The Role of Men in Adrienne Richs Of Woman Born Essay -- Adrienne Ric

The Role of Men in Of Woman Born  Ã‚   Adrienne Rich, via Of Woman Born, has created a wonderfully complex description and analysis of the condition of being a woman in our patriarchal American culture, or at least in the middle-class, white portion of it, as she acknowledges in the introduction to the 1986 edition of the book. Since I happen to fit into this category, I find this book to be very personally satisfying, although I can certainly imagine that Rich's writings wouldn't be completely applicable to all women in America. Rich examines the various issues surrounding multiple aspects of being a woman -- motherhood, relations with men, relations with children, relations with the patriarchy at large, etc. -- with a thoroughness that I find enlightening, honest-yet-hopeful, and refreshing. There were passages throughout the book that I found exciting because they confirmed or bolstered many of the ideas I've had about being a woman in this culture. I have long suspected that women and children are often fearful simply because they are the vulnerable members in a mal...

Summary of Rizal The Movie

The film started with a scene showing Rizal writing a letter. The letter contains his thoughts that the Philippines has a serious illness and that it is plagued by the Spanish domination over our country. Crisostomo Ibarra was also introduced in the film, and it is Rizal’s alter ego. Ibarra had been forced to have two personalities because of the worsening problem in our country. Rizal had published books such as the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as his weapons against the dominions of Spain in our country.These novels became an inspiration over the â€Å"KATIPUNAN† or the â€Å"Sons of the People. † The Katipunans tear their ‘cedulas’ that symbolizes to end all of their ties with Spain and unity with revolution. The friars have discovered such revolution; they even interrogated Paciano (Rizal’s older brother) just to gain information about the uprising in the country. The male members of Rizal’s family left their home at Tondo , Manila because they were being hunted by Spanish forces. On November 1896, Rizal has been brought to Fort Santiago in Manila, and he was being interrogated by a colonel of Spain.He refuse to admit that he knows anything about the revolution and the colonel accused him as a traitor, just like Fr. Burgos. Father Burgos has been sentenced to death together with other priests such as Father Gomez and Father Zamora (GOMBURZA). The death of Father Burgos was witnessed by Paciano. Paciano opened Rizal’s eyes to the injustices at that time. Rizal believed that education is important, but what matters most is how you have learned the things in your life. Rizal’s first teacher was his mother and she had inspired him to learn more.Soon, Rizal was sent to Ateneo Municipal in 1872 and University of Santo Thomas in 1878. Her mother taught him the story of the moth; and she told him not to be like the little moth who was fascinated with the fire and it had burned his wings and fall completely into death. Rizal not only wanted to learn everything, but he wanted to see everything. He became a physician, and he cured his mother’s eye illness. He became a novelist and wrote about the current status of the country. He became a good son and good brother in his family.In the film, Rizal’s mother was accused of attempting to poison her sister-in-law and she was imprisoned for almost two years. This is a revenge of the friars to Rizal’s family and to protect Jose Rizal, Paciano advised him not to use ‘Mercado’ anymore, and only ‘Rizal. ’ Rizal was exiled and Signor Luis Taviel de Andrade became his Defense Counsel (the brother of Jose Taviel, Rizal’s former bodyguard). Luis has unleashed the stories behind Rizal’s intent of writing the novels, his life, his relationships, his education, and his beliefs.Luis believed that as a writer, what Rizal did is not art, but propaganda. Rizal defended that what the Fil ipinos really wanted is recognition that Filipinos are equal with Spaniards and peaceful reforms through education and civic development. Rizal went to Europe to study medicine and do whatever is necessary to help liberate the people, as requested by Paciano. He left Leonor (his cousin and his lover) and his family to help his fellow countrymen. Rizal did well in school of medicine and he was inspired by the uprisings in Spain.He talked some of his fellow Filipinos in Spain in how shall they help in changing the system in the Philippines. Rizal’s novels stimulated uprisings in our country and some copies of it were burned by the friars. Innocent people were imprisoned by the government by illegally possessing the books of Rizal. ‘La Solidaridad’ was founded and writings about the system were once again published. Some misunderstanding happened between the members of the organization and Rizal went back to the Philippines to face the Spaniards.In Manila, Rizal fou nded the ‘La Liga Filipina’ in July 1892. It aims to fortify the foundations of man and his family, give importance to education and agriculture for the development of our country. Rizal was exiled at Dapitan and there he met Josephine Bracken. Monsignor Nosaleda is not contended with the exile of Rizal and he wanted him dead. He asked Governor General Blanco to execute Rizal, but refuse to do so. A new governor general, Governor General Polavieja was sent by Spain to grant Monsignor Nosaleda’s wish. The revolution sparked despite Rizal’s disapproval.For him, we are not yet ready and it is not the right time. Rizal however was charged with being the leader of the revolution and he was sentenced to death. Rizal was fired on December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan, Manila. His family and the Filipino people mourned for his death. Filipinos joined the uprisings and with Rizal’s death, we have achieved independence on June 12, 1896. Rizal died with honor and di gnity for his country and for his fellow countrymen. He had fought for our freedom till his last breath. He had fought for his principles no matter how hard it is.

Biography of Alan Greenspan

It is somewhat inconceivable that a man often dubbed as the â€Å"second most powerful man in the United States next to the president himself†, was an undergraduate at the Juilliard School, studying the clarinet. A former member of a jazz band and perfectly capable of playing the saxophone, Alan Greenspan is a name known in every American household, where a staggering statistic of 9 out of 10 American adults are acquainted with who Greenspan is, as opposed to knowing who the Vice President of the United States is.Born to a Hungarian Jewish family on March 6, 1926, Alan Greenspan spent his formative years in Washington Heights, New York. Having an aptitude for numbers, Greenspan was the one who was often left with the bands bookkeeping and his natural inclination towards business was what prompted his transition from studying musical arts to studying economics. Thus, enrolling at the New York University on September 1944, he went on to earn two degrees in economics, graduating summa cum laude in 1948 and attaining his MA in 1950.Although he was never able to finish his PhD at Columbia University owing to a lack of a dissertation, he attained it later on at NYU in 1977 without having to make the particular requirement as well as honorary Doctor of Commercial Science on December 14, 2005. Almost 40 years before his appointment as chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan’s professional career began as an economic analyst at the National Industrial [Insert Last Name 2] Conference Board, where he stayed on from 1947 to 1953.He then proceeded to open, along with William Townsend, Townsend, Greenspan & Company, an economic consulting firm in New York City where he served as the firm’s president and chairman for a little over 33 years. Having accepted the job as a coordinator on domestic policy under Richard Nixon during the presidential campaign in 1968 and later as the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in 1974 to 1977 under Geral d Ford, the company was seen to be dwindling down from success.Successors to the chairmanship of the Federal Reserve that was being vacated by Paul Volcker were being nominated and Alan Greenspan’s name was among those in mind. Nominated by Ronald Reagan, Greenspan’s nomination hearing went through on July 21 1987 and confirmed by the Senate on August 11, 1987. He was faced with his first ever crisis; the 1987 stock market rash which was one of the biggest crashes in the history of Wall Street.His period serving at the Fed has allowed him to build credibility and flexibility in affecting the economy, combating recession by lowering the interest rates without so putting so much of a shock on the bond market. Serving as the chairman of the Federal Reserve for four terms under past presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Greenspan was nominated by President George Bush to serve his fifth tem on May 18, 2004, an extraordinary feat that has yet to be s urpassed.Among his many awards and titles that he received during his service was the Presidential Medal of Freedom, bestowed upon him by President George W. bush in November 2005, Knight Commander of the British Empire in 2002 and Commander of the Legion of Honor. Having appointed another successor in the person of yet another former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to ensure a [Insert Last Name 3] smooth changeover, Greenspan’s stay as a member of the board officially reached a close on January 31, 2006. Converted from being a logical positivist, he became an advocate of Objectivism due to the influence of Nathaniel Branden.He was introduced to Ayn Rand, the Objectivist author who was to become his mentor and friend, by his first wife, Joan Mitchell. A supporter of Rand’s philosophy, Greenspan wrote several literary pieces for the Objectivist newsletters as well as contributions for Capitalism; the Unknown Ideal, Rand’s book published in 1966 among which was an essay supporting the gold standard. A known advocate of laissez faire capitalism, a number of Objectivists find irony in the way that Greenspan supports the gold standard in spite of the Federal Reserve's role in America's fiat money system and endogenous inflation.Harry Binswanger claims that Greenspan falls short of his support of the Objectivist and free market principles as evinced by his publicly expressed opinions and actions while working for the Federal Reserve. Following his retirement from the Federal Reserve, Greenspan has a new company; the Greenspan Associates LLC, working as an advisor, making speeches and offering consulting for other firms. He has written his own memoir, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, which was published on September 17, 2007. In it, he tells of his history in the service of the U. S.government as well as issues, present and future, concerning global economy, where he voices out his criticisms of President George Bush , VP Dick Cheney and the Republican-controlled Congress. Having been given his third stint as a private adviser, Greenspan was hired by Paulsen &Co in the middle of January 2008 to get his input on economic issues and monetary policies. As such, he will be advising them on issues the U. S. economy and the world financial markets. [Insert Last Name 4] Works Cited Sheehan, Fred. â€Å"Alan, We Hardly Know You’. 20 July 2007. Safehaven. 12 April 2008. < http://www. safehaven. com/article-8006. htm>

In Defense of Food Essay

In the book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, author Michael Pollan commences his tale with a few straightforward words: â€Å"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants†. In his introduction, An Eater’s Manifesto, Pollan discusses how the dietetic wisdom that was passed down from older generations has been heavily tainted by â€Å"nutritional science and food industry marketing† (Pollan, 2008). The first volume of the book entitled, The Age of Nutritionism†, delves into this problem and helps uncover the cause of today’s â€Å"nutritional confusion and anxiety† (Pollan, 2008). Nowadays, it is not uncommon to have â€Å"edible foodlike substances† displayed in every aisle of the grocery store with all products promoting some kind of nutritional benefit from their consumption. These dietary facts are often modified to showcase dietary benefits that are barely present in the food product, if present at all. With such prevalent misinformation, today’s society has become so overly concerned with nutrient enriched food that people have either forgotten or are unaware of the importance of the fundamentals. Pollan further explains that humanity has become â€Å"a nation of orthorexics† meaning that people have developed â€Å"an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating† centred on the theory of nutritionism (Pollan, 2008). Chronic diseases that have the highest death rate such as obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer, can be attributed to the â€Å"Western diet† which consists of â€Å"highly processed foods and refined grains; the use of chemicals to raise plants and animals in huge monocultures; the superabundance of cheap calories of sugar and fat produced by modern agriculture; and the narrowing of the biological diversity of the human diet to a tiny handful of staple crops, notably wheat, corn, and soy† (Pollan, 2008). In the second volume entitled â€Å"The Western Diet and the diseases of Civilization†, Pollan analyzes the shift in eating habits of today versus those since the discovery of agriculture and the industrialization of food. In the third and final volume entitled, â€Å"Getting over Nutritionism†, Pollan offers helpful recommendations to healthy eating and living. These simple, easy-to-follow tips are intended to: educate society on the dangers of misleading information from food industries and medical communities; and to steer people away from the Western Diet and back to the traditional ways of preparing and consuming food. Pollan suggests for people to refrain from shopping at supermarkets and choose local farmers markets instead. However, for those with no other option, he recommends they only shop from the peripherals of the store. Some other advice that Pollan offers is to â€Å"eat mostly plants, especially leaves†, â€Å"eat like an omnivore† and â€Å"be the kind of person that takes supplements† (Pollan, 2008). He also states that people who â€Å"eat according to the rules of a traditional food culture are generally much healthier than people eating a contemporary Western diet†. This analysis is focused on the cultural traditions of food consumption where â€Å"eating is deeply rooted in nature – in human biology on one side and in the natural world on the other† (Pollan, 2008). People around the world have different relationships with food and eating. Pollan suggests that how different cultures eat plays a large role in what different cultures eat. He further proposes that American society, nowadays, has become a culture heavily focused on quantity and price rather than quality. Society has become so fixated on â€Å"low-fat† or â€Å"low-carb† options that they have failed to realize the true underlying issue of overeating. The distinction between price and quality is often the deciding factor for most American families. As a result Pollan recommends purchasing quality foods in smaller portions thus developing the pay more, eat less ideology. I found that this book provided tremendously eye-opening content. This book offers an insightful perspective surrounding the relationship between people and food; proposes how society, in particular the American culture, can start choosing healthier food options that enable us to live healthy and enjoyable lives; while bringing back the joy of eating and preparing food. I found his analysis of the history of nutritionism, the science behind what to eat and why, to be extremely informative. In particular, when Pollan discusses how the food industry develops food products heavily focused around the latest â€Å"fad† diets or so-called nutritional needs of society, it was enlightening to read his perspective as I often purchase items such as low-fat margarine over regular butter. It is outrageous that the food industry fought for many years to get the â€Å"imitation rule† removed and when modified was allowed to state â€Å"that as long as an imitation product was not â€Å"nutritionally inferior† to the natural food it sought to impersonate [and] had the same quantities of recognized nutrients—the imitation could be marketed without using the word [imitation]† (Pollan, 2008). By keeping consumers misinformed about such imperative factors that impact to our daily diets has contributed to society’s vast health issues. Moreover, the discussion about the differences between culture and food habits resonated with me because while I have lived in either England or Canada my entire life, my family lineage is from India. With this real-life example, I believe that Pollan is correct to assume the â€Å"certain cultures that consumed traditional diets based mostly on plants had strikingly low rates of chronic diseases† (Pollan, 2008). Nowadays, a large portion of Westernized societies base their food choices on price and quantity over quality; so-called nutritional content geared towards weight management than overall well-being; and convenience. According to Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics, â€Å"in advertising and on supermarket shelves, [there is] fierce competition [in the food industry] for our food dollars† (Nestle, 2008). She states that the Westernized food industry is â€Å"food politics in action: watered-down government dietary advice, schools pushing soft drinks, diet supplements promoted as if they were First Amendment rights. When it comes to the mass production and consumption of food, strategic decisions are driven by economics—not science, not common sense, and certainly not health† (Nestle, 2008). The role of innovation in sustainable development should focus on more â€Å"agriculture-based methods [of food production] that have been shown to prevent food waste, help resist climate change, and promote urban farming† (Nestle, 2008). What is most important is to provide innovative products and services that are centered on humanity and that meet the needs of the consumer. Pollan does an excellent job at analyzing the problem and developing solutions based on the needs of society, particularly in America. The solution here is to revert back to the traditional way of consuming and purchasing food: local food grown by local people. Pollan encourages that people become members of a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program or shop for fresh produce at their local farmers markets. This local food movement enables new and soon to be farmers to provide â€Å"environmentally sustainable agriculture [while] supporting their local community and growing food that directly connects them to the consumer† (Collins, 2011). On the business perspective, CSA’s are part of â€Å"the Small Farm Movement that is growing across Europe and North America† and farmers start off by selling their products at â€Å"local farmers’ markets to test out what products the consumer is looking for, followed by building clientele and launching into a CSA† (Collins, 2011). In order for CSA’s to succeed as a sustainable innovation, farmers must understand the importance of truthful marketing and fostering relationships with their customers as the most important part of the business model. References 1) Pollan, M. (2008). In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Retrieved from: http://ebookbrowse. com/michael-pollan-in-defense-of-food-an-eater-s-manifesto-pdf-d341084275 2) Nestle, M. (2008). Food Politics. Retrieved from: http://www. foodpolitics. com/food-politics-how-the-food-industry-influences-nutrition-and-health/ 3) Collins, D. (2011). Community Supported Agriculture – A Unique Business Model. Retrieved from: http://www. omafra. gov. on. ca/english/crops/organic/news/2008-12a2. htm.

Huntington, on Political Development and Political Decay Essay

Huntington, on Political Development and Political Decay - Essay Example Using the case of Argentina as an example, Samuel Huntington emphatically argued that political development is a complex term predicated upon a variety of factors. Accordingly, this essay will be guided by the following quote: â€Å"So long as a country like Argentina retains a politics of coup and countercoup and a feeble state surrounded by massive social forces, it cannot be considered politically developed, no matter how urban and prosperous and educated are its citizen.† (Huntington 1965: 409). Seeking to provide a thorough yet concise of analysis of the aforementioned quote by renowned political scientist Samuel Huntington, the following will analyze the content of this sentence and provide a personal analysis of his claims. Furthermore, this essay will elaborate upon this quote using examples from East Asia. What are the perquisites of political development? It is to this question that we now turn. According to Samuel Huntington, there are a variety of important antecedents that are integral to our understanding of political development and modernization. While the two concepts frequently go hand in hand, it is not always the case. Accordingly, Huntington utilizes the case of Argentina, which displayed a wealthy and educated public at the time, to demonstrate that political development is related to a variety of important factors both endogenous to the political system as well as exogenous to it as well. Furthermore, for Huntington political development refers to the institutionalization of political organizations and procedures (1965: 393). From this perspective then, political institutions are not created overnight and the embeddedness of a particular political system is tied to its longevity as well as its composition. Accordingly, Huntington finds that complex systems of government are likely to be the most stable (1965: 395) and that the social mobilization is an importan t component in the development of a mature and well-developed

Strategic Management (Topic In Instruction) Essay

Strategic Management (Topic In Instruction) - Essay Example With the company, being actively governed by a board, with the CEO, Mr. Edward Perry at the top, it comes to a situation whereby every decision made relating to the company is carefully deliberated. Decisions and rulings that fall under this category include mainly, the company’s mode of carrying out external analysis. An external analysis is a specific analytical method by a firm, which is made use of, to examine the opportunities, as well as threats, that predominantly exist in the business environment (Lee, 2010). It is important for a company such as Timber King to engage in thorough external analysis. Performing this analysis is important, most especially in the long term effectiveness of the firm. Being aware of one’s competitive environment comes in handy in terms of exploring the underlying potential in the market. The analysis is considered to be external to the firm if a question concerning the opportunities of the company, or firm, still exists even in the absence of a particular company. These factors are considered to still exist, though have to be acted on, if at all, the firm is to benefit, whether directly, or indirectly, from them (Logan, 2009). For Timber King, the company in question, to perform a thorough and effective external analysis, it is important, to gather as much competitive intelligence about the most important external factors as possible. Basically, the company has to realize factors that may include, political, environmental, social, economic, and generally all related competitive factors. The use of SWOT analysis is the most common, and widely used mode of collecting external analysis (Lee, 2010). The SWOT analysis, also known as SWOT Matrix, refers to a structured planning mode that evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats, which are involved or encountered in a business venture. This mode of external analysis involves specifying the company’s goals and relatively identifying factors that

Definition paper on Patriotism Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Definition on Patriotism - Research Paper Example The eagle is strong, ferocious and majestic. This is how patriotic citizens of the United States view themselves and their nation. Finally, patriotism invariably is connected with support of the armed forces. These are the men and women that serve their nation every day. They are willing to put themselves in harm’s way for the defense of the country that they love. A good workable definition of patriotism then would simply be a love of one’s homeland (Bennett, 2008). While all of these symbols of patriotism are powerful in their own way, they do not capture the true meaning of patriotism. There are three key activities that define true patriotism. Patriotism is defined by education that teaches you about your rights, engagement that brings your rights as a citizen to life, and courage to stand and speak for what is truly in the best interest of the nation. The first key to being a patriotic citizen is education. Often, we only think of education as something that happen s in schools. This type of formal education is vital for patriotic citizenship. Learning about the structure of the American government as outlined in the Constitution is an important first step. A basic understanding of the history of the documents that lead to the establishment of the United States of America and the current Constitution is essential if a citizen is to really be patriotic. Anyone can get misty-eyed at the sight of a bald eagle soaring through an azure sky superimposed over the image of the flag waving in the breeze. This is not true patriotism. A real patriot must know why the government works the way it does (Haynes, 2009). Patriotic citizens must know what their rights are or they may find themselves in a situation that they are loosing rights that they never even knew they had. Understanding important concepts found in the Constitution such as checks and balances, representative democracy and due process are essential for patriotism to exist because these ideas are the foundation that underlies the symbols of patriotism. All citizens need to know the content of the Bill of Rights and other Amendments to the Constitution. Without this academic knowledge, patriotism is nothing more than emotions generated by familiar symbols of the nation. Once an academic understanding of the rights of citizens has been obtained, it is then necessary for the patriot to transfer that knowledge to his or her daily life. It is important for the citizens of the United States to know what due process looks like in the real world so they can know if their rights have been taken away. They need to understand how Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assemble allow them to do the things they do and say the things they say so that these privileges will not ever be lost due to apathy. An understanding of what Constitutional rights look like in real life allows people to participate in the next element of patriotism. Acquiring the education necessary for patriotism is not a passive process. In a formal setting such as school textbooks must be studied, homework must be completed and tests must be passed. This requires effort. Informal learning about rights and responsibilities of patriotic citizens requires effort as well. Much of this learning occurs while actually living life. That is why the act of engagement is so vital for patriotism. There are many different ways a person can engage in the political process. Patriotism requires citizens to engage on each of these levels. The first level is to meet legal