The Issue Of Legalizing Prostitution - 1823 Words

Nowadays, prostitution is regarded as a taboo subject for most of the people. It was considered to be harmful with hidden criminal behavior. Despite of being regarded as a bad industry, prostitution is a billion-dollar industry throughout the world. A large number of men and women got enrolled in the prostitution market as suppliers and consumers. As today in US, Nevada is the only one state which provides legal prostitution with laws limited while other states consider prostitution as outlaw and have different punishments towards it. Although some groups of people holding the opinion that legalizing prostitution is not as good as people simply expected, I still think that it is better for the US government to legalize the prostitution and brothels with several reasons. With the legalizing prostitution, regulations like condom use and annually physical examination can be achieved into the brothels. In this way, it can help cut the chance of getting STDs and reduce the health expendit ures. Also, with the legalization of the prostitution, there will be less sexual assaults and violent attacks towards sex workers. From the data, there exist a consensus that the healthcare expenditures would decrease as a result of the legal prostitution. According to Vuylsteke’s research about the health seeking behavior of female sex workers in Abidjan, female sex workers expressed interests in seeking health care in a wide range of public and private health facilities (2001). Out of aShow MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Legalizing Prostitution1700 Words   |  7 PagesReleasing laws on prostitution †¦ specifically, legalizing this area of the sex industry, will create a profound impact on society. While halotry (as it was once commonly called) has its detractors and negative connotations, the benefits outway the problems society consistently point out. Society at large questions the merits of legalizing prostitution, when in fact there are several advantages legalization co uld create. At a minimum, legalizing harlotry will make the job significantly safer and keepRead MoreMoral Or Immoral ! Should We Legalize Prostitution? Essay952 Words   |  4 PagesImmoral! Should we legalize prostitution? The analysis of the article; Learning from Nevada from the book The State of Sex. Tourism, Sex and Sin in the New American Heartland. Leads me to write about the social values, and moral values that contradict the acceptance of legalizing Prostitution within the United States. My opinion will be opposing the notion of any support in legalizing such immoral acts that threaten the moral fabric of the United States of America. So the issue is whether or not to legalizeRead MoreShould Prostitution Be Legalized?1725 Words   |  7 PagesProstitution Should Be Legalized Some say prostitution is the world s oldest profession. Yet, only a small percentage of the world’s government allows it. The legalization of prostitution is a very controversial topic due to many people’s moral beliefs. Prostitutes all over the world are treated as outcasts. A reason for people to be against prostitution could be due to their religious beliefs, moral standpoints, or lack of knowledge over the subject. Many religions state that sex outside of marriageRead MoreShould Prostitution Be A Legal Occupation? Essay1146 Words   |  5 PagesShould Prostitution be a Legal Occupation? Throughout many generations, a topic has always been around: Prostitution. Should prostitution be legalized? Should we keep our laws against prostitution the same? Many topics go hand in hand with prostitution such as, rape culture, sexual transmitted diseases, and drugs. Negative words like those cause a horrible stigma around the outlawed occupation, causing one to only see the downsides of the job. Through analyzing the benefits of decriminalizingRead MoreLegalizing Prostitution : Home Run Or Strikeout?1266 Words   |  6 PagesEconomics Professor Terregrossa Legalizing Prostitution: Home Run or Strikeout? Worldwide the prostitution industry is worth $186 billion. In the United States the industry is worth $14.6 billion, and is known as one of the oldest â€Å"trades† practiced today. However, since prostitution is illegal the conditions for the workers are usually horrible, with many of them contracting STDs and being treated terribly by their bosses. So what would happen if we legalize prostitution? In the United States, the federalRead MoreShould Prostitution Be Legalized? Essay example858 Words   |  4 PagesLegalizing prostitution would be beneficial to the government and sex workers by creating tax revenue, bettering medical care, and protecting prostitutes against violence. Prostitution is viewed differently throughout society and holds a lot of negative opinions but no one really discuss’ the benefits of prostitution being legalized throughout America. Many people believe in legalizing Marijuana not knowing its positivity and negativity. When legalizing prostitu tion you should look at the overallRead MoreShould Prostitution Be Legal?1354 Words   |  6 PagesTopic: Should Prostitution be Legal? General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the pros and cons of prostitution being legalized. Central Idea: There are various valid points on both side of the controversial issue of prostitution. I. Introduction Attention-Getter. The only reason I d lift my skirt is to pull a pistol and plug you in the head. Reveal the Topic. Should prostitution be legalized? C. Audience Motivation. Most human beings enjoy sexRead MoreEssay on Legalizing Prostitution927 Words   |  4 Pages Legalizing prostitution! A way for the American government to create job opportunities for the American women that chooses this profession. Prostitution is legal in many countries, so why not all of the United States? Prostitution should not be a crime! Sex is not a crime. Exchanging of money is not a crime. So, why should the two combined be a crime? Women can have sex with as many people as she wants in her private life, it’s her body and her choice. So what if she charges for it. She is providingRead MoreLegal Prostitution in the United States Essay1086 Words   |  5 PagesIt is rather odd to think that prostitution, which is considered to be the world’s oldest profession, would be illegal and harmful in nature. The issue of legalizing prostitution has entered public conversation around the world, which is severely divided. Many, like myself, co nsider prostitution to be a victimless crime. Despite such opposition to legalizing prostitution, many argue that legalizing it would result in decreased morality issues, increase the economic activity in the United StatesRead MoreShould Prostitution be Legalized1572 Words   |  6 PagesLegalizing prostitution could reduce attacks on women, trafficking of children, and the excessive amount of police man hours. What is prostitution, prostitution means that it is an activity that a person receiving sexual favors for monetary payments. Considered by many as the oldest profession in the world it is still illegal in most countries. Prostitution can be looked at from different points of view; it can be looked upon as a means to obtain sex without having the hassles of dating someone

Gandhi One Of The Greatest Leaders Of Our Time - 1301 Words

Gandhi: One of the Greatest Leaders of Our Time Sarah Pepe The leadership that will be discussed in this paper is that of Gandhi. The goal of this paper is to show the positive qualities he possessed as well as the beneficial actions that he performed as a leader to his people. He proves to be a moral servant leader who is a positive example of what leadership should be. The organization of this paper is as follows; the biography of Gandhi, his achievements, an analysis of his servant leadership, his legacy left behind and conclusion. On October 2nd 1869 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in present- day Gujarat, formerly known as Porbandar. His father was the chief minister and his mother, was a devoted practitioner of Vaishnavism. Vaishnavism is worshiping of the Hindu god Vishnu and was influences by Jainism which is governed by self-discipline and nonviolence. When he was 19, he left his home to go to London. There at the Inner Temple College, he studied law. When he returned to India in 1891, he set up an unsuccessful law practice in Bombay. He then accepted a position with an Indian firm and moved to their office in South Africa. He took his wife, Kasturbai and children with and they remained in South Africa for about 20 years. There he opposed discriminatory legislation against Indians. He became one of the major political and spiritual leaders and lead resistance through mass non-violent civil disobedience. The main reason behind this was he was appalled by theShow MoreRelatedMahatma Gandhi as a Mass Com municator1660 Words   |  7 PagesFather of our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, contributed to the fields of journalism and mass communication. An effective communicator, Gandhi was fearless and eloquent with his words. He reached out to millions of people and convinced them of his cause. According to Chalapathi Raju, an eminent editor, Gandhi was probably the greatest journalist of all time, and the weeklies he ran and edited were probably the greatest weeklies the world has known. He published no advertisement, and at the same time he didRead MoreEssay on Immorality of Assassinating Political Leaders697 Words   |  3 Pagesthirty-five political leaders have been assassinated since 1825. The assassin and the political leader had different beliefs and ways they thought the government should have been run. It is thought by some, that assassination is the wrong choice to make when it comes to differences in beliefs. There are many reasons why people have different thoughts and actions on controversial subjects. Many people believe that killing is the wrong choice to make because it goes against our legal system, and itRead M orePeace And Nonviolent Beliefs Of Mahatma Gandhi1090 Words   |  5 PagesNonviolent Beliefs of Mahatma Gandhi Nikki Henkell WOH1030 - Summer 2014-B Prof. Forsythe Mahatma Gandhi, compared to a saint and even an Indian Christ (Blanchot, M. 2012), believed in nonviolence and the practice of Ahimsa, which means love (Gandhi). Ahimsa believes in doing no harm to any living creature, either to the physical body and to the mind. â€Å"Ahimsa requires deliberate self-suffering, not a deliberate injuring of the supposed wrong-doer.† (Gandhi). In 1999 Time Magazine conducted aRead MoreGandhi : Man Of Power853 Words   |  4 Pages Gandhi: Man of Power When we think of leaders, we all have certain characteristics that come to mind. We consider those who are leaders, to be a person who had done something special in their time. That something may have changed something in their local community, or it may have changed the world (Lal, 2015). World history has known many examples of leaders that made a big change in the world. In the United States, there is little doubt that Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King are examples ofRead MoreWhat Makes A Great Leader?1271 Words   |  6 PagesMahatma Gandhi, Mike Krzyzewski, Pope Francis, and Abraham Lincoln. All great leaders, all posses the same characteristics. When it comes to leadership many different names can be added to the long list. If you were to take a closer look on those people you will find what makes up a great leader. Being a leader is meant for only a certain breed of people. To be a great leader a person must consist of Confidence, Intelligence, and they must be versed. Great Leaders are all alike in someway. A GreatRead MoreMahatma Gandhi : The First War Of Indian Independence1096 Words   |  5 PagesMahatma Gandhi was one with the greatest soul who was a freedom fighter, father of the nation and he was called ‘Bapu’ in the India. He took India to a totally new level by employing movements like non-violence, civil disobedience and civil rights during India’s freedom struggle with the British. He was fasting for purification, and respect for all religions. The British government rule in India under crown rule, ending a century of control of the East India Company. The life and death struggleRead MoreMohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. were True Inspirations608 Words   |  2 PagesA man known as the â€Å"father of the Indian nation†, Mohandas Gandhi, also known as Mahatma, was a man of true inspiration. He inspired well known civil-rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, and also revolutionary scientist Einstein. Gandhi was well known for using peaceful methods such as peace marches, boycotts, and sit-ins. Most people could call Gandhi the father of peace, for it was he who help the world recognize the effectiveness of non-violence. Gandhi’s peaceful ideals helpRead MoreNelson Mandela, Beyonce, And Mahatma Gandhi1029 Words   |  5 PagesDid you know that ninety-eight percent of Americans say that they have witnessed the unjust treatment towards others just because of their ethnicity, race, or gender? Nelson Mandela, Beyonce, and Mahatma Gandhi had one mission. Their mission was to sup port others during their struggle to have equality and earn the basic rights of freedom. Although these three individuals used different methods, they all fought for equal rights against racial discrimination by showing strong leadership skills andRead More The Psychology of Post-Conventional Morality and Martin Luther King Jr.1424 Words   |  6 Pagesheld by individuals that aid in the determination or what is right and what is wrong (Hock 142). It is believed that what is deemed moral is determined by our culture and the norms present in that culture. It is also believed that we are not born with an established set of morals; instead, we must gain this outline of what is moral throughout our childhood and adolescence and into adulthood. In order to properly analyze the extent Bandura social learning theory plays in the attainment of level threeRead More Conflict Essay821 Words   |  4 Pagesor negative. In Finding Forrester composed by Gus Van Sant, The poem, â€Å"Then and Now†, by Oodgeroo of the Tribe Noonuccal and the article on Mahatma Gandhi by Ravi Kumar we find that conflict manifests itself into Inner, Moral and Socio-economic forms, amongst others. Ben Okri, the famous Nigerian novelist states â€Å"A man’s greatest battles are the ones he fights within† In the film â€Å"Finding Forrester† William Forrester shows us his inner conflict as he creates a utopia by living in his own cocoon and

Innovation Management Of Amazon And E Bay Free case study

The Challenges Question: You must choose two organisations operating within the same industry and evaluate their separate approaches to innovation. Then explain how these approaches have contributed towards a competitive advantage. Finally for just one of the organisations outline and justify future innovation opportunities. Answer: The two organisations that I have chosen for this report are Amazon and eBay. Application In today business world building a business and operating it no longer guarantees that you will be successful in your industry. Now the business cycles have become shorter thus requiring a new type of management that consists an ongoing process of renewal and transformation.( DamanpourAravind,2012) Thus to thrive in the current marketplace each business should be ready to transform and innovate. Now lets take an example of Amazon (AMZN) that has in past years emerged as a winner and leaves a trail of gradual and impressive growth. Recently with the bust of the Dot com bubble Amazon was among the few winners that survived.( Byers,2006) It was only because they have an innovative and viable business model that is build keeping in mind the radical profit formula and market changing customer value proposition.( Brown, 2008) They never limited themselves to books but moved to items that were easily shippable. They did not stop here as they used their white space or online presence to crea te a value proposition for buyers and sellers of used books. (Brandt, 2011) The used the sales and service model to serve third party sellers that were actually their competitors thus transforming their business to sales and service model from direct sales. In the year 2002 they even changed this model for their new customers that were the IT industry. They invested in their innovative resources rather than just sticking to their core this was a risky step but it worked wonders for Amazon as they have risen to 7th largest web services platform in the past five years in the world. Their most successful launch is of Kindle e-book in the year 2007 that was a success for the company but a setback to the publishing industry. The mantra behind their success is that whenever they find oppurtunities in the form of new customers they build new business models to exploit them. (Davila, Epstein and Shelton ,2006) Nature of innovation at Amazon Lets study about the nature of innovation in Amazon that has helped the company to reach new heights. According to Xavier Garambois who is the Vice President of the EU retail in Amazon We have made Innovation as a part of our DNA and we aim to refine and add technology that improves and enhances the satisfaction of our customers. (Junnarkar,2012)Amazon works on Eliminate- Raise- Create- Reduce framework for its business model. We can easily explore it as they have created a new channel for its customers through technology but have eliminated the retail distribution channel which was quite old as well as traditional in the retail industry. They have added the one click checkout that had eliminated the need for inputting billing and shipping address as well as information.( Stone, 2013) Their innovative business model helps them to deliver to a diverse range of customers that adds up to their competitive advantage. (Orland, 2011) Nature of Innovation at eBay Since it was started in the year 1995 eBay has surprised all in being more than an auction site. They are offering new services, acquiring companies and exploring new technologies. They have invested in testing and building new technologies that would lead to the next business opportunity.( Bradley, 2001) Their recent Redlaser comparison app is an example of their innovative technology as it allows customers to compare the product while being in the store to all available options even when they are of the competitive brand. This eliminates the customers concern for showrooming as it helps the retailers to target customers by sending targeted offers based on the products that the customers have scanned. (Edison,AliTorkar, 2013) Their innovation strategy is not all about addition of new technologies but many recent acquisitions are a critical component in their strategy. Since the year 2008 eBay has acquired around thirty eight companies that share the same passion and vision that eBay has.( Wolverton, 2002) Guy Schory who is responsible for the strategic initiatives in eBay informs how they make efforts to ensure that their employees connect to the employees of the new acquired companies. In their integration plan they surround new innovators in the company of like-minded entrepreneurs as a soft landing strategy. They invest in startup programs by providing resources and tools to grow globally. They even organise hack-a-thons that enable employees and developers to send their innovative ideas and applications to the companys top management. This helps them in recognizing the top talent along with providing them with new websites and applications that the participants create to win the 100,000 dollar prize. eBay believes in fostering a culture of innovation by creating an environment and attracting people through rewards and recognition . They are a company that has innovation as a platform as much as they have commerce. The Challenges There were many challenges that each of these organisations faced over the course of few years The challenges that Amazon faced over the course of few years some of them were:- In India Amazon faced the accusation of making a back door entry in the retailing business:- the company has always tried to be innovative and expanding. But recently they faced a road block when their expansion plans in India were frowned upon by the Indian government. As in India there is a law that an overseas or foreign company can only do business in India through an Indian subsidiary or with a partnership with a local company. (Strumsky, Lobo, Tainter,2010) They are facing challenges with their new technology of cloud computing:- as cloud computing is desirably the biggest hope for many companies for the future. Amazon has faced slowed growth with their Amazon Web services (AWS). It is believed that AWS is pretty small in comparison to the efforts that Amazon is putting in selling devices and books.( Woods, 2014) Many believed that public cloud computing is the next big thing of the future and it will dominate the computing business this slow growth is a major concern for Amazon. Competitors like Google and Microsoft are always on a lookout for any weaknesses in Amazon and with the recent AWS slowdown they got what they wanted. It was reported that Google announced price cuts that were pretty dramatic once they got the news of the AWS slowdown. Microsoft followed suit with Azure which is a cloud business that has policy similar to Amazon. Amazon is lacking behind IBM, Google and Microsoft as it does not have big clients. There are many challenges that eBay faced over the course of years:- ebay is getting stiff competition from Apple with their in store payment service that is in their iPhone 6 models. This is called as Apple Pay which will work at Macys, McDonald and many other retailers. Jordon McKee who is a senior analyst for mobile payments explains how every other retailing giant is giving competition to the PayPal. He further adds how eBay and PayPal should innovate and move fast to stay ahead of these competitions. PayPal opting to separate from EBay and announce that it is growing at a much faster rate than eBay. This announcement by some analysts is a major setback for eBay as the portfolio that they had with PayPal for the past twelve years is now over leaving them in the open with many other competitors. PayPal is eliminating a conflict that is natural as they are working close with each other. (Samuels, 2012) CEO John Donahoe has recently pointed out that our business is continuing to fall short of our expectations and that is not at all acceptable. Donahoe explained why some changes and improvements are needed like the website will be more users friendly. He also accepted to some past mistakes like customers not reacting to auctions and going forward for fixed price sales. Innovations have helped Amazon as it has increased the customer satisfaction as their long term strategy. Fire Tv and Dash are among the recent innovations which are leaving the competitors behind. This omni-channel strategy is helping Amazon to integrate in-store experience and retailers website experience. Thus the challenges like the AWS issue has been successful overcome by this innovation strategy. They are even implementing innovative loyalty schemes for customers which will help them to retain customers. As we have studied earlier that many other software giants like Microsoft and Google are giving stiff competition to Amazon but the management at Amazon has found an innovative strategy to over come this challenge. Amazon is employing the use of real time videos, personalization and VoC strategies (Voice of the customer) strategies to increase customer loyalty and engagement. Through this the customers are presented with personalized assortments that are based on their previou s purchases. For eBay the separation from PayPal is a boon as well as now the customers will enjoy the local inventory which would be powered by Milo. This application will help the customers to know if a particular item is available at the store or not. (Wingfield,2004)This would be irrespective of the product is available online or at a local store. Milo has enabled eBay to connect local shoppers with the small retailers which would not have been possible without the PayPal separation. This application is also beneficial for the small retailers as they are able to integrate their business with eBay through Milo. eBay has overcome another challenge of fixed price sales by introducing their RedLaser mobile application that allows customers to compare the product while still being in the store. This eliminates the customers concern for showrooming as it helps the retailers to target customers by sending targeted offers based on the products that the customers have scanned. The distinctive competitive advantage of each organisation The distinctive competitive advantage in case of Amazon would be its one click ordering process or system.( Silverstein , 2007) They have a state of the art reviewing system which when put together with one click ordering system gives us a most compelling and perfect reason to shop from Amazon.eBay was challenged by Amazon in the online auction arena but eBay separated itself from its competitors based on differentiation by adding insurance and verified user programs. They have introduced many safety and trust initiatives as while shopping online trust and safety are the biggest concerns. Future Innovation Future innovation oppurtunities for Amazon Future innovation oppurtunities for Amazon can increase with the conceptual model of innovation as this model has three variables that are:- Organisation environment Resource dependent strategy Organisation structure This will help Amazon to cover every area in the organisation and help them innovate successfully. According to a recently published article in the Wall Street Daily Amazons Innovation will Dominate the future as Amazon is a paragon of innovation.( Shavinina, 2003) They are consistently releasing technologies that are way ahead of their competitors. With Amazon prime Amazon is making its customers into Amazon addicts as they will get two day free shipping. The innovative oppurtunities that Amazon has to focus on a model that focuses on long term success and profitability. They have to concentrate on driving the costs down and increasing the profit. This innovative model will enable them to switch costs for the customers and set high barriers for their competitors. (Trott, 2005) Their innovation model has to concentrate on the fact that what are the interests of the customers. They can examine what were the previous purchases of particular customers giving them an idea what they alrea dy own and when they are compared with other customers recommendations can be made to interest them. Videos and written reviews from satisfied customers can encourage others to buy products from Amazon. (Brown Osborne, 2005) Conlusion Innovation is constantly related to the changing conditions around us. Innovation is the new opportunity for any business to succeed as in this consumerization era traditional strategies and models will not work for long term.( Damanpour, 2014) Businesses have to innovate and change along with accepting the fact about consumerization they have to drive it and adopt with the technologies. They have to innovate to ensure that they are able to attract new customers along with retaining the old ones.( Eveleens,2010) The possibilities and oppurtunities with innovation are endless as the businesses have to adopt the consumer driven technologies to succeed. REFERENCES Bradley, S, 2001.eBay Inc. 1st ed. Harvard Business School: 20-26. Brandt, R L, 2011.One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com. 1st ed. US: Penguin Publishing. Brown, D, 2008. "Online giant Amazon.co.uk celebrates its 10th anniversary as shoppers use retailer website to buy goods".The Sun, October 15. 2. Brown Osborne, K. S P, 2005.MANAGING CHANGE AND INNOVATION IN PUBLIC SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS. 1st ed. New York: Routledge. Byers, A, 2006.Jeff Bezos: the founder of Amazon.com. 1st ed. US: The Rosen Publishing Group. DamanpourAravind, F. D, 2012. Managerial innovation: Conceptions, processes, and antecedents.Management and Organization Review, 8(2), 423-454 Damanpour, F, 2014. Footnotes to research on management innovation.Organization Studies, 35(9) , 1265-1285. Davila, Tony; Marc J. Epstein and Robert Shelton ,2006, Making Innovation Work: How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It, Upper Saddle River: Wharton School Publishing. Edison,AliTorkar, H.,N.B. R, 2013. Towards innovation measurement in the software industry.Journal of Systems and Software, 86(5), 1390-1407. Eveleens, C, 2010. Innovation management; a literature review of innovation process models and their implications.Science, 1(1), 900. Fuglsang, Lars, 2008.Innovation and the creative process: towards innovation with care. 1st ed. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Frankelius, P, 2009. Questioning two myths in innovation literature.Journal of High Technology Management Research, 20(1), 40-51. Heyne, Boettke, and Prychitko,P,P.J D.L, 2010, The Economic Way of Thinking, Prentice Hall, 12th, 163(1), 317318. Huebner, J,2005, "A possible declining trend for worldwide innovation", Technological Forecasting and Social Change72(8): 980986. Junnarkar, S, 2012. "Amazon to buy two companies".USA: CNET News, August 4. 1. Khan, A. M,1989, Innovative and Noninnovative Small Firms: Types and Characteristics. Management Science, 35(5): 597606. O'Sullivan, David ,2002, "Framework for Managing Development in the Networked Organisations", Journal of Computers in Industry 47 (1): 7788. Orland, K, 2011. "Amazon Launches Mac Download Store To Compete With Apple.Gamasutra. Paul, B, 2007.Entrepreneurship and Innovation Opportunity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 1st ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Salge, T.O. Vera, A. 2012, Benefiting from Public Sector Innovation: The Moderating Role of Customer and Learning Orientation, Public Administration Review,72(4): 550-560. Samuels, D, 2012, "PayPal lays off 325 in effort to speed innovation",San Jose Business Journal, October 29, 1. Strumsky, Lobo, Tainter, D,J J.A. ,2010, "Complexity and the productivity of innovation", Systems Research and Behavioral Science27(5): 49. Stone, B, 2013.The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. 1st ed. New York: Little Brown and Co. Silverstein , D, 2007.Insourcing Innovation How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using TRIZ. 1st ed. US: Auerbach Publications. Shavinina, L, 2003.The international handbook on innovation. 1st ed. Oxford: Pergamon. Trott, P, 2005.Innovation Management and New Product Development. 1st ed. UK: Prentice Hall. Woods, Ben, 2014. "Amazon launches the Fire TV Stick, a $39 Chromecast rival" Wolverton, T, 2002, "It's official: eBay weds PayPal",CNet. Wingfield, N, 2004, "EBay Buys Stake in Craigslist",Wall Street Journal, August 13.

Siddhartha Gautama Essays - Arahants, Ascetics, Buddhas,

Siddhartha Gautama Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was born in the sixth century B.C. in what is now modern Nepal. His father, Suddhodana, was the ruler of the Sakya people and Siddhartha grew up living the extravagant life of a young prince. According to custom, he married at the young age of sixteen to a girl named Yasodhara. His father had ordered that he live a life of total seclusion, but one day Siddhartha ventured out into the world and was confronted with the reality of the inevitable suffering of life. The next day, at the age of twenty-nine, he left his kingdom and new-born son to lead an ascetic life and determine a way to relieve universal suffering. For six years, Siddhartha submitted himself to rigorous ascetic practices, studying and following different methods of meditation with various religious teachers. But he was never fully satisfied. One day, however, he was offered a bowl of rice from a young girl and he accepted it. In that moment, he realized that physical austerities were not the means to achieve liberation. From then on, he encouraged people to follow a path of balance rather than extremism. He called this The Middle Way. That night Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, and meditated until dawn. He purified his mind of all defilements and attained enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, thus earning the title Buddha, or "Enlightened One." For the remainder of his eighty years, the Buddha preached the Dharma in an effort to help other sentient beings reach enlightenment.

Charles Dickens Essays - Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

Charles Dickens Essays - Charles Dickens, David Copperfield Charles Dickens Something about Charles Dickens and his ability to take his reader to unbelievable places with his imaginative powers allows him the honor of being the most popular English novelist of the 19th century. Dickens has thrilled his readers for many years with his down-to-earth stories about real people forced into real situations. Charles Dickens has the ability to tell his stories from personal experiences. He fine-tuned his ability to tell his own story through the life of another character or cast of characters. Born on the evening of February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens was the second child of his parents, John and Elizabeth Dickens.. Although he was a solitary child, Dickens was observant and good natured . Looking back on this period of his life, Dickens thought of it as the golden age (Carey 6). In the first novel that he wrote, The Pickwick Papers, Dickens tries to bring back the good old times as he remembers them with their picturesque nature. Gary Carey believes that this novel displays the happiness of innocence and the playful spirit of the youth during the time of Dickens's youthful days (7). Overtaken by financial difficulties, the Dickens family was forced to move into a shabby suburb of Camden Town. This move must have shown the family how good they had it back in Chatham. There Dickens was removed from school and forced to work degrading menial jobs in an effort to help his struggling father put food on the table. Dickens was put to work in a blackening factory among many rough and cruel employees, probably the worst job in town. Shortly after Dickens started working in the factory his father was thrown into jail for failure to pay his debts, only to be released three months later. This period of time affected Dickens greatly as he went into a period of depression. He felt abandoned and destroyed by this evil roller-coaster ride of life he was on. From this time period come many of the major themes of his more popular novels. Perhaps the most popular of these novels is David Copperfield. In this novel Dickens depicts a young man who grows up in a very similar way to that of his own (Allen 28). Dickens' sympathy for the victimized, his fascination with prisons and money, the desire to vindicate his heroes' status as gentlemen, and the idea of London as an awesome, lively, and rather threatening environment all reflect the experiences he had during his time on his own. On his own at the age of twelve, Dickens learned many necessary life skills which also developed in him a driving ambition and a boundless energy that transferred into every thing that he did (28). It would be a mistake to think of Charles Dickens as an uneducated man just because he had little formal schooling. Dickens did what everyone should do, learn from life. His entire writing career was a continuing process of development and experimentation. Many of his themes keep repeating themselves throughout his pieces and those themes most certainly stem from his early life. From his early Pickwick Papers to his one of his last pieces The Mystery of Edwin Drood Dickens never ceased to develop his writing abilities and skill, establishing himself as the major and primary Victorian novelist (Bloom 189). The journey from boyhood into manhood is a momentous one, and definitely something that has a lasting effect on one's person. Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield describes the journey into manhood by telling a story similar to his own life through the life of David Copperfield. There isn't one underlining theme in this novel there are many. The journey is one that along with David's is longing for what is lost in the past and the humiliation he feels from being an orphan. Dickens has written an excellent novel describing the troubles of growing up and the benefits of having a rough childhood. Through the rough experiences that he had, Dickens was able to look back on his early life and write world-famous stories about them. Calvin Brown feel that these experiences also helped shape the man the Dickens became, as do all experiences in

Mispronunciation Definition and Examples in English

Mispronunciation Definition and Examples in English Mispronunciation is the act or habit of pronouncing a word in a way that is regarded as nonstandard, unconventional, or faulty. Words and names are sometimes deliberately mispronounced for comic or malicious purposes. The traditional term for incorrect pronunciation is cacoepy (the opposite of orthoepy, the customary pronunciation of a word). Because the pronunciation of a word or name is often determined by dialectal or regional conventions (which may vary widely), most contemporary linguists avoid the terms correct or incorrect in reference to pronunciation. Examples of Mispronunciation   The word I had used to describe the Liberal lust for power was insatiable, which I mispronounced as insat-eye-able. To this day, I cringe in embarrassment as I reflect upon the gentle public correction by Governor General Bob Higgins and the look of undisguised dismay on the face of Prime Minister Murray.(Brian Mulroney, Memoirs. McClelland Stewart, 2007)I had to mock her Australian accent, and she had to mock my American one, because she looked at me and my mouth and saw the corollary of what I saw, and we fought violently over how to spell aluminum, which she pronounced aluminium, and when she ran off into the bamboo and came back shaking a British dictionary that spelled it her way, I was utterly defeated.(Jane Alison, The Sisters Antipodes. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009) Local Pronunciations One thing visitors will notice in the Ozarks is the odd pronunciation of certain words. If youre used to hearing the state pronounced Mis-sour-EE, you may be surprised to hear some natives say Mis-sour-AH. Bolivar, Missouri, is BAWL-i-var, while out on the edge of the Ozarks, Nevada, Missouri, is Ne-VAY-da, and nearby El Dorado Springs is El Dor-AY-duh.(Fodors Essential USA, ed. by Michael Nalepa and Paul Eisenberg. Random House, 2008)If its the first Sunday in April, its Brougham Horse Trials. Thats Brougham pronounced broom. We have a tradition for odd pronunciation in Cumbria; its why Torpenhow is pronounced not tor-pen-how but Trappenna. I know. I cant work that one out either.(Jackie Moffa, Shipwrecked. Bantam, 2006) Exercise: Is There a Right Way to Say It? Think of some words that have more than one common pronunciation (coupon, pajamas, apricot, economic). Practice transcribing by writing each pronunciation in phonemic transcription. After you have done the transcription, discuss the varying pronunciations and the characteristics you associate with each pronunciation. What factors (age, race, gender, class, ethnicity, education, etc.) correlate with each pronunciation, and why do you think you have those associations? Are there some words for which you adopt the pronunciation of the person youre speaking with?(Kristin Denham and Anne Lobeck, Linguistics for Everyone: An Introduction, 2nd ed. Wadsworth, 2013) Mispronunciations in Language Acquisition One very productive approach to the language of under-fives especially is to study apparent mispronunciations. These can appear to be idiosyncratic mistakes but, as with inflectional errors, many children display similar patterns, and they are considered to be part of normative development unless they persist for too long.(Alison Wray and Aileen Bloomer, Projects in Linguistics and Language Studies, 3rd ed. Routledge, 2013) Mispronunciations in English Language Learning (ELL) First is the foreign accent factor: ELLs may mispronounce a word because some of the sounds do not exist in their first language and they have not learned to say them in English, or because the letters they are trying to pronounce map to different sounds in their native language.(Kristin Lems, Leah D. Miller, and Tenena M. Soro, Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Insights from Linguistics. Guilford Press, 2010) Speech Perception In speech perception, listeners focus attention on the sounds of speech and notice phonetic details about pronunciation that are often not noticed at all in normal speech communication. For example, listeners will often not hear, or not seem to hear, a speech error or deliberate mispronunciation in ordinary conversation, but will notice those same errors when instructed to listen for mispronunciations (see Cole, 1973). . . .[S]peech perception [is] a phonetic mode of listening in which we focus on the sounds of speech rather than the words.(Keith Johnson, Acoustic and Auditory Phonetics, 3rd ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012) A Word That Cant Be Mispronounced Banal is a word of many pronunciations, each of which has its outspoken and often intractable proponents. Though it may pain some to hear it, let the record show that BAY-nul is the variant preferred by most authorities (including me). . . .Opdycke (1939) says banal may be pronounced [BAY-nul] or [buh-NAL) (riming with a pal), or [buh-NAHL] (riming with a doll), or [BAN-ul] (riming with flannel). It is, therefore, one of the few words in English that would appear to be impossible of mispronunciation. . . .Although BAY-nul is probably the dominant pronunciation in American speech, buh-NAL is a close runner-up and may eventually lead the pack. Four of the six major current American dictionaries now list buh-NAL first.(Charles Harrington Elster, The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations: The Complete Opinionated Guide for the Careful Speaker. Houghton Mifflin, 2005) Deliberate Mispronunciations As well as making history, [Winston] Churchill also wrote it. His deep historical sense was evident in his many books and in his brilliant speeches in which he used his speech impediment to great effect. One example was his deliberate mispronunciation of the word Nazi, with a long a and a soft z, in order to show his contempt for the movement to which it referred.(Michael Lynch, Access to History: Britain 1900-51. Hodder, 2008)Singapore culture may be considered pro-West in many ways. This pro-West attitude is implied in the Singlish word cheena, which is a deliberate mispronunciation of China. It is an adjective used to describe anything that is considered Chinese and old-fashioned (e.g. so/very cheena). The word can be used to describe the way a person looks or does things.(Jock O. Wong, The Culture of Singapore English. Cambridge University Press, 2014) Mock Spanish and the Mispronunciation of Spanish Loan Words [T]he sociolinguist Fernando Peà ±alosa (1981), working in southern California, identified the racist functions of hyper anglicization and bold mispronunciation of Spanish loan words as long ago as the 1970s. Spanish speakers object to the use of offensive words like caca and cojones in public English, and many also object to the ungrammaticality of expressions like No problemo, and misspellings like Grassy-Ass as showing disrespect for the language...Bold mispronunciation . . . yields bilingual puns like Fleas Navidad, which shows up every year on humorous Christmas cards with pictures of dogs, and that hardy perennial Moo-cho with a picture of a cow. The opposite treatment is Much Grass from Muchas gracias.(Jane H. Hill, The Everyday Language of White Racism. Wiley-Blackwell, 2008) The Lighter Side of Mispronunciation Ann Perkins: Seniors can get pretty ornery.Andy Dwyer: I think thats pronounced horny.(Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt in Sex Education. Parks and Recreation, October 2012) Donald Maclean: Hullo.Melinda: Hi. Youre English.Donald Maclean: Does it show?Melinda: You say hello with the letter u where the letter e oughta be.Donald Maclean: Well, youre American.Melinda: You noticed.Donald Maclean: You say hello with the letter i where the e and the l and the l and the o ought to be. . . . I hate America.Melinda: Are you gonna tell me why?Donald Maclean: For the way you treat workers, the way you treat black people, the way you appropriate, mispronounce and generally mutilate perfectly good English words. Cigarette?(Rupert Penry-Jones and Anna-Louise Plowman in Cambridge Spies, 2003)

Efficient market theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Efficient market theory - Essay Example This information may make them perceive that a stock may rise or its price may decline and they may take decisions accordingly. Efficient market theory is of the idea that individuals within the market have similar information and rejects the idea that different individuals may have different information. This even means that the investor that first receives the information will benefit more than those who have received the information later. For example: some investors of the stock market receives information that the sales of Procter & Gamble have increased by 100% as compared to the figures of last year. As a result of this the trader may end up purchasing the stock. If the trader had received this information later as compared to other traders, then the trader may not have purchased the stock at the right price since other traders may have already purchased the stock and the stock prices may have

Funding Sources For Action Research Project On At-Risk Children For Essay

Funding Sources For Action Research Project On At-Risk Children For Literacy In First Grade - Essay Example The children develop effective reading and writing strategies so that they can continue to work independently, and meet grade-level expectations. (Center for Reading Recovery Website). FEDERAL FUNDS: Title 1, Part A: This program provides financial assistance through State Education Agencies (SEAs) to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and schools with large numbers of poor children, to ensure that all children meet state academic achievement standards . Some federal grants are awarded to the LEAs directly by the United States Department of Education. Title 1, Part B: Reading First: This is a focussed nation-wide effort to enable all children to become successful early readers. Funds are dedicated for establishing high quality comprehensive reading instruction in kindergarten through grade 3. Building on a solid foundation of research, reading programs are developed to help the teachers, and to ensure accountability through ongoing valid and reliable screening, diagnostic and classroom- based assessment. State Education Agency awards sub- grants to Local Education Agencies on a competitive basis . In the Reading First initiative, participation is voluntary, no timeline is indicated and funding level Is FY02- $900 million. States participating in Reading First have to submit Annual Reports and show significant progress in the program.

Uncle Toms Cabin Analytical Essay Essay Example for Free

Uncle Toms Cabin Analytical Essay Essay Critic Moira Davison Reynolds describes Uncle Toms Cabin as skillfully and artistically constructed propaganda that contributed mightily to massive reform (ix). As such, its author, Harriet Beecher Stowe has been placed among the greatest Americans that ever lived and at one time was the most famous woman in the country (Reynolds 146). Born on June 14, 1811, to a remarkably accomplished family of orators, educators and pioneering social activists, Harriet Elizabeth Beecher followed in the footsteps of her politically active family and took up the banner of anti-slavery reform. Her passion for the cause is said to have come to her as a result of her time spent in Ohio observing the results of the fugitive slave laws (Reynolds 159). Uncle Toms Cabin is a text intended to shock its readers into rejecting Slavery. At the same time, it is intended to raise the sympathy of its audience by humanizing the slave. This paper discusses how Stowe achieves each of these things in her novel and how effective she was. This paper also investigates the role of family feeling in Stowes novel: it serves the conflicted purpose of motivating white Americans to fight against slavery while also providing the basis for imagining the nation as a reassuringly racially pure family home. The Family Feeling in Rejecting Slavery and Humanizing the Slave At the center of Stowes abolitionist argument is the fact that slavery destroys families. The separation through sale or death by neglect of children from parents, husbands from wives, sisters from brothers, receives her harshest and most consistent criticism throughout the novel. In her final appeal to her readers, Stowe writes, The writer has given only a faint shadow, a dim picture, of the anguish and despair that are, at this very moment, riving thousands of hearts, shattering thousands of families, and driving a helpless and sensitive race to frenzy and despair (384). The two precipitating events that set the novel in motion are framed as instances of slaverys disregard for any family feeling. Mr. Shelby is driven by financial concerns to separate Tom from his wife and children and George Jr. from his parents, regardless of any claims to affection for his slaves or promises he has made for their manumission. In addition to following the diverging fates of Tom and Eliza, the novel produces what James Baldwin called a catalogue of violence (496), providing numerous examples of familial destruction at the hands of ruthless slave traders and vicious owners. One illustrative example is the story of Lucy, a woman purchased by the slave trader Haley as he takes Tom down to the New Orleans market early in the novel. When Haley sells her son, Lucy waits until dark and throws herself into the river. Her suicide is never mentioned again, but the tragedy of her death is one element of the constant backdrop of familial destruction as Tom travels deeper into slave territory. In addition to feeling horror at these and other stories throughout the novel, the reader is meant to feel particular distaste for those characters who are not so moved by such willful destruction of family ties. For example, Mr. Shelby describes Haley the slave trader as someone who would sell his own mother at a good percentage not wishing the old woman any harm, either (30). Haleys villainy is expressed not just through his actions, but through his lack of proper familial affections. Marie St. Claire, Evas deeply self-absorbed mother, is almost as much a villain as Haley, not least because she refuses to believe that her slaves love their families in the same way that white women do. She complains, Now, St. Claire really has talked to me as if keeping Mammy from her husband was like keeping me from mine. Theres no comparing in this way. Mammy couldnt have the feelings I should. Its a different thing altogether as if Mammy could love her dirty babies as I love Eva! (151). The corruption of families by slavery is more than a series of individual tragedies; it is a blight on both the civic and spiritual life of the nation as a whole. Stowe writes, Nothing of tragedy can be written, can be spoken, can be conceived, that equals the frightful reality of scenes daily and hourly acting on our shores, beneath the shadow of American law, and the shadow of the cross of Christ (384). The scenes of family destructions to which Stowe refers in the passage picture the worst travesties of maternal care she can imagine infanticide and suicide of mothers who chose death for themselves and their children over slavery. The solution to the crisis of slavery lies in a restoration of proper family feeling, a call which Stowe frames in national terms. In her most extended direct address to the reader in the last chapter of the novel, she writes an incantatory call to the men and women of America, and particularly the mothers of America to draw on their own experience of parental love as a means through which to fight for the end of slavery. She writes, And now, men and women of America, is this a thing to be trifled with, apologized for, and passed over in silence? And you, mothers of America, you, who have learned, by the cradles of your children, to love and feel for all mankind, by the sacred love you bear your child; I beseech you, pity those mothers that are constantly made childless by the American slave-trade! And say, mothers of America, is this a thing to be defended, sympathized with, passed over in silence? (384) In the logic of her call, to fight against slavery is to fight for not just individual families, but for the duty and love that families are divinely sanctioned to inspire and protect. To love anyone properly, to be moved to defend the rights of other mothers to love their own children, one must first draw from their own experience. If that familial love is as strong as it is supposed to be, then slavery would be unconscionable. The tactic of mobilizing sentiment is used throughout the book to force the reader to consider slavery in light of her own family life. When Tom is separated from his children at the beginning of the novel, the narrator breaks from the event to address the reader and call up his or her own feelings over lost children. After describing Toms tears, she writes, just such tears, sir, as you dropped into the coffin where lay your first-born son; such tears, woman, as you shed when you heard the cries of your dying babe. For, sir, he was a man, and you are but another man (34). By seeing Tom as but another man, the reader must temporarily abandon the distinctions that make slavery if not racism possible, although this temporary suspension is challenged by the novels resolution. Stowe also calls on the readers to shift their frame of reference when considering the sale of human beings by addressing those slaves for sale at the New Orleans auction through the nominal forms of family: Then you shall be courteously entreated to call and examine, and shall find an abundance of husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and young children, to be sold separately, or in lots to suit the convenience of the purchaser' (283). The reformist impact of the image is meant to lie in the use of affectionate names for family juxtaposed to the utilitarian language of commerce. Such moments call up the readers indignation; other moments are meant to inspire the readers admiration. Another method through which Stowe humanizes slaves is stressing their familiar bonds and characteristics. In many ways, George and Eliza are ideal parents and spouses. Eliza, described as beautiful, educated, and kind, risks her life to prevent losing her son to Haley, the slave trader. Her dedication is distilled in the famous dash across the ice floes to get into Ohio from Kentucky (52). George, also handsome and intelligent, is willing to risk his life to protect Eliza. When they are being pursued by Haley and Tom Loker, George exclaims, And now, Eliza, Ill give my last drop of blood, but they shall not take you from me. Whoever gets you must walk over my dead body (165). George defines his masculinity through his marriage, telling Eliza, your loving me, why, it was almost like raising one from the dead! Ive been a new man ever since! (165). Conversely, Elizas femininity is framed through her ability to tame to proper proportions Georges occasional violent and irreligious impulses by enclosing them within domesticity. In their first scene together in the novel, George comes to Eliza in a rage, telling her about the numerous offenses committed by his masters. He hints several times that he might retaliate with violence, and Eliza urges him to control his temper through prayer: What are you going to do? O, George, dont do anything wicked; if you only trust in God, and try to do right, hell deliver you. I aint a Christian like you, Eliza; my hearts full of bitterness; I cant trust in God. Why does he let this be so? (15) George can only respond to Elizas influence when they have escaped slavery and are able to establish as sense of home while living with the Quakers. Home is described as a circle within which proper family and religious sentiment can develop. This, indeed, was a home, home, — a word that George had never yet known a meaning for; and a belief in God, and trust in his providence, began to circle his heart, as, with a golden cloud of protection and confidence, dark, misanthropic, pining, atheistic doubts, and fierce despair, melted away. (122). This passage describes the kind of familial sentiment that Stowe continually tries to incite in her readers throughout the text. According to Stowe, white families fail most consistently throughout the novel. Her calls for the readers to sympathize with the suffering of African American families under slavery is in part an attempt to move them to action, but it is also an attempt to get them to reform their own family feelings and connections to feel right not just about the issue of slavery, but about how to behave as a member of a white Christian family and nation. After all, the first scene of the novel shows us the tactless slave trader sullying the white family parlor, and throughout the novel, white family feeling fails, despite the best intentions of their members. The Shelbys provide an example. Mrs. Shelby treats her slaves with kindness, and imparts to them the value of domesticity. When she finds out that Mr. Shelby has contracted to sell George Jr. , she exclaims, I have taught them the duties of the family, of parent and child, and husband and wife; and how can I bear to have this open acknowledgement that we care for no tie, no duty, no relation, however sacred, compared to money? (29). She does her best to protect both Tom and Eliza, but in the end she cannot change her husbands decision. But the Shelbys failures are not unique. Husbands like Shelby and St. Claire mismanage money or die prematurely and the familys slaves must be sold down the river. Mothers are either ineffectual like Mrs. Shelby or actively awful like Marie St. Claire: as a result, families are separated and beatific children die of consumption. Two of the most powerful figures of maternal influence in the novel the dead mothers of St. Claire and Simon Legree can be read as symbols of retribution and reform. Legree is driven mad by the thought of the perfect love that his mother once had for him (323), but that perfect love is only a fearful torture, and in fact it drives him to redouble his efforts to rape Emmeline. He declares, Curse me, if I think theres any such thing as forgetting anything, any how, — hang it! Im lonesome! I mean to call Em. She hates me the monkey! I dont care, —Ill make her come! (323). St. Claire describes his mother as divine (195), and it is under the influence of her spirit that he begins to take the legal steps to manumit his slaves. But her influence arrives too late; St. Claire is stabbed to death while out on a walk, and Tom is sold down the river once again. The novel is plagued by such incidents, and at each stage they elicit sympathy from the readers, sympathy explicitly structured by the family form. The tragedy we are meant to feel most strongly is the failure of white families to function properly. Conclusion It can be concluded that Uncle Toms Cabin was effective in rejecting slavery and raising the sympathy of its audience by humanizing the slave. Stowe achieves each of these things in her novel through investigation of the role of family feeling: it serves the conflicted purpose of motivating white Americans to fight against slavery while also providing the basis for imagining the nation as a reassuringly racially pure family home. The restoration of George and Eliza Harris’ family after their harrowing escape from slavery and their decision to repatriate to Liberia are rendered in the service of the novels desire to rehabilitate white domesticity on both the familial and the national scale. Works Cited Baldwin, James. Everybodys Protest Novel. 1955. Harriet Beecher Stowe s Uncle Toms Cabin. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. A Norton Critical Edition. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1994. 495-501. Reynolds, Moira Davison. Uncle Toms Cabin and Mid-Nineteenth Century United States. North Carolina: McFarland, 1985. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Toms Cabin. 1852. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1994.

Shabanu Essay :: essays research papers

Shabanu Essay In the novel Shabanu, by Suzanne Fisher Staples, women are portrayed in two distinct ways: obedient and rebellious. The obedient women would include Phulan, Mama, and Auntie. Rebellious women would consist of Sharma, Fatima, and, of course, Shabanu. The protagonist Shabanu, portrays herself as a rebellious woman. Shabanu constantly disobeys her father. In the beginning of the novel, Shabanu attempts to retrieve her camel Mithoo so he will not be harmed by Tipu, another camel. Dadi tells her No several times but she insists. Dadi is furious, ?Don?t ever disobey me? (27). Dadi shakes her so hard that her head flies back and fourth. Shabanu gets home and while she is making chapaties Auntie says to her, ?Shabanu, you are wild as the wind, you must learn to obey. Otherwise?I am afraid for you? (28). Another example of Shabanu?s rebelliousness is when she throws water on the landlord. Nazir Muhammad and his men say the want to ?claim? Shabanu and her sister, Phulan. Shabanu becomes disgusted and decides to throw her head forward, causing the water jug on her head to spill over the embankment and Nazir Muhammad. Sharma, Shabanu?s aunt, is a very rebellious woman as well. Sharma is described as bold, ?Most men don?t like her and are afraid of her? (98). Sharma cares about Shabanu and tries to look out for her. Although Sharma had no intentions of causing Shabanu danger, she gave her some very dangerous advice. ?You try to make him happy so he can?t bare to be away from you a single moment. If he treats you badly, come stay with us? (209). Auntie, unlike Sharma and Shabanu, portrays an obedient woman, with morals. Auntie is traditional, and often criticizes Mama for having no sons in the family. ?If God had blessed you with sons, we wouldn?t have to break our fingers over wedding dresses? (3). Auntie looks down on Shabanu for being ?boy like?. ?A young lady shouldn?t go with her headdress uncovered. You?re too old to act like a boy? (33). Mama is obedient as well. Mama slaps Shabanu as a consequence to non-traditional views. Mama accepts that Dadi takes care of the ?manly? problems such as the selling of the camels. Being the man, Dadi also takes care of the dangerous situations, like getting grandpa after the sandstorm.

Encounters with peope of different cultures

Encounters with people of different cultures in their own countries or communities 2 3 4 5 Coping with the customs of host countries or communities, e. g. rules and courtesies that local people observe and may expect me to observe. Encountering the different customs of people from other cultures, e. g. dress, spec al occasions, etc. Adapting to the rhythm of life in other cultures, e. g. getting used to different meal times etc. Integrating with the customs or behaviour of host countries, e. g. eginning to use forms of greeting that is very different from my own. Encounters with different cultures in the host university Clarifying areas of uncertainty about university arrangements, e. g. describing what I am used to and asking what happens in the other culture. Adapting to other administrative and academic practices, e. g. using unfamiliar procedures to complete a work task. Coping with different formal ties, e. g. learning new ways of showing respect to senior colleagues from other cultures.Relating to fellow students from other cultures, e. g. learning what they like to talk about during breaks. Being aware of issues to be avoided with a different cultural group, e. g. learning what opics seem to be avoided and what the group's views are likely to be about a current political situation. Building bridges between colleagues ot my own culture and those ot a ditterent culture, e. g. sensing that someone of my culture has said the wrong thing and explaining the misunderstanding to both sides.Section 3 A continuing record of intercultural encounters In this section you can record many kinds of intercultural experiences and encounters that you feel have helped you develop your intercultural skills. In each record, describe what happened and how this enabled you to advance your nowledge and understanding of – or attitude to – intercultural ‘events' ( interactions with people from other cultures, etc). Date: 31109/2012 As soon I arrived at the rent ed place, I found out that my flatmates were both Spanish and I feared that I would be left apart due to my level of Spanish,.However, to my surprised they were both very welcoming and even try their best to understand my poor Spanish and were willing to show me around and give me very helpful tips in relation, to transportation, nightlife and food consumption. Place: Pozuelo de Alarcon The suggestions made by flatmates were quite helpful, on the next day I went to rder my student travel card wish made really easier to travel around Madrid. Their travel system is very similar London travel system which actually work base on the zones you have to move around. However, the store was closed from 12 to 14 0'clock as well as every store around.Such thing was very strange to me and as my flatmates explained it is common thing in Spain for stores to be close at such time due to their weather conditions is too hot work there for thy take a break. It is at that point were a have notice that weather conditions have a huge effect on Spain Culture. Place: Groningen University The team work experience with the guys, gave me the opportunity to improve my communication skills, because we could express one's need, wants and opinion without offending the sensitiveness of the other guys.In addition, I believe I strengthen my Teambuilding skills, as I was the person who motivated the others. The members recognised that, and I was the point of communication between the others. From this experience I realised how much I would like to work for the Human Resources, as I believe to be able to maintain group cooperation and support, and to keep a group updated how it is moving forward to the achievement of the goals. Date: 31/10/2012 On 31/10/12 1 had a presentation to be done together with 3 more students. It was me, a Spanish girl, a Romanian guy, and a Dutch guy.The Dutch guy most of the times we had meeting was quite rude with the other guys. He wanted the work to be done, and he was actually the first not to do it. The day of the presentation, I had a small argument with him. The presentation went well, we scored 7. 2. This guy, during the conversation with our coach said that he was the best and that the other guys, us, did not have the competencies to do the presentation. Place: At first, I got really upset and offended, as he should not dear to say these bad things to his team member.Secondly, I believe he should have told us in a private conversation, as all of us were really embarrassed, and we all thought that what he was saying was not actually true. Finally, I spoke with him and he apologised about what happened with the guys and l. I hope he understood that he should not criticise others, when he is the first person who makes mistakes. Date: 03/11/2012 In these days I was reflecting how the Dutch academic semester works so differently trom the English semester. Here, every semester is made trom two periods.In each period there are at least three mo dules to study, therefore exams, reports, group works and presentations to do. At my university, we only have four modules for semester, whilst here there are at least six for each semester. I could see how I improved time management planning and organizational skills. Place: Groningen My skills improved because the amount of work to do was higher than my expectations. In fact, I had to develop goals for my personal achievements, and identify tasks to be accomplished. In addition, I learnt how prioritise tasks and take esponsibilities for the decisions I made.Based on the above please prepare a SWOT analysis of the stage that you believe are at in terms of cross cultural competence; (i. e. strengths and weaknesses) and where you would like to get to by January. What are the opportunities for enhancing your competence and what are the threats which may thwart your endeavours if left untackled? Studying the first semester of the second year in ESIC located in Madrid, Spain enables me to break down barriers as well as communicate and interact with people from different cultures in ways beyond no lecture room or university hall can.

Death Penalty in India Essay

Short Essay on the Capital Punishment in India – Capital punishment has been a matter of debate for long now, and across the world public opinion is, by and large, in favour of abolishing it, as it is increasingly seen as a barbaric measure to check crime. Modern abolitionist jurists are of the view that if killing is wrong, no amount of legal or social sanction can make it right. If it is wrong for a man to kill another man, so it is even for the State to do. Besides, citing statistics, they argue that capital punishment has had no visible effect as a deterrent and has utterly failed to bring in a dip in the number of murders, which, according to them, makes capital punishment completely useless. Why kill the killers when it helps none and nothing, seems to be the belief. To them, capital punishment is a barbarous measure of no avail that has its place in the annals of history and not in modern statute books. Abolition of death penalty is largely seen as a step in the interest of human dignity in line with Article 5 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 and its protocol in 1989, besides, of course, Article 3 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on December 10, 1948 and Article 21 of our own Constitution. The arguments on the side of the retentionists are equally strong. However, in India the Supreme Court has made death penalty applicable only to the rarest of rare cases – the cases where the act is no less than shocking to human conscience. The landmark cases where the death sentences were awarded in India are Ranga Billa case, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi Assassination case, Laxman Nayak case and most recently in 2004 Hatab case of West Bengal where accused Dhananjoy Chatterjee was hanged on 14 August, 2004, on his birthday, after Supreme Court affirmed the death sentence awarded by the lower courts. The President also declined his plea for pardon. In the year 2003 government laid a Bill in the Parliament, which proposed to add a provision of death penalty in Drugs and Cosmetics Act. After the new government came in power in June 2004, President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam suggested that Parliament should consider the abolition of death sentence altogether.

Act utilitarianism vs Rule utilitarianism Essays

Act utilitarianism vs Rule utilitarianism Essays Act utilitarianism vs Rule utilitarianism Paper Act utilitarianism vs Rule utilitarianism Paper Essay Topic: Utilitarianism Although Utilitarianism as a whole is a complicated and flawed ideology, Rule Utilitarianism (the more sympathetic concept of the two) tends to be more plausible than Act Utilitarianism. However Rule Utilitarianism is not without its own flaws that critics of JS Mill indicate. Critics of JS Mill say that Act Utilitarianism is more plausible because with Rule Utilitarianism, moral laws conflict, for example, the right to be free from hunger and want seems logical but destroying the rainforests to provide food goes against other Utilitarianism principles, whereas in Act Utilitarianism, according to Sidgwick, it is possible that an act may be moral and immoral at the same time. For Sidgwick, when making a moral decision you must respond to the immediate consequences of your actions but not the long term effect, as it isnt possible to be certain about the long term effects. Critics of Bentham and Sidgwick however would say that Rule Utilitarianism is more plausible because Rule Utilitarians believe that it is the quality of an act that is more important and not the greatest good for the greatest number as suggested by Bentham. Mill also believed that without individual liberty, societys happiness is not possible, which makes Rule Utilitarianism more plausible as it coincides with human rights whereas Bentham thinks that Human rights are ridiculous. According to Bentham, Act Utilitarianism is more plausible because it provides the greatest goo for the greatest number through the use of the hedonic calculus. By using the Hedonic calculus, one is able to maximise pleasure and minimise pain. The Hedonic calculus Is the test for all practical decisions and is an easy way to provide the greatest overall happiness for all sentient beings such as humans. The concept of the Hedonic Calculus for philosophers such as Mill, Brandt and Austin was far too complex and they considered it to be an impossible ideal to apply the hedonic calculus when making all decisions, especially when there is not time to carefully think about making a decision. Furthermore, Act Utilitarianism consider maims to be rules of thumb that can be disregarded in certain circumstances, whereas rule Utilitarians believe all moral laws must be obeyed. Rather than following the Hedonic Calculus, Rule Utilitarians instead made a set of general rules selected on the basis of whether they will maximise general good or welfare in society. These general rules apply the Principle of Utility so it is easier to apply them in everyday life, therefore making moral decision making a much easier and less complicated situation. In conclusion, Both act and Rule Utilitarianism have their flaws but overall, Rule Utilitarianism is more plausible than Act Utilitarianism because through Rule Utilitarianism it is easier to apply rules and moral laws and one focuses on the quality of happiness rather than the quantity, which can often lead to impractical decision making (for Act Utilitarians.)

Your 2018 guide to asking for a promotionÂÂ

Your 2018 guide to asking for a promotion   New year†¦new job title? Many of us look upon a new year as a time for new opportunities, from setting and achieving new personal goals to exploring new passions and hobbies and reaching new professional milestones- including moving up the career ladder. Most of us have an ultimate professional goal that we one day wish to fully achieve, and many of us have plotted out a series of steps on our career ladder that will hopefully get us there. With the ushering in of a new year, we often hope that we’ll be able to take a bold step forward toward our goal- which means getting a promotion at work.Of course, in a perfect world, we’d never have to actually ask for a promotion- our bosses would simply recognize our undeniable talents and contributions over and over, resulting in a series of promotions. But for most of us, this is more of a pleasant dream than a tangible reality, and waiting for this to happen is like waiting for a sack of money to drop out of the sky and i nto your lap- not the most efficient use of your productive work years.The truth is, most of us who want a promotion are going to have to ask for one, which can be among the most stressful, anxiety-inducing, and nerve-wracking experiences we subject ourselves to. Asking for a promotion is no simple task, especially if you’re relatively new to your company or industry and may still be proving yourself. According to a recent article published by Forbes, â€Å"Asking for a promotion can be one of the most stressful experiences in your career- especially in today’s uncertain economy. Why?  Because you know you’re putting yourself at some level of risk†¦It should be no surprise that, in comparison to only a few decades ago, today’s average employee has larger workloads- and more (and better) competition to contend with. Add to this the highly evolved social and political networks one needs to master, and you have one tough road to travel†¦to move from employment offer to promotion without a single misstep is unlikely, and mistakes happen often enough.†Yes, the mere thought of asking for a promotion may send you into a panic and have you reconsidering the entire idea, but fear not! In the professional world fortune often favors the bold, and if you attack the â€Å"promotion situation† smartly and with a solid game plan, you can really increase your chances that things will go your way when you pop the big question!Use the following strategies to help you stack the deck in your favor, and to avoid the biggest mistakes most people make when gearing up to asking for a promotion.Read the signs.The first crucial step to determining if now is a good time to ask for a promotion or if you’re better off waiting is to â€Å"take the temperature† of the company. Was 2017 a good year, or were there lots of struggles and challenges? Did your company meet or exceed its annual goals, or did it fall short? Have th ere been a great deal of layoffs or employee turnover recently, or do things feel relatively stable. Or better yet, are signs of growth and new innovation in the air? It isn’t difficult to envision which of these scenarios are more conducive to asking for a promotion, so try to figure out if now is the right time for you to make the big ask.Also, be sure to take your own workplace temperature. Was 2017 a â€Å"hot† or â€Å"cold† year for you as an employee? Did you achieve or surpass your goals? Many of us have clearly defined performance metrics, which are often reviewed regularly with our bosses (often annually), so determining if 2017 was a good year for you shouldn’t be too difficult. If you had a banner year in 2017, then perhaps now is the perfect time to go after that promotion. If you struggled a bit over the year, perhaps it’s wiser to wait a few months and really work hard to establish yourself as a valuable employee before taking the pl unge.Build a good case.In many instances, asking for a promotion is like interviewing for a new job, and you’ll likely have to â€Å"make a case† for yourself- not just for why you deserve a promotion, but also, and perhaps more importantly, for how your company will benefit from promoting you. This is your opportunity to resell yourself to your company- this time in a new role with greater responsibility.So, approach the situation like you did when you first interviewed with the company. Convince them that you’re the perfect person for this new position and that your background, experience, and skill set are the perfect mix to handle the job effectively. You want them to think that promoting you will ultimately benefit the company’s bottom line.Choose your moment.Pop quiz: Do you think your chances for getting a promotion will be better when you ask your boss after a particularly tense and stressful morning or in the middle of a terrible workplace crisis , or when your boss is in a good mood, relaxed, and hopefully open to new ideas? Not the most difficult quiz, right? Well, you’d be surprised by how many unfortunate employees, who are so nervous and desperate to get the promotion question over with, just blindly jump in and ask their bosses for a promotion without determining if the timing is right. Not a good move. Don’t make this easily avoidable mistake.Mind the details.Perhaps just as important as the things you’ll say when asking for a promotion are the supporting details- the tone you use, the outfit you decide to wear when you ask, and your body language and facial expressions. You’ve already successfully interviewed with the company before, so you have a good idea of what works and what doesn’t. The key here is to take this opportunity seriously and to bring your â€Å"A game† when you do decide the time is right to ask for a promotion. Dress well, use a confident and positive tone, and make sure your body language reflects your best possible self.If it goes your way†¦If the stars align, things go your way, and fate looks favorably on you, then congratulations! Graciously and humbly accept your promotion and new role and be sure to use this as an opportunity to prove to your bosses that they made the right call- don’t forget, at some point in the future you might be facing the promotion question once again, and you want to make sure that you have a solid case for why it’s once again well deserved.If it doesn’t go your way†¦Putting yourself out there by asking for a promotion and meeting rejection can be incredibly difficult. If you don’t get the promotion you were looking for, you may leave the meeting with a wide range of conflicting emotions. The key here is to not do anything rash. Instead, listen carefully to the reasoning you were given for the decision. Was it based on something completely out of your control, or did it include things that you can work on? Were you given a timeline to make improvements and revisit the promotion question?Take the information you were given during the discussion, consider it carefully, and weigh your options for moving forward. The key here is to not consider this the final step on your career ladder- you’ll have many more professional opportunities in the future!Asking for a promotion can be a stressful experience- but it doesn’t have to be! Use the strategies provided here to ensure that when the time is right and you decide to ask for a promotion that you’re putting your best foot forward and setting yourself up for success.

Child Rearing in America Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Child Rearing in America - Case Study Example According to Annette Lareau, the central factors of family life cohere to form a cultural logic of child rearing which stresses the intensive nurturing of children in the contemporary social situation. "In this historical moment, middle-class parents tend to adopt a cultural logic of child rearing that stresses the concerted cultivation of children. Working-class and poor parents, by contrast, tend to undertake the accomplishment of natural growth. In the accomplishment of natural growth, children experience long stretches of leisure time, child-initiated play, clear boundaries between adults and children and daily confrontations with kin." (Lareau, 2003, p 3). Christopher Davis was born and brought up as the son of middle-class parents and his birth and nurturing demonstrate the state of affairs with child rearing in the contemporary America. Christopher Davis was born in 2004 while his mother, Susan, was eighteen years of age and was pursuing her Bachelor's degree. All through her pregnancy period, Susan attended college and she never dedicated time for the nurturing of the baby. ... The family under investigation belonged to middle-class Blacks and their experience with child rearing suggests the influence of class difference on the shaping of individuals in the families. "It is the class differences and how they are enacted in family life and child rearing that shape the ways children view themselves in relation to the rest of the world." (Lareau, 2003, p 4). Therefore, the paper undertakes an essential qualitative analysis of the case of Christopher Davis in an attempt to achieve a deeper knowledge of issues to educational practice. The research problem in this qualitative research case study is the issues connected with child rearing and the example of Christopher Davis illustrates these issues most effectively. The case study reported in the paper primarily focuses on parental involvement, child-rearing practices and academic achievement on the basis of the specific case of Christopher Davis. Research Design and Methods This research study undertakes an analysis of the specific case of Christopher Davis who confronts several pertinent issues of child rearing. The subject of this qualitative research case study Christopher Davis (Chris) who is son to Susan and John and they live in Brooklyn, New York. Chris has 2 bothers that look up to him. Christopher Davis is the perfect selection for an analysis of the pertinent issues concerning child rearing as he faced some of the most important nurturing problems in his short life. The research reported in this paper undertook personal interviews with the family of Chris. A reflective analysis of the life experience of Chris in his development and education suggests that child rearing is one of the most essential

Business Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Policy - Essay Example It is thus dynamic in nature so that the organization earns above average returns (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2001, p. 6). Strategic management is a broad canvas, which includes strategic analysis, strategic implementation and control. It encompasses all functional areas within an organization. This paper aims to address these issues in the context of finance and marketing. For evolving appropriate corporate policies, it is imperative to do a competitive analysis. This will be done by using the SWOT and Porters five forces. SWOT analysis helps to understand internal environment of the company in terms of its relative strengths and weaknesses, and also external factors in terms of opportunities and threat. Further, as the company intends to enter into emerging markets, its global competitiveness will be examined by using the model suggested by Porter (1985), which includes five competitive forces, which determine the competitiveness of a product in a market. These forces are industr y competitions, potential entrants, substitutes, byers, and suppliers.

RRQ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RRQ - Essay Example After the end of the war, the southern states passed laws that the black codes which allowed the Africans in America rights such as, owning of property, legalized marriage and they were also allowed to have access to courts (Farr 236). On the other hand, they repudiated the right to testify and attend in the panel of adjudicators in the state militia or beginning to work without endorsement from the former employer. Carter supports his argument about Americans crisis of confidence, in that during the past three years he spoke about national concerns, the energy crisis reorganizing the governmental, national economy and the various issues of war and especially peace (Farr 234). He insisted on how the government should be doing to make sure the nation’s dreams and vision are accomplished (Farr 347). Carter says that in order for the nation economy, to flourish the government has to curb the entire crisis and focus on the national

Reflection Paper: Socialization and Self-Identity

Reflection Paper: Socialization and Self-Identity Introduction I grew up in an average middle class family, whereby I attended a public primary school during early years of my life. Life was quite simple in primary school because almost all pupils were friendly and there were no social divisions both in class and outside. However, life was different when I went to high school, with the existence of a caste system that drew distinct boundaries between the middle class students who were well behaved and the lower class students associated with rudeness and truancy. Socialization in Relation to Self Identity According to Styker (1980), sociological approach to self identity is based on assumption of an existence of a relationship between oneself and the society, whereby the self influences the society through individual actions thus creating groups, networks and institutions. Likewise, the society influences self through shared meanings and language that enable someone to engage in social interactions and reflect upon himself/herself as an object. My primary school life was greatly shaped by society within a conducive environment that never encouraged social divisions among pupils but embraced a unified community, where everyone seemed to conform to norms and regulations of the school. This is further supported by social identity theory that emphasizes on identity as being embedded in a social group or category rather than role behavior (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, Wetherell 1987). Life in high school was quite different from that of primary school as I had to identify with either the middle class students who conformed to school regulations or identify with the lower class students, who were truant, rude and cared less about school rules and regulations. This called for need to reflect, evaluate and plan accordingly in order to bring out my future state and achieve consciousness with respect to my own existence in school. Initially, I was torn between the two cliques of students because much as I desired to perform well in school, I also wanted to drink, smoke and do the crazy things that teenagers do. After critical self evaluation, I found myself striking a balance between the two sets of students and had two different sets of social lives. I could occasionally identify with the middle class students who were well behaved when I needed to study and equally strike a balance in being popular with the truant group, especially when I needed to smoke, drink and m isbehave. Such decision came after some crisis (Mercia 2008). According to Marcias identity status theory, ones sense of identity is largely determined by choices and commitments made in respect to personal and social traits. Focusing on adolescent development, Mercia (2008) points out that adolescent stage consists neither of identity resolution nor identity confusion, but rather the degree to which one has explored and committed to an identity in a variety of life domains from education, religion, relational choices and gender roles among others. Marcias theory of identity achievement argues that two distinct parts form an adolescents identity, namely; crisis and commitment. He defined a crisis as a time of upheaval where old values or choices are being reexamined and further argues that the end outcome of a crisis leads to a commitment made to a certain role or value. Living comfortably with the two sets of students explains the notion that there are as many different selves as there are different positions that one holds in society as well as to different groups responding to self (James 1890). This brings out my overall self that has multiple identities, with each identity being tied to aspects of the social structure (Burke 1980). When associating with the truant group of students, the only things we did and discussed were those relevant to the group such as planning how to misbehave, where to drink, smoke and do other things that were against school rules. On the other hand, identifying with disciplined group of students restricted me to discuss and do things that were relevant to identity of the group such as class assignments and group discussions. This boosted my psychological well being as well as social skills that enabled me to fit well in school society as supported by Thoits (2001), who argues that greater psychological well- being all ows individuals to actively acquire multiple role identities over time. Furthermore research has proved that making roles and accumulating role identities equally fosters greater psychological well being. Being able to identify and associate with two sets of students in high school can be attributed to identity theory. Stryker (1980) describes identity theory as a micro- sociological theory that links self attitudes or identities to the role- related behavior of individuals. It takes into account individual role relationships and identity variability, motivation and differentiation. This implies that my behavior in any of the two groups was dependant on shared responses and behavioral expectations emerging from social interactions. Exchange theory further supports my interaction with two sets of students as it views commitment as being influenced by repeated exchange agreement, which generate emotional connection among group members in the form of satisfaction (Lawler Yoon 1996). Socialization in Relation to Academic Performance Ability to identify with the disciplined set of students gave me satisfaction, both academically and psychologically as learning requires diligence and obedience, qualities that are widely associated with feminists. On the other hand, associating with truant group of students gave me the excitement and drive to enjoy my teenage life as well as performance of masculinity, which is associated with the highest social status in state schooling environment, a status that I could only achieve through identifying with truant group of students (Fine 2003 Renold 2006). I was an extrovert, popular with my peers and a high academic achiever. Friends were my most enjoyable aspect of school and I accentuated communication and relationships with friends, while maintaining good heterosexual relationships that invested more in emotional instead of physical aspects of the relationships within the two sets of friends. Research has shown that high achievement in class does not necessarily constitute classroom isolation and unpopularity, thus students identified as high achieving are equally popular. Based on this observation, it can be argued that high academic achievement is not impending the popularity of a student and the sociability of a student may indicate that strong social skills contribute to high academic achievement as was my case (Jackson, 2006). Francis, Skelton Read (2010) indicate in their research that sociability of students results to increased levels of confidence for boys and girls regardless of their social class, pointing out that high performing students are often highly aware of their high academic achievement and this achievement awareness preoccupation delineates the notion of giftedness. I was able to excel academically because I was comfortable with my perceived high academic ability and I never underestimated my achievement in relation to my peers, unlike what most girls do. Being vividly aware of my own authenticity, I managed to construct my popularity based on my intrinsic merit factors such as friendliness, sociability and kindness. I was actively engaged in class work and worked hard, completing all assignments even in challenging conditions. Furthermore, I was an enthusiastic participant in class and was always ready to execute given tasks during classes. I was in good terms with teachers and this added value to my performance of attitude. My talks and actions frequently dominated during my days in high school as I was loud, assertive and at the center of events, unlike my low achieving and less popular peers, who were more extrinsic and obsessed with factors such as good looks. I however considered myself good looking and fashionable in appearance during those days. My physical attractiveness and stylish clothing enhanced my classroom relationships and contributed greatly in bringing a balance between my popularity and academic achievement. This i s in agreement with Butler (1993) and Kehily (2006) who indicate that physical appearance facilitates and contributes to sociability, confidence and sometimes academic excellence. My performance enhancing qualities are in agreement with self categorization theory that describes how people define themselves at group level as well as at an individual level, considering group and individual identities to be different levels of self categorization and more distinct from each other as opposed to social identity theory (Hogg and Terry 2000). Employing this theory gave me an opportunity to have unlimited range of identities based on context and convenience to achieve desired objectives based on targeted achievement with any particular kind of behavior. In their contribution to social identity theories, Lucey and Reay (2002) observe that academic success and excellence cannot exist without failure, supporting the fact that some students must be marked as failures for others to be identified as successful. This explains my academic excellence and equally explains poor performance for some of my peers. Conclusion Human beings are social beings and need each other to coexist, a fact supported by the existence of social theories of identity, which explain personal, interpersonal as well as group relationships. As a teenager and a student, social theories of identity worked to my advantage as I managed to strike a balance between different categories of social groups in favor of my performance and social life. I lived well in high school because I could use social theories to manipulate situations for the sake of a peaceful and harmonious existence, while at the same time quenching my curiosity for exciting teenage experience. If well used, social theories can bring success to ones academic performance and fruitful relationships that support peaceful coexistence within a given society.

Bay Of Pigs :: American America History

Bay Of Pigs The story of the failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, which is located on the south coast of Cuba about 97 miles southeast of Havanna, was one of mismanagement, poor judgment, and stupidity ("Bay of Pigs" 378). The blame for the failed invasion falls directly on the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and a young president by the name of John F. Kennedy. The whole intention of the invasion was to assault communist Cuba and put an end to Fidel Castro. Ironically, thirty-nine years after the Bay of Pigs, Fidel Castro is still in power. First, it is necessary to look at why the invasion happened and then why it did not work. From the end of World War II until the mid-eighties, most Americans could agree that communism was the enemy. Communism wanted to destroy our way of life and corrupt the freest country in the world. Communism is an economic system in which one person or a group of people are in control. The main purpose of communism is to make the social and economic status of all individuals the same. It abolishes the inequalities in possession of property and distributes wealth equally to all. The main problem with this is that one person who is very wealthy can be stripped of most of his wealth so that another person can have more material goods and be his equal. The main reason for the Bay of Pigs attack on Cuba was the change to communism. On January 1, 1959, Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country for the safety of the Dominican Republic (Goode, Stephen 75). Fidel Castro and his guerrilla warriors overthrew the old government dictated by Batista. During the next couple of weeks, Castro established a new government and on February 16, he was officially declared premier (Finkelstein, Norman H. 127). The United States accepted this new regime as a relief from the harsh, corrupt, and unpopular government of Batista. Soon after everything settled down, Castro and his men made a rapid move to change their political course. He announced his transformation to Marxism-Leninism and avowed his friendship with the Soviet Union (Goode, Stephen 75). These events upset the United States and there were concerns about Castro becoming too powerful. One reason was the friendship with the Soviet Union because Cuba was receiving armed forces to expan d and improve its army.