Wednesday, October 30, 2019

A Comparison of Young Goodman BrownandMy Kinsman, Major Molineux Essay

A Comparison of Young Goodman BrownandMy Kinsman, Major Molineux - Essay Example 171)†. It is certainly given an important place amongst all his works and the story itself can be seen as an allegory to represent the cultural changes which were coming to the country at the time the tale was written. The protagonist i.e. Robin, has to accept his loss of innocence and his coming of age much as the culture during Hawthorne’s time was undergoing changes. The change is also reflected in the world in which the story is set since everything appears to new and shining. Even the clothes of the common people are described as, â€Å"Embroidered garments of showy colors, enormous periwigs, gold-laced hats, and silver-hilted swords (Hawthorne, 1851, Pg. 1213)†. While the city streets had a modern culture, Robin was following the things he had learnt from his comparatively backwards environment. Hawthorne describes the contrast that Robin saw by saying, â€Å"Traveled youths, imitators of the European fine gentlemen of the period, trod jauntily along, half dancing to the fashionable tunes which they hummed, and making poor Robin ashamed of his quiet and natural gait (Hawthorne, 1851, Pg. 1213)†. This difference is only one of the ways that the journey pushes Robin into growing up and as discussed by Pearce (2001), â€Å"as we might expect in the case of a boy from the village wandering into Hogarths London, he is obliged to resist the entreaties of a lady of the evening (Pearce, 2001, Pg. 19)†. This representation of Robin in a place which is quite gaudy and more or less frightening is taken by Bermer (1981) to be a representation of all America since the country itself was trying to come to terms in â€Å"dealing with urbanization and industrialization (Bermer, 1981, Pg. 49).† Robin is quite taken by what he sees but is also in conflict since he is quite uncomfortable with the society he sees. In fact, this position of Robin becomes the primary message of the story and this idea is supported by by Herbert (1991) who says that, â€Å"My

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Sex In Advertising Media Essay

The Sex In Advertising Media Essay Today we live in a world that sex sells mostly everything. People from all over the world are constantly bombarded with an increasing amount of sexual advertising messages whether it is seen on television, magazines, billboards, or even heard on the radio. Advertisers use sexual clips and photos in their ads or commercials to make a long lasting impression on the consumers. Sex in advertising The amount of partially and fully nude models has severely increased over the years and is more popular now than ever. Advertisers use sex as a tool to draw additional attention to a specific product and are known to be one of the most persuasive tools used by both marketers and advertisers. Advertisements often touch the borderline of the forbidden, with the emphasis of attracting attention (Heckler et. al, 2001). The limits are consistently being pushed to see how far advertisers can go. From the beginning of the 20th century focusing on a womens calf below her skirt would be enough to pass the limit for what was tolerated, and now the advertisements being used today would easily be considered as pornography. Problem Pictures, sounds, and stories, are a form of sexual information that has proven to have stirred up a variety of emotional reactions within viewers (Heckler et. al, 2001). Sexual appeals can generally be defined as messages; it can be shown through brand information in advertising contexts or as persuasive appeals in social marketing contexts, which has a connection with sexual information. In advertising, there are different types of sexual information (Lambiase Reichert, 2003). Lambiase and Reichert identified five different types of sexual content in advertising, which are nudity, sexual behavior, physical attractiveness, and sexual referents. The usage of sex appeal in advertisement Throughout the past twenty years, the exposure of sex appeal in advertising has become more or less common (Henthorne LaTour, 1994). The reality of sexual appeals in advertising is widespread in throughout many parts of the world and it is often thought of as fulfilling stimulating and arousing fantasies (Gould, 1994). Stephen J. Gould, further states that the ethics and morality of sex appeals continues to be contested, much as sexual norms and traditions in general have been challenged throughout history. A review of remaining research indicates complex connections between the usage of nudity in an advertisement and numerous lengths of advertising efficiency (ibid). The research on the use of nudity in an advertisement has found that although nudity may increase and bring forth attention it may also decrease the attention toward the brand name (Belch, Severn, 1990). Refering to a study by Richins (1991) it was stated that about half the time or even more frequently, more than 50 per cent of respondents said that when they see clothing advertisements and cosmetic advertisements, they compare themselves to the models in the advertisements. After viewing beautiful models or highly attractive individuals, for example in television advertisements or even on the cover of a Victoria Secret catalog, viewers tend to rate the attractiveness of more ordinary looking people lower than they would otherwise (ibid). Sexual appeal directed to youth Sex and sexism in advertising justify further discussion, as marketers target young audiences with sexual appeals and marketers use sexual imagery to sell products to teenagers and young adults (Reichert, 2003). The effect of sexual content in advertising may be heightened for young adults, for whom sexual expression and experiences are still relatively new and therefore sexual content is often targeted to young adults (ibid). The author states that advertising creators are producing sexual appeals for products targeted to young adults, and media planners are placing these advertisements in media consumed by younger audiences. Much of todays sexual advertising targets youth, yet there is little data in existing research to show how the youth react to such advertisement. Literary Review Arousal and response in the context of sexual advertisement stimuli Lambiase and Reichert (2003) claim that men and women perceive sexual appeals in advertisement differently. When showing the men and women a print advertisement of explicit female nudity women reacted tenser then men did. When men viewed the print advertisement, they reacted with energy arousal instead of tension arousal (ibid). In a study that was conducted, one group of participants was exposed to an advertisement with nude erotic appeal while a second group was shown an advertisement with semi erotic appeal (Lambiase Reichert, 2003). The participants in the two groups were shown an advertisement similar to each other, showing a women modeling on a beach, but the advertisement with the seminude model was masked by a perfume bottle. Both of the groups attitudes towards the brand were then evaluated. The outcome of the experiment showed that the advertisements with nude erotic appeal were negatively influencing consumers attitudes to the brand. The group that was shown the semi-nude advertisement displayed a positive association toward the brand (ibid). The author also concludes that these results indeed undermine the idea that sex sells; this is especially true when it comes to female respondents. Sexual appeals perceived by men and women in advertising Treise and Weigold (1994) argue that although it is often believed that sex sells, it sells at the consequence of controversy. This statement was supported by the author, who conducted this study. The sample responses showed that a large amount of consumers are bothered by the use of sex in advertisements. About half of the participants in the study felt that there is nothing wrong with using sexual advertisements to sell products if it is perceived as tasteful. Although participants believed that there was too much sex in advertising. More than half of the respondents in Treise and Weigolds (1994) study felt that nudity in advertising is not appropriate for general interest in magazines; almost as high figure of the respondents thought that sexual advertisements play a role in a teenagers decision to become sexually active. Men and womens response to nudity in advertising Smith et. al, (1995) have studied how partially nude models in advertising influence consumers. Authors refer back to prior studies, where they found a common finding that sexual stimulus in advertising draw attention away from brand information. Also people who viewed the advertisement will notice the difficulty in remembering the brand due to the advertisements sexual content. However, the authors repeatedly state that nudity or sexual content in an advertisement increases the consumers arousal. Increased arousal takes some responsibility for consumers increased recognition of sexual content in advertisements. As stated by Smith et. al, (1995) Advertisements with sexual content or nudity increases recognition; meanwhile, it decreases the brand recognition. The authors also states that men were more receptive to advertisements containing female nudity, but women were more favorable to advertisements with a nude male. Smith et. al, (1995) state that previous research has identified important variables that support whether nudity is considered to be effective and or ineffective in advertisements. The research showed that nudity should be avoided in situations where it can give off a negative thought our feeling, like an inappropriate product; however, the authors claim that nudity works better for products such as, alcohol and fragrances, the main reason for this is that sex appeal promote products better than others. Although majority of consumers will be aroused by advertisements containing sexual stimuli, it is important to remember that not all arousal is beneficial to the advertiser (ibid). Data Collection When collecting data for the research it can be either collected for the first time which is called primary and/or information that already exists which is secondary data. According to Yin (2003) it is more convenient to use secondary data. Yin (2003) says there are six different ways evidence can be collected. These are through documents, records, interviews, direct observation, participant-observation, and physical artifacts. Each of these do not have an advantage over the other (ibid). The method I used to collect data for this study is interviews, documentation, and observations. My secondary data will be the documentation and observations will be my primary data. Interviews will be the major source for my primary data collection. my reason for choosing interviews as my major source is because of its strength. It allows me to directly focus on the topic of my thesis. Yin (2003) believes that an interview can have potential disadvantages and can be biased because of the poor constructed questionnaires. There is also a risk for reflexivity. This is where the interviewed person will tell the interviewer what he or she wants to hear. A focus interview was used to conduct my thesis. The interview will be used to prove or disprove the theories of this study. This type of interview can be done in different ways. Interviews through the telephone are less expensive and also are time efficient; therefore telephone interviews are extremely useful when dealing with an interview that is far away; yet, face to face personal interviews can be time consuming and involve more complex questions. The personal contact during an interview also allows the interviewer to obtain more feedback from the respondent. The type of focused interview I used for this thesis is a focus group; my research was done through two focus group interview sessions. For my sample selection I chose students from Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo, California. The choice of respondents was based on my own personal preference. I thought that targeting this specific group was interesting because I would get to research what the students of Arroyo High thought about sex in advertising. Because this group of people is in high school they are considered to be under developed and immature when it comes to sex. Also they are still at an age where advertising can easily influence them. Interviews Young men The case study was conducted through two focus group interviews, one group including women and one group including men. In the first interview several students from Arroyo High School were selected. The male students participating in the focus group interview were born in 1995- 1996. The individuals participating were told that the aim of this session was not to make them agree upon one solution, but to bring forth their individual perceptions and attitudes. The focus group interview started with me showing them five magazine advertisements (appendix 2 6). The reason for doing this was to stimulate their minds in order to improve the upcoming questions. At first, the males articulated that sex sells. The group agreed that a sexual advertisement had to contain a women that was really good looking in order to be considered an erotic advertisement. The physical appearance being above the average looking individual was very important to the group when deciding if the advertisement was sexual or not. One respondent said: Sex is common nowadays, companies should think of parodying sex in advertisements. Is there too much sex in advertising and is there a limit where it becomes offensive? This question caused a lot of debate. Overall the group stated that there was too much sex in advertising. Here are some remarks from the discussion: Young children 10-14 years old as well as many of us high school students get the wrong idea. It is okay if the people are semi-nude, but not completely naked. If the sexual advertisement doesnt have much to do with the product, then there is probably too much sex involved. Is okay to use sex in advertisements? The students all agreed as long as it is used properly; otherwise, it is not okay.. One student claimed: Sexual appeal in advertisements if it promoting fragrances or lotion, but not okay when it is used for yogurt. Another respondent stated, and got support for the statement from the group: Sometimes the advertisers go too far. Do advertisements with erotic appeal change your attitude toward a brand? This question had a split answer. Some pointed out that they do not change their attitude towards the brand because the advertisement is sexual; however, two boys stated that sometimes they do. One respondent commented: If the advertisement is too sexual, I most likely will not purchase that product. The other respondents answered: if the advertisement is sexual and not relevant to the product, then my attitude usually changes towards that brand or product. You do not have the energy to care if the advertisement is sexual, you might change attitude but you do not have the energy to change buying behavior. Personally, sex in advertising is not enjoyable anymore. Do advertisements with attractive models change your comparison standards for physical attractiveness? All but one guy claimed that their standards changed after looking at attractive models in an advertisement. Also after viewing advertisements the respondents admitted they had higher standards for how the girls should look. Young women The second interview at Arroyo High included several female students born between the years 1995-1996. The focus group session was conducted in the same manner as the first one. Initially, the respondents discussed in general how they define sexual appeal in advertising. Some of the female respondents defined sexual appeal in the following way: It has a sexual appeal if they move slowly in combination with soft lightning. It does not have to include nudity to have sexual appeal.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨ Strong attraction in their eyes can tell you that it really looks like he or she wants sex.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Majority of the female students did not mention physical attractiveness, but instead talked about the importance of the actor/ actresses movement. Is there too much sex in advertising and is there a limit where it becomes offensive? The female students all seemed to agree on the following: The companies do not gain anything with sexual appeal in advertising since everybody has it. To me, advertisements based on sexual appeal do not stand out.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨The female students believed that an advertisement becomes offensive when the nudity has no connection to the product. Is okay to use sex in advertisements? The female students did not agree, they believed that sexual appeal could be used if it had a relevant purpose in the advertisement. One of the respondents mentioned, For example, a sexual advertisement is okay when it is promoting condoms. Do advertisements with erotic appeal change your attitude toward a brand? The opinions amongst the respondents were split. Some claimed that they did not think of the advertisement when buying a product. Other said that it changed their opinion about the product and instead chose a similar product. One student stated: You do not think about the advertisement when you buy a product. Another girl claimed: It might change attitude towards the brand and you might choose another brand if the advertisement you saw is bad and corny. This has happened to me before. You get a negative attitude if the advertisement is too sexual. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨Do advertisements with attractive models change your comparison standards for physical attractiveness? The female students all agreed that it does not change their perception of how your friends look, because of their personality. Although, they did agreed that it changed their outlook of people they do not know. One of the girls explained it like this: If you meet a guy on the street it can happen that you compare him with good looking models in advertisements.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨ One of the girls also claimedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨I often find myself comparing the men in advertisements with my boyfriend. Data Analysis The survey participants believed that being nude is very different than sex appeal. The students in both the girls and boys group agreed that all the models in the advertisements I showed them were very good looking and not the average girl next door, which played a great role in how the advertisements were perceived. According to Lambiase and Reichert (2003) there are different types of sexual information in advertising; nudity, sexual behavior, psychical attractiveness and sexual referents. As previously stated, the respondents agreed that the different types of advertisement are considered to be sexual. From my research I found that men believe physical attractiveness is a more important factor than women think. Men claimed that in order for an advertisement to be of sexual content the women in the ad had to be extremely good looking. This backs up Ramirez and Reichert theory; that physical attractiveness was twice as important to men than it is to women. The male respondents did not feel bitterness towards attractive models in advertisements like women did. They explained that they realize people in advertising are perfect because they are retouched. Richins (1991) states that young adult females compare their level of attractiveness with models in advertisements, and women also tend to envy their beauty. This shows that Richins theories concerning young women feeling envy towards attractive models are not applicable to young men. Furthermore, beautiful models in advertisements are supposed to change the comparison standards for physical attractiveness (ibid). The majority of the respondents agreed to this and stated that they have higher demands on how a girl is supposed to look like due to the models in advertisements. Some of the respondents thought that the reason why many young females have bad self- self-assurance is because they are constantly fed with advertisements showing how they are supposed to look. However, some of the respondents claimed that advertisement had nothing to do with how they want to look. According to Richins (1991) young adult females feel envy and compare their beauty with models in advertisements targeted toward them. The respondents supported this theory. The respondents claimed, except for one who stated that she was not affected by models in advertisements, that the self-perception of physical attractiveness was lowered by advertisements including physical attractive models. Some of the respondents pointed out the fact that they subconsciously changed their perception after they have been exposed to eye-catching models. Richins (1991) states that exposure to advertising with idealized images of physical attractiveness lowers, at least temporarily young adult females satisfaction and self-perception of their own physical attractiveness. The discussion between the focus group confirmed this. The respondents mentioned if they were walking down the street it is extremely likely that they will have a higher comparison standard for physical attractiveness after looking at attractive models in advertisements. However, they quickly point out that it did not change their view of their friends since personality is important to them. According to Richins (1991) exposure to advertising with idealized images of physical attractiveness will raise young females comparison standards for physical attractiveness. Conclusion The findings of my thesis imply that there are some similarities between the data gathered and the research stated of how young men react to sexual appeal in advertising. However, there are also some differences. My findings suggest that young men believe there is too much sex in advertising, especially in cases where the product has no connection with sexual appeal whatsoever. Additionally, young men believe that advertisements can be discriminating both to men and women, since the models that are appearing in these advertisements are based on sexual appeal and are often well trained and good-looking. My research also suggest that nudity in advertisement is so common today that even though advertisements include unnecessary nudity young men do not change their purchasing behavior, even if the attitude towards the brand may change. Previous research confirms the change in attitude, but the fact that buying behavior does not change has not been brought up in earlier research. The focus groups suggested different products where they believed it is okay to use sexual appeal in advertising. One example is in advertisements for fragrances. The focus group also mentioned a non-suitable sexual advertisement was ice cream. Additionally my findings suggest that young men do not feel any bitterness or jealously towards models in advertisements because they are aware that the models in advertisements are retouched to for a more tasteful appearance. However, the respondents in my focus group brought up the fact that they believe people in general change their self-perception of physical attractiveness due to attractive models in advertisements. They also claimed that the comparison standard for physical attractiveness increased after viewing an advertisement, with a stunning woman, that is based on sexual appeal. My research also suggests that female respondents believe there is too much sex in advertising. This is especially true when it comes to products that have no association with sexual appeal. Also, young women believe an advertisement can be discriminating. Results show that young women believe that women are often portrayed as sexual objects in advertisements. In addition, the research also suggests that some young women change their attitude towards a brand and in some cases buying behavior if the advertisement is bad and too sexual. According to my findings young women are affected by sexual appeal in advertisement. This is due to the fact that the models in the advertisement are extremely attractive. This affects the self-confidence of young women according to the participants of the focus group. According my research, the reason for this is because young women are constantly targeted with advertisements based on sexual appeal which includes attractive models. Other findings suggest that young womens comparison standard for physical attractiveness increased concerning casual meetings. However respondents from the focus group claimed that comparison standards for friends were not increased since they had a personality which according to the focus group member is much more important. Todays adolescences are used to the sexual content showed in advertisement. Therefore I think that the corporations should rethink before choosing sexual appeals as a topic in their campaigns. Since sexual appeals are so common today that people do not react to it anymore. If the advertisement contains sexual behavior that is not in accordance with the product, it is very likely that people might change their attitude towards that product. If corporations use sexual appeal the wrong way in advertisements, people, or in this case, the youth will be against them and maybe go as far as not purchasing the product. Corporations might consider using other tools than sex in advertising, since sex is that common today. Sometimes a product works better with other appeals, such as humor, fear or even guilt. References Belch, G.E. Severn, J. (1990). The effects of sexual and nonsexual advertising appeals and information level on cognitive processing and communication effectiveness. Journal of advertising, Vol. 19 Issue 1. ISSN 0091-3367 Gould, S.J. (1994). Sexuality and ethics in advertising: A research agenda and policy guideline perspective. Journal of advertising, Vol. 23 Issue 3. ISSN 0091-3367. Heckler, S.E., Jackson, S. Reichert, T. (2001). Sexual Appeals in advertising. Journal of advertising, Vol. 30 Issue 1. ISSN 0091-3367. Henthorne, T.L. LaTour, M.S. (1994). Ethical judgments of sexual appeals in print advertising. Journal of advertising, Vol. 23 Issue 3. ISSN 0091-3367. Lambiase, J. Reichert, T. (2003). Sex in advertising. Mahwah, New Jersey : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. ISBN 0-8058-4117-2. Reichert, T. (2003). The prevalence of sexual imagery in ads targeted to young adults. Journal of consumer Affairs, Vol. 37 Issue 2. ISSN 0022-0078. Richins, M.L. (1991). Social Comparison and the idealized images in advertising. Journal of consumer research, Vol. 18. ISSN 0093-5301. Smith, S.M., Anton, M.R., Haugtvedt, C.P. Jadrich, J.M. (1995). Understanding responses to sex appeals in advertising: An individual difference approach. Advances in consumer research, Vol. 22. ISSN 0098-9258. Treise, D. Weigwold, M.F. (1994). Ethics in advertising: ideological correlates of consumer perceptions. Journal of advertising, Vol. 23 Issue 3. ISSN 0091-3367. Yin, R.K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods. (3rd ed.). Thousand oaks, California : Sage Publications Inc. ISBN 0-7619-2553-8. Appendices 1-6 Appendix 1: Interview questions I will start by showing the group the pictures of the advertisements and then the participants will discuss what they see and feel about the material. When the group is done expressing their reactions I will continue by asking them the following questions: Question 1: Is there too much sex in advertising and is there a limit where it becomes offensive? Question 2: Is okay to use sexual appeal in advertisement? Question 3: Do advertisements with erotic appeal change your attitude toward a brand? Question 4: Do advertisements with attractive models change your comparison standards for physical attractiveness? After the questions I asked if the group wanted to add anything else. Appendix 2 http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu151/brosjdm/erotic.jpg Appendix 3 Appendix 4 http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo126/theybf/Feb%2009/0905a17e.jpg Appendix 5 http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs20/i/2008/304/1/a/Erotic_hug_by_fdesign74.jpg

Friday, October 25, 2019

Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

We are to leave here today with a new set of wings. Wings of which we have crafted through our years of attending school. Some will soar high with their strong wings built of good personality and hard work; others will glide through life needing repairs. If we leave here today with one thing, let it be the power to achieve the goals that we’ve set forth for ourselves. Most of us have been helped through our four years at Big Falls, whether it be Bridgette Moore with advice on life, Mr. Bridgett checking if you’re on track to graduate, Mr. Young always letting your flaws stand out, Mr. Nrure pushing you to not make any bad decisions and especially Mr. Floss who taught me that a woman can go beyond the stereotypes and learn how to weld. It’s now time for us all to build our own lives and express our true individuality. Think for a moment about all that we’ve accomplished; we’re a strong group of kids with a world of hope waiting for our true colors to shine through. Together we’re a rainbow in the sky. Life has put in front of us many doors, it is only up to us to build behind those doors. Fellow graduates — let’s show society what can be made out of our time and fly out of here today with your wings spread wide, your head held high and your hopes as bright as sunshine. Let your dreams lead the way, only stopping to make the best of everything. Let’s take what we’ve learned throughout the past 13 years and astound the world with our minds. With all the rivers to choose from, surely one will bring you to an ocean of opportunities. Take time to thank all those who have been there for you and helped your journey run more smoothly. Take time to thank your family for being strong and holding you up, and especially take time to thank yourself for only being the individual you are.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Regard to the play Essay

The 1st act of any play is more than just an exposition. It shows the strengths and weaknesses of the playwright clearly. Comment on this in regard to the play. There are certain aspects the playwright has to keep in mind when he writes the first act of his play. Usually, most of the first acts of plays are as already mentioned, expositions. The writer introduces the protagonist, the antagonist, the setting of the time. Moreover, not only does he set the mood for the rest of the play but he also starts building some dramatic tension between his characters and starts giving us hints about what is going to happen next. But apart from all this, the most difficult thing the playwright has to do in the first act is make it interesting and gripping. This is extremely significant because if the first act of the play is not gripping enough, the readers won’t like to go ahead. This situation is just like how, on a bad foundation, any kind of structure won’t last long and so nothing can be built upon it. So, the dramatist is supposed to catch the reader’s interest and then retain it too, making the first act almost like a mini play in itself. To make the first act attention-grabbing, the dramatist must introduce a conflict – between characters, between situations – and thus build the dramatic tension of the play. This is similar to what Ibsen did in doll’s house. He not only made the readers meet Nora Helmer but he also showed changes in her character in the first act itself. At the outset, Nora was very frivolous and perky but later in the act, she seemed a much more mature woman than one perceived before. Thus Ibsen, as a writer, managed to take his readers through all the subtle nuances in Nora’s character. This came out as Ibsen’s major strength. He showed Nora as silly yet sensible, lying yet truthful, making her character a complete rollercoaster for the readers in the first act itself. The other characters he introduced were torvald and mrs. linde. Where both these characters came to be very linear, Mrs. Linde’s role was more than just Nora’s friend. She was a foil which Ibsen introduced to make us understand Nora in a much better way by contrasting her with Mrs. Linde. Therefore, as one can see, Ibsen took so much pain, put in so much effort, only for making us relate to Nora in as much depth as possible. This was also Ibsen’s another strength which came up in the first act. It was his asset because he knew that his protagonist is unconventional since she is going to walk out on her husband and children for something which people in that time thought to be very trivial – self-respect. Therefore, he recognized the fact that he must do something to make his readers relate with Nora’s emotions and so he used the techniques of contrasting – by using mrs. linde as foil, foreshadowing – by hinting in Nora’s dialogues about what is going to happen later in the play and showing and telling and thus created such an act where if nothing, at least he left the readers curious about Nora and wanting to know more about her and about what happened to her, if not curious about the rest of the play.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Informative Speech over Immigration Essay

As an individual who has witnessed family friends of immigrants that came to this country over 20 years ago in hope of a better future. I understand why so many immigrants are willing to cross a border so dangerous and treacherous to reach a country that is called the land of opportunities. What we call The Unites States of America the land of the free. An average of 2,700 illegal immigrants are willing to cross the border each day leaving there families and risking their own life’s to cross to the US. Mostly in the news we tend to hear only the superficial fact but never the real facts or the stories of the capture immigrants. If we would just take time to listen to the real stories of what I called the unforgotten children and women. We could understand the reason why immigrants are willing to take such a difficult decision to cross a border in order to improve their life styles of their families within the economy, escape prosecution of gangs and looking for a better future for the children. The majority of individuals take advantage of the economy while immigrants lack the ability of this advantage. We were given the basic necessities or even more. This country has given us the opportunity to have dreams and make those dreams come true. Many children in other countries are not given the same chance or choices that we have. In the pass year there has been an increase of 50% more immigrants children’s trying to cross the border and the percentage continues to increase each year. Many of these children have a reason to leave their families and take a dangerous journey up north on their own; either with little or no money or even just cloths on their back. While immigrants are crossing the border to have a better economy, some also chose to cross the border to escape gangs. For instance, a 12 year old boy from Honduras not much older than my brother and cousin decided to leave his mom; took with him a grocery plastic bag which contained a set of clean clothes and a picture of his mother. He ventured out on his journey. On the way he was confronted with drugs, alcohol and things that a child that age should not experience. He begged for food and slept in the streets waiting for the next train to come. The train is the fastest way to travel when there is no money to pay a coyote or smuggler but is also the most dangerous. Many have died trying to jump El Diablo; a dangerous train. When asked, â€Å"Why do you want to come to the US?† His response was simple; â€Å"I want to work so I can help my mom and buy her a big house† This is a 12 year old boy’s dream, to work, but if you ask a 12 year old boy living in the U.S. what he wants to do he would most likely response, â€Å"I want to play video games.† Other children are not leaving because they want to but because they have to. They are trying to escape the gangs in their country because if they do not join they can consider them self dead. Parents hire coyotes to bring their children to U.S for a better future but some in the process don’t make it. So children decide to take the chance than joining a gang. These are the children many of people are turning their back on, Children with good moral values. As for the women that try to cross the border they are not just risking their life but also risking being trap into sex slavery. There have been many cases where the same people they pay to cross the border kidnap them and make them sex slaves. We should not go too far here in our country there are many immigrant women trap in sex slavery. The majority come to this country trying to escape from the abuse of their husbands or looking for a better life for the children they have left behind. Many are single mothers that are not able to feed their kids and they look up north for hope. Is this the cost women should have to make in other to have a chance at freedom or a better future? Many immigrants’ women have to sell their bodies to pay the coyotes that cross them over to the U. S. and the ones that refuse we can find their bodies in a ditch unrecognizable. All that is left is a cross with an empty name. The economy in their countries is so bad that many immigrant/individuals are willing to risk their life to give better future to their families. Immigrants are individuals who are trying to improve their life styles for their families within the economy, escape prosecution of gangs, and looking for more in their future. Everyone should have a chance to stay in the United States of America since we are all immigrants. We all travel from all different countries to make the U.S. what is today. Immigrants are not just people trying to take jobs like many say or criminals that the news makes it seem. Each individual has a story to tell. Some are just like you and me or children that are like our little brothers or sisters. Some are women and men like our mothers and fathers that give their life for the best of their children.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Optimal Kitchen Upper Cabinet Height

Optimal Kitchen Upper Cabinet Height Although not stipulated by building codes, standard construction practices set ergonomic standards for both the dimensions of kitchen cabinets and their installation heights. These measurements are based on studies suggesting the optimal dimensions that create the most comfortable working spaces for users. They are sometimes altered for special needssuch as a kitchen customized for users with physical limitationsbut in the vast majority of kitchens, these dimensions will be followed closely.   Standards for Upper Cabinets in Kitchens The upper wall cabinets in kitchens almost always are installed so the bottom edge of the cabinet is 54 inches above the floor. The reason for this is that 18 inches of clearance between base cabinets and uppers are regarded as the optimal working space, and with base cabinets generally 36 inches high (with countertop included) and 24 inches deep, upper cabinets beginning at 54 inches provides the desired 18-inch clearance.   These distances are shown to be ergonomically practical for anyone over 4 feet tall, and optimal for an average user 5 ft. 8 inches in height. With the standard upper cabinet 30 inches tall and 12 inches deep, a 5 ft. The 8-inch user will be able to reach all shelves without a step stool. Anyone shorter may need a step stoolor the assistance of a taller family memberto easily access upper shelves.   There are, of course, some exceptions to these standards. The specialty wall cabinets that fit above a refrigerator or range will be installed higher than other upper cabinets, and may also be deeper than the standard 12 inches.   Varying the Installation Heights These installation standards can be varied slightly to match the needs of users, although this is limited by the dimensions of stock cabinets. A family with members 5 ft. 5 inches or shorter might, for example, install base cabinets at 35 inches above the floor, then leave a 15-inch working space and install the upper cabinets starting at 50 inches above the floor rather than the normal 54 inches. A family with very tall members might install cabinets slightly higher for convenience. These small variations are within the accepted range, and will not dramatically affect sale potential of your home. However, you should be cautious about more glaring variations to normal design standards when customizing a kitchen, as it may make your house hard to sell in the future.   Handicap Accessible Kitchens More dramatic variation in height standards can be necessary for homes or apartments used by those with physical disabilities, such as people confined to wheelchairs. Special base cabinets may be purchased or built that are 34 inches or lower in height, and upper cabinets can be installed on the wall much lower than normal in order to allow wheelchair users to reach them easily A newer innovation is electrically operated cabinetry that raises and lowers the upper wall cabinets, making them easy to use for both physically challenged and physically able family members.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Timeline Start Essays

Timeline Start Essays Timeline Start Essay Timeline Start Essay Preconquest Twenty thousand years ago, Paleo-Indians crossed into North America from Asia. During the migrations, they divided into distinct groups, often speaking different languages. (Brands, H. W. , 2009) As the Indians dispersed across the North American continent they developed new food sources such as small mammals, fish, nuts and berries. Approximately 5,000 years ago they discovered how to cultivate certain plants and that is when knowledge of maize, squash and beans spread north from central Mexico. Native people living in the southwest acquired cultivation skills long before the bands living along the Atlantic coast. The shift to basic crops profoundly altered Native American societies. This is at times known as the â€Å"Agricultural Revolution. † The Agricultural Revolution also sparked population growth, allowing some groups, such as the Aztec Indians to structure their societies in more complex ways such as build vast cities, structure government bureaucracies, develop written communication through hieroglyphic writing and create an accurate solar calendar. The Eastern Woodland Indians, who lived along the Atlantic coast, had just begun to practice agriculture when the Europeans arrived. 1500-1650 When the British colonization occurred and large numbers of white men and women on the North American continent profoundly altered Native American cultures. Change did not occur at the same rates in all places. Villages on the Atlantic coast under came severe pressure almost immediately whereas groups further inland had more time to adjust. Regardless of where they lived the Indians discovered that conquest strained traditional ways of life, and as daily patterns of experience changed almost beyond recognition, the native people had to create new answers, new responses, and new ways to survive in physical and social environments that eroded tradition. English planters cleared forests and fenced in fields, and in the process, radically altered the ecological systems on which the Indians depended. The once vast and seemingly never ending supply of natural resources inevitable reduced the supply of deer and other animals essential to traditional native cultures. In addition to a change in their ecological system the Native Americans also experienced a change in the economic system. The welcomed in European commerce, but like many consumers before them discovered that the objects they longed for inevitably brought them into debt. In order to pay for the trade good they now had to hunt more aggressively and in doing so reduced their population of fur-bearing mammals even more. The most notable change for the Native Americans came with the â€Å"Columbian Exchange. † This came about when European conquerors exposed the Indians to several new fatal diseases and the Indians introduced the invaders to plants such as potatoes and corn. The Columbian Exchange is something that altered not only the Native Americans but also European history.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Small Magellanic Cloud

The Small Magellanic Cloud The Small Magellanic Cloud is a favorite stargazing target for southern hemisphere observers. Its actually a galaxy. Astronomers classify it as a dwarf  irregular type galaxy that is roughly 200,000 light-years from our Milky Way galaxy. It is part of the Local Group of more than 50 galaxies that are gravitationally bound together in this region of the universe. Formation of the Small Magellanic Cloud Close study of the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds indicates that they were both once barred spiral galaxies. Over time, however, gravitational interactions with the Milky Way distorted their shapes, tearing them apart. The result is a pair of irregularly shaped galaxies that are still interacting with each other and with the Milky Way. Properties of the Small Magellanic Cloud The Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) is roughly 7,000 light-years in diameter (about 7% of the Milky Ways diameter) and contains about 7 billion solar masses (less than one percent of the mass of the Milky Way). While it is about half the size of its companion, the Large Magellanic Cloud, the SMC contains nearly as many stars (about 7 billion versus 10 billion), meaning it has a higher stellar density. However, the star formation rate is currently lower for the Small Magellanic Cloud. This is probably because it has less free gas than its larger sibling, and, therefore, had periods of more rapid formation in the past. It has used up most of its gas and that has now slowed down starbirth in that galaxy. The Small Magellanic Cloud  is also the more distant of the two. Despite this, it is still visible from the southern hemisphere. To see it well, you should search it out in clear, dark skies from any southern hemisphere location. Its visible in the evening skies beginning in late October through January. Most people mistake the Magellanic Clouds for storm clouds in the distance.   Discovery of the Large Magellanic Cloud Both the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are prominent in the night sky. The first recorded word of its position in the sky was noted by the Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, who lived and observed in the middle of the 10th century. It wasnt until the early 1500s that various writers began recording the presence of the clouds during their voyages across the ocean. In 1519, Ferdinand Magellan brought it into popularity through his writings. His contribution to their discovery eventually led to their naming in his honor.   However, it really wasnt until the 20th century that astronomers realized the Magellanic Clouds were actually whole other galaxies separate from our own. Before that, these objects, along with other fuzzy patches in the sky, were assumed to be individual nebulae in the Milky Way galaxy. Close studies of the light from variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds allowed astronomers to determine accurate distances to these two satellites. Today, astronomers study them for evidence of star formation, star death, and interactions with the Milky Way Galaxy. Will the Small Magellanic Cloud Merge With the Milky Way Galaxy? Research suggests that both the Magellanic Clouds have orbited the Milky Way galaxy at roughly the same distance for a significant portion of their existence. However, it is not likely that they have ventured as close as their current position very often. This has led some scientists to suggest that the Milky Way will eventually consume the much smaller galaxies. They do have trailers of hydrogen gas streaming between them, and to the Milky Way. This gives some evidence of interactions between the three galaxies. However, recent studies with such observatories as the Hubble Space Telescope seem to show that these galaxies are moving too fast in their orbits. This could keep them from colliding with our galaxy. That doesnt rule out closer interactions in the future, as Andromeda Galaxy closes in on an long-term interaction with the Milky Way. That dance of the galaxies will change the shapes of all the galaxies involved in drastic ways.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Critical Discourse in Design - Intention versus Perception Assignment

Critical Discourse in Design - Intention versus Perception - Assignment Example To achieve this, the company has a team of professionals, including the most creative minds and the best directors in the country. Some of the recent campaigns by the company include (included are the links to the commercials).   Movistar is one of the top clients for this subsidiary and they did the campaign for its networks. The title of this campaign was ‘gravity’ and one of these videos was directed by two of the most known directors in the industry, Jorge Soto and Charlie Valderrama. The commercial was in the form of a video, this makes it easy to capture the attention of the target audience. People are more likely to watch moving images than any other form of media (Art Directors Club, 2011). The content of the commercial is also limited as it only involves one character. This gives the commercial a sense of mystery as we try to understand how this central character will relate to their environment. In the commercial, the central character is seated and manages to defy gravity. The end result is that the character floats throughout the commercial. The context of this commercial is that everything is possible for the users of this network as the commercial ends with the name of the brand, Movistar. The directors used in this commercial have a history of coming up with such commercials. Their work usually involves very few characters and it is these that are used to convey the message about the product to the consumer. The intention of this commercial is to portray a scenario which is impossible to achieve, in this case, floating above the ground. This makes the viewers’ wonder how this is possible. At the end of this phase, the name of the brand appears on the screen. This creates a link between the brand and the floating character. It shows that the product has limitless capabilities and it can enable them to do a wide range of things that were previously not possible (Plunkett, 2008). All these things can be made possible due to the Movistar 4G networks.  Ã‚  

Friday, October 18, 2019

Pearl Harbor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pearl Harbor - Essay Example The American never thought that Japan was capable of performing such an act. However, rumours of Japan’s surprise mass attack had been reported but were not taken seriously. (Conn, Engelman, and Fairchild, 2000) The answer I think it was the former, though the strategy was a good one it had completely gone wrong. Now you may ask why? The Japanese had developed the technology, attack strategy and skills to successfully accomplish the impossible as they had been planning this for at least six months prior to the main attack. The Japanese had good defensive plans against the US. Such as fortifying individual islands with troops, reinforcing air squadrons and also they kept a large fleet to retaliate in case the US attacked. So what went wrong? Its simple, the Japanese became over confident and they changed their plans and instead implementing this defensive plan they went further to attack the US Midway. It turned into a big disaster and the Japanese lost a huge number of their carriers and thus with their naval and air forces which were in a weak situation now, they could not resist the American troops and they reached the Japanese air space itself. Another factor of this raid to go wrong was that the commander of the Japanese fleet became nervous and he aborted the third strike attack of the two which had already taken place, which was aimed at the oil supplies and repair facilities of the US fleet. If this had taken place then the US would have had a difficult time in retaliating. The attack plan of the Japanese would require the loss of one –third attacking force of the planes and two carriers. Another problem was of refuelling the planes over the pacific and also fixing of wooden fins on naval torpedoes so as to stabilize them in shallow waters. (Conn, Engelman, and Fairchild, 2000) Many messages were dispatched about the movements of the Japanese fleet but the American ignored them as they thought a formal war declaration would

To what extent was religion behind the successes of the great Arab Essay

To what extent was religion behind the successes of the great Arab conquests of the seventh and eighth centuries - Essay Example The importance of this particular research question is contingent upon the role of Islam in a geopolitical sense; arguably something that has a great deal of relevance within the current era. Yet, beyond this, the cultural dynamics and importance of Islam as not only a faith but as a strategic cornerstone of how the Islamic Empire was able to spread an experience early victories is a further component of the research that this particular author seeks to shed a level of light upon. As will be denoted within the forthcoming discussion and analysis, it is the strong and overarching belief of this particular analyst that the religion of Islam played a pivotal and fundamental role in the rapid success and expansion of the Islamic Empire. Both through an analysis of primary and secondary texts, the reader can infer that without the norming influence of the Islamic religion and culture, such an Empire would have never held together; nor have been able to threaten the existing structure of p ower that existed within these regions at the time in question. Likewise, rather than analyzing the role and influence of the religious aspects of Islam on the formation, durability, and strengths of the Islamic Empire throughout all of history, the discussion and analysis that will be presented within this particular research will be solely contingent upon the first several decades after Mohammed came in full control of Mecca and Medina; essentially christening the dawn of the Islamic expansion and the creation of a geo-political movement that would culminate in empire building. The cornerstone of the argument for the importance of the Islamic religion with respect to the spread of the early Islamic Empire ultimately is contingent upon the issue of culture. As one might expect, seeking to define something as complex and overarching as Islamic culture is in and of

Strategic HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic HRM - Essay Example The only difference is that in the game of business, teams compete against one another for customers, innovations, employees, and ultimately the profit margin they are able to accrue at the end of the day. The other difference is the time frame, whereas in sports the game is over a defined period of time, in the business, the time frame is unlimited as long as the business exists. Just like in the sports, the business empires that win indicate consistency in their preparation, planning, and skills in their execution plans. These business organizations do understand best their positions, where they are aiming at, and how they want to achieve their aim. It is also important to note that these winning business firms have constant touch with the customers needs and how to comply, the technological advancement that are relevant to the business as well as the market trends and innovations that will enable them be ahead of the park compared to their competitors in the market (Wal-Mart, 2011 ). Business organization then have to keep pondering on how best the cardinal factors in the business can be best satisfied to make then take the lead in either service delivery or product delivery to the customers. In this regard, all business owes allegiance to a strategy either planned or unplanned, strategy in this case is the language that implies a game plan. A business strategy is the lifeline of a business organization that drives both the short- term and the long-term projection and determines the success of the business in an ever-changing business environment and stringent competition. Overview of Wal-Mart Company Wal-Mart boost of being one of the largest family owned multinational retail cooperation. It is an American company having been founded in 1962 by Sam Walton. Walton family is arguably the leading shareholders in the cooperation, as they own about 48% of the total share of the business empire. The incorporation of the business took place in the year 1969 and by 1972 its shares were floated in the New York Stock Exchange for public trading (Wal-Mart, 2011). The corporation was branded Wal-Mart in 2008 having relinquished its former name of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in pursuit of the Forbes Global 2000, Wal-Mart was ranked 18th in the perking order of the largest public corporations in the world and the leading in the US. The cooperation also employs about two million employees which makes it one of the world largest private employers. The headquarters of the business is at Bentonville, Arkansas. In the United States, it is considered one of the leading grocery retailers having in the year 2009 collected 51% of the total sales it realized in the year i.e. US$ 258 billions. This percentage sale was realized on the grocery sale alone. Wal-Mart scope of operation in the global is equally expansive, it has a total of 8,500 functioning store in 15 countries operating under different references. In the United States for instance, the company operates under the name Wal-Mart including the 50 states of the US. In India the company is called Best Price, Mexico, its called Walmex, in UK it’s referred to as Asda while in Japan, it is referred to as Seiyu. Wal-Mart has expansive and extensive operation in Canada, Brazil, and Argentina (Wal-Mart, 2011). While in the North America, the business has registered performance of varied

Thursday, October 17, 2019

New buses for corfu Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

New buses for corfu - Assignment Example In consideration to providing the cost saving approach in the business, business is planning to acquire the new services that would meet with the needs of services. Moreover, during the initial time of agreement Trivia appears to provide it services all across the island. In this consideration, later Trivia bus agency introduces accumulated buses service in order to meet the additional requirement of passengers. However, after six month of operation of Trivia buses in island, business recognizes to make some considerable changes in the route of buses in order to provide access more destinations. Moreover, with the implementation of this approach there was considerable dilemma in inhabitants, as they now have to travel with three different buses to reach their destination. Correspondingly, prior to the agreement of Corfu Transport Authority with Trivia the old public transportation system is very much friendly to the passages. However, with the introduction of Trivia, the drivers were employed to drive buses at those location based on the passengers reports. However, the drivers were provided with inferior wage system in comparison to Corfu Transport Authority. This resulted to lack of affection in the mind of the passengers to avail the services of Trivia and over the period of three years the rate of passengers has been diminished to two third whereby increasing the rate of private transportation. In this regard, the paper intends to highlight the account of failure to provide appropriate services by Trivia Buses in the island of Corfu. Besides, the paper also emphasizes over providing the method through which Corfu Transport Authority can command the transportation system. Additionally, the paper will reflect the benefits of integrated marketing approach to attract larger sections of Corfu’s islanders and tourists to avail the public transpiration system. Transportation is one of the fundamental as well as integral

Home as the centre of Judaism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Home as the centre of Judaism - Essay Example The two movement that will be considered as a show of the various precincts through which the home is a centre of Judaism is the conservative and reformist movements of Judaism. Conservative Jews believe in the core values of its rituals and roles as the practice of what one believes in the daily practices. Reform Judaism believes that the written and oral laws are because of human intervention and the time of its giving as regards the Torah. In both the conservative and reformists, the core value is on the language, Hebrew as the reflection of the beliefs of Judaism and their cultures. It is what holds all Jews together is the language used as a family; hence, forming the first way where a home is a basis for Judaism (Neusner, 1994).  Ã‚  Ã‚     Largely, the home has become the centre of Judaism owing to the various roles, rituals, and practices that are practiced and observed at the home by family members. These rituals and practices are diverse as presented in the following pa rts of this essay. Judaism has been centered at home owing to the rules of dressing by Jews that occur within the family unit. The Halacha forms the basis for the generation of community customs and modesty that determine the dressing code for the Jewish women (Hoffman, 2008). The Halacha gives a number of guidelines for a Jewish woman’s dressing with the sleeves having to be at least below the elbow while the dresses and blouses must have necklines that do not show any cleavage. Skirts won by the women must be high enough. to ensure that when seated the knees are not exposed. Skirts are mainly worn by women in all occasions but there are exceptional instances where they are allowed to be in pants. These instances include agricultural activities where the wearing of the dress would lead to inefficiency in the performance of the various duties. At other times, they have to have to wear their skirts. However, the conservationists Jews are the ones who strictly follow the guidel ines in the Halacha while the Reform Judaism movement does give the adherent’s freedom to choose which rituals to follow. The conservationist movement is very clear in its statement of the superiority of men over women in the home set up. This is also shown by the segregation of women and men at the synagogue during worship and in leading rituals and other religious practices. This is however different in reformist movement where there is acceptance of the universal equality of men and women in all religious rituals, study and the observance of the rules.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

New buses for corfu Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

New buses for corfu - Assignment Example In consideration to providing the cost saving approach in the business, business is planning to acquire the new services that would meet with the needs of services. Moreover, during the initial time of agreement Trivia appears to provide it services all across the island. In this consideration, later Trivia bus agency introduces accumulated buses service in order to meet the additional requirement of passengers. However, after six month of operation of Trivia buses in island, business recognizes to make some considerable changes in the route of buses in order to provide access more destinations. Moreover, with the implementation of this approach there was considerable dilemma in inhabitants, as they now have to travel with three different buses to reach their destination. Correspondingly, prior to the agreement of Corfu Transport Authority with Trivia the old public transportation system is very much friendly to the passages. However, with the introduction of Trivia, the drivers were employed to drive buses at those location based on the passengers reports. However, the drivers were provided with inferior wage system in comparison to Corfu Transport Authority. This resulted to lack of affection in the mind of the passengers to avail the services of Trivia and over the period of three years the rate of passengers has been diminished to two third whereby increasing the rate of private transportation. In this regard, the paper intends to highlight the account of failure to provide appropriate services by Trivia Buses in the island of Corfu. Besides, the paper also emphasizes over providing the method through which Corfu Transport Authority can command the transportation system. Additionally, the paper will reflect the benefits of integrated marketing approach to attract larger sections of Corfu’s islanders and tourists to avail the public transpiration system. Transportation is one of the fundamental as well as integral

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Management (impact of recent economic crisis) Essay

Management (impact of recent economic crisis) - Essay Example Such as accountability show the facts of transparency and control shows the overall hands on the situation. With a literature review these are discussed below: A representation is a collateral statement, either by writing not inserted in the policy, or by parole, of such facts or circumstances relative to the proposed adventure, as are necessary to be communicated to the underwriters, to enable them to from a form a just estimate of the risk. A representation, like a warranty but there is a material difference between a representation and a warranty. A warranty, being a condition upon which the contract is to take effect, is always a part of the written policy, and must appear on the face of it. Whereas a representation is only a matter of collateral information or intelligence on the subject of the voyage insured, and makes no part of the policy. A warranty being in the nature of a condition precedent, must be strictly and literally complied with; but it is sufficient if the representation be true in substance, whether a warranty be material to the risk or not, the insured stakes his claim of indemnity upon the precise truth of it, if it be affirmative, or upon the exact performance of it, if executory; but it is sufficient if a representation be made without fraud, and be not false in any material point, or if it be substantially, though not literally, fulfilled. The major reason, the financial institution com

Monday, October 14, 2019

Lao Culture and Business Etiquette

Lao Culture and Business Etiquette Lao is located in South-East Asia. It is one of the long history countries with well-established traditional in Asia. Laos has its own culture, traditional which is quite similar to other countries in South-East Asia However, Laoss culture is strongly influenced by religious, Buddhism believe and also nearby countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, and Burma. For people who come from different country, they always have a big crash in culture shock. They must learn and get used to Lao culture which is very important for their new living place. Normally, when they have conversation with Laos, they should use their eyes and common sense to navigate and learn Laos culture. Here is some information guideline for foreigner should know: Greeting Laos has its own traditional greeting called Nob where palms are placed together and held in front of the chest or face. The person who is in the lower level/position in social or younger should give a bow or greeting first, then but the oder or l/higher level/position in social person will respond greeting back. There are many levels for showing respect to the person in greeting with Nob. The higher of the hands holding level and the lower of the bow means the higher the degree of respect. During Nob, one should smile and say hello together with. Sa Bai Dee is a word used for the same purpose as Hello. Its general meaning is How are you or Im fine. It is also used for meaning I am doing well. It is common in Laos to ask others if they already had dining or meal after greeting. When persons ask this question, they do not normally purpose for the answer but they show their care to those persons they ask. Nation Pride The Lao are truly  happy  being Laos. The Lao  accept  for who are they, what they are doing and  proud  in their long histories and well-established traditions. They appreciate when foreigner shows interest in their culture. Word expression Laos is a feeling sensitive culture. They care for other people feeling. Lao have many words to describe about their feeling and to express how they think. Laos words that are often used in everyday life are Bo Penh Nyang and Tham Ma Dha. These two words have various meaning according to the context. However, all meanings are related and influence by a Buddhist perspective. Bo Penh Nyang directly means No problem. It also has other meanings as never mind or are you all right? In some case, Bo Penh Nyang used with someone did something wrong to express that the action is forgiven. Tham Ma Dha is the word from Buddhist thinking, means everything goes on it way. In everyday life situation, it means average, the norm or everything process as usual. Religious Culture Similar to other countries in South-East Asia, Lao culture is influenced by Buddhism believe.. Buddhism deeply binds with Laoss everyday life and their ways of thinking also their traditional. With Buddhist teaching about the ways of things that things are as they are and as they should be, Lao easily accept the changing. Moreover, Buddhism religious always teach people to be peace and respect to each other. This builds Laos society to be a peaceful living. Lao people also highly give respect to monk and religious related things. Religious and Temple is the center of Lao mental conduct. Body conduct In Laos, as in most Buddhist cultures, head is considered the most precious/highest part of the body. In the other hand, the feet are the least sacred/lowest part of the body. There are many manners and aspects that are related to body conduct. It is necessary to remember this conduct whenever in Laos. Laos do not play other head as it is consider as the high part of body. Dress In big city and urban area, Laos dress the modern cloths in the same way as the western do. However, short and revealing clothes are generally not acceptable in Lao culture. In temple, everybody must wear polite cloth such as women must wear long pant or dress to cover their knee with long sleeve and must not show their chest. Losing face Losing face is a very sensitive situation for Laos. Losing face in public is a humiliated thing. Lao are afraid of being insulted. before talking about something or doing some action, those stuff should be reconsidered if it will cause losing face to anybody. Any form of confrontation for winner and loser which might lead to losing face must be avoided. Business Etiquette Dos DO say Sa Bai Dee as a greeting word in Lao with Laos traditional greeting. If you dont know how to greet in Laos tradition way, it is better to bow a little bit and say hello with a smile. Do smile a lot, Lao people love peaceful atmosphere. They always smile to each other. Do avoid showing affection in public. Lao are quite conservative. Greeting are any action with affection of person is not widely accepts even within the same gender. DO dress with neat and clean business suites for meetings. Lao are easily getting impressed by outside cloths. Do wear polite dress when visiting government, office and temple. Appropriate dress and behavior when entering places are essential. shorts or sleeveless shirts or flip flop is impolite dress. DO take off your shoes when invited into your Lao business colleagues home. Lao people try to keep their places clean. Taking hat and shoes off also are showing respect to the places. Lao appreciate and expect foreigner to do the same. Do crouch your back down when walking pass someone sitting, especially the elder. Lao highly give respect to elder. Also, as crouching back, body of walking person is consider as not higher than sitting person. Do show respect to Buddhism. Foreigner should show respect and be careful on their action in the temples area. Do speak respectful about the religion. One important thing about Buddhism is women should not touch Monks. Donts Do not touch anyone on the head. As head is the most sacred part of the Laos body, touching head is considered as very impolite behavior Dont put your feet on table or chair and shouldnt sit with crossed-leg or point your feet to anyone. The same thing as the previous one, Lao believe that Head is high and Feet are Low. Dont take any people photo without permission. You must ask them first to permission if they are ok or not. Do not shout or raise your voice or lose temper in public. Lao people speak softly and avoid confrontation. Speaking or shouting in loud voice may frighten them. It is also considered as uneducated or uncivilized person. People who lose their temper in public might be looked down on from other people. Do not involving with illegal stuff and sex tourism. The use of drugs is illegal in Laos.. The selling of wildlife and wildlife products should be avoided. Trading antique Buddha, sacred items and other old artifacts are prohibited. They are not allowed to be taken out of Laos. You might have problem when leaving Laos. Sex tourism is also illegal in Lao Business Practical Business Value Business culture in Laos is different from westerners business culture. In order to understand the difference of business culture between different cultures, the person has to have real experience and navigate deeply in the culture. The comparison of the value emphases that can be found for each culture, Laos and Western, are listed in the following Table.1. This table is derived from real experience of western businessman in Lao with his point of view and his own navigating. It can be used as a guideline for more understanding Laos business value. Relationship Businesses are often based on personal relations developed within social circles. In Laos business culture, work and social relationship are getting along and depend on each other. Since the emphasis placed on personal relationships is high, having a reliable and well-connected local agent or representative is crucial to the success of a foreign venture. Lao are seeking for trusted and credible relationships. Relationships progress slowly in Laos with the step-by-step approach. Asking Laos partner about their family, traditions, culture help foreigner understand their Laos partner better and also effective in building the relationship. View of Time Punctuality Lao people are not so punctual. They are often late for the appointment. Normally, they do not have exact plan and time table for their schedule. Foreigner should learn how the locals plan their time and keep their sense of time flexible. However, punctuality from foreign partner is appreciated Business Hours Official office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday. In factories and private companies work hours can be extended according to the laws allowance. Business Etiquette Greeting In business, nowadays, handshaking is becoming increasingly common during the conduct of business but only for people with same gender. Men and women should avoid public displays of affection. However, Laos traditional greeting is preferred. Naming Lao people should be called by their first names, with their title Mr//Ms//Madame or Than (in Lao) before the name. In the special occasion or to give higher honors, last name or their family name should be followed after their first name. Dress In Laos business, dress code for business is an importance. Men should wear western clothing such as shirt and trousers for normal business occasion. For special occasion, lightweight suits with tie should be worn. Women usually wear long skirts or blouse with long sleeve covering the shoulders and upper legs. Womens business cloth should avoid showing skin. Another important thing for dressing is perfumes. Laos are quite sensitive to odour. Westerners who have strong body odour should wear soft perfumes. Clean and neat cloths help in giving impression to Laos. Language Official language is Lao. English and Fresh are also commonly used in Business. However, French is more widely used, spoken and understood than English. Business cards When doing business in Lao, carry lots of business cards. Business card exchange is common in Laos business practice. Business cards should be translated into Lao and printed out.   A common used one is to have English version on one side and Lao version on the other side. In business card exchanging, cards should be given and received using both hands. Giving business card with this posture shows honor and humble to the person whom is dealed with. Exchanging business card with one hand also acceptable, but only exchanging with right hand where left hand lightly wrap around wrist and lower arm. The card should never be immediately kept into the pocket or placed somewhere. The detail in card for person name and position should be studied after receiving another persons card. Also, the card should not be written anything down. At meetings, other peoples business cards should be arranged on the table according to the sitting position. This helps tracking of people names.   It also is a sign of respect and interested in for the person. Another important thing is, playing or writing anything down in other people business card is disrespectful action. Business card should be treated with respect in same degree of respect as one would show the person him or herself. Gift Giving It is not required to give the gift when meeting business partner but giving gift shows consideration to other people and good relationship. Gift can be anything and do not have to be expensive things. Gift can be offered to anyone in the meeting but the most importance is giving one for the host or person in the highest rank. Gifts are given in the order of peoples importance or their position.   Wrapped gifts will be opened only when the person is alone. Shoes and socks are not suitable to be gifts in Laos as it is related to foot which is the least sacred part of the body. Green and red are the most suitable colors for wrapping paper in Laos. White wrapping paper, which is considered as unlucky and miserable color, should be avoided. Negotiation Negotiations process in the Lao is quite slow. It is also highly unwell-organized. Lao contracts are normally written in short with simple language. The Laos contract focuses on principles while western contract is obtuse and legalistic. Relationship is more important than the terms and conditions in the contract. They view the contract as the starting point of relationship but are able to change later. The agreement may become meaningless if the circumstances change. Good  relationship with Lao partners is a big help in negotiation. Breaking of negotiation should be done very carefully as it might shut the door on future cooperation.   Seeking for legal  counsel might lead to failed relationship i Meeting Meeting in Lao is not well-conducted.  In many case, meeting for Lao people is made for purpose of opportunities for social occasion. The highest ranking person of the group should be the first one who go into the room and speak to other people.   There is normally business card exchange before the meeting start. Meetings always begin with informal talk with serving coffee or tea.   The served tea or coffee should be drink or sip before main topic start as a polite and appreciate behavior. A several  discussion are normally takes place before launch into the the main topic of the meeting. The host will be the person who starts talking into the main topic. There are several signals from host that indicate the end of meeting. The signals include asking guest if they would like more tea, beginning to summarize things up, thank you for coming, and leading guest to the door. Table Manner If Lao has invited someone to a dinner it means that they interest to build deeper relationship. It is important to return the favor as it is a sign of interested in having relationship with them. Whenever accept dining invitation, it is important to be a host for next meal. If the meal take place at Laos house, remember to take shoes off before enter the house. Guest should not take seat until host invites to sit. For dining at restaurant, do not ask to share the bill if have dining at restaurant if they propose to pay for you. Instead, accept the invitation and then host the next meal. Communication Lao has indirect communication style. Rather than confront a person with an issue or disagreement, Lao prefer a non-confrontational ways of communicating for disagreement. As Laos are collectivism, relationship between people is important thing. They avoid having any conflict in relationships especially when in public.   People are more likely to avoid anger, confrontation or verbal criticisms which can lead to loss of face. Instead of direct confrontation, they try to find another way to solve the conflict. Body languages are quite preserved in Lao. They try to avoid eye contact. They also have few body language gestures. For documentation, written documents should be in both Lao and the foreign language so Lao people could understand more correctly about the content of the document. One more important thing is document written with red ink might get negative feedback from Lao. One more thing that foreigner should know is thing are not as the way they seem to be. For example, Foreigner should never ever take yes of Lao as an answer. Lao normally say yes to indicate that the message has been heard and understood. Yes means maybe or perhaps or no. Maybe means yes, no, or just maybe. And there is really no no as they try to avoid any form of conflict. Another example is bad news from Lao is often slowly  introduced. The main topic is normally come after the word and which generally is when the most important content is revealed. Another important thing in communication is saying Apologize. Lao normally apologize when something happen, even if they did not do anything worng. But they apologize because an  unfortunate incident has occurred.   It is importance to remember how to show respect. When in Laos, try and do as the Laos. Do and remember about body conduct, dress, and public affection and religious manner.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Prohibition in the United States Essay -- Drugs and Alcohol, Legal Iss

Prohibition created more crime because it was leading to corruption and the â€Å"cure† was worse than the original problem (Sifakis 725). The number of crimes increased during the Prohibition which caused organized crime to be very â€Å"popular†. Many criminal groups had a regular income of money through illegal actions such as drinking and selling alcohol (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Alcohol increased the organized crimes during Prohibition through loopholes in the 18th Amendment, speakeasies, doctor’s prescriptions, and bootlegging. Bootleg alcohol was one of the main reasons organized crimes began (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Bootlegging was when alcohol was brought into the country illegally from outside the borders. Although, sometimes the illegal alcohol was obtained within the United States (Sifakis 725). Organized crime can be defined as unlawful activity for profit on a city, interstate, and even international scale (Beehner 1). The crime rate went up because the profit motivated people to get involved with illegal activities (Organized Crime and Prohibition 1). Prohibition helped organized crimes because, even though alcohol was illegal, it’s availability through these crime groups, gangs, were satisfying the peoples’ want of alcohol (Sifakis 725). Bootlegging was a major pastime in America especially during the Prohibition. A bootlegger was someone who engaged themselves in illegal alcohol deliveries. The criminals used bootlegging activities as a business to gain as much profit for themselves as a person possibly could gain. They thrived the most during the Prohibition period, January 16, 1920 until the repeal of the 18th Amendment on December 3, 1933. Most of the bootlegged alcohol was brought... ...ifty-four gallons of methyl alcohol to produce a huge batch of moonshine. This alcohol was sold all over Atlanta and even to an Auburn Avenue nightclub. A man named Eliza Foster went to an Auburn Avenue nightclub and drank a couple shots. A half hour later he dropped over dead. The same night both a man died in his car with a bottle of the same batch next to him and a little old lady died in her rocking chair with a bottle of the bad alcohol lying spilled at her feet. From that bad alcohol, thirteen people died that night with hundreds of other people feeling miserable, sick, and even blind, in the Grady Memorial Hospital. In the end forty-two people had died from the bad alcohol although over five hundred were affected by it (112). After the mass poisonings the scale of legal alcohol went up 51.2 percent in Atlanta (113).

Saturday, October 12, 2019

How animal research has advanced the understanding of depression :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Animal models have made numerous progresses in the last century. This type of research has made a difference in the way we look at psychological issues such as depression. This paper is a review of the literature on animal models of depression. The issue of what advances have been made will be explored. The effects of serotonin on many issues have been studied. In this paper stress, learning, memory, brain derived neurotrophic factor, ovarian hormone withdrawal, and effects of certain drugs will be looked at. Let’s look at stress and serotonin first. Stress   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A study done by Grippo, Sullivan, Damjanoska and colleages (2004) shows that chronic mild stress provokes behavioral and physiological changes and may change serotonin receptor function in rats. In this study sixty four Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Half were male and the other half were female. The following stimuli were used as stressors which include:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Continuous light for 2 12 hour periods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Forty degree tilt along vertical axis of cage for 6 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paired housing for a 16 hour period and 4 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Damp bedding with 300 mL water spilled on bedding for 16 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Water deprivation for 16 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Empty water bottle following 16 hour water deprivation for 1 hour   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stroboscopic light with 300 flashes a minute for a 6 hour period and 4 hour period   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  White noise at approximately 90 dB for 4 hour period of continuous noise and a 3 hour period with random intermittent noise All the stressors were given over a period of one week, and randomly presented for 3 additional weeks for a total of 4 week trial. All the rats were injected with a receptor agonist and were decapitated 15 minutes after the injection for the trunk blood. The 4 week trial resulted in the rats showing signs of depression, and satisfied adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) responses to the receptor agonist. The trials also sparked a lack of pleasure in both male and female rats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another studied related to stress was done by Gregus, Wintink, David and Lalynchik (2005). This study looked at corticosterone injections and stress and how this relates to depression. Sixty naà ¯ve Long-Evans male rats were used. The rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups and were given corticosterone injections (CORT), vehicle injections, repeated restraint stress and repeated handling. These treatments were given for 21 days. The CORT group and vehicle group were given injections at random times during the light and dark cycles.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Accounting: Final Exam Essay

For each of the following course objectives, explain in 200-400 words what you learned in this course and how you could apply your learning of this course objective to your personal life or career. Refer to the syllabus to assist you in understanding what material was covered under each objective. 4pts each 1) CHANGING DYNAMICS OF ACCOUNTING The steps of accounting cycles are revenues, expenditures, conversion/ production, financing, fixed assets, and financial reporting. Revenues most often occur as the result of the selling of a service or product. These transactions are recorded in the form of cash receipts and sales orders. Expenditures are a result of the materials and labor need to generate revenues. For example a dry cleaning business would need certain chemicals, bags and hangers for cleaned clothes, and employees to operate the business. Conversion represents the production or the good or service sold by the company. In other terms the time/ cost to produce and market the good or service. Financing is also known as and outstanding debt, such as stocks or any outstanding bonds. The fixed asset details the purchase, disposition, and depreciation of company assets. See more:  Masters of Satire: John Dryden and Jonathan Swift Essay Once all journal entries have been posted and all accounts closed a trial balance is prepared and is used to identify errors and eventually prepare the financial reporting for the company. Accounting systems have become more automated and the need for human intervention is becoming more limited. Automation of these systems does allow for increased efficiency and accuracy and has allowed manual accounting task to be performed more quickly. Human intervention is necessary though to ensure the data being entered is correct. Human intervention can also help to identify errors that may have been made in the initial inputting of information. As technology evolves it is near  impossible to not have some interaction with the internet. Companies often have multiple locations as the internet opens the company to customers they could not otherwise reach. While the internet opens companies for increased commerce, there is also increased risk to the company’s data. We have recently heard in the news how the State of South Carolina’s Department of Revenue’s systems were hacked and thousands of tax payer’s personal information such as social security numbers were stolen. (http://www.postandcourier.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=pc160442). To ensure company security, many it department limit users ability to access certain websites and download programs, games, and even pictures. 2) INFORMATION SYSTEMS INFRASTRUCTURE (to earn full credit meet word count of at least 200 words) Accounting Information Systems (AIS) is what business use to collect, manage, and report financial information. AIS is a mix of people, procedures, raw data, software, and control. Internal controls are specifically vital as they work to maintain the integrity of data being entered and reported as well as protocol to protect sensitive data. A company’s internal controls must also meet or exceed SOX in order to be in compliance. Companies employee a mix of general and application controls to meet these requirements. Application controls include financial application controls to detect errors such as incorrect keying of raw data. This could also include pre-coding bank transactions so that deposits are accidently recorded as withdrawals and vise versa. General controls include items such as segregation or duties, documenting and processing data, reconciliation of accounts, and even restricting access to certain systems to the employee who needs the system to perform their job. AIS can include not only the internal controls one thinks of (such as segregation of duties) but also systems restrictions and requiring key card access for entry to various sites and departments. These items protect stored data and also allow for tracking of individuals needing this type of access. As accounting systems become increasingly automated, firms are seeking individuals who have not only the understanding of GAAP and SOX, but also solid understanding of IT controls and process. 3) DATA MANAGEMENT AND INTEGRATION (to earn full credit meet word count of  at least 200 words) I found week three to be the most challenging for me. While I regularly use excel, learning correct terminology and how to build a database was especially difficult. While some terms were easy to grasp (such as field, record, and queries) truly understanding how tables and data relate to each other was difficult to grasp. When I realized that a primary key is unique and is defined in one table and that primary key would be the foreign key on another table and is what is used to join the tables, building a database became clearer. Because the internet has changed the face of business, some companies find integrating reports from various divisions challenging. Software often has to be developed or modified so all reporting divisions have access to properly report expenditures and revenue. The data must also be organized and maintained in a logical way. Maintenance of the data is as important as the reporting. Without proper maintenance, future queries will not reflect the true numbers. Good maintenance and relation within a database also allows for companies to easily query the wealth of information within their own records to gain additional insight into buying trends, possible room for more efficient production, and quick review of possible errors. 4) BUSINESS MODELING PROCESSES AND SYSTEM DESIGN (to earn full credit meet word count of at least 200 words) SDLC is the process which should ensure a quality product. SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle. The SDLC includes planning, system analysis and design, development, testing, implementation, and maintenance. In planning the company would identify the need, set a timeline for completion and outline the recourses needed for completion. The planning phase would also include what the company hopes to accomplish with new software. After the need is identified, analysis of current procedures and software is performed. This would include documentation of current procedures and identifying gaps in the system and best practices. This is most often accomplished by reviewing requirements of each job, speaking with managers and employees. Once these needs and shortfalls are identified, then the development process begins. The software should then been tailored/ purchased with the identified need and the company’s current shortfalls in mind. Once this is completed companies will often test the new software either in theory or in a small division of the  company. For instance due to system and accounting needs my company recently developed a new ordering system. Rather than deploying the new system nationwide, one smaller district is being used to test and improve. After this is completed my company will move onto the implantation process. Implementation includes not only actually beginning to use new software but also transferring of old data to the new system, training employees on new procedures and how to use the new software. Once a system is implemented it should be maintained. Companies should continually review for issues and correct and adjust the system as needed. AIS should cover all levels of the co mpany’s financial reporting needs 5) INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND AUDITING (to earn full credit meet word count of at least 200 words) The auditing of a company’s information system is vital to ensuring the company’s records are accurate and well protected. Also, it is imperative that the information systems are compliant with GAAP and SOX. SOX was enacted to address possible weakness on company’s internal controls and as a result of the scandal at companies Enron and Worldcom. Upon examination of why these companies failed, it was determined that the internal controls that should have been in place to ensure proper and truthful reporting were lacking. The internal controls govern the integrity of the data collected, processed, and disclosed on financial reports. SOX requires external/ independent auditors to test whether a company’s internal controls and procedures are sufficient and report this on the company’s financial report. To prevent CFOs and CEOs from claiming no knowledge of misreporting, SOX now requires that these individuals identify their knowledge of the company’s finances, how it was reported, documentation of their own involvement and the internal controls used to govern this. SOX also provides providing criminal and financial penalties for individual non-compliance. . In order to complaint with GAAP a company’s policies should include organizational structure outline, descriptions of transaction types, summaries of revenue, as well as a list of unacceptable practices. While SOX was enacted to prevent fraudulent reporting some smaller companies do struggle with ensuring they are compliant with the internal controls outlined.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Life in the Trenches Essay

World War One, also known as the Great War, was a war that would change all wars. Never in the history of humanity had there been a war fought in such a manor, and it would change the way all wars that followed it were fought. World War I was expected to be a relatively short war, as those in the past had been, and a war of great battles and movement. However WWI was typified by its lack of movement, years of stalemates and â€Å"great battles† that turned out to be massive slaughters where hundreds of thousands of men died for a very small gain in territory. The most important aspect of WWI that made it so unique was its use of a new tactic of digging a series of connecting trenches that carved up the landscape of the Western and Eastern fronts. This use of trenches by both the Allies and the Germans was one of the primary reasons that WWI lasted as long as it did. Life in the trenches was a horrifying experience for any man who served in the Great War. The terrible conditions in the trenches would only be fully known by the public after the war was over in late 1918. The armies of the Allies had strict rules against the public gaining knowledge of the details of the war and used many methods to prevent them knowing the truth. After the Battle of the Marne in September 1914, the German army was forced to retreat. They had failed in their objective to force France into and early surrender and rather than give up the land that they had gained they dug into the ground to secure their position and protect themselves from the Allie fire. Because the Germans were at an advantage of being able to fire at the Allies from below ground level because of this the Allies could not break the German trench line. It was apparent that the Germans would not be removed the Allies followed the German example and dug their own trenches. It was this event that halted movement on both sides and changed the style of warfare forever. Trenches soon stretched across the countryside and spread from the North Sea to Switzerland. Trench life soon became as mentally and physically taxing on soldiers as the actual fighting element of the war. Disease, rats, lice, and boredom became a part of daily life for a soldier in the trenches. After the war was over there were many accounts from soldiers of the appalling conditions and the amount of death that occurred in the trenches. It was estimated that up to  one third of Allied casualties on the Western Front were actually sustained in the trenches . Aside from injuries caused by the enemy, disease accounted for a large amount of that total. Many accounts from soldiers of their time spent in the trenches are dominated by an emphasis on the amount of mud. Living in the trenches soldiers were rarely clean and when they were they did not stay that way for very long. Because of the lack of sanitary conditions in the trenches men suffered from many pests such as rats and frogs as well as more harmful things like lice and diseases like trench foot and shell shock. The rats in the trenches became a problem for the soldiers because there was no way to avoid them or get rid of them. A single pair of rats could produce almost 900 offspring in a year so the infestation continued throughout the war. Rats in the trenches were rumoured to have grown as large as cats on occasion, from eating or stealing scraps and feeding off the corpses of dead soldiers. Because the rats became so fearless the men in the trenches came to loathe them and often spent free time killing them and setting traps . Yet another annoying pest was the lice that continually plagued the men. Soldiers could spend up to an hour a day burning the lice off their bodies and clothes in an attempt to rid themselves of the pests; but the effort was all in vain because they would only be re-infested the next day. Occasionally the men were sent to clean themselves in large baths while their clothes were being put through delousing machines. Unfortunately, this rarely worked; a fair proportion of the eggs remained in the clothes and within two or three hours of the clothes being put on again a man’s body heat had hatched them out. Because of the continuously muddy conditions the men often walked around in mud and water sometimes covering as far up as their knees or waists. During the early part of the war over 20,000 men were treated for a condition that became known as trench foot. This was an infection of the feet caused by cold, wet and unsanitary conditions. Without being able to remove wet socks or boots the feet would gradually go numb and the skin would turn red or blue. If untreated, trench foot could turn gangrenous and result in  amputation. The only remedy for trench foot was for the soldiers to dry their feet and change their socks several times a day. By the end of 1915 British soldiers in the trenches had to have three pairs of socks with them and were under orders to change their socks at least twice a day. As well as drying their feet, soldiers were told to cover their feet with grease made from whale oil. The Allies needed to make sure that there would be no additional factors that would affect the morale at home; news of the conditions that the soldiers were forced to live in and the continuing stalemates would surely do that. If confidence in the war effort was diminished and the truth about the trenches was known there would be fewer new recruits and the Allies would be challenged to keep up with the Germans numbers. Most soldiers during the war chose to conceal the horrors of the trench warfare not wishing to expose their families to it. But those who wished to confide in family members and try to share with them their experiences were prevented from doing so by new laws that were put into place. The House of Commons passed the Defence of the Realm Act on August 8th 1914 without debate . The Act gave the government executive power to suppress criticism, imprison without trial and commandeer economic resources for the war effort. As a result all letters that the men wrote were read and censored by the junior officers. Although soldiers were encouraged to write letters to friends and family, the contents of the letters were monitored strictly by the junior officers in accordance with the new laws guidelines. Anything that disclosed information about military action would be removed to ensure that the Allies plans could not get to the Germans. The junior officers were also instructed to remove anything from the letters that discussed the conditions of the trenches or insinuated that the soldiers did not have faith in the actions that were being taken by the army. The members of parliament believed that if family members were to receive letters of that nature the morale in Britain would be effected which would affect the war effort all together. Britain and France also had problems deciding what to do about journalists who were reporting the war. Originally under the Defence of the Realm Act Britain put strict limitations on all reporters often preventing their  articles from making it back to Britain from France. After complaints from the USA on how the British government was treating the situation a cabinet meeting was held to change the policy and to allow selected journalists to report the war. The British government appointed five men to be accredited war correspondents in January of 1915. These men were to remain on the Western Front but to be permitted to do so these journalists had to accept government control over what they wrote. As a result of government interference even the disastrous first day of the Battle of the Somme was reported as a victory. Although some defended their actions saying that they were attempting to â€Å"spare the feelings of men and women, who, have sons and husbands fighting in France†; most of the journalists admitted that they were deeply ashamed of what they had written. After the war most of the accredited war correspondents were offered knighthoods by George V. Some agreed to accept the offer but others like Hamilton Fyfe refused seeing the knighthood as a bribe to keep quiet about the inefficiency and corruption he had witnessed during the war. Fyfe would later become a member of the Union of Democratic Control after the war, and would speak out as a strong critic of the Versailles Peace Treaty . There were a few other instances of the British government preventing criticism of the war from being published. In 1916 the Clyde Workers Committee journal, called The Worker, was brought to court under the Defence of the Realm Act for an article that criticized the war. The two editors of the journal were found guilty and sent to prison, one for six months and the other for a year . Critical novels that were written during the war were prevented from being published or banned if they did make it to publication. A.T. Fitzroy’s Despised and Rejected, about conscientious objectors during WWI, was published in April 1918. A thousand copies were sold before the book was banned and the publisher prosecuted under the Defence of the Realm Act. Another novel, What Not: A Prophetic Comedy by Rose Macaulay, which ridiculed wartime bureaucracy, was prevented from being published near the end of 1918. Instead it was not published until after the Armistice. So although the conditions for the men who fought in the First World War were horrific, the public did not realize the sacrifices that had been made for their freedom on a daily basis. The suppression of the truth by the British government is a controversial topic that is still debated today. Whether or not the British were justified in preventing the public from knowing the truth it was inevitably disclosed after the wars conclusion. The images seen and the conditions endured plagued on many men’s minds after the war was over. The Great War, a war that was to be one of heroic battles and great movement, turned into a war remembered for its lack of movement, its number of casualties and the conditions that had to be endured. World War One changed the way all wars after it were fought, but not for the better.