No Doubts Tragic Kingdom - Retrospective free essay sample

Tragic Kingdom was a massive record. The immense success of the album helped propel ska into the mainstream and paved the way for Orange County bands like Reel Big Fish and Save Ferris to make a splash in the music world. Even if Tragic Kingdom is hardly a full-on ska-punk album, the 90’s Orange County ska energy is still present, and the influence is clear. At the time of Tragic Kingdom’s release, No Doubt was a relatively unknown band that was nevertheless thriving in the Orange County ska scene. Their previous album, The Beacon Street Collection was a local success, and this was enough to get the attention of major record label, Interscope, who would fund Tragic Kingdom. Tragic Kingdom came at a time that No Doubt somewhat reinvented themselves. On their previous two albums, most songs were written by Eric Stefani, brother of Gwen Stefani, and had more of a ska-punk feel to them. We will write a custom essay sample on No Doubts Tragic Kingdom Retrospective or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Following his departure from the band, Gwen Stefani began writing her own material with a more poppy sound and this is what is featured on Tragic Kingdom. Listening to this album today, it definitely holds up with some killer tracks performed in No Doubt’s unique blend of musical styles. One of the first singles to come from Tragic Kingdom was the ska-influenced â€Å"Spiderwebs.† This song opens the album and immediately gives the listener a taste of the No Doubt sound that is to come. On this multifaceted song, there is a ska intro, a new-wave inspired verse, and a punky chorus. Those three genres define No Doubt’s musical style on Tragic Kingdom. This makes for unique, energetic songs. No Doubt, and specifically frontwoman Gwen Stefani, possessed a unique energy that helped ensure the band’s success. The energy displayed in the music is infectious and exciting and this is further exemplified in the band’s music videos and live performances. Stefani really gets into the music and the listener can’t help but have a great time. The unique No Doubt energy is most prevalent on the album’s lead single, â€Å"Just A Girl.† The funky guitar/keyboard intro sets the tone immediately and Stefani’s uniquely ironic vocal style fits the subject matter perfectly. The song was a massive success that helped drive sales of Tragic Kingdom. The accompanying music video helps establish Gwen Stefani as a 90’s icon, showcasing her and the band’s frantic punk-inspired energy. Judging by Spotify listens, â€Å"Don’t Speak† is No Doubt’s most popular song. This is very interesting, as it is definitely an outlier on Tragic Kingdom. â€Å"Don’t Speak† is a slow ballad that is very different from the frantic ska energy found on most other songs. While listening to Tragic Kingdom in full, â€Å"Don’t Speak† actually offers a nice little break from the constant energy found on the rest of the album. â€Å"Don’t Speak† immediately follows â€Å"Sunday Morning,† one of the most upbeat and exciting songs on the album. â€Å"Don’t Speak† is a unique song for No Doubt, but it works. It’s still catchy but the lyrics just carry a little bit more weight when delivered in this more serious tone. Tragic Kingdom was a hugely impactful album in the 1990’s music scene. Singles like â€Å"Sunday Morning† and â€Å"Spiderwebs† helped catapult ska music back into the mainstream, while hit songs like â€Å"Just A Girl† and â€Å"Don’t Speak† helped establish No Doubt as an iconic band to come out of Orange County, California. Tragic Kingdom is a very important and wonderful album featuring No Doubt’s unique sound and palpable energy.

History of Portugal - Overview

History of Portugal - Overview Location of Portugal Portugal is located in the far west of Europe, on the Iberian Peninsular. It is bounded by Spain to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. Historical Summary of Portugal The country of Portugal emerged in the tenth century during the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula: first as a region under the control of the Counts of Portugal and then, in the mid-twelfth century, as a kingdom under King Afonso I. The throne then went through a turbulent time, with several rebellions. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries overseas exploration and conquest in Africa, South America and India won the nation a rich empire. In 1580 a succession crisis led to a successful invasion by the King of Spain and Spanish rule, beginning an era known to opponents as the Spanish Captivity, but a successful rebellion in 1640 led to independence once more. Portugal fought alongside Britain in the Napoleonic Wars, whose political fallout led to a son of the King of Portugal becoming Emperor of Brazil; a decline in imperial power followed. The nineteenth century saw civil war, before a Republic was declared in 1910. However, in 1926 a military coup led to generals ruling until 1933, when a Professor called Salazar took over, ruling in an authoritarian manner. His retirement through illness was followed a few years later by a further coup, the declaration of the Third Republic and independence for African colonies. Key People from the History of Portugal Afonso HenriqueThe son of the Count of Portugal, Afonso Henrique was the rallying point for Portuguese nobles who feared losing their power to rival Galicians. Afonso won either a battle or a tournament and successfully expelled his mother, who was styled as Queen, and by 1140 was calling himself King of Portugal. He worked to establish his position, and by 1179 had persuaded the Pope to recognise him as king.Dom DinisNicknamed the farmer, Dinis is often the most highly regarded of the Burgundian dynasty, for he began the creation of a formal navy, founded the first university in Lisbon, promoted culture, founded one of the first insurance institutions for merchants and broadened trade. However, tensions grew among his nobles and he lost the Battle of Santarà ©m to his son, who took the crown as King Afonso IV.Antà ³nio SalazarA Professor of Political Economy, Salazar was invited in 1928 by Portugal’s military dictatorship to join the government and resolve a financial crisi s. In 1933 he was promoted to Prime Minister, and he ruled – if not as a dictator (though an argument can be made that he was), then certainly as a repressive, anti-parliamentary authoritarian, until illness forced him to retire in 1974. Rulers of Portugal

Improvment of the profit margin and sustainability of an organization Assignment

Improvment of the profit margin and sustainability of an organization - Assignment Example In order to improve the profit margin and sustainability of an organization,operating in this tough competitive age,the most essential requirement is recruitment of an experienced and talented leader A leader is a person who might work as a catalyst, in enhancing and controlling the human resources of the organization in an effective way. This is because; the human resource is the prime requirement of any organization operating in any segment and in any region. As human resource are mainly responsible, for the fulfilment of the future goals and objectives of the organization in the market among others. However, it might be possible only if the leader may act tactfully and motivate the employees towards work in order to improve the productivity and image of the organization in the entire market, in-spite of varied types of changes. Only then, the image and profit margin of the organization might get enhanced in the market among other rival players. Moreover, if the changes might be ha ndled in an effective way then the popularity and equity of the organization may be enhanced thereby amplifying its competitiveness in the market to a certain extent in long run among others. Thus, it might be depicted that, leader act as the backbone of the organization that may not only improve the efficiency and capability of the employees but also cope-up with varied types of changes. This essay is mainly divided into five phases that mainly highlights the significance of leadership within an organization. Along with this, it also highlights the role of leadership within a change management situation with the help of models like Kotters 8 steps, Lewin’s change management model. Discussion Evaluation of Change Management and Leadership with models In order to survive in this competitive era, leadership is the most essential requirement. As it acts as a weapon not only stimulate the profit margin and productivity of an organization but also to mitigate varied types of chall enges or changes in an effective way. Change management is described as a systematic procedure to deal or tackle varied types of changes or alterations in a successful manner. Moreover, it might also described as an approach that might be handled by implementing varied types of technologies, strategies and procedures so as to mitigate it effectively within the organization. Only then, the productivity and efficiency of the organization might get enhanced thereby amplifying the image and reputation in the market among other rival players. Apart from this, if the changes might be adapted successfully within the organization, only then, the inner morale and confidence of the employees might get enhanced with a significant extent as compared to others. This might help in improvement of their level of performance and efficiency within the organization thereby amplifying the level of retention. It is extremely essential for any organization operating in this competitive age among many oth er rival players. This is because, the experienced employees are the gems of the organization and they might offer varied types of ideas and suggestions in order to implement the changes in an effective way. Such a situation is also seen within the organization, Biogen Idec Incorporated, at the time of restructuring or reassessment of the business strategies. As a result of which, maximum extent of the employees had to cope up with the procedure of reallocation of their job responsibilities as well as outplacement. Due to which, the relationship within the higher authorities and the employees is fading day by day resulting in amplification of the chances of conflicts and miss-confusions. Not only this, the motivation and dedication of the employees of Biogen Idec is also reducing as their roles and

Read 2 article and write about society, deception, with mal fromat Essay

Read 2 article and write about society, deception, with mal fromat - Essay Example Mairs, who is a self described â€Å"cripple† relates to her experience of shame and defiance with ability politics in her life. Both of these authors show very different ways of dealing with their society, a society they find treats them unjustly. Williams essentially refutes and fights against her society, opting out of it as a way of countering it, while Mairs uses her own society’s tools against it, co-opting its language and mechanisms in an effort to make room for herself in it. Williams lives in a society that â€Å"respects authority† to a fault (Williams). They found it impossible to fight against the federal government of the United States for dropping bombs upwind of where they live – they did attempt to make a law suit, but not to be â€Å"against the government† but only to help ensure similar things would not happen in the future (Williams). She grew incredibly frustrated by this style of acting, and decided that it was important to fight against injustice, against authority, even if it meant giving up who she was. She found a way of fighting through leaving, through flanking. She reverted to her roots of Native American heritage, using it to attack the principles of land-hatred and disregard that had so plagued her family. She shows a method of pushing against a society from the outside. Mairs takes a highly different approach. She sees herself as part of society, and uses the society she lives in to attack it, and push on it, in a different way. She calls herself a â€Å"cripple,† a word that she finds appealing because it is â€Å"straightforward† and â€Å"honest† (Mairs). She uses this language to bluntly point out to society how they see her – not giving them the recourse of equally derogatory words (once critically examined) like disabled or handicapped. Thus Mairs is able to confront society with its own vision of herself, and make society face it – this is

Discuss the impact of the USA's economy crisis on one or more Essay

Discuss the impact of the USA's economy crisis on one or more countries around the world. You may use USA as one country, but select at least one other - Essay Example Randall Filer, a professor of economics at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, stated that the financial competitiveness of some developed countries might increase despite the US economy crisis. In Martin Savidge’s newscast, WORLDFOCUS, Randall Filer specifically named Frankfurt and London as those that might benefit from the crisis. Financial contagion is a situation in which a faltering economy in one country causes otherwise healthy economies in other countries to have problems (â€Å"Financial Contagion†). A study on the financial contagion effects of the US subprime crisis on developed countries, by Horta, Mendes and Vieira, confirmed Randal Filer’s predictions (26). They found out that the financial markets in Canada, Japan, Italy, France and the UK present significant levels of contagion; as opposed to the German and Portuguese insignificant market levels of contagion (Horta et al. 26). The findings suggest the increasing dependence towards the US market, even for developed countries. The countries of the Third World can be divided into three groups: those developing rapidly, those developing moderately, and those whose economies are not developing at all (Epping 116). Those that are rapidly developing are called Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs), which include Brazil, Argentina, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, and Taiwan. The moderately developing nations compose the bulk of the Third World. The most populous of this group are India, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. And finally, the group that does not develop at all includes those countries found in sub-Sahara Africa. These countries have so few resources and so little money that development is almost impossible. Developing countries borrow money to build new infrastructures and industries in hopes of producing enough exports to pay back

Exploratory Study of Kopitiam Business

Exploratory Study of Kopitiam Business A new breed of kopitiam (a coffee shop in local Chinese dialects) has gained popularity in Malaysia during the past few years. In fact, there are no less than a hundred different brands of kopitiam which can be found everywhere in Malaysia with little or no differentiation. In such saturated market, lowering the prices has become common strategy to attract customers, consequently, kopitiam business has been caught up in price wars and competing under the shrinking profit margin. Thus, it leads the business with nothing but bloody red oceans. However, there are limited studies in business strategies in kopitiam businesses. Therefore, this paper aims to bridge the gap by discusses a conceptual strategy approach, particularly, Blue-ocean strategy (BOS) in kopitiam businesses. Keywords: Kopitiam, Differentiation, Red Oceans, Blue-ocean strategy. 1.0 Introduction A new breed of kopitiam (a coffee shop in local Chinese dialects) has gained popularity in Malaysia during the past few years. However, the literature review suggests limited research attempts have been made in kopitiams business strategies. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to bridge the gap and it presented in four parts. The first part begins by reviewing the history of kopitiam in Malaysia. Following this, the second section reviews the new breed of kopitiam business in Malaysia. Lastly, the last two parts discusses the conceptual approach, Blue-ocean strategy in kopitiam and its untapped market respectively. 2.0 The History of Kopitiam 2.1 The Migration In nineteenth and twentieth century, British Imperialism had brought in diverse of people, mainly from China, India and Malay Archipelago. According to Kaur (2004), the growing economic opportunities in the region such as mineral and agricultural expansion were the pull factors to Southeast Asia during that time. In the colonial era of Malaya (before independent), British had introduced the practice of segregating economic activity along with racial lines such as Chinese migrant workers to work in the tin mines, Indian migrant workers to work in the rubber plantations and Malay Archipelago to work in the agriculture fields (Arif Abubakar, 2005). 2.2 The Hainanese Factor In 1900s, the main Chinese dialects groups in Malaya are Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew and Hainanese. According to Lai (2010) among the Chinese dialect groups, Hainanese were the late comers and the minority of migrant group. Due to the scarcity of job during that time, the other dialect groups would take any job offered or opportunity available. They became rubber tappers, seamen, cooks and just name to it a few. Most of them worked for the Europeans. In late of 1930s, Hainanese, individually or partnership, offers their personal skills such as culinary, service, housekeeping, and management skills which they learned from European households. They started to set up new concept of kopitiam (meaning coffee shop in local Chinese dialects) and involved in food and beverage related industries like coffee processing and food catering during that time. The growth fastiqium period for Hainanese distinct kopitiam were in the late 1920s to 1950s. Hainanese coffee merchants and kopitiam operators had developed their special method to roast the coffee beans and brewed the coffee (Lai, 2010). Some of them have their secret/special recipes which served as the key attractions to retain customers. In 1960s, the success of the kopitiam business had led the newcomers from other dialect groups to venture into this business. Subsequently, competition became more intense. 2.3 The Evolutions of Kopitiam Conventional Kopitiam, the basic formula was an outlet and simple menus. They served local coffee, toasted bread with margarine and kaya (a type of jam made of coconuts and eggs), half-boiled eggs and some traditional pastries. Prices were relatively cheap with a cup of coffee and other food charged which everyone could afford. In the past, the kopitiam sole proprietor dressed his white sweatshirt and stripped pajama pants making coffee. The kopitiam was a place as social centre where men could indulge eating, meeting, drinking and chatting on anything that came to mind, light or seriously in what had become known as coffee shop talk (Lai, 2010). Normally, it would be located in strategic location of the main street, village or neighborhood. According to Lai (2010), as populations grew rapidly, some of the kopitiam expanded into modest-sized eating shops in the more strategic location nearer to the towns, village, neighborhood or others. Proprietors sell both drinks and foods or solely drinks and rented out stall space to other food operators. It was the place that customers enjoyed their breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their target customers were industrial personnel, laborers, and residents. This kind of kopitiam set up remains until today. In the late twentieth century, new breed of kopitiam chains which trade on both modernized and nostalgia approach, started to emerge. The outlets are designed with old posters feature, vintage antiques and furniture to evoke a 1960s atmosphere (Euromonitor International, 2010). In the past few years, the popularity of new breed of kopitiam has begun in Malaysia. This brand new kopitiam emphasize eating experiences by offering value-added services like free Wi-Fi access, air-conditional environment and offered innovative breakfast and lunch set-meals and more choices on the menu to fulfill every level of consumers (Euromonitor International, 2009). To remain competitive, aggressive marketing strategies and management systems are implemented. They innovate and improve their kitchens technology for preparing foods and beverages (Lai, 2010). As such, kopitiam has gained the favour of young consumers to hang out at these outlets. 3.0 An Overview of New Breed Kopitiam in Malaysia Local food beverages (FB) face some challenges which are beyond the issue of rising cost of raw materials and shortage of workers but the scene with intense competition among the food service operators. This was mainly due to the low entry barriers and switching costs of buyers/suppliers. According to Selamat et. al. (2003), the entire Malaysia food industries make up from the total of 172,252 units of food service entities which consist of food stalls/kiosk and restaurant. In the new concept of kopitiam alone, there are more than 100 brands of new concept kopitiam in the market today. Statistically, the percentage of units/outlets growth in both independent and chained kopitiam accounted for 9.1 percent and 16.1 percent in 2008 respectively (Euromonitor International, 2009). Generally, the new breed of kopitiam entering the market by integrating the old fashioned of traditional kopitiam in a more trendy, hygenic, and air-conditioned environment. No doubt that the movement of these kopitiam has successfully created a new wave of eating experiences in Malaysia. However, there is little or no differentiation against one another in terms of (1) product offerings (i.e., coffee, bread toast, and other local authentic foods) are nearly the same from one outlet to another regardless of the brand; (2) targeting the same group of consumers, for example, professionals, managers, executives, and business owners; (3) physical environment such as decoration was found to be the same among these outlets. Today, marketing tasks has become complicated and more challenging than ever. Businesses today are competing in fragmentation, saturation, and storm of novelty that exist every day in the market. In fact, when the industry become more intense, businesses will continuously increase their market share by identifying and creating niche market (Kotler Tiras De Bes, 2003); strive to retain and develop existing customers (Kim Mauborgne, 2005) which would result in finer segmentation. Thus, it ends-up creating too-small target market. Besides, the increase of commoditization of products and services leads consumer hardly to differentiate their product offerings. As a solution, reducing prices has become the common competitive strategy for kopitiam businesses as competition intensifies. According to Euromonitor International (2009) found that prices of offering items in cafes/bars (including kopitiam) will likely drop gradually. Thus, promotions such as value set breakfast and lunch with lower price can be easily found in these outlets. Commonly, we found that lowering the prices with the purpose to beat competitors, but, it is often not a wise strategy in business like kopitiam as every player can do the exactly same thing. Trout Rivkin (2000) illustrated that price is always the enemy of differentiation. Consequently, the above mentioned scenario will lead the business with nothing but a bloody red ocean. Red oceans stand for the industries that are around today. In the red ocean, the rules of the game are known as it had been around for ages. Thus, businesses tend to compete to get a bigger chunk of the pie. When this happens, the market space becomes smaller, resulting to a drain in profit and growth. As this prolongs, the stiff rivalry among the companies would turn to be a bloody red ocean (Kim Mauborgne, 2005). 4.0 Swimming towards Blue Oceans Kotler Tiras De Bes (2003) described the current market is not the same as compare to 1960s and 1970s. Typically, product is designed to fulfill consumer needs; however, consumer needs are hypersatisfied today. Kim and Mauborgne (2005) pointed that business strategies and management of the 20th century are becoming extinct as the business evolves in an industry that is changing to be a shade of red, the management has to be on its feet to think on how to make it ocean blue. Generally, blue oceans denote the new market space, new creation, and high probability for growth. Most of the blue oceans created within known markets but there are a few that are completely new industries rivalry among companies are not predominant in the blue ocean as there are no known rules to follow. Indeed, Kim Mauborgne (2005) describes the future of a company depends on how the management can create and use this new strategy. Besides, both authors indicate that 86 percent of launched business (improvement within an existing red-ocean market) which accounted 62 percent of total revenue and only 39 percent of total margins. On the other hand, the remaining of 14 percent launched businesses was in blue oceans (non-competing market space) which accounted to 38 percent of the total revenues and 61 percent of total profits. Apparently, the benefits of creating blue oceans are more promising. As more and more kopitiam will be trapped into red bloody oceans in this saturated market, hence, blue-ocean strategy is significant for the industry. Unfortunately, blue-ocean strategy is literally new to Malaysias businesses. Even though, many CEOs are aware of the existence of blue-ocean strategy but they have yet to fully understand and adopt the strategy to their businesses (as cited in Yap and Ang, 2007). Most recently, an interview session with Kotler on Getting savvy in newer media, narrated: They [Asian marketing professionals] need to improve their strategic capabilities with Blue Ocean thinking and Lateral Marketingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Companies that employ Blue-ocean strategy use innovation to find uncontested blue oceans of opportunities that their competitors have yet to discover, while lateral marketing requires companies to look beyond narrow, vertical segmentation and be creative to create fresh ideas and new markets. In response to such market, Kim Mauborgne (2005) provides set of analytical tools and framework in creating blue oceans. For example, both authors urge businesses to take a reverse course from focusing on existing customers to focus on noncustomers. By doing this, businesses are able to exploits new market space that never existed before. Air Asia, for example, a successful Malaysia low-cost airline that had identified a Blue Ocean to unlock the unaddressed market space by focusing on non-customers (i.e., the masses that cannot afford the expensive flight tickets and government employees) instead of customers (i.e., corporate and customers who can afford to buy expensive tickets) to avoid head on competition with Malaysia Airline (MAS) and other regional airlines (Lau, 2007). 5.0 The Untapped Market Knowing the nature of ones market is significant to business success. As such, the changes of cultural, social, personal, and psychological factors cannot simply be ignored in the fast-changing market. Friedman (2008) pinpoints that the world is heading to a new era called Energy-Climate Era whereas the world is currently facing three pitfalls namely, global warming, flattening, and crowding that affect all of us today. Hence, not surprisingly that sustainability has become a buzzword and being discussed by people from all walks of life. Even though, the sustainable practices are still hotly debated by both scholars and practitioners, but, this is a fundamental shift in how companies should function in this era. In fact, the contemporary environmental issue provides businesses the greatest prospect for return on investment and growth that never existed before (Friedman, 2008). However, going green is far more complicated than what we think. Numerous studies found that the main force for businesses being sustainable was mainly driven by legislation, marketing, and values (Gummerson, 1994). Typically, Malaysia is one of them from launching No-Plastic Day to stem duty exemption for green buildings and New Economic Model (NEM) that emphasize on economic growth and environment. No doubt, sustainable practices are still new to Malaysia, but, these new policies are important as a head start for Malaysia. As a result, several industries such as telecommunications, plantation, and real estate are taking different steps to balance between their business growth and sustainability. Unfortunately, sustainable practices with the initiatives to reduce food waste, water consumption, and energy consumption are literally new to the local FB industry. Revell Blackburn (2005) found that sustainability practices are considered as low priority because restaurateurs foresee their impact towards environment as insignificant. Besides, numerous studies found that low awareness of the environmental impact as one of the barriers to change (Hillary, 1995; Holland Gibbon 1997; Rutherfoorrd et. al. 2000). According to Consumer Association of Penang (2009), Malaysia restaurants discards more than 10 tons of left-over food daily with a total 490 tons carbon dioxide produced annually per restaurant. Even so, many restaurateurs have the attitude of wait and see on the environmental issues because they foresee the impact has yet to affect their business. Parsa et. al. (2005) denotes that inability to understand, anticipates, and adapt to the current market trend often lead to restaurant failures. As environmentally sustainable practices are important to todays consumers, hence, local FB industry such as kopitiam should take advantage of the opportunities by creating a win-win situation between the growth of business and sustainability of environment. Friedman (2008) indicates that, green is going from boutique to better, from a choice to a necessity, from a fad to strategy to win, from insoluble problem to great opportunity. Beside, Jogaratnam et. al. (1999) urges that restaurateurs should incorporate their business by adapting to the environmental changes and find ways to link with, respond to, integrate with, or exploit environmental opportunities. In summary, there is totally an untapped market from conventional kopitiam to sustainable or green kopitiam that emphasize on both growth and sustainability. 6.0 Conclusion There is a paradigm shift from traditional kopitiam to new concept kopitiam. The shifting has gained popularity among young generation, thus, more and more entrepreneurs venture into the business. Consequently, the business become intense and eventually turns the kopitiam business into red oceans. As such, businesses should take advantage of the blue open sea. Make itself impossible to be the target, isolate from possible followers at the same time lead them far away. The goal is to make the ocean theirs and prevent other competitors from invading it. Even so, in the long run there may be competitors that follow the same strategies making the pristine blue ocean red. The company would have to distance itself from the followers by changing their game plan to create another blue ocean.

How the Media Affects the Self Esteem and Body Image of Young Girls Ess

The misconception of what is beautiful can be detrimental to young girls. In a television industry attempt to sell goods, they are depicted as sexy. Creating a need for parents to intervene and present a more realistic and normal view of physical beauty. Today, TV presents sexually based images crafted to appeal to young girls. Unfortunately, they are led to believe that their value is only skin deep, causing flawed expectations, illusions, and wrong information about the truth of the physical body in the real world. In an attempt to look the part some have fallen victim to eating disorders, while others have exchanged childhood innocence for an Adult view of what is sexy. When girls are disheartened over their inability to look like some media idol or doll, then it is time to pay attention and ask why. Psychologist Levine and Kilbourne, emphasize a need to stay more connected, and finding out why children feel they have to compete with the images of people they see in the media (So Sexy So Soon 27). The idea of looking sexy may be fine for adults, but the notion of sexy little girls is somehow disturbing. TV is setting the agenda and succeeding as it paints the perfect girl, as tall, skinny, tan, pretty, and rich. TV commercials sell sexy because sexy sells, and is now targeting younger audiences. A preteen viewing a Bratz Dolls commercial will be prompted to visit their web site, where she will be greeted with attractive dolls dressed in sexy outfits. The dolls portray an image of teenage girls with large attractive eyes, lush glossy lips, and dressed in the latest fashion. Psychologists Lamb and Brown make the following observation â€Å"Dressing for fashion a’la Barbie or Lil’ Bratz dolls and dressing for physical ... ...ldren is the objective. All commerce works on supply and demand if consumers continue to buy into selling sexy to kids, then these negative outcomes will continue. Works Cited Crow, Scott J. et al. "Increased mortality in bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders." American Journal of Psychiatry. 166. 12. (2009): 1342+. General OneFile. Web. 25 Nov. 2010. Hibberd, James "Tuned-in kids get turned on earlier; study links adult-aimed TV to sex at younger age." Hollywood Reporter 409.35 (2009): 6+. General OneFile. Web. 4 Nov. 2010. Lamb, Sharon, Lyn Mikel Brown. Packaging Girlhood. â€Å"Rescuing Our Daughters From Marketers’ Schemes.† New York. St Martin’s Press, 2006: 303. Print. Levine, Diane E, Jean Kilbourne. So Sexy So Soon. Ballantine Books, 2009: 209. Print. "Did You Know That?" Skipping Stones. May-Aug. 2009: 29. General OneFile. Web. 4 Nov. 2010.

Causal Argument Essay

In a split congress, our government tends to bicker among minor issues, which leads to turmoil among the nation. With a deadline for the 2014 fiscal year budget, our congress couldn’t agree on the amount of money being funded to Obamacare and the Medical Device Tax. Republicans fought for cutting of Obamacare funding, while the Democrats opposed and eventually won out. As October 1st approached, Republicans made a proposed budget that cut the funds for Obamacare that would cripple it as a government program. When the Democrats rejected the proposed budget, our government went into a partial shutdown, which lasted until the 17th of October. The Continuing Appropriations Act 2014 has allowed us to keep our current spending levels until January 15th and the debt ceiling will be extended to February 7th. Republicans made a feeble attempt of scaring the Democrats into doing what they wanted, which in turn, back fired and caused a negative press toward the Republicans (McCullough). Tourists and travelers worldwide have also become angry over the shutdown and US citizens are seeing the affect our shut down is having on countries all over the world, such as France, Germany, and England. This government shutdown is going to lead to many economic issues such as lost jobs, a weakened economy, and Obamacare funding, which could weaken large businesses. When the government shutdown, 800,000 non-exempt government employees were furloughed and loss there income for over two weeks. Once these non-exempt employees returned to work, they were paid for their lost wages, which is another hit on government spending. The White House projected that a one week government shutdown would cost the U.S. economy 10 billion dollars (Stein). As of October 22nd, the economy has lost 24 billion dollars and more than 3 billion dollars in lost government services. Large businesses also took a huge hit with the shutdown because they had to furlough employees and U.S transportation systems weren’t running so certain goods were not delivered on time. When the temporary  budget was passed, it funded Obamacare, which requires large businesses to provide health insurance in 2015 and that is another financial impact that could decrease the pay for the low-income workers in larger businesses (Walshe). With 24 billion less dollars in the economy, it will now be difficult for international stocks as well as revenue for large businesses to make the expected profit gains. Pamela Sampson of Yahoo News, released an article with the title: â€Å"Global Stocks jittery after US Government shutdown†, where she discusses how the British, French, German, and U.S stocks plummeted after the shutdown. Asian stocks rose partially after a public holiday, but international trade nearly halted (Sampson). United States’ foreign policy will also be widely effected by the government shutdown because outside countries may lose trust in our abilities to pay back our debts. Necessary deals with Syria about possible bombings and the European Union about the Transatlantic Free Trade Area were suddenly stopped. The Transpacific Strategic Economic Partnership was not able to be discussed at the Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting because President Obama couldn’t attend, which would have helped end Chinese influence on our country (Sampson). The public opinion of US citizens and travelers from overseas are always important because it earns credibility to the administration which is running the country at any given time. Polls from CNN and Fox News (one democratic-biased and one republican-biased website) showed that Republicans were to blame for the government shutdown, which may affect voters in the 2016 election. A Gallup Poll also showed an 11% approval rate of the congressional branch of the government, which was at an all-time low (MSN). Tourists from all over the world were up in arms about the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, being shut down due to the government shutdown. Luckily, the state of New York made a deal with the national government in which they would absorb the bill to open the Statue of Liberty. Every National State Park was also closed after the shutdown, which decreased the tourist industry. In return, a decrease in tourist around our national parks, leads to a decrease in profit for businesses close in proximity to national parks. Jim Geraghty, a  columnist for the National Review Online, stated: â€Å"Harry Reid doesn’t want to minimize the pain of the shutdown. He wants to maximize it.† As you can see, the media is not behind congress and they have lost any support they once had due to this government shutdown (Taylor). Shutting down our government doesn’t just hurt the economy, trading, foreign deals, and public opinion, it also creates a bigger rift between the Democratic dominated Senate, the Republican dominated House, and the Presidential Administration. The Continuing Appropriations Act 2014, or the deal which ended the shutdown, will buy congress until February 7th, but the rift between the house and senate may cause us to shut down again after this date. John Chambers said, â€Å"We think that we’ll be back here in January debating the same issues† and it seems as if Obama agrees. Obama told reporters, â€Å"Hopefully, next time, it will not be in the 11th hour†, which seems to show his lack of support for our congress (Taylor). Government jobs were furloughed, worldwide stocks and economies dropped, foreign policy and trade halted, and a loss of tourism and US support; all due to Republicans not being able to deal with Obamacare, which they passed in 2010. Althou gh we extended the time allowed for the debt ceiling and the spending levels, we have once again ran around the real issue and found a cop out (McCullough). With a loss in global revenue, our stock, as well as, international stocks dropped tremendously and are still recovering. Trade amongst international countries and the United States has been minimized because foreign countries aren’t sure if they will get paid back the money that the United States has borrowed. Not only did National Parks close, but some of the biggest world monuments were shut down and tourists from all over the world were enraged by the amount of money they paid to see the monuments in the United States (Walshe). Public opinion on the United States, the Republican Party, and Congress have diminished because citizens and outside foreign leaders are losing trust (Sampson). Economic struggle, crippled foreign policy, and a loss of support will only lead to the further struggle of our country and eventually lead into another government shutdown in 2014. With a 2016 election approaching in 3 years, this government shut down proved to a lot of people how destroyed our congress has become; and polls showing how Republicans should be blamed have now made it even easier  than it already was for a Democratic Administration to be brought into power in this upcoming election. Foreign trade issues, nuclear weapons in foreign countries, and international stocks decreasing, may lead t o either another war or losing support and allies in other parts of the world (Taylor). Now, we must wait to see if our congress can pull together their differences and create a deal that will stop the fighting amongst parties and lead us in a forward direction as a complete country. Bibliography McCullough, Ian. Forbes. 03 10 2013. 18 10 2013. MSN. 22 10 2013. 22 10 2013. Sampson, Pamela. Yahoo News. 02 10 2013. 20 10 2013. Stein, Sam. Huffington Post. 07 10 2013. 19 10 2013. Taylor, Andrew. The Northwestern. 10 2013. 20 10 2013. Walshe, Shushannah. ABC News. 17 10 2013. 20 10 2013.

Redbud is a Rapid-grower and Makes a Great Yard Tree

Redbud is a Rapid-grower and Makes a Great Yard Tree The state tree of Oklahoma, Eastern Redbud is a moderate to rapid-grower when young, reaching a height of 20 to 30 feet. Thirty-year-old specimens are rare but they can reach 35 feet in height, forming a rounded vase. Trees of this size are often found on moist sites. The splendid purple-pink flowers appear all over the tree in spring, just before the leaves emerge. Eastern Redbud has an irregular growth habit when young but forms a graceful flat-topped vase-shape as it gets older. Specifics Scientific name: Cercis canadensisPronunciation: SER-sis kan-uh-DEN-sisCommon name(s): Eastern RedbudFamily: LeguminosaeUSDA hardiness zones: 4B through 9AOrigin: native to North AmericaAvailability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range Popular Cultivars Several cultivars of eastern redbud may be seen: forma alba - white flowers, blooms about a week later; ‘Pink Charm’ - flowers pink; ‘Pinkbud’ - flowers pink; ‘Purple Leaf’ - young foliage purple; ‘Silver Cloud’ - leaves variegated with white; ‘Flame’ - more erect branching, flowers double, blooms later, sterile so no seed pods form. ‘Forest Pansy’ is a particularly attractive cultivar with purple-red leaves in the spring, but the color fades to green in the summer in the south. Management Considerations Be sure to avoid weak forks by pruning to reduce the size of lateral branches and save those which form a ‘U’-shaped crotch, not a ‘V’. Keep them less than half the diameter of the main trunk to increase the longevity of the tree. Do not allow multiple trunks to grow with tight crotches. Instead, space branches about 6 to 10 inches apart along the main trunk. Eastern redbud is best not used extensively as a street tree due to low disease resistance and short life. Description Height: 20 to 30 feetSpread: 15 to 25 feetCrown uniformity: irregular outline or silhouetteCrown shape: round; vase shapeCrown density: moderateGrowth rate: fastTexture: coarse Trunk and Branches The bark is thin and easily damaged from mechanical impact; droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy. Routinely grown with, or trainable to be grown with, multiple trunks; not particularly showy. The tree wants to grow with several trunks but can be trained to grow with a single trunk; no thorns. Foliage Leaf arrangement: alternateLeaf type: simpleLeaf margin: entireLeaf shape: orbiculate; ovateLeaf venation: banchidodrome; pinnate; palmate; reticulateLeaf type and persistence: deciduousLeaf blade length: 4 to 8 inches; 2 to 4 inchesLeaf color: greenFall color: yellowFall characteristic: showy Flowers and Fruit Flower color: lavender; pink; purpleFlower characteristics: spring-flowering; very showyFruit shape: podFruit length: 1 to 3 inchesFruit covering: dry or hardFruit color: brownFruit characteristics: does not attract wildlife; no significant litter problem; persistent on the tree; showy Culture Light requirement: tree grows in part shade/part sun; tree grows in full sunSoil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; acidic; occasionally wet; alkaline; well-drainedDrought tolerance: highAerosol salt tolerance: noneSoil salt tolerance: poor Redbuds In-Depth Eastern Redbuds grow well in full sun in the northern part of its range but will benefit from some shade in the southern zones, particularly in the lower Midwest where summers are hot. Best growth occurs in a light, rich, moist soil but eastern redbud adapts well to a variety of soil including sandy or alkaline. Trees look better when they receive some irrigation in summer dry spells. Its native habitat ranges from stream bank to dry ridge, demonstrating its adaptability. Trees are sold as single or multi-stemmed. Young trees are easiest to transplant and survive best when planted in the spring or fall. Containerized trees can be planted anytime. The beans provide food for some birds. Trees are short-lived but provide a wonderful show in the spring and fall. Cercis are best propagated by seed. Use ripe seed to plant directly, or, if the seed has been stored, stratification is necessary before sowing in a greenhouse. Cultivars can be propagated by grafting onto seedlings, or by summer cuttings under mist or in a greenhouse.

Environmental Determinism Essays

Environmental Determinism Essays Environmental Determinism Paper Environmental Determinism Paper Although environmental determinism has been acclaimed throughout history, it has been lately declining; it has also been divided into arioso subsets including, climate, economic growth and many more. Since ancient times, many prominent Greek philosophers leaned on the idea that they Were more developed than other societies due to their great climate. Plato, Aristotle and Strata were supporters of these ideas; it was Strata who wrote that the psychological disposition of races is influenced by the climate. An East-African writer, AY-Jazz, related environmental determinism with the theory of evolution to explain skin colors. He believed that environment aspects of the black basalt rocks in the Arabian Peninsula were the cause of he dark-skinned African people and animals. An Arab sociologist, scholar and also first officially known environmental determinist, Bin Chalked, who wrote the Macadamia (1 377), stated that most dark human skin color is due to the hot climate in the region. This belief was supported by many people but was later flamed around the years sass because it was believed it was a justification for imperialism and racism-Environmental determinism reached its maximum point in the 19th century when the German geographer Frederica Rtees and his students, Ellen Churchill Sample and Ellsworth Huntington, used it as the central theory of discipline and was quickly expanding. By the early sass environmental determinism was being replaced by environmental possibility because it was said that environmental determinism was to broad of an explanation and it generalized cultures and behaviors just because of direct observation. By the sass environmental determinism was fully replaced by environmental possibility. Environmental determinism has various subsets, one which is the climatic subset, sometimes known as the equatorial paradox, which was studied greatly by Ellsworth Huntington. The climatic subset is a theory to be part of a geographical economy. It is believed that the tropical climate regions or countries tend to be less developed than the countries further to the equator. Following this theory about 70% of the economic development of a county can be predicted from the distance between that country and the A clear example of this may be Canada whose GAP of 2011 was $1. Trillion U. S dollars and is located far north of the equator, Nicaragua whos near the equator and has a GAP, as of 2011, of $7. Billion U. S dollars. Also, Chile who is southern more of the equator has a GAP of $248. Billion U. S Dollars as of 201 1 as well [2]. This theory has counter-examples due to high investments done within the country and also resources such as oil, fish, wood, and many more. Another us best of environmental determinism is the economic growth. Geography is a great influence in the economic growth because people usually tend to move to more productive areas where you tend to have easier access to resources. Usually, countries that have a vast access to fresh water, arent land locked, have great climate, good soil, good route access and are closer to the sea, tend to be the most prosperous. Of course this may change depending of what kind of resources you have, some desert countries tend to have oil and become and exception. Environmental determinism has shown a great impact of culture. People who are used to live near the tropical sea tend to eat a lot of fish food, usually know how to swim and according to a Jamaican stereotype, they are more relaxed. People who live in the snow or really intense cold weather are usually more depressed, slow, have higher rates of suicides and mostly, and have more tendency for hot drinks. Finnish and Russians have a vodka drinking stereotype, meanwhile tropical climate entries like Nicaragua and Puerco Rice are usually more into rum. We also have Chile and France who have a chilly weather and tend to drink more wine. Environmental determinism has been around for ages, it has slowly been fading away since new theories are coming up and many exceptions and showing. Many famous philosophers, geographers, scientists and even writers support the idea of environmental determinism, which can be related to the theory of evolution and can be an explanation of the different skin colors that not only us, humans, have developed but also many other types of animals in different regions. Environmental determinism can be used to determine about 70% Of a countrys economy because you can tell by the geographical position of the country if its land locked, has fresh water access and also vast resources.

The liberal idealists position on the causes and prevention of war Research Paper

The liberal idealists position on the causes and prevention of war - Research Paper Example The realists believe that power struggle is the main cause of war, however, in order to avoid it, the leadership should have a common interest so that they struggle towards achieving the common goal. Potentially, conflict results from the disagreements involved in sharing power and resources. Since every leader targets specific issue in order to declare the interest in political leadership of a country. Failure to achieve the perceived interest would result into forceful struggle to grab resources for selfish gain which other opponents would not admit; hence the commencement of strife in a country. The argument is convincing since the leadership of every country is at present composed of the rich individuals who are ready to get richer at the expense of the poor who are getting poorer. This increases the gap between the rich and the poor within a country lowering economic development.

International media, comparison essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International media, comparison - Essay Example After all, what sells more than an unsolved mystery, an enigma, or a blatant lie? Do we watch, what we believe to be true in media, or what the media wants us to believe is true? But whatever the reason may be, we, as people tend to diligently follow the news that have the most deaths, the most warped up conspiracies with wronged parties; preferably an ambiguous wronged party. I chose an event that most of us are aware of because of the thorough coverage it has received in both countries: The Drone Attacks. The drones or unmanned aerial vehicles are aircrafts either controlled by pilots’ from the ground or increasingly, autonomously following a pre-programmed mission (Chris and Wright).The drones to Pakistan are controlled by the C.I.A - Central Intelligence Agency. The American intelligence works with the Pakistani intelligence, the I.S.I – Inter-Services Intelligence, to attack and defeat Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants that have taken refuge in Pakistan. This is all p art of America’s ‘War on Terrorism’ campaign of which Pakistan is an ally. Pakistan provides its own research on the habitation of these terrorists and US attacks them. The days and times, and the numbers of these missiles are unknown to Pakistan. This is so as to catch the terrorists unawares. There have been several successes and civilian casualties in this mission. A war against terrorism is obviously an important campaign. According to statistics, in 2011 alone, there were 6303 deaths from terrorist attacks in Pakistan, of which only 2800 were actual terrorists (South Asia Terrorism Portal), the rest just innocent victims. In the US, 30 deaths have been from terrorism since 9/11 2001 (Global Terrorism Database). The difference is magnificent; however, it is mainly the South Asian countries that suffer most from this epidemic. Yet loss of life anywhere is a situation that is to be rued. Therefore, as one of the superpowers of the world, US took upon itself to fight this growing epidemic. Pakistan allied herself with the US. Since the last two years, C.I.A has led its own covert operations giving them information to the refuge places of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Pakistan. However, there are many conspiracies surrounding these attacks, just as it is with any Intelligence mission. It is claimed that while Pakistan officials are working with C.I.A privately, they publicly condemn the loss of civilian lives. Then the lack of information to the Pakistani public is causing them to see these attacks in a suspicious light, necessitating it for the US diplomats to come to Pakistan repeatedly for briefings and meetings. The operation has to be covert as well, because if the situation is made public, then the terrorists will be informed. The two main problems here are that a) C.I.A is not including Pakistan enough in its operations, and Pakistani government not informing the general public of its involvement but in fact, antagonizing them further against America. These obvious conflicting stories in both countries need to be dealt with so that the masses can trust these operations, and the number of Drone attacks reduced as they have increased in a surprising number in the last two years causing several innocent people to die. I decided to choose the high circulated newspapers of both the countries to get a perspective into each newspaper’s representation of this ongoing event. From US, I chose the New York Times. Scmitt describes the censure arising