Monday, September 30, 2019

“Devil in a Blue Dress” By Walter Mosley Essay

When will it end? Racial stereotypes have been around since the 19th century and its presence is the United States is still felt; this ideology has been portrayed in all types of mediums where semiotics influence a person’s thought process. The influence of racial stereotyping has molded how a person judges another person by the basis of their race. Walter Mosley, the author of Devil in a Blue Dress, takes advantage of existing racial stereotypes to inform his readers of the enormous issue still facing society today. Mosley has incorporated the issues of ethnic discrimination noticed in media and advertisements in Western Culture while mass advertisements from the media has led the battle for racial stereotyping. A common stereotype portrays all African-Americans to speak â€Å"ghetto† also known as Ebonics. The Hip-Hop and media industry are two of the main mediums that has effectively influenced popular culture. M.T.V (Music Television) liberally broadcasts programs to its viewers African Americans people speaking words such as â€Å"y’all and n’ah mean† are just the tip of the iceberg for this dialect of English. The effect of portraying all black people in television talking â€Å"ghetto† significantly demeans their image of knowledge and their ability to communicate proficiently with society. If one just watched M.T.V all of their life, he or she they would assume all African-Americans people speak another dialect of English. The effect of the Ebonic stereotype has carried over into English literature. Walter Mosley incorporates the stereotype of African-Americans speaking Ebonics to give his readers a sense of why black people talk in â€Å"ghetto†. Easy, one of the main characters in Devil in a Blue Dress, states â€Å"I always tried to speak proper English in my life, the kind of English they taught in school, but I found over the years that I could only truly express myself in the natural, â€Å"uneducated† dialect of my upbringing.† The significance of this passage demonstrates black people who use Ebonics know how to speak proper English but they choose not to because they ultimately decide to speak in Ebonics to express their ideas more accurately. It is human nature for one to do an action or develop a habit that makes them feel comfortable. Although people are misled to think that black people are not literate enough to speak proper English maybe they just do not want to. However, Black people haven’t only been the target of racial stereotyping. White people have been portrayed by media, advertisements, and magazines to be rich and successful. For example, a Caucasian person is usually featured on the cover of Forbes magazine. To be featured on the cover of the business magazine one must be successful and witty in their business endeavors. There are people from every race that have been successful in the business world, but it is white people who are represented the most. How come Forbes magazine do not like to feature other ethnicities more often or why not add Ebonics to the cover of the magazine? Television ads such as the Cingular commercial boasting their national coverage depicts two white male business partners communicating with each other from far distances. These usages of media to convey racial stereotyping are effective. The mass stereotyping in the media has caused society to develop messages of white people being the â€Å"supreme’ being and the most intelligent opposed to African Americans who are port rayed to be illiterate and unable to speak English properly. The history between white and black people has created a grudge filled with pain and guilt that kept both of them intolerable of each other’s values. A large void characterized by the pride and ego of both races has made it difficult for society to integrate a healthy relationship between the two ethnicthicies. According to Demoit, solving the problem of their relationship would mean we as an individual would have to â€Å"scrub off the dirt of ill will.† Although the media can depict the two ethnicities living happy ever after, the goal of reaching a agreement between the two races will be very difficult For instance, the explicit show Southpark features only one African American child among a Caucasian dominated population. Token, the name of the child, suggests that he is the token black friend among his group of white friends. Therefore, television is emanating wide void between black and white relationships. Mosley incorporates the stereotyping of the â€Å"supreme† white male in Devil in A Blue Dress. Dewitt Albright, a rich businessman, symbolizes as the epitome of the successful white male who has many connections that the ordinary person would not have. From the beginning to the end of the novel Mosley explicitly describes Albright to be well dressed in a white suit  complemented with white silk socks. One of the passages in the novel after an unknown person knocks out Easy has a concerned Primo trying to figure out the situation. Primo states, â€Å"What happened, Amigo? You have a fight with your friends?† a delusional Easy asks â€Å"What friends?† Primo replies â€Å"Joppy and the white man in the white suit.† The white man in the white suit Primo describes is Dewitt Albright. The significance of Dewitt Albright wearing this white suit throughout the entire novel creates an image of an individual radiating success from his body. Albright, one of the more notable characters in the novel, is not the only white character in the novel; Mosley explicitly describes all the white characters in the novel to wear fashionable clothing while the black character’s appearance depict a less affluent individual. The psychological effect of mass advertisements has helped develop racial stereotypes. Mass consumerism has given rise to mass advertisements, which has the power to influence large portions of society (Twitchell 204). Since large portions of the populations in the United States have televisions in their household society is constantly fed information from the media. The images of sex, alcohol, and racism have a profound effect on society that is non-promiscuous to its viewers. Works Cited: Demott, Benajamin. â€Å"Put on a Happy Face: Masking the Differences Between Blacks and Whites.† Signs of Life: in the United States 5 (2006): 1-805. Mosley, Walter. Devil in a Blue Dress. New York: Washington Square P, 2002. 1-261. Twitchell, James B. â€Å"What We are to Advertisers.† Signs of Life: in the United States 5 (2006): 203-207.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Four Functions of Management Essay

1.How does the planning function of management contribute to achieving organizational objectives within your chosen industry? Planning contributes to achieving organizational objectives by planning for goals provided for your industry and looking for ways to achieve those goals. Planning is beneficial for making more profits and for encouraging others to work hard. When you use the planning function it helps your industry become more organized which leads them to the next function and helps them focus on the right path to success. 2.How does the organizing function of management contribute to achieving organizational objectives within your chosen industry? Organizing contributes to achieving organizational objectives by decision making. It involves deciding who will be doing what and who will be in charge of which tasks. Being organized makes achieving those objectives so much easier rather than being unorganized and not knowing what’s going on and who is doing what. 3.How does the leading function of management contribute to achieving organizational objectives within your chosen industry? Leading contributes to achieving organizational objectives by giving associates a sense of motivation and inspiration. When associates are inspired and motivated they want to work harder which then leads to more positive outcomes in the industry. It is important to communicate when leading. 4.How does the controlling function of management contribute to achieving organizational objectives within your chosen industry? Controlling contributes to achieving organizational objectives simply by monitoring the path to achieving the goal and taking action when something doesn’t go as planned. When controlling you are basically setting the goals and making sure that these goals are achieved.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Apple Case Study Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Apple Case Study - Coursework Example The paper tells that it would appear that Apple segments its business into business units on a geographic, rather than product bases, in addition to the four geographic business units, the company treats the retail business as a separate business unit. Each business unit reports sales and profitability from all product and operational categories within the region, with the exclusion of retail operations which fall under a separate SBU. In analysing Apple’s strategy, subsequent sections of the report will refer to the European SBU where appropriate. The financial performance of Apple’s European SBU would seem to be quite impressive in light of the economic events taking place during the period. Europe represents Apple’s second largest market by sales volume as the Americas division. Sale have risen from $9,233m in 2008 to $18,692 in 2010, a rate of growth of over 102%. Profit during the period has similarly increased from $3,022m in 2008 to $7,524m in 2010, an inc rease of 149% suggesting that profitability is increasing at a greater rate in proportion to sales. As such, this suggests that Apple’s European SBU has effectively kept expenses under control and is beginning to benefit from various economies of scale as sales increase . An interesting aspect of Apple’s capital structure is that the company reported to have no long term debt financing in the period 2006 to 2010. As such the company is wholly financed through equity. ... Key Ratios Ratio Apple Sony Samsung GP Margin 33.17% -2.95% 26.00% NP Margin 14.22% -1.28% 7.40% EPS 4.04 -98.95 29.98 Current Ratio 2.01 0.95 1.52 Acid Test 1.96 0.74 1.23 Debt to Equity 0.57 1.68 0.09 ROCE 14.09% -1.21% 12.28% 1.2 Marketing Analysis The following analysis of Apple’s marketing has been conducted using the standard 4p’s approach to the analysis of the marketing mix4: Price – Traditionally Apple has followed a premium pricing strategy often attempting to appeal to the early adopters in the field of interest. This has been especially true in the computer product segment. Product – While Apple has consistently brought new and innovative products to the market, the main features and benefits sold to computer is that Apple products are simple and easy to use, a marketing strategy which has helped Apple to a appeal to a wide audience. Place – Apple products are distributed through a wide range of retailers in the European SBU including hi gh street electronics retailers, major supermarkets and online sources such as Amazon. A key strategy however has also been the setting up of Apple’s own retail SBU which operates a number of stores within the European market dedicated to Apple products. Promotion – Apple makes use of a standard array of mass media advertising techniques including television advertising, targeted print media advertising as well as viral and other online advertising techniques. Overall, the marketing activities of Apple in the European SBU may be seen as aimed to create a product mix which is aimed at the mass luxury market. The product is appealing to those with higher levels of disposable income yet not so high as to be

Friday, September 27, 2019

Enlightenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Enlightenment - Essay Example Neoclassical style had a significant impact on the Western culture. The style is typified in most of the Empire furniture made in Western cities such Paris, London, and New York. For example, Zimmerbild furniture was made in Berlin. Apart from this, the Neoclassicism style became a major force in academic art in Western countries. For instance, several European cities such as Munich as St. Petersburg were converted into true museums of Neoclassical architecture. Neoclassicism architectural style also has a very significant impact on the construction of buildings in Western countries. For instance, some public buildings in the United States are built in the neoclassical architectural style. A recent example of a building built in this style is the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in the U.S. The use of the neoclassical architectural design is also apparent in Britain. Examples of the works of the style include Quinlan Terry’s Maitland Robinson Library located at Downing College as well as Robert Adam Architects’ Sackler Library. Additionally, the majority of the private houses in Britain are also constructed in the neoclassical

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Japan & China history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Japan & China history - Essay Example The onset of 1952-1991 period is quite well considered to be the post world war II era in Japan’s economic transformation. A peace treaty had just gone into effect in 1952 that ended the Japanese occupation by the allied powers. This created a window for self awareness of Japan as a country. The end to this occupation was characterised by government need to develop their country and the private sector’s need to invest. The government had the motive of promoting industrialisation. On the other hand the private sector was well equipped to kindle economic growth. Japanese government needed the market and private sector needed the state for favourable business environment. Due to these facts there had to be a partnership between the two in order for both to achieve their desired ends. In short, the Japanese government was supposed to be the channel and business the creator. Many businesses at this time developed quickly into large corporations. Government came out as a principal supporter of private enterprise (Johnson 1986). Towards the late 1950s the private industry cooperation with the government was at its peak. The government’s focus was on doubling steel production. The neo-zaibatsu at the time had the required capital outlay, construction assets etc. The government made sure that it brought the private sector’s interest at par with its economic interests and goals. This was mainly through coordinating the efforts of the private industries for example Kairetsu. There was also the separation of policies regarding importation of technology goods and others. The ministry had the powers to engage in negotiations regarding the condition as well as the price of technology good being imported (Katz 1998). Price negotiations on technology goods ensured that these goods came in cheaply or at manageable prices which consequently saw rapid growth of industries involved. The two decades i.e. the 1950s and the 1960s industrial

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Down Syndrome Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Down Syndrome - Research Paper Example In this assignment the particular emphasis would be on translocation as it occurs in Downs’ Syndrome. Downs’ Syndrome is also known as trisomy 21 in which the process of translocation occurs on the chromosome number 21. This essay would further revolve around Downs’ Syndrome putting forward each and every aspect that is important in understanding the syndrome. Translocation In order to understand the basics of Down syndrome one has to know enough about the structural abnormality of translocation. Translocation is a process in which the whole segment of a chromosome is exchanged by another chromosome. In other words a part of chromosome is exchanged with another part of another chromosome. There are two types of translocations known as reciprocal translocations and Robertosonian translocations. Reciprocal translocation takes place when segments are exchanged between nonhomologous pairs of chromosomes. Reciprocal translocation usually does not cause any disease or symptom but it may cause leukemia. However in some cases this type of translocation leads to abnormal fertilization and hence abnormal birth. Robertosonian translocations are the ones which are more lethal and occur between two acrocentric chromosomes. The acrocentric chromosomes break near the centromere or the middle part of the chromosome and then join together in such a way that the p arm of the chromosome is lost. This type of translocation occurs in many different types of syndromes and can cause a profound effect on the individual. Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome is a cause of Robertosonian translocation and has a profound effect on the individual (Sadler 2009; Ugazio et al 1990) Prevalence of Down syndrome Down syndrome has been seen as a major chromosomal disorder occurring in the United States. The incidence of Down syndrome found in the newborns of United States is 1 in 700. The problem is further aggravating as the genetic problem has yet not been provided with any cure. The problem of Down syndrome has increased over decades and this has been proved by a research carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although women choose to end pregnancies with trisomy 21 it is still seen that the genetic problem is on the increase. It was also found that mothers with an age over 35 were more prone to the problem than the mothers who were below that age. Although the problem has been accounted to the maternal age it is still seen that the birth trends move women to give birth at an older age. The CDC reported an increase from 9 infants per 10,000 births to 11.8 in 10 diverse states of the United States of America. However on the other hand the prevalence of Down syndrome has remained steady in the United Kingdom. Prenatal diagnosis and other methods have also helped mothers to get over the problems that are associated with the syndrome. It was estimated that around 92 percent of the mothers choose abortion when they found that the embryo had trisomy 21 (James 2009). History of Down syndrome Although much has become known about Down syndrome in the recent centuries it is analyzed that the syndrome dates back to the 16th century. The condition could not be recognized in those times until finally in 1866 when Doctor John Langdon Down found about it. He analyzed that many of the children that he was treating shared certain characteristics. Before the syndrome was identified

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

PESTLE Analysis of Gazprom Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

PESTLE Analysis of Gazprom - Coursework Example As the paper outlines, Gazprom contributes nearly 10% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Russia and aims to make the company the leader in the energy sector (Green Peace, 2013). It supplies resources to the people of Russia and other countries and helps in generating electricity for the people. Much of the revenues of Gazprom are generated from exporting gas to the European countries. The prices charged from the foreign consumers are five times more than the Russian consumers. The growth of the company can be observed from its 5 Years Dividend Growth which is 17.63% with the current P/E ratio of 2.4931. Gazprom, in order to become the leader of the natural gas and oil segment, has explored its business in various European countries and thus has become a profitable corporation (Bloomberg, 2013; Victor, 2008). The objective of the company is to do a PESTLE analysis of Gazprom. The impacts of the political, economic, social and other factors on the operations of the company would be evaluated with a precise focus on the influence of Eastern Europe. PESTLE Analysis The business of Gazprom operates in an environment which is surrounded by several key factors. To evaluate the factors, to understand the opportunities and the threats of the environment PESTLE analysis is conducted. This analysis helps in understanding the environment and the future scopes of the company in the region owing to the social, economic and political perspectives along with the government policies of the region. In this regard, it is determined that Gazprom has its base in Russia and the maximum amount of revenue for the company comes from the Eastern European economy. PESTLE analysis would enable to derive an understanding of the influencing factors which are or would affect the company’s performance, especially in the Eastern European region. Political The government policies of Russia affect the business of Gazprom. Due to government policies, Gazprom enjoyed the power of monopoly for several years in its prices and distribution process of natural gas. The government of Russia submitted a proposal for the intergovernmental agreement which affected the cross border infrastructure. These treaties eradicated the monopoly of the company but made the trade easier. The political rationale behind the policy implication was to expand the business in Russia and in overseas. The traditional political policy was hampering the market share of Gazprom in the European market and hence the need for the tie-up with Qatar emerged to help the company and the country in gaining importance in Europe (Hulbert, n.d.). The investment from the Russia government would help in the development of Gazprom and the economy of the country as well. Moreover, it is also observed that the political dispute between Russia and Ukraine was affecting the gas prices and its trade. The use of gas by Moscow from the underground gas storage affected the transportation to Europe. The trade barriers and the high prices are affecting the business and the economy of Russia. To regain its market in the European countries, an agreement is being done by the government to lower the price of gases in Lithuania. Moreover, the Russian political environment used Gazprom as an instrument for foreign policy to remove gas supply to Georgia and Moldova.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Athics and governemance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Athics and governemance - Essay Example We have many examples in the business and corporate world where organizations that have not acted morally and that had lead to their downfall, the biggest and the most recent example that comes to mind is that of Enron where financial data was manipulated to the advantage of those running the business and that lead to the downfall of the multi-billion dollar company, there are many lessons to be learned from Enron, it does not matter how big or how small a company is, it should act in a morally correct manner without worrying about the consequences and it should do so because it is the right thing to do more than anything else. There is no room for companies in today’s day and age that are morally off the compass because the amount of information that can be shared today, the mediums that it can be shared by and the speed at which it can be shared at have all tremendously increased due to advances in technology. Businesses that operates in a manner that is morally correct beca use it is the right thing to do would also generate a lot of business because of this code of ethics, because customers do not like to be cheated upon, they would rather buy from a company which sells at a higher price but is doing the right thing rather than from a company which prices its goods lower but that is due to morally corrupt reasons and customer loyalty is very important to businesses these days because repeat purchases is what every business aims to do achieve. Though repeat purchases would be gained from this moral attitude this should not be aim of the businesses under the Kantian approach, businesses should be morally correct in their dealings because it is the right thing to do and not because it would enable them to achieve repeat purchases, it should be only looked upon as a by-product of this approach to ethics. This approach is very right theoretically but it is human nature to find

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Literature Review - Essay Example ing Decisions, on knowthis.com website defined packaging as a process of protecting the product, increasing the visibility of a product, adding value to a product, getting distributor acceptance etc. A product packed poorly with less visibility cannot survive in the market whereas good packaging will added value to the product and increase its distributor acceptance and cost (Factors in Packaging Decisions, 2010). The article, The Importance of Packaging written by David Kam, defined packaging as an important marketing strategy to glamorize a product in order to attract the consumer’s attention. He also mentioned many secrets of product packaging. He argued that attractive packaging of product can glamorize a product in order to attract the consumer’s attention. He also pointed out that most consumers judge a product by its packaging before buying. In his opinion, nobody will buy even good products in the absence of good packaging (Kam, 2010). The science news article, How Does Context Affect Consumer Judgment published yesterday (March 22, 2010), defined consumer behaviour in terms of the context. It mentioned that what we think of a product or brand, or how positively or negatively we assess it, depends on the context in which it is viewed. The article argues that many irrelevant contextual factors from the weather to another product brand can influence consumers evaluations of a product. When consumers shop in a mall, impressions of one store can be influenced by perceptions of the surrounding stores. Thus, when marketers decide to advertise their products in particular contexts, they would benefit from considering how it measures up in terms of its context (Science News, 2010) The article, Cheers to the American Consumer, written by John Quelch on April, 6, 2009 defined consumer behaviour in terms of wealth, independence, mobility, technology, recognition, etc. Many of the Americans live for today and they are not much bothered about tomorrow. This

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Electronic Signatures Essay Example for Free

Electronic Signatures Essay As compared to paper based signatures there is an increased dependability on electronic signatures for an increased protection of documents and patient records in healthcare facilities. Thereby this paper will discuss an importance of electronic signatures in addition to the advantages that they have in order to be implemented in healthcare, business and e-commerce. Introduction Signature is more known as a script that has been designed by an individual and is associated with that very individual. Signatures in some cases have been associated with seals used for protection. In general, signatures are an evidence of the fact that all intentions made in a certain document have been approved by the individual signing it. Purposes of signatures are the same as that of normal and usual signatures as all intentions made in an electronic document are approved by an individual who undersigns a document with an electronic signature (Brazell, 2004, p. 23). Many definitions have been given in relation to the electronic signature. All in all these definitions highlight the fact that as compared to hand written signatures, electronic signatures are more protective and sealed thereby there is an increased reliability associated with electronic signatures. Defining Electronic Signatures First definition that needs a mention here is given by US Code. It defines an electronic signature as an electronic sound, or a symbol that represents documents in a unique way as these symbols are associated with these documents in a legal manner. According to this definition symbols are adopted and chosen by an individual who wishes to sign, seal and protect a document thereby making sure that all intentions are accepted by that very individual. The US code argues that the signatures can be embedded in transmissions of electronic documents observed during transmission of facsimiles. The electronic signature can also take the form of Morse code in case of electronic message transmission as the signs are embedded inside the message. Realizing an importance of the protective and sealing protection offered by electronic signatures, there is an increased use of encrypted electronic messages in fields that are more sensitive about integrity of documents thereby e-commerce, healthcare, government office are observed to frequently adopt the technology of electronic signatures (Schellekens, 2004, p. 56). Legal standing of these electronic signatures has been well established thereby the laws of EU and US recognize electronic signatures holding the same legal importance as ordinary signatures on documents. Legal issues and consequences that are associated with electronic signatures are same as normal and usual signatures. Historical Perspective of Electronic Signatures Electronic signatures have been known to exist since before the American Civil War. Electronic signatures date back to 1860s when electronically encrypted messages were being used by the help of Morse codes in telegraphy. Telegraphy in those days was used to send messages that were more secret and in agreements to terms that were presented in certain kinds of enforceable contracts. Legal standing of these electronic messages dates back to 1869 when an importance of these telegraphically encrypted documents was enforced by the New Hampshire Supreme Court (United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, 2002, p. 78). In order to ensure protection, and time sensitive delivery of protected documents to safer places, in 1980s, many organizations started working on electronic signatures in order to encrypt documents. For encrypting highly sensitive documents, fax machines were used. Nevertheless in this case it has been seen that although original signatures used to be on the paper, but images of signatures and transmission used to be in an electronic format thereby ensuring increased protection. Recently it has been seen that various legal interventions have been made in order to enhance protection offered by electronic signatures. It has been added by the US courts that documents that can be protected and sealed by electronic signatures can include emails, PIN codes that are used for ATM transactions in banks, credit or debit sllip that needs to be protected by signing it with a digital pen pad device, installing kinds of software that comes with a clickwrap software license agreement along with documents that are often signed online that need enhanced protection. It has been recorded that the first document signed in an electronic way was between two sovereign nations, United States and Ireland in a communique that jointly recognized an importance of electronic signatures in trading and e-commerce (Katsikas, Lopez, and Pernul, 2005, p. 78). Enforcing Electronic Signatures United States has defined electronic signatures in legal ways and a set of requirements have been set that help in qualifying an electronic signatures as authentic. These requirements and qualifications of electronic signatures were designed by National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) in 1999 when this US based government organization released Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). UETA has defined electronic signatures as electronic symbols that are associated with a certain document in relation to which all intention have been accepted by the individual who owns and signs the particular document. There are many laws that echo core concepts of electronic signatures and these are also observed to be the same in U. S. ESign Act that was presented and implemented in the year of 2000. Many states in United States have been working on the laws and jurisdiction in relation to the electronic signatures and more than 47 states in United States along with the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands have enacted and have been using UETA in an active manner. Only three states as New York, Illinois and Washington have not enacted UETA. New York has designed its own rule that recognizes electronic signatures as legal and the law that represents these signatures is Electronic Signatures and Records Act (ESRA) (Boss, and Kilian, 2008, p. 67). Other countries that have started assigning legal values to electronic signatures include Canada. The definition of electronic signatures given by Canadian legal authorities is generic and different from the one given by the US authorities. Generic definition of signature given by the Canadian Department Of Justice says that an electronic signature contains a chain of letters, symbols, and numbers encrypted in a digital format associated with a certain electronic document that belongs to an individual or a certain organization (Snijders, and Weatherill, 2003, p. 45). After this Canadian Department Of Justice has defined an electronic signature by arguing that electronic signature in contrast to normal signatures possess some distinct properties that define these signatures. Canadian law that talks about the digital signatures in accordance to the protection of electronic documents is PIPEDA. PIPEDAs secure electronic signature regulations argue that electronic signatures are those that are designed, applied and verified in a specific manner. European Union has also given its rules and regulations in accordance to the use of electronic signatures in document protection systems. These laws have been published in the EC Official Journal. These laws are referred to as the Directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council while officially these are more often referred as the EU Directive on Electronic Signatures or the EU Electronic Signatures Directive. These were published on 13th December 1999 (Adams, and Lloyd, 2003, p. 78). Maintaining Legal Nature of Electronic Signatures Various laws and jurisdictions have been defined that help e-commerce and trade to incorporate the advantages of electronic signatures in daily business deals that can help in increased document protection. It has been realized that at a local and an international level there is a need to incorporate certain document protection systems that can help in easy working and trustworthy document sharing within different parties. 1. Definitions of PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) An electronic signature can be defined as being safe when a. It is unique to an individual b. Technology that is being used in order to generate signatures are under the control and only being used by the person who creates the signature thereby adding to the level of uniqueness. c. The technology being used to create signatures should be able to represent an individual who has created the signatures. d. The electronic signatures are to be linked with an electronic document in various ways. One way that has been defined by Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act argues that the electronic document should be able to identify, by the help of electronic signatures associated with it, if any changes have been made to this document after signatures were associated with the document originally (Kehal, and Singh, 2005, p. 78). 2. The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act This law was passed by the US congress in relation to the electronic signatures and this law has defined and authorized the electronic signatures in three steps. a. The term ‘electronic’ in electronic signatures has been highlighted as something that possesses digital, symbolic, magnetic, wireless, electromagnetic, electric properties. b. Electronic record on the other hand has been defined as a document, contract that has been generated, created, shared, discussed, and sent by using electronic means. c. Electronic signatures have been defined by The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act as an electronic sound, symbol or a process that is legally and authoritatively associated with a document created by an individual holding rights to create, sign and decrypt the document in any manner thereby ‘patenting’ the document (Pathak, 2007, p. 34). Other similar definitions have been given by the following acts that relate to the use of electronic signatures. a. Government Paperwork Elimination Act, US b. Federal Reserve 12 CFR 202 c. UETA d. Commodity Futures Trading Commission 17 CFR Part 1 Sec. 1. 3. Creation of Electronic Signatures: Public Key Infrastructures (PKI) Importance of electronic signatures has been realized since long as it has been seen that these are more important in protecting the legal status of documents in a comparative manner. Thereby secure and much complex ways have been identified that can define electronic signatures in ways that ensure their legal status in order to protect records. Creation of electronic signatures depends on asymmetrical cryptographic method. This method ensures that the kinds of protection status being encrypted in the document are only approachable by the person who creates the signatures on the document. Thereby two kinds of keys are used in this case and these are referred to as public and private cryptographic keys. The theoretical fundamentals and practicalities of the asymmetric cryptographic key were laid down in 1976 (Doukidis, Mylonopoulos, and Pouloudi, 2004, p. 79). In accordance to the theory and recent ways that have been developed for electronically signing a document, a number is calculated that represents the length of a document and this number is referred to as the checksum of a particular document. This checksum is calculated by using a hash function. This is the case where a private key is used which is more representative of the person signing the document. Thereby signature is represented by private key which in the end is attached to a document. This private key is thereby a signature of the document. Role of Public Key Another key that plays an important role in this case is a public key. An important that is played by a public key is that the signature’s and relevant document can be checked by the public key. Public key as the name indicates is freely and easily available to any individual within the public. Decryption of the electronic key is performed by the help of an electronic signature. Integrity Check An integrity check is an important part of electronic signature allocation. It has been seen that integrity of a document can be checked by recalculating the checksum number that was allocated to the document originally. As was done during the calculation of checksum, the recalculation of checksum is also done with the help of hash functions. Integrity of the document can be validated if the checksums are identical ensuring that the integrity of the document is intact (Rice, and American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, 2005, p. 78). Role of Certificates Public keys and cryptographic keys are the most important part of the electronic signature creation thereby there is a need of a system that can authorize the genuine nature of these keys. Both of these keys are authorized by a certificate. Certificates are specially created electronic documents that associate and connect the public key with the key holder’s identification data that in this case has to be unique. On the other hand in order to provide increased protection it has been observed that to ensure increased protection, certificates are also electronically signed by the certification providers that are also authorized. All these links and methodologies designed to sign the documents make sure that document is signed, encrypted and decrypted by using the public key only by the person who has created the document. Certification service providers play important roles as Trusted Third Party offering services other than certificates for protection of electronic documents. Certification service providers are known to provide a set of directory services that are also related to electronic documents. These are the services that bring the protection provided by the electronic signatures a step ahead. Directory services provide additional measures by which the certificates can be checked for authentication time by time. Advantages of Electronic Signatures These days there is a need to exchange business in a fast manner that requires and demands exchange of information including documents in a secure manner. It has been realized that exchanging information on a regular basis is more secure in an electronic manner rather on paper. 1. Electronic information takes lesser time to travel as compared to the paper based information thereby there is no time wasted (Mann, Eckert, and Knight, 2000, p. 67). 2. The cost of electronic signature based documents is only needed in the beginning of this setup and there are no additional costs required after its implementation. 3. Because of the electronic nature of documents, there is lesser involvement of human beings other than the ones that are directly involved ensuring security in case of these documents. 4. Because of an electronic nature of these documents there is a lesser chance of interruption and interference in electronic documents that increasingly ensures the protection of these documents. In terms of protection it has been observed that electronic signature based documents are more secure and protected as compared to paper based signatures. 1. In this case it has been argued that the electronic signatures are not able to be copied as compared to the normal paper based signatures and electronic signatures are implemented on the complete document rather than the last page. 2. In this case it has been observed that as electronic signatures are implemented on whole document thereby there are no chances of any text being maliciously changed in any part of the document. 3. Time stamping is the proof of transmission time of the document thereby transmission dates can be cross checked in order to check the legal status of the document. 4. Additional restrictions can be imposed on the message content in electronically signed documents. It has been observed that with the consent of the document holder and creator, reader can read and verify the contents of the document (Katsikas, Lopez, and Pernul, 2005, p. 45). Other than these, additional advantages that are offered by the electronically signed documents include streamlining businesses and trade globally and on a local scale. Business chains are better connected when paper documents are removed having a much better control on business with the help of electronic documents. 1. Increased cost are associated with typing documents and sending these through courier and these costs are reduced in case of electronic documents that take lesser time to be emailed and fixed. 2. In case of signing the contracts an important issue used to deal with signing the contracts which is resolved by electronic signature based reinforce bale contracts that are signed anywhere. Electronic Signatures Usage in Medial Healthcare Records Healthcare in the modern days is recognized by an increase in the specialization of medical specialization. In order to ensure that patient care process is optimized there is an increased cooperation and data exchange between different healthcare institutions. Thereby it has been observed that in order to ensure timely, cost effective and economic patient care, often known as shared care, there is a need to increasingly exchange information with healthcare institutions and medical facilities. The kinds of patient record systems that are adopted these days are increasingly dependent upon the data exchange. On the other hand it has been realized that there are many shortcomings associated with paper based documents that have been also held responsible for a decreased efficiency of healthcare institutions, thereby there is an increased adoption of electronic signatures on the documents (Boss, and Kilian, 2008, p. 38). In order to ensure that all heath care operations undergo in a proper, streamlined and a secure manner there is a need to implement the technology of electronic signatures to the field of healthcare. Paper based signatures are time consuming and are less protecting as compared to electronic signatures thereby in the field of healthcare, document authenticity is a critical business operation. There is a set of documents that are in a need to be protected in face of infringements and these documents include patient records, physician diagnosis, order, bills and payments. Thereby based on the set of advantages that have been highlighted in the previous sections healthcare facilities in different countries have started to implement electronic signatures. Recently there are many changes in United States health departments in order to implement electronic signatures based documents. It has been recently reported that regulations have been passed and implemented by the Drug Enforcement Agency in order to implement electronic signatures on medical prescriptions that are of electronic nature in order to ensure that original prescriptions are checked on the counters of pharmacies rather than cooked ones. Another law that has been passed by the Veteran’s Health Administration relates to the consent forms that are signed by the patients. In order to protect these forms, protection is being ensured by the implementation of electronic signatures on these forms. In healthcare administration various standards have been defined that link important records and documents with encrypted signatures. Recently a standard has been defined that helps in an authentication of medical records of the patients, an ASTM standard. In order to electronically sign the radiological images, DICOM standard have been used and are in practice. Most of the documents in medical centers and healthcare institutions are related to signatures, including signatures from families, patients and physicians. Thereby after the creation of these documents it is important that these documents are protected and sealed by the help of electronic signatures. Successes of document security solution lies in the fact of creating documents that are electronically signed thereby are digitally protected. These protection measures have also been considered important in the case of offline and online business, e-commerce (Adams, and Lloyd, 2003, p. 24). Conclusion Internationally accepted standards have been defined that can help in securing the documents in a better manner. In case of healthcare it has been seen that there is an increased dependency on a long term archiving of patient records as soon as these are created and passed on to the other facilities. International standards have been used to define the signatures in accordance to the advantages that they ensure, as DICOM, XML, and HL7. In addition to this it has been argued that there is an increased integration of PKIs in healthcare services as these are designed in accordance to the legislations that have been designed in order to ensure document protection. References Adams, C. , and Lloyd, S. (2003). Understanding PKI: concepts, standards, and deployment; considerations, Technology series. Edition 2. Addison-Wesley. Boss, H. A. , and Kilian, W. (2008). The United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts. Kluwer Law International. Brazell, L. (2004). Electronic signatures law and regulation. Sweet Maxwell. Doukidis, I. G. , Mylonopoulos, N. , and Pouloudi, N. (2004). Social and economic transformation in the digital era. Idea Group Inc (IGI). Katsikas, K. S. , Lopez, J. ,and Pernul, G. (2005). Trust, privacy, and security in digital business: second international conference, TrustBus 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 22-26, 2005:proceedings, Lecture notes in computer science, Springer eBook collection. Birkhauser. Kehal, S. H. , and Singh, P. V. (2005). Digital economy: impacts, influences, and challenges. Idea Group Inc (IGI). Mann, L. C. , Eckert, E. S. , and Knight, C. S. (2000). Global electronic commerce: a policy primer. Peterson Institute. Pathak. (2007). Legal Aspects Of Business. Edition 3. Tata McGraw-Hill. Rice, R. P. , and American Bar Association. Section of Litigation. (2005). Electronic evidence: law and practice. American Bar Association. Schellekens, M. (2004). Electronic signatures: authentication technology fro

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Period Of Chattel Slavery In The Caribbean History Essay

The Period Of Chattel Slavery In The Caribbean History Essay The Caribbean during the 18th century was categorized mainly as an agriculture based region with numerous plantations. These plantation main outputs were sugar, a commodity highly demanded in Europe earning high profits for plantation owners. However, to create such vast quantities of sugar required human labour, resulting in the development of the chattel slavery system. This slavery system comprised mainly of Africans whose characteristics were suitable for the tropical climates. Enslavement was a dictatorship system where the enslavers had absolute power, like a puppet master pulling all the strings, hence, rendering the enslaved powerless, however, the enslaved reacted waging a protracted war cutting the strings of the enslavers in a fight for their freedom. Chattel slavery refers to A system of slavery whereby an individual and their offsprings are recognized by the law as being the property of another person for life1. Enslaved could be bought, sold and branded just as a piece of furniture, and these inhuman conditions enraged the enslaved resulting in resistance. This is further supported by Hilary Beckles et al who stipulated This record of resistance illustrates that there was hardly a generation of enslaved males or females in the Caribbean who did not take their anti-slavery actions. Entrapment, is against human nature, and thus, enslaved resisted from the start in a long or protracted war. Many slave revolts and plots in these territories between 1638 and 1838 could be conceived of as 200 years war one protracted struggle launched by Africans and their Afro-West Indian progeny against slave owners stated Hilary Beckles. The Enslaved worked under harsh conditions from sun up to sun down, with little rest and exposure to diseases, under strict control from supervisor who demanded productivity. The world of the enslaved therefore, was a constant battle between oppression of master control and the desire for freedom. Slave society refers to the whole community based on slavery, including masters and freedmen as well as slaves stipulated Brian L. Moore. The Societal structure was a hierarchy, white masters at the top socially and politically, the coloured in the middle and the enslaved forming the foundation at the bottom. Around 1832 there were approximately 50,000 whites and 100 000 freedmen in the British Caribbean but only 32 000 slave owners suggested B.W Higman. Freedmen owned slaves; however, it was not in any high concentration when compared to the whites. Although, representing the minority whites control the politics and the majority of wealth maintaining absolute power. The whites were highly educated when compared to the freedmen who had basic education, leaving majority of the slaves uneducated. This is supported by B.W Higman, who noted this strong contrast reflected differences in the education of free males and females, but its also indicated differences in wealth. Whites were the maters operating the plantations, while freedmen were either freed coloured or freed blacks who earned their freedom and tried to invent their own identity. These combined features and characteristics of each class created an arrangement of diverse practices and behavior that illustrated the properties of a slave society. For any society to function adequately there must be system of control and the slave society was no exemption. Christopher Humber et al stated System of slave control embodied physical, social, psychological, economic and legal factors. The enslaved were economical exploited by enslavers, as they were forced to labour in plantation through physical violence denying them personal freedom. The whip was a stimulus to labour and a constant form of punishment and for fear of the hundreds of lashes kept in line and did basically as they were told 2. Slaves lived on the plantation in small dirt huts, and enslavers positioned their mansions at the top overseeing their enslaved community and society practices, emphasizing enslaved social inferiority. Food and clothes were controlled by the enslavers, as they decided what and when enslaved should eat and also how they should dress. Slaves were not allowed to be educated; ignorance was a powerful means of control3. Denying basic social functio n such as education signified enslaved inferiority. The Enslaved religions practices, such as their drumming, music and dance were not allowed and even punishable by death. The enslavers religions were forced upon them as a form of control, and Christopher Humber et al noted Enslaved were only allowed to sit at the back of the Anglican/ Catholic churches. The enslaved were seen as inferior to the whites and the whites argued that Africans were barbaric and uncivilized. Enslavers tried to oppress and crush the spirits of the enslaved through psychological ideas of race and colour. Economic structure of society in terms of property, earnings (Money) and time were control buy the enslavers. Slaves could not legally posses property or legally make contracts, could not be paid for nay work that they did, could not own animals and could not own land4. These economic and legal restrictions crippled the enslaved freedom of movements. The different control systems implemented enforced ensla vement and entrapment, however, the enslaved resistance continued to punctuate the society. The period of slavery was characterized primarily by one protracted war launched by those enslaved against their enslavers, suggested Hilary Beckles. From the commencement of slavery, the enslaved pursed their freedom through different forms of resistance and these resistance activities were illustrated in the Caribbean. Enslaved resistance comprised of day-to-day resistance, plots and revolts and rebellion including marronage. Sheperd V. noted The several stages in the development of Caribbean anti-slavery activities in the period up to 1834: 1500-1750, 1750-1807, and 1807 up toe end of slavery. During the period 1500-1750, the society was dominantly enslaved Africans and plantation construction was now developing. The main form of resistance used during this period was marronage, which Barbara Lalla stipulated as The process of flight by slaves from servitude to establish their own hegemonies or wild territories. Maroons, also known as, Runaways were able to establish small communi ties creating independence from the plantation social, economically, and legally. However, for successful maroon developments the island had to be mountainous, Sheperd V. noted Forested and mountainous interiors of colonies like Jamaica, Dominica and Guyana facilitated the maintenance of runaway slaves. In an island like Barbados, marronage had limited success due to the lowland. Maroons developed structure, in terms of farming for food and in situations earned money by selling produce, persons were able to practice their own religion freely without feeling inferior, Possibilities of ownership of items and most importantly they had freedom of choice. Maroons were able to formulate strategies of successful revolts and attacks on plantations, under the assertive leadership such as Price, lead to arrangements between the Europeans. According to Hilary Beckles What is clear is that maroon activities which were endemic over the entire period greatly undermined the colonizing efforts of t he Europeans and the economic life of the plantations. The sugar rush peaked during 1750-1807 creating a mature plantation society, increasing some aspects of Creole diversity and Sheperd V. stated during this period resistance assumed different forms such as day-to-day acts and negotiation for rights and also marronage increasing. Christopher Humber noted day-to-day resistance as the subtle methods used by the slaves to express rejection of slavery and further supported by Hilary Beckles, who noted day-to-day resistance were generally designed not to overthrow the slave system, but undermine its efficiency. A vital part of day-to-day resistance was enslaved women and the particular strategies they employed. Field womens adaption of the strategy of labour withdraw, interpreted as laziness by drivers and overseers, was considered a universal problem suggested Hilary Beckles. Low level or productivity was not tolerated, and the malingering attitude adapted by women was a great discouragement to the sugar industry. This was particularly eff ective at harvesting time when a few hours behind schedule could make a world of difference in the level of profits realized stated Christopher W. Humber. Women also resisted through children, because the birth of enslaved children meant that the child was automatically born a slave. Enslavers wanted to use birth control as a means of maintaining an enslaved labour force, however, enslaved women committed infanticide as Hilary Beckles noted acts of infanticide are frequently cited on plantations. Acts such as harming farm animals, making them unable to turn the mill were also done by enslaved women. The variations of resistance during this period focused on ending slavery by making the plantation system unprofitable as Hilary Beckles noted These acts of resistance were considered effective strategies and undermined greatly the efficiency of the plantation. The period 1807-1834 marked the ending of slavery, with first the abolition of the slave trade in 1807 and the continuous resistance from the remaining enslaved on the plantations. Hilary Beckles further noted 1807-1834 was marked by growing protest among the enslaved, particularly among creoles, linked also to the impact of growing anti-slavery discussions in the metro pole. Creoles also called country-borns undeniable had a hand in the overcoming of slavery and bringing emancipation. Creoles resisted politically, seeking to earn rights for the enslaved through lobbying in the parliament and instigating the continuing unjust behaviors towards the enslaved. It was not Africans who organized, an attorney wrote, but creoles, which were never known before to have been concerned in anything of this sort5. In Britain the profitability of the plantation system was in decline and so was the slave system on a whole. The funds from New world slavery had significantly contributed toe he primit ive accumulation of capital that enable the industrial revolution in Britain6. With Britain moving towards more profitable investments, slavery resistance in the parliaments increased leading to the passing of acts, such as, the emancipation act of 1833. Armed revolts and rebellions were the most violent, and dramatic forms of resistance that the enslaved used against their enslavers. Armed revolts were usually, bloody and many enslaved died, as Hilary Beckles noted The enslaved were conscious of the military might of their enslavers and knew it would be suicidal to always engage them in armed conflicts. The large scale slave rebellion under the leadership of Toussaint L. Ouverture end slavery in Saint Domingue, marking Haiti as the first free black republic in the Caribbean. After news of slave efforts leading to freedom in Haiti spread throughout the Caribbean, the enslaved consciousness was no longer an issue and widespread rebellion transpired all over the Caribbean. Some such r evolts as noted by Hilary Beckles are 1816 revolt in Barbados, 1823 in Damara (Guyana) and 1831/32 Christmas rebellion in Jamaica. The enslavers methods of control were failing and emancipation was no inevitable. Eric William noted in 1833 stating The alternative were clear emancipation form above or emancipation from below'. The rewards and benefits of the different forms of resistance were realized on the 1st of august 1834 marking the end of slavery. Since the existence of slavery for thousands of years, one aspect has persisted, that is, the resistance of the enslaved towards their enslavers and thus the period of chattel slavery in the Caribbean is no different. From the arrival in the Caribbean the enslaved develop anti-slavery attitudes, despite being at the bottom of the societal structure. To counteract this anti-slavery attitude control procedures were develop and implemented, however, resistance acts such as marronage, and day-to-day resistance eventually escalating to large scale revolts threaten and ultimately ended chattel slavery. From the commencement to the termination of chattel slavery, the enslaved have plagued their enslavers in a fight for freedom and such an endemic resistance could only be seen and best described as a protracted war for freedom. Notes National Glossary of the U.K National Archives Based on Caribbean History access through link : http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/caribbeanhistory/popups/glossary.htm See The Spanish instituted the Siete Partidas, the French had the Code Noir access through link : http://www.novapdf.com See Slavery, Freedom and Gender: The Dynamics of Caribbean Society page 137 See The Spanish instituted the Siete Partidas, the French had the Code Noir access through link : http://www.novapdf.com See Africa in America: slave acculturation and resistance in the American South and the British Caribbean, 1736-1831 Page 221 See Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams Page 68 Works Cited Beckles, H. Natural Rebels: A Social History of Enslaved Black Women in Barbados. London: Zed, 1989. Print. Bryan, Patrick. Campbell Carl. Higman B. W. Moore Brian L. Slavery, Freedom and Gender: The Dynamics of Caribbean Society. United States: U OF OKLAHOMA PR, 2002. Print. Higman B.W. Slavery Populations of the British Caribbean, 1807-1834. Kingston Jamaica: The Press, University of the West Indies, 1995. Print. Humber Christopher. Caribbean History Section B: Resistance Revolt. Teach Dip (Mico): 2006. Print. Lalla Barbara. Defining Jamaican Fiction: marronage and the discourse of survival. University of Alabama Press, 1996. Print. Sheperd V. Beckles, H. Caribbean anti-slavery: the self liberation ethos of enslaved blacks. In Caribbean Slavery in the Atlantic World: Student Reader. London Kingston: Ian Publishers Ltd., 2000. Print. Williams Eric. Capitalism and Slavery. The University of North Carolina Press, 1944. Print.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Change and Continuity in the Guilded Age Essay -- essays research pape

Change and Continuity in the Gilded Age Emergence of Modern America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Every day things change, but basically they stay the same.†-Dave Matthews Change and continuity are two major principles of life. They can easily be applied to history because their application accurately portrays the circumstances, and characterizes the era of interest. Merriam-Webster defines continuity as an uninterrupted connection, succession, or union, or an uninterrupted duration or continuation especially without essential change. Change is defined as to make different in some particular, to alter, to make radically different, to transform, or to give a different position, course, or direction to. These antonyms are critical in understanding history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gilded age of the United States is an extremely interesting era that generally gets diluted in the teaching of American history. However, this age was very critical in the development of many modern ideas and institutions we utilize today. Change and continuity are both prevalent in this time, but change is the primary element from 1877 to 1900.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When discussing change in the late 1800’s a few things come to mind, but the progression of capitalism was a major catalyst for most of them. Capitalism is an economic system of free market. It promotes private or corporate ownership of goods from investments based upon price, production, and distribution of goods. This new idea tended to promise wealth and stability, but when the distinction between the working lower class and bourgeoisie became more evident, people were irritated. Capitalism began to exploit the greed in man and bring fear to the strongest of wills. Many dreamed of this as the golden age of man kind and saw new prosperity as a benefit for all â€Å"for how could there be greed when all had enough.†(George, p.21) Poverty spread through the working class like disease and forced millions of Americans to fight for survival. In a trip to Chicago Rudyard Kipling furiously describes the dreary, money driven conditions that consumed the ea rth, water, and air. â€Å"I spent ten hours in that huge wilderness, wandering through scores of miles of these terrible streets, and jostling some few hundred thousand of these terrible people who talked money through their noses.... ...was also continuity. The country still faced severe issues of poverty, racism, and oppression, but the people of America were growing wise and understanding the system and how to change it. Inventions, technology and industrialization were fueled during this time, constantly changing and improving, to create a better America. Ideologically the United States was spawning great new ideas on government regulations, and equal rights. These forefront dreams created much of American society, as we know it today. It pushed the envelope and made top officials see that if the people were unhappy, the nation would not benefit but struggle to come to consensus. Though the end of this age did not completely put all the standards into practice, it set a foundation for future progress. In my opinion where there is change there is always continuity, and vice versa, but change primarily characterized the gilded age. Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fink, Leon. Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era: second edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Merriam-Webster Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com Change and Continuity in the Guilded Age Essay -- essays research pape Change and Continuity in the Gilded Age Emergence of Modern America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Every day things change, but basically they stay the same.†-Dave Matthews Change and continuity are two major principles of life. They can easily be applied to history because their application accurately portrays the circumstances, and characterizes the era of interest. Merriam-Webster defines continuity as an uninterrupted connection, succession, or union, or an uninterrupted duration or continuation especially without essential change. Change is defined as to make different in some particular, to alter, to make radically different, to transform, or to give a different position, course, or direction to. These antonyms are critical in understanding history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gilded age of the United States is an extremely interesting era that generally gets diluted in the teaching of American history. However, this age was very critical in the development of many modern ideas and institutions we utilize today. Change and continuity are both prevalent in this time, but change is the primary element from 1877 to 1900.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When discussing change in the late 1800’s a few things come to mind, but the progression of capitalism was a major catalyst for most of them. Capitalism is an economic system of free market. It promotes private or corporate ownership of goods from investments based upon price, production, and distribution of goods. This new idea tended to promise wealth and stability, but when the distinction between the working lower class and bourgeoisie became more evident, people were irritated. Capitalism began to exploit the greed in man and bring fear to the strongest of wills. Many dreamed of this as the golden age of man kind and saw new prosperity as a benefit for all â€Å"for how could there be greed when all had enough.†(George, p.21) Poverty spread through the working class like disease and forced millions of Americans to fight for survival. In a trip to Chicago Rudyard Kipling furiously describes the dreary, money driven conditions that consumed the ea rth, water, and air. â€Å"I spent ten hours in that huge wilderness, wandering through scores of miles of these terrible streets, and jostling some few hundred thousand of these terrible people who talked money through their noses.... ...was also continuity. The country still faced severe issues of poverty, racism, and oppression, but the people of America were growing wise and understanding the system and how to change it. Inventions, technology and industrialization were fueled during this time, constantly changing and improving, to create a better America. Ideologically the United States was spawning great new ideas on government regulations, and equal rights. These forefront dreams created much of American society, as we know it today. It pushed the envelope and made top officials see that if the people were unhappy, the nation would not benefit but struggle to come to consensus. Though the end of this age did not completely put all the standards into practice, it set a foundation for future progress. In my opinion where there is change there is always continuity, and vice versa, but change primarily characterized the gilded age. Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fink, Leon. Major Problems in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era: second edition. Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Merriam-Webster Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Der Euro, Unser Geld :: Euro Money Finances Essays

Der Euro, Unser Geld On January 1, 2002, it was the talk of the town, the talk of the world, actually. The Euro – the largest financial creation known to our modern world. Living in Germany during this momentous transition has provided for interesting insight into the Euro’s true impression on the people. Of course, the change from using the deutsch Mark to using the Euro was not the only real impact. It is the deeper financial integration with 11 other countries that permeates and concerns the minds of the Germans. The physical transition of the currency ran very smoothly. Overnight, ATM machines here were fully â€Å"Euro† competent, and bank personnel were trained to handle questions and problems that could arise. Fortunately, with the exchange rate having been locked in at almost 2 (1.95583) Marks to 1 Euro, the math conversion has been relatively simple for the average person. And along with many product prices having been published in both Marks and Euros for several months, most Germans have experienced few problems with the turnover. For a country whose people are said to travel more often outside of their borders than inside, using new bills and coins has not been a chore. From the beginning of October, the government sent heavy Euro advertising around the entire country. Posters were plastered everywhere displaying the new currency, the various adaptations by each country (all coins have a common front, while each country prints its own back), and information on where to go for questions. Advertisements were seen everywhere, boasting â€Å"Der Euro Kommt† (The Euro is coming) or â€Å"Der Euro, Unser Geld† (The Euro, Our Money). Therefore, within the last three months of the Mark’s existence, the atmosphere seemed to be that of excitement. Euro Starter Kits, including the new coins, became publically available in December, giving everyone a chance to both join in on the excitement and also ease themselves into this new step. Now, people are thrilled when they receive a coin printed in Portugal or Holland that has already made its way over to Germany. Naturally, in a capitalist country, many businesses took advantage of the change to sell new products, and in turn, generated more publicity for the Euro. For example, children can now play the beautiful EuroMonopoly, complete with simulation currency and in which buying Water Works now translates into buying the European Parliament and buying streets now translates into buying European countries.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Andres Resendez “A Land So Strange” Essay

Thesis: The author posits that the derivative of a tragically unsuccessful colonization effort results with an epic ten-year odyssey of survival, assimilation, and revelation as the first Old World outsiders to athwart and live in the interior of North America. The culmination of the experiences of Cabeza de Vaca, man of influence, stranded in unexplored lands, encountering and existing with countless Native American tribes as guest, slave, trader, and healer engenders an atypical ideal of humane colonization and coexistence. Summary: Resendez retells the story of the ill-fated Narvaez expedition to Florida, placing the survivors story against the context of contemporary Spanish politics, culture, and power struggles associated with colonization amid the pre-contact Native American sphere. The stage is set with a brief description of the relationships of Velazquez, Narvaez, Cortes, and the Spanish court (15,17, 22). This background information clarifies the near impenetrability of ob taining a royal charter and the complicated, perfidious, and competitive maneuverings of the Spanish explorers (30-33). Cortes’ alleged treachery becomes heroic conquest slighting competitors Velazquez and Narvaez who after years of petitions receives an adelantamiento in the New World (73). The expedition, three plus hundred men and women, lead by Narvaez experiences a litany of encumbrances that resulted in the unrealized and in due course unpropitious landing at Tampa Bay, over nine hundred miles off course (77). A landing party of three hundred men, including Cabeza de Vaca, set out to find Panuco, encountered Native Americans that enticed the group to search for prosperous Apalachee further north (94). By this time the group was suffering severely from hunger, disease, and at the hands of Native Americans, driven by desperation rafts were built to carry the men along the coast of Louisiana, a tumultuous trek of starvation, drowning, and further Indian attacks, landed along the coast of Texas (134). Attrition claims all but four, deVaca, Dorantes, Castillo, and Moroccan Estebanico, whose lives over the next ten years are analogous to Homer’s Odyssey. Initially treated as guests, cared for and fed by local indigenous peoples, soon to become slaves of many itinerant tribes for six years (145). During captivity, the survivors learned native languages, cultures, intertribal repositioning (146), and in the case of de  Vaca became a thriving trader with autonomous travel privileges (149-151). The four escape their captors and implausibly achieve the status of healers, combining Catholicism and native traditions in their ministering, are then used by Native Americans leaders in a heal for profit scheme were passed from one tribe to the next, and achieved pseudo celebrity status (183). Contact with Spaniards and reintroduction to civilized life proved very difficult for the survivors after nearly ten years of aboriginal living and certainly suffered from culture shock, Cabeza d e Vaca mentions difficulties wearing western clothes again (215). Cabeza de Vaca, like Friar Las Casas twenty years earlier (21), shared an epiphany to defend and advocate for peaceful cohabitation and humane colonization of America, neither realizing this ambition (221). Critique: The author employs pertinent primary sources, including the narrative of Cabeza de Vaca, in chorus with reasonable speculative insertions of the conditions and behaviors to make a compelling and more authentic story. However, Resendez states that â€Å"they†, the four survivors, all left the experience with the epiphany to advocate for â€Å"humane† colonization. The author only provides direct evidence that supports this claim in the case of Cabeza de Vaca, not that for his three survivor companions.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Night John Essay

Mrs. Barrows Us History I 25 August 2012 Nightjohn Reflection Questions Chapter I 1. The narrator of this story is Sarny and she’s twelve years old. 2. This story is told in first person. 3. Clel Waller is Sarny’s owner. 4. Sarny doesn’t care or really respect Waller because when he isn’t around she calls him dog droppings and many other names. 5. Sarny is not dumb and how I know this is because she’s just quiet and listens to learn new things and if she were to be dumb she wouldn’t learn anything. 6. Sarny’s mother is not around because she was sold when Sarny was four years old and old Delie raised Sarny. . The work that Sarny does on the plantation is working around the quarters, cleaning the yard, gathering eggs, and helping old Delie with the young ones. 8. What Sarny does at night is she gets on a pallet in the back of the long log house and thinks. Chapter II 1. Sarny’s job in the flower garden was to work on the roses an d her job allows her to chew on tobacco leaves to kill bugs. 2. Clel Waller paid one thousand dollars when he bought Nightjohn and this tells me that Nightjohn is worth money. 3. a. Sarny’s mammy prayed in the kettle. b.Sarny’s mammy prayed inside the kettle because they didn’t let pray so had to whisper in it. c. Sarny’s mammy prayed to be free. Chapter III 1. Nightjohn was brought in to the plantation with a rope to his neck. 2. The condition Nightjohn was in when brought to the plantation was bad. 3. The meals in the plantation were buttermilk down the trough, cornbread, and sometimes pieces of pork fat twice a day so the meals weren’t as good. 4. What Nightjohn did the first night on the plantation was teach Sarny the first letter of the alphabet and this tells me he is a genuine guy. 5.What Nightjohn tells Sarny about why reading is not allowed for slaves is that if white folks find out she is going to be in more trouble than she needs. Chapte r IV 1a. Alice was someone used for breeding on the Waller plantation. 1b. The first time that Alice tried to run away she was brought back and got whipped in front of all the slaves. 1c. The next time she tried to escape she got caught and killed by dogs. 2a. Jim was a slave in the Waller plantation. 2b. What happened to Jim when he tried to run away was get caught because he hid in a tree and the tree wasn’t high enough to escape the dogs and got killed by the dogs. a. Pawley was a slave in Clel’s plantation that fell in love with a girl in another plantation. 3b. What happened to Pawley was that he got caught coming back from another planation visiting a girl and Waller cut his heels and bled to death 4. Sarny thinks it’s brave and stupid at the same time to escape because it would be a miracle if slaves actually made it, but they always get caught. 5. Sarny does still continue to learn letters from Nightjohn and what that tells me about her character is that she sticks in what she believes in. 6a.The reason why Mammy reacts the way she did when she catches Nightjohn teaching Sarny is because she could be in big trouble if the white folks find out and she has to protect Sarny from any harm. 6b. Mammy’s attitude changes from being overprotective to being calm and understanding after Nightjohn explains his reason for teaching her. 7a. Nightjohn got scars in his back before he escaped a plantation. 7b. Nightjohn returned after escaping because he came back to teach slave children how to read and write. 7c. He wants to teach slave children to read and write because he wants them to have something to hold on to and to be brave.Chapter V 1. What Sarny is learning in her lessons with Nightjohn is how to read and write. 2a. Sarny was writing in the dirt. 2b. Sarny tells Waller that he deserves to go to hell. 2c. Waller kicks Sarny in the stomach. 2d. The conflict for Sarny is external because it is between her and Waller. 2e. Mammy was p unished and her punishment was getting shackled to the wall. 2f. Nightjohn confessed to teaching Sarny the letters and this tell me he is a brave individual. 2g. Waller cuts two of Nightjohn’s toes with the help of his son Robe. 2h.Sarny believes that Waller is cruel by what he did to Mammy and Nightjohn, and that he deserves nothing but the worse. Chapter VI 1. The actions that John takes after his toes are chopped off are admirable. He starts writing an A while all the slaves in the plantation are around him while saying he has learned his lesson. Then he writes a B saying â€Å"This is B. What I named my wifeâ€Å". One of the slaves then calls over Clel, their owner, and he continues with the next letter in the alphabet. While writing the letter C he says â€Å"This is the letter C like a mouth open just like if you had something important to say†. . Yes, I believe John will be successful with his planned because he is a brave man and would do anything to reach h is goal. 3. What John promises Sarny is that he will always be looking for her and she seems to believe him. I myself believe him because he seems like a man that’s about his words. Chapter VII 1. Nightjohn was successful with his plan because he made it away safely and afterwards came back for Sarny like he promised. 2. What has happened to Sarny since John left was that she never wrote words in the dirt learned the letters A-J. 3. Yes, John kept his promise to Sarny because he came back for her. . John takes Sarny to â€Å"School† and it is so secretive because the white people can’t find out about it. 5. Nightjohn was at the school teaching other kids while he was gone. 6. Nightjohn teaches reading by using catalogs. 7. Sarny feels very glad that she gets to write and learn again. Chapter Words 1. In this short chapter, Sarny tells us how every night he walks to school just to teach them how to read and write. 2. What I think would happen if another chapter w as added to the book is that it will tell us how Sarny is now a wise woman that sacrifices herself to help children learn how to read and write.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Dreschler Hotel Consultation

I have reviewed the trend analysis for the Dreschler Hotel and competing hotels and find that in comparison to the competing market, Dreschler is well within the numbers on average. Occupancy rate as compared with like hotels appears to be almost par with an average of 99. 3 index for the last six month period of 2005. This is stating that on average Dreschler is almost at the same rate of occupancy as other competing hotels. The average daily room rate comes out to a 100. 8 index which is stating that the rate being charged daily is at or above what other hotels in this competing industry are charging. The same with the revenue per available rooms, the 6 month average comes out to an index of 99. 9 compared with like hotels. In review of this trend analysis, I believe the occupancy rate can be improved during the summer months because of the location and activities offered by this lodging facility. But, after reviewing Santa Cruz County for the year 2005, average occupancy rate for hotels was at 64. 7% and for the whole state of Arizona the annual average was only 65. 8%. Dreschler appears to be on the upper end of these averages at 72. 6% average for the last 6 months of the year. This figure could obviously be higher or lower because of the figures for the first 6 months of the year. Based on the figures of having approximately 8 rooms on average per day available out of 30 is not all that bad, nor is it good. When the ADR is at $103. 71 on average for Dreschler while the average ADR statewide is only $90. 39, it could be possible to offer discounts during slower seasons in order to fill the rooms. Another option would be to offer specials to with surrounding businesses such as wine tasting events, art and museum events, cultural events, bird watching events, and even biking or hiking outings. Potential Improvements Dreschler has quite a bit to offer as far as amenities in whole and the amount of rooms available. I would start with making changes in the rooms, amount of rooms, and types of rooms. For starters, let us cut back on the amount of rooms that are sharing bathrooms and create more privacy for the guest. I would ensure that all rooms and suites have their own lavoratory at minimum. Single rooms with only bedroom setting and sitting nook should have a bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower. There should be a choice of which type of single room a guest would want by changing up the beds. Offer some with two twins, or single twin and hide-a-bed sofa and of course the queen. Next room style would be more like a mini apartment suite. This would have a sitting area separate from the bedroom and bathroom. Also offer the choices of bed set-ups in the larger suites such as double twins, queen, and king. The bathroom would be the same as with the single rooms as well. There has to be a deluxe suite of some sort, a couple would be good like a Honeymoon suite or an Executive suite, or maybe both. The honeymoon suite would be approximately 800 square feet of luxury. The bedroom would be separate from the sitting room, breakfast nook just inside the balcony doors; the bathroom would be private with a bath as well as the toilet, sink, and shower. I would probably suggest this room be on the second floor with a balcony overlooking the garden and possible put a Jacuzzi on this deck. The Executive suite would be geared for business personnel that may be in town or nearby for a convention or meeting of some sort. This room would offer two separate sleeping quarters, sitting area, breakfast nook, full bathroom with toilet, sink, and shower, and a deck as well, that overlooks the garden area. All rooms will be equipped with satellite television, a sound system that is controlled by the guest, alarm clocks, Wi-Fi connection, and air conditioning. Other amenities will include coffee, tea, and hot chocolate in rooms with mini fridges, microwaves, a desk area, literature regarding the history of the surrounding area, community features, events, and activities, and of course for the bathroom we would offer a hair dryer, ironing board that folds up in the wall, and hand lotions, soaps, and shampoos. Other areas of the establishment could be opened up more for private sitting time or just admiring the beauty surrounding the lodge. Breakfast is served at the door of all rooms by 7 a. m. every morning, and consists of cheeses, fresh fruits, juices, yogurts, and fresh baked pastries. I would like to see a public dining area in the garden for those who wish to dine on their morning pastry and coffee in the comfort of the morning sun. Funding Options There are several funding options available since we have no working capital. We could go public and offer shares to raise money to invest into the modifications, but the problem with this is that as a business owner you will not get to keep 100% of the profits; you will be paying your shareholders a dividend. Equity investors will require a percentage of ownership as well as the return on their investment. This can also wind up being costly down the road. Another option is to acquire a loan, but most lending institutes will only lend 60%-70% of the requested amount leaving the borrower having to raise the other 30%-40% in equity. This may not be a bad deal if the equity investor does not demand a large portion of ownership and is patient on returns. Another option is a 7(a) loan since they are the simplest and most common loan type from the Small Business Association. The financing of a 7(a) loan can be guaranteed for a variety of general business purposes such as working capital, machinery and equipment, furniture and fixtures, and debt refinancing (under special conditions). Loan maturity is up to 10 years for working capital and generally up to 25 years for fixed assets (http://www. sba. gov). These types of loans are easily obtained since many banks in America participate in SBA’s program and structure the loans according the requirements of this program. The SBA shares the risk with the bank if the borrower defaults. The eligibility requirements are fairly broad to accommodate the most diverse variety of small business financing needs (http://www. sba. gov). To Convert or Not to Convert A couple of benefits to converting this property to either a timeshare, condominium, or mixed-use property would be a) the immediate cash flow available up front from the rooms being purchased by timeshare holders; and b) therefore the owner does not have to wait for the project to generate a return on investment. Timeshare would be nice in that all rooms would hopefully be sold and utilized throughout the year. The length of time that someone holds a share for can be up to 30 years. The condominium aspect is slightly different in that the investor does not actually use the room but hopes to make an return on his investment in that room. This can pose a problem if there is not much activity in that investor’s room. A mixed use set-up would probably be the most beneficial of the three since it would offer the owner a diverse source of income from a variety of shops and businesses within the hotel. Although, I do not see this being a possibility here since this is a bed and breakfast establishment with over 90 shops within walking distance. You also have the issues of trying to attract high quality brand name partners to work with you, and selling the idea to other investors and possibly lending institutions could pose a real problem if you do not have a complete understanding of the market demands. I think that keeping this bed and breakfast as is would be the most beneficial but the modifications and room upgrades need to be more accommodating to a variety of guests in order to achieve the higher revenues possible. New Name Coming up with a new name for the establishment can be a challenge since I am suggesting the modifications that I am. There is no significant â€Å"one† type of person that I am trying to attract to this establishment, but more of a variety in order to fill all the rooms on a regular basis. I would like to offer up the name of Santa Cruz Country Inn since this is in the heart of Santa Cruz County and offers up the scenic picturesque country side that it does. All of the features of this establishment speak country to me. The bird watching, hiking, natural beauty of the landscape surrounding the inn, the state parks, proximity of the Santa Cruz river, and just the all around peaceful feeling one has when here. I would like to offer a bed and breakfast that makes all who stay desire to return because of the comfort and relaxation that they feel while visiting this fine establishment.Reference http://www.tubaccountryinn.com/accommodations.html

An Acting Critique of Legally Blonde the Musical Essay

An Acting Critique of Legally Blonde the Musical On Friday night, May 3rd at & p.m., my mother and I attended the opening night of Legally Blonde in the Buena P.A.C. I must begin by saying that I am slightly biased towards one of the actors who just so happens to be my sister, so the roles of Chutney, the girl who accidentally murdered her father, and a Delta Nu sister have never been played more perfectly in my eyes. While I found the play both amusing and enjoyable, there were some big issues as far as opening night goes. Things like lack of projection (on top of some serious microphone issues, which I cannot blame the actors for), actors forgetting lines, and sloppy blocking, especially in many of the dances during the musical numbers, all took away from the overall experience of the show. However, there were definitely some things I absolutely loved, which were mostly specific characters. Also, the quality of the singing in all the musical numbers was very high, which is something you don’t see often in a high school mus ical production. That being said, I thought it was worth my five dollars, and a great way for Buena to end its 2012-13 season. Like I said before, technical aspects such as microphone malfunctions cannot be blamed on the actors. It is the job of the technicians to ensure all of the equipment functions properly. However, I believe that actors should not rely on such technical aspects alone to ensure that they are effectively heard by every member of the audience. Call me old fashioned, but I am a firm believer in projection; making your voice bounce off the walls of the theater. After all, theaters are geometrically designed to do just that. But I guess not everyone feels that way, and it was apparent Friday night when every time an actor’s microphone went out, it was as if they were whispering. This is often detrimental to the plot because if actors cannot be heard, vital pieces of information are lost upon the audience. This issue could have been non-existent if the actors had practiced their projection. Luckily, I saw the movie first, so I knew the plot before I even watched the play. Along with not always being able to hear the actors, line memorization seemed to cause a few problems on stage Friday night as well. I will admit, it was not as apparent of a problem as was the lack of audibility at times, but I did notice it quite a few times. The example that stood out to me most was the character of Paulette, the owner of Elle’s favorite salon and close friend to Elle. She was in the middle of a solo on stage and completely dropped almost an entire verse of her song. I will not judge her too harshly because I fully understand the pressures of opening night, and I am sure the pressure of a solo is equally as heavy. I am simply using it as an example. Any other line slips I noticed were fairly minor, and when they happened, the actors did a pretty good job of covering it up and going with the flow. The last big problem I had with Legally Blonde the Musical was the blocking. Call me crazy, but it seemed to me towards the end of the play that either the actors got extremely lazy with their blocking during the dances, or they simply did not rehearse the scenes enough. Either way, it was very obvious. Actors were off tempo, bumping into one another, and were also completely out of sync when they should not have been. The actors most guilty of that were the Delta Nu sorority sisters (except my sister, of course). I also noticed that it was not only the dance scenes that lacked blocking, but so did many of the conversational scenes. I love watching actors’ faces more than anything because I believe that’s where most acting is done. I wanted so badly to do that Friday night, but I spent the whole time craning my neck to try and get glimpses. Quite irritating, considering the fact that my mother and I showed up almost a half hour early to get seats in the center of the ho use. Acting is all about action, and action cannot be understood if it cannot be seen. Now that I have ranted and raved about what I really did not enjoy about the Friday night showing of Legally Blonde the Musical, I should probably talk about the things that I really enjoyed, which definitely outweighed the bad. My absolute favorite character (besides the ones played by my sister) was Enid Hoopes, played by senior Aubrie Bouchard. She was a women’s rights activist, as well as a full-blooded lesbian, your average tough girl with a lot to prove to the world. She was absolutely hilarious; her timing was great, her character development was awesome, and her projection was wonderful. She had me rolling with all of her perfectly timed quips, especially when her inner lesbian showed. My other favorite group of  characters was Elle’s three best friends from Malibu: Pilar, Margot, and Serena, who also came to be known as the Greek chorus. This was an extremely appropriate nickname because they served the same purpose as the original Greek choruses in the first plays. They always showed up in Elle’s times of need to provide her with support, and to provide the audience with information. They also happened to be hilarious and bubbly, as Delta Nu sisters should be. They also had wonderful projection, especially Serena, played by Jansen Morgen. I also enjoyed Professor Callahan’s character, played by Braxton Olgetree. He was not a very likable character as far as the plot of the play went, but I could tell the actor put a lot of work into his character, especially on the voice. He was drab and monotone, just like a law professor at Harvard should be, and his character work really shone through. I also must mention the most adorable and well-behav ed character of the entire show, the part of Rufus, Paulette’s dog, played by an American bulldog named Sarge. He was both cute and flawless. The other thing I loved about this play was the overall quality of the singing. I was very pleased with all the musical numbers; all the songs were cute and catchy, no one made my ears bleed, and I could hear everyone fairly well even with all of the microphone issues. Usually, from my personal experience, most high school musicals consist of two groups of people: choir kids and theater kids. Not all choir kids can act, and not all theater kids can sing, but I am pleased to say that this musical was not that way. Everyone was able to sing and act quite effectively. My favorite musical number was the song â€Å"Gay or European†, which was performed in the courtroom scene when they were trying to figure out whether or not the pool boy, who claimed to be Brooke Windam’s lover, was gay. It was very light-humored and entertaining. I also enjoyed the opening number, â€Å"Ohmigod†, which was performed by Elle and her Delta Nu sisters in the very beginning. Like I said from the start, I was a little biased towards this play from the beginning simply because my little sister was in it. However, even when I put my bias aside, I can honestly say I was thoroughly pleased with my experience as an audience member as a whole. While I must admit there were various issues with things like actor projection, lack of proper blocking,  and lack of line memorization, the overall quality of acting was quite enjoyable. The character work done by most of the actors was very apparent and applaudable. I loved all of the main characters, as well as the minor ones. The singing was also fantastic; I did not find myself cringing at any of the musical numbers. Instead, I actually found myself tapping my feet and sometimes even singing along with the catchy songs. I know the showings of Legally Blonde the Musical are all over now, but I would recommend it to anyone to go and see that show. It was definitely an â€Å"A† performance.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Exploring Deborah Tannen’s “Sex, Lies, and Conversation

Miscommunications Deborah Tannen’s â€Å"Sex, Lies, and Conversation† is a brief look at how men and women communicate with one another and the cross-culture differences between their individual styles and needs for conversation. Women often say that men do not listen or do not want to talk. Tannen gives reasons why women tend to believe that men are not listening, and shows that just because men have a different approach to communicating does not mean they are not listening to what women are saying.She uses several different examples to back up her statements including early childhood differences in communication between girls and boys, the body language men use and how women tend to interpret it, and how women tend to receive information while communicating. Men and women have very different expectations when it comes to communicating with one another. The way women converse varies greatly from the way men tend to converse. Even young girls and boys have very differen t ways of communicating with one another.Young children tend to play with other children of the same gender, and the boys and girls tend to have completely different social interactions with one another. Tannen states that â€Å"these systematic differences in childhood socialization make talk between women and men like cross-cultural communication, heir to all the attraction and pitfalls of that enticing but difficult enterprise (51). † We see in women and in young girls, talk creates intimacy and intimacy creates friendships, but men and boys tend to bond more on doing things with one another rather than talking to each other.Even the stance men take when talking varies from a woman’s. Women tend to think men are not listening to them based on the position men take when carrying on a conversation. Most women, when talking, tend to look one another in the eye. Men on the other hand tend to look around the room, occasionally catching a glance at the person they are con versing with. Women also tend to stay on one topic for longer periods of time than men. Women are also active listeners and tend to â€Å"make more listener-noise, such as ‘mhm,’ uhuh,’ and ‘yeah,’ to show ‘I’m with you’ (53). Men tend to be more silent listeners. All these misinterpretations of communication tend to drive a wedge between men and women. A big reason communication fails between men and women is a lack of understanding the different ways in which men and women communicate. When women expect the person they are communicating with to face them directly, make listener-noises, and stay on topic, it is easy to see how they view men’s unfocused attention, silent listening, and scattered topics as men not listening to what they are saying. These differences begin to clarify why women and men have such different expectations about communication in marriage (54). † Women use talk as a form a gossip, where men a re usually more antagonistic in conversation. Women tend to be offended by the oppositional form of communication, and men find the random babblings of a woman to be useless and unimportant. Understanding these differences as cross-cultural rather than individual can help forge solutions to these problems without placing blame on the individual. Communication between men and women is certainly cross-cultural.Some examples of this theory are early childhood differences in communication between girls and boys, the body language men use and how women tend to interpret it, and how women tend to receive information while communicating. The differences between men and women should not be judged but rather accepted and respected. If they can do that, improvement in our communication will surely follow. Men and women will always communicate differently, but at least if they understand the differences they can move forward. ? Work Cited Tannen, Deborah. â€Å"Sex, Lies, and Conversation. â €  The Norton Mix. Ed. Sieg, Judy. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012. Print.