al, 2005, p.29). I am aware that to be a successful leader, I need to be able to not only empower others, but to show them how to be leaders unto themselves. Every individual needs to be aware of their own strengths and powers before they can lead themselves (Blanchard et al, 2005, p.62), and I plan help others find their way to lead themselves, and ultimately lead others to success. References Blanchard, K., Fowler, S., Hawkins, L. (2005). Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Self Leadership. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishing, Inc. Buckingham, Marcus (2005). The One Thing You Need to Know†¦About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success. New York, NY: Free Press. Lencioni, Patrick (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Scholl, Richard (2002). Dispositions: The Big 5 Personality Assessment. Retrieved from University of Rhode Island, Labor Research Center Web site: http://www.uri.edu/research/lrc/scholl/webnotes/Dispositions_Big_5.htm Yukl, Gary (2011). Leadership In Organizations, Eighth Edition. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Brokeback Mountain And The Western

Brokeback Mountain And The Western Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) integrates traditional western motifs and iconography, and follows a common plot structure of the genre, but at the same time overlooks certain aspects and introduces new concepts and motifs, mixing western with melodrama to create a contemporary Western. Brokeback Mountains queerness challenges us to question the usefulness of boundaries and categories, not just between straight and gay masculinities, but mainly between the films genre leanings as both melodrama and western. The western represents American culture, explaining its present in terms of its past and virtually redefining the past to accommodate the present. Thomas Schatz (1981) The westerns various cultural forms indicate the central role that it continues to play in conceptions of national identity. If the western genre represents American culture, as Schatz implies, then can the film Brokeback Mountain be considered a western? On the one hand, if Brokeback Mountain is to be considered a western this would imply that homosexuality has always been part of the narrative and logic of the western. However, to reject the film as a western would also overlook the ways in which it rewords the genre through contemporary political concerns. Brokeback Mountain is made in such a way as to be considered both a revision of and an extension of the western genre. It integrates traditional western motifs and iconography, and follows a common plot structure of the genre, but at the same time overlooks certain aspects and introduces new concepts and motifs, mixing western with melodrama to create a contemporary western. In most films, a true western is set in a particular historical moment approximately between 1836 and the Mexican Revolution in 1913 (Kitses, 1969). Brokeback Mountain is set between 1963 and 1983, which seems to come too late by historical definition. The impression given by the film, however, is of an American setting that represents a continuum with the old ways of western life. This western life, though drastically altered by twentieth-century capitalism is seemingly unchanged by twentieth-century ideology. Although Brokeback Mountain is not set in the distant past, it clearly conjures up the mythology of the West; the lonesome cowboy figure: the cowboy attire; the solitary lifestyle; the restriction of the homestead on mens freedom; working with animals; rodeo culture; the power of the wilderness; and melancholy produced through country music. Since Brokeback Mountain begins in 1963, it might not represent the west as an epic moment and Ennis and Jack might not be considered rea l cowboys but it portrays a west that exists through the ideologies and practices of specific American regions associated with western mythology. Set between Wyoming and Texas, Brokeback Mountain still presents the West as a mythic, imagined fantasy, a concept of a way of life that remains intact with the west of the past. Brokeback Mountain presents the contrasting relationship between wilderness and civilisation through its aesthetic conflict between freedom and restriction, namely between the mountain and the town. The film characterises the western through its structuring of life in the wilderness, symbolised through Ennis and Jacks freedom to express their love there. In contrast there is the reality of rural town life with their respective wives and children, which forces them to conform to a failed normal life. As Gary Needham states, Brokeback Mountain claims the landscape and the frontier for its symbolic meaning to express freedom and the cowboys affiliation and closeness to nature, the land, and of course to the other cowboys who might be out there too. The wilderness is fabricated by the title Brokeback Mountain. Created by Annie Proulx, it not only represents isolation and secrecy, but also empowerment. The mountain symbolises the only place where Jack and Ennis are able to express themsel ves unrestricted and free from fear, shame or paranoia. The place comes to symbolise a temporary escape from the closet, an almost-freedom, and this is shown through the landscape in the film. The landscape is juxtaposed against the bleak suffocating small town. Masculinity and the western landscape are the two most symbolic elements in the western because of their power to be translated into epic mythologies and concepts of freedom. The traditional western is, more than anything else, about the conflict between civilization and savagery on the frontier. In the genre, the western man has a duty to uphold justice and honour all that is good in civilisation. He is characterised as brave, honourable, rugged and a loner. Tompkins (2004) argues that the west functions as a symbol of freedom, and the opportunity for conquest. It seems to offer escape from the conditions of life in modern industrial society; from mechanized existence, economic dead end, social entanglements, unhappy personal relations, political injustice. The desire to change place also signals a powerful need for self-transformation. With his tall masculine frame, quiet reserve and deep voice, Ennis looks and sounds like the typical western hero traditionally seen in the genre. E nnis is forced to deal with the pull of the wilderness while at the same time remaining true to civilisation by quitting his job to attend his daughters wedding rather than quitting to see his unorthodox lover Jack. In Brokeback Mountain, every main character suffers because of the masculine western myth, with Ennis suffering the most. The antihero Jack meets his antihero end at the hands of the unsympathetic civilisation which cannot accept his true identity. But the hero (Ennis), the frontier cowboy who stays close to the land but resists natures temptations, and who attempts to do right by his daughters has a more painful fate. He is left ultimately alone in his trailer forever knowing that what might have been can never be. And this is all because he is the man of the west, the lonely hero forever doomed to tread alone. The most obvious change introduced to the western genre in Brokeback Mountain is the issue of homosexuality. The lead characters Ennis and Jack share a homosexual love interest, a concept very rarely explored in western texts. Chris Packard (2006) states, If there is something national about the cowboy, and if there is something homoerotic about the partnerships he forms in the wilderness, then there is something homoerotic about American national identity as the literary West conceives it. Because of this, homosexuality is not an issue that is readily explored in western literature or cinema, especially within the western genre. The romantic interest in the traditional western is the femme fatale, desired for her feminine charm and allure. Brokeback Mountain twists this concept by placing another male (Jack) as the heros love interest. However, in doing so, Jack merely takes the place of the femme fatale and is therefore attached with the same ideologies of femininity. It is Jack wh o seduces Ennis, tempting Ennis when he calls him into the tent. So while exploring the relationship between the two men, Brokeback Mountain aims to put a twist on the traditional western, but ultimately adheres to the motif of the femme fatale. Although many of the motifs and structures used in Brokeback Mountain follow the western genre, the ultimate powerlessness and emotional involvement produced in the film fall into the melodrama genre. The power of melodrama to create intense feelings is contrasted with the serious genre of the western in which masculine identity is of greater importance than any romantic connection. The film creates overly emotional responses and attachments through portrayal of tears, separation and loss, thus removing all seriousness, reason and propriety. our experiential investment in the narrative of Jack and Ennis relationship is primarily emotional; for Needham, then, Brokeback Mountain mobilises melodrama as a tactical way of provoking feeling and sentiment that are politically efficacious. It exhibits an excess of confusion, suffering and restlessness and it expands on two key motifs of melodrama in order to express and to some extent work through this excess. By utilising a version of the maximised type David Lusted has argued, the Western emerged in the earliest days of Hollywood as a generic form of melodrama, dependent on the melodrama stage for its dominant narratives, themes and performance styles (Lusted, 1992: 13). [1] These melodramatic themes, Lusted suggests, include love sacrificed and reunited; suffering, misunderstanding and reconciliation; victimhood, emotionalism and pathos (Lusted, 1992: 17ff). The films melodramatic mode and form are constructed through narrative situations of separation and loss. Suffering and failure, and helplessness and pathos. Brokeback Mountain is places as a melodrama to narrate to great affect the ongoing problems of the closet and homophobia. Brokeback Mountain uses several structures which fall under the melodrama genre. These include and expressive use of music to produce heightened emotion; discrepancies in point of view and the timing of narrative events that are mobilised to induce tears. It is Brokeback Mountains melodramatic form that allows it to express a history of unjury, backward feeling and affectivity thought the conventions of melodrama that work so well in dealing with themes of secrecy, passivity, paranoia, shame and temporal irreversibility. though many western films traditionally use long shots, Brokeback Mountain makes use of close-up shots to key the audience into the main characters relationship. This heightens the sense of intimacy between the two characters. Nearly all of the love scenes between Jack and Ennis are close-ups, bringing the audience into their relationship. The Western genre is ultimately one which incorporates other genres, including romance, war, melodrama and action. As Kitses (1969) puts it, Experiment seems always to have been varied and development dynamic, the pendulum swinging back and forth between opposing poles of emphasis on drama and history, plots and spectacle, romance and realism, seriousness and comedy. Brokeback Mountain utilises this flexibility to successfully introduce new ideas into its plot, while still retaining traditional structures of the Western. Not only does the film follow the genre specific framework and incorporate classical Western motifs (cowboy costumes, alcohol, and a landscape which represents paradise), it also builds on the theme, creating a new and contemporary version of the genre and demonstrates the detrimental impact to identity brought about by social ideologies of what is normal. Brokeback Mountains queerness challenges us to question the usefulness of boundaries and categories, not just between straight and gay masculinities, but mainly between the films genre leanings as both melodrama and Western.

Essays --

After the abolition of slavery, many African Americans became extremely optimistic about their future in the United States. They figured there would be more equality, more opportunities, and overall more respect. They were given empty promises, false hopes, and sugar-coated lies, because, in all actuality, it was the exact opposite of what they imagined. Racism became even more prevalent, and it was just as hard, if not harder for African Americans. The abolition of slavery did not mean blacks were free. It did not mean we were equal. All it meant was that they had different ways to do the same thing, and they made sure that regardless of the freedom of slaves, African Americans would still be controlled in some way. On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued as the country entered the third year of the Civil War. It declared that â€Å"all persons held as slaves †¦ shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.† The Emancipation Proclamation was, and continues to be a symbol of equality and social justice. As a result, he was assassinated. After his death, Andrew Jackson became President of the United States. Jackson was an extreme racist, and made this very clear during his term of presidency. On July 9, 1886, the 14th Amendment was put into place. This law recognizes anyone born in the United States of America as a legal US citizen. It also forbids states from denying any person his life, liberty or property, without the correct means of the law. It was meant to protect the civil rights of all Americans regardless of their race or gender. The Fifteenth Amendment was established on February 26, 1869. It was the third in the Reconstruction Amendments. This amendment prohibits an... ...the Reconstruction, is that no matter what legally was done in an effort to help, there were always loopholes and other laws that would counter us from being totally free. We may not have been in slavery, but we were still enslaved, not only because of our mindsets, but because of our surroundings. The system was meant for us to fail, be dependent, and continue being submissive to the white man because no matter what laws were passed, or what changes were made, that is where they wanted us to be. Black codes, Jim Crow laws, segregation, and everything else that was legal after slavery was abolished, were all forms of slavery in a subtle way. They were meant to get in the heads of the blacks, and if you can get in a person’s head, you can control them. The reconstruction era was the beginning of a downward spiral between blacks and whites that branched after slavery.

The basque conflict

THE BASQUE CONFLICTUndertaking FrameworkThe Basque struggle, rendered more acute by the constitution of a terrorist administration in the 2nd half of the twentieth century, illustrates the modern-day hinderances of an invigorated Europe, concerned with theories of integrating and societal consensus. This undertaking intends to consist a descriptive and theoretical attack, instead than a quantitative analysis based on the materialization of the struggle by the violent incursions of the nationalist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna ( ETA ) . On the one manus, the first portion compares and contrasts the sui generis Spanish state-building procedure to the thriving & A ; lsquo ; imagined community ‘ of Sabino Arana, raised through the patriotism of the nineteenth century, and articulated in relevant facts and figures. On the other manus, the 2nd portion brings the struggle to a modern province of personal businesss, i.e. a scenario of diverse efforts to decrease force and extremism. It considers micro and macro positions and reactions of exogenic histrions to this aggiornamento, and despite the diverse readings of ethnicity, the paper considers the present context of globalization, in which individualities are no longer guaranteed through provinces and boundary lines.IntroductionThe failings in the procedure of Spanish state-building – to which Basque patriotism is inextricably linked – constitute an simple foundation to understand the rules of ETA ( 1959 ) , as a terrorist administration, and the natur e of the nationalist individualities involved in the struggle. In conformity with Linz: & A ; lsquo ; Spain [ & A ; hellip ; ] is a instance of early state-building, where the political, societal and cultural integrating of its territorial constituents was non to the full accomplished ‘ ( 1973: 33 ) , and as a consequence, its development differs from other European instance surveies in important ways, chiefly due to its dramatic prostration as a colonial power ( Mees 2003 ) . Throughout clip, Spain was downplayed from being the most dominant European colonial power to a insolvent, weakened province with & A ; lsquo ; internal jobs of legitimacy, individuality, incursion and engagement ‘ ( Mees 2003: 6 ) . Within this unstable context, the fusion of the disparate districts in Spain resulted in a state missing the instruments of integrating and coherence. Therefore, Spanish patriotism in the nineteenth century remained weak and ne'er became a motion ( Seixas 1993 ) .The Post-Colonial State-BuildingThis procedure involved no common external enemy or national symbols that would advance the thought of an & A ; lsquo ; imagined community ‘ ( Anderson 1999 ) : it was non the aggressive nature of Spanish patriotism that fuelled the & A ; lsquo ; lastingness of regional and local particularisms ‘ , but its failing ( Mees 2003: 7 ) . The Spanish were ne'er to the full submitted to the thought of state, and remained loyal to their local parts, such as the Basque Provinces, consisting a peculiar and differential civilization, i.e. an cultural community that would subsequently go mobilised as a political state ( Smith 1986 ) . In historical footings, the appropriation of Navarre in the sixteenth century represents the constitution of modern Spain and the domination of Castile over uninfringeable civilizations. Furthermore, the Crown recognised the importance of gestating particular rights to certain parts that became exempt from naming soldiers to the cardinal forces, and were granted a system of Torahs and patterns called fueros – that represented a major right of the Basque population, as they conferred ( since its codification in the seventeenth century ) conditions for decision-making in most political and economic personal businesss, with no intercession from the cardinal authorities ( Osma 1996: 34 ) . However, the development of the Carlist political orientation ( in the nineteenth century ) , desecrated the firm dealingss with Castile ( Flynn 2000: 100 ) , and following its triumph in the 3rd war ( 1872-1876 ) , the Broad Government declared the abolishment of privileges to the Basque Country, inciting a strong opposition. Hence, the struggle in the Basque Country can be interpreted as a reaction to the abolishment of rights and grants granted throughout history, and harmonizing to the patriots: the indignant reaction to the withdrawing of the fueros represented a & A ; lsquo ; national waking up ‘ among the Basque people ( Mees 2003 ) . Early on Basque nationalist feeling in the nineteenth century created an hostile political and societal attitude towards the cardinal authorities, with a developing anti-Spanish and breakaway civilization ( Mees 2003: 8 ) . Furthermore, urban industrialization and the inflow of Spanish-speaking laborers were seen to present a menace to Basque civilization, which is highly conservative and based about purely Catholic values, promoting a nationalist feeling ( Woodworth 2001:3 ) . As Basque industrialization occurred chiefly in Biscay, with & A ; lsquo ; production of steel, modern shipyards and excavation ‘ ( Conversi 1997: 48 ) , these activities increased the demand for unskilled labor and society decomposition. As an illustration of this phenomenon, the population in Bilbao increased from 35,505 dwellers in 1877 to 83,306 in 1900 ( Atienza 1979: 73 ) – out of the 80 % of immigrants, 50 % were non Basques ( Atienza 1979: 74 ) .The Establishment of an & A ; lsquo ; Imagin ed Community ‘The nationalist political orientation expanded by Sabino Arana, laminitis of the Partido Nacionalista Vasco ( PNV ) in 1895 ( Mees 2003: 5 ) , followed his perceptual experience of industrialization – and the attendant in-migration to the part – as a menace to Basque civilization. Arana published his book For the Independence of Biscay ( 1892 ) and assisted the formation of the first Batzoki – subsequently the Bizkai Buru Batzar – i.e. an ideological group that worked as a precursor of the PNV ( Elorza 1978: 113 ) . However, after the intercession of Spanish Authorities, Arana was arrested and the party rose as an organized construction, adhering to its pronunciamento ( PNV Manifesto 1906: Volume II ) . Returned to Biscay, after a class of Law in Barcelona – where he was impressed by the Catalan Language and the development of Catalonia after the Renaixen & A ; ccedil ; a- Arana ( a cardinal participant of patriotism in the nineteenth century ) was motivated to analyze Euskerab and contribute to the Basque civilization ( Conversi 1997: 74 ) . He took the position that merely absolute independency from the Spanish province would procure lasting felicity and freedom for the Basque people as civilization, history and race needed to be reaffirmed in order to work out the frozen jobs. As a effect, anything Spanish ( or non-Basque ) would hold to be expelled ( Mees 2003: 803 ) , as following the nationalist feeling, the lone manner to win would be through the creative activity of a & A ; lsquo ; nationalist history with deep fabulous deductions, every bit good as nationalist symbols and purification of the Basque linguistic communication ‘ ( Payne 1971: 23 ) . Therefore, in a primary effort to happen the nationalist political orientation, Arana created symbols that included: the name, Euskadi ; the anthem, Gora Ta Gora ; and the flag Ikurri & A ; ntilde ; a, adopted by the PNV in 1933. Unlike Spanish fusion, Arana succeeded in making an & A ; lsquo ; imagined community ‘ , with history, traditions and civilization unique to the Basque part ( Anderson 1999 ) .Violent Incursions and Peace AttemptsSince the early 1990s, the resistance within Basque society to the continuance of the struggle has been steadily increasing: groups of citizens became efficaciously mobilised in an attempt to distribute their pacificist positions throughout the Basque community and construct a new anti-violence consensus ( Funes 1998: 493 ) . Beyond Basque society, they aim at act uponing political leaders, Spanish and Basque authoritiess and at decreasing the power of ETA. As they believe that the people of the Basque Provinces has a duty for the being and th e continuity of force, they intend to go a vehicle for peace. These pacificist groups have increased the conditions – both socially and politically – for declaration, though ETA retains the support of a & A ; lsquo ; qualitatively important sector of Basque society ‘ ( Funes 1998 ) . On a micro position of external intercession, Gesto por la Paz is composed of 160 subgroups throughout the Basque state and Navarre and organises street presentations that on a regular basis attract 15-20,000 followings ; and Elkarri, with up to 107 subgroups, was founded by members of the patriot left, close to ETA and aims to act upon those who would fall in the terrorist administration or transport out violent onslaughts. The latter attempts to spread out duologue on both sides through conferences, addresss and publications, as both groups look at the Basque people for support in denouncing force and cut downing breakaway extremist motions ( Funes 1998 ) . While groups such as these have done much over the old ages to make conditions for peace, every bit long as there is a minority who sees force as the lone solution, grass-root degree protests have merely a limited impact. There is grounds that Basque society is less and less inclined towards back uping the force of ETA, giving room for optimism, but peace will merely come when the leading of the group comes to see diplomatic negotiations as the manner frontward. There are three of import minutes in the history of ETA as a terrorist group, which halted its activities and brought together the two sides of the struggle. The first minute follows the most intense onslaught against civilians in 1987, when the political parties decided to come in into negotiations with one another, actuating ETA and the authorities to discourse the jobs of the Basque Country, such as: the Pact of Madrid ( 1987 ) , the Pact of Ajuria Enea ( 1988 ) , the Pact of Ardanza ( 1988 ) , and the Pact of Navarra ( 1988 ) . In add-on, the Plan Ardanza ( 1998 ) , created by the President of the Spanish Government, Jos & A ; eacute ; Antonio Ardanza Garro, in an effort to work out the state of affairs in the Basque Country, led to a proposal by the PNV and ETA to prosecute a general understanding, in which the parties were committed to convey together the six districts of the Basque Country whereas ETA would declare ceasefire. Second, and sing the incapacity of the Partido Popular ( PP ) and the Partido Socialista Obrero Espa & A ; ntilde ; ol ( PSOE ) in deciding the Basque struggle, parties and ideological administrations signed a treaty in Estella, Navarre ( 1998 ) , harmonizing to which they would analyze the acceptance of the same political declarations applied to the Northern Ireland instance. The elections in the Autonomous Basque Community declared triumph of the PNV, and there were many understandings between this party and the PP Government until the secret meeting of 1999 between the two parties, which represented strong contact between ETA and the cardinal authorities. However, for PP, this was a manner to understand whether the terrorist group would be favorable to a definite ceasefire. Therefore, the meeting proved unfruitful and the terrorist onslaughts restarted. ETA declared the terminal of ceasefire in 1999 and following this, the PNV accused the terrorist administration of representing a bad influence on Basque patriotism. On the other manus, ETA published the dialogues with the PNV and confessed the false ceasefire of 1998. The Euskal Herritarrok was favoured by the PNV but decided to abandon the Basque Parliament, go forthing the latter in a political minority. Finally, the 3rd of import arrest in force was the proclamation of a lasting ceasefire from the 24th March 2006 onwards, in order to transport on the dialogues with the cardinal authorities of Jos & A ; eacute ; Luis Zapatero ( PSOE ) , who informed the media on the 29th June 2006 that the conditions for an institutional duologue had been met.Chemical reactions of Exogenous ActorsIn footings of international cooperation by external histrions, the reaction of France to this struggle has been simple, as although in the yesteryear, the Basque leading has chosen to run from that state – due to fewer constabulary pressure- since the 1990 ‘s, it has made an attempt to grok the ETA leading ( Telegraph 2nd March 2002 ) . About all high-level members of the administration have been seized in France, including the suspected leader, Jurden Martitegi, arrested in April of this twelvemonth. However, the significance of the Catholic religion in Basque nationalist look led to another cardinal reaction, as it preceded the intercession of Pope John XXIII, in the Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris ( 1963 ) . In conformity with this papers, minority groups became widespread throughout the universe but due to some solid grounds in the international province of personal businesss, & A ; lsquo ; [ †¦ ] minority peoples are frequently obliged to populate within the districts of a state of a different cultural beginning ‘ ( Pope John XXIII 1963 & A ; religious order ; 94 ) . Consequently: This state of affairs gives rise to serious jobs [ and ] so, the best involvements of justness are served by those public governments who do all they can to better the human conditions of the members of these minority groups, particularly in what concerns their linguistic communication, civilization, ancient traditions, and their economic activity and endeavor ( Pope John XXIII 1963 & A ; religious order ; 96 ) . This engagement – complemented by the reference of Pope John Paul II to the United Nations ( 1995 ) , where it is stated that the phenomenon of ethnicity & A ; lsquo ; must non be underestimated or regarded as a simple left-over of the past ‘ but conversely & A ; lsquo ; [ †¦ ] demands serious reading, and a closer scrutiny on the degrees of anthropology, moralss and jurisprudence ( John Paul II 1995 & A ; religious order ; 7 ) – entreaties to the sense of regard of established states and constitutes an illustration of international intercessions that protect the involvements of cultural minorities. Although many writers portion these same positions, apostolic intercessions were peculiarly relevant in the spiritual position quo of that part. Furthermore, every bit far as EU declarations are concerned, and sing the terrorist onslaught of 11th March 2004, the European Council carried out a & A ; lsquo ; Declaration on Combating Terrorism ‘ ( 2004 ) mentioning to the commissariats of the Charter of the United Nations ( Security Council 1373 of 2001 ) , which states that allowing support to the victims is paramount in the battle against terrorist act. In this model, the EU revised its strategic rules, which included: beef uping a response against terrorist act and its effects ; keeping the entree of terrorists to economic resources ; and maximizing the capacity within the EU organic structures to look into and prosecute terrorists. Furthermore, all Member States would be obliged to move in solidarity in the instance of a terrorist onslaught, call uping all their resources. This step complements the List of Terrorist Organisations – that includes ideological groups of ETA – created by the European Council in 2003. Similarly, the United States of America, following a recommendation to better international coaction by the President of the Spanish Government, Jos & A ; eacute ; Mar & A ; iacute ; a Aznar, included this administration in their list of terrorist menaces.DecisionAs an illustration of an cultural struggle, the saving of patriotism and racial individuality in the Basque Country has been guaranteed through force – in the name of its tradition, history and national symbols – by those who perceive ancient heritage as an entitlement to self-government, and see their ethnicity as racially different from the remainder of Spain. Violent incursions were justified on these evidences. In conformity with old considerations, Sabino Arana realised that in order to salvage Basque cultural individuality ( including moral and spiritual values ) , patriotism would necessitate an exclusivist individuality. Therefore, one of the nucleus rules of Basque patriotism became & A ; lsquo ; integrity of race ‘ , maintained through extinguishing Spanish influence and migration ( Payne 1971:36-37 ) . In the Catalan and Galician Nationalist motions, rank can be gained through larning the linguistic communication and assimilative civilization. However, those wishing to fall in the PNV had to turn out that their first four family names ( subsequently merely one ) were & A ; lsquo ; etymologically ‘ Basque. Therefore, in pattern, Basque national individuality can non be acquired through acquisition of the linguistic communication or practicing of Basque traditions. There is no possibility of non-natives fall ining and as such, it is a really exclusivist motion ( Mees 2003: 12 ) . The Basque patriots encouraged a sense of a alone Basque racial pureness, different from the one of the maketos ( Conversi 1997: 60 ) , there is disapprobation of matrimony between Basques and non-Basques due to the proliferation of Spanish values instead than Basque values ( Flynn 2000: 154 ) and the belief that & amp ; lsquo ; compared to the Basques, the Spanish did non even represent a race of their ain, being a mix of many peoples ‘ ( Flynn 2000: 154 ) . There is non merely a strong racial component, but besides a strong spiritual one, with Basque patriots believing that there should be absolute subordination of the political domain to the spiritual one and of the province to the church ( Payne 1971: 38 ) . This racial stance has deductions for immigrants wishing to come and work in the Basque part. Radicalisation has happened at times of mass in-migration by non-Basques into the country, making an anti-migrant civilization within the community and a hatred for any thing non-Basque. Race and faith are the nucleus values of Basque Nationalism, non civilization, giving it an highly sole individuality.

Creating market value for consumers

The plan is for the creation of an ethnic Arabian/ Middle Eastern restaurant offering entertainment programs in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Arabian Nights is a trendy new ethnic restaurant located in Fairfield, Connecticut. The emphasis of the restaurant is going to be Oriental cuisine, with up-to-date and traditional recipes. Besides, Arabian Nights will offer regular simple dishes for the companions of the consumers who for some reason are not attracted by the rich and spicy Oriental food. The restaurant will also offer evening shows featuring costume displays, fashion shows, dancing, and singing so that customers could taste a flavor of the Orient. In our opinion, the market need for the creation of this product is conditioned by the relative scarcity of ethnic cuisine offerings in the vicinity of Fairfiled, CT. The area also misses rich entertainment possibilities. The interest in ethnic foods surges in the US market as people are increasingly dining out and their tastes shift towards gourmet cuisine. Bakers’ Dozen report on food service trends for 2004 cites the trend for original ethnic foods as one of the most important for the year. The authors of the study believe that the original recipes will increasingly replace â€Å"mall ethnic fare† that is typically â€Å"Americanized version of ethnic food† (Bakers’ Dozen 2004). As one can see from the Megasite Guide to Dining, Fairfield county restaurant owners offer their customers predominantly uniform meal styles, flavored by some intermittent Chinese, Japanese and European ethnic cuisines (Megasite Guide to Dining). In part this is conditioned by the relative lack of ethnic diversity in the area cited by the participants of the high school focus group (Long Range Plan 2001-2006). Arabian Nights will be the first restaurant in the area that will combine eating out with entertainment. The shows will be relatively low-priced as compared to the offerings of the entertainment places like concert halls and theaters ($6-10 per person admission fee on the night of the performance), and will add excitement to the evening out experience. The restaurant will cater both to those who are interested in the Middle Eastern culture and customs and those who have only a fleeting wish to get an exotic meal. The decorations of the interior will feature paintings of the Arabian lifestyle, exquisitely designed modern and ancient maps of the region and a few recipes of the simplest Middle Eastern foods set in trendy frames. In the future, the restaurant will aspire to become the renowned local venue and a community specialty. The focus of the restaurant will be on both food and entertainment. Considering the public’s interest in exotic dishes, Arabian Nights will offer the Oriental food, the area untapped by other fashion restaurants in the vicinity. As today’s public is taking an interest in health diet, the restaurant needs to emphasize the fact that it is using healthy ingredients, and the food is not fattening. The potential customers will include young couples in their 20s and 30s, as well as older public. The potential visitors will be also couples with kids who might take an interest in the show and educational displays in the establishment. The message of the product offerings will be communicated to consumers using various communication channels. The primary vehicle will be advertising including ads in local newspapers, quick commercials on local TV channels, and Internet ads placed on websites on local entertainment and dining opportunities. Besides, the first shows are expected to attract a great deal of publicity that will be supported by the company’s pres releases. The restaurant hoped to achieve publicity also by granting support to the local â€Å"Feed the Hungry† programs. Works Cited Bakers’ Dozen Foodservice Trends: Trends for 2004. Retrieved Jan.12, 2004 from the Hubert Company website: http://www.hubert.com/pdf/hubert-foodservice-trends.pdf Fairfield Public Library. Long Range Plan 2001-2006. Part 9 – Appendix A. Focus Group Results. Retrieved Jan.12, 2004 Megasite Guide to Dining. Current Restaurants, Caterers and Delicatessens. Retrieved Jan.12, 2004 from Megasite Guide to Dining: http://www.culinarymenus.com/current.htm