effiecent freeway driving essays

effiecent freeway driving essays To what extent is a crime a hate crime? Arent all crimes to some extent hate crimes? Should the consequences for a crime committed against a minority be more than that for one against a white person? The purpose for classifying a crime as a hate crime might be to raise awareness in the public to the intolerance against minorities but I believe the punishment should fit the crime and not the reason for the crime. To a certain extent, I agree that a greater punishment is warranted in a hate crime but is one person more valued than another? If you stabbed someone, you should be charged with assault regardless of who the victim is that you stabbed. By elevating certain crimes to hate crimes, we are saying we value certain people over others and I believe this is exactly what we are trying to avoid. By fostering an atmosphere of tolerance towards all groups of people and by becoming more aware of tensions between groups, we can probably combat this issue of discrimination on a more long term basis. It is not fair to punish someone for what they are thinking or for whats in their head. The reason for the crime should not be a factor in how they are punished. You should be punished for the crime itself and not your reason. For example, if you steal a bike from the kid down the street because he hurt your sister or because he is black, you have still stolen the bike. The reason is secondary and the punishment should be for stealing a bike. Overall, obviously, hate crimes are not to be tolerated. However, to place a greater value on certain groups of people would be contrary to the environment we as a society are trying to create. ...

Analyzing The Moral Panic Of Media Media Essay

Analyzing The Moral Panic Of Media Media Essay Thompson(1998) describes 5 key elements in a moral panic. It is something or someone who is defined as a threat to values and interests; the threat is depicted in an easily recognisable form by the media, with use of aspects such as Exaggeration, distortion, prediction and symbolisation. This then causes a rapid build up of public concern. Newspaper coverage and news broadcasts are commonly known to exaggerate issues in society which then encourage the public to react timorous to the concerns. Lastly, moral panics are continuously used to result in; a response from the authorities or opinion-makers. Thus, this included changes made evident from law enforcement, the councils and general charity organisations. The final element is that panic recedes or results in social changes. There are many issues that are often subject to moral panics such as Youth Crime/Gun Crime, Binge Drinking, child abuse, sex and violent behaviour, drug abuse, paedophilia, the law and asylum seekers and immig ration policy. A moral panic can be defined in several ways, one definition is a kind of short-hand for public hysteria, by definition irrational, and is almost always held to be indicative of someone elses behaviour rather than our own (Critcher, 2003). The media directs its judgments and perspectives at members of society that are classed as unacceptable or deviant. In his book Moral Panics and the Media, Chas Critcher explains that Moral panics involve a  ¿Ã‚ ½heightened level of concern over the behaviour of a certain group or category and the consequences that the behaviour presumably cause for the rest of society(Critcher,2003,pg 23). A moral panic must be manifested in concrete ways in other words there must be a public commentary in the form of media; such as newspaper coverage and news broadcasts. In relation to Thompsons description the media then proposes legislation and social movement activity. The media is acting as a voice for the public; some may argue that it offe rs biased/distorted views of issues which therefore cause a moral panic. Conversely, it can also be argued that the media plays a crucial role in establishing a moral panic as a way of creating awareness to the public; thus without media involvement this is not possible. A key subject that is continuously making heavy appearances in tabloid newspapers and news broadcasts daily; is Gun/Knife crime which is commonly affiliated with youth culture/youth gangs. To understand how Thompsons, Critchers and other theorists concept of moral panic works, analysis of media coverage is critical. The media has developed and distorted representations of British youth for a long time, and certain coverage in British cinema, documentaries, press coverage and broadcasting have made it evident that the representation of  ¿Ã‚ ½youth ¿Ã‚ ½ is seen as a threat to many. However the coverage differentiates from different forms of media. The coverage of moral panics in broadcasting differs to press; tel evision news broadcasts, are described as unbiased and therefore have a minor affect on moral panics as the impact might have not been on such a large scale. However in major moral panics they tend to have the same large amount of coverage on daily.

Communication and Leadership in the Workplace Research Paper

Communication and Leadership in the Workplace - Research Paper Example The communication process involves interchanging messages between the source and the receiver. The source is the person that sends the information, while the receiver is the person that listens to other person talking. Maintaining good communication between the employees of a company is important because doing so can help a firm improve its productivity. Managers that maintain good communication are able to gain the trust of the employees. For communication to be effective in the workplace it must follow the proper communication channels. The communication channels are the pathways used to transmit information. Some examples of communication channels are emails, telephone, cellular phones, written letters, memos, and face to face meetings. A good mechanism that often enhances the communication process is feedback. Feedback is a reaction or response to something another person has done or said (Dictionary, 2012). A popular method of feedback that is often used in the corporate world i s 360-degree feedback. This method forces different people including peers and supervisors to evaluate the performance of an employee. Communication can be either verbal or non-verbal. Talking to another person is a form of verbal communication. Three examples of non-verbal communication are body gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact. Communication must be effective to ensure that everyone understands the message. Speaking in a concise matter helps improve the communication process. A skill that enhances communication is active listening. Five key elements of active listening are: Pay attention Show that you are listening Provide feedback Defer judgment Respond appropriately (Mindtools, 2012). Improving the communication between co-workers can help reduce misunderstandings. Good communication can also help prevent conflicts in the workplace. There are forces that inhibit communication such as cultural differences, lack of feedback, and noise. Ethnocentrism occurs when one cu lture believe their values are superior to another culture. A lack of feedback is counterproductive because the person that does not receive feedback cannot take any corrective action to improve his behavior. Noise hurts the communication process because it interferes with the ability of people to listen to the message being sent. Companies must learn about new communication technologies. New communication tools such as Skype allow workers to have video chats and conferences. Face to face dialog is one of the most effective communication methods (Stryker & Santoro, 2012). Organizations need leadership in order to guide the efforts of the company. The managers of the company are the employees that are supposed to exert leadership, but leadership can come from any employee in a firm. When leadership comes from an employee that is not in a managerial position that form of leadership is called informal leadership. Some of the top companies that utilize leadership to their advantage are IBM, General Mills, Procter & Gamble, Aditya Birla, and Colgate-Palmolive (Cnn, 2012). A company that has a reputation for having good leaders is better able to attract young talent into the firm. Good leadership in an organization helps a firm increase the motivation of its employees. Employees that are motivated perform better and have greater job satisfaction.  Ã‚  

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 68

History - Essay Example Discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus also made people question existing view of geography by Ptolemy (the world is flat). These discoveries spawned a scientific revolution as it spurred new questions to be asked. There was much resistance to new discoveries because the people were skeptical of these discoveries and would rather stick with their old beliefs. But perhaps more importantly, resistance came from the Catholic Church because ideas from the scientific revolution challenged their hold on the masses by using faith and superstition. In other words, scientific discoveries threatened the social, economic, and political order based on religion, as Christianity was often the central coherent ideology in many European societies. The people would naturally tend to question the authority of the Church because there were now being offered scientific explanations based on reason and logic for many natural phenomena like lightning (just a form of electricity) and not an act of God. The scientific studies by Copernicus in 1543 theorized the Sun to be the center of the solar system and not the Earth as had previously been taught. This striking departure from past beliefs made people realize not to accept dogma as truth anymore; science started to challenge the many ideas of religion. The Enlightenment is also called as the Age of Reason and it was influenced by the Scientific Revolution in the sense every observable natural phenomena has to have an underlying scientific, logical explanation for it. The Industrial Revolution was similar to the Scientific Revolution because it altered the way people think and perceive the natural world. In other words, it was a big paradigm shift for them and society in general. In particular, capitalism destroyed the old feudal order in which the wealth of a person was derived from ownership of vast tracts of land with many people or serfs serving in bondage as peons. The old pattern or business model (paradigm) of

To what extent is Lord of the flies a pessimistic book? Essay -- Engli

To what extent is Lord of the flies a pessimistic book? Lord of the Flies highlights the flaws in human nature and shows how they affect the societies we create. Lord of the flies has a pessimistic atmosphere throughout. Although to begin with the book seems to be quite positive, (the boys have fun and are optimistic about being rescued) the atmosphere is slowly transformed into one of savagery, fear and betrayal. The ending of the book leaves the reader feeling pessimistic about human nature and sorry for Ralph. The first time the boys meet together there is a positive atmosphere, the boys are excited and their progress towards constructing a civilized society makes us hopeful. They vote for a leader and Ralph is chosen,' This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch.' The way both the conch and voting are expressed as 'Toys' reminds us that these are small children. They need toys to keep them busy. It is almost as if they are playing a game and this is Golding; first ominous hint that there is trouble ahead- the language suggests that the boys do not see the seriousness of the situation. In chapter 1 Ralph Jack and Simon search the island. It seems beautiful, 'every coign of the mountain held up trees-flowers and trees'. This optimistic atmosphere is increased by the description of the island and the mood of the boys, 'this time Ralph expressed the intensity of his emotion by pretending to knock down Simon; and soon they were a happy, heaving pile in the under-dusk.' However this is a great contrast to later in the book, the violence becomes real rather than playful when, 'Roger sharpened the stick at both ends.' The last time this had been done was to stick a pig's head, which Jack and h... ...ere is evil within man. I think Golding's point is quite a realistic one, society around us is shaped on the natures of the people with in it and how easily they are swayed or how manipulative they are. If they can manipulate many people they can do what they want and take control, however if a person is easily swayed they would make a weak leader. I found this book very interesting as it put forward many interesting views and questions. I found it quite pessimistic. I think this is because Golding concentrated on the flaws in mans nature rather that the positive aspects. Maybe this is because Golding thought that it is easier for man to do wrong than to do right and that the brutality within can come out with less effort then it takes to do good. Ralph certainly reflects my feelings when he 'wept for the end of innocence and the darkness of man's heart.'

Profitability of Slavery Essay

Briefly state the two opposing views. A. Abolitionists condemned slavery based on moral, social, and economic reasons. Many believed that slaves were mistreated and were often subjected to corporal punishment. Others argued that the forced labor of blacks was inefficient and unproductive for various racial and economic reasons. Ulrich Phillip’s studies from the antebellum slavery in the south claimed that although plantation slavery produced great wealth, even without the civil war, slavery was economically on a dead end due to the rising cost of factor prices (slaves) increasing faster than the product prices (cotton). B.Economists approached slavery as a business matter and tested its profitability. They perceived slaves as a capital investment and argued it was not in an owner’s interest to enforce severe corporal punishment because it would lower their rates of return. Alfred Conrad and John Meyer calculated the price of a slave along with their rates of return to determine profitability. They concluded that the rapid increase of factor prices (slaves) was mainly due to the fact that output per slave was also increasing. Outline in some detail the more traditional view. Where did it come from? What was it based upon? In 1905, historian Ulrich Phillips wrote a study based primarily on slave prices relative to cotton prices. Ulrich claims that American-born slaves were sold at a higher cost than fresh African slaves, because of their training in plantation labor and domestic service. Slave prices were low in the late 1780’s and early 90’s until Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin came in 1793. Due to the increasing demand for labor, slave prices steadily increased and spiked after the prohibition of the African trade in 1807. Despite prohibition, between 1800 and 1860, the slave growth rate averaged about 2.4 percent per year (W.R. 222). Based on Phillip’s table of slave and cotton prices in Georgia, it shows the average price of a prime field hand, in 1800, was approximately $450. At the same time, the average New York price of upland cotton was 30 cents; however, in 1860 we see a significant difference in prices. The average cost for a prime field hand is now $1,800 and the average New York price of upland cotton is 11 cents. Phillips explained, â€Å"The decline in the price of cotton was due to improvements in cultivating, ginning and marketing. The advance of the slave prices was due in part to increasingly intelligence and ability of Negroes and to improvements in the system of directing their work on the plantations, also to the decline in the value of the money.† (Phillips, 268) With factor prices (slaves) rising by 600 percent from 1805-1860 (Weiher), and product prices (cotton) declining by 63 percent, Phillips concluded that slavery was becoming unproductive and unprofitable due to overcapita lization in the labor force. He saw planters as bad business people, because they purchased slaves for conspicuous consumption. Furthermore, he believed the Civil War was unnecessary because slavery was doomed to fail within the generation without emancipation. Outline in some detail the revisionist view. In 1958, economists Alfred Conrad and John Meyer conducted a study by testing the hypothesis of taking appropriate variables and computing the rate of return over cost of a slave in a lifetime. Conrad and Meyer’s studies were based on four key aspects: the life expectancy of a slave, the price of a prime field hand (fixed cost) along with the of supplies necessary to maintain a slave (variable cost), land and cotton prices, and annual returns from a slave based on field labor and procreation. By understanding these variables, Conrad and Meyer were able to calculate the yearly-expected output values by taking â€Å"the price of cotton times the marginal physical product of the slave, minus yearly maintenance costs summed over the expected remaining length of life of the slave† (W.R. 225). Based on the calculation above, they were able to explain the reasons as to why slave prices would increase. If the price of cotton increases, then the demand for labor also increases which ultimately drives up slave prices. If cotton prices stay the same but there is an increase in output per worker, then the price of slaves will increase. If the cost to maintain a slave decreases, then the difference will eventually offset once slave prices increases to its equilibrium. Conrad and Meyer found Phillip’s table involving the relationship between the prices of prime field hands compared to the prices of cotton accurate; however, they explained that Phillips was missing key data to support his claims of slavery being unprofitable. Phillips completely left out the overall productivity of a slave, which was the ultimate difference in the revision of 1958. A major factor Conrad and Meyer took into consideration concerning production was the reproduction rates for females. Their researched showed that â€Å"prime hand wenches produced anywhere between 5-10 kids, and was one-half to two-thirds productive as prime field hands† (C.M. 106-107). However, an average 3 months time is lost due to pregnancy. After calculating return rates they found that women bearing 10 children would have an 8.1 percent rate of return and a women with 5 children will have a 7.1 percent rate of return. Furthermore, the rate of return per slave averaged out to 10 percen t (Weiher). In what ways do the differences in views hinge on economic interpretation? On differences in empirical evidence? On anything else? For over 50 years, Ulrich Phillip’s interpretation of slavery set precedence. His results concluded that after the mid 1850’s, slavery was increasingly becoming unproductive and unprofitable, because of overcapitalization of labor due to the rising costs of slave prices. He also believed slaves were a fictitious form of wealth based off of conspicuous consumption, and slavery was doomed to fail even without the Civil War. His studies were precedent until 1958, when economists Conrad and Meyer published an article overturning Phillips. Evidence from Conrad and Meyer implies that Phillip’s findings were inaccurate because he failed to calculate the rates of return on investments in slaves. Phillip’s relationship table between slave prices and cotton prices were accurate, and were also used in Conrad and Meyer’s studies; however, Phillips used speculation and overlooked productivity advance. Eventually Conrad and Meyer came up with a table of their own, only this time they included output. Their data shows that during the 1840’s through 1860 (the same time period Phillips said overcapitalization was steadily increasing) â€Å"slave prices rose about one and one-half times, while the value of cotton production per hand increased rose more than three times since 1842† (C.M. 116). This data supports the overturn of the overcapitalization of labor theory, because it shows that slave prices were increasing due to the fact that production was increasing more rapidly. From the rising trend of slave prices and the slave population growth suggests evidence implicating the profitability of slavery. Phillip’s believed slave prices were increasing because of conspicuous consumption, which ultimately lowed the rates of return. Conrad and Meyer countered his hypothesis with evidence showing rates of return averaging out to 10 percent, which was good or better than New England textile mills, southern railroads, and corporate bonds (Weiher). Phillip’s also suggested that diminishing returns was occurring in the late 1850’s and that slavery was going to fail soon even without emancipation. According to Dr. Weiher, from 1860-90, cotton land planted increased 2 percent per year, which was faster than the slave population growth. Land planted doubled again by 1925, which is evidence that suggests slavery was not going away in the short-term, unless emancipated. Contrast what the belief in each view can mean to the picture we have of the past and/or present. In other word, why does this difference matter? These two beliefs play a critical role in American history. The difference factor in these two views matters significantly. The traditional view claims that the Civil War was an unnecessary bloodshed to protect a system that was economically doomed; on the other hand, the revisionist’s implicates evidence suggesting the root cause of the Civil War was indeed to protect slaveholders’ investments. After Phillip’s study came out in 1905, which claimed that slavery was economically ending in less than a generation, controversy over the Civil War suggested that the reasons for fighting the war was not because of slavery, but instead, states rights. In Conrad and Meyer’s research conducted in 1958, they were able to overturn Phillip’s hypothesis and proved that slavery was not economically doomed. Their evidence showed that the rates of return for a slave was actually increasing after the 1860’s due to increased production and expansion of land planted. These results implicate conclusive evidence that shows slavery was neither unprofitable nor dying in the near future. Slaves produced much more than the cost of actually maintaining them, so it made perfect business sense for slaveholders to want to protect their assets by all means, even if it meant war.

How To Build Your Spanish Vocabulary

A big part of learning any foreign language is learning the vocabulary — the collection of words used by those who speak the language. Fortunately for English speakers learning Spanish, there is a large overlap in the vocabulary. Thats because Spanish is a direct descendant of Latin while English received an infusion of Latin-derived vocabulary in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066. Word Similarities The overlap gives English speakers a head start in learning Spanish vocabulary. A linguist would say the two language have an abundance of cognates, words that are similar and have a common origin. But that head start comes with a price: Meanings of words change over time, and English and Spanish havent always changed in the same way. So some words, known as false friends, look like they might mean the same thing in the corresponding word of the other language. For example, something that is actual in Spanish is something thats current or happening now rather than something that isnt imaginary. And some words, ones I (but hardly anybody else) call fickle friends, correspond frequently but not so often enough that their meanings need to be learned. Arena in Spanish can refer to a sports arena, for example, but it more often refers to sand. Expanding on What You Know How many words do you need to be proficient in Spanish? Thats an open question because the answer depends on what you want to do with the language. That task of learning thousands of words may sound daunting. But there are ways you can make the task easier. One way is to take advantage of the many prefixes and suffixes, word beginnings and endings you can use. Many of the prefixes will seem familiar, because most come from Latin. Thats not as common with the suffixes. Two of the main kinds are augmentative suffixes, which can add a negative connotation to a word or refer to something thats particularly large, and diminutive suffixes, which can refer to things that are small or that are especially desirable. Memorization Memorization is seldom the most fun way to learn words, but many students benefit from it. Here are some of the word lists we provide as an aid: Top 100 Spanish words you need to knowSpanish for air travelersArabic words in SpanishSpanish arithmetic termsSpanish at the beachWords for everyday things around the homeComputer and Internet termsBody parts in SpanishCompound words in SpanishConfusing Spanish verb pairs: ser and estar, saber and conocer, othersEnglish words borrowed from SpanishGeography in Spanish: City names, definite articles with country names, nationalitiesSpanish lodging vocabularySpanish love wordsCommon and not-so-common vegetablesAlternatives for muySpanish names for occupationsSpanish names of petsSpanish astronomical termsSpanish names for relativesSpanish for ThanksgivingShopping in Spanish and Spanish names for storesSpanish units of timeSeasons in SpanishSpanish weather termsSpanish war and military termsSpanish words for whatSpanish words for snowWinter sports in SpanishU.S.-style football termsBasketball glossarySpanish at the zooWords for celebrating Halloween We also have lessons on use of particular words. Many of these lessons include comments on the words etymology, or word history. AlfabetoClaroDerecho and derechaGraciaGringoHuracà ¡nMejor and peorNoSanto For Fun It may not always be practical, but sometimes its fun to learn words just for the sake of learning them: Crossword puzzles in SpanishWhat is the longest word in Spanish? Ways to Make These Words Yours Over the years, numerous  readers of this site have offered their advice for incorporating the words into the Spanish that you can use everyday. The simple fact, though, is that what works well for one person doesnt work for everyone, as we all have our own learning styles. You might consider some of these methods, however, to see of one of them clicks for you: Make sticky notes with names of objects and place them on the things you want to be able to talk about. You cant do this everywhere, of course, but if you do this your home you can track your progress by removing the notes for words you have already learned.Create three-by-five-inch cards with vocabulary words on one side and definitions on the other. And random times during the day, compose sentences using the words.Use social media to find Spanish speakers learning English and you can help each other.