Coffee Bean Essay

ST. GREGORY’S UNIVERSITY Coffee Bean, Inc. Managerial Accounting, BU2123, Research Project, Spring 2007 Coffee Bean, Inc. (CBI) is a processor and distributor of a variety of blends of coffee. The company buys coffee beans from around the world and roasts, blends and packages them for resale. CBI currently has 40 different coffees that it offers to gourmet shops in one-pound bags. The major cost of the coffee is the raw coffee beans. However, there is a substantial amount of manufacturing overhead in the company’s predominantly automated roasting, blending and packing process. The company uses relatively little direct labor. Some of the coffees are very popular and sell in large volumes, while a few of the newer blends have very low volumes. CBI prices its coffee at manufacturing cost plus a markup of 30%. If CBI’s coffee prices are significantly higher than the market, adjustments are made to bring CBI’s prices more into alignment with the market. The company competes primarily on the quality of its products, but customers are price conscious as well. For the coming year, CBI’s budget includes estimated manufacturing overhead cost of $3,000,000. CBI assigns manufacturing overhead to products based on direct labor-hours. The expected direct labor cost totals $600,000, which represents 50,000 hours of direct labor time. Based on the sales budget and expected raw materials costs, the company will purchase and use $6,000,000 of raw materials (mostly coffee beans) during the year. The expected costs for direct materials and direct labor for one-pound bags of two of the company’s many coffee products appear below: Mona Loa $4. 20 0. 30 Malaysian $3. 20 0. 30 Direct Materials Direct Labor (0.025 hours per bag) CBI’s president is very concerned about lowering profit margins. Several prices have had to be reduced to meet market pressures and other products are selling at good volumes without price adjustments. The president talked with CBI’s controller who believes that the company’s traditional costing system, which uses direct labor costs to allocate manufacturing overhead, may be providing misleading cost information. To determine whether or not this is correct, the controller has prepared an analysis of the year’s expected manufacturing overhead costs, as shown in the following table. Activity Center Cost Driver Purchasing Purchase Orders Materials handling Number of Setups Quality control Number of Batches Roasting Roasting Hours Blending Blending Hours Packaging Packaging Hours Total manufacturing overhead cost: Expected Activity 1,710 orders 1,800 setups 600 batches 96,100 hours 33,500 hours 26,000 hours Expected Cost $ 513,000 720,000 144,000 961,000 402,000 260,000 $3,000,000 Data regarding the expected production of two representative products, Mona Loa and  . Coffee Bean Malaysian coffee, are presented below. There will be no raw materials inventory for either of these coffees at the beginning of the year. Mona Loa Malaysian 100,000 2,000 Pounds 10,000 500 Pounds 3 3 Per batch 20,000 500 Pounds 1. 0 / 100 1. 0 /100 Hours per pound 0. 5 / 100 0. 5 /100 Hours per pound 0. 1 / 100 0. 1 /100 Hours per pound Expected sales Batch size Setups Purchase order size Roasting time Blending time Packaging time Step into the shoes of the controller and prepare a complete report for the president explaining the results of your research. Compare the two product-costing methods: (1) the currently-used, volume-based method, and (2) an activity-based method. The supporting tables should determine full costs and prices of both products using the two different cost allocation methods. Continue your detailed report to the president by justifying why the company should remain using their present overhead allocation method or to go activity-based costing. Go beyond the accounting issues in your report, mentioning the impact on pricing, volume, and marketing decisions. Support your recommendation with current articles (Use the online resources of the SGU James J. Kelly Library to locate articles within the last year that deal with cost allocation issues). Three to five supporting articles should be sufficient to support your findings. Since this is a formal report, it will require a transmittal memo summarizing your findings. This memo/summary should be supported by a detailed report including tables and references to business/accounting literature. Include a bibliography in APA format. Also, since presidents rarely have time to read the entire article, but are interested in their content, provide an abstract of each citation. Remember: appearance, spelling, grammar count. Adapted from Managerial Accounting, Eight Edition, Garrison & Noreen, Irwin, 1997. 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Safe as houses?

Hey kids, I'm Gavin and I want to talk to you today about safety around the house. How many of you here have younger brothers or sisters? [Response] Over half of you, that's quite a lot. I'll bet they get quite annoying sometimes, don't they? I wouldn't know because I am the younger brother. Even though they do get quite annoying sometimes, I'm sure that deep down inside, you really do love your younger brothers and sisters, and that you would never want anything bad happening to them. This is why it is important to keep them save and out of trouble. How many of you here don't have a helper? [Response] Well, that's a large number of you. I bet every time your parents are out, you have to look after your baby brother or sister right? It's pretty hard sometimes isn't it? Well here are a few suggestions which might make it easier for you. Firstly, never let your brother or sister near the kitchen on their own. Stay away from the kitchen unless you are getting snacks to eat and drinks. The kitchen is a dangerous, unsafe and bad place to play. Your brother or sister could easily burn, scald or hurt themselves with hot or boiling water, clothes irons or hot oven doors. There are some yucky chemicals kept in the kitchen which aren't very healthy for you if you drink or inhale it. Don't forget there's also a chance your baby sibling could slip and fall over. The kitchen is out of bounds. If your younger sibling needs to go to the toilet or take a bath, make sure that you go and help them. It is very important, and it will make you look more grown-up too, doing important things around the house. When they are taking a bath, make sure the water is not too hot or they could get hurt ands scalded. Also, be sure to hold them up because it is very easy for them to drown, so don't play around during bath-time. Finally, never ever let your baby brother or sister go peeking down the toilet incase they fall in. It would be unsafe, unhygienic and very yucky. Moving away from the toilet issues, the next thing you have to be careful of are the doors. Slamming doors in your brother or sister's face is a big no-no. Their fingers could get caught and it would be extremely painful. If any of you have a staircase in the house, you will probably know how dangerous they are, especially for kids under two. The best thing to avoid accidents to keep them away from the stairs and remove any toys or objects blocking the stairs. If not, you or your little brother or sister could turn into Humpty Dumpty and break into many pieces Talking about taking big falls, it is also a good idea to close any low windows your sibling could climb out of, or remove anything they could climb on to in order to get to the opening. Did you know that the biggest cause of accidents in homes are from playing with matches? If you have ever tried it and thought it cool, take some advice from the big kids, it's not cool. You could easily kill yourself and your little baby brother or sister, so remember, keep tem away from those matches and remember the words of Smokey Bear; â€Å"Only YOU can stop [house hold] fires!† Don't forget to keep them away from the medicine cabinet, and remind them often that it ISN'T candy. Finally, if you are playing outside the house, keep those little kids away from the garage or tool shed, which have a lot of dangerous tools and chemicals. (P.T.O.) Now you can go and tell your friends how cool you are and your parents how grown up you are because you know how to look after your baby brother or sister, and yourself.

Anthropology of Tattoos

Scarred across her back are raised bumps forming intricate designs of lines and angles, a reminder of who she is and where she is from. She thinks back on the ceremony in which she was marked with the painful scarification. She remembered feeling a sense of calm as the village artist pierced her back with a small arrowhead, stretching the skin away from the body and swiftly but skillfully cutting a slit in her back. He repeated this several times as a ceremonial pot was filled with gathering soot from the burning fire. After the artist finished his tedious design, he rubbed soot from the pot bottom deep into the slits, planting the bacteria that would infect the skin, raising the scars into their meaningful design. She felt accomplished that she withstood the agonizing pain while other members of her clan could not. Her newly inherited body art signified the birth of her first son, and left her with a renewed sense of beauty. This is the way of life common to people indigenous to the motherland of Africa. Scarification, however, is not the only form of body art that is used. Body painting, tattooing, and branding are all similar forms of body art, which can be found in Africa and other cultures throughout the world. The word â€Å"tattoo† comes from the Tahitian word â€Å"tattau†, which means â€Å"to mark†. Tattoos have evolved from being symbols of punishment that were given to identify criminals and slaves in the early ninth-century Chinese culture, into a pop-culture trend of using he skin as â€Å"a way of describing the exotic uncivilized other† within ourselves (Schildkrout 2004:324). For centuries, the body has been used as a â€Å"visible way of defining individual identity and cultural difference† (Schildkrout 2004:319). This cultural difference becomes apparent when studying the evolution of body art over time, especially when focusing on the differences between the Western and Non-Western cultures. People have been adorning their body with tattoos and piercing for centuries, but until recently, the thought of tattoos in ancient Egypt had been pushed aside. It has now been discovered that, without a doubt, tattoos did exist in that time period. Although miniscule, a group of enormously important tattooed mummies serve to help prove this point (Bianchi 1988:21). The first mummy to be discovered was one f a woman named Amunet, whose mummy was found in an excellent state of preservation, â€Å"most likely due to the fact that she served as a priestess of the goddess Harthor at Thebes during Dynasty XI†(Bianchi 1988:22). The tattoos on her body were comprised of a pattern of dots and dashes in an elliptical shape on her lower abdomen. The thighs and arms adorned the identical parallel lines of the aforementioned pattern. Two more women mummies, who were discovered and believed to be from the same time period, also had similar tattoos on their lower abdomen (Bianchi 1988:22). This group of woman represents an exclusive group of Egyptians who received tattoos in that time period, because there is no other evidence that shows tattoos to be a part of the Egyptian culture until the time of the Middle Kingdom. These abstract patterns associated with ritualistic tattooing survived into the New Kingdom. The Egyptians, more then likely, borrowed a form of tattooing from the Nubian civilization. Unlike the Nubians, whose purpose for tattooing is unknown, â€Å"the Egyptians appear to have regarded the tattoo as one of several vehicles by which the procreative powers of the deceased could be revived† (Bianchi 1988:27). Substantiation proposes that only women were associated with the decorating of their bodies and the ritualistic activities that went along with it. The art of tattooing began with the grouping of bluish or black dots and/or dashes forming abstract geometric patterns; that system of body art lasted for over two thousand years in ancient Egypt. Just like other ideas and goods, the idea of tattooing began to travel to several different societies, and has evolved into extremely different forms of art all over the world. In northeastern Zambia, the Tabwa â€Å"once covered themselves from head to foot with scarification† (Roberts 1988:41). The women of the Tabwa began receiving elaborate marks on their face, chest, and backs when they were young girls; it sometimes was continued at other points in a woman’s life (Roberts 1988:43) such as courting rituals and for woman wishing to bear a child. Male sculptors would trace designs and make incisions on the lesser intimate parts of the body; they left the rest for the women to do. ‘Tabwa women used razors to slit skin [that had been] plucked up with a fishhook or arrowhead. These incisions were then rubbed with soot from a pot bottom, an irritant that produced the desired raised cicatrices† (Roberts 1988:44). There were several reasons that this tradition was done, different to every age and gender in the tribe. Young women went through this process in order to achieve a state of perfection, which was required for those wanting to marry and have children (Roberts 1988:45). Scarification is a form of body art that was used in several tribes because according to their customs â€Å"beauty is not physically innate, but rather a function of the girl’s inscriptions† (Roberts 1988:45). Not only the Tabwa, scarification was used in such tribes as the Ga’anda and the Tiv; all the tribes have distinctly different purposes for doing this, but the process and effect of the body are the same. Another form of body art is body painting, which the people of the Southeast Nuba begin at a young age; but the meanings, and time frame from when they begin decorating the body are very different between males and females. The males paint themselves from the ages of 12 to 27 (Faris 1988:31). Typically, they only paint during the down time after the harvest season and before the next years planting begins. This is the time that the males are less involved in mandatory and productive activities; they spend their supplementary time with festive activities such as dance and sport participation. The restrictions placed on the men by their age, most importantly deal with the color that they use on their body—for example â€Å" only the older age groups are eligible to use the greatest elaboration in color, including the deep black and yellow [colors, that are] prohibited to younger grades†(Faris 1988:32). The change in elaboration allowed on the body does not coincide with any physiological changes, rather, it corresponds with changes â€Å"in productive status or sport† (Faris 1988:32). As they move up in grades from young laborers that answer to the elders, to mature men that own their own property, farm and family, their elaborate painting ability increases. The elders though, do not decorate their bodies; rather, they delegate and lead rituals for the younger men and enforce the rules of allowed color use. Therefore, the male body painting shows their progression thru ones life stages. The women of Southeast Nuba, â€Å"from the age of six years, until consummation of marriage, oil and ochre [their bodies] daily, in colors [that are] appropriate to their patri-clan section† (Faris 1988:34). After childbirth, they may continue to wear some oil and ochre on their shoulders. The personal body art of women is strictly related to the physiological changes that occur as a women goes through life, and are fixed around body scarification as a way of showing her changes. A woman’s scarification is so important, that â€Å"if a husband refuses to pay for a scarring specialist, a woman may seek a lover who will do so, and her first marriage will end† (Faris 1988:35). Unlike the males elaborate body art, a woman’s body art is simple, but it accumulates over her life-span and is very standardized, while a male’s body art is constantly changing. Body painting, tattooing and scarification thus far had been tools used by individuals to beautify their body and elevate their status within their tribe; this is not the case with all societies. In several other cultures, tattoos have been used in a form of branding, which is quite the opposite. Though tattooing and branding are â€Å"similar in that both involve the insertion of pigments under the skin to create permanent marks†, branding is implemented in order to lower an individuals status, to punish for crimes committed, to identify slaves, but most importantly, to eliminate personal identity (Schildkrout 2004:323). â€Å"The immutable alteration of human skin by branding needs to be considered in relation to, but ought not be confused with, tattooing† (Bianchi 1988:27). Two recent studies originating in South Africa elaborate on this subject, reporting on the political influence of tattooing â€Å"as a means of social control† (Schildkrout 2004:330). They site examples from Zambia in which a medical practitioner travels around to villages â€Å"in which witch craft accusations have been common†¦to inoculate people against people against witch craft† (Schildkrout 2004:331). The villagers would â€Å"submit to bodily inspections†, they were then treated â€Å"by getting numbers tattooed on their arms† (Schildkrout 2004:331). This is disturbingly reminiscent of Nazi concentration camps when an unfathomable number of Jewish people lost their personal identities and became known as only a number in the system to be disposed of. This â€Å"symbolic denial of personhood† served as a system â€Å"of control and surveillance† (Schildkrout 2004:323). This system of control was also imposed by â€Å"authoritarian regimes† in Southeast Asia (Schildkrout 2004:323). The Zhou and Ming Dynasties branded criminals as a form of punishment with â€Å"extensive, often full-body tattoos, with elaborate pictorial imagery as well as written inscriptions† (Schildkrout 2004:324) portraying their crime. This form of tattooing is definitely contrary to traditional methods. Similarly in Brazil, branding was used to mark convicts by the penal authorities. Penal tattoos derived their power from subjugation of the marked convicts. The humiliation of being visibly branded was a significant component of the convict’s punishment. In an act of resistance, those that had been branded â€Å"were known to reclaim their bodies by writing over the inscriptions or by displaying them in new social situations† (Schildkrout 2004:324). The branded, therefore, became the empowered, restoring the function of the tattoo to being personally-motivated. This personal motivation is perhaps most notable in Western cultures, specifically North America. In America, the Native Americans used body painting in many ways, usually connected with ethnic identity, social roles or marital status (Rubin 1988:179). The Natives also used the body as a canvas in ritualistic ceremonies, on warriors going into battle and for the beautification of their women. When the Europeans discovered America, they brought with them slaves from Africa and they introduced branding of the slaves into the American culture. After the civil war, when the slaves had been freed, branding was still embedded in American culture through groups of people including gang members and convicts. Though â€Å"branding is often associated with involuntary marking and the denial of personhood†, it has also â€Å"been adopted in contemporary Western body culture as an assertion of group identity, for example in college fraternities† (Schildkrout 2004:323). Tattoos were also prevalent in other parts of America, including Alaska. Among the Eskimos â€Å"[t]he function of these art forms [was] – essentially manifesting one’s place or role within the hierarchy of hunting life† (Gritton 1988:190). With the introduction and adaptation of the western civilization in Alaskan culture, â€Å"the marks of a hunter or hunter’s wife served no purpose in their new lives and were understandably abandoned† (Gritton 1988:190). The function of body art and tattooing has been Americanized, evolving from its native origins to incorporate self expression. This self expression has mushroomed from a manor of identifying oneself to a way of gaining attention through shock value. Though ever-changing, all forms of body art mentioned play enormous roles in the lives of people. Certain non-Western cultures are based around the ability to use skin as a visible way of defining status or bettering their self-image, in order to attract companions. So the artists who are allowed to perform the act of adorning bodies with different designs are regarded as having a very important place in the society. They are â€Å"scarring specialist† (Faris 1988:35), â€Å"body artists† (Drewal 1988:84), but most importantly, they are known as â€Å"[the] one-who-creates- art† (Drewal 1988:84). In the non-Native American culture, however, the general attitude towards tattoo artist in present-day American culture is less than appreciative. Extreme critics even characterize tattooist as opportunist, exclusively seeking monetary gain (Sanders 1988:229). â€Å"The tattooist interest in artistry and control is often in conflict with his profit orientation†, revealing the major flaw within the American society (Sanders 1988:229). This is the major difference in western and non-western cultures. Body tattoos in western society are an object to be purchased. Americans obtain tattoos in the same manner that they acquire a new Louis Vuitton handbag. They purchase them as accessories, which is in stark contrast to the non-western cultures, who acquire tattoos as an essential ritual in their society. With this is mind, the process in which American’s purchases body art seems slightly ridiculous. Tattoo artists often complain of the unwillingness of customers to spend the quoted amount of money for â€Å"a tattoo [they] are going to wear for the rest of [their] life† (Sanders 1988:229). It is more acceptable in American culture to invest in short term materialistic purchases, therefore the legitimate tattoo artists are constantly being monitored and regimented under strict laws imposed by the government. Despite the absurdity of the purchasing process, the reasoning that propels the American society to obtain tattoos is just as flawed. Some reasons people give to explain permanently marking their skin include, â€Å"they were drunk, it’s a macho thing, to fit in with a crowd or even worse, for no reason at all† (DeMello 1995:42). Western society seems to have a complete disregard for the spiritual origins of body art. Tattoo artist are even witness to clients’ apathy, avoiding â€Å"working on people who are obviously under the influence of alcohol† (Sanders 1988:225). Where once there was a ceremonious celebration deeply rooted in spiritualism, in American society the only ritualistic ceremony is the receiving of a piece of paper on how to care for the recently acquired body art. This apathetic attitude of Americans is perhaps derived from the renouncing majority of the population. This bias stems from â€Å"very early ‘regulations’ [including] Moses’ remarks in Leviticus 19:28 forbidding any cuttings in the flesh or the printing of any marks† (Armstrong 2005:39). Since tattoos â€Å"were not sanctioned by the church† the profile for the tattooed archetype became unconventional (Schildkrout 2004:325). Christian belief has been adapted to the masses, forcing those who are tattooed into rebellion. The majority of people adopting body art include â€Å"bikers, convicts, and other ‘low lives’† (DeMello 1995:40). In Western society â€Å"the idea that the unmarked body as a sign of God’s work was linked to the Protestant reformation† and â€Å"the idea that body markings were a sign of savagery goes back even earlier† ( Schildkrout 2004:324). This is ironic considering tattoos in earlier cultures signified positions of high status. Perhaps the only entity that ties these drastic cultures together is the desire to increase their inherited beauty. â€Å"If the body is – metaphorically – a site of inscription to various degrees for various theorist, then cosmetic surgery can be seen, at one level, as an example of the literal and explicit enactment of this process of inscription† ( Schildkrout 2004:320), which is also seen in the aforementioned tribes with the rituals of scarification. DeMello also agrees that along with tattooing and piericing, that cosmetic surgery is seen as a form of â€Å"body modification† (DeMello 1995:37). â€Å"Not only does the tattooed skin negotiate between the individual and society and between different social groups, but also mediates relations between persons and spirits, the human and the divine† (Schildkrout 2004:321). Body art is a tradition that extends throughout the barriers of the world and although the forms in which they are found may be different, the idea of using your body as a canvas is universal. Although recently, several anthropologists agreed and have begun to examine body art more closely, looking at it â€Å"as a microcosm of society† (Schildkrout 2004:328), Roberts still believes that â€Å"there can be no ultimate explanation of symbolism† (Roberts 1988:51). He claims that â€Å"the blazes on trees in the Ndembu forest will remain many years after their purpose and meaning are forgotten. So it is with other inscriptions† (Roberts 1988:51). This is exemplified in the woman who endured the agonizing pain of her scarification to instigate a new chapter in her life. Nevertheless, soon after her body is placed into the ground, her skin will no longer be a visible indication of who she once was. She will become a memory and her body will no longer be used as a canvas.

Strategy in Action Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategy in Action - Assignment Example (Lionsgate.com, 2011) Organizational culture is the collection of values and norms that are shared by individuals in an organization that affect interaction within and outside the organization. It is an important tool as it brings employees towards a common goal by developing affinity and provides impetus for growth. A healthy culture promotes self actualization and achievement in employees. Open communication and flexibility within the organization provide grounds for innovation and experimentation. Constructive cultures are empowering and lead to highly motivated employees, team work and growth. (Expertplagas.com, 2009) The organizational culture of Lionsgate is influenced by its start as an independent film studio which has developed into a major studio with global presence. Thus the culture reflects the entrepreneurial initiative that independent studios boast of. Lionsgate combines flexibility with the strategic management of a major studio with the customer focus of a digital c ompany. A speech by Lionsgate’s co-COO, Jo Drake reflects the organizational culture of taking risks in media and movies, of looking at changes in the market place as challenges, and the focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. (indiewire.com, 2010) Curt Marvis, of Lionsgate, explains Lionsgate corporate culture of getting employees involved. According to him, if one person can do the job instead of ten, then Lionsgate will focus on doing so, and employees will be involved in different things that they can handle. This shows that the culture focuses on employee involvement and ownership; however the fact the Lionsgate has acquired various media companies over the world results in the impression that the organizational culture may vary along the acquired companies and may be not as ingrained as preferred. In the event of mergers and acquisitions, it takes times and effort, many a times unsuccessful to develop the company culture of the parent company in the acquired companies . (Variety.com, 2009) Challenges facing the Media and Broadcasting industry The Media and broadcasting company is facing major challenges in the future. The biggest challenge is the changing marketplace which has changed the way content is delivered to customers. The popularity of digital delivery poses threats for media and broadcasting companies as customers can access media easily and cheaply on the internet. The industry needs to develop and master digital delivery of television shows, news, movies and music in order to grab the market online and still retain profits (Vodafone.com, 2011). Another challenge is the increase in competition due to the abundance of independent film making and the cropping up of new competitors, customers have greater choice due to the internet and companies have to be on their toes to maintain performance. The media industry has seen an increasing trend in takeovers, acquisitions and mergers and thus performance and shareholder value needs to be main tained to protect the company from acquisitions. The media industry faces market saturation not only because of the increasing number of competitors but the increasing number of competitors worldwide and in different formats. News companies, movies and television all face threats from online competitors as well and need to maintain a major online presence. This has resulted in cost and margin difficulties, changing patterns of consumer behavior and the need to provide

Money as Debt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Money as Debt - Essay Example But if you want to continue to be slaves of the banks and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let the bankers continue to create money and control credit." I thought that it would be a fitting quote to open up this essay, seeing that I am to write about the financial crisis that is going on in the United Kingdom. What better person's quote to use than the director of the Bank of England As if people may not know, the world is experiencing a so-called global financial crisis. Everywhere an individual turns; there is talk of job-losses, recession, tough times and times getting harder, no matter which politician or elected official gets put in office. It is as if Charles Dickens' novel "A tale of two Cities" really isn't a tale at all. It seems that this author's book was and is effectively serving a preamble of things to come and what is happening right now. Truly it is the best of times and the worst of times simultaneously. It is the best of times because as you may know, there are winners and losers in every situation in life. In this essay we will analyze the financial crisis that is happening in the United Kingdom. We will analyze the crisis thereof using political, economic, social, and technological factors and attempt to discover useful solutions to the problem at hand. We will take a no nonsense approach to identifying the problem, government attempts to solve the problem, and The relationship between United States and Great Britain It has been exactly two hundred thirty two years since the United States declared independence from Great Britain, and now it seems as if both nations are in the same predicament. And even though the founding fathers of the United States didn't want to have a central banking system similar to Great Britain because of the evils inflicted upon the colonies, have similar systems of central banking. Both of the nations have the same colors on their flag, which are red, white, and blue. Let's just hope that England's colors don't represent the same virtues as America's flag; red being blood, white being purity and blue meaning truth. Henceforth, here is a truth again taken from the film Money as Debt from American founding father Benjamin Franklin. "The inability of the Colonist to get power to issue their money permanently out of George III and the international bankers was the PRIME reason for the revolutionary war." However, the colors of the two nation's flags are not as important as the shade of times that the two countries are living right now. Let's look at the Bank of England and look at our friend who started the whole concept of banking. For the sake of this essay, let's call him Gary the Goldsmith. The History of money Mr. Paul Grignon's video which can be found www.google.com

Is Technology Messing With Your Brain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Is Technology Messing With Your Brain - Essay Example It never occurred to me that all this activity caused me to be distracted, and how it affected my brain. The more I thought about what the article had implied, regarding how all the distraction could cause our brains to have short attention spans and how it resulted in leaving no time for our brains to rest, the more I realized how lightly I have taken technology to be, and how I have never realized its side effects. I agree with the article, in that we do have a lot of technology in our lives, whether our cell phones, our laptops, our iPods, our televisions, our video gaming consoles, or any of the myriads of multimedia devices, we have a lot of them in our daily lives and now we are used to using them excessively. This is more so in our lives, the lives of the teenagers. We are so stuck on technological devices that rarely do we find time to engage ourselves in some relaxing activity. It is as if we have put our brain in an over-drive. This may later on result in having a link to t he Attention Deficit Disorder, though that is just my assertion for now.

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Art History - Essay Example The Plan of St. Gall shows an entire monastery compound, which includes things like churches, houses, a brewery, kitchens, stables, and an infirmary. While this plan was never actually built, much can be learned from it because it was probably a typical plan during this time period. The plan was actually made by combining five different parchments that were sewn together. This includes room for this like an orchard and a road. The buildings are marked with red, while everything else is marked in brown. There are over forty buildings that are present in this plan and although the buildings were never built, they are an excellent guide to how people lived during this time period. The plan itself is actually quite interesting, as things like the scriptorium and library are located on the inner concourse of the plan, while lodging and a hostel are located on the outer half. Also, the Abbott’s house in located near the scriptorium, which could symbolically mean that he is closer to God than the other monks. Many of the buildings that are present would be for economic reasons, as the monks had animals and places to grow fruit and vegetables located at these places. The plan was meant to depict a place that was entirely self-sufficient, meaning that the monks would not have to leave this monastery for any reason. This means that every aspect of life had to be explored in order to come up with a plan that would accomplish this goal, which is what makes this plan so important historically. The largest buildings that were present at this monastery were the buildings of worship and study, with these building also being located in the middle of the plan. The schools, houses, and stables were also quite large, but they were located on the outside of the plan. The entrance also led right up to the largest buildings. These large buildings were mostly meant for guests,

Four steps of a formal control system Research Paper

Four steps of a formal control system - Research Paper Example Measurement of performance entails activities such as the counting of the number of products or units created, distributed or the amount of cash inflows, outflows and income earned. To measure performance, the requisite data must be collected. The sources of this data could be observation of production activities, written reports from supervisors or managers, and oral reports from employees. Thus, organizations should have skilled staffs to collect and analyze the relevant data. Luckily, the current technological advances and computerization have made it easier for organizations to collect and analyze data and give reports in formats that are easily understood. In addition to making analysis easier, technology has decreased the cost of data handling processes for organizations. Once performance is measured, the findings should be handed over to the right persons to take the recommended courses of action. This handover must be done in time for the timely rectification of discrepancies or variations. The measured performance should then be compared with the standards set at the first step. This exercise is referred to as performance evaluation, to establish the extent to which the standards are met or the objectives are achieved. The impacts of variations or deviations in performance from standards vary across industries and across departments in an organization. For sensitive manufacturing processes, a slight deviation could be detrimental to product quality, thus, to customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Are pro athetes paid too much Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Are pro athetes paid too much - Essay Example It shall discuss this issue using evaluations published by experts on the topic; a thorough assessment of professional athletes’ salaries shall be made based on accepted standards in the field of economics and sports. Professional athletes are reportedly paid millions of dollars annually. Salaries of professional athletes from the NBA, MLB, NHL, and the NFL seem to increase per year and for each athlete. The latest figures from the 2007-2008 sports season reveal that Alex Rodriguez was paid $28 million; Jason Giambi, $24 million; Shaquille O’Neal, $21 million; Kevin Garnett, $23.8 million; Julius Peppers, $14.1 million; Carson Palmer, $13.5 million; Scott Gomez, $10 million; and Daniel Briere, $10 million (Gilmartin â€Å"Articles†). Based on 2002 statistics, basketball players have an annual salary of $2.2 million, with 220,000 as minimum starting salary; baseball players register an annual salary of $1.37 million with $109,000 as minimum starting salary; hockey players have an annual salary of $892,000 and 125,000 as minimum starting salary; and finally football players register an annual salary of $795,000 and 131,000 starting salary (Strategic Reading, p. 26). The figures above seem to be lopsided when they are compared or set side by side with annual salaries of teachers, police officers, fire fighters, or even doctors. Many critics weigh in on this issue as they evaluate the factors which contribute to such high salaries and whether or not such salaries are deserved. An article which dates back as far back as in the 1990s attempted to evaluate the issue by weighing in both sides of the argument. On one hand, it contends that professional athletes are worth their high salaries because sports consumerism drives or dictates the terms of this market. This article cites Larry Lundy, a sports marketing director at Walt Disney who contends that there is only a limited number of superstar

Investigation of the carbonate - bicarbonate system Essay Example for Free

Investigation of the carbonate bicarbonate system Essay Alkalinity in this experiment can be defined as the measure of the pH buffering capacity in water (e. g. river water, sea water, lakes etc. ). This experiment was carried out using a prepared carbonate bicarbonate solution against hydrochloric acid (0. 1M HCl). Titration and pH indicator method was used to determine the equivalence point. The experiment also compares the titration and pH indicator method that is, looking at the option that will give a better approach in determining the equivalence point. Compared the digital and analogue pH meters that were used during the experiment by different groups. The experiment also aims at showing the importance of carbonate bicarbonate system in environmental chemistry as it affects the natural water system. INTRODUCTION In Nigeria, water pollution is a serious environmental issue as it relates to the oil industries in the Niger Delta region, this can be attributed but not limited to the continuous flaring of fossil fuel. This creates acid rain deposition thus reducing the buffering capacity of rivers and lakes. The major source of living and earning in this area is fishing, but the continuous flaring of gas has resulted in acid precipitation, which has affected fishing. When there is acid deposition, the pH of the water increases thereby making the water partially acidic, the drop in pH can harm and even kill some of the organisms inhabiting the water (Tope Akintola Jan 2004). The Nigerian government set up the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), which issued, in 1988, a specific decree to protect, to restore and preserve the ecosystem. The decree also sets out water quality standards to protect public health and to enhance the quality of water (Enderlein et al). Although, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency did not have specific guidelines, the agency adopted the guideline for alkalinity by World Health Organisation in 1971. Parameter Permissible standard Issued by Alkalinity (mg/l) 200 600 WHO, 1971; FEPA, 1991 Alkalinity can be defined as that level that provides stable pH in rivers and lakes or simply put as withstanding a fall in pH. Stability is achieved through the neutralization of acids in an aqueous system. It should be noted that alkalinity in this experiment deals strictly with the acid base neutralization, whereas, pH is the concentration of the solution. When stability is achieved, alkalinity is said to buffer the solution. Buffering of an aqueous system is the equilibrium between the acid and base reaction, this is done when the hydrogen [H+] ion is either used up or donated so that the pH of the solution remains normal, that is, remains as the original pH of the system. In rivers, lakes and ocean, buffering involves the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbonic acid (H2CO3), bicarbonate (HCO3-), carbonate (CO3-2) and hydrogen [H+]. The reaction involved is thus; CO2 (aq) + H2O H2CO3 (aq) 1 H2CO3- (aq) H+ (aq) + HCO3-(aq) . 2 HCO3-(aq) H+ (aq) + CO3-2(aq).. 3 Carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves into the solution and also achieves equilibrium as shown below; CO2 (g) CO2 (aq) 4 The carbonic acid formed (H2CO3 (aq) ) from equation (1) is neutralized by the addition of base to for equation (2). Continued addition of base (alkalinity) further removes the proton (H+) present to form the carbonate in equation (3). Buffering is achieved at this point, and equivalence points are noted as shown in the figures below (figures 1 2). Further addition of base now drives the equation back and carbon dioxide (CO2 (g)) is given off. Figure (1) points E and F indicate where the gas is given off. The experiment was carried out using the titration and pH indicator method to determine the equivalence points of equations (2) and (3), phenolphthalein and methyl orange were used as indicators. Phenolphthalein was added to determine the first equivalence point. The initial pH of the water sample was 9. 75; the addition of phenolphthalein thus induced a colour change. Phenolphthalein produces a colour change in water in the pH range 8. 3 10. The alkalinity measured at this point is the half carbonate that has been neutralized in the reaction. Half carbonate reaction; from equation (3) only one proton H+ is consumed during the neutralization, therefore, half carbonate reaction is simply the amount of hydrogen ion (which is one) consumed during the phenolphthalein indicator method. Methyl orange indicator method measures the buffering capacity of the neutralized solution. The bicarbonate (HCO3-) ion initially present with those produced during the half reaction is completely neutralized. Methyl orange produces a colour change at pH range 3. 5 4. 5. HCO3- + H+ H2O + CO2 Both methods is used to determine the total alkalinity of the reaction, thus, total alkalinity is the addition of the equivalence points of the reaction. Methodology The experiment was carried out in two parts, titration and pH indicator methods. Titration method (phenolphthalein indicator) 25ml of carbonate/bicarbonate mixture was pipette into a conical flask and two drops of phenolphthalein was added, the solution changed from colourless to pink. The mixture was then titrated against 0. 1M HCl until the pink colour changed to colourless. Table (1) shows the value that was obtained. (Methyl orange indicator) 25ml of carbonate/bicarbonate mixture was pipette into a conical flask and two drops of methyl orange was added, the solution changed from colourless to yellow. The mixture was then titrated against 0. 1M HCl until the yellow colour changed to pink. Table (1) shows the value that was obtained.pH indicator method 25ml of carbonate/bicarbonate mixture was pipette into a beaker and distilled water was added, the mixture was then titrated against 0. 1M HCl. A pH digital meter was introduced to measure the initial and subsequent changes in pH of solution. Table (2) shows the value that was obtained. Results The investigation of carbonate and bicarbonate in the water sample can first be described by the following reactions: (a) H2CO3 (aq) H+ (aq) + HCO3-(aq) (b) HCO3-(aq) H+ (aq) + CO3-2(aq) Various results were obtained during the titration and pH indicator methods. Table (1) shows the values obtained when 0. 1MHCl was titrated against the carbonate/bicarbonate mixture. Table (2) shows the values for the pH indicator method, table (3) shows the values for the derivative curve and table (4) shows the class result (raw data). The value obtained was then plotted on a graph to obtain various readings; the graphs would be explained later in the discussion. The plot on figure (1) shows the relationship between the pH and volume of 0. 1M HCl used. Figure (2) is the derivative curve, figures (3 4) is used to determine the equivalence points of the reactions.

Investigation of whether Poverty Causes Crime

Investigation of whether Poverty Causes Crime In the current essay we will discuss the fact that poverty causes crime. Poverty is a characteristic of the economic situation of the individual or social group in which they cannot satisfy a certain range of the minimum requirements needed for life saving ability. Poverty is a relative concept and depends on the overall standard of living in the society. According to experts, not getting decent wages for their work, young people gradually lose the desire to marry and to have children they are full of fear for tomorrow, not sure that tomorrow they will not be fired because of another financial crisis. In addition, low wages and lack of jobs, experts say, are pushing young people to commit crimes in order to get rich quickly. It is, therefore, among criminals, increases the number of adolescents, aged 18 to 25 years. Poverty is a consequence of diverse and interrelated reasons, which combine into the following groups: economic (unemployment, low wages, low productivity, lack of competitiveness of the industry); socio-medical (disability, old age, high levels of morbidity); Demographic (parent families, a large number of dependents in the family); socio-economic (low level of social guarantees); educational qualifications (a low level of education, lack of training); political (military conflict, forced migration); regional-geographic (uneven development of regions). As well, current crisis makes people react and do something, even if it is illegal, they start committing a crime. Poverty causes many crimes, as if a person was not poor and had faith in himself, he would not face the thought that he should search another ways to get money. According to Crime Causes Poverty (2010), being poor, which could be caused by different reasons, makes a person unhappy, incapable to earn enough money, to buy anything he wants or at least something necessary. Poverty determines a certain stereotype in a persons thoughts, and he does not see any constructive solving of the problem, as he wants to choose the easiest way of getting money, even harming other people. According to Borade (2007), poverty has a huge psychological influence on people, who become depressed, desperate and then they decide to commit a crime, as they have not found anything that can legally get them out of such situation. Too many problems that a person faces in the modern society makes him get angrier on the whole situation and forces to look for the new ways of solving his problem. The desperate economical situation in the country and consequently the lack of the work places, especially for young people, creates the thoughts and actions of crime. No guarantees from the government and no proper help to people who are poor leads to the chaos and misunderstanding, where the only way out they find, is to commit a crime. Poverty as a social phenomenon in a historical sense is of lasting value. The extent and depth of immersion of the people in the country reflects two important aspects of society the level of development of productive forces and the corresponding character of their operation principle of social justice. Most often, poverty is treated as financial insecurity of people, when income of a person or family does not allow maintaining socially necessary consumption for life, interfering with normal living and personal development. According to Mac Donald 2010), poverty serves as guidelines for shaping social policy. This phenomenon is assessed by using indicators of absolute and relative poverty, its depth and severity, as well as by the subjective perception of their individual well-being and quality of life. To determine the effect of poverty on crime, there may be also another way: by studying the living conditions of the poor and convicted before they commit crimes. As a consequence of the fact that poverty causes crime, criminally distorted psychology of society, values and personality, as a direct cause of crime are expressed by more than just greed, aggression, irresponsibility and neglect of criminal law prohibitions, as stated by Charen (2007). It has several forms: greed, the cause component of the Organized Crime and Entrepreneurship, parasitism, irresponsibility, situational robbery, when crimes are committed to meet the immediate material needs, poverty is an incentive for the physical survival. At a gain now there is 80% of the totality of the causes of crime at this time. The main source of crime in any society is the aggravation of his social contradictions. It is also defined as meaningful and with the quantifiable features of the formation, which are within the specific time parameters. It is known, that the technologically advanced capitalist countries do not have the same level of crimes. As a fact, crimes begin from the childhood. As a rule, if a child was born in a poor family, there are more chances that he will start committing crimes. All over the world there is propaganda of a luxurious way of life, of successful people, of expensive mansions, cars, of beautiful journeys, etc. When children and adolescents see that and understand that parents will not provide them with all these things, they start looking for the opportunity to get money fast in order to buy at least something. And consequently, they decide to commit a crime. According to Barr (1992), the crimes committed by adolescents are considered the cruelest. The majority of cases of all crimes show that a driving force of the crimes is the money. The values of the society are built the way that those people with the problems in their minds decide to bring closer all these luxurious things. One of the main aspects that can prevent poverty is education. If children are educated properly, then they will perceive the reality as it is and they will try to succeed in legal ways by studying and then getting a job. Sometimes, crimes are the symptom of the culture, and education can cure the cultural poverty, and only then the financial poverty will be cured itself as a consequence. As a fact, not only poor people commit crimes, as there are also rich people who have no boundaries in their actions and also power and they also commit crimes to get more money and power, according to McGrath (2009). Considering the statistics, the total number of the seven index crimes is reported to police per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States. The research states that if to reduce poverty, crime will be reduced, although with the crisis that has begun in 2008, there have been registered less crimes, although there are more poor people because of the crisis. As an example of it, in the first decade of the XXI century crime in the United States has tended to decline. By the end of the decade, crime rates, according to many indicators, have fallen dramatically, despite the economic crisis of 2008-2010. In some cities such as New York, the crime rate has dropped to the record lows. With the onset of recession in the U.S., many media outlets have expressed fears that the crisis (for example, increased unemployment and reduced real incomes of people) will lead to a rapid increase in crime. FBI report shows that these fears have not yet been met. Published in the 2008, the study of the Heritage Foundation has shown that the relationship between economic perturbations and the crime exists, but it is not so clear. Thus, in the United States there is a nation-wide crime statistics since 1934. During all this time only for 16 years the crime rate has declined. The crime rate has steadily increased from 1955 to 1972, although this time the U.S. economy has experienced a rapid period of development, and then a recession occurred only in mid-1960. In turn, during the Great Depression statistics was only for the period from 1934 to 1938 criminals have shown less activity. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a preliminary report on crime rates in the U.S. in 2009. This statistics is based on data provided by about 17 thousand law enforcement agencies of different jurisdictions. The main conclusions of the report, compared to 2008, is that the number of property crimes in the U.S. decreased by 6.1%, violent crimes by 4,4%. According to the report, this year the number of murders in the U.S. fell by 10%, robberies on 6,5%, rape by 3,3%. Among property crimes, the most significantly decreased the number of thefts of cars (by 18.7%), theft (by 5.3%) and burglary (2.5%). The greatest reductions in crime were noted in cities with populations exceeding one million. In addition to FBI statistics, the crime rate measures the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics by the Census Bureau (study called National Crime Victimization Survey). Since 1973, there have been annually polled 70-80 thousand of households (family or group of people living together and h aving a total budget), to identify about how many actually committed crimes Americans have not informed the police. The last time similar research was conducted in 2008. It has shown that the victims of the criminals Americans do not always turn to law enforcement agencies: becoming the victims of violent crimes, they shall notify the police in 51.2% of the property in 39.6% of cases. Another important indicator for gauging the level of crime in the U.S. is a traditional study conducted the service Gallup Rating the perception of crime. Every year Gallup asks Americans to estimate whether increased or decreased the number of crimes in their area and across the country. In the recent years, such survey was conducted in September 2009. Then 74% of Americans said that compared with last year the crime rate in the U.S. grew, and 15% reported that the situation has improved. The rise in crime in their area was 51%, decrease 29%. As a fact, 12% of respondents said that the situation with crime in their place of residence was very serious; the crime rate across the United States similarly estimated 55% of respondents. It is curious that in the last decade, both of these indicators remain fairly stable, fluctuating slightly. As a rule, those countries where there is no proper economic regulations, there are more chances that people will react negatively and commit more crimes, as the consequence of unhappy life and no perspective in such countries. Although there is no proof of the direct connection of the fact that poverty is the main motive to commit a crime, as there are many factors present in the minds of people who in different situations can act differently. According to Francis (2008), it is not quite explicable, that the fact that while there is a depression and economical crisis all over the world, people do not commit more crimes, as the statistics shows that people do not intend to commit more crimes. The consequences and the logic of this fact are not fully understandable. In the modern world everything changes so quickly that people get accustomed to the situation, they learn the rules of the game and probably they try to find a better way to earn money and succeed than to commit a crime. T here can be also hope that the more people get more education, the more they get the proper knowledge, the better they understand life and the rules to survive. The more people know, the better they understand the situations, the values, the perspective, the more ideas they have, the more creative they are and the more they feel capable to find a job and to succeed in life. In poor countries such as Brazil and the countries of the former Soviet Union, there are millions of poor people who do not have a way out because of the lack of any perspectives to find a job, as the level of corruption is extremely high. According to Langeneckert (2010), in such countries is especially visible the difference and the gap between the extremely rich and very poor people. There are almost no middle class people who have a job, a house and other benefits. According to Crime (2009), there are almost no chances to combat it, as poor and desperate people in these countries do not see any other opportunity except committing a crime. The obvious injustice and no social guarantees make people feel as losers, who see the luxurious life and who cannot touch it. As a fact, there is a lot of envy because of such a big gap and so much poverty. Each country has its problems and level of poverty, but there is one main point- the lack of money. According to Brill (1993), if people had money at least for the basic needs, there would be no such level of poverty. And as Aristotle said: Poverty is a source of disturbance and crime, which means that little problem becomes a huge problem if there is nothing useful done to prevent it. That is why the right policy of the country will be able to eliminate poverty and along with that there will be no crime in the future. What factors specifically lead to poverty in the countries? This is the high level of unemployment, a significant number of jobs that do not provide a living wage, as well as reducing the number of social service costs. It can be emphasized that poverty reduction should not be a charity event. It must go against strong social inequalities. The only way to do this is to foster a society of equal opportunities. If we deal only with short-term problems in order to achieve short term objectives rather than to focus on strategic issues of economic and social development, we may miss the last chance to make the country the basis for a viable, long-term development based on economic and social modernization. So, the agenda should include the following vital issues: Reducing inequality and providing our citizens with the opportunity to realize their constitutional rights; Restoration of a common economic space; Infrastructure development through the joint efforts of government and the private sector (roads, railways, ports, airports, bridges, power lines, electricity, etc.); The solution of demographic problems of the countries; The rise of living standards (including environmental problems); Eliminating unevenness in the level of regional development; Harmonization of interethnic relations in the country and the creation of normal living conditions for the communities; National security and territorial integrity; The safety of citizens; As a fact, it is easier to prevent poverty than to deal with its consequences. The fact that people commit crimes when they are poor does not justify them. But the government has to take measures to prevent the poverty, there should be created more opportunities for people to work, as keeping people busy can prevent crimes and even the thoughts of it. Proper economical policy, positive changes in the social sphere, economical issues and employment can guarantee the higher level of education and understanding the principles, which will help to avoid the crime in the future. There should be also organized the certain campaigns aimed at the reduction of poverty, as it in some cases causes crime. Anyway, if the importance of money was not so crucial these days, probably, the majority of people would not commit crimes. As it is very difficult to be different from everyone in the society that values the materialistic ideas, the goods and products, it becomes a real challenge not to have goals to buy the things or to own something. It happens because the society judges those who are different, who have different vision, goals, principles and ideas. That is why people are almost forced to do everything the right way to be as everyone else is, to work and to succeed. And if there are no possibilities for that in the country, people start looking for other wrong ways to reach it anyway. They start looking for the easiest, quickest and lowest ways to reach their goal, and that is why robberies, different violent crimes and thefts occur. Some people, after committing them, feel innocent, as they think that if the government did not give certain things and possibilities to them, then they have the right to take things or money from the richer people. Deceiving themselves, people live in their own world that is so narrow, that allows them to commit a crime and to presume that no one will ever know. As a fact, it is sad that a reality is that money takes a very important place in peoples lives. Everything people do to earn money sometimes in not enough, that is why arise different problems which lead to the thoughts to commit a crime as that last opportunity. Everyone wants to live worthily and this desire determines unexpected behavior. Often people want to prove something to their friends, family, loved ones, but they do not manage to achieve it in a legal way, choosing instead the lowest possible way to commit a crime, thinking that from that moment on everything would change for the better. It is obvious that money rules the world, which is why almost every crime is based on the desire to get more money at any cost. Those who commit crime do not usually think about consequences and they pay for everything they have done later. Sometimes people just lack the patience and they want to have everything too soon without any considerable long time efforts. Consequently, this practice does not work and people are forced to pay for everything they have done. According to McIlheran (2010), psychological help and support in difficult situations can help and benefit people to overcome difficulties, challenging times and other problems. Being open to discussions, to new ideas, to new opportunities and options, people can stop thinking about committing a crime because they are poor. The capacity to believe in yourself, in the future possibilities and in the brighter future lacks in the minds of the people. It is surprising that people commit crimes, as it is obvious that sooner or l ater they will pay for what they have done and it is important to take control of the life. According to Short (1997), the mistake is that people sometimes consider themselves cleverer than the others are, and think they are capable of changing their life easily by harming someone else. This method, fortunately, does not work. Being realistic and optimistic at the same time can save situation and turn life to the better. All in all, only the right policies of the countries can solve this problem and make people understand and see other right ways to earn money and to get out of poverty. People are instruments in the hands of the government and they play by its rules. If there will be more opportunities and proper social conditions for people to live and work, the crimes that are caused by poverty will not take place anymore. A lot depends on the country that people live in, and on the fact how they see their future, which possibilities and advantages they can find and want to implement in their lives. Anyway, everything depends on a choice a person makes, wherever he lives and whatever he has.

Are Canadian Political Values Becoming Americanized?

Are Canadian Political Values Becoming Americanized? Canada and the United States may be the most extreme case of the small nation, big neighbor syndrome but when asked to point the main differences between the two countries, more than 70 people from both the sides said that Canada is just like a shadow of America. But what makes them make this confound argument? On what basis have they decided that they are the same? And on the other hand why does the rest of the 30% think that they are different? Going against all the odds, I would like to oppose the fact that Canadian Values are becoming Americanized by evaluating healthcare, the global culture and the free trade agreement between the two countries. Since the early 90s, the US has been successful in making a security system for the elder people, a medical help for the welfare recipients which can be called disorganized as there was no public funding in the health care center for the rest of the population. Canada on the other hand relied on a constitutionally entrenched system of equalization transfers from have to have-not provinces to balance roughly welfare state provisions, while the US adopted no such approach. . When needed, it is easy for Citizens of Canada to get healthcare or needs some assistance from welfare then it is easily available. The United States have said that they desire to have the same. Along with universal health care, Canadas welfare system is distinct from the United States. As Bashevkin pointed out, Canadas remain even while the United States remain uneven. Canada is portrayed as an executive political system with different languages and various significant regional bonds, where legislative, executive and judicial power and control lies largely in the hands of the prime minister. This horizontally centralized control system allows Canadian political elites in a majority government to impose their preferences more readily than executives in a horizontally decentralized case like the US, where a constitutional separation of powers creates multiple veto points across the three branches of government. In a more racially divided society with a diffuse congressional regime, American presidents are generally unable to command the concentrated institutional levers available to their Canadian counterparts. My next argument will state about the free trade argument between the two countries and its evaluation. Since before Confederation, Canadas national identity has been defined in part by its relation- ship to the United States. In Canada, this relationship has been characterized by divisive tensions between believers in the economic benefits of closer commercial relations with the US and those who have feared that free trade would Americanize Canada, either literally in the form of joining the union or figuratively in terms of values and culture. These conflicts have been particularly evident over the past 15 years, as Canada entered into the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement in 1988, which was expanded six years later to include Mexico in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Opponents of these agreements argued that they would cause jobs to be lost, wages to decline, inequality to increase, Canadas national identity to be undermined, and the capacity to forge distinctive policies to be vitiated. Proponents of free trade claimed that it would foster tremendous economic benefits and vehemently denied that it would lead to the Americanization of Canada. For Canada, globalization is effectively 80 percent Americanization. That figure represents the percentage of Canadian exports that go to the United States. Clearly, it is too simplistic to reduce the complex nature of US influence to trade relations. Nonetheless, that percentage is an effective representation of the importance of the United States in Canadas external relations with the world. Indeed, when one considers the cultural content of the media to which Canadians are exposed, the 80 percent figure is probably conservative. The main theme of the North American integration research for the Project on Trends is that the consequences of continental integration have not been as formidable as widely believed. Despite a sharp rise in trade dependence as a result of the Free Trade Agreement and growing American dominance of global media, the border between the two countries still matters. Admittedly, some policy instruments have been surrendered in exchange for access to larger mark ets. In addition, pressures for harmonization do exist, and have probably in- creased. But Canada still retains significant room to manoeuvre even in the areas of policy most affected by growing economic integration. (Hoberg, G. 350) The next argument is related to Globalization and Culture. With its awe-inspiring characteristics like limited government, an open society and Internationalism, Canada holds a position somewhere between France and United States when it comes to Cultural Politics. Just like India and Nepal, Canada and United States practice International Culture co-operation by engaging themselves in bipartite and multipartite activities. Like Kevin V. MULCAHY said that it represents an interesting case when countries like Canada-United States define statements like where you sit determines where you stand. For the United States, culture is judged generally to be a sidebar in the spectrum of politics among nations, as cultural expression is more often considered to be a commodity than a value of identity. For Canada, culture is a much more central concern in its bilateral relations with the United States given this asymmetrical relationship. The International trade agreement has really affected the cultural, political and economic relations between the two countries, to a limit that is very unusual but the artistic provisions of such a commitment, the work process of the cultural sector can clearly raise a debate on this political subject of Canadian Values becoming Americanized. Even though Canada is sensitive about its identification and coherence, there is awareness and the cultural practices ARE given a lot of importance. The counter arguments: Virtually, the cultural relations of these 2 peas in a pod may have their own identity in their own divergent and heterogeneous ways between power and smaller neighbor commonality, their adjoining population and keeping in mind the geographical condition of Canada. This may conclude for many others that Cultural, Rational and Political mix of Canadian Values and Culture stand more on the side of dependency of the United States. As is often the case, where a small nation has a big neighbor, geographic propinquity can create awkward, even difficult, cultural relations. (De la Garde, Gilsdorf, and Wechselmann, 1993) None of this is to suggest a loss of Canadian political sovereignty. Yet, Canada has had to grapple with a persistent stereotype of being the fifty-first American state. As such, colonialism (the cultural dominance of a stronger power over another) persists in its post-colonial era: moreover, there is a significant question about whether political sovereignty can be sustained without cultural independence and the concomitant value of individual identity. In sum, how can a distinct Canadian identity thrive in the face of a hegemonic American culture? Evidence- Canada does not have that unique point which acts as an advantage of differentiating them and giving them an edge over the other countries like the United States does. For example barely one percent of the movies that Americans watch are foreign (Mulcahy,2003). The attitude and their vast cultural diversities that American Industry has, galvanizes the fact about the Americanization of Canada. The US has clearly been dominating the Canada Free Trade agreement since the beginning of this new decade. The rivalry with the UK and US were preety much the same since the early 19th Century but after the Second World War there was a clear increase in trade with the US. The imports were measurable but the imports were much more from the US then it was from the UK. The world war had clearly left a major impact on the trade and the economic policies. The markets were devastated as 70% of the imports for Canada came from the US. In the wake of the Free Trade Agreement, there was a sharp (15 percentage point) increase in Canadas dependence on trade with the US. In 1998, total exports constituted a staggering 40 percent of GDP, with the US accounting for 84 percent of that total, Or 33 percent of GDP. Thus, while trade dependence was quite high previously, the current levels of trade dependence, globally and on the US in particular, are record setting. The Rebuttal Although small in population, Canada is home to two major linguistic societies and may be ideally positioned to mediate a global cultural perspective that is an alternative to the hegemony of American entertainment. A hybrid Canadian culture, which is post-colonial, bi-lingual and multi-cultural, could serve as a model for other nations that seek to retain their heritage and identity without retreating into autarchy or dependency. Like Kevin said Unlike Canada, the United States does not have such a distinct society, which Accounts for about 22% of its population. Accordingly, Canadian commitment to Multiculturalism has had to accommodate both individual rights and collective rights. In the U.S., everyone is legally equal to be American. In Canada, one is guaranteed the right to be Canadian, as well as the right to retain ones ascriptive identity. In this sense, Canada has had significant experience with policies that protect cultural diversity. Canadian culture does not rest as heavily on American principles of assimilation and homogenization; rather, there is accommodation and heterogeneity. As a broad generalization, Canada is a cultural mosaic in contrast to the American melting pot. Talking about the Free Trade Agreement, I agreed Canada has a few tough choices to make and the road ahead is not smooth but it is attainable. The Free Trade Area of the Americas is under negotiation, but the US Congress denied President Clinton the fast-track authority necessary to get Americans properly engaged. Nonetheless, the momentum still appears to be in the direction of increasing rather than decreasing international economic integration. Given the geography of trade, it seems unlikely that even if these agreements fail to go forward, the close integration of the Canadian and US economies is likely to change in any fundamental way. Conclusion: Being a part of North America and sitting right on the North of North America, it is not surprising that many might believe that Canada is slowly turning to be a sub-nation or is becoming Americanized but considering the facts like healthcare, welfare, the free trade agreement and other policies and various other elements of the political culture of this country would clearly define them to be different then the United States of America. Even the free trade agreement gives Canada quite an edge over the US. The imports might have been higher as compared to the exports in the early 2000 but ever since after that the imports have been similar to the exports i.e. 70%.. The culture of Canada is totally different as compared to the United States even though they celebrate the same festivals the way they celebrate is different and differences like these affect a lot and leave a major impact when differentiating the two countries. The culture has always been kind of similar but that does not mean that Canada is becoming Americanized. The government is totally different and the only part which I think is becoming Americanized is that Canada has more Starbucks now than it used to. Court Report Essay: Sexual Offences Court Report Essay: Sexual Offences Court Report Name of the Court: The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) (the Supreme Court) Location: 6 Knowles Place Canberra ACT 2600 Honourable Judge: Justice Hilary Ruth Penfold Court Room No: No.5 in Supreme Court building Name of the case: R v Michael John Stratford Case No.: (SCC250/2016) Defendant: Michael John Stratford (Grandfather) Date of hearing: 22.03.2017 Time of hearing of case: 12.30pm Legislation: Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) INTRODUCTION On 22 March 2017 at 12:30pm, I attended the criminal trial of R v Michael John Stratford (SCC250/2016) in Court Room 5 of the ACT Supreme Court located 6 Knowles Place Canberra ACT 2600 where Honable Justice Hilary Ruth Penfold heard the matter and sentence hand down to the accused/offender. Present in the court room was Crown Prosecutor, who was assisted by an instructing solicitor from the Director Public Prosecutions. Representation for the defendant included defence barrister and instructing by solicitor. Also present at the trial were court officers, members of the public and the family members of victim and accused. THE CHARGE the accused aged sixty-four-year-old was charged with the ten time sexual offences/indecency act with his 12-year-old granddaughter without her consent which carries minimum sentence of 12 year of imprisonment. However, s70(2) of Crimes Act[1] allows the jury to find alternative verdict for an act of indecency (s60(1))[2] instead, which carries a maximum penalty of 7 year of imprisonment[3]. FACTS OF THE CASE Mr. Statford was charged under the offence of indecency act with his granddaughter. He committed this crime in his own house while his son and daughter-in-law was going to New Zealand for business trip and left their daughter for babysitting into his real parents house. Accused was the real grandfather of victim. The age of the victim was 12-year-old and age of accused/offender was 64 year old at the time of sexual act of indecency. Accused did ten times act of indecency with his granddaughter. Accuseds wife who are also real grandmother of the victim was witness of that act when accused did that tenth time with victim and then she reported to the police. According to Mr. Statford, victim also involved with consent in that activity. He also stated that he always asked permission from victim before did that act. IS THIS A SUMMARY MATTER OR INDICTABLE MATTER? This is an indictable matter because these types of offenses are serious in nature and requires many hearing and take a longer time to resolve. Jury and Judge consider each aspect of this matter for conclusion and for final verdict. This matter was reported to police in July 2016 and today court hand down sentence to the offender/accused. PAST HISTORY AND CRIMINAL RECORD OF ACCUSED Honable judge read-out some previous life and criminal history of accused that Mr. Statford was a single parent child and abused by his mother also faced financial hardship. He has ten charge of theft in 1998 and 6 charge of dishonesty but not on his real name. He was also patient of two mental hospital one was Batsman-Bay Hospital and other was Goulbourn Mental Hospital. THE LAW Sexual Intercourse without Consent: Crimes Act 1900(ACT) Section 54 A person who engages in sexual intercourse with another person without the consent of that other person and who knows that that other person does not consent, or who is reckless as to whether that other person consents, to the sexual intercourse is guilty of an offence punishable, on conviction, by imprisonment for 12 years.[4] Indecent assaults/Acts of Indecency: Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) S60 Act of indecency without consent (1) A person who commits an act of indecency on, or in the presence of, another person without the consent of that person and who knows that that other person does not consent, or who is reckless as to whether that other person consents, to the committing of the act of indecency is guilty of an offence punishable, on conviction, by imprisonment for 7 years.[5] Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) S61L Indecent assault Any person who assaults another person and, at the time of, or immediately before or after, the assault, commits an act of indecency on or in the presence of the other person, is liable to imprisonment for 5 years.[6] Act of Indecency with consent or without consent: Indecency is an ordinary English word which means indecent behaviour. It is for the jury to decide that whether the facts of the case amount to indecency or not.[7] Generally, it has sexual meaning which followed by the ordinary meaning approach which connected with the areas of the body associated with the sexual activity.[8] Courts has also referred to what right-minded persons would consider in directing the jury: This case also recognized that some conduct might be considered inherently indecent, some might be vague. (This case Accused had spanked 12-year girl across the buttocks admitted to buttock fetish).[9] ELEMENT OF THE OFFENCE Physical element (Actus Res) of this case: In my observation while I was listening the sentencing order, actus res was present and the conduct of offender was voluntary during every time he touched the private parts of victims body and also did the indecency act while no body present at home and he repeated that act of indecency several times. Fault element (Mens Rea) of this case: Offenders intention towards victim was not good. Offender has knowledge about his act which he did with victim. He had malafide intention of sexual act towards victim. Mental Element of Indecent Assault: Under common law, accused intentionally or recklessly touched victims body or intentionally or recklessly threatened that unlawful force would be applied.[10] PURPOSE OF THIS OFFENCE In my opinion, there was two purpose of this offence; Accused/Offender had dark hidden fantasy about incest and fulfilled his dark fantasy. Accused/Offender had a psychiatric disorder named Pedophilia[11] in which a person has sexual attraction to prepubescent children, generally age 13 years or younger. JUSTICE PENFOLDS CONSIDERATION TOWARDS ACCUSED Prior to sentencing Mr Statford, Justice Penfold discussed the following observations of Mr Parkinsons circumstances: Criminal record of theft and dishonesty. An unhappy childhood, with an abusive mentally ill mother. Financial hardship. Employment history comprising mainly trade and labour jobs. Patient in two Mental hospital one was Goulbourn Hospital and other was Batsman bay hospital. Unsuccessful married life. Three time divorced. Two time tried to suicide due to his mental condition/ JUSTICE PENFOLDS CONSIDERATION TOWARDS VICTIM 12-year-old girl who never know what happed with her. Breach of trust towards trustworthy relations. Her short but strong statement, you have to kept this secret from everyone. TOTAL PENALTY/SENTENCE AWARDED BY COURT Generally maximum penalty of this offence is 7 years of imprisonment [12]but after all consideration and circumstances as well as observations of jury in this matter, Honable court awarded sentence 6 year and 6 month of imprisonment. CONCLUSION After attending a sentence hearing, now I understand that there is a lot of considerations to be taken while sentencing and sentencing is a really complicated and complex issue. In my opinion, accused did very serious offense which might affected the mental health of victim in future as well as worst impact on society because it is also a matter of trust between the close relations. To conclude this, I strongly agreed with the sentence handed out by the Honable judge. I also understand that a persons past history and relevant cases must be taken into consideration when assessing these types of issues. Finally, through sex offender programme in relation to child abuse should prevent the offender from committing the crimes again. Bibliography: A- Books David, Brown, David Farrier Sundra Egger Luke McNamara Alex steel Michael Grewcock and Donna spears, Criminal Laws materials and commentary on Criminal Law and Process of New South Wales (The Federation Press 6th ed, 2015) B- Legislation Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) Criminal Code 1995 (Cth) [1] Crimes Act 1900 (ACT). [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid, s60. [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). [7] R v Nazif [1987] 2 NZLR 122 at 127. [8] Harkin (1989) 38 A Crim R 296 at 301. [9] R v Court [1989] AC 28 at 42 per Lord Acker. [10] Drago v The Queen (1992) 8 WAR 488. [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia [12] Crimes Act 1900 (ACT) s60.

The Role of Labor in American History Essay -- Labor Historical US Ess

This brief history of more than 100 years of the modern trade union movement in the United States can only touch the high spots of activity and identify the principal trends of a "century of achievement." In such a condensation of history, episodes of importance and of great human drama must necessarily be discussed far too briefly, or in some cases relegated to a mere mention. What is clearly evident, however, is that the working people of America have had to unite in struggle to achieve the gains that they have accumulated during this century. Improvements did not come easily. Organizing unions, winning the right to representation, using the collective bargaining process as the core of their activities, struggling against bias and discrimination, the working men and women of America have built a trade union movement of formidable proportions. Labor in America has correctly been described as a stabilizing force in the national economy and a bulwark of our democratic society. Furthermore, the gains that unions have been able to achieve have brought benefits, direct and indirect, to the public as a whole. It was labor, for example, that spearheaded the drive for public education for every child. The labor movement, indeed, has served as a force for American progress. American Labor's Second Century Now, in the 1980s, as the American trade union movement looks toward its second century, it takes pride in its first "century of achievement" as it recognizes a substantial list of goals yet to be achieved. In this past century, American labor has played a central role in the elevation of the American standard of living. The benefits which unions have negotiated for their members are, in most cases, widespread in the eco... ...en excluded from the legal protections afforded to most workers in industry and commerce. Suffering from low pay, abominable temporary housing, lack of access to decent schools for their children, and often deprived of adequate medical care or safety protection measures, the migrant farm workers have been too often the "forgotten people" of the American economy. In recent years, the Farm Workers union-in the face of great difficulties-has been able to organize some of them, principally in California, and bring them the benefits of collective bargaining. Public response, in the form of consumer boycotts of grapes and lettuce at various times, has helped their cause. The beginnings of legislation, both federal and state, and attention to their plight in the press and on television, have brought some relief to the farm workers. But much remains to be done.

Eaters Of The Dead Essay -- essays research papers

Applied Intelligence and Knowledge Conquers All In his novel, Eaters of the Dead, author Michael Crichton shows how the Volga Northmen were able to defeat their foes, the wendol, by using their intellect instead of their weapons. This is seen in four aspects. The theme of the novel is that physical courage is not enough to preserve your culture and lifestyle: intelligence and superior knowledge are absolutely essential. Conflict between the wendol and the Northmen shows which group has the intelligence to eliminate the other. Symbolism of wisdom, knowledge, and the lack of such things are used by Crichton to illustrate this moral. The juxtaposition of characters emphasizes the cleverness of the Volga Northmen compared to the Venden Northmen. The theme of the story is that applying intelligence and knowledge is essential in order to keep one’s culture alive. A good proof of this is the lack of knowledge of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, the narrator of the story. He is an Arab who "knows nothing of the ways of the world" (p. 77) because he has never truly experienced the world before that day, since he does not care for adventure. Having no experience with the world and having no knowledge, Ibn Fadlan slowly learns the Northmen’s way of life. In the end, felt he "had been born a Northman" (p. 152), having spent much time in their company and is no longer the coward he was when he started the trip. His lack of knowledge causes him to be a coward in battle, since he will be battling frightening, mysterious creatures. A better proof of this is that the wendol acts as if they are animals, which are unintelligent. The wendol makes "a low grunting sound, like the rooting of a pig" (p. 97), "h ave hair as long as a hairy dog" (p. 99), and wear the heads of dead animals as masks. They act as if they were brainless and cannot think of ways of attack on the Northmen. The only thing they can think of when they are losing is to retreat. Their ignorance to provide more guards at the second entrance to the thunder cave give the Northmen easy access to kill their leader from the lack of defenses. The best proof of this is that the Northmen are the ones who have the knowledge and intelligence to defeat the wendol. They learn about the second entrance to the cave of thunder, where the mother of the wendol lives, a... ... from Buliwyf. He builds his settlement on a cliff and "dares the gods to strike him down," (p. 77) putting his people in danger because of his vanity, another act that leads to his downfall. Buliwyf is called upon to help and save the settlement of Venden. He leads the people of Venden to build defences, which King Rothgar was unable to do, although he is the king and should have already done so. Buliwyf is the one with the intelligence that eventually drives away the wendol. The pairing of these characters show the stupidity of the Venden royals and nobleman, which causes them so much trouble and requires the help of the Volga Northmen, who are more intelligent. The Northmen arrive at Venden as a group of thirteen and only four remain. All nine who died lost their lives in the battles of physical strength. However, when it comes to the battle of the intelligence and knowledge, all the warriors survived. The lack of intelligence and knowledge of the Venden Northmen and the wendol leads them to a devastating end. From this, it is seen that the intelligence and knowledge one has is truly more important than physical strength, for without the mind, one is useless.

The R-word and Racist Native American Sports Team Logos Essay

Racial epithets have long existed and plagued our society, Native Americans throughout the country consider the R-word a racial, derogatory slur along the same lines of other hurtful, slanderous, and offensive ethnic insults including the N-word among African-Americans, the K-word for the Jewish and the W-word amongst Latinos. Above all, the portrayal of stereotypical Indian images is common in American popular culture (i.e. Jeep Cherokee, Land O’Lakes butter). Moreover, the use of Indian logos or mascots at both the professional and high school level in sports has become increasingly controversial. Thus, the removal of Native American mascots from sports teams is necessary to fight the injustice of the negative connotations and stereotypes that are typical in the depiction of Indians. Our society must become aware of how very racist the word â€Å"redskin† is and how very derogatory the portrayal of the Native American is in so many commercial and sporting events. Interestingly, Merriam-Webster’s definition defines â€Å"Redskin† as a very offensive slang used as a disparaging term for a Native American and should be avoided. The fact that many Americans are not aware of the definition of the term â€Å"redskin† or are blind to see into believing that this term means strong, brave, and courageous gives them a false sense of understanding to the true testament of the word â€Å"redskin† that is heavily misunderstood and overlooked in today’s society. First, by considering the term â€Å"Redskin† has for centuries been used to belittle and humiliate an entire people. The meaning originated in colonial times when traders and local government paid for skins. There was a certain price paid for various animal skins. On that list was the term â€Å"Red-skin,† which referred to bloody scalps of American Indians resulting from a Native American crossing the path of a bounty hunter. Most of the affected tribes were Penobscots, Passamaquoddy, Wampanoag, Mashpee Wampanoag and others along the New England coastal line. The reason they were paid for these scalps, the colonists were working to remove the American Indian presence and take over their land. Furthermore, the original name was a European one used to describe Algonquins who painted their face with bright red ocher and bloodroot, consequently making their  face red with war paint. In addition, red is the most common color used by Native Americans in painting their skin. According to Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians by Ronal P. Koch, â€Å"Red is generally accepted as being one of the colors most easily available to and most used by Indians for decorative and ceremonial purposes.† In recent developments, the Non-Disparagement of Native American Persons or Peoples in Trademark Registration Act of 2013 (H.R. 1278) introduced by U.S. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega of the Territory of American Samoa states that this bill would require cancellation of existing trademark registrations for trademarks using the term â€Å"redskin† in reference to Native Americans. It would also deny registration for new trademarks so using the term â€Å"redskin† would be deemed improper, the bill has begun to pick up steam and has garnered nation wide support through the backings of Native Americans and Non-Native American organizations in advocating an end to the use of the term â€Å"redskin† which constitutes a racial slur and is disparaging, derogatory, demeaning, and offensive to Native Americans. According to the United States House of Representative’s website, documented in a letter to Members of Congress, the National Congress of American Indians (NC AI) which is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving tribal governments and communities recently stated: This legislation will accomplish what Native American people, nations, and organizations have tried to do in the courts for almost twenty years – end the racist epithet that has served as the [name] of Washington’s pro football franchise for far too long. The Tulsa Indian Coalition Against Racism (TICAR) asserts that the â€Å"R-word† is â€Å"hurtful and injurious to our youth, as well as the entire Native American population.† Accordingly, the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA) affirms: The term has never been acceptable in the Native community and causes harm to the collective self-esteem and status of American Indians in the larger society. . . What should be viewed as a national embarrassment has somehow turned into a  celebrated namesake for a national sport? Further, the American Indian Movement West (AIM-WEST) sustains that: Our organization supports the goal of ridding the sports world of the disparaging name of the Washington pro football franchise. There is no question that this is a racist term that causes harm and injury, whether or not it is intended to do so, and must not be tolerated in decent society. As well as, the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET) expresses: Overcoming the social challenges resulting from industry branding and media exposure has taken generations for other groups. Native communities are on a similar journey. In our work to protect and promote our sovereignty rights at all levels, existing stereotypes, bigotry, and racist views about our people often get in the way of progress. This legislation will assist Tribes in promoting an understanding of American Indian culture, positive images of Indian Country, the effects of historic trauma, and the modern-day successes and challenges Tribes face as we seek to improve the standard of living within our communities. In addition to the above organizations, there are 50 other organizations that have either pledged their support for this bill or rejected the use of the term ‘Redskin,’ among them are the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, the Oneida Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the National Indian Youth Council, the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the National Indian Education Association, the National American Indian House Council as well as a long laundry list of other notable organizations. Second, the stereotypical Indian images in American pop culture known as â€Å"Tribalism,† as Ruth Hopkins, a columnist for the Indian Country Today Media Network concedes â€Å"as a mainstream trend largely based on false, stereotypical notions of who indigenous people are has become a pop culture phenomenon.† Among those are celebutantes, pop princesses and hipster  wannabes have been wearing obtrusive, exaggerated war bonnets and headdresses, wearing â€Å"war paint,† and playing dress up in Native American â€Å"inspired† costumes in record numbers. She goes on to illustrate that the perpetuation of stereotypical images of Native peoples is unacceptable and discriminatory for a plethora of reasons. (Hopkins) Clearly, Non-natives who wear American Indian costumes are pretending to be someone of another race. Those who play â€Å"dress up† by wearing an American Indian costume, headdress or war bonnet are not only failing to acknowledge the existence of over 500 recognized Native nations, each separate and distinct from one another, they are making light of centuries of suffering, oppression and massacre endured by the indigenous people of this country. Enforcing racial stereotypes of Native peoples as savages in characterless feathers and fringe also perpetuates the myth that American Indians are not active members of modern society and casts them aside to make them feel further disrespected and unworthy as a depleted and lost society. (Hopkins) Actually, not all American Indian tribes include war bonnets or headdresses as part of their traditional insignia. Of those who do, headdresses and war bonnets were worn by men, and have nothing to do with fashion or the sexual objectification of women. Hopkins expresses that â€Å"each eagle feather contained in a war bonnet is individually earned, often bestowed upon the owner through ceremony, and represents a significant event or acknowledged act of bravery, leadership, or self-sacrifice.† Much less, powerful, respected American Indian men with a history of valor who are leaders in their Tribal community specifically wear war bonnets. In other words, the only people who should be wearing war bonnets are chiefs or well respected warriors, such as Tatanka Iyotanka or Chief Sitting Bull of the Hunkpapa Lakota not these so-called reality stars such as Chloe Kardashian, or the pop star Ke$ha. It’s sad and pathetic that such an inconsiderate display would be similar to th e wearing of a war bonnet by someone who hasn’t earned it. (Hopkins) Because many people have such a limited knowledge of Indians, Native Americans are arguably, among the most misunderstood ethnic groups in the United States. Native Americans are also among the most isolated groups. What people know is limited by their sources of information and,  unfortunately, much of the information about Indians is derived from popular culture. Stereotyping is a poor substitute for getting to know individuals at a more intimate, meaningful level. By relying on stereotypes to describe Native Americans, whites come to believe that Indians are drunks, get free money from the government, and are made wealthy from casino revenue. Or they may believe that Indians are at one with nature, deeply religious, and wise in the ways of spirituality. Indeed, American mainstream media have always tended to distort Native American images. In a research conducted by Liu & Zhang on the representation of Native Americans in pop culture, â€Å"the film Dances with Wolves; the radio and TV Western, The Lone Ranger; and the novel, by Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans, are just a handful of TV shows ad movies that present negative or romanticized images of American Indians, either nasty or cruel, or subservient and short, but all disappearing.† For instance, the fabricated Indian images on TV and in the Hollywood films influence the identity formation of individual Native Americans. Consequently, Hollywood and TV have created simulated Indians and have played and replayed these images so many times that the Indian viewers take them as real. These romantic and stoic characters hardly speak in the films; nor do they get heard. Especially, Liu & Zhang point out the discrepancies that in Hollywood films and TV plays, Indians ar e paid to die, to fall off the horse, to confirm the â€Å"Vanishing Noble Savage† stereotype, so endings are important. Further propagating that these stereotypical images can be seen in the â€Å"westerns† movies and even in some cartoons such as Peter Pan. Moreover, other stereotypical images showed them with painted faces smoking peace pipes, dancing around a totem pole (at times with a captive tied to it), sending up smoke signals, wearing feathered head pieces, scalping the heads of their enemies and constantly chanting the word â€Å"um† promotes a damaging misconception and negative inferences towards Native Americans. With regards to discrimination, when the highly popular Twilight series received the Hollywood treatment, Taylor Lautner played the Native American character Jacob Black and his casting became steeped in controversy. As Dow points out that â€Å"Lautner’s presence seemed out of sync with Hollywood’s recent pro-Indian stance. Lautner claimed to have discovered his Indian  ancestry after being cast. Actions like this show film producers’ hesitance to hire an actor in spite of the character’s ethnicity. Rick Mora, an actor who resides in California, who plays a Native American in T wilight disagrees with the casting of Taylor: â€Å"There is plenty of Native talent in town (Hollywood) to play that role.† Furthermore, she yields that the movie could be â€Å"applauded for representing Natives as more than simply a dying race, instead appearing onscreen as people with their own unique personalities.† For some younger viewers this may be their first contact with Native American culture, so acknowledging Indians as Americans on screen was an achievement on the part of Hollywood. In addition, the summer release of X-men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and the highly popular character Silver Fox made her first onscreen appearance in the movie series. In the original comics, Silver Fox is described as a Native Canadian Black Foot. The character is to be played by Caucasian actress Lynn Collins, and the decision to cast a white actress has upset many fans of the comics. Hollywood producers have also decided to change her name to the more American-sounding Kayla Silverfox. Clearly, not only does Hollywood still find it difficult to include a Native American in a blockbuster, but also they e ven refuse to leave the traditional ethnic names intact. (Dow) Whereas names, images, and mascots that symbolize Native Americans are used extensively in the United States, particularly in sports and advertising. In sports there are the Washington Redskins football team, the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians baseball teams, and the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team. Fans of the Atlanta Braves use the â€Å"tomahawk chop† accompanied by a chant to intimidate visiting teams, while the Cleveland Indians use the mascot Chief Wahoo and the University of Illinois uses the mascot Chief Illiniwek. As a result, Native Americans across the country have been protesting the use of their symbols and heritage in sports arenas for over a decade. Most particular in the realm of professional sports, these protests have not generated significant changes in attitudes and practices. As an illustration, Hatfield designates that logos used by the Washington football team and the Cleveland and Atlanta baseball teams are offensive for many reasons, as are the logos formerly used by Dartmouth College and the University of Illinois. (They are no longer used because the NCAA banned teams with racist names and ma scots from post-season play.) He implies that  these logos appropriate the identities of Native Americans, many of whose languages and cultures have been destroyed by Euro-Americans. They take sacred religious symbols from Native American cultures – eagle feathers, face paint, and peace pipes – belittle them, and exploit them for the commercial and entertainment purposes of Americans. And they perpetuate outdated, demeaning stereotypes of Native Americans that make it difficult for Native Americans to represent themselves as part of contemporary American society.  Be that as it may, these logos reduce Native Americans to savages, to defeated enemies who have been â€Å"erased† from today’s world. Indian mascots objectify and commercialize Native Americans and their cultures. Cigar store Indians were used as advertisements to sell tobacco. Urban Outfitters used Navajo patterns to sell clothes, at least until lawyers representing the Navajo Nation filed suit against them and won an i njunction forcing them to stop. (Hatfield) Other nicknames of professional and college teams, such as Indians, Braves, Chiefs, and Seminoles may not in themselves be offensive. However, the portrayal of these words is often very demeaning. For example, the 1995 World Series, the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves, with Chief Wahoo as the mascot for the Cleveland team and the â€Å"tomahawk chop† exemplified by fans of the Atlanta team, portrayed Native Americans in an extremely degrading manner. Suzan Shown Harjo, Director of the Morning Star Institute, says that this portrayal of Native Americans is â€Å"racist, derogatory, demeaning, pejorative, offensive and ignorant at best.† On the other hand, Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, a visiting scholar in the Department of Education at Cameron University, has written extensively about the struggle of unlearning ‘Indian Stereotypes’ for both Native Americans and non-Native Americans as learned from the demeaning public portrayal of the American Indian through mascots, the movie, Pocahontas, and the â€Å"tomahawk chop.† Being that there are 62 high schools that use the name Redskins, the term has vanished from the collegiate landscape. Accordi ng to Capital News Service, â€Å"the last two colleges that used Redskins changed the name in the late 1990s. Miami University of Ohio changed from the Redskins to RedHawks in 1997 and the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm dropped the name in 1999. If the two universities had not changed their name by 2006, they would have been unable to play in the postseason under a NCAA policy adopted in 2005 that bans the use of Native American mascots by sports teams during its tournaments.† The postseason ban convinced colleges with mascots like Braves, Indians and Savages to become the Red Wolves, War Hawks, Mustangs or Savage Storm. In view of the fact, the CNS denotes that the policy made an exception for teams that have the consent of local Native American tribes like the Florida State University Seminoles. At the high school level, there is no single national sports organization like the NCAA to pressure schools to abandon Native American mascots. But officials in a growing number of states are taking similar steps as the NCAA to force schools to change. Wisconsin passed in 2010 the nation’s first state law banning public schools from using Native American names, mascots and logos. It left exceptions for schools that had the approval of local Native American tribes. In 2012, the Oregon State Board of Education issued a ruling banning all Native American team names, mascots and logos. Affected sc hools must comply by 2017 or risk losing state funding. Alternatively, according to Munson, â€Å"Indian† logos and nicknames create, support and maintain stereotypes of a race of people. She asserts that when one or many of society’s institutions support such cultural abuse, it constitutes institutional racism. Further, the logos, along with other societal abuses and stereotypes separate, marginalize, confuse, intimidate and harm Native American children. They create barriers to their learning throughout their school experience. Additionally, the logos teach non-Native American children that it’s all right to participate in culturally abusive behavior. Children spend a great deal of their time in school, and schools have a significant impact on their emotional, spiritual, physical and intellectual development. As long as such logos remain, both Native American and non-Native American children are learning to tolerate racism in our school. Understanding the history of Native Americans is important to understanding why this is such a controversial topic. The Native American community for 50 years has worked to banish images and names like Chief Wahoo, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Braves. It is important to remind people of the cognizant use of the symbols’ resemblance to other historic, racist images of the past. She adds that Native Americans struggled to survive in harsh situations. The support of these mascots only  brings back memories of their ancestors and the suffering and pain they went through for their children and grandchildren. The debate is about more than sports teams and what they call themselves; it is about how Americans treat one another. It is about the respect that different ethnic groups have for those different than themselves in terms of history, physical characteristics, values, and most importantly, emotions. (Munson) In essence, I have came to the conclusion that the Washington Redskins were originally known as the Newark Tornadoes and then the Boston Braves. Most accounts can agree that team owner George Preston Marshall changed the franchise name from the Boston Braves to the Boston Redskins in 1933 to recognize then coach, William â€Å"Lone Star† Dietz. Dietz, who claimed half-German, half-Sioux background, embraced what he perceived to be a Native American heritage. So, since many Native Americans are outraged about the symbolization of Native Americans in sports and advertising, and since society would not tolerate equivalent symbols of other minorities, it is clear that Native Americans are discriminated against, regardless of how others may feel about the matter–and that their civil rights are violated by such racial discrimination. These are important reasons for eradicating the use of Native American names in sports, advertising, and elsewhere. Consequently, Native American organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) are making a strong push through legal action in a bid to force the Washington Redskins to change their name. Most notable of these cases are Pro Football vs. Harjo and Blackhorse v. Pro-Football, Inc. that have made strong efforts in the fight against the discrimination of Native Americans. Works Cited Hatfield, Dolph L. â€Å"The Stereotyping of Native Americans.† The Humanist Sept. 2000: 43. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 15 July 2013. Washington, d.c.—members of congress urge snyder and the national football league to change the washington team’s name. (2013, May 28). Retrieved from http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/as00_faleomavaega/eniredskins.html Miller, Jackson B. â€Å"Indians, Braves, And Redskins: A Performative Struggle For Control Of An Image.† Quarterly Journal Of Speech 85.2 (1999): 188. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 July 2013. Soong, Kelyn. â€Å"The Other Redskins.† . Capital News Service. Web. 15 Jul 2013. . Koch, Ronald P. Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians. University of Oklahoma Press, 1977. Examination of the design and construction of Plains Indian formal †¦ www.minnesotahumanities.org/Teachers/3-04plains.htm Hopkins, Ruth. â€Å"Indian Country Today Media Network.†Tribalism as Pop Culture Phenomenon and the Perpetuation of Offensive American Indian Stereotypes. N.p., 19 Aug 2011. Web. 14 Jul 2013. . Liu, Kedong, and Hui Zhang. Self- and Counter-Representations of Native Americans: Stereotypical Images of and New Images by Native Americans in Popular Media. Harbin Institute of Technology, China, n.d. Web. 15 Jul 2013. . Dow, Madeline. â€Å"Race, Gender, and Mass Media Blog.†Native American Portrayal in Cinema. N.p., 06 Nov 2012. Web. 14 Jul. 2013. . Munson, Barabara. Common Themes and Questions About the Use of â€Å"Indian† Logos. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jul 2013. .