Modern US history

As an intellectual enterprise, contemporary social sciences are replete with claims of social collapse. Over the last 20 years, scholars have proclaimed â€Å"the end of history,† â€Å"the end of politics,† â€Å"the end of work,† â€Å"the end of the family,† â€Å"the end of liberalism,† â€Å"the end of medicine,† â€Å"the end of ideology,† â€Å"the end of individualism.† There is little doubt that we are experiencing massive social change. As we are approaching the year’s end, something new is emerging, helter-skelter, in our midst that bears little resemblance to any existing political, theological, or sociological model of how the world is supposed to work. The social shifts are sufficiently different in character to have produced a new social form, one suitably widespread and anchored to become visible. This claim of a new social form lies at the heart of the postmodern contention that we have entered an era of ambiguity, and we argue that postmodernists advance this claim in a way that sociologist cannot ignore. While they are right on target in capturing the spirit of rapid social change that characterizes the present era, their embrace of the resulting â€Å"chaos† as a new social form is misguided: they mistake an era of societal transition for a new enduring social structure or even a hybrid of modern society. In historical perspective, what we are now experiencing bears a striking similarity to the place on the cultural and historical map that created sociology at the end of the last century. Rising suicide rates, the growing prominence of Protestant countries and the subsequent demise of Catholicism’s hold on the Western world, and the movement from agricultural to industrial production all have their parallels in the current social era. Rather than embracing the change and ambiguity they surveyed, and mistaking it for what â€Å"modern† society would be. One of the major tasks of sociology at the turn of this year is to struggle to understand the new institutional and personal structures that characterize contemporary social forms and not abdicate to other disciplines the task of making sense of emergent societal transitions and structures. A widespread belief seems to be emerging that the U.S. economy is in the throes of a fundamental transformation. The true enthusiasts treat the new economy as a fundamental industrial revolution as great or greater in importance than the concurrence of inventions, particularly electricity and the internal combustion engine, which transformed the world at the turn of the year. There is no dispute that the U.S. economy is awash in computer investment that productivity has revived. Economists have long been ambivalent about what social interactions constitute the proper domain of the discipline. The narrower view has been that economics is primarily the study of markets, a circumscribed class of institutions in which persons interact through an anonymous process of price formation. Throughout much of the twentieth century, mainstream economics traded breadth for rigor. In the first half of the century, institutional economics, which thought broadly but loosely about social interactions, gradually gave way to the neoclassical theory of general competitive markets. A pivotal development was the transformation of labor economics from a field narrowly concerned with work for pay into one broadly concerned with the production and distributional decisions of families and households. The important development was the emergence in macroeconomics of endogenous growth theory. Whereas classical growth theory assumed that the production technology available to an economy is exogenous, endogenous growth theory supposes that today’s technology may depend have been influenced by the past output of the economy. The broadening of economic theory has coincided with new empirical research by economists on social interactions. Unfortunately, the empirical literature has not shown much progress. Economics has sufficed with a remarkably small set of basic concepts: preferences, expectations, constraints and equilibrium. Widespread literacy is alleged to be indispensable to popular government. Dramatic changes in communication technologies which are said to affect exposure to traditional print media-we need to look afresh at reading’s political impact. Learning to read is a political act. Inability to read limits an individual’s participation in community life. It was probably for this reason that slaves in the antebellum South were kept illiterate. Even today, a connection between literacy and citizenship exists in evidence showing that persons who read are more likely than those who do not identify with larger political communities. American people are haunted by Old World hegemonies and hence are committed to individualism and modernism for philosophical and practical reasons. American people are a restless and contentious lot producing a kaleidoscope of attitudes about most social issues. The American people can be found in the election turnout figures and in gross economic indicators, to e sure, but they are more than that; they are also the meanings of their behaviors. Raised on a diet of political supremacy and technocratic invincibility, the American people were shaken to the core by 9/11. Shortly thereafter, a number of bromides caught the national ear: â€Å"America has lost its innocence forever,† â€Å"this is the first war of the twenty-first century,† â€Å"the U.S. just joined the world of nations.† At some point, history may prove these claims true. But 9/111 has already shown something more heartening: the functionality of a longstanding communal discourse. Admittedly, that discourse is shot through with contradictions and impossible overstatements. That contradictions and overstatements can prove sustaining to a people is a curious fact-an American fact. Reference: Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. Available on-line: http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html.

John’s Termination Essay

This paper is about Mr. John who has been terminated by his boss and the reason behind this termination was the unsatisfactory standard of work that he did. This was really surprising for John as no one had ever objected about the work he did and so he was taken aback when he came to know about the termination. However, it was not entirely the fault of John as he had never been corrected before due to which he did not know about his mistakes. It is always wise for the management to opt for certain steps prior to the termination and even after the termination as it can have adverse affects on the other employees working in the organization. Before terminating John, it was the duty of the management to inform and to warn him about his performance at work as it is not ethical to terminate him in this way. Since the time an employee is hired, it is the responsibility of the human resource department of an organization to look after the employees. Firstly, they must conduct an effective recruitment process and securitizing of employees should be done carefully so that the employee is able to meet the expectations of the job. Once the employee is hired, proper training must be provided, however still if any employee is not capable he should first be warned and should be asked to improve but if he does not show any progress, he must be transferred to some other department or must be given some other job that suits his qualification and experience as termination should always be the last option for the management to opt for. The reason behind this is that termination always leaves a negative impact not just on the employee who has been terminated but on the existing employees as well as they might fear that even they can also be terminated in future. (Leat, 2001).

Animal Testing Essays (2581 words) - Animal Welfare, Bioethics

Animal testing is a popular and controversial issue that has sparked numerous debates between each side throughout the years. Animal testing is a form of experimentation that involves testing different products on all kinds of animals to see if they produce any side effects. These products could be make up, drugs, perfume, cleaning products and various other things. In certain countries, the law specifies that a new drug should essentially be tested on at least two different species of live mammal, one of which must be a large non-rodent. (Retrieved from www.buzzle.com on July 30, 2010.) The Animal act states that animals should not be used for testing of drugs if there is a realistic alternative available. However this has not stopped it from being done. Animals have been the test subject for anesthetics to prevent any pain or suffering during surgery on humans. Some of the testing performed on these animals has caused tumors and the results of the testing were found not relevant fo r any human. It has been found that a lot of the substances used in animals metabolize differently than they do in the human body. Therefore the results cannot transfer safely to patients. Lemon juice is one example of this finding; while it is not harmful to humans it is a poison to some animals. These tests are being conducted and are costing billions of dollars to perform and only a handful of them are providing any real kind of result. If you refer back to the question in our week two discussion of ?Is it ok to do an evil deed if the outcome could benefit others you can clearly see that in the case of animal testing the answer is no. They are not only wasting their time but they are wasting money on something that isn?t beneficial at all. These animals are being put through torture on the hope that ?something big? will come out of it. The acts these people are performing are inhumane and unjust. Proctor and Gamble is a large well known company and is also one of the companies that participate in animal testing. In 1989 P&G received a lot of press for their use of dogs as test subjects. Since then the company claims to only use rats, mice, rabbits and other small animals for testing. Retrieved from idausa.org on July 30, 2010. The company has not released any facts that support this but they still claim to have reduced their animal usage by up to 90 percent. The company has stated that they continue to look for alternatives to animal testing and feel they are using good scientific, ethical, and business sense with their actions. However they fought a deal in 1987 that would have done away with animal testing by their company all together. They also tried to convince people that testing on animals is humane and necessary. Retrieved from www.idausa.org on July 30, 2010. Proctor and Gamble makes so many of the products in today?s market and it is hard to compete. However there are many companies that produce the same products and do not participate in animal testing. The bottom line is this company would rather spend billions on advertising and promotion then on alternatives to testing. Looking for alternatives to testing does not benefit them the way that promoting their product does. People are not going to respond to an alternative to testing like they would to a cool new shampoo commercial. None of the tests that they perform are required by law and very few of them actually produce any results. P&G is just one of the many companies that tests it?s product on animals. Cosmetics companies are another key player in the animal testing field. Eye shadows are tested on rabbits to find out how much damage or irritation they cause. Sunscreen is tested on guinea pigs to see how much of an allergic reaction it will provide. Many of these big companies will hire outside companies to avoid any bad publicity for their company. Another unethical decision made by a money hungry company. These companies claim to be protecting the health and safety of humans with their testing. They claim these tests will prove

Oral Health and Nutrition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oral Health and Nutrition - Essay Example The dementia diagnosis was carried out blind from the dental and nutritional status. The study concluded that "having fewer teeth was associated in a cross-sectional analysis with incident dementia, and that this association was strongest in people who did not use dentures" (853). The study additionally found that females were significantly more likely to use dentures, and thus suffer less dementia (852). Nutrition and oral health have been associated as poor dental health makes it more difficult to consume fresh and healthy foods, while poor nutrition contributes further to poor oral health. This study linked the deterioration of dental health and teeth count to dementia. The study reported that the increased risk of dementia, and especially Alzheimer's Disease, may be due to the inflammatory processes associated with periodontal disease. Further research is needed to isolate the mechanism of onset for this important aspect of aging that affects many people worldwide, and could possibly be averted by better dental health and the increased use of dentures.

Amantes Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Amantes - Movie Review Example Trini is not only beautiful but also possess decent amounts of money to enable her to settle down with her fiance. However, she wants her fiance to find a decent job before they both can marry. She recommends her fiance to take an apartment on rent from a widow named Luisa (Victoria Abril)("Amantes") Apparently, Luisa appears to be a harmless, pretty widow who supports herself with the income she earns from the rents. However, Luisa is more than that. She has not only killed her own husband, about which she tells Paco later, but also is involved in swindles with the underworld mafia. ( Mrquez) She soon seduces Paco by her beauty and sensual manners. Paco, whose fiance has refused to indulge in sexual intercourse before their marriage, desperately and quickly gives into Luisa's seductive manners. On the other hand, Paco's abortive searches for a job hasten his decision to yield to Luisa's offer. And this way, Paco not only starts sharing her house but also her bed. On the other hand, Trini starts to sense change in the behavior of Paco. Paco doesn't seem to be interested in meeting her anymore and doesn't contact her for many days. For Paco, the world has suddenly changed. From a world that appeared hopeless, gloomy, bleak and dry, suddenly has started offering him with new, exciting and erotic surprises everyday. And Luisa's passion, experience, domination during sex adds to the spices of these sexual encounters. Luisa is not only experienced, she is passionate and possessive making Paco feel extremely wanted and valuable. Trini who is desperate to win her lover back asks a commander's wife for her advice. She tells her that the only way to bring him back is to offer him what Luisa had offered and what she had refused to-her body. Determined to win Paco back, she visits him at Luisa's house and offers herself to him as soon as Luisa leaves her place leaving behind her belongings so that widow does come to know what has happened behind her back. Paco surprised and happy by Trini's offer initially, returns to Trini and together they both visit her mother's house in a nearby village. However, the offer doesn't seem to have lasting effects on Paco's heart and soon he starts missing Luisa's passion, experience, care and love. Confused and trapped in the love of two women, Paco decides to live a dual love life, satisfying them both sexually and emotionally. However, Luisa's own double life complicates things further. She owns money to underworld members who would kill her and her lover in case she refuses or is unable to pay back their money. They suggest her to exploit Trini and use her savings to pay them back. Luisa informs Paco of the threats and suggests him that he marries Trini, steals her money and then runs away with her. Though Paco doesn't feels that he loves Trini as much as before, he doesn't still wants to betray and exploit her this way. But still, with much persuasion, Luisa is able to convince Paco to follow her plan. ("Amantes") According to the plan, Paco proposes Trini and they both leave Madrid for a small city Aranda del Duero where they are to get married. Luisa, follows them as she doubts Paco's intentions and determination to go with her plan. One night at the hotel, while Trini is asleep, Paco steals her money and give them to Luisa. However, unlike the plan, Paco refuses to run away with

Risk Management Plan for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Risk Management Plan for Business - Essay Example Practitioners have developed several approaches in resolving the adverse effects punctuated by risks. Through the years, systematic methods were devised to arrive at the best results and prevent the risks from recurring. Moreover, risk management has become part of the entire strategic planning and other similar corporate endeavors (Leland, 1998). In a more specific view, project development processes have included identification of risks as well as the provision of action plans to combat the risks. These improvements in the perception of project risks have provided leverage for organizations. The process of implementing risk management is procedural and requires intricate schemes. Ideal risk management suggests that the risk with the will create more loss and likely to happen is prioritized. Risks with low-key effects and with less probability are shelved for later actions. Based on this model, it is evident that it is difficult to create strategies to mitigate risks. It will be a challenge for firms to balance the risks and determine their impact and probability. LRH Financial is global investment management company that serves as financial intermediary. The marketing group headed by Alana Shapiro has been contemplating on creating projects that will become the marketing initiative of the company. Initially, the company has targeted the media as the most viable avenue to promote the company. The specific project was designed to make the company a primary sponsor in golf and basketball events. It is expected that such exposure will make the company highly recognizable. In addition, the company will become a commodity among households and sports aficionados. Since golf and basketball are emerging sports, television viewers are highly interested in watching such games. Despite of this expected success, the project team has realized the tendency of risks to occur. Essentially, this will provide a better picture on the manner in which the project will perform. The team will be tasked to identify the different risks according to the nature in which the risks exist. The process will be rigorous as it will require time before the team finally arrives at project plans. It is, however, advantageous for the company to explore the possibilities of barriers to the project. For the project to succeed, the project team has to properly identify the risks and determine the level of prioritization. Although risks are difficult to quantify, the team has the capacity to determine the likely impact of these risks to the company. Precision and accuracy are important in this process. It is imperative for the project to create a viable action plan that will handle the risks and anticipate the occurrence of unknown risks. Risk Identification Because the project is dynamic, it is expected that risks will exist and eventually affect its efficacy. Before identifying the risks, it is important to discuss the nature of the project. The project concerns sporting events particularly golf and basketball to be sponsored by LRH Financial. Interestingly, the budget for the project is perceived to be adequate and the support from high-ranking officials is ample. Primarily, the name of the company will be exposed in the basketball and golf games. These will be done orally through the commentators and by print using banners and video graphics. Given the nature of the

Should narcotic be legal in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should narcotic be legal in America - Essay Example In this paper, the issue of legalization of narcotics in America will be scrutinized having an ethical standpoint. If people can take drugs without harming the other people then these should be legalized. Just for the sake of argument, if we keep all the harms of drugs aside if we have a situation where drugs can safely be used without any chances of harm then it should be legalized. Human beings are pleasure seeking creatures and drugs are major source of pleasure in the life of Americans. In life the facilities like music, games literature, picnic and tourism are all for human pleasure. If pleasure is deducted from human life then only we are left with boring daily routine. Pleasure satisfies our mind and nerves system. Drug also give mental satisfaction and is a source of pleasure for many people in the world. Therefore when other pleasures of life are permitted then drug use should also be legalized (Fieser 2008). Moral duty of avoiding drug related harms to society are as strong as they were centuries ago. It is obvious that many Americans are behind the bars in jail in different American cities. Drug usage has adversely affected their social life. Another thing to consider is that a drug user gets access to drugs despite all hurdles. When alcohol and marijuana are used in a controlled quantity then harms on society are not visible. Drugs should be legalized in America as we see that people can control the use of recreational drug with out harming themselves and society (Fieser 2008). It should not be the moral duty of government and law makers to stop adults from using drugs. Similarly authorities do not have any moral obligation to stop a person drinking limited quantity of alcohol or other drugs. Use of force against willing drug user must be prohibited and this can only be possible after legalization of drugs (Friedman

Democrats vs. Republicans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Democrats vs. Republicans - Essay Example The Democratic Party is considered a liberal party but has also been described by academics, politicians and even the U.S. general public as progressive and center-left. However, in reality, it is a party with a large and multifaceted ideological divergence and features. The sectors range from the center-right conservative, through the center, classical liberalism, the socio-liberalism, the Social, union sectors, labor, progressive and left (Elder, p.268). Thesis Statement Democrats are the best for the future of the United States and its people. Stage prior to the Civil War Southern Democrats fanatically defended the institution of negro slavery, hence, most Northern Democrats dropped their heads and did not dare to oppose their fellow South, anti-slavery Democrats were unhappy with this party. The Democratic Party and Civil War When Southern states declared their separation from the United States to create an independent country (the Confederate States of America) and took up arms, the Southern Democratic Party became the political force supporting armed rebellion, and made criminals, responsible members of rebellion and treason. The Northern Democratic Party remained loyal to the Constitution and laws, and recognized the government of Lincoln, supporting the use of force to suppress the rebellion. The struggle against racial segregation and civil rights, and the "War on Poverty" President Roosevelt initiated a radical reform program known as the New Deal ("New Deal" to face the chaotic social situation. Roosevelt was a supporter of the free market economy; he was also responsible for the creation of the Minimum Wage in the United States. Moreover, he greatly increased public spending to fund its many programs to alleviate poverty, fight unemployment and stimulate the economy; however, he increased the taxes to achieve this goal (Wattenberg, p.205). When Democrat, John F. Kennedy, won the presidential election of 1960, what he did was to defend something whic h defended all democratic leaders left or right: equality between citizens of any ethnicity.

IT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

IT - Assignment Example The basic formats and practices can be duplicated however on the other hand to generalize and say IT no longer enables companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace was unsupported. Information technology is an evolving science its full potential still unknown. However with a better understanding of the innovative uses of the science companies have the potential of creating an advantage in the marketplace. The creation and determinant of the effective use of IT is contingent upon a myriad of factors, how a company implements the use of IT in its organizational structure and internal practices, how IT is used in a company’s external marketing campaigns, and whether the value of IT is understood by the leaders and managers as it relates to distinguishing sustainability. Corporations such as Wal-Mart, Hewlett-Packard, United Airlines and other recognizable firms provide the evidence that IT does enable companies to create a competitive advantage. Each of the companies listed has consistently used information technology to distinguish itself in the marketplace. Whereas other firms have implemented similar practices, the firms listed continue to set themselves apart by using IT in innovative and creative ways. An image of IT as a rigid format is erroneous to the contrary information technology presents unlimited possibilities. Leaders within an organization have the responsibility and duty to investigate the application and adaptability of IT practices for the maximum usage. By continuing to develop and implement IT strategies companies can position themselves as leaders within their respective industries. The lack of knowledge of the potential benefits of IT and its application within the organization as well as the benefits in the marketplace can make IT appear to be ineffective and a mundane costly endeavor (Parsons, 1984; Mata, Fuerst, & Bailey, 1995). Business leaders

Efficacy of Pyridoxine(vitamin B-6)in the treatment of premenstrual Article

Efficacy of Pyridoxine(vitamin B-6)in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome - Article Example Premenstrual symptoms are those symptoms that a woman experiences before her menses. This syndrome occurs in the days leading to the woman’s period. The symptoms include nausea, headache, pain in the lower abdomen and a feeling of being weak among others. There has been a recent study on these effects and vitamin B-6. It need to be proven that this vitamin has an impact to the premenstrual syndrome though it is believed it affects as will be seen in the essay. (Patricia O Chocano-Bedoya, May 2011). The subject is a current research that has been carried out by the department of health in the United Kingdom. This study involved a group of nine women out of nine hundred and forty women patients who had premenstrual syndrome. This study was important to compare the effects of vitamin B-6 to other methods and vitamins of reducing premenstrual syndrome. The study was important as it was aimed at bringing out the real picture of the effectiveness of vitamin B-6. It brought out the negative impacts of vitamin B-6 in the body of women. It shows that high levels of vitamin B-6 in the body are dangerous and can lead to serious health problems. The message of the study was to avoid the usage of the vitamin in the treatment of the premenstrual syndrome. (Patricia O Chocano-Bedoya, May 2011). The subjects to this study were the women in United Kingdom who used vitamin B-6 in the treatment of the premenstrual syndrome. There were several results to this research. The results are an outcome of the many trials conducted. Through trials the reports of unpublished and published reports were searched through the use of medical databases to try B-6 in controlling premenstrual syndrome. The data extracted from each trial was made sure that it met the criteria of inclusion whenever discrepancies through insufficient data for inclusion a was noted the authors were contacted to Shed more light with regard to the data In question. Dosage data