How to write analytical paper: 2019

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Essay on Impact of Rasicm on Idenity in Ralph EllisonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s...

In society, there are many misconceptions in terms of racism. According to the merriam-webster dictionary, racism is define the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others . Many people would agree with that definition. What is racism? The normal person if asked will simply reply, not liking someone for the color of their skin. Racism from my attitude which is substantiated by historical events is a system of power .Therefore is a system of power that is used to control the world and its people. Racism was employed by Europeans to subjugate and discriminate against other groups, in particular Africans/black people. It is also a power which ran through aÃ¢â‚¬ ¦show more contentÃ¢â‚¬ ¦My race represents my ancestors who are a part of me. To gain more insight on identity and racism, and the effect on each other, I contacted Trevor Musa who is African American and studies African American history. Mr. Musa s tated that, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Racism has many facets on how it effect ones identity and one of the most paramount being racism via media propaganda. News media and Hollywood are the two main vehicles of identity theft among African people. In Hollywood, blacks are always shown in a position of reluctant assistance or sub servant i.e. butler, helper and or slave. Apart from these sub-servant positions, news media almost always show many of us as animals and criminals of the lowest morals. Consequently, through the system of programming, constant repetitions of demoralizing images are perpetuated, and with no other source of reference to rely upon, blacks often consciously and subconsciously accept those images. Moreover some people, rather most become not only to accept those images, but many Black disassociate themselves from their race. It is as if they do not want to belong to race of Ã¢â‚¬Å"nobodies Ã¢â‚¬Å"and by default they capture the identity of the European race. One must keep in mind that racism is a system of power that is employed by White people, thus one must ponder, who owns and operates Hollywood and new media.Ã¢â‚¬ I agree with Trevor Musa that some blacks often tend to see themselves as invisible, because of a media sometimes infer

Monday, December 16, 2019

Colonial Colonies The Atlantic Coast - 1666 Words

The English Colonies alongside the Atlantic Coast in the 1600Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s- 1700Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s began with the failed attempt to establish the Roanoke Colony in Virginia, which was later, suppressed by the Virgina Company, who established the colony of Jamestown in Chesapeake Bay. The Virginia Company was a joint stock company that primarily used the stock they obtained from King James to raise money to create Jamestown. Following this success of establishment was a series of devastation as food sources were scare, conflicts with natives raised, and starvation characterized the lives of the early settlers, but once the government was strengthend and once other colonies erupted in the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies and the Southern Colonies, theÃ¢â‚¬ ¦show more contentÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"The New England colonies were the coldest of all the settlements, and they have a basic geography of hills, mountains, rivers and poor soil, which made farming unsuitable . Even though farming was unsuitab le in this environment, the colonists found ways to grow pumpkins, corn, beans, squash, and rye and even found ways to import/export goods with other colonies (). As they built a trading network through importing/ exporting goods, the New England Colony became focused on manufacturing, industries such as ship building and lumbering and resources, such as, timber, furs, fish, and whales (). Since most people lived in towns, the colony had innumerable amount of businesses. Furthermore, the New England Colonies characterized prominent events of the American Revolution: the Battle of Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga. Puritan Semitist, who were the first English emmigrants of the area, founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Massachusetts prospered with the help of the Puritan Semitist because through the help of local natives they learned to fish and farm, which provided ample amounts of food. MassachusettsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s major cities were Boston, Quincy, Plymouth, Salem, Lexington, and Concord. It became a state on February 6th 1788. As these major cities rose in popularity and as the settlers found more opportunities, so did the number of colonies. Colonists went on to find Connecticut, Rhode Island,

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Family Values and Wider Societal Cultural Values

Question: Discuss about Reflection On The Differences And Similarities Between One Of The Family Values And Wider Societal Cultural Values. Answer: Reflection on the values of religion According to Huseb, O'Regan and Nestel, (2015), religion can have a positive as well as negative impact on the family values. Every religious group thinks that their religion has the best values. There has been increasing effect of extremism that is leading to hatred and intolerance. Insensitivity of tolerating other religion has been increasing. The difference in the thought process of people belonging to different religion has been considerably increasing making the World a ring for people to fight in the name of religion (Young Young, 2014). Therefore, the level of tolerance and integrity has to be increased to make the world a better place to live. Wave tool is a visual reflective tool that helps in self evaluation and helps to formulate an individuals analysis. As pointed out by Wepa, (2015), family values are passed from one generation to the other and therefore, it is important to make a balance of the value. These family values sometimes remain invisible but they always persist. For instance, if a family is intolerable towards other religion, the fact will be reflected in some kind of behavior. The values that I gained from my family teach us is to reach out to the suffering and the pained individuals and accept them without being judgmental (Padela et al., 2012). It has been taught that without respecting a human, the values of a human do not hold any importance. An incident can be explained keeping Gibbs Reflective Cycle in mind. Once we planned to visit the church. On the way, we heard a person, who seemed to be atheist, criticizing the people who visit the Church often. This made other people furious and they tried to stop him. My mother commented on this matter that no one can force people to follow religion but it completely depends on an individual. Everyone should be tolerant towards any kind of religious approach. This was a lesson that I learnt from my family values and this would always remain in my mind. It depends on the values of the family that creates a great impact on the thoughts and action of an individual. The challenges are how to protect the members from the cruel world. Believes about sharing and creating an emotional touch with others is what required to make peace in the world. By the end of the discussion, I can claim myself to be in the of the cliff top in the Wave tool where it can be said that the values of religion is one of many things to look at. As a nurse, we have to deal with people belonging to different culture and religion. The fact that humanity comes before religion is the prime concept to be kept in mind. There might be many religions that the world witness but developing a brotherhood among all is the most important aspect of the world. Developing own mind set and overcoming the challenges that arises at different point of time should be the prime objective. References: Huseb, S. E., O'Regan, S., Nestel, D. (2015). Reflective practice and its role in simulation.Clinical Simulation in Nursing,11(8), 368-375. Padela, A. I., Gunter, K., Killawi, A., Heisler, M. (2012). Religious values and healthcare accommodations: voices from the American Muslim community.Journal of general internal medicine,27(6), 708-715. Wepa, D. (Ed.) (2015) . Cultural safety in Aotearoa New Zealand (2nd ed.) . Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press Young, C. S., Young, J. S. (2014).Integrating spirituality and religion into counseling: A guide to competent practice. John Wiley Son.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Coming of the Civil War essays

Coming of the Civil War essays Rethinking the Coming of the Civil War: A Counterfactual Exercise, written by Gary J. Kornblith in the June 2003 issue of The Journal of American History, is an article that prompts the reader to reflect on the different dynamics which eventually lead to the Civil War. There are two diverse ideas concerning the causes of this War, one being Fundamentalism and the other Revisionism. Fundamentalists believe that the Civil War was caused by distinct societies in the North and South, whose dissimilar paths were headed for collision come the mid-nineteenth century. The divergence of social systems, a divergence epitomized by free labor and slave labor were three key elements which influenced the road to conflict. In a society where the belief in individual liberty and religious devotion were prominent the means not to have an abolitionist movement was impossible. The argument still stands that had the Norths and Souths social/cultural system had not diverged so differently come the turn of the nineteenth century; the war would have never taken place. Revisionists believe that the politics of the 1850's provided for the Civil War. This entailed bad political leaders and sectionalism. The argument of the revisionists elucidates the fact that the Civil War could have been avoided if slavery was confined through politics. Charles W. Ramsdell was quoted saying, Had this question of slavery in Western lands been settled there would have been no Civil War. Kornblith writes this particular article from the perspective of a revisionist. He believes the election of 1844 was a significant reason for the Civil War. He claimed, Had Clay beat Polk in 1844, Texas would have remained an independent republic and we wouldnt have gone to war a year later. If Clay won the election his Manifest Destiny would not have included Texas. Therefore, the issue of slavery would not ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Hypothesis Testing With One-Sample t-Tests

Hypothesis Testing With One-Sample t-Tests Youve collected your data, youve got your model, youve run your regression and youve got your results. Now what do you do with your results? In this article we consider the Okuns Law model and results from the article How to Do a Painless Econometrics Project. One sample t-tests will be introduced and used in order to see if the theory matches the data. The theory behind Okuns Law was described in the article: Instant Econometrics Project 1 - Okuns Law: Okuns law is an empirical relationship between the change in the unemployment rate and the percentage growth in real output, as measured by GNP. Arthur Okun estimated the following relationship between the two: Yt - 0.4 (Xt - 2.5 ) This can also be expressed as a more traditional linear regression as: Yt 1 - 0.4 Xt Where:Yt is the change in the unemployment rate in percentage points.Xt is the percentage growth rate in real output, as measured by real GNP. So our theory is that the values of our parameters are B1 1 for the slope parameter and B2 -0.4 for the intercept parameter. We used American data to see how well the data matched the theory. From How to Do a Painless Econometrics Project we saw that we needed to estimate the model: Yt = b1 + b2 Xt Yt Xt b1 b2 B1 B2 Using Microsoft Excel, we calculated the parameters b1 and b2. Now we need to see if those parameters match our theory, which was that B1 1 and B2 -0.4. Before we can do that, we need to jot down some figures that Excel gave us. If you look at the results screenshot youll notice that the values are missing. That was intentional, as I want you to calculate the values on your own. For the purposes of this article, I will make up some values and show you in what cells you can find the real values. Before we begin our hypothesis testing, we need to jot down the following values: Observations Number of Observations (Cell B8) Obs 219 Intercept Coefficient (Cell B17) b1 0.47 (appears on chart as AAA)Standard Error (Cell C17) se1 0.23 (appears on chart as CCC)t Stat (Cell D17) t1 2.0435 (appears on chart as x)P-value (Cell E17) p1 0.0422 (appears on chart as x) X Variable Coefficient (Cell B18) b2 - 0.31 (appears on chart as BBB)Standard Error (Cell C18) se2 0.03 (appears on chart as DDD)t Stat (Cell D18) t2 10.333 (appears on chart as x)P-value (Cell E18) p2 0.0001 (appears on chart as x) In the next section well look at hypothesis testing and well see if our data matches our theory. Be Sure to Continue to Page 2 of Hypothesis Testing Using One-Sample t-Tests. First weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll consider our hypothesis that the intercept variable equals one. The idea behind this is explained quite well in GujaratiÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Essentials of Econometrics. On page 105 Gujarati describes hypothesis testing: Ã¢â‚¬Å"[S]uppose we hypothesize that the true B1 takes a particular numerical value, e.g., B1 1. Our task now is to Ã¢â‚¬Å"testÃ¢â‚¬ this hypothesis.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"In the language of hypothesis testing a hypothesis such as B1 1 is called the null hypothesis and is generally denoted by the symbol H0. Thus H0: B1 1. The null hypothesis is usually tested against an alternative hypothesis, denoted by the symbol H1. The alternative hypothesis can take one of three forms:H1: B1 1, which is called a one-sided alternative hypothesis, orH1: B1 1, also a one-sided alternative hypothesis, orH1: B1 not equal 1, which is called a two-sided alternative hypothesis. That is the true value is either greater or less than 1.Ã¢â‚¬ In the above IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve substituted in our hypothesis for GujaratiÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s to make it easier to follow. In our case we want a two-sided alternative hypothesis, as weÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re interested in knowing if B1 is equal to 1 or not equal to 1. The first thing we need to do to test our hypothesis is to calculate at t-Test statistic. The theory behind the statistic is beyond the scope of this article. Essentially what we are doing is calculating a statistic which can be tested against a t distribution to determine how probable it is that the true value of the coefficient is equal to some hypothesized value. When our hypothesis is B1 1 we denote our t-Statistic as t1(B11) and it can be calculated by the formula: t1(B11) (b1 - B1 / se1) LetÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s try this for our intercept data. Recall we had the following data: Intercept b1 0.47se1 0.23 Our t-Statistic for the hypothesis that B1 1 is simply: t1(B11) (0.47 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 1) / 0.23 2.0435 So t1(B11) is 2.0435. We can also calculate our t-test for the hypothesis that the slope variable is equal to -0.4: X Variable b2 -0.31se2 0.03 Our t-Statistic for the hypothesis that B2 -0.4 is simply: t2(B2 -0.4) ((-0.31) Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (-0.4)) / 0.23 3.0000 So t2(B2 -0.4) is 3.0000. Next we have to convert these into p-values. The p-value may be defined as the lowest significance level at which a null hypothesis can be rejected...As a rule, the smaller the p value, the stronger is the evidence against the null hypothesis. (Gujarati, 113) As a standard rule of thumb, if the p-value is lower than 0.05, we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis. This means that if the p-value associated with the test t1(B11) is less than 0.05 we reject the hypothesis that B11 and accept the hypothesis that B1 not equal to 1. If the associated p-value is equal to or greater than 0.05, we do just the opposite, that is we accept the null hypothesis that B11. Calculating the p-value Unfortunately, you cannot calculate the p-value. To obtain a p-value, you generally have to look it up in a chart. Most standard statistics and econometrics books contain a p-value chart in the back of the book. Fortunately with the advent of the internet, thereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a much simpler way of obtaining p-values. The site Graphpad Quickcalcs: One sample t test allows you to quickly and easily obtain p-values. Using this site, hereÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s how you obtain a p-value for each test. Steps Needed to Estimate a p-value for B11 Click on the radio box containing Ã¢â‚¬Å"Enter mean, SEM and N.Ã¢â‚¬ Mean is the parameter value we estimated, SEM is the standard error, and N is the number of observations.Enter 0.47 in the box labelled Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mean:Ã¢â‚¬ .Enter 0.23 in the box labelled Ã¢â‚¬Å"SEM:Ã¢â‚¬ Enter 219 in the box labelled Ã¢â‚¬Å"N:Ã¢â‚¬ , as this is the number of observations we had.Under 3. Specify the hypothetical mean value click on the radio button beside the blank box. In that box enter 1, as that is our hypothesis.Click Ã¢â‚¬Å"Calculate NowÃ¢â‚¬ You should get an output page. On the top of the output page you should see the following information: P value and statistical significance:The two-tailed P value equals 0.0221By conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be statistically significant. So our p-value is 0.0221 which is less than 0.05. In this case we reject our null hypothesis and accept our alternative hypothesis. In our words, for this parameter, our theory did not match the data. Be Sure to Continue to Page 3 of Hypothesis Testing Using One-Sample t-Tests. Again using site Graphpad Quickcalcs: One sample t test we can quickly obtain the p-value for our second hypothesis test: Steps Needed to Estimate a p-value for B2 -0.4 Click on the radio box containing Ã‚â€œEnter mean, SEM and N.Ã‚â€ Mean is the parameter value we estimated, SEM is the standard error, and N is the number of observations. Enter -0.31 in the box labelled Ã‚â€œMean:Ã‚â€. Enter 0.03 in the box labelled Ã‚â€œSEM:Ã‚â€ Enter 219 in the box labelled Ã‚â€œN:Ã‚â€, as this is the number of observations we had. Under Ã‚â€œ3. Specify the hypothetical mean valueÃ‚â€ click on the radio button beside the blank box. In that box enter -0.4, as that is our hypothesis. Click Ã‚â€œCalculate NowÃ‚â€ P value and statistical significance: The two-tailed P value equals 0.0030By conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be statistically significant. We used U.S. data to estimate the Okuns Law model. Using that data we found that both the intercept and slope parameters are statistically significantly different than those in Okuns Law. Therefore we can conclude that in the United States Okuns Law does not hold. Now youve seen how to calculate and use one-sample t-tests, you will be able to interpret the numbers youve calculated in your regression. If youd like to ask a question about econometrics, hypothesis testing, or any other topic or comment on this story, please use the feedback form. If youre interested in winning cash for your economics term paper or article, be sure to check out The 2004 Moffatt Prize in Economic Writing

Thursday, November 21, 2019

System evaluation and benchmark testing Assignment

System evaluation and benchmark testing - Assignment Example Strengths and Limitations of each system: Grass is open project software and can be used for finding directions to managing natural conditions. A user may put it for various purposes and achieve expected results. The Grass GIS software is a combination of raster/vector Geographical Information Software enhanced images and visualized data system. The system can be utilized by the usage of different modules but the users must know their own requirements before implementing it for use. GRASS GIS software system offers the 'GRASS Programmer's Manual.' The biggest benefit of using Grass software is that it can be used by writing custom made modules according to the user's own requirements. The users only need to read through the existing written modules to get a clear picture of the difference between what will be the output of the existing module and what output they want. When they get a clear picture it will be easier to frame a GIS module which adds on to the existing ones. This is pe rhaps the biggest feature and distinct characteristic of GRASS software that it offers the access and customization of internal structure of the system. The GRASS GIS offers a library to develop and document the modules as the Application Programming Interface. API is built to help the users in the development of the new module as a new add-on. With the help of this feature, users can help the project in growing and there will be more varieties of modules for the new users. Google Earth is proved to be vey useful in Real Estate and Engineering Industries. Google Earth uses the imagery database and also a very high pixel aspect for the printing purpose to enhance its service quality. Google Earth provides live satellite images of different parts of Earth. They may not be live in actual sense but they are updated very soon so they are mostly near to live and present most up-to-date images of world's topography. Google Earth is very beneficial for students and as well as business class people. It is helpful in providing satellite views for architectural projects, real estate decisions and also for businesses that need geographical information. During previous years, Google Earth Pro has been used by several NGOs in order to help and restore endangered life in different regions of the world. NGOs used Google Earth to collect and organize geographical sets of data, identifying sites, making maps and presenting their ideas. It is also very helpful in real estate business. The real estate dealers start to make their own portfolio of properties through Google Earth and it is perhaps the best tool to manage real estate business over seas where it will be difficult for the buyer to access the site. Microsoft MapPoint is a mapping application that is available in market for both business and home users. can easily plot geospatial data for North America or Europe. It can also geocode locations and plot routes. Although it is not having extensive functionality of a more co mprehensive GIS system like supporting ESRI format that is a standard format for GIS data, however it offers to create

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Development of Theory in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Development of Theory in Management - Essay Example Exactly what is a "real" manager What should we call managers who work with their staff and learn from them as well-"invalid," "false," or "imitation," as opposed to "real" Are academics and management consultants actually determining current management methods or is the method determined by what is increasing profitability in all areas of an organisation based on cooperation among staff and knowledge of their customer base Three of the most influential theorists in management at the beginning of the twentieth century were Frederick Taylor, Elton Mayo and Henri Fayol. Taylor applied scientific management using time and motion studies, with managers as observers who did not include workers in decision-making. His method, according to Sansone, was said to dehumanise workers. He set up a new effort of structure over people as a variable to improve performance rather than merely using discipline to increase production. Taylor believed managers should be thinkers, and that workers had to be guided by them. Taylor and Fayol had similar ideas, with what has been called respectively Scientific Management and Administration Management, but Mayo was more concerned with the human side of business. His style was called the Human Relations approach (Sandrone). Mayo performed what he called Hawthorne experiments from 1927 to 1932 to examine effects of fatigue and monotony on work conditions and job productivity (Accel Team). By choosing two female workers and allowing them to pick four more, he set up his experiment. He assigned a manager who was more an observer than disciplinarian to study the group and make changes, discussing and explaining them to the group in advance. Variables such as rest breaks, work hours, temperature and humidity were studied. The surprising result for Mayo was that the employees who were included in decisions about working conditions produced more, no matter what the final working schedule was, because they had formed a team. This breakthrough is taken for granted now, but teamwork in an organisation was unknown at that time. According to Accel, Mayo's experiment showed the following reason for its success: The experimental group had considerable freedom of movement . . . . Under these conditions they developed an increased sense of responsibility and instead of discipline from higher authority being imposed, it came from within the group. (Accel Team 6.4) Henri Fayol was a French management theorist who focused on management as fulfilling 5 principal roles: plan, organise, command, coordinate and control, and 14 principles of management in a hierarchal format (Marino). His ideas closely followed those of socialist Max Weber. Fayol was a successful senior manager who applied his formula for controlling his staff, and this formula is still actively practised today. Below are Fayol's 14 principles of administration (Overview 5) Specialization/division of labor Centralisation Authority with responsibility

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Demand Analysis of low-calorie microwavable food Essay Example for Free

Demand Analysis of low-calorie microwavable food Essay QD = 20,000 10P + 1500A + 5PX + 10 I Since R2 is considerable high, the model explains the demand quite well. Putting the values of P, A, Px and I in the above equation, we get, Converting all price into dollars, we get, QD = 20,000 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ (10Ãƒâ€"8000) + (1500Ãƒâ€"64) + (5Ãƒâ€"9000) + (10Ãƒâ€"5000) = 131000 Now, own price elasticity (ep) = Ãƒâ€" = -10, P = 8000, Q = 131000 Own Price elasticity (ep) = 10 Ãƒâ€" = 0.61 (approx.) Cross price elasticity (exy) = Ãƒâ€" = 5, Px = 9000, Q = 131000 Cross price elasticity (exy) = 5 Ãƒâ€" = 0. 34 (approx.) Income elasticity (eI) = Ãƒâ€" = 10, I = 5000, Q = 131000 Income elasticity (eI) = 10 Ãƒâ€" = 0.38 (approx.) Advertisement elasticity (eA) = Ãƒâ€" = 1500, A = 64, Q = 131000 Advertisement elasticity (eA) = 1500 Ãƒâ€" = 0.73 (approx.) From the above results, we can see that the own price elasticity is 0.61. Thus the demand for the low-calorie microwavable food is inelastic in nature. This implies that an increase in the price of the food leads to the fall of the quantity demanded by less than proportionate amount. Income elasticity of the good calculated is 0.38. This implies that the good selected is normal good. The cross price elasticity is 0.34. Therefore the two goods are almost substitute goods. Finally, coming to the advertisementÃ‚ elasticity, we can see that the advertisement elasticity is 0.73. Thus advertisement has an important impact on the sales of the product. Since price elasticity is less than 1, total revenue will fall if price falls. Moreover the cross price elasticity of the product is almost close to zero. So, if the firm will never lower its price to increase its market share. i) The demand curve s drawn below: ii) At these prices there is always an excess supply. Thus market forces cannot determine the equilibrium. iii) The factors can influence demand and supply are: Demand Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Advertisement, Income, price of the competitorÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s product, etc. Supply Ã¢â‚¬â€œ technological improvement, supply shocks, etc. Increase in advertisement expenditure can increase the demand this will shift the demand curve rightward. Similarly any reduction in advertisement expenditure will shift the demand curve leftward. Similarly, a rise in per capita income will shift the demand curve rightward and viceversa. Now, the supply curve can shift rightward if there is any improvement in the technology. On the other hand any supply shock can shift the supply curve leftward. References: Varian, H. R. (2011). Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach (8th ed.). NY: Norton Walter Nicholson, Christopher Snyder (2012). Microeconomic Theory: Basic Principles and Extensions (11th ed.). USA: Cengage Learning TR Jain, VK Ohri (2010). Introductory Microeconomics and Macroeconomics (7th ed.). India: V.K.Publications

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Trapped in the Darkness Essay -- Papers

Trapped in the Darkness It's dark, indescribably dark. Usually there's moonlight, artificial light, starlight, something, but not here; there's nothing. I try to move, but I am restrained. I listen, but I hear nothing. I smell but I smell only something clinical. If it wasn't for my heart pounding and my lungs racing to catch up, I might imagine I am dreaming, but I'm not. I'm not! I fearfully reach out with my right hand and, afraid of what I might find, I try to resist the temptation to clench my fist. With each centimetre I stretch comes a new level of terror. I reach further and further, shivering in anticipation of what I might find. Shivering allows me to feel the clothes I'm wearing and bringing with it the frightening realisation that I'm not wearing the jeans and shirt I was last night. I'm dressed in something quite different. I bring my hand back, from its outward reach, to touch my waist: it feels like a jacket. I slide it up to my neck. I feel fabric: it's a bowtie. I'm in a suit. I rarely wear suits. Reluctantly I force my hand to resume its search for a clue to where I am. It's an unspeakable dread, not to know what I might find. I reach out my hand. Thud. It hits something. I hesitantly stroke the face of the object that it met. I reach out in another direction. Thud. And then I reach out in another. Thud. Increasingly alarmed by this feeling of being trapped I rub the surfaces with my hand, hoping they will yield some clue to my situation. I feel all around me, but it's futile. My sense of desperation mounts. Realising that senses alone won't help me I try to remember what I did last night. It was my bi... ...ain. There is a slight jolt and I'm stationary. Thank God! There's a low hum, like the hum of machinery, and I'm moving again, but not rocking this time. This time the movement seems quite linear, and as I begin to relaxÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ There is a roar, like the roar of a furnace which causes my heart to quicken, my lungs to race and my mind to panic. Tiring of this torture, I just want it to end. It's hot. My God it's hot! I begin to perspire; the air thins and I gasp for oxygen. My feet blaze, and suddenly I realise that this is no nightmare; this is no illusion. I scream in agony. Aware of the inferno approaching my feet, I start to convulse, fitting in a futile effort to break free from my constraint. Flames rupture the coffin that restrains me, and the foul smell of burning flesh is masked by the inevitability of death. Trapped in the Darkness Essay -- Papers Trapped in the Darkness It's dark, indescribably dark. Usually there's moonlight, artificial light, starlight, something, but not here; there's nothing. I try to move, but I am restrained. I listen, but I hear nothing. I smell but I smell only something clinical. If it wasn't for my heart pounding and my lungs racing to catch up, I might imagine I am dreaming, but I'm not. I'm not! I fearfully reach out with my right hand and, afraid of what I might find, I try to resist the temptation to clench my fist. With each centimetre I stretch comes a new level of terror. I reach further and further, shivering in anticipation of what I might find. Shivering allows me to feel the clothes I'm wearing and bringing with it the frightening realisation that I'm not wearing the jeans and shirt I was last night. I'm dressed in something quite different. I bring my hand back, from its outward reach, to touch my waist: it feels like a jacket. I slide it up to my neck. I feel fabric: it's a bowtie. I'm in a suit. I rarely wear suits. Reluctantly I force my hand to resume its search for a clue to where I am. It's an unspeakable dread, not to know what I might find. I reach out my hand. Thud. It hits something. I hesitantly stroke the face of the object that it met. I reach out in another direction. Thud. And then I reach out in another. Thud. Increasingly alarmed by this feeling of being trapped I rub the surfaces with my hand, hoping they will yield some clue to my situation. I feel all around me, but it's futile. My sense of desperation mounts. Realising that senses alone won't help me I try to remember what I did last night. It was my bi... ...ain. There is a slight jolt and I'm stationary. Thank God! There's a low hum, like the hum of machinery, and I'm moving again, but not rocking this time. This time the movement seems quite linear, and as I begin to relaxÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ There is a roar, like the roar of a furnace which causes my heart to quicken, my lungs to race and my mind to panic. Tiring of this torture, I just want it to end. It's hot. My God it's hot! I begin to perspire; the air thins and I gasp for oxygen. My feet blaze, and suddenly I realise that this is no nightmare; this is no illusion. I scream in agony. Aware of the inferno approaching my feet, I start to convulse, fitting in a futile effort to break free from my constraint. Flames rupture the coffin that restrains me, and the foul smell of burning flesh is masked by the inevitability of death.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Four

Ã¢â‚¬Å"Trust Bonnie to meet a cute guy on her first day at col ege,Ã¢â‚¬ Elena said. She careful y drew the nail-polish brush over Meredith's toenail, painting it a tannish pink. They'd spent the evening at freshman orientation with the rest of their dormmates, and now al they wanted to do was relax. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Are you sure this is the color it's supposed to be?Ã¢â‚¬ Elena asked Meredith. Ã¢â‚¬Å"It doesn't look like a summer sunset to me.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"I like it,Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith said, wiggling her toes. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Careful! I don't want polish on my new bedspread,Ã¢â‚¬ Elena warned. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Zander is just gorgeous,Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie said, stretching out luxuriously on her own bed on the other side of the room. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Wait til you meet him.Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith smiled at Bonnie. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Isn't it an amazing feeling? When you've just met somebody and you feel like there's something between you, but you're not quite sure what's going to happen?Ã¢â‚¬ She gave an exaggerated sigh, rol ing her eyes up in a mock swoon. Ã¢â‚¬Å"It's al about the anticipation, and you get a thril just seeing him. I love that first part.Ã¢â‚¬ Her tone was light, but there was something lonely in her face. Elena was sure that, as composed and calm as Meredith was, she was already missing Alaric. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sure,Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie said amiably. Ã¢â‚¬Å"It's awesome, but I'd like to get to the next stage for once. I want to have a relationship where we know each other real y Well, a serious boyfriend instead of just a crush. Like you guys have. That's even better, isn't it?Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"I think so,Ã¢â‚¬ said Meredith. Ã¢â‚¬Å"But you shouldn't try to hurry through the we-just-met stuff, because you've only got a limited time to enjoy it. Right, Elena?Ã¢â‚¬ Elena dabbed a cotton bal around the edges of Meredith's polished toenails and thought about when she had first met Stefan. With al that had happened since then, it was hard to believe it was only a year ago. What she remembered most was her own determination to have Stefan. No matter what had gotten in her way, she had known with a clear, firm purpose that he would be hers. And then, in those early days, once he was hers, it was glorious. It felt as if the missing piece of herself had slotted into place. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Right,Ã¢â‚¬ she said final y, answering Meredith. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Afterward, things get more complicated.Ã¢â‚¬ At first, Stefan had been a prize that Elena wanted to win: sophisticated and mysterious. He was a prize Caroline wanted, too, and Elena would never let Caroline beat her. But then Stefan had let Elena see the pain and passion, the integrity and nobility, he held inside him and she had forgotten the competition and loved Stefan with her whole heart. And now? She stil loved Stefan with everything she had, and he loved her. But she loved Damon, too, and sometimes she understood him Ã¢â‚¬â€œ plotting, manipulative, dangerous Damon Ã¢â‚¬â€œ better than she did Stefan. Damon was like her in some ways: he, too, would be relentless in pursuing what he wanted. She and Damon connected, she thought, on some deep core instinctive level that Stefan was too good, too honorable to understand. How could you love two people at the same time? Ã¢â‚¬Å"Complicated,Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie scoffed. Ã¢â‚¬Å"More complicated than never being sure if somebody likes you or not? More complicated than having to wait by the phone to see if you have a date for Saturday night or not? I'm ready for complicated. Did you know that forty-nine percent of col ege-educated women meet their future husbands on campus?Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"You made that statistic up,Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith said, rising and picking her way toward her own bed, careful not to smudge her polish. Bonnie shrugged. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Okay, maybe I did. But I bet it's a real y high percentage, anyway. Didn't your parents meet right here, Elena?Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"They did,Ã¢â‚¬ Elena said. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I think they had a class together sophomore year.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"How romantic,Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie said happily. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well, if you get married, you have to meet your future spouse somewhere,Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith said. Ã¢â‚¬Å"And there are a lot of possible future spouses at col ege.Ã¢â‚¬ She frowned at the silky cover on her bed. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Do you think I can dry my nails faster if I use the hair dryer, or wil it mess up the polish? I want to go to sleep.Ã¢â‚¬ She examined the hair dryer as if it were the focal point of some science experiment, her face intent. Bonnie was watching her upside down, her head tipped back off the end of the bed and her red curls brushing the floor, tapping her feet energetical y against the wal . Elena felt a great sWellof love for both of them. She remembered the countless sleepovers they'd had al through school, back before their lives had gotten Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ complicated. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I love having the three of us together,Ã¢â‚¬ she said. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I hope the whole year is going to be just like this.Ã¢â‚¬ That was when they first heard the sirens. Meredith peered through the blinds, col ecting facts, trying to analyze what was going on outside Pruitt House. An ambulance and several police cars were parked across the street, their lights silently blinking red and blue. Floodlights lit the quad a ghastly white, and it was crawling with police officers. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I think we should go out there,Ã¢â‚¬ she said. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Are you kidding me?Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie asked from behind her. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Why would we want to do that? I'm in my pajamas.Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith glanced back. Bonnie was standing, hands on hips, brown eyes indignant. She was indeed wearing cute ice-cream-cone-printed pajamas. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well, quick, put on some jeans,Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith said. Ã¢â‚¬Å"But why?Ã¢â‚¬ asked Bonnie plaintively. Meredith's eyes met Elena's across the room, and they nodded briskly to each other. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Bonnie,Ã¢â‚¬ Elena said patiently, Ã¢â‚¬Å"we have a responsibility to check out everything that's going on around here. We might just want to be normal col ege students, but we know the truth about the world Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the truth other people don't realize, about vampires and werewolves and monsters Ã¢â‚¬â€œ and we need to make sure that what's going on out there isn't part of that truth. If it's a human problem, the police wil deal with it. But if it's something else, it's our responsibility.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"Honestly,Ã¢â‚¬ grumbled Bonnie, already reaching for her clothes, Ã¢â‚¬Å"you two have a Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a saving-people complex or something. After I take psychology, I'm going to diagnose you.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"And then we'l be sorry,Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith said agreeably. On their way out the door, Meredith grabbed the long velvet case that held her fighting stave. The stave was special, designed to fight both human and supernatural adversaries, and was made to specifications handed down through her family for generations. Only a Sulez could have a staff like this. She caressed it through the case, feeling the sharp spikes of different materials that dotted its ends: silver for werewolves, wood for vampires, white ash for Old Ones, iron for al eldritch creatures, tiny hypodermics to fil with poisons. She knew she couldn't take the stave out of its case on the quad, not surrounded by police officers and innocent bystanders, but she felt stronger when she could feel the weight of it in her hand. Outside, the mugginess of the Virginia September day had given way to a chil y night, and the girls walked quickly toward the crowd around the quad. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Don't look like we're heading straight over there,Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith whispered. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Pretend we're going to one of the buildings. Like the student center.Ã¢â‚¬ She angled off slightly, as if she was heading past the quad, and then led them closer, glancing over at the police tape surrounding the grass, pretending to be surprised by the activity next to them. Elena and Bonnie fol owed her lead, looking around wide-eyed. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Can I help you ladies?Ã¢â‚¬ one of the campus security men asked, stepping forward to block their progress. Elena smiled at him appealingly. Ã¢â‚¬Å"We were just on our way to the student center, and we saw everyone out here. What's going on?Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith craned her head to look past him. Al she could see were groups of police officers talking to one another and more campus security. Some officers were on their hands and knees, searching careful y through the grass. Crime scene analysts, she thought vaguely, wishing she knew more about police procedure than what she'd seen on TV. The security officer stepped sideways to block her view. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nothing serious, just a girl who ran into a bit of trouble walking out here alone.Ã¢â‚¬ He smiled reassuringly. Ã¢â‚¬Å"What kind of trouble?Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith asked, trying to see for herself. He shifted, blocking her line of sight again. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nothing to worry about. Everyone's going to be okay this time.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"This time?Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie asked, frowning. He cleared his throat. Ã¢â‚¬Å"You girls just stick together at night, okay? Make sure to walk in pairs or groups when you're out around campus, and you'l be fine. Basic safety stuff, right?Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"But what happened to the girl? Where is she?Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith asked. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nothing to worry about,Ã¢â‚¬ he said, more firmly this time. His eyes were on the black velvet case in Meredith's hand. Ã¢â‚¬Å"What have you got in there?Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"Pool cue,Ã¢â‚¬ she lied. Ã¢â‚¬Å"We're going to play pool in the student center.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"Have a good time,Ã¢â‚¬ he said, in a tone of voice that was clearly a dismissal. Ã¢â‚¬Å"We wil ,Ã¢â‚¬ Elena said sweetly, her hand on Meredith's arm. Meredith opened her mouth to ask another question, but Elena was pul ing her away from the officer and toward the student center. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hey,Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith objected quietly, when they were out of earshot. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I wasn't done asking questions.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"He wasn't going to tel us anything,Ã¢â‚¬ Elena said. Her mouth was a grim straight line. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I bet a lot more happened than someone getting into a little trouble. Did you see the ambulances?Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"We're not real y going to the student center, are we?Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie asked plaintively. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I'm too tired.Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith shook her head. Ã¢â‚¬Å"We'd better loop back behind the buildings to our dorm, though. It'l look suspicious if we head right back where we came from.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"That was creepy, right?Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie said. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Do you thinkÃ¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â€œ she paused, and Meredith could see her swal ow Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Ã¢â‚¬Å"do you think something real y bad happened?Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"I don't know,Ã¢â‚¬ Meredith said. Ã¢â‚¬Å"He said a girl ran into a little bit of trouble. That could mean anything.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"Do you think someone attacked her?Ã¢â‚¬ Elena asked. Meredith shot her a significant look. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Maybe,Ã¢â‚¬ she said. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Or maybe something did.Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬Å"I hope not,Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie said, shivering. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I've had enough somethings to last me forever.Ã¢â‚¬ They'd crossed behind the science building, down a darker, lonelier path, and circled back toward their dorm, its brightly lit entryway like a beacon before them. Al three sped up, heading for the light. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I've got my key,Ã¢â‚¬ Bonnie said, feeling in her jeans pocket. She opened the door, and she and Elena hurried into the dorm. Meredith paused and glanced back toward the busy quad, then, past it, at the dark sky above campus. Whatever Ã¢â‚¬Å"troubleÃ¢â‚¬ had happened, and whether the cause was human or something else, she knew she needed to be in top condition, ready to fight. She could almost hear her father's voice saying, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Fun time is over, Meredith.Ã¢â‚¬ It was time to focus on her training again, time to work toward her destiny as a protector, as a Sulez, to keep innocent people safe from the darkness.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Footbinding in China Essay

Fashion and clothing has been part of cultures through out the world. Many cultures distinguish themselves from other cultures through their clothing. Since the beginning of time, people have been known to have three basic needs. These are food, clothing and shelter. Clothing has evolved from just plain bundles of leaves to cover the sensitive areas of a person to sophisticated dresses today. Clothing plays a big role in cultures and it also gives distinction to people with power or its social status. The social norm we have even in the ancient times is that women are inclined to be conscious of their fashion and clothing while men are less inclined to theses kinds of interests. Cloths have been used to showcase the prestige and wealth of people. In the ancients times, the chief of ancient villages wear the most extravagant and exotic cloths. The ChineseÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s emperor wore cloths made from the finest fabrics and most expensive materials in the world. That being said, nobility in the European regions also wore cloths with distinct designs as signs of their power and wealth. The importance of clothing involves also the battle of sexes. Women are thought to be cautious of their dresses or clothing. The female gender has been said to be the fashionable of the two sexes. According to Jennifer Craik, author of a book regarding fashion, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Women are fashionable but men are notÃ¢â‚¬ . Men on the other hand are more focus on the procurement of money and power. In medieval times, men used to be the ones doing business, finding jobs for their family and providing for the household. Women in return were domesticated and lived lives in service of their husbands. The value of clothing as a commodity is often times the one we see. Clothing provides more than just a need but it is also a part of our lifestyles. Clothing can give us various information. It can tell you if a personÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mood, personality and social status. People who are not that rich often donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t wear extravagant expensive cloths. People who are in big businesses and are rich wear nice and more expensive cloths. Ladies who are in the mood to have fun and mingle with men would wear revealing and sexy dresses. Women who are not in the mood to have fun would rather wear plain clothing that does not attract that big attention. Clothing plays big roles in various cultures. In China, there used to be a famous practice among Chinese families. In between the 10th century to the early 20th century the Chinese culture has a practice that involved little girls aged 4-7 to undergo a ritual called foot binding. The goal of the practice is to achieve a Ã¢â‚¬Å"lotus footÃ¢â‚¬ . Lotus foot is deformed foot in which foot binding was done. The start or origin of foot binding has no clear historical text that explains its beginnings. Stories from historians believe that a certain prince in the Tang dynasty had a concubine with little feet and it became a trend among people in that time to have small feet. Tang dynasty was famous for their dancers who had small feet. The practice was famous among the higher class societies in the Qing dynasty. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ã¢â‚¬ ¦many women in China did not bind their feet due to ethnic and class barriers. It remained primarily an elite upper-class until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuryÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Ko, 2002, p. 12). The foot binding practice is done by wrapping the childÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s feet until she is at an age of late adolescent. The feet are wrapped s tight that it will not allow the feet to grow over 6 inches in length. The result of this practice is permanent damage the feet of women who underwent the ritual. The foot is prone to infection and diseases. In the process of foot binding, the foot usually gets fractured and deformed. Women that were footbinded would walk in a manner where they would sway in a particular form while walking since they have deformed feet. The Chinese cultured was said to see this kind of walk as sexy and erotic. They call this kind of walk Ã¢â‚¬Å"lotus gaitÃ¢â‚¬ . The reason for foot binding is always a question even historians canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t give a definite answer. Some people say this practice is done to make sure the women who are subjected to footbinding will be forever dependent to their family or husband. We should also take note that the Chinese culture is famous for arranged marriage. This means that the family of the male usually buys or arranges the marriage of heir son to a girl even before they reached adolescent. The practice could signify the dependency and submission of the girl to her husband. For some who practices this kind of ritual, it is also a sign of chastity in the part of the girl. The main question now is if this kind of practice is a turn on and sexual fetish or not at all. Based on historical context, the Chinese culture in ancient times valued males over females. Emperors, traders, educated citizen etc were always males. Females were viewed as their sexual object and only left at home to be housewives. The male dominated society of China sees footbinding as a form of foot fetish. Foot fetish comes in a form of submission. Like many sexual fetishes, submission in Asian culture is one dominant fetish. For binding is not forced upon the female sex. In fact, it is usually parents that initiate this kind of practice so their daughter can get a good husband in the future. This practice is a kind of submission because it makes the females owned by their husbands or lover. The feet have been one of the fetishes of humanity. The shape and contour plus the fact that it is hidden make it more exciting in terms of sexual excitement. Many cultures see the feet as sexy and erotic. Foot fetish could also be the cause why footbinding started. It could be that Chinese culture in the past sees small feet and Ã¢â‚¬Å"lotus gaitÃ¢â‚¬ as seductive and sexually exciting. The foot binding ritual is a proof that the foot is also an erotic part of the body. We usually find things hidden or kept from us exciting. Like the breast and genitals, the feet of girls are also hidden most of the time. This is why footbinding is a form of erotism and a form of foot fetish. Fetishes come in various forms in different cultures and era. It just so happens that the foot fetish in ancient china used this kind of body modification to gratify their lust for foot fetish. Although many people protested even in the 10th century regarding this unnatural practice, the practice was done till the late 20th century. The practice became really popular because in the time when foot binding was rampant, husbands tend to choose girls with small feet. Mothers think that in order for their child to have husbands; they have to have small feet. The only way to prevent it from growing is to bind it. In a way, it is also being sexually attractive. To further explain this, our generation today sees women who are well endowed with nice breast as more attractive. Girls who are not endowed with nice breast opt to have breast enlargement surgery to be more confident and attractive. It has always been the battle of self-esteem. Girls who are inferior in terms of sexual attractiveness will most likely marry and have a partner in life. The foot binding practice is not far from cosmetics surgery today. As we know, humans are sexual beings. The feet is one part of the body we seldom incorporate with sex but the truth is that many people sees the feet as erotic and arousing. Many literatures tell us how the foot can elicit sexual energy. In Qing dynasty, they had a manual in which it teaches 48 different ways of playing with the feet. This clearly shows that erotism through the feet is one of the reasons why footbinding was done. There can be many reasons why footbinding is done. Erotism, foot fetish, battle of sexual attractiveness of women, a way to ensure the future of a girl through a marriage because of being sexually attractive or it can also be just culture itself. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ã¢â‚¬ ¦foot fetishes likens a woman with bound feet to a ballerina soaring on toes or a person wearing a six inch heelsÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Ko, 2002, p10. ) The fact that this kind of practice is not mandatory and they are done even by parents shows that this practice starts out to be not a submissive practice in nature but can turn into a form of submission later on. If a man marries the girl because he is attracted sexually with her feet then it can be said that the girl submitted to the husband due to her feetÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Ã¢â‚¬Å"attractivenessÃ¢â‚¬ . Another way of seeing this is that footbinding would not be a fad and practice if men in china did not show any inclination to girls with small feet. Today, footbinding is almost non-existent even in china. The Manchu had a campaign against it and it was seen as a bad practice. In the 20th century, the western countries created another foot fetish kind of fad. This is the high heeled shoes. Although footbinding is not similar to wearing high heels, some of the reasons of using high heels are the same as footbindings. The similarities of these practices are that both of them are sources of foot fetish erotism . Both footbinding and high heels gives emphasis on the beauty of the feet. It makes it more erotic and sexual. Wearing high heels makes women stick their buttock out and walks a sexy gait. Footbinding also makes women walk in a sexy gait. The differences of these two are quite more than their similarities. In terms of period of practice, the foot fetish is practices at the 9th century to 19th century. The high heels was started at around 14th century in France. The place and continent in which these were created was also different. It was an asian practice while the other is European or western. The permanency of wearing high heels ends after removing the shoe while footbiding is permanent. High heel shoes does seem to have lots of negative effects on the body especially the back but it can be helped by avoiding it. Footbinding is a permanent state. The damage done to the foot is irreversible and the pain is also far more than high heels. The decision of wearing a high heeled should depend on the person while mothers are the ones who decide if their daughter will be footbinded. Footbind tends to be a submission in nature while high heels can make women submissive or dominant in terms of nature of the wearing it. While there are similarities, footbinding and wearing high heels are different. It can be called modern day footbinding in terms of its erotic appearance but the permanent damage done by footbinding to please men is far too extreme. I would compare cosmetic surgery to footbinding more than wearing high heels. Today women undergo surgeries just to please their confidence that they are attractive to men. These practices make us realize that humans have the tendency to do extreme behaviors in terms of pleasing the other sex and society. In conclusion, after the removal of foot binding in china, women today in china does not need to undergo this kind of practice to be respected. They are seen to be equal to men and are starting to be a dominate proponent of social change. Women today are not anymore pressured to have small feet just to ensure men will like them. The image of women as sex object is slowly being replaced by great women who influence the Chinese society. Footbinding is part of ChinaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s ancient practices. It serves as a lesson that humans can do extremes things to their body just to please others. It is a part of chinaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s history that shows us how out world today understands and accepts that men and women are created equally and must be treated similarly. References Jackson, Beverly. Splendid slipper: A Thousand years of an erotic tradition. Ten speed Press, 1997. Ko, Dorothy. Every Step a Lotus: Shoes for bound feet. California: University of California Press, 2001. Leganeur, J. J. Ã¢â‚¬Å"All About Wearing High Heels. Ã¢â‚¬ 31 August 2003. Ã¢â‚¬Å"East (Chinese) Footbinding vs. West (French) High Heels. Ã¢â‚¬ 18 May 2008 . Levy, Howard S. The Lotus lovers:prometeus books. New York, 1992. Nosotro, R. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Change over time EssayÃ¢â‚¬ . 2000. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Women in ChinaÃ¢â‚¬ . 18 May 2008. . Riello, Gregorio and Mcneil, Peter. Shoes. Berg, 2006.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Is It Worth It essays

Is It Worth It essays Dexter King Confronts His Critics And Reveals His Dream There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Dexter King about his tight control of the King speeches, papers, and copyrights. In his new book, Growing Up King: AN Intimate Memoir, he confronts his critics and mournfully examines the effect his fathers death had on him as a child. Kings book describes in some detail the events of the night of April 4, 1968. Particularly about how he and his siblings were told by the Rev. Andrew Young about their father had been killed. Even to this very day it pains King to speak of the assassination. Now King is the CEO and president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolence Social Change. He has endured a considerable amount of criticism from the media and others who are uncomfortable about his decisions regarding the center and the licensing of his fathers papers. King has been accused of peddling his fathers legacy to the highest bidder. There is a public dispute over whether M. Kings papers will go to the Library Of Congress and whether the family will be compensated for the papers. Some say the papers should be donated to the Library. Other critics have charged that the King Center itself is not involved in contemporary civil rights issues and does not supported direct action methods of nonviolence. King says the intention of the center is to educate organization, not to be a direct action organization. King says the Center is educating people on M. Kings real message which is deeper than the I Have A Dream speech. ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

10 Companies That Offer Part Time Jobs With Benefits

10 Companies That Offer Part Time Jobs With Benefits Want or need to work part-time, but need benefits? Get the work-life balance you need while still being able to get health insurance. There are a growing number of big companies and corporations that are offering benefits to part-time employees- even retirement plans. If you need this kind of job, here are a few great places to look first.1. Barnes NobleSweet discounts aside, part-time employees at this bookstore megachain receive personal days, PTO, vacation time, holidays, and sick days after only 6 months of employment. There are also optional medical, dental, FSA, and 401(k) plans available (with 4% employer contribution).2. CostcoYouÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll have to wait a little longer than full-time employees here for benefit eligibility (180 days instead of 90), but this retailer offers a very competitive package- including even child care assistance, life insurance, and prescription medication discounts. And your premiums are withheld pretax.3. LandÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s EndLandÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s End offers a ton of benefits to part-time employees in its 300 stores or corporate headquarters. So go ahead and snag the home and auto insurance discounts, backup child care centers, employee purchase programs, and access to a group legal plan, lower-cost eye surgery, and of course the obligatory merchandise discounts.4. NikeAfter a year of working steadily at 20 hours or more each week, Nike employees are eligible for a health plan, basic dental and vision, plus a stock purchase plan, 401(k), PTO, long-term care insurance, and profit-sharing. And if you work 30 hours a week or more, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re eligible for the same benefits as full time employees.5. StaplesThis companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s part-time worker benefit plan doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act, but itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s better than nothing- and includes limited dental and vision, short-term disability, stock purchase, 401(k), employee assistance for child and elder care, and legal and professional services to employees whoÃ¢â‚ ¬â„¢ve worked 500 hours in a six month period.6. StarbucksStarbucks employees are all called Ã¢â‚¬Å"partners.Ã¢â‚¬ And if you work 20 hours per week or more, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re entitled to a benefits package specifically tailored to meet your needs. Work 240 hours in a three month period, and hand pick between comprehensive health care, discounted stock purchase, matching 401(k), educational savings, and time off. Plus, all eligible U.S. Starbucks Ã¢â‚¬Å"partnersÃ¢â‚¬ can earn an online BachelorÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s degree from Arizona State University with full or partial tuition coverage. And at bare minimum, all partners get an in-store discount, plus a pound of free coffee per week.7. UPSThis shipping companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s website boasts that it offers full-time benefits for part-time employees- from health care to tuition assistance, plus insurance programs, FSA, work life balance programs, etc. Part-time employees are also allowed to take advantage of their tuition assistance program called Ear n and Learn, which gives employees up to $5,250 per year with a lifetime max of $25k.8. Whole FoodsPTO, health and life insurance, and stock option retirement plans are but a few of the benefits offered to employees working 20 hours per week or more and have completed a probationary period. Not to mention: employees and their spouses/domestic partners get a 20%+ in-store discount.9. Trader JoeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢sYou have to be super friendly to land a gig here. But if you work 30 hours a week or more, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re eligible for medical, prescription, and dental coverage. If you only work 15 hours per week, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re still eligible for basic dental and vision, which is a sweet little bonus for relatively little time on the job.10. REIREI is just about as good as it gets. The REI Flex Plan is offered to any employees who work more than 20 hours per week, and gives core health services (preventative care, etc.) at no cost. It also pays for 85% of premiums for employee-only medical and dental. The Path Plan, for workers averaging 15 hours per week, covers 60%. A healthy lifestyle is important to REI, who believes that a healthy workforce is a strong workforce. Expect a rewards system of points for completing Ã¢â‚¬Å"health and stewardship activities.Ã¢â‚¬ Get healthy and get paid!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

This is a continuation of your first assignment. Imagine your company Essay

This is a continuation of your first assignment. Imagine your company does not currently have an ethics program and you believe - Essay Example Its aim, as far as workers are concerned, is to ensure that they work in a favorable environment that supports their career development and are treated with dignity. St. Louis Delights, though a small company when compared to international players in the chocolate industry, has a diversified workforce. The company is also committed to ensuring that it remains profitable and preserves cordial relationships with its suppliers. For the company, its stakeholders are a kind of extended family which it treats with respect. St. Louis Delights also strives to maintain the best possible service for all customers while actively looking for ways in which it can contribute to their further development. The community at large is guaranteed high quality food products and a commitment to meet and fulfill universally accepted ethical values. The company also aims to be a participant in the social as well as economical development of its community. The internationally known chocolate company, Mars, I ncorporated, has a group of five principles that it strives to adhere to in its operations in different nations. These include Mutuality, Quality, Efficiency, Responsibility, and Freedom (Karunakaran and Chatterjee, 2008). Mars Incorporated has also recently been recognized for its efforts towards ensuring that cacao harvesters in third world nations, who are its main suppliers, also benefit from the business. In West Africa, the worldÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s largest Cacao producer, Mars Incorporated has started programs such as the Ã¢â‚¬ËœSustainable Cocoa InitiativeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ to make it possible for poor farmers to operate sustainable businesses by increasing incomes along the cocoa chain of supply (Hosmer, 2008). Mars Incorporated also aims to meet other environmental preservation targets such as minimizing water use, and stopping the use of fossil fuels as an energy source in the next three decades. Other famous international corporations such as Barry Callebaut and Kraft Foods which took over C adburyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s, along with seeking to improve working conditions for third world suppliers, have also vowed to deal only in cocoa that is ethically sourced (Karunakaran and Chatterjee, 2008). All over the world, consumers, particularly in developed nations, are increasingly becoming interested in only procuring socially conscious products. St. Louis Delights is well aware of this and aims to make the necessary changes before the ethical market for chocolate grows too large to accept new entrants. Analyze ways ethical challenges affect your business and create a code of conduct for your company. Provide a rationale on how these specific codes enhance your companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s ethics program. St. Louis Delights, though not an international corporation yet, is aware of the conditions that most West African suppliers work with. The biggest ethical issue concerns the use of child labor; or, more specifically, child slaves. In West African communities where cacao is grown, poor children are used to harvest the crop without being paid in most cases (Karunakaran and Chatterjee, 2008). The children may be provided with a single meal as payment for their services. However, for them, as well as their parents, they may feel that this is adequate because they would not have any food otherwise. In places where they are paid, they receive extremely low wages. At present, there is no fail safe strategy that can be used to

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