Typical 360-Degree Feedback System

360 – Degree Feedback This usually means an individual being rated by peers, supervisors and sometimes clients, as well as doing self-assessment. All indications are that 360-degree appraisal in one form or another is probable to be used more extensively – it is not some provisional fad. An example of a Traditional Feedback versus a 360 – Degree Feedback, you can see below. Basically you can see at the Traditional Feedback, there is only one direction Feedback, from Supervisor to Employee. On the other hand, there are a variety of canals of Feedback to employees. Typical 360-Degree feedback System The 360-Degree feedback system works with the following two ways: †¢The Questionnaire: This basically shows a series of statements about the â€Å"target† manager’s performance and efficiency, and frequently is linked to the key competencies described in an organisation. For example, if there are eight competencies thought to be pertinent to the organization, there might be somewhat like five to eight questions asked in relation to each of them. More or less there would be sixty questions. Some organizations mix all questions together; some group them under related capability direction. †¢The Raters: The focal manager (meaning the person on whom the feedback is being given), completes a self-rating while being rated by others. Many companies allow the individuals to decide who contributes to the rating procedure, according to who is in the best place to remark on their performance. Most often the number of raters scope between: three to twenty, depending on conditions. The Feedback process There are three major elements to this process: †¢First is the individual who collects the feedback †¢Second is the feedback report and how the data are represented within in it †¢Third is the supervisor in which this information is conveyed the focal manager The whole rating forms usually go either to a designed basis in HR or to an external expert; less often, they go to a senior manager. Whoever collects the data has the task to gather them in a form that will help the receiver. He/She has to combine the ratings and present an average â€Å"score†, on each competency, broken down by rating group (peers,etc), perhaps place the self-rating together with it. Provided that the numbers in each group are adequate, this preserves secrecy for the respondents.

Fear of Crime

Introduction Fear of Crime in members of our society today has been widely researched. For the purpose of this essay, fear of crime is used in the context of an individual’s perceived risk of becoming a victim of crime. In this essay it is argued that the elderly and the youngest members of our society are the most fearful of crime and that, of these age groups the elderly have the lowest risk of becoming victims of crime. Firstly, research shows that fear of crime is wide spread and that certain age groups are more fearful of becoming victims than others. Secondly, that the Media’s portrayal of crimes contributes to society’s perceptions of safety and crime itself, increasing fear of crime in these age groups. Thirdly, that the Elderly fears of crime and perceived risk of victimisation is also contributed to by social and physiological factors, such as vulnerability that leads to altered lifestyle changes. Data confirms that levels of victimisation rates are low for the elderly but high for the young, which is in contrast to those in the elderly age group having heightened levels of fear. In conclusion, fear of crime is becoming a serious societal issue as our population ages being that the elderly are becoming the most fearful of crime whilst the youngest age group with the highest fear are most likely to become victims of crime. Discussion Firstly, we see that in modern society today that a growing fear of crime is widely recognised. It is acknowledged that the elderly aged 65 and over, and the youngest members aged 16 – 24 of our society have the highest fear of crime in comparison to other age groups(Johnson, 2005). Australia has an aging population (James, 1992 p. 1), for those 85 and over numbers has doubled and there are increased numbers of those aged 65 and over. The last twenty years spanning from 1990 to 2010 has seen the number of elderly people in our society increase by 170%; in comparison to around 30% for total population growth for Australia, where those age 15 are seen to be decreasing (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). This correlated to the findings from the 2004 International Crime Victimisation Survey (Johnson, 2005) showing that the age groups 15 – 24 and 65 and over were the most likely to answer the series of questions asked around feelings of safety when walking alone at night, utilising or waiting for public transportation at night and whether they believed they would be victims of burglary in the ext year as unsafe or very unsafe. Secondly, it is argued that the Media’s representations of criminal acts and events through sensationalised stories depicting crimes that are violent and those with a sexual nature; these have contributed to and influenced levels of fear and perceptions of risk for the age groups 15 – 24, and 65 years and over. The first edition of Violence Today (Chappell, 1989) links society’s perceptions of violent crime to media stories and publicity that is focussed on crimes of a violent nature that attributes to growing fears of crime posturing â€Å"Australia is succumbing to a torrent of crime beyond the control of traditional system of traditional law† (Chappell, 1989). The focus on violent and sexually explicit crimes by the media has left our society with the misconception that these sorts of crimes are an everyday occurrence. The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes (Roberts & Indermaur, Australian Institute of Criminology 2007) recorded that over half of those aged 65 and over believed that crime had increased over a period of two years before the survey was completed, this is attributed to an individual’s media consumption – whether it be newspapers, internet or television – of factual or fictional medians (Kort-Butler & Sittner Hartshorn, 2011). The Australian Survey of Social Attitudes also collected data on the medians that individuals get their crime and criminal justice beliefs and views from, and observed â€Å"that the media remains the most important source in informing Australians’ views of crime†(Roberts & Indermaur, Australian Institute of Criminology 2007 p. 9). The importance given to certain crimes in the daily newspapers and other media sources shows us proof to the fact that crime is a topic that has the public’s interest and is a focus of their worries (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2001). It goes on to discuss the fact that crime as reported on by the media increases the public’s levels of fears and that there is little or no correlation to actual levels of violent crime in our society today. Thirdly, crime victimisation data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008-2009, p. 17) reflects that those 65 and above are the least likely to be victims of crime with a victimisation rate much lower than all other age groups in the category of personal assault. This cannot be said or the younger age groups of 16 -24 who’s fear of crime can be linked to high numbers of victimisation in the same category. Carcach, Graycar & Muscat (2001) attribute social and communal activities that elderly people partake in to this anomaly between the elderly fear of crime and victimisation rates. The change in activities of the elderly over time may contribute to the lower victimisation rates reported where on the other hand the young tend to have many more communal social activities which serve to increase their chances of victimisation. The data collected from the Crime Victimisation Survey (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008-2009) although it showed very little difference between the fear levels for the youngest age group and that of the older age group of 65 and over the differences in social activities and community relationships and the fact that the elderly are far less likely to be out alone without a companion, or travelling on public transport or waiting for the same can be accounted for, by personal vulnerability. A key concept used to explain high levels of perceived risk of victimisation is that of vulnerability. Powell & Wahidin (2007, p. 94) assert â€Å"the fear of crime operates on a myriad of emotional and practical levels from feeling vulnerable and isolated, to affecting personal well – being†. Vulnerability has been attributed to contributing to fear of crime within the elderly age group (Carcach et al, 2001). It has been argued that ‘personal vulnerability’ (Franklin, Franklin & Fearn, 2008 p. 06), the inability for an individual to protect themselves due to lack of physical strength (James, 1992) and the feelings of â€Å"powerlessness to resist attack’ (Callanan & Teasdale, 2009 p. 362) and their worry of being able to heal from an act of victimisation (Johnson, 2005 p. 33) explains the disparity between higher levels of fear and that of actual victimisation. Cossman & Rader (2011, p. 143) add further to this that most elderly people are now livi ng alone, either having lost a lifetime partner through death, or hospitalisation due to frailty or illness also attributes to higher levels of fear of crime. A workshop held between several services and organisations in South Australia on Crime and the Elderly identified that elderly people thought themselves to be the most victimised by crime, that during the day break-ins caused them fear, however break-ins with the potential for personal assault caused the most fear after dark, these fears impacted on all aspects of their lives, which in turn has restricted and isolated them from their communities and the lifestyles they have been previously accustomed to living. Doherty, 1991, p. 1)(Johnson, 2005, p. 29) The elderly by far have the highest levels of fear that are based on misconceptions that they perceive about crime in our society today. The young 15– 24 years of age perceive their risk of victimisation to be high and statistics show that in 2005 this age group had the highest victimisation rate for crimes against the person ( Australian Institute of Criminology, 2006). Conclusion Fear of crime in our society has far reaching implications, Australia has an aging population that exhibits one of the highest levels of fear of crime that can be attributed to feelings of vulnerability, yet statistics have shown the elderly to be the least likely to be victims of crime. Their perceived fear of victimisation has lead to changes in their lifestyles in order to protect themselves, based on misconceived notions that they are the most victimised in society. The young aged 16-24 years of age also have a high level of perceived risk from crime but this is in proportion to the victimisation rates recorded for this age group. Perceptions of fear and perceived risk of crime are contributed to by the media’s portrayal of crimes that have a violent or sexual nature which further serves to contribute to a growing fear of crime. The fact that society tends to get its views and beliefs of crime and criminal justice from the media means that misconceptions about the perceived risk of victimisation tend to be over the top and misinformed. References Australian Institute of Criminology 2006, Australian Crime: facts and figures 2005, Crime Facts Info, no. 120, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2001, ‘Measuring Wellbeing: Frameworks for Australian Social Statistics, 2001, cat. no. 4160. 0’ Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra. Australian Bureau of Statistics, ‘2008-2009, Crime Victimisation, Australia, cat. no 4530. 0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010, ‘Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, cat. No. 3201. 0’, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010, Australian Social Trends, cat no. 4102. 0, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra. Callanan, V. J. , & Teasdale, B. (2009). ‘An exploration of gender differences in measurement of fear of crime’. Feminist Criminology, 4(4), 359-376. doi:10. 1177/1557085109345462  Ã‚  Ã‚   Carcach, C. Graycar, A. & Muscat, G. 2001 ‘The Victimisation of Older Australians’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 212, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra. Chappell, D, 1989. Violence Today, no. 1 Violence, Crime and Australian Society’, National Committee on Violence, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra. Doherty, B. 1991, Home Assist – A new approach to House Security, Department of Employment and Further Education, Adelaide. Fearn, N. E. , Franklin, T. W. , & Franklin, C. A. (2008). ‘A multilevel analysis of the vulnerab ility, disorder, and social integration models of fear of crime’. Social Justice Research, 21(2), 204-227. doi:10. 1007/s11211-008-0069-9   Hartshorn, K. J. S. , & Kort? Butler, L. A. (2011). Watching the Detectives: Crime Programming, Fear of Crime, and Attitudes about the Criminal Justice System’, Sociological Quarterly, 52(1), 36-55. doi:10. 1111/j. 1533-8525. 2010. 01191. x   James, M. 1992, ‘The Elderly as Victims of Crime, Abuse and Neglect’, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, no. 37, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra. Johnson, H. 2005, ‘Crime Victimisation in Australia: Key Results of the 2004 International Crime Victimisation Survey’, Research and Public Policy Series, no. 64, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra. Powell, J. & Wahidin. A. (2008). ‘Understanding old age and victimisation: A critical exploration’. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy,  28(3/4), 90-99. doi:10. 1108/01443330810862160 Rader, N. , & Cossman, J. (2011). ‘Fear of Crime and Personal Vulnerability: Examining Self-Reported Health’, Sociological Spectrum,  31(2), 141-162. doi:10. 1080/02732173. 2011. 541339 Roberts, L. & Indermaur, D. 2007, ‘What Australians think: about crime and justice: results from the 2007 Survey of Social Attitudes’, Research and Public Policy Series 101, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.

Operation fly trap

However, all of this wouldn't be possible without the help she received from the Harry Guggenheim Foundation award. That grant helped her begin her fieldwork in 2005. Her fieldwork was conducted in the Pueblos neighborhood in Los Angles, this is where she got inside information from the gang members themselves. She also studied from the Los Angles Police Department (LARD), here she befriended a couple of FBI agents that were in charge of Operation Fly Trap. All of this fieldwork paved her way In writing a very objective book.She received individually received both sides of the Issue and wrote this book to give her point of view on the subject. In her Ellwood she would study the effects of the justice department and the consequence it has on the community and family of the criminals involved. The time she spent on the inside, with the people of the gangs and the lives they lead, would lead Phillips to question both the success of this operation and the methods used to conduct it (Phil lips 175).Los Angles was struck with dramatic economical times, the economy was unraveling In every way possible. The economy was hurt by the 011 crisis, depreciating international dollar, dwindle of union jobs, bifurcation of the manufacturing sector, ND an unchanging education system (Phillips 7). All of these factors would be reasons of why a good working class citizen would turn to dealing drugs, being a member of a gang, and/or using drugs. Drug money was â€Å"easy money† as one would say.You could make stacks of money fast, with little effort most of the time. The hard part was not getting caught. With the Increase In drug activity happening In Los Angles was the same Increase In prison sentences. It got so bad that Incarceration became Californians number one industry. It would grow to employ the largest umber of people in the state (Phillips). One of the other important factors that have to do with the increase in incarcerations was the fact that the state of Califor nia waged a war on drugs.The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) went from housing 21 ,539 Inmates In 1978 to 217,444 in 2011, making drug offenders 55% of the BOP population (Phillips 8). Although part of this prison rate Is In fact due to the aggressive policing and harsh sentencing the criminals were given. This made Phillips think and wonder if all of this was part of the solution or Just part of the problem. From her extensive field work she goes on to say that the way the LAP approached the drug problem was in fact producing one of the problems they were trying so hard to prevent. Here she needed to take the next step, on the inside. She began this step by living in the neighborhood of Pueblos, which was run by the African American and Hispanic race. She luckily befriended a local named Ben Kaplan and lived there with his family. From there she was able to get a first hand view point the ever so popular drug environment. She was also able to see different sides of the spectrum lik e how he environment affected the families and communities alike. How the laws and actions of the police affected them as well.There use of surveillance, through wiretaps and confidential informants, having a negative impact on the lives of the community. She figures out how the families are shaped through this involvement in crime. Phillips research in all of this goes to prove how unbiased her book really is, she practiced true reflexivity. All of her facts are hard facts that she went and lived first hand. She witnessed drug deals, witnessed people snorting cocaine, and dinettes the wiretaps that were given to drug dealers.All of this information she writes from is purely unbiased facts, writing from an etc perspective, her way of co- existing with the people, sitting back and observing them, was how she approached her story. Phillips goes on to write about how the incarceration of a family member affects the family as a whole. Unintended consequences include threaten or actual e viction, the involvement of child social services, desalination of families, depression in children, and high mortality rates among already vulnerable people (Phillips 20).Arresting a drug dealer for â€Å"slinging† coke may seem like a win for the police but in all reality it causes a snowball effect on the rest of the family that will have to deal with. Phillips findings go on to say how the police work unintentionally tears apart the family functionalism. The only way to prevent crime is to have a strong united family. Operation Fly Trap was the combined effort of the LAP that removed twenty-eight key members of the local, gang-related drug trade. They did a great Job in reducing drug related crimes, however did very little in the gang related activity.Where the police succeed in incarceration rates, they fail in the goal to build a strong community. Phillips lasting conclusion in this ethnography is that incarceration can lead to increased poverty rates, negative health o utcomes, rises in violence, and instability among already vulnerable families. Lastly the importance of manufacturing gangs as iconic, newly federalism villains (Phillips 21). Phillips, Susan A. Operation Fly Trap: L. A. Gangs, Drugs, and the Law. N. P. : n. P. , n. D. Print. â€Å"Susan A. Phillips. † Susan A Phillips. N. P. , n. D. Web. 26 cot. 2013..

AviationSafety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

AviationSafety - Essay Example Defining these and how they can work within a commercial flight can then provide different alternatives for flight. There are many that believe that aviation safety is currently a part of most commercial and government systems with flight. The systems that have been implemented from the beginning of most companies have to meet specific standards with the build and make of the airplane as well as through safety regulations that are required by most airports. More importantly, there is a constant that is always met with the training of pilots, flight decks and others that are in the crew. Since the standards and the consistency is based on the flights, many believe that new safety aviation programs are no longer required and are based on the implementation of marginal standards that have to be reached. Instead of focusing on the basic platforms, it has become a requirement for safety programs to be based on creating and implementing newer methods for safety. Using technology and improving the margins of safety have become the main consistencies for those that are in an aviation safety program (Youn g, Quon, 2007). The importance of aviation safety, since there are several standards and compliances that have to be matched, is now based on improvement of the various systems that have been used. There are two main components that are considered for those that are working within the aviation field. The first is training that is required for extra safety measures that need to be taken, such as improvements to the initial standards that have been implemented. The second area of training and implementation is based on newer technologies that are now being used to provide individuals with new compliances and standards. Each of the technologies is being used to provide more conducive results to safety while allowing communication and delivery within aviation to excel to new levels. The improvement of

The extent of bankers' awareness, attitude towards social enterprises Dissertation - 1

The extent of bankers' awareness, attitude towards social enterprises business modes and social enterprises' ability to attr - Dissertation Example As far as financing of social enterprises are concerned, they are two sources of finances- grants and non-grants. It is, however, interesting to note that majority of social enterprises do finance their social activities through grants provided by various government or non-government institutions. The share of the grants provided by public agencies is much higher. In other words, social enterprises do mainly resort to government grants funding for fulfilling their social objectivities. (Anderson, Dees and Emerson, 2002; Guclu, Dees, and Anderson, 2002; Social enterprises have to depend on external sources of finance for fulfilling their social objectives as most of the time they are incapable of generating enough revenues from their business activities to finance their social activities (Dees, 1994). The more interesting thing to note that is they do not rely much on non-grants finance as an external source of their finance. Grant-dependency among social enterprises is quite prevalen t even if grants impose certain kind of restriction on their activities (Anderson, Dees and Emerson, 2002; Alter, 2006). ... (Dees, 1994; Blau, 2005). Problem statement Of course, popularity of non-grant finances like debt finance, equity finance etc have increased over time among social enterprises. Many experienced social enterprises are now using mixed approach of financing whether their combining grant and non-grant finances to finance their social activities. However, on average, non-grant finances are still less popular in comparison with grant finances and hence, the problems that social enterprise face while using grants still persists and work as obstacles in the path of realization of their goals. (Wei-Skillern, Leonard, and Stevenson, 2007; Dees, 1994) There are certain reasons behind less-dependency on non-grant finance, particularly lending which is considered to be one of the most common sources of finance for any business enterprise. The managers and founders of social enterprises generally claim that traditional lender like banks do not aware of their special needs and have a negative attit ude relating to the issue of extending loans to them. This claim is partially true. From the viewpoint of a lender, particularly of a banker, the flow of revenue and the capacity of paying all the debts with interest are the key factors and criteria for assessing the loan application of any organization. However, repaying loan with interests is certainly a challenge for the managers of those enterprises that operate in order to meet some social objectives. (Dees, Emerson, and Economy, 2001; Blau, 2005) Since social enterprises’ operational objectives are distinct from those of conventional business enterprises, the criteria for assessing applications for loans should not be same as

Homeostatic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homeostatic - Essay Example For a single cell to work, the conditions must be stable. For example, if the water content of the body is too high or low i.e. high or low osmotic pressure would make the cells either shrink or swell leading to cellular death and a vicious cycle leading to tissue destruction and so on. Similarly cellular enzymes require an optimum and stable pH for them to work and degrade food products to simple carbohydrates, fats and amino acids for the body to produce energy. These are just two of many examples of why the human body needs stable internal environment (Brodie, 2005). 2.1 Identify and describe the components required for a homeostatic feedback mechanism. As mentioned earlier, the human body is composed of many systems and these systems work in coordination with each other in order for it to work normally. These systems require stable internal conditions and whenever these internal conditions are disturbed; there is a feedback system which acts immediately to get this disturbed inte rnal environment back to normal. This feedback system includes mainly of receptors in some areas which when sense in disturbance in the normal conditions activate immediately and send signal to the appropriate centres (Guyton, 2011). These signals could be transmitted through 1) Nerve cells e.g. vagus nerve sending signal to the brain and control heart rate 2) hormones e.g. renin which is released by kidneys either when there is a disturbance in the blood pressure due to water content of the body. Renin ten causes the formation of angiotensin 1 and 2 and control water content of urine. Hormones and nerve cells have a major role in this feedback mechanism. Hormones such as adrenaline, insulin, thyroxin and acetylcholine are some of the major hormones in homeostatic feedback mechanism in controlling heart rate, blood sugar levels, metabolism and many other functions. Nerve cells on the other hand provide feedback mechanism by transmitting signals directly to the brain which then trans mits signals back by nerve cells again to appropriate centres or causes the release of hormones to bring the body back to stability. Nerve cells also act by sending signals to the endocrine or exocrine glands present at certain locations in the body and cause direct release of hormones or other secretions (Guyton, 2011). 3.1 Describe the mechanisms involved in body temperature regulation. Regulation of body temperature is one of the most important homeostatic functions of the body as all the bodily enzymes and other systems require an optimum temperature i.e.98.6f to work normally. This most important function is performed by the temperature regulation centre present in the Hypothalamus in the brain. Whenever an increase or decrease in the body temperature is detected by the receptors present in peripheral regions of the body, immediate signals are transmitted to the hypothalamus which then sends signals to all the parts of the body for its regulations. In case of an increased inter nal temperature the hypothalamus sends signals to the peripheral blood vessels located mainly in the skin which dilate causing more blood to flow through them leading to heat loss and decreased metabolism to decrease heat production. Also, there is immediate activation of sweat glands located in the skin and excessive production of sweat causes loss of

Issues In Researching and Developing Media Projects Research Paper

Issues In Researching and Developing Media Projects - Research Paper Example The portrayal of multicultural aspect of European society commenced during the 1960s in Britain and France with the key motive of creating awareness among the migrant populations regarding the host society’s customs and policies. However, the contemporary media, has a completely reformed agenda, that of assimilating and integrating the migrant and multicultural populations within the predominantly white communities and cater to their needs and demands at par with those of their counterparts. The European mass media, today, through its multicultural approach, largely aims to eliminate or reduce the cultural misunderstandings through representation of culturally diverse communities, as opposed to the historical approach, of merely educating the migrants about the way of life of their host societies. It seeks to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race, culture or social backgrounds of the individuals and encourage peaceful co-existence through intercultural exchange (Alle yne, 2010). This paper seeks to explore the extent to and manner in which multiculturalism is driven by advertising in different media. For the purpose of this study, various forms of mass media i.e. advertisements, books and films have been analyzed to understand the effect it has on promoting and depicting multiculturalism. The advertisements of popular brands, such as McDonalds, American Airlines, and Dove Real Beauty Campaign among others; the book ‘Londonstani’ by Gautam Malkani; and the film ‘Somers Town’ directed by Shane Meadows are studied, analyzed and discussed to gain a broader understanding of the subject. It concludes that the depiction of multicultural ideologies in the mass media, and advertising has facilitated a greater assimilation of culturally diverse communities and has fostered their identification as significant strata of society which is also a lucrative business

Otiz v. St. Peter's Case Study Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Fossil Fuels Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fossil Fuels - Essay Example This paper presents an argument that the use of fossil fuels that has been in existence for some time now, for instance, coal and oil belongs to the past (Pfeiffer, 2006). The use of this fuels can be attributed on how inconvenient and adverse effects that fossil fuels have to the environment. Most countries in the world depend entirely on the fossil fuels, hence there is a possibility that if the government do not come up with other power sources, they will be at risk of running out of fossil fuels. It is significant to note that fossil fuels are non-renewable resource hence it can be easily depleted. According to some research that was conducted, fossil fuels might run out in about fifty years to come. In this case, fossil fuels should be regarded to belong to the past since there are other convenient sources of power, for instance, solar energy that may run continuously without the worry that the power may run out in future. Some countries like Pakistan have the largest coal reserves approximately 10,000 square kilometers (Sherman, 2004). Despite Pakistan having such large amount of coal reserves, the reserves have began to reduce which will cause Pakistan to start finding an alternative means of energy. Most of the countries that are entirely depend on coal, have adopted some technologies, for instance, Clean Coal Technologies which aid in reducing the harmful emissions that result from the combustion of the fossil fuels. These technologies are expensive to maintain and does not completely eliminate the risk caused by emission. Further, compared to using the modern sources of power such as solar energy where such technologies are unnecessary, it becomes expensive. When the fossil fuels undergo combustion, they generate a lot of hydrocarbon containing pollution. Large amounts of carbon dioxide are emitted and this has detrimental effects to the global climate, for example, change of the

The Yellow Wallpaper as a psychological story Essay

The Yellow Wallpaper as a psychological story - Essay Example ly regarded as a classic of feminist-inspired fiction in America and the author makes a clear distinction between the psychological and the sociological elements in the story. â€Å"â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is of course brutally honest psychology, so brutal that many readers in that more innocent age were outraged that anyone would write of such terrifying experiences. They feared that the story itself would drive people crazy. The literary success of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† was indeed due to the coercive effect of the wallpaper, which so disturbs the young woman’s deep, but least stable, feelings that she is drawn into its lurid, obnoxious patterns.† (Lemert, 13) Therefore, in a reflective analysis of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, it becomes lucid that the short story is one of the best examples of a psychological story. The psychological elements in the story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman are mostly evident in the protagonist and the narrator of the story who is taken to a remote house as part of her ‘rest cure’. The author creates an effective setting for her psychological story when she places the narrator in an expansive â€Å"colonial mansion, a hereditary estate† which is â€Å"quite alone, standing well back from the road, quite three miles from the village. It makes [her] think of the English places that you read about, for there are hedges and walls and gates lock and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people.† (Gilman, 3-4) Through the setting of this lonely house for the recovery of the narrator from her nervous condition, the author effectively creates the background for her psychological story, and the empty, deserted or economically rented house is a standard motif in various ghost stories as well as other ta les of the supernatural. Gilman’s narrator expresses mistrust for her surroundings which increases the character’s loneliness and vulnerability in the face of the

The Country I Live in Essay Example for Free

The Country I Live in Essay I living in Russia, love our country and is proud of it. The official name of our country is The Republic of the Russian Federation there are 21 republics and 65 other regions in the Russian Federation. The key symbol of Russia is the troika. The Nation government of Russia consist of the President, the Council of Ministers and Federal Assembly. There are two houses in the Federal Assembly: The Federal Council and the State Duma. The population of Russia is about 145000000. The ecological situation in Russia is not very safe. Pollution in some industrial towns is high. Some parts of western Russia were badly influenced by the radiation from Chernobyl in 1986. Russia is located in Northern hemisphere, in the north of continent Eurasia. She is washed by waters of Silent and Arctic oceans, and also Baltic, Black, Azov by the seas of Atlantic ocean and Caspian sea, More than 70 % of territory of Russia are occupied by plains and lowlands. In the south of the European part northern ridges of the Big caucasus (here there is the highest top of Russia Elbrus, 5 642) In Russia more than 120 thousand rivers and about 2 million lakes. The largest rivers: the Cupid, Lena, Yenisei, Irtysh, Ob, Volga, Kama; the largest lakes Caspian seas, Baikal, Ladoga, Onega. Position of Russia in northern part of Eurasia has caused her placing in Arctic, subarctic, moderated and partially in subtropical climatic belts. The prevailing part of territory is located in a moderate belt. A variety of a climate depends also on features of a relief and affinity or remoteness of ocean. Woods occupy over 40 % of territory. In territory of Russia there is a fifth part of all woods of the world and half of world coniferous woods. The fauna is various here live both polar bears, and walruses, both tigers, and leopards, etc. In Russia 35 national parks and 84 reserves are located. Unique in the country the natural park which is in city boundaries — Omsk  «the Birds harbour ». Moscow the capital of Russia and one of the worlds great cities. Yuri Dolgoruky founds Moscow in 1147. Today Moscow is the political centre of Russia, the countys leading city in population, industry and in culture importance. Moscow is definitely a city of contrasts. So rich in many ways, yet in other ways, quite poor. Moscow stands on the Moskva River in the centre of vast plain of European Russia. The climate is continental. Moscow is the largest industrial centre of Russia. The most important industries are those producing automobiles and trucks, machine tools, radio and television sets. The most important element in Moscows city transport is the metro subway. The system was began in 1935 and still developing. Some of the stations, especially the older ones, are highly decorate with marble, statues and mosaics. Moscow is a city where a lot can be seen and much can be done. You can seen: Red Square, St. Basils Cathedral, The Momunent to Minin and Pozharsky, Lobnoye Metro, The Spasskay Tower, The Lenin Mausoleum, The State History Museum, The State Department Store (GUM) and many other places. Moscow has numerous theaters, headed by the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre, which was founded in 1825. The citys principal drama theatre is the Moscow Art Theatre. Also of the worldwide fame are the State Central Puppet Theatre and Moscow State Circus. Moscow has some museums and art galleries of international rank. Among them are the State Pushkin of Fine Arts, with a fine international collection, and the State Tretyakov Gallery with an excellent collection of Russian paintings. Moscow is one of the cities of the world that must be seen. Russia has produced a great number of very creative and talented people, for example: Alexander Pushkin, Peter Tchaikovsky, Isaac Levitan, Georgy Zhykov, Yuti Gagarin, Andrei Sakharov, Boris Godunov, Vladimir Lenin, Vladimir Putin and e.t.c. Theatrical performances, museums and picture galleries in fact all aspects of Russian live prove that. The Russians are much interested it the rest of the world. Russian people are very hospitable, hardworking, friendly, open, honest, generous, kind, sometimes sentimental, sometimes careless, often unsmiling, having bold manners, sometimes lazy and selfish. Russian love animals, especially dogs and horses. Russian cultural level is quite high, Russian people like to read books, to visit theaters, museums and different concerts. We are the nation of sport lovers because our people like different kinds of sports and spend a lot of time going in for sport or just watching it. Many Russian are religious people. The main church is the Russian Orthodox Church. It has survived the hard times and now people speak about a rebirth of religion in the country. Russian keep our traditions because there are lots of traditions which have been maintained from ancient time. Russian national holidays — the holidays of Russian people connected with widespread national traditions of their carrying out. New year (in the night from December, 31st for January, 1st). It is accepted to decorate a premise the decorated New Year tree or branches. At midnight for January, 1st the congratulation of the head of the state and peal of bells obeys. On a table it is accepted to submit, among other, a Russian salad and champagne. To children give gifts (from Father Frost). According to sociological polls, it is the most celebrated holiday. Christmas (on January, 7th on new style and on December, 25th on Ã'ŽÐ »Ã ¸Ã °Ã ½Ã' Ã ºÃ ¾Ã ¼Ã'Æ' to a calendar) — an orthodox holiday. At night before Christmas it is accepted to guess that was never approved by orthodox church. The holiday is marked by a solemn celebratory supper. The tradition to mark Christmas is officially restored in Post-Soviet Russia. Day of the defender of Fatherland (on February, 23rd) — widely celebrated mans holiday established at the Soviet power, and in Post-Soviet Russia become in the day off. Women congratulate men and give them gifts. Congratulations are accepted also by women-military men, and also participants of wars. The international womens day (on March, 8th) — female holiday officially established still at the Soviet power became in public marked. Men congratulate women, give them flowers and gifts. Maslenitsa (Pancake week) — week before the Lent. Has ancient pagan roots. During all week bake and eat pancakes. Easter — an orthodox holiday. Celebratory meal — Easter (cottage cheese with candied fruits), Easter cakes, coloured in red colour and welded eggs. Victory Day over Hitlerite Germany (on May, 9th) — an official All-Russia holiday. It is accepted to visit burial places of the soldiers who were lost during the Second World War, and to remember the fallen. Veterans put on awards and medals and accept congratulations. This day on Red Square military parade is spent. Celebratory actions last years are decorated by yellow-black Guards tapes. Day of national unity (on November, 4th). A Victory Day of Russian over the Polish invaders in 1612. This day across all Russia Russian nationalists spend Russian march. The greatest love of Russia is for tea – its drunk without milk and often served with homemade jam (varene), baranki and pirozhki. The mail dishes of the traditional menu are blini (homemade pancakes) with caviar, honey or sour crà ¨me; different soups (like shci and borshch), pirozhki, pelmyeni. Usually tourists buy traditional Russian souvenirs such as Martyoshka dolls, beautifully painted mugs, plates and spoons from the village of Khokhloma and Palekh boxes.

Summary of Mortal Engines Essay Example for Free

Summary of Mortal Engines Essay The book begins by introducing the very lovable main charcter who the story is told by, Tom natsworthy, he is a 13 year old boy who works in the historians guild aboard london a large city that has been put on masssive wheels and now roams about what is called the hunting grounds in search of prey. He is what is called a tractionist these are poeple that after a catacylsmic war that completed decimated the planets population and created massive tracks ofunhabitable landscapes, devolped the technology to make thier cities mobile in order to maneuver the terrain. Their is still an ongoing war between the two factions, the tractionists who believe in Darwism and survival of the fittest and the anti-tracionists who believe in cites being stationary. The story follows the dramatic events that take a scholarly boy out of his sheltered setting at a museum and thrusts him into a world of anti-tracionists, air pirates, and reserected humans turned into mechanical monsters. Tom is in strong contrast to the characters around him, including another main character hester, an anti tracionist whos father abonded her and mother who was killed in front of her when she was just five and since then has become a untrusting and cut throat killer, these two unlikely companions are forced to work together to survive when they are both stranded in barren wastelands.These contrasting characters examplify themes that thread through this book, those of mechanical and organic, the ancient and modern, good and evil. despite their releationship with eachother Tom and Hester were raised to have completly diffrent philisophical views of the world but are able to eventually grow to accept one anothers idoelogies through the experinces and hardships they go through together. It was a dark, blustery afernoon in spring, and the city of London was chasing a small mining town across the dried-otu bed of the old North Sea. in happier times, London would have never bothered with such feeble prey. The great Traction City had once spent its days huntign far bigger towns than this This quote illustrates the dog eat dog world this book is set in and is an example of a reoccuring theme that is thread throughout the book, the contrast between mechanical and organic. The poeple in the book are graced with advanced technology that we could only dream of, yet they use it in such a primal way. They somehow have reverted to primative ways and use their collussul creations to hunt one another even to the exstent that they refer to cities as if they were living creatures. The tone is both dark and medevil withe the anger of conflict and war permiating this science fiction scenario. An attraction and strength of this book is the invetive settings and originality of the cultures and characters that inhabit the story. It is a vivid and invetive steam punk book that melds science fitcion and the future with so many elements that are familair from the past with deep thought provking ideas. The description of the landscapes interoir and exteroir the detailed inventions and the gripping plot hold the readers attention and leave you anticipating were the story will go next.

Environmental Effects on COPD

Environmental Effects on COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an obstructive airway disorder characterized by the slowly progressive and irreversible decrease in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), accompanied by emphysema and chronic bronchitis (Rabe et al. 2007; Cazzola et al. 2015); it develops with decreasing lung function as a function of age in the normal population (Ito and Barnes, 2009). Despite the heritability of 40-77%, a host of other influences can also exacerbate this condition (Young et al., 2009). Rather the development and progression of COPD involves multiple genes, gene-gene and gene-environment interactions (Ã…Â ½idzik et al. 2008; de Jong et al. 2015). Smoking exposure is considered as the most important risk factor for the development of COPD (Chan-Yeung et al. 2007; Kurmi et al.2015) with mild and moderate COPD cases having a three- fold risk of developing lung cancer within ten years, which increases to a ten-fold risk with severe COPD compared to the smokers with normal lung function (El-Zein et al. 2012). There also however exists COPD-associated increased mortality from lung cancer in non-ever smokers (Turner et al. 2007; Kiri et al. 2010; Aldrich et al.2015). Despite quarrying and mining activities as important occupational set-ups inducing COPD (Jhoncy et al. 2011; Iftikhar et al. 2009), yet work-place identification of this occupational disease has not come to attention on pursuing literature related to COPD. Also there is uncertainty in prognosis of COPD although a number of validated indices exist (Briggs et al. 2008). As these indices require in-puts from patients and the interpretation by the care-giver/physician, these may not be able to cater to disease-identification in the field. In the present study, the on-site disease-identification using the recommended spirometry evaluation (Briggs et al. 2008;Shiota et al. 2015) to recognize COPD cases at stone-crushing units (dust exposure) was carried out. Such an identification at the workplace gains importance as 50-80% of COPD are missed-out on the basis of misdiagnosis/co-current diagnosis due to relying on reported symptoms which are not sufficiently sensitive and / or because of fa ilure of persons to report to the health provider (Levy et al. 2009). The effect of various environmental stressors from occupational exposures needs to be assessed for prediction of cancer outcome(s) (Fenech, 2002) as 90% of cancer is environmental in origin (Hemminki et al. 2006). COPD has also been identified as an independent risk factor for lung cancer with inflammation as the pathophysiologic factor for high risk of its progression (Sin et al. 2006; Hillas et al.2015) and smoking- induced COPD associated with lung cancer has also been documented (Koshiol et al. 2009). While mechanisms governing the risk of developing neoplastic disease are not well known (Barreiro, 2008), of the various theories, oxidative stress may be playing a pivotal role in its manifestation. In COPD, oxidative stress has been observed as ensuing from decreased FEV1 (Kluchovà ¡ et al. 2007), substantial inflammatory response increasing cytokines as triggered by exogenous dust particles (Yang et al. 2011) and decreased antioxidants because of depletions of glutathione peroxi dase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, ascorbic acid and vitamin E (Borm et al. 2004). The impaired oxidant-antioxidant status can cause cellular damage; DNA damage can result from the action of reactive oxygen species (Jackson and Loeb, 2001) and is the underlying cause of mutations leading to cancer (Bernstein, 2012).Chromosomal damage (increased micronuclei frequency) in peripheral blood lymphocytes has been extensively used for predicting risk of cancer (Fenech et al. 2011) and oxidative DNA damage is also implicated in carcinogenesis, ageing and age-related neurodegenerative diseases (Fortini et al. 2003, Nishigori et al. 2004). The major form of oxidative DNA damage is 8-hydroxy-2`-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) resulting from G→T and A→C base substitutions. It may lead to mutagenesis if unrepaired and is directly correlated with lung carcinogenesis (Gackowski et al. 2006). The lesion 8-OHdG is an established biomarker of oxidative stress/oxidative DNA damage and being potentially mutagenic, it is useful as an intermediate marker of a disease end-point lik e cancer (Cheng et al. 1992). Therefore in the present study, 8-OHdG level was assessed as a pre-lesion of neoplasia in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) of COPD- identified cases at stone-crushing units. Although the leukocytes are not the direct target of the exposure at this workplace, they may possibly be affected by the accumulated unmetabolized toxic compound(s) in the lung (Gackowski et al. 2003). This hence prompted the assessment of oxidative DNA damage in the peripheral blood leukocytes and also because of the non- accessibility of the target (lung) cells. The biomarkers of exposure and effect, and clinical disease (cancer) may further be influenced by susceptibility genotypes and their gene products as pre-dispositional factors (Their et al. 2003). Also as DNA damage and DNA repair have a major role in carcinogenesis and from occupational settings, the susceptible metabolic genotypes (gene products) may inherently be associated in causing genetic damage. Therefore genotyping of the occupational workforce was carried out for glutathione-S-transferase (GST) gene variants (both for disease susceptibility and genetic damage) since GST alleles have been documented to have an association with COPD (Young et al. 2011). Furthermore, a reduced expression of these alleles has also been observed in the air passage of COPD patients (Imboden et al. 2001; Lakhdar et al. 2011) and hence the expression of glutathione-s-transferases was also estimated. Association of the Val/Ala variants of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) with lung cancer (Wang et al. 2001) further justified the genotyping of this allele and assessing its expression. Variant forms of these susceptible genes are generally common in the population. Due to their specificities for substrates they interact with during environmental exposures, they can increase the risk for disease-causation (Lan et al. 2000). Incidentally, GST and SOD enzymes are also involved in the metabolic and oxidative stress pathways (Borm et al. 2004), and since stone-crushing is an inflammation-triggering occupation (Vallyathan et al. 1995), the assessment of the amounts of these enzymes was thought appropriate. The purpose of the present study was two-fold. On one hand to identify COPD cases from workplace exposure (occupation-related disease) and hence assist in identifying ‘missing’ COPD cases using recommended (spirometry) measurements (Briggs et al. 2008, Young et al. 2011) and COPD categorizations (GOLD, 2003). The other (main) purpose was to determine the propensity (Prognostic Index/score) for genetic damage and by extension an increased likelihood for carcinogenesis as ensuing from the combined effects/interactions of prognostic (risk) factors in COPD cases (the workers exposed to industrial-type prevalent conditions) at stone-crushing units. This entailed the evaluation for the presence of oxidative stress (GSH and SOD) and oxidative DNA damage in workers at stone-crushing units genotyped for the GST and MnSOD genes.

Wish Fulfillment in Mary Shellys Gothic Novel, Frankenstein Essay

Wish Fulfillment in Mary Shelly's Gothic Novel, Frankenstein Everyone stores hidden desires, ambitions, fears, passions and irrational thoughts in his or her unconscious mind, according to Freud's psychoanalytical theory. These secret feelings, often stemming from a person's childhood, can manifest themselves in odd and sometimes extreme ways. This phenomenon is called wish fulfillment. We do not always fully understand why we make the decisions that we do in life, but a certain amount of these choices can be accredited to wish fulfillment. Mary Shelly's gothic novel Frankenstein illustrates several accounts of wish fulfillment through the actions of Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein in an effort to satisfy their various needs. Robert Walton was raised by his uncle after his father died. On his deathbed, Walton's father entreated his brother not to allow Robert to pursue a seafaring life. Robert instead became a poet so that he "might obtain a niche in the temple where the names of Homer and Shakespeare are consecrated" (Shelley 16). Unfortunately, Robert was very unsucce...

Overcrowding Creates Unhappy Students Essay -- Expository Journalistic

Overcrowding Creates Unhappy Students Every high school student’s idea of typical college life involves living in the school’s dorms and eating disgusting food from the cafeteria. What most future college students don’t realize is that usually after the sophomore year of college, many universities do not guarantee housing, leaving students to fend for themselves. Housing is an issue on almost every university’s campus nationwide at one point or another. There is always a high demand for housing, and an even higher demand for on-campus housing. Many universities offer guaranteed housing to freshmen, but after that it is rare to receive anything better. To solve this problem universities are attempting to expand their campuses to incorporate more dorms, or are converting other buildings on campus into dorms. Not only is this process expensive for the university, it has also come to involve the local neighborhoods. When the university wants to expand that means the neighborhoods surrounding the school have to accommodate these changes; this has led to feuds between universities and residential neighborhoods around them. For example Harvard University; which already owns quite a bit of land in Boston, recently decided to expand its campus into Alston and a little into Brighton. In an article in the Boston Globe the residents of Alston and Brighton expressed their concerns about what will happen to the land, and how fast it will happen. Their main concern is that the new developments will increase the cost of living, and there will not be enough affordable housing. This will be an ongoing battle that will likely end with Harvard paying excessive amounts of money to the town to obtain the land. In an article in the Bos... ...e numerous complaints. â€Å"We will address this issue quickly and thoroughly,† Phelan said. â€Å"We want to be good neighbors.† According to the Globe article, city officials plan to ask Northeastern to appear before the licensing board, and have also hinted at legal action if the university doesn’t obtain a dorm license for the buildings. From problems of infestation to not enough rooms, universities around the state are in the same dilemma. Many have found solutions and are in the process of alleviating the problems, while others are still looking for a suitable solution. In the case of Northeastern, they have attacked the issue of over crowding by building numerous new buildings, but have yet to fix those buildings that are slowly deteriorating. Until they do this, they will have to find a way to make the living situation in these buildings a bit more bearable.

Analysis of the Chase Scene in Blade Runner Essays -- Film, Movies

The chase scene is a key part of the film as it influences the viewer's overall opinion of the main character, "Roy". Throughout the film "Roy" is interpreted as the "villain" and "Deckard" seen as the "hero". However this scene creates sympathy for "Roy" and portrays him as a saviour figure. Ridley Scott, the director, does this using a range of technical, cultural and symbolic codes. These are the semiotic codes this essay will explore. Technical codes are the use of technical techniques used to create a certain atmosphere, mood or feeling. For example a Blue Filter is used to set a melancholy feel putting forward the image of "Roy" having "the blues". Cultural codes are themes or techniques used in media that are linked in some way to: religion, culture, events in history or previously published books and films (media). An example would be Ridley Scott's use of neon signs (TDK), behind "Roy" at the end of the chase scene. This suggests links with Tokyo, a main focal point for manufacturing goods. Symbolic codes use words, objects and images to represent a certain emotion or idea. In this case their main purpose is to provoke sympathy. An example would be "Roy's" black Nazi style coat symbolising/portraying him as an evil character. To begin the scene, the mood is set by a blue filter. This is a technical code: provoking the emotion of sadness. This effect creates sympathy for "Roy" because the atmosphere is dismal and melancholy. Likewise the establishing shot is in soft focus, another technical code creating a gentle, calm mood, which contrasts with the violence later to come. These two techniques toget... ...s meanwhile show he feels yet again as a human does and hence the viewer relates to "Roy" and therefore empathises with him. Finally he dies and a dove flies away out of his hands, representing peace and "Roy's" soul. But does "Roy" have a soul? This is one of the many rhetorical questions the viewer is left to think about. It is not a spoken question, it is an open-ended sign, there is no limit the audiences' interpretation; it is a mere guide to their emotional response. To conclude I think the piece is extremely successful in making the viewer feel sympathy for "Roy" through each semiotic code. The issues raised about "Roy" through these leave the viewer in suspense with unanswered questions like: Was "Roy" programmed to have emotional responses? What are his rights? Maybe he was man made. But aren't we all?

CSR of Apple

Apple is making genuine strides in the direction of environmental friendliness by designing for energy efficiency, reducing packaging, and using recycling materials. Its websites also releases an extensively breakdown of company’s annual corporate carbon emissions. Apple says it emits 10. 2 million tons of carbon emissions annually. Meanwhile, HP says it releases 8. 4 million tons annually and it was just named the best S&P companies for the planet by Newsweek. Dell came in second and emits just 471,000 tons annually. Both of those companies only assess what happens during the production process. By contrast, Apple includes what happens once the product is being produced. The biggest source of emissions comes from customers using its product at home. The next biggest source of emissions comes from manufacturing which accounts for 45% of company’s emissions. However, using less material may bring some problems to Apple. Some customers complain that Apple’s products are more fragile than its predecessors. Therefore, the balance between durable product and reducing materials is very important for its product design. Apple publishes a supplier code of conduct and launches supplier audits to ensure that the code of conduct is being followed. More importantly, Apple does not hide bad conducts of its suppliers and releases it to public. In its latest Supplier Responsibility 2011 Progress Report, Apple outlines its specific findings of its own supplier audits. In 2010, its audit of 127 facilities revealed 37 core violations; 18 facilities where workers had paid excessive recruitment fees, which it considers to be involuntary labor; 10 facilities where underage workers had been hired; two instances of workers endangerment; 4 facilities where records were falsified; 1 case of bribery; and 1 case of coaching workers on how to answer auditors’ questions. The transparency of Apple’s report reveals Apple’s concern for its suppliers’ actions. Even if Apple has outsourced its supply chain, it still has a corporate social responsibility to ensure socially and environmentally sound business practices of its subcontractors. Apple may be praised for its openness. However, some customers think Apple is merely trying to get ahead of the ever-pervasive media by releasing this information themselves. The enforceability of supplier code is much more important than making this information available to public. If Apple is determined to enforce its code f suppliers, its business may be disrupted by termination of contracts with suppliers because of its outsourcing of supply chain. Therefore, a back-up plan is needed to prevent disruption of business. Termination with suppliers may contribute to loss of reputation and increasing transaction costs with alternative suppliers. So another issue Apple needs to consider beforehand is supplier selection which is an important part of supplier management. Therefore, Apple should set up more eff icient and relevant performance measures of suppliers and continuously evaluate these measures.

What is Freedom? Essay

Freedom is something that is viewed in many ways. Freedom can be something you earn, something you experience, or it can be something you think. People long ago had to work very hard for their freedom. Slavery was one of the times that freedom was given to nobody, and played a major role in the United States history. Slavery began around 1619, when the first African slaves were brought to the United States, they were workers without rights. (Slavery in America, 2014) They were told that if they worked for seven years, they would earn land and freedom. Abraham Lincoln once said, â€Å"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.† (Lincoln) In 1641 slavery was legalized, and the U.S. was against itself. In 1660 King Charles II established the Royals African Company, calling them black gold, where more African Americans had their freedom taken away. In 1860 more than a million African Americans were taken from their homes and sold off. By 1865 slavery was final ly abolished and they had their freedom to read and write, and their behavior and movement was no longer restricted. Freedom is based off your view and thought of the value it has to you, no one definition can relate to everything that freedom can mean. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, freedom is â€Å"the quality of being free† but what exactly does that mean? Does it mean you can do whatever you wish? Or does it mean everything you need is free? Jim Morrison once said, â€Å"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on an individual level. It’s got to happen inside first.† (Morrison) Freedom within yourself can be to accept you for who you are, not be restricted on what you can do with yourself, let your imagination be free and soar outside the limits. Let your thoughts go where they wish and keep your mind set. Don Miguel Ruiz wrote in his book The Mastery of Love, â€Å"If you spend too much time judging yourself, you won’t have any time to love yourself or anyone else.† I believe this quote relates to freedom because like I said before, you need to let your mind be free to be able to live with freedom. Along with having internal freedom, you can experience and be rewarded with freedom. Experiencing freedom is not something everyone has. As a young kid, my parents always told me â€Å"Once you lose our trust it’s hard to gain it back.† And with this always being said to you, you learned to respect the freedom that you received, and wait until you are rewarded with more. As you get older and learn to drive you are given a whole new type of freedom. There are no words to explain the type of freedom you experience, and no emotion that is any greater. Someone once said â€Å"Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.† (teenage drivers, 1998- 2014) And this saying means to respect what freedom you have because some people have less and would give anything for your freedom. So what exactly is freedom? Well, Bubr (Bubr is someone who chose not to give their real name) once said start with the possibility to do whatever you want. You may want to share your freedom with other people, right? Then accept the fact that other people doing whatever they want are limiting your own freedom. Then, you come to the conclusion that you may not have freedom at all, if the freedom is a measure of the length of a leash. (Bubr) But, many other people have different views of freedom and it is not just what laws limit you too. Jarod Kintz said â€Å"Nothing, Everything, Anything, Something: If you have nothing, then you have everything, because you have the freedom to do anything, without the fear of losing something.† Freedom is not limited to just one person’s idea of it, their experiences, feelings, thoughts, and love towards freedom. â€Å"Freedom is the right to live as we wish. Nothing else.† (Epictetus, 2001-2014) It is not being limited with your rights and not being restricted with reading, writing, behavior and movement. It is not constantly being told what to do and limiting your mind to please others, first give yourself freedom then help others with theirs.

Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 17

They walked out to Eric's jeep. The night air was very cold and there was no moon. Thea kept her hand on Eric's back, ready to press if he hesitated. But he never did. At the door of the jeep, Thea looked at Blaise. She was afraid to show any expression. Could Aradia see them? She wanted desperately to give Blaise a last hug. Aradia said, â€Å"Is there a window from the shop onto this street?† Thea looked at Blaise. Blaise said, â€Å"No.† â€Å"Then you can say good-bye. After this you're going to have to pretend not to know each other.† Thea stared at her, then felt a wild choked giggle well up. â€Å"Now I know why you're Maiden,† she said, in a bare whisper. â€Å"But-does anyone else realize?† â€Å"l don't think so. Some may wonder, but I think they'll keep their mouths shut. Say good-bye quick.† Thea hugged Blaise, couldn't make herself let go. â€Å"Thank you. Oh, Eileithyia, Blaise, I'll miss you.† â€Å"Now I'm the last of the Harman line,† Blaise said in a bad imitation of a smirking voice. â€Å"I'll have a bedroom to myself,† she added in more believable tones. â€Å"And I'm going to get Sheena good.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"That's right, you didn't hear. She was the one who turned us in. She's one of Tobias's little girlfriends, Circle Midnight. It seems he's been spying on us. He told her enough that she understood we were doing forbidden spells, and she told Gran.† â€Å"It doesn't matter now.† â€Å"Are you kidding? I'm getting sent to the Convent. I'm going to kill her.† The bells rang as Blaise tossed her head. Then she tightened her grip on Thea. â€Å"I don't know why you want to be with a human,† she whispered. â€Å"But I hope you keep on wanting it now that you have it.† â€Å"Blaise, when you get back-please don't hurt them anymore. They're people. Really.† Blaise sighed noncommittally; Thea could feel it. But all she said, almost too softly for Thea to hear, was, â€Å"I'll miss you-sister.† Then Thea could let go. When she was in the jeep, Aradia leaned into the open door. â€Å"Two things,† she said rapidly. â€Å"And they're all the help I can give you. Mother Cybele mentioned Circle Daybreak. I've heard rumors that there axe witches somewhere who are starting it up again. Witches who want to forget the Burning Times, and who don't hold to Night World law. I don't know if it's true. But if it is, maybe you can find it.† Thea's breath was taken away. The possibility leaped inside her like some unimagined joy. â€Å"And the other thing,† Aradia said, with a rare smile-almost a brief grin. â€Å"Word is that some of your Redfern cousins have started going peculiar. I've even heard that they're talking about finding human soulmates, just like you. You might try and contact them and see what the story is.† Thea's breath came back, and with it, tears. â€Å"Oh, Aradia. Thank you.† â€Å"Good luck, Thea. And Eric. Both of you, wherever you go.† Eric, who had been sitting quietly behind the wheel, reached out to touch her hand lightly. â€Å"And you, too.† Thea could tell by his voice that he was puzzled and dazed, but he was trying not to show it. Then they drove away. Thea turned around to watch Blaise getting smaller and smaller. A little wind blew Blaise's hair, and she looked like a dark and mysterious Aphrodite, a goddess who always did what you least expected. Eric drove fast until they were a good distance from the shop, then pulled to the curb on a tiny residential street. He looked at Thea and said cautiously, â€Å"Am I immune to this stuff? Because I'm not forgetting anything. Or is it going to kick in any minute now?† Thea kissed him. Then she began to laugh hysterically. â€Å"No. No.† â€Å"You mean we're really safe? You're going to keep your powers?† â€Å"Yes! Yes!† She had to keep telling him over and over to convince him. But finally he got it and his face changed. Was transformed by his lightning-bolt smile. He squeezed her and shook her and finally jumped out of the jeep and yelled â€Å"All right! Way to go, Blaise! All right! Yes!† â€Å"Eric!† He pounded the jeep. â€Å"Eric, get back in, you idiot! There might be Night People around.† Then, still laughing uncontrollably with love and gratitude and the relief of tension, she said, â€Å"Come in here.† And she held out her arms. He jumped back in. They fit together perfectly, his arms around her, his breath against her hair. â€Å"I'm so happy,† he said. â€Å"I love you, witch.† Thea was laughing and crying at once. â€Å"I love you, too.† He kissed her temple. She kissed his cheek. Then he kissed her mouth and stayed there for a long while. And Thea forgot about laughing, forgot that there was a world outside the two of them. And then they sat together in the darkness, resting against each other, just breathing. Safe. Connected. Thea was with someone who knew her, who saw what she saw. Her soulmate. And they were free to be with each other, without being hunted, without fear. She was filled with joy and tranquility. And with quiet sadness, too. It wasn't as if this new beginning came free. She still was an exile, cut off from her family. Gran was lost to her. If she saw Blaise, it would have to be in secret. She'd given up a lot. Almost everything. But she didn't regret it. Not with Eric warm and solid in her arms. Not with the Night World saved from civil war, and the threat to the humans here over. And what now? she wondered. Strangely, even though there was no clear answer, she didn't feel afraid. She could visualize many futures, and they all seemed equally likely. Now they would go to Eric's house, and Eric's mother would be puzzled but generous, and Roz would be ferocious but delighted. And next week Thea would go back to school and transfer into honors zoology. She would get a scholarship to Davis and become a vet and use her powers to find out what was wrong with sick animals. Or she would find herself interested in wolves or elephants and would become a naturalist and visit faraway places to study them. Or she and Eric would adopt a puppy like Bud and write a book together to help people understand their dogs. Or she would find Circle Daybreak and meet witches who wanted to forget the Burning Times. And they would be the first to reintroduce humans to magic, and Rosamund would grow up fierce and proud, knowing all the legends of Hellewise. Or she would find her vampire cousins and see if the soulmate principle was really coming back. And their group would be like a magnet, attracting other young Night People with radical ideas, starting an underground revolution. Maybe a new generation of Redferns and Harmans were forming alliances with humans. Maybe it was time for hatred to stop. Maybe the old powers were waking and new times were coming. Maybe the world was about to change. Only one thing was sure. There were infinite possibilities. She held Eric and felt his breathing and was at peace with the night. [The End]

Value of Pets

Values of Pets to people Materialism is a way that people use to measure their social status and success. Some people think having pets is one of the values that can show the high value of their material possession; with a high value of pet, these people feel satisfied and successful in their life. However, most people do not think that having pets is a value of materialism. Most of the people think the values of pets are love of human being, benefit and helpfulness. One of the values that pets serve for people is companionship. Pets give people a feeling of love, pleasant and not being alone.People spend a lot of times with their pets than anyone else; therefore, they treat their pets as members of their families. By having pets, people feel responsibilities for their little ones. They take care of their pets’ health and diet like taking care of their children. Moreover, raising pets give people a great feeling of they are needed, so that they feel not alone. Pets have abilit ies to make people in a good mood. Most people have felt a warm feeling inside just by stroking or getting their face licked by their pets. By having physical contact with pets, people feel relaxed and comfortable.For example, after a hard day at work, touching or having fun with pets really help people to calm down and relax. Also, simply talking to pets can be very therapeutic because pets are good listeners. People often talk to their pets to share their thoughts, feeling, troubles and worries. Although their pets will not give them any solutions for their problems, the act of talking about their concerns with a good listener may help people find their own solutions. Consequently, talking to pets help people to relax and feel better. Other values that pets serve for people are beneficial. pets

Bibliography and Description of Theoretical Framework and Methods Essay

Bibliography and Description of Theoretical Framework and Methods - Essay Example In addition, the interviews were conducted on the third stage amongst transnational migrant workers in the creative knowledge sector. These were aimed at collecting information about their reasons behind their settlement at certain areas and the factors that aided their decision making process. The results derived from the empirical surveys were then synthesized in order to identify the attracting and retaining qualities of the BMR. The study has used a SWOT analysis to the data obtained concerning the BMR (135). The study identifies job, career and education opportunities as the main motivational factors for the settlement of transnational migrant workers (136). On the other hand, hard and soft factors influence the leaders and managers decisions to locate businesses in the BMR. In this study, the researcher analyses the urban planning and territorial systems, which have realized changes as a result of the urbanization process (15). This is evident from the increased commercial exchanges and the integration of work as well as financial markets. Moreover, an improvement in communication and a readjustment in the urban hierarchy are predominant. The researcher employs a bibliographical review to assess urbanization and reconfiguration in Spanish and Portuguese cities. This mainly involves reviewing published works of certain authors and other joint works. A cautious approach is taken to ensure only studies of metropolises that have been analyzed in a European, Iberian or nationally are used (17). From these studies, the urban changes that have transpired over the past decades are highlighted. In addition, the study examines the effects of compartmentalization of land use, fragmentation and the role of transport networks in urban areas (18). A field study is e mployed, which enables the researcher to gather information concerning urban and territorial planning. The information

Research Paradigms, Knowledge and Practice Essay

Research Paradigms, Knowledge and Practice - Essay Example 5). This essay identifies and critically discusses the research paradigms to be the most relevant to the development of nursing knowledge: positivism/empiricism and phenomenology/interpretivism. Nursing has progressed as a unique discipline through the application of theories from other academic fields and the advancement of clinical research. The discipline of nursing focuses on the personal circumstances of individual patients. In essence, this suggests that research to enhance the clinical practice of nursing should focus on environmental factors and individual attributes that are not open to plain quantitative approach. Nursing has formulated research paradigms to address these challenging issues. The discipline of nursing revealed that there is a need to expand the foundation of nursing knowledge, and research is the best way to accomplish such goal. Focus of the Discipline of Nursing The discipline of nursing gradually grew from established theories, intuition, religious belief s, apprenticeship, philanthropic intentions, and traditional women’s role, as well as diverse impact of feminism, economics, politics, technology, and medicine (Shaw, 1993). Florence Nightingale, the first practitioner of nursing, described nursing as a field of study that has social relevance and structured concepts different from the field of medicine. However, M.E. Roger’s (1970 as cited in Shaw, 1993, p. 1651) more recent holistic perspective of individuals have become an important foundation in developing theory by characterizing nursing as ‘an art and a science’ and by creating a concrete starting point for testing theories. Donaldson and Crowley (1978), in their seminal work, identify a discipline as â€Å"a unique perspective, a distinct way of viewing all phenomena, which ultimately defines the limits and nature of its inquiry† (as cited in Rich, 2010, p. 26). Nursing practitioners have long tried to identify, investigate, understand, and e xplain the concepts fundamental to the discipline of nursing—nursing, environment, health, and person. Issues defining the limits for nursing research and practice involve (Shaw, 1993, p. 1651): (a) laws and principles governing life processes and well-being of humans, (b) influences of the environment on human behavior, (c) processes whereby nursing positively affects health, and (d) families and communities as a focus of nursing practice. Several researchers found out an agreement on the frequent topics and similarities fundamental to nursing research and inquiry. Development of knowledge in a discipline could progress from a number of scientific and philosophic worldviews. The focus of nursing as a discipline has developed most significantly over the recent decades. Several concepts have been determined as fundamental to the discipline of nursing. A case in point is the often mentioned tetralogy, namely, ‘person, environment, nursing, and health’ (Polifroni & Welch, 1999, p. 20). Although recognition of these concepts helps simplify the focus of nursing, there is still the importance of social relevance and apparent interrelatedness to define the discipline that makes up nursing (Keele, 2010). Unrelated concepts do not create the scientific or philosophic questions that encourage inquiry. The discipline of n

The Mesaba Energy Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Mesaba Energy Project - Essay Example ironmental compliance technology, namely IGCC that would remove not only air and water pollutants but would capture the CO2 from entering the atmosphere (Mesaba Energy Project – Fact Sheet). There has been a lot of commotion on the viability of the Mesaba energy project. Instead of bringing any benefits of technology, is the project going to make the life of people of Minnesota more vulnerable? There are arguments and counter-arguments against the Mesaba energy project. It is very important to reach a conclusion after checking the pros and cons of the project. It is being said that the Mesaba energy project, based on IGCC technology, would be cleaner than traditional energy-generating coal plants in performance, efficiency and emissions. Again, when we talk of innovative technology, some in-depth knowledge of the working of the gasification process is must because that is going to form basis for advocating the Mesaba energy project, located in north Minnesota. Gasification is a chemical process by which carbonic materials like coal, petroleum coke, biomass, etc. are transformed to a synthesis gas (syngas) through partial oxidation with air, oxygen, and steam by requirement (http://www.clean-energy.us/facts/gasification.htm). The ConocoPhillips E-Gas technology is the basis of gasification process – to convert coal into synthesis gas and clean the gas of impurities before burning. This technology (IGCC) is less pollutant to produce electricity from coal. It is not new, but the application is new – combining gasification technology with well-known combined-cycle technology. This gas is burned to turn generators and produce electricity. Typical coal-burning power plants release mercury, sulfur, nitrogen oxides, and lots of carbon dioxide (http://www.excelsiorenergy.com/igcc/index.html). Mesaba energy project should be favored, as it is practical than other energy sources like nuclear energy, natural gas, biomass, solar and wind energy. Nuclear energy produces

The Social Contract Theory and Animals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Social Contract Theory and Animals - Essay Example This essay stresses that human beings have no known form of direct duty to the animals. Only an individual who has a moral duty cannot be able to have a moral obligation. From the above understanding, animals have no moral duty and hence, no moral obligation. Both human beings and animals would have interest but the interests of human beings in the social contract theory override those of the animals. As such, if the human beings have an interest to kill and eat animals, that interest would be morally justified and it would override the interests that animals have to stay alive. No morals would have been broken in this case. This paper makes a conclusion that only rational beings can be in a position to enter into a social contract. Those beings that are not rational, that is the animals, lack this standing. The rational beings have moral duties and responsibilities that they are required to adhere to. On the contract, animals lack these moral duties and responsibilities. It would, therefore, be proper to argued that animals have no moral standing whatsoever and they cannot take part in a social contract. The form of protection given to human beings under the social contract by the government cannot possibly be given to the animals as well. The animals are still in a state of nature and they have no moral values guiding their day to day activities.

Philosophy of religion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy of religion - Assignment Example Plato calls for an in-depth inquiry between the processes of thinking in relation to the soul. Thus, he posts a question on why should a just soul lived through a just life be the ruler of society. Rather than simply agreeing with his teacher, Plato’s dialogues seek for the confrontation of these ideas though subsequently agreeing with it (Miller, n.d., pp. 173-174). The virtuous man is another philosophical awareness that he inculcates in Republic where the ruler is demanded to be good and must prioritize the people. There is what McPherran (1996) regards as an agnostic inclination of Socrates on the goodness of death since Socrates does not claim expertise on the subject matter. He recognizes the existing religious beliefs including the tales that come with mythological teachings but does not adhere to it. He is more persuaded on gods and judges that will determine one’s fate on the afterlife (p.259). The concept of the soul and the afterlife is a widely debated relig ious topic. The conception of Socrates and the stress he puts on the tending of the soul points out to his belief on a metaphysical form of man. As a religious topic, the soul can be perceived in most of all world religions with varying understanding from heaven and hell in Christianity to reincarnation and nirvana to Buddhism along with many other beliefs. 2. Does commitment to philosophical exploration imply the embodiment of certain virtues? If so, does this, or could this, lead to the practice of asceticism? Consider either the case of Socrates or Plato (or both) to answer this question. The call of Socrates toward a virtuous life toward the nurturing of the soul and the embodiment of the just ruler does to an extent lead to asceticism as contemplated. The virtues of a ruler are of paramount importance to Socrates in the Republic. He regards that a man who desires so strongly for one thing will necessarily be weak when it comes to other things. He must be able to divert this

The Introduction of Popular Music in School Music Curriculum Essay

The Introduction of Popular Music in School Music Curriculum - Essay Example In most societies in human civilisation’s timeline, there has been a great regard to various art forms, and these are often included in the daily lives of these peoples. Music is considered to be one of these important art forms that not only serve an aesthetic purpose, but also as part of the community’s culture, traditions, and spiritual living. While music is not something that everyone must do in any given society, it has been a universally-accepted truth that aside from all other humanistic artistic pursuits, music is a key universal feature in human civilisation (Green, 2003, p. 263). Such is high regard for music that long after modernisation and expansion of science and technology, there is still room for the inclusion of music in nearly every aspect of human society and culture from business (i.e. showbiz and merchandising) to social stance (i.e. music in defining political standpoint), thus it is still included in nearly every school curricula from the past to the present. Music education among various levels of schooling has been the norm for most educational systems and often lauded as a strong means of empowering and changing students and teachers (Abrahams, 2005, p. 12). Positive effects of music learning like instilling different virtues and attitudes among music students such as discipline and teamwork and improving literacy rates and increasing social awareness within the musical context are included in the many reasons why music is still a strong part of educational curricula in all levels of education despite a world-wide decrease in funds allotted for education in most nations (Philpott & Plummeridge, 2001; Tagg, 1982, p. 40). Aside from music as a universal concept and idea, it is considered a part of tradition and culture, giving people their unique identity amidst a fast-paced modern life (Lamont & Maton, 2010). Music’s importance and relevance is still recognised, and as a strong component of aesthetics music educati on remains to be integrated in most schools’ current curricula. At present most schools’ music curricula focus on traditional teaching music through the use of different scales, notations, sight reading, harmonisation and other musical concepts associated with traditional music lessons, along with musical styles of church hymns, orchestral and solo instruments typical of the early European classical pieces (Swanwick, 2002). While there has been observed advanced developments in other curricula such as science, mathematics, literature, and sociology, teaching methods in musical education have not changed much since the introduction of the public schooling system, making it lag behind from other fields of study. Because of this, lessons appear to focus on music that most of the younger generation consider â€Å"church music†, â€Å"old people music† or â€Å"archaic†, making them care less and deem these to be of lesser regard as opposed to say, musi c from the 1970’s and beyond (Jorgensen, 2003, p. 4). This way of thinking pushes the need to include other aspects of music that the present generation has greater appreciation of into the school curriculum, to increase the interest of the students in learning music and to improve their perception in learning the important principles of music as a whole (Frith, 1998). However, the fact that most academicians have less regard on popular music makes it harder to integrate this kind of music genre into an academic setting, as popular music has often been considered to be unimaginative, has lesser variation in style, timbre, etc., highly-repetitive, and comparable to mass-produced items (Lebler, 2008; Serra, Corral, Boguna, Haro & Ll. Arcos, 2012). Stigma associated with popular music does not give it justice to be taught formally to younger generations, which makes it difficult to integrate it into formal music curricula. Thankfully, there were changes in this viewpoint recentl y, and it is possible that through a compromise between the introduction

Acme Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Acme - Coursework Example In the plan, they will be required to establish the breakdown of the available financial resources. The planners will also be required to establish the number of workers required for each category. They will also determine the order in which the activities of the project will be undertaken in order to deliver the project within the specified time. Obtaining the necessary legal documents- the legal department should ensure that they obtain the necessary legal documents to allow the project to proceed. This is importance to ensure that the project does not become a white elephant. The department should also ensure that it provides the authorities with all the required information and documents. Construction- this includes laying the foundation, construction of walls, floors and the roof of the structures i.e. the garage and the store. The constructor should pave and landscape. Installation of electrical appliances and plumbing should be covered at this stage. The construction should adhere to the rules and practices of Mexicans. They should also bear in mind the company’s policy on building. Hiring and training- at this point, the HR department, should recruit the all the required employees for the store. The department should also ensure that a successful training program is undertaken for those who are successful in the recruitment stage. These processes must be conducted in line with the company’s policy on both recruitment and training. Inventory- after successful completion of the buildings and training program the company should stock the store awaiting its opening. The inventory shall be arranged in accordance to the company’s practice. Given the average size of the company’s store, the company will invest financial resources to the tune of seventeen million dollars to undertake all the above activities. However, this amount of money does not cover the cost of the inventory but covers the cost of labor employed during the process. About

Housing in Metropolitan America Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Housing in Metropolitan America - Term Paper Example This will eventually affect the entire nation’s reputation. The government’s failure to solve this problem will surely result to a growing number of homeless people. Socio-Economic Aspects Owning a house requires a large amount of investment, mostly, ranging from two to four times of a person’s annual income. One third of the United States households are renters. There are only a few, who are capable of acquiring a home at this point in time where the US economic condition remains stagnant (Gabyion n.pag.). It has always been the dream of the American people to live in a house of their own. Today this dream seems to become impossible. The reason is that jobs in America are seldom to be found, not because of people’s inaccuracy but because jobs are not enough for everybody. If no jobs are available then owning a house is still an unclear vision. The incapacity of people to afford inflated home prices is undeniable even to those who are employed, hardly figu ring out how to budget expenses that includes the payment of high priced houses (Snyder n.pag.). Figure 1 In Figure 1, the graph shows a difference between the rate of increase in nominal home prices and nominal rents from the year 1983-2009. The number of home owners increased to an amount that is a bit smaller from the increase in house prices. The increase in house prices and home owners should have been the same (â€Å"Housing Bubble Graphs† n.pag.). There are about 30 million households in America that are experiencing housing difficulties, almost half of the households are listed to receive government aid, but then only 4.1 million are able to acquire these benefits. There are only 76 rental units available for occupancy...This paper outlines the importance of the provision of the affordable housing units to American people in the aftermath of financial crisis. It is shown in the paper, that this problem is of high importance, that involves the welfare of everyone in Am erica. Houses, not only provide shelter to an individual, but also measure one’s financial capacity. It is one of the basic needs of man that allows him to survive in this constantly changing world. Many people are struggling to budget their finances to pay for their necessities, including the amount of money paid for home rental, much more when it comes to buying a house. A big number of homeless people in the U.S. might sound unusual, for some this indicates poverty. While helping the less fortunate countries to develop, the government is unable to deal with the concerns of its own nation, like providing enough affordable housing units to the low income earners. If this situation worsens, many citizens will be affected that will become a major problem of the government. Owning a house requires a large amount of investment, mostly, ranging from two to four times of a person’s annual income. One third of the United States households are renters. There are only a few, who are capable of acquiring a home at this point in time where the US economic condition remains stagnant There is an urgent need for policies that will help regulate the availability of affordable housing units, most importantly to those who deserves to avail of it, the poor families and the low income earners.

Gender determination Essay Example for Free

Gender determination Essay When an individual is born, he or she has male or female sexual organs and this determines the sex of that individual and consequently how the society expects that person to behave. Gender is different however, in that it transcends the simple biological explanation of why one is a boy and another is a girl. This paper will focus on what makes one a girl putting aside the fact that one was born one. It will also look at the possibility of an individual being born a girl but changing to become a boy. How and why this is done is also part of the discussion. Gender is described as â€Å"the socially constructed roles, behaviour, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and women† (http://www. who. int). This means that to be masculine or feminine depends on a society and not only on the sexual organs that one is born with. Once an individual is born, the society teaches him or her how to behave according to the expectations that specific society has for an individual belonging to his or her particular sex. Every society has some roles that are assigned to male and female members of the society and this determines whether one is male or female. The question then becomes whether one is born with his or her gender or this is learned from the society that one grows in. In my own case, attending a girl’s school determined my becoming feminine and thus becoming a girl despite the fact that I was born a girl. In the school, only girls were around and thus were the only role models that I had. This meant that I only had other girls to emulate in my behaviour and my peers were also girls so together we all aspired to be better girls. The teachers we had were also keen on ensuring that we were trained on how girls should behave in certain occasions and also which aspects were to be admired in a girl and which were abhorrent in a female. This shows that one can be trained to become feminine or masculine but it is important to note that it is not always so. This can be demonstrated by the number of girls who would get into trouble with the teachers for playing truant yet this was supposed to be an undesirable trait for girls and hence was dissuaded. These girls were given the same training as all their peers yet tended to behave differently causing one to question whether gender is completely determined by the society (Morrow 1991). Despite the question that is posed above, it is clear that girls who are educated in girl’s only schools are usually more feminine than those who attend mixed schools. This is because those in mixed schools are not controlled as much as those in girls only schools. The environment they are reared in leans more towards femininity and thus tends to discourage any behaviour that is seen to be masculine. The lack of an alternative form of behaviour leads to their feminine behaviour although some will try deviate by doing what they think others are doing elsewhere (Askew Davey 2005). This then leads to the question whether or not one can change from being a girl into a boy? Apart from the biological way, culture has two different ways of changing an individual’s gender. This can either be done by changing the culture one has been brought up in or by being brought up in an environment that emphasises the behaviour of the opposite sex (Watney 1994). Since gender is determined by the roles that a society assigns to each sex, ones gender can change depending on the culture one finds him or herself in at a particular time. Roles assigned to the sexes by different cultures differs and are interchanged whereby roles assigned to women in one culture may be assigned to men in another culture. In this way a male in one culture may be seen to be feminine in another thus changing a male into a female or vice versa. Another way that one can change ones gender is by rearing a girl in a male environment. The girl tends to adopt the masculine behaviours exhibited by her male counter parts as has been witnessed by the women who venture into fields assumed to be the male domain. This is in politics and business where women who succeed in these environments are seen to be more masculine than feminine thus changing their gender to becoming more male than female (Miller, Lewy Peckham1997). In conclusion, it is correct to say that an individual’s gender is not only determined by his or her sex but also by the culture that they have grown in. the roles that a culture assigns to an individual are used to determine femininity and masculinity of members of the society. It is possible for ones gender to be changed depending on which community one is in. Roles assigned depending on an individuals sex change according to the society. Furthermore, the environment one is in influences the behaviour one has thus influencing the gender that one belongs to. Reference 1. Askew J. Davey M. 2005, Sex Acts: Practices of Femininity and Masculinity, Archives of Sexual Behaviour Vol. 34, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks 2. Gender, World health organization retrieved on 13th April 2009 from http://www. who. int/topics/gender/en 3. Miller J. B. , Lewy J. Peckham E. 1997, Context Effects on Self-Perceptions of Feminine and Masculine Quantities, Sex: A Journal of Research Vol. 37 4. Morrow F. 1991, Unleashing Our Unknown Selves: An Inquiry into the Future of Femininity and Masculinity, Praeger Publishers 5. Watney S. 1994, Aphrodite of the Future, Artforum International Vol. 32