Affirmative Action Essays (933 words) - Discrimination, Free Essays

Affirmative Action Essays (933 words) - Discrimination, Free Essays Affirmative Action AFFIRMATIVE ACTION I. We didnt land on Plymouth Rock, my brothers and sisters Plymouth Rock landed on us! Malcolm Xs observation is brought out by the facts of American History. Snatched from their native land, transported thousands of miles in a nightmare of disease and death and sold into slavery, blacks were reduced to the legal status of farm animals. Even after emancipation, blacks were segregated from whites in some states by law, and by social practice almost everywhere. American apartheid continued for another century. In 1954 the Supreme Court declared state-compelled segregation in schools unconstitutional, and it followed up that decision with others that struck down many forms of official segregation. Still, discrimination survived, and in most southern states blacks were either discouraged or prohibited from exercising their right to vote. Not until the 1960s was compulsory segregation finally and effectively challenged. Between 1964 and 1968 Congress passed the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the end of the Civil War. It banned discrimination in employment, public accommodations (hotels, motels, restaurants, etc.), and housing; it also guaranteed voting rights for blacks in areas suspected of disenfranchising blacks. Today, several agencies in the federal government exercise sweeping powers to enforce these civil rights measures. But is that enough? Equality of condition between blacks and whites seems as elusive as ever. The black unemployment rate is double that of whites, and the percentage of black families living in poverty is nearly four times that of whites. Only a small percentage of blacks ever make it into medical school or law schools. Advocates of affirmative action have focused upon these differences to support their argument that it is no longer enough just to stop discrimination. Liberal Democrats feel that the damage done by three centuries of racism now has to be remedied, they argue, and effective remediation requires a policy of affirmative action. At the heart of affirmative action is the use of numerical goals. Opponents call them racial quotas. Whatever the name, what they imply is the setting aside of a certain number of jobs or positions for blacks or other historically oppressed groups. Conservative Republicans charge that affirmative action really amounts to reverse discrimination, that it penalizes innocent people simply because they are white, that it often results in unqualified appointments, and that it ends up harming instead of helping blacks. The issue of preferences to address historical patterns of racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination has received a great deal of attention nationally. Whether in government contracts, private sector hiring, college admissions, or state hiring practices, opponents in the issue have engaged in often-heated debates. In Michigan, legislation to limit or eliminate affirmative action has been introduced this session. A good example of this legislation was proposed on March 18,1998 and it is called SJR N (S-2). This resolution proposed an amendment to the Michigan Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex or ethnicity and to prohibit the state and its political subdivisions from using religion, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin as a basis for discriminating against or giving preferential treatment to any individual or group in employment, public education, or public contracting. The present system violates the fundamental principle of equal protection of the law against discrimination on the basis of immutable characteristics of race, sex, color, ethnicity, and national origin. SJR N (S-2) was intended to end this practice and return Michigan to the goal of a colorblind society. II. SJR N (S-2) is on the Conservative side of things, in that, the legislation is trying to stop reverse racism. There really is no moderate way to look at affirmative action; you can either be for it or against it. Sen. Bill Bullard Jr. was the chair and sponsor of this bill, but when he met with the other members of this committee it was stated in the minutes of the meeting that the issue will not be voted on today, nor does he (Bill Bullard) intend to press for a vote in the Legislature this year. There will be future opportunities for all who wish to contribute to this dialogue to have their views heard. The committee then had a long list of testimony from those who opposed SJR N (S-2).

How to Use Raoults Law to Calculate Vapor Pressure Change

How to Use Raoult's Law to Calculate Vapor Pressure Change This example problem demonstrates how to use Raoults Law to calculate the change in vapor pressure by adding a nonvolatile liquid to a solvent. Problem What is the change in vapor pressure when 164 g of glycerin (C3H8O3) is added to 338 mL of H2O at 39.8 Â °C.The vapor pressure of pure H2O at 39.8 Â °C is 54.74 torrThe density of H2O at 39.8 Â °C is 0.992 g/mL. Solution Raoults Law can be used to express the vapor pressure relationships of solutions containing both volatile and nonvolatile solvents. Raoults Law is expressed byPsolution ÃŽ §solventP0solvent wherePsolution is the vapor pressure of the solutionÃŽ §solvent is mole fraction of the solventP0solvent is the vapor pressure of the pure solvent Determine the Mole Fraction of Solution molar weightglycerin (C3H8O3) 3(12)8(1)3(16) g/molmolar weightglycerin 36848 g/molmolar weightglycerin 92 g/molmolesglycerin 164 g x 1 mol/92 gmolesglycerin 1.78 molmolar weightwater 2(1)16 g/molmolar weightwater 18 g/moldensitywater masswater/volumewatermasswater densitywater x volumewatermasswater 0.992 g/mL x 338 mLmasswater 335.296 gmoleswater 335.296 g x 1 mol/18 gmoleswater 18.63 molÃŽ §solution nwater/(nwater nglycerin)ÃŽ §solution 18.63/(18.63 1.78)ÃŽ §solution 18.63/20.36ÃŽ §solution 0.91 Find the Vapor Pressure of the Solution Psolution ÃŽ §solventP0solventPsolution 0.91 x 54.74 torrPsolution 49.8 torr Find the Change in Vapor Pressure Change in pressure is Pfinal - POChange 49.8 torr - 54.74 torrchange -4.94 torr Answer The vapor pressure of the water is reduced by 4.94 torr with the addition of the glycerin.

Campaign Staffers and Political Consultants Essay

Campaign Staffers and Political Consultants - Essay Example The manager would be responsible for any aspect not covered by the candidate and would often be the lead strategist. In larger campaigns, for example, a Presidential campaign, there are a lot of workers in the campaign staff to help with the required tasks. They hire consultants to devise a strategy and the manager simply has to co-ordinate all of the workers and the consultants together. Below the Campaign manager are the departmental directors who look over specific areas of the campaign. Below the departmental level, the campaign staff tends to vary in structure in accordance with the nature of the campaign. Various coordinators might work under a single department sometimes. For example, within the fundraising department, there might be a staff member who focuses only on direct mail fundraising (Political Campaign Staff, par. 5). The very bottom of the campaign staff structure consists of interns and volunteers who look over the less publicized yet important tasks like data entry, responding to various queries and speaking on behalf of the campaign to a large number of voters. Political consultants do not work for a campaign full-time, but provide help in the shape of advice and creative expertise (Political Campaign Staff, par. ... President William McKinley's closest political advisor Mark Hanna is sometimes described as the first political consultant (Wikipedia; Political Consulting, par. 2). The idea of political consulting grew from 1930's onwards as Political Consulting firms emerged and the increased use of television advertising for campaigns gave a big boost to political consulting. This business has grown rapidly over the years in its importance and influential powers, and has extended itself to campaigns at all government levels. Except for working for political campaigns they also work for political organizations, public relations and research work for companies and governments. These consultants are often criticized for putting their own interests before the clients, have been involved in scandals and some have gone on to become media celebrities after acclaiming wide approval. The successful political consultant, James Carville comes to mind who took advantage of his fame to become an expert appearing on televisions shows and writing books (Political Consultant, par. 3). Its critics have a point when they claim that financial interests are put ahead of the client when firms take on too many clients to build a reputation. Firms are often accused of transferring campaigns themes and plans to different campaigns, even if the actual context of the political campaign is different from the theme that is transferred! The American Association of Political Consultants regulates this business and has published code of ethics and gives awards as well. In spite of the criticism, consulting is always an integral part of a successful modern election campaign. Without a consulting firm to advise and strategize a campaign, and a campaign staff to effectively

Unit 9 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Unit 9 - Assignment Example There is a basic difference between management accounting and financial accounting. While the former provides necessary information to the management so that they can make right decisions for the company, the latter provides financial data to the shareholders, creditors and other stakeholders so that they can get information about past and present conditions of the company. Management accounting provides information about future trend of the company as managers need this information to make long term decisions while financial accounting provides factual data to shareholders and creditors so that they assess the performance of the company as their funds are in stake. One major purpose of management accounting is to provide cost information about products and services. Costs are classified into five broad groups – behavior, traceability, controllability, relevance, and function. Behavior costs can be fixed, variable or mixed. Fixed costs do not change with increase in the volume of production like rent, variable costs can increase with increase in the volume of production like wages and cost of raw materials, and mixed costs are combination of both fixed and variable costs. Traceability costs can be direct costs that are incurred specifically for production like wages of factory workers, and indirect costs that cannot be specified as specific cost of production like salaries of office employees. Controllability costs can be controllable like wages of workers since number of labors can be reduced with proper management, and uncontrollable costs like house rent has to be paid irrespective of the volume of production. Costs of relevance can be sunk, out-of-pocket, and opportunity costs. Sunk costs are those expenses that have been made and cannot be recovered like costs incurred in installing a machinery which turns out to be unproductive.

Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, Selina Hastings Analysis

Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, Selina Hastings Analysis Humans are very complex beings. From sentience arrives emotions, both negative and positive, which create the beings we know as our friends, our enemies, and the rest of the world. In this rendition of the classic work Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady, Selina Hastings reinvents two characters from the medieval tale of King Arthur, including the King and Sir Gawain. In this legend, King Arthur meets a mysterious rogue knight when separated from his men on a hunt during the Christmas season. The knight hands him a riddle, What women desire most, in which he must solve in three days time, or else the rogue knight will slay him and take possession of his kingdom. Eventually, King Arthur encounters a woman who can accurately answer the riddle, although she herself is a disgusting old hag. What is even more horrendous is that she offers a high price for her services: The hand of a knight in marriage. Arthur reluctantly accepts, and defeats the rogue knights riddle. As Arthur arrives safely back to the castle, Sir Gawain agrees to become the ugly womans husband, for the honour of his king. Although initially unhappy, Gawains mood is altered for the better when his bride turns out to have been under a curse, and is actually a beautiful lady. In order to permanently rid her of the curse, Gawain gives his wife what all women desire, to have her own way. Throughout this tale, Sir Gawain is depicted to be a courageous, arrogant, immature, and loyal knight, effectively making him a multifaceted character. Sir Gawain is obviously a very courageous man. As stated, he is usually the first to come forward to the king when the king requires an undertaker for a quest. King Arthur had not even ventured into the details of the endeavour, when Sir Gawain burst out, Sire, I beg you, let me defend you! Grant me the quest' (Hastings 179). This proves his courage, since he seems to be willing to tackle any problem, even if the details are unclear. Sir Gawain only further proves his mettle when he proposes to the Loathly Lady, who is able to make the other knights sit as Stills as statues, [and] hardly able to believe their eyes (Hastings 179). Madam, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] will you honour me with your hand in marriage' (Hastings 179) was the line possibly well-rehearsed by Gawain, but however, to be able to speak it so fluently and so convincingly under the hideous gaze of the Loathly Lady is certainly a feat not to take lightly. Based on the above examples, Sir Gawains courage is a force to be reckone d with, as it seems to be able to overrule his common sense. Being at foundation a man, it seems he has a less knightly characteristic: an overwhelming sense of arrogance, displaying his multifaceted personality. When King Arthur finally explains the quest, Gawain looked stunned, but his spirit never faltered (Hastings 179). Upon hearing the fact that he must propose, he faltered, as he and his pride were prepared for battle, not for something as unexpected as a marriage to an abhorrent bride . As a result of being the only volunteer and as a victim of knightly chivalry, he was forced to marry the Loathly Lady, and as a consequence of the self-embarrassment, his pride suffered. In shock of his actions, he moved through his wedding in a trance. After the wedding, he thought to himself, Was he to spend the rest of his life shackled to a creature more hideous than the demon of a nightmare (Hasting 180). Upon his courage intercepting his mind and causing him to propose to the Loathly Lady, his inner sense of pride was disintegrating. In order for him to be so dismayed, he must have had inner thoughts that he would court a beautiful young lady, instead of an ugly old hag. Upon realizing the reality of his situation, he must have noticed the cons of having such an unappealing bride, in which every solution resulted in having to hide the Loathly Lady, therefore deducting an aspect of adulthood, demoralizing him and stripping him of what little may have been left with his arrogance. Due to this episode, Gawains pride as a member of the round table was temporarily diminished. His courage and arrogance may be explained by another trait he houses: his immaturity as the youngest Knight of the Round Table in the castle of Carlisle. When the king explains he does not know how he may save his honour, Sir Gawain leapt up, scattering the ivory chessmen at his feet (Hastings 179). As he was the only knight the rush to the kings aid, it is clear he lacks experience, since no other knight had done the same. Another contributing factor is the fact that he is very superficial, only studying appearances instead of personalities. When The pair [Gawain and the transformed Loathly Lady] were so happy and so much in love (Hastings 181), it is obvious that their love cannot be anything deep, since they only met the day before the quote, so their love is a shallow, sexual love, rather than a deep romantic love. Being young, immaturity is unavoidable. His final trait, which is the most obvious of all characteristics among a group of knights, is their loyalty, more specifically to their king. As previously stated, he is always the first to come forward (Hastings 179). Along with being courageous, this statement may also represent loyalty, as he takes it upon himself to help the King in whatever way he can. After hearing the quest Gawain had replied Take me to her, Sire, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] I will marry her tomorrow.' (Hastings 179), which continues to prove his strong sense of loyalty, which prevents his arrogance from allowing him to refuse, and keeps his courage at a constantly effective level. Sir Gawains loyalty keeps a constant hold upon him. The knight, Sir Gawain is a multifaceted character, since he is loyal as he is arrogant and courageous as he is immature. He obeys all orders given to him by the king, but his sense of pride is at the same time corrupted by the arrival of his loathly wife. His courage is tested to the limit when he marries the Loathly Lady, but when the Loathly Ladys curse was broken, it shows how shallow Gawain really is, displaying immaturity. By incorporating a mix of positive and negative traits into the composition of Sir Gawains personality, Selina Hastings has effectively recreated the complex character of a human being. It illustrates the nature of human life, as nobody is perfect.

Benjamin Franklin :: essays research papers

Benjamin Franklin took pride in almost every aspect of his life. There are many instances in which one could call him a vain man. Franklin writes to Ezra Stiles and speaks of his portrait being hung at Yale. Franklin complains that the portraits he has of himself do his stunning features no justice, and are certainly not worthy to be hung at Yale. He suggests that a new portrait be painted. Franklin clearly has issues as to how he will be remembered, and also how obsessed the man is with his looks. He writes, â€Å"I do not think any one of the portraits you mention, as in my possession, worthy of the place and company you propose to place it in. You have an excellent artist lately arrived. If he will undertake to make one for you, I shall cheerfully pay the expense.† This vanity of Franklin’s is presented in his â€Å"Apology for Printers† as well. He argues that printers print silly things not worth reading not because they want to, but because people are uned ucated and like to read mindless garbage. Franklin, in his mind, has set himself on a higher pedestal than the everyday man. He has a better education therefore he is a better person. He writes, â€Å"They sometimes print vicious or silly things not worth reading, it may not be because they approve such things themselves, but because the people are so viciously and corruptly educated that good things are not encouraged.† Franklin also presents a vain attitude toward religion. He goes as far in his letter to Ezra Stiles as to indicate Jesus Christ as merely a good philosopher, and he himself does not care to take the time that religion requires. He believes that he will find the truth for himself. The man put himself above others’ intelligence and beliefs and disregarded them as distractions and wastes of time for him. He says, â€Å"I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; tho’ it is a question I do not dogmatize u pon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble.† Franklin clearly displays his vanity throughout his writings. Benjamin Franklin often used his own sarcastic sense of humor to win over his audience. An example is Franklin’s â€Å"Apology for Printers,† in which he defends himself after accepting and printing a routine announcement of the sailing of a ship with a captain thought to be anticlerical. Benjamin Franklin :: essays research papers Benjamin Franklin took pride in almost every aspect of his life. There are many instances in which one could call him a vain man. Franklin writes to Ezra Stiles and speaks of his portrait being hung at Yale. Franklin complains that the portraits he has of himself do his stunning features no justice, and are certainly not worthy to be hung at Yale. He suggests that a new portrait be painted. Franklin clearly has issues as to how he will be remembered, and also how obsessed the man is with his looks. He writes, â€Å"I do not think any one of the portraits you mention, as in my possession, worthy of the place and company you propose to place it in. You have an excellent artist lately arrived. If he will undertake to make one for you, I shall cheerfully pay the expense.† This vanity of Franklin’s is presented in his â€Å"Apology for Printers† as well. He argues that printers print silly things not worth reading not because they want to, but because people are uned ucated and like to read mindless garbage. Franklin, in his mind, has set himself on a higher pedestal than the everyday man. He has a better education therefore he is a better person. He writes, â€Å"They sometimes print vicious or silly things not worth reading, it may not be because they approve such things themselves, but because the people are so viciously and corruptly educated that good things are not encouraged.† Franklin also presents a vain attitude toward religion. He goes as far in his letter to Ezra Stiles as to indicate Jesus Christ as merely a good philosopher, and he himself does not care to take the time that religion requires. He believes that he will find the truth for himself. The man put himself above others’ intelligence and beliefs and disregarded them as distractions and wastes of time for him. He says, â€Å"I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; tho’ it is a question I do not dogmatize u pon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble.† Franklin clearly displays his vanity throughout his writings. Benjamin Franklin often used his own sarcastic sense of humor to win over his audience. An example is Franklin’s â€Å"Apology for Printers,† in which he defends himself after accepting and printing a routine announcement of the sailing of a ship with a captain thought to be anticlerical.

Economics Internal Assessment Essay

The article discusses the effects of a severe flood in the areas of Thailand to the rice production. The rice production falls to 22 from 23 million metric tons. Supply is quantity of goods and services that producers are willing and able to produce at a given price and time period. The decrease in supply of rice in Thailand is shown by the following graph: The graph above shows that the effect of flood in Thailand decreased the rice crop’s supply. The supply curve shifted to the left from S1 to S2, moving the equilibrium point from point E1 to point E2. The equilibrium price then rises from P1 to P2 and the equilibirum quantity moves to the left by 1 million metric ton. The increase in the price of rice brought advantages to the country. One of it is the increase in the total revenue of rice producers. Rice is a commodity good where the price elasticity demand is inelastic. Price elasticity demand is the responsiveness of quantity demand to the change of price. Inelastic refers the condition where the quantity demanded is less responsive to the change in price. The following graph shows an inelastic demand curve of rice market. As the total of producer’s gain is greater than the total number of loss, the producer receives an advantage of higher revenue from the tragedy in Thailand. Total revenue is the result of the multiplication of the quantity sold to the price of the product. Despite the advantage, the rise in price of rice has brought disadvantage to the customers. As the quantity supplied of rice is decreased, therefore they are unable to buy a larger quantity of rice and as its price goes up it increases their portion of real income spent on rice, as it is a staple food. Thus, it results to the opportunity cost of decreased remaining real income that could be spent on other goods. Opportunity cost is the cost of the best alternative good sacrificed when a choice is made. Due to opportunity cost, the producers of non-commodity products would then be harmed as the quantity demanded for their product falls and therefore their total revenue decreases. To survive, producers will raise the price and thus harm the consumers. Thus, a solution shall be made to avoid further loss of customers. One of them is to apply a maximum price of rice in the country. Maximum price is the price set up by the government below the equilibrium price in order to help the customers, due to the high prices of certain commodity products. As seen on the graph, the maximum price is set at Pmax, below the equilibrium price of Pe. With the imposition of the policy, the customers are able to purchase rice at low price. However, with rice supplied at the maximum price, customers are demanding rice at point QD, while the quantity supplied is at Qe, which leads to a shortage. Shortage is the excess demand of goods and services. In consequence, to satisfy the demand of customers, black market might arise. Black market is a situation where the product is sold illegally at a higher price than Pmax. The seller of the rice might also apply unfair practices to customers such as rationing, where the amount of product is shared equally among customers, creating limitation of consumption. Another solution to avoid shortage is to import the supply of rice from overseas. Import is when a country purchase goods and services overseas. The supply curve then shifts to the right and Pmax becomes the new equilibrium price, thus black market and rationing would not arise. Though it would still bring disadvantage to the domestic producers of rice. The imported rice would be a new substitute good to the high-priced domestic rice. The quantity demanded for locally produced rice will decrease and thus the total revenue of the local producer decreases. Another disadvantage is the occurrence of trade deficit, because the country’s import increases and we assume the export remains constant. Trade deficit is the negative balance where the country’s import is greater than it’s export. Looking at the advantage given by maximum price solution, it is more beneficial for Thailand to increase the producer’s revenue rather than to prevent illegal practices. Thus, implying maximum price as a solution is more effective compared to importing supply of rice.