Maria Full of Grace Essay Example

Maria Full of Grace Essay Example Maria Full of Grace Paper Maria Full of Grace Paper Muted group theory illustrates how a group can acquire power and use it to it to dominate culture. It specifically refers to the gender roles created by society and can also be used to examine cross-cultural case studies. Its name describes how a group in power can manipulate language and communication practices specific to its culture in order to silence the members not included in the dominant group. Maria Full of Grace is an exposi of the complexities surrounding womens involvement in drug trafficking and becoming a woman in a male dominated society. In the movie there are many examples of communication that are impeded because of womens current role in society. The movie opens with its title character, Maria Alvarez , a 17-year-old Colombian, making out her boyfriend, Juan. Juan is completely involved in the moment and hinting that he wants to further accelerate the situation, and he even doesnt notice her indifference to his affection. He attempts to get her to agree to let them go back to her house, but she wants to climb on top of the roof. She emasculates Juan by teasing him and he gets irritated and walks away. Instead of complying with Juans wish to go back to her house, Maria responded by taking control of the situation (especially notable because of its sexual nature) and said, See how you treat me? Youre a drag. Because she attempts to step outside of the expectation that she will fulfill the needs of her lover, she is punished by him walking off and leaving her on the roof by herself. In the next scene, Maria is being mistreated by her male supervisor. He refuses to let her go to the restroom even though she feels nauseated, and then proceeds to demand she clean the mess off the roses after she vomits on them. It is implied Maria takes this kind of abuse on a regular basis. When she next sees her mother and sister, at the local pharmacy, she informs them she quit her job at the factory. They are alarmed and ask when and why this happened. This is sparked by argument over money. It is cultural practice for a Colombian family to all chip in and help out with money, even if it is not equally contributed to. Marias nephew, Pacho, is sick and needs medicine. Diana and her mother tell her she is selfish and should be able to deal with her employment issues for the benefit of the family. They ask her to go back, but Maria refuses, saying she will find other work. This is an example of a socially constructed expectation that works in opposition of womens rights. Maria is being harassed by her employer; this should be handled immediately by reporting him to a company employee in charge of human resources. Instead, she sees the only way to stop it is to quit. Because her word would most likely not be taken seriously, she takes the blame instead of demanding action. This form of oppression is a form of muting an individual because of her gender. Not only does she give up her job, but she is chastised by her own family for not thinking of them first. It is conventional for Hispanic families to function together, even at the expense of a womans happiness. Maria is working to take care of her nephew who has no father in sight. Actually, there are no males besides Pacho in the household that are ever mentioned; this leaves only Maria to provide income. Later in the movie, Maria tells Juan she is pregnant, but she does not want to get married. He contends he must live with her, because society wont accept a guy living in his girlfriends house. Again, Maria departs from the norm by rejecting the necessity of marriage because of a pregnancy. She even goes further to reject the notion of marriage without love. Maria is comfortable with her independence, even as a single mother-a concept foreign to most women in her position. Muted group theory is also applicable in this film because it deals with cultural issues. Women often jeopardize their freedom and lives by agreeing to serve as drug mules or couriers to smuggle illegal drugs into another country. Maria is in desperate need of a job because she is obligated to care for her mother, sister, and nephew. She meets Franklin, who at first seemed very innocent, and he mentions a way she could make money if she would take the chance. Franklin delivers her to Javier, the head of this particular drug cartel in Bogat. He explains the arrangements, but not without offering a charitable donation so she could get her affairs in order. The direction and quality of her life is no longer in her hands; it is in those of the men in authority positions in her life. Even when she is in the United States, her fate is determined by Don Fernando (the Colombian travel agent who offers help to her and Blanca) and the male drug dealers who hold Maria, Blanca, and Lucy captive. Don Fernando chose not to turn them into the police, but he did betray the women by telling Carla about Lucys death and its surrounding circumstances. The drug dealers killed Lucy for the heroin in her body; they had no regard for the life that possessed it. If Maria would have fallen ill, she would have suffered the same outcome. Even after her and Bianca escaped, the men had the ability to harm their families in Colombia. Once they returned to give the dealers their pellets, their own lives were once again endangered. They were fortunate to not be killed, much less receive their payment, but it was not without verbal and physical abuse. Each of the trials Maria faces is caused by a social norm that demands womens subordination to men in different areas of her life. Every aspect of her life was affected by this form of inequality: her sexual relations, her relationship with her boyfriend and family, her employment, her welfare, and her basic right to life. Maria Full of Grace is a paradigm for feature films that illuminate the delicate issues that instigate womens involvement in such reprehensible a exploit as drug trafficking.

What You Should Know About Interracial Friendship

What You Should Know About Interracial Friendship Interracial friendships have been the subject of television shows such as â€Å"Any Day Now† or films such as â€Å"The Lethal Weapon† franchise. To boot whenever prominent people make a racial misstep, they are so quick to declare that some of their â€Å"best friends are black† that the expression has become a clichà ©. The idea that hipsters desperately want black friends has also become pervasive in recent years. In reality, interracial friendships remain relatively uncommon. Racially segregated schools, neighborhoods and workplaces contribute to this trend. But even in diverse settings, interracial friendships tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Racial stereotypes and prejudice inevitably color how different racial groups perceive each other, resulting in divisions that pose challenges to potential cross-cultural friendships. Investigating Rarity While government agencies such as the U.S. Census Bureau collect data on interracial marriage, there’s no definitive way to determine how common interracial friendships are. Simply asking people if they have a friend of a different race has also proven to be ineffective given that the public is likely to include mere acquaintances as friends in an effort to appear well-rounded and open-minded. Accordingly in 2006, demographer Brent Berry set out to discover how common interracial friendships are by examining more than 1,000 photographs of wedding parties. Berry reasoned that people typically include their closest friends in wedding parties, leaving little doubt that the members of such parties would be true friends of the bride and groom. Those featured in the wedding party photos were of black, white and Asian origin or what Berry classified as â€Å"other† race. To say that Berry’s results were eye-opening would be an understatement. The demographer found that just 3.7 percent of whites were close enough to their black friends to include them in their wedding parties. Meanwhile, 22.2 percent of African Americans included white groomsmen and bridesmaids in their wedding parties. That’s six times the amount of whites who included blacks in theirs. On the other hand, whites and Asians included each other in wedding parties at roughly the same rate. Asians, though, include blacks in their wedding parties at just one-fifth the rate that blacks include them. Berry’s research leads one to conclude that African Americans are much more open to cross-cultural relationships than other groups. It also reveals that whites and Asians are far less inclined to invite blacks to join their wedding parties- presumably because African Americans remain so marginalized in the U.S. that a friendship with a black person lacks the social currency that a friendship with a white person or Asian carries. Other Barriers Racism isn’t the only barrier to interracial friendships. Reports that Americans have become increasingly socially isolated in the 21st also play a role. According to a 2006 study called â€Å"Social Isolation in America† the number of people Americans say they can discuss important matters with dwindled by almost one-third from 1985 to 2004. The study not only found that people have fewer confidants but that Americans increasingly confide in their family members rather than in friends.  Moreover, 25 percent of Americans say they have no one at all to confide in, more than double the amount of people who said the same in 1985. The impact of this trend affects people of color more than whites. Minorities and people with less education have smaller social networks than whites do. If people of color are more likely to depend on their family members for companionship than non-relatives it makes it unlikely that they will have many same-race friendships, let alone interracial ones. Hope For The Future While the public’s social networks may be shrinking, the amount of Americans in the 21st century who report having interracial friendships is up from 1985. The percentage of Americans who say they have at least one close friend of another race has risen from 9 percent to 15 percent, according to the General Social Survey, which the researchers behind â€Å"Social Isolation in America† used for their study. Nearly 1,500 people were questioned about the individuals with whom they’d recently discussed serious concerns. Researchers then asked participants to describe the race, gender, educational background and other characteristics of their confidants. Twenty years from now the amount of Americans involved in interracial friendships will surely increase.

Will be privided on Friday July 1st after 6pm Essay - 1

Will be privided on Friday July 1st after 6pm - Essay Example Acting in such a manner shows how one puts his heart in his work and usually results in satisfactory jobs as others may not be able to demand for more when they see the seriousness of a responsible person. Of course, physical efforts are much needed to accomplish responsibilities because just thinking about things and planning one’s actions are not the same as doing them. One has to perform his duties to be considered responsible. In our world, whatever part of the world we live in, I think responsibility is present and comes in many forms but still are the same though different in some ways. This is so because of culture and beliefs. For instance, for some cultures, it is still widely accepted that mothers should stay at home and do the household chores, bear children and take care of them while the father is expected to do the more difficult tasks like farming or being the bread winner, going to the office and bringing home his paycheck to his wife. To them, women are expected to budget whatever amount the father brings home for all the needs of the whole family. For other cultures, women are now allowed to work alongside the men in offices, competing with them and even becoming bosses in a world that used to have been dominated by the stronger sex, as we have always known. However, the women’s responsibilities in such cultures in the house are not passed on to the men, though there are some cases of which, but that their working outside of the house is but an additional responsibility. If they are not able to perform their functions as housekeepers and babysitters, they then have to hire someone to do the task so that their primary responsibilities will not be forsaken. In another angle, there are other responsibilities we have to perform and that would be our social responsibilities. As they say, no man is an island. Indeed no man is and we can not survive without the help of the other no matter how much we hate having others help us. Men have been made

Evaluating Internet Sources Government Shutdown 2013 Research Paper

Evaluating Internet Sources Government Shutdown 2013 - Research Paper Example Policymic.com is an online publication whose purpose is to inform, sell, persuade and educate. The site is current as it is designed to avail news and analysis of society’s politics, entertainment, arts, and identities. The audience for this site is the general public and the information provided in the politics section is appropriate for college-level research by political science students giving its relevance. While the site provides sources for its presented information, it is evident that majority of their publications/articles are outsourced from the general public; and the selling aspect in arts and entertainment/personalities, the sight may not be necessarily authoritative. The addressing of the government shutdown 2013 in relation to the 1995 shutdown, downgrades the site’s estimation and analytical aspects thus jeopardizing its accuracy. The final evaluation of the site is that policymic.com is not a good source to use at college-level research. The Guardian is an online editorial website whose purpose is to inform, analyze and educate. As an editorial and politically independent website, the site is current and up to date on with information on business, technology, politics, environment, and lifestyles. The audience for this site is the general public and the information provided in their various topics is relevant and appropriate at college-level research. The authoritative aspect of the website can be traced back to the source of its articles and the manner in which they are detailed. This translates to accuracy and reliability making it a good source to use for college research. Cnn.com is an online editorial whose purpose is to inform, educate, entertain and persuade. The site is current and up to date on political issues, news, and social trends. The audience of the site is the general internet community providing its relevance and reliability for college-level research.  

Safety and Medicare Requirements Essay Example for Free

Safety and Medicare Requirements Essay Introduction The first SMART goal is regarding the elevated re-hospitalization rates, and how as a team we can reduce these numbers by 10% within the next six months. I chose this goal because the Medicare requirements are changing for reimbursement rates and we are a non-for profit organization where cutting down on any costs are important for not only our organization but also for our patients. Secondly, the next SMART goal I chose was how we can increase the compliance of incident reports being filled out for patient injuries, falls and infections by 10% within the next 3 months. I chose this SMART goal because this is an area in which we have been falling behind and this is an lack in compliance. Case Managers and Triage Nurses are responsible for making sure these are completed and returned to our managers in a timely manner. Goal 1: Leadership Development The complete Hospice Team; Social worker, CNA, Pastoral Care, Bereavement Services, RN/ Case Manager and Volunteers will all work together to achieve this goal by beginning teaching at time of admission. The Hospice team will all work together in order to make sure that the patient will die comfortably in their home with their family by their side and will do this without returning to the hospital. .We will provide the family with all of the information and support they will need in order to feel comfortable in keeping their loved one at home without returning them to the hospital. They will have access to a nurse 24 hours a day/7 days a week through our Triage line and will be reminded at each visit to use this form of communication in order to prevent re-hospitalization. Peer-Reviewed Articles In the article, Hospital Readmission Rates in Medicare Advantage Plans, this article speaks about the changes that CMS (Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services) put into effect this year (2013). The changes are to establish a hospital readmissions reduction program in Medicare, when implemented, the program reduces payments to hospitals based on their readmission rates by 20% and hospital-acquired conditions or adverse events among patients with Medicare by 40%. This was a good article to explain why as a non-for profit organization, we must drop the rehospitalization rates. Credible Websites The website, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, has several tools and articles speaking of how to avoid rehospitalizations. They have materials, documents and tools called, State Action on Avoidable Rehospitalizations or STAAR. This aims to reduce avoidable rehospitalizations and is focused on how to improve transitions of care and how to address systemic barriers to reducing avoidable rehospitalizations. This is helpful and useful information to use for our SMART goal, as it provides a lot of tools we could use in reducing our rehospitalization rates. Informational Expert Amy Suydam RN CPS (Clinical Practice Supervisor) is over the Hospice RN/ Case Managers at our office. Amy and I discussed the SMART goal about rehospitalization rates and how we are going to decrease these rates. Amy agrees with all of the teaching with the family from admission on and making them aware of all the assistance they have available from our services. One thing she also did mention is that we could do more in-services with our staff regarding this and make sure everyone does understand the decline in reimbursement rates that we are receiving at this time compared to the costs to the organization. Summary In searching information regarding the rehospitalization rates and the drop of Medicare reimbursements for those stays, I was surprised to have found there was so much information regarding this and the tools that are out there also to use. My direct supervisor, Amy Suydam RN CPS, was also helpful in bringing up some things not thought of that would assist in the success of our organization in achieving our goal of decreasing rehospitalizations  by 10% within the next 6 months. Amy Suydam RN CPS did not feel this was an unreasonable timeframe and decline to be looking towards. This is something we have discussed many times as our organization is non-for profit and this is very important that we follow through with our teachings and get all the information put out there that we can regarding these changes. Goal 2: Organizational Planning The RN/ Case Managers and Triage Nurses will increase their compliance of filling out incident reports that are being filled out by 10% within the next 3 months. The nurses will fill these out for patient falls, infections and injuries in order to be compliant with our Quality Assurance Goals. Peer-Reviewed Articles In the article, Introducing incident reporting in primary care: a translation from safety science into medical practice, the authors speak of how most reported incidents were ones that caused little or no injury to the patient. They found those providing care were able to deal with these incidents more actively and taking less of their time away from their other work. This explains how important it is to report any and all incidents. This is what the organizational SMART goal pertains to is making sure we are compliant in reporting everything that should be reported. Credible Websites The website that related to the SMART goal is called, Quality and Safety. This website provides useful tools and different ways that may be effective in reporting incidents easier which may in turn provide increased compliance. On this website they say EHR’s are the best way and more people are compliant when using the electronic reporting. Informational Expert Amy Suydam RN, Clinical Practice Supervisor reviewed the SMART goal and while reading through the plan of action, she declines any further recommendations. She feels everything has been covered even compared it to our policy for incident reports for our organization, and found nothing further at this time. Summary In researching the SMART goal of increasing compliance of filling out  incident reports, it is amazing how many people are non-compliant. This can lead to legal actions at times and other problems. This is a very important part of Quality Assurance within our organization. .Will hold in-services, cover the company’s policy and explain why incident reports are filled out for and how to properly fill them out and who they are turned in to. We will strive to meet our goal of decreasing non-compliance by 10% within the next 3 months. References Qual Saf Health Care 2004; 13: 281-286 doi:10.1136/qshc.2003.009100 Marieke, Adriana. (2013). introducing incident reporting in primary care: a translation from safety science into medical practice. Health, Risk Society, 15(3), 265-278 doi:10.1080/13698575.2013.776014 Lemieux, Jeff. (2012). Hospital Readmission Rates in Medicare Advantage Plans. American Journal of Managed Care,18(2), 96-104 N.A. (2009). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Agency for Healthcare and Research and Quality. Retrieved from http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=3287

Medicine as a Form of Social Control Essay -- Papers

Medicine as a Form of Social Control This critique will examine the view that medicine is a form of social control. There are many theorists that have different opinions on this view. This critique will discuss each one and their different views. We live in a society where there is a complex division of labour and where enormous varieties of specialist healing roles are recognised. We attribute to our modern healers a great deal of power, and trust that they will use it for our benefits rather than to harm us. Professional codes of ethics are promises that doctors will use their knowledge to benefit patients. The sociologist Talcott Parsons (1951) described what he considered the essential point of this contract. These rights, obligations and privileges are standards of behaviour, which Parsons felt people in American society believed desirable in the 1940s. The sociological term for such a standard of behaviour is a norm. People in modern Britain acts in a certain way that is seen as appropriate for ill people. In the 1950s, Parsons (1951) outlined the norms that govern illness behaviour and professional responses to it, in modern society. He also saw the patient - doctor relationship as a social system, governed by norms about appropriate behaviour. Also, Parsons (1951) claimed illness as disruptive, a kind of deviance and is therefore potentially disruptive to the social order. Parsons saw society as a functioning whole, and was concerned with how the social order was maintained, and how various institutions in society in the case health care institution function... ...power, which extend throughout the whole of society. He described what he called the clinical gaze as having moved beyond the hospital and the clinic into many and diverse sites such as our schools, workplaces, and homes. For Foucault (1973) the clinical gaze was a facet of a new kind of power, which relied on surveillance and inspection. In conclusion, this critique has critically examined the view that medicine is a form of social control. Discussing the views of theorists such as Talcott Parsons, Ivan Illich, Narvarro, Irving Zola and Foucault. These theorists have views about how dominating medicine can be in society, the power of the professionals and medicalisation how it refers social problems into medical problems. Throughout this critique, it has been made clear that medicine is a form of social control.

Google vs. Yahoo

Many people around the world use search engines everyday to find information quickly. However, not many people realize that each search engine is different from each other. Every search engine is unique because they will all produce different links when a word or phrase is searched for. This means that some search engines will be better than others. Two main search engines are Yahoo and Google. Although Yahoo and Google both perform the same task, Google is a better search engine because it has a simple layout and provides links that are more relevant to the item that is being searched for.Google has a simple homepage that is about 90% white with a search bar in the center below its logo. Yahoo's homepage has a variety of items on it such as moving images and attention-grabbing headlines. This argument may seem like it is in favor of Yahoo, but in reality Yahoo's flashy homepage can distract people for a long time. People that go to Yahoo can waste their time reading about topics tha t have nothing to do with what they originally wanted to search for while people who go to Google aren't distracted by their almost blank layout.Google and Yahoo both provide links with information about the topic that is searched for but Google's links have information that are more related to the topic. Surveys have been done where the most popular search engines (including Google and Yahoo) were tested to see which one gave them the best information about the topic that was searched for. The end result was that 94 out of the 100 people that did the testing agreed that Google was the best search engine because its results were the most relevant.Most of Yahoo's results displayed pages with irrelevant information after the first three or four results. When Google was used, the information that the testers wanted was found in the first or second link. They all said that they didn't have to even go on to the second page because the first page of links was more than enough for them. Go ogle's search engine has been tested and proven to be superior to Yahoo. Although the Internet may seem like a very common thing, many people are still getting introduced to it and its many functions.These types of people will not be used to something such as a search engine so it is important to keep the search engine simple and easy to use. While it is true that Yahoo's homepage can give people an idea about all the things that the Internet can do for them, it may be hard to navigate to something such as the search bar amidst the cluttered bundles of information. I think that we should keep search engines simple so that it will be easy for people new to the Internet to utilize it.

Plato vs. St. Augustine of Hippo Essay

Our world has developed and flourished by the thoughts and contributions of many leaders. Among those leaders were Saint Augustine and Pluto. For many historians, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and Augustine’s The City of God, are historical pieces that point out what had happened during ancient times. These pieces are significant because they shed some light on different thoughts and beliefs of people. Even though these works do not have similar world views, they attempt to show guidance to human life and to their beliefs. In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, he teaches a world view with an example of a cave filled with darkness that people inside should get out by finding the truth and seeing the light. On the other hand, in Augustine’s The City of God, a Christian author, perceived this world as a place where the heavens and the earth coexist. Even though they both showed some similarities on the concept of dualism, these two philosophers had quite different principles and foundational beliefs. Augustine lived in the time around the fourth century. He was born in Tagaste, a Roman province in northern Africa. During his life time, the Roman Empire was on the verge of weakening and later collapsed for good. And according to Brian Levack, one of the main reason for the collapse of the once great empire was due to invasion from many sides in addition to the â€Å"unwise decisions, weak leadership, and Military Failure† in the empire (Levack 190). During this time, Constantine (AD 272-337) strived to Christianize the Roman Empire and thus Christianity was spreading all over the empire; however, there were debates and disagreements in the doctrine of Christianity and thus there existed splits among Christians that gave rise to the division in the Roman Empire. It was during this time the idea of Monasticism and Donatism flourished. Greek and Roman philosophical thoughts existed in the fourth century. The origin of the philosophy is traced back to the classical age of Greece. At that time, many thoughts emanated from different philosophers, each with their own views. However, as many would agree, Plato (ca.429-327  B.C.E) was the most prominent philosophers in the realm of ancient philosophy. He was influenced by the scientific thoughts of people that existed long before him. Since Plato was a student of Socrates, his teachings and beliefs have paved a way for Plato which in turn influenced Aristotle. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, clearly explains his philosophical thoughts and understanding. Basically, this work is a dialogue between Socrates, his mentor, and Glaucon (Plato’s brother). The work paints a picture of prisoners tightly chained in a cave in an attempt to describe the nature of justice –one of the â€Å"absolute forms.† Above these prisoners is a fire that casts a shadow of objects that pass through the way between the fire and them. He describes that for the prisoners that are unable to see anything but only the shadows casted by the objects on the wall of the cave. Plato further explains that if any one among the prisoners is set free and is forced to look up to the light, he will be suffer from its glitter on his eyes till he adjusts to it. If told that what he used to observe in the caves was an illusion, he will not be well convinced and would rather choose to go back to the cave where he will claim what he sees in the cave is a reality . However, if he is forced to stay in the world above, he will see the reality, the objects themselves: â€Å"And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves.† After having a thorough understanding of the reality in the above world, if he returned back to the cave, his vision will be filled with darkness and requires time to adjust. And even if he does, he, along with his ideas and believes will not be accepted among other prisoners. As mentioned above the works and contributions of these philosophical thoughts and ideologies had shaped influential people in the world of Christianity and among them was Augustine. In his early days, his parents sent him to Carthage for his rhetorical education. During his stay, he was struck by the search for truth. And this quest led him to the probe in to the Manichaeism ideology which was widely spread at the time. However, after discovering that the ideology could not bring the solutions what he was longing for, he become interested in neo-Platonic ideas while he was in Milan. This interest of his compelled him to become a Neo-Platonist (Gonzalez 210). During the time of Augustine, Christianity was spreading through the Roman Empire before the time of its downfall. Also, divisions occurred in the Empire after the death of Constantine, who is credited for his attempt to unify the churches in the Empire. Levack mentions that the Huns, Alaric and Vandals played great role that contributed for the collapse of the once great empire in the year A.D 410(191). In addition to this, many sources point out many reasons for downfall of the Empire, but most of them point their fingers at the transformation of the Empire to Christianity. According to historians, Polytheist claims that Christians were more interested to serve God than the Empire and have a sense of forgiveness towards enemies. Therefore both polytheist and pagans stressed that the Christian God failed to protect the Empire. In an attempt to prove Christianity was not a threat, and also to clear the misconception about the allegation that the Church profoundly contributed to the Roman collapse, Augustine wrote The City of God. Basically, the work mainly revolves around two cities: The Earthly city and the Heavenly city. The earthly city is a typical example of a place, presumably inhabited by pagans and polytheist and is found on earth. On the contrary, the heavenly city sojourns on earth. He makes a comparison between the two. He says that both are formed by two loves: â€Å"the earthly by the love of self† and that of the heavenly by the love of God. While the earthly city pleasures from the glorification of itself and its men, the heavenly counterpart pleasures in the glorification of God. The earthly operates on its own; that is, with the power, wisdom and rule of men while the heavenly is fully dependent on God. Augustine criticizes men of the earthly city for excessive pride in their own wis dom and for unthinkable representations of the image of God they made to worship, and this men that he is referring to are neo-Platonists. Augustine explains the two opposing aspects that exist in the city: peace and Conflict. He mentions that the earthly city is characterized by arguments, wars, and quarrels. Although victories over such aspects exist, he claims that it is either â€Å"life destroying† or â€Å"short-lived.† On the contrary, he points out that the heavenly city is characterized by the existence of everlasting victory and â€Å"never-ending† peace. He sets a clear demarcation between different aspects of both the heavenly and earthly cities. He explains the necessity to live by faith so as to escape the distraction of  that surrounds to deceive families. During his time, since the idea of monasticism and pilgrimage was well known, he encourages that families practice these idea to their advantage to gain heavenly blessings and everlasting peace, and lessen the burdens of the body, a prominent goals of all human beings that live in both cities. However, he contends that their appro aches are totally different: the earthly city has its own set of rules designed by the will and desires of men. Also, the earthly city has ideologies and principles set forth by philosophers, such as polytheists, who Augustine thinks are foolish for their earthly wisdom and understanding of the truth, and yet deceived themselves would also deceive the inhabitants of the earthly city: â€Å"the earthly city has had some philosophers whose doctrine is condemned by the divine teaching, and who, being deceived†¦supposed that many gods must be invited to take part in the interest in human affairs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  furthermore he explains that there would always a discord between both cities, and everlasting peace on earth could be attained through the unity in worshiping one God. Augustine’s City of God was one of his influence works that left positive marks on the thoughts and beliefs of many generations after him. According to Michael W. Goheen and Craig G. Bartholomew in Living at the Crossroads, he played a vital role in influencing the thoughts of many that provided structures for med ieval culture. But still they point out that this work of his is a combination of elements of Scripture and neo-Platonism (77). This shades some light on how he was deeply influenced by Greek and Roman Philosophical thoughts prevalent during his time. Besides, Goheen and Bartholomew argue that Augustine’s deep immersion in neo-platonic thoughts had an adverse effect on the development of western culture (77). This is evident in most of his works that â€Å"bore a [n]eo-Platonic stamp† (Gonzalez 212). Finally, if it was not for Augustine’s works, the Christianity that we have today might be different. It was through his work that became an influential theologian that paved the way for both medieval and modern Christianity: Walsh and Middleton label him as â€Å"the father of middle ages† (111). Although some say that his immersion in neo-platonic thoughts had negative consequences, Gonzalez points out that he was the most quoted theologian in the Middle Ages and thus â€Å"became one of the great doctors of the Roman Catholic Church† (216). It cannot be denied that his biblical world view has some stains of platonic philosophical  views; however, some of these thoughts have some similarity to th e bible. For instance, Plato assumed that there is a supernatural power which he labels as the â€Å"One† which is the reason for the existence of everything. Besides, he point out that there is another world beyond human existence –a world which he calls the â€Å"above world,† which exists at a higher level beyond the existence of humans. This assumption is akin to that of what the bible states as the Heavens. Thus, although Augustine’s works, thoughts and world views are deeply influenced be Greek and Roman Philosophies, he is still the â€Å"favorite theologian† and the most prominent figures for his significant contributions profoundly contributed to the realm of Christianity. As a Christian, I was surprised to discover that how these works are still influential in our world today. Furthermore, these works will broaden the minds of Christians in terms of the history of Christianity and its doctrine. Finally I contend that these historical pieces will gi ve a slight sense of the theological and philosophical world views and broadens ones understanding. Works Cited Augustine. â€Å"The City of God-excerpts on the Two Cities†, Medieval Sourcebook, July 1998. Stephen, Cooper. Augustine for Armchair Theologians, 2002. Print. Plato. â€Å"The Allegory of the cave†, The History Guide, May 2004. Goheen, Michael W., and Craig G. Bartholomew. Living at the Crossroads. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2008. Print. Gonalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. Peabody: Prince Press, 2007. Print. Levack, Brian, Edward Muir, Meredith Veldman, and Michael Mass. The West. N.p.: Pearson Education, 2007. Print. Walsh, Brian J., and Richard Middleton. The Transforming Vision. Downers Grove: Inter Varsity Press, 1984. Print.

The Rise and Fall of the Automat

The Rise and Fall of the Automat It all sounds so futuristic: a restaurant without waiters, without workers behind the counter, without any visible employees whatsoever, where you simply feed your money into a glass-enclosed kiosk, remove a steaming plate of freshly made food, and carry it to your table. Welcome to  Horn Hardart, circa 1950, a restaurant chain that once boasted 40 locations in New York City and dozens more across the U.S., at a now-distant time when automats served hundreds of thousands of urban customers every day. The Origin of the Automat The automat is often considered to be an exclusively American phenomenon, but in fact, the worlds first restaurant of this kind opened in Berlin, Germany in 1895. Named Quisisana- after a company that also manufactured food-vending machinery- this high-tech eatery established itself in other northern European cities, and Quisisana soon licensed its technology to Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, who opened the first American automat in Philadelphia in 1902. An Appealing Formula As with so many other societal trends, it was in turn-of-the-century New York that automats really took off. The first New York Horn Hardart opened in 1912, and soon the chain had hit on an appealing formula: customers exchanged dollar bills for handfuls of nickels (from attractive women behind glass booths, wearing rubber tips on their fingers), then fed their change into vending machines, turned the knobs, and extracted plates of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cherry pie, among hundreds of other menu items. Dining was communal and cafeteria-style, to the extent that Horn Hardart automats were considered a valuable corrective to the snobbery of so many New York City restaurants. Fresh-Brewed Coffee for a Nickel a Cup Its not widely known today, but Horn Hardart was also the first New York restaurant chain to offer its customers fresh-brewed coffee, for a nickel a cup. Employees were instructed to discard any pots that had been sitting for more than twenty minutes, a level of quality control that inspired Irving Berlin to compose the song Lets Have Another Cup of Coffee (which quickly became Horn Hardarts official jingle). There wasnt much (if any) choice, but in terms of reliability, Horn Hardart could be considered the 1950s equivalent of Starbucks. Behind the Scenes Given all the  high-tech accouterments and lack of visible personnel, Horn Hardart customers could be forgiven for thinking that their food had been prepared and handled by robots. Of course, that wasnt the case, and an argument can be made that automats succeeded at the expense of their hard-working employees. The managers of these restaurants still had to hire human beings to cook, convey food to the vending machines, and wash the silverware and dishesbut since all this activity went on behind the scenes, they got away with paying below-par wages and forcing employees to work overtime. In August of 1937, the AFL-CIO picketed Horn Hardarts across the city, protesting the chains unfair labor practices. In its heyday, Horn Hardart  succeeded partly because its eponymous founders refused to rest on their laurels. Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart ordered any food uneaten at the end of the day to be delivered to cut-price, day-old outlets, and also circulated a hefty, leather-bound rule book that instructed employees on the proper cooking and handling of hundreds of menu items. Horn and Hardart (the founders, not the restaurant) also constantly tinkered with their formula, assembling as often as possible at a sample table where they and their chief executives voted thumbs up or thumbs down on new menu items. Fading in Popularity by the 1970s By the 1970s, automats like Horn Hardart were fading in popularity, and the culprits were easy to identify. First, fast-food chains like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken offered much more limited menus, but a more identifiable taste, and they also enjoyed the benefits of lower labor and food costs. Second, urban workers were less inclined to punctuate their days with leisurely lunches, complete with appetizer, main course, and dessert, and preferred to grab lighter meals on the fly; one imagines that the fiscal crisis in 1970s New York also encouraged more people to bring their meals to the office from home. Finally Went out of Business in 1991 By the end of the decade, Horn Hardart gave in to the inevitable and converted most of its New York City locations into Burger King franchises; the last Horn Hardart, on Third Avenue and 42nd Street, finally went out of business in 1991. Today, the only place you can see what Horn Hardart looked like  is in the Smithsonian Institution, which harbors a 35-foot-long chunk of the original 1902 restaurant, and this chains surviving vending machines are said to languish in a warehouse in upstate New York. Rebirth of the Concept No good idea ever truly disappears, though. Eatsa, which opened in San Francisco in 2015, seems unlike Horn Hardart in every way conceivable: every item on the menu is made with quinoa, and ordering is done via an iPad, after a brief interaction with a virtual maà ®tre d. But the basic concept is the same: with no human interaction at all, a customer can watch as her meal almost magically materializes in a small cubby flashing her name. In the food industry, it seems, the more things change, the more they stay the same!

When States Seceded During the American Civil War

When States Seceded During the American Civil War The American Civil War was made inevitable when, in response to growing Northern resistance to the practice of slavery, several Southern states began to secede from the union. That process was the end game of a political battle that had been undertaken between the North and South shortly after the American Revolution. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was the final straw for many southerners. They felt that his goal was to ignore states rights and remove their ability to own slaves. Before it was all over, eleven states seceded from the Union. Four of these (Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee) did not secede until after the Battle of Fort Sumter that occurred on April 12, 1861. Four additional states were Border Slave States that did not secede from the Union: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware. In addition, the area that would become West Virginia was formed on Oct. 24, 1861, when the western portion of Virginia chose to break away from the rest of the state instead of seceding. Order of Secession During the American Civil War The following chart shows the order in which the states seceded from the Union.   State Date of Secession South Carolina December 20, 1860 Mississippi January 9, 1861 Florida January 10, 1861 Alabama January 11, 1861 Georgia January 19, 1861 Louisiana January 26, 1861 Texas February 1, 1861 Virginia April 17, 1861 Arkansas May 6, 1861 North Carolina May 20, 1861 Tennessee June 8, 1861 The Civil War had many causes, and Lincolns election on Nov. 6, 1860, made many in the South feel that their cause was never going to be heard. By the early 19th century, the economy in the South had become dependent on one crop, cotton, and the only way that cotton farming was economically viable was through the use of very inexpensive slave labor. In sharp contrast, the Northern economy was focused on industry rather than agriculture. The Northerners disparaged the practice of slavery but purchased slave-supported cotton from the South, and with it produced finished goods for sale. The South viewed this as hypocritical, and the growing economic disparity between the two sections of the country became untenable for the South. Espousing States Rights   As America expanded, one of the key questions that arose as each territory moved towards statehood would be whether slavery was allowed in the new state. Southerners felt that if they did not get enough slave states, then their interests would be significantly hurt in Congress. This led to issues such as Bleeding Kansas where the decision of whether to be free or slave was left up to the citizens through the concept of popular sovereignty. Fighting ensued with individuals from other states streaming in to try and sway the vote.   In addition, many southerners espoused the idea of states rights. They felt that the federal government should not be able to impose its will on the states. In the early 19th century, John C. Calhoun espoused the idea of nullification, an idea strongly supported in the south. Nullification would have allowed states to decide for themselves if federal actions were unconstitutional- could be nullified- according to their own constitutions. However, the Supreme Court decided against the South and said that nullification was not legal and that the national union was perpetual and would have supreme authority over the individual states. The Call of Abolitionists and the Election of Abraham Lincoln With the appearance of the novel  Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe  and the publication of key abolitionist  newspapers like The Liberator, the call for the abolition of slavery grew stronger in the north. And, with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the South felt that someone who was only interested in Northern interests and anti-slavery would soon be president. South Carolina delivered its  Declaration of the Causes of Secession, and the other states soon followed. The die was set and with the Battle of Fort Sumter on April 12–14,1861, open warfare began.   Sources Abrahamson, James L. The Men of Secession and Civil War, 1859-1861. The American Crisis Series: Books on the Civil War Era, #1. Wilmington, Delaware: Rowman Littlefield, 2000. Print.Egnal, Marc. The Economic Origins of the Civil War. OAH Magazine of History 25.2 (2011): 29–33. Print.McClintock, Russell. Lincoln and the Decision for War: The Northern Response to Secession. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2008. Print.

Human resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Human resource - Essay Example ndergoing rapid changes characterised by the emergence of new enterprises, intensification of global competition and the growth of the diverse workforce.2 These pressures are compelling companies to reposition themselves strategically to attract and retain the competent workforce. Management of human resources is intricate and challenging because workers have personal needs, objectives, motivations, interests and desires that conflict with business goals. HR management and planning is a useful tool for reconciling these conflicts and ensuring that organizations resources are utilized effectively.3 Today, human resource managers are faced with issues such as management of diversity, globalisation and work life balance. HR practitioners play a critical role in an organisation to ensure effective acquisition and utilisation of HR. They are tasked with creating and implementing policies for guiding human resource in an organization, controlling HR programmes and guidelines, offering advice and counsel to the workers, and perform other functions that can assist line managers to execute their duties.4 However, in the execution of their duties the HR practitioners encounter innumerable challenges in the modern world. In the modern society, most families in developed countries such as UK have joined the labour force. In circumstances when husband and wife are both in the working class, the human resource managers are faced with a challenge of helping such parents with work-life balance programs to increase their productivity.5 Therefore, it makes sense for the company’s human resource to come up with programmes to assist workers establish a balance between work and family responsibilities. The HR can implement programmes to assist workers achieve their family obligations. For example, programmes such as child care at the workplace, sick leave policies, job sharing education policies, picking or dropping their children at school, etc. For example, Unilever company offer