The Environmental Costs of Cotton

The Environmental Costs of Cotton Chances are that on any given day we wear some clothing items made of cotton, or sleep in cotton sheets, yet few of us know how it is grown, or what are  the environmental impacts of cotton cultivation. Where Is Cotton Grown? Cotton is a fiber grown on a plant of the Gossypium genus, which once harvested can be cleaned and spun into fabrics used most commonly for linens and clothing. Needing sunshine, abundant water, and relatively frost-free winters, cotton is grown in a surprising variety of location with diverse climates, including  Australia, Argentina, West Africa, and Uzbekistan. However, the largest producers of cotton are China, India, and the United States. Both Asian countries produce the most, mostly for their domestic markets, and the US is the largest exporter of cotton with about 10 million bales a year. In the United States cotton production is mostly concentrated in an area called the Cotton Belt, stretching from the lower Mississippi River through an arc spanning the lowlands of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Irrigation allows additional acreage in the Texas Panhandle, in southern Arizona, and in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Chemical Warfare Globally, 35 million hectares of cotton are under cultivation. To control the numerous pests feeding on the cotton plant  farmers have long relied on heavy application of insecticides, which leads to the pollution of surface and groundwater. In developing countries cotton growers use a full half of the pesticides used in agriculture. Recent advancements in technology, including the ability to modify the cotton plant’s genetic material, have made cotton toxic to some of its pest. This reduced but did not eliminate the need for insecticides. Farm workers, particularly where the labor is less mechanized, continue to be exposed to harmful chemicals. Competing weeds are another threat to cotton production; generally tilling practices and herbicides are used to knock back weeds. A large number of farmers have adopted genetically modified cotton seeds that include a gene protecting it from the herbicide glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup). That way, the fields can be sprayed with the herbicide when the plant is young, easily eliminating competition from weeds.   Naturally, glyphosate ends up in the environment, and our knowledge of its effects on soil health, aquatic life, and wildlife is far from complete. Another issue is the emergence of glyphosate resistant weeds. This is an especially important concern for those farmers interested in following no-till practices, which normally help preserve the soil structure and reduce erosion. Reliance on glyphosate resistance makes it more difficult to control weeds without turning the soil. Especially problematic in the southeast US is Palmer’s amaranth pigweed, a fast growing glyphosate resistant weed. Synthetic Fertilizers Conventionally grown cotton requires the heavy use of synthetic fertilizers. Such concentrated application means much of it ends up in waterways, creating one of the worst nutrient pollution problems globally, upending aquatic communities and leading to dead zones starved of oxygen and devoid of aquatic life. In addition, synthetic fertilizers contribute an important quantity of greenhouse gases during their production and use. Heavy Irrigation In many regions rainfall is insufficient to grow cotton but the deficit can be made up by irrigating the fields with water from nearby rivers or from wells. Wherever it comes from, the water withdrawals can be so massive that they diminish river flows significantly and deplete groundwater. Two thirds of India’s cotton production is irrigated with groundwater. In the United States, western cotton farmers too rely on irrigation. Obviously, one could question the appropriateness of growing a non-food crop in arid portions of California and Arizona during the current multi-year drought. In the Texas Panhandle, cotton fields are irrigated by pumping water from the Ogallala Aquifer. Spanning eight states from South Dakota to Texas, this vast underground sea of ancient water is being drained for agriculture far faster than it can recharge. In northwest Texas, Ogallala groundwater levels have dropped over 8 feet between 2004 and 2014. Perhaps the most dramatic overuse of irrigation water is visible in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, where the Aral Sea declined in surface area by 85%. Livelihoods, wildlife habitats, and fish populations have been decimated. To make matters worse the now dry salt and pesticide residues are blown away from the former fields and lake bed, increasing the frequency of miscarriages and malformations among the 4 million people who live downwind. Another negative consequence of heavy irrigation is soil salination. When fields are repeatedly flooded with irrigation water, salt becomes concentrated near the surface. Plants can no longer grow on these soils and agriculture has to be abandoned. Salination has happened on a large scale in much of the former cotton fields of Uzbekistan. Are There Environmentally Friendly Alternatives? To grow environmentally friendlier cotton, a first step must be to reduce the use of dangerous  pesticides. This can be achieved through different means. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an established, effective method of fighting pests which results in a net reduction in pesticides used. According to the World Wildlife Fund, using IPM saved some of India’s cotton farmers 60 to 80% in pesticide use.  Genetically-modified cotton can also help reduce pesticide application, but with many caveats.   In its simplest form growing cotton in a  sustainable manner  means planting it where rainfall is sufficient, avoiding irrigation altogether. In areas with marginal irrigation needs, drip irrigation offers important water savings. Organic farming takes into consideration all aspects of cotton production, leading to much reduced environmental impacts and better health outcomes for the farm workers and the surrounding community.  A well-recognized organic certification program helps consumers making smart choices, and protects them from greenwashing. One such third-party certification organization is  the Global Organic Textile Standards. Sources World Wildlife Fund. 2013. Cleaner, Greener Cotton: Impacts and Better Management Practices.

What You Need to Know About the US Senate

What You Need to Know About the US Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber in the legislative branch of  the federal government. It is considered to be a more powerful body than the lower chamber, the House of Representatives. The Senate is made up of 100 members called senators. Each state is equally represented two senators, regardless of the state’s population. Unlike members of the House, who represent individual geographic congressional districts within the states, senators represent the entire state. Senators serve rotating six-year terms and are popularly elected by their constituents. The six-year terms are staggered, with about one-third of the seats up for election every two years. The terms are staggered in such a way that both Senate seats from any state are not contested in the same general election, except when necessary to fill a vacancy. Until enactment of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were appointed by the state legislatures, rather than being elected by the people. The Senate conducts its legislative business in the north wing of the U.S. Capitol Building, in Washington, D.C.   Leading the Senate The Vice President  of the United States presides over the Senate and casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The Senate leadership also includes president pro tempore who presides in the absence of the vice president, a majority leader who appoints members to lead and serve on various committees, and a minority leader. Both parties - majority and minority- also have a whip who helps marshal senators’ votes along party lines. In presiding over the Senate, the vice president’s powers are limited by strict rules adopted by the Senate centuries ago. While present in the Senate chambers, the vice president is expected to speak only when ruling on parliamentary questions and when reporting the results of the Electoral College vote in presidential elections. On a day-to-day basis, meetings of the Senate are presided over by the president pro tempore of the Senate or, more typically, by a junior Senator designated on a rotating basis. The Powers of the Senate The Senates power derives from more than just its relatively exclusive membership; it also is granted specific powers in the Constitution. In addition to the many powers granted jointly to both houses of Congress, the Constitution enumerates the role of the upper body specifically in Article I, Section 3. While the House of Representatives has the power to recommend impeachment of a sitting president, vice president or other civic officials such as a judge for high crimes and misdemeanors, as written in the Constitution, the Senate is the sole jury once impeachment goes to trial. With a two-thirds majority, the Senate may thus remove an official from office. Two presidents, Andrew Johnson, and Bill Clinton have been tried; both were acquitted. The President of the United States has the power to negotiate treaties and agreements with other nations, but the Senate must ratify them by a two-thirds vote in order to take effect. This isnt the only way the Senate balances the power of the president. All presidential appointees, including Cabinet members, judicial appointees and ambassadors must be confirmed by the Senate, which can call any nominees to testify before it. The Senate also investigates matters of national interest. There have been special investigations of matters ranging from the Vietnam War to organized crime to the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up. The More Deliberate Chamber The Senate is commonly the more deliberative of the two chambers of Congress; theoretically, a debate on the floor may go on indefinitely, and some seem to. Senators may filibuster, or delay further action by the body, by debating it at length; the only way to end a filibuster is through a motion of cloture, which requires the vote of 60 senators. The  Senate Committee System The Senate, like the House of Representatives, sends bills to committees before bringing them before the full chamber; it also has committees which perform specific non-legislative functions as well. The Senates committees include: agriculture, nutrition, and forestry;appropriations;armed services;banking, housing, and urban affairs;budget;commerce, science, and transportation;energy and natural resources;environment and public works;finance;foreign relations;health, education, labor, and pensions;homeland security and governmental affairs;judiciary;rules and administration;small business and entrepreneurship;and veterans affairs. There are also special committees on aging, ethics, intelligence and Indian affairs; and joint committees with the House of Representatives. The United States Senate Fast Facts The United States Senate is part of the Legislative Branch of government and is made up of 100 members called â€Å"Senators.†Each State is represented by two Senators elected statewide, rather than by voting districts.Senators serve an unlimited number of six-year terms, staggered in a way to prevent both Senators representing a particular state from being up for reelection at the same time.The Senate is presided over by the Vice President of the United States, who as â€Å"president of the Senate,† is allowed to vote on legislation in the event of a tie vote.Along with its own exclusive powers, the Senate shares many of the same constitutional powers granted to the House of Representatives. Phaedra Trethan is a freelance writer who also works as a copy editor for the Camden Courier-Post. She formerly worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she wrote about books, religion, sports, music, films, and restaurants. Updated by Robert Longley

Health Care and Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health Care and Law - Essay Example Data gathered from other sources were properly referenced. However, the authors did not mention how they were able to collect data used in this study. Therefore, acknowledging participant sensitivity and vulnerability are not applicable. Using sub-headings, the authors were able to arrange their thoughts and ideas with regards to this subject matter. For example, using the sub-heading â€Å"What are the Root Causes?†, the authors were able to identify all possible causes of health disparities in men as mentioned in other previous studies. This can be seen on page 1 of 3. To minimize the effects of research bias, the authors were able to base their research findings from the identified root causes of health disparities in men as presented in the literature review. By analyzing the gathered literature, the authors were able to come up with an objective solution for this problem. Yes. The purpose of this study is to discuss how it is possible to eliminate health disparities in boys and men of colors. In line with this, the authors revealed that such health disparities can be eliminated by using strategic research and action. Yes. Data interpretation matches the data collection. This study is to discuss how it is possible to eliminate health disparities in boys and men of colors. Therefore, the authors decided to identify the root causes of such disparities followed by discussing potential solutions on how to avoid health disparities in men. Yes. In the research findings, the authors considered the use of strategic research and action, increase the public awareness on health disparities in boys and men, and strategic planning are among the possible solution on how we can eliminate health disparities in boys and men. Yes. Research findings were linked to findings in other studies. For example, Steinberg (2009) pointed out that lack of health

Women and Self-Esteem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Women and Self-Esteem - Essay Example Other researchers are in line with the current findings that the more affirmed women feel by their fathers, the greater their self-esteem. In addition, perceived affirmation by the father goes in hand with feeling less fearful of intimate relationships. The need to uphold the relationship between perceived fatherly affirmation and fear of intimacy as noted in the current study by partializing the effect of self-esteem on the variables is significant. Even though it contradicts Naus and Thesis, 1994 study on males, the finding is appropriate. In addition, feeling affirmed with one’s father and feeling comfortable with one’s sexuality cannot be separated. I will include the perception of father’s feeling towards and treatment of one’s mother as an exploratory variable. Such inclusion is significant as it showed a high correlation with some of the other variables in the studies. Especially, it correlated with the perceived fatherly affirmation and fear of intimacy and thus will culminate in women developing self-esteem during the counselling. Tanya S. Scheffler and Peter J. Naus, (1999). The Relationship Between Fatherly Affirmation And A Womans Self-Esteem, Fear Of Intimacy, Comfort With Womanhood And Comfort With Sexuality. University Of St. Jeromes College. Waterloo, Ontario. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, Vol. 8(1). Spring, P.

The Cultural Politics of Emotion Essay Example for Free

The Cultural Politics of Emotion Essay The communication gap between First and Third world feminist, as expressed by Narayan lies within a cultural setting: though Western feminism is still an upholding to the rights of women, Third world feminism speaks towards a culture’s specific issues, as Narayan writes, â€Å"I am arguing that Third-World feminism is not a mindless mimicking of ‘Western agendas’ in one clear and simple sense that, for instance, Indian feminism is clearly a response to issues specifically confronting many Indian women† (13). Thus, feminism is explicit to country and cultural beliefs, not hinging upon a predetermined or in this case Western view. There are many people, mostly women, who have been fighting for their equal rights – and we now commonly call this as feminism. Feminism started not merely on 19th century, but even during the 17th to 18th century. This is the very reason why feminists have gotten so much attention from well respected organization and government officials. With this idea in mind, many are now asking, who are the women who started the feminist movements and what prompted them to initiate such action? By digging deeper to what the real meaning of feminism is, it can also be identified the first few women who fought and strived really hard just to show the world that feminism is indeed worth fighting for. These women have their own issues that they highlighted and it all boils down to the fact that females are not just a decoration for males, instead, they are people who can be effective even in dealing with other important aspects of he society like the government. Feminists’ ideas started during the time of the infamous Enlightenment, with Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and the Marquis de Condorcet who initiated championing womens education. The first scientific society for women was founded in Middleberg, a city in the south of the Dutch republic, in 1785. Journals for women which focused on issues like science became popular during this period as well. Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is one of the first works that can be called feminist, although by modern standards her comparison of women to the nobility, the elite of society, coddled, fragile, and in danger of intellectual and moral sloth, does not sound like a feminist argument. Wollstonecraft believed that both sexes contributed to this situation and took it for granted that women had considerable power over men. Indeed, it was during the late 17th century to the early 18th century that the earliest works on the so-called woman question criticized the restrictive role of women, without necessarily claiming that women were disadvantaged or that men were to blame (Deckard, 1975). When 18th century came, the movement is generally believed to have begun as people increasingly came to believe that women were treated unfairly under the law. The feminist movement is rooted in the West and especially in the reform movement of the 19th century. The organized movement is dated from the first womens rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848 (Deckard, 1975). This feminism started not on one place or country, but coincidentally, a lot of women from various countries around the world fought for their rights as and equal and rightful members of the society. Emmeline Pankhurst was one of the founders of the suffragette movement and aimed to reveal the institutional sexism in British society, forming the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU). Often the repeated jailing for forms of activism that broke the law, particularly property destruction, inspired members went on hunger strikes. Due to the resultant force-feeding that was the practice, these members became very ill, serving to draw attention to the brutality of the legal system at that time. In an attempt to solve this the government introduced a bill that became known as the Cat and Mouse Act, which allowed women to be released when they starved themselves to dangerous levels, then to be re-arrested later. (Deckard, 1975). Meanwhile, the Feminist movement in the Arab world saw Egyptian jurist Qasim Amin, the author of the 1899 pioneering book Womens Liberation, as the father of Arab Feminist Movement. In his work Amin criticized some of the practices prevalent in his society at the time, such as polygamy, the veil, or womens segregation, and condemned them as un-Islamic, and contradicting the true spirit of Islam. His work had an enormous influence on womens political movements throughout the Islamic and Arab world, and is read and cited today (Deckard, 1975). Various women were able to raise their voices during that time. They were able to capture the attention of many and hear out their grievances. Let us take a closer look at each of the famous and most influential women during this Abolition Movement, and create a more prominent appreciation on their ways and methods of fighting for their cause. Among the most influential women whose actions were all aimed at highlighting the feminist rights, the Grimke sisters (Sarah Grimke and Angelina Grimke Weld) topped the list. Motivated by religion and a desire to live a useful life, they were among the first American women to speak in public. They wrote a number of tracts against slavery and for womans rights. To abolitionist acclamations, Angelina became the first American woman to address a state legislature. Both sisters would remain abolitionists and womans rights activists for the remainder of their lives with Angelina concentrating on the abolitionist movement and Sarah concentrating on the womans rights movement (Lerner, 1998). Sarah Grimke offered the best and most coherent Bible argument for womans equality yet written by a woman. She was also able to identify and characterize the distinction between sex and gender; she took class and race into consideration; and she tied the subordination of women both to educational deprivation and sexual oppression. She identified men, individually and as a group, as having benefited from the subordination of women. Above all, she understood that women must acquire feminist consciousness by conscious effort and that they must practice asserting their rights in order to think more appropriately (Lerner, 1998). Angelina, on the other hand, in several of her pamphlets and speeches, developed a strong argument for womens rights to political equality. In her insistence on womens right, even duty, to organize for political participation and to petition, she anticipated the practice and tactics women would follow for the rest of the century. In both her Appeal to Southern Women and in her Letters to Catherine Beecher she fashioned a defense of womens right to organize in the antislavery cause which connected it with the causes of white women and influenced the practice of several succeeding generations (Lerner, 1998). The way in which women are treated is also beautifully highlighted in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The author in a few brilliant and well-placed strokes of writing, makes it clear to the reader the place that women are given in his setting. While describing the ill treatment of the woman ‘adulterer’ at the hands of the Taliban, Hosseini says, â€Å"And what matter of punishment befits the adulterer? We shall throw stones†. ( 237, Hosseini) The brutality of this remark is accentuated further by Hosseini’s vivid portrayal of the scene in which the woman is mercilessly stoned to death. It is therefore in culture that the main difference between First-World and Third-World feminism lays. The treatment of women in India is one filled with hypocrisy. In Narayan’s essay, the India chastises Western civilization for their treatment of women; for instance, Indian women were permitted to attend higher education classes decades before the English even considered the aspect. Indian’s say that they treat their women as goddesses, while the West treats their women far less as equals, but this in turn is duplicitous, in examples Narayan gives of the treatment from men received by her grandmothers, and her mother (chastisement, beatings, and submissiveness, and silence). In her book, Speech and Silence in the Mother Tongue, Narayan gives childhood examples of how she became a feminist, and they are not dominantly rooted in the idea of Westernization, but culturally in a Third-World view, as she writes, â€Å"†¦though I cannot bring myself to it, of her pain that surrounded me when I was young, a pain that was earlier than school and ‘Westernization’, a call to rebellion that has a different and more primary root, that was not conceptual or English, but in the mother-tongue† (7). This then gives insight into how feminism isn’t dependent upon the introduction of Western culture in liberating women, but is in fact contingent upon a witness’s own account of oppression and their reaction to that oppression, that is that Narayan’s own rebellion was a response to her mother’s sadness in being trapped by her mother-in-law and her marriage. This exemplifies the difference between First-World and Third-World feminism, the fact that Narayan must contend with the paradigm of Western feminism instead of simply revered as representing her own culture’s fault; Narayan is not representing Western ideas but is only supporting equality and fair treatment for her fellow Indian women. In the Indian culture, women are perceived to become wives first and their own identity as a person is wiped away by such a paradigm, this is true for the incentive of women’s movements, the West included. Indian wives are submissive and the Third-World culture enhances this notion by parlaying women into marriage at the age of thirteen (as Narayan’s grandmother had done), and treating them as Other rather than as Self. In her book Speech and Silence in the Mother Tongue, Narayan writes of the predominant sentiment found in India in regards to women and mentions, â€Å"They were anxious about the fact that our independence and self-assertiveness seemed to be making us into women who lacked the compliance, deference, and submissiveness deemed essential in good â€Å"Indian† wives† (8). The wife and mother ideas of women are predominant in most cultures, and the concord factor between First and Third world feminism is united in this fact, and their rebellion against such submissiveness. The culture of feminism is presented as one that has great bonds with politics. For both First-World and Third-World feminism there is no difference in the root of feminism when it is in politics, and political campaigns that women are often secluded: in schooling, voting, and citizenship, women have been treated secondarily in both First and Third world cultures. Therefore, Narayan’s generation of Third-world feminist aren’t rebelling because of Westernization, but because in their own politics women have been forgotten in India and in the West. It takes political connections to other women and their experiences, political analyses of women’s problems, and attempts to construct political solutions for them, to make women into feminists in any full-blooded sense, as the history of women’s movements in various parts of the world shows us. Therefore, the dichotomy of First-World and Third-World feminism finds harmony in this political connection. The westernization of Indian has been blamed for the rebellious nature of feminism and even the introduction of the women’s movement, but in fact, it is the own culture’s deviant nature that gives rise to the necessity of feminism. Narayan gives example of her cousin being tortured with cigarettes and being locked away while in another country and keeping silent about it for years until a relative came to visit. The silence is the devastating part of the story; in Indian culture, it is supposed and indeed ingrained in Indian women to hold their tongues, and be submissive, and not innocent, but obedient. Yet, western culture was seen to pervade the Indian traditional way of living. In the book, Speech and Silence in the Mother Tongue, Uma says, â€Å"Veiling, polygamy, child-marriage, and sati were all significant points of conflict and negotiation between colonizing â€Å"Western† culture and different colonized third-World cultures. In these conflicts, Western colonial powers often depicted indigenous practices as symptoms of the â€Å"backwardness and barbarity’ of Third-World cultures in contract to the â€Å"progressiveness of Western culture. † The figure of the colonized woman became a representation of the oppressiveness of the entire ‘cultural tradition’ of the colony. â€Å"(17) The effect of this colonization of Indian women was one of conflicting progressiveness. Traditions of Indian culture were already bred with English sentiments (such as the sari) and English clothing was continually being upgraded and introduced into Indian culture; in fact men were wearing suits long before women were allowed to change into less traditional clothing. In her book Speech and Silence in the Mother Tongue, in one example Narayan gives, she talks of how, she and her family went on a vacation in a more rural part of the country and she was instructed to wear her Indian clothing and not her Western clothes because she had hit puberty (though in the city nothing was wrong with such clothes), Narayan writes, â€Å"My story reveals that what counted as ‘inappropriately Western dress’ differed from one specific Indian context to another, even within the same class and caste community†(27). The effects of Westernization therefore and colonization give rise to differing ideas of what constitutes traditional wear from one part of the country to another. In conclusion, Narayan gives insight to how differing opinions of feminism are still spurned from similar ideals. Third-World feminists are not ‘outsiders within’, that is, they are not denying the tradition of their country, but instead, feminists need to challenge some of the more patriarchal rules of India. Third-World feminists are not denying their culture, but are asking for change. Work Cited Ahmed, Sara (2004). â€Å"The Cultural Politics of Emotion†. Routledge Publishing Boydston, Kelley, Margolis, The Limits of Sisterhood, p. 178. Deckard, Barbara. 1975. The Womens Movement: Political, Socioeconomic and Psychological Issues New York: Harper Row. p. 253. Gerda Lerner. 1988. The Grimke Sisters from South Carolina: Pioneers for Womens Rights and Abolition. Oxford University Press. Narayan, Uma. Speech and Silence in the Mother Tongue. Yee. Shirley J. Abolitionist Movement. February 2002. Sunshine for women. http://www. pinn. net/~sunshine/whm2002/abolitn. html

Technology and its Impact on American Culture :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Technology and its Impact on American Culture As an amateur reporter for the school newspaper, I have had the opportunity to interview quite a variety of people on many different topics. One of my favorite questions to ask is, "What do you think has had the most influence on American culture?" Why do I like asking this particular question? The answer is simple: the variety and range of responses. While some answers are more interesting than others, I must say that I've learned quite a bit from all of them. For example, I once posed my 'famous question' to a teenager while waiting in line outside a movie theater. At first, she just stared at me with a look that clearly said, "Who are you and why are you asking me this?" I stood silently with one eyebrow slightly raised, waiting to see if she would come up with an answer. She seemed to consider for a moment and replied, "If we have culture, it comes from TV." I had to agree with her. Television, whether we like it or not, plays a huge role in how our society functions and how our culture has been shaped since its invention. Up until 1935, televisions were not electric as they are today. They were mechanical, powered by a small motor with a spinning disc and a neon lamp. The picture projected was very small, sometimes half the size of a business card, and only showed shades of orange and red. From 1935 up until World War II, the electric television was perfected and made ready for public distribution. The electric television provided a much larger, clearer screen with a full range of colors. In 1948-1949, during the post-WWII spending craze, the television became a must-have item for every American family, bringing a world of information and entertainment into living rooms across the country and changing the way Americans viewed many things. One effect TV has had on how we view things is in the area of advertisement. A few weeks ago in English, my class had quite a discussion on the subject of commercials. A person can tell what type of society they live in by simply watching the commercials during any TV program. One example, in America, is the numerous ads for various types of medication. From this, it is easy to see that our society cares a lot about health care and making sure that they feel healthy. Technology and its Impact on American Culture :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers Technology and its Impact on American Culture As an amateur reporter for the school newspaper, I have had the opportunity to interview quite a variety of people on many different topics. One of my favorite questions to ask is, "What do you think has had the most influence on American culture?" Why do I like asking this particular question? The answer is simple: the variety and range of responses. While some answers are more interesting than others, I must say that I've learned quite a bit from all of them. For example, I once posed my 'famous question' to a teenager while waiting in line outside a movie theater. At first, she just stared at me with a look that clearly said, "Who are you and why are you asking me this?" I stood silently with one eyebrow slightly raised, waiting to see if she would come up with an answer. She seemed to consider for a moment and replied, "If we have culture, it comes from TV." I had to agree with her. Television, whether we like it or not, plays a huge role in how our society functions and how our culture has been shaped since its invention. Up until 1935, televisions were not electric as they are today. They were mechanical, powered by a small motor with a spinning disc and a neon lamp. The picture projected was very small, sometimes half the size of a business card, and only showed shades of orange and red. From 1935 up until World War II, the electric television was perfected and made ready for public distribution. The electric television provided a much larger, clearer screen with a full range of colors. In 1948-1949, during the post-WWII spending craze, the television became a must-have item for every American family, bringing a world of information and entertainment into living rooms across the country and changing the way Americans viewed many things. One effect TV has had on how we view things is in the area of advertisement. A few weeks ago in English, my class had quite a discussion on the subject of commercials. A person can tell what type of society they live in by simply watching the commercials during any TV program. One example, in America, is the numerous ads for various types of medication. From this, it is easy to see that our society cares a lot about health care and making sure that they feel healthy.

Kotu Fashion Accessories Shop

Vietnam was positioned in 23rd among 30 countries for owning one of the most attractive retail markets globally. The total retail value for clothing and accessories sector in Vietnam was 7. % and held 72. 9% of share in 2009. From 2004 to 2009, there was a growth in the number of clothing and accessories retailers in Viet Name. As predicted in 2010, the number of goods and services would grow 18-19% in 2011.Along with this growth, the rate of retailing goods in 2011 was quite slow compared to previous years due to a decrease in consumption and economic difficulties. However, retailing market like accessories and clothing markets still continued to be the most attractive market ever. According to the Global Retail Development Index (201 1), clothing and accessories retailing is a attention business in Vietnam and stands at a vital position in the market, which influences not only private retailer but also the government's attention.The government has tended to pay more attention to th e local retail market. To be more specific, they have encouraged people to increase the use of local products, which urges the local market to improve. For instances, many campaigns were emerged by the government with the purpose of developing the industry potentially such as the recent campaign named Vietnamese people buy Vietnamese goods'. According to Ministry of Industry and Trade (2010), a report in September ‘Industry and Trade' in 2011 showed that in the first 9 months of 2011, the total sale of goods and services rose more than 17%.Nevertheless, this was still a low percentage compared to previous years, which tended to grow more than 20%. In 2010, the total retail grew to 24. 5% compared to previous year. This shows that Vietnamese demands for accessories have been rising and are more likely to be an upward trend. Hence, the opportunities for an accessories retailer to enter the market and increase the number of customers are very significant. RESEARCH QUESTION How ca n SOOT Shop attract more customers and increase the number of loyal customers?METHODS In order to effectively respond to the team's research question, the research team have examined both primary and secondary research. For primary research, in order to clearly understand the shop owner's problems, on 6 March 2013, the research team visited and had an interview with the owner of SOOT Fashion Accessories Shop, Mrs.. Maim Then Then (See Appendix A). On 5 April 2013, the research team visited Qua Tang shop, one of the most popular accessories shop among the area to observe ND compare SOOT Shop with its neighboring competitors.In addition, the research team visited a competitor's accessories page named V;C on 5th April 2013. Furthermore, a survey was conducted randomly including 10 males and 10 females respondents on 10 April 2013 (see Appendix C). The data was clearly identified with a table of survey results, proportions, bar graphs and pie charts. Finally, on 14 April 2013, the team members had met with Ms. Unguent NCO Line, an online shop owner who has five years experience in doing Internet advertising (See Appendix B).Then, he research team interviewed the expert Do Truing Tuna, an owner of a grocery shop on 15 April 2013 to find out more about special offer strategies (See Appendix B). And on 12 April 2013, the team interviewed Mrs.. Cacao HTH Hung, the owner of Gardenia Hotel in Dalai City about her specialize on membership program (See Appendix B). For secondary research, the research team have searched on REMIT Online Library, government documents, and Google Scholar to find out about the possible problems as well as solution regarding social networking sites, special offer and loyalty program.Figure 1 . Gender of respondents FINDING Social Networking Sites (An) In the interview on 6th March 2013,the owner of Soot shop, Ms. Maim Then Then claimed that she would like to increase the number of customers by using Faceable which she has not had any experienc e in the previous time. Based on the survey that the research team conducted on 10 April 2013 on randomly adolescents a young adults (See), seven out of ten respondents research on Faceable before purchasing (See). On 14 April 2013, in a meeting with Ms.Unguent NCO Line, an online shop owner has five years experience, emphasized that social networking sites are opportune for business to increase customers (See). After researched and visited on a competitor's accessories page named V&C on 5th April 2013, the research team noticed that they often stay online to quickly answer customers' question about the products and have separated albums for each kind of products. Bankcard (2011) indicates social networking sites help to connect nodes and branches.The author states that social networking sites contribute to increase sales, services and brand the products as a major hub. According to the Thou Tree News (2012), there was a growth of approximately 200% from 2. Million to more than 8. 5 million in the number of Faceable users in Vietnam. Unguent (2012) adds that the majority users' ages in 2011 are from 15 to 34 years old which is similar to the target ages of the business. Unguent also represents that Faceable has the highest rate of number users and a large gap comparing to Vietnamese social networking sites in 2011.Special Offer (That) Ms. Then, owner of SOOT shop states during the interview on 6 March 2013 that she has considered using special offer to attract more customers to her shop (see Appendix A). A survey was conducted on 10 April 2013 (see Appendix C), in which 9 UT of 10 respondents would choose to buy goods from accessories shop, especially, which offers them several gifts or discounts. 50% of those like to make purchases on special days if this shop offers ‘5-10%' discount and another 50% refers buying if the shop applies ‘buy 2 get 1 free' (see Figure 1).The expert Do Truing Tuna, a owner off grocery shop states in the interview on 15 April 2013 that special offer is a sales promotion tool which is extremely important for any small business, as it can help the business gains its reputation, prestige and therefore, attracts more customers to grow the profits (See Appendix B). According to David K and John M (2000), special offer is a tool to keep loyal customers and satisfy new customers. The authors claim that a retailer can apply special offers for different customers by recognizing loyal or new customers digitally via Kiosks, Internet and mobile devices.By using it, business can conceive different offers for different customers based upon their historical purchases and preferences. On 5 April 2013, the research team visited Qua Tang shop, one of the most popular accessories shop among the area, which also is a strong competitor of SOOT shop (see figure 2). The team found out that Qua Tang hop offers discounts and other sales promotion strategies frequently. For instance, the shop offered ‘buy 2 get 1 free in the woman day last month and it was high appreciated within new and loyal customers (see Appendix C).According to Wend (2012), some small businesses are now considered special offer through email marketing promotion as an effective way to get more attention of the customers. Special offer can be a way to motivate customers to buy products, it can be occurred with many forms as well, for instances, ‘buy and get discount on the second product', ‘buy one get one free' and free shipping. In order to create an efficient email advertised offer, Wend mentions four advices.Firstly, a business should understand the need of the customers and offers them products with perceived value. Secondly, business has to be well defined their goals, why they do an offer. The reason they make the offer should not be because their competitors do. Thirdly, firms should be clear about their ability, which meaner that they have to make sure they can afford the offer. Finally, a successful busi ness should think about partnering with a non-profit making organization in order to position the business's name in the mind of customers.According to Jim (201 1), some businesses have mistaken the true meaning of special offers, which caused irreparable damages to a company's reputation. He expresses some main ideas help firms to understand more about special offer. One of the most common mistakes that most of small business makes is training the marketplace to wait'. For example, a seminar business applies an early-bird discount to persuade customer to book promptly although customers still buy tickets with the actual price. Then, when the seminar' s date gets close, he offers X% to sell his tickets quickly.Eventually, the business loses it reliability. Secondly, Jim found that famous brand companies are often successful with their special offer strategies. The reason is that big companies often spend quite a long time for their wide research and receives advices from their profe ssionals. Membership Card (HTH) Ms. Maim Then Then, the owner of SOOT Shop stated in an interview on 6 March 2013 that she wants to apply sale promotion strategies, which can effectively attract more customers and improve the shop's loyal customers (See Appendix A).The research team's survey on 10 April 2013 shows that 9 out of 10 respondents are attracted to the idea of having a membership card for an accessories shop (See Figure 3) and they would like to make more purchases if the shop provides promotions (See Appendix C). In an interview on 12 April 2013, Mrs.. Cacao HTH Hung, the owner of Gardenia Hotel in Dalai City, implies that membership card is one of the most important promotion tools to keep the loyal customers on track (See Appendix B). However, there are many firms failed to run the customer loyalty programs effectively.She also states that in order to run the customer loyalty programs efficiently, businesses should do surveys and market researches on customer urchin's behaviors and then create an adequate reward for loyalty. According to Dowling and Uncles (1997), a European investigators researching business-to- business marketing in the sass stated that a firm is mostly profitable from their loyal customers. This is because of seeking more profits by lower servicing costs, less price sensitivity and suggestions passed on to other potential customers by loyal purchasers.On 5 April 2013, the research team visited Qua Tang shop, one of the strongest competitors of SOOT Shop and noticed that Qua Tang Shop has paid special attention to improve their customer loyalty programs such as patronage rewards and membership cards. They offered membership cards with different colors and designs aiming to different valued cards. According to Little&King integrated marketing group (n. D), businesses should be aware of the mentality â€Å"one product fits all† because not all of the customers' needs and wants are always the same.Therefore, a hierarchy of valued consumers should be released such as diamond, premium and gold membership cards. Furthermore, ‘lapsed' members, who signed for a membership card, but only use it for one time and never use it again, are also problems dealing with membership cards and challenging almost all genuineness. If the shop provides membership cards for those who will probably ‘lapsed', the shop will not only waste their efforts to maintain the customers, but also suffer from loss of resources such as the cost to make the membership card.According to a survey of professor Worthington (2009), although membership cards often attract widespread customers' interests, they are still likely that it has a large amount of ‘lapsed' members. There is no accessible information that could show the percentage of membership cards that are ‘lapsed' or ‘active'. Nevertheless, professor Worthington survey outcomes indicate that the most frequent reason for not participating in membership p rograms are not attracted by the prizes and a slight rate of people who cited ‘privacy' reasons.RECOMMENDATION Social Networking Site (An) On the survey conducted by the research team, nine out of ten respondents like purchasing accessories on Faceable. The expert, Ms. Unguent, said that having an efficient controlled Faceable page could help to increase the number of customers. Noticed by the research team, the competitor, V&C shop, also had a Faceable page, which had well decorated picture albums and quick service.Bankcard (2011) asserts that by directly using a social networking site and connecting with the customers could collect positive reviews and high reputation as return since customers feel that their feedbacks are important and they are cared. The Thou Tree News (2012) reports that the number of Vietnamese Faceable users increased of around 2 times within one year. Unguent (2012) adds that the significant Faceable users' age are from 15 to 34. Therefore, Soot shop s hould create a Faceable page, which is easy and inexpensive, to increase the potential customers.The expert, Ms. Unguent, advised that the shop should have 2 Faceable pages, which are a personal page and a fan page. The shop can update the information and pictures related to their products, notes, and feedbacks from customers and use the personal page to share this information and add friend. In this way, the shop can be active in increasing the number of users they want to transfer information because users do not randomly like the page unless the shop has a big brand name or high products' prestige. Ms.Unguent also recommended not tagging the customers in the pictures to avoid disturbing them, except the owner's friends if they do not mind. Ms. Unguent added that the pictures should have clear descriptions and be similar to the products because if the products and picture are not matched, the shop could lose their prestige. The most impressive aspect on the competitor's Faceable p age is they have separated albums for each kind of products; this could help customers to save their time for searching purposes. Soot shop should consider this aspect.The most important thing that V&C shop cannot efficiently manage is that there are many other shops' advertising on the page and the host also updates personal statuses and emotions. This could get bad reputation in return and the customer could click on the other's pages, as a consequence, they might lose their customers. Hence, Soot shop should not post any personal activities onto their business pages. On the survey administered by the research team, service is the most importance to the female customers and the second importance to the male customers.In addition, the competitor shop also has the order service for the products that they do not have. Therefore, Soot shop should try often stay online to quickly response to customers. Their strength is to make handmade accessories hence producing stuffs that customers order is also possible. Special offer (That) The research team administered a survey and pointed out that there are 9 out of 10 respondents would like to buy products from accessories shop where offers them gifts or discounts (See Appendix C).Half of the respondents like to make purchases on special days if this shop offers ‘5-10%' discount and another 5 respondents refers buying if the shop applies ‘buy 2 get 1 free' (See Appendix C). The research team observed a well-know accessories shop named Qua Tang, which is one of a SOOT shop's competitor. Qua Tang implements sales promotions strategy frequently to acquire more customers. The latest is ‘buy 2 get 1 free' offers on woman days and it is widely popular among the area. According to Wend (2012), special offer through email marketing promotion is now extremely important to small business.She informs that special offer indeed can be an effective way to prompt customers to buy products. In order to attract custome rs by special offer, Wend argues that a firm has to understand the need of customers and offers them products with appropriate value. Moreover, business needs to know their specific goals and abilities to make a healthy offer. Jim (2011) states that not every business understands clearly the true meaning of special offers, which leads them to several inevitable losses. He mentions an example regarding to his one customer that losses its reputation due to misunderstanding of special offer.According to David K and John M (2000), special offer is an efficient strategy to fulfill loyal customers' and new customers' expectation. The authors infer that a retailer can know more about customer's buying powers and preferences using modern tools such as Kiosks, Internet and mobile devices in order to manage different offers for each group of customers. The positive aspects of special offer are obvious; every customer refers to receive discounts and gifts when they make purchases. Thus, if SOO T shop wants to increase the number of first-time customers and preserve the number of membership, sales promotion as special offer is essential.However, special offer is quite popular among other accessories shop, many competitors also apply special offer to attract more customers such as Qua Tang shop. Therefore, SOOT shop also has to make sure the reason for offering, who to offer, what and when to offer. For example, shop can offer ‘5% discount' for new customers and ‘10%' discount for loyal customers on special days such as Valentine and Mother days. In addition, in order to prevent unnecessary losses, Ms. Then needs to know clearly the ability to offer.If she offers a product value 10,000 vend and sells it 12,000 vend after discount, she would be suffered because she still has to pay money for employers, electricity, and many other fees. Membership card (HTH) A survey released by the research team on April 2013 indicated that 90% of respondents are interested in ha ving a loyalty card for a fashion accessories shop (See Appendix C). Mrs.. Cacao HTH Hung, the owner of Gardenia Hotel in Dalai City, mentions in an interview on 12 April 2013 that one of the most significant promotion tools to maintain the loyal customers is offering membership cards (See Appendix B).Nonetheless, there are not many companies can succeed in implementing the loyalty programs. She goes on to suggest that considering the evaluation of customer purchasing behaviors and then generate the accurate rewards of loyalty are the most important factors to maintain loyalty customers. Dowling and Uncles (1997) refer to a research, which was found by European researchers studying business-to- easiness marketing in the sass. The research claimed that loyal customers are the main contribution to a company's profit.It is due to its lower expenses by lower servicing costs, lower advertising costs and advices passed on to other potential buyers by loyal purchasers. It will cost much mo re to persuade a new buyer to make a purchase in the shop than to make a current shopper to purchase again. Hence, SOOT shop should focus more on their current customers and often remind them about the shop through providing promotions and running membership programs. The research team visited one of the competitors, Qua Tang shop, on 5 April 2013 ND noticed that Qua Tang Shop has fully concentrated on improving their membership programs.They provided different colors and designs cards, which distinguished between levels of card members. Little;King integrated marketing group (n. D) states that companies should notice the mentality â€Å"one product fits all†, because there are always differences between every customer's needs and wants. Therefore, a hierarchy of valued consumers should be released such as diamond, premium and gold memberships. Thus, SOOT shop should apply membership cards to its customers (See Figure 3). The differences between membership cards allow the hop to serve a certain type of persons based on their standard of membership.To illustrate, the system can automatically find the names of customers, their mobile phone numbers, email addresses and save their previous purchases when they use their membership cards to make a purchase. Through that process, the shop can easily classify the customers' interested items and clothes in order to introduce different kinds of items, clothes to different types of customers. In addition, the shop can efficiently inform different types promotion information to different types of buyers through their mobile phones or email addresses. One of the difficulties of providing membership cards is ‘lapsed' membership card. Lapsed' member meaner customer who applied a membership card and only use it for one time. According to a survey of professor Steve Worthington (2009), it always has a large amount of ‘lapsed' members in every business. There is still lack of available information that could show the percentage of membership cards that are ‘active' or ‘lapsed'. Yet, professor Worthington examinations results imply that the most common reason for not taking part in membership programs are because they are not attracted by the rewards and a small proportion of respondents who cited ‘privacy' reasons.Thus, SOOT Shop must be aware of their responsibilities to its consumers in satisfying the redeemable prizes and customers' information to remain customers' beliefs. In order to do so, firstly, SOOT Shop should pay more attentions to members who ‘lapsed' through classifying members' last purchases. And then try to find out the customers' reasons of not taking part in the membership programs. Finally, inform different types of promotions to different customers. For example, a shop finds out that a small umber of their customers quit being the shop's loyalty customers because of the low membership cards' benefits.The shop may apply different type of promo tions to those particular members. The shop may send a message to those customers that they fortunately won a randomly contest of the shop and they will receive double points in every purchase by membership card. CONCLUSION In conclusion, SOOT accessories shop should apply the use of social networking sites such as Faceable in order to attract more customers. It should consider launching a Faceable page, which has well decorated products' albums and information because Faceable takes no cost to create and advertise.It also should strike up friendship with Passbooks users to advertise products widely. Moreover, it should stay online over time to answer customer's questions and feedbacks. By that way, customers will probably feel that they are respected and it helps the shop to improve its reputation. The shop also has to make sure that the quality of products is similar to the pictures that it has on Faceable to earn customer's belief. However, SOOT shop should manage to avoid irrita ting people by tagging them every hour with pictures.In addition, most of people like to make purchases when there is a discount or gift offer. Thus, SOOT shop should apply special offer to get new customers as well as to preserve loyal customers. Nevertheless, other accessories shop also apply special offer, so SOOT shop should be considered when applies this sales promotion tool. To be more specific, SOOT Shop should clearly understand the reason for making the offer, who to offer, what and when it should offer. SOOT shop should not forget their ability to make an offer because if it gives customers more than what it can afford, the shop will face difficulties.Furthermore, SOOT shop should be concentrated on keeping loyal customers by reminding them via membership programs because it will save the services and advertising costs. Providing membership cards have different colors and designs can help SOOT shop to easily classify each type of customer through their names, phone number s email addresses and purchasing powers. Therefore, the shop would be able to know more about customer's wants, interests and preferences. One of the difficulties of membership program is that there could be many ‘lapsed' membership cards.Unguent NCO Line, who has a successful online cosmetic shop named Rim Catnap Skincare, to ask for comment on my recommendation for the business that my research team currently working on. An: Hello Line. Thank for spending time to meet me. I'm An from research and report writing class. As I told u before that today I want to interview you for advice on my project. Ms. Line: Hi An. So how far have you been doing? And which problem that you want me to give advice on? An: Ah. The business that I'm working on is a clothing accessories store. The owner wants to increase the amount of customers.The subtopic I'm doing is social networking sites. However it seems totally new to the owner, her shop doesn't even have a Faceable page which is now quite familiar to the teenagers and young adults. Ah one more thing, teenagers and young adults are her target customers. That's why I suggest her to have one. Ms. Line: Oh I see, you are right that Faceable is now getting more popular and it can help to increase sales. But let me ask u this, have u ever been tagged by an online shop in its pictures. An: Yeah, a lot. Ms. Line: How do u feel about that? An: A little bit annoying.At First, I Just ignored them, but there were many notifications and that disturb me. Therefore, if any shop tags me, I will block them or report as spam.. Ms. Line: So why do you suggest the owner to have a Faceable page? An: Ah I'm going to ask her create a fan page. Can you tell me how to increase the â€Å"like†? Ms. Line: k, because she and I work on different kinds of business so you may apply in some ways but not exactly the same k? I suggest having 2 pages, one is a personal page and one is a fan page, because the customers do not randomly like your page unless you have a big brand name or prestige of your product.An: can you please explain in more details? Ms. Line: for the fan page, you update all the product' details there such as pictures, notes, feedback from customers, etc. For the personal page, all you have to do are adding friends and share what you have updated on the fan page. Because the customers are afraid to be annoyed therefore we have to be active by adding friends with them and remember not to tag them, I think you already know why, huh? Maybe you could tag some of your friends if they don't mind. And sharing the stuffs that you updated on fan page that mean the information is transferred to the users twice.An: Ah I got it. Ah I also want to recommend on the pictures that she is going to post on Faceable, it must be clear, close enough to see what the product made from. What else do you think I should suggest her? Ms. Line: ah it's good to do that but you should put the description for the pictures, because pi ctures sometimes are not clear and that could cause misunderstanding about raw materials. Ah it reminds me that the real products and pictures have to be the same because you may lose prestige if the products look different.You could describe in the pictures that the products may slightly different because of the light. And you could also create an album of customers wearing your products on Faceable, which could help to increase the loyal customers and increase sale from your customers' relatives since the products is ore reliable when it is introduced by friends. If you are lucky, your customers could be some hot girls or models etc. , you know, stuffs are worn by beautiful girls maybe look more beautiful (laugh) and their fans could come to buy as well.An: k, it sounds good to me. Thank you very much for meeting me again. I would go back to work on the recommendation. If there is any problem, don't you mind if I call you to ask? Ms. Line: Call me as soon as you have questions. I' m very glad that I can help you. k see way. An: Thank you. Audio script of the interview on 11 April 2013 with Mr.. Do Truing Tuna, owner off rockery shop for over 20 years to ask for some advices for the business That: I m working on a small accessories shop and I intend to ask you some advices for my sub topic which is special offer.Tuna: so its about loyalty program? That: yes and also attract first-time customers Actually, I plan to recommend this shop to apply discount on special days like Valentine and Woman days, specifically, ‘20% discount', what do you think? Tuna: well, on special days? Mum†¦ I think that it s not a good idea. Firstly, every shop especially small shop should not apply more than 5 to 10% on special days because they can ell more of their products within those days; some shops don't even have enough stuff to sell, so why then they apply discount?Why do you choose special days to offer? That: I think that special offer will attract more customers, maybe new customers. Many people don't usually buy products unless it is special days. Those days, they are encouraged to buy something for their friends and family right? Then I think I can focus on new customers Tuna: I think that you should balance between loyal and new customers, I mean it s more about services. If you offer discount for ewe customers the same amount you offer for the old one, they must be upset. Why don't you separate the offer?I mean decide different offer for different customers? For example, offer 5% for first time customers and 10% for old customers. That: but how can we realize who is the new and who is old customer? Tuna: I think the shop should have been applied some of the other sale promotion tools which can help you to recognize customers such as membership card. There are many way to recognize them, I suggest you to research more about how to realize customers digitally through the internet since the internet is necessary for all the business.

“1984” by George Orwell Analysis Essay

When two claims contradict one another, it is futile and useless in attempting to analogize between the two. George Orwell, the author of the novel 1984, defines doublethink as â€Å"the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.† It is the idea of genuinely accepting two conflicting ideas, which eliminates an individual’s capacity of being able to think or act freely. Dinh, the author of both the Patriot Act and the essay â€Å"How the USA Patriot Act Defends Democracy†, uses a modern day form of double think in an attempt to justify the Patriot Act, an act which unconstitutionally violates the individual’s right of privacy through the clandestine use of surveillance. Gelsey, the author of the essay â€Å"The FBI is Reading over Your Shoulder† illustrates the potential effect of the Library Records Provision of the Patriot Act, otherwise known as Section 215. Section 215 allows the go vernment to search and obtain the records of any individual without the individual’s consent or knowledge. Gelsey claims that â€Å"intimidating readers in such a manner is, in effect, controlling what we read and how we think†, thus it â€Å"circumvents the First Amendment by threatening readers rather than prohibiting what they read.† Gelsey compares this statement to Winston Smith, the protagonist of the novel 1984, whose capacity of free thought and self expression is impaired and damaged due to constant monitoring and surveillance. The two conflicting claims of both Dinh and Gelsey bring in to point the issue of protecting individual rights versus the right of the state to access an individual’s private information. Dinh claims that a balance of â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques† is necessary and required for the rights of the individual to be protected. However, these â€Å"techniques† of surveillance and monitoring violate those â€Å"ideals†, which are the constitutional rights that protect an individual from state power. Dinh’s statement of combining â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques† can be viewed as a modern day form of doublethink because Dinh attempts to justify the Patriot Act through the explanation of how the rights of an individual can only b e protected when those rights are unconstitutionally violated through the exposure of privacy. Doublethink, which is the simultaneous belief in two contradictory ideas  while being unaware of its compatibility, is a form of manipulation of the mind. In the novel 1984, the protagonist Winston Smith is constantly under monitor and surveillance, which has altered and mangled his mind. Thus he becomes incapable of being able to know which thoughts are truly his, and is no longer able to express himself of his own free will. The perpetual government surveillance in the novel forces Winston to secretly purchase a diary in which to write his own thoughts. However, the pressure of being under incessant monitoring has made Winston incapable of expressing his own thoughts, as he is only able to write the same phrase over and over. This creates a sense of paranoia that is also seen in Gelsey’s essay as she writes about the interminate surveillance and monitoring of innocent and unsuspecting individuals. Gelsey states that â€Å"the feeling of being monitored inhibits freedom of thought† as seen in Winston, and also in modern society today. However, Dinh, the writer of the Patriot Act, claims such fear and paranoia are absurd, and states that it is â€Å"historically and legally unfounded† to compare government surveillance to that of the surveillance used in 1984. In the novel, the Party, who are elites, uses doublethink as a massive campaign in order to psychologically manipulate the individuals of the society they live in. By using double think, the Party is able to deteriorate the individual’s capability of being able to think independently. They manipulate the individual into believing whatever they are told to believe. The official slogan of the Party, which is â€Å"war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength† is the first example and introduction to a form of doublethink. The words of the slogan all contradict one another. Yet the party is successfully able to manipulate society, which allows them to force individuals into believing whatever is needed to believe, regardless of ho w illogical or contradictory the statement may be. By being manipulated and coerced into accepting the ambivalent and conflicting nature of doublethink, the independence and self determination of individuals begin to dwindle and diminish. In 1984, doublethink is seen once more as Winston Smith deletes disturbing yet true facts from the public records. He is then forced by the Party to believe the fabricated version of the truth. A modern day form of doublethink is used by Dinh, the author of the Patriot Act. Dinh expresses a modern day form of double think as he arfues that the Constitution, which protects individuals  from government power, must be violated by the government in order for the individual’s right to be protected. This unconstitutional claim contradicts itself, thus Dinh has incorporated a modern day form of double think in his essay. As the plot of 1984 progresses, it is clarified that newspeak must be present in order for doublethink to be effective. Newspeak is the official language of the society in 1984. The Party created Newspeak with the purpose of limiting a person’s thought and speech, thus eliminating any rebellious thought. This allows the Party to constantly monitor individuals and to further ensure that everyday thought and speech can be limited and manipulated. Newspeak is the method the Party members adopt in order to control and manipulate thinking through the alteration of language, while double think is the technique the Party members use to directly control individual thoughts. Doublethink also allows the Party, or in Dinh’s case, to hide its own wrongs from itself and society through the continual use of surveillance and propaganda. This proves to affect not only the individual’s thought and actions shown in 1984, but also that of the individual members of the Party. Doublethink proves to be an effective method of persuasion and manipulation not only in the novel 1984, but in modern society as well, as seen in the issue brought upon by the Patriot Act. When the individual’s right to privacy is tested by the government, it is justifiable for the principle and morality of the government to be tested by the individual. The Patriot Act, written by Dinh, claims to balance the â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques† that are required for the protection of the individual’s rights granted by the Constitution. Section 215 of the Patriot Act grants the government the ability to obtain the records of any individual, such as library book records, providing that the government assures that it is trying to â€Å"protect against terrorism.† It is stated in the First Amendment that an individual has the right to read whatever book or material they desire to read. However, Section 215 of the Patriot Act violates the right of being able to freely choose what an individual wants to read. If the rights of one person are violated, then the rights of every individual of this country are violated. Therefore it is constituti onal and democratic for the right of every individual to be protected, not just a select few. In society today, the free communication between people is the  basis for free thinking. the freedom of thought is curtailed if there is no free communication, which results in restricted thinking. Gelsey writes that the â€Å"FBI is policing our minds by purporting to read them.† Although Dinh claims that the Patriot Act protects the rights of individuals, Gelsey believes that this section violates the most essential right granted by the Constitution, which is that â€Å"giving up privacy rights can’t guarantee physical safety, but it will almost certainly inhibit intellectual freedom.† She states that she does not want to give up liberty for security because it does not guarantee security. However, the pressure of being watched and monitored will take away the individual’s ability to properly think, as shown by Winston in the 1984. This is where Dinh disagrees. He states that such â€Å"concerns expressed about official surveillance of US citizens are reasonable and should be addressed.† He then attempts to explain how the Patriot Act does not violate individual rights by stating that the society should â€Å"trust us. The government wouldn’t abuse these new powers against individuals.† However, it is difficult to trust Dinh’s claim based on his lack of credibility. From the beginning of his essay â€Å"How the USA Patriot Act Defends Democracy†, contradictory statements are already evident. Although he wrote the Patriot Act, Dinh thinks that the Patriot Act is â€Å"one of the most important legislative measures in American history.† If Dinh â€Å"thinks† that the Patriot Act is only â€Å"one of the most legislative measures†, it shows that Dinh himself is not sure whether or not it is important at all. He also states that the terrorists are nihilistic, which is untrue. Terrorists are religious fanatics and true believers in religious or personal causes. All these inaccurate and false statements demonstrates Dinh’s lack of credential. Therefore the readers have valid reason of not accepting Dinh’s claims. As a result, Dinh attempts to use a modern day form of doublethink in an attempt to justify his claims in order to persuade the reader. Chaos and discord is inevitable without a certain amount of balance. In the concluding paragraph of Dinh’s essay, Dinh attempts to clarify the relationship of ideals and techniques. Dinh states that the â€Å"foundation of liberty is under attack†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Although he persuasively attempts to articulate this claim, the â€Å"foundation of liberty† is in fact not in jeopardy. The  foundation of liberty is the Constitution, which states the rights of citizens in this democratic nation. These rights include the Bill of Rights, which are the amendments of the Constitution. Dinh alerts the readers that terrorists are attempting to attack the foundation of liberty, the Constitution. However, terrorists do not prioritize in the undertaking of missions to eliminate the rights of U.S. citizens. Terrorists attempt to define their reason of terrorism by attacking capitalism. Capitalism and democracy are not similar systems. Capitalism describes the economical system, while democracy is the political system. Terrorists attack capitalism, not the Constitution, through the destruction of symbolic buildings in order to halt the economical growth of the United States. Further in the paragraph, Dinh exclaims that it is â€Å"critical that we both reaffirm the ideals of our constitutional democracy.† Dinh defines â€Å"ideals† as the rights given to each individual that protects from government power. The â€Å"constitutional democracy† he also writes about is not the fantasy of economic opportunity, but it is Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Dinh also states that it is important to â€Å"discern the techniques necessary to secure those ideals against the threat of terrorism.† Dinh believes that the Patriot Act is the necessary â€Å"technique† that can extend the powers of government by going beyond what the law permits. These â€Å"techniques† violates the Constitution through the surveillance of individuals by the order of the state. By declaring that these â€Å"techniques† are necessary in order to secure the â€Å"ideals† against the threat of terrorism, Dinh is acknowledging the fact that the Constitution must be violated in order for it to be protected from terrorism. However, it is was already mentioned that the terrorists do not pursue the Constitution, but rather the economic growth of the U.S. Dinh indicates that the government must violate the rights which protect individuals from state power in order to protect those rights. This is an evident use of modern double think, which is the â€Å"the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them† Dinh continues by quoting a renowned law professor who knows nothing about the terrorists that Dinh is warning the readers about. The quote â€Å"ideals without techniques are a mess. But technique without ideals is a menace† does not relate to Dinh’s Patriot Act. Dinh simply uses Llewellyn’s quote without even explaining the intended meaning of it. Dinh attempts to  relate the Patriot act with the â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques†, but it is evident that the two cannot be compared in any aspect. There is only the reiteration and repetition of the words â€Å"ideals† and â€Å"techniques†, which does not clearly explain the meaning or purpose of Dinh’s use of those words. Dinh merely states that the combining of ideals and techniques will shield democracy, and then uses double think in order to justify how the Patriot Act violates the Constitution and individual rights. It is evident that Dinh’s statement can be viewed as a modern day form of double think because it attempts to combine the contradictory claims that an individual’s rights can only be protected through the violation of those rights. Gelsey claims that the governmental â€Å"techniques†, which involve surveillance and obtaining unwarranted records, directly violate the â€Å"ideals† and rights that Dinh claims to protect. The capacity of being able to think and act freely are prohibited, if not restricted, hen people are aware that they are under constant surveillance, Innocent individuals being monitored would not be able to act freely because they would not know what actions are capable of being considered suspicious. Gelsey connects her statement to 1984 and its protagonist Winston Smith, whose capability to act and think freely was tampered with due to the strain of being under constant surveillance. Yet Dinh argues against such claims by stating that â€Å"During these times, when the foundation of liberty is under attack, we must reaffirm the ideals of our constitutional democracy and also discern the techniques necessary to secure those ideals against the threat of terrorism.† Beneath all of the fanciful dictation and reiteration of words, the readers discover that such â€Å"techniques† only violate those â€Å"ideals.† The violation of privacy rights can only be regarded as a direct violation to the Constitution, not as a â€Å"shield† to those â€Å"ideals.† As Dinh discards the comparison of the Patriot Act with Orwell’s illustration of the state’s potential to invade individual rights, the readers discard Dinh’s credentials as well, due to the inaccurate and inconclusive use of the â€Å"techniques† and â€Å"ideals† he regards as necessary in the fight against â€Å"terrorism.† Citing Sources Gelsey, Zara. â€Å"The FBI is Looking Over Your Shoulder.† The Brief Bedford Reader. Ed. X. J. K. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. 9th. Ed. Boston: Bedford, 2006. 473- 478 Dinh, Viet. â€Å"How the U.S. Patriot Act Defends Democracy.† The Brief Bedford Reader. Ed. X. J. K. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. 9th. Ed. Boston: Bedford, 2006. 479- 485 Orwell, George. _1984_. Afterword by Erich Fromm. New York: Signet, 1992

Convicted Criminals essays

Convicted Criminals essays How should we treat convicted criminals Convicted criminals have been judged and tried by a jury of twelve. When found guilty and housed in a penitentiary they should lose all their rights as a citizen. Once imprisoned they are no longer able to vote they lost their citizenship so why are we allowing them to complete an education, have access to libraries and recreational equipment. They have all of these rights, yet do we ever stop to think about the families of the victims. The pain, the anguish, and the immense suffering these loved ones go through because of the actions of these merciless criminals. If you can, draw up from your memory the actions of Susan Smith. Yes thats right the woman whom drove her two innocent kids in to the lake. She willingly drove her car into the lake as her two young sons sit seatbelted in the backseat of her car. Susan then got out of the car and watched as the cabin of the car filled up with the icy cold water eventually drowning the two. Just think of how they felt as they sit in the car crying for their mother frantically, wondering why mommy left them there? Barbaric...Barbaric is exactly how I would describe her actions. Yet, the jury doing her case sentenced her to life not death. The Jury only explained that she would suffer more through her depression, but does that justify the short-lived lives of two completely harmless, defenseless and innocent children. In todays society the idea of having deadly criminals: sentenced to life in prison, get paroled and then go back into society and strike again is absolutely frightening. Criminals like these should not be allowed to socialize with other, better their education, and for these criminals to think they will be treated civilized when they have not acted civilly themselves. With that, consider the old saying; treat others how you want to be treated. These criminals are the ones ...

Preceding a Gerund with a Possessive

Preceding a Gerund with a Possessive Preceding a Gerund with a Possessive Preceding a Gerund with a Possessive By Maeve Maddox A gerund is an -ing verb form that is used as a noun. Like any other noun, a gerund can function as the subject or object of a verb, or as the object of a preposition: 1. Gardening is my favorite hobby. (noun, subject of is) 2. He likes shooting skeet. (noun, object of likes) 3. He loves to talk about hunting. (noun, object of the preposition about) 4. Do you mind my asking a question? (noun, object of mind) This post is about the use of my in the fourth example. Why precede the gerund asking with the possessive adjective my? Why not write, â€Å"Do you mind me asking a question?† In this sentence, the word asking is a gerund. A gerund is a noun. Nouns are modified by adjectives, not by other nouns or pronouns. Consider: Because some people don’t like animals, I ask a guest, â€Å"Do you mind my dog?† I wouldn’t say, â€Å"Do you mind me dog.† Ergo, I wouldn’t say, â€Å"Do you mind me asking?† That’s the reasoning and the rule. Then there’s popular usage: If you don’t mind him calling you at work, give him your business card. If you don’t mind them losing your possessions, then this is the hotel for you. You should take out the garbage without me asking. H. W. Fowler calls the construction of preceding a gerund with a noun or accusative pronoun a â€Å"fused participle† and devotes several tetchy pages to it in Modern English Usage. He illustrates the problem with three sentences: 1. Women having the vote share political power with men. (This example is grammatically correct: having is a participle modifying the subject women.) 2. Women’s having the vote reduces men’s political power. (This example is grammatically correct: having is a gerund modified by the possessive women’s.) 3. Women having the vote reduces men’s political power. (This example is ungrammatical.) Fowler points out that because the verb reduces is singular, women cannot be its subject. Yet, having can’t be the subject because that would leave women â€Å"in the air† without a grammatical function. He says the construction is a compound notion that fuses the noun women with the participle having. He calls this construction a â€Å"fused participle,† denouncing it altogether as â€Å"grammatically indefensible.† Modern grammarians still prefer preceding the gerund with a possessive in formal usage, but do not uniformly condemn the fused participle as Fowler did. A writer at a site about legal prose observes that sometimes a fused participle is the only idiomatic choice: There are exceptions–sentences in which idiom simply demands that a participle be fused, or else the sentence rewritten altogether.–Lawprose.org/. Some of the exceptions cited as being accepted by â€Å"respected usage commentators† are: The likelihood of that happening is nil. He frequently felt a chance of this happening. He disapproved of politicians still in their prime writing memoirs. Blindly following the rule with these sentences would produce the following unidiomatic constructions: The likelihood of that’s happening is nil. He frequently felt a chance of this’s happening. He disapproved of politicians still in their prime’s writing memoirs. Careful writers will continue to think carefully about which word precedes a gerund in formal writing. Even in informal speech and writing, a construction like, â€Å"I hate my husband being passed over at work† is to be avoided. As the speaker does not, presumably, hate her husband, the better choice is, â€Å"I hate my husband’s being passed over at work.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?"Confused With" and "Confused About"Using "zeitgeist" Coherently

Self Organizing Maps (SOM) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Self Organizing Maps (SOM) - Research Paper Example The performance of ANNs is better than that of traditional methods of problem solving. This enhances a comprehensive understanding of the human cognitive abilities. From the available learning algorithms and neural network architectures, the SOM forms the most popular SOM. They use data visualization techniques by Teuvo Kohonen to reduce data dimension using self-organizing neural networks. The data visualization problems attempt to handle problems that are beyond human visualization for high dimensional data. SOMs act as a non-parametric network containing combination of data spatialization and abstraction, hence used in visual clustering. SOM is among the most popular methods of neural networks for use in cluster analysis. This occurs due to topology preserving and self organizing nature for SOM. The SOMs act as abstract model for topographic mapping. Modeling and analysis of mapping enhance understanding of perception, encoding, recognition and processes received and beneficial to the machine-based recognition of the patterns SOM possess prominent visualization properties. Developed from the associative memory model, SOM uses unsupervised learning algorithm characterized by simple computational form and structure enhanced by the retina-cortex mapping. The self-organization nature act as a fundamental process of pattern recognition, and allows learning the intra- and inter-pattern relationships for the stimuli without potential bias. SOM may provide the topologically preserved mapping to all the output spaces from input. Though the computational form proves to be simple, most aspects related to the algorithm must be investigated (Zhang et al 2010, p. 6359). 2.0 Basic principles of SOM The Kohonen self-organizing map encompasses a neural network, and various characteristics similar to the working of the human brain. Basically, SOM avails some classificatory resources that are organized based on patterns available for classification. The single layer of the neu ral network consists of neurons within n-dimensional grid. The grids allow the definition for the neighborhoods in the output space rather than the input space. The input and output spaces constitute the main SOM. This can also be performed through the use of tools that map vectors within the input space to output the space that preserves topological relations in the output space (Yang et al 2012, p.1371). SOM use unsupervised competitive learning and attempts to conform to the available input data. The SOM nodes act as inputs and contain some principle SOM features. Topological relationship between inputs is preserved after mapping into the SOM network. This pragmatically represents the complex data. SOMs use vector quantization in data compression processes. The SOMs offer an appropriate means of representing the multi-dimensional data in the lower dimensional space using one or two dimensions. This enhances visualization and understanding of data in low dimensions. Therefore, SOM s facilitates manipulation of complex data, especially in visualization of large quantities of data in an