The Importance of Affirmative Action in America Essay

The Importance of Affirmative Action in America Affirmative action is a much debated topic based on the efforts of our government to overcome prejudicial treatment through inclusion. Affirmative action is a way of helping minorities in our country get jobs and avoid racial injustice. Many large companies have increased their employment of minorities after adopting these policies (Plous). Despite the efforts of affirmative action today, women still only earn 76 cents for every dollar earned by males. There are 1.3 million unemployed African-American civilians and 112 million employed white civilians. Statistics show that if every unemployed Black worker in the United States were to displace a White worker, only 1% of Whites would†¦show more content†¦The author of this article feels that for the University of Michigan to have an open discussion about affirmative action, the arguments will continue until racial preferences at the school will no longer exist. Those who do not support affirmative action are unfortunately, by definition, a racist (Unite...). So who really benefits from affirmative action in the long run? Meet Jaray, Jaray is an African-American who recently graduated from his high school in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated with a GPA of 3.3 and applied to the University of Chicago. Now meet Steve, a white with a GPA of 3.3 who also applied to this University. They both applied in November and have been waiting patiently to hear back. Unfortunately for Steve, this University is one of many that support affirmative action. Seeing how both of them have the same educational skill level, the board of admissions turned to the topic of race. The University of Chicago has already accepted 1,078 new freshmen and only 20% of them are African-American. So Jaray got the acceptance letter and Steve had to turn to another school. Is this fair? Should Steve get turned away just because his application happened to be against Jarays? Some may say that between the two, Steve has a better chance of getting into any college, especially the o nes that dont support affirmative action. Jaray doesntShow MoreRelatedAn Ethical Dilemma: Affirmative Action, Do We Still Need It?1706 Words   |  7 PagesEthical Dilemma: Affirmative Action, Do We Still Need It? An Ethical Dilemma: Affirmative Action, Do We Still Need It? Abstract This paper discusses the importance of affirmative action in today’s society and the ethical role it plays when Employers and Universities are considering entry to their respected places of establishment. The paper will conclude with what America will face in the future in terms of affirmative action. An Ethical Dilemma: Affirmative Action, Do We Still NeedRead MoreThe Debate over Affirmative Action1307 Words   |  5 Pagesdebate over affirmative action. Although the United States has made great strides in improving race relations over the past forty years, affirmative action continues to be one of the most controversial policies in America. It has rattle the halls of higher education. It has appeared on the steps of the Supreme Court. And it has divided not only different racial groups, but even members of a single racial group. In fact, I’ve heard some of the most heated conversation over affirmative action between twoRead MoreAffirmative Action And Its Effects On Affirmative1263 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout America there are many different views on the effects of affirmative action. Many see it as a negative policy which gives an unnecessary advantage to minorities in America. In a 2009 Pew Poll, â€Å"58% of African Americans agree† and only â€Å"22% whit es agree† that there should be â€Å"preferential treatment to improve the position of blacks and other minorities† (Public Backs Affirmative Action†). Today affirmative action and other racial injustices tend to be in the spotlight quite often, suchRead More Affirmitive Action Essay1106 Words   |  5 Pages Affirmative Action is the name given to programs that try to correct past and ongoing discriminations against women, racial minorities, and others in the work force and in education. The principal goal of Affirmative Action is to create more diversity and equal opportunities in jobs or schools that used to be all or mostly male, white, or both. Affirmative Action programs have been in place only a little over thirty years. Affirmative action works. There are thousands of examples of situations whereRead MoreEssay Affirmative Action1163 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmative action works. When these policies received government support, vast numbers of people of color, white women and men have gained access they would not otherwise have had. These gains have led to very real changes. Affirmative action programs have not eliminated racism, nor have they always been implemented without problems. However, there would be no struggle to roll back the gains achieved if affirmative action policies were ineffective. The implementation of affirmative actionRead MorePersuasive Speech : Affirmative Action1043 Words   |  5 PagesTitle: Affirmative Action Topic: The idea I want to talk about is the purpose of Affirmative Action in America, who it represents, and how it affects them. Purpose Statement: My speech will inform the audience about the objectives of affirmative action and how it benefits them. Audience Analysis: A. Demographics: My audience will consist of males and females who are young adults that attend Michigan State University. Also, my audience will consist of many ethnicities and nationalities. My speechRead MoreAffirmative Action : Is It Still Needed1544 Words   |  7 PagesIn the United States justice is defined as equal treatment of all its citizens under the law. When one citizen is mistreated an injustice has been committed against all people. Affirmative Action is a program whose purpose is to make sure that citizens are treated equally by enforcing a set of policies which are designed to promote the inclusion of all individuals regardless of race, disability, sex, or religion. In the United States democracy we are all equal, but some groups have been enjoyingRead MoreRacial Inequality And Affirmative Action900 Words   |  4 Pagesbarriers, President John F. Kennedy created the affirmative action program to provide equal opportunities for everyone, whether in education or in the workforce. Even if this was a program created in the 1960’s, problems continue to present itself as shown through the many court cases, such as Brown vs. Board of Education, Fisher vs. University of Texas, Grutter vs. Bollinger et al, and Hopwood vs. State of Texas. Thus, racial inequality and affirmative action continues to be a controversial topic evenRead MoreAffirmative Action Programs Should Be Legal1576 Words   |  7 PagesKennedy issued Executive Order 10925, introducing the phrase â€Å"affirmative action.† A few years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued Executive Order 11246, which prohibited discrimination based on race, color and religion. Although there were no specific policies that require colleges and universities to use affirmative action programs, they voluntarily gave advantages to minorities and women in the admission process. Affirmative action programs were first challenged in Regents of the UniversityRead MoreAmerica Needs Affirmative Action Essay1384 Words   |  6 Pagesimposed legislation called affirmative action. According to At Issue: Affirmative Action, â€Å"Affirmative action is designed to promote access to opportunities in education, employment, housing, and government contracts among certain designated groups, such as women and minoritiesâ€Å" (At Issue). This law is necessary in today’s society in order to maintain equality and diminish discrimination against social groups throughout the United States. Inductive Reasoning Affirmative action has leveled the playing

Ethical Issues of Human Test Subjects Essay - 1215 Words

Ethical Issues of Human Test Subjects As we achieve burgeons of new technologies, we must also face the irreprehensible sacrifices. The old scientific adage reminds us that no trial can go without error. Many of the present day technologies may prove beneficial but the processes of development and discovery often come at high prices. Countless experiments have been conducted in the names of science and the advancement of mankind. Regardless of their outcomes, these experiments require some form of a test subject. Any life sustaining test subject has been the root of many ethical issues, with human test subjects being one of the most controversial. Granted the advantageous products of labor, the definition for what we, as moral†¦show more content†¦So little was known about plutonium, uranium, and the like. But thermal and chemical reactions provided some insight into the strength of their capabilities. In order for scientists to properly understand their force, experiments would have to be conducted. A Case Study: Radioactive Tests At Fernald State School: During the 1940s to 1950s, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Fernald State School in Waverly, Massachusetts collaborated on a experiment testing the effects of radioactive iron on human subjects. Researchers performed a â€Å"non-therapeutic nutritional studies with radioisotopes at the state school† (1) for the mentally retarded. The project, also funded by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, was initially addressed as for â€Å"addressing calcium metabolism.†(2) The test subjects, â€Å"young male residents of Fernald, who were members of the schools ‘science club’,† were daily fed micro curies of a radioisotope of calcium (Ca-45) in their cereal. They were also given milk daily and had blood, urine, and excrement samples taken accordingly to measure the calcium retention in their bodies. Several other experiments also included the oral or ingested intake of radioactive iodine. The amount of daily intake was considerably lo w and none of the experimental participants wereShow MoreRelatedHuman Primates : The Appropriate Subjects Of Biomedical Research Essay1539 Words   |  7 Pagesarticle, â€Å"Non-Human primates: the appropriate subjects of biomedical research?† discusses the ethical issue of whether or not we should be using non-human primates in biomedical research. Throughout this article, Quigley raises the question is it ethical to perform testing on non-human primates? By looking at the accuracy of this testing, the type of research done, and the capacity of the subjects we can see that if the experiment is not ethical to perform on a human then it is not ethical to conductedRead MoreStanley Milgram s Research On Obedience863 Words   |  4 Pagespeople delivering â€Å"shocks† to an unknown subject, which caused much controversy to occur and raised many questions in the psychological world. Diana Baumrind, a psychologist at the University of California and one of Milgram†™s colleagues, attacks Milgram’s ethics in her review. She decides that Milgram s tests are unethical towards the subjects and claims that his experiment is irrelevant to obedience. In contrast, Ian Parker, a writer for The New Yorker and Human Sciences, asserts Milgram’s experimentsRead MoreThe Impact of Ethical Decisions on the Discovery of Knowledge in the Natural Science and Art1075 Words   |  5 Pagesethics are interconnected but ethics is hindering what science can achieve. The knowledge issue I will be addressing is what impact do ethical decisions have on limiting the discovery of knowledge in the natural sciences and arts? One day in biology class we were discussing the potential benefits of the harvesting of embryotic stem cells and how these cells could potentially help save lives, however one of the issues to the stem cell argument was, if stem cell research was to be conducted then scientistsRead MoreEthical Behavior Involving Human Subjects1637 Words   |  7 PagesHuman subjects in the research field requires us to analyze our approach to physical science according to a higher respect of the subjects, to thoroughly protect the participants as well as others in connection to the research. We must also protect the validity of the data retrieved from the research. The ethical questions at hand aren’t merely right from wrong in a sense but the fairness of the views being administered to participants, including safety. Often research approaches from our past inRead MoreAnimal Testing: Pros and Cons Essay1021 Words   |  5 Pages The ethical treatment and testing on animals is a widely controversial subject in the field of zoology. Views on animal testing range from positivity to full negativity. Animals such as mice and rats have been found to have psychological and genetic similarities that relate to humans which make them perfect for the experimental trials. Before various products are put out for humans consumption, animals are the most common way for companies to see if their new inventions work. The benefits andRead MoreShould Animal Testing Be Ethical?1328 Words   |  6 Pagesable to replicate the results of the research to positively affect humans. It has provided many cures to diseases and many basic products that are mass produced such as lotion, shampoo, sunscreen, etc. Adding on, animal testing is ethical since it follows many guidelines and restrictions made by numerous laws that protect animals from inhumane treatment. Although such testing can provide many people with benefits and may be et hical, many animals are still subjected to torture or even die due to animalRead MoreEthical Dilemmas Of The City Versus Rural Countryside Essay1105 Words   |  5 PagesEthical dilemmas Society is defined by Merriam-Webster as, â€Å"people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values.† (1). The term â€Å"society† is a very complex entity with many variables and plays a role in the interaction of people every day. So what makes up a Society? Why do we gravitate towards certain groups of people? Why do we stay in certain areas of the United States, or choose to live in the city versus the rural countryside? TheRead MoreBasic Ethical Principles in Epidemiology1254 Words   |  5 PagesBasic Ethical Principles The three basic ethical principles generally accepted principles in the U.S. cultural tradition include the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. The principles of respect for persons ensure that human subjects treated as autonomous agents and persons with diminished autonomy are provided protection (CDC, n.a.). The protection relates to when human subjects may lack coherence under certain medications, sickness, or physical conditions in which the researcherRead MoreThe Controversial Issue Of Abortion1584 Words   |  7 PagesAbortion. The subject of abortion has become one of the most controversial issues in health care; deciding whether to abort a life or keep it. There are many ethical issues surrounding the topic. When does the fetus become a person? Is it when they grow arms and legs? Is it when there is a heartbeat? Is there an exact point, where ethically, having an abortion is wrong? There are many reasons people opt to have an abortion. Perhaps the c hild is bared through non consensual sex or from the failureRead MoreExtreme Measures Of Dr. Guy Luthan Essay986 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough it has a rather a dated feel, Extreme Measures presents a complete moral and ethical conundrum between what is best for the masses and what is best for the individual. Throughout the story the main character, named Dr. Guy Luthan (played by Hugh Grant), is faced with a serious of choices that essentially dictate his moral beliefs. Many would say that Dr. Guy Luthan is an example of deontological ethical reasoning, because he strongly opposes Dr. Lawrence Myrick, another character in the story

Economic Development and Environmental Protection Free Essays

This paper argues on both theoretical and empirical grounds that, beyond a certain point, there is an unavoidable conflictbetween economic development (generally taken to mean ‘materialeconomic growth’) and environmental protection. Think for a moment of natural forests, grasslands, marine estuaries, salt marshes, and coral reefs; and of arable soils, aquifers, mineraldeposits, petroleum, and coal. These are all forms of ‘natural capital’ that represent highly-ordered self-producing ecosystemsor rich accumulations of energy/matter with high use potential (low entropy). We will write a custom essay sample on Economic Development and Environmental Protection or any similar topic only for you Order Now Now contemplate despoiled landscapes, eroding farmlands, depleted fisheries, anthropogenic greenhouse gases,acid rain, poisonous mine tailings and toxic synthetic compounds. These all represent disordered systems or degraded forms of energy and matter with little use potential (high entropy). The main thing connecting these two states is human economic activity. Ecological economics interprets the environment-economyrelationship in terms of the second law of thermodynamics. The second law sees economic activity as a dissipative process. Fromthis perspective, the production of economic goods andservices invariably requires the consumption of available energy and matter. To grow and develop, the economynecessarily ‘feeds’ on sources of high-quality energy/matter first produced by nature. This tends to disorder and homogenizethe ecosphere, The ascendance of humankind has consistently been accompanied by an accelerating rate of ecological degradation, particularly biodiversity loss, the simplificationof natural systems and pollution. In short, contemporary political rhetoric to the contrary, the prevailing growth-oriented global development paradigm is fundamentally incompatible with long-term ecological and social sustainability. Unsustainability is not a technical nor economic problem as usually conceived, but rather a state of systemic incompatibilitybetween a economy that is a fully-contained, growing, dependent sub-system of a non-growing ecosphere. Potential solutions fly inthe face of contemporary development trends and cultural values Ecological disturbance and nature tourism. THE purpose of this article is to consider the role of disturbance as a crucial ecological consideration in landuse planning for nature tourism. Incorporation of ecological insights into the environmental-planning process offers hope for rational and sustainable development. Nature tourism has been proposed in recent years as a solution to the dilemma that developing countries face in conserving their biological heritage and concurrently improving the economies of local human settlements. In Mexico, nature tourism has become a favored mechanism for development, especially on the Yucatan peninsula. Recognizing the immense value of its coastal natural communities, Mexico has recently established several large biosphere reserves to preserve natural resources and to accommodate and support human settlements. The experience of sprawling, high-impact Cancun, with more than one million visitors annually, has encouraged the government to reassess its development goals. One example of Mexican openness to sustainable conservation-development projects is the innovative, cooperative effort of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras to establish Ruta Maya, a low-impact design to promote tourism based on natural and archaeological treasures (Garrett 1989). In the Yucatan, two long, relatively pristine barrier peninsulas, Rio Lagartos and Celestun, are being identified as opportune sites for nature tourism. Both have high conservation value and were designated special biosphere reserves by the government in 1979 because of their floral and faunal diversity. Both have small human settlements based on fishing and salt extraction. The protection concept known as the Mexican modality, in which local villages can coexist with both conservation and tourism, is an ambitious development plan. Through trial and error, it is becoming clear that development must be guided by ecological understanding if degradation of natural systems is to be avoided. Sites worth visiting are often those that cannot endure heavy human use, and if irreversible environmental degradation results from nature tourism, both conservation of biological diversity and sustainable tourism will fail. Although political and economic considerations usually far overshadow ecological concerns, conservation of natural resources will not succeed if ecological insights are ignored in planning for nature tourism. To retain the integrity of ecosystems, ecologists must convey the most useful information about the dynamic physical and biological contexts of natural communities, including information about the effects of human change on natural disturbance regimes. Important shifts in ecological theory in the past several decades could change perspectives on planning decisions. Fundamental models of community organization throughout the history of ecological thought were rooted in the idea of equilibrium, and most principles applied to managing natural areas have been based on the notion of stability. Many recent empirical studies offer evidence that the natural world is not static, that natural disturbances are common to many environments, and that most landscapes are not in equilibrium, at least for the short term. Planners and developers of tourist facilities, along coastlines, for example, have mistakenly assumed that the physical context for hotels and roads was a stable place. RECENT ECOLOGICAL THOUGHT From its beginnings, ecology has been the study of nature as a stable, orderly system. Natural communities that were undisturbed by people were generally thought of as pristine and immutable, composed of interdependent and harmoniously arranged species assemblages (Botkin 1990). This idea was based on a long tradition in Western culture that envisioned nature as orderly and was embodied in the phrase â€Å"balance of nature† (Glacken 1967). Largely through the writings of Frederick E. Clements (1916) early in the twentieth century, the notion of natural communities as naturally occurring assemblages of species in harmony with local climatic regimes became ecological dogma. If a community was disturbed, damage would be repaired along a predictable continuum toward the climax community. Later, equilibrium became an explicit assumption for most ecosystems, a steady state to which a system returned if a disturbance altered its balance (Connell 1978). Dissenting voices proposed that species act independently of one another and that perturbation is a common event in many natural communities (Gleason 1917; Watt 1947). Strong evidence for the commonness of disorder in nature has come from a large body of literature documenting the profound and pervasive effects of a multitude of disturbances–fires, floods, windstorms, alluvial erosion, landslides, grazing, insects, and invasion of exotics (Veblen and Ashton 1978; Bormann and Likens 1979; Sprugel and Bormann 1981). It is now believed that all ecosystems are somewhat dynamic and that, in some, severe or even catastrophic disturbance is a regular occurrence. Natural disturbances were once assumed to retard the orderly progression of species replacement †¦ THE PROBLEM: Sulfur dioxide is a major source of air pollution world wide, and a major contributor to the problem of acid rain. SOME SOLUTIONS: 1) The technology exists to produce cleaner burning coal, but this process is very expensive. ) Inorganic sulfur can be removed from coal by washing it, but this will not remove organic sulfur, and the process is also very expensive. 3) Coal gasification converts goal to a gas in order to remove the sulfur. The gas produced from the sulfur can then be used to augment supplies of natural gas. This process is not yet competitive enough. 4) Scrubbing removed the oxides from the gases in the smoke stakes, but is also an expensive producer. Looking at these solutions, it would be easy to conclude that th ere is no win win solution when it comes to sulfur emissions from coal. However, in Germany they did find a solution that is win-win. AN INNOVATIVE SOLUTION: â€Å"A German company in 1980 purchased coal-scrubbing technology and improved on it†¦ rather than disposing of the calcium sulfite rich sludge the company further processes it to produce building materials such as sheet rock or wallboard, which are sold worldwide. Another innovative approach to removing sulfur has been taken at a large coal burning plant near Mannheim, Germany. The smoke from combustion is cooled, then treated with liquid ammonia.. he sulfur-contaminated smoke is cooled in a heat exchange process that allows the chemical reaction between the sulfur rich smoke and ammonia to take place†¦ waste heat from the cooling towers is used to heat nearby buildings, and the plant sells the ammonium sulfate in a solid granular form to farmers to use as fertilizer. Thus, Germany, in response to tough pollution control regulations, has substantially reduced its sulfur dioxide emission s, and in the process it has boosted its economy. â€Å". Increasing recognition that the overall goals of environmental conservation and economic development are not conflicting but can be mutually reinforcing, has prompted calls for ‘environmentally sustainable’ economic development. Although there are difficulties in defining sustainable development in an analytically rigorous way, there is still a need to evolve a concept of sustainability that both distinguishes it from other post-war meanings of development and is useful for practical analysis and policymaking. How to cite Economic Development and Environmental Protection, Papers

How to Beat the Heat free essay sample

We definitely need a diet to keep our reserves active,† says independent nutritionist Suneet Khanna. Expert nutritionist Shikha Sharma, says coconut water comes as close to the perfect replacement for all the minerals we lose when we sweat. â€Å"The electrolyte combination of coconut water is similar to the plasma in the human body,† says Ms. Sharma. Ms. Sharma says that one common mistake people make during the summers is to assume that the temperature of the food determines whether it’s â€Å"cooling† or not. Something that is straight out of the refrigerator, say, a chilled boiled egg salad, does not necessarily cool the system post digestion,† says Ms. Sharma. However barley, rice, mint, coriander and onions, have a cooling effect on the system once they have been digested, she added. Spicy meat dishes should be avoided if you want to stay cool, according to nutritionists. They say that even though this kind of food might help restock the sodium content, it dilutes the potassium, calcium and mineral content in the body. We will write a custom essay sample on How to Beat the Heat or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. Protect Your Skin. Scorching summer heat and the sun’s strong rays can be damaging to the skin. â€Å"Moisture from sweat and the constant exposure to sunlight, combine perfectly during summers and the result is a dangerous hub for bacterial and fungal infection,† says Rohit Batra, a dermatologist at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi. Shielding the skin is indispensable, doctors say. But the SPF rating on the bottle of sunscreen is not the only thing to look for. â€Å"SPF or Sun Protection Factor only looks after the Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. One must remember that these constitute only 10% of the Ultraviolet rays entering the earth,† explains Sajiv Kandhari, a New-Delhi based dermatologist. The Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays which are usually less intense, more prevalent and often the dominant â€Å"tanning† rays, are also harmful. Mr. Kandhari recommends a sunscreen with a â€Å"broad spectrum,† capable of protecting the skin from both UVA and UVB rays. To avoid the summer tan use umbrellas, scarves and caps, says Mr. Batra. 3. Spot Early Signs of Heat Stroke. Some of the common symptoms of a heat stroke are body-ache, stomach cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting and high fever. A higher degree of a heat stroke can leave a person â€Å"delirious,† doctors say. But even a mild heat stroke must not go unchecked because it can worsen, warns Mr. M. Paithankar who works at Delhi’s Max Hospital. â€Å"Not only is the consumption of water essential. But, this must be supplemented by salts,† he says. 4. Wear Cotton and Stay On Trend With Lighter Colors. Natural fabrics like cotton and linen are breathable and cooler than most man-made fibers. Fashion experts say that the lighter pastel colors with hints of neon are defining the trend this summer. Avoid anything tight-fitted. In fact, wear an oversized shirt teamed with something tighter,† says Pallavi Das, creative head of designer-wear firm Satya Paul. Think easy and casual to temper the mounting heat, she says. 5. Get Out of The City If You Can. The searing temperatures in the city are enough excuse to plan a trip to the cooler hills. But most destinations are increasingly being overrun by tourists. During the peak summer months of May and June, popular escape spots in the north like Srinagar, Pahalgam, Simla and Mussoorie can be crowded. Ajay Jain, travel author and owner of Delhi’s Kunzum travel cafe, recommends destinations like the Chopta Valley in Sikkim, Abbott Mount in Uttaranchal and Shoja and Tirthan Valley in Himachal Pradesh as places that remain relatively unexplored. But they are further afield than the popular getaways and can be difficult to get too. If hotels in the Himalayas are sold out, Mr. Jain suggests heading down south. â€Å"Coorg [in Karnataka] is perhaps the best all year destination in the country. The weather there is always agreeable,† he says.

W. K. Clifford Essay, The Ethics of Belief

In the W. K. Clifford essay, ‘The ethics of belief,’ he stated that creating a belief is the right way and subject of true ethical significance. Clifford provided an opinion in opposition to theism where his statements can be put in three points; there is inadequate evidence to believe that there is existence of God, it is incorrect forever, all over, and for anybody to support anything without providing any evidence, and generally it is a mistake to say that God exist.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on W. K. Clifford Essay, ‘The Ethics of Belief’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He saw the matter as an ethical and moral example. It is ethically incorrect to believe something without providing any support to the claim. Clifford used some examples to express people who create their beliefs without providing any evidence. Clifford asserts that people should criticize these subjects, therefor e supporting their beliefs. Believing in Gods’ existence without providing enough evidence is not correct as supported by Clifford in his essay. James’s main idea is that if options exist, forced, and crucial and may not be solved through intellectual ways, somebody can and have to allow his or her non-rational nature to create the selection. Somebody believes what he expects to be correct or anything which makes somebody very happy, and here everybody appears to have a great difference with Clifford. Clifford’s analysis seems to be the same in this situation. Somebody is ethically required to suspend conclusion, to pursue the way of not believing, because doing otherwise would be trusting on intellectually inadequate evidence. Williams James stated that when the issue of morality appears, more common matters concerning what is most significant or most valuable entailed in life, people find themselves with options which exist, forced, and important and are not s olve on intellectual basis. In contrary, Clifford’s claim is self-refuting where he maintains a moral perspective; it is incorrect forever, all over, and for anybody to support anything without providing evidence. For the issue of Gods’ existence, Clifford argued that if somebody does not have adequate evidence to believe that God exist, therefore they should not have beliefs. James stated that supporting this, somebody would lose everything good which comes with religion. James said that somebody’s dedication to their beliefs in God, if right or wrong, possesses huge impact on the outcome. The issue about power has taken omnipotence as constant and that the theory supports the existence of something powerful than an omnipotent. It is theoretically likely that omnipotent being may be able to create anything powerful; however the definition of every piece of argument and the capacity of Him should be made with great accuracy before handling it. It is simply not r ealistic but a logical mistake.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Omnipotence is really relatively unclear and handles power in several forms. Possibly a deity could be all-powerful simply since it can decide not to make anything more powerful. Or perhaps it is just irrational to make anything more powerful. Furthermore, classifying deities as part of all, something would create this issue invalid of any significance. In conclusion, if somebody was to search for solution to scientific and testable issues, it would be wrong to depend on individual beliefs instead of evidence and facts. Alternatively, because God is not like any other being that can be proved through testing, if it is in my greatest significance to have belief in God, I should. This essay on W. K. Clifford Essay, ‘The Ethics of Belief’ was written and submitted by user Adonis Barr to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Ex-Basketball Player by John Updike

Ex-Basketball Player by John Updike Free Online Research Papers The main idea of John Updike’s poem, Ex-Basketball Player is that a young man named Flick who was a really good athlete in high school. However, after high school he became nothing more than a gas station attendant. During high school he was an excellent basketball player. He set records that many kids are still trying to surpass today. During and after high school he never learned a trade, so he wasn’t able to obtain a high paying job where he could move up in life. He just ended up selling gas, checking oil, and fixing flats. Paraphrase: A street goes in front of a high school Curves with paths to a dead end Before it has an opportunity to travel two blocks A shop at a certain place Facing west where two streets conjoin Usually you can see Berth’s helper, Flick Webb Flick towers above gas pumps With five old in each row The hoses hanging down low Two S’s comprise his nose His eyes form an E and an O. One is flat Oblong shaped, with no head Flick was a high-school basketball player He was the best of the team He scored three hundred ninety points in 1946 He set records that lasted. The ball always went in the hoop. One observed him score 38-40 points in a game. He always kept his hands moving He never went to college, but he got a decent gas station job Sometimes, He bounces a tube for entertainment Beside the grease, everyone still remembers the points His appendages are careless on the lug wrench The carelessness doesn’t hurt the lug wrench He is at a diner when not working His hands greasy and clenched while playing pinball As he plays, he smokes and slurps soft drinks He doesn’t speak to the owner He stares at appealing stacks The stacks composed of candy The poem Ex-Basketball Player contains five stanzas and thirty lines. The first stanza describes the ex-basketball player, Flick. It tells how Flick works at â€Å"Berth’s Garage† which doesn’t even have a â€Å"chance to go two blocks† from his old high school. Flick more than likely ended up working at Berth’s Garage because Flick didn’t want to be very far from the place where he had been a hero. Flick doesn’t even own the business, he just simply â€Å"helps Berth out.† The job he was at was taking him nowhere and it was suited for someone with less potential. This poem contains no rhyming. Therefore, it doesn’t contain a rhyme scheme. This poem does not contain a consistent meter. The author uses free verse to write this poem and tell a story. The use of free verse in this poem also allows the author to express his feelings towards the importance of learning a trade and using your potential to make something of yourself. This poem contains specific rhyming devices such as alliteration and onomatopoeia. The alliteration used was in the second and ninth lines. The first use of alliteration was the â€Å"trolley tracks† in the verse â€Å"Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off.† The second use of alliteration was the â€Å"loose and low† in the verse â€Å"Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† There were uses of onomatopoeia in the fifteenth, seventeenth, twenty-first, and twenty-seventh lines. The words used for onomatopoeia were bucketed, rack, dribbles, and smokes. These uses of sound techniques help enhance the theme by allowing the reader to get a better mindset of the story the poem is telling by reading action terms. The kind of language used in this poem was Colloquial Language. This type of language was a mid range between proper grammar and cursing. The use of this type of language made the main idea of the poem more understandable. It made the main idea more understandable by not using perfect grammar, which helps represent a person who is nothing more than a â€Å"gas station attendant.† This type of language enhances the theme by helping show that a high school basketball star has taken his talent nowhere because a lack of learning a trade. The lack of learning a trade can also be perceived through the use of words that are not used in formal setting. There were similes, metaphors, and personification used in this poem. One of the similes used was â€Å"His hands were like wild birds.† The first four lines can be considered a metaphor, being a comparison to Flick’s life of â€Å"turning a corner and stopping before it has a chance to go further.† The personification used was â€Å"Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† The use of these figurative language components helps understand the life Flick had been and is living. Updike uses imagery to depict a dim, grimy world of the present and compare it with the brilliant, shining magnificence of Flick’s past. Imagery is initially used in the first two lines of the poem, where Pearl Avenue â€Å"bends with the trolley tracks and stops, cut off.† Those two lines show how Flick’s life has been cut short, just like the road that leads to Berth’s Garage where he works. The train passes by the high school Flick went to, but just like him, it doesn’t go very far beyond. The words â€Å"cut off† are very important in the understanding of Flick’s circumstances. His days of fame came to an abrupt ending with the realization that â€Å"he never learned a trade.† The second stanza used imagery to show that Flick is out of place amongst the â€Å"idiot pumps† with their â€Å"rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† The imagery suggests that these non-living objects are as close as Flick comes to any sort of real contact with others. It is further suggested by the last stanza of the poem, in which he ignores Mae to stare of into â€Å"applauding tiers of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and JuJu Beads.† The reference to one of the pumps as â€Å"more of a football type† also points to the fact that Flick views the world through sports analogies and his past. The fact that there are five pumps, like five men on a basketball court for each team, also suggests that Flick still views life in terms of basketball. These details verify the notion that Flick did not concentrate on anything other than basketball during his formative years. Not relationships with others, not academics, nor a fallback plan. Just basketball. The expression â€Å"idiot† used to describe the pumps also separates Flick from the other basketball players he used to play with and against. Just as he is out of place amongst the pumps, his talent put him out of place amongst his peers. Even though he was admired, Flick was never really a part of the town. His presence was simply ornamental, and continues to be. The theme of this poem is about a high school basketball star that has taken his talent nowhere. If one doesn’t work on their goals, they will never reach their dreams. Also, if you do not reach your goals you can end up living an out of place life. The theme that Flick is not necessarily unhappy, but out of place, carries throughout the poem. The poem says, â€Å"the ball loved Flick† and â€Å"he was the best,† and this allows everyone to see that it is not just Flick who looks upon his past with a sort of admiration and pride. It is the entire city, and he is the local hero. The boy who didn’t exactly make it big, but he made it big enough that he’s remembered. Perhaps the town longs for that hero the same way Flick does. But it is not longing for Flick, specifically. What the town, as shown by the narrator, wants is another hero. Until one comes along, they will live vicariously through Flick’s past. â€Å"As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube, but most of us remember anyway,† the narrator ponders. It’s as though Flick wants to remind the town of his past, but he has no need because the town clings to it just as he does. Flick does not see people, he sees spectators. He does not see gas pumps, he sees opponents, teammates, and athletes. He does not see candy, he sees a high school gymnasium full of admiring fans. And also, the town does not see a person, but the person’s past. It appears to be a very mutual need for recollection. Flick and his fans are a community isolated from reality, and reality is what matters. Flick is not necessarily skilled with the lug wrench, but â€Å"it makes no difference to the lug wrench.† The warmth of memories and â€Å"a gag† are contrasted with the harsh reality that Flick’s path is a permanent one, and in the end, it doesn’t matter how many points he scored or who remembers what. The only thing that matters is the fact that Flick pumps gas. To the townspeople, he is a hero. To the rest of the world, he is nothing, if even that. However, the cold reality does not seem to affect Flick very deeply. The last image one gets is that of Flick staring past a person into â€Å"applauding tiers† of candy. The use of the word â€Å"tiers† plays as almost a joke, suggesting that Flick may be unhappy with his place in life, but he portrays himself as almost carefree by what has happened to him and content to live his life through the glo ry of his past. This poem contained an appropriate title that generated interest and hinted what the poem was about. The subject of this poem did a great job of depicting what the situation was, who is talking, and under what circumstances. The tone of this poem was very neutral by not saying that the life flick is living is good or bad. With the author not putting his opinion into the poem, it can be interpreted in many different ways. There was an excellent choice of words in this poem. The words were very simple, economical, varied and energizing, and the words used didn’t have to be complex to get a point across and paint a good picture. The metaphors, similes and personification used were striking and convincing. The use of the simile â€Å"His hands were like wild birds† did a great job at describing how Flick played basketball, and the use of â€Å"cut off† as imagery did an excellent job at showing how all of Flick’s hopes and dreams came to an end. Research Papers on "Ex-Basketball Player" by John UpdikeThe Hockey GameMind TravelTrailblazing by Eric AndersonStandardized TestingHip-Hop is ArtHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 68

Assignment Example The website contains a lot of relevant pictures. United Cape Way Breton is an autonomous organization that is managed by voluntary staffs; hence the pictures that the website uses represent the organization itself, which is a huge plus; although, it does not contain any video content. The information available generally describes or elaborates the mission and objectives of the organization, which tells reader of why the organization is in existence. Further, the website has lopsided features though. First, it lacks some entertaining features and exciting promotions. Second, although the website contains useful information, it is limited. The website only contains unspecified materials and related links are quite difficult to find. As aforementioned, the information tabs of the website are orderly arranged which makes it easier to navigate. The words used are easy to understand, and it avoids confusion. Perhaps, great emphasis should be placed on the â€Å"ease of navigation† aspect since not all interested visitors are technically savvy. It is a professional organization so it is expected that retired professionals are likewise interested to join. But, one thing I noticed is that it does not have a chat support system or a simple chat box that enables urgent communication between the organization and the users. The website should have been more effective if such tools are installed as users get the exact information they need at the soonest possible time. Clearly, the website does not allow its users to personalize the site, unlike Facebook or Twitter, but this is reasonable in that this is a professional organization just like AARP or PETA, so it does not hold any bearing. The website has â€Å"News and Events† feature that displays the different events the organization is conducting throughout the year, which adds more appeal to the website. Interactive tools for evaluating a product are not applicable since the website is a not-for-profit

Review of the Annual Report & Accounts regarding the financial Essay - 1

Review of the Annual Report & Accounts regarding the financial performance of the QE11 for the year ended 31 March 2013 - Essay Example The other part of the report is based on the factors that the QEII should consider when looking for sponsorship so that it remains competitive in the increasing competitive environment. The report is in three parts as discussed below. First, the improvement in the cash flow position is due to the increase in the operating surplus. QEII generates it revenue from the sale of the house occupancy, conference activities such as meetings and conferences and from the interest rates from their investments in other companies. The increase in the operating surplus was due to the increased marketing activities. The good marketing that the QEII did both at home and abroad lead to the whole centre being booked for the Olympic period to host Casa Italia representing the Olympic committee of Italy. Secondly, the increase in trade and other receivables lead to the increase in cash flow to the centre. This was because of the good measures of credit control management which were very effective during the financial year limiting the exposure to the risk of bad debts for the centre. Therefore, decrease in bad debts means that good amount of cash was received from the accounts receivables which lead to the increase in the cash flow position improvement (Harrison, 2001). The third is the increase in the provisions has lead to the improvement in the cash flow position. A provision is a form of receipt in the cash flow statements and therefore if any provision in center is increased, it increases its cash flow position. Hence the increase in the provisions has lead to the improvements in the cash flow statement The fourth factor that leads to the improvement in the cash flow position is the decrease in trade and other and other payables due after more than one year. Any decrease in the trade and other accounts payable leads to the improvement in the cash flow position as less cash will be paid out. . This ensures that little cash is paid out which

Critical paper for the film Whatever Works by woody Allen Essay

Critical paper for the film Whatever Works by woody Allen - Essay Example His most reoccurring theme in this movie is hard and painful life experienced by many Americans. He further manages to bring out the uncertainty of life. Through these issues, we as humans can reflect on our lives and learn to appreciate our time on earth due to the inevitability of death. His work provides an insight into the philosophy of life to the current and future generation. Like Boris, the present and future generations will realize that harsh realities of life and sufferings impact them enormously, as well as their works. With proper planning and wise decisions, people can easily evade misfortunes and lead better lives, not like the one led by Boris. What I find interesting is that Boris continually insults people, but despite this, people still love him. He does this in a humorous, innovative, and creative way. He adopts impressive and witty lines to inform the people of their foolishness and stupidity in the movie. It is evident when he is accused of hitting a young child with a chessboard, but he defends himself by stating, â€Å"I did not hit with it, I picked it up and dumped the piece on his head as an object lesson, to shake him out of his vegetable torpor†. It is interesting to learn that Boris does not come across as sour and unpleasant to the people he always insults. Majority of the people like and appreciate him since he is uniformly funny especially when delivering his insults. However, Allen appears to be provocative in his movie. I find the scenes in his film depicting majority of Americans as conservative and sexually repressed provocative. To him, any American citizen outside New York is ignorant and unenlightened on the current lifestyle. In addition, he says that they are homosexuals who do not find opposite sex attractive, but would rather make love to sheep. This movie provokes the rest of Americans. It creates bad blood between the rest of America and New York. Such words can cause

The Influences And Decisions Of Social Workers Social Work Essay

The Influences And Decisions Of Social Workers Social Work Essay As a social worker, having an awareness of how my philosophy may influence my decision-making in a professional setting is important for future practice. In order to give my clients the most beneficial advise. I must be aware of my responsibilities in following the value practices of social work. Know my position in the helping domain According to the Association of Australian Social Workers, social work practice should aim to help individuals achieve success in both personal and social endeavours in order to encourage wellbeing of the individual (aasw 2002,p 5). My self-evaluation will analyse how personal philosophy compliments or contradicts the value set out in social work practice. I will explore my values in relation to individual relationships and speak about my hopes for the future of the world I shall also explore the origins of my philosophies, the pillars that sustain them and the events in my life that have shaped my beliefs. I will then examine the steps I would take to prevent conflicts of interest between my client and me Personal life Philosophy Human beings irrespective of gender, race, or status govern their lives according to a series of rules that show the way to behave among family, friends, and the wider community. These are called values and are signals that give direction about right and wrong (Dolgoff et al, 2009, p20, Beckett Maynard, 2005, p5). Values stem from a variety of areas, as children we are raised in communities that influence our behaviour Beckett and Maynard (2005) refer to these as value systems. The ideals we take from our societies can be static and others can change overtime. (Beckett Maynard, 2005) Culture has a major impact on our value systems; it influences our professional lives, as well as our private lives. (Otima Doyle, Shari E. Miller, F. Y. Mirza, 2007). I also govern my actions according to values learned as a child and my philosophy has been shaped by a cross-cultural upbringing, I was raised in Papua New Guinea where I received a western education that encouraged individualism and in Uganda, I received a Catholic education where I learned the values of community. I experienced the liberal lifestyle in university. These diverse environments have contributed to how I view the world today. I value people above all other beings because of the way I was raised in Uganda with family members that supported each other economically I did not experience great hardship. However I knew that my parents did. This awareness taught me to respect hard work and value integrity, because my parents despite their struggles resisted the pressures of the government to sacrifice personal integrity for wealth. I value honesty and for me that includes being open about my abilities to take cases that may cause me great distress and I consider credibility in matters pertaining to worker client confidentiality valuable Compassion and charity are also important to me because I believe that in order to be an effective helper, a charitable nature goes along way towards understanding the needs of a client. I am aware however that emotional distance must be exercised. I need to be careful not become emotionally attached to the client In order to prevent my imposing my values upon my client. I believe in being committed to all my relationships, and feel that in order to achieve success in either my personal or professional life I must be faithful in keeping private details in confidence. Finally I believe that in order for a relationship to grow there needs to be acceptance for differences in all aspects of life, from how someone behaves, to the opinions they hold. Therefore if I choose to interact with people regularly I should be able to accept them completely. I may not like their actions but I should acknowledge that my clients come from different backgrounds and as a social worker my duty lies in not judging them, but rather I am there to help them work through their problems. Hope for the future and the world The future is truly an unknown that holds a lot of uncertainty for me; at present I can not clearly picture what my hopes and dreams are. However there are some things I would like to see change in the next ten years: The first area of concern for me is the climate change debate, instead of the constant rhetoric from the major world leaders like the United States, Russia, Great Britain, and China. I would like to see concrete steps being taken to reduce greenhouse gas emission coming from industries around the world. Secondly I wish that in the next few years the millennium development goals (MDGs) are achieved before the dead line in 2015 so far very limited success has been reported according to the United Nations MDGS report of 2009 progress has been noted in only four goals of the ten goal program. The report outlines the progress made in reducing infant deaths, from its 1990 figure of 12.6million to 9 million in 2007; the report also cites progress in the areas of education, pov erty and reduction of pollutants. They however admit that more progress is needed in order to meet the 2015 deadline. Finally I hope that more pharmaceutical companies will join the global initiative to find cheaper alternative solutions to the medical needs of the world. I hope the companies like Glaxo smith Kline and its many rivals dispense with the need to make money and consider saving lives as their priority Origins of values and reinforcement My philosophy comes from many experiences. As a child I grew up with cataracts that affected my vision. The condition over the course of my education has caused me great frustration. However, the love and strength of my mother ensured that I had the best possible start. She taught me never to give up; the support of my educators also showed me that despite the presence of obstacles, if I worked hard I would achieve my goals. The challenges due to my visual impediment have taught me to be compassionate towards all people who have challenges in their own lives, I have experienced the hardship of trying to live and work with people who have few physical limitations. Reading is a skill that I love but at times I dislike it because the fonts used in books are often too small and cause me to be slower these seemingly minor worries cause me some frustration. I however find great inspiration from men like the Australian born Nick Vujicic who was born with no limbs and with only a tiny foot l ives life to the full. With a double degree in accounting and financial planning He speaks with strength about his journey I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance. (Nick Vujicic 2010). His ability to succeed in the way he has despite his obvious challenges, amazes and humbles me into the realisation that I can achieve any goal if I truly want it. My life philosophies are sustained by my belief in God to whom I turn to for guidance; guidance I find in the writings of the Old and New Testament of the Bible. In the Old Testament writings, especially in the book of Deuteronomy, I find the moral values by which I govern my life. Set out in The Ten Commandments (NIV Bible, Duet; 5:1-32) that guide me on how to live my life in accordance to Gods wishes. Other values that have contributed to who I am come from other books I have read. Books by Charles Dickens such as Oliver Twist and Hard Times have painted harsh pictures of poverty in industrial England during the 19th and early 20th century these stories sparked an interest in perusing solutions to human suffering. Before coming to Australia I had completed a degree in International relations with the hope of leading my nation towards finding solutions to our domestic problems in the International arena these aspirations however have not been achieved so far Personal values in relation to Social work After reading the Australian association of social workers code of ethics I have found parallels to my own philosophy of life. The association has five core values that provide social work professionals with guidelines that inform their practice. These values are: Human dignity and worth Social justice Service to humanity Integrity Competence (AASW, 2002, 1999, p 8) At this stage in my live I can appreciate and accept that these values are essential for every day life. However, I must express some reservations in saying that I would adhere to these values completely. The major problem that I can foresee is that I am an individual with mixed ideals in some situations for instance where the question of life is posed I am fairly mixed I do not believe in the death penalty, yet I cannot fully disagree about the abortion questions. I can cite a specific time in my life when I was 22 and a friend told me she was dating a married man and had become pregnant. She wanted to have an abortion and I tried to talk her out f it however she went ahead and had the abortion, my first instinct when I got the news was to be critical of her and I see now that my distaste regarding infidelity and abortion prevented me from being more considerate, as a social worker I must learn to suppress my own views in order to be more receptive to my clients In situations where my values may conflict with those of a client Ralph Dolgoff etal says clashes occur in many client worker dynamics (Dolgoff etal 2009, p112) mainly because social workers tend to give greater value to social harmony, equality, free choice and social justice. These values differ from culture to culture and may change over time. An example is the question of a womans right to choose between an abortion and not having one in the early 20th century women in Europe and North America could not get safe access to abortion services and as a result many died in back alley clinics in the attempt. However as laws around the world have changed so have values and in many societies having an abortion is now just another alternative to a woman who may have no choice but to seek such services. These differences according to Dolgoff etal may cause problems for the social worker and the client In the initial stages of therapy, however in order to ensure that my point of view does not conflict with my clients values, Dolgoff suggests that social workers need to peruse knowledge relevant to the cultural requirements of clients, this information can be compiled through interviews of clients (Dolgoff etal 2009). As social workers we need to be knowledgeable about the various issues pertaining to cultural or religious beliefs (Dolgoff, etal, 2009, 113).Although I may need to have a better understanding of where my client position on certain values comes from, it is vital that I maintain a clear impartial reserve Dolgoff emphasises the dangers inherent in identifying too closely with the clients he points out that bias will most likely result and affect the success of an intervention. However having a similar background to my client can enable a better rapport to develop between m y client and myself. Further gaps that may arise and cause me problems as a social worker deal with the matter of power; in the social work profession I have assumed power over the client. And because of this assumed power, the client is likely to feel unequal to me by virtue of my knowledge, and the clients position of service user. This power dynamic can be detrimental to the success of a social worker in trying to gather helpful insight into a clients problem, if not channelled correctly In the text Ethical decisions for social work practice Ralph Dolgoff etal suggest a number of ways in which I can ensure that my client feels comfortable enough to let go of the fear that may hamper the helping exercise. They suggest that as a social worker I need to find out what the clients values are and decide whether conflict of interests exists, and if there is conflict I must next approach the client in a way that does not mention the value in order to understand the nature of my clients problem. In order to maintain a professional standard I must remember the reasons I chose to join the helping profession, according Lesley Chenoweth and Donna McAuliffe (2005, p 6) the reasons some people enter the social work profession stem from experiences had ether in child hood or early adulthood. These experiences can sometimes provide a person with a passion to join the social work field because they were helped by a social worker and wanted to inspire others, as they were inspired. For some the experience with social services could have been negative and fostered a desire to bring change to the profession. No matter how we joined the profession it is important that we do not lose sight of the reasons why we chose social work these reasons will sustain me and keep me motivated to continue to work with clients even those who are difficult and hard to help. Acknowledging personal bias before hand can often reduce the chances of having value conflicts with clients. Chenoweth and McAuliffe regard this as effective use of self By letting my supervisors know where I stand on certain issue can ensure that I am less likely to be assigned a case that I cannot properly deal with. Maintaining a value neutral stance is another way to avoid creating value conflicts (Weick as cited by Dolgoff etal) suggests that in order to properly understand the client the social worker needs to listen carefully to what the client truly wants and should suspend all judgement, values, and personal principles in order to provide effective help to the client (Dolgoff, 2009,p, 114). In order for my future social work practice to be effect I must cultivate and continually strengthen my knowledge base and seek networks to keep me motivated. Self-awareness is key to understanding my role, as a professional helper, and critical reflections about my self in relation to my values is valuable. As the American author Daniel Coleman said, If your emotional abilities arent in hand, if you dont have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you cant have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.(Coleman, 2010).

Consumerism Causes Unhappiness Essay -- Cause and Effect Essays

Theresa H., a woman in Massachusetts was, inarguably, strapped. She had lost her $18,000-a-year job several months earlier, and her live-in boyfriend didn't earn much. Health insurance for her and her daughters was out of reach: "I just punt and hope we're healthy," she said. And yet, in her apartment, were the trappings of upper-middle-class comfort. The big-screen TV and VCR. The crush of name-brand toys. And outside, the fairly new Lincoln Town Car--for which she was several months behind on payments. The tableau was at once absurd and sad--but not altogether surprising. We are, after all, a nation of accomplished spenders, slaves to advertising and status symbolism. The conspicuous fruits of our consumption shout out our aspirations and insecurities. This is the phenomenon Juliet Schor explores in The Overspent American. Schor, a University economist, has delivered what amounts to a sequel to her breakthrough 1992 study, The Overworked American. That book, justifiably embraced as gospel by the human-resources intelligentsia, expertly documented the time squeeze faced by two-income families as hours on the job expanded. Americans' leisure time, Schor demonstrated, was vanishing. Why are we killing ourselves this way? In large part, Schor argues now, we work so that we might spend. Americans are engaged in an intensifying "national shopping spree" rooted in competitive emulation--keeping up with the Joneses on a manic scale. "We are impoverishing ourselves," she writes, "in pursuit of a consumption goal that is inherently unachievable." Corrosive consumerism, of course, has existed as long as envy and avarice. Look at the pharaohs' pyramids. And much of Schor's evidence of its current manifestation will seem bl... ...lator." Much of our spending clearly is unnecessary or wasteful, raising troubling moral questions. Moreover, the uphill pursuit of material nirvana is stressing us out. Amid widespread wealth, most Americans aren't content with their lives. Is that such a terrible thing? I'm ambivalent. Ambition, dissatisfaction with the status quo, a desire to improve our lots and those of our children--these are profoundly American, if not universal, traits. They have driven us to stunning accomplishments and global leadership, and few would want the alternative of complacency and stasis. Yet we spend more than we should on Armani and OshKosh B'gosh, and it's making us crazy. Schor would have us on a middle path, one that retains the ardor but loses the insanity. Perhaps it's worth a try. Source Cited Schor, Juliet B. The Overspent American. Boston College Press, 2002.

Asturias Essay Essay

The concept of Celebrity and Fame are ones that affect relationships both positively and negatively. Fame refers to the state of being known by many people, and Celebrity is the noun for a famous person. The experiences and perspectives of celebrities who have gone through the process of Fame have all had their relationships affected by their status both positively and negatively – whether it is a celebrity’s relationship with corporations, the concept of Fame or their peers and rivals. This statement is supported by Brian Caswell’s novel _Asturias,_ Jay Z and Justin Timberlake’s song _Holy Grail,_ and Donna Rockwell’s article _’Fame is a Dangerous Drug: a phenomenal glimpse of celebrity†_ all showcase these arguments with textual evidence. In brief, textual evidence have been provided to establish the implications Fame present on a celebrity’s relationships. Corporate relationships with a celebrity are professional, but the effects of Fame on these relationships may force the bond to become personal. An example of a positive relationship between celebrities and a corporate figure is demonstrated through Asturias’ relationship with their manager, Max. This is exemplified through the use of comparison in Chapter 22, â€Å"These are people †¦ Kids. They’re not some ‘bottom line’ on a sales-report†. It outlines Max’s personal concern for the band – he overlooks the professional implications on the band’s/his career, worrying more about their well-being. On the contrary, the relationship between Asturias and Symonds, a distant but more powerful figure, is an example of a negative relationship between celebrities and corporate figures. For example, the use of objectification is expressed by Symonds in the same chapter, â€Å"They’re a product, for Christ’s sake! We made them, we can remake them.† This use of objectification takes away the Asturias’ human dignity and conveys Symonds’ negligence on the band’s well-being and emotional state, selfishly focusing on generating quick profit and securing his income and position on the ladder. In summary, the relationship between celebrities and corporations is a relationship that can either be based on nurturing and guiding said celebrity, or harshly exploiting/overworking them for high profits. Another factor that affects a relationship which is influenced by Fame is the  nature of Fame itself, and its connection with the celebrity. Fame has an influential nature that commonly consumes the celebrity ‘s identity; it requires attention at all times and occupies the subjects’ lifestyle, privacy and well-being – the thirst for fame can result in the subject being obsessive and wanting more, after having experienced the perks and benefits of becoming a celebrity. An example of how the implications of fame affect a person negatively is demonstrated through the use of rhetorical question, â€Å"Was he scared? Did he call out to me?† This use of rhetorical question was triggered by the event of Alex leaving Abuelito behind due to his priorities to the band, missing Abuelito’s peaceful demise – he was so caught up with his celebrity priorities that he didn’t even know how Abuelito passed away. In comparison, a positive opinion on this notion is stated through the use of motif, â€Å"The ride was every bit as exciting as they’d promised.† â€Å"The ride† is a motif found throughout the book, and refers to celebrity-hood – this statement expresses that despite the sacrifices in relationships, living famously is as exciting as it is perceived to be. This opinion can drive celebrities (or even non-celebrities) to work harder and be consistent, getting what they want constantly. The article strengthens this argument that albeit being aware of the negative implications of fame on its subject and their relationships, the subject still disregards these implications in order to keep pursuing the perks of Fame. This is exemplified through the use of figurative language, â€Å"the allure of wealth, †¦ keeps the famous person stuck in the perpetual need to keep their fame machine churning.† Through the use of figurative language, the author expresses the obsession of celebrities with fame, and how they tirelessly work through, neglecting their relationships on the way, their way to staying relevant. Therefore, these texts obviously overlook the negative aspect of fame, and focuses on the positive outcomes it may bring to its subject. Finally, through the use of a bridge, Justin Timberlake sings, â€Å"And you take the blade right out my heart, just so you can watch me bleed / And I still don’t know why, why I love you so much.† referring to his addiction with  being a celebrity – he overlooks the deeply negative impacts of Fame, and blindly craves for more which shows a celebrity’s obsessive relationship with Fame. Competition within the celebrity industry also affects relationships positively. These positive results a relationship gains from competition is exemplified through the use of colloquialism, â€Å"Enough sticks, it was time for carrot.† This use of colloquialism comes from working with donkeys, where sticks were used as force to get the donkey moving, whilst carrots were used as motivators to do the same thing: it’s basically referring to whether you use force or threats on someone to get them to do something or persuade and motivate them into doing something. In this case, it portrays Max’s security in his situation – he is so confident about negotiating with his competitor, Symonds, that he started with threatening him but knowing the man, he offered him a better deal that would get him fired meaning his liability would be taken away. Another example is presented in Holy Grail, where the use of personification is expressed, â€Å"Fuck the fame, keep cheating on me, what I do, I took her back.† This use of personification expresses the struggle with staying relevant as a celebrity as if it were an intimate relationship (when he says that Fame â€Å"cheats on him†, he is referring to whenever other celebrities get more attention than him as if Fame favoured them more). Initially a negative statement, he then goes on to say that he takes Fame back, which can be comprehended to mean that he is driven and motivated to success by his competition which makes it a positive statement as to say that he has gotten over the nature of fame, and learnt an effective way to cope with it. However, as celebrities become more immersed and competitive, they also become more jealous and greedy. This is best exemplified in Asturias through the use of the multiple narrators. The use of multiple narrators allows Tim to reflect, â€Å"Everyone shines in their own way, but one child shines brighter. In our â€Å"family†, that one was Alex. And I got to the stage where I couldn’t forgive him for it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Through this quote, it is clearly seen that Tim and Alex’s relationship was deteriorating because of Tim’s thirst for  attention and recognition: something only Fame had inflicted on him. Originally being a friendly person, his ego is slowly fed by his fans which made him envious of Alex’s vitality to the band. The article reinforces the negative effects of jealousy and greed through the use of metaphor, â€Å"I’ve been addicted to almost every substance known to man at one point or another, but the most addictive of them all was fame.† The metaphorical comparison between the concept of fame and illegal drugs suggest that fame evokes an unhealthy addiction within its subject – like how drugs detaches its user from their relationships and lifestyle and into addiction, fame does the same. Thus, these textual evidences outline the notion of fame detaching its subjects from their originally close relationships, through jealousy, thirst and greed. In conclusion, Fame is a concept that affects a celebrity’s relationship both positively and negatively – it merely depends on the situation the celebrity is in. The arguments of fame affecting corporate relationships, relationships with the actual concept of fame and relationships with peers and rivals during the pursuit of becoming famous are all provided with both the positive implications of these arguments, and the negative. These arguments are supported by Textual evidence from varying texts such as a novel, an audio text and an article. Overall, the textual evidence provided clearly demonstrate how Fame affects a celebrity’s relationships with their surroundings.

Human Trafficking in the U.S.A Essays

Human Trafficking in the U.S.A Essays Human Trafficking in the U.S.A Essay Human Trafficking in the U.S.A Essay Researched Argument Human trafficking is also called modern day slavery and is defined as holding someone illegally and against their will by form of deception and coercion and turning them into laborers and prostitutes without paying them. It is hard to believe that in the twenty first century, slavery still exists especially here at home and right under our noses. This has been an ongoing problem since the nineteenth century. A lot of people were trafficked into the United States and sold as slaves. Back then there were no laws that stated that it was illegal to traffic human beings and turn hem into slaves. It all starts with a walk through the park in a remote part of Mexico. A young girl named Paloma is taking a stroll to get away from all the stressors in her life. Her mother is very ill and they cannot afford to get her better medical treatment because they are very poor. They live in a shack in Mexico and Paloma has endured a lot of abuse and struggle in her short life there. She was born into poverty and has withstood a lifetime of struggle and this has made her develop a hardy personality. She believes she can face the challenges and come out stronger and better in order o be able to get her family out of indigence. Paloma is approached by an older gentleman who presents himself as an outstanding, prominent businessman with a lot of businesses across Mexico and the United States. He promises her a great escape from the impoverished life she has led. He promises her an education and a job which will help her pay back the money she would owe him for getting her to America. The sixteen year old lady is smitten by the offer and accepts it without even thinking twice. All she can think about is getting her family a better life than what they have been living. Her prince charming has emerged from nowhere and has come to save her. Little does Paloma know that when they arrive to the United States she is going to be a victim of human trafficking rather than the educated secretary that she thought she would be. She ends up being held captive for six months in a dinky apartment in a place that she cannot recognize and forced to submit to the mans demands and needs. Paloma ends up cooking, cleaning and being raped by her captor. He threatens her family with harm and takes all her documents in order to prevent her from escaping. Her prince charming has turned into a beast. During the turn of the century, human trafficking has become inhumane and a lot of people want to be free and live on their own means. Most of the captured slaves back in the day lived in their masters compounds and could not own anything or even have the right to vote. The creation of the 13th. Amendment which state that Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their Jurisdiction. , slavery has been formally abolished. The United States has reated a law to prevent and protect the victims like the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. According to Dr. Potocky who is a specialist in refugee resettlement, human rights, international social work, and research methodology TVPA focused on international trafficking, including reducing tr afficking globally, providing assistance to immigrant victims ot trafficking in the United States, and prosecuting traffickers (Potocky 373). Human trafficking has been a major social injustice and the United States must do more to ombat it because the laws are not being enforced properly, it is continuously increasing, and this is due to weak penalties. The TVPA was established in 2000 and was supposed to protect victims of human trafficking and it has yet to curb this crime. Also, statistics show that the number of victims has continuously increased since the mid-1990s and the number of convictions and arrests of traffickers has declined. There are thousands of people in this country who are still going through torture and abuse with no place to turn for help. Lack of enforcement. The TVPA has been amended four times in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2011 but its pplication and adaptation has been a Joke. To support this claim, research shows that the government is worried about messing the relationship with other countries if they put stricter laws to combat trafficking. The government does not want to put it as number one in their political agenda. As the author Feingold asserts United States sanctions will likely be applied only against countries already subject to sanctions, such as Burma or North Korea (Feingold 30). This shows that the United States government is scared to threaten countries like China or Saudi Arabia because hey do not want to mess the political and economic relationship with them and are just willing to sanction the countries they do not get along with. The laws which are already in place like the TVPA are not strongly enforced making it easier for smugglers to get away with the crime. This is due to corrupt law officials, Judges and prosecutors. Human trafficking is a high profit 13 billion dollar organized crime industry according to a theological ethics professor, Tran. A lot of these criminals are rendering bribes to the officials and in return, they are getting their cases tossed out. So, instead of the police protecting and serving the victims as they are sworn in to do, they are associating with the traffickers and making money out of this crime. This kind of greed pushes way the victims and they get scared of approaching law enforcers to report this type of crime. The author Tran is surely right about the bribery because a lot of sources like Tran, Hodge and Kara have shown that a lot of trafficking crimes are being fuelled by corrupt people in politics and law enforcers. The victims are also scared for their lives because of constant threats and intimidation. Many victims believe that the police are corrupt individuals and are as scared of them as much as they are scared of their captors According to Hodge, an associate professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University and who has also written widely on social Justice, cultural diversity, and social inclusion, Another way to help protect women and children is to advocate for stricter penalties for traffickers and consistent enforcement of existing laws (Hodge 15). He asserts that in order to stop the act of human trafficking in the United States, the laws put forth need to be taken seriously and strongly enforced. Until this is done, the victims are going to keep on suffering in the hands of their captors without much or any help. To counter this argument, some research claims that the united states has thoroughly enforced the laws set forth to combat human trafficking. When it comes to human trafficking, the United States needs to amend stricter laws to combat it. This is because human trafficking has been on a steady rise since the 1990s until now. A though this is true that organized crimes are involved in human trafficking, it is nevertheless also true that it mostly involves simple, next door, disorganized criminals. According to Feingold who is a director of the Ophidian Research Institute and international coordinator for HIV/AIDS there is no standard profile on traffickers. They range from truck drivers and village aunties to labor brokers and police officers. (Feingold 28). The authors theory is useful because it sheds light on the fact that anyone can be a trafficker without being involved in a big gang. There are many people like the man who charmed Paloma who are regular people with smooth antics to lure people. Paloma was not kidnapped; she agreed to leave with the man voluntarily in hopes of bettering herself. Family members from destitute families also sell their children and spouses in order to get dowry to survive on. Feingold concedes that organized crime bosses like the late Pablo Escobar are not easy to find. Even if they are involved in human trafficking, they are most likely to be purchasers than transporters. There are a lot of factors that provide a breeding ground for traffickers by taking advantage of the desperate people. According to Kara who is an author, activist and one of the worlds foremost experts on modern day slavery and human trafficking, economic instability, lawlessness, corruption, war and poverty keep on romoting human trafficking. The people are prone to be victims because they are willing to listen to the criminals in hopes of having a better life but at the end they end up falling victims of modern slavery. On the other hand, the author Hughes who is a leading international researcher on human trafficking maintains that prosecution declined in the 1990s even as exploitation of women and children on the internet has increased (Hughes 121). This goes to show that Kara and Hughes both agree that human trafficking has been on the increase in the last decade and a half. To further support this claim, research on human trafficking has been done by some researchers but my best evidence comes from The Journal of International Migration. Authors Gozdziak and Collett are well known researchers who have reviewed existing literature on this topic and come up with startling facts about it. The article claims that there are a number of slippery statistics going on and they are all from the U. S State Department (Gozdziak et al 108). For years the government has been producing quoted estimates of the number of trafficked victims but they are not revealing the methods used to get the data. The numbers have been revised three times between the years of 1999 to 2003 and there is a significant difference in numbers. The surprising fact is that a lot of agencies both local and international are using this statistics instead of conducting their own independent research. Every time the Department of State gets questioned about the differences in numbers, they just say that it is improved methodology which is creating the differences without giving the exact way they come up with it. In the review done by Gozdiak and Collett the number of trafficking victims entering the United States has been revised at east three times: down from 45,000 to 50,000, a figure reached by the.. ClA) in 1999, to 18,000 to 20,000 victims reported in 2003, and even further down to 14,500 to 17,500 (Gozdziak et al 108). This goes to show that the government itself is not sure about its faulty statistics and research is also not backing them. In support of this claim, more research needs to be conducted to find out where the government gets their information. This is because most of the sources that are being used in this p aper do agree that the tgures 1 00 victims in the United States are basically unaccounted for. The author Potocky agrees that the methodology used by the State Department has not been detailed and that the estimates simply disappear from the departments annual report. None of the other sources have come forward and supported Gozdziak, Collett and Potockys claim that the data is incorrect and messy. Also the United States tends to concentrate more in protecting their borders than stopping prostitution and trafficking. They are more concerned with illegal immigrants getting their way into the country and amending stricter U. S immigration policies. While this is a good way to protect the country, the United States is not aking into consideration the fact that this is encouraging human trafficking. According to Tran Unfortunately, this focus on security works to the benefit of organized traffickers (Tran 3). By focusing on homeland security, the government overlooks the deeper issue of trafficking because the illegal immigrants end up putting themselves in the hands of smugglers and end up being snuck into the country and ending up as victims of trafficking. Those unfamiliar with human trafficking may be interested to know that it basically boils down to the counterargument of whether the United States has enough resources to combat uman resources. The truth is that the United States claims that it does not have enough financial resources to combat this type of crime. According to the Department of State website Through targeted foreign assistance, the TIP Office funds programs that address human trafficking, the act of obtaining or maintaining another person in compelled service. (Baca). The state has been looking for grants from other nations to help combat trafficking. When the grants are allocated, they hold a grant competition and different organizations compete for the money with the exception of for profit organizations. The organizations have asked for a total of 95 million dollars in funds but the state budget is only 750,000 dollars. With this kind of figures, how do we expect the United States to combat human trafficking? Another problem is the fact that the United States only convicts a small percentage of traffickers compared to the huge amount of victims here. Potocky agrees when she writes that When U. S attorneys decide to prosecute a. case, the conviction rate is very high: 96%. However, U. S attorneys decline to prosecute app 60% of cases (Potocky 375). She also asserts that between 2001 and 2007, there were 449 ederal prosecutions and 342 of them were human trafficking convictions. With this trend going on, the only conclusion is that there is a big problem with prosecution of the traffickers. Feingold supports Potockys claim by stating that from the year 2001 to the year 2003, 110 traffickers were prosecuted but only 77 pled guilty or were convicted. The reason that the trafficking convictions are so scarce also lies with the mindsets of the victims. According to Hodge, the victims are scared to testify against the attackers because most of the traffickers get out of Jail soon after their arrest. Author Davis who has been involved in the fight to end modern day slavery since 2003 when he became the Goodwill Ambassador for the organization Face to Face Bulgaria claims that tra ffickers are also very hard to track since they move their victims from one place to another.. Paloma on the other hand is a very lucky girl because she managed to escape her captor and is now in witness protection and lives here in America, fighting to rescue victims of human trafficking. Not everyone nas the chance to escape alive because it they are caught, death is the only choice they have. The United States needs to come up with other solutions to combat this heinous crime and some people have suggested legalizing prostitution. Some countries like Netherlands have legalized adult prostitution and the results have been a significant increase in child prostitution according to Hodge. The State Department agrees when they write that, Where prostitution is legalized or tolerated, there is a greater demand for human trafficking victims and nearly always an increase in the number of women and children trafficked into commercial sex slavery. (Feingold 28). So this is not a solution to the problem but Just adding fuel to he fire. Sweden has the Swedish Model which is a law that was put forth to combat trafficking. The law criminalizes the customers who buy sex instead of the prostitutes while in Thailand, they opt to extend labor and social security laws to the sex workers. Both countries have a large group that opposes and assert that these kind of laws will increase trafficking and criminals. The United States does criminalize people who sleep with prostitutes and also arrest any party involved in the act including the prostitutes themselves. Make human trafficking zero tolerance to where nyone caught trafficking or helping someone who is a trafficker is put away for good or handed hard labor. Educate the social workers and law enforcement officials on how to better detect victims of human trafficking. This is because there are a lot of victims who are being arrested and deported back to their prospective countries because they are mistaken for Just illegal immigrants. These victims are not given a chance to explain themselves because this is a very Judgmental country and Just your accent can make anyone suspicious. How many times have people been discriminated against because they looked different and talked different? We all live in a world which is unjust and unequal. People are Just marred by greed and end up forgetting the morals they were taught when young. The government is too busy with bad politics and covering their tracks instead of protecting its people, the laws of our country are becoming an abomination because of lack of enforcement. Young innocent girls like Paloma, peoples mothers, husbands, and children are being tortured and abused all in the name of making money. It is up to our country to establish better laws and enforce them strongly in order to end human trafficking. The government needs to make the laws so tough to the point where no one would want to break them. Instead of giving traffickers a year or five in prison, give them a lifetime sentence because they are denying other humans a right to freedom. Let everyone put themselves in Palomas shoes and think of what she went through. It is not only the government which should take steps to stop this atrocity but for all the citizens of this nation. Educate each other about the morals of society by holding informational meetings and inviting victims and task force members to speak at schools and other functions. Look out for the people who work around you and learn to identify a victim from how they behave. The victims can be the workers in the strip clubs you frequent, or a maid in a friends house or a dish washer in your favorite diner. Also, look out for those false front agencies, massage parlors and brothels which are set up to lure victims. With the community helping to combat human trafficking, the government should have the sense to amend stricter laws to end trafficking and put forth enough money to help the agencies which are working hard to end it . Let the modern day slavery come to an end betore you tall victim ot it ourself, it is a small world and what goes around, simply comes back around. You might escape it but what about your children. No one wants slavery to be legal again, so why should human trafficking be condoned? Baca D. Lou. FY 2014 solicitation. U. S Department of state. 17 oct. 2013. web. 10 Nov. 2013. Davis, Michael Cory. Human Trafficking. Hispanic 20. 8: 46-48. Academic search premier. sept. 2007. web. 25 sept. 2013. Feingold, David. Human Trafficking. Foreign Policy, No. 150: 26-30, 3230. Jstor. Aug. 2005. web. 28 sept. 2013. Gozdziak, M. Elzbieta. , and Elizabeth A. Collett. Research on Human Trafficking In North America: A Review of Literature. International Migration 43. 1/2 (2005): 99-128. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. Hodge, David R. Sexual Trafficking In The United States: A Domestic Problem With Transnational Dimensions. Social Work 53. 2: 143-152. 2008. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Hughes, Donna M. Prostitution Online. Journal of Trauma Practice 2. 3/4: 115-131. Academic Search Premier. 2003. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. Kara, Siddharth. Supply And Demand. Harvard International Review 33. 2 (201 1): 66-71. Academic Search Premier. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. Potocky, Miriam. The Travesty of Human Trafficking: A Decade of Failed U. S. Policy. Social Work 55(4), 373-5. Proquest. Oct. 2010. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. Schiller, Ben. US Slaverys Diaspora: Black Atlantic History at the Crossroads of Race, Enslavement, and Colonisation. Slavery Abolition 32. 2: 199-212. Historical Abstracts. June 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. Tran, Jonathan. Sold into Slavery. Christian century 124 (24): 22-6. SIRS Issues Researcher. 27 NOV. 2007 web. 24 Sep. 2013. loc. gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment. html

Global Flooding essays

Global Flooding essays With greenhouse gas emissions and unsustainable human lifestyles raging out of control, there poses the major problem of global warming. Although some people believe this theory to be false, new research may change some minds as to the validity of this phenomenon. Research on Antarcticas glacial movement is raising some eyebrows to whether a warming trend is upon us. If global warming is an actuality, then the human race may face its biggest quandary ever. Global warming would pose many important problems, but the most eminent is not of increased air temperatures, but rather increased oceanic temperatures. Global warming affecting the state of our polar ice caps is a huge concern. Global warming is caused by the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses are gasses that increase the ability of our atmosphere to hold in heat. Detailed records of greenhouse gas levels have been analyzed through ice core samples. Inside these core samples, tiny bubbles contain the mixture of gasses that the atmosphere had millions of years ago. Phillip Pan, contributor to The Washington Post, explains that scientists have been able to determine that the levels of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, have increased by 31 percent from 250 years ago. This data is alarming when you consider the other greenhouse gasses, such as methane and nitrous oxide, which are also accumulating in the atmosphere (Pan). Now that the average global temperature is increasing, this jeopardizes the glaciers that make up the earths polar ice caps. There is a fixed amount of water on the earth. The sea level of the earth is then determined by how much of the water is in a liquid form. This is a delicate balance that must remain somewhat static to keep a persistent sea level. If temperature increases, then this would yield more liquid water and less frozen water. A threat in the polar ice cap in Antarctica has drawn quite a lot o...