Saturday, January 25, 2020

Interest Groups and Collective Action on the Internet :: Business Roundtable Papers

Interest Groups and Collective Action on the Internet The Business Roundtable is a unique business-oriented interest group. The BRT was established in 1972, founded in the belief that the chief executive officers of major corporations should take an increased role in political debates and public policy on economic and trade issues. Indeed, the entire membership of the BRT is comprised of CEOs. However, a permanent seat on the BRT is granted to a company, not its CEO. For example, Philip Condit currently fills Boeing’s seat on the BRT, but if Boeing replaced Condit as CEO, his replacement would serve as Boeing’s representative. There are currently 131 corporations with seats on the BRT. This size is relatively small and the high-profile nature of its members makes the organization very influential in political circles. BRT is sometimes criticized as a â€Å"privileged group,† particularly by union-oriented interest groups, such as the AFL-CIO. Another benefit of BRT’s small membership is their capacity to overcome the collective action problem outlined by Mancur Olson in, The Logic of Collective Action. This theory says that political groups with large memberships face a â€Å"free-rider problem.† Each individual member rationally views their own participation as insignificant and therefore, does not actively participate even though they still receive the benefits in the end1. The BRT overcomes this problem through their small membership and their ability to meet face-to-face, once a year in Washington to set their agenda for the year and assign issue-oriented taskforces. Persona lized face-to-face meetings strengthen the relationships between members and reduce the chance of â€Å"free riding.† The BRT has a single stated objective – â€Å"to promote policies that will lead to sustainable, non-inflationary, long-term growth in the U.S. economy.† Although each member speaks as a individual, even before lawmakers, the BRT believes that â€Å"the basic interests of business closely parallel the interests of the American people who are directly involved as consumers, employees, shareholders, and suppliers.† In fact, the 131 members of BRT have a combined workforce of more than 10 million employees in the U.S.2 BRT membership is granted by invitation only. The company is the member and its representative is the Chief Executive Officer. The participation of the CEO is the distinguishing feature of the BRT. The BRT is headed by a chairman, two co-chairmen, a nominating committee chairman, a president and executive director.

Friday, January 17, 2020

World heritage at malacca

Melaka is one of the historic cities built along the Straits of Melaka. The city has been developed over 500 years of the mixture of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West traders. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 1 5th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century.The Stadthuys was one of the official residences for the Dutch Governor but now has become one of the famous attractions for visitors from all over the world. The legacy of the Dutch is still very much alive and felt in Malacca in a form of a red building called the Stadthuys. It used to be the administrative centre of successive governments but now it is a history museum. The Stadthuys can be easily found as it is Just b eside the Christ Church. Opposite the Stadthuys is the famous Jonker Street visited by many tourists.The Stadhuys is an evidence of a fine Dutch architecture. The building is so firmly made that even with little alteration and maintenances, it still stands firmly and upright. This shows that the Dutch had a great knowledge about the making of architecture. There are many tourists' shops along the walls of the Stadhuys. From the roof of the Stadhuys, one can see a great view of the Christchurch. The Stadthuys was built between 1641 and 1660 on the ruins of a fort which belongs to the Portuguese. It is believed that the Stadthuys is the oldest Dutch building in the East.This massive red building displays all the common features of the Dutch colonial architecture which includes substantial solid doors and louvered windows. Since its completion to 1980, the Stadthuys was used as the administrative centre of successive governments for a period of 300 years. It was in 1982 when the Stadth uys was converted into a history museum which exhibits Malacca's history starting from the great Malay Sultanate and the Portuguese, Dutch and British colonization till the present day.This building also has his history in the field of education, which in the 19th century during the British rule, a school run by the clergy known as the Malacca Free School was built in the yard Stadhuys Building. When the free education given by the English school. However most of the students in the school is composed of the children of the wealthy Chinese. Historical records show a letter dated 19 April 1825, stating the need to set up an English school in Malacca. The letter was sent to the council signed by a representative of the church, Mr.J. Humprey , JW Overee and A. W. Baumgarten . The school finally opened on December 7, 1826 with only 18 students. Malacca Free School Principal was Mr TH Moore. Soon the number of students at the school increased to 200. Study time from 9 am to 12 noon and f rom 2pm connected to 4 pm. Number of Malay students at that time not many because most parents send their children to Malay schools or religious schools. Although the language of instruction is English, other languages such as Malay, Portuguese and Chinese are also taught.In August 1878, the British government took over the administration ot the schools ot the clergy and called Malacca High School or High School Malacca. The new principal is Mr. A. Armstrong. In 1931, Malacca High School moved to its new site in Jalan Chan Koon Cheng until now. The building now houses the Museum of History and Ethnography. Daily display of this museum is a traditional wedding dress and artifacts from the heyday of Malacca. In conclusion, all the history past made the Stadthuys had been chosen as one of the world heritage.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Who Is More Tragic, Creon or Antigone - 863 Words

The Imperfect Hero For many people who knew Pat Tillman, he was an American Hero, who forestalled his professional football career and joined the army after seeing his country attacked on 911. He valiantly fought for his country and for his beliefs, and even when Pat died in Afghanistan in 2004, his memory lives on in the minds of many people. According to Aristotle, the hero is not a true hero like Pat Tillman, but rather a person who has serious flaws that lead to the downfall of the character. In Antigone, both Creon and Antigone share some tragic elements: tragic hero, hamartia, hubris, and nemesis. However, Creon is a more tragic hero than Antigone because his character has tragic elements that are absent from the character of†¦show more content†¦Because the purpose of her actions is to obey the gods, she acts like a saint. For this reason, the audience has sympathy for her suffering and not pity. And there is no reason to have fear for a saintly person. Despite the play being named after Antigone, Creon is the tragic hero of the story because he has a more complete set of tragic elements in his character. Generally, it is more tempting for reader to choose Antigone as the tragic hero because she is the protagonist and a good person who is obedient to the gods, unlike Creon who is defiant to the laws of the gods making him a bad person in the story. However, an antagonist can be the tragic hero just as a bad person can be the main character in a movie, so as long as the bad person has the main role and is involved in more parts of the story. In this context, Creon does fit the role of a tragic hero, since he seems to be at the center of all conflicts: Creon vs. the gods, Creon vs. Antigone, Creon vs. Haemon, Creon vs. Tiresias, Creon vs. Eurydice, and Creon vs. the sentry. Finally, with many readers repudiating his actions, Creon seems to have a conflict with the audience asShow MoreRelatedCreon as Tragic Hero1586 Words   |  7 P agesFinest In the Greek play Antigone, Creon and Antigone can both be claimed the title of Tragic Hero. Creon was made king when Oedipus Rex fled the kingship. Creon is the brother in law of Oedipus, and was giving the kingship only because Oedipus’s sons, Eteocles and Polyneices were killed trying to fight for the thrown. Antigone is Oedipus’s daughter and Creon’s niece. When it comes down to who the tragic hero is, Creon most definitely walks away with the title. A tragic hero by definition is ordinaryRead More The Tragic Hero: Creon or Antigone? Essay1293 Words   |  6 Pagestragedy Antigone, the characters Antigone and Creon can both be thought of as the tragic hero of the play. Though Antigone does show some of these characteristics of a tragic hero, Creon demonstrates the attributes more clearly and concisely. Creon is the King of Thebes, as well as the uncle of Antigone. Creon took the throne after a tragic quarrel between his two nephews, Eteocles and Polyneices. Despite his harsh governing and his crude ideals, he is not good or bad. Creon is the tragic hero ofRead MoreAntigone by Sophocles1059 Words   |  5 Pages In the book Antigone, Creon and Antigone can be considered as the tragic heroes of the play. Antigone is considered the tragic hero because of the characteristics she shows such as her ambition to defeat Creon, Creon shows more of the characteristics clearly. Creon is the king of Thebes. He is also Antigones uncle. Creon became king after a fight between Eteocles and Polyneices. One may see Creon as a harsh and controlling ruler, but he is not good nor bad because he shows signs of both like whenRead MoreEssay on Sophocles Antigone923 Words   |  4 PagesThebian play of Antigone has excited many debates over the years. The most prevalent being who exactly could be characterized as the tragic hero in the story. The argument that Antigone is the hero is deffinatly a strong one. There are many critics who believe that Creon, however, is the true protagonist of the play. In order to determine whether or not Creon is the tragic hero one must first examine what a tragic hero is. Aristot le states that a hero is neither purely innocent nor purely malevolentRead More Creon is the Tragic Hero in Sophocles Antigone Essay627 Words   |  3 Pages Creon is the Tragic Hero of Antigone nbsp; When the title of a play is a characters name, it is normally assumed that the character is the protagonist of the play. In Sophocles Antigone, most people probably believe Antigone to be the tragic heroine, even after they have finished watching the play. It may be argued, however, that Creon, not Antigone, is the tragic character. When we examine the nature and concept of the Greek Tragedy and what it means to be a tragic character, it becomesRead MoreTragic Characters of Sophocles Antigone: Examining Creons Hubris 998 Words   |  4 Pagesparticularly popular during the ancient times. Through out his lifetime, Sophocles wrote tens of plays, but one in particular, Antigone earned him his esteemed title. In Antigone, there is much debate present about who the tragic character is. A tragic character (sometimes called tragic hero) is a character who undergoes a reversal of fate, essentially hubris. Many opine the Creon is the tragic character as he experiences the ultimate reversal o f fortune when his son, wife, and niece die as a result of his ownRead MoreAnalysis Of Antigone By Sophocles1074 Words   |  5 PagesSmith 1 Gabriel Smith Professor Christopher Foster English 1302 01 March 2016 Essay 2: Antigone A hero is a person who shows courage or noble qualities in the face of danger. There are many different types of heroes in literature and media such as superheroes saving the world, or an everyday fireman saving a kitten from a tree. Deriving from Greek literature, tragic heroes are common among early literature. Tragic heroes are defined by Aristotle by the following requirements, they must come from royaltyRead MoreEssay on Creon As The Tragic Hero Of Antigone by Sophocles781 Words   |  4 PagesCreon As The Tragic Hero Of Antigone by Sophocles Greek tragedy would not be complete with out a tragic hero. Sophocles wrote Antigone with a specific character in mind for this part. Based on Aristotle’s definition, Creon is the tragic hero of Antigone. Creon fits Aristotle’s tragic hero traits as a significant person who is faced with difficult decisions. Creon is significant because he is king. This makes him both renowned and prosperous. Creon is not completely good nor completely bad;Read More Creon As Tragic Hero of Sophocles’ Antigone Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesCreon As Tragic Hero of Sophocles’ Antigone Since the play’s inception, there has always existed a contention concerning the true hero of Sophocles’ Antigone. It is a widely held belief that Antigone must be the main character simply because she and the drama share name. This is, of course, a very logical assumption. Certainly Sophocles must have at least meant her to be viewed as the protagonist, else he would not have given her the play’s title. Analytically speaking, however, Creon doesRead More Creon as Tragic Hero of Sophocles Antigone Essay593 Words   |  3 PagesCreon as Tragic Hero of Sophocles Antigone There has always been a bit of confusion as to the tragic hero of the Greek Drama Antigone. Many assume that simply because the play is named for Antigone, that she is the tragic hero. However, evidence supports that Creon, and not Antigone, is the tragic hero of the play. Examining the factors that create a Greek Tragedy, and a tragic character, it is clear that the tragic hero is in fact Creon. First, take into account the timeframe in which