Interracial Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interracial Marriage - Essay Example Over time, interracial marriage has evoked a number of sentiments. There have been differences on how this issue has been viewed traditionally as well as contemporarily. Conventionally, men of color who marry women outside their race are seen as individuals who want to break free from their own identities. For instance, David Mura’s Reflections of My Daughter convey the emotion of self-hate in a man of color who chose to marry a white woman (O’Hearn). On the other hand, popular culture belief asserts that interracial marriage represents genuine acceptance and love. The following discussions look into the contrast of traditional and popular culture belief regarding men of color who choose to wed outside their race (Option A). In a traditional sense, men who opt to marry women from another race deny their innermost identities. This recourse is somehow seen as cowardly since it could be a way of escaping the prejudices and other disadvantages caused by one’s color. Most elderlies frown at this occurrence since it negates patriotism. One way of showing respect and love to your culture and nation is by marrying someone from where you are. They may also assert that one way of strengthening a race is by making it pure. For instance, Mura expounded on how he has experienced racism as a man of color. By marrying a white woman, he can somehow elevate his social status in the eyes of many. Since marrying someone from another race involves giving up some ideals and certain cultural practices, this action is viewed as rebuffing ones heritage. One may need to compromise one’s culture and identity especially when meeting in-laws. Mura also had some misgivings as well as guilt about his daughter’s future. Being a mixed-raced child, there can be certain social challenges regarding â€Å"fitting-in†. Mura had thoughts on merely educating his daughter regarding one racial background to diminish identity confusion. However, this may not se em right. Furthermore, it may not also be denied that many speculate that individuals marry outside their race in order to escape their impoverished situations. For instance, a local may perceive that marrying a â€Å"white† man or woman is a ticket out of a ghetto neighborhood or it can provide an opportunity for some to enjoy greener pastures in certain first world countries. Conventionally, marriage between two kinds of cultures often presents various complications. The dissimilarities transcend to moral, socio-psychological, and other facets of living. Some of the conflicts are on communication styles, household supervision, and religious practices. Language is an extremely valuable component of any race. Aside from the vocabularies, gestures and enunciations constitute self-expression. When there is a struggle in these aspects, misunderstandings are quite likely to happen. Moreover, household supervision is most of the time influenced by the couples’ respective fa mily values. The differences in each other’s principles may lead to disagreements. Also, raising children with two or even three or more kinds of cultures proves to be complicated and confusing. The challenge is not only for the parents but for the children as well. In addition, one’s beliefs and religious views are usually affected by the already-set practices in one’s childhood. Hence, an interracial marriage may face problems when it comes to the differences in convictions. On the contrary, current views assert that one engages in interracial marriage because of altruism and other noble reasons. Nowadays, the number of people engaging in interracial marriage have been increasing. The present acceptance of this practice is quite in contrast with traditional social guidelines. Though some are still ambivalent or unsupportive

Affirmative Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Affirmative Action - Essay Example With this decision, the Supreme Court overturned its previous rulings in the precedents by transferring the full burden of proof to the worker. In other words, the employee should prove that he was dismissed primarily and solely because of his age (the protection of the law applies to employees above 40 years old). In this case, the Court has made it more difficult for employees to pursue age discrimination cases successfully. Employers possess all the records and information on the employee’s history, with the capability of concealing them entirely, since employers would not need to lift a finger to prove their case. The employee, on the other hand, would rarely be in possession of the documentary data needed to prove an allegation of discrimination. After all, discrimination exists in the mind of the decision-maker, and with only testamentary accounts to back up his claim, the employee is put at a distinct disadvantage to the employer. Furthermore, the employer possesses much greater resources than the worker, and risks very little in accommodating the employee back into his payroll should he lose the case, while the worker’s entire livelihood and subsistence is at stake. The tenets of social justice thus imposes upon the court to even the odds by imposing the burden of evidence on the employer when the minimum requirement is proven by the worker. The economic recession is increasingly taking a toll on the nation’s workforce as more and more business find it necessary to resort to layoffs in an effort to downsize. It has been observed, however, that employers have resorted to a â€Å"last one in, first one out† policy when it comes to selecting those workers who have to go. Instead of letting the older employees – who receive higher salaries because of their seniority in the company – go, companies elect instead to separate those who are in

Actions of the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld Essay

Actions of the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld - Essay Example Donald Rumsfeld’s decision to modify Pentagon’s covert action and intelligence was right. The Pentagon that he joined was a monolith determined to win mega wars against two opponents simultaneously. He was uncertain of America’s victory in such wars because the enemies had equal capability and strength. He anticipated for varied threats that required diverse defense capabilities rather than automatic and programmed responses. He, therefore, sought to transform the pentagon by supporting a culture that values creativity and intelligence risk-taking. It is evident that Rumsfeld did not bend both titles. The government’s war against terror calls for a remaking of Pentagon’s and CIA’s activities and incorporate strategies that were not in place by September 11. Currently, there are calls to transfer the use of drones or move the targeted killing program to the Pentagon from CIA. Propaganda is usually distorted information meant to persuade the po pulace. The internet and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter can help people to propagate ideas, whether it is by demonizing the opponent or mobilizing support. It is also inappropriate to use social media for data-mining operation. Data-mining poses a threat to privacy. A social media can provide personal and sensitive data only for it to be used for different purposes other than the intended one. What the Pentagon did with U-Turn was beneficial though unethical. Under Title 50, the actions helped Pentagon’s intelligence gathering operations.

Below the line marketing activities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Below the line marketing activities - Essay Example Below the line, efforts should â€Å"aspire to establish targeted relationships between marketers and individual consumers, and offer comparable ease in measurability (V12 Group, 2006: 2). The key term in this definition is measurability, which is something that below the line efforts provide. However, a below the line activity such as the distribution of target customer promotional cards would indicate the volume of promotional literature returned, offering a specific return ratio based on percentages sent and volume returned. When using this type of below the line marketing, it is clear to see that a significant advantage lies in measurability for the sake of strategic or operational planning. Carter (2006) offers a wider variety of activities associated with below the line marketing, including text message promotions, sales catalogs, trade shows and public relations events. Unlike above the line efforts which are generally variable in cost, below the line efforts are usually fixe d fees associated with the promotion. The development of various keychains or other logo-inspired products used for promotion would be common items of the below the line marketing activity. Flack (2008) offers the importance of below the line promotion by suggesting that the consumer population has evolved far beyond the traditional, promotional writing pen, thus companies need to come up with a more brand-focused and innovative series of promotional materials in order to capture the sophisticated consumer attention.

Evolution in Health and Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Evolution in Health and Disease - Essay Example However, another form of evolution exists with relation to disease and patient health. In fact, an entire field of study is termed as â€Å"evolutionary medicine†. As such, this particular field is interested in determining the ways in which health and disease closely mirror evolutionary biology. As a function of understanding this fact, medical health professionals and researchers of ever variety are able to formulate treatments and care plans that will more effectively speak to the needs of the patient within the framework of understanding disease from the evolutionary standpoint. As a function of seeking to understanding this particular field of study in a more full and complete manner, this analysis will define, categorize, and explore some of the key realms within which evolutionary medicine has and continues to make valuable contributions to the medical community and treatment of disease. In such a way, the study of evolutionary biology as related to the human body and t he field of medicine and health is ultimately the study of change and how it is exhibited on the body as well as the pathogen, organ, or feature of the body that is targeted for treatment. When one considers evolutionary biology, one of the first items that comes to mind is of course the way that living organisms have the innate ability to shift, change, and adapt in order to survive and thrive within their environment (Trotter et al 2011, pg. 41). Ideally, this is a good thing; however, with the case of a variety of pathogens, the ability to morph, change, and alter the way in which they react to certain substances and environments means that pathogens that had been able to be treated using a variety of different means can eventually become somewhat immune to such efforts and require the medical community to actively engage and seek out new ways in which to stop the spread of disease; oftentimes utilizing entirely different means than the pathogen itself has become immune to. One o f the ways that pathogens can exhibit a type of evolutionary biology with reference to a type of â€Å"learned† immunity is with respect to the way that certain pathogens survive the administration of a given antibiotic (Valles 2012, p. 256). As with the model of the natural selection and survival of the fittest, this means that those pathogens that survive the administration of the antibiotic are generally less affected by its subsequent administration than the original culture of pathogens which were first exposed. This is very much the same principle whereby humans themselves develop a type of immunity to certain diseases based upon the fact that their body’s immune system has â€Å"seen† the pathogens at an earlier date and becomes, at least in some way, resistant to them. Figure 1.0 below shows the ways in which bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics over time. Figure 1.0 Although a natural process and merely part of evolution itself, this particular asp ect of evolutionary medicine is both worrisome and troublesome for pharmacologists, researchers, and medical healthcare professionals alike as they seek to develop and utilize new strains of drugs to treat increasingly resistant pathogens. However, the fact of the matter is that not only do some pathogens become immune themselves to the drugs that doctors might administer to help the body fight them off, the most dangerous pathogens have â€Å"

Funding a new biotechnology firm Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Funding a new biotechnology firm - Assignment Example Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the primary source of fundraising for the public limited companies only. Other sources of funds can be used by sole traders and partnerships. Debentures are special types of loans which are mostly secured. Apart from debentures, the companies can apply for normal types of loans and leases. Government grants can be another option. However, the most famous and used source of fund for the new businesses is the venture capitalists. The venture capitalists are firms which provide the new entrepreneurs with the required initial investment (Soderblom & Wiklund, 2006). According to Lebherz (2010), as middlemen in the financial industry, VC (venture capitalist) obtain funds or finance from the investors and then provide these funds to different entrepreneurs but is only available to the private organisations. The main aim of the VC is to ensure that at exit the overall return is maximised, either by selling of the firm or by IPO and it often use to facilitate the process of internal growth. To a large extent, institutional investor including PE (private equity) is another approach for external finance. However, these entities have prior knowledge for the economic market and often take many precautions before involving money in. POSSIBLE FUNDING OPTIONS FOR THE START UP BIOTECHNOLOGY FIRM: Today, although labelled with ‘fast-growing’, biotech venture is avoided by a number of investors. In order to decide for the funding options for the start up biotechnology firm, it is better to study and explore the market trend in this regard. Different Technology Based Small Firms (TBSF) have been able to achieve growth in the previous three years. Different research studies have shown that the Technology Based Small Firms are usually discouraged... After exploring and analysing the current market situation along with the funding history, it can be concluded that the existing financial and market situation has made it difficult for the start-up business to acquire funds from the external sources and there have been increasing financial gap. Apart from this there is increasing uncertainty among the entrepreneurs about the approval of the applications for funds. All this information and data implies that the new biotechnology firm should first go for internal sources of funds and the group of entrepreneurs should pool in the available money. Then, the remaining funds should be financed through the venture capitalists firms. Venture capitalists firms are ready to facilitate the new innovative business in the process of collecting required funds and finance. Also, these firms ensure a successful exit strategy and provide the entrepreneurs with their valuable insights and opinions. As the venture capital cycle turns bigger and strong er in this way, institutional investors might be tempted in this new venture which beneficial to further growth. In the third stage the biotechnology firms can go for Initial Public Offering.

The Three Models Of Memory Essay Example for Free

The Three Models Of Memory Essay Memory- Task 1 Evaluate the usefulness of the three models of memory (multi-store model, working memory model and the levels of processing model) and discuss practical implications of memory research. Atkinson and Shiffrins Multi- store Model of Memory (1968) hypothesises that there are three stores for memory; Sensory memory, short term memory (STM) and long term memory (LTM). The theory states that a memory passes through each of the stores and that the importance of the memory determines which store the memory is kept in and thus how long it is retained. This relatively simple model is supported by evidence from free recall experiments and from studies performed on patients with brain damage such as HM. An example of a free recall experiment is Murdock (1962) in which participants were shown lists, of differing lengths, of words for a period of one second, they were then asked to recall as many words as possible. Murdock found that the words at the beginning, primary effect, and end, recency effect, were recalled more accurately than those in the middle. This is known as the serial position effect and proves that there are two separate stores from which the memories were recalled, which supports the multi-store memory models short and long memory stores. Studies on brain damaged patients like HM (Milner et al, 1978), who began to suffer from anterograde amnesia after both of his hippocampi were removed in an operation, also support the working memory models theory that STM and LTM are separate stores. HM was able to recall memories from eleven years before the operation yet wasnt able to remember who was president of the United States and forgot who he was talking to as soon as he turned away (Jenni Ogden, PhD, 2012). It is argued however that the multi-store memory model oversimplifies the roles of the STM and LTM. Atkinson and Shiffren also failed to acknowledge the interaction between stores something which Baddeley and Hitch (1974) dealt with in their Working Memory Model. The idea that simple rehearsal accounts for the transfer of a memory from the STM to the LTM was also criticised as this doesnt take into account important events for example a car accident. Events such as this seem to immediately be stored in LTM again this is dealt with by another memory model, Craik and Lockheart (1972) Levels of Processing. The working memory model also fails to recognise memory improvement techniques, for example the method of loci which uses points on an imaginary journey as a  way of memorising particular items. Despite accurately theorising that the LTM and STM are separate stores the multi-store memory model fails to account for many instances in which the flow of memory doesnt follow the three store route and although accurate at the time, research has, over time, out dated it. In contrast Baddeley and Hitchs (1974) Working Memory Model states that a Central Executive allocates resources and decides how attention is directed, although it doesnt have any capacity it does hold memory long enough to direct attention. An Episodic Buffer then integrates the information and is used as a general storage space for acoustic and visual tips. The Phonological Loop holds and rehearses words and the Audio-Visual Sketchpad allows temporary holding of visual images. The intuitive Working Memory Model is far more complex than either the Multi-Store Model or the Levels of Processing and is high in face validity. The validity of each section of the Working Memory Model is supported through various differen t experiments such as Baddeley and Lewis’s (1981) study into the importance of the articulatory loop. By asking participants whether or not a sentence was meaningful, for example, â€Å"the cow ate the grass† or the â€Å"bone ate the dog†, under both normal conditions and when repeating something meaningless to stop them from using their articulatory loop. Doing this seriously reduced recall in the latter results. This, Baddeley and Lewis claimed, supported their theory of a presence of an articulatory loop. In a study by Baddeley et al (1975) the phonological loop was shown to be capable of holding two seconds of information. Baddeley et al (1975) asked participants to recall five words in correct order. What the experiment demonstrated was that it was the length of the word and not the discreetness that determined recall. However further studies have gone on to suggest that a determining factor is the time it takes to pronounce a word as opposed to its alphab etical length. James W. Stigler (1986) found in a study on digit memory in Chinese and English that children, used because they were less likely to have knowledge of memory improvement techniques, from China were more efficient at remembering numbers than their English speaking counterparts. This, Stigler theorises, is due to Chinese numbers being shorter to pronounce. The visuospatial scratchpad, referred to sometimes as the inner eye is what allows someone to remember shapes such as letters and visualise something that isnt there, for example, whether or  not your car would fit into a particular parking space. It can also allow us to hold static images and manipulate them, thus we are able to appreciate a layout of a particular area and find our way around (Psychology Resources, 2000). Logie (1995) argues that the visuo-spatial scratchpad is in fact far more complex and refers to it as the Visuo-spatial Working memory. This is supported by Baddeley and Lieberman (1980) whose pat tern of results suggest that visuo-spatial working memory did indeed comprise a system that was involved in visuo-spatial retention, in visuo-spatial perception, and in motor control. The Working Memory Model is high in face validity and despite being far more complex than either the Multi- Store Model or Levels of Processing Model is reinforced by various experiments. These experiments clearly present the different sections the Working Memory Model. It also takes into account things the other models do not, for example, the Working Memory Model allows for memory to pass directly into LTM without rehearsal, something Multi-Store and Levels of Processing do not, events that are traumatic or massively significant do not require rehearsal and this is something the Working Model addresses. As well as this Baddeley and Lewiss model is highly applicable to real world situations, for example, Baddeley et al (1975) showed the word length effect, a real world counterpart would be attempting to remember a shopping list. The only criticism of The Working Memory Model is the lack of information in regards to the Central Executive, however further investigation is required to discover what its capacity actually is. It is theorised that many accidents are caused by its limited capacity and that information on its exact capacity may have serious implication for accident control (Psychology Resources, 2000). Craik and Lockharts (1975) Levels of Processing Model focuses on the processes involved in memory instead of the stores/ structures (McLeod, 2007). Craik and Lockhart (1975) took a non-structured approach to the memory model, this was as a result of the criticism garnered by Atkinson and Shiffrens earlier Working Memory Model. The chief idea behind the Levels of Processing Model is that memory is a result of processing information and that length of memory is determined by the importance of the information, something referred to as depth of processing. Craik defined depth as the meaningfulness extracted from the  stimulus rather than in terms of the number of analyses performed upon it.† Orthographic processing is the simplest way in which we process information and thus, according to the model, the one which retains the least memory, it is also referred to as shallow processing. This when we consider the physical features of, for example, a word. Craik and Tulvig (1975) demonstrated this by asking is this word in capital letters? this requires you to only process the word physically. Similarly to the Multi-Store Model maintenance rehearsal is also required in order to retain memories the Levels of Processing Model deems shallow. Medium processing or phonological processing as its sometimes called is the second level of processing. This Craik and Lockhart hypothesise takes into account the acoustic value of a word, this they argue is deeper processing than orthographic because it requires you to process a sound instead of an image. Craik and Tulvig (1975) again demonstrated this by asking does this word rhyme with ? this activates your phonological processing as you have to process the word acoustically (Psychology Resource, 2000). The deepest level of processing is what Craik and Lockhart describe as semantic processing. Semantic processing is described by Robert Gallo as allowing subjects to encode more unique features from each word relative to surface processing . . . additional conceptual or semantic features help to differentiate the studied items from each other, making these memories less susceptible to interference . . . â€Å". Semantic processing requires the use of meaning to process a word, Craig and Tulvig (1975) asked would this word fit into a sentence? Jane bought some for dinner in answering the question you would have to process the meaning. The basis of the model is quite simple, the more you process the memory, the more likely you are to remember it. However the model fails to explain why this is the case, meaning the model is descriptive rather than explanatory. The model was the first to suggest that process used have an effect on memory and has had implications on memory improvement techniques, for example, the Method of Loci is the process of placing things at various  points of a journey in order to make them more memorable, this is semantic processing. What there isnt is a way in which processing can be measured, Baddeley (1978) points out that well remembered events are attributed as deeply processed however because of this the argument that deep processing equals better recall is circular and thus cannot be tested (Psychology Resource, 2000). Memory research is crucial in many areas and none more so than in Eyewitness testimony. This is a legal term that is often used, and respected in a court of law. A jury can find eyewitness testimony a reliable source of information however research into memory has shown that it may not be as reliable as previously thought. Elizabeth Loftus theorises that memory under any circumstances is subject to inaccuracy and that there are many wrongful convictions every year as a result of faulty eyewitness testimony. Loftus et al. (1987) showed subjects of slides of a customer in a restaurant. In one version the customer was holding a gun, in the other the same person held a chequebook. Those who saw the gun version tended to focus on the gun. Thus they were less likely to identify the customer in a line-up as those who had seen the chequebook version. Clifford and Scott (1978) also supports Loftuss theory. They found after showing participants a film of a violent attack that recall was less t han a control group who saw something less stressful and were able to recall 40 items of information. However this gun focus theory has been challenged by Yuille and Cutshall (1986) who found that witnesses to a real shooting in Canada had remarkable accurate memories of the event. This contradicts both Loftus et al (1987) and Clifford and Scott (1978). This leads us to believe that memory recall in stressful situations can be subject to very different levels of interpretation. Where Loftus et al (1987) shows us clearly that people focus on, potentially the most shocking item. Yuille and Cutshall (1986) challenge that by using a real event to show some may be able to recall accurately. However this only goes to highlight the radical differences seen in eyewitness testimony. References: Jenni Ogden, Ph.D. (2012). HM, the Man with No Memory.