Supply Chain Managemetn – Scm vs. Crm and Erp

Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) vs. Enterprise Resource System (ERP) a Comparative Paper. Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP), also referred to as the traditional management system, was generated from the MRP or the Material Requirement Systems. Companies have utilized this system for well over 25 years. In its primary set up, the MRP stores data related to inventory control and production planning. The system is widespread with the use of one its system with the largest market share, the SAP system is the primary base system for over 60 percent of multinational companies.Many companies have been influenced by ERP over the years, including both small and medium size businesses; it is the core of their information processing landscape. Benefits of the ERP Systems: * Improvement to the quality and efficiency of a firm * Improvements to Customer Service and Manufacturing outputs. * Upper Level Management can benefit with critical decision m aking information * Firms become more alert after incorporating the ERP systems. Supply Chain Management Systems (SCM) captures the relationship between a firm and its database of suppliers.The processes allows for records of production, sales of goods and services, delivery of goods. With this process, a firm can improve on lead times, production values and on-time deliveries of goods and services. Strategies are put in place to allow companies to document inventory control data, along with financial resources require to produce quality goods and provide services in an efficient manner. As a collaborative process, SCM depicts activities where sales of products or goods and services are closely linked with consumers.The solution derived from the process allows customers and vendors to connect inventories, order distribution and order production. The processes are distributed between partners who collaborate on different aspect of supply chain management including logistics, order fu lfillment. Supply Chain management’s core premise ensures that its distribution channels are reflected cohesively amongst its members. Succinct inventory needs and cost control are among the substantial benefits of SCM.Results are improved profit margins and efficient environmentally friendly transportation. Benefits of SCM System: * Improvement in Firm / Vendor relationships resulting in opportunities to cut cost through a volume discount. * Improved Collaboration by developing reports to effectively progress goods and services from supplier to distributor. * Improvement in cycle times which allows raw materials to be made available to your firm needs them in order to keep the production flow moving. Improvement in Conflict resolution; opportunity to better cope with issues on all sides of the production spectrum allows you to be proactive in your responses to problems as oppose to being blindsided by them. Customer Relationship Management (CRM), in its core element, sync up customers and vendors which ensures that goods and services are ultimately delivered to customers efficiently and in a timely manner. This process can only be embarked upon after the sales group closes if you will the sale; said process integrates sales, customer support, and supply chain management and customer relationship in order to enlarge the operation.The CRM system incorporates data collections in specific databases; in most CRM program, the primary role of each functional session is first and foremost customer driven with sales, marketing and customer service emphasize. The goal is to target the customers with the best attributes to build long term efficient relationships. The key element in the CRM system is providing a function that helps business streamline their processes as it relates to taking care of their customer. Benefits of CRM System: * Allows the collection of data tht can be shared within the company. Improvement in Customer Service. * Improvement in your com pany’s marketing strategies. Comparative Analysis Supply Chain integration though fundamental, can be difficult to implement. The ultimate goal is to effectively change the nature of the relationships between vendors and buyers from a traditional perspective to a non-traditional one. Comparatively, when implementing SCM, firms must take in to consideration the impact of the human side of the equation whereas, CRM though relationship based, affects all aspect of supply chain and directly influence performance.More than likely, the base setup such as the information and technology systems needed to implement the supply chain system will be readily available and can be executed almost immediately. Even with all this in place, there are instances where a number of supply chain and customer relationships initiatives fail due to lack of communication or clear and concise expectations from all parties involved. The customer relationship aspect is usually assumed by managers of a fir m, and thus tries to merge the SCM and CRM, the result of said merger often end up being one the most difficult part of the integration.Maintaining a decent relationship between the customer and vendors/supplier makes for a succinct SCM and CRM; integrating the two is critical to developing trust and essential to the success of the firm. Trust building is essential in developing a relationship between the SCM and CRM; however, it’s an ongoing process that must be managed on a continual basis otherwise it can be loss leaving the firm vulnerable. Like supply chain management, customer relationship management is a critical contributor to a firms survival, incorporating three integral components, organizational, strategic and cultural factors in order to succeed.However, unlike SCM, Customer relationships management further breaks down these components to further impact its implementation. On the organizational level, the firm takes a look at integration, commitment and system re adiness and moreover, on the strategic issues, the firm considers vision planning and customer based cultured. Lastly, the 3rd component added to the mix for a successful implementation is the cultural foundation which consists of networking and human interaction. All of these components and sub-parts combine with comprehensive customer knowledge, contributes to a successful CRM implementation.This method â€Å"emphasizes the importance of continuously identifying and satisfying customers’ ever-changing needs by the facilitation of appropriate organizational structure and management approaches† (Stefanou et al. 2003). By comparison in their approach, the CRM unlike the SCM, establishes long-term relationships, combine with customer knowledge and in most cases a customer-based-focus along with a determined strategy. By impressive results, the long-term relation aspect of the CRM is fundamental and essential for the implementation. This notion is closely related to an aw areness of the positive correlation between customer retention and a company’s profitability† (Reichheld et al. , 2000). By the same token both SCM and CRM lays claim to customer information playing a significant role in their implementation and ultimately their success. In order to provide superb customer service, there is a certain amount of research that goes into becoming familiar with the target market and by extension the customer base within those markets.According to Winer, 2001, constructing a comprehensive customer information profile or database is the foundation for any CRM implementations. This method is also essential in the foundation of a SCM implementation. While the CRM primary approach is customer-centered and looks to building long-term interaction with customers, the SCM tends to center its approach on process management and project initiatives in order to satisfy their customer needs. The ISO 9000 is a tool implemented to evaluate processes of a su pplier through grading and registering.This tool helps suppliers and vendors keep track of their systematic process and enable them to stay in line with standard practices. Alternative Approaches to SCM and CRM: In trying to perfect standard processes, there are alternative tools to the SCM and CRM system, which in turn contributes to improving products in order to meet customer needs. These tools or approaches can generally be used in conjunction with SCM and CRM or individually. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) also known as ‘house of quality’ allows engineers and marketers to communicate effectively (Hauser and Clausing 1988).Another alternative approach is the Computer-aided design (CAD), which aids in the design process. (Meredith 1987). Design of experiment (DOE) coordinates off-line functions which allow inputs to product and processes to be configured effectively for optimum customer satisfaction (Foster 2010). Though there are more design approaches, one prima ry one worth mentioning is the Designs for manufacture (DFM). This approach is formulated to assist in the improvement of manufacture for products (AIAG 2008).The aforementioned approaches are not intended to be all-inclusive; the intention is to highlight a collection of tools use to improve quality and provide insights to the differences between SCM and CRM and the traditional operational system. Diverse Approaches Processing information can vary by cultural and social standings. These attributes allows managers to solve problems and process information differently. In some early research statistics shows that supply chain has significant correlation to marketing and logistics.From a research perspective, the supply chain field has essentially been a proponent for diverse management derivatives. Though research shows that there’s very little differences in traditional and supply chain practices; however, the gap in the differences in process between the SCM and CRM has clos e in the last few years. Executive Summary The relationship between software systems that impact value chain management varied in all aspects of its functions; traditionally, the Enterprise Resource planning systems (ERP) system is engineered to streamline business processes and connects their information and work flow.Similarly, the Supply Chain Management Systems incorporates activities between a firm and it’s vendors and by so doing, it too connects their information and work flow. The Customer Relationship Management System focuses on the customer interaction with emphasis on sales, customer service, and marketing, The management of the supply chain systems can be challenging in every aspect; it requires constant supervision of suppliers back to the point-of-origin and all goods/services out to the point-of-consumption might prove to be even more challenging.The key understanding is that managing these relationships could lead to power in the supply chain industry includi ng the supplier network which could provide opportunities to improve profits significantly. Ultimately, supply chain management is about establishing and managing relationships, in managing these relationships, a link is formed thereby establishing the customer relationship management process and the end result is a structure relationship between customers and suppliers. Studies show that â€Å"the structure of activities within and between companies is a critical cornerstone of creating unique and superior supply chain performance.The study allows for business processes if linked, increase in potential profitability while managing individual functions could lead to an effective management system. Study also shows that optimizing the product flow can be realized if a direct approach to business is implemented. Though the focus of this paper is the relationship between the supply chain management system and the customer relationship management system, the Global Supply Chain Forum h as also recognized other management processes; accordingly they are: * Customer Service Management * Order Fulfillment * Supplier Relationship Management Return Management * Demand Management * Manufacturing Flow Management These highly capable processes, have all been established and integrated into the supply chain management process, they all also have strategic and operational sub-processes. In order to examine how the process is implemented, the strategic sub-process provides the structure while the operational sub-process allows you to implement with detailed step-by-step instructions; and furthermore, the strategic process is essential in integrating all departments in the supply chain process providing day-to-day functions operationally.Much like the supply chain management system, the customer relationship system provides structure; however, the focus is primarily on the relationships between the customers and the firm. This system provides key components on developing and maintain the relationships with could lead to long-term success. With most supply chain organization, decision on which customer base to target base on market analysis, these customers eventually becomes key target points for the firm’s business mission. Similarly, most of these decisions are made and put in place by a leadership team of the firm.The successful integration of the management systems across key components of the supply chain process will ultimately leads to a successful firm. Both the supply chain management and customer relationship management systems are successful when valuable resources are used proficiently. Research shows that when activities within a firm are implemented throughout the eight supply chain management process using cross-functional teams, the result is cross-functional relationships with customers and supplier. References Financial Decision Making for Managers: Volume 1, 2011 * Supply Chain Management Vs. Customer Relationship Management â €“ htt://www. smallbusiness. chron. com/supply-chain-management-vs-customer-relationship-management. chron. com * Managing relationships in the Supply Chain http://scm. ncsu. edu/scm-articles/article/managing-relationships-in-the-supply-chain * Studying the Customer Relationship Management: A Case Study at Persian Technology Firm. An Executive Summary of Supply Chain Management: Processes, Partnerships, Performance * Douglas M. Lambert

Microsoft and Sun

The first problematical questions between Microsoft and Sun concerning the design and the sources of Microsoft Java implementation and Sun`s Java standards start back in 2000 or even earlier. When Sun’s more powerful and flexible standard of Java 2 arrived, due to different reasons (partially because of the legal troubles over Java)Microsoft was stuck in older JDK 1.1 mode. So it comes to the point, where you have to do something, or pass off. So Microsoft improved their JVM in the new version of Windows. And then Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced it has started an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corporation. In its complaint (Press Releases, 2002), Sun alleges that Microsoft has engaged in extensive anticompetitive conduct, including the following: Fragmenting the Java platform; Flooding the market with incompatible Java Runtime Environments; Forcing other companies to distribute or use products that are incompatible with Java; Significantly limiting Sun's distribution channels for the Java Runtime Environment; Intentionally interfering with the development of Java-based applications for compatible runtimes; Copyright infringement resulting from Microsoft's distribution of an unlicensed implementation of the Java Runtime Environment; Intentional creation of incompatibilities between Microsoft software and competing technologies, thereby raising switching costs for consumers and reducing consumer choice. The other side of this long lasting conflict is trying to find a compromise between those standards (Microsoft’s own and Sun’s) and withstanding the lawsuits with more or less efficiency. Also Microsoft protesting against the sources of the lawsuits from Sun. Jim Allchin(Jim Allchin, 2002) from Microsoft wrote: This issue was addressed in detail during the liability phase of the trial. The Court of Appeals determined that it was not illegal for Microsoft to develop and distribute our JVM just because it was incompatible with Suns specification. Also on one of the Microsoft’s press conferences Steve Ballmer (2004) said about interchanges between their companies: So I'd say that's the elements and then if you take a look at the payment, some of the money is to resolve our antitrust lawsuit. Some of the payment takes a look back and says let's make sure we are clean with respect to one another on patents. Some of it is forward-looking in terms of how we work together from a patent perspective. And then some of it is forward-looking, us to Sun and Sun to us, in terms of the licensing of key intellectual property that relates to making these things plug together and interoperate well over the network. Press Conference Transcript: Steve Ballmer (Microsoft), Scott McNealy (Sun), retrieved February 18, 2007, from http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/legal/04-02-04SunPressConference.mspx Sun Press Releases, Sun files suit against Microsoft for antitrust violations, retrieved February 14, 2007, from http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2002-03/sunflash.20020308.1.xml Written Direct Testimony of Jim Allchin, retrieved February 18, 2007, from

Human Impact on the Environment – Problems caused by population growth

In about 1830 the human population reached one billion, there are now somewhere around six billion people on the planet today and that figure is growing at a very high and very rapid rate. Past populations were controlled by disease, war and famine but now because of technology and modern medicine. The environment around us has been built to support these growing numbers but this development is having a huge effect on the world's ecosystems. Human population's clear other space and habitats of other species to make way for their own. This ignorance has killed many species to extinction and polluted the environment; this has endangered our survival and the survival of other species at risk. Read this Ch. 22 Respiratory System However, in natural ecosystems factors are limiting whereas human ecosystems are different as we have the technology to maximise resources and find new ones when existing ones run out. The planet obviously can only hold a certain number of people, most species never reach their maximum numbers but they have a peak, then the numbers start to decline. Activities that have changed the landscape Industrial and domestic waste has to be disposed of, and as the population is increasing the waste is becoming more and more difficult to get rid of. There are a lot of things that cause pollution in varying rates on a big scale oil spill to a normal deodorant can which uses cfc's. Here is a table that shows the pollutant and its effects on humans and the environment. Pollutant Effects on humans and the environment. Air Smoke Makes breathing difficult. Sulphur Dioxide Causes acid rain. Ozone Damages leaves. CFC's Damages ozone layer. Carbon Dioxide Increases the ‘Greenhouse Effect'. Water Sewage Eutrophication. Fertilisers Eutrophication. Acid Rain Makes soils, lakes and rivers acidic. Oil Spills Kill fish. Toxic Chemicals e.g. mercury Kill fish and other aquatic life. Land Solid waste disposal at landfill sites Methane causes explosions and increases the ‘Greenhouse Effect'. Mining waste e.g. Lead Water run-off poisons plants and animals. Heavy metals kill most plants and animals. The Pollution of the Water There are a number of different ways and processes of water pollution the main ones are ‘waste disposal', ‘organic pollution' and ‘eutrophication'. Waste disposal is the domestic and industrial waste which is treated in sewage plants to remove impurities. The problem is that some of this waste is being disposed in many rivers and canals and polluting them heavily. This has destroyed many freshwater ecosystems like the ‘Great Lakes of North America' and parts of the ‘Norfolk Broads'. Organic pollution is where domestic sewage is disposed in rivers and canals and the organic content in the sewage is a food source for bacteria and fungi. These organisms also take the dissolved oxygen in the water so that fish and other aquatic animals die out. Eutrophication is when the nitrate and phosphate levels are high this encourages the growth of algae. These algae can cause a lot of damage to the water ecosystem. * Algae grow rapidly and give an ‘algal bloom' over the surface of the water. * Many blue-green algae produce toxins which kill some plants and animals. * Small animals that feed on algae do not multiply fast enough to check the increase in the algae. * Algae block out the light for the rooted plants growing on beds of lakes and they die. This reduces the amount of oxygen. * The algal population crashed due to competition for resources. The algae are then decomposed by bacteria which use the oxygen in the water. * This lack of oxygen kills many invertebrates and fish. All this is the process of eutrophication. The pollution of the atmosphere Pollution is a term used to describe the presence of an unwanted substance. Although air contains lots of microscopic particles, like volcanic dust and tiny sand grains from deserts, this pollution is natural in origin. Man-made pollution of the atmosphere however, is now causing a lot of concern. Most of this air pollution comes from the burning of coal, oil and gas – the fossil fuels – in power stations, factories and homes, and petrol and diesel in cars and other road vehicles. We need energy and electricity to keep us warm and to cook our food, but unfortunately we do not make enough from other non-polluting sources. Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the air. This may be changing the climate and causing global warming. Other pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are also given off. This can reduce the quality of air which we breathe, leading to health problems, and can cause acid rain. Global Warming Global air temperatures as measured by land-based weather stations show an increase of about 0.45 degrees Celsius over the past century. These may be mistakes in data or climatic variation. Satellite data indicate a slight cooling in the climate in the last 18 years. These satellites use advanced technology and are not subject to the â€Å"heat island† effect around major cities that alters ground-based thermometers. Projections of future climate changes are uncertain. Although some computer models predict warming in the next century, these models are very limited. The effects of cloud formations, precipitation, the role of the oceans, or the sun, are still not well known and often inadequately represented in the climate models although all play a major role in determining our climate. Scientists who work on these models are quick to point out that they are far from perfect representations of reality, and are probably not advanced enough for direct use in policy implementation. Interestingly, as the computer climate models have become more sophisticated in recent years, the predicted increase in temperature has been lowered. However, 98% of total global greenhouse gas emissions are natural (mostly water vapour) and only 2% are from man-made sources. Sustained Development Sustainable development is where a population can make developments and improvements to their area or their needs without causing harm to the environment. Sustainable development is all about a greener planet in both developed and developing countries by not polluting the environment and being more energy friendly. Sustainable development is * Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone * Effective protection of the environment * Prudent use of natural resources Sustained development can be achieved by using less fossil fuels and researching into environmentally friendly sources of energy like solar and geothermic sources. Be less wasteful so that we use fewer resources so that they are prolonged and regenerate, find more effective ways of disposing of waste and producing less waste in the first place.

To complete all the rest parts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

To complete all the rest parts - Essay Example n numbers in the opening and closing ceremonies, the manpower costs that were needed to be defrayed, lodging and subsistence of the athletes and other participants, and the maintenance of the Olympic facilities. The data showed there was a sudden increase in the GDP rate for the latter half of 2012, which appeared to suggest that the Olympics, which took place in the third quarter, and the activities leading to it, indeed brought about the economic growth expected in holding a mega-event of that size. Closer inspection showed, however, that the growth of gross fixed capital formation appeared to have come more from government spending rather than private business, suggesting that unless the private sector picks up the pace in pushing for greater production, the sudden increase in GDP will not be sustainable, and long-term benefits due to the Olympics may not be forthcoming. Mega-events attract a global audience, and therefore are capable of drawing international attention and spending power. The World’s Fair, the World Cups of the different sports, and the Olympic Games are itinerant events that regularly hold venues at different places, depending upon the outcome of a bidding process (Varrel & Kennedy, 2011). Necessarily, the hosting of mega-events require that the host city incur a huge amount in expenses and investment in infrastructure and facilities. Despite the immense honour of hosting the event, the sheer financial burden would be enough for potential bidders to stay away, unless a greater return is expected. A great part of the allure of hosting such events is the promise of an economic windfall with a substantial urban makeover (Chalkley & Essex, 1998). This is in addition to the prestige derived and the international recognition of the host country as a major player of global importance (Van der Westhuizen & Black, 2004). In the case of the Olympic Games, the benefits are normally in the form of the construction of special structures where the

BlackBerry - Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

BlackBerry - Report - Essay Example In 2010, it had a market share of 43% in the United States of the American market. However, in the recent years, the market share of the company has dramatically faced a precipitous decline. The steep decline has been due to the intense competition from the Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhones. For this reason, the blackberry company’s market share in the United States personal consumer market only, was trimmed down to 3.8% in the year 2013. However, on other markets other than the United States private consumer market, the products have had a healthy market trend. In September, the same year, the company authenticated an intent letter to be acquired by the United States ($4.7 billion or US $9 per share). It was through a consortium led by Fairfax Financial that then announced its plan to take the company private. Later on November 4, of the same year, the deal was wiped in favor of US $1 billion. At the moment, the majority of the remaining value of the company lies in innovation. A number of different factors influence the company’s competitive position. However, the company’s greatest challenge in the coming months or years will be to prove to business and consumers that they can match the current Android, Apple and the coming up Microsoft juggernauts that seem to be evading into the distance ahead with their consumers. Reports by Marukawa (2010) detail that in the past months, Blackberry smartphones have gone from being the once dominant smartphones in the market to becoming marginal player in most markets. It has resulted to the company suffering significant losses. The company is losing out to the current iPhone and android mobile handsets. Blackberry launched its tablet, and the Blackberry playbook a year after the iPad, first generation. To blackberry, this was one of the moments that proved to be extremely disastrous. The playbook did not sell as

Conclusion on Private Equity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conclusion on Private Equity - Essay Example After the buyouts, the private equity firms are able to manage the companies in to making profits, after which they are sold to other investors. The private equity firms do a financial refurbishment of the companies facing a crisis. The Private equity firms also rebuilt the financial structures so that the companies get the ability of becoming productive financially. The major aim of the private equity firms is to make substantial returns to investors and to make their profits from the capsizing companies (Cendrowski, 2011 p89). The Blackstone Group is firm that deals with private equity it is based in America in the New York state. The investment company has got interests in vital businesses across the world. Blackstone is one of the largest firms that deal in a leveraged buyout transactions. They also have an interest to the real estate sector more so the commercial real estate business. The company is able to buyout a failing company, restructure the management of the company, put in a few investors and then they are able to turn around the financial status of the company in remarkably little time. The firm will then take out profits in the form of commissions that are deducted for the management of the company, and they also charge a performance fee that they will use to quantify their profits. The Southern Cross Healthcare is among the top companies that provides healthcare to the United Kingdom community. The Southern Cross have specialized their health care to care for the elderly people and those suffering from mental health in the residential and long term nursing homes. The Southern Cross business is also specialized in offering health care services to people who are suffering from brain injuries, and psychiatric issues. The company owns more than one hundred and sixty homes. Southern Cross was faring well under the management of John Moreton until the buyout of West Private Equity and Health care investments came along. Blackstone acquired Southern C ross by a buyout that was done in 2004 for a tune of ?162 million. They operated more than one hundred and sixty two homes whereby a majority of the homes were leased. Blackstone then put down its management skills on Southern Cross and invested in the company to make it one of the best health care providers in the United Kingdom. They also managed to acquire the Nursing Home Properties which were put under Southern Cross; this increased the portfolio of Southern Cross and made the health care provider become the largest health care provider in the United Kingdom. Later in 2005, Blackstone also acquired the Ashbourne Group which they also included in to the portfolio of Southern Cross. This still increased the financial credibility of Southern Cross, and this was at the same time increasing the quality of the services that they were giving to the people. Blackstone acquired the Ashbourne group with the aim of increasing the quality of services to Southern Cross. So far, the manageme nt methods of Blackstone to Southern were being done correctly, and the company was raking massive profits to investors, and management of the company was also benefiting. Apart from the management and the investors benefiting, the society was getting value for their money in terms of the

GOTHIC AND TABOO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

GOTHIC AND TABOO - Essay Example In England, it was marked by the vertical lines and a four-centered arch with fan vaulting and was between the 14th and the 15th centuries. Gothic writing as earlier mentioned is said to be old fashioned, therefore, their form of writing is Frankenstein (Schultz, p 34). This book was meant to be of artistic value that was characterized by gloomy and mystery and grotesque features. When a person imaginary self is the issue of one of these conventions then, it is specialized in the following manner. It is the place of the self to be extremely blocked off from something to which it should normally to have the right of entry (Schultz, p 35). This something can be its past, the details of its kin history; it can be an open atmosphere, when the nature has been buried when still breathing. It might be a combination of life or a lover (Sedgwick 17). Usually, there is both something going on inside the segregation and something hugely relevant going on incredibly out of reach (Schultz, p 31). While the three top elements take (Sedgwick 12). On the most varied guise, the terms of the association are incontrovertible. The self contains everything that the outside possess including appropriate, ordinary, essential relationship to one another. It also contains the swiftly incompetent of making (Goldsmith, pp.23-28). Both the inside and outside life have to continue independently, becoming counterparts rather than allies, the affiliation between them one of the parallels and correspondences rather than contact. This, though it may happen in an instantaneous, is a fundamental reorganization, creating doublings where singleness should be (Goldsmith, Being Dumb). Finally, the failure of restoring them to their initial being is the most feature energies of the Gothic novel (Goldsmith, the Colbert Report). From the novel, it can be scrutinized that the most heinous violence and the most dreadful situations of Uncanny are not occurring.

Economic Effects of Consumerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic Effects of Consumerism - Essay Example The purpose of any economic system should be to meet the basic inescapable demands of its members in an affordable and sustainable manner. However, when the aspect of consumerism comes into effect with its emphasis on conspicuous consumption, the system gets thrown out of gear. The production-consumption cycle becomes a vicious spiral that is difficult to break. Some of the economic effects of consumerism are: Planned Obsolescence / Dissatisfaction. Rather than striving for a state of equilibrium, consumerism dictates that there must be an exponential increase in demand. Hence the advent of the 'disposable' culture which is aimed at increasing demand, as well as sustaining it. This is coupled with advertising which creates a felt need where none existed before by projecting existing products obsolete. This encourages the viewers to 'junk' his old model and buy a new one. These two factors combined serve to promote consumerism to unhealthy levels, but at the same time promote growth and competitiveness. Environmental Effects. ... overcome these limits, most inventions and discoveries have sought to promote consumption rather than trying to rein in consumption in order to bring consumption (demand) and production (supply) into a state of equilibrium. The economic costs of environmental degradation are never factored in as they would make products un-competitive. Promote Inequality. The most glaring drawback of consumerism, however, is that it promotes inequality, by widening the gap between the world's rich, confined to a few countries and the world's poor, spread out all over the globe. "Globally, 20% of the world's people in highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditure - the poorest 20% a miniscule 1.3% " (UNDP). As demonstrated by these figures, consumption is a game of the rich. Increased production therefore does not in any way help to ameliorate the plight of the poor, but rather to satisfy the egos of the rich. In economic terms such a pattern is un-sustainable in the long term and will only result in a social revolution. Since the effects of consumption drive most economies world-wide its effects are also global in nature. The ill-effects of consumerism are well-known and documented; but economic imperatives often over-ride more pragmatic considerations in attempts to move towards a sustainable economic model. Consumerism though promoting growth is nevertheless, not only undermining the environmental resource base but it is also exacerbating inequalities. References Shah Anup, Behind Consumption and Consumerism. Retrieved from www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Consumption.asp United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report 1998 Overview Wikipedia, Consumerism. Retrieved from

Ethics In Information Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics In Information Technology - Research Paper Example the human embryos. In addition, this is because embryos have status as divine creations and being potential persons. Moreover, taking a blastocyst and removing the nuclei to obtain an embryonic stem cell is equivalent to murder (Singer 45-97). Thus, I believe that furtherance of stem cell research would lead to a much greater potential harm, a lack of respect for all religious and cultural beliefs who believes that life begins at conception and are against abortion. This is in contravention to computer ethics that advocate for respect for societal values in the use of computer technology. Moreover, it leads to use of computers to destroy and harm other people, which is in contravention to the computer ethics. There are also ethical issues relating to use or applications of stem cells. This is because there should be respect for the donor who donated the stem cell in any future use and application of it. This should entail giving of informed consent, and respect for privacy and confid entiality of personal data. In addition, I am of the opinion that precautionary measures and ethical considerations should be considered in stem cell banks. This is because of the confidential and personal data involved and any bleach would leakage of such information would subject the donors to unwarranted exposure and persecution by opponents of stem cell research. Thus, these banks should be protected against computer hackers break-ins. Consequently, measures should be taken to defend and preserve the identity of both the donor and the recipient in stem cell research and use (Kristina and  Goran 232). This is in line with computer ethics, which requires that advocate for the maintenance of confidentiality of... Today, ethical standards may be categorized into copyright and intellectual property, Netiquette, and the general day-to-day ethics and have been summarized into the Ten Commandments for computer ethics by Computer Ethics Institute. In the current age of information technology, computers have been applied in varied disciplines including medicine in the field of embryonic stem cell research. Stem cell research has been the most remarkable latest advances. There have been a great debate relating to the ethical perspective of carrying out the stem cell research. There are several possible sources for stem cells, the utilization of human embryos as a source for stem cells has been the focus of strong moral dispute. In this research paper, I will seek to explore the ethical issues relating to stem cell research relating to computer usage stating my standing. There has been an immense deal of scientific concern recently created by research on human stem cells. The cloned embryo would then be used as a source of stem cells, which would be a genetic match for that donor. This procedure is intended to counter the problem of rejection immune system. In conclusion, whether destructive embryonic stem cell research is ethical or not depend on choices available, and how their specific advantages and weakness balance out. This means that ethical position is a substance of considering the danger of further eroding the respect due to potential life against the possible, therapeutic benefits that are hoped for from such research.

Determine whether compensation and overtime applies to exempt and Essay - 1

Determine whether compensation and overtime applies to exempt and non-exempt security personnel in your state - Essay Example in our numbers lately and we need to play catch up.† â€Å"Will we be receiving overtime?† Bob the employee inquires, though he already knows the response. â€Å"Good one, that’s why we moved you to salary remember?† Joe chuckles as he walks back to his office. Fairness, in workers time and effort, versus pay has long been a minefield for dispute in the workplace. Typically speaking the worker tends to feel overworked and underpaid, and the owner tends to feel the employee is underworked and overpaid. Over the years lawsuits on compensation and overtime have arisen many times, and the decisions made by the Supreme Court in interpreting the constitution have greatly impacted the way these two are handled. So in order to investigate these laws and how they are applied in greater detail we are going to take one group of employees, security personnel, and see how overtime and compensation are regulated for them in the state of Texas. We will do this by defining overtime, by looking at what FLSA and the states say, by determining who is considered exempt and non-exempt employees, and by looking at how the United States Supreme Court case of Garcia v. City of San Antonio applies. The exact definition of overtime is any work done in addition to regular working hours (Lovett, 2011). However this leads to the question what are regular working hours? Regular working hours can be determined in several ways. The first way is by custom. This means the amount of hours that is considered healthy or reasonable by society. In the United States the custom for regular working hours is forty hours a week. The second way regular working hours can be defined is by the practices of a given trade or profession. A regular working week for an air traffic controller, for example, is anywhere between fifty – seventy hours. The third way regular working hours can be determined is by legislation. This occurs through bills being passed through congress to regulate the work environment and

Junior Officers Essay Example for Free

Junior Officers Essay This result appeared to be the same with the statistical results for the data set of all samples combined. The deviation was the item Human Resource Focus, Item 5, which appeared to be not correlated with Leadership, Item 1. There could be logical reasons why such a result, but we cannot at this stage, extrapolate without first conducting the same test for the Leaders Group. A. 3. The Pearson Correlation Matrix for the Leaders Group For the Leaders Group, Leadership, Item 1, is not correlated at all, ALL from Strategic Planning, Item 2 to Business Results, Item 7 as shown by Table 3. Table 3. Excerpt from the Correlation Matrix for the Leaders Group Leadership, Item 1 Strategic Planning, Item 2 0. 371 0. 413 Customer And Market Focus, Item 3 0. 164 0. 726 Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management, Item 4 0. 753 0. 051 Human Resource Focus, Item 5 0. 715 0. 071 Process Management, Item 6 0. 247 0. 594 Business Results, Item 7 0. 524 0. 227 Cell Contents: Pearson correlation p-Value The results were revealing on two counts. First, it told us that the correlation trend shown by the Combined Data Samples of the Others Group and the Leaders Group was mainly due to the effect of the Others Group given its bigger sample size, 37 respondents compared to the Leaders Group, 7 respondents. This is manifest in that the correlation test for the Others Group showed correlation between Leadership, Item 1, and other items except in Customer and Market Focus, Item 3, which was possibly influenced by the results of the Leaders Group which showed no correlation between Leadership, Item 1, and the other items. Second, the results pointed to the contrast between the two groups being compared. There was a significant difference in perception between the Others Group and the Leaders Group. It should be noted that the Leaders Group, comprising, take note, the Senior Leaders, or specifically, the Senior Officers in the surveyed organization occupied the higher hierarchy and when we mentioned the Others Group, we are referring to leaders still, but leaders occupying the lower hierarchy, the Others Group comprising, take note, the Junior Leaders, or specifically the Junior Officers. It may argued that based on their respective position in the surveyed organization, ESGR there may be strong factors which create opposing views or that their perceptions could be affected by the imperatives, necessities, and the like and the nature of their respective positions being held in the organization. Whereas, for the Others Group, wherein Leadership, Item 1, was correlated with all the other items: Strategic Planning, Item 2; Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management, Item 4; Human Resource Focus, Item 5; Process Management, Item 6; and Business Results, Item 7; however, in the Leaders Group, its Leadership, Item 1, had NO significant correlation established with ALL the other items from Item 2 to Item 7. It could mean that the Others Group, mainly Junior Officers were more concerned with function which required them to be aware of all the aspects and details of the organization. It could be contended that Junior Officers were the implementers of the details of projects and operations hence, with Strategic Planning, Item 2 of the Baldrige Criteria, the Junior Officers were more concerned with examining how organizations develop objectives and action plans and how flexible the organization should be in case of situational changes in circumstance. Junior Officers are expected to be familiar with stock knowledge on the planning step and deployment to achieve objectives at the various stages of implementation. Chances are, they are the ones evaluating data from various reports and they are the ones making the progress reports and updates for the higher echelon officers. In other words it is possible that Junior Officers differed with the Senior Leaders in terms of data/details exposure, requiring the Junior Officers to pay more particular attention to the different aspects of the organization at the field or at the ground level. Other items such as Measurement, Analysis and Knowledge Management, Item 4, could be interpreted as part of the functions of Junior Leadership and Junior Officers were more conscious of the procedures involved in handling voluminous data and information which needed sorting and which may require immediate and appropriate response. In Question 26, under the sub-category, Information and Knowledge Management, for example, in dealing with hardware and software reliability, we can expect that senior leadership not to be doing the actual testing of new software or hardware for that matter. It would thus be more the function of Junior Officers to test such new innovations. Due to the difference in focus and priorities between the Others Group and the Leaders Group as suggested by their diverging trend in the correlation test outcome, further tests had to be conducted to enable deeper probe into why such results occurred. How come?

5 great leadership qualities Essay Example for Free

5 great leadership qualities Essay Leaders are often portrayed as heroes and role models, but there is also a darker side to being a leader. Adolph Hitler was one of the greatest leaders in the last 100 years, if not the greatest leader of all time. One man had the ability to lead a country, with a population of 20 million people, against the whole world in a vision he saw fit. One man leading Germany out of economic depression after previously being through World War I was an incredible feat. This is indeed what all leaders strive to be. Hitler is one of the best models for inspiring leaders. He exhibited some of the greatest qualities of being a leader, which included the following: vision, eloquence, charisma, strong will, and tyranny. Vision is a manner in which someone conceives something. All leaders must be goal oriented, and Hitler had one of the greatest objectives of all time. He wanted to purge this world of all the Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, and anyone else that didnt fit in his definition of the perfect race. His perfect race the Arian race consisted of blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasians. Although he was not able to complete his vision, he still fought for it until the end of his life. One of the most outstanding leadership qualities of Hitler was his eloquence. Being eloquent is to be fluent and persuasive in speech. Hitler would stir up the masses with his fervent speeches. This was one of Hitlers greatest assets. He was able to get his audience so passionate and zealous over his goals, that they would follow him regardless of what he said. Imagine in what manner someone must talk with 20 million people in order to persuade them to eradicate a race without moral regret. When he would speak, he would sweat and get so fanatical about his speech that women would cry when he spoke. Another important quality of Adolph Hitler was his charisma. Charisma is a quality attributed to those with an exceptional ability to secure the devotion of a large number of people. Without charisma, a leader can not function successfully. Hitler attained devotion from almost anyone that he spoke to. The German people were ready to fight the rest of the world to achieve the world that Adolph Hitler saw fit. Men were willing to give their  lives to satisfy a single man. Hitler had one of the strongest wills of any man that this world had seen. He refused to allow anyone get in his way. This is what led to World War II. He would even betray the Russians, his one time allies, for not also agreeing with his ideas. His will also helped Germany out of depression. It is said that Germany had the greatest economy it has ever had in the rule of Adolph Hitler. He did this by political maneuvering and strategic planning. His will helped make Germany one of the most powerful countries in the world in its time. In fact, some historians devote the end of the depression due to Adolph Hitler. This is because many governments got out of their economic depression by actually fighting in World War II. This stimulated many countries and helped the world all over. The last of his important qualities was tyranny. A tyrannical government is one in which there is a ruler with absolute power. Tyranny enhanced all of his other traits. This is because if someone did not follow him willingly, they were forced to follow him under his government. A leader demanding absolute power is not a bad thing at all times. It does not allow for confusion within a group and may also lead to more efficiency and cooperation. Hitlers tyranny united Germany under one person and allowed it to challenge anyone that stood in their path. Adolph Hitler may not have been a great person, but he was a great leader. Under his rule, Germany pulled out of an economic depression that was plaguing the rest of the world. Also, Germany stood up once again after a First World War and challenged the world once more. Many people might disagree about him being a great leader because he led Germany to another loss, but this was inevitable because one man cannot stand against the world and hope to win. Nevertheless, Hitler was one of the greatest leaders of all time and should be a template for future leaders.

Eal Observed In A Primary School

Eal Observed In A Primary School Learning a second language is one adaptation skill that proves to be necessary when diverse cultures come together.   For example, children from diverse linguistic backgrounds study English as a bridge to better education. The Rationale for Planning for Children Learning English as an additional language (2008) advocates that in planning for children who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL), the following key principles must be observed: that bilingualism is an asset instead of a liability for children who know more than one other language other than their mother tongue or primary language.   This first language is essential not only in learning another language but also for ones identity formation. The EAL provider should keep the learner challenged cognitively with the continuous provision of linguistic and contextual support.   Lastly, the acquisition of another language should go hand in hand with the students cognitive and academic development within the same school environment and the student would not need outside support. It is already integrated in the inclusive curriculum given to the learner. Cummins (1984) came up with a matrix to explain the dynamics of second language learning development. One axis represents the BICS or the Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills while the other axis represents the CALP or the Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency.   Baker (2006) explains that students engage in BICS when they communicate with contextual supports and props such as face-to face â€Å"context embedded† situations where they read the other persons non-verbal gestures, hand movements and sounds to support verbal communication. On the other hand, CALP happens in â€Å"context reduced† situations requiring higher order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis or evaluation. This is usually encountered in more academic learning and communication where language is â€Å"disembedded† (Baker, 2006). This paper will report observations in a primary school that embraces multiculturalism and multilingualism and analyzed according to theories and to its compliance to standards and policies for implementing English as an Additional Language (EAL). Observations were done for key stage 2. The physical environment of the school and classroom Upon entering the school, a large map welcomes people with the sign that read: â€Å"Welcome to our school.   We come from all over the world and we speak 27 languages†.   For each language, it was connected to the country of origin as indicated in the map.   This sign gave a very warm welcome to anyone who visited the school no matter what culture he or she comes from. An IT room is available for any EAL learner to use whenever one needs to consult a computer for spelling or grammar or anything that pertains to the English language.   This additional resource to support their learning is another indication that the school anticipates learners needs and provides them when called for. The classroom observed had a big inflatable globe which represents a wide range of diversity is accepted there.   The children can freely explore the globe and search for their own countries and link it to their native language. A trained EAL teacher was employed by the school to help facilitate the cognitive, language and literacy development of foreign children.   Adults play a huge role in the language development of children, as they need someone who uses simple language in correct form and is flexible enough adjust his language to suit the childs (Clay, 1988).   Having a good second language teacher is essential to learning the language more fluently.   The researcher does not discount the fact that imitation of proper pronunciation and intonation is necessary. Hence, learners should have attentive ears and retentive minds, and of course, cooperative tongues to be able to speak fluently in such language.   Children also need opportunities to practice speaking and listening to the second language outside the language lessons, so that means they need a support system of learners to interact with. The school acknowledged and respected the childrens different cultures. As an example, the school held a Polish mass celebrated by a Polish priest on Tuesdays. Cummins (1986) contend that children are empowered when their cultural roots are celebrated.   Usually, when schools and teachers do not seriously consider foreign students their native culture, these children feel unaccepted and unworthy to belong to their classes, hence display inappropriate behavior.   They become lost in terms of academic achievement and develop insecurities about their skin color, ethnic characteristics or language accents.   Such embarrassment develops stress or anxiety during class. The students family may likewise seem withdrawn or non-participative in their childrens schooling and feel the same sense of not belonging to the new culture they have joined.   In view of this, culturally-relevant teaching must be learned by teachers.   Such teaching takes into consideration the cultural background of the students at all times.   It also keeps in mind cultural aspects in all interactions with students on both personal and educational levels. (Edwards Kuhlman, 2007).   Students cultures, languages and experiences need to be acknowledged, valued andused as important sources of their education because they deserve the best that society can give them.   This involves teachers learning about students backgrounds and personal experiences to use as tools to make connections with these students.   Some strategies that teachers can employ are the inclusion of the various histories, contributions, perspectives and concerns relevant to the diverse backgrounds of students (The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements, n.d.).   Incorporating these in the curriculum makes learning meaningful to these students.   Multicultural education using literature from various cultures engages such children in reading and writing and makes them eager to learn the social or cultural contributions made by various groups of people. Observations of the children It was learned that the children in the school were not allowed to speak their native language within the classroom but they are free to speak it outside with their peers.   This is part of their learning the English language in the classroom. This may be considered by the school as an effective way to immerse the children in the English language, however, the Rationale for planning for children learning English as an additional language (2008) recommends that children have free access to their primary language (L1) in order to fully understand their second or additional language (L2), so the classroom teacher should be more lenient in allowing children to use their L1 in class as a tool to learn their L2. There was quite a number of foreign students enrolled in the school.   The researcher approached some and asked them some questions regarding EAL.   Two Portuguese children were observed to be peer-teaching.   One was already fluent in the English language while the other was still struggling so the more adept one was helping him translate some words. Vygotsky (1962, as mentioned in Clay, 1998) emphasizes the value of childrens talk and their growing ability to articulate their understanding of their world orally and in writing.   Taking part in negotiating meanings is part of the educational process, and Vygotsky believes that just being with others helps children learn. In observing the two Portuguese children, some theories may explain why the more English language-adept child uses their native Portuguese to teach the less knowledgeable child. Swain Lapkin (2000) conclude in their study that the first language is by default, a tool used by students to learn their second language.   Collaborating with other students in tasks for learning a second language, students try to make sense of the requirements and content of the task, focusing their attention on language form vocabulary use and overall organization, then turn to their native language to process and discuss before finally getting back to completing the task.   Swain and Lapkin point out that without the use of their native language, they might not be able to accomplish the task effectively or it might not be accomplished at all.   They argue that the insistence of not being allowed to access their first language in a linguistically and cognitively complex task of decoding a second lan guage task would deprive them of an important cognitive tool.   They stress that bilingual programs that allow for the development and maintenance of the first language while learning the second language are successful in both goals. The researcher interviewed two students who both spoke Spanish.   When asked if they speak to each other in their native language, they admitted they only speak it at home with their parents.   They did not speak it in school and said they were more comfortable speaking in English because most of the time they were in school and with friends who all spoke the English language.   In this case, Lamberts (1977) subtractive bilingualism seems to be taking place as the childrens first language is being extinguished by the second language which is English.   Otto (2010) elaborates on Lamberts   theories on bilingualism. One issue in second language acquisition is its effect on the first language of the individual.   The immense concentration necessary to learn a second language may create a negative impact on the first language. This is known as Subtractive bilingualism.   When a child becomes fluent in a second language due to immersion in that language, there is a strong te ndency to forget the first language, causing disruptions in communication with family members who only know the first language.   Transmission of cultural beliefs and parenting interactions would need a shared language for it to be successful. If not, social relationships with families or other members of the community who are monolingual may break down. On the other hand, in learning a second language, a child need not forget the first language, but can be fluent in both.   This is called Additive Bilingualism which means that although a child actively learns a second language, concurrently, there is continued development in the home language (Lambert, 1977; Otto, 2010).   The goal is to enhance language skills in both languages.   In view of this, the case of the two Spanish boys interviewed by the researcher may also display additive bilingualism because they continue to speak L1 at home even if they are gaining competence in L2 in school and with peers. Two boys from Ethiopia do not speak the same language even if they come from the same country. In the different parts they come from, different languages were also used.   One of the boys speaks three languages French, English and Portuguese because his mother came from Portugal and his father from Ethiopia.   The other boy speaks Amharic which is similar to Arabic, but he is from Ethiopia.   Leon (1996) has outlined the need for migrant workers and their families to be supported in gaining English-speaking competencies to enable them to live more satisfying lives in English-speaking environments. He said lack of bilingual support for students impedes their motivation to learn, as they could not cope with other English-speaking peers, so they feel unwanted, and just skip school.   Gaining English language competency for these children will also raise their self-esteem so they get to be more confident to develop more personal and academic skills. Although the observations were limited to what has been reported, it already gave the researcher a good picture of how the school upholds the EAL program.   The foreign children seem to be comfortable in the school setting as they have settled in well in a welcoming environment.   The government consultation document ‘Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils (DfES 2003) states that â€Å"the particular needs of bilingual pupils are best met through a coordinated whole school approach led by headteachers and senior managers.† (DfES, 2005, p. 14).   The ethos of the primary school observed reflected a clear respect for the multicultural perspective. Otto (2010) contends that one of the main challenges posed by the English as a Second Language (ESL) approach is the development, selection and implementation of effective strategies and instructional techniques to suit the diverse learners since they come from various backgrounds.   The Rationale for planning for children learning English as an additional language (2008) takes upon Vygotskys (1978) concept of â€Å"scaffolding†.   As the term implies, scaffolds are temporary supports in the process of learning which are gradually taken away when the student is already capable of learning without them.   In EAL, scaffolding comes in three forms, One is scaffolding by adults by making their expectations clear by sharing learning objectives and criteria for success with the students by way of modeling and demonstrating the English language, ‘recasting of the childrens language from their L1 and providing them with opportunities to use their whole language repertoire to aid them in understanding their L2.   Another form of scaffolding is through collaborative work.   They engage in small group talks or work in pairs, usually with children who are more adept in the language are paired with children who are less adept, such as the two Portuguese boys observed peer-teaching in the school. The teacher may also use scaffolding thro ugh visual support, via pictures, props, models, frames and language prompts, graphic organizers, diagrams, maps, plans and essentially all the print and picture cues they put up in the environmental setting (Rationale, 2008).   Most of these scaffolds were observed in the school. The numerous issues on second language learning, especially English, only prove that it is creating much impact on the development of children from diverse cultures.   More and more people consider its advantages and possible disadvantages.   Such amount of attention is worth it because people think up of ways on how to maximize its benefits.   Learning another language apart from ones native language helps children be ready to be highly competent in an increasingly globalized world.   However, although they become bilingual, it should not be forgotten that they also become bicultural, and learning of one language and the culture that goes with it does not mean forgetting their original one. Teachers should take into consideration that their non-English speaking students should learn English in both its context and language elements so the students gain a better understanding and appreciation of the English language.

The Shame of Cigarette Smoking in the Healthcare System :: Journalism Journalistic Essays Smoke

Smokers in scrubs: The shame of cigarette smoking in the healthcare system On a recent Thursday morning, while some hospital employees smoked cigarettes in Brigham and Women’s safe haven known as the "butt-hut," others crowded the lobby on Frances Street in Boston to check out the American Cancer Society's â€Å"The Great American Smoke-Out† event. Two women sat behind a folding table handing out informational pamphlets on smoking hazards and ways to kick the fatal habit. Several of the women and men who approached the table for information or signed up to get their lung capacity tested were wearing scrubs, a sign that cigarette smoking is still prevalent among health care employees. â€Å"Hospitals, including Dana Farber, are starting to now reimburse employees who enroll in a quit-smoking program. In some cases, they get back almost $ 500 for counseling, patches, and nicotine gum,† said Jennifer Kelly, who runs the smoking cessation program at Brigham and Women’s. The smoking cessation program is offered to both employees and the public, and provides individual and group counseling, which meets one day a week for eight weeks. Kelly explained that each hour- long session costs $10, however the fee is waived for those with free healthcare benefits or Medicare and all participants of the program receive discounts on nicotine patches and chewing gum. With several Boston area programs designed to rid the habit of the 20% of Massachusetts residence, who smoke and with hospitals practically paying their employees to quit smoking than why are 47 million adults in the U.S. still smoking cigarettes? Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances today; studies have shown that nicotine is as addictive to people as heroin, cocaine and alcohol. According to a study conducted by the American Cancer Society, in the U.S today, nicotine is the most common form of drug addiction among adults, high school students and middle-school students. While studies preformed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have shown that cigarette smoking has declined 40% among adults ages 18 and over, between the years of 1965 and 1999 still today, nearly 26% of men and 22% of women smoke cigarettes. Dr. Laura Fredenburgh, a soft spoken and attractive woman in a white coat with her name and title embroidered on the pocket, sat at a long table on Thursday morning. She carefully explained to people the results of their free lung capacity tests that were given during the â€Å"Smoke-Out.

Grading the Grading System :: Free Essays Online

Grading the Grading System My formal, institutional education began in kindergarten while my dad was stationed at Fort Carson, an Army base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I don’t remember too much from kindergarten, other than the fact that I found it to be very boring. My first report card reflected that my progress was satisfactory in all of my subjects, with the exception of cooperating with my peers where I was categorized as being in "need of improvement". I don’t quite remember why I was evaluated this way, nor do I think that this grade had much impact on my admission to college or the way my parents raised me, but I do find myself wondering what the criteria may have been to achieve a mark of "satisfactory." What was the point of this report card? In retrospect, I perceive this incident to be my earliest introduction to the educational system. My performance in school would be represented by the marks I would receive on my report card. At the end of kindergarten, my dad was relocated to Fort Devens in Massachusetts, and I continued the next twelve years of my education in rural New Hampshire. As I progressed through the school system, report cards started to hold more meaning. They became a symbol of my success as a student and, to a degree, my success as a person. I received straight A’s throughout the first few years and I anxiously looked forward to fourth grade when my outstanding grades would be recognized by having my name in the newspaper under the heading of "high honor roll." Aside from a couple of exceptions, I maintained my desired place on the "high honor roll" list throughout my middle and high school years. Most of my friends felt the same way, and very often, when an assignment was handed back, we would look at the grade on each other’s papers before we would even be concerned with our own. The competition was intense, but unspoken. And the educational system quietly confirmed our strat egy. I had a 4.01 GPA entering my senior year of high school. I was proud of this and determined to keep, if not raise, it. AP classes in our school were weighted on the GPA scale; an A was worth 5 instead of 4. With hard work, I could apply this system to my benefit. That is, until Maureen Grady, my AP Calculus teacher, obstructed my goal of graduating with a perfect GPA.

A Trek to Nowhere :: Example Personal Narratives

A Trek to Nowhere         Ã‚  Ã‚   The occasional banging of an oar on the edge of a canoe is the only significant noise that accompanies us on our way to the waterfall.   The boys had been fishing by the waterfall and mentioned its existence to us, so we've decided to check it out.   There are twenty-one of us on the Bureau Valley High School Science Club's trip to Boundary Waters, a wilderness camping and canoeing area in northern Minnesota.   A small group of us enjoys exploring the terrain, especially as opposed to the monotony of fishing, and we are now on a waterfall mission.        Ã‚  Ã‚   It is a gentle June morning, still a bit chilly for we Illinoians.   We are subject to erratic periods of sunlight, as the sun discards one garment after another, unsatisfied with her immense cumulus wardrobe.   There are only tattered bits of mist still hanging over the lake; most of it has already noiselessly dissolved.   The breeze cajoles straying wisps of my hair, and as we row steadily toward the waterfall I consider the serenity of the wilderness: the complete peacefulness.   I revel in the absence of snorting mufflers, rambunctious screeching tires, innumerable Super Wal-Marts, and ever-encroaching subdivisions.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   My appreciation grows as I compare the previous year's vacation to this year's at Boundary Waters.   Not that the Badlands weren't a sight to see -- they were.   But the whole Badlands/Blackhills area was literally infested with tourist-related billboards (all displaying nearly the same overly-enthusiastic tidings) and informational pamphlets (in every public building, including the podiatrist's office).   And no telling which pamphlets were fact and which were part fabrication.   Wall, South Dakota, was a choice example of the tourist-nabbing chaos.   Along the interstate, approximately every five minutes, billboards would proclaim the number of miles remaining before Wall, South Dakota, as if speedometers didn't exist.   Upon arriving in Wall, one's hopes were treacherously dashed.   Wall was a tourist town like any other, only it was larger, and junk was more prolific.   It was a frail excuse after such a dramatic drumroll via the billboar ds, signs, and pamphlets.      Ã‚  Ã‚   A loon's bittersweet call imposes on my reflections, and I realize that we have reached our destination.

Practise What You Preach

Practice what you preach Any person in the world is an individual and it goes without saying that all people differ. Consequently, all of them have different mentality, ideology, behavior, thoughts, attitude to the same things and phenomena. Usually since childhood we stand on one path and follow it during all our life. Here the influence of parents, grandparents, teachers can be seen, when we try to copy their adult habits.But it seems to be normal when a little child follows the ideas of a mother today, for example, and the other day he/she persuades everyone that a father says the truth, even though it contradicts a mother’s truth which was actual a day before. It can be understood that a child just explores the world and can’t decide whose ideas are worth following. Becoming a teenager, a young man or lady, we tend to make our own conclusions rather that listen to what adults say and think.And since that moment when we generate our own ideas and persuade other peopl e have the same beliefs, we are responsible for what we say. There is one proverb: â€Å"A word spoken is past recalling†. If you have said something once, don’t change your opinion in one hour or the next day, because in future people won’t know whether believe you or not, whether listen to or ignore you. Of course, it’s a usual thing when due to some experience, knowledge, evidence we can change our beliefs, it’s our personal thing.But when you begin to spread your ideas among other people, you should stand by them till the very end, otherwise keep silence. If your ideas were introduced aloud, if other people heard them once, then you are expected to practice what you preach. Here can be said in general about teachers, because they are those who teach a lot of children. The last without their own experience, remember everything said at the classes. Surely, they believe their teachers, because they are older and wiser.And if one day students see t hat a teacher doesn’t practice what he/she preaches, they won’t believe him/her anymore. Therefore the authority of a teacher won’t be stable. There is one more concrete example about Mr. Davidson from W. Somerset Maugham’s story â€Å"Rain†. Alfred Davidson, a self-righteous missionary, tried to make Miss Thompson a religious woman, to kill her lust and her desire to sell her body. But one day he succumbed to his lust and raped her, even though he was a missionary about 15 years and he was a married man.The next morning, he was found dead on the ocean shore  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a  suicide. He couldn’t live anymore when he had done a thing which was against his religious teaching. Summing up my essay, I would like to emphasize that an advice â€Å"Practice what you preach† given in the title concerns not only people who have authority: teachers, politicians, priests, but any person in the world. If you want to be trusted, don’t speak at random waste words, because people will expect you to follow what you’ve said.

Airline Safety – Essay

Name: Katelyn Meyers Assignment #4 – Airline Safety Since 9/11, airline security has been a major focus of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the US Government. Based on what you’ve read and learned in Chapter 5, discuss the following topics: * Part 1 – â€Å"Is it safe to fly? (You must show statistics and data to support your answer. Consider comparing it to other forms of transportation) * Part 2 – What security measures have been implemented since 9/11 and in your opinion, are the â€Å"extreme† security checks at our airports necessary? Discuss the safety precautions taken and find research and statistics to prove your point. Part 1 – Is it safe to fly? Yes, it is safe to fly. A US National Safety Council study showed flying to be 22 times safer than travelling by car. More than 3 million people fly every day. Chart below shows the number of fatalities in other transportation methods to travel. US Transportation Fatalities 20 00 – Source: NTSB Part 2 – What security measures have been implemented since 9/11 and in your opinion, are the â€Å"extreme† security checks at our airports necessary? In my option security has increased for the better good since 9/11. For example, airlines instructed passengers to arrive at airports as much as two hours before takeoff for domestic fights. After passing through security checkpoints, passengers were randomly selected for additional screening, including hand-searching of their carry-on bags, in the boarding area. The TSA has arrayed ’20 Layers of Security’ to ‘strengthen security through a layered approach’—see Figure 1. This is designed to provide defense-in-depth protection of the traveling public and of the United States transportation system. Of these 20 layers, 14 are ‘pre-boarding security’ (i. e. , deterrence and apprehension of terrorists prior to boarding aircraft): 1. Intelligence 2. Customs and border protection 3. Joint terrorism task force 4. No-fly list and passenger pre-screening 5. Crew vetting 6. Visible Intermodal Protection Response (VIPR) Teams 7. Canines 8. Behavioral detection officers 9. Travel document checker 10. Checkpoint/transportation security officers 11. Checked baggage 12. Transportation security inspectors 13. Random employee screening 14. Bomb appraisal officers The remaining six layers of security provide ‘in-flight security’: 15. Federal Air Marshal Service 16. Federal Flight Deck Officers 17. Trained flight crew 18. Law enforcement officers 19. Hardened cockpit door 20. Passengers Athol Yates, Executive Director of the Australian Homeland Security Research Centre says that air marshals are of ‘questionable’ security value, and that â€Å"hardening the cockpit doors and changing the protocols for hijacking has made it harder for terrorists to get weapons on board an aircraft and take control of it† (Maley 2008).

Explain Arisotles Virtue Ethics

Dominance is a state of action as opposed to inaction and an individual must work hard in order to achieve it. To reach Dominance you must reason and be a thinker as this is unique to humans, it is the final cause for humanity as it is the most fulfilling position to be in. Reaching such a superior end goal requires hard work and effort: â€Å"man is a political and social animal† – the greatest good for a person is for them to actively participate in the politics of society and to interact with other humans, morality can only arise once these activities have been performed.A riotous life is an ongoing task and can only be achieved through practice and education. â€Å"Dominance is an end in itself' and is merely pursued for its own virtues rather than as a means to an end. A virtue, for Aristotle, is a trait that contributes to a person functioning well as a human being such as bravery and generosity. A virtue is not doing one action on one given occasion such as givi ng to charity once and then never again, it is not ‘feeling virtuous as you are not brave if you feel brave and do not act upon it and it is also not a natural inclination as someone who has been born that way has not worked to become virtuous.Aristotle concludes that a virtue is a learned nature/tendency to reason and act in a certain way. We are each responsible for the choices that we make based on personal vice and virtue, how virtuous a person may be is entirely dependent on how they will intend to act in any given situation. The doctrine of the mean/the golden mean is a central concept in Aristotle virtue ethics. According to the doctrine of the mean, a virtue is a mean state between two extremes: one of excess and one of deficiency.To be virtuous, one virtue must connect with another. Virtues will only fully develop in a minority of people and the doctrine of the mean can be used to guide you; however you must be educated to use this. And so, an element of elitism can b e seen here. For example: it is good to be courageous, however you can have too much or, even, too little courage. Aristotle did not explicitly declare what the midpoint was, and so it is clearly not of numerical value and so it must be more about acting at the right time.Although virtue ethics does not give you a clear answer to an ethical dilemma, it allows each individual to respond to each different situation they face. Aristotle believed that there were 4 different groups of people. There are vicious people who are those that do not attempt to be virtuous. There are incontinent people who face moral conflict but usually choose a vice. Continent people do the virtuous thing most of the time but still have to overcome a moral dilemma, and virtuous people enjoy doing good actions, and so they face no moral dilemmas in life.Choices are important as every human has an aim in life. Such aims are then split into either superior or subordinate aims and, according to Aristotle; the supe rior aim of an individual is Dominance as this is the final purpose of a human. In society, some people re hedonists and seek pleasure, some serve the community and seek honor (politicians) and some are philosophers and live in a state of contemplation. Aristotle believes philosophers to be the best as they possess the ability to exercise key intellectual virtues which allow them to steer themselves towards Dominance.Virtues are either moral or intellectual in which there are 5 intellectual virtues according to Aristotle: prudence/practical wisdom, intuitive intelligence, wisdom, scientific knowledge and craft/art. Of the 5 virtues, Aristotle considers practical wisdom to be the most important in Virtue Ethics as it imply describes moral behavior, and does not require people to do something different to what they already do.You may do a string of good actions, but unless you know the direction you are to go then you may end up on the wrong path. Since people act differently in every situation there are no inherently bad actions. Anyone who is virtuous should, theoretically, always make the correct decision. Aristotle Virtue Ethics is person rather than action based; it looks at the moral character of the person carrying out an action. Good character traits must be cultivated and developed in order for people to truly achieve Dominance.

Born in East LA Essay

What do see when you take a look at a Latino? Do you notice what they are wearing? Or how they walk? Or maybe you just jump into a conclusion and stereotype him/her as an illegal immigrant. Throughout the years Latinos have faced many challenges because of their skin color, the way they dress, or because of the way they talk. Many films have shown Latinos as illegal immigrants to show us how the world views them, but a specific film â€Å"Born in East L. A† shows us how even though a Latino can be an American Citizen they still face many racist stereotypes. Even though a Latinos parents or grandparents have immigrated into the United States years ago and have permanent residency in the United States, they can still face push and pull factors that can motivate them to either go back to their country of origin or motivate them into staying in the United States. In this paper I will show how Born in East L. A represents Latinos as illegal immigrants through the techniques of stereotyping, immigration, and push/pull factors. Born in East L.  A shows us the story of a Chicano named Rudy (Cheech Marin) is deported after being caught in a police raid at toy factory while looking for his cousin. Because of the police raid Rudy is caught and is deported to Mexico even though he is an American citizen. Rudy tries to explain to the police that he is an American citizen but when is asked to show proof of citizenship he figures out that he does not have his wallet and is forced to stay in Mexico. Even though Rudy is an American citizen but is of Mexican descent, he is stereotyped as an illegal immigrant because of his accent and because of the way he looks. One particular scene in the movie that shows massive stereotyping about Latinos is the scene where the French woman appears walking through the city and is gazed upon all the Latino men. This is an example of stereotyping because the woman represents the sexual desire for a white woman by Latino men (Lizzberry). The woman is being tracked across the city to represent how Latinos chase the American dream and how badly they desire the need to assimilate in America (Lizzberry). Another scene from the film that depicts stereotypes is the scene in which the INS officers raid a toy factory and quickly assume that all the Mexicans working in the factory are illegal. The film shows this stereotype by labeling the INS officers â€Å"La Migra† which is Spanish for immigration officers, and all the workers begin to run out the factory trying to avoid being caught and deported. From that particular scene the audience can already assume that everyone that was working in the toy factory was an illegal immigrant because all the workers were being show cased as illegals because they began to run away from the INS officers. In America immigration has become a major problem over the years causing many states to create their own immigration laws which do not allow illegal immigrants to have jobs, own a house, or own a car without proper documentation. In Born in East L. A we are shown how Mexican immigrants continue to try to cross over the border to the United States by having them run across a hill and avoiding the border patrol agents. The role of immigrants in this movie was to portray how Latinos are being classified as illegal immigrants throughout America because of their skin color and background. Towards the finale of the film Rudy gathers a group of illegal immigrants to help him cross the border by having them all rush down the hills in large groups which end up scaring off the border patrol agents allowing Rudy and the other people to safely cross the border (Fregoso 61) Even though Latinos cross the border into America they still face many challenges that can push them back towards their home countries. One factor that pushes Latinos back in the film is how the film showcases Rudy and all his attempts to try to cross over to the United States but fails many times. By showcasing this people can see why many immigrants suffer to try to cross the border on a daily basis. Even though it is hard to cross the border into America, many immigrants still try to do so because they are being pulled in by the opportunities that await them in America. Another factor that pulls Latinos into this country is the chance to get ahead in society; many immigrants come to America for a better education and high paying jobs that they couldn’t receive back in their countries. In the film we are shown how Rudy is forced to cross over south of the border to Mexico thus showing us how hard it is to cross the border (Fregoso 67). Throughout the movie we are being showed many stereotypes that fall into the Latino category such as being called an illegal immigrant. We are also being showed how immigration can cause Latinos to be deported because of their skin color and we also see how different push/pull factors affect the Latinos. From the film we can tell that many Latinos want to come to America ecause of job opportunities that the Anglos offer because they always end up losing workers because of INS raids. Because of the raids company owners are forced to quickly hire workers who can work at low wages so they are forced to hire Latinos because they view the Latinos as illegal immigrants seeking quick employment for mostly any rate of pay. Since many job opportunities open up for the Latinos they keep crossing over the border on a daily basis to pursue the American Dream and to better their lives.

Breaking the Silence

Breaking the Silence: The Power of Articulation We feel safer with a madman who talks than with one who cannot open his mouth, stated the French philosopher E.M. Cioran. Though seemingly counterintuitive, this statement is undoubtedly true, begging us to question what it is about silence that is so powerful. Silence is, by definition, simply the absence of sound. How can an absence be so commanding? The answer lies in its ability to stifle, to overwhelm, and to control. Because it is undefined, silence invites the imagination to run its course, thereby making it profoundly intimidating and controlling. This fact has often been utilized as a means for control. This theory is clearly seen in both Toni Morrisons Beloved and Maxine Hong Kingstons The Woman Warrior, in which different cultures and individuals use silence as a means for power, control, and manipulation. However, though it is the less imposing of the two, language is by no means less powerful than silence. In response to the threat of silence, an urgent need for language and expression arises. As seen in both Beloved and The Woman Warrior, the power of language always prevails; whether through writing, telling stories, or simply allowing memories to present themselves, language always finds a way to break through the silence. In Beloved, silence is used by whites as a tool to suppress blacks both directly and indirectly. Morrison introduces this concept immediately with her dedication to the 60 million and more blacks that were killed in slavery. This is Morrisons way of honoring those people that were faced with the ultimate silence death and are consequently unable to tell their own story. Yet even the blacks who survived struggled against silence. They were denied the opportunity to learn how to write, and were given no say in their fates or the fates of their families. They were also stifled in a more symbolic way, through the brutal and senseless treatment they were made to endure. They were completely deprived of their humanity, made to believe they were worthless, and treated as less than animals. Not only did this dehumanization result in the loss of a personal voice, but it also did lasting damage to the slaves internal ability to find expression for their pain. In order for them to continue l iving as functional human beings even after slavery, they needed to silence their own memories and hide them from others and often from themselves. Sethe, for example, constantly struggles to silence her memories of the pain of slavery, often by working or distracting herself. When the occasional memory resurfaces, she finds herself unable to deal with the emotions that accompany it. In one such instance, she had to do something with her hands because she was remembering something she had forgotten she knew. Something privately shamefulhad seeped into a slit in her mind (Morrison 73). Not only does this display the paralyzing effects of their ill treatment, but it also shows the shame that supplements these horrible memories. To fight these emotions, Sethe forces them back into the recesses of her mind, often by distracting herself. Her motto is, nothing better than that to start the days serious work of beating back the past (ibid 86). In Paul Ds case, he keeps his memories in that tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be. Its lid rusted shut (ibid, 86). Even Denver, affected by the problems of slavery only through inheritance, experiences this suppression, this silencing of painful memories or thoughts. When she hears something about her familys past that she could not bear to hear (ibid, 122), she could not hearanything at all thereafter. For two years she walked in a silence too solid for penetration (ibid, 121). This is quite an extreme case, manifesting as it does in physical symptoms, but silence in any form throughout the novel is indicative of the horrible damage caused by slavery. Whether self-inflicted or not, this silence is not a solution; it only prolongs the pain. This suppression cannot last long, for confronting this silence is the only way the former slaves can move on with their lives. While ultimately beneficial, this is not an easy process. As Amy says, Its gonna hurt, nowanything dead coming back to life hurts (ibid, 42). The first problem, the dehumanization (the direct result of slaverys destruction), is a difficult, yet more approachable problem than the suppressed memories. Baby Suggs makes it her goal to tackle this first problem by holding gatherings that promote the expression of humanity, individualization, and love of oneself. She tells them, [the whites] aint in love with your mouthwhat you say out of it they will not heed. What you scream from it they do not hearYou got to love it (ibid, 104). In response, a huge emotional outburst ensues, with laughing children, dancing men, crying women and then it got mixed up (ibid, 103). The release of such pent-up hurt is powerful indeed. For Sethe, Paul D, and Denver, their release is catalyzed by the presence of Beloved, the human embodiment of suppressed memories that are now not only resurfacing, but assuming a physical presence in their lives. Her presence forces them to confront the past, each in a different way. For example, when Paul D is having sex with Beloved, he finds that the flakes of rustfell away from the seams of his tobacco tin. So when the lid gave he didnt know it (ibid, 137). For Denver, Beloved is a reason for her to tell stories. They sit together and Denver spoke, Beloved listened, and the two did the best they could to create what really happened (ibid, 92). This is therapeutic for Denver, who has had to grow up in a house of silence and repression, given only scraps of stories to which she desperately clings. For Sethe, Beloveds mere presence is enough to initiate the catharsis. For everyone, she is a reminder that memories cannot and should not be smothered forever. The silence in Woman Warrior is far less damaging, but is still a very difficult subject for those who are bound by its restrictions. Though with less malicious intentions as those seen in Beloved, this silence similarly tries to control the culture and traditions of a specific society. Efforts are aimed at children, women, and those who transgress all those who are threatening to the continuation of the traditional culture. By controlling what people say (or dont say), the Chinese are able to make sure that people continue to think, act, and feel the way that tradition dictates they should. Especially during a time when their culture is in danger of disintegrating (when faced with immigration to the United States), being selective about what is said allows only select messages to be passed on. This is exemplified in the story of the no name woman, an aunt who is rejected from the family and who later takes her own life (and the life of her newborn baby). The first thing Maxine is told about this woman is you must not tell anyonewe say that your father has all brothers because it is as if she had never been born (Kingston, 3). By not allowing anyone to speak her name or admit her presence, they suppress the parts of their memories that do not agree with the commons goal of the culture an exercise in selective memory carried way too far. Silence is especially valued in girls and children, as seen when Brave Orchid goes to the market to buy a slave girl as a nurse, and readers see that only the quiet girls are valued. Also, when Moon Orchid comes to live with Brave Orchid and family, she is astonished by how impolite [untraditional in Chinese] her children were (ibid, 121). The children do not know to speak only when spoken to, and to talk only at the correct volume, and so Moon Orchid considers them abominable. The children cannot learn these things, however, because no one vocalizes the rules or traditions; they are just expected to know them. The fact that the adults withhold this kind of communication from the children only worsens the anxiety the children have about not being able to fit in. They do not know how to fit into American culture, for no one tells them how. They do not know how to fit into Chinese culture, for no one tells them how. And they certainly cannot figure out how to be Chinese-American, for no one even knows how. The children are even lost when it comes to tradition. Maxine observes, even the good things are unspeakablewe kids had to infer the holidaysthe adults get mad, evasive, and shut you up if you ask (ibid, 185). Maxine even insists that her mother cut her tongue when she was a child to keep her silent. Though not for that reason, this did in fact happen she remained completely silent for three years. She did not really understand her silence or the reasons for it, but she could understand that the other Chinese girls did not talk either, so [she] knew the silence had to do with being a Chinese girl (ibid , 166). The childrens difficulty with language is one of many unfortunate by-products of their cultures control over what is said and what is not said. As Maxine observes, you cant entrust your voice to the Chinese, either; they want to capture your voice for their own use. They want to fix up your tongue to speak for them (ibid, 169). Though it is most clearly expressed in the children, both children and adults struggle to find a way to maintain their own voices in a culture that wants to capture them. As has been demonstrated, the suppression of memories is never complete, never permanent, and never a solution; language and expression always show themselves, either aggressively or subtly. In The Woman Warrior, readers find that the methods for this vary from story-telling (referred to as talk-stories) to projection onto others and consequent bullying. Brave Orchid, Moon Orchid, and eventually Maxine all take the first path by using these talk-stories as selective messages chosen to reflect specific things that they cannot explicitly say. White Tigers is a story of female strength, of finding a balance between a womans filial, societal duties and her personal goals. These things can never be outwardly conveyed from mother to daughter in Chinese society, but through elaborate stories Brave Orchid is able to pass this wisdom on to Maxine. Similarly, the story of Brave Orchids past as a well-respected doctor serves to subtly inspire hope in Maxine, all the while teaching her that whi le she has goals, she also has duties to fulfill (as seen in Brave Orchids choice to leave this life for a more unstable one in America, with her family). This is the womens disguised way of breaking the silence, of ensuring the psychological and emotional strength of the future female generations. Maxine does not observe this immediately, although she seems to have always been attracted to stories and storytelling. Instead, Maxines initial reaction to the oppressive silence is rather immature: she targets one girl in her class who never speaks at all (who is, consequently, the embodiment of this tradition of silence). She pinches her and screams, Why wont you talk?If you dont talk, you cant have a personalityyouve got to let people know you have a personality and a brain (ibid, 180). Maxine is clearly taking out her anger on this girl. She cant understand why the girl wont talk, just as Maxine cant understand the Chinese traditions, what is expected of her, and the silence that is seemingly forced upon her. Maxines second reaction is a healthier one: she decides to tell her mother all the things she had been afraid to say out loud. She thinks, maybe because I was the one with the tongue cut loose, I had grown inside me a list of over two hundred things that I had to tell my mother so that she would know the true things about me and to stop the pain in my throat (ibid, 197). This is a very proactive way of ending the silence that Maxine can no longer bear. Yet this effort is too bold, too incongruous with the culture, so she is rejected by her mother, who refuses to listen. She ignores the fact that her mother will not listen, and yells everything at her all at once all her fears, regrets, aspirations, and frustrations. Maxines final solution is the most effective she writes everything down in a book. Through writing, she can break the silence that has confused and stifled her for so long, and she can fill in the blanks with contextual (if often invented) re alities to explain everything that she has never been told. True, her disclosures might upset her family, but Maxine is breaking the silence of all those who were oppressed, using only a single tool: language. While language may hurt at times, it ultimately proves to be the only true end to the cycle of repression and manipulation that silence does its best to inflict. Through silence, the need for language only grows stronger and stronger. Therefore, language and expression are the necessary antidotes to silence, for a life of silence is confusing and repressive. It is only through language and expression that we can find our release, our freedom, and our individuality.