Participation Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Participation Discussion Questions - Essay Example ‘These laws protect the employees in matters such as compensation, working conditions, and retirement benefits. I agree with you that it is imperative for managers to have excellent knowledge of employment laws. Managers lower their business risk by complying with employment laws because a lack of compliance can lead to governmental fines, civil lawsuits, and a loss of brand value. If a corporation fails to comply with basic employment laws such as paying at or above minimum wage they can incur in damages beyond the potential fines. The customer can lose confidence in the corporate behavior of the company and switch to the competition. In the 21st century corporate social responsibility has become an important strategy to achieve business growth. The utilization of hiring practices that foster diversity has positive benefits such as improving creativity and gaining insight into other cultures. If an employee violates employment laws a manager must discipline the person and possible terminate employment if the violates warrants such punishment. Knowledge is power, thus education the workforce on employment will improve the quality and value of the human capital of a corporation. As you mentioned understanding employment laws is a two way process since both employer and employees are affected by them. Applying educational efforts in the corporate world to increase the knowledge of employees of employment laws is a sound investment. The overall business risk of an enterprise decreases as the employees become more knowledgeable of employment laws. Diminishing interpersonal conflict due to a lack of knowledge of employment increases the productivity of the workers. I liked your idea of creating handbooks with information regarding employment laws. Doing so is an initiative that provides documentation the workers can use to study on their own time about employment laws as well as reference

Process Design for Riordan Manufacturing Essay Example for Free

Process Design for Riordan Manufacturing Essay Dear CEO: At Riordan, the electric fan division has revised the process for supplying the electric fans. Part of Riordan’s operations planning, Riordan would implement aggregate operations. From Operations Management for Competitive Advantage (2006), â€Å"Aggregate operations planning involves translating annual and quarterly business plans into broad labor and output plans for the intermediate term of 6 to 18 months. Its objective is to minimize the cost of resources required to meet demand over that period.† Riordan would start to collect data starting from the beginning of the fiscal year. The data would be collected throughout the months to help determine implementation plans. Part of the total quality management for the electric fans would be to implement the eight steps to be successful. From The Eight elements of TQM (2012), Riordan would apply, â€Å"ethics, integrity, trust, training, teamwork, leadership, recognition, and communication,† within its training and everyday workday routines. The process uses a viewpoint that strengthens the power of performance within planning, management, leadership, and design department. These departments have initiated improvements. By implementing the process to the management and staff, Riordan would have an easy workflow. Riordion Manufacturing looks forward to hearing any opinions and concerns regarding the new development for processing of distributing the electric fans. Thank you for your time in advance, Best Regard, Learning Team A Team A will present a proposal package for Riordan Manufacturing Company’s electric fans. This proposition analyzes the importance of the MRP in regard to the fans. In addition, a newly created process design for the production of the electric fans, and a discussion regarding the supply chain that takes advantage of the global prospects that lower labor costs. Last, the team will cover the production forecast for the electric fans along with the implementation plan that will include a design process included within a Gantt chart. MRP for the manufacturing of the Riordan electric fans Many organizations strive to be competitive. Riordan Manufacturing is one of those companies located in Hangzhou, China. This company creates fan blades, fan housings, and supplier for the electric fan motors. Riordan Manufacturing located in China currently uses raw materials to make the fan blades, housings, and other miscellaneous parts. The departments focus on the cost it takes to create the plastic fans to stay ahead of the competition. A new process design can improve Riordan Manufacturing’s output of its process analysis. New Process Design For Production The process developer calls for the entire workforce within the operation to be fully involved. Strategically, Riordian can operate most desirably in the terms of cost, competences within the vendors, and inventory, (Whitney, 1988). Creating a new process design for the manufacturing of Riordan electric fans will adjust the cost for the local vendors. When addressing operating costs and inventory it is paramount to reduce the relationship with their Chinese partners. This is true with any business; it is never a smart move to have more employees than required. Riordan Manufacturing experts have the knowledge and capabilities to order the fan motors and blades needed for assembly. Using local outsourcing manufacturing companies for purchasing the fan motors will lower costs with the new process in place. A way to cut developing time is to begin the process of the phase two at the same time phase one is completed. An implicated cycle can make the transition from phase to phase. Riordan ’s  process currently in use causes concern because of the slow results from its third party. Therefore, creating additional inventory on-site would rectify this situation. The fan motors in inventory will create an efficient development process that does not overlap phases. â€Å"To improve the effectiveness of overlapping, the upstream activity should make solutions ‘downstream-friendly’, reducing meaningless changes, and quickening engineering cycles. The downstream should try to forecast upstream results. Knowing how to make time-risk trade-offs and quicken adjustment to unexpected changes†, (Clark Fujimoto, 1991). With the use of outside manufacturing companies to assemble the electric fan motors, support the economical cost needed for the new process. Subsequently Riordan Manufacturing proposes to have higher levels of inventory that allows them in effectively forecasting models for inventory control, production, planning, improving supply chain, and guaranteeing deliveries of Riordan products. Creating a new process design essentially caters for the new supply and demand of Riordan products. Using lean production can help Riordan Manufacturing minimize waste from raw material toward the finished product. Because of the elevated demand for the product, production needs increase (Chase, Jacobs, Aquilano 2006). Global Advantages and Opportunities Riordan Manufacturing operates their electric fans unit out of Hangzhou, China but sells them across the world, Apollo (2012). The company has been successful in using a method call make-to-stock operations. The flowchart will illustrate an innovative system that ensues extremely efficient. This method has been successful because the product is available when our customer places his or her order. The customer has the option to have his or her product delivered or picking-up his or her product from the local warehouse. In addition, our company offers a responsive supply chain. Riordan is responsive and flexible to the customer’s needs. Moreover, if a customer wanted a special order, the company offers the build-to-order process to meet the specialized requirements for the order. Chase, Jacobs, Aquilano (2006), describes this as the Responsive Supply Chain Method. Our flexibility can accommodate any customer requirements. In this global market, the available opportunities are competitive. According to the  European Business Review article, the opportunities of global advantages will depend on the nation’s determinants. In applying the determinants to Riordan in China, the market has a large availability of skilled labor. Furthermore, a high-demand for the product within the supply network has driven the success for Riordan. Last, this company has diverse suppliers working with the manufacture to produce the electric fans. These factors alone stimulates the competition, in return increases the total supply capacity. These determinants of advantages make this company competitive in the global market. Supply Chain Flowchart Production Forecast Riordan forecast proposes the yearly needs of electric motors to the local companies based on three years of sales and production figures. The current year’s estimation for production of electric fans produces a need to outsource to several local vendors. One of the outsourcing components in producing the fan is the plastic polymers. The outsourcing company produces these individual parts by specification to fit inside the fans. The fan blade and the fan housing components are assembled onsite to the motor. Then the minor parts are added to the fan for its completion. Once production of the fan finalizes, the product become part of the inventory placed into the storeroom as available saleable product. From the storeroom, the customers can pick up their fans from the manufacture. Alternatively, Riordan’s transportation department can have the product delivered using local Chinese shipping company. Riordan maintains extra stock of polymer’s but not the electric motors. Nevertheless, the outsourcing motor supplier and Riordan have an agreement to store extra stock at their facility reducing the overhead and lowering the cost for the product. Ganatt Chart and Design Process As part of the implementation plan, five different tasks assist in developing the electric fans. The first task would be the preliminary design. The second task would be the detail design. The third design would be the prototype. During which the fourth and fifth task provide the testing  and assembly of the electric fans. The white shaded bars implements the period used for each tasks. The parts colored purple within the bars are goals into which Riordan would use as a set goal to achieve production. Conclusion In conclusion, Riordian has submitted the development of a new process for its distribution of electric fans, the process focus on what strengthens the company with countless leaders, designers, planners, and improvement within this proposal. Riordan has been a very successful company and emphases through this proposal the positive aspects of initiating a joint venture. References Apollo Group, Inc. (2005, 2006, 2012) Copyright Riordan Manufacturing Virtual Organizations Portalhttps://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/cist/vop/Business/Riordan/Ops/SupplyChain.asp?hangzhou Chase, R.B., Jacobs, F. R., Aquilano, N.J. (2006) Operations management for competitive advantage (11th ed). New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin European Business Review  © Heinz Weihrich retrieved June 17, 2012 from http://www.usfca.edu/fac_staff/weihrichh/docs/germany.pdf The Eight Elements of TQM (2012). Retrieved June 18, 2012 from http://www.isixsigma.com/methodology/total-quality-management-tqm/eight-elements-tqm/

Comparing Life Without Meaning in Eliot’s The Waste Land and Welles’ Ci

Life Without Meaning in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane It is the foundation of modern civilization that knowledge is better than ignorance, understanding more valuable than confusion, and wisdom more desirable than foolishness. Consequently, people feel that they should be able to understand the meaning of life and, in doing so, know that their lives are not in vain. They want life to be a coherent whole infused with meaning, so that they can know and understand what life is and where they fit in, thereby attaining wisdom. Life, then, is in essence a struggle to find a meaningful framework for the experiences and feelings we have collected. Since art reflects the human state, and we have grown more conscious of this struggle, our art has come to reflect this problem of making a coherent, meaningful whole out of the assorted fragments of life we have collected. Though this theme of collecting is visible in all media of modern art, it is especially noticeable in literary and film art, in particular in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane. These two pieces analyze collecting on two levels: first because they focus on collecting and second because they are collections. However, the division between these levels is somewhat superficial, as both Eliot and Welles blur the lines between the two parallels, making the audience more acutely aware that this art is a picture of all human life. On both levels the artists draw parallels between the works and the audiences’ lives by examining the content, style, and meaning of the collection; that is, what is collected, how it is collected, and what it says, concluding that life is not a coherent whole, but rather â€Å"a heap of broken ima... ...to be. Collecting points out that in the very act of observing the art, we are collecting, as the persona and Kane are, in an attempt to make a coherent and meaningful whole out of our lives, and that we will fail as surely as they do. NOTES 1 T.S. Eliot, â€Å"The Waste Land,† in The Waste Land and Other Poems (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1962). 2 The original title of The Waste Land was a quote from Dickens's novel Our Mutual Friend, "He do the Police in different voices." 3 When I say that the poem lacks a coherent meaning, I mean that it has no more coherent meaning that life itself does. 4 "I am not Russian, I am out of Lithuania, a real German." 5 It is interesting to note the two meanings that this phrase can have. It could mean that the fragments are anchored in his literary tradition, or it could mean that it is set up as a bulwark to prevent his ruin.

Insulting language Essay

Great expectations might be read as a bildungsroman because it charts the progress of the main character, Pip, from childhood to adulthood. Traditionally, a bildungsroman contains a hero, who usually suffers early on in life, maturing and clashing with the social settings and eventually being accepted into it. The story focuses around this theme but doesn’t always play by its rules. In my essay I will be discussing to what point Great expectations can be read as a bildungsroman. â€Å"Great expectations† conforms to the genre of a bildungsroman right from the start of the book, in the opening scene we meet old pip talking about charting his life from when he was a little boy to a young gentleman. Like in most bildungsroman books Pip has suffered a loss at an early age, his parents, brothers and sisters. Pip has also had a harsh start to life because he lives with his sister who, even thought she is looking out for him, treats him quite badly. To even more extent the social hierarchy is established very early on as we find out that Mr. Joe is a blacksmith and this is important in order to judge Pip’s development, we can even tell from the language that he uses that he has a hard knock life and is not well off. The structure of the opening scene tells us a lot about how it conforms to the bildungsroman genre, the way Dickens immediately introduces us to both Pips. The old omnipotent storyteller Pip, who tells the story as he remembers it skipping out bits and stretching the truth a little. And the young â€Å"actor† Pip who acts out what is happening while narrating it in 1st person which allows us to feel the harshness and changes that he is going through as he does which supports the bildungsroman framework. As I have mentioned before the language shows a lot about the type of life and the harshness of his life. E.g. Dark, flat, wilderness, low leaden line. Finally Dickens introduces the Convict who reinforces the social order and emphasises the harshness of Pips life, lastly he introduces the beginning of Pip’s great expectations. We first meet young pip in a cold and desolate church yard, looking at the graves of his parents and brothers this is important as it shows the harsh life he has had. In Chapter 1 we find out that Pip Has not had a childhood, he was bought up â€Å"By hand† suggesting that he has been disciplined harshly and ill Treated But with only the best in mind. We also found out that Pip’s Sister, Mrs. Joe, his only Relative in the world Who disciplines him so severely, Married the local town blacksmith which shows that Pip’s Family is poor and that pip is not so well educated As he calls himself Pip which is the only words he could pronounce. Even with the convict Pip’s Personality shines through, it shows that even though the Convict is threatening him severely But Pip still feels sympathy for him â€Å"if he were eluding the hands of the dead people†, even when he is told that he must go and fetch him a file he still has the courtesy to say â€Å"good night, sir† but Pip was also nervous â€Å"he faltered† and scared â€Å"I was dreadfully frightened†. Old Pip is reporting what young Pip said and felt. As I have said in previous paragraphs Pip has had a hard life, Pip’s house is a small â€Å"wooden house† with a â€Å"ditch clock† which is a cheap clock. Pip is also mistreated as he â€Å"served as a connubial missile† and that he gets regular beatings from â€Å"tickler†. Pip is not the only one beaten â€Å"Knowing her (Mrs. Joe) to have a hard and heavy hand, and to be much in the habit of laying it upon her husband as well as upon me†. Mrs. Joe is important because she represents the raising of the children in Victorian society, she helps us to lets us see how truly far Pips has come from being forced to intimidate higher class to actually being it. Joe is a â€Å"fellow-sufferer† of Mrs. Joe and he and Pip both treat each other like equals and share secrets more of having an older brother than him actually raising him as a father figure. It is important to see Pip at his home as we can feel sympathy for him and empathize what he â€Å"is† going through. Dickens wants us to fell sympathy for him so we can realize what his life was like and how he has changed since his childhood. The robbery of the pie shows us how Pip’s fear for both Mrs. Joe and the convict and that his conscience about stealing from his sister, the one who brought him up â€Å"by hand† and fear from being caught or, if not doing it out of this fear, being killed by the convicts â€Å"friend†. In chapter 7 we learn a lot about Pips education. Everything he has learnt was form Mr. Wopsles great aunt’s school, but not from Mrs. Wopsle, from Biddy, her daughter. In Mrs. Wopsles School their only source of education was a single book that was passed around the class showing that Pip hasn’t had a very good education like many of the working class children in Victorian society. Pips education shows that he is slowly advancing in society and is trying to achieve his goals. However Pip thinks of himself as stupid when really he only thinks like this as he is not learning fast enough for him to like it and his surroundings make him believe it. Joe in comparison to Pip has had not much of an education, he cant even read where as Pip has become superior to him in his education and because of this we fell sorry for Joe because of the story of his childhood he tells us afterwards. Pip is invited to play at Miss Haversham’s house, this is important as it shows a crucial part of the bildungsroman genre, the â€Å"shunning out† of the society that he wants to be accepted by, when Pip is playing at Satis house he is mixing with the higher class which represents a small leap to achieving his goals, while also giving him something else to aim at, Estella. Pip is treated badly by Estella because of his class making him feel poor and â€Å"common†, insulting the language he uses â€Å"he calls the knaves, jacks!† showing the difference in class which makes him upset and cry but the fact that she gets to him means that he likes her, urging him to change class â€Å"the hands that have never bothered me before, look coarse and common now†. Joe responds to Pip with helpful advice, saying that if he wants to be â€Å"uncommon† he must do it the honest way because if he can’t he’ll never do it and we expect Pip to go and strike his goals.

Cowboys and Indians †Clara Madsen Essay

1) Resume The story â€Å"Cowboys and Indians† is about a girl, who is at her grandmothers funeral. She doesn’t feel very comfortable, so she calls her cousin David to come and rescue her. He is a real rebellion and he picks her up on his motorcycle. Their first stop is at a bar where they drink a couple of shots and a beer. Then they drive of again. At the second stop they smoke a joint and talk about their grandmother, and how David feels stuck in his life. Then they gets hungry and decides to eat at a little takeout stand. There are sitting two old women. They tell that the wind brings devil spirits and they think that David and the narrator brought it with them. Then they drive home, and says their goodbye outside the house. David doesn’t want to deal with the family. 2) Characterize The Narrator is a girl with two personalities. She have learned to behave so she can fit in the society, but she is an outlaw. Almost like David. She hasn’t found her right identity yet, so she is living a kind of double life? Already in the beginning she knows that she is old enough to help ind the house and talk to people, but she just want to escape. â€Å"Our grandfather, the patriarch of the family, despised us both†. (l. 57) The grandfather also thinks that she is different even though she tries to hide it. The narrator is also an little naive, because she believes in almost everything David tells her. She wants to be tough and cool, when she is around him but she is often a little insecure.

Descriptive Essay Sample About My Life 5 Key Points to Include

Descriptive Essay Sample About My Life 5 Key Points to Include One of the most popular essay topics among students is â€Å"My Life† where every student tries to describe his/her life in details which problems exist, what priorities, and outlooks he/she has, etc. It can also be called an autobiographical essay but no in the pure form where you provide the reader with autobiographical details when/where you were born, at what school you were studying, etc. It’s a little bit different. To write a good descriptive essay about life, you should be able to describe some key elements of your life: Mindset, Environment, Relationships, Everyday activities, Hobbies, Experiences and many other things that make up your life. Start writing an essay on your life after reading this article it contains useful information on what to write about in the given essay. It can be needed for an admission essay or any other assignment at school, college or university. Besides, you are offered a well-written essay sample on the topic â€Å"My Life†. Follow it and finish any task with ease! What Can You Tell About Your Life: 5 Key Points to Include The main question you should ask yourself is â€Å"What would be interesting for me to know about the life of any other person?† Imagine you want to know more about your favorite actor or singer. What will you ask him/her about? As it is possible to find out most of the factual information with the help of the Internet today, there is no need to ask about the age, date or place of birth. It is better to focus on the following points while writing a descriptive essay â€Å"My Life†: What is my attitude toward life? How do I perceive my life? Which life experiences influence the way I face today’s world? What do I want from life? Do I enjoy my life to the full or not? Answering these key questions in your essay, you become closer to the fulfillment of the main goal of essay writing to describe your personal life vividly. Besides, you can answer some other questions that are also relevant to life. For example, Is there any challenge in your life that you should overcome or you’ve already overcome? Have you ever dealt with failures in your life? Do you learn from the real-life experience? Whats the relationship between you and your family? Who are your friends? How do you spend your free time? Do you have a passion or hobby in your life? Have you traveled outside of your country, city? Mind all the aspects that could reveal your life to the reader to the fullest extent let your personality come through an essay. Look at how it is done in the essay sample below! Essay Sample My Life Is Life is beautiful and yet life is not a bed of roses. Though it is full of ups and downs, it has many facets of blessings and successes. To some people, life is hard, cruel and merciless. Thes people see life as punishment throughout their entire lives. They, therefore, resigned themselves to fate, believing all is finished. To them, nothing that they do can ever be good. They take delight in committing crimes and maiming others to avenge their ill-fortune. They lost every sense of direction and most times, some of them go as far as committing suicide, just to escape the injustice life has meted out to them. But there are those who see life as a challenge, a channel of discovery and innovation, a prospect for success and a gateway to wealth. To them, life is sweet, colorful and kind. No matter the situation these people find themselves, they keep pressing on, believing in a cause, a cause to succeed and get the most out of life. No wonder an adage says, â€Å"Where there is life, there is hope.† Personally, I belong to these people who enjoy life. The will to succeed or fail lies within an individual jurisdiction. You can live life to the fullest with utmost satisfaction and fulfillment if you determine with all your mind, body and soul to succeed. On the other hand, life can be miserable to you if you take everything for granted and wait on fate to play itself out. The setting of goals and strategic plans that will strive no matter the odds which may move against you is one of the basic things needed to get the best out of life. These goals which must be result-oriented should be followed up consistently even if things seem blurred or unyielding at first. Also, the mind is the center of everything. It controls your thoughts and beliefs. A focused mind has never failed. A positive mind helps one to discover talents and potentials. Great men and women, both living and dead, had their minds focused on something and nothing deterred them from achieving their dreams. Each of them had a belief, should I say faith, which they held onto, they nurture the belief, focused all their attention and live on it. And today, we have benefited in one way or the other from their inventions and great ideas. Life is a challenge. And for anyone to succeed in life, he/she must be ready to show the stuff they are made of. He/she must be ready to sacrifice time and build up the mind frame toward success. What is happening in our environment should not influence or affect us in our daily quest for success in life. Instead, we should control the happenings around us. Life is so easy, yet many people rush and miss what they want to achieve in life. Don’t rush in life. Take one step at a time. Each step should be properly planned before being launched. Steady, balance, mark and shoot. And before you know it, the sky will become the beginning of your success. All the great men of today, has one way or the other tasted the other side of life but they did not cower. Instead, they were renewed to redefine their goals; they ride on with faith, believing in their potential, focusing their mind on something, knowing fully well that in every black cloud there is always a silver lining. I take life to be very simple and do you know what? Life is to be enjoyed. What about you? As you see this essay is a chance to express your life philosophy and values to the readers and give them a sense of who you are. For example, the admissions committee can make sense of you as a potential student in a college you’re applying to or vice versa. So don’t pass up this chance to reflect your personality in this essay by describing what your life is like in details and how it has shaped you. The ‘Into’, ‘Through’, and ‘Beyond’ Approach to Writing an Essay Certainly, you need to describe your life in this essay. But what is a sense when there is no relevance to the reader? Indeed, this topic is quite philosophical to involve others in its discussion. It is true there is no possible way to discuss it on paper, but still, it is possible to touch on the reader. Despite the fact that you should tell about your life in your personal voice, you should address the reader directly. Look at how it is done in an essay sample. The final words deserve a special notice it is a direct question referred to the reader. Be sure it will play a positive role! So, you have the right framework for writing the descriptive essay on the topic â€Å"My Life†. Don’t waste time and start writing immediately the early start makes easy stages!

Read This Before Applying to an Economics PhD Program

Read This Before Applying to an Economics PhD Program I recently wrote an article about the types of people who shouldnt pursue a Ph.D. in economics. Dont get me wrong, I love economics. Ive spent a majority of my adult life in the pursuit of knowledge in the field studying around the world and even teaching it at the university level. You may love studying economics, too, but a Ph.D. program is an entirely different beast that requires a very specific type of person and student. After my article was published, I received an email from a reader, who just happened to be a potential Ph.D. student.   This readers experience and insights into the economics Ph.D. program application process were so on point that I felt the need to share the insights. For those considering applying to a Ph.D. program in Economics, give this email a read. One Students Experience Applying to an Economics Ph.D. Program Thanks for the graduate school focus in your recent articles.  Three of the challenges you mentioned [in your recent article] really hit home: American students have a comparative disadvantage for selection compared to foreign students.The importance of math cannot be overstated.Reputation is a huge factor, especially that of your undergraduate program. I applied unsuccessfully to Ph.D. programs for two years before conceding that I might not be ready for them. Only one, Vanderbilt, gave me even a wait-list consideration. I was a little embarrassed at being shunned. My mathematics GRE was 780. I had graduated at the top of my class with a 4.0 GPA in my economics major and completed a statistics minor. I had two internships: one in research, one in public policy. And accomplished this all while working 30 hours a week to support me. It was a brutally hard couple of years. The Ph.D. departments I applied to and my undergraduate adviser all pointed out: I attended a small, regional public university, and our professors spent significant time with students to the detriment of their own publishing.Though I took a heavy load of statistics coursework, I only had two terms of calculus.I had never been published; not even in an undergraduate journal.I aimed for highly-ranked schools in the Midwest like Illinois, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington University in St. Louis, but neglected schools on the coasts, which might have seen me as a more diverse candidate. I also made what many considered a tactical error: I went to talk with the graduate programs before I applied. I was later told that this is a taboo and seen as schmoozing. I even talked at length with the director of one program. We ended up talking shop for two hours and he invited me to attend presentations and brown bags whenever I was in town. But soon I would learn that he would be ending his tenure to take a position at another college, and would no longer be involved in the approval process for that program. After going through these obstacles, some suggested I prove myself with a Masters Degree in Economics first. I had originally been told that many schools pick top candidates immediately after undergraduate, but this new advice made sense because departments commit considerable resources to their Ph.D. candidates and want to make sure their investment will survive first-year exams. With that path in mind, I found it interesting that so few departments offer a terminal Masters in Economic. Id say about half as many as those that offer only the terminal Ph.D. Fewer still offer an academic Masters - most of these are professional programs. Still, Im glad it gives me a chance to dig deeper into research and see if Im ready for Ph.D. research. My Response   This was such a great letter for many reasons. First, it was genuine. It wasnt a why didnt I get into a Ph.D. program rant, but a personal story told with thoughtful insights. In fact, my experience has been nearly identical, and I would encourage any undergraduate student considering pursuing a Ph.D. in economics to take this readers insights to heart. I, myself,  was in a Masters program (at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) before I entered my Ph.D. program. Today, I must admit that I wouldnt have survived three months as a Ph.D. student had I not attempted an MA in Economics first.

How to Afford Private School Tuition

How to Afford Private School Tuition Private school can be expensive, and paying those hefty tuition bills can be a burden for families from all income levels. The average national cost of non-sectarian private schools is approximately $17,000 a year, and the yearly tuition at schools in urban areas such as New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. can be more than $40,000 for just a day school program. Boarding schools are even more expensive. But, that doesnt mean a private school education is out of the question for your family. While you may think that there is little financial aid for private schools, and yes it can be competitive to get financial aid, there are several sources of funding that you may not have thought of. Here are some ways in which you can find financial assistance to pay for private school: Talk to the financial aid officer at your school. The financial aid officer at your school may know about merit and need-based scholarships that your child may be eligible for; sometimes these are not widely promoted. Several private schools offer free tuition for parents earning less than about $75,000 a year. As many as 20% of private school students receive some form of need-based financial aid, and this figure is as high as about 35% at schools with large endowments. Keep in mind that schools with large endowments and longer histories can generally offer larger amounts of aid, but inquire about programs even at schools that are less established. Check out scholarships. There are many scholarships and  even voucher programs  available for students at private schools. The school youre applying to or attending may even have scholarship programs for students; be sure to ask the admission office or financial aid office to find out if youre eligible and how to apply.  There are also regional scholarship programs that can assist with finding scholarships. Some notable programs include A Better Chance, which provides opportunities for students of color to attend boarding and day college-prep schools around the country. Research free or low-tuition  private schools. Private school for free? ​Believe it or not, schools that offer zero tuition  do exist.  There are completely tuition-free private and parochial schools across the country. Check out this list of free private schools. You can also research schools with low tuition rates; with a financial aid package, if you qualify, you could find yourself with an opportunity to attend a private school for little to no money.   Don’t forget to ask about sibling discounts. Many schools will offer discounts if you already have a child at the school, or if a family member has attended previously (often referred to as a legacy student). In addition, some private school financial aid officers will reduce the tuition for families paying college tuition at the same time that they are paying private school tuition. Ask if the school youre applying to offers these kinds of discounts! Take advantage of employee discounts. This may sound odd, but its true. Many private schools offer full time employees free tuition or tuition discounts. If you know you want to send your child to private school and your skill set aligns to an opening at a school you like, apply for a job. Be sure to look at requirements for the tuition discounts, as some schools require that employees work at the school for a certain number of years before they are eligible. If youre already a parent at the school, you can still apply. But youll likely have to go through the same formal job application process as all the other candidates. Dont worry, if you dont get the job, your child can still attend.   Spread out payments with tuition payment plans. Many schools will allow you to spread out your yearly tuition in installments. They may charge a flat fee or interest for this service, so be sure to read the fine print and determine if this is right for you. There are also many institutions that manage tuition payments at private schools across the country. Take advantage of pre-payment incentives. Many schools will offer parents a discount for paying in full by a certain amount. If you have a rewards program credit card, this can be a great way to earn some perks. You can use tax-free Coverdell savings accounts. Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, which allow you to save up to $2,000 a year per beneficiary in tax-free accounts, can be used for tuition at private schools. The distributions from these accounts will not be taxed if the amount in the account is less than the beneficiary’s educational expenses at an eligible institution. Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski  - stacyjago

The terms 'ethnic minority' hides the diversity between and within Essay

The terms 'ethnic minority' hides the diversity between and within minority ethnic groups. Discuss - Essay Example dress issues of discrimination on racial or ethnic lives have not been able to efficiently iron out details about ethno-religious matters, gender and ethnicity, ethno-politico issues and other such gray areas. Members of these minority groups have had to endure their situation or fight like the black feminists did. This paper aims to discuss an array issues that touch on this issue of differences between and within ethnic minority groups. Looking at self-employement sector in Britain for example the self-employment rate is 14.6 percent for non-whites compared to 12.3 percent for whites. However beneath this statistics are the glaring differences between the groups. The self-employment rate for black Carribeans is 5.8 percent while that for Chinese is 26.6 percent (Kenneth and Drinkwater, 1). Factors that could create these differences would include social support from one’s community to facilitate a self-sustaining economic environment, effects of religion or access to informal sources of capital and manpower from the family ties or members of the ethnic community (Kenneth and Drinkwater, 1). Cultural endowments too determine such kinds of trends since it does determine one’s attitude towards entrepreneurship. It also has a bearing on consumer behaviour and how much of a good is ordered (Rafiq, 46). Some of these consumer behaviours become so pronounced as to qualify some goods being referred to as ethnic goods. When a good number of members of a certain ethnic group live together in one neighbourhood, a protected market scenario arises. The shop owners are able to maintain a monopoly of sorts within the neighbourhood and the members give support by being loyal to these businesses. The shop owners are keener to provide goods and services that meet the memb ers’ preferences. Religious goods are particularly a favourite. So are goods from the ethnic group’s country of origin. Religion is another strong influence. Rafiq, (50-55) argues that in

Three Strikes Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Three Strikes Law - Research Paper Example In recent years, the increased population of the US has been accompanied with a growing number of crime rates. Consequently, the Three Strikes Law was enacted to limit the scope of crime and offenders in various stated of the US. Washington and California were the initial states in the US to adopt Three Strikes Law in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Since its implementation, the law has been majorly influencing the prison population. During the first decade, after the enforcement of law, more than 80,000 second strikers and about 75,000 third strikers were sent to state prisons (Three Strikes Information, 2005). It has significantly helped the state and federal governments to reduce the number of violent crimes, subsequently enhancing the role and performance of justice system practiced in the US. It is worth mentioning in this regard that the law applies for three repeated convictions and not the three repeated crimes. In this context, the Three Strikes Law is also applicable to those convicts who have committed different crimes in repeated instances. However, it should be noted in this context that the crimes must be subjected to the category of felony in accordance to the jurisdiction practiced within the nation. Accordingly, the law requires minimum of 25 years of imprisonment or life imprisonment for those offenders who have been convicted for at least three repeated instances because of committing the felony. Despite, the effectiveness of the law many people have criticized and stated the law as an unusual and cruel way of punishment.

Analysis of White-Collared criminals with Power Theory Essay

Analysis of White-Collared criminals with Power Theory - Essay Example Chase Manhattan is now part of New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co., the third-biggest U.S. bank by assets. Crime: Bennett is charged with defrauding investors of Refco Inc., a financial trading company to a tune of around 550 million Dollars by concealing the information that an "INVESTOR" is due to the company. In this case, the unnamed investor is Bennett himself. Bennett takes the company's money on roller coaster with junctions being Liberty CCS, RGH, Refco, and the money finally lands at RGH, which is owned by Bennett. When this roller coaster ride of money is bought into light in October 2005 which consequently leads to his arrest and plunge of 45% of the company's share value resulting in a $1bn loss in market value, he then surrendered around 450 million dollars and thus enabling himself of pleading not guilty to the court. A perfect case of White-Collared crime. Gelegenheit macht Diebe - Opportunity creates Thieves - indicating that it is opportunity that causes us to misbehave, not any particular sort of depravity. And opportunity is, of course, nothing but another word for the seemingly critical volume of power. Even a confirmed thief will not steal if he has no chance of getting away with it. On the other hand, even an honest man will misbehave if he has the opportunity, the power to do so. 2) For no one co

Human Relations Direct Measure Assessment Coursework

Human Relations Direct Measure Assessment - Coursework Example Self-esteem is the affective or emotional aspect of self and generally refers to how we feel about or how we value ourselves (one's self-worth) (Purkey 1988). A. Considering the fact that Pat is extremely punctual, it is obvious that he sees himself as a hard and diligent worker. He also sees himself as a likeable person because he enjoys working in an office environment because of the social opportunities that are available. That being said, Pat also sees himself as a good parent, watching children’s shows (probably to regulate the content his children are exposed to) and attending their soccer games. This is one of the traits which he sees as differentiating him from the rest of his co-workers. B. The above mentioned characteristics are also responsible for Pat’s relatively low self esteem at the workplace. Because his tastes, choices and priorities differ from those of his co-workers, Pat feels incompatible with the rest of the group. Also, due to this incompatibilit y, Pat has a negative attitude towards socializing in the office. Considering that he would like to befriend Chris but is reluctant to initiate a conversation shows that he has very little confidence in being able to forge a bond with anybody. He does not like the fact, but feels helpless to change it. He feels like a complete outcast and is disappointed at his own social ineptitude. C. Self efficacy is simply a person’s conviction or confidence of succeeding in a particular situation. Pat obviously has a low self efficacy, since he does not believe himself capable of intermingling with his co-workers. He avoids challenging tasks, focuses on his negative properties and loses confidence very fast. However, there are some simple strategies that can be used to Bolster his confidence and improve his self esteem. i. One way of building up self efficacy is by helping the person encounter success in tasks that have been elusive to him or her hitherto. Small and frequent conversation s initiated by co-workers would do wonders to his confidence. Also, if he ventured out of his comfort zone without concentrating on the outcome, and portrayed a confident demeanor, he would be successful and regain his lost confidence. ii. Another way of building up confidence it for him to observe other people (possibly like him) succeed at the task. This would make him realize that the task is not impossible and in turn improve his self efficacy. iii. Verbal encouragement by people close to Pat would also help build up the conviction that he is worthy of socializing with his co-workers. This would give him the confidence to befriend Chris, which would in turn build up his self esteem. 2. Case Scenario # 2 – Stress, in the simplest sense, is a reaction by the body to a hostile environment. This can have psychological and physiological manifestation as has been seen in the case mentioned. A. Kyle’s experience on the expressway, coupled with his anxiety over the meeting , likely produced a number of physiological reactions. The headache he has when he arrives at the meeting is one of these reactions by his body. The tension on the commute as well as anxiety about the meeting might also have initiated tremors and shaking or nervous twitching, tapping or fiddling with random objects. It is also very likely that Kyle would be sweating when he arrived at the meeting owing to the stress he is under. B. The stress of the long commute to work as well as his tardiness also probably produced a number of psychological reactions to the stress in Kyle. One such possible reaction would be constant flashbacks of the driver cutting him off and the long wait in the traffic. Another

Strategic Managment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Managment - Case Study Example Arguably, Jamba juice has competitive advantages over its competitors since the clientele groups have been presenting their grievances on the issues that they feel important and deserving immediate redress from the organization. Similarly, the CEO witnessed the gradual increase in sales performances after repackaging the brand in new containers holding importance to the environment. Therefore, the company is certain that its recent setbacks emanated from the inclusion of polystyrene in the container linings. Such information serves for the benefit of the company since the management will eventually order the packaging and processing teams to find and use environmentally friendly materials before presenting the products to the market. The resolutions are ideal and are present in the company’s strategic decisions since the management has full knowledge that the consumer groups seek to consume products packed with the ethical considerations of the entire environment. Question 2: Description of the juice’s diversification and growth strategies Jamba’s growth and diversification strategies are ill addressed since the company failed to evaluate all the market needs prior to implementation of its product. Arguably, the management thought that the product would acquire successful outcomes after its introduction since the consumers would realize the benefits of the polystyrene cans in delivering the desired state of the juice. On the contrary, the company’s packaging failed to win the desired clientele since the society is currently embarking on the use of environmentally friendly goods while disowning those products, which deviate from the norm. Unfortunately, Jamba’s diversification strategies may not accrue any profound outcomes lest the company engages in the production of the ideal cans that the society would view as a reassurance to their health during and after consumption of the juices. For example, the company would achieve it s growth strategies through offering intensive support to the society’s health considerations, and the total disuse of any packaging materials that cause any form of alarm to the environment. The juice shall reach its edge of diversification and growth in market share if the company shall successfully deviate from the ill practices, a factor that would lead to increased clientele groups, and increased population of capital investors. Question 3 The social trend that is contributing to the entrepreneurial venture of Jamba Juice Company is how people trying to outdo environmental pollution hence ensuring that the environment is friendly. Although the company claimed to be a healthy lifestyle brand, it kept on using polystyrene foam, which was harmful to the environment due to its long life. Polystyrene foam was harmful to both wildlife and human being since it posed healthy risks. Jamba CEO realized that using polystyrene foam was illegal since it caused pollution to the enviro nment and thus it was inconsistent with the image the company wished to portray, as customers were concerned with environmental and health concerns. The consumers never wanted to benefit from using Jamba’s products and suffer from environmental pollution in the future. Additionally, most cities had already banned the use of polystyrene foam, thus Jamba Juice Compa

Compare and contrast parliamentary and congressional democracies Essay

Compare and contrast parliamentary and congressional democracies - Essay Example This paper aims to answer this question, as well as consider which of the two is best and why. To evaluate the congressional and parliamentary systems, we must first understand the basic political structure. The legislature, in modern political systems, is representative of the population (Cheibub, 2011). It is composed of members elected indirectly or directly via a popular vote and are empowered to change, make or repeal the nation’s laws and also to regulate and levy its taxes. Legislatures that provide for direct representation are considered, as being extra democratic since they are less liable to domination by one faction. The executive is devoted to the administration and enforcement of laws created by the legislature. The key to variance found between the two systems is the relationship shared by the legislature and the executive and their degree of linkage (Cheibub, 2011). Under a parliamentary democracy, the executive is subordinate to the legislature’s majori ty (Cheibub, 2011). The executive is required to keep the legislature’s majority in check to remain in power. This is the key to stability since it promotes the creation and development of disciplined and cohesive parties, as well as emphasizing on compromise and cooperation. To keep the majority, the government, may have to form coalitions with other parliamentary parties to build a majority base on mutual gain and compromise. Parliamentary system structure also allows for easy power transition since the leadership is based on parties rather than individuals. As opposed to a parliamentary structure, a presidential form of democracy separates the legislature and the executive (Cheibub, 2011). The president gains power, not through a majority in the legislature, but through a direct election. The population in this system will vote for an individual rather than a party. The winner then becomes president for a fixed term. In a majority of the cases, a major political party back s the President, and gains popularity based on party stature and personal qualities (Cheibub, 2011). The discrepancy between the two begins with the origin of the two words (Cheibub, 2011). Congress comes from the Latin word that means coming together, where representatives from all over the country come together to discuss state matters. Parliament, however, is rooted, in a French term meaning, to talk since a lot of talking goes on, in parliament. A congress is based on primary elections where the population elects their candidates based on individual office plans and personalities while, in parliament, the delegates are elected to run by their parties based on their willingness to adhere by party standards. In congress, the party really means more in elections than the individual does. In a parliamentary democracy, the PM and his cabinet are elected from the country’s majority party in parliament. Therefore, if the members begin to vote against the ideals of their party, t hen the government may come apart and force new elections. Because of this, most parties restrict the freedoms of their delegates to ensure the PM safety. In congress, however, the branch of the executive is separated entirely from the legislature and it allows members to vote based on the wishes of their constituents and their consciences, without fearing harming the government permanently. This increased power of the individual leads to

Strategic Managment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Managment - Case Study Example Arguably, Jamba juice has competitive advantages over its competitors since the clientele groups have been presenting their grievances on the issues that they feel important and deserving immediate redress from the organization. Similarly, the CEO witnessed the gradual increase in sales performances after repackaging the brand in new containers holding importance to the environment. Therefore, the company is certain that its recent setbacks emanated from the inclusion of polystyrene in the container linings. Such information serves for the benefit of the company since the management will eventually order the packaging and processing teams to find and use environmentally friendly materials before presenting the products to the market. The resolutions are ideal and are present in the company’s strategic decisions since the management has full knowledge that the consumer groups seek to consume products packed with the ethical considerations of the entire environment. Question 2: Description of the juice’s diversification and growth strategies Jamba’s growth and diversification strategies are ill addressed since the company failed to evaluate all the market needs prior to implementation of its product. Arguably, the management thought that the product would acquire successful outcomes after its introduction since the consumers would realize the benefits of the polystyrene cans in delivering the desired state of the juice. On the contrary, the company’s packaging failed to win the desired clientele since the society is currently embarking on the use of environmentally friendly goods while disowning those products, which deviate from the norm. Unfortunately, Jamba’s diversification strategies may not accrue any profound outcomes lest the company engages in the production of the ideal cans that the society would view as a reassurance to their health during and after consumption of the juices. For example, the company would achieve it s growth strategies through offering intensive support to the society’s health considerations, and the total disuse of any packaging materials that cause any form of alarm to the environment. The juice shall reach its edge of diversification and growth in market share if the company shall successfully deviate from the ill practices, a factor that would lead to increased clientele groups, and increased population of capital investors. Question 3 The social trend that is contributing to the entrepreneurial venture of Jamba Juice Company is how people trying to outdo environmental pollution hence ensuring that the environment is friendly. Although the company claimed to be a healthy lifestyle brand, it kept on using polystyrene foam, which was harmful to the environment due to its long life. Polystyrene foam was harmful to both wildlife and human being since it posed healthy risks. Jamba CEO realized that using polystyrene foam was illegal since it caused pollution to the enviro nment and thus it was inconsistent with the image the company wished to portray, as customers were concerned with environmental and health concerns. The consumers never wanted to benefit from using Jamba’s products and suffer from environmental pollution in the future. Additionally, most cities had already banned the use of polystyrene foam, thus Jamba Juice Compa

Because current policies aimed at limiting drug abuse do not work, we Essay

Because current policies aimed at limiting drug abuse do not work, we should legalize drugs and instead teach people to use them responsibly - Essay Example It has been suggested, and in some cases demonstrated, that legalizing or at least decriminalizing less harmful drugs, such as marijuana, can help to reduce the violence, significantly decrease the numbers of people incarcerated for drug use, allow more individuals to remain a contributing member of society and free up funds and manpower to combat against more harmful substances. It was believed by the economists that such a discussion would bring out the obvious factors that will lead to the legalization, regulation and taxation on marijuana, bringing out the benefits of each side and, at the least, justifies the reasons for maintaining the prohibition against the substance. This group of economists was also joined by Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman who argued that there is no logical basis for the prohibition against marijuana. (Friedman, 2005) The vast majority (85%) of America’s teenagers report that marijuana is easy to get every year, indicating that the sales have not been reduced by the laws and enforcement endeavors, leading many government officials to begin wondering whether we are simply throwing away billions of tax dollars to no effect. Over half of the prisoners in jail are there for drug ‘crimes.’ This causes overcrowding which results in the early release of dangerous, violent criminals. This creates more of a public safety problem than does drug use. It is illogical from a societal view and inhumane to individuals who are marked as a criminal for life for activity that causes no harm to others. Those who are addicted receive little or no therapeutic help in prison. Instead of imprisoning people that need help, rehabilitation programs are a much more effective method to treat the problem but a rehabilitation system will not succeed if drugs continue to be illegal.   Drug abusers will hardly seek help from the same government that tosses

CSS Styles and Web Design Essay Example for Free

CSS Styles and Web Design Essay Two types of layouts, Table-based layouts and CSS-based layouts can be used to manage the formatting of a web site. Table-based layouts are easy to use and implement when compared to CSS-layouts and editors like FrontPage and Dreamweaver make it very easy for developers to include them. The main disadvantages of Table-based layouts are that tables break on various browsers thus producing layout dysfunctions and it increases almost unnecessarily the HTML/text ratio. Cascading style sheets (CSS) make it easy to manage the formatting of a web site and it can be used to control the appearance of objects on a page or throughout a site. It can be designed and redesigned, and can control the formatting of hundreds of pages, including fonts, link colors, margin settings and background images. It is widely supported by modern browsers and allows flexibility in positioning. CSS based layouts Keeps the HTMl/text ratio at a low level thus decreasing load time and Allows the display of main content first while the graphics load afterwards. CSS also avoid accessibility issues raised by table cells and the content flows logically without disruption. A div tag defines a block of content (division/section in a document) to be formatted. Div tags can be defined through an ID or a class attribute. Using CSS and div tags reduces markup code, speeds up page downloads, separates content from its visual presentation, and brings code closer to Web standards compliance. If the div tags are defined in external CSS file than by changing properties of div tags in only CSS files the appearance of multiple pages can be controlled. Reference Web Development Series: formatting content, January 4, 2007 retrieved on 11 February 2007 http://academictech. doit. wisc. edu/ORFI/wds/index. htm Mardiros, C 2006. CSS Layouts vs. Table Layouts Alternate Browsers and Accessibility Issues. Retrieved on 11 February 2007 from http://www. mardiros. net/css-layout. html .

Knowles Separate Peace Essays: Self-Knowledge and Inner-Peace

A Separate Peace: Self-Knowledge and Inner-Peace The theme suggested in the closing paragraph of the novel A Separate Peace is that people create their own enemy and then they defend themselves laboriously and obsessively against their imaginary enemy. They develop a particular frame of mind to allay the fear that arises while facing their nonexistent enemy. In the novel, the protagonist, Gene, tries to fight a war with his best friend, Finny, not realizing that the enemy he sees is not Finny but is his own insecurity. At the beginning Gene believes that Finny is actually his enemy who is trying to sabotage him. Gene thinks that Finny envies his academic ability just as he envies Finny's extraordinary athletic ability. To feel better about himself, Gene lowers Finny to his level so that they are "even, even in enmity.† Gene's attitude toward Finny is a manifestation of his jealousy and lack of self-confidence. Finny, on the other hand is extremely confident. He never had the evil thoughts about destroying Gene's grades - he is too innocent of a person to have such thought. Furthermore, Finny, being a carefree person, does not even care about his own grades, and certainly not Gene's grades. Gene does not realize the truth, or perhaps he simply does not want to admit the truth. He has created an enemy to protect himself from acknowledging that he is not completely satisfied with his character, or lack of thereof. Gene finally realizes that Finny is not tryin... ...defenses that people have constructed are as useless as the "Maginot Lines"; they only prevent people from analyzing their emotions and characters. People should view the enemy and the war in a more objective perspective, and try to understand themselves. Only by doing so can they eventually find their identity.

Middle Age Entertainers :: Art

Middle Age Entertainers Both entertainment and education have been integrals parts of the human experience since the beginnings of time. Many scholars insist that the two institutions often serve jointly, with entertainers and entertainment serving as a main source of education. There is little argument, then, that in addition to generally appealing to the masses, entertainers have regularly fulfilled the role of a teacher to typically unsuspecting audiences. Entertainers have served as educators throughout history, from the origins of oral narratives through the Middle Ages. The earliest forms of unwritten communication were essentially used to spread knowledge from one source to another. Religious disciplines were the first information passed from person to person through entertainment. In the third century B.C., Buddhist monks tried to win converts outside India through the use of theater and song (Burdick 97). They taught the precepts of Siddhartha and Buddha in such theatrical epics as Ramayana and Mahabharata, setting exacting rules for theater performance in the process (Burdick 99). Similarly, Irish monks established singing schools, which taught uniform use of music throughout the church (Young 31). Through chants which were all the same, they spread identical teachings. Christian psalms and hymns in Apostolic times were sung to spread the knowledge and faith of Christianity. In fact, Christianity was promoted from the start by music. Churches were for long the only centers of learning, with monks teaching all lessons through music (Young 39). Through the use of sacred music, monks and clergy successfully spread the teachings of their religions in a practical manner. Entertainers used the theater as a place to tell the stories of the day, both fictional and topical. The African oral tradition was rich in folk tales, myths, riddles, and proverbs, serving a religious, social, and economic function (Lindfors 1). Likewise, Asian actors covered their faces with masks in order to act out a scandal of the day without the audience knowing who was passing along the gossip (Archer 76). European puppets were another medium which permitted entertainers to spread current gossip without revealing the identity of the storyteller (Speaight 16). The theatrical productions of the Greeks further explored the use of theater as an instructional tool. Because the theater provided such a diverse forum for expression, stage actors and playwrights consistantly utilized this locale to eduate the general public. Oral communication was widely used to educate society about morals and basic truths.

A True Story of Crime and Punishment Essay

A true story of how a man was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death, May God Have Mercy exposes the imperfections in the criminal justice system and how it led to the death of an innocent man. Roger Coleman’s case became the main story on nightly newscasts and prominent television shows such as Larry King Live, Nightline, Good Morning America, and the Today Show. Many crucial, yet harmful decisions were made that ultimately resulted in an innocent man’s execution at the death house in Greensville, Virginia. The police, the prosecutor, and the Judge can all be held responsible for Coleman’s death. However, the reason Roger Coleman was not acquitted of the murder of Wanda McCoy in the first place and thus in a position to be executed was because his original lawyers, Steve Arey and Terry Jordan, did not provide him with adequate representation, as required by the Constitution of the United States of America. Steve Arey and Terry Jordan were young, inexperienced lawyers who should have never even been considered for a capital case. Judge Persin, the presiding Judge in the case, however, decided on these two gentlemen because other more experienced lawyers refused to take the case because of the huge financial sacrifice it would require. Albeit public speculation that Judge Persin’s previous profession as a prosecutor had led him to heavily favor the prosecution, his decision stood. The two prosecutors who Arey and Jordan would be opposed by were Mickey McGlothlin and Tom Scott. Both prosecutors had far more experience than the defense lawyers, but that didn’t stop Judge Persin from appointing Arey and Jordan to the case. It was an obvious mismatch, intentional or not, and was just the beginning of many problems that would arise for the defendant’s case. The murder of Wanda McCoy took place in Grundy, a small town in Virginia. The year was 1981, and Brad McCoy, Wanda’s husband, arrived home from work to find his wife dead, the apparent victim of a brutal rape and murder. The police investigated the crime scene, recorded witness reports, and searched for suspects. When they identified their prime suspect, Roger Coleman, the police made the arrest. Due to the negative public opinion that had generated following the arrest, Coleman demanded that his lawyers file for a change of venue with the court. Since Grundy was such a small town, it would  be very difficult to pick an impartial jury to give Coleman a fair trial. Every person in the town had to have read or seen something on the murder. The fact that the police provided supposed â€Å"conclusive† evidence against Roger Coleman and made it public, many of Grundy’s residents wanted to see Coleman sentenced to death. Steve Arey had been preparing the case to present to Judge Persin, but at the last minute, he notified Terry Jordan that he would not be able to attend due to a prior engagement. Arey’s lack of respect for Coleman and the case in general left Terry Jordan with a crucial decision–whether to seek a continuance or to argue the motion himself. He chose to present the case himself. The defense’s decision to argue the motion was a terrible decision. Not only should Jordan have sought a continuance because he was not prepared to argue the case, but neither of the defense lawyers had done any research or made any effort to obtain evidence to support their case for a change of venue, except for a couple of newspaper clippings and a picture of the hanging-tree sign. The prosecution, on the other hand, had gotten approximately fifty affidavits from members of the town claiming that they did not have any biased feelings about the case. As expected, Judge Persin denied the ch ange of venue request, and effectively set the tone for Roger Coleman’s trial. The beginning of every trial begins with opening statements, which provide the jury with a preview of the evidence they will provide and what it will effectively show. A lawyer’s opening statement is probably the most important part of the entire trial, and usually puts the jurors leaning favorably towards the side with the more convincing performance. Like any other criminal case, the burden of proof lies with the prosecution. They are required to prove â€Å"beyond a reasonable doubt† that the defendant committed the crime. Mickey McGlothlin presented an organized and persuasive opening statement that gave the jury the impression that Roger Coleman was guilty based on the significant amount of evidence against him. The defense’s opening statement should have attacked the evidence that the state provided, and also attacked McGlothlin’s credibility. The defense’s  opening statement should have consisted of a description of the friendly relationship that existed between Roger Coleman and the McCoys. It also should have also included Coleman’s alibi–Philip VanDyke–and the fact that VanDyke’s time card reinforces the time that he said he was with Coleman and the time that he clocked into his job. Arey and Jordan also had an opportunity to smear McGlothlin’s credibility by referring to evidence that he failed to mention in his opening argument–the pry mark on the door, the broken fingernails on the victim but no scratches on Coleman, and that the substance found on the victim was soil, not coal dust, which had been on Coleman’s clothes. The defense counsel didn’t refer to any of those facts. No scientific evidence was brought up, and it failed to respond to McGlothin’s statement that there was evidence that Coleman had in fact admitted to committing the crime. The opening statement was a complete disappointment for Coleman. It started to raise questions inside of Coleman of whether his own defense lawyers thought he was guilty and therefore were not putting the time or effort in to prove his innocence. In either case, his defense lawyers had presented a completely inadequate opening statement, and it left the jury with the feeling that Roger Coleman was guilty. In addition to failing to present a solid and influential opening argument, another major problem with the defense counsel was their extreme lack of preparation for the trial (their own witnesses and the state’s witnesses). Before the Coleman case, Terry Jordan â€Å"had never tried a murder case, a rape case, any case involving blood or hair analysis or a criminal case of any kind that lasted more than one day† (112). Being from Grundy, Jordan should have interviewed most if not all of the local witnesses, but that did not happen. He did not interview all of police officers that were investigating the crime nor did he interview Dr. McDonald, who was the first one to examine Wanda McCoy’s body and who estimated her time of death. He did not interview Hezzie McCoy, Dr. Oxley (the doctor who performed the autopsy), or even Elmer Gist, who was the state’s blood and hair expert. In fact, Jordan cross-examination of Elmer Gist was solely based on Gist’s report about hair comparisons and one on blood analysis. He had not read anything about blood or hair analysis, because if he had, he would have been more capable of performing an effective cross-examination of the state’s most crucial  witness. Terry Jordan also failed to carefully examine the physical locations that could have led to Coleman’s innocence and acquittal. He never actually went inside the house where the murder took place, nor did he examine the door to see if there was any evidence of forced entry. He never examined the bathhouse where Coleman said his pants got wet from, and he did not go to the mine where Roger worked. The route that Coleman supposedly took that night was never gone over to see how long it took and to see if there was time for him to commit the crime given the stops that he made prior to the murder. Jordan did not look for other witnesses who the state had not identified, and he did not ever ask for VanDyke’s time card, an essential piece of evidence. No photographs were taken at any point, making everything that was presented in court non-visual. Visuals would have made the defense’s case much stronger. Steve Arey had interviewed most of the same witnesses that Jordan interviewed, along with a couple other defense-alibi witnesses. The state was heavily favored in the case to begin with because of their experience in criminal cases, as opposed to the defense counsel’s lack of experience in such cases. As expected, Judge Persin ruled in favor of the state and Roger Coleman was sentenced to death. Many criminal cases are appealed after their conclusion, and this case was no different. The defense has thirty days to file a Notice of Appeal with the Court. The defense prepared their appeal and mailed it to the Court. However, the attorney general’s office told the defense that they had filed the appeal one day late and that it would not be accepted. This was another huge mistake by the defense. Although a legal technicality should not be the cause for an innocent man’s evidence to be withheld, the law specifically stated that a Notice of Appeal must be filed within thirty days of the Judge signing the order that rejected all of the defense’s arguments. The defense had missed a crucial de adline and Roger Coleman would be punished because of it. The defense would not be able to get the Court to listen to their case again and this would eventually lead to Coleman’s death. The fact remains that neither Terry Jordan nor Steve Arey conducted a thorough enough investigation to really present a strong case to oppose the prosecution. Roger Coleman was never really given a fair trial, and it ultimately led to his conviction and death. His lawyers failed to use the evidence that was available to get their client acquitted. Their inexperience and lack of motivation resulted in an innocent man’s death. There were many opportunities for the defense counsel to question witnesses, to seek experts’ opinions on the forensic evidence, and to insert new evidence to support Roger Coleman’s case, but they did not do so. Jordan and Arey should have never been appointed as Coleman’s counsel, and that alone made Coleman’s chances of acquittal slim to none. Roger Coleman was never given a fair chance, even later on in the process before he was executed, however, his defense lawyers performed well below the standards that a man on trial for his life deserves. Their terrible mistakes and decisions led to the death of an innocent man.

American Liberty: From Past to Present

Liberty is a concept that is commonly used by the average American in his daily affairs. A lexical definition of liberty states that it refers to the freedom to believe or act without the restriction of an unnecessary force. As far as the individual is concerned, liberty is the capacity of a person to act according to his will. But do we really know the history of America’s liberty? Do we really understand the historical events that have shaped the liberty that we know of and enjoy in these contemporary times?In this paper, I will be examining the roots of American liberty from the founding era to the modern debates surrounding the concept of liberty. I will also be looking into the proponents of liberty and those who have shared a significant role in defining and upholding liberty as we know it today. The Founding Era Hundreds of years before today, America was an entirely different place. Long before the creation of the Constitution, different European countries have already established their own settlements across America. The Spaniards and the French were among the early colonizers until the time of the British.During the rule of the British Empire, severe shortage in human labor resulted to enslavement and indentured servitude of the natives. In the years that followed, conflicts broke-out between the Native Americans and the English settlers. It should be noted, however, that Virginia already had black indentured servants in 1619 after being settled by Englishmen in 1607 (â€Å"Virginia Records Timeline: 1553-1743,† http://memory. loc. gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjvatm3. html), thereby suggesting that the attainment of genuine liberty from the colonizers is yet to be realized.It is perhaps during the time when the English pilgrims came to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 and established their colonies that the concept of liberty came about, not the least in the context of the pre-Constitution history of America. As Mark Sargent w rites in his article â€Å"The Conservative Covenant: The Rise of the Mayflower Compact in American Myth,† some of the passengers in the Mayflower ship â€Å"who were not travelling to the New World for religious reasons would insist upon complete freedom when they stepped ashore† since the New World is already â€Å"outside the territory covered in their patent from the [British] crown† (Sargent, p.236). After the Seven Years War between the British forces and the alliance of French and American Indian forces in 1763, the British Empire enforced a series of taxes on the Americans so as to cover a portion of the cost for defending the colony. Since the Americans considered themselves as subjects of the King, they understood that they had the same rights to that of the King’s subjects living in Great Britain.However, the Sugar Act, Currency Act—both passed in 1764—the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Act of 1767, to name a few, compelled the Americans to take drastic measures to send the message to the British Empire that they were being treated as though they were less than the King’s subjects in Great Britain (Jensen, p. 186). Moreover, the taxes were enforced despite the lack of representation of the American colonists in the Westminster Parliament.One of the famous protests taken by the Americans is the Boston Tea Party in 1773 where numerous crates containing tea that belonged to the British East India Company were destroyed aboard ships in Boston Harbor. As a result, the British government passed a series of acts popularly known as the Intolerable Acts in 1774, further fanning the growing oppression felt by the American colonists. Eventually, the American Revolution ensued beginning in as early as 1775 when British forces confiscated arms and arrested revolutionaries in Concord, thereby sparking the first hostilities after the Intolerable Acts were passed (Jensen, p.434). From 1775 to 1783, the colonies tha t formed their own independent states fought as one as the Thirteen Colonies of North America. Lasting for roughly eight years, the American Revolutionary War ended in the ratification of the Treaty of Paris which formally recognized the Independence of America from the British Empire. Between these years, the colonies underwent several changes which constitute part of the developments toward the framing of the Constitution (Bobrick, p. 88).One of these changes is the shift towards the acceptance of notable republican ideals, such as liberty and inalienable rights as core values, among several members of the colonies. Moreover, the republican ideals of the time saw corruption as the greatest of all threats to liberty. In essence, the concept of liberty during the founding era revolves around the liberation of the American colonies from the British Empire and the growing oppression it gave to the colonists through taxation burdens and a series of repressive acts.For the American colo nists, liberty meant the severing of its ties from the British government and the creation of its own independent nation recognized by other countries. The writing and ratification of the Constitution On the fourth of July in 1776, the second Continental Congress signed and officially adopted the United States Declaration of Independence which established the separation of the thirteen American colonies—the colonies which were at war with Great Britain from 1775—from the British Empire.Although others say that the founding moment of America is not on July 4 but two days earlier (Groom, http://independent. co. uk/arts-entertainment/books/review/the-fourth-of-july-and-the-founding-of-america-by-peter-de-bolla-455878. html), it remains a fact that there came a point in time when America finally declared its independence. The evolution of American political theory—especially that which is concerned with liberty—can be better understood during the confrontatio n over the writing and the ratification of the Constitution.In fact, the Declaration asserts that people have unalienable rights which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Articles of Confederation served as the constitution which governed the thirteen states as part of its alliance called the â€Å"United States of America†. After being ratified in 1781, the â€Å"United States of America† was brought as a political union under a confederate government in order to defend better the liberties of the people and of each state. Meaning, each state retained its independence and sovereignty despite being politically held together as part of the union.However, the Articles were not without opposition and criticisms from several notable political thinkers of the time. For example, James Madison saw several main flaws in the Articles of Confederation that were alarming, or threatened the very existence and purpose of the Articles first and foremost. For one, Madison was concerned about the dangers posed by the divided republics or â€Å"factions† given that their interest may stand in conflict to the interests of others. Madison argues in The Federalist, specifically in â€Å"Federalist No.10,† that in order to guard the citizens from the dangers posed by these individuals who have contradicting interests, a large republic should be created, a republic that will safeguard the citizens from the possible harms brought by other states. It is likewise important to note that the union is not a homogenous group of citizens with the same political inclinations. Madison also argues that for the government to become effective it needs to be a hybrid of a national and a federal constitution.The government should be balanced in the sense that it should be federal in some aspects and republican in others instead of giving more weight to each separate state over the larger republic. In his â€Å"Federalist No. 39,† Madison prop oses and describes a republic government guided by three fundamental principles: the derivation of the government’s legitimate power through the consent of the people, representatives elected as administrators in the government, and a limitation on the length of the terms of service rendered by the representatives (Kobylka and Carter, p.191). Madison also pointed out in â€Å"Federalist No. 51† that there should be checks and balances in the government, specifically among the judicial, legislative and the executive branches. The judiciary, therefore, is at par with the other two inasmuch as each of the other two are at par with one another. Giving one of the three more powers disables the other two to check if that branch is still functioning within its perimeters.As a result, the more powerful branch becomes a partisan branch which consequently creates dangers to the liberties of the people. Another important part of the evolution of American political theory is the c ontention raised by Patrick Henry. In a letter sent to Robert Pleasants in January 18, 1773, Patrick Henry sees the relationship between the new government and the institution of slavery as a contradiction precisely because while the new government is said to be founded on liberty, there the evil that is slavery persisted under the new government.During those times, slavery was not yet abolished and that the new government was unable to meet the challenge of living up to its roles and foundations by failing to address the institution of slavery and demolishing it altogether. Moreover, Henry understood the efforts of secession from the hands of England were a matter of freedom or slavery, which can also be looked upon as a question of either a freedom from or a continuation of tax slavery from the British.While Madison was part of the â€Å"Federalists† who were supporting the ratification of the Constitution, the â€Å"Anti-Federalists† apparently argued against its ra tification. It was Patrick Henry who led the group in criticizing the contents of the proposed Constitution. For instance, Henry argued that the phrase â€Å"We the People† in the Preamble of the Constitution was misleading primarily because it was not necessarily the people who agreed and created the proposed Constitution but the representatives of each participating state.Thus, Henry argues that the Preamble should instead read as â€Å"We the States† which in turn delegated power to the union. Another argument of the Anti-Federalists is the claim that the central government and, therefore, the central power might result to a revival of the monarchic type of rule reminiscent of the British Empire which the Patriots fought. The fear is that, by delegating a considerable amount of power to the central government, the liberties of the individual states and the people are weakened as a result.Nevertheless, the Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787 and later rati fied in each of the state conventions held. The anti-federalists share a significant role in strengthening some of the points of the Constitution through the succeeding amendments. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are popularly known as the Bill of Rights; it is largely influenced by the arguments of the anti-federalists. For the most part, the Bill of Rights aimed to guarantee that Congress shall not create laws which stand against the rights and liberties of the citizens of the nation.In effect, the Bill of Rights limits the power of the federal government in order to secure the liberties of the people in the United States. In â€Å"Federalist No. 84,† Alexander Hamilton argues against the Bill of Rights for the reason that the American citizens will not have to necessarily surrender their rights as a result of the ratification of the Constitution and, thus, the protection of the rights through the Bill is unnecessary. Moreover, Hamilton also argues that creatin g a Bill of Rights would effectively limit the rights of the people since those that are not listed in the Bill will not be considered as rights.In response to the argument, the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution was introduced and ratified later on. The amendment specifically states that the rights of the people are not to be limited to those which are listed in the Constitution. As it can be observed, the time before and during the ratification of the Constitution and the succeeding amendments made reflect how the people at the time sought to protect the liberties that they have realized and gained after the American Revolution and the defeat of the British Empire.Moreover, the debates at that time revolved around the issue of what to do with the liberties gained and how to secure them for the coming generations. One side—the Anti-Federalists—argues that the central government weakens the independence and sovereignty of the states as well as the rights and liberties of the people. The other side—the Federalists—argues that the Constitution will help preserve and strengthen the Union. Modern debates In the years that followed, debates over the interpretation of the Constitution, the role of the government and the place of the individual in American society have escalated.In his essay â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government† (popularly known as â€Å"Civil Disobedience†) first published in 1849, Henry David Thoreau asserts that the people should not simply remain passive and allow the government to be an agent of injustice. Much of Thoreau’s political beliefs eventually follow that same philosophy. In his work Walden published in 1854, Thoreau attempts to live a life of solitude in a cabin, away from the reaches of the society. In one of his days in Walden, Thoreau was arrested for the charge of not paying his taxes. His defense was that he refuses to pay federal taxes to a government that tolerates slavery.In ess ence, the fact that Thoreau decided to stay in solitude for approximately two years (although the contents of Walden was made to appear as though all the events happened within just a year) signifies his decision not to conform to the dictates of the society. On the contrary, Thoreau lived a life of liberty, free to do anything that he chooses without the institutions of society restraining him. The same sentiment—non-conformity or disobedience to the dictates of the society, especially the government—echoes through in Thoreau’s other work, which is â€Å"Civil Disobedience†.Thoreau asserts that â€Å"the only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think [is] right† (Thoreau, http://sniggle. net/Experiment/index. php? entry=rtcg#p04). That passage, along with the rest of â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and its theme in general, implies that people have an inherent liberty, which is the liberty to do any time what the y think is right. Taken altogether in the context of the concept of liberty, Thoreau seems to suggest that people ought to disobey a government that oppresses other people since each individual has inalienable rights that nobody can take away, not even the government.In the face of oppression such as slavery (which was still very much a part of America within twenty years after the ratification of the original Constitution since the issue of slavery was a very delicate and contentious matter during the Philadelphia Convention), Thoreau even suggested that Abolitionists should not only confine themselves with the mere thought of abolishing slavery but resisting the instructions of the government such as paying taxes.Thus, as a reading of Thoreau’s works would suggest, to have liberty is to act upon crucial issues instead of passively allowing contentious actions of the government to thrive and continue. I cannot help but think that Thoreau’s concept of liberty is someth ing that is absolute, which I also take to mean as confined only within one’s disposition instead of being limited by the government. Moreover, since Thoreau suggests that liberty is doing any time what one thinks is right an individual should first know if what he or she thinks is indeed right instead of being wrong.Charles Madison notes that Thoreau was heavily concerned with the â€Å"ever pressing problem of how one might earn a living and remain free† (Madison, p. 110). I cannot help but begin to think that Thoreau attempts at embodying and enacting his individualistic beliefs. As Leigh Kathryn Jenco argues, â€Å"The theory and practice of democracy fundamentally conflict with Thoreau’s conviction in moral autonomy and conscientious action† (Jenco, p.355); democracy is essentially the rule of the majority which consequently ignores the decisions of the minority. However, I think that much of Thoreau’s thoughts were heavily influenced by the c ircumstances during his time. His aversion towards the imposed taxation policy of the government stems from the fact that the government at that time still tolerates slavery which is directly against an individual’s liberty.Thoreau’s insight on the perceived conflict between the liberties being upheld by the Constitution and the actual state of the government during his time points us to the ideal that the people are sovereign because the people is the ultimate source of power of the government. If it is indeed the case that the Constitution upholds the rights of individuals including the right to liberty, it seems appropriate to consider as well why slavery at that time was not immediately abolished entirely especially at the time when the Constitution was ratified.In fact, it was only in 1865 under the Thirteenth Amendment—about 80 years after the original Constitution was adopted—when slavery was legally abolished and when Congress was given the power to finally enforce abolition. During the time when slavery was not yet abolished and immediately after the original Constitution was ratified, it can be said that not all citizens living in America were given full liberties. Several people were still laboring as slaves to their American masters.That is perhaps an often neglected piece of history that undermines the spirit of creating a Constitution and a government that will uphold the rights of the people. The pre-American Revolutionary war, the founding era, the ratification of the original Constitution, the creation of the Bill of Rights and the other succeeding amendments to the Constitution—all these stand as testimonies to the evolution of American political thought. The concept of liberty has played an important role in the development of the federal government and the Constitution.Although the history of American political thought might reveal that the attainment of liberty through the years has never been a smooth jo urney, contemporary America has reaped a large amount of benefits from the sacrifices and ideas of the Founding Fathers and all the people who lived and died during those times. Some might even argue that liberty is yet to be truly attained in today’s American society. But if liberty is yet to be attained in practice, how is it possible that people are given the right to air their grievances before the government?How is it possible that people have the liberty to do as they please so long as what they do does not conflict with what is legal? In any case, the present American Constitution guarantees the liberty of the people and that there are institutions which seek to promote and guard that important right. Had it been the case that the early Americans swallowed everything that the British Empire throw in their way and that the Founding Fathers abandoned the creation and amendment of the Constitution, the United States of America would not have been the land of the free and the home of the brave.Works Cited Bobrick, Benson. Fight for Freedom: The American Revolutionary War. 1st ed. New York, NY: Atheneum, 2004. Groom, Nick. â€Å"The Fourth of July and the Founding of America, by Peter De Bolla†. 2007. Independent. Co. Uk. October 16 2008. . Hamilton, Alexander, James Madison, and John Jay. The Federalist, on the New Constitution. 1787. October 18, 2008 . Jenco, Leigh Kathryn. â€Å"Thoreau’s Critique of Democracy. † The Review of Politics 65. 3 (2003): 355-81. Jensen, Merrill. The Founding of a Nation: A History of the American Revolution 1763-1776. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 2004. Kobylka, Joseph F. , and Bradley Kent Carter. â€Å"Madison, The Federalist, & the Constitutional Order: Human Nature & Institutional Structure. † Polity 20.2 (1987): 190-208. Madison, Charles. â€Å"Henry David Thoreau: Transcendental Individualist. † Ethics 54. 2 (1944): 110-23. Sargent, Mark L. â€Å"The Conservative Covenant: The Rise of the Mayflower Compact in American Myth. † The New England Quarterly 61. 2 (1988): 233-51. Thoreau, Henry David. â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government†. 1849. October 18 2008. . â€Å"Virginia Records Timeline: 1553-1743†. The Library of Congress. October 17 2008. .

A Woman’s Beauty Essay

In reading Susan Sontag’s â€Å"A Woman’s Beauty†, she explains that women think they have an obligation to be beautiful and that they consider how they look more important than who they are. Sontag also adds that women are sometimes obsessed with their outer beauty that they lose sight of their inner beauty. Fashion and the Media both have taken outer beauty way too far for women. In this society today, women are more pressured by other women on how they look. Women judge other women about their looks but men don’t do the same, because it is considered† unmanly† as Sontag states. Women naturally try to be appropriate and beautiful to attract men. Unfortunately, they have gone to very high levels of obsession with themselves that they lost track of their purpose of being beautiful and their position in this society. Sontag also argues that women at the same time have the idea in their minds that being beautiful will earn them a certain reputati on and place in society, and that beauty brings power and success. Even young women grow up have these same ideas in their minds and according to Sontag, â€Å"they are taught to see their bodies in parts and to evaluate each part separately†. In modern days beauty is administered as a form of self-oppression. In the process of growing up, young women may forget how intelligent they are and their goals in life. According to some people who have been surveyed about women’s success in the society, good looks are a great advantage in many areas of life. Let’s go back to the point that women try to make themselves beautiful to attract the best men possible. Women forget that beauty is also the power to attract. In women’s view, men come in whole packages together with being handsome and successful. On the other hand, men just want just want healthy and decent women with good personality. Susag Sontag’s essay is indeed very accurate in revealing some important facts about women’s beauty and the way the society looks at women. The world is not a beauty pageant where every woman has to look perfect. There are many people that think that beauty is more important, but there are also people that feel that a woman with a good head and personality will get than based on just looks alone. It is a fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone has their own view on what’s beautiful to them.