Thugs or Thuggees of India

Thugs or Thuggees of India The Thugs or Thuggees were organized gangs of criminals in India who preyed upon trade caravans and wealthy travelers.   They operated like a secret society, and often reportedly included otherwise respectable members of society.   The leader of a Thuggee group was called a jemadar, a term that means essentially boss-man.   Thugs would meet travelers along the road and befriend them, sometimes camping and traveling with them for several days.   When the time was right, the Thugs would strangle and rob their unsuspecting travel companions, burying the bodies of their victims in mass graves not far from the road, or throwing them down wells. The Thugs may have come into existence as early as the 13th century CE. Although members of the group came from both Hindu and Muslim backgrounds, and all different castes, they shared in the worship of the Hindu goddess of destruction and renewal, Kali. Murdered travelers were considered as offerings to the goddess.   The killings were highly ritualized; the Thugs did not want to spill any blood, so they usually strangled their victims with a rope or a sash. A certain percentage of the stolen goods would also be donated to a temple or shrine honoring the goddess. Some men passed down the rituals and secrets of the Thugs to their sons.   Other recruits would apprentice themselves to established Thug masters, or gurus, and learn the trade in that way.   Occasionally, young children who were accompanying a victim would be adopted by the Thug clan and trained in the ways of the Thugs, as well. It is quite strange that some of the Thugs were Muslim, given the centrality of Kali in the cult.   In the first place, murder is forbidden in the Quran, excepting only lawful executions:   Do not kill a soul that God has made sacrosanct... Whosoever kills a soul, unless it be for murder or for wreaking corruption in the land, it shall be as if he had killed all mankind.   Islam is also very strict about there being only one true God, so making human sacrifices to Kali is extremely un-Islamic. Nonetheless, both Hindu and Muslim Thugs continued to prey upon travelers in what is now India and Pakistan through the nineteenth century.   British colonial officials during the British Raj in India were horrified by the depredations of the Thugs, and set out to suppress the murderous cult. They set up a special police force specifically to hunt the Thugs, and publicized any information about Thuggee movements so that travelers would not be taken unawares. Thousands of accused Thugs were arrested.   They would be executed hanging, jailed for life, or sent into exile. By 1870, most people believe that the Thugs had been destroyed. The word Thug comes from the Urdu thagi, which is taken from the Sanskrit sthaga meaning scoundrel or cunning one. In southern India, the Thugs are also known as Phansigar, signifying strangler or user of a garotte, after their favorite method of dispatching their victims.

Correcting Subject-Verb Agreement Errors

Correcting Subject-Verb Agreement Errors This exercise will give you practice in identifying and correcting errors in subject-verb agreement. You may find it helpful to review the guidelines and examples of Tricky Cases of Subject-Verb Agreement. The Exercise All sentences in this exercise are in the​ present tense. For each sentence, write correct if the verb in italics agrees with the subject in person and number. If the verb does not agree with the subject, write the correct form of the verb. When youre done, compare your responses with the answers at the bottom of the page. Music soothe me.Once a month our teacher bake brownies for the class.Mary never take the bus to work.Paul and Douglas are arguing again.Both of my daughters are professional gymnasts.One of those mechanics have a set of jumper cables.One of my brothers friends is a pilot.Each of the children are allowed one extracurricular activity.The woman who owns those cars live in my apartment building.Every one of my professors drives a hybrid car.Almost everyone in my town remember the night that the firehouse burned down.The last two questions on the exam is especially hard.The pulses emitted by a neutron star recur at precise intervals.My sister in Tucson and my brother in Yuma is coming home for the holidays.Weight loss, dietary changes, and exercise is often all you need to keep your blood pressure under control. Here are the answers (in bold) to the exercise: Music  soothes  me.Once a month our teacher  bakes  brownies for the class.Mary never  takes  the bus to work.CorrectCorrectOne of those mechanics  has  a set of jumper cables.CorrectEach of the children  is  allowed one extracurricular activity.The woman who owns those cars  lives  in my apartment building.CorrectAlmost everyone in my town  remembers  the night that the firehouse burned down.The last two questions on the exam  are  especially hard.CorrectMy sister in Tucson and my brother in Yuma  are  coming home for the holidays.Weight loss, dietary changes, and exercise  are  often all you need to keep your blood pressure under control.

Country analysis ( Germany ) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Country analysis ( Germany ) - Research Paper Example In particular, Germany majors on manufacturing and processing of products, ranging from vehicles, machineries and even chemicals that are highly valued globally. Trade Exports accounted for about 52 percent of its GDP. European Union (EU) integration has facilitated intra-European trade accounting for about 69 percent of German exports shipped to European countries. In addition, it accounts for an estimated value of 58.2 percent delivered to member states of the EU. The report highlights Germanys largest trading partners based on the amount of revenue generated and the percentage they account for in trading with Germany. The report gives details about Germany’s Outward investments in the form of Foreign Direct Investments with a primary focus laid on net inflows and outflows. The report tabulates the statistics from 2004 to 2013 and shows how both have influenced the growth of Germany’s economy. Germany has a very stable economy based on the evidences the report offers. The country has continually relied on its well-established industrial base to fast track their exports being part of the Euro economic zone. The country’s currency is moderately valued on the global scale. Germany’s economic environment is promising in the long-term international trading activities’ perspective. The merits attribute to its high scores in economic liberty, diverse economic strategies, and government transparency. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has encouraged Germany to reduce on fiscal stance that may rather render the instability of the

Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Urban and Suburban Spaces Essay

Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Urban and Suburban Spaces - Essay Example The environment that surrounds the dead, that coldness and loneliness, together with all the mythical ghosts so to say; literally drives fear in me. The fact that a mortuary is a place that, in every way, no matter how one tries to view it or interpret its purpose is a place that harbors or stores corpses is very scary to me. On the other hand, the safest place in the world, in my opinion, is the church. The stillness and serenity that is in the church gives one the sense of purpose and renewed sense in life. This is what gives me the peace to live a full, successful life. The church brings out the good in everything and everyone even death. It gives hope that there is life after death. Although, we may lose loved ones through death, we have the hope of seeing them again in the next life. It teaches us that we should live this life with joy and peace valuing everyone we meet in life because it is this peaceful living, which helps one live a complete and happy life. These two environments are total opposites of one another. One environment is very hostile and unfriendly; the other one is very friendly and serene. The coldness, loneliness and deathly aura that surrounds a mortuary, bring with it the feeling of fear and danger, while the peaceful and serene aura that comes with being in and around the church, brings with it peace and tranquility. These experiences that have showed me the geographical contrast of two situations that in one way or the other, affected my life, showed me that different environments bring out different experiences in one’s life and that all experiences no matter how trivial, affect us, in one way, or the other. The environment does affect how someone lives his or her life. Taking an example of the people living on the sidewalks who are accustomed to the hard surfaces even if their rights to vend there were taken away its been shown

Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Motivation - Essay Example KeySpan is the surviving entity of a merger between Brooklyn Union Gas and Long Island Lighting Company. It was Kenny Moore's job to bring together the personnel of the IT departments of the two merging companies. He decided to do it through an "open space" meeting, wherein the 400 IT staff members would come together to voice topics they would want to discuss in subsequent breakout sessions. Initially, the CIO was apprehensive that nobody would suggest any topic, and proposed planting topics with the directors in advance to "make sure some people came forward". Kenny discouraged this and said it was better to risk this chance and show the employees that the management trusted the process. In the end, some 50 topics for breakout session were proposed, and the breakout sessions were enthusiastically and energetically undertaken, making the open space meeting a huge success. Kenny observed that the key to success was the "Ownership for a successful merger from the hallowed halls of serious management into the cubicles of the ordinary work." He attributed the success to the freedom inherent in a business "invitation". A careful reader will note that the word 'motivation' is not used once in this case and yet, the case clearly has a lot to say about motivation and how it is managed in the workplace. Use the previously discussed theories to explain why people were motivated. While the word "motivation" was never used in the case, it was clearly such a case. Management intended for people to perform in a certain manner and act a certain way to yield a particular result. Through the process of the "open space" meeting, management was able to motivate the people to do just that. There are several motivational theories that may explain why the process worked. Herein we shall discuss the case from the point of view of four of these theories, for the sake of conciseness and relevance. McGregor's Theory Y In 1960, Douglas McGregor began a long-standing debate (that incidentally still exists today) with the publication of his book The Human Side of the Enterprise. He introduced in this work his theory for which he is famously credited, Theory X and Theory Y. Essentially, he posed the question, "Could employees be trusted and empowered to do good work, or did they have to be closely directed, monitored, and controlled to act in the interests of the firm'" (Kochan et al, 2002, p. 2) Theory X, which is defined as the authoritative management style, posits that employees need to be closely monitored and controlled. On the other hand, Theory Y, popularly known as the participative management style, answers this with the first alternative, that is, that employees, may be counted on to do good work on their own and thus may be empowered to act on their own initiative. Theory Y makes the following assumptions: 1. Given the

Pluralist Elitist and Marxist Theories of the State

Pluralist Elitist and Marxist Theories of the State The three disparate theories of the state, namely the Elitist, the Pluralist and the Marxist theories are briefly discussed in the essay. They are also compared and contrasted in detail, highlighting each of their strengths and weaknesses. Introduction There are three positions through which a state can be examined. The Pluralist concept of the state mentions that the state is neutral relatively, and a number of power centers exist in a state. According to the Marxist theory, the state serves as an instrument for the rich and the bourgeois classes, who attempt constantly to suppress the working classes or the proletariat for its own personal interests. On the other hand, the belief of the Elitist theory is that the state contains two different aspects, violence and territoriality. Thus, modern states of the 20th and 21st centuries often resort to violence within its borders. The modern state is like a committee which manages the common issues of the bourgeoisie. (Marx Engels, 1985) Marxism The proponent of the Marxist theory, Karl Marx, was of the opinion that most of the political power of the society is controlled by the bourgeois class. The modern state is also extremely reliant on credits and taxes. Most of the credits and taxes are also borne by the bourgeois class. Whats more, the media such as newspapers or television is also controlled by the bourgeois. This makes it easier for the bourgeois to enter politics and succeed in politics. The bourgeois state serves as a mutual insurance pact which protects the interests of the bourgeois class at the expense of the exploited class (McLellan, 1971) Marx was also the opinion that the bourgeois was basically using the modern state for enhancing the lifestyle and prospects of the capitalist class of the society. One of the famous quotes from the Communist manifesto, Marx Engels (1985. p.82) states The executive of the modern State is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie. Marx also believed that communism was the best solution for such a capitalist society. The conflict among the classes keeps increasing as the capitalism in the state develops, since the interests of the bourgeois are furthered by the state in capitalism. Furthermore, capitalism also facilitates the bourgeoisie to give concessions to the proletariat, in scenarios where there is a social instability. The welfare state of the Scandinavian regions is something similar to the Marxist view of the state. Concessions such as unemployment benefits, free education, free health check and pension schemes are given by the bourgeois to the proletariat in certain Scandinavian states. Pluralism The Pluralist view of the state is completely different from the Marxist view. The Pluralist does not believe that the state is essentially conflicting in nature, as the Marxist and the Elitist schools of thought believe. Rather, the Pluralist view of the state is that it is neutral in nature; it is also believed that the state is susceptible to a number of influences from various groups in the society. The modern state therefore is not only dominated by one class, that is the capitalist or the bourgeoisie class, which dominates the political power, as believed by the Marxist theory; the modern state is rather a type of framework from wherein a variety of interests of the society can be reconciled. The concept of the state according to the Pluralist view is also that there can be various sources of political power. Therefore, not a single group can have monopoly of political power, according to the Pluralists. Although the capitalist class can have a very strong foothold in the society, they cannot however have complete dominance over the working class, as proposed by the Marxists. The proletariats can extend their power through labor unions or trade unions. Since the capitalist class cannot do without the labor class, the working class also exerts a strong influence on the capitalist class, according to the Pluralists. The modern state is not actually an instrument by which one class can dominate over the other class. Its rather a framework which helps in the reconciliation of diverse society interests (Schwarzmantel, 1994; Schwarzmantel, 1987; Dunleavy OLeary, 1987). The pluralist model can easily explain employee organizations and trade unions. Since organizations and trade unions have the power over the government, the politicians, trade unions, businesses and the proletariat have a share in the state power. The power is dispersed among the government, the organizations and the labor unions as well, proving once again that the neutrality of the state according to the Pluralist view is also valid. Elitist The Elitist theory was put forward by Max Weber. In his view, the state is used as an instrument through which some groups of a state control the other groups. Hence, the Elitist view of the state is quite similar to the Marxist view of the state. However, the central difference between the theory of Weber and the Marxist view is that the Elitist believes in the idea of legitimacy. For example, people follow the rules of the government because they believe that the government or the state is legitimate. However, Marxists believe that the state itself should be abolished since it is not legitimate. The Elitist concept of the state also lays emphasis on bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is one of the most effective methods of organizing the modern state. Weber also believes that the bureaucrats form a group of elites. This group of bureaucrats is extremely political in nature, and has the specialist knowledge which the politicians do not possess. The state symbolizes the relation of men who dominate men. This domination is supported through legitimate violence. If the state has to exist, the ones who are dominated must obey the authority of the dominant group (Gerth Mills, 1967). Another contrasting point between the Elitists and the Marxists and Pluralists is that the Pluralists and Marxists believe the state to have specific function. For the Marxists, the working classes are suppressed while for the pluralists; different groups of society are reconciled. However for the Elitists, the state cannot be defined in straightforward terms since the state performs several tasks and has two defining features, territoriality and violence. If certain groups have the right to use force over its territory, its because the state has granted the rights. Politics is all about the power struggle, according to Weber. Power is defined by Weber as a tool to make someone perform a task which he otherwise wouldnt have performed (Lassman, 2000; de Jasay, 1985). Conclusion The Pluralist, Marxists and Elitist concept of the state essentially contains a different kind of political conception. Marx believed that politics is actually a class conflict, and further adds that political relations can be transformed into economic ones. The Elitist theory of Weber also has a similar thought process. Marxists propose that politics is about the fight for power, however Weber disagrees with the viewpoint of Marx, since he doesnt agree that the Marxist view of reducing politics to a class struggle and economic factors. Weber is an elitist since Weber emphasizes the significance of a strong political leadership (Held, 1989; Dunleavy OLeary, 1987). However, the concepts of Weber and the Marxist are quite elitist in nature, which sharply contrasts with the Pluralist view of the state. The Pluralists believe that the state is not exclusively controlled by the bourgeois or the bureaucrats; rather its the dynamics of various social groups which ultimately impacts the fabric of the state. Then again, the Pluralist viewpoint has certain similarities with the elitist viewpoints since both of them believe that several sources of political power impact the state, unlike the Marxist view which believes that economic factors determine the political dynamics of the state. All in all, all the viewpoints of the Pluralist, the Marxist and the Elitist, helped define and understand the true nature of the state more deeply. Although each of them has their own unique way of interpreting the workings of the state, all of them give a true picture of some of the dimensions of the state.

Collective Bargaining and Labour Market Outcomes for Canadian Working W

Collective Bargaining and Labour Market Outcomes for Canadian Working Women I  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  INTRODUCTION: UNIONS, LOW PAY, AND EARNINGS INEQUALITY The major purposes of this paper are, first, to examine the impacts of collective bargaining on labour market outcomes for women workers in Canada, specifically with respect to pay, benefits coverage, the incidence of low pay and the extent of earnings inequality, and, second, to suggest ways in which positive impacts could be extended via the expansion of collective bargaining coverage. This part of the paper briefly reviews the literature on the impacts of collective bargaining on earnings, low pay, and earnings inequality, and Part II provides some background description of the labour market position of Canadian working women. Particular attention is paid to the situation of the majority of women who continue to work in lower paid, often insecure and part-time, clerical, sales, and service jobs. The central conclusion of the empirical analysis in Part III, mainly based on data from Statistics Canada's 1995 Survey of Working Arrangements, is that collective bargaining coverage, con trolling for other factors, has significant positive impacts in terms of raising pay and access to benefits, and in terms of reducing the incidence of low pay among women workers. However, the level of collective bargaining coverage for women is very low in precisely those sectors of the economy where women in low paid and insecure jobs are most concentrated, namely in private services and in smaller enterprises. Promoting better labour market outcomes for women workers accordingly requires a major extension of collective bargaining. Part IV of the paper briefly considers ways in which this could be achieved through trade union action and through changes to public policy. The 1996 OECD Employment Outlook comprehensively documented profound differences in the degree of earnings inequality and the incidence of low pay in the advanced industrial countries, noting that these two labour market characteristics are closely related in that "the incidence of low pay tends to be highest in those countries where earnings inequality is the most pronounced." While there is significant variation between countries, a generalized pattern is that continental European countries, particularly in Northern Europe, have a strikingly more equal distributio... ...omen in non-unionized jobs, while for men, the wage difference was about $4.50 - or 24 per cent. The wage premium associated with unionization is shown for selected subgroups of women and men in Table 3. It is notable that the apparent union wage premium tends to be higher for less educated workers, though this is more clearly the case for men than for women. This is consistent with the fact that managerial and professional occupations in the private sector have very low rates of unionization. Table 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Average Hourly Wages of Women and Men, by Unionization and Selected Characteristics, Canada 1995   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WOMEN  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MEN  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Union  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Non-Union  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Union Premium"  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Union  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Non-Union  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "Union Premium" All Age 15 to 24 Age 25 to 44 Age 45 to 69 Less than high school High school grad. Certificate/Diploma University degree Full-time Part-time Managerial/Admin. Professional Clerical Sales Services Blue Collar Firm size less than 20 Firm size 20 to 99 Firm size 100 to 500 Firm size + 500   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   16.68 11.23 16.92 17.37 12.16 14.60 16.56 21.38 16.90 15.95 18.59 19.49 14.47