Monday, December 30, 2019

The Effects Of Childhood Obesity On Children s Book By...

In the past it was easy to look down at a dinner plate and know exactly where and from what the food had come from. However, with the addition of more processed food it’s becoming increasingly difficult for children to distinguish the foods from which they eat. Childhood obesity has been steadily rising in the United States making it all the more important for children to understand what they are putting into their bodies (Jess). This problem begs the question as to what can we do to inform the youth of today? Danielle Jess, the presenter of this argument, decided to take action on this issue and did so by creating a children’s book. Utilizing different rhetorical analysis strategies such as verbal delivery, simplistic narration, and an appeal to help children, Jess makes a wonderful children s book which attempts to connect with parents of children learning to read by associating different foods with letters to teach them the origins and health factors of common foods. While reading the children’s book, I found the word choice to be simple and the sentences flowed easily (Jess). I think this made the book more appealing towards children, and by extension their parents. Parents want their children to be able to understand the words and their meaning. While not rhyming like a Dr. Seuss book, there is a rhythm to the words that I think most people would find appealing. Jess supplemented this by giving a delivery that was similar to a parent reading the book to a child for

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Factors of Poverty in Namibia - 782 Words

This table portrays the different face on calculating poverty in Namibia but without doubt, it strikes with more energy the rural homes. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2008, poverty was chiefly spread between homes were English nor German were spoken (around 55 percent of those households) While English and German speaking homes were almost unaffected by poverty. This in terms of sheer consumption means that the poorest sector of the Namibian society only accounts for the 1 percent of general expenditure while the 5% of the Namibians that belong to the high-income group hold the 53 percent of it. According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare of Namibia, the 41% on Namibian homes depend on wages as their principal source of wealth. These data shows the utmost significance that salaries and wages have for the subsistence of Namibian homes. This is underlined by the point that around 72 percent of Namibian homes do not possess a second source of wealth or income. In rural areas, these figures are higher, reaching an 85 percent of homes without secondary source of wealth, which is a terribly high number when compared to urban areas (63 percent). Namibia has undergone noteworthy processes to fight back poverty and improve its social and economic aspects (World Bank), becoming part of the top ten globally in terms of percentage spent in education on the GDP and second in the region in term of health expenditure. However, this alone is more likely to beShow MoreRelatedPoverty3940 Words   |  16 Pagesin 1990, Namibia which is situated on Africa’s south-western seaboard with neighboring countries Angola ,Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. With an annual population growth of 1.9% in 2009, it is estimated that the population is now currently at 2.1 million (see World Bank 2009). Namibia has a stable economy that according to the United Nations Development Programmed (UNDP, 2003) is second in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of per capita expenditure in the health sector. Namibia being a â€Å"middleRead MoreHiv Is A Disease?1574 Words   |  7 Pagescountries, and two thirds occur in Sub- Saharan Africa where over 28 million people are infected. (Canadian Journal of African Studies. 416). There are many factors leading to why the levels of HIV/AIDS are so high in continental Africa. Starting off, poverty affects the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Countries with higher levels of poverty, are known to show higher levels of AIDS. There is also a large amount of gender inequity level. Due to how sexuality is viewed in Africa, there tends toRead MoreNotes On Water Supply Report1140 Words   |  5 Pagesaccess to safe drinking water has many benefits, it helps in education, improves Health, and sickness is reduced, clean water also leads to food security, families can grow their own crops to feed them self. â€Å"Access to water can break the cycle of poverty† (the water project, n.d.) This report will discuss and look into water supply methods and choose the most appropriate water supply technique to a developing arid region. II. Background information Water scarcity in arid areas is caused by lowRead MoreInternational Trade and South African Rand3644 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction: Namibia is small flourishing country located in the south west of Africa. Its surrounding neighbors are Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and the South Atlantic Sea. The country is very young, and was recently liberated from foreign and South African rule, and was formerly known as South West Africa. Compared to all of its neighbors Namibia has an extremely low unemployment rate of 5.3%, and a GDP per capita of 7,500 USD. Even though the country appears to have a high per capita GDPRead MoreInternational Trade and South African Rand3633 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction: Namibia is small flourishing country located in the south west of Africa. Its surrounding neighbors are Angola, Botswana, South Africa, and the South Atlantic Sea. The country is very young, and was recently liberated from foreign and South African rule, and was formerly known as South West Africa. Compared to all of its neighbors Namibia has an extremely low unemployment rate of 5.3%, and a GDP per capita of 7,500 USD. Even though the country appears to have a high per capita GDPRead MoreFiscal Policy And Trade Openness On Unemployment Essay1811 Words   |  8 PagesAHMED SALIM NUHU On The Impact of Fiscal Policy and Trade Openness on Unemployment in Namibia 1. Introduction Unemployment remains a fundamental challenge for policy makers around the globe as it simultaneously increases poverty and threatens social stability within a country (Goker, 2013). Even though the literature recognizes the critical role fiscal policy plays in mitigating unemployment and stabilizing the economy (Auerbach, Gale, and Harris, 2010), the extent to which it works effectivelyRead MoreSocial Stratification Is A Society Wide System949 Words   |  4 Pagesinterest groups or class systems. Class systems are social standings based on social factors and individual accomplishments. But for many Egyptians this is hard to truly believe. From the view point of lower class citizens, it is easy to undercount the poor in crowded informal settlements, and reasonable to assume that people who get rich by bribery and corruption don’t report all their earnings. Consequently, these factors represent that the social stratification of Egypt is becoming closed and closedRead MoreEff ects of Changes of Interest Rates Inflation2152 Words   |  9 Pagesalso not necessarily a good thing Inflation is measured with a price index Price Indexes are categorized as Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index Interest rate changes are decided by the Central Bank in South Africa and enforced by Bank of Namibia In the long run, stocks are good protection against inflation Inflation is a serious problem for fixed income investors Inflation-indexed securities offer protection against inflation, but offer low returns. Taking into consideration the key pointsRead MoreThe Last Train By Paul Theroux1366 Words   |  6 Pageslosses are experienced at a rapid rate, as the indigenous and free Africa is forced to migrate from their rural habitats to become urbanized and live in the most deplorable conditions humankind could know. Theroux travels throughout South Africa, Namibia, and Angola, reporting the way Africa has evolved, stagnated, and even retrogressed. By using the nonfiction forms, he allows his readers to access and develop a complete and complex mixture of opinions, engaging them into this controversial debateRead MoreA Perspective of Poverty and HIV on Sub-Saharan Africa1018 Words   |  4 PagesA perspective of poverty and HIV on Sub-Saharan Africa The majority of people currently living with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa where this infectious immune disease has had a devastating impact mentally, physically, economically and socially since this pandemic began. Sub-Saharan Africa is about 15% of the worlds population, and it has approximately seventy percent of the people living with HIV. In 2011 there were 23,500,000 people living with HIV, and 1,200,000 annual AIDS deaths. The new

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Interview with a Counselee Free Essays

This interview was conducted one month after the counseling took place. The counselee was an average high school student who attempted to take suicide by slashing her wrist and cutting her tongue. The counselee informed the author of this paper that she made a suicide attempt due to feelings of abandonment by her family and friends. We will write a custom essay sample on Interview with a Counselee or any similar topic only for you Order Now At present, the student is still undergoing follow-up sessions with the school counselor, and being observed by her class adviser. During the interview, the student showed some mannerisms of biting her fingers, and narrowing her eyes. She and the author (interviewer) sat in front of each other in a small counseling room. 1. When asked about her thoughts and feelings as she prepared for the counseling experience, the student said that she felt a little nervous that the counselor would get mad at her for attempting suicide. She did not want to open up at first because the counselor was unknown to her. Although she often saw the counselor in the school whenever she passed by the counseling room and during the orientation for freshmen, she had not come as close to the counselor as that time when she had counseling. Due to unfamiliarity with the counselor, she somehow felt that she could not trust her, and that the counselor would relay her secrets to other people. 2. The counselee also expressed that when she came inside the counseling room, the counselor smiled at her at once, and asked her to sit. The first words that the counselor uttered were, â€Å"How are you? † When the counselor spoke this, the student said she felt appeased that the counselor was not mad at her. She sensed then that the counselor was concerned about her. During the session, the counselor said that she would value whatever the student would share to her, and her feelings are very precious. She also told the student that everything they would talk about would be confidential, and as long as the counselee promises never to do the attempt again, the counselor would not inform her parents of what the student shared to her. Because of this, the student said she felt comfortable with the counselor and could not help but to express what she felt and thought that day. In assurance, the counselor said that she could be of help to the counselee if the counselee would allow her to help. In this particular counseling situation, we may note that the counselor was successful in building up rapport between her and the counselee. She did this by expressing that she values the feelings of the counselee (Wexler, as cited in Lambie, 2004 ), and the counselee could trust her with secrets. 3. As regards the obstacles that hindered the counselee from sharing her experience with the counselor, the counselee commented that due to the friendly approach and concern of the counselor, she felt at ease with her. 4. When asked what she learned about the helping/counseling process after undergoing it, the student said that she was very glad that they have a service like this in school and through this program she realized a couple of things. First, she realized that some people are concerned about her and she could find a friend among them, such as the counselor and other counselors as well. She also stated that she felt lucky that her school has a friendly and compassionate counselor who would listen to her, without condemning what she did. She also appreciated the fact that the counselor was not grading her for how she performed during the counseling session, and she did not have to be conscious of what she would tell the counselor. In other words, the process made her express her real self and provided her someone whom she felt was concerned. 5. As we can see, the counseling process that took place was of great help to the student. Through the school counseling program, students like the interviewee in this report are given the attention they need. Just like any counseling process, it is very important for every counselor to listen attentively, offer advice when needed, and make the counselee feel comfortable. In the case of the student, we may say that a lot of students nowadays have a different view of counseling unless they have undergone one. The misconceptions expressed by the counselee before the session include imagining the counselor getting mad at her, or relaying her secrets to her parents. These are the same examples of how some students view counseling. However, these misconceptions are proven wrong once they encounter the real counseling experience. Reference Lambie, Glenn. Motivational enhancement therapy: A tool for professional school counselors working with adolescents. Professional School Counseling. Retrieved February 1, 2008, from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m0KOC/is_4_7/ai_n6033401 How to cite Interview with a Counselee, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Computation Of Actions Of An Organization †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Computation Of Actions Of An Organization? Answer: Introducation An organizational strategy can be defined as the computation of actions of an organization intending in taking to attain goals of lo0ng-term. Mutually, these actions have been making up the strategic plan of a company. Strategic plans of an organization take a year to comprehend, needing participation from all the levels of the company.This is the first question that the company tries to answer is identifying the size of the market and the areas for focus, indicating the required scale and investment timing (Schneider and Spieth 2013). It is significant for the company in differentiating the obtainable and addressable markets. Addressable market can be defined as the opportunity for overall revenue for the product and service. The available market is referred to as the segment of the addressable market for which one can compete in realistic fashion. Organizations have this intent in competing on the basis of the core proficiencies instead of the aspects that differentiates in the eye s of the customer. It is important to build a core competency in areas like the training of employees and manufacturing distinction and improvement within the management control (Cummings and Worley 2014). The resources that are required by the organizations to compete are financial resources, human capital and intellectual property. Companies need to have ample revenue in supporting the improvement of fresh products and revenue streams along with the workforce being skilled and loyal to the customer. Companies should look for cost-effective ways in manufacturing better products that would enhance its brand recognition (De Medeiros, Ribeiro and Cortimiglia 2014.). Value creation needs to be the primary focus for companies as generating value for customers would help the company in selling its products and services. In the present scenario, reprocessing and preserving energy have been the standard practices that generate positive public relations (PR) for shaping positive public opin ion. Coca Cola and strategies: The company makes use of the segmented revenue enlargement strategies across the business in ways of differentiated market sort. In the emerging markets, the company focuses on augmenting the volume, keeping the beverages reasonable and strengthening the establishment of the future accomplishment. In the developing markets, a balance is being maintained between pricing and volume. In developed economies, the company relies on price factor and developing the profitability factor through provision of more small parcels like aluminum bottles and glasses. The core competencies of the firm takes into account the process, product and administrative competencies. The company is able to manufacture products that taste better and is being liked by people. The company boasts of a well organized configuration that gives it administrative proficiency, ensuring the company performs well. It also takes in franchise system, controls of cost, network of distribution and administrative power. At Coca Cola, the main focus has always been on innovation that creates value in economic sense, building equity in the brands and shaping the repute of the business (Goetsch and Davis 2014). The marketing investments are being planned to improve the awareness of consumers and increasing their preference for the brands, producing long-term growth. Sustainability and corporate responsibility is essential for Coca colas culture. It helps in guiding their decisions and investments of long term ensuring they transport lasting value. The sustainability approach of the company is promotion of wellness and health, minimizing the environmental impact and giving something back to community. Coca Cola is a huge brand existing all across the globe with their refreshing strategies and innovative thinking. Business Model Innovation: Business model innovation can be defined as the improvement of fresh, unique thought that supports the financial feasibility of the company taking its mission and the procedure for bringing in the concepts to completion. The fundamental goal of the model of business innovation is realizing sources of new revenue through development the value of products and the ways products are being delivered to customers. The 4Is of the business model innovation are initiation, ideation, integration and implementation. Initiation takes in the present business model getting answers for targeting customers, value-propositions and contributions along with revenue (Casadesus?Masanell and Zhu 2013). Ideation is more about confrontation of what is and the improvement of fresh models. Integration is involving the verification of the consistency of the model of business like the targeted customers, its offerings and the revenue factor. Implementation is crucial in designing models, building and testing pi lot, returning to the drawing board and gaining quantitative and qualitative data for verifying the assumptions. The main steps involve implementing one business model at one single time, communicating clearly the new models of business and require to alter, getting the commitment of management. The 55 companies that have been identified has given the world 55 patterns of business models like flat rate, super market, experience selling or the e-commerce among few (Christensen, Bartman and Van Bever 2016). It is about learning from different industries and identifying the right model for a particular business. Companies have been learning from other industries, checking the consistency of the business model before implementing the same. There are certain rules that need to be kept in mind for the companies for reinventing the business model, applying the 55 different models, keeping in mind the benefits and the pitfalls. Finfrock Business Model Innovation: The construction market in all probability would slow down in the coming year, with Finfrock wanting to win it big through manufacturing of engineered precast prestressed solid components. During a meeting it was discussed the ways Finfrock could make millions out of a developers project they were dealing with through shaping in precast instead of the solution of the project as proposed by project architect (Kastalli and Van Looy 2013). The developer was happy with less time required and less cost meaning higher return on investments. However, things turned a bit ugly two weeks later when the contractors bid documents arrived at the mailbox of Finfrock of the drawing the company shared during the meeting. The CEO was livid as through that drawing the developer would make millions and nothing for Finfrock. The company decided on reinventing its business model. The business model of Finfrock was not like its competitors, selling off its components to the generalized contractors. The se lection of Finfrock was based on the least risk factor at competitive outlay. The main profit of Finfrock was from the stronger markets demanding outstripped supply. The CEO decided that keeping a broken business model is more risky. The company improved its vertical selling process to the owners and developers with initiation of faster completions, less plan risk and leftover of more money for features related to designs (Schneider and Spieth 2013). They changed their ways of dealing with subcontractors whose work has been mainly interdependent on structure. This new model implementation made competitors hard to copy the model with this have closer alignments of the sales executives, engineers, precast generating leaders and project managers pulling time and risk of schedules. Reference: Casadesus?Masanell, R. and Zhu, F.,Business Model Innovation: 2013. Business model innovation and competitive imitation: The case of sponsor?based business models.Strategic management journal,34(4), pp.464-482. Christensen, C.M., Bartman, T. and Van Bever, D., 2016. The hard truth about business model innovation.MIT Sloan Management Review,58(1), p.31. Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014.Organization development and change. Cengage learning. De Medeiros, J.F., Ribeiro, J.L.D. and Cortimiglia, M.N., 2014. Success factors for environmentally sustainable product innovation: a systematic literature review.Journal of Cleaner Production,65, pp.76-86. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Kastalli, I.V. and Van Looy, B., 2013. Servitization: Disentangling the impact of service business model innovation on manufacturing firm performance.Journal of Operations Management,31(4), pp.169-180. Schneider, S. and Spieth, P., 2013. Business model innovation: Towards an integrated future research agenda.International Journal of Innovation Management,17(01), p.13400

Thursday, November 28, 2019

010 Peer Review and Intros Professor Ramos Blog

010 Peer Review and Intros Quick Write Quick Write Who is your audience? Who are you trying to convince with your argument? Introductions Introductions are very important. An introduction has to make a good impression, grab your reader’s interest, and make them want to keep reading. We will focus on starting our essays with a story. Focus on getting your readers attention, and making them care, so that they will want to keep reading. Using Rhetoric Notes Ethos Research Unbiased Pathos Emotional Storytelling So What? Logos Logical History Facts Statistics Evidence Authority/Pros Background Include the Conversation Peer Review . Argument –  a reason or set of reasons given with the aim of persuading others that an action or idea is right or wrong. Remember, an argument uses reasons and evidence to persuade. Have you provided enough reasons and evidence to convince us of your position? Keep these things in mind. Peer edit the same way you revise your own work. Be specific in identifying problems or opportunities. Offer suggestions for improvement. Praise what is genuinely good in the paper. Check for: Is the writer’s tone appropriate? Who is the audience? Looking at the essay as a whole, what is the thesis or main idea? Is each paragraph adequately developed? Are there sufficient details and/or   supporting quotations? For the Proposal, make sure you: Define the problem Recognize an audience Create, explain, and justify a plan of action. Persuade readers of the problem and proposed solution. Quick Write What is your plan of action for revising your essay?

Monday, November 25, 2019

Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender Essays

Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender Essays Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender Essay Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender Essay Breaking Cultural Rules about Gender. To me, gender has always been the basic distinction between men and women. It signifies the difference between the way men and women lead their lives, how and with which gender they identify themselves. What this means to me, is that people divide themselves into two groups and identify themselves with the social attributes and gender roles associated with those genders. Gender is not simply the natural physiological distinction, it is also the construct into which people try to fit and identify with. Personally , I identify with the female gender role and in my ulture, the woman is the one whose responsibilities include tending to the house chores and to make sure everybody is well fed . The very first rule I had decided to break was to stop cleaning, cooking, doing laundry and serving food for a couple of days . In my culture, a typical Russian woman is faced with certain expectations that she is expected to follow because it simply is the order of things. I am expected to cook, to follow this gender role . It is a huge part of female gender role that I am accustomed to and this is exactly why I had decided to break it. I decided that the ost genuine responses are extracted when the family wont know it is an experiment and I had not told anybody about this . But already form the morning when I hadnt made breakfast for the family , or washed the dishes afterwards, my family was in shock and awe. This is exactly the type of response I had expected. While my mom and sister cleaned up the table, I Just sat there and drank my tea without any signs of haste. My mom came up to me and asked if I was feeling well or why I hadnt helped. My dad was telling me to resume the housework because miou are the eldest daughter and you have to . It became clear to me that this gender role had been passed down from generation to generation of women and I was Just following the culturally acceptable way. For my second experiment, I chose to borrow my boyfriends clothes for a day and take a ride on the train on Staten Island where I live. Usually, I try to look my absolute best by doing my hair, spending time on makeup and picking out a stylish outfit. On the train, I frequently catch men looking at me, and sometimes women giving me compliments as well. This time however, I decided to illicit a different response. I put on my boyfriends Jeans, one of his T- hirts a hoodie, and some chunky male sneakers. That day I didnt use makeup or hair products. The response I expected was a few dirty looks and nothing more, because some people were bothered by a woman dressing as a man. I assumed there would be nothing more offensive because I thought people were pretty open minded and could Just mind their own business. Then, I got on the train and say down slouched over with my legs spread in a manly sitting pose. Immediately I spotted a few Old Russian women staring at me and talking about me with disgusted looks on their faces. They were scolding me for how I was dressed as a man. Across from me were a few teenage boys who proceeded to make fun of me thinking that I couldnt hear them through my headphones, which I strategically put on silent. They out and how un-ladylike I was acting. I have never felt like this before and I was infuriated that people in NYC were still so closed minded living in this day and age . After conducting these experiments, I have concluded that gender rules in our society play a very important role in our daily lives. There are behaviors deemed only permissible for men or only for women. These behaviors are part of a gender role that dictates our standards and

Thursday, November 21, 2019

I will be able to provide you with more info once we get started Research Paper

I will be able to provide you with more info once we get started - Research Paper Example Language particularly the mother tongue is probably sensitive index for exploring the ethnic composition of the populations. Statistics based on the ability to speak a specified language or languages are perhaps the least useful measures for identifying the ethnic groups but they have a utility in connecting with the problems of educating and communicating with linguistic minorities and they are means of pointing out heterogeneity of languages within the country and measuring their individual strength. Such data are specially important in countries where more than one official language is being spoken. Two major types of errors in census data leads to over and under enumeration of the population in census the first one being the coverage errors and the second one being the content errors which affect the accuracy of the information collected for the covered population. Since coverage errors occurs most frequently in a population or subgroup than others it may affect not only the abso lute number of persons in a given category but also their relative distribution. Levels and patterns of coverage and content errors differs widely across countries and even from census to census in a given country. Data on mother tongue are designed to identify the cultural or ethnic groups in population by languages reported to have been spoken in early childhood presumably before immigration. Objective and Aim of the Study In this study I wanted to test the hypothesis the relation of languages spoken ( first and second languages) in country by the population in relation to birth in that country or may be an immigrant. Methodology We randomly collected data from a population called R and interviewed them on the languages spoken( first and second languages) and were also asked whether they were born in that country or not. While making this study we wanted to minimize the predicted errors of missing data, coverage errors and content errors. We simply left out the missing data while doing our analysis. Results Fig 1 reflects the data collected in the percentage of the population( valid data country born and preference of language spoken) versus the missing data percentage of population which was left out from the survey Fig 2: Series one reflects the frequency of population speaking language in the country versus the series 2 whether born or not born in that country. The correlation coefficient was calculated about the percentages of population surveyed and language spoken found that the correlation co-efficient was 1 which indicated that the language spoken is definitely related to the birth in a country that means the more the population born in a particular country more he speaks the first or native language of that

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

4 assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

4 assignments - Essay Example Inclusion needs to be early on, there could hardly be any argument against it. Being special doesn’t mean they need to be out into nursing care like facility and they need pampering. Special children also have fighting spirit and they can adapt themselves up to amazing levels. Administrators and authorities need to capitalize on this. Bernie got included early on and it helped him and the children around him to adapt, who didn’t think it was a big deal, they didn’t consider Bernie and alien. They just took it like a normal thing and naturally got used to him. Some habits developed in earlier stages of life are always better. Bernie also points out how important ‘early inclusion’ is not just for the adaptation maneuver but for honing and developing academic skills of the person. Bernie deems it a great thing that happened to him because he felt more comfortable with the academics. He got hold of the complex things early on. Special children also develop their brain and they need to exercise it with various challenges. Otherwise just like any other person, their brain would turn into mush. And when they will be ‘included’ later on in their life, they will probably not be able to cope with the new challenges with the dexterity and confidence that an ‘early include’ will. Many times during the interview, Bernie refers to ‘other kids’. For instance he says that what it felt like to be the ‘other kid’ what challenges they were facing and where Bernie stood in his achievements. This gave him a sense of heightened urgency that he needs to catch up with them, but under his own terms. This shouldn’t be confusing. To prove my point, here is the idea in plain words; special children cannot compete with ‘other’ children on the same level. Expecting them to be as good as others would be just a dream (I do wish it would come true). However, when Bernie was with other kids, Bernie became more realistic of his abilities and

Monday, November 18, 2019

Critical Introduction to Law Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Critical Introduction to Law Portfolio - Essay Example Much like Poe’s Prefect, I came into the law course, an unthinking member of society, taking the study of law for granted. The second seminar began to reverse my attitude as it engaged thought and reason. Without the benefit of Schlag’s The Enchantment of Reason, I might have read, Poe’s The Purloined Letter as nothing more than detective fiction. However, with the hindsight of Schlag’s The Enchantment of Reason, I not only felt compelled to re-evaluate my own view of the law, I was also able to interpret Poe’s The Purloined Letter differently. I focused on logic and more importantly flawed logic and the power of the human mind and reason. As a result, I was prepared to study law with an open mind. Reading and discussing the Purloined Letter and Schlag’s The Enchantment of Reason I came to appreciate a new perspective on law. Looked at as a system of rules and regulation, Schlag and Poe’s works draw attention to fallacy of blindly sett ing rigid rules and regulations and then following those rigid rules and regulations even when, they do not produce desirable outcomes. I came to the realization that I had a lot to learn about the law, how and why law is made and what compels people to follow and to not follow the law. I also realized that disobeying rules and regulations and finding alternative solutions were not always wrong. The second seminar therefore changed my expectations. I found that I was eager to learn more about the rights and protections anticipated by the law and when and how unanticipated situations would or should be treated by the law. In other words, the second seminar drew specific attention to procedural rather than substantive law, but invokes thoughts of both. Essentially, the second seminar taught me that procedural rules and regulations rarely anticipate every possibility. Rule makers, such as the police in The Purloined Letter who refuse to modify rules when they are inappropriate in an un anticipated situation, end up with rules and regulations that are ineffective. Therefore reason and logic dictates that there are often justifiable grounds for going around the procedural rules and regulations or modifying them to meet a new set of circumstances. The third seminar provided a more direct experience with the law with an introduction to 19th century English legal scholar A.V Dicey. Dicey invited critical thinking about the law and what it takes to learn the law. In Dicey’s Can English Law Be Taught At The Universities? reinforced my enthusiasm to study the law. Dicey admits that the best place to learn the law is in the courtroom. However, he also notes that there are some things that cannot be learned by mere practice and that learning law in university fills that gap. The gap is learning to think critically about legal concepts. That can never be learned in the courts and in the law chambers. I was also encouraged by Kennedy’s First Year Law Teaching as Political Action which encouraged legal scholarship as a tool for encouraging critical thinking rather than merely learning the law as a means to a career. Kennedy encouraged creativity and a unique approach to learning and teaching law. Thus far, I felt that I was already becoming a creative and critical thinker. Introduction to law was nothing like I expected learning the law to be. I always thought studying law meant learning and thinking codes and cases. Now I was thinking about logic and analysis and

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Emergence Of Neoliberal Development Theory Economics Essay

Emergence Of Neoliberal Development Theory Economics Essay Introduction This essay aims to justify the emergence of neoliberal development theory by analysing the historical, political and economic backgrounds in the second half of the twentieth century and identify the key features of its success. Also, the essay aims to establish the reasons behind the failure of the Keynesian model that was dominant prior to the neoliberal theory. Firstly, it will define development, outline its origins and goals and look back at the history of development to identify major theories prevailing in global economics. Secondly, it will account for the transition from the Keynesianism to neoliberal theory and argue that the main drawback of the former extensive state intervention in economics was the reason behind the rise of the latter. Finally, it will analyse the neoliberal development theory in terms of its strengths and weaknesses and conclude with suggesting perspectives of the theory in the future. What is development? Development presents an elusive concept to define. As the term itself is incredibly broad, the simplest definition of Good Change (Chambers 1997) will not suffice: factors such as time, perspective and focus should be considered to encompass the term (Thomas 2000). Development does not happen overnight, therefore, to understand it we need to look at a series of changes throughout history and the inevitable processes which accompany it. Secondly, understanding of development shifts depending on the vision or perspective of what development aims to achieve (modern society, maximum use of human potential or fixing the faults of progress). Finally, development could be seen as a focused effort to eradicate a problem (i.e. poverty, hunger, AIDS, etc.). Generally, development is summarised as a process of developing countries trying to catch up with developed countries (Kiely 2007). If we look at the current goals in development outlined by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), we can see that in developing countries by 2015: Extreme poverty should be reduced by one half. Universal primary education should be ensured and gender disparity in education eliminated. Infant/child mortality should be reduced by two thirds and maternal mortality by three quarters. National strategies for sustainable development should be implemented (OECD 1996). On the surface these goals appear to tackle social problems (quality of life and education) but they are deeply intertwined with both politics and economics. In order to achieve those state leaders need to work along with international organisations whose economic expertise can help to shape needed policies. No matter how noble these aspirations sound, it is the question whether they are realistic enough to implement that we should ask ourselves. It is possible to assess the chances of success better by looking back at the history of development and its former achievements. The modern history of development begins with the end of the Second World War in 1945 when new states emerged and the old international order was reshaped. The key theme in development was expanding the economic growth through industrialisation. The unique position of the USA after the war (minimal losses) facilitated its becoming a super power. Not only did it have an exceptional political influence in the international affairs but it also helped to promote capitalism and democratic values in Europe as well as the developing countries. The USA did this not only through foreign aid and direct investment but creating such international organisations as the UN, the IMF and the World Bank. The Cold War split the world into two camps: capitalist and communist. While the superpowers were trying to win more political influence, they also helped to modernise developing countries by boosting their economies. Of course, it came with a price joining a camp of the donors. The USA supported national liberation of the colonies and promoted development of anti-communist ex-colonies. This period from 1950s to 1970s is also known as the golden age of capitalism. High rates of profit facilitated high rates of capital accumulation and unprecedented economic growth, high productivity, high wages, expanding demand (Kiely 2007). Such growth resulted in full employment, creation of welfare system and a spread of globalisation. However, by the 1970s problems with the system became obvious: states had monopolized important industries (coal, steel) which limited the capacity of economic growth, thus investment was dominated by political not economic reasons. Preston argues that there was an assumption that states have the right to intervene directly in production and distribution (Preston 1996: p. 154-156). This resulted in capital not being allowed to cross borders without government approval, so states could set domestic interest rates, fix the exchange rate, tax and spend as they wanted to secure national economic objectives, moreover, the divide between developed and developing countries remained high (Leys 1996). The decline in profit rates recorded in the developed countries at the end of the 1960s deepened and in the 1970s spread into an open capitalist crisis, characterized by a swing of the whole system into monetary-financial chaos, exploding inequalities, and mass unemployment (Herrera 2006). The Keynesian model The golden age of capitalism was dominated by the Keynesian development model, which maintains that the level of economic activity is determined by the level of aggregate demand (Palley 2004). John Maynard Keynes, the forefather of modern macroeconomics, argued that if markets were depoliticised, completely free from the intervention of governments, it would cause a period of economic depression and financial crisis. In order to prevent such a downfall he suggested that governments should control fiscal and monetary policies. Within this theory unemployment could be explained through weakness in the aggregate demand generation process that capitalist economies are subject to. In the aftermath of the post war period it was this particular model that allowed states to rebuild and boost economies. A weak point, however, was the so-called spending ratchet governments provided additional support for workers during hard times but it was politically difficult to take them away during a booming economy. Therefore, the rate of economic growth slowed down and the risk of inflation rose. This was not the only problem with the Keynesianism. According to Palley (2004) there existed two sub-theories about income distribution: one originating in the USA, the other in the UK. American Keynesians advocated the neoliberal paid what you are worth theory of income distribution, while British Keynesians argue that income distribution depends significantly on institutional factors. Palley then explains it in detail: It meant that not only do a factors relative scarcity and productivity matter, but so too does its bargaining power, which is impacted by institutional arrangements. This explains the significance of trade unions, laws governing minimum wages, employee rights at work, and systems of social protection such as unemployment insurance. Finally, public understandings of the economy also matter, since a public that views the economy through a bargaining power lens will have greater political sympathies for trade unions and institutions of social protection (Palley 2004: 2 ). In essence the two schools differed in their understanding of the factors involved in (simply put) wages and income. For example an American Keynesian, would view an employees bargaining power in wage negotiations as entirely dependent on demand for the employees skills, its relative scarcity and the employers ability to pay. The British view in however would encompass such additional factors as unions (in the case of employment) enforcing collective bargaining or national minimum wage structures. The British view therefore contained a more realistic accounting of income distribution versus a more pure capitalist view. One of the major factors of the transition from the Keynesianism to neoliberalism was the unstable prices for petrol in the OPEC in the 1970s. Another factor is of social nature the USA has promoted individualism that rejected the communist collective economic approach and kindled the debates in favour of free markets not controlled by the government. Combined with the divide between the train of Keynesian thought in the UK and the USA the theory slowly started to be replaced with neoliberalism. What is neoliberal development theory? Like development neoliberalism is a disputed notion. This term could be attributed to describe a theory of International Relations, an ideology, a development theory or economic theory. To avoid confusion we suggest a definition by Harvey: Neoliberalism  is  a  theory  of  political  economic  practices that proposes that human well being can best be advanced by liberating individual entrepreneurial freedoms and skills within an institutional framework characterized by strong property rights, free markets and free trade. The role of the state is to create and preserve an institutional framework  appropriate to such practices (Harvey, 2005: 2). Neoliberal development theory has emerged in 1970s with the end of the golden age of capitalism. As the world economy was entering a recession, old strategies ceased to work and neoliberalism claimed to provide tools to overcome the financial crisis. The core of the theory lied in an assumption that bad policies were rooted in extensive governmental intervention in economics. Economic growth could be restored by policies ensuring competitiveness in the world economy. Neoliberal development theory aimed to enhance growth, create free markets, replace the Keynesianism that proved to be weak, and eliminate the intervention of the state in the economy that resulted in poor economic performance in many countries (Harrison, 2005). This approach was adopted by major international organisations such as the IMF and the World Bank which made the transition faster. This theory accumulated popularity as the USSR economic growth began to slow down in the 1980s and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, capitalism had proven to be a superior political-economic system to those that had  been its alternatives (Flew 2012). In order to understand what neoliberalism could offer that the Keynesianism could not Herrera (2006) splits the neoliberal strategies into domestic and international ones. They are both aimed at ensuring that the USA sustains and develops its hegemony. Firstly, at the national level, implementing the government control free economy by: (1) deforming the structure of capital ownership to the benefit of the private sector, (2) reducing public spending for social purposes, and (3) imposing wage austerity as a key priority in fighting inflation. Then, to internationally maintain the dominance of the American dollar with the help of the major international organisations and to promote free trade. This argument is in line with the Washington Consensus development strategies which included fiscal discipline, keeping inflation under control, welcoming foreign trade and investment, reducing the role of the government in general, and promoting new exports (Skidmore and Smith, 2005: 59). As com plementary to these goals, the Consensus also advocated tax reform including cutting marginal tax rates (reducing taxes for the rich), creating a unified and competitive exchange rate, and securing property rights (particularly for foreigners in developing countries) (Todaro and Smith, 2006: 538). During the last 30 years this objective has resulted in the proliferation of neoliberal policies of deregulation, privatisation and marketisation (Cahill 2010). When portraying neoliberalism it is paramount to mention the basic principle of individualism. Neoliberalism implies that at the very heart of the concept lies the uniqueness of an individual that leads to subjective and self-centred preferences. Cahill (2010) argues that neoliberals base the defence of free markets on this: liberty is depicted as a core aim of society in which markets represent spheres of voluntary exchanges between individuals. Based on the assumption that from rational point of view individuals would only engage in an exchange that was beneficial for them, markets allow them to satisfy preferences free from external interference or coercion. This way markets represent an excellent platform for spreading liberty. From the economic point of view free markets, with voluntary exchange at their core, let the preferences of rational self interested utility maximisers to be expressed and satisfied. In this case prices represent markers of such preferences and along with the freedom of choice ensure that resource allocation is subject to the preferences. Such system leads to the claim of neoliberals that are not only moral but efficient means for producing and distributing goods and services. Freed from governmental involvement markets produce better results unlike when being under state control with politicians inevitably choosing one industry over another. It appears that better results could be achieved with a shift from the public to the private sector. Strengths/weaknesses In order to establish if the transition to the neoliberal development theory was successful it is necessary to go back to the goals that the theory proponents wanted to achieve: free trade, economic growth, liberalisation, depoliticising of economics and privatisation. While there is evidence that free trade facilitated economic growth it has been slower than expected and still connected with state intervention: there is a positive correlation between an economys exposure to international trade and the size of its government in the years from the 1960s to the 1990s (Rodrik 1998) and similarly whereas levels of trade and levels of government expenditure are positively correlated, countries in which trade has increased more quickly in recent decades have experienced slower growth in government spending (Garett 2001). At the same time free trade and liberalisation has facilitated the emergence and development of globalisation opening new prospects of integration in the international economics and society. On the other hand, globalisation has its own drawbacks, especially in regards to developing countries they still have to catch up with more advanced states but the competition is a lot higher. Without modern technologies which are too expensive, tight budgets and a lack of mass production capability the developing countries, for example in sub-Saharan Africa, remain behind the western states or BRIC countries. Moreover, they have not achieved political freedom either the international organizations call on national governments to adopt neoliberal economic policies imposed from without while the globalized financial markets dispossess these states of their sovereignty and foreign core capital insinuates itself into the periphery countries capitalist ownership structure (Herrera 2006: 5). Promoting democracy and liberalisation could mask more egoistic than altruistic reasons. Neoliberal reforms concentrate on achieving them at the expense of other important factors of development, such as environmental protection, human rights and most important elimination of global absolute poverty (Todaro and Smith, 2006: 548). Conclusions and considerations Summing up the explanation of the emergence of the neoliberal development theory we argue that although the theory has proven to be flawed, nevertheless, its world domination is justified and it is likely to continue its course in the future. While the Keynesian model was efficient during the post-war period and helped to rebuild the economy, it could not provide the international community with the tools they needed to overcome the financial recession in the 1970s. The state-controlled economics framework could not accept and embrace the free market and privatisation because it would mean losing a substantial part of political influence for the governments. Therefore, neoliberalism was the rational choice to adopt in order to revive the economy. As the major superpower (and after the end of the Cold War the unitary) the USA hegemony started to spread further the IMF, the World Bank and other international institutions promoted the development of neoliberalism in both developed and developing countries. Neoliberals believed that markets are able to manage and distribute capital better than states. For the developing countries it also meant more options for employment by expanding the output of exports. Conversely, the emergence, development and finally establishment of the neoliberal development theory as the dominant one has created a number of issues that are complicated to resolve: the widening gap between the rich and the poor, the slowdown of the economic growth and the recession. Promoting democracy and liberal values often hide states own interest, i.e. the war in Iraq in 2003, recent interventions in Syria and Libya. Although economy has become less state-oriented the goals of multinational corporations do not comprise of reducing poverty and inequality as their primary objective. In order to sustain the neoliberal model, it should be re-developed to provide better social security, lessen inequality and poverty, pay greater attention to human rights and create truly independent and unbiased institutions. Only then the 2015 goals of development could be achieved.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Female Stereotypes In The Media Essay -- Papers

Female Stereotypes In The Media In the media the most common female stereotypes, are the housewife and the blonde bimbo. The Housewife. Chained to the kitchen sink, always cleaning and cooking. An old stereotype. In the advertisement for Shake `n Vac a woman is doing the vacuuming and dancing around shaking Shake `n' Vac on the floor. This is a stereotype for the reason that a man is nowhere to be found. But in advertisements for intelligent matters like finance, it's always a man. At first, when I saw the advertisement for Mc Cain's chips, I thought the woman in it wasn't stereotypical, as she was not cooking the meal, the man was. But after a while I saw that this was just for a joke, as at the end you saw that the man was only able to cook a tray of oven chips and he doesn't even know whether they have a chip pan or not, as the dialogue goes, Man: à ´I spent ages making these chips, slicing the potatoes, frying them in the chip panà  .à ¶ Woman: à ´What chip pan?à ¶ The Mirror's cartoon section has had a cartoon that's been there for years and years called Andy Capp. (See picture A)This cartoon follows the life of a stereotypical northern husband and wife. In the edition I looked at, there's a picture of Andy's wife carrying a bucket and a cloth, walking into the kitchen, blanking the husband whose lying on a couch nearby. He asks à ´What's the matter pet? Is it something I did? à ¶ And she shouts back à ´How? When's the last time you did anything?à ¶ In all of the cartoons, Andy never did any housework, as far as he was concerned that was women's work and he always expected his dinner to be on the table when he came home from ... ... like in the advertisement for shake and vac. The reason why stereotypes exists are usually because when people make up characters (for TV scripts, film scripts, etc.) it's easier to use the image of a woman that someone is familiar with. Most writers are male. As they don't know much about them and they can only write about what they know about, they have to use the images they have of women in their heads. It's the same with other stereotypes, i.e. French people in the media always wear berets and have onions round their necks. When will our views change completely? I think, although new stereotypes are appearing and old ones are evolving, it will take time. But the women will always be portrayed, because they're the child bearers, as being chained to the kitchen sink and planning what to have for dinner.