Ethnic Relations Essays -- essays research papers

Final Exam   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The question of race and discrimination has been around a long time, dating back to the slave age. So the fact that it is still an issue today is no surprise at all. In fact, you might be able to say that race and discrimination is still around today but has changed over time. Why is it important to understand the question of race and discrimination? It is important because helps you be a more well-rounded person. I have learned this and have become more aware of this because I am taking this class. I will be examining ten pieces of popular culture and show how it relates to what I have learned in this class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first example I would like to use is the movie â€Å"8 Mile†. The movie is about this white man that lives in a bad neighborhood in Detroit. He has a lot of good rapping skills and he works at a car garage. He knows that the only way he will get out of this bad place is if beats the black rappers and lands a record deal. The movie shows the adversity that he goes through. This movie represents how a white man struggles to get recognize in the rap industry since he is not black and since it is dominant by blacks. I think that this shows the world that it does not matter what skin you have, but the talent you have is more important. I think this ties into class on the issue of how too many times that people get categorized because the color of their skin. This shows the idea of whiteness. Black people have been used the idea of whiteness and have used it on him. Wellman quotes: â€Å"I can relate to people whose backgrounds are similar to mine† (We llman 152). Since he is white, the some black people have judged him first by his skin and looking passed his background. When in reality, he grew up with a rough childhood and the fact that he did have the talent to do what supposedly only black people could. The black people thought that just cause he had white skin that he was not able to produce the same rhythm as them because the white person did not listen to the kind of music they make.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second example I would like to use is swing dancing. I saw a picture on the internet about swing dancing and how it showed white people dancing. Swing dance was formed by the African American people and it became very popular that it became the center of American life but... ...xist with no problem. This relates to the Min’s idea of how Asians want to be like whites and how they don’t want to be like blacks. I find this interesting because in this movie, the black people are trying to be like Asians, where as the Asians are trying to be like white people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The final example I would like to use the James Bond movie â€Å"You only live twice†. The movie is about how Bond gets killed by the Chinese enemy in the beginning of the movie but he really was not dead. So he has a mission to stop the Chinese gang from taking control of the world. This reveals to the world how the Chinese can be dangerous too. I think this relates to the when Min talks about gangs in his book. What I find funny about this situation on gangs is that Asian want to become more like white people yet the gangs would be more a characteristics of the black people. So it is kind of ironic that Asians want to be white yet they are also like black people. I am not sure what exactly you can classify the Asian people as either white or black, but I would like to see that the Asian community be classified as their own group and not have to choose either white or black,

How Serfdom Save the Women’s Movement: A Summary

Flanagan in this article expresses the different roles that women play in this society. This was told in point of view of a woman once and innocent girl of 15 years girl, later grew and got married to realize her predicament which the society dictate her to be. The article speaks of her observations and experiences and talked of a nanny, a nurse, a waitress, a mother, a single mother, a domestic helper, a factory worker, and herself as a working mother. Several characters where in fact introduced and their features are sometimes presented but they all revolved to the theme that women in the society are relegated to a lesser class human being as compared to their male counterpart. The women worked hard but received meager pay and seldom get better positions in a company. The article speaks of wives and mothers who are expected to raise their children, do the household chores, but do not get so much in return. It speaks of the desire of women to have professional works while they perform their roles as loving mother and a good wife. The presence of a nanny in the house provides more freedom for a working mother to have more time for herself and for her outside work for the home. Nanny or domestic helper or workers are most welcome by working mothers this is so because they unburden the mother of the tasks and responsibilities of taking care of the needs of the children. Nanny, or domestic helper, or a nurse in the house, or a secretary in an office is still a form of slavery. It is a serfdom that inspired the women to organize and empower themselves to gain freedom and recognition in this society.

Learn About the Sahara Desert

Learn About the Sahara Desert The Sahara Desert is located in the northern portion of Africa and covers over 3,500,000 square miles (9,000,000 sq km) or roughly 10% of the continent. It is bounded in the east by the Red Sea and it stretches west to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north, the Sahara Deserts northern boundary is the Mediterranean Sea, while in the south it ends at the Sahel, an area where the desert landscape transforms into a semi-arid tropical savanna. Since the Sahara Desert makes up nearly 10% of the African continent, the Sahara is often cited as the worlds largest desert. This is not entirely true, however, as it is only the worlds largest hot desert. Based on the definition of a desert as an area receiving less than 10 inches (250 mm) of precipitation per year, the worlds largest desert is actually the continent of Antarctica. Geography of the Sahara Desert Stocktrek Images / Getty Images The Sahara covers parts of several African nations including Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia. Most of the Sahara Desert is undeveloped and features a varied topography. Most of its landscape has been shaped over time by wind and includes sand dunes, sand seas called ergs, barren stone plateaus, gravel plains, dry valleys, and salt flats. Around 25% of the desert is sand dunes, some of which reach over 500 ft (152 m) in height. There are also several mountain ranges within the Sahara and many are volcanic. The highest peak found in these mountains is Emi Koussi, a shield volcano that rises to 11,204 ft (3,415 m). It is a part of the Tibesti Range in northern Chad. The lowest point in the Sahara Desert is in Egypts Qattara Depression at -436 ft (-133 m) below sea level. Most of the water found in the Sahara today is in the form of seasonal or intermittent streams. The only permanent river in the desert is the Nile River that flows from Central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. Other water in the Sahara is found in underground aquifers  and in areas where this water reaches the surface, there are oases and sometimes small towns or settlements like the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt and Ghardaà ¯a in Algeria. Since the amount of water and topography varies based on location, the Sahara Desert is divided into different geographic zones. The center of the desert is considered hyper-arid and has little to no vegetation, while the northern and southern portions have sparse grasslands, desert shrub and sometimes trees in areas with more moisture. Climate of the Sahara Desert Samere Fahim Photography / Getty Images Although hot and extremely dry today, it is believed that the Sahara Desert has undergone various climatic shifts for the last few hundred thousand years. For example, during the last glaciation, it was bigger than it is today because precipitation in the area was low. But from 8000 BCE to 6000 BCE, precipitation in the desert increased because of the development of low pressure over ice sheets to its north. Once these ice sheets melted, however, the low pressure shifted and the northern Sahara dried out but the south continued to receive moisture due to the presence of a monsoon. Around 3400 BCE, the monsoon moved south to where it is today and the desert again dried out to the state it is in today. In addition, the presence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, ITCZ, in the southern Sahara Desert prevents moisture from reaching the area, while storms north of the desert stop before reaching it as well. As a result, the annual rainfall in the Sahara is below 2.5 cm (25 mm) per year. In addition to being extremely dry, the Sahara is also one of the hottest regions in the world. The average annual temperature for the desert is 86 °F (30 °C) but during the hottest months temperatures can exceed 122 °F (50 °C), with the highest temperature ever recorded at 136 °F (58 °C) in Aziziyah, Libya. Plants and Animals of the Sahara Desert kristianbell / Getty Images Due to the high temperatures and arid conditions of the Sahara Desert, the plant life in the Sahara Desert is sparse and includes only around 500 species. These consist mainly of drought and heat resistant varieties and those adapted to salty conditions (halophytes) where there is sufficient moisture. The harsh conditions found in the Sahara Desert have also played a role in the presence of animal life in the Sahara Desert. In the central and driest part of the desert, there are around 70 different animal species, 20 of which are large mammals like the spotted hyena. Other mammals include the gerbil, sand fox,  and Cape hare. Reptiles like the sand viper and the monitor lizard are present in the Sahara as well. People of the Sahara Desert Zine Elabidine Laghfiri / EyeEm / Getty Images It is believed that people have inhabited the Sahara Desert since 6000 BCE and earlier. Since then, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks,  and Europeans have been among the peoples in the area. Today the Saharas population is around 4 million with the majority of the people living in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, and Western Sahara. Most of the people living in the Sahara today do not live in cities; instead, they are nomads who move from region to region throughout the desert. Because of this, there are many different nationalities and languages in the region but Arabic is most widely spoken. For those who do live in cities or villages on fertile oases, crops and the mining of minerals like iron ore (in Algeria and Mauritania) and copper (in Mauritania) are important industries that have allowed population centers to grow.

Free Essays on NHS Scholarship Speech

I have been asked to speak with you tonight regarding one of the four main qualities possessed by those associated with the National Honor Society- this characteristic is SCHOLARSHIP. SCHOLARSHIP is defined as a â€Å"commitment to learning.† Scholarship is NOT an inherited quality, but one that is acquired and developed as a result of responsibility, diligence, and dedication. A scholar is willing to spend hours in reading and study, knowing the lasting benefits of a cultured and educated mind. From the detailed works of Aristotle, to Shakespeare, to Chaucer, Newton, and Darwin, the information and the wisdom available to students today is absolutely priceless. Unfortunately, many tend to overlook the importance of scholarship and its benefits to life Those FEW who demonstrate an acute awareness of the value of education are truly extraordinary. Success is not achieved by CHANCE, but by CHOICE. Despite the fact that formal education may end either in high school, or in college, one’s education and desire to learn should not cease upon the acquisition of a piece of paper, upon the receipt of a diploma. Graduation is not the end of an enlightened era, but rather the beginning of the rest of one’s life. The liberal arts education received from secondary school shall serve as a strong foundation for the various challenges life may present. Education ends only with life; therefore, one must take advantage of time and see each day as a learning experience. THe acquisition of intellect is not a destination, but a journey. Knowledge is one great element in life which leads to the highest success, and it can be acquired in only one way- through conscientiousness and effort. The information bestowed upon each scholar is invaluable and a scholar’s ability to recognize its worth is quite rare. Scholarship is worth much more than anything monetary because the power of one’s intellect cannot be spent... Free Essays on NHS Scholarship Speech Free Essays on NHS Scholarship Speech I have been asked to speak with you tonight regarding one of the four main qualities possessed by those associated with the National Honor Society- this characteristic is SCHOLARSHIP. SCHOLARSHIP is defined as a â€Å"commitment to learning.† Scholarship is NOT an inherited quality, but one that is acquired and developed as a result of responsibility, diligence, and dedication. A scholar is willing to spend hours in reading and study, knowing the lasting benefits of a cultured and educated mind. From the detailed works of Aristotle, to Shakespeare, to Chaucer, Newton, and Darwin, the information and the wisdom available to students today is absolutely priceless. Unfortunately, many tend to overlook the importance of scholarship and its benefits to life Those FEW who demonstrate an acute awareness of the value of education are truly extraordinary. Success is not achieved by CHANCE, but by CHOICE. Despite the fact that formal education may end either in high school, or in college, one’s education and desire to learn should not cease upon the acquisition of a piece of paper, upon the receipt of a diploma. Graduation is not the end of an enlightened era, but rather the beginning of the rest of one’s life. The liberal arts education received from secondary school shall serve as a strong foundation for the various challenges life may present. Education ends only with life; therefore, one must take advantage of time and see each day as a learning experience. THe acquisition of intellect is not a destination, but a journey. Knowledge is one great element in life which leads to the highest success, and it can be acquired in only one way- through conscientiousness and effort. The information bestowed upon each scholar is invaluable and a scholar’s ability to recognize its worth is quite rare. Scholarship is worth much more than anything monetary because the power of one’s intellect cannot be spent...

Definition and Examples of Linguistic Prestige

Definition and Examples of Linguistic Prestige In sociolinguistics, linguistic prestige is the degree of esteem and social value attached by members of a speech community to certain languages, dialects, or features of a language variety. Social and linguistic prestige is interrelated, notes Michael Pearce. The language of powerful social groups usually carries linguistic prestige; and social prestige is often granted to speakers of prestige languages and varieties (Routledge Dictionary of English Language Studies, 2007). Linguists draw important distinctions between overt prestige and covert prestige: In the case of overt prestige, the social valuation lies in a unified, widely accepted set of social norms, whereas with covert prestige the positive social significance lies in the local culture of social relations. It is, therefore, possible for a socially stigmatized variant in one setting to have covert prestige in another (Walt Wolfram, Social Varieties of American English, 2004). Examples and Observations: Linguistic prestige is directly associated with power. As [Thomas Paul] Bonfiglio (2002:23) puts it, There is nothing in the particular language itself that determines its worth: it is the connection of the language in question to the phenomena of power that determines the value of that language and that contributes to the standardization process.(Gerard Van Herk, What Is Sociolinguistics? Wiley-Blackwell, 2012) Old English certainly had words for language and female and face, and we could perfectly well have carried on using them [after the Norman invasion], but the much greater prestige of French induced many English-speakers to introduce French words into their speech in the hope of sounding more elegant. This attitude is always with us: French no longer enjoys quite the prestige it once had, but you may perhaps know someone who cannot resist spattering his English speech or writing with such French words and phrases as au contraire, joie de vivre, au naturel, fin de sià ¨cle and derrià ¨re. (R.L. Trask, Language: The Basics, 2nd ed. Routledge, 1999) Prestige in Grammar In grammar, most prestige forms are related to prescriptive norms of standardness or even literary norms. For example, the use of whom in Whom did you see? or the placement of never at the front of the sentence Never have I seen a more gruesome sight might be considered prestige variants in some social contexts. Apart from these somewhat special cases, it is difficult to find clear-cut cases of prestige variants on the grammatical level of language, particularly in the grammar of ordinary informal conversation...For present-day American English, it is clear that the vast majority of socially diagnostic structures exist on the axis of stigmatization rather than the axis of prestige.(Walt Wolfram, Social Varieties of American English. Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-First Century, ed. by Edward Finegan and John R. Rickford. Cambridge University Press, 2004) Overt and Covert Prestige A standard dialect speaker of English who intentionally switches to use of social markers such as aint and he dont is said to seek covert prestige. Such prestige is covert because its elicitation will often not, if successful, be consciously noted.Deliberate (as opposed to instinctive) use of taboo words such as fuck and shit, usage which tends to characterize male more than female speech, may also seek covert prestige, but the strength of these as social markers makes this more difficult to achieve. In a contrasting register, one uses unusually formal non-vernacular forms in vernacular contexts. For example, one will ordinarily say Its me to the question Who is it? asked by a familiar interlocutor, but, when asked the same question by one from whom one seeks prestige, the same speaker may say It is I. Similarly, except after prepositions Americans ordinarily say who in preference to whom: Who did you ask?, not Whom did you ask?  but in some circumstances, the latter may be substituted. Such usage is said to seek overt prestige because the often dubious prestige one gets from such usage is ordinarily consciously noted, hence overt. One may use jargon similarly seeking overt prestige, saying, for example, semantics when nothing more than ordinary meaning is intended.(Grover Hudson, Essential Introductory Linguistics. Blackwell, 2000) Labov on Prestige and Gender [American linguist William Labov developed] three principles regarding the linguistic behavior of men and women: 1. For stable sociolinguistic variants, women show a slower rate of stigmatized variants and a higher rate of prestige variants than men (Labov 2001: 266)2. In linguistic change from above, women adopt prestige forms at a higher rate than men (Labov 2001: 274)3. In linguistic change from below, women use higher frequencies of innovative forms than men do (Labov 2001: 292) Ultimately, Labov formulates the corresponding Gender Paradox: Women conform more closely than men to sociolinguistic norms that are overtly prescribed, but conform less than men when they are not.(Labov 2001: 293) All these principles and the Gender Paradox itself appear to be fairly robust findings with almost universal applicability in contemporary sociolinguistics...[E]very language period and every language community must be investigated independently and in its own right (pace Jardin 2000). The actual concepts and functions of class, gender, networks, and, most importantly, norms, standards, and prestige, differ radically in different communities.(Alexander Bergs, The Uniformitarian Principle and the Risk of Anachronisms in Language and Social History. The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics, ed. by Juan M. Hernndez-Campoy and Juan Camilo Conde-Silvestre. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012) Prestige, Status, and Function What do we mean by status and function? The two terms are often confused with one another and also with another term, prestige. Basically, the essential difference between prestige, function, and status is the difference between past, present, and future. The prestige of a language depends on its record, or what people think its record to have been. The function of a language is what people actually do with it. The status of a language depends on what people can do with it, its potential. Status, therefore, is the sum total of what you can do with a languagelegally, culturally, economically, politically and, of course, demographically. This is not necessarily the same as what you do with the language, although the two notions are obviously related, and indeed interdependent. They can also be connected with the prestige of a language. Let us illustrate the differences. Classical Latin has had a lot of prestige but it has few functions. Swahili has a lot of functions, but little presti ge. Irish Gaelic has status, official status, but few exclusive functions.(William F. Mackey, Determining the Status and Function of Languages in Multinational Societies. Status and Function of Languages and Language Varieties, ed. by Ulrich Ammo. Walter de Gruyter, 1989)

Quality Assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Quality Assurance - Essay Example Quality assurance is a vital aspect in any organisation that needs to offer unparalleled products or services. Quality assurance is the implementation of all systematic activities that are geared towards provision of quality products and services. All organisations that adhere to quality control are in a position to make a positive impact in the provision of products and services.This is an activity that is directed towards fulfilling the needs of the demand for the services and products. Quality control is mostly inclined towards satisfaction of those in need the services and products. In quality control, an organisation’s interests are not paramount. However, the interests of the consumer reign supreme. Quality Concepts An organisation that needs to apply quality control has to go through various procedures to attain the best. It is not an easy task to implement quality assurance and it will take time and other resources including finance and labour. First, the organisation has to carry out a concrete system analysis. Organisations have to come up with a system that will be operational in the organisation in order to meet the requirements. In this initial step, the organisation has to consult with concerned parties to come up with a functional system. This will involve consultation, meeting with other parties consulting research in making a strong system. This will be followed by development of the system to ensure it will function in the organisation. Analysing and developing a system that is not functional in the organisation will be a waste of time and resources. ... As such, there will be limited instances of conflict of interest. Secondly, there has to be procedures that will be followed in implementation of the system. Following procedures will ensure the system will be implemented in a standardised form. Some procedures will be vital and should be done before taking any other step in the system. Thirdly there will be a need for reference materials. The system should be backed up with materials that will be used in future in ensuring the system is followed appropriately. The last part of applying quality assurance is informing the concerned parties of the system in place. Passing information explicitly will be a benefit to the organisation as all the employees or people in the organisation will be prepared to execute the system. This will be followed by instructing the organisation on the possible measures that will be in place when implementing the system. Lastly, there will be a need to train the staff in ensuring the system is fully execute d. Since the workforce is directly involved, they will have to get ample training and preparation for the system that should be put in place. When considering the application of quality assurance in an organisation, there are several parameters that are considered. First, there is constant training of the concerned parties and employees. The employees are directly involved in ensuring quality standards are maintained. Therefore, constant training of the employees will ensure the quality of products or services are kept in high standards. In many instances, organisations that practice employee training are at the helm of making positive accrual in their line of service or products. Secondly, there is need for constant

Why parents should not argue in cheldren's presence Essay

Why parents should not argue in cheldren's presence - Essay Example Young children usually regard their parents as role models and try to imitate all they do and put them into their daily activities. Parents posses this magical ability to forget that their kids are within earshot of what they are saying when arguing. Or they assume their children are too young to understand the context of the argument while ignoring to realize the tone of their conversation is noticeable by even a one year old child. The greatest danger is, kids do as we do and most often not as we say, though we wish the opposite. So, what kind of children are we going to raise when we traditionally argue and fight before them? Most of the time, whatever children learn from their families, sometimes they carry them through their lives. Hence, family unity is a very essential component in a child’s growth and future character (Rimm, 2008). For any child to develop into a morally person, one is expected to have learnt good morals from his or her parents (Oliver, 2011). Children regard their parents as their mentors and try to copy whatever things they see them doing. A tender mind of a child once exposed to the sight of parents quarrelling may start imitating what their parents do to other children. Such children tend to develop quarreling attitudes when confronted with tricky situations and on worst case scenario, involve themselves in fights. According to some research conducted on children who were once exposed to seeing their parent’s quarrelling, the research found out that the most of the children developed quarrelling tendencies later in their lives as men or women (Rimm, 2008). Children exposed to the scene of their parents quarrelling sometime become traumatized psychologically. Possessing tender minds, children are the most affected in case of a quarrel. A child in his or her micro-environment usually believes life is a happy place, and by seeing such a scene, become terrified of life’s outcome (Vissing, 2007). A child also believe d that perfection in his or her micro-world is brought by his or her parents, therefore by seeing them quarreling, deprives the child of his or her happiness. Parent’s who quarrel in front of their children should not do so since their subject their children to psychological torture and deprive them of the happiness children should have at such tender age. Quarrelling before children in some countries is punishable since it deprives children their rights. One of the worst side effects of living in a hostile environment is exposure to stress. Stress should not be really a part in a child’s life. Some of healthy stresses such as the thrill to adventure, challenging school work, or normal changes of life are good. However, the negative stress brought about by living in unhappy household full of conflicts is terrible for a child mental and physical health. Parents should also not argue in front of their children since they might cause emotional instability. Sometimes, chil dren become emotionally disturbed when they see their parents quarrelling and become withdrawn. Children are usually free with their parents and believe their parents are their judges in whatever happens to them, but on seeing they quarrel, send fear into their minds (Rimm, 2008). A child, who was once free with his or her parents before a quarrel, may start withdrawing or keeping to himself or herself after the quarrel since he or she distrusts them. Trust in any family is important for its survival. A child learns to be distrustful after such events since the person he or she used to trust, engages in quarrelling. When children become threatened emotionally, they exhibit increased negativity in life. Some of them develop symptoms of anxiety, depression, hostility,