The Social Issues of Racism Essay Example for Free

The Social Issues of Racism Essay Racism, by its true definition, has existed since the beginning of time and it can be defined purely as conflicts in social issues through the ramifications of discrimination. Dictionaries, for the most part, are not much help in understanding what the true meaning of the word is. There in its self is where the greatest conflicts lie. â€Å"They usually define it as the belief that ones own ethnic background or race is superior to others, or as the belief that culture and behavior are rooted in race†. Taken from â€Å"What is Racism? † By Thomas Jackson vol. II, No. of American Renaissance. Racism, in any entity, creates such strong social conflicts among groups of people that there have been wars, bloodshed and major family battles over issues pertaining to the symbolic interactionism to the opposition. â€Å"Thus, the interactionist theorist sees humans as active, creative participants who construct their social world, not as passive, conforming objects of socialization, but as organized and patterned interactions among individuals . † Taken from â€Å"Symbolic Interactionism† by Max Weber (1864-1920) and that is how individuals create he structural functionalism that exists with in their own societies. Racism has become, in its own right, a national obsession. Universities have become on full alert for it, newspapers and politicians denounce and campaign against it, often religions preach about the bad or the good of it, The United States is said to be consumed with it. We create and internalize our own reactions to it and what we teach with in the walls of our homes in the most important part of our reactions. So, how do we define racism? The guess is, it depends on your own ethnic race or background.

Rabbit Tobacco :: essays research papers

My grandmother grew up in Americus, GA, a rural town over 100 miles south of Atlanta. Her parents were of Cherokee descent, so I asked her about any herbal remedies passed down to her. She told me of several, but the one that she remembered with the most clarity was rabbit tobacco. Rabbit tobacco is also known as lasting, everlasting, sweet balsam, white balsam, feather-weed, and sweet cudweed. Its scientific name is Gaphalium obtusifolium. These annual herbs reach a height of 1 to 3 feet and have erect stems with brown, shriveled leaves persisting into winter and stems covered with felt-like hairs in summer. The leaves are 1 to 3 inches long, and alternate. The flowers, minute in whitish heads, appear in late summer to fall. Fields, pastures, and disturbed areas are the sites of this common native plant of the eastern United States. The Cherokee named it rabbit tobacco because they believe it was the rabbit who took attended the plant. In Cherokee medicine, it is believed that councils of animals created diseases in order to avenge the loss of their families and living spaces. The plants, being sympathetic to humans, decided to each furnish a cure for these diseases. It is believed that the spirit of the plant will tell a sick person which one to use to cure his illness. Rabbit tobacco can be used medicinally in several ways. Smoking the leaves is good for sinusitis, head colds, and congestion. In hot teas, it is used to treat sore throats, fevers, diarrhea, colds, flu, pneumonia, asthma, and coughs, as well as a mild nerve sedative, a diuretic, and an antispasmodic. My grandmother said it was most often used in her home as a salve made of lard and ground up leaves. It was applied to the chest and back and caused profuse sweating. The effect is similar to Vicks in that it helped open up breathing passages. It is also believed by the Cherokee, as well as other Native American tribes, to help cleanse a house after a person’s absence or to cleanse the body after accidental contact with â€Å"bad medicine".

Argumentative essay: Gay marriage Essay

The American dream, one of freedom and equality, is held highly in the hearts of every citizen in the United States. With the â€Å"American† dream in mind, most will say they support equal rights for homosexuals. But if you ask these members of society if they are for gay marriage then the support of gay equality comes to a stop and majority of Americans vote for the Constitutional Amendment, which bans gay marriage. Americans do believe in providing equal rights to the gay community, which include no toleration of discrimination in jobs, rights protecting gays from indecent actions, rights allowing same access to housing, rights allowing advancement in government, and so on and so forth. However, the concept of gay marriage is still not considered an â€Å"equal right† to American people. A huge misconception is the idea that gays have a choice to whom they can feel attracted to. Just as heterosexuals cannot† choose† who they are drawn to, neither can homo sexuals. Opposition movements promote that homosexuality is preventable. They believe living as a homosexual is not as easy as it is portrayed in media. How can a member of the straight community say that homosexuality can be changed, or even if homosexuals can be happy or not. What about the research that has been proven that homosexuality is genetic? No one would ever choose a life that is faced with prejudice and discrimination. Even if its ethnicity, religious beliefs or homosexuality. The same assumption of choice leads to the accusation that homosexuality is all about sex, which is called sexual perversion. Again, the truth is that homosexuality is multi-faceted. Homosexuality is more about the love and affection than it is sex. Sex, in a committed relationship is about expressing love. This is true whether it may be in a heterosexual or homosexual relationship. Being gay defines who that person is and makes up his or her identity. Very few straights can comprehend this. Instead, heterosexuals use their beliefs support for what â€Å"normal† should mean. The most repeated cases’ opposing gay marriages is the idea that it is immoral, but the â€Å"immoral† label is only based on religious perceptions. The First Amendment states, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.† Religion is not, supposed to be the basis for our country’s laws according to the first amendment. Nevertheless, most of the individuals against gay marriage try to stress their religious beliefs onto others and make those beliefs into laws. Not everyone is religiously  inclined to the same morals and beliefs. The gay community is simply fighting to be free from religion in determining the laws of the country. The opposition believes marriage should be between man and a woman; otherwise, the marriage would be untraditional. The anti-gay community also believes same-sex marriages would threaten the basis of marriage. I strongly disagree with this argument because no evidence can support this allegation. How does giving a person the right to marry threaten marriage? Why is the right to get married only given to the heterosexual society? Courts recently say there is no reason why gays should not be allowed to marry realizing the American principles of human rights. The reasoning behind such laws and beliefs seems more like direct prejudice rather than an overwhelming reason worthy of denying people their civil rights. All in all, much of what the straight community believes to be true about gays is based only on stereotypes. There are those who assume gays are promiscuous and are unable to form long lasting relationships. I believe these stereotypes are extremely inaccurate. Even though unstable and sex-based relationships exist in both the gay and the straight communities, they are usually among the younger generation and only represent a small percentage. Gay marriage is defined as a legal union between members of the same sex. Ten percent of Americans, the size of the gay community, are denied the right to marry. The individuals representing this group want what every heterosexual has, the right to legally marry their life partner. As a country we need to move away from false reasoning, whether it may be based on ignorance or prejudice. Every person needs to be allowed the civil right to wed his or her life partner. Our society must live up to the quota of the American dream. The Pledge of Allegiance states â€Å"liberty and justice for all† and so should every citizen in our country.

Career Choices Essay

Introduction Making the perfect career choice is a lifetime decision that will have a lasting impression on your life and the life of your future family. As we all grow up in life we hear from our parents and mentor’s that if you decide to choose a career that you dislike, you can spend a life time living a miserable lifestyle and your career will have a short life span. In vice-versa, if you find something that you love to do in life and you are  able to make that into a long lasting career. It will seem like you have never worked one day in your life. Throughout time, many working class individuals have chosen to pursue educations in careers that will lead to a future living a stable lifestyle but it is not what their true passions are in life. So they are stuck doing something that they hate in life just because they have to work in order to provide a sufficient lifestyle for themselves and family. Another critical aspect that you must take into consideration when making a career choice is to make a valid consideration on whether you can grow inside of the career decision you make or will you remain static performing one position for the rest of your life. The reason why a lot of individuals choose to go to college is because they are stuck in a dead end job that has no momentum to further gain a promotion or advance in pay. In my opinion, entrepreneurship should be every individual’s long term goal in life. The ultimate decision making factor in choosing a career and working for a prominent company is to get the working experience making mistakes under another companies supervision, so when you begin to start your own company you will already have the experience to make smart business decisions and know how to make your company prosperous. Even though there are a lot of great career choices out there in the world, I believe that a career in either health and wellness or software engineering would be the best fit for me because they will give me the opportunity to grow, both fields are very challenging, and they both will give me the opportunity to prosper and own a private company. 1 The Importance of Having A Software Engineering Technical Career Since the late 1940’s the software engineering field has been growing rapidly as a challenging and profound profession for a lot of software students that would like to inquire skills that helps to maximize the quality and create database software. Since this time excellent software programmers have found ways to improve these components by increasing their speed, security, usability, cost, testability, size, readability, and stability. Engineers have developed business software that have changed the world and has adapted this same concept onto many home computers so consumers can have the same usability as larger corporations from the comfort of their own laptop computer. Computer innovation has evolved greatly since the 1940’s with higher advanced platforms that are able to integrate businesses with consumers easier, through the invention of the World Wide Web. Laptop computers along with tablets have created an easier and more efficient way to access the internet with access to public networks that can be routed from any major hotel or fast food restaurant, and mobile phone technology that has been designed by Mac and Android allow consumers to stay connected to the world from the comfort of a palm sized device. It takes a very talented array of programmers to design these devices and with the world of technology at the forefront of driving innovation; this career field is here to stay. With stability also come growth and business opportunities for talented engineers to step up and continue driving this career field to unknown places. Opportunity For Growth Recently CNN money came out with an article titled â€Å"Best Jobs in America† which had a detailed listing of the top 100 careers in America with great pay and growth potential. It was not a surprise to see software architects at the top of the list at number 1 with a 10 year job growth forecast of 34% beating out other leading career opportunities such as physician assistants coming in at number 2, and management consultant coming in at number 3. CNN has stated, 2 â€Å"Like architects who design buildings, they create the blueprints for software engineers to follow and pitch in with programming too. Plus, architects are often called on to work with customers and product managers, and they serve as a link between a company’s tech and business staffs† (CNN Money, 2010). Making this a well-diversified career field where you get the opportunity to work inside a comfortable office setting but also visit customers at their facilities and help out with customer service issues at remote locations. Along with the exceptional growth potential this career path shares, it also can create amazing entry level financial stability as well as stated in figure 1 below: 10th%| 25th%| 75th%| 90th%| As you advance your experience and expertise in the software engineering career field, programmers have the option to choose a specific craft such as a technical support engineer, C++ software engineer, or lead software engineer where your average annual income can range from $63,000 upwards to $120,000 a year easily based on an individual’s knowledge. The Challenge Even though ultimate career stability along with a great compensation plan and benefits sounds great from the outside looking in we must also understand that with great opportunities also comes a great challenge. Programming in laments terms can be contributed to learning a second language such as 3 Spanish. It takes a lot of dedicated time to perfecting this skill along with training. Depending on your decided expertise there may be a ton of syntax and logical instructions that you have to learn in order to program effectively and unfortunately most of this time is spent outside a classroom or job setting really learning the craft at home on an individual’s personal time. But in a more positive perspective a lot of these languages such as Java, C#, and Visual Basic derive from the parent language of C++ so if you are able to get a great concept for this computing language the others will come fairly efficient for beginning programmers. Another positive aspect to this career field is since there are such high demands for these positions a lot of companies offer entry level programming positions offered to developers that have no experience so this will give individuals the opportunity to work under mid and senior level technicians to learn the ropes. A lot of individuals stray away from challenge, growth, and hard work but this is a career field that awards individuals for hard work, and gives techs the opportunity to learn a new aspect of the business every single day which makes this career field interesting. Below in figure 2 is a progression  chart that shows the career path a software engineer should take in order to become great at their craft and make a nice 6 figure income. Progression chart| A career progression chart generally resembles the one below. It may vary from company to company. | Role| Years of experience| Trainee software engineer| 0-1| Software engineer| 1-2| Senior software engineer| 2-4| System analyst| 3-5| Project leader| 5-8| Figure 2 ExpressComputerOnline.Com career roadmap for software engineers 4 Building A Business One could only imagine that one day a company that was started in your parents garage would evolve and become a multi-billion dollar company that has millions of dedicated customers, and releases innovative products that changes the world every year. Well this is not a dream anymore; it has actually been a reality for major companies such as Google, Apple, and Macintosh which have all started out of garages. The biggest disadvantage the many software developers face when building their own business is they do not have a lot of business experience, but with help from outsourcing agencies such as fog creek which specializes in the development and startup of technology companies they state that â€Å"if you have an innovative product that can compete for market share versus other companies all you have to do is market, sale, price, and hire exceptionally well† (Fog Creek Software, 2011). Which is not an easy process but if you are able to do it effectively your business will have a fair chance of competing in a vastly competitive marketplace. How A Health And Wellness Career Will Create A Great Business Career Individual health and wellness have been in the forefront of the world for many decades now being led by activist groups and government agencies  initiating â€Å"Go Green† marketing campaigns and household tax credits for individuals and homeowners who convert their lifestyles to a more healthy and energy efficient environment. CNN states that health and wellness physicians â€Å"Perform routine care such as physicals and tests, counseling patients, and even prescribing medication, all under a doctor’s supervision. Today’s doctor shortage will only worsen as boomers age and health care reform brings more patients into the system, creating a huge need for this field† (CNN Money, 2010). 5 So even with an aging population this will continue to be a career path that will always be in high demand. Opportunity For Growth On the CNN money web article that was published earlier in the year physician’s assistants that also are in health and wellness practices partake in the number 2 position with a 39% 10 year annual growth forecast. Even though going green and living health is not new in the minds of many Americans a lot of individuals have not accepted the lifestyle thus living in an unhealthy environment. Statistics have shown that just in woman alone â€Å"Recent national data show that 82.1 percent of Black women and 75.7 percent of Hispanic women are overweight or obese compared to 59.5 percent of White women (Ogden, 2012).† This shows that there is still a lot of room for growth in this industry and still barriers to break down before this money making opportunity really explodes. In college classrooms instructors have put a major emphasis on students teaching their patients how their living environments vastly effect there personal health and living an unhealthy personal lifestyle will have a vastly negative effect on their health. With more educators out there pushing the idea and government agencies pushing the effort there is a ton of room for growth in this industry. Health and wellness physicians make a pretty comfortable lifestyle as represented below in figure 3, and it is also pretty fulfilling knowing that you are changing individual lives by helping them improve their health. The Challenge With any career field that is rewarding and has a tremendous opportunity for growth there are some challenges and risk that must be taken into consideration. Just like with the software engineering career path there is a journey that needs to be taken before you have the appropriate authority to recommend patients for certain treatments and products. There was an article posted in the New England Journal by Michael Porter which makes an argument that states, â€Å"By shifting our focus on value, simply defined as quality divided by cost, we can lower costs and improve quality (Porter, 2011)†. So in order to make this a rewarding career path, consumers would have to switch their focus as well which makes this a difficult path to choose. Education will not be a hard factor to fulfill because there are tons of institutions that offer individuals certification opportunities and there was an article on livestrong.com that supports health and wellness professionals that states, â€Å"If you have a passion for health and wellness, sharing your interest can enrich the lives of others as well. College majors in kinesiology or exercise science can teach skills for exercise and wellness careers but may not be required to obtain certifications (Case, 2011).† 7 Building A Business Building a Health and Wellness Company may not be easy but if we are able to get it off the ground and running it does offer a tremendous reward and fulfillment knowing that you are offering individuals great products and services that will change their lives by allowing them to live a healthier fulfilling lifestyle. There are even lots of companies out there in the market today which assist business minded individuals such as Melaleuca in helping individuals start their own health and wellness companies. They provide products along with customer service to those who are small companies and need outsourcing to get started. This helps break down a lot of barriers and makes the transition into entrepreneurship a lot easier. Conclusion Developing a career in software engineering or health and wellness can be very growth orientated, lucrative, and rewarding careers that both give back to the community. Even though there are a lot of great career choices out there in the world, I believe that a career in either health and wellness or software engineering would be the best fit for me because they will give me the opportunity to grow, both fields are very challenging, and they both will give me the opportunity to prosper and own a private company. I was always told in my life that as you begin to mature in life an individual should always have three forms of income coming in which first is a primary income which results from a regular steady job. The second is an alternate income which may result from a part time job or secondary business. While the last form of revenue may result from investing or savings income. My final career choice decision is to pursue software engineering as my primary income since I have dedicated so much time and effort towards learning the craft, and pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems will help me get a great entry level position with a great starting pay. Plus I have a passion for innovation and enjoy the challenge of learning something new every day. Second, I also have a passion for helping others and with the sales background that I currently have it would be an excellent opportunity for me to build a business starting a secondary health and wellness company selling health certified products to homeowners that wish to live a healthy and clean lifestyle. References Case, H. (2011, June 14). Exercise & wellness careers. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/325785-exercise-wellness-careers/ CNN Money. (2010). Best jobs in America. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/snapshots/1.html CNN Money. (2010). Best jobs in America. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/snapshots/2.html Fog Creek Software. (2011, June 12). Building great software companies. Retrieved from http://www.fogcreek.com/guide/ Ogden, C. (2012, January 10). Overweight and obesity in the u.s. Retrieved from http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/obesity-in-the-us/ Porter, M. (2011, March 6). The value proposition for health care. Retrieved from http://cfplt.com/the-value-proposition-for-healthcare-a-challenge-for-physician-leadership/

Open House at Private Schools

Open House at Private Schools If youre applying to a private school, you might notice that many of them offer something called an open house. What is it and why should you attend? In the most simple terms, a private school open house is a chance for you to visit the school. Some schools have a block of time where prospective families can come and go, meet the admissions team, and take a quick tour, while others offer full programs that require families to register in advance and arrive by a specific time. Open houses may have limited space, so if its not clear whether registration is required, its always a good idea to check with the admissions office to be sure.   Exactly what happens at an open house can vary from school to school, but typically you can expect to hear from the Head of School and/or the Director of Admission, as well as one or more of the following things during an open house.   A Campus Tour Nearly every private school open house will have an opportunity for prospective families to tour the campus. You might not be able to see the entire  campus, especially if the school is set on hundreds of acres, but youll likely get to see the main academic buildings, the dining hall, library, the student center (if the school has one), arts facilities, gymnasium, and select athletics facilities, as well as a School Store. Often these are led by students, giving you a chance to ask questions about life from a students perspective.  If youre attending an open house at a boarding school, you might also get to see a dorm room or at least the inside of the dormitory and the common areas. If you have a special request for a tour, you will want to call the admission office in advance to see if they can accommodate you or if youll need to schedule a separate appointment.   Panel Discussions and Question Answer Session Many private schools will host panel discussions where students, faculty, alumni and/or current parents will talk about their time at the school and answer questions from the audience. These discussions are a great way to get a general overview of life at the school and help you learn more. Usually, there will be limited time for questions and answers, so if your question doesnt get asked and answered, just ask to follow up with an admission representative later on.   Class Visits Attending a private school means going to class, so many schools will offer students and their parents to attend class so you can get an idea of what the classroom experience is like. You may not be able to attend the class of your choice, but attending any class, even if its conducted in another language, will give you an idea of the student-teacher dynamic, style of learning, and if youll feel comfortable in class. Some schools will offer students the opportunity to shadow current students for an entire day, giving you the full experience, while others only provide the opportunity for visitors to attend one or two classes.   Lunch Food is an important part of a school, as youre going to each lunch here every day and if youre a boarding student, breakfast, and dinner, too. Many private school open houses include lunch so you can try the food and see what the dining hall is like.   Club Fair Schools will sometimes offer a club fair, where prospective students and families can learn about after-school sports, activities, clubs, and other things that happen on campus as part of student life. Each club or activity may have a table where you can ask questions and meet students who share the same interests as you.   Interview Some schools will offer a chance for prospective students to interview during the open house event, while others will require a second personal visit to conduct these. If youre not sure if interviews are possible or if youre traveling from a distance and want an interview while youre there, ask if its possible to schedule one before or after the event.   Overnight Visit This option is less common  and is only found at select boarding schools, but occasionally prospective students are invited to spend the night in the dorm. These overnight visits are arranged in advance  and are not available if you just show up at an open house unexpectedly. Parents will typically find lodging in town or nearby, while students stay with a host student. Visitors are expected to participate in whatever activities happen at night, including study halls, so be sure to bring a book to read or homework. Lights out rules are also expected to be followed, as are restrictions for when you are allowed to leave the dorm at night and in the morning. If youre doing an overnight, you may wish to bring your own shower shoes, towel, and toiletries, in addition to a change of clothes for the next day. Ask if you need to bring a sleeping bag and pillow, too.   A common misconception about open house events is that attending means youre absolutely going to apply. Usually, its quite the opposite. These massive gatherings of prospective families are designed to introduce you to the school and help you decide if you truly want to learn more and complete the application process.

Using Verbs and Adjectives to Brighten up News Stories

Using Verbs and Adjectives to Brighten up News Stories Journalism students just getting started in the craft of news writing tend to clog up their prose with too many adjectives and lots of boring, cliched verbs, when in fact, they should be doing the opposite. A key to good writing is to use adjectives sparingly while choosing interesting, unusual verbs that readers dont expect. The following breakdown illustrates the effective use of adjectives. Adjectives Theres an old rule in the writing business - show, dont tell. The problem with adjectives is that they dont show us anything. In other words, they rarely if ever evoke visual images in readers minds, and are just a lazy substitute for writing good, effective description. Look at the following two examples: The man was fat. The mans belly hung over his belt buckle and there was sweat on his forehead as he climbed the stairs. See the difference? The first sentence is vague and lifeless. It doesnt really create a picture in your mind. The second sentence, on the other hand, evokes images through just a few descriptive phrases - the belly hanging over the belt, the sweaty forehead. Notice that the word fat isnt used. It isnt needed. We get the picture. Here are two more examples. The sad woman cried at the funeral. The womans shoulders shook and she dabbed at her moist eyes with a handkerchief as she stood over the casket. Again, the difference is clear. The first sentence uses a tired adjective - sad - and does little to describe what is happening. The second sentence paints a picture of a scene that we can readily imagine, using specific details - the shaking shoulders, the dabbing of the wet eyes. Hard-news stories often dont have the space for long passages of description, but even just a few keywords can convey to readers a sense of a place or a person. But feature stories are perfect for descriptive passages like these. The other problem with adjectives is that they can unwittingly transmit a reporters bias or feelings. Look at the following sentence: The plucky demonstrators protested the heavy-handed government policies. See how just two adjectives - plucky and heavy-handed - have effectively conveyed how the reporter feels about the story. Thats fine for an opinion column, but not for an objective news story. Its easy to betray your feelings about a story if you make the mistake of using adjectives this way. Verbs Editors like the use of verbs because they convey action and give a story a sense of movement and momentum. But too often writers use tired, overused verbs like these: He hit the ball. She ate the candy. They walked up the hill. Hit, ate and walked - booooring! How about this: He swatted the ball. She gobbled the candy. They trudged up the hill. See the difference? The use of unusual, off-the-beaten-path verbs will surprise readers and add freshness to your sentences. And anytime you give a reader something they dont expect, theyre bound to read your story more closely, and more likely to finish it. So get out your thesaurus and hunt down some bright, fresh verbs that will make your next story sparkle. The larger point is this,  as journalists, we are writing to be read. You can cover the most important topic known to man, but if you write about it in dull, lifeless prose, readers will pass your story by. And no self-respecting journalist wants that to happen - ever.

Analyse Anglo-American relations from 1917 to 1941 Essay

Analyse Anglo-American relations from 1917 to 1941 - Essay Example The United States originally held a neutral position when the Great War broke out. It wanted to continue its isolationist policy and was fearful of getting embroiled in European conflicts. Its industries were also heavily engaged with European markets. President Woodrow Wilson also pointed out that â€Å"The people of the United States are drawn from many nations, and chiefly from the nations now at war. It is natural and inevitable that there should be the utmost variety of sympathy and desire among them with regard to the issues and circumstances of the conflict†¦ Such divisions amongst us would be fatal to our peace of mind and might seriously stand in the way of the proper performance of our duty as the one great nation at peace, the one people holding itself ready to play a part of impartial mediation and speak the counsels of peace and accommodation, not as a partisan, but as a friend.†1 The British knew that American arms and support are vital to turn the tide in t he Allies’ favor. This neutral position was reversed with the occurrence of several events, including the sinking of the Lusitania and Germany’s declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare. American entry into the war on April 6, 1917 can be considered as the foundation and the beginning of a long and lasting friendship between the U.K. and U.S. The Allies now had relatively unlimited resources and men which tipped the balance against the Central Powers. The British and American forces cooperated under a unified command headed by Field Marshal Foch and the latter agreed to fight alongside their European comrades and partially relinquish command independence in its operations. The British prime minister, along with the prime ministers of France and Italy, also appealed for more troops in 1918. It was clear that the United States had the military and financial muscle needed by the Allies to gain