Advertising: Influencing Our Youth

Our Youth Ann-smoking commercials and anti-testing and driving campaigns are all over teen television stations. However, behind the scenes, are big name cigarette and alcohol companies targeting youth? Many people see the effect of this targeting, teens drinking and smoking, underage, because it looks glamorous. As a matter of fact advertising may be responsible for nearly 30% of alcohol and tobacco use In young teenagers (Strasbourg). What you don't think about is the cause; what is the reason that these big companies target young teens?Companies target youth for many seasons, but the mall two reasons are accessibility and vulnerability; these targets have a lasting a devastating effect. The celestially ties In to the cause because teens are always on their phones or computer. It is no lie that teens spend hours on their mobile devices a day, always scrolling through twitter, faceable, or playing a game. However, many teenagers have no Idea that big name tobacco and alcohol companie s are strategically placing ads so that they will see them.The average annual number of alcohol ads seen by youth watching television increased from 217 in 2001 to 366 in 2009, approximately one alcohol ad per day (â€Å"Youth Exposure to Alcohol Ads on TV Growing Faster than Adults†). Students will spend about 18,000 hours in front of the television before they graduate (Strasbourg). The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth at Georgetown university has found that between 2001 and 2005, youth exposure to alcohol advertising on television in the U. S. Increased by 41% (â€Å"Alcohol Advertising and Youth†).Alcohol companies spend nearly $2 billion every year on advertising between 2001 and 2007, there were more than 2 million television ads and 20,000 magazine ads for alcoholic products (â€Å"Alcohol Advertising and Youth (Position Paper) APP Policies APP†). Although TV may be an obvious pin-point for marketers, another strategic place for marketing Is in conve nience stores. A 2001 study found that nearly 23 percent of the stores monitored had cigarettes placed within six inches of candy (â€Å"How the Tobacco Industry Targets Youth†).Teenagers see more ads than we think. They see them walking down the street on a billboard. On TV when their show Is on a break, and in magazines. Teenagers not only lots of ads, but the same ones over and ever. Companies don't Just place one ad per television show. They place an ad every commercial break. They may not realize it, but their subconscious mind remembers all the advertising when an opportunity to drink or smoke presents itself. Especially when you add in the repetition factor.Companies are spending loads of money annually to get their product In the eye of the public. However, the placement of their ads is all wrong; they are advertising on channels that teenagers watch and magazines that are read by young adults; such as MET and People Magazine. The accessibility of teenagers combined w ith ad placement and repetition can lead to shaping behavior for when they are adults. Behavior such as alcoholism and Vulnerability is another reason big companies target youth; many teenagers see advertisements featuring their role model or favorite celebrity.Companies use celebrities to promote their product, to seem more relatable to the younger ages, this presents a problem because â€Å"young fans are more likely to try drugs if they see their idol do it† (Brays). However there is a more scientific explanation for teenagers falling for these companies advertisements. A young teen brain's impulse control has not fully developed, however â€Å"its reward circuitry is not only ready to go, it is on overdrive† (Barbarians. Org).This could explain why â€Å"the percentage of teenagers who try an illicit substance more than doubles between 8th and 12th grades, from 21. 4 percent to 48. 2 percent, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse† (Barbarians. Or g). One study found that for each dollar the alcohol industry spends on youth advertising, young people drink 3% more each month. Teens who start drinking and smoking in the early years of their adulthood are more likely to untie these habits for years. Alcohol also impairs Judgment.It can lead teens to put themselves in situations where they are vulnerable; situations like walking home from a party late at night, driving home drunk, or passing out in a crowded area when there are other inebriated teens (â€Å"Understand the Risks of Alcohol to Young People†). Drinking frequently at a young age is also linked to an increased risk of developing alcohol dependence in young adulthood. Regularly drinking in later life can lead to cancer, stroke, heart disease and infertility (â€Å"Understand the Risks of Alcohol to Young People†).The lasting effects on these teens is that binge drinking before the brain is developed changes the brain (Barbarians. Org). A study researched by the APP in 2006 found a direct correlation between the amount of exposure to alcohol advertising on billboards, radio, television, and newspapers with higher levels of drinking and a larger increase in drinking over time with youth 15-26 years old (Alcohol Advertising and Youth). The APP is â€Å"The American Academy of Family Physicians†, the national association of family doctors. It is one of the largest national medical organizations tit more than 115,900 members in 50 states.Ultimately the effect is great, annually, about 5,000 people under age 21 die from alcohol-related injuries involving underage drinking (â€Å"Consequences of Underage Drinking†). Underage drinking can cause a range of physical consequences, from hangovers to death from alcohol poisoning, it also can be linked to smoking. Every day, another 1,500 kids become daily smokers, and one-third of them will die prematurely as a result of getting hooked. Youth who don't smoke very often can suffer t he adverse effects of addiction (â€Å"Health Effects of Tobacco'). 0% of teenagers who smoke daily have tried to quit and failed, about 2/3 of teen smokers say they want to quit smoking (â€Å"Health Effects of Tobacco') . 70% say they would not have started if they could choose again (â€Å"Health Effects of Tobacco'). Many teens subconsciously fall victim to the advertising that companies use to draw them in. Smoking is highly addictive, and for most teens once they start they can't stop. All it takes is one try, and they can get hooked for the rest of their lives; yet another factor that shows teens vulnerability.As for alcohol, it may not be as independent charity that â€Å"provides people with evidence-based information about alcohol and work alongside the medical community' shows some effects of underage drinking (â€Å"About Us†). They show that underage drinking can cause liver failure, stunting brain development, and leading to binge drinking (â€Å"Understand the Risks of Even though teenagers are considered young adults and even some as full adults, their brain is not yet developed fully. Alcohol and tobacco companies target these young, underdeveloped teens to make more sales, when in fact, it is ruining many lives.Even with prevention and parental controls to prevent them from seeing alcohol ads, it is still everywhere, sports games, magazines, billboards. Companies target young kids mainly because of their underdeveloped minds and impulse control. They will be more likely to want to try that product that other potential advertising age groups. The lasting effect of these companies targeting young teens is great, and it causes many problems. Many people don't realize the effect that advertising has on young teens; who are not mentally capable of making knowledgeable decisions..

Of Morality and Spirituality Essay

The moral sacred Philippines started from a dream, and now that it continues to progress it can be one good evidence that as long as someone believes in an idea, it can be possible. As long as its aim is for the goodness of the citizens, it can be a reality. This concept does not want to create a world of perfection but rather a world of morality and spirituality. That world is where we can clearly distinguish the right ones from the bad. It is where we can not only think about ourselves but also the community, the government, and the nation. This dream can all be possible if we just go and believe that the land where we stand can be a better habitat of mankind. From Genesis 1:27, God created mankind in His own image. This verse proves that each of us is spiritual at heart. We just have to go and find the path through our hearts. We are created in His likeness which gives us the realization that all living things have something good in the inside. If we believe, make something to make this work, the moral sacred Philippines will make sense. A. WRITING AS A SOCIAL ACT The event connects with how writing can be a social act. In the said event, one does not only think about himself but also for the people around him. As for writing, a writer does not only write for him or for him to understand but also for his readers and audience. You write alone, but you always write for others. Readers matter. Once a writer sets his or her thoughts to any medium, whether paper, blog, status update, there is the potential for audience interaction. Ideas and creativity are created outside ourselves. Writers can never be more creative without the experiences and thoughts the people have. They continue to interact with people. Writing is a social act. Writers choose to see the beauty and brilliance of the world around them. Writing is nothing without the world and mind that surrounds them. B. WRITING AS A MORAL ACT Morality and spirituality is what the event focuses on. As for writing, writers do not only write everything that flows from their thinking, he must be careful. Something that anyone who writes words of any kind would do well to remember. Words have their moral consequences. The responsibility is particularly great for writers who deal with spiritual issues. Every word they write leaves its mark upon their soul and upon the souls of those who read their work. Their words may become sacraments, visible signs of an invisible grace, or they may turn to poison and ashes. It may signify the abyss or nothing at all. Writers must strive against mediocrity in one’s work, aiming always higher for lucidity of thought and beauty of expression with still being careful with the words they use. Every piece they make has an effect in this world. They are part of our moral conversation as a society. They weigh in. The creation of literature worthy not only its high artistic calling but of his stature as a creature created in the image and likeness of God.

Program study and Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Program study and Development Plan - Essay Example I started working as a petitioned registry nurse for Westways Staffing where I worked for four years. After that, I found a full time job in Mission Community Hospital’s emergency department. Being a novice in emergency nursing, I put a lot of effort in refining my emergency nursing skills in order to prepare myself for a successful transition. After working in the emergency department as a staff nurse for four months, I was offered the job of a full time charge nurse. At that time, my eagerness to get the job was attenuated with cynicism. I underestimated myself and feared that I might not be able to live up to my director’s expectations and hence end up failing him. However, the love and support shown by my extremely supportive friends changed my mind for the better and I accepted the job offer. Having worked as part of the management team and added stake in the organization for some time, I felt the need to increase my nursing knowledge in order to better lead a robust department. Therefore, I studied and successfully acquired certification for emergency nurse (CEN) and critical care (CCRN). Getting these certificates instilled the much needed confidence in me to effectively lead the department and deal with the interdepartmental issues along with other charge nurses and nurse managers. Another break in my career arrived when Sherman Oaks Hospital offered me the full time position of a charge nurse. With a view to broadening my nursing experience and successfully dealing with the challenges in a new setting, I left the mission and took the job offer. Nursing has always provided me with endless opportunities to grow. For example, the basic management training I received during my position as a charge nurse ultimately opened the prospect of working in the director’s position in the department. This time I accepted the director’s post and viewed it as a challenge. So far, my department has managed to successfully

Nestl's ERP Odyssey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nestl's ERP Odyssey - Essay Example They chose to use part of the new program as Y2K code fixes, thus adding a deadline. Then they went on to set an arbitrary date for completion of the whole project. They did not inform managers of what was happening. They did not assess how the project was going, once it was under way. It is hard for me to think of any more ways they could have doomed their own project from the start! They really had it all covered! First, the Swiss company assembled a team of executives from the various departments: finance, purchasing, etc. The article refers to them as "the key stakeholders" (The Proposal section, para. 1). These people devised their plan to reshape the worldwide corporation in its every facet, business systems and computer systems. The problem with that was they did not include anyone who was actually using the current system. The key stakeholders had many lofty plans, but no real way to make it happen and lacked the knowledge needed to do so. Next, the stakeholders decided that, since Y2K was looming, they would include code fixes in the first part of the rollout. This rushed the huge undertaking. Because they were in such a hurry, they forgot, or overlooked, the fact that their systems needed to be integrated with each other so all the departments could communicate. Sales, for instance, could not communicate discounts to the billing department that they had promised certain customers. The stakeholders set an arbitrary end date for the whole project. With a snap of the fingers, it would be done! If only things worked that way. They should have developed a detailed implementation plan, figured out how long each phase would take, then projected an end date that could be fluid depending upon how things went. I think this part of the fiasco stems, in part, from failure to involve people who were using the old system in the planning, and partly from being caught up in those lofty ideas of remaking the company. Once they had their plan and decided what types of software to purchase and from whom, the stakeholders failed to let manager in on it. Managers that are left out of the loop are not happy managers. They were not cooperative and, in fact would have been unable to cooperate if they had wanted to, since they did not know what the plan was or how it would be implemented. I can only imagine how the workers below management level felt. I am sure there was enough anger and confusion for everyone. The employee turnover rate skyrocketed. Finally, the stakeholders made no plan to assess the huge project once it was in progress. They totally missed needed adjustments to their plan, apparently thinking it was perfect from the start. There were rollout date issues, training issues, and budgetary issues. In summary, I think these very important people, with a very important idea to reshape the company, concentrated so hard on their plan that they forgot to use the most valuable company asset of all: their employees. The people who do the day-to-day work of the company, the ones that know how to make the business hum, were entirely left out. The stakeholders had their heads so high in the clouds that they could not see that their feet were not touching the ground. Once the company put someone in charge who had a grip on reality, a touch of humility, and a practical vision of how the whole should work, things started to turn around. It seems ridiculous to me that the stakeholders did not include the people who worked for

Medal east Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Medal east - Assignment Example Ataturk aims included; the onerous treaty of serves in 1920s which served as a legal framework imposed by the republicans as well as sovereign power overlooked by the grand national assembly, the reformist, republicanism, nationalism, populism, statism and economic development. The principles initiated were fundamental and contained unchanging aims that were guided by republic’s interests. The principles were vested as sovereignty of Turkish statehood and involved particulars of nationalism and universalism. This was a big order for a young country. Ataturk also established constitutional amendments in Turkey that have made it accepted into the European Union. These amendments include the abolishment of death penalty and allowed broadcasting in the Kurdish. Wives, women, and feminism characters have a right to seek employment without their husbands’ permission and bringing to end the practice of high school test for girl’s virginity as well as the removal of crim es that involved anti-state comments. Secularist reforms were set out and they led to the abolishment of Caliphate laws as well as religious law courts and codes that they had implemented. Ataturk brought to existence the procedures that influenced directly the Islamic Shari’a. ... Turkey and Israel agreed to signed an agreement on tourism such that nationalist from the two countries could visit without restrictions. This increased the social bond between Turkey and Israel. The two also made military agreements whereby training arrangements were conducted by Israel. In this agreement, Turkish military men were trained in Israel. Turkey imported missiles from Israel, therefore, increasing the economic status and political standards. Turkey invited Israel for a contract to upgrade Turkish fighter jets, a contract that required six hundred and thirty two million dollars. Turkey conducted a military maneuvers with Israel and the US since Israel became a state. The economic, social, and cultural shares between Turkey and Israel as well as US helped it to sustain its people. In fact, it is the interaction between Turkish government and the US government can be seen when Turkey allowed US to use her airports to fly bombing raids on Iraq in the gulf war. These characte ristics have helped Turkish government to rebuild and project a highly commercial and economic sustainability. Question # 3 Jordan faces a number of challenges despite being a popular monarchy where the king speaks with the voice of moderation. These challenges result from lack of water where aquifers scarce or are rarely found, rainfall is below five milliliters and scarcity of oil wealth like other regions around it. These issues bring poverty into Jordan that she cannot pay for desalinization of plants, an agricultural degrading phenomenon in which farmers have to use irrigation systems particularly drip irrigation that would rather save the scarce water. Unfortunately, plans with Syria for a dam on the Yarmuk

WAREHOUSE AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

WAREHOUSE AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT - Essay Example It is that part of the firm’s logistics system that stores products at and between point of origin and point of consumption. It provides information to the management about the status, condition and disposition level. Warehousing provides the place utility and works as a balance between production and meeting customer needs. Warehouses also support manufacturing, mix products from multiple facilities for shipment to a single customer, break-bulk and are used as a ‘flow-thru’ point along with â€Å"hoarding† point. Warehousing functions include; material handling, customer services, information transfer, and storage. Other purpose is to identify goods, dispatch for storage, hold inventory, recall goods, dispatch the shipment and prepare records and advices. Warehouses also provide services like Co-packing kitting and repair to its customers. With advancement in information technology and changing needs of businesses, Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) have b een designed. These WMS are a key part of supply chain management and aim at controlling the movement and storage of materials within a  warehouse  and processing of associated transactions. Third-party Warehousing: Tompkins,A., Jerry, D (1998) wrote that third party logistics has gained considerable importance and recognition in today’s business world. ... A third-party, then, is a firm hired to do that which neither the first or second party desires to do. Third-part warehousing is defined as the warehousing services provided by a party other than the manufacturer, seller, buyer and receiver of the goods (Skjoett & Larson, 2007). A firm that provides outsourced logistic services to companies is called third-party logistics. These companies undertake all or a part of the supply chain management task of their client. Previously small warehouses were established in order to store the products mainly of food industry but with the passage of time manufacturing industry also started warehousing their material and products. Now warehousing is a vast area and short term contracts are now replaced with long term warehousing arrangements. Reasons: Drucker (1989) mentioned in an article that businesses today are outsourcing their warehousing function because of the following reasons: Now businesses are inclined towards having limited workforce i n order to reduce their cost and liabilities associated with these employees. Third-party warehousing reduces need of work force rather than employing people to manage personal warehouse. As warehouses are now operated with advanced information technology and warehouse management systems, it needs to have professional experts which ultimately raise work force and cost. Third-party warehousing help to maintain source of supply without breaking the chain of supply and provide goods in time to the customers. As the main focus of any business is on customer services, third-party warehouses support the policies designed by a business for customer services. As market conditions change rapidly in today’s

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Research Paper Example The government re-evaluated its pesticide policy to make it environmental friendly considering the book as a whistleblower. Without Silent Spring we would have still continued our poor pesticide policy reign without any room for betterment or re-consideration. When industrial revolution was at its peak, several people including Karl Marx warned about overproduction and the recession which will follow it. When slavery was at its peak, people like Harriet Beecher Stowe created works like "Uncle Tom's Cabin" which posed a moral question to the US population (Logomasini, 2007). Carson was the first person to raise a voice regarding environmental protection in her era. The first chapter of the book "A Fable for Tomorrow" describes a serene town which lived in co-existence with nature. The second chapter starts with the verse "The history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings". According to Carson, humans are just a part of nature. Nature is not created to serve the mankind and trying to control nature for minor comforts will only lead to major discomforts. Rachel Carson known as "the nun of the nature" was born in Springdale in 1907. She grew up beside a factory in a landlocked area. She studied in Zoology the Pittsburgh Chatham University and later at the Johns Hopkins University. After completing a Master's degree she worked in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Her natural writing interest prompted her to contribute to magazines like the Reader's Digest (Griswold, 2012). She wrote three best sellers prior to Silent Spring, "The Sea around Us", "Under the Sea - Wind" and â€Å"The Edge of the Sea". Rachel was affected with severe breast cancer and suffered a painful death. Silent Spring emphasizes the theme, using pesticides to kill all the insects will eventually harm the food and the soil affecting the food chain, getting rid of all the bird species. The spring filled with bird chirrups and colourful bu tterflies will remain absolutely silent. The humans consuming this food constantly will suffer from various diseases and the cycle of birth will be banned. Throughout the seventeen chapters of the book, Carson continues to explain how aerial spraying of chemicals affects the natural food cycle by eliminating all the insects totally. The harvest in certain seasons might be high, but the chemicals used to kill the insects stays within the food grown and causes various diseases like cancer, to the people consuming the food. "Unlike the natural process of chemicals coming into the world where the earth takes millions of years to adjust to it, there is no such time for the earth to adjust to every synthetic chemical introduced into the world" states Carson. In her third chapter â€Å"Elixirs of Death† she goes on to explain about the origins of DDT and how it had been thrust upon the farmers after the World War II. She claims Dieldrin as a poison 40 times more harmful than DDT. It was a commonly used pesticide used to kill vermin in many parts of the US. The fourth chapter â€Å"Surface Water and Underground Seas† explores how the water washed into the seas and oceans from the chemically affected land shrinks our water sources endangering the whole humankind. It affects the fish in the sea and the birds consuming them too. Though these types of massacres are not intentionally planned, it is important to realize the side effects of using pesticides for high yield. The

Impacts of technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Impacts of technology - Essay Example The greatest impact of technology can be experienced in the way we communicate. The rise of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and video blogging sites such as YouTube etc., has made it possible for merging of cultures beyond people from across various continents and enabled a valuable and meaningful exchange of information. It has played a key role in promoting cultural tolerance and greater political participation, empowering the citizens in the process. However despite the varied benefits offered by the information, entertainment and communication technologies, the perils of excessive dependence on such technologies are manifold. One of the greatest challenges faced by users in the digital world includes privacy issues and identity theft. Violation of privacy has been one of the most significant enduring social issues associated with digital and electronic information technologies, globally. The article ‘Is online social club, sharing is the point until it goes too far the authors have highlighted the downside of social networking sites, mostly surrounding privacy issues, mirroring the sentiments of millions of people of this virtual lounge, who feel threatened and vulnerable due to constant threats of being stalked and misuse of their private information (The Washington Post). The key goal of social networking sites is to enable sharing of information and free and faster exchange of information across countries. The paradox however lies in the fact that contrary to the intended benefits of the social media there are increasing reports stating the contrary. The article â€Å"Does the Internet make as lonely?† discusses the potential effects of internet and technology on the society and the manner in which it has managed to alienate people. Social scientists have indicated a drastic rise in reports stating that as more and more

The Christ of Velázquez †Poetry Visits Art Essay Example for Free

The Christ of Velà ¡zquez – Poetry Visits Art Essay Leonardo da Vinci is quoted as saying, â€Å"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. † There is no better illustration of this than the inspirational painting of Diego Rodriquez de Silva y Velazquez –The Christ of San Placido, more commonly known as The Christ of Velazquez and the equally moving poetic meditation on Velazquez’s painting by Miguel de Unamuno centuries later. Painting and poetry, as da Vinci suggested, join together in a unique way – the artist painting what he feels in his soul and the poet feeling in his soul what is painted. The Painting Diego Velazquez was one of the foremost Spanish painters of the 17th century. And one of his greatest paintings was The Christ of San Placido which was painted in 1638 for the convent of San Placido, but now resides in the Museo de Prado in Madrid. This stirring depiction of Christ just after His death offers an open invitation for the viewer to meditate on this epic moment. The body of Christ on the cross stands alone on the backdrop of a black sky. The crucifix has no flourishes or embellishments. Velazquez chose to portray this solitary Christ with His head hanging and the right side of his face covered by his hair. (â€Å"Diego†) This veil of hair has prompted many explanations. The Museo de Prado’s explanation is that Velazquez could not copy Christ’s expression on that side of His face and so he â€Å"opted to cover the left [right] side with His falling hair instead. † Another analysis assumes that this disruption of the composure of the body was done to recall the torture and the cruelty that Christ suffered. Yet another attributes this half-hidden face to the artist’s intention to lead the viewer of the painting into the spiritual world. (â€Å"The Painted†) Whatever the artist’s purpose might have been, it cannot be denied that this purposely simple representation of the dead Christ, dripping blood can inspire deep spiritual reflection. Its Inspirational Connection to Poetry Ekphrasis Ekphrasis, purely defined, is: â€Å"a literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art. † (â€Å"Ekphrasis-Merriam†) This is, of course, a sterile definition that cannot begin to convey the true connection that art and poetry can enjoy. The term goes back as far as Homer’s The Iliad, in which he vividly describes how the blacksmith god forged the Shield of Achilles. Modern ekphrasis tends to focus only on works of art; and not so much by extraordinary description as in the case of the Shield of Achilles as by how the art inspires or moves the poet. (â€Å"Ekphrasis: Poetry†) This is what Miguel de Unamuno undertook to do with his book-length poem El Cristo de Velazquez. Unamuno expressed his spiritual doubts through his poetry. With El Cristo de Velazquez he confronts the painting of Velazquez to â€Å"define a uniquely Spanish Christ. † (â€Å"Miguel†) The stark figure of Christ on the cross elicited deep feelings from Unamuno, some mystical, some perplexing. He put these thoughts into lyrical form over the course of seven years producing a piece that is considered by some to be a most important religious poem. Its 2,538 lines are divided into four parts. They relate to Christ as a symbol of sacrifice and redemption, as a reflection of His many names, as God painted with the brush of Velazquez and they end with an invocation to the Holy Spirit to guide Unamuno as He guided Velazquez. (Nozick 178) The Personalization of The Christ of Velazquez by Unamuno In his book on Unamuno, Martin Nozick speculates on why Unamuno would have chosen this painting by Velazquez rather than any of the myriad of others he could have chosen as the subject of his poem. He notes that Unamuno thought that the representation of Christ that was adopted by the king of Spain as his official symbol was â€Å"bland† as compared with the image of Christ painted by Velazquez and that the Christ of Cabrera was â€Å"granitic† and the Christ of Santa Clara more like a wooden mannequin. (179) It seems that the Christ of Velazquez was ordained to be his choice. The posture of Christ in Velazquez’s painting is somewhat unique in that it suggests that death has already occurred. His head is hanging limply while His face, now as lifeless as His body, is veiled by his mangled locks of hair. Undoubtedly this moved Unamuno to comment on Christ in Part One as the white Lamb of God whose death took away the sins of the world. (Section XVI) He continues with expressive commentary on Christ as the host of wheat ground under the millstone, an apt expression for one who had gone through so much suffering for mankind. (Section XVII) The symbolic use of the colors of white and red to contrast the magnificence of Christ as the Son of God with the human suffering of the Son of Man run throughout this part of the poem especially. Unamuno stops to reflect on the white linen in which Christ’s body is so meagerly wrapped; and refers to Him as the white lion of the desert, among other references to the color white (white cloud, white light, white bull, etc. ). These references are juxtaposed against the stark images of the red blood that runs from the wounds of Christ. Unamuno â€Å"paints† this in one line as he describes Christ’s â€Å"whiteness dotted with bloody riddles. † (Section XXIV) However he does not merely explain the vividness of the white dotted with red. It is evident through his verse that he is also deeply affected by these aspects of the painting. The exhausting effort that is manifest in this first part may have prompted a weaker, less driven man to end the poem there. But Unamuno forges on. In Part II the painting inspires a recounting of earthly forces such as fire and water and storm intertwined with deep insights into the soul of Unamuno. This second part also reflects the biblical aspects of Christ and His mission of salvation. It evokes an historical aspect often citing events from the Bible as well as some of the many titles of Christ such as â€Å"Lion of Judah†, â€Å"King of the Desert,† â€Å"Light of Life† and more. From the powerful imagery of Unamuno in this part emerges the soul of a man who is trying to grasp the full meaning of salvation, seeing it as something that mankind was given as a gift but did not deserve. God the Father is seen by Unamuno as the sun; Christ is seen as the moon and the earth is the Virgin Mother. As Cannon puts it, â€Å"It is a mythic triad in accord with ancient beliefs in the magic and perfection of three-ness and in the family organization of the cosmos. † (28) Cannon tells us that Unamuno even made a full-page drawing which he attached to the final manuscript representing this cosmological triad. This seems to infer that Unamuno saw in Velazquez’s painting more than what was physically there. The painting evidently inspired a much greater vision in the mind of Unamuno – one that portrays him as â€Å"an intoxicated evangelist† (Nozick 180) Unamuno does come back to earth however in Part III by concentrating on the visible features of Christ in the actual painting – His head, face, eyes, ears, arms, hands, etc. Consider this translation in the section dealing with the eyes of Christ. Shivering russet which dew on your eyelashes, Pearls of fire shudder liquid And going through the closure of the eyelids Viewed with dark eyes . . . . The imagery is magnificent and throughout this imagery are woven references, once again, to the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Unamuno himself calls this â€Å"a sort of rhythmoid, dense prose. † (180) This third part of the poem is probably the most descriptive of the painting itself whereas the prior two parts were more illustrative of the feelings that the painting evoked. As Unamuno leaves the more descriptive portion of his poetry behind, he approaches what Cannon considers the most famous part of the poem. (Cannon 28) It begins and ends in darkness, but in between Unamuno presents the â€Å"luminous white body of the glorified Christ. † (28) Here again, Unamuno pulls hope out of despair, joy out of sorrow, expectation out of apathy. The images that the painting of Christ by Velazquez inspires in Unamuno are powerful ones that make a lasting impression on the reader. It may be that Unamuno has personalized Christ in a way that may not occur to the casual observer of this or any other painting of Christ on the cross and in this intense personalization Unamuno vitalizes the depiction of Christ with hope – a way out of the darkness. Velazquez painted his Christ on the cross to be a stark and solitary figure devoid of the sympathetic eye of the observers present at the crucifixion. Unamuno supplements the darkness of the artist’s work with a renewed sense of anticipation of his own death and rebirth in Christ. He ends his poem with a plea that he may enter â€Å"the clear day that has no end, my eyes fixed on Thy white body, Son of Man, complete Humanity . . . my eyes fixed on Thine eyes, oh Christ, my gaze submerged in Thee, oh Lord! † His life was admittedly full of theological uncertainties, but the spiritual doubts that may have manifested themselves in the life of Unamuno are put to rest in this profusion of imagery inspired by The Christ of Velazquez that was written and rewritten over seven years by Unamuno. The sweeping dynamic of the painter’s brush met the commanding inspiration of the poet’s pen so that together they make an impact that neither of them alone could manage. Works Cited Cannon, Calvin. â€Å"The Mythic Cosmology of Unamuno’s El Cristo de Velà ¡zquez.† Hispanic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Review 28 (1960): 28 – 39. Complete Works of Miguel de Unamuno. Ed. Ricardo Senabre. Vol. 4., Madrid: Jose   Ã‚  Ã‚   Antonio Castro Foundation, 2006. Madrid: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes 20 Oct. 2008    http://www.cervantesvirtual.com.

Conflict and culture Essay Example for Free

Conflict and culture Essay Conflict is an integral part of human culture. When a number of people of interact with their own individual perspectives, view points, ideologies, cultural and social backgrounds and intellectual development then differences and debates are bound to arise as a logical and inevitable consequence of the interaction (Killian and Pammer Jr. 2003, 3). These differences, acted upon by incompatible interests of attaining personal goals, change into conflict within groups, societies and nations. (Rahim, 2001,1) The greater the diversity and richer the profile of a society, the greater is the scope and range of its embedded conflict. Therefore it is essential to educate people on understanding and handling conflict and treat as an integral component of a democratic society that is important for developing a healthy social life (Killian and Pammer Jr. 2003, 3). In every conflict, whether it is individual or at social scale, culture has always an important role to play. Depending upon the actors involved and the context of conflict, the role of culture in conflict can be direct or subtle, but it is always present as the ultimate factor in deciding the scope of conflict, its direction or its outcome. Culture even decides the existence of conflict, for people who are embedded in the culture of seeing world as a harmonious entity, may not be aware of any conflict through their life. In all the major disputes, debates and disagreement taking place around world, differences in cultural identities and perceptions are fundamental causative factors. A further evidence of the role that culture plays is evinced by peace and harmony existing among societies that have same culture, such as observed between USA and Britain, sharing same historical and cultural roots. Every conflict, whether it is trans-generational, geographical, religious, organizational, or personal, has a cultural component involved. People enshrined in their own culture often react with hostility against any cultural identity that appears contrary to their thought process and ideas. It follows therefore that any effort of conflict resolution needs to incorporate cultural understanding and acknowledge the existence and necessity of diversity (ibid).

Factors That Affect Clothing Choice

Factors That Affect Clothing Choice Introduction: Fashion today is a continuously changing trend, favored for frivolous rather than practical, logical, or intellectual reasons. Nevertheless, it is necessary to say that at this very moment fashion has a deeper influence on the life of people and possess more than frivolous reasons for its existence. This essay investigated and looks at how identity influences our choice of clothing and how fashion has changed males and females perception of what we should look like and the media. To address this topic the essay will first look at identity and its link to our choice of clothing. Furthermore, the essay will then look at body image and its link to fashion and then discuss how it has changed how we perceive we should look like and thirdly the link between media influence and its impact on fashion. Finally the essay will provide both a negative and positive view of fashion on today teen. The type of clothes we choose to wear depends on who is wearing it, as a result it becomes a reflection of his / her perception of themselves. Social identity and self-image plays an important role in society determining certain standards of beauty. A strong interest in fashion is because it is a way for teenage girls to shape their identities. Clothing today ha becomes an integral part of self-realization of every person. The choice of clothing is as important as identification thorough the colour of hair, height, skin and gender. Barnard, Malcolm (1996) argues that there is a strong link between women and fashion and describes it as curious cultural profile and that clothing today is a media of information bout the person wearing it (p. 21 and 175). The clothes we choose to wear tell a lot about ourselves which in fact also shapes our identity. Clothes reflect personal and social identity of people, their values and beliefs. Many young people expresse their identity through clothes and social images. Hip- Hop and rap were social movements which influenced fashion trends and priorities of youth. Today young teens do the same their identity is classified through groups for example a person dresses in vintage style of clothing has created their own style such as dressing in vintage clothes which becomes their own identity via the influence of the social movements. The media does influence and promote women and men to believe that the culture standards for body image are ideal. Therefore the phrase, thin is in and the prefect bodies are two eye-catching headlines that are in so many womens magazines. As a result this exposure, the thin ideal has lead many young girls in triggering eating disorders, depression and low self-esteem..The media has a significantly growing role in how women and girls see their bodies and personalities today. By using procovocative and inappropriate images of extremely underweight models in magazines, television or music video, the media gives a distorted picture of the ideal womans appearance. Media has greatly influenced people into the trap of what is in style and what is not. Teenage girls are affected by compulsion to receive a degree of thinness that they see in models (Cussins, Marie Anne, 2001). Over the years the media advertising models have been getting thinner and thinner, making women more dissatisfied be cause they want to look like that girl in the advertisement. The media have developed the ideal body shape in the hope that it will create more sales of the product that they are trying to sell. But the advertisement and media industries are not caring about how a person feels in trying to achieve the ideal body. By promoting the ideal body the media contribute to eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia which has influence todays youth. The media is the most contributing factor to this problem. They have developed the so called ideal image of what a person should look like but its all false advertisement. You never see a fat person on TV advertising a beauty product or a new clothing line. When you flip the pages of magazines all you see is the ideal image of a thin women advertising the new Victoria Secrets new collection. Why dont the media use people of all sizes in their advertisement to fill up the needs of all people? Fashion magazines , many young girls see tin models like Kate Moss who is one of the many top models that represents the perfect body image that many young girls are striving towards. Unfortunately may teenage girls dont understand that looking exactly like their favorite model is unrealistic. Many of these images in magazines of models are retouched before they are printed out, the fashion clothes are often duct taped to enhance fit, many blemishes are covered or altered, there is at least two inches removed form the thighs, and the average fashion model weighs 23-25% less than the average woman. All this in order to create that ideal or perfect body image that everyone is striving for and sadly dying for. This compulsion to be thin has led many young girls to have a negative body image that dangerously leads to eating disorder in order for them to achieve their desire for thinness. The media has a social responsibility for how women and girls see themselves, as well as the opposite sex and how an ideal woman today should look like. The false and unrealistic images in most of the different media projects do have negative and harmful impacts, both mental and physical, especially on women and as well as on young adolescents. Factors that Affect Clothing Choice Factors that Affect Clothing Choice Fashion today is a continuously changing trend, favored for frivolous rather than practical, logical, or intellectual reasons. Nevertheless, it is necessary to say that at this very moment fashion has a deeper influence on the life of people and possess more than frivolous reasons for its existence. This essay investigated and looks at how identity influences our choice of clothing and how fashion has changed males and females perception of what we should look like and the media. To address this topic the essay will first look at identity and its link to our choice of clothing. Furthermore, the essay will then look at body image and its link to fashion and then discuss how it has changed how we perceive we should look like and thirdly the link between media influence and its impact on fashion. Finally the essay will provide both a negative and positive view of fashion on today teen. The clothes we wear say a lot about who we are as a person and as a result it becomes a reflection of his or her perception of them. In todays society identity and how we perceive ourselves has a major influence on what we perceive to be beauty. Fashion has a major influence on teenage girls today and due to this interest teenage girls find a way to shape their identity. Today clothing has become an important part of self- realization of every person. Guy, Alison Banim, Maura ( 2000) argue that women and teens today have a certain connection to their clothes and conducted research where they categorized them into three views of how women perceive themselves; The woman I want to be, The woman I fear I could be and The women I am most of the time . Many women and young teens express their identity through clothes they wear and social images. Social movements such as Hip-Hop and rap have influenced fashion trends and the priorities of people. Today young teens and womans identity base d on what type of social movement group they identify with whether it be rock culture or Hip-Hop. We dress according to what group we classify ourselves in and that plays a huge part in the making of our identity and makes up our style in fashion. Wilson, E( 1987) states that women identify with what they wear as it creates a new look and new self and this allowed women to be more creative ( pg 317). Furthermore many women today have a certain level of relationship with their clothing which allows them to be more creative and adventurous. Fashion has evolved so much that its constantly pushing the boundaries and its putting yourself out there. This same theory is applied to woman and teens today that are constantly putting themselves out there and shaping identity according to what groups they identify with. Body image plays a huge part todays society. The medias direct influence on men and women that culture standards of body image are ideal. The use of phrases such as thin is in and prefect body are one of the many eye-catching headlines that are commonly seen in womans magazines. As a result this exposure the thin ideal has lead vast majority of young girls in triggering eating disorders, depression and lack of low self-esteem. Hence media has a significantly growing influence on how woman and girls perceive their bodies and personalities today. The use of provocative and inappropriate images of extremely underweight models in magazines, television and music videos the media give a distorted picture of an ideal womans appearance. Willett, Rebekah (2008) conducted a study on 12-13 year old girls as they explore decision they made about body image. She argues that girls today are unsatisfied with what they look like with what they want to look like that they compare themselves with the ideal image (pg. 427). By promoting this ideal body the media has a large contribution to eating disorders among youth. As a result many teenagers lack self-esteem and confidence. Furthermore, media has completely re-defined what we are meant to look like today, when curves were seen as the new ideal figure. Hence today when the new figure is ideal thin, you wont ever see a fat, big person advertising a beauty product or a clothing range. Looking at magazines today all you see is an ideal image of a thin woman or model advertising a new collection of clothing. Why cant the media use all sizes of people in advertisement? This is because the media and the fashion industry promote the so call ideal image as being the new self: what teens today perceive to be like. Fashion magazines today see thin models like the famous Kate Moss one of the worlds top super model that represents the ideal perfect body image which many teenagers are aspiring to be like. Consequently many of these teenagers fall into this trap and dont understand that looking like their favourite model is unrealistic. This is not only unrealistic but also a issue in itself where many of these teens starve themselves which leads to eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia which also leads to depression. This affects not only their mental state but also physically. Many teens dont understand that the images they see in magazines of celebrities, models are retouched before they are printed out, the clothes they wear are duct taped to enhance fit, while many blemishes are covered or altered, thats not all they remove two inches from their thighs and the average model weighs 23- 25 per cent less than any average woman. Therefore all this is done to create an ideal or perfect body image that every young teen aspires to look like. This impulse to be thin leads many girls to have a negative body image which leads to many health problems such as eating disorders in order to achieve their desire for thinness. As a result the media carries a responsibility for how women and girls perceive themselves as well as the person of an opposite sex and how an ideal woman should look like. But w hat many young teen and woman fail to see it that beneath all that thinness lies self doubt and low self esteem. Many teens fail to see that they way they are whether it be fat or curvaceous they are beautiful. But the influence of media has redefined beautiful as the skinny and ugly a being curvaceous. Therefore this negative use of media influence has caused many young teens to look up to the ideal image.

Abortion is Bad :: essays research papers

Do you consider something with a beating heart a living creature? A babies heart forms and starts beating in the fifth week of pregnancy, therefor, that would make abortion murder. The baby that is growing inside of you is depending on you, so when you make the choice to end that life, you are making the choice to murder another person. Someone that believes in the pro-choice theory would say that the decision is up to the woman, but the person with the pro-life theory would say that it is murder no matter what the situation. Would you consider it murder to kill a baby the day after it is born? Then why would it not be murder to kill it before it is born? â€Å"If it is impossible to abort a baby in the ninth month, then what makes it ok to do in the fifth or sixth month.† (Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan). Many abortions are perormed each year in the United States. 75% of all abortions in the U.S. are performed on women over 20 years of age, but the lawmakers try to concentrate on the 186,000 teens that have an abortion each year. In 1990, there were nearly 400 abortion bills were introduced to 41 legislatures. So far, as many as 20 states have passed laws that requires a teenager to have a parents consent before having an abortion. This may help reduce the number of abortions each year, the people that passed these bills feel that maybe the parents will feel differently about the situation and be able to talk their child out of it. 20% of teens that are sexually active do not use any form of birth control, these are the teens that end up getting pregnant and getting an abortion. If these girls would use some kind of contraceptive it could stop a lot of the abortions performed each year. If you think about it, it is so much easier to take a pill then it is to be pregnant and have to de cide on the life of another person. When you feel that you are responsible enough to participate in sexual activity, you should also feel that you a resonsible enough to deal with the consequences that follow. Abortions are considered â€Å"the easy was out.† I feel that abortions are just selfish. There is no easy way out. I could not imagine living with the guilt of taking anothers life, especially the life of something that I created, and that is dependant of me.

Free Essay on Nathaniel Hawthornes Scarlet Letter - Three Scaffold Scenes :: Scarlet Letter essays

Three Scaffold scenes - Progression of Dimmesdale In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Arthur Dimmesdale as a troubled individual. In him lies the central conflict of the book. Dimmesdale's soul is torn between two opposing forces: his heart, his love for freedom and his passion for Hester Prynne, and his head, his knowledge of Puritanism and its denial of fleshly love. He has committed the sin of adultery but cannot seek divine forgiveness, believing as the Puritans did that sinners received no grace. His dilemma, his struggle to cope with sin, manifests itself in the three scaffold scenes depicted in The Scarlet Letter. These scenes form a progression through which Dimmesdale at first denies, then accepts reluctantly, and finally conquers his sin. During Hester Prynne's three-hour ignominy, Dimmesdale openly denies his sin. Hawthorne introduces Dimmesdale as "a being who felt himself quite astray and at a loss in the pathway of human existence" (64). The author made it obvious that a grim secret lies hidden in the depths of Dimmesdale's soul. This secret, however, does not reveal itself immediately, since Dimmesdale hides it from the closely watching town. In addition, he magnifies his own denial of his sin when he charges Hester to "speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer"(65). By deliberately speaking to Hester as if the sinner were not himself, the pastor makes sure that nobody suspects him. One may also interpret Dimmesdale's speech as a hint to Hester not to name him. He feels he must "add hypocrisy to sin" in order to keep his standing in the town. He thinks that if the town finds out about his sin, they will never forgive him, much like his belief system tells him that God will never forgive him. So great is his relief when he finds that "she will not speak" that he stands in awe of the "wondrous strength and generosity of a woman's heart"(66). Despite an inward wish for his sin to be discovered, Dimmesdale feels better knowing that Hester will not willingly expose him. In this scene in front of the town, Dimmesdale shows his original strength of character, which will diminish along the course of the book. In the middle of the night, seven years after Hester's punishment, Dimmesdale holds a vigil on the scaffold where he finally accepts his sin. The battle within Dimmesdale between "Remorse, which dogged him everywhere" and "Cowardice, which invariably drew him back"(144) leads to a temporary compromise in his midnight vigil.

All or Nothing

My doorbell was the last thing that I wanted to hear on the morning of 20th September. It was the first day that I'd had off work for months so I was hoping to stay in bed for as long as I could. The doorbell rang once more and at that point I realised that my long morning in bed was never going to happen. I jumped out of bed, the same as I did every other morning, and went to the front door to answer it. There was a postman stood at the door with a small parcel that was rectangle shaped. â€Å"Good morning†, I said to the postman. He handed me the parcel and also a clip board with a piece of paper clipped to the front for me to sign, I signed the paper and went back inside. I took the parcel into my living room which was still a mess from the night before; the coffee table in the centre of the room had an empty Vodka bottle, crisp packets, and also an empty twenty pack of cigarettes. My sofas outlined the coffee table with one either side, I sat on the one that was closest to me and opened the parcel, there was a small letter inside that said: To Victoria, A present from your dearest friend, hope you like it. Love you and miss you. Love Tom x x x. At that moment, a smile appeared on my face, I missed Tom a lot when he was away, especially when they'd been for this long, he had been away for nearly two months now, and normally I'd see him twice a week or more so it was weird for me not to have him near. He was on a business trip in London and I was still miles away from him in Bristol. I had known Tom since we'd started the same secondary school at the age of eleven, since then we've gone through college and university together too. At school we'd been close and we'd always wanted to do the same kinds of things, I was quite boyish and we used to play football after school had finished and on weekends. Our relationship just got stronger as we got older and it just never seemed to leave, even when Tom moved away for a short while with an ex-girlfriend who wanted everything her way. I took the velvet container and letter and put them onto the table in front of me, I opened the container to reveal a matching necklace and earring set, they were 18 carat gold and had one small diamond in each, the necklace was a heart at the end of a chain and the earrings were also hearts and also contained a diamond each. I grabbed my mobile phone from the kitchen side and pressed 1 on the speed dial, I placed the phone to my ear and it began to ring. â€Å"Hi!† said the voice at the other end. â€Å"Tom, its Vic†, I said, â€Å"just to say thanks for the jewellery set, it only came this morning†. â€Å"Oh†, he murmured, â€Å"you're worth it, oh and Vic's what time is it?† â€Å"About 1o'clock in the afternoon, why?† I replied. â€Å"I'm late, see ya!† was the answer I got, and then he put the phone down, I knew he was already very late. I put the phone back onto the kitchen side and began to walk towards my bathroom, and seeing as I had all day to do whatever I wanted to, I was intending to have a long relaxing bath. I went into the bathroom, and started to run a bath full of water, I put bubble bath in it, I lit the candles around the edge and my nightdress over my head and threw it into the washing pile. I spent over an hour in the bath, until the water started to go cold and I had to get out because my skin was all wrinkled. I dried myself and went through to my bedroom. Once in there, I grabbed a pair of silk French knickers out of my drawer and a long, light pink satin dress. It was meant to be really hot today according to the weather reports on telly, so I thought that I would dress appropriately as normally I would be in a suit jacket and black trousers. I threw the bed sheet over the bed, and fluffed up the pillows a little, pulled open my curtains and opened the window, ready for the day to begin. I blow-dried and straightened my hair before putting on my make-up and getting dressed. I then fed the cat and opened the rest of the curtains in the apartment. I picked up my keys and my phone from on the kitchen side and went out the front door. I went down the stairs and out to where my car was parked, it was my pride and joy, a black Lotus Elise which had taken me years to save for. I drove it out of the car park and along the street towards the shopping centre. As I approached the car park, I got my card out of my purse; I paid on the card for all of my parking tickets because I spent so much time in car parks, and keeping cash like that on me all of the time wouldn't be easy. I showed the man at the kiosk my card; he took one quick glance and then returned it to me so that I could get through. I put the pass back into my purse and headed into the main bit of the car park where I found a space next to the stairs that led down to the shops. I got out of the car and locked it; I then flung my bag over my shoulder and started to walk down the stairs. The first shop at the bottom of the stairs was Monsoon, I could see in the window, the shoes that I had bought the last time I had a day off. I went into the shop, I wasn't sure what I wanted but I knew I had to buy something special to wear to Tom's welcome home party that was being held that weekend. The dress that I bought eventually, was rose red and touched the floor, it was pure silk and cost me over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½200, the slit that went up the back was huge and went all the way up to my thighs, luckily enough I had good legs so I knew I could carry it off easily. I needed a new pair of shoes to go with the dress so I carried on walking on the path through the middle of the centre until I came to River Island, I went in and bought the first pair of black, stiletto heeled shoes that I could find. I already had a purse at home that would match perfectly with my outfit and I was planning to wear the necklace and earrings that Tom had bought me. The party was being held at Tom's mum's house, as Tom's was too small to accommodate so many people. Jane was too wealthy for her own good, she had married an older man when she'd only just left Tom's dad, the man died five years ago and left everything he owned to Jane. He was lying on millions the day he died and before Jane realised it, she was too. He left his business, his home and everything in it to her, the house alone was worth over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1 million. The house was on 12 acres of land and had 10 bedrooms which would be well over enough space for the party. I had known Jane for as long as I had known Tom so she was like a second mother to me, being at her house was nothing new so I wasn't nervous about that, just about seeing Tom again after so long. I had spoken to him over the phone and had written letters but this was different and I was looking forward to it so much. I had to be well prepared for this so I had written myself a list of what I needed to do beforehand. Among the other things on that list was buy new dress and shoes so I ticked them off. The last thing I did before I left the shopping centre was grab a cup of coffee from O'Brien's, they made the best coffee that money could buy so I always bought one when I was on the move. I got into my car still with the polystyrene cup that was so hot that it was difficult to carry, and put my bag down on the passenger seat. I downed the last bit of coffee and threw the cup into the bin next to the car; I then put my new dress and shoes onto the back seat and drove out of the car park. By the time I had got back to my apartment, I was knackered; I parked my car in the same place that it had been in before I had gone out this morning. I then walked into the main entrance hall and up the stairs to the door of my apartment; I opened the door and pressed the button on my phone to check for messages. â€Å"No messages†, it said slowly, beeped three times as usual, then back to normal. I picked up the receiver and dialled Jane's home number, I always tried this first as it cost me less. It rang twice and then her answer machine kicked in. â€Å"The Williams residence, sorry but we can't come to the phone right now, please try our mobiles or leave a message after the tone†, the tone sounded so I began. â€Å"Jane, it's Victoria, just to say I'll be at the party, will be there as usual early to help set up, see you then if not before†, and I put down the phone. I went into the kitchen to see it gleaming, the living room had also now been cleaned and there was no rubbish on the table anymore, the cleaner had been in. I put the kettle on, picked up my post from the kitchen side, and sat down on a breakfast bar stool to open it. The remainder of the day passed as some what of a blur, I couldn't have done anything particularly exciting because I would have remembered. I only finally looked up at the clock on my living room wall at 10 p.m. and I knew that I had work in the morning so I went to bed. The two days after were the same, work which never changed from day to day, and doing the same thing every day made me more bored than anything else. I did longer hours than I should every day because I knew I had nothing to do when I got home and this made the two days go quicker. The weekend came and I knew that Tom was supposed to be coming home. I had the whole weekend off, I wasn't intending to get drunk but just to be sure I had booked the two days which meant I didn't have to go to work with a hangover. I had all day to make myself look stunning for the night ahead; it was only ten thirty in the morning so I got out of bed and put the television on in the living room. I had to be at Jane's at five o'clock to help her with any last minute things, she was having caterers in to cook all of the food and to set most of it up but she knew that I would be sure of what Tom liked. That morning I went out and had my hair cut and my nails done, I got home and showered to get rid of the access hair that was in all of my clothes. It was now gone 1 o'clock in the afternoon so I pulled a microwave meal out of the freezer and put it in for five minutes. I didn't have the time to do something proper, today was going to be quite busy for me, I still had to get ready although I was clean. After I had finished the meal, I put the dish in the dishwasher and tidied the kitchen again so it looked presentable; I only just had enough time now. I got dressed up to my waist; I didn't want to get make-up on the top of my dress so I put that part on last. I blow dried my hair and straightened it, did my make-up, put on all of my jewellery, including the necklace and earring set that Tom had sent me and then put the rest of my dress on properly. I put my shoes on and left and left at a quarter past four. When I got to Jane's, the place was deserted, there was nobody to be seen anywhere. It was quite early, and Tom wasn't due until around six. Jane came to the front door to greet me, so I parked the car and got out. I followed her through the entrance hall and into the living room which looked amazing as usual, but today the walls were covered in welcome home banners. I then joined her in the dining area situated next to the living room; the table was laid with the most beautifully presented food which I knew she hadn't cooked. A man, who turned out to be the bar manager for the night, was putting the finishing touches to the bar at the other end of the room, more bar staff would come later to help him with catering, waiters and waitresses to carry around the drinks on trays. I couldn't wait to see Tom; he was always away when I came around to see Jane, he only ever came home for a while and then he was off again to some business meeting or other. Jane noticed the earrings and the necklace and I told her that Tom had sent them to me. She complained because she said that he never sent her presents and said that he spoilt me, which was mostly true; he did always send me presents from wherever he was staying, even if it was only a t-shirt or a key ring with the name of the hotel on it. The last guest arrived at five thirty; Jane and I greeted them at the door and took their coats. Finally at ten past six a taxi pulled up at the door and out leaped Tom, as happy as ever with that same smile on his face as I had first seen so long ago. I was so glad to see him, even if at that moment it was only through the window. The door knocked and I stood behind Jane as she opened it. Tom threw his arms around his mother like a child, a finger just tapping me as his hand passed. Tom screamed my name as soon as he noticed that I was there, he then pulled me into his chest so that I could put my arms around him for the first time in ages. â€Å"Welcome home†, I squeaked, I couldn't breathe very well because he was holding me so tightly. He spent the next half an hour greeting people and thanking them for coming, and then he came back over to see me. We talked for a while about his trip and about how we both were; he looked great, although a little tired from the journey. He noticed that I had the earrings and necklace on that he had bought me and I thanked him again, he told me that I looked beautiful and I could feel myself getting embarrassed and going red. He just smiled. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Jane coming from the dining room, she winked and smiled when she saw us together, she had always thought that Tom and I should have been a couple but we had let her down after we had split up years ago. â€Å"Wanna dance?† He asked me. We stepped into the centre of the living room where Jane had made a space for everyone to dance in. He span me around, and I laughed, we danced for a while to a song which I recognised from my childhood. He kissed me as the song ended and I knew that Jane was watching us. In that moment I felt something which I hadn't felt with Tom since we were together, and then I heard a voice. I knew even before I looked that it was Jane, stood there hands on hips and giggling. â€Å"What?† Asked Tom, â€Å"it was just a friendly kiss†. I agreed with him and Jane walked away. It was now quite late, and most of the guest had left, the few that hadn't were getting coats and saying goodbye to each other. â€Å"Fancy coming back to mine for a bit?† he asked, â€Å"for coffee or something?† I answered almost immediately, â€Å"yeh, sure†. We phoned a taxi from Jane's house and got to Tom's just after midnight. He paid for the taxi and we got out. Once inside I sat on the sofa in my usual place next to the window, he got up to make coffee and I suggested wine instead. He put the two glasses down on the table and opened the bottle of wine, he poured wine into both the glasses and handed me one. We toasted â€Å"to love and all of life's other pleasures†. We talked some more about his trip and after the third glass of wine he moved closer to me, I wasn't really sure what to do. He touched my face and pulled me closer to him, we kissed, and not just a little one this time but one that lasted minutes, passion and lust filled me and I kissed back. He was caressing my hips and all up my back, he stopped the kiss just for a second and in that time I was trying to remember who I was with and what was happening. It was Tom, just Tom but for some reason it felt so right. I pulled his face back to mine so that I could kiss him again. He grabbed my hand and led me to what I knew was his bedroom. We fell to the bed still kissing passionately; he removed his jacket and his tie, and then started to undo his shirt buttons. I wanted him so badly and was so excited that I couldn't stop myself from pulling my dress over my head, shocking myself that I could be so forward. I threw it onto the floor beside the bed where the clothes he was wearing only moments before now laid. We were both now in only our underwear, I felt so calm with Tom, and I wasn't scared at all. Still kissing me, he undid the back of my bra so quickly that I didn't even notice, I had forgotten what Tom's touch felt like but now longed for him. He had taken off his boxer shorts and was now taking off my thongs, kissing and gently nibbling my breasts as he did. He started to stroke my thigh and I moved his hand up higher so that his fingers were on my clitoris, I was scratching his back and pulling him closer, begging for him to touch me more. I screamed with excitement as he slid inside me. When I woke that morning, I felt different, and then I remembered what had happened the night before. I got out of the bed still totally naked, and grabbed my clothes from the floor on the way out the door, Tom was still asleep and I didn't think that I could wake him; I just wanted to get out. When I got home I went straight into my bedroom where I cried for hours, I didn't regret the night before but I didn't want to ruin what we already had either. The phone rang beside the bed and I picked up to hear a voice which I knew was Tom's. I was crying as I answered, and Tom could tell this. He asked me what was wrong and I explained. â€Å"I want it all or nothing at all. There's nowhere left to fall when you reach the bottom, it's now or never. Is it all or are we just friends, is this how it ends, with a simple telephone call, you leave me here with nothing at all?† I sobbed. â€Å"That's what I phoned to say to you Victoria, I want you to have it all, I want us to be together properly, I'm sick of pretending that I don't love you because I do!† he answered. I told him that I loved him too, I was overpowered by shock. The next few weeks passed quickly, Jane loved the idea of us being back together again, so did all of our friends. We're planning to wed in the summer and then we want to start a family of our own. Who would have guessed that you can look love in the face for so long and not even realise that it's there. This book is a lesson for all of you, you only live once, live it to the full, don't let anything come between you and your dreams†¦

Men

There are very few movies and even less television shows that are important. Many flock to the theatre to catch up on their stars which they robotically follow in the tabloid newspapers.   For those who like to be entertained by thought provoking films by way of the mindless blockbusters, there are few to choose from. The Ox Bow Incident, The China Syndrome, Schlinder’s List and 12 Angry Men all serve as a different kind of movie: one with a message that needs to be absorbed and recognized.(Maltin, 145) The criteria for the viewer may be different but all of the abovementioned movies, or rather films, specifically 12 Angry Men, serve to portray a message that is timeless. It is the message that one has the moral responsibility and is encouraged in a free democracy, to stand up for injustice by speaking one’s mind freely. This premise will always be timeless and the fact that this movie was filmed in black and white, 50 years ago and with 95% of the movie being shot in real time and in only the jury room, has little significance on the importance of the movie and its impact.(Carr, 83) In 12 Angry Men, 12 jurors are faced with the power to end the life of a young man that is accused of killing his father. It is 1950’s New York and the Puerto Rican population, of which the accused is part of, is immigrating to New York in large numbers, causing distress and raising the ire on the majority.(Weiler, B1) Racist assumptions, coupled with the complete apathy of most of the jurors towards the future of the accused make it an uphill battle for Henry Fonda’s character to convince the other eleven jurors to at least give the boy a fair hearing and to ignore, for an afternoon, the prejudices that would compel them to quickly vote for the death of this young man. The movie works and has stood the test of time because of the actors, the unique way in which it was shot and the subject matter of the film. This movie is required viewing for many law classes and is being studied somewhere in the country nearly every day of the week. One way in which the movie works is that is speaks to the impediments that racial prejudices have on not only society as a whole but on the individual as such hatred wars against the happiness and contentment of the individual are all seen in the movie. The jurors that wanted the accused to get the death penalty seemed to be the angriest. This was specifically the case with the last hold outs towards an acquittal. Jurors # 3 and #10 played by Lee J. Cobb and Edward Beagley. The boy is Hispanic, Puerto Rican to be specific and is referred to as â€Å"one of them† on a number of occasions. ( Lumet, 1957) If it was not made obvious in the film, our better trained eyes and ears can easily see that the comment has racist overtones within it and will almost certainly cloud the ability for those jurors to vote with an impartial mind. Movies that have possessed important messages were sometimes lost because either the actors were of an average quality and/or the flow of the movie just didn’t work. The most obvious reason that this movie works is because of the stellar performances by Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warman and Jack Klugman to name a few. Many times, the importance of a movie and its message is lost because the general public simply did not like the movie. An example of this is The Ox Bow Incident. Made in 1943 and starring Henry Fonda. Its serious content did not translate to an audience during WWII and the movie was lost, only to be rediscovered decades later as an important film. ( Maltin, 146 ) 12 Angry Men, though not a blockbuster, was seen as an important movie by critics and the New York Times, at the time of the movie’s release, called it entertainment with a message. The movie works because it is entertaining and as a result, its ability to reach a wider audience and to be respected by said audience is that much more magnified. The movie also works because a contemporary audience can see that it was ahead of its time in its subject matter and message. The ideas of standing up for one’s beliefs were nothing new in film. John Wayne was seen standing up to the perceived evil Native Americans as he helped steal their land and the audiences generally loved him for it. But the idea that somebody would stand up for the rights of a young man with a violent past who was a minority, was something new in mainstream Hollywood. What was even more important was the fact that Henry Fonda stood up for the boy by pointing out the ageism and most importantly, racism of one half of the jurors and the apathy towards their responsibility of the other half. It is the way in which Henry Fonda and an unforgettable cast portray the message to the audience that makes this movie work and will continue to work for years to come. The movie also works because it was different from the majority of the movies coming out at that time. There was no love story, no historically inaccurate western, no blockbuster that was high on explosions and weak on story line but a drama in its purest forms. The movie was filmed in black and white when the majority of the studios was trying to combat the oncoming influence of television and was moving strongly towards Technicolor. There are no dream sequences, no mysterious camera angles or special effects and besides Fonda and Cobb, no real stars. The movie is shot in real time and 95% of the movie was shot in a single room. If this script was shown to any established actor today, the movie would be turned down.   On paper, the film just does not work but when put on the big screen and with the performances of the actors and the way in which the message is portrayed to the audience, it would do anything but fail. The movie also works because ageism, sexism and racism are ongoing problems in America today. A great deal of progress has been made since 12 Angry Men was produced over 50 years ago. And with Barrack Obama announcing his candidacy for President just last week to a rock star welcome, it helps to show how much progress has been made. However, with hate crimes occurring across the country and people still judging others simply by the way that they look, talk or act, 12 Angry Men still speaks about a subject that a contemporary audience can still appreciate and could learn from. This is the test of any great movie: Will it stand the test of time? 12 Angry Men does so for so many reasons and that is why the movie works. The prejudices involved in the movie not only have to do with the accuser’s race but also his age and his background. In many court cases, the past of the accused is not allowed in court as it is seen as being prejudice towards the accused. In the movie, the accused had a long list of violent and non-violent crimes since he was ten. Many of the jurors see this as proof enough as to the guilt of the accused. But Henry Fonda’s character, Juror #9 takes a more enlightened view of the situation by saying that this criminal past has more to do with the environment that the boy grew up in and less to do with the type of person that he is. For the 1950’s, this ideology is before its time and is contrary to the popular logic of the day which prescribed to the notion than â€Å"once a bad seed, always a bad seed† and that many times, a bad reputation was very hard to erase. â€Å"The young age of the accused also plays an important role as juror #3, the last and most vocal standout against the acquittal of the accused sees the problems with his own son mirrored in the troubles that the accused had with his own father.† (Weiler, B1) All three factors lead into the idea that the vast majority of people are incapable of being totally impartial on their own but unless they recognize their prejudices and make specific efforts to overcome these impediments, the diseased mind will always prevent the sufferer from being unbiased. Henry Fonda’s character probably has his prejudices and at one time in the movie, was willing to submit to the majority will of the people and vote for the guilt of the accused if he were made to stand alone any longer. Fonda’s character was able to recognize any impartiality that he might have and was successful in combating its negative effects within the jury room. He took his civic duty very seriously and it was to the benefit of not only the accused but for everyone in that room as well that he do that.   This is the most powerful message in the movie as it relates to not only recognizing one’s prejudices and combating its negative effects but more importantly, being willing to stand up against the majority is who is unwilling to do the same. Being forced to listen to six days of testimony while at the same time being paid only three dollars a day for their services, it is easy to see how some or most of the jurors at the beginning of deliberations, seemed apathetic towards the great responsibility they have to give the accused their undivided attention while deciding his guilt or innocence. This is the case for a number of jurors; specifically juror #7 who is preoccupied with making the Yankee/Indians game later that day. (Lumet, 1957) He feels rushed by the proceedings and desires quick deliberations followed by a unanimous guilty vote. He feels that the accused is guilty but most likely would have voted the way of the majority if that meant that he could have gone to the game, gone home or just been anywhere other than in the courtroom for any additional length of time.   He does not see and cannot be affectively reminded about the awesome power he has to either put a man to death or to set him free. The issue of the guilt or innocence of the accused should be paramount in his mind but sadly, it is not. The scholarly criticism of the movie occurred more at the time of its release than today. It did receive Academy award nominations but did not win. The movie did make money at the time of its release and the reception was generally favorable. However, it was easy to see how anyone attached to the film and even the audience at the time of the movie would be unable to see how influential 12 Angry Men would become. There have been movies that made more money and received more awards by the establishment but the vast majority of those movies have been lost to time and the winners of this year’s Academy Awards will discover the same fate. This is not to say that because of this reality, the movies being presented at this month’s Academy Awards are not well made or important but it is very rare to have a movie like 12 Angry Men, claim such wide recognition and possess such an enduring quality in our disposable American culture. The fact that the movie is in black and white, has actors that contemporary society might not be able to recognize and is shot almost entirely in one room and in real time, might turn off the viewer that likes mindless blockbusters and pointless violence.. But for the true film critic, the teacher or the socially conscious individual, 12 Angry Men is one of those rare works or art that is entertaining and at the same time, makes one think about the world around them. There is a few short list of art work that can lay claim to that accomplishment. 12 Angry Men should be considered part of that list. A portion of the success of failure of the film lies with the viewer. Nobody can deny the social message that the film tries to send to the viewer but there are many people in America who sadly, do not think that anything if importance happened before they were born. For them, the movie will fall on blind eyes.(Teichman, 82) Its lack of color and no explosions, sex or violence will immediately turn off a certain portion of today’s audience. Those people, sadly, cannot be helped. There may be some converts found but the vast majority will never be able to appreciate the importance of this amazing work of art and their only exposure to the movie will be when they are required to view it in school. Sadly, many of these people cannot be helped and will never be able to recognize a different work of art while in this permanent adolescent stage. For those people, the movie was slow, boring and void of any real purpose or meaning. For everyone else, the movie worked on all and more of the levels that were previously mentioned and whether being viewed for the 2nd time or the 10th time, its importance, entertainment value and message, invoke a favorable response from the audience. That is the best that any work of art can hope to accomplish. 12 Angry Men will continue to stand the test of time since it speaks eloquently on many different areas: that prejudices are an impediment to everyone in a democratic society and that standing up for a belief, despite knowing the dangers of such a stand, is honorable and should be recognized as courageous. But also, people do in groups what they wouldn’t do in private. Individuality within a group of strong opinions comes at a price and that price is most often ridicule and misunderstanding. If at the beginning of the movie, the foreman had taken a secret vote, juror #8 may not have been the lone dissenter. The jurors that did not put a great deal of value in the democratic process of trial by jury and didn’t feel that a daily salary of $3 was not worthy of their methodical analysis of the facts, were content to go with the majority, no matter what that decision said. But for the jurors who made it a point to shift group process away from a guilty verdict based on racist assumptions and in light of strong ridicule and little monetary compensation, this movie will continue to be studied and appreciated for years to come. WORKS CITED Carr, J. (2002) 100 Essential Films. Cambridge: De Capo Press. Ellsworth, E. . â€Å"Twelve Angry Men,† Michigan Law Review, May 2003 v101 i6 p1387(21) Lamet, S. 12 Angry Men: 20th Century Fox. 1957. Maltin, L. (1998) Films of the 20th Century. New York: Premier Press. The New York Times, April 15, 1957, â€Å"12 Angry Men†, review by A. H. Weiler Rose, R. (1998) 12 Angry Men: Literary Companion to American Literature. New York: Barnes & Noble. Teichman, H. (1981) My Life: Memoirs of Henry Fonda. New York: Dutton Adult Pub.            

Literatur review

Correspondence to this article should be addressed to Christian Magallon, Department of Psychology, University of California, Merced, CA 95348. Email: [email  protected] edu Abstract In the contemporary world, inequality between males and females in the workplace is becoming a critical issue. This has been often considered a part of our past and yet now in modern times men and women are entering into the workplace in equal numbers but women still face gender discrimination in their occupations, especially in managerial positions.There are certain limitations and restrictions that women encounter while in workplace. There is a common idea that people firmly believe, hat women are not suitable for upper division positions because they do not have the characteristics suitable for those positions. It is very important to understand the basic biases and factors which are deterring women from reaching their goals and creating inequality in a male dominated workplace. The main factors aff ecting gender inequality in the workplace which have been studied here are leadership, power and perceptions.Keywords: gender bias, sexual discrimination, workplace segregation Fiction This research seeks to support the fictive notion that gender equality exist oday and gender biases are a thing of the past regardless of current efforts to create equality among genders in the workplace. To increase understanding of factors affecting women this study focuses on: leadership, power, and perceptions. Throughout history there has been a struggle for equality. The suffrage movement and later affirmative action were efforts to increase equality among genders.As the economy of the nation changed to a more industrialized one it demanded more workers. While Men were at war, the demand of workers needed for war production increased. Women decided to do their part to help with the war efforts: taking over the Jobs left by men. This was a huge step for women, and the realizing of women's potenti al in the workforce. Women were now becoming more and more present in the workforce, diversifying the population of employees. The introduction of women brought with it new theories through research, assessing and further supporting the existence of inequality for women in the workforce.To further assess and support the existent inequality between men and women; research was obtained through a search on the University of California, Merced's library data base. Over 278 studies preceded using key descriptive words: women, power, perceptions, and leadership. Studies found support the differences within gender and the workplace. Looking in detail at studies like Roos and Brook (1981) that assessed data from the 1974-1977 that showed that women have a large earning gap compared to men due to sex segregated characteristics at an occupational level.The research showed, women mostly work at low paying Jobs and they are less likely to exercise authority in those jobs. In a related study on economics, Mano-Negrin (2004), showed a significant ncrease in participation of women in the labor market without a parallel decrease of gender wage gaps. Adler (1994) research results showed that men hold higher position, higher supervisory, and authority compared to women. Women have less access to power and authority at work. Policymakers and supervisor make equal rules for them but women exercise less power than men.Aviolio (2009) results showed a significant difference in the effect sizes for leadership interventions conducted with all-male and majority-male participants versus all-female and majority-female participant studies. Bosak (2008) showed in their study that women perceive themselves less suitable for high positions because the perceived notion that they do not associated with masculine characteristics of men. Research has served as evidence for change. Major developments include formation of new associations and legislations.The Association for Women's Rights in Deve lopment purpose is to strengthen movements that advance women's rights and promote gender equality worldwide (AWID). The Equal Pay Act was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 (EEOC). The Equal Pay Act was a law against reduction of wages that iscriminates due to sex. President Kennedy emphasized : â€Å"Adds to our laws another enter the labor force they will find equality in their pay envelope. â€Å"(EEOC) However, regardless of efforts it is clear that subtle biases of gender still contribute to discriminate against women in the workplace especially in male dominated workforce.Existential biases affect the prevalence of women in leadership, Job performance, and male dominated careers. It is important to understand underlying biases and factors in the work place that may hinder woman from reaching a state of equality among men in the workforce. Factors studied across genders in the workplace: leadership, power, and perceptions. Leadership and Power Let us first observe the two omnipresent notions that are leadership and power. It has long been understood and accepted albeit bias, that leadership and power are traits commonly associated with the male sex.Also, positions of power and of authority are linked to such generalizations. For example, this can be seen in the workplace where women are often segregated into professions that ultimately reduce the possibility of exercising autonomy and supervisory authority Oaffee, 1989). We see time and time again that women, when being considered for a position are subject to a bias comparison that subjugates their attempts at equality and fair judgment. The majority of the time the employers that are doing the considering prefer masculine gender characteristics to feminine characteristics (Goktepe & Craig, 1989).In their study, Goktepe and Craig found that interpersonal attractiveness and sex role orientation are both associated with the emergent candidate for the position. In this, we can see that it is of the utmost importance to understand what influences he emergence of a leader and note any difference between genders. So persistent is this notion of a gender bias that even women themselves cannot escape acknowledging it and even falling susceptible to its ideas.We see this recurring problem in several common patterns, one being that of women feeling vulnerable and out of place because they have no female role model in a position of power to revere. This lack of stimuli results in a reduction in chances of women to take on a leadership role (Carbonell & Castro, 2008). In Carbonell and Castro's study we see when confronted with a female leader model, for more than half the time women ake the leadership position, but when faced with a male leadership model the results are underwhelming.And, the men in that study felt indifference when faced with either model, signifying a common acceptance of male superiority or dominance. Other studies have also supported this disparity of ideas concerning the similarity between women and managers. In a study conducted by Brenner , Tomkiewicz and Schein (1989), we observe that men perceive successful middle managers as having those characteristics, attitudes, and temperaments more commonly ascribed to men in general than to women in general.Although the omen in this study Judged both male and female characteristics equally viable, it was only a function of change in the perception of women in general rather than a change in the perceived requirements for managerial success or even any perceptions of men in general. In other words, what has been perceived as approved managerial characteristics in the past has not changed. What has changed is how forward in positive and equally thinking is in truth very misleading.Yes behaviors have changed but sadly male managers still hold onto their original attitudes which involve a skewed sense of what the proper qualifications may be. It seems that blind ignorance may also affect aspects of occupational labor in the workplace. In the study by Cann and Siegfried (1990), there is a strong indication that the behaviors people recognized as indicators of a successful leader included those that are viewed as feminine. Leaders must be â€Å"behaviorally androgynous,† they must have the flexibility to exhibit both male and female characteristics.Thus, effective leaders are those that can appease an assortment of demands, and yet we witness the constant reminder of a societal gender bias implicating female characteristics as weaker and even less desirable. One can only wonder why some choose to ignore a possible fine addition to a firm because of a commonly held notion of gender superiority. Presumed notions of gender superiority in leadership qualities can easily be ascertained from many studies that have been conducted in the past, involving commonly held societal beliefs.But, these same bias notions of leadership qualities can be enhanced by certain workpl ace organizational climates. The atmosphere in which business involving the hiring of future employees or any upper level position is conducted, can be greatly affected by the pressures that are applied during that time. In a study done by Katz (1987), when put into a discriminatory setting the test subjects preferred to hire males. In the same study test subjects were put into a nondiscriminatory setting and the results proved to be quite interesting, the preference levels were almost equal between male and female candidates.From this information we can gather that a significant catalyst for discriminatory thinking is in part caused by the organizational climate that someone is in. Currently, sexual discrimination and gender bias in the workplace is alive and well. It is a widespread problem that is inhibiting many women's rights and allowing or an unfair advantage for the opposite sex. Most of todays research concerning this notion is focused on investigating the debilitating effe cts that negative stereotypes have on the targets of said stereotypes (Hoyt & Blalscovich, 2007).In order to move forward and overcome this bias and discrimination we must discover new avenues in which to employ a politically correct attitude towards those individuals of the fairer sex. Perceptions Understanding perceptions of society, focusing on perceptions of women in the workplace, helps increase understanding of the existent gap between genders at work. There are many factors that may contribute to the differentiation in treatment and appointment to leadership between genders in the workplace. Trentham, and Larwood (1998), examined the effects of power and willingness to discriminate in the workplace.Results show that people have a predisposition to discriminate against women. This study found that people in top positions of organizations had higher tendencies to discriminate against women than people with lower positions of authority. Individuals in power affect the dispositio n of a person of lower status to act in a discriminating manner often times going against own personal beliefs. The importance of this study is that biases exist against women due to perceived (1993) analyzes perceptions and attitudes of past events, and future measures implemented to reduce gap between genders in the workplace.Results show that men feel that past measures affected their careers more negatively, however both genders showed equal dissatisfaction with past measures. Men agreed with eliminating systemic barriers that limit advancement for women but where against preferential treatment. This clearly states that both gendrs have self interest in mind. Women want help to go up the ladder, men see that as a threat, therefore isapprove. Self interest conflicts held by men may hinder women from reaching equality in the workplace.Another study that looked at perceptions of leadership qualities in groups of similar gender was done by Prime, Jonsen, Carter, and Maznevski (2008) . This study looked at managers perceived qualities associated with leadership and gender. The study hypothesized that the qualities associated with leaders was more prominent in men than in women. Results show that in women respondents perceived women as more effective than men in: planning and role modeling, providing intellectual stimulation, and problem solving. Men on the other hand attributed that men were better at delegating than female leaders.Both men and women perceived and stereotyped women leaders as being more competent in supporting. The study indicated that both genders were attributing more positive ratings to their gender than the opposing gender. This study indicates that self perceptions also affect beliefs of self and others in ability in the work place. Perceptions of the meaning of equality are different among individuals according to their self interest. Other studies examine perceptions of gender and leadership oncerns in the workplace over time.The study do ne by Koch, Loft, and Kruse (2005) takes a look at changes in perceptions of women in leadership. With an increase of women in leadership the study compares the amount of change in beliefs now to the beliefs held 20 years ago. Results showed a tendency for gender association that went along with social perceptions; men were associated with terms: hard, strong, and aggressive. Women were Judged as soft, sentimental, and delicate. Although data shows a shift towards associating women with leadership; it is not significant as the orrelation between men and leadership.Despite efforts to close the gap of inequality it still exists in positions of leadership, small shift seen of women in leadership, is not dismissed. Perceptions of femininity in leadership Johanson (2008) seeks to find if prior conceptions of leadership exist between genders in perceived: conception, structure, masculinity, femininity, androgyny, and overall leadership ability. Results support the hypothesis that leadersh ip ratings were associated with masculinity and structure; the positive correlation between consideration and femininity was clearly supported.Leadership positively correlated with structure and not conception. The study indicates the importance of beliefs and associations of leadership without environment influence on perceived individual leadership style. This study proves that individuals still show a predominant belief that leadership is more closely associated with masculinity and structure than femininity and conception. Individuals overall continue to think of leadership as male oriented. For women characteristics associated with femininity are still not seen as positively affiliated with leadership characteristics.A study that demonstrates the effects of on the perceived suitability of women and men in leadership of failing or succeeding organizations. This study looks at the inequalities that women encounter when trying to advance in the workforce. The study hypothesized th at women are appointed to leadership positions when risk of failure and criticism are high. Results show that in general women are preferred over male candidates. The results state that the male was selected over a female when the company performance was improving. Women where often selected as the suited individual to take a leadership position in a ompany that was declining.This study shows that there is a clear preference of men to successful companies. This may be due to perceptions and beliefs of the individuals who appoint leaders toa position. This study looked at the suitability of both men and women in a management position Ted H. Shore (1992). The study focused on the potential of performance in managerial positions by assessing cognitive ability, Job advancement, interpersonal and performance skills. Despite women rating higher than men on performance style dimensions, they received lower ratings in management potential.Management ratings of both genders were comparable. The study results serve as evidence of subtle gender bias within the workplace. Stating that despite higher performance rates in women the actual advancement in the Job is the same as men of lower performance rates. The study analyzes perceptions of woman's interpersonal skills compared to men. Assessors deemphasized the fact that women outperformed men; giving more credit in interpersonal skills. A mismatch is perceived of women and attributes associated with management due to stereotypical and perceived views of women.Finally a tudy done by Wolf, and Fligsteing (2009)looks at factors that contribute to the unequal distribution of women compared to men in positions of authority focusing on education, experience, tenure, marriage, children, that help map how and why some individuals are in positions of authority. The study looks at composition of the workplace and situational beliefs of employers and women in notions of authority. The study assesses factors that influence Job charac teristics and allocation of male/ female in authority. The study concluded that men are given more authority than women in the workplace.The importance of this study highlights factors like traditional gender roles, personal choices, and self perceptions that affect the prevalence of women in authority. Conclusion According to McTavish and Miller (2009) there are both pros and cons to the modernization agenda. Reform and structural change have led to greater opportunities for women. Reform and modernization in organizational procedures have led to somewhat gender friendlier environments. However, there are paradoxes in the modernization agenda. It seems like women have to conform to masculinist styles of management.Many of the reforms are actually leading to re-gendering of job roles and procedures. (McTavish and Miller, 2009, p. 361-362). In the article Women's Leadership Development Strategic Practices for Women and Organizations Hopkins, O'Neil, Passarelli, and Bilimoria (2008) p ropose seven areas of leadership development practice along with recommendations in each of these categories for consultants and human resources professionals working with individual women and organizations. They state that leadership development positive outcomes at both the individual and organizational levels.They assert that esponsibility for developing the human, social, and political capital of women resides at the individual and the organizational levels. They also state that leadership development of women employees is a major business advantage to organizations. Also stressed is that principal importance must be placed on women feeling connected to the goals and objectives of the greater organization and conceptualizing a comprehensive picture of themselves as vital organizational partners. They also emphasize that consulting psychologists and human resources professionals have an essential role in helping women and organizations.They conclude that the assembly of leadershi p development that appreciates and addresses women's unique contributions will result in women fulfilling their individual potential and in organizational transformation, the two principal goals of effective, sustainable leadership development.