Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Innovation - Essay Example From this discussion it is clear that innovation allows hospitality organizations to meet the dynamic needs of the customer. The hospitality is characterized by customers who have changing needs. People are looking for something different and exciting. Innovation allows hospitality organizations to come up with new and effective ways to meet the needs of these consumers. This helps in generation of revenue.This paper highlights that innovation increases efficiency, which means the cost of doing business goes down. This allows the organizations to charge competitive prices in a bid to attract and maintain customers. The price elasticity of demand in the industry is very elastic. A small change in price can lead to either losing or gaining many new customers. The hospitality industry is full of many different organizations that offer similar services. The stiff competition in the industry has led to the exit of many companies. The key to gaining a unique identity in the hospitality ind ustry is having a unique service delivery system. Innovation fosters service and product differentiation.  Innovation has driven organizations to consider frontline employees on multiple skills in a bid to support innovation. Employee training is one way of motivating the workforce because they feel the organization cares about them. This is bound to increase the quality of services and the overall experience of customers. The ultimate effect is additional revenue generation and the creation of a stellar reputation when it comes to quality service delivery.

Corporate governance Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Corporate governance - Dissertation Example It is evident from the work of various research scholars that people felt the importance of â€Å"Corporate Governance† at least 100 years ago. For example, research scholars such as Tinbergen (1962) have raised their concern over effectiveness of corporate governance. In recent times, corporate accounting scandals in companies like Cirio, Enron, Vivendi, Ansett, Parmalat, and Pan Pharmaceuticals have forced business leaders to think about the issues like corporate accountability and corporate governance. Above mentioned corporate accounting scandals were the results of managerial misconduct and corporate failures. Business leaders became aware of the fact that they need to take some serious measures in order to address the pertaining issues of corporate governance. ... Various research scholars have stated situation-specific definition of corporate governance and so it is difficult to find one universal definition of corporate governance. Majority of the research scholars have given importance on the relational aspect of corporate governance. According to them corporate governance is guided by the relationship between shareholders and managers. Tricker (1984) has revealed that corporate governance is different from management due to the fact that management deals with running the organization while corporate governance deals with running the organization in a proper manner. Keasey and Wright (1993) have stated that business leaders can use different tools of management, such as controlling; accountability, in order to monitor activities of agents and motivation to make them act in accordance with the expectation of the internal and external stakeholders. Various research scholars such as Markusen and Venables (1999) have stated that there is a dire ct relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and corporate governance. According to them FDI policies of government plays a significant role on motivating foreign players to design sustainable corporate governance policy. Markusen and Maskus (2001) have stated that companies need to align their business strategy in a foreign country in accordance with the FDI policy of government of that country, in order to address the key issues of corporate governance. In many cases it has been observed that companies manipulate their corporate governance policy in order to achieve competitive advantage in foreign countries, such as superior technology, economies of scale, managerial expertise etc over

Thought Paper

Thought Paper The purpose of this thought paper is to synthesize theoretical discussions and provide critical analysis of selected reading assignments of the preceding weeks. The paper will specifically provide the authors reading and understanding of Stephanie Coontzs publication of the way we never were, Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever publication of Woman dont Ask, and Deborah Tannens work on the power of talk: who gets heard and why. The paper will also provide a synopsis of the movie â€Å"North Country†, and provide the writers personal assessment of the movie. The way we never were In Stephanie Coontzs publication of the way we never were, she outlined several stereotypes about American families. She counter acted perceptions of the past and provided different conceptions of the changes in the structures of American families overtime. She provided an examination of family life in American from 1900 to 1990 in which she dispelled the perceptions of the past which have predisposed the present state of affairs of American families. In chapter one, three, and seven of her publication of the way we never were, Coontz provided elaborate arguments which she termed as myths of the 1950s that tend to perpetuate the perception of how American families ought to be. Coontz in chapter one defined the crisis within American families which emanate from the perception that American families craves for the family value system of the early and middle 1900s. She argued that people are of the opinion problems in American families in present days emanates from the active determination and participation of women in changing the family structure. She continued to state that some believe families are in crisis as women work outside home at the cost of their families and children, thus putting the relationship and marriage in jeopardy. She further revealed that people reminiscing family values of the 1950s argued that the rate of domestic violence was lower than what it is today due to past traditional family values. She furthered, many are of the opinion that â€Å"parents spend less time with their children today than in 1965† (Coontz, 1992, p. 20). In addition, she continued that many believe the rise in teenage pregnancy and abortion rate has been attributed to the gender equality and role reversal in families overtime. In countering the perceptions of American families of the past, Coontz argued that families in America have been dominated by male for centuries. She maintained men were considered breadwinners, while the role of women was limited to the home (Coontz, 1992, p. 10). She asserted there was a notion that only men had the aptitude to handle the burden of the family by providing bacon and direction to the family, while women stay home and manage the affairs of the home and children. Coontz further argued that the perception about America 1950s are fallacies and â€Å"false optimisms about renewing family values† Carlson and Edgar (2010). She claimed the perceptions of American families of the 1950s are delusional in that people illusion themselves about the irreversible transformation family trend has taken. She disagreed with those harboring the misconception that if American families only recommitted themselves to marriage and children, American families could circumvent all of t he new impasses posed by the revolution in gender and economic role of the family. Women Dont Ask In Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever publication of women doesnt ask they provided empirical evidence to establish why women lack the aptitude to ask for what they want. Before establishing the hypothesis for why women dont ask, Linda observed a disparity among her male and female students in asking for whatever they needed. Linda â€Å"realized that her male graduate students asked for all sorts of things—travel money to go to conferences, exemptions from course requirements, opportunities to teach courses of their own—that the female students rarely asked for† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). In Lindas quest to investigate why her female students didnt ask and her male students were more proactive in asking for what they wanted, she embarked upon a collaborative research project with Sara Laschever who surveyed 100 participants, both men and women from around the U.S. At the close of their research, Linda and Sara discovered their studies produced similar findings. Linda and Sara respective studies gathered that â€Å"women are much less likely than men to ask for what they want and to use negotiation as a tool to promote their own ambitions or desires, and men use negotiation to get ahead and get what they want between two and nine times as often as women do† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). In their research, Linda and Sara outlined salient statistical findings. Considering selected results from their findings, Linda and Sara disclosed that â€Å"women dont like to negotiate† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). They argued that 2.5 times more women than men said they feel a great deal of apprehension about negotiating, men initiate negotiations about four times as often as women, and 20% of adult women (22 million people) say they never negotiate at all, even though they often recognize negotiation as appropriate and even necessary. They further argued that â€Å"women have lower expectations and lack knowledge of their worth† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). They claimed women are often not aware of their market value, as they report salary expectations between 3% and 32% lower than those of men for the same jobs. They also claimed in their findings that men expect to earn 13% more than women during their first year of full-time work and 32% more at their career peaks. In providing an explanation to the causes emanating from why women dont ask, Linda and Sara attributes their work to the wealth of psychological research that explains the diverse ways in which boys and girls interact. They argued by the kinds of toys that are considered boys and girls, the diverse types of chores typically assigned to girls and boys, and the un similar types of games that adults guide them toward playing, they can â€Å"show what these chores and toys teach girls about their appropriate role in society and what the games they play teach them about compliance versus independence† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). They also claimed from their research, â€Å"society has a strong expectation that women will abide by their assigned roles and reacts very negatively when they dont† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). Linda and Sara further argued behaviors exhibited by men that portrays them as a straight shooter or a no-nonsense guy can lead a woman to be seen as t oo â€Å"pushy and aggressive† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why In this segment of this thought paper, a review of Deborah Tannens publication entitled The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why was made. In her publication, she outlined several points affecting gender behaviors and role in the corporate world. In her work, she mentioned her effort in researching the power of linguistic style on human conversation and relationships. In her quest, she claimed to have extended her research to the workplace where she discovered that our â€Å"ways of speaking learned in childhood affect judgments of competence and confidence, as well as who gets heard, who gets credit, and what gets done† (Tannen, 1995, p. 323). She categorized linguistic styles into two cardinal factors: language communicates ideas which she claimed we all are familiar with and language also negotiate relationships which she claimed is mostly invisible, but plays an important role in communication. From the ideology of language also negotiates communications, Tannen asserts that during the early stages of live when a child plays he/she learn certain rituals that enhances their communicating and negotiating skills. She differentiates by stating â€Å"girls tend to learn conversational rituals that focus on the rapport dimension of relationships whereas boys tend to learn rituals that focus on the status dimension† (Tannen, 1995, p. 325). She argues it is those tendencies that boys and girls learn from childhood plays and interactions that we bring into our adult and professional lives. She continued by giving examples of how men and women use languages and how the use of those languages affects the way we hear one another with different interpretations. She gives an example by stating men and women use different pronouns to personify themselves. She claimed men uses the pronoun â€Å"I† and women are inclined to drift towards the pronoun â€Å"we†. She furth er continued her conversational rituals by arguing women tend to downplay their certainty in situations, whereas men in similar situations will avow his lack of accountability in case of fault, or claim accomplishments in situation where there is success. Tannen also provided several arguments on women and self confidence. She argued that unlike men, women lack self-confidence. They tend to avoid face-losing, not making known their opposition, and avoids asking questions. Tannen further argued that women do not attempt to be heard. They fail to be direct in telling subordinates what is expected of them and fail to draw attention to their ideas and accomplishments. She asserted that women prefer not to ask for what they need and deserve, rather they wait for someone to notice their needs. In closing arguments on the variances between men and women linguistic styles, Tannen provides some solutions in closing the communication gap between the genders and levels of communications. Even though she acknowledges there is no one best way, Tannen however declared that instead of managers using one mode of communication (meetings), managers must be â€Å"aware of the workings and power of linguistic styles, to make sure that people with something valuable to contribute get heard† (Tannen, 1995, p. 336). North Country In week five of the first phase of this course (CNR 630) a dramatized video entitled â€Å"North Country was viewed. The film is an emotionally charged Hollywood drama performed by Charlize Theron in which she starred as Josey Aimes. Synopsis of the Movie The movie is about a single mother who separated from her abusive husband and moved back to her hometown of Minnesota. In her quest to sustain herself and two kids Josey ventured into acquiring a job at a local mine to the displeasure of her father and male coworkers. Josey came to realize her male coworkers did not appreciate their jobs being occupied by women, and the men would do anything to keep them away. Stereotypically, the men felt that mining was a mans job and the women rather stay at home to perform domestic work, but Josey contended all she needed was to make her own money, feed her kids, and work like everyone else. However, after suffering numerous harassments and humiliations Josey decides to form partnership with the other women at the mine to expose the indignities minted out against the women. In frustration from the lack of cooperation from her family and female coworkers due to fear of reprisal or possible termination, Josey sought to singlehandedly pursue a class action suit against the mining company which even subjected her to more humiliating moments, as her past life involving a rape incident was unearthed. Assessment of North Country After viewing the film â€Å"North Country†, it was compelling to develop a personal opinion of the movie. One thing that came to my mind is the fascinating way in which Hollywood stars sought to depict social ills within our society, most especially the purported sexual harassment case at Eveleth Mines. Irrespective of timeline or how people felt about sexual harassment back in the days and now, I ‘m of the opinion that the movie had several short comings, despite its attempts to dramatize a class action suite saturated with gender intricacies. In identifying some of the shortcomings of the movie, it is important to draw on the perception driven by the movie that all the men at the mine were villains, and the women were victims of heinous indignities committed by their male coworkers. The movie duration of 126 minutes cannot in anyway depict the full length of what actually transpired at the mine. Despite claims of the film being inspired by a true story, it is feasible to argue that the actual length of the movie (126 minutes) of manufactured dramatization was presumably characterized by exaggeration, omission of facts, or choosing of selected events for commercialization by the film producer and actors. The film leaves one to wonder if the true intent of Josey taking the mining company to task was to champion the cause of bridging the gender divide, making sure the indignities perpetrated against the women at the mine was ceased, or if her antipathies with the mine operations were intended to dish out financial reparation . Despite all of the intricacies and skepticisms surrounding the movie, it is worth noting the importance of being sensitive to those issues that tend to raise eyebrows along gender lines. In particular, sexual harassment has sprung out to be one of the serious workplace issues that have led to many organizations formulating and instituting policies to guide the conduct of people in the workplace. However, a mere presence of a sexual harassment policy does not mean that a workplace will automatically be free of all potential sexual violations. Hence, whatever an employers responsibility may be cannot close its eyes when confronted with incidents of sexual harassment, like depicted in the movie North Country. Employers have the obligation to determine the scope of the problem and take necessary steps to curtail or alleviate it. After providing a review and synopsis of the gender issues contributed by Coontz, Babcock and Laschever, Tannen, and Theron, it is compelling to conclude that whatever the circumstances, the issues outlined by the authors on gender roles, behaviors, perceptions, and indignities will continued to be thought provoking in the quest for gender equality, economic empowerment, and tolerance. References Babcock, L. Laschever, S. (2010). Women Dont Ask- Negotiation and the gender Divide-Interesting Statistics. Retrieved from online on February 23, 2010- http://www.womendontask.com/stats.html Babcock, L. Laschever, S. (2010). Women Dont Ask- Negotiation and the gender Divide- A Conversation with Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever. Retrieved from online on February 23, 2010- http://www.womendontask.com/questions.html Carlson, J., Englar, A. J. (2010). A Conversation with Stephanie Coontz. The Family Journal. Retrieved from the UNCG database on February 23, 2010- http://libproxy.uncg.edu:3243/cgi/reprint/7/1/77 Tannen, D. (1995). The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why. Individual Differences: Negotiation- Reading, Exercises, and Cases 323-336). Retrieved from the UNCG e-Reserve database on February 22, 2010- https://blackboard.uncg.edu/bbcswebdav/library/eReserves/CNR-630-01DCMB-Spring2010/The_power_of_talk_who_gets_heard_and_why.pdf

Crime And Punishment :: essays research papers

â€Å"Raskolnikov, Why’d you do it?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The character Raskolnikov in the novel Crime and Punishment is among one of the most realistic and believable characters I have ever read about. He is also the most confusing and distraught man I have been introduced to this entire year. Raskolnikov possesses the most varying personality imaginable and this makes the reasoning behind his actions a mystery, especially in the case of the murder. Determining the rationale in killing the old pawnbroker is a complex process that necessitates deep thought from the reader. It is also a difficult point to argue because Dostoevsky’s novel is so intensely detailed that different readers can emphasize different aspects of the book in order to attempt to explain Raskolnikov’s deeds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Guilt as well as intellectual reasoning prove to be the main motivating factors behind the crime of Raskolnikov. Throughout the novel his actions are usually a result of his striking intelligence or his tormenting conscience, or in the situation of the murder, both. Raskolnikov’s idea to kill the old pawnbroker stems from a theory he was developing. It was probable that during his studies at the university he was aquatinted with the popular philosophies of two German thinkers of the time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of these philosophers is George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who had formulated a conception of an exceptional individual he called a â€Å"superman†. Hegel’s superman exists for good purposes. He stands above and beyond the ordinary man and works for the good of all men. The most controversial part of this superman theory that Raskolnikov obviously adopts is the Machiavellian belief that the end justifies the mean. This means that anything that could have a beneficial outcome for many should be considered regardless of the sacrifice of the few. If the intent is noble the method will be justified. According to Hegel, any damaging part of a community should be removed, and one tiny crime will be wiped clean by the good deeds that occur because of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another prevalent German theorist was Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche who had a differing opinion of the superman. His idea was that the superman does not live for benefit of society, but instead for his own personal satisfaction. Nobility never prompts any of his aims. Nietzsche was a devout atheist who believed that either no God exists or that He was dead, so his superman is a man who, without fear of God, exerts his own desires completely.

The Oort Cloud

The Oort Cloud The Oort cloud is a vast swarm of some 2 trillion comets orbiting our star in the most distant reaches of our solar system, extending from beyond the orbits of Neptune and Pluto out to 100,000 times the Earth-Sun distance. Almost one-third the distance to the nearest star. While the planets are confined to a flattened disk in the solar system, the Oort cloud forms a spherical shell centered on the Sun, which gradually flattens down to an extended disk in the inner region, called the Kuiper belt.Bright comets observed through telescopes or with the naked eye get thrown out of the Oort cloud or Kuiper belt, and become visible when they get close to enough so that the Sun's energy can transform the surface ices into gases. These gases drag off the embedded dust, and we see the light reflected from the dust as a tail. Comets are the leftover icy building blocks from the time of planet formation, which formed in the region of the outer planets. Essentially thesecomets are d irty snowballs, composed primarily of water ice, with some carbon monoxide and other ices, in addition to interstellar dust.When their orbits passed close enough to the giant planets to be affected, some were thrown toward the Sun and some were tossed outward toward the distant reaches of the solar system, the spherical swarm we now call the Oort cloud. Some of the comets sent inward hit the inner rocky planets, and probably contributed a significant amount of ocean water and organic material, the building blocks of life, to Earth. Comets that live in the Oort cloud are especially important scientifically because they have been kept in a perpetual deep freeze since the formation of our solar system 4. 6 billion years ago.This means that they preserve, nearly intact, a record of the chemical conditions during the first few million years of the solar system's history, and can be used to unravel our solar system's origins much like an archaeologist uses artifacts to decipher an ancient civilization. The Oort cloud is thought to occupy a vast space from somewhere between 2,000 and 5,000 AU (0. 03 and 0. 08 ly)[12] to as far as 50,000Â  AU (0. 79Â  ly)[3] from the Sun. Some estimates place the outer edge at between 100,000 and 200,000 AU (1. 58 and 3. 16 ly). [12] The region can be subdivided into a spherical outer Oort cloud of 20,000–50,000 AU (0. 2–0. 79 ly), and a doughnut-shaped inner Oort cloud of 2,000–20,000 AU (0. 03–0. 32 ly). The outer cloud is only weakly bound to the Sun and supplies the long-period (and possibly Halley-type) comets to inside the orbit of Neptune. [3] The inner Oort cloud is also known as the Hills cloud, named after J. G. Hills, who proposed its existence in 1981. [13] Models predict that the inner cloud should have tens or hundreds of times as many cometary nuclei as the outer halo;[13][14][15] it is seen as a possible source of new comets to resupply the relatively tenuous outer cloud as the latter's nu mbers are gradually depleted.The Hills cloud explains the continued existence of the Oort cloud after billions of year The outer Oort cloud is believed to contain several trillion individual objects larger than approximately 1Â  km (0. 62Â  mi)[3] (with many billions with absolute magnitudes brighter than 11—corresponding to approximately 20Â  km (12Â  mi) diameter), with neighboring objects typically tens of millions of kilometres apart. Its total mass is not known with certainty, but, assuming that Halley's comet is a suitable prototype for all comets within the outer Oort cloud, the estimated combined mass is 3? 025Â  kg (7? 1025Â  lb or roughly five times the mass of the Earth). Earlier it was thought to be more massive (up to 380 Earth masses), but improved knowledge of the size distribution of long-period comets has led to much lower estimates. The mass of the inner Oort Cloud is not currently known. If analyses of comets are representative of the whole, the vast majority of Oort-cloud objects consist of various ices such as water, methane, ethane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.However, the discovery of the object 1996Â  PW, an asteroid in an orbit more typical of a long-period comet, suggests that the cloud may also contain rocky objects. Analysis of the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in both the Oort cloud and Jupiter-family comets shows little difference between the two, despite their vastly separate regions of origin. This suggests that both originated from the original protosolar cloud,a conclusion also supported by studies of granular size in Oort-cloud comets by the recent impact study of Jupiter-family comet.

Stereotypes: An Interview

The other day I had a discussion with my roommate about the social psychological idea of stereotyping. I found it interesting how much I felt like she was contradicting herself. But in my opinion, I do not find it surprising that she did, because I feel like most people at the point in our lives (college students) do try and not prejudge people, but do anyway. When I asked how guilty she felt she was about stereotyping people, she said it depends on what she s stereotyping, but she does not feel like she does it too much. She also said she does not feel like she belongs in a particular social group and she also feels like there are exceptions in some stereotypical groups. For example, if there were a group of black guys standing on the street, some people would automatically assume that they were up to no good. But my roommate feels like if she saw this group with one of the guys dressed nicely, she could point him out as one exception the one who would probably not be doing any harm. When I asked if she treats people differently right away because of how she has prejudged them, she answered that she does not treat them differently and that she tries not to prejudge at all. However, she does pick out a stereotypical group for a stranger before she meets them, a lot of times, and they do normally end up being what she expects. This proves the theory of the self- fulfilling prophecy to be correct. Whereas some people still tend to put some people they do know as well as strangers into stereotypical groups, my roommate does not. She said once she gets to know someone, on the acquaintance level, she does not stereotype them as much and does not really feel that they belong to a certain groups such as the preps or the jocks. And she also feels that getting to know the person does have an effect on how she feels because the more I get to know them, the less I stereotype them. When I asked if she thought any groups should have a higher self esteem because of what group they seem to be placed with (i. e. snobs or nerds ), she said no, as long as each person is doing everything they can do to keep their lives running well. On the topic of sex she feels that there are extreme stereotypes between men and women. I feel it has gone down over the years, but it definitely still exists; it could be improved; and women are degraded. She really believes there should be equality in every aspect of life between the sexes. However, she sees one stereotype about women that she can agree with is that women are a lot easier to talk to, and are more open-minded and liberal than men. On the topic of race, she feels as though all races judge and stereotype each other such as whites thinking all blacks are on welfare. She said in the case of race, she agrees with some of the stereotypes, but only because she feels that they are based on facts and evidence. Such as, a larger percentage of whites have jobs and less whites are on welfare than other races. But despite all this, she does not overall agree with stereotyping races. In conclusion, when I asked if she thinks the activity of stereotyping will ever end, she said, No, I don t believe stereotyping will ever entirely end. She also said that people should make an effort to see past all stereotypes, good or bad.

Critical Thinking Reflection Essays - Education, Thought, Cognition

Critical Thinking Reflection Essays - Education, Thought, Cognition Critical Thinking Reflection Briana Thomas DATE \@ "M/d/yyyy" 2/6/2017 HUM 115 Week 5 Have you ever just wondered if it would really be worth it to get a college education or to just settle for an everyday jo b and barely get by? I know there are plenty of factors that play a part in deciding to go to school for another four years but you have to make huge step in deciding. In all decisions you make there will be positives and negatives to getting a college degree to better your self. Obtaining your college degree is an important step, both personally and professionally. You have to consider the financial, social and cultural benefits of higher education; it is easy to see how a degree can make a big difference in your life and career. So once you began to weigh out all your options of why you would choose to obtain your college education; you have to start putting a plan together to execute it. You start applying for colleges, deciding on a major, and then you began studying your major. Finally, after you graduate you will begin to see the reasons behind going to get a college education. Having a step process in deciding to get a college education will make you understand why you made the decision in your best interest. The critical thinking process is about knowing how to ask the right question when applying for jobs after graduating college. You have to know how to ask companies what are their education requirements are and then determine if you meet those requirements with the amount of education you have. If you meet those requirements then apply for the job and then you will see that obtaining a college degree was worth the while. I can use my critical thinking in any area researching and in determining which career field to pick to major in as well . The more I know about any issue it will be much easier to understand and create an d decide on i t. With all that I have learned in this course will help me to be more analytical and always collab orate all of the information in the future to apply in my life and any situation that I may encounter . You can use critical thinking for just about anything; in fact it would be beneficial to use crit ical thinking for all problems or concerns, this way you view all possible ways to get a solution to problems I think the best way to continue to use critical thinking in the future is to never forget to ask plenty of questions and to inquire for answers. You can never go wrong with wanting to search and find any solutions to problems. This way you have more information to make the best decision possible.

Living With Cystic Fibrosis CF

Living With Cystic Fibrosis CF Free Online Research Papers Seventy thousand children and adults worldwide are affected by Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Thirty thousand of that seventy thousand that are affected are in the United States. â€Å"CF is a chronic, progressive, and frequently fatal genetic disease of the body’s mucus gland,† (Parker and Parker 11). CF affects the digestive and respiratory systems of children and young adults. According to studies done by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF), there are about thirty thousand Americans, three thousand Canadians, and twenty thousand Europeans with CF. CF is most common in whites whose ancestors came from northern Europe. Although it affects all races and ethnic groups it is a lot less common among African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. Every year about two thousand five hundred babies are born with CF in the United States. Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease. CF is a genetic disease because some individual’s basic building blocks of a gene are altered. This alteration is called a mutation which can cause the body to make defective protein or no protein at all. Children inherit this altered gene from one or both of their parents. For CF to be evident the child must have inherited two abnormal genes, one from each parent. About one in every twenty Americans is an unaffected carrier of an abnormal â€Å"CF gene.† That is about twelve million people who are usually unaware that they are carriers. â€Å"The recessive CF gene can occur in both boys and girls because it is located on non-sex-linked chromosomes called autonomic chromosomes. CF is therefore called an autonomic recessive genetic disease,† (Parker and Parker 14). The CF gene was first identified in 1989. In the past seventeen years a lot has been learned about this gene and its protein product. â€Å"The biochemical abnormality in CF results from a mutation in a gene that produces a protein responsible for the movement through the cell membranes of chloride ions. The protein is called cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR),† (Parker and Parker 16). When this protein is abnormal, â€Å"two of the hallmarks of CF result blockage of the movement of chloride ions and water in the lung and other cells and secretion of abnormal mucus,† (Parker and Parker 16). This makes it difficult for the body to keep organs and lungs clean and healthy because the mucus becomes thick and dry. The mutation that is involved with CF causes the deletion of three of the base pairs in the gene. This in turn, causes a decline in the CFTR protein of amino acid. Because phenylalanine is located in the position 508 of the protein chain, this mutant protein is called deltaF508 CFTR. However, deltaF508 CFTR accounts for only seventy to eighty percent of all CF cases. Various other mutations, over four hundred at the last count seem to be responsible for the remaining CF cases (Parker and Parker 17). Differences in the disease patterns seen in individuals and families probably result from the combined effects of the particular mutation and various, but yet still unknown, factors in the CF patient and his or her environment. There are many different symptoms of CF ranging from a blocked small intestine at birth to rectal pro-lapse which is where part of the rectum protrudes from the anus. One of the most obvious symptoms is salty sweat or skin. One of the most common ways to test for CF is a test called a sweat test. This test measures the amount of salt in a persons sweat. Though this test is most common it is not accurate with newborns because they do not produce enough sweat. Other obvious symptoms include a cough that does not go away, breathing problems, easily worn out from exercise or even regular activities, coughing up mucus that may contain blood or not wanting to eat causing weight loss. Colleen Cronin states in her research found on WebMD. COM, â€Å"On average people who live with cystic fibrosis will live into their mid thirties.† Depending on the stage of the disease depends on the actual life expectancy. The advancements in treatments are making it possible for patients to live into their forties and longer. Patients may live a normal life expectancy if they have mild CF. There are three main groups of different types of treatments; there is respiratory therapy which as Cronin states is a therapy that â€Å"slows down lung damage and improves breathing. The focus of this therapy is on reducing infection and getting rid of mucus to keep the lungs healthy.† Cronin also refers to a digestive therapy which â€Å"works to replace certain digestive enzymes, which make sure the body absorbs all the vitamins and minerals it needs, and prevents or treats intestinal blockages.† The third main group of treatment is antibiotics. There are two different types of antibiotics that Cronin talks about in her research; the first group â€Å"may be prescribed to help prevent infections while others may be prescribed to help fight infections.† Other ongoing treatments may include regular visits with the team of doctors involved with the patient’s case or a combination of treatments from the three main groups. If conditions get worse the doctor may order a chest x-ray, or a ct scan. If the patient experiences complications then the doctor may decide surgery is the best way to go. If surgery is needed the doctor may decide on a chest tube to drain the lungs or the doctor may decide that lung transplantation is the best option. Some patients and their families may find it easier to attend support groups or counseling to help them get through their treatments. Two major foundations that support CF are Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) and Lungs for Life Foundation (LFL). LFL was established in 2000 in memory of Edward W. Wlodarski, who died in 1998. This foundation was established so they could provide short term financial assistance to help CF patients and families with emergencies, treatment assistance and special needs assistance. Their goal is to educate the public about CF and to raise funds for programs. CFF was founded in 1955. They are a non-profit donor supported organization. They are the leading organization in the United States. They currently have more then eighty chapters and offices nationwide and they support a network of more than one hundred fifteen accredited CF care centers. CFF hosts more than one thousand two hundred fund-raising events a year ranging from dinner dances to golf tournaments. The CFF is currently actively supporting at least twenty-five potential new treatments currently in development. One of CFF’s big donations every year is from what is considers CFF’s largest grass roots fund raiser, which is held in Bristol, Vermont. Between 1989 and 2005 they had donated more than five hundred ninety-eight thousand dollars. The organizers of this fund-raiser started this â€Å"three day stampede† in 1989 when their grand-daughter was born with CF the exact same day that the isolation of the defective gene was announced. The stampede is an amazing thing to be apart of. For three years now I have helped out in anyway possible. It is a three day event; there is a craft market, a lawn sale, a silent auction, a bake sale, dinner and dance, bingo, and a walk and roll a thon. Every year the biggest local country radio station does their Sunday morning flee market on site and donates their air time and money. At the stampede you can also see many of the children and teens who have CF from a five town area that go to the high school in Bristol. It is amazing to see what a community can to do to make a difference when there is some one they love affected by the disease. Cystic Fibrosis is not a disease we realize is so wide spread because the signs are not always obvious to the human eye. Just because it is not obvious to the human eye does not mean that it is any less serious. CF can be fatal and it cuts a persons life span down dramatically. Just think that there are about twenty thousand Americans who are carriers and do not even know it. Cystic Fibrosis is more serious than we know it. About LFL. Stephanie White. 2007

A history of American sexuality Essay Example for Free

A history of American sexuality Essay American (136) , Sexuality (5) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? There is little to dispute the notion that rebellious movements only originate as a need, not as a result of human nature. It would indeed be appropriate to view the various cultures of resistance that have developed over the ages in light of this ideology; every era saw a different need and hence developed and shaped itself through their individual’s sexual meaning (D’emilio and Freedman 228). They embody a change in attitude of youngsters regarding suppressed sexual inclinations considered inappropriate by the general public or believed to be counterproductive. Stemming from as early as the 17th century, the progress of freedom of sexuality has mostly been a mosaic, finding roots in differences of race gender and class. However, recent times have allowed that progress to be catalogued in discernable text which can be reviewed to gain insight into the perception of sexuality as has been generally associated with the past; historians such as Jeffrey Weeks, D’emilio and Freedman provide some valuable control points to make those judgments. First era: 1600 to 1780 The institution of marriage, the historical perspective of which was recently been subjected to criticism, has been under scrutiny lately simply because historical data does not correspond with the stereotypes of a traditional marriage (Coontz 13). In simple words, people who believed that the sanctity of marriage centuries ago was protected because of love between partners have lately been disproven. From 1600 to 1780, marriage was vastly regarded as a tool designed squarely as a reproductive mechanism and for the promotion of labor sources, increasing the family ties and the creation of a new generation (D’emilio and Freedman 14). Since work was primarily agricultural back in those days, there was a need to increase labor within the family which was directly reflected in sexuality being confined to the institution of marriage, which in turn was designated for procreation (D’emilio and Freedman 16-17). Such was the kinship and family system. During this era, there was a distinct lack of the element of love and social stigma prohibited acts of premarital intercourse and even falling in love as a pretext for marriage. Amongst the general society though, there were mixed thoughts within Protestants and Native American Indians (D’emilio and Freedman 108). They formulated resistant sexualities to the norms. While the Protestants encouraged sexual pleasures within the marriage and allowed public, though limited, displays of affection, anything outside this institution was invalidated and scorned upon (D’emilio and Freedman 4). There are evidences of regulation in the many punishments awarded to those who breached these standardized concepts of sexualities, and acts of adultery, premarital intercourse, homosexuality, and fornication were considered crimes, commission of which not only resulted in penalties but drew contempt at the hands of the public at large. These were very evidently governed by legal implications, enforced not only by the church (D’emilio and Freedman 51) but also the state and society in unison. Such sexual criminals thus became outcast, leading to non-uniformity of sexualities. Amongst these, the prime suspects were Native American Indians, who allowed pre-marital intercourse and considered homosexuality acceptable. Moreover, marriage was not restricted to just one partner. Polygamy became just as common, suggesting that the sexual behavior was more a matter of the culture and social acceptance than human nature. As D’emilio and Freedman point out, the Chesapeake colonies where men outnumbered women due to the presence of a big number of migrants, men could choose to have sex with women simply to derive pleasure and not as instigation to marriage (D’emilio and Freedman 14-17). The political system in the middle of the 17th century harbored the use of slaves, and those created their own sexual regimes. The southern areas saw a rise in inter-racial sexual ordeals, giving presence to another distinct system of regulating sexualities. The forms of political control that dominated throughout the 17th century, namely the church, state and the local community began losing their footing by the middle of the 18th century to late 18th century. This was partly due to the rise in commercialization and trade, since community presence was losing ground to a larger form of individualism, which institutionalized marriage as an expression of romance. Thus, the original sexual meanings relating to family ties and procreation governed by the sexual politics of the church, state and the local community were being superseded by the culture of resistance that encouraged romance as the central focus of marriage (D’emilio and Freedman 95). Second era: 1870-1980 A new era of sexual preferences was emerging in the late 19th century. The prevailing mood was that of a heightened sense of pre-marital and within-marriage sexual intimacy, defined as â€Å"Victorian† (Peiss 206), with individuality as the central focus, allowing for sexual endeavors to extend beyond marriage and include previously scorned ideologies such as same sex sexualities. The aura was becoming increasingly liberal, as the presence of seemingly immoral exercises such as pornography, and brothel management undermined the societal values (Peiss 238). Attention was drawn towards them by a new breed of post 1880 conservatives. This movement concentrated squarely on declaring every form of seemingly impure sexuality such as adultery, commercialization of sex in terms of pornography, fornication and even eroticization within marriage as immoral and as plagues to society. Sexual meaning, while decidedly liberal in those days, employing extensive use of contraception and experimental living with partners, was met with sexual regulation tactics by the state, governed by the enforcement of legislations. The sexual politics included the passing of Anti-prostitution (D’emilio and Freedman 150, 209, 213) and anti-pornography laws facilitating the resistance that Protestants had also partnered in. This, while curbing public vulgarities to some extent, could not come in the way of the growing consumerism that the industrial wave brought with it. With concentration on individual choice, commercial sex grew, in sync with the empowerment of women both at the workplace and within the family, leading to even more equality amongst the sexes (Coontz 208). In the culture that ensued, the sexual meaning took a very liberal turn with empowerment of the individual being the centerpiece, thus enabling homosexual tendencies to thrive, along with the encouragement of romance and eroticism becoming increasingly desirable. The post 1920s was regarded as an era of sexual reform, post Victorian sexual era so to speak, a time when the concept of marriage was drifting from the originally conceived â€Å"traditional† meanings to those based on deriving sexual pleasures simultaneously with the need to reproduce. The sexual meaning, thus, in the context of D’emilio’s and Freedman’s philosophies (1997), combined those two to place emphasis on the fulfillment and satisfaction of one’s self with respect to the institution of marriage, rather than be forced to adhere to it in order to meet social demands of labor and reproduction. The freedom of choice was highlighted amongst the youth and non-heterosexual endeavors as well as pre-marital sexualities became gradually acceptable. The depiction of sex for commercial use picked up pace as well (D’emilio and Freedman 327), and liberalism both within marriage and outside it grew. The routine depiction of sexual images to the public became frequent, suggesting that sexual choice and independence was what the society wanted. It was in these times that strides were made for gender equality as well, as men slowly edged towards ceasing to become the dominant sexual partners and women began sharing high posts with men in the workplace. Third Era: Post 1980 to present day The major cultural resistance shift was next experienced in the 1970s, with the advent of the liberal homosexual regimes and the urge to pursue sexual freedom by the likes of Hugh Hefner, bringing to light demands to acknowledge premarital sexual endeavors as a right. This, of course, was contrary to the norm of the day, which was still largely heterosexual. More sexual politics brought Left-wing views to the forefront, arguing especially in favor of the gay liberation movement and feminism (D’emilio and Freedman 322-323). During the 70s and 80s, this phenomenon gripped the economically thriving youth of the day, affecting the counterculture in so much as shredding the traditional norms associated with marriage and family in favor of a single sexual life. The right-wings continued to advocate against the sexual deviancies of pre-marital intimacy, commercial utilities of sex, eroticism, etc and much of the debate in the 80s thus surrounded the use of contraceptives, illegitimacy, the spread of HIV and Herpes, rising divorce rates etc. This state of moral panic was superseded by the feminist culture of resistance, which in turn strengthened the position of women who placed emphasis on choice. Employing Margaret Sanger’s voice of reason (D’emilio and Freedman 243-244), the phenomena of birth control enabled women to pursue sexualities undisturbed, serving to ultimately enable gays and lesbians to exchange vows and raise children (Peiss 484). Conclusion To the present day, sexual meanings have been age dependant and cultures of resistance have shaped the way sexual regulations were governed by sexual politics. As stipulated by Weeks, D’emilio and Freedman, all three need to be considered in unison to understand the changing mechanisms of sexualities over a given period (D’emilio and Freedman 377), but it can easily be inferred that those cultures had a strong part to play in the liberation of sexualities and the deviation of the essence of the institution of marriage, from its traditional stance as a means of reproduction to one purely used to attain sexual fulfillment through love . Works Cited Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, A history: How Love Conquered Marriage . Penguin Books, 2005. D’emilio, John and Estelle B. Freedman. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, 2nd Edition. University of Chicago Press , 1997. Peiss, Kathy. Major Problems in the History of American Sexuality: Documents and Essays . Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. A history of American sexuality. (2016, Aug 15).

Moral Equivalent of War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Moral Equivalent of War - Essay Example The army life involves giving up self-interest for the good of the group hence peaceful coexistence and therefore according to James, war must have its way unless a moral equivalent is found which can discipline the whole community and make them feel valued. This would involve conscription of the whole youth population to form an army against nature which is the only enemy of justice and peace. By performing such duties as; dishwashing, road building, coal and iron mining, widow washing, and tunnel making among other duties, the youth would be moulded into responsible men with desirable virtues such as which would replace military virtues hence a moral equivalent of war (Par 25-26). The need for a moral equivalent of war is due to the fact that war is irrational. The ancient communities fought only for the sake of glory and to steal women and other possessions. These military ideals are passed on from generation to generation but in modern times they are restricted for war is only fo ught when necessary. Instead, nations seek peaceful negotiations and only fight when a compromise cannot be reached. However, for James it is difficult to bring peace-party and war-party together because of fear of disappearance of military action which is disciplinary. Nations live in fear hence are always preparing for war so for the military ‘peace’ and ‘war’ are synonymous with the latter being just a â€Å"verification of mastery gained during the peace period† and the absence of war would lead to degeneration of life (Par 8). Militarism is also viewed as a means by which men gain and retain their hardihood and since war is discouraged, the anti-militarists argue that men require new hardihoods equivalent to those instilled by militants. These include; fearlessness, giving up self-interest, and obeying commands (par 23). James believes that new energies and hardihoods can be acquired by altering public opinion just like militarist hardihoods are energized by fear. Men would feel obliged to act for the common good of all hence feel proud of themselves and this would be the equivalent of war. The â€Å"moral equivalent of war† concept has been used in various situations by the nation to achieve its objectives especially those who practice socialism. Ownership of private property is discouraged so as to ensure equality for all members of the society. They all work together for the common good of all community members and give up self-interest. However, this concept is highly criticized by liberalists who believe men should be free to do what they ought to do without influence. Liberalists like Samuel Gregg would thus criticize William James’s idea that men should be conscripted into an army against nature so as to acquire martial virtues necessary for survival and which would act as â€Å"moral equivalent of war†. For Gregg, free choice should not be suppressed for the sake of economic equality (9). As su ch, the state does not need to interfere with the liberty of individuals as they can reason and choose what is best in achieving their ends. Rather, the state should provide assistance to the community to enable them to realize integral liberty. He also argues that men can gain different virtues in many ways and use them for the common good of the community (Gregg 73). William James advocates for a state controlled economy or socialism type of government.

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 139

Summary - Essay Example Secondly, a symbol commences with the initial rupture immediately given. That is, symbols are usually in the form of phoneme. The phoneme, on its own, does not mean anything2. Continued utterance, of the phoneme, gives it meaning. The Eucharist, in comparison to a phoneme, is uttered by preachers and priests alike. The Catholic Mass, for example, is centred on the Eucharist. Thirdly, the existence of a symbol depends on the differences and relations with other parts in the system. Once it is isolated from the parts, the symbol can adopt any meaning. Lastly, a symbol’s value arises from its location in relation to the whole system3. The Eucharist relates to the other parts of the Mass. All events, in the Mass, culminate to the Eucharist. This grants the Eucharist its meaning as the body of Christ. Chauvet illustrates this through the example of a shard of porcelain strewn on a street. The shard helps us in recognizing that it was once a vase. Chauvet clearly distinguishes the two from their definition down to their usage. She defines sign as an element used to refer to something else4. The difference between the two is homologous to the analogy of the difference between the market-value principle and the symbolic-exchange principle. According to Chauvet, receiving a sacrament symbolizes the passage of the word to the body of its receiver5. The new covenant states that the Spirit of God will become one with the body of the people. Through the sacramental symbol, Christians are able to live out of God’s

IT MANAGEMENT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT MANAGEMENT - Assignment Example Then launched it on the internet in August that year, to judge the response from the people for such a technology in which they can let the whole world know what they are doing in their lives by simply sending micro-blogs. The Twitter technology is also equipped with the concept of receiving tweets on mobile phones in form of messages. Arthur (2008) states that Twitter is often called the â€Å"SMS of the Internet† and the character limit of twitter is also chosen in accordance with that of the SMS. McIntyre (2009a) states that since Twitter can be used by PCs and mobile devices both and it offers a very small blog message of maximum 140 characters, due to this advantage it has become one of the biggest mediums globally for sharing real-time data. The size of the messages have also decreased the problem of information overload on the Web. Payne (2008) states that the technology that was used to handle messages from 2007 to 2008 was of a Ruby persistent queue server called Starling. Venners (2009) states that in 2009, they changed the technology and started using software written in Scala. Twitter has been one of the most successful social networking services and has gained its name among the top league including Facebook, video sharing platform of YouTube etc. McIntyre (2009a) states that according to a research by Wall Street Journal; Twitter has had an increase from 2 million users to 32 million users since last year only. There have been some internet measurements services stating that the figures are continuing to grow from 50% to 100% month after month. With such a huge and increasing market; Twitter and other businesses have a great future lined up. McIntyre (2009d) states that consumer feedback plays an important role to any organization in improving their products. Companies spend a great deal of their resources in market research and collecting consumer feedback.

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Religion - Essay Example Humans have, Acharya submits, formed their own beliefs (called probability belief in mathematics and science) about the set of unknowable elements of the universe. Â  They have branded their beliefs about the unknowable as religion. (2006: 2) Though religious beliefs differ from society to society as well as from one community to another, yet no human culture can be viewed as a society without religion. There exist countless religions in the world, but main faiths among them include three Abrahamic religions (i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Hinduism and others. The present paper aims to focus its research on Judaism, Islam and Confucianism for the comparative study, so that their scholarly views could be drawn out in order to assess and estimate the commonalities and differences. The researcher personally interviewed one religious leader and two common men from the Jewish synagogues, Islamic mosques and Buddhist temples situated in Philadelphia, so that the true picture of the religions under study could be observed. The study has been focused on the status of racial discrimination and homosexuality in the three religious beliefs under study. i. Broad Vision: The term broad vision refers to the ideas, notions and views which are free from racial, ethnic, regional, religious and status prejudice or hatred. In the present study, the term simply means the opinions of the religious people which are free of narrow sightedness. ii. Religious Faiths: The term religious faiths simply refer to the sets of spiritual beliefs that describe the duties and obligations of the individuals towards their worshipper as well as spiritual mentor. iii. Dogmatists and Clergy: Dogmatist and clergy refer to the religious people who maintain solid and determined opinion about religious, social, political and cultural phenomena prevailing around them. The clergy are usually

What are the features and issues of a B-Corporation Essay

What are the features and issues of a B-Corporation - Essay Example The corporation can chose from the particular public benefit; to promote arts, protecting or revamping environment, science or knowledge advancement, improving human health, enhancing economic opportunity for persons and society besides the ordinary business course of jobs creation. The B corporation must establish an additionally purpose to create a general public benefits. Public benefit can be a material positive effects on society as well as the environment with regard to the third party standard assessment as well as the operations of the B-corporation. With respect to Warby Parker Corporation, it has ensured public benefit via the donations. In conjunction with VisionSpring, the Corporation sells the glasses and sunglasses. The public benefit is ensured by its program of donation where for every pair of Warby Parker glasses bought, Warby Parker Company pays for the production of a pair of eyeglasses donated to the VisionSpring, an NGO. The VisionSpring thus sell to consumers or firms directly or indirectly. This donation program has ensured that the public interest is served by benefiting the visually impaired persons that buys these glasses at cheaper prices (Korhan 78). Warby Parker has been successful and has saved on cots of operation based on online business approach and delivery cab done in a day as well making it possible to test your eyegl ass online by downloading a photo. The donation has been impactful as by the July 2013, it had distributed over 500,000 to marginalize and the less fortunate groups. This is beneficial as people freely benefit from such arrangements and hence meets the purpose standards set for them. This program has really contributed to the social and economic development. In terms of social development, donations that are channeled through VisionSpring NGO has ensured the Special needs students and other visually impaired individual can execute their activities without challenges

IT MANAGEMENT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT MANAGEMENT - Assignment Example Then launched it on the internet in August that year, to judge the response from the people for such a technology in which they can let the whole world know what they are doing in their lives by simply sending micro-blogs. The Twitter technology is also equipped with the concept of receiving tweets on mobile phones in form of messages. Arthur (2008) states that Twitter is often called the â€Å"SMS of the Internet† and the character limit of twitter is also chosen in accordance with that of the SMS. McIntyre (2009a) states that since Twitter can be used by PCs and mobile devices both and it offers a very small blog message of maximum 140 characters, due to this advantage it has become one of the biggest mediums globally for sharing real-time data. The size of the messages have also decreased the problem of information overload on the Web. Payne (2008) states that the technology that was used to handle messages from 2007 to 2008 was of a Ruby persistent queue server called Starling. Venners (2009) states that in 2009, they changed the technology and started using software written in Scala. Twitter has been one of the most successful social networking services and has gained its name among the top league including Facebook, video sharing platform of YouTube etc. McIntyre (2009a) states that according to a research by Wall Street Journal; Twitter has had an increase from 2 million users to 32 million users since last year only. There have been some internet measurements services stating that the figures are continuing to grow from 50% to 100% month after month. With such a huge and increasing market; Twitter and other businesses have a great future lined up. McIntyre (2009d) states that consumer feedback plays an important role to any organization in improving their products. Companies spend a great deal of their resources in market research and collecting consumer feedback.

What are the features and issues of a B-Corporation Essay

What are the features and issues of a B-Corporation - Essay Example The corporation can chose from the particular public benefit; to promote arts, protecting or revamping environment, science or knowledge advancement, improving human health, enhancing economic opportunity for persons and society besides the ordinary business course of jobs creation. The B corporation must establish an additionally purpose to create a general public benefits. Public benefit can be a material positive effects on society as well as the environment with regard to the third party standard assessment as well as the operations of the B-corporation. With respect to Warby Parker Corporation, it has ensured public benefit via the donations. In conjunction with VisionSpring, the Corporation sells the glasses and sunglasses. The public benefit is ensured by its program of donation where for every pair of Warby Parker glasses bought, Warby Parker Company pays for the production of a pair of eyeglasses donated to the VisionSpring, an NGO. The VisionSpring thus sell to consumers or firms directly or indirectly. This donation program has ensured that the public interest is served by benefiting the visually impaired persons that buys these glasses at cheaper prices (Korhan 78). Warby Parker has been successful and has saved on cots of operation based on online business approach and delivery cab done in a day as well making it possible to test your eyegl ass online by downloading a photo. The donation has been impactful as by the July 2013, it had distributed over 500,000 to marginalize and the less fortunate groups. This is beneficial as people freely benefit from such arrangements and hence meets the purpose standards set for them. This program has really contributed to the social and economic development. In terms of social development, donations that are channeled through VisionSpring NGO has ensured the Special needs students and other visually impaired individual can execute their activities without challenges

Hirschi Social Control Theory Essay Example for Free

Hirschi Social Control Theory Essay I agree with Hirchi’s Theory to a certain extent only. This is because I believe it is not applicable to all people and to all situations. Yes, it may be true that when a person, as early as his childhood, conforms to fit into groups and find his place, he will probably be a person who is responsible and law-abiding. While we still have our own self-interests and individuality, we all want to feel we belong and mould our beliefs and involvements to form attachments. Also, as stated by Hirchi’s Theory, conformity is formed by four variables which we develop through our interactions with family and school, the four being: attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. For me, attachment and conformity to different social groups in the society does not guarantee a person for him to be less ready in committing a crime. Yes, a human being’s personality is partly formed by the environment where he is in—may be the attachment and conformity with his environment helps in molding a righteous and morally-upright personality. But in humanism, a human being has the absolute control to his life. He has free will and it is up to him how he will react to the stimuli created by his environment. In addition, psychologically, the formation of personality is still debatable whether it is nature or nurture. Nature says that a human being’s personality is genetic and on the other hand, nurture says that personality is molded by his environment. I think that some criminals can still be counseled psychologically targeting areas where in he has not yet matured and where he is still fixated—some of these may be the lack of attachment to social groups.

Examining The Revolution Of Internet Usage Media Essay

Examining The Revolution Of Internet Usage Media Essay Internet usage has brought revolution in communication. In the recent past, there has been advancement internet technology making internet more accessible to many peoples. In business and institutions internet communication has brought major changes to how communication is made. One of the major effects of internet is making information more accessible to most people. Although this has been highly praised, it has brought questions on regulation on usage of internet. In the recent past families, organizations, institutions, interest groups and even governments have been calling for internet censorship. Internet censorship can have positive impact depending on context. New technological innovations have led to the introduction of internet services which play a major role in the world of communication. The internet provides an appropriate forum, where people can communicate with one another regardless of their geographical location. Due to minimal regional restriction on internet services, people from virtually all ages with internet knowledge in most part of the world can easily access it. Conventionally, internet was a communication tool that mainly consisted of e-mail service. Internet users still sign up for user accounts through which they receive and send e-mails to other registered users (Foerstel 120). Since the modifications of original internet user configurations, internet has significantly improved in its functions as it provides a wide array of options in both private and commercial websites with a lot of information. North Korea is considered among the top blog-unfriendly nations in the world due to internet censorship. It is only the foreigners and politically privileged people who are allowed to access the internet freely in the country. Consequently, there is no openly existent blog in leading to difficulties by North Koreans to access blogs. Journalists are allowed by the government of North Korea into the country on condition that they are followed around by watchers to ensure they do not indulge in suspicious activities. The government also carries out censorship on news before it is made public hence control over all information that the citizens receive (Icon Group International, Inc. 39). In Pakistan, self censorship by media companies started with the reign of General Zia who was both the president and army chief (Icon Group International, Inc. 48). In this form of censorship, press material is checked so that the governments credibility is not tarnished. All press material in Pakistan must favor the government of the day to ensure political serenity in the country. In Guilford County, North Carolina, initial plans to ban two books The Color Purple and Native Son that were used in teaching literature in the curriculum faced a petition to eliminate them from the coursework and won. This was as a result of a censorship policy which was aimed at using software and other means to restrict pornographic material from being accessed from online sources or school libraries, a move that was considered unconstitutional (Foerstel 207). School boards in Lima, Ohio and Jackson County in Ripley unanimously voted against this form of censorship by the year 1999. At the same period, The Color Purple was eliminated from the curriculum and libraries at Ferguson High School in Virginia (Foerstel 207) due to claims of vulgar language and explicit content. This form of internet restriction was received as an unappreciative move of eliminating library material for scholars. As a result of the censorship move gaining negative response, lawmakers prepared new and better rules that allowed scholars to obtain online information without the boundaries censorship caused as a result of preventing public obscenity displays through the internet (Foerstel 114). The internet came with a myriad of challenges and in some cases, unique set of unanticipated drawbacks also came forming its disadvantages. Based on extreme case scenarios, this essay seeks to argue against the application of censorship policies to information sources on the internet. It goes ahead to suggest the alternative need for better protection policies that favor both the users and controlling bodies before finalizing on the extent of its applicability if deemed necessary. Sandra Hughes of CBS news reports of Robert Wise, an online sex predator who preys on a 14 year old girl and later on gets arrested for soliciting for sex from a minor unfolding the dangers of unrestricted online communication between different parties. The CBS reporter further gives an account of the story of Kyla Reed, a 15 year old who goes missing without a trace after being an active participant in MySpace. Investigations link her disappearance to her activities on the social network (Kreiser 7). The culmination of such stories is a likely reason that would arouse governments to conduct censorship of the internet. This would however not put an end to the activities of predators as they would carry them out elsewhere. It is a preferable option to innovate alternative means of preventing online predators. Various aspects of socialization can be attributed to interactions through the internet that have improved communication among different users of the web. This has been made possible by internet service developers inventing ways of configuring more sophisticated services such as voice over internet protocols and instant messaging services that pave way for the creation of highly interactive web sites. Presently, Face book, MySpace and Twitter are the leading social internet sites which use chats as the latest culmination of instant messaging service among other options for internet communication. Such web sites reflect on the need to have communication infrastructure which appreciates urgency and convenience, the limitations in the physical environment notwithstanding. Restricted internet use would bar intercommunication among people of different cultures thus deterring the build up of social ties and should be avoided where applicable. Internet usage is increasingly becoming a necessity to users who spend most of their time searching for information that is to be implemented in either personal or professional use. Internet also plays a fundamental role in the media fraternity as it is a means of sending and receiving both local and international news (Jones 19). Basing on this, communication is made much easier for journalists because they have access to vital information through the internet and a ready audience. CBS and other news networks have links on Face book, Tweeter and MySpace to keep track of its audience for information dissemination. With new innovations, there were introductions of updated journals in form of blogs which provided diverse information. Journalists are however criticized by scholars as being supposedly cynical in their work which brings about the claim of lack of professionalism. Jones weblog on Real and fake news shows the criticism reporters receive from the public and intellectuals for what they term as irresponsibility caused by bias in reporting. They brand this as the main reason for the young people being politically ill informed as a result of turning to non credible or single sided sources of information (Jones 20). Such political content in news makes authorities have reason to ground a basis for information censorship. Positively impacting sites include those which are educative and informative in terms of providing essential academic materials to users. In addition, many people use online services to communicate with people across the continent. At present, communication is much easier through the internet because people can easily chat from sites of social networks. Apart from education and communication purposes, the internet has gained popularity because of its entertainment nature as users can play games, download pictures, music and movies (Contrada 117). Despite the many benefits derived from internet use, there has been a realization of some setbacks. Internet can negatively influence users since it at times contains offensive and explicit materials. At a very rampant rate, sexual sites with pornographic content are frequently visited by people of different ages including underage children out of curiosity or ignorance. Regardless of parental monitoring, it is very difficult to control what children do while using computers. For this reason, there are controversies on what basis the internet should be censored (Farhi 5). Due to high levels of possible risks that vulnerable internet users are predisposed to, censoring online services is increasingly becoming a preference to authorities since it promises protection to its users from the proliferation of malpractices such as sexual exploitation. Censoring is seen as a probable solution that would therefore help parents who have difficult time in controlling their childrens access to pornographic sites that display distorting material oblivious of what their effects may be. Similarly, the degree of devastating effects that it has on the users is deliberately ignored by the hosts to the detriment of the society. Even though censoring of internet content may not have a major influence on the amount of responsibility adults practice on the vulnerable group, it is important to control unsociable internet activities like human trafficking (Chawki Wahab 1). People especially, women and children often fall into the trap of human traffickers who advertise themselves and conduct most of their practices through the sites. Without knowing many people are blindly lured into such illegal practices since it is sometimes difficult to judge the credibility of a given site due to their persuasive nature. To help curb these cases, censorship may seem to be a preferable option. However, governments involved should come up with new ways of monitoring the use of internet especially in criminal activities such as human trafficking (Chawki Wahab 4). In relation to e-mail services, censoring the internet would prevent users from illegally accessing unauthorized information. E-mail intruders would therefore have a difficult time in acquiring information once the internet is censored. In addition, censoring internet information will help detect and prevent behaviors and habits of users with malicious motives. This is likely to save the society a lot of social problems that lead to loss of moral wellbeing. The main reason is that all undesirable information is crushed automatically when the internet is censored. Furthermore, users are protected from hate mails or any other information from the populace that leads to negative effects. Censoring the internet can be beneficial since it will ensure control of the kind of material that people access such as government information. These administrative bodies are usually strict when it comes to secrets and will always try to conceal vital records from the public. Although there are ways of concealing information, some individuals will work out ways of accessing such records through the web. Arresting such people may not be a permanent solution because others might continue with the trend. Effective innovative ways to detect and prevent these malicious acts would be a useful remedy to the governments since the public will not succeed in acquiring any secrets (Drezner 34). Although censoring the internet can be advantageous, it may deny non-targeted individuals the opportunity of accessing important information (Contrada 83). Internet should not be censored because it may prevent people from getting vital information. Such information as educative content, scientific information based on recent studies may lead to new ideas that could be hidden from users. Therefore, censoring internet sources is likely to hinder innovation and new discoveries because the means of acquiring new and supportive information is complicated. Censoring the internet can also be a disadvantage to individuals as they would not get the opportunity to express themselves. Internet is a place where people can openly express themselves to other people. Furthermore, it is also a place where people can learn about the views of others. By restricting online services, free interaction would be hindered. To a certain level, a particular government can benefit from internet restrictions although it would be at the expense of its citizens (Contrada 64). This means that internet censoring is seen as only benefiting the government while its citizens suffer. Such a government risks being viewed as overly oppressive. In most cases, censoring internet sources may appear like denying citizens the right to information. People have the need to acquire knowledge about all changes that are happening around them and in other places. Restricting online services will also prevent them from knowing important information about the government. It is not fair to put people in the dark especially when there are difficulties in the country. Societies are part of a country and so should be updated of various issues within the nation (Contrada 32). Moreover, censoring the internet would prevent the media from accessing and conveying essential information to citizens by the government. There should be freedom of the press whereby journalists can express themselves without any restrictions. Once online services are restricted, journalists may be unable to even access international news. In America, restricting the internet would go against the 1st Amendment right which states that there should be freedom of speech and press (Drezner 33). Globalization is increasingly changing the world of communication as there are new technologies which make interactions much easier. Internet communication is considered as one of the major sources of information to the media fraternity both locally and internationally. Censoring the internet may therefore limit the manner in which the media sends information to its target consumers and limit intercultural communication which is widely done through the web. Journalists are frequent internet users as they receive and convey information through different sites. Journalists prefer using blogs because it is a quick method of information dissemination especially when conveying urgent and important information. Through blog sites, journalists are able to discuss a wide range of topics which including politics, economy, environment, finance and many more. More often, journalists use online services to publish political issues that may affect their country or other countries. If the internet is censored, it would not be possible for people to acquire certain information about political issues. Online services should not be censored because it would prevent journalists from hosting and visiting blog sites that are very essential to them. Apart from blogs, journalists normally visit social networks which they use due to their fast nature and popularity in information conveyance. Journalists also prefer the site especially for stories that are changing so fast such as the development of a report on survivors of a plane crash. Mainstream media depend s on such information since collection and encoding can be done fast. (Farhi 3). Primarily, internet plays an essential role in the world of communication. Through the internet, people are able to communicate with one another regardless of their geographical locations. Online service is therefore one of the major source of information to media fraternity. (Rosen 3). Although internet is very useful to genuine users, it also has limitations since it is characterized by sites that contain sexual materials. Censoring the internet has been made necessary owing to the need for keeping unauthorized individuals at bay through blocking access to sites by users who cannot practice self censorship as a result of ignorance or curiosity. The demerits arising from liberal internet use can however be curbed by coming up with monitoring policies that protect and prevent vulnerable groups. This is mainly because censorship would deny genuine internet users the opportunity to acquire information from a variety of sources. A better recommendation would be to develop alternative internet policies that permit users to access specific sites on the internet. This would protect vulnerable groups from exploitation by malicious people thus enhancing the security of the state.

Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe - King of Nothing :: Defoe Robinson Crusoe Essays

Robinson Crusoe is said to be the first realistic novel ever, an it is written by Daniel Defoe. In this novel we meet Robinson Crusoe who is stranded on a uninhabited island. In the topical excerpt called "the print of a foot" Crusoe sees a footprint, and he starts wondering if the island really is uninhabited. Though Robinson Crusoe is stranded on a island in the middle of nowhere without any facilities, he is not a desperate man in any way. He sees himself as a king or an emperor, an feels kind of free, despite the limited geographical space. Crusoe also says "I had neither the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, or the pride of life. I had nothing to covet, for I had all that I was now capable of enjoying". The fact that the environment around Crusoe has been changed completely, has also changed his way of thinking. Women has been less importaint, which is naturale since there are no women around. But we can also see how the lack of material things, forces Crusoe to focus on other tings and get other values. He starts thinking and reflecting about life and his own surroundings. Crusoe becomes pleased with the fact that he has everything he needs on the island, and he uses only what is needed; nothing more. The religious aspect of Robinson Crusoe should be mentioned. Crusoe t hinks a lot about God and the Devil. He looks upon every positive ting, such as the rich nature, as gifts from God. Crusoe is very thankfull to this, and he is happy that he is able to consider what he enjoed, rather then what he wanted. But also the Devil was something he beleaved existed. This shows when Crusoe one day sees the footprint in the sand, and first thinks that it must be the Devil. After some time though, he concludes that this can not be right. It must have someother explanation... Of course Robinson Crusoe can be seen as "an ideal of individual enterprise empire-building". Crusoe fights the nature and manage to live well on a island all by himselfe. He also take care of the environment in a good way. But in all this, I also think there is a fundamental thought of power, which we can be critical to.

Recreation and Power vs. the Environment :: Free Essays Online

Recreation and Power vs. the Environment The emptying of Lake Powell has now been an issue for years. The sierra club strongly supports the draining of the lake for environmental issues. One side of the debate argues for recreation, water and power supplied from the lake. The other argues for the saving of an environment that is now being destroyed by the existence of the lake. Both sides carry strong support, and the debate sees no clear end coming any time soon. Lake Powell was created in the 1950’s with the building of the Glen Canyon Dam, as part of the Colorado River Restoration Project. This dam was built to support a power plant to power parts of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, and to ensure the steady water supply of the Colorado. It filled Glen Canyon with water. The lake now crosses into both states and is a recreation area for sightseers, cliff divers, swimmers, fisherman, and boaters. The making of the lake brought about the building of the city of Page, which raises 500 million dollars per year of tourism revenue. This man-made lake now delivers power and water to over 22 million people. But does this power come at a cost? Lake Powell has come as such a cost that does not prove worthwhile. Its draining will help to fix the ecosystem, and the state of the southwest. The water in Lake Powell is now dropping at an enormous rate. The rivers that feed the lake cannot sustain the levels they once had. The lake has dropped over 100 feet. Creating this lake made a water mass that was very susceptible to evaporation; it evaporates at a rate of a million and a half acre feet per year. This would be stopped with the draining of the lake, and letting the river be restored to its original state. With the making of the damn, very important fish and plant habitat was destroyed, some of these being important and endangered species. It also prevented the flow of fish to different part of the river, as there are now 11 dams along the rivers.

Nature Versus Nurture Essay

Nature versus Nurture The nature versus nurture debate has been one that has been around for centuries. This debate was spawned from the idea that nature and nurture are both pieces of the human puzzle. Are we as humans shaped because of our genes only or are we influenced by our peers and environment? The opinion of this writer is that a person is who he or she is based on both principals of nature and nurture. Personal Thoughts My thoughts on nature and nurture have never been explored until now. I have always assumed that I am who I am because God made me this way. Now that I have learned a bit more about this debate, I find that I am a product of both nature and nurture. I am tall, have brown hair, wear glasses, and speak with a country accent because of my gene structure given to me by my parents. The way that I act and my thought processes come from influences in my environment and the teachings of my family. â€Å"We are a product of nature and nurture, but we are also an open system† (Myers, pg. 167). This means that even though genes and culture are influences in a person’s overall structure, a person can defy each. For example, as a teenager, I was always pressured to go with the crowd and conform to their ways of thinking and acting. I wanted so badly to fit in and found it difficult because I was tall, lanky, and had acne which was all given to me by my nature or genetic structure. Growing up in a smaller town, teenage drinking was a pressure of my social group and while I knew it would be the â€Å"thing to do†, I opposed what culture was telling me was okay. I chose not to go with the crowd and for that, I enjoyed my high school experience in my own way. I was taught by my parents the consequences of right and wrong and knew that making such choices were wrong for me which was instilled in me through the nurture part of my makeup. God says â€Å"Train up a child in the way in which he should go† (Prov. 22:6) which must have been a very important verse as I was growing up. My parents and grandparents have always been influential in making me a self-respecting, confident adult who can make conscious decisions on my own. History The nature versus nurture debate first began in the 13th century in France. Our genes give us our internal imprint that tell us what color our eyes are, how tall we will be, and how big our feet will be. Our genetic structure makes us unique. Psychological influences refer to our beliefs, feelings, and expectations of life experiences. These characteristics are based on the â€Å"gene-environment interaction† and can give us â€Å"responses evoked by our own temperament, gender, etc. † (Myers, pg. 167). Finally, social-cultural influences are how society influences our development. These can come from our parents, friends, culture, and even gender. A person’s social-cultural influences can cause them to see people differently than they normally would. I could see this being the state where racism is influenced. Unfortunately, I see this becoming a bigger influencing factor in the years ahead and we, as a society, have many different cultural groups in our everyday lives. Conclusion In conclusion, the nature versus nurture debate can take on many different forms in how it is perceived. One could see that they are who they are based on their heredity while another could see it from an environmental viewpoint.

Finance and Company Essay

So Wrigley has to make decisions on whether or not to borrow $ 3 billion for recapitalization. Question Based on the above situation, there are few questions that arise as seen below: ? Whether the recapitalization would be good for the company’s development in the long run? ?After borrowing $ 3 billion dollars what would the impact on the company’s debt rating be? ?What’s the impact on the company’s share value; would the recapitalization increase the company’s share value? ?What’s the impact on the company’s WACC, an increase or decrease? Would recapitalization increases the EPS of the company? Hypothesis Before capital restructuring due to not having any debt, return on capital and operating income as a percent of sales can be used based on exhibit 2(it is $513,356/$2,429,646= 21%) which is the A to AA range of investment grade. After recapitalization, the company’s debt rating will fall to a BB/B rating which reflects a higher risk and lower debt rating that will cause higher yields. According to Exhibit 7’s given information, the yield is between BB (12. 753) to B (14. 663) to obtain a cost of debt. Impact on share value If the company chooses to repurchase the stock, the WD will be 22. 89% (3,000,000/13,103,000), the WACC will be 10. 19% (22. 89% (1-40%)*13%+77. 1%*10. 9%). Both 10. 32% and 10. 19% are lower than the WACC before recapitalization, which indicates that after the recapitalization the company will have a lower minimum rate of return for the company that it needs to earn on its investments to maintain its wealth. Impact on Voting Control If the company is using the dividend plan to do capital restructuring, there will not be any impact on voting control. However, if the company is using the stock repurchase plan, it will have an influence on the voting control. The current Wrigley family ownership includes 21% of common shares and 58% of B shares. The total numbers of shares outstanding for Wrigley consists of the sum of the common shares of 189. 8 million and class B shares of 42. 641 million (10 votes each), a total of 232,441 million shares. So the company will have 46. 6% ((189. 8*21%+426. 41*58%)/616. 21=46. 6%)voting control before recapitalization. After the recapitalization the voting control will increase to 49% [(179. 22-42. 641)*21%+426. 41*58%]/ (136. 58+426. 41) =49Based on the above analysis, my suggestion is not to borrow $ 3 billion dollars, or if the company insists in doing a recapitalization I would suggest for them to not borrow as much and to make some investment on assets instead of it all in equity. For the Wrigley Company I think they should keep their debt below 50 percent. Because after recapitalization, it will have negative impacts on EPS, debt rating, share value and it has a slightly positive impact on WACC and voting control. The results of impact on EPS analysis shows that EPS will drop from $ 1. 61 to 0. 46 and, the debt/ assets ratio will be 169% which will increase the company’s risks. From a debt rating aspect, after borrowing $ 3 billion dollars, the debt rating of the company will decline from AA/A to BB/B which means that the company will have a higher interest rate, more interest expense and a lower credit rating in the future. This is not good for the company’s future development. From a long term prospective, I believe it’s important that the company be careful in determining whether they should pursue a dividend or stock repurchase strategy. If the company chooses to use the $ 3 billion to pay dividends now, it might increase the investor’s satisfaction in the short run but once the dividend has been paid, the investor will expect the same amount of dividend in the future and a lower dividend might disappoint investors and that might affect the company’s stock price in the future. The stock repurchase is temporary as well, so after the repurchase the ending stock price might drop and it may hurt a potential new investor who made a purchase during the repurchase period. All things considered as long as Wrigley keeps an eye on their long term goals and continues to look at the big picture whilst making good solid financial choices for their company they should be most successful.

Acting like a lady

Acting like a lady Essay So You Want To Act Like a Lady?For years women have been waxing, plucking and beautifying themselves for one reason and one reason only; because they think that is beauty. A woman is only classified as a lady if she can walk, talk and dress the part. The way that society has viewed femininity has changed immensely over the past hundred years, but acting like a tomboy or, heaven forbid, being strong and independent is looked down upon in the eyes of men and other women. Certain standards of ladylike demeanor have become outdated in todays society, and women should be looked at as beautiful when strong and independent. But what defines a woman to be ladylike, and can it be defined as a single type? I believe that standards of beauty have changed, and standing out is what will get you ahead in society today. Stereotypes of the ideal female must be brought down to work on achieving inner beauty and internal happiness. Since the 1950s, women have been seen as very dainty and sensitive creatures who are meant to be silent partners to their mates. A womans place was in the home-cooking, cleaning and watching after her children. Women were to get up every morning and prepare lunches for their breadwinning husbands, as well as wake and dress the children for school, cook breakfast, do housework and have a hot meal on the table when her husband was to return home. Women have stepped down to their traditional roles as housewife and caretaker, and it has raised many issues in society today. It was considered a womans job to be a good cook and be a whiz with a broom, in fact, it is what made them so darn attractive. Times, they are a changing. In fact, the U.S Department of Labor states that in the year 2008, women will make up 48% of the work force. That means that more women will be going to college and getting and education, as well as heading out into the workforce to make a name for themselves. Being a lady also means dressing like a lady. But since when has the portrait of a woman relied on what she wore? I have been told all my life that high heels are a womans best friend, and a true treasure is finding just your shade of lipstick. The pain that women endure for a small amount of vanity will be forever a mystery to me. Hours spent in the bathroom with irons, curlers, pokers, prodders, waxes and powders, and for what? So you can pretend you enjoy it and wake up the next morning and do it all again. The first test in becoming ladylike lies in a womans outer appearance. Not long ago, it was considered beautiful to run around in tightly yanked corsets and ballroom gowns, but now we must wear high heels that look like some sort of torture device? Running late to the market in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt is completely unacceptable, if you a true lady that is. I remember growing up watching reruns of shows like The Brady Bunch and The Wonder Years and in every episode the women were dressed in ridiculous looking dresses and jumpers. They never looked comfortable, and they sure as heck couldnt throw around the football! To find a woman in a pair of jeans and a do-rag was permitted only while working in the yard or cleaning the house. I grew up my entire life in a t-shirt, jeans and a pair of softball cleats, and I consider myself very much a lady. I would have much rather scored the winning run than play with my sisters Barbie bake oven, thats for sure. READ: Fears and Phobias EssayTo be a lady also means to act like a lady. This means no spitting, swearing, farting, cursing, hitting, name-calling or getting dirty. It is completely impossible for any one person to go their entire life without performing at least one, it not all of these acts, repeatedly. Why hide the fact that you just ate a medium pizza and then drank a 2 liter of Coke? Let out a little belch. And in someones unwritten laws of being a woman, it was decided that women must be dainty and sensitive to matters of decorum. I know that most men take comfort in the fact that they must provide for their wives and perform difficult tasks to show their manhood, but what about those few precious women who can get things done by themselves? Men are in charge of manual labor, heavy machinery and getting a little dirt underneath their fingernails. Because, we all know that dirt would never find its way into a ladys fingernail, or it would just be extremely hard to see under t heir pastel pink fingernail polish. To be a lady means to never to be one of the guys. And women participating in sports are completely out of the question. A woman wasnt allowed to play rough and be tough because they would never find a man, get married and have children (supposedly every womans fulfillment in life?) Women are meant to be the cheerleaders standing off to the side at a baseball game, looking adoringly into their little mirrored compact and asking who just scored a touchdown. Do men really find, ditsy, uneducated women attractive? Do they really want a woman to rely on their every move and hang on their every whim? Empowered women, to me, are the epitome of beauty, and if that means ripping a worm in half, sticking it on the hook and catching dinner, then so be it. Up until just recently, women have been content being looked down upon by powerful men in society, but in my eyes, for gender inequality to go on any longer would be a travesty. Women today need to realize that they no longer need to fit some ridiculous cookie-cutter mold that insecure men have formed for them. It infuriates me that at one time, women werent allowed to play professional sports, let alone vote! It all turned around though, just eighty five years ago when women were allowed into the voters booth. To think that resources were once unobtainable to the women before me, only motivates me to take advantage of all I can in the time that I have here on earth.