Comparing Sweden Immigration Policy with German Immigration Policy

Introduction Among the many policies established by various nations, immigration policies are some of the states’ laws that have many biases attached to them. Aristide defines immigration policy as â€Å"any policy of a state that deals with the transit of persons across its borders into the country especially those that intend to work and remain in the country† (2006, p.23).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Sweden Immigration Policy with German Immigration Policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A country may choose to prohibit the transit of people across its borders or rather permit free movement of people. However, as priory mentioned, even in situations of free immigration, the state must establish some criterion of distinguishing people who fit from those who do not. One of such biasness may entail the issuance of a directive to permit the admission of citizens belonging to a given mu lti or bilateral form of an organization such as commonwealth amongst others. More often, scholars have criticized immigration policies based on what characterizes them: religious or even racial prejudices. As Herrera and Moualhi posit, â€Å"In liberal-democratic polities, the question of ‘who makes immigration policy’ evokes the question of the extent at which those policies mirror the preferences of a majority of citizens, or rather those of small interest groups† (2004, p.1). The most preferred answer being to foster multiculturalism attitude in the formulation and implementation of the immigration policies within a country. With this in mind, the paper scrutinizes the Sweden and Germany immigration policies. The focus lies on unveiling the imminent racial inequalities that characterize these two countries coupled with conducting an examination of how recent social policy contributed to maintaining or reducing the inequalities. Immigration policies in Germany and Sweden Over the years, immigration has constituted a global phenomenon worth regulating by enacting various state policies. While not negating permanent immigrants, the immigrants’ population constitutes both temporally, frontier and seasonal workers. Disguised as one of these legally acceptable immigrants, the immigrant population also comprises of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers who may or may not be legally recognized. As Luciani Posits, â€Å"In Europe, new flows into the traditional countries of emigration such as Italy, Spain and Portugal have supplemented the long established migration patterns from ex colonies to the UK and France, and of Turks to Germany† (1993, p.59). Over the decades, both eastern and central Europe have experienced ardent political changes that have in turn resulted to the creation of magnificent immigration pressures among the citizens. Whether Sweden or Germany, most of the immigrants come from developing nations. The developin g nations faced the challenges of the high population growth rates, which outweigh the rate at which their governments can create employment opportunities. Consequently, immigration acts like a safety valve, which has significant advantages in terms of provision of employment.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this end immigration is somewhat influential in that â€Å"Remittances can be a significant source of foreign exchange, while returning migrants may bring capital and skills to foster economic growth† (Luciani 1993, p.57). In this context, immigration stands as a critical mechanism for ensuring free movement of capital and skills across the globe: something that is necessary for maximization of global welfare. However, the maximization of global welfare through encouraging immigration faces critical challenge since as Esping-Anderson argues, â€Å"†labor is unable to withhold itself for long without recourse to alternative means of subsistence† (1990, 37). Unfortunately, economic forces are not the only determinants of immigration policies: politics plays significant roles in setting of immigration policies. â€Å"The receiving countries’ immigration policies determine the scale of immigration flows†¦it is their national economic evaluation of the costs and benefits that is central to understanding this phenomenon† (Luciani 1993, p.70). West Germany had made incredible endeavors to make a rotation of the immigrant labor policies through the â€Å"guest workers† system. This system had experienced a remarkable failure since, as Krauss and Baumol (1979) reckon, it did not â€Å"prevent the emergence of a permanent immigrant community which exceeded 10% of the workforce one quarter of which was Turkish† (p.37). The year 1967 through 1968 saw Germany experience a recession. When Germany encountered an oil prices shock in 1973 through 1974, a reason for alteration of its policies including immigration policies was necessary. One of such a wave of changes entailed increment of permits for the primary immigration coupled with conduction of foreign labor recruitments by November 1973. At around the same time, â€Å"the number of permits for relatives of existing migrants was increased effectively recognizing the failure of the rotational system† (Luciani 1993, p.67). Recessions constituted one of the rationales behind the implementation of more rigid immigration controls in Germany then. However, as Hansen posits, â€Å"the available evidence of unemployment rates amongst unskilled workers (approx. 0.1%) suggests other political considerations were of greater importance than the state of the labor market† (1993, p.90). In this context, the forces of demand and supply never influenced the inflow of immigrants. This is perhaps shifts from believe that â€Å"Within the m arket, the liberal dogma of freedom appears justified: the worker can freely choose between alternative utilities, jobs, employers, and leisure trade-offs† (Esping-Anderson 1990, pp.36-37). There were jobs opportunities that emerged with the onset of high industrialization.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Sweden Immigration Policy with German Immigration Policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Immigrants were required to fill these job opportunities and not those held by the natives. Tantamount to Germany, in 1970s, Sweden also faced the dilemma of whether to permit free immigration or not. In 1972, Sweden had deployed strategies that ensured the reduction of the emigration permits. It also heralded foreign labor immigration recruitments. Arguably, the need to reserve employment opportunities for the native population may not have amply explained the initial early 1970s immigration controls, foll owed by maintenance of the same. The evident increment of the unemployment at around the same time in West Germany is a sufficient justification of the claim. Consequently, an alternative explanation of the alteration of the policies may lie on the concerns confined to social repercussion of the immigrant community. Additionally, the immigrant population exerted immense pressure on the limited social amenities such as health, social, education and the security services. As Hansen (1993) posits, â€Å"Pressure from trade unions feared that immigrants would depress wages, consequently, displacing their members in employment† (78). These two latter concerns rely on the economic concerns for permitting free immigration. On a larger extent, the early 1970s strategies to curtail immigration were somewhat successful. Unfortunately, a substantial drawback was evident in maintaining the population of the immigrant communities within certain prescribed levels. The natural reproduction rates for the immigrant communities were much larger in relation to the native German communities. In this end, Molle and Mourik (1988) note that â€Å"while the European fertility rate is approximately 1.6 children per woman below the replacement ratio of 2.1, that of Tunisian women resident in France was 6.19 and by 199210% of all births were to parents of foreign origin in Germany, Belgium, France and the UK† (p.79). This scenario was much similar to what was happening to Sweden. It was then necessary for the immigrant communities to adjust their birth rate to match that of European nations. Sweden is the largest country that forms the Nordic countries in terms of population. Westin (2006) notes that â€Å"with a population of nine million it is one of the smaller members of the European Union, which it joined in 1995† (Para 1). The rapid extension of the public sector in the 1950-60 was widely necessitated by the by the immigrant labor recruitments which give an ex tra advantage in that it provided extra tax base. In this extent, it is perhaps ample to pose a query as to whether the immigrants are equal citizens to the native citizens. With the need to foster multiculturalism and shunning from racism, many nations would argue that their immigration policies are free from these negatives.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, as evidenced by Sweden, â€Å"a number of social indicators show that people of migrant origin have considerably higher rates of unemployment than native Swedes and that they are more heavily dependent on social welfare benefits† (Westin 2006, para.2). This gives an indication of state accepted inequalities between immigrant communities and the Swedes, though amplified by historical social policies. The time 1949 to 1971 marked an essential period in the emergence of Sweden immigration policies. During this period, there were policies that permitted free entry of people from Finland and southern Europe nations. At his time majority of the countries in the Western Europe were out looking for additional labor. The massive growth of the Swedish export market by 1940s perhaps signaled the issue. In 1950 to 1960s, Sweden had permitted large-scale migration of people of Finland origin. Westin (2006) approximates that â€Å"a total of 550,000 Finns migrated to Sweden durin g this time† (Para 10). Unlike Germany in 1970, Sweden never set up guest workers program to curtail immigration. Rather rate of immigration was at the peak in the 1970 in Sweden. In fact, Westin (2006) adds, â€Å"Unlike other Western European countries, Sweden had a policy of permanent immigration that treated these labor migrants as future citizens† (Para. 11). In 1970s, the government dedicated a lot of time to dialogue with Swedish trade union (LO) on the significance of conducting recruitment of foreign labor. However, the immigrants were to get a Swedish-like treatment. Westin reckons that â€Å"the LO and the government struck a consensus that â€Å"importing cheap labor would not be allowed and that foreign workers were to enjoy the same wage levels and rights as Swedes, including access to unemployment benefits† (2006, Para. 13). In this regard, the government wanted the most ideal situation free from prejudices based on race or any other social discri minating trait against the foreigners as compared to the native Swedes. Apart from the labor recruitment executed by industrial based companies, an increasing number of immigrant flowed into Sweden. This was not a problem to the nation in as much as these immigrants found jobs. Lack of solid policies to contain and controlled immigration in 1960s made Sweden authorities unaware of expanding immigrant flows. However, by 1967, immigration law was underway with the intension of slowing down the immigration rate especially where recruiting companies did not directly sponsor it. Brubaker (1990) adds that â€Å"Many Western European countries began to consider curbing labor migration in the early 1970s, with most programs stopping around the time of the 1973 oil crisis with Sweden officially ended labor migration from non-Nordic countries in 1972† (p.340). However, the Sweden immigration polices continued to permit free entry of the asylum seekers in the period starting from 1972 t o 1989. Sweden is perhaps one of the nations that have arguably endeavored through its immigration policies to guarantee equal treatment of immigrants and it native residents. As a way of example, in 1972, Idi Amin expelled from Uganda people of Asian origin who went latter seeking asylum globally. While Canada and the US accepted some of the well-educated refugees, they accommodated the rest in the European countries of which Sweden had its share of about 1000. To reinforce this argument further, Westin (2006) notes that, in 1973, â€Å"some 5,000 refugees from Chile were accepted after the coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende in 1973†¦Approximately 6,000 refugees from Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Brazil, and Peru also came to Sweden† (Para 15). Still, on religious grounds, Sweden never prejudiced the immigrants who sought refuge. Refugees from Middle East: mainly Islamic in origin, between 1970s and 1980s found sound homes in Sweden. Additionally, Christian Syrians ran for asylum in Sweden in fear of religious persecution. In 1990s, in fear of persecution and humiliation of the Saddam Hussein dictatorial regime, Sweden also accommodated many Iraqis. However, this immigration rate was alarming making the government make certain provisions in the immigration policies to help curb and or reduce the immigration rate. One of the changes was only to give asylum based on humanitarian grounds. Such an approach â€Å"allowed the immigration authorities to appease liberal critics who felt that Sweden was not doing enough to live up to its commitments to the UN† (Aristide 2006, p.47). Through not appreciating the asylum seekers as being refugees as defined in the UN convection, the refuges did not get certain rights including protection rights. Amid the immigration controls of 1972s, recruitment of laborers from countries not belonging to the Nordic regions were tremendously dwindled. Nevertheless, refuges, coupled with their family member s, had permanent residence permission into Sweden. This resulted into a chain migration. The flow of refugees into Sweden was critical. Hence, a policy was to be in place to control the flow rate. The government did not put its intents to curtail the inflow of refuges into the country. All it did was â€Å"to rule that political asylum applications filed in December 1989 or later would be treated strictly in accordance with the 1951 Geneva Convention; humanitarian grounds for asylum would no longer be used† (Taguma, Kim, Brink Teltemann 2010, p.13). This was like a state fostered policy to regulate immigration since it was highly effective in cutting down the inflow of refuges. Sweden has a long traditional history of egalitarian policies. Even with endeavors to ensure that immigrant have equal rights as Swedish natives, some discrepancies are evident, as voiced by Taguma, Kim, Brink and Teltemann (2010), when they claim that â€Å"In 1995, the foreign-born with less than fi ve years presence in Sweden had employment rates 50 points lower than the native-born† (p.14). On a different research, the gap has tremendously dropped up to about 26 points (OECD 2007, p.34). An enormous earnings gap is also evident between immigrants and the natives of Sweden. According to Taguma, Kim, Brink and Teltemann (2010), â€Å"in Sweden, foreign-born persons earn 17% less than native born persons, which while compared to other OECD countries is a moderate gap comparable to Germany’s 17%† (p.14). Somewhat worth to note is that immigrant’s policies do not only cut across the process of allowing entry or rejecting the entry of foreign people in to a country. It also embraces what happens soon or latter after denying or permitting entry or what Brubaker (1990) terms as â€Å"immigrants integration into the society† (p.379). Now, two concepts are essential for consideration in relation to Swedish and Germany immigration policies: multicultura lism and assimilation. By assimilation, it infers that the immigrants keeps their cultures at bay and adopts the ways of life and cultures of the natives. Multiculturalism, on the other hand, infers that the immigrants keeps part of their cultures but also adopts some elements of the cultures of those they find in their new habitats. The question that remains is, ‘do Sweden and Germany immigration policies permit or rather promote assimilation or multiculturalism?’. The German policy is widely taken as a differential policy. In fact, as Herrera and Moualhi (2004) reckon, the Swede and German policies rely on the need to maintain low profiled attitudes towards assimilation (p.12). This is perhaps largely different as compared to other EU nations such as Britain, which tend to incline more on multiculturalism. However, most scholars contend that such nations immigration policies do not have concepts of multiculturalism at the core of their heart on the purposes of fosteri ng integration but rather on the need to keep racism at bay. This means that racism is evident in the integration policies of the immigrants adopted by both Germany and Sweden. Swedes’ considerations to ease the entry of the immigrants who wish to adopt the ways of life of the native Swedes amplify this argument (Herrera Moualhi 2004, p.13). This seems more of a liberal approach to social welfare in which Esping-Anderson argues that â€Å"†is not the fault of the system, but solely a consequence of an individual’s lack of foresight and thrift† (Esping-Anderson 1990, p.42). This implies that racism is evident in the integration policies of the immigrants adopted by both Germany and Sweden. This policy is somewhat largely consistent with the endeavors of the government to foster multiculturalism. However, fostering multiculturalism as previously discussed has the effects of maintaining some form of cultural differences in the minds of not only the immigrant s themselves but also appreciation of the same by the natives. As Herrera and Moualhi (2004) posit, â€Å"The attitudes of the German are similar to those of the Swede, as also the German seem to come to terms with the existence of different customs and traditions while preferring that immigrants adopt the â€Å"way of life in Germany† (p.14). The deference that exists between the German and the Swedish immigration policies in this extent pertains to the fact that Germany advocates for the deferential integration program. The deferential integration policy appreciates and accommodates establishments of segregated communities defined by differing cultures. The government avails minimal support to such communities. By providing minimal support to the segregated communities, the German government proves its inability to tolerate cultural diversity. In this end, Krauss and Baumol comment that â€Å"The German integration policies have induced segregated communities that do not help the living together between eussiller and natives, and the large Turkish minority have for long been considered as guest workers without the right to acquire the German citizenship† (1979, p.44) sounds significant. This perhaps makes an indication that even though Germany claims to integrate the immigrants, in the actual sense it does not. The integration policy of Germany lies on the foundations of homogeneous culture. Then, do the naturalization and citizenship law enforced in 2000 acclaim German immigration and integration policies compliant with their claimed opening to appreciate cultural diversity? This law alteration makes the process of naturalization of the foreigners who settled in German soil easier and more importantly introduce the jus soli principles to the off springs of these long-term immigrants. Conclusion The immigration policies aim at providing a mechanism of segregating people who fit in a given state and those who are not worth. Many of such policie s have contents of racism and various others discrimination including looking at the level of education coupled with skills level of the immigrants. This paper confirms such discrimination in Sweden and German immigration and integration policies. Furthermore, the paper has held the position: by looking at immigration history of the Sweden, that the formulation of the immigration policies has economic and political reasons tied behind them. For instance, in 1940s, Sweden underwent tremendous growth and hence needed large labor. The immigration policy was thus that fostering free migration to seal the labor requirements gap. With the gap sealed, the policies reduced the immigration rate from the Nordic nations. Furthermore, people have argued that immigration policies introduce discrepancies between immigrants and the native in terms of the employment levels. This coupled with cultural difference has the effect of making immigrants seem like lesser citizens compared to the natives. T herefore, racism and social policy history in Germany amplified these inequalities. References Aristide, Z., 2006. A Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America, New York: Harvard University Press. Brubaker, R., 1990. â€Å"Citizenship and Nationhood in France and Germany†. International Sociology, 5(4), pp.379-407. Esping-Anderson, G., 1990. The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. New Jersey, NJ: Princeton University Press. Hansen, B., 1993. Immigration Policies in Fortress Europe: In Labor and an Integrated Europe. Washington: The Brookings Institute. Herrera, E., Moualhi, D., 2004. Public opinions and immigration policies in five EU Countries: accounting for inconsistencies between selection and integration policies and citizens’ altitudes. Web. Krauss, M., Baumol, W., 1979. â€Å"Guest Workers and Income Transfer Programs financed by Host Governments†. Kylos, 32(7), pp.36-46. Luciani, G., 1993. Migration Policies in Europe and the Uni ted States. London: Kluwer. Molle, W., Mourik, A., 1988. â€Å"International Movements of Labour under Conditions of Economic Integration: The Case of Western Europe†. Journal of Common Market Studies, 26(3), p.79. OECD., 2007. Jobs for Immigrants: Labor Market Integration in Australia, Denmark, Germany and Sweden. Paris: OECD. Taguma, M., Kim, M., Brink, S., Teltemann, J., 2010. OECD reviews of emigrant  Education in Sweden. Web. Westin, C., 2006. Sweden: restrictive immigration policy and multiculturalism. Web. This essay on Comparing Sweden Immigration Policy with German Immigration Policy was written and submitted by user Trey Love to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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Religion Essay 1.) As a person of goodwill, explain the necessity of establishing rapport, amity, and concordance among the various religions in Asia and the world; and more specifically among Muslims and Christians in the Philippines. Why is religion a positive contributor towards peacemaking but at the same time can be a source of societal turmoil? In what way can Asian religions transcend divisiveness by standing side by side with other religions, without losing their very own unique creeds or belief-systems? Based on the films about Muslim Filipinos shown in class, please explain in what way Christians and Muslims can utilize their respective religions for peace and harmony in Mindanao? Answer these questions by citing concrete cases to prove your point (30 points). 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Usually, it is very important to distinguish between belief in one religion and belief in many religions. Religion is a positive contributor towards peacemaking but at the same time can be a source of societal turmoil because religion is a perennial and perhaps inevitable factor in both conflict and conflict resolution. Religion, after all, is a powerful constituent of cultural norms and values, and because it addresses the most profound existential issues of human life (e.g., freedom and inevitability, fear and faith, security and insecurity, right and wrong, sacred and profane), religion is deeply implicated in individual and social conceptions of peace. To transform the conflicts besetting the world today, we need to uncover the conceptions of peace within our diverse religious and cultural traditions, while seeking the common ground among them. Traditionally many people focus on how wars and conflicts are seemingly undertaken for religious reasons, or at least undertaken in the name of religion. A significant problem with organized religion and belief, as this relates to peace and conflict, is individuals and groups often confuse the map (their socially-learned version of reality or culture or religion) with the territory (or ultimate reality). Thus people believe that their personal or subjective version of reality or religion is valid, while other views are invalid. Instead it can be argued that the many maps are different, but possibly equally valid interpretations and attempts to understand the same underlying reality or territory. Asian religions can transcend divisiveness by standing side by side with other religions, without losing their very own unique creeds or belief-systems through banding together in interfaith dialogue, cooperation, and religious peacebuilding. The first major dialogue was the Parliament of the Worlds Religions at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, which remains notable even today both in affirming universal values and recognition of the diversity of practices among different cultures. The 20th century has been especially fruitful in use of interfaith dialogue as a means of solving ethnic, political, or even religious conflict, with Christian–Jewish reconciliation representing a complete reverse in the attitudes of many Christian communities towards Jews. Christians and Muslims can utilize their respective religions for peace and harmony through sharing the main morals and conducts that are for the benefit of humanity and nature. They believe in the same basic morals that are important for people to follow in order to live in peace, harmony, and love in communities with different faiths and cultures. And to through tolerance, respect and cooperation with respect in each other’s religions. 2.) Explain why Islam is considered the â€Å"most misunderstood religion†. What are some historical, sociological and cultural reasons that paved the way for a misunderstanding of the true nature of Islam among non-Muslims and even among Muslims? Islam means â€Å"submission to the will of God in all areas of one’s life†. Muslim means, â€Å"One who submits to God’s will†. These Arabic words are actually non-sectarian terms if we look at the context of these words in the Qur’an. Can we use the term â€Å"Muslim† in its universal implication to include all believers in One God? Can we use the term â€Å"Muslim† to any person (irrespective of religions) who strives sincerely to submit to the will of God in his life? [Hint: Consider the Islamic doctrine of Risalah (Progressive Revelation) and the Islamic view of the universality of God’s calling of prophethood] (30 points). Islam is considered the â€Å"most misunderstood religion† because most of the time it is considered as a violent religion and is likely â€Å"to encourage violence among believers†. And there is also some outright falsehood for example, â€Å"God sent prophets to every nation for their guidance.† But, According to the â€Å"Doctrine of Progressive Revelation†, Islam is very universal since it admits that Allah sent prophets to everyone whereas Jews believe that prophets only come from them because they are the â€Å"chosen people of God.† Another example, â€Å"One of the missions of the Prophet of Islam was to bring peace and unity to the feuding tribes, the Jahiliah or the ignorant Arabs of the pre-Islamic days. This he succeeded in doing as narrated in several verses of the Qur-an†. The message of Allah were brought by one Prophet and recorded in one holy Qur-an. There is no other Qur-an, or versions or it, or editions which carry different texts. The hold Qur-an is not in the form of Gospels by Muslim saints or ulama. The holy Qur-an is just the record of the messages of Allah in the Arabic of the period. Translations of the Qur-an may be different in minor ways, but they are not accepted as the holy Qur-an. Only that in the original Arabic is accepted. So there can be no differing text or Gospels or versions which can result in differences in the messages or teachings of Islam. Yet, clearly there are differences, serious differences, so serious that Muslims are divided sometimes into warring sects. One of the reasons that paved the way of misunderstanding the true nature of Islam among non-Muslims and even Muslims are the â€Å"media†. Media is the greatest factor on how people view their surroundings. Somehow, criticizing the Islam brings them more readers/viewers. We tend to judge and generalize things without knowing the exact story behind those issues. Infact, the worl Islam means peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. Yes, we can use the term â€Å"Muslim† in its universal implication to include all believers in One God, as well as, to any person (irrespective of religions) who strives sincerely to submit to the will of God in his life because â€Å"Muslim† believe that God is eternal, transcendent, absolutely one (the doctrine of tawhid, or strict or simple monotheism), and incomparable; that he is self-sustaining, who begets not nor was begotten. 3.) Write a â€Å"reflective synthesizing essay† that answers the following questions: In the future prospect, will the Asian religions move from rhetoric unity and act as one to solve the common problems affecting humanity? As for Asian countries, will they achieve political independence from the clutches of Western neo-colonialism? Is there a need to abandon our cherished worldview and values in the name of development? How will the Asians reconcile their adherence to Asian ethos and at the same time open to the demands of globalization? How will the differing Asian worldviews and religions be properly harnessed to promote nationalism among Asians and global cooperation among countries in the world? (30 points) Yes. In the future, the Asian religions will move from rhetoric unity and act as one to solve the common problems affecting humanity to have a better nation, to have a respect on one another, to fix the unjust and destructive situations. There is no need to abandon our cherished worldview and values in the name of development but rather preserve it and continue following those values to build a progressive and advance nation. With their differing Asian worldviews and religions they can create different ideas and new innovations but with respect with one another’s point of view, and to accept what other countries have made, to promote nationalism among Asians and global cooperation among countries in the world. 4.) Explain what made Japanese civilization unique in its approach to establishing a pro-active Asian civilization capable of having positive ethical patterns as fountainhead of their development? Explain why it is not just enough to simply support one’s parents for one to be called â€Å"filial†; what are therefore the other requirements to be able to truly say that one has completely conducted oneself as â€Å"filial son/daughter† to one’s parents? What makes Indian civilization stuck into conservatism? What are some of the positive role that the caste-system plays in Indian civilization? What are also the negative aspects of the caste system to Indian civilization? Explain in what way did Japan show a purposive and planned-out blueprint for development in their history? (30 points) It is not just enough to simply support one’s parents for one to be called â€Å"filial† because we owe our parents a lot- because of them we able to eat three meals a day, sometimes even more. They give us clothes and sometimes the things that are beyond our needs. They send us to school. But more than simply supporting us in the most basic sense of supporting, our parents loves us. It now becomes something different because when we love them back, we do not do so out of indebtedness. We give our love freely, and not as a payment with a certain interest. Most of all, because of this special filial relationship with them that we had since birth, we also respect and obey them. We not only support our parents, but serve them. The Indian â€Å"caste system† made it stuck into conservatism. The positive roles that the caste-system plays in Indian civilization, provides a sense of community and belongingness. And the two main strands of thought: Divine will- the belief that a hierarchical social structure is part of the divine intention for natural order, and the Purity- the need to emphasize the importance of ritual purity and impurity. But there is also a negative aspect of caste-system to Indian civilization. For example, marrying someone from a different caste, whilst not officially outlawed, is generally discouraged. They only lived, ate, and worked within their group. This was based on the idea that people are different and should have different roles. And a person born into one caste never changed castes and very seldom mixed with members of other castes. Castes were unchanging groups but people from the lowest caste were told that they have to serve the other castes so that they can be reborn into a higher caste in their next life.

Depression Essay -- Depressed Illness Psychology Essays

â€Å"Mom is sad all the time. She cries a lot. Sometimes she doesn’t get up in the morning. She stays in bed until late in the afternoon with covers pulled up around her ears. At first I didn’t worry. She’d stay in bed for a day or two and then get up again, and I’d think she was better. But after a couple of weeks, she didn’t eat much any more, and she stayed in her room most of the time†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"She has something called depression† (DenBoer, Helen 1-2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most people today do not think that depression is an illness. In fact most people think that depression is a moral failure. â€Å"Some 400,000 patients are treated for depression in the United States annually, most as outpatients and most by non-psychiatric physicians† (Hollister, Leo E 80). In 1989, major depression cost the nation at least $27 billion in medical care, worker absenteeism, and related costs. In 2002, â€Å"as many as 14 million people in the United States had symptoms of depression, resulting in a prevalence rate of 3% to 7% of the general population. This led to a loss of approximately $40 billion dollars a year in productivity (Breen, Robert and McCormac, Rupert 1). Everyone at one time or another has felt depressed, sad, or blue. Being depressed is a normal reaction to loss, life's struggles, or an injured self-esteem. But sometimes the feeling of sadness becomes intense, lasting for long periods of time and preventing a person from leading a normal life. In fact depression is often considered a "female disease," since affected women reportedly outnumber men by four to one. Yet male depression may be more. â€Å"Many men try to hide their condition, thinking it unmanly to act moody. And it works: National studies suggest that doctors miss the diagnosis in men a full 70% of the time† (Real, Terrance 1). But male depression also stays hidden because men tend to express depression differently than women do. Depressed women are more likely to talk abut their problems and reach out for help, while depressed men will often turn to some action or substance for relief. Men often attempt to escape pain by overusing alcohol or drugs, working exces sively or seeking extramarital affairs. They go into isolation, withdrawing from loved ones, and they may lash out, becoming irritable or violent (Real, Terrance 1). The American National Institute of National health has defined depression as an illness that invo... ...,000 possible; many suicides are not reported† (Hollister 80). Suicide often isn’t listed as the cause of death, even if it suspected as it doesn’t reflect the number of people who commit suicide by not eating, by abusing alcohol and medications, or by simply losing the will to live. Because of the low energy levels and impeded thought process that accompany severe depression, a patient may be unable to act on their suicidal thoughts at first. Close monitoring in such cases is very important. Depression in all its forms affects a lot of people around the world. It is an illness that has gone untreated and unrecognized for a long time. Depression affects the lives of the people affected and puts a burden on the community and family members. It is important for everyone to recognize that depression is an illness that requires treatment and assistance. It is perhaps the most common medical condition seen by primary care physicians today, and rapidly evolving drug therapy present management challenges. However at least newer medications are good, helpful and carry fewer risks with small side effects. Accurate diagnosis still remains the main focus point for effective patient care.

Guns germs and steel

There may be personal information you want considered as part of your admissions application. Write an essay describing that information. You might include exceptional hardships, challenges, or opportunities that have shaped or impacted your abilities or academic credentials, personal responsibilities, exceptional achievements or talents, educational goals, or ways in which you might contribute to an institution committed to creating a diverse learning environment. In all honesty, I haven't really endured many hardships.In fact, I see them more as entrances, or sometimes even opportunities that I could easily take on, avoid or Just not think of them with the knowledge that they will go away in time. My childhood, as well as my early middle school years, were spent in the very northern part of Georgia, only two hours from the capital, Atlanta. During the summer, in 2009, the recession had hit my family hard, so my dad, seeing no way to continue living the way we did, decided to move o ur family to Texas, where the workload and the wages were better, not to mention that we would be near family.You can only imagine how I felt leaving everything I knew behind to venture into the unknown. The first few months were difficult in Kathy, Texas. I was thrown into a situation where everything was different from what I knew, or grew up learning. The people, the surroundings, the whole concept made me nervous of beginning a new life in this small town. I didn't know how to talk to people, who were expressive and unafraid to speak their minds to someone new, whereas I remained silent through a discussion. I did not know how to open up to them like I would now with other people.The first ay, I nearly broke down into tears due to how badly I wanted my friends beside me. I had to sit alone at lunch on that first day, since no one knew who I was. The scene was turning into something from a movie where the new kid from Africa eats alone in the bathroom because she had no friends t o sit with. I had no idea how the kids who constantly moved everywhere in the states did it. Over a year later though, I had gotten used to the place. I found that I really liked it better in Kathy rather than in Georgia, and I made some good close friends who defined themselves from those sack in the Peach state.They were my special people. However, my father had once again decided to move our family further south to the ROI Grandee Valley after concluding that he did not like it in Kathy. Albeit it was better than Georgia, it was not good enough for him. I had been excited to move again, mostly for the reason that my dad made McAllen seem like a glorious city. When we arrived later on late summer of 2010, I had been horrified at the dramatic change of living. I had made it quite clear with the years that followed of how I tested the place, not because of how bad it looked on the outside, because of how different McAllen was from Kathy or Georgia.WAY different. Moving to the Valley , I discovered that I was a city girl. I wanted to visit the many malls in Houston (the Valley only had one good mall) and to go to the park without worry of feeling uncomfortable. I used to love to walk. I heard my parents constantly warning me of strangers, but it never dawned on me on how serious it was until I moved here. Four years have passed since we moved to McAllen, well, Parr actually. I still dislike this place. I faced the problems of being in a new school again, however, this time wasn't as scary as it was a year earlier.I was barely starting high school and everyone basically saw a new face they did not know, so it was bearable, but that did not mean that I was not nervous as I was back in Kathy. Here, I also made new friends. They weren't like those in Kathy or in the Peach State, but I still liked them. However, I didn't find myself really liking the SAA district, so my parents transferred me to the STIES district school, BETA. Honestly, I wished I had gone there soo ner. Sure, the school had ajar flaws, like in every other one, but I have made some really awesome friends who made the months seem like days, and years like only a few weeks.These friends were so different from those in SAA. Sure, everyone belonged to a different â€Å"clique†, but we were our own unique â€Å"clique† of weird, stressed out, goofy girls, which was sort of different from other schools that Vive gone to, as I wasn't part of one â€Å"clique†. No matter how different or similar each situation was in my life, they all taught me one thing: how to deal with it. Moving has taught me so many things, like being rounded with new people and how to properly deal with the new environment. I have actually learned that I like moving around and how quick I adjust to it, which can hopefully come in handy later.I know what it's like to move, and I have met different types of people, from different social classes, and ways of living from around the world. I have learned bit by bit from each and every one. I don't consider moving a hardship as I once did, but more of an opportunity to see new places, meet new people and experience different types of things like food or ways of thinking, and I m sure that whenever I or another person from somewhere economically and politically different moves in, I am able to help adjust and see to it that they or even I do not feel uncomfortable.I have gradually learned other things about myself, small things that make me who I am, and though I am content with some, I am determined to change others for the better. I hope, if I go too University which requires me to live in a new place, that I will not cry or freak out when my family is far away. Instead, I will keep calm and be certain that more pleasant things will come later, when I finally adjust. Guns Germs and Steel 1. Yali's question; â€Å"Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea but we black people had little cargo of our own? † 2. Diamond rewords the question as â€Å"History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among people environment not because of biological differences among peoples themselves. † 3. Jared Diamond analyzes several factors that he believes contributed to the existing balance of the world's resources. In order to answer Yali's question, he speculates about the role of geography, technology, cultural diffusion, agriculture, culture and biology. . The Maori evolved differently because of population and leadership differences. The Maori conquered the Moriori due to its advanced weapons and technology and the Moriori lost due to its lack of leadership and simple weapons. 5. Population density affected economies because the more people there are the more things you need such as food. It also affected social complexity because it easier to control smaller populations. With more people you need more control over things for decisions which goes with political organization 6.Atahualpa was the last ruler of the Inca Empire of pre-Columbian South America to exercise power independent of Spanish control. Francisco Pizarro and a small group of Spanish soldiers captured Atahualpa. In a vain attempt to save Atahualpa, his subjects assembled one of the largest ransoms in history, an estimated $30 million worth of gold and silver. 7. Pizzarro completely surprised and overwhelmed Atahualpa’s empire; Pizzarro had guns germs and steel where the Incas didn’t. Pizzarro also had horses that terrified the Incas having never seen it.Pizzarro also had a written language and the Incas did not. 8. Availability of more consumable calories means more people equals strength of numbers. Domestic animals fed people by furnishing meat, milk, and fertilizer and by animal labor. A nimals and crops also provide warmth and tools. 9. These areas are Southwest Asia's Fertile Crescent, China, Mesoamerica, the Andes and possibly the Amazon Basin, and eastern United States. 10. These areas are Sahel, tropical West Africa, Ethiopia, and New Guinea. 11. These areas were western and central Europe, Indus valley, and Egypt. 12.The only hunter-gatherers to continue to exist were those who were separated geographically or lived in areas not fit for food producing. One theory of why people first started producing food was just as a back-up plan. Another theory is that there are different factors in different parts of the world that caused the decision to move to farming. 13. A plant is to be domesticated when its native characteristics are altered such that it cannot grow and reproduce without human intervention. 14. Because Different factors in different parts of the world caused the decision to move to farming. 5. Some plants need to be pollinated by another plant, but s ome mutant plants are self-pollinating. These self pollinating plants would also be picked and eventually wipe out the non self-pollinating plants. 16. Eurasia 17. Three advantages were the climate of the Fertile Crescent was wet in the winters and dry in the summers, ancestor crops were already very productive and fruitful, and many of the crops that inhabited the Fertile Crescent were self-pollinating. 18. For one the continent contained the largest amount of wild mammals.Another reason is that Eurasia has had the least extinction in the last 40,000 years. In other parts of the world large mammals were not as readily available for domestication. 19. Diamond gives six reasons why: diet, growth rate, and problems of captive breeding, nasty disposition, tendency to panic, and social structure. 20. The Americas and Africa both have a north-south axis while Eurasia has a west-east axis. It is because west-east regions share the same length of day, same types of seasons, same diseases, and same aspects of climate such as rainfall and habitat.Trade spread farther west east than it did north south. 21. Plants moved from north to south or vice-versa were not built to endure the different climates, times of day, and etc. Domestic animals could not fight off the new types of disease and climate as well. 22. Genetically some people have developed immunity to certain diseases or illnesses through generations of repeated exposure. The small populations can't fight outside epidemics, and can't evolve their own because they are nearly wiped out every time, therefore the epidemic disappears. 3. Blueprinting copying- when you copy or modify an available detailed blueprint. Idea Diffusion-when you receive little more than the basic idea and have to try to do it yourself. 24. If kings limited writing they can better control the masses and there is a smaller chance of and uprising. 25. â€Å"Invention is often the mother of necessity† which means that many inventors creat ed things out of curiosity rather than because of need. In other words, they made a product before there was a demand for it 26.The factors are economic advantage of new technology, social value and prestige, vested interest, and ease of observing advantages. 27. Factors are peaceful trade, espionage, emigration, and war. 28. Behavior became lethal in the presence of peasant soldiers ungracefully blasting away with guns. Eventually reduced government orders for guns until japan was almost without functional guns. 29. Sedentary living was decisive for the history of technology, because it enabled people to accumulate non-portable possessions. 30. Bands are the smallest societies lack many types of institutions that other societies have.They are so small because the region they live in lacks the resources for larger societies. Next is the tribe, being a little larger. Tribes are large enough where they can have separate clans. Next is Chiefdoms, which contain different lineages, and h ave many jobs that were often filled by captured slaves. Chiefdoms had a redistributive economy in which the chief received all the goods and then spread it back out among all the people. States have many more slaves and are supported by a political and territorial basis, not one of kinship and heredity. 1. There are four reasons why large societies must have complex centralized government. Secondly is the â€Å"growing possibility of communal decision making with increasing population size. † Thirdly involves economic reasons of differentiating talents and transfer of goods. The final consideration is that larger societies have denser populations 32. One reason is because of early extinction of large wild fauna in the Americas, while in Eurasia there were a variety of wild animals for domestication. Agriculture is another reason.Eurasia also had much more variety of domestic able plants. Those parts of the Americas that did have agriculture were lacking in protein. It was al so much less successful because they did not have the labor animals that Eurasia did. Germs, metal, military technology, and power to operate machinery were all more reasons that Eurasia had such an advantage over the Native Americans. 33. Those parts of the Americas that did have agriculture were lacking in protein. 34. These were blacks, whites, African Pygmies, Khoisan, and Asians. 35. Iron tools and agriculture