The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Essay Example

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Essay What is shame? Shame is defined as a feeling of guilt, regret, or sadness that you have because you are aware you’ve done something wrong. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison follows a young girl named Pecola Breedlove and her family. The central theme of Shame plays an important role in The Bluest Eye because shame shows the characters inner struggles with themselves and others, in addition to how it affects them on the outside. The symbol of the blue eyes is an important characteristic tied into the central theme of Shame. In The Bluest Eye, the blue eyes represent the need to see things in a brighter light. Instead of Pecola praying for a lighter skin color, Pecola prays for blue eyes because she believes that if she gets the blue eyes, she will see things in a new way and society will also see her in a whole new way. â€Å"It had occurred to Pecola some time ago that if her eyes, those eyes they held the pictures, and knew the sight,-if those eyes of hers were different that is to say, beautiful, she herself would be different.† (Morrison, 46). In the end, Pecola does get her blue eyes but for a price. Her sanity. â€Å"A lot. Mr. Soaphead said they would last forever. ‘Forever and ever Amen?’† (Morrison, 193). In this quote, Pecola believes that she has blue eyes thanks to Soaphead’s â€Å"sacrifice†. She loses her mind and talks to herself on a daily basis becau se the community (society) doesn’t want anything to do with her. She’s their â€Å"scapegoat† to make themselves feel more beautiful and happy with their lives. This connects to the central theme of Shame because Pecola was ashamed of her ugliness and how the world views her in an ugly life. Because of that, she believed that if she gets her blue eyes people will love her. We will write a custom essay sample on The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Breedloves are characterized as black and ugly. â€Å"They lived there because they were poor and black, and they stayed there because they believe they were ugly. Although their poverty was tradit

Argumentative Essay on Dog Fighting

Argumentative Essay on Dog Fighting Argumentative Essay on Dog Fighting Dog fighting is a sadistic practice that should be banned because of the many inhumane events that this practice entails. This practice entails breeding dogs specifically to make them fight. Such dogs are usually enclosed in small pits very early in their lives and, as they grow, are made to fight with other dogs to satisfy their owner’s gambling appetites. One of the main reasons why dog fighting should be illegal is because of the high level of suffering that these fights put the dog through. Given that the average dog fight lasts anywhere between one and two hours, the dogs that are participating in dog fights often suffer severe injuries that sometimes result in fatalities. Unlike other animals that naturally flee when they sense they cannot win a fight, the dogs that participate in dog fights are trained not to run away but to continue fighting regardless of the amount of injuries they sustain. It is only when the gambling appetites of their owners have been satisfied that the dogs are allowed to stop fighting. One of the most commonly used dogs in dog fights are pit bulls, which have powerful jaws and given that they rarely let go once they bite, the victim dog could end up suffering severe injuries, broken bones, and may even die just so their owner can have a chance of winning a bet. Some of the common injuries experienced by dogs that engage in dog fights include extreme blood loss, dehydration, extreme exhaustion, and even infections in the wounds they sustain. To make things even worse for these dogs, those that lose fights one too many times are often sacrificed for being weak and the same fate follows those dogs that are deemed old or those that do not fight as viciously as their owners expect them to. The injuries suffered by dogs that engage in fights have raised concerns in many authorities and in many places; this form of sadist sport has been classified as an illegal sport. Some individuals have even faced felony charges in courts of law. However, this seems not to have stopped some individuals from continuing to breed dogs so they can reap benefits from dog fighting. Interestingly enough, illegalizing this sport seems to have turned into a fortune for those who own dogs that engage in these fights because of the massive profits they get from those who are willing to pay large amounts of money so they can watch the illegal fights. It appears the authorities still need to do much more to deter people from willingly participating in dog fights. The minor penalties and convictions given to those found to have participated in dog fighting is not doing much to discourage this sport. The profits the dog fighters receive from the fights make the punishment, according to them; seem li ke a drop in the ocean. Perhaps it is time more severe penalties were enforced. Some tips on writing an argumentative essay: Make sure your thesis statement is clearly defined. Use transition words between paragraphs and make sure that your paragraphs are logically connected. Use facts and statistical data to support your arguments. Visit to buy argumentative essay on  Dog Fighting which will be written from scratch by highly qualified writers. You can get a free quote now!

Cultural Literacies Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultural Literacies Assignment - Essay Example Montgomery wondered if the ubiquitous and integrated nature of marketing in digital political engagement practices could serve to connate civic identity and brand identity during this key formative stage it is not Internet use per se, but patterns of use featuring the exchange of information that matters. We leave digital footprints that are ever present, highly informative about us as a digital user, and readily available to those seeking the information. As a result, are we entering an era where digital voyeurism becomes highly profitable? How are we to know, for example, the intent of each and every person making use of participatory media? There rightly is a lot of concern over cyber-bullies and cyber-predators. What about those individuals though that collect information about user interaction for commercial purposes? The concern is not big brother in that the government is highly unlikely to keep pace with, let alone move ahead of, ICT companies’ technological advances. He expressed greater concern about a host of digital little brothers. In this instance, what if I as a marketer cast a wide net on MySpace or Facebook by seeking ever wider and wider social networks and then using my access to individuals’ profiles to create a marketing profile of the digital you. Placing this in an offline context, how would you respond if after watching you go to your usual place of exercise 10 or 12 times I came to realize the brand of pants, shirts, socks, shoes and equipment you wore, what perfume or aftershave you liked, and how you did your hair (or not!), I started posting coupons or ads where you exercised? While creepy offline, it is becoming increasingly acceptable online. In one sense, up to this point Internet use has been characterized by anonymity, but it is also suggested that we need to consider our off-line selves as distinct from online or digital selves Besides uploading content, users also willingly and unknowingly provide important infor mation about their profile and behavior to site owners and metadata aggregators. Before users can actually contribute uploads or comments to a site, they usually have to register with their name, email address and sometimes add more personal details such as gender, age, nationality or income. Their subsequent media behavior can be minutely traced by means of data bots. More importantly, all users of UGC sites unwittingly provide information because IP addresses the majority of which can be connected to a user’s name and address – can be mined and used without limit by platform owners. Permission to use metadata towards specific purposes is commonly regulated by a site’s service agreements (Terms of Use), which users are required to sign. Metadata can be mined for various purposes, from targeted advertising to interface optimization, but the bottom line is that users have no power over data distribution. 2) The societal role(s)/depictions of the users of this sit Online networking not only builds social, but also commercial, capacity. Marketers speak of recruiting evangelists by in?uencing members of each social network and turning them into brand breeders or brand advocates for products. Youth are offered incentives to incorporate brands into their user-generated content and

Strategy Formulation for the Long-Term Care Facility Research Paper

Strategy Formulation for the Long-Term Care Facility - Research Paper Example The formulation of strategies needs to be implemented in the association. This is to guarantee that they are executed effectively. The implementation guides the manner in which the organization creates its discussions, actions, and decisions. In the U.S., there have been long-term care facilities that have come up in the past. They are there presently to serve the citizens who might be too old to cater for themselves. Their presence has enabled old people to get cared for even in their old age (Williamson, 2009). This paper will look at one such organization, and its strategic planning in the long term of caring for the old. Veterans Affairs (VA) is a United States government funded project that is present to cater for the needs of veterans. The project was started to ensure that post-war heroes got the attention they needed after serving their time in the military. Its main function is to provide for institutional and non-institutional based care for all veterans. Institutional base d care is the kind that involves taking care of them while in nursing institutions. In the non-institutional based care, veterans are provided for and taken care of in their own homes (United States General Accounting Office, 2003). In a brief overview of their strategic formulation, it is pertinent to note that any organization needs a strong, if not perfect, budget plan to get proper funding. In the VA Organization, the cover they receive from the government needs to be outlined, and accredited. This is in order for them to realise and attain their targets through this funding (Williamson, 2009). The formulation of strategies needs to be realistic in order for them to get the response they require. In the event that the initial cover does not help realise their targets, they can ask for supplementary capital from the committee in charge of their affairs. Their strategic formulation is based on workload performance. Workload projections are what help the organization prepare a suff icient enough budget for its operations. The labour that is used to cater for the needs of veterans needs to be catered for in terms of financial security. The labour they provide enables them to get attention from the government in order to perform their functions effectively. The amount of care provided is crucial in the formulation of these strategies (United States General Accounting Office, 2003). In light of all this, it is vital to note that the growth of the VA is based on labour provided by the care-givers. One strategic formulation they consider is the proactive response they require to their immediate surroundings. The evaluation that is carried out in the organization on the grounds of maintaining the health of veterans is crucial in the running of the organization (Bascetta, 2003). It is keen on spearheading the maintenance, and awareness of good mental, physical, and spiritual health of veterans. The maintenance of healthy surroundings is a way of ensuring that they re ach some of their goals. A goal based on creating a sustainable environment for all veterans present in nursing homes, or private homes. Long-term care services provided by the VA Organization are instructed by management, and the government. This ensures that every veteran gets the required care by the care givers employed by the VA Organization. The workload strategies that the organization has for its operations are very significant. These may help the organization in a number of ways. In one of those ways, the organization can cater to everyone at the VA society. Some of the alternatives it has in place are also aimed at ensuring the growth of the organizati

Microeconomics- price discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Microeconomics- price discrimination - Essay Example According to microeconomics, companies usually charge higher prices to those consumers who have a higher consumer surplus or those who are willing to pay higher. Higher consumer surplus lubricate the process of increase in price and consumer with higher surplus do not resist to price hike. Similarly, by doing this Eskom would have increased its revenue as those consumers who are more likely to pay higher prices are being charged more. The reason why this surplus is higher for residential consumers than industrial consumers could be illustrated from our own experience. As residential consumers we have less cash assets than industrial consumer who are bestowed with large cash balance. Hence, we find it more attractive to pay the increased price rather than changing the electricity supplier and paying connection charges as it would undertake both connection costs and time. Whereas, on the other hand industrial consumer would resist to price change bestowed with large money balance and i n bid to remain competitive. (McConnell and Brue, 2001) Although, the policy of price discrimination might reduce the demand of electricity but in doing so the firm will make sure that consumer who are paying more is provided more electricity to earn higher revenue. For example, if a same product is sold to different consumers at different prices, then the company would make sure that consumers who are paying more are provided with commodity in order to maximize the company’s revenue. In our case residential consumers are those who are paying more and hence will be provided more power supply. (Economist, 2008) Therefore, any price increase to industrial consumer would mean a customer is lost due to low consumer surplus for these users. This is a reason why Eskom charges higher prices to residential consumers than industrial consumer. Similarly, logic provides us with answer why Eskom does not charge both

The Autonomic Nervous System

The Autonomic Nervous System The Autonomic Nervous System is a widespread system of nerves that innervates, with the exception of skeletal muscle, nearly every process in the body. This Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is a completely unconscious process which is responsible for maintaining homeostasis, as well as having many other functions such as control of digestion. The Autonomic Nervous System was first discovered, and studied by Walter Gaskell (Purves, Augustine, Fitzpatrick and Hall, 2001) who had his work on the ANS first published in 1916, two years after his death. He discovered that certain physiological effects, such as an increase in heart-rate, could be achieved by stimulating certain nerves branching off from the first few thoracic spinal cord segments. Using this, and other similar studies, he then theorized that each system in the body was innervated with two sets of nerves that had opposing functions (Purves, Augustine et al., 2001). These two sets of nerves we now know to be the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic branches of the Autonomic Nervous System; though recently a third branch has been separated from the others and called the Enteric Nervous System, which is found solely in the gut and the supporting features such as the Pancreas (Barker and Barasi, 1999). Although the ANS plays an unconscious process, it can sometimes be over-ridden by conscious thought; one example of this is in breathing, although breathing happens automatically without any need for purposeful thought, it is possible to take control of your breathing, such as holding your breath, or exhaling forcefully (to inflate a balloon for example). As the Autonomic Nervous System is such an important part of the nervous system, studying it and knowing how it works, and how it is controlled, is also very important; in this essay I am going to talk about the three different branches of the Autonomic Nervous System and their functions and differences, and then explain how they are regulated in the brain. The Sympathetic Nervous System When we are faced with what our bodies consider to be a threat we have to be prepared to, either stand and face the danger (fight), or get ourselves out the situation as quickly as possible (flight); this is the job of the Sympathetic Nervous System. These Fight or Flight responses are designed to give us as much of a physical advantage as possible, such as: making sure enough oxygen is reaching our muscles as possible by increasing heart-rate and dilating blood vessels, saving energy by slowing down lesser-needed processes such as digestion, dilating our pupils so we take in as much light as possible thus improving our vision, and makes our hairs stand on end so we look as big and ferocious as possible; all of these would have given us an edge over any predators we faced. The main nerve-trunks of the Sympathetic Nervous System leave the Central Nervous System from the Thoracic and Lumbar segments of the spinal cord, this is also known as the thoraco-lumbar outflow (Bakewell,1995). The cell bodies of the Sympathetic pre-ganglionic neurones are found in the lateral horn of the spinal cord between segments T1 and L2. Some of these pre-ganglionic fibres of the Sympathetic Nervous System synapse with the post-ganglionic fibres in a long chain, known as the Sympathetic Chain, that runs the length of the spinal cord, although some have a separate ganglion outside this sympathetic chain; from the ganglion, the post-ganglionic neurones then synapse with their target-organ. Post-ganglionic Sympathetic neurones have a very extensive network of dendrites that are innervated by many pre-ganglionic neurones; but there are roughly 10 times as many post-ganglionic sympathetic neurones than pre-ganglionic neurones, this divergence is thought to aid with coordination o f activity between neurones projecting from different segments of the spinal cord (Kandel, Schwartz, and Jessell, 2000). The Parasympathetic Nervous System The Parasympathetic Nervous System works in opposition to the Sympathetic Nervous System and therefore gives rise to Rest and Digest responses, which act to rebuild the energy stores that were depleted in the previous period of Sympathetic activity. These responses include: slowing down the heart-rate, stimulating digestion, and constricting the pupils. The cell bodies of Parasympathetic Pre-ganglionic neurones are found mostly in the brainstem, with some in the sacral segments of the spinal cord. In the brainstem, these cell bodies are found in the EdingerWestphal nucleus in the midbrain, which is related to the Oculomotor nerve, the Superior and Inferior Salivary nuclei found in the Pons, and related to the Facial nerve and Glossopharyngeal nerve, and in the Dorsal motor Nucleus of the Vagus nerve, in the medulla and the Nucleus Ambiguus. Because of the location of the cell-bodies of the Parasympathetic Nervous System, the it can also be called the Cranio-Sacral outflow (Bakewell, 1995). There are a few contrasts between the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic, apart from their opposing actions; the first and most obvious of these is that, in the sympathetic nervous system, all the preganglionic neurones are very short, most making synapses in a chain that runs very close to the spinal cord, meaning they have much longer post-synaptic neurones (as the pathway is disynaptic), whereas in the parasympathetic nervous system, the pre-ganglionic neurones are much longer and almost reach their target organ before making a synapse with a post-ganglionic neurone. This is an important difference as pre-ganglionic neurones are myelinated and therefore conduct action potentials a lot faster than the unmyelinated post-ganglionic neurones, suggesting the the parasympathetic nervous system works slightly quicker than the sympathetic (Kandel et al. 2000). Another difference is that there is a lot of divergence in the Sympathetic Nervous System, as previously discussed , whereas in the Parasympathetic Nervous System there is a lot less, with the ratio of Pre-Ganglionic Neurones to Postganglionic Neurones being 1:3, although this is highly dependant on the tissue as in some it is nearly a 1:1 ratio. Thirdly, both Pre-Gnaglionic and post-Ganglionic neurones in the Parasympathetic Nervous System use Acetyl Choline (ACh) as their Neurotransmitter, whereas Post-ganglionic neurones in the Sympathetic Nervous System use Noradrenaline; this is important as it has lots of clinical applications for drugs that target specifically the Sympathetic or Parasympathetic Nervous System. The Enteric Nervous System The Enteric Nervous System is a unique branch of the Autonomic Nervous System that is found lining the sides of the digestive system, specifically the oesophagus, stomach, intestines and secretory glands such as the pancreas (Bear, Connors, and Paradiso, 2007). The Enteric Nervous System is responsible for the control of the tension of the walls of the gut and monitoring the ever-chaning chemical balance within the digestive system, these are highly important functions in digestion. The special property of the Enteric Nervous System is that it can act reasonably independently from the rest of the Central Nervous System, leading to it sometimes being referred to as The Little Brain. The cell bodies of the Enteric Nervous System are connected together in two major structures known as plexuses; these are the myenteric plexus and the submucous plexus, these plexuses line the walls of the gut in two separate layers and control peristalsis, internal mucous levels and every other important aspect of the digestive system, including a role in secretion from the pancreas and gall bladder. Though the Enteric Nervous System is a separate function of the Autonomic Nervous System that deals almost solely with the digestive process, it contains as many neurones as the entire spinal cord does, meaning it has a very. Unlike the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic branches of the Autonomic Nervous System which are limited to either 1 or 2 Neurotransmitters, the Enteric Nervous System has been shown to have as many as 20 possible Neurotransmitters, though they have yet to all be proven to act as Neurotransmitters in this system (Gershon, Kirchgessner and Wade, 1994). The Enteric Nervous System has also been shown to play a role in Immune Responses (Hansen, 2003). Higher Control of the Autonomic Nervous System As the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Branches of the Autonomic Nervous System work, for the most part, in opposition to each other, there must be some higher control coordinating them to work in harmony, and the first step of this is in the Nucleus of the Solitary tract (Kandel et al. 2000); here, the nucleus receives afferent input from the Facial, Glossopharyngeal and Vagal nerve, and firstly sends this information to both the brainstem and the spinal cord, where basic functions of the Autonomic Nervous System are carried out, but more cleverly, the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract also takes in other information and combines it, the Nuclei of the Solitary tract also project to the Periaqueductal grey, which also receives information from the hypothalamus, the periaqueductal grey takes all this information and then projects to the Reticular Formation of the Medulla, where it controls the co-ordination between behavioural activity and the autonomic nervous system, and example of this is that when doing heavy exercise (behavioural), its important your heart-rate increase so your muscles can get a greater oxygen supply from the blood (autonomic). Another important control of the Autonomic Nervous System is in homeostasis, there needs to be cooperation between the baroreceptors or chemoreceptors for example, and the most useful branch of the autonomic nervous system, so hair can stand on end on cold days to preserve heat, for example; this is the job of the hypothalamus (Kandel et al. 2000) as the hypothalamus receives input from pretty much every sensory pathway in the body; a dated study from Swanson and Sawchenko (1983) proved that the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus had descending pathways to the Autonomic Nervous System. As well as direct control over the Autonomic Nervous System, the Hypothalamus also has an indirect influence over it through the use of relays in other parts of the brain (Squire, Berg, Bloom, du Lac, Ghosh and Spitzer, 2008). In conclusion, the Autonomic Nervous System is a diverse and widespread system that innervates nearly every aspect of the body, meaning that a threatening stimulus can elicit a whole range of responses throughout the body, from increasing heart rate to diverting blood from the gut and widening blood vessels, this means that the whole body is very quickly and efficiently prepared to face the danger, and then the entire body can quickly calm down again to replenish resources; and not only this, but because of its connections with the hypothalamus and other higher centres, the Autonomic Nervous System isnt limited to reacting to physical changes, such as body temperature, but it can react to even mental stimuli such as emotions or the anticipation of something. This is important in evolutionary terms, there is little point in reacting to a danger once it has already causes damage so the heightened physical performance needs to come in anticipation of a danger, so that when the danger p resents itself, the fight or flight response is at its strongest. As this is such an important process in the body, many studies have been carried out into it, and continue to be carried out, and much work is being done on diseases of the Autonomic Nervous System, as, obviously, they have such a dramatic effect on the sufferer. References Bakewell, S., (1995) The Autonomic Nervous System. Practical Procedures 5(5) Barker, R., A. and Barasi, S. (1999) Neuroscience at a Glance, Blackwell Publishing Bear, M. F., Connor B. W. and Paradiso, M. A. (2007) Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, Lippincott Williams Wilkins: a Wolters Kluwer business Gershon M. D., Kirchgessner A.L. and Wade P.R., (1994) Functional anatomy of the enteric nervous system, Springer Berlin Heidelberg Hansen, M. B., (2003) The Enteric Nervous System II : Gastrointestinal functions. Pharmacology Toxicology, 92(6) 249-257 Kandel, E. R., Schwartz, J. H. and Jessell, T. M., (2000) Principles of Neural Science, McGraw-Hill Medical Purves, D., Augustine, G. J., Fitzpatrick, D. and Hall, W. C., (2008) Neuroscience 4th Edition, Sinauer Raj K. Goyal, M.D., and Ikuo Hirano, M.D., (1996) Mechanisms of disease: the enteric nervous system. The New England Journal of Medicine, 334(17) 1106-1115 Squire, L.R., Berg, D., Bloom, F.E., Du Lac, S., Ghosh, A. and Spitzer, N.C., (2008) Fundamental Neuroscience 3rd Edition, Elsevier Swanson, L. W. and Sawchenko, P.E, (1983) Hypothalamic integration: organisation of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei. Ann. Rev. Neuroscience 6 269-324

Why Businesses Exist :: Business and Management Studies

Why Businesses Exist A business gets started when somebody decide that they can earn a profit by making a good or providing a service and selling it to people who are willing to pay for it. All Businesses have the same Main Objective An objective is anything that the business wants to achieve. The most important objective is to make a profit in order to survive. If a business does not make a profit it will go bankrupt and have to closedown. The Public Sector Owned by the Government: Army, Police, Schools and Hospitals. These are benefits for everyone. The Private Sector Owned by Private Individuals. Of Benefit to the people who own them. Key Terms Entrepreneurship: means being prepared to take risks and having the flair and skills needed to set up and run a business or other organization. Sole Owner: is an individual who runs a business and is personally responsible for any losses incurred. A Limited Company: is an organisation, which gives its owners or shareholders protection so that they can lose only the money that they have already put in. Innovation: is the introduction of the new ideas. It may affect products or the way in which they are made. Developing Relationships: is Architecture with customers, employees & businesses. Businesses, which look carefully at the way it works with customers, employees, and other businesses are more likely to be successful. Reputation: A reputation of a company can be achieved through developing a particular image:  · Low Prices  · Appealing to the affluent  · Ensuring top quality Competitive Advantage: Is a distinctive feature that makes a business successful. A business must carefully identify the people who will buy the product to gain an competitive advantage over others. A Market: Is any location or process that brings buyers and sellers together. Price: is the amount of money that is given in exchange for a product. Goods: are anything you buy which are natural or manufactured for a products. Services: involve buying the skills o another person. Profit: is the difference between the price and the cost of making a product available. Reward Revenue – Cost = Profit Profit is the difference between a firm’s revenues from its trading activities and its total costs. It is a reward for the risk and a return on capital invested. There are 3 factors of production:  · Land  · Capital  · Labour Entrepreneurs use these 3 factors to make a profit. Sole Traders Company Legal ----- No legal formalities. A legal structure with a separate identity from those who run it.

Historical and political relation of anthropology with human rights Essay

From the onset, it is necessary to define anthropology as the social science that is involved with studying the inherent relationship patterns and origins of human beings. As a juxtaposition, the concept of human rights refers to the intrinsic freedoms and rights to which all and sundry (human beings) are entitled, if only by virtue of belonging to the human race, and these are broadly categorized into two main classifications, including the socio-cultural and economic rights, which pertain to the rights to education, food, work and participate in culture. The other distinct grouping of rights and freedoms are those of civil and political nature, encompassing the ideology of people being equal before the law, the right to liberty and life, and also, the freedom to freely express oneself, provided that this does not interfere with that of other people. It is noteworthy that the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a non-binding declaration by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 – reiterates the equality of all humans as relates to their rights and dignity, further acknowledging that each individual was equipped with the vital tools of a rational conscience and logical reasoning, and thus, all subsequent inter-personal relationships ought to reflect a communal spirit of brotherly co-existence. This cognition is widely viewed as being the framework for justice, peace and freedom in the globe today (Goodale, 2004:18-29). From a historical perspective, the anthropologist is more concerned with deciphering the linkage between the afore-mentioned rights and the prevailing localized cultures, from whence an understanding of the basic outline of social justice against a backdrop of cultural relativism is investigated. The general concession is that indeed, deliberation into the historical aspects of anthropology reveals a contribution to both the practical and theoretical facets of human rights workings. Select case studies closely related to this postulation include the current crisis in the Middle East, pitting the Israelis against the inhabitants of the Gaza strip, the Rwandan genocide (Bowman, 2000:31-49) and the topical issue of gay rights in Southern Africa. The former predicament entails Israel devastating, over the recent past, a population of some 1. million inhabitants in Gaza, with their arms tied behind their backs, owing to the fact that there is no active army in Gaza. Statistics reveal that close to 1300 Palestinian casualties are on record, as opposed to a measly 13 Israelis in the raging conflict, largely regarded as a modern day case of ‘ethnic cleansing’. Since the year 2006, Israel placed a blockade into the Gaza region, thus inhibiting the delivery of necessities such as medicine, food and fuel. Previous attempts to foster harmony and well-being in the region, with cease-fires being disrespected severally, have led up to the present situation in which the stakeholders in the conflict, chief amongst which is the Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian socio-political faction that has been in control of the Gaza strip, and Israel itself, have agreed to permanently seek a lasting solution to avoid more bloodshed. The possible recommendations to aid in arriving at a peaceful co-existence is scenario where Israel takes the front row in ensuring a sense of hope to the Palestinians, via the action of taking the political risk and dismantling the illegal West Bank Settlements. On their part, Palestinians should institute measures to ensure they elect purposive leaders into power, if only to militate against the eventuality of history repeating itself iteratively. Hamas should in turn cease firing missiles into Israel, which only serve to wound and kill majority of the innocent civilians, and the large scale smuggling of arms, so as to avoid the likelihood of the situation degenerating into another â€Å"United States versus Al Qaeda† affair. Also, the other stakeholders in the conflict, namely Jordan and Egypt, should seal all loopholes that enable the military exploits of the Hamas to fall through. This being said, the International community should actively ensure they do not turn a deaf ear to the conflict, to be spearheaded by the United Nations and the European Union. The latter, in detail, involved South Africa holding its second, fully democratic elections in the year 1999, which were characterized by the recognition of a wide array of groups and previously neglected factions of the population, such as the gay and lesbian community. Earlier on, the country made history by pioneering non-discrimination on the basis of an individual’s sexual orientation, with gay and lesbian activists championing their cause by widely challenging the very constitutionality of laws that infringed on their freedoms, organizing workshops to educate voters on their rights, plus lobbying for the drafting and resultant implementation of rules and legislations guaranteeing equity in the rights of all citizens (Goodale, 2004:43-54). They also went a step further and created working relationships with non-governmental organizations like the Human Rights Commission and the Commission on Gender Equality, in addition to forming outreach programmes for the members of the gay and lesbian community, especially those that lived in townships. Of particular note is the fact that sodomy has been decriminalized before the South African courts, thus recording another victory in the war for adequate recognition of this community. Of significance is the assertion that, these developments were achieved even with the realization that the South African populace was still divided along ethnic and racial boundaries (Riches, 1986:16-29), and more importantly, within the indigenous cultural groupings in the country, homosexuality is deemed non-existent, or on the best case scenario, a foreign acquisition. Thus, in a nutshell, this case study can be assessed from the view that it not only shapes social patterns, but also, it is instrumental in the democratization of regimes, as influenced by the civil society. Yet another occurrence was witnessed in an iconic court case in Japan (2008), involving the challenging of the historical definition of whom the concept of â€Å"human rights† is meant to apply. The immediate bone of contention was that the court of the day had proceeded to expand the rights of the children of Japanese fathers and non-Japanese mothers to claim Japanese citizenship, and thus by extension, such definition by the justices in the case served to only ensure the protection of the fundamental human rights of Japanese citizens, excluding those of other non-citizens. In this way, this can be said to expressly alienate those people who did not have papers certifying their Japanese citizenship. However, this ought not to be the case, as the rights in question should be guaranteed to every human being, as the very name suggests. In a publication by one Professor Jones regarding this case, he posits that there is a sorry state of affairs in Japan, citing that the tendency of the Sovereign state to mediate the citizens’ claims against each other should be sharply contrasted against the Anglo-American system, which is characterized by human rights being the limiting factor of the state’s power over individuals. In this way, the case is illustrative of how culture and history can affect and/or influence human rights in society (Kurtz, 2001: 43-52). Whilst still appreciating the historical contribution of anthropology to human rights, it is worthwhile to take mention of the concept of hegemony, defined as the utter domination of a state over its allies, and how this has over time influenced historical changes, especially on the cultural frontier. As a focal point, hegemony facilitates the comprehension of power within the confines of routine daily activities, as may be underpinned by cultural (customary) practices (Asad, 1991:13-27). On a more positive note, it is fit to state that the anthropological theory has over the years succeeded to come up with a contested, unbounded and widely flexible supposition of the term, which consequently goes a long way in uncovering the cultural understandings and how these in turn shape power relations, naturalizing domination and acting to suppress different manifestations of resistance in the society (Gledhill, 2000:29-44). Again, drawing from the South African example, although in a different context, it can be established that, quite ironically, the evangelical work of missionaries can be termed as being part of hegemony, although it heightened societal consciousness, going on to spark a form of resistance that gave rise to the awareness of the black community, fuelling the fight against apartheid. Of particular contention is the debate whether, as an interpretive issue, resistance in society should require consciousness and be collective in nature, or whether on the other hand, an end of attaining justice should be envisioned from the onset. Also, it is disputable whether the concept at hand should be extended to incorporate such actions as may be influenced by a sense of non-cooperation or discontent. In the recent past, there has been great agitation in the anthropological circles, wherein the concept of culture has been scrutinized in detail. Earlier anthropologists focused chiefly on societies that were virtually unaffected by factors such as colonial influences, for example, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel since, today, greater emphasis is being laid on flexibility of the frame of thought of culture, as afore-mentioned, now not only being affiliated to habits and daily practices of a people, but also, being engrained in the values they abide to and the ideas subscribed to. In other instances, there have been historical documentations of indigenous communities confronting resistance from the perspective of laying claim to various resources, more so when these individuals are challenged to prove an authentic affiliation to the culture under consideration (Rejali, 1994:49-60); disqualification usually results from the assertion that certain social groups have already undergone cultural changes. In a strange twist, it can be seen that the concept of ‘culture’, as formulated by twentieth century anthropologists in a bid to champion the rights of small-scale communities in the wake of colonialism and other civilizing projects, has in present times been apposite to differing political ends of resisting reform in certain sectors and turning a deaf ear to the claims of indigenous people’s claims to reparation (compensation). On a transitional note, the political inclination of anthropology to human rights can be deduced by critical analysis of the two disciplines (Cohen, 1978:34-57). Such relationship necessitates a vivid conception of the said human rights within a template of anthropologically conceived ideas or principles. A brief intermission here is the appreciation that, as an academic discipline, anthropology seeks to study the various forms and bases of human unity and relative diversity, while the other side of this coin practically applies the acquired knowledge to actively solve problems that may plague the human race (Gledhill, 2000:59-83). This being the situation, politically-oriented anthropologists should concern themselves with instances where the denial of certain rights is pegged on the differences in one human aspect or the other. The validity of using ‘human difference’ as an indicator of human rights is that it incorporates the very specificity of what we as humans – be it collectively or from an individual stance – have evolved to be, both culturally and socially. It is worth noting that the term ‘difference’, as applied in this context, refers to the linguistic, socio-cultural and/or biological characteristics of people, relative to the initial human capacities that facilitated their production in the first place. On the flipside, as may relate to human rights, these ‘differences’ may principally represent the products of the realization of social relations, personal identities and cultural forms (Goodale, 2004:98-110). The general implication of the above argumentation is that specific human rights may be advocated for by calling upon the trans-cultural, but positive, right to difference. This analogy can be stretched further still by acknowledging the unwritten law that anthropologists who study and research instances of societal injustices and assorted cases of human rights abuses do, in the actual sense, bear an ethical obligation to find lasting solutions to these predicaments. In particular, those working with marginal and/or indigenous communities shoulder the responsibility of supporting these groups by all means available, including advocacy as mentioned above (Fried, 1967:61-69).

Food habits and globalization Essay

Traditions has been changed since the western food had reached to the GCC, according to Topics-mag.com (2007) â€Å"Many people feel fast food plays a big role in changing the traditional diets of cultures worldwide†. The obesity is a global problem, that it impacted by the bad influence from the globalization. After this, the health became one of the most important issues, because changing habits can destroy the health, also it destroys the traditions, because children nowadays will not be able to eat and have the same healthy food that their parents had. In fact, Food in the UAE has negatively impacted by globalization. The first issue is health, years ago or maybe more our parents had accustomed to eat certain type of food, and by changing it this fast it would be dangerous. Globalization effected many countries by spreading the different types of food restaurants. America as an example spread many junk food restaurants in the UAE, like Macdonald’s, KFC, and pizza hut. Children and adults nowadays eat too many junk food, because its faster, and easy to find. Our parents used to eat healthy food and their bodies does not include junk food, by changing patterns in this generation health has been effected. Obesity and chronic diseases is caused by the changing diet pattern (Neuhouser, Thomson, Coronado, & Solomon, 2004). It seems like the junk food is spreading in the GCC very fast, and the demand of the fast food increased. The reason why health was effected is the new food pattern and if we looked at what this food included we would be surprised. Most of the junk food includes vegetables, meet, and sauces, if we looked gently to the ingredients we will find many of genetically modified organism. This GMO is harmful for the health, because it’s not natural (Emanuelle Landais, 2007). According to sid candid, the fast food can be done fast and taste better but in spite of this advantages â€Å"they are low on the nutritional elements and hardly provide any benefits to the body.† Junk food is full of oil and the person can get fats easily.

thermohaline circulation essays

thermohaline circulation essays What is the oceans role in climate? The oceans play a vital and pivotal role in the distribution of life sustaining water throughout our planet. 86% of the evaporation that occurs on earth is over the oceans. The oceans are the planets largest reservoir of water transferring huge amounts of water around the hydrological cycle. In fact the oceans dominate the hydrological cycle, for they contain 97% of the global water inventory . The hydrological cycle can be disrupted by changes in ocean circulation that play such an important role on evaporation and precipitation. When the ocean circulation system changes it can change how much heat and rainfall is distributed around the world. Changes on a global scale can ultimately lead to flooding and long term drought in various regions. The big questions are can we monitor the oceans circulation and watch for climate changes? Can we predict what might happen if the ocean circulation changed dramatically? We have experienced major climate cha nges in the past; can we look for evidence of ocean change during these periods? The global ocean circulation system is called the thermohaline circulation. Often called the conveyor belt courtesy of Wallace Broecker who in an article for Natural History in 1987 had an artist draw a simplified version of the thermohaline circulation and called it the conveyor belt. Wallace Broecker is the Newberry Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University. He has taught at Columbia since 1959, and his research interests include paleoclimatology, ocean chemistry, isotope dating and environmental science. He conducts much of his research in Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory. Broecker has received many awards for his scientific work, including Arthur L. Day Medal from the Geological Society of America (1984), the Alexander Agassiz Medal from the National Academy of Sciences (1986), the Wollaston Medal f...

This I believe essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

This I believe - Essay Example Back then, I was really big, not in terms of height but of width. I am really not so sure how I got that way and when people ask me, I just tell them in jest, that some people are born to be â€Å"more spectacular† than others. During that period, all my friends referred to me as â€Å"big†. Sometimes, to avoid hurting me, they will also add the phrase â€Å"laugh and grow fat†. This is the closest I can translate the term from Chinese, which actually means that fat people usually have a beautiful heart deep inside. But seriously, even if they tried to soften the blow, I felt they still poked at my weakest spot. So finally, I decided to do some change. I told myself when I looked into the mirror that I can no longer live like this. So, I secretly began a program for myself to slim down. It was probably the first semester of my junior high school when the semester began, that I launched my personal project. I decided to keep it to myself as I started my plan with the most simple and effective way which was dieting. I don’t know how I made up my mind but I was able to skip my breakfast and lunch everyday in the next year. However, the only thing I regret about skipping meals was disappoi nting my mother who lovingly prepared them for me. Every morning she woke up very early to prepare breakfast for me and my dad and carefully packed them into a meal box for us to take out. But when I opened the box smell the food, I either threw it directly to the trash or give it to my friend to eat. There were actually several times when I felt I wanted to quit, and that I cannot do it anymore. But every day when I looked into the mirror at my reflection and stepped on the weighing scale, I get motivated with the changes I see. This kept me on track. I told myself to keep trying†¦to keep walking while watching. Six months after my plan started, I found my face thinner and my belt looser and of course, the numbers on the scale

College Writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

College Writing - Essay Example Further, college students have come out as lacking in the skills of determining which information is relevant, how to obtain it and then how to evaluate the information critically before using it in their writing (Perelman, 130). The major controversy therefore is whether college students are actually lacking in the skills of utilizing sources of information effectively, or the college grading systems have forced the students to misuse the information sources. Nevertheless, whether through summarizing or paraphrasing, college students are not generally lacking in skills of information internalization and subsequent application in their work. Rather, the grading systems of the testing organizations are forcing the students to misuse or misapply the sources. Most contemporary argument regarding the best ways in which college students should complete their academic work and papers hold that summary is the most effective method of students obtaining information from sources. This argument holds that summary enabled students to obtain information from a source in a critical manner, and then incorporate it in their own work, since summary â€Å"compel the writer to understand the source† (Howard, Serviss and Rodrigue, 177). On the other hand, it is argued that paraphrasing is the most suitable method of the college students using information obtained from their sources, owing to the fact that information is most effective as a paraphrase, when it has been written in students’ own words (Perelman, 131). However, the problem may not even rest in which method students should apply in utilizing sources of information and incorporating them in their work. The major issue is what could be the reason behind the students using their s ources in the way the use them. The grading criteria approved and applied by the College Board requires that a