Isotoner Case Brief Essay

Facts of the Case: LaNisa Allen appealed the original judgment in favor of Totes/Isotoner Corporation on the issue of whether the Ohio Fair Employment Practices Act, as amended by the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, prohibits an employer from discriminating against a female employee because of or on the basis of lactation. Relevant law associated includes whether Allen established a prima facie case of â€Å"sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy,† or whether she â€Å"was simply and plainly terminated as an employee at will for taking an unauthorized, extra break.† Allen’s original complaint was termination attributable to discrimination, based on pregnancy and related conditions, even though Isotoner claimed to have released her for failure to â€Å"follow directions.† Evidence admitted in Allen’s disposition of taking unauthorized breaks for a two week period, which constituted the failure to follow directions, confirmed the trial courts summary judgment. As the trial court granted judgment to Isotoner, the Twelfth District Court of Appeals followed suit, as Allen admitted to ignoring directions and failed to establish a prima facie case of sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and it’s after effects. Issues: Although the lower courts concentrated upon the apparent facts of the case, especially â€Å"Whether Allen’s unauthorized breaks to pump her breast in order to avoid lactation constituted as sex discrimination†; a more superior issue arises from this case. Assuming a proper prima facie case was established, â€Å"Is purported discrimination due to lactation included within the range of Ohio’s employment-discrimination statute, R.C. 4112.02, as sex discrimination under R.C. 4112.01(B)?† Decision s: Ruling of the initial appeal of judgment in favor of Totes/Isotoner Corporation for discrimination Allen was affirmed. Subsequently, the Supreme Court of Ohio did not touch the issue of whether purported discrimination due to lactation is included within the range of Ohio’s employment-discrimination statute, R.C. 4112.02, as sex discrimination under R.C. 4112.01(B). An opinion of whether they thought this discrimination did fall in that range was included in Judge O’Connor’s judgment. Reasoning: Rationale leading the judges in a majority opinion to affirm the initial judgment, stemmed from the failure of Allen to develop a record from which a jury could find in her favor. However, several  of the judges felt â€Å"lactation is a physical condition associated with pregnancy and childbirth, hence the FEPA, as amended by the Ohio PDA, prohibits discrimination against females because they are lactating.† It is proposed that the Supreme Court of Ohio should reach the merits to clarify the laws. Separate Opinions: Judgment was affirmed by Judges Lundberg Stratton, O’Donnell, and Cupp, JJ. , as they believed Allen was discharged for taking unauthorized breaks from her scheduled employment. Since Allen failed to present evidence of a discriminatory motive from Isotoner, or that reason for releasing her from employment was a ground for discrimination, Lundberg Stratton, O’Donnell, and Cupp, JJ. felt only the issues presented by the facts of Isotoner discharging Allen due to ‘unauthorized breaks’ should be decided on, while issues of the facts not directly placed on issue should only be responded to with advisory opinion. Judges Moyer, C.J. and O’Connor J. concurred in the foregoing judgment only. They assert lactation to fall within the scope of R.C. 4122.01(B) and that the statute prohibits employment discrimination against lactating women. Also, they oppose the claim of opinions regarding issues not directly placed on issue to be strictly advisory. â€Å"A cause will become moot only when it becomes impossible for a [***627] tribunal to grant meaningful relief, even if it were to rule in favor of the party seeking relief.† Moyer, C.J, and O’Connor J. claim these indirect issues to be live, not as remote possibilities or based on controversies that may never occur. Their assertion that â€Å"lactation is a physical condition associated with pregnancy and childbirth, hence the FEPA, as amended by the Ohio PDA, prohibits discrimination against females because they are lactating† is fully discussed. Dissent is issued by Judge Peifer, J. as he declares the question needed answered by Ohioans was not resolute. Peifer, J. claimed â€Å"the court should analyze the case by asking (1) whether the plaintiff stated a cognizable cause of action and (2) whether the facts support the alleged cause of action.† Emphasis was placed by Peifer, J. on the circumstance of unclear facts of the case such as why Allen’s unscheduled restroom breaks outside of scheduled break times were different from restroom trips made by coworkers outside of their scheduled break times. Also, Judge Peifer argued that cases should be accepted not because of how the result might affect the parties in the individual case, but because of how a holding might affect other persons similarly situated. Peifer held â€Å"employment discrimination due to lactation as unlawful pursuant to R.C. 4112.01(B), that clear public policy justifies an exception to the employment-at-will doctrine for women fired for reasons relating to lactation, and that LaNisa Allen deserves the opportunity-due to the state of the record-to prove her claim before a jury.† Analysis: The significance of this case relates to the importance of establishing suitable evidence for a prima facie case and also to ruling on issues brought forward by cases. Although the affirmed judgment in favor of Isotoner was applicable due to Allen’s failure to provide evidence of sex discrimination related to after effects of pregnancy, it is important for courts to reach a decision on such cases the holding will/has affected other persons similarly situated. Similar cases of discharge or unpaid circumstances have been previously governed, including Fejes v. Gilpin Ventures, Inc. 960 F. Supp 1487and Martinez v. N.B.C. Inc. 49 F.Supp.2d 305l, among others. Therefore sex discrimination due to the aftereffects of pregnancy affects many individuals in Ohio and throughout the United States, and therefore a ruling of whether purported discrimination due to lactation is included within the range of Ohio’s employment-discrimination statute, R.C. 4112.02, as sex discrimination under R.C. 4112.01(B) is vital in reducing sex discrimination in the workplace.

Who are you

Who are you? Kind, loyal, inspiring, different, loving in my own way, charismatic, fierce, ambitious, family oriented, responsible, reliable, thoughtful, outspoken, love to learn, forgiving, accommodating. ; What do you believe? DO WHAT IS RIGHT! , respect others both humans and animals alike, put family first over all things, personal integrity, taking time off, been honest and fair, trust others, be compassionate towards others, always do my best and commit to excellence in everything I do, to be courageous and stand up for what I believe. ; How do you relate to people? Homeopathic, good listener, kind, good attitude, Why do you believe these things? Because of my diverse background, my personal values and believes allow me to distinguish between right or wrong on most situations. My family and the schools I attended throughout my upbringing helped shaped and influenced who I am today, my morality and personal integrity. Define the purpose for your personal code of ethics. Purpose of personal code of ethics (for example, direct behavior or set goals) ; My personal code of ethics will be he guidelines set forth to help me decide what Is right from wrong.I will honor this code of ethics In order to continue to grow both personally and professionally. I understand that in the future ethical decisions will be more complex and these guidelines may no longer apply; I will update and make changes to my code of ethics accordingly. ; To be respectful To be responsible ; Develop the â€Å"I will† section of your personal code of ethics. ; I will always be honest and forthcoming In everything I do. ; Why: Because If I am not sincere and airtight with others, I should not expect others to behave the same way towards me.

Patagonia Another Way of Doing Business Essay

1Introduction Patagonia was founded in 1957 by Yvon Chouinard who defines himself as a reluctant business man. He started his business as a way to climb and surf year long, seeking to build the best product to satisfy his passion. â€Å"Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. † –Patagonia’s Mission Statement Patagonia grew out of a small company that made tools for climbers. Alpinism remains at the heart of a worldwide business that still makes clothes for climbing as well as for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running. Customers are willing to pay a premium for the Patagonia brand and environmental ethic. The company’s goal is as simple as it is challenging: to produce the highest-quality products while doing the least possible harm to the environment. Yvon Chouinard founder and owner of Patagonia has done business differently since the beginning of the company, placing environmental sustainability and social welfare of his employee before profit. Three examples of the company practice will show how marketing and business can meet ethical behavior. Patagonia: a different workplace environment Patagonia is hiring only passionate people (friends, family†¦) who are also product user so they don’t have to understand the customer because they are the customer. Patagonia has developed the Let My People Go surfing flextime policy to cope with the employee passion (surfing, backcountry skiing†¦). There are no private offices and the architectural layout keep communication opens. The cafeteria where employees can gather throughout the day serves healthy, mostly vegetarian food. The company has also an on-site child care center, the presence of children playing in the yard, or having lunch with their parents in the cafeteria helps keep the company atmosphere more familial than corporate. Patagonia has a program that allows employees to take off up to two months at full pay to work for environmental groups. Patagonia fosters creativity and authenticity through its work environment and hiring process enabling the development of original products. 3Patagonia: The 1% for the Planet Initiative Since 1985, Patagonia has devoted 1% of its sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment. The company has awarded over $46 million in cash and in-kind donations to domestic and international grassroots environmental. In 2002, founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, created a non-profit corporation to encourage other businesses to do the same. 1% For The Planet is an alliance of businesses that understand the necessity of protecting the natural environment. As of today 1401 companies are members of the 1% for the Planet Initiative and donate 1% of their sales to a network of 2,735 environmental organizations worldwide. More than a marketing campaign, The 1% for the Planet Initiative is a really strong statement from Patagonia (no matter what are the financial results 1% of its sales will serve the environmental cause every year), it has reinforced the company corporate social responsibility and ethical image, hence the loyalty of its core customers. 4Patagonia: The Common Threads Initiative This marketing program first asks customers to not buy something if they don’t need it, then if they do need it, Patagonia ask that they buy what will last a long time and to repair what breaks, reuse or resell whatever they don’t wear any more. And, finally, recycle whatever’s truly worn out. Patagonia with The Common Threads Initiative is the first private company launching a marketing campaign telling its customers to buy less or to buy used gear. In September 2011 Patagonia launched an online marketplace in collaboration with eBay for customers to sell and buy their used Patagonia products. This feature is displayed on the homepage of patagonia. com. Recycling is what we do when we’re out of options to avoid, repair, or reuse the product first. That’s why I am so impressed with Patagonia for starting its Common Threads Initiative with the real solution: Reduce. Don’t buy what we don’t need. Repair: Fix stuff that still has life in it. Reuse: Share. Then, only when you’ve exhausted those options, recycle (Leonard, 2011). This new marketing campaign was unveiled at the New York fashion week as an experiment. Only a private company without public shareholder and a charismatic leader with strong belief can promote such a different business attitude. 5Conclusion Patagonia has always done business and marketing differently. In the seventies Chouinard Equipment had become the largest supplier of climbing hardware in the U. S. It had also become an environmental threat because its gear was damaging the rock. Yvon Chouinard and his partner decided to phase out of this business even it if was the main source of revenue for the company, it was the first environmental step for Patagonia. Instead of focusing on profit the company took a big risk by discontinuing a successful line of products to promote an alternative solution (aluminum chocks) for climbers. It became a success because Patagonia crafted the right product with the right message and stayed true to its core values. Today with the Common Threads Initiative they are pursuing the exact same philosophy and trying to push the industry to adopt more ethical business behaviors. Patagonia’s highly public search for a new way of doing business implies a new kind of relationship with customers, reinforced by unconditional guarantees, extremely high product quality and an explicit commitment to ethical codes of behavior (Reinhardt, 2000).

Looking at the primary documents in Gjerde, p. 275290, compare how the Essay

Looking at the primary documents in Gjerde, p. 275290, compare how the authors define and describe certain ethnic groups. Then, looking at John Higham and Hane - Essay Example Between the chauvinistic purposes for which the concept of national character was used, and the irrationality with which it was supported, it fell during the 1930's into a disrepute from which it has by no means fully recovered. The Skepticism of John Higman, the conflicting nature of the images of the American as an individualistic democrat or as a conformist democrat would have seemed simply to illustrate further the already demonstrated flimsiness and fallacious quality of all generalizations about national character (Gjerde, 1998). According to Haney-Lopez, the inhabitants of one country may, as a group, evince a given trait in higher degree than the inhabitants of some other country amounts almost to a denial that the culture of one people can be different from the culture of another people. To escape the pitfalls of racism in this way is to fly from one error into the embrace of another, and students of culture -- primarily anthropologists, rather than historians -perceived that rejection of the idea that a group could be distinctive, along with the idea that the distinction was eternal and immutable in the genes, involved the ancient logical fallacy of throwing out the baby along with the bath. Accor dingly, the study of national character came under the special sponsorship of cultural anthropology, and in the 'forties a number of outstanding workers in this field tackled the problem of national character, including the American character, with a methodological precision and objectivity that had never been applied to the subject before. Every person, in addition to having their own personal identity, has a good judgment of who they are in relation to the larger community-the nation. Each nation, province, island, state, neighborhood and individual is its own unique union of history, culture, language and tradition (Gjerde, 1998). Children are raised to correlate with nation in lieu of unity and government. Communities and culture give people their identity. It is not some secret that human have migrated since their emergence as species. Their original differentiation into ethnic groups appears to have been a result of isolated development of separate groups of people who journeyed from a central point of origin. However, this isolation is not complete, for migrations resulted in complicated patterns of blood relationship through widely separated groups. Sadly nowadays, there are about a thousand people who migrate to other countries. Their reasons might be personal. They might be either interested or they just want to experience new cultures in other places. Or simply because they got tired of the place they situated and want to experience something new. Migration in a sense means the breaking up and scattering of a people. While this may be advantageous to many people who have good reasons for migrating, it also affects the traditions of the place they're leaving . (Gjerde, 1998) Sources say that the rate of migration has increased. Although, there were some minor differences between them by size of vicinity. It is recognized that most males would likely go to a medium-size and extra large

Research paper about social learning theories Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

About social learning theories - Research Paper Example Moreover, scholars advocate for the enactment of fair laws that enhance criminal justice because socialization directly affects development of self. The learning theory examines the stages and processes that lead to acquisition of knowledge, development of self, and the influence of peers to socialization. According to Ryberg (300), the social learning theory recommends different approaches to curbing the rise in cases of crime in the society. For instance, the theory recommends the use of preventive and intervention policies in controlling crime. As discussed in the piece, the theory seeks to devise alternatives for the implementation of policies that are instrumental when curbing crime. Consequently, it is necessary to highlight the implications of fundamental policies that address crime in the society. Albert Bandura, Robert L. Burgess and Ronald L. Akers are scientists who rooted for the development of the learning theory and its application when addressing crime in the society. In his works, Bandura argued that crime resulted from individual’s conformation to their environment. It is a choice that people make when options for survival are limited (Tibbetts 148). According to Bandura, people develop their identity through interactions with external stimuli. Thereafter, conscious development takes place in individuals. The development is in response to the expectations from the society. People choose to behave in a particular way to conform to the expectations of the society (Tibbetts 29). Behaviors results from response instigated by the social stimuli. As a result, behavior affects attitudes of individuals. Bandura adds that formation of identity begins in childhood before proceeding to the later stages of development in life. For example, a child might develop poor sexua l tendencies based on his understanding of societal development. He becomes conscious of the ideals propagated within the society. According

Midterm assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Midterm - Assignment Example They are the key elements that lead to so much variation in the physical and chemical conditions of different habitats. Temperature: It is one of the most relevant environmental factors controlling the type of organism that the ecosystem will support. The average temperature on land varies seasonally, decreases progressively from the equator towards the poles and from plains to the mountain tops. Temperature plays a very significant role in the metabolism and survival of the organisms. Water: Next to temperature, water is the most important factor influencing the life of organisms. The productivity and distribution of plants is also heavily dependent on water. For example, in deserts where water availability is very limited, only organisms with special adaptations to conserve water alone will be able to survive. Light: Sunlight is the main source of energy for the ecosystem and for the process of photosynthesis, by which plants produce food, can take place only in the presence of sun light. For many animals too, light is important in that they use the diurnal and seasonal variations in light intensity and duration (photoperiod) as cues for timing their foraging, reproductive and migratory activities. Biotic Factors The biotic components include all living organisms like plants, animals, fungi and bacteria of the ecosystem. The biotic components including the pathogens, parasites, predators and competitors – of the organism interact constantly with the abiotic factors of the environment for their survival. The biotic components modify their responses to changes in abiotic factors and maintain the balance of the ecosystem. 2. What is ecosystem function - in other words how does an ecosystem work? Ans. The components of the ecosystem are seen to function as a unit through the following aspects: (i) Productivity (ii) Decomposition (iii) Energy flow; and (iv) Nutrient cycling. The green plants known as the Producers or autotrophs trap the solar energy and conv ert simple inorganic materials into complex organic compounds or food. All animals depend on plants (directly or indirectly) for their food needs. They are hence called consumers or heterotrophs. The interdependency of organism for the requirement of food leads to food chain or food web. Based on the source of their nutrition or food, organisms occupy a specific place in the food chain that is known as their trophic level. The solar energy captured by plants flows through different organisms or different trophic levels of an ecosystem. The Organisms at each trophic level depend on those at the lower trophic level for their energy demands. When any organism dies it is converted to detritus or dead biomass that serves as an energy source for decomposers. Decomposers secrete digestive enzymes that breakdown dead and waste materials into simple, inorganic materials, which are subsequently absorbed by them. 3. Use the Diablo Range as an example of an intact ecosystem – Describe th e Diablo Range's abiotic and biotic components (including the Diablo Range location, topography, climate, plant communities, mammals & other organisms found there). Give details for each! Ans. Diablo mountain range is a classical example of an intact ecosystem. It is located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California, the United

Five Types of Customers in the Retail Setting Essay

Five Types of Customers in the Retail Setting - Essay Example In fact, grabbing customer attention is not a big deal but retaining customer loyalty requires strategy and sound thinking at the top. A satisfied customer often takes pride in becoming a goodwill ambassador for the company. Companies admit that the loyal customer base is often not more than 20 percent, but it is widely believed that often this segment constitutes more than 50 percent of sales for the company1. The loyal customers buy because they simply prefer the shop, feel a sense of belonging to the shop, and find it hard or even impossible to source their goods from other retailers. These loyal customers visit the stores at a specific interval and often buy everything that they need in the outlet. Discount customers form another very important customer segment. A retail store in particular needs to take into account the changing needs and requirements of the customers, depending upon the changing environment, food habits, time management, availability of alternates in the market, increasing awareness about environmentally friendly goods and services etc. This certainly proves to be a dependable strategy for the store to earn the loyalty of the customer while successfully attracting more customers. In addition, providing discounts on different occasions also proves to be a big attraction. Christmas time is one of those occasions when every store puts up billboards announcing the sale and another bonanza for their customers. The sale happens to be a favorite word for customers in general. Then a search starts to look for best bargains which could fetch the customer more value for their money. Though loyalty counts on such occasions as well, because first of all the customers wou ld look towards their favorite store for such announcements, they don’t mind visiting another store delivering quality products at attractive prices.  

Photo Galleries' Masterpieces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Photo Galleries' Masterpieces - Essay Example Paris never looked that beautiful under the rays of the scorching sun. Natural beauty was at its best! Belin pictures were completely devoid of any form of aliveness. These twelve black and white gelatin prints housed inside this gallery soothed my nerves. These pictures of Paris showed different historical stages of this place. She took out the history and the personality of the objects and used these as an inspiration for her amazing photographs.   Valerie Belin was born in 1964 in Paris and held numerable exhibitions before this like the ones in Centre Georges Pompidou, Foundation Cartier pours l’art Contemporain, Museum of Modern Art, New York etc. Belin gave her pictures a weird mysterious look by combing two negatives together. there was no human presence in the pictures she captured it with a black and white effect, contrasting the light effects. Some details given to the photograph made it so mesmerizing and compelled me to ponder on Belin’s outstanding photography skills. She used modern technology in the best possible way and gave her pictures a more dreamlike pictorial effect. One viewed these pictures as drawings, not photographs due to their mystic beauty and artistic shades. At one corner of the gallery, crystal vases and glasses laid on the table. She scrutinized the light spectrum of these inanimate objects and focused on the primary process of her photography. The best of all were the pictures of D ancer at the lido, magicians and fruit basket.   Supernaturalism of Belin’s work was revealed through her pictures with a less documentary effect. She demonstrated her painterly view in these art pictures which were far away from naturalism which forced me to think of a question regarding the ambiguous scenes that were a part of these pictures. These were captured at oblique angles with perfection and made baroque and disquieting beauty a part of them. One thing I noted was that these pictures had illusions of the external world which made these images artificial and enchanted with fantasies.

Engineering Disasters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering Disasters - Essay Example Undeniably, engineering knowhow so far has immensely contributed to humanity’s wellbeing in diverse and numerous areas. This has enabled people to execute their tasks with heightened efficiency, speed and even producing varied products meant to support humanity’s survival. Some of these products include drugs, processed foodstuffs, vehicles and aircrafts. The Japanese Fukushima reactor meltdown incidence occurred due to manmade errors and carelessness (Girard 342). This is contrary to numerous claims especially from the government citing that the then coincidental earthquake exacerbated the incidence. According to the experts’ report, the government via its experts failed to utilize new and effective reactor designs. These could have ensured effective coolant regulation in the plant whose location was in a flood prone region. Hence, enable the nuclear plant to withstand the then severe earthquake’s pressure. Besides, the required designs would have prevented the subsequent Tsunami’s force, which severed the Fukushima’s power connections leading to the reactors’ overheating (Girard 342). Overheating led to the melting of reactors, which caused them to dispose their radioactive contents into the environment. This posed a hazard to both the inhabitants and other microorganisms in the region (Girard 342) . Boston’s Big Dig Ceiling Collapse incidence presents another example of a structural failure (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). The incidence occurred due to engineers’ negligence, whereas the local authorities failed to execute the necessary construction policies. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation report, Powers Fasteners Inc. knowingly supplied fast set epoxy instead of the standard fastening (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235).... knowingly supplied fast set epoxy instead of the standard fastening (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). Fast set epoxy is a ceiling fastener used for short-term structures, which engineers used at the site despite being aware of the product’s â€Å"creep† and â€Å"deformation† nature (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). Consequently, this inappropriate and erroneous use of materials prompted the 26 ton suspended ceiling concrete collapse onto a passing car and killing the driver (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). Besides, in their report NTSB contend the site’s contractors together with their engineers contributed to the structure’s collapsing. Since, they failed to utilize their experience and knowledge to unveil the fastening product type early in advance. Therefore, in this incidence despite the legal authorities claiming Powers Company played a significant role, site’s engineers exhibited negligence and carelessness though not indicted by the law (Harris, Pritchard & Rabins 235). Engineers’ professional misconduct is also evident in the Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse incidence that occurred on 17Th July 1981 (Whitbeck 173). The incidence led to the demise of 114 people besides 200 others sustaining grievous injuries. Before the incidence’s occurrence, people were in a tea party whereas others standing on the two walkways. The two connected walkways collapsed onto the credulous people who were busy enjoying themselves whereas others holding individual conversations (Whitbeck 173). This incidence to date marks the worst structural failure in the US history in terms of human life loss and injuries sustained (Whitbeck 173). The investigators of this incidence cited the

Ethical Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethical - Case Study Example Ethical dilemmas often result from matters of law, health science field and stands of different individuals and organizations on issues related to human morals. The church, especially the Catholic has created a great deal of controversies on condom use as one way of limiting down the spread of HIV/Aids pandemic. This has not been taken well by the greater world community. A dilemma faced by the elderly and the sick individuals in the society is a choice to lead a fruitful life free from negligence. This does not spare the healthy individuals who find themselves at cross-roads when one of their loved ones falls sick or ages. There is a conflict between the code of ethics depicted by workers concerning a patient’s privacy and the issue of solving the problem they are facing (Kathleen & James, 2007). The reporting of the case concerning Mr Bert to the administration violated the code of confidentiality. She ended up breaking Steven’s confidence in her as well as giving out information on the patient. The workers in health facilities have codes to observe in the line of their

The Supreme Court Essay Example for Free

The Supreme Court Essay The Supreme Court made a ruling in Free Enterprise Fund vs. PCAOB saying that Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) will remain â€Å"fully operative as law† with the exception that The Securities and Exchange Commission will be able to remove at will members of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Previously they were not able to and was said to violate the appointment clause of the constitution. This changed job security for its five board members ending a three-year battle between a Nevada firm Beckstead and Watts who sued PCAOB in 2006. The accounting firm declared that it was unconstitutional for SEC to appoint its board members rather than the president giving it to much authority unchecks by executives. However, a decision been made by the courts to meet the plaintiffs at the halfway, pointed out that if was against constitutional policy to remove board members completely it would violate separation of powers principle. The courts rest the power with the president to have complete authority to hire and fire PCAOB members. According to Susan Hackett general counsel, this was an important move because it invalidated the PCAOB appointment process and upheld the SOX Legislation. A power move to allow congress and the president to have ultimate ability to control institutions that possess significant insight of companies. This decision in my opinion opens up a fair market and does not allow larger company to push and over power smaller firms. Board members must go through a screening process so not to have bias authorizes in control. Reference Jaeger, J. (June 28, 2010). High Court Ruling only Tweaks Sarbanes Oxley Act. Enforcement and Litigation, 13. Retrieved from http://www.complianceweek.com

Alzheimer’s disease Essay Example for Free

Alzheimer’s disease Essay #1 Make Observation What causes Alzheimer’s disease neurologically? This question came to my mind when I was watching the movie ‘The Notebook’ for the fifth time. Unusual for a guy, I love romantic genre movies and I was wondering why Alzheimer causes short and long term memory loss. I also had an interest on the Alzheimer’s disease after watching the movie ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ where the protagonist tries to fix the neurology nerve system to heal his father’s Alzheimer. #2 Ask Question What causes Alzheimer’s disease neurologically? #3 Create possible explanation I think the core reason of the Alzheimer’s disease lie on the nerve pathway signal transmission. I think the nerve pathway signal transmission system is same as all of the body functional system and as it grows older and older, the functioning of the specific nerve pathway signal transmission for memories weakens and decreases. #4 Making predictions based on this model If the problem of the Alzheimer’s disease is in the nerve pathway signal transmission, then the Alzheimer’s disease is indeed a neurological problem. If we can find out the way to re-ignite the signal or heal the receiving or sending parts of the neurological nerve signal system, then we will be able to delay the process of the disease or even fix it permanently. #5 Test with controls I do not know the system of the central neurological nerve system of the human nor the treatment of the Alzheimer’s disease. However, to find out numerous people with and without the disease should complete the cause of the Alzheimer’s disease. Run a MRI test on brain of the participants and compare the MRI results with the people with and without the Alzheimer’s disease. If it shows some difference showing the weakening or decreasing of the nerve pathway signal transmission then we can conclude that the neurological nerve pathway signal transmission is the cause of the Alzheimer’s disease. However, we can’t be sure that that is the only causes of the Alzheimer’s disease so we will have to create more experiments. #6 Exploration Alzheimer disease is a neurological disease and it is one of the many forms of dementia. The researches says that the Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia since its percentage is over half of the total dementia cases. My question was ‘what causes the Alzheimer’s disease neurologically?’ so I decided to first go research about the neuroscience of the human body since the Alzheimer’s disease is primarily the degenerating of the signal pathway system in the brain. The human have a special cell called the neurons in the nervous system and these cells communicate with other cells by synapses. This is the most basic difference between a normal cell and a neuron. Synapses signal can be either chemical or electrical and they are just membrane-to-membrane junctions with such molecular machinery that produces rapid transmission of signals. There isn’t just one neuron in human. In fact, there are hundreds of different types with differ ent functions and shapes. So all these information led me to an another question of ‘what kind of neurons are related to the Alzheimer’s disease?’ I found out that Alzheimer’s kills neurons due to the accumulation of proteins in the brain. That is why the Alzheimer’s diseases are called the neurodegenerative diseases. I couldn’t specifically find the exact neurons that are related to the Alzheimer’s disease but I found out that the Alzheimer’s kills these neurons in the brain by proteinaceous plaques. An article by ‘Journal of Neuroscience’ did a research on A-beta, a peptide that surrounds the dying neurons in certain regions of the brain. The research said they weren’t sure if the A-Beta is the protein that kills the neurons. A-Beta becomes toxic when it forms an oligomer. Oligomer means a molecule that consists of a few monomer units. A-Beta oligomers are bad for neurons because it causes the neurons to re-enter the cell cycle. This is bad because once the brain neurons become adult cells, these are not supposed to divide. This is why neuronal cancers are very rare because the neurons cells don’t divide once it reaches adulthood. Then the articles went into deeper matters with mouse models so I stopped my research of A-Beta here. It says that the cause for the Alzheimer’s disease is essentially unknown and all of these researches are part of the hypotheses. There are many hypotheses including the cholinergic and the amyloid hypotheses. But the A-Beta is the most recent hypotheses in the field of  science since the A-Beta theory was updated in 2009. Then, I took my TA’s advice and went to find the biology behind the transmission of nerve impulses. Neurons have a part called the dendrites and this is where the neuron fires a correct impulse to another neuron through the axon. Axon is a long projection that connects nerve cells. Just like a normal cell, the neurons have cell membranes as well. When the neuron is not transmitting impulse, the reason is in its cell membrane. When the neuron cell is polarized, that is when the neuron is inactive. The outside of the cell contains excess sodium ions and the inside of the cell contains excess potassium ions. However, the inside of the cell is negative due to other negatively charged protein and nucleic acid molecules inside the cell. There are Na+/K+ pumps on the membranes and it is permeable! When the neuron gets stimulated, the sodium ions flow in to the cell and the neuron gets depolarized. When the neuron reaches the complete depolarization, impulse is transmitted through the axon and thus makes the cell active. When the impulse fires from a neuron, the other neuron at the end of the axon depolarizes and calcium ions are allowed to enter the cell. Then a chemical called a neurotransmitter is released into the synapse. The neurotransmitter then binds to proteins on the neuron membrane to receive the impulse. The proteins are the receptors of the many different neurotransmitter and the neurotransmitters does have specific receptor proteins. It is logical that when the neurons die from proteins of the Alzheimer’s disease, the synapses and impulse decreases and decreases. Therefore, I began to have questions about the effect and the symptoms of the Alzheimer’s disease due to the death of many neurons. Alzheimer’s disease equals the loss of neurons and synapses in the cerebral cortex. The most common effect and symptom of the Alzheimer’s disease is the loss of memory and mental skills. The chance of getting an Alzheimer’s disease is higher for older populations. The symptoms advance as the time passes. The speed of the progress of the disorder differs from person to person but most of them start with forgetfulness. It is probably the neuron transmission failure. As the brain neuron dies, the mental state of the human weakens and decreases. When the Alzheimer’s disease attacks the frontal lobe of the brain, the person’s mood swing can be dangerously unstable. It is because the frontal lobe controls the feeling and the behavior of a person. The person can also have problems  with washing and cleaning him/herself because another function of the frontal lobe of the brain is to plan things based on what is wrong and what is right. Also 40% of the Alzheimer’s patients have low appetite in food and have significant weight loss because as the neuron dies, the olfactory and taste nerves fails. All of these symptoms are all directly connected to the problems with the brain neurons. So my first starting question of ‘what causes Alzheimer’s disease neurologically?’ was answered. A simple but sophisticated disruption of a tiny neuron cells in the brain causes the Alzheimer’s disease. Then I began to think if there are any treatment researches going on in the field of biology. I found one research that caught my eyes and it was stem cells. Professor Kim of the Chung-Ang University in South Korea successfully restored a mouse’s brain function by transplanting a human nerve stem cell. He was able to transplant a stem cell containing acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, and the articles said that the mouse restored its brain function to a normal state. Professor Kim’s work is also announced in an international journal called ‘Cell Transplantation.’ #7 Repeat (Modify, extend or reject) ‘What is the specific molecule (possibly a protein) that affects the neuron of the brains so it causes the Alzheimer’s disease neurologically?’ and ‘How will transplanting stem cell containing a neurotransmitter called ‘Acetycholine’ affect the human Alzheimer’s disease?’ These are my two refined questions after my exploration of the Alzheimer’s disease.   Reference and Citation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nervous_system#Neurons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimers_disease http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/understanding-the-transmission-of-nerve-impulses.html http://scienceblogs.com/purepedantry/2009/02/12/how-does-alzheimers-kill-neuro/ (Authors: N.H. Varvel, K. Bhaskar, A.R. Patil, S.W. Pimplikar, K. Herrup, B.T. Lamb) http://voices.yahoo.com/the-dreadful-effects-alzheimers-disease-116725.html?cat=70 (Publisher: Carl Kolchack, freelance article writer) http://blog.naver.com/vitaminmd?Redirect=LoglogNo=110133967592 (Publisher: Vitamin MD) http://www.medworld.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=63612 (Youn Sang Yong Reporter)

The differences of domestic terrorism and international terrorism

The differences of domestic terrorism and international terrorism The United States Code (2010) defines domestic terrorism as activities that- (A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State; (B) appear to be intended- (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and (C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States. The United States Code (2010) goes on to define international terrorism as activities that- (A) involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State; (B) appear to be intended- (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and (C) occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum. In what ways is it functionally different from international terrorism? Functionally domestic terrorism occurs within the boundaries of the United States while international terrorism occurs outside United States boundaries and jurisdiction. Also, distinguish between domestic terrorism from above vs. domestic terrorism from below. Give examples. Terrorism from above occurs when persons who are legally empowered either covertly or overtly use, or threaten to use, political violence to maintain or defend political power within their domestic borders, or to maintain, defend, overthrow, or undermine the political power of other nations within the international community. Terrorism from below occurs when persons use, or threaten to use, political violence either to undermine or overthrow existing governmental policies or structures, or to intimidate individuals and groups they perceive as threatening to the social, political, economic, or ideological status quo (Vohryzek-Bolden et al, 2001, p. 11-12). Simplified, terrorism from above is when a government inflicts terror on the people and terrorism from below is when the people rebel against the government. Terrorism from below is usually low tech and comprises of things simple to pertain. Some specific forms of terrorism that usually fall into terrorism from below are assassination, dirty bombs, riots, and burnings. Terrorism from above can be more high tech and can use items not easily obtainable by individuals. Forms that usually fall into terrorism from above would be imprisonment, mass genocide, and nuclear and biological weapons. Some instances where domestic terrorism from below have taken place in recent United States history are; the World Trade Center Bombing that occurred on February 26, 1993, the Oklahoma City Bombing that occurred on April 19, 1995, and the 17 year long killing spree of the Unabomber from 1978 until capture in 1996. The Ku Klux Klan also committed many acts of terrorism from below against African Americans, Jews and Roman Catholics over a 150 year period. Terrorism from above occurred when the first Americans starting driving out the Native American Indians and continued to do so throughout history limiting them to where they could live, work, and worship. Other cases of terrorism from above is the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that killed over 800,000 people over the course of 100 days and the Holocaust in which the Nazis killed over 6 million Jews during World War II. Exam Question 2 2. Summarize the approaches to political violence as exhibited by Mao Tse-Tung, Che Guevara, Carlos Marighella, and Frantz Fanon. Which domestic terror groups from the past or present would you identify with these different approaches? Explain your position. Summarize the approaches to political violence as exhibited by Mao Tse-Tung, Che Guevara, Carlos Marighella, and Frantz Fanon. Mao Tse Tung, Che Guevara, and Carlos Marighella had good intentions about using political violence. These people had adapted guerrilla warfare to distinctly rural and urban locales; proposed that terror was to be used as a way to change existing political structures and transform them into Marxist governmental systems; and determined that terror was a tool to be used only to overthrow the abusers of power, never against innocent civilians. On the other hand, Franz Fanon revised their tactics by claiming that terror was a useful, justifiable means for achieving freedom and, in some cases, for acting as a cleansing force necessary to survival. Thereafter, some terrorists had devised a version of their concepts that terror was not merely to be used as a means to gain an end, but rather as an end unto itself (Vohryzek-Bolden et al, 2001, p. 69-70). Which domestic terror groups from the past or present would you identify with these different approaches? Explain your position. Like Mao, Guevara and Marighella, the protracted conflicts Irish Republican Army (IRA) and, more recently, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) of Northern Ireland have similar ways to deal with political violence. The troubles between England and Ireland are centuries old; the independent Irish Free State, however, was not established until 1920, after years of struggle by the illegal Irish Republican Army, which combined terrorism and guerilla warfare in its battle with England. At that time, England retained the largely Protestant northern counties of Ireland, called Ulster, and gave them special status as an entity within Great Britain. Although this partition of Ireland was vehemently opposed by the newly independent Irish Free State, it continued and developed certain legitimacy over the years. The IRA tactics, but not its goals, were immensely criticized by the Republic of Ireland during the post-independence era. Choice of tactics also led to the rupture between the PIRA and the OIRA (Official Irish Republican Army) in the early 1970s. The OIRA now tries to work for peaceful reform, while the PIRA remains a terrorist organization (Maxon-Browne, 1981). The PIRAs aim is to dislodge the British troops from Ulster and unite this area with the Republic. Through bombings in England and attacks on British soldiers in England and Northern Ireland, it hopes to wear down British resistance to unification. Each year there are tragic cases of the murder of civilians and soldiers. In 1990 a terrorist attack against the residence of the British prime minister was narrowly averted, and in 1992 the IRA stepped up its campaign of terror, with frequent bombings and bomb threats. On the other hand, Fanons approach is based on the belief that through violence the oppressed peoples of Algeria and other nations can rid themselves of their inferiority complex and from [their] despair and inaction; it makes [the oppressed] fearless and restores self-respect. Fanon views violence not only as a liberating force but also as a means to make, it possible for the masses to understand social truths and gives the key to them (Dobson Payne, 1982, p. 19). This was similar to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaidas approach. Bin Laden has used his ties with al-Qaida to conduct a worldwide campaign of terrorism. The primary goal of Bin Laden and his supporters is to liberate Palestine, with secondary goals of removing the Saudi ruling family from power and driving Western military forces and their corrupt, Western-oriented governments from predominantly Muslim countries. Most Islamic fighters have no interest in strategies of authentication or existential realization and no interest i n Marxist theories of emancipation. But, in one respect, their actions echo Fanons ideas the act of terror not only had an expressive meaning for the hijackers, but an existential meaning as well. To wit, even suicide can be life affirming (Coker, 2003, p. 291). Exam Question 3 3. In your opinion, what were the earliest forms of terrorism in the United States? Who were the perpetrators? Who were the victims? Is your opinion the same as that contained in the Vohryzek- Bolden, et al. text? Give examples. Also, explain whether you believe these early terrorists were no better (or no worse) than modern terrorists. The biggest form of early American terrorism in the United States happen when the newly settled British colonials captured, transported, and traded black Africans in America. The perpetrators were the British colonials and the victims were Blacks. I believe what the text states in that Blacks were bought and sold and treated as property of Whites. There was a legal slavery system that drove terror into all Blacks at the time. Most terrorist actions today, when carried out, only harm very few people even if the target audience is large, actual casualties are low compared to what the Blacks had to suffer through. For over 250 years blacks were forced into slavery and tortured, beaten, starved, and treated worse than a White man would treat his dog. Because of the longevity and severity of the way Whites treated Blacks, it was worse than modern terrorism. Exam Question 4 4. In what ways are right wing terror groups bonded together by racism, religion, and anti-governmentalism? Also, what role does the right to bear arms under the 2nd Amendment play with these groups? How has Odinism become a part of the equation for some? In what ways are right wing terror groups bonded together by racism, religion, and anti-governmentalism? Acts of terrorism have been around as long as people have. Today, terrorist activities have become more and more active all around the world. The 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center Towers shocked America and the rest of the world into realizing just how quick terrorism can strike. That also changed the US perception on terrorism and terrorists. Besides global terrorism, domestic terrorism has become a major concern for the US government. Right-wing extremist groups in the country are the most dangerous groups, as they pursue anti-government and racist ideology. Right-wing terror groups are generally motivated by notions of white racial supremacy. They also hold anti-government and anti-regulatory beliefs. These terror groups sometimes include extremist Christian groups that launch a crusade against people who do not hold on to traditional belief and culture (Michael, 2003, p. 131). Religion, racism and anti-government ideology have tied these right-wing terrorist groups together. They often indulge in hate crimes such as launching attacks on abortion clinics and shooting members of particular communities. These right-wing terror groups have different social, political and economic viewpoints. However, any right-wing group that has a different viewpoint cannot be termed as terrorist group. The right-wing groups involved in criminal activities are branded as terrorist organizations by the US government. Extremist right-wing groups engage in activities that are protected by constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly. Some of the right-wing terrorist groups active in the United States are the World Church of the Creator (WCOTC) and the Aryan Nations. They propagate anti-government sentiment and racism-based hatred among people (Michael, 2003, p. 132). Right-wing extremists continue to pose a serious threat. Between 1999 and 2001, there have been several large-scale, high-casualty attacks by right-wing terrorists in the United States (Hamm, 2002, p. 68). In addition, many plans of such attacks had been foiled by the US security agencies in the past. The main objective of such groups was to create social and political chaos, thus forcing the US government to declare martial law. They believed that if martial law were declared in the country, it would ultimately lead to a violent overthrow of the government. Also, what role does the right to bear arms under the 2nd Amendment play with these groups? The Second Amendment of the US Constitution states that a well-regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state. Hence, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed (Rodgers Tim, 2002, p. 101). The legislation has come in handy for right-wing terror groups, as they exploited it to keep and bear arms, and use them against the state. Several terms in the Second Amendment remained vague. It was argued that the right of people refers to the right of the state and common people should not be allowed to carry arms (Rodgers Tim, 2002, p. 101). However, the terms of the legislation remained the same and it let right-terror groups to possess and carry arms in the public. How has Odinism become a part of the equation for some? Odinism played an important role in the growth of right-wing terrorism. Odinism is the indigenous religious faith of the people living in Northern Europe. Later, that belief was imported to the United States. The main objective of Odinism is to free itself from Christian influences and reassert its ancient independence. Followers of Odinism are very conservative and refuse to accept responsibility for the action of others (Michael, 2003, p. 81). It has been noticed that right-wing terrorists have been greatly influenced by the Odinists. The right-wing extremist movements eclectic diversity is a secret collective of paramilitary survivalists, tax protesters, bankrupt farmers, bikers, prisoners, Odinists and devotees of the Identity Church, linked together by an elaborate network of computer boards, desktop publications and telephone hotlines (Hewitt, 2002, p. 41). Exam Question 5 5. Describe in detail the groups Greenpeace and PETA. Are either of these terrorist organizations? What is the basis for your answer? Discuss the tactics have they used from time to time. Are any of these tactics unlawful but morally justifiable? Describe in detail the groups Greenpeace and PETA. Greenpeace is an international organization that was founded in Vancouver in 1971. When the Vietnam War escalated in the 1960s, thousands of draft resisters and deserters fled the United States and arrived in Canada. Members from that exodus group formed a key role in the founding of Greenpeace (Downes et al, 2003, p. 56). The organization is known for its fight against atmospheric and underground nuclear testing. It took up several environmental issues such as global warming, destruction of forest and genetic engineering. Greenpeace has national and regional offices in many countries in the world. Ever since its inception, Greenpeace organizations have been deploying its ships elsewhere in the world to protect the environment. Rainbow Warrior, MV Sirius and MV Arctic Sunrise are some of the major ships owned by Greenpeace. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it says it is the largest animal rights group in the world. Its slogan is animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment (PETA, 2010). Are either of these terrorist organizations? What is the basis for your answer? Greenpeace cannot be termed as a terrorist organization, as it never uses violent methods. It raises issues that are related to environment and public health and protests using non-violent methods. However, its way of protest is very intense. Often the Greenpeace activists invite the wrath of the government and other agencies because of their nature of protest. The Greenpeace movement did not have a smooth ride. It had to encounter several problems in the past due to the oppressive nature of the government agencies. It is an irony that the tactics of non-violent protest used by Greenpeace and its system of governance have been sources of controversy. Its non-violent direct action has been termed as illegal act of civil disobedience. They are often arrested for minor offenses such as trespassing and breaking the security barriers during protest. PETA could be construed as a terrorist organization even though the actions of PETA itself are non-violent. In the early 2000s PETA made contributions to the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activists. Both ELF and ALF are known to participate in illegal and violate acts making them terrorist. They also have been known to give money to individuals who commit violate acts in support of what PETA believes in, such as burning down research labs that perform test on animals. Even though PETA says that it does not support any acts of violence, they are guilty by association, and can therefore be classified as terrorist by supporting terrorism. Discuss the tactics have they used from time to time. Are any of these tactics unlawful but morally justifiable? There has been some criticism that Greenpeace is very conventional. Its door-to-door fund-raising that relies on media exposure has been severely criticized. The government and other agencies believe that the organizations main intent is to get cheap publicity. The Save the Whales campaign launched by Greenpeace activists was criticized by several agencies. Greenpeace had to fight legal battles against the hate tirades launched by some organizations that opposed the pro-whale campaign (Downes et al, 2003, p. 61). Ultimately, it managed to win the legal battle. In some instances, Greenpeace was found using false data in order to make its campaigns success and popular. In 1995, Greenpeace launched a vociferous campaign to compel Brent Spar oil platforms owners Royal Dutch/Shell to dismantle the platform. Greenpeace argued that the Spar contained 5000 tons of oil (Downes et al, 2003, p. 62). The efforts made by Greenpeace led to the permanent ban on the dumping of offshore installations at sea. At a later stage, Greenpeace admitted that its claim was inaccurate and apologized for misleading the public (Downes et al, 2003, p. 63). There is no doubt that Greenpeace used illegal ways to enforce the ban on Brent Spar oil platform. However, it was done in the wider public interest. The prime concern of Greenpeace was to protect the environment from any potential danger and it succeeded in it. In July 2003, the Justice Department charged Greenpeace under an old law that intended to end the practice of sailor-mongering. The Greenpeace activists had boarded the ship to protest against the import of mahogany, which was illegal in the US. However, they were arrested by the authorities (Downes et al, 2003, p. 78). Later, the case was thrown out of the court. The US government never prosecuted advocacy groups that engaged in peaceful civil disobedience. However, the prosecution of Greenpeace indicated a sea change in the US policy. Ingrid Newkirk, PETAs international president, has made comments stating that she does support freeing of animals from laboratories or any such facility even if it is by illegal means. The fact that PETA has supplied funding to individuals and organizations that have burned, broken into, and even bombed facilities that test or harm animals in any way, proves that they have committed illegal acts. But looking at it from PETAs standpoint, they do not intend to hurt anyone in the process of freeing animals. They simply want animals to be treated the best way possible and not caged, prodded, or tested on. Looking on the situation in that prospective, PETAs actions could be morally justified.

Adolescent Behavior Essay -- Music, Media

Introduction This chapter will review the factors that affect suicidal tendencies amongst adolescents as well as the role music plays in adolescent behavior. As there is a dearth of documentation on the emo culture, this review relied on articles and researches done in the United States and Australia. Music and the Adolescent According to Roe â€Å"music plays an important social role† in the development of adolescents (Roe K, 2000). Music acts as a buffer for adolescents; substituting as a means of distraction as well as entertainment. Roberts and Christenson (2001) assert that adolescent also use music as a way to take control of their moods and emotions. They maintain that music is also used as a means in the formation of their identities; this allows them achieve group identity and integration into subcultures. However, while Took and Weiss (1994) also agree that music is used as the means to join a social group, they ascertain that music is only used as a form to reflect the level of turmoil adolescents are feeling at that stage in their lives. Many researchers have conducted studies on popular music and its effects on school work, social interaction, mood and affect, with particular emphasis on behavior. They have developed numerous theories which explain the link between music and behavior and Wass et al (1991) has made indications that heavy metal music has links to homicides, suicides and satanic practices. Public criticism was wildly sounded when Gaines (1991) implied that there was a link between heavy metal and teen suicide pacts. The American Academy of Pediatrics (1996) has stated that the effect that popular music has on children and adolescents is of paramount importance and is a cause for concern. Brook... ...be assigned to each choice of response with 1 being assigned to â€Å"not at all† and 5 being assigned to â€Å"completely†. Data Analysis After the data has been collected, analysis of data will be done using Statistical Program for Social Science (SPSS) software. Charts and graphs will be used to illustrate the results of the questionnaires allowing the researcher to create a comprehensible analysis of the findings. The questionnaire will be analyzed by the five factors outlined earlier and not by each individual question. However, some questions, which the researcher finds as being significant to the research, will be analyzed individually. A pre test will be done on five participants to ensure that the questionnaire did not have errors and that the questions are clearly understood by the respondents. This will aid in determining the validity of the questionnaire.

The Blaze of Life :: essays research papers

The Blaze of Life Picture this, a young beautiful girl smiling and standing by a big gum tree. On the surface you might think this is a pleasant picture. But then you take a closer look. She is standing there looking at a fire, but not just any fire, it is a fire of her house. But not only is her house burning down, her mother and sister is also burning in the fire. Even though her family and house is burning down to the ground, we just see her standing there. She is just staring intently at the fire, not doing anything and not being panicked at all. Somehow this picture does not seem right. Should she not be screaming or crying or getting help? In Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use (For Your Grandma)†, this picture of the fire, is presented to us from a story told by the girls mother. This fire, along with Characterization, setting, and dialogue, lead one to believe that the fire was the start of the mother’s loss of power. And the beginning of Dee’s, the beautiful girl, rise to power. From the very beginning the story there is a sense that Dee has a bit of an â€Å"upper hand† in the family. But why does the mother and Dee’s sister Maggie cower to Dee? Why is what Dee thinks and wants so important?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the story, the mother describes Maggie as being not exceptionally beautiful. In fact, she is described as looking like a lame animal. She walks like she has been left on the side of the road, â€Å". . .chin on chest, eyes on the ground, feet in shuffle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (292-3). She even cowers in the corner when asking her mother how she looks for fear she does not look beautiful. On the hand, Dee is described as being very beautiful. The mother says that, â€Å"Dee is lighter then Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure† (293). So Maggie already feels that Dee is a little â€Å"above† her in the way of looks. But why does she cower behind Dee as if she is in Dee’s shadow?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story, the mother has a dream about reuniting with Dee. In her dream she thinks: Maggie will be nervous until after her sister goes: she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs, eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe.

Controversial Television Advertising Essay -- TV Media

Controversial Television Advertising We all know from our personal experience that one person’s idea of something offensive often differs from another’s. This essay is to determine the consequences towards negative advertising towards certain controversial products/services and why they are so offensive. All major media organizations need advertising to exist, that's how they pay their bills. At the same time, though, each organization sets its own advertising standards. Some ads a media company will simply refuse to accept (Peart, Karen N). Concerns have been raised about Beer advertising, Cigarette advertising, Sex advertising, Political advertising, and food advertising to children. Alcohol advertising is a primary concern for many Americans who believe that alcohol advertising in media directly influences the frequency of underage drinking. While drinking among youth and young adults has declined over the last six years, a recent study by the Justice Department found that 25% of 15-17 year olds said they drink. Junior and senior high school students drink 35% wine coolers, and consume 1.1 billion cans of beer annually. An alcoholic beverage industry sponsored poll of parents found that 73% of respondents believed that alcoholic beverage advertising is a major contributor to underage drinking (Century Council, 1990). It is also one of the most heavily advertised products in the United States. The alcohol industry generates more than $65 billion a year in revenue and spends more than $1 billion a year on advertising. The advertising budget for one beer -- Budweiser -- is more than the entire federal budget for research on alcoholism and alcohol use. Unfortunately , young people and heavy drinkers are the primary targets of... ...udewijn de Blij. (06/07/2006). Tobacco advertising www.factsheets.globalink.org Nick Higham, BBC media correspondent (04). Confusion over junk food ads. Dr. Joseph Mercola with Rachael Droege (05). Four Ways Junk Food Marketing Targets Your Kids Wikipedia. Sex in Advertising. Pediatric Studies Link TV Advertising with 'Global Fattening' (March 29, 2006) Campaign for Tobacco free kids. â€Å"Still Targeting kids† www.tobaccofreekids.org Christopher Gilson & Harold Berkman (1980). Advertising. Shanto Iyengar & Markus Prior (June 1999). Political Advertising. Gregory Rose, Victoria Bush, & Lynn Kahle (1998). Journal of Advertising Wayne Friedman (2/2006). Courting Kids, Networks Aim Younger. David Waller, Kim Fam, & Zafer Erdogan (2005) The Journal of Consumer Marketing. Vol. 22 Breast for Success. Dahila Lithwick (2004)

Community Insight Essay

Last December 20-21, 2013 we conducted a community immersion in Barangay 8a Upper Madapo hills Davao City. At first, I was very iffy about attending immersion. I didn’t see the entire point of attending something that didn’t seem to mean much to me, But as the days wore on during my immersion, I came to realize how blessed I was in life, how blessed I was to have grown up in such a safe and warm environment. With a loving family, and enough money to support my daily needs and education. During my immersion, I got to meet children who were only a few years younger than me, but who have endured much more in life than I ever have. They didn’t have the same resources that I have had to live a good lifestyle. The kids were very nice and friendly and cooperated with us when it came to the activities that we had prepared. We laid out activities for us and the children that were meant to be fun and social-oriented. At the end of those 2 days, I got to learn a lot about those children and the environment that they had been thrust into. At the end of it all, I am glad that I chose to attend the immersion. Though different from the other immersion sessions of other students I got to learn a lot about the community I was involved in. I can say that All our hard work and labor during the immersion had produced wonderful fruits and were just so happy that we made lot of children smile. Our experienced is Tiring yet FUN! This really was a worthwhile learning experience. A community, by definition, cannot be exclusive. In a community, everyone is tied by common bonds and chooses to look out for each other, not because it is convenient, but because it is right. A community is made of individuals, who are all equal in their humanity. Service has changed me by bringing me into contact with people who I would have not met otherwise and by amplifying my capacity to understand and empathize with others. I realized that Community Service is important for many reasons.I realized that It is A unique opportunity to use what was taught in class in a real-world setting, to Experience an increased cultural awareness and an appreciation for diversity. It is A great chance for us to network and build relationships. And it provides us with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situations in the communities. My experience during the community immersion teaches a lot on me. I learned to become independent and face the responsibility being task on me. I learned to socialized with different people whatever there status in the society. And most important I learned how to respect life and thankful for what I have right now. The community immersion open my eyes to many things and reality and I will cherich this experience for it teaches me to become a better person. The community immersion that we conducted has taught me the value of learning not only from professors, but also from fellow classmates, partners in the community, and individuals, regardless of their age or educational background. It has also taught me to be an active member of our society. I realized that in doing community immersion, a person will find themselves and be exposed to the lifestyles of other people, which also tends to make them more aware of the needs of the less fortunate. the Moment when I joined the advanced immersion and went to Upper Madapo hill I consider it an integral aspect of my life. Taking part in community immersion on the community fosters a unique sense of charity and goodness. A feeling that not only benefits those in need, but also advances the self-worth and morality of an individual. My love for the environment also motivated when I joined the immersion. The rivers, fields, trees, animals – they can’t speak up when they need help. In our world, they often become damaged until someone notices. Community service to me, also means giving the earth a voice. Community service is not about logging hours proving that you are active or have paid your debt to society. It is about forming connections, lending yourself to something that is bigger than you, stepping outside of your comfort zone to understand the connection between self interest and common interest. In just a short time in our community immersion leaves us both feeling blessed. Doing Community service leaves me with a happiness that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else in my life. The knowledge that I have helped others brings me peace and satisfaction. It supplies me with a different perspective on life, one that I constantly need to be reminded of. It has opened my naive up to the fact that life is delicate and precious. There are so many aspects and complications to the world that my so-called problems are a tiny speck compared to the issues that community service has allowed me to understand. Community service is a way for me to grow and learn. My experiences have changed my life, and knowing that I have helped others is a wonderful gift. Community service shows us that the world is not the cold and inhumane place that many people consider it to be. Still community service goes beyond dedicating your time to help someone else, it’s dedicating your mind to others. It is seeing or hearing something that is upsetting and actually wanting to make a change. Many people see what is wrong in the world and try to change it with more money, or new programs, however that is not what the world needs. The world needs human compassion; it is the engine that keeps us going. More than money we need kindness, and nothing shows the true concern for those around more than dedicating your time to help them. I believe that the beauty of community service lies in its ability to connect us all closer together. My most memorable community service experience has been in Upper Madapo Hills. It is a useful, enjoyable, and powerful learning experience.

Online Business And Internet Strategies Essay

Internet presence for a business is a powerful communication and advertisement tool. Using a website to sell a physical product, a service or an intellectual property, becomes an incredibly cost-efficient business tool. Online businesses are environmentally friendly and a sign of professionalism today. Business through Internet can help to increase the projected revenues for any product that can be conceived. Marketing over the internet also means that there would not be any worries about the attrition of employees or inventory liability. Potential buyers are better expected to find a website of your business than about you or your country.   Choice of Business Focusing on a business sector like the providers of corrugated-paper boxes to large businesses, would be great idea to start. With its uniqueness, this type of online business venture will also ensure that online competition is minimal. Of course they are many prospects that are untapped in this field. The target market for placing online orders of paper boxes would be: Large fast-food chains that are expanding their businesses in newly liberalized economies of Eastern Europe. (UNCTAD, 2005) Small and large courier companies that rely on huge quantities of paper boxes for every kind of shipment. Businesses and shops of any scale and any location would require efficient packaging material. Other online businesses that require to ship physical products to their customers like online art auctions, gift sellers and gadget showcases, may require fluctuating quantities of paper boxes. Since they cannot stock such an item as packaging material, the best option would be to purchase the required quantity online. Capital and Infrastructure The main advantage of setting up this online business would require minimal investment at the onset just as in any other online venture. Another positive is that the customers usually pay upfront in online businesses, so the cash conversion cycle would always keep the business with cash-in-hand. Major chunk of initial investment would be towards: purchasing a suitable domain name that either resembles â€Å"paper box† or the region where the potential customers are located. For instance if McDonald’s from USA is planning to set-up new outlets in Eastern Europe, then the domain name could be www.boxesineurope.com (this domain is available) purchasing a suitable website hosting service provider (hosting company for website space and website design) by checking that company’s website. One should be thorough about a web-hosting provider’s integrity and background as many of them stoop to blackmail their clients if they see a profit-making business. So, it is imperative for the safety and security of my business as well potential clients. cost of â€Å"search engine optimization† of websites should be taken care of at the design stage itself. Websites that are better optimized for search engines, appear at a higher rank than other when a search of a particular â€Å"term† is run on the popular search engines like Google. Most importantly, all the results with the term â€Å"paper box providers in Eastern Europe†, apart from my website, would be my competitors. So I would be pro-active in spending some amount getting a better ranking on search engines. there would be random costs involved that include the cost of getting a high speed internet connection, setting up communication network with local manufacturers of paper boxes, office equipment etc; of course my own basement will serve as office. Strategic Alliances The most important business partners could be located online and the best way to check their authenticity, quality and service would be to set up meeting with them, if they are geographically approachable. Otherwise, even through good business proposition email, any business would like to expand and extend their network. (NFIB, 2002) Most important allies for my website www.boxesineurope.com would be quality manufacturers of boxes. Again, their website, portfolio and background would be a good measure of their reliability.   Marketing My Online Business Website: Promoting a website means to increase the number of visitors reaching the webpages. Larger the number of visitors, higher would be the probability that their visits would convert into potential business or purchase. So increasing website â€Å"traffic† would be the main aim of any online business; including mine. Here are few options that I would explore to improve the visibility and accessibility of www.boxesineurope.com: In order to get the most of search engines, I would keep the website search engine optimized and updated. A part of revenue will be diverted to professaional optimizers. For instance Google recenlty annouced that more than 5 billion searches took place on their search engine in a month of 2005; even a conversion rate of 5% can give huge returns on the amount of money spend on search engine optimization. To put it simply, even if 5 out 100 visitors on my website, turn into actual customers, then cost accrued in bringing those 100 visitors bears huge profits. (Gonsalves, 2006) I would use online advertizements, banners and sponsored links on the websites that my potential customers are likely to visit. Since, the target market is widely distributed, sales professionals or procurement personnel of my potential customers are likely to search for few specific terms. (NCC Ltd   2007) Websites that are non-competitors for my business but show on such search results, became an ideal business partners for exchanging website links. As people who likely to be their customers may reach my website and potential buyers of paper boxes may reach their website. Sponsored links through search engines can help me to generate revenue even if I do not sell the product showcased on my website. So, it’s an alternative tool to generate capital that could be invested in online advertizements. To keep customers coming back the focus would to upgrade/update the website frequently. I would keep changing product picture and text design without compromising on the sober looks of the webpages. Posting periodic newsletter on the site would be a good idea to to provide something new to read for the visitors. Once the website popularity improves, I would focus on building a database of my consumers or those who simply enquired about the products. Such a database will provde invaluable and dividing visitors into segments will be very useful for launching targeted marketing campaigns. There are also advanced software to help in refining online marketing to different sets of customers. (Business Link, 2007) Email: Since the online business marketing is for the net users, emails would provide useful for building relationships and keeping my acquaintances aware about my business. Periodic emails, popularly known as newsletters can assist to update the customers about offers. Email is a less intrusive mode than telephone marketing. I would be searching the liason offices and business personnel of potential customer and send them personalized emails. Hiring a third party for doing email marketing may prove illegal in case they try to spam. (Prodesk, 1999) Short Messaging Service: Marketing via text messaging is a viable option as almost everybody carries a mobile phone these days. However, I would be careful to not to invade privacy by sending unsolicited and unexpected messages to unknown people. Though equipped technically and planned well ahead of time, even an online business would require certain ethics that I would never violate. I would ensure that customers get exactly what they order and in the promised time. website visitors will always be secure regarding their personal information and banking credentials like credit cards, debit cards or any other mode of transaction. there would be strict filtering for spam, viruses and any other security threats for the website visitors and customers alike. investment would be timely to keep the technology and the content of the website updated to real time ie an outdated or irrelevant information would never be displayed. With these marketing strategies and plan for online business, I am confident of setting up a viable internet business enterprise. REFERENCES    United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2005) Report : â€Å"Eastern Europe remains top FDI destination†. Available on: http://www.euractiv.com/en/enlargement/eastern-europe-remains-top-fdi-destination/article-143913 National Federation of Independent Business. (2002). â€Å"Benefits of Online Services to Independent Business†: NFIB. Available on: http://www.nfib.com/object/1583715.html Gonsalves, Antone. (2006). â€Å"Google Grabs Half Of Booming Web Search Market†: TechWeb News National Computing Centre. (2007) Available on: http://www.nccmembership.co.uk/ Business Link. (2007). â€Å"Practical advice for business† Available on: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/ Prodesk. (1999). â€Å"Email Marketing Strategies Revealed†: www.prodesk.com BIBLIOGRAPHY Woodhead, Robert. (2007) www.selfpromotion.com 2007 Simpson, Gemma. (2006).†UK small businesses set to boost IT budgets†: ZDNet.co.uk Available on: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,39285382,00.htm

A New Kind of Structure

1. Describe the structural problems HP had. When Mark Hurd assumed his new role as CEO of HP, he soon realized that many of the company’s structural problems were related to the fact that eleven layers of management separated him from HP’s customers. Top corporate customers of the company told him that they did not know whom to contact at HP to respond to their questions. HP’s head of corporate technology said that she had to wait three months to secure approval to hire 100 sales specialists.Moreover, HP’s salespeople were able to spend only about one-third of the time with customers; the remainder of their workday was spent in negotiating the bureaucracy inside of HP. 2. How did Mark Hurd decide to address his company’s structural problems? What do you think of his changes? How do you think the company’s customers responded to these changes? How about the company’s executives and sales force? In attempting to remedy the structural pro blems at his company, Mark Hurd first terminated the employment of underperformers and eliminated three layers of sales management.He also eliminated one sales group and merged those sales representatives into the remaining sales groups. Company executives and members of the sales force are likely pleased that the increased efficiency in the organization enables them to make decisions more quickly and to spend more time interacting with customers. Customers must be more satisfied to see that their needs and concerns are being met more effectively and efficiently. 3. Would a more mechanistic or a more organic structure be appropriate for HP? Why?Considering the rapidly changing nature of the products, and particularly the services, offered by HP, the appropriate structure for this company would have many characteristics of an organic structure. Changing times and intense competition within its industry require that HP be quickly responsive and proactive in its corporate strategy; an organic structure would be more conducive to this type of strategy. 4. What role do you think organizational structure plays in an organization’s efficiency and effectiveness?Explain. Organizational structure plays a key role in enabling a company to function smoothly, to remain responsive to its internal and external stakeholders, and to adapt to changes in the marketplace. Innovation is facilitated by fewer layers of management, and students have already learned that the survival and success of a company is usually dependent upon its ability to function as a learning organization that promotes innovation.

Mediated Modes of Communication and Its Impact to Society

As we bask into the Information Age, human communication is ongoing and transforming to become more interactive and accessible. As we all know, communication is dynamic, ongoing, ever-changing, and continuous. Simple communication entails the message being sent and the receiver perceives and accepts the message. Communication models find their origins in Greek antiquity. Aristotle recognized the speaker, speech, and audience as communication components. Five hundred years before Christ, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, observed that â€Å"a man (or woman) can never step into the river twice. The man (or woman) is different and so is the river† (Gortner et al. 1997, p. 36). Change and continuity are intertwined—as men or women step into the river—in a process of actions which flow through the ages. Communication is a process and flows like a stream through time. It is indubitable that technology has brought about gargantuan impacts to the past modes of communication, be it formal and informal. In an era of faxes, computers, and photocopying machines, communication challenges will emerge that are even more complex, demanding, and technical. Moreover, cell phones, e-mail, and telephone answering machines contribute to the narrowing of the gulf between formal and informal communication distinctions. Anthropologists already have researched on the relationship of conventional forms of verbal interaction and those mediated by new technologies such as the Internet, satellite transmissions, and cell phones. Crystal (2001) had revealed that the Internet constituted a new frontier in human social interaction on par with the inventions of the telephone and telegraph, and even print and broadcast technologies. Scholars of language use, language change, and ideologies of language must surely explore and interrogate the effects of these technologies on traditional modes of communication, the impact of our new capacity to communicate instantly anywhere in the world, and the meaning of language contact as it is taking place in cyberspace. Most of these technologies, notwithstanding constant new advances in computer-mediated graphics, are text or voice based. Thus, â€Å"if the Internet is a revolution, therefore, it is likely to be a linguistic revolution† (Crystal 2001, p. viii). Many observers allege that the Internet is changing society. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the novelty of the new digital media, there is little agreement about what those changes are. It is believed that it is important for sociologists to address these issues for three reasons. First, the medium’s rapid growth offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for scholars to test theories of technology diffusion and media effects during the early stages of a new medium's diffusion and institutionalization. Second, the Internet is unique because it integrates both different modalities of communication (reciprocal interaction, broadcasting, individual reference-searching, group discussion, person/machine interaction) and different kinds of content (text, video, visual images, audio) in a single medium. This versatility renders plausible claims that the technology w ill be implicated in many kinds of social change, perhaps more deeply than television or radio. Finally, choices are being made–systems developed, money invested, laws passed, regulations promulgated–that will shape the system's technical and normative structure for decades to come. Many of these choices are based on behavioral assumptions about how people and the Internet interact (Dimaggio, Hargittai, Neuman & Robinson, 2001, p. 307). As these technological innovations are revolutionizing information and entertainment delivery, these technology-mediated modes of communication have affected the transformation of people’s social lives and behaviors, even political institutions and the role of citizens within them. As people argue that the new technology of short messaging system (SMS), email, online discussions, on-demand information, and web-powered information diffusion and interest aggregation will lead to a more informed, engaged, and influential mass public. With this, will we live in a better informed and connected, more engaged and participatory society—or in a society of lonely ex-couch potatoes glued to computer screens, whose human contacts are largely impersonal and whose political beliefs are easily manipulated, relying on the icons of a wired or wireless society? Fact is that, Erbring and Lutz (2005) have indicated that when people spend more time using the Internet, the more they lose contact with their social environment. They cited a study that this effect is noticeable even with people using just 2-5 Internet hours per week; and it rises substantially for those spending more than 10 hours per week, of whom up to 15 percent report a decrease in social activities. Even more striking is the fact that Internet users spend much less time talking on the phone to friends and family: the percentage reporting a decrease exceeds 25 percent—although it is unclear to what extent this represents a shift to email even in communicating with friends and family or a technical bottleneck due to a single phone line being pre-empted by Internet use. Because of the accessibility of the new modes of communication, people have used these as tools to avoid confrontation that is emphasized in face-to-face communication. In fact, in   UAE and in Malaysia, cell phones have been used to end marriages by SMS-ing â€Å"Talaq, Talaq, Talaq† (â€Å"Divorce, Divorce, Divorce†). But then, this is not the first time technology has been used in officially terminating a relationship. Earlier, it was telephonic, postal and telegram divorces; now there are divorce via e-mail and SMS. Technology has changed the way people are courting, getting married and yes, also the way they are separating. â€Å"If people are meeting and dating on the Internet, why not divorces?† says Anuradha Pratap, principal of Al-Ameen Management College in Bangalore, India. â€Å"If weddings can take place using technology, why not divorce?† asked Ayesha Banu, a Bangalore resident. â€Å"There were telephone weddings nearly two decades ago. It’s only the technology that has changed, everything else has remained the same† (Kiran, 2 June 2003). On the other hand, Halliday (1990) noted that â€Å"when new demands are made on language †¦ [and when] we are making language work for us in ways it never had to do before, it will have to become a different language in order to cope† (p. 82). It is arguable that technology-based media present new demands which have the potential of promoting variations in language use Perhaps, the demands are not novel in itself, but it is rather the blurring, the amalgamation, of previous demands which may result in linguistic variations. Take, for instance, computer communication systems which have placed demands, often associated with spoken language, on the production of written language. This reassignment is most observable in synchronous computer-mediated communication such as MOOs (MUD Object Oriented), MUDs (Multi-User Domain), and Chat. While the language takes on a written form, it is constrained by temporal limitations which require immediate responses. Conversely, this type of synchronous communication, which can be considered an essentially oral language (Collot & Belmore, 1996), is also constrained by norms — including spelling and grammar norms — most often associated with written language. For example in SMS, people usually shorten their message to hasten the process. Like sending the message â€Å"Are you going to the party tonight?† would be shortened to â€Å"R U GOING 2 THE PARTY TONYT?† Indeed, grammar and spelling would be gravely affected, just to facilitate the convenience of a faster communication process. However, from a perspective of language change multimodal forms of communication, such as emails, text messages and chat rooms, are essentially new forms of communication. As used here the term ‘multimodal' refers to the way that texts use devices from a range of different communication systems at the same time. So, for example, you can send an email message to six of your friends simultaneously; previously you could only do this through speaking to them as a group. In other words writing takes on a characteristic which once belonged to speech only (Beard, 2004, p. 44). Emails are usually message exchanges between a pair of named individuals communicating on a single issue, chat-groups usually involve several people: they can be anonymous or use a pseudonym; their communication can be of an indefinite length; and they can cover a wide range of topics. Crystal (2001) uses the term ‘asynchronous' to describe groups where ‘postings' are placed on ‘boards' and ‘synchronous' to describe groups who ‘chat' in real time. The terms 'email' and ‘text message' both suggest a written form, but the terms ‘chat-room/ chat-group' suggest a form of talk; a form of talk – chat – that is traditionally seen as social rather than serious in its content. Although the terminology that labels new communication genres draws upon the traditional binary opposites of speaking/writing (mail/ chat), it is not very helpful to see such texts as products of these opposites. Instead each of the genres has its own unique methods of communication, and then each of the texts produced within the genre has its own specific context. So, for example, the idea of turn-taking, which is crucial to many kinds of vocalized talk, is achieved in very different ways in chat-groups. The acts of reading, thinking, replying and sending the reply, which is not necessarily received instantly, is being undertaken by each of the participants at the same time. This inevitably leads to a dislocation of the exchange in a way that does not happen with emails and text messages. Yet, participants within the process are well able to manage this complicated exercise in pragmatics. Another aspect of pragmatics involves the fact that whereas in face-to-face group conversation your presence is still registered, even if you are silent, this is more problematic in chat-groups. As Crystal (2001) notes: â€Å"in chatgroups silence is ambiguous: it may reflect a deliberate withholding, a temporary inattention, or a physical absence (without signing off)†. Indeed, technology is crucial in the development of the information highway that would link every home to a fiber-optic network over which voice, data, television, and other services would be transmitted. The internet’s architecture is determined by an informal group of U.S.-based software and computer engineers. The internet’s global scope and electronic commerce’s growth make its management an international policy issue. Analysts and government believe a hands-off approach is best (Cukier 1998, p. 39-41). People and organizations determine the course of the future, not computers. As a form of communication, the internet can be used by individuals, private corporations, and government agencies for good or bad, but it cannot influence the direction our society chooses to take. The internet only reflects the society that created it. The development and use of the telegraph and telephone provide a definitive pattern for how the newest form of networked communication, the internet, will be used in the future (Nye, Fall 1997). The lack of accountability and civility have increased as the anonymity in U.S. society has increased, states newspaper columnist Ellen Goodman. She cites the anonymous zones of talk radio and cyberspace among the fox holes for people who want to say anything and everything with impunity (Goodman, 5 September 1996). Despite the downside of the information highway, internet access has made communication between local government and citizens much easier nationwide. Public records access, personnel postings, permit applications, and legislative updates are available online in dozens of cities and counties (Bowser January 1998, p. 36). The technology of the internet may afford the masses access to much more information and many more options. So, internet technology is neither evil nor good. â€Å"Thanks to the internet and satellite TV, the world is being wired together technologically, but not socially, politically, or culturally,† concluded New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman (12 May 2001). â€Å"We are now seeing and hearing one another faster and better, but with no corresponding improvement in our ability to learn from, or understand, one another. So integration, at this stage, is producing more anger than anything else.† The new modes of communication educate people faster than any previous technology the world has known. However, the internet can just as easily infiltrate the minds of millions with lies, half-truths, and hatreds. Friedman (12 May 2001) deemed that â€Å"the internet, at its ugliest, is just an open sewer: an electronic conduit for untreated, unfiltered information.† The internet and satellite TV may inflame emotions and cultural biases, resulting in less understanding and tolerance. Government programs are built on political consensus. Legislation is enacted for the long term. Compromises are based on education, exchanges, diplomacy, and human interaction. However, due to the lack of face-to-face context and the lack of interactional coherence in e-mail and SMS, people need to be more explicit and concise in order to make their message as well as the purpose transparent to their audience, especially in initiated, not responsive, messages. If the message is not explicit enough, the receiver may not be able to provide an optimal response, or the message may turn into a lengthy sequenced exchange before a desired response is obtained. Thus, language use and structure are greatly affected but the intention remains the same. With the fear of the deterioration of language through these new technologies, it is only right that people should still be educated appropriately with regards to the correct structure and use language, so that they will not be confused when they utilize the normal modes of communication. Technology should enhance how society behaves and interact and not the other way around. Works Cited Beard, Adrian. Language Change. London: Routledge, 2004. Bowser, Brandi. Opening the Window to Online Democracy: www.localgovernment. com, American City & County 113.1 (January 1998): 36–38. Collot, M. and N. Belmore . Electronic Language: A New Variety of English. In S. C. Herring (Ed.), Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social and Cross-Cultural Perspectives (pp. 13-28). Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1996. Crystal, David. Language and the Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2001. Cukier, Kenneth. Who Runs the Internet? World Press Review, 45.5 (May 1998): 39–41. Dimaggio, Paul, Eszter Hargittai, W. Russell Neuman, and John P. Robinson. Social Implications of the Internet. Annual Review of Sociology (2001): 307. Friedman, Thomas L. Global Village Idiocy, The New York Times, (May 12, 2002). Goodman, Ellen. Anonymity Breeds Incivility, Boston Globe, (September 5, 1996):17A. Gortner, Harold F., Julianne Mahler, and Jeanne Bell Nicholson, Organization Theory: A Public Perspective, 2nd ed. (Fort Worth, Tex.: Harcourt Brace, 1997), pp. 135–141. Halliday, M. A. K. Spoken and Written Language. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1990. Kiran, Jyothi. SMS Divorces, Women’s Feature Service. (June 2, 2003). Nie, Norman H. and Erbring, Lutz. â€Å"Internet Use Decreases Social Interaction.† The Internet. Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Nye, David E. Shaping Communication Networks: Telegraph, Telephone, Computer, Social Research, 64.3 (Fall 1997): 1067–1092.