Analysis Of The Flowers, By Alice Walker - 1525 Words

Growing up in the South and living life by working every day outside, and growing crops was how Alice Walker grew up. She has written stories about her life, and stories that have had an impact on her life based on how she grew up. The two short stories The Flowers and Everyday Use have a common theme of feeling comfortable, safe, and at peace when one is home. Walker uses diction, syntax, and characterization to develop this common theme in her writing. A house is a safe comfortable place where one can feel at peace and in The Flowers and Everyday Use, the author Alice Walker develops the connection of home in the two texts by using symbolism and imagery. In The Flowers, the main character Myop is having a very merry and joyful time in†¦show more content†¦As Myop is far from home the character learns and matures. Myop learns that the world is not protected by walls and roof. She also learns that the outside world is a dangerous place. Walker also does this in Everyday Use, the main character Mrs. Johnson has two daughters named Dee and Maggie. Dee who is the only one educated in the family is coming back home to visit her mom the narrator, and her sister Maggie who has been working with her mother. As Mrs. Johnson narrates the scene that goes on between her family she emphasizes how she and her daughter feel about their home. â€Å"I will wait for her in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean and wavy yesterday afternoon. A yard like this is more comfortable than most people know. It is not just a yard. It is like an extended living room† (Walker 1). Mrs. Johnson speaks like she is proud of how she and her daughter cleaned the yard, and she continues explaining how it is a part of her home. In The Flowers Walter also symbolizes Myop’s family cabin as the main character’s safe place, and in Everyday Use she does the same thing â€Å"The two of us sat there just enjoying until it was time to go in the house and go to bed† (Walker 83). In this scene, Maggie and Mrs. Johnson are in the yard celebrating the fact that Mrs. Johnson was able to make Dee deal with the fact that she has to accept who she is and everything can’t go her way. Maggie and Mrs. Johnson accept the way they live and acceptShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of The Flowers by Alice Walker870 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Analysis of ’The Flowers’ by Alice Walker How do we lose our childish way of seeing the world? How can we suddenly they see the world as it is, in all its evil? ‘The Flowers’ is a story about a young girl who goes through an experience that forces her into changing her way of seeing life, and it presents themes like growing up and loss of innocence. The main character of the story is Myop, a 10-year-old girl without any major worries in life. The only thing we know about her physical appearanceRead MoreAnalysis Of The Flowers By Alice Walker1030 Words   |  5 PagesWhat Becomes of a Flower After It Is Picked? In â€Å"The Flowers,† Alice Walker uses imagery and symbolism to illustrate the innocence and later the loss of innocence of a young girl named Myop, which is short for Myopia. Myopia is defined as the inability to see things closely, or the inability to grasp the deeper meaning of something, which contributes to her innocence in the story. The story starts off with Myop enjoying a summer morning by gathering flowers when she suddenly stumbles across theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Flowers By Alice Walker850 Words   |  4 PagesThe setting of Alice Walkers short story† The Flowers† is important for us, the readers to obtain a perspective of how life was like growing up for a 10 year old African American girl by the name of Myop. The title of the story is â€Å"The Flowers.† When you think about flowers, you instantly compare them to being beautiful, pure, and innocent. The title of the â€Å"The Flowers† is a symbolism that correlates to Myop who is the protagonist of the story. Myop is just like a flower in the beginning of theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Flowers By Alice Walker1539 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The Flowers† Stories sometimes have the power and meaning to change someones life. Reading in general, can make someone feel like they are living in a different world. Usually writers have the tendency to add affection and tone to engage their readers more. Flowers, sound so pure and bright, but are all flowers meant to be lively? For Myop in â€Å"The Flowers† represents an innocent African American girl whose evolution to maturity and innocence comes to a sudden end without a warning. In the beginningRead MoreAn Analysis of The Flowers by Alice Walker826 Words   |  4 PagesSharon Ji Professor Cato English 1102 29 April 2013 Myop in â€Å"The Flowers† by Alice Walker Short stories are known to have two very distinct characteristics which are interrelated: they are compressed and concentrated. By compressed, they mean that the writer squeezes as much information as possible so that it is still considered a short story. When it comes to the story being concentrated, they typically mean taking out anything that is not essential to the conflict and how the protagonistRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Alice Walker Short Story Essay966 Words   |  4 PagesLiterary Analysis Alice Walker Short Story Roselily Walker tells a story of a young African American woman from Mississippi who is about to escape poverty and disgrace by marrying a man she barely knows, a Muslim from the North. Roselily has three children already when she marry s her husband. Walker describes her as a woman with respect and compassion. This analysis will talk about Roselily during her poverty times, her marriage, and how she came to understand the changes in her life.Read MoreLiterary Analysis Of Alice Walker Short Story979 Words   |  4 Pages Literary Analysis Alice Walker Short Story Roselily Walker tells a story of a young African American woman from Mississippi who is about to escape poverty and disgrace by marrying a man she barely knows, a Muslim from the North. Roselily has three children already when she marry s her husband. Walker describes her as a woman with respect and compassion. This analysis will talk about Roselily during her poverty times, her marriage, and how she came to understand the changes in her lifeRead MoreThe Color Purple By Alice Walker1540 Words   |  7 Pages Alice Walker is an award winning   author, most famously recognized for her novel   The Color Purple ;aside from being a novelist Walker is also a poet,essayist and activist .Her writing explores various social aspects as it concerns women and also celebrates political as well as social revolution. Walker has gained the reputation of being a prominent spokesperson and a symbolic figure for black feminism. Proper analyzation   of Walker s work comes from the   knowledge on her early life, educationalRead MoreThe Color Purple Essay954 Words   |  4 PagesAn Analysis of three messages from The Color Purple â€Å"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are† Some people cant wait to grow up, whereas others want to hold onto the past and not see what is to come. Those people that hold onto the past or live in the past dont know how to move on. An author by the name Alice Walker(b. 1944) a woman that believed she could do a lot. Alice Walker wrote a book and it was also turned into a movie but a man stated, â€Å"the book — about the abuse andRead MoreA Psychoanalytical Reading of Everyday Use by Alice Walker1201 Words   |  5 PagesEman Mohammed A psychoanalytical reading of Everyday Use by Alice Walker In everyday use the story is about a black family consists of two daughters and a mother. Its main idea is the attachment between each character to the past and to their family. Each character has different perspective towards the past. In my following essay I intend to look deeply in the characters mind by applying the psychoanalytical reading which can present details not only about the text but also

Barilla Case Study The Underlying Factors In Operation...

case analysis | MGSM890 Operations Management | | Thursday 9 AM class | Term 3, 2012 Deepika Choudhary | 42621186 | | | Question 1. What underlying factors are driving the distributors order patterns to look the way they do in Exhibit 12, and the DC sales, inventory and stock-out levels in Exhibit 13? The underlying factors that are driving the distributors order patterns to look the way they do are primarily due to extreme demand fluctuations where it was week to week variation in distributors order patterns due to which Barilla suffered increasing operational inefficiencies and cost penalties. The major reasons that speak for†¦show more content†¦This reflects lack of Dos efficient job servicing to its retailers * Plant has high product change over costs because Barilla has either inefficient production or excess finished goods inventory * Utilization of central distribution is low in terms of workers and equipment’s Question 2. How might they be addressed? Will the proposed JITD system solve the problem? The underlying factors in the traditional approach of order fulfillment had a direct impact on manufactures and retailers in the form of thinning margins. Thus, to address these factors an alternative approach of product delivery was crucial and also to take costs out of distribution channel without compromising service. This was introduced by Brando Vitali’s JITD (Just-In-Time-Distribution) proposal, which focused solely on dry products to be sold through distributors. This approach was also expected to radically change the way in which Barilla’s logistics managed product delivery with JITD bringing in its two key concepts of: replacing sequential optimization with global optimization and eliminating some of the â€Å"false† economies that drive traditional ordering processes. The major challenges ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Business Analysis1644 Words   |  7 PagesBusiness Analysis Introduction: - Barilla has encountered many areas of their manufacturing and distribution processes that, for many reasons, could be vastly improved. To try to improve these areas, top logistics management decided to try to implement a JITD (just in time distribution) system, similar to VMI (vendor managed inventory). The management felt that they could cut back on problems such as wild demand swings and stock outs by using this method. TheirRead MoreBarilla Case Study3439 Words   |  14 PagesBarilla SpA * The spaghetti incident - Maastricht University School of Business and Economics International Executive Master of Finance and Control 20 April 2012 Course – Logistics Prof. Dr. Allard van Riel Pauline Henselmans Jetse van de Kamp Ze Zhu Thiago Barros de Oliveira Rene Lorrier Contents 1. Reasons for the increase in variability in demand in Barilla’s supply chain 3 1.1 Distributed inventories, local optimization 3 1.2 Lack of inventory information andRead MoreBarilla Spa Case Study Analysis3647 Words   |  15 PagesBarilla SpA (A) Case Study Analysis 2 Diagnose the underlying causes of the difficulties that the JITD program was created to solve. What are the benefits and drawback of this program? Brando Vitali, Barilla’s director of logistics, proposed the idea of Just-In-Time Distribution (JITD) in the 1980’s as an alternative to Barilla’s traditional practice of delivering products to their distributors (Hammond, 1). Instead of distributing Barilla’s products based on the orders the distributors Read MoreBarilla Case Study: Tackles Mainly In Its Supply Chain And The System Within It2899 Words   |  12 PagesAbstract The Barilla SpA case study tackles mainly about its supply chain and the system within it. Starting from the manufacturing of the product up to the distribution and selling of it. JITD, a distribution system which might possibly minimize the cost and inventory of the company is being considered to implement in the company’s distribution system to address the fluctuation in their demand. Advantages and disadvantages of JITD were compared. Introduction Barilla SpA is a pasta manufacturingRead MoreCase Study20441 Words   |  82 PagesFaculty of Technical Science Title â€Å"SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT† Graduation Project Course: PRODACTION SYSTEM CONTROL Skopje - July, 2011 1 Faculty of Technical Science Title â€Å"SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT† Graduation Project Course: PRODACTION SYSTEM CONTROL Mentor: Prof. (Tarik CAKAR) Performed by: Enis SELAM, Student ID No.08/09.20 Enis_slm@hotmail.com Skopje, July, 2011 2 BRIEF CONTENTS Preface xiii Part I -- Building a Strategic Framework to Analyze Supply Chains

Practical Book Review Free Essays

GUIDELINES FOR THE Practical Book Review By [Your Name] Student ID: [type ID w/out brackets] Presented to [Dr. Professor’s Name] In partial fulfillment of the requirements of Introduction to Pastoral Counseling PACO 500 Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Lynchburg, VA PRACTICAL BOOK REVIEW [ONE]: [AUTHOR’S LAST NAME] My Summation Communication is a tremendously important part of the human experience. Any effort to improve one’s skills is valuable. We will write a custom essay sample on Practical Book Review or any similar topic only for you Order Now Most people think they listen well when having a conversation, but the reality is that most people walk away from a conversation feeling unheard, misunderstood, and disconnected. Petersen uses real world experiences to teach the reader how to handle difficult situations and people. In Petersen’s concept, improvement in listening skills will result in an overall improvement in relationships. Peterson describes the flat brain syndrome in his book. Stomach functions consist of people’s emotions or feelings – those inner nudges that let people know when they’re uncomfortable, happy, excited, interested, attracted, irritable, angry, resentful, frustrated, and curious. Feelings are people’s internal responses to the world around them, to what they’re thinking, and to their bodies. Heart functions give and receive concerns, suggestions, and support. They are ready to consider many options and possibilities. Healthy hearts recognize that people don’t possess â€Å"the whole truth,† but are confident both in owning their views and remaining open to the views of others. The head functions incorporate thinking, planning, remembering, reviewing, deciding, and rationalizing. Petersen points out that a correct understanding of these relationships can make the difference when it comes to lessening conflicts. A unbalanced blend of either too much brain or too much stomach creates flat-brained syndrome where it is all emotion and no thought, or the flat-brain tango, all thought with no emotion. The Talker-Listener Process is the key to creating an environment where two or more people can talk and listen to each other. This promotes a healthy communication atmosphere. The Talker Listener Card, (TLC), can help those who want to improve their ability to interact with others and communicate better. This is especially true for the listening aspect of the relationship. Peterson explains that if we would all go back to our kid-learned skill of taking turns, communication , or speaking vs. listening, would be better achieved. We should focus on listening to one person’s point of view at one time to establish feeling heard, feeling safe, and feeling understood. This will also directly lead to feeling more of a human connection and thus broadening our relationships with others. The TLC helps this process because it allows for each person (the talker and listener) to roll play while having the conversation. Each has a part to play and responsibilities to take on. The TLC simply states these roles to help remind one what to do. Peterson moves on to explain the way people communicate, especially when asking questions. He refers to this process as similar to being in a courtroom. The way people ask questions makes a huge difference in the outcomes of the questions. People tend to ask questions in a way that sort of guides ones thinking when answering instead of just getting to the point and saying what one really feels. If people would just come out and say what they are feeling, relationships would be better off according to Peterson. Peterson continues to outline several listening techniques. The art of listening has to be practiced in order to succeed. One must first provide a safe place or environment for the talker in order to promote peace and safety. After this is established, the goal is to really listen and understand what the talker is trying to say. Also, clarifying the problem for the talker is very important in order to fully comprehend the situation and how to effectively listen and respond to the talker. In the final process, Petersen puts it all together to examples how to use the process of talking and listening effectively. He gives examples of how to use his theory of â€Å"Flat Brained Syndrome† to overcome issues and people with the syndrome. In the end, he shows you how to become a person that good things happen to due to having great communication skills. My Reflection My Investigation My Application The most crucial element after reading this book is the practical application that one would start to incorporate into their life. I have learned now that I am more committed to becoming an actual listener instead of being a talker. Too often am I getting caught up in the notion that my ideas are somehow more important than those that I am listening to. Peterson said, â€Å"Listen first (and longer) and then, talk second† (125). Peterson has given me methods of becoming a better listener, which in turn will enrich my relationships with people. I will use the skills that are outlined in chapter eighteen to improve the way I listen. I will do this process slowly in order to ensure a more successful outcome by starting with one or two skills first and then moving onto another skill once the preceeding skill was mastered. As a future minister, the ability to really listen is going to be a crucial aspect. One important skill that I need to incorporate first is my ability to repeat accurately what the speaker is trying to say. I have a tendency to take what others say and rephrase it while putting my own twist on it. Peterson says that this is common. In giving feedback, listeners routinely alter the content of what other people say (Peterson 2007). I did not realize how important this is to the listener until Peterson pointed it out. The point is that most people do not seek advice to solve a problem. Most people have the ability to solve problems on their own but need a sounding board to bounce thoughts off of when finding a solution. In order to successfully help people as a minister, I must work on my communication skills from here on out. I will improve on being more direct with my words and thoughts so that the talking time that I do have will be more goal oriented and satisfying. I will also learn how to become a better listener. Listening to people and their feelings or thoughts is one of my main concerns when it comes to giving people the proper soul care they deserve from a minister. Peterson’s book has only helped me discover ways to put this into practice. References How to cite Practical Book Review, Essay examples

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Essay Example For Students

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Essay IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROMESuffering in SilenceIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is a common disorder of the intestines that affects nearly one out of five people in the United States. According to the book, Irritable Bowel Syndrome the Mind-Body-Brain-Gut Connection by William B. Salt II, IBS is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder. The symptoms include constipation, diarrhea or alternating bouts of both, bloating, abdominal pain and many other problems. Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome usually begin during adolescence or early adulthood. Altered bowel movements occur over periods of days to weeks. Occasionally, symptoms may be continuous. In a given individual, both constipation and diarrhea can occur, or either can be the recurring symptom. The course of the disease varies from patient to patient, but individually, it can follow a consistent pattern. The diarrhea of irritable bowel syndrome is usually of small volume, but frequent. Episodes commonly occur during periods of stress. The initial morning movement may be normal, but followed by successively loose bowel movements throughout the rest of the day. Bowel movements may be associated with extreme urgency. The diarrhea rarely awakens patients from sleep and there is usually no associated fever or rectal bleeding. The abdominal pain of irritable bowel syndrome can vary in severity from mild to severe. It is usually felt in the lower abdomen, especially on the left side. The pain may be dull, sharp, crampy or continuous. It is commonly relieved by the passage of gas or by defecation *1*. Each year, 2.6 million people seek treatment for symptoms related to functional gastrointestinal disorders, and visits to physicians total 3.5 million (Salt xiv). The average age of onset of IBS is between 20 and 29 years of age, and IBS is prevalent throughout the world including China, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia (Salt xiv, xv). The public is made aware of cases of HIV, heart disease, various forms of cancer, etc., on a daily basis, yet IBS is relatively unheard of. Because of this, millions of people who suffer from IBS feel there is a stigma attached to their disease and they must suffer in silence. IBS is not a rare disease. In fact, it is the second leading cause of absenteeism in the workplace, coming in behind the common cold *2*. Unlike the common cold, however, there is no over-the-counter drug that can be picked up at the local drug store at the first sign of symptoms. Furthermore, there are few prescription drugs that have been used to treat IBS with positive results. The first prescription drug specifically developed for diarrhea-predominant IBS, Lotronex, was released to the market in March of 2000. Glaxo Wellcome, maker of Lotronex, says the precise mechanism of action of the drug is not fully understood. However, the working hypothesis is that the experimental drug blocks the action of the neurotransmitter serotonin and 5-HT3 receptor sites in the gastrointestinal track. The thinking is that serotonin and 5-HT3 receptors play a role in increasing the sensations of pain and affecting bowel function in IBS patients. In addition, nerves that control the muscles in the g ut may overreact to stimuli such as gas and the passage of food after a meal. This may cause painful spasms and contractions and speed up or slow the passage of stool through the colon, resulting in diarrhea or constipation *3*. Lotronex has only been shown to work in women, and there is presently no medication available for men suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Lotronex works by blocking the level of serotonin in the intestinal system in order to reduce the cramping abdominal pain and discomfort, urgency and diarrhea. The first step in determining if the bowel problems in question are caused by IBS is to visit a physician for a check up. Chances are, he will refer the patient to a gastrointerologist, who will then order outpatient testing to be done at a hospital. This battery of tests can include an upper and lower GI, a barium enema/X-ray, an EGDwhich consists of sticking a scope down the throat to look into the stomach, an ultrasound, and any other deemed necessary by the specialist. IBS will be diagnosed after it is determined that the patients organs are functioning properly and

The Main Classifications of Political Systems free essay sample

Within the science of Politics there have been many studies into the different classifications of political systems. There are many different types of classifications but the three main and important classifications are that of Aristotle’s ‘classical’ classifications, the Three Worlds classification and Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilisations’. It has been argued by many professionals that the most influential system of political classification is Aristotle’s ‘Classical’ Classification, devised in the fourth century BCE, which he based on his study of the 158 Greek city states which were in existence at the time, and thus being the very first political science argument in history. Aristotle argued that governments could be put into different categories on the basis of two fundamental questions. These questions where, â€Å"Who rules? and â€Å"Who benefits from rule? † He believed that Government â€Å"could be placed in the hands of a single individual, a small group or the many. † (Heywood: 2002: 27). We will write a custom essay sample on The Main Classifications of Political Systems or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Aristotle continued to argue that Government could be pushed in the direction of benefiting the interests of the rulers or in the direction of benefiting the community as a whole. He showed this in this table: Ruled By Who benefits? One Few Many Genuine Monarchy Aristocracy Polity Perverted Tyranny Oligarchy Democracy. In this table, which Aristotle constructed, he argued that Monarchy, Aristocracy and Polity where to be preferred because they benefited the majority of people, unlike Tyranny, Oligarchy and Democracy which only benefited the few who ruled. All in all, Aristotle had wanted to identify the ‘ideal’ constitution, and had. However, now Democracy is seen in a better light, and Aristotle’s argument has been made redundant by the creation of constitutional systems from the late eighteenth century onwards. The creation of the American constitution after the Wars of Independence, the radicalism in the French Revolution and the emergence of a new parliamentary government in Britain, all in the eighteenth century, showed that political systems where much more complex than had been thought in earlier times. Just as Heywood argues: â€Å"Traditional features of classification were therefore displaced by a growing emphasis on the constitutional and institutional features of political rule. † (Heywood:2002:29) Another classification of political systems is the â€Å"Three Worlds† classification. This typology believes that the world, as a whole, is split into three different categories, or ‘worlds’. The first world is that of liberal democracies and in other words: capitalism. The Second world is made up of communist countries. And, the Third world is that of poorer, less developed states which are generally undemocratic. Some political scientists agree with this type of classification, such as Francis Fukuyama, who claimed that liberal democracy was â€Å"the final form of human government. † (Fukuyama:1992) Yet, the â€Å"Three Worlds† classification keeps and groups together different types of regimes. For example, some of the Third World does not have all the characteristics which are tied with the Third world typology. Just because a country is poor does not mean it is undemocratic. It can be argued that The â€Å"Three Worlds† typology has just grouped together ‘the rest’ of the world, which do not fall under western or communist civilisation. Another flaw in the â€Å"Three Worlds† classification is that it is greatly influence by the Cold War, and only relevant to a small period in History. The final type of classification of political systems is that of Huntington’s â€Å"Clash of Civilisations. † Huntington’s theory was influential in the post-war period of the worlds as well as today. He implies â€Å"political culture has escaped in national moorings to embrace wider but still competing identities† (Hague Harrop:2004;102) and argues that the world has been re-classified, and this has been done terms of civilisations because within the world the greatest conflicts are between these 6 to 9 civilisations, which are: I. Sinic (Chinese)II. Japanese III. HinduIV. Islamic. V. WesternVI Latin America. VII Buddhist. VIII. Orthodox IX African. Huntington argues that since world views between each civilisation are so contradictory then there is no compromise, and continues this argument further by stating that â€Å"the most pervasive, important and dangerous conflicts will not be between social classes, rich and poor, or other economically defined groups, but most dangerous cultural conflicts are those along fault lines of civilisations. † (Huntington:1996:28). This wasn’t fully taken notice until the events of September 11th 2001, where these attacks maintained the proof that Huntington was right. Huntington also goes on to argue that cultural kinship influences the choice of sides in wars, for example, â€Å"in Yugoslav conflicts, Russia provided diplomatic support to the Serbs†¦not for reasons of ideology but because of cultural kinship. † (Huntington:1996:28) However, Huntington is unclear about what a civilisation actually is, stating some as religious and others as geographical, for example with Africa. There are many different types of civilisations within Africa, yet he groups them altogether under one civilisation because of where it is situated, geographically. This also raises the question of whether civilisations are really to blame for conflicts across the world. Most of the bloodiest conflicts in History have not been because of a clash of different civilisations, but are actually within these so called civilisations, such as wars in Africa, the wars between Iraq and Iran, and also the First and Second World wars. In conclusion, within Political Science there will always be different theories on different typologies or classifications of political systems, such as Aristotle’s ‘Classical’ classification, the ‘Three Worlds’ classification and Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilisations. ’ Each are correct and just in their own ways, but also come with their own downsides. Such as Huntington not clearly stating the differences of each of his ‘civilisations’ and ‘Three Worlds’ classification becoming outdated by the fall of the Berlin Wall in the early 1990s.

Hurdling the Olympic word police - Emphasis

Hurdling the Olympic word police Hurdling the Olympic word police Today, its exactly two years until the opening ceremony of the Olympics and the moment the eyes of the world turn towards London. However, advertisers not officially associated with the Games will have to duck and dive to be able to cash in on this attention without alerting the Olympic word police. Thats because a law passed in 2006 forbids any combination of 2012, games, gold, silver, bronze and London to be used by anyone but official sponsors of the event. Sporting bodies have made it their business to protect their multi-million-investing sponsors from opportunistic encroachers since 1996. That was the year Nike irked official Olympic sportswear supplier Adidas by setting up their own tented village opposite the main stadium. And you may have read about this years World Cup in South Africa being invaded by a posse of orange-clad women promoting Bavaria beer to the reported fury of Fifa, who had an exclusive deal with Budweiser. Protecting your corporate pitch is one thing. But staking claims on individual words? Is that a step too far? Write and let us know. Meanwhile, if non-sponsors want to make the most of the global publicity in 2012, theyll have to get creative. Grabbing some of the sport-watching spotlight without mentioning the main event will require contortions fit for an Olympic gymnast. It looks like its not only the competing athletes who have just two years left to rise to the challenge.

Humans Place within the natural world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Humans Place within the natural world - Essay Example In addition, artists such as Arthur Durand, Thomas Cole, and poet William Cullen Bryant also contributed greatly to past and modern understanding of the place of human being in the natural world. Because of the differing views and the subsequent contributions of these renowned artists, the world today has a better grasp and understanding of the presence and the purpose of human being on earth. People currently have a better perceptive of their purpose in life and the manner in which they should interact not only with humans and non-human animals but also with the rests of the natural world. What is more, the ideas advocated by these people in their artistic works have enabled humankind to make more sense of the social, cultural, economical, and social forces and structures in the civilized world. Although they contributed to the rich artistic history of the American people in different ways, Ralph Waldo, Henry David Thoreau, and Usher B. Durant contributed to the artistic history of America in almost similar manner. Waldo, an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, spearheaded the Transcendentalist movement in the USA the mid-19th century. In so doing, Waldo criticized the societal pressures that dogged peoples’ lives and emphasized individualism in his many published works. In fact, by championing Transcendentalism in many of his published works, Waldo slowly moved away from his contemporaries with whom he had professed rather radical religious and social beliefs. Among the core essences of life as perceived by Waldo included social, cultural, and religious ideas that he did not impose on people but gradually developed to endear people to these perceptions.

Information systems for managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Information systems for managers - Essay Example Web view source is the HTML code behind a web page. An example is business web pages. Managers should become acquainted with web source because they will better be able to escape the web chaos that results with spams, Trojans and phishing, leading to a better understanding of competitors. They will better be able to cope with simple problems related to web design and functioning. Technology is the use of scientific or technical methods of solving a problem (Solomon). Technology has equipped us with virtual means of communicating with the world. All e-business is carried out through the internet, and technological means are used around the globe to make agreements, sign pacts, buy and sell goods and services, and make financial transactions. Managers must know the use of technology to escape the web chaos that results with no knowledge about technology (Berkun). In my experience, managers must be acquainted with programming, web source and technology because without the basic knowledge of these, they will lag behind in the ever changing business world. Also, managers with technological competencies are in great demand because they are better able to deal with problems like Y2K and virus

Response to 4 students with 60 words each and 2 references for each Coursework

Response to 4 students with 60 words each and 2 references for each response - Coursework Example This was in the sense that the writer looked beyond just one area or aspect of resistance to identify three clear forms of resistance. These were the individual, group and larger system (quote). With this, it was possible to outline and equip global managers with some of the major areas of organizational change that they can give their focus to especially when they want to curtail the problem of resistance (quote). It was therefore of great importance that the writer systematically divided the forms of resistance. This particular writer paid much tribute to the fact that organizational changes are inevitable and reasons why resistance to organizational change may be resistance (quote). Much attention was however given to these that not much that not much in-depth analysis could be done on ways of addressing the resistance. Meanwhile, for the manager who uses the present study, the best way that he would benefit is for him to be made aware of some of the key problem solving solutions to resistance to organizational change (quote). The writer focused on causes of resistance to organizational change. As much as this is a useful step and way of informing managers of some practices that could lead to resistance to the changes they profess to undertake (quote), it would have been more useful if specific solutions to addressing the issues were outlined. Some of these solutions could be given in a real life case study of a known

Modern State System in International Relations

Modern State System in International Relations What is the most significant feature of the modern state and how has it shaped international relations? The core of the early modern period to vast histories of sovereignty and state formation is a topic mentioned in some of the work done by the most influential political theorists of the past century. However an attempt of understanding the nature of political consciousness requires a historical understanding of the theoretical evolution of the modern state itself. This, in turn, requires an understanding of earlier state formations and ideologies that has influenced the evolution (Nelson, 2006). In this essay, I will discuss the topic of the modern state, its significant feature and how modern state has shaped international relations. In discussing the features, this essay also aims to identify and define the term state, its components and how modern state transformed, followed by the main significant feature and its impact towards the new era of international relations. The modern state is believed to have risen between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe, and later spread to the rest of the world through conquest and colonialism. This ideal of modern state comprises of four defining characteristics that is bureaucracy, legitimacy, territory, and sovereignty (external and internal). States uses these four characteristics to provide their citizens goods such as security, a legal system, and infrastructure (Drogus Orvis, 2014). A failed state or â€Å"weak state† is a state-like entity that cannot coerce and is unable to successfully control the inhabitants of a given territory (Clark Golder, 2012). They are incapable of providing these goods, and once a state has become weak, it loses effective sovereignty over part of its territory. The most definitive terms of state comes from the German political sociologist and economic historian Max Weber (1864–1920). Max Weber claims that â€Å"the state is human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory†. He argued that â€Å"the state cannot be defined in terms of its ends and ultimately, one can define the modern state only in terms of the specific means peculiar to it, as to every political association, namely, the use of physical force† (Weber, 1958) . There are two recent definitions of a state, the first by a sociologist named Charles Tilly and the second is by the Nobel-laureate economist, Douglass North. According to Tilly, states are â€Å"relatively centralized, differentiated organizations, the officials of which, more or less, successfully claim control over the chief concentrated means of violence within a population inhabiting a large contiguous territory† (Tilly, 1985). On the other hand, Douglas North says that â€Å"a state is an organization with a comparative advantage in violence, extending over a geographic area whose boundaries are determined by its power to tax constituents† (North, 1981). There are three components to the modern state comprises of territory, people and central government. Territory comprises of the element on which its other elements exist. People are every territorial unit that participates in international relations supports human life. Central government is the members of the st ate designated as its official representatives. Some of the significant features of modern state may be the dominant form of political authority and imagination today but it has taken many and specific forms across the world without completely removing or overruling older languages of power and public authority. According to Weber, the modern statemonopolizesthe means of legitimate physical violenceover awell-defined territory. Monopoly on force– has the right and ability to use violence, in legally defined instances, against members of society, or against other states. Legitimacy/authority– its power is recognized by members of society and by other states as based on law and some form of justice. Territoriality– the state exists in a defined territory (which includes land, water and air) and exercises authority over the population of that territory. Sovereignty the idea that there is a final and absolute authority in the political community’, with the proviso that ‘no final and absolute authority exists elsewhere. Constitutionality Impersonal power The public bureaucracy Citizenship (Pierson, 1996) The most significant feature of modern state is undoubtedly the monopoly on force. All states will at least use the threat of force to organize public life. The fact that dictatorships might use force should not hide the fact that state rule in democracies is based on the threat of force (Mandisodza, 2012). This explains why North and Tilly only claim that states must have a â€Å"comparative advantage in violence† or have control â€Å"over the chief concentrated means of violence†. More important than the actual monopolization of violence may be the inauguration of a unitary order of violence. Violence and the threat of violence continued to be a chronic feature of the daily life (Pierson, 1996). A state is more than a government. A state is the medium of rule over a defined or sovereign territory. It is comprised of an executive, a bureaucracy, courts and other institutions. In a broad sense, any polity, any politically organised society, can be viewed as a state and various criteria can be used to distinguish between different kinds of state. However, according to Phillip Bobbit, state loses its legitimacy when it can no longer fulfil the function of maintaining, nurturing and improving the condition of its citizen (Axtmann, 2004). Some of the highlighted developments that was identified as essentially undermining the legitimizing premise of the nation-state to improve the wellbeing of the people were; first, the recognition of human rights as norms that require adherence within all states regardless of their internal laws; second, the development of weapons of mass destruction that render the defence of state borders ineffectual; third, the proliferation of global and tran snational threats that no nation-state alone can control or evade; fourth, the growth of global capitalism, which curtails the capacity of states for economic management; and, fifth, the creation of a global communications network that penetrates borders and threatens national languages, customs, and cultures (Bobbitt, 2002). These developments and the loss of legitimacy of nation-state, has led to a new constitutional order, which is the modern state. Changing  interpretations of the modern state  would certainly provoke conflicting views of sovereignty in the context of international relations. Modernization has brought a series of benefits to people such as equal treatment of people with different backgrounds and incomes, lower infant mortality rate, lower starvation-caused death, lower cases of fatal diseases, and so on. However, there are also the negative sides of modernity pointed out by sociologists and others. Technological development and environmental problems such as pollution are another negative impact of modernity. Additionally, the declining definitions of human nature, human dignity, and the lack of value in human life have all been indicated as the impact of a social process/civilization that reaps the fruits of growing privatization, as well as a loss of traditional values and worldviews. Because states needed to acquire greater wealth to finance military and political endeavours, a competitive state system b ased on the support of wealthy aristocrats emerged. This also contributed to the rise of mercantilism, and, ultimately, a modern capitalist economy (Farr, 2005). In conclusion, while many of these features of modern state have been rendered, histories seem to suggest those aspects may not be simple exceptions to the essential characteristics of modernization, but mandatory parts of it. As we approach the end of an era of a politically sovereign nation-state, we are also beginning to recognize that state’s self-sufficiency is hard to achieve. As a result, modern wars were categorised into two, either imperialistic wars designed to allow powerful states to become more self-sufficient by taking control of populations, territories and resources to be used for that purpose, or nationalist wars designed to reunite parts of the nation with the national state (Elazar). What is needed is a new kind of imperialism that is adequate to a world of human rights and cosmopolitanism value. Yet the weak still need the strong, and the strong still need an orderly world, in which an efficient and well-governed export stability and liberty, and openness f or investment and growth seem eminently desirable. But it leaves many question unanswered, and above all we are still left wondering how different states will be in the future. References Ahmad, R.E., Eijaz, A., 2011, â€Å"Modern Sovereign State System is under Cloud in the Age of Globalization†, South Asian Studies – A Research Journal of South Asian Studies, Vl.26, No.2, pp.85-297 Axtmann, R., 2004, â€Å"The State of the State: The Model of the Modern State and its Contemporary Transformation†, International Political Science Review, Vol.25, No.3, pp.259-279 Bobbitt, P., 2002, â€Å"The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History†, London: Allen Lane. Bobbitt, P., 2002, The Archbishop is Right: The Nation-State is Dying, The Times Clark, W.R., Golder, M., Golder, S.N., 2012, â€Å"Chapter 4: The Origins of the Modern State†, Principles of Comparative Politics, Vol. 2, pp1-66 Closson, S, Kolsto, P, Seymour, L.J.M., Caspersen, N, 2013, â€Å"Unrecognized States: The Strugge for Sovereignty in the Modern International System†, Nationalities Paper: The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity, Routledge Publishing, Vol.41, pp.1-9 Drogus, C.A., Orvis, S., 2014, â€Å"Chapter 3: The Modern State†, Introducing Comparative Politics: The Modern State, Sage Publication CQ Press, 2nd Edition Farr, J., 2005, â€Å"Point: The Westphalia Legacy and The Modern Nation-State†, International Social Science Review, Vol. 80, Issue 3/4, pp.156-159 Mann, M, 1993,â€Å"A Theory of The Modern State†, The Sources of Social Power Volume 2, The Rise of Classes and Nation States 1760-1914, Cambridge University Press, Vol.2, pp.44-89 Morris, C.W, â€Å"The Modern State†, Handbook of Political Theory, Sage Publications, pp.1-16 Nelson, B.R, 2006, â€Å"State and Ideology† The Making of the Modern State – a Theoretical Evolution, Palgrave Macmillan, pp.1-177 Netzloff, M., 2014,â€Å"The State and Early Modernity†, Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, University of Pennsylvania Press, Vol. 14, No.1, pp.149-154. North, D.C., 1981, â€Å"Structure and Change in Economic History†, New York: W. W. Norton Company. Pierson, C, 1996, â€Å"The Modern State: The Second Edition†, Routledge Taylor Francis Group, pp.1-206 Sidaway, J.D., 2013, â€Å"The Topology of Sovereignty†, Geopolitics, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Vol.18, No.4, pp.961-966 Tilly, C., 1985, â€Å"War Making and State Making as Organized Crime† Peter Evans, Dietrich Rueschmeyer, Theda Skocpol (eds.), Bringing the State Back In, New York Cambridge University Press. Weber, M, 1958 [1918]. â€Å"Politics as a Vocation†, Weber: Essays in Sociology, New York Oxford University Press. pp. 77-128. Chapter 3: The Modern State, http://www.chsbs.cmich.edu/fattah/courses/introPolSc/ch03state.htm Conflict Resolution and Sustainable Peace Building – The Post Modern State,http://www.world-governance.org/article86.html?lang=en Mandisodza, G.J.T., 2012, â€Å"Chapter 4: The Origins of a Modern State†, https://files.nyu.edu/sln202/public/chapter4.pdf The Problem with Sovereignty: The Modern States Collision with the International Law Movement, http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Articles/Special-Feature/Detail/?id=135613contextid774=135613contextid775=135611 The Rise and Fall of the Modern State System, http://www.jcpa.org/dje/articles/risefall-state.htm#top 1

I Want to Teach :: Teaching Philosophy Education Essays

I Want to Teach If you would have asked me two years ago what my feelings were about school, I would have told you that "I hated school". At that time I was 18 with no direction for my future and nothing seemed like it had any importance to me. The reason I decided to become a teacher is very complex because I never wanted to be a teacher until the end of 2003. What made me change my mind was a series of events and people in my life that impacted me both positively and negatively. This turning point in my life began in my senior year of high school. As I prepared for my senior football season I never took the time out to prepare for life after high school. The only thing that mattered was that I played good football and graduated so after that I could accept my full scholarship to the University of Illinois. I didn’t know at that time that life wasn’t that easy, but I was soon to find out. As the year went on I had more and more offers to play at different universities, but I was not paying attention to any of my mentors when they would tell me that none of these offers meant anything if I didn’t have the grades. I respect my mentors as if they were father figures because they have been where I want to go and have everything that I want, but I was too busy listening to family members who would tell me that I was going pro after my first year of college. As an 18 year old, you believe what your family tells you because you think it is right because they said it. Unfortunately, I found out that this was not always the case. The school year went on, and as others where preparing for the ACT and SAT, I was busy getting in trouble with the law and not going to class. No one cared about anything I was doing because I was a good football player and that was all they saw. They believed that any trouble I got in to, I could get out of, but that wasn’t true. I spent almost a month in the Wayne County Jail for armed robbery. It was there that I decided to turn my life around and do what was right.

How Birds Fly

The Flight Physiology of a Bird When a bird lifts off, it uses mass amounts of energy. This energy continues throughout the time the bird is in the air, but they are able to expend so much energy because of their natural diet. The food birds eat contains high energy proteins and carbohydrates. Birds are also equipped with hollow, lightweight bones that make it easier for them to stay in the air. Their feathers are light and positioned in a way that allows them to catch wind for greater lift.One additional perk birds have is their lung capacity, which allows for great reserves of oxygen that keep them from tiring during flight. Gliding and Lift Birds glide in the air in much the same way planes do. As they propel themselves through the air they also stretch their wings out and allow the moving air to flow over them. As they do this, their wings are pushing down on the air around them.Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite react ion, comes into play here, meaning that as the bird puts pressure on the air, there is also pressure being put on the bird by the air. In this case it is pressure on the underside of the wing that lifts the bird in the air. This is the principle physics behind lift. Hinged Wings and Propulsion Birds have specialized wings that allow them to fly. First, they are slightly curved on the top, due both to bone structure and feathers.Air travels faster over the curve on top of the bird's wing than it does along the bottom. This makes the pressure under the wing higher, which puts more lift on the bird. In order to propel itself through the air, it takes advantage of its hinged wing. When the bird brings its wings down, they are straight and flat and at a slight angle that will propel the bird through the air. When the bird lifts its wings back up, though, it folds them in so they exert less pressure on the air. That keeps them from slowing down. All of these aspects combine to allow a bir d to successfully fly.

Free Essays on Unplugging The Offensive

Unplugging the Offensive Following the terrorist attacks on September, 11 2001, music radio suffered changes like many other aspects of life in America. Program directors at radio stations began to question the choice of songs due to their suggestive lyrics or titles. Any song that had to do with tragedy or misfortunes came under scrutiny. Clear Channel, the largest owner of radio stations, which owns ten percent of all stations in the United States, began circulating a list of 150 songs with questionable lyrics; as a result, Clear Channel attempted to decide what would be appropriate for Americans to listen to on the radio (Corporate 3). Clear Channel is a media conglomerate which owns and controls many aspects of what you see and hear in the music world today. They operate in 65 countries, owning 1,376 radio stations, 700,000 forms of outdoor advertising, and venue promoter for hundreds of concerts every year (Corporate 1). There goal in creating the list was to sanitized American radio from offensive material. The idea to come up with a list was Clear Channel programmer Jack Evans. This list could have been created for Clear Channel to remove music that they viewed was too violent, insubordinate, or political for their radio stations. One song that was included on the list was by The Dave Matthews Band. The song was called Crash into Me (Barger 15). The Dave Matthews Band was formed in 1991. The band is composed of the widely varied musical interests. The five musicians create a unique sound that combines musical genres folk, jazz, rock, and reggae. The lead singer and guitarist Dave Matthews, who is from South Africa, created the band with diverse musicians from unlikely backgrounds to create the distinctive sound. The only instrument that is used in the band that is non-acoustic is the electric bass. The Dave Matthews Band uses a balance between composition and improvisation similar to the qualities found i... Free Essays on Unplugging The Offensive Free Essays on Unplugging The Offensive Unplugging the Offensive Following the terrorist attacks on September, 11 2001, music radio suffered changes like many other aspects of life in America. Program directors at radio stations began to question the choice of songs due to their suggestive lyrics or titles. Any song that had to do with tragedy or misfortunes came under scrutiny. Clear Channel, the largest owner of radio stations, which owns ten percent of all stations in the United States, began circulating a list of 150 songs with questionable lyrics; as a result, Clear Channel attempted to decide what would be appropriate for Americans to listen to on the radio (Corporate 3). Clear Channel is a media conglomerate which owns and controls many aspects of what you see and hear in the music world today. They operate in 65 countries, owning 1,376 radio stations, 700,000 forms of outdoor advertising, and venue promoter for hundreds of concerts every year (Corporate 1). There goal in creating the list was to sanitized American radio from offensive material. The idea to come up with a list was Clear Channel programmer Jack Evans. This list could have been created for Clear Channel to remove music that they viewed was too violent, insubordinate, or political for their radio stations. One song that was included on the list was by The Dave Matthews Band. The song was called Crash into Me (Barger 15). The Dave Matthews Band was formed in 1991. The band is composed of the widely varied musical interests. The five musicians create a unique sound that combines musical genres folk, jazz, rock, and reggae. The lead singer and guitarist Dave Matthews, who is from South Africa, created the band with diverse musicians from unlikely backgrounds to create the distinctive sound. The only instrument that is used in the band that is non-acoustic is the electric bass. The Dave Matthews Band uses a balance between composition and improvisation similar to the qualities found i...

Charles Cornwallis essays

Charles Cornwallis essays When you think of General Charles Edward Cornwallis all most people remember is his defeat at Yorktown, in 1781, which lost the British the Revolutionary War. There is so much more to this great general that people over-look. In January 1777, Cornwallis had American General George Washington trapped but he snuck away and defeated the rear-guard at Princeton. In early life, Cornwallis was spoiled and got all the best training but he still grew up as one of the best commanders. During th+ war, Cornwallis had some major victory but lost the final battle to Washington. After the war Cornwallis had a successful career in India and Ireland. Growing up Cornwallis got much more than the average boy Charles Cornwallis was born in London, December 31, 1738.. His uncle was Archbishop of Canterbury. Cornwallis was educated at Eton and was in the elite social circles. When he turned eighteen he joined the Grenadier Guards and went to a Turin, Italy military school to study for the position. His education was cut short when his regiment was called into the French-Indian War. After serving he was promoted to captain of the 85th regiment and when he returned to England, he was elected to Parliament. When his father died he assumed his seat at The House of Lords. Cornwallis fought against the Stamp Act but his voice was not heard. He married Jemima Jones, daughter of Colonel James Jones. He worked his way up and in 1775, he was promoted to major general. Despie his spoil upbringing Cornwallis was a great general. General Cornwallis successful in the war but lost his final battle. When the war began, Cornwallis offered to serve. He sailed off was Lieutenant General of 2500 troops. He first event was an unsuccessful attempt to capture Charleston, in June, 1776. He then moved and fought in The Battle of Long Island, in August, 1776. In November he captured Fort Lee, in New York, and nearl ...

Marketing research about organic food Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing about organic food - Research Paper Example Open ended questions were used to allow the respondents room to express their opinions. In these questions, there were no set of expected responses, this was to try and get true, insightful and probably unexpected answers too. An example of this kind was in the question if they considered organic to be a healthier option. Closed format questions were also used where respondents were restricted one and any of the multiple choices. These kinds of questions strengthened the questionnaire as they had no limit to the maximum number of multiple choices supplied. Its use was a strategy in ensuring an easy preliminary analysis. Embarrassing questions were avoided to minimize the chances of not developing a rapport with the respondents. The questionnaire under discussion involved both quantitative and qualitative methods in collecting the data. These methods were enhanced in the closed questions which would later play an ideal role while calculating percentages and statistical data where the answer sets were defined. According to Wilson, this kind of questionnaire could be described to have met its purpose as it consisted of all the characteristics of a quality questionnaire. The data got from this formation of a questionnaire had a high likelihood of generating accurate and true data. While pre-testing the questionnaire, a cheap method to detect problems, it can be noted that on comparing age versus exercise, the results did not indicate that the younger demographic was likely to exercises. However this did not necessarily influence their likelihood to buy organic. It is clearer that one crucial entity that would have further impacted the results of the questionnaire was awareness. Where the respondents had prior information on the benefits of organic food, it might not have matter, what age bracket they were in but would most definitely go for the organic option. A change in the questionnaire would be devised where a question ought to

Wage determinant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wage determinant - Essay Example The main emphasis of this paper is on the role of productivity in determining wage rates with respect to competitive markets such as the U.S. Productivity as a Wage Determinant Productivity is defined as the ratio of input to output. However, productivity can denote both ‘total factor productivity’ and ‘labor productivity’ (Backman). Labor productivity, traditionally, is seen as the output produced per hour/unit of time (Backman). The 1960’s and 1970’s saw a fall in productivity levels in the U.S (Backman). However, the economy recovered in the 1990’s and 1995 onwards was marked by very high levels of productivity. As far as wage markets are concerned, the more appropriate concept is that of labor productivity as it bears direct relation with the wage rate. As far as the U.S is concerned, the importance of this factor in determining wage levels dates back to 1948 when labor contracts underwent positive change throughout the automobile in dustry (Lewin and Kaufman). Later, in the 1960’s another proposition came into play that wage rates in an organization should be linked to the productivity of the economy as a whole (Lewin and Kaufman). This proposition has been heavily debated.

Effect of music during worship sevice Term Paper

Effect of music during worship sevice - Term Paper Example This "Effect of music during worship sevice" essay outlines the role of music during praying. From the findings, music during worship is necessary since worship starts with a vocal praise and helps the worshippers enter presence with God through exalting him (Stringer, 2005). Music during worship will establish the mood thus enabling the congregation to value both faith and feelings towards the creator (White, 2010). Musical rhythms have deep personal associations for worshippers thus act as a reference point during worship (Leonard, 1990). Music during worship facilitates revelation since Christians believe that revelation that is both natural through human experience and also supernatural through praise and worship (Smith, 2004). However, majority of the Catholic respondents see music as not essential during worship and they do not necessary express their freedom through bodily movements, but through prayer (Hauerwas & Wells, 2011). From the above findings, it is clear that a major ity of the Churches incorporate music during their worship regardless of whether in an urban or rural setting. Since contemporary music is the most preferred type of music, some Christian denominations like Methodist, Baptism and Non-denominational will have to enhance the quality of the music in order to attract more congregation (Macquarrie, 2003). Music provides the worshippers with a freedom to express their deep feelings about their God through dancing, joy and lifting of hands (White, 2006). Music is a means of exhortation since some anthems and solos are purely geared at exhortation thus worshippers will be able to express their personal testimony with their God thus acting as both worshippers and the preacher (Foley & Bangert, 2000). Praise through music humbles the worshippers since it is a sign of adoration from the creator thus something dynamic usually happens in the souls of the singers (Kurtz, 2008). Music

Drinking Age Essay Example for Free

Drinking Age Essay You pack up all your belongings, say farewell to your hometown and your parents, and just like that, you start a whole new life that you have been looking forward to all your life. As you approach your first Friday night as a college freshman, you inevitably encounter the choice of going to your first college party and being able to drink without having to worry about your curfew for the first time. Needless to say, you make the decision to follow your floor-mates to a big party that they have been talking about for the whole week. Underage drinking situations like the above are common especially among college students. Underage drinking is currently determined by an MLDA, or legal minimum drinking age, of 21 throughout the United States. Despite this simple and straightforward law, however, an abundant amount of irresponsible minors tend to ignore this rule and continue to do what is ultimately an illegal action. Because of these ongoing actions, people have been questioning the law and whether or not the legal drinking age should be lowered. After a investigation of evidences and arguments, I firmly believe that the minimum legal drink age should be kept at 21 and not be lowered. Due to countless numbers of statistics, the social and physical effects, and the need to keep the younger teens away from alcohol, it is safe to conclude that keeping the drinking age at 21 is the best choice for our society. For more than 90 years, the topic of legal drinking age have surfaced and caused controversy. Because of this, there have been many modifications to the law from lowering the minimum age to 18 to giving the choice to each state to increasing the national minimum age to 21. According to an article from Economic Inquiry by Jeffrey A. Miron and Elina Tetelbaum, having all states to adopt an MLDA of 21 is regarded as an enormous contribution to life-saving effects such as decrease in driving fatalities among youths as well as in the number of binge drinking reported. When the individual states were allowed to lower their MLDA from 21 to 18 between 1970 and 1976, there were studies that â€Å"claimed that traffic collisions and fatalities were increasing in states that lowered their MLDA†. This helps to support the assertion that lowering the MLDA didn’t do much in lowering the number of traffic-related accidents, although it doesn’t directly prove the fact that lowering the drinking age causes accidents. However, Dee, who uses state-level panel data and controls for state fixed effects, prove the point that there is a direct correlation between the MLDA and the rate of traffic incidents. After years of studying the effects of different MLDA’s, he confirmed that having an MLDA of 21 as a matter of fact reduces total traffic fatalities among 18-20 year olds by about 11%. Not only were there findings in the reduction of traffic fatalities with an increased MLDA of 21, but there were also evidences that it helps to reduce the number of teen binge drinking as well. An article from the Journal of American College Health indicated that cases of binge drinking, which is defined as five consecutive shots for men and 4 consecutive for women, has been reported more frequently among college students living in dorms. However, according to the Economic Inquiry, moving away from MLDA 18 has been said to be associated with a reduction in heavy teen drinking of 8. 4%. They found that â€Å"nationwide increases in the MLDA†¦reduced youth drinking by about four percent relative to pre-existing levels† (Miron). Overall, these findings in statistics help with the assertion that the drinking age should be kept at 21 for the minors’ safeties. In addition to these statistics, there are also social reasons behind why the underage population should be forbidden to drink until they are 21. According to an article on the American Journal of Public Health, influences in underage drinking are contributing factors in unintentional social and health causes, such as sexual assault, violence, crime, overdose, and other related high-risk behavior. Since minors have not been fully developed as adults mentally, they are more likely to make irresponsible actions when intoxicated. This may lead to undesirable affects that could potentially influence them for the rest of their lives, and hence actions need to be done in order to keep minors from the alcoholic influence. Also in opposition, there is no scientific evidence made to date that suggests â€Å"a lower minimum drinking age would create conditions for responsible drinking or would lead young adults ages 18-20 years to make healthy decisions about drinking† (Wechsler). Therefore, we have no solid claim to support the MLDA of 18, whereas we have more than enough justifications in saying that the MLDA should be kept at 21. Lastly, my stance on the minimum drinking age is supported by the mere fact that having a lower drinking age will only cause the younger generations to be introduced to alcoholic beverages. An article from the Economic Inquiry points out â€Å"when the MLDA is 18, more high school students have access to alcohol through peer networks†. It is an inevitable circumstance that if the MLDA lowers down to 18, typical high school seniors will have access to alcohol; this can only mean that alcohol will be more accessible to high school underclassmen than if the MLDA is 21. This also means that, according the to the article, the law enforcement will have to monitor the drinking behavior of individuals aged 17 years and possibly younger—not only should this be an unnecessary action for law enforcement, but this is also a situation that everyone should be concerned about. Giving teens easier access to alcohol will only deter them from growing to their full potential. The higher the MLDA, the less likelihood we have that the younger generation will have access to alcohol. That way, we will also have the benefit of a possible reduction in alcohol-related traffic fatalities and binge drinking rates among youths as well as prevention of them being socially and physically influenced by alcohol. Therefore, it makes more sense to keep the MLDA AT 21 if we do not want the younger generations to have easier access to alcohol. Underage drinking—you see it everywhere and hear about it every time. Having to listen to the news on the most recent car accident caused by a drunk minor should not have to be a common thing if we implement the right actions. Many statistics out there evidently show that having a lower MLDA has a direct correlation to a higher chance of alcohol-related traffic fatalities as well as the rate of binge drinking amongst youths. Studies also show that underage drinking may lead to serious health or social causes to the minor, some of which include sexual assault, violence, and overdose. Lastly, lowering the MLDA will only help the younger generations to have access to alcohol due to their high school peers. Overall, I believe that the safest and the best choice for our society is to keep the MLDA at 21 and not be any lowered than it is now. As the future leaders of the world, I believe that youths and minors should be grown in the safest, healthiest, and the most influence-free environment that will help them grow to their full potential when they can.

Free Surface Energy of Polymers

Free Surface Energy of Polymers Free surface energy of polymers. Poly(itaconate)s and poly(methacrylate)s Ligia Gargallo1, Claudia Aguirre2, Angel Leiva2, Deodato Radic Abstract: The free surface energy (SE) for a series of mono and diesters derived from poly(itaconic) acid, was determined by wettability measurements and estimated by theoretical calculations from Sugden’s Parachor. For these polymers it was observed a decreaseing in the free surface energy as the size of the chain of the alkyl groups in monoitaconates and diisoalkylitaconates increases. However, it did not allow to get values of the free surface energy comparable with experimental values, exception was for poly(2-chloroethyl diitaconate) and poly(3-chloropropyl diitaconate) where the experimental and theoretical variation was comparable. It means that the Sugden method match well for these polymers. Additionally, it was determined the free surface energy for some polymers from poly(methacrylic acid) derivatives, specifically poly(phenyl methacrylate)s (PPhMA). For these systems a decreasing in the free surface energy is observed, when a fluorine atom was introduced into the p henyl group. In general there was not a good correlation between experimental values and those estimated through the theoretical calculations. The influence of polymeric film thickness and topography on the determination of contact angle was studied for poly(phenylmethacrylate)s. The results show that the film thickness to determine contact angle must be over 254 A °. 1. Introduction In general it is very well known that due to the lack of surface mobility, the surface tension of a solid phase is too different to a liquid phase. So that, it is not possible to measure directly the surface tension of a solid phase, as it is the case of a liquid phase. It had been used several independent approximations to estimate the surface tension on a given system surface solid, being the measurement of contact angle the most practical way[1-11 ]. The surface of a solid, as well as of a liquid, has an additional free energy, but due to this lack of mobility in the surface of solids this energy is not possible to measure directly. [12] It means that the free surface energy can be estimated by wettability measurements in an indirect way, as shown in Figure 1. [13,14] An approximation to estimate the surface energy of solids is based on the interpretation of contact angle of sesil drop. Figure 1. Sesil drop over a solid surface. The arrows represent the surface energies when they are explained like forces of surface tension. From the schematic representation on Figure1, and considering the equilibrium state, the Young’s equation is obtained. This equation establishes a relationship between the contact angle and the three surface tensions: (2) where: ÃŽ ¸ is the contact angle, à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ §s à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  is the surface energy of solid-vapor interface, à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ §sl is the surface energy solid-liquid interface and à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ §l the surface energy at liquid-vapor interface. The dispersion force and polar contribution to SE, ÃŽ ³d and ÃŽ ³p, respectively, can be calculated by using the Owens, Wendt and Kaelble method. [15-17] The aim of this work is to obtain information about the free surface energy of several polymers with different chemical structures and various side chains. It was also interesting to clarify the inflence of the thickness and topography of the film in the determination of the SE of the polymeric systems studied. 2. Experimental Synthesis and characterization of poly(diisoalkylitaconate)s, poly(monoitaconate)s and poly(methacrylate)s Diisoalkylitaconates were obtained by conventional acid catalyzed esterification of itaconic acid using sulphuric acid in toluene and the corresponding acohols. [18-20] Monoitaconates were obtained by reaction of itaconic acid with the respective alcohols under fairly acidic conditions according to the method described by Baker et al., [21,22] for lower monoesters. Methacrylates were prepared by reaction of methacryloyl chloride with the appropriate alcohols in toluene solutions and N.N-dimethylaniline at reflux temperature during 24 h. Purification of the monomers was achieved by distillation under reduced pressure (0.5 mm Hg) as previously reported [23,24] for diitaconates and methacrylates. Purification of monoitaconates were achieved by repeated crystallization from toluene. The monomer structures and purity were confirmed by 1H-NMR and infrared spectroscopy with Fourier Transform (FT-IR). Polymerization was achieved in bulk at 340 and 350 K, depending on the monomer, using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator under N2 (polymerization time 48-60 h; conversion 70%) for diitaconates, 48 h for monoitaconates; yield 35% and 10-3 w/w % of AIBN in benzene solution under vacuum in the case of methacrylates (polymerization time, 48 h; conversion 65%). Preparation of Polymeric films. Films of poly(monoitaconate)s and poly(diitaconate)s were prepared by evaporation of dilute solutions (0,05 g/dL) in tetrahydrofuran (THF), over the glass and silicon wafer plates. Poly(metacrylate)s were prepared from dilute solutions 0.05 g/dL in chloroform. Contact angle measurements Surface free energy. The total surface energies of the polymers were determined by wettability measurements with water, diiodomethane and ethyleneglycol. Polymers films were cast onto glass slides for optical microscopy and silicon wafer. The cast films were dried for 30 min at 393 K. The wettability of the polymer films was determined by contact angle measurements. Contact angles were measured using a contact angle system OCA by Dataphysics with a conventional goniometer and high performance video camera, controlled by SCA20 software. A syringe connected to a Teflon capillary of about 2 mm inner diameter was used to supply liquid into the sessile drops from above. A sessile drop of about 0.4-0.5 cm radius was used. The contact angles were measured carefully from the left and right side of the drop and subsequently averaged. These procedures were repeated for six drops of each liquid on three new surfaces. All reading were then averaged to give an average contact angle. All experiments were performed at room temperature. Determination of polymeric film thickness by ellipsometry. Optical Assembly. The ellipsometer used has a polarizer, a compensator, the sample, an analyzer and a detector. The light source comes from He-Ne laser whose wavelength is 632.8 nm, that fall onto the sample with an angle of 60.65 °. The analyzer remains fixed at an angle of 24.256 °, and the polarizer is mechanically adjusted so that the detector does not record any signal. Silicon wafers (Silicon doped with Boron crystalline plates) were used as substrates. Pieces of 12 x 12 mm were used. The most important characteristic of these substrates, are the refractive index of silicon of 3.877 + 0.019 [25, 26] and the refractive index of PPhMA was 1.5706 [27]. Substrates were also properly cleaned and dried, being their typical polarization angle between 43.8 and 43.9 °. Preparation of films of poly(phenylmethacrylate). The film of PPhMA was prepared by evaporation of the polymeric solution in chlorform over the silicon wafer. In order to get different films thickness of PPhMA, different concentration of the polymeric solutions were used. Concentrations were 0.05 g/dL, 0.10 g/dL, 0.20 g/dL, 0.30 g/dL and 0.40 g/dL. Estimation of film topography. Morphological analysis of surface films of poly(phenylmethacrylate) were done by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). A film of PPhMA of 94  ± 10 Ã… thickness was prepared from a solution of 0.05 g/dL in chloroform and deposited over a silicon wafer as substrate. 3. Results and Discussion. Polymers studied in this work were mono and diesters from poly(itaconic) acid, and additionally some polymers from poly(methacrylic) acid were also studied. The sixteen polymers studied are shown in scheme 1. Surface free energy was determined by measuring the contact angles (CAs) of water, ethyleneglycol and diiodomethane on the polymeric surfaces. The dispersion ÃŽ ³d and polar ÃŽ ³p contributions were calculated by the Owens, Wendt and Kaelble methods. [15,16, 28,29] The results obtained by wettability measurements of polymeric systems studied are summarized in Tables 1 to 4. In the same tables are the surface energy calculated from Sudgen ´s parachor (à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ § =(Ps/V)4) for the same polymers. In the case of poly(diisoalkyl itaconate)s it can be seen that the number of methylene groups increases the lateral chain, the calculated surface energy values decreases. This is a normal behavior because the hydrophobicity of the polymer must increase. However, it did not allow to get experimental values that present this behavior. As it is important to consider the possible errors on the determination of SE values due to the effects of the roughness and at the same time the thickness on adsorbed polymers. For this reason the film thickness was studied to clarify its influence on the measurement of contact angle. Mono esters of poly(itaconic) acid Diesters of poly(itaconic) acid Poly (methacrylic) acid Scheme 1 In order to get films with different thickness the concentration of the solution of poly(phenylmethacrylate), PPhMA, was modified. Thicknesses and topography of the films were measured by ellipsometry on silicon wafer substrates. It was found a good linear correlation between film thickness and polymer concentration. (Regression coefficient R=0.98955). Surface free energy of substrates used was also determined in order to obtain this information to perform appropriate comparison of the results dealing with this polymer. The film thickness determination for PPhMA was made on silicon wafer, and on a glass plate. The surface free energy values in both substrates were compared. Table 5 shows surface free energy values found for PPhMA in these substrates. Topography of the surface of PPhMA film at a thickness of 94 A ° was studied by SEM micrography. It was found that the polymer is homogenously distributed on the silicon wafer substrate, showing a surface with regular porosity. This demonstrates that PPhMA film whose thickness is 94 Ã…, the surface is not completely cover and it produces in the measurement of the contact angle non reproducible values, due to the liquid will penetrate itself within the holes. Determination of surface free energy for PPhMA was performed at different film thickness. It was observed that for films thickness of PPhMA greater than 24513 A º there is a better reproducibility in the values of contact angle obtained. The SE values are shown in Table 6. 4. Conclusions Poly(monoitaconate)s with large lateral chains as poly(monodecylitaconate) and poli(monododecylitaconate), it was found that the surface free energy decreases as the length of the alkyl group increases. It allows concluding that the polymer increases its hydrophobic character, as its lateral chain increases. It is in agreement with its chemical structure. The surface free energy calculated through the Parachor parameter, for the poly(monoitaconate)s studied, decrease as the lateral chain increases its size. The estimation of surface free energy for the poly(diisoalkyl)itaconates, through Parachor, allows observing a decrease in the surface free energy for polymers, as the length of lateral chain increase; that is direct relation with the experimental work done. However, this work does not allow getting surface free energy values for those polymers comparable with the experimental value. The theoretical method of Sugden was not adequate to estimate those measurements. For polymers poly(2-chloroethyl diitaconate) and poli(3-chloropropyl itaconate), the variation of experimental and theoretical surface free energy was slight. It will imply that Sugden method is well fitted for those polymers. The study of surface free energy for poly(phenylmethacrylate)s shows that the introduction of a fluorine atom at phenyl group generates a decrease in its surface free energy. For poly(phenylmetacrylate), the results showed the film thickness, needed to determinate the contact angle, need to be higher than 24513 AËÅ ¡. The difference in the measurement of surface free energy between those experimentally determined and those estimated since Parachor, are related to the complexity of the monomeric structure. It is likely that the volume of each group or atomic unit would be influenced by interactions of neighbor atoms within the monomeric unit. Therefore calculations of surface free energy based on the table of structural contributions of Sugden’s Parachor would not fit at the experimental values. Acknowledgements. DR and AL. thanks to Fondecyt 1120091 for parcial finantial support. References [1] T. Rabockai Fà ­sico-Quà ­mica de Superficies, Ed. The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States Washington, D.C., Brazil, (1979). [2] M. Dà ­az Peà ±a, M., Quà ­mica Fà ­sica, Vol. II, cap.25. (1976). [3] R. A. L.Jones, R. W. Richards, Polymers at Surfaces and Interfaces, Ed. Cambridge University Press, U.K., (1999). [4] W.A. Zisman, Contact Angle, Wettability and Adhesion, Advances in Chemistry Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, D.C., Volume 43, (1964). [5] K. Ma, T. Chung, R. Good, Surface energy of thermotropic liquid crystalline polyesters and polyesteramide. J. Polym. Sci.: Part B 36,(1988) 2327-2337. [6] O. Driedger, AW Neumann, PJ Sell; Contact Angle, Wettability and Adhesion. Kolloid-ZZ. Polymere, 201 (1965), p. 52J. Kolloid-Z Z Polym. 52, (1965) 201, [7]A.W. Neumann, R.J. Good, C.J. Hope, M.J. Sejpal, Colloid Interface Sci., Physico-chemical surface characterization of hyaluronic acid derivatives as a new class of biomaterials Colloid Interface Sci. 49,(1974) 291-302 [8] Spelt K., Li, D. In A. W. Neumann, J. K. Spelt, Eds., Applied Surface Thermodynamics; Marcel Dekker: New York, pp. (1966) 239-292. [9] D.K. Owens, R.C. Wendt, Estimation of the surface free energy of polymers J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 13, 1741-1747 (1969). [10] C.J. Van Oss, K. Chaudhury, R. Good,. Interfacial Lifshitz-van der Waals and Polar Interactions in Macroscopic Systems J. Chem. Rev., 88 (1988), 927-941. [11]. A. Kwok, A. Li, A. W. Neumann., Low-rate dynamic contact angles on poly(methyl methacrylate/ethyl methacrylate, 30/70) and the determination of solid surface tensions. J. of Polym. Sci., Part B: Polymer Physics, 37,(1999) 2039-2051). [12] Van Krevelen D. W., Properties of Polymers, their estimation and correlation with Chemical structure, Ed. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Chap. 8, (1976) [13] L. Makkonen, On the methods to determine surface energies, Langmuir, 16, (2000) 7669–7672. [14]L. Gargallo, D. RadiĆ¡, Structure/Surface energy relationships of polymers. Current Trends in Polymer science 6 (2001)121-133. [15] A. Rudawska, E. Jacniacka, Analysis for determining surface free energy uncertainty by the Owen–Wendt method International Journal of Adhesion and Adhesives 29, 2009, Pages 451–457 [16] M. J. Owen Surface tension of polytrifluoropropylmethylsiloxane Journal of Applied Polymer Science 35 (1988) 895–901 [17] D. K. Owens, R. C. Wendt. Estimation of the surface free energy of polymers. Journal of Applied Polymer Science 13, (1969) 1741-1747 [18] J.M.G. Cowie, I.J. McEwen, J. VeliÄ koviĆ¡Dynamic mechanical spectra of poly(itaconic acid esters) containing phenyl and cyclohexyl rings. Polymer , 16 (1991) 869-872. [19] D. RadiĆ¡, C. Daà ±in, A. Opazo, A., L. Gargallo, Functionalized Polymers 1. poly(dichloroalkyl itaconate)s. Synthesis and Solution Properties. Makromol. Chem., Macromol. Symp. 58,(1992) 209-213 [20]D. RadiĆ¡, L. Gargallo, Synthesis, Solution behavior and reactivity ratios of vinylpyrrolidone-co-monoalkylitaconate and vinylpyrrolidone-co-dialkylitaconate, Macromolecules, 30 (1997) 817-825 [21] B.R. Baker, R.E.. Shaub, G.H. Williams, Oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic Acids. Aguide to current common practice, G. Tojo, M. Fernandez Springer, J. Org. Chem., 17, (1952) 122-125. [22] L. Gargallo, D. Radic ´, A. Leà ³n, Polymer conformation and viscometric behavior 3. Synthesis, characterization and conformational studies in poly(mono-n-octyl itaconate) Makromol. Chem. 186, (1985) 1296. [23]. Burtle, J. G., Turek, W.N. J. Org. Chem., 19, 1567 (1954). [24]. L. Gargallo, M.I. Muà ±oz, D. RadiĆ¡, Polymer conform,ation and viscometric behavior 1. Conformational transition in poly(benzylmethacrylate) in dilute solution Polym. Bull. 10, (1983) 264-270. [25] Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 79th ed., Ed., David R. Lide (CRC, Boca Raton), (1999). [26] Handbook of Data on Organic Compounds, Ed. Robert C. Weast and Melvin J. Astle (CRC, Boca Raton), (1985). [27] Brandrup J., Immergut E.H. Polymer Handbook, Third Edition, Ed. John Wiley sons, New York, (1989). [28]L. Gargallo, D. Vargas, N. Becerra, C. Sandoval, C. Saldà ­as, A. Leiva, D. RadiĆ¡, Supramolecular structures. Organization and Surface behavior at interfaces, Macromol Symp., 278, (2009) 80-88. [29]C. Saldà ­as, L. Gargallo, C. Sandoval, A. Leiva, D. RadiĆ¡, J. Caballero, M Saavedra, F. Gonzà ¡lez-Nilo, Polymer 50 (2009) 2926-2932. Table 1. Surface free energy (SE) of poly(diisoalkylitaconates)s Table 2. Surface free energy (SE) of poly(2-chloroethyl diitaconate) and poli(3-chloropropyl diitaconate) Table 3. Surface free energy (SE) of poly(monoitaconate)s Table 4. Surface free energy (SE) of poly(phenylmethacrylate)s Table 5. Surface free energy for substrates Table 6.Values of the surface free energy for poly(phenylmethacrylate) at different film thicknesses 1

Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay -- Family Heritage Literature Essay

Everyday Use by Alice Walker Heritage is an important factor to every developing family. Heritage helps to develop a person's values showing what they believe in. Particularly about the values of their family. In the story Everyday Use, by Alice Walker, value of heritage is a main topic. Throughout this story there are many different words used to describe what Wangero (Dee), Maggie, and their mother value. These choices of words all play an important role in the contrasting values of these people and the battle over heritage. The mother of Wangero and Maggie is the narrator of this story. It is evident at the beginning of this story, when the narrator describes her clean yard as an extended living room, that she is proud of her home. Her house is somewhat of a shanty, meaning well run down and not very luxurious. Being proud of her home shows that she values what she has and doesn't complain about not living in luxury. The narrator also shows that she believes in having a close family. This is evident when she describes a dream of hers. The dream is about being on a TV program where Dee, her daughter also known as Wangero, comes on and hugs her; telling her how she appreciates all she has done. This experience of the hug in public shows that she values her daughter being close to her. This hug being in public shows that the narrator wants the world to see the family's interconnectedness. The narrator also shows her closeness with her other daughter Maggie, later in t...

Amir’s Redemption Essay

It is fair to say Amir redeemed himself by demonstrating courage in the end of Khaled Hosseini’s controversial novel, The Kite Runner. Not all individuals possess courage and some develop this virtue at a later time in life. Courage is defined as the ability to do something that frightens one. That is precisely what Amir had done when he received a phone call from his old friend, Rahim Khan. He repented for the terrible things he had committed and decided it was time for him to make things right and â€Å"be good again. † He risked his new life and traveled to his treacherous homeland to make right of something he had done years ago. He vowed to fix his mistakes and by this act showed courage and redemption. Amir had betrayed his only friend Hassan in one of the most cruel and darkest ways. He witnessed something unspeakable and did not aid his friend nor did he make anyone aware of the situation. Yet Amir was a young boy at the time and young children can be ignorant in situations such as these. He had known what he saw was wrong and felt, at the least to say, heart wrenchingly guilty. He was painfully aware of his cowardness. â€Å"I ran because I was a coward. I ran because I was afraid of what Assef could do to me. I was afraid of getting hurt (The Kite Runner 140). † Almost thirty years later when Rahim Khan calls him with the opportunity to redeem himself, he takes it. He takes it because he has to fix the mistake he made with Hassan and realizes saving his now orphaned son, Sohrab, is the way to do it. He demonstrates newfound courage by traveling back to Afghanistan, a place he never wanted to see again. Although his homeland is now dangerous and swamped with evil Taliban, he is determined to rescue his nephew. Initially Amir travels to a run-down Afghan orphanage in hopes of finding Sohrab and releasing him to a couple who will take care of him. Upon arriving there he finds out his nephew has been taken by Taliban and he then goes to save him from his menacing, childhood bully, Assef. This truly courageous act shows how far Amir was willing to go for redemption. He was Kidder 2 beaten mercilessly and brutally by Assef to get Sohrab. In a way his redemption was also his retribution. As he was getting injured by Assef, Amir felt he was finally paying for all his sins and mistakes. â€Å"My body was broken-just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later-but I felt healed. Healed at last, I laughed (The Kite Runner 253). † Battling his demon and saving Sohrab was his most courageous act by far. Amir always considered Hassan his brother symbolically, having being â€Å"fed from the same breast. † When he found out Hassan was truly his brother by blood, he was in disbelief but accepted it. That is why he decided it was best he take Sohrab to live with him in America. In his heart he knew this courageous act would be his final step to redemption. He would never be able to fix what happened with Hassan but saving his son would save anymore tragedy from happening. It was difficult for Sohrab to transition from life of hardship in Afghanistan to life in America, the land of dreams. He was mute for two years and was judged harshly by General Tahiry. Amir stood up to the General and told him â€Å"You will never again refer to him as ‘Hazara boy’ in my presence. He has a name and it’s Sohrab (The Kite Runner 315). † This was courageous and honorable of him as he has always been intimidated by the General. The Kite Runner is a spectacular, well-written novel that conveys how an individual can develop the virtue of courage even much later in life. What the character of Amir had done was terribly wrong, but he fully atoned for his mistakes. Realizing the error of his ways, he went above and beyond to make things right. It took courage to travel to one’s forgotten hometown, the place where he went through hardship. It took a great deal of courage to bring his nephew to safety from Taliban. Amir suffered enough and showed enough courage to finally be redeemed from his sins.

Ethnic Groups in America

Ethnic Groups in America Free Online Research Papers When the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock they brought with them the dominant human characteristics of risk taking, perseverance and determination for the end result of abundant prosperity. While at first look one would assume that these are desirable traits to have in any ethnic group. However not when the prosperity of the newly colonized people involves its ability to invade, displace and eradicate the native ethnic groups in its pursuit of expansion. After the American Revolution, Americans would import foreign African ethnic groups establishing an economic and political system that would escalate into a heedless nation that’s only cultural contribution to the world is its obsession for greed ,wealth, and power at the expense of all ethnic tradition and customs brought here by immigrants from around the world. The problem facing all ethnic groups in America today is the growing consumerism that has been incubating an emerging culture for the last 150 years. Unlike other countries where other ethnic groups are forced to assimilate due to foreign invaders, America invited with open arms a diversity of multi-cultured ethnic groups. All these different ethnic groups each brought their own customs traditions foods and religious beliefs with them. As we finish the first decade of the 21st century individuals find themselves more concerned with who is going to be eliminated this week on American idol, while watching it on the television screen in their cars with 24 inch spinning rims, on our way to the Olive Garden to eat Italian food made by a Mexicans, all while updating their Face book page with their new I phone. This is a terrifying definition of what one might call American culture. However it is not culture at all but the end result of extensive consumerism. Corporations produce goods in s uch mass volume so we can easily afford them. They also spend millions of dollars on advertising to the point we feel we can not live with out them. This is causing people to work more hours to purchase luxury items in an attempt to compete with their peers. This is causing a generation to abandon the values and traditions brought here by previous generations who migrated to America. This problem faces every ethnic group in America today. If left unresolved, all the diversity that makes this country the great melting pot it is today, will instead turn it into a cultureless country of money-grubbing, mindless zombies that behave and purchase everything corporations want them to. Corporate retailers support the social influential broadcasting media networks such as MTV, CNN, ESPN, and the Disney channel by purchasing the commercial time the networks sell to generate their revenue. This also allows the Corporations to influence the programming shown on television which plays a signific ant role in creating American culture. This is an important issue because in a country that prides its self in its ethnic cultural diversity, it is slowly being erased by the corporations that were born in its free market system. Immigrants have come to America to escape political and or economic hardships. They have also come here to work or start business and have a piece of the â€Å"American dream†. As newly relocated immigrants they bring with them the culture of their homeland. As time goes on they can pick and chose the extent of their assimilation. Their native born or even young children on the other hand only know the Americanism consumer society they grow up in. As they go to school they discover the importance placed on material possessions as they are judged by their peers by their clothing and possessions placing them in social categories. This is when they learn the value and necessity of the items they see on television commercials (Brenagain). For first generation Americans the only exposure they g et to the culture and tradition of their native land is what comes from their parents. As they grow up and assimilate they will abandon the culture taught by their parents for the materialistic American consumer way of life. Advertisers started to reach out to large groups of people in the 1920’s as consumer spending fueled by consumer credit helped people make purchases they might not be able to afford(GMU.edu)With the invention of the radio, advertisers could reach all the people in a city. Radio also helped expose products to people that were illiterate and normally never saw adds in magazines or newspapers. Using new techniques such as music jingles and having radio actors promote products, was the beginning of playing on peoples desires to want to be like celebrities and buy what they said was necessary and fashionable. (JDU.edu)Commercial television advertising began after world war II in the 1950’s . The three major networks (ABC NBC CBS) broadcasted nationally and the commercials shown were made by the largest corporations that had their goods sold in stores nationwide (JDU.edu). Nothing has changed in the last sixty years; the growth of television has created more channels with more commercials. Corporate retail giants are continually telling us we need their products to enhance our lives, while molding our culture to their liking destroying the diverse cultures of all ethnic groups in America. Immigrants that came here originated from many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. They brought with them a rich heritage. However the youth of today holds no value to that heritage and is throwing it away and trading it for prime time television and whatever new clothing line is popular at the time. If society does not wake up and recognizes that they are being brainwashed by corporate sponsors that fund the programming they watch on TV and figure out that the shoes you wear, the car you drive, and the jewelry you flaunt does not define your character .It is this kind of mentality that fuels American consumerism and will lead to the downfall of all the diverse culture ethnic groups brought to America making us the great melting pot of the world. If I was president and could implement any action to rectify this issue that faces all ethnic groups today, my solution would be simple but possibly have a catastrophic impact on our society as we know it. I would create a law that places a financial ceiling on the amount of money any business in America can spend on advertising. I would allow businesses to spend only up to 100,000 dollars on advertising each year in every state. This would allow nation wide corporations to spend up to 5.2 million dollars a year but no more then 100,000 dollars in any particular state. However I would allow additional spending over the cap so long as any amount of money spent in any particular state by a corporation is matched with a 2 to 1 ratio payment to that states public school system. That way if McDonalds wants to spend 10milion on commercials in Los Angeles County they would also have to give 20 million to California’s school system totaling 30 million for only 10 million in advertisin g. My intention for this radical form of legislation would be to cripple the hold that advertisers have on the television media potentially destroying mass media as we know it. Two possible results would occur if I could implement this law. With out the millions dollars corporations spend on add revenue all the mindless programming that is on television would be taken off the air. This would not allow television networks to pay actors absurd amounts of money but instead direct that money into bettering our local school systems and pay teachers the money they deserve to educate our children benefiting our society and all ethnic groups as a whole. This way our county could redirect its value s away from material possessions and the need to own everything shown on TV. and more on sciences , the arts, family values, and improving the community. Then ethnic culture will grow and thrive in communities and the rich diverse ethnic heritage and history?that made our county the unique meltin g pot will continue, and not be erased by corporate profiteering.? American Advertising: A Brief History. History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web. George washington university, n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2010.