Multicultural Issues in the Workplace

Needs, values, priorities of employees and employers have changed dramatically over the last decade. On all levels of the corporate ladder, men and women are seeking new ways to manage the time they spend working so they can spend more time living. In the boardrooms, executives are seeking ways to attract – and retain – the best employees so they can continue to survive and thrive in a highly competitive global economy. As companies are becoming more and more diverse it is becoming more and more important for companies to understand and manage diversity.The people of different background, races, religion creates diverse workforce. There is an importance of having diverse workforce to provide better performance. There are perspectives of managing the diverse workforce, which require organization leaders and managers of being responsible of attaining better diverse workforce. Diversity means differences, difference of age, sex, race, religion and culture etc. People with different demographic differences working in the organization makes diverse workforce. And it is becoming more important for the organizations to know about these differences and how to manage it.Diversity is also the common issue in the workforce environment, in some companies employees often get discriminated or misunderstood because of the diverse features. So it is important for the companies to manage the diversity workforce to value best performance. As differences have often been associated with discrimination, bias, unfair treatment and conflicts, managing diversity in workforce is an important task for managers today. Managing diversity in the workplace refers to the ways of managers used in ensuring employees in the organizations who come from different group do not suffer discrimination.Management can mobilize the differences and similarities in each and every one of the employees for the benefits of both the individuals and organizations. Ensuring fairness and equality i n a diverse workplace is more than just doing a good deed, it is imperative in today’s fast moving and sophisticated business world. Diversity is increasing everyday in every organization: in America 1 in 4 Americans belongs to a minority or is foreign-born. Women, who currently make up less than half the work force, are expected to fill 65 percent of the jobs created during this decade. Whether you are a business owner, executive, salesperson or customer- service professional, your success will increasingly depend on your ability to function in a culturally diverse marketplace,† (Profiting in America’s Multicultural Marketplace’ Lexington Books). Why should companies concern themselves with diversity? Many managers answered this question with the statement that discrimination is wrong, both legally and morally. But today managers are voicing a second notion as well. A more diverse workforce, they say, will increase organizational effectiveness.It will lif t morale, bring greater access to new segments of the marketplace, and enhance productivity. In short, they claim, diversity will be good for business. Research stated that the Canadian companies leading the way in the area of diversity management have discovered that by embracing the elements of ethnic and cultural diversity in their workforce they have enhanced their ability to understand and tap new markets, both within Canada and abroad. Managing diversity There is no doubt that the American workforce has changed in dramatic ways.Twenty years ago the American workforce was predominantly white and male: in the 70’s, non-Hispanic white males represented about 68% of the workforce while in 2006 represented less than 40% of the workforce. (Ivancevich,p54). One of the reasons white males no longer dominate the workforce is that women have entered the workforce in record numbers. It is estimated that at the end of the decade, more than 60% percent of adult American workforce, o r almost half of the American work force will be female(Ivancevich. 2007).Organizations have to follow the many guidelines to get diversity stick: they have to focus on getting the best talent out of the person regardless of different age, sex and other demographic differences; they have to develop career plans for all employees of the organization including the minorities; they have to promote minorities to responsible positions in the workplace; they have to make managers responsible to obtain diversity goals by managing their employees well. Managers also have to communicate well with all the employees and listen to their problems that are of different background or cultures.Also organizations should build diversity into senior management. Improved understanding of diversity seems to be an obvious need, yet most firms fail to invest time and resources to become â€Å"diversity-friendly. † Even though there is a long way until diversity in the work force will be fully integ rated, there are a few success stories about diversity management that could serve as an example. For example United Airlines experienced an increase in Spanish-speaking travelers when it installed a Spanish-speaking telephone reservation line.Avon Products had significant revenue growth after it hired African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American sales and marketing personnel. Another example that we can use is Pillsbury Company and Kraft General Foods who both recorded access to more of the African American and Hispanic American markets after increasing the number of sales and advertising professionals from these ethnic-racial groups. Lookism Lookism is the ugly prejudice that judges people on their physical beauty instead of their ability.This happens everywhere: in the office, on the street, in the media and in virtually every aspect of our lives. The media fully perpetuates this myth that beauty is more important than anything else, that skinny women are more beautifu l than overweight women, and that beautiful skin, hair and teeth make a person better than the one that is considered plain. If you’re unattractive in face or body, you probably learned early on that you pay a price. In school, you were excluded from the â€Å"in† group. When you wanted to date, few people were interested.On the street, people look not at you but past you. We all know that, after all, looks does matter. And it matters in the workplace too. As we can read in the article â€Å"Your appearance, good or bad, can affect size of your paycheck†, a â€Å"growing body of research supports what many suspect: in the workplace, an employee's physical appearance is a powerful symbol that affects job success. Reading more we discover that , â€Å"Looking good on the job is an intangible asset that can be important, just as sharp technology skills or the ability to be a team player can give certain workers an edge†.We have to admit that there are indus tries that solely judge people by their looks such as the entertainment industry and modeling. In those industries, a person's looks is his/her commodity because the public want to see attractive gods and goddesses, not average-looking people. As a conclusion I can say that even though people are protesting the fact that lookism is deemed as discrimination, there is a slim chance that the concept of judging people based upon looks will change overnight.In order for this to change, we all have to change. We, as people, we need to stop judging by the look. We should judge by the qualities that a person has. Organizational Culture An organization's culture varies as widely as the nature of work itself. Oftentimes a unique different mix of values and norms govern the cultural environment of an organization. In today's fast changing business environment, the cultural make-up of an organizations plays a critical role in the success of the firm to achieve its strategic objectives.Culture i s not an easily defined concept, but generally it is the values, beliefs, and norms expressed in work practices and behavior. An organization's culture is not necessarily an articulated list of values found in an appendix in an annual report. Rather, culture is created by the organization itself. Many corporations have recognized that diversity contributes to the bottom line by making it easier to retain good employees, lowering costs by developing skill in-house and developing a reputation that helps attract new employees.As Swanson states in the article â€Å"Diversity: Creating an Environment of inclusiveness†, â€Å"It has been suggested that one of the keys to integrating diversity is developing the ability to hold multiple perspectives without judgment. A statement easier written than accomplished! Although this is a challenge, there are several strategies that we can use to develop this skill: staying in the present, working to increase our comfort level with ambiguit y, striving to decrease distortion, and choosing actions that support our desired outcomes. †We can see that organizations have created specific recruiting programs that target traditional minority universities and trade schools. They have also tied the recruiting programs into a reporting relationship with the diversity council and other leadership initiatives. In tandem with recruiting programs, retention programs have been formed to address existing employees. Almost all organizations have started diversity programs. As a result high quality minority candidates are being recruited by other companies. This has created a highly competitive market for the very best minority employees.Gender In early societies, women bore children, cared for the home, and helped maintain the family's economic production. Men hunted, made war, and, in settled societies, assumed primary responsibility for field crop production. Women's status is a complex issue and a hard-to-define subject. Aroun d the world, women's status in each society and culture varies in different ways. In some societies, women's status improved gradually, while in other, it declined or remained unchanged. As it is mentioned in the article â€Å"Why Aren’t We There Yet? An Equal Pay Day 2009 Primer on the Wage Gap. , â€Å"Unfair pay is not simply the result of women choosing the wrong college major or career. Women attend similar kinds of colleges as men, outperform men academically, and are more likely to earn a professional license or certificate. Yet women earn less than men even within majors. These wage gaps start upon entering the workforce; just one year after college, female graduates working full time earn only about 80 percent as much as male graduates earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall farther behind, earning only 69 percent as much as men earn.And college educated women still earn less than their male peers when controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other f actors normally associated with pay. † However, women have made positively progress towards equality and their role in the society has been changed dramatically since the last century. The number of working women with children has more than doubled in the past 50 years. As my own opinion, I can say that even with all the changes that happen around the world regarding women’s place in the workforce, the stereotypical role of housewife is still present.Even when women break out from this role, they still not had given an equal opportunity. Men tend to hold administrative positions, while women usually have the positions that support the administrator. Religion The business world has gone global, and our diverse workplace could be the key to connecting with potential customers here and abroad. In my opinion, encouraging dialog and sharing of religious and cultural norms in the working place, not only will help decrease misunderstanding and misinformation among the employee s, but interaction with clients and vendors from other cultures and religions will become second nature.Knowing when (or when not to) shake hands, share a meal, or offer a glass of wine can give your company a good advantage in today’s global market. Based on this problem, a paragraph from the article â€Å"Religious groups and employers try a new approach to faith at work. † got my attention: â€Å"The idea of addressing religion in the secular business world often causes even seasoned human resources executives to pause and see how it complements their people-management strategies.At Texas Instruments, worldwide diversity director Terry Howard remembers his reaction when approached by 10 Christian employees about forming a company-sanctioned religious group. â€Å"The questions that I raised were: What does this mean to TI? How would recognizing you as a group help TI meet its business objectives and targets? How is it going to make TI serve customers better? How i s it going to make TI a good place to work for everyone and be inclusive? † he says.They made it quite clear that they saw themselves as being in the position to help us recruit and retain people of faith-based backgrounds. † In my opinion, having companies that respect employees religious background (allowing employees to take days off based on their religious beliefs), can attract top candidates for the company. In my opinion, each feels honored and respected and it is a win-win for the company and for the employee as well. By showing employees that you respect their beliefs and customs, you will be building a strong relation and in the same time creates employee loyalty.

Extras Book Summary

EXTRAS Scott Westerfeld Extras by Scott Westerfeld fits into the Juvenile Science Fiction genre. It is narrated in first person by the protagonist of the story Aya Fuse. It is the fourth volume in the Uglies trilogy, and unlike the first three books we are guided through this adventure by Aya Fuse a fifteen-year-old Japanese girl whose one ambition in life is to be popular by kicking an interesting story about something important. It’s been over three years since the cure for the brain lesions was released and the world is slowly regaining what it has lost. They now live without those strict roles and rules from the past, and the world is in a complete cultural renaissance. The story follows Aya and her friends in a world not far from our own where popularity is literally money and people must discover what matters most to them and what they are willing to do to overcome life as an extra. Popularity is everything and will buy you the most luxurious house, the most lavish clothing, and popular friends. Whoever is getting the most buzz gets the most votes. Popularity rules. Aya Fuse's rank of 451,369 is so low, she's a total nobody. An extra. But Aya doesn't care; she just wants to lie low with her drone, Moggle. And maybe kick a good story for herself. She is the protagonist of the story. Throughout the story she gets help from some other characters such as her friends. She meets the Sly Girls who are seemingly ordinary girls who live on the wild side by riding on top of a super fast mag-lev train while trying to stay away from the kickers. Aya has some help getting it right from her famous brother Hiro, her tech friend Ren, her boyfriend Frizz, the always-helpful David, and the Cutters: Shay, Fausto, and Tally. These eight people discover the truth behind the metal shortage and the inhuman freaks, while once again trying to save themselves and the world from destruction. Aya Fuse, accompanied by her hover cam Moggle, crashes a party hoping to track down a group she saw surfing a  mag-lev  train, a story which she believes will make her famous. She follows one of the group's members, Eden Maru, out of the party, but they nearly get away when she is distracted by Frizz Mizuno. Aya leaves without telling Frizz her full name. She then follows Eden into an underground cave, where she is ambushed by the mag-lev riders, who call themselves the Sly Girls. The group's leader Jai gives Aya a chance to join them, but to do so she is forced to drop Moggle into an underground lake. The next day, she visits her brother Hiro. Hiro and his friend Ren Machino refuse to believe Aya's tale of the Sly Girls because they are an urban legend  in the city. Ren agrees to help Aya retrieve Moggle. Aya also happens upon a story about Frizz, discovering that he started a clique based around  brain surgery which enforces honesty. That evening, Aya goes mag-lev surfing with the Sly Girls. During the journey, the girls are surprised when the train stops, and they see inhuman figures loading the train up with a variety of items hidden within a secret underground room. Aya retrieves Moggle, and uses him to film her next excursion with the Sly Girls. They go on another mag-lev surfing trip which ends in exploration of the underground room they had discovered. Inside are many large cylinders of metal and a large chute leading to the top of the mountain, neither of which are understood by the Sly Girls. They plan to return to explore further, but Aya's credibility is ruined by the kicking of a news story about Frizz Mizuno coming to talk to her by her dorm. Aya is forced to break off contact with Frizz in order to lose fame. The story leaves her disillusioned by the hateful comments of the kickers. However, she does have the chance to tell Hiro and Ren about the Sly Girls story. Ren guesses that the chute inside the mountain is a  mass drive  which, combined with the steel projectiles, could be used to launch an attack on the city. When Aya next meets the Sly Girls they reveal that they knew she was a kicker, and have decided to allow her to kick the story of the mass driver. They launch themselves and Aya out of the mass driver with homemade parachutes. This gives them one last thrill before they part ways, and also giving The Sly Girls time to move on to a different city. Aya kicks her story and becomes instantly famous, but is concerned when she receives a message from Tally Youngblood. The message tells her to â€Å"run and hide†, and Aya is nearly captured by the inhumans while trying to do so. Eventually, Aya uses her fame to take control of a high-security apartment, and waits there until Tally arrives accompanied by Shay and Fausto. After talking, the Cutters go hover boarding with Aya, Hiro, Frizz and Ren. Aya has a signal up for her hover cam, and the Cutters boost it so the inhumans could find them. They are soon captured, and on the inhumans ship Frizz ruins their plan. The Cutters knock out the inhumans and put the hover car on autopilot. The Cutters, Aya, Frizz, Hiro, and Ren jump out of the hover car. They then have to travel through a jungle to meet David. After deciding Aya, Ren, Hiro, and Frizz would get in the way, Tally, Shay, and Fausto plan to leave them where they were. Meanwhile the Cutters, would go to destroy the ships of the inhumans. After they have left, Aya says that she is going as well. Ren, Hiro, and Frizz come with her. Soon, they are caught by the inhumans and meet Andrew Simpson Smith. He mistakes Aya for Tally. The inhumans explain what they were doing with the metal, and then they hear explosions. Aya, her friends, and brother rush over there and tell Tally what the ships are for. Soon, everyone is fighting against the fire that the Cutters had started. Aya, Frizz, Hiro, and Ren all become famous in their city. Aya then becomes the 3rd most famous person. Aya, her friends, and the Cutters then go to the Thousand Faces Party. There, Aya meets up with Lai and tells Aya a secret about the cake. After, Frizz tells Aya that he might leave Radical Honesty because he didn't need the group to tell the truth. In the end Aya sees Tally and David together in the dark.

Border Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Border - Essay Example In addition, the rise in drug trafficking around the globe also necessitated the institution of heightened security checks in airports. The immigration station is responsible for checking each passenger’s documentation to ascertain the validity. Unlike US citizens, international citizens undergo more stringent security checks. US legislations mandate their compliance to US policies pertaining to immigration documentation, luggage policies, and invasive security checks. Firstly, each immigrant passenger must have a valid international visa and passport, which provides details about their travel history. Logging passengers’ documentation into the airport system provides a reference point for authorities in the event of a crisis. For example, law enforcement units obtain search warrants to access travel logs from airports when examining evidence of an alleged criminal’s history. In addition, the immigration personnel at the airport examine immigrants’ documen tation to confirm that they have received all the stipulated immunizations. Secondly, the luggage policies are in place to ensure no contraband materials make their way into the country; for example, drugs. Finally, the invasive security checks such as full-body scans and physical searches are in place to ensure passengers are not in possession of any weapons. Currently, there are high-tech equipment that search for any explosives on a passenger and on their luggage. The security systems are continuously upgraded to ensure airports authority keep up with advanced types of security breaches. My first visit to the J.F.K International airport was a couple of years back on a family vacation. At the time, I was unaware of the purpose of security checks. In retrospect, I remember being extremely fascinated by having to walk through the full-body scan machines because of the sounds they made. Recently, I visited some friends who live in Manhattan for a month. My parents simply dropped me off

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

HRM - Essay Example t is, the purpose of the organization, the employee’s expected roles, the working hours, the rewards from the service, terms and conditions in the bond, the deployment of power within the organization and so on. The employment relationship commences when an employer decides to hire a worker, meaning that there is a party involved in overseeing the relationship. It is at this point that a controversy may arise regarding equality and clarity involved in the process. This text will discuss the mentioned controversy, and support in detail why or what makes it uncertain and unequal as well by analysing the three perspectives of the relationship. The employment relationship has two parties who agree to correlate before it qualifies to be called that. In the case where one of the parties involved tends to have a bargaining power that is more than the others are, then it means that they have better options and privileges above the other, which results in inequality. The biggest reason why there exists the notion of inequality in the relationship is that in the modern world, it is far much easier for an employer to hire an employee than it is for the employee to find a job. This condition has been brought about by the economic conditions on the globe that lead to an unbalanced relationship between the numbers of jobs created for the people joining the job market.During the application process for instance, as Orife, Ashamalla & Slack (2003, p. 40)write, some employers use discriminatory criteria in selecting job applicants which in some instances might be unjustified. Such include asking about gender, marital status, race, age, to mention but a few. According to Serna, Perez, Artazcoz, Moen, and Benavides (2013), â€Å"gender differences in power that place men in a better situation than women to bargain their employment conditions†¦ show more men working with a permanent contract and occupying the higher job status positions.† This simply means that even inside

Antibiotics for Meringa Oleifera Research Proposal

Antibiotics for Meringa Oleifera - Research Proposal Example Taking antibiotics in their original plant form is still common especially among indigenous communities. This is mostly because some people do not trust pharmaceutical medicines, believing that they have added chemicals that could harm their health Furthermore, pharmaceutical drugs require a lot of procedures, which may be expensive for the average citizen. To minimize such expenses, some people prefer to take the antibiotics in their original plant form. Moringa is among the most commonly used plants. Moringa oleifera is a medicinal plant, belonging to the genus Moringa, and of the family Moringaceae. It is commonly referred to as moringa or drumstick tree. The plant has been significant for its medicinal values whereby almost its entire root, leaves and trunk extracts are used for medicine. It is a common antibiotic used to treat numerous health conditions. However, just like many other antibiotics, it can pose serious health issues to an individual with disseminated intravascular coagulation. Moringa oleifera is a prescription drug yet it is sometimes sold over the counter without a valid prescription. Some people will, therefore, take it in ignorance with the hope of curing their condition only to worsen it. Despite the multitude benefits of Moringa oleifera, there are some conditions of disseminated intravascular coagulation that can be worsened by the injection of the drug. Moringa is a tree plant that has been found to have medicinal value. It can treat several medical conditions as well as provide almost all the nutritional supplements that a person may require in a single serving. Despite its multiple benefits, Moringa may not be safe for use especially if one is suffering from certain conditions. Parts of the roots and leaves of Moringa have been found to have toxins that may damage somebody organs that may lead to paralysis or even death.

Diversity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diversity - Research Paper Example This paper will present comparison of the economic situations coming from records of the years that have gone from the glorious years of being the top economic nation till modern day situation. The researcher will give insights on the markers of economic stability such as increasing unemployment rate, poverty and decreasing annual gross domestic product and the countless possible ways of reversing or sustaining the after effect of economic threats through finding researched trends and strategies. Key words: economy, economic stability, trends, strategies Introduction The ever changing economic arena has been fast evolving. Everyday economic activities are aimed at somehow one particular thing, which is to produce, to provide or to earn. The United States is known worldwide for its dynamic leadership and stability in world economy. It has fought many battles from history to be able to come up and build a structure that would sustain the vast needs of the country. It has lead many nati ons worldwide in setting foot marks to follow as an example of sturdy economic flow amidst all national issues and concerns. It has provided the American people with stable economic market to hold on to and has lifted the standards of living within its premises for the past 50 years or so. Does the sturdy wall of United States Economy has finally come to its peak and needs a reconstruction or remodeling? What was the weakest link in the economy that the government failed to set support that led to its sudden collapse affecting the entire economic stability? What could the government have done to foresee such changes in the global economy so that further decline would be avoided and future blows of economic changes would no longer affect the stability of the economy? This essay will go over the current trend in the economy and in a way to enhance the economic status of the country by means suggesting effective economic strategies that were backed up with studies that can be used by t he government as well in establishing more profitable and recession proof businesses that could sustain the downfall in the economy. Global Trends and Strategy within the United States The current economic situation: Where is United States now? Nothing seemed to be constant about living rather than the changes it continuously incur. Even if the United States have sustained to be in the lead in economic strength for the longest time still the cycles of change puts such leader into no exception. The global economic market has recently experienced an unexpected downfall and the sturdy American State and even other highly developed and leading countries were caught off guard of the unexpected surprise that brought economic storm around the globe. Recession shook the American economy and has led to many dismay—closure of many production and business establishments, prices rising, increasing rate of unemployment, decrease purchasing power of US dollar, decreasing work benefits and increasing rates of low paying jobs converted from previously high paying jobs just to sustain the challenged business. According to a source this has been a tumultuous decade for the United States. During the first 10 years of the 21st Century many unforeseeable events have happened that affected the national economy-- there was a major

Economic development Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Economic development - Coursework Example This reading focuses on the economic development in Africa through agricultural activities. This considers the use of proven agricultural techniques in order to increase the yields for food security purposes. The common challenges faced by African farmers entail soil exhaustion, water insufficiency and distorted economics caused undeveloped infrastructures. This implies that the poor soil fertility hinders the growth of some crops. This is because the local farmers engage in over farming and insufficient crop rotation. The existence of poor infrastructures contributes to high production costs because the farmer cannot access fertilizers and other inputs. Similarly, constant water scarcity due to periodic drought spells also affect Africa’s agricultural sector. This reading discusses the population explosion in developing nations, regardless of the favorable conditions. The author explores the population growth rate of Kenya in which it emerges that adults are free to give birth to any number of children. The people do not care about the availability of health care facilities, food or other aspects. The population explosion concept threatens humanity due to scramble for space, resources and economic activities. The Maragoli documentary depicts the struggles of women across the world since they cannot control birth rates. The underlining aspect of the documentary is that, in reality, population increases, but the amenities remain the same. The focus of this reading is the developmental challenge of political and criminal violence. It tackles the negative influences of the two aspects, such as destruction of property, death, displacement of people and economic stagnation among others. For instance, children brought up in hostile environments suffer from malnourishments and illiteracy. The millennium development goal (MDG) project has been unable to achieve its objectives of uplifting the living standards in

Law for Business Students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law for Business Students - Essay Example It makes the contract completely cancelled and the precondition of the contract has to be considered for the legal status of English law. In other words, it is also described as the right of an individual who is the signatory to a contract to return to the similar state as earlier before entering into the agreement, if the courts doubt legal status. The repudiation may be in the form of mutual consent or individual action. It can also be practised by an issue of the decree by the court. Even though the invalidation of original contract subcontract situation, it may also be exercised under the circumstances of fraud, duress, material breach or default and misrepresentation. An oral or written contract can be rescinded on the ground of fraud. The right to rescind for fraud is allowed because of the logic that the defrauded party has failed to perform. However, all situations will not be declared as correct grounds for rescission based on fraud. False statements of value, or the failure to perform a promise to do something in the future without fraudulent intent, should not be considered as a basis for rescission for fraud or misrepresentation. The strong proof for fraudulent misrepresentation is required to be produced for justifying the repudiation of the contract. Once sufficient grounds were found confirming the involvement of the fraud, the victimized party can affirm the contract and can also sue for damages. Similarly, if any party violates the norms or provisions of the contract by involving in duress, the other party can repudiate the contract. It is also found that the same rules apply for repudiation of contract as in the case of fraud. However, the sufficient ground of duress has to be halved in the English court of law. This is to protect the interests of the innocent people.

Glass Ceiling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Glass Ceiling - Essay Example ual binary is a persistent feature of the workplace today and the glass ceiling is an implicit manifestation of the impediments that women face in the labor force. According to Paige Churchman, renowned feminist theorist Gay Bryan coined the term glass ceiling many decades ago to describe the invisible barriers to professional advancement that women face in the labor force. Although women have entered the paid labor force in record numbers, attainting leadership roles in a corporate environment remains a challenge and invisible barriers impeded their development. While women hope to lead by example and advance professionally, the challenges that they face today are less overt than they once were but remain important impediments to their full professional advancement (Churchman, 2009). According to Women at Work, Leadership for the Next Century, the glass ceiling is a phenomenon which invisible, artificial barriers to the professional advancement of women remain the greatest impediments to their growth within an organization (Smith, 1999). The glass ceiling is arguably the most important impediment to the professional development of women in the 21st century and it is predicated upon the sexual binary. The glass ceiling is an important challenge for women in the paid labor force because it is implicit and limits their opportunities for professional advancement. While discrimination and sexual harassment are often explicit barriers to the full inclusion of women within the paid labor force, the entry of women into paid labor in record numbers has not resulted in complete equality. According to Nora Frenkel more than 25 years ago, â€Å"women have reached a certain point. I call it the glass ceiling. There isnt enough room for all those women at the top,† (Me yerson & Fletcher, 2000, 127). The glass ceiling, in addition to â€Å"pink collar ghettos†, are important yet often ignored aspects of the challenges women face in the labor force today. These metaphors

Ginsbergs friends Essay Example for Free

Ginsbergs friends Essay Howl is a dive into the other America, the city of night, the city of outcasts, beatniks and all those branded mad by regular society. The poem is for Carl Solomon, one of Ginsbergs friends, who was assigned to mental asylum Rockland where youre madder than I am, as Ginsberg states in the first line of the third stanza. But all the way through he is with him, declaring himself one with Solomon and as such with everyone who is considered an outcast, anyone who dares to go against the flow and herd-like mentality of his time. Howl is a comment on the stifling conformity of America of that time, being the Eisenhower era. The poem crosses many barriers. References to drugs abound, and Ginsberg himself has declared many times how he wrote the poem under the influence of peyote in an attempt to broaden the workings of the mind. The first stanza is a 78-line volcanic outburst of spontaneity in which Ginsberg presents through a stream of consciousness-technique image after image of the rejects of modern society, who ate fire in paint hotels or drank turpentine in Paradise Alley, death, or purgatoried their torsos night after night with dreams, with drugs, with waking nightmares, alcohol and cock and endless balls (Howl, line 10, 11). Grammatical rules are challenged in Howl. The only way to present the truth is to allow this long stream of thoughts to be poured out uninterrupted, spontaneous and dense, leaving the reader time to reflect upon what has been said, as the next image is already being presented, and after that another one and so on. The words follow the pattern of natural breathing and after the necessary pause for air, a new image follows before the reader can reflect upon the next image. The poem has to be read from beginning to end, as it is an indivisible unity. The city that had an overall positive portrayal in Leaves of Grass has become a bleak world where artificial light and colors dominate the landscape. Whitmans seas of bright juice have been exchanged for neon lights’. The excitement for the dawn of the age of democracy has waned, as each individual became a replica of another, mimicking the patterns and behavior of each other creating a monotonous existence with no room for all those who are different, who want to be different, and who aspire to do something different. In a world where being different is frowned upon, there is little hope for individuality and freedom, and Ginsberg created a world for all whose existence is being denied by society in his poetry. The way to achieve this is through an unrestricted outpouring of truth. To do this, the poet has to expand his boundaries, and Ginsberg did this literally. Ginsberg went on the road to further explore the world around him. Only then can he look for eternity: who drove cross-country seventy-two hours to find out if I had a vision or you had a vision or he had a vision to find out Eternity (Howl, line 60). We find the same quest for eternity in line 54, where it is linked to the wish to cross the boundaries of time: who threw their watches off the roof to cast their ballot for Eternity outside of Time, alarm clocks fell on their heads every day for the next decade. In the second stanza, Ginsberg evokes the Moloch line after line, like a chant or hymn. The Moloch is clearly a reference to modern society. Once more we discover how the city, still full of hope in Whitmans world, has left modern man destitute: What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? (79). In the modern world, there is no place for outcasts, run as it is by money: Moloch whose buildings are judgment! Moloch whose blood is running money! Whereas Whitman was positive about the city extending its boundaries upwards, in Ginsbergs world this has become a burden: They broke their backs lifting Moloch to Heaven!

The History Of The Bionic Eye

The History Of The Bionic Eye Here, we present a description of a block scheme, specific features of design and results of testing for a prototype of a bionic eye, types of them and its applications. The bionic eye is intended to provide vision, partially to the visually impaired by use of the modern day electronics devices like CCD cameras. The comprises a computer chip that sits in the back of the individuals eye, linked up to a mini video camera built into glasses that they wear. Images captured by the camera are beamed to the chip, which translates them into impulses that the brain can interpret. Although the images produced by the artificial eye were far from perfect, they could be clear enough to allow someone who is otherwise blind to recognize faces. The paper discusses the differences working methodologies used in each of them. During the tests and the clinical trails, this device made six blind people to regain their vision partially. The potential advantage of using bionic eye is to be able to remove t he blindness completely by making the advances in the present research and improving manufacturing technologies. This break through is likely to benefit approximately one crore world population who suffer from the most common causes of blindness, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Macular Degeneration. The implant bypasses the diseased cells in the retina and stimulates the remaining viable cells. This is a revolutionary piece of technology and really has the potential to change peoples lives. But we need to be aware it is still some way in the future. INTRODUCTION A Bionic Eye is a device, which acts as an artificial eye. It is a broad term for the entire electronics system consisting of the image sensors, processors, radio transmitters receivers, and the retinal chip. Based on the institute developed these devices are developed but with minor to major differences, of these the devices with functional capability and those which are clinically tested and results proved are discussed here. Here the designers objective is to go for a system that is technically perfect with no loop holes and that is harmless to the human body which receives the system and that is commercially viable both in terms of ease of manufacture, cost and the process of implanting. Blindness means loss of vision. Rods and Cones, millions of them are in the back of every healthy human eye. They are biological solar cells in the retina that convert light to electrical impulses impulses that travel along the optic nerve to the brain where images are formed. Without them, eyes lose the capacity to see, and are declared blind. Degenerative retinal diseases result in death of photoreceptorsrod-shaped cells at the retinas periphery responsible for night vision and cone-shaped cells at its center responsible for color vision. Worldwide, 1.5 million people suffer from retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the leading cause of inherited blindness. In the Western world, agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of vision loss in people over age 65, and the issue is becoming more critical as the population ages. Each year, 700,000 people are diagnosed with AMD, with 10 percent becoming legally blind, defined by 20/400 vision. Many AMD patients retain some degree of peripheral vision. Currently, there is no effective treatment for most patients with AMD and RP, the researchers say . However, if one could bypass the photoreceptors and directly stimulate the inner retina with visual signals, one might be able to restore some degree of sight. Need for the BIONIC EYE: It has been shown that electric stimulation of retinal neurons can produce perception of light in patients suffering from retinal degeneration. Using this property the eye and make uses of the functional cells to retain the vision with the help of electronic devices that assist this cells in performing the task of vision, we can make these lakhs of people get back their vision at least artially. A design of an optoelectronic retinal prosthesis system that can stimulate the retina with resolution corresponding to a visual acuity of 20/80-sharp enough to orient yourself toward objects, recognize faces, read large fonts, watch TV and, perhaps most important, lead an independent life. The researchers hope their device may someday bring artificial vision to those blind due to retinal degeneration. BIONIC EYE DEFINED: Bionic Eye, Bio Electronic eye, is a device that can provide sight the detection of light. It replaces the functionality of a part or whole of eye. it is used to replace functionality as well as add functionality. It is a complex combination of multiple devices which work together for restoration of the vision of the subject. The Diseases that cause blindness:  Ã‚ ® Retinitis Pigmentosa  Ã‚ ® Macular Degeneration Of these, retinitis pigmentosa is a disease, which is a hereditary genetic disease in which peripheral rods degenerate gradually progresses towards center of eye and results in tunnel vision. As for macular degeneration, it is also genetically related , it degenerates cones in macula region, causing damage to central vision but spares peripheral retina. MIT- HARVARD DEVICE: This device follows an Epi-Retinal Approach. In this Microelectrode array replaces damaged photoreceptors, which act in the place of rods and cones to send the signals to optic nerve. The power source Laser(820nm wavelength). For image acquisition it uses a CCD Camera. Patient spectacle holds the camera and power source. It consists of two systems, system-1 which senses and transmits image and power and other system which stimulates the cells, there by making brain visualize the image. System 1:  Ã‚ ® CCD camera input External light intensity  Ã‚ ® CCD output amplitude-modulates laser source  Ã‚ ® This hits photodiode array of implant  Ã‚ ® This in turn powers stimulator chip (SC) System 2:  Ã‚ ® SC drives current to electrodes facing retina  Ã‚ ® This excites the ganglionic cells > axons > optic nerve > visual cortex in occipital lobe of brain  Ã‚ ® Brain helps in perceiving an image Advantages:  Ã‚ ® Very Early in the visual pathway  Ã‚ ® No Batteries implanted within body  Ã‚ ® No complicated surgical procedure  Ã‚ ® Power Requirement  ¼ of milliwatt Disadvantages  Ã‚ ® Axons b/w electrodes and ganglionic cells  Ã‚ ® Other axons get excited unwanted perception of large blur  Ã‚ ® Extra circuitry required for downstream electrical input Artificial Retina Prosthesis using ASR (Artificial Silicon Retina) ASR is a solid state biocompatible chip which contains an array of photo receptors, and is implanted to replace the functionality of the defective photoreceptors .Current generated by the device in response to light stimulation will alter the membrane potential of the overlying neurons and thereby activate Visual ensationsthoerv iPsuhaolsspyhsetenmes. can be evoked by electrical stimulation of the different levels of the visual pathway. Phosphenes are evoked by the stimulation of the eyeball or the visual cortex. Artificial vision created by the controlled electric stimulation of the retina has color.  Ã‚ ® Epiretinal Approach involves a semiconductor based device positioned on the surface of the retina to try to simulate the remaining overlying cells  Ã‚ ® Sfutbhreerteintianla A pproach involves implanting the ASR chip behind the retina to simulate the remaining viable cells. IMPLANT DESIGN: Primitive devices Single photosensitive pixel(3mm in diameter) Neo devices The current micro photodiode array (MPA) is comprised of a regular array of individual hotodiode subunits, each approximately 20ÃÆ'-20-ÃŽÂ ¼m square and separated by 10-ÃŽÂ ¼m channel stops (37). The resulting micro photodiode density is approximately 1,100/m2. IMPLANT features The size of implant is 50um. And it needs no external power supply. The response 500nm to 1100nm wavelength response. Working: For the technique to work, the patient must still have some functioning ganglion cells nerve cells that transmit visual information from the retinal cells to the optic nerve as well as a fully-functioning optic nerve. A tiny electronic pad is placed onto the retina of one eye, so that the electrodes are in direct contact with the ganglion cells. Each of the devices 100 electrodes can stimulate 20 to 30 cells. Real-time vision: The user wears a pair of glasses that contain a miniature camera and that wirelessly transmits video to a cellphone-sized computer in the wearers pocket. This computer processes the image information and wirelessly transmits it to a tiny electronic receiver implanted in the wearers head. When received in the implanted chip, the digital information is transformed into electrical impulses sent into the ganglion cells. From there, the brain takes over as the information travels down the optic nerve to the visual cortex at the back of the brain. The whole process occurs extremely rapidly, so that patients see in real-time. This is important any noticeable lag could stimulate the vestibular-ocular reflex, making people feel dizzy and sick. Currently recipients of the device experience a relatively narrow view, but more electrodes should provide a greater field of vision. By stimulating more ganglion cells, he hopes that visual acuity will increase dramatically. His teams next goal is to design a device with 1000 electrodes. MANUFACTURING PROCESS: Implants are comprised of a doped and ion-implanted silicon substrate disk to produce a PiN (positive-intrinsic-negative) junction. Fabrication begins with a 7.6-cm diameter semiconductor grade N-type silicon wafer. For the MPA device, a photomask is used to ion-implant shallow P+ doped wells into the front surface of the wafer, separated by channel stops in a pattern of individual micro photodiodes. An intrinsic layer automatically forms at the boundary between the P+-doped wells and the N-type substrate of the wafer. The back of the wafer is then ion-implanted to produce a N+ surface. Thereafter, an insulating layer of silicon nitrate is deposited on the front of the wafer, covering the entire surface except for the well openings. A thin adhesion layer, of chromium or titanium, is then deposited over the P+ and N+ layers. A transparent electrode layer of gold, iridium/iridium oxide, or platinum, is deposited on the front well side, and on the background side. In its simplest form, the photodiode and electrode layers are the same size. However, increasing the photodiode collector to electrode area ratio can increase the current density available at each individual micro photodiode subunit. Post Implant function and Inference.  Ã‚ ®Measurement procedure  Ã‚ ® IR stimulation at 940nm on the ASR chip  Ã‚ ® Recorded at the corneal surface using contact lens electrode  Ã‚ ® Comparison of responses of gold, platinum and iridium electrodes  Ã‚ ® Iridium based device has a longer persistence  Ã‚ ® Stability of these electrodes BIO-COMPATIBILTY RESULTS: There is no progressive change in retinal appearance that may be associated with retinal toxicity. But there is loss of photoreceptive layer over the region of implant, which is expected due to deprival of oxygen and nutrients to those cells underlying the chip. Multiple Unit Artificial Retina Chipset (MARC): The other revolutionary bio electronic eye is the MARC , this uses a ccd camera input and a laser beam or rf to transmit the image into the chip present in the retina using this a resolution of 100 pixels is achieved by using a 1010 array. It consists of a platinum or rubber silicon electrode array placed inside the eye to stimulate the cells. THE MARC SYSTEM BLOCK: Outside Eye: The video input to the marc system block is given through a CCD camera. This image is further processed using a PDA sized image processor to transmit it , we do pulse width modulation in first stage and then ASK modulation is done. This signal is further amplified using a class E power amplifier and transmitted using RF telemetry coils. Inside Eye: The signal received from the RF telemetry coils is power recovered and then these signal is ASK demodulated and the data and clock is recovered from this signals and these signal are sent to the configuration and control block of the chip which from its input decode what information has to be sent to each of the electrodes and sends them this data. And the electrodes in turn stimulate the cells in the eye so as to send this stimulation to the brain through optic nerve and help brain in visualizing the image and while this process is going on the status of each electrode is sent to the marc diagnostics chip outside the eye Block Diagram Of Image Acquisition System: The image acquisition system consists of a CMOS digital camera which acquires images and sends it to the Analog to Digital Converter. It converts this analog input to digital data. This data is first sent into a video buffer where it is processed, the images are color mapped and this processed images are sent through RS232 interface. this serial data is then sent to the electrodes or testing monitor through a RF circuit or laser beam. Marc Hermetic Sealing And Positioning: The RF coils either intra ocular or extra ocular coil arrangement as shown in figure. This rf probes receives the transmitted RF energy and give it to the MARC chip. The AC wires from this coil is sent to the MARC chip. This chip is hermetically sealed in silicone gel and the other sides of the chips have the electrodes, which stimulate the cells in eye. Advantage of the Marc system: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Compact Size 66 mm à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Diagnostic Capability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reduction of stress upon retina Conclusion: Researchers throughout the world have looked for ways to improve peoples lives with artificial, bionic devices. Its been 40 years since Arne Larsson received the first fully implanted cardiac pacemaker. Researchers throughout the world have looked for ways to improve peoples lives with artificial, bionic devices. Bionic devices are being developed to do more than replace defective parts. Researchers are also using them to fight illnesses. Providing power to run bionic implants and making connections to the brains control system pose the two great challenges for biomedical engineering. But what ever be the pro and cons of this system. If this system is fully developed it will change the lives of millions of people around the world. We may not restore the vision fully, but we can help them to least be able to find their way, recognize faces, read books, above all lead an independent life.

Aristotles View of Slavery Essay -- Slave Slavery Aristotle Paper Ess

Born in the year of 384 B.C. Aristotle was seen as conventional for his time, for he regarded slavery as a natural course of nature and believed that certain people were born to be slaves due to the fact that their soul lacked the rational part that should rule in a human being; However in certain circumstances it is evident that Aristotle did not believe that all men who were slaves were meant to be slaves. In his book Politics, Aristotle begins with the Theory of The Household, and it is here that the majority of his views upon slavery are found. With the beginning of Chapter IV, Aristotle's idea of slavery is clearly defined. "The instruments of the household form its stock of property : they are animate and inanimate : the slave is an animate instrument, intended (like all the instruments of the household) for action, and not for productions." This distinction between action and production, is based upon the understanding that 'production' is a course in which a result is desired beyond the immediate act of doing. Where as, the simple act of completing a task is identified as 'action'. Aristotle, who believed that life was action and not production theorized that slaves were instruments of life and were therefore needed to form a complete household. In fact Aristotle went as far as to say that a slave was comparable to a tame animal, with their only divergence in the fact that a slave could apprehend reason. For he concluded that a slave and animals only use was to supply their owners with bodily help. At the end of the Theories of the Household, Aristotle explains how slaves are different from andy other types of people, in the sence that they are the only class who are born into their occupation and become property of their masters. In examining this relationship we find that he thought that while masters were the masters of the slaves, they still held a life other than that of being master; However, Aristotle believed that not only was the slave a slave to his master, but the slave had no other life or purpose than belonging. From this consideration we begin to understand Aristotle's views on the relationship between Master and Slave. At the beginning of Chapter V of the Theory of the Household, the distinct role of master and slave is defined. There is a principle of rule and subordin- ... ... Aristotle we find that he was a man of great curiosity, wisdom and ideas. Although his views on slavery seemed to hold true to the times, he had many variations on the conservative norms and beliefs. He had believed that slavery was a just system where both master and slave were beneficial from this relationship. And with this he thought that by nature, certain people were born to be slaves, yet with these beliefs we find many exceptions, where Aristotle allocates areas to describe those who by chance became slaves but in his opinion were born to be free. And in such incidence where men born free were not fit to be masters Aristotle explained how it would be easier for the master to obtain a steward who was more adept at giving instructions to run the household and leave the master of the house to more prudent issues. We can only guess as to what made Aristotle believe that by the human soul one could delineate whether or not a man was meant to be a slave or a freeman. And with his arguments we find that it was just as difficult for him to make that distinction as well. "Though it is not as easy to see the beauty of the soul as it is to see that of the body."

Physical Layer Of Osi Model :: Networks Telecommunications

Abstract The Physical Layer is the lowest layer of the Open Source Interconnect Model (OSI). It is the layer that deals with all the measurable, physical entities associated with the network. At this layer it is specified how much bandwidth (Baseband or Broadband) will be used in the transmission of data on the network. This layer also includes the physical topology (physical lay out) of the network such as: Bus, Star, Ring or Mesh. The Physical Layer includes these devices: Network Interface Cards (NICs), Transceivers, Hubs, Multistation Access Units (MAUs), Repeaters and Cables. It is at this layer that frames received from the Data Link layer are converted to bits for transmission over the network media to the receiving machines Physical Layer. The Physical Layer defines all electrical and physical specifications for devices. This includes the layout of pins, voltages, and cable specifications. The major functions and services performed by the Physical Layer are: establishment and termination of a connection to a communications medium, participation in the process whereby the communication resources are effectively shared among multiple users, modulation, or conversion between the representation of digital data in user equipment and the corresponding signals transmitted over a communications channel. These are signals operating over the physical cabling copper and fiber optic. ("OSI Model", 2005) "The Physical Layer is special compared to the other layers of the model, because it is the only one where data is physically moved across the network interface. All of the other layers perform useful functions to create messages to be sent, but they must all be transmitted down the protocol stack to the Physical Layer, where they are actually sent out over the network."(Kozierok, 2004) Physical Layer also specifies how much of the media will be used during the data transmission referred to as Baseband or Broadband signaling. 1. Baseband Signaling: Technology in which a network uses all available signal frequencies or the entire bandwidth i.e., Most LAN technologies like Ethernet. 2. Broadband Signaling: Technology in which a network uses only one frequency or a part of the entire bandwidth i.e., multiple signals can be transmitted over a media simultaneously like TV signals, where you have various channels like CNBC, MTV, BBC, each on a different frequency and hence each occupies a part of the bandwidth. (Chandrasekaran, 2002) The Physical Layer also deals with the way a network is laid out which is referred to as the topology of a network.

The Killing Floor :: Essays Papers

The Killing Floor Frank Custer leaves his young family in rural Mississippi in pursuit of industrial employment in the northern â€Å"Promised Land† of Chicago, Illinois. Little did he know about the true extent of the journey he was about to embark on. Initially a move to secure work and improve upon the conditions which surrounded him and his family; Frank was about to change more in his life then just his economical status. Immediately upon arriving in the bustling city, Frank and his close friend Thomas gravitate towards other working class African-Americans with similar backgrounds. Unable to read or write, the two men enlist the aide of their local YMCA in finding jobs at a local meat packing plant. Frank’s first encounters at the packinghouse set the tone for what is to entail. Racial tensions combined with aggressions concerning class associated positions boil just barely beneath the surface on the â€Å"killing floor.† Conditions at the meatpacking plant are considerably less then favorable. The hours are long, the work is backbreaking, and the position in which he works does not pay very well. However, Frank’s compensation for these conditions are his relationships with the other men whom he lives near and works around. Spending his evenings playing cards and talking with the men introduces Frank to more then just a little relaxation; issues about politics, race relations, and especially the â€Å"white man’s union† dominate the colorful conversations. During this time I’m amazed at how Frank refuses to let himself get dragged into blindly believing the popular opinions in which his peers hold. He lives an honest life and pursues in finding the whole story beneath the surface of the current topics. Frank consistently demonstrates that he will not settle with â€Å"keeping his place† as is expected of him. It appears as if the people he encounters from day to day are trying to keep segregation and the â€Å"Old South† alive. His peers along with members of the community are dissatisfied with the decisions and alliances with which Frank is making. They feel that the strides he is taking to improve himself i.e., saving money and purchasing a butcher knife, exhibiting real enthusiasm in learning the tricks of new trades, and joining the â€Å"white man’s union†, are unnecessary and a blatant demonstration of selling out to the white community.

A Dirty Job Chapter 7

7 THANATOAST While Charlie's Beta Male imagination may have often turned him toward timidity and even paranoia, when it came to accepting the unacceptable it served him like Kevlar toilet paper – bulletproof, if a tad disagreeable in application. The inability to believe the unbelievable would not be his downfall. Charlie Asher would never be a bug splattered on the smoky windscreen of dull imagination. He knew that all the things that had happened to him in the last day were outside of the limits of possibility for most people, and since his only corroborating witness was a man who believed himself to be the Emperor of San Francisco, Charlie knew he would never be able to convince anyone that he had been pursued and attacked by giant foulmouthed ravens and then declared the tour guide to the undiscovered country by a sultry oracle in fuck-me pumps. Not even Jane would give him that kind of quarter. Only one person would have, could have, and for the ten-thousandth time he felt Rachel's absence collapsing in his chest like a miniature black hole. Thus, Sophie became his co-conspirator. The tiny kid, dressed in Elmo overalls and baby Doc Martens (courtesy of Aunt Jane), was propped up in her car seat on the breakfast bar next to the goldfish bowl. (Charlie had bought her six big goldfish about the time she'd started to notice moving objects. A girl needs pets. He'd named them after TV lawyers. Currently Matlock was tracking Perry Mason, trying to eat a long strand of fish doo that was trailing out of Perry's poop chute.) Sophie was starting to show some of her mother's dark hair, and if Charlie saw it right, the same expression of bemused affection toward him (plus a drool slick). â€Å"So I am Death,† Charlie said as he tried to construct a tuna-fish sandwich. â€Å"Daddy is Death, sweetie.† He checked the toast, not trusting the pop-up mechanism because the toaster people sometimes just liked to fuck with you. â€Å"Death,† Charlie said as the can opener slipped and he barked his bandaged hand on the counter. â€Å"Dammit!† Sophie gurgled and let loose a happy baby burble, which Charlie took to mean Do tell, Daddy? Please go on, pray tell. â€Å"I can't even leave the house for fear of someone dropping dead at my feet. I'm Death, honey. Sure, you laugh now, but you'll never get into a good preschool with a father who puts people down for their dirt nap.† Sophie blew a spit bubble of sympathy. Charlie popped the toast up manually. It was a little rare, but if he pushed it down again it would burn, unless he watched it every second and popped it up manually again. So now he'd probably be infected with some rare and debilitating undercooked toast pathogen. Mad toast disease! Fucking toaster people. â€Å"This is the toast of Death, young lady.† He showed her the toast. â€Å"Death's toast.† He put the toast on the counter and went back to attacking the tuna can. â€Å"Maybe she was speaking figuratively? I mean, maybe the redhead just meant that I was, you know, deadly boring.† Of course that didn't really explain all the other weird stuff that had been happening. â€Å"You think?† he asked Sophie. He looked for an answer and the kid was wearing that Rachelesque smart-ass grin (minus teeth). She was enjoying his torment, and strangely enough, he felt better knowing that. The can opener slipped again, spurting tuna juice on his shirt and sending his toast scooting to the floor, and now there was fuzz on it. Fuzz on his toast! Fuzz on the toast of Death. What the hell good was it to be the Lord of the Underworld if there was fuzz on your underdone toast. â€Å"Fuck!† He snatched the toast from the floor and sent it sailing by Sophie into the living room. The baby followed it with her eyes, then looked back at her father with a delighted squeal, as if saying, Do it again, Daddy. Do it again! Charlie picked her up out of the car seat and held her tight, smelling her sour-sweet baby smell, his tears squeezing out onto her overalls. He could do this if Rachel was here, but he couldn't, he wouldn't, without her. He just wouldn't go out. That was the solution. The only way to keep the people of San Francisco safe was to stay in his apartment. So for the next four days he stayed in the apartment with Sophie, sending Mrs. Ling from upstairs out for groceries. (And he was accumulating a fairly large collection of vegetables for which he had no name nor any idea of how to prepare, as Mrs. Ling, regardless of what he put on the list, always did her shopping in the markets of Chinatown.) And after two days, when a new name appeared on the message pad next to his bed, Charlie responded by hiding the message pad under the phone book in a kitchen drawer. It was on day five that he saw the shadow of a raven against the roof entrance of the building across the street. At first he wasn't sure whether it was a giant raven, or just a normal-sized raven projecting a shadow, but when he realized that it was noon and any normal shadow would be cast straight down, the tiny raven of denial vanished in a wisp. He pulled the blinds on that side of the apartment and sat in the locked bedroom with Sophie, a box of Pampers, a basket of produce, a six-pack each of baby formula and orange soda, and hid out until the phone rang. â€Å"What do you think you're doing?† said a very deep man's voice on the other end of the line. â€Å"Are you insane?† Charlie was taken aback; from the caller ID, he'd expected a wrong number. â€Å"I'm eating this thing I think is either a melon or a squash.† He looked at the green thing, which tasted like a melon but looked more like a squash, with spikes. (Mrs. Ling had called it â€Å"shut-up-and-eat-it-good-for-you.†) The man said, â€Å"You're screwing up. You have a job to do. Do what the book says or everything that means anything to you will be taken away. I mean it.† â€Å"What book? Who is this?† Charlie asked. He thought the voice sounded familiar, and it immediately sent him into alarm mode for some reason. â€Å"I can't tell you that, I'm sorry,† said the man. â€Å"I really am.† â€Å"I've got caller ID, you nit. I know where you're calling from.† â€Å"Oops,† said the man. â€Å"You should have thought of that. What kind of ominous power of darkness do you think you are if you don't even block caller ID?† The little readout on the phone said Fresh Music and a number. Charlie called the number back but no one answered. He ran to the kitchen, dug the phone book out of the drawer, and looked up Fresh Music. It was a record store off upper Market in the Castro district. The phone rang again and he grabbed the handset off the counter so violently he nearly chipped a tooth in answering. â€Å"You merciless bastard!† Charlie screamed into the phone. â€Å"Do you have any idea what I've been going through, you heartless monster!† â€Å"Well, fuck you, Asher!† Lily said. â€Å"Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I don't have feelings.† And she hung up. Charlie called back. â€Å"Asher's Secondhand,† Lily answered, â€Å"family-owned by bourgeoisie douche waffles for over thirty years.† â€Å"Lily, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else. What did you call about?† â€Å"Moi?† Lily said. â€Å"Je me fous de ta gueule, espce de gaufre de douche.† â€Å"Lily, stop speaking French. I said I was sorry.† â€Å"There's a cop down here to see you,† she said. Charlie had Sophie strapped to his chest like a terrorist baby bomb when he came down the back steps. She had just gotten to the point where she could hold up her head, so he had strapped her in face-out so she could look around. The way her arms and legs waved around as Charlie walked, she looked as if she was skydiving and using a skinny nerd as a parachute. The cop stood at the counter opposite Lily, looking like a cognac ad in an Italian-cut double-breasted suit in indigo raw silk with a buff linen shirt and yellow tie. He was about fifty, Hispanic, lean, with sharp facial features and the aspect of a predatory bird. His hair was combed straight back and the gray streaks at the temples made it appear that he was moving toward you even when he stood still. â€Å"Inspector Alphonse Rivera,† the cop said, extending his hand. â€Å"Thanks for coming down. The young lady said you were working last Monday night.† Monday. The day he'd battled the ravens back in the alley, the day the pale redhead had come into the store. â€Å"You don't have to tell him anything, Asher,† Lily said, obviously renewing her loyalty in spite of his douche wafflosity. â€Å"Thanks, Lily, why don't you take a break and go see how things are going in the abyss.† She grumbled, then got something out of the drawer under the register, presumably her cigarettes, and retreated out the back door. â€Å"Why isn't that kid in school?† Rivera asked. â€Å"She's special,† Charlie said. â€Å"You know, homeschooled.† â€Å"That what makes her so cheerful?† â€Å"She's studying the Existentialists this month. Asked for a study day last week to kill an Arab on the beach.† Rivera smiled and Charlie relaxed a little. He produced a photograph from his breast pocket and held it out to Charlie. Sophie made as if to grab it. The photograph was of an older gentleman in his Sunday best standing on the steps of a church. Charlie recognized the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul, which was just a few blocks away on Washington Square. â€Å"Did you see this man Monday night? He was wearing a charcoal overcoat and a hat that night.† â€Å"No, I'm sorry. I didn't,† Charlie said. And he hadn't. â€Å"I was here in the store until about ten. We had a few customers, but not this fellow.† â€Å"Are you sure? His name is James O'Malley. He isn't well. Cancer. His wife said he went out for a walk about dusk Monday night and he never came back.† â€Å"No, I'm sorry,† Charlie said. â€Å"Did you ask the cable-car operator?† â€Å"Already talked to the guys working this line that night. We think he may have collapsed somewhere and we haven't found him. It doesn't look good after this long.† Charlie nodded, trying to look thoughtful. He was so relieved that the cop wasn't here about anything connected with him that he was almost giddy. â€Å"Maybe you should ask the Emperor – you know him, right? He sees more of the nooks and crannies of the city than most of us.† Rivera cringed at the mention of the Emperor, but then relaxed into another smile. â€Å"That's a good idea, Mr. Asher. I'll see if I can track him down.† He handed Charlie a card. â€Å"If you remember anything, give me a call, would you?† â€Å"I will. Uh, Inspector,† Charlie said, and Rivera paused a few steps from the counter, â€Å"isn't this sort of a routine case for an inspector to be investigating?† â€Å"Yes, normally uniform personnel would handle something like this, but it may relate to something else I'm working on, so you get me instead.† â€Å"Oh, okay,† Charlie said. â€Å"Beautiful suit, by the way. Couldn't help noticing. It's my business.† â€Å"Thanks,† Rivera said, looking at his sleeves, a little wistful. â€Å"I had a short run of good fortune a while back.† â€Å"Good for you,† Charlie said. â€Å"It passed,† Rivera said. â€Å"Cute baby. You two take care, huh?† And he was out the door. Charlie turned to go back upstairs and nearly ran into Lily. She had her arms crossed under the â€Å"Hell Is Other People† logo on her T-shirt and was looking even more judgmental than usual. â€Å"So, Asher, you have something you want to tell me?† â€Å"Lily, I don't have time for – â€Å" She held out the silver cigarette case that the redhead had given him. It was still glowing red. Sophie was reaching for it. â€Å"What?† Charlie said. Could Lily see it? Was she picking up on the weird glow? Lily opened the case and pushed it into Charlie's face. â€Å"Read the engraving.† James O'Malley, read the ornate script. Charlie took a step back. â€Å"Lily, I can't – I don't know anything about that old man. Look, I have to get Mrs. Ling to watch Sophie and get over to the Castro. I'll explain later, okay? I promise.† She thought about it for a second, staring at him accusingly, like she'd caught him feeding Froot Loops to her bte noire, and then relented. â€Å"Go,† she said.

Women’s Right to be Educated

Before the Revolutionary War education was undergoing many changes. One of these changes was that many people, like the Puritans, felt that education was the key to help a person be successful in life. The idea was that if you were successful in life, then you would be spiritually successful also. The only problem with the Puritan's ideas was that it left out women. For a woman, in order to be successful, she had to raise her family in the way of the Church, and obey her husband. If she were to do this, she would achieve spiritual success. But the philosophy was mainly focused on the breadwinners of the family. A woman's role in society was not as noticeable to achieve merit. Their primary role was to stay at home and take care of the children. Also, they would help their husband in many of his daily activities. Women were being excluded from education, society, and power. The turning point for women though, was the Revolutionary War. Many women were left at home to take care of all of the responsibilities around the house or farm. With this new set of responsibilities, women began to think a little bit. They began to wonder why they hadn't been able to obtain any sort of social power. The fact remains that women had no power at this time because of historical reasons. Historically men had been the heads of the household. And with the strong religious beliefs of the time women couldn't change that. The Bible was a clear-cut answer to who should run the home. A woman's function from the perspective of the Bible was to be a mother and to be obedient to their husbands. Women didn't need education in order to be mothers and or to be obedient. Women had been educated before the turn of the Revolutionary War. But the education they were getting was not equal to that of the men or clergy. Really, the only education they were getting was the education that was taking place in the Church, separated from men. Before the War, women had a 40% literacy rate. This meant that 40% of the women's population could sign their name. They were only allowed to learn about the Bible and their religion. So historically women only needed enough education in order to stay at home and do domestic labor, and also to take care of their children. Secondly, men had been supporting the family for centuries. So all in all women had no power whatsoever. They had no voice in society, except for the raising of the children and the instillment of morality over their children. This would later be helpful as women started teaching. Before the War women had been dependent upon men. Now that the men were gone fighting, the women had no choice but to take over the responsibilities of supporting the family. This caused women to start thinking about their situation. They started to wonder why it was that they could do everything a man could do now, but they weren't being treated as though they were equal. They had no education, no power, no voice, and were now supporting the family. After the War was over some very interesting social groups popped up. One of these groups was called the Loyal Citizens. The Loyal Citizens group was a woman's group that was formed in order to uphold the â€Å"Republican Motherhood†. The basic idea here was that women should shape their sons in the image of the Republic. Also, the mothers should shape their daughters to become good Republican Mothers. This and other groups would be a powerful influence on the unification of women. For one of the first times we see women joining together in a common voice. Women are starting to understand that they aren't going to get anywhere unless they are unified. Meanwhile many schools were developing with the intention to educate women. The economy was booming which created many job openings for men. This left a void to be filled in the schools. For the private schools this meant that they weren't going to be able to stay open unless they were able to fill the open spots. So in order to fill the need, many women were educated in Proprietary schools. The education in these schools was not the same as the education in an all-male school. These schools were actually beauty and technical schools. Although, women were not receiving the same education as men, the education they were receiving would also have a large impact on the unification of women. Education at this time was responsible for unifying the country and shaping children as talked about in previous papers. With the education of women starting to be accepted, there was an explosion of girls schools called academies. This was around 1807-1808. The purpose of the academies was to teach grammar and etiquette. Some of them were actually finishing schools. Academies were a huge step for women's education. Women finally had a school that they could call their own. As women became educated, men started to wonder if women's education would interfere with their opportunities. The argument was made that education would not make women discontent with their roles in life, but instead would lead them to accept their place in society more easily. Here it is obvious to see that the women are having to justify their education to the men in order to continue. Women's education is still not accepted among society because the people in power, who were men, heavily influenced society. Hence, women still had little opportunity to do anything with this newfound education. In the early part of the 19th century, many of the common schools were undergoing dramatic changes. With such an onslaught of women becoming educated, there would soon be a large percentage of women who would need jobs. As the common schools began to increase in size, the demand for teachers rose. The women that had recently found education would soon meet the demand for teachers. One of the reasons for this was that women could be given less pay than men. And education was in great demand with the signing of the Northwest Ordinance. The majority of women's teaching was at the elementary school level. They would have approximately 40 to 100 kids all of whom were between the ages of 3 and 16. The only qualification that a woman needed to teach was that she had to have graduated from elementary school. With little education, women would start teaching with as little as 1 week of training in etiquette. In 1839 Horace Mann would come back from Europe and start to influence the way teachers were being educated. He developed the Normal School. It would teach the basic methods of teaching. He borrowed these methods from the Prussian education system. Later, in 1861 the Oswego Normal School would be a forerunner of all of the Normal Schools by placing even more emphasis on the learning of teaching methods. Normal Schools became an outlet for women. They could be educated to become teachers because society's views were changing. Finally in 1837, Oberlin College started accepting women and African Americans. Economically it had become cheaper to educate both the girls and boys. Society had become more egalitarian because of this push for women to educate themselves. But equality was far away. Society had changed. There was a need for women to come out of the home and into the workplace. But was this for the best. Women today still struggle to find equality in the workplace. Society, which was run by men, allowed women to come out of the home and to teach. So women did make a great stride in the right direction, but only because they were let to go there. Margaret Haley was an activist for women's power and a vehement supporter of teacher's unions. She noticed that women had no power and were still confined by the bounds that were placed upon them by men. Examples of this were that women would have to report to male administrators and were constantly scrutinized by men. She wanted to level the playing field by empowering women. She was also responsible for the American Federation of Teachers, which would later be known as the AFLCIO. With women being educated, the only thing left for them to do was to gain power and to someday give society the gentle touch of a woman. Women had learned the role of the Republican Mothers. There was no better way to teach a child than to have a woman who already understood their role as a mother. This role would be to shape the children they would teach into sons and daughters of America. Women were the perfect teachers. They had been teaching their own children for years how to be moral and responsible citizens. Through their struggle women eventually won their suffrage and would have a larger voice in the country. But even today there are still ripples from the pond that reach us. Women still struggle daily with trying to achieve total equality. Hopefully, they will win their fight!

Nationalism Is a Modern Form of Consciousness

A few weeks ago the topic of nationalism was presented to me. So I asked myself â€Å"What is nationalism? † and â€Å"How did it come about? † This led me to an essay stating that â€Å"Nationalism is a modern form of consciousness (Greenfeld 2006: 64-92). † It went on to say that â€Å"Nationalism is the constitutive element of modernity and it provides the foundational form of consciousness in all societies defined as nations (Greenfeld 1992: 3-26). † With this brief insight on nationalism I wrote this paper. This essay will discuss the proposed question ‘Nationalism is a modern form of consciousness.What role(s) do you think that this form of consciousness play(s) in the identity of Caribbean people? Do you think that this modern form of consciousness contributes to the motivation of Caribbean people? ’ But before we talk about nationalism in the Caribbean we must take into consideration the history of the Caribbean in order to identify th e role that this form of consciousness plays in the identity of Caribbean people. While growing up, I can vividly remember my primary school teacher, Mrs Khan, stating that â€Å"The Caribbean is a group of small islands encircled by the Caribbean Sea†.That same afternoon I asked my mother about the small islands makes up the Caribbean and how far are they from Trinidad. She told me that â€Å"The Caribbean is made up of countries such as Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Island (BVI), Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Christopher & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines and the republic of Trinidad and Tobago and that they share a common history.It is enriched with variety of cultures, religion and dialects, which were mixed and created new forms such French Patois; that’s why the Caribbean is comprises of such rich diversity. † This information encouraged me to dig deeper and find out more about nationalism and to my astonishment I realised that there are multiple perceptions on the theory of nationalism. These perceptions varied because of the overall modifications in life and the roles that different persons took on the idea of nationalism.Nationalism, a modern form of consciousness, emerged in the sixteenth century after the War of Rose in England (Greenfeld 1992: 3-87). This war resulted in the annihilation of the aristocracy creation a void at the top of the social pyramid which needed to be filled thus a new aristocracy. This new aristocracy was comprised of talented and educated individuals of the lower social strata. Although I had all these information the question still remained â€Å"What is nationalism and how it related to the Caribbean? Ernest Gellner (1964) stated that nationalism â€Å"invents nations where they do not exist even if it helps to have some pre-existing cultural traits. † He went on to say that the nation has become a sociologica l necessity for modern, industrial society. This form of modernisation eats away traditional society and its role relationships, uprooting and mobilising the peasants and swelling the cities. These urbanised peasants and workers who experience discrimination formed a new nation of their own and consequently, nationalism generates new nations. Now I’m faced with a new question â€Å"What is a nation? According to dictionary reference a nation is â€Å"a large body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to possess a government peculiarly its own. † Eric Hobsbawm (1994) viewed the nation as an invented tradition. He argued that in order to understand the concept of nationalism this invented tradition must be explored. Furthermore, she understood that the fundamental part of nationalism is the nation. The perception of nationalism deals with the creation of consciousness of human mind, shared beliefs, popu lar sovereignty and equality.This then led me to think that nationalism has play role in the Caribbean identity. When discussing the historical background of the Caribbean you should know the difference between individualistic nationalism and collectivism. Before the 19th century, most of the Caribbean islands were colonized by the European Union such as Great Britain, France, Spain and Portugal to a lesser extent. The enslaved individuals of these colonies fought against the whites for improved working conditions among others.This is one of the examples whereby enslaves individuals felt that mental consciousness. Together they saw they needed a better life and so showed resistance. After the emancipation of slavery and countries obtaining their independence the beginning of nationalism has been felt greatly by countries. For example, in my birth country, Trinidad and Tobago, a French Creole, Andrew Arthur Cipriani, , was responsible for the beginning of national consciousness. He w as responsible for the formation of the Workingmen’s Association, now called Trinidad Labor Party.The party’s motto â€Å"Agitate, Educate, Confederate† motivated individuals to overthrow the Euro-British Colonialism which appealed to their sovereignty. Now there is a place called Cipriani Boulevard in honour of Andrew Arthur Cipriani contribution in Trinidad and Tobago nationalism. Additionally, many countries migrated to foreign investment for economical stability to maintain their nation shows that this form of modern consciousness has been developed. A contribution of nationalism that is currently growing throughout the Caribbean is loyalty.People are becoming more and more devoted to their individual countries which are seen especially around independence time. For instance, in Grenada most buildings are decorated in their national colours and children are being educated about the history of Grenada. This gives them a sense of who they are as a country. Bef ore, people of various countries would wear their flags in an unmannerly fashion and no one would say anything but now they wear it with pride. This modern form of consciousness also brought about by the political directorate and the trade unions. Individuals such as Dr.Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago, T. A. Marryshow of Grenada and Jacob of Guyana are but a few who promoted self-reliance and walking together for the betterment of each other and it played a profound role in Caribbean identity. Some of the things within the Caribbean that contribute to the identity of the Caribbean people are education, sports, CARICOM/ CSME and the CCJ. In education there are areas such as University of the West Indies (UWI) and Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) which contributed to the Caribbean identity and who we are today. In sports there are areas such as cricket.The West Indies cricket whether they are winning or losing is a major factor that influenced Caribbean identity. Dr. Hon Denzi l Douglas the Prime Minister and St. Kitt’s and Nevis stated that , the West Indies cricket team removed the Caribbean from the clutches of colonialism and that is the real form of nationalism Nationalism, a modern form of consciousness, has contributed to the motivation of the Caribbean people. For instance, after the abolition of slavery ex-slaves educated themselves to the highest level possible as well as their children because they did not want them to be like them.Many times I questioned why it is my parents are pushing us to attain the highest possible educational level and now after reading and researching for this paper I see the importance of an education. They also were motivated to cease free labour and to acquire better paying jobs so that they can provide for their families. I concur that nationalism played an important role in the shaping of the people of the Caribbean. The Caribbean people rebelled against their oppressions for betterment. Thus, it can be said that nationalism a modern form of consciousness did play apart in the development of Caribbean countries identity.Bibliography Gellner, E. (1964). Nationalism. Greenfeld, L. (1992). Nationalism as the Cultural Foundation of Modern experience. 3-87. Greenfeld, L. (1992). Nationalism as the cultural foundation of modern experience . 3-26. Greenfeld, L. , & Malczewski, E. (2006). Nationalism as the cultural foundation of modern experience . 64-92. Hobsbawm, E. (1994). Nationalism. References Nation. (n. d. ). Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved March 18, 2013, from Dictionary. com website: http://dictionary. reference. com/browse/nation

What Have You Found Interesting About Churchill’s Use Of Language In The Following Extract

The extract I have chosen to analyse is from the Methuen book, Top Girls, page 111 (When Mrs.Kidd enters) through until when she leaves towards the end of page 112. During this extract the audience is exposed to two major differing social classes. Mrs.Kidd is a vast contrast to Marlene, as she is very well spoken, whereas Marlene's language is a little less appropriate for the workplace. It is obvious that the two characters are of differing social classes, due to their names. Mrs.Kidd is the only person in the play given a surname, and her forename is Rosemary, which illustrates a middle class background. Marlene, on the contrary is a name more associated with working class backgrounds, as shown in a hit television series called, â€Å"Only Fools and Horses† in which a woman of working class background is represented. I think that the two woman represent the two main social groups of the nineteen eighties England, one a middle class housewife completely supportive of her husband and traditionalist views on ‘a woman's place' in society, and the other a working class career woman who has made her own way to success, without the aid of a man, she is in Mrs.Kidd's eyes anyway, â€Å"†¦one of those ball breakers/†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mrs.Kidd's intentions are unclear to Marlene until she comes straight with it, she says to Marlene, â€Å"The fact is he's in a state of shock. About what's happened.† Marlene is surprised and doesn't understand what she means, until she explains exactly what she means, â€Å"I'm referring to you being appointed director instead of Howard.† Marlene replies to Howard's sleeping problems with sarcasm, â€Å"Has he thought of taking sleeping pills.† I think that Churchill implies that Marlene doesn't really care and that it isn't her problem. Mrs.Kidd then goes on to say that Howard deserved the job, because he'd, â€Å"†¦worked all these years.† Experience, however isn't as important in the modern era of work, when qualifications bear more significance on a job application than experience. Marlene refers to this as one of business' ‘little setbacks'. I think that Churchill attempts to make this line into a very poignant moment, as Marlene herself had a setback in the form of her daughter, Angie, whom she gave up to her elder sister, which enabled her to bounce back. I think that the poignancy would be lost as the conversation would be acted at a furious pace and the audience wouldn't have sufficient time to react and sympathise with Marlene. Marlene takes a very professional approach to the conversation, using formal language and keeping her cool throughout the conversation, and ensures that Mrs.Kidd lowers the tone, so that she cannot be reprimanded by her senior colleagues, for dealing with the situation incorrectly. Mrs.Kidd comes across as being very discriminatory towards her own sex, when she says, â€Å"What's it going to do to him working for a woman?† This question implies that Mrs.Kidd doesn't believe in equality in the workplace and again reinforces her middle class traditionalistic views on a woman's place in society. Marlene's reply is a controlled sign of her frustration at Mrs.Kidd's ignorance towards the state of the modern workplace. I think that Mrs.Kidd's next lines show that Churchill doesn't wish to show her as an individual, but more as a part or possession of her husband, Howard. Marlene sympathises with Howard, saying that she'll be tactful and pleasant, but for Mrs.Kidd, this isn't enough, she takes it too far by saying, â€Å"I think it is different, because he's a man.† I think that this bold statement enrages Marlene, but she manages to bottle up her emotions. I think this is also used by Churchill to display to the audience Mrs.Kidd's naivety to the modern workplace. Marlene appears beleaguered in her response, â€Å"I'm not quite sure why you came to see me.† As she feels that Mrs.Kidd has not achieved anything positive and has merely made a fool of herself and her husband. Mrs.Kidd appears to have realised that she hasn't achieved anything, and is almost giving up, when she says, â€Å"I had to do something.† I think that Marlene attempts to sympathise with Mrs.Kidd, when she says, â€Å"I'm sorry he's taking it out on you. He really is a shit, Howard.† Because she uses derogatory language towards him, I think she is blaming Howard and trying to tell Mrs.Kidd that it isn't her problem entirely, and that Howard needs to deal with his own problems. Mrs.Kidd then tries to deploy another weapon, emotional blackmail, she says, â€Å"But he's got a family to support.† Implying that they need the money more than Marlene, who is a single woman. Then she suggests that Marlene gives up the job, saying, â€Å"It's only fair.† I think this inference sends Marlene into a state of shock as she replies, â€Å"Are you suggesting I give up the job to him then?† Mrs.Kidd thinks that Marlene has finally taken heed of what she has said and that she has succeeded in her quest to gain her husband the job. Marlene becomes confrontational and has no time for Mrs.Kidd, when Mrs.Kidd says, â€Å"I'm not asking.† Even though she blatantly is, to which Marlene replies sarcastically and goes on to tell her that, â€Å"If he doesn't like what's happening here he can go and work somewhere else.† Mrs.Kidd now becomes enraged and starts hurling abuse at Marlene, but the language has no effect on Marlene, who eventually says, â€Å"Could you please piss off.† Although this is abusive, I think that Churchill wants it to have the effect of displaying to the audience that Marlene is in control of the situation and is very calm and calculating in her response. I think that this scene bears great significance on the play as it displays Marlene's professionalism and ability to cope with the workplace and problems. The extract also illustrates intentions of satirizing the middle class of the time and the Thatcherists, like Marlene.

Why should the indigenous languages of Panama be preserved Research Paper

Why should the indigenous languages of Panama be preserved - Research Paper Example bout a half of the indigenous populations of the state, and are thus an important facet of the existing agitation for state recognition and subsequent preservation of indigenous languages. A majority of these tribes do inhabit administrative regions – Comarca indigenas – that are present in areas with considerable Indian populations (Indigenous Groups of Panama, 2014). Concerning these administrative regions, three main comarcas exist, which are equated to a province. Two others, which are smaller, are subordinate to another of the state’s provinces, hence being considered as equating to a municipality. The sheer presence of these five regions of administration, supporting the minority populations, which make up Panama’s indigenous people, ought to be enough reason for government concern and consideration. This is in respect to not only considering, but also protecting and further enhancing the rights of these indigenous populations; of which one avenue would be the preservation of their languages and/ dialects. These indigenous languages include the Ngà ¤be-Bugle and Kuna languages (spoken by the majority), in addition to the Embera, Wounaan, Naso-Teribe, and Bri-bri languages (Major Languages of Panama, 2014). Comprising of seven indigenous nations living within the Republic of Panama, as the agency – IWGIA (2012) provides, these include the Bugle, Kuna, Ngabe, Wounaan, Bri-bri, Embera and the Naso Tjerdi. As a minority, they have and continued being fundamentally influenced by the Spanish Influence traceable to the reign of the Spanish Empire in Latin America. As a result, Spanish (Latino) is the most-widely spoken of languages, not only in the Panama Republic, but the larger Latin American region. With the advent of Spanish colonization and influence role, the Catholic Church’s reach attesting to this being the fact that majority of Latin Americans are Catholics. This religious influence, augmented by Spanish socio-cultural, political and economic