OCR Nationals double award promoting health and well being Essay

According to the above figures given in the above Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, each aspect has been given a position in order of their importance placing the most important one at the bottom. This makes it clear that everything, (regardless the level of their importance) is important to us. There are different ways to keep up the health status up to the standard such as using medication, being on healthy diet, getting enough rest and doing appropriate exercise. After having an observational research on health and its definitions, I would conclude that to keep up appropriate health we should have healthy lifestyle in terms of physical, intellectual, emotional and social aspects. Well-being As this unit is based on promoting health and well-being, it is highly important to have concerns on well-being as well. According to the World Health Organisation, well-being explains our happiness, confidence, physical condition and general outlook of our life. It is about caring ourselves and feeling good. Well-being and living healthily go hand-in-hand. It goes beyond eating a balanced diet and taking regular exercises. It is about being aware about our life and reducing the risks of diseases. Our daily routine could decide the state of our well-being. (Bib. 4)Great Britain is a multi cultural society. The culture is a way, which is followed by a group of people. They eat, dress, behave and believe in the same way. It may be unique to that particular group. It affects their way of life and therefore their health as well. It is very important that the health care sector and the organisations respect beliefs of each culture. For example, a Christian faith group, Jehovah’s Witness urge their follower’s to refuse blood transfusions. (Bib. 12) But according to medical science, blood transfusions can save a person’s life. In another instance, Muslims don’t take pork, although animal flesh is a good source of protein. Proteins are needed for the build up of our muscles. To work properly and to be physically fit, we need to have healthy muscles. Therefore this can affect their physical health. Sometimes, the people chose to be vegetarians or vegans either following their religion or for their personal beliefs. This can lead them to be lack of proteins, as meat, eggs and other animal products are good sources of proteins. As said before, protein is very important even for making hormones. This is vital for our growth. Therefore where the PIES are concerned, it is clear that not taking animal products could also affect a person’s development. Further, this can lead our intellectual development to grow less as well because a good physical health is important to have a good memory and thinking. Another example of how different cultures consider is the fasting practise of Muslims. However, it is not good for our health to get rid of meals because it has been found that this can lead to weight loss, stomach problems including ulceration, dehydration and also changes have been observed in daily lifestyle and mental-health status. (Bib. 5) Apparently, looking at our PIES it is clear from the above disorders that this can also affect both our physical and mental health. Nevertheless, as it is linked to their culture and tradition, they don’t bother much about their health. Further, covering their body by Muslim ladies could lead to vitamin D deficiency as they are not exposed enough to sunlight causing possible rickets. On the other hand, this could be positive to avoid unnecessary exposure to sunlight avoiding risks of skin cancers. So it is clear that the cultural belief and the person’s background can affect their health positively as well. Being a Buddhist, I believe it is not right taking alcohol and drugs for a healthy life. This is another example, which shows how the background of people affects their way of thinking. As different cultures and religions consider health in different ways, it is important that doctors should be aware of cultural beliefs when treating patients. According to the beliefs and places of living of a person may cause them to have less access to medical treatments. For example, a study carried out among the people living in Southern Virginia has found out that they were lacking of medical knowledge and that they distrusted the physicians. They have claimed that most of their people were obsessed and they liked to eat much but not doing exercise. Although it wasn’t said in the study report what foods they ate, I thought that they might be eating too fatty and sugary foods, as they are some causes of obesity. Further, I got to know by reading the study, that these Virginians didn’t discuss health problems with outsiders. It is also said that this may be due to the lack of medical knowledge. I thought this might prevent them from getting suitable care. As the people distrusted the specialist, they do not take medicines prescribed by them. They think that these drugs may cause addiction. In addition, according to the participants in the study, there is a lack of American-born physicians. At the same time, the people in the area were having some concerns in meeting foreign-born physicians. This cultural difference between the patient and the provider has been identified as a barrier, which prevents the patients getting medial care. (Bib. 6) I thought this to be a good example to show the effects of cultural beliefs on people and their health. In third world countries, the people might not be in good hygienic conditions such as less purified water systems, poor housing and air pollution. This could also lead to illnesses and diseases. Some other examples of how different cultures look at their health are the Chinese treatments and the way some cultures treat patients using plants and herbs found from the forests. Although people from different cultures look at health in different ways, each person’s health is alike and will be affected in the same way. Therefore, it is important that we look at it in a positive manner.

Negative Aspects of Reality Shows

In recent years we have seen how the reality shows have Increasingly Invaded our screens, and there is something that captivates people to the point that change their way of life and are carried away by this â€Å"fever†. Most of the people who watch this kind of shows believe that all what they see is real so they begin to feel identify with them. The audience imitates they behaviors and most of the time it Is negative.They turn violent, Irritable and susceptible to reactions. A big percentage of people who watches this believe that their way of being is normal, but it is not like that. There are certain manners or behaviors that we are used to watch, but it doesn't mean it is normal at the point that we accept it as a way of life. What is true about this is that producers control everything and can alter or distort the actions of the actors. The actors are aware of this because when they sign their contract It Is specified over there.So, can we believe In everything we see? A key for success of these shows is the humiliation of the â€Å"actors†. Like American Idol or many others, because the jury criticizes them In a derogative way so the contestants leave the stage but being teased. The audience assimilates this as a normal process so if they don't have skills they begin to feel shame of it or scared to people who can watch them doing things. Another negative thing is that they can think that humiliation is a necessary step to succeed, thing that is not true.We hooked not allow ourselves to be influenced by these shows and that Is why there are recommendations while watching them, such as: It Is not recommended for children and young people, therefore they can understand and analyze the background and have a very strong personality. All in all we must be alert and aware to see a reality show, because this can lead to unexpected and negative changes. The best one can do is to turn this experience into something good and know how to select those programs that teach us and help us develop.

Impact of Sales Promotion on Sales Volume, in Unilever (Nig.) Plc

Impact of sales promotion on sales volume, in UNILEVER (Nig. ) PLC Introduction For years, most companies concentrated their promotional functions through the use of sales promotions through mass media advertising. In almost all aspects of marketing communication, companies depend on expertise of advertising agencies. Although, most marketers have already introduced and used other marketing communication and promotional tools, package design firms, direct marketing agencies and sales promotion were generally considered as supplementary services and were only used on specific projects.Agencies on public relations were employed to handle the affairs, publicity and image of a company to the targeted public. However, these services were not regarded as vital processes in marketing communication. Traditionally, marketing practices were founded within strong barriers wherein various functions on marketing and promotion are planned and managed separately, with specific market views, budgets , goals and objectives. During this time, marketers failed to realize the importance of coordinating all marketing tools in order to enhance communication and image to target markets (Moore and Thorson, 1996).By 1980s, several organizations have understood and realized the effective strategy behind the integration of various promotional tools. Later, this marketing approach was termed as the integrated marketing communications or IMC. This involves the incorporation of different promotional elements and marketing activities used in communicating with the company’s clients (Moore and Thorson, 1996). A significant transition on marketing approach occurred as marketers were no longer concentrated on solely using media advertising for marketing.Moreover, several companies began to go beyond conventional practice and used other promotional specialists to improve and implement their market plans. Benefits on Sales Volume in Unilever One of the companies operating in Nigeria is Unil ever. The company provides different range of products. In order to gain customer response and large sales volume, the company has been able to use sales promotionm. Advertising or promoting a particular product can be done in multiple ways. Depending on the target market, the product being endorsed and the budget the company can allocate, advertising strategies are almost limitless.Through proper planning, design and execution, advertising can effectively draw customer response, which could either be positive or negative. One of the conventional strategies of drawing out customer response out of advertising is by incorporating humor. Though the effect of humor on overall customer response remains unclear, commercial designers tend to integrate this aspect due to its capability to cause reaction, such as amusement. The main idea of putting humor in advertisements is to enable retention among consumers and enhance product appeal.The use of 3D advertising promotes online virtual exper iences which generally enhances product value. The interactive aspect of this approach encourages consumers to go into an active shopping experience, which in turn increases interested consumers (Biocca, Daugherty and Li, 2002). The use of technology then draws out customer response through the added visual and interactive aspects. This particular approach can actually be applied to Thornton Fencing’s official website. Considering its vast product line, 3D advertising can enhance the browsing experience of online visitors, ultimately leading to more and better customer responses.Sales promotion is another current trend in advertising. Establishing business home pages for offering goods and services require relatively minor costs; thus, this approach is attractive and practical for both merchants and new business entrants. Theoretically, anyone who has access to the internet can visit the company website and enter the market. Aside from broadened market access, the internet en ables merchants to attain direct access to their consumers. This helps retailers avoid undergoing several intermediaries before reaching the consumers; hence, business deals are made faster.Furthermore, this method helps avoid particular intermediary costs like distribution inventories as well as the maintenance of costly retail shops. However, such advertising approach also entails problems such as piracy and violation of property rights. Several models have been proposed in order to evaluate the impact of advertising to consumer behavior. In the model developed by Rodgers and Thorson (2000) for example (See Figure A), the model shows a number of factors in internet advertising that can influence consumer behavior.The consumer-controlled section on the first part of the model identifies the different factors that encourage consumers to use the internet. Their reaction or response to advertisements seen on the net will depend on the advertiser-controlled factors as well as the consu mer mode. Ad types, formats and features play a significant role in influencing consumer behavior, leading to multiple results as indicated in the outcomes section. Reference Assael, H. (1995). Consumer behavior and marketing action. 5th ed. Cincinnati: South Western College. Bailey, S. , and Schultz, D. (2000). Customer/Brand Loyalty in an Interactive Marketplace.Journal of Advertising Research, 40(3), 41. Biocca, F. , Daugherty, T. and Li, H. (2002). Impact of 3-D Advertising on Product Knowledge, Brand Attitude, and Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Presence. Journal of Advertising, 31(3), 43+. Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2001). Principles of Marketing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Moore, J. & Thorson, E. (1996). Integrated Communication: Synergy of Persuasive. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Stock Market Auto loan calculator Our Recommendations images Buzz marketing in Web2. 0 images HOTEL SALES AND CLIENT RELATION images Marketing and Branding Busines s OpportunitiesBusiness Softwares Visitors to this page also liked: Feedjit is learning about this page. Check back in a few minutes for recommended reading. 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Only SG$ 25/ page. ww. ivythesis. com 4 Category : Marketing, Marketing Plan Technorati Tags: budget, consumer behavior, Essay, marketing, media advertising, sales promotion, sales volume, samples, strategies, target market, Unilever (Nig. ) PLC TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www. typepad. com/services/trackback/6a00e00987fe5188330133f29eb5a0970b Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Impact of sales promotion on sales volume, in UNILEVER (Nig. ) PLC: Comments Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. Post a comment If you have a TypeKey or TypePad account, please Sign In ()Your Information (Name is required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment. ) Malaysia Essays RM 40 www. ivythesis. com Custom dissertations. We write it for you. Only RM 40/ page. Essay Writing Australia www. ivythesis. com Send us your essay instructions. We write it for you. Only AUD$27 per page. 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347 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

347 - Essay Example A component of the program is to train staff in the implementation of the Program. This requires an understanding of various risks and techniques for identification of warning signs. Training is the most effective method for acquisition of skills, knowledge, and competencies. A training program (see Attachments) has been envisaged to fill the void created by the federal requirement. We appreciate the Arizona Department of Commerce taking an interest in helping businesses combat identity-theft through our new training program. Please feel free to call me at 12345 for any further information or have any questions about this proposal. Businesses and organizations are required by the Red Flags Rule to implement a written Identity Theft Prevention Program for detecting â€Å"red flags† or warning signs of identity theft for their day-to-day operations. The Rule applies to â€Å"financial institutions† and â€Å"creditors.† Financial institutions and creditors with covered accounts need to develop and implement a Program, which should be designed to detect and respond to red flags of identity theft based on the nature of businesses and the associated risks. The program should include four basic elements that create a framework to address threats from identity theft. Red flags are patterns of practices or specific activities that are suspicious and indicate the possibilities of identity theft. The Program should include reasonable policies and procedures for identification of red flags. The Program should be designed for detection of red flags that are identified. Appropriate action should be laid out when red flags are detected. The Program should address how the Program would be re-evaluated periodically to reflect ever-changing risks from this crime. The first written program should be approved by the board of directors or the

How might the U.S. relationship with Asia be different if the U.S. war Essay

How might the U.S. relationship with Asia be different if the U.S. war in Iraq ended What about Afghanistan - Essay Example Pulling out of Iraq and perhaps even Afghanistan will perhaps lead to some form of ease in the countries neighboring the two. Pakistanis and Iranians are ill at ease with the Americans so close to their borders especially since the American drones are constantly crossing borders to bomb targets in the Pakistani tribal region (n.a 2010). Pulling out of the two occupied countries will definitely help the US focus its resources in areas that need it. The economy of the nation is staggering and needs to be focused and prioritized and perhaps the pulling out will also help relations with Asian nations who don’t feel that the close proximity of the American troops is a sign of concern. Works Cited Liang, Yan. US looks to Asia after Iraq withdrawal. September 2, 2010. http://opinion.globaltimes.cn/commentary/2010-09/569748.html (accessed February 14, 2011). n.a. "22 drone attacks in Pakistan in September." GEO. September 29, 2010. http://www.geo.tv/9-29-2010/72082.htm (accessed Febru ary 14, 2011).

Criminal Law Prosecutors Perspective Research Paper

Criminal Law Prosecutors Perspective - Research Paper Example Accordingly, this brief essay will examine the moral and ethical ramifications, as well as unique perspectives, that the prosecuting attorney faces with relation to the many different cases that are brought before him/her. The fact of the matter is that the role of the prosecuting attorney is oftentimes equally ethically grey as that of the defense attorney. This is due to a number of reasons which will be detailed in the following analysis. Furthermore, the underlying motives of the prosecutor will be analyzed along with commonly held misconceptions regarding the nature of their work and the type of justice that they are tasked with upholding. Firstly, a prosecuting attorney is encouraged to obtain convictions; regardless of the level of guilt. This encourages a situation in which many individuals are punished for crimes they either did not commit or did not commit to the degree that the State is interested in punishing them for. Furthermore, the drive to obtain convictions oftentimes dulls the sense of justice that the State should ultimately be pursuing. As prosecuting attorneys are interested in increasing their overall conviction tally, they are oftentimes oblivious to the legality and/or legitimacy of the cases that they prosecute. A further complication of the role and perspective of a prosecutor is the fact that they are often encouraged to disregard the moral standard in which a certain crime is prescribed to be punished. What is meant by this is that the prosecuting attorney is intimately aware of the penalty for infraction of a given law; however, this penalty is not always upheld when it comes time to prosecute the crime (Silbert 1718). The reason for this can be any number of things from the fact that the criminal has agreed to cooperate with the prosecution, another party involved has chosen to inform the authorities as to the specific details and nature of

Molecular Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Molecular Biology - Essay Example For monoclonal antibody, mice are immunised with purified protein. Mouse splenocytes are collected after the immunisation process and fused with myeloma cells. To obtain monoclonal antibodies individual B cells are fused to myeloma cells and isolated by serial dilution resulting to a fusion product or hybridoma cell line of which can produce one specific antibody for extended periods of time by tissue culture. These hybridomas can be screened and best clones cultured in standard tissue culture facilities. The hybridoma cell line obtained for a given antibody was injected into the peritoneal cavity of mice where it grew and simultaneously produces the antibodies. Ascetic fluid containing the antibodies was harvested from the peritoneal cavity after a period of time. One fusion may produce 1000hybridomas therefore one must choose the most appropriate. This might be the highest infinity mAb but could be the most stable, the least cross reacting, the highest specificity depending on what is required. The advantage of using monoclonal antibodies is that they are monospecific, they tend to reduce cross reactivity and useful in diagnostics such as tissue typing. They are highly reproducible, can use relatively impure antigens to immunise animas, theoretically have limitless supply and can manufacture using recombinant DNA technology plus phage display libraries to produce fully human antibodies of any specificity. Labelling antibodies is useful as it enables detection of antibodies. Currently, the most commonly used are fluorescent labels, enzyme labels, chemiluminescent labels and radioactive labels. These are sometimes amplified using Avidin-Biotin Conjugate system. Some common fluorescent labels include, Fluorescein isothiocyanate, DAPI, Phycoerithrin and Texas red. When using enzyme labels, an enzyme is covalently attached to the

Free Market Economy and Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Free Market Economy and Financial Crisis - Essay Example The companies had come to this point of crisis because free market had allowed them to make investments due to which the institutions were posed to risks. Millions of people in America lost their jobs and had their savings bushed. A number of factors have been blamed for this crisis but economists believe that free market is the very basic factor amongst all. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz wrote in his book Freefall that market fundamentalists and deregulators are responsible for the mess. The situation showed that free-market economists failed and market fundamentalists were responsible for the economic crunch (Sorman 2010). The economy of United States of America witnessed only a few minor recessions each for a short period of time. Those recessions did not stir the economy enough to cause economists to develop a well descriptive recession model. With no major recessions over a long time, the economists tend to believe that the crisis may not happen. The model derived by free marke t economists was running a healthy economy from 80s to 2008 making economists believe that the model may not turn the situation upside down (Sorman 2010). The free market economists argue that it is the recession that prompted the financial crisis and not the other way around. Economists believe that recession began in 2007 when consumer spending decreased, overdue borrowing increased and lack of interest of homeowners in their mortgaged houses increased. They claim that the failure of financial derivatives were not the cause of financial turmoil as they were helping in the stabilization of the economy. Economists assume that due to a sudden economic downfall government faced pressure from political and non political forces to take immediate steps. This led to government spending and its intervention in the scenario which seemed quite logical at that time. The situation worsened with new public debts and regulations which stumbled upon the recovery of the economy (Sorman 2010; Bordo et al 2010). The economy could be recoiled in a quicker way if government had allowed enterprises to survive on their own by dealing with the crisis with an astute strategic approach. It is also believed that the financial turmoil was brought about by the recession but the initial slump was the result of energy cost as well. The US expenditure of energy as expressed in percentage of total spending had droppedfrom 8 to 5 percent between 1979 and 2004. The price of gasoline had hit $4 per gallon by June 2008, representing a sharp shift in energy share of total spending back to 7 per cent. The shift was due to the increased demand from evolving economies like China and India which soared up the prices. The price grabbed attention as the spending pattern showing a considerable upward movement was an indication of disruption. The unit sales of light truck curtailed by 23 per cent in the second quarter of 2008 in comparison to the preceding year’s 2nd quarter.The auto manufacturin g industry cut over 125,000 jobs during the same period. The energy prices affected transportation and hence the housing sector as the houses in the suburban region lost their value and attraction. Failure of the mortgage market came up as another blow in 2007, prior to the financial cri

Management Problem of the U.S. Pension Crisis Essay

Management Problem of the U.S. Pension Crisis - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the pension crisis is an ongoing concern among various nations on their economic ability to fund the pending pension benefits especially those of public employees. The problem began with concerns related to the increasing number of retirees and the limited contributions being remitted to the scheme. In the United States, the problem is being experienced in both the private and public benefit plans. The two forms of pension plans being used by the American workers include the defined benefit plans and defined contribution plans. The corporate bodies, with support from political circles, took advantage of the 2007 economic crisis to impose measures that undermined the defined benefit plans in the pretext of saving the pension crisis. Other challenges that the United States pension Scheme faces include providing for the retirement income and old age poverty and funding for the labor market participation and incentives for the old generati on. Additionally, contributing to the low saving plans of the United States citizens and preserving the economic soundness of the local and state government as well as corporate pension schemes depletes the scheme. If left unreformed, the Social Security system will be faced with the shortage of financial resources as the life expectancy of the current generation increases. The number of workers paying the contributions is declining compared to the ones receiving the benefits. Problem Statement Underfunding is the prominent challenge facing the United States pension program. According to Horowitz (2004), the 2002 Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp (PBGC) balance sheet dropped from 7.7 billion to 3.6 billion dollar deficit with an estimated loss of 11.3 billion dollars. The figure was approximately five times compared to the previous year. In January, the Bloomberg Business Week, (2012) reported that financial estimates suggest that the PBGC could face a deficit of 120 billion dollars over the next decade. The PBGC also confirms that it required approximately 23 billion dollars over the same period. This implies that most pension plans will be lost and the taxpayers will be required to contribute in the bail out. Contributing in the Aletho news in July 3, 2012, Rasmus indicated that the crisis was not related to increases in pension benefits for workers. He attributed the crisis to the mismanagement practices and adoption of inefficient corporate policies. Factors that resulted f rom the mismanagement practices further aggravated the situation. They include the collapse of the economy, jobs and pension contributions, reduction in pension funding, stagnant jobs, and failure of the economic recovery. Almost all states have made cuts to the public-employee pension but the 900 billion dollar retirement funding deficit remains. The economic forces are reshaping the past rivalries in pension schemes, making the labor leaders and policy-makers become convinced that the past plans are unsustainable. This has cemented the unity between political leaders with the labor unions. According to the wall street journal research by Corkery, 2012, adoption of the labor laws on job cuts have only trimmed 100 billion out of the 900 billion dollar deficit between the amount the workers remit and the retirement benefits owed by the states. Additionally, the changes made to the pension scheme cater for the compensation of the most expensive benefits implying that most inexpensive benefits will take decades to be considered. The strategy of reducing the benefits for the current workers and retirees to cater for the pension crisis has failed due to the legal nature of the benefits. Causes of the Problem The prominent cause of pension crisis is the demographic shift. This is characterized by a growing number of retirees with proportional reduction in the number of people contributing to the fund. This problem can be minimized through increasing the retirement age

Walmart Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Walmart - Assignment Example This is mainly due to the below stated points: Flexibility in price- in remote areas, the stores of Wal-Mart desire to offer discounted prices in various products. As a result of which, a wide range of customers of varied living standards and life styles might access its products and services to a certain extent. Due to which, the image and supremacy of Wal-Mart enhanced thereby amplifying its profitability and reliability. Wide range of products- in order to attain economies of scale, the organization of Wal-Mart desired to offer extremely trendy and fashionable products to its customers. As a result of which, the level of trust and loyalty of the customers increased that improved its supremacy and market value to a certain extent. Good relationship with the suppliers- due to good relationship with the suppliers, the organization of Wal-Mart became successful in attaining its products very quickly at any part of the world. Due to which, the level of trust and consistency of the customers over this brand enhanced significantly that improved its level of sustainability. Every day low price (EDLP) - every day low price is one of the most important strategies that helped Wal-Mart to attain its reputation and popularity in the market among other rival players. This type of pricing strategy enhanced the demand of the customers that amplified its total profitability to a significant extent (Mathews, 467-488). In order to enhance the market share and reputation in the market, Wal-Mart is trying to implement the strategy of opening ‘neighborhood stores’ as new formats. This is done in order to evaluate the transferability of competitive advantage of the organization of Wal-Mart among other rival players in this market. Data mining facility- due to the facility of information technology (IT), the processes of the organization of Wal-Mart became extremely easier and quicker. This helped to increase the demand of the customers thereby

Business Ethics and Rules Essay Example for Free

Business Ethics and Rules Essay Personally, I agree that Solomons ethical fundamentals are a good moral foundation for a business. â€Å"Business ethics is the study of what constitutes right and wrong (or good and bad) human conduct in a business context. † (p25) From the lecture, we know that ethics matters because â€Å"how organizations behave have important implications for how they fulfill their social and economic roles† and â€Å"their success as well as the success of their employees, customers, etc. † Thus, running a business ethically is good for business. Applying Solomon’s three C’s of business ethics and the eight rules of thinking ethics in business make good sense. The three C’s of business ethics include compliance, contributions and consequences. The first C is â€Å"the need for compliance with the rules, including the laws of the land†¦and such general concerns as fairness. †(p36) As a saying goes, â€Å"Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. † Rules in business are intended to assert business structure or to control or influence the behavior of the business. Let’s take EU-Rent for example. EU-Rent is a car rental company owned by EU-Corporation. EU-Rent sets up rules about rentals, returns, servicing and customers. For example, â€Å"EU-Rent keeps records of customers, their rentals, and bad experiences. This information is used to decide whether to approve a rental. † If EU-Rent doesn’t comply with these rules, it may not organize well. The second C is â€Å"the contributions business can make to society, through the values and quality of one’s products or services†¦and usefulness of one’s activities to the surrounding community. † (p36) For instance, economists conventionally assume that organization’s primary goal is to maximize profits. Many successful organizations are gradually aware of the important relationship between profits and contributions to society. Starbucks has seen its profits rise as it has increased its investment in social issues. Those organizations who are making profits and don’t contribute to society may receive criticism from the public. As the article â€Å"The Sichuan Earthquake and the Changing Landscape of CSR in China†, which was written by Ariel McGinnis, James Pellegrin, Yin Shum, Jason Teo, and Judy Wu (University of Pennsylvania), mentioned, â€Å" In the days and weeks following the Sichuan earthquake, many multinational corporations(MNCs) pursued a global CSR (corporate social responsibility) policy in line with their international standard. While some multinationals pledged cash, many others pledged a combination of cash, equipment and services. Domestic firms, by all accounts, out-donated multinationals†¦The popular perception was that international firms relief contributions not only did not match those of local Chinese companies in terms of scale or timeliness, but also were not commensurate with their presence in the Chinese market. Chinese consumers quickly seized upon this disparity by openly attacking major MNCs, calling for a boycott of their products †¦ The Chinese public soon gave these affected MNCs the nickname of ‘international iron roosters. The term refers to a bird that never gives up a single feather, and its usage highlights the perceived stinginess of these international firms†¦Despite their additional donations,’ iron-rooster’ MNCs continued to face angry consumers throughout China, resulting in severe public backlash, including protests at several McDonalds and blo ckades at KFCs throughout Sichuan province and the rest of China. † From this example, we can see how important the contributions that organizations should make to the society are. The third C is â€Å"the consequence of business activity†¦including the reputation of one’s own company and industry†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p36) Why the consequences of business activity are so important? Let’s have a look at the following example. Once, Sanlu was one of the oldest and most popular brands of infant formula in China. It went into bankruptcy after the â€Å"Sanlu milk scandal†. Based on the media, â€Å"By November 2008 China reported an estimated 300,000 victims, six infants dying from kidney stones and other kidney damage, and a further 860 babies hospitalized. Since the Sanlu Group didn’t solve the problem and recall the products in time, it leaded to a horrible incident. Doubtlessly, what did organizations do may affect their development and even the well-being of the public. Organizations should not blindly pursue for profits only but also be responsive to society. To become successful, a business needs to be driven by strong ethical va lues. If a corporation fails to adopt ethical values and cannot be responsive to society, it will fail, just like the Sanlu Group. Besides the three C’s of business ethics, Solomon also stated the eight rules of thinking ethics in business, which are also good moral foundations for a business. The eight rules include â€Å"consider other people’s well-being, including the well-being of nonparticipants; think as a member of the business community and not as an isolated individual; obey, but do not depend solely on, the law; think of yourself—and your company—as part of society; obey moral rules; think objectively; ask the question ‘What sort of person would do such a thing? and respect the customs of others, but not at the expense of your own ethics. †(p40, 41) Based on the above statements, it is obvious to see that they are mainly about the concept of three C’s. According to the text, thinking ethically means â€Å"thinking in terms of compliance with the rules, implicit as well as explicit, thinking in terms of the contributions one can make as well as oneâ€⠄¢s own possible gains, thinking in terms of avoiding harmful consequences to others as well as to oneself. (p40) In the case of â€Å"Sanlu milk scandal†, one of the main reasons behind

Mind and Citadel Essay Example for Free

Mind and Citadel Essay Masculinity is the properties characteristic of the male sex. Characteristics include strength, toughness, brutality and many more. All of which are the characteristics of the boys who attended The Citadel in hopes of leaving the school as men. Susan Faludi, author of The Naked Citadel, writes about the problems within the prestigious school, the major problem, being sexism. The Citadel’s problem can be almost clearly supported by Malcom Gladwell’s Power of Context argument from his book the Tipping Point. The militaristic environment at the Citadel changes each cadet’s character into an extreme emotionally ruined version of who they once were. These changes turn into violence in the extreme. Perception is the key to many disagreements within society. This holds true in the situation that affects The Citadel. When a girl, Shannon Faulkner, applies to be the first female admitted to the Cadet Corps. She attempts to mess with the system by leaving out her gender. The perception at the Citadel is that women would not be a good fit in the school. Tradition has a major part with this. It is apparent that Shannon’s entrance to the Citadel has proven to become a threat to the Citadel community since it is an all-male institution, intended to train real men. The Citadel has always been an all boy school as â€Å"except of course, they weren’t really boys at all. These were college men† (Faludi 78). Who’s to say however that they are in fact men? What defines a man? Within the society a man is expected to think, act and live in a masculine manner. Showing emotions or sensitivity is considered taboo among the males. In the Citadel a man can act in a manner in which the threat of breaking the public norms is not eminent. The way of life in the Citadel made it almost impossible to live for a woman. Society as a whole saw the Citadel as an established all male school and they were determined to keep it that way. However, this perception is based on what is seen from an outside perspective. Gladwell defines this aspect of perception of character as the FAE, Fundamental Attribution Error. Gladwell writes, â€Å"The mistake we make in thinking of character as something unified and all-encompassing is very similar to a kind of blind spot in the way we process information† (162). If character is something unified, then everyone must be classified as one in the same. The mistake the Citadel is making is having their all boy school rule become a blind spot for the future. The future that lies ahead can never be, if the Citadel sticks to their tradition. While tradition is what made the school so prestigious, a change in time may also need a change in tradition. A women can just as easily â€Å"be one of the guys† as any other guy. While men have defining characteristics that make them appear different from women, there are many attributes, such as personality that isn’t so distinctive between certain people. The Citadel being filled with men who everyone knew would resist the idea of a women being admitted to the school, needed someone who could â€Å"fit† in. â€Å"Robert Patterson, the Citadel attorney who had previously represented V. M. I. , asked Astin, his voice full of unflattering insinuation about the kind of woman he imagined her to be. Astin: I suppose the same as the kind of men who want to go there. Patterson: Would it be a woman that would not be all that different from men? Astin: Yes. † (Faludi 95). This quick interrogation of Alexander Astin explains that men and women are not different after all. While Patterson thought he found the winning point to his case, he actually put himself and the Citadel in a hole. Women, who would apply to The Citadel, feel that they have the ability to compete with the existing me inside. Everyone knew how the Citadel was run. It was filled with aggressive men under military rules. But Shannon Faulkner still applied. Sharron Faulkner was the type of women that Patterson perceived would be able to attend the Citadel. You could cite her memory that as a small child she preferred playing outside with the boys to playing with certain girls whom she deemed â€Å"too prissy†Ã¢â‚¬  (Faludi 96). Shannon was always, â€Å"one of the boys†. Her background and general attitude is extremely similar to anyone of the â€Å"men† at the Citadel. Even with this, the Citadel is still against the idea. â€Å"The psychologist Walter Mischel argues that the human mind has a kind of â€Å"reducing valve† that â€Å"creates and maintains the perception of continuity even in the face of perpetual observed changes in actual behavior† (Gladwell 162). The way our mind works, it is hard for people to have multiple views on something. In the case of the Citadel, society perceived the school as a strict all boy school that is not suitable for any women. Society also perceived Shannon as just a woman. â€Å"Just† isn’t putting down that aspect, but that is all that society saw her as. So if the Citadel is looked at and known as an all boys militaristic school that women would never be able to step foot into as a student and Shannon was looked at as just a woman then in no way shape or form would she ever be allowed to attend that school. That’s the problem with our society. We base our judgment on what we see, not on what we know. Any women who is willing to put herself through that type of embarrassment and trouble and even death threats just to get into a school, in my mind is more of a man than any of those kids in the Citadel. Society is filled with stereotypes and that is what everyone is based off of. You, the next guy and me will always be looked at by society as part of a stereotype. This is the problem with the Citadel, and society in general. Perception is key in all events that occur at the Citadel. Perception plays a strong role in the Power of Context as wells as sexism at the Citadel. The focus on environment is the main aspect of the Power of Context. It says the people are â€Å"acutely sensitive to their environment† (Gladwell 159). People are therefore prompted to do certain things based on their perception of their environment. This is exactly what was occurring at the Citadel. The cadets were prompted to react physically towards each other based on what their perception of a man was. Knobs told me that they were forced to run through the showers while the upperclassman â€Å"gaurds† knocked the soap out of their hands and, when the knobs leaned over to retrieve it the upperclassman would unzip their pants and yell, â€Å"Don’t pick it up, don’t pick it up! We’ll use you like we used those girls! † (Faludi 105). The Citadel continually expresses the idea of being a man. However, the upperclassman takes advantage of this and confuses strength of a man with violence. These knobs that come into the university as boys, are turning into emotionally stunted individuals. They lack the understanding of a real man. As well as what it means to be in a relationship a part from other men. Women, whether they believe so or not, are a great importance to the future of the Citadel. The reality of the Citadel, however, is that it’s producing less â€Å"men† and more homosexuals. This may in fact be a direct result of no women in the vicinity. â€Å"When a Citadel attorney asked Doucet why female cadets would pose a problem on the campus, the only issue he raised was the humiliation that cadets feel if women observe the cadets’ on-campus interactions† (Faludi 104). Humiliation may be one of the strongest emotions that can alter ones character forever. However, if women were allowed in the school than humiliation would not be an issue because the men would change their ways to please women. Women posed no actual threat to the school, except the embarrassment of the cadets. Is that even a legitimate reason to prevent a girl of getting an education? Shannon was faced with more humiliation and threats than the boys in the school could ever imagine. Then, as they turned back to the house, they saw that across the white porch columns and along the siding of the house, the words, â€Å"Bitch,† â€Å"Dyke,† â€Å"Whore,† and â€Å"Lesbo† (Faludi 94). The Citadel Cadets were criticizing Shannon Faulkner because she wanted to be accepted. It just so happens that all the terms they used all categorized her as a man. Shannon could speak, act and dress like a man but no matter what she will never be able to be fully accepted beca use in their minds only a man a true man is suited for the school. The controversy at the Citadel is a sad but eye opening example of how our society is. Society puts them in a mindset where only one way is the right way. If society can open up their brains to more opportunities than a lot of problems would be alleviated. Malcom Gladwell poses the reasoning of the Citadels problems with the idea of the Power of Context. There is so much that goes on in a situation that it should never be that easy to give an answer. The situation at the Citadel is un-fair and wrong. Women are just as smart and important as men and should have the same rules. But in that argument, if you want to be treated the same, you can’t complain.

Wholistic Visual Cues When Reading

Wholistic Visual Cues When Reading To what extent do we use wholistic visual cues when reading? Researchers have proposed that individuals use the outline shape of a word, meaning wholistic visual cues, in visual word recognition in reading. Various methods have been used to investigate reading in individuals with differing reading abilities. The reading abilities of young children and individuals with dyslexia have been studied to determine how this deviates from normally reading adults. The majority of research found the use of wholistic visual cues is most beneficial to individuals with dyslexia (Perea Panadero, 2013) and those in the early stages of learning to read (Ehri, 1995). However, disparity between the research conclusions exist, proposing that wholistic visual cues are used in conjunction with other recognition processes. The holistically biased hybrid model (Allen, Wallace Weber, 1995) and the process model (Besner Johnston, 1989) both provide theories for word recognition. The holistically biased hybrid model uses either an addressed or an assembled pathway to process words, with the addressed pathway being dominant in normal reading (Allen et al., 1995). This model accounts for both word frequency and provides an explanation for reading behaviours when presented with a mixed case paradigm, supporting the use of wholistic visual cues in reading (Allen et al., 1995). Alternatively, the process model recognises words using either a familiarity assessment, letter analysis or multi-letter identification (Besner Johnston, 1989) and rejects the use of wholistic visual cues. The interactive activation model uses similar analytical methods as the process model (McClelland and Rumelhart, 1981), whereby numerous variables of the word are processed for recognition. The different uses of visual cues was dete rmined by Paap, Newsome and Noel (1984) who concluded that wholistic visual cues are used in the initial stages of word recognition and this is then followed by abstract letter identification. Evidence for both of these models have been found and provide evidence for and against the use of wholistic visual cues using a variety of research methods. A method used to research the importance of word shape in reading is that of the cloze test, whereby participants must anticipate the upcoming word. Haber, Haber and Furlin (1983) tested adult reading using cues including word length, envelope shape or providing the following word. They found that participants used the shape envelope to recognise the target word. The cue provided word length information which decreased the number of alternative applicable words. However, the wholistic visual cues did not provide semantic cues, suggesting that other methods of word recognition are required in conjunction with wholistic visual cues. Mirman and Magnuson (2008) discovered that words which are semantically similar increase reaction times in visual word recognition. These pieces of research support the interactive activation model because it requires the processing of several aspects of the word in parallel, including semantics (McClelland Rumelhart, 1983). Fisher and Murray (1987) replic ated Haber et al.’s (1983) research using children as their participants. No age difference was discovered in the use of wholistic visual cues between the ages of 10 to 13 years old. However, Johnston, Anderson and Duncan (1991) determined that at 8 years old salient external features improved reading accuracy which was not seen at the age of ten. This research therefore suggests that wholistic visual cues may be used more in reading behaviours when improving reading ability. Naming tasks have been particularly important in researching developing reading abilities. Webb, Beech, Mayall and Andrews (2006) studied the effects of concealing either the inner or outer sections of words for children. The outer sections of a word elicited more accurate reading ability, whereas inner visual information of words had no influence on the individual’s reading behaviours even when accounting for frequency effects. Increased performance when presented with the outer sections of words as opposed to the inner sections was also evidenced by Beech and Mayall (2005). This concluded that individuals process word shape envelopes in visual word recognition, suggesting that wholistic visual cues may play a role in the initial stages of the interactive activation model (Webb et al., 2006). It is also possible to explain the findings using Gestalt theory, proposing that individuals form connections between the outer sections of words in order to make up for the missing word sections (Beech Mayall, 2005). The Gestalt theory provides evidence for the use of wholistic visual cues and it is evident when researching the effects of presenting other sections of words. This was then analysed further by presenting only the upper section of words to normally reading adults. Perea, Comesana and Soares (2012) determined an improved reaction time when upper sections of words were presented. However, this did not apply to pseudo-words, implying that the word must be known in order to have the desired effect. The decreased reaction time indicates that upper sections of words have more salient cues than lower sections of words, meaning they are more representative of the target word. These pieces of research therefore emphasise the importance of wholistic visual cues in visual word recognition, however research by Pelli, Farell and Moore (2003) contrasted these conclusions. The researchers determined that individuals focus on minor cues in words and collate these for an overall representation of the word, contrasting the evidence of using wholistic visual cues when reading. Further information other than word shape envelopes must therefore be known in orde r to accurately process the given word. An alternative way in which the use of wholistic visual cues has been researched is that of using a mixed case paradigm, presenting an array of uppercase and lowercase letters to participants (Coltheart Freeman, 1974). Presenting words in a mixed case format increased reaction times as well as reducing the recognition of the word, providing evidence for the importance of wholistic visual cues and contradicting the interactive activation model (Coltheart Freeman, 1974). However, the mixed case paradigm had no influence on the identification of individual letters in this case, supporting the interactive activation model and opposing the use of wholistic visual cues. Besner and Johnston (1989) also found pseudo-words in a mixed case format to be detrimental to reading ability. This therefore demonstrates the need for the word shape envelope and rejects the interactive activation model due to the reduced reading ability. Allen et al. (1995) used a lexical decision task to compare the r eading of lower and mixed cases when given a time constraint on processing. The experiments concluded an increased reaction time for pseudo-words in a mixed case format, indicating the importance of wholistic visual cues in word recognition. Participants struggled to accept or reject pseudo-words presented for 400ms, representing the processing limitations during short exposure periods. This research is in line with Allen et al.’s (1995) holistically biased hybrid model but contrasts the analytical models, including the process model. The research carried out by Allen et al. (1995) indicates that for the successful completion of lexical decision tasks wholistic visual cues are necessary, meaning that reading methods may adapt to the task’s requirements. This provides an explanation for the great degree of variation seen in the research into the use of wholistic visual cues and shows the high level of validity of this method due to the replicability of the findings. Further research has led to the suggestion that wholistic visual cues may only be used in circumstances where normal reading behaviour is inhibited. This was recently demonstrated by Perea and Panadero (2013) using a lexical decision task to analyse reading behaviours for adults, children and children with developmental dyslexia. There was no effect on the reaction times for word recognition when pseudo-words were presented as having the same shape as real words for adults and children. However, those with developmental dyslexia were found to be affected by the word shape of pseudo-words (Perea Panadero, 2013), reflecting how wholistic visual cues are used to a different extent. This indicates the use of more analytical processing methods in normal reading. Lavidor (2011) also found word shape envelopes to be beneficial to individuals with dyslexia. These pieces of research suggest that children and those with dyslexia fixate on particularly salient cues in order to reliably process words (Ehri Wilce, 1985). This again dismisses the word shape hypothesis and provides further evidence for the importance of the interactive activation model (McClelland Rumelhart, 1981) during normal reading due to the use of feature analysis. These studies highlight the requirement for top-down processing in normal reading behaviours compared to dyslexia, as the interactive activation model (McClelland Rumelhart, 1981) requires the processing of multiple factors in word recognition. Cognitive processing, including top-down processing, is a vital part of visual word recognition. Research carried out by Yates (2013) provides further evidence with clustering effects that word shape alone has limited influence on normal reading behaviour. If a set of words only differ by a phoneme then word recognition requires a higher level of activation and is processed more slowly (Yates, 2013). This infers that the use of a word’s shape envelope is influenced by cognitive processing ability. Cognitive processing can again be seen by analysing parafoveal vision. When monitoring eye movements McConkie and Zola (1979) discovered normally reading adults do not detect any changes to manipulations of word shape in parafoveal vision. Contrasting evidence by Haber, Haber, Furlin, Paap, Newsome and Noel (1984) determined that when proofreading, participants remained unaware of changes to words unless the word shape envelope was manipulated. An alternative explanation for the lack of evidence for the word shape hypothesis may be that the use of wholistic cues becoming automated (Webb et al., 2006). Research has proven the importance of the word shape envelope for young readers and dyslexics, however it has not been consistently reported in adults. If word shape is processed in a more automated manner the individual’s cognitive load would be significantly reduced (Webb et al., 2006). This reduction would allow other, more efficient, reading behaviours to occur. These pieces of research led to the conclusion that wholistic visual cues are important in visual word recognition, however as an individual matures their reading behaviours may be modified. Previous research has found that individual’s reading methods change as their reading ability improves. Children initially use wholistic visual cues and then potentially develop more effective reading methods (Perea Panadero, 2013). Research by Seymour and Eldre (1986) determined that in order to read children have to be specifically taught to read each of these words, meaning they are unable to determine the phonological information of a word and as such rely on wholistic visual cues (Webb et al., 2006). This was also supported was Ehri (1995) who described stages in children’s visual word recognition. When children learn to read they engage in sight word reading or logographic reading, meaning that the word is read through memory retrieval. As children’s reading ability develops they learn the relationship of phonemes and graphemes and are thus able to apply this to more complex words in the consolidated alphabetic stage (Ehri, 1995). Research using children i s therefore of great advantage when focusing on adult reading. The conclusion has been reached that as children develop their reading ability they refine their use of wholistic visual cues. Thus as visual word recognition becomes more refined individuals use other recognition strategies in parallel with wholistic visual cues. Research into the use of wholistic visual cues has shown that adults do not necessarily use wholistic visual cues. However, evidence has shown that children and individuals with developmental dyslexia use these cues to a great extent. This difference may occur due to the processing of wholistic visual cues becoming more automated as reading develops. Alternatively, the varying use of wholistic cues may be explained by the demands of the task, as shown by lexical decision tasks (Allen et al., 1995). For this reason wholistic visual cues provide a more accurate account of visual word recognition when taken in conjunction with analytical models, such as the interactive activation model and the process model. References Allen, P. A., Wallace, B., Weber, T. A. (1995). Influence of case type, word frequency, and exposure duration on visual word recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 21(4), 914-934. Beech, J. R., Mayall, K. A. (2005). The word shape hypothesis re-examined: Evidence for an external feature advantage in visual word recognition. Journal of Research in Reading, 28(3), 302-319. Besner Johnston (1989) Beech M Coltheart Freeman (1974) Allen Ehri, L. C. (1995). Phases of development in learning to read words by sight. Journal of Research in Reading, 18(2), 116-125. Ehri Wilce (1985) Lavidor Fisher Murray (1987) Webb Haber, L. R., Haber, R. N., Furlin, K. R. (1983). Word length and word shape as sources of information in reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 18(2), 165-189. Haber, Haber, Furlin, Paap, Newsome Noel (1984) Beech Mayall Johnston, Anderson Duncan (1991) Beech M Lavidor, M. (2011). Whole-word shape effect in dyslexia. Journal of Research in Reading, 34(4), 443-454. McClelland and Rumelhart (1981) McConkie, G. W., Zola, D. (1979). Is visual information integrated across successive fixations in reading? Perception and Psychophysics, 25(3), 221-224. Mirman Magnuson (2008) yates Seymoure Eldre (1986) Webb Paap, K. R., Newsome, S. L., Noel, R. W. (1984). Word shape’s in poor shape for the race to the lexicon. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 10(3), 413-428. Pelli, D. G., Farell, B., Moore, D. C. (2003). The remarkable inefficiency of word recognition. Nature, 423, 752-756. Perea, M., Comesana, M., Soares, A. P. (2012). Does the advantage of the upper part of words occur at the lexical level? Memory and Cognition, 40, 1257-1265. Perea, M., Panadero, V. (2013). Does viotin activate violin more than viocin? On the use of visual cues during visual-word recognition. Experimental Psychology, 61(1), 23-29. Webb, T. M., Beech, J. R., Mayall, K. M., Andrews, A. S. (2006). It’s what’s on the outside that matters: An advantage for external features in children’s word recognition. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 94, 163-181. Yates, M. (2013). How the clustering of phonological neighbours affects visual word recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 39(5), 1649-1656.

Lucky :: Personal Narrative Writing

Lucky When I was little, I used to dream about being the Governor of Hong Kong. I still remember the composition I wrote in my primary school, in which I conveyed my vision and even outlined the policies I planned to carry out once I became the leader of the government. After a few years, I realized that it was almost impossible for me to be the Governor of Hong Kong, because the position was in fact appointed by the British government. This was a piece of disheartening news. I tried to console myself by saying that at least I had aimed at entering politics. In my mind, politicians are not only smart, but also selfless and I sincerely appreciated their contribution to the society. In Hong Kong, however, it was unusual, if not odd, for a young boy to want to be a politician. You might accuse me of over-generalizing, but this was what I thought at that time. A few years later, as my general knowledge of the world outside my classroom gradually developed, a gleam of light was shed on my dream again. I realized that Hong Kong people would eventually have the chance to choose their own governor some years after the handover of Hong Kong back to Mainland China in 1997. The idea of Hong Kong being returned to China was frightening to many Hong Kong people in the early 80s, but the handover turned out to be a joyful and memorable moment for most of the citizens. Today, Hong Kong is no longer a colony of Britain and Chinese are holding most of the top positions in the government. More significantly, the Governor, now renamed as the Chief Executive, is also Chinese. In other words, I still have my chance. I am convinced that not only I, but the Hong Kong community in general welcomes this political change, which brings more power to the hands of Hong Kong citizens. Possessing more political rights seems to be a foreign concept to us, but it definitely sounds like something positive. People used to wonder why Hong Kong people were so indifferent to politics. I think I know the answer now. It is indeed very straightforward. Hong Kong people were essentially unable to make an impact on the government, as we were under the rule of foreigners.

The Mosquito Coast Essay -- essays research papers

The Mosquito Coast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Mosquito Coast depicts the story of an unstable, antisocial individual whose unsubstantiable paranoia causes him to dramatically alter the courses of his and other peoples lives. The mans continual fear of a nuclear invasion by an irate, immoral country eventually this man to move himself and his family to a remote jungle area of Honduras where he planned to establish a utopian society of his own design. Some themes that are conveyed through this story are the ability of split-second decisions to dramatically alter anybody's life, and the inability of certain individuals to be able to mentally handle the stressful life of western civilization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Allie Foxx highly opposed the style of life which had developed in the United States. He believed religions to be useless, and our government to be corrupted, continually drawing the unwanted attention of other countries tactile missiles. He saw t.v. and mainstream life as a form of mental poison. He strictly raised his children to incorporate the same mental attitude which he held. He saw himself as the last real man alive. The combination of all these delusions eventually prompted him to relocate himself and his family to a different country altogether, where he whatever lifestyle he so desired.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charley is the thirteen year old son of Allie. He is naive to the practices of modern society because of his fathers continual ... The Mosquito Coast Essay -- essays research papers The Mosquito Coast   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Mosquito Coast depicts the story of an unstable, antisocial individual whose unsubstantiable paranoia causes him to dramatically alter the courses of his and other peoples lives. The mans continual fear of a nuclear invasion by an irate, immoral country eventually this man to move himself and his family to a remote jungle area of Honduras where he planned to establish a utopian society of his own design. Some themes that are conveyed through this story are the ability of split-second decisions to dramatically alter anybody's life, and the inability of certain individuals to be able to mentally handle the stressful life of western civilization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Allie Foxx highly opposed the style of life which had developed in the United States. He believed religions to be useless, and our government to be corrupted, continually drawing the unwanted attention of other countries tactile missiles. He saw t.v. and mainstream life as a form of mental poison. He strictly raised his children to incorporate the same mental attitude which he held. He saw himself as the last real man alive. The combination of all these delusions eventually prompted him to relocate himself and his family to a different country altogether, where he whatever lifestyle he so desired.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charley is the thirteen year old son of Allie. He is naive to the practices of modern society because of his fathers continual ...

Essay --

Ganguly, Rajat, and Ray Taras. Understanding Ethnic Conflict: The International Dimension. New York: Longman, 1998. Print. This book offers interesting insight on the role nationalism plays in the cause of violence ethnic conflict. It does this by looking at the overlapping aspects of nationalism, conflict, social cleavages, and the reaction of the international community. They also take and explain three main approaches to ethnic identities: primordialist, instrumentalist, and constructivist. They then explain how the mobilization and polarizing of groups ultimately led to conflict and the goals of their perspective political movements. Samarasinghe, V. "‘A Theme Revisited’? the Impact of the Ethnic Conflict on Women and Politics." JOURNAL OF WOMEN POLITICS & POLICY 33.4 (2012): 345-64. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. This article focuses role and impact ethnic conflicts have on the shaping of a nations ideology towards women of the ethnic majority. It looks at the case of ethnic civil war in Sri Lanka, and more specifically that of Sinhalese women. The research done in this article was primarily conducted through field work and field surveys of educated urban women. The work concludes that the ethnic conflict enforced the areas â€Å"ethno-religious identity† as well as creating a space for its inclusion in the nation’s political arena. Okoye, Festus (ed ). Victims: Impact of Religious and Ethnic Conflicts on Women and Children in Northern Nigeria., 2000. Print. 12 Feb. 2014. This book looks at how conflict in Nigeria has impacted women and children. It looks at the social, political, and cultural impacts of such violence at entire generations of Nigerian people. It looks at the the potential future impact on the countries development,... ... challenge the patriarchal hierarchy of society† where women and girls were subordinate to their male counterparts. Therefore, this article reflects on how gender is impact in post-conflict interventions. Lives Blown Apart: Crimes against Women in Times of Conflict, Stop Violence against Women. London: Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 2004. Print. This book looks at specific cases of violence and questions not only why these acts happened, but what can be done to prevent further violence. The book maintains that government and media play a role in both creating and ending such atrocities. It explores the ways in which sexual acts of violence impact women and their society at large. The book seeks to explain how the long-lasting impact of such events play an active part in the rebuilding of society, and how this impacts all levels of the culture.

Reality Bites Essay

â€Å"Reality Bites† is a simple, interesting film about a love triangle, but it is also about the differences in people and their intelligence to be successful in life. At least in my opinion, that is the one thing in this movie that is very clear. It keeps you wondering about giving yourself a sense of hope or simply complaining about how difficult life really is. I also found some of the topics we learned in class with aspects of the movie. Our three main characters are, first, Lelaina Pierce, who is a young valedictorian graduate who is in search of her place in the world. The second main character is Troy Dyer, her highly intelligent ex-boyfriend, who is smart, yet down on the world, and conforming to any social society that comes along. The character of Troy, as the film progresses shows that his layers of isolation and self-protection gradually melt away to reveal a troubled, yet warmly sincere young man. Then, third, we have the very average Michael Grates, who is very successful in the entertainment industry yet, he is non-intellectual. One of the characters is also Lelaina’s roommate, Vicki Miner, who works at a GAP and sleeps with 66 boys before she gets tested for AIDS. All these characters together form a modern-day soap opera. From one perspective, it displays the confused interrelationship-etiquette seen in today’s society. It also displays these young people struggling to fight against the commercialization that â€Å"reality† brings upon them. Reading the psychology book Invitation to Psychology book by Carole Wade and Carol Tavris, I found the The Modern Study of Personality topic relate to all of the characters in the film. All of them seemed to be in the extroverted side rather than in the introverted side. All of the characters included traits such as being talkative, sociable and adventurous as opposed to being silent, reclusive or cautious. None of them were likely to stay in the shadows. Vicki and Michael seemed to have agreeableness while Lalaina and Troy would often act antagonism. Lalaina and Troy were irritable, abrasive and jealous in many scenes of the movie. They were also very impulsive. In some scenes we saw Lalaina â€Å"giving up† like when she spoke on the phone for hours a day speaking to a psychich reader and acting careless about finding a job. Anyhow, she later found determination and managed to get some money to pay the phone bill. At the start of the film, you see Lelaina giving a speech at her graduation. She basically delivers a hopeless speech and admits she has no answers to give her fellow students toward any redemption or hope in the world. Many unpleasant things happen to Lelaina. Her ex-boyfriend, Troy, moves into her place, until he can find a place of his own. The guy comes across as one of the most self-centered, egotistical, arrogant people imaginable. However, Lelaina is stuck with him as she and her roommates try to cope with Troy? s overpowering intellect. In all fairness, Troy is a very annoying. I actually did not like his character for what he is, intelligent but very lazy. The next downfall for Lelaina is that she’s fired from her job at the television studio. This becomes a turning point in the film as we see her struggle in the big world trying everything to find work. Here we see the sad struggle of the young as she faces countless interviews that dissipate due to lack of experience and education. The film examines both personal and professional aspects of their lives and lifestyles. The movie comes across as a timeless story told over and over that, when you? re young, and in this case generation X, life is tough and nobody cuts you any slack. Fact is, life is tough no matter what age you are. What makes it all worthwhile is that one day you wake up and find this thing called â€Å"acceptance of life† and you try to enjoy the world around you.

A Ponzi scheme originated

There are people who decide to put away their hard-earned money through investment. Unfortunately, there are also those who take advantage of people’s investments to defraud others and make money for themselves. Bernard Madoff proved to be part of the latter, as he had recently become infamous for securities fraud. Bernard Madoff was initially revered as hero in Wall Street. In 1960, he established Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities with the money he had earned while working as a lifeguard in Far Rockaway, Queens (Gandel).He proved to be a critical player in Wall Street, as his firm provided the middle ground wherein buyers and sellers of stocks can meet. The firm also was responsible for the progress of Nasdaq, wherein Madoff was a former chairman. The New York Times reported that Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities had under its management over 24 funds, which was worth an estimated $17 billion in assets. The said funds were sold to rich investors, institutions and hedge funds (â€Å"Madoff†). At present, Madoff is considered the villain.On December 11, 2008, Madoff was arrested at his home in Manhattan on charges of what could possibly be the most extensive fraud in the history of Wall Street (Gandel). The 70 year-old former Nasdaq chairman defrauded his clients through a Ponzi scheme which was originally said to have been worth $50 million. Later on, the cost was estimated at $65 million. A Ponzi scheme originated as a form of a pyramid scheme named after Charles Ponzi, who tricked the citizens into a postage stamp investment scheme in 1920s (U. S. SEC).However, the Ponzi scheme at present works rather differently. People now operate on a â€Å"rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul† scheme, wherein they take the money of new investors to pay what they owe to their old investors (U. S. SEC). This is exactly what Madoff did with his firm. In the 1990s, Madoff used his reputation in the finance industry to create an asset-management firm (Gandel) . He utilized his social network to acquire money for his newly-established business. He would encourage people from the exclusive clubs wherein he and his relatives were included to invest in his firm.It was said that he had found an investor in the Palm Beach Country Club who helped him find other investors (Gandel). Madoff was able to invite many people to invest in his firm through a guarantee of low payments but with high profits (Henriques and Kouwe 1). He managed the Fairfield Sentry fund, which was said to have $7. 3 billion in assets. Every year in its 15-year history, it was maintained that the firm paid over 11 percent interest (Henriques and Kouwe 1). Most of Madoff’s investors contributed to his funds through several feeder funds (Gandel). In turn, these funds were promoted by other companies.The funds were associated with an investment management firm, which forwarded the money to Madoff. One of the funds which brought millions of dollars in Madoff’s poss ession was the Tremont Broad Market Fund (Gandel). It was in 2005 when what originally began as a legitimate business became a Ponzi scheme, as Madoff used the money of his new clients to settle the accounts of the earlier investors who wanted their cash back (Gandel). Despite the continued economic decline in 2008, Madoff insisted to his clients that there was a 5. 6% growth in his funds by the latter part of November that year.This proved to be a false claim, as during the same period, the stocks of Standard & Poor’s 500 decreased by an average of 37. 7% (Gandel). For his fraudulent scheme to work, Madoff recruited people who had no previous training or experience to be part of his clerical staff (â€Å"Madoff†). He instructed these employees to produce false documents. It was these fraudulent papers which he provided to regulators. Madoff also knew that while his business was no longer running, he had to make it appear that his investment operation was still working . He did this by constantly transferring millions of dollars from one bank to another.The bank transfers were also used to give the illusion that Madoff was actively making securities negotiations in Europe for his clients. In addition, he spent the funds of the firm for the personal use of relatives, associates and himself (â€Å"Madoff†). Madoff’s operation became increasingly questionable as it continued to give a consistently optimistic report about its performance despite the dire economic situation. In addition, a senior executive at Madoff’s firm also became suspicious when Madoff expressed his desire to give the annual bonuses of the employees two months earlier than intended (Henriques and Kouwe 1).Days prior to that incident, Madoff mentioned to a different senior executive that he was having difficulty raising money to pay the investors $7 billion worth of withdrawals. When he was confronted by the senior executive, Madoff finally told the truth. His firm was actually bankrupt and it had been bankrupt for awhile. Madoff told his executives that while he planned to submit himself to the authorities, he first wished to give the remaining money to his family, friends and some employees (Henriques and Kouwe 2). He was not able to do as he planned, as he was soon arrested.Madoff was charged with several federal offenses, including perjury, money laundering and securities fraud (â€Å"Madoff†). On March 12, he pleaded guilty to all 11 felony counts, which could earn him a total of 150 years in prison (â€Å"Madoff†). Madoff’s Ponzi scheme had a rather extensive scope. The consequences of his actions had negatively affected finance all over the world (â€Å"Madoff†). The scheme had caused problems with international institutions such as HSBC and BNP Paribas. The investors that lost in Madoff’s scam included prominent names in sports, entertainment and publishing.His clients included Steven Spielberg, Eliot Spitzer, Elie Wiesel and Mortimer B. Zuckerman. Hedge fund manager R. Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet also lost $1. 4 billion to the scheme (â€Å"Madoff†). Due to the Madoff controversy, the U. S. SEC had been bombarded with criticism. The latest Ponzi scheme by Madoff showed the committee’s inability to look after investments and safeguard the investors (Hutchinson). Prior to the scandal, the U. S. SEC claimed that they did not detect anything questionable about Madoff’s business (Serwer). This would denote negligence on the part of the SEC.If the SEC itself cannot help investors, how do investors help themselves to avoid becoming victims of such massive fraud? Financial experts have several suggestions on how securities fraud can be prevented. Both Hutchinson and Serwer agree that one must not invest in something he or she does not understand. If a person is presented with an investment offer, that individual must thoroughly investigate about the said o ffer. One must ask as many questions as needed, and until he or she has completely understood the process (Hutchinson).If the person who made the offer cannot properly describe how he profits from the said investment, there is a possibility that the offer maybe dubious. If possible, try to get hold of the accounting ratio of the company. Ask a securities analyst to verify the numbers. Second, one must follow the three rules of investment. According to Hutchinson, these are: â€Å"diversify, buy over an extended period and research well what you intend to buy. † Diversifying is very important; one must not invest all their money in one place. Lastly, experts are discouraging people from making investments in nameless enterprises (Serwer).People must avoid making investment transactions with people who claim to have connections (Hutchinson). If one plans to make an investment, he or she should seek competent and experienced investment specialists (Hutchinson). The story of Bern ard Madoff is an unusual one. From one of Wall Street’s most prominent personalities, he became one of the America’s most recognizable criminals. The case of Madoff offers a lesson for everyone. In times wherein people will take advantage of other people’s investment, one must take the necessary precautions to avoid becoming a victim.Works Cited â€Å"Bernard L. Madoff. † The New York Times. 12 March 2009. 26 March 2009 . Gandel, S. â€Å"Wall Street’s Latest Downfall: Madoff Charged with Fraud. † Time. 12 Dec. 2008. Time Inc. 26 March 2009 . Henriques, Diana B. , and Zachery Kouwe. â€Å"Prominent Trader Accused of Defrauding Clients. † The New York Times. 11 Dec. 2008. 26 March 2009 . Hutchinson, Martin. â€Å"How to Avoid Madoff Mayhem. † Money Morning Web Site. Money Map Press. 26 March 2009 . Serwer, Andy. â€Å"Madoff investors burned by SEC, too. † CNN. com. 15 Dec. 2008. Fortune Magazine. 26 March 2009 . U. S. Se curities and Exchange Commission. â€Å"‘Ponzi’ Schemes. † SEC Web Site. 19 April 2001 .

Biography of Xerxes

Born in c. 519 BC, of the parents King Darius and his wife Atossa came Xerxes. He was raised in the lavish opulence of an eastern court and became the designated heir to his father†s throne in which he was to rule over the greatest empire of his time for 21 years. The Persian Empire. He was not the oldest of Darius† sons but still became the heir over his oldest brother Artabazanes. There were two main reasons for this, His mother Atossa was the daughter of the great Cyrus making Xerxes his grandson. According to Herodotus Atossa would have used her influence to get her son on the throne. [Herodotus book 7 section-3]. Xerxes stated superior claim to the throne for the same reasons. Spartan King Demaratus who was exiled from Sparta and in the Persian court at the time, suggested that they use the Spartan custom to elect a king. That is that the son who is born first while the king sits on the throne will be the heir no matter how many sons there were before the king became king [Herodotus book 7 section-3]. This made Xerxes the rightful heir how ever he describes his accession himself on limestone foundation block at Persepolis â€Å"†¦ My Father was Darius; Darius† father was Hystaspes by name; Hystaspes† father was Arsames by name†¦ saith Xerxes the King: Other sons of Darius there were, (but)- thus unto Ahura-Mazda was the desire- Darius my father made me the greatest after himself. When my father Darius went away from the throne, by will of Ahura-Mazda I became king on my fathers throne. † So to help legitimise his claim to the throne, Xerxes uses Ahura-Mazda. In another inscription he supports himself by saying † †¦ I am Xerxes, the great king, king of king, king of lands containing many men, king in this great earth far and wide, son of Darius the king, an Achaemid, a Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan, of Aryan seed. † Here he emphasises that he an Achaemenid to add weight on his claim to the throne. According to A. T. Olmstead, Xerxes gained administrative experience by living in the royal Babylonian palace and being able to rule Babylon. Though there is not enough evidence to support this. Some historians say that Darius and Xerxes shared co-regency, but there is not enough evidence to support this either. The evidence we do have on his background and early life before he became king is that his father was a believer in the god Ahura – Mazda and therefore a follower of Zoastrianism. We know that Xerxes carried this on. As far as we know the only real education according to Herodotus that Persian boys were taught was to†¦ † Ride, to use the bow, and to speak the truth† [Herodotus book 1 pg. 137]. The most important and significant things in Xerxes life that contributed to his assent was being the grandson of the greatest king Persia had seen and his mother being that kings daughter and able to use her influence. Xerxes became the king of the Persian Empire in 485BC. In his 25 years of reign he achieved many things. He was certainly not a lazy ruler and her proved this in the early years of his reign with the swift crushing of the Babylonian and Egyptian revolts. Even as a new king he portrayed traits of a strong and strict monarch. â€Å"He sent an army against the Egyptian rebels and decisively crushed them. [Herodotus book 7 section-7]. The most famous expedition Xerxes was conducted as his attempt to invade Greece. This is seen to most people as a failure as the Greeks defeated him. Though it can also be looked upon as an achievement because although he failed to encompass the entire country into his empire he still managed to destroy Athens, which was one of his main priorities in the first place. † I will not rest until I have taken Athens and burnt it to the ground, in revenge for the injury in which the Athenians without provocation did to me and my Father† [Herodotus book 7 section-8-b]. So his destruction of Athens can be looked upon as an achievement. Xerxes was by no means a poor military conductor as he shows good management and organisational skills in the way he amasses and upholds his army. He had clever and careful planning when it came to invading and according to Cameron and Lawless, Xerxes extended his empire into Thrace and Macedonia as well as adding territory from distant eastern provinces [page 99]. His achievements don†t just focus on warlike activities. His building programs at Persepolis and some closer to home show that his ambitions did not just consist of taking land. He thought expanding his empire was important but so to was internal development. † King Darius my father built and ordered to be built much good construction. By the favour of Ahura – mazda I added to that construction and built further (buildings). † [Cameron and Lawless, pg 181]. Xerxes began building almost straight after he ascended the throne, but the majority of his constructions were done in the last three years of his reign. Some of the buildings consist of the Apadana, which was an audience hall in the Persian royal palace. It was started by Darius and finished by Xerxes. ‘Harem† was Xerxes palace that he built for himself; The ‘Central Building† was another construction ordered by Xerxes; ‘Throne Hall† or other wise known as ‘The Hall of 100 Columns†, was believed to have been started by Xerxes and finished by Artaxerxes; ‘Palace H† was another incomplete building believed to have been stared by Xerxes and incomplete inscriptions suggest that it may have been finished by Artaxerxes. These are just a few examples of the achievements this man completed in his life. It is clear that he was a serious ruler who had many ambitions in his life. The love life of Xerxes is a complicated subject to find evidence on. Herodotus mentions him having only one wife named Amestris and the information on her is extremely little. Her father was probably Otanes who was a Persian nobleman and one of the seven conspirators who helped Darius become King. Further research uncovers the story of Esther and Queen Vashti. There is more information on the story of Esther and Queen Vashti then there is on Amestris. The story of Esther and Vashti is also more probable to be mythology then real history, as a lot of the information doesn†t add up. Herodotus neither mentions Esther or Vashti in his histories and he is our main source to this period in time. The story of Esther is a book in the bible and is where the Jewish celebration of ‘Purim† comes from. According to the story of Esther, King Xerxes was banqueting with all his friend and he was boasting about how he had the finest of everything. Then he called for his wife, Queen Vashti, and told her to walk around in front of his guests wearing nothing but her crown because he believed she was the most beautiful woman and he wanted to show everyone. Vashti was greatly insulted and refused so she was deposed. A beauty contest was held for Xerxes to select a new wife and he chose a young girl called Esther who he apparently fell instantly in love with. Esther†s real name was Hadassah but she changed it to hide her Jewish identity. Then with the help of her influence on Xerxes and her cousin Mordecai she was ale to save the Jewish people from slaughter. This story his been questioned by many scholars and historians and is believed to be mythical. Though there isn†t much mentioned on Amestris, from the main story she takes part in we are able to piece together quite a picture of her. Amestris wove a wonderful shawl as a present for her husband Xerxes. He gave it to his brother†s daughter Artaynte with whom he had had an affair with. When Amestris discovered this betrayal she was furious and immediately blamed Artaynte†s mother and had her brutally mutilated. Xerxes brother then beside himself plotted a rebellion against Xerxes and Xerxes had him killed. From this story we can already gather that Amestris was a jealous and not so nice woman who held quite a bit of power over Xerxes, As she wasn†t punished for what she did. There is another story of Amestris that leads us to believe she wasn†t that good a woman. A custom of Persia was burying people alive! Amestris in her old age did it to fourteen Persian boys of distinguished families, by way of a present which she hoped the god of the under world would except instead of herself [Herodotus book 7 section-114]. In 465BC Xerxes was found murdered in his bedchambers. According to Cameron and Lawless, specific details on the death of Xerxes are unknown. It suggests that Artabanus, the commander of the palace guards murdered him with the help of Aspamitres, a court eunuch [pg. 100]. Therefore Xerxes ended his reign of the Persian Empire as a victim of palace conspiracy and was succeeded by his son Artaxerxes.

Eating Disorder

Eating Disorders and weight loss has always been and will always be a challenge in the USA. Psychologists have been trying to motivate as well as encourage people to lose weight in all different ways. Focusing on dangerous methods that can be harmful to humans such as anorexia, and bulimia, can lead to many eating disorders which may then cause bodies to go into dimorphic disorders. This has been an epidemic in the media as well as in the societies where it has an on-going conception of being beautiful, which can have an effect on the body images.The large amount of body fats has provided energy, insulations, organs protection and maintaining of the body function. Body composition is the comparison between muscle and fat in a person’s body. A person’s weight could be high because of either large muscles, or having too much extra fat on their bones. When an individual is overweight because of excess fat, then they are at a high risk of getting a vvariety of dangerous and life threatening diseases. Excess fat can also cause an individual to have a much weaker immune system which then leads to infections, slower would healing, and complications during surgery.Extra fat possess danger to women if they are pregnant, and their baby could threatened as well. There are also physiological aspects of being overweight as well which can harm a person over time such as becoming depressed, dependent on others to do your daily activities for you and being unable to take care of them and possibly even developing eating disorders. There are so many factors these days that contribute to the world’s obesity epidemic. The two leading factors, in my opinion, are not eating healthy and not getting the appropriate amount of physical aactivity.These two factors work together because they go hand in hand: unhealthy food causes people to feel lazy and lack energy, so they sit around and play video games and watch TV rather than go out to play. There is also the fact that many people were never taught how to shop for and prepare healthy foods. People often turn to fast food and junk food because it is much quicker for people with busy lifestyles. It is so easy for people to become distracted from exercise these days due to the technological advances in cell phones, computers, video games, and even interactive TV.This can be especially true for those who have no one else to play with, and even for people who are already embarrassed of their weight. Eating disorders are often developed when a person is ashamed of the way the look and feel, and take drastic measures to change their weight. There are three categories of eating disorders which are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Anorexia nervosa is defined as the desire to be thin, where the person will drastically decrease their food intake causing major weight loss.Bulimia nervosa is when a person eats excessively and then either self induce s vomiting or misuses laxatives, exercise, or fasting. The third category, EDNOS, includes the disorder binge eating which is when people eat excessively usually to cope with feelings and depression; binge eaters do not purge or try to lose the calories in any way. There are many ways in which eating disorders can contribute to the development of Body Fat and Eating Disorders |3 Health problems.For example, bulimics who go through the binge-purge cycle damage their intestinal tracts by causing tooth decay, sores in the mouth, throat irritation, changes in stomach capacity, and more. Another example of health problems caused by eating disorders is psychological issues which include low self-esteem and depression. Finally, the most important risk to the health of a person with an eating disorder is death; there is the possibility of starvation if the disorder becomes extreme and no intervention is made.

Readers Response to Writing Badly Essay

In his essay, â€Å"The Importance of Writing Badly,† Bruce Ballenger encourages students to write freely and to not worry about finding the â€Å"perfect way of saying it.† I feel by saying this he means to not worry about what you’re writing and it may not necessarily be perfect, but that you write what you are thinking and continue writing even if it’s bad or may not make sense. He means to put all your thoughts down on paper and start from there. Ballenger gives his students permission to write badly. He expresses that â€Å"when the writing stops, so does the thinking.† He also states that he is far more interested in encouraging thinking than error-free sentences and concise, clear writing. Do I agree with Bruce Ballenger? I feel that I absolutely agree with him. If you would have asked me in High School if I agreed, I would have said no. My English teacher in High School was much like the teacher Ballenger describes in this essay as Mrs. Oâ⠂¬â„¢Neill. Every paper we had to write had nothing but red pen marks correcting bad sentences. Or as Ballenger put it â€Å"some high priest of good grammar whose angry scribbling occupied the margins of our papers.† She was much more critical of our grammar and punctuation then what we were writing. This was very discouraging to me and a lot of my fellow classmates. I then became more critical of myself as a writer and how I was writing and not what I was writing. I was paying more attention to other details instead of what I was thinking about writing, which ended up making it very stressful to write. So by the end of my English class, I was fairly decent with grammar. In fact friends and family of mine occasionally have asked me to proof read papers of theirs, and I find myself doing nothing but fixing grammar issues instead of actually reading the paper for the story it is. I agree with Ballenger when he says that clear writing matters and should be demanded, but that it should not be the first thing important when you start writing a paper. You can always go back a nd fix grammar and punctuation issues, but you sometimes may not get your thoughts or ideas back that you were thinking of to be able to express what you wanted to write after lifting the pen from the paper. Before reading the text, just looking at the title I thought this was just going to be about writing bad and not worrying about what you are writing. And really it is, but the text was more than that and made me realize that writing isn’t about how you write; it is more about what you write about. It’s about getting to what you are writing about and the process it takes to get there. More than just writing words down and making sure you use the words correctly. It’s about expressing what you are really thinking about and writing down your thoughts to begin with. I will take Ballenger’s advice because I feel I will have more to say after free writing and brainstorming my topics and by doing that I will have more effective essays. Ballenger ends this es say with â€Å"And what matters in this journey-at least initially-is not what kind of car you’re driving, but where you end up.† I think what Ballenger means by this is that it doesn’t matter how perfect you write. What matters is that you get the ideas you have and the point you are trying to make across in your writing. And in the end having your thoughts down, you will write the paper you are trying to write even if that means that the writing you initially write is not perfect.