Saturday, August 3, 2019

Stop Abortions Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Pro Choice Life Essay

Stop Abortions On January 22, 1973 the court decision of Roe vs. Wade stated that approved processes of abortion are legalized until viability, which is the point at which the fetus is capable of surviving outside the mother’s body. The decision allows individual states to regulate or ban abortion after viability except, however, when necessary to protect the life or physical well-being of the mother (10 Important1). It has been almost thirty years since that solemn day where a nation, built on the natural right of life to all of its citizens, allowed the intentional and legal termination of an unborn child. Immediately after that event, opposition to the newfound law felt that it would have to appeal and overturn the decision within a short time to avoid the practice from becoming infused into the nation too firmly. As years passed the judicial system worsened the situation with less stringent regulations. Almost every third baby conceived in America is being terminated (Willke2). But as time passes America has realized that pro-life supporters are still fighting and making progress. Pro-choice advocates have spelled out many arguments campaigning against pro-lifers and attempting to justify this blatant destruction of a child. I will attempt to nullify the validity of these arguments to the students of State University and display alternatives to this inhumane practice. The decision of Roe vs. Wade on January 22, 1973 has been a terrible burden on the United States and should be seriously reconsidered. Abortion, specifically partial birth abortion, is a malicious act towards a living human that deserves life as much as a full grown adult. Abortion Methods As abortions became more and more prevalent in Ameri... ... of the methods of abortion so adoption should always be considered. Women want to be respected and feel that they have a right to choose as to whether they have a child or not. I say that why can we not respect them both: the mother and child? Why can we not show compassion for these women in this situation and love the child who is at stake as well. We must educate society of the alternatives to benefit all parties involved. Works Cited â€Å"10 Important Facts About Abortion.† Act Now. Dec 8 2002. â€Å"Partial Birth Abortion: Is it Really Happening?† Abortion Facts. Dec 8 2002. Willke, J.C. â€Å"25 Years of Loving Them Both.† Abortion Facts. July 1997. Dec 8 2002.

Global Pollution Essay -- Environment, Environmental Issues

Pollution is a growing issue in the world and is the major cause that contributes to many environmental problems. What is usually classified as pollution, what kind of pollution is present in the world, and what the people are doing to deal with this pollution issue in the world. There are several problems with world pollution that are associated with global warming and include waste disposal, water pollution, and air pollution. These things are usually caused by people on the planet who produce waste. This has been a growing complication and is (omit) now been taken as a serious issue. Solutions to these situations have been considered to keep the Earth and all the things in it. One of the situations that are involved with world pollution is waste disposal. There are many ways in which garbage or other materials are disposed of, which involves the most obvious solution, and the one most commonly used, is simply to bury those wastes underground, often in metal drums or concrete containers. This method of disposal has any several drawbacks, however. For example, drums and containers break open, leaking hazardous chemicals into the groundwater. People living near hazardous waste sites are then exposed to those chemicals in their drinking water, through food grown on the land, or in other ways. Since people of color and low-income people tend to live near hazardous waste sites far more often than do more affluent white people, hazardous waste disposal is a problem of special concern to those communities (Newton). Another way used to dispose of waste is through incineration. This method requires very close monitoring, since the ashes and smoke can still be just as hazardous as its physical form. Burning wastes at very high ... ...e environment that have had an influence on the habitats of many organisms. Most of these pollution incidents have a negative effect on both our environment and economy, which deals with how food is produced and how it is affected by pollution. Water has also been influenced negatively by the overcoming waste that is manufactured by people and certain businesses and when it is polluted by garbage, there is nothing that is done until it becomes a problem. Everyone in the world contributes to pollution, every single nation, person, and establishment, has some contribution to pollution. The only solution to the widespread of pollution can only be to produce better and more efficient ways of providing power for our everyday needs. The resources used mainly cause’s pollution, since every nation uses their own resources that (omit) have an influence on the environment.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Obesity and Consumerism in American Culture Essay

America’s obesity and weight management problems have plagued health practitioners for decades. More recently, however, these same problems have been the subject of much interest among social scientists who were compelled to look at obesity as a social and cultural phenomenon. Apparently, obesity among Americans is not only a health problem but a â€Å"growing† social and cultural problem as well, affecting approximately 30 percent of the population. (Seiders & Petty, 2004) Indeed, larger waistlines are becoming the ubiquitous signs of American culture, along with fastfood chains that connote unhealthy eating habits and overeating. Despite the dire health consequences arising from higher cholesterol levels and increased risk to cardiovascular diseases, the majority of America’s citizens keep gaining weight, in what seems to be a drive to make obesity the norm rather than the exception. Unfortunately, the obesity phenomenon is but a symptom of greater problems besetting American society. Freund and Martin (2005) notes that the problem is inextricably linked to patterns of hyperconsumption and unsustainable consumerist attitudes. The authors contend that hyperconsumption is mainly characterized by the compression in space and time while at the same time increasing the intensity in consumption. (p. 4) It thus comes without surprise that McDonald’s supersized meal orders have become synonymous with American consumerism as the fast food culture encourages overeating despite time and space constraints for the consuming public. (Ritzer, 2000) Unhealthy lifestyle choices have therefore come to define the American way of life, centered on unhealthy consumption patterns, lack of activity and exercise, and overexposure to giant food companies’ marketing ploys through the mass media. Generation after generation of Americans are born and raised to become obese individuals, as Pollan (2007) observes that food companies manage to influence the consumption values of even young children through careful advertisement targeting. It is safe to assume that these values and patterns of consumption will be cemented early and have an effect later in these children’s lives. Early conditioning among children of unhealthy, heavily processed, food choices almost insures that these would become part of individual habit that would be difficult to change later on. Clearly, the effects of obesity not only on individuals but on society as a whole should be a cause for concern. Aside from the obvious health-related risks that being overweight poses on individuals such as heart and cardiovascular problems, the indirect costs in terms of financial distress and counterproductivity must be accounted for. Likewise, the effects of weight management problems on the psychosocial well-being and social functioning of individuals cannot be underestimated. Ironically, increasing obesity serves to reinforce consumerist attitudes wherein a burgeoning slimming industry has appeared by taking advantage of America’s growing collective insecurity and poor body image. Desparate to lose weight, Americans are led to more consumption, this time of fad diets and slimming pills that promise miracles and often have serious side effects. Thus, obesity is not only symptomatic of America’s dysfunctional attitude towards consumption. It is a poor reflection on the entire American culture that an increasing majority of its members are seen as lacking in control or having poor eating habits and inadequate nutrition information inspite of the huge sum of money that the government spends for health promotion. Works Cited: Freund, P. & G. Martin (2005). Fast cars/fast foods: Hyperconsumerism and its health and environmental consequences. New Jersey: Montclaire State University. Downloaded on 12/16/07 from www.cnsjournal.org Seiders, K. & R.D. Petty (2004). Obesity and the role of food marketing: A policy analysis of issues and remedies. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 23(2): 153-169. Pollan, Michael. The Way We Live Now: You are What You Grow. The New York Times, April 22, 2007. Ritzer, G. (2000). The McDonaldization of Society. California: Pine Forge.   

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Psychology/Theology Essay

What is theory of personhood? The concept of personhood is very important in our daily life in terms of the perception of the surrounding environment and human beings in general. Personhood provides assistance in understanding and establishing priorities and attitudes towards such critical issues as punishment, medicine, crime, moral values, private property, etc. Undoubtedly, people only are capable of hesitating and doubting. The idea of personhood itself remains rather intangible as it is being influenced by a significant number of various factors such as political, social, cultural, and educational conditions of life. Therefore, the theory of personhood has been impacted by different scholarly points of view, both psychological and theological. Psychologists argue that the theory of personhood greatly depends on what is called â€Å"intentionality†, which also includes the phenomenon of â€Å"intention†. Intentionality is more precise and less abstract than human attitudes, desires, wishes, and beliefs. They are not based on emotions or impulsive/enthusiastic mental activity. They are to great extend associated with strong motivation or ultimate goal. However, in the majority of cases people are not aware of why they want particular thing/object/person, which makes the issues of personhood extremely unclear. (Brown 2006). If to take a closer look at the theory of personhood from the point of view of theology and spirituality, this concept is closely connected with upbringing and early education – the period of human consciousness formation and establishment of basic surrounding physical and mental laws. The theory of personhood in this case includes three key features: Personal â€Å"self† (consciousness) linked to â€Å"objectivity† (surrounding environment), that includes palpable objectivities and imaginative models. The line between these two aspects varies depending on personal priorities. Personal â€Å"self† as monitoring hierarchy. Considering that you have awakened from a night dream or that the vision you see is an abstract illusion developed from your mental activity and imagination. Personal â€Å"self† as a stable mental condition in the form of one’s â€Å"biographic† character. (Brown 2006). If we talk about the history of ideas, we observe the systems of beliefs regarding objective reality that have considerably changed during the course of the years. Ordinary people do not pay descent attention to it as, for instance, Aristotle’s period beliefs and the fifteenth-century Scandinavian countries have been thoroughly studied exceptionally by the scientists which may follow the changes of the history. The theory of the personhood goes deeper than the modifications of the traditional moral values and social set of priorities. It leaves behind the usage of already established knowledge as construction blocks. It continues to explore the surrounding environment by means of unravelling â€Å"the obvious†. In terms of spirituality, the concept of personhood implies object-subject difference during an open-ended deterioration. It suggests a â€Å"holistic epistemology† which is characterized by spherical reasonability between belief-systems and moral values, self-respect, etc. (Brown 2006). What is spiritual counselling? Spiritual Counselling is closely associated with our choices in life: how to live in present and abstract karma (deep-rooted laws that avoid serving us); how to find our place within the divine goal; how to establish relationships with others that would be deeper, more sincere, less time-consuming and more affectionate; and in relation to these and other life issues, what spiritual practices to accept. A secure, tolerant and cheering room is provided in which to start living and get rid of the fake causes which result in suffering; the main reason why people strive so much for the spiritual counselling is that their souls are meant to be linked to positive phenomena such as love, affections, care, kindness, wisdom, harmony, etc. Entering the true consciousness within, abandoning uncertainty and concerns, our own natural intelligence can conduct us all the way through all the problems and glitches that exist in modern world – for instance, the challenges ensured by our professional activity, personal relationships and health condition. The spiritual supervisor serves as a medium between the soul which initially contained original purity, immortality, independence, and harmony. Obviously, the given concept goes far beyond established counselling approaches, drawing upon silence, prayer, self- observation, meditation, healing, and other practices, whose purpose is to discharge the internal possessions that all human beings have. Taking a closer look at spiritual counselling it may be stated that the core issue of it is an individual who believes that there is something that is higher, some supreme force, which helps him/her in all of his/her efforts, regardless of age, race, gender, or the name of this supreme force: God, Buddha, Allah, etc. At first it may seem to be a minor identification, however, by the recognition of an existence of the supreme power, regardless of the way the person feels it suitable to understand or recognize this, the self, which is the major source of human problems, is suppressed to some degree. Only in this situation we can start perceiving more intelligent, more helpful sides of our inner worlds. One more rather significant feature of spiritual counselling is the way this supreme power is encouraged to be found for internal help during times of great struggle. Spiritual counselling helps us to understand who we are and enhance our experience in general interpretation of the surrounding environment. This logic of reason differs from individual to individual. In fact it includes our attempts and efforts to advance who and what we are, existing not only for ourselves, but for the advantage of the world around us. (Brown 2006). Having started participation in something innovative, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to know how the supervisor works. To begin with, the core philosophical issue in this case is that each individual possesses the answers they need inside. The reason of many human problems is that people are not capable of retrieving these answers from their inner worlds due to their intelligence laziness, limitedness, etc. Perhaps most essential is the manner that people have to be taught what to do, not just be passively told what is happening each time and given a projected resolution. One of my favourite sayings is: â€Å"If you think you can – you can. If you think you can’t – you are right.† By means of spiritual counselling various hard situations in life, whether present or past, can be successfully coped with. Thoughts we are not satisfied with can be transformed. Emotional lines, regardless of how deep-seated they may seem, can be eliminated. Mental obsession can be also destroyed. In conclusion, this gives us a chance to go to more positive and pleasing settings in our lifestyles and provides us with a strong start to coming into a better realization of who we truly are. Basically, all we need is to really want to change. This desire is distinct, most significant key to real changes within human beings. References Brown, G. (2006). Spirituality and Psychology: the Aspect of Religion. New York: Pocket Books.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Joseph Conrad was ‘a bloody racist Essay

This is the quote – ‘The conquest of the earth, which mostly means taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much’ This, I believe effectively tars conlonialism and conquest with the same brush as he is describing colonialism while saying conquest. I feel he is saying that the two are indestinguishable and that anybody who can define them is stuck on ‘the idea’ he goes on to mention – ‘†¦ belief in the idea – something you can set up, and bow down before’ I think he is saying that as long as people can hide behind the idea of colonialism and tell it apart from conquest they are happy but in essence the two are the same. Conrad might be saying that although we live in a civil age we are no different to the Roman conquerors. I believe this shows that Conrad is not racist as he is saying that ‘taking away’ the earth ‘from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves’ is wrong. This is a very anti-racist statement and Conrad would have been saying something way ahead of his time. Marlow is a mouthpiece for Conrad in the sense that they have experienced the same things to the extent where even the characters names are the same – When in the Congo, Conrad took over a steam boat formerly captained by a man called Frieslieben (Fresleven in the book), and he had to go and retrieve a man called Kurtz (same name, also in the book). – In another book when asked of the likenesses between him and Marlow he said. ‘It is experience pushed a little (and only very little) beyond the actual case for the perfectly legitamate†¦ ‘ I think that any reader thinking that Marlow and Conrad are one and the same would be virtually correct. This means in my view that any likenesses and quotes that Marlow does or says can be directly linked to what Conrad believes in, therefore it is not a factor of how similar the two are as I see them as one entity. When Heart of darkness first come out in 1899 (serialised in Blackwood’s magazine) it was in an age where the western world was scrambling to colonise many African countries, where England was fighting a second Boer war and were supreme in North Africa, and it was a time when Joseph Conrad was putting his reputation and respect as an author on the table. His contemporaries could easily have dismissed his book as modernistic drivel and slated him for his uncontemporary views. In this light we see that Conrad’s book was way ahead of its time, exploring racism and both physical and mental journeys – into the congo and into one’s self. I believe it could be said that Conrad was not racist even if there is an inkling of racist assertions in Heart of darkness because this racist view was accepted at the time, this can be said of his usage of the word ‘nigger’ in his novel (one of his earlier novels even had the word â€Å"nigger† in its title – â€Å"the nigger and the narcissus† 1897) but as this was regularly used at the time it can be wavered as it didn’t have the effect it does in today’s society when spoken. Apart from this I think it is clear that Joseph Conrad did not conform in a racist society and had seen the horror and pure incorrectness of colonialism first hand. I have shown that Conrad and Marlow are one and the same and have been led to the conclusion through close reading of the opening of heart of darkness that Conrad is not, as Chinua Achebe states, ‘a bloody racist’. In fact I believe the opposite statemen could be made – â€Å"Conrad was a minority voice speaking out against racism through his character Marlow in a time where racism was rife†. I believe I am right because the evidence against Conrad is scarce and what little textual evidence there is can mostly be put down to ignorance which in my opinion can be let go, due to the fact that his overall message is an anti-racist one. I feel people who think that Joseph Conrad is racist based on Heart of darkness is wrong because of the reasons stated. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Joseph Conrad section.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Open innovation

Open Innovation is a paradigm that assumes that firms can and should use external ideas as well as internal ideas, and internal and external paths to market, as they look to advance their technology. Open Innovation processes combine internal and external ideas into architectures and systems. Open Innovation rocesses utilize business models to define the requirements for these architectures and systems. The business model utilizes both external and internal ideas to create value, while defining internal mechanisms to claim some portion of that value.Open Innovation assumes that internal ideas can also be taken to market through external channels, outside the current businesses of the firm, to generate additional value. The open innovation paradigm treats research and development as an open system. Open Innovation suggests that valuable ideas can come from inside or outside the ompany and can go to market from inside or outside the company as well. This approach places external ideas and external paths to market on the same level of importance as that reserved for internal ideas and paths to market in the earlier era.Open Innovation is sometimes conflated with open source methodologies for software development. There are some concepts that are shared between the two, such as the idea ot greater external sources ot intormation to create value. However, open innovation explicitly incorporates the business model as the source of both value creation and value capture. This 2 latter role of the business model enables the organization to sustain its position in the industry value chain over time. While open source shares the focus on value creation throughout an industry value chain, its proponents usually deny or downplay the importance of value capture.Chapter 5 in this volume will consider these points at greater length. At its root, open innovation assumes that useful knowledge is widely distributed, and that even the most capable R&D organizations must identify, connect to, and leverage external knowledge sources as a core process in innovation. Ideas that once germinated only in large companies now may be growing in a variety of settings – from the individual inventor or high tech start up in Silicon Valley, to the research facilities of academic institutions, to spin-offs from large, established firms.These conditions may not be present in every business environment, and scholars must be alert to the institutional underpinnings that might promote or inhibit the adoption of open innovation . The Open Innovation Paradigm The book Open Innovation (Chesbrough, 2003a) describes an innovation paradigm shift from a closed to an open model. Based on close observation of a small number of companies, the book documents a number of practices associated with this new paradigm. That book was written for managers of industrial innovation processes, and the work has received significant attention among managers.To the extent that such managers ar e able to assess the utility of new approaches, Open Innovation has achieved a certain degree of face validity within at least a small portion of high technology industries. Open Innovation has taken on greater saliency in light of the debate about globalization and the potential for the R&D function itself to become utsourced, as the manufacturing function was 20 years earlier. l 3 Figure 1. 1 shows a representation of the innovation process under the previous Closed model of innovation.Here, research projects are launched from the science and technology base of the firm. They progress through the process, and some of the projects are stopped, while others are selected for further work. A subset of these are chosen to go through to the market. This process is termed a â€Å"closed† process because projects can only enter in one way, at the beginning, and can only exit in one way, by going into the market. AT&T's Bell Laboratories stands as an exemplar of this model, with man y notable research achievements, but a notoriously inwardly focused culture.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Benchmarking With Costa Coffee And Caffe Nero Marketing Essay

Benchmarking With Costa Coffee And Caffe Nero Marketing Essay The organisation chosen for the report is Starbucks Corp. and the report would compare it with two similar companies, one being Costa Coffee and the other being Caffà © Nero. The report would highlight the frameworks underpinning the competitive position of Starbucks and also would identify and asses the economic and the competitive position of the firm. A financial model using appropriate ratio analysis would also be presented in a spreadsheet format identifying the industry trends and their impact on the performance of Starbucks vis-à  -vis Costa Coffee and Caffà © Nero. Both quantitative and qualitative data would be made available so as to provide an insight into Starbucks sustainable performance and prospects. Analysis of Starbucks operational, financial, organisational and marketing capabilities would be made available through application of PESTEL analysis, Porter’s 5 forces model, the Ansoff Matrix and the BCG Matrix. The report would also discuss the issues, the p roblems, the opportunities and the options available to Starbucks for future business growth, followed by conclusions to draw together all the variables identified. Recommendations would be provided for the company highlighting the direction it needs to take to ensure business profitability with comments on the suitability, acceptability and the feasibility of the options made available. INTRODUCTION The Starbucks Company was founded in Seattle in 1971 by Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin and Zev Seigel with a vision to educate American consumers about the fine coffee drinking experience. In 1987 Howard Schultz took over the Starbucks Group. Starbucks is the number one in the industry, with more than 12,000 shops in more than 35 countries. Just within a couple of years they grew from a small coffee business house to a multi-million dollar player in the coffee industry by buying the best coffee available and providing the people with an unmatched store experience. Freshly brewed coffee is the main product offered by Starbucks along with other drinks which include cold and hot teas, cakes and pastries. The Starbucks coffee comes in a many varieties each possessing a different taste, aroma and flavour. INDUSTRY TRENDS AND MARKET ANALYSIS The market right now for gourmet coffee business is hot. All the multi-national fast food chains and street-corner shops want in on the boom. Many big companies are focused on the supply of specialty branded coffees and the economic stage is heating up. Specialty coffee industry is one of the fastest growing financial services globally. Growth in the coffee industry is continuously peaking, with many new overseas companies entering the market using policies offering exclusive perks and special discounts, despite the questionable quality of the coffee being used to increase the market share. A notable trend seen is that often a significant increase in sales occurs every time a cafà © starts to use branded consumables. The consensus is that these coffee drinks would be a long-term trend, with focus on elevating the customer’s taste for a product that they are familiar with and then leading them to the coffee stores to buy it. Many companies are also tinkering with expanding the food menus as well including an in-store display of sandwiches, fresh baked goods and many confectionary items.