Texas Politics Essays - Bankruptcy In The United States,

Texas Politics Each one of us, as a citizen of Texas and of the United States of America, has certain responsibilities and tasks to accomplish. Included in such tasks are the roles we are given and those we choose: the role of a father, an aunt, a doctor, or an elected official. In the role of an elected official, one has minimum standards of conduct and performance to adhere to--they are the basis of what one is judged by when it comes down to election time. Texas State Representative One of the Texas state representatives is Roberto Gutierrez. Gutierrez represents district 41 in the state of Texas. This district consists of the southwest portion of Hidalgo count, representing such cities as McAllen, Mission, and Pharr. Gutierrez has been a state representative since January, 1991. He was born and raised in Mission, Texas and has spent a large part of his life living in the Rio Grande Valley. He attended the University of Texas Pan-American. Before being elected as a state representative, Gutierrez was a secondary school teacher. As a state representative, Gutierrez serves on the Committees of Apportionment, Local and Consent Calenders, and Public Safety. U.S. Representative One of the United States representatives from Texas is Ruben Hinojosa. Hinojosa, representative for Texas'15th district, has been in office since 1996. He was born in Edcouch, Texas and lives in Mercedes, TX. Hinojosa received his BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and his MBA from the University of Texas-- Pan American. Before being elected as a representative, he worked at the Chief Financial Officer of H&H Foods, his family's business. As United States Representative from Texas, Hinojosa has served on the Small Business Committee, and the Committee for Education and the Workforce. "Representative" A representative is a person elected by a group of people, such as a city or county, so that they (the group) will have a voice in the decisions that are going to be made that effect them. To be a representative, one must be close to their constituents. It helps to be from the same town, city, or state of the people that they hope to represent. A effective representative should have extensive experience within their district. This means living and working in the area that they represent. By doing this, they have a first hand knowledge of the area, the people, and the culture. This insures that the people's needs will not be ignored. Are they qualified? Roberto Gutierrez Roberto Gutierrez was born and raised in Mission, Texas, and he has spent his life in the Rio Grande Valley, the area that he represents. He is an effective representative because he is familiar with the people and their concerns. Gutierrez invests his time with civic entities such as Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. He has been a member of the McAllen Palm City Lions Club, the McAllen and Pharr Rotary Clubs, Parent Teacher Association, and he also served as former vice-president of the governing board of the McAllen Medical Center. His efforts as a member of these organizations has brought Gutierrez widespread recognition. He has been recognized by various public and private organizations, including The Friends of the UT-Pan American Library, and Amigos de Bomberos. Ruben Hinojosa Ruben Hinojosa was born in Edcouch, Texas. He also attended public school in the Rio Grande Valley. As an executive and owner of H&H Foods, Hinojosa has helped to provide his community over 300 jobs. He has served on the Board of Directors for the South Texas High School for Health Professions and was very instrumental in the success of that school. Hinojosa is an effective representative because he has been the Rio Grande Valley. He has grown up there and has been surrounded by its' people. Since being elected, Hinojosa has helped with the creation of The Women's Empowerment Business Center at UTPA. This center is accessible to all women who wish to start up a business and want information on different types of businesses, assistance with a business plan, or help with identifying financing alternatives. He has also helped increase access to capital and loans to small businesses as well as lessening the tax and regulatory burdens these businesses encounter. He has been a strong force in business growth promotion in the economically depressed areas of the Rio Grande Valley. Being involved in such programs has brought Hinojosa recognition from notable government agencies. In 1999, he was selected as the Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Minority Business Development Agency and the Small Business

Steps taken by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949 to Improve Agriculture essays

Steps taken by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949 to Improve Agriculture essays China's population is about 20% of the world population while it possesses just 7% of the world's arable land. Feeding its people has, therefore, been the country's major concern through much of its history. When the Communist party of China (CPP) came to power in 1949 as a result of the Communist Revolution, the country had been devastated due to years of civil war, foreign interference, social unrest and fragmentation. Its economy was in ruins and the communist party set out to revolutionize all aspects of the Chinese society including the economy. Since Mao-Zedong's brand of Communism was peasant-based rather than urban-based, the Communist Party of China was particularly focused on agricultural reforms and took several measures to improve the agricultural production and the living standards of the peasants. Although these policies have produced mixed results, China is now by and large self-sufficient in food production. In this paper I shall discuss the various policies implemented by the CCP since 1949 in the areas of agriculture and the peasantry and describe the The Peasant Base of CCP Mao Zedong was the undisputed leader of the CPP when it came to power in China in 1949. His version of Communism (Maoism) was somewhat different from the Communism envisaged by Karl Marx in which the urban workers were to be at the vanguard of Communist revolution. China had no industrial base of note and hence no significant urban working-class population. Most of the vast Chinese population were poor, ill-fed peasants who lived in the countryside. It was these peasants who were organized as the Communist power base by Mao Zedong during his long and hard struggle against the military forces of KMT, the Japanese and the "Long March." Mao was himself the son of a peasant farmer and could relate to their deprivations. It was the Chinese peasants that Mao repea...

Definition and History of Cathode Ray

Definition and History of Cathode Ray A cathode ray is a beam of electrons  in a vacuum tube traveling from the negatively charged electrode (cathode) at one end to the positively charged electrode (anode) at the other, across a voltage difference between the electrodes. They are also called electron beams. How Cathode Rays Works The electrode at the negative end is called a cathode. The electrode at the positive end is called an anode. Since electrons are repelled by the negative charge, the cathode is seen as the source of the cathode ray in the vacuum chamber. Electrons are attracted to the anode and travel in straight lines across the space between the two electrodes. Cathode rays are invisible but their effect is to excite atoms in the glass opposite of the cathode, by the anode. They travel at high speed when voltage is applied to the electrodes and some bypass the anode to strike the glass. This causes atoms in the glass to be raised to a higher energy level, producing a fluorescent glow. This fluorescence can be enhanced by applying fluorescent chemicals to the back wall of the tube. An object placed in the tube will cast a shadow, showing that the electrons stream in a straight line, a ray. Cathode rays can be deflected by an electric field, which is evidence of it being composed of electron particles rather than photons. The rays of electrons can also pass through thin metal foil. However, cathode rays also exhibit wave-like characteristics in crystal lattice experiments. A wire between the anode and the cathode can return the electrons to the cathode, completing an electrical circuit. Cathode ray tubes were the basis for radio and television broadcasting. Television sets and computer monitors before the debut of plasma, LCD, and OLED screens were cathode ray tubes (CRTs). History of Cathode Rays With the 1650 invention of the vacuum pump, scientists were able to study the effects of different material in vacuums, and soon they were studying  electricity  in a vacuum. It was recorded as early as 1705 that in vacuums (or near vacuums) electrical discharges could travel a larger distance. Such phenomena became popular as novelties, and even reputable physicists such as Michael Faraday studied the effects of them. Johann Hittorf discovered cathode rays in 1869 using a Crookes tube and noting  shadows cast on the glowing wall of the tube opposite of the cathode. In 1897 J. J. Thomson discovered that the mass of the particles in cathode rays was 1800 times lighter than hydrogen, the lightest element. This was the first discovery of subatomic particles, which came to be called electrons. He received the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for this work. In the late 1800s, physicist Phillip von Lenard studied the cathode rays intently and his work with them earned him the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physics. The most popular commercial application of cathode ray technology is in the form of traditional television sets and computer monitors, although these are being supplanted by newer displays such as OLED.

Briefing note on crime prevention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Briefing note on crime prevention - Essay Example The treatment for prisoners used to be inhuman, severe and even merciless, and they languished in solitude till the completion of their prison terms. The mode of correction and retributive actions varied from disciplinary confinements and exile to painful lashes or even death. (Prisoners' Rights) [1] Every right thinking citizen in society hopes for the day when the surface of the earth will be crimeless and whatever is left of crime get nipped in the bud. But as of now, everyone is aware this is, at best, a distant dream. The Geneva Convention of 27 July 1929 comprising 97 articles, laid down general principles for humane treatment of prisoners at all times. It was a historical landmark which recognized the basic rights of the prisoners such as food and clothing, hygiene, mental and physical recreation, contact by mail with the near and dear ones, and their religious practices. It particularly emphasized on protection of the inmates from acts of violence, insults and public curiosity. (Geneva Convention) [2] The silver lining of the present time is that there is a growing school of professionals and social activists who are firm in the belief that it is possible to prevent crime to a large extent, and in many cases where it has taken place, it is possible to apply corrective measures without resorting to custodial confinement within the four walls of a prison. (Rehabilitation of Offenders) [3] Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974 In England, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974, is the landmark legislation towards this effort. It seeks to provide the offender, particularly the youth a second chance to get back on track and join the mainstream with a sense of responsibility and purpose. This act provides opportunity, under some conditions, to the ex-offender to 'wipe the slate clean' and begin all over as if he had not committed any criminal act at any point in his lifetime. Nonetheless, this happens after a period of rehabilitation depending on the gravity of the offence and the custodial sentence awarded as consequence. A rehabilitation period is the length of time set from the date of conviction. Once this period is over, subject to certain conditions and exceptions, an ex-offender does not have to mention his conviction when applying for a job. The Act is likely to help people facing minor convictions. People with many convictions, especially serious convictions, may not find the Act beneficial unless the last convictions are very old. For someone with a criminal record and on the lookout for work, it is necessary to know about the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, 1974, which explains the legal requirements for both employers and employees, and the rules associated with the rehabilitation period. It is quite a complicated Act and as such, it is advisable to go through it with someone who is familiar with the act. Under this legislation, the conviction is said to be "spent" after the period of rehabil

Cholesterol and cardiovascular disease Research Paper

Cholesterol and cardiovascular disease - Research Paper Example Keywords: Cholesterol, hypercholesterolemia, heart attack, statins INTRODUCTION Cholesterol is a fat, a sterol. It is one of the main constituents of the cell membranes. Animal cells exclusively manufacture cholesterol, so it is an animal fat. Cholesterol is insoluble in water and is classified on the basis of density into very low density lipoproteins, intermediate density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins and high density lipoproteins. The elevated levels of cholesterol in the human body play a very drastic role. The most crucial among all the effects is its effect on heart. The related symptoms may also arise depending upon the quantity of it in the blood and organs. REALTION BETWEEN CHOLESTROL AND HEART DISEASE When the level of cholesterol rises in blood, it starts getting accumulated in the inner walls of the vessels. Not all the fats are bad. There are two main types of cholesterol, we will deal here. One is the good cholesterol, HDL and other is bad one, LDL. These are t he two major types of fats in which they move around in the body. LDL clogs the arteries and HDL actually works opposite to it and helps clearing the cholesterol from blood. The total cholesterol level should be less than 200 mg/dL. The LDL level should be below 100 mg/dL. In general, higher the LDL levels, more are the chances of getting cardiac diseases. The LDL is of low density, it tends to accumulate in the blood vessels instead of circulating in the blood. Over the time, this buildup of LDL causes the hardening of the arteries. The arteries narrow down and blood flow gets slow. The blood is therefore, unable to carry the nutrients to the heart and person suffers from the chest pain. As the plaque deposit grows, it can block the main artery, coronary artery, causing heart attack (Webmd.com, 2013). RISK OF GETTING CARDIAC DISEASE Hypercholesterolemia is a modifying risk factor for coronary artery disease. There are many risk factors associated with an elevated level of cholester ol in body, some major are obesity, diabetes, heart failure, congestive heart disease, hormonal imbalance, glucose production inhibition, bleeding disorders, gynecological disorders like infertility, eye sight loss and many more. Heart attack is the major cause of death in the world. This heart attack and related cardiac diseases are due to the cholesterol. It is estimated that 54% of deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are due to CVS disorders. In Oman, it is about 49%, and 13% in Somalia. The deaths due to the heart problems in UAE are about 28%, 19% in Sudan and 52% in Lebanon. About 600,000 Americans die due to heart attack. Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of their death. Every year, about 7 million Americans have heart attack. Out of these, some might had had an attack and others suffer first attack. The risk factors contributing to these deaths are obesity, poor diet, excessive alcohol intake and high lipid intake. The most common among all is the diet having high levels of bad fats along with sedentary lifestyle. About 49% have these risk factors in general,

Types of pollution Essay Example for Free

Types of pollution Essay Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into our environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollutants, the elements of pollution, can be substances, energies, or naturally occurring. Pollution can be natural and man-made. Natural pollution occurs naturally and does not cause excessive harm to our lives due to its regeneration ability. While the man-made pollution is caused by human activities, and is hard to get rid of. The backbones of man-made pollution are human population and technology. By the increase of human population, the contact with natural resources is getting more intensive, because needs are increasing. And by the findings and development of new technologies, human can apply them to get the resources. And it is common that new technologies would bring their respective side effects besides their advantages. Types of pollution There are four common types of pollution that I know, which are: Air Pollution Water Pollution Land or Soil Pollution Noise Pollution Air pollution Air pollution is indication of disturbances to the composition of compounds in the atmosphere, as it may be summarized as: †¢excess emission of gases, vapors or air pollutants like carbon particals, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, lead, CFCs into the atmosphere †¢saturation of chemical compounds or particulates †¢emergence of new chemical reactions of reactive and non-biodegradable compounds. Causes We can classify major causes of air pollution into the following categories: †¢Motor Vehicle Exhaust †¢Heat And Power Generation Facilities †¢Industrial Processes †¢Automobile And Electrical Components Manufacturing †¢Fertilizer Plants †¢Building Demolition †¢Solid Waste Disposal †¢Volcanic Eruption †¢Fuel Production †¢Roadway Construction †¢Forest Fires †¢Agriculture Effects †¢Global warming- it is an increase in the earths atmospheric and oceanic temperatures widely predicted to occur due to an increase in the greenhouse effect. †¢Acid rain-it is any precipitation, including snow, that contains a heavy concentration of sulfuric and nitric acids. It makes the soil acidic, affects plants and damages buildings, monuments, etc. †¢Smog-it is a fog made heavier and darker by smoke and chemical fumes. It is caused due to hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen especially from automobile exhaust †¢Ozone depletion- the ozone layer in the atmosphere protects us from the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun. However, CFCs, and some other air pollutants that diffuse into the ozone layer, destroy ozone. †¢Health problems- carbon particles cause respiratory problems, carbon monoxide causes headaches, dizziness, nausea and even death and lead affects the liver, kidney and the alimentary canal and causes mental disorders. Prevention Prevention of air pollution: †¢Using smokeless sources of energy like smokeless stoves †¢use smokeless fuels like biogas and LPG at home and CNG in cars. †¢Using wet scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators (air pollution control devices) for filtering smoke in chimneys of factories and powerhouses. †¢Planting more trees that absorb excess CO2 and give out O2. †¢Locating industries away from residential areas. †¢Strictly checking pollution levels in automobiles’ exhaust emission. †¢Using unleaded petrol. †¢Using other sources of energy like wind energy, solar energy and tidal energy. Water pollution Water pollution is contamination of water by foreign matter that deteriorates the quality of the water. Water pollution covers pollutions in liquid forms like ocean pollution and river pollution. It involves the release of toxic substances, pathogenic germs, substances that require much oxygen to decompose, easy-soluble substances, radioactivity, etc. that interfere with the condition of aquatic ecosystems. Causes We can classify the major causes of water pollution into the following categories: †¢Petroleum Products †¢Synthetic Agricultural Chemicals(fertilizers, pesticides) †¢Heavy Metals †¢Hazardous Wastes from homes and factories †¢Excess Organic Matter †¢Infectious Organisms †¢Air Pollution †¢Soil Pollution Effects †¢Direct disposal of waste into natural waterways causes waste to build up within the water. †¢When the acid rain falls, it contaminates local natural waterways including streams, rivers and lakes. This causes the death of many aquatic animals. Other animals drinking the water may become ill and die, too. †¢Thermal pollution occurs when water used to cool hot machinery is released into waterways and the temperature of the water is drastically increased. This temperature change may cause aquatic life to die and numbers to be reduced. Additionally, such a temperature increase decreases the amount of oxygen in water, causing more of a chance of death to organisms. †¢Drinking polluted water can cause cholera or typhoid infections, along with diarrhea. The consumption of highly contaminated water can cause injury to the heart and kidneys. †¢Toxins within water can harm aquatic organisms, thus breaking a link in the food chain. †¢Causes algae in water. They decrease oxygen in water. Overgrowth of algae and surface life leading to loss of light and nutrients to deep aquatic life. †¢The erosion of soil into waterways causes flooding, especially with heavy rainfall. †¢Harms animals when they eat dead fish in contaminated streams. Prevention †¢Treat domestic sewage water and use it to irrigate crops. †¢Convert sewage sludge to generate biogas †¢Use residue from biogas for regeneration as organic manure. †¢Reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers †¢Treat wastewater from industries in effluent treatment plants before disposing them †¢Reduce consumption of water in industries. Land or Soil pollution Soil pollution or land pollution involves the following mechanism: †¢Deposition of solid waste †¢Accumulation of non-biodegradable materials †¢Toxification of chemicals into poisons †¢Alteration of soil chemical composition (imbalance of chemical equilibrium to soil medium) Causes We can classify the major causes of land pollution into the following categories: †¢Agriculture (pesticides, insecticides) †¢Cutting of trees for agriculture, mining, quarrying and constructions †¢Sewage Sludge †¢Dredged Spoils †¢Dumping of household waste, industrial waste, non-biodegradable wastes Effects †¢Land pollutions leads to loss in the forest cover of Earth. This is in turn going to affect the amount of rain. Less rains mean lesser vegetation. †¢One of the biggest threats to the eco-system caused by land pollution is chemical contamination. The biodegrade particles poison the ground itself. Animals eat the plants growing on such grounds and even humans are all affected by these chemicals. †¢When land pollution is bad enough, it damages the soil. This means that plants may fail to grow there, robbing the eco-system of a food source for animals. Invasive weeds that choke off the remaining sources of native vegetation can spring up in areas that have been weakened by pollution. †¢In some cases, pollution can damage the soil to the point that vegetation no longer grows. This may lead to erosion of the soil. †¢Polluted land has a negative impact on surrounding environments. Land pollution that contaminates soil can also contaminate waterways. Contaminated water that evaporates into the atmosphere can fall back to the earth as acid rain, causing the cycle of contamination and pollution to continue. Prevention †¢Separate wastes into biodegradable and non-biodegradable. †¢Biodegradable wastes could be used as manure while non-biodegradable wastes should be recycled. †¢Treat industrial effluents physically, chemically and biologically until they are less harmful. †¢Use manures or biofertilisation instead of their chemical alternatives †¢Use designated pits for dumping of solid wastes. Noise pollution Noise pollution means excessive noise in the environment which is annoying and potentially harmful Causes †¢Industries †¢Transportation systems †¢Construction works †¢Loudspeakers †¢Entertainment systems Effects †¢Auditory fatigue †¢Deafness †¢Annoyance †¢Loss of working efficiency †¢Interference in speech communication †¢Physical disorder like stress, nausea, high blood pressure, sleep loss and increase in heartbeats. Preventions †¢Turning down the volume of music systems, radios, and televisions so as not to disturb others. †¢Ban on loudspeakers in public places †¢Creating green belts between residential and industrial sectors. Conclusion Pollution is a growing pain. Pollution is not a problem that came suddenly; its our fault and has been a part of our life through many years. We must be wise in managing our resources, and take positive action towards preventing any forms of pollution to the environment.

Theres a Stranger in my Words :: Creative Writing Essays

There's a Stranger in my Words As I sit here and stare at the Mac I wonder who sits at my back? If they knew what I write Would they curse me and bite Or start up some verbal attack? Well, as I walk through the swirling, smoke filled sky of the Hagg-Sauer doorway, squeezing my eyes shut against the reflected sunlight, I thought about how I would approach this project. How to say what I need to say, without saying it in a way that has been said a thousand times, in a million-million words. The voices in my head struggle to escape to the paper, but there's this thing in between my thoughts and your eyes...my mind. Language that I would _never_ actually use in speaking to someone seems to just flow, driven by some primal "college survival" instinct, from my fingertips when I sit down at the word-hatcher with an assignment in hand. This has become a real dilemma, as I now struggle for true expression and attempt to beat back the demons of 15 years worth of practice at the 'official style' of writing. _I feel that I have become quite well adapted to writing the language which has become the "common coin of the realm" at colleges and Universities._ I could sit here and write puffed up, stagnant, and wordy paragraph after paragraph, and still hold the interest of many of my instructors. But that is not my desire...I seek to free my muse from the shackles of formulae, the bondage of format, and the unrelenting ambiguity of "the same old stuff." When does your _voice_, that engaging part of your writing which bridges topic and audience, become sensible and engaging? Is it when you _feel it_ working, when the point seems to be making its way onto the page or screen in front of you? Does it depend more on the person reading the thing you gave them? If this is true, then our discussion begins to degenerate into the absurd... If the success of my writing comes from you, the reader, then I can never be sure of its effectiveness before talking to you about it, can I? And if this is the case, then maybe it is best that there _is_ a fixed format to write into with college work. Pigeon holes, indeed! And yet, when the smoke clears and the debris is swept away, sometimes I feel that the real me, my thoughts and feelings, come through onto the page.

Knowledge and Understanding of “the Human Seasons” Essay

The poem â€Å"The Human Seasons† is a poem by John Keats is a poem John Keats wrote to a friend in a letter. â€Å"The Human Seasons† is a fourteen line English sonnet with twelve lines in the beginning followed by two final lines at the end. The poem has rhymes however the whole poem is neither uniform nor consistent throughout. The first four lines rhyme in an ABAB pattern. The second rhyme can be found between line six and eight. The Third rhyme can be found between nine and eleven and the final rhyme is in the last two lines, line thirteen and fourteen. All these rhymes are different, however they do share one thing in common the rhyming pairs all have one line in between to separate them. Another pattern that can be found in the poem is an iambic pattern. In pattern flows with the human blood flow making it easy to read. These patterns construct the bases that show the amount of thought John Keats put into the poem to express himself. The speaker we assume is John Keats himself since this poem was used in a letter to a friend from John Keats. The intended audience is the recipient of the letter, but now the poem is shared to all. In the poem John Keats is comparing the two different natural process, the four seasons of a natural year and the stages of human life. The season become metaphors for the various feelings and thoughts humans experience in the various phases of one’s life. The tone is serious as John Keats is expressing his thought on the topics of the natural human process. This serious tone can be felt from the diction since the John Keats choses to use formal language to write this poem. â€Å"The Human Season† is an example of John Keats ability to put a lot of thought in a fourteen line poem. The patterns and thoughts expressed in the poem are densely compressed but not too much that makes it hard on the reader to understand the topics and the expression of the speaker. One can really appreciate this with the careful analysis to see how much work John Keats puts into a short fourteen lines.

Does the nuclear family benefit the bourgoisie?

The nuclear family can be taken to be two parents and their children. Is the nuclear family primarily to benefit the powerful rather than society as a whole can be perceived to be true. This point of view is associated with Marxism and the powerful are the ruling class or bourgeoisie. They own the means of production such as land, factories, machines and so on. Marxism is based on an exploitative and unequal relationship between two classes. The proletariats who are the workers are the majority and this is were the family comes in. The family is controlled by those who control the economy and they control the family and manipulate the family into benefiting them. In any society the economic aspect (that is, the productive process involving the creation of goods and services for distribution and exchange) is always the most basic, fundamental and ultimately most significant aspect because it is only through economic activity that people can produce the things they need for their physical survival. Marxists tend to see institutions like the family in terms of what they do to support the overall structure of capitalist society, their function within the limit of a particular form of economic production. Unlike Functionalist sociology, Conflict sociology tends to view these functions from more than one angle (for example, the family as an institution may serve useful purposes for upper class men, but not for working class women). Eli Zaretsky (â€Å"Capitalism, the Family and Personal Life†, 1976) a Marxists believes that the family is a prop to the capitalist society. The capitalist system is based upon the domestic labour of housewives who reproduce future generations of workers. He also believes that family has become a vital unit of consumption. The family consumes the products of capitalism and this allows the bourgeoisie to continue producing surplus value. In this respect, people are not simply being socialised into â€Å"society†, the socialisation process is directed towards the integration of people into a specific form of social relationship, one that reflects the fundamental, structural, inequalities of Capitalism. The ruling class ideology makes the family as an institution help to maintain and reproduce basic social inequalities by presenting them as â€Å"normal† and â€Å"natural† within the socialisation process. This creates a false class consciousness as they are not aware of their true identity as exploited workers. The family is a safety valve for people's frustrations whereas the vast majority of males are relatively powerless in Capitalist industry, the family structure serves the purpose of disguising this powerless condition. Males within the family have traditionally been powerful figures in relation the females. Marxists contend that this â€Å"illusion of power† within the family serves as a safety value for the build-up of tension and frustration at work. The feminist perspective on the family has tended to stress the following ideas. Men oppress women within the family, just as they oppress women within all other institutions in Capitalist society. Feminist have tended to dismiss ides of gender differences based upon supposed biological / genetic differences between males and females that serve to legitimate male domination over women. Women have a role forced upon them within the family. Women act as â€Å"unpaid servants† within the home. This idea is linked, by Marxist feminists, to the economic relationship between Capital and labour, in the sense that labour is exploited by Capital in the economic aspect just as women are exploited by men within the family. They see family benefiting the powerful who are the men, this is patriarchy. Functionalist sociology has tended to look towards the family as the cornerstone of social integration in any society by which is meant the idea that ways have to be found to make people feel that they belong to the society into which they were born – to feel and believe that they have something in common with the people around them. The family group represents the primary institution, in any society, for the initial socialisation of children. In this respect, any institution charged with this responsibility is going to play a significant part in the reproduction of cultural norms and values, therefore family benefits society as a whole. The family as a unit of stability, of equal importance to this socialisation function, the family also represents an institution that acts as a stabilising force in society. In this respect, the family is seen to be an institution that is charged with ensuring the maintenance of social order. The basic relationship of the family institution to the whole social structure in society that is proposed by Functionalists is the family is a vital social institution responsible with the basic functions of socialisation and system maintenance. Fletcher a functionalist thinker, identifies the main functions of the family as being: Procreation and Child-Rearing: The family structure provides a legitimate arena for the bearing and raising of children. Given the relative helplessness of children at birth, parental nurture and care is seen as vital – and the family provides a solid basis for such care and support in the early years of a child's social development. Regulation of Sexual Behaviour: In this respect, the family structure serves to limit and contain sexual jealousies and by defining the limits of sexual freedom, the family structure limits the chances of potentially damaging sexual relationships developing. Additionally, the family is a primary institution for the provision of love, care and emotional support for both children and adults. In short, it provides a sense of belonging and serves to clearly-define role relationships between men and women. Provision of a Home: This idea expresses the assumption that people find comfort and security within primary social and sexual relationships. The â€Å"home† not only provides physical shelter, it also serves as the focal point of family existence. I recognise that the family group serves some kind of purpose in any society. Where Marxists tend to disagree with thinkers working in other perspectives, however, is in relation to the nature of that purpose and, for Marxists, the relationship between the family and the social structure of any society is one of unequal dependence. Functionalists argue that social institutions develop out of the need to satisfy, fulfil and organise various human social needs. However I feel that the primary role of the family is not to benefit the powerful but in some societies it does to an extent conform to this idea. There are other functions of the family such as the socialisation of children also providing love and support for its members which does not always benefit the powerful.

Roberto Mussolini essays

Roberto Mussolini essays The moment I heard the name Rudolph Valentino it immediately caught my attention. His name reminded me of a combination of a fashion designer and a red nosed reindeer. When I heard who he actually was, I was even more intrigued. He was one of the main heartthrobs of the 1920s. Being a hopeless romantic myself, this description caught my attention. The only thing I had known previously about him before doing my research was that he was a good looking, enormously admired, actor. I wanted to find more out about this man. I wanted to take a look into the life of a 1920s movie star. I thought that the search process on Rudolph Valentino would be fairly easy. I thought I would go to Yahoo, type in his name, and hundreds of websites would appear at my fingertips. It turns out it wasnt that simple. Four days before the report was due, my Internet cable connection stopped working. I had heard that the system hadnt been working properly lately and I figured it would clear up in a day or so. A day goes by and I decide to bug my parents about trying to get it to work. They call the computer company and their advice was, wait a day or so. I was left with no idea who Rudolph Valentino is, two days to write a report and no Internet to find any information about him. I then resort to going to West Bloomfield Public Library. I always find it hard to find what I am looking for at libraries so it was my last resort. I walked over to the section that had books about movies stars. I looked in books for the name Valentino. About 5 books had information so I picked the three that looked the best. I didnt have much time there because I needed to finish my Literary Analysis that night. Therefore, I didnt look very closely at exactly how much information was in those three books. When I got home I looked in the books and realized there was about enough information in those books to write a half...

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY.#3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY.#3 - Essay Example The research aims at identifying whether there is difference in the learning of complex and simple rules between teacher-directed (explicit) and grammar-discovery (implicit) approaches and if such differences exist at different levels of proficiency such as beginners, intermediate and advance language learners. The study entailed quantitative study over 2-month period at three proficiency levels with pre-post and delayed-post tests. The number of participants was 70 and their ages ranged from 13 to 19 years. Two treatment groups (N=35 in each group) with different proficiency levels were administered 15-minute sessions 4-5 times a week over the entire period of study using same mini grammar quiz and writing prompt. Explicit treatment was teacher-directed with formal rules while implicit treatment was task-based and grammar-discovery. Chi-square data analysis was used to identify the differences in grammar learning gains. The findings indicated that instructional intervention increases the learning of grammar forms. For implicit instruction, the interaction increased learning due to opportunity to improve cognitive ability to unconsciously analyse materials. For explicitly taught group, findings demonstrate that adults use deductive reasoning and benefit from structural presentations and ability o relate new information with their L1. The results indicate the methods matter since explicitly-taught groups scored highly than implicitly-taught groups for the complex rules. This indicates explicit group’s cognitive approach resonates well with adult learners’ brains while implicit groups’ attempts to discover rules and assimilate forms through practice. I agree with the author that teachers can spend more time in teaching complex grammar rules through explicit methods and allow the students to induct the simple structures and rules of grammar. I was interested in this source since I believe it lays foundation on future studies on grammar instruction

Oil, Iraq and U.S. Foreign Policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oil, Iraq and U.S. Foreign Policy - Term Paper Example The Bush administration used the fear of terrorism as a political tool to garner public and congressional support for the invasion of Afghanistan, the country where the infamous Al Qaeda architect Osama bin Laden was thought to be hiding. Bush quickly thereafter justified sending the bulk of the military to Iraq because it was also a terrorist threat because of its massive stockpiles of ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ Of the 13 terrorists linked with the 9-11 attacks, nine were from Saudi Arabia (none from Iraq) who obtained passports from Iran and took orders from an Afghanistan-based organization. No weapons, no link to terrorism and no legal reason to attack. However, Bush decided to invade Iraq for causes deemed unacceptable to the vast majority of other nations so he repeatedly relied on and used false information to justify it. He lied. This discussion will examine how the truth was a casualty early and often during the lead up to the war and outlines some of the co nsequences brought about by these far-reaching and deadly deceptions. The U.S. justified its invasion and occupation of Iraq to the nations of the world by proclaiming, if not proving, that it was a mission to remove weapons of mass destruction which threatened not only the U.S. but all other nations as well. Secretary of State Colin Powell and other administration officials, particularly with the U.S. Department of State, eagerly endeavored to state their rationale for aggressive military actions and make it as palatable to as many other countries as they could. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz is quoted in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine dated May 28, 2003, as saying â€Å"For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction† (Shovelan, 2003).