Law and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law and Morality - Essay Example Working in a group obviously has its advantages and its disadvantages the advantages that you gain from working in a group is that more and more ideas can be floated and worked upon and this was certainly the case with our group every one contributed to their fullest and the environment was a competitive one where every one wanted to show their knowledge and use it for the betterment of the team, apart from floating of ideas there was also a case of people having superior knowledge than those of the other members of the group and this was certainly put to good use and helped the whole unit. Since we had divided the group into sub groups so that we may work on different topics and perspectives each and every one had different responsibilities but every one felt a shared responsibility towards the group, this helped us immensely in putting forward our case because every one had a clear cut target to achieve and there were no ambiguities in any ones goals and hence there were no ambigui ties in the results that each and every member of this group achieved. Then there were definitely the problems that one had to face within the group as well because there could never be perfect coherence between people when they work in a group because every one has a different take on every notion or topic and every one has a different ways of inferring things from reading material, this obviously created some issues amongst the group initially but were tackled soon after we decided to divide the group into sub groups, one thing should be kept in mind here that although we had divided our selves into sub groups the group worked together, if a group member was to be picked up at random and asked about any part of the debate the member would definitely be able to answer because this whole debate was a well worked out team effort. The other problem that we faced initially was that members had to be convinced that the betterment of the group is in their own interest and hence any infor mation that they come up with should be shared with the group and not hoarded up for individual betterment. Then there was also the issue that some members were reluctant or they didn't have the right chemistry to communicate with each other and the division of the group into sub groups went a long way in removing this barrier in the flow of information flow. Over all the experience of working in a team was a good one because I personally enjoy socializing and getting to know different perspectives and also to interact with people who have a higher knowledge base than yours is an experience altogether where you learn a lot about various topics and how to deal with problems in difficult situations and different conditions. Debate The theories that we applied for the purpose of this debate were the theories of dworkin and specially the work where he criticized the work of hart on the moral implications of law and morality, dworkin states that the moral principles or the moralities that people hold so close to them are more often wrong and since the justice system makes use of these moral principles these laws are even some times incorrect based on the biased or prejudiced views of the society on the whole or a large chunk of the society, therefore if a society views prostitution as malicious then the law should not treat it as unlawful the law should be integral and should not look at it from the

An Ethical Issue Essay Example for Free

An Ethical Issue Essay Euthanasia is a hotly debated ethical issue these days, and there are certain arguments for and against its practice. Arguments against euthanasia are usually based on the sanctity of life, and such arguments are often compatible with religion, but arguments for euthanasia concern individual liberty, and a desire to prevent more suffering than is absolutely necessary. In this paper, I intend to address arguments for and against euthanasia, and explain why it is an ethical issue, and conclude that euthanasia, in some cases, should be permissible. Euthanasia is defined as the painless termination of someone’s life, but the ethical dilemma surrounding the topic has to do with whether or not it is alright to euthanize someone who is in a vegetative state, and can no longer think for him or herself, and whether or not assisted suicide is morally acceptable. The first of these scenarios would entail someone, such as a family member or physician, ending the life of someone who is in great pain following an accident, but cannot express their own wishes (whether or not they wish to remain on a feeding tube, or on life support) because of physical body damage, and this is known as passive euthanasia. The other issue, the one of physician assisted suicide, entails someone like a physician assisting someone who is in great pain, but not in need of life support, in committing suicide, maybe by administering a lethal dose of medication, to alleviate the patient’s pain, and this is known as active euthanasia. Both active and passive euthanasia are highly debated ethical issues, as they concern the value of life, and whether or not people are justified in prolonging a life of anguish, or terminating a life of misery. Recently, there have been many controversial cases of euthanasia, or its possibility in cases where it seems necessary to some, such as the cases of Doctor Kevorkian, and Terry Schiavo. The main ethical issues in the cases where Dr. Kevorkian euthanized (performed physician-assisted suicide on) some of his patients regards whether or not a patient should have the potential to decide his or her own fate, and then whether or not a physician should be held accountable for supporting, and aiding in a patient’s decision to end his or her life. This fundamentally boils down to the question of whether or not someone can choose to end their life when that person is in constant pain, but the issue would be complicated by the efforts needed in determining who is in enough pain to be permitted to actively end his or her life, which brings up the question of why everyone cannot choose to terminate their lives. And patients in hospitals do have the right to passively kill themselves, by starving, or refusing treatment, so in some cases, when a patient is prepared to take such measures to end his or her life, it would seem morally permissible for a physician to painlessly facilitate that patient’s suicide. In the case of someone’s euthanasia by the pulling of a feeding tube or the termination of life support, the ethical dilemma surrounds the family, or physician’s authority, when it comes to forcing the person who has brain damage to forfeit medical attention. A patient who is not in a vegetative state can refuse treatment, as that is not actively killing him or herself, but the question in the case of passive euthanasia is whether or not anyone other than the patient who might or might not refuse treatment due to severe pain if he or she were not in a vegetative state would have the authority to pull the plug on that person’s behalf, if the patient had not made his or her desired wishes clear. Religion plays a huge roll in helping people to believe that euthanasia should not be morally permissible, as most religions include some aspect about the sanctity of life, and based on that, they discourage suicide or killing in any form. Christianity in particular regards suicide as a sin, and that makes it difficult for people who wish to die because they are in too much pain, but their religion preaches against suicide. It is even against the law to commit suicide, but lately there have been questions coming out about whether people who are intensely pained by there illness should be exempt from this law, and whether or not doctors would be allowed to aid these suffering patients by providing them with lethal pills, or putting them to sleep by giving them extra doses of their medication. This is active euthanasia, where a patient, or doctor, or the combination of the two, take action to terminate life, rather than let it painfully continue for a long time, as the patient takes medicine and food, or making it drag on for a short, immensely painful period in the case where a patient refuses medication and food. For the most part, any argument against euthanasia must somehow be based on a view that life is sacred, and should never be sacrificed, at any cost, even when there is great pain to be dealt with if the life is prolonged. â€Å"Religious people dont argue that we cant kill ourselves, or get others to do it,† a BBC article about religion and ethics reports. â€Å"They know that we can do it because God has given us free will. Their argument is that it would be wrong for us to do so. They believe that every human being is the creation of God, and that this imposes certain limits on us. Our lives are not only our lives for us to do with as we see fit. To kill oneself, or to get someone else to do it for us, is to deny God, and to deny Gods rights over our lives and his right to choose the length of our lives and the way our lives end. † This summarizes a religious viewpoint that holds that euthanasia is not morally permissible. But for people who are not religious, a more basic argument in favor of euthanasia seems to arise, and that is simply whether or not people should be allowed to forfeit their lives if they are completely unsatisfied with them, or are severely pained by them. So, that might concern a simple case where someone is slowly dying of a terrible disease, and his medication deters the pain to some degree, but he is still miserable. Should that person be allowed to actively (or request that a physician actively) end his life, because he would rather forfeit his life than live on in pain and suffering? That seems to be a highly controversial issue, and from this perspective, it seems that euthanasia should be supported, at least to some degree. This could easily be a pro-euthanasia argument, as the person in pain has the right to forego medication, and refuse food and other life-sustaining attributes, which would lead to the patient’s death after a period of maximal pain, but the patent, without euthanasia, would not have the right to forfeit his life without enduring the pain from the scenario where he refuses treatment if active euthanasia is not permissible. â€Å"Some experts are gunning for a compromise. Zhu Tiezhi, a media commentator,† A China Daily article reports, â€Å"suggests the right-to-die prerequisites: the applicant must have a terminal illness that causes agonizing pain, and the diagnosis must be verified by at least two doctors; the applicant must be in a clear state of mind when he applies for it, and the application process should be repeated at least twice to make sure it is not a spur-of-the-moment thought. † This article was written after a patient who had throat cancer jumped out of a window to end his life after he was told that physicians were unable to assist him in doing so. So it seems that in certain cases, euthanasia is a more humane way for one to end his or her life than to manufacture a way him or herself. Our job is to save lives, and we dont have the right to mercy killing, said an official at the Changsha hospital,† an official at the hospital in the Hunan Province of China, where the man committed suicide, stated. But in certain cases, lives may only be prolonged, painfully, for a short time, so euthanasia would then represent a painless way of alleviating a suffering patient’s agony. â€Å"Chantal Sebire knows shes forcing people to make an agonizing decision, but agony is something she knows far too much about,† Bruce Crumley includes in his article, entitled Making a Case for Euthanasia. â€Å"The 52- year-old Dijon schoolteacher suffers from a rare disease that has left her disfigured by facial tumors, which will also damage her brain over time and eventually kill her. Her demand that French political leaders loosen laws against euthanasia has been rebuffed, so Sebire now awaits a judges decision on whether existing legislation allows doctors to assist her in ending her pain-racked life. ‘I no longer accept this enduring pain, and this protruding eye that nothing can be done about,’† Crumley writes. And unfortunately, the legal system of most countries do not recognize euthanasia as a permissible alternative to prolonged suffering, which causes many to live on in pain, wishing that they could terminate their lives instead of continuing on in agony. This seems like a reasonable right that everyone should be entitled to exercise if the time is right. People should not be forced to, because of the legal issues surrounding the issue, and anyone (such as a physician) involved, be forced to live on in agony when they could end it all by euthanasia. It seems that laws forbidding active euthanasia, or mercy killings, is based on the principle that all life is sacred, and that even extreme suffering should be fundamentally imposed on people if it could occur without their death. So death is legally regarded as impermissible when it is in any way caused by man. But what about the death penalty? There is a scenario where the government does not view life as the most sacred institution, so if exceptions are allowed, why not provide one that alleviates the constant suffering and agonies that plague people who have certain medical conditions, but are not allowed to self-terminate? â€Å"A French woman suffering from an incurable and disfiguring cancer was found dead on Wednesday, two days after a court rejected her request for medical assistance to help end her life, a source close to the government said,† an article from reuters. com reported of the woman who had petitioned to have a physician assist her in suicide. â€Å"Chantal Sebire, 52, whose face was swollen and distorted by a rare tumour in her sinuses, won heavy media coverage and the compassion of many French people in her bid to set a legal precedent for patients like her seeking to end their suffering. A court in the eastern city of Dijon ruled on Monday that Sebire could not have a doctor help her die because it would breach both the code of medical ethics and the law, under which assisted suicide is a crime. † But it seems that the code of medical ethics should make exceptions in certain cases of euthanasia. Forcing someone to die slowly in accordance with some debilitating disease is in no way more ethical or more humane than permitting that person to terminate his or her life painlessly. â€Å"After nine years, 130 deaths, and six trials, ‘Dr. Death’ Jack Kevorkian finally faces jail time for killing a desperate man who came to him for ‘help’ and found only death,† Liz Townsend writes in her article, Kevorkians Nine-Year Euthanasia Crusade Leads to Murder Conviction. â€Å"Thomas Youks death by lethal injection, administered directly by Kevorkian and nationally televised on 60 Minutes, led to a second-degree murder conviction March 26, but Youk was only one of many people who died to advance Kevorkians euthanasia crusade. ‘We believe the verdict should have been premeditated murder, but were very elated by the second-degree verdict,’ said Diane Coleman of the disability-rights group Not Dead Yet, according to the Associated Press. ‘We want to see Jack Kevorkian imprisoned for life. Its clear he has no respect for people with disabilities. ’ But is assisted suicide really a violation of the rights of someone who is disabled? In cases of physician-assisted suicide, the patient would not think so. A violation of the rights of the disabled would be ignoring a plea for assisted suicide, which would end pain and suffering. But perhaps the most basic argument for permissability of euthanasia, in at least extreme cases, should be in regards to everyone’s personal liberty. By that argument, people may say that everyone should have the right to do as they please when it concerns their own body. But an argument against personal liberty might state that similar arguments would allow drug use and other impermissible activities. So What is to be done? It seems that the best thing to do would be to, when physician’s can gauge someone’s mental aptitude, allow them to actively euthanize themselves, or assist him or her in doing so, if the patient is mentally competent, and wishes to end his or her life. And in the case of a family pulling the plug on someone (passive euthanasia) it should be permissible at all times if the patient had previously expressed a desire to die rather than remain on life support. Works Cited Appleton, Michael et al. At Home with Terminal Illness: A Family Guide to Hospice in the Home. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1995. Barnard, C Good Life, Good Death a Doctors Case for Euthanasia and Suicide. Hbk 146pp Prentice-Hall 1980. Bold and provocative work by the famous heart surgeon. Battin, Margaret P. The Death Debate: Ethical Issues in Suicide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. The Law Society the British Medical Association. Assessment of Mental Capacity Guidance for Doctors Lawyers. Pbk 152pp British Medical Association 1995. Randall, F, Downie, R. Palliative Care Ethics A Good Companion Pbk, 202pp Oxford University Press 1996.

The Effects Of Ufos On People Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Effects of UFO's on People Almost every civilization in history that has kept a written history has recorded the sightings of strange objects and lights in the skies. These objects have been described as glowing wheels, colored balls of light, and disk shaped objects. Today unexplained aerial phenomena are generally referred to as unidentified flying objects (UFO's) or flying saucers. The effects of extra terrestrial sightings can have an adverse effect on people if influenced the wrong way. No solid proof has shown that UFO's are real, but many sightings cannot be proven otherwise. The media, stories, or one's own experience may often influence what one believes. The government once stated that they had captured extra terrestrials. (60 minutes, CBS) On the contrary, most scientists now agree that almost all sightings and stories of extra terrestrials are not authentic. The United States government has records of thousands of UFO sightings since 1948, including photos of alleged UFOs and interviews with people who claim to have seen them. Since UFOs were considered a potential security risk, the report on these sightings was originally classified as secret. (Craig, 917) When the report was later declassified it showed that 90 percent of all UFO sightings could be easily explained. Most of the sightings turned out to be celestial objects, such as stars or bright planets like Venus, or atmospheric events such as auroras or meteors falling through the atmosphere. Many other sightings turned out to be objects such as weather balloons, satellites, aircraft lights, or formations of birds. Often these sightings were accompanied by unusual weather conditions. Only 5.6 percent of these cases were not explained. Testimonies by people are often very inaccurate and dramatized. People have the tendency to explain everything they see, which is not usually completely accurate. The unaided human eye can be tricked into hallucination and has an inaccurate depth perception. Reflections from windows and eyeglasses can provide an optical illusion of a UFO. Radar is much more reliable to identify objects, but it cannot detect many characteristics that separate natural phenomena and physical objects. Radar often picks up ionized gas, rain, or thermal discontinuities. Electronic inter... ...s visiting Earth from somewhere out in space, it is safe to say that humans are alone in their home planet. It is possible that this theorem will be proved wrong in the future, but until then all any person can do is guess, hope, and wait. What the future holds for Earth may not be what is expected, but until then scientists will be examining all the evidence to help provide a better future for the home to life as we now know it. Works Cited "Unidentified Flying Objects" World Book Encyclopedia, 1992. Page 19, volume U- V, 1992 Craig, Pat. "On Nevada's Extra Terrestrial Highway." Tribune News Service August 19, 1996: Page 819 from InfoTrack/Super Tom+. On CD-ROM. Foster City, CA: Information access, 1997 "Unidentified Flying Objects" Groiler's Encyclopedia, 1994. Page 17, volume U-V, 1994 Woolard, John. "UFO Investigators Scoff at Abduction Claims." Tribune News Service, September 12, 1996. Page 912 from InfoTrack/Super Tom+. On CD-ROM. Foster City, CA: Information Access, 1997 60 Minutes, CBS Television Network. April 4, 1997 Heaven's Gate Home Page, http://www.aeok.com/heavensgate/index.htm Steve Edwards, 1

Biological Anthropology

Gonzalez, AureaMarch 6, 2013Question #1 For many years biological anthropologists have been trying to identify race through genetics but race is not determined biologically. The closest aspect to a biological feature in grouping people is cline; geography making people of the same area in the world similar. Human variation, however, is classification of skin color, eye color; characteristics that are genetic and unchanging genes. Genetic traits have nothing to do with race; it influences the idea of it. Mutations cause variation. An example of this would be with how sunlight affects skin tone because of dark and light melanin.Race cannot be naturally divided into groups because it is an arbitrary, modern idea; a social construct based on ethnicity, social reform, and culture, otherwise known as The Great Chain of Being. Constant change in the world, such as migration and reproduction, brings diversity upon us. Jim Brown, in The Power of Illusion, specifically says, â€Å"Race has ch anged as a definition in this country. † The world is always changing; people will continuously try to identify race through genetics, but it never will be proven biologically because it’s merely a cultural classification.Also, in the film, a group of students try to find out who they might be closely related to, based on mitochondrial DNA. A black girl believes she is more closely related to another black boy in the class. When they matched the MTDNA, they found out they were wrong. Some had the same number and pattern of MTDNA that others across the country had. This proved race had nothing to do with genetics. Scientists have tried to see differences in athletic ability according to race. However, there is no biological explanation for why someone of one race might be more athletic than someone of another.If a white person ran in the mountains with high altitude, he would have greater lung capacity than someone who ran an average racetrack. Nutrition and adaptation a ffect genetics, bringing about variety of human beings. If a black person grew up with great nutrition, he was likely to be taller and healthier than someone who might not have access to nutrition. Therefore, race cannot determine specific differences between one another because access to food affects variation. It’s important to remember the difference between race and human variation because everyone should be treated equal.Although there is internal variation within the human species, that doesn’t define race, yet human variation. [400 words] Gonzalez, AureaMarch 6, 2013Question #2 The origin of walking on two feet goes back between 10-3 MYA. There are numerous ways to diagnose bipedalism with skeletal remains. The foramen magnum is where the spinal cord meets the skull and passes on to the brain. It is able to determine whether or not a skeleton was bipedal because if the spinal cord is located directly beneath the skull, rather than its back, such as the chimpanze e, it is proven to have walked on two legs.Also, you can infer that the skeleton was bipedal because thoracic kyphosis, the slight backward curve of the vertebrae to which the ribs attach, do not develop until one begins to walk upright. Lumbar lordosis, the forward curve of the lower portion of the back, is more robust in females than in males for ability to balance to support a baby during pregnancy. Angle of the femur is another way to prove bipedalism. If the angle is increasingly wide, the skeleton was bipedal because it allows more balance with the broaden hips, versus a chimp with a straighter angle of a femur, causing the wobble when walking on two feet.Increase in leg length is another way to prove bipedalism. Apes had longer arms than legs, proving knuckle-walking, and spending more time swinging in trees walking on the ground. The fossil Lucy was the first bipedal skeleton found in Kenya which dates back to 3. 6 MYA. She’s considered the first bipedal skeleton beca use hips down, she had the body of a human, however hip up, using her brain size, she was considered ape. Salem, aka Lucy’s baby, had a preserved skull, milk teeth, tiny fingers, a torso, a foot, and an extremely tiny kneecap which helped archeologists say she was about three years old when she died.Salem differed from Lucy, having a face, while Lucy’s head was barely found, and had ape-like shoulders, telling us tree climbing was still a part of its nature, supporting the theory of A. afarensis. Bipedalism was a positive adaptation in human evolution because of survival. Keeping cool from changing landscapes and climates was an important factor in endurance running. With the shedding of hair on our bodies from evolution, sweating was our new found air conditioner, allowing the human species to run in the day and keep cool at the same time, making it easier to hunt protein, meat, the greatest source of nutrition. 400 words] Gonzalez, AureaMarch 6, 2013Question #3 Sever al methods were used for the excavation of the African Burial Ground in 1991. After using large machinery and shovels to get through the first few feet of dirt, dental tools and brushes were used to find the remains of skeletons carefully. Soil marks in the dirt from decayed wood where a coffin once was were visible to determine where to locate the heads and bodies of the skeletons. Photos were taken to preserve the history before excavating, for excavation is destructive, destroying information due to damaged remains.Archeologists were able to infer a lot about some of the bodies found such as age, sex, and culture. Two thirds of the adults were identified male, one third being female, and forty-five percent of the excavated bodies, children under twelve years old. Sex was able to be determined through pelvis shape. The wider the angle of the pelvis, it was determined to be female, the thinner the angle, it was male. Another way to identify sex with the pelvis is the pubic archâ₠¬â„¢s shape. If the arch seems like a circle, it is female, if it seems heart-shaped, it is male.Teeth give indication of age, but aging can also be caused by environmental stress. Teeth also played a cultural aspect in these people’s lives. Shape of the teeth told archeologists whether or not they were born in Africa or kept practicing their culture while they were alive. Filing of the teeth into hourglass and peg shapes showed tribal affiliations in West Africa. Thus, historical data and these observations tell us the bodies were indeed African. Dr. Blake, in African Burial Ground, An American Discovery, suggests a man in his thirties had the vertebrate of an eighty year old man.Vertebral Lipping can be caused by standing all day, adding pressure to your spine, but carrying heavy loads can crush your spine at a quicker age. This showed us that this man was very hard working. Also, some bodies were buried with shroud, which indicated that they were extremely poor, while a wo man was found buried with a lace of beads that were a waist decoration indicating she wasn’t as poor as the others. In October of 1992, more than four hundred skeletons were removed. The discovery of the African Burial Ground reminds us today of enslaved relatives that were almost forgotten due to the building of our city. [398 words]

A Case on Blood Essay

Doctors determined that Harold is anemic, meaning he is suffering from anemia. Anemia is a condition in which your blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells. Anemia also can occur if your red blood cells do not contain enough hemoglobin. If you have anemia, like Harold, your body doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood. As a result, you may feel tired or weak. You also may have other symptoms, such as shortness of breath, dizziness, or headaches. The primary pieces of evidence from the CBC that point to this diagnosis are the results of the hematocrit and the hemoglobin. Both of these results fall under the reference range for Harold. 4. Harold has a chronic form of atrophic gastritis, so his doctor ordered tests to check his levels of vitamin B12 in his blood. Harold’s gastritis affects these levels by having a lower number than the normal range. Harold would have a deficiency in B12 because it typically occurs in people whose digestive systems do not adequately absorb the vitamin from the foods they eat, for example Atrophic Gastritis. 5. There are several different types of anemia. Harold is suffering from Vitamin deficiency anemia. Beginning with the peripheral blood smear we can describe the key pieces of evidence used to draw this conclusion. Harold’s blood smear we can see an increase area of pale appearance and also the irregular shape in RBC’s. The symptoms Harold was having are associated with Vitamin deficiency anemia. For example, extreme fatigue, headaches, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat (tachycardia) and difficulty sleeping are all symptoms Harold was having and also are symptoms of Vitamin deficiency anemia. We could also draw this conclusion by the level of hemoglobin. Harold’s hemoglobin level was 10. 6 g/dl. The normal range is 13-18 g/dl. We can obviously draw the conclusion that his hemoglobin levels were below the reference range. 6. Treatment for vitamin deficiency anemia includes supplements and changes in diet. For milder cases of vitamin B-12 deficiency, treatment may involve changes to your diet and vitamin B-12 supplements in pill form or as a nasal spray. In more severe cases, you may receive vitamin B-12 injections. At first you may receive the shots as often as every other day. Eventually you’ll need injections just once a month, which may continue for life, depending on your situation. Harold had already tried changing his diet and the symptoms did not fully go away so he would fall into the category of having a more severe case. This would treat his symptoms by correcting them and Harold would not have to deal with them anymore. . Harold’s tachycardia and chronic gastritis are key pieces of evidence in this case that go beyond what shows up in his CBC. Tachycardia is a sign that Harold has vitamin deficiency anemia because it a symptom that doctors look for when diagnosing this type of anemia. Harold’s chronic gastritis is a cause of him having his condition. We know this because Atrophic gastritis is caused by a lack of vitamin B12 which is what Harold has.

Definition and Examples of Slang in English

Definition and Examples of Slang in English Slang is an informal nonstandard variety of speech characterized by newly coined and rapidly changing words and phrases. In his book Slang: The Peoples Poetry (OUP, 2009), Michael Adams argues that slang is not merely a lexical phenomenon, a type of word, but a linguistic practice rooted in social needs and behaviors, mostly the complementary needs to fit in and to stand out. The Characteristics of Slang   The most significant characteristic of slang overlaps with a defining characteristic of jargon: slang is a marker of in-group solidarity, and so it is a correlate of human groups with shared experiences, such as being children at a certain school or of a certain age, or being a member of a certain socially definable group, such as hookers, junkies, jazz musicians, or professional criminals. (Keith Allan and Kate Burridge, Forbidden Words. Cambridge University Press, 2006) The Language of Outsiders   Slang serves the outs as a weapon against the ins. To use slang is to deny allegiance to the existing order, either jokingly or in earnest, by refusing even the words which represent conventions and signal status; and those who are paid to preserve the status quo are prompted to repress slang as they are prompted to repress any other symbol of potential revolution. (James Sledd, On Not Teaching English Usage. The English Journal, November 1965)  The downtrodden are the great creators of slang. . . . Slang is . . . a pile of fossilized jokes and puns and ironies, tinselly gems dulled eventually by overmuch handling, but gleaming still when held up to the light. (Anthony Burgess, A Mouthful of Air, 1992) Standing Out and Fitting In   It is not clear to what extent the slang impulse to enliven speech, the impulse to stand out, mingles with the slang impulse toward social intimacy, the impulse to fit in. At times they seem like oil and water, but at others the social and poetic motivations emulsify into one linguistic practice. . . .  All of us, young and old, black and white, urban and suburban have slang, and, with your eyes closed, we can tell black guys chillaxin with their buddies from young soccer moms dishing out about the latest issue of Jane*. We share more slang than separates us, but what separates us tells us and others where we fit in, or perhaps, where we hope to fit in, and where we dont. . . . As a social marker, though, slang works: you know that youre among the old, tired, gray, and hopeless, rather than hip, vivid, playful, and rebellious, if only in spirit, when you hear no slang. Slang is a tell even in its absence. (Michael Adams, Slang: The Peoples Poetry. Oxford University Press, 2009)   Your mother reads and reads and reads, she wants English, as much as she can get her hands on . . .. Id come late Friday afternoon, it used to be that I would go home with a magazine or two and maybe a paper, but she wanted more, more slang, more figures of speech, the bees knees, the cats pajamas, horse of a different color, dog-tired, she wanted to talk like she was born here, like she never came from anywhere else . . .. (Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Houghton Mifflin, 2005) Modern Slang in London   I love modern  slang. Its as colorful, clever, and disguised from outsiders as slang ever was and is supposed to be. Take bare, for example, one of a number of slang terms recently banned by a London school. It means a lot of, as in theres bare people here, and is the classic concealing reversal of the accepted meaning that you also find in wicked, bad and cool. Victorian criminals did essentially the same with back slang, reversing words so that boy became yob and so on.  The other banned words are equally interesting. Extra, for example, mischievously stresses the superfluous in its conventional definition, as in reading the whole book is extra, innit? And that much-disapproved innit? is in fact the nest-ce pas? English has needed since the Normans forgot to bring it with them.  And who would not admire rinsed for something worn out or overusedchirpsing for flirting, bennin for doubled-up with laughter, or wi-five for an electronically delivered high-five? My bad, being n ew, sounds more sincere than old, tired, Im sorry (Sos never quite cut it).   Mouse potato for those who spend too much time on PCs is as striking as salmon and aisle salmon for people who will insist on going against the flow in crowds or supermarket aisles. Manstanding is what husbands and partners typically do while their wives or partners are actually getting on with the shopping. Excellent. (Charles Nevin, The Joy of Slang. BBC News, October 25, 2013) Old Slang: Grub, Mob, Knock Off, and Clear as Mud   When we refer . . . to food as grub, it is perhaps hard to realize that the word goes back to Oliver Cromwells time; from early 18th century come mob, and also knock off, to finish; and from early 19th century, the sarcastic use of clear as mud. (Paul Beale, editor of Partridges Concise Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge, 1991) The Life Span of Slang Words   With the exception of cool, which retains its effectiveness after well over half a century, slang wordsgroovy, phat, radical, smokinhave a very brief life span in which they can be used to express sincere enthusiasm. Then they revert to irony or, at best, expressions of a sort of mild sardonic approval. (Ben Yagoda, When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It. Broadway Books, 2007)  The latest slang term for defecation, however, is dropping the kids off at the pool, which offers hope for a new generation of euphemistic suburbanites. (William Safire, Kiduage. The New York Times, 2004) Slanguage   The expression slanguage has been in the English language for well over a hundred years and has an entry in reputable dictionaries like the Macquarie and the Oxford. One of its first written appearances was as early as 1879, and since that time it has been in regular useThe slanguage of a sporting reporter is a fearful and wonderful thing, to give just one early example. The word slang has given rise to quite a number of wonderful blended or compounded words, such as slanguage, and many of them have been in the language a very long time. (Kate Burridge, Gift of the Gob: Morsels of English Language History. HarperCollins Australia, 2011) Can O' Beans on Sloppy Slang   Well, said Can o Beans, a bit hesitantly, imprecise speech is one of the major causes of mental illness in human beings. . . .  Ã‚  The inability to correctly perceive reality is often responsible for humans insane behavior. And every time they substitute an all-purpose, sloppy slang word for the words that would accurately describe an emotion or a situation, it lowers their reality orientations, pushes them farther from shore, out onto the foggy waters of alienation and confusion. . . .  Slang possesses an economy, an immediacy thats attractive, all right, but it devalues experience by standardizing and fuzzing it. It hangs between humanity and the real world like a . . . a veil. Slang just makes people more stupid, thats all, and stupidity eventually makes them crazy. Id hate to ever see that kind of craziness rub off onto objects. (Tom Robbins, Skinny Legs and All. Bantam, 1990) The Lighter Side of American Slang I know only two words of American slang: swell and lousy. I think swell is lousy, but lousy is swell. (J.B. Priestley) * Jane was a magazine designed to appeal to young women. It ceased publication in 2007. Pronunciation: slang

General Book Club Questions for Study and Discussion

General Book Club Questions for Study and Discussion As a member or leader of a book club, you are likely to be reading books on a wide variety of topics, both fiction and nonfiction. No matter the genre, age, notoriety, or length of the book of the moment, book club questions can kickstart or enhance your group discussion. Whether you are discussing characters and their actions, setting, theme, or images, having a guide to questions that will lead to fruitful exchanges on your enjoyment - or lack thereof - of the book, plot, and even its moral implications can help make your discussion more productive and keep it on track. Before Diving In Before you dive into the heavy plot points, character development, themes, or other weighty subjects, start off your book club discussion by finding out everyones  first impression of the book, advises Sadie Trombetta, via Bustle. Doing so, and starting slowly, will give you a jumping-off point to discuss what about the selection kept you turning the pages, she says, or what made the book difficult to get through. These introductory questions can help you ease into the more detailed book discussion. Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?What were your expectations for this book? Did the book fulfill  them?How would you briefly describe the book to a friend?In a book in which the author was not a character or was not doing first-person reporting, was the author present in the book anyway? Was the presence of the author disruptive? Or did it seem appropriate or fitting?How would you describe the plot? Did it pull you in, or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book? Characters  and Their Actions Before other elements of the book, such as the  setting, plot, and  theme, the characters who inhabit the book will either infuse the work with life or drag it down to dull reading. Your book club may encounter many types of characters:  you may have a round, flat, or stock character, or even a traditional  protagonist. Knowing what kinds of characters the author has used to populate her novel or book is key to understanding the story she is trying to tell. After asking introductory questions as discussed above, put the following book club questions before your group members.   How realistic was the characterization? Would you want to meet any of the characters? Did you like them? Hate them?If the book was nonfiction, do you think the characters accurately portrayed the real events upon which the book was based? If not, what would you have changed to make the book more accurate?Who was your favorite character?Which character did you relate to most and why?Did the actions of the characters seem plausible? Why? Why not?If one (or more) of the characters made a choice that had moral implications, would you have made the same decision? Why? Why not?If you were making a movie of this book, who would you cast? Setting, Theme, and Images Many  writers  believe that the setting is the most important element of any fictional work. Whether or not you agree - for example, if you believe the storys characters are the most significant element - setting can have considerable influence over the events, feeling, and mood of a story. If the setting is a horse racing track, such as with a Dick Francis novel, youre sure to find yourself reading about horse owners and trainers, jockeys, and stablehands working hard to prepare their mounts, as well as spirited and competitive races. If the setting is London, events may be influenced by the heavy fog and damp, dank cold that city experiences. Just as importantly, a books theme is the main idea that flows through the narrative and connects the components of the story.  Any imagery the author uses is sure to be connected to the characters, setting, and theme. So, focus your next set of book club questions on these three elements. Following are a few ideas: How does the setting figure in the book?  If the book was nonfiction, do you feel the author did enough to describe the setting and how it might have influenced the plot or narrative of the book?How would the book have been different if it had taken place in a different time or place?What are some of the books themes? How important were they?How are the books images symbolically significant? Do the images help to develop the plot or help to define characters? Summarizing Your Reading Experience One of the most enjoyable aspects of a book club - indeed, the very essence of why books clubs exist - is to talk to others who have collectively read a given work about their impressions, feelings, and beliefs. The shared experience of reading a single book gives members a chance to discuss how it made them feel, what they might have changed, and, significantly, whether they believe that reading the book altered their own lives or perspectives in some way. Dont move on to your next book until youve thoroughly hashed out some of these conclusion-type questions. Did the book end the way you expected?If the book was based on real events, what did you already know about this book’s subject before you read this book? Did the story reflect what you already knew? Do you feel the book helped enhance your knowledge and understanding of the subject?If the book was nonfiction, what did you think about the author’s research? Do you think s/he did an adequate job of gathering the information? Were the sources credible?At which point of the book were you most engaged?Conversely, were there any parts of the book that you felt dragged?How would you describe the pace of the book?What three words would you use to summarize this book?What, if anything, set this book apart from others youve read in a similar genre?What other books have you read by this author? How did they compare to this book?  What did you think of the book’s length? If it’s too long, what would you cut? If too short, what would you add?Would you recommend this book to other readers? To your close friend? Why or why not?

The Dictionary Defeats Dogma

The Dictionary Defeats Dogma The Dictionary Defeats Dogma The Dictionary Defeats Dogma By Mark Nichol Responses to one of my recent posts brought up two interesting related issues: misunderstandings about idioms and their origins, and about linguistic terms. First, numerous readers wrote to Daily Writing Tips recently to inform me that I had misspelled a word in one of the items in â€Å"35 Fossil Words†: It’s â€Å"just desserts,† not â€Å"just deserts,† to refer to getting what you deserve, I was told. But as I noted in this post last year, deserts is commonly misspelled desserts in this idiomatic phrase; years ago (perhaps influenced by the name of a bakery called Just Desserts), I, too, had long assumed that the latter spelling was correct. The word, however, is related to deserve, though except for occasional use of the singular form in legal documents, it is unknown outside the idiom and the phrase â€Å"get (one’s) just deserts† and its truncated version, â€Å"get (one’s) deserts.† Many idioms are similarly misunderstood; another example, also listed in my recently posted roster of fossil words, is â€Å"beck and call.† In a post on my esteemed colleague Mignon Fogarty’s popular website Quick and Dirty Grammar Tips, numerous commenters insisted with variously amusing and alarming self-righteousness that despite definitive linguistic documentation of the idiom the correct phrasing is â€Å"beckon call† (what kind of call? a beckon call) or â€Å"beck or call† (because, honestly, why would somebody both beck and call?). (Thanks to Daily Writing Tips visitor Roberta for the link.) The post you’re reading right now is intended not to ridicule people who misunderstand idiom (after all, a couple of paragraphs up, I admitted doing so myself, and I am not prone to self-ridicule), but it is intended to drop a hint to those who might doggedly cling to dogma, stubbornly misapprehending a word or phrase’s source. Many elements of English are of uncertain etymological or syntactical origin, but most are well attested, and corroboration is a simple matter of looking something up online or in print. A bumper sticker word to the wise: Don’t believe everything you think. The related issue is the term â€Å"fossil words.† Some Daily Writing Tips readers took exception to that phrase and to my definition of such terms as those that â€Å"survive only in isolated usage,† arguing that they employ some or many of the listed words. (Does that mean, more than one person asked, that that makes the correspondent a fossil?) However, note that the definition of the titular phrase, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is â€Å"A word or other linguistic form preserved only in isolated regions or in set phrases, idioms, or collocations.† By â€Å"isolated usage,† I meant not â€Å"frequency of use† but â€Å"scope of use†; these words are rarely, if ever, uttered other than as part of the idiomatic phrases they are associated with. When was the last time you used bated other than in the expression â€Å"bated breath,† or mettle when it was not preceded by something like â€Å"test your†? If you can tick off the occasions on your fingertips, you likely have a season pass to a Renaissance fair. And to that I say, â€Å"Huzzah!† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs PastHang, Hung, HangedHonorary vs. Honourary

The Parable of the Sahdu Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Parable of the Sahdu - Essay Example Parable of the Sadhu began with the multi-ethnic and multi-national group of expert mountain climbers who want to reach the top of Mount Everest. One group member who is a part of the New Zealand group of mountaineers discovered the sadhu (an Indian holy man that practices yoga or an ascetic or a mystic) to be lying in the snow almost naked and near death already due to hypothermia (loss of body heat due to the cold). He brought this Indian man to the group to which the author Bowen H. McCoy belonged to so they can take care of him. He was in a hurry to rejoin his group that is already far ahead in the mountains. Members of the group of McCoy gave their food and clothing to the Sadhu so he can recover his strength. The four members of a Swiss group also helped to keep the man warm. The group of the Japanese climbers refused to lend their horse for transporting the Sadhu down the mountains to the next nearest village. The local porters carried the man instead but only half-way to the village and left the sadhu to cover the rest of the way to the village which they pointed out to him. No one in the group had bothered to ask the sadhu why he was there in the place or if he had really wanted to die (McCoy 12). No one also knew whether the sadhu eventually lived or not. The moral of the story is that people will often act differently when confronted with a situation that requires moral judgment. In this parable, each group of climbers found a reason to help the sadhu but only partially, because each had a higher goal of reaching the mountains peak before the snow steps will melt and make reaching the summit almost impossible. Each person was confronted with an ethical dilemma: whether to continue on with their journey or help out the sadhu and get delayed and probably never reach the mountains peak anymore. At issue in this story is no individual or group was willing to accept responsibility for the sadhu. Many of us as professionals will encounter similar

Take home essay exam Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Take home exam - Essay Example During my childhood days my dream girl was a princess who helped me comforted me and played games with me. The teen years saw the evolution of the pretty princess into a sensational diva who could set my soul on fire, someone who would attract envious glances from my peers an absolute beauty with a perfect figure and ravishing looks. But as the years progressed and as I passed out of the turbulent teens my mind settled down and now rationality has set in as I realize that the girl who will be my life partner has to have a whole lot more than looks and sex appeal. When the essay topic was announced at first I found the notion quite ridiculous but when my thoughts settled I felt that this was the right time to delve on this issue which has a bearing on my whole life. This essay topic has prodded me into realistically thinking as to what exact attributes am I searching for in my partner, the significant other. I take this opportunity to search my mind, heart and soul to draw a sketch of the girl for me. It is not an easy task especially to name only three aspects when so many flood your mind but this is a great opportunity to mind map, think and analyze an issue which we usually tend to ignore or hope that all the pieces of the jigsaw fall into place by themselves. One of the main and obvious criteria in search of a significant other is obviously looks and the attraction that I would feel for the other person. According to Bailey and Kelly (1984), perceived physical attractiveness of self and others has been shown to be an important dimension in the establishment of interpersonal relationships. I totally agree with this as I mean as a child I wanted Pam Anderson to be my dream girl but when I became older I obviously knew what I wanted in a girl. I do not see how it could change as these are what are most important to me. Looks and physical attraction do mean a lot to me so

Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Financial Management - Essay Example Public facilities are those centers that provide service to the entire public at large, for example, a pack or a sport stadium. People will enjoy using the facilities, but none of them would be willing to personally pay for the entire cost incurred in establishing the facility. In most cases, such facilities are the only of their kind in the entire country which makes them monopolies in nature. The second government intervention to protect the external environment, would be in response to business practices that negatively impact the public; such as air pollution. For example, the negative impact that would result from air pollution does not by any means affect the business’s cost in production but it does affect the society. Therefore, the government may increase the tax on the product to raise its production cost as a way of regulating such practices (Finkler 5). Increase in production cost would hinder the entry of other entities in production of the same product making one entity the only producer. Lastly, the government may intervene to avoid many businesses entities crowding in a particular field. For example, the government would not prefer many electric industries since it would be a waste of resource to putting up so many posts and wire in the streets. Doing this makes the electric industry a monopoly. In conclusion, monopolies are therefore legal entities because the government contributes in their formation. In addition, government bodies, non- profit- organizations and health care organizations that offer services similar to private organizations but in a subsidies cost are other forms of

Is corporate social responsibility just a new trend or is it the Essay

Is corporate social responsibility just a new trend or is it the modern business modus operandi - Essay Example The author reckons that the best practices in modern business, variably referred to as â€Å"dominant coalition† play an important role in the identification of the appropriate combination of practices such as a strong and informed management. Great strides have taken place in ensuring that contributions in the social process are central in the definition of corporate goals. Corporate responsibility has therefore evolved to accommodate corporate social responsibility, which is more responsive of the social needs of the workforce as well as the surrounding society. Making the needs of the society an integral part of wealth creation in the modern corporate world shapes business at the highest community involvement level, by responding to social process in a sensitive approach. In this discourse, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is analyzed in terms of its modern and future usage in the corporate world, paying a special interest on its origins, applications, approaches, and interpretation. Flanked by a clear view of its impacts on decision making, the discourse ends by making inferences from the various perspectives (Money 2007, p1). In view of the basic observations contained in the paper, it is clear that CSR and its related business applications in the corporate world is perhaps one of the most dynamic machineries at the disposal of management. CSR can be traced back into the 1960s as a modification of corporate responsibility, which was an approach taking a corporation’s business targets off the usual and direct business players. In light of the roles of the philosophy behind establishment of CRS practices, it is clear that business objectives had to be shifted from purely business nature to incorporate some social aspects. According to Salzmann (2008, p8), contribution from scholars in the 1960s gave momentum to the CSR field as an emerging discipline in the corporate environment. The author reckons that the Bowen and McGuire through their contributions

The role of salt marshes in the coastal system Essay

The role of salt marshes in the coastal system - Essay Example Since salt marshes are shallow areas, the plants that exist in salt marshes are those that can adapt to the tidal changes in the volume of water. The water waves that make it to the salt marshes carry with them tons of organic material which accumulate overtime to form peat. There are many varieties of salt marshes namely: low marsh, high marsh, panes and pools and upland border. Apart from providing thick vegetation, salt marshes are also amongst the most productive ecosystems in the world (New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, 2004). Role of Salt Marshes in the Coastal System: Salt marshes are sometimes referred to as tidal marshes, the reason being that salt marshes are found in zones between high and low tide. Salt marshes thrive well along the coastal areas because the vegetation is not sturdy enough to withstand strong waves, therefore towards the coastal areas, where the intensity of the waves is reduced to quite an extent, salt marshes thrive (Casagrande, 1997). Salt marshes serve many purposes, namely; they cleanse pollutants from marine water, provide a habitat to many marine species, provide a barrier against soil erosion, provide a source of refuge for the vulnerable marine species, salt marshes are rich in organic matter therefore they form a food chain for the marine life and also provide good nutrient value for the vegetation in the salt marshes (Department of Environmental Protection: Florida Marine Reseach Institute, 2010). Let us throw some light on the varied roles of salt marshes: Remove Pollutants from the Water Since the speed of the waves reduces considerably by the time they reach salt marshes, many suspended particles that are otherwise carried away by the waves throughout the sea, tend to settle. These suspended particles sometimes comprise of toxic nutrients from human activities, thus by allowing them to settle the salt marshes play a key role in cleansing the water of toxic sediments. The thick vegetation helps in slow ing down the waves which in turn causes the particles to settle. Furthermore, during the months of summer and spring the salt marshes’ plants take up the nutrients which if left in the water, would turn into algae, further polluting the water by causing â€Å"Eutrophication† and thus depleting the oxygen supply of the water (Cloern, 2007). The toxic contaminants which are settled by the salt marshes form peat which results in the removal of these toxic substances from the marine food web. Moreover, the microbes present in the salt marshes tend to remove nitrogen from the ecosystem (Edwards, 2010). This is beneficial even to the surrounding eelgrass. The reason behind this is that the existence of high levels of nitrogen encourages the growth of phytoplankton. Phytoplankton refers to microscopic organisms that live in water (Lindsey, 2010). This phytoplankton, when in excess blocks the sunlight which is needed for eelgrass to thrive. Therefore, the presence of salt mars hes also benefits eelgrass. Harbour Marine Food Chains The excessive nutrients found in the salt marshes form food chains for marine species. Primarily, the plant matter that partially decays in the salt marshes forms a good source of food for marine species in the deeper waters. This decayed vegetation is taken away by the tidal waves into the ocean where it becomes the food of many marine animals. A two way process runs between aquatic

Is corporate social responsibility just a new trend or is it the Essay

Is corporate social responsibility just a new trend or is it the modern business modus operandi - Essay Example The author reckons that the best practices in modern business, variably referred to as â€Å"dominant coalition† play an important role in the identification of the appropriate combination of practices such as a strong and informed management. Great strides have taken place in ensuring that contributions in the social process are central in the definition of corporate goals. Corporate responsibility has therefore evolved to accommodate corporate social responsibility, which is more responsive of the social needs of the workforce as well as the surrounding society. Making the needs of the society an integral part of wealth creation in the modern corporate world shapes business at the highest community involvement level, by responding to social process in a sensitive approach. In this discourse, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is analyzed in terms of its modern and future usage in the corporate world, paying a special interest on its origins, applications, approaches, and interpretation. Flanked by a clear view of its impacts on decision making, the discourse ends by making inferences from the various perspectives (Money 2007, p1). In view of the basic observations contained in the paper, it is clear that CSR and its related business applications in the corporate world is perhaps one of the most dynamic machineries at the disposal of management. CSR can be traced back into the 1960s as a modification of corporate responsibility, which was an approach taking a corporation’s business targets off the usual and direct business players. In light of the roles of the philosophy behind establishment of CRS practices, it is clear that business objectives had to be shifted from purely business nature to incorporate some social aspects. According to Salzmann (2008, p8), contribution from scholars in the 1960s gave momentum to the CSR field as an emerging discipline in the corporate environment. The author reckons that the Bowen and McGuire through their contributions

Leave Your Name at the Border by M. Munoz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leave Your Name at the Border by M. Munoz - Essay Example Another reason the Mexicans prefer to adopt the English names when they get to America is to make it easy for people who cannot easily pronounce Spanish names. However, Munoz feels that the main reason is the attempt to hide their identity. Munoz argues that it has now become a custom for Mexican parents to give their children English names. He emphasizes on this point by giving an example of how her nephews, as well as second cousins and other children in his hometown, have evaded their Spanish name in favour of English ones. This paper is an analysis of Manuel Munoz essay, which attempts to demonstrate how Mexican Americans are increasingly deserting their culture particularly their names to assimilate English ones. As Munoz argues, Mexicans appear not to be proud of their culture. As much as they argue that they change their names to make it easy for other people to pronounce, it is not understandable why they would do so even in their own hometown. It is for sure a cultural problem when people completely alter their own way of life to assimilate another one. Names are very crucial since they are used for identification. Most names tell where a person comes from hence his or her culture. Altering one's name is thus a sign that one does not want to be associated with his or her culture. However, I think that the Mexicans have a reason for this. It happens that a lot of stereotyping against the Spanish h speakers exists such that people tend to generalize when they speak of Spanish speaking people. A name being a way of identifying one as Spanish, then those who do not want to be associated with anti-Mexican stereotypes have no choice but to assimilate new culture and avoid being viewed as illit erate (Munoz, 2007). Self-identification is very crucial and the fact that some Mexican Americans cannot even pronounce their names well and are astonished when some do it correctly, demonstrate the extent to which they have run away from their own culture.

The Human Nature of Prejudice Essay Example for Free

The Human Nature of Prejudice Essay Many people in society today have the mindset that being prejudice is wrong, especially as it relates to skin color and ethnicity. Social Psychology and Human Nature book describes prejudice as â€Å"an act of a wicked culture† (Roy F. Baumeister, Brad J. Bushman p. 402). Jim Cole’s description is: â€Å"Prejudices will be dealt with here as a single set of dynamics that function to dehumanize people who are identifiably different in some way from the people whose perceptions are limited by the dysfunction we call prejudice (Cole p1  ¶2). † This means that there dysfunctions in childhood structure and it has limited the person take on the world because of a certain disbelief. If taught wrong, you become more prejudice at the more dislike you see in your life growing up because these are your own perceptions on the society. However, being prejudice makes since because it is an acquired behavior. Prejudice does not always mean a person disliking or â€Å"hating† another person, or disliking someone because of their favorite color, height or weight, religious beliefs, etc. Most often times, people do not take notice that prejudice is happening to them until it is about race. If a person has a problem with someone else because they are not the same; different is seemingly fine. We all have problems, problems that can be solved with rehabilitation, some with great medicines and treatments, and others with just life. Some of our problems come from our past childhood. The way we are living and the choices we make could cause a problem; no matter what the situation is we face problems every day. Prejudice is what kind of problem we need to be aware of: socially, mentally, physically, and or most cases, for example, Dennis Rodman’s, psychologically. The problem arises when prejudice is carried out in aggression or when it is used to make people feel uncomfortable. As children, we are born into this world with many cultures already present. There are many things people are born to know. Then there are things that are learned and taught to us from our parents and society. For the most part, many children start off liking everything and everyone that does not physically harm them. It is understood that children do not learn and change behaviors themselves, and that culture influences personality, behavior, and the way in which children respond to those things and people that surround them. In my perspective, the way children learn right from wrong is the whole culture aspect existence. For example, children are indoors more with their family. Children adapt to their parents’ lifestyles, their views, values and beliefs, and their personalities. They learn quickly thus behaviors become a set way. Growing up, children learn how their parents respond to society, neighbors, political views, and even criminal situations. For example, children who commit crime or involve themselves in criminal activities are taught or learned this from somewhere like watching television, playing video games, or simply observing the behavior among family, friends, and loved ones. Richard Trembley said, â€Å"even though children are the most violent and aggressive human beings, they cannot express their anger and aggression because they may be too weak to do so† (p24). Trembley’s discovery on children at a daycare facility revealed that â€Å"25% of the interactions among children involve physical aggression† (p24). This proves that children can be born with natural aggression or be taught aggression. For instance, if you take a child’s toy their first instinct is to cry out of anger or hit you. Both crying and hitting are forms of outward aggression especially if a child throws a tantrum or â€Å"go bananas†. Chapter 10 of the text says this is called, â€Å"nature says go and culture says stop’ (p300). As children grow and mature, they learn how to control their aggression. Growing older force children to make choices and adjustments to the bad behaviors taught and learned earlier in childhood. As children begin to expose themselves to others, they quickly begin to learn from others they encounter. They learn about different cultures and different behavior other than their own or what they are familiar with. Assumptions and conclusions about people are analyzed, measured, and weighed out and behaviors begin to form. Case in point, a young girl dislikes men growing up because she experienced her father mistreating her mom with cheating, cursing, and fighting or simply no man was around in her life to learn positive things about. The girl sees a picture of her father and her mother would tell her that he is a bad man. Now, this becomes the girl’s maxim causing her to freak out or cry even meeting her mom’s new boyfriend. Even with other men, the girl would be hesitant and freak out because she has been brainwashed by her mother men are always trying to hurt or betray you. This probably would take a girl much longer to like men outside of a girl that have had a different experience being around positive men. As illustrated in the text, â€Å"prejudice is a negative feeling toward an individual based on his or her membership to a particular group† (p393). In the above example, the girl’s reaction to seeing men has become a negative feeling especially towards the particular male group. In today’s society, when a person hears the word prejudice, they automatically think racism when in fact it is something completely different. Although it is happening everywhere including in our schools systems, many do not notice that being prejudice is becoming a growing issue. In schools today, teenagers form many groups called jocks, nerds, popular kids, and thugs. Students who are athletic seem to have many favors and higher social ranks than other students. These students get recognition and are always lifted up as being higher than others. Others, such as nerds, are often picked at because of their ability to learn and excel higher than others and often looked down upon by the rest of the students. They usually never get in trouble and dress awkward to other students. The popular kids seem to be liked by everyone. They wear the best clothes and have the most friends. They seem to be everywhere and always involved in many activities. Then there are the thugs, who dress different, speak different, and display negative and hostile behavior almost in every situation possible as part of their expression and culture. All seem to have something unique that makes them very different but as a teenager there can be challenges. Teenagers tend to not like things and people that are different unless they have been taught otherwise. For example, when a child or teenager is moved constantly from foster home to foster home, there are many resentment and bad feelings inside the child. To connect with a family, children have to learn and figure a way to connect with a new family and build a bond just to get along with the family until they are taken away from that family. This seems harsh but it is reality. The experience teenagers feel every time they come across something different triggers that lashing out behavior. Trust, this is a persona feeling. Even though children may start off aggressive, children are brought up liking everything, but by socializing agents, they are taught to reject certain groups. Therefore, the jocks will dislike the nerds because of social and physical intimidation and the popular kids and thugs may dislike each other because of social power and self-centeredness thus creating bullying and a hostile environment in the school system. The bullying creates problem because negative feelings now have created negative actions, which turns into physical aggression, now discrimination occurs. Discrimination is â€Å"unequal treatment of different people based on the groups or categories to which they belong† (p393). The discrimination stage comes after the prejudice takes place. Many people see this stage as being worse than prejudice because this stage is where violence occurs like bullying, verbal aggression, emotional aggression, and physical aggression. As of 2009, 28 percent of kids 12 through 18 are subjected to this violence in school (DeVoe, Murphy). When a child is young, behavior can be influenced. Parents have the ability to discipline and chastise and correct bad behaviors but some children do not fully understand right from wrong. They tend to have differences with one another because of their lack of understanding. But when a child becomes a teenager, behavior is more difficult to change because views are set and so are their behaviors. The older a child becomes the more their decisions become their own. My parents would say, â€Å"The ball is in their court and their actions will reap with consequences. † Prejudice is not formed overnight. Children do not go to bed one night and wake the next morning with prejudice. There must be things or people to influence their beliefs. Some would argue the media, parenting, or a harsh experience is the blame. Whatever the case, prejudice form opinions before facts are known. To change prejudices, it is very important to change the social and media situations and the at-home dynamics that influence our children. Prejudice has been getting worse over the years now that technology is on the rise. There is one form known as cyber bullying. Cyber bullying refers to bullying or discrimination through communication technologies, methods such as mobile phone text messages, emails, phone calls, internet chat rooms, and instant messaging. They are often driven by anger, payback or frustration and this comes from again the intimidation this person may have with someone from a different social group. Kids are receiving these hurtful text messages and emails because the bully got their number from Facebook mobile. Social psychology is the scientific study of how people affect and are affected by others (3). We affect people just ask much as people affect us. These bullies don’t understand that they can bring about long term effects on the very people that they discriminated against and also, themselves. This affects them both physically and psychologically. Solutions to this are simple. The book explains an idea called the contact hypothesis. It says that maybe if two members from different groups were to meet more often, it would decrease racial tension and eventually reduce prejudice. Without the common interactions between the groups on a personal level, the prejudice increases. The interactions must be forced in order for it to have an effect. Psychologists are thinking if push to large conflicting groups together, over time the will little to no conflict. For example, two scientists conducted an experiment on new freshman college students. White and black college students were assigned either a black or a white roommate to live with for the year. These decisions were made by a flip of a coin so that it is a random selection. The results showed that at first some of the students where disgruntled about living in an interracial dorm room, conversely, the feeling of prejudice decreased dramatically by the end of the semester. The students needed time to adjust to their racially opposite roommate (Shook and Fazio 1). This study proves that change can affect us in a large way. In a way so shifting that the nature feeling of being disgruntled occurs. What humans fail to realize is that our ideas and decisions are chosen for us when we are young, however when we are older we began to make our own decisions: how we hang out with, our political preference, and what type of people we are. Society influences all of the above. If we want something, we can have it with hard work. This study takes the freedom of choice away and plants the student in a situation where you have to use what you have learned to handle it. As humans, we dislike change especially when it comes to a very large change such as living with the one race and culture all your life until now having to flip sides and live with someone who is completely different. This is why a person being prejudice is understandable. The big problem with society is the fear of the unknown because we are calm and content with the things that familiar to us. However, when change occurs our minds alert us that something is wrong. This is what creates the thought of being prejudice. You mind does not like what you see so your brain leads you to dislike that certain thing. This makes sense because culture is leading us to like everyone, but our society is leading us in a different. Not saying that everyone is prejudice but some things that a person does, says, or looks like that we just do not like. We are allowed to we are human it is in our blood to dislike. For example, in the Old Testament, â€Å"God divided humanity into two groups, the Jews and Gentiles. God made the Jews holy and he claimed the Jews to be his kingdom of priests† (Ephesians 2:14). However, in our human nature, the Jews because too proud of their role and picked on and despised the Jews. This is similar to the jocks, nerds, popular students, and thug situations going on in the schools. Still, even in biblical times, people were being prejudice of those less fortunate that they are. This supports my claim on how prejudice makes sense because we were created to be prejudice by our Creator. Additionally, to understand prejudice is to know the dynamics around it. Jim Cole, in his article, ask two questions, â€Å"Would you rather live in a land where discrimination is illegal, or would you rather live in a land where no one has the desire to discriminate† (p1)? These are both good questions. Cole explains this below: â€Å"To have a better grasp of how prejudices function we need to look at how we have learned prejudices. There are many stereotypes we learn as children. We do not test these and many times we do not have the opportunity to test them. We learn them as facts and behave as if they are the truth. Then, later in life, when situations come up, we behave automatically out of these earlier stereotyped learnings. This type of learning is not easily accessible for discussion or awareness, but it simply stays with us for later effortless, seemingly automatic application, since the learning is not tested and not challenged, it is not evaluated and not likely to be changed† (p1,  ¶5). Thus, giving people time and attention to adjust their behavior and make better decisions at the right time. This claim supports the idea that as children we learn ideas and certain behaviors and put them into action. Through life experiences, learning is put into action and consequences follows. As Cole illustrates in his article, there is a base of mixture of your childhood learning and what behaviors you have are reevaluated from society. The new way a person perceives the world is different because now they have made their own perception on how things operate psychologically. A mind can become more susceptible and prejudices can be eliminated all the while the behavior responses stays intact. In conclusion, prejudice is something that humans choose to do, but we do not do it on purpose. It comes from our childhood teachings about how to interact with society. This called social psychology. This is what my studying. Social psychology is the study on how our thoughts, feelings, actions, and behaviors are influenced by other people. We need people to survive. Without other people in society, a human would be another animal in the environment. Without people in our life to show us what is right and wrong we will be much disoriented people. Dennis Rodman is great example of the need for people in life. Throughout his life he showed Americans things that we thought were inhuman, but it was normal to him; the way he talked and thought, the way he dressed, and especially the things he did. Dennis Rodman lost his father at a young age. He always was a little weird. People made fun of him. When he was asked â€Å"is your dad the reason why you have a problem†, he responded the same way, â€Å"Some man bought me into this world, but that doesn’t mean I have a problem. † His mother never really had time to work with him and teach him about the real life. She was always working and his older siblings were there just as babysitters. Yes, there was discipline when needed but other than that he basically learned on his own or what he experienced. This style of childhood is what began his early sign of psychological issues. Everyone has a father and if we don’t ever see our father for 30+ years, then we should not be exempted from having a father. This is messing with Freud’s modern concept of physiology, the basis of human nature, one father, and one mother. Rodman is famous for his aggressive manners, many piercings, tattoos, and lively, multi-colored hair. This has to do with his child life with no father. According to Freud, Rodman was trapped in the phallic stage of psychosexual development. Since he had no father, he tended to cling to his mother more; since his mother constantly pushed him away he became very sick in the mind. Thus, creating the situation where he is unsure about his sexuality. Dennis Rodman was a person who didn’t know he liked or wanted out of life do he couldn’t have a specific prejudice toward anything. This supports the claim because Dennis Rodman was a person who did not have the correct people in his life to guide him; so when he was faced with a situation like his first sexual encounter with a woman, he found it as unpleasant because he probably never had the â€Å"sex talk† that most children have with their parents when they hit puberty. He claimed he was bisexual and that he was going to marry himself. He could not understand exactly what a good behavior was and that is why he acted the way he did. Dennis Rodman’s life and personality could really have many different reasons and different approaches that could all be explain thoroughly, but to me, I think that his childhood and played an enormous role in determining his character and the nature of person that is he. Rodman once said that â€Å"Relationships and athletes don’t mix†, with a different set of parents Dennis Rodman would be a 10 times better man that he is today. We know that we are the only things that can help us survive. Dennis Rodman is a good example of how we need people as direction to learn the certain things in life need to live in today’s society. He had no prejudice and because of it he did things from different cultures to see who he was. As humans we need to know who we are to be able to defend ourselves and our culture. When we know our culture is being threatened by another culture we tend to dislike those people; this why most black people are so combative with white people because they feel like they have history to protect and a race to stand up for. We fail to realize that society has turned the page in history and is now accepting of all types of people, or at least forced to by laws and regulations. I feel like some blacks are living in the past and they have not taken a looking into the present. The only thing to blame is the childhood. How they were raised and what they were exposed to is what molds them into who they are today. I think that being prejudiced can be fixed with simple education; not only informing the child about their culture but teach ways of other cultures and telling them the difference. This way the child can express any area of dislike and the lifetime thought of prejudice can possibly be refrained. The difference cannot be negative or it will solve anything and the child may still become prejudice, but now it’s a younger age. That is not the aim. The aim is allow the child to see later on in life and already have a saving knowledge about what they may see. In closing, being prejudice is not just something we do on our own, but it is an acquired behavior instilled in us when we are children. Works Cited Baumeister, Roy F. , and Brad J. Bushman. Social Psychology and Human Nature. Second Edtion. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2012. Culture Society. How to Overcome Prejudice. EHow. Demand Media, 18 Sept. 2007. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Cole, Jim. Understanding Prejudice. Beyond Prejudice, n. d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Rodman, D. (2012). Dennis rodman official page. Retrieved from http://www. dennisrodman. com/main DeVoe, Jill, Christina Murphy, and (ED) National Center for Education Statistics. Student Reports of Bullying and Cyber-Bullying: Results from the 2009 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Web Tables. NCES 2011-336. National Center for Education Statistics (2011): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 31 Oct. 2011. New International Version. Ephesians 2:14. Trans. The Bible, n. d. Web. 19 Dec. 2012. Schamotta, Justin. The Development of Prejudice. EHow. Demand Media, 06 June 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2012. Shook, Natalie J. , and Russell H. Fazio. Result Filters. National Center for Biotechnology Information. U. S. National Library of Medicine, 2008. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

Importance of Site Investigation for Development

Importance of Site Investigation for Development Lolita Misjune Contents (Jump to) Case study Introduction Objectives of the site investigation Procedure Benefits of a Desk Study and ground investigation In-situ test Cone penetration test Laboratory testing Calculations Soil profile Introduction The land on which development takes place has the fundamental influence on the behaviour of the structure which it supports and risks to which the future owners, users and occupiers will be exposed. The adequate investigation of any site is essential to the design of safe and economic foundations and to the detection of any contamination which may be present, with the associated responsibilities for control, protection or removal. Objectives of the site investigation To find out if the site and environment are suitable for target it has been determined. To provide adequate economical and commercial requirements as well as temporary works design. Plan and investigate the best way of construction and what materials are necessary. Predict physical or chemical changes which may occur during work process in site. If there are several possible ways suggest best. Design ways which may cause failure. Procedure The sequence of a site investigation is as follows: Planning Desk Study Site Reconnaissance/ Walk over survey Desk study/Preliminary information An important part in soil investigation is desk study. Collecting preliminary information is invaluable in assessing the requirements of a ground investigation for both environmental and geotechnical purposes. Well performed desk study helps in formulation of investigation work, pointing explicit places of contamination or geotechnical parameters. A well, executed desk study can help to formulate investigation work, targeting specific areas of contamination or geotechnical parameters, concluding in a cost effective and aimed investigation. Site assessment Site inspection Ground investigation Preliminary ground investigation Assessment Main ground investigation Laboratory testing Benefits of a Desk Study and ground investigation Mitigate/minimise risk Understanding of potential variations in ground conditions Can lead to economical design of foundations / geotechnical structures Reduce likelihood of unforeseen ground conditions Reduce chances of delays on site Quantify / qualify risk Accurate forecast of budgets In ground investigation it is possible to design and conduct geotechnical and environmental investigation. Ground investigation work is conducted closely together with clients and engineering team to discuss and provide a cost effective program of exploratory work. There is wide range of exploratory methods available for site ground investigation. Trial Pitting Window Sampling and Dynamic Probe Testing Cable Percussive Boreholes Rotary Drilled Boreholes Laboratory Testing Site work is followed by both geotechnical and chemical testing. For ground investigation in given situation could be used Cable Percussive Boreholes. These are appropriate for most projects. Cable percussive boreholes are a usual method of site investigation. This method offer a cost effective way of drilling within a range of soils varying from low strength alluvium to very stiff over consolidated clays, very weak to weak rock and dense granular soils. Cable percussive boreholes are also proficient of proceeding boreholes in different Made Ground soils, containing engineered fill and landfill materials where obstructions may come across. Using this method can be achieved 50m borehole. Drilling and trial pitting are normally carried out for a number of reasons, such as: to establish the general nature of the strata below a site to establish the vertical or lateral variability of soil conditions verify the interpretation of geophysical surveys to obtain samples for laboratory testing to allow in situ tests to be carried out to install instruments such as piezometers, or extensometers. In-situ test That testing is valuable for soil property information, gaging groundwater pressure, gathering moisture content data and other important data points. In-situ soil testing can be done in a variety of different ways. Depending on place and aim of analysis each test has its own benefit. That is very important for cost effectiveness and data preciseness to determine what test is appropriate for you. In the UK in situ testing is carried out when: Good quality sampling is impossible (for example, in granular soils, in fractured rock masses, in very soft or sensitive clays, or in stoney soils) the parameter required cannot be obtained from laboratory tests (for example, in situ horizontal stress); when in situ tests are cheap and quick, relative to the process of sampling and laboratory testing (for example, the use of the SPT in London clay, to determine undrained shear strength); and most importantly, for profiling and classification of soils (for example, with the cone test, or with dynamic penetration tests). Options for In-Situ Soil Testing Procedures Astandard penetration test Acone penetration test A piezocone penetrometer probe A flat plate dilatometer test Etc. Cone penetration test However, the most precise anddetailed in-situ soil testing for determining a wide variety of technical data is Cone Penetration Testing (CPT), for this reason I would carry on this test in given situation. This test is dynamic, cost effective and has been broadly accepted as a simplified solution that provides useful information. Laboratory testing Laboratory testing is part of the physical survey. As an essential part of site investigation, the need for laboratory tests will often dictate the type and frequency of sample to be taken, and will therefore control the method of forming boreholes In laboratories can be done wide variety of tests which can`t be done in site, however economical side of investigation has an important role. For example more complex tests require a longer testing time and for reasons of time and economy these tests are carried in laboratories. During test can be measured both – direct properties of soil or index properties used to deliver useful information about the soil without taking any direct measurements of property. Laboratory tests are such as Atterberg limits California bearing ratio Hydraulic conductivity tests Expansion Index test etc In given example one used was falling head permeameter test, from results of that were calculated hydraulic conductivity and permeability cofficient. Calculations After performing permeameter test in order to find the vertical permeability of the sand were calculated coefficient of permeability and hydraulic conductivity. L: the height of the soil sample column A: the sample cross section a: the cross section of the standpipe Δt: the recorded time for the water column to flow though the sample h1= hydraulic head on specimen at time t1, cm, h2= hydraulic head on specimen at time t2, cm Nd: number of potential drops Nf: number of flow channels Nd=11-1=10 Nf=3*2=6 Soil profile In soil science and assessment key concept is soil profile. Knowing soil profile helps to investigate processes that have taken in soil development, assess soil features and types of soil which appear and is foundation for their classification. Scientists have developed methods to define the various components and characteristics of the soil profile. Soil profile helps to predict how the soil might be used By using common terminology, soil profile descriptions are valuable for deciding how the soil might be used and/or predicting how the soil might react to its intended use. Soil profiles, a more scientific test, evaluate three critical aspects of the soil that may have the potential to cause an on-site sewage system to malfunction. The texture of soil in area of the proposed on-site sewage system The presence or absence of water saturated soils The depth to an impervious soil layer (rock) All three parameters are used to design the most appropriate on-site system for your property. Bag samples of the predominant soil types encountered shall be collected from selected soil profile borings to provide specimens for engineering classification, moisture-density (standard or modified Proctor), and California bearing ratio (CBR) testing. These samples also consist of soil cuttings generated by the augering process. Care should be exercised not to combine different soil types for the same bag sample. Samples that will be used for a combination of classification, moisture-density, and CBR testing shall be a minimum of 50 pounds. One of methods of determining soil profile is cone penetration method. CPT truck is fast and low-cost method to conduct subsurface examination. Results are available directly, allowing on the fly mapping of stratigraphy and other subsurface features. A CPT sounding is made by pushing a small probe into the ground. Typically, a 3.6-centimeter-diameter probe (cone) is pushed into the ground to depths ranging from 15 to 30 meters. The cone is advanced downward at a constant velocity of 2 centimeters per second, using hydraulic rams that apply the full 23-ton weight of the CPT truck to push the probe rods to depth. In typical CPT soundings, the resistance to penetration is measured. Continuous measurements are made of the resistance to penetration of the tip and the frictional sliding resistance of the sleeve of the cone. Report Preliminary report or feasibility study Planning of main Preliminary report Financial report (Return of investment) Final report Lolita Misjune March 2015

Professional Athletes who Cheat in Sports Essay -- steroids, asca, bal

Professional athletes are role models to the American children across the Nation. Professional athletes must follow ethical standards to play fairly in their sport. This means that players must compete without the assistance of performance enhancing drugs such as steroids (Tynes, 2006). Yet, professional athletes choose to cheat by taking illegal substances, which results in the death of some players and a wide variety of health problems. The Federal Government realized that the use of anabolic steroids is a form of cheating and defrauds the players and fans of â€Å"real† competition. As a result, for the concern of the athletes’ health and concern for the ethical standards of the game played, the Anabolic Steroid Act of 1990 (ASCA) was enacted (Tynes, 2006). The ASCA was passed to help the growing concerns of the wide spread of harmful substances that could cause long- term effects (Tynes, 2006). The ASCA made it illegal to take an unapproved substance while playing a professional sport. This research paper will examine professional athletes who participated in the major leagues and Olympic Games who used steroids to defraud the Major Leagues Business and Olympic Associations to gain fame and fortune. The paper will examine the BALCO scandal (CNN.com, 2014), where many professional athletes admitted to taking steroids to improve physical sports performance. The BALCO scandal "outs" players from the American National sports leagues to Olympic competitive sports. A cover up of drug use led to not just a few but many players who chose to use steroids to improve their game. The case went to the courts and left many players to tell the ugly truth about other professional players. In some cases, the players denied responsibility and ... ...BILITY OF THE LEAGUES?. Marquette Sports Law Review, 17(2), 651-678. Thompson, T. (2007) Giambi admits he took steroids. DailyNews. New York. Tynes, J. (2006) Performance Enhancing Substances: Effects, Regulations,and the Pervasive Efforts to Control Doping in Major Leagues. Journal of Legal Medicine. 27:493-509. Unknown Author (2014) Barry Bonds convicted of obstruction of justice in performance-enhancing-drugs case. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. USAToday (2007) BALCO Investigation Timeline. USA TODAY SPORTS ONLINE NEWSPAPER. Retrieved from: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/balco-timeline.htm USAToday (2007) Mitchell Report Timeline. USA TODAY SPORTS ONLINE NEWSPAPER. Retrieved from: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2007-12-13-mitchell-report-timeline_N.htm Wikipedia (2014) BALCO Scandal. Retrieved from Wikipedia.com on March 14, 2014.

Communication in Marriage Essay

Marriage is a beautiful thing, but at times can be very challenging. Making a commitment and keeping it takes a lot of work and patience. One reason that a marriage may face a problem is due to the lack of communication. At certain times women may need someone to hear them out whereas on the other hand men want someone to give them advice and support. In â€Å"His Talk, Her Talk† by Joyce Maynard, the author introduces us to her marriage and communication between her and her husband. In the other article â€Å"Man to Man, Women to Women† by Mark A. Sherman and Adelaide Haas, talks more about how men talk more directly and women think, and watch what they say. In â€Å"His Talk, Her Talk† by Joyce Maynard, she gives us an outlook on her marriage and the way she communicates with her husband. Maynard states that the opposite sexes are usually excluded from the conversation, such as the idea that there is a thing as â€Å"men’s talk† or â€Å"women’s talk† (Maynard 31). Men and women usually divide into two groups when there is a party or any sort of gathering. Immediately we redistributed ourselves which was a shame (Maynard 31). This tends to happen often and one may wonder as to why? Why can’t men and women have a long conversation about certain subject that both are interested in? Some women may argue that speaking to another woman, their point will be taken a lot more seriously whereas men tend to disregard the entire point altogether. Men like to have more simple straight forward conversation that gets to the point. Women are more verbal and they like to express themselves and detail their conv ersations. In the article â€Å"Man to Man, Women to Woman† by Mark A. Sherman and Adelaide Haas, the authors use a questionnaires, interviews, and observations to see how different types of genders communicate. Herman and Haas, in their research tested one hundred sixty-six women and 110 men, ranging in age from seventeen to 80, returned a questionnaire asking how often they discussed each of 22 topics with friends of the same sex (Herman and Haas 33). Women’s topic tends to be closer to the self and more emotional than men’s (Sherman and Haas 33). This does not mean that men do not have emotional talks; it just takes a right person to bring it out of them. As stated in the article men can be good listeners, as well as women can give direct advice (Sherman and Haas 33). Communication is key to any happy relationship whether it may be a marriage, girlfriends or just male companionship, women and men due indeed complete each other. When a woman is full of emotions, the man is always there to comfort her. Men tend to bottle up their emotions and they know that they can open up to a woman for emotional support. The first article â€Å"His Talk, Her Talk† by Joyce Maynard, was acknowledgement of her own personal life, whereas the second article â€Å"Man to Man, Woman to Woman† by Sherman and Haas, was based on the questionnaire and observation of other women and men and how they communicate. I would recommend the article â€Å"Man to Man, Women to Women† by Sherman and Haas, because it is well written, explaining the core problems that men and women have in their communication between one another. Citation Maynard, Joyce, †His Talk, Her Talk† Text and Contexts: A Contemporary Approach to College Writing. Ed. William S. Robinson et al. Boston Wadsworth, 2009. Print Sherman, Mark and Haas, Adelaide. â€Å" Man to Man, Woman to Woman† Text and Contexts: A Contemporary Approach to College Writing. Ed. William S. Robinson et al. Boston Wadsworth, 2009. Print