A modest proposal

In this story, A modest proposal, i’m supposed to find two important values which are fairness and justice. The story does not necessarily need to have these values mentioned before. Before continuing with this essay it’s important to know the definition of these values. Fairness and justice are two very similar values after all. Fairness is an impartial and just treatment or behaviour without favouritism or discrimination. It is the quality of being reasonable, right and just. Not to choose someone after the other for selfish reasons, but to be reasonable or fair about it, fairness also means equality. Justice is fairness in the way people are dealt with, it is the condition of being morally correct or fair about something or someone. Now, to be honest about the story and these values, i did not see them in any character nor point it out in any part of the story since what it talks about is how Jonathan Swift makes a shocking and cruel proposal to the town. This proposal consists in killing innocent children, children of the poor, to be used as food for the wealthy and rich. He made this proposal as a response to the economic crisis Ireland was suffering at the time, and because of the overpopulation Ireland had as well. This story took place at around late 1720s and it was the time when Ireland was suffering for several years if poor harvests that even farmers had trouble paying the rents demanded by their English landlords. This problem is what caused Jonathan Swift to come to this decision.It is something that has no fairness nor justice in any way. Jonathan Swift is a man that has never had kids so he doesn’t know what the parents are feeling towards his proposal, and what they should have to go through because of their economical resources. These families had more kids, children they need to take care of, and feed as well that they had to agree with this proposal. They actually fed their 1 year old babies too much so they would become chubbier and have extra meat for the wealthy people to buy from the market, cook, and eat these poor kids. They also used their skins as accessories which as horrible at it sounds is true. This is not fair at all, where had justice gone to? The act they were making was just cruel and selfish, taking away a babies life for those reasons when there are many other ways to find a solution. The baby is not mature enough to make these type of important decisions, so it wouldn’t be fair at all to just take their life away and let the wealthy take away their baby from them and use them as food.

The Diary of Samuel Pepys

The Diary of Samuel Pepys has two values that are shown in this story but before naming them; the definition or aspect of these two values which are thankfulness and trustworthiness should be left clear for your own knowledge.

Thankfulness is when you are grateful or show gratitude towards someone or something for doing something you appreciate. While trustworthiness is the ability to be relied on as honest or truthful.  It’s deserving of trust and confidence, being reliable.

At the beginning of the story we can say that these two very important values weren’t shown, it didn’t make part of the characters’ traits; but as the story evolved and went on, we could see that when the fire happened, there was an act of trustworthiness since the people of the city helped each other out when they saw the houses getting burnt down. This act that was done showed me that the people living there in the neighbourhood are the type of people you can rely on for anything and are trustworthy. It was an act of empathy and compassion to help each other like that as well. Even tho Pepys just stood there watching the fire from the window and did nothing at all, not even react to it. It was like he didn’t care about it, he felt more important than his lovely and trustworthy neighbours that do have empathy.  There’s another part of the story where i believe Pepys shows some humanity and it’s when his nice wife goes inside the dining room with his plate of food and gives it to him. He shows thankfulness and he thanks his wife for preparing him that very delicious meal.

Those are the only two values i got to see in the story for those people, the people from the neighbourhood and Pepys.

Virtues a person must have

What virtues must a person have today to make Earth a better place to live in? This question is important for us to read about since it’s a way to opening our eyes and minds and realizing the things we need to make our environment and what’s around us a better place, but before getting to answering the exact question, we must leave the aspect of “virtue” clear. A virtue is a moral habit which generally results in the gaining or maintaining of your values. Your values are based on your moral standard which should be your own life. Virtue is a characteristic of man that involves choice and there are two different kinds: intellectual virtues and moral virtues. Some might say that good qualities are innate and developed through good parenting, which they are, but we’re not perfect. Virtues need to be cultivated to become more prevalent and habitual in daily life. With the habit of being more virtuous, we take the helm of our own life, redirecting its course towards greater fulfillment, peace and joy. 

Now that the aspect of virtue is clear we can get to answering the main question. If you want to become a better human being, then you are going to have to see the world beyond yourself. And if you want to see the world beyond yourself, then you are going to have to see the world from other “selfs”, which means from other people’s eyes or perspective. This is called empathy— it is seeing, feeling and understanding the world as if you are the other, and it is the most important practice you can do to make the world a better place. Our default mode and most common problem is egocentrism— which is important to own; that you are a self that exists on its own — but the primary cause of unhealth in our lives, our relationships, and the world; is our failure to move beyond ego-centrism. Consider the unjust, frustration, ignorant, or, even, evil effects you see in the world. There is a good chance that it’s root is someone or some group who has failed to move beyond themselves. So yes, begin with the good of the self, but at some point, you must also be intentional about the good of the other — seeing them, not as an object or stranger or an antagonist that you must work around in order to achieve something for yourself, but as a fellow human being with whom you move through the world with, interdependently. You want to create a good world? You want to be your best? The foundational ingredient, then, is empathy. It is the bridge that exposes and embodies the connection you have with the world around you by seeing the world around you with the same intimacy and assumptions that you see with yourself. Empathy is what many religious & philosophical traditions laud as the central virtue of being a flourishing human being. Empathy is the foundation that makes a healthy, thriving world possible. Attribution is seeing someone or witnessing something happen and attributing what is going on internally to manifest the behavior, thought, or effect of their existence.

Now, this is never completely accurate as you aren’t even able to attribute your own behaviors or thoughts perfectly because of how complex your existence is let alone someone whose identity you don’t inhabit. But the goal of attribution isn’t to know perfectly what is going on in another person’s internal state, the goal is simply what the attempt does — it forces you to see the world outside of yourself.

A better world starts with ourselves and it might just come through empathy where your interests become the interest of everyone. Where we navigate the world through a shared, collaborative perspective as opposed to our own, separate, defensive ones. 

The Monster at your Door

This legend was originally from Lebanon but it has become an international one. This legend talks about a “monster”, well it is said that its a figure that looks like one, no one has ever prooved it obviously. It is described as a big, hairy, monster-like figure and the legend talks about how it goes to families with misbehaved kids houses at about 3:15 am and knocks on the door. If the kids open the door, which most likely they shouldn’t do as they are taught by their parents not to open the door to strangers, they would be taken away by this “monster” and disappear for a while. The legend says that when the monster basically kidnaps the kids, they would disappear for about a year and come back with no memory of their disappearance, they would come back as a totally new kid with better  behavior and with respect to the elder.

My country

Colombia, the country we are living in, is a country located at the north tip of South America. It is bounded by Panama and the Carribean Sea in the north, by Venezuela and Brazil in the east , by Peru and Ecuador in the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Colombia is one of the largest South American countries at 439, 733 sq. miles. Colombia is a mainly Spanish speaking, Catholic country, but has a diverse population. The capital and largest city is Bogota. The 2018 population of Colombia is estimated at 49.46 million, which ranks 28th in the world. Colombia has an estimated 2018 population of 49.46 million, up from the 2005 census population of 42.88 million. It is one of the top 30 most populous countries. Colombia is officially known as the Republic of Colombia, it consists of thirty-two departments. Our Colombian people have a very diverse culture. About 58 percent of the people are of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry, or mestizo, about 20 percent are of unmixed European ancestry, and about 14 percent are of mixed black and white ancestry, or mullatto. The other 8 percent is made up of blacks, Native Americans, and people of mixed race. Colombia also has the largest Catholic population in the world. Colombia's 1991 constitution, which replaced a charter dating from 1886, gave Colombia a highly centralized republican form of government. The constitution is based on three different branches of government: the executives, represented by the president and his cabinet; the legislative, which is made up of the senate and the house of representatives; and the judiciary, which is responsible for the legal admisitration. The president is elected by popular vote, for a four year term. When his term finishes he cannot be reelected for another term. There is also a vice president. Senators and representatives are elected in the same year as the president. There are seats that are designated for minority groups such as the Native Americans, who have two seats in the Senate, and the blacks and guerrillas, who also have two seats. Barranquilla is my city, the capital of Colombia’s Atlántico Department, is a bustling seaport flanked by the Magdalena River. Y This city has a population of 1,218 million people. The city is known for its enormous Carnival, The Carnival of Barranquilla or as people from other countries say, “The Battle of Colors” is a unique festivity which takes place every year during February or March on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Cumbia, both music and dance, is considered to be the main essence of the Carnival. A colourful mixture of the ancient African tribal dances and the Spanish music influence – cumbia, porro, mapale, puya, congo among others – hit for five days nearly all central streets of Barranquilla, the capital of the Atlántico Department. Those traditions kept for centuries by Black African slaves have had the great impact on Colombian culture and Colombian society. In November 2003 the Carnival of Barranquilla was proclaimed as the Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Every year people from around the world come and visit our city Barranquilla to live and experience of the carnival. It is easier for tourists to afford a ticket to Colombia rather than Brazil, which is a country that is known for it’s greatest and biggest carnivals out other countries that do celebrate these sort of things. My neighborhood is a simple and quite one, i love the place it’s located in because getting anywhere is easier since everything is close by. I live a block away from my school, a block away from the Buena Vista mall, a few blocks away from home center, and from the park; which are the benefits i have of living in this section, i can go anyplace at anytime by walking.

My life

My name is Shadia Zalaket and i was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. I live with both my parents and two siblings who i love very much. I’ve moved a lot from one country to another as a child because of my dad’s work. Most of those countries are Middle Eastern ones. We left Colombia when i was just a kid  and went to Lebanon, which is where my dad is from. It’s a very beautiful country and i enjoyed living my childhood there and getting to meet a new culture and new people. Unluckily, we got to experience war in Lebanon on the year of 2008 so we went to Syria for a while. My dad also took us to Saudi Arabia with him for his great job opportunity and we lived there for about 4 years. It was a whole new world for me because the women there had to cover up their whole bodies, and women couldn’t drive by then either, but after all it is a very beautiful country and i would love going back for a visit. We came back to Colombia mostly because of my sister’s university and the better opportunities she can get here since her arabic was not that great. After all, Colombia is a beautiful country and it wasn’t that hard making friends here and i am really happy with my life and the people surrounding me.

Why women are rejected from some work fields

        Many women have been rejected from jobs because of various reasons and this is a problem that has been held since decades ago. In old times, women could not work because of their gender, they didn’t allow them to study, learn, nor work. They believed that women were born to be housewives and not to be successful. But as our generation has grown by time, this has not been that big of a problem anymore.
         Some women have been denied job applications because of their gender. They’ve been told that they couldn’t work a specific job because it’s supposedely “according to them” a job that only guys can do. This issue is called masculism. Many Americans believe that men are more capable at handling politics and leaderships, but the truth is that both men and women are both capable of being as equally good at something as the other one. It sucks but it’s true: If a woman’s been in the workforce long enough, there’s a good chance she’s experienced some type of discrimination.
Some women are paid less just because of their gender, they work the same job as some men do but are still paid much less while they work as hard or even harder than other people do, so this would be very unfair for them. And when we talk about earning less, we’re presuming that a woman got the job in the first place. Not only do women face lower pay, they also face lower odds of internal promotions or receiving a job offer. Fostering a culture of gender diversity isn’t just good for women, though–it’s good for men, and it’s good for business. Girls and women are outranking boys and men more and more when it comes to education at school and university, yet that success does not generally translate into equal opportunity for women in the workplace.Whether you've experienced sexual harassment, a corporate outing to a strip club or are called "young lady” in the office, sexism is pretty common in 2018. There is less overt discrimination today than several decades ago, but there was "still plenty around", including when women become pregnant.
Women are more likely to take care of their children, or look after elderly parents. Combined with the rising costs of childcare, there are various barriers which hinder women from reaching the top jobs. It appears the old adage remains true: a woman will see one skill on a job spec that she does not feel confident about and ditch her application, while a man will apply for the same job based on the one skill that they do have. Because the top levels of most sectors are already dominated by men, there are plenty of people that younger men can relate to and receive a helping hand from as they climb up the ladder. Sectors that are dominated by women, such as teaching and nursing, tend to be underpaid relative to other sectors. This is the most controversial point but, the most interesting one to grapple with.Men might generally cling onto the greasy pole of higher management, but women are more likely to weigh up their work/life balance. So long as mothers are the ones more likely to take time off after having children, women’s full-time work is always going to struggle to match that of men. One issue however is due to the changing nature of the economy and the industries which mostly employ women.
      All of these problems mentioned have their solutions. Women should not be rejected just for their gender, just for being women, because us women are as strong and have the same capacity and ability to do all of the things men do.

Economical, political, and social situations in 3 southern countries

           South America is one of the most biodiverse continents on earth. Brazil is the largest country in South America, encompassing around half of the continent's land area and population. The remaining countries and territories are divided among three regions: The Andean States, the Guianas and the Southern Cone. This continent is built up from 12 countries and 3 dependencies.
            I have decided to talk about our country Colombia, about Venezuela which is it’s neighbor and about Argentina in this essay.
Colombia’s government is a republic with the separation of powers, that is divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. It’s legislative has a congress, it’s judiciary has a supreme court, and it’s executive branch has it’s president. One positive aspect that Colombia has is that there have been more movements and groups because before it was only divided into the liberals and conservatives, and by time this has changed and progressed. Our country has its problems, sone examples would be the corruption the country has and the peace process conflict. These two conflicts mentioned before are a big problem our country faces since it has its controversies. The peace process has its negative and positive aspects. We all know that if that contract is signed, then the displacement of people because of violence would end, and lands would be given back to their own farmers. Its negative side is that when that contract is signed, then the participation of the guerrilla groups in the politics would be made and no one would want that. Colombia is a society characterized by its deep social exclusion. More than 60 percent of the population is poor—more than 11 million Colombians do not even earn a dollar a day and cannot maintain minimal levels of nutrition. Furthermore, 80 percent of the rural population is poor and nearly 60 percent is destitute. Our economical situation is a problem since teachers and workers are not being paid the fair amount of money they should be winning, and I believe that all of these problems would be resolved of the government does something about it for the better of our corrupted country.
Venezuela is a country of natural beauty, ranging from the snow-capped Andean peaks in the west, through the Amazonian jungles in the south, to the beaches of the north. It is also among the most highly urbanized countries in Latin America. The country has some of the world’s largest proven oil deposits as well as huge quantities of coal, iron ore, bauxite and gold. Yet many Venezuelans live in poverty, often in shanty towns, some of which sprawl over the hillsides around the capital, Caracas. Venezuela is now in the midst of an unprecedented economic and political crisis marked by severe food and medicine shortages, soaring crime rates, and an increasingly authoritarian executive. It was once a rich country held together by strong leadership and heavy social spending, and it is now in economic disaster and could slide into widespread social disorder, triggering instability throughout Latin America. I believe that this country can get back to where it was before all the chaos and crisis there has been.
Argentina is the 2nd largest country in South America that is best known for it’s tango, the elegant architecture, steak, wine, and soccer. The country remains locked in a territorial dispute with Britain over the Falklands Islands, which are governed as a British overseas territory, but have been claimed by Buenos Aires since the 1830s. Despite recent economic struggles, Argentina continues to play an important role within the global economy, especially with regards to its agricultural production.
             I conclude from everything said that every country has its own economical, political and social problems but the citizens of the countries try to deal with these circumstances and try making it a better place to form a better living in.

Violence against women and children worldwide

To begin this essay, the definition of violence must be clear. Violence is the use of physical force to injure people or property. Violence may cause physical pain to those who experience it directly, as well as emotional distress to those who either experience or witness it. Individuals, families, schools, workplaces, communities, society, and the environment all are harmed by violence.

Violence is actually a very serious situation that can be seen all around the world. Violence includes:
•Physical (slapping,hitting, choking...)
•Sexual (rape, harassment...)
•Emotional (controlling behaviour)
•Economic (controlling finances)
•Stalking (repeated following, watching)
The statements mentioned before are problems that people have to face in their everyday life. Not only women and children face violence, men do too.
Many cases have been reported of sexual assaultment and one of those many cases was about a girl named Anita Lorraine Cobby. She was a 26 year old Australian nurse and beauty pageant winner who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and then murdered while walking home after dining out with 2 of her hospital colleagues. Investigations led to the arrest of five men who were later convicted of her abduction, rape and murder.
Another case that has to do with man violence was when Lionel Richie’s ex-wife, Brenda Harvey, was arrested for spousal abuse in 1988 for besting Richie after catching him in bed with another woman.
The 2012 Delhi Gang Rape case involved a rape and fatal assault that occurred on 16 December 2012 in Munirka.  The incident took place when a 23-year-old female, Jyoti Singh Pandey,was beaten, gang raped,, and tortured in a private bus in which she was traveling with her friend. There were six others in the bus, including the driver, all of whom raped the woman and beat her friend. Eleven days after the assault, she was transferred to a hospital in Singapore for emergency treatment but died from her injuries two days later.[
These 3 cases mentioned all happened in different countries.
Now child abuse, or child maltreatment is physical, sexual, or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or other caregiver. Some parents take advantage of their children and change their minds into doing and obeying things that are not right at all. So do babysitters, they use physical violence on the child if they don’t do what they are told. There have been many cases filed of children abuse but not as much as women abuse since more men use violence on their partners than parents would on their own children. Some children are afraid to speak out when violence is being committed on them because they are afraid they’d make things worse, or sometimes they don’t know what to do about it and are threatened so they don’t speak up.

Violence is not nothing, it is a big deal since many people are dying from it all around the world. People should start doing something about it, or if they get to see any act of violence, they should call the police at least because if something happens to the victim, the person would feel guilty for not doing anything about it.

Elections in Colombia

Elections in Colombia are regulated and controlled by the National Electoral Council which also gives information on elections and election results in for the politics of Colombia. Colombia elects on national level a Head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a four-year term by the people. The Congress' has two chambers. The House of Representatives and The Senate of the Republic

The violence that occurred between 1946 and 1964 resulted in over 200,000 deaths. An estimated one million people were displaced from their rural homes. Guerrilla movements arose from the anarchy to fully establish themselves in the 1960s and still trouble Colombia to this day. Historically, the two mainstream parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, had dominated Colombian politics from the 19th century onwards, both enjoying large periods in power. These periods of hegemony were more partisan than personal because politics was characterized by voter affiliation to either party, based on social and economic class, regardless of who led them. However, after 1946, traditional party competition had broken down in Colombia. Mariano Ospina Pérez, the newly elected president, and his Conservative party government used the police and the army to repress the Liberal party. The Liberals then responded by arming peasants to fight back against the government. This created pressures within civil and political society, and violence began on a small scale.
In colombia, the citizens have the right to vote and make a very important decision that may provide for our country as well as affect it, these decisions can be made by people from the age of 18. It is supposedly an obligation for all citizens to vote, but there are still many people who don’t do so because of their personal reasons. Some people don’t vote because they simply don’t like to get involved in any type of politics or because they don’t have the time to do so.
The votes this year are a bit complex and troubling because the possible candidates for the presidency are candidates from the F.A.R.C (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) which was a guerrilla movement involved in continuing Colombian armed conflict since 1964. It was known to employ a variety of military tactics in addition to more unconventional methods, including terrorism. They are a subversive guerrilla group which signed peace agreements last year and they did so with the intentions for people to allow them to reach the government. People were furious and they were very unhappy because they do not consider that the  people who were in the army, who killed major quantities of people, who are drug traffickers and Organ traffickers as well, should not reach that power and should not be on the votes.

I believe that the political election for presidency has many incorrect and suspicious things because how is it possible for the voting cards for a winning candidate be done or run out? An election like this is very important because it defines the future of our country and citizens should be the only ones with the right to vote. Every person has their own opinion about each candidate at the end, so there is no reason to cheat if its the majority of the country who is making the choice.