Blood, Sweat, Tears and Oil The mistreatment of the...

Blood, Sweat, Tears and Oil: The mistreatment of the Ogoni People by Royal Dutch Shell and the Nigerian Government Introduction Nigeria, located in West Africa, is a densely populated nation of over 100 million people. Since the nation’s independence from Britain in 1960, the country has been in the hands of various leaders ranging from religious to staunchly militant. Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of crude oil in the world and it has one of the largest deposits of natural gas (Wiwa, 2001). Oil accounts for ninety five percent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earning and one-fourth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product comes from oil. A large percentage of this oil is located in the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta,†¦show more content†¦The movement to speak out against the injustices endured by the Ogoni people are also chronicled along with the resolutions to date that have been reached in the Niger Delta in order to ensure that the cycle of wrongs suffered by indigenous peoples does not occur again. Shell and the Nigerian government Oil was first discovered in the eastern region of the Niger Delta in 1956. With the country still under British rule, Shell teamed up with the British Petroleum Company to open up the Nigerian oil fields and became the Royal Dutch Shell. For nearly a decade the joint venture produced 367,000 barrels of oil per day. After Nigeria gained its independence from the British, Shell ensured that the Nigerian government would have a share in the company. With oil production going on in the eastern region of the country, it was only a matter of time until politics began to revolve around the resource. Oronto Douglas, Nigeria’s leading environmental human rights lawyer, said it best when he noted in the book Where Vultures Feast that â€Å"Oil is the stuff of contemporary Nigerian politics and the Niger Delta is the field on which the vicious battle to this money spinner is waged.† From July 1967 to January 1970 a civil war broke out between the eastern region (whose people united for the war effort and referred to the region as Biafra) and the rest of the country. The Biafra Civil War began because of barrels of oils and would

Looking Backward By Edward Bellamy, And Fahrenheit 451

Have you ever wondered what a perfect world would be like? To you it could mean no more war, no more poverty, every person of every race and gender being treated exactly the same. However, to someone else their idea of a perfect world could be the complete opposite of what you would want. In Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the idea of a perfect world is not just an idea anymore, it becomes reality. Nevertheless, both books â€Å"perfect world† are completely different from one another. The theme of both books is to try and find that perfect world, and maintain it. While there are many may differences between the two, the underlying truth still remains the same. In Bellamy’s novel, we start out in the late nineteenth century. Julian West, the main character, was born into an aristocratic family. Just as the rest of his class did, Julian thought of himself to be a higher rated citizen to the rest of the population. Julian had everyth ing, even his fiancà © Edith was an aristocrat, and together they felt as if they could take on the world. The gap between the rich and the poor sometimes affected the rich just as much as it did the poor. The two were to get married as soon as their house was finished, but strikes from the poor construction workers were prolonging that process. Julian had been suffering from insomnia all of his life, so he hired a hypnotist to help him get his sleep. He even went to the extent to build a secret underground chamberShow MoreRelatedLooking Backwards And Fahrenheit 4511221 Words   |  5 PagesEdward Bellamy and Ray Bradbury both expressed their concerns that they had during their two different time periods. Their pieces of literature both reflected on a what-if society based on the current living conditions. Each of the main characters were both guided by people and amazed at what they could find if they broke their norm and put their heads in the mindset of creating or living in a better society. In each of the novels Looking Backwards and Fahrenheit 451, the authors clearly oppose whatRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Vs. Looking Backward1560 Words   |  7 PagesFahrenheit 451 vs. Looking Backward In any society, there are bound to be flaws. In both Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy and Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury, major flaws of humanity are highlighted. Both authors discuss many issues we face, and offer ways to improve these issues. Bradbury suggests that society is too conformed, and the government is being hypocritical by telling us to fear a community in which everything is the same while facilitating that very type of place. EveryoneRead MoreEssay The Myopia of Dystopia3805 Words   |  16 Pagesdont deem the modern-day world as the good place(Hermon, Holman) but rather one of the indescribable atrocities of war, disease, hunger etc#8230; A utopian world is a difficult, if not impossible, one to forge. Novels such as Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, and 1984 are dystopian novels, with often-satirical undertones within their pages. This works are allegories, sardonic depictions of our societies ills. Each work contain strong hard-hitting political messages with common themes such as the fineRead MoreFahrenheit 451 Critical Essay1607 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Lintang Syuhada 13150024 Book Report 1 Fahrenheit 451 Critical Essay Human beings are naturally curious. We are always in search of better ideas, and new solutions to problems. One of a basic idea of Indonesia has been freedom of thinking and a free flow of ideas. But in some societies, governments try to keep their people ignorant. Usually, this is so governments can keep people under control and hold on to their power. In trying to keep people from the realities of the world, these oppressive

The Philosophy of the Buddhists Free Essays

I will give you a glimpse into the world of the Buddha and the philosophy that he used to practise and preach. He was born as Siddhartha Gautama in the year 563 BC in Lumbini a place situated near the Indo – Nepal border. His father was the ruler of a petty kingdom of the Sakya tribes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Philosophy of the Buddhists or any similar topic only for you Order Now Initially Siddhartha led the luxurious life of a prince in their palace at Kapilavastu, subsequently, he was married to Yasodhara. He had been living in marital bliss for thirteen years, when he saw an extremely sick person, a frail old man, the corpse of a deceased person, a corpse being cremated and a sadhu or holy man. This had a major impact on Siddhartha, who realized that the normal phases in a person’s life were old age, sickness and eventually death. In the year 528 BC, Siddhartha experienced the Great Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Gaya, consequently, he was known as Buddha or the enlightened one. His exhortations are known as dhamma. He attained Nirvana at the age of eighty, in the year 483 BC (Siddhartha Gautama). The Dhamma consists of four noble truths. The first of them states that life means suffering. It is essential to realize and accept that you have to undergo suffering in order to live in the world. The world and human nature are imperfect. According to the Majjhima – Nikaya, Sutta 63, the cycle of birth and death are continuous and humans have to experience old age, sorrow, lamentation, misery, grief and despair. There are pleasures such as ease, comfort and happiness. Hence from birth to death, humans experience both suffering and happiness. This serves to render the life pattern imperfect and incomplete. The world is essentially unpleasant and bereft of perfection. The second truth is that sufferings are caused by desires and to some extent due to ignorance. Attachment towards impermanent things and ignorance of the fact that those things are temporary causes suffering. Moreover, suffering is caused by desire, passion, ardor, and craving for wealth and fame. A very important precept in this context is that desire causes ignorance and vice – versa (L. Ross, 2007). The third noble truth is regarding the truth of cessation. Sufferings can be avoided and the complete cessation of suffering can be attained through nirodha or the unmaking of sensual craving and conceptual attachment. In order to end sufferings, one should identify their origin and remove them. This can be achieved through dispassion towards material things, which are transient in nature. In other words, suffering can be removed by realizing the cause of suffering and then removing the very cause. This is a continuous process, which eventually culminates in Nirvana or that supreme state of being that is free from all worries, complexes, fabrications and the individual ego (The Four Noble Truths). The fourth Noble truth is the truth of the way, which represents the via media between the extremes of asceticism and indulgence. There is an eight – fold path by which a human can attain Nirvana and end sufferings permanently. This way comprises of right knowledge, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation. This path removes all sufferings from life and extends over many lifetimes of a human (L. Ross, 2007). Therefore, Peter, you have to follow this eight fold path. The Buddha institutionalized a monastic order with five basic precepts. These precepts require abstention from killing others, stealing, indulgence in unchaste activities and the consumption of alcoholic drinks. These fundamental precepts are mandatory for every Buddhist and Peter you have to make them an integral part of your life. The Buddha had preached that the practise of these precepts resulted in Nirvana. Buddha refused to expatiate on the term Nirvana. According to Buddhism, both existence and nonexistence are meaningless. This philosophy is termed as the Fourfold Negation. It is the fundamental concept on which the Buddhist philosophy is based (L. Ross, 2007). Some very important and basic philosophical doctrines in Buddhism are first, momentariness; which states that nothing exists for a long time and that things do not have substance or duration. Moreover, every moment is a new existence and is succeeded by another new existence and their interconnection results in the next moment. The second doctrine is that of relative existence, which states that nothing has nature and character. In isolation, things are shunya, which means emptiness or a vacuum. Existence is therefore completely relative and the only unconditioned state is that of Nirvana. The third major doctrine is that there is no atman or soul. According to Buddhism, human beings consist of a body, feelings, ideas, impressions and momentary consciousness. Fourth, Buddhism does not accept the existence of God, Brahman or any other ultimate substance in the universe. Fifth, everything has a cause, which is dependent on a previous momentary existence. Sixth, karma, is only a causation and reincarnation is caused by the actions of people in the past. Therefore, karma is the effect of past actions (L. Ross, 2007). Another important concept of Buddhism is emptiness. A major philosophical paradox of Buddhism is that form is emptiness and emptiness is form. It is the mantra of Buddhism, whose origin is the Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra or the Heart Sutra. There are misconceptions about this concept of emptiness; western scholars defined it as nihilism. Nihilism states that reality is unknown, that nothing exists, that nothing meaningful can be described about the world. However, the Buddhist concept of emptiness is dissimilar to nihilism, because it states that the ultimate reality is knowable. It also states that there is a lucid ontological basis for phenomena. Further, human beings can communicate and obtain knowledge of the world. Sunyata or emptiness cannot be construed as nothingness. In other words, emptiness is not non – existence and it is also non – reality (Emptiness). Pay great attention to these thoughts, assimilate them and meditate upon them. Your preceptor, Bodhidharma Karmapang. References Emptiness. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 11, 2007, from http://www. thebigview. com/buddhism/emptiness. html L. Ross, K. (2007). THE BASIC TEACHINGS OF BUDDHISM. Retrieved September 11, 2007, from http://www. friesian. com/buddhism. htm Siddhartha Gautama. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 9, 2007, from The Big view: http://www. thebigview. com/buddhism/buddhasresume. html The Four Noble Truths. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 11, 2007, from http://www. thebigview. com/buddhism/fourtruths. html How to cite The Philosophy of the Buddhists, Papers

Chandon Wines Company

Question: Write about theChandon Wines Company. Answer: Apparently, Chandon is the leading company in Australia that manufactures genuine French heritage wines (Domaine Chandon, n.d.). Their success makes us to have a thought of trying to discover the factors that drive the company up the ladder of success. In the verge of discovering the untold success stories on the company, the following are some of the questions that I would ask the interviewees about the company: What makes the company to produce a sparkling quality wine that is awesome hence giving a blue feeling to anyone who tastes it especially the champagne wine which has a natural taste? I would like to enquire about the company`s marketing strategy. In this case, I will expect the interviewee to say the unique element that makes their products to hit the market as far as the company is maintaining their competitive edge in the market. I would further investigate about the company`s branding. The company has a unique way to sell out itself to the clients. I will specifically focus on the unique proposition that keeps new customers coming along and retaining the regular customers as well. Further, maybe another crucial question I would like clarification is about the technology the company management are deploying to ensure their products meet the quality of their clients. To access Chandon premises, First, I have to prepare and schedule time for the activities. I have to come up with a suitable time plan that will guide me on how to carry out the interview. In connection to that I would be required to book an appointment with the management. Prior to the visit, I will send an email to the management and later make a phone call to clarify and confirm if they received my email. In the email I will disclose the intention of doing the research, explicitly explain the relevance of the research to both the interviewee and the interviewer. Emphasize on the people I would like to interview. This is important because the management will make some individuals who I would like to interview aware so that they also prepare for the interview. Among other minor preparations, I will seek a route map to guide us to the location of Chandon Company (Location of company headquarters, 2016). In addition, I will estimate the average cost that would facilitate the process, and as well I will put together the data collection tools not forgetting identifying the method of collecting data I will deploy. Proper preparation means I account for everything that will happen during the interview, I ensure even the minor aspects are dealt with. Also, I will specify the time I will avail myself in the Company so that the management can select the staff and venue of the interview. As our team strategizing on the problem space; preparing questions, setting schedules for and time limits and the cost of expenditure while on the ground will make the process more palatable. Especially on time allocation we decided to have a (20 minutes to one hour) conversation with each interviewee. Incorporating all the team members in the interview will have a lot of influence on the future of the both the interviewers and the interviewee. This work sounds simple but the initiative of doing the field research (Mays,2013). However, getting first-hand information from Chandon Company will incredibly powerful. References Domaine Chandon. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.chandon.com.au/about Location of company headquarters. (2016). doi:10.1787/trends_edu-2016-graph25-en Mays,A.P. (2013). Company Profile: Euromonitor International.Against the Grain,14(1). doi:10.7771/2380-176x.3142