Culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Culture - Assignment Example Consequently, we shall be required to hire a language and cultural interpreter for dealing with Chinese in addition to engaging in selective hiring of expats based on their past international experience particularly with the Chinese. Furthermore, ethical aspects of the Chinese culture may be weak leaving scope for bribery and gift-giving at various levels of business operations. Additionally, team work may be difficult to achieve with the Chinese who do not possess any concept of teams in their culture. However, binding based on understanding of the Chinese language could prove to be a successful strategy in developing strong cross-cultural teams involving Chinese. Finally, the company may have o consider the conflict of home country versus subsidiary strategy based on different cultures prevailing in the two countries. It is recommended that Primark engages in cross-cultural training and engages in selective hiring on expats so that the need for repatriation is minimized. 1. Introdu ction National culture is stated as having a profound effect on the strategy adopted by organizations. Furthermore, the formulation of strategy for our subsidiary in China at our headquarters in U.K could entail the risk of having one national culture dominate over the other when it comes to strategy formulation. A stark difference between the national culture of China and U.K based on Hofstede’s dimensions is also apparent. 2. Chinese culture and HR Policy The Chinese culture is marked by hierarchical ties based on status, paternalistic leadership and emphasis on trust building amongst relationships (Guanxi) which is contrary to the Western notion of formal planning, more objective business dealings and a participative style of management. It is important to understand the key dimensions of masculinity, power distance beliefs, uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation laid down by Hofstede identifies that highlight the differences between the Eastern(including Chinese) and Western (including U.K) national culture(Hofstede, n.d.). The Chinese societies possess high power distance beliefs, collectivism, long term orientation and conformity. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the Chinese to derive satisfaction from collective gains rather than personal achievements. Furthermore, the Chinese people tend to avoid conflict in an attempt to â€Å"save face† and appreciate harmony and cohesion. On the other hand, Western societies such as U.K tend to be more work-centric and highly individualistic with low power-distance beliefs(Edfelt, 2010). Clearly, we run the risk of engaging in what is known as an ethnocentric approach. Sending expatriates from the parent country (in this case, U.K) to assume top managerial positions in the foreign country (China) would be part of our HR policy. However, it is necessary that there is sufficient coordination between these expatriate bosses and the local intermediate managers in China. Research also suggests tha t prior international experience provides valuable work-related and non-work related information for cross-cultural interaction, particularly if that experience has been with a culture similar to the current one(Selmer, 2001). 3. Socialization and business dealings At this stage, hiring of expatriate managers based on their past experience of dealing in cross-national assignments/projects (particularly projects with China) would be necessary as

Special Education Reflection Essay Example for Free

Special Education Reflection Essay Special Education 332 (Education and Inclusion of Individuals with Special Needs) has been enlightening for me as a secondary mathematics educator. In the beginning of the semester, my feelings towards special education were those of apathy and insensitivity. I now understand that my feelings were due to my lack of knowledge and my judgment based on stereotypes. I always knew that making fun of students with learning disabilities was wrong. However, I never felt that inclusion of special education students in general education classes was plausible or made sense. I felt that special education students belonged in their own classrooms; and that is why we have special education educators. As a prospective secondary mathematics educator, I felt that it was unfair that I would have special education students in my classes. I would rationalize my attitude by saying that I signed up to teach normal students, and that the special education students were not my problem or responsibility. I did not want to deal with them. I did not see them as individuals who seek meaning through learning. As a constructivist, my goal as an educator is to provide students with meaning by imparting knowledge. As I reflect on my feelings towards special education students, I ask myself why do I not see them in the same way. If they are students as well, why do I discriminate against them? Why is it, when I think about teaching students with learning disabilities, I get uncomfortable? It is due to my lack of knowledge of students with learning disabilities. It was not until I saw the movie (before our class) I Am Sam, my thoughts about people with learning disabilities started to change. The movie changed my perception that mentally challenged individuals are strange by nature because they do not seem to understand when people talk to them and is different from myself. The movie showed me that they do comprehend information, have feelings as I do, and most importantly, that I have wrongly stereotyped their differences. This course not only gave me the knowledge I needed to understand students with learning disabilities, I was also able to empathize with these students through active participation in the sensitivity activities. Participating in the activities during our class was eye opening; I was able to have a taste of what it was like for people with learning disabilities. I always believed that there was something wrong with people with learning disabilities, and thus classified them as abnormal. The activities made me realize that with their learning disability aside, they were no different from me. People with learning disabilities had their strengths and weaknesses, and I had mine. The activities, without fail, made me frustrated. I wanted to lash out at the world, and I always wondered why students with learning disabilities had emotional problems. I came to realize that people with learning disabilities live with their disabilities for the rest of their lives. That these sensitivity activities were only temporary for us, but it was reality for those dealing with the disabilities. This is what changed me the most, realizing this simple truth. Throughout my years at Lehigh, I have proclaimed that I have a passion to teach, to show students that mathematics is not difficult, and that they are able to understand mathematics. However, when it came to special education students, my philosophy changed, due to their learning disability. I was ignorant to the special education movement of inclusion, because I feared the idea of teaching students who were not normal. I use the word normal in quotations because I now realize that special education students are like anybody else, and that we, special and general education students alike, are all normal. There is nothing wrong with special education students. Special education students are individuals who desire to learn. My feelings towards special education students have also changed through my counseling psychology class. In the class I learned that every student, whether they are homosexuals, rape victims, Jewish, Christian, or special education students, are students. Every student should not be discriminated because of who they are; rather they should be treated as children who need to learn. I was annoyed to find out that students, who had special needs, were included in classes where teachers were not trained or educated and therefore did not know how to instruct these students. I strongly believe that the special education movement of inclusion will succeed only if general education educators become aware of what it means to have learning disabilities and understand the concept of universal design. One of the greatest tools that this class has given me is universal design. Universal design for learning is a process for considering the needs of all students in the classroom and designing curriculum, instruction, and evaluation with sufficient flexibility so that each student benefits (Turnbull, Turnbull, Shank, and Smith, 2004). I will not be able to teach my general education class with special education students in it, by using universal design to teach everyone. I believe that this tool is the most powerful one that will advance the inclusion of special education students in general education classrooms movement. Fortunately, I was placed in a classroom (for my pre-intern teaching experience) where there was a student who had learning disabilities, and was included in a general education classroom. I was able to experience having a special education student in a general education classroom. Through this experience, I was able to get to know the student, and saw that he was an awesome kid. I liked him so much because despite his IEPs, he impressed me with his determination to learn and get good grades. He was a special education student who sought meaning through learning. My transformation became most apparent to me in writing my advocacy letter. I wanted to condemn the publisher of the Website and give him a piece of my mind. How dare he condone such blasphemy? Does he not see the damaging affects that his Website has on the special education community? What I did not see was that I was just like him once. I was also ignorant and apathetic towards students with learning disabilities. Even though, I understand special education students better than I had in the past and empathize with them, I must be careful on how I educate others. How can expect others to listen to me and change their views if I do it in a way that makes them defensive immediately? I have to be sympathetic towards those once in my position, and must communicate myself to produce a change in their view of students with learning disabilities. Furthermore, I must not become disillusioned into thinking that I have learned everything about students with learning disabilities and that I have done a complete one-eighty in my view of these students. There was several times where I caught myself using the term retarded, in describing something that was unintelligent. I must understand that my advocacy towards this issue will only grow if I continue to find out more about learning disabilities, to watch what I say, and to be careful when trying to teach others to change their views. Overall, I must admit that I have been blessed from taking this course. I feel that I have grown throughout the course of the class, where I once stereotyped students with learning disabilities to understanding students with disabilities. Many people judge and classify what they do not understand, and through that ignorance is birthed. I am thankful that I have taken this class as I have become aware of my ignorance and have a deeper understanding and acceptance of those with learning disabilities, inside and outside of the classroom. References Turnbull, R. , Turnbull, A. , Shank, M. , Smith, S. J. (2004). Exceptional Lives: Special Education in Todays Schools. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Informed Consent Essay -- Medical Consent

Informed consent is the basis for all legal and moral aspects of a patient’s autonomy. Implied consent is when you and your physician interact in which the consent is assumed, such as in a physical exam by your doctor. Written consent is a more extensive form in which it mostly applies when there is testing or experiments involved over a period of time. The long process is making sure the patient properly understands the risk and benefits that could possible happen during and after the treatment. As a physician, he must respect the patient’s autonomy. For a patient to be an autonomous agent, he must have legitimate moral values. The patient has all the rights to his medical health and conditions that arise. When considering informed consent, the patient must be aware and should be able to give a voluntary consent for the treatment and testing without being coerced, even if coercion is very little. Being coerced into giving consent is not voluntary because others people’s opinions account for part of his decision. Prisoners and the poor population are two areas where coercion is found the most when giving consent. Terminally ill patients also give consent in hope of recovering from their illness. Although the possibilities are slim of having a successful recovery, they proceed with the research with the expectation of having a positive outcome. As stated by Raab, â€Å"informed consent process flows naturally from the ‘partnership’ between physician and patient† (Raab). Despite the fact that informed consent is supposed to educate the patients, it is now more of an avoidance of liability for physicians (Raab). Although the physician provides adequate information to his patient, how can he ensure that his patient properly ... ...nt." Neuropsychopharmacology 24.6 (2001): 595-607. Gert, Heather. "Avoiding Surprises: A Model for Informing Patients." The Hastings Center Reports 32.5 (2002): 23-32. Kuczewski, Mark, and Patricia Marshall. "The Decision Dynamics of Clinical Research: The Context and Process of Informed Consent." Supplement: Making Informed Consent Meaningful 40.9 (2002): 45-54. Moerman, Daniel. "Cultural Variations in the Placebo Effect: Ulcers, Anxiety, and Blood Pressure." Medical Anthropology Quarterly 14.1 (2000): 51-72. Nelson, Robert, and Jon Merz. "Voluntariness of Consent for Research: An Empirical and Conceptual Review." Medical Care 40.9 (2002): 69-80. Raab, Edward L. "The Parameters of Informed Consent." Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc. 102 (2004): 225-32. Rovner, Margaret, and Celia E. Wills. "Improving Informed Consent." Medical Care 40.9 (2002): 30-38.

Bite Me: A Love Story Chapter 16

16. Being the Chronicles of Abby Normal, Nosferatu Well, that was dramatic. Ronnie is all crying and cowering in the other room because I drank a little of her blood. Fuck's sakes, you mopey emo-toy, cowboy the fuck up, you have quarts! What did she expect, she got to kill me, that's not free? I'm not like some easy death slut who lets you kill her for nothing, I am nosferatu, bee-yotch. That shit has a price. Her blood totally tastes like zit cream, too. I almost hurled. I know, trs cool, non? So, now that I am a dark and beautiful creature of unspeakable evil, I think I'm going to start a pay-subscription blog. Except I can only, like, advertise darkness and unspeakable evil, because I'm totally starting from the beginning on the beauty. First, all my tattoos are totally gone. Gone! Like wiped off. After I succumbed to the dark gift by taking a whole bottle of the Motherbot's sleeping pills, Ronnie hid me under a pile of blankets and stuffed animals in her room, and when I awoke at sundown and crawled from my sepulcher of Carebears and Muppets and whatnot, all my tats totally wiped off. Like the ink was pushed out on top of my skin. Now Ronnie has an Epileptic Elmo with more of my ink on him than I have. And my piercings healed up. My bars and rings are all in the carpet. Boobs? Still pathetic. I had so hoped to swoop down on Foo and totally flash my awesome vampyre cleavage on him. You know, like put on a bustier and really squish the girls out the top, then be all: BAM! â€Å"Check it out, Foo. Cower before killer dcolletage, and beg me to let you rub your handsome ninja face on it.† But no! Now he'll be all, â€Å"Oh, it looks like you dropped a couple of dimes down your shirt, vamp child. Can I help you with those?† So I suffer. And you can't get implants. I saw what happens when the Animals' blue hooker turned vampyre. You wake up and your implants are on the floor and you're all, â€Å"Hey, I blew like a hundred strangers to get those.† I'm only estimating. I'm sure the number of strangers will vary depending on prevailing suck and surgical rates in your area. (You acquire arcane medical knowledge when your mother is a nurse.) You can't have stuff removed either, you know, if that might be needed. Even my makeup is ruined from where Ronnie tried to smother me with a pillow, so that's going to take like an hour to fix. I had heard that sometimes even when you overdose on a whole butt-load of drugs, you don't always die because your heart won't stop, which is why you're supposed to put your head in a plastic bag. But I didn't want to because I had done Cleopatra eye makeup that was trs elegant so I would look hawt for my resurrection. So Ronnie was supposed to put her hand over my mouth and nose, just until I stopped breathing, then like fix my lipstick if it smeared. Because otherwise I'd be all girlfriend in a coma for weeks while the Motherbot whined about how she couldn't unplug me because of her guilt for treating me like an assbag and how she had never appreciated my dark complexity and inner beauty and whatnot, and I have too much shit to do for that. But Ronnie didn't even wait for me to pass out. I had just taken the pills with some Sunny D (because the nosferatu love us some irony), and I laid down on the floor like we had planned, so Ronnie could just roll my body under the bed to hide me from the deadly rays of the sun and Mom. So I'm grieving for the loss of my mortality and whatnot, when Ronnie, like, just throws a pillow on my face and sits on it. And I'm all, â€Å"Wait, wait, mmphff, mmphf.† And then she burned one-right in my face-one of those foul, vegan farts-because she's been a vegan ever since she had head lice and we shaved her head. (I don't know why. Something about garlic and parasites. She's insane.) ‘Kayso, I decided that I could wait to receive the dark gift, and that Ronnie would have to die as soon as I got her off me. So she, like, burns another one! And she's skinnier than me. I don't know how she could even have it in her. And she's laughing so hard that she falls off of me and I make my move. ‘Kayso, I'm chasing her around the house, going, â€Å"I'm going to peel off your skin and make it into boots and step in dog shit with them,† and other basic super-villain threats, and then things got all wiggly and the last thing I remember is I walked into the sliding glass doors to the balcony and kind of bounced off. And so tragically, I died young, and no one was there to grieve for me or shed tears for me or kiss my cold, lifeless lips and whatnot. But now I'm undead awesome. I think with practice, I will make a super, super-villain, and really, I'm okay with that, because there won't be any student loans like there would have been with my other career choice of tragic romantic poet. ‘Kayso, now I must fix my makeup and pick an ensem and then wander the lonely night, searching for the Countess and the vampyre Flood, and maybe drop by the love lair to totally overwhelm Foo with my haunting and eternal but still small-chested beauty. Kthxbye. Being immortal rocks! I can type like demon speed! Fear me! L8z. THE EMPEROR The Emperor and the men shared a submarine sandwich on a bench by Pier Nine in the bright noonday sun as they watched a dark knife of a yacht glide into dock. She was just short of the length of a football field, all black, with stainless-steel trim-what the Emperor imagined a star-ship might look like if it were driven by sails. The sails on her three stainless-steel masts were mechanically furled into black carbon fiber shrouds, and the curved windows of her cockpit and cabin were blacked out. There were no crewmen on the deck. In all his years on and around the sea, the Emperor had never seen anything like it. Bummer flattened his ears and growled. â€Å"Easy, little one, it's only a sailing ship, and a beautiful one at that,† said the Emperor, although he thought it quite strange that there was no crew on deck to secure the mooring lines. A ship of that size, and more important, of that expense, would usually have half a dozen or more tying her up, but once parallel with the dock, attitude jets along the sides opened in the hull and gently pushed her into the dock. Jets on the far side pushed back so she stopped within six inches and hovered there, the jets firing just as needed to keep her from drifting. Three hundred feet of steel and carbon fiber, probably over twelve hundred tons, parked as easily and somewhat more smoothly than a Mini Cooper at a strip mall. Bummer ran to the edge of the breakwater and let loose with machine-gun volley of yapping, which translated, â€Å"Bad boat, bad boat, bad boat, bad boat.† A barking fit from his bug-eyed companion was nothing out of the ordinary, and normally the Emperor would have let it pass with a calming word, but there was still half a submarine sandwich to be eaten, and something had to be very much amiss for Bummer to leave the scene of a sandwich. Now Lazarus sniffed the chill wind coming off the Bay and whimpered, and tossed his head, then looked back at the Emperor, which translated from dog to, â€Å"Smells undead, boss.† The Emperor didn't understand what his companions were saying to him, but he suspected. He just wasn't ready to hear it. It had only been a few hours since the two police inspectors had dropped him off at the St. Francis Yacht Club, where the members allowed him and the men the use of the outer showers, and one of the members had purchased this lovely sandwich and presented it to them in thanks for their service to the City. Only an hour since he'd actually managed to straighten his neck out, after spending the better part of a night upside-down in a barrel. And only now, after a walk along the waterfront and a good meal, was the pain in his knees and shoulders starting to subside. He wasn't ready to go back into battle. â€Å"I am a selfish old man,† he said to the men. â€Å"A coward, worried for my own comfort, when my people are threatened. I am afraid.† But even as he said it, he was rising on his creaky knees, pushing himself up on the walking stick he'd retrieved only this morning from the Yacht Club, where he'd left it for safekeeping. The handle was carved out of ivory into the shape of a polar bear, and it fit the Emperor's hand like it had been made for him, although it had been a gift from a nice young man named Asher, who owned the secondhand store in North Beach, but that's another story. He wished there had been a blade in it, like the cane young Asher carried. Alas, he would have to face the black ship with only a stick, a sandwich, and his intrepid furry companions. He puffed himself blowfish style and headed up the dock, Bummer and Lazarus following along behind him, ears lowered, trailing a two-part growling harmony. A few people had gathered along the fence at the breakwater, and were pointing to the great ship. It wasn't so unusual that one might bring his day to a full halt, but if you were in the middle of a run or a brisk walk and needed a reason for a pause, the black ship would certainly fire the imagination long enough for you to catch your breath. Once at the ship, the Emperor was unsure of what to do. There was really no reason beyond Bummer's behavior to justify boarding her. And this ship was not of his city, therefore he could not claim dominion over it. He could hear the attitude jets firing just under the water, sporadically, to keep the ship in place. It was only a step, albeit a long step, and he'd be standing on the deck at her prow. Perhaps, having made the leap, a further course of action would occur to him. He backed up on the dock to take a run at it, or as much of a run as his advanced age and boiler-tank bulk would allow him, but as he announced â€Å"two† on his count-down to launch, a tanned face surrounded by a tangle of blond dreadlocks popped up over the rail of the cockpit and a young man called, â€Å"Irie, mi crusty uncle, bringing us the jammin' grinds, yeah? I and I tanks ye colossal, but please to be waiting on the dock.† And the Emperor stopped. Bummer and Lazarus even stopped growling and sat and turned their heads in the manner of a doggie listening for a â€Å"food† word amid a recitation of The Iliad. The young man vaulted over the black cowling of the cockpit and landed on the lower deck, his bare feet barely making a thump. He was lean and muscular, tanned a caf au lait color, with a tattoo of a humpback whale on his right pectoral muscle. He wore board shorts, despite the chill Bay air, a gold ring in his nose, and a series of them chasing down the rim of each ear. His dreadlocks fanned out around his head and shoulders as if they might be sun serpents looking for a way to escape. He leapt the gap to the dock, dazzled a blindingly white grin, and snatched the remains of the sandwich out of the Emperor's hand. â€Å"Ah, Jah's love on ye, Uncle, bringing de rippin' grinds to I'n'I after so long at sea.† Bummer barked and growled. The Rasta-blond had their sandwich. â€Å"Ah, me doggie, dreadies,† said the Rasta. â€Å"Jah's blessings on ye.† He knelt and scratched Bummer behind the ears. The stranger smelled of coconut oil, weed, and the undead, and Bummer was going to bite him as soon as he was finished having his ears scratched. â€Å"I'n'I be Pelekekona Keohokalole. Call him Kona, for short. Pirate Captain and lion of the briny science, don't cha know?† â€Å"I am the Emperor of San Francisco, protector of Alcatraz, Sausalito, and Treasure Island,† said the Emperor, who couldn't bring himself to be impolite to the smiling stranger, despite the black ship. â€Å"Welcome to my city.† â€Å"Ah, many tanks, Bruddah. Much respek on you, yeah? But you can't be going on that Raven ship, no. She kill you, brah. Automatic-kine kill. Dead, dead, too. Not walkin' around dead like them below.† â€Å"It goes without saying,† said the Emperor. FOO DOG The rats had been up and moving for about an hour when Foo heard the key in the front door. He put the soldering iron he was using in the wire holder and was turning toward the door when she was on him. He felt his vertebrae crack as her legs wrapped around him and he went over backward. Something caught the back of his head and something wet and coppery was shoved into his mouth: tongue. Panic vibrated through him and he felt he might suffocate, but then the smell: a mix of sandalwood perfume, clove cigarettes, and caff latte. Amid the panic, he'd sprung a first-rate erection, which he thrust against his attacker in defense. She pushed away and twisted up a handful of his shirt-front as he gasped for breath. â€Å"Rawr!† she rawred. â€Å"I missed you,† said Foo. â€Å"Your suffering has only begun,† Abby said. She wore a red tartan miniskirt over a black leotard with a low swooping neckline, a spiked dog collar, and her lime-green Converse Chuck Taylors, which she sometimes referred to as her â€Å"forbidden love Chucks† for no reason that he could ever figure out. â€Å"You're kind of crushing my ribs.† â€Å"That is because I am nosssssss-feratu and my powers are legion and stuff! Trs cool, huh?† Foo realized then that she had actually done it-she had somehow managed to change herself into a vampire. Her nose, eyebrow, and lip rings were gone, the piercings healed. The spider tattoo on her neck was gone as well. â€Å"How?† he asked, immediately trying to calculate her odds of survival. He'd talked to her yesterday on the phone and he was sure she would have mentioned the transition if she'd made it already, so she was in her first twenty-four hours. She might still be one of the ones who went insane and self-destructed, and even though Abby was short neither on insanity or self-destruction, it didn't mean he shouldn't try to save her. She kissed him again, hard, and as nice as it felt, he was hyper aware of whether she had broken the skin on his lips, or hers. So far, so good. She pushed him back, but then caught the back of his head again so it didn't bang the floor. She actually seemed a little more considerate now that she was dead, although not that much quieter. â€Å"Be patient, my love ninja, I will use you like the delicious manga-haired man-whore that you are, but first we have to try out my powers. Let some of the rats out of their cages and I will command them with my vampire psychic thoughts. I'll see if I can get them to clean the kitchen.† Okay, maybe they weren't out of the insanity woods quite yet, Foo thought. He said, â€Å"Yes, and then we'll see if we can get bluebirds to tie a ribbon in your hair.† â€Å"Snark not, Foo! You must obey me! I am the Countess Abigail Von Normal, queen bitch of the night, and you are my groveling sex slave!† â€Å"Are you a countess or a queen? You said both.† â€Å"Shut up, grommet, before I suck you dry!† â€Å"Okay,† said Foo. A wise man picks his battles. â€Å"Not that way, Foo. I mean that I will dominate you and you will do my bidding!† â€Å"Which will be different from any other day, how?† â€Å"Cease your banality and nerdardious questions, Foo. You are totally harshing my heady power over the night.† â€Å"It sounds like you bought a flashlight.† â€Å"That's it. I am going to beat your ninja ass.† She leapt off of him and made the â€Å"crouching tiger, rip your heart out† kung-fu posture that everyone who has seen a martial arts movie knows. â€Å"Wait! Wait! Wait!† â€Å"‘Kay,† said Abby, relaxing to the much less dangerous â€Å"slouching tiger chillin' with a bag of Cheetos† stance, which is known by all who have ever snacked. â€Å"You need to feed, get your strength up first,† said Foo. â€Å"You're a vampire noob. You need to grow into your powers.† â€Å"Ha,† said Abby. â€Å"You speak like a mortal who can't possibly grasp the depth of the dark gift. I jumped over a car on the way here. And I totally ran faster than the F train. My Chucks are still warm with residual speediness. Go ahead, feel them. Lick them, if you must. Even now I can see this aura thing around you, which is like bright pink, and doesn't go with your fly hair and manly bulge.† Foo looked down. Yes, his bulge was betraying him. He said, â€Å"You should take it slow, Abby.† â€Å"Oh yeah, watch this!† In an instant she was across the loft at the kitchen counter, and in another instant she had shot back across the living room and hit the plywood covering the windows. There was nothing Foo could do. She might have lifted the couch, leapt up fifteen feet, and grabbed the open ceiling beams, or even turned to mist, if she'd figured out how to do that, but what she had decided to do to show her powers was blast through the quarter-inch plywood and land catlike on the street below. And that would have been badass, to be sure. What Abby didn't know was that while she'd been gone, the window guy had called, and he wouldn't be able to come out to fix the windows for two weeks, so Foo had replaced the quarter-inch plywood with three-quarter-inch plywood, and instead of it just being tacked at the corners with small nails, he had screwed it down with stainless-steel screws, so as not to leave any vapor gaps for the rats to make an escape. Foo cringed and covered his eyes. She was fast, and preternaturally strong, but ninety pounds of vampire is still only ninety pounds. Did she hit the plywood Wile E. Coyote style, then slide down? Wah-wah-wah. Oh no. She hit the plywood, which bent precipitously, then splintered a bit before springing back and rocketing her all the way across the loft to the back wall, and there, she made a petite Goth girl impression in the sheet rock before falling forward, flat on her face, and saying, â€Å"Fucksocks,† into the rug. â€Å"You okay?† asked Foo. â€Å"Broken,† said Abby into the rug. He knelt over her, afraid to turn her head to see what damage she might have done. â€Å"What's broken?† â€Å"Everything.† â€Å"I'll get you some blood out of the fridge. You should heal pretty fast.† â€Å"‘Kay,† said Abby, still face-down, not having moved since the initial impact. â€Å"Don't look at me, okay?† â€Å"No way,† said Foo, already in the kitchen. He took one of the plastic pouches of blood from the fridge and worked it back and forth. â€Å"Just a second. Don't move, Abs, you might have broken bones.† He quick-stepped into the bedroom, grabbed a capped syringe off the cabinet where he kept the chemicals, flipped off the cap, and injected the sedative into the bag. â€Å"Here you go, baby. Just drink this and you'll be fine.† Ten minutes later he heard someone coming up the stairs and realized that Abby had forgotten to lock the door. Jared bounded into the loft, stopped when he saw Foo kneeling over the prostrate Abby, who had a sizable pool of blood around her head, and began screaming. â€Å"Stop screaming!† barked Foo. â€Å"It's not her blood.† Jared stopped screaming. â€Å"What did you do to her?† â€Å"Nothing, she's fine. Would you move the maze off the bed and help me get her in there?† Sometime during the debacle, Abby's skirt had flipped up and Jared pointed at an oblong lump that ran across her bottom and partly down her leg under the black leotard. â€Å"What's that? Did she poop herself?† â€Å"No,† said Foo, wishing he didn't know what it was, but he had already checked for himself. â€Å"It's a tail.† â€Å"Whoa. Weird.† â€Å"Yeah,† said Foo.

The Issue of Gay Marriage - 864 Words

â€Å"The issue of gay marriage is one of many fronts. Looking into the nation’s past, an individual will realize that depriving anyone of free will and/or rights they feel they should have doesn’t work. A critical argument against gay marriage, is that being gay is a â€Å"choice† therefore it shouldn’t be promoted and spread. This is false because one who is truly homosexual is naturally sexually attracted to the same sex. A heterosexual male cannot just make a choice to engage in homosexual intercourse. Not long ago, African Americans were unable to marry Caucasians. This form of discrimination, given being gay isn’t a race, is still blanketed a civil rights issue. A person with an alternative life style wants to marry said partner they should be free to exercise their fundamental right of the pursuit of happiness without argument. The American Psychiatric Association (APA), ruled homosexuality a mental illness until 1974. A world renounced psychologist by the name of Sigmund Freud believed that homosexuality was linked paranoia. Later in life Freud contradicts himself, due to further testing, in 1935, Homosexuality is assuredly no advantage, but it is nothing to be ashamed of, no vice, no degradation, it cannot be classified as an illness; we consider it to be a variation of the sexual function produced by a certain arrest of sexual development. Many highly respectable individuals of ancient and modern times have been homosexuals, several of the greatest men among them (Plato,Show MoreRelatedThe Issue Of Gay Marriages1028 Words   |  5 Pages1101-113 September 2, 2015 The Issue Of Gay Marriages Through The Eyes Of Sociologists Gay marriages have been an ongoing event in the United States for many years. It was not until June 26, 2015 when gay marriage was legalized for all states with a five to four ratio. With gay marriage being legalized, there became many controversies in the nation. The most recent controversy was when a Kentucky county clerk was jailed after defying a federal court order to issue marriage licenses to a same-sex coupleRead MoreGay Marriage and Its Issues1260 Words   |  6 PagesGay Marriage and its Issues Gay marriage has been an issue for a very long time and since some states are legalizing it, many worry that it would soon be added as an amendment. The topic of gay marriage brings up religious, legal, and many other issues. In Whats wrong with Gay Marriage? by Katha Pollitt, the author supports gay marriage and wants it legalized. She states that there is no problem with gay marriage and its all a matter of separating the church and state. But in â€Å"Gay ‘Marriage’:Read MoreThe Issue Of Gay Marriage1191 Words   |  5 PagesChristina Abreu Professor Peter Lamar Introduction to Classics in Philosophy 6 November 2014 Gay Marriage Thomas Jefferson wrote about â€Å"unalienable rights† in The Declaration of Independence. What he meant was there are rights that are given to us as human beings and cannot be taken away by the government. â€Å"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness† are among those rights that are being suppressed against same sex couples. Their right to pursue happiness with their significant other is taken fromRead MoreIssue of Gay Marriage1216 Words   |  5 PagesThe Issue of Gay Marriage Summary This essay debates the issue of same sex marriage in the United States. It considers the pros and cons and examines the constitutional issues involved. Introduction Two strangers become friends and later fall in love. They tell their friends and family that they have each found their soul mate and they intend to get married as soon as possible. There is only one issue preventing them from getting married, not financial issues, and there are no love trianglesRead MoreThe Issue of Gay Marriages918 Words   |  4 PagesGay marriage has come to be a pressing topic in the contemporary society as more and more individuals get actively involved in discussing it. Individuals who oppose same-sex marriage are typically inclined to bring on a deontological argument or to say that legalizing the act might bring on other issues. In contrast, people who support gay marriages focus on matters related to human rights and justice. The arguments generated by each of the sides are certainly thought-provoking and it is very difficultRead MoreThe Issue Of Gay Marriage1241 Words   |  5 PagesAs the months pass by, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LG BT) community is getting tired of the same arguments in court. They as well as many other Americans are waiting for an answer. Although the solution to this public crises is to let them have their rights, many opposing people classify their arguments as correct or valid. However clear the answer may be, it has yet to be confirmed by all the states in America. Some major factors that lead to this conflict is whether homosexualityRead MoreThe Issue Of Gay Marriage2127 Words   |  9 Pageslonger us as Americans fighting a common enemy such as England, it was now Americans vs Americans. Multiple issues such as gun laws and religion have separated the United States since its creation. Though recently, the main issue that has caused a divide in the American population is the issue of gay marriage. In the past year the most important piece of legislation in favor of gay marriage and equal rights was created, and it all spurred off of a single court case. Obergefell v. Hodges. In orderRea d MoreThe Issue Of Gay Marriage3385 Words   |  14 PagesHistory teaches us that marriage has classically been between a man and a woman, but in the recent years, people have begun to challenge that notion. Gay marriage has been one of the most controversial topics of debate lately, dividing our nation into those who support the idea and those who oppose. It seems as though no matter who is asked, each person’s opinion falls to one side or the other. States have been similarly divided in their treatment of the gay marriage issue. Voters in some states haveRead MoreThe Issue Of Gay Marriage Essay3392 Words   |  14 PagesWell it is 2007, and we are still dealing with the issue of gay marriage being good, and not good for America. Now maybe in 20 years gay marriage will be legal in each state, and this issue will be over. However, I deal in reality. And reality tells me the idea of two men frotting inside a home with children, frankly makes people sick to their stomachs. I prefer women, but I think what two grown people do in their bedrooms is their private moral, and legal business. Just like a straight couple thatRead MoreThe Issue Of Gay Marriage2016 Words   |  9 Pagesthem. Christians for example do not believe in gay marriage. It is not part of their truth and most likely never will be. This is because they believe in the bible, and a god (higher power) which tells them that gay marriage is wrong. They use this information to decide what their truth is and how they will live out their lives. On the flip side of this there are many people who were raised, or influenced by people who are completely fine with gay marriage therefore those people whom they influence (the

Postmodernism, By Jean Francois Lyotard - 2006 Words

Postmodernism itself means, â€Å"after present times,† but how can we be in an age of something past the present? It is a way of thinking that’s easy to identify but rather hard to define, though world renowned french philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard tried to in his research as, â€Å"Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodernism as incredulity toward metanarratives.† The beauty of postmodernism is the subtle, the things you might not catch the first few viewings, and often appear to pay homage to some older tale, but actually mock it. Postmodernism seeks to challenge what we’ve held as truth through tradition and force people to use their brains for themselves. In this work, Gilliam worked to actively create layers of this movie using a†¦show more content†¦This first layer of The Hero’s Journey is the fact that this text is presented almost as a remastering but parodies the entire plot, and still follows the same style of story of the Holy Grail. In a sense, this text seeks to prove how all the epics are the same by doing the absurd while following the exact same pattern as them all, questioning the very patterns as a whole first. As detailed in the First Chapter of The hero with a thousand faces, all these champions receive supernatural help, and guidance. Making fun of nearly all the useless mentors, Tim basically points the group to their death because he wants to watch them die, the modern day equivalent being Apple Maps. Luckily for this group of medieval knights, God has bestowed upon them the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, how convenient. Both a tale of messages about monsters and our solutions to them, the killer rabbit really characterizes fears we may not know of due to appearance. These messages are: don’t assume every monster is going to be obvious to identify, and evil comes in all shapes and sizes. The most convenient thing in any epic tale is the travel, whether it be wings or just time j umps for the sake of storytelling, there’s no room for wasting time. After the group assembles they immediately split up to cover better ground each going off to face their own Moby Dick. Rather than filming aShow MoreRelatedEssay on A Postmodern Tendancy in Their Eyes Were Watching God1923 Words   |  8 Pagesfact that, despite the voluminous attention given to Their Eyes Were Watching God, critics have failed to explore every facet of the novel. Ihab Hassan writes, in Toward a Concept of Postmodernism, that we can look at writers of the past and realize their postmodernity. His theory fits with the idea that postmodernism is not a movement, but a trait that is exhibited by certain authors pushing the limits of their time. Most of these authors have clued in to what theorists claim are the basic traitsRead MorePostmodernism: The Movement in Life Essay1263 Words   |  6 Pagesthe culture of this nation. Postmodernism took America from a place where it held strong values of right and wrong, to a place where any idea has been given validity and merit. By presenting new world views, postmodernism has affected American literature, for both the writer and the reader, and American culture on a vast scale. Explaining postmodernism is very challenging because it does not have a real meaning other than â€Å"after modernism† (Merriam-Webster). Postmodernism has influenced every aspectRead MoreKurt Vonnegut : The Concept Of Postmodernism1598 Words   |  7 Pagesphilosopher Jean-Franà §ois Lyotard once said, â€Å"Simplifying to the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.† Through his statement, he endeavored to associate a theory to the shifting concept of postmodernism; to synopsize different events, experiences, and phenomena in history through a universal appeal to truth. While his supposition, through equation with the poems of Kurt Vonnegut, Charles Olsen, or John Cage - does indeed seem to hold validity; to define postmodernism remainsRead MoreThe Aesthetic Philosophy Of The Art World2215 Words   |  9 Pagescan the competing type of experience the sublime does a better job? I will attempt to answer these questions with explicit reference to material art pieces mainly that of the avant-garde, via the philosophical writings of Emmanuel Kant and Jean-Franà §ois Lyotard with minor reference to the much earlier Edmund Burke. Edmund Burke in his distinguishing between the sublime and the beautiful notes that the beautiful things in life tend to be small, attractive and well-formed. Whereas the sublime in hisRead MoreThe Biopsychosocial Model Of Health1824 Words   |  8 Pagessociological perspectives, focusing on concrete interpretations, comprehensive generalisations of society and social behaviour. Contemporary sociologists use four main theoretical perspectives; namely Marxism, Functionalism, Internationalism and Postmodernism. This assignment will look into these four approaches, with each viewpoint uniquely conceptualising society, human behaviour and social forces. Marxism was developed by Karl Marx (1818–1883) and Frederick Engels (1820–1895); it is a system ofRead MorePostmodernism and the Simpsons10775 Words   |  44 PagesHugvà ­sindadeild Postmodernism and The Simpsons Intertextuality, Hyperreality and Critique of Metanarratives Ritgerà ° til B.A.-prà ³fs Bjà ¶rn Erlingur Flà ³ki Bjà ¶rnsson bjornfloki@gmail.com Kt. 110982-5779 Maà ­ 2006 Abstract This essay offers a postmodernist reading of the popular television program The Simpsons, with special regard to the postmodern theories of intertexuality, hyperreality, and metanarratives. Before delving into The Simpsons, some major theoretical aspects of postmodernism in aestheticRead MoreDrama Theatre Performance: Postmodernism and Theatre Performance1417 Words   |  6 Pagesperiod. Postmodernism followed modernism and it sought to challenge the ideas and values of modernistic theatre, modernism was formed to shake up theatre, introducing new theories of science and technology to explain the world, whereas postmodern theatre raises more questions than supplying the answers for the audience. Modernism created a ‘grand-narrative’ whereby there was only one meaning which would be told to the audience. Postmodernism broke down the ‘grand-narrative’ when Jean-Franà §ois LyotardRead MoreMetatnarrative in Conrads Heart of Darkness1324 Words   |  6 Page snarrow the theoretical focus of your application. For example, if you use narratology, you might choose to apply Chatman’s concepts of how narrative â€Å"records thought and feeling† or Bahktin’s ideas of â€Å"heteroglossia† but not both; if you work on postmodernism, you might focus on Lyotard’s theory of â€Å"metanarratives† or Baudrillard’s theory of â€Å"the simulacrum† but not both.   The main purpose of your paper will be to demonstrate how your theory works in and helps to illuminate some element of the novelRead MoreThe Concept of Postmodernism5138 Words   |  21 PagesCHAPTER 1 The concept of ‘Postmodernism’- A Theoretical Approach It is a clichà © by now to say that we live in a postmodern world, and it is true that the word ’postmodern’ has become one of the most used, and abused, words in the language. Still, it is striking that not many people can say with assurance what this term actually means and involves. Some theorists suggest that ‘postmodernism’ refers to a mood or an attitude of mind, others define it as a literary, culturalRead MoreThe Concept of Postmodernism5129 Words   |  21 PagesCHAPTER 1 The concept of ‘Postmodernism’- A Theoretical Approach It is a clichà © by now to say that we live in a postmodern world, and it is true that the word ’postmodern’ has become one of the most used, and abused, words in the language. Still, it is striking that not many people can say with assurance what this term actually means and involves. Some theorists suggest that ‘postmodernism’ refers to a mood or an attitude of mind, others define it as a literary, cultural, or

Cutback of American Opportunity Over Time Essay - 1642 Words

The valiant master-mind of the mid-1800s, Albert Einstein, alleged potent words unveiling a great deal regarding endurance. He expressed that, â€Å"In the middle of difficulties, lies opportunity.† Life is nothing but an uphill battle; to be the victor and make a mark, one must take advantage of everything available. Taking advantage of opportunity is a crucial quality for fulfillment in American life. For a prolonged period of time, America was better known as â€Å"The Land of Opportunity.† The U.S. was illustrious of its abundant educational, religious, as well as economic opportunities. Unfortunately, as waves of immigrants stumbled upon the land of sovereignty, the myriad of opportunities gradually became muted. Although not completely†¦show more content†¦Therefore, those who immigrate to the United States contemporarily begin their journey as part of the lower half of the social pyramid, gradually working their way to the top. Whereas, in Americaâ€⠄¢s golden days like those of the Gilded Age, someone who came to America could easily work hard to become wealthy and stable. F.Scott Fitzgerald’s classic literature staple entitled The Great Gatsby portrays how the protagonist strived to fulfill his life-long fantasy. â€Å" For over a year he had been beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher or in any other capacity that brought him food and bed. His brown hard body lived naturally through the half-fierce, half-lazy work of the bracing days†(Fitzgerald,104). Unquestionably, immigration is now a more intricate course of action than it was before. Referred to as the â€Å"New World† in the old ages, America was a means of gaining affluence, prosperity, and material wealth. Years ago, immigrants were guaranteed a successful future, due to the cosmic accessible opportunities. Those who were able to establish a living in the United States either attained a good st anding in the American social class by working diligently in the jobs they had or by starting off working under brutal conditions and gradually getting promoted to more notable jobs. However, jobs now are so scarce that they onlyShow MoreRelatedChallenges With the Identification Placement and Provision of Instruction to Low-Income Students656 Words   |  3 Pagesof those students in gifted education. The NRC reported that, nationwide, 7.47 percent of all white students and 9.9 percent of Asian students are placed in gifted programs. Meanwhile, 3.04 percent of African-American students, 3.57 percent of Hispanic students, and 4.86 percent of American Indian students are classified as gifted (GT-minority identification, 2003, ERIC Clearinghouse). The discrepancy, the NAS believed, could not be solely explained by talent alone but was at least partially rootedRead MoreThe Politics Of Welfare Reform Moving From Afdc To Tanf1769 Words   |  7 Pagesseveral pages in some cases to point out evidence to be used in his strongest positions. This is not to say he is totally spinning wheels in his narrative, but as Pierson goes into great detail about the dynamics of retrenchment (which also refers to cutbacks, economizing and re-thinking of policies), he shows his skills in descriptive scholarship more so than coming directly to the point of his thesis. On page 252, Pierson asserts that retrenchment is not simply the mirror image of welfare state expansionRead MoreThe Hunger Of The United States And The Influences It Has Over The People Affected1163 Words   |  5 Pageshunger in the United States and the influences it has over the people affected. In the United States of America, the richest nation of the world, one in six Americans do not have enough food to eat. Have you ever wonder why there are so many food banks and food pantries throughout the country? They are not simply, as you thought, existent to offer emergency food assistance. Indeed, they are the main sources of food to millions of food-insecure Americans. Food insecurity, the state of not having sufficientRead More America Must Create Jobs Essay1475 Words   |  6 PagesThose living in the United States of America are experiencing some economically dark times. Unemployment is becoming increasingly worse. Social programs are failing. Prices everywhere are on the rise as wages are declining drastically. Class division has never been more distinct. Of those lucky enough to have secured the multiple jobs needed in order to maintain their subsistent existences, most make only a minimum wage, established by their state’s laws, which is then harshly taxed upon. Life isRead MoreThe Americanization Of Edward Bok And The America I Believe1262 Words   |  6 PagesSince the dawn of American colonization in the early 1600s, the notion of immigrating to America has long been instilled upon various people as a stimulating opportunity to begin a fresh chapter in their lives. Even now, this possibility has brought many variations of people to America, culminating a society that brims with dreams and aspirations to form the diversified nation of today. When speaking of the current state of immigration, it is easy to conclude that immigration is heavily discussedRead MoreThe Fear Of Women And Women In The War1123 Words   |  5 Pagesthousands upon thousands of women without their husbands. In a time of war with their loved ones off to face the Axis monsters, there arose a fear of helplessness and abandonment. Concerned with the possibility of outbreaks of hysteria due to nerves, pamphlets were written to give advice to these women, telling them ab out how their spirits would be tested. You are going to be lonesome, you are going to be unhappy, and many is the time you are going to be mad. You are going to learn how to wait Read MoreRacism, Sexism, And Classism1188 Words   |  5 Pagesof racism, sexism, and classism when their father, Atticus, agrees to defend Tom Robinson, an African American, in a trial. Set in the 1930s, most people were treated unfairly because of their race, gender, or social class. Even though problems about race, gender, and class decreased over time, these problems are still very prevalent today. Even though racism decreased dramatically over the past decades, there are still problems today that are strikingly similar to the problems in To KillRead MorePov Analysis Debeers1219 Words   |  5 Pagesincome and with the current recession and cutbacks in consumer spending, it is important that we find a way to maintain a competitive hold on the market. SWOT Analysis: Strengths: De Beers mines remain the most consistent, reliable and considerable source of diamond distribution in the world, owns 43% of the rough diamond market and has unparalleled expertise in the diamond industry. Weaknesses: Low brand recognition and falling Market Shares. Opportunities: Emerging markets in China and IndiaRead MoreSperry/Maclennan Architects and Planners Essay1031 Words   |  5 Pagesarchitectural firms found themselves unable to stay in business through a very slow time in the housing markets. Sperry/MacLennan ended up laid off all but the three remaining partners. In the beginning, the company found recreational facilities work to be main source of profit and growth for the company. Sheila Sperry quoted, â€Å"wants you to be innovative and new. It’s a dream for an architect because it gives him an opportunity to use all the shapes and colors and natural light. It’s a very exciting mediumRead MoreChildhood Obesity Resea rch Paper1357 Words   |  6 Pagesnumber of overweight and obese children in America has increased at an alarming rate over the past years. In the past 30 years, the occurrence of obesity in children has tripled and it is now estimated that one in five children in the US is overweight (17%). There is no chance of it slowing down unless action is taken. There are many factors that can contribute to obesity in children. A fast-food craze has swept over the country. Fast-food corporations seem to be encouraging children to consume regular