The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie 1974 Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974 - Movie Review Example First of all, it is a process of everlasting thinking and intention to broad own outlook. Without critical analysis, brainstorming and generation of own thoughts and emotions, any cultural event is pointless, as long as it does not compel person to accept provided information properly, developing knowledge base, forming private views and altering previous attitudes. Sometimes watching a play or visiting exhibition, a person is able to be pleasantly impressed and manages to learn a lot more than last several years of life can teach him with different situations, experiences, acquaintances and problems. It is not random when they say that a smart person studies life with a help of outside experiences, instruments and sources, which prevent him to make mistakes in own real situations. Therefore, cultural enrichment is imperative device of personal development and growth, which stimulates thinking activity and embellishes insipid days with bright and abundant emotions. One of such cultur al events that had managed to become not only entertainment but also educational element, encouraging to further communication, expression of own ideas and making of relevant conclusions, was a free presentation of legendary Toby Hooper’s movie â€Å"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre†, which took place on the lawn at Enzian theatre. The outdoor show occurred on the 19th of October at 8:30 PM. Word of mouth, especially my close friend, who is a passionate fan of horror movies, and Internet links on the official web site of the theatre have helped me to find out more about impending event, providing details concerning the venue, time and gist of gathering. Being not very impressed with such genre of movies, after my friend’s arguments concerning the significance and popularity of the mentioned film I was extremely intrigued, containing interest and intention to be able to appraise a picture that was totally out of my taste. Preliminary having read some reviews, among w hich there were as positive as critical comments equally, I realized the vagueness of horror movie that managed to create inner desire to form own point of view. That is why, being interested and rather skeptical about greatness of the picture, I decided to take my friend’s piece of advice into consideration and watch Hooper’s movie. In the beginning of â€Å"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre† a viewer can observe rather unusual fact when a teller emphasizes on the truthfulness of the current story. However, despite that during the creation of the Leather face’s image script writers have alluded to well-known in 1950s American slaughter Ed Gein, in the reality all characters are invented and the plot is fictional. Such disinformation of the viewers is able to evict considerable interest and attract people’s attention to the movie right from the beginning, keeping them in a huge tension and concentration to the plot until the very end. The movie starts w ith dreadful flashes of dead bodies and announcement of the radio speaker about the barbaric treatment of graves on the Texas cemetery. In the center of the movie there is a young girl named Sally and her disabled brother on invalid chair, who, being heard about tombs robbing, with other friends get a ride to investigate a grave of their grandfather. Driving near a cattle farm, Franklin explains everybody how farmers slaughter cows, while Pam interjects that â€Å"people should not kill animals for food†. That is the first push for thinking that a viewer meets with. Ordinary and

Coffee A Review Of Possible Health Benefits Biology Essay

Coffee A Review Of Possible Health Benefits Biology Essay Coffee: A Review of Possible Health Benefits. One of the worlds most widely consumed beverages, coffee, has been enjoyed by people for centuries. The coffee shrub, a bush bearing rich green leaves, pale flowers, and vivid red berries, stems from East Africa, and was introduced to the Americas in the early 1700s. Today, the United States accounts for nearly a quarter of the worldwide yearly consumption of more than 12 billion pounds of coffee grown globally. Fifty-four per cent of Americans consume coffee daily as coffee continues to grow in popularity. The average U.S. coffee drinker consumes more than three cups of coffee per day, usually in the morning for a quick boost from the caffeine. Aside from giving its drinkers a morning lift, research shows coffee may help protect against a host of health problems, including type 2 diabetes, Parkinsons disease, cardiovascular disease, and various types of cancers. With thousands of studies being conducted on coffee over the last forty years, some advising a reduction on the consumption, others promoting coffees intake, people suffering from type 2 diabetes may be surprised to learn about some of coffees health perks. The most common type of diabetes, type 2 diabetes, makes up the majority of the American cases of the disease. When an insufficient amount of insulin is produced in the body, type 2 diabetes develops. The lack of insulin in the body causes an increase of glucose in the blood. This causes insulin resistance. When insulin resistance happens, blood sugar levels increase. If blood sugar levels remain too high, the pancreas may be at risk of damage, resulting in serious, life-threatening health problems. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Womens Hospital analyzed information collected from over 125,000 study participants for almost two decades and discovered a possible link between a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and consuming up to three cups of caffeinated coffee each day. Those who drank more than six cups of coffee each day lessened the risk of diabetes in women by 30% and in men by more than 50%. Another study conducted by researchers from the University of Sao Paulo in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil found that in nearly 70,000 women who had coffee during lunchtime, they were 33% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who did not drink coffee. Another survey that pooled data from 18 different studies counting half a million participants from over the last 40 years revealed an additional 7% less risk of diabetes development for each cup of coffee consumed past 4 cups. Dr. Peter Martin, head of the Institute for Coffee Studies at Vande rbilt University, describes coffee as having a multitude of compounds, including chlorogenic acid, a chemical that increases the bodys ability to remove and organize blood sugar, therefore reducing the development of type 2 diabetes. Another seriously debilitating condition, Parkinsons disease, currently affects nearly two million Americans. Parkinsons disease is a condition caused when nerve cells in the brain fail to generate dopamine, a monoamine neurotransmitter in the brain which is needed in order for the central nervous system to operate correctly. During subsequent stages of Parkinsons disease, victims develop indications of tremors and bradykinesia, causing decreased movement ability. Since the general population is getting older, more and more Americans are expected to be diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in the future. Lifestyle may have the strongest influence on the development of Parkinsons disease, but scientists are now considering nutritional sources like coffee as possible deterrents against the disorder. During a 22-year analysis of nearly 7,000 men and women, ages 50 to 79, researchers found participants who consumed coffee in large quantities, ten or more cups per day, lowered their risk of developing Parkinsons disease by an astounding 75%. In another study conducted over a 30 year span by the Honolulu Heart Program, researchers studied over 8,000 Japanese-American men and the link between coffee consumption and the development of Parkinsons disease. Coffee drinkers in this study were less likely to develop Parkinsons disease. As a matter of fact, those who never drank coffee were five times more likely to develop Parkinsons disease compared to the coffee consuming men who participated in this study. An additional study on coffees inverse affects on Parkinsons disease development from the Harvard School of Public Health used 135,000 people from various backgrounds. The study group participants who drank more than four cups of coffee on a daily basis lessened their risk of Parkinsons disease development by 50%. In more recent studies conducted by Vanderbilt Institute for Coffee Studies, the only institute in the country dedicated to studying the health effects of coffee, found that individuals who drank coffee throughout the day, not just in the morning, slashed their chances of developing Parkinsons disease by as much as 80%. Three of these studies discovered the more people drank coffee, the more they decreased the chances of Parkinsons disease development. Similar to the caffeine found in coffee, the brain produces a natural form of this xanthine chemical called adenosine. The brain of a person who is at risk of Parkinsons disease produces too much adenosine and not enough dopamine. When a significant amount of caffeine is ingested, the chemical blocks adenosine receptors in the brain. When these receptors are blocked and adenosine production is cut off, more dopamine is produced, thus decreasing a risk of Parkinsons disease development. In the past, many studies named coffee as a contributing factor in the development of different forms of cardiovascular diseases. The general consensus was that coffee raised cholesterol levels in drinkers, creating an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. However, the majority of those studies stemmed from Europe where the process of how coffee is made just before consumption differs from the way Americans prepare the beverage. Unlike many Europeans who enjoy coffee that has been prepared using a percolator, a French press, or the Scandinavian boiling method, Americans generally filter their coffee. The filtering process seems to eliminate most of the harmful cholesterol found in coffee. More recent studies made an adjustment for American coffee drinkers and found that in individuals over 65 years of age with average blood pressure, those who consumed one cup or more each day decreased their chance of coronary heart disease mortality by more than 40%. Within this same group, coffee drinkers also seemed to experience a reduced risk of heart valve issues. Harvard researchers found long-lasting cardiovascular health advantages related to regular coffee drinking. In one study, nearly 40,000 disease free men and women ages 40 to 64, were tracked from 1990 to 2000. The result of this study showed women who drank coffee on a regular basis experienced a massive 55% decrease in cardiovascular related deaths. An additional studys findings presented during the American Heart Associations 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in San Francisco, suggested an 18% reduction in the risk of heart rhythm disturbances in individuals who drank at least cup of coffee each day. In 2006, the Dept. of Nutrition at the University of Oslo, Norway reported coffee drinking may also reduce inflammation and the risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. According to the American Heart Association, phytochermicals like cafestol, flavonoids, and other micronutrients found in coffee may have reversing affects on the development of cardiovascular disease. Coffees phytochemicals along with antioxidants and chlorogenic acid are believed to have defensive properties against cardiovascular problems by reducing the build up of fat collected by arteries. Coffee has also earned a negative reputation regarding the development of cancer. Many health studies of the 1970s and 1980s resulted in the labeling of coffee as a promoting substance in the progression of various types of cancer. One of the earliest studies conducted on the subject, released in 1971 by American scientists for British medical journal, The Lancet, named coffee as a possible cause for bladder cancer. Ten years later in 1981, researchers from Harvard again linked coffee to various forms of pancreatic cancers. However, in the mid 1990s, more research showed insufficient associations between coffee consumption and these types of cancer, especially when an adjustment was made for smoking. Because individuals who were heavy cigarette smokers also tended to drink large amounts of coffee, research often made invalid connections between the two habits, confusing health problems that may be caused by either. By the late 1990s, more and more studies began to crop up disproving initial results of research finding coffee to be adversary to health. In more recent years, new studies suggest chemicals found in coffee may even have an inverse affect on health and could possibly help protect against many types of cancers. According to a 2003 study conducted by researcher Francesca Bravi from Milans Institute of Pharmacological Research, individuals who consume coffee are 41% less likely to develop liver cancer compared to those who do not drink coffee. In a study spanning the course of two decades, scientist Kathryn Wilson from Channing Laboratory of Harvard used data taken from 50,000 male participants. In this study, 5% of male participants who consumed more than six cups of coffee each day experienced a 60% decreased risk of developing prostate cancer. Likewise for women, coffee is now also being associated with having protective value against some of the most common forms of cancer affecting female reproductive organs. According to the American Cancer Society, the most common form of cancer affecting reproductive health for women is uterine cancer. A 2009 Mayo Clinic study finds that out of a 20,000 women study, those who drank two to three cups of coffee each day were 30% less likely to develop uterine or endometrial cancer. Study leaders Thomas Hofmann, Ph.D., professor and head of the Institute for Food Chemistry at the University of Munster in Germany, and Veronika Somoza, Ph.D., deputy director of the German Research Center for Food Chemistry in Garching, claim coffee drinking could possibly avert colon cancer from developing. Studies suggest people who consume four or more cups of coffee each day reduce the risk of developing colon cancer by about 25%. Researchers Hofmann and Somoza identified the protection coffee offers ag ainst cancer stems from the antioxidant compounds found in the beverage. These compounds prompt phase II enzymes, living cells in the body which protect against chemical carcinogenesis. Chemical carcinogenesis is the process where cells transform from being normal, to precancerous, to cancerous. Chlorogenic acid found in coffee destroys the damaging free radicals in the body which contribute to diseases, including different types of cancer. Another anticancer chemical found in coffee, methylpyridinium, forms when coffee beans are roasted. Methylpyridinium can be found in caffeinated, decaffeinated, and even instant versions of the beverage. With a number of recent studies evaluating the possible link between drinking coffee and the reduction of risks pertaining to the development of Parkinsons disease, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancers, individuals suffering from these disorders may find some relief in the next pot of coffee they perk. Although dated reviews concluded coffee drinking could cause greater risks of these diseases, more recent findings suggest just the opposite. Although the latest studies on the medicinal and therapeutic uses of coffee are shedding new light on possible health advantages, researchers say additional investigation on the components of coffee and their effects on the body should be considered. While doctors are not yet advising patients to consume more coffee than usual, individuals who consume coffee may continue enjoying this population beverage as part of a balanced diet without worry of any adverse health effects progressing due to its consumption.

The Afro-Cuban Struggle for Equality :: History Historical Racial Essays

The Afro-Cuban Struggle for Equality The Afro-Cuban struggle for equality essentially began after the emancipation of the slaves in 1886. This struggle would continue until 1912, when a brutal government massacre ended their hopes of real equality. The Afro-Cuban struggle for equality was a key issue in Cuba’s fight for independence, as well as, Cuba’s fight to find its identity and character. The first attempt to unite the Afro-Cuban community was the formation of the Directorio Central de las Sociedades de la Raza de Color in 1887. This was the first black political party within Latin America. "The main focus of the struggle led by these Afro-Cubans and the Directorio was equal rights and equal protection under the law." [35] The Spanish did not see the Directorio in the same manner. They thought it was a tool, used by blacks and mulattos that used racism against whites in order for the black population to take over Cuba. When the black community said they wanted to be considered equals, the white community was hearing another Haiti. They feared that the black community was going to revolt against them and try to take over the whole country. This white fear was at the core of the equality issue and represents the white person’s main rejection of equality. The Afro-Cuban community tried to explain the Directorio by "explaining that the Directorio was not a black party uniting Afro-Cubans in a supposed hatred of whites. It was the opposite of a racist movement and struggled to suppress racism." [52] Afro-Cubans knew that they would never be accepted as equals with the white class, so they helped decided to help aid in the cause for independence of Cuba from Spain. They hoped that if they helped fight to win their countries independence, they would be able to achieve greater equality and a better role in society. †¦their goal was probably not only independence from Spain but also the creation of a new society in which they would fully participate. Blacks rebelled against racism and inequality, landless peasants regardless of race stood up for land, popular cabecillas wanted political power, and orientales in general hoped to gain control of their region’s destiny. The potential for the war to become a social revolution was strong indeed. [57] The war was a colorless one. Cubans fought next to Cubans. Cubans looked at the war as a new beginning.

Whistleblowing and the Consequences

Whistleblowing is an act that has become more prevalent in the corporate and private sectors. A whistleblower is described by Liuzzo (2013) as â€Å"†¦a person who reveals to a governmental authority, or to news media, confidential information concerning some wrongdoing or conduct that he or she regards as unethical† (p. 28). Some of the most notable cases in United States history have involved corporations, utility companies and the President. Some cases have been so extensive that they have brought about the collapse of corporate giants and even garnered the resignation of the President prior to his impeachment.The following will outline some notable cases, reasons why some people decide to â€Å"blow the whistle† and steps that the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) has taken to secure the rights of those who report violations in the workplace. With greater frequency, internal organization constituents such as employees and board members are repo rting issues of wrongdoing by their companies, instead of the reports coming from external auditing agencies (Mesmer-Magnus & Viswesvaran, 2005, p. 277).Whistleblowing is further defined as, â€Å"the disclosure by organization members (former or current) of illegal, immoral, or illegitimate practices under the control of their employers, to persons or organizations that may be able to effect action’’ (as cited in Mesmer-Magnus & Viswesvaran, 2005). Companies try to anticipate the possibility of unfaithfulness by demanding employees sign an employment contract or non-disclosure agreement, which would render the disclosure of company business a serious offense. Employees who feel an unjust action is taking place within their organization have two channels to approach to address the issues.An internal channel consists of reporting the offense to company management so that they have the opportunity to research and contend with the offense(s). This is the most beneficial to any organization as it allows them to determine solutions and their internal issues stay safeguarded. Instead of lengthy investigations and legal troubles, companies could save thousands of dollars if the employee brings to light an issue internally to management, which provides the information to the people who are best able to resolve the situation.Although internal channels are best for organizations, they  may not be the best option for the employee to ensure compliance. External channels would include news media and government officials. People who decide to use the external route are considered whistleblowers. Organizations are least likely to welcome this form of disclosure, as their profits will likely plummet while the bad press spreads. Some employees go this route without discussing the issues with corporate management because they do not know who to talk to or they feel that their concerns will not be addressed. People also go behind their employer’s back bec ause they are afraid of retaliation and being labeled a trader by co-workers.The use of the word whistleblowing actually goes back more than 100 years and had nothing to do with corporate espionage or wrongdoing. The term came about in 1863 in the federal government’s False Claims Act (Eaton & Akers, 2007). The Act was initially enacted to incent consumers to report acts of wrongdoing against the government. According to Eaton and Akers (2007), Congress revived the Act in 1986 and retaliation legislation was added. The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 strengthens the protection for employees who disclose waste and fraud.In 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was added after the collapse of Enron to hold publicly held corporations accountable for their actions. Whistleblowing statutes may vary from state to state. There are some states that only allow protection to a whistleblower if he or she is a public employee or is working for a government contractor (Whistleblower, 20 08). Some statutes allow for only the person blowing the whistle to have protection against employer retaliation, while others allow co-workers that are supporting the whistleblower in their effort protection.This is why it is vital to research the law within the state the injustice occurred. Whistleblowing cases have been steadily increasing year over year since an additional 21 federal laws have been put into place to coincide with the OSH Act 1970. Each law outlines what is considered a discriminatory act and the deadlines around filing a complaint. Due to the protection that these laws provide, more and more people are coming forward and disclosing issues within their knowledge. OHSA protection means that companies cannot take â€Å"adverse actions† against employees for uncovering the truth (Occupational  Safety & Health Administration, 2012).These actions include, but are not limited to firing, demoting, harassing threats, and reducing pay and/or overtime. Constant up dates to whistleblowing laws are allowing more industries to outline the rights of those who are thinking about disclosing misdeeds. Violations that are being reported include issues with airline and workplace safety, consumer products, food industry safety, and securities fraud. As of March 31, 2012, OHSA has reported a 139% increase in yearly reported cases from 2005 through 2011 (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, 2012).During the same period, only 2% of the cases determined were given merit, 22% were settled and the remaining 77% were either dismissed or withdrawn. These statistics lend credibility to the determination of the people who are blowing the whistle and trying to make the world a safer place for all. Although the constant updates to the laws are beneficial, in come cases anonymity would be advantageous for the whistleblower. The implementation of a whistleblowing policy within companies, organizations and schools is encouraged to avoid damaging public attent ion and loss of internal morale.The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners compiles data every other year on fraud cases both in the United States and internationally. The 2012 â€Å"Report to the Nations on Fraud and Abuse† provides the following statistics for those organizations surveyed between January 2010 and December 2011: (1) 5% of annual revenues are lost to fraud each year, (2) The medium loss to fraud was $140,000, with one-fifth of the cases involving over $1 million, (3) Most frauds occurred for 18 months before detection, and (4) Most frauds were detected through employee tips (Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, 2012).A 5% loss to fraud each year is far from an insignificant amount to a company, and the statistic proves that providing employees with guidelines for revealing fraud can save a company thousands of dollars each year. The creation and inception of a whistleblowing policy is a small price to pay for safeguarding a company against losses to fi nancial and human capital. Whistleblowing happens for a variety of reasons, including identifying corruption, public safety and securities fraud.Sometimes the whistleblower is a direct employee of the company brought under scrutiny, while others have inside knowledge of wrongdoings through a working relationship. Although whistleblowing happens all around the world, the United States has had its share of famous cases that brought about new regulations to control further corruption in business dealings. Three cases and their outcomes are: 1)In June 1972, a break-in at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D. C. led to the resignation of the then current President, Richard M. Nixon.One of the perpetrators was a former CIA operative and a current security advisor to the President’s re-election campaign. Notebooks containing the phone number for â€Å"E. Howard Hunt (W. H. )† were found on two of the men, and these clues gave rise to intense media attention (Woodward, 2005). The United States Senate started an investigation to determine how far reaching the scandal was. A confidential informant, later dubbed â€Å"Deep Throat†, provided Washington reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein insight into misdeeds by the President and his advisors.â€Å"Deep Throat† continued to tell Woodward & Bernstein to â€Å"follow the money† until they eventually uncovered the illegal indiscretions happening in the White House (Arnold, 2008). On May 31, 2005, Vanity Fair magazine released the announcement that former FBI Associate Director Mark Felt was in fact â€Å"Deep Throat. † Felt was convicted of authorizing illegal FBI searches in 1980 and was later pardoned by President Ronald Reagan. 2)Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a former vice president and head of research and development for Brown and Williamson, disclosed deceptive practices by tobacco companies in the manipulation of nicotine.He communicated that they knew nicotine was addictive, but failed to act upon it (Arnold, 2008). Jeffrey also insisted that the company ignored research proving that flavoring added to cigarettes caused cancer, along with concealing damaging documents that could be used against them in cases brought by sick patients. â€Å"Jeffrey considered the whistleblowing a great personal risk to himself and his family but still decided that it was for the better good of people and society for the practice to be exposed† (Whistleblower Center, n. d.)Testifying as a master witness, he helped the formation of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement that implemented a $246 billion settlement against large tobacco giants. Wigand was fired from his position prior to blowing the whistle, and he described his subsequent harassment in an interview on 60 Minutes in 1996. Becoming a whistleblower had damaging effects on Wigand’s life, some of which he has overcome after a great many years. He no longer had any privacy, and his reputation was ruined. D eath threats against him precluded that he needed around-the-clock bodyguards for several years.His wife divorced him and took his two children to live with her in another state. A critically acclaimed movie titled The Insider was made about his story in 1999 and it highlighted the harassment that he endured. After the movie came out, Jeffrey was in demand to speak at schools and health organizations about the dangers of tobacco and smoking (Salter, 2002). Salter also states that Wigand became a teacher and eventually reconciled with his children. 3)One of the most famous whistleblowing cases in recent history involved the collapse of the energy giant, Enron.Executive Sherron Watkins disclosed extreme accounting irregularities to Enron CEO Kenneth Lay and expressed her concern for the collapse of the company (Arnold, 2008). After Lay did nothing and Watkins was demoted, Enron shares fell to $1 in November 2001 from a mid-2000 high of $90. In their book The Smartest Guys in the Room, McLean and Elkind surmise, â€Å"The Enron scandal grew out of a steady accumulation of habits and values and actions that began years before and finally spiraled out of control† (2004, pgs.  132-133).Deceptive accounting practices hid billions of dollars of debt from failed transactions, and Enron pushed auditors Arthur Anderson to ignore and not report them either. Many of the firm’s executives were convicted and spent time in prison. The auditing firm of Arthur Anderson was indicted and found guilty in District Court, but the Supreme Court later overturned the conviction. By this time, Anderson’s reputation had been marred and most of their customers abandoned them. This led to the shutdown of the firm.The lies and deceptions by both Enron and Arthur Anderson helped to create the previously mentioned SOX legislation. Several studies have been done on whistleblowers over the years to determine the motivation behind their actions. â€Å"While results seem t o differ slightly across studies, whistleblowers (as compared with inactive observers) tend to have good job performance, to be more highly educated, to hold higher-level or supervisory positions, to score higher on tests of moral reasoning, and to value whistleblowing in the face of unethical behavior† (as cited in Mesmer-Magnus & Viswesvaran, 2005).This information indicates that someone with a lot of responsibility in an organization will have the knowledge of unethical, internal practices. A person of high moral judgment is more likely to turn in a company for violating various laws and standards, than someone who is okay with cutting corners to keep him employed. Before becoming a whistleblower, a person must have absolute certainty that a protected Act is being violated. The OSHA website contains a list of the Acts and their descriptions to determine which one is being breached. It will also provide the type of communication for the complaint (i.  e. telephone or writi ng. )Adherence to the guidelines is important to ensure that protection coverage is available in the case of retaliation by an employer. In addition, weighing the many pros and cons before making a decision to blow the whistle on a company or organization is vital. Whistleblowing should not be taken lightly, and the decision should be carefully thought out. Aggressive documentation of the issues and conversations with company management is extremely important. Researching which authority to approach is highly imperative.Although law protects whistleblowers, they sometimes will incur job loss, harassment, intimidation and even loss of property or life while pursuing the issue and resolution. Long, drawn-out court cases can lead to a loss of income and notoriety. Lengthy investigations can lead to secret personal issues becoming known. Lots of support from family and friends is needed during an investigation because the intense scrutiny can break down a person’s will. A person needs to be certain that they are prepared for an onslaught from the government and media prior to proceeding with their disclosure.Conversely, whistleblowing will give a person a moral sense of pride. Standing up for what you believe in will show people that you are not afraid to fight for what is right. Whistleblowers may also be looked upon as trustworthy since they are looking out for the welfare of others. Sometimes it is possible to obtain reward sums of money from the government for uncovering injustices. Lastly, if a whistleblower is unjustly retaliated against, they may obtain monetary remedies from their companies for retaliation.A recent tax fraud case against the Swiss bank USB AG awarded the whistleblower a record $104 million reward provided by the United State Internal Revenue Service (Temple-West & Browning, 2012). In a rare case like this, the whistleblower spent time in prison for his wrongdoing, but then was handsomely rewarded for turning in his employer for prom oting an illegal act. People have deeply personal reasons for blowing the whistle. Some may see it as a safety concern, while others who have participated in illegal acts have had a guilty conscience that they want to unburden.Hundreds of cases are reported, dismissed and/or won each year with the help of OSHA. Being a whistleblower is not something to be taken lightly as many questions must be raised before proceeding with the act. Numerous laws have made it easier for people to come forward when they witness misdeeds by those in charge, but knowing history and potential outcomes prior to voicing concerns will enable a person to deal with the backlash. Having good moral judgment and standing up for what you believe in will allow a person to live their life with few worries and a clear conscience.

Lynda Smith’s “Disconnected” Essay

Lynda Smith’s â€Å"Disconnected† is basically a collection of a variety of evidence and examples to prove how â€Å"technologically advanced communication devices have taken over our lives.† (76) She heavily relies on evidence and examples to convince the reader that people are spending too much time on all their devices and not enough on human contact. There are a profuse amount of examples Lynda uses in her paper. On page 77, Smith uses an anecdote of her friend, Ralph, who got caught up in a â€Å"self-perpetuating cycle† because of his desire to be connected to his loved ones at all time. In doing this, Lynda showed her readers a prime example of someone so infatuated with the technological advances of cell phones that it disconnected him from face-to-face time with people, ultimately causing him unnecessary turmoil and stress. This example is to prove her point on how dependant society has become on technology. Lynda also uses allusions in her piece, linking her argument and the common knowledge of big-name cell phone companies to show their impact on people’s lives. mentions the well-known cell phone company AT&T, which is an example of an allusion. She also mentions Verizon’s well-known slogan, â€Å"Can you hear me now?† In doing so, Smith is able to link her argument in with the common knowledge of cell phone companies and their influence. Smith also gives a scenario in her paper through a quote by Mark Slouka that says home computers will become more human. Smith does this to try to instill fear into her readers. Smith sprinkles an abundance of statistics and quotes from ‘authorities’ throughout her paper from ‘reliable sources’ such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the United States Department of Transportation, and The Encyclopedia of Psychology. These name-dropping attempts are meant to show credibility to her argument since she herself is just a student, not an â €Å"expert.† Obviously, Smith heavily relies on the previously stated examples and evidence. In fact, her paper is nothing but an assortment of allusions, anecdotes, statistics, and such. She appeals to people’s sense of value, character, and need through these examples and evidence in an attempt to convince the world that technology is brainwashing today’s society.

Human Trafficking Essays

Human Trafficking Essays Human Trafficking Essay Human Trafficking Essay Human trafficking is a very complex and horrific system In the global market. It is such an important global Issue because it is the third largest International crime industry and generates roughly 32 billion dollars a year. There are many different forms of and reasons for human trafficking, and each Involves a multitude of actors. The most common forms of human trafficking are slavery, prostitution, and organ trafficking. In each sort of human trafficking, there Is always a local, a transporter, a recruiter, and a boss who collects funds. In some cases, the transporter, recruiter, and leader of the operation may be the same person. Human trafficking affects everyone In the global community, whether they are aware of It or not. Millions of people each year lose their lives or family members because of human trafficking, and billions more are proponents of It without even knowing. For example, years ago (and still today), people in Africa were being taken from their homes and forced to work in remote areas to sift for diamonds. It wasnt until awareness and notions to stop were made that countless of Americans and other members of the global community were made aware that in buying Blood diamonds, they were funding this tragic system of slavery. Human trafficking is an underground global market that has been around for as long as history can recall. The first form to be discussed is slavery. It is estimated that there are between 20-30 millions slaves today. Statistically, the average cost of a slave is a global equivalent of 90 US dollars. Most slaves are taken form their homes with the promise of a better life for themselves and the ability to provide a better life for their families back home. Many slaves are kept through bonded debts in which they feel they have no choice but to stay and are bonded to their masters through a debt they accumulated from them. The next form of human trafficking is prostitution. Studies show that while only 20% of human trafficking involves labor exploitation, the other 80% involves sexual exploitation. Between 600-800,000 people are trafficked across international borders very years and over 70% are female. Of those females, half are children under the age of 16. The average teen enters the sex trade between the ages of 12 and 14 and most are runaways who were physically or sexually abused at some point In their lives. Lastly, organ trafficking is the most openly advertised form of human trafficking In some countries due to lack of legislature. Because It Is oftentimes advertised as a charitable way to collect money for yourself, traffickers are able to advertised slogans such as Donate a kidney, buy the new Pad In China. Recipients of these organs pay up to two hundred thousand dollars to traffickers; meanwhile the victims, or donors, are paid an average of five thousand dollars. In 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted certain protocols to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish trafficking. In 2010, the LLC formed a global plan of action to combat human trafficking. UNDO Is also active In fighting human trafficking through research and Ralston awareness. People across here in Southwest Florida who began traveling to places around the world that are leagued by tremendous amounts of human trafficking and offering whatever help they could to the victims they met along the way. In my opinion, not enough has been done to prevent human trafficking. The fact that lack of strict law enforcement and legislature makes it possible for traffickers to openly approach people and con them into the slave, sex, or organ trade is enough evidence to support this opinion. I believe that globally, laws should be made and steps should be taken to prevent the ease of transportation and recruitment involved in human trafficking. By educating people of the dangers and tragedies involved in human trafficking, they will be less likely to fund it through buying organs, slaves, and prostitutes. Also, in educating the less fortunate in third world countries, they will be able to spot signs of human trafficking more easily, and not fall victim to it. It is far less difficult to take preventative measures than it is to solve problems that have already escalated.

Free Essays on African American Rights

This song really confused me and majority of it got me upset. I felt it to be a contradiction to what I’ve been taught about Jesus for the past fifteen years. The lyrics presented Jesus as though he didn’t want to die for us and that he just wanted to back out of God’s plan. It also specifically states in the verse, â€Å"Why then am I scared to finish what I started, What you started- I didn’t start it† that he had nothing to do with it and is scared to go on. It made me feel that he didn’t want to give up his life for us and doubted that we were even worth it. I’ve been taught that Jesus gave up his life willingly for us and accepted the fate God had planned for him. The lyricist portrayed Jesus’ humanness by showing his doubt and fear of what was to come. That Jesus at one point was in such a state of distress, that he would to turn his back on his fate and on God. To me he is shown as being selfish and even showed disbelief in what God, his father, had set out for him to do. Jesus turns to his father in his time of despair and asks for him to take the pain away as seen in the verse, â€Å"If there is a way, take this cup away from me for I don’t want to taste it’s poison.† Here Jesus explains that he doesn’t want to go through any more agony and suffering and if there were anyway possible for God to take this burden off his shoulders. Jesus is questioning God and feels as though his death might just go in vain, which is evident in the verse, â€Å"Why should I die? Can you show me now that I would not be killed in vain?† He’s now asking for reasons, for reassurance. He is need of comfort and knows not where to find it. Throughout his prayer in the garden he is reluctant and complains of his life and that he does not want to go through what God has planned for him, but at the end he seems to give in. He accepts what his future holds and even though he doesn’t want to, realizes what has to be do... Free Essays on African American Rights Free Essays on African American Rights This song really confused me and majority of it got me upset. I felt it to be a contradiction to what I’ve been taught about Jesus for the past fifteen years. The lyrics presented Jesus as though he didn’t want to die for us and that he just wanted to back out of God’s plan. It also specifically states in the verse, â€Å"Why then am I scared to finish what I started, What you started- I didn’t start it† that he had nothing to do with it and is scared to go on. It made me feel that he didn’t want to give up his life for us and doubted that we were even worth it. I’ve been taught that Jesus gave up his life willingly for us and accepted the fate God had planned for him. The lyricist portrayed Jesus’ humanness by showing his doubt and fear of what was to come. That Jesus at one point was in such a state of distress, that he would to turn his back on his fate and on God. To me he is shown as being selfish and even showed disbelief in what God, his father, had set out for him to do. Jesus turns to his father in his time of despair and asks for him to take the pain away as seen in the verse, â€Å"If there is a way, take this cup away from me for I don’t want to taste it’s poison.† Here Jesus explains that he doesn’t want to go through any more agony and suffering and if there were anyway possible for God to take this burden off his shoulders. Jesus is questioning God and feels as though his death might just go in vain, which is evident in the verse, â€Å"Why should I die? Can you show me now that I would not be killed in vain?† He’s now asking for reasons, for reassurance. He is need of comfort and knows not where to find it. Throughout his prayer in the garden he is reluctant and complains of his life and that he does not want to go through what God has planned for him, but at the end he seems to give in. He accepts what his future holds and even though he doesn’t want to, realizes what has to be do...

How to Write an SEO Article †Part 2

How to Write an SEO Article – Part 2 How to Write an SEO Article Part 2 How to Write an SEO Article Part 2 By Colin In part one of How To Write An SEO Article, we looked at how important it is to get the basics of an SEO article correct from the start. We looked at the importance of writing relevant content to the user and not the search engine, and we also looked at the research that goes into keywords and keyphrases that are to be integrated into the article. Nothing that was described in part one should be considered difficult by anyone. If it is, please email me individually, making sure to swallow a pinch of salt before you do. In part two of How To Write An SEO Article, I’m going to take everything we have learned in part one and apply it to the article that needs to be written. I’ll also cover that slightly boring, but all-important, ‘techy bit’. Using Keywords and Keyphrases Okay, so you have your keywords either by your own intuition or from a client. Then what? Well, the first step is to go back to step one, and remind yourself what the actual article that is going to be so helpful and informative to the reader, is all about. Then, based on this remit, write the article, and along the way, include the keywords and keyphrases among the text in as natural and logical a manner as possible. It may be you can build the article around the keywords themselves, but the most important thing is not to over use them. It makes the article appear like an attempt at SEO article writing gone mad. Also, it won’t read well and a reader will give up before he gets half way through. If you are struggling to find suitable places for the keywords, never force it into the text just so you can include it. If it doesn’t flow with the natural rhythm of the piece, leave it out or re-write the text. If you still find it impossible to use it elsewhere in the piece, wipe the slate clean and re-write the article from an entirely new angle. Obviously, if you are writing to the demands of a client who has given you a difficult remit with awkward keywords, this rule may have to be bent a little, but being a creative freelance writer means being able to adapt to situations like this, so trust yourself and go with the flow. Point of Note #1: they wouldn’t need someone to do it for them, if they could do it themselves. Point of Note #2: remember you’re the expert, so write the article for the reader, not the algorithm. Where possible (although this may not be part of your remit), try to include one of the keyphrases in the headline, and if possible, the sub-headline. This is a neat way of taking the pressure off the article content, while keeping the keywords at the front of the search engine algorithm results when it comes around. Hypertext Links Creating hypertext links that are embedded within the content of an article, is a great way of increasing general interest, as well as allowing a higher chance of search engine spiders being able to reach it. Too many hypertext links within your text will only annoy readers, though, so creating links to every keyword is not recommended. Linking to other interesting articles or websites from other words or phrases, that may not be specific to the remit given to you, may help to build a higher percentage of user interest, as well as boost the SEO ranking of the page the article is published on. For example, here is a section from an SEO article for the music industry I recently wrote: â€Å"Bidding for concert tickets from an unknown Internet source, is not a good way of buying your all important seats to see Britney Spears.† The keyphrase in this article is ‘concert tickets’ and as you can see, has been used within the article’s context. However, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that more searches are run for the phrase ‘Britney Spears’ than for ‘concert tickets,’ therefore, not only is it mentioned in the same paragraph, but there is also a hypertext link included which links to her official site. Having both phrases, ‘concert tickets’ and ‘Britney Spears,’ alongside each other, is quite clearly a potent combination for anyone concerned who might want to run an Internet search like it; Britney fans, music fans, memorabilia collectors, ticket touts, etc. Therefore, this sentence when published, will look like this: â€Å"Bidding for concert tickets from an unknown Internet source, is not a good way of buying your all important seats to see Britney Spears.† Keyword Density Keyword density is a term often used in the context of SEO, and is often stressed as being a vital component of every SEO article writer’s armoury. The phrase came into being because keywords, which provide the foundation on which SEO copywriting is based, led many people to conclude that the more keywords included in a SEO article, the higher chance there is of that web page being ranked during a search. Scientific formulae were developed to try and prove this, and thus an industry was born. Unfortunately, in this writer’s experience, this is almost always complete rubbish. Generally, one will find that no matter how many times the phrase ‘Britney Spears,’ is used in an article, when published, it simply will not shoot into the top ten in Google’s search ranking. Good keyword usage is supported not by the amount of times it is used in a web article, but by the combinations of other relevant keywords it sits beside, as in the example given earlier of ‘Britney Spears’ and ‘concert tickets.’ Each individual, but related keyword, helps narrow the search down even further. However, even with the most advanced SEO keyword placement strategies in place, there is still one remaining factor that is vital to help support the use of keywords and keyphrases: web page construction. Which takes me neatly onto the ‘techy bit’. Web Page Optimisation (The ‘Techy Bit’) As a freelance writer this section isn’t really required, but I though it wouldn’t hurt to come to a better understanding of the different ways that keywords and SEO can be applied, to increase the page rank of a website. Within the construction of a simple HTML web page, is a section at the top called the Header. Within this section there are various meta tags, the most important of which is the Title tag, and the Meta description tag. Search engine spiders read the meta data within a webpage, and are attracted to those sites which have keywords present early on. Search engine spiders and web browsers read HTML code from top to bottom (meta data then content), so what comes first gets read first and is therefore output first. It is therefore very important for good web page optimisation to occur, that an emphasis be placed on the usage of keywords in the Title tags and Meta tags, and to have the most important ones placed near the beginning. For example, here is an extract of HTML data taken from a website that might have published the article on Britney Spears concert tickets: html head titleBritney Spears Concert Tickets/title meta name="Keywords" content="Britney Spears, concert tickets, Britney on tour, gigs, stadium tour, Toxic, Oops I Did It Again† /head body Bidding for bconcert tickets/b from an unknown Internet source, is not a good way of buying your all important seats to see a href=†britneyspears.com†Britney Spears/a †¦..etc. /body /html As you can see, the most important keyphrases were used in the web page title, as well as at the front of the meta keywords line. And in the content we had the combination of keywords and keyphrases, including a logical hypertext link to what happens to be a very popular website on the Internet, for whatever reason. And that, in a nutshell, is about all you need to know to get started writing SEO articles. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Passed vs PastLoan, Lend, Loaned, Lent40 Synonyms for Praise

Confidentiality In Social Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Confidentiality In Social Work - Essay Example Physicians should refrain from speaking loosely in the presence of patients as it may be misunderstood as a violation of their privacy. Ensuring that consultations are done in a private setting is important as it limits the potential for such errors. Sharing confidential information with a colleague is a technical violation of a client’s privacy. It is important to ensure that the information that is shared is done so out of necessity and not leisure. In my opinion, it is important that informed decisions are made. Consulting is an important part of acquiring information. It is, therefore, important to practice professionalism. Informal consultations must be brought down to a minimum to ensure that the clients are accorded the respect that they demand. Social work involves much interaction and therefore by default, occasional talking given. It is important to ensure that as a professional, social occasions are kept far from work. One must not discuss their work at social event s. Social workers must make sure that in the event topics concerning work come up, they can evade the specific areas. Ethically, colleagues should ensure that they stop their partners when they overhear confidential information being shared. Limiting the range that information is passed is another risk management strategy. The potential for causing damages to the patient is very high if the carelessness is practiced outside the office. It is, therefore, paramount to ensure that the management handles any cases quietly.

Third world country Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Third world country - Essay Example Kenya is an emerging nation, which predominantly produces agricultural trade outs. The nation has enormous economical labour, which supports agricultural activities. Furthermore, the state has lush land that supports an assortment of agricultural activities. As such, farmer incurs minimal firming relative to other states, which may require irrigation to sustain agriculture. Overall, the nation can produce agricultural products like coffee or tea cheaply owing to factors that favour firming of the above commodities notably cheap labour and apposite weather. Conversely, Kenya encounters multiple hurdles in manufacturing owing to soaring expenditure on inputs. Consequently, the merchandise manufacture in this country lack competitiveness. Conclusively, Kenya has a comparative benefit generating agricultural commodities relative to manufactured merchandise (Kenya Investment Authority, 2011). Germany constitutes the elite nation with a diverse economy. Notably, manufacturing make a sizeable contribution to the economy. The country prides in phenomenal level of technology. The country has apposite technology that support manufacturing. Specialization has allowed mechanization to replace human labour reducing expenditure thus boosting efficiency. Germany has enough natural resources that avail a required component that sustain industrialization. Evidently, this country also possesses the required expertise to support manufacturing. Manufacturing particularly in the automobile sector necessitates expertise. Accordingly, presence of the relevant expertise has enabled Germans to undertake exceedingly technical manufacturing. Evidently, Germany has relative lead in manufacturing. The advantage arises from certain trait that the country possesses. Consequently, Germany leads in automobile assembly in Europe. Conversely, the unfavourable environmental condition makes agriculture an unviable option. Conclusively, adhering to this model would culminate in

Customers Role in the Service Encounter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Customers Role in the Service Encounter - Essay Example Standard Industry Classification System. The first one is the goods-producing sector and the second one is the service-producing sector. The goods-producing sector includes agriculture, forestry, and fishing; mining; construction; and manufacturing. The service-producing sector includes the divisions of transportation, communications, and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, finance, insurance, real estate, public administration and other services. In other words, the service sector can be termed as hospitality sector (Simmering, 2006). Today's customers have more power than ever before. This is mainly because of the fact that a single product or service is provided by several agencies. As a result of this competition, customers have more than enough choices. They have high-quality alternatives, greater access to information, and the unprecedented ability to compare brands. It can be said that power has shifted from producers to consumers. For example, it a person decides to buy a car with specific model, colour, and interiors in his mind and approaches a showroom that does not have that model, he would look for another showroom. But if the seller is good at selling, he may convince the customer to either change his choice by giving a better option at competitive price or buy some time from the customer to deliver the exact model. Consumer Consumerism has changed the out look of hospitality sector. Recent years has witnessed the intense competition in the hospitality sector. This sector need to excel is customer service not only to retain existing customers, but also to attract new customers. To thrive in the ever increasing competition, today hospitality sector needs to aim for process excellence (vfirst.com, N.D.). For example, if a customer decides to have food from a restaurant, he first decides on what type of food he would like to have it may be Chinese, Indian or any other. The next question that comes to his mind is which Chinese or Indian restaurant he would go Based on his past experience, he takes the decision mainly based on the quality of food and the service that he got in previous instances. Today, service industries are facing challenges as they are only as good as their last customer transaction or touch-point. As customers compare value and tale decisions at a much faster rate due to easy accessibility to information, this sector must live up to their promises. Irrespective of the type of market, the reasons a customer chooses a particular brand may not be the same tomorrow. Hence it becomes even more difficult to have and maintain customers. As a result of these challenges, nothing is more important than understanding customer behaviour. Knowing what leads to a customer's choice allows the company to make better business decisions, develop effective marketing strategies, and hold the attention of the customers. There are only a few companies that consistently live up to their brand promises and have large customer base. And these companies are the ones who benefit from the rewards of repeat business and customers who are advocates for their products and services (Maritz research, 2005). It is important for a service oriented company to understand what differentiates their companies from others and must understand the needs of the consumers in their markets. These two ingredients are the key to develop a

Perspective of Cultural Heritage towards the Education Essay

Perspective of Cultural Heritage towards the Education - Essay Example The essay "Perspective of Cultural Heritage towards the Education" analyzes the cultural heritage importance in terms of enhancing education in the society. The cultural heritage has a sense of belonging to everybody and is quite important to the learners as it helps them to develop the aspect of living together or having the concern of one another. Dee never wanted to be isolated from the family after she got married because she wanted to remember their grandmother who brought them up. This aspect of having the concern of one another is quite important as makes people help one another when at the point of need. The preserved cultural heritage makes the learner understand better the life of the ancestors that they led. When Dee was young never liked their way of living but she came to appreciate it when she was marrying. Cultural heritage also gives some contrast to the life that modern people are living. In the story, Dee was a young modern lady who had taken formal education visite d their home while wearing a short orange dress that contrasts the attires that her kid sister Maggie was wearing. Culture preserves other important aspects that can influence the learners of today in the right direction. In the story, a narrator who was the old-fashioned woman was industrious person based on the activities that are illustrated. This aspect will make the learner develop an attitude of hard work. The culture had some basis that was quite important in educating the society and helped them to live in harmony.

The effects of the influx of foreigners to the Native Americans Essay - 78

The effects of the influx of foreigners to the Native Americans - Essay Example This is the first implication that there was a radical change in the Americas with the coming of foreigners settlers forced the Native Americans to change their ways to accommodate the foreigners and those who did not comply ended up being massacred or sold as slaves. This way, the foreigners could take up their vast lands and make them their own. In the states of Virginia and the Carolinas for example, the trade of Native Americans as slavery was a booming business (Williams 2007). Some of the other changes that Native Americans went through were that they had to share their land with these newcomers. An example would be the European settlers felt they were best placed to cultivate the vast lands that Native Americans had though done not put to any use as they were more civilized than any of the other foreigners. The native habitats of the Americas also had to undergo proprietary and historic cultural losses thanks to the practices and policies adopted by the United States government over the years. It was furthermore devilishly hard for the natives to maintain their cultures and their people too with the influx of the foreigners. There was no place for Native-American culture as it existed before.

Accounting assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting assessment - Essay Example Therefore, Direct Labor Hours Rate (DLHR) is preferred for use in calculation the full cost of production. Costs based on DLH solely depends on how human labor is handled hence to improve on such costs, the direct human labor must be accorded the welfare it deserves so that they are efficient in their operations. Costs based on machine hours on the other hand can be managed based on how efficient and effective the machines are allowed to operate hence reducing the costs or making them manageable. If these costs are not improved, they may inflate cutting into the returns of the operations. a. It is not possible to classify all costs in either an organization as fixed or variable costs. This is because depending on the context in which the resource is used, there are many costs, which display a multitude of cost behavior (Bhimani 2012). Hence, the categorization of a cost is dependent on the assumptions made by the analyst. b. Fixed costs are costs, which remain constant irrespective of the activity level while variable costs will often change depending on the level of activity (Bhimani 2012). The classification of any of the above costs wrongly will mean that the costs calculations by the organization will be based on wrong data. This may in turn lead to wrong decisions being made by the management, which is detrimental to the operations of the organization. c. Contribution and profits are majorly different most so when they are taken from the income statement due to two major reasons. One, cost of goods sold may include both fixed and variable costs while the calculation of contribution is only based on sales revenue minus variable costs. Secondly, the calculation of contribution should include both selling and administration expenses which in the case of the income statement they come after gross margin

The effects of the influx of foreigners to the Native Americans Essay - 78

The effects of the influx of foreigners to the Native Americans - Essay Example This is the first implication that there was a radical change in the Americas with the coming of foreigners settlers forced the Native Americans to change their ways to accommodate the foreigners and those who did not comply ended up being massacred or sold as slaves. This way, the foreigners could take up their vast lands and make them their own. In the states of Virginia and the Carolinas for example, the trade of Native Americans as slavery was a booming business (Williams 2007). Some of the other changes that Native Americans went through were that they had to share their land with these newcomers. An example would be the European settlers felt they were best placed to cultivate the vast lands that Native Americans had though done not put to any use as they were more civilized than any of the other foreigners. The native habitats of the Americas also had to undergo proprietary and historic cultural losses thanks to the practices and policies adopted by the United States government over the years. It was furthermore devilishly hard for the natives to maintain their cultures and their people too with the influx of the foreigners. There was no place for Native-American culture as it existed before.

Violence against women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Violence against women - Essay Example ll under include rape, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forceful marriages, wife inheritance, trafficking as sex slaves among a list of other forms of violence as this tends to differ in terms of nations (Ghanim, 2009). Essentially, some states tend to support violent treatment of women, especially those by strict Islamic laws making it hard for women to survive in these regions, meaning the state to be in support of those that commit violent acts among women. Based on this overview, this essay will delve into the causes and effects of violence committed against women across the states. In some African and Middle East states, violence against women is a dominant factor in which neither the state nor the society can intervene because this is their way of life since they tend to view women as voiceless beings and objects (Ghanim, 2009). In some African states, women tend to experience violence based on the fact that these nations are on a constant path of civil war in which armed rebels rape and commit all manner of atrocities against women without being answerable for it. Therefore, civil war can be one of the causes that can influence violence against women because the women become vulnerable because those that should protect them become their foes. On the other, religious extremism can also be another cause of violence against women because some of them permit the ill treatment of the so-called weaker gender by having stiffer penalties for them. Essentially, the nations that practice sharia law, subject women to punishment if they get pregnant outside marriage or for even dressing indecently, which is as per what they prescribe. In this case, women do not have the freedom to dress as they please and live under a male dominated society (Ghanim, 2009). It becomes difficult for the women to liberate themselves against such forms of violence because their societies do not view this as going against their rights and freedoms. The effects or consequences

Minimizing Verb Tense Errors

Minimizing Verb Tense Errors In 21st century, globalization, development of information technology and increase of population in English learners expand interests and demands on English writing skills (Warschauer, 2000). This gets connected to interests on effective composition strategies and it leads to promote development of effective English composition approach. While facilitating at a school of secondary level as student-teachers the researchers were able to notice that most students have a lot of difficulties when it comes to writing activities during English classes. It was also observable when one of the researchers was checking second year students formal theme writing. They are regularly required to write formal theme writing, and it was found out that most of them still commit grammatical errors. Although, they are monthly given time to write journal entries as writing activities, researchers could not observe clear improvements on their written outputs. English teachers at Paco Catholic School (PCS) usually check students thoughts within essays but not for grammatical errors in depth. When checking formal theme writing, the content is usually prioritized rather than grammar. As mentioned above, since writing is one of the significant factors in learning and teaching ESL and due to the existence of many problematic areas in writing, this study aims to build awareness about some L2 writing difficulties among learners and teachers with possible solutions to it. Problem Description and Documentation The present study is an attempt to observe and analyze the needs about specific difficulties among high school second year students in writing class. The data for this study are based on the analysis of formal theme writing, survey questionnaires given to the students, and interview of teacher. Analysis of Grammatical Errors in Formal Theme Writing The researchers collected and analyzed the formal theme of students from one section (II-13) in order to obtain some information about common grammatical areas that students commit errors. The purpose of this document analysis is to establish that the second year, section thirteen students have problems with their grammar problems in writing skills. First, formal theme of 40 students was checked by focusing on grammar. Overall, ten grammatical areas were classified, including verb form, tenses, verbs, preposition, pronoun, connectives, infinitives, article, degree of adjectives, and fragmentary. With all those areas, 324 grammatical errors were committed by the participants. Also, among those grammatical errors, verb tenses was identified as the highest rate by getting more than half percent. Taking the mean values of the overall errors, the results indicate four most common errors that the students made, which are verb tenses (5.25), verb forms (1.1), followed by pronouns (0.65), and preposition (0.55). The next visible error was verbs and infinitives (0.2) while article is reported 0.075 respectively. Next are connectives, degree of adjectives and fragmentary (0.025). This implies that the students have difficulty in the use of verb tenses when writing their formal theme. Through the results, researchers could figure out that most students failed to be consistent in using verb tenses. Even though they were discussing about the past events, past and present tenses were used alternatively. According to Darus and Subramaniam (2009), mistaken application of verb tense can be seen when the students did not apply the proper tense to the verb in the sentences. Meaning to say, it can be assumed that most of the students are not conscious of the different rules about tenses application. As an example, one student wrote: One day I have my family problem and I tell her (my friend) about this she listen and I cant expect that she tell my family problem to other people à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ From the result of the formal theme writing, it was found out that there are grammatical areas for students to improve in their writing activities, especially correct use of verb tenses. Thus, it will be a big help for them if they receive error correction feedback from the teacher, either the feedback is implicit or explicit. It would be much better if the students check the feedback over and over, so that they will learn from the experiences and be aware of their mistakes or errors. Survey Questionnaire Results On October 18, 2012, the survey was conducted with one section (II-13) at Paco Catholic School. One of the researchers facilitated thirty-five students to respond on survey questionnaire. Among forty students (whose formal theme writings were analyzed), only thirty-five students were involved in this Survey due to out of school activity. About thirty minutes were taken to conduct this survey. The questionnaire is managed with the aim of collecting data on the personal information of the respondents ideas of writing feedback. Most of the survey questionnaires items (from 2 to 5) are based on Ishiis (2011) study (Refer APPENDIX B). This question adopts 5-Likert scale item (1=poor; 2=fair; 3=good; 4=excellent; and 5=perfect). First of all, researchers would like to show the results of the subjective interpretation of the participants writing skill stands in class. The results showed that more than half of the respondents feel that their writing skill stands at fair. Followed by 28.57% answered their writing skill stands at good, 17.14% of students stated their writing skill stands at poor and lastly only 2.86% of students answered their writing skill stands at excellent. Next finding is on how often they read over their composition again when teacher returns their formal theme writing with score. Figure 2 indicates percentages of the responses given to this question. Most of the students stated that they seldom read over their composition when teacher returns formal theme writing. The other result is pointing out whether they check written comments or correction of teacher carefully or not. Figure 3 showed that 60% of respondents rarely check teachers comments and correction carefully. While only one student stated that she always checks teachers comments and correction carefully. Next survey question revealed the result of how they treat importance of having few errors in English as possible in their written work. Figure 4indicates the percentages of the responses given to the questions on how they treat importance of having few errors in their written activities. The results showed that 42.86 % of the students think it is somewhat important having few errors in written activities while only 17% of respondents think it is very important having few errors in written activities. As similar with previous question, following question is reported how respondents treat importance of teacher points out grammatical errors in their written output. The results indicated 26 students, that constitute 74% of the whole population, consider a teacher point out grammatical errors on their written output in class is important. While none of the respondents think there is no importance on pointing grammatical errors in their written work. The respondents were also asked about whether they are conscious about grammatical errors when doing written works in class or not. Figure 6 shows that 19 respondents are sometimes conscious about grammatical errors while only one respondent said that she is always conscious about grammatical errors when doing written works in class. Interview of the Teacher Ms. Azuilo is an English teacher of second year high school students at Paco Catholic School (PCS). She has been teaching for four years. This year, Ms. Azuilo is handling three boys classes (sections 10, 12 14) and two girls classes (sections 11 13). Researchers observed and taught on all five of Ms. Azuilos classes during practicum at PCS. Since Ms. Azuilo was the one, who suggested to the researchers to write about participants problematic area in writing, researchers decided to have an oral interview with her for a better understanding of this problem. The interview was conducted last October 18, 2012 inside the High School English faculty room and the interview took about twenty minutes. The first question was about particular difficulties her students seem to encounter when they deal with writing activities. Her response was that: It would be the grammar usage. When it comes to content, their thoughts are good but the grammar is not. In relation to first question, Ms. Azuilo was asked that if they commit any grammatical errors in their writing activities. She mentioned that: They do, specifically the verb tenses, as well as subject-verb agreement and some with the pronoun antecedent agreements. The students were able to use the grammar properly during the lessons, but since they can use English only during the lesson and not at home, they tend to easily forget the correct grammar usage. Lastly, researchers asked how the students deal with those difficulties and what teachers usually do to deal with their difficulties. Her response was that: Some of the students would have interventions, remedial or even ask questions to the teachers for clarifications. Therefore, I would usually have remediation classes or simply talk to the students personally. I also edit their papers and puts in the right grammar usage on it. Description of Work Setting This study will be conducted in Paco Catholic School (PCS), an educational institution known as the largest Catholic school in South East Asia that first opened its doors in 1912 by the Franciscan missionaries. PCS is currently celebrating its 100th Foundation Anniversary or its Centennial Year this 2012. Co-institutional system is implemented in PCS where the girls and the boys are separated into different sections (i.e. odd numbers for girls and even numbers for boys sections) PCS is divided into three departments: Early Childhood Education, Grade School, and High School Department. There is an average of 45 students in each class. There are bulletin board, teachers desk, air-conditioner (only for the boys sections), mini-library, plasma television, and blackboard in each classroom. The seating arrangement is traditional in most classrooms in a way that all the students are facing in front. Writers Role The writers are currently having their Practice Teaching or Practicum as student teachers in Paco Catholic School (PCS). The Practicum will last for three months, starting from September 2012 to December of the same year. It is required for them to accomplish 170 hours of direct teaching, 10 hours of classroom observation, and 120 hours of indirect activities. From Mondays to Thursdays, the writers have Practicum from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. On Fridays, they stay in PCS for whole day, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. One was assigned to handle second year and the other to handle third year English classes. Generally, English subject for secondary level consists of literature and grammar. So far, the writers were assigned to facilitate the classes about the students reporting and assigned to facilitate the lessons more on grammar in English. Before conducting the lessons, the cooperating teachers require to make lesson plans according to the format of PCS (i.e. Understanding by Design Lesson Plan). Review of Related Literature According to British Columbia Ministry of Education (1999), English as a Second Language (ESL) is defined as what refers students, those whose mother tongue language(s) or language(s) of the home, is other than English and who may therefore necessitate supplementary learning in order to build up proficiency in English or it simply refers students who speak disparities of English that differ significantly from the standard English. Writing with using different language is proved to be very difficult than writing with ones native language. Thus, ESL educators are often finding that there are some common mistakes among L2 writers make. Generally, these mistakes appeal when the writers apply the rule of their native languages rather than their new languages rules (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 1999). According to Supaproofread (n.d.), unfortunately, little errors among L2 writers paper can distract reader from what they actually try to deliver from written output. Proper usage to write numbers, capitalization, when to utilize the article a or an, appropriate usage of verb tenses and having the subject and verb agreement in numbers are a main mistakes as an ESL writer might make. Meaning to say, committing grammatical error in writing is very common for L2 learners. For those students who do not have enough language background, to articulate what they try to deliver in intelligible way is difficult in writing (Supaproofread, n.d.). Growing significance of English in L2 writing is becoming gradually more dominant in both instructive programs and in proficient writing in non-English dominant countries (Leki, 2001, cited in Giridharan Robson, 2012). Although, academic writing is an aspiration skill in secondary students, academic writing is frequently recognized as irresistible among L2 learners due to lack of grammatical and vocabulary competent (Giridharan Robson, 2012). In the context of this paper, the participants are all learners of English as Second Language (ESL). In this respect, ESL learning, specifically second language writing, becomes an important aspect of this study. Accuracy in Second Language Writing Writing is normally viewed as a complex skill and a difficult task (Graham, Harris Mason, 2005, cited in Jahin Idrees, 2012). This is frequently pointed to its intrinsically multifaceted features which mentioned by Wall (1981) as a range from mechanical control to creativity, with good grammar, knowledge of subject matter, awareness of stylistic conventions and various mysterious factors in between. According to Abu-Rass (2001), writing is a procedure for the writers throughout the investigation of thoughts and ideas, and the writers build them to be concise and concrete. It is a quite complicated skill for both native and nonnative speakers identical. In writing, learners should have sense of balance in various issues such as content, organization, purpose, audience, vocabulary, punctuation, spelling, and grammar structure. Thus, writing is particularly intricate for nonnative speakers because they are expected to produce written outputs that show mastery of all the aforesaid matters in a new language (Abu-Rass, 2001). Verb Tenses as a dominant problem in Second Language Writing The Writing Center (2009) reported that the top rated common grammatical error in writing is an incoherent usage of verb tenses. Moreover, it is proven that the participants of this study were found to be committing verb tense mistakes very commonly in their formal theme writing composition. Verb tense errors are not only committed by non-native English writers, but also native English writers. According to Lane and Lange (2011), verb-tense errors are worldwide (more serious) errors which builds a piece of writing to be complicated for the reader to comprehend content. Verb tenses express the time in sentence. Since the time controls a significant factor to deliver a message, a writer must be able to manage verb tenses in order for the reader to comprehend when actions and events go on (Lane Lange, 2011). In addition, writers necessitate controlling verb tenses in order to converse other information such as duration (as combat to the completion of an event in the past). To summarize , proper usage of verb tense is a significant factor in writing because if writers did not (or are not able to) manage verb tenses, readers will have a big difficulty following the progression of events in writing (The Writing Center, 2009). In another article, titled Inconsistent Tenses by Beckham (n.d.), the dominant problem encountered by ESL students is the verb tenses of their writing and more specifically, the consistency of usages in verb tenses. According to Beckham (n.d.), all the way through an ESL writing composition, it is not unusual to see tenses are messed up within incorrect form. As mentioned above, committing an error of verb tenses in writing composition is not only a concern for second language writers but also for native English writing students. Beckham (n.d.) specified with ESL students that they utilize verb tense errors very commonly in their written outputs. He further reported that there are several reasons for it. Second language writers may be confused about how to form the verb tense properly since selecting a proper verb tense is a complicated task for ESL students. In other words, they may choose the verb tense mistakenly due to lack of knowledge about proper usages of verb tense (e.g. irregular verb, present and past forms of verb, etc.). Another reason is that there may be different rules about using verb tenses in their mother tongue language hence, ESL students tend to apply their mother-tongue languages grammar rules in English grammar alike British Columbia Ministry of Educations (1999) study as mentioned above (Beckham, n.d.). Also, it is related with the study of Escamilla and Hopewell (2007). They further discussed about it through code-switching  [1]  theory. They asserted that ESL students do not eas ily convert skills, strategies and languages transversely; students may relocate themselves and their understandings living and growing up in concurrent worlds. This kind of code-switching is obvious in the theoretical code-switches. Particularly where learners appropriately displayed that when they lived experiences in one language and were inquired to notify about them in a second language, they necessitated utilizing code-switching to precisely explain the event (Escamilla Hopewell, 2007). Form-Focused Instruction In order for Second Language learners to have better application about forms of verb-tenses in writing composition, researchers decided to integrate Form-focused Instruction (FFI) in present study. The Form-focused Instruction refers to any planned or incidental instructional activity that is intended to induce language learners to pay attention to linguistic form (Ellis, 2001: 1-2). In Spada and Lightbrowns (2008) study, they use the terms isolated and integrated form-focused instruction. Isolated FFI in language activities is separated from communicative language use in teaching language forms, while in integrated FFI, the language learners are taught the language forms with combination of communicative or content-based activities. The limitation of isolated grammar lessons is that it may be hard for learners to retrieve learned language features through isolation when applying in the context of communicative interaction. In this reason, this paper will highlight more on integrated FFI where the students will be taught the selected language form by being exposed to communicative activities, in order for students to be able to retrieve and apply forms (i.e. verb tense). In the study of Han (2002) titled A Study of the Impact of Recasts on Tense Consistency in L2 Output, Han tried to investigate on whether recasts would help L2 learners maintain tense consistency in their written output. With the participants, who are divided into groups of recast and non-recast groups, written and oral tasks were administered. In giving treatment, the participants were given form-focused exercises in relation to the past and present tenses. Han used cartoon strips with consideration of the participants interest and familiarity as well as primarily because its stories can be described with the mention of a past or present time when narrating. The participants were first to see the cartoon strip for a few minutes and then write the story based on it. It was revealed that recasts helped students in maintaining tense consistency in written outputs. Error Feedback on Student Writing To integrate Form-focused Instruction (FFI) in intervention of this study, researchers will utilize Error Feedback as a method. However, giving an error feedback in writing has been a controversial topic as many related studies argued the efficacy in helping develop students linguistic accuracy in students writing. This controversial issue is the momentum for additional studies that attempts to take in hand whether written error feedback smooths the progress in second language acquisition. In relation to the error feedback on student writing, there are two fundamental issues, which are adequacy of teacher feedback and student uptake of error feedback. The teachers role is crucial in many ways in order to provide accurate and adequate corrective feedback. Through the investigation of student or learner uptake, it is a good way to see how students cognitively perceive teachers corrective feedback. In study of Ellis (2009, cited in Vyatkina, 2011), the effectiveness of Error Feedback is written as context-dependent. She discussed about several specific types of error feedback and said those specific feedbacks may be advantageous for the improvement of particular second language learner writing abilities in specific instructive contexts. Feedback can be offered as a direction for ultimate writing development (as far as learners are with apprehension) (Hyland, 2003). In the study of Chandler (2003), he experimented about whether teacher feedback in several types of errors could help East Asian college learners get better their writing accuracy and whether the effects would remain the rest of one semester. The results indicated that formal accuracy of student writing developed significantly. As there are varying options accessible to teachers to offer Writing Corrective Feedback (WCF), teachers need to take into account the appropriateness of each depending on learners language level (Herrera, 2011). Language teachers have a duty to help learners to revise errors, in particular, regarding the fact that the learners worth and expect teachers feedback on their written outputs (Jimena, Tedjaatmadja Tian, 2005). Meaning to say, language instructors play several significant roles as follows: Once language teachers have an authoritative in classroom, they should have the right to settle down objectives of what the students have to attain in the writing class (Crà ¨me Lea, 1997; Scott, 1996). However, level of students should be taken into consideration in this part, so that students will be able to achieve the expectations of teachers (Ferris, 2003). Therefore, language instructors need to amend anticipation of students achievements and teaching strategies to fit the students level. In this part, the teacher also should classify common errors what learners might make so that they will gain some ideas of what to do next with teachers teaching methodology (Leech, 1994). According to Jimena et al. (2005), language instructor also has a role as a designer; teachers should, for all time, concern about what is best fittingly for students. Teachers should modernize themselves with what is currently going on inside the classroom. It is to be able to make accurate educational conclusion and also to apply exacting error correction schemes to language classroom instruction. If possible, teachers have to be advocated to interchange information, experience and knowledge with other colleagues to enlarge their insights, and to obtain new ideas on error correction schemes (Jimena et al., 2005). In order to make available correction to students, teachers must take an action as scholars, who are fully attained with knowledge of the target language, such as grammar, vocabulary to facilitate them with supplying correction to students writing (Leech, 1994). Another role as a language instructor is that they need to enhance learners self-confidence and coach them to be more independent in their learning (Ferris, 2002). At this moment, teachers will help learners to identify their individual errors; then learners will have more time to pay attention to those errors (Ferris, 2002; Xiang, 2004). In the study of Wright (1987), learners affective surface also acts as a significant factor in improving their language growth. However, giving error feedback is unlikable practice for learners since some of them feel frustrated to be corrected their error. This is the reason why teachers have to encourage and persuade students to welcome their questions and worries. Encouraging comments, compliments about good points on their written outputs are also cooperative to motivate students to follow more (Wright, 1987). When it comes to learners uptake of corrective feedback on writing, it is more on learners cognitive processes. Due of the difficulty in data collection, few studies have been investigated this area. Those studies have collected cognitive feedback processing data through think-aloud protocols, retrospective interviews, or pair discussions, including the observations about depth of processing and learners attitudes toward the feedback provided (Storch Wigglesworth, 2010). In the study of Storch and Wigglesworth (2010), titled Learners Processing, Uptake, and Retention of Corrective Feedback on Writing, they implemented a case study composed of three sessions. The authors utilized pair discussions in order to collect data about the participants cognitive processing when given different types of corrective feedback. The discussions between all the pairs were audio-recorded. Through this study, it was found out that extensive engagement with the feedback on errors of certain grammatical areas led to high levels of uptake. In the case of this study, it could be better if extensive engagement with feedback on verb tenses might lead to uptake and correct use of these verb tenses (Storch Wigglesworth, 2010). Counter-Argument on Effects of Error Feedback on Student Writing Regardless of the arguments, as mentioned above, the effects of error feedback has been controversy on whether error feedback helps L2 students improve the accuracy and the quality of their writing. Truscott (2007) showed a strong view against error feedback through his several studies. He argued that all forms of error feedback of ESL learners in writing are not only unsuccessful but also damaging and should be abandoned. Moreover, he gave attention to that although most ESL learners evidently need grammatical error feedback, teachers should not give it to them (Truscott, 2007). Truscotts (2007) review of studies written within several studies (Kepner, 1991; Semke, 1984; Sheppard, 1992, cited in Bitchener et al., 2005), it is claimed that error correction does not have a significant effect on improving L2 student writing. Given this issue, Truscott (2007) sought to investigate the effect of three different types of feedback on the accuracy performance of three targeted linguistic error categories in new pieces of writing (Bitchener et al., 2005). The study found that the type of feedback provided did not have a significant effect on accuracy when the three targeted error categories were considered as a single group (Bitchener et al., 2005). From this finding, one could easily jump to the conclusion that Truscott (1996) was right when he claimed that the provision of corrective feedback on L2 writing is ineffective. Ferris (1999; 2002; 2004) on the other hand, makes a stand for the use of error correction in writing instruction. In her opinion Truscotts (1996) conclusions are premature. She reasons that results from prior research have shown to be inconclusive because of its inadequate methodology, with the main problem that most studies did not include a proper control group. Hence, she argues that well organized or constructed study must be arising with unless any conclusions can be drawn about the incompetence of error feedback to develop learners upcoming writing (Ferris, 2002). Direct and Indirect Feedback It may be helpful to define some of the terms associated with corrective feedback in the literature. Two important terms are direct and indirect feedback (Ferris Hedgcock, 1998; Ferris Roberts, 2001; Lalande, 1982; Robb, Ross Shortreed, 1986; Terry, 1989; Zamel, 1985, cited in Jafarpour Sharifi, 2012). Several studies have been compared between the effect of direct and indirect Written Corrective Feedback (WCF). These studies are controversially indicating ambiguous results. For example, Ferris (2003, cited in Vyatkina, 2011) figured out that indirect WCF strategies are more beneficial than direct WCF, while Chandler (2003) asserted that a better accuracy upgrading results are within direct WCF strategy, and Robb et al. (1986, cited in Vyatkina, 2011) mentioned no distinction between the two WCF strategies. According to Lee (2003), direct feedback refers to overt correction of student errors, that is, teachers locating and correcting errors for students, while indirect feedback refers to teachers indicating errors without correcting them for students. For direct location of errors, teachers put the symbols, codes or comments right above or next to the errors by indicating underlines or circles on the errors. For indirect location of errors, teachers simply put a code or symbol in the margin on a certain line where the error is indicated to identify the error type (Lee, 2003). Though Ferris (2006) points out that those codes have not always been used consistently among researchers, she also distinguished direct feedback from indirect feedback. She said that direct feedback is provided when a teacher gives the student a particular correction, Ferris calls it as coded, and indirect feedback is provided when the teacher simply marks the error but does not correct it, termed as un-coded. Acc ording to Ferris (2006), in providing indirect feedback, some teachers tend to put marks on the mistakes to indicate the exact location and type of error, while others provide un-coded feedback that simply locates the error without directly revealing the error type. It then becomes the students task to check over and over again and correct the mistakes by seeing un-coded feedback (Ferris, 2006). Acting upon this call, this study will report on investigation on the effect of error feedback on students accuracy of new pieces of writing. The researchers will compare the effectiveness of direct error feedback and indirect error feedback with two different experimental treatments. Purpose The purpose of this action research is to investigate an intervention that would help reducing grammatical errors in ESL learners written outputs regarding the provision of error feedback. Through researchers observation on survey questionnaire and analysis of formal theme writing, researchers were able to notice that only a few learners have no problems to write with clear grammar usages (e.g. verb tense). Moreover, during interview of teacher, researchers were able to confirm that participants of this study lack proficiency in writing with English language due to the only uses of English during English class but not at home. Therefore, they tend to easily forget the correct grammar usage. In this part, researchers felt a need for teachers to provide an error feedback on their written output in order for learners to be aware of their weaknesses in writing proficiency and to be conscious about grammatical knowledge even they are in where mother tongue language is primarily used. Ther efore, this study is purposed to conduct PCS secondary schools that adopted a language sensitive appr