Should dangerous sports be banned Essays (184 words) - Disadvantaged

dsdSome sports are nothing but an excuse for violence. Boxing is a perfect example. The last thing an increasingly violent world needs is more violence on our television. The sight of two men (or even women) bleeding, with faces ripped open, trying to obliterate each other is barbaric. Other sports, such as American football or rugby, are also barely-concealed violence. Some people argue that the players can choose to participate. However this is not always the case. Many boxers, for example, come from disadvantaged backgrounds. They are lured by money or by social or peer pressure and then cannot escape. Even in richer social groups, schools force unwilling students to play aggressive team sports, claiming that playing will improve the students' character (or the school's reputation), but in fact increasing the risk of injury. Even where people can choose, they sometimes need to be protected against themselves. Most people approve of governments' efforts to reduce smoking. In the same way, governments need to act if there are unacceptably high levels of injuries in sports such as football, diving, mountaineering, or motor-racing.

Informative Essay Sample on Supply Chain Management

Informative Essay Sample on Supply Chain Management SCM (Supply Chain Management) sounds like surefire saving when it comes to procurement of supplies. It offers more than a better way of meeting customer demands and managing low level of inventory or even having no inventory at all. No wonder why companies invest a lot of millions just for this software. However, automatic execution of sales without having the need for warehouse, stocks and paper invoice could be at hand, if and only if, you’re able to withstand the obstacle of getting SCM started and working. First, you have to show to your business partners (suppliers) that they would also benefit from the whole process. The thing is, SCM requires effort not only within your business but from each part of the chain. So, in order to establish a strong relationship with them, they should see the additional gain they would have in exchange for the additional burden (i.e. more responsibility for your inventory) they would take. Then, as the article mentioned, there is always the ‘internal problems’. The business should expect radical changes to the company’s traditional operations along with the grand promises SCM has. Thus, it must know how to motivate its people to work with the new technology. Aside from that, there is the danger of ‘first impression last’. The software might bring some problems on its first few months of use but then this should be anticipated considering that the software must adjust to the company’s historical set-up. So, with all these hassles and complexities, why would a company adapt this software when it can cling to the traditional way? The point is, SCM is becoming a necessity for a competitive business. Only, the company should be careful in handling the system since its failure might reverse all the expected goals to be achieved.

Linguistic and Metaphorical Synesthesia

Linguistic and Metaphorical Synesthesia Definition In semantics,  cognitive linguistics, and literary studies, synesthesia is  a metaphorical process by which one sense modality is described or characterized in terms of another, such as a bright sound or a quiet color. Adjective: synesthetic or synaesthetic. Also known as linguistic synesthesia and metaphorical synesthesia. This literary and linguistic sense of the term is derived from the neurological  phenomenon of synesthesia, which has been described as any abnormal extra sensation, often occurring across sense modality boundaries (Oxford Handbook of Synesthesia, 2013). As Kevin Dann says in Bright Colors Falsely Seen (1998), Synaesthetic perception, which is forever inventing the world anew, militates against conventionalism. EtymologyFrom the Greek, perceive together Examples and Observations An expression such as warm color is a classic example of a synesthetic expression. It involves the mapping from the tactile sense referred to by the adjective warm onto the visual referred to by the noun color. On the other hand, warm breeze is not a synesthetic expression, because both warm and breeze refer to the tactile sense, and there is no sensory mismatch in this expression as one sees in warm color.(Yoshikata Shibuya et al., Understanding Synesthetic Expressions: Vision and Olfaction With the PhysiologicalPsychological Model. Speaking of Colors and Odors, ed. by Martina Plà ¼macher and Peter Holz. John Benjamins, 2007)I am hearing the shape of the rainTake the shape of the tent  . . ..(James Dickey, opening lines of The Mountain Tent)Nabokovs Colored Alphabet[T]he color sensation seems to be produced by the very act of my orally forming a given letter while I imagine its outline. The long a of the English alphabet . . . has for me the tint of weathered wood, but a French a   evokes polished ebony. This black group [of letters] also includes hard g (vulcanized rubber) and r  (a sooty rag being ripped). Oatmeal n, noodle-limp l, and the ivory-backed hand mirror of an o,  take care of the whites. . . . Passing on to the blue group there is  steely x, thundercloud z, and huckleberry h. Since a subtle interaction exists between sound and shape, I see q as browner than k, while s is not the light blue of c, but a curious mixture of azure and mother pearl. . . .My wife has this gift of seeing letters in color, too, but her colors are completely different.(Vladimir Nabokov, Speak Memory: An Autobiography Revisited, 1966) I see a sound. KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK. It looks like KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK. It looks like gravity ripping. It looks like the jets on a spaceship.I catch the sound and it takes me into the cold.(Emily Raboteau, The Professors Daughter. Henry Holt, 2005)James Joyces Use of SynesthesiaStephen stared at nothing in particular. He could hear, of course, all kinds of words  changing colour like those crabs  about Ringsend in the morning burrowing quickly into all colours of different sorts of the same sand where they had a home somewhere beneath or seemed to.(James Joyce,  Ulysses, 1922)Dylan Thomass Use of  SynesthesiaI hear the bouncing hillsGrow larked and greener at berry brownFall and the dew larks singTaller this thunderclap spring, and howMore spanned with angles rideThe mansouled fiery islands! Oh,Holier then their eyes,And my shining men no more aloneAs I sail out to die.(Dylan Thomas, final verse of Poem on His Birthday)Clear Sounding and Loud ColorsMeaning may be transferred from one sensory faculty to another (synesthesia), as when we apply clear, with principal reference to sight, to hearing, as in clear-sounding. Loud is transferred from hearing to sight when we speak of loud colors. Sweet, with primary reference to taste, may be extended to hearing (sweet music), smell (The rose smells sweet), and to all senses at once (a sweet person). Sharp may be transferred from feeling to taste, and so may smooth. Warm may shift its usual reference from feeling to sight, as in warm colors, and along with cold may refer in a general way to all senses, as in a warm (cold) welcome.(John Algeo and Thomas Pyles, The Origins and Development of the English Language, 5th ed. Thompson, 2005) Synesthetic Metaphors- Many of the metaphors we use every day are synesthetic, describing one sensory experience with vocabulary that belongs to another. Silence is sweet, facial expressions are sour. Sexually attractive people are hot; sexually unattractive people leave us cold. A salesmans patter is smooth; a day at the office is rough. Sneezes are bright; coughs are dark. Along with pattern recognition, synesthesia may be one of the neurological building blocks of metaphor.(James Geary, I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See. HarperCollins, 2011)- Synesthetic metaphors are very common. For instance, colors are subdivided into warm and cold colors or provided with acoustic and tactile qualities, such as in the following expressions: loud red, soft blue, heavy dark green, etc.(Martina Plà ¼macher, Color Perception, Color Description, and Metaphor.  Speaking of Colors and Odors. John Benjamins, 2007)

International Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International Ethics - Essay Example military found themselves in a similar position, and Somalia became, quite explicitly, a guinea pig for 'humanitarian intervention' in the 'new world order.' Even though the military-humanitarian intervention failed, the precedents in international practice that it set still stand, and there are many who now seek to return to the ideas of a more aggressive international policing role for the United Nations." Here it is the case of not only unequal distribution of wealth but also the lack of necessities that initiated the disturbance and finally conspiracy theory made a situation that is ripe for international intervention putting the face of 'relevance in democracy and self determination'. The self determination is a mockery in this intervention as the intervention was a result of lack of unity and intactness in the society. When these are absent one cannot think of irrelevance of democracy and self-determination as these two are the inherent qualities of a democratic and self-determined state. The NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia beginning on March 24, 1999 did not occur in a vacuum but rather followed ten years of regional conflict and aggression inspired and orchestrated by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Until 1991, Yugoslavia was one nation comprised of six republics: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Serbia was further divided into two autonomous regions; Kosovo and Vojvodina. Each republic and both autonomous provinces in Serbia had a seat on the federal presidency and had a considerable amount of autonomy in local affairs. With one notable exception--Bosnia--each of the republics roughly represents a distinct ethnic group. This situation itself presents a picture of fractured society where the relevance of democracy and self-determination cannot be discussed. Slobodan Milosevic came to power in 1987 with the rise of Serbian nationalism following the fall of the Berlin Wall and Soviet communism. He became a hero overnight in Serbia when in 1987 he went to Kosovo to qualm the fears of local Serbs amid a strike by Kosovo Albanian miners that were paralyzing the province. In a famous speech televised throughout Serbia, by telling the angry crowd of waiting Serbs that they will not be beaten again in response of the situation in which few Serbs were beaten in Kosovo. This speech engineered the splits in the society and shattered the norms of the democratic state. Instead of re-coursing to discussion which is the essence of the democracy the tactics of Milosevic made the people of his own country fight with each other and resulted in a battle that led to the attempts of ethnical cleansing. Here the conspiracy theory works as the dominating attitude prevails in the people dividing them ethnically and an intention to make other ethnic groups as s ubjects to them or eliminate them. This when assisted by the government support to one of the cabal (Serbians) resulted in civil war. The structure and essence of democracy itself was made a scapegoat in the quest for supremacy over the others. The theory of the leaders like Milosevic worked due to the mal-intentions of the people of his type. When people believe in the words of the leaders that try to divide the nation the intention of being intact as a nation was being absent and that affects international policy of the nation and on the nation. This makes a Country to disintegrate, which was the inherent intention

Effects of Economic Recession on American Jobs Research Paper

Effects of Economic Recession on American Jobs - Research Paper Example This was the most severe form of economic recession that US had experienced in decades. A vast majority of industries in US were affected by this economic recession. US could not find any way to escape the economic recession when the whole world had actually completely soaked in it. The circumstances took a fortunate turn in the last three months of 2009, and the economy began to grow and become strong, though the graph soon took a downward turn specifically in the later half of 2010 when the growth of GDP in US fell to 2 per cent. â€Å"The federal stimulus money that has added at least 1% but likely 2% or more to the GDP growth will be winding down and that could put at least as much of a drag on the economy as the boost it gave† (Hall). When the recession was at its apogee, the years were full of pain for a lot of Americans because they had lost jobs. According to an estimate, as many as three quarters of a million jobs were being lost on a monthly basis in US in the years of recession (Bureau of Labor Statistics†). The rate of unemployment in US reached 10.2 per cent by October, 2009. Since then, it has shown a slight decline and has reached 10 per cent. Before stabilizing, the unemployment rate in US is expected to go up till the end of 2011. A loop of negative feedback was introduced by the economic recession which is expected to keep dragging the US economy for a while in the near future despite the fact that the economic recession has largely declined. Some of the components of this loop are high rate of unemployment, inability of the unemployed to pay their mortgages and bills, and weakened wealth from loss of equity. People in US are suffering from lack of income. Their lowered financial status is causing them to save more and spend less. Owing to the tightness of the credit, people in US are finding it hard to purchase homes or establish new businesses. As a result of the declined consumer spending, businesses have lowered their producti on in an attempt to improve their efficiency. A lot of companies in US have downsized in the past two to three years and the rate of recruitment has declined accordingly. US government has shown a similar trend. The value of property has steadily gone down along with the property tax revenues. Accordingly, the sales have been lowered together with the sales tax revenues. Owing to the lowered incomes, and a lot of losses, income taxes have been lowered. On the other hand, US government is spending much more than ever before in order to cater for the needs of the unemployed. This has caused the US government to increase the payable fees as well as cut back services. As a result of this, governmental contracts and government employees have reduced in number. The Federal governments have plunged into the scenario in a very aggressive manner with a view to distorting the loop of negative feedback. The Federal governments aimed at minimizing the downfall of the global economy so that the loop of negative feedback would be reversed. However, as a consequence of the massive spending and increased involvement in economy, the US government now feels the need to retract itself so that the debt that has thus been incurred could be paid back. This can be easily achieved by if the US economy continues to grow like it did grow by 5 to 8 per cent after the end of economic recession. However, it is important to realize that the recovery of economy is not occurring in a

Hamlet and Tragedy Essay -- essays papers

Hamlet and Tragedy Hamlet: A Tragedy When you think of William Shakespeare, Hamlet is the first thing most people think of, as his work. Hamlet is also a classic example of a tragedy. In all tragedies the hero suffers, and usually dies at the end. All good pieces of literature written way back when, are usually tragedies. The most important element is the amount of free will the character has. In every tragedy, the character must display free will. If every action is controlled by a hero's destiny, then the hero's death can't be avoided, and in a tragedy the sad part is that it could. Hamlet's death could have been avoided many times. Hamlet had many opportunities to kill Claudius, but did not take advantage of them. He also had the option of making his claim public, but instead he chose not too. In Hamlet, although Hamlet dies, it is almost for the best. His life was not worth living anymore, with his parents and Ophelia dead. Also, although Hamlet dies, he is able to kill Claudius and get rid of the e...

Humans or Robots? Essay

As Americans, we are told from a young age that in order to have a fulfilling life we must work hard to reach the American Dream. We must get an impressive degree; we must get married by age thirty to someone of the opposite sex; we must have two kids—one boy and one girl; and most importantly we must work a nine-to-five job, writing reports at a desk in a successful corporate business. If one does not fulfil these requirements, others expect that they probably were not up to par, or as deserving, as the other Joe Schmo who did. In Daniel Orozco’s short story, â€Å"Orientation,† the narrator is showing a new employee around the office, telling him/her about all of the rules that he/she must follow, about the personal lives of the other employees’, and about the â€Å"perks† he/she will have as an employee. By illustrating the corporate workplace as being void of any human element, the story argues that the workplace is an impersonal and a relentles sly unforgiving environment, and that people should be aware of this crisis in corporate America, and furthermore see the faults of the corporate workplace. The story begins with the narrator telling the new employee rules about his/her phone, and that he/she may not answer it or make any personal phone calls, unless it is an emergency. However, after the narrator tells the new employee what he/she must do in the case of an emergency call, the narrator describes the consequences to not following the rules by saying, â€Å"If you make an emergency phone call without asking, you may be let go† (484). This illustrates the company’s capacity for human emotion (which is obviously extremely low), showing that the company’s value of its rules is more important than any emergency. An emergency is something that comes up unexpectedly and needs to be attended to right away to fix the problem. In this case, the company has no empathy for its employees but rather for the efficiency of the business. The employees are expected to put their job before everything in their lives, even though a job is, in most cases, a source to suppo rt the other aspects of their lives. The narrator goes on to point out the receptionist who is a temporary employee, but is only labeled temporary because historically they always  seem to quit. The narrator states, â€Å"Be polite and civil to our temps. Learn their names. Invite them to lunch occasionally. But don’t get too close to them, as it only makes it more difficult when they leave† (484). The narrator is instructing the new employee to be â€Å"polite† and â€Å"civil† to the receptionist, which contrasts the human tendency to want to be friendly to co-workers. This illuminates the narrator as being robotic and emotionless, just like the company. The narrator and the company alike are incapable of genuine emotion, which is evident when the narrator tells the new employee to be â€Å"polite† and â€Å"civil† but to not get too attached. The emotional ability of the narrator is clearly forced when he/she tells the employee to be â€Å"civil† towards the receptionists, to â€Å"learn their names†, and to â€Å"invite them to lunch occasionally.† The low magnitude of what the narrator perceives as friendly is disturbingly unhuman-like. The narrator has no difficulty telling the new employee to put in the bare minimum of his/her emotional effort, by purely tolerating the receptionist, without being too mean or too nice to her. The narrator expects the new employee to be just as detached and emotionless as the company, because if he/she is not, it would only make it emotionally harder for him/her to endure the emotionless acts and values of the company. In another attempt to make the company appear good, the narrator tells the new employee about the comprehensive health plan that covers the costs of any family illness or tragedy. The narrator uses the example that if anything happened to any of Larry Bagdikian’s daughters, all expenses would be covered and that, â€Å"he would have nothing to worry about† (486). The irony behind this is that if an illness or tragedy happened to any of his daughters, he would have the illness or tragedy to worry about rather than the breadth of his health plan. Like any good father, he would fret about his child’s well-being above any financial costs. This piece of evidence has a strong connection back to when the narrator said that if the new employee ever made an emergency phone call without asking, the new employee would be let go. Another example of how the comprehensive health plan does not take away worry is when the narrator talks about how Barry Hacker’s wife died, and how she was completely covered but she has â€Å"haunt[ed] him† (487) since. The company’s comprehensive health plan shows that the company expects  family illnesses and tragedies to come up, but the company would rather make up for their lack of empathy during the emergency, when it is already too late and has turned into a tragedy. Although the company tries to make the comprehensive health plan look like a perk to the job, Orozco argues that it is more of a plan to compensate for the company’s faults and is purely intended to take employees’ attention away from the corrupt workplace environment. An ongoing pattern throughout the story that illuminates the strict workplace environment is shown in the repetition of, â€Å"you may be let go†. A good example of this is when the narrator states, â€Å"Feel free to ask questions. Ask too many questions, however, and you may be let go† (484). In a humane workplace, there are typically universal rules that, if broken, would result in an employee being fired. However, the company’s rules that will get an employee fired are all irrational. The company expects its employees to act without human error and to balance everything with perfect proportion. This is manifested when the narrator says to not ask â€Å"too many questions† but does not tell the new employee what that exactly means. The amount of questions that the new employee will perceive as too many is subjective, but the narrator sees it as an objective amount and expects the new employee to also see it objectively and without further clarification. The narrator goes on to explain the rules about the coffee pool and the microwave oven. When talking about the coffee pool, the narrator says, â€Å"You are allowed to join the coffee pool of your choice, but you are not allowed to touch the Mr. Coffee† (486). Immediately after, the narrator goes on to describe the rules for the microwave oven when he/she states, â€Å"You are allowed to heat food in the microwave oven. You are not, however, allowed to cook food in the microwave oven† (486). When it comes down to it, the company’s strict guidelines have little to do with the company itself. The rules for the Mr. Coffee and the microwave oven are both very simple and perplexing. Rules are generally used as safety precautions or for efficiency. Touching the Mr. Coffee and cooking food in the microwave oven have nothing to do with safety or efficiency, and have everything to do with the unforgiving and power-driven nature of the company. Through the absence of any human element, the story argues that the corporate workplace is emotionless and harsh and that it sends a negative message to corporate workplace employees. Orozco’s agenda behind writing â€Å"Orientation† was to articulate how corporate bureaucracies exploit their employees by subjecting them to irrational standards and by expecting them to work without human error. I agree with Orozco because corporate businesses tend to care more about the money and the success rate of the business, rather than their employees. This subjects the employees to neglect and in essence makes them slaves to their workplace. The message is not outdated, and the workplace conditions are currently, in my opinion, more taxing than the author intended to portray. The message that we should always be aware of the faults in the corporate workplace will never be outdated, and furthermore it is important to remember our history for generations to come so that the history of corporate workplace conditions does not repeat itself.