An eater's manifesto Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An eater's manifesto - Essay Example We don’t realize that in the sizzle of our steaks there is the suffering of animals, the mining of our topsoil, the slashing of our forests, the harming of our economy, and the eroding of our health. We don’t hear in the sizzle the cry of the hungry millions who might otherwise be fed. We don’t see the toxic poisons accumulating in the food chains, poisoning our children and our earth for generations to come. But once we become aware of the impact of our food choices, we can never really forget (Robbins, 57). There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to making our food choices. One of the biggest nutritional problems plaguing America today is the issue of obesity. One of the factors is a high intake of food that is high in saturated fat. Our bodies can make all the saturated fat we need, so we don't need to eat any of it. That's why saturated fat can be in the bad category—because we don't need to eat any of it, and it has undesirable effects in cardiovascular disease. In the United States and other developed countries, saturated fats come mainly from meat, seafood, poultry with skin, and whole-milk dairy products (cheese, milk, and ice cream). A few plant foods are also high in saturated fats, including coconut and coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. Saturated fats boost total cholesterol by elevating harmful Low Density Lipoprotein. Like all dietary fat, saturated fat also raises the protective High Density Lipoprotein. Unsaturated fat is much preferable since it lowers the bad cholesterol and raises the good. When picking what to eat, take into consideration the amount of cholesterol and saturated fat you are putting into your body. Another thing to consider may be, for meat eaters, where the meat is coming from. There is the issue of the morality of eating meat. Animals have rights, and no matter how humanely an animal is treated in the process, raising it and killing it for food remains morally wrong. There is yet the issue of animal cruelty. More than 16 billion are killed for food every year in the US alone. They are neglected, mutilated, genetically manipulated, put on drug regimens that cause chronic pain and crippling, transported through all weather extremes, and killed in gruesome and violent ways. Even so called â€Å"free-range† animals are often mutilated without the benefits of painkillers; kept in filthy, disease-ridden sheds; forced to endure long trips to the animal slaughterhouse without food or water; and killed in the same way as animals from factory farms. It’s important to know whether the meat you are eating is from a reliable source. In addition to this, the world’s meat addiction is poisoning and depleting our drinking water, arable land, and clean air. More than half of the water used in the U.S. goes to animal agriculture, and since farmed animals produce 130 times more excrement that humans do, the runoff from their waste greatly pollutes our waterways. Not only does raising animals for food gobble up precious resources and produce tons of waste, it also steals food from hungry people. Raising animals for food is extremely inefficient.   For every pound of food that they eat, only a fraction of the calories are returned in the form of edible flesh. The problem comes in when people stop caring about all these issues and just eat for the sake of pleasing themselves. While eating one day, I found myself wondering about the people who had grown the vegetables on my plate. What were their lives like?

Bmw Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Bmw Swot Analysis Essay Logo-BMW’s white-and-blue logo is recognizable worldwide, and recalls the company’s start as an aircraft engine manufacturer. It symbolizes a pilot’s view through a propeller as alternating white and blue segments. †¢Most successful multi-brand premium car manufacturer-BMW has three brands, BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce. They delivered 141,952 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce automobiles in 2007 and sales increased by 7. 4% from the previous year. †¢Super luxury Rolls Royce car-The Rolls-Royce phantom holds the number one position in the super-luxury car segment. The Phantom was launched in 1993, and the final assembly, as well as all-wood and leatherwork are custom made for each customers individual specifications. The plant where they are produced, the Goodwood plant in England, contains only two robots to paint the space frame body; all other work is done by hand, in keeping with the Rolls-Royce tradition. †¢Spends one of the highest revenues on R;D-BMW Group employs about 8,000 people worldwide within the research ; development (R;D) network and has invested millions of dollars over the years. They employ engineers, designers, model builders, computer experts, and scientists of various disciplines FIZ co-ordinates and optimize research activities across the group to create the BMW cars of the future. †¢Brand-BMW ranked in the top 20 most recognized global brands. BMW is now the only multi-brand automaker that utilizes a pure, premium brand strategy. The objective behind this strategy is to generate higher income per vehicle on the basis of products with a high intrinsic value and a strong brand image. Their brand ranked number 15 in 2006. Longevity-Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) was formed in 1916 after two small aircraft engine manufacturers merged. In 1923, BMW began to build motorcycles, then its first car in 1928. †¢Driving School-Many manufacturers have associations with driving schools; BMW runs its own. The BMW Performance Center, adjacent to the BMW Manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, attracts owners and prospects from around the country for an ultimate br and experience. †¢Sales-BMW is one among the leading players in the premium cars segment. It achieved a record sales volume of 1,373,970 units in 2006. BMW is ranked among the ten largest car producers globally. Awards/Recognition-Reflecting BMWs commitment to developing quality and innovative products, the company has been honored with several awards in the past. For example, BMW was presented with the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany in February 2006 for the BMW 6 Series Coupe and Convertible models. Presented by the German Design Council, the award was the highest official German design award. Following this, the MINI model of the company won the Golden Steering Wheel 2006 award in seven out of 15 categories, ten days ahead of its official market launch in November 2006. Formula 1-BMW won its first Formula 1 championship in 1983 using a four cylinder, 1. 5-liter production based engine. Of course it was turbocharged and could develop well over 1,000 horsepower, some say over 1,500 for short periods of time. BMW continues to field a Formula 1 team because it provides the ultimate in competition and thus the ultimate in learning for BMW. †¢Excellence through quality innovation-BMW Group’s success is its strategic focus on developing customer-friendly innovations, coupled with an approach to innovations management that is unique within the motor industry Customize your own car-BMW has the option of seeing a sample of the car you’d like by selecting different options such as the color of interior design and exterior design, the wheels, the model etc. †¢Intelligent processes-the COSP(Customer oriented sales and production process) bases production on the customer’s customized version and not by company standards. They employ 70,000 workers in 23 different locations to build the customized cars. A customer can change or alter the options and style of the car right before it goes into production. †¢Environment-friendly-BMW considers environmental and recycling requirements. They use recycled products to build cars. They have environmental standards for all the plants throughout the world. They build cars that lower the amount of fuel consumption. †¢Superior technology and development of new products BMW is doing this is by developing a hybrid engine as part of a global alliance. The aim of this development is known as a â€Å"two-mode† hybrid vehicle, combining a combustion engine with two electronic engines. This design is aimed towards improving the performance, fuel consumption, emissions and range of conventional hybrid vehicles. The primary goal of modern hybrid systems is to save fuel. †¢Commitment to customers BMWs’ main goal is to focus on getting the product to the customer as quickly as possible. BMW has a program known as the â€Å"Customer oriented sales and production process. † This way, the customer is able to make any last minute changes to the equipment and accessories they’ve ordered shortly before the vehicle goes to assembly-without delaying the date of delivery. †¢Design Work design process of building vehicles is done by California Innovation Triangle. This state of the art firm uses computers to help aid the process of design. The highlight of this facility is what the industry has begun to call â€Å"the model plate. † The model plate is a measurement system that transfers the contours of the object being scanned to computers where a 3D model is produced. The designers can then go in and make changes to the object through the computer in order to make the part as suitable for its intended use as possible. What makes this machine so rare is the size of object that can be scanned. The model plate can scan very large object, up to the size of an omnibus. With the use of this technology BMW and California Innovation Triangle are able to layout and design entire vehicles piece by piece. †¢Involvement in community South Africa serves as good example of BMW’s social commitment. BMW works to bring change from within by enacting equality in the workface, and investing not only in the business, but also in education, healthcare and recreational facilities for employees. The factory at Rosslyn, near Pretoria, evolved from a CKD facility to serve the old South Africa, into a sophisticated facility that is now part of BMW’s international production-distribution network. This risk BMW took provided South Africa the ability to export. And in 2002, the South African factory captured the J. D. Power and Associates gold award for initial production quality. †¢Environmental commitment BMW factories meet the demanding ISO 14001 environmental standards worldwide. This is not only true for the oldest BMW factory in the city of Munich and at 10 year old American plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, but also with new factories in emerging and less regulated markets like Thailand and Russia. Excellence through quality innovation-BMW Group’s success is its strategic focus on developing customer-friendly innovations, coupled with an approach to innovations management that is unique within the motor industry. From features like the twin-flat motorcycle engine, V-shaped overhead valves, and hemispherical combustion chambers introduced on the classics of the 1920s and 30s, to modern technology including ABS brakes, Xenon lights, smart airbags, the head protection system, Valvetronic and iDrive, BMW constantly reinforces its credibility as a premium manufacturer Management-Chief executive, Norbert Reithofer, who took office on September 1, will be seeking to build on the Bavarians’ global momentum. Reithofer has a brilliant track record as head of production, such as combining lean manufacturing and Japanese-like continual improvement with benchmark flexibility for a premium automaker which gives BMW a big cost advantage over leading competition and making it tough for competitors like Mercedes to gain any ground. †¢Young customer base-With the Mini and series 3, BMW has a significant dvantage of gaining younger and first time purchasers over other luxury brands. The youth market is critically important because if a young buyer chooses a particular brand for a first car, he or she is more than likely to buy others with the same name plate as they mature and move up in the market. Even though buyers in the 16-35 age category only accounted for a small percentage of overall sales it is important to gain there sales because as the old marketing principle goes it is easier to keep a customer than to gain new ones. WEAKNESSES †¢New Models-Is it really worth developing new models? It entails expenses along with shipping prices. Each day BMW is striving to produce and develop new cars to satisfy the customers. In the long run, who actually knows if these cars are going to be a big hit. The company might actually be wasting their time and money in producing a model that will not be worthwhile. When developing and producing cars it is important to decipher whether or not the car will become one that is popular on the market. †¢BMW’s heavy cost German base. -More and more competitors are shifting product development activities to lower cost countries. BMW could be forced to negotiate a way to maintain cost competitiveness and its reputation for German engineering excellence made in different countries. †¢Price-Another weakness of the BMW industry is getting the customers to buy these cars. Yes, the hybrid vehicle will save you fuel, but it will be so expensive that it might be hard trying to find customers to buy them at such a high price. Another reason the price of the vehicle is so high is because they are shipped across the United States and also come from a factory in Germany. The expenses of the vehicles and the shipping rate are two key weaknesses that many companies must work with. †¢Motorcycle Sales-The European market accounts for more than 60% of BMWs motorcycle sales on an average. The group is heavily dependent on this region with Germany being one of the largest markets for its motorcycles business. With the demand in Germany being highly inconsistent in the past six years, this high dependence on a particular region can have an adverse effect on the companys sales, during periods of demand stagnation in the region. For example, BMWs motorcycle sales in Germany declined by 9. % to 24,064 units in 2005, which further declined to 23,617 units in 2006. †¢Corporate image-too serious ad tradition-bound. †¢Hybrid Prices-These types of cars will save you a lot of money on fuel, but the problem BMW is having trouble with is pricing the hybrids. It would be hard for BMW to find customers that would buy the hybrids at a high cost. †¢Ship ment Cost-Most of the cars are shipped from Germany to the United States. The shipping cost would affect the price of the car. This is one the expenses that the BMW company’s would have to deal with in pricing their vehicles for the customers satisfaction. Online Strategies-BMW is not winning the â€Å"information war† in the market place about its own customers, their attitudes, complaints, wishes, etc. BMW is not operating in a manner, which acts to â€Å"include† its customers including their meeting and information sharing sources. Existing online efforts do not meet consumer needs. There is a lack of â€Å"human intelligence† and an over-reliance on visual marketing in BMW’s on-line strategies. †¢Dealer Networks-BMW’s dealer network is in the midst of great change. Overall basic product margins are down while business infrastructure requirements are up. Many dealers do not feel that the field reps are there to help them build their business but rather just to comment arbitrarily and deliver business change requirements from BMW headquarters. There is a problem with two way information flow in the distributor-dealer relationship. Dealers feel that they are not being listened to and are also not being serviced in critical areas of their business by BMWNA staff. †¢Management-Dealers want to be able to discuss key elements of their business given their limited capital resources. Given the size and nature of he motorcycle market many dealers feel that BMW’s current policies are overly restrictive to the healthy development of their business and that BMWNA should operate in a more flexible manner which could be seen as co-development of a dealer’s franchise not just top-down management by memo. †¢Changing Consumer Environments-Also, as it appears that BMW’s dealer strategy is to move to larger centralized â €˜corporate style’ stores, many of the smaller ‘mom and pop’ dealerships that historically or currently serve a key segment of the BMW owners/riders are being alienated and/or eliminated. By following this policy of upgrade or be eliminated BMW is removing both the habitat in which the consumers live as well as the knowledge base and support structure from which they engage in BMW oriented motorcycle commerce. OPPORTUNITIES †¢India-The Company has been launching several new initiatives and has been widening its product base since 2001. The company expects ample growth opportunities in India, and it is keen on expanding its bases in these countries. †¢The expansion of the euro. -In May 2004 more countries adopted the euro making it the world’s biggest trading block. This offers ample opportunities for BMW to leverage its strong European position in the premium car segment to gather more market share across new and expanding markets. †¢A Chinese luxury car market-Rigorous attempt to get into the Chinese luxury car market signifies an increase in the earnings of the company over the coming years. China already ranks as the third largest market for BMW’s 7 Series luxury limousines. BMW predicts that vigorous growth will place China among the company’s seven largest markets in a few more years. †¢Diesel Power-BMW foresees an immense opportunity in the diesel-powered cars segment. Tourism-the Zentrum building is located in South Carolina. This gives tourists the opportunity to take a look at the history of BMW, also at the cars, the speed and innovation free of charge. It is the only BMW museum in the United States. It is also located next to the only BMW manufacturing plant in the United States. BMW should take a look into bu ilding more museums throughout the world. †¢Expansion-although BMW is very successful they should think about expanding their manufacturing plants throughout the United States and other countries. They only have one location in the United States which is in South Carolina. †¢Have the best and most current technology-It is important for BMW to have the best research and development staff where they can keep the company up-to-date with technology. With the latest technology and supplies, BMW can create the best cars the fastest and most efficient way possible. †¢Broaden information sharing -BMW should broaden information sharing amongst their dealers, distributors, and factory. This will improve product repair knowledge resulting in improved customer service and satisfaction. Improve and run their business based on their business plan-Improving the capabilities of dealers to sell more BMW products in the marketplace through refinement of their business plan †¢Utilize the Internet more-Multiply the value of the ‘human capital’ in the BMW network by â€Å"e-knowledge† and â€Å"e-training. † †¢Better training of their salespeople-Deve lopment and implementation of business practices that harness the best of each individual dealer and make their unique market position/skills a valuable part of the entire network. Partnering with Sirius Radio-In 2005, BMW partnered with Sirius Satellite Radio to promote its new 3-serious car for 44 days. BMW used Sirius to promote its new car because the radio station had 1. 24 million subscribers and still growing. On the final day of promotion it broadcasted a live concert with various artists. †¢Acquiring Volvo-The chairman of BMW, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, is plan on expanding the business with a fourth brand name, Volvo. Although sales of Volvo has been slow in the North American and Europe, its brand name focuses mainly on safety and its fashion appeal is not attractive to the eye. BMW could help out by acquiring the company to make it a more global brand, also in the Asian Market. †¢Apple iPhone-The new Apple iPhone is one of the next best things of phones. It is a touch screen phone with a built in iPod. This would give BMW the opportunity to integrate the iPhone into their cars. †¢China market-An opportunity for BMW is the increase in the luxury automobile market in china. The most significant growth of the luxury market can be attributed to Jiangsu province which has created an 84 percent increase. Next to Jiangsu is Guangdong, making 79 percent recorded growth in the market. On the other hand, Zhejiang province also bagged a 54 percent increase. THREATS †¢Demand Patterns-BMW operates in an industry that is prone to cyclical demand patterns due to consumer wants and needs. †¢Currency-Any unfavorable trend in Euro valuation against major currencies can hurt BMWs performance. †¢Fuel Efficiency-While BMW continues to work on high performance, clean and efficient gasoline engines, the company is also committed to a green-house-gas- free hydrogen powered vehicle as a long-term strategy. At this time we have an active development program that will enable us still to bring to market a full size automobile, propelled with hydrogen, before the end of the decade. †¢The continuing decline of the dollar against the euro-This threatens to undercut BMW’s top-line thereby tempering its profitability. The euro to one-dollar ratio has dropped from 0. 702626 euros to 0. 690376 euros from October to November. †¢The rising price of raw materials -Materials such as steel threaten to offset the company’s earnings. BMW continues to face the rising cost of raw materials as the key challenge to maintain and improve their growth performance. The annual average market price of aluminum, copper and plastic rose by 34%, 76% and 13%, respectively, in 2006. Likewise, the price of industrial raw materials also increased by more than 30% in 2006. †¢Rising gas prices – with a weak U. S. market, steadily rising gas prices and gaining popularity in non-luxury vehicles there is the temptation to move down market.

Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace, by Amy Bruckman :: Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace

Ever since I have been in college my telephone has been shorting out every time I try to have a conversation with someone on it. It has been so aggravating! Especially when I am trying to talk and the person on the other line keeps saying, what, what...What did you say? It drives me crazy! Well when I got to college I was advised, and later informed, that it was a requirement to know how to use the Internet. So I signed up for an E-mail account. In high school I never used the computer for anything but assignments, but now I constantly find myself on line. I am either E-mailing friends far away, or talking to my family on IM (Instant Message). The Net has been most helpful to me when it comes to contacting others, especially since my phone doesnt work. Most importantly, I feel that the Net has brought my family and I closer together. After I read Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace, by Amy Bruckman, an essay explaining that to enjoy the Net we need to find our own place, our own communit y, so I realized that my community on the Net is E-mail, enabling me to talk to the people closest to me. The movie You've Got Mail starring, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, exemplifies how two people become closer through E-mail. Making it easier for people to connect in ways they always could, but never new how. Both the movie, Youve Got Mail, and Bruckmans Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace explore how the Net brings out a side of us that cannot be seen by the human eye. You've Got Mail is a love story about a man and woman who meet on the Internet and use e-mail to talk to each other. Although they havent met face to face they know so much about each other that if they were to meet, it wouldnt matter what the other person looked like. Hankss character owns a very popular bookstore that in turn makes Ryans tiny family bookstore go out of business. Therefore, Ryan hates Hanks throughout the whole movie. Everyday they seem to run into each other not knowing that the person(s) behind their face s are their soul mates. Little do they know the person they see everyday and the person that they despise is the same person they talk to every night when using E-mail or their I. Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace, by Amy Bruckman :: Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace Ever since I have been in college my telephone has been shorting out every time I try to have a conversation with someone on it. It has been so aggravating! Especially when I am trying to talk and the person on the other line keeps saying, what, what...What did you say? It drives me crazy! Well when I got to college I was advised, and later informed, that it was a requirement to know how to use the Internet. So I signed up for an E-mail account. In high school I never used the computer for anything but assignments, but now I constantly find myself on line. I am either E-mailing friends far away, or talking to my family on IM (Instant Message). The Net has been most helpful to me when it comes to contacting others, especially since my phone doesnt work. Most importantly, I feel that the Net has brought my family and I closer together. After I read Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace, by Amy Bruckman, an essay explaining that to enjoy the Net we need to find our own place, our own communit y, so I realized that my community on the Net is E-mail, enabling me to talk to the people closest to me. The movie You've Got Mail starring, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, exemplifies how two people become closer through E-mail. Making it easier for people to connect in ways they always could, but never new how. Both the movie, Youve Got Mail, and Bruckmans Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace explore how the Net brings out a side of us that cannot be seen by the human eye. You've Got Mail is a love story about a man and woman who meet on the Internet and use e-mail to talk to each other. Although they havent met face to face they know so much about each other that if they were to meet, it wouldnt matter what the other person looked like. Hankss character owns a very popular bookstore that in turn makes Ryans tiny family bookstore go out of business. Therefore, Ryan hates Hanks throughout the whole movie. Everyday they seem to run into each other not knowing that the person(s) behind their face s are their soul mates. Little do they know the person they see everyday and the person that they despise is the same person they talk to every night when using E-mail or their I.

Reaction About The National Sports and Physical Education Association Standards

The National Sports and Physical Education Association (NASPE) came up with the 3rd edition of the National Guidelines and Standards for the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) which provides programs with guidance on the 2008 Initial and Advanced national physical education teacher training standards. Below are the INITIAL PETE Standards and reaction or view about each category: 1. Scientific and Theoretical Knowledge. Physical education teacher candidates know and apply discipline-specific scientific and theoretical concepts critical to the development of physically educated individuals. This standard assures that the teacher candidate has the scientific bases which could explain the concepts critical to the progress of an individual. The elements which must be done by the teacher started in describing and applying the scientific concepts related to the movement, physical activity and fitness, followed by identifying historical, philosophical and social perspectives of physical education issues and legislation, then lastly, analysing motor skills and performance concepts. It is very important for the teacher to know what he is teaching to the learners. This will help the teacher find ways on how to attack or target and plan for a physical fitness activity that is very effective and scientific. This is the most important thing to provide effective and purposeful program for physical education. 2. Skill-Based and Fitness-Based Competence. Physical education teacher candidates are physically educated individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to demonstrate competent movement performance and health-enhancing fitness as delineated in NASPE's K-12 Standards. After having the knowledge about the bases of the concepts in developing physically educated individuals, a teacher candidate should also know how to demonstrate different movements and fitness activities. He must reach and maintain a health-enhancing level of fitness throughout the program. This is important in conducting variety of physical activities and maintain the level of fitness. It also stated that there should be no discrimination among the persons with disabilities. Teacher candidates with special needs are encouraged to modify or use different ways in providing physical activities. . Planning and Implementation. Physical education teacher candidates plan and implement developmentally appropriate learning experiences aligned with local, state and national standards to address the diverse needs of all students. This refers to the ability of the teacher candidate in designing, planning, managing and implementing learning experiences. Teacher should provide a progressive activities to meet the needs of the learners, especially today there is an increasing number of persons with a poor- healthy lifestyle. . Instructional Delivery and Management. Physical education teacher candidates use effective communication and pedagogical skills and strategies to enhance student engagement and learning. A physical educator must possess an effective verbal and non- verbal communication skills to encourage them to participate and get interested with all the planned physical activities. This is an effective avenue to promote fitness and wellness. A teacher who does not know how to communicate and deliver the competencies is not effective. Delivery and communication is a very important standard to make all the learners understand the importance of engaging to physical activities and enhance their abilities and skills. 5. Impact on Student Learning. Physical education teacher candidates utilize assessments and reflection to foster student learning and to inform instructional decisions. This standard refers to the employment of assessment and evaluation of the physical fitness activities. The importance of the assessments and reflection is knowing how effective the designed program or activities. It is also important to identify which part of the program needs to be improved and be adjusted. This helps the teacher to know the effect of the activities to the learners. 6. Professionalism. Physical Education teacher candidates demonstrate dispositions essential to becoming effective professionals. It is very important for the teacher to be a model of character/ behaviors, dignity and respect. Teacher must believe that all students can become a physically educated individuals. (REFERENCE: 2008 National Initial Physical Education Teacher Education Standards National Association for Sport and Physical Education ) In general, NASPE’s standards for the Physical Education Teacher Education will provide all the professional physical education teachers a guide and tool in achieving its mission- to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high quality physical education, sport, and physical activity programs. Physical Education teachers must be aware of this standards to properly direct the learners. Sadly, not all physical educators are familiar with these standards. The reason why, especially in our country, Philippines they see physical education as a non- academic subject and always given the less priority. As the head- teacher of our institution, I will make sure that all my physical education teacher will follow this standards.

Rebellion in Catching Fire

The Start of the Rebellion ?Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s stunt to win the last Hunger Games has inspired the beginnings of an uprising against the Capitol. This has put Katniss and her family’s life at risk. She tries to fix what she has started, and finds out she cannot; she then uses her influence to cause a rebellion in the districts. The author uses the protective control of the government and the rebellion to show what happens when a government takes citizens’ freedom away. ?Suzanne Collins became a popular writer with her series The Underlander Chronicles.Her fame has grown enormously from her newest series The Hunger Games. This series has made her quite famous. A movie has been made for the first book and one is also planned for the second book. Collins says her inspiration for writing is to entertain the youth (â€Å"Suzanne Collins†). ?In Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen is beginning a different type of life because she won the Hunger Game s. Katniss and Peeta Mellark faked a romance during the Hunger Games, and now they must continue this act so that the Capitol does not find out.President Snow greets Katniss at home before she goes off to tour the other districts, and he tells her that she and Peeta must sell this fake romance to all the citizens so that a rebellion does not begin. After the tour, she finds out she has not been able to prevent the rebellion. In a change of rules Peeta and Katniss must return to the Games. Peeta and Katniss team up with other tributes in order to survive. Haymitch saves Katniss in a hovercraft, because the rebellion has begun (Collins). ?Ever since Katniss had to support her family, she would go into the woods with Gale to hunt for food.They would go to the Hob and sell or trade their animals illegally. These activities were against the Capitol, but Katniss and Gale knew they had to support their families anyway they could. They used their time outside of the fences to talk about the Capitol and the injustices upheld against them. If the Capitol catches them they could be executed, but defying the rules for their families’ survival was more important. The author shows us that the reason for rebelling is to improve the lives of everyone (Collins). Before the uprising had ever begun, in the first Hunger Games which Katniss and Peeta participated in, they were the last ones left. Instead of killing each other they both grabbed poisonous berries and were about to eat them, until the Capitol stopped them and both were announced winners. All of the Districts saw this as an uprising against the Capitol. This gave the people of the districts the idea and courage to rebel (Collins). ? When the Capitol forces Katniss and Peeta to return to the games, they know it is to show that the Capitol is all-powerful.At their interviews, Peeta tells the audience that he and Katniss have already been married and that Katniss is pregnant. This news, although not true, makes th e audience furious. â€Å"The audience can’t absorb the news right away. It has to strike them and sink in and be confirmed by other voices before they begin to sound like a herd of wounded animals, moaning, shrieking, calling for help† the reaction of the crowd shows the intensity of the anger that the citizens have for the Capitol (Collins 145). Peeta has shown how unjust the Capitol is, and this alone might cause a rebellion among the districts.When Peeta comes back, all the tributes link hands in unity of the districts. This signifies that the districts are against the capitol. This unity of hands is a rebellion in itself (Collins). Collins uses symbols to add to her theme of rebellion. Collins uses these symbols to show the wrongs committed by a totalitarian government. One of the greatest symbols of rebellion used in Catching Fire is the mockingjay. Katniss wore a mockingjay pin in her first games, and since she the symbol of the rebellion, the mockingjay has bec ome a symbol for the supporters of the rebellion. The mockingjay symbol is a mockery of the Capitol.The bird comes from a jabberjay, a failed experiment of the Capitol, and a mockingbird. This symbol was unintentionally given to Katniss, but is a perfect symbol for the rebellion because it plays upon the faults of the Capitol. The strongest portrayal of this symbol is when Katniss’s dress turns into a Mockingjay. Katniss did not realize how important this symbol was to the resistance against the Capitol (Collins). ?Another significant symbol seen is the three finger salute. Katniss used this in her first Hunger Games in respect of Rue, a young girl from District 11 who was killed.On her tour of the districts, Katniss pays her respects to Rue in front of the townspeople of District 11. After her speech, â€Å"Every person in the crowd presses the three middle fingers of their left hand against their lips and extends them to me† (Collins 39). This sign of respect towards Katniss is also seen as dissent against the Capitol because this symbolizes a gesture that only District 12 uses. The townspeople did this because they respect Katniss and do not agree with the wrongs that the Capitol imposes upon them such as the Hunger Games (Collins). Catching Fire should be included in a list of works with high literary merit because the theme of rebellion is one that that is easily related to. The districts rebel because the tyrannical President Snow and the Capitol rule the districts with an iron fist. The citizens live in very poor conditions and without few freedoms. Readers agree with this theme because everyone wants to be free. The theme of fighting for a good cause against a cruel government is one that people of all races and religions can agree with, and is why Catching Fire should be included in a list of works with high literary merit.

Technology Essays (1907 words) - Apple Inc., NeXT, Free Essays

Technology Essays (1907 words) - Apple Inc., NeXT, Free Essays Technology There isn't hardly anybody around who can say their lives haven't been influenced by computers. Computers have all but taken over society as we know it. Everywhere you look, computers have greatly improved our lives. It can be as simple as going through a carwash, a computer processes the information that we feed it and adjusts the machine accordingly to give us the particular wash we paid for. Computers also play an extremely complicated role in one of the things that everybody uses in their everyday lives, our cars. Most people don't realize how much our cars have been taken over by technology, until they get the bill after one of these computers go out. Just about everything in a new car is controlled by a computer, a computer will read and recognize your driving patterns and adjusts how and when the transmission should shift from gear-to-gear so that you, as the driver, will get maximum performance from your car. In some vehicles, a computer will adjust how high the car rides from the ground. It lowers the car at highway speeds to make it more aerodynamic which will give you better gas mileage and makes the car easier to handle at these high speeds. The latest computer technology is an on-board navigational computer that will direct the driver into using the fastest and most efficient way to get to the destination. It will plan your route around any construction, traffic jams, and even inclement weather. If and when these cars break down, a mechanic will simply ask the car's on-board computer what is wrong, rather than having to go through a series of complicated troubleshooting tests. As I have clearly stated, computers have greatly improved something that most of us use every day. Another advantage of the computer that until recently I was unfamiliar with is the role of the computer in the workplace. I have worked at various jobs in my short existence on this earth. For the most part, the most technologically advanced any of them were was merely punching prices into a cash register, hardly a state-of-the-art process by any means. Most of the jobs I have worked at were more labor-oriented jobs, so I suppose that is why this is kind of a change for me. These days I wait tables at a local bar and grill. I have worked at restaurants like this before, but none of those places were dependent on a computer like this one is. For example, at my old job, when we took orders for drinks we scribbled it down on a sheet of paper and then threw it at the bartender along with another ten people so he could try and figure out just what the heck was written down. This process seemed to take forever. Now all I have to do is go to the computer, press a couple of buttons, and voila, the bartender gets a clear printout of what needs to be made. And with any luck, the drinks should be ready by the time I get to the bar. Needless to say I like the method of using the computer much better than the old way of writing everything down. This has also solved a lot of problems of the same kind in the kitchen, also. As having the experience of being a cook at one time, there was nothing that got on my nerves more than trying to read the handwriting of someone who had to take an order in a room filtering out more than 150 people making noise while trying to jot everything down as fast as they can. As you can probably imagine, this turns into a lose-lose situation for the people trying to work through all of this. The cook is mad at the server for not being able to write the order in plain English. The server is mad at the cook for always being so critical and not worrying about themselves. Eventually the person who is effected most by all of this is the customer. What happens is the cook finally just doesn't care about the order anymore and doesn't prepare a good meal, or the server gets ticked

Top 10 Womens Health Issues and Causes of Death

Top 10 Women's Health Issues and Causes of Death When it comes to womens health, what are the top 10 womens health issues you should be concerned about? According to a 2004 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the conditions described below are the top 10 leading causes of death in females. The good news is that many are preventable. Click on the headings to learn how to reduce your risk: 27.2% of deathsThe Womens Heart Foundation reports that 8.6 million women worldwide die from heart disease each year, and that 8 million women in the U.S. are living with heart disease. Of those women who have heart attacks, 42% die within a year. When a woman under 50 has a heart attack, its twice as likely to be fatal as a heart attack in a man under 50. Almost two-thirds of heart attack deaths occur in women with no prior history of chest pain. In 2005, the American Heart Association reported 213,600 deaths in women from coronary heart disease.22.0% of deathsAccording to the American Cancer Society, in 2009 an estimated 269,800 women will die of cancer. The leading causes of cancer deaths in women are lung (26%), breast (15%), and colorectal cancer(9%).7.5% of deathsOFten thought of as a mans disease, stroke kills more women than men each year. Worldwide, three million women die from stroke annually. In the U.S. in 2005, 87,000 women died of stroke as compared to 56,600 men. For w omen, age matters when it comes to risk factors. Once a woman reaches 45, her risk climbs steadily until at 65, it equal that of men. Although women arent as likely to suffer from strokes as men in the middle years, theyre more likely to be fatal if one occurs. 5.2% of deathsCollectively, several respiratory illnesses that occur in the lower lungs all fall under the term chronic lower respiratory disease: chronic obstructed pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Typically, about 80% of these diseases are due to cigarette smoking. COPD is of particular concern to women since the disease manifests differently in females than males; symptoms, risk factors, progression and diagnosis all exhibit gender differences. In recent years, more women have been dying from COPD than men.3.9% of deathsSeveral studies involving European and Asian populations have indicated that women have a much higher risk of Alzheimers than men. This may be due to the female hormone estrogen, which has properties that protect against the memory loss that accompanies aging. When a woman reaches menopause, reduced levels of estrogen may play a role in her increased risk of developing Alzheimers.3.3% of deathsUnder unintentional injuries are six major c auses of death: falling, poisoning, suffocation, drowning, fire/burns and motor vehicle crashes. While falls are of significant concern to women who are frequently diagnosed with osteoporosis in their later years, another health threat is on the rise accidental poisoning. According to the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Johns Hopkins, in a six-year study between 1999 and 2005, the rate of poisoning deaths in white women age 45-64 increased 230% as compared to the 137% increase experienced by white men in the same age. Diabetes3.1% of deathsWith 9.7 million women in the U.S. suffering from diabetes, the American Diabetes Association notes that women have unique health concerns because pregnancy can often bring about gestational diabetes. Diabetes during pregnancy can lead to possible miscarriages or birth defects. Women who develop gestational diabetes are also more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes later in life. Among African American, Native American, Asian American women and Hispanic women/Latinas, the prevalence of diabetes is two to four times higher than among white women.and2.7% of deathsPublic awareness of the dangers of influenza has spiked due to the H1N1 virus, yet influenza and pneumonia have posed ongoing threats to elderly women and those whose immune systems are compromised. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to influenzas such as H1N1 and pneumonia.1.8% of deathsAlthough the average woman is less likely to suffer from chronic kidney disease than a man, if a woman is diabetic , her chance of developing kidney disease increases and puts her equally at risk. Menopause also plays a role. Kidney disease occurs infrequently in premenopausal women. Researchers believe that estrogen provides protection against kidney disease, but once a woman reaches menopause, that protection is diminished. Researchers at Georgetown Universitys Center for the Study of Sex Differences in Health, Aging and Disease have found that sex hormones appear to affect non-reproductive organs such as the kidney. They note that in women, the absence of the hormone testosterone leads to a more rapid progression of kidney disease when they are diabetic. 1.5% of deathsThe medical term for blood poisoning, septicemia is a serious illness that can rapidly turn into a life-threatening condition. Septicemia made headlines in January 2009 when Brazilian model and Miss World pageant finalist Mariana Bridi da Costa died from the disease after a urinary tract infection progressed to septicemia. Sources:Deaths From Unintentional Injuries Increase For Many Groups. ScienceDaily.com. 3 September 2009.Estimated New Cancer Cases and Deaths by Sex, United States, 2009. American Cancer Society, caonline.amcancersoc.org. Retrieved 11 September 2009.Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2009 Update at a Glance. American Heart Association, americanheart.org. Retrieved 11 September 2009.Leading Causes of Death in Females, United States 2004. CDC Office of Womens Health, CDC.gov. 10 September 2007.Women and Diabetes. American Diabetes Association, diabetes.org. Retrieved 11 September 2009.Women and Heart Disease Facts. Womens Heart Foundation, womensheart.org. Retrieved 10 September 2009.Women More Likely To Suffer Kidney Disease If Diabetic. MedicalNewsToday.com. 12 August 2007.

Atomic Bombs and How They Work

Atomic Bombs and How They Work There are two types of atomic explosions that can be facilitated by Uranium-235: fission and fusion. Fission, simply put, is a nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus splits into fragments (usually two fragments of comparable mass) all the while emitting 100 million to several hundred million volts of energy. This energy is expelled explosively and violently in the atomic bomb. A fusion reaction, on the other hand, is usually started with a fission reaction. But unlike the fission (atomic) bomb, the fusion (hydrogen) bomb derives its power from the fusing of nuclei of various hydrogen isotopes into helium nuclei. Atomic Bombs This article discusses the A-bomb or atomic bomb. The massive power behind the reaction in an atomic bomb arises from the forces that hold the atom together. These forces are akin to, but not quite the same as, magnetism. About Atoms Atoms are comprised of various numbers and combinations of the three sub-atomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons and neutrons cluster together to form the nucleus (central mass) of the atom while the electrons orbit the nucleus, much like planets around a sun. It is the balance and arrangement of these particles that determine the stability of the atom. Splitability Most elements have very stable atoms which are impossible to split except by bombardment in particle accelerators. For all practical purposes, the only natural element whose atoms can be split easily is uranium, a heavy metal with the largest atom of all natural elements and an unusually high neutron-to-proton ratio. This higher ratio does not enhance its splitability, but it does have an important bearing on its ability to facilitate an explosion, making uranium-235 an exceptional candidate for nuclear fission. Uranium Isotopes There are two naturally-occurring isotopes of uranium. Natural uranium consists mostly of isotope U-238, with 92 protons and 146 neutrons (92146238) contained in each atom. Mixed with this is a 0.6% accumulation of U-235, with only 143 neutrons per atom. The atoms of this lighter isotope can be split, thus it is fissionable and useful in making atomic bombs. Neutron-heavy U-238 has a role to play in the atomic bomb as well since its neutron-heavy atoms can deflect stray neutrons, preventing an accidental chain reaction in a uranium bomb and keeping neutrons contained in a plutonium bomb. U-238 can also be saturated to produce plutonium (Pu-239), a man-made radioactive element also used in atomic bombs. Both isotopes of uranium are naturally radioactive; their bulky atoms disintegrating over time. Given enough time (hundreds of thousands of years), uranium will eventually lose so many particles that it will turn into lead. This process of decay can be greatly accelerated in what is known as a chain reaction. Instead of disintegrating naturally and slowly, the atoms are forcibly split by bombardment with neutrons. Chain Reactions A blow from a single neutron is enough to split the less-stable U-235 atom, creating atoms of smaller elements (often barium and krypton) and releasing heat and gamma radiation (the most powerful and lethal form of radioactivity). This chain reaction occurs when spare neutrons from this atom fly out with sufficient force to split other U-235 atoms that they come in contact with. In theory, it is necessary to split only one U-235 atom, which will release neutrons that will split other atoms, which will release neutrons ... and so on. This progression is not arithmetic; it is geometric and takes place within a millionth of a second. The minimum amount to start a chain reaction as described above is known as supercritical mass. For pure U-235, it is 110 pounds (50 kilograms). No uranium is ever quite pure, however, so in reality more will be needed, such as U-235, U-238, and Plutonium. About Plutonium Uranium is not the only material used for making atomic bombs. Another material is the Pu-239 isotope of the man-made element plutonium. Plutonium is only found naturally in minute traces, so useable amounts must be produced from uranium. In a nuclear reactor, uraniums heavier U-238 isotope can be forced to acquire extra particles, eventually becoming plutonium. Plutonium will not start a fast chain reaction by itself, but this problem is overcome by having a neutron source or highly radioactive material that gives off neutrons faster than the plutonium itself. In certain types of bombs, a mixture of the elements Beryllium and Polonium is used to bring about this reaction. Only a small piece is needed (supercritical mass is about 32 pounds, though as little as 22 can be used). The material is not fissionable in and of itself but merely acts as a catalyst to the greater reaction.

Judaism 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Judaism 1 - Essay Example This statement fits a theological statement since logic and theology clash with each other. This statement is inclined towards faith rather than a legal statement. The second key element commandment is to learn Torah and to teach it to others. No doubt, Torah is a vital book in Judaism as it tells Jews about past events. For Jews, there is no â€Å"old testament,† as the New Testament is no part of Jewish scripture. With any sacred text, interpretations vary as Jews from traditional to modern. For instance, the concept of interest, can very amongst scholars on what interest really is defined as. Is it consider to be interest to charge money on money or making a profit through a product? This is again is a theological statement since Torah is a sacred text that is not considered as law or implemented as law. It is not an educational context text per se, but is regarded highly in Judaism as a sacred and the only true text. Hence, it’s a theological statement and not a mor al or a logical statement. Another key component that is part of 613 Commandments is being keen in prayers. For observant Jews, prayer is vital in their religion. Prayers should be done with right intention, clarity and observance. The law means that a Jew who is keen in his prayers will reach salvation in my opinion. The law means that Jews to acknowledge the bounties of God, must be engaged in his remembrance.

Magazine Exceptionalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Magazine Exceptionalism - Essay Example 2008). In the text under consideration, David Holmes proceeds to cite the examples of some important magazines that can be attributed largely the honor of altering the social dimensions and the way people thought. The most relevant example in this context is the magazine Sassy, which was targeted at the teenage girls and originated in Australia in the 70s (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). Eventually the Australian publishers took this magazine to America. The magazines catering to teenage girls until now were utterly conservative and modest in their approach to teenage issues (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). However, Sassy with its liberating content, revolving around the issues like teen sexuality and the erotic aspects of teenage girls' personality, played a pivotal role in changing the social norms (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). So much so, the other contemporary teenage magazines also started modifying their content to meet the competition posed by Sassy (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). The one other important magazine that brought to the forefront the economic and cultural aspects of contemporary cinema was Esquire, published in the late 70s (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). ... Primarily, the magazines as a media form are very close to the masses (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). In contrast, other media forms like the print and broadcasted media prefer to retain a journalistic distance from the society (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). Secondly, people look to the contents in the magazines as catalytic and proactive, which not only intends to inform them, but also stimulates them to act and respond (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). Magazines are media forms that not merely direct the society from outside, but are something that live, act and thrive within the confines of society and popular culture. There may exist objections to this exalted aspect of magazines, as it is very difficult to establish the causality between the contents of a magazine and the attributed alterations in the society, in a strictly academic and scientific way (Tim Holmes ed. 2008). In a culture saturated with media, it is utterly difficult to attempt this analysis, as the media forms and the culture are often intricately intertwined (Tim Holmes ed. 2008).Still magazines will continue to be an important and potent media form that will always have an important role in the shaping of the current culture and society. References Holmes, Tim ed. (2008). Mapping the Magazine. Wales: Cardiff

Firewalls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Firewalls - Essay Example (2013). Performance and Information Security Evaluation with Firewalls. International Journal Of Security & Its Applications, 7(6), 355-372. doi:10.14257/ijsia.2013.7.6.36 8 A firewall is a device (it could be software or hardware system) that disallows any illegitimate access towards or from a network. (Davis et al.,  2011, p.  xx-xx) Firewalls can be employed in either software or hardware or by combining both of them. Today firewalls are mostly configured to stop unauthorized access from the internet to the private local area networks (LANs) connected with the internet. Firewalls are configured to monitor all the data that enters or leaves the Intranet. It examines every packet and drops those that do not fulfill security standards set by network security engineers. Packet filtering firewall is one of the basic firewall that works on transport and network layer of TCP/IP layering model. (In Vacca,  2014, p.  152-153)A packet filtering firewall monitors packets that are coming in or going out of the network. It accepts or rejects packets on the basis of criteria defined during its configuration. Filtering of packet is pretty effective and transparent to users. One main disadvantage of packet filtering is that it is hard to configure.   1. IP-address of the source. Thick check should be made essentials as most of time IP spoofers change the source IP to show the source of the packet from somewhere else, instead of showing the original source. Application level firewall is generally an application specific firewall. It is configured with a set of application-specific rules that can give control over the network traffic of on the user’s level. (Kizza,  2014, p.  134-135) The main functionality of application layer firewall is to manage internet browsing, filtering emails and its attachment, and transferring of files. Traffic coming inside the network or going outside the network can be denied or allowed on the basis of the different set rules. These rules

Competition analysis and 4p's strategy analysis Case Study

Competition analysis and 4p's strategy analysis - Case Study Example Fleisher and Bensoussan stated that the current business environment is mainly characterized with heightened competition and therefore, for businesses to survive and remain profitable, they always have to be aware of strengthens possessed by their competitors and their weakness. Thereby use this information to capitalize on their key strengthens whilst making their weaknesses to be part of their strengths (34-38). The Paderno Cookware Company operates in a highly competitive environment since there are other key players in the industry such as Meyer Canada, which is a leading global distributor of metal cookware that have been manufactured by its affiliate companies. The second key competitor of Paderno is the Canadian cookware, which is a subsidiary of the BelKraft Group of Companies that specializes in the manufacture of the waterless cookware. The Meyer Canada Company offers a wide variety of cookware products that range from stainless steel, hard-anodized aluminum, and nonstick a luminum while the Canadian Cookware mainly specialize in production of waterless cookware that is health conscious. Another significant competitor of Paderno is the original Paderno cookware company from Italy, which still exist and it own the rights of the Paderno name in every country expect for Canada. The unique strengths of these competitors lies on the products that they manufacture and sells, more so for Meyer Canada, which produces a wide variety of products unlike the others include Paderno. The Meyer Canada Company poses a threat to the Paderno Cookware Company because of the fact that it has affiliates in various countries who are obligated to conduct an aggressive marketing campaign and sell the company’s products. The main threat that is posed by Canadian Cookware Company comes from the fact that it has branded itself as a cookware company that is health oriented meaning its products are health conscious and therefore, consumers who are conscious about their heal th will prefer the company’s products. The threat posed by the original Paderno company comes from the fact that it is able to used the Paderno brand name to market itself across other countries other than Canada, which means that it incur lower cost in marketing in foreign countries as compared to trying to promote a new brand name in a foreign country. These three competitors make opportunity for Paderno Cookware Company to be the only leading cookware company that focuses on manufacturing cookware using the highest grade of 18/10 stainless steel and bonding on the outside book of the products using a thick aluminum pad. Moreover, Paderno has an opportunity to increase further its sales because these competitors only exploit one sales avenue unlike Paderno, which exploits for avenues for selling and hence it is able to generate more sales revenue. 4Ps strategic analysis Borden described the 4Ps as the four key elements that marketers use or emphasize on, in order to effecti vely market products and/ or service thereby generate more sales (23-25). Solis stated that the 4Ps are controllable elements within an organization that can be exploited to create the main sources of a company’

Education Management Systems Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education Management Systems - Personal Statement Example The task assigned is primarily to man the communication systems of the ground operations of the peacekeeping unit. This being a very critical job in any military operation and any slight error here could even disrupt the planned strategy of the operations. Further, being with diverse group of people from different countries, the operational effectiveness would heavily rely on our personal traits. Though initially I was a little doubtful on the success of my initiative, the skills acquired during the younger days when I had spent weeks with the convicts and addicts in an awareness initiative might have given the openness to associate with people with different culture, language, habit and style. Though these are the traits that have helped me to bring out the best in the field of my operation, I am also aware of a lot of missing virtues in me. Being away from home for considerable period of time, absence of emotional bond with the friends and relatives is the major lacuna in me. This has led to fewer friends back home and also at work. But being with the job that I like the most, these shortcomings seldom disturbs me at the moment.

Competition analysis and 4p's strategy analysis Case Study

Competition analysis and 4p's strategy analysis - Case Study Example Fleisher and Bensoussan stated that the current business environment is mainly characterized with heightened competition and therefore, for businesses to survive and remain profitable, they always have to be aware of strengthens possessed by their competitors and their weakness. Thereby use this information to capitalize on their key strengthens whilst making their weaknesses to be part of their strengths (34-38). The Paderno Cookware Company operates in a highly competitive environment since there are other key players in the industry such as Meyer Canada, which is a leading global distributor of metal cookware that have been manufactured by its affiliate companies. The second key competitor of Paderno is the Canadian cookware, which is a subsidiary of the BelKraft Group of Companies that specializes in the manufacture of the waterless cookware. The Meyer Canada Company offers a wide variety of cookware products that range from stainless steel, hard-anodized aluminum, and nonstick a luminum while the Canadian Cookware mainly specialize in production of waterless cookware that is health conscious. Another significant competitor of Paderno is the original Paderno cookware company from Italy, which still exist and it own the rights of the Paderno name in every country expect for Canada. The unique strengths of these competitors lies on the products that they manufacture and sells, more so for Meyer Canada, which produces a wide variety of products unlike the others include Paderno. The Meyer Canada Company poses a threat to the Paderno Cookware Company because of the fact that it has affiliates in various countries who are obligated to conduct an aggressive marketing campaign and sell the company’s products. The main threat that is posed by Canadian Cookware Company comes from the fact that it has branded itself as a cookware company that is health oriented meaning its products are health conscious and therefore, consumers who are conscious about their heal th will prefer the company’s products. The threat posed by the original Paderno company comes from the fact that it is able to used the Paderno brand name to market itself across other countries other than Canada, which means that it incur lower cost in marketing in foreign countries as compared to trying to promote a new brand name in a foreign country. These three competitors make opportunity for Paderno Cookware Company to be the only leading cookware company that focuses on manufacturing cookware using the highest grade of 18/10 stainless steel and bonding on the outside book of the products using a thick aluminum pad. Moreover, Paderno has an opportunity to increase further its sales because these competitors only exploit one sales avenue unlike Paderno, which exploits for avenues for selling and hence it is able to generate more sales revenue. 4Ps strategic analysis Borden described the 4Ps as the four key elements that marketers use or emphasize on, in order to effecti vely market products and/ or service thereby generate more sales (23-25). Solis stated that the 4Ps are controllable elements within an organization that can be exploited to create the main sources of a company’

Technology Professional Growth part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology Professional Growth part 2 - Essay Example Social trends must be considered in this approach and the disadvantages associated with the web. I posit that incorporation of web technology in education is a step towards improving the means of concentrating on the acquisition of new information, towards different objectives. The use of technology in the society is highly linked to the actions of the young. The youth are more engaged in the use of technology, specifically IT based, and though the main use lies in entertainment, more can be done to increase its use in education and leadership. The utilization of mobile phones and computers to access information on the web is increasing with each new day and the engagement of institutions such as commerce towards communicating important details. The education sector has been influenced through means such as educational podcast, videos, blogs, and websites among others, but more must be done. Higher learning institutions have engaged in the development of platforms through which students may interact with their tutors in shared information, yet there are means by which the education and leadership education programs can be boosted by the use of web technology. The initial step involved in the program is the analysis of the project scope. An analysis of the possible beneficiaries of the program is essential towards justification of the project. The project must have a target audience, and a survey is the research methodology that can be used to establish the efficiency by which the project will operate. Assessment of the ICT and IT structures and use is needed to validate the incorporation of an interactive scholarly system that does not necessarily depend on the use of computers. In this survey, the use of mobile telephones is instrumental, as the aim of the approach is to get education to the student on a personal level (West 2012). The

Human Sexuality Essay Example for Free

Human Sexuality Essay James and Mary experience an unsatisfactory sexual relationship due to James’ dysfunction of maintaining an erection half the time. James could be experiencing Performance Anxiety. Performance anxiety is the anxiety a man has when he thinks he is not getting an erection fast enough, or his erection is not firm enough, or does not seem to last long enough. Once a  man experiences even a single case of ED, he may continue a cycle of anxiety about repeated episodes of unsatisfactory erections. He will anticipate erectile problems, fixating on performance rather than the pleasurable aspects of sexual arousal. His ability to relax is hampered, increasing negative self-talk, and his perceptions of self-worth and partner are negative. James is getting frustrated and becoming uninterested in sex. He is also embarrassed about his problem. Mary is also frustrated with his dysfunction. Mary is the one who initiates intimacy but her husband does not respond like she wants him to. He has no desire for intimacy and can mostly keep an erection when he masturbates in the shower and so he avoids intimacy with his wife. He feels that his sexual relationship with his wife is hopeless and does not want to discuss the issue with her. The Dynamics of the Relationship The couple’s relationship is strained and there is no communication when it comes to talking about desires and intimacy. Their sexual relationship is distant and frustrating. James is not turned on by Mary and thinks he would be turned on more if Mary lost weight and wore lingerie. James evidently lacks knowledge about his sexuality. He avoids intimacy with his wife and his first encounter of having an erection was embarrassing and made him confused. Sexual dysfunction can lead to the development of other conditions are more likely to develop other conditions such as depression. People with other conditions such as cardiovascular disease are more likely to develop erectile dysfunction. Diagnostic Impressions A multi-axial system for assessment provides a comprehensive holistic diagnosis that includes a complete picture of not just acute symptoms but all of the factors that makes up mental health. The client in question is James who is having a problem with his sexual dysfunction issue. He was raised in a traditional white neighborhood in the south where his family that did not discuss any intimate subjects like sex, feelings or display affection. The World Association of Sexual Health states that dysfunction can lead to anxiety and effect self-esteem which James has. He is  embarrassed about not being able to have an erection or keep one during intimacy with his wife. Sexual Response Cycle Sexual response cycle is a way in which to understand the process of sexual behavior. It includes both the physical as well as the emotional changes a person experiences during sexual involvement (Capella University). Areas of sexual dysfunction may include: erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation, and performance anxiety etc. The human sexual response cycle has four phases which include; excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution. If there is a problem in one of these phases then sexual functioning is lacking. Sexual response is due to changes in ones’ mind and body. Psychologically there are erotic thoughts during arousal and there are changes in the body. Analysis and comparison of the sexual response cycle and the concept of sexual normality Professionals need to be able to discuss sexual functioning, sexual normality and dysfunction with the client. It is important to know about the sexual response cycle, sexual dysfunction problems, gender and cultural issues concerning sexuality. The sexual response cycle helps highlight where sexual dysfunction may occur. In contrast, sexual normality is also represented on this cycle as a positive validation of one’s anticipation which therefore crystallizes one’s experience leading to further positive anticipation (Sewell, 2005).The response cycle starts in the arousal or excitement phase but it would be most useful to consider a desire phase that goes before the arousal or the excitement phase. During the desire phase, physiological sexual arousal is not of primary importance. The sexual response cycle is characterized by physiological and psychological shifts. Psychologically, there is an increase in erotic thoughts (the specific content of which is highly individualized) and a heightened awareness of pleasure sensations from erogenous body zones. With increasing physiological arousal, there is a narrowing of attention such that focal cues are  processed intensely whereas non-focal cues are less likely than usual even to be noticed. Physically, the heart rate increases as well as respiration which also shallows blood flow to the extremities increases, and primary sex organs engorge with blood. Erectile dysfunction happens when there is not enough blood flows to the penis, preventing an erection. Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is the medical term for difficulties obtaining and keeping an erection. It is a sexual health problem that affects about 30 million men. Erectile disorder is common occurrence in men. Attitudes toward sex and performance anxiety are related McCabe (2005). Sexual dysfunction may lead to a lower sex drive to not wanting to have sex at all. Unsatisfied sexual experiences can lead to other various the relational psychological issues. One of the most common types of dysfunctions is low desire and arousal. This disrupts the sexual response cycle in the first two phases of desire and arousal. The client’s personality factors and psychological issues could also impact erectile functioning in a negative way. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can make it difficult to keep feelings of sexual desire and focus behavior enough to have satisfactory erections. Creation of three measurable goals for treatment Treatment for Erectile dysfunction must address all of the contributing factors such as the physical, psychological and social areas for the client. It also must be brought all together thoroughly and be intimacy-based. The first thing to do is discuss how to set goals by Setting a Goal 1) decide on a goal you want to reach 2) decide on the steps you will need to take to get there and write them down, 3) take the first step, 4) take all the other steps, one at a time, 5) reward yourself when your goal is reach. If James is having no physical problems, he must address his psychological problems and social problems. He needs to use the goal of Identifying stressful situations by 1)tune in to your body’s stress signals, 2) ask yourself am I feeling stressed?, 3)ask what is making me feel this way?, 4) choose stress reducer or relaxation techniques Reducing performance anxiety can be done with Cognitive behavioral techniques along with the relaxation techniques and development of a wider range of sexual activities beyond intercourse. Partners can help to identify and correct anxiety provoking  thought processes, such as all-or-nothing thinking. Moreover, the couple, rather than the man alone, can best redefine sexual activity. the therapist really promotes conditions that focus on relaxation, enjoying sensations that are more pleasurable thus eliminating anxiety and encouraging the man’s partner to relax. The second thing to address is his problem communicating with his wife. Expressing Affection is another goal James needs to work on by 1) decide if you have good feeling about the other person, 2) decide if you think the other person would like to know you feel this way, 3) Decide what to say, 4) choose a good time and place, 5) Tell the person in a friendly way. Due to James’ being upset and frustrated a goal must be set to reduce his frustration. The first Goal is to develop strategies to reduce symptoms and improve coping skills by 1- Learn 3 new ways of coping with routine stressors 3 out of 7 days, 2- Recognize and plan for three anxiety-provoking situations, 3) Report feeling more positive about self and abilities during therapy sessions Treatment can also consist of relapse prevention by having the couple optimize their sexual relationship with the exploration of erotic activities, techniques, and communications to strengthen the couple’s sexual relationship and prevent relapse or the development of other dysfunctions. Therapists should be aware that relapses can occur and as a normative part of treatment. Ethical and culturally-relevant approaches to treating any sexual issues Cultural competence is based upon respect, validation and openness towards someone with different social and cultural perceptions and expectations that are not your own. Culture helps us understand how others interpret their environment. It also shapes how people see their world and how they function in that world. By understanding culture service providers can avoid stereotyping and biases and focus on the positive characteristics of a particular group. Counselors must be able to assess the culturally diverse needs of the client utilize culturally sensitive and appropriate techniques and interventions based on the race, ethnicity and language. Also to identify resources that is available to eliminate barriers. Sexual orientation refers to an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes and a person’s sense of  identity based on those attractions and others who share those attractions A PA (2008). References: SEWELL, K. W. (2005). The Experience Cycle And The Sexual Response Cycle: Conceptualization And Application To Sexual Dysfunctions. Journal Of Constructivist Psychology, 18(1), 3-13. doi:10.1080/10720530590522973 McCabe, M. P. (2005). The Role Of Performance Anxiety In The Development And Maintenance Of Sexual Dysfunction In Men And Women. International Journal Of Stress Management, 12(4), 379-388. World Health Organizations 2008 article †Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement, pages 1–40. McCarthy, B. W., Metz, M. E. (2008). The â€Å"Good-Enough Sex† model: a case illustration. Sexual Relationship Therapy, 23(3), 227-234. doi:10.1080/14681990802165919 http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation. American Psychological Association. (2008).

Ethical Issues In Contemporary American Police

Ethical Issues In Contemporary American Police Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to provide a modern overview of three major ethical issues pertaining to contemporary American policing and criminal justice. Corruption for personal gain is one of the most fundamental ethical violations in policing relates and relates to the misuse of authority for personal betterment. Truthfulness in court testimony, good faith, and constitutional compliance differ from traditional corruption because the underlying motive is to pursue what the police officer believes is a just outcome rather than personal gain. Racism and Racial Profiling refer to targeting individuals solely based upon their race. Major ethical issues in contemporary American policing and criminal justice Introduction Law enforcement and policing are areas where ethical values are crucial, by virtue of the powers and authorities that are granted to law enforcement officers. Police have the power to make arrests and to use force, including deadly force, to overcome resistance to arrests. They also enjoy considerable latitude and discretion in the exercise of their policing authority, such as in terms of who they choose to investigate and how they execute their responsibilities. Naturally, policing powers can be misused, such as for personal gain, and that problem was rampant in many police agencies in the early history of American policing; in many countries, bribes and graft continue to be ordinary means of negotiating for leniency with police authorities. American policing has evolved tremendously in the last century with respect to ethical values and the standards of conduct expected of police personnel. Nevertheless, ethical issues still arise, such as in connection with the veracity of police testimony at trial, constitutional compliance in the field, and with respect to racism in policing. Corruption for Personal Gain One of the most fundamental ethical violations in policing relates to the misuse of authority for personal aggrandizement. It was rampant in early American policing, largely because the entire process of appointment to the position of police officer in cities like New York and Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th century depended on illicit payoffs to political officials and their proxies (Conlon, 2004). In the 1970s, the now-infamous case of New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer Frank Serpico sparked the establishment of the Knapp Commission to identify and put a stop to rampant corruption within the nations largest municipal police department. Those series of investigations revealed that the entire police department, from patrol officers all the way up through the highest ranks of police administration was corrupt. Instead of bribery, and extortion of criminal suspects being the rare exception to the rule, it was the police officer like Frank Serpico who refused to part icipate who was the exception. Moral integrity in that regard resulted in the honest police officer being ostracized by his fellow officers; in Serpicos case, it nearly proved deadly when other officers deliberately failed to provide adequate backup when he confronted an armed assailant (Conlon, 2004). Generally, empirical studies of police corruption distinguish the misuse of police authority for the overt, aggressive pursuit of illicit gains from the passive participation in corrupt practices on the part of individuals within an existing organizational culture in which such practices are condoned or considered unremarkable (Cloud, 1994). Police officers who engage in the former are considered meat-eaters; those who participate only in the latter form of corruption are considered grass-eaters (Delattre, 2006). The most important significance of that distinction is that when a police agency maintains an organizational culture in which corruption of any kind is treated as criminal deviance and punished accordingly, only officers who are inclined to be meat-eaters still engage in corrupt practices. Generally, those officers who would have been grass-eaters within a corrupt police culture do not initiate corruption spontaneously and would have only been susceptible to corruption in an environment where it was expected by their fellow officers and where refusing to participate would have undermined their peer-to-peer relationships (Delattre, 2006). Meanwhile, more discriminating hiring practices, better training, and increased supervision have all but eliminated overt police corruption in American policing (Schmalleger, 2009). Today, when police corruption occurs, it is typically in connection with isolated instances involving individual officers or units rather than entire police agencies, and it results in newspaper headlines and calls for immediate administrative action, including appropriate actions against supervisors and police administrators who failed to prevent, identify, and take immediate action against any type of police corruption on their watches (Schmalleger, 2009). Truthfulness in Court Testimony and Good Faith and Constitutional Compliance Another important issue in contemporary policing ethics relates to the conduct of police officers as witnesses in court proceedings. Unlike traditional police corruption that prevailed a century or more ago and that was dealt with more recently by the Knapp Commission in New York, this type of unethical conduct is fundamentally different because the underlying motive is to pursue what the police officer believes is a just outcome rather than personal gain. Specifically, police officers often face a difficult ethical dilemma in connection with testifying at criminal trials: namely, they know that the defendant is guilty but that the outcome of the trial may hinge on what they say on the stand (Raymond, 1998). If they testify with absolute truthfulness on the witness stand when being questioned by seasoned defense attorneys, defendants may be exonerated by juries if defense counsel can successfully introduce any basis for doubting the accuracy of the factual accounts provided by police officer testimony. As a result, even otherwise ethical police officers may be tempted to alter their testimony at trial in the interest of securing a conviction that they believe represents justice more than exoneration as a result of their completely truthful testimony (Raymond, 1998). This particular ethical problem is more complex than simply training police officers to testify truthfully on the witness stand. It includes the problem of training police officers not to misrepresent the facts in their initial incident reports in articulating their accounts of arrests and about how they characterize what they actually observed (Cloud, 1994). The unethical approach used by many officers in some police departments includes simply misrepresenting the truth in their written characterizations to justify police conduct, particularly in connection with justifications for searches and the use of force (Foley, 2000). To a great degree, police agencies control how truthfully their officers represent the factual circumstances detailed in their field reports and arrest reports. In that regard, the phrase articulation can be used to mean careful attention to detail or, alternatively, it can mean that officers make sure to include any details required to support their actions at trial, irrespective of whether or not those descriptions actually represent the truth of what happened on the street (Raymond, 1998). For a typical example, a patrol officer may know from practical experience that drug dealer frequently try to secret small amounts of drugs or weapons under the seats of their vehicles or in between the cushions. Generally, the 4th Amendment prohibitions of unwarranted search and seizure require either consent from the driver or probable cause to permit a police officer to search anywhere within a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation beyond what is plainly visible to the officer from his vantage point during the traffic stop (Zalman, 2008 137). Similarly, under Terry v. Ohio (1968) police officers may only conduct a cursory pat-down of the external clothing of subjects of their investigations and only for the purpose of ensuring their safety in connection with concealed weapons; they may not search through pockets for contraband of conduct other searches beyond the scope of the so-called Terry frisk (Schmalleger, 2008 p256). However, as a practical matter, compliance with both rul es depends substantially on the ethical commitment of the patrol officer, and of the commitment of his agency as reflected in his training and in the leadership of his supervisors. To get around the 4th Amendment limitations of vehicle searches, all the police officer has to do is record in his report that the driver made a furtive movement or that the officer observed him reaching beneath his seat as he pulled over for the officer (Raymond, 1998). He could also simply record that a portion of the baggie containing drugs was visible in between the seat cushions or that the handgrip of a pistol was visible protruding from underneath the passenger seat from the officers normal vantage point. From the perspective of the police officer, misrepresenting the literal truth in such cases may be less important than taking drugs and illegal handguns off the street (Raymond, 1998). Complying strictly with constitutional requirements is an ethical issue that reflects the commitment of the police agency, or, where doing so is routinely ignored, reflects the lack thereof. Consider the effect of police supervisors who caution their subordinates very specifically never to violate constitutionally legitimate police procedure for the sake of making an arrest as opposed to the effect of supervisors who preach only that whatever officers do in the field must be articulated properly in their reports to support prosecution. In practice, the first approach teaches officers that they may not impose their desire to interdict drugs and weapons and that they may not indulge even their strongest practical suspicions without constitutional authority to do so. Conversely, the second approach teaches officers not to wait until they get to court to lie; rather, the necessary lies to support their actions in the field must be properly articulated in their field reports so that they support their testimony at trial. Sometimes, police procedure evolves specifically to circumvent constitutional protections against unwarranted searches and seizures in ways that are not susceptible to easy challenges. When officers engage in those behaviors independently or spontaneously, they represent ethical violations only on the part of those officers. However, when those practices become part of police training, they represent ethical violations at the departmental level. Such was precisely the situation in connection with police practices in Missouri that prompted the 2004 ruling by the United States Supreme Court in Siebert v. Missouri that now prohibits one such particular strategy: namely, two-tiered interrogations intended to circumvent the Miranda protections against self-incrimination (Hoover, 2005). Generally, the standard police practice necessary to satisfy the landmark 1966 Supreme Court ruling in Miranda v. Arizona requires police to advise suspects of their 5th Amendment right to remain silent before any custodial questioning (Zalman, 2008). In Missouri, as in several other jurisdictions, police had adopted the practice of questioning criminal suspects extensively prior to arresting them, but in a context in which the suspects would not have reasonably believed that they could simply refuse to answer, such as when surrounded by uniformed police. Technically, the only penalty for questioning suspects outside of Miranda is the application of the exclusionary rule preventing the prosecution from using that evidence at trial (Zalman, 2008). Missouri police had adopted the specific strategy of first questioning suspects outside of Miranda, then advising them of their 5th Amendment rights, and subsequently re-interviewing them (Hoover, 2005). Since suspects typically do not understand the legal implications of Miranda compliance, they would repeat statements in subsequent questioning under Miranda that they knew they had already answered previously. Since those subsequent interviews occurred in full compliance with Miranda, the prosecutors would introduce those statements at trial (Hoover, 2005). In Siebert, the U.S. Supreme Court expressly prohibited such practices, precisely because they amounted to nothing more than deliberate attempts to do what Miranda had prohibited for (then) almost forty years. Police may not extract information from criminal defendants during custodial questioning, which does not necessarily require formal arrest under circumstances where an individual would is believe that he is free to terminat e the interaction with police or to refuse to respond (Hoover, 2005). By deliberately employing a two-tiered (i.e. pre-Miranda and post-Miranda) interrogation strategy, Missouri police had engaged in unethical conduct that eventually required judicial intervention at the highest level. Currently, similar practices in New York have resulted in widespread complaints in connection with routine practices employed by NYPD officers to make marijuana possession arrests (CCR, 2012; NYCLU, 2012). Typically, the officers initiate an investigatory detention to conduct an interview with subjects based on subjective suspicions that would not justify a search of the subject. They ask the subject to show them what is in his pocket and if he complies by producing a small quantity of marijuana, they arrest the individual for possession. The charges stemming from those arrests are eventually dismissed in criminal court on a case-by-case basis (CCR, 2012; NYCLU, 2012), but the specific matter of unethical police conduct has not yet been addressed by a higher court. Racism and Racial Profiling Prior to the American Civil Rights Era, racial and ethnic minorities were routinely subjected to police procedures that were manifestly unconstitutional and unethical (Crutchfield, Fernandes Martinez, 2010; Staples, 2011). During the 1950s and 1960s, the National Guard had to be deployed to protect black students enrolling in schools in states where local police would not and federal law enforcement authorities had to take over law enforcement and criminal investigation functions in Mississippi after local authorities with links to the Ku Klux Klan were complicit if not directly involved in the murder of four civil rights workers from New York (Schmalleger, 2009). In the modern post-Civil Rights era, racism is still a ripe area of ethical issues in American policing (Staples, 2011). Typically, racism arises in policing in connection with the racial profiling of drivers subject to traffic stops. Specifically, racial profiling occurs when police officers target drivers based on their apparent race or ethnicity for ordinary traffic enforcement stops (Schmalleger, 2009; Zalman, 2008). This type of ethical violation, like many others, can represent either the prejudices and biases of individual officers or the condoning of such practices at an organizational level. Conclusion Outright police corruption, particularly on the scale of whole police departments, was eliminated nearly completely in the last few decades of the 20th century after one especially high-profile egregious case within the largest police force in the country. However, more subtle ethical problems still emerge and require judicial intervention even in the modern era. Police sometimes manipulate their procedures in the field to take advantage of apparent loopholes in laws meant to protect citizens from excessive police intrusions. Likewise, racism also continues to present a background for unethical conduct among police officers inclined in that direction. In almost all types of contemporary ethical issues in American policing, the expectations and leadership messages coming from the employing agency is all that stands in between individual instances of unethical conduct and the spread of those unethical practices throughout the agency. References Center for Constitutional Rights. 2012, NYPDs Stop and Frisk Practice: Unfair and Unjust. Accessed 2 February 2013 from: http://ccrjustice.org/stopandfrisk Cloud M 1994 The dirty little secret. Emory Law Journal (43): 1311 1349 Conlon E. (2004) Blue Blood. New York: Riverhead. Crutchfield, RD, Fernandes, A, Martinez, J 2010, Racial and ethnic disparity and criminal justice: how much is too much? Journal of Criminal Law Criminology 100(3): 903-932 Delattre E. 2006 Character and Cops: Ethics in Policing. Washington, DC: AEI Press. Foley M. 2000 Police Perjury: A Factorial Survey. U.S. Department of Justice, Accessed 1 February 2013 from: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/181241.pdf Hoover L 2005 The supreme court brings an end to the end run around Miranda. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 74(6): 26-32 New York Civil Liberties Union 2012 Stop-and-Frisk Campaign: About the Issue. Accessed 2 February 2013 from: http://www.nyclu.org/issues/racial-justice/stop-and-frisk-practices Raymond M 1998 Police policing police: some doubts. St. Johns Law Review 72(3): 1255- 1264. Schmalleger F 2008 Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century. Hoboken, NJ: Prentice Hall. Staples R. White power, black crime, and racial politics 2011 Black Scholar 41(4): 31- 41. Zalman M 2008 Criminal Procedure: Constitution and Society New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Dealing With Having Back Surgery :: Personal Narrative Athletics Medical Sports Essay

Dealing With Having Back Surgery Starting my freshman year at County High School, I played basketball and loved every minute of it. I wouldn’t be conceited enough to say I was good, but God did bless me with the talent to play. My life revolved around the sport of basketball; some would say I slept, ate, and breathed every part of it. I spent all my time training and practicing to make myself a more dedicated athlete. This dedication not only helped me as a player, but also molded me into the person I am today. It somehow helped to prepare me for what defeat I would face with back surgery in the future. Beginning as a freshman I started every game never, but to sit on the bench unless there was a major problem. This repetitious cycle mirrored itself over and over again until there was a problem, physically, with my body. I had felt a pain in my back that ran down my leg for some time, but no one other than me knew of this pain. I am a very strong willed and determined person, not letting pain stand in my way. The pain started to vaguely effect my everyday activities, such as walking across Wal-mart which put me in agonizing pain. The only way I played basketball with this pain was by focusing on the goal I was out to achieve. My mother took me to see a back specialist named, Dr. Johnson at the Knoxville Orthopedic Center in Knoxville, TN who explained this pain I was having generated a major problem. It never came to my realization how serious this could be, or what it could do to my basketball career. Tests after tests including MRI’s, X-rays, and experimental procedures were performed to show I had five ruptured disks in the lower lumbar section of my back. Tedious Examination done by a group of doctors concluded I had a crippling disease of the spinal column called spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that causes compression of the spinal cord. (Lohr,1) If this disease was ignored any longer, it would lead to many other problems affecting other areas of my back to help support this weakness. It was an extremely rare case for an athlete my age.

A League of Their Own

The movie also makes It easier to understand the different ethical systems by relating each system to a character portrayed In It. During the duration of World War II, the players of major league baseball were drafted. As a result, the ML used females to fill the teams to keep the American pastime alive. This essay will analyze some of the main characters of A League of Their Own from an ethical stand point. The main character, Dotted Hanson, played by Agene Davis, is the catcher of theRockford Peaches. Dotted Hanson best relates to utilitarianism. Throughout the movie, Dotted was constantly striving to do the right thing, not necessarily thinking about the outcome, but just wanted to be an all-around good person. For example, she wanted to show off as much as possible to reporters and the media in order to keep the women's league around much longer after the war ended so many of the players could keep their jobs. The other mall character, Jimmy Dugan, played by actor Tom Hanks, was the manager of the Rockford Peaches.Although he was portrayed early on as rude and arrogant, he eventually had a change of heart. With that In mind, Jimmy Dugan can be mostly associated with the ethics of virtue because this system is not based on one's actions, but the moral character of that person. We can see that deep down, he is a very caring person. However, sometimes his actions do not display the truth of his personal moral character. Next is Doris Murphy, who is played by Rosier O'Donnell. This character best portrays ethical formalism because f the constant intent to do good deeds.For the most part, she would conduct herself in a positive way to everyone. For example, when her teammate, Mae, was upset because of the proposal of shutting down the female league, Doris stood up for her friend and defended her, not for appraise, but because she knew it should be done. Doris' teammate, Mae Mortal was played by Madonna. Mae best describes natural law because of her moral princip les. When the possibility off league shut-down came about, Mae stayed firm In her beliefs of not wanting to go ace to her former life of dancing provocatively.Natural law can apply to anyone who continually keep their principles upheld. The recruiter of the players, Ernie Caption, was played by Jon Loving. Although a smaller role, he is portrayed as an arrogant and self-centered, thinking mainly of himself. For this reason, he best illustrates the egoism system. When Kit and Dotted were willing to stay behind for Marl, Ernie made it clear he was there specifically to finish his job, whether that would be with or without the girls.Air Loneliness, played by David Stratum, is one character who really tries to keep the league going for everyone involved. In this case, this character can relate to the ethics of care. Although Air is not motherly Like some may associate this system with, he Is still caring enough and emotionally Invested In the girls to fight to keep the league alive. Eac h of these roles helped explain a different system of ethics. Overall, A League of Their Own was enjoyable to watch and interesting to see how each character A League of their Own Through the movie â€Å"A League of their Own,† one can see how the more sexist views of the culture of this time in America permeated throughout this account of the Girls Professional Baseball League which existed from 1943 until 1954.â€Å"A League of their Own† is a snapshot of what was once the â€Å"All-American Girls Professional Baseball League† that was formed when many young men were active in World War II. Philip Wrigley, chewing gum mogul and MLB owner feared the major leagues would disband so he created the girls professional baseball league.One of the obvious cultural views during the time this movie depicts is that of feminizing the baseball players to make them more acceptable to that culture at the time. Although they wore shorts under their baseball skirts, the fact that they were to wear skirts that were very short for this time while playing the athletic sport of baseball is just one of the clues to how the â€Å"All-American Girls Baseball Le ague† was to be as much about show as it was about talent.In one part of â€Å"A League of their Own,† the scout Ernie Capadino intends on passing up the player Marla Hooch who is unattractive yet proves to be a great switch-hitting slugger. Capadino was told to find girls who play ball well and are equally as attractive.Another argument supporting the existent and greater acceptance of sexism represented when putting this â€Å"All-American girls team† togehter was that the female professional baseball players were at least in the beginning of this venture considered more seriously as princesses rather than as serious baseball players in this era, as we hear the announcer comment, â€Å"After the first month of league play, the shine still isn’t off these â€Å"diamond† gals.Alice â€Å"Skeeter† Gaspers says legging out a triple is no reason to let your nose get shiny—Betty Grable has nothing on these gals. Helen Haley has not only b een a member of several championship amateur teams, she is also an accomplished coffee maker† (Marshall, 1992).Even the radio program that is played during the tryouts at Harvey Field makes fun of the idea of a woman’s baseball team. During the radio program, the girls baseball team is referred to as the â€Å"masculinization of women.†The female baseball players have mandatory etiquette classes they must attend to portray a â€Å"lady-like† image. Even some of the names given to these female baseball teams at this time rings of   what we would today consider sexist in its lowest such as â€Å"Rockford Peaches,† â€Å"Racine Belles,† â€Å"Milwaukee Chicks,† â€Å"Fort Wayne Daisies† and â€Å"Muskegon Lassies.†Of course then you hear the announcer say things like: â€Å"Then there’s pretty Dottie Henon, who plays like Gehrig, and looks like Garbo. Uh-uh, fellas, keep your mitts to yourself; she’s married . And there’s her kid sister Kit, who’s as single as they come.Enough concentrated oomph for a whole carload of Hollywood starlets† (Marshall, 1992), today’s announcer need protect their heads if they were to utter such remarks.I think most of us would be thankful that announcers today couldn’t get away with trivializing the talents of those female baseball players, only to make the main focus their various levels of attractiveness and unattractiveness. This we know has never been something acceptable to do to professional male baseball players.Viewing the female as the care taker of the alcoholic baseball manager some can interpret as another female stereotype revealed in the movie and more accurate to the depiction of its acceptability during this time period. The character Dottie Hinson provides a maternal, care-taking role many times for baseball manager Jimmy Dugan, the often drunk manager of her team.Another part of the movie that would be con sidered very inappropriate real life behavior today versus the time incorporated in this film would be when the drunken Dugan relieves himself in the clubhouse. His female baseball players he is supposed to be managing are standing near awaiting instructions to play the game as he completes his task. Today, that would make the evening news along with being connected to legal repercussions.Today, unlike then, one has learned to be a lot more careful of how things one says can be monitored and reported. Even the humorous little prayer where Dugan says:â€Å"Uh, Lord, hallowed be Thy name. May our feet be swift; may our bats be mighty; may our balls†¦ be plentiful. Lord, I'd just like to thank you for that waitress in South Bend. You know who she is — she kept calling your name. And God, these are good girls, and they work hard. Just help them see it all the way through. Okay, that's it† (Marshall, 1992).Whether one sees it as a positive or negative or a little of bo th, one would just have to watch more carefully things they say like that today than one did then.When Jimmy Dugan was attempting to convince Dottie Hinson to stay with the team, he yells at her, â€Å"If you want to go back to Oregon and make a hundred babies, great† (Marshall, 1992). This again, wouldn’t be something any professional could spout out to another, including a female player he manages, without the strong possibility of suffering professional or legal repercussions in today’s society at least in America.While I’m at this point in the movie, the fact that Dottie feels she must make a choice between her marriage and that of playing professional baseball or any professional sport is another noticeable difference. There are many great professional and non-professional married female athletes today. One could just watch the 2008 Olympics and observe the obvious signs of that.