Walking to improve your health Essay Example for Free

Walking to improve your health Essay Hi, my name is Peter Dong. Today, I would like to share guys about using mobile phones while driving. I think we all have a cell phone. Before I get started, I would like to ask you guys this question, how many of you use mobile phone while driving? Not long ago, my friend, who lives in CA, had a fatal accident caused by phone while driving. So, I decided to share about you, what are the use of mobile while driving, the causes or problems using it, and how to prevent using mobile while driving. According to National Safety Council Study, about every 26 seconds a crash caused by drivers using phones while driving. What is distracted driving and how cell phones distracted drivers? Distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving. Distraction occurs any time you take your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, and your mind off driving. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver. 2012 Cell Phone and Driving Statistics In 2012, 3,328 people were killed in distraction-related crashes. About 421,000 people were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. In 2012, 11% of drivers under age 20 involved in fatal accidents were reported to be distracted at the time of the crash. One-fourth of teenagers respond to at least one text message every time they drive and 20% of teens and 10% of parents report having multi-message text conversations while driving. How to prevent driving while using cell phones? Cell phone distracted driving has captured the attention of nation’s political leaders and employers and they are taking action: †¢ In December 2011, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that all 50 states and the District of Columbia enact complete bans of all portable electronic devices for all drivers – including banning use of hands-free devices. †¢ While no state yet prohibits all drivers from any cell phone use, as of March 2012, 31 states prohibit teen drivers from any cell phone use,  including handheld and hands-free. †¢ The Federal Government has taken action. President Barack Obama issued an Executive order banning federal employees from texting while driving.16 Rules about employee use of cell phones while driving have been issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Federal Railroad Administration. †¢ A National Safety Council membership survey showed employers of all sizes, sectors and industries are implementing employee policies banning talking and texting while driving. †¢ Public opinion polls show a majority of the public support these efforts.

Introduction Globalization And Expatriation Management Essay

Introduction Globalization And Expatriation Management Essay Literature review is a summary of past paper that conducted by the previous researchers and explanation about the terms involve during this study. It aims on the critical points of current knowledge on a particular topic. This chapter is important because it can be a guideline on how the study can be done. Simon Reich states that, globalization constitutes a multiplicity of linkages and interconnections that transcend the nation states (and by implication the societies) which make up the modern world system. It defines a process through which events, decisions and activities in one part of the world can come to have a significant consequence for individuals and communities in quite distant parts of the globe. According Laurence E. Rothenberg, globalization is the acceleration and intensification of interaction and integration among the people, companies and governments of different nations. According to Farhad Nezhad Haj Ali Irani globalization typically refers to the process by which different economies and societies become more closely integrated, and concurrent with increasing worldwide globalization, there has been much research into its consequences According to Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, globalization is a process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation technologies and services, mass migration and the movement of peoples, a level of economic activity that has outgrown national markets through industrial combinations and commercial groupings that cross national frontiers and international agreements that reduce the cost of doing business in foreign countries. Defined broadly, globalization is the process of integrating nations and peoples-politically, economically, and culturally-into a larger community (Gale Encyclopedia of US Foreign Policy). With business becoming increasingly global, employees with international experience have become an increasing important issue for multinational corporations (Hyder and LÃ ¶ vblad, 2007). We live in a world in which barriers to cross border trade and investment are declining. Transportation and telecommunication technologies are constantly making the world feel smaller. Material culture seems similar the world over; and national economies are merging into an interdependent, integrated and global economic system. Globalization is the reason for this incredible shift (Hills, 2007). It is a process that describes the integration of the world community into a common social or economic community. In laymans terms, globalization means the free flow of goods and services across borders (Joanne Claire Miranda, 2009). Globalization has resulted not just in goods and services travelling across borders. It has also resulted in people moving across borders for better employment opportunities and thus better wages (Joanne Claire Miranda, 2009). Due to that, it gives positive and negative effects. Positively, people move easily to benefit from their skills and experience. Firms are able to enter new market. Negatively, however, as firms enter these new industries or markets, they lack the skills and expertise required for that industry and they face not only the challenge of sourcing for the right candidate but also there is no guarantee that there would be continuity of service by the skilled staff. The right candidate should be able to work in the present environment as well as be able to teach the team members. If this is not managed properly, it may well become firms biggest obstacle. In order for these companies to have the competitive edge in this global marketplace, they need to have the right p erson at the right posting (Hills, 2007). The effects of globalization have resulted in the number of expatriates rising in the developing countries including Malaysia. When Aida and Maimunah did their study on Cross Cultural Challenges and Adjustment among Expatriates in Malaysia, 1999 (Aida and Maimunah, 2007) the number of expatriates they reported was 21,859, a figure they obtained from the Immigration Statistics. In October 2007, the immigration record showed the total number of expatriates in Malaysia is at 35, 583. Expatriation in Malaysia is not a new phenomenon. The country has gone through three waves or phases of incoming expatriates. The first group of expatriates that came to Malaysia is the Britons. They were found in private sector and big organizations such as Shell, ICI, Dunlop, Guthries, Harrison and Crosfield and British Petroleum. Other than that, in the government sector, the expatriates are mainly posted as advisors, diplomats, academics and technical specialists. The second phase of expatriates came from United States of America and other European countries whom were assigned in large multinationals such as, Phillips, Siemens, Volvo, Nestle and Esso. Finally, the third wave of expatriates came to Malaysia which were mainly represented by the Asian group of managers mainly from Japan, Taiwan and Korea along with some other European and American expatriates. This third wave resulted from the Look East policy by the Government in 1980s as well as due to closer relations with Austra lia and the Newly Industrialized Countries in Asia specifically, along with the high growth of electronics industry in Malaysia. (Aida and Maimunah, 2000) 2.2 Expatriation Cycle 2.1.1 Pre-departure The pre-departure phase involved effective selection and preparation of expatriate. Most often expatriates are selected from within the corporation. The rationale is that current managers possess the technical expertise and they are more in sync with the companys culture. (Maali H. Ashamalla, 1998) According to Luftans and Doh, making an effective selection decision for an overseas assignment can prove to be a major problem. Typically, this decision is based on international selection criteria which are factors used to choose international characters. Those criteria are:- a) Adaptability to cultural change Overseas managers must be able to adapt to change. They also need the degree of cultural toughness. Research shows that many managers exhilarated at the beginning of their assignment. After a few months, however, a form of culture shock creeps in. b) Physical and emotional health Most organizations require that their overseas managers have good physical and emotional health. The psychological ability of individuals to with-stand culture shock also would be considered as would the current marital status as it affects the individuals ability to cope in a foreign environment. c) Age, experience and education There is evidence that younger managers are more eager for international assignments because they tend to be more worldly and have a greater appreciation of other cultures than older managers do. On top of that, many companies consider an academic degree, preferably a graduate degree to be of critical importance to an international executive. d) Language training Language can be a very critical factor and international experts have referred to it as a most effective indirect method of learning about a country. e) Motivation for foreign assignment Although individuals being sent overseas should have a desire to work abroad, this is usually is not sufficient motivation. Experts believe that candidate also must believe in the importance of the job. Other than that, applicants who are unhappy with their current situation, desire for adventure or a pioneering spirit, desire to increase ones chance for promotion and the opportunity to improve ones economic status are also viewed as great motivators. f) Spouses and dependents or work-family issues Experts believe that if the family is not happy, the manager often performs poorly and may either be terminated or simply decide to leave the organization. However, according to Maali H, Ashamalia, qualities that are looked for are:- a) Cultural empathy The ability to appreciate and respect beliefs, values, behaviors and business practices of individuals and groups from other culture. b) Awareness of environment constraint In a foreign country, an expatriate is faced with unfamiliar sets of environmental forces that can be very different from those of the home country. Ability to identify forces and function within their constraints becomes instrumental to the expatriates for effective decision making. c) Interpersonal skills These skills involve effective verbal and non-verbal communications, the capacity to build trust and the ability to utilize referent power in managing within a foreign environment. It also involved the understanding of differences in value orientations such as in the power distance orientation identified by Hofstede. d) Managerial and Decision Making abilities It is highly required particularly when a manager is operating under conditions of isolation or physical distances from the centre of decision making in the home office. These competencies are also necessary in situations where expatriates have full autonomy in their foreign positions. e) Other crucial qualities Foreign language proficiency, flexibility, adaptability, entrepreneurship, self-motivation, tolerance for ambiguity, and sensitivity to world events and their impact on long-range perspectives of the business are considered as crucial qualities for expatriates selection. Other than that, Ashamalla also argued that a rigorous selection program should also include the utilization of appropriate selection devices, consideration of the candidates self-evaluation, time devoted for the selection process where it must be adequate and strategic evaluation of the overseas operations on a frequent basis. The selection plan should also include the expatriate family. In addition, intensity of intercultural relation, pre-departure preparation, cultural training, multicultural personality, and technical competent and socio cultural knowledge is vital in order to determine expatriate, spouse and family adjustment effectiveness (Awang-Rozaimie, 2011) 2.1.2 During Assignment Support during the assignment is believed to be essential for moral and psychological sustenance as well as for performance effectiveness of international managers. Superiors and HR professionals in the home office need to give adequate consideration to the importance of keeping in close touch with their expatriates and providing them and their families with the needed support. A major source of concern for the manager while abroad is the loss of visibility to those in the home office. Sense of isolation from the domestic realities of the firm and feelings of being away for the corporate centers of the power are other sources of concern for managers while on overseas assignments. During assignment, support may involve a wide range of formal and informal activities. (Maali H. Ashamalla, 1998) On the other hands, the Brookfields Global Relocation Trends Survey 2010 indicated that, six percent of international assignments fail. Therefore, it is essential for expatriates to understand specific psychological traits of Malaysian that contributed to their business performance. Primarily, cultural competency support expatriates psychological well-being and socio cultural adaptabilities (Awang- Rozaimie, 2011) However, adapting to the new environment takes several months. A model developed by Oberg (1960) describes expatriate adaptation as a four-phases process. These phases are honeymoon, culture shock, recovery and adjustment. Going through these phases in the long run results into successful adaptation in the new environment (Teodora G. Nikolaeva, 2010) Table 1: Obergs phases of adaptation a) Honeymoon The first phase of this process is the so called honeymoon phase (Oberg, 1960). This stage usually lasts from several days to several weeks and is characterized by the positive attitude of the expatriates about the host country, its culture and everything new they are meeting. In this stage the employees feel more like tourists than expatriates. They are excited by the new and are really enthusiastic about their job. The expatriates are intrigued and curious about everything that is different from what they are used to and at the same time amazed by cultural similarities. All of this is a result of the pleasant conditions the expatriates are offered upon their arrival. They stay in luxurious hotels where they communicate with compatriots or natives who speak their language or perhaps they have even been appointed a translator; They are busy with being shown the sights of the town, finding an accommodation, school for the children if they are accompanied by their families, and depending on the significance of the international assignment they can e ven be giving press interviews (Oberg, 1960). b) Culture Shock As previously mentioned the honeymoon stage lasts from several days to several weeks. After this period is over, the expatriates get hit by the new culture and everything they have found amusing until now starts being irritating which results in culture shock (Oberg 1960). Oberg (1960) defines this phenomenon as the occupational disease the expatriates experience because of the constant interaction with the new environment and the different situations the host country offers: Culture shock is precipitated by the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse. These signs or cues include the thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the situations of daily life: when to shake hands and what to say when we meet people, when and how to give tips, how to give orders to servants, how to make purchases, when to accept and when to refuse invitations, when to take statements seriously and when not. Now these cues which may be words, gestures, facial expressions, customs, or norms are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and are as much a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we accept. All of us depend for our peace of mind and our efficiency on hundreds of these cues, most of which we do not carry on the level of conscious awareness. All expatriates can be affected by culture shock, but the degree to which they suffer depends from the host country and its specific cultural characteristics, the personality of the employees and how effective they are in doing their job, their attitude towards the people from the host country and vice versa, and the significance of the international assignment Depending on these factors, culture shock can result into confusion about ones actions, anxiety, frustration, exhilaration, actions that do not suit the norms of behavior, inability to do ones job and thus not being able to sign an important deal, isolation and depression (Teodora G. Nikolaeva, 2010). c) Recovery In the recovery stage the individuals start dealing with their emotions and create a positive attitude towards the surrounding people and environment of the host country (Oberg 1960). As previously mentioned, learning the language is a beneficial factor in understanding the foreign culture. If the expatriates have gained some knowledge of the language, they are able to communicate with their colleagues and instead of criticizing them they start making jokes of them and even start being sarcastic about their dire straits. In addition to that, the employees accept that they have some problems and start asking for help from their coworkers and gradually reaching the last phase of their adaptation (Oberg 1960). d) Adjustment The final phase of the adaptation model is adjustment. At this point all the six aspects of the culture shock are gone and the expatriates are able to perform their job in the most effective way. This is due to the fact that they start accepting and adapting to the new environment. The food, the drinks, the people and the customs that used to be perceived as foreign are now seen as delightful and enjoyable; The individuals become so accustomed to the country and the people so when the assignment is over and they return home, they start missing all that which at some point of their stay was irritating and even disgusting (Oberg, 1960). 2.1.3 Repatriation Luftans and Doh defined repatriation as the return to ones home country from an overseas management assignment. The most common reason for expatriation is that the duty is over. However, other reasons might be expatriates want their children educated in a home-country school, they are not happy with their overseas assignment and failure to do a good job. Ashamalla argued that there is evidence that indicate repatriation is not simple and that a repatriate manager may experience professional as well as personal re-entry problems. 2.3 Factors contribute to challenges faced by expatriates There are many factors that could be the reason of the challenges faced by the expatriate. These factors are realized through the flow of expatriation cycle. 2.3.1 Selection does not based on IHRM guidelines. According to Bonache, Brewster and Suutari, decisions on expatriate selection are usually made in a less than organized and coherent manner, and often take by line managers who simply ignore the laid-down criteria espoused by the HR department. They prefer to draw from a restricted pool of candidates about whom they feel confident; often people like themselves or those among that group who are readily available or have shown some interest in an international element to their career. 2.3.2 Accepting international assignment for the wrong reasons. Some expatriates were thinking of moving abroad in an effort to leave behind the accumulation of frustration, misery or boredom in the current life. Others might accept the international assignment due to their own expectation and assumption based on the experience they had when visiting to that country for a holiday. Due to that, they will face difficulties when reality or the situation does not meet their expectation. 2.3.3 Inability to adapt Cultural surprises, shock, discomfort, difficulties, stress and incompetence occurred due to inconsistent expectation and inability to acquire appropriate cultural knowledge and skills of host culture. Incompetence or disability of expatriates to adapt and adjust their cultural mindset caused early return, incomplete assignment goal and put additional cost to organization for replacement of new personnel. 2.3.4 Family issues It is generally the trailing spouse who suffers the greatest culture shock in the new country. The result can be an unhappy spouse who does her best to impair the performance of the expatriate manager. Most expatriate managers are challenged and excited to be in their new postings. They need to spend a lot of time at work since they are under pressure to adapt to the new culture and their overall responsibilities are often larger than they have experienced before. As a result, the wives of expatriates spend a lot of time by themselves and are cut-off from their own family and friends. At the same time, the wife is usually dealing with problems for which she has no previous experience. Therefore, the challenges expatriates faced during expatriation could be precipitate from the pressure from home 2.3.5 The location of the assignment The location of the international assignment can determine the challenges faced by expatriate. Commonly, expatriates come from well developed countries; due to globalization and the demand of global market, developing countries, mostly from South East Asia, have a high demand for expatriate. The differences between the culture of the expatriates home country and expatriation location will present cross cultural challenges to expatriates. 2.4 Challenges Commonly Faced by Expatriates Pre Departure 2.4.1 Preparation for departure doesnt seem enough. Due to the fact that management chose the candidate for expatriation based on their preference with disregard of IHRM guidelines, it does not only affect the staff but the family member as well. Firstly, the spouse usually questions whether the decision to move abroad is really the best decision for them. On Assignment 2.4.2 Communication and language barriers They are expected to master the local language and culture, especially because more and more local workers may have the competitive advantage of local knowledge and connections, as well as strong English skills acquired while studying abroad. Other than that, expatriate faced difficulty in communication within the first few weeks and to some, it took several months to adjust. 2.4.3 Adjusting to the local working culture Every country has different working culture. Therefore, expatriates might find it challenging to understand how things work in the office in a manner where they are trying to understand the administrative and bureaucratic arrangements. Most of the expatriates came from highly industrialized nations whereby people are used to living in the fast lane and having more established and efficient services. Since the previous working trend differs from the working style they are currently in, it posed as a challenge for most expatriates. 2.4.4 High level of bureaucracy People at the high management level of their hierarchical positions acquire strong control over the issues at the workplace. Therefore, it affects the flow of work among the locals and the expatriates. Decision making processes and duration of task completion took longer than expected. This was a challenge that expatriates encountered which required some skills of cross cultural negotiations to adjust and to overcome any related problems arise. Generally, the locals working habit seemed to collide with the expatriates working habits. Since most of expatriates were come from well-developed nation, their working pace is faster and planning becomes more efficient. Thus, when the new environment is working in much slower pace, it could become a conflict between the expatriates and locals. 2.4.5 Adaptability to new environment Expatriates and family often find it challenging to adjust with the routines. Trailing spouse might have problem in term of creating a home in rented accommodation with limited personal belongings and often find herself home alone whilst the partner departs on the business trip in as many weeks. This will cause the exhaustion the working partner as they try to balance work and home demands. The challenge of creating a meaningful life for the non-working partner which often involves overcoming a sense of having lost all personal identity which comes with losing the normal social, familial and work based cues. This will lead to homesickness and loneliness where they may long for the familiar and comfortable. Other than that, the children might have problem adjusting with school environment and new education system. Beside individual struggle, parental challenge such as providing a stable home environment for children, finding appropriate healthcare when it is needed and finding the app ropriate and suitable school for children are occurring as well. Repatriation 2.4.6 Lack of value placed on their international experiences. It appears that many global firms do not assign much value to the international experience. Therefore, expatriates expectation to career advancement are not usually realized. Many Western countries are placing increasing emphasis on standards and qualifications, credentials, and professionalization of careers. Individuals who have been working abroad may find themselves left behind and no longer even qualified for the level of work they had done prior to departure. 2.4.7 Re-establishing a professional network can also be challenging. Due to inadequate communication during the overseas assignment, an expatriate loses touch with changes that take place in the corporation. An expatriate might return to find that the company has changed beyond recognition and this will lead to career disaster. Even those professional colleagues who stayed in touch through an expatriates years abroad, may not feel comfortable speaking to the repatriates level of qualifications, especially if they havent formed a clear picture of the day- to-day responsibilities handled in the international workplace. 2.4.8 The expatriate and family members may also experience reverse culture shock. Many repatriates are not prepared for the culture shock that they experience upon returning home. Although culture shock is a challenge anticipated by most immigrants and expatriates as they prepare to move abroad, it can catch repatriates off guard. Many have struggled with adjusting to the weather, food, lifestyle, and even basic domestic chores and driving; especially if returning from a country where the norm was to hire domestic help. Repatriates may also find local biases offensive, particularly if targeted at a culture or group with which they have become quite familiar and which they have grown to appreciate.

Differences And Similarities Between The Athens And Spartans History Essay

Differences And Similarities Between The Athens And Spartans History Essay The Athens and Spartans were two civilizations with many differences and similarities. The Spartans were the ones that wanted a strong army, a civilization with no freedom and less education for men so they could fight in the army. The Athenians had a strong army but freedom was very important and the education to the people was a priority. The life as a Spartan was very difficult because the kids started to train at the age of 7 and finish at the age of 18, then they must go to fight on the army. The girls were also trained, but at the age of 15 they married, had kids and stayed at home. At the age of 30, they gained a full citizenship just like the men. In Athens, the baby boys were more important than girls and wealthy children were raised by a special tutor; from age 7 the boys started to go to school and received special training for different works. Girls remained at home and learned crafts and poetry from their mothers; they often marry at age 15. At age 18 men go to the army for two years and then they get back home to work. Women, however, stayed at home to raise and take care of children. These 2 civilizations were based in 3 ways of government (monarchy, oligarchy and democracy). The monarchy is based in a government ruled by a king or a queen. On the other hand, oligarchy was based in a government that was ruled by a small group of citizens that make decisions. However, the democracy is a system in which the citizens vote to make governmental decisions. The disadvantage of the monarchy is that the king does what he wants, the citizens cant choose the king and that the people can ´t choose the laws. The disadvantage of the oligarchy is that the people can ´t decide anything in the government, just a small group of citizens have the right to vote and choose the laws. The disadvantages of the democracy are that anyone may be a candidate, also that some citizens were not decided and that the people may not agree so there may be fight. However these types of government have advantages like the monarchy, the king may control everything so he could make the right choic es. In the oligarchy the group of citizens may make good laws that help the civilization. Finally the democracy was the best because the citizens may choose the government. As the Athens Spartan`s military protect he government and the government gives education to the civilization The two most powerful and best-known of those city-states were  Athens  and  Sparta (http://plaza.ufl.edu/tlombard/). As the Spartans the Athenians have a strong military, the two civilizations have a majority in land soldiers rather than sailors. As Athenians the Spartans had a good education but the Athenians were more interested on it, the two civilizations made that the children start education at the age of 7. As the Spartans the Athenians had different way of government but their government was good, they used 3 ways of government: monarchy, oligarchy and democracy. As they had similarities they also had differences. The military of Sparta was huge and the best of all but the Athens military was a simple but strong military, the young boy started to train at the age of 7 but the Athenians went to the army at the age of 18, the Spartans kept on the army up until 60 years old but the Athenians just started to work when they get back from army. In the government The Athenians were the ones who started the democracy, it was called limited democracy that means that not everybody could vote only the ones with citizenship and the important people, and the one who started the democracy was Draco when he took the power. However the Spartans had a way to govern that they had an assembly named the council of elders, the made up the laws and the ones that choose instead of the people. The Spartans had less education than Athens because they need to go to the army Sparta seemed to be content with themselves and provided their army whenever required (http://w ww.diffen.com/difference/Athens_vs_Sparta); in school they had physical education that was very hard. The Athens had a good education and many subjects to study on, the women also study but they need to be at home and learning about crafts and poetry from their mothers and they marry at age 15. The roles that Spartans men had in the civilization was very hard, when they are born the healthy kids were raised by the mothers but the unhealthy kids were taken to a cave so they die. When they had 7 years old they were trained and by physical education, they training were made up of punishments and hard training. When they get to age of 18 they serve the army for their whole life, when the women was born they were not so important as the men so they were raised, at the age of 7 they hay physical education but at the age of 15 they got marry and raised the kids. However when the Athenian boys were born the healthy ones were raised by some special tutors, the unhealthy were send to the gates so people passing by may take them. At the age of 7 the boys receive education but the girls stayed at home learning crafts and poetry by their mothers Athenian girls did not attend school (McDougal 129). At the age of 18 the boys serve to the army for 2 years then the go back home to work when they got older, boys went to military school to help them prepare for another important duty of citizenship-defending Athens(McDougal littell 129). However the women marry at the age of 15 and had kids and raise them. The Peloponnesian war was a bloody war, the Athens were based on the navy but the Spartans were based on the land army, when the war started it was very bloody and no one was winning so they signed a treaty to stop war, the war lasted 9 years. 4 years later the Spartans burned the food supplies of the Athenians because they thought that they had a very good army, the Spartans win the wars but they led the Athenians be the cultural center of Greece. In conclusion the Spartans and Athenians were a well develop civilization but in my point of view the Athenians were best civilization because they were better people but the Spartans were bad and dangerous.

Can You Love Someone Too Much? Essay -- essays research papers

What a question to ponder! I have tried writing this essay many times and have realized that this is a very difficult topic. â€Å"Is it possible to love someone too much?† If you look at the question you first must define what love is and what it means to you before you can determine if it is actually possible to love someone too much. The Webster Dictionary defines love as â€Å"profoundly tender, a passionate affection for another person†. In my opinion, to love someone is to care not only about them as a person but also about their well being. You can love a person even if that individual does not feel the same way about you, or if the person just doesn’t understand why you are feeling this way toward him or her. It’s like when you’re a little kid and your parents tell you all the stuff not to touch, not to do, and they keep on reminding you over and over again. They’re reminding you constantly, not to get on your nerves, but because they don’t want you to get hurt. They love you, and because of this strong feeling of love, they want to make sure you are safe. To love someone is to have such strong feelings, so deeply felt that your life would not be complete or the same without them. You would do anything in the world to be with them and you will do absolutely everything for them because it feels good and right. This reminds me of a song by Canadian artist Brian Adams Everything I do I do it for you. He sings of a strong love in this song. A love that everything he does makes...

Internet Censorship Essay - Filters Help Improve Morality :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Internet Filters Help Improve Morality Hello there. My name is Apple Internet Macintosh, known to most people as "iMac". I was born a very long time ago as an Apple Computer; computer nerds keep updating my brain and I seem new and young every new year. I know it is hard to understand, but actually it is really helpful to my users. Most of my users mainly use one of my programs, which is the Internet. Sometimes my users don't use this in a good way and look at nasty and sick sites. I don't like looking at these sites and change is needed. The Internet first came to me and many of my other computer friends from the ARPANET project, a defense related project to help the army become more educated in technology. It came together between UCLA and Stanford in 1969, when UCLA students tried to log "onto the Stanford computer and try to send it some data". Problems occurred, and some major events took place; then, in 1976, networking was available to many, and the Internet was off and running (Gromov). Today you can even shop from home and have products delivered right to your doorstep using the Internet. The Internet is a great way to find anything that you need and even find a loved one you haven't heard from and want to get in contact with again. To do this, there are many search engines on the world wide web that help you find what you are looking for. Some people abuse this help to find porn sites, bomb-making sites, and other dangerous sites. There are many people that use the web every day learning new ways to be sick minded such as making bombs to blow up buildings, killing people, and looking at naked bodies of children. Not only are these sites available, but there are sites out there that teach young people how to damage their bodies by starving themselves or how to hurt others by making weapons. I am not alone in my decision to stop this nonsense. People use my program in many ways, but there is also a different side of this picture. Take the events of September 11, 2001, for example. There are many web sites out there that support Osama bin Laden and his actions. A boy from Florida, for example, flew a small plane into a multi-story bank building trying to recreate the events of September 11, 2001.

Ralph changes †How does Golding show this? Essay

Golding uses several ways to describe and show what is meant. One of the characters that Golding has used writing to show how he has changed is Ralph. Ralph is firstly described as a child with no sense of responsibility. After he is selected as leader and several situations occur on the island, he becomes a good realistic leader. Ralph is one of the first characters described in the book. Before anything else, Golding introduces two characters. One we later find is called Ralph, another named Piggy. When Ralph first finds himself on the Island he doesn’t appear to have a vast sense of responsibility, or to be very mature in his thoughts. We can see this as when Piggy asks ‘All them other kids†¦Some of them must have got out. They must have, mustn’t they?’ Ralph’s reply is to get up and casually walk over to the water. Golding, instead of having Ralph reply ‘I don’t care’ or another known ignorant phrase has written that he just gets up and casually walks over to the water. This is not only a different way of showing that Ralph is not too bothered about being responsible, but creates a question in the readers’ mind. ‘What is it with this character?’ and can cause them to become tense, wanting to find out more. In the same conversation with Piggy, Ralph is again shown to have no real sense of maturity. Piggy is showing Ralph a cut on his arm and Ralph again doesn’t seemed to be bothered by it. ‘The fair boy (Ralph) reached out and touched the jagged end of a trunk. For a moment he looked interested’. Here Golding has said straight out that Ralph almost looked interested but really could not care less. Ralph again shows his ignorance by relying on his father to save him, whereas Piggy knows that is not going to be the case. ‘I could swim when I was five. Daddy taught me. He’s a commander in the Navy. When he gets leave he’ll come rescue us.’ I feel Golding chose this section of Speech from Ralph to show that he is relying on other people and does not think that he has to be dependable. He thinks that everything will be alright because his dad will come and rescue him. He is making no real effort to do things for himself, or for the others. As the book continues, Ralph and Piggy meet more children on the island and they all decide to elect Ralph as leader. At first Ralph does not appear to have been a good choice for a strong leader as he rushes into things. He gave Jack control of the choir straight from the beginning of his leadership, ‘The choir belongs to you, of course’. Golding has shown here that Ralph is trying to think responsibly by giving Jack control of the choir so that he doesn’t have to control everything himself, Democratically. But also that Ralph rushed straight into this decision. If he had stopped and thought about it, he could have had time to think of all the consequences of this decision. The fact that Jack could use this power to overthrow him. Later, however, Ralph does realise that he has to think over his decisions before he enforces them. He says ‘Listen, everybody. I’ve got to have time to think things out. I can’t decide what to do straight off. If this isn’t an island we might be rescued straight off’. This quotation also shows that he is beginning to think about being rescued since he has had the power of leadership. He is beginning to think more maturely, responsibly. Ralph shows signs of a strong leadership as the story goes on. Golding shows these by implementing them in Ralph’s speech and reactions. After he has become leader, his reactions to certain situations change. One of which is the situation that exists when the boys need to find out whether the island is actually an island. Ralph says ‘So we’ve got to decide if this is an island. Everybody must stay round here and wait and not go away†¦. Three of us will go on an expedition and find out.’ Here Golding is showing Ralph’s thoughts are starting to be trained and precise, reacting upon a situation. Earlier on in the book Ralph showed that he did not care to hear about Piggy as he stood on his head whilst he was talking to him. Golding later writes ‘There was no place for standing on one’s head. This time Ralph expressed the intensity of his emotion by pretending to knock Simon down; and soon they were a happy, heaving pile in the under-dusk’. This is explained by Golding to show that Ralph’s behaviour has also changed since he has had to become more responsible as chief. After Ralph has decided that a fire must be kept alight on top of the mountain to send smoke signals to a passing ship and that there had to be somebody maintaining the fire, Piggy took the conch. He stated that the firewood was piled up too much for a small fire. At that moment, the fire began to spread into the dead wood and across into trees. The island began to catch fire. In all the commotion, a smaller child was caught in amongst the fire and wasn’t seen again. ‘That little ‘un†¦.. him with the mark on his face, I don’t see him. Where is he now?’ Ralph was not able to say or act upon this case but was all part of his learning. Golding shows that Ralph realises he has done wrong and needs to think more before he acts by having him repeat part of his speech in amazement and shame. ‘Ralph muttered the reply as if in shame. â€Å"Perhaps he went back to the, the—–â€Å"‘. Later in the story Ralph remembers the little child and acts upon the situation that caused the memory to appear in the front of his mind. Another situation that causes Ralph to act and use the power of his leadership is when Jack takes the two twins, who are on fire watch, off to go hunting for meat when they are not really needed. Ralph and Piggy notice that a ship passes the island but at that point there is no smoke from the fire. They rush up to the top of the mountain and try to get some smoke before the ship passes. Unfortunately the ship passes before any smoke was made for signalling. When Jack and the others get back from a successful hunt they are all boasting. One of the first things that Ralph says to Jack is ‘You let the fire out’. Again, this shows Ralph’s change in attitude when he has to react to a situation. He has a sense of responsibility and a rage inside him because nobody listened to his reasoning and rules about the fire. Ralph continues to show his anger at Jack as he repeats his point that he took the twins away from the fire and let the fire out. He then said to relight the fire ‘Ralph’s final word was an ungracious mutter. â€Å"All right. Light the fire†. Here again, Golding is showing Ralph’s realisation of the situation by stating that Ralph is acting maturely with his power even though he may want to just shout at Jack for it. Ralph later uses his authority to show that he is taking charge. ‘I’m calling an assembly†¦.even if we have to go on into the dark’. This shows that Ralph does not care for messing around and immaturity at this time. He cares about his rules, keeping the fire alight and doing something about being rescued. In contrast to the beginning of the book, Ralph has taken it upon himself, along with his leadership, to start thinking about being saved after bad situations have occurred and he has realised that daddy won’t save him, its up to him to get everybody saved.

The Katrina Breakdown

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina may be remarked as a very important aspect to understand the relationship between federal, state, and local governments when it comes to major catastrophe. In Katrina’s case, federalism is seen as central to what was largely a government-created disaster. Numerous scientific articles are trying to offer various interpretations of what went wrong and why; however, out of all perspectives, I find Stephen Griffin’s argument most persuasive. Yes, I may agree with Martha Derthick that there were both success and failures in governmental responses to the disaster, but I also find this idea less persuasive because there were more failures than successful responses. I may agree with Marc Landy’s position that federalism was put to a difficult test that required effective decisions, speed and coordination, and I agree that some citizens were not cooperating with the mandatory evacuation orders and consequently were the ones to blame. However, Griffin’s examples of governmental failure show something valuable about the nature of federalism. First of all, he proves that federalism is not simply about the fact of the existence of federal and state governments. Federalism is also about localism. Despite being dependent for their legal authority on state governments, local governments have substantial legal and political authority. Prior to Katrina, federal disaster policy had been based formally on the idea that local governments knew local conditions best. However, one of the most unusual characteristics of Hurricane Katrina was how it blasted away the entire local government infrastructure in New Orleans. It challenged assumptions as to how the federal structure needed to operate, not just during a crisis, but also in preparing for crisis situations. It also removed the basis on which the National Response Plan was built. Second, the failure to respond to the disaster exposed one of the few real structural weaknesses in the U. S. Constitution – a mechanism to coordinate the work of local, state and national governments. While Washington had difficulty making long-range plans, coordinating its actions and political decisions, local, state and federal officials were debating over who was in charge. The fractured division of responsibility – Governor Blanco controlled state agencies and the National Guard, Mayor Nagin directed city workers, and the head of FEMA, Mr. Brown, served as the point man for the federal government – meant no one was in charge. For example, the evacuation was delayed unnecessarily because the federal and state governments could not communicate effectively about who was supposed to provide transportation. It meant that officials were unaware that there were thousands of people without food, water, or bare necessities. The consequences of this governmental paralysis were appalling human suffering and the humiliation of the U. S. government in the eyes of the nation and the whole world. Another part of the problem was that the scale of devastation was vast. It appeared that Katrina was beyond the capacity of the state and local governments, and it was beyond the capacity of FEMA. Federal authorities were waiting for state authorities who were supposed to combine local decisions to request resources in an emergency. However, when local governments and communications had been wiped out, state authorities did not know what to request. The extent of the crisis meant that state officials were unable to cope. In other words, when the crisis hit, different agencies could not communicate with one another due to different types of systems. When in fact, Katrina was a national problem and could only be solved by a national mandate. It seems that the federal system must be a certain way because it has always been that way – it is a system that the founding generation designed and thought was well-justified. Among other effects, this saves officials from having to fully confront their own responsibility for how the system is run. In Katrina’s case, for instance, there was no justification for allowing local and state authorities to fight for years over who was going to buy which communications system. They should have not fight over the idea of how the block grants needed to be distributed. Indeed, they would not have been able to fight at all were it not for the federal dollars they were receiving. Unless some institutional and constitutional lessons of Katrina are learnt, if another terroristic event, or a massive earthquake, or even another hurricane happens, we will get the same ill-coordinated response. We need to stop our customary thinking about what federalism is and what it requires in order to prevent another disaster. The formal structure that does carry over from the eighteenth century is misleading because it has been supplemented and subtly altered by continuous institutional change. To quote Stephen Griffin: â€Å"The federal system as it exists today is our system, not that of the founding generation. â€Å"We† – generations still alive – created it and we are continuing to change it. † In any event, if this system is ours, we are responsible for its successful operation and we can decide to change it for good and sufficient reasons.