Management Essay on Labor Relations Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management on Labor Relations - Essay Example This can be done through involving the workers in decisions they make hence making the workers comfortable while working. Moreover, through sociology, the labor relations can be added insight by ensuring that workers are subjected to better working conditions. These can be given through ample time to rest and paying them incase they are working overtime. Other issues could include paid holidays, office retreats among others. Sociology can contribute to labor relations by ensuring that workers have better pays. That is they are paid according to their level of education, as well as being granted promotions where necessarily. It is also important that they are given an opportunity to involve and engage themselves in unions where they can share experiences as per their job descriptions. 2. Think about a job you have performed and discuss some of the external variables that influenced the work rules required on that job. There are several external variables that influence the work rules, they include; upcoming opportunities, social group, family and personal influences. Upcoming opportunities that people come across outside their current working places, and want to try them. They find better paying jobs, which at times tempt them to move to greener pastures. The family plays a big role as it helps influence the individual in areas of interest especially in sales with different family members giving encouragements and advices (Wolters, et al 6). Social group is another external variable that helps through the form of interactions with one another. These social groups have many functions especially in shaping the perspective of the customer and sales person’s behavior. Personal influences are important external variables as they help individuals in self realization in terms of communications with other people. This greatly affects the diffusion process especially in sales. 3. The text outlines three basic assumptions underlying the labor relations process in t he United States. To what extent do you agree or disagree with these assumptions? Does your response differ depending on whether you think about the question from the perspective of an employer or an employee? I agree with the three assumptions that are underlying in the labor relations process, in the United States. This is because there has always been a conflict of interest in the economic system with the employees and employers struggling to meet and advance their own self –interests (Wolters, et al 7). Essentially, most of the interests of the employees are done through the collective bargain process as they seek to advance on their salaries, working conditions and the security of their jobs. On the other hand, the employers seek to maximize their returns on the capital invested, as well as, improving their economic status. All these issues have led to the sustainability of organizations, which cannot be done without both parties. However, thinking from the employeesâ₠¬â„¢ perspective, the employers need to understand the employees with more cautiousness than they have done in these assumptions. They should give them the freedom to be in unions and include them in most of the decision making process of the organizations because organizations cannot operate without a work force. 4. Discuss your opinion

Habitat for Humanity Essay Example for Free

Habitat for Humanity Essay Habitat for Humanity originated at Koinonia Farm, which is a small Christian farming community located outside of Americus, Georgia. Clarence Jordan brought the idea to Millard Fuller, who is the founder and president of Habitat for Humanity International. They developed the idea of â€Å"partnership housing,† calling for families in need of a home to partner with volunteers to build affordable homes. In 1975 Fuller and his wife Linda established Habitat for Humanity with one clear vision in mind â€Å"a world where everyone has a decent place to live. † Habitats ministry is based on the conviction that to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ we must reflect Christs love in our own lives by loving and caring for one another. Our love must not be words only – it must be true love, which shows itself in action, this is the full forces that lead Fuller and his wife to establish this organization. Habitat provides an opportunity for people to put their faith and love into action, bringing diverse groups of people together to make affordable housing and better communities a reality for everyone. The idea of Habitat for Humanity is to work in partnership with God and people to build decent, affordable, houses in which people can live and grow into all what God has intended. The Fuller’s vision has become a successful reality that has presently helped build over 500,000 homes and helped over 2.5 million people worldwide. Habitat for humanity is operated based on two main sources: donations and mortgage payments of the homeowners. Donations generate from individuals, foundations, and businesses their monies are used to purchase land and materials. The no-interest mortgage payments made by current Habitat homeowners greatly contribute to support the construction of additional Habitat homes. Some organizations such as Ameri-Corp may pay their volunteers with school courses and materials in return for their time. Habitat for Humanity’s crucial point is not just to build a house and help people to be under a roof, but their main goal is to build a clean, decent, and stable house for families: these families can provide stability to their children, the sense of dignity and pride grows for these families; health, physical safety, and security improves, educational and job prospects. My experience at Habitat for Humanity was a powerful and passionate one. Amazingly, one of the most precious gifts we can give one another is – time. A couple of hours or days can translate into a lifetime of hopefulness and commitment to strive and I had the opportunity to experience this reality, throughout my experience at the Habitat. I have learned what the meaning of passion is mainly because I’ve had the genuine sentiment to finish the work I’ve started, along with many other people that shared this experience with me. The other thing that I discovered about passion is how easy it is to be a family with people you have met for the first time if you open your heart to them and let them be part of your life. The other thing I found about passion is the skills that I have that would help to repair the universe. In this experience I found something that has deepened my faith that God created each one of us uniquely with specific skills that not everybody has; therefore, this experience helped me to find skills that I am going to use to help building the world again with passion and also the experience and realize that the simple usage of my hands can a the life of a family. The people that I met at Habitat for Humanity were dedicated to their jobs. As I approached the job site, I noticed several groups of people who were putting their time and organization into this home-building project. They invested hundreds of hours of sweat into building houses to help low income families. Some days, community volunteers spend more than eight hours working on the houses. To complete their jobs, volunteers overcame obstacles such as: lack of supplies, unusable wood, and lack of enough workers. The employees and volunteers I met were motivated to overcome obstacles to help families in need. Though they may not have had the best materials, they used what they had in order to complete the job. Many of these materials come from the Re-Store; this store sells donations mostly given by the community. The funds collected are used for materials and other services that are required. Volunteers must be willing to work in the heat and endure a lot of intense physical labor. Wall-framing, installing dry wall, plumbing and roofing are skills that the organization needs from volunteers. The volunteers I worked with were willing to endure the heat and physical labor in order to help low income families who need a home. If you are looking for a place where you can make a huge impact on society, Habitat for Humanity is the place. People of all backgrounds, races, and religions are invited to build houses for people in our community. Habitat for Humanity is capable of working with each volunteer’s skill level. Don’t be afraid of hard work. No matter what goes on in your life, you will always remember all of the positive things you have done to help out in your community. In conclusion, Habitat for Humanity does such essential work and by that work they recognize the concept of passion and Christianity, and the other thing about them is they recognize that there are needs in the world and these needs should be met with their work. My experience helped me change my idea about service and the real meaning of service, and it let me be familiar with the big three R’s- restoration, reparation, and reconciliation that are the keys for service. The three R’s were spoken among many of the volunteers that I met, indeed the R’s simply describe this experience, the other thing I found is that dedicating myself is another important part of service because without dedicating myself, the work that we need to do to repair the universe would not be as perfect as how it should be.

Philip Pearlstein Two Models with Blow-Up Chair & Salvador Dali Essay Example for Free

Philip Pearlstein Two Models with Blow-Up Chair Salvador Dali Essay Through the development of art, the fascination of the female body has been a main motif. It is Venus, Roman Goddess of love who has intrigued the artist, and held their attention for well over a few centuries. She has been not only Venus, but also Aphrodite (the Greek Goddess of Love), she has been Mary, mother of Christ in Gothic tradition and she had been found in the countless faces of women depicted by Picasso, Monet, Degas, Warhol (for isn’t Monroe a goddess? ). The link in these references is that this goddess, whomever she is, is holding the fascination of male artist. This is not to say that female artists have not taken up the trend which she invokes, but the purpose here is to discover how differently she is seen through their eyes in comparison with male visions of ‘love’. Pearlstein’s innovation in completing this project is one of Modernism, mixed with Realism. Pearlstein paints an oil painting of two females. They appear plastic wrapped within the canvas due to the severe highlights Pearlstein applies to both of their bodies. They lay beside each other, one on the chair the other next to the chair, and they both appear to be asleep. These two models or Venus’ are full frontal nude. The viewer is unable to see if they are ashamed or not from their faces because one of them is hiding her face and the other one’s head extends beyond the canvas (this is a trademark of Pearlstein). Though both Venus’ are or appear asleep they are active with the coloring and highlights which Pearlstein has seen fit to attribute to them. The line of light glares down the frontal figures body, highlighting the left breast, the stomach wrinkles and over the curves of both of the legs. This mimics the curves and highlights given to the plastic chair which she ‘sleeps’ upon. The other model fades into the background, yet still has that tiny shot of highlight upon the same appendages and other body parts which the first Venus had on her. The interesting item in this painting is that there are two female figures being painted. This is coupled with the fact that here too, like all the ones before it, Venus is apathetic, or at best the viewer is unable to tell what she (they) are feeling. Never mind the composition, Venus is still without a ‘voice’ in this painting. Through the very brief glimpse of feminine fecundity, and pulchritude, Venus remains elusive, and stoic. It has taken the art movement of the 20th century to see the full force of Venus. She has, with the help of female artists, broken her silence. In Dali’s oil on canvas The Persistence of Memory (1913) the theme of paranoia is persistent in this dreamscape. The distortion of the piece exudes a frightening use of spatial mobility and form. Surrealism is a way in which the expression of fantasy can be forthcoming in the world of Art. Dali exemplifies this notion in his use of foreground and background shapes and the pure psychic automatism which is symbolized in the clocks. Dali’s focus in this work is mainly about freedom; although the context of this work is based on paranoia and the weightiness of time the work is also free from previous constraints of other artistic movements in that it is not a painting dedicated to reason or moral purpose. Dali’s painting is that of a dream and reason becomes a series of disjointed objects in space; there is no rhyme in his work unless it is free verse; that is to say that there is no structure as prior to surrealism the viewer is used to seeing structure. Dali’s work often reflect what Virginia Woolf was so diligently experimenting with, which is unconscious writing or free narrative. Dali painted as though the conscious mind was sleeping, and that is why his paintings are so often reminiscent of dreams as Janson states, â€Å"The notion that adream can be transposed by ‘automatiatic handwriting; directly from the unconscious mind to the canvas, bypassing the conscious awareness of the artist, did not work in practice. Some degree of control was unavoidable. Nevertheless, Surrealism stimulated several novel techniques for soliciting and exploiting chance effects† (Janson â€Å"The History of Art 807) . Even the central figure in The Persistence of Memory is portrayed as though it were sleeping. The unfinished background is almost anachronistic with the foreground as it exhibits a cliff sliding off into a body of water. It seems as though Dali made the background on purpose to confuse the viewer since dreams are intended to be symbolic of personal meaning. The sky in the background also seems incomplete with no visible clouds but merely a color palette that drifts off into a sfumato haze. The background however is not what Dali wanted the viewer to be stricken with as a first impression. The central figure of the painting is unfinished as well. Dali painted an eyeball, and a nose and made no more attention to the rest of the figure. This feeling of incompleteness is unnerving and truly embodies the emotional state and perception of dreaming. The painting is purely inspired by that part of Dali’s unconscious mind. Although the painting exhibits that Dali used controlled in certain aspects of the work such as the use of diagonals, and linear shapes, but the overall impression of the painting lies within the angles, the objects and the general ambience of the piece. The clocks themselves prove to be unnerving both their positions and their lack of solid form, as though they are oozing across the plane in the foreground and the limb near the horizon of the painting, as well as across the half finished face. Another artistic ploy that Dali uses in The Persistence of Memory is his use of shadow; not merely darkness but the chiaroscuro so prevalent in the piece. This furthers the theory of this paper that Dali uses surrealism to tap into the unconscious and the dream world. Dali does the opposite in this painting of previous artists; he places the darkness in the foreground of the painting and the brightness in the background. This is symbolic because Dali wants to evoke to the audience that in the dream world the objects that are in front of the dreamer’s face are not always tangible but looming and undefined. In the background the objects are illuminated but this illumination does not add in defining the object because Dali here uses space to further illustrate his unconscious perspective; the objects in the background are too far away and cannot be seen. Thus, each part of the painting is uncomfortably defined. It is almost nonsensical; these objects of Dali’s in space without a coherent theme except for these persistence clocks. The clocks are the main meaning and focus of the painting and it is through these objects that the theory of this paper rests. The clocks present the theme of paranoia (as mentioned prior). Not only are they draped over the main objects in the foreground but their rendering is disconcerting. Each clock offers a different time, and one clock is closed so that the viewer cannot decipher its time. It is interesting that Dali did not distort the closed clock; it signifies a secret and further exemplifies the state of the dream world present in this painting; that is, the one clock that could offer a valid time is closed and unable to be seen by the painter, or the audience. The contention in the painting is that the central figure of the face is sleeping and is thus oblivious to the clocks, to time, to the unfinished landscape. That is the quintessential meaning of a dream; the sleeping figure is unaware to symbolism, to action, to time, and that is how Dali exudes incoherence in the dream world.

Masculine and Feminine Spaces Within the Home

Masculine and Feminine Spaces Within the Home This essay will analyse the historical relevance of the idea of masculine and feminine spaces within the home and whether these ideas are still apparent in a 21st century South African context. This analysis will be done by using the ideals placed on the Victorian Household and the psychological gender of the spaces, through looking into key spaces within the De Villiers family home and how the design interventions used in their home are relevant or irrelevant to the idea of masculine and feminine spaces. Through looking at both Public and Private Spaces within the house this extent will be analysed. The Victorian era is an era that has held a lot of symbolism to our current culture. It has been the cause of some great debate about the gender roles on men and women for centuries (Forty 1986: 110). The Victorian era held the strongest reasons for questions to be asked about the house and what went on in doors (Forty 1986: 109). Our current society still lives by some of the rules that were placed into the home environment, though a few roles may be reversed or neutralised. When looking at the key culture of the Victorian era the person has to analyse the middle class to upper class households that held more than three rooms and had rooms that were gender orientated (Forty 1986: 106). â€Å"As domestic environments have come to be regarded as signs of the occupants characters, people have gone to great lengths to present a satisfactory account of themselves.† (Forty 1986: 106) As people we base a large amount of what we think of a person or family on their living conditions and therefore we project the desired opinion that we want from others onto our own living spaces, to be perceived in a certain way. This was a mentality that was seen in the Victorian era as well and predicted the future of you and you relatives (Forty 1986: 102). The Home was seen as a class symbol that would project the wealth and status of the family that lived within (Forty 1986: 101). This was an important part of knowing who to socialise with and what their personal worth would be to you. Sexualities can only be adequately evaluated in relation to their broader cultural contexts (Smyth 1992:20). This can determine if one or both partners in a heterosexual relationship tend to be either more feminine or masculine in the relationship. Cavallaro (2001:115) states that: â€Å"Anti-essentialists do not deny that men and women are biologically and anatomically different. However, they argue that masculinity and femininity are not timeless realities grounded in natural laws but actually cultural concepts that change significantly through time and space.† The sex of the person does not affect the gender role that they have. How that will affect the relationship within the home in terms of the interior style according to the gender role that is more predominant. The De Villiers family home is a household that is commonly found in South African, a mix of Afrikaans plaas and English City mentality (De Villiers 2015). The mother was brought up in Johannesburg and the father on a farm in Nelspruit (De Villiers 2015). The household consists of the mother, Debbi and the father, Lewis with their three sons over twenty-one living with them (De Villiers 2015). The family has a love for hosting friends and family in their spaces, this has made some design choices crucial in the house (De Villiers 2015). Debbi Studied to be a grade 5 teacher, but after having her first son chose to raise their children as a stay at home Mother (De Villiers 2015). At this stage the father had a big part in the design choices and certain things like floral patterns and colour were not allowed to play a role in the communal spaces (De Villiers 2015). Debbi decided to do her own curtains for the house and this soon after became a business that was bringing in more money th an the construction Job that Lewis had (De Villiers 2015). They soon started to work together and this is when the change in the house happened and the chance for Debbi to bring Hints of florals into the house (De Villiers 2015). The house is over 85 years old and was renovated eleven years ago to modernise some of the feature and add to some of the spaces in the house (De Villiers 2015). The family hosts a large collection of inherited antiques that have been reupholstered to suit the style of the house (De Villiers 2015). The mix between contemporary and old form a balance in this neutral colour scheme home. The latest room to be redecorated was the television room in February 2015 (De Villiers 2015). The exterior is a common South African face brick exterior. In the Victorian time the men had domain over what the exterior of the house was to be this was because the exterior world was a man’s world (Forty 1986: 104). A masculine exterior was seen as superior as it improved the power status of the family that lived within the house, if the exterior was more feminine the house was seen as bordering on a childish expression (Ehrnberger, Rà ¤sà ¤nen Ilstedt 2012: 89). The exterior of the De Villiers h ouse is masculine but the garden softens the exterior and makes the overall appearance more neutral. As one enter the house you walk onto a raised platform that forms the passage to the private areas of the house and the public areas, this can be seen on the diagrammatic in Figure 1. The entrance looks into the open plan Formal living room (Figure 1 and 2). This room would be the equivalent to the music room and drawing room in a Victorian household. The space is divided into three defined segments: the first a Lounge area that is symmetrical with Colour making the space asymmetrical, seen in figure 2; a seating area of two wingback chairs that has a table with family pictures and other memorabilia, seen in Figure 2; and a Music area that has the piano and a music stand, the piano has memorabilia on top of it, seen in Figure 2. The soft furnishings are in a majority neutral palate with red cushions and pale blues or florals (Figure 2 3) being brought through, this a feminine way of decorating the space (Kinchin 1996: 13). The dark woods of all the hard furniture is a masculine trai t (Kinchin 1996: 13). â€Å"Boundaries between inner psyche and outward aesthetic expression were growing ever more indistinct† (Sidlavskas 1996:70). The overall design of the room is more feminine with the Photographs and displays of plants and embellishments throughout the space, these embellishments of the room can be seen as a nostalgic element of a more feminine nature of remembering things from the past (Morley 2002: 58). The next space is the formal dining room that is off the kitchen and Formal living room, as can be seen in Figure 1. Figure 4 shows the entire space of the dining room. Mainly done in dark furnishings with a few decorative items. The room is more masculine with a strong contrast to the Formal living room. The Fire place has a feminine look to it and has been in the house since it was originally built. The furniture is all repurposed family antiques. The pictures on the walls are prints and painting of men. These elements make the room more masculine and as it is more purpose decorated, therefore it has a more serious feel to it. This space is not a common used space and is kept for special occasions where in the Victorian era it would have been the most used room and the biggest status symbol in the house (Kinchin 1996: 16). This use of the dining room would also allude to the Victorian ideal of the saying ‘man of the House’ and this would therefore need the space to com e across more masculine to show the ownership of the house unit. The outdoor patio space that is off the dining room, seen in Figure 1, is a space used to celebrate family events. Morley (2002: 19) talks about the need of the family to part take in rituals (Birthdays, Easter and Christmas celebrations) in certain areas of the house as a way of showing an â€Å"appearance of proper family relations†. This space in the De Villiers house is the Main patio, which has been designed to be an entertainment area. This area was added to the house ten years ago and has been used to celebrate a wide range of events, as well as a favourite space to spend time with one another. This space is a multi-purpose space that brings in the families love of nature into the space with the garden bordering the space. This natural element is seen as a feminine side and with the curving chandeliers and lighter colours. the overall space has more of a feminine feel to the space. The Family Sitting room that is off the dining room, seen in Figure 1, is the most used space by the entire family. Decorated in a Postmodern style that is emotionally decorated (Figure 6) and not functionally decorated, â€Å"stressing a unique and ‘daring’ combination of heterogeneous furniture elements all favoured for their authentic individual merits† (Cieraad 1999: 9). This space was redesigned in February and therefore the gender role of the room has changed. All the dark wood furnishings have been limited and some painted white to give a softness to the hard furniture. The walls have been repainted in a neutral colour, while the colour blue has been brought in with florals and patterns to balance masculine and feminine in the room (Figure 6). The room that was predominately the son’s haven therefore more masculine, has become a shared neural space for the whole families use. The son’s bedrooms are each different and match each of their personalities. The oldest son’s bedroom (figure 18) is bedroom 3. The colour scheme is very similar to the rest of the house with a more neutral gender role. The middle son’s bedroom (figure 15 and 16) is simply decorated with blues and a few items on his desk. The youngest son (figure 17) has the most items in his bedroom and has a large about of memorabilia in the room. The colour scheme is blue and green. The boys have masculine rooms. â€Å"We must recognise that often home is ‘a contested domain: an arena where differing interests struggle to define their own spaces within which to localise and cultivate their identity’† stated by Ehrnberger (Rà ¤sà ¤nen Ilstedt 2012: 57). Each of the sons are trying to find their own identity in their individual rooms and therefore their rooms are a contrast to the overall style of the house. The main bedroom suit that is off the main passageway next to bedroom 1, seen in Figure 1, is the haven in the house for the husband and wife. Figure 7 to 14 show the entire suit. Each space has a different gender role and this shows who the space was designed more for the people living within it. The bedroom shown in figure 7, 8 and 9, is less ornamentally designed then the public spaces. The furnishings are in mainly neutral colours with very little patterning on them. Each night stand has a different appeal. There is a small patio and seating area for the husband and wife to spend time with each other in their shared space. The wife’s night stand (figure 7) is round with a table cloth making it softer, it has a plant and a small lamp on the table along with a few books and other items. Along with her dressing table it marks her individual space within the room. The husband’s nightstand (figure 8) has a chandelier hanging over it, the stand is made of a dark wood and has piles of books on the stand. The husband’s side of the bed is closest to his study. â€Å"The surface of a room, the shape of an object, its colour, can inspire sympathy or even antipathy†¦ objects become signs of a great number of small actions† Paul Bourget (Sidlauskas 1996:73). The individual spaces within the shared spaces are strongly defied unlike the rest of the house. The rooms off the bedroom each have more masculine traits. The study (Figure 10 and 11) off the main bedroom is overflowing with clutter and books. This space seems messy but is a well-used space and is the husband’s main space for himself in the house. The atrium off the space shows the need for individual space in the garden area for him as well. The bathroom seen in figure 13 and 14, shows a more masculine space with the use of dark woods along the neutral colours. There is very little decoration other than two paintings and a chair that has been placed in the space. The bathroom is more of a place of function then emotion, making the space more masculine (Morley 2002: 57). The De Villiers house was designed in a French style that would lead one to think that the femininity of that style of design would be the most prominent gender role within their house. This house shows that through the people the space is made a home and their personal gender roles, along with the functionality of each space determines the overall gender role of each space. Rothchild (1999: 11) talks about the change in ownership roles of the house due to the workplace becoming more feminine. This allows one to see that the family unit has a more balanced Gender role household due to Debbie and Lewis working together as co-owners of a business, though Debbie now has a more design choice in the house. The private spaces applies to the individual that spends the most amount of time within that space. While the public space tend to be more masculine with feminine touches or elements being brought in to balance the space. The exterior of this house does not have an effect on the overall gender role within the house. From my personal perspective, the De Villiers house tends to hold a more balanced amount of masculine and feminine gender spaces, though feminine elements outweigh the masculine elements in the public spaces. The overall design style of the house stays consistent throughout the space.

The Truth about Cosmetic Surgery Essay -- Health Beauty Medicine

The Truth about Cosmetic Surgery Cosmetic surgery has become one of the most popular trends in America today. Whether you are reading a magazine, watching the news, or a television program, you are likely to see something about cosmetic surgery. Within the past year, there have been several television programs dedicated to people â€Å"bettering† themselves through body augmenting surgeries. Millions of people undergo risky surgery every year simply to improve or enhance a feature or body part. While the results may seem foolproof and glamorous, it is actually a very risky procedure. With the airing of shows such as â€Å"Extreme Makeover†, MTV’s â€Å"I Want a Famous Face†, and Fox’s show â€Å"The Swan†, cosmetic surgery has become a normal part of American life. With programs like these contributing to the overwhelming popularity of cosmetic surgery, the number of people having these surgeries has greatly increased. According the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, over 8.7 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in 2003 (Procedural Statistics). This is an increase of 32 percent, up from around 6.6 million procedures performed in 2002. These numbers are simply cosmetic surgical procedures, people who have elected to have surgery to improve their features, and do not include reconstructive or necessary plastic surgery. Eighty-two percent of the people who have cosmetic surgery are women. The most popular procedures are nose-jobs, followed by liposuction, then breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, and finall y facelifts. Patients are also becoming younger. While the age group having the most surgeries is 35 to 50, 19 to 34 year olds now make up 26 percent of the group. The most popular surgery amongst this younger group ... ...ember that like everything else in life, it is in no way foolproof. Works Cited â€Å"Procedures at a Glance.† American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2004. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/public_education/procedures/Cosmetic PlasticSurgery.cfm> â€Å"Gel Bleed- Breast Augmentation Risk and Complication.† Just breast implants.com. 2001. http:// www.justbreastimplants.com/risks/gel_bleed.htm> â€Å"New Study Finds No Link Between Breast Implants and Immune-Related Disorder.† Imaginis.com. 3 April 2001. â€Å"Cosmetic Surgery and Procedures.† WebMD Health. 23 Sept 2004. http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/aa64119.asp?z=4209_00000_8002_to_01 â€Å"Procedural Statistics Press Kit.† American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2004. http://www.plasticsurgery.org/news_room/Procedural-Statistics-Press-Kit-Index.cfm>

National Culture and Its Relation to Media Essay -- Media Culture

Introduction American writer Gertrude Stein uses â€Å"There is no there there† in the book Everybody’s Autobiography to describe Oakland. She spent her girlhood in Oakland, but she perceived that Oakland was inauthentic. When she mentioned France, where she lived most of her life, she said: â€Å"It is not real but it is really there† (Stein 1970: 2). France is more tangible to her than her nation. What does the nation mean to Stein? What is the essence of nation? Watson posits that â€Å"a nation is a community of people, whose members are bound together by a sense of solidarity, a common culture, a national consciousness† (Watson 1997: 1). A more familiar definition was coined by Anderson: â€Å"It is an imagined political community and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign† (Anderson 1991: 6). If Anderson’s definition is rigorous, why did Stein fail to perceive the intimate connection with America? Stein could not maintain the identificati on of the US according to the memory of her girlhood. On the contrary, her real life is in France, it is not the imagination. Robins regards the people like Stein as the â€Å"empirical people† (Robins 2003: 196) in his book. The imagined community is not distinct to them because it is far away from the real life. The imagined community cannot surpass the reality all the time. Thus it can be postulated that the nation bases on a sense of belonging to an imagined community, but it is not a compulsive ideology; the sense of belonging may become vague when the individual lack the interaction with the nation. Then how to maintain the sense of belonging of the population becomes a pivotal question to the nation. This is the reason why the nation has been aiming at building an intimate relationship with medi... ... Ruigrok, Nel and Atteveldt, Wouter van, Global Angling with a Local Angle: How U.S., British, and Dutch Newspapers Frame Global and Local Terrorist Attacks , the Harvard International Journal of Press, Politics 2007, volume:12. Robins, Kevin, Beyond Imagined Community? Transnational media and Turkish Immigrants in Europe, Media in a Globalized Society, Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 2003. Stein, Gertrude, Paris, France, New York: liver light, 1970. Volkmer, I, Journalism and Political Crises: In Journalism after September 11, London, New York: Routledge, 2002. Watson, Hugh Seton, Nations and states: an enquiry into the origins of nations and the politics and nationalism, Methuen young books, 1977. Zakaria, Fareed, How to invest jobs for America, November 1, 2010. (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/29/zakaria.create.jobs/index.html?iref=allsearch)

Breaking The Cycle of Toxic Racism Essay -- Civil Rights

Nelson Mandela once said, â€Å"no one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite†(Mandela). Racism is an ongoing issue that has occupied many years of American history. Even with great leaders, such as President Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who established a push to end slavery and inspired an entire revolution to eliminate racial discrimination, it seems that a successful eradication of racism is not an option. Today, we still see hate crimes such as the Rodney King case of Los Angeles. Thus, while the Abolishment of Slavery of the late 1800’s and the Civil Rights Movement of the fifties and sixties may have diminished the impact that racism could play out in the open, these efforts have ultimately failed, to a great extent, in actually drivi ng racism and discrimination to extinction because today, this toxic behavior is as prominent as it ever was. The Abolishment of Slavery underwent progress in an atmosphere of wartime. In 1863, President Lincoln declared the Emancipation Proclamation, issuing â€Å"that all persons held as slaves† throughout America â€Å"are, and henceforward shall be free† (Lincoln). This instance is the first major push to end discrimination by race. In 1865, however, President Lincoln was assassinated. This was due to the remaining and overwhelming battle of slavery versus freedom. The post-Civil War era brought about the Thirteenth Amendment, which stated: â€Å"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,† except if used as punishment for a committed crime, â€Å"shall exist within the United States†... ...School of Law, 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. . King, Martin Luther. "I Have a Dream." Speech. March on Washington. Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. 28 Aug. 1963. History Channel. A&E Television, date uknown. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. . Lincoln, Abraham. "Featured Document: The Emancipation Proclamation." National Archives and Records Administration. US National Archives and Records Administration, date uknown. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. . Miles, Barry. Hippie. New York: Sterling, 2005. Print. Twain, Mark, and E. W. Kemble. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest Association, 1986. Print.