Affirmative Action Essays (926 words) - Discrimination,

Affirmative Action AFFIRMATIVE ACTION I. ?We didn't land on Plymouth Rock, my brothers and sisters ? Plymouth Rock landed on us!? Malcolm X's observation is brought out by the facts of American History. Snatched from their native land, transported thousands of miles ? in a nightmare of disease and death ? and sold into slavery, blacks were reduced to the legal status of farm animals. Even after emancipation, blacks were segregated from whites ? in some states by law, and by social practice almost everywhere. American apartheid continued for another century. In 1954 the Supreme Court declared state-compelled segregation in schools unconstitutional, and it followed up that decision with others that struck down many forms of official segregation. Still, discrimination survived, and in most southern states blacks were either discouraged or prohibited from exercising their right to vote. Not until the 1960's was compulsory segregation finally and effectively challenged. Between 1964 and 1968 Congress passed the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the end of the Civil War. It banned discrimination in employment, public accommodations (hotels, motels, restaurants, etc.), and housing; it also guaranteed voting rights for blacks in areas suspected of disenfranchising blacks. Today, several agencies in the federal government exercise sweeping powers to enforce these civil rights measures. But is that enough? Equality of condition between blacks and whites seems as elusive as ever. The black unemployment rate is double that of whites, and the percentage of black families living in poverty is nearly four times that of whites. Only a small percentage of blacks ever make it into medical school or law schools. Advocates of affirmative action have focused upon these differences to support their argument that it is no longer enough just to stop discrimination. Liberal Democrats feel that the damage done by three centuries of racism now has to be remedied, they argue, and effective remediation requires a policy of ?affirmative action.? At the heart of affirmative action is the use of ?numerical goals.? Opponents call them ?racial quotas.? Whatever the name, what they imply is the setting aside of a certain number of jobs or positions for blacks or other historically oppressed groups. Conservative Republicans charge that affirmative action really amounts to reverse discrimination, that it penalizes innocent people simply because they are white, that it often results in unqualified appointments, and that it ends up harming instead of helping blacks. The issue of preferences to address historical patterns of racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination has received a great deal of attention nationally. Whether in government contracts, private sector hiring, college admissions, or state hiring practices, opponents in the issue have engaged in often-heated debates. In Michigan, legislation to limit or eliminate affirmative action has been introduced this session. A good example of this legislation was proposed on March 18,1998 and it is called SJR N (S-2). This resolution proposed an amendment to the Michigan Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex or ethnicity and to prohibit the state and its political subdivisions from using religion, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin as a basis for discriminating against or giving preferential treatment to any individual or group in employment, public education, or public contracting. The present system violates the fundamental principle of equal protection of the law against discrimination on the basis of immutable characteristics of race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin. SJR N (S-2) was intended to end this practice and return Michigan to the goal of a colorblind society. II. SJR N (S-2) is on the Conservative side of things, in that, the legislation is trying to stop ?reverse racism?. There really is no moderate way to look at affirmative action; you can either be for it or against it. Sen. Bill Bullard Jr. was the chair and sponsor of this bill, but when he met with the other members of this committee it was stated in the minutes of the meeting that the issue will not be voted on today?, nor does he (Bill Bullard) intend to press for a vote in the Legislature this year. There will be future opportunities for all who wish to contribute to this dialogue to have their views heard. The committee then had a long list of testimony from those who

Double O Heaven review of ;The World Is Not Enough; Essays

Double O Heaven review of ;The World Is Not Enough; Essays Double O Heaven review of ;The World Is Not Enough; Essay Double O Heaven review of ;The World Is Not Enough; Essay Well kids the latest Bond movie is out at a cinema near you and is set for the top of the charts. The World Is Not Enough contains all the typical Bond assets: guns, gadgets, getaways and of course the Bond girls! Throughout this article I will take you through all the ingredients to make a classic Bond, The World Is Not Enough is no exception to this. The World Is Not Enough is a formula film, as is every James Bond film. The formula must contain, lots of action, gadgets, the Bond girl, chase sequences and a load of explosions and stunts. The Hollywood high concept film contains fast-paced editing so dont blink or youll miss the action! As far as the mise en scene is concerned, the gadgets are surely the most noticeable props. I guess the first one to notice are the glasses with the button that Bond uses to trigger off a small explosive device disguised as a gun. From this diversion Bond can make his getaway from the Swiss bankers. Further into the movie, Bond chases an assassin who turns to the water in a speed-boat as an escape route. So Bond takes out a small, prototype powerboat from the MI6 Head Quarters and pursues the assassin down the River Thames. Now, Bonds boat is equipped with everything, from satellite maps of London to rockets. Naturally the film displays more gadgets which just seem to have gotten better as the years have passed. I believe the reason why there are so many new gadgets in the films is because all James Bond films have a very similar plot, an evil genius plans to take over the world, and Bond stops him, thus saving the world! The gadgets are what people go to see Bond for. They bring sus pense to the film, and the audience to the edge of their seats. Gadgets are used to make the viewer think I wonder what else he has up his sleeve? Famous landmarks such as The Tower of London, The Houses of Parliament and The MI6 Head Quarters symbolise the safety of the realm and the British establishment. As always the British are admirably defended by the unruffled Bond in his conservative suit. As usual in a Bond film there is no lack of sexist character/gender representation. Of course, Bond being male is represented as the strongest of all the characters and no woman could match him. This is also seen in the boat chase sequence. Bond gets the smaller, more versatile, faster and ultimately better boat. The woman gets the leisure cruiser/ speedboat, although she handles it well and is the victor throughout much of the race. Bond women are seen as weaker, and whether theyre on Bonds side or not they always seem to give in to his devilishly, irritating charm. And of course he wouldnt be James Bond if he didnt sleep with at least one woman, so that was always guaranteed. There is no sign of stopping those corny, sexist comments made by the man himself. For examples when a receptionist asks Bond How are my figures? he replies Oh, Im sure theyre perfectly rounded. Referring to her figure rather than her numbers. The Bond girls, look as if they have been created on a virtual real ity program, perfect in every way. The latest model sports a figure-hugging red catsuit but uses a variety of weapons adeptly proving herself to be a worthy adversary. There is a wide range of use of different camera angles to suit the action or surroundings. The best shot scene in the whole movie, must be the boat chase sequence. This scene uses just about all the camera shots possible. It has many panning and tracking shots, to set the momentum of the chase and also to show the setting is London as these camera angles show The Tower of London, Westminister and other famous landmarks. There are also many points of view and close up shots to emphasise emotions and feelings and extreme close ups for the effectiveness of Bonds gadgets. Low angle shots force us to see Bond as unusually vulnerable as he ends up on the edge of the balloon rope booking up at his powerful competitor. This creates tension until she conveniently blows herself up. The editing in The World Is Not Enough is superb. The chase sequence is excellent; it contains an important variety of camera shots. This variety of changing camera shots has made for an interesting hook that keeps the audience enthralled in the rest of the movie. It is very important that the scene is fast and exciting, many cuts to different camera angles ensure this. Editing is so important in the movie industry, and the editors of The World Is Not Enough have really hit the nail on the head. The constantly changing camera from Bond to the assassin helps increase the sense of competition. It also creates suspense, confusion and chaos, which keeps the audience riveted to the edge of their seats. The majority of cuts in a section where Bonds boat miraculously transforms itself into a road vehicle and drives through a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. Humour and tension are retained through the chaos through effective editing. Lighting is important because it is used to lighten up the atmosphere and relieve the tension. Darkness and shadows represents a lurking evil for example when the power (lights) goes out in the MI6 Head Quarters there seems to be a phantom menace. So the lighting is important and works in The World Is Not Enough. The more open combat between Bond and his femme fatale is by contrast in broad daylight. There are two parts of the sound I look at. First being diagetic sound, without this then the movie would be like a silent movie from the 1920s. Which is not necessarily a bad thing the comic genius Charlie Chaplin is considered one on cinemas legends and is far more popular than Pierce Brosnan, however silent movies would not appeal to modern audience. Diagetic sound includes; explosions, gunfire and engine noise, the sound-track is the non-diagetic sound, the classic James Bond theme music for example. This also includes suspense music, which is used to make the atmosphere more intense. I think on the overall basis, the hook of the opening scene of The World Is Not Enough is fantastic. Put together by the editing, sound, and mise en scene. It is this combination that sets for such an effective opening to the rest of this marvellous Bond flick. This has stayed within the limits of the classic Bond genre with modern technological additions Double O Heaven indeed. Race to a cinema near you now!

Human Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Psychology - Essay Example As a result, modern psychology is an amalgam of stances, theories and perspective that supplement or contradict each other. Functional psychology or functionalism is a broad psychological school that became popular in the early decades of 20th century. Advocates of functional approach focused on the active (functional) adaptation of human consciousness to the environment (Vandenbos, 2006). Functional psychology relied on the work of William James, a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, and the evolutionary theory developed of Charles Darwin. The primary concern of functionalists was to understand how the human mind and consciousness functions. Functionalists believed that this could be done via introspection: "Functionalists studied the mind not from the standpoint of its composition-its mental elements of structure-but rather as a conglomerate or accumulation of functions and processes that lead to practical consequences in the real world" (Schultz, & Schultz, 2008, p.145). As a result, functionalists rejected the traditional positivist philosophy of experimental research and advocated the potential of rational thought being concerned with the capability of the mind and practical value of psychological research. The essence of functional psychology was articulated by John Dewey, the brightest representative of functionalism, in his "The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology" (1896). Dewey criticized the notion of elementarism and atomism that dominated early psychology. His criticism also covered the emerging school of behaviorism with its stimulus-response theory (Dewey, 1964). Although functional psychology failed to become a formal school, the concepts and principles formulated by representatives of this approach contributed greatly to the development of behavioral psychology (Schultz, & Schultz, 2008). An essential contribution of functionalism was recognition of the validity of research involving animals, children and people with psychiatric disabilities. Yet the most important contribution of functionalism to contemporary psychological practice was introduction of novel research methods and techniques such as mental tests, questionnaires and physiological measures (Biro, & Shahan, 1982). T his legacy continues to play critically important role in modern psychological practice. Behaviorism The origins of behaviorist perspective, a theory successfully applied in modern psychological practice can be traced back to John Watson (1878 - 1958) whom was the first theorist to formulate the principles of modern behaviorism. The school of behaviorism embraces hundreds of theories, practices, and trends that have emerged over several decades. However, the underlying feature of any behaviorist theory or concept is the emphasis on external influences on behavior and motivation that are viewed as the most critical aspect of understanding the inner world of human beings. Thus, Wilfred Sellars (1963), an outstanding philosopher of the last century whom witnessed emergence development and decline of behaviorism noted "a person may qualify as a behaviorist, loosely or attitudinally speaking, if they insist on confirming hypotheses about psychological events in terms of behavioral

Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Research Proposal Example Therefore, even those consumers who wished to purchase electronics faced restrictions in doing so since there was limited credit. This resulted in huge losses for electronics companies, including Blackberry, Motorola Mobility, and Nokia, evidencing the significant effects the recession was having on the electronics industry. The research paper will seek to evaluate the effects of the recession on behaviour of the consumer in the UK electronics industry, particularly with regards to the smartphone industry. Understanding the response of consumers to the economic downturn with regards to their buying behaviour is imperative for companies seeking to ensure future success (Chakrabarti, 2011: p56). While signs show that the UK economy is stabilizing, leading to questions about this research’s relevance, the changes to consumer behaviour by recessions tend to last for a long time. Therefore, even as economists signal the end of the recession and beginning of recovery, this is unlike ly to be reflected immediately by consumers in their buying behaviour. This literature review will seek to provide a strong foundation in order to understand various widely used consumer behaviour models, which is important in investigating current buying behaviour and decision-making process of consumers in the UK. Consumer behaviour accounts for every decision and action taken by individuals during the purchase of services and goods. According to Dees & Soares (2013: p5), studying the behaviour of consumers is important since for firms to be successful, they should understand the forces that drive consumers to make decisions about purchasing a product, while also helping determine why they choose one brand over another, how they come to these decisions, and how this information can be used for value creation. Foxall (2013: p99) defines consumer behaviour as the study of those processes through which groups or

Strategy planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategy planning - Essay Example However, the younger generation between the age of 18 and 28 seem to be comfortable with the brands from crystal fashion. The idea is to ensure that brand that resonates with them such as scarfs, sweaters and dresses. Crystal fashion in pursuit for a credible customer base needs to be more radical than the other competitors in the market (Wittmann & Reuter, 2008). The young professionals from either gender who have so far embraced the brands from the fashions talk of the products as being unique and classic effectively revealing who they are are in the society (Kurtz, 2012). The company should be more interested in the secrets of the young people as a strategy for producing future brands. Crystal Fashion is an organization that deals with production of garments and clothes for both men and women. In the recent past the company has sought to venture into new markets and to expand its market portfolio as appropriate. Most of the brands from the company have found favor with most of the consumers in Saudi Arabia region and the strategy is to position the clothing and garment brands in the market to attract more loyal customers. Crystal fashion is an organization closely held, for profit and is medium sized compared to other entities in the market (May, 2010). The company has a substantial customer base with earn a profit of one million turnovers. The idea is to have the young people share their stories concerning their preferred brands and fashion to enable the company factor such issues in the production of future brands. The strategy is to obtain the secrets from the target group as a basis for coming up better and improved brands that are accepted by a majority (Dillon, 2012). The company needs to come up with diverse channels that enable the target group share their secrets, learn from other people then use the input from the individuals to improve on the brands. The

What Is The Irrigation System History Essay

What Is The Irrigation System History Essay Irrigation system consists on taking water from the main water source and diverting it with artificial channels where it used for agriculture needs. This system is dictated by the geographical and geology position. As we know Nile valley civilizations have depended by getting the best use of this river. As Herodotus said Egypt is the gift of the river.The efficiency of these irrigation systems made possible the fertility of the land , so irrigation schemes were not only built, but even maintained. The Nile being one of the most predictable rivers in the world, and has a flood period nearly to one hundred days. There for the agriculture was based in winter crops after the annual floods had subsided. Being only one water source which was hard to control, the irrigation works were based to deal only with peak of the flood along the river bank. In order to descend the water into several basins in succession , they made large flat-bottomed basins. Water, after being drained off to the crops and back into the river at the right time of the growing cycle after it stayed for several days in the fields. Herodotus wrote that the Egyptians get their harvests with less labor than anyone else in the world. The irrigation system got even better after they knew in advance the height of the annual flood. The fluctuations of the Nile floods made the irrigation system quite primitive and food was not stored efficiently. Their irrigation system was primitive and they depended on one winter crop per year. They were not capable to dam the river as a consequence there was no attempt at water storage. The big centers of ancient Egypt civilization, which lay along the river had the possibility for a second crop. The Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom were periods in Egyptian history when strong central government flourished in times of prosperity. Its not clear whether strong central government resulted in effective irrigation and good crop production, or whether strong central government broke down after climatic changes resulted in unstable agricultural production. Dams It was more a giant weir, to hold back some of the annual flood waters coming down the valley, and to divert some of that water, under control, out of sluices and into a canal system. Perhaps the earliest successful technique was to build a diversion dam. The structure is built right across the bed of the stream, and is not merely a cut in the river-bank that takes off some of the water into a canal. Stream valleys with only seasonal flow are the best places to learn dam-building. The dam can be built during the dry season, allowing engineers to learn how to build a successful dam, without having to master also the technique of diverting the stream. The dam can also be maintained or repaired during dry seasons. If the dam fails in flood, it does no more than restore the old flow, and is not catastrophic. Its probably not a coincidence that all the most ancient dams are built across intermittent streams, or wades. So, the daily life could continue its routine. Making good use of all these works they use these as highways to transport all kind of things through water. Not only this, but they could dominate the floods and use it at their favor and take the maximum of their land. The Nile gift enmark beside this was used for food storage in good times. They perfectioned their tools to made all these architechtual wonders for the time. As early as 5000 B.C., nomadic hunter-gatherers of northeastern Africa began to settle by the Nile. They took up a farming life regulated by the riverà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s seasonal rise and fall, growing cereal crops such as wheat and barley. The Nile also provided these Neolithic farmers with ducks and geese in its marshlands and fish in its waters. The early Egyptians harvested papyrus growing wild along the banks of the Nile, using the long, thin reeds to make rope, matting, sandals, baskets, and later on sheets of paper like writing material. Body paragraph 2 Ancient Egyptians had to contend with enormous temperature swings. They looked for a place not only to protect them from heat and cold, but even to storage the food. Because rainfall was in frequent, the main construction material was plentiful sun-baked mud . The basic Egyptian house consisted of a high rectangular enclosure wall and an entry door faced north at the narrow end, a central pool of water just past the entry door, a roofed area raised on columns open at the front. In general these three elements were the main points of all Egyptian houses. In order to feel breezes not possible at ground level, they added stairs leading to the roof. Windows were placed higher in rooms in order to drop the heat down. They were small in size as the Sun shinned brightly all day. Bedrooms incorporated raised alcoves for sleeping and adobe benches along one or more walls for sitting and supporting objects; niches in the walls held small oil lamps. In size, Egyptian homes were comparable to th ose of our time. The workers were needed to built the monumental works. During the spring the Nile flooded, so for three months the workers were taken in their villages by a represented of the pharaoh. While he shouted : In the name of the pharaoh , the soldiers gathered the people and putted in a navy to be transported in the work place and they had to be in the navy for several weeks. After these, they were settled in their provisory homes, where they would stay there for the rest of the time needed to finish the work. The recruits were compesed with food and cloth. They were divided into 500 divisions with 20 men per division. Women made supplementary works for the workers. In their monuments and other architectonic works they represented even the matriarchal and patriarchal system. They showed in statues woman hanging the shoulder to their man. In the Old Kingdom we can see that some columns have the face of a woman. Egyptian temples were placed where spiritual work was done. An arch with a wing disk was always found to the entrance of the temple. They were created with the form of a snake, snake is the maschilism form and Feminism. The feminism and maschilim have to be in balance, so that the ego of every day world has to be left aside in order to enter the cosmic world. The efficient functioning of the temple was made possible by a large staff of priests and other support staff. They served in one lunar month in rotation and during three months of free time after service, they worked in other temples. Every temple was the residence of gods, but there were even libraries, so the priests had to do great work. After entering the temple they were excluded from their social life goods . Body paragraph 3- Many great mysteries surround their vast architectonic works. Their time of building, the way of building is still a main topic of discussion among Egyptologists. They think how it was possible to transport massive blocks through ramps or in which way. A new theory is that of internal ramps. Further more they say the grand gallery served as a high complex to transport the marble stones. Till today the most known theory is that which states the building the pyramid according to the Sirius constellation. Even this theory has some contradictions if we compare the geologic structure, the river base as it was in different years. Putting together lines and marks, which usually helped the workmen keep balance and edge during the groundwork, full size sketches were from time to time used to lay out relatively scale, small-scale architectural details. Egyptians not solely used the 3-4-5 triangle to shred right angles, but that they were also sensitive that identically triangles could be acquired by varying the dimensions, but keeping fixed the proportions between the sides. This is an notable point, which might have had a notable function in the project and construction of pyramids. We have information that the period between The Middle Kingdom square grids were used for two dimensional scenes. Modern studies have proved that the dimensions of mud-brick in ancient Egypt varied from a smaller size used in the early Dynastic Period to larger versions adopted from the Old Kingdom onwards, but their proportions remained more or less the same, with a ratio of about 2:1 between length and width. The surviving drawings barely provide enough information about the two-dimensional layout of the plans, and do not seem to have been the principal instrument to take decisions about the three-dimensional aspects. This gap between the schematic drawings and the actual buildings may have been filled by architectural models, which might have been used to visualize in advance the real appearance of the construction. without the distortions and illusions produced by the adoption of the graphic conventions necessary to reproduce a three-dimensional reality on a two-dimensional surface. Among the mass of votive objects, there are a few architectural models that can be related to the planning and building process. A temple is much simpler by the geometrical aspect compared with a temple. Even their geometry is simple, mathematical knowledge is used during the calculation process. Body paragraph 4- During the Archaic Period it was the peek of good relations between Greece and Egypt. It was the perfect time to transfer artistic and architectural notions between the Egyptians and Greeks This period in Egypt was a time of great artistic and architectural revival. The Rhoikos temple labyrinths clearly associates it with the Egyptian marvel. Significant innovations in Ionian temple architecture of this period greatly resemble long established and commonly implemented elements of the Egyptian colossal architectural tradition. In Naukratis below the astragal on the uppermost part of the column shaft is the Egyptian lotus flower and bud. Similarities are found with the Egyptian colonnade and the Ionic peristyle. the difference being that the central columns of the Egyptian hypostyle hall are far more massive than Ionic. Egyptian architecture has stimulated the imagination of architects in modern times. An interesting similarity is Burnham Root`s Monadnock Building for having heavy sloping lines of an Egyptian pyramid. Not even that, but many modern buildings in Las Vegas and not only are trying to rebuild pyramid like structures. These attract people`s curiosity. Still today the Egyptian architecture opens debate and is still functional. Conclusion The good architecture of dams and the irrigation system made possible that the daily life flows normally. Not only this, but they could dominate the floods and use it at their favor and take the maximum of their land. They used their architectonic knowledge in their favor to build good houses. But the most impressed impact of building the magnificent architectonic marvel from sketch to reality was the slaves daily life in the work place. The life changed even for the temple personnel, which it has not been mentioned in many history books. The most impressed thing was their knowledge used in architectonic buildings. Still today the mystery, debate cover the ancient architectonic works. Even that many centuries have passed, even now days we are fascinated by their architectonic.

Analysis of Mending Wall by Robert Frost :: essays research papers

Mending Wall written by Robert Frost, describes the relationship between two neighbors and idea of maintaining barriers. Where one of them feels that there is no need of this wall, 'There where it is we do not need the wall: He is all pine and I am apple orchard.' On the other hand his neighbor remains unconvinced and follows inherited wisdom passed down to him by his father, 'Good fences make good neighbors.' They even kept the wall while mending it, this reflect that they never interact with each other, ?We keep the wall between us as we go?. Robert Frost has maintained this literal meaning of physical barriers but it does contain metaphor as representation of these physical barriers separating the neighbors and also their friendship. It describes how the conservative farmer follows traditions blindly and the isolated life followed by him. It reflects how people make physical barriers and that later in life come to their social life too. Where neighbor with pine tree, believes that this separation is needed as it is essential for their privacy and personal life. The poem explores a paradox in human nature. The first few lines reflect demolition of the wall, ?Something there is that doesn?t reflect love a wall? this reflects that nature itself does not like separation. The "something" referring to the intangible sense of social interaction. Furthermore "that sends the frozen-ground-swell under it" refers to Frost or to the author. Although the narrator does not want the wall, ironically, the mending of the wall brings the neighbors together and literally builds their friendship. An additional irony of the poem is that the only time these two neighbors sees each other is when they both mend the wall. The narrator s ees the stubbornness in his neighbor, and uses the simile 'like an old-stone savage' to compare him to a stone-age man who 'moves in darkness', that is, set in his ways, and who is unlikely to change his views.