John Updikes a & P Is a Coming of Age Story Essay

John Updikes short story, A & P is about a 19-year-old boy, Sammy, and his short but decisive transformation from a carefree teenager to a grown man with the consequences of his actions weighing heavy on him in the end. On an otherwise ordinary day, the course of Sammys life is changed by an out of the ordinary experience which challenges him and compels him to make a rash decision that is based on what he knows in his heart is right for him. Sammy tells the story as if it is just another day while the life-changing event unfolds in a manner of minutes. He gives insight about the town by giving short character descriptions that are revealing, not only of each character, but also of Sammys feelings about the town, the people in it, and his personal perspective on the life that he is living there. Although the character descriptions paint a negative picture, the negativity has more to do with Sammys thought of living in this town with these characters for much more of his young life. It is clear that Sammy is more than ready to move on, beyond where his life is now. Sammy offers few facts about himself other than that he is 19 and lives with his parents in a small, conservative, New England town. Sammy points out that the town is not far from the location of the Salem witch-hunts and burnings in centuries past. The elusion to Salem leaves an image of a lingering puritanical cloud over the town and its people. The story takes place in the A & P grocery store in the heart of the downtown area where Sammy works as a checkout clerk. Sammys co-worker, Stokes, is 22 years old and married with two children. Stokes station in life represents a lifestyle that is not out of reach for Sammy, but certainly not the lifestyle that Sammy desires for his life although it is not clear even to Sammy what exactly the lifestyle that he desires is. Sammys boss, Mr. Lengel, who is a conservative and outspoken man, is a Sunday school teacher and the manager of the A & P. Mr. Lengel is the living image of everything that Sammy does not ever want to be. The customer that Sammy refers to as the cash-register-watchers and a witch (560) is a character that epitomizes Sammys disdain for the attitude of the usual customer that comes through his check out line on a daily basis, as well as the entire citizenry of his small hometown. The life-altering event begins to unfold in the very first line of the story. In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suites (560). The very first characters who are introduced in the story are everything that is not acceptable in this ultra conservative town, although the three girls bring with them a burst of pure innocent sunshine. Everyone in the store gawks at the three girls as if they have never seen a girl in a bathing suit. The fact is that they probably had never seen a girl in a bathing suit anywhere other than a place to swim which emphasizes that this is an ultra conservative town with puritanical attitudes. Sammy and Stokes are very preoccupied with the sight of the girls and they enjoy every second of it. Mr. Lengle, who doesnt miss that much (563) is fully aware of the enjoyment that Sammy and Stokes are having. Mr. Lengle insults the girls by telling them that they are not decently dressed. In the girls minds, uncluttered by the collective oppressive attitude that is the norm in the store, they are decent and see nothing wrong with their appearance. At this point, Sammy feels embarrassment for the girls and at the same time realizes that he is part of their embarrassment, because he is a part of the collective puritanical attitude. He also realizes that this is a turning point for him. Sammy has arrived at a cross road in his young life and he realizes that if he is ever going to become what he sees for himself in his future, and if he is ever going to reach what he truly desires in his life, he must make a decision. He must decide to break free from the collective attitude or remain a part of it. Sammy makes the decision to break free from the puritanical and oppressive attitude of all of the generations before him. Sammy quits his job and he does it while the girls are still in the store hoping that the girls will take notice that he does not have the same attitude and moral judgment of them and that he does not condone it. He hopes that the girls will see him as their hero. As Sammy takes off his A & P apron and bow tie, he is shedding the old puritanical views and attitudes. As he walks out of the store, he embraces his newfound freedom and coming of age, although he also realizes that his parents will not be pleased. Sammy has known for some time that this is what he would eventually do, and this was the day, because the three girls provided a good reason and the opportunity for Sammy to assert himself, to become his own person with his own perspective, values, morals, beliefs and attitudes. Works Cited Updike, John. A & P. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 560-64.

All State Case Study Essay

How does a company known for being conservative attract a non-conservative target market? Since being the founded in 1931, Allstate has been one of the leading companies in the insurance business acting as a leader in sales while remaining vocal about increasing safety processes. Starting in the 1960’s Allstate began promoting the customers safety by playing a role in convincing governments to make seatbelts mandatory and then again in the 70’s to 80’s in promoting airbags. Allstate’s motto â€Å"You’re in good hands† along with their ability to remain in a positive public light for many years has provided the confidence customers want in an insurance company. Allstate offers many types of insurance including home, rental, auto, life in addition to various recreational vehicles, motorcycles included. Slide 3-29 Estimating Current Demand: Total Market Potential With 9 million motorcyclists registered in this country this became a market that Allstate developed a heightened interested in targeting. After initial data collection they determined that they only provided insurance to a single digit percentage of this market. They began their campaign by simply trying to create awareness that they sold motorcycle insurance. The number of registered motorcyclists along with registered bikes would allow Allstate to help determine their total market potential. As many motorcyclists own multiple bikes this would need to be accounted for in estimating the potential number of buyers. Industry sales would then need to be looked at as not every motorcycle owner purchases motorcycle insurance, whether they are currently not using their bike or due to a disbelief in the need for insurance in general. This additional data could also be provided from surveys of buyer’s intentions targeted at those with a motorcycle license or those who have recently purchased a motorcycle. Slide 3-7 Database Management Marketing and selling insurance is very different beast from marketing retail products. Retail products typically can be marketed to offer something new to an individual that they don’t already have or to replace their current stuff with a newer versions. On the contrary once a customer has purchased insurance they do not make a change until they are either unhappy or a new offer is enticing enough to attract a customer to switch providers. Due to Allstate current customer profile they already have the ability to reach out, collect data and market to their 1.5 million motorcycle owners who were already clients for other types of insurance. (Elliot, 2008) By providing a package deal with other insurance policies purchased through Allstate they are able to market internally and increase sales to those that are already loyal customers. Slide 3-11 Needs and Trends As times have changed and gas prices continue to rise, along with our population, consumers have begun to switch from the larger vehicles to more gas efficient choices that allows them the freedom to commute in the car pool lane. Motorcyclists who initially rode solely for pleasure began using their more cost effective motorcycles as part of their daily commute. These factors have played a role in the increasing trend of motorcycle sales for the past decade. As these sales have remained elevated, this market has solidified its move to become a predictable and durable trend rather than a fad. Due to the concern that our current primary fuel source, oil, is finite and nonrenewable, we face substantial cost increases as depletion approaches. (Kotler & Keller, 2012) As the population continues to grow our highways also become more congested, increasing our commute time. In most Asian countries, with some of the more dense populations the main individual vehicle choice is the motorcycle. (Ing, H. T.-P., Eng, A.F.M.S. & Ing, N.X.D, 2008) In time we may see our country following this trend and this may eventually transform our transportation industry resulting in motorcycle sales becoming a Mega Trend. Slide 3-21 Natural Environments As of Motorcycle Industry Council’s most recent report, scooter sales are up 11.8% and dual-purpose bike sales are up 14.2%. (MIC, 2012) With the purchase of any of these types of bikes also comes a need for motorcycle insurance. The target population for these types of bikes are individuals looking for fuel efficiency, commute cost savings while still choosing a comfortable, more visible motorcycle or a less aggressive scooter. This target population fits into the Allstate’s current philosophy focusing on safety. Allstate’s website promotes the use of safety gear while riding and offers a good rider discount. According to the case study the increased sales are also accounted to the Baby Boomers and Generation Y consumers. Both these generations respond well to living green and are highly environmentally conscious along with image conscious. (Williams, K.K & Page, R.A) Slides: 4-11 Research Approaches, 4-30 Contact Methods & 4-31 Pro’s and Con’s of Online Research On the realization that this was an untapped market, Allstate did a wonderful job at reaching out to motorcyclists and determining how to target this population. Firstly, as Allstate found many of their staff were motorcycle riders themselves which allowed Allstate to start with their own internal focus groups. They then began their own website which was targeted exclusively to motorcycles in addition to sponsoring motorcycle rallies. (Helm, B. 2007) Motorcyclists are a tight community and communicate a great deal now through internet forums. Allstate has begun to play a role in this by providing their own forum and including their own employees. This provides them the ability to communicate directly with their consumers through a quick, cost efficient method. This also allows them to target individuals who are at a high likelihood of becoming potential customers and increases their ability to run quick surveys, whether determining user’s intention to buy or their opinion of Allstate versus other insurance providers. The other contact method that they have used in their sponsorship of motorcycle rallies has worked very well for Allstate’s competitor, Progressive. Progressive has been a longtime sponsor of the International Motorcycle Shows which allows them to advertise directly on their website and they makes them the first booth each visitor sees on attending the show. Immediately on arrival each visitor receives a business card to scan for free prizes which include various types of merchandise with Progressive’s logo. This marketing strategy has increased consumer association with their company name when asked where to buy motorcycle insurance. Allstate’s steps to enter the growing Motorcycle industry has not happened overnight however as it continues to grow their sales are likely to expand as well with their ability to attract the new conservative motorcyclists.

Citizens United Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Citizens United - Assignment Example At the present, anybody can fund their favorite candidate albeit indirectly. This goes a long way in buffering corruption that may be brought by big money. This is because, the constitution does not demand for any reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures. Spending is termed as a speech, which is protected by the constitution in the First Amendment even if the speaker is a corporation. The Supreme Court decided that everybody including large corporations. The court argued that impeding corporations from funding elections interfered with the provisions of First Amendment that guarantees freedom of speech. Despite the fact that corporations are not people per se, corporations represent groups of people, and therefore, their political support during campaigns is like support of the people. At last, the decision on the case of Citizen United was that corporate expenditures in elections did not violate the First Amendment hence politicians can use the corporate money to finance their campaigns. Neil Genzlinger. On Electoral Map, the Green Is Obscured ‘Big Sky, Big Money’ on PBS Frontline. Retrieved on 13 March, 2015 from

Nestle Case wk3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nestle Case wk3 - Essay Example He completely overhauled the executive board and believed in restructuring as a continual process. However, his contention that when the organization is doing well, change should be justified. I therefore agree with what he did. By identifying the ‘untouchables’ where the organization’s core competencies and strengths are retained and enhanced, Nestle remains to project a solid brand and image associated with dairy food products. Recent times have indicated that Nestle created Nestlà © Nutrition, a global business organization designed to strengthen the focus on their core nutrition business – manifesting the same belief in Brabeck-Letmathe’s philosophy for organizational change. The implications for change managers that apply specifically to Nestle are: (1) that care needs to be taken in assessing and implementing organizational change (whether using an incremental or transformational approach); (2) incremental changes are less risky and therefore more appropriate; and (3) that change affects multiple types of changes simultaneously. Nestle management, particularly under the direction and navigation of Brabeck-Letmathe has understood the thrust of their organizational leader and steered the organization into unprecedented heights. By focusing, reinforcing and sustaining Nestle’s strengths instead of changing them, the strategy continue to work towards achieving global leadership in the food and nutrition market. The lessons from the front line emphasize that: (1) downsizing is not always the most appropriate method to restructure; (2) implementing technological changes is not always straightforward; and (3) producing successful acquisitions are always a managerial challenge. These issues can be overcome with open communication, identifying causes of resistance and barriers and aligning decisions to organizational goals. As evidenced from the Nestle case, there have been organizational changes

Zara Research Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Zara Research Study - Essay Example Research has been made on customer service facilities offered by Zara and customers’ perceptions regarding this subject. Both primary and secondary data have been used for the study. Secondary data have been collected from different databases and existing literature published on past studies. Primary data have been collected by employing quantitative method of study. A sample population of 100 customers having shopping experience with Zara have been interviewed by distributing a structured questionnaire containing 5 close ended questions. The questions have been framed with the objective of understanding customer perceptions about customer service facilities provided by Zara. The secondary objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between age of customers and their perceptions. Responses of the participants have been measured in a five point Likert scale. The alternative hypothesis is that Zara provides satisfactory level of customer service. The responses are analysed using the t-statistic and the estimated value of t statistic is found to be sufficiently greater than the tabulated value. Therefore the alternative hypothesis is accepted. This establishes that customers have strong positive perception about customer service facility provided by Zara. It has also been found that compared to the youths, the middle aged population hold better perceptions about the company’s customer service. Zara is a famous international fashion brand. It is one of the eight store set ups of the Inditex Group, which is one amongst the largest retailers in the fashion industry in the world. The Inditex Group is an assimilation of approximately one hundred textile companies that conceptualize designs, manufactures fabrics and distributes them. The first shop of Zara was opened in the city of Coruà ±a in 1975 (Inditex, n.d.). Presently, the company has expanded its network to four hundred cities in eighty seven

Leaders are always accountable for failures or lack of achievement of Essay

Leaders are always accountable for failures or lack of achievement of their group - Essay Example a leader might suggest some ideas regarding the execution of a certain goal but the final decision comes from the leader after he has weighed all the pros and cons of a certain matter. The team members are dependant on the leader for instructions. Baerga (2008) states that it is very unusual for a project would result in failure in a matter of a day or two. It takes a number of elements and factors that direct the projects towards failures. It is primarily the job of a leader to monitor everything regularly to ensure that the project does not head towards failure. We shall be analyzing the role of a leader in an organization to further explain and justify the notion that leaders are responsible for all failure outcomes. Lash (2007) explains that there are many authoritative figures in an organizational setup; however the true description of a leader can fit the role of a team leader or product manager. We shall be analyzing different phases of a project in which the team leader will be seen responsible for any failure. When a company is contacted for some project, the top management of that organization will contact the team leader of the concerned team. Heldman (2002) defines that it is the job of the team leader to analyze the requirements of the client and judge if those requirements are feasible or not. There might be different types of feasibility analysis that he might perform: Bryce (2008) explains that the team leader should be able to identify if the scope of the project is achievable or if the client requires an unattainable result. This is the first step at which he shall be primarily responsible for the success or the failure of the project. If the team leader accepts an unachievable task then there are great chances that the project will fail. In this regard, it is best to contact the client and negotiate or discuss his demands. Bryce (2008) also states that the team leader is also responsible to judge if his team is technically capable of

CALIFORNIA HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CALIFORNIA HISTORY - Essay Example The gold rush saw the influx of people into the region, and the Native Americans found they were under pressure in their home. The native populations decreased at an alarming rate due to the destruction of natural resources. In the process of mining gold, water resources were damaged and the fish which the natives fed on died. Other game such as deers which were a source of food also left because of the increasing human population. Under this strain, the native population moved deeper into the forest areas as their numbers diminished. In 1911, however, a man belonging to this tribe emerged from the Mount Lassen region. Since he did not have a name the anthropologists named him Ishi. He was the last man of the Yana tribe. The story of Ishi is fundamental in the history of California since it gives the roots of the people in that region. It has, however, been said that retelling of the story by anthropologists such as Theodora are attempts to elicit sympathy for the Native American pop ulation. The Native American tribes that have since gone extinct are described as ignoble savages. They are believed to have had no art, religion, technology or government that warranted them to be called a culture. They are thought by some people to have been unworthy inhabitants of California region since they did not develop the natural resources of the place. This, in my opinion, is a mistaken view of the Native American. ... Culture takes into account the ability to learn. When Ishi came into contact with civilization, he was able to be integrated. He learnt their behavioural patterns, and started to act like one of them. This shows that these natives had the ability to learn. The only difference is that what he had to learn in his society was different from the things he could learn from the civilized world. Ishi was a man of Stone Age culture but that made him no less of a human being. The customs of the Yana separated males and females. At a tender age they were cared for by their mothers but at the age of ten, the separation was implemented. Boys and girls were then neither allowed to sleep, or play together. The boys left with their fathers or any other male relative so as to learn the necessary skills. This differentiation based on gender roles makes the Yana a society that understood what sex roles meant. This was a vital feature of their culture. The separation of the sexes was to the extent that male and female dialects of the language were different (Kroeber and Kroeber). Life and death was sacred to these people as evidenced by the practices they kept. When someone died, they were burnt and the remains buried under a rock. This marked the grave, and kept the animals away from the bones. This practice of burning the dead is still practiced in today’s society. The reasons are different though for this. They had their own way of acknowledging life and death. They realized the different genders and assigned societal roles along the same lines. Claiming that these people did not have aspects of life that warranted them to be a culture is a mistaken view. Art varies from society to the next. The Yahi community had a different kind of Art

The adverse medical, social, and spiritual consequences of marijuana Research Paper

The adverse medical, social, and spiritual consequences of marijuana and opiod addictions on the indiviual nd society - Research Paper Example The Sumerians of 4000BC and Egyptions of 2000BC were the first to experience their pain relieving and euphoric effects. International awareness on the issue of opioid abuse started when President T. Roosevelt convened the Shanghai Opium Commission in 1909. The commission was to assist the Chinese empire stamp out opioid addiction (Preda, 2012). Marijuana is illegal as a substance of abuse. In spite of this, physicians have produced evidence suggesting that marijuana, or some of its components can play an important role in treating some of the diseases that affect mankind. Statistically, marijuana is the most abused illicit substance in the world (Doweiko, 2009). It is estimated that about 166 million persons above 15yrs use this substance on a regular basis. It is the most abuse substance in the United States. About 43% of persons over 18yrs abuse marijuana daily in America. Marijuana abuse produces very strong effects. Users of the substance experience a mild feeling of relaxation, euphoria, sensory distortions and alteration of an individual’s perception of usual activities such as watching television, eating and having sex (Doweiko, 2009). Others may have enhanced perceptions of sounds and colors. In social environments, marijuana smokers may talk excessively and display infectious laughter. High potency marijuana causes a synesthesia like experience and enhanced tactile sensations. Research shows that very low use of marijuana seems to stimulate the brain to release serotonin which causes antidepressant effects that help reduce depression (Doweiko, 2009). Opioids bind to opioid receptors found on neurons that exist in nervous and immune system. There are four major types of opioid receptors. These are mu, delta, kappa and OFQ/N. These receptors act as binding sites for endogenous peptides, such as enkephalins, endorphins and dynorphins (Doweiko, 2009) . These peptides perform regulatory and modulating functions, including

Exploring the strength of social media in marketing strategy Essay

Exploring the strength of social media in marketing strategy - Essay Example Social media has gained support from a business marketer known as Radian6. Radian6 has enabled many organizations to turn into Socially Engaged Enterprises containing the ability to understand and obtain useful information about social media through measurement, sentiment, metrics, and analytics reporting (Safko 31-33). It is also through social media listening, monitoring, tracking and engagement tools that motivate many organizations adopt social media strategy. In addition, Radian6 advices on how to utilize social media guidelines, case studies, the best practices, and educating the staff thus enhancing easy understanding of the impact that both the Social CRM and Social Graph have on their business. Social Media Marketing has paved way for developing buzz and visibility for brands, services, companies, and products. Through consulting solutions, it has provided many companies with extensive connectivity within its target audience; which is an effective way of developing conversations and interacting with consumers. Marketers obtain the skills of identifying important metrics (Evans 67). Furthermore, they are in position to determine measures of social media in their firms in turn having the ability of providing the return measurement for the plans before and after implementation. Social media also provides extensive visibility, increasing sales significantly and reducing costs involved with traditional lead generation systems, email marketing campaign and cold calling. They face many limitations such as difficulty in identifying the best practices, determining the effectiveness of their campaigns, having no idea of where to start, and working under full time resources. Social media addresses all these challenges with the aim of improving their business. Social brand conversation provides solutions that allow customers to engage in end-users for better networking, collaboration, well lead generation, loyalty building, thought

Immanuel Kant Essay Example for Free

Immanuel Kant Essay The following is taken from Immanuel Kant’s The Metaphysics of Morals (Part II, â€Å"The Science of Right†), translated by W. Hastie with emendations and paragraph numbers added by Jeremy Anderson. The complete text is available free online here. In this excerpt, Kant first explains what crime is and the different sorts of crimes (paragraph 1), which is not very important for our purposes. He then presents his view that punishment is justified by the criminals having committed a crime (par. 2). This is to be contrasted with other theories of punishment such as the Utilitarian theory, according to which punishment is justified by the good it brings to society. Kant rejects the Utilitarian theory for two reasons. First, he believes it treats criminals as mere means to others good; Kant’s Categorical Imperative forbids this. Second, the Utilitarian theory could, possibly, justify punishing an innocent person because of the good it might bring to society. To Kant, this sort of injustice is absolutely intolerable. Having explained why we punish people Kant goes on to discuss how and how much to punish criminals (par. 3-8). Here he asserts that the hurt done to the criminal should equal the hurt the criminal did to others, both in amount and in kind (in class we are calling this the Equal Punishment version of the lex talionis). The rest of the piece mostly explains what he means by this, with particular emphasis on the need for the death penalty. In paragraphs 8 and 10 Kant considers some interesting exceptions to the rule that murderers must be executed. Okay, so Kant believed that punishment should always be in response to a crime punishing someone to protect society or to deter others is immoral. Kant goes on to say that it is also immoral for a person to commit a crime, and not be punished. In other words, every crime merits a punishment; it is Kants form of equality. Kant refers to this as jus talionis, which is loosely translates as the right of retaliation. However, Kant was opposed to punishing people if it took away their humanity. In other words, if a person tortures people, that person should not be punished by torture, because doing so would be dehumanizing OURSELVES. In other words, it would be stooping to the level of the torturer. Kant did believe in Capital Punishment in fact, he insisted on it. He states in his book, Metaphysics on Morals, that according to Jus Talionis, murderers MUST die there is no earthly punishment other than death that can balance out a murder, and thus preserve Jus Talionis, the balance between crime and punishment. It is like a scale the side of justice must balance the side of injustice. An Exposition of Kant’s, Arendt’s, and Mill’s Moral Philosophy Immanuel Kant adheres to Deontological ethics. His theory offers a view of morality based on the principle of good will and duty. According to him, people can perform good actions solely by good intentions without any considerations to consequences. In addition, one must follow the laws and the categorical imperative in order to act in accordance with and from duty. Several other philosophers such as Hannah Arendt discuss Kant’s moral philosophy. In her case study: â€Å"The Accused and Duties of a Law-Abiding Citizen†, Arendt examines how Adolf Eichmann’s actions conformed to Kant’s moral precepts but also how they ran of afoul to his conception of duty. In contrast, John Stuart Mill adopts a teleological view of moral philosophy. He exposes his view of consequentialism and utilitarianism to argue that an action is morally right only to the extent that it maximizes the aggregate happiness of all parties involved regardless of the motive. In the present paper, I will expose Kant’s moral precepts and the importance of duty in his Deontological principles. Then, I will evaluate Arendt’s report on Adolf Eichmann to analyze the ways in which his actions were in accordance to or against Kant’s moral philosophy. I will conclude my discussion with an evaluation of Mill’s approach to morality in order to examine the differences between his teleological philosophy and Kant’s ethical principles. Kant’s moral philosophy is based on the categorical imperative (CI), good will, and duty. According to the CI, it is an absolute necessity, a command that humans should accord with universalizable maxims to treat people as ends in themselves and exercise their will without any concerns about the consequences or conditions of their actions. This concept can also be expressed in systematic terms by the two following formulations.

Slavery in Chesapeake and the Economy

Slavery in Chesapeake and the Economy The development of slavery in the Chesapeake was due solely to the economic needs of white settlers. Do you agree? History can never adequately provide answers regarding the motives of men and women throughout recorded history; what it can do, however, is to provide a prism through which to gauge the consequences of their actions. With regards to slavery, the consequences of the Southern United States’ intrinsic involvement in the practice of slavery were truly seismic, resulting in the American Civil War and the cementation of the world’s most powerful economic and military force. The role of the Chesapeake in this tumultuous domestic conflict should not be underestimated such was the deep seated nature of the region’s association with slavery. Certainly, economic necessity appears to be at the forefront of this historical fact with the rich tobacco and other grain industries flourishing in the South as a direct result of the burgeoning slave trade. Indeed, as Fogel (2003) underscores, even the slaves themselves could be traded amongst white settlers for economic profit. For the purpose of perspective, the following analysis into the development of slavery in the Chesapeake region must adopt a critical stance attempting to show that economic reasons were indeed the dominant paradigm in the region’s development of a sophisticated slave trade while also underscoring the complex and diverse nature of the early American slave trade. First, however, a conceptualisation of the issue must be attempted. It is important to note that Chesapeake differed markedly from the slave trades operating in the Georgia Low Country after the first arrival of enslaved African workers in the early seventeenth century (transported by Dutch merchants to replace a dwindling European labour force in the North American colonies). Unlike in other English colonies, the Chesapeake was a locale that was only colonised for economic reasons with a sparse colonial population in the days immediately prior to the introduction of slavery. Likewise, the differences within the Chesap eake itself highlight the way in which the values of trade, profit, production and the economy were central to the genesis of slavery in the region, as Philip Morgan (1998:9) details. â€Å"By the late seventeenth century, Virginia had a plantation economy in search of a labour force, whereas South Carolina had a labour force in search of plantation economy.† From the very beginning, therefore, a symbiosis began to form between the determining economic factors of the white settler communities and the introduction of large numbers of slaves into the colonies, with the number of African workers increasing from 13000 to 250000 in the Chesapeake Bay area between 1700 and 1770. The fact that this unprecedented level of African recruitment was accompanied by a drive to attract more female slaves to the colonies so as to increase the plantation population is testimony to the economic imperative at the heart of slave development in the Chesapeake. If slavery were a temporary measure to increase population levels in the area then the imposition of female slaves would not have occurred; only because of the permanence of the economic necessity for slaves did this phenomenon occur. Furthermore, the sheer expanse of the New World landscape required the development of slaves to even begin to cultivate the land for economic production. After the introduction of rice crops in the 1680’s, Boyer (2003:85) estimates that a farmer planting 130 acres of the crop would require at least 65 slaves to do so. With the rapid reduction of the white indentured slaves after the turn of the eighteenth century, the absolute economic need for African slaves in the Chesapeake further increased so that the white plantation owners were utterly dependent on slave manpower in order to function as viable enterprises, competing with highly productive colonies such as the West Indies. Without the slave trade, the Chesapeake region of America particularly the states of Virginia and North Carolina could never have emerged as a major player in the expanding trans‑Atlantic trade system. It was not just for economic reasons that slaves were seen as integral to the rise of the Chesapeake. Health imperatives likewise played a part in the development of slavery during the early years of the colonial era. The African workers were immunised against the malaria that came with the imported rice and grain crops – a disease that rendered white workers obsolete during the formative years of the Chesapeake’s economic development. Moreover, the hot and humid climate of the Chesapeake was wholly alien to the white settlers from the colder European climate while the African workers imported to work on the plantations were much better equipped to cope with the working conditions in the New World, though Oscar and Mary Hadlin (1950:199-222) refute this claiming that it is unjust to blame nature for barbaric human institutions. It is also important to recognise, as Edmund Morgan (2003:314-344) points out, that the slaves were important for sociological and cultural reasons, helping to underpin the rigid class structure that flourished in the southern American states. By taking away the need for a white working class, the slaves of the Chesapeake performed the task of cultural underdogs, which was an integral part of the economic rise of the region as a world exporter. Despite the diverse range of cultural and sociological factors prevalent in the development of slavery in the Chesapeake there is no escaping the pre‑eminence of economic imperatives. Indeed, the manufacturing of the term ‘slave trade’ implies the significance of economic issues in all parts of America that indulged in slavery with the transaction of human beings working in tandem with the production of profits garnered from the rich plantations. As Winthrop Jordan (1976:110-115) details, the underlying prejudice of the white settlers incorporating a profound sense of racial and ethnic superiority facilitated the evolution of slavery as a comprehensive way of life in the Chesapeake. The fact that the Chesapeake was willing to go to war with the Yankees for the perpetuation of the profits generated by the slave trade proves beyond doubt that economic reasons were the catalyst behind the development of slavery in the region. References Boyer, P.S. et al (2003) Enduring Vision: a History of the American People: Fifth Edition New York: Houghton Mifflin Breen, T.H. (Ed.) (1976) Shaping Southern Society: the Colonial Experience Oxford: Oxford University Press Fogel, R.W. (2003) The Slavery Debates, 1952-1990: a Retrospective Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press Morgan, E.S. (2003) American Slavery, American Freedom London: W.W. Norton Co. Morgan, P.D. (1998) Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in the Eighteenth Century Chesapeake and Low Country Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press Selected Articles Jordan, W. (1976) Unthinking Decision: Enslavement of Negroes in America to 1700, quoted in, Breen, T.H. (Ed.) Shaping Southern Society: the Colonial Experience Oxford: Oxford University Press Journals Hadlin, M.F. and Hadlin, O. (April 1950) Origins of the Southern Labour System, quoted in, William and Mary Quarterly, Volume 7, Number 2

The Message in the Music Essay -- Song Analysis Essays Compare Contras

The Message in the Music Music means many different things to many different people. To a listener, a song is sometimes for four simple minutes of entertainment, but sometimes it is much more. Sometimes, a song is a message from the artist. This is much the same way from the opposite end of the spectrum. An artists message can get so complex that it is completely lost on the listener. This essay is about song analysis. I will be analyzing two songs performed by the same artist but performed with two different bands. Although performed by different groups, the music is similar and so is the message. The two bands being examined are Tool and A Perfect Circle. These are both considered rock bands and work within the same industrial vein. The bands major theme is that of religion. Unlike the popular religious music praising the Lords name on high, this music takes a drastic U-turn in the road to divinity by speaking of Jesus Christ the Savior in a sarcastic and uncaring tone. Lead singer Maynard James Keenan is an atheist. Although I feel these are excellent songs, I do not support the views taken, or supposedly taken, by the band. In the song Eulogy, the artist criticizes the Lord throughout the entire song as well as taking a sarcastic attitude when shedding a good light on Him. In the beginning of the song, the band sings, He had a lot to say. He had a lot of nothing to say. Well miss him. Were gonna miss him. The group is claiming that He might have had a lot to say, but it really amounted to nothing, maybe because they felt he didnt really mean anything he said. When saying that they are going to miss him, it seems like they have set themselves in a time when Jesus was about to be crucified and is saying they will miss... ... show how he no longer declares this savior his own. The song ends with the chorus which pretty much says the same thing, except when making reference to the spear, he uses the word spiteful, not hateful. Spiteful works much better in place of hateful. It make the listener realize that after all the things Jesus put them through that they are finally getting back at him, or spiting him. Both of these are excellent songs, simply for the fact that they have good melodies, strong choruses and insightful lyrics that make the listener think. For these facts, I will continue to listen to and enjoy these songs. Despite that, through analyzing the lyrics, Ive found messages that contradict my own personal beliefs. It goes to show that music can have a deeper and much different impact on peoples lives if they just take an extra minute to think about what they are hearing.

Inner Smile - Deconstructing the Heterosexual Matrix :: Research Papers Essays

Inner Smile - Deconstructing the Heterosexual Matrix An issue that is gaining in political and social importance is the issue of homosexuality. Reports of homosexuality and societal responses to homosexuality are brought up again and again in media coverage. These past few decades have seen a large increase in awareness of issues concerning homosexuality. Gender is intricately linked to homosexuality and numerous theorists have explored gender and sexuality under the umbrella term of Gay and Lesbian studies or Queer theory. In the music video of their song Inner Smile, the pop group Texas have seemingly adopted a radical image change when the groups front-person, Sharleen Spiteri, appears in drag as Elvis. The director of this video, Vaughan Arnell, utilizes Brechtian techniques of alienation to bring issues of gender to the forefront of a viewer's consciousness. The portrayal of a female singer in the persona of the legendary male sexual icon of Elvis, invokes an awareness of gender and sexuality issues through the subsequent alienati on effect on the viewers, as the video, through editing and cinematography, makes it clear that Spiteri is actually a female in drag. The video by Arnell features Spiteri on stage performing the song Inner Smile, she adopts the entire Elvis persona, from the dressing to the actions and movements that she does on stage. In this video, Arnell recreates the Comeback Special that Elvis himself performed in 1968 ("Elvis"). The significance of this lies in the fact that despite the blatant idolization of Elvis, there are signs indicating that the pop group Texas are still performing this video. The vocals are themselves of a female voice, that of Spiteri's, and numerous other signs are present, such as the huge backdrop of a lighted sign with the word Texas and a few shots of the feminine Spiteri interspersed within the stage performance. This evidence of the group's identity as Texas serves as a reminder that the impersonation is not complete. This is not merely a duplication of Elvis' performance. Spiteri does not completely become Elvis, she merely adopts his persona in order to bring to the fore issues of gender. This is reminiscent of Brechtian concept of alienation. The concept of alienation was conceived by Bertolt Brecht, a politically active playwright who popularized epic theatre in the 1930s. Brecht's Epic theatre is one that aims to increase social awareness, and has Verfremdungseffekt, or alienation effect as its cornerstone. Inner Smile - Deconstructing the Heterosexual Matrix :: Research Papers Essays Inner Smile - Deconstructing the Heterosexual Matrix An issue that is gaining in political and social importance is the issue of homosexuality. Reports of homosexuality and societal responses to homosexuality are brought up again and again in media coverage. These past few decades have seen a large increase in awareness of issues concerning homosexuality. Gender is intricately linked to homosexuality and numerous theorists have explored gender and sexuality under the umbrella term of Gay and Lesbian studies or Queer theory. In the music video of their song Inner Smile, the pop group Texas have seemingly adopted a radical image change when the groups front-person, Sharleen Spiteri, appears in drag as Elvis. The director of this video, Vaughan Arnell, utilizes Brechtian techniques of alienation to bring issues of gender to the forefront of a viewer's consciousness. The portrayal of a female singer in the persona of the legendary male sexual icon of Elvis, invokes an awareness of gender and sexuality issues through the subsequent alienati on effect on the viewers, as the video, through editing and cinematography, makes it clear that Spiteri is actually a female in drag. The video by Arnell features Spiteri on stage performing the song Inner Smile, she adopts the entire Elvis persona, from the dressing to the actions and movements that she does on stage. In this video, Arnell recreates the Comeback Special that Elvis himself performed in 1968 ("Elvis"). The significance of this lies in the fact that despite the blatant idolization of Elvis, there are signs indicating that the pop group Texas are still performing this video. The vocals are themselves of a female voice, that of Spiteri's, and numerous other signs are present, such as the huge backdrop of a lighted sign with the word Texas and a few shots of the feminine Spiteri interspersed within the stage performance. This evidence of the group's identity as Texas serves as a reminder that the impersonation is not complete. This is not merely a duplication of Elvis' performance. Spiteri does not completely become Elvis, she merely adopts his persona in order to bring to the fore issues of gender. This is reminiscent of Brechtian concept of alienation. The concept of alienation was conceived by Bertolt Brecht, a politically active playwright who popularized epic theatre in the 1930s. Brecht's Epic theatre is one that aims to increase social awareness, and has Verfremdungseffekt, or alienation effect as its cornerstone.

Resolved: Presidential Signing Statements Threaten to Undermine the Ru

The subject of signing statements has created much debate among the houses of Congress, government officials, and the public alike. These signing statements fall under the categories of constitutional and legislative history signing statements. Constitutional signing statements are those in which the president deems certain provisions of the legislation as unconstitutional, therefore they should not be enforced (Bradley & Posner, 2006). Legislative history signing statements are executive interpretations of ambiguous legislation (Bradley & Posner, 2006). The Constitution very specifically outlines the process of a bill being passed up to the executive level, but the issue of presidential signing statements is not explicitly discussed, therefore it becomes a controversial grey area; specifically when a President uses a signing statement to express partial support and intent to enforce a law. This essay will discuss signing statements and the role that they play in the legislative pr ocess. In addition, the legality of presidential signing statements in respect to the constitution will be argued through the exploration of the origins, past applications, and attempts at limiting such presidential implements. Presidential signing statements are a president’s formal declaration of their interpretation of a bill that is being signed into law, namely the objections to segments of the bill that they have deemed in opposition of the constitution as well as the measures of the bill that will be enforced. (CRS, 2006) They can also convey support or appreciation towards the bill and its contributors (Kelley, 2007) Signing statements tend to occur on significant pieces of legislation and function similarly to presidential vetoes in that th... ...igning statements: Constitutional and institutional implications (Order Code RL33667)Congressional Research Service. Kelley, C. S. (2007). The law: Contextualizing the signing statement. Presidential Studies Quarterly,, 37(4), 737-748. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27552286 Kinkopf, N. (2006). Signing statements and the president's authority to refuse to enforce the law. American Constitution Society for Law and Policy Lee, M. (2008). Reorienting the debate on presidential signing statements: The need for transparency in the president’s constitutional objections, reservations, and assertions of power. Manuscript submitted for publication, School of Law, UCLA, Retrieved from http://www.uclalawreview.org/wordpress/?p=339 Lund, N. (2007). Presidential signing statements in perspective.William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, 16(1), 95-111.

Honda and Hero Group

Ancillarisation and Sub-contracting in India started simultaneously with the Govt. setting up enterprises almost in all the core sectors viz. manufacturing equipment for Defence/ Railways/ Telecommunications, Heavy Electricals, Electronic, Chemical, Fertiliser, Petroleum/ Petrochemicals, Ship & Aircraft manufacturing and various other engineering and processing industries. The large industries notably HMT and other Public Sector undertaking (PSUSs) started sub-contracting the standard and low technology items to small-scale industries which developed a sound base of ancillarisation, helped proliferations and development of industries. The controlling agency of PSUs i. e. Bureau of Public Enterprises in consultation with Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) framed the guidelines in 1978 for promoting linkages between small & large Industries through ancillarisation. PSUs were required to concentrate on core activities of design, development, research and manufacturing critical items thereby sub-contracting the standard items (for which technology was available with the small-scale industries) or the items, which could be developed in small-scale sector. PSUs were required to provide raw material technological support, tooling and testing support. The concept of ancillarisation, though limited to certain pockets/regions in the vicinity/proximity of the PSUs, proved a milestone in ushering in an era of sub-contracting amongst the Indian Industries. There was continuous effort by PSUs to indigenise/develop the items through ancillary industries/SSIs which resulted in technological/qualitative development of the latter and further cemented/enhanced the bonds of Sub-contracting partnership. The combination of Govt. PSUs/private sector large industries and Ancillary Industries combinations worked as a model of partnership and Sub-contracting with assured orders to Ancillary Industries by providing the assistance of technology assistance, specialized manufacturing facility, raw material, tooling and testing facilities and financial assistance in certain cases to ancillary industries. Large industries in private sector such as Telco, Escorts, Eicher, Ashok Leyland, Mahindra & Mahindra, Punjab Traches have also developed a chain of their ancillaries and major percentage of their components are sub-contracted. The private sector has provided good base for partnership & sub-contracting in India as was done by Govt. PSUs. Case Study: Hero Group – Growth Models The Hero Group has done business differently right from the start and that is what has helped us to achieve break-through in the competitive two-wheeler market. The Group's low key, but focussed, style of management has earned the company plaudits amidst investors, employees, vendors and dealers, as also worldwide recognition. The growth of the Group through the years has been influenced by a number of factors: The Hero Group through the Hero Cycles Division was the first to introduce the concept of just-in-time inventory. The Group boasts of superb operational efficiencies. Every assembly line worker operates two machines simultaneously to save time and improve productivity. The fact that most of the machines are either developed or fabricated in-house, has resulted in low inventory levels. In Hero Cycles Limited, the just-in-time inventory principle has been working since the beginning of production in the unit and is functional even till date. The raw material vendors bring in the goods get paid instantly and by the end of the day the finished product is rolled out of the factory. This is the Japanese style of production and in India, Hero is probably the only company to have mastered the art of the just-in-time inventory principle. Ancillarisation: An integral part of the Group strategy of doing business differently was providing support to ancillary units. There are over 300 ancillary units today, whose production is dedicated to Hero's requirements and also a large number of other vendors, which include some of the better known companies in the automotive segment. The Munjals have gone much beyond the conventional definition of ancillarisation, making it a point to extend technical and managerial support to these ancillaries. These ancillary units are manned by friends, relatives, ex-employees or close associates of the Munjal family since the Group patriarch, Mr Brijmohan Lall, â€Å"†¦ never wanted to march alone. † Employee Policy: Another Striking feature within the Hero Group is the commitment and dedication of its workers. There is no organised labour union and family members of employees find ready employment within Hero. The philosophy with regard to labour management is â€Å"Hero is growing, grow with Hero. † When it comes to workers' benefits, the Hero Group is known for providing facilities, further ahead of the industry norms. Long before other companies did so, Hero was giving its employees a uniform allowance, as well as House Rent Alowance (HRA) and Leave Travel Allowance (LTA). Extra benefits took the form of medical check-ups, not just for workers, but also for the immediate family members. Dealer Network: The relationship of the Munjals with their dealers is unique in its closeness. The dealers are considered a part of the Hero family. A nation-wide dealer network comprising of over 5,000 outlets, the Munjals have a formidable distribution system in place. Sales agents from Hero travel to all the corners of the country, visiting dealers and send back daily postcards with information on the stock position that day, turnover, fresh purchases, anticipated demand and also competitor action in the region. The manufacturing units have a separate department to handle dealer complaints and problems and the first response is always given in 24 hours. Financial Planning: The Hero Group benefits from the Group Chairman's financial acumen and his grasp on technology, manufacturing and marketing. Group Company, Hero Cycles Limited has one of the highest labour productivity rates in the world. In Hero Honda Motors Limited, the focus is on financial and raw material management and a low employee turnover. Consolidated Family Business: The Hero Group is a strong family run business – there is no other Group that has so successfully managed to stay together for nearly 50 years. The system is to bring in any new family member, coming of age, within the fold of the existing business or set him up in a new business. The third generation is already actively involved in existing as well as the new initiatives within the Group. The Group's future is being consolidated with the same zeal by the second and the third generations of the family, aided by workers who typify the hardy spirit of the Punjab. Diversification: Throughout the years of mammoth growth, the Group Chairman, Mr Lall has actively looked at diversification. A significant level of backward integration in its manufacturing activities has been substantial in the Group's growth and led to the establishment of the Hero Cycles Cold Rolling Division, Munjal and Sunbeam Castings, Munjal Auto Components and Munjal Showa Limited amongst other component-manufacturing units. Then there were the expansion into the automotive segment with the setting up of Majestic Auto Limited, where the first indigenously designed moped, Hero Majestic, went into commercial production in 1978. Then came Hero Motors which introduced Hero Puch, in collaboration with global technology leader Steyr Daimler Puch of Austria. Hero Honda Motors was established in 1984 to manufacture 1000 cc motorcycles. The Munjals also took a foray into other segments like exports, financial services, information technology, which includes customer response services and software development. Further expansion is expected in the areas of Insurance and Telecommunication. In Conclusion: The Hero Group's phenomenal growth is the result of constant innovations, a close watch on costs and the dynamic leadership of the Group Chairman, characterized by an ethos of entrepreneurship, of right attitudes and building stronger relationships with investors, partners, vendors and dealers and customers.

Different Marriage or Wedding Practices in Countries Essay

I. Africa: 1. In some African tribes, the bride and groom have their wrists tied together with cloth or braided grass to represent their marriage. 2. To honor their ancestors, some Africans pour Holy water, or alcohol, onto the ground as prayers are recited to the ancestral spirits. 3. The bride wears a veil made of plaited hair which represents reserve. 4. The people present wear traditional regional costumes. 5. The couple jumps above a brush covered with flowers, which symbolizes the starting of domestic life. 6. The Kola nut is most often used for medicinal purposes in Africa. It is also essential in most African weddings. The Kola nut symbolizes the couple’s willingness to always help heal each other. In Nigeria, the ceremony is not complete until a kola nut is shared between the couple and their parents. II. Arabia: 1. Traditionally, marriage was between paternal first cousins or other patrilineally related kin. 2. It was customary for potential spouses not to meet before the wedding night, and marriages had to be arranged by fathers, mothers, and other relatives. These practices are changing slowly and unevenly, but the tendency is toward fewer close-cousin marriages and for the couple to communicate with each other before the wedding. 3. The bride wears an elaborate veil and gets her hands and feet decorated with a drawing made with alhea (henna). 4. During the reception, men and women stay separated. 5. Men are allowed to have four wives at a time as long as they can treat them equally, but polygyny is uncommon in most of the population. Marriage is considered a necessary part of life, and almost all adults marry III. Caribe and Burmuda: 1. The bride and groom show off their finest clothes for the entire village. 2. There’s no need for a best man at an Island wedding. 3. A typical wedding feast features curried goat and spicy chicken jerky 4. The traditional wedding cake is a â€Å"Black Cake† with the recipe handed down from mother to daughter for many generations. The cake is traditionally served with a Hard Rum Sauce and all of the dried fruits are soaked in rum in a crock pot for anywhere from two weeks to one year. 5. Calypso music is played. 6. In the Bermudas people plant a tree for prosperity. IV. China: 1. Auspicious days are subject to interpretation by fortune tellers that perform the analysis based on one’s birth date (day and hour) after consultation with the Chinese almanac. It is said to be the oldest continuous publication known. 2. In the Chinese community it is considered bad form if an individual consults the almanac and performs a self analysis. That is why a fortune teller or Fung Suey [Feng Shui] expert is consulted. 3. The 15 day period from the middle to the end of the seventh lunar month is considered inauspicious because that is time of the Hungry Ghost Festival when the gates of Hell are opened and the lost spirits are allowed to wander the earth. They should not be invited to the wedding! 4. Decorations and gift wrappings are red as this color (and gold too) symbolizes happiness and wealth. 5. There are always rockets acting as protection against bad spirits. 6. The bride changes her dress three times during the wedding ceremony. V. England: 1. The familiar tradition of a flower girl throwing rose petals as she passes down the aisle before the bride is a reminder of days gone by when the bride walked to the church with her maids in waiting. Leading the procession was always a young girl throwing flower petals along the lane, so the bride’s path through life would be happy and laden with flowers. 2. The couple walks toward the church with their wedding procession over a path of orange blossoms. 3. Something Old – Something New – Something Borrowed – Something Blue†¦And a Silver Sixpence in Her Shoe! This good-luck saying that originated many years ago in the Victorian era. 4. Most of the brides wear a horseshoe on one of their arms decorated with lace as an amulet. 5. The fruit cake is covered with marzipan. The upper section (baptism tart) is kept until the first child is born. VI. France: 1. A traditional French custom for the groom to call on his future bride at her home on the morning of their wedding. 2. In a church filled with incense and flowers, the couple stands beneath a silk canopy. A predecessor of the veil, a square of silk fabric, â€Å"carre'† is held over the head of the bride and groom as the couple received the priest’s final blessing. They were designed to protect the couple from descending malice. The same veil is used for the baptism of their new born child. 3. The bridal portion is put in the â€Å"nuptial wardrobe,† hand engraved with symbols of health and prosperity. 4. The couple drinks from the traditional wedding cup. 5. All decorations are white, and laurel leaves are spread out of the church when the nuptial couple departs. 6. On the wedding night, pots and pans are drummed to disturb the couple. The groom invites jokers in and some refreshments are offered. VII. Germany: 1. During the engagement period both the bride and groom wear a ring on their left hand. After the wedding they wear the wedding ring on their right hand. Usually the rings are gold with no diamonds. 2. Germany brides wear either very short trains or usually none at all attached to their wedding dress. If veils are worn they are of fingertip length and typically never worn over the face 3. The groom usually wears a black suit or a smoking jacket (dinner jacket) 4. Some weeks before the wedding the groom and his male friends go to a Kneipe (pub) to drink and have fun for his last time as a single man. 5. Before a church wedding the bride and groom will have been married in the Standesamt (Registry Office) by a registrar which is most often in the Rathaus (town hall). A witness is needed for the bride and also for the groom. 6. At a party on the evening before the wedding plates and dishes are smashed to scare off evil spirits. Only china can be used. Anything else would bring bad luck. The bride and groom have to clean up everything. This is to indicate that they can work together. 7. Together, the bride and groom will enter the church and walk down the aisle. Because it is not legal to have only a church ceremony, the couple will have already been legally married by a Standesbeamte. 8. As the couple walks to the wedding car, fir boughs are laid along the path to pave their first newlywed steps with fresh greenery to symbolize hope, luck and fertility. 9. On the day of the wedding, the guests go to couple’s house. VIII. Greece: 1. Before the wedding, tradition in Greece is to have your â€Å"Bed† made before groom actually sleep in it with the new spouse. During this ceremony, the bed is â€Å"made† with hand-knit linens and then adorned with Koufetta – almond candies, rose petals and, of course, money from friends and family for good luck. 2. When attending a Greek wedding, guests might wear a small â€Å"Eye† to ward off evil and keep the Bride and Groom protected from bad luck. 3. Greek Brides often put a lump of sugar in their glove for a â€Å"sweet† marriage. 4. Nowadays, after the wedding ceremony, guests are offered bombonieres. These delightful gifts of sugar-coated almonds are wrapped in net and attached to a small memento of your wedding. 5. Another hallmark of modern weddings is the wild and deafening loud concerto of automobile horns before and after a wedding ceremony. 6. In the reception a dance with handkerchiefs (Kaslamantiano) is enjoyed by all while stuf fed grape leaves, lamb skewers, and wine are served. 7. During the ceremony the groom is asked to honor the bride and she slightly touches him to put emphasis. IX. Italy: 1. A traditional Italian proposal begins with a romantic serenade. 2. Brides to be and their families gathered a â€Å"dote† or dowry of household goods and clothing in hope or marriage chests. This was often augmented with money or property. 3. In southern Italy, wild bachelor parties are uncommon as are raucous gatherings for the ladies. 4. Italian bride wears a white gown and veil. The white dress symbolizes purity while the veil, sometimes torn for luck, prevents the groom from clearly seeing the face of his intended before the ceremony, and thereby bringing bad luck upon the couple. 5. Almonds covered with caramel symbolize the joys and sadness of marriage. Sometimes the couple is pelted with sugared almonds. 6. In the reception, everyone enjoys the traditional dance called the â€Å"Tarantella.† X. Japan: 1. Sake Ceremony – known as one of the oldest traditional Japanese wedding customs, san-san-kudo, or sharing of sake is still performed today. 2. In Japan, brides may wear a colorful silk kimono or a shiromuku, a formal gown passed down over the ages and still used today as traditional bridal dresses. Some Japanese brides choose to wear a modern wedding gown. 3. The bride wears an elaborate white silk dress, various adornments, and a special wig. 4. In the reception there’s a dedication and some speeches, and the honored guests tell stories about the couple. 5. Kiogashi (colored sweets with flower shape), indicate that this is also a party. 6. Red is the funny and lucky color. XI. Korea: 1. In Korea, the marriage between a man and woman represents the joining of two families, rather than the joining of two individuals. 2. Before a Korean bride may be married, she must take part in the traditional Introduction ceremony, where she is accepted into the groom’s family. In a private ceremony, the groom’s family welcomes the bride. 3. The groom’s father may throw red dates at his daughter-in-law to bring her luck in fertility. 4. On the eve of the wedding (hum), the groom, bride, and her friends gather at the bride’s house. The groom’s friends arrive later, shouting and carrying lanterns to light the way and the bride’s things/dowry. Before entering they demand to be paid. When the payment of food and song is agreed upon, they enter and join with the others to celebrate. 5. Traditionally, a chest of gifts for the bride’s family was brought by the groom’s family. 6. The bride wears a multicolored silk dress with white sleeves and a black silk crown and she is made up with red points on her cheeks to scare away bad spirits. XII. Scotland: 1. Usually about a week before the ceremony the mother of the bride will hold a â€Å"show of presents† for her daughter. This corresponds to the bridal shower in other cultures. A slightly more raunchy tradition is the groom’s stag party. 2. The modern Scottish bride will wear a traditional or contemporary white wedding gown, while the groom dresses in traditional Highland kilt, kilt jacket and sporran. 3. The couple is either bag piped down the isle or traditional Gaelic hymns are played as they walk to the altar. The Highland Wedding is played at virtually all Scottish weddings. 4. Once at the altar the couple may choose to recite their vows in ancient Gaelic or to recite them in modern English. Following the vows the groom often pins a strip of his clan’s tartan colors to the bride’s wedding dress to signify that she is now a member of his clan. 5. Following the ceremony the bride and groom and all their honored guests head to a private home or to a restaurant for a lavish reception feast. At the typical Scottish reception you can count on the bride and groom being â€Å"piped† to the table of honor, where the bride will cut the first slice of wedding cake using a dirk (a long-bladed knife) that is provided to her by the piper. As the bride slices the first piece of wedding cake, custom dictates that her hand is guided by the hand of her new husband. 6. The wedding reception is filled with music, signing, much drinking and toasting to the health and happiness of the new couple. The celebrations can go on into the wee hours of the morning. 7. One custom that hasn’t changed for more than 700 years is the custom of the groom carrying his new bride over the threshold of their new home together. XIII. The Netherlands: 1. Dutch people are free to choose their spouses. The common basis for marriage is most often love. This does not mean that people marry independently of the constraints of class, ethnicity, and religion. 2. The choice of a partner is often class-based. Monogamy is the only marriage form allowed. 3. Many Dutch couples live in a consensual arrangement. Same-sex couples can marry and have the same rights as heterosexual couples. 4. A civil wedding ceremony, usually conducted in the town hall, is required in Holland to give marriage legality; so many couples have both a religious and civil ceremony on the same day. 5. The wedding ceremony is usually followed by a series of celebrations consisting of a reception, a formal dinner and a party, and it is common practice for family and friends to be invited to either all or just part of the celebrations, depending on their closeness to the couple. XIV. Russia: 1. The betrothal is a ceremony performed with the rites of the Eastern Church, and takes place eight days before the marriage. 2. During the interval between betrothal and marriage the bride’s girl friends endeavor to amuse her and keep up her spirits (for she is supposed to be in a state of lamentation and grief) by singing to her, and their songs tell of the happiness of married life. 3. On the day before the wedding they conduct her to the bath, where much time is spent in dressing her hair, while she listens to their songs. 4. Both bride and bridegroom receive a solemn blessing from their parents before leaving their houses, and even the wedding garments are blessed by the priest. 5. After the dedication, cups are thrown to the floor. Their breaking means happiness. 6. The bride and groom usually tie a doll to the wedding car or carriage if they wish their first child to be a girl, and a teddy bear if they want a boy. XV. Hawaiian: 1. The bride wears a long, white formal version of the muumuu called a ‘holoku. 2. Instead of a veil, a woven garland of island flowers, ‘haku lei’ is worn around her head. 3. The bride’s bouquet may consist of white orchid sprays. 4. The groom wears a long sleeve white shirt and white pants. A long red or colored sash is worn wrapped about his waist. A lei of maile and ilima flowers adorn his neck. 5. Hawaiian wedding bands bearing the couple’s name in Hawaiian are often exchanged. The name ‘kuuipo’ meaning sweetheart, is favorite choice for the bride. XVI. Philippines: 1. During the reception couples practice the Filipino wedding custom of releasing a pair of doves to symbolize a loving and harmonious marriage. 2. During the reception the wedding cake is sliced. 3. Throwing rice confetti at the newlyweds will bring them prosperity all their life. 4. The groom must arrive before the bride at the church to avoid bad luck. 5. Dropping the wedding ring, the veil or the arrhae during the ceremony spells unhappiness for the couple. 6. Bride should not try on her wedding dress before the wedding, maybe it will push through. XVII. Native American: 1. From Apache to Cheyenne and Hopi to Sioux, Native American wedding customs are beautiful and vary according to tribe. One custom in particular requires the bride and groom to wash their hands to cleanse away evil and previous lovers. 2. Ceremonies can be held in chapels, historical landmarks, Indian monuments, or reservations. Pow Wow drums provide lively music for the wedding reception festivities. 3. The Blanket Ceremony – This ritual entails using two blue blankets to represent the couple’s past lives. The couple are wrapped in blue blankets and led to a sacred circle of fire. The officiating person or spiritual leader blesses the union and the couple shed the blue blankets and enveloped by relatives in a single white blanket which represents their new life. Under the white blanket, it’s customary that the couples embrace and kiss. The white blanket is usually kept and displayed in the couple’s home. 4. The Native American bride may wear a white dress or a beautiful long leather dress with beading and traditional colors woven into the fabric. The traditional colors of Native Americans include White for east, Blue for south, Yellow for west, and Black for north. 5. The wedding feast consists of ceremonial foods such as white and yellow corn prepared in a delicious corn mush. The white represents the groom and the yellow represents the bride. The two types of corn are mixed to represent the new union.

Advantages of mobile phone Essay

Imagine waking up one morning and noticing your smartphone is missing. Really missing, not just buried under your blankets or abandoned in a coat pocket. Now imagine that happened to every single smartphone user. One of the most common criticisms about 21st century society is our dependence on technology, particularly smartphones. It’s no secret many of us rely a teensy bit too much on our mobile devices and, perhaps as a result, we’re abandoning some real world know-how in favor of convenience. Here we consider what most of us would essentially have to relearn without access to smartphones. Unlike the traditional cell phones, smartphones put the Internet in your pocket so you will be able to surf the Internet at any time on your phone. For instance, with your smartphone, you are able to search recipe websites and locate new recipes to cook. The phone also offers news websites and weather updates if you need to check the weather before you head out for the day .In addition, when you are on the bus heading back home, having a slap-up meal in your favourite restaurant, or on a weekend trip away; regardless, you’re never more than a few minutes from getting in touch with your nearest and dearest. Instant access to your emails and social media like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare means that you know what all your friends are doing, where they are, and what they think about anything from news to music to sport, right now. You can Facebook chat with your brothers who are overseas, or tweet at your best mate to say how much you’re looking forward to seeing them later; near or far, smartphones have made keeping in touch a real doddle. On the other hand, smartphones have many tools such as digital cameras, clocks , GPS navigation system, torch light and so forth. These tools will definitely help us in our daily life. Smartphones have combined everything we need to organise our lives into a single handheld device. We can set an alarm for the morning or a reminder about a doctor’s appointment, snapping a quick photo of a film poster to look at later, we can store ideas, memories and feelings within seconds. Besides, when we use the phone’s GPS system, we won’t have to worry about getting lost on the road or having trouble driving in a city that we are not familiar with at night. we can also download game apps to relax ourselves Smartphones also benefit in education system. Some lecturers use to record their lectures and create it where students can upload teachers’ lectures. Students who have smartphones can research various websites for research purposes easily. Teachers can use smartphones for file sharing, especially if they have the Dropbox app. This app is great for distributing information. Teachers can tell their students to make Dropbox accounts and create class-shared folders so that students can just submit their essays and projects from their computers or smartphones. Dropbox can save teachers time and paper.Moreover, we can use our smartphone to do our homeworks and assignments to find some information. By using our smart phones to find information is much faster than using a computer or a laptop. We don’t need to turn the computer on and off and we don’t have to connect to the Internet line for using the Internet. Many students also tend to use the dictionary in their smart phones. So, they will learn more and more words in a day.They will also learn the pronounciation of unfimiliar words .This will definitely improve their grammar and writing skills. To conclude, smartphones are an technological invention to follow the evolution of the society. Today, it is impossible not to think of using smartphones in everyday life. They became really important and essential as they are used for work or for private life. Smartphone brings many convenience in our livesFinally, the NSA affair showed that governments keep people under surveillance. More than the fact that this is a international issue between the United States and other countries, people can reflect on this and tell to themselves that using a smartphone can allow a governments to keep an eye on the society.

Ethical Boundaries and Practices Essay

Follow the directions below to write a paper of 1,500-1,750 words on counselor ethical boundaries and practices. For this paper, write from the perspective that you are a professional counselor in the field. Provide a thoughtful response to each of the following three sections, including specific, concrete examples to illustrate your ideas. Use the section headings provided below to separate each section of your paper. Your final deliverable should be one cohesive paper addressing all three sections along with an introduction and conclusion. Section 1: Boundary Issues and Dual Relationships Part A – Decision-Making Model and Counseling Examples How would you determine if a boundary-crossing or dual relationship is ethical and appropriate? What criteria would you consider when making your decision? Present examples of how you would apply this criteria to at least four counseling situations in which you believe the dual relationship issues are complex and ambiguous. One of your examples should address the issues of physical attraction between clients and counselors. Part B-Ethical Issues and Dimensions In addition, examine these issues in terms of former clients. Address the following: Do the ethical issues (and your opinion about appropriateness) change, depending on how long after the termination of therapy a dual relationship is initiated? What are the key ethical dimensions that might change, after the termination of therapy? Present an example of a situation that you believe would constitute a boundary violation with a current client but might be acceptable with a former client. Section 2: Professional Collaboration in Counseling Part A – Working with a Multidisciplinary Team Explain why counselors frequently collaborate with other stakeholders regarding a client’s care in order to maintain professional and ethical boundaries and practices. For example, professional counselors frequently work with clients with addiction issues. Addiction counselors may work with  clients who also have a co-occurring disorder. The specific roles of each of these counselors are well defined; straying into an area outside your scope of practice is unethical. How would you work independently as a counselor within your scope of practice as well as collaboratively with other mental health professionals to ensure quality client care? What is the role of a counselor in a multidisciplinary team? Part B –Relationships with Supervisors and Colleagues Describe the ethical issues involved in the supervisor-counselor relationship. How is this relationship similar to the counselor-client relationship? How is it different? Outline a series of criteria and describe how you would integrate the criteria into an ethical decision-making model to respond to issues of incompetence and/or unethical conduct by fellow counselors. Section 3: Development of Your Thinking about Ethics Clearly describe what you consider to be the most important developments in your thinking about ethical practice that have occurred during this course. This may include areas in which you have clarified your views and beliefs, modified your thinking on a given issue, gained new insights, or acquired a new perspective. It may include issues whose complexity you now appreciate more fully or difficult issues that you now understand you must grapple with, as a counselor. What have you most learned about yourself and/or about what constitutes becoming an ethical practitioner and how has your thinking about ethics and legal issues changed? Be sure that you include specific examples to illustrate general statements.

Writing and Reporting News, page 94, exercise 2 Assignment

Writing and Reporting News, page 94, exercise 2 - Assignment Example In the article, it brought about the divide between the republicans who do not support gay marriage. Gay marriage has been on debate for a very long time on whether to make it legal on various states. In an article written by Rick Pearson on November 6th, 2013 about the legalization gay marriage in Illinois as having made a boost to the Democrats in the forthcoming elections. Furthermore he continues that high unemployment rate coupled with financial woes could tract the party too. In a newspaper article written on June 11th by Jennifer Weigel, a research finding linking social media to narcissism was reported. This came as a concern as many people in our society use social media for communication. She reported that the common social media sites like Facebook and Twitter promoted the culture of narcissism. In an article written by Jan Wiezorek, it more focused on college orientation programs. In campus, it is evident that quite a number of factors need to be considered during orientation process. This include issues like HIV, drug abuse and alcohol, HIV, Homophobia among others. Manchir, Rick Pearson and Michelle. "Poll: Same-sex marriage still divides GOP voters in Illinois." 17 February 2014. Chicago Tribune. . Pearson, Rick. "Marriage vote could re-engage 2014 campaigns." 6 November 2013. Chicago Tribune. . Weigel, Jenniffer. "University of Michigan study links social media and narcissism." 11 June 2013. Chicago Tribune. . Wiezorek, Jan. "College Orientation Programs Are Focusing On

Globalization of production and operations management Term Paper

Globalization of production and operations management - Term Paper Example Taking a simple circumstance of the use of computers by the manufacturers and the service sector is the best example that reflects how these businesses are growing rapidly in their domains. Manufacturers and their retailers are commonly joining hands and improving their distribution channels. In this case, the manufacturers are not wholly dependable on their retailers to expand their recognition in the market and help selling their products or services; however, they have their own opportunity to do so with the use of digital computers in collaboration with their retailers. First, the direct computer relationship between retailers and manufacturers have increased the possibility of making the manufacturers aware of the selling and purchasing of their products, while they could even collaborate directly if the products becomes short in market so that the delivery of products could be made in time with maximum customer satisfaction (Kozicki, pp.41-42). This way the manufacturers have g reat opportunity to have first-hand information about their consumers’ demands and can play a major part in increasing their productivity according to their target market’s interests. ... The consumers always want to save their time, money and resources to visit the outlets, choose from a wide range of varieties of products and services and then to reach upon the conclusion of making a purchase or not. In this case, the prospective buyers living abroad cannot even have the possibility of visiting the international outlets easily. Thus, E-Business provides these buyers with an opportunity to place online orders and have their desired products delivered to their doorsteps. This also increases the reach of the manufacturing industry and the service sector to buyers present outside the geographical area. The same could be done by television advertising and providing the prospective buyers a ‘universally accessible number’ to place orders. Yet, all this demands work force on the manufacturers’ or the service sectors’ end to make these facilities available to the consumers. Yet, this advancement also brings a great challenge for the manufacturers and creates quite a conflict between them and their retailers. The retailers are their help these manufacturers sell their products through a proper visible distribution channel. However, if the manufacturers start providing an e-buying service, the business o their retailers would come to an end. Even if it’s not an end, but, it will give a blow to their business and would prove to be a source of loss in the long run as less people would prefer going to the retail markets. This would eventually create competition between the two entities doing the same business and thus, the retailers would have to look for expandable options to increase their selling (Gupta, Koulamas, & Kyparisis, pp. 604-605). Thirdly, people interested in putting their products on auction have an unmatched opportunity

Read the powerpoint, then answer the question Assignment

Read the powerpoint, then answer the question - Assignment Example Due to this perception, negotiators do not prepare hard to gain a larger reward or benefit. 8. Various problems can occur while determining the target, including cultural problems which may result as a negotiators failure to identify the background of the target negotiators, failure of the negotiator to respect the other party’s interest and recognizing their BATNA (Thompson 17). 9. Target point is the actual party with which negotiations are taking place and reservation point is the reserved party who negotiators might approach as a result of negotiations with the target point. Both points should not be confused as target point has better benefits to offer. 10. Different issues in a negotiation should be treated separately as managing single issue is much easier than managing the whole. Secondly, there may be issues on which the negotiator might have to compromise and in certain issues; the negotiator might be able to win completely. 11. It is essential to perform a self, situation and counterparty assessment in order to identify one’s own and counter party’s strengths and weaknesses as well as the environment in which negotiations are taking place. These strengths and weaknesses will help a negotiator take advantage of the counterparty and change their techniques with the environment. Several questions pertaining to the situation need to be asked including, the importance, form, time as well as cost and benefits of the negotiation. 12. Pressure of limited time may not allow the negotiator to be well prepared and plan properly before negotiations. Time related costs at times may be too high for both the negotiation parties. Due to this one party may be in a hurry and other party can take advantage. 13. Bargaining zone is the situation or the bargaining area where both the buyer’s and seller’s range overlap each other. Positive bargaining zone can result in a win-win situation for both, while negative bargaining zone can result

School Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

School Environment - Essay Example In addition, student characteristics and class room factors may also have an impact on learning and teaching. It is essential for instructors to take note of both the community needs and environmental/contextual factors in addressing the needs of the school. Moreover, the uneven number of learners from underprivileged family backgrounds who precipitately terminate their education in high school has turned into a significant matter in recent times. In spite the growth of education over the last twenty years, likelihood of accomplishment, level of taking part, and representation all remain substantial among young learners from well off regions and minimal among young learners from underprivileged areas. Therefore, it is the duty of all education stakeholders to consider probable or all environmental/contextual factors and community needs that may have an impact on a school (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). By being aware of and comprehending the environmental/contextual factors and communit y needs, stakeholders, for example, instructors may adequately organize their class room instruction so that all students learn properly. This paper will look at environmental/contextual factors and community needs of a high school and for each of the identified needs describe some possible solutions that could be used to deal with the needs of the high school. The environmental/contextual factors and community needs of a high school include socioeconomics and the population of a community. The socio-economic status of a high school may be made up of low, middle, and high class populations. Nevertheless, socio-economic factors and needs have an impact on a high school and instruction when a low achievement is realized due to a low socio-economic level. In a high school, learners who come from households that are underprivileged have a greater chance of experiencing difficulties at school than learners who come from households that are placed in the middle or upper ranks of the socia l strata. In addition, learners from low social status households are more probable to lessen their level of participation in high school, either by foregoing the chance to continue with learning in high school or by dropping out of school. These learners are also likely to pursue complex paths in high school, such as restarting or repeating their courses due to non-learning issues, or deferring their enrollment in school. In addition, learners from underprivileged backgrounds suffer from poor nutrition. Consequently, poor nutrition can have a negative impact on their memory and attention during instruction thus leading to a decreased intelligence quotient score than learners from high socio-economic positions. Studies indicate that learners who come from low socio-economic status backgrounds have slower and lower academic attainment in comparison to students from high socio-economic positions (Wilkinson & Pickett, 2009). Also, when instructors make decisions about learners on the b asis of their socio-economic position and class, they are taking the foremost step in stopping learners from gaining an equal chance for academic success. There are a number of possible solutions that could be used to deal with this need in a high school. Instructors need to play a part in dealing with the stigma of poverty. Instructors can accomplish this by not reinforcing a learner coming from a low socio-economic status or having depleted self-esteem. Learners also need to look at the learners as human beings and not as people occupying specified socio-economic positions. Looking at learners in this way will assist tutors not to be biased towards learners of particular socio-economic classes. In addition, enhancing the degree of instruction

Waste Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Waste - Assignment Example ghts the environmental effects caused by extensive use of plastic bags, possible proposed plans of eliminating their use and economic impacts of implementing these plans as well as the financial aspect. Plastic bags pose dangers to animals. Notably, this occurs when plastic bags find their ways into their feeding areas, and mistake them for food especially when residues are present in the bag. Death results in the event of swallowing (Hope, 1998). Secondly, extensive use of these bags causes litter problems, thereby reducing aesthetic value of our environment (Hester and Harrison, 2002). In conclusion, retailers give carryout plastic bags to buyers at no cost. However, they purchase plastic bags at a particular cost spending much more than the cost of operation. Implementation of my proposed plans ensures that retailers save the collected fees to buy a unit of plastic bag than that of paper (Cheremisinoff,

Career Exploration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Career Exploration - Essay Example Changes are inevitable. Nevertheless, a career change requires a thorough and critical thinking. This paper explores the necessary credential in the success of my chosen career plan. Also, it tackles the steps in achieving my goal relative to time. Further, this paper discusses the pay ranges, career change, and support system characterized in the three positions that I have personally chosen. Credential Perhaps a Master’s Degree is essential as a strong credential prior to entering the work force in the realm of education. In the success of my career plan, an MA degree might be helpful. According to Kaplan (2008), there are over a million of people in the United States who annually enroll in the graduate programs (p. 3). One of the reasons why people take up an MA/PhD degree is because it provides them the greater advantage over others in the competitive job market. What Kaplan (2008) calls â€Å"career advancement,† persons who have a Master’s Degree possess th e advantage of gaining career position and/or promotion against those people â€Å"with only a bachelor’s degree† (p. 4). The drawback, however, is that a Master’s degree is far from the assurance that one can land a good job or be promoted to a much higher position. Plus, pursuing a graduate program is a difficult and tremendous task. In fact, Peters (1997) compares the students in the graduate school as adults who are â€Å"judged by the standards of the adult world† (p. 6). To my mind, the notion of the â€Å"adult world† as understood by Peters is far from the ideal, child-like, or Utopia-like realm. From here, I seem to perceive it as something monstrous and hideous. In time and with perseverance, nevertheless, I might be able to cope up the challenges salient in the graduate program. And I might land a good job of my liking. Pay ranges The three positions, which I have chosen as my alternative careers in the field of education, have different pay ranges. In the primary education, on the one hand, a teacher receives an annual salary ranging from $30,719 to $54,000 (Bernstein, 2003, p. 466). Meaning to say, a teacher who is teaching in the primary school, particularly in the public school, receives from the minimum monthly pay of roughly $3,000 to the maximum monthly salary of approximately $4,500. In special education, on the other hand, a teacher gets a yearly salary ranging from $33,770 to $ 78,980 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005, p. 297). Finally, a guidance counselor in the field of education receives an annual pay from $25,200 to $71,900 (Bernstein, 2003, p. 394). As a whole, the teacher’s pay greatly varies on his or her academic background (e.g., with an MA degree) and years of teaching. In spite of their differences in pay range, all these positions in the realm of education widely receive similar benefit plans such as paid vacation and sick leave (Eberts & McGowan, 2000, p. 41) Steps to follow In ord er for me to be more fruitful in my career goals, I will take several rational steps. By and large, these practical steps will be either short-term or long-term. In the short-term goal, specifically in one-year plan, I will study and learn the fundamentals associated to my chosen career path. Example of which is the appropriate method in the practice of teaching. In the special education, in particular, teaching methodology is obviously distinct to, say, 5th-grade education. In the long-term goal, specif

Workplace drug testing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Workplace drug testing - Assignment Example According to the SAMSHA Office of Applied Studies, 8.4 % of the US workforce in 2007 were users of drugs and almost the same percent were reported heavy users of alcohol (cited in US DOL, 2010, p.2). The bottomline impact of such statistics is that the employee, his/ her co-workers and the business itself sustains losses as a result of a poor performance by a drug dependent. Therefore, there is a compelling reason to do drug testing like urinalysis or blood tests in order to deter and prevent substance abuse in workers, not just in public institutions but in all private and public businesses. Today, the law mandates that all companies dealing with the government should have a drug-free workplace (US DHHS, SAMSHA, 1994, p.1). Some states also have their own laws on drug testing, but the focus is on companies that deal with the State. I believe that a drug-free workplace program, i.e., urinalysis drug tests and blood tests, should be enforced on all workplaces regardless of public or private transactions with the government. Where substance abuse is deterred, employees who truly are under the influence will seek employment where such behaviour can be tolerated. Thus, the program will not be effective if there will be companies left that can tolerate substance abuse. According to Larson, et al. (2007), 90% of workers that are elicit drug users or alcohol abusers work for small and medium-sized businesses (cited in US DOL, 2010, p.2). Yet most of these businesses are not mandated, not organized and resourced enough to have a sustainable drug-free workplace programs. Since sm all businesses make up a significant part of the society, they should get all the help they can from the government, more so on the aspect of drug abuse enforcement. There is already an existing law on drug applicable to public institutions and to effectively combat drug abuse in society, this existing law on drug testing should just be expanded to

Uniform Civil Code Essay Example for Free

Uniform Civil Code Essay India is a secular democratic country. Secularism means equal rights to everybody. The rights should not differ on the basis of sex or religion. The fact that India is having different Civil Code for different persons based on their religion does not suite its secular state status. The two major laws that are governing the lives of most of the people of our country is the Hindu and Muslim law (Sharia law). Both these laws have varied approach to civil rights. The marriage and divorce in Muslim law is one of controversial points that is male supportive. The concept of saying â€Å"Talak† three times will result in divorce without even the consent of the female partner. The alimony also needs to be given only for three months after divorce. These things are completely against the rights of women. The guardianship is also a controversial issue. According to both the above said laws. The first guardian is the father and then the mother is the second guardian. This is completely against the right of the women towards her child. The Muslim law allows a male child to get 3 times the female child of their family’s property. The HHiHindu law while it was not even asking for a share for the female child was later modified to allow equal partition of the wealth. There is an article in our constitution that allows the old British laws to exist unless otherwise notified and the law allowing everybody to follow any religion of their wish. It is not the time for our government to rob in religious leaders, scholars and law makers to a common table and devise a new common civil code with the goal of giving equal rights to everybody.