Monday, September 30, 2019

Two Articles

Assignment 2: LASA 1—Analytical Summaries For this assignment, you will compose two short critical essays explaining and evaluating arguments by other authors. This assignment allows you to analyze an issue from a variety of perspectives and assess arguments for or against the issue. By focusing your attention on how the original authors use evidence and reasoning to construct and support their positions, you can recognize the value of critical thinking in public discourse.Read the two articles â€Å"Predictive Probes†, and â€Å"New Test Tells Whom a Crippling Disease Will Hit—and When† from the textbook and write two separate analytical summaries. These articles can be found in the chapter titled: Deciding to accept an argument: Compare the evidence. This assignment has two parts. Part 1—First Article Write an analytical summary of the article focusing on the article’s main claims. Include the following: †¢Identify the three ways the a uthor uses evidence to support assertions. †¢Identify the places where evidence is employed as well as how the author uses this evidence.Discuss evidence â€Å"as the reason† vs. â€Å"the support for the reason. † Also discuss evidence as dependent on the issue/context. †¢Analyze how the author signals this usage through elements such as word choices, transitions, or logical connections. Part 2—Second Article Write an analytical summary of the article focusing on the article’s main claims. Include the following: †¢Identify the author’s use of the three elements: experiment, correlation, and speculation to support assertions. †¢Analyze how the author signals the use of these elements through language.For example, word choices, transitions, or logical connections. Write a 4–5-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2. doc. 1. What kind of evidence would you expect in the following arguments? †¢a. An argument that people who eat a special diet will have less chance of getting cancer. †¢b. An argument that God exists. †¢c. An argument that human cells secrete some substance under certain conditions. †¢d. An argument that stealing is unethical. †¢e.An argument that owning a pet tends to lower one’s blood pressure. Answers (a) evidence after the fact; (b) philosophical evidence (a general principle, for instance that the universe is orderly); (c) direct scientific experimentation; (d) philosophical evidence; (e) evidence after the fact 2. Underline the language in the following argument that you believe indicates that it does (or does not) admit its limits. It’s an obvious fact that living in the suburbs is better than city life. Everyone knows that cities are far more polluted and dangerous. And of course, people don’t even know their neighbors.On the other hand , suburbs are peaceful havens from the workaday world. READINGS The following two articles show breathtaking advances in the ability to detect whether a person will suffer from a particular genetic disease. The first article contains references to all three types of evidence discussed in this chapter. Compare the language used to depict direct experimentation, after-the-fact evidence, and values questions. Predictive probes by Jerry E. Bishop Several years ago, Nancy Wexler’s mother died of Huntington’s disease, a hereditary and always-fatal affliction that strikes in midlife.Since then, Ms. Wexler, the 38-year-old president of the Hereditary Diseases Foundation in Santa Monica, Calif. , has lived with the uncertainty of whether she, too, inherited the deadly gene. That uncertainty may soon be resolved. A few months ago, scientists announced they were on the verge of completing a new test to detect the gene for Huntington’s disease (formerly called Huntingtonâ⠂¬â„¢s chorea). But deciding whether to submit herself to the test is an anguishing choice for Ms. Wexler. â€Å"If I came out lucky, taking the test would be terrific, of course,† she says. But if I came out unlucky, well †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her dilemma is an extreme example of the kind thousands of Americans will face in the not-too-distant future as scientists learn how to pinpoint genes that cause or predispose a person to a future illness. The test to detect the Huntington’s disease gene should be ready within one to two years. Researchers already have detected some of the genes that can lead to premature heart attacks and, in the near future, hope to spot those that could predispose a person to breast or colon cancer.Eventually, scientists believe they will be able to detect genes leading to diabetes, depression, schizophrenia and the premature senility called Alzheimer’s disease. New Test Tells Whom a Crippling Disease Will Hit—and When Amy Jo Snider, a college senior, has put her career plans and romantic life on hold until she settles a gnawing question about her genetic legacy. During her Christmas break, the Charleston, SC, student plans to be tested for a gene that causes ataxia, a disease without a cure that destroys the brain cells governing muscle control.The disorder crippled and ultimately killed her father in middle age. Because of a recent breakthrough in genetic research, the 21-year-old Miss Snider will be able to find out whether she inherited the disease, and, if so, how soon and how hard ataxia may strike her. â€Å"I want to be tested before I start to show symptoms,† she says unflinchingly. â€Å"I’m graduating in May, and I have to start planning my life. † As agonizing as the knowledge might be, she says the uncertainty is worse. â€Å"If I’m in limbo, it’s not fair to people around me,† she says. â€Å"I can’t deal with not knowing. †

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Bloodlines Chapter Twenty-Three

â€Å"WHAT DID YOU DO?† I was sitting on the end of a row of seats at Jill's fashion show almost a week later, in downtown Palm Springs, waiting for things to start. I hadn't even known Trey was at the show and was startled to suddenly find him kneeling beside me. â€Å"What exactly are you referring to?† I asked him. â€Å"There are about a million things I can take credit for.† He scoffed and kept his voice pitched low, which wasn't too necessary with the dull roar of conversation around us. Several hundred had turned out to see the show. â€Å"I'm talking about Slade and friends, and you know it,† Trey said. â€Å"They've been really upset about something this week. They keep complaining about those stupid tattoos.† He looked at me meaningfully. â€Å"What?† I asked, putting on a face of innocence. â€Å"Why do you think this has anything to do with me?† â€Å"Are you saying it doesn't?† he asked, not fooled in the least. I could feel a traitorous smile playing over my lips. After raiding Keith's apartment, the Alchemists had made sure his tattooist partners no longer had the means to administer illicit tattoos. There'd also been no more talk of Zoe replacing me. It had taken days before Slade and his friends had realized their connection to performance-enhancing ink was gone. I'd been observing their furtive conversations with amusement this week but hadn't realized Trey had noticed as well. â€Å"Let's just say that Slade may soon no longer be the superstar he's been,† I said. â€Å"Hope you're ready to step up and take his place.† Trey studied me a few moments more, apparently hoping I'd add something else. When I didn't, he simply shook his head and chuckled. â€Å"Anytime you need coffee, Melbourne, you come see me.† â€Å"Noted,† I said. I gestured toward the still-growing crowd. â€Å"What are you doing here anyway? I didn't realize you were interested in today's hottest fashions.† â€Å"I'm not,† he agreed. â€Å"But I've got a couple of friends working on the show.† â€Å"Girlfriends?† I asked slyly. He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Friends who are girls. I have no time for silly female distractions.† â€Å"Really? I figured that's why you got your tattoo. I hear women go for that kind of thing.† Trey stiffened. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I remembered that Kristin and Julia had mentioned how strange it was that Trey had a tattoo of his own and Eddie had later mentioned seeing it on Trey's lower back in the locker room. Eddie had said it looked like a multi-rayed sun made of very ordinary ink. I'd been waiting for a chance to tease Trey about it. â€Å"Don't play coy. I know about your sunshine. How come you always give me such a hard time, huh?† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was truly at a loss. More than that. He looked uncomfortable, worried – like this was something he hadn't wanted me to know about. That was weird. It wasn't that big a deal. I was about to question him more when Adrian suddenly made his way to us through the crowd. Trey took one look at Adrian's stormy face and immediately got to his feet. I could understand his reaction. Adrian's expression would've intimidated me too. â€Å"Well,† said Trey uneasily. â€Å"Thanks again. I'll catch you later.† I murmured a goodbye and watched as Adrian slipped past me. Micah sat beside me, then Eddie, and then two empty seats we'd saved. Adrian sat down in one of them, ignoring Eddie's greeting. Moments later, Lee came hurrying in and took the other seat. He looked troubled about something but still managed to be friendlier than Adrian. Adrian stared stonily ahead, and my good mood plummeted. Somehow, without knowing why, I had a feeling I was the reason for his dark mood. We had no time to pursue it, though. The lights went down and the show began. It was emceed by a local newscaster, who introduced the five designers showing tonight. Jill's designer was third, and watching the others go before her made the anticipation that much more intense. This was worlds away from the practice sessions I'd seen before. The lights and the music took everything to a more professional level, and the other models seemed so much older and seasoned. I began to share Jill's earlier anxiety, that maybe she was out of her league. Then Lia DiStefano's turn came. Jill was one of her first models and emerged wearing a flowing, silvery evening gown made of some fabric that seemed to defy gravity. A half mask of pearls and silver covered up her part of her face, obscuring her identity to those who didn't know better. I would've expected them to tone down her vampire features a little, to possibly give her a little more humanlike color. Instead, they'd played up her unusual looks, putting a luminescent powder on her skin that enhanced her paleness in a way that made her look otherworldly. Every single curl had been arranged into place, artfully falling around her and bedecked with tiny glittering jewels. Her walk had improved vastly since that first practice. She'd practically slept in those high heels and had gone beyond simply not trying to fall over. There was a new confidence and purpose that hadn't been there before. Every once in a while, I'd catch a faint glimpse of nervousness in her eyes or an adjustment in her stride as she managed the tall silver heels. I doubted anyone else noticed those things, however. Anyone who didn't know Jill and her traits well would see nothing but a strong, ethereal woman striding down the catwalk. Amazing. If she could transform this much with only a little encouragement, what more was to come? Glancing at the guys beside me, I saw similar feelings mirrored in their faces. Adrian's was filled with that brotherly pride he often had for her, all traces of his earlier bad mood vanished. Micah and Lee both displayed pure, unfiltered adoration. To my surprise, Eddie's expression was adoring too, along with something else. It was almost†¦ worshipful. This was it, I realized. In coming out as this beautiful, larger-than-life goddess-like creature, Jill was giving flesh to all of Eddie's idealistic, protective fantasies. She was the perfect princess now, with her dutiful knight waiting to serve. She appeared two more times in Lia's line, stunning each time, though never quite matching that initial debut in the silver dress. I watched the rest of the show with only half an eye. My pride and affection for Jill were too distracting, and honestly, most of the clothes I saw tonight were way too flashy for my tastes. There was a reception after the show, where guests, designers, and models could mingle over refreshments. My little group found a corner near the hors d'oeuvres to wait for Jill, who had yet to make an appearance. Lee carried an enormous bouquet of white lilies. Adrian watched a waitress go by with a tray full of champagne glasses. His eyes were filled with longing, but he made no moves to stop her. I was proud and relieved. Jill, balance, and alcohol were not things we wanted to mix. When the waitress was gone, Adrian turned to me, and I finally saw that earlier anger return. And, as I'd suspected, it was directed toward me. â€Å"When were you going to tell me?† he asked. It was as enigmatic as Trey's earlier opening line. â€Å"Tell you what?† â€Å"That the financial aid isn't going to come through! I talked to the registrar's office, and they said you knew.† I sighed. â€Å"I wasn't keeping it from you, exactly. I just didn't have a chance to tell you yet. There were kind of a lot of other things going on.† Okay, I actually had been putting it off, for exactly this reason. Well, not exactly. I hadn't anticipated he would get so worked up about it. â€Å"You apparently had enough time to pay the auditing fee, though. And enough money. But not enough to fund new lodging.† I think what was more upsetting about this than the topic was the insinuation that I had somehow chosen to act in a way that would inconvenience him. Like I'd purposely subject myself to this if there'd been some way to avoid it. â€Å"A onetime payment was easy to slip in,† I told him. â€Å"Month-to-month rent? Not so much.† â€Å"Then why bother at all?† he exclaimed. â€Å"The whole point of this was to get me money to get out of Clarence's! I wouldn't be taking these stupid classes otherwise. You think I want to ride the bus for hours each day?† â€Å"Those classes are good for you,† I countered, feeling my own temper rise. I hadn't wanted to lose control, not here and certainly not with our friends witnessing everything. Yet I was appalled at Adrian's reaction. Couldn't he see how good it was for him to do something useful? I'd seen his face when he showed me his paintings. They'd given him a healthy channel to deal with Rose, not to mention a sense of purpose for him. And besides, it killed me to see how casually he could just toss aside those â€Å"stupid† classes. It was another reminder of the unfairness of the world, how I couldn't have what others took for granted. He scowled. â€Å"‘Good for me?' Come on, stop being my mom again! It isn't your job to tell me how to live my life. If I want your advice, I'll ask for it.† â€Å"Right,† I said, putting my hands on my hips. â€Å"It's not my job to tell you how to live your life – just my job to make it as easy as possible for you. Because God knows you can't suffer through anything that's a little inconvenient. What happened to all those things you told me? About being serious about improving your life? When you asked me to believe in you?† â€Å"Come on, you guys,† said Eddie uneasily. â€Å"This isn't the time or place.† Adrian ignored him. â€Å"You have no problem making Jill's life as easy as possible.† â€Å"That is my job,† I growled back. â€Å"And she's still a girl. I wouldn't think an adult like you would need taking care of the same way!† Adrian's eyes were filled with emerald fire as he glared down at me, and then his gaze focused on something behind me. I turned and saw Jill approaching. She was back in the silver gown, her expression full of radiant happiness – happiness that plummeted as she got closer and realized there was an altercation going on. By the time she was standing next to me, all her excitement from a moment ago had been replaced by worry and concern. â€Å"What's happening?† she asked, looking between Adrian and me. Of course, she had to already know because of the bond. It was a wonder his dark feelings hadn't messed up her performance. â€Å"Nothing,† I said flatly. â€Å"Well,† said Adrian. â€Å"It depends how you define ‘nothing.' I mean, if you consider lying and – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it!† I cried, raising my voice in spite of my best effort. The room was too noisy for most to notice, but a couple people standing nearby glanced at us curiously. â€Å"Just stop it, Adrian. Can you please not ruin this for her? Can't you just for one night pretend there are other people in the world who matter besides you?† â€Å"Ruin it for her?† he exclaimed. â€Å"How the hell can you say that? You know what I've done for her! I've done everything for her! I've given up everything for her!† â€Å"Really?† I asked. â€Å"Because from what I can tell, it doesn't seem like – â€Å" I caught sight of Jill's face and promptly cut myself off. Behind the mask, her eyes had gone wide with dismay at the accusations Adrian and I were slinging back and forth. I'd just told Adrian he was selfish and not thinking of Jill, yet here I was, continuing to engage with him on her big night, in front of her and our friends. It didn't matter if I was right – and I felt certain I was. This was no time to be having this discussion. I shouldn't have let Adrian bait me into this, and if he didn't have the sense to stop things before they got worse, then I would. â€Å"I'm leaving,† I said. I forced as sincere a smile as I could for Jill, who now looked on the verge of tears. â€Å"You were amazing tonight. Really.† â€Å"Sydney – â€Å" â€Å"It's okay,† I told her. â€Å"I've got some things to do.† I groped for what they would actually be. â€Å"I need to, um, clean up the stuff Keith left behind. Can you get her and Eddie back to Amberwood?† This was directed to Micah and Lee. I knew one of them would step up. I felt no need to make any such provisions for Adrian. I honestly didn't care what became of him tonight. â€Å"Of course,† said Lee and Micah in unison. After a moment, though, Lee frowned. â€Å"Why do you need to clean up Keith's stuff?† â€Å"Long story,† I muttered. â€Å"Let's just say he left town and won't be back anytime soon. Maybe never.† Inexplicably, Lee seemed bothered by this. Maybe during all the time Keith had spent at Clarence's, the two guys had become friends. If so, Lee owed me. Jill still looked upset. â€Å"I thought we were all going out to celebrate?† â€Å"You can if you want,† I said. â€Å"As long as Eddie's with you, I really don't care.† I reached awkwardly to Jill. I almost wanted to hug her, but she was so elaborate and magnificent in her clothing and makeup that I was afraid of ruining her. I settled for a halfhearted pat on the shoulder. â€Å"I meant it. You were breathtaking.† I hurried away, half-afraid that either Adrian or I would crack and say something stupid to the other. I had to get myself out of there. My hope now was that Adrian would have enough sense to let the topic go and not make this night any worse for Jill. I didn't know why the fight with him upset me so much. He and I had been bickering nearly since we'd met. What was one more quarrel? It's because we'd been getting along, I realized. I still didn't think of him in human terms, but somewhere along the way, I'd come to regard him as a little less of a monster. â€Å"Sydney?† I was stopped by an unexpected source: Laurel. She had touched my arm as I passed by a group of girls from Amberwood. I must have looked really mad because when I fixed my gaze on her, she actually flinched. That had to be a first. â€Å"What?† I asked. She swallowed and stepped away from her friends, eyes wide and desperate. A fedora covered most of her hair, which – I'd heard – she still hadn't been able to restore to normal. â€Å"I heard†¦ I heard you might be able to help me. With my hair,† she said. That was another favor Kristin had done me. After letting Laurel suffer for a few days, I'd had Kristin put out the word that Sydney Melrose – with her dorm room pharmacy – might be able to fix what was wrong. I'd also made sure, however, that it was understood that Laurel wasn't my favorite person and that it would take a lot to convince me. â€Å"Maybe,† I said. I tried to keep my face hard, which wasn't difficult since I was still so upset over Adrian. â€Å"Please,† she said. â€Å"I'll do whatever you want if you can help me! I've tried everything on my hair, and nothing works.† To my astonishment, she shoved some yearbooks at me. â€Å"Here. You wanted these, right? Take them. Take whatever you want.† Another five days of scrubbing with heavy detergent would actually fix her, but I certainly wasn't going to tell her. I took the yearbooks. â€Å"If I help you,† I said, â€Å"you need to leave my sister alone. Do you understand?† â€Å"Yes,† she said quickly. â€Å"I don't think you do. No more stunts, bullying, or talking about her behind her back. You don't have to be her best friend, but I don't want you interfering with her anymore. Stay out of her life.† I paused. â€Å"Well, except to offer an apology.† Laurel was nodding along with everything I said. â€Å"Yes, yes! I'll apologize right now!† I lifted my eyes to where Jill was standing with her admirers, Lee's flowers in her arms. â€Å"No. Don't make this night any weirder for her. Tomorrow's soon enough.† â€Å"I will,† said Laurel. â€Å"I promise. Just tell me what to do. How to fix this.† I hadn't expected Laurel to approach me tonight, but I had been expecting her one of these days. So, I already had the small bottle of antidote ready in my purse. I retrieved it, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head as I held it in front of her. â€Å"One dose is all you need. Use it just like shampoo. Then you'll have to re-dye it.† She reached for the bottle, and I jerked it back. â€Å"I mean it. Your harassment of Jill ends now. If I give this to you, I will not hear one more word about you giving her a hard time. No more grief if she talks to Micah. No more vampire jokes. No more calling Nevermore and asking about tall, pale people.† She gaped. â€Å"No more what? I never called anyone!† I hesitated. When the tattooist had mentioned someone calling and asking about people who looked like vampires, I'd assumed it was Laurel running with the vampire joke. From the baffled look on her face now, I no longer thought that was true. â€Å"Well, if I hear about any of the other stuff continuing, then what happened to your hair will be nothing in comparison to what happens next. Nothing. Do you understand me?† She nodded shakily. â€Å"P-perfectly.† I handed her the bottle. â€Å"Don't forget.† Laurel started to turn away and then cast another uneasy glance at me. â€Å"You know, you can be scary as hell sometimes.† I wondered if the Alchemists had had any idea what I'd be doing when it came to this job. At least this settled one thing. Laurel's desperation convinced me the vampire jokes had only been a tactic. She didn't really believe any of them were true. It did, however, raise the unnerving question about who had asked about vampires at Nevermore. When I was finally out of the building and heading toward my car, I decided I really would go to Keith's. Someone needed to sort through his belongings, and it seemed like a safe way to avoid the others. I still had a couple of hours before curfew at Amberwood. Keith's apartment hadn't been disturbed since the Alchemists had raided it. The telltale signs from before were there, where we'd discovered his stash of Clarence's blood and silver supplies. The Alchemists had done little more than retrieve the essentials they needed and had left the rest of his belongings behind. My hope in coming tonight had been to get ahold of his other ingredients, the ones not used to manufacture illicit tattoos. It was always handy to have extra amounts of those chemicals on hand, be it for destroying Strigoi bodies or making dorm room chemistry experiments. No such luck. Even if his other supplies hadn't been illegal, the Alchemists had apparently decided to confiscate all chemicals and ingredients. Since I was here, though, I decided to see if any of his other possessions were items that would be of use to me. Keith certainly hadn't held back in using his illicit funds to furnish the apartment with every comfort of home. Scratch that. I doubted his home had anything like this: a California-king-sized bed, giant flatscreen TV, a theater-worthy sound system, and enough food to throw parties every night for the next month. I peered through cupboard after cupboard, appalled at how much of that food was junk food. Still, maybe it'd be worth taking some of it back for Jill and Eddie, so I bagged up the more portable sweets for them, organizing by color and size. I wondered also about the practicality of hauling the TV back to Amberwood. It seemed like a waste to leave it for the Alchemists' repo crew, though I could already imagine Mrs. Weathers's expression if she saw us dragging it up the stairs. I wasn't even sure Jill and I had a wall big enough to hold it. I sat down in Keith's recliner to ponder the TV issue. Even the recliner was top of the line. The luxurious leather felt like butter, and I practically sank into the cushions. Too bad there was no room for it in Ms. Terwilliger's room. I could see her relaxing back in it while drinking cappuccino and reading old documents. Well, whatever became of the rest of Keith's stuff, it was going to require the rental of a moving truck because Latte certainly couldn't handle the TV, chair, or most of the other things. Once this was decided, there was no reason for me to stay any longer tonight, but I hated to go back. I was afraid of seeing Jill. There was no reaction of hers I welcomed. If she was still sad from the argument, that would make me feel guilty. If she tried to defend Adrian, that would upset me too. I sighed. This chair was so ridiculously comfortable, I might as well enjoy it a little longer. I dug into my messenger bag, looking for homework, and remembered the yearbooks. Kelly Hayes. I'd had almost no time to think about her or the murders, not with all the drama surrounding Keith and the tattoos. Kelly had been a junior when she died, and I had a yearbook for each of her years at Amberwood. Even as a freshman, Kelly took lots of space in the yearbook. I remembered Mrs. Weathers saying Kelly was a good athlete. No kidding. Kelly had participated in nearly every sport Amberwood offered and been exceptional at all of them. She'd made varsity teams during her first year and won all sorts of awards. One thing I also immediately discovered was that Kelly was definitely not a Moroi. That much was obvious, even in black and white, and confirmed in the sophomore-year color spread in the middle. She had a very human build and tanned skin that clearly loved the sun. I was skimming the index of the junior yearbook when I heard a knock at the door. For a moment, I didn't want to answer. For all I knew, it was some loser friend Keith had made while here, looking to eat his food and watch TV. Then I worried it could be something Alchemist related. I found the Kelly tribute section I'd been seeking and set the yearbook down before tentatively approaching the door. Looking out the peephole, I caught sight of a familiar face. â€Å"Lee?† I asked, opening the door. He gave me a sheepish smile. â€Å"Hey. Sorry to bug you here.† â€Å"What are you doing here?† I exclaimed, beckoning him inside. â€Å"Why aren't you back with the others?† He followed me into the living room. â€Å"I – I needed to talk to you. When you said you were coming here, it made me wonder if what my father had said was true. That Keith isn't here anymore?† I sat back down on the recliner. Lee took a spot on the nearby loveseat. â€Å"Yup. Keith's gone. He was, uh, reassigned.† Keith was off being punished somewhere, and I said good riddance. Lee glanced around, taking in the expensive furnishings. â€Å"This is a nice place.† His eyes fell on the cabinet that had held the alchemy supplies. Its door still hung precariously from its hinges, and I hadn't bothered tidying up where the Alchemists had cleaned out its other contents. â€Å"Was this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lee frowned. â€Å"Was this place broken into?† â€Å"Not exactly,† I said. â€Å"Keith, um, just needed to find something in a hurry before he left.† Lee wrung his hands and looked around some more before turning back to me. â€Å"And he's not coming back?† â€Å"Probably not.† Lee's face fell, which surprised me. I'd always gotten the impression he didn't like Keith. â€Å"Will another Alchemist be replacing him?† â€Å"I don't know,† I said. There was still some debate on that. Turning Keith in had stopped me from being replaced by Zoe, and Stanton was now considering just having me fill in as the local Alchemist since the duties were light. â€Å"If someone does, it may be a while.† â€Å"So you're the only Alchemist in the area,† he repeated, sounding sadder still. I shrugged. â€Å"There are some in Los Angeles.† That inexplicably perked him up a little. â€Å"Really? Could you tell me their – â€Å" Lee stopped as his focus dropped to the open yearbook lying at my feet. â€Å"Oh,† I said, scooping it up. â€Å"Just a research project I'm doing on – â€Å" â€Å"Kelly Hayes.† The cheerful look was gone. â€Å"Yeah. Have you heard of her?† I reached for a nearby piece of scrap paper, intending to use it as a bookmark for the tribute section. â€Å"You might say that,† he replied. I started to ask what he meant, and that's when I saw it. The spread they'd done in honor of Kelly had pictures from all parts of her high school life. Unsurprisingly, most of them were pictures of her playing sports. There were a few from other areas of her social and academic worlds, including one of her at the prom. She wore a stunning blue satin dress that made the most of her athletic figure and was giving the camera a big grin as she wrapped an arm around her dashing, tuxedo-clad date. Lee. I jerked my head up and looked at Lee, who was now regarding me with an unreadable expression. I turned back to the picture, scrutinizing it carefully. What was remarkable wasn't that Lee was in the picture – though, believe me, I hadn't figured out what was going on with that yet. What had me hung up was the timing. This yearbook was five years old. Lee would've been fourteen at the time, and the guy looking back at me with Kelly was certainly not that young. The Lee in the picture looked exactly like the nineteen-year-old sitting across from me, which was impossible. Moroi had no special immortality. They aged like humans. I looked back up, wondering if I should be asking if he had a brother. Lee saved me from questioning, though. He simply regarded me with a sad look and shook his head. â€Å"Shit. I hadn't wanted it to happen like this.† And then, he took out a knife.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Obaid Al Slamis Career Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Obaid Al Slamis Career - Assignment Example Mr. Slami has a complete career in the banking sector and he started off as an assistant general manager. In the initial years of his career, he was a bit confused and sidetracked about the type of job to do in order to focus on one career. This can be inferred from the fact that first, he started off as a part-time as an assistant manager and then he changed his line to teaching accounting for about a good three years. This can also be stated as a positive aspect that the individual had a deep insight about the technical know-how through his experience as a part-time. The second added benefit is that he also had a good amount of knowledge about the facts and figures pertaining to the area of accounting through his teaching career. Mr. Slami is also somebody who has a pretty good knowledge of how different types of banks function because throughout his career he switched to many various types of banks. He has the experience of about three different banks. He has even worked as an auditor and finally ended up being the General Manager in an investment bank. Career development is a complete procedure of how an individual takes up a different variety of tasks, and roles to develop a set line of skills and experience. A career in terms of jobs is committing, yourself to a role physically and emotionally for a certain period of time. This time period is helpful in gaining an insight of the tasks carried out at a particular job and human developmental training. For this purpose, it is highly essential that the individual is focused, carrier oriented and be moving towards a level of self-actualization. The person mentioned in the resume takes the career as a structured pattern of activities that tend to create a path in one direction focused on one field of interest.  

Friday, September 27, 2019

Accounting principals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting principals - Essay Example The key is to price it at a level where people can still afford it and will still demand it but where the company will also be able to make a profit and be able to maintain its status as a going concern. There are many ways measure performance but the reason why it is important is that if performance suffers than the whole company suffers. There are man econometric systems of measurement used for this process. Needless to say, it is complex. Clearly taxes play a huge role in every business and it is important to account for them. Transfer pricing is one method of adjusting prices between different parties at arms length. This is an effective method of determining the real price of something with relations to tax. All good accountants will do this. For many years governments have permitted this kind of calculation. Depending on where you sit politically outsourcing is either good or bad. It involves sending certain jobs to other places or countries where they can be done more cheaply. For example, a lot of companies outsource menial work such as call centres to India where wages are lower. This is a good way for companies to save money as they are always sending jobs to places where they can be done more cheaply. However, for workers at home they dont want to see their jobs move. In the end, the customers win as the companys savings are passed on to them. This is important to take into account when reading financial statements. Many workplaces are unionized. Workers sign collective agreements and have many rights. For workers this can be a good thing as their jobs are more easily protected, but for many companies this often involves higher costs as unions demand more wages and benefits. We can see how unions have nearly destroyed the American car industry through the way they drove up costs dramatically over the years. No

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Strategic Management Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Management Assignment - Essay Example b) In the case of a university of your choice, state what you believe to be their core competences and how they show themselves to their several stakeholders. Â  (15 marks) In the pursuit of its mission, all universities must be committed to holistic development of human being and to uphold truth, virtue, character formation, personal integrity and academic excellence. All universities for that matter must have its vision, mission and statement of purpose. They must all have competencies in administration, instruction, research and extension services. This is true to all universities who are mandated to follow and maintain accredited standards and rules that are set by government to ensure that they will perform and function in accordance to constitutional, legal and executive orders. Universities, as center for excellence, should not only be perceived of its educational services but also as a melting pot for tourism, sports, arts, humanities and culture. It’s a social struct ure which helps the country develop human resources to contribute for development, peacebuilding, understanding an appreciation of diversity, and as resource-engine for national growth. The measure of its performance achievement is the number of students who passed and top the bar, government licensure examinations, and its contribution to social developments through research and extension of services. The academe’s competencies provide an integrated approach and system for quality education to promote national identity, cultural consciousness and moral integrity. Graduates of these universities are human resource supply to required regional and national manpower for national development. It must also pioneer in research and extension to lead economic upliftment of communities so that people will lead superior lives. In addition to its traditional function, universities should promote and accelerate integration of graduates to the mainstream of national body politics. Hence, it must also actuate as tool for national policy formulation in addition to its traditional function as an institution of higher learning. Question 5 George Hull is the Chief Executive of a growing industrial company developing and marketing its own products for the brush making machinery, government defense and mobile phone industries in UK. Until now, Hull has organised the company on Functional lines but is having doubts that this structure will serve his new strategy for growth in each market sector. a. What is a Functional organisation and what advantages and disadvantages do you believe this structure possesses when looking to further grow the business. (10 marks) Functional organization emphasizes the role of top positions throughout the business structures to deal with business’ problems and its functional authority restricts itself to guide all departments to ensure performance quality and uniformity in its operations. Often authorities are specialists appointed to m anage relevant or key positions. For instance, a managing director or marketing director is designated to

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Health policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health policy - Essay Example Women in the middle class who had considerably better security and others, who had proper insurance, now have better security cover under the new Act (Selker and Wasser 123). The Affordable Care Act has increased the number of women who own health insurance covers in the country. Similarly, the nation as a whole is now spending the hard earned income wisely and assured of high standards of health care. The act invests in wellness and protection and offers families and individuals more control over their health care. The ACA offers women a number of benefits that are crucial to their access to health care. One of the benefits is the provision of coverage of prevention services. Under the Act, this rule is guaranteed with no cost sharing. Preventive care is important because it saves money and promotes health. Before the Act, these services were difficult to access because of the high deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurances. It was estimated that 50% of women delayed seeking medical care and had to give up necessities in order to access health care. Health insurance companies are required to offer covers for prevention services under the new law. An estimated forty-five percent of women have taken advantage of these provisions (Selker and Wasser 153). Under the act, insurance plans are required to include maternity care. It is common for individual health insurance to overlook maternity care cover. Research shows that only twelve percent of the coverages offered cover maternity care. Additionally, maternity care covers provided are inadequate because of the deductibles and the waiting period associated with them. Under the new law, approximately eight and a half million women will be guaranteed of the cover. Another tenet of the women benefits under the Affordable Care Act is the more control over individual health care. The ACA assures women that they will no longer require referrals

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Effective Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Effective Manager - Essay Example Effective Manager As this competency to negotiate and motivate people is a very key attribute in a manager (Fowler, 2000), I have been working hard to contribute as a team player and to get everyone to work as one cohesive unit. For this, I have been volunteering to take up different opportunities that help me enhance my skills to build a strong team such as leading a group of people to accomplish a given task. This has taught me how to motivate the team to function in one particular direction. According to Alimo-Metcalfe and Alban-Metcalfe (2003), flexibility is an attribute that an effective manger must possess. In the past, I have noticed that I am often rigid when it comes to getting my plans executed. I look at it as a challenge and I have been working on this aspect. I have tried to expand my horizon to look at broader situations where flexibility is required rather than just focussing on my core role. This has helped me improve my flexibility and has helped me understand how it is crucial for m anagers to demonstrate flexibility while leading a team. As per the research done by Antonioni, D. (1994), an efficient manager should be able to resolve conflicts in the working scenario. Conflict management comes in very useful in a competitive environment where the pressure to perform to the optimum is high. It takes high emotional quotient by the managers to remain in authority and yet resolve issues amicabily (Goleman, 1999). During many situations, I have faced the challenge of conflict management among peers and I found the process very tough because there are many aspects that need to be focussed upon while managing a conflicting scenario. For example, I found it difficult to resolve the situation because two candidates felt equally passionate about one particular task. Even though I awarded the task to the one who was more equipped to handle the responsibility, I found it challenging to convince the other employee as to why the task was not assigned to him. To learn the art of conflict management, I have been observing the scenarios in which managers have been resolving conflict effectively keeping the interest of the entire team as well as the mission and objective in mind. Davis et al (1989) state that an effective manager should be able to efficiently manage self and others. For example, good managers always have the goal or objective in front of them and work towards the goal effectively keeping the development of the team as well as their own development in mind (Honey, 2004). During the past, I have exclusively focussed on my core job and hence, expanding my vision to look at the development of the team was not a priority. After understanding that it is very important in the managerial domain, I have tried to align my priorities with the mission of the team so that I am better able to improve my work along with the rest of the team. This has helped me understand a lot about the various nuances of how encouragement and motivation proves to be cri tical in a team environment. I have observed how managers are able to take active interest in the development of others while keeping the mission in mind. They do it by developing a deep understanding of the psychology and thought process of the individuals and how that would fit in with the common goal. I have also tried to improve my

Monday, September 23, 2019

Organisational Behaviour Resit Assignment Essay

Organisational Behaviour Resit Assignment - Essay Example Managers as planners would be charged with the duty of establishing the organisation’s objectives and determining what needs to be achieved and setting the timelines. This calls for sensitivity to the environment of operation and appropriate decision making skills. While this function would be handled by top management in large corporate organisations, owners handle it in smaller firms. Discussion To explain this managerial function, Xerox Corporation provides an appropriate example. The history of this copier and printing equipment firm dates back to the 1930s with the first xerographic image being made in the US. The firm grew over years by merging with other similar firms with the 1960s marking the climax of its growth. Between 1960 and 1965, the corporation’s revenues grew from $37 million to $268 million (Dragolea & Cotirlea 2009). In the 1980s, the firm faced intense competition from its competitors from Japan and the US with its market share dropping from 86% to 17% between 1974 and 1984. This was largely attributed to the lack of strategic direction from the management. In order to return to profitability, the management sought to understand the operations of its rivals so as to adopt some of the best practices. The firm sought to implement competitive benchmarking after the study which was found to be ineffective because most of the copier companies in the market did not use most of those recommended operations. As such, through studying a supplier of outdoor clothing and sporting products, L. L. Bean, the firm implemented functional benchmarking. This saw the company spring back with customer satisfaction for Xerox’s printing copier systems rising by 39% and 38% respectively. Customer complaints were cut by over 60% with sales process recording 40% improvement. This success was a result of effectively planned turn-around strategy. Indeed, Xerox identified its weaknesses which made it uncompetitive in the market shared with its US and Japanese rivals. Its market share had greatly dropped and it therefore sought to recapture its status as a market leader in copier business. With this vision in mind, the next task for the chief executive, David Kearns was to determine how to get to that position as suggested by scholars defining planning (DuBrin 2009; Sims 2002). The chief executive crafted a program referred to as Leadership Through Quality that would see the firm mine information on what makes its rivals more effective and how they would adopt some of the identified best practices. Data on the operations of Xerox’s rivals was collected through mining information from relevant databases, trade journals and magazines, use of questionnaires and engagement of consultants (Dragolea & Cotirlea 2009). This was followed by a well planned strategy to see the firm regain its quality leadership in the market. Analysis According to DuBrin (2009), planning could be said to be either strategic or operational. The au thor differentiates strategic planning as top level management engagement with the input of other members of an organisation from operational planning as one that relates to everyday operations of a unit or the whole organisation. The planning that saw

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Gender Stereotyping is Unfairness Essay Example for Free

Gender Stereotyping is Unfairness Essay The roles the society allocates to its members according to sex are the root course of how people relate to each other in the society. Those who don’t fit into predetermined gender roles face social sanctions. This paper reveals that the gender stereotyping in the society are unfair and amount to the abuse of the rights of those who don’t conform to the norms. The essay takes into consideration the origins of the social standards and experiences of life which are used on women. Devor’s essay reveals how gender stereotypes give rise to female to male transsexuals. This paper shall also analyze Alice Munro’s book, Boys and Girls that provides a literary example that complements Denvor’s scientific explanation. The paper will also be complemented by various views by feminists. Devor states that since time immemorial women were taken as less important than men. Women were not much recorded in writings on the society as men were. A close look at the writings of ancient religions e.g. Greek, Judaism, and the dark ages reveals this.   Cultures in the past have had individuals with mixed gender, who are based on polytheistic beliefs. In America this was identified in the 16th century. This was not written about as most of the writings focused on men thought to have female traits for social ridicule. In the twentieth century women became empowered and became workers due to the industrial age. In this time women who dressed like men were branded the title lesbians. This name later was used to refer to transgender women in the culture. Efforts to discover the trait of transgender individuals have been undertaken in the recent past however this phenomenon has been present in societies always. This phenomenon for long has been suppressed. Modern science has discovered the biological differences as well as psychological and social influences between men and women, and now the study of transsexuals can be studied and medication given. Devor argues that the context of culture is very important in understanding sex and gender. He states that the structure of the society determines the lives of individuals. Gender is a result of cultural influence on the members of the society. The relations in the society that enhance gender are rules of relations in the society. He observes that the society is responsible for its transgender individuals. They represent the mean of what the society has forced in the diverse human life (Dover 37). His argument is that the home is the place where the female to male transsexuals are bred. Most of the theories on transgender individuals put the responsibility of the situation on parents. For instance fathers are seen to impart the message that women are lesser to their daughters. Also mothers who appear victimized and dependent on the husband make their daughters attracted to be like men. This leads to a personality split, which is not illness, as some people believe. In the developmental years at the stage of early development those children with male to female traits do not identify with female relations in their childhood years.   The children in this stage identify themselves with masculine figures and preferred male company. In the final analysis there seems, on the part of these girls a desire to escape the problems of their gender. Transsexuals, therefore, are the result of intense socialization.   The process starts at early childhood and continues to build up in adolescence and even in adult life. She argues that people should be left to live and fully express the gender roles they choose. Most transsexuals don’t undergo the surgery to change their genitalia so they face continuing limitations in society. In spite of this they are able to achieve their goals in life.   As stated in the introduction, Alice Munro’s book, Boys and Girls supports Devor’s idea of sex and gender. The story of the girl narrator sheds light on Devor’s argument about gender stereotyping in the society. In the book Munro depicts challenges and successes in the process of passage from childhood to adulthood. Her narrators are a girl and a boy, who are siblings. She tackles the theme of sex role stereotype which is full of unfairness. The protagonist undergoes exacting and extreme initialization into adulthood like her younger brother. The author suggests that stereotyping of gender and loss of innocence are initiation into adulthood, and are extremely influential to individual children. Munro through the choice of a female protagonist who is without a name and therefore undignified lays he ground for showcasing the stereotype. The younger brother of the protagonist is named laid for lord, and by virtue of the name he is to become a dignified master of others. The grandmother of the children comes calling and gives the narrator advice on the rules of conduct for a girl. For instance girls keep their legs together when they are seated. The narrator faces a disliking of the roles that she is being couched to take; those of her mother. She rather likes her father’s roles.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

History of computing Essay Example for Free

History of computing Essay Way back in early history, when people relied mainly on their brains to perform calculations, people used their fingers, pebbles, and tally sticks for computing purposes. Various attempts were made to build general-purpose programmable computers from the same mechanical devices used in calculators. But the problems posed by the lack of technology at the time were not satisfactorily solved until the introduction of electronic computing techniques in the mid-20th century. Between Pascals invention and around 1820 there were about 25 manufacturers of calculating machines; most of them were the work of one man. Few of them worked correctly and even less actually reached the manufacturing line. In the mid-19th century Charles Babbage, a visionary British mathematician at Cambridge University, designed the first computers to perform multistep operations automatically. The technologies were entirely mechanical. He called this first computing machine the Difference Engine, and it was intended to compute and print mathematical tables automatically. The Difference Engine performed only one arithmetic operation: addition. Babbage constructed a small portion of his first Difference Engine in 1832, which served as a demonstration prototype. The first widely known general-purpose electronic computer was the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) that John W. Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert built at the University of Pennsylvania. The primary motivation for the ENIAC was the need to construct ballistic tables for the U. S. Army. Work began on the ENIAC in 1943 and in 1946 it was completed. It was an enormous machine weighing about 30 tons and filling a 30 by 50 foot room. It contained 1,500 electromechanical relays and over 18,000 vacuum tubes and when it was switched on it consumed 150,000 watts of energy. Despite its enormous size it stored only the equivalent of 80 characters of information. However, it was substantially faster than any previous computer. The idea of storing programs and their data in the same high-speed memory the stored-program concept was first put forth by von Neumann in a publication entitled, First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Computer). The IAS machine in its overall design is quite modern, and can be regarded as the prototype of most subsequent general-purpose computers. It had the general structure depicted in Figure 4. It had a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for executing instructions, a main memory for storing active programs, a secondary memory for backup storage, and miscellaneous input-output equipment. The IBM PC series was introduced in 1981 and quickly became the de facto standard for this class of machine. IBM made a smart decision by making the architecture of the PC open, meaning its design specifications were available to other manufacturers of computers and software. As a result of this decision the IBM PC became very popular and many versions of it, PC clones, were produced by others. Many other significant achievements have occurred in the PC era and continue to occur with the widespread use of the Internet and networked computers. Here are a few other notable historical achievements having to do with PCs: o 1976 The Cray 1 Supercomputer was the first commercially developed supercomputer. It contained 200,000 ICs and was cooled by Freon. o 1977 Apple II computer introduced. o 1979 Commodore Pet released, with 1 MHz computing power, 8K RAM, cassette deck, and 9 monitor displaying monochrome text. o 1979 The compact disk was invented. o 1982 The TCP/IP network communications protocol was established and the Internet was formed as a connected set of networks using TCP/IP. o 1982 Commodore 64 released, costing just i 595. o 1982 Compaq releases their IBM PC compatible, the Compaq Portable. o 1983 The IBM XT is released. This machine had a 10MB hard disk, 128KB of RAM, one floppy drive, a mono monitor, and a printer, all for i5000. What a bargain! o 1984 Apple Macintosh released. o 1985 Microsoft Windows launched, but not really widely used until version 3 in 1990. o 1987 IBM introduced its PS/2 System which was very successful, selling over 2 million machines in less than 2 years. o 1989 The World Wide Web (WWW) is invented by Tim Berners-Lee who saw the need for global information exchange that would allow physicists to collaborate on research. The Web was a result of the integration of hypertext and the Internet. Hyperlinked pages could not only provide information but could provide transparent access to other pages of information as well as other Internet facilities such as ftp, telnet, Gopher, WAIS, and USENET. The Web started out as a text-only interface but NCSA Mosaic, an early browser, later presented a graphical interface for it and its popularity exploded as it became accessible to the novice user. The explosion of the Web started in earnest during 1993 and in a single year Web traffic increased by 300,000%. o 1990 Windows 3. 0 introduced by Microsoft. This graphical user interface OS offered true multi-tasking, meaning you could run multiple programs at the same time. o 1993 The Pentium microprocessor released by Intel. It was only available at that time in 60 and 66 MHz versions. o 1995 Windows 95 operating system released by Microsoft. o 1995 Pentium Pro microprocessor released. o 1997 Pentium MMX (166 and 200 MHz) released. o 1997 Pentium II (233, 266, and 300 MHz) released. o 1998 Windows 98 released. o 1999 Linux, a free alternative operating system to Microsofts Windows, is estimated to be running on over 10 million computers worldwide.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Multicultural Counseling Conceptualization

Multicultural Counseling Conceptualization Ilka I. Bryant Inter-group characteristics The term â€Å"African American† is used to refer to Americans descendants of the African tribes mainly from the sub-Sahara who came to America as slaves in the 17th and 18th centuries. As it is common with all unique cultural groups there are bound to be different core values, attitudes and beliefs even within the same group. Despite this, there are attitudes, beliefs and values that are very common and which bind the group or in this case the African Americans together. Some of these include; they have very strong kinship bonds, they strongly believe on the importance of strong religious ties or orientation, recognition of the importance of women and family in general is widespread. Children and how they are reared is viewed as the responsibility of every member of the community (Norment, 2005). The respect for the elderly is highly encouraged and practiced. Because of the historical injustices committed on the African American they have developed a sense of distrust of the government. They feel that the government neglected them and that it does not care. This has led many of them to become deeply religious, fatalistic and others have developed deviant behaviors. Most African Americans who have chosen the path of religion identify with the protestant movement and especially the Baptist denomination. On the aspect of group self-perceptions and issues related to stereotyping the African Americans have always felt discriminated upon because of their skin color (Norment, 2005). This feeling has not been helped by the various cases of injustices committed upon them from the first time they came to America as slaves, down the revolution times, during the times of the Black Power movements up to now. To the majority of African Americans the government neglected them a long time ago and this has had negative impacts on their socio-economic life. They argue that the government’s neglect has been the main cause of poverty among them (Norment, 2005). That they had very little opportunity for success because many of them did not go to school and therefore their chances of success both in the U.S and internationally was and is diminished. Some of them cite the slow government intervention during the hurricane Katrina as an example of how the government has neglected them. Intra-group characteristics As noted in the opening statement, the African Americans share may common beliefs, practices and attitudes. But like any other cultural group they also have several differences. These differences might be due to the geographical location, the level of education and even the economic class. Most of the elite African Americans for example do not have that strong attachment to religion that is common with other African Americans. Those African Americans who are doing very well economically are not likely to be bound by the beliefs, attitudes and practices that bind those below them economically. For instance, the kinship ties among the wealthy African Americans are not as pronounced as compared to the poor African Americans in the ghettos. Another major difference is between those African Americans from the South states such as Alabama which had a history of treating African American badly because of their skin color. The behavior and beliefs of the African Americans descended from thes e regions is very different from those who or their parents were raised in much liberal states such as New York which from the times of Abraham Lincoln was more lenient and tolerant. Different members of the African American group have different group self-perceptions mainly because of the different upbringing, education level, religious beliefs, and the economic status. To those who are endowed materially, they have very little time for groups but those African American who are economically disadvantaged identify very much with groups. There are three theoretical approaches to counseling that are very important especially when dealing with this kind of cultural group namely; the psychodynamic approach, the humanistic-existential approach and the cognitive-behavioral approach. In the psychodynamic approach, the focus is on how the person internal world is organized (Anderson, 1985). It looks at the person childhood experiences, relationships and how the person deals with self esteem issues. This is very important to understand when it comes to the African American group because some of them react differently especially in situations where they are the n minority or when abused because of their skin color. The counselor needs to work on the self esteem issues of this group more deeply than other groups. The humanistic-existential approach deals mostly with the person view of the world coupled with his experiences. It majors on the current life and state of affairs. The cognitive-behavior approach on the other hand looks at the person’s behavior and beliefs. The kind of belief one has a direct impact on his or her behavior, for instance, negative belief is known to lead or result to maladaptive behaviors. Psychodynamic approach tries to get the person to bring to the surface their true feelings in order to experience them and understand them. This approach assumes that everybody has a subconscious mind and that feelings held in the unconscious mind, and that feelings held in the unconscious mind are often too painful to be faced (Anderson, 1985). People come up with defenses to protect this painful feeling. The therapist them seeks to make the person to keep in touch with their own reality, makes them aware of the feelings they are not aware of and makes them tolerate the painful feeling they are experiencing. Since the African-Americans distrust the government, the counselor will try to make them aware that the problems they are facing are not caused by the government in power. The African-Americans will be resistant to law and thus they will engage in illegal activities such as abusing drugs. The counselor should therefore try to convince them that they need to change their attitudes towards the government and abide by law. The counselors will need to pay attention to the rights of the African Americans and should not in any way get involved in any form discrimination. The counselors will need to treat them fairly regardless of their personal feelings that they may have against them. They should not stereotype on them and hence this will ensure that there is no biasness during the counseling period (Avashi Grover, 2008). The counselors should also know the culture of the African Americans well before commencing with the counseling. This will enable him know the particular attitudes and values of the group and therefore avoid prejudice while counseling them. Another ethical and legal aspect that the counselors should have is competency. The counselors should have knowledge about the particular group they are dealing with (Avashi Grover, 2008). The competency should enable him come up with the best decisions in treating the clients and also estimate costs and consequences of choosing the best method of treating the African American client. The counselors should keep the information acquired from the client as confidential so as to avoid conflicts with the clients Developing multicultural sensitivity awareness is an ongoing process. As counselors, it is important to view all clients as one individual, and comprehend that their beliefs, experiences, language and values affect the way they interact with others in a community. Also, we need to be aware that there are always differences within cultures. It is inappropriate to assume that a common culture is accepted by all members of a linguistic, racial or religious group. References Anderson, W. (1985). Journal of Counseling and development. Psychotherapy Counseling , 588–589. Avashi, A., Grover, S. (2008). Ethical and Legal Issues in Psychotherapy. Journal of Counseling and Development , 148-163. Norment, N. (2005). Readings in African American Language: Aspects, Features, and Perspectives. Bern: Peter Lang.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution :: History

Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution In Britain about two hundred years ago, great changes took place in making goods and transport, which has moulded the way our world works today. These changes made big differences to many people’s lives and work methods; and put together these are called the Industrial Revolution. They started in Britain and spead to Europe and on to the United States. A lot of the Industrial Revolution’s changes helped the lives of people as transport was more secure and faster, but also mass production was brought in. Before the Industrial Revolution people made goods on a small-scale from their own homes, or in workshops beside their house, The whole family would be involed in producing and selling the product (This can be called by the ‘Domestic System’). It was safe to work at home as they only used hand tools and simple machinery, these worked by hand or foot. In some situations a few bigger machines were used and water wheels were used as a power source. The Domestic System moved aside for more complex machines and new methods were invented in the eighteenth century which were powered by steam and gathered together in factories to produce more goods. It meant that people would work regular hours and not when they wanted too. Before the invention of steam engines, wind mills and water wheels were used for powering big machinary. The first steam engine in the early seventeen hundreds was mainly used in the mines for pumping out water. James Watt in 1782 developed a new steam engine that was able to power factory machines. By that time factories had built up, particually in the cotton industry, which took over from wool. In 1733 John Kay, a workman from Bury (Landcashire), invented his â€Å"flying† shuttle, which made the making of cloth (weaving) much faster. To keep the weavers busy, more spub thead (yarn) was needed, But James Hargreaves with his ‘spinning jenny’, Samuel Crompton with his ‘mule’ and Sir Richard Arkwright, who was more of an organiser than a inventer, made it possible to increase the yarn supply. Further improvements came later to weaving. Edmund Cartwright invented the powered loom in 1785, but it was not efficient until thirty years later. They were use d in the cotton industry and also in the older woollen industry as well. More machines were built and some were not in factories, since farmers were also using machinary for faster and more efficient methods of growing crops. Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution :: History Life Changes During the Industrial Revolution In Britain about two hundred years ago, great changes took place in making goods and transport, which has moulded the way our world works today. These changes made big differences to many people’s lives and work methods; and put together these are called the Industrial Revolution. They started in Britain and spead to Europe and on to the United States. A lot of the Industrial Revolution’s changes helped the lives of people as transport was more secure and faster, but also mass production was brought in. Before the Industrial Revolution people made goods on a small-scale from their own homes, or in workshops beside their house, The whole family would be involed in producing and selling the product (This can be called by the ‘Domestic System’). It was safe to work at home as they only used hand tools and simple machinery, these worked by hand or foot. In some situations a few bigger machines were used and water wheels were used as a power source. The Domestic System moved aside for more complex machines and new methods were invented in the eighteenth century which were powered by steam and gathered together in factories to produce more goods. It meant that people would work regular hours and not when they wanted too. Before the invention of steam engines, wind mills and water wheels were used for powering big machinary. The first steam engine in the early seventeen hundreds was mainly used in the mines for pumping out water. James Watt in 1782 developed a new steam engine that was able to power factory machines. By that time factories had built up, particually in the cotton industry, which took over from wool. In 1733 John Kay, a workman from Bury (Landcashire), invented his â€Å"flying† shuttle, which made the making of cloth (weaving) much faster. To keep the weavers busy, more spub thead (yarn) was needed, But James Hargreaves with his ‘spinning jenny’, Samuel Crompton with his ‘mule’ and Sir Richard Arkwright, who was more of an organiser than a inventer, made it possible to increase the yarn supply. Further improvements came later to weaving. Edmund Cartwright invented the powered loom in 1785, but it was not efficient until thirty years later. They were use d in the cotton industry and also in the older woollen industry as well. More machines were built and some were not in factories, since farmers were also using machinary for faster and more efficient methods of growing crops.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Oscar Wildes An Ideal Husband Essay -- Oscar Wilde Papers

Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband Oscar Wilde (1845-1903) lived an outrageous and controversial life which was well publicized and condemned, as his life defied the strict social mores of the time. He was put into this public position due to the success of his plays which challenged Victorian earnestness while being hilariously funny. His plays, in particular An Ideal Husband, 1895 portray Victorian society as viciously hypocritical at it's worst and laughably pretentious at it's best. Wilde expressed this point of view in An Ideal Husband through the rich use of plot development, construction of characters, dramatic irony, hyperbole, witty and epigrammatic repartee and satire. The central plot of An Ideal Husband begins with the antagonist, Mrs Chevely, tries to blackmail Sir Robert Chiltern (one of the protagonists) with a secret from his past. She has with her an incriminating letter which proves Robert's involvement in insider trading in the Suez Canal Scheme, in order to benefit from an investment. The Suez Canal Scheme was a very important scheme in the recent history of the time. Wilde's plot of a a man going unpunished for such a serious crime challenged the earnestness of the Victorian people. This challenge and insult to earnestness is strongly emphasised by the characterisation of robert chiltern. Wilde adds insult to injury by constructing robert as being a very lucky man in life. He is an attractive man who lives in Grosvenor sqaure, (an upper class area) with his adoring wife. After finding out the origin of this wealth, the audience is annoyed as they know (due to the plays realistic style) that he aquired it all t... ... and so far have only talked about trivial things and "people don't talk politics." (hypocritical) An ideal person is an earnest person, and ideals are another theme of the play. Mrs. Marchmont and Lady Basildon are two married ladies who, while talking about their "hopelessly faultless" husbands expose earnestness (an "admirable" quality) as 'unendurable' and "tragic".These ladies, through dramatic irony, expose the earnestness of searching for an ideal husband as laughably pretentious and hypocritical. This is because many women at the time were searching for an earnest husband to spend their lives with when there is, as Mrs. Marchmont puts it "not the smallest element of excitement in knowing him." Yet they keep searching for an earnest and ideal husband. It is in these ways Wilde challenges Victorian earnestness.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

In a book written by Goldscheider Essay

Studying the Jewish Future, the author revealed the reasons for the unexpected results, that instead of a vanishing race, the reality is that of a thriving community. And the explanation can be broken down into the following: 1. Conversion – It is surprising to find out that a considerable number of non-Jewish spouse opted to be converted to Judaism. It must be noted though that the said conversion may be formal or informal but true conversion is rather marked by a following community norms and values. 2. Acceptance – the Jewish community is now more open to the idea of intermarriage and this has resulted in a more openness which predictably made it easier for non-Jewish spouse to get exposed to Jewish ways. 3. Deliberate Outreach – the Jewish community and its institutions are forced to reach out to intermarried couples and by doing so encouraged non-Jews to be respect their beliefs and for some a desire to be counted as Jews. Ambivalence There is a dramatic change in perception and outlook that resulted in an improvement in how the Jewish community in general is treating intermarried couples. Still, the Jewish faith would never have reached its current position, a survivor of the Holocaust and many other forms of persecution without creating a defense mechanism that ensured the survival not only of its lineage but also of its beliefs and customs. It is this defense mechanism that made it hard for other to jump on the â€Å"accept the intermarried couples bandwagon† and prevented some to see the possibilities not only in finding a novel way of thriving in a modern society like America but also a novel way of finding new converts. In one extreme, intermarriage is one valid form of proselytizing whose impact is not yet fully measured. But as mentioned earlier, not everyone is convinced that the time has come for the Jews to fully open its house to the Gentiles. Bayme and Rosen provided an example of this ambivalence when they cited the popular Mordecai Kaplan who at one point encouraged intermarriages: Jews must meet all situations that might lead to mixed marriages, not fearfully or grudgingly, but in the spirit of encountering an expected development †¦ With a belief in the integrity and values of his own civilization, the Jewish partner to the marriage cold †¦ make Judaism the civilization of the home†¦ And yet two years later the same person said: Since Jews are a minority and Judaism is exposed to tremendous disintegrative forces from non-Jewish environment †¦ it cannot approve of uncontrolled intermarriage with non-Jews. If however, a non-Jew who desire to marry a Jew, after studying what is involved in being a Jew and what are the principles and practices of Judaism, he should be given every encouragement and should be welcomed into the Jewish community (Kaplan, as qtd. in Bayme & Rosen, 1994, p. 268). Conclusion After thousands of years since God has declared them the â€Å"chosen people† the Jews continue to struggle and to find their place in the world. Every generation is pressured to find ways to pass on what they have received from their ancestors to the next generation of Jews. Each time the baton is passed the more it becomes more difficult to continually display integrity, commitment, and consistency. Just like other ancient religions, Judaism is finding it extremely difficult to solve the dilemma of identity and relevance. The present generation can enforce and strengthen their spiritual identity and dig deep into their past to find that old familiar path that will lead them to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. But every time they struggle to keep their ancient traditions and beliefs together they risk losing their relevance to a fast evolving world. This is especially true in America; the world’s most advanced and most powerful nation. As a result the new generation of Jews are abandoning ancient traditions and exchanging it with new ideas. But this is just a part of a bigger problem. What they are most concern about is the marriage of Jews to non-Jews or interfaith marriages. As mentioned in the introduction part of this paper, the Jews can directly trace their lineage to an ancient people, the Israelites, children of Jacob. A long time ago, they co-existed with ancient people groups but they are the only fortunate ones to have survived the passage of time. It can even be argued that they are the only surviving, direct descendants of ancient tribes. This made them a special group. A fact that is not lost in the collective psyche of the Jewish people. This ability to survive against all odds does not come without a price. They have developed a sort of defense mechanisms against the â€Å"melting pot† effect of the world. The world is like one giant sponge of conformity, sucking them in to make them conform to popular trends and standards. The Jewish people, for thousands of years were able to resist that pull. They have their strict diet, their festivals, their rituals, and their traditions that must be strictly followed wherever they are. Whether they are in the midst of prison, or in a land filled with racism they have to remember who they are and by doing all these things they have fought back extinction and remained a distinct people group. The Jewish race also has one major secret weapon and it is the implied rule that they should not marry non-Jews. At first glance it is easy to believe that they perpetuate this rule for the sake of practicality. It would be impossible for an outsider to keep up with their way of life unless one has learned of these things since early childhood. But a close look into this code of conduct reveals a religion that is so exacting that it sees intermarriage as a threat to the continuity of this particular group. For thousands of years they had succeeded in maintaining the status quo. Wherever they went they formed a close knit community of fellow believers that find support and strength from one another. The long history of persecution and anti-Semitism forced them to band close together as one family. It is understandable why for a long time outsiders are reluctant to penetrate their strong defenses so that they can get an idea as to what Judaism is all about. Moreover, anti-Semitism is a serious problem that strongly discourages a potential suitor from risking his life for someone that is as enigmatic as a Jewish girl. Everything went fine until after World War II. It seems that the Holocaust has placed the Jews in the limelight and not to discount also the successes of the Holocaust survivors in the field of finance and business that may well have contributed to their fame in the international stage. Another factor is the settling of Jews in America, first coming in droves as refugees and then finally establishing a place they can call home. In the New World the Jewish community was able to thrive in an environment where anti-Semitism is denounced as something belonging to a bygone era. Then an unexpected thing happened. The lessening of anti-Semitism no doubt changed the way Americans see the Jews. In short Jewish men and women became desirable in the eyes of modern day Gentiles. And since they are in the land of the free, the new generation of Jews can find nothing wrong in interfaith marriages. But for the elders, especially communal leaders have a different perspective. They are perhaps remnants of that era where Jews are considered as the persecuted one in Europe and in many parts of the world. It may have been a difficult notion to entertain for these old folks – that a Jew can finally live with a non-Jew and yet retain its identity and continue practicing their faith. They cannot see the gray area, only the black and white shades that says either one is fully committed Jew, focused on his religious duties or none at all. Moreover, the increasing rate of intermarriages was seen as a black-eye for the Jewish community. They interpret it as a growing weakness in the institution that teaches Jewish beliefs and traditions. It was also interpreted as rebellion towards parents and to their way of life. In modern times, there are researchers like Goldscheider who contends that the elders made a fundamental error in judgment. He argues that the reason for the negative assessment of intermarriage is a wrong perspective. He hastens to say that if the elders and the whole Jewish community can see what intermarriage is doing to the community in general then they will be more open to the idea of intermarriage. Firs of all, intermarriages are means for increasing the number of Jews in America. This is because studies have found a significant percentage of non-Jews willing to learn more about the Judaism, willing to let their children grow up as followers of Judaism and in many instances non-Jews are getting converted formally or informally. Goldscheider warns though that in order for this new trend to be a source of joy for communal leaders and elders they need to have a paradigm shift. They no longer have to limit their idea â€Å"Jewishness† on the basis of birth but they must be willing to accept that a true Jew is not someone with a direct lineage to the ancient people found in the Jewish Bible, but they are people who are in love with Jewish customs and tradition and that they are eager to lead their children in following their lifestyle. For Goldscheider this is what 21st century needs and for him this is what intermarriage brings to the Jewish experience. Works Cited Bayme, Steven. Jewish Arguments and Counterarguments. New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, 2002. Bayme, Steven & Gladys Rosen. The Jewish Family and Jewish Contiunity. New Jersey: KTAV Publishing, 1994. Goldscheider, Calvin. Are American Jews Vanishing Again? Ed. Put Name of Editor of the book article was taken from. Place of Publication: Publisher, year of publication. _____________________. Studying the Jewish Future. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 2004. Jewish Bible. Retrieved 13 November 2007 from http://www. breslov. com/bible/Joshua3. htm#3 Shapiro, Edward. A Time for Healing: American Jewry Since World War II. MA: The John Hopkins Press, 1992. Sklare, Marshall. Understanding American Jewry. New Jersey: Transaction Books, 1982.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Explain why the duke of Wellington’s government fell from power in 1830? Essay

The fall of duke Wellington’s government in November 1830 is regarded as one of the most important turning point and a very pivotal moment in British history. So decisive and seemingly unexpected, was the downward turn in the duke’s political fortune and his government, meant is was caused by an array of reasons. From the standpoint of the 2 major parties, the political stature of Britain was quite weak. As a result of arguments and internal splits within the government, the tory party for the first time in many years had become apart of the minority. The small liberal wing of the tory party, the canningities had left in 1828 after a series of disagreements with the Wellington, whereas the Ultra’s, who were loyal to Wellington and Peel, left the Tory party mainly because the of the passing of catholic emancipation in 1829. Another issue that caused the disintegration of Wellington’s Tory party was not only just catholic emancipation, but also the fact that the duke and peel had to announce it. The Act of C.E was passed in April 1829, with a total of 173 Tory MPs against it. The ultra Tories believed that Catholic emancipation was an assault on the British Constitution, Although many Tories sympathised with Peel, they hated Wellington for falling to catholic pressure and judged him as misguided, or even two faced because he had always been a opponent to Catholic Emancipation. There was also widespread opposition in the country at large, because many in many cities like Liverpool and Manchester, there were many immigrants. This not only fractured Wellington’s capability as leader, but his government as well because the Tory party was now split 3 ways: the canningities soon to be allied with the Whigs, and also the separate faction of ultra’s who felt betrayed by Wellington. But one of the key factors that essentially solidified end of the Wellington’s government, was the speech that he read out in the New parliament meeting of November 1830. In trying to win support from the ultras, he made a speech in which he said he saw no need to consider and change in the current parliamentary system, an opinion rarely shared by other, This can be argued as one of the worst political â€Å"own goals† in British History as he clearly missed the mood of the moment, as there was genuinely a big concern over parliamentary reform. Wellington’s argument seemed entirely wrong almost to the point of stupidity as there was immense support towards parliamentary reform from both inside and outside parliament. Another issue that pushed Wellington’s government to the brink, was the ever growing power of the Whig party. The Whigs were now pushing for parliamentary reform and they were now more stronger and more confident. They had support of the canningites, who were experienced in parliament and the support of the new King William IV, they had a monarch who was not opposed to them like King George the IV had been. Some ultra tories who felt betrayed by Peel and Wellington united with the Whigs and Canningities to defeat the government. By 1827- 30, the divisions within the Wellington’s government had become to severe, the various arguments between factions limited it’s political aims and capability. The Whigs had a big part to play in further fracturing Wellington’s government through it’s alliances with the canningities and the ultras, so inevitably had a big part to play in the demise off Wellington’s government. How close to revolution did Britain come in 1830-32? A revolution can be defined as a drastic and far reaching change in a country’s way of thinking and behaviour. It is usually due to the fact that political change fails to respond to social or economic distress. In Britain, The growing pressure to change an unrepresentative electoral system was strengthened by the deteriorating economy. Against a backdrop of poor harvests, rising rates of unemployment and revival of radical demands for reform – it could argued that at face value, Britain extremely close to revolution from the years of 1830 to 1832. An issue that helped in pushing Britain to the brink of revolution was the crisis caused by the harvest failure, high prices and unemployment. These were some of the many issues which cause unrest within the countryside, as their was protests ranging from the destruction of machinery to the burning of corn. So the swing riots of 1830-1831 had begun. The significance of the agricultural disaster of 1830 and the swing riots, is that is can be argued as one of the initial steps which caused the rebellious and revolutionary attitudes of the people of Britain to grow. A crucial issue that almost caused a revolutionary climate in Britain between 1830-32 was the issue of parliamentary reform. Although changes had been made, like redistributing seats to more industrially centred places like Manchester and Leeds, so giving the middle class factory owners more political power and significance, the fact remained that house of Lords and the government as a whole, was still saturated with Aristocracy. The public were being let down and felt that the house of lords was clearly out of touch with the working and middle classes’ wishes, and example of this was the rejection of the second reform bill by the Lords in 1831, which caused widespread anger throughout the country. Although many groups and coalitions were formed to support the great reform act, one of the most notable political societies’ was the Birmingham Political union. The need for change, and so revolution can be clearly seen in formation of this union, as a crowd of over 15,000 arrived on it’s first meeting. It was inspired by the works of the Catholic Association in attracting mass membership and being well organised, without any form of violence. To gain support, The BPU’s polices were mainly targeted at middle and working classes, but there were other important coalitions like the MPU (Metropolitan Political Union) which was dominated by artisans and craftsman, who had be radicals in the years of 1819. Ultimately, the union of these various craftsmen, businessmen, lawyers and workers increased the tensions and sense of uneasiness with the government, so once again spurs the idea that Britain was edging closer to revolution. As well as pressure from the BPU, Francis Plaice made London the central place of opposition of the Lords, but not the Whigs. Whereas elsewhere by 1832, there were cases of violent protests which appeared throughout the country. Riots spread from the small rural areas to the large industrial towns, as the tensions concerning reforms increased drastically. One extreme case of rioting was in Bristol, when a violent mob burned down almost all of there town centre. All these different forms of protest suggest that, revolutionary circumstances like the overthrowing of Charles X in France or the demolition of Tsar in Russia, was rapidly becoming an inevitability in Britain. Arguably the only thing that prevented full scale revolution was the desire of the Whig party and there newly elected leader lord grey’s partial support towards reform, and efforts in turning violent protests into † safe and legitimate reform.† However there were major political issues that suggested that, Britain wouldn’t have a revolution just yet, unlike it’s neighbour France. Since the late 1770’s the Lord grey had handled issues over parliamentary reform, but in 1831 he finally got his moment. Although the Whigs only partially supported the idea of parliamentary reform, Earl grey was enough of a politician to realise that in the defeat of the first 2 bills and public disturbances, some change will be needed to mediate the situation. A quote for Grey states that † The principle of my reform is to prevent the need for revolution†. Grey was very aware of the public’s opinion and knew that situation would only get worse if they were inhibited any form of change. Grey motives were clear from the start as his idea of â€Å"reforming to change† was faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade to stop Britain becoming a democratic country, and so helped prevent a revolution. Although the Whig party still headed for aristocracy and believed that the amount of property was the basis for representation, the small amount of change or daresay â€Å"reform† allowed them stop further rebellions and prevent Britain disintegrating, and also helped the poor and working classes. Redistribution was vital in preventing the working classes from rebelling, as they could take seats from seemly useless places like Old Sarum and Dunich to newly industrialising cities. The Whigs wanted to protect aristocracy, but firmly believed that to strengthen the constitution they had to give the franchise to people with new forms of property and intelligence, which meant that middle class factory owners could now sit as an MP and vote. There were other changes which allowed the Whigs to control the situation with the public, and so prevent a revolution, this included 31 small boroughs losing half their Mps and also mean that boroughs of less than 2000 votes were totally disfra nchised. Britain was going through bleak times with a deteriorating economy and unemployment rate, and prominent cases of radicalism and violence. The public were being let down and felt that the house of lords was clearly out of touch with the working and middle classes’ wishes: all these factors contributed to the urgent need of political reform, suggesting that to a certain extent that revolution was quite close, if the situation was left not dealt with any longer it probably would have occurred. However It must be said that Grey was speaking the truth when he said the bill was an aristocratic measure that was introduced to prevent the need for revolution. He was very clever in his methods of introducing a small amount of change to delay revolution, and restore order to Britain. Ultimately, aspects of the Whig party ensured that revolution could occur, on the face of it, it shows that they changed the political map forever, but in truth it was a limited, but clever change to preserve there current constitution. So in conclusion, I must say that although to a certain extent Britain had come close to a revolution, but the actions of grey and his Whig party in preventing revolution, meant that that to a slightly further extent Britain had not come close to a revolution.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

1950s America Speech Essay

1950s America Speech The 1950s were a remarkable time in the history of the United States of America. Many of the events that occurred during this time inspired and molded the future of an entire generation. The economy was booming, bringing millions of Americans into the middle class. Government, Business, and Unions worked together to keep the economy going, but I believed the biggest force in the economy in the 1950s decade is the consumers. â€Å"Consumer Culture† is a culture where consuming goods become a marker of social states and a way of creating meaning in the people’s lives. The demand of the consumers created many jobs for people. As a result there were millions of things the United States produced, and abundance of things to buy. America had the newest, coolest, popular car out like the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Thunderbird. America also produced the wristwatch, TVs, and the famous, girly toy in the world-the Barbie Doll. The best part was credit cards were invented around this time allowing consumers to buy now, and pay off later. Now with the economy going so great, there was a high cost in demand allowing jobs to be formed. Blue Color Jobs were people who are plumbers, bus-drivers, cab-drivers, warehouse workers and construction workers. White Color Jobs were people who are accountants, sales representatives and mid-management positions. In the 1950s women were the housewife and mostly stayed at home. However, in the late 50s women started to have jobs mostly like being teachers, nurses, stewardess, and secretaries. In 1950 the gross national product (also known as GNP) had $284. 6 billion dollars; the US was by far the largest economy in the world! By the end of the decade the GNP stood at $482. 7 billion dollars. The 1950s played a huge role in segregation. â€Å"Separate but equal† was a famous quote to allow segregation seem okay. In truth, African Americans were always separate but never equal. However, in 1948 armed services were officially desegregation. Schools weren’t desegregated yet. An African-American girl had to walk 2 miles get to a black school when a white school was only 6 blocks away. On May 17, 1954 with its Brown v. Board of Education decision, the U. S. Supreme Court ends segregation in public schools. This is the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Just like today, Americans were sports crazy in the 1950s. Basketball, football, boxing were all typical sports that Americans loved, but one sport stood out of all of them. You guessed it; baseball. All these sports expanded in popularity due by technology and mass media such as television, magazines, and radio. Integration was spreading to sports allowing the famous, â€Å"Rookie of the Year†- Jackie Robinson to play baseball. Baseball remained the most popular of American sports mainly because the New York Yankees winning 7 out of 9 World Series. LEGOs building bricks were the most popular activity to do. It required imagination allowing the creator to build anything she/he wants to build. These LEGOs building bricks were for mainly children around 7 to 12 years of age. Skateboarding was a very popular activity for teenager during the 1950s. Fashion changes all the time. What’s interesting about the 1950s fashion is that it’s still acceptable nowadays. The teenage boys would were blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. To form a â€Å"cool† look. The hair style has longer than usual hair allowing longer sideburns for guys. This fashion was mainly influenced by Elvis Plessey. Grown up men would wear suits, a tie, and a hat to top it off. Most of the men would carry a suitcase. This fashion is known as the business man. Fashion for teenage girls is more sophisticated. What was in† during the 1950s were the tight sweater for a top, poodle skirt (a long, full skirt with the image of a poodle on it), bobby socks (ankle-high socks) and saddle shoes (sturdy shoes with a contrasting band of color). Teenage girls wore their hair up in a ponytail and wore a lot of Make-up. The only difference in clothes between teen age girls and women is women didn’t wear the poodle skirt. Most women would wear a full-length dress and carry a purse. Music is everywhere; it’s only annoying when it’s stuck in your head and you hear it repeat over and over through-out the whole day. But something special happen in the 1950s; this was the decade Rock n’ Roll was introduced by â€Å"The King†-Elvis Plessey. Some of his famous songs include: That’s All Right Mama, Heartbreak Hotel, Viva Las Vegas and the one I have stuck in my head right now, You Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog. Not only does Elvis introduce a new type of music, but also Influence teens such as appearance in fashion, and behavior. He also influenced future musicians such as the Beatles. Elvis Plessey is one of the most famous musician/ actor in the 1950s. Let the Rock n’ Roll rule forever. Booooom! The baby boom started in 1946 and stop in 1964. A baby boom is when any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. The term â€Å"baby boom† most often refers to the dramatic post–World War II baby boom (1946–1964). There are an estimated 78. 3 million Americans who were born during this demographic boom in births. Reasons why people started to have babies all around the same time because: WW2 ended, people started to marry at a young, around the age of 20 was average and were ready to start a family. Science began to take off. In the 1950s Francis Crick and James Watson discover the double-helix structure of DNA. An immunization vaccine is produced for polio. The first successful ultrasound test of the heart activity was in the 1950s. The CERN is established. (European Organization for Nuclear Research) The world’s first nuclear power plant is opened in Obninsk near Moscow. NASA is organized. (Later on we have a â€Å"Space Race† with the Soviet). President Harry S. Truman inaugurated transcontinental television service on September 4, 1951 when he made a speech to the nation. AT&T carried his address from San Francisco and it was viewed from the west coast to the east coast at the same time. One of the most popular cars in the 1950s was a Cadillac. If you owned one you would symbolize wealth, power, and success. Elvis Pressley owned a Cadillac and so did captains of their own, individual industry. Even Hollywood big-shots and the common worker who saved enough owned a Cadillac. For most people, the name Cadillac evokes images of the finned, chromed, and gadget-laden â€Å"Fabulous Fifties† models. These Cadillacs proved that America was emerging unscathed from the war and to the contrary, demonstrated a new-found prosperity which found expression in cars. For four decades starting from 1950, Cadillac had no series competition in the US market. The 1950s were â€Å"The Golden Age of Television†. Television was introduced to Americana in 1939 and began to gain a foothold after WW2. In the 1950s TV were and still are American’s source of entertainment. In the year of 1950, 5 million TVs were sold! In 1950, just fewer than 20% of American homes contained a TV set. Ten years later, nearly 90% of homes contained a TV-and some even had color TVs. The three major networks: NBC, CBS, ABC. Some of the top favorite TV shows: The Texaco Star Theater, Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, I Love Lucy, The $64,000 Question, and Gunsmoke. Gradually, by the mid-fifties, there came electronic color television, which was followed by launching of remote control and transistorized television sets towards 1959. Thus, we can conclude that television in the 1950s brought an element of reality, news and fun for the people and also helped create a sense of awareness against all the social ills. The availability of movies and movie-related shows, reality shows, daily soaps and of course the news programs have made it the prime media of entertainment in every household. The 1950s truly were the decade of the TV. TVs allowed families to bond in the newly created suburbs. TVs also allowed advertisement. So in a way you’re communicating and discovering new products and news about what’s going on in the world. A women’s best friend is TV because around the 1950s women usually stayed at home and watched TV shows. The 1950s really had events and importance; also it isn’t much different from our lives today. Many of the events that occurred during this time inspired and molded the future of an entire generation.