Critical Analysis On De Tocquevilles Democracy In America Essays

Critical Analysis on De Tocqueville's Democracy in America subject = HIS 131 U.S. History I title = Critical Analysis on De Tocqueville's "Democracy in America" Alexis De Tocqueville's Democracy in America delves deep into how the American States and the federal government would grow politically and socially under the umbrella of democracy. He sees the United States as a unique entity because of how and why it started as well as its geographical location. De Tocqueville explains that the foundations of the democratic process in America are completely different from anywhere else on the globe. The land was virginal and the colonies had almost complete sovereignty from England from the very beginning because they were separated by an ocean and financial troubles. The people who came to America were the oppressed and unhappy in England and all were trying to find a place where they could start anew and create a political structure that would facilitate an individual freedom unlike anything that they had previously experienced in Europe. De Tocqueville believed that the nature of democracy in the New World rested within the fact that all of the emigrants were basically from the same social strata, resulting in the first new country where there was no preliminary basis for an aristocracy. "Land is the basis of an aristocracy?and? [in America] when the ground was prepared, its produce was found to be insufficient to enrich a proprietor and a farmer at the same t ime(41)." He saw that even the soil of America was opposed to the structure of an aristocracy. There were also outside influences lending unvoiced support for the creation of this new democracy. Being an ocean apart from its mother country, who at this time did not have the financial reserves to oversee its colonies, let the Americans govern themselves. If they had not had this sovereignty at the beginning America might have become something completely different than it is today, but that was not the case, so these emigrants now had a fertile place to plant their ideas of a country founded upon the many ideas of the Enlightenment. Another large influence was the lack of neighbors. America had no worries of guarding and protecting its borders because there was not anyone there who could pose a threat. They could put all of their energies toward the creation of their democracy. This democratic nation was to have no aristocracy and only one major division between its people: the North and the South. De Tocqueville saw two very different attitudes in these regions. The North and the South had conflicting views as to how they were going to advance themselves in the economic and political arenas. But the introduction of slavery into labor was the major conflict between the two. "Slavery?dishonors labor; it introduces idleness into a society, and with idleness, ignorance and pride, luxury and distress?The influence of slavery, united to the English character, explains the manners and the social condition of the Southern States(42)." With the advent of slavery, the South was creating a class system amongst themselves that would not exist in the other regions of the States. The few Southern founders were granted huge amounts of land with which to work, and instead of diving into the land themselves like the northerners did with their smaller pieces of land. They instead bought slaves and would eventually divide the country in a nasty dispute over their handling of affairs. He realized that the majority of the influences over public policy were the men in the North. They created the first public school system that was to be readily accessible to the majority of the people. The enlightened idea that every man should have access to knowledge was given exercise in this new nation, creating a highly learned society, but one that is not very intellectual. Schools teach specialized skills so that American can enter the work force as soon as possible, but gloss over any areas that have no value in work. Whereas in England, the few who do go on towards a higher education are actually being challenged and forced to expand their minds, higher education in America is available to many, but it is more specialized and very basic. This unlimited quantity, limited quality relationship is seem by de Tocqueville as an inherent part of a democratic society. This is because, "?there is no class?in which the taste for intellectual pleasures is transmitted with hereditary fortune and leisure and [wherein] ?intellect [is] held in honor(53)." Democracy is a facilitator of a blended society. The masses will be

Free Essays on Dextromethorphan(dxm) Cough Syrup Or Addictive Drug

Image this your teenager goes out for the night. He asks, â€Å"Could I have some money to eat later.† Of course you give him the money because he is leaving before supper. So you had him five dollars, thinking he will use the money to eat, but in fact he uses that five dollars and goes to the local Walgreens and buys a bottle of Robotussin DM. He then proceeds to drink a full 4 oz. bottle of cough syrup. Your probably thinking why would someone do that. Well because a lot of cough syrups have a drug called dextromethorphan, which can cause an experience that is compared to acid or PCP. Acid and PCP are illegal, but dextromethorphan is not and is easily accessible for a cheap price. Dextromethorphan should be illegal as well for obvious reasons. Dextromethorphan is more commonly known as DM or DXM. It acts as the main ingredient to suppress a cough. Dextromethorphan was brought into cough syrups in the 1960s to replace codeine. DXM is an opioid, which means it is part of a family of psychoactive drugs that have the effects of opium, but do not contain or are made up of opium. Although dextromethorphan is safe at recommended dosages, it is abused for recreational use to get a feeling of a â€Å"trip†(Erowid). Dextromethorphan is still legal for two main reasons. The main one being there is no substitute for DXM at the time. The reasons behind this are unknown because dextromethorphan has little medical research or studies on the drug. Codeine was made a prescription drug because of its addiction and abuse, but little is being done to do the same for dextromethorphan. The second reason is pharmaceutical companies do not want to lose a major part of their income because dextromethorphan works well. In recent years many companies denied the fact that dextromethorphan causes a psychedelic effect when abused. Although there have been some cough medicines that are no longer available in the United States. The main one is Drixoral Cough ... Free Essays on Dextromethorphan(dxm) Cough Syrup Or Addictive Drug Free Essays on Dextromethorphan(dxm) Cough Syrup Or Addictive Drug Image this your teenager goes out for the night. He asks, â€Å"Could I have some money to eat later.† Of course you give him the money because he is leaving before supper. So you had him five dollars, thinking he will use the money to eat, but in fact he uses that five dollars and goes to the local Walgreens and buys a bottle of Robotussin DM. He then proceeds to drink a full 4 oz. bottle of cough syrup. Your probably thinking why would someone do that. Well because a lot of cough syrups have a drug called dextromethorphan, which can cause an experience that is compared to acid or PCP. Acid and PCP are illegal, but dextromethorphan is not and is easily accessible for a cheap price. Dextromethorphan should be illegal as well for obvious reasons. Dextromethorphan is more commonly known as DM or DXM. It acts as the main ingredient to suppress a cough. Dextromethorphan was brought into cough syrups in the 1960s to replace codeine. DXM is an opioid, which means it is part of a family of psychoactive drugs that have the effects of opium, but do not contain or are made up of opium. Although dextromethorphan is safe at recommended dosages, it is abused for recreational use to get a feeling of a â€Å"trip†(Erowid). Dextromethorphan is still legal for two main reasons. The main one being there is no substitute for DXM at the time. The reasons behind this are unknown because dextromethorphan has little medical research or studies on the drug. Codeine was made a prescription drug because of its addiction and abuse, but little is being done to do the same for dextromethorphan. The second reason is pharmaceutical companies do not want to lose a major part of their income because dextromethorphan works well. In recent years many companies denied the fact that dextromethorphan causes a psychedelic effect when abused. Although there have been some cough medicines that are no longer available in the United States. The main one is Drixoral Cough ...

Chinese Economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chinese Economy - Research Paper Example of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations (Import/Export License System, 2008). International organizations have displayed keen interest in investing in China, notwithstanding its restrictive policies. China has displayed good business sense in spite of its negative political rhetoric. 400 of the top fortune 500 companies have invested in China. Cheap labor and improved working conditions appear to spur economic radiance. However, it is good to keep fingers crossed. Economic gains have yielded little political reforms. In case flight of foreign capital starts taking place there will be problems of unemployment and uncertainties in finance (Overall Evaluation of WTO Entry's Influence on China). While on the subject, it is also pertinent to remember China's growth is spurred by exports. Its domestic market may find it very difficult to survive should exports come down significantly or vanish altogether. For the moment, China faces little competition in the manufacturing sector, thanks to its political ideologies. China's imports and exports "China's major exports consist of machinery and transport equipments constituting to nearly half of the total exports. Another major portion of the exports comprise of textile, rubber and metallurgical products constituting to 18%. Chemical products, food, mineral and fuel materials made of up 10% of the total exports. There is an exponential increase in the machinery and transport equipments segment of the exports from a mere 5% to 47% in 2007" (China exports by category of commodities, 2010). "For year 2007, machinery and transport equipments made up the majority of the imports, accounted for USD 412 billion or 43% of total import volume. Next major imported products were chemical products which took 11.3%; mineral and raw material accounted for 11.0%; and textile, rubber and metallurgical products were 10.8%" (China imports by category of commodities, 2010). China's reputation as the number one manufacturer of world products today has enabled it capture myriad markets from all over the world, notably the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). Corporations in the US and the EU who found their fortunes dwindling in their own countries rose like the proverbial phoenix by establishing their enterprises in China. China's Economic System China's new-found euphoria as a major contributor may also prove to be a setback in certain quarters. As socialist economy, China observes the "rule-of-the-thumb" and cannot digest the principles of

Problems and Opportunities created by having too much data, and what Research Paper

Problems and Opportunities created by having too much data, and what to do about them - Research Paper Example Nowadays the business corporations are more and more concerned with the business data collection and analysis. In this scenario, the businesses are paying attention on effective data management and corporate analysis for better resource management and decision support. Additionally, the business corporations gather huge amount of data and process it in order to get business advantages. Sometimes this huge amount of data collection can cause various business and operational management issues. However, this huge amount of business data is a vital corporate resource that offers the business power regarding business management and future resource administration. In this scenario, some organizations gather data for the business and customer relationship management. Most of the business corporations are aligned toward the collection of customer data. Additionally, the one of the major reasons could be the evolution of online business marketing. This customer contacts and personal information can be used for business marketing. In addition, online business marketing is a less costly way of business marketing and overall promotions. This overall situation leads to better business and corporate management. In this scenario, there is need for customer permission in order to use customer data for business marketing process (LOHR, 2009).... In this scenario the huge business data collections are used through some OLAP, data mining and data warehousing based tools. These all tools and capabilities lead to better business data management and issues handling. In this way, the business management is able to well predict the business needs and requirements for the enhanced business decision management and future issues support. These all aspects are well matched for the business issues and problem management. In addition, these decision support tools are used to aggregate the business data to buildup and more summarized and concise business reports for the better business decision support and issues management (Laudon & Laudon, 1999). However, one of the major issues in this huge collection of data could be regarding data storage and management. Nowadays, the data storage is affordable, so the cost of data storage is not a big issue but this issue becomes critical when we need to backup terabytes of data. In retailing busine sses life WalMart that produce millions of rows of data each day, there is much harder for the business to store such data. In this situation the huge business data collection can be a big issue for the business (Trembly, 2010) and (Sperling, 2009). Another main issue with too much data collection is the data security. In fact, the huge amount of data can lead to more data leakages that can create some huge business damage and issue. In this situation there is need for a way through which an organization can better manage the business issues and aspects. In addition, they need to implement tight security mechanism that could ensure better business data management and issues handling (Laudon & Laudon, 1999). In case of too much data one more main issue is the business data

The importance of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise in the UK Essay

The importance of Entrepreneurship and Enterprise in the UK - Essay Example That is, this paper will analyze how these traits are visible, and how it had aided them to achieve success and reach top positions in their country. Entrepreneur is the owner who can create honor for the enterprise. That is, entrepreneur, as a ‘founder’ cum ‘builder’ can launch a new Enterprise from scratch by building a team. He/she can build his/her team by associating individuals who came from the same ‘stable’ like friends, work mates, family members etc and by recruiting new individuals with the right talent, knowledge and attitude. With this ‘living’ group, and the material things like capital, machines, infrastructure etc the entrepreneur cum leader embark on an organization. So, an entrepreneur is someone, who with inbuilt and also acquired leadership traits set ups a new startup to offer a new or existing product or service. The above graph shows that in United Kingdom young people are more likely to believe that entrepreneurship represents a good career choice and that it brings status. Also, it shows that younger people are less likely to believe that there is enough media coverage of new businesses. The successful entrepreneur has a range of personal skills, attributes and behaviours that go beyond the purely commercial. It is these attributes, this way of thinking and behaving that needs to be developed in our students if their entrepreneurial capabilities are to be enhanced. (Pg.360). The thing, that will be common to all these entrepreneurs, even though they live and function in different corners, is the good amount of leadership traits. Speaking about good leadership traits, the trait of having a good vision is one of the foremost ones. Actually, the vision that arises in the mind of the entrepreneur only initiates the process of entrepreneurship. And that mental picture or vision will

The Role Of Stereotyping In Fairytales English Literature Essay

The Role Of Stereotyping In Fairytales English Literature Essay Fairy tales have a great history in Europe and they were transmitted from the one generation to the other by oral speech, until the Grimm brothers decided to commit many of them, around 1815. The fairy tales stories are very important for childrens psychology, as psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim says, because they communicate with the unconscious of the child, through their secret messages, like the battle between the good and the evil, where the good always wins. So, the children feel more hopeful and ready to pass through the difficulties that emerge in their lives (Salkind, 2004). Fairytales contain material that influences a lot the feelings and the cognition of children. Contemporary research has shown they are not coming into the world as black slates, but they bring reflexes, predispositions and capacities, with their birth. Although schemas, the cognitive structures, that represent organized knowledge about a given concept or stimulus, that influence perception, memory and inference, (Hewstone, Stroebe Stephenson, 1997, p.617), are transmitted to them through the contact with their guardians and the society (Hewstone et al., 1997). Another effect of fairytales is the elongation of some schemas, specially those that concern gender. There are three types of schemas, according to Baron and Burne (2009); those that have to do with persons, with roles and with events. The role schemas, that are correlated with specific social roles, concern the way that people act and are like. Gender identity is one of the major role schemas that people cope with (Baron, Branscombe Burne, 2009). Gender roles affect the behavior of men and women throughout their life, social and personal. Some characteristics of the male stereotype is that the man is able to be a leader, aggressive, forceful, competitive, independent, individualistic and defending his own beliefs. On the other hand, woman is affectionate, compassionate, shy, soft-spoken, tender, she loves children and she is sensitive to the needs of others. Men are also considered as the owners of their family and like the head of the wife. Stereotypes like that have still their place in many religions, but are also tought to the children through the fairy tales. Women are still presented as followers of the active male figures or helpless with the need to be rescued. Children attain the meaning of gender identity, the fact that they are boys or girls, by the age of two and between the ages of four and seven, they realize that the gender is a basic attribute of the person. As they grow up they come in contact with the stereotypes that concern what it means to be male or female, and they are enforced by their environment to show these traits Children also, learn gender stereotypes very early in their life. By the age of two they know to accord stereotyped behaviors and traits with each gender and at the ages between three and six, they seem more strongly sex stereotyped than adults. Furthermore they are convinced that these stereotypes are true. In particular, in the research of Urberg (1982, cited in Golombok Fivush, 1994), it was found that children espouse unconditionally the gender stereotypes at the age of five, but at the age of seven they become more conciliatory. Another finding of the same research was that children tend to stereotype oth er children more than stereotype adults. In another study of Haugh, Hoffman Cowan (1980, cited in Golombok Fivush, 1994), it was shown on a screen to two groups of children of three and five year old, a shortcut with two twelve month infants playing. The children of the first group were told that the infant on the left was male, and on the right female, and to the other group the opposite. Both groups described the babies labeled as males, with characteristics like big, mad, fast, strong, loud, smart, and hard, while the female labeled as small, scared, slow, weak, quiet, dumb, and soft. As for the predictions that children can make about the preferences of the two sexes, in the study of Martin (1989, cited in Golombok Fivush, 1994), it was found that children of all ages tented to predict the characters interest about some toys, based on his or her gender. But only the younger children relied absolutely on this trait. It seems that younger children are more categorical with gend er stereotypes, and the gender of an individual is determinant for his or her characteristics and habits (Baron, Branscombe Burne, 2009, Golombok Fivush, 1994). The research about the gender roles in fairytales, has shown that even though women represent more than the half percent of the population, they are represented much less in childrens literature. Research during 60s decade found that women were underrepresented in a big amount in the book titles, central roles and the illustrations of popular childrens stories. After the political changes of the decades of 70s and 80s, it was found that women are better represented in childrens literature, but the male characters were represented double times. When a woman had a leading role was described as the males that had the same character. But when she had a secondary role, she was described with the traditional characteristics, as passive and depended (Golombok Fivush, 1994, Godden Godden, 2001). Furthermore, it was found by a research of DeLoache et al., cited in Golombok Fivush, 1994, that children get in contact with the gender stereotypes not only through the characters of their stories, but also by the way that their parents present the gender roles, while they are reading them a book. In particular, mothers that were reading a book to their children were presenting the 90% of the characters with unknown roles as males. Also, when they were asked to read a picture book with bears of indetermined gender, the 62% of them represented the bears to their children as male and a small percentage, about the 16% as female. It was also observed that the bears that were labeled as females, where those that were not been presented to interact with other bears (Golombok Fivush, 1994). According to the Banduras Social learning theory, cited in Cole Cole, 2002, gender is formed by social factors. He supported that the childs behavior is formed by that one of the others and specific by parents behavior, through the learning processes of reinforcement and observation or imitation of a model. Other factors responsible for socialization can be the teachers, the peers and generally the people that get in contact with the child, without underestimating the role of media, like tvs and children readings (Cole Cole, 2002). It has been observed that parents provide to their children except of patterns of imitation, rewards, when the behaviors of the last are compatible with their gender and they punish them for the behaviors that are not accord with it. In the studies of Beverly Fagot, cited in Cole Cole, 2002, in families, it was found that the parents were praising their daughters when they were trying clothes, dancing, playing with their dolls, or when were following them and they were punishing them when they were exploring things, running and climbing around. Contrary they were praising their sons when they were playing with cubes and they were punishing them, when they were playing with dolls, giving or asking for help. These findings are also supported by other studies, like those of Langois Downs, cited in Cole Cole, 2002. Except of the rewards, it has been observed by studies that the fathers in contrast with the mothers, treat their sons much more different than their daughters. More specifically they were considering boys as more strong and taugh and they were enforcing them to do similar activities, while they were rating them more strict than their mothers when they were playing with dolls. Also, when the boys were between the age of two and twelve, they were becoming stricter, more equable, less affectionate and more directional than with their daughters. Furthermore, it seems that the pressure to the boys to conform to their gender role, is bigger than this one that touch girls. As a result the gender role of boys is more cohesive than for the girls, something that continues to exist in mens and womens roles, when the male characteristics and roles are acceptable for women, while the opposite is not acceptable. Another stereotypic role for women in fairytales is that they have to stay in silence. Its inappropriate for them to express their thoughts and claim for their rights. This could be like an insult to their husband and only evil women, like witches, are taught with these behaviors. The only way for the women in fairytales to speak is only after asking a mans permission. Its also common for the man in fairytales to hit his wife when she dares to interrupt him. Women can only express themselves by crying and show helpless (Afanasev, 1973, Bottigheimer, 1986). In Snow White, Brothers Grimm classic fairy tale, the female gender is represented in a negative way. Snow White is displayed as being frightened, naive and helpless, and the evil Queen, her stepmother, the only other prominent female character is a narcissist. Thus, after reading or hearing this fairy tale, society begins to mold into these stereotypes. This quote demonstrates what society considers to be womens role. These traits are presented when the huntsman spares Snow Whites life and when the Dwarfs expect Snow White to do house work in order to live safely with them. Although the queen ironically is very powerful in this fairy tale, she also falls into the stereotype for females. She only uses her power for negatives, rather than positives, scheming vindictive plots on Snow White throughout the whole story. In which, naive Snow White falls victim, not once but three times. The evil queen sends the huntsmen to kill Snow White. This setting introduces the readers to Snow White as a scared helpless girl, a typical expected role of a female (Zipes, 2000). Although there are exceptions, the rule is that a woman has to lose her voice and her identity in order to provide a place in the society for herself. There are specific gender roles in the classic fairy tales that state that the men have the voice and the women are to be collateral. In the classic fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, the character of the seventh daughter is being taught what it is to be a woman. When she complains about grooming for her first trip above water, her grandmother remind her that someone cant have beauty without paying a cost. A woman must be beautiful and must suffer for the cost in silence. Silence is repeated throughout the tale as being a virtue. The mermaid suffers the pain and blood of her feet and the cutting out of her tongue as to be with her love, even though the man does not want her in return. The Disney version of this tale also shows Ariel learning about the importance of outward beauty and suppression. Ursula convinces Ariel that she doesnt need her voice in the human world. She has her beauty, her lovely face and she can use her body language. A woman can live in the mans world, only if she will lose her opinion. At first, Disneys Ariel seems not to follow the typical stereotype role for a woman. She is active, curious and rebellious sometimes. However, when she falls in love, her independent character, transforms into a dependent woman that only wants to become the wife of her beloved man. Moreover she decides to sacrifice her voice, as to become a human, and leave her underwater kingdom to live next to her man (Bell, Haas, Sells, 1995). Another example of the importance of women silence, is in the story of The Merchants Daughter and the Slanderer where the king decides to marry her only when it is mentioned to him that she is quiet and vestal. The value of silence is correlated with those of speech and power. Generally in fairy tales the speech comes from people that have authority, which most of the times are not the women. The women that appear to speak are evil, like witches, and only when they give a curse to their enemies, as it was mentioned before (Afanasev, 1973, Bottigheimer, 1986). Another stereotype in fairy tales, is that the mans role is to work and provide food to his family by this work. Besides that, in many fairy tales, the opposite fact happens. In Constantino Fortunato of Straparola, it is a woman, the mother Soriana, who provides the food to her three adult sons, who end helpless when she is dead. Their only way to survive is to use the items she left them and because they do not have any qualifications for work they become dependent on other people. Because of the fact that they have never worked, they do not appreciate the people who help them and they forget each one when a new person who can help them appears. And thats what Constantino does when is been ensured to him the marriage with the princess. In this fairytale the sons are completely dependent on their mother who has the main character in that. She is described as a very poor woman who had three sons, a description that appears in many points of the story. The important to notice is that never this family is been demonstrated as a poor family, but there is only a really poor mother and her sons. The sons are not considered as independed members of this family and they are not responsible for their poverty, even though they are old enough to have a job. They stay sideliners even when their mother is dead. Their only way to survive is to wait for their neighbors to ask them to borrow some of the items their mother left and give them something in return. When Constantinos brothers get a sweet like a gift from their neighbors they eat it by themselves and they dont keep anything for him but only advice him to ask the cat for help. That is what happens and the cat begins to provide everything to the young man, even his marriag e with the princess. When he becomes a prince he has to face many responsibilities but even in that time he denies to do it and continues to count on womens of the palace help (Zipes, 2000). Another common characteristic for the women in fairy tales is their passivity. Most of them when they find themselves in trouble, are waiting for a male to rescue them and dont take the situation in their own hands. In the story of The Footless Champion and the Handless Champion the sister of the family has to endure every day the minatory visits of a dragon, without doing anything to protect herself like to escape, but only waiting for her brothers to come back from a hunter travel, to save her (Afanasev, 1973). Another message that fairy tales give to women is that disobedience to men and possible will for power will be strict punished. The womans role is to serve the husband and do the housekeeping. In the Mayoress fairy tale, the woman explains to her husband her intention to become mayoress and he decides to punish her with some elder men. Because of her inability as a mayoress she spends the public money and then its impossible to collect the taxes in time. Even though she makes efforts to control the situation, the Cossack decides to punish her by beating her. The meaning of this story is that this woman should never desire a position of power and disobey her husband. Generally this story teaches women to stay allegiant to the authority of their husband and also men that women are incapable for positions that have to do with the public affairs and power. Beauty is another value that is overestimated in fairy tales. Usually we meet in their pages, young and beautiful girls to be chosen by men with power, but ugly and much older, like what happened in Beauty and the Beast and the ugly girls to be rejected not only from men but also from society. It is also common that the beauty is correlated with traits, like honesty, purity, virginity, delicacy and modesty. Beauty is also a virtue that has to be well protected from the world outside and be well guarded like a treasure. In the story of Dawn, Evening and Midnight the king watches his daughters during all day not allowing to anyone else to see their beauty. He doesnt even leave the sun or the wind to touch them. It is obvious that he adores his daughters only because they are extremely beautiful. It is not only the beauty that determine a wedding but also the ability of woman for reproduction. More specifically, it is the ability of the woman to make male children. It is considered as an ability of the woman to control the sex of her child, something that does not correspond to the contemporary knowledge and when she fails to make a boy, she is usually considered as cursed or worthless and she is driven away from her husband. This is obvious in the Singing Tree and the Talking Bird, when the king chooses his future wife only after she promises him to make three children, two males and one female. No other traits are more decisive than this, like the worth of a woman is considered first of all, with her ability of reproduction (Afanasev, 1973). It seems that even nowadays fairytales attribute to women the stereotyping traits of their gender, like passivity and silence, and to men those of power and courage, as it was shown through the fairytales of Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Ariel and The Footless Champion and the Handless Champion. Although there are traditional fairytales like Constantino Fortunato, that shows the woman in a position of power, this one of the head of the family and modern, that describe their heroine with some male characteristics, like Ariel of the Little Mermaid, who is independed and curious, before falls in love with a man, it seems that social sciences have to make a lot of efforts to modify the gender stereotypes in children literature (Zipes, 2000, Afanas ev, 1973).

Sir Gawain Speaks :: Essays Papers

Sir Gawain Speaks This monologue represents an exercise in creative writing. It was created to convey something that Sir Gawain might say: Sir Gawain I am, and I am very pleased to meet you. I've just returned from the Green Chapel where I suffered the most humiliating experience at the hands of the Green Knight. I did my best to uphold the code of chivalry by being courteous, truthful and loyal. Somehow I let my guard down and failed. And yet, the Green Knight and my companions of the Round Table laughed at my situation. For some reason they do not see that I've failed; instead they seem to think that I've just been human. But I still feel that is no excuse... You see, the Green Knight showed up at Uncle Arthur's New Year's celebration and offered a challenge. Uncle Arthur was going to take it. But I, being the weakest, thought the loss of my life would be less great. I took the challenge to uphold the honor of the Round Table. I struck the Green Knight and off his head rolled. But he just picked up his head and rode out of the hall. I guess it was then I knew I was in trouble. A year passed quickly, and it was time I set out to meet the Knight to receive the return blow. On Christmas Eve I found myself a welcomed guest at the castle of Sir Bercilak. The whole time I was there I was unable to put my impending death at The Green Chapel out of my mind. Bercilak and I had a deal that whatever we won each day, we would turn over to the other. He hunted furiously while I rested at the castle. Each night he offered me the fruits of the hunt while I offered him no more than the kisses I received from his wife, which leads me to my next point. Bercilak's wife was so insistent! I was constantly conscious of her feelings, and I tried to rebuff her with the utmost courtesy. After all, I did not want to be rude.

Deportation Essay

What has our nation come to? Separating children from their parents. Aren’t children in America a number one priority? It’s clear that illegal immigrants looking for an immigration reform is a huge issue, there are many things holding our nation back from giving the ones in need one. Perhaps, Terrorist Threat, Economic Reasons & even Violence. However, it’s time that justice has to be made for those who come to this country to make a better future for their families. Over a decade illegal immigrants have been discriminated, being called â€Å"illegal aliens† and mistreated for only coming to this country to give their family a better place to live. It is unfair how adults are trying to build up a better life for themselves, having children in this country and getting deported. This affects children in many ways emotionally & mentally. It is obvious that America has been deporting these â€Å"aliens† as easy as one, two, three just thinking about their benefit but not thinking of the children who are being separated from their parents. The government believes keeping illegal â€Å"aliens† out will prevent Terrorist attacks and Economic issues, when the truth is they are only affecting our own nation. Deportations leave many U.S.-citizen children with unauthorized parents in foster care, â€Å"often for no other reason than the undocumented status of a parent,† at a cost of nearly $26,000 per year for each child. Nowadays the cost of deporting a single person back to their native homeland reaches tens of thousands. Instead of the government saving up money, they are only wasting it on an issue that can simply be solved if we understood the magnitude of how complicated is to deport people back to their countries. Daily, unauthorized immigrants live in constant fear of deportation, which creates a large number of single mothers struggling to make ends meet after the deportations of their husbands most of the time. Many families struggle day by day, to make the money they make in working in fields or as house  keepers. Illegal immigrants are people who are desperate for a better life they are people who are thinking of the better life they can have for their children, it is simply not fair that we deport them leaving them no chance to ever come back and/or start over and help their kids. They are also humans like us that deserve respect and an opportunity to live and seek for their own dreams. Many people who agree that deportation is something that must be done haven’t been through or seen what immigrants have been through and that’s why it makes it so easy for you guys to say yes they should be kicked out of the USA. How would you feel if other countries didn’t want you in their country either? What if the US was much more poor and you couldn’t find a decent job anywhere here how would you feel? A various amount of people are simply racist or immature, they don’t realize how much stress these illegal immigrants have in their back, to push their families forward. My mom came here for my sake. Here I am getting an education, I’m in high school, doing a speech on â€Å"Illegal Immigrants Shouldn’t Be Deported.† It has made me realize I have a really good life here. I’m a junior, perceiving my dream to go to college and become part of the strategic response unit. My mom is the one supporting me along the way since we’ve been here, she’s a perfect example of an honest immigrant worker who I look up to because she came here to give me a better future. My mom left everything behind in search of a better life for us but also to send money to our family back in El Salvador. Many Immigrants leave for a whole lots of reasons, jobs, money, housing, you name it. I dare say, I know a few that are willing to do jobs that nobody I know will even think about. So now they have gone through a lot to get here, what have they done? Found a job to provide for a family. Why send them back to something they are trying so ba dly to get away from? If you don’t want them to be a drain on society, let them find a job somewhere and pay taxes, give them a set of rules to live by? Why be the bad guy and say you can’t live here we don’t want you? Seems kind self-defeating if you ask me. The US helps every country on the planet to fight its battles, eliminates the bad guy, helps the downtrodden, but a few people that come across the border is a problem? Immigrants shouldn’t be deported when they came here looking for a better life. What do you have against them? Illegal immigrants are the huge part of the economy. If we stop  deporting them we can realize that they take jobs no one else would take (janitors, gardeners, farmers, garbage cleaners, cleaners, nannies, textile mill workers†¦Etc.) They are important labor. Also, most don’t do anything wrong†¦Just seeking a better life. If they work, they should be paying taxes like the rest of the American people. And plus, deporting them is only going to cost more money. So why send them back when they can take on jobs here that other people wouldn’t normally do? Not only does it benefit them, it can benefit us, well, financially. This being said, I am here standing up for not only the illegal immigrants who are being deported daily but also for children who are separated from their parents and are affected in major way. Preventing Deportation, and just letting honest illegal immigrants work here and be with their families is what should be done. Taking special measures to keep them here not only for their own benefit but also for our nations own good to prosper and build up a better place for everybody. Therefore, I can’t wait for the day illegal immigrants will stop fearing of being deported back to their countries and being separated from their children. I look forward the day my mom could leave this country without a fear of not coming back. I look forward the day my mom will see her family after being here 10 years now. I look forward the day there will be equality for every ethnicity.

Spain and Devolution Research Paper Example

Spain and Devolution Research Paper Example Spain and Devolution Paper Spain and Devolution Paper Of the three states Spain has by far the most difficult regional problem; it has also in place the the most radical of the regionalising projects. Spains regional problem has two interrrelated dimensions: that of persuading the two principal unassimilated peripheries Catalonia and the Basque region to accept the state, and then drawing on the resources of these regions to support development in the other regions. These goals are contradictory and it has been a difficult balancing act. Insofar as it has been successful and its ultimate success is still in uestion it is been due in considerable part to the commitment of the Spanish centre and the principal regions to ever wider European and international contacts (Gibbons, 1999, 35). The case of Catalonia is instructive. In the past thirty years, Catalan economic development has gone hand in hand with cultural nationalism, increasing linkages with the EU and with the wider world. The Catalan language has achieved predominance in public life in the region, in education, and in the communications media. The regions economic success and Barcelonas restige as a major European city give the Catalan government a prominence on the European stage and extra clout in negotiations with the centre. Catalonias increased external orientation is welcomed, not simply for the economic and cultural benefits it brings, but because it lessens the linkages with the Castillian centre. The extent to which Catalan nationalism is now content with its status as a nation-without-a-state (Keating, 1996) or the extent to which it is moving towards greater independence perhaps, at least initially, within a federal structure s a matter of some debate among scholars. What is clear, however, is that the increasing political freedom of the region, its increased prosperity and the reinforcement of Catalan identity has not overcome its ambivalence about being part of the Spanish state. One expression of this is resentment of the level of Catalan financial transfers to the central exchequer. This resentment is all the greater when it compares its fiscal powers with those of the Basque country. The challenge which such a high level of regionalisation has posed to the Spanish state, and deolgically to those strands of political opinion which believe in the essential unity of Spain, is considerable. In Catalonia the central state has effectively lost the cultural initiative and the re-establishment of Catalan as the first language has deepened the extent to which it is a place apart. At the same time autonomisation has not brought an end to violent Basque separatism. There are conflicts between centre and region about the extent of the regional powers the Spanish state, for example, has repeatedly challenged Basque industrial policy in he European Court of Justice (Loyer, 1999). There is tension around matters of protocol, for example welcoming of international statesmen, visits abroad, which have seemed to the state to be taking over the proper role of the sovereign state (Basset, 1998). Finally, there is competition between the regions around the extent of their powers which produces a dynamic towards ever greater autonomisation Catalonia looks for equivalent financial autonomy to the Basque country, and Andalucia will accept no less autonomy than Catalonia, and so on. At the same time the pace of development in the other regions remains slow. Further evidence that devolution becomes more popular with the passage of time is provided by the Spanish experience. As in Britain in the 1990s, the strong demands for autonomy in some Spanish regions in the late 1970s were not paralleled in the rest of the country, where there was no clear support for devolution. Yet, by 1996, opinion polls suggested that three-quarters of Spaniards felt either that the existing degree of autonomy granted to the regions should be maintained or enhanced. Furthermore, these responses appear to be underpinned by a strong degree of identification with the respective autonomous communities. In the same opinion poll just over two-thirds of respondents reported either that they identified only with their autonomous community or as much with their autonomous community as they did with Spain. In Spain, a complex sharing of functions between the national, regional and local levels of government has evolved since the late 1970s. Figure 3 shows that central government in Spain has exclusive powers over areas such as defence and macro-economic management but that it shares responsibility for many functions with the autonomous communities, including housing, social welfare and economic development. Similarly, local government is charged with functions such as land-use planning and community safety while also sharing responsibility with the autonomous communities in a number of areas, such as local transport and sports and leisure facilities. European experience therefore suggests that any decision regarding the powers to be devolved to regions is not simply a one-off re-allocation of functions between tiers of government. Rather, devolution triggers a dynamic process of bargaining between regional and national government over responsibilities and resources. Aside from the tendency for this to result in regions acquiring more functions, the other clear message to emerge is regional authorities, once established, will push strongly for greater autonomy, particularly in the management of their financial affairs. In Italy the regions lobbied strongly for tax-raising powers from 1983, eventually securing limited powers in this area in 1990. Similarly, the Spanish autonomous communities have claimed a rising share of income tax revenues, with some regions securing a greater degree of financial autonomy from the centre than others: in Catalonia 32 per cent of public expenditure is now controlled by the regional government, compared to an average of 25 per cent in Spain as a whole. Indeed, of the cases considered at the conference, only the Spanish regions could make any reasonable claim to being significant contributors to regional economic performance since they do at least share significant responsibility for economic development with central government. However, time-series data on economic performance in Spain suggest that regional economic disparities have only narrowed marginally over the past 15-20 years. Whether this modest decrease in regional disparity can be attributed specifically to the activities of regional governments, rather than, say, to national economic policy or the beneficial impact of Spanish membership of the EU, remains an open question. The staggered emergence of regionalism in the UK does have something of a parallel in the Spanish case. Following the transition to a democratic regime in the late 1970s, the new Spanish constitution provided for twin-track devolution. Under this framework, regions with strong nationalist claims for devolution were allowed to move quickly towards such arrangements. Thus, Catalonia and the Basque Country introduced regional government in 1979, followed in 1981 by Galicia and, largely on political grounds, Andalusia. The remaining 13 autonomous communities were then introduced in 1982-83. The principle of a two-speed process of devolution has since been maintained, with subsequent bargaining between central government and individual autonomous communities enabling regional governments in areas such as Catalonia and the Basque Country to take greater control over their own affairs. While the Spanish case suggests that asymmetric devolution is an option for the UK, it leaves open the question of what might happen if the English regions fail to embrace regional government. Asymmetric devolution would seem to be an appropriate response to the problem that there are different levels of aspiration to self-government. However, experience in Spain also implies that a staggered process of devolution will need to be supported by national co-ordination mechanisms which ensure that regions slow to move towards regional autonomy are not disadvantaged and are encouraged to be part of a consensus on how devolution should proceed.

Market Structure Essays

Market Structure Essays Market Structure Essay Market Structure Essay We can classify firms by the roles they play in the target market: leader, challenger, follower, or nicher. Suppose a market is occupied by the firms shown in Figure 1. 1. Forty percent of the market is in the hands of a market leader; another 30 percent is in the hands of a market challenger; another 20 percent is in the hands of a market follower, a firm that is willing to maintain its market share and not rock the boat. The remaining 10 percent is in the hands of market nichers, firms that serve small market segments not being served by larger firms. . 1. Market Leader Many industries contain one firm that is the acknowledged market leader. This firm has the largest market share in the relevant product market, and usually leads the other firms in price changes, new-product introductions, distribution coverage, and promotional intensity. Some well-known market leaders are Microsoft (computer software), Intel (microprocessors), Gatorade (sports drinks), Best Buy (retail electronics), McDonalds (fast food), Gillette (razor blades), UnitedHealth (health insurance), and Visa (credit cards). . 1. 1Market Leader’s Objectives Remaining number one calls for action on three fronts. First, the firm must find ways to expand total market demand. Second, the firm must protect its current market share through good defensive and offensive actions. Third, the firm can try to increase its market share, even if market size remains constant. 1. 1. 1. 1 Expanding The Total Market The dominant firm normally gains the most when the total market expands. If Americans, for instance, increase their consumption of ketchup, Heinz stands to gain the most because it sells almost two-thirds of the countrys ketchup. If Heinz can convince more Americans to use ketchup, or to use ketchup with more meals, or to use more ketchup on each occasion, Heinz will benefit considerably. In general, the market leader should look for new customers or more usage from existing customers. NEW CUSTOMERS Every product class has the potential of attracting buyers who are unaware of the product or who are resisting it because of price or lack of certain features. A company can search for new users among three groups: those who might use it but do not (market-penetration strategy), those who have never used it (new-market segment strategy), or those who live elsewhere (geographical-expansion strategy). Starbucks Coffee is one of the best-known brands in the world. Starbucks is able to sell a cup of coffee for $3 while the store next door can only get $1. And if you want the popular cafe latte, its $4. Starbucks has more than 7,200 locations throughout North America, the Pacific Rim, Europe, and the Middle East, and its annual revenue for 2002 topped $3. 3 billion. Its corporate Web site gives a peek into its multipronged approach to growth. Starbucks purchases and roasts high-quality whole bean coffees and sells them along with fresh, rich-brewed, Italian style espresso beverages, a variety of pastries and confections, and coffee-related accessories and equipment- primarily through its company-operated retail stores. In addition, Starbucks sells whole bean coffees through a specialty sales group and supermarkets. Additionally, Starbucks produces and sells bottled Frappuccino ® coffee drinks and a line of premium ice creams through its joint venture partnerships and offers a line of innovative premium teas produced by its wholly owned subsidiary, Tazo Tea Company. The companys objective is to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. To achieve this goal, the company plans to continue to rapidly expand its retail operations, grow its specialty sales and other operations, and selectively pursue opportunities to leverage the Starbucks brand through the introduction of new products and the development of new distribution channels. MORE USAGE Usage can be increased by increasing the level or quantity of consumption or increasing the frequency of consumption. The amount of consumption can sometimes be increased through packaging or product design. Larger package sizes have been shown to increase the amount of product that consumers use at one time. The usage of impulse consumption products such as soft drinks and snacks increases when the product is made more available. Increasing frequency of use, on the other hand, involves identifying additional opportunities to use the brand in the same basic way or identifying completely new and different ways to use the brand. In some cases, the product may be seen as useful only in certain places and at certain times, especially if it has strong brand associations to particular usage situations or user types. To generate additional usage opportunities, a marketing program can communicate the appropriateness and advantages of using the brand more frequently in new or existing situations and/or remind consumers to actually use the brand as close as possible to those situations. The wine industry launched a number of initiatives in the late 1990s to attract Gen-Xers and convince them wine was a casual, every day libation to be drunk like bottled water, beer or soda. Another potential opportunity to increase frequency of use is when consumers perceptions of their usage differs from the reality of their usage. For many products with relatively short life spans, consumers may fail to replace the product when they should because of a tendency to overestimate the length of productive usage. One strategy to speed up product replacement is to tie the act of replacing the product to a certain holiday, event, or time of year. Another strategy might be to provide consumers with better information as to either: (1) when the product was first used or would need to be replaced or (2) the current level of product performance. Each Gillette Mach3 cartridge features a blue stripe that slowly fades with repeated use. After about a dozen shaves, it fades away, signaling the user to move on to the next cartridge. The second approach is to identify completely new and different applications. For example, food product companies have long advertised new recipes that use their branded products in entirely different ways. Given that the average American eats dry breakfast cereal three mornings a week, cereal manufacturers would gain if they could promote cereal eating on other occasions- perhaps as a snack. Product development can spur new uses. Chewing gum manufacturers are exploring ways to make nutraceutical products as a cheap, effective delivery mechanism for medicine. The majority of Adams chewing gums (number two in the world) claim health benefits. Aquafresh and Arm Hammer are two dental gums that both achieved some success.

Reasons for Surfing the Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reasons for Surfing the Internet - Essay Example   For younger people, the Internet is very important in terms of the opportunities it creates to socialize. People can stay in contact with their friends, follow events in their friends’ and families’ lives, meet new friends and even join communities of similar people, with the same beliefs and ways of thinking (Finn, 2009, website). They also join social networking websites such as Facebook in order to remain current with their social groups. This is the first category of reasons for surfing the Internet according to this essay, but importantly, it does not only apply to younger people: socializing on the Internet also applies to all groups of people, no matter their age. Older people use Facebook and other more business-oriented networking sites such as LinkedIn to grow their connections to people in the same industries as theirs, or in the same social circles as theirs. Many families stay in touch via technology such as Skype, when they cannot physically be togethe r. They have conversations across the world and are able to see each other and communicate more effectively via the Internet. There are also very legitimate sites for people to meet each other for relationships, such as dating sites, or less specifically for emotional relationships, community forum sites, where people who have common characteristics can meet and share ideas in cyberspace. This category of people who use the Internet is therefore wide, and cuts across age, status and nationality groups in society.... They have conversations across the world, and are able to see each other and communicate more effectively via the Internet. There are also very legitimate sites for people to meet each other for relationships, such as dating sites, or less specifically for emotional relationships, community forum sites, where people who have common characteristics can meet and share ideas in cyberspace. This category of people who use the Internet is therefore wide, and cuts across age, status and nationality groups in society. While there is some danger for people in that they could meet sexual predators or con artists in this way, the Internet still provides a major source for many people of the need to socialize with others. A second category of reasons for Internet surfing is due to the amount of information that can be found on the World Wide Web. From students at schools and universities, to professional people and businesspeople, many people use the Internet to find the information that they n eed to do what they need to do. Very credible sources of academic knowledge are available on the Internet and more and more universities and schools are advising students to do research in this way. While some sources are not well-substantiated, many academic journals, the best magazines and newspapers, encyclopedias, and textbooks can all be sourced on the Internet. This method of research definitely saves time, and makes it possible for people to keep up to date with knowledge in their fields, complete academic courses and even find out how to repair their cars! Although not strictly Internet surfing, it is even possible for people to publish their research and writing on the World Wide Web. This group of

Misuse or new use of radiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Misuse or new use of radiation - Essay Example Earlier, good results were obtained with radiation therapy using grenz rays or superficial x-rays but since such machines are not commonly available now, this modality of treatment is no longer used. This study describes the use of megavoltage radiation with good results. The study involved treatment of nine patients with chronic vesicular dermatitis on their hands, feet, or both, with megavoltage radiation. All patients were refractory to conventional treatments. Six of the nine patients had both their hands and feet treated, while two patients had their hands treated, and one patient had the feet treated. For treatment of the hands, the patients stood at the side of a linear accelerator couch and placed their prone palms on a one centimeter of bolus on the couch. Another one centimeter of bolus was placed on top of the hands. An isocentric anterior-posterior and posterior-anterior technique with 6 MV photons, with field size ranging from 19 Ãâ€" 23 cm to 38 Ãâ€" 24.5 cm was used. The center of midplane between the two pieces of bolus received the radiation dose, with radiation dose prescription depths ranging from 1.0 to 2.5 cm from the patients skin surface (2.0 to 3.5 cm from the bolus). For treatment of feet, the patients lay supine on a linear accelerator couch and reverse on the table. With the knees bent, the feet were placed in a water bath having a one-centimeter bolus. An isocentric right and left lateral technique with 6 MV photons, with field size ranging from 14 Ãâ€" 28 cm to 24 Ãâ€" 34 cm was used. The radiation dose was prescribed to the isocenter with the radiation dose prescription depths ranging from 10.5 to 12.5 cm. The radiation dose given was 1,200 cGy in 8 fractions for 8 patients and 900 cGy in 6 fractions for one patient. Treatments were given twice per week, either on Monday and Thursday or on Tuesday and Friday. An improvement was seen in all patients during