Twentieth Century Love Essays - Philosophy Of Love, Gender, Love

Twentieth Century Love Twentieth Century Love Love is the most priceless treasure that life affords us. Religions enshrine it, billboards exploit it, professors categorize it, and newspapers report on its perversions. From agape an alterisitc love form, from the 5th century, to the modern open love of the twentieth century. Love has been ever present throughout history and has evolved to take many different faces and forms. Each time period throughout history has made its contribution to what today is seen as real love. In the twentieth century, love has changed in many ways, allowing us to get closer to being able to achieve true love. The two contributions that the twentieth century has made that have affected love the most, are the fact that men and women are now seen as equals and we are now free to choose our lovers. Once upon a time, strong, independent women were called witches and were burned at the stake. Today they're called feminists, they publish web pages, get flamed in e-mail and are blamed for most of society's problems. The situation is not perfect, but it is a lot better than it was in the past. With organizations like, The ?Ministry of Women's Equality?, web pages like ?GenderGap.com? and events such as ?Prevention of Violence Against Women Week?, its hard not to say that women are getting closer and closer to being seen as equal to men. It is this major contribution of the twentieth century that has allowed love relationships to flourish. True love can only exist when the relationship is totally mutual. There are several evidences that gender equality exists between a couple today. We see shared work around the house, it is not only women who are scrubbing pots and pans and changing diapers. Women are working nine to five jobs while men stay home to clean and baby-sit. Women can now leave their husband or boyfriend whenever they want, with little fear. There are laws prohibiting abuse and rape. A true love relationship can not exist if the man is beating his wife, because it is impossible to physically hurt someone if you truly love them. In the twentieth century we have eliminated traditional stereotypes of women and have taken away mans right to hurt and control women. This allows healthy true love relationships to exist. Richard Adams and Tony Sullivan are possibly the most well-known biracial gay couple in the United States. Recently, they celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of their relationship. If twenty five happy years of being together isn't love, then what is? So what if they are gay? So what if Tony is Caucasian and Richard is Asian? They still truly love each other. It is couples like them who characterize twentieth century love. Finally, now in the twentieth century, we have become open minded enough to allow ourselves complete freedom in choosing our partner. Not only have we stepped away from traditional arranged marriages, we have allowed people to marry whom ever they like, religion, race and gender aside. Some still believe arranged marriages can produce ?successful relationships?. The custom of arranged marriages in India has survived migration and modernization remaining central to the fabric of society. Although no exact figures are available, some ?95 percent of all marriages in India are arranged? (Wood's Geographical web site). Many Indians contend that ?arranged marriages are more successful than marriages in the West, particularly given the latter's staggering divorce rates? (Aysha Harjina, Wood's Geographical web site). But what do they mean when they say more successful relationships? Do they produce more children? Last longer? A successful love relationship is one in which both people are truly happy and trusting of one another. If this takes marrying a person of a different race, or of the same gender it should not make a difference, and thanks to the twentieth century, it is now legal and accepted by society to do so. All in All, the twentieth century has had an extremely positive effect on love relationships. The contribution of women and men being seen as equals has allowed couples to experience true love in which both partners are equal. The contribution of being free to choose our partner has allowed people to

Novelist, Read The Bible!

Novelist, Read The Bible! Novelist, Read The Bible! Novelist, Read The Bible! By Maeve Maddox Whatever your religious affiliation or views, if you wish to enrich your writing in English, its in your interest to familiarize yourself with the language of the 1611 translation known as the Authorized Version (AV) or King James Bible. More recent translations are preferable for purposes of textual criticism, but for the lover of English, the AV belongs right next to the dictionary on the writers shelf of essential references. The Bible is not one book, its a library of different kinds of writing: poetry, history, laws, drama, and philosophy. I dont recommend struggling through the food laws or the begats (long genealogical lists), but the poetic books like Job and Song of Songs provide an inexhaustible mine of balanced phrasing and indelible imagery. Hemingway took his title The Sun Also Rises from beautiful, world-weary Ecclesiastes: One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. Some other writers got titles from the same place: Earth Abides, by George R. Steward Earth Abideth, by George Dell One Generation Passes Away, Another Generation Comes, by Joyce Jones Roe And then theres this passage from the Song of Songs (also called Song of Solomon): For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. NOTE: In this context the turtle is a turtledove. Here are some titles that this passage seems to have inspired: Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, by George Victor Martin The Little Foxes, by Lillian Hellman The Voice of the Turtle, by John Van Druten Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison Among the Lilies, by Mary Adriano and Mary Bruno Winter is Past, by Ruth Axtell Morren Some readers may balk at the old -eth endings. One way to deal with them is to read them as -es verbs. Another way is to read from the Revised King James version which modernizes the grammar: One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever. Thanks to a multiplicity of websites equipped with great search engines, you can go directly to the stories you want to read. A good place to begin is The Bible Gateway. Who knows? You may find the perfect title for your next novel. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†15 Idioms for Periods of Time

The Freelance Writer at Home

The Freelance Writer at Home The Freelance Writer at Home The Freelance Writer at Home By Colin Of all the benefits of being a freelance writer, working from home has to be one of the best. You can set your own pace, manage your time how you want it, and best of all, you get to be your own boss. Leaving the negatives out of the equation for the moment, what can a freelance writer do to make sure her working environment is as comfortable, supportive, and reliable as it would be, were she working in a city centre office? I’m not talking about front door security, a subsidized canteen, or even an ample supply of free staples and pens. I’m talking about the little things that affect productivity, like comfort, and staying sane. Here’s a few things all freelance writers can do to make the working day go that little bit easier. Buy A Good PC/Laptop This is more important than many writers realize, because when I say â€Å"good,† I really mean â€Å"reliable.† There’s nothing more infuriating to have a PC that hangs on you as a deadline approaches. If you can’t trust the machine you are working on to be there when you need it, maybe it’s time to reinvest. PCs and laptops are relatively cheap these days, and if you only intend to use it for writing on and connecting to the Internet, you need not go for a brand spanking new top of the range model. Save yourself some money and opt for a lesser model that’s just as new. So long as you can load up the software you need, and get onto the Internet, it will do just as well. Keep Software Current Maybe your PC is reliable and trustworthy, but it’s getting kind of slow. Windows 3.1 has almost ground to a halt and your printer drivers won’t install any more. If this sounds like you, not only should you be upgrading to newer hardware, but you should also think about updating your software. All things man-made ground to a halt and die, especially PCs, which have an optimal performance life expectancy of around five years. Therefore keeping up with the latest technology isn’t so much a flashy thing to do, it’s a vital one if you are running a home-based business and need to keep up with your competitors, and continue to produce quality work. Use A Reliable Printer Owning a suitable printer can not only save you time, but also money. I tend to favor laser printers for their speed and relative cost to maintain, but you should do some research to find out what type, make, and model suits you. Some printers are notorious for paper jams or the rate at which they require a refill, so find out before you buy. But A Nice Desk A nice desk that fits your writing style and feels comfortable should be a priority for every home-based writer. Among the most important things to consider when buying a desk are: Width: will it fit where you want it to go? Height: it should be comfortable to type on and have plenty of leg room. Cost: the cheaper the better, but you will get what you pay for. Surface space: how good is its ability to cope with papers and books strewn all over it and still allow you room to work on? Is there room for your PC/laptop, printer, telephone, etc.? Does there need to be? Keyboard drawer: some desks come with a pull-out drawer on top of which the keyboard rests. Some people don’t like these and find them awkward – do you? Invest In A Comfortable Chair A good chair in terms of comfort and design is an important investment for anyone who intends to sit on it for most of their working day. Not only is it good for comfort reasons, but also for health and safety. The main qualities in a chair to consider are: Back height: do you prefer high backs or low? Support: is the back supportive enough to keep your back straight, and protect you from potential spinal damage? Height to desk: can the height be adjusted to allow you to look at the screen straight on, and so that your arms are comfortable while you type? You would be amazed how many repetitive strain injuries writers get, purely caused by poor chair height. Swivel or static: do you want your chair to swivel, or do you prefer it grounded? Wheels: Do you like your chair to be able to move around easily? Material: are you a leather fan, or do you prefer cloth? CD/Radio Some writers concentrate easier with low music playing in the background; the type of music they listen to often influencing what they write. Others prefer to have total silence. Either way, having a small CD player or radio handy can be useful should the mood take you or if you rely on it. If you’re stressed about an urgent deadline, the facility for some Vivaldi might just do the trick. Book Case If you have the space, think about getting a book case. A lot of writers like to have their favorite books nearby, but also for practical reasons, being able to retrieve a reference book quickly without breaking your train of thought, is worthwhile reason enough. Warmth Working in a cold room is horrible, so make sure you have a source of warmth for those cold winter months. I have a radiator in my office as opposed to a heater, because I find the warmth much more pleasant as opposed to an air heater, which dries out my eyes. Window Being able to look out to the real world is something all home-based writers should do on a regular basis. Getting involved with your work to the point where you start to forget that life exists on the other side of the door, is a dangerous place to get to. Fish Tank A small quirk of mine, but I love the background noise generated by the tropical fish aquarium in the corner of my office. It’s not the fish that make the noise – they don’t talk to me or anything like that but the bubbles and flow of water give me the calming sensation of standing next to a gentle flowing river, which in turn, helps me focus on what I am writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'tsWhat's a Male Mistress?15 English Words of Indian Origin

The Rise of Jews in Hollywood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Rise of Jews in Hollywood - Essay Example This essay will also evaluate the impact of the Jews in Hollywood by talking about Jewish film studio owners, producers, directors, actors and actresses. The Hollywood District is located in Los Angeles, California in the United States. Its cultural identity and frame presents Hollywood as a historical center for movie stars and studios. The term Hollywood is currently used to refer to the American cinema since much of the entertainment industry has diffused to the surrounding locations. Jews inhabited the United States of America early in the 17th century. However, they were denied the ability to own offices and perform actively in societal affairs. Despite this condition, more Jews are still immigrating to the United States in search of greener pastures. Research shows that a vast majority of the Jews globally are situated in the United States and several other parts of Israel. Therefore, most individuals claimed that the Jews were in control of Hollywood. In retort to this opinion , the Americans were truly upset by this point of view considering the entertainment industry in their midst. Only a mere 22% of the Americans believed that the television and movie industries were run by the Jews, compared to over 50% of the people who supported the idea in the late 60s. This reveals how America has gotten dumb; hence, the Jews are totally taking over the entertainment industry in Hollywood (Stein, par. 1). According to an ad adapted from the New York Times, the Screen Actors Guild contract that was signed by top executives in the entertainment industries proved that the most of them were Jewish. Such included the President of News Corp, the chairman of Paramount Pictures, Chief Executive and chairman of Walt Disney Company, the chairman of Sony Pictures, CBS Corp’s Chief Executive, and the Chief Executive of NBC Universal. This reveals that the Jewish have substantially taken over the entertainment industry in Hollywood (Stein par. 2). In addition, the Amer ican society has established strong enmity between them and the Jews. The enemies of the Jews repeatedly point out that the movie industry of America is in the hands of the Jewish community. The Jewish immigrants from Europe are the ones who run and organize movie studios in this country. They are the ones who founded the movie studios and also involved studio productions as part of their business ventures in the United States (Falk, par. 1). The Jewish moguls in the entertainment industry combined ideas in order to develop films that portray the American culture and the exploitation of the poor individuals in the society by the rich. Likewise, the Jews also invented the musicals, talking films, and Technicolor. These inventions heightened the movie industry for a period of 40 years (1920-1960). The movie producers tried to come up with excellent and imaginable ideas based on movie scripts. However, their imaginative capacity in the movie production did not linger around Jewish them es even during the 2nd World War that left most of their families persecuted in Europe. This was quite shameful to the Jewish movie tycoons considering that they sympathized with Native Americans and the Aborigines of Australia, but, completely forgot about their fellow Jews (Falk par. 5). The Jewish studio bosses were not the only individuals from the Jewish society who were in the entertainm

Agent of Socialization Mass Media Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Agent of Socialization Mass Media - Term Paper Example â€Å"Similar to the concept of a business agent or insurance agent, they [agents of socialization] represent and act on behalf of the larger society† (â€Å"Agents of Socialization†, 2009). The most commonly recognized agents of socialization are family, media, peers and school (â€Å"Agents of Socialization†, 2009). To help understand how these agents impact the way we define ourselves, I have decided to analyze the impact of the media on my own personal development because the media, as one of the major agents of socialization, has definitely played a significant role in my life. Looking at the way media has shaped my life, it seems clear that it has played a role in just about everything I believe about myself. Gender socialization refers to â€Å"the ways in which society sets children onto different courses in life because they are male or female† (Henslin, 69). As a child, I learned that acceptable behavior for me as a boy was to engage in sports and racing like what I saw on cartoons. Social inequality, â€Å"a social condition in which privileges and obligations are given to some but denied to others† (Henslin 92), was assigned to those individuals who spent too much time reading, boys who acted like girls and girls. I learned how to behave like a boy by mimicking the role performance of the ‘cool guys’ on TV. Role performance refers to â€Å"the ways in which someone performs a role within the limits that the role provides; showing a particular ‘style’† (Henslin, 100). However, there were areas in which m y personality didn’t fully match with these expectations. For example, I loved growing things and taking care of plants, but this presented role conflict because only girls or geeks are supposed to like plants. Role conflict refers to â€Å"conflicts that someone feels between roles because the expectations attached to one role are incompatible with the expectations of another role† (Henslin, 100). Growing up paying

Banjo Paterson Biography Essay Example for Free

Banjo Paterson Biography Essay Andrew Barton Banjo Paterson was best known as a poet and author. He became the most popular poet in Australia. He was best known for the ballad Waltzing Matilda and his book called The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses. Banjo Paterson was born at Narrambla in New South Wales. He was the eldest of seven children. Banjo had one brother and five sisters. His parents names are Andrew Bogle and Rose Isabella Paterson, he had a Scottish heritage. Banjos parents were graziers on the Illalong station in the Yass Districts. Most of Banjos life was spent on the family property, but when he was ten his parents sent him to live with with his grandmother in Sydney, for educational reasons. Banjo Paterson was an accomplished equestrian (horse rider), and polo player. When Banjo was young he was educated by a governess. Once he was able to ride a pony he went to a bush school in Bingalong. When he was living with his grandmother in 1874 he was sent to Sydney Grammar School and in 1875 he shared the Junior Knox Prize with George Rich. He completed school aged 16 and enrolled at a university but failed the examination. When Banjo Paterson was a law student he began to write verses. His first poem that he wrote was called El Mahdi to the Australian Troops, which was published in the Bulletin in February 1885. He later adopted the pen name The Banjo, which was taken from the name of a station racehorse that was owned by his family. He later became one of the Bulletin writers and artists. Angus and Robertson published Banjo Patersons first book, The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses, in October 1895. The launch of this book was very successful, it sold over 7000 copies in just a couple of months. While in Queensland on a holiday late 1895, Banjo stayed with friends. This is where he wrote Waltzing Matilda which later became one of Australias best known folk song. Banjo Paterson travelled to South Africa in 1899 as a special war correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald during the Boer War. In 1903 Banjo was appointed editor of the evening news, he held that position until 1908 when he resigned. In 1903 Banjo married Alice Walker in Tenterfield. Their first home together was in Queen Street, Woollahra. They had two children, they were named Grace and Hugh. Grace was born in 1904 and Hugh was born in 1906. During World War One Banjo sailed to Europe hoping for an appointment as war corespondent. Instead he was an ambulance driver to the Australian Voluntary Hospital in France. He was eventually promoted to Major. When Banjo was back in Australia he went back to journalism and retired in 1930. Later in 1939 Banjo was created CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire). He passed away due to a heart condition on the 5th of February 1941, it was just 12 days before his 77th birthday. His reputation as the principle folk poet of Australia was secure, Banjos work included seven volumes of poetry. Banjo Paterson was not only known for Waltzing Matilda, but also for his attempt to improve the lives of his fellow Australians by exposing their hardships to the public. Banjos role in Australian culture has been celebrated by placing his face on the $10 note. His poems are still being published and are still selling.

Concept Of Self Essay -- essays research papers

Within everyday life people believe themselves to be constantly changing. In actuality, the changes that one believes to have are but minor changes. A person’s personality is usually set at an early age in childhood. A social psychologist named George Herbert Mead understood society through socialization stems he called social behaviorism. Mead and another psychologist by the name of John B. Watson worked together on this approach. Watson focused on outward behavior in this partnership of ideas. However, Mead emphasized on inward thinking, which he contended was humanity’s defining trait. The back-bone of Mead’s study and the central concept is the self. The self being "A dimension of personality composed of an individual’s self-awareness and self-ima...

Current Economic Policy Essay

From 2006 up to the present, the economy of the United State has been performing great in general. Gross Domestic Product increased by significant rate enough to encourage the foreign investors to invest in the country. Furthermore, more jobs have been created for the labor marker creating huge improvement on the welfare of the workers, thus, increasing their income. Around more than 850,000 jobs has been created in the economy from 2006 up to the present. Energy prices, on the other hand, seem to become worse after oil prices in the international market has been increasing sharply for the past years. Because of the said increase in the prices of oil in the market, it negatively affects the non-energy goods and services since oil is one of the major components of production processes in most of the industries in the economy. Inflation also increased as a consequence of the increasing prices of the commodities in the market due to the rising oil prices. Inflation rate, since 2006, stood high enough to impose panic to the consumers and there is a possibility that the latter might just lower down their spending making. Moreover, the housing industry also made the improvement of the GDP sluggishly and this is the side effect of the massive housing spending of the market in 2005 not to mention that the disposable income of the consumers today is not that high enough as compared to 2005. Although there are certain hindrances on the improvement of GDP or economic improvement of the country, still, the economy manages to offset those costs by the benefits derived from the good market condition of the international market which in turn advance the trade balance of our country. In addition to that, increasing job opportunities makes the depletion in the consumption of the consumers to slow down since income of the workers improves as more job were created in the economy. Furthermore, labor productivity helps the private firms to reinvigorate their profitability and sales volume making the government able to charge higher taxes to be used for financing government projects for the economy. Proposed Economic Stabilization Policy One of the possible way by which the US government could further stabilize the growth of the US economy would be through lower down the tax rate that the government has been charging especially for the multinational corporations. Through cutting down the tax rate of the companies in the market, especially those multinational corporations since it could offset the rising salaries of the laborers due to the high demand for laborers in the market. It was identified that because of the high demand for laborers in the market due to the fast-faced growth of the economy for the past years, the bargaining power of the laborers for higher salaries increased imposing threats for a higher operational costs for the private firms. The improvement of the income of every household could helped the economy revitalized the housing market that is why an increase in the salaries of the laborers is badly needed in the market today. So as not to sacrifice the welfare of the private firms which also contributes largely to the sustainable growth of the economy of the past years, the only option of the government is to lower down the taxes that they are charging from these people. In short, it is the government who would shoulder the burden or the costs of improving the housing industry not to mention that there is a great possibility that disposable income of the consumer group might increase due to the increase in their salaries. For sure, the job losses on the part of the government due to the lack of fund to finance government projects after the taxes being collected to large corporation would be offset by the additional job vacancies being created by the private industry every month in the economy. This only points out that even if this kind of policy would slow down the construction of infrastructures for the public or any government services being offered in the economy is very insignificant as compared to those persons or group of person that will benefits from this kind of policy. Policy Target The said proposed policy would only cover multinational and corporation type of companies for these are the business entities that employs the majority of the worker in the market. Moreover, international branches of the said corporation will also be included in the said proposed policy. For multinational company, tax rate would depend on the level of their profitability and sales volume. Whereas, corporations or those companies that only operate on the US market would have a fixed tax rate just to account their financial capabilities and the amount of labor force that they are utilizing for their operation. Current Use of the Policy Well, so far, President George W. Bush actually advocating the importance of tax cuts in order to protect the interest of the producers or private firms in the market for they are the one who drags the economy towards progress as well as the increase in the salaries of the workers in the economy (Seib, 2007). Moreover, the issue regarding this tax rate reduction becomes more interesting to the presidential candidates and serves as part of their platforms in their campaign. The reason behind the popularity of tax cutting to most of the presidential candidate is due to the fact that this issue encompasses not only the private sector but also the consumer and labor group of which the majority are voters for the up coming election. Although politically driven, there is still a basis for the presidential candidates to propose and support such said kind of policy for the economy, and true enough, tax cutting is being viewed as one of the possible solution for the growth of the US economy to become more sustainable. But then again, after considering those benefits than can be derived from implementing this kind of policy, based also from the tax cutting model of President Bush, there is a little possibility that this would not be implemented in the near future alongside with other economic policies of the government. Potential Problems and Issues Although the consumers and the private firms will be well-off from the shouldering of the government of the costs of high oil prices in the market, still, the insufficient amount of available budget for the coming fiscal period would surely made the provision of government project become sluggish. As most of the economists know, government plays a vital role in maintaining equilibrium condition in the economy like the provision of public goods. These are goods that when provided by the private firms would only caused inefficiencies and ineffectiveness on producing such goods, thus, worsening the welfare of the consumer group. Like for instance, the provision of street lights, it is the government’s responsibility to give its citizens with street light for the security of the latter. By cutting the tax being charge to the corporation, there is a big chance of having insufficient funds for street lighting perhaps, or unfinished roads for a couple of months due to lack of funds and so on and so forth. Tax, on the field of public economics, only causes losses on the societal welfare. It only creates gain for the society if it is being used as a correctional tool to put back the economy into its equilibrium state. Like in the case of negative externality emitters in the economy, the are being charged by higher tax that the usual amount in order to force them to cut down their production or to slow down their operation on the optimal level for the society. The only point here is that, tax cutting would just make the budget deficit problem of the government to become worse assuming that the gains from the performance of the economy will not change that significantly for the next couple of fiscal periods. But since the Federal Reserve predicts that the US economy would still expand for the next period, then, tax cutting will not worsen the budget deficit of the government as what is being expected by some of the government officials.

Affinity Orientation Discrimination Cases Study Essay

Imagine that you are a department manager and you find out that a man you work with has become a woman, or you find out a woman you work with enjoys the private company of woman, would these concepts cause you to discriminate against your employees in the workplace? Analysis of case studies, understanding applicable laws, and recommending clearly defined policies for the workplace will assist with understanding and preventing affinity orientation discrimination. It is important in today’s workplace to have an intricate understanding of the difference between affinity orientation and the word sex as it pertains to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). The term sex referred to in Title VII represents the gender of an individual employee. Affinity orientation refers to the intimate relationship that an individual may have with another individual of the same gender, or an individual’s desire to become the opposite gender, either temporarily or permanently. There are various types of affinity orientation, none of which are protected by Title VII (Bennett-Alexander, 2001 p.243). One example affinity orientation would be a woman who is a lesbian or a man who is gay. It is becoming increasingly popular for men and women to have a surgical procedure performed to become the opposite gender; this too is a form of affinity orientation. Affinity orientation has become a subject of adversity in the workforce as a result of there being little protection against discrimination for employees participating in the various types of affinity orientation. Case study analysis is a method that management can utilize to better understand affinity orientation in the workplace and preventing discrimination. Case Study #1 Michael is employed at ABC Hospital as an operating nurse. Michael had taken a leave of absence from work to have a gender change operation. Upon Michael’s return to work at ABC Hospital Michael wanted to be addressed by  the name Michelle. Since Michelle completed the gender change surgical procedures she felt that she had the right to utilize the women’s locker room and shower like all the other women employed at ABC Hospital. The male employees did not want Michelle to use the men’s locker room because of her gender change. The women refused to share the women’s locker room with Michelle, because the women knew of Michelle’s original gender. At ABC Hospital it is standard procedure for operating room nurses to wear unisex surgical scrubs. Therefore, I do not see the reason why she want use the men locker and shower room. Michelle is not wearing a uniform dress with a cap as a nurse while at work. I feel that she is still considered as a man. Michelle is hoping to file discrimination against her co-workers since having the sex change because no one is accepting her as a female. If she were hired as a male she should not feel discriminatory. I think that she should be accommodated with a locker room and shower that is for either a man or a woman. Case Study #2 Tracy is a lesbian who alleges that she has been denied an internal company promotion due to the fact that her department manager does not want to support her lesbian lifestyle. Mr. Green, Tracy’s department manager, is accused of discriminating against Tracy by not writing her a letter of recommendation for a promotion. Tracy feels that the excellent yearly performance reviews that Mr. Green wrote for her entitles her to obtain a letter of recommendation from Mr. Green. There are legitimate reasons for Tracy’s discrimination claim to be denied. Title VII offers protection against discrimination at the workplace; however, Title VII does not protect against affinity orientation in the workplace. There are no federal laws that prevent a person from being fired or refused a job on the basis of affinity orientation. There are however, the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America, that offer freedom of speech, the right to privacy, and equal  protection under law (Bennett-Alexander, 2001, p.243). Tracy does not have a discrimination claim against her department manager Mr. Green as a result of affinity orientation. Tracy’s supervisor Mr. Green gave her excellent annual performance evaluations that are more than sufficient enough to apply and expect to be eligible any company promotions. Mr. Green is not obligated to give employees letters of recommendation for promotions, transfers, or applications for employment inside or outside of the company where he is employed as a department manager. The company followed all employee performance review procedures correctly. It is standard practice for companies to place the best-suited candidate in vacant positions. The use of employment evaluations ensures that all candidates are given equal opportunity for job advancements. Should Mr. Green have given Tracy poor performance evaluations on a consistent basis, Tracy may have been able to prove a discrimination claim. It is important to have set policies in place to keep employees informed of what criteria must be met for company advancement or promotions. Employment manuals are a suitable method of ensuring that employees are notified of company policies. In an effort to eliminate future claims of discrimination in the workplace relating to company advancement, Mr. Green should have established set policies regarding letters of recommendation. It is recommended that Mr. Green have the employee manual clearly state that department managers are not permitted to write referral letters for employees applying any positions within the company. The policy would be based on the fact that a letter of recommendation made by a department manager could indicate preference in the workplace and unfair advantage for certain employees. Another option Mr. Green could have implemented would be to permit employees to obtain letters of recommendation from sources outside of the company. Outside recommendations could strengthen an employee’s resume while not creating the opportunity for discrimination in the workplace. An implemented policy that addresses the importance of an employee’s ability to meet and  satisfy the requirements of the position would lessen the likeliness of a discrimination claim. Regardless of which position the company takes with respect to letters of recommendation, employees would be advised of company policies well in advance of applying for any positions within the company. Taking precautions in the workplace through the use of implemented policies can eliminate potential discrimination claims. Analyzing case studies, reviewing applicable laws, and recommending policies for the workplace are an excellent method of preventing affinity orientation discrimination. References Bennett-Alexander, D. D., & Hartman, L. P. (2001). Employment Law for Business (III ed.) Boston, Massachusetts: Mc Graw-Hill Primis.

John Grisham Essays - John Grisham, Phi Kappa Phi, Free Essays

John Grisham Essays - John Grisham, Phi Kappa Phi, Free Essays John Grisham Reading 951006 Miller February 5, 2015 John Grisham is a popular novelist best known for legal thrillers. Grisham earned his degree in accounting at Mississippi State University. However he switched to criminaldefense law and received his law degree in 1981. John Grisham practiced law and served as democrat in the Mississippi state legislature. In his first trial case where he observed, inspired him to write his first novel, A Time to kill. Grisham spend three years on this novel and finished it 1987. Rejected by couple of publishers, an unknown publisher agreed to publish his book only five- thousand books were printed. John Grisham books (The Firm, The Client, The Chamber, The Rainmaker etc...) became international bestsellers. When he wasnt writing, Grisham devotes time in charitable causes, including the most recently his rebuild the Coast Fund, which raised 8.8 million dollars when Hurricane Katrina hit (Random House). As a child, he dreamed of being a professional baseball player. He now serves as the local little league commissioner, and he built six ball fields on his property have played host to over 350 kids on 26 little league teams. John Grisham has always been a great writer and will always be successful in his novels.

Business Environment in Cuba

Business Environment in Cuba Cuba is a beautiful country that lies to the north of the Caribbean Sea, the Mexican gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. It is made up of several islands and among the island of Cuba is the largest. Its total area is 109,884 km2 making 104 th in the world. Its population according to 2015 census was 11239,004 making it 78 th most populous country. Its GDP, according to the 2014 estimate was 82.775 billion, making it to be in top ten in countries with high GDP. Its major trading partners include Canada, China, Venezuela, Netherlands, and Spain. Its major exports are sugar, fish, fruits, agricultural produce, and livestock. It also has nickel mines and its contribution to the international market amounts to 4 percent. It is also a major producer of sugar and was accounting for 36 percent of the total amount of sugar produced, but a recent survey reveals that it only supplies a 10 percent as of 2014. Cuba is one the countries that practice socialism in their administration and had close t ies with USSR before its collapse [1] . After the collapse of the Soviet Union the country experienced hard economical times characterized by food shortages, lack of proper medical services caused by emigration of doctors and general decline in all the sectors of the economy [2] . The Cuban government came up with a new guideline for foreign investment that states that the profits tax be reduced into half and ensure foreign companies are not taxed for a period of 8 years in order to attract foreign investment. It has done away with duty free zones and industrial parks in a quest to increase investment opportunities. Investment is encouraged in all the sectors of the economy except in public health and education sectors. Due to their strict laws on the conservation of the environment, any company that its business interferes with the environment is prohibited. Foreign investment proposal goes through the ministry of trade and foreign investment, which is later approved, by the Coun cil of State, and Council Minister. The corporate tax incentive is at 30 percent. Several companies operate in Cuba mostly from Canada, China, Russia and Brazil. No company from the united sates operates in Cuba but its products can be found in Cuban markets. Such companies include Sherritt International, Macdonald’s Mining Corporations, Air France, Lufthansa, Mitsubishi, Toyota, and Mercedes Benz among Others. The country has experienced all forms of violence in the past and has had bitter relations with the United States after the overthrowing of the then government by Fidel Castro in 1959. Since then, the communist party led by Fidel Castro as the president until 2008 when he retired and was succeeded by his brother Raul Castro has governed it. Due to its past relations with the US, there have been very many conflicts with the tiny island nation. Due to its alignment with the USSR during the cold war, it worsened its relations with the west and in 1961; a nuclear war alm ost broke out with Cuba and the US. With the introduction of the communist party, which is the only political party there, has been so much abuse of human rights in the country. There is no freedom of expression and journalists are arrested and jailed for speaking against the government. Many organizations and governments have voiced their worries that the situation in Cuba is bad for its citizens as the government was exercising all forms political dissent such as arbitrary imprisonment, extrajudicial killings torture, and unfair trials. The statistics of 2008 show that Cuba had the second number of imprisoned journalists. The country has an extensive maximum-security system totaling to 40 and various work camps. The people are confined in the prisons where they face torture and sexual harassment coupled with poor living conditions. The Cuban human rights watch reported that in 2010 there were 167 political prisoners. The country also restricts emigration, obtaining a passport is v ery expensive, and only few people can afford. There is limited internet access to the government only operating 118 cybercafà ©s and the sale of computers is highly restricted. With these conditions, investing in Cuba may be very challenging [3] . Cuba’s scenery is beautiful and attracts many tourists to come and watch its vast beauty and natural resources. There is range of plant and animal species only found in Cuba. In fact, 22 percent of its total area is restricted for conservation of the natural environment. It enjoys large plantations of sugarcane, mines, and advanced medicine production plants. However, the government controls 90 percent of the factors of production. The state runs and operates most of the firms and employs 78 percent of the labor force with the private sector dismally at 22 percent as per 2006 statistics [4] . Penetrating into Cuba for a private company the firm has to pay the government, which in turn pays the employees. This may not be favorabl e for any business because there will be no motivation of the labor force. A firm may face labor challenges venturing into Cuba because the workers are poorly paid, and are not represented by the trade union. The average monthly salary is 19 US dollars, which is relatively low to expect a large output from them. The transparency international survey of 2008, ranked Cuba as the 67 th most corrupt in the world. The corruption perception index (CPI) showed that Cuba scored 4.3 which rates from zero (highly corrupt) to 10 (highly clean). Corruption is rampant because the state owns all the resources and getting services from the government officials one has to pay a bribe.   The government lacks accountability as there are no pressure groups in the country and corruption is highly practiced by top government official such as the military officials who enjoy favors that ordinary Cubans cannot have. A ministry to investigate corruption was set in 2001 to eliminate corruption and bring accountability in the government, which is a good gesture towards the step towards the right direction. Cuba has one of the lowest unemployment rates, and as of 2015, the rates were 2.40 percent. This is a very low percentage and this can be attributed by the firm grip of the government owning all the factors of production. The government has established work camps, which employ most of the people [5] . If you are to venture into Cuba and the form of business you wish to conduct is labor intensive then looking for labor may be a challenge because the population is engaged. On the other side, high employment ensures that there is money in the economy, which increases demand for goods and services. This would ensure that the firm might grow the economy with high standards of living, proper medical services, and high levels of literacy levels, gain some big sales. Before the collapse of the USSR, the Cubans enjoyed a good life with a vast. After it abandoned them, the country was plunged into crisis and general decline of the economy [6] . Since the collapse of the COMECON, Cuba has not joined any trading block and has since concentrated on building its communist policies. However, it trades with the MERCUSOR members such as Brazil. The sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union did hurt its economy. The US has enforced an embargo on Cuba, but things are looking good as president, Obama made his trip to Cuba and it is a step towards the right direction. The economy is recovering due to trade between it and Canada, especially through its tourism sector.   However, the government needs to do a lot, reduce its force on the people, and give them freedom.

Colleges become major front in fight over carrying Guns Research Paper

Colleges become major front in fight over carrying Guns - Research Paper Example But proponents argue that reduced level of criminal events like sorry mass shootings seen in 2007 and 2008 at Virginia Tech and Illinois University respectively is directly associated with prohibition on carrying guns. Banning guns is also a popular argument presently because this strategy curbs the bravado of emotional students who may shoot their professors dead over trivial matters. Sustaining the right to carry guns is a really weak argument because nearly all states in the US are in agreement that this is a really bad idea. Crime is strengthening in the world at a stupendous and horrifying rate. In such a distressing situation, colleges should play an active and efficient role in the noble fight over carrying guns because staying silent and inactive can potentially result in an increased rate of ugly shooting incidents at campuses. This paper basically aims at contemplating the controversial nature of gun rights, what contemporary research has to say on the subject, and reviewin g to what extent colleges are justified in fighting against carrying guns. Research reveals that there is an increased incidence of dangerous behaviors like binge drinking on campuses which is considered by anti-gun advocates as a really good reason to make colleges gun-free zones. Introducing guns into an environment of â€Å"binge drinking, drug use and the pressures that college students are under† (Pelosi cited in Ruiz) is a really bad and wretched thing to do. It is claimed that a high rate of high-risk behaviors witnessed on college campuses like â€Å"binge drinking and drug use are commonly cited by anti-gun advocates as reasons to keep weapons off campus† (Smeck). Understandably, carrying guns at campus by students in contemporary world is seen in a very controversial light because given the severity of certain really bad incidents which have occurred in the US colleges in the past, the right to carry concealed weapons is seen more as a promising threat of unb ridled violence. Only recently, seriously troubled news of murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School generated waves around the US fueling the gun control debate. Only Utah, Colorado, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and Oregon are five states which still permit students to carry guns at campus. Gun advocates in these states still argue that if students are not allowed to carry weapons, other people living outside the law with criminal intentions will get green signal for hitting the vulnerable targets easily getting away with their horrendous actions without being hit in reaction. But it is argued by director of the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus that â€Å"this argument is not strong enough to justify allowing concealed weapons on campus† (Pelosi cited in Smeck). Actually, more threats are promised by gun allowance than benefits. It is claimed that gun violence â€Å"disrupts American lives, inflames public sentiment, and interrupts the societal concept of ordered liberty† (W ilson 6). Anti-gun sentiments have been building for past five or six years (Moynihan cited in Smeck) especially since the notorious Virginia Tech incident which involves a psychopath student deliberately shooting 32 students and a professor to death. This is recognized as one of the major incidents responsible for initiating a ceaseless debate between advocates and opponents of gun-carrying rights laws. This tragic incident took place in 2007 and just after 5