Growing up Hidden and made-up story about best friend who is gay Essay

Growing up Hidden and made-up story about best friend who is gay - Essay Example The paper tells that Linnea Due’s essay titled â€Å"Growing Up Hidden† is an indication of she struggled with being gay. According to the opinion of many, being gay is a phase that society intends one to outgrow but as Due insists she did not have to conform to the ideas of society. On the other hand, Miguel’s life is one that was different from that of Due as Miguel comes from Argentina where being gay is acceptable. In essence, the aspect of being gay in America becomes a challenge for those in America as the antagonists seem to have their ideas peeled. According to Due, she spent most of her life living a lie by attempting to develop an attraction for the male gender as a way of entertaining the existing norms in the American society. She found herself in heterosexual relationships that were not working since she was living a lie. However, Miguel’s gay aspect makes him coexist peacefully with those in his society as Argentine’s are not judgmenta l regarding one's sexual preference. On the contrary, defies the idea of one needs to conform to societal beliefs and attributes as a way of influencing society into accepting him. Moreover, the family experiences between Miguel and Due are quite different as Due experienced minimal love and acceptance from her family because of her being gay. Essentially, the essay presents the fact that she only was part of the family when she pretended to be heterosexual and when she finally revealed her sexual orientation, Due’s family sidelined her.... In essence, hers was a double life that led her to struggle for a substantive portion of her life as she had to keep her act in check. On the other hand, the essay on Miguel has a difference in experience as there is no one time in Miguel’s life that he had to pretend as his parents were proud of him irrespective of him being gay. They accredited his performance in school as they saw him as a child like all the other within their family and received equal treatment as his siblings. Due’s essay portrays, her quest to be a normal child despite her being gay to which her parents denied her constantly. In fact, Due’s parents ought to have shown unconditional support for their daughter as opening up to society forms the trickiest aspect of revealing one’s gay nature to society. This becomes harsh for gay individuals as they aren’t accepted both at home and in their common surrounding. Nevertheless, Due’s friends are as judgmental as a closed minde d society would be in that they are not supportive of her gay attribute. Instead, they alienate her for having stopped to live a life that is not the lie that they had all believed. In contrast, Miguel has a supportive friend as the hard times that he has had in his life he could share and receive encouragement to move forward. In essence, the American culture defies the acceptance of a gay individual in society, and it becomes emotional especially when one is not an American native. Subsequently, Miguel struggled to live his life as he had accustomed himself to because he found himself faced with the possibility of toning down his gay appearances. However, Miguel experienced few problems with acquiring friendship

Summary of chapter 9- business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary of chapter 9- business ethics - Essay Example These stereotypes may be based on societal beliefs or may directly target certain ethnic groups. There may also be normal processes inherent in the company byline which they are not aware of. These processes may look nondiscriminatory at first glance but their use can lead to discriminatory practices such as policies which predicate nominations on existing members. Moral arguments are firmly based on racial and sexual grounds. Since discrimination predicates itself on the shortcomings of a group or an individual within a group, utilitarians reject such principles since they can harm collective wellbeing. Kantians however believe that this practice fails to acknowledge people as individuals. Universally it is impossible to consider that people would willingly allow themselves to be subjected to such treatment. Rawls’s theory suggests that â€Å"parties in the original position would choose for themselves the principles of equal opportunity.† Such actions go against the belief in human equality. No one would actively support such actions. An example of elimination from society through legal and political means include slavery and the repeal of the 19th amendment. Given that discrimination is predicated upon existing attitudes and practices, there is an unequal stake for women and minorities in the working environment. Even though Americans have the highest living standard in the world today, minorities in comparison of Caucasians make less income and are prone to being poor. Minorities and women are shoe horned into jobs with lower paying salaries despite doing the same amount of work as their counterparts. There have been few inroads into the top ranks in the professional business world. The U. S Supreme Court states that numerical discrepancies do not directly point to disparity in the work place, though societal examples and practices speak otherwise. Lawsuits for both sexual and

Strategic Analysis of Tesco for UK and US Markets

Strategic Analysis of Tesco for UK and US Markets Brief background As the Tesco used the corporate strategy like diversification, it has begun its Tesco bank and Tesco hope its bank could offer mortgages for its customers, also Tesco has buy a restaurant in UK. Although Tescos supermarket has taken the biggest market share in the UK market, but it is decrease in 2012-2013. So this means the Tescos business met problem in the UK market. One of the major challenge for Tesco was that the discovery of equine DNA in beef and other meat products throughout the UK industry. So the Tesco should do some change on its business strategy in the UK market. As the biggest retailer in the world, these years Tesco met some problem as its expanded market, such as the Japan market and the U.S market. In the US market, Tesco named their store a new name fresh easy. As the Tesco makes wrong strategy in US market, its entry mode is FDI, this makes Tesco pay a lot of money on the distribution build and on the store design. Also Tesco do not localization on the US market, thus it failed in the US market. Tesco should learn something new about how to expand its foreign market, such as localization and choose a right entry model to entry foreign market. As Tescos annual report(2012) has said that Tesco is one of the worlds largest retailers with operations in 14 countries. But its business met some problems in recently years. As it has entry the US market for several years, US market does not make any profit. Also in the UK market, Tescos supermarket face the problem of the reducing market share. Aim and objectives The aim of study is to assess the Tesco strategic choosing and if they using right or wrong strategic. The objectives are to: Provide a general overview of the Tesco business running in the US and UK. Analyze the business environment in the US and UK Analyze the retail market environment in the US market Identify and assess the Tesco value chain in the US retail market Identify what problems Tesco has meet on its business in recent years. Identify if Tesco face finance problem when its entry the US retail market and after entry the US market, if the Tesco has problem with cash flow or something else in finance. Research questions What is the Tesco advantage in the UK? It is can be keep in other countries market? What kind of strategy that Tesco using recent years, how it’s working? Did Tesco choose right strategy in the US market? After entry US market, when Tesco has nonprofits in the first year, what kind of decision that Tesco has made and how it influence its business. MNEs how to avoid failed or reduce its lost in the new market. Likely source of literature The conduct this research there are three types of literature sources will be used to discussion of the topic. Including primary literature sources, secondary literature sources and reference guides (Naoum,2013) Primary literature sources: the first-hand testimony or direct evidence. Includes academic research journal, refereed conferences, and reports. Secondary literature sources are cite from the primary sources, for example textbooks, newspaper articles, and magazine and construction news. Reference guides are useful for find out the basic questions quickly, such as dictionaries and handbooks. Literature sources Research methodology Research strategy Source of Data The source of data will be collected mainly from Tesco annual report, newspaper, academic journal article and academic report which based relevant with Tesco Plc. Also some finance detail will get from e-databases of uclan library website. Data collection Data will be collection from the literature directly. Methods of Data analysis Wolcott (1994) stated that methods of data analysis are used to describe facts, highlight useful information, detect patters, develop explanations and test hypotheses. Among several of data analysis methods, content analysis, typology and taxonomy as well as descriptive statistics will be used. Typology and taxonomy method is used to analyze the qualitative data. It can identify different kinds of data, thus forming sub-groups with the general construction project risk category. It can also clarify the relationship between the concepts. Descriptive statistics is a summary to describe the basic features of the data in a study. It helps ones to simply large amounts of data in a sensible way. Content analysis is a method for summarizing any form of content by counting various aspects of the content. It is useful to analyze and understand the collections of text(Strauss and Corbin,1990). references

Acid-Base Chemistry Lab Essay -- Scientific Research

The purpose of this lab was to determine the pH and total acidity of grape juice and wine. A second purpose was to experimentally determine the pKa of a monoprotic weak acid, polyprotic weak acid, as well as, a free amino acid, alanine. Acids and bases were defined by Bronsted-Lowry in 1923, in which acids were described as substances capable of donating a proton and bases are substances capable of accepting a proton (Thompson and Dinh 2009). In addition to defining acids and bases, Bronsted-Lowry further classified acids and bases as being either strong or weak. By definition, a strong acid or base is a substance that is completely dissociated in aqueous solutions and in contrast, weak acids only partially dissociate and reach their equilibrium with their conjugate base (Harris 2003). Buffers are comprised of weak acids and their conjugate bases. In the food industry, buffers are commonly used to protect changes in pH of food stuffs. The two conjugate components of the buffer resist changes in pH by absorbing the addition of any hydrogen or hydroxyl ions (Christen and Smith 2000). When weak acids and their conjugate bases are at equilibrium, their concentrations can be expressed in terms of the dissociation constant, Ka. For a strong acid, the Ka value is greater than 1 x 10-2M and less than 1 x 10-2M for a weak acid (Thompson and Dinh 2009). For weak acids, the relationship of hydrogen ion concentration and pH can be defined by the Henderson-Hasselbach equation (Thompson and Dinh 2009). Wine quality greatly depends on the quality of the grapes and the microorganisms involved in the fermentation process (Husnik and others 2006). When compared to lactic acid bacteria, yeasts are better suited for growt... ... Son HS, Hong YS, Park WM, Yu MA, Lee CH. 2009. A novel approach for estimating sugar and alcohol concentrations in wines using refractometer and hydrometer. J. Food Chem. 74:106-111. Thompson LD, Dinh T. 2009. Acid-Base Chemistry. FDSC 4303/5303 food chemistry laboratory manual. Lubbock, Tx.: Texas Tech University, Department of Animal and Food Sciences. Ugliano M, Moio L. 2005. Changes in the concentration of yeast-derived volatile compounds of red wine during malolactic fermentation with four commercial starter cultures of Oenococcus oeni. J. Agric. Food Chem. 53:10134-10139. Waite JG, Daeschel MA. 2007. Contribution of wine components to inactivation of food-borne pathogens. J. Food Sci. 72:286-291. Wintersteen CL, Andrae LM, Engeseth NJ. 2005. Effect of heat treatment on antioxidant capacity and flavor volatiles of mead. J. Food Chem. 70:119-126.

Gang Violence in America Essay

From Chicago to Rio, from Jamaica to Nigeria, gang violence is leaving an indelible mark on communities across the globe, leaving authorities at a loss for what to do about the epidemic of lawlessness among young men who see little hope in their futures. Certainly the global economic crisis has much to do with the rise in gang violence and influence, as young men of color in most of the affected countries see few options for gainful employment. Indeed, gang violence is a growing epidemic across America and according to the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment, â€Å"gangs are expanding, evolving, and posing an increasing threat to communities. † In fact, a disturbing trend is for children as young as 8-years-old to be involved in gang activity. Gang violence is an enormous and big problem in every major city, there are multi-generational gangs, with kids growing up in gang families, although out the US. There’s also gang members recruiting kids who are around 8-years-old. It’s only when they are teenagers that we really start to see the violence. There are many reasons why a pre-teens and young people decide to join a gang. At the top of the list is a need for power and recognition, especially for youngsters who feel a sense of hopelessness because of racism, poverty or a lack of support. Who is trying to tackle the issue of urban decay and kids living in war zone? Before the age of eighteen, the averag e American teen will have witnessed eighteen thousand simulated murders on TV. While staggering in number, more disturbing is the effect this steady diet of imaginary violence may have on America’s youth. Over the past forty years, more than three thousand studies have investigated the connection between television violence and real violence . Though none conclude a direct cause and effect relationship, it becomes clear that watching television is one of a number of important factors affecting aggressive behavior. Another thing is lot of people look at what they are running to but we look at what they are running from. Is it a lack of something, or could they be be running from a dysfunctional home? Most often they feel isolated and cut off and the gangs offer them love, family and protection . There are several clues that parents can spot to indicate that a child is involved in gang activity. Some of the early signs that kids have joined gangs are signs or symbols parents haven’t seen before, changes in behavior at home or in school, becoming more secretive and starting to wear specific colors. Parents need to be active in their children’s life and not give them the chance to create alternative role models. They need to be bilingual to understand the language of their children and what their child is going through. Parents can protect their children by being involved in their activities and making sure they have positive role models to keep them out of gangs. Parents fail to realize that an idol mind is the devils territory, provide your children with after school programs which soaks up the downtime that a lot these kids have. The resolve to this on going out of control issue is to implement a comprehensive strategy that includes prevention, intervention, re-entry and law enforcement. There are many indicators whether the child is likely to join a gang, such as 1. hether he or she is committed to the code of the street, 2. a lack of commitment to school 3. substance abuse. The issue of youth gang violence and firearms is defined far more by what is not known, than what is known. Regardless of the approach taken, it is clear that there is a desire, and a need, for more accurate and comprehensive data on youth gang violence and firearms in the US. When I read about the relationship between viole nce in the media and violence among our youth I extrapolate the findings and think of them in regard to gangs. When it comes to the portrayal of gangs and gang members, the mass media sometimes go into great detail. They portray the language, dress, body movements, and look of a gang member – male and female. They show, in explicit detail, the crimes gang members commit – how drugs are sold, how to † shoot up† (inject drugs intravenously), how to free base, how to rape someone, how to stab or shoot someone, how to settle disputes using violence. The list is very long. The problem is that it is the wrong list in terms of socializing our youth into acceptable, legal behaviors. I also believe there are unsupervised children who, fed a constant diet of television and rap music violence, begin to emulate it, particularly if there are others who are doing the same thing. Every child wants to be accepted. If I am rejected by the â€Å"good kids,† perhaps the â€Å"bad kids† will want me if I act and think like they do. And there are those who feel frustration and anger who, after a media portrayal of violence, feel purged of such feelings. The impact of media portrayals of gangs and the activities of their members help us understand why gangs form, but sometimes gangs form by following in the footsteps of others.

Paulo Freire’s The Banking Concept of Education

In Paulo Freire†s ‘The â€Å"Banking† Concept of Education† the author uses several similes, metaphors and analogies to bring across his main point – the relationship between teachers and students, and the way the teaching process takes place. He feels they way students are taught isn†t as effective as it could be. The main analogy Freire uses, is that teachers â€Å"deposit† information into the students† minds, rather than actually having the students not only learn the material, but know that they know and understand the material presented. He brings about the fact that the majority of what students are taught does not directly involve them or their lives making the material seem almost foreign. To better relate the students to the material, he states the teachers should present the material to students in a way that they understand how it relates to them. Which is very true, considering that when people know that they need to know something that will benefit them in a way apart from taking a test, they tend to retain the information better. Furthermore he says that the teachers should not just teach, and the students should just learn, but that both teachers and students should go through the process of learning together, eliminating the gap of difference that exists between the two. Not only does this eliminate the boredom that often occurs in classrooms, but actually is motivation for students to speak out sharing what they know, which further increases their knowledge, as well as their peers. This selection by Freire could be summed up by a very fitting quote by Plutarch, â€Å"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.†

Cultural Analysis of France The WritePass Journal

Cultural Analysis of France Abstract Cultural Analysis of France ) describe France as one of the most important actors in Europe. France is recognized as the largest physical nation within the boundaries of Europe with over 60 million French speaking citizens (Blanchard et al, 2012). Featuring regional boundaries created by the passage of time and tradition, each section of France possesses unique religious and social attributes that set it apart making the associated culture complex (Frenchculture.org, 2014). Once flourishing as a colonial empire French holdings extended around the world, directly impacting international development (Frenchculture.org, 2014). With distinct offerings in areas of law including jurisprudence the French contribution to worldwide civilization has been fundamental (Zimmerman, 2014). The Spirit of the Laws, created during the Age of Enlightenment is one of many reflections of value that the French philosophy place on the areas of science and art (Blanchard et al, 2012). Evolving from a monarchy to a modern democratic society, with rule devolving from the population, France created the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen in order to clarify human rights (Zimmerman, 2014). This form of leadership supports the French position of innovation and development in the cultural arena. With territories still extant overseas, the French economy is rated to be the fifth largest in the world, further illustrating the strength and vitality of the French system (Zimmerman, 2014). Cultural Elements Goldhammer (2010) describes the French culture since the revolution of the nineteenth century as a combination of three aspects: Humanist, or the philosophical aspect, the scientific and the industrial. The French culture emphasizes the areas of civil rights and education in a direct effort to increase the overall standard of living (Summerfield, 2013). With past leaders including the conqueror Napoleon contributing directly to the French educational tradition, there is a lasting identification of the French population with the learning arts (Rigby, 1991). Modern evaluation of the French educational system ranks it midway between the highest and the lowest, with many substantial individuals attributing their philosophy to the system (Summerfield, 2013). This lasting identification with art is transferred to the very high rate of tourism in the nation of France, number one in the world, which is in turn credited with spreading of French concepts of education and learning (Zimmerman, 2 014). With premier artists and concepts including Cubism, Impressionism and Symbolism by such renowned artists as Manet, Monet and Renoir long comprising the French ranks, there is a real sense of gravitas to be felt in the cultural inclination of art (Summerfield, 2013). This is demonstrated the by the unrivalled French capacity to attract visitors which then spread their cultural ideals and artistic values. Among the arts and educational values held by the French there is a real sense of scientific and innovative components (Kuhn, 2013). With major universities producing practical applications in the fields of business and economics, the French culture stresses the need to continually revisit and consider new ideas (Zimmerman, 2014). This same element of cultural leadership is exhibited in areas including fashion and advertising (Summerfield, 2013). With several leading institutions including Dior and Chanel, the French society has created a cultural expectation of style and chic (The Economist, 2014). With a positive world outlook, modern French culture boasts one of the very best reputations for trust and integrity on the world stage (Zimmerman, 2014). This fact drives the perception that the society ranks among the best overall systems of governance (The Economist, 2014). Despite the upbeat overall outlook, many internal polls cite the depressed attitude of the culture itself (Frenchculture.org, 2014). With a high moral and ethical standard, yet an open and inclusive society, the French society epitomizes their slogan: â€Å"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity† (Blanchard et al, 2012:43). Leadership and Business Characteristics France has been characterized by significant leaders of both sexes including Napoleon and Joan of Arc; there is a tradition of strong, opinionated leadership (Blanchard et al, 2012). Coupled with a history of monarchies including the reign of notables such as Louis the 14th, there is an expectation of grandiose and innovative concepts from the upper tier (Stephenson, 2011). With the French revolution and the rise of democracy these principles of strength and vision in leadership have carried over, providing impetus for the modern crop of French leadership (The Economist, 2014). With a business culture that recognizes the value of leisure and employee satisfaction, there is a focus on providing the best possible environment in order to produce the best possible result (Rigby, 1991). Conclusion France is a multi-tiered culture that has provided and will continue to be a positive influence on the entire world society. With attributes including practicality, integrity, innovation and adaptation there is a real perception of value to found in the culture. Taking elements that have been refined over the centuries including French art, educational and civil rights philosophies and cultural values the nation of France can be credited with substantial contribution to modern international society. With a need to be forthright, decisive and stalwart in the face of criticism the French leadership and business community have served to drive the nation to the position of prominence that it now enjoys. In the end, past actions, modern practices and future potential combine to illustrate France as a competitive nation that produces well educated individuals fit for leading the international community. With a well-rounded consumer base coupled with a dynamic business environment, there is every reason to expect the French culture to continue to be a leader into the next era. References Blanchard, P., Lemaire, S., Bancel, N., Thomas, D. R. D. Pernsteiner, A. (2012).  Colonial culture in France since the revolution. Frenchculture.org. (2014).  French culture. [online] Retrieved from: http://frenchculture.org/ [Accessed: 8 Mar 2014]. Goldhammer, A. (2010). The future of French culture.  French Politics, Culture \ Society, 28 (3), pp. 97113 Kuhn, R. (2013). Imagining the popular in contemporary French culture.  Modern \ Contemporary France, 21 (3), pp. 396397. Rigby, B. (1991).  Popular culture in modern France. London: Routledge. Stephenson, P. (2011). The death of French culture (trans. Andrew brown).  Journal Of Contemporary European Studies, 19 (4), pp. 582583. Summerfield, M. (2013). Wine drinking culture in France: a national myth or a modern passion?.  Journal Of Wine Research, 24 (1), pp. 8182. The Economist. (2014).  Bleak chic. [online] Retrieved from: economist.com/news/christmas-specials/21591749-bleak-chic [Accessed: 8 Mar 2014]. Zimmermann, K. (2014).  French culture: customs traditions. [online] Retrieved from: livescience.com/39149-french-culture.html [Accessed: 8 Mar 2014].