Anabolic Steroids Are A Group Of Organic Compounds And...

Anabolic steroids are a group of organic compounds and synthetic variants of the male sex hormone testosterone. The proper term for these compounds is anabolic-androgenic steroids (abbreviated AAS)—â€Å"anabolic† referring to muscle-building and â€Å"androgenic† referring to increased male sexual characteristics (Pope and Brower, 2005). They are synthesized in the body from cholesterol in the Leydig cells in the testes, and in smaller amounts in the adrenal glands of both males and females and in female ovaries (Talih, Fattal and Malone, 2007). Anabolic steroids should not be confused with other types of steroids such as corticosteroids (e.g., cortisone or prednisone), which have no anabolic effects and therefore have little abuse potential (Pope and Brower, 2005; Sheffield-Moore and Urban, 2004). When taken in abundant doses, anabolic steroids allow users to greatly increase muscle strength and athletic performance, often well beyond the limit attainable by natural means (Kouri et al., 1995). As a result, many elite competitive athletes have used anabolic steroids and this phenomenon has recently generated much publicity, as evidenced by increasing media reports around the world (Ewing, 2008; Fainaru-Wada and Williams, 2006; Magnay, 2008; Swartz, 2007). Anabolic steroids are used to increase muscle mass and reduce fat in athletes and body builders and this ultimately leads to an increase in competitiveness. The dosages used are often a lot higher than the recommended medical

The Impact Of Social Media On Sociology - 855 Words

Development of technology over the years has become more and more evident as the society picks up on new methods to improve living standards and conditions. Technology, as we know it, is the use of scientific knowledge with the purpose of solving certain problems or make life easier. The initial use of scientific knowledge has changed over the years as human beings keep innovating ways of making living easier as well as advance the standards of living. This is what has always been described as technological advancement. As a result of technological advancement, society has been obliged to also transform in an effort to keep up with the ever changing technology. There are quite a number of perspectives concerning the influence that social media has had on sociology in general. Most of these perspectives have been brought up as people try to find out the level of dependency on technology in sociology. The internet, for instance, whose initial use was for the government and governmental operations, has turned out to be a tool for societal interaction as well as a way of making and finding numerous opportunities. It has been reported that the number of internet users doubles every year which shows an increased dependence on technology for the society. In addition to that, the use of technology is not only limited to opportunities and obtaining information but also on the ever increasing use of social media. In society today, the use of social media has become a platform forShow MoreRelatedSoc/100 - Applying Sociological Perspectives1063 Words   |  5 PagesPerspectives Stephanie Ann Tombline SOC/100 May 30, 2016 Jennifer Hudgins Applying Sociological Perspectives Social networking sites - such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and, Pinterest, just to name a few - provide individuals with an online web of global networking that allows maintaining social ties with one another. Sociologists often ponder, How do these social websites impact society? Above all, this is the question that is the central focus shared by all three of the primary sociologicalRead MoreHunger Games Sociology Essay1098 Words   |  5 Pagesadult genre obsession, but also a complex study of the social sciences. The symbolism and plot of The Hunger Games are prime examples of Sociology because they display different societal rules and norms, the struggle for power, and the importance of the media. Although The Hunger Games is set in the future, societal norms, rules and views still exist just as they do in today’s society. Macrosociology studies the wide perspective of such social behaviors , clearly exhibited in Collins’ novel. ForRead MoreGramsciS Approach To Ideology Proposes That Oppressed1544 Words   |  7 Pagesalter this (Burke, 1999, 2005). Althusser used the concept of ideology to analyse the influence of the ruling class and society’s institutions. Marx emphasised that the structure of capitalist society would collapse without the reproduction of its social conditions (Wolff, 2007). Identifying that ideology plays an integral role in maintaining such conditions; Althusser (1971 [no pagination]) claimed ‘The State is a machine of repression, which enables the ruling class to ensure their domination overRead MoreMy Career As A Sociology1369 Words   |  6 PagesI’m currently a sociology major but I have changed my major multiple times. I feel pretty confident with sociology but that could possibly change. Having a sociology degree is very versatile. I’m so passionate about traveling and learning about different cultures and I felt as though this major was the closest thing relating to that. At first I was worried about salary and the chances of not getting a job but I’m not going t o spend 4 years of my life and thousands of dollars devoted to studyingRead MoreGender Socialization : The Real World1442 Words   |  6 Pagesfamily, schools, peers, and media, gender socialization is emphasized and made very real in the world today. The definition of gender in the sociology textbook, The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, is â€Å"the physical, behavioral, and personality traits that a group considers normal for its male and female members† (Ferris and Stein 243). The textbook defines socialization as â€Å"the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioningRead MoreEssay Sociology and Religion1158 Words   |  5 Pagessome experience with religion. Whether our parents are religious, our own religious views, or others who try and convert you to a religion, we have all come in contact with a religion. But what do sociology and religion have to do with each other? The answer to this question is that religion meets sociology in the affects that it has on an individual or society (Schaefer, Richard T, 2009, pg 323). What is a religion? A religion is defined by Richard Schaefer as a unified system of beliefs andRead MoreSociology : How Human Action And Consciousness Shape The Surrounding Of Cultural And Social Culture1734 Words   |  7 Pagessaid, â€Å"The task for sociology is to come to the help of the individual. We have to be in service of freedom. It is something we have lost sight of.† This quote means the main purpose of sociology is to help people with our freedom of service, because it is something we as people lost sight of. Sociology can be defined by Dictionary.com, as the science or study of the origin, development, organization, and functioning of human society; the science of the fundamental laws of social relations, and institutionsRead MoreSocial Media and Its Impact on Social Behavior1455 Words   |  6 PagesSocial Media and its Impact on Social Behavior Social Media and its Impact on Social Behavior Introduction Social media has drastically changed how people communicate. How many people remember how it feels to hear the phone ring in the house or receive a letter in the mail? Today’s youth know nothing other than text messages, tweets, and Facebook. Social media and the social entertaining websites of today have affected social behavior in many ways. While there are many advantages to this technologicalRead MoreSocial Perspectives On Education And The Sociology Of Education1273 Words   |  6 PagesEDST 1104 – Social Perspectives in Education Assessment 2 - Essay TANUWIJAYA, Wirya Z3483970 Why is it important and/or helpful for initial teacher educators such as yourself, to learn about, and learn to use, ideas from the sociology of education? Social influences on educational outcomes and the social nature of education structures of the past and present exemplify how social institutions can affect education perceived by individuals. This can also be defined as the sociology of education;Read MoreThe Importance of Studying Sociology1106 Words   |  4 PagesThe study of Sociology helps us to understand the human social relationships, why we are as we are and why we act as we do. Today’s world is a complex place, as the world continues to change and bring new ways to living with and relating to others new problems in society appeared. Sociology has a great importance as is the best approach to understand the social phenomena. The study of sociology includes the study of social behaviour and social change which can reveal how society shapes our lives

Online Dating And Its Effects On The Way People Look For Romantic Relationships Essay Example For Students

Online Dating And Its Effects On The Way People Look For Romantic Relationships Essay Introduction Online dating has changed the way people look for romantic partners. With websites like match.com, okcupid and even mobile sites like tinder finding a partner is only a few clicks away. These sites make it easy for the users to change small things like height, weight and even make their profession sound better. With the rise of photoshop the the ability to find any photograph on the internet, many online daters are cautious when using the sites. â€Å"In a survey of online dating users, over 80% of participants registered concerns that others misrepresent themselves† (Gibbs, Ellison, Heino, 2006), and, in another large-scale survey, â€Å"deception was identified as the biggest perceived disadvantage of online dating† (Brym Lenton, 2001). This research is extremely important as a way to see why exactly people use online dating and why they attempt to self enhance or take it far enough to just be deceptive.Review of Literature The research surrounding lying, identity and online dating is an extremely important topic as the world continues to get online and leave traditional dating in the past. There is also a fine line between lying and self enhancing or doing your best to put your best features out into the world. â€Å"By engaging in substantial amounts of selective self-presentation, daters enhanced their physical characteristics relative to how they look on an everyday basis. This is especially the case when compared to levels of deception in other elements of the profile, such as height and weight† (Gonzales, A. , Hancock, J. 2008). The rise of people getting catfished, â€Å"lure (someone) into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona†. The research of why people lie and why people are more inclined to lie onli. .ipants to come in and talk to the researchers but many were simple surveys and did not require much outside of organizing the results. Separating Fact From Fiction: An Examination of Deceptive Self-Presentation in Online Dating Profiles only had 80 participants but they way they had great questions that were asked. Yet due to the lack of participants the results seem skewed especially when looking at the ages of the participants and the websites that they use for online dating. As they were all New Yorkers that were almost randomly selected, they was a severe lack of variety. If this study had used more locations I believe the results could of been applied to most people who use online dating in the United States. Due to the small sample size and the small area of the US I feel that this information cannot be attributed to the rest of the online dating community.

Rousseaus Discourse On The Arts And Sciences Essays - Philosophy

Rousseau's Discourse On The Arts And Sciences Rousseau's Discourse on the Arts and Sciences Jean-Jacques Rousseau has been called both the father of the French Revolution and a rascal deserving to hunted down by society (Boswell, The Life of Samuel Johnson, p. 462). His works, controversial in his lifetime, have lost little of their ability to inspire debate in the seceding two hundred years. Although much of this debate has focused on Rousseau's political theories, his works on morality have not been exempted from the controversy. Much of the controversy surrounding his Discourse on the Arts and Sciences relates to Rousseau's self-proclaimed role of societal critic. In this Discourse, Rousseau attacks the rise of empiricism. To him, a world based on knowledge, such as the one proposed in Bacon's New Atlantis, was immoral and destructive. This view was met with much criticism and disdain. Indeed, by taking such a view, Rousseau attacked the very core of the Enlightenment. However, the Discourse is not only a rebuttal of empiricism. It is also an intensely personal look into Rousseau. In it, Rousseau's alienation and nostalgic feelings are clearly revealed. To Rousseau, the past was idyllic: One cannot reflect on morals, without taking delight in recalling the image of the simplicity of the first times. It is a fair shore, adorned by the hands of nature alone, towards which one forever turns one's eyes, and from which one feels oneself moving away with regret (Discourse, p. 18). Yet it was not the past itself Rousseau found attractive, but the moral society which could only flourish in the absence of the malevolence created by the arts and sciences. Such was their sinister power, that even 'savage' man was more moral than a society full of art and science (Discourse, p. 5 n and Last Reply, p. 83). It was to this moral world that Rousseau yearned to return. For him, such a world was full of virtue and the goodness of 'rustic naturalness'. Using Fabricius' voice, Rousseau reveals the depth of his nostalgic longing for a moral world: Gods, what has become of the thatch roofs and the rustic hearths were moderation and virtue used to dwell? What fatal splendor has replaced Roman simplicity? (Discourse, p. 12). At the core of Rousseau's morality then, was the idea that the simple and the rustic contained all that was good. However, mere simplicity and rusticity did not form the whole of Rousseau's morality. Indeed neither simplicity nor rusticity was inherently moral. Rather, each became moral only to the extent they precluded man from becoming idle. Idleness created art and science; art and science created more idleness. Rousseau held, that as this cycle continued, morality would give way to a world in which men devoured men and could not co-exist ...without obstructing, supplanting, deceiving, betraying, destroying each other (Last Reply, p. 85 and Preface to Narcissus, p. 105). Rousseau, though he felt that he lived in just such a world, did not seek to destroy the arts and sciences and so break this cycle of degenerating morality. There could be no positive outcome to stopping the cycle, for society, once corrupted, was beyond redemption (Observations, p. 51). Rather, Rousseau thought that in a permanently corrupted world, the arts and sciences would serve to distract immoral men and divert them from mischief (Observations, p. 51, Discourse, p. 5, and Preface to Narcissus, p. 110 n). Although his nostalgia was thus tempered by the knowledge that paradise, once lost, remains forever vanquished, Rousseau's sense of alienation remained unchecked. Indeed, even the frontispiece of the Discourse proclaims his alienation, Here I am the barbarian because they do not understand me (Ovid). Though Rousseau stated that his life was governed by the three values of truth, virtue, and freedom, he found little evidence of them in the world (Letter to Malesherbes II). Rather what he found was Much babbling, rich people, and arguers, that is to say enemies of virtue and of common sense. In return we have lost innocence and morals. The multitude grovels in poverty; all are slaves of vice (Preface to Narcissus, p. 105). Gone too, was the ability to easily distinguish character by conduct (Discourse, p. 6). In its place was a

meditation essays

meditation essays Meditation is a very powerful tool used by many to strengthen the mind. Just like how we exercise our body to be fit and controlled, we can also give our brains a workout by performing various exercises. Professor Walsh has demonstrated a couple of exercises to explain how meditation is used. One exercise requires you to picture a white ring containing a white circle inside with a black background. This work out seems easy at first, but when performing the task, it proved much more difficult. In order to keep the image in my mind, I had to constantly repeat the instructions in my mind. If I tried to keep the motion in my head without repeating the instructions, the image will start to shift and move around. For me, it was the circle and the ring that moved around. The black background stayed the same. I also notice that the circle and the ring moved around together. It seemed as if they were simultaneously dancing together. While keeping the image, I also notice that I couldnt stay focus on the exact image for a long period of time. Regularly, my mind would start to wonder and I would begin to think of other things. For example, while thinking about the image, it would suddenly convert to thinking about the class and how other people are doing. I would wonder what they were thinking about. While performing this exercise, I also notice that my other senses, such as my hearing and feeling were more sensitive to noise and motion. Because I always relied on my eyes to be aw are of my surrounding, my hearing and sense of feelings were rarely used. I also noticed that the slights motion or noise would distract me. I would easily lose focus from these types of distractions. After repeated exercise of the white ring and circle in a black background, I found that it was easier to maintain the image in focus. I was also able to hold the circle and ring for a longer amount of time. I also realized that my full attention was on the imag...

A Promising 2015 for Job Seekers

A Promising 2015 for Job Seekers Casey Fleischmann, an Account Executive at Links Humans, has some good news for those of us stuck in the frustrating, daunting stage of professional life known as job hunting. First off, 2015 has seen the rate of job creation rise to its highest levels since prior to the 2007 recession and its resulting waves of lay-offs. Employers and job-seekers alike are using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to find each other; 1 in 3 hiring managers say the content they find when they research a candidate online contributes to their hiring decisions. Creativity (within appropriate parameters) is appreciated now more than ever–use your resume to tell the stories that make you a compelling future employee.Key factors in preparing for a job–beyond the basics like networking and following-up appropriately–include making sure you’ve acquired and maintained vital technical skills for your field. Career experts like Barbara Safani advise job-hunters to use sites like Salary.c om and Glassdoor.com to assess their market value, rather than relying on what they’ve made in the past.So, the takeaway for career changers and employment seekers is that there are more ways for you to reach out than ever before. And while you’re waiting in that interminable space between sending out a dynamite resume and cover letter and actually getting a call back, there’s plenty for you to do in establishing your interest and availability online. Chin up, and get yourself out there!

Business Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Business Communication - Assignment Example Distorted messages need to be avoided by the businesses of today as they directly affect the image, profitability and performance of a company. The possible barriers to effective communication are identified in the next section. 2.0. Barriers to Effective Communication: Selection of appropriate channels is essential to avoid â€Å"Channel and information overload† which occurs when the channel cannot handle all the messages that are being sent. An example of this is while communicating face to face. During this, a person might find himself talking to two people at a time causing them to forget the original message and mix up the signals being sent. Noise is another factor that affects every part of the process; it can be physical or psychological. Physical noise is for instance, the commotion produced by traffic outside the office which serves as hindrance to effective communication between people. Psychological noise on the contrary, refers to one’s biases, prejudices, dislikes, lack of concentration and preconceived notions about the issue at hand. Barriers to communication may just be a simple distraction caused by noise or a complete misunderstanding due to one’s judgments. Messages need to be clear-cut, to the point and receiver friendly. They should avoid vagueness and the use of words which have multiple meanings. Humans tend to make their own abstractions using past experiences, cultural backgrounds and knowledge. Our evaluations of messages can be different, for example, one might omit information that sounds casual to him/her but can prove to be extremely important for others. We now try to bring together all the... After all informatio, making the diagrams and other analysis the paper talks that modern day organizations understand the vital importance effective communication holds. It is crucial to their success and profitability. The paper describes the selection of appropriate channels is essential to avoid â€Å"Channel and information overload† which occurs when the channel cannot handle all the messages that are being sent. An example of this is while communicating face to face. Miscommunication gives a bad image to the organizations, which not only operate as infants but international giants as well. Both of the structures cannot afford to lose out the market share that offers them the revenue for the goods and services they sell. Messages and information keeps on zooming over, through, in and out of our heads but effective communication is the name of retaining, forwarding and producing those essential messages which at the end of the day provide benefits and reap greater opportunities to succeed. Businesses need to realize the significance of each communication tool and various channels that help transmit the information and senders and receivers must respect the notions of efficiency and effectiveness. Correct usages of languages, observance of 7 Cs, cost benefit analysis of communication tools and channels, employee engagement, giving timely commands are a few tools ensuring effective communication. However it is entirely an organization’s prerog ative to choose a method that will prove to be the best amongst all and contribute to its progress.

The last supper by Leonardo Da Vinci Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The last supper by Leonardo Da Vinci - Essay Example The most noticeable aspect of Florence was that it was a self governed and most importantly an independent city." (Renaissance) The city grew with leaps and bounds because of its strong economic background to match this, the city also boasted of a strong political philosophy, these factors contributed in the immense success of Florence during the period of the Renaissance. The economy of Florence was centered on the manufacturing of goods or trade of cloth so inevitably meant that the most powerful people in the city had to be the people who represented the textile workers. Workers in Florence were experts when it came to transforming wool into cloth of an excellent quality; they wee well acquainted with the ways to do the same. The process was a quite complicated one which involved dying of wool, cleaning the wool and a host of other processes. The Palazzo Vecchio was constructed in the year 1299. This was also the home of the Florentine guilds. This portrays the Florentine culture that was the home of many Italians. This was a place where influential people would gather and decide complex issues like voting and other important things. The guild members were all from good backgrounds, the background of the people was the most important factor that determined whether they were good enough to become guild members or not. Some guild members were lawyers, sculptors while other members included solicitors, masons and builders. Florence was a very different city; it was unlike Venice or for that matter any other city during the time of Renaissance. Sea trade did not flourish in Florence as much as it did in Venice because the people of Florence had many other interests which fetched them much more than Sea trade, this was primarily the reason why Sea trade never flourished in Florence. Banking was one of the most common professions during the time of Renaissance; many families tasted success being bankers in Florence. The gold coin Manufactured in Florence was a trademark of purity and was accepted the world over by people. The buildings and the sculpture are very famous and looked upon by many people all across the globe, some of the buildings built at that time still stand, his goes to show the pain and the efforts which were out in by the people at that time. Renaissance was a revolutionary period which saw tremendous changes take place in Europe. Renaissance is a French word which means rebirth; many a thing changed during the period of renaissance for instance the Political changes in Europe, social changes which took place during that time etc. This paper will throw light upon Gr'newald's Isenheim Altarpiece. Gr'newald was a very prolific artist of the Renaissance period; he was mainly involved in making religious paintings. This paper will provide an insight on his masterpiece which is known as the Altarpiece which is now located in France. In addition to this the paper will also throw light upon two other masterpieces. (Gr'newald's Isenheim Altarpiece) Mathis was one of the most famous painters of the Renaissance period. He was not well known until the late 19th century which brought him to the limelight. The details about this great artist are still obscure, for the reputation that he had back then, people expect a lot of information about him but the fact is that even his real name is not known by the people. The name

Ikea Invades America Essay Example for Free

Ikea Invades America Essay Founded in 1943 by a poor Swedish farmer named Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA is now one of the largest furniture retailers in the world. From its inception, Kamprad wanted to create cheap, quality furniture that everyone could afford. That formula led to IKEA’s early success in Sweden and has carried over until today. To its customers, IKEA is not just a store but a way of life, which may be evident through the cult-like following the company has achieved. When talking about the four P’s of marketing (product, price, place, promotion), there are few companies in the world that have mastered this concept better than IKEA. IKEA has been able to recognize the demands of its shoppers and create compelling products that meet those demands at a reasonable price. Its products are sold at unique stores that serve strategically important, geographic markets. This paper examines the factors that have made IKEA such a big success and offers some recommendations for future growth in the United States. Today, IKEA has over 240 stores in 35 countries and has revenues of over $26 billion. Its revenues double every 5-6 years and the company is now expanding to growing markets like China, Japan, and Brazil. The future of IKEA looks brighter than ever. For a brief snapshot of IKEA’s current sales around the world see Appendix 1. In 1985, IKEA decided to invade America. Faced with this early failure, IKEA retooled its furniture to fit American tastes. IKEA soon became the fastest growing furniture retailer and the 14th largest furniture retailer overall in the United States. IKEA executives needed to find a balance of how to create new furniture offerings without losing its unique design and corporate soul. By examining IKEA’s marketing strategy and answering a series of four questions, we have developed recommendations (see Appendix 2) that we think will lead to IKEA’s continued growth and success. 1) What are some of the ways that furniture retailers have sought to overcome these purchase obstacles? : a) identifying a product that consumers like, b) visualizing the product in the consumer’s home, and c) getting the product in the consumer’s home? In furniture sales, there are two general strategies: the low-end and the high-end. The low-end offers cheap, utilitarian furniture that is dreary looking. Cheap furniture is marketed to people such as college students who have a small budget. The cheap furniture is also displayed in poorly lit showrooms that offer little to no customer service. High-end furniture stores compete on quality and service. The high-end offers a large selection in each style and sub-style of furniture, which results in the showroom having a large inventory. The broad, variety strategy virtually guarantees that a customer’s preferred style will be available. The high-end stores also have high touch sales associates to help customers with product selection and furniture measurement. Sales associates are trained to educate their customers; such as explaining the life spans of different materials. They also reassure customers that their furniture will last a life time. Visualizing a piece of furniture in a person’s home can be very difficult. The high-end furniture stores have beautiful showrooms that are elaborately decorated to help the customer visualize where they can place new furniture or how they can redecorate their home. High-end stores also offer interior design services. Most retailers offer credit to make high-end furniture more affordable. All retailers offer home delivery, sometimes free, to make the transition as painless as possible for the customer. As an added bonus, retailers offer to assemble the furniture in the customer’s home. Sometimes, delivering the furniture also involves rearranging furniture, as well as removing and discarding old furniture. Providing these services makes the purchase of new furniture an easy and worry-free process. 2) Explain IKEA’s reverse positioning strategy. IKEA created a matrix used to prioritize product lineup and price. (See Appendix 3) Primarily the matrix is used to set a target retail price and select a product style. With the matrix system, IKEA is able to identify product line opportunities and gaps; creating a well rounded store. IKEA has avoided the image of the low end furniture store by displaying furniture in brightly lit showrooms. These showrooms help customers envision how the furniture interacts with the allotted space. Plus color coordinated cards provide design tips and information kiosks are on hand to help customers. All of these features reinforce IKEA’s self service ethos without making the customer feel abandoned. In IKEA’s case, the firm rejected the standard business models for both high-end and low-end furniture stores. IKEA’s furniture is composed of cheaper parts that are not visible and are not under high stress through use and a higher quality material is used for the visible parts or parts under high stress. This gives IKEA’s furniture a higher end look while keeping their costs low. IKEA’s reverse positioning kept prices low, while eliminating many services thought essential to a higher-end store. The company replaced them with unique services for its category: a bright, inviting showroom, furniture that was attractively designed, a child care center, a restaurant serving Swedish meatballs, and brightly colored house wares and clever toys. As a result, IKEA successfully avoided the feel of the low-end retailers, and customers â€Å"find the IKEA shopping experience to be immensely appealing (Moon, â€Å"IKEA Invades America,† 5). 3) What are some of the various product/service attributes that IKEA has chosen to withhold from its customers? IKEA seems to incorporate a hybrid strategy focusing on both cost and differentiation. IKEA attempts to price in the low to midrange category. IKEA does not build its furniture to last a lifetime, which in-fact flows well with its ad campaigns focused on letting go of the semimetal value Americans often place on furniture. IKEA products are known for falling apart after a few years; however, its customers are typically satisfied with the look, functionality, and affordability of IKEA products (Moon, 2004, p. 5). Its focus is on cost-efficiency, so the company uses higher-quality materials on visible surfaces and lower-quality materials elsewhere. High-end stores compete on quality and â€Å"high touch† experience and selection. Nearly all types of furniture stores offer delivery services. However, IKEA successfully eliminated many of these attributes. IKEA products are designed to be transported unassembled in flat boxes, which keeps shipping costs low and prevents IKEA from having to deliver/assemble furniture for customers (Moon, 2004, p. ). Customers are responsible for transportation of their furniture and assembly of their furniture. Although this step may seem like its decreasing the consumer experience/perceived product value; it’s actually keeping the customer involvement level high. Moreover, the competitive pricing offered at IKEA is attributed to letting customer build their own furniture, which keeps costs to a minimum. Formerly, IKEA only produced a few different designs; however, this has changed in recent years. In order to be consistent with IKEA’s self-service ethos and to keep costs low, the ratio of sales assistants to customers is kept low. The low number of sales associates can have a negative effect on the consumer experience. To handle furniture questions, customers are provided with product descriptions and measuring tape so they can make their own measurements. 4) What are some of the areas that IKEA has managed to achieve cost efficiency by implementing a number of firm-specific operation processes? A number of cost effective operating processes have been implemented by IKEA. In furniture design, IKEA engineers often select cheaper/low quality materials for less visible areas that experience minimal stress and expensive materials for visible areas that undergo stress. This aids IKEA in producing durable, good-quality products at low costs. IKEA has worked with over 1,800 suppliers in over 50 countries and often uses suppliers from developing countries. To keep costs down, IKEA usually purchases in bulk and often orders various components of a given product from different suppliers. IKEA is strict with employees about waste; it enforces minimal travel budgets and requires them to save electricity. IKEA keeps a small staff in stores and provides self-serve trolleys to aid consumers in loading their vehicles. Typical furniture retailers require a larger staff and/or incur shipping costs for delivery of their bulky, already assembled products. Flat packaging allows IKEA customers to transport their purchases home and eliminates the expense of home delivery. IKEA’s flat packaging strategy is another firm specific operating process. The strategy was inspired by an employee who, in 1955, removed the legs off a table to fit it into a customer’s car. This strategy requires designers to keep in mind the amount of space their products take up in their unassembled form. Flat packaging also helps prevent damage to the products during the shipping process. IKEA will often redesign their products multiple times to achieve space optimization and reduce shipping costs. Space optimization typically lowers prices for consumers; however, it may lengthen the assembly process. IKEA should continue to incorporate cost cutting activities across the board so long as the consumer experience remains positive.

Fiddler on the Roof Essay -- essays research papers

The musical called â€Å"Fiddler on the Roof† was set in Anatefka, Russia around 1880-1900. During this time, in this small town, held Tevya and his family. Tevya, husband and father of five daughters, is a cynical, obstinate, determined, yet sensitive to feelings, and caring man. He is a clever philosopher and sticks very much to tradition. In the story Tevya says â€Å"Anatefka is our home...to keep in balance by tradition...† This explains the title which is personally understood that through Tevya’s eyes, without tradition, life would be as a fiddler on a roof, unbalanced. This story, demonstrates the precarious lives of the Russian Jews of the late 19th century. The main character, Tevya, compares their lives to that of a fiddler on a roof with only traditions helping them keep their balance. However, throughout the story, Tevya is forced time and again to face and break traditions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tzeitle, Tevya’s oldest daughter was supposedly to be prepared a husband by her parents with the help of Yenta (the old gossip woman who also makes matches). Tzeitle’s parents agree with the match-making to Lazar Wolf the rich old butler. The problem is that Tzeitle is in love with Mottle, the poor tailor and pledged each other they would marry. The bigger conflict appears when Tevya finds out and also after he told Lazar Wolf he could marry his daughter. Tevya, after having a nightmare with Lazar Wolf’s ex-wife, threatening to kill Tzeitle if she marries Lazar, and after...

Bullying in Nursing

Bullying In Nursing Cassandra Owens Recently, during one of our weekend shifts, the unit was almost to capacity with each nurse having the max number of patients we were allowed to have. Our sister unit is the unit that gets our over flow once we are no longer able to accept any more patients. The charge nurse was a young Army Lieutenant and new to being a charge nurse. When the nursing supervisor called to notify us of another admission, the charge nurse informed her that although we were able to accept two more patients, our sister unit only had five patients.She then asked if the other patients could be directed to the other unit. The supervisor proceeded to yell at her so loud over the phone that we could hear it, stating she would take any admission she directed towards her. Just because she was a new Lieutenant it would behoove her to mind her own floor. Our head nurse was notified and she spoke with the supervisor, but the damage had been done. The nurse is now very hesitant w hen she has to be charge and tries to change shifts so she will not have to do it.Bullying has been receiving a mass amount of attention due to recent horrible acts that have been committed against individuals who are considered helpless and/or weak. From psychological damage to physical harm or even death, bullying is a phenomenon that can be damaging to an individual, group or community. This fact holds true on the professional side as well. Bullying in the nursing profession has been increasingly reported over the past decade. Although bullying behaviors are unfortunately common acts committed by physicians, patients, and patient’s families, nurses also engage in bullying of their colleagues.With this recent increase, it is important to understand the ethical and legal issues associated with this behavior. Considering that the nursing profession has topped the list of the most honest and ethical professions for eleven years in a row, it is concerning that nurses would enga ge in behaviors that have been described as humiliating, intimidating, threatening, or demeaning aimed at their own colleagues (Matt, 2012). There are detailed codes of ethics in place that are supposed to provide guidelines for moral character. Yet, espite these guidelines, nurses engage in the aforementioned behaviors targeting their subordinates and peers. What Is Bullying/Workplace Bullying? Bullying is known by many names; aggression, incivility, mobbing, horizontal or lateral violence and intimidation are some of the synonyms that are associated with the term (Murray, 2009). Workplace bullying is a serious issue affecting the nursing profession. It is defined as any type of repetitive abuse in which the victim of bullying behavior suffers verbal abuse, threats or behaviors by the perpetrator that interfere with his or her job performance (Murray, 2009).Often, workplace bullying involves abuse and/or misuse or power and authority within an organization. Bullying behaviors creat e feelings of defenselessness in the victim and significantly demoralize his or her right to dignity in the workplace (Murray, 2009). Looking back at the example in the introduction, after the nurse spoke with others who have been charge and had to deal with the supervisor, it was found that many of the other nurses were treated the same way. The supervisor only spoke and behaved that way to nurses who were new to the charge nurse position.As it is a requirement for military nurses to act as charge nurse in order to get leadership experience, the supervisor liked to target the newer nurses because she could intimidate them. Nursing leaders must be able to work with others to achieve common goals and be able to assess and develop new opportunities for nurses (Finkelman, 2012). This supervisor creates such a hostile and uncomfortable environment the nurses were hesitant to approach her for any type of guidance for fear of being belittled. Ethical and Legal ConsiderationsThere are seve ral ethical principals, virtues of moral character and codes that are violated by nurses who engage in bullying behaviors. One principal is nonmaleficence, which is defined as requiring one to not engage in infliction of evil or harm on another (Matt, 2012). Since bullying behaviors have the specific intent of humiliating and demeaning another, nurses who bully others violate this principle. Justice is another principle that has many descriptions, but the most basic is fair treatment of all. All workers have a right to a safe and healthy work environment thus bullying behaviors violate the principle of justice.Bullying behavior also violate moral virtues that are associated with nursing. Discernment is the ability to make fitting judgments and reach decisions without being unduly influenced by fears (Matt, 2012). This virtue was definitely violated by my nursing supervisor. Nurses who bully also violate the virtues of compassion, integrity, and conscience; all characteristics that s how the nurse demonstrate weak moral character as well as weak Christian values and characteristics. There are two ethical codes that are violated by nurses who participate in bullying behaviors.The first is the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Code of Ethics for Nurses (Matt, 2012). There are many elements that the code addresses, but when pertain to bullying, the code that is violated pertains to nurses and coworkers. It states that, â€Å"the nurse sustains a cooperative relationship with coworkers in nursing and other fields† (Matt, 2012). Of course, the ANA Code of ethics is violated; specifically provision six which states that, â€Å"the nurse participates in establishing, maintaining and improving healthcare environments and conditions of employment†¦. through individual and collective action† (Finkelman, 2012).Bullying behaviors once again defeat these purposes. Although there are currently no laws in the US specifically targeting workplace bullying, as of May 2011, 16 bills addressing the issue were active in 11 states (The Healthy Workplace Campaign) (Matt, 2012). Violations are also addressed under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Violations of these regulations may result in citations and penalties ranging from temporary closure of a business to fines up to $70,000 per incident if an employer willfully or repeatedly violates the requirements (Matt, 2012).Not only is the employer subject to legal consequences, but the nurse who does the bullying can and will be held accountable as well. No one should be subjected to this type of difficulty while at work. Conclusion Healthcare leaders have a responsibility to employees and the public to provide work environments that are free from abuse and harassment When workplace bullying has been identified it is up to leaders to take appropriate action to ensure the abuse stops, the person is held accountable and steps are taken to ensure it does not happen again.Bullying n ot only affects the healthcare providers who are being targeted, but it affects the healthcare organizations as well. It is reported that bullying in the workplace can cost over $4 billion a year (Murray, 2009). It contributes to increased work dissatisfaction, absence from work and work-related injuries. Hospital administrators, human resource manages and nurse managers must educate themselves to ensure they have a clear understanding of their own responsibilities for providing a safe work environment. Individual nurses must educate themselves as well and not stand for bullying nor participate in bullying behavior.I believe nursing is a blessing and a gift from God; an artistic ability that not everyone is capable of doing. When a person decides to that advantage of this gift and blessing, it is disrespectful to the characteristics of God, which, if studied closely, are directly aligned with the virtues of nursing. I feel the following versus are direct words from God that hold us accountable for our behavior when it comes to nursing and taking care of others, be it our patients or our coworkers: 1 John 3:17 â€Å"But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? ; Philippians 2:4 â€Å"do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. †; and Galatians 6:10 â€Å"So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. † (Society, 1999). How can we say we love God, yet do our fellow man wrong? We have to take a close look in the mirror daily and seek God’s guidance to direct our paths, because if what we do is not pleasing to God, it’s all being done in vain. References Finkelman, A. 2012). Leadership and management for nurses: Core competencies for quality care (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Matt, S. B. (2012). Ehtic al and legal issues associated with bullying in the nursing profession. Journal of Nursing Law, 9-13. Murray, J. S. (2009). Workplace bullying in nursing: A problem that can't be ignored. Medsurg Nursing, 273-6. Society, I. B. (1999). Comparative Study Bible: King James Version, Amplified Bible, New American Standard, New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Genetically Modified Foods: a Growing Concern Essay

Living in America, we sometimes forget what a huge problem malnutrition and starvation are in other parts of the world. It’s estimated that over 852 million people in the world are severely food deprived. Now, imagine a world where no one goes hungry, a farmer’s crop can survive a long drought or an early frost and still produce a large harvest, and harmful insects and weeds cannot survive in the same field as a crop. Imagine a world where malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies are a thing of the past, because the food we eat is so much more nutritious. Some scientists believe that, through new technology, this world could be a reality in our lifetime. I’m talking about genetically modified foods, or GM foods for short. People have been genetically altering foods for hundreds of years, but due to recent technological advancements, the potential of these foods have changed drastically. Many scientists believe that genetically modifying foods could help end world hunger while others say that it could result in human and environmental catastrophe. Although there are many potential risks there are also many potential benefits. Like the old saying goes, â€Å"with great power comes great responsibility. † Like almost all new technologies, genetically modified food technology needs to be closely monitored and evaluated as it progresses. Ultimately, genetically modified food technology has too much potential to be completely halted. So just what exactly is genetically modified food? In short, genetically modified foods are organisms that have had their DNA artificially changed to give them a new characteristic. Normally, these modifications are made to produce plants that are resistant to herbicides and pesticides, produce more food, have more nutrients, grow faster, or survive in harsher climates than usual. However, there have also been more unusual experiments done. According to American Scientist Magazine, a gene from a jellyfish has been spliced into plants to make them emit light. In another case the Monsanto Corporation (the largest genetically modified food company in the world) is developing grass seed that will produce different colored lawns. These altered organisms are commonly called genetically engineered, genetically modified, transgenic, or â€Å"Franken-foods†. Genetically engineered foods first went on the market in 1994. The product was a tomato engineered by a company called Calgene. The species of the tomato was called the FlavrSavr. Ironically, it was considered to have a mediocre flavor and never sold well. The FlavrSavr was a commercial failure and was off the market by 1997. Despite the early failure of the FlavrSavr, GM foods have flourished in the last ten years. Odds are you’ve eaten many genetically modified foods and not even known it. Currently, The Grocery Manufacturers of America estimate that 75% of processed foods in the U. S. contain at least one genetically modified ingredient. Although, genetically engineered foods have only been in production for the last 15 years, humans have been altering the DNA of plants for ages. For centuries, people have been using artificial selection to cross-breed plants. For example, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage have all derived from the same species of mustard. However, the process of artificial selection is very difficult and time consuming. Artificial selection is also limited to only plants of similar species. Fortunately, recent advancements in technology have made it possible to move DNA from one species to another regardless of their differences. The process behind GM foods is very difficult and complex, so this is a very simplified explanation of how it works. There are two main methods of genetically modifying foods. The first method uses bacteria to modify the DNA. First, the scientist uses enzymes to cut the desired gene out of the DNA. The gene is then coupled by a promoter and a terminator, these act as signposts to show the beginning and the end of the desired gene. Next, the gene is inserted into section of DNA called a plasmid. The plasmid is then inserted into bacteria. Finally, the bacteria are used to infect the plant cells, where they transfer the gene into the plant cell’s chromosome. The second method is more advanced but also more expensive than the first method. Here, the desired gene is cut from the DNA then attached to a tiny particle of gold or tungsten. Next, the particles are shot into the plant cells using a particle gun or â€Å"biolistic† gun. Lastly, the desired gene falls off of the particle and attaches to the chromosome. After insertion is achieved, the cell is allowed to divide so it makes copies of itself. Once the plants start to grow, they are tested to see if the gene was successfully transferred. Along with the original desired gene, a marker gene is also implanted in the cell. This is used as an easily identifiable trait. This way, all the scientist needs to do is look for this trait and if it is there then they know the desired gene was transferred successfully too. Through those two methods, scientists have been able to do amazing things. The potential benefits of genetically modifying foods are incredible. First off, there are many obvious benefits for the farmer. Their crops will be better because of advantages like herbicide tolerance and insect resistance. Another thing is that GM crops are being altered to withstand harsher weather and generate more food. Also, the farmer doesn’t have to spray his field as much, cutting down on the amount of fuel he uses. It’s estimated that GM foods have indirectly allowed farmers to cut back by 475 million gallons of fuel over the past nine years, which cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions. There are even more benefits for the consumer. Because of increased production, there is more food, which in turn means cheaper food. Also, genetic engineering makes it possible for foods to taste better and be more nutritious. In fact, scientists at The University of Pittsburg School of Medicine recently engineered a pig that generates Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3’s are substances that help prevent cardiovascular disease. If this is approved by the FDA we could soon have pork that is actually good for your heart. Another group of scientists have created what they call â€Å"golden rice. † This is rice that contains beta carotene and vitamin A. Many nations rely heavily on rice as their main food source and this will immensely help those people get the nutrients they need. Another crop has been created that ripens much slower after being picked, so it can be shipped longer distances before rotting. Even with all of these benefits, genetically modified foods are still very controversial. Many people think GM foods are very dangerous and could result in human and environmental catastrophe. Some critics think that, much like bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics, insects could become resistant to the pesticides used on GM crops, making them more difficult to deal with in the future. Also, new plants could produce new allergens and toxins that the human body is unfamiliar with. The majority of GM foods being produced are resistant to herbicides. Researchers believe that this will cause farmers to use more herbicides on their crops. In turn, this could result in pollution that could be harmful to humans and the environment. Another concern is that, through cross-pollination, weeds and other plants could pick up the modified gene and become resistant to the very chemicals that are used to kill them. Although there seems to be many concerns over genetically modifying foods, no study has been done that shows any major risk associated with GM foods. The genetically modified food business continues to steadily grow despite public ignorance and uncertainty. Between 1996 and 2003 the amount of land being used to grow GM plants was increased by 40 times over. It is estimated that over 200 million acres of farm land are now devoted to growing GM plants. In 2000, only three countries made up for 98% of the global GM crop. America produces 68%, Argentina accounts for 23%, and Canada is responsible for 7%. Recently European governments and businesses have been pushing to boost their own GM food production. Nevertheless, according to a recent survey by The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, Americans are still very uncomfortable with GM foods. The survey showed that the majority of Americans know little to nothing about genetically engineered plants and animals, but it also showed that American consumers do not support banning the new technology, but rather want regulations put in place to ensure that the new products are safe. Regardless of how the public feels, we can expect to see more genetically modified foods in the future and exponential growth in the biotechnology business. Some ideas that developers have already mentioned are bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases, fish that mature quicker, fruit and nut trees that mature quicker, and plants that produce new plastics that have unique properties. As soon as more long-term research is done we can expect to see an explosion of unique new GM products on the market. Ultimately, genetically modified plant technology has too much potential to be completely halted. Right now, most scientists agree that there is no proof that GM foods pose any threat to people or the environment. With proper evaluation and responsibility, genetically modified foods could help solve world hunger. That is a goal too great to be ignored because of possible threats. There are many potential risks associated with GM foods, but the potential benefits far outweigh them. Works Cited Black, Richard. â€Å"Europe Urged to Embrace GM Foods. † BBC News. 12 Sept. 2004. 15 April 2006 . Chaudry, Arshad. â€Å"Genetically Modified Foods. † BioTeach. 16 April. 2006 . Eat This. † Penn & Teller: Bullshit!. Dir. Mark Wolper. Perf. Pen Jillette and Teller. 2003. DVD. Showtime Entertainment. 2004. Fagan Ph. D. , John B. â€Å"Genetically Engineered Food- a Serious Health Risk. † NetLink. 15 April 2006 . Flynn, Kara. â€Å"Trade War over Biotech Food: Now, Later, or Never. † Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. 13 Feb. 2003. 16 Apr. 2006 â€Å"Genetically Modified Food. † Wikipedia. 16 Apr. 2006. 17 Apr. 2006 Lemonick, Michael D. â€Å"Eat Pork, Prevent Heart Disease?. † TIME Magazine. 27 Mar. 2006. Marvier, Michelle. â€Å"Ecology of Transgenic Crops. † American Scientist Magazine 89 (Mar. 2001): 160-167. Nash/Zurich, J. Madeleine. â€Å"Grains of Hope. † TIME Magazine. 31 July 2000. Rifkin, Jeremy. â€Å"Biotech Century: Playing Ecological Roulette with Mother Nature’s Designs. † The Presence of Others. Ed. Andrea A Lundsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2004 287-97.

Free Essays on A Murderers Profile

In Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, the protagonist does not reveal much of himself in terms of appearance or his name. There is not much to learn about from the main character. The protagonist although has two separate conflicts one external and one internal and does not think that he is crazy as portrayed by others. In the end, the narrators guilt over killing the old man forces himself to believe that the old man’s heart is beating and turn himself into the police. The protagonist does not reveal his appearance. The narrator is not described in any detail because he is telling the entire story from his point of view, and he does not take the time to describe himself to the audience. So, there is no way to tell what the character looks like. The character’s personality is odd. The character is emotional, but he is not rational. He is neither shy nor outgoing. He thinks that he is skillful. He tends to be depressed. He does not seem to be caring, but he does state that he loved the old man. He is dishonest because he hid the body, and he was not going to confess to the crime until he thought that the police heard the heart beating. The character deals with two different conflicts: external and internal. The internal conflict is that the narrator’s guilt over killing the old man forces him to believe that the dead man’s heart is beating. The external conflict is the eye itself, he feels that the old man’s eye is always watching him. The narrator described how he loved the old man and the old man had never wronged him. However, the old man’s â€Å"vulture eye† is what drove the narrator to murder him. After murdering the old man, the narrator is consumed with guilt. Realizing what he has done, the narrator tries to fight his guilt by constantly telling the reader how he is not crazy but clever. However, in the end, the narrator’s guilt is too overwhelming and this forces him to believe that the... Free Essays on A Murderers Profile Free Essays on A Murderers Profile In Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, the protagonist does not reveal much of himself in terms of appearance or his name. There is not much to learn about from the main character. The protagonist although has two separate conflicts one external and one internal and does not think that he is crazy as portrayed by others. In the end, the narrators guilt over killing the old man forces himself to believe that the old man’s heart is beating and turn himself into the police. The protagonist does not reveal his appearance. The narrator is not described in any detail because he is telling the entire story from his point of view, and he does not take the time to describe himself to the audience. So, there is no way to tell what the character looks like. The character’s personality is odd. The character is emotional, but he is not rational. He is neither shy nor outgoing. He thinks that he is skillful. He tends to be depressed. He does not seem to be caring, but he does state that he loved the old man. He is dishonest because he hid the body, and he was not going to confess to the crime until he thought that the police heard the heart beating. The character deals with two different conflicts: external and internal. The internal conflict is that the narrator’s guilt over killing the old man forces him to believe that the dead man’s heart is beating. The external conflict is the eye itself, he feels that the old man’s eye is always watching him. The narrator described how he loved the old man and the old man had never wronged him. However, the old man’s â€Å"vulture eye† is what drove the narrator to murder him. After murdering the old man, the narrator is consumed with guilt. Realizing what he has done, the narrator tries to fight his guilt by constantly telling the reader how he is not crazy but clever. However, in the end, the narrator’s guilt is too overwhelming and this forces him to believe that the...

How to Talk Like a Soprano Family Member

How to Talk Like a Soprano Family Member Ever wondered how Italian stereotypes came to be? Or why the Mafioso stereotype- Italian Americans with thick accents, pinky rings, and fedora hats- seems to be the most prevalent? Where Did the Mafia Come From? The Mafia came to America with Italian immigrants, mostly those from Sicily and the southern part of the country. But it wasn’t always a dangerous and negatively perceived crime organization. The origins of the Mafia in Sicily were born out of necessity. In the 19th century, Sicily was a country constantly being invaded by foreigners and the early Mafia was simply groups of Sicilians who protected their towns and cities from invading forces. These â€Å"gangs† eventually morphed into something more sinister, and they began to extort money from landowners in exchange for protection. Thus the Mafia we know today was born. If you’re curious about how the Mafia has been portrayed in the media, you can watch one of the many movies that follow the activities in the south, like The Sicilian Girl. If you’re more interested in doing some reading or watching a show, you might like Gomorrah, which is world-renowned for its story. When Did the Mafia Come to America? Before long, some of these mobsters arrived in America and brought their racketeering ways with them. These â€Å"bosses† dressed fashionably, in line with the amount of money they were extorting.   The fashion of the time in the 1920’s America consisted of three-piece suits, fedora hats, and gold jewelry to display your wealth. So, the image of the classic Mob boss was born. What About the Sopranos? The HBO television series The Sopranos, widely regarded as one of the best television series of all time, ran for 86 episodes and greatly impacted how Italian-Americans are viewed. But its impact on our language- with its use of mobspeak- also is quite significant. The show, which premiered in 1999 and closed in 2007, concerns a relentlessly foul-mouthed fictional Mafia family with the surname of Soprano. It revels in the use of mobspeak, a street language that employs bastardized Italian-American forms of Italian words. According to William Safire in Come Heavy, the characters dialogue consists of one part Italian, a little real Mafia slang, and a smattering of lingo remembered or made up for the show by former residents of a blue-collar neighborhood in East Boston. The vernacular of this famiglia has become so popular that its been codified in the Sopranos Glossary. In fact, Tony Soprano even has his own form of currency. In The Happy Wanderer episode, for example, he lends his old high school buddy Davey Scatino five boxes of ziti, or five thousand dollars, during a poker game. Later that night, Davey borrows- and loses- an additional forty boxes of ziti. This Is Southern Italian-American Lingo So you wanna be a â€Å"Sopranospeak† expert? If you sat down to dine with the Sopranos and discussed Tonys waste management business, or maybe the witness–protection program for one of New Jerseys 10 most wanted, chances are youd soon hear words like goombah, skeevy, and agita tossed around. All of these words derive from southern Italian dialect, which tends to make the c a g, and vice versa. Likewise, p tends to become a b and d transmutes into a t sound, and dropping the last letter is very Neapolitan. So goombah linguistically mutates from compare, agita, which means acid indigestion, originally was spelled acidit, and skeevy comes from schifare, to disgust. If you wanted to talk like a Soprano, youd also need to know the correct usage of compare and comare, which respectively mean godfather and godmother. Since in small Italian villages, everybody is the godparent of their friends children when addressing someone that is a close friend but not necessarily a relative the terms compare or comare  are used. â€Å"Sopranospeak† is code for endless, unoriginal obscenities that have nothing to do with la bella lingua, with the various dialects of Italy, or (sadly) with the significant and varied contributions Italian–Americans have made throughout United States history.

Business Economics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Business Economics - Coursework Example The explanations of three different markets are given and also the relationship between them is given in it. In the research methodology the methodology adopted to conduct research is explained. The stock market, the currency market and property market are perhaps the three largest markets in terms of size of business transactions in a country. People around the world invest money in these commodities with the expectation of getting a fair return on their investment.. The first item of commodity to be traded was undoubtedly the property market. This was followed by the stock market in the 1750's and followed by the present form of currency market in 1973. This paper studies the predictability, relations and correlations between the stock, currency and the property markets. It is true that there exists a relationship among the three. It has to be seen whether a rise or fall in the stock value affect the other two or will a change in the value of the currency market affect stock market or property market. Similarly will a change in the property market affect stock and currency market. The stock market and its early days: Evidence show that trading in stock in the United Kingdom existed even in the sixteenth century. Trading in stocks during that period was much higher in Amsterdam and Paris and oldest share issue in history is the issue of was in 1606 in Amsterdam by the company Camere Amsterdam and it was called Dutch Vereinigte Oostindische Compaignie (VOC) share certificate. After another two years he could safely assume that besides the second VOC share (held by the Amsterdam Stock Exchange) and other securities from the company, his piece was the oldest share certificate in the world. (Oldest Share in the World. 1606). Though no stock exchange existed till the opening of the London stock exchange, there was a market for securities and it was known as the Royal exchange. In those days most companies formed out of joint stock was engaged in international trade and shipping. The East India Company, The Hudson Bay Company and the Royal African Companies were the major existing at that time. Gradually, joint stock companies in other areas of business like banking and water supply Till 1689, only about fifteen joint stock companies existed in Britain, but this rose rapidly to 150 within a span of seven years. The French Revolution caused the economy in France to collapse and as a result, trading in stocks increased on volume in England The London Stock Exchange was officially started in 1772 with the purpose of a properly organized structure to control the growing number of companies and the volume of trade in securities. "In the eighteenth century company shares continued to be an important driving force behind the expansion of the securities market in London". (Michie P. 17). Even though a majority of stock trading ins done in Europe US and Japan, in recent years many countries from Asia have also become large markets. Property and Property Markets: The most sought after form of investment in the world before the advent of the stock and currency was in property. Property is defined as "ownership; right of possession, enjoyment, or disposal of anything, esp. of something tangible: to have property in land." (11 result for property. 2006). Here property refers to land and property market is trading in property. Prop

DRAMA OF DIVERSITY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

DRAMA OF DIVERSITY - Assignment Example It is my personality around those I do not know well that has led to me being labeled and judged unfairly. At several different junctures throughout my life, I have dealt with people who are acquaintances or people that I come into contact with casually. Sometimes, when I engage these people in a conversation, they will tell me straight to my face that they believed I was really stuck up or arrogant before talking to me. I am always astounded and hurt at this revelation. I was brought up to be a humble and well-mannered person, so having these people label me in this fashion is extremely upsetting. I then have to tell these people that I am merely a quiet and reserved person, but this doesn’t change the fact that their words sting me. I can’t help but want to point out the fact that their actions in relaying this label to me shows me a lot about their character. In the end, I just have to remind myself that everyone judges and labels others. I think that the most unfair judgements and labels are those that are formed without knowing a person at all. Essentially, this kind of judgement reminds me of a person being sentenced in a courtroom without the ability to showcase evidence to the contrary. It is because of my own experiences with unfair judgements, that I make it a point to not judge a person, especially if I don’t know them very

Greek and Roman Sculptures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Greek and Roman Sculptures - Essay Example This activity provided steady employment for many architects and sculptors who organized leading workshops in Greece, revolutionizing Greek classical art and architecture. The Parthenon, built by Menesicles and Ictinus, along with the Propylaea (the gateway with the finest paintings and sculpture of the Classical age) crowned the Athenian Acropolis. Other prominent works included The Panhellenic shrines, Delphi (oracle of Apollo) and Olympia (the shrine of Zeus). Delphi (460 BC) is the athlete offering libation of oil from patera (sacrificial bowl) in thanks for victory1. Roman art and architecture was founded on a different principle than their Greek counterparts. The Romans believed that for the continuity of the Roman Empire, they could only do so only through art. Since an emperor could not be omnipresent, it was necessary to set up the statue of the emperor in law courts, market places, public assemblies, and theatres. This policy led to the sculpture of a large number of the imperial effigies to adorn prominent buildings in Rome2. Since its discovery in 1963, the sculpture of Augustus of Prima Porta has been the subject of much scholarly discussion. The marble sculpture is probably a copy of a now-lost bronze statue which was made shortly after 22 BC. Augustus was lionized by the Roman people, he promoted conservative Republican values. He tried to restore faith in the Roman state by equating his role as Pontifex Maximus (Head Priest) with religious and moral values. Augustus used religion to reorganize state and to establish his own rule. He also promoted the cult of emperor as divine by building a temple to the Divine Julius 2.0 Augustus of Prima Porta (Roman Sculpture) Photo of Augustus of Prima Porta (Courtesy: Late Antiquity: Imperial Image) In Augustus of Prima Porta, Augustus is portrayed as a general, draped in a cuirass (breastplate) richly embellished with reliefs. The waist is draped in a paludamentum or officer's cloak. The upraised arms of the figure are an interpretation of ad locutio, a gesture conveying the power of speech in Roman art. It gives a visual demonstration of the emperor's power. Augustus saw himself as the Principate of Rome. Augustus of Prima Porta is one of the earliest examples of imperial portraiture used for political propaganda; the statue's purpose was to identify the state with a well-meaning and enlightened Augustus. The sculpture of Augustus of Prima Porta is a Greco-Roman example of exquisite craftsmanship of the Roman period. The sculpture has the power of expression in its god-like appearance. Practices of deifying rulers and erecting temples in their honor began in Rome as early as the reign of Augustus. Augustus of Prima Porta is the type of statue that stood in such a temple. It adapted an orator's gesture, combined with the pose and body proportions, as prescribed by the Greek Polykleitos and exemplified by the Spear Bearer, Doryphoros. Bare feet suggest that the work may have been posthumous and signified his apotheosis, or elevation to divine status. Carved on the cuirass are scenes, recounting outstanding achievements of Augustus' reign and pictures of the gods and goddesses. The Greek influence can be seen in the depictions of divine figures. The depiction of a Parthian giving back the

Human Resource Planning Paper Assignment Animation Essay

Human Resource Planning Paper Assignment Animation Essay Human Resource planning is a process of developing the strategies of skills of the employees to reach the organizational needs. The role of the Human Resource Planning in a organization is to recruit the right person for right work, and work to meet organizational objectives and make the employees to respond to changes that made in the organization as well as changes made in the outside of the organization. Training and retraining strategies are also including in the Human Resource Planning Process. Most of the organization wants Human Resource Planning Systems which is simple to understand, where the assumptions that can modified, also which are not take long time. To run such systems organization needs good monitoring action processes, approximate demand models, and an understanding how the resource that works in that organization. Human Resource Activities: Staffing: Attract the best Professional and Technical talents which are really organization needs to reach the organization Objectives. Compensation: To attract that needed talent they should set and give the good salary that will meet or some extra of market rates. Training and Development: This is the important activity of the Human Resource Team. HR activity is to tell employees about the skill requirements that needed to reach the organization goals and start giving the training needed to improve the skills of the employees in their particular fields. Employee Relation: Maintaining the good relation between the all employees is very important and to maintain that relation HR has to set Some Basic Employee relation Rules of organization. I have chosen Vodafone Company to Discuss about Human Resource Planning In this paper. The Role of the Human Resource Planning Team is to create a plan of action to supply the demand. The main 4 steps of the Human Resource Planning Team is to Set Objectives Generate Alternatives Assess Alternatives Choose Alternative ABOUT VODAFONE Vodafone is one of the worlds leading company in mobile telecommunication, with a great presence in Asia, Europe, and the United States. Vodafone is an truly international mobile network company with having more than 260 million customers across the 2 markets and also partner networks in 42 more countries. In the United States this group operates as Verizon Wireless. Vodafone is 1st in UK and 11th globally in the Brands most powerful brands ranking. VODAFONE OVER THE YEARS Vodafone was started in 1984 under the name of Racal Electronics Plc. After in September 1991 it is demerged from the Racal Electronics Plc and changed the name to Vodafone Group Plc. Again after merging with the AirTouch Communications, Inc., Vodafone Changed its name to Vodafone AirTouch Plc on 29 June 1999. On 28 July 2000 it changed to the former name Vodafone Group Plc. KEY MILESTONES OF VODAFONE In January 2007 Vodafone reaches their number of customers to 200 million. In March 2006 Vodafone customers with 3G is reached to 10 million. In 2004 Vodafone launches their first 3G service in Europe. In 2002 Vodafone starts global mobile payment in Germany. This helps customers to buy goods by using the Vodafone mobile. Also in 2002 only Vodafone Starts the GPRS roaming Service, it helps customers to access e-mails on their phone. In 2001 Vodafone Introduces SMS. Vodafone makes the first 3G roaming call in world in between Japan and Spain. The role of the mobile phone in the society has changed tremendously over the years. Vodafone is having 1,150 directly owned stores, which sell services to new customers upgrade or renew for existing customers and also Vodafone having 6,500 branded stores, which sell Vodafones products and services exclusively. And also Vodafone is planning to open 90 more stores in Spain and 21 more stores in Romania during this year. Mission Statement/Statement of Values Vision and Values Our Vision and Values guide the way we act. Our Vision To be the worlds mobile communication leader enriching our customers lives through the unique power of mobile communications. Our Values Our Values are about the way we do things. They describe the way Vodafone people are expected to behave within the business, to help turn our vision to reality. Passion for customers: Our customers have chosen to trust us. In return, we must strive to anticipate and understand their needs and delight them with our service. Passion for our people: Outstanding people working together make Vodafone exceptionally successful. Passion for results: We are action-oriented and driven by a desire to be the best. Passion for the world around us: We will help the people of the world to have fuller lives both through the services we provide and through the impact we have on the world around us (csr globe). In Vodafone they are providing very good training for their employees to reach their Goals. The few tasks of the HR Training Developer in Vodafone are: Perform development, of training materials and user documentation within HR Perform delivery of super user/train the trainer/end user sessions Produce training needs analysis as required for HR Owner of the Finance element of the core training library Liaison with transformation, and the transition team (vodafone careers). For the Excellent HR Initiative Award Vodafone Malta has been selected by the Foundation for Human Resources Development. This award tells that the companys encouragement for employees towards their career growth and as well as companys growth. And it tells about the good training that Vodafone is providing to their employees to reach the organization goals. Vodafone conducts the Performance Management Process to rate the employees. Calibration is an important step in the Performance Management Process to rate the employees in a fair throughout the organization. Martin Gregory, Vodafone Malta Head of Human Resources, said: Our people have a big impact on how we perform as a business and on our success. We are proud to be recognized by the Foundation for Human Resources Development for our accomplishments in this area. Matthew Brearley, Director of HR, Comms Property for Vodafone Ltd talks about building staff momentum and leading through budget cuts in this most modern of giants. Matthew Brearley was appointed UK HR Director at Vodafone in 2006 having previously worked at British Foods, BQ and Marks and Spencer. At MS Matthew Brearleys role involved overseeing the People Strategy and transformation of HR for a workforce of 57,000 employees across 320 stores.Matthew is currently applying his skills and experience to drive performance and efficiencies at Vodafone. Matthew Brearley holds a key role on the UK board working closely with Vodafones UK CEO Nick Read. Matthew Brearleyis truly focussed on HR at the heart of business, how Vodafone must drive through change in an increasingly tight economy, and the critical role of leaders (meettheboss, 2009). The purpose of the HR function in Vodafone is they take the real company strategy and its bring into the live organization to the people to build the capabilities and creating the environment and culture. The main Steps in the Human Resource Planning are Forecasting, Inventory, and audit. Short-Term Human Resource Planning Many I/O psychologists work on activities related to designing and implementing programs (e.g., recruitment, selection systems, and training programs) to meet shortterm organizational needs. Such activities generally involve an element of planning in that they are future-oriented to some extent. Even projects for which objectives are expected to be achieved in as little time as a few months have, ideally, been designed with an understanding of how the short-term objectives are linked to the achievement of longer term objectives. For example, an aeronautics company engaged in a recruitment campaign to hire 100 engineers should have a clear understanding of how this hiring goal will help the company achieve long-term goals such as becoming the worlds most innovative company in that industry. This hypothetical company also might have a college recruiting drive designed to find 75 college graduates to enter a trainingprogram in recognition of the fact that a growing company needs to prepare for the middle managers it will need 5 to 7 years hence, as well as the top level managers it will need in 10 to 15 years. As this hypothetical example highlights, in order for a clear linkage to exist between human resource planning and strategic business planning, it is essential that an organizations top executives have a fully articulated vision for the future, which has been communicated and accepted by managers throughout the organization. Long-Term Human Resource Planning: Increasingly, long-term human resource planning (for beyond three years) is becoming critical to the effective functioning of organizations. The rapidly changing and highly competitive worldwide marketplace is causing firms to turn to their human resources for survival and competitiveness. Because there is a greater understanding that an organizations work force cannot be turned around on a dime, long-term human resource planning is gaining currency. It is an activity that demands integration of the skills and knowledge of the human resource planner and all the other executives responsible for strategic planning. Although there are many types of long-term planning efforts, we use succession planning as our primary example of the process (HRPlanning pdf).

Developement Of Europe Essay -- essays research papers

Development of Europe   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The notions of â€Å"modernity,† â€Å"modernization,† and â€Å"modernism† play an important role in better understanding the development of Europe. These three concepts can be applied to a range of transformations in the areas of politics, socio-economics, and culture respectively. The three concepts are connected, yet each has its own unique qualities that are useful in understanding the changes across Europe in this period. These ideas are crucial to the better comprehension of the creation of the Europe of today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand the significance of the terms, it is important to first understand the terms themselves. â€Å"Modernity† was a term used around the French Revolution as a term of abuse. However, in the later part of the nineteenth century and in the twentieth century it became associated more with improvement and advancement. â€Å"Modernization† refers to the processes political, economic, and social that made a society modern. An example of this would be industrialization. Finally, â€Å"modernism† is a reference to a high cultural movement and was used to relate to changing attitudes. It is basically a celebration of the notion of progress.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Modernity† during the French Revolution was used as a term of abuse. At this time, during the Reign of Terror in particular, France was moving toward a more republican form of government. During their attempt at the Republic of Virtue Catholicism was a focal point of attack. These attacks ended up fueling divisions that in the end proved to be fatal for the republican government. What some people saw as the future, others disliked and associated it with â€Å"modernity.† Hence, the concept of â€Å"modernity’s† use as an abusive phrase. However, at the close of the French Revolution, â€Å"modernity† took on a new use. In the nineteenth century and beyond, â€Å"modernity† became a term associated with good things.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unlike â€Å"modernity,† â€Å"modernization† has always been a fairly neutral term. It has always described the processes that actually made the society modern. As mentioned before, a perfect example of this would be industrialization. The best place to see â€Å"modernization† is England during the Industrial Revolution. In England during the nineteenth century, industrialization began with the movement from agrar... ...form. The NEP substituted a fixed tax on production for requisitions of grain. This policy encouraged people to produce, sell, and make money. People did get rich, but many more stayed impoverished. This belied the Bolshevik credo of a classless utopia. Furthermore, it was basically only a compromise with capitalist methods. It also lead to opposition from within the party. The Worker Opposition protested Bolshevik usurpation of economic control. They pointed out that the NEP was an agrarian program and not a proletarian one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Zero Hour is a term that came into being at the end of World War II. It originated in Germany and was used as a way of saying that the slate was wiped clean. The Germans that survived the war did not want to be associated with the Holocaust and a war the took millions of lives. Zero hour was their way of saying they wanted to start over. Eventually, however, zero hour became a term for all of Europe. After the destruction of World War II many Europeans and the nations wanted a new start. Not only were most of the major cities flattened, but the people themselves did not want to be associated with the death and fascism of the war.

Comparative Criticism of Two Museums

Mark Moran Prof. Elizabeth Marlowe Masterpieces of Western Art November 8, 1999 Formal Comparison of Two Museums The Frick Collection and The Guggenheim Museum are both museums on 5th  Avenue in New York’s Upper East Side neighborhood, and they are both named for famous American tycoons from the early 20thcentury. But their similarities pretty much end there. The Frick Collection is the former residence of steel baron Henry Clay Frick who spent forty years assembling a large collection of artwork for his personal enjoyment.The Guggenheim Museum, on the other hand, was always intended as a public museum to display various art exhibits. These fundamental differences are most evident in the architectural design of the buildings themselves: the Frick building is a calm, warm house built for a family to live in while the Guggenheim building is a cold, public hall built to accommodate hundreds of art enthusiasts at a time. The styles of the architecture are quite different, and th ey reflect the very different styles of artwork inside.Furthermore, the shapes and layout of the buildings lend themselves to quite different viewing experiences for the visitor. From the outside, the only things the two buildings have in common is that they both dominate an entire block of 5th  Avenue and they are both white. The Frick building, designed by architect Thomas Hastings, was built from 1913-1914 in the neo-classical style prevalent in New York at the time. Classical arches, ionic columns, and outdoor gardens and fountains remind the viewer of an ancient Roman villa, much like fellow baron and art collector J. P.Getty’s museum in Malibu, CA. Elaborate decoration over the doorways and columns as well as ornamented atriums and statue niches further enhance the classic design and tranquil setting. The building is relatively horizontal, primarily one story that sprawls out much lower than the towering buildings which surround it. The Guggenheim building is just the opposite. Built in 1956 from architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s design, it is as much a vision of the future as Frick’s house is an homage to antiquity. The Guggenheim is a giant concrete and glass spiral designed with mathematical curves and no right ngles. The surfaces are all completely smooth and there is no decoration or ornamentation inside or out. The bizarre structure conjures up images of alien civilizations and challenges the viewer with its unusual shape. The Guggenheim resembles and upside-down wedding cake, which gives it a much more vertical feeling than the Frick, even though it is also shorter than the surrounding buildings. There are no living areas inside the Guggenheim, just one huge chamber with a long spiral that visitors are intended to wind down and view all the artwork from.Artwork is primarily installed along the large spiral, although there are also small rooms which come off the spiral ramp. Because visitors take the elevator to the top, they ha ve nowhere to go but to follow the spiral down. This ensures that they see the artwork in a specific order and provides the satisfying feeling that the viewer has seen all there is to see. The Frick, however, has no set order. Even though some modifications were made by architect John Russell Pope in the 1930’s to convert it for public use, the building largely retains the feeling of a house.Just as one would expect of a house, it is a mixture or narrow hallways, living areas, large banquet rooms, and outdoor courtyards which sprawl out in various directions from the entryway. The rooms are designed for comfort and practical living, not for efficiently taking a tour. Visitors are encouraged to wander through the rooms in any particular order without guidebooks, simply enjoying the pieces as Frick himself did. This provides a relaxing and laid back setting for viewing the assorted artwork inside, but also leaves the visitor unsure of when he has finished seeing the entire coll ection.Since the collection doesn’t change much, seeing it all is not the point. Relaxing in the setting is. This very different interior designs demonstrate the different priorities of the museums. The Frick Collection is primarily static; that is, it is almost entirely the varied artwork collected by Frick himself (although there is a small area in the basement for temporary exhibits). There is no unifying theme of the pieces inside and Japanese vases sit right beside European paintings. Frick’s goal was to collect pieces of art that he found pleasant to live with, regardless of their genre or origin.For this reason, he had a house built to hold his artwork rather than a museum, even though he always intended to eventually bequeath it as a public collection. The Guggenheim, on the other hand, transforms itself every several months as it rotates in a new exhibit. One month it may be almost entirely 20th  century French paintings and the next month mostly Harley-Davi dson motorcycles. That permanent collection of the Guggenheim is relatively small and not its main focus. The main focus of the Guggenheim is to show off a particular theme or genre of artwork assembled by professional museum curators.Since the exhibits only last a few months, the museum encourages repeat viewers who benefit from the spiral design that allows them to efficiently see the entire new show. What is consistent about that Guggenheim’s exhibits is that they are generally modern and challenging, just like the building. The design of the Frick residence is to inspire tranquility. The painting, sculpture, furniture, and pottery range from the Renaissance to the late 19th  century, and there are no violent or startling works in the collection.The building’s layout, from the peaceful fountains to the elegant columns and niches all enforce a feeling of serenity inside the building and out in its gardens. The constantly changing Guggenheim strives to do just the o pposite. It’s goal is to be thought-provoking and shocking which is emphasized by its strange structure and lack of benches and resting areas, which are abundant in the Frick. Because Frick’s artwork is pre-20thcentury and somewhat traditional by today’s standards, the mansion built to house the works was designed to be as classical as possible.The building itself is a classically inspired artwork. Likewise, the Guggenheim building is an abstract, thought-provoking piece of 20th  century artwork. The Guggenheim Museum and the Frick Collection are two of New York’s most famous museums. They have fundamentally different architectural designs, both inside and out, that reflect and enhance the different goals of the museums. And yet, they both interact with their environments in a similar manner. Neither building is a large rectangle like the apartment buildings and consulate offices that tower over them.Their unusual designs which dominate entire blocks in stead suggest buildings that are open to the public, just as libraries or churches do. Neither of them blends in with the surrounding buildings, and yet each one elegantly faces Central Park and adds to the neighborhood’s overall harmony. The unique shapes of these museums invite passersby to marvel at them and perhaps to come in and admire the artwork, or at least browse through the gift shops. In this sense, the different architecture of these buildings, one classical and one futuristic, produce a similar emotion in the viewer and thus achieve the same goal.

American History 1941 to Present Mormon Fundamentalists

The Mormon presence in America has been historically influential to the nation, but is often overlooked or understated in non-Mormon institutions despite the fact their existence dates back to 1823. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer is a non-fiction historical account of the Mormon religion, from its birth under the prophet Joseph Smith, to present times with the polygamy practicing fundamentalists and the milder mainstream Latter Day Saint church existing with identical core beliefs, but on opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of practices.The section of the book regarding the extreme fundamentalists, their history, and their current practices was an interesting look into a very different way of life. The split in the Mormon Church presented itself when the principle of polygamy was retracted by the prophet Wilford Woodruff. Those that accepted this revelation are the mass that is now called The Church of Latter Day Saints.Those that felt the ch urch only banned polygamy to try and gain acceptance by the United States government still felt that it was a divine principle necessary for getting into heaven, and scattered to secluded areas across the North American continent to practice their lifestyle. Several factions of Mormon extremists exist in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The primary reason that so many factions exist is based on one of the basic building blocks of the church. All Mormons followers have a close relationship with God and are able to speak with him.The laws of the church can change as the prophets receive their revelations. Essentially, anyone can declare themselves a prophet, and anyone can receive a revelation. As self proclaimed prophets received divine revelations they would take a group of followers and establish their own settlement to reproduce more members. The most well known of these factions if the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) with approximately 10,000 members located in Colo rado City, Arizona and Hildale, Utah. The FLDS territory, formerly known as Short Creek, was founded by John Y.Barlow to preserve the sanctity of polygamy. After Barlow’s death Joseph Musser was the next prophet in line of succession. He presided over the sect during the Short Creek Raid of 1953 when Arizona state police officers and the National Guard invaded the compound and arrested every member of the church, regardless of age or gender. Leroy Johnson, or â€Å"Uncle Roy† as he was affectionately called, led the sect from 1954 to 1986. After the death of Johnson in 1986 Rulon Jeffs, also called â€Å"Uncle Rulon† took over as prophet.Uncle Rulon was thought to be â€Å"the one mighty and strong† that would live forever, rule at the end of days, and carry the church to eternal salvation as stated by the book of Mormon. This considered it was a shock to the FLDS community when Uncle Rulon died in 2002 at the age of 92. Warren Jeffs, one of Rulon’ s sons out of an estimated 60-65 children fathered by the late prophet, assumed leadership after his father’s death. He ruled by fear and tyranny. Under his term, the number of young boys thrown out of the church for minor infractions increased exponentially.These â€Å"Lost Boys† would be kicked out for violations such as having a crush on a girl, or wearing a shirt with sleeves that were too short, or if the prophet just decided to deem them unworthy. A church member then drives the teenage boys out of town and dumps them off at the side of the road with no food, money, or place to go. Jeffs started kicking out boys in droves so that he could assign more young girls in the community to middle aged men, including him. He decided that all pets and animals in the compound should be killed, banned children from going to public school, and forbade medical treatment to ailing church members.The FLDS is currently under the leadership of an unknown prophet after Jeffs was se ntenced on November 20, 2007 to 10 years to life in the Utah State Prison on charges of sexual conduct with minors and rape as an accomplice. To this day in Colorado City it is common for cousins, stepfathers and stepdaughters, non-biological uncles and nieces, or fathers and adopted children to marry. Incestuous relationships have caused an unusually high rate of birth defects. Three wives is the minimum for a man to receive the highest level of salvation in the afterlife.The first marriage is considered legal by law. All marriages after are â€Å"celestial marriages† only recognized by the FLDS. The women bound to men by celestial marriage are able to collect welfare for all of their kids because they are single parents. This practice is called â€Å"bleeding the beast† and is encouraged among members. The rules of dress are strictly adhered to: men wear long sleeved shirts and pants in all seasons and women wear ankle length long sleeved dresses. Both sexes clothing is very plain and they must wear long underwear at all times.Under the Banner of Heaven was unbiased and fact based. Krakauer included personal accounts of stories of the religious fanaticism that has led to practices in the FLDS that range from horrifying to intriguing. It was difficult to imagine the level of strength and conviction that motivates members to live out their everyday lives in this community. Krakauer was able to deliver these stories and the historical statistics behind them in a non-judgmental or opinionated manner, which gives the book a genuine and legitimate base.He does not come off as a religion hater or Mormon racist that is condemning the choices made by the prophets or the people. The historical account of the Mormon religion as a whole was detailed and deliberate, which was helpful in understanding how one religion ended up existing in such a multitude of diverse sects. It was an experience to be introduced to a different view of American history; one tha t is definitely not discussed in the standard textbooks. References Krakauer, Jon (2004). Under the Banner of Heaven, A Story of Violent Faith. New York: Random House, Inc..