Essay about Censorship Laws and Practices in China

Censorship Laws and Practices in China Introduction China joined the global Internet age in 1994, and has been commercially available since 1995. Since then, Chinese Internet usage has seen explosive growth, doubling every six months, and the number of online users is only second to the US. The Internet age ushered in the information age with a new world of freedom and expression for the Chinese. However, soon after its inception, the Chinese government has reined in the free wheeling Internet users and has imposed new laws and restrictions to access and content on the Internet. It is interesting to note that some of the new Internet regulations contradict International Laws signed by the Chinese government. China signed the†¦show more content†¦Now any website or web service also had to monitor and self-sensor any information from their services that might contain material that might be harmful to the state. In the same year â€Å"The Measures for Managing Internet Information Services† outlined what and how hosts should monitor Internet traffic. This document explicitly stated which forms of speech are not expectable. Any speech or information, harmful to the state, containing differing views on religion, or those that may cause disorder or lead to national disunity have been stated. In, 2001, the Internet censorship laws went to the ultimate extreme. If state secrets are exported from China, the government can impose harsh penalties such as imprisonment and confiscation all belongings, and in extreme cases, the death penalty. In 2002, China banned those under the age of 18 from using Internet cafes. Internet cafe users are banned from viewing websites pose threats to â€Å"state security† i.e. websites with violence, sexuality, or heretic messages. The Chinese government had enforced these rules and regulations through blocking, filtering and shutting down Internet cafes. According to Amnesty International, the Chinese government routinely blocks news sites, especially those with dissident views or banned groups. Anniversary’s such as the 1989 pro-democracy protests are heavily guarded days that see increase Internet blocking. Internet blocking of major search gateways is alsoShow MoreRelatedThe Journalistic Practices Of China1024 Words   |  5 PagesThe journalistic practices in China, or the People’s Republic of China, are heavily impacted by the on-going turbulence within their political situation and the control exerted by their political leaders. Through extensive research, I have found that the political situation in China can be classified as extremely restrictive, especially concerning journalism and news media as a whole, due to the communist rule currently implemented by president Xi Jinping of the Chi nese Communist Party. While it’sRead MoreOff the Leash: Censoring the Internet Essay1737 Words   |  7 Pagesbusiness practices, as that would hardly be published by the powers that be. Enron would never have been caught, Clinton would have never been impeached (or if he had, the reasons would be â€Å"undisclosed† and a great many political jokes would have never been told) and the American people would lose much of their voice! As a citizen trying to be informed, your job would be nearly impossible. In recent news, China’s government has come locking horns with our over this very topic. China is a practitionerRead MoreCensorship in the Media1115 Words   |  5 PagesIs Censorship necessary? â€Å"Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear. -- Harry S Truman Thesis: Although some people believe that censorship is adequate to select what things does the society will be good and can live around it while others believe that thereRead MoreInternet Censorship in China Essay937 Words   |  4 Pagesother than parental controls. In China, most, if not all of those types of sites are or have been blocked. As in, you could not go to them, unless you found some way around the web filters and firewalls the Chinese government runs in their country. While China defends their practice of internet censorship, based on â€Å"protecting† the people, heavy internet censorship is a block to free speech and impedes economic and social development in the 21st century. China says it has its reasons for censoringRead MoreCensorship And The Media Of Censorship1407 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferently by different people, the same can be said about censorship. Censorship and privacy do not solely revolve around leaks and personal intrusions from foreign entities. The advent of social media and cell phones have created new avenues for people to communicate and share information; The internet provides people a new and global way to spread information that can be considered worthy of censorship. Many people I know argue that censorship should not be commonplace in the media, in social mediaRead MoreCensorship Of The World Wide Web1326 Words   |  6 Pagestake months before a letter from China could reach the U.S, now it just takes a second with E-Mail. This fast pace information processing has allowed human society to move forward with unprecedented speed, but it also raises many concerns for government authorities. Sharing information is a powerful too l, and too much of it will make any government nervous. Censorship of information has had a long history throughout the world. In ancient China for example, censorship was considered a legitimate instrumentRead MoreExpanding Social Media Into the Chinese Market Essay1217 Words   |  5 PagesTwitter is expanding its social media business into China. This report seeks to describe the potential problems of this expansion by analyzing Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft’s mistakes after attempting to enter the Chinese market in 2006. According to Amnesty International (AI), an international human rights organization, the Chinese government has been violating the â€Å"fundamental human rights† of its citizens, and Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft have been â€Å"complicit.† AI defines these human rightsRead MoreCensorship Filters The Media Within The World1574 Words   |  7 PagesDoes censorship filter the media within the world? Censorship has followed the free expressions of men and women like a shadow throughout history. Censorship is a way to filter the media in the world by suppressing unacceptable viewings or hearings by not showing, bleeping out, and covering the distasteful parts. In ancient societies, China for example, censorship was considered a logical tool for regulating the political and moral life of the population. The term censor can be traced to the officeRead MoreInternet Censorship: Censoring Freedom Essay1707 Words   |  7 PagesStatistics New and World Population Stats). Howev er, despite the obvious advantages of the internet’s freedom, some countries are trying to control the internet and display what it deems appropriate for the public eye. Many countries, including Australia, China, and North Korea implement a system to filter web content. Even the United States is now in debate to construct a system to filter the internet and remove sites that are considered censor-worthy. Although this may sound like a semi-logical approachRead MorePowerful Issues Caused By Media Censorship And The Harm It Does On The Development Of A Globalized Society1493 Words   |  6 PagesIn our modern world, most world leaders tend to argue against media censorship and the suppression of one of our most basic human right, freedom of expression. We live in a globalized society, that shares news and information in matter of seconds, with newspapers, a blog post, a Facebook opinion or with a 140-character block called Tweet. If we have the accessibility to these outlets, which most of us do, we can learn about the result of the presidential election in Peru or we can learn about the

Evaluating a Hiring and Variable Pay Plan Free Essays

Evaluating a Hiring and Variable Pay Plan Include a brief summary of the situation. Effective Management Solutions (EMS) a small management consulting company divided into four areas: management systems, business process improvement, human resources, and quality improvement that are rapidly growing. The growth has expanded so quickly that, EMS has developed and is planning to execute an aggressive revenue growth plan. We will write a custom essay sample on Evaluating a Hiring and Variable Pay Plan or any similar topic only for you Order Now The goal is to obtain a 25% revenue increase each year for the next five years, in each of the four departments. A main element of this plan is growth in the staff. The reason for this is that the majority of the entry level associates are currently working at the maximum load of hours and clients. To accomplish this plan EMS predicts it will have to hire 100 associates of which 40 will be for replacements do to promotions, and associates who leave and go to other consulting firms. The additional 60 will cover growth with the new revenue increase plan. Knowing this will be a challenge and that the current hiring package needs to be updated to attract and keep good quality associates, EMS has tasked Manuel Rodriquez who is the one-man HR department to develop a job offer proposal, that will increase the offer rate, decrease the turnover rate of current associates and not create issues among the associates who are currently employed. Assess the attractiveness of the HVP program for both applicants and those who receive offers, deciding for whom it would be the most attractive. The hiring variable plan will be very attractive to both pools of people. And for applicants it would more then likely increase of even applying. And for those who receive offers it would at least bring the company on par with its top competitors and increase the number of accepted job offers. More than likely it will be most attractive to those receiving offers because if all other factors are equal with the company’s competitor’s candidates will be more likely to accept the offer and have a feeling of more ownership of their career path. Predict and justify if the HVP program will likely increase the job offer acceptance rate. The introduction of the HVP program will produce a significant increase in the job offer acceptance rate. The increased market competitiveness, applicant desirability and employees satisfaction would all not only increase the applicant pool but would also slow the outflow of employees. In addition the program would have a double benefit of an increased applicant pool as well as more accepted job offers that would drastically increase the acceptance rate. Predict and justify if the HVP program will likely reduce turnover. The adoption will also reduce turnover. The new found ownership over their career path as well as increased earning potential will significantly boost employee job satisfaction. In addition the variable pay plan will make the companies competitors look less attractive to unsatisfied employees. Give your opinion about how current associates will react to the HVP program. Current associates will mostly respond positively to the new variable pay plan. They will be pleased with option to join the new plan in addition to keeping their current salary. This may put them in a position to earn considerably more than their new peers and employees with their competitors. In addition they have even more earning potential because they may already train for the hot skills premium that is offered for rare skills sets. To the contrary there could be small levels of un-happiness if it seems that new employees have higher earning potential or if the security of the wages previously earned is put at risk. Suggest what issues and problems the HVP plan will create for Human Resources and for the hiring manager. The HVP plan will present several problems and challenges for Human Resources personnel and the hiring mangers. Some of those problems include re-training/ lack of knowledge to explain the program to new and current employees, lack of resources required to implement this new complex pay schedule and meet the new strategic hiring goals, the burden of developing a consistent way for the hiring manger to evaluate hot skills premiums as well as salaries. And whose responsibility it is to update and maintain employees pay plans preferences and lastly human resources receive and resolve complaints for plan participants who chose the high risk path. Human Resources personnel would need be re-trained, given appropriate tools or significantly revamped to handle such a substantial policy change. The may been seen as owners or experts of the new process. In addition a new method will have to be found to input, track, change, and calculate bonuses and weekly pay checks. This could include hiring additional staff, buying or over hauling existing software or out sourcing the process completely. The hiring may have issues determining what hot skills the company is looking for and which new hires possess them. Further more additional staff will be required to screen applicants, interview candidates, conduct background checks, completely develop or revamp the employees orientation, re-structure of each individual area will be needed. In addition protocols and processes will be created and put in place to insure that hot skills premium is fairly evaluated as well as the salary offer aligns with market average. Propose and justify changes in the HVP program. While the HVP program is still in its infancy, at later stage a process could be created to standardize market components of employee’s salaries. For one the hot skills premium and starting salary may be set to market standards or by upper management. This change would provide clarity consistency and fairness to this new compensation scheme. In addition the high risk plan could be mad less drastic so as to not cause a burden to employees in low peak times. The high risk plan as it stands may cause financial burdens to employees which could affect their productivity. References Heneman, H. G. , Judge, T. A. (2009). BUS 335: Staffing organizations: 2009 custom edition (6th ed. ). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. How to cite Evaluating a Hiring and Variable Pay Plan, Papers

Problems Police Officers Face free essay sample

Introduction to Criminal Justice James Loughlin May 22nd, 2013 ABSTRACT Today being a police officer is more than just chasing a bad guy on a high speed chase or making an arrest. Many police officers deal with job stress which causes things to go wrong in their personal life. Many departments have come to terms with this and now offer help to those who need it. Officers and departments are also dealing with corruption and how to resolve this issue. It is rare but, it is not rare enough to go unnoticed. A police officer is supposed to be there in a time of need when someones safety has been compromised, not to make a deal with the criminal so that the police officer and criminal both get what they want. Problems Police Officers Face Police officers are just like everyday people, who also deal with their own problems on the job. We will write a custom essay sample on Problems Police Officers Face or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Like many other jobs, job stress can be one of the worst parts of having a job. Job stress can be one of the main reasons people choose to leave the job. Another problem is corruption in law enforcement that many police departments deal with on a daily bases. As many people know, law enforcement is not a walk in the park. Like many other jobs, job stress can be one of the worst parts of having a job. Police officers see more than most of us will ever see in our lifetime. For example, I know of a man, who is now a retired police officer who has seen a lot of stuff; from as little as taking someone into jail for driving under the influence to being the first on the scene of a murder. He had a hard time separating home from work, which caused his marriage to fail. This man does not like to talk about the things he has seen, and still has many restless nights. There are many reasons that can cause stress; it is categorized into four different detailed stressors. These detailed stressors are external, organizational, duty and, individual stressors. An external stressor is when a police officer undergoes â€Å"verbal abuse from the public, justice system inefficiency, and liberal court decisions† (Siegel amp; Worrell 2012). Police officers may feel that they are not getting paid enough , have too much paperwork and, do not advance in their jobs easily other known as organizational stress. As Siegel and Worrell states (2012), a duty stressor is anything from rotating a shift to; too much work, boredom, fear, and danger. Individual stressors include problems in their marriage, the color of their skin, and who they are. Police officers who endure job stress are greatly affected. A job as a police officer has been associated to physical and psychological infirmities. Heart disease and diabetes has caused many untimely deaths. Police officers face many unequal â€Å"number of divorces and marital problems† (Siegel amp; Worrell 2012). In some police departments, suicide is greater than the suicide rates of ordinary people. Police officers experience a lot of stress and do suffer from it in more than one way. When you think of a police officer; you think safety and security for anyone who may be trying to hurt you. But, that does not mean that police officers are all good, there are many who are corrupt. Corruption is when an officer makes a choice to commit illegal acts to accomplish approved goals. Corruption has been around since the early nineteenth century and police departments have always struggled with dealing with it. It was hard to tackle because the â€Å"police code of silence demands that officers never turn in their peers, even if they engage in corrupt or illegal practices† (Siegel amp; Worrell 2012). However, current research indicates that police corruption is rare. There are also four types of corruption such as, internal corruption, selective enforcement or non-enforcement, active criminality and, bribery and extortion. An internal corruption happens within the police department who bends the rules and commits illegal acts. A form of selective enforcement or non- enforcement is when an officer makes the decision letting someone go, based on receiving anything in return that is non-informative and related to his personal wants. When an officer commits a crime that he is delegated to monitor by using their â€Å"positions of trust and power† is known as active criminality (Siegel amp; Worrell 2012). Police officers whose â€Å"roles are exploited specifically to raise money† is called bribery and extortion (Siegel amp; Worrell 2012). In the case of bribery, a civilian is the instigator and the police officer is the extortionist. Bribery and extortion are set into three categories; mooching, chiseling and, shopping. Mooching is when an officer receives free items in the exchange of preferential treatment. Chiseling is when an officer is presistant on receiving free admission to an event o r simply a discount on a something. If someone were to leave a door unlocked on purpose for an officer to come and take something is known as shopping. There are a variety of corruption effects that police officers have to deal with. Such effects include but are not limited to, the â€Å"encouragement and spreading of anti-social behavior, administrative control becomes ineffective, and civilians are starting to take things into their own hands because they fear that taking a case to the police will only instigate a bribery† (Police Corruption 2013). Police corruption is a problem and it needs to be stopped. Even though there are these everyday problems, there are many ways to help resolve them. There are many things police officers can do if they are dealing with job stress and do not know who to resolve some if not all of their stress. Recruits going through the academy are being taught stress training which includes, â€Å"diet information, biofeedback, relaxation and meditation, and exercise† (Siegel amp; Worrell 2012). Wellness programs have been added to some departments for men and woman who need to know how to manage their stress. Programs are offered not only for the officer but their families. This is to help a spouse and the officers children to better understand how to help the officer. Even just giving a little bit of support to an officer under stress can help. Law enforcement corruption can be controlled in a variety of ways. One of these ways is to strengthen the administration which has been associated with â€Å"lowered corruption rates† (Siegel amp; Worrell 2012). However, research has found that officers are more â€Å"reluctant than ordinary citizens to report unethical behavior on the part of their colleagues† (Siegel amp; Worrell 2012). There is a new approach to controlling corruption and it is called the accountability system. This allows supervisors to be responsible for the actions of officers who work for them. Another way to step up and be of help is to tell superiors of an officer who was seen taking bribes. You can make sure the officer is identified by getting his badge number and name. Also, try to get as much evidence as possible such as a â€Å"photo of police receiving a bribe† (Police Corruption 2013). Officers can receive help, it’s the matter of if they want the help or not. As you can see, there are problems for police officers just like citizens who also deal with job related problems. Police officers have a lot of things that have to deal with on a daily basis which causes them to stress out. But, luckily they can receive help for their stress and get tips on how to better manage it.  Departments are cracking down on police corruption and are using the best techniques as possible. Stopping it will be a hard task but, it can be done.

The climatic scenes Essay Example For Students

The climatic scenes Essay Discuss how the climatic scenes from Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow make use of similar cinematography in order to communicate the gothic nature of the narrative  Both films, Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Sleepy Hollow (1999) are directed by Tim Burton. They are both of the Gothic fantasy genre so will use very similar techniques for the films, e.g. lighting, colour, camera angles etc. Sleepy Hollow is a film about a town which is haunted by the headless horseman. Ichabod Crane is sent from New York to investigate the goings on. Edward Scissorhands is about an unfinished scientists creature with scissors for hands. The scientist who created died before he was finished leaving the creature (Edward) in the isolated house on the top of a hill overlooking the town of suburbia. Edward is found and brought down to live with them. Johnny Depp features in both of these films as the main characters, Ichabod and Edward. Johnny Depp has featured in other films for Tim Burton like the 2005 re-make of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We will write a custom essay on The climatic scenes specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Tim Burton uses montage editing to create panic, drama and terror. In Sleepy Hollow the film cuts from Katrina and the Stepmother in the windmill, to the headless horseman who is racing toward the windmill, and then to Ichabod who is similarly racing towards the windmill in order to save Katrina. The images are brief, this helps speed up the action and to create tension in the audience. There is tension because the audience do not know if Ichabod or the Horseman will get to the windmill and essentially Katrina first, because the Horseman is only after Katrina. However the Horseman is prepared to kill anyone who gets in his way. It also informs the audience of the various narrative strands, linking them together for the climax of the film. Montage editing is used in a similar way for Edward Scissorhands. The film constantly cuts between Kim, Edward and Jim. Each clip shows us the reaction from each character in the fight. This creates panic and tension because when the camera is on a close up of one character, we cannot see what the other characters are doing. So when one thing happens to a character, like Kim being thrown against the wall, we do not know if she is ok until the camera cuts back to her later. When you do see the characters though, theyre only brief close up cuts and this means the audience cant see the whole scene. However it is easy for the audience to understand what emotion each character is having because the shots are close ups. All this montage editing happens constantly until the climax, where Edward stabs Jim and he falls out of the window.  Tim Burton uses camera angles a lot in both films to change the way the audience perceive the gothic nature of each film. An example of a very good low angle shot in Sleepy Hollow is when Katrina is just waking up after being taken to the windmill by her Stepmother. The camera is looking up from the floor past Katrina and focusing on the stepmother, this gives a very good effect as it makes the stepmother seem superior and in control, which she is. It makes Katrina seem very vulnerable and innocent because the stepmother is above her menacingly and takes up a dominating part of the frame. A good example of a low angled from Edward Scissorhands is the establishing shot of Edwards house before the climatic fight scene. The camera is also on a tilt, this way the audience can see as much of Edwards house as possible, it also slightly distorts the shot so the audience arent quite sure on what they are seeing. In both shots the same camera angles are used but to illustrate different bits of the gothic nature of each film, in Sleepy Hollow its the vulnerability and innocence of our Heroine and in Edward Scissorhands its the way the audience perceive Edwards house. .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae , .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .postImageUrl , .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae , .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae:hover , .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae:visited , .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae:active { border:0!important; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae:active , .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u05b9ee432c2d5a40c942dfbc19e58dae:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Merchant's Tale EssayAnother type of shot used well in both films is the crane shot. In Sleepy Hollow the good crane shot is used when the horsemans body is being lowered into the grave. The colours used in this scene contrast well as the scene is very white and pure and the horsemans body and grave are very dark. It is as if the horsemans body taints the pure scene, which later on it seems to as he comes back to haunt the town. A good crane shot in Edward Scissorhands is when the camera is looking down on Jims body after he fell out of the window. A camera angle used specially in Edward Scissorhands is the technique of a frame within a frame, which we dont see in Sleepy Hollow. An example of this is when the camera looks up at Edward after Jim fell out of the window, Edward is framed by the broken window as if he is some gothic painting. A camera angle used very well in Edward Scissorhands is a close up slant shot. It is after the stepmother chopped her sisters head off. The camera is focused on the head with the stepmother in the background, out of focus. The camera is slanted, slightly altering the way the audience see the frame. The head takes up about two thirds off the frame with the stepmother in the other third, a technique used regularly by Tim Burton. The colours contrast as the head is full of dull muted colours where as the scene itself is full of browns, reds and yellows of all the leaves. All of these examples show that the way Tim Burton uses camera angles, changes the way the audience see and perceive the gothic nature of each shot.

The Life of Gaius Julius Caesar essays

The Life of Gaius Julius Caesar essays Gaius Julius Caesar was born in a working class quarter of the great city of Rome on July 13, 100 BC. In Rome a newborn child is laid on the ground by his/her mother then their father has the option to pick up and accept responsibility for the child or to leave the child. If the baby is left it could be killed, raised by another member of the family, or rescued by a slave trader/owner. Luckily for Gaius, when he was laid on the floor his father welcomed him into his family. On the ninth day of his life little baby Gaius got his name. Caesars full name is composed of three names. All three names have a symbolic meaning to his family. His first and last name was that of his father gens (clan), and on his mothers side he belongs to the Aurelian gens. Each clan has a past all in itself. His fathers clan, Julian, claims to be descended from Venus. And on his mothers side a rich plebian family is the staple of the clan. His uncle (by marriage to his Aunt Julia) was the famous general Gaius Marius. He was the leader of the Populares and held the position of consul (highest political office) for seven consecutive terms, while Caesars dad wasnt even a praetor (2nd in rank to consul). His uncle saw to it that young Caesar was appointed flamen dialis. This was one of an archaic priesthood with no power. This accompanied by Julius marriage to Cornelia in 84BC identified him with his Uncles extremist politics. Cornelia was the daughter of Cinna, one of Mariuss associates who was also a radical. In 82 BC when Lucaius Cornelius Sulla was made dictator he ordered a list of enemies to be killed. Caesar, because of his relation to Marius, was ordered to divorce Cornelia. He refused to do so & found it necessary to leave Rome. When Caesar ...

SPIN EVERYTHING

SPIN EVERYTHING I recently wrote a guest post for Carol Tices phenomenal blog called MAKE A LIVING WRITING. My post was entitledHow I Got More Writing Assignments With Multiple Personality Querying. makealivingwriting.com/2012/07/25/multiple-personality-query-letters/ In answering the comments, I realized that as writers, we have to spin everything we do. No, spin is not a bad four-letter word. Per Wikipedia, the public relations version of the word SPIN is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure. That definition might be a bit too defined, however, because spin is basically persuasion to achieve an end. Absolutely everything you write has SPIN in it. Every friggin thing. When you write a blog, you are coaxing people to follow you, maybe buy your work. When you pitch a magazine, you are convincing the editor you have the qualifications to write the feature. When you query an agent or publisher, you are enticing (hopefully not begging) them to acquire your writing. When you leave a comment on a blog, Facebook or Twitter, you are leaving a piece of yourself, hoping someone takes interest and follows you. Never do we write without a purpose, without the effort of grabbing people and drawing them in. i.e., SPIN But this is also a form of showing how your qualifications match the needs of the reader/agent/editor/magazine. Its not begging. Showing someone how much you know, how you achieved that knowledge, and where you are currently appreciated, is no more than matching your needs with theirs. To NOT do so is almost a deception in itself. So get over the queasiness of promoting yourself. Its a moral duty to paint yourself in your best light . . . so the person on the other end can make the best informed decision about you. Its not blatant self-promotion. Its telling the truth. (And SPIN can be a GOOD thing.)

A study into enforcement mechanisms in transboundary water treaties Essay

A study into enforcement mechanisms in transboundary water treaties - Essay Example Transboundary water resources provide for water for human consumption, agriculture, power generation and industry. In addition, transboundary water bodies sustain ecosystems that enrich humans and provide natural channels for navigation and the carriage of goods. Thus, proper management and utilisation of transboundary water resources requires broad cooperation amongst States sharing these natural resources and agreements relating to such arrangements must allow for monitoring, dispute resolution and enforcement. Without proper enforcement mechanisms, conflict is likely and this can be very costly for all concerned. This dissertation presents a discussion about enforcement mechanisms that are available in international law for global treaties for management of transboundary water bodies and basin practices that assist with sustainable management of such freshwater bodies. I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. The main content of the study which has been presented contains work that has not previously been reported anywhere. Water is important for all humanity because the role played by water in the natural world is very fundamental (Varis, 2008, Pp. 1 – 2). Water circulates in the atmosphere, rivers, lakes, the soil and rocks carrying chemical substances and energy to support the ecosystems of the world. Billions of people around the world depend on freshwater systems for their water needs. Because water is essential for human existence, access to water is one of the most complicated challenges faced by humanity today. Rivers and lakes are the main sources for freshwater for people around the world, but substantial rivers and lakes are often not located within a single political boundary. A rapidly increasing global population has presented a dramatic increase in the number of users of the hydrological

Colonialism Conceptualization of Masculinity Essay

Colonialism Conceptualization of Masculinity - Essay Example These necessitated the need for colonization or imperialism as a source of raw materials for industries, labor, and market for finished products. This consequently led to scramble for colonies by the European nations such as Britain and France culminating into endless wars between nations and also with the colonized as they seek their freedom. Success depended on the military strength of the nation in terms of weapons and soldiers. The matter for concern in this paper is how gender, sexuality and race played a role in this imperialism. The colonists needed strong dedicated men to fight for the country thus the construction of the concept ‘masculinity’ as the key to success. The paper will thus focus on how colonialism conceptualized masculinity and how imperial masculinity was constructed. It will also look at the reality of colonial man compared to image and the dangers posed to manhood by colonialism. Lastly, it will compare and contrast the colonial manhood with the n ative manhood. In trying to achieve this, the paper will argue that the relationship between imperialism and masculinity was not only due to the opportunities of adventure and economic progress, but also due to the pattern of gender relations within the European countries especially Britain. For many men, it was a way of escaping the â€Å"feminized and demoralizing home atmosphere† (Tosh 1995, 82). ... Men are born masculine in nature and this involves being strong, aggressive, decision makers and protector. On the other hand, women are viewed as are being naturally soft, being caring, nurturing and such qualities. The society using these qualities conceptualizes masculinity as being superior that feminity; men are supposed to protect women in society. Is this the same criteria used by colonists to conceptualize masculinity? To a certain extent, this criterion defines masculine men but some other attributes are created by Europeans. The defeat of Britain in Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902 was attributed to physical incapacity leading to conception of colonialism masculinity (Tosh 1995, 72). The men involved in the war were considered degenerates since they did not have the qualities needed for a soldier such as strength and good health. According to Baden-Powell (184), men who contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire were found to have declining standards of strength in terms of weight and height and health; they were four inches less in 1895 than the men of 1845 who were 5 ft 6 inc in height and 6 pounds under average weight (184-185). What were the attributes of masculinity according to British and France? For the colonists, being strong was not the only measure of masculinity. One had to be brave, determined, exercise continence, be able to regulate bowel movements, self-discipline, and self- sacrifice or be ready to suffer for the sake of the nation and exercise endurance and be loyal to his country (Baden-Powell, 185). For Aldrich (126) the ideals of masculinity and colonialism include warfare, liberty, manliness, patriotism and success. Masculinity in colonialism though may have been attained

Hewlett-Packard Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Hewlett-Packard Swot Analysis Essay Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational hardware and software corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, United States. (from Wikipedia) And HP product lines include personal computing devices, enterprise servers, related storage devices, printers and imaging products. At the same time, HP markets products to household, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises. HP’s mission statement is that to provide product, services and solution of highest quality and deliver more value to our customers that earn their respect and loyalty. We can see that HP really concern about consumers’ satisfactions from their mission. On Fortune 500, HP ranks 10 in 2012 and ranked 11 in 2011. SWOT analysis tool provides a structure for analyzing the internal strengths and weaknesses of an organization, any external opportunities and threats it faces. Band name can be a strength for HP which will make people think good quality. Also , HP provides wide range of innovative products which attract many people to use their products. And HP don’t use other companies’ technologies, they develop their own hardware and software. It can benefit HP because HP will be not limited by other companies. At the same time, HP’s sales are very high. They use different kinds of ways to promote products, like web technology, advertisement and so on. In financial part, HP has robust financials which contains low debt. In addition, HP also has weaknesses. The first one is that no aggressive investment in research and development. No innovative technology and products will be developed. As a hardware and software corporation, HP must increase the investment in RD to keep pace with the development of technology. No good people retention policies and weak controls are taken by HP. Only with good managers, technicists and workers can a company succeed. The external environment consists of opportunities and threats. Firstly, we discuss the opportunities. With the development of the economy, HP has expended their retailed stores for customer convenience. Customers have easier access to the HP product. Also, the software and hardware of computer and cell phone are very popular and are developed quickly. The threats are very huge because many competitors are appearing, such as Dell, Lenovo and Acer. The competitor’s technology and pricing force HP to innovate their technologies and to take many measures to low price. HP also has less coverage than competitor and low compatibility with non-HP product..

Israels Land, Culture, History, and Religion Essay examples -- Cultura

The record of human habitation in Israel is at least 100,000 years, old. Evidence of the domestication of plants and animals can be dated to about 10,000 BC. The State of Israel, an independent nation in southwest Asia, is located between the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of an arm of the Red Sea. "Israel is considered the Holy Land for Christians, Jews, and Muslims {1}". Which includes religious representation of most of the world's entire population. To reflect on all the different aspects of the cultural and historical geography of Israel would certainly be out of the scope of this tiny paper so, general information will then be discussed below. ITS LAND Israel is a small country (a small country as related to overall territory/mass). It is long and narrow and stretches just under 450 kms from North to South and on average is 60 kms from East to West. The majority of Israel's west is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Coast consists of a narrow plain (The Sharon Plain) which is home to most of Israel's people. The Sharon Plain is where Israel's largest urban city, Tel Aviv, is located. Israel's Eastern border is dominated by the Jordan River Valley which drops down to the Dead Sea which is the lowest depression on Earth at 400 meters below sea level. Israel's southern region is managed by the rough and mountainous Negev Desert. At Israel's Southern apex Israel's port of Eilat dominates several kilometers of sparkling Red Sea coast. The primary region of the country is hilly, and at one of the highest points is the national capital, Jerusalem {3}. The northern quarter of Israel is dominated by the hilly and fertile Galilee region. Israel's largest body of fresh wate... ...re. Israel truly is the center of all historical and cultural geography to me now. "Oh, Israel, I will never forget you. (Isaiah 44:21)" Works Cited: 1. About Israel. "Israel tourism guide." 1996. http://www.algonet.se/%7Elj/ (April 10, 1997) 2. Focus Multimedia. "Your Key To Be Seen!" Israel. 1997. http://www.focusmm.com.au/israel/is_giamn.htm. (April 10, 1997) 3. Gold Stag Commun. "Odyssey." ISRAEL. 1996 http://www.emerald-empire.com/geography/israel/page00.htm (April 10, 1997) 4. Israeli Foreign Affairs. "Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs." 1996. http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il (April 10, 1997) 5. Kachar, Menachem. "Israel Visit." 1996. http://www.israelvisit.co.il (April 10, 1997) UT @austin. "JPEG Image." Israeli Maps. 1997. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/middle_east_and_asia/Israel GIF (April 10, 1997)

Act I of the Crucible Essay

In reading the overture, before any dialogue takes place, we are given a small glimpse into the world of the Salemites. Miller speaks briefly of the town and the surrounding wilderness. The placement of Salem, surrounded by the impenetrable forest already starts building tension. The simple fact that forest is present prevents escape from Salem and therefore the inhabitants of Salem are unable to physically remove themselves from their problems and conflicts within the community. The forest itself is described as: ‘dark and threatening’, by Miller. This introduces an almost intangible danger and constant threat to the play. This alone will make the Salemites feel trapped; this pressured feeling being reflected throughout the play. More significant is the way in which the forest is said to be: ‘over their shoulders’. This creates a feeling that the inhabitants of Salem are being overshadowed by this great threat. As the play is a battle between light and dark, good and evil, this is particularly meaningful as it shows Salem being overpowered by the darkness. It also adds to the feelings of threat and menace the Salemites feel because it implies an unseen ‘something’ watching them. When viewed in a historical context the forest serves another purpose. At the time of writing McCarthyism was sweeping America. Although more obvious parallels are drawn later in the play I believe the forest represents the looming threat of being accused a communist sympathiser. The audience would empathise with the Salemites through this shared threat; this link would have been used by Miller to give the entire play more impact. Another way in which Miller creates a feeling of tension is through the language used in both stage directions and in the speech of the characters. Miller uses ‘power words’ to create an atmosphere of tension throughout the play. On the first page with speech, page six, words such as: ‘frightened’, ‘trouble’ and ‘fury’. It is evident from the start that Salem is not the perfect pilgrim village it is meant, and used, to be. The fact that something is wrong in this village, wrong enough to make a minister weep, and react with such violence grabs the attention of the audience instantly. The stage directions are particularly telling of the moods of characters. Page seventeen sees Abigail and Proctor alone for the first time and the tension between them is clearly visible. For example ‘Abigail has stood as though on tiptoe, absorbing his presence’, when someone is on tiptoe their entire body goes tense as though anticipating something. This may be a very literal way of showing us tension between Proctor and Abigail. Later, on the same page, Abigail ‘springs into his path’. Again the word spring suggests she has been coiled, tense, awaiting his movement and it is this anticipation that Miller uses to great effect when showing us chemistry between two characters. Of all things, perhaps the fear of the unknown is the most potent. Miller uses this from the start and builds tension around the fact that the audience has as little or less information about the preceding events as the characters. As both the audience and characters are apparently in the dark about events surrounding Betty’s condition there is again a link draw up between the two, this is used to the same effect as the McCarthyism link. Speech patterns also show the stress of the characters involved. For example, most characters start to shorten their words and speak in a far more rigid fashion than usual when feeling threatened or angry. These monosyllabic phrases litter the play and show the audience the rising conflicts in the community. On page twenty-six this is especially apparent. ‘He had no right to sell it’, says Putnam to Proctor. All the words in this sentence are monosyllabic, sharp and to the point. It is these changes that show the audience how the characters are really feeling. Miller uses these phrases to both show tension and to create it between characters throughout the play. Repetition plays an immense part in ‘The Crucible’. Specific words such as ‘evil’, ‘unnatural’ and most obviously ‘Devil’ are repeated to the point where they are appearing almost every page. Only Proctor and Paris seem set against the idea of supernatural tampering and even when the village is faced with a mass of evidence which supports more mundane explanations of events the cries of witchcraft are still as loud. It appears as if the Salemites want to believe Lucifer himself is threatening them. There is probably a lot of truth in that statement. The Salemites had fled England but a few generations ago and had done so to avoid persecution because of their beliefs. Now the Salemites are trapped and alone. It is ironic perhaps that their flight to freedom has in reality increased their isolation. Now they have no one to fight either. They were truly alone; perhaps the manic belief in Lucifer’s conquest of Salem was a release, an enemy against which they could fight the good fight. Without the unconverted heathens England offered it what was left but fighting the Devil himself or looking to your neighbour for anything that could be seen as an unholy blemish? The Salemites belief in the Devils power in Salem may have been started by the girls but was carried onwards and taken higher by almost all of the inhabitants of Salem, possibly because they wanted to believe in the corruption of their village. This scenario, as presented by Miller in Act I of ‘The Crucible’ is at the core of all tension throughout the play. Miller makes us see how incredibly dangerous society can be when in the grip of hysteria, the audience of then would have known all too well. Through uses of different devices Miller feeds and augments the underlying tension at key moments until we realise that some dreadful act must take place before the village will realises what it has done. What action could be interpreted as the Devil’s work in a society gone mad? As we see from Goody Nurses and Proctors hanging, anything. Act i of the crucible? Essay â€Å"In what important ways does Miller prepare us for the hysteria and the accusations of the witch-hunts in Act I of The Crucible? † In The Crucible, it was important for Miller to fully show that the witch-hunts in Salem were not some unforeseen, unpredictable chain of events, but the result of many different, precisely added elements. He, therefore, had to display to the inevitability of such events by revealing the true nature of the Salem’s society: unstable and extremely volatile. This instability among the people of Salem, stems mainly from their own insecurities. Any person heard to make a statement that is vaguely accusative is counter-attacked with a provocative statement far exceeding that of the first. Such an incident occurs when Proctor identifies Putnam’s support for the system of voting by acreage by saying Putnam â€Å"cannot command Mr Parris† because the society â€Å"votes by name†¦ not by acreage. † He says Putnam is arrogant in thinking that because he owns more land than Parris, he has the right to order him; the belief being that he is autocratic. Putnam, taking offence, responds by accusing Proctor of two other things. By stating that he didn’t â€Å"think [he] saw [Proctor] at the Sabbath meeting since the snow flew† he is questioning Proctor’s religious devotion using inflammatory language, which is a serious accusation in a theocracy like Salem. He is also saying that the idea of â€Å"one man: one vote† is void for Proctor because he doesn’t take the interest in the society that one man should. From a single remark by Proctor, two, far greater reactions were induced in Putnam. The result is an almost exponential escalation of emotions. This constant attacking and counter-attacking makes the people of Salem very insecure. These insecurities are combated by them putting up emotional barriers to contain their anger, envy or any other emotion that would render them liable to an attack. This is done by creating an external being that is responsible for a person’s inner evil: the Devil. Mrs Putnam displays this when she uses extremely inflammatory language in attempting to resolve Betty and Ruth’s mysterious sleep. She uses explicit imagery of the Devil and describes â€Å"death drivin’ into them, forked and hoofed†. This is an easily defensible point of view, because anyone who challenges it would be â€Å"trucking with the Devil† themselves and become open to attack. Mrs Putnam finds a vent for her anger at â€Å"seven dead in childbirth† with her provocative exclamations such as â€Å"it is surely the stroke of hell upon you† and â€Å"what person murdered my babies? â€Å". By asking that question, she is indirectly accusing anyone in the village. This shows a woman who is desperate to find an explanation for her misfortune and believes she will find it in the people of Salem who have been in contact with the Devil. She uses the Devil as a scapegoat and weights it with all her inner evils. She is, therefore, extremely enthusiastic to find someone who has been in contact with it in order to blame that person. With the entire village thrusting all their troubles and inner evils into a single element, a huge tension is created by the repression of their real emotions that are blamed on the Devil and the innate human desire to find someone else to blame; someone who is responsible for your evil and not, as Rebecca says, to â€Å"rather blame ourselves†. This livid search for a devil and the barriers that are put up by people create people who amalgamate together to form groups with their defining factor often being that of vengeance. Parris believes one of these groups or factions â€Å"is sworn to drive him from† his pulpit. They are not created by people actually admitting themselves, but by other people, usually in opposition, categorising them. Mrs Putnam identifies these groups when she describes the â€Å"wheels within wheels, fires within fires†. The society, therefore, fragments and divides itself. If, as Mrs Putnam shows, the people of Salem cannot accept their own evils and they believe the â€Å"Devil† cannot possibly be within them, that which defines them as a â€Å"good† person must be that which is not the â€Å"Devil†. Therefore, the â€Å"Devil† must, by nature of the society of Salem, be the thing which is diametrically opposed to the person of God and its location must be in a faction or group physically outside their house and spiritually outside their religion. Miller uses these groups to create a self-sustaining repression in Salem. As the people are forced by the factions to repress their feelings and emotions and keep them bottled up, their emotions are heightened by the constant arguments that take place. Act I is an introduction to the society and a period of time in which to show its many tensions. At the end of the act, the tension between all these emotions and the repression is released and Hale says himself that â€Å"it is broken, they are free. † This shows us that the unstable and volatile society is, indeed, at breaking point. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

African American Minority Group Essay

Among many of the ethnic groups that experienced a combination of segregation, racism, and prejudice; African Americans is one of the few that is still faced with one or more forms of discrimination today. The majority of African Americans came to the United States from Africa to be slaves, while others are citizens or residents of the United States from partial ancestry a form of the native population. In 1619, the first recorded Africans were recorded in British North America in Jamestown, Virginia, and the numbers began to increase as more English settlers died from harsh conditions and the Africans were brought to work as laborers. In the late 1700s the American Revolution occurred, which landed approximately 3 million Africans in slavery in the United States by the mid-1800s, (Centerwall, Brandon, 1984). In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln declared that all slaves in the United States from a Union were free. Meanwhile the declaration of Africans being free from slavery was joyful event, it was also the beginning of a growing battle that lead to a different approach of discrimination including; segregation, prejudice, and racism. By the 1900s, the African American population increased, which majority of the population lived in the Southern states of the United States. The Southern states enforced the Jim Crow laws, which mandated racial segregation in all public facilities giving white Americans advantages over black Americans in public schools, public transportation, restrooms, restaurants and drinking fountains. In order to eliminate the control that white Americans had over African Americans, African Americans began to build their own schools, churches, and communities. Although, African Americans building their own communities was the intention of avoiding the humiliation of the Jim Crow laws, it still didn’t prevent the African Americans from becoming victims of racially motivated violence. African Americans experienced countless acts of violence incidents that lead blacks battered, beaten and even dead in some cases. White Americans begin to form organizations that promoted white power, leading the organizations to practice out violence and destroy African Americans property. A popular white power organization called themselves the Ku Klux Klan and performed acts against blacks that included; lynching cross burnings, physical violence, and house burnings towards African Americans. Although, the Ku Klux Klan was formed in 1867, it has been rumors that there are people that are still secretly members today. African Americans experienced a wider range of discrimination, segregation, and racism more so in the later days but still arise in society today. In a perfect world, no one would be judged by the color of their skin and society would focus on a person’s individual true character. Often times African Americans miss out on opportunities because they are being judged by the color of their skin, rather than their abilities. The United States has tried to provide Americans the rights to equal opportunity, by creating the Affirmative action. The affirmative action eliminates people being granted opportunities based on their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin and ensures that minority groups within a society receive equal opportunities. Although, the affirmative action was intended to diminish situations which cause people to participate in different forms of discrimination, but unless it could be fully proven that African Americans were being passed up for jobs, education, income and other forms of advancements there will never be a way to fully prohibit this form of discrimination. Today, there is still unequal opportunities and discriminatory treatment that occurs in the United States especially with African Americans. African Americans were affected by many forms of discrimination that decreased advancement to equal other races in society. They were faced with dual labor market, forcing blacks to work in lower labor market areas. Redlining was enforced by keeping businesses from helping African Americans simply because of the area they lived in. Many African Americans wanted to better themselves by furthering their education, but suffered from institutional discrimination and given less information and aid for education. Knowing the history of the African American struggles on; prejudice, discrimination, and segregation allows me to understand my roots and accomplishments of my ethnic group. Personally the history of African Americans affects me greatly, because it is the combination of struggles that has played a huge role to my advancements and opportunities performed daily. The African American ancestors fought daily through all counts of discrimination helps that allows all groups of different minority groups the same equal rights for advancement opportunities. Although, the majority of the world views of African Americans has changed there are still people that choose to discriminate against African Americans by choosing not to change with the ways of the world and maintain prejudice. Acts of discrimination is performed but not as greatly as many years ago. African American culture has had a rough past journey, but in the long run the majority of the United States has made it possible for all African Americans equal rights and opportunities in life.

How to Get a Job as an Online High School Teacher

How to Get a Job as an Online High School Teacher Teaching online high school courses can be a full-time profession or a rewarding way to supplement your income. New online high schools start up every year, and qualified online teachers are in high demand. Typically, virtual instructors are expected to monitor students in several courses, grade assignments, interact through message boards or emails, and be available when students have questions. The curriculum for online high school classes is often pre-determined by the school and online teachers are generally expected to follow a particular syllabus for each course. How to Qualify for Positions Teaching High School Online Online charter schools are publicly funded and must follow some state and federal guidelines. Generally, online teachers hired by charter schools must have a valid teaching credential for the state the school is based in. Private and college-sponsored schools have more flexibility in hiring, but they also tend to favor online teachers with credentials or an impressive work history. The best online high school teachers usually have classroom teaching experience, technological competency, and excellent written communication skills. Where to Find Online High School Teaching Jobs If you want to become an online high school teacher, start by looking for jobs locally. Contact the online charter schools in your district to see if they are hiring, send in your resume, and be prepared for an in-person interview.Next, take a look at online high schools that enroll students in multiple states. Large online charter and private schools generally accept applications through the internet. Programs such as K12 and Connections Academy have streamlined application processes. Finally, try applying individually to smaller online private schools throughout the nation. Some of these programs offer online job information; others require potential employees to research the appropriate contact info and make a few phone calls. How to Stand Out as a Potential Online High School Teacher Your application probably won’t be the only one sitting on the principal’s desk. Stand out from the crowd by emphasizing your teaching experience and your ability to work in an online environment.During the application process, keep deadlines and respond to phone calls and emails promptly. Keep emails professional but not overly formal or stuffy. Resolve any technical problems (such as email attachment issues or difficulty accessing online application materials) quickly. Since ​online teaching jobs are all about virtual communication, consider every interaction with the school an opportunity to prove yourself.

Biology and Ecosystems Education Admission/Application Essay

Biology and Ecosystems Education The paper "Biology and Ecosystems Education" is an outstanding example of an application/admission essay on English. The environment in which we live, the uniqueness of different creatures across diverse ecosystems, as well as, how a man gets along with them has been a question that has always fascinated me. The way in which the environment and ecosystem relate to the future of humankind has always been an intriguing subject for me. When I joined a junior school that was my first experience with nature and interaction with human life. It was here that I noticed I had an affinity for the environment and animals. Nothing excites me more than seeing plants and animals behaving the same way as I have learned in the classroom. Immediately, I get the urge to share what I know and observe with people around me, feeling that they need to realize and appreciate the wonders of nature around us. I usually feel in these situations that man has forgotten the wonders of nature in his pursuit for p rofit and wealth.Understanding the environment and ecosystems has aroused curiosity in me and taught me to view the world from a new point of view. This passion has propelled me to chose NYU and focus on biology. It is my belief that this will be the best institution to conduct experiments in biology, as well as to learn how to conduct research with regards to the ecosystem. In high school, I built up my knowledge of different ecosystems through my work with the wildlife club and cleaning up beach land. Three years of high school have firmed up my determination to pursue biology, and it is my belief that NYU is the best institution to do this. With the advanced opportunities of research and the working partnerships between NYU and other universities around the world, I believe that I can improve my knowledge in biology and ecosystems greatly. Thank you.

Paper 3 (The Final) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Paper 3 (The Final) - Essay Example Beyoncà ©, on the other hand, had been a role model of popular culture for more than a decade now. She depicts talent and beauty that most young people look up to and desired to be. These two personalities in their own ways set the standards for beauty and define what popular culture is. By this, my paper will try to evaluate the effect of popular culture in people’s perception of beauty. I will explore two photos to prove that there is a connection between the photos, the popular culture and its role in influencing people’s lives and perspectives in terms of their social roles and in the aspect of beauty in particular. In her study â€Å"Britney, Beyoncà © and me – Primary school girls’ role models and constructions of the ‘popular girl’†, Barbara Read, discussed how gender and culture shape the values of young girls today into aligning them with what their role models are, like for example Lady Gaga and Beyoncà ©. According to Read (2), children’s peer culture play an important role in shaping the way they value things and construct meanings such that the more their friends want to become like their role models, they wanted the same things to happen to them too. According to the results of the study (Read 5), school girls look up to their female teachers primarily as their role models but this can be argued to be normal as teachers are the next best thing they normally look up to. The next school girls’ role models include female singers and performers such as Britney and Beyoncà © (Read 5). The photo above showed Beyoncà © as she performed Oxygen Festival in Ireland. The photo is an example of a framing vector in which the artist used edges of the image as well as other vectors within the image to direct viewer’s attention; this type was specifically used to include certain elements while excluding

Improving Local Health Care Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Improving Local Health Care - Research Paper Example Community practitioners are also responsible for documenting information concerning a patient’s conditions for treatment in the future. It is a requirement for healthcare practitioners to record a patient’s data to enhance success during operations. This involves the documentation of the patient’s name, age and their condition. This happens before the provision of healthcare services to the patient by a practitioner (Tom, 2001). As discussed in the piece, coordination of various components is necessary in the delivery of healthcare services to the public. Furthermore, technology is fundamental to the delivery of quality services in healthcare facilities. The provision of healthcare services requires the coordination of various stakeholders within the healthcare profession. It is imperative for healthcare practitioners to keep records when conducting their duties (Tom, 2001). Indeed, record keeping is fundamental in the provision of critical care for conditions such as asthma. At the local healthcare facility that I visited, the practitioners were struggling to meet some of the needs of the patients because they were facing challenges prioritizing healthcare services to clients. The absence of an electronic medical record made it difficult for the practitioner to asses my previous record. Besides, the practitioner was having difficulty communicating with his subordinates. Lack of proper policies for handling healthcare issues compromised the delivery of quality healthcare at the facility. The manuals testing kits contributed to pharmaceutical discrepancies at the facility. Additionally, the manual recording system contributed to the difficulties in communication amidst practitioners and professionals from other facilities. Indeed, most of the challenges at the facility required the implementation of sound policies concerning delivery of quality healthcare services (Richard, 2003). Some patients were unhappy with the services

Core Competencies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Core Competencies - Assignment Example This is accompanied by other roles such as promotion of health and ensuring that people are protected from diseases and infections as best as they can through offering of advice during treatment such as advice on sexually transmitted diseases and infections and on reducing obesity among others. Nurse practitioners also carry out counselling with the patients and the relatives and friends of a patient. This may be in preparation of the outcome of results of treatment and especially if the news are devastating. The most common cases are when breaking death news to the relatives and friends or news about terminal diseases. In all of these, a nurse practitioner has to build relationship in order to communicate effectively with the patient. The communication requires cultural competence as patients are culturally diversified and have various cultural beliefs and systems that need to be recognized beforehand and respected. Lastly, a nurse practitioner is supposed to prepare a plan of care for a patient and utilize it using evidence-based practice. The plan of care has to also be explained to both the patient and the relatives for decision making and implementation as well as evaluation (Department of Health and Human Services HRSA, 2002). A nurse administrator is in charge of the administration duties in a health care facility. The administration duties are similar to those of any other manager the only difference being that a nurse administrator is also a nurse and hence understands the medical field better. The most important of the role is the knowledge of the health care environment. This includes knowledge of the health care policies present, the delivery models that can be used, the risks that are anticipated and how to manage them as well as patient safety and case management. The nurse administrator should also exhibit communication and relationship building as one of the roles. This incorporates building and maintaining a working

What Is The Right Thing To Do?

What Is The Right Thing To Do? If someone, in an attempt to exercise his right of self defense coerces anyone else into defending him then that would mean that the defender himself is a criminal invader of the rights of someone else. So, if X is aggressing against Y, Y may not use force to compel Z to join in defending him, for then, Y would be just as much a criminal aggressor against Z. This immediately rules out conscription for defense, for conscription enslaves a man and forces him to fight on someone elses behalf. Is it always wrong to lie? Consider the case whereby A sets out to murder B and although C knows where B is but C lies to A in order to save Bs life. Under such circumstances would we still render the act of lying wrong or would it be justified to lie in such a case? What do you think is the Right thing to do? Are moral values absolute or are they subjective? Are they universal or are they social conventions instead? Do natural laws exist or do they evolve with time? Who decides between Right and Wrong? Without speck of a doubt, the ability to evaluate reasons for belief is one of the most fundamental critical thinking skills. It is the ability to reason indeed that differentiates human beings form other living organisms. However, one of the biggest dilemmas of moral reasoning remains to be its contradictory nature. We have the mental capacities to reason our belief in something; however, we are just as capable of analyzing it critically at the same time. Question of what is right and what is wrong are not always black and white. At times it seems like the societies are governed by natural laws and social conventions whereby there is a distinct categorization of right and wrong. On the contrary, however, it occurs to us on a great many reflections that problems of morality are relative, and subjective. To re strengthen our belief that reasoning about morality and the problems of morality are themselves contradictory in nature, we are going to cover a few case studies and then see if we reach any conclusion. A many in history nevertheless have made attempts at defining moral ethics and an effort to address to its problems too has been made. According to Protagoras, a Sophist, Man is a measure of all things. The implication is that right and wrong or good and bad, according to Protagoras, must always be considered in relation to a persons needs. Sophists had travelled around the globe splendidly. It couldnt have been anyone better but them to have realized that laws governing the city states and also the norms of a society could vary massively across boundaries. Hence their observation led them to raise questions based on morality and ethics that had to do with conception of what was natural and what was socially induced. Moreover, Sophists believed that there were no absolute norms for what was right and wrong. For instance the idea of natural modesty, to a Sophist who had travelled the world, was a matter of social convention. Had it been natural, it would have been something innate, something humans are born with. Since its seen to be taken differently across different places, not everyone everywhere is afraid or reluctant to show themselves off nakedly, that is not the case. Morality differs in every society, and is a convenient term for socially approved habits.  [1]   However, other philosophers such as the legendary Socrates were of the view that some such norms were in fact absolute and universally valid. According to Socrates, He who knows what good is will do good.Hereby he meant to imply that a right insight will lead to right action and that the virtuous is one who does right. Therefore Socrates proposed that peoples reason and not the society, differentiates between right and wrong. Aristotle had a slightly different take on the issue. He propounded the Golden Mean whereby he emphasized the need to keep a balance. Only by maintaining balance and temperance, so the Aristotelian school of thought goes, does one achieve a happy or harmonious life. As seen hitherto answers to the problems of ethics and morality are not black and white in nature. There cannot be one absolute definition of Morals and Ethics and hence moral reasoning too cannot be chalked out in one specific manner. Moral Reasoning: We are discussing no small matter but how we ought to live.  [2]   One way of explaining Moral Reasoning is by categorizing it into two broad categories: i) Consequentialist Moral Reasoning ii) Categorical Moral Reasoning. Consequentialist Moral Reasoning locates morality in the consequences of an act. Example of Consequentialist Moral Reasoning would be Utilitarianism according to which the right act is that which maximizes utility. Categorical Moral Reasoning on the other hand locates morality in certain duties and rights that have to do with the intrinsic quality of the act itself. Therefore, according to Categorical Moral Reasoning, Murder is a Murder and the act of murdering is wrong irrespective of the circumstances of the act. Utilitarianism: This theory was proposed by David Hume (1711-1776) and defined further by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). Utilitarianism stands by the slogan, the greatest good for the greatest number.According to Bentham the ultimate Moral Principle, namely the Principle of Utility, requires us to choose whatever action would have the best consequences. According to the utilitarian philosophy, we act in a way that maximized the overall level of happiness and pleasure over suffering and pain. In a nutshell, the right thing to do is to maximize utility. However utilitarianism is not as perfect a philosophical concept as it sounds. Some of the objections raised against utilitarianism are that it fails to respect certain individual rights and fails to acknowledge the rights of the minority (lesser number of people).Hence it is argued that certain individual rights of the minority cannot be traded off for the sake of utility. Secondly, it is not possible to aggregate all values. For instance, how would you assign monetary terms to values such as the value of life, respect, etc? Even if we could measure such values then how possibly could we have captured them according to a single uniform measure of value? Let us look at some of the cases concerned with morality in the light of Utilitarian approach and see for ourselves whether utilitarianism befits it: Case1: Euthanasia Mathew Donnelly, a physicist, had contracted cancer perhaps due to an over exposure of X-Rays. It cost him his jaw, upper lip, his nose, left hand, and two fingers from right hand. As if this wasnt enough, he was also left blind. Donnellys physician told him that he had just about a years time left to live. Donnelly, however, was in excruciating pain already, and he thought against better judgment that he would rather die than continue life in such a state. In an urge to free himself of misery and pain, he asked his three brothers to kill him. Two of his brothers refused to do so while the youngest one, 36-year-old Harold Donnelly, shot Mathew to death with a 3.0-caliber pistol. The question in point is whether Harold did wrong. According to social conventions and moral traditions which essentially dictate that the intentional killing of innocent people is always wrong. Hence according to moral traditions, Harold was wrong. However, Harold is assumed to have shot his brother for a no ble cause; he loved his brother and wanted to end his misery. Moreover, Mathew had himself asked to die. Therefore, in consideration of the consent (of Mathew), and noble motives (Harolds love for his brother and wanting to alleviate him of the pain), the point in case asks for a lenient judgment. Utilitarianism would have gone by whichever of the choices available to Harold at that point of time, had the best overall consequences. Utilitarianism would support that action which maximizes happiness for all concerned. Killing Mathew, a utilitarian would think, would free Mathew of misery and pain hence in this case a utilitarian would conclude that the greatest balance of happiness will be achieved for everyone concerned here, by euthanasia. Hereby euthanasia is morally right and justified. Amongst the western States, Euthanasia is legal only in The Netherlands, Belgium, and Colombia. United States renders Euthanasia illegal and terms it as an act of murder hence Haorld Donelly was arrested and charged. A question then arises whether Euthanasia be made legal provided its taken to be morally right by a utilitarian at least. On that point, John Stuart Mill says; The sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their member, is self-protection. The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.  [3]   Thus utilitarian believes that laws prohibiting euthanasia contradict general welfare of the society, and restrict peoples right to control their own lives the way they wish to. When Harold killed his brother Mathew, he did so in order to end Mathews miserable life in a manner that Mathew had himself chosen. Since the consequences didnt harm anyone, it shouldnt be a problem for anyone either. Things are now changing, in 2005, 58% of Americans were of the view that doctors should be allowed to help patients die who are suffering from painful incurable disease. Case 2 : Case of Queens Vs. Dudley and Stevens: Queens Vs. Dudley is a 19th Century famous British Law Case. The case put a huge question on the validity of utilitarian doctrine. It involves the shipwreck crew of four. After being lost at sea for 19 whole days, Dudley, the Caption decided to kill the weakest among them, the young cabin boy Parker in order that rest of the crew members survive feeding on his blood and body. On the 29th of September 1884, 1300 miles away from Cape, Mignonette was found. Richard Parker, 17-year-old cabin boy was the youngest of all crew members on Mignonette. He was an orphan and had no family. It was Parkers first voyage to sea and had gone against the advice of his friends. A wave hit the shaft, and Mignonette went down. The only food that the crew members had on them was two cans of preserved turnips. What was worse was that the crew members did not have any fresh drinkable water either. For the first three days, the crew members did not eat. On the fourth day, however, they opened one of the cans of Turnips and ate it. The next day, they cut a turtle and together with the second can of turnips, the turtle enabled them to survive for the next few days. For eight days, then, they remained of food and water again. The cabin boy Parker had by now gotten ill as he had drunk sea water. His condition was such that he appeared to be dying. On the 19th day, the captain Dudley proposed an idea that they should all draw a lottery to see who would die to save the rest. Brooks refused to do so and hence lotts werent drawn. Next day, there still wasnt a sign of a life boat , and it was in the midst of harsh conditions that Captain motioned Stevens that boy Parker better be killed. Dudley told the boy his time had come and killed him with a pen knife, stabbing him in his jugular vein. For four days, the three of the crewmembers fed on the blood and body of Parker. At last, on the twenty fourth day of the shipwreck, they were rescued by a German ship which took them back to England where t hey were arrested and tried. Dudley and Stevens went on trial while Brooks turned States witness. It turned out that the captain and his companion werent guilty much, they claimed to have acted out of necessity. They defended their stance by saying that under dire circumstances better that one should die so that three could survive. The prosecutor wasnt influenced; he said a murder is a murder hence the case went on trial. This leaves us with following questions rather objections to the doctrine Utilitarianism: Do we have certain fundamental Rights? If yes, then individual rights shouldnt be traded off and need to be valued. Does a fair procedure justify any result? What is the moral work of consent? Would an active consent at either the time of drawing lottery or at the point of death make so much of a moral difference that an act that is considered morally wrong, taking away someone life for example, would turn morally permissible after the consent? Shall the rights of a weaker being or a minority (in terms of count or numbers) be traded off for the sake of general welfare? Case 3: Baby Theresa: Publically known as Baby Theresa, Theresa Ann Campo was an anencephalic child, born in Florida in 1992.Anencephalic children are sometimes termed as babies without brains as important parts of their brain including the cerebrum and cerebellum are missing and so is the top of their skull. There is however a brain stem, present in such infants, that allows for their autonomic functions such as breathing and heart beat. Even on accounts of survival (from stillbirth), such infants do not live long and for whatever time period they live, they would still never be conscious due to malfunctioning of brain components. Thus Baby Theresas parents volunteered her organs for transplant thinking other needy children could perhaps benefit from the eyes, kidneys, liver, heart, and lungs of Baby Theresa after the transplant. Physicians too thought that it was a good suggestion forwarded by the babys parents that her organs be volunteered so that other children who are in need may benefit. A huge num ber of children need transplants each year but there are never enough organs available. Since Florida law does not permit organ removal until the donor is dead, Baby Theresas organs werent taken. Nine days later, Baby Theresa expired and it was too late by then to use her organs for other children as her organs had been damaged. The newspaper stories of the time opened up a heated debate whether it would have been right to remove the babys organs in order to help other children. If we probe arguments for and against the case, we would come to realize that the problem of removing Theresas organs in order to help other children is not as simple as it sounds. The debate was boiled down to three main line of arguments namely; The Benefits Argument, The Argument that we should not use people as Means, and the third line of Argument from the Wrongness of Killing. The Benefits Argument: Knowing that baby Therese is an anencephalic infant who is incapable of being conscious and is going to die anyway, her parents proposed the idea that Theresas organs be used for transplant in order that other children be helped. Apparently, they reasoned as follows: If we can benefit someone, without harming anyone else, we ought to do so. Transplanting the organs would benefit the other children without harming Baby Theresa. Therefore, we ought to transplant the organs.  [4]   It is interesting to note how this very line of thinking has a division of opinions. On one hand, the contention that Therese wouldnt be harmed is a mere assumption hence the act of removing her organs, based on a mere assumption that she wouldnt be harmed, while she is still alive would be unjustified. On the contrary, however, under such circumstances her parents were right thinking that mere physical existence wouldnt benefit Theresa much provided that she would miss out on thoughts, feelings, connections with people and other normal human activities. Being an anencephalic infant, they must have thought, she is only virtually alive, and that being alive for a few days would not do her any good than ending a miserable life to save the lives of other children. Whereas those children who are in dire need of organ transplants would benefit greatly. Therefore, The Benefits Argument supports the proposition that Theresas organs be used for transplant to help other children. We should not use people as Means: This line of argument opposes the stance that Theresas organs be removed to help other children. It stands by the principle that people should not be used as means to benefit others. Using people is usually used in the context of violating peoples autonomy. Either through manipulation and deceit or by forcing people to do something against their wish, using others only to get our own personal benefits is wrong as it thwarts others autonomy. In Baby Theresas case we wouldnt be deceiving or manipulating anyone by removing her organs for transplant but we would indeed be using her organs to benefit others. In case you are thinking, that happens every time transplants are carried out, you are wrong. Transplants are carried out with the consent of people, and certainly not against their permission. Baby Theresa, however, is incapable of voicing her opinions or expressing her wish by any means hence the complexity of the case remains. Moreover, it can be argued that Baby Theresa does not have wishes in the first place and she is incapable of making any decision for herself therefore she is not really an autonomous being. Thus her parents decision on her part wouldnt really be a violation of anyones autonomy. This leaves us with two ways of thinking about the problem. One, by questioning what would possibly be in the best interest of Baby Theresa, and secondly, if she could have told us what she wanted what would she have said ? Unfortunately, Theresa does not have any preferences, and her interests, even if there were any, wouldnt be affected much since she would die soon after birth no matter what. It all boils down to only one option then which is to do whatever we think is best. Wrongness of Killing: According to most Western traditions, killing someone is absolutely wrong. Since most western states are dominated by the religion of Christianity whereby intentional killing of an innocent being is out rightly wrong and punishable, ethicists who believe in traditional morality would disapprove and condemn an act of killing. To them, killing is always wrong. Nowadays, however, consequence of the act and the circumstances under which the act was committed too is taken very much into consideration. So, according to this way of perceiving things, killing might not always be wrong such as in the case of Baby Theresa. Another approach to the problem would be to think of Baby Theresa as already dead. This might not be as awkward as it sounds after all Brain Death is now accepted at large as a criterion to pronounce someone legally dead. Eventually, Brain Death came to be accepted as real death because such people couldnt live conscious life due to malfunctioning of their brain cells. If brain death is redefined, to include anencephalic since they too lack any hope of conscious life as they do not have any cerebrum or cerebellum, then we would in effect regard anencephalic infants as born dead. Then removing their organs would not be regarded as killing them and hence the argument for wrongness of killing then stands void. Conclusion: In the light of the cases mentioned above, we may conclude that solutions to the problems of ethics and morality are not black and white. As we proposed and opposed line of arguments for the cases under consideration we noticed how reasoning about such matters is often contradictory in nature. Moral Reasoning seems to fluctuate between being definite to vague. One of the biggest dilemmas of human ability to reason is that much as it helps them reach a decision, it engrosses them too at times with contradictions and recessions thus rendering the decision-making process all the more difficult.

The Tempest the Play by William Shakespeare Essay -- Tempest William S

The Tempest the Play by William Shakespeare Ruler’s in general face many problems, as is the nature of having power and authority. However rulers like Prospero face even more difficulties, as Prospero has the ultimate power of magic and can control and manipulate people and their actions, more so than a natural ruler. The first difficulty presented is an issue, which is dealt with throughout the play: the idea of how much or how little to intervene? From the beginning of the play we are told of how and why Prospero is usurped from his dukedom, â€Å"I thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated/ To closeness, and the bettering of my mind/ With that which, but by being so retired, O’er-prized all popular rate, in my false brother.† Namely because he did not get involved in running the country and possibly felt that his job was not to intervene but to be a figure-head for the country and leave the country to run itself, a ‘laissez faire’ attitude to ruling. This short speech by Prospero raises the idea that perhaps we should remember that being a ruler involves both rights and responsibilities; Prospero wanted the former but not the latter. The idea of intervention and responsibility is presented in Act 2, Scene 1, where Prospero intervenes telling Ariel to wake Gonzalo before Antonio and Sebastian draw their swords and kill him. This issue, is particularly difficult for a ruler such as Prospero as he has the power to manipulate the situation to suit him self, raising moral as well as personal dilemmas? This raises yet another problem faced by rulers, specifically Gonzalo; of how much trust you can give your subjects or more appropriately those who are next in line to the throne? This idea of trust was .. ...have alcohol. Caliban gives his only power, knowledge of the island, as a pledge to his new masters. His hope is that by exchanging masters, he will be able to better his life. This continues the idea of trust and the problems faced by those ruler’s such as Prospero who have slaves who have an inherit need to be incarcerated by a ruler, but unfortunately by any ruler at all and are therefore not faithful. In conclusion, Act 2 reveals the difficulties faced by ruler’s such as Prospero, through cleverly interwoven narrative threads which are developed gradually throughout the play. This is especially true of the themes of trust and the fixed natures of characters, which both pose a problem for those in power. Prospero of course has the added dilemma of possessing supernatural powers which brings with it additional problems when placed in the role a ruler.

A Roman Catholic Understanding Of Justice In Health Care

Over the past hundreds of years, the Church has been involved in taking care of the health of the people.   The church has included religious men and women, and also laymen and laywomen, to ensure relevant healthcare is provided to the population.It has also utilized all the technological advancements to ensure the best medical care for the population.   It has ensured that the people serving in the healthcare sector should be disciplined, dedicated and have compassion towards the sick.The Catholic Church has provided healthcare and has given consideration to the poor and the not so well to do segments of the population.   It has also tried to improve the provision of healthcare, accessibility and upgrading the health status of the community to a higher level.In the US, the Catholic Church is one of the largest groups that provide healthcare for non-profit purposes.   It should also be noted that the Catholic Church provides healthcare to people belonging to various castes, r eligions and faiths[1].The Catholic Health Association of the US (CHAUS) was formed in the year 1915, and its basic aim was to unite all the Roman Catholic Healthcare organizations so that a common force could emerge in providing healthcare in the country[2].One of the main objectives of the Roman Catholic organizations in healthcare is to ensure that high quality services are provided right from birth until death.These services have to be provided to people belonging to various castes, faith, religions, races, ages, sex, etc.   This has ensured the people that no bias exists in providing healthcare.   Hence, people do consider the Catholic hospitals as universal and secular organizations in providing healthcare.   About 16 % of the population and about 20 % of all hospital admissions in the US is actually made into Catholic hospitals.   About 615 Catholic hospitals are existent in the US, out of a total of 5000.   70 % of these Catholic hospitals are located in urban area s, and 30 % in the rural areas.A wide range of services is provided by the Catholic hospitals, as they are interested in using the latest technological means in ensuring high quality services.   The Catholic hospitals have also given ample importance to family care, women’s health, emergency care, nursing, hospice, assisted living, residential facilities, newborn care, etc.The other sectors in which the Catholic Church has significant contributions include alcohol and drug treatment, psychiatric services, disaster management, dental care, geriatric services, HIV/AIDS services, nutrition, teenage care, etc.Another area in which the catholic hospitals have also given importance is the community health sector.   Community services in the year 2006 by all the Catholic hospitals in the US amounted to about $ 5.7 billion.These services were mainly to ensure that the public health needs were fulfilled and that the health status of the community could improve.   It is important to note that the Catholic hospitals have provided healthcare to the needy and the underprivileged segments of the population[3].[1] The Catholic Health Association of the United States (2007). Catholic Health Care in the United States, Retrieved on October 31, 2007, from the CHAUS Web site: http://www.chausa.org/NR/rdonlyres/68B7C0E5-F9AA-4106-B182-7DF0FC30A1CA/0/FACTSHEET.pdf[2] The Catholic Health Association of the United States (2007). Catholic Health Care in the United States, Retrieved on October 31, 2007, from the CHAUS Web site: http://www.chausa.org/NR/rdonlyres/68B7C0E5-F9AA-4106-B182-7DF0FC30A1CA/0/FACTSHEET.pdf[3] The Catholic Health Association of the United States (2007). Catholic Health Care in the United States, Retrieved on October 31, 2007, from the CHAUS Web site: http://www.chausa.org/NR/rdonlyres/68B7C0E5-F9AA-4106-B182-7DF0FC30A1CA/0/FACTSHEET.pdf   

Is Organic Food Worth It? Essay

Organic farming began in the late 1940’s in the United States, and in recent years it has seen a dramatic increase in popularity. The sales of organic food have been increasing by about 20 percent a year over the past decade. The general belief is that organic items tend to be better for the consumer and the environment when compared to non-organic items. Organic foods are produced without the use of most synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, pesticides, antibiotics, added growth hormones, ionizing radiation, or genetic modification. Fields must be free of prohibited materials for three years before the soil can be used to grow organic crops. In the United States, organic foods and organic farming have been regulated by the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) since 2002. Although many people cannot tell the difference, there are multiple pros and cons between organic and nonorganic. People who buy organic are seeking assurance that food production is gentle to the earth, and looking for safer, purer, more natural foods. But are organic foods really worth the added expense? If cutting pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics off the menu appeals to you, organic foods may be just the ticket. In a recent poll, two-thirds of Americans surveyed stated they would like to be able to fit organic foods into their budgets. Part of our American culture is based on food and the way people treat themselves biologically by deciding what is acceptable to eat. Unfortunately a great portion of our society does not carefully think about the biological effects of certain foods. We live in an era of fad diets and health conscious purchases. For years people have consumed food without knowledge of how the production of what gets put on the dinner table entails. I have noticed especially over the last few years that our society has become more aware of organic farming and the nutritional effects from eating conventional foods. Controversy has sparked the question, what is organic, and is organic food biologically healthier for humans? Organic simply means food grown without the use of drugs, hormones, or synthetic chemicals. Crops are harvested without pesticides and farming techniques slightly differ from a conventional means of agriculture. What if I can’t afford organic foods? Don’t despair. There are things you can do to minimize your exposure to chemicals even when eating conventional foods. First, remove all visible fat from meats because chemical residues tend to accumulate there. Second, remove and throw away the peels from fruits and vegetables. Toss the outer leaves of leafy greens. Third, grow your own vegetable garden or a little herb garden on the window sill. If you live in the city, find out if there are gardening co-ops around your area. Fourth and most important, thoroughly wash all fresh produce to remove as much pesticide residue and bacteria as possible.