A Good Man Is Hard To Find Essays (1393 words) -

A Good Man Is Hard To Find A Look at Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find By Amy Carr In the short story A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery OConnor uses many different tactics to accurately portray the south in the 1950s. OConnor uses her style, themes, and point of view to tell a story of a family outing gone wrong. The story involves a grandmother, her only son and his wife, and their two bratty children, June Star and John Wesley. On their way to Florida, the grandmother convinces the family to detour to see an old house, and while heading towards their destination, the car overturns. The much-feared criminal, The Misfit, an escaped murderer, encounters the family, and offers to help them. The Grandmother immediately notices the man as The Misfit, and verbally acknowledges that fact. Youre The Misfit! she said. I recognized you at once! (p. 687) The Misfit has the husband and son killed relatively quickly, and even after much conversation and pleading, he kills the rest of the family. A Good Man is Hard to Find includes a lot of character development, a unique point of view, and the use of foreshadowing. OConnor does this through her characters, setting, and details in the story. The grandmother is a classic old southern woman, who is eccentric and who may come off as a racist. However, the woman may not be racist, but rather just naive and too set in her ways to deal with the changes present at the time. As the grandmother said, Oh look at that cute little pickaninny! Wouldnt that make a picture now? (p. 681) When OConnor was writing she might not have meant to show that the grandmother was a racist, but rather just that she was out of tune with the rest of the world. The grandmother was also portrayed as Christian, one who was displeased with others who did not act in a Christian manner, and with the society as a whole. She discusses this with Red Sammy, a restaurant owner and war veteran. Red Sammy said Everything is getting terrible. I remember the day you co uld go off and leave your screen door unlatched. Not no more. (p.683) OConnor often shows through the story the degeneration of the nuclear family. She does this not only through the incident at Red Sammys, but also through the child characters, John Wesley and June Star. The father, Bailey, tends to ignore the grandmother, and has failed to teach his children respect and manners. The children began to yell and scream that they wanted to see the house with the secret panel. Jon Wesley kicked the back of the front seat and June Star hung over her mothers shoulder and whined desperately into her ear that they never had any fun even on their vacation, that they could never do what they wanted to do. The baby began to scream and John Wesley kicked the back of the seat so hard that his father could feel the blows in his kidney.(p. 684) The children were so obnoxious and had so little regard for the their elders or themselves, that even in the event of the accident, the children were only excited, and rather disappointed with the outcome. Weve had an accident! the children screamed in a frenzy of delight. But nobodys killed, June Star said with disappointment, as the grandmother limped out of the car. (p. 686) In addition to the demise of the nuclear family, OConnor also shows the elimination of morals, religion, and kindness within people. The grandmother is religious only when she needs to be and its convenient. This becomes evident when they encounter The Misfit. The grandmother uses her religion as a reason to plead for her life with The Misfit, and The Misfit uses her religion as a reason to kill. She [the grandmother] finally found herself saying Jesus, Jesus, meaning, Jesus will help you, but the way she was saying it, it sounded as if she might be cursing. (p. 690) This statement struck The Misfit and he took the statement as a reason to join in on a discussion. Jesus threw everything off balance. It was the same case

Presidency of the U.S essays

Presidency of the U.S essays In every country have different forms of government regarding to their political system. In the United States, we have presidential form of government. The president of the United States is the most powerful and influential man in the world. He is also the symbolic of nation and the worlds most famous celebrity. The entire nation makes the relationship with the president. People love him, trust him and choose him to be the leader of the country. Good or bad things of a country depend on the leadership of the president. So the presidency of the United States is the most important thing of America political system in many ways. Studying the presidency give me a lot of help to understand the American political system. First of all I have learned the qualification of a president. To become a president, a person must be 35 years old, natural born US citizens and 14 years of residence in the US. There is no basic need of educational status and intelligence or wealth. By looking the history of former presidents, they came from different background. So I see clearly that any person can become the president as long as he or she meets basic need and people vote for that person. Then I also learn about the election of the president. In the United Stated, presidents are chosen through the Electro College, as it has senators and representatives combined. On the Election Day, the votes within each state are added up and the candidate with the most votes receives all that states votes in the Electoral College. When the counting has been done in each state, the number of electoral college votes for each candidate is added up. If any candidate has a majority of at least 270 votes, he becomes a president. I also learn that the power of a president. President represents both head of the government and the chief of the states. And he has both three solo powers and power with the consent of senate. Although the president has full control ...

Quantitative reasoning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quantitative reasoning - Essay Example Tar coats the lungs, nicotine damages the nerve cells and carbon monoxide reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. During pregnancy everything in a woman’s blood stream is transferred to the baby through the placenta and umbilical cord. The placenta and umbilical cord cannot filter out the poisonous carbon monoxide and nicotine, as a result, the toxins directly reach the blood stream of the unborn baby. Because of this the normal growth of the baby is hampered resulting in a low birth weight baby. Such babies have serious illnesses and breathing disorders and have to be kept in a newborn intensive care unit (NICU). Low birth weight can be due to poor growth before birth, preterm delivery or both reasons together. As the studies by the US Public Health Service say, in 2004, 11.9 percent of the babies born to smokers in the United States had low birth weight compared to 7.2 percent of babies born to non smokers. Compared to non smoking mothers, smoking mothers have an increased risk of premature rupture of the membrane ie the sac that holds the baby inside the uterus breaks earlier than 37 weeks of pregnancy resulting in the birth of a premature baby. Consequently premature and low birth weight babies have an increased risk of chronic lifelong disabilities like cerebral palsy, mental retardation and learning problems. Premature babies may have underdeveloped lungs and brains and stand poor chance of survival in the early months after birth. In one of the recent studies as stated in an article of March of Dimes organization, women who smoke anytime during the month before pregnancy till the ending of the first trimester are more likely to deliver a baby with congenital heart defects. The risk increases with the increase in the number of cigarettes smoked. A 2003 study by the researchers of March of Dimes points that babies

Women in US politic society from 1950-2014 Essay

Women in US politic society from 1950-2014 - Essay Example Hanna counters the men’s criticism reiterating that her essay is not a myth and in the same context supports its logicality. The society anticipated change within a span of a hundred years. Traditional men dominance started at least 500 years ago with the women empowerment campaigns and programs giving the women confidence and courage to challenge men. The women gained courage and confidence to undertake the tasks perceived to belong to men. In the same period on Europe fields of battle show up, the musketeers used cumbersome and brave knights. Their use of heavy machinery was because of lack of knowledge of the existence and usage of lighter weapons like swords. Musketeers fought using sticks, which made exposures. The mode of fighting they employed was the conventional means that was usable on a regular basis during that era. Men displayed more strength and masculinity that capably positioned them superior to the females. Revolution over time occurred and knight sheathed their swords. The season of stronger men elapsed as judgments and rating then began to base on mental capability and the intelligence quotient. The society eventually started to value education, inte llect, and adaptation to new and modern techniques. Many transformations occurred at this time, which was the duration before the setting of the day of the women. In addition, one more reason to involve in those changes is second-wave of feminism. Feminism-Socio-political movement, whose goal was to protect all women, discriminated against of sex, race, orientation, age, ethnicity, social status, full social rights. The movement founded in the middle of 19th century and has three waves. Second Wave refers to a span of feminist activity at the beginning of middle 20th century until the end of the 1980s. Second-wave feminists show cultural and political inequalities between man and woman and help to understand how politicized is the sexist society in US. The feminist activist Carol

Identify and describe two significant U.S laws in international trade Essay

Identify and describe two significant U.S laws in international trade for the period of 2000-2008 - Essay Example This agreement immediately removes tariffs on more than eighty percent (80%) of U.S. exports comprising of products, which are consumer and industrial, the rest being phased out in 10 years (USTR, CAFTA-DR Final Text, 1). The Office of the United States Trade Representative also says that the DR-CAFTA would provide the same reciprocal access for the products and services of the US, just like most of the imports that enter the United States which are duty free, under the so-called â€Å"Generalized System of Preferences, Caribbean Basin Initiative and Most Favored Nation programs† (USTR, CAFTA-DR Final Text, 1). Hence, the goal of this agreement is to maintain a healthy competition and to create â€Å"a more efficient marketplace across international borders† (US Trade Representative, CAFTA Facts: Meeting the Needs of the Region’s Rural Poor, 1). This agreement is also provided with funding initiatives in order to enhance rural development and build trade capacity (USTR, CAFTA Facts: Financial Support for CAFTA-DR, 1). Thus, countries under this agreement was said to receive billions of dollars from various agencies in the next few years ((USTR, CAFTA Facts: Financial Support for CAFTA-DR, 1). Aside from this, the agreement contains the international labor rights with the capability to trade, providing thereby the procedures in case a party fails in its obligations under the labor provisions (Human Rights Watch, 1). However, according to Brandie Ballard Wade, although the provision of the DR-CAFTA provides that â€Å"members are committed to meet their obligations under the ILO declaration and ensure that both the rights of workers and the internationally recognized labor principles are protected and established in its laws,† there is however no requirement that they have to meet these obligations (645). Instead, the agreement only requires that countries strive to ensure that international principles and rights â€Å"are acknowledged and protected by

Interprofessional Collaboration in Health Care

Interprofessional Collaboration in Health Care Interprofessional Collaboration in Health and Social Care is changing the face of service delivery based on governments attraction to this concept. This essay is an attempt to identify and evaluate weaknesses that affect interprofessional working, using a practice based critical incident (see Appendix A). In order to achieve this, a model of critical reflection, a combination of systematic analytical tools (SWOT, PESTEL) and use of relevant theories are adopted to unearth various assumptions and their sources with a view of engaging the application of theory to practice which will consequently improve provision of services to end users in practice with the added benefit of improving interprofessional working. The various influencing factors identified from the analysis that conflate in the arena of interprofessionalism makes it a very complex, yet desirable concept to embrace and implement for the effective delivery of service within health and social care. The case for a Model of Critical reflection Reflection has been defined as a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyse, evaluate and so inform learning about practice Reid (1993). Researching various models of critical reflection (Gibbs reflective cycle (1988), Stephensons framework of reflection (1993), Fook and Askeland (2006) indicated a number of variables which are relevant in the evaluation and reflection on practice situation. For the purpose of this particular case study, I have chosen to reflect on the critical incident described in Appendix A by using Fooks model of critical reflection. This model; Focuses on identifying underlying assumptions with a specific purpose of fostering improvement in professional practice Fook and Askeland (2006,p), Highlights power as a critical element of transforming the revealed assumptions with a view to create a positive change in the practice situation. The concept of power in critical reflection is relevant in the social, cultural, professional and political context with the aim of gaining a sense of personal power therefore more control and choice, through the exposure of dominant assumptions in operation. Fook (2006), Foucault (1983) cited in White et al (2006, p44). Fooks model enables reflection on awareness and use of power in the course of performing my professional role. Fook also emphasises the place of emotion, communication, dialogue and learning in this model of critical reflection. This is particularly relevant to the practice situation as it led to competence queries in the light of the ensuing reverberation. This model of critical reflection is a valuable tool, enabling better decision-making, improved ability to work with uncertainty and multiple perspectives, resolve dilemmas, recognising the use and power of emotion, and better ability to learn from practice. Fook and Askeland (2006) My choice of Fooks critical reflection model helps me to take a look at what I do, why I do it, unearthing relevant hidden assumptions influenced by my cultural, social, professional and political beliefs (see PESTEL analysis in Appendix C). It also enables me to reframe myself in view of the revealed assumptions behind my thinking that affects my practice. This model seeks to empower by giving choices and creating new knowledge when the process of reflection is practised. It could also potentially reaffirm personal beliefs that may have been previously separated from professional roles which inadvertently create conflict. Interprofessional Concept Interprofessional concepts that are apparently relevant to the practice situation are collaboration and communication. The key weaknesses identified were due to lack of communication and failings in collaboration between the pharmacy, social services professions and general practitioner (GP) engaged in the care of the older people in the community. In order to analyse the practice situation, two analytical tools are adopted namely SWOT analysis considers the strengths and weaknesses in the case and also the opportunity and threats embedded in it. (Appendix B). PESTEL analysis This tool relates the situation to its external environmental factors with a view to identifying influences and impacts of the environment.( Appendix C) The two major areas of weakness focused on are: The gaps in collaboration between pharmacist, social workers and GPs in the community. Poor communication between Health and Social Care (HSC) professionals in the community. Literature Review The concept of interprofessional collaboration has been defined as working together with one or more members of the health care team where each makes a unique contribution to achieving a common goal. Each individual contributes from within the limits of his/her scope of practice. Broers et al (2009), College of Nurses Ontario (2008), Makowsky et al (2009). The Health and Social care policy on joined up working Department of Health (DoH 2000) has been regarded as a major document pointing the way to or representing one of the imperatives for the modernisation agenda. Health and Social Care policies has witnessed several changes in the last twenty five years with a shift in focus from institutional to community care with an attendant upsurge in service commissioning, which created an increasing role for primary care. Karban Smith (2006). The need for greater collaboration and communication has been highlighted by the recent increase in major enquiries into several aspects of health and social care (Victoria Climbie inquiry report by Laming (2003), Baby Ps case). Loxley (1995) asserted that the recognition of health and welfare within society as an interactive, adaptive process without an end becomes the only creative basis for strategies, policies and practices and as such, the ability to collaborate is thus an essential in this interactive process. The National Service Framework for Older people DoH (2001) clearly demands that the NHS and local authorities work in partnership to promote health ageing and prevent disease in older people. DoH (2001). Various government policies has emphasised partnership and joint working as the main focus to drive improved care to users of health and social care services. DoH (1998a) Partnership in Action (1998b); Working Together (1998c); First class service; quality in the new NHS) Leathards(2003) review on McGraths (1991) study on interprofessional teamwork in Wales found that joint working led to more efficient use of staff, efficient service provision and a more satisfying work environment. Other benefits include the value of knowledge sharing, potential for comprehensively integrated services, efficient use of public funds and the avoidance of duplication and gaps in services. The New NHS-modern and dependable: DoH (1998). The governments objective is to build a reliable health service where patients have access to high quality services based on identified need, building on integrated care between health and social care where each have equally important roles to play. The White paper (1998) sets out the framework for the partnership, with the intention to remove barriers to effective collaboration in the existing systems and provide new incentives for joint working across agencies. The role of Pharmacists in interprofessional collaboration. The pharmacy professions code of ethics is traditionally based on the medical model of health, where duty of care is to the patient and mainly prescriptive and paternalistic. Naidoo and Wills (2009). There are no strong evidences to support joint working between community pharmacy and other health and social professions despite a strong need for collaboration for the delivery of excellent patient care across the primary and secondary interface. Makowsky et al (2009) review indicates that collaborative working relationships between nurses and physicians have been the focus of several researches, but relatively little work has investigated the integration and nature of collaborative relationships pharmacists have with other health care practitioners. The review stated that most investigations into professional relationship between pharmacy and other healthcare profession has been on physicians satisfaction attitudes or perceptions towards specific aspects of pharmacy practice, pharmaci st roles, perceived barriers between physicians and community pharmacists, unmet needs in the medication use process, physician expectations of pharmacist and physicians receptiveness to clinical pharmacists. Competencies of the Future Pharmacy workforce a publication by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (2003/2004) highlights the need for greater levels of collaboration between pharmacists across all sectors and boundaries as the way forward for relevance within the healthcare workforce. The Pharmacy White paper (year) also emphasised the role of pharmacists in providing services in the present NHS structure and this would necessitate a greater awareness and participatory collaboration with other healthcare professionals. Barriers to Interprofessional Collaboration In spite of the laudable and apparently desirable benefits of interprofessional collaboration, in reality there are barriers that limit effectiveness of this concept between health and social care professionals as apparent in my practice situation. Historically, barriers such as professional cultures, different forms of accountabilities between health and social services, political agendas, rigid boundaries, departmental survival existed and still remain to challenge present day twenty-first century health and social care. Hardy et al (1992) cited in Leathard (2003) identified five categories of the challenges facing joint working within health and social care as; Structural issues such as service fragmentation, gaps in services. Procedural matters which hinders joint planning through different budgetary planning cycles and procedures. Financial factors such as different funding mechanisms, administrative and communication costs Status and legitimacy, for example local responsibilities are based within a democratically elected arena and in contrast, all services are commissioned and centrally run by the NHS. Professional issues which include problems associated with conflicting views and ideologies about users, professional self-interest, competition for domains, as well as differences between expertise, specialism and skills. Leathard (2003) noted more barriers such as practitioners isolated with little management support, inequalities in status and salary, differing leadership styles, lack of clarity about roles as damaging to inter professional collaboration. It has been noted that service users and carers as typified by the examples in the practice situation (see appendix A) often experience frustration and distress in trying to organise the type of care they want or support needed as a carer. This process, involving contact with different agencies and each with different assessment processes, often leave users and carers unclear as to who should be doing what and how it all links together. DoH (1998a) Joint working has been identified by the DoH (1998) as needed at three levels; strategic planning, service commissioning and service provision. In the practice of pharmacy in the care of the community, service provision must deliver an integrated package that avoids the burden of complex bureaucracy. Barriers to Joint Working: Communication Another weakness identified in the SWOT analysis, (see Appendix C) is poor communication. Information sharing in the appropriate context is important in helping to promote informed decision making and aid the provision of user-focused care. On the other hand, incorrect information can destroy or reinforce negative or destructive stereotypes and therefore limit the range of options offered to the user. Hammick et al (2009). Poor communication can be a barrier to effective information sharing in professional practice. The lack of clarity in the process of communication experience in my context can also be down lack of awareness of how the agencies work together. Meads et al (2005) states that poor systems and lack of parity between different professionals can be major risk factors, particularly with regards to effective communication. In the inquiries into the events that led to Victoria Climbies death in 2000 and the Bristol Royal Infirmary incident, systemic failures that led to poor communications were highlighted. The issue of communication was further complicated by the fact that I had no prior knowledge of any disability suffered by the patient that would necessitate any form of assessment set out by the Disability Discrimination Act (2004), I assumed that the clients GP would be aware of the process of referral for patients needing support with their medicines as they are usually their first point of call. Carers expectation was that all service providers talked to each other in a way that gets things done smoothly. Reflecting on what I have learnt on interprofessional collaboration, the situation became clearer as I realised that different organisations have different operating procedures which, despite attempts at collaboration, can still be conflicting. External influences on the practice situation such as legal factors (see Appendix C) include issues such as patient confidentiality and data protection requirements which make it imperative that proper channels of communication are followed to protect clients privacy. This raises ethical and legal questions on how much is too much or too little to exchange with other agencies. I have learnt that the failings in the practice situation described is not a clear cut failing by a single person, but a classic example of how the barriers to interprofessional working can have a direct impact on both the service user and provider. Systems Approach to Joint Working: A resolve A systemic approach to collaboration as stated by Payne(1997) in Hammick et al(2009) is relevant to interprofessional practice as it sees individuals as social beings, affected by and influencing others around them, the organisations with which they have contact and the wider society, drawing attention to relationships, structure, processes and interdependence. The whole systems concept developed by Bertanlanffy (1971) describes the exchange across permeable boundaries between systems and environments. This characteristic of the systems theory is crucial in its application to service organisations, like the NHS and social service. The key elements from the systems theory as concurred to by Loxley(1997) and Willumsen (2008)relevant to understanding collaboration in interprofessional practice is interdependence and interaction, emphasis on management of processes, the recognition of equifinality the achievement of the same goal from different starting points. Loxley (1997) asserts that it is possible to manage complexity and differences through the recognition and use of common properties which apply to both parts and to a whole when experiences are shared. For the whole systems approach to work, the right conditions as advocated by Maddock and Morgan (1999) in Leathard (2003) include; Support for communication between users and frontline staff Involvement of actively committed staff Appropriate performance measures supporting change and staff development Management and practitioners sharing the same agenda on quality and funding issues A senior management team with a unity of vision. The benefits of the whole systems approach as shown by the study on delivery of services to older people across health and social care in Brighton and Hove, Sussex Callanan (2001) include; initiatives to identify gaps in services, an improvement in the services provided in the multidisciplinary assessment and review, improved flexibility to meet users needs and the enabling of small changes which would result in significant improvements in service provision. The whole systems approach with the theorised benefits is not without its limitations. CSIP(Care Service Improvement Partnership) Older People Team cited in the whole systems approach , a document paper by the NHS Wales(2006) concluded that for most places, a whole systems approach is a statement of aspiration rather than a statement of achievement as there are limitations inherent in the approach. Conclusion The way forward may be more opportunities for joint learning among health and social care professionals in practice. Integrating joint learning in the whole systems approach to effective collaboration might in some way resolve some of the perceived barriers. Learning together reflectively will challenge traditional barriers, professional barriers and compartmentalised thinking. Karban and Smith (2006). They argued that a model of critical and reflective practice acquired through learning together will enable future practitioners develop a shared understanding of the world and ways of working together based on creating a shared dialogue within communities of practice that will enhance the experience of service users. Forming multidisciplinary teams in the care of the community for specific target population may also be effective in closing the gap in collaboration between pharmacy and other health and social care profession. In order to avoid the reoccurrence of the incident discussed in my practice situation, I will seek to implement the following Raise awareness/understanding of referral process among professionals engaged in the management of older people with disability by writing a letter to all agencies concerned. Organise seminars at local GP meetings with other healthcare professionals involved in the care of older people with the view of clarifying the referral procedures for effective provision of service

Papa John’s International, Inc. Essays -- Strategic Case Analysis

Introduction Papa John’s International, Inc., is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky it is the world’s largest pizza chain and considered paramount in the pizza industry. Papa John’s domestic pizzas are made exclusively from a proprietary blend of wheat flour, cheese made from 100% real mozzarella, fresh-packed pizza sauce made from vine-ripened tomatoes (not from concentrate) and a proprietary mix of savory spices, and a choice of high-quality meat (100% beef, pork and chicken with no fillers) and vegetable toppings. However, international ingredients vary to meet customs and tastes. (http://ir.papajohns.com/) The company operates approximately 3,400 domestic and international pizza restaurants. They have five segments of their business: domestic restaurants, domestic commissaries, domestic franchises, international operations, and variable interest entities. (Barney & Hesterly, 2010) They have company-owned restaurants in mature and developed markets, but have recently experienced a measurable decrease in their domestic franchising sales because these franchisees are not strategically located in the more heavily concentrated markets like their company owned restaurants. To further develop the Papa John franchisees, they are working on various economic systems to provide royalty and local marketing relief for struggling franchisees, by providing financing to assist existing and/or new businesses, and educating lenders and banking institutions on the Papa John’s business models and goals. Papa John’s has currently started repurchasing about 1 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $22.52 per share, the company’s board of directors recently extended a repurchase plan through the end of 2010. Papa John’s... ... end-user customers, so as to capture additional market presence. Dominos has recently changed their pizza ingredient and their pricing structure they could become a major threat to Papa John’s customer base because they have always prided themselves on using high-quality ingredients. Dominos is now making attempting to grab up some Papa John’s domestic market share. Works Cited Form 10-K Annual Report Filed Feb 24, 2009, http://ir.papajohns.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1104659-09-11825 (Retrieved 2/11/10) Thursday, February 11, 2010, 2:43pm EST | Modified: Thursday, February 11, 2010, 3:04pm, Papa John’s cooks up heart-shaped pizza promo http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2010/02/08/daily41.html?ana=yfcpc (Retrieved 2/11/10) http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/22/news/companies/papa_johns_pizza_schnatter.fortune/index.htm (retrieved 2/12/10)

“With Liberty and Justice for All”

An opinion of the social inequality that exists as it pertains to Gay Marriage Aimee L. Vroman Strayer University Online Introduction to Sociology SOC 100-015016 Professor Paul Humenik August 22, 2010 Abstract In recent years, the debate over same-sex marriage has grown from an issue that occasionally arose in a few states to a nationwide controversy. Indeed, in the last five years, the debate over gay marriage has been heard in the halls of the U. S.Congress, at the White House, in dozens of state legislatures and courtrooms, and in the rhetoric of election campaigns at both the national and state levels. Moreover, the battle over whether gays and lesbians should be allowed to wed shows no signs of abating. In the last year alone, three states have banned same-sex marriage and four states have legalized the practice. The time for debate is now over. The issue of gay marriage is not one of religious degradation, social erosion, or even ethical breakdown. It is an issue of inalienable rights guaranteed to all citizens of this country.The fact that our federal government does not recognize gay marriages is an atrocity and shameful at best. â€Å"The foundation to gay rights will ultimately be seen as the right to marry, because with that right firmly established in law, most other forms of discrimination could not be justified. † (Bidstrup, Why Gays Should Be Allowed To Marry, 1996) When we as a society look outwards, we see everything that we can do to help other societies attain our level of justice, personal and financial success, freedoms, and everything else that comes with our knowledge and perseverance.However, if we as a society were to look inward at ourselves (something that I am confident that only a small percentage of our society is willing to do) and at our society as a whole, would we see it in a different light? Would we see that even after fifty years of civil rights and equal opportunity that we still oppress and treat some groups of our society as second class citizens? Our country’s Bill of Rights has been modified by Constitutional Amendments to say the each and every American citizen has certain inalienable rights.The right to be married is one that we Americans hold near and dear to our hearts. Why then, is this particular right denied to the gay community? One of the biggest and loudest arguments against gay marriage in this country is that it is against God and that it is against what it says in the Bible (The Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve argument). Yes, this country was founded on Christian principles and laws that were perceived to be fair to all of its citizenry. However, this is not the seventeen hundreds nor is it the time of the Inquisition.This is the so called Modern Era, in which not only technology and finance are supposed to be upgraded and ever changing for the better but also societal acceptance of people that are different from what we perceive as mainstream and the societal norm. How can there be societal justice for the gay community when we as a society, who proclaim ourselves to be enlightened and forward thinking, deny even this most basic of rights to the gay community? The answer is simple; there can be no societal justice for the gay community in this aspect.What if we were to turn the tables on society and tell everyone that is not a part of the gay community that their marriages, civil unions, and other forms of partnership were invalid and no longer existed in the eyes of the government? There would be a societal upheaval. Anarchy would ensue and the government would be dismantled by the people. Later, when the people had decided that there had been enough chaos, reformed by the people and for the people. The only reason this has not happened with the gay community is because they are the minority in this case.For centuries of our country’s history, we have been guilty of oppressing and even enslaving the minorities within our society, to say n othing of denying them the inalienable rights called for in our own Constitution. Over time, those minorities that have fought and fought hard for these rights have eventually been afforded these rights by Constitutional Amendments. Yet still, here we sit in the twenty-first century, and we still cannot see past our own biases and our deep rooted fears of anything that is different or contrary to us.At the end of the day, our opposition to gay marriage stems ultimately from a deep-seeded homophobia in our culture and society, borne almost entirely out of religious prejudice. While many of us do not realize that homophobia exists to the extent that it does, it is a very real part of every gay person's life, just like racism is a very real part of every African American’s life. It is there, it is pervasive, and it has far more serious consequences for our society than most of us realize, not just for gay people, but for society in general.This religious prejudice comes from sev eral well known entities. Those entities include, but are not limited to, the Catholic Church, the Mormon Church, the American Family Association, and Focus on the Family, and the most conservative of Protestant sects. Together with their various political subsidiary groups, a whole host of smaller right-wing political and religious organizations, and a few out-right hate groups, they are shaping national and local policy towards the gay community.They spend millions of dollars twisting and deforming referendums, propositions, and other local instruments of law solely for the purpose of fear mongering to scare the populace into line at the polls. It is these kinds of tactics being employed that are outdated and flat out wrong in the moral and ethical sense. They say that money corrupts; well the proof is in the proverbial pudding. The fear mongering turns into unparalleled hate and it is fueled by these so called â€Å"Christian† organizations. This is contrary to the Christi an way of life and contrary to the convictions of a Christian.Hatred by itself, dressed up as religious dogma has been used for so long that it is beginning to lose its effectiveness (eventually people begin to figure out that it is mostly a tactic for filling pews, collection plates and campaign coffers more than it is a way of reforming lost souls and improving society), so the more clever of these organizations have begun to move onto a slick propaganda effort based on that long-time favorite winner, fear (Bidstrup, Gay Marriage: The Arguments and Motives, 2009). The time for rhetoric and Bible thumping is over. Our country had its time of religious revolution.It is now time for every person, regardless of gender, race, religious belief, or sexual orientation, to be given the rights that our laws and traditions provide. This idea has been the cornerstone of our society and our nation for hundreds of years. â€Å"We cannot accept the view that Amendment 2's prohibition on specifi c legal protections does no more than deprive homosexuals of special rights. To the contrary, the amendment imposes a special disability on those persons alone. Homosexuals are forbidden the safeguards that others enjoy or may seek without constraint. (Kennedy, Stevens, O'Connor, Souter, Ginsburg, & Breyer, 1996) In the Supreme Court opinion that this quote is taken from, it says very plainly that a state (Colorado in this case) cannot prevent any group of persons from taking part in any public or private transaction. Though this case was hotly debated over the next fifteen years, Colorado in 2007 passed a law prohibiting any discrimination against homosexuals. Now if one state can do this and then another and then another, why is it so hard for our federally elected officials to do the same thing?The only answer that I can give is the activists, hate groups, and church lobbyists that throw millions of dollars into the coffers of our Senators and Congressman. This dirty money en sures that once again they will get elected and that once again they will vote to keep the gay community as second class citizens. This state of affairs is unacceptable. The time for change is now. Freedom is the right of every American regardless of gender, race, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation. It is high time that we, as a society, stand up and say in one unified voice, â€Å"This is wrong and we are not going to stand for it any longer!Works CitedBidstrup, S. (2009, June 3). Gay Marriage: The Arguments and Motives. Retrieved August 19, 2010, from Bidstrup. com: http://www. bidstrup. com/marriage. htm Bidstrup, S. (1996, December 4).Why Gays Should Be Allowed To Marry. Retrieved August 18, 2010, from Bidtrsup. com: http://www. bidstrup. com/hawaii. htm Kennedy, A. M. , Stevens, J. P. , O'Connor, S. D. , Souter, D. H. , Ginsburg, R. B. , & Breyer, S. G. (1996, October 20).Supreme Court Bound Volume 517. Retrieved August 18, 2010, from United States Supreme Court : http://www. supremecourt. gov/opinions/boundvolumes/517bv. pdf

How to Succeed as a Freelance Blogger (by someone whos done it)

How to Succeed as a Freelance Blogger ( I never really aspired to be a writer. Writing was something I used to refer to as a â€Å"secondary skill.† I used it in my previous job (as a property manager) like most other people do: to write emails and letters. I never thought I could make a living out of it. And yet, here I am–nearly two years later–a bona fide professional writer, averaging earnings in excess of $7,000 per month. It’s been quite a ride. I don’t have time to share that ride with you in this article, but I do have time to give you an overview of freelance blogging - the profession that has changed my life. Why Freelance Blogging Isn’t Beneath You The common perception amongst many freelance writers is that freelance blogging is bargain basement territory. And while there are plenty of low-paying jobs in circulation, there are also many gigs that pay very respectably. Furthermore, there are a huge number of other benefits to freelance blogging. You can start with no experience or qualifications. The nature of blogging dictates that work will be consistent and ongoing. You can build I could go on, but my overriding point is this: do not dismiss freelance blogging. It is not only a viable option - it is one I heartily recommend. How to Start Freelance Blogging When it comes to establishing yourself as a freelance blogger, you can quickly rise to the top of the pile if you are willing to work hard and focus on doing the right things. On the assumption that you are already an accomplished writer, there are just two other big pieces of the puzzle: 1. A blog of your own. The best clients won’t be too keen to hire you if you can’t clearly demonstrate your blogging capabilities. 2. Samples. You’ll want to get published on a number of (preferably popular) blogs in order to demonstrate that others have put their faith in your writing talents. Starting a blog is free, and getting published samples is as simple as submitting guest posts to blogs that accept them. Once you have some momentum on those fronts, it’s time to start pitching for jobs via online job boards (such as ProBlogger). You won’t get the best-paid jobs upfront, but once you’re established, future clients will find your I haven’t sought out a client since 2011 - they’ve all come to me. What Have You Got to Lose? This article is just a brief introduction to freelance blogging - in reality, there is a lot more to learn. However, I hope that this has been convincing enough to galvanize you into taking a closer look at this young and highly lucrative market. If you are interested in finding out more then check out my blog’s archives. You’ll find a wide selection of freelance writing articles there. And if you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Renaissance Musical Instrument essays

Renaissance Musical Instrument essays Renaissance means rebirth. This period saw a rebirth in knowledge. The Renaissance was turning from God to man. Science was becoming more important during this time. Columbus discovered America during the Renaissance in 1492 and Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel. Music was also changing. Melodies became richer. Harmony, known as homophony, began to appear (This means there is a clear difference between the melody and accompaniment). This was the golden age of the a cappella style. That means that choirs sang without instruments. Perhaps the greatest development for the expansion of ordinary music was the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in 1454. Now music could be reproduced quickly, before this it had had to be copied by hand. But this was also a growth in instrumental music. The Renaissance saw many new instruments as well as old ones remaining popular. The most popular instrument during the renaissance was the lute. The lute is the ancestor of the modern day guitar. It held the highest respect of all instruments during the Renaissance, both as an accompaniment and as a solo instrument. Although the greatest repertoire (compositions) for the lute is from England, the best makers were Germans who lived in Italy. Its belly is made of pine, only one-sixteenth inch thick, with a carved sound-hole in the middle. Wooden bars glued underneath the belly strengthen it and add to the resonance. The pear shaped back is constructed from several ribs, shaped and bent over a mold, and then glued together edge-to-edge. These ribs may be made of sycamore, cedar, yew, or cypress, and are no more than 1/32 of an inch in thickness. It is unknown when the first sackbut was created but by 1500 it is mentioned and illustrated regularly. The sackbut is simply a slide trumpet, or tromba da tirasi. The word sackbut literally means push-pull. There were four principle s ...

How to do the Staffing and Training for Global Operations Research Paper

How to do the Staffing and Training for Global Operations - Research Paper Example 7 Regiocentric Approach †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Geo-centric Approach- Global Approach†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Selection Process for Global Assignments†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Training and development for expatriates †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Cross Cultural Training †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 Introduction Going global was considered to be a great achievement few years ago, but today, it is part of a company’s survival strategy and rather an essential element to de-risk the business from a single country shock. Going global has become an increasingly important business strategy because of that most businesses face challenges of localized economic policies and competition. The advances in information technology and telecommunication that scholars consider it as second revolution have caused tremendous changes in global business and increased the volume of trade between nations. Multinational companies have been playing major role in the process of moving goods and services around the globe. When companies go global and operate in different countries, policies relating to employee hiring, training, compensating and maintaining are largely aff ected and human resource managers are required to have a global perspective of business to effectively formulate and implement human resource policies. This piece of research paper addresses the importance of effective staffing process for a company when operates in other countries and explains main elements of international human resource management in relation to hiring, training and compensating the employees. This paper explains main modes of global staffing in relation to managing expatriates and analyzes various selection factors for global operation. Need for effective Staffing for Global Operation In recent days, managers of large multinationals have been realizing the significance of human resource practices to ensure the profitability and competitive advantages of their business. Human resource management has become more involved in helping international organizations and these organizations necessarily require to develop global strategies with major focus to hire, manage and retain best employees in order to ensure competitive advantages. As Briscoe, Schuler and Claus (2008) stated that the impact of a company’s international activity on human resource varies according to various factors like stages of internationalization, the global nature of the particular industry and specific choice of the firm etc (p. 29). Large companies that have been operating in its home country often suddenly become global and as a result its existing human resources start working in different conditions with no previous experiences in international operation. Likewise, companies need to hire, train maintain and retain talented employees to be able to work in multinational conditions. Stahl and Bjorkman (2006) stressed that global staffing has become a critical issue in international management for the following reasons:- There has been growing awareness that the success of international business mainly depend on recruiting the qualified senior and other managers.

Aviation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Aviation - Essay Example This paper will discuss the design of Eurocopter x3, comparing it to conventional designs with reference to aerodynamics. Conventional helicopters have a rotor that is supported above the body/fuselage of the craft. The rotor rotates at high speed to provide the lift required for vertical take off and landing (Watkinson, 2004). In addition, the rotor provides the thrust to make the craft move horizontally and laterally. In addition to the main rotor, the conventional helicopter has a tail rotor to develop thrust in addition to countering the torque produced by the main rotor (Watkinson, 2004). Alternatively helicopters may be fitted with ducted fans or NOTAR systems to perform the same functions. This however, is not the case with Eurocopter’s x3. The Eurocopter x3 Demonstrator is a machine that has been designed as a foundation for the Hybrid Helicopter. What this basically means is that the machine integrates the principles of the helicopter with those of fixed wing crafts with the result being optimized performance. The x3 is based on the design and features of existing models with the main additions being two short wings and the lack of a tail rotor (Vion-Lanctuit, 2010). In addition, each of the two short wings bears a propeller. The x3 has objectively been designed to have the main rotor to provide lift and thrust like other helicopters. The main rotor has five blades which means it has the capacity to provide higher lift and thrust compared to those that have two blades, other factors held constant. The two propellers supported by the short-span fixed wings provide additional thrust thus allowing the machine to achieve speeds that conventional helicopters cannot. Owing to these additional features, the helicopter can reach speeds beyond 230 knots or 267 mph (Whittle, 2012). This speed far exceeds the speed achievable by conventional helicopters which stands at about 140 knots or 160mph at the