Female Circumcision Essay -- Female Genital Mutilation

It's the year 423 BCE, and the orders have just been sent out -- Every female is to be circumcised. Rumor has it that the newest Pharaoh is not very well-endowed and wants the females in his land to be circumcised to enhance his sexual pleasure (qtd. in Gruenbaum 43). Although such an account seems amusing, female circumcision and its effects are real. It is thought that female circumcision has been around for at least twenty centuries (Gruenbaum 193). Despite its age, female circumcision is only recently being discussed and debated in the United States. In fact, the matter itself had not really been looked at nationally until 1975, "when the Australian delegation at the first U.N. conference on woman in Mexico City proposed a motion condemning it" (Greer 64). Since that time, opposition to female circumcision has been included as a part of American Human Rights Policy (Mackie 999). The U.S. agency for International Development is also assisting the "African organizations working to eradicate it" (qtd. in Mackie 999). Now the world knows about female circumcision and wants to do something about it, but change will not come suddenly due to its long tradition. Female Circumcision is the cutting or removing of female genitalia. According to msn.com, female circumcision is "the practice of circumcision of adolescent women in some cultures that generally involves the surgical removal of the clitoris or the sewing up of the vaginal opening." There are many different names for this practice. Some refer to it as "female genital mutilation," and others call it "female genital cutting." Often times, the women who practice female circumcision are extremely offended by such terms; therefore the simplest, least offensive way to refer t... ...on: Caring for patients and child protection." BMA. 2001. 3 Nov 2003. Greer, Germaine. "Why Genital Cutting Goes On." Newsweek International. (1999): 64. Gruenbaum, Ellen. The Female Circumcision Controversy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. Mackie, Gerry. "Ending Footbinding and Infibulation: A Convention Account." American Sociological Review. 61 (1996): 999-1017. Nour, Nawal. "Female Circumcision and Genital Mutilation: A Practical and Sensitive Approach." Contemporary OB/GYN. 45 (2001): 50-55. Pulsipher, Abigail. Interview. Personal Interview. 1 Nov 2001. Walker, Alice, Pratibha Parmar. Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Woman. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993. Female Circumcision Essay -- Female Genital Mutilation It's the year 423 BCE, and the orders have just been sent out -- Every female is to be circumcised. Rumor has it that the newest Pharaoh is not very well-endowed and wants the females in his land to be circumcised to enhance his sexual pleasure (qtd. in Gruenbaum 43). Although such an account seems amusing, female circumcision and its effects are real. It is thought that female circumcision has been around for at least twenty centuries (Gruenbaum 193). Despite its age, female circumcision is only recently being discussed and debated in the United States. In fact, the matter itself had not really been looked at nationally until 1975, "when the Australian delegation at the first U.N. conference on woman in Mexico City proposed a motion condemning it" (Greer 64). Since that time, opposition to female circumcision has been included as a part of American Human Rights Policy (Mackie 999). The U.S. agency for International Development is also assisting the "African organizations working to eradicate it" (qtd. in Mackie 999). Now the world knows about female circumcision and wants to do something about it, but change will not come suddenly due to its long tradition. Female Circumcision is the cutting or removing of female genitalia. According to msn.com, female circumcision is "the practice of circumcision of adolescent women in some cultures that generally involves the surgical removal of the clitoris or the sewing up of the vaginal opening." There are many different names for this practice. Some refer to it as "female genital mutilation," and others call it "female genital cutting." Often times, the women who practice female circumcision are extremely offended by such terms; therefore the simplest, least offensive way to refer t... ...on: Caring for patients and child protection." BMA. 2001. 3 Nov 2003. Greer, Germaine. "Why Genital Cutting Goes On." Newsweek International. (1999): 64. Gruenbaum, Ellen. The Female Circumcision Controversy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. Mackie, Gerry. "Ending Footbinding and Infibulation: A Convention Account." American Sociological Review. 61 (1996): 999-1017. Nour, Nawal. "Female Circumcision and Genital Mutilation: A Practical and Sensitive Approach." Contemporary OB/GYN. 45 (2001): 50-55. Pulsipher, Abigail. Interview. Personal Interview. 1 Nov 2001. Walker, Alice, Pratibha Parmar. Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Woman. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993.

Iago as the Hero of Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Iago as the Hero of Othello Roderigo, a soldier in Othello's army, is in love with Desdemona and is deceived by Iago into thinking that Desdemona holds some affection for him. Iago, who is Othello's "ancient" or his counselor, desires to hold Othello's position and so tries to devise a plan to become general. As proved by the outcome of the play, Othello was too naive and kindhearted to properly lead an army. Iago felt that he should have been promoted to be Othello's lieutenant but Cassio was promoted instead. The outcome of the play also proves that Iago was more efficient in achieving his goals. Iago's plan is one that involves Cassio, Othello's second in command, Roderigo and Desdemona. Iago is better qualified than either Cassio or Othello if he devised such a plan without either of them noticing. The same strategies he uses in everyday life he would be able to employ in battles. Iago has proven to be the ultimate soldier. Iago instills jealousy in both Roderigo and Othello by leading each of them to think that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. He accomplishes all this without being discovered until the end. During the course of the play, Othello is further deceived by Iago to believe that Desdemona is unfaithful to him. Emilia, Iago's wife, unknowingly helps Iago fool Othello when she gives her husband the handkerchief that was given to Desdemona by Othello on their wedding night. Desdemona always keeps this by her side, as a result of Othello's command. When Iago tells Othello that he has seen Cassio with his gift to Desdemona, Othello becomes enraged and vows to kill her. He also makes Iago swear that he will kill Cassio. Through Iago's planning, Roderigo gets a chance to kill Cassio but fails. When Iago sees Roderigo's failure to carry through with the plan, he wounds Cassio in the leg and kills Roderigo. When Othello hears commotion in the streets below he thinks that Cassio is dead and smothers Desdemona. When Cassio, Gratiano (relative to Brabantio), Montano (Cyprus official), and Iago hear Emilia's screams from Othello's bedroom they discover what he has done. Iago is revealed as the culprit and he then kills Emilia. After this Othello commits suicide and Iago is taken away to be punished. Iago was seeking a revenge that can be justified because he felt that Othello had had an affair with Emilia.

Good to Great †by Jim Collins Essay

I found my reading of Good To Great by Jim Collins very informative and even entertaining. It is interesting to me his concepts and perceptions and how although when you read them they seem rather elementary and obvious, Mr. Collins is indeed an outside the box thinker/writer and it is because of his ease of explaining his concepts that the message simply comes across as easy. The main idea that is presented in this book is that â€Å"Good is the Enemy of Great. † At first glance I had to re-read the statement to make sure I understood it correctly. My immediate response was to understand it as all too often people, and business decision makers, have a simple goal of being good at what they do. Mr. Collins and his research team were able to whittle that idea down to a handful of concepts that although many have the perception are good, but don’t clarify their exact goals of greatness. The first concept of Good To Great was Level 5 Leadership. Companies may have great product, great sales, great marketing, etc. but what makes them better than Good? What makes takes them to the Great level? Their Leadership. During the research of this book Mr.  Collins and his team identified multiple characteristics these leaders had that lead their company above and beyond just the Good status. Of these the common factor I understood was that of humility and giving credit to his surrounding personnel. Keeping the focus off of â€Å"look what I did† but rather keeping the focus off them, but at the same time taking responsibility for the mistakes of the company as a whole that they were in charge of looking after. These personalities also showed a great level of commitment and loyalty to their companies and tended to have been promoted from within. Thus having a firm understanding of the culture of the company and knowing a long term goal of the company. Secondly the book introduced the concept of â€Å"First Who, Then What†. I related this concept to the phrase â€Å"Trimming The Fat†. Great leaders realize that if you’re only as good as your support, than you better get the right support in the right places. The Level 5 Leader would have to find those that could lead as well. If you have the right thinkers and decision makers in the right positions, then the â€Å"what† could be figured out. By having the right decision makers from the get go then the goal was already on its way to Great. By doing so you are training your supports to eventually be capable to take your place and instilling a long term succession of the company’s goals for great. The next concept given was Confront the Brutal Facts With Unwavering Faith. Expanding on having placed the right â€Å"Who† where it was most beneficial, it is equally important to stay focused no matter the difficult time. The chapter focused on sticking to your guns, having faith in your company, and seeing the obstacle though. This again focused on loyalty to the company. As time goes on and the tough time regains it’s momentum back into the right direction, Problem solving starts with asking the right questions. It’s more proactive to take control of our future than being reactive and leaving the destiny up to chance. Companies that were able to make it through the ups and downs of success on their way to Great. Another aspect was for these decision makers to be honest with them and be willing a capable of confronting the hard questions that perhaps they didn’t want the answer to. But, faced the brutal facts head on. Fourth is the â€Å"Hedgehog Concept†. This was probably my favorite concept and I think will be the most important lesson I will take and use in my career path. The comparison was stated, â€Å"The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing†. I think all too often it gets confused that if you’re in charge and making decisions you have to be the most knowledgeable person in that area. Remember though, especially in the totality of the emphasis of this book, you are not alone. In the chapter, Mr. Collins worded his idea this way, â€Å"The Hedgehog Concept is a turning point in the journey from good to great. It typically takes the right people willing to address the brutal facts over an extended period of time to get to the deep understanding of a Hedgehog Concept. What a great statement. It shows the level of determination, loyalty, and staying focused that you realize your true One thing. Then you expand on that One thing. It will set you apart from the field and past the Good threshold into the level of Great! â€Å"Culture of Discipline† was the next concept. One again focusing on hard work and staying focused on your goal of surpassing into the Great realm and not just staying there but forever raising the bar. Mr. Collins focused on the idea the in this sense discipline as a system. It involves the company in it’s entirety and making sure the companies â€Å"culture is filled with people committed to discipline in keeping to the standards. Each of these concepts builds on the one before it and this one is no different. Staying true to his â€Å"Hedgehog Concept† Mr. Collins also introduces his â€Å"Three Circles† concept. By focusing on keeping a Discipline in the company, it will help keep those involved with their eye on the prize of being able to find that one thing to be great at and to stay on top. Technology Accelerator was the idea to not let technology become a crutch of sorts. Technology is like any other tool and if used properly it will assist you in your success and getting here faster or with ease. Again, building on the concept before it also emphasizes to stay with your Hedgehog circles and keeping focused on them. Technology will not make you the best or most disciplined. It is a tool and should be used to accelerate your momentum into the right direction of your company’s goals, not be the creator of the momentum. Lastly â€Å"Flywheel and Doom Loop† was used to follow up. It’s a focus on being able to identify any and all aspects that take you away from the previous concepts. You should always be looking for ways to improve and stay ahead of the pack. The world of business is ever changing which keeps the bar separating Good from Great ever moving as well. Complacency is a â€Å"Good† trait. Having a system of check and balance working together with a cleaning house mentality will help to keep your company above that bar.

the natural essays

the natural essays The Natural, written by Bernard Malamud starts out with Roy, an aspiring baseball player on a train with his scout, Sam. Roy is still in his younger years, while Sam is an old scout who has slowed down over the years. On the train Sam notices that a well-known sportswriter, Max Mercy, is aboard, along with Walter Whambold, a superstar ball player, so he introduces Roy to them. Walter the Whammer Whambold is a cocky arrogant man who wants nothing to do with Roy or Sam. At one of the train stops, they have an hour to kill so Sam and Roy go to a local carnival, where Roy plays a game where you have to throw a baseball at a pyramid on three bottle. Of course Roy is great at this game, and draws the attention of Whammer, and Sam bets Whammer that Roy can strike out Whammer. Roy was very uncertain of Sams wager, but goes along with it. The Whammer tries to take all of the confidence out of Roy, but after the first pitch that landed in Sams catchers mitt, he had all the confidence i n the world. The next two pitches were much easier and he ended up striking the Whammer out. The book takes a big time jump to where Roy is thirty-four years old and just getting on a pro team, the Knights. He gets made fun of his age and being a rookie, but he makes it through the though times and starts to live his dream. Post modernism tries to convert the modern world, or unique individual, into a more standard whole. One fine example in The Natural is when the team is receiving a prayer and Roy storms out of the room halfway through it. He said he wasnt going to be hypnotized by some priest, and Pops, the head coach yelled at him and told he that if he keeps walking, hell never step foot on the field again. The coach, in a postmodern society is trying to unify the team instead of having everybody doing their own thing. ...

Jackie Robinson essays

Jackie Robinson essays In 1947 Jackie Robinson was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and was the first black to do so. Before that there were separate leagues. Segregation was a big issue and Jackie made it even bigger by calling for it to stop and letting every one have a chance to show their talent. He led the path for a less difficult life for blacks, but that path had hate, misery, and pain as obstacles and only a special person like Robinson could overcome those obstacles. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in a small farmhouse near Cairo, Georgia. He had a tough up bringing and did not have good housing. "Jackie and his family lived on a white owned farm and his father worked on the farm"(Falkner 22). Jackie did not have a clear path to the right future. "The overriding reality of Robinson's early years was that, for black youth, the future was closed. Simple as that. It didn't take sociologist or a Jim Crow sign to tell him that schools, jobs, opportunities, careers were severely limited"(Falkner 28). Jackie had his eyes opened to prejudice at a very young age. "Everyday prejudice was Robinson's silent companion wherever he went, to and from school, to the neighborhood parks, to the segregated movie theaters, to the curbside markets where the Bond- Bread truck, the vegetable truck, the milk truck, sold their wares because most local food merchants refused to welcome nonwhites in their stores" (Falkner 30). Jackie grew up in the e ra of segregation. "During the period of segregation in the United States racial controversies were, of course, serious issues that often held deadly consequences. Lynchings were common. And each time blacks attempted to expand their limited citizenship, the response was usually accompanied with violence"(Dorinson 159). For Jackie to take all the horrible injustices that he saw an had done to him is an extraordinary sign of what kind of man Jackie was. When Jackie was young he and his friends used to s ...

Learn How Insects Hear

Learn How Insects Hear Sound is created by vibrations carried through the air. By definition, an animals capacity to hear means that it has one or more organs that perceived and interpreted those air vibrations. Most insects have one or more sensory organs that are sensitive to vibrations transmitting through the air. Not only do insects hear, but they may actually be more sensitive than other animals to sound vibrations. Insect sense and interpret sounds in order to communicate with other insects and to navigate their environments. Some insects even listen for the sounds of predators in order to avoid being eaten by them.   There are four different types of auditory organs that insects may possess.   Tympanal Organs Many hearing insects have a pair of tympanal organs that vibrate when they catch sound waves in the air. As the name hints, these organs catch the sound and vibrate in much the way that a tympani, the large drum used in the percussion section of an orchestra, does it when its drum head is struck by a percussion mallet.   Like the tympani, the tympanal organ consists of a membrane tightly stretched on a frame over an air-filled cavity. When the percussionist hammers on the membrane of the tympani, it vibrates and produces a sound; an insects tympanal organ vibrates in much the same way as it catches sound waves in the air. This mechanism is exactly the same as found in the eardrum organ of humans and other animal species. Many insects have the ability to hear in a manner quite similar to the way we do it.   An insect also has a special receptor called the chordotonal organ, which senses the  vibration of the tympanal organ and translates the sound into a nerve impulse. Insects that use tympanal organs to hear include grasshoppers and crickets, cicadas, and some butterflies and moths. Johnstons Organ For some  insects, a group of sensory cells on the antennae form a receptor  called the Johnstons organ, which  collects auditory information. These group of sensory cells is found on the pedicel, which is the second segment from the base of the antennae, and it detects vibration of the segment(s) above. Mosquitoes and fruit flies are examples of insects that hear by using the Johnstons organ. In fruit flies, the organ is used to sense the wing-beat frequencies of mates, and in hawk moths, it is thought to assist with stable flight. In honeybees, Johnstons organ assists in the location of food sources.   Johnstons organ is a type of receptor found only no  invertebrates other than insects. It is named for the physician Christopher Johnston (1822-1891), a professor of surgery at the University of Maryland who discovered the organ. Setae The larvae of Lepidoptera  (butterflies and moths)  and  Orthoptera  (grasshoppers, crickets, etc.) use small stiff hairs, called setae, to sense  sound  vibrations. Caterpillars often respond to vibrations in the setae by exhibiting defensive behaviors. Some will stop moving completely, while others may contract their muscles and rear up in a fighting posture. Setae hairs are found on many species, but not all of them use the organs to sense sound vibrations.   Labral Pilifer A structure in the mouths of certain hawkmoths enables them to hear ultrasonic sounds, such as those produced by echolocating bats. The labral pilifer, a tiny hair-like organ, is believed to sense vibrations at specific frequencies. Scientists have noted a distinctive movement of the insects tongue when they subject  captive hawkmoths to sounds at these particular frequencies. In flight, the hawkmoths can avoid a pursuing bat by using the labral pilifer to detect their echolocation signals.

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

Media Control - Research Paper Example The definition clearly states that media is a communication aimed at reaching a mass audience and when an attempt to control it is; the outcome is not beneficial to the mass audience. The media are the public watchdog informing the masses of the happenings in the country. Many a time’s hostile regimes to free media, use the government machinery at their disposal to oppress their freedom. Some countries use the legislature to introduce laws that are oppressive and ensure that the media is silent. Their best weapon of choice is punitive fines and indefinite closure of the broadcasting stations. Journalists are the most affected by this barbaric behavior. They experience punishments that equate abuse of human rights and constant threats on their lives or their immediate family. Some have even paid with their dear life or forced to go into exile. This research paper aims at bring to light the impact of media control to a country and the lives of journalists who are directly linked with media houses. The main intention of discussing this topic is to highlight the impact of media control and, to provide possible solutions to the menace. The technicality used to discuss the points is literature review on related works by renowned scholars and an interview with a journalist. Types of media control In order to understand the impact of media control it is important to know the forms of media control and the people responsible for controlling the media. Most scholars argue that the government is responsible of controlling the media industry (Sonin 3). When the media in such states try to expose their evils, these governments move with their state machinery to silence the media. The state may decide to control the media directly or indirectly. When the state controls the media directly it entails controlling the type of news media is able to air. The state determines what coverage the media gives to particular incidents and whom to focus on. Most of the time, the me dia are forced to focus on the president of the state and the ruling party politics. This direct control is common in countries as china and Uganda in Africa. In Uganda, a newspaper owned by the Nation Media group The Daily Monitor shutdown indefinitely for exposing the evils done by the government. The police later moved into a Television station affiliated to the newspaper Ntv Uganda offices and vandalized the broadcasting equipment arresting journalists at the same time. This is a form of direct control. Indirect control occurs when the government sweet talks privately owned media station into airing the government-preferred content. Such a case occurred in Mexico when the government offered tax incentives to privately owned media station to only air ruling party agenda and sideline the politicians (Lawson 320). The station had the freedom to air the type of advertisement they wanted and programs in return they pushed for the government agenda to the people. Many countries make d ecisions on the media model they want the country to operate. The different models brought out evidently by various media control scholars include libertarian and authoritarian models. By determining their print, audio and video content as they see fit in the advancement of their business through ads, libertarian model takes center stage. Contrary to freedom of choice of content is the authoritative model where the political big wigs call the shots. They determine