Nurse symbolises Essay Example for Free

Nurse symbolises Essay In contrast to these three characters, the next characters show the opposition facing the accusations. Firstly I will discuss the protagonist of the play John Proctor, whom I have already mentioned. Proctor is a steady man, in whose presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly. He is described as a man in his prime, with a quiet confidence, and an unexpressed, hidden force, which reveals his nature to the reader. Despite his affair with Abigail that becomes the source of the accusations, the reader feels sympathy towards him due to his preference of rationality over the supernatural, and his modern quality in his logic and his willingness for a better life for future generations. The Nurses, particularly Rebecca Nurse, are represented as near saints who rely upon practical wisdom and experience. Miller reveals that the Nurses have held a grudge against the Putnams both over land, and also over Putnams wanted man in the ministry. Rebecca Nurse symbolises the good in the community although this does not affect Putnams motivations and the accusations that are made. The last character is Giles Corey. He is a man who didnt give a hoot for public opinion, but is able to oppose Putnam and Parris due to his contentious, and combative manner. Finally, there is the Reverend John Hale, who approaches religious matters with the conviction of a scientist. He holds the belief that they cannot rely upon superstition to solve the girls problems but they may find a supernatural explanation for the events. Although he does not side with anyone, he is wrapped up in the hysteria that has been created, and evokes further paranoia. He shows the essence of the conflict of religion and superstition that is at the foreground in The Crucible. The First Act of The Crucible shows several significant themes that continue during the play. I think that one of the most important themes is the ability for accusations to snowball, gaining pace and involving others that were in the background. An early example of this is the charges against the girls and Tituba. At first they are accused of simply dancing, then of dancing naked. These accusations proceed until Tituba is deemed a witch, and others are accused of Satanism. Another important theme is the shift of blame from one character to another. This is largely due to the minority of people willing to accept the consequences of their actions. The ability of characters to choose whichever position suits their self-interest is encompassed in the First Act largely with Abigail, who uses everything for her own purpose. As I mentioned during my introduction, the play is aptly named The Crucible, which serves as an instrument in which tensions reach a climax under the cloud of accusations. In Act Three, Danforth refers to the title in saying We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment. This is true in the sense that all the motives of the characters are revealed, but these have to be firstly explained, and this occurs in Act One. Miller uses imagery and language to add to the tensions and conflicts encountered in the First Act. He uses double negatives as a way to emphasise and also to set the play in the right period of history. Miller uses such imagery as sweated like a stallion: an image taken straight from the farm to reflect the themes and set the period. Miller writes that Abigail states that Let either of you breath a word sun go down. This quote contains very powerful language and gives a sense of the harshness of the atmosphere that they lived in. After Act One, the accusations spiral out of control with countless others being accused including Elizabeth Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor himself. The mass hysteria reaches a climax with the accused being hanged after refusing to confess to a sin that they did not do. Reverend John Hale sides with Proctor and says that these accusations are not based upon anything, just personal vendettas. In conclusion, Arthur Miller uses the First Act of The Crucible as a strong foundation for the mass hysteria and the intensity of the paranoia that follows in the play. The themes of the play need to be sown into the play quickly and effectively so as to ensure the quick rise of tension. The main issue throughout the play of the conflict of religion and superstition is involved straight away and Miller establishes the stem of all the accusations of Abigails affair with Proctor quickly, as well as giving an insight into the motivations of the other characters. Miller establishes the characteristics of the Salem community that make it so receptive to the witch hunt and how accusations can ignite fears and panic which can seize a town to such a great extent. The Crucible, thought of as an allegory to the McCarthyism that gripped America is elaborately constructed to illustrate how fear and hysteria mixed with an atmosphere of persecution may lead to tragically unjust consequences. The seeds of future conflict are intricately sown in the first Act to provide The Crucible with a solid base on which the accusations raise the tension and conflict to such extreme heights and where characters are wrapped up in the hysteria that make the play so compelling. All the important themes are encompassed during the first Act, such as the shifting of blame, and the conflicts of characters, that allow the rest of the play to spiral out of all proportions permitting The Crucible to be so powerful and utterly riveting.

Protecting Nature

Protecting Nature Protecting Nature Why should we protect nature? Earth is our home and we have to love it. In earth are things humans needed but they destroy them and never worry about it. â€Å"Many animals are in extinction because of earth destruction.† ( Charman , 1) Animals are disappearing since people dont save nature. â€Å"Flora and fauna is destroying because we dont take care of it.† (Laguna de Terminos 1) Flora and fauna hurt because of all the damages we have done to it. â€Å"Global warming is happening over and over but no one think about it.† (Protecting the home we lice in) Global warming is occurring all over earth but we dont care about it. All this is happening because we never worry about our home and its problems. All of us dont save the beautiful paradise god gave us. â€Å"Many animals are in extinction because of earth destruction. Animals are in extinction because new species are better in getting and on living space. Others are in extinction because of changes and destruction of nature. People hunt animals and destroy their home. They also put other animals for getting their resources and environment. Animals extinction happens because of humans.† (Charman 1) According to Andy Charman animals are in extinction because all of us destroy their habitat and kill them. Changes in nature happen because of what we have done to the environment they replace animals for stronger ones. Also all of us destroy planet, and that make changes in nature, but animals are not adapted to the changes so they die. Sometimes we need only one part of an animal and we kill them for a silly thing. Extinction happens because of all humans. Flora and fauna is destroying because we dont take care of it. â€Å"It is destroying in many ways. One of them is deforestation and habitat destruction. Another is contamination of the fluvial lagoon systems by bacteria and agrochemicals. Also petroleum exploration and production destroy flora and fauna.† (Laguna de Terminos1) According to Laguna de Terminos, flora and fauna is destroying because people want to improve economy and other things. People never worry about their needs in environment. People create systems and machines that make bacterias that devastate nature. We never take care of what we really need for living and surviving on earth. All nature helps us survive, but one day, many problems will face and we will be sorry about not protecting nature. â€Å"Biodiversity is a problem for scientists and it makes flora and fauna be affected†. (CBBC1) All humans makes biodiversity destroy and also make flora and fauna start disappearing. Biodiversity is important to all plants and animals but we destroy so plants and animals die. We start destroying one thing of nature and everything starts to destroy gradually. We never worry about destroying one little thing of our environment because we never think how things can start disappearing. Biodiversity its needed by flora and fauna but while humans destroy it, flora and fauna also destroys. â€Å"Global warming is happening over and over but no one thinks about it. Temperature increases and kills many living things. Global warming makes the sea rise and water covers many islands. Also global warming happens because of electrical pollution. Global warming damage many parts of the world and sometimes that parts are places where living things find their food but when it is destroy there no food anymore.†(Protecting the home we live in.1) According to â€Å"Protecting the home we live in†, global warming makes things change and kill many living things. People make global warming happens by electricity but they dont care and do things to prevent global warming. Global warming damage many places that living things get their food but we are ignorant and think that nothing happen and that we can fix everything is destroyed. â€Å"Global warming also makes disease spread all over many countries so many people die. It makes increase the intensity of heat waves and cause hurricanes or tornadoes.† (Environmental Graffiti.1) Global warming makes diseases spread through out the world and kill many animals. It also affects heat so animals start dying because they dont adapt to the environment, plants and humans, too. Global warming has many effects in humans and in nature. The diseases and heat make nature destroy little by little and also make some geographic accidents like hurricanes or tornadoes. All the diseases damage all living things and some times all nature. â€Å"It also happens because we waste water.† (naturehero1) We also waste water in things we dont really need and global warming starts advancing. Water is important but we dont realize the importance and waste it always. People never take care of the things they need and that only nature can give them. All humans need water but everyone ignores that and starts wasting it in silly things. We ignore the things we need for surviving specially water and we dont realize that ignorance all of us have. We should protect nature because we destroy our home and others home. Earth is our home and we have love it and caring it. If we take care of it, nothing will be damage and many people, animals , and plants could live better . Global warming and extinction will not happen when we worry about earth and take care of it. Flora and fauna will not be destroy and disappear forever. Anything will be contaminated and we will not die soon and suffer any bad disease. We will have the best home ever and will be beautiful. Nature help us a lot in things we need like water and food but by destroying nature all that things will disappear and we could die or starve . Work Cited 1. CBBC. CBBC centre for the Balkan biodiversity conservation. University of Novi Sad. June 18 22, 2008.WEB 2. Charman, Andy. Wonder Why the Dodo and other questions about extinct and endangered animals. New York: kingfisher. 1996. WEB 3. Environmental Graffiti. 5 Deadliest Effects of Global Warming. Tue, Sep 11, 2007.WEB. 4. Laguna de Terminos. â€Å"Flora and fauna protection area.†Laguna de Terminos. Web. 5. Protecting the Home We Live In: Environmental Issues Novi Meadows Elementary, 2002 .web. 6. Naturehero. Naturehero â€Å"become a naturehero† January 13th, 2010.web.

The accounting treatment for research and development

The accounting treatment for research and development Under IAS 38 Intangible Assets, the accounting treatment for research and development is different. It depends on whether the expenditure is incurred from research or development. In the Ruritanian Accounting Standard, research expenditure is charged to the statement of comprehensive income and development cost is to be capitalized as a part of intangible assets. Broadly speaking, it is common treatment in most of companies. However, this accounting treatment is not perfect. We will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this standard. Firstly, in the Ruritanian Accounting Standard, the definition of research and development costs have been given and set out the conditions that need to be satisfied in order to expense or capitalize. Research expenditure is not related directly to any of the companys products or processes whilst it conforms to a search process. In the research phase, an entity cannot demonstrate that it will become an intangible asset and generate probable future benefits. Otherwise, expenditure is recognized as development costs as an intangible asset. It is a similar definition in the IAS 38. However, the activities related to research and development but are not included neither research nor development phase are not classified in the standard. There is a situation existed in the research and development process, for instance, troubleshooting in connection with breakdowns during commercial production. IAS 38 does not provide a guidance of these activities but apparently it would be useful in deci ding whether expenditure can be capitalized under the rules identified in the standard. Moreover, expenditure cannot be classified into these two categories due to the complex nature of new equipment programmes, it is not possible to distinguish reliably between research and development activities until relatively late in the programme. Secondly, in the early standards, development expenditure could be capitalized only if it will make a profit. IAS 38 states that profitable development expenditure must be capitalized whereas SSAP 13 has given the options of either capitalizing the expenditure or charging as an expense. The IASBs Framework for preparation and presentation of Financial Statements says an asset is recognized in the statement of financial position when it is probable that the future economic benefits will flow to the entity and the asset has a cost or value that can be measured reliably. However, in the Ruritanian Accounting Standard, we give an advice of capitalizing all the development costs as an intangible asset rather than the options. There are some uncertainties on whether project can be completed successful and the costs of developing the product. On most of the conditions, people are always optimistic when developing the product and consider it will have future benefit. In practice, many proble ms are encountered during the process and the cost is much greater than estimates before. So, the development costs can be not estimated reliably till the completion. Thirdly, according to measuring the profit, it will have a difficulty in estimating future sales and future costs. Once the development has accomplished, the sales need to be checked if the sales of the product will be profitable. Two factors are related to sale value that is the selling price of each product and quantity sold. It is uncertainty about those figures. For instance, for some high technology products, selling price might be high initially and then will substantially decline as competitors occurs. It is called marginal costs. There is a relationship between quantity sold and selling price that the lower selling price is, the more increase sales will be. So, it will cause the problem in estimating future costs. It is uncertain that a product will be profitable and it will have inaccuracies in estimating the costs. Also, it may be difficult to satisfy the standard of being an asset and should not be recognized in the financial position. In a word, to capitalize total develo pment costs still exist to some extent inaccuracy when the situation above occurred. Lastly but not the least, a new treatment will arise from purchased goodwill in a business combination. The research and development part of subsidiary will be purchased and account for the intangible assets in the financial statement of parent company. There are two choices that are impairment and amortization. In IAS 38, it amortized the expense and impairment of intangible asset by using the reducing balance method. In the Ruritanian Accounting Standard, it is consistent with IAS 38 standard. However, there is a trend on impairment rather than amortization in the listed companies. Apparently, companies want to maximum their reported profit and amortization will reduce profit. One of the significant reasons is that if the future economic benefit of the goodwill is greater than its original cost, and thus will avoid a charge to the income statement. Under IAS 38 an intangible asset with an indefinite life is not amortized but to incur an annual impairment check which the impairment is less than its carrying value. It seems to be similar to other treatment of purchased goodwill. In summary, there are many advantages in the Ruritanian Accounting Standard and help to solve the principal problem in the existed accounting standard. Meanwhile, it eliminated some aspect inconsistent with accounting policy. It is unavoidable to have drawbacks in identify the research and development costs and whether to treat it in the finance position or income statement. Those problems still need to be discussed in the future.

Technological Literacy :: Technology Technological Papers

Technological Literacy Definitions and Rationale What is technology? A definition of technology literacy might well begin with a definition of technology. Technology consists of all the modifications humans have made in the natural environment for their own purposes (Dugger 2001)—inventions, innovations, and changes intended to meet our wants and needs, to live longer, more productive lives. Such a broad definition of technology includes a broad spectrum of artifacts, ranging from the age-old (flint tools, wheels, levers) to the high-tech (computers, multimedia, biotechnologies). In short, if humans thought of it and made it, it’s technology. Two important points need to made about such a broad definition of technology. First, although some writers address only computer and communications technology (e.g., Selfe 1999), technology is usually defined to include far more than instructional or communications technology (Custer 1999). Computers, e-mail, and Web TV are only one part of the array of devices and procedures we encounter in day-to-day life—everything from digitized kitchen appliances to transportation systems and integrated manufacturing. Second, science and technology, although closely related, are different (Sanders 1999). Science generates knowledge for its own sake, proposing and testing explanations. Technology, on the other hand, develops human-made solutions to real-world problems. Of course, science uses technology to generate knowledge and technology uses scientific knowledge to generate solutions, so the two are integrally connected; but they are different fields driven by different concepts and pr ocesses (Bybee 2000). What is technological literacy? Just as technology involves more than computers and the Internet, technological literacy involves more than hands-on skill in using technology (Bugliarello 2000). Certainly, knowing how to use information technology is increasingly important in our knowledge society, whether we are looking for a job, marketing a service, or shopping for a product. We must also be able to use other devices, like microwaves, copying machines, and self-service gas pumps, that have become part of everyday life at home, at work, or in the community. However, the ability to use technology is only one part of technological literacy. What are the other parts? Interpreting a large body of work on technological literacy from a variety of fields, Gagel (1997) suggested common elements of an enduring, inherent technological literacy that can last through the fast, continuous changes in technology. This type of technological literacy would include knowledge about the details of individual technologies and about the process of technology development. It would also include a holistic understanding of the historical and cultural context of technology and adaptability based on initiative and resourceful thinking.

Why The Ideas Of Karl Marx Were So Radical To Society :: History Politics Political

Why The Ideas Of Karl Marx Were So Radical To Society The Communist Manifesto, written in 1848, provided the views of Karl Marx on humans and nature. For the time in which the document was written, the ideas of Marx were very radical to society. The ongoing struggle between the Proletarians( the working class) and the Bourgeois( the owners) prompted Marx to develop a solution to this social problem. His solution to this historical problem was to create a capitalist nation, which in the end would result in a Communist nation. He wanted to help the social status of the working class, because he felt that they were being taken advantage of by the owners. The document also discusses the role of humans and their interaction with nature. Marx believed that society was beginning to break away from nature as a source of economical support. In the past, humans had relied heavily on agriculture to support themselves but with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, new technology began to replace old farming techniques and created new factory jobs in cities. Marx had rather extreme views on the extent to which nature in his time had become humanized as a result of human labor.[1] He commented that, â€Å" Even the objects of the simplest â€Å" sensuous certainty† are only given him through social development, industry and commercial intercourse.†[2] "Throughout their labor, humans shape their own material environment, thereby transforming the very nature of human existence in the process.†[3] One had always seemed to know their role in society. It was Marx who believed that this was true due to a capitalistic economy. One’s wants and needs were different from society to society. For instance, a person with a higher social status would not have the same needs as a peasant living on a farm would. Marx felt that human nature could not be changed in contrast to what many economists believed. In a capitalistic economy, men were the ones who received the wages while women earned little to nothing. To put an end to the ongoing struggle between social classes, Marx believed that a new form of government would have to be established, this he called Socialism. 4 He wanted to see the working class join together to fight the owners, for in order for a society to grow, people would need to begin working together. Marx recognized the struggles of the classes, especially those of the middle class.

All of Childhood is Essentially Preparation for Adulthood

It is said that all of childhood is essentially preparation for adulthood. Children, during the precious few years they spend without the responsibility, awareness and experience to be considered adults, watch and mimic the world around them, for it is by mimicking that they learn to become adults themselves. Both â€Å"Werewolves in Their Youth†, by Michael Chabon and â€Å"The Man in the Well†, by Ira Sher, promote the supposition that all of childhood is preparation for adulthood, by revealing characteristics and attitudes in young children that show glimpses of the world and environment in which they were raised and by which they were shaped.Both stories, additionally, give insight as to what it is that separates adults from children, both by contrasting adult and child characters and by leading the reader to a directed realization of what characteristics of behavior define adulthood. In â€Å"The Man in the Well†, Sher begins by having the nine year old chil d, whose name is the only one among all of the children that we never learn, state that although he remembered that the children had made the decision not to help the man stuck in the well, he didn’t remember if they’d given themselves a reason for not helping.(Sher, 1) The act of making a decision without giving a reason is both very childlike and very adult-like. Children, without the ability to make critical decision and employ as rational thought as adults, often make decisions without reasons, functioning mainly on impulse. Will I swing on the swings or ride the slide? Slide it is – but why? But failing to give a reason for a decision can also be a very adult-like quality. After all, hasn’t everyone heard their mother voice the statement â€Å"I don’t need a reason, I’m your mother†?Adults and especially parents will often make a decision without giving a reason to enforce that they are beyond needing to give a reason and should not be questioned by virtue of their status as adults. So while the children’s decision not to help the man in the well was not supported by a reason, and while that may have only been a sign of childhood impetuousness, it can also be a sign of imitating the adults that have provided the examples to follow in their lives.The next sign in â€Å"The Man in the Well† the childhood is essentially preparation for adulthood is in the children’s unwillingness to give their names to the man in the well, exhibited by the careful way in which they talk and the embarrassment felt when one child’s name is accidentally revealed. (Sher, 3) This, like making decisions without giving reasons, can also be seen as both an adultlike and a childlike trait, bridging the behaviors of one generation to the next. Remaining nameless is a way to hide, and in a situation where the children are already a bit fearful and unsure of their own actions, hiding is natural instinct.Indeed, when the boy whose name has been revealed decides to reveal the names of all of his friends who have also ignored the plight of the man in the well, the protagonist compares the faces of the children clustered around the well as their names are announced to the faces of â€Å"spectators in the freak tent when the circus† comes to town. (Sher 5) This comparison shows an awareness of behavior that is startling adult in nature. As Aaron brings everyone out of hiding by announcing names, they begin to see themselves as if watching a carny at the fair. Without the cloak of anonymity to hide behind, awareness is built.This is a very adult-like reaction, in that roles are often carried out anonymously in the adult world, to protect at times and to cloak in others. How many accused criminals know the names of the jurors in whose hands their fate is held? How many American citizens know the names of the cabinet members and advisors that the president uses to make decisions that will impact both the country and the world? There is safety in anonymity. Similarly, in â€Å"Werewolves in Their Youth†, the children, Timothy and Paul, find safety in creating roles and identities for themselves beyond those by which their parents, teachers and friends know them.Both children have suffered difficulties at home and at school. Timothy seems to have lost a father to Vietnam and Paul’s own father seems to be on his way out of his life, the result of an imminent divorce. (Chabon 2, 4) Both mothers are depicted as frazzled women trying to do their best. And both Timothy and Paul have attended the same doctor, implied to be a psychiatrist, perhaps as a result of their home lives or perhaps a result of the teasing they face in school and the perception that they are each other’s only friend.(Chabon, 8) Therefore, it is in the roles that they create for themselves, similar to the anonymity in â€Å"The Man in the Well†, that they find safety. This, a t first, can seem to be a very childlike reaction – two children entering into a land of make believe in order to shelter themselves from the outside world. However, it is a very psychologically profound reaction that shows their tendencies toward adulthood. We see in Paul’s behavior his imitation of his mother, even in his role as â€Å"Ant-Man†. His mom, apparently a realtor, is his basis for the behavior he exhibits when showing ants around in the village he has created for them.(Chabon, 1) He perceives his mother’s role as a realtor as a powerful one, apparently, because in transforming into his role as Ant-Man, he exhibits power over the ants. One of the clearest examples of childhood as preparation for adulthood occurs towards the end of â€Å"Werewolves in Their Youth†. Paul has been extremely reluctant to be lumped in with Timothy and exhibits defiant behavior when they are in the office together, turning his back on what he has already ack nowledged is his only friend. Mrs.Gladfelter, the children’s teacher, has tried valiantly to convince Paul to help Timothy come out of the character he has assumed and used to terrorize girls on the playground: that of a werewolf. Paul, caught in the trap of childhood, tries to convince himself that he sees signs that Timothy is actually a werewolf, seeing a â€Å"werewolf glint† (Chabon, 7) in his eyes and the â€Å"thin, dark down of wolfish hair† upon his cheek (Chabon, 9). He struggles to make adult sense of this, however, and is torn by his desire to distance himself from this friend and the desire to help.He finally makes his decision: he will help. Donning the persona of the professor that Timothy has repeatedly referred to him as, he plays into Timothy’s fantasy that he’s not yet found an antidote for his werewolfism. As he’s being lead out of the office and back to class, he stops, turns around and with his imaginary gun, takes care ful aim at Timothy, telling him that he’s going to shoot him with a dart filled with antidote and tranquilizer. He then pretends to shoot at Timothy, and Timothy, well within this fantasy world himself, proclaims himself cured.(Chabon, 10) To the bystander, it might appear that these are simply two kids playing a game, but Paul has the adult awareness to see that his teacher is looking at him approvingly for his actions. This is not different from how many parents cope with the ills their children suffer – engaging in fantasy to heal wounds and distract from pain. Both Chabon and Sher clearly show in the characters they have created that the actions and reactions children work through during childhood is an imitation of the adult world in which they live.Because of that imitation, the children are forming their future selves for the adults that they will someday become – preparing for adulthood starts young. By looking at the short stories by these authors, trai ts are shown that differentiate children from adults. The key trait, beyond age and experience, that separates adults from children is awareness. In the Chabon story, Paul becomes aware at the end that he must take actions to help his friend Timothy, and that without those actions, Timothy might not be able to battle his own demons and get back to acting in a normal fashion.This awareness is a giant leap for Paul towards the responsible adult that he will become. In the Sher story, we leave off with the adult feeling of guilt – the nameless protagonist leaves the well for the final time and vows never to return. (Sher, 6) The child has become aware that his actions have been shameful – he and his friends have left a man in the well to die, instead of obtaining help that is so readily available. He is also aware that all of the children feel equally guilty, as upon their last trip from the well, they could not look into each other’s lives. This character has also taken a giant leap towards adulthood.Many children mess up while young and commit deeds for which they later feel sorry, but few contribute to a man’s pain and suffering and assumed death in such a way that it will haunt the rest of their lives. This situation will either impact the child to lead a respectable life later on, to make up for his actions, or will go on to commit later actions in a similar vain, having rationalized his childhood experience. Either way, he has begun his preparation for adulthood. References Chabon, Michael. â€Å"Werewolves in Their Youth†. Random House: 1999. pp. 1-10. Sher, Ira. â€Å"The Man in the Well. † Chicago R

Fight against Oppression on Women Essay

Today’s sexism—from widespread violence and degrading ideas to inequality at the workplace and unpaid labor at home—reaches into every corner of our lives. Women’s oppression stems from the nature of our deeply unequal society, and a system that needs to divide and conquer in order to survive. People of all genders are fighting back! Grassroots mobilizations against sexual assault, victim-blaming and attacks on our reproductive rights are providing a glimpse of the potential to build a new movement for women’s rights. From Egypt to Yemen to Madrid, women are demanding a place at the forefront of struggles for democracy and economic justice. Sexism in our society leads to multiple negative outcomes for women. Although traditional therapeutic approaches as well as preventive interventions address the specific negative outcomes of sexism, they rarely utilize a social justice approach. The deleterious effects of sexism occur complexly; sexist interpersonal events often occur within family systems that may endorse traditional gender roles, which exist within a societal and cultural context that contains formalized sexist policies. These multifaceted, ingrained circumstances delineate the need for preventive social justice to address sexism on multiple levels. As our society continues to evolve, with the advancements in technology, so does sexism and discrimination. It is just molded differently to accommodate our modern day society. Women do two-thirds of the world’s work for only five percent of the income, according to Unifem, the United Nations Development Fund for women. Today young women across the world grow up to expect less educational, economic and political power than their male counterparts. Half the world’s citizens, women in the 21st century still only represent a tiny minority in democratic assemblies. Domestic violence, civil wars and international conflicts continue to destroy women’s freedom, power and security in particular. And yet women find themselves systematically excluded from international diplomacy and peace discussions. Women’s rights may be enshrined in human rights declarations and egalitarian constitutions around the world, but in global terms of power and independence they are sec ond class citizens.