Arguments For and Against a Smoking Ban Essay -- Tobacco Cigarettes Pa

Tobacco is one of the most widely-used recreational drugs in the world; mainly in the form of cigarettes, but also in cigars and pipes, and in combination with cannabis and marijuana in 'joints'. Although most countries put age restrictions on its use, over a billion adults smoke tobacco legally every day, and supplying this demand is big business. As well as having serious health consequences for smokers themselves, the pollution of other people's atmospheres with cigarette smoke also makes this an environmental issue. Attitudes have changed rapidly over the past twenty years. In the developed world, public opinion has shifted against smoking. By the 1990s, the sheer weight of evidence had forced major tobacco companies to admit that their products are both harmful and addictive. Many governments have substantially increased taxes on tobacco in order to discourage smoking, and often to alleviate the economic costs of smoking-related illness. However, while smoking has declined amongst some groups, it has increased amongst others - particularly young women. Meanwhile restrictions on the industry in the developed world have seen a new emphasis on developing nations, and new markets. Key questions for this debate are: Is it the proper role of government to legislate to protect citizens from the harmful effects of their own lifestyle decisions? Does tobacco advertising increase tobacco consumption? Do health warnings, however much of the cigarette packet they cover, reduce consumption? What would be the effects of banning smoking in all public places, or even completely? AGAINST THE SMOKING BAN 1) While a government has a resp... ...ed to smokers themselves. So-called 'passive smoking' is becoming an important issue: in a smoke-filled environment, non-smokers are also exposed to the risks associated with tobacco. Research suggests that partners of smokers have an increased chance of developing lung cancer, even if they do not use tobacco products. Beyond the health risks, smoke can also be extremely unpleasant in public spaces, in the workplace or in bars and restaurants. Smokers are therefore causing discomfort - as well as actual harm - to others. On top of the harm cause to the smokers themselves, this is surely enough reason to ban smoking. 6) At the very least there should be a ban on all tobacco advertising and even more prominent and graphic health warnings on cigarette packets to deter young people, in particular, from starting to smoke.

Public Health Care Policy Essay

The bill I have chosen to examine is bill H. R. 1983: States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act. This bill was sponsored by Barney Frank from Massachusetts. This bill calls for a rescheduling of marijuana and to defer each states ruling on its’ medical use. This bill would change federal laws to prohibit arrest or harassment of patients prescribed marijuana in any state that the state law allows. There would be minimal cost in implementing this bill as the federal government is spending a large amount of funds to enforce this law as well as hold prisoners in facilities. Currently there is a conflict between some state and federal laws on the subject of medical marijuana. According to PopVox.com there are currently no organizations opposing this bill, while it lists several organizations endorsing it. Currently the organizations endorsing this bill are the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Policy Project, the Drug Policy Alliance, Americans for Safe Access, Americans For Forfeiture Reform, and WinLiberty. This bill, in my opinion, will affect the health care economy greatly. If this bill passes it will, in essence, create a new drug for the medical world. Currently, patients that are prescribed marijuana are in danger of getting arrested or harassed by the federal government whether the patients state laws allow it or not. This bill will give power to the state. If this bill passes, it will bring a new drug to the arena of medical drugs without the cost of developing the drug. Most new drugs that enter the market are patented to give incentive to pay high costs for research and development, while marijuana has already been created, researched, and developed. The barrier to entry will be low as marijuana is low in cost to grow and is in high demand. If H.R. 1983 passes, the public living in states that allow medical marijuana will be free of fear of punishment of the federal government, which will lower the â€Å"price† of being prescribed marijuana in allowing states. The demand for marijuana would increase and lead to an increase in supply. It would enable the market to balance itself out to the equilibrium of supply and demand. Since there is no patent on the drug, barriers to entry would be minimal. With the cost so high to sell and buy marijuana for any use, other substitutes for marijuana are able to increase their prices. The demand is high for pain management, appetite enhancers, as well as anxiety medicine leading to high prices for drugs such as Valium, Vicodin, Lortab, Percocet , and others which marijuana has been shown to be used for substitutes. If the government would allow states to rule on the legality of marijuana, the drug would become easier to buy and sell in certain states. This would lead to lower barriers to entry and cost of selling bringing prices down for all marijuana substitutes. Currently, the federal government is artificially holding back the supply of the drug and the buyers, leading to dead weight loss. This policy will allow those who would like to supply the drug but don’t want to pay the high price to enter the market and lower the price that consumers have to pay to buy marijuana. The government will also save money currently being spent on enforcement of marijuana control. I believe the government is being asked to pass this bill because consumers, sellers, and the government benefit from this bill being passed; lower costs for all three, lessening dead weight loss, and increasing income toward the government in sales tax. The losers in this bill could possibly be suppliers of marijuana substitutes. They will be forced to lower their prices to compensate for higher supply of their drugs substitute. There could possibly be many externalities of the legalization of marijuana. With marijuana having a lower cost, cigar and cigarette smokers could move to smoking marijuana instead of tobacco. Fines may be created for driving under the influence of the drug as we have with alcohol. There would be more research toward marijuana for the health risks and benefits. Based on my analysis of this bill, I see more positive effects than negative. There would most likely be other externalities that have not been listed, and there may be other issues of drug control that would have to be implemented. In my opinion, giving the states’ rights to legalize or enforce control is a cheaper more efficient way to manage the market for marijuana.

Movie Review Once Upon A Time Essay - 884 Words

Once Upon a Time in China Mini Research Paper I watched a movie titled once upon a time in China directed by Tsui Hark. It is at the end of the Qing dynasty. The story happens in Foshan city, Guangdong province, China. The main character is Huang Feihong who owns a martial art school. He is a martial arts coach in the military. He tried to use his martial arts to save China and Chinese people. But the foreign nations signed a lot of unequal treaties with China. It is impossible to save the country. The people in movie are wearing the unlined long gown. Also, there are a lot of European troops and American businessman are messing around. The Qing government fully support the foreign nations. They can do whatever they want. Some of the Chinese people are working for the foreigners and take advantage of that to bully Chinese people. 10% of the Chinese people are addicted in Opium at that time. â€Å"Sick Man in the Asia† started to describe these Chinese people. The American businessmen are fooling the innocent Chinese poor people. Make them sign the contract that make them become slaves. At that time, it was the gold rush period. They used these people to work in San Francisco( because in the movie they called that place is â€Å"Jinshan† which is another name of San Francisco) in order to find more golds. In the movie, The Self-Strengthening Movement was mentioned. It happened during1861–1895, was a period of institutional reforms initiated during the late Qing dynasty . To makeShow MoreRelated finding neverland movie review Essay563 Words   |  3 PagesRoger Eberts â€Å"Finding Neverland† Film Review â€Å"Finding Neverland† is a recently released motion picture starring acclaimed actors Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, and directed by Marc Forster (quot;Monsters Ball†) Personally, I loved the movie and It was hard to find a critic that gave the movie a negative review, so I stopped trying to find someone to argue with and I came across the king of all critics, Roger Ebert. I usually dont agree with his reviews, so I figured we would clash on this oneRead MoreLiterature Review Of The Movie Industry989 Words   |  4 PagesLiterature Review Much research has been undertaken into predicting movie box office revenue and success. Although the literature covers a varied range of research, this review will focus on the collection of movie data, techniques used to predict box office revenue and success, findings and results that have been found and benefits of movie box office revenue and success. 3.1 Movie industry The movie industry has grown massively over the last few decades. Worldwide, the movie industry isRead MoreWe Were Soldiers Analysis Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesScott Johnson 04/14/09 HIST. 1700 Term Project Film Analysis/Review WE WERE SOLDIERS It’s a known fact that that the Vietnam War was fought by young American soldiers that bled and died next to one another in the jungles of Vietnam. With many wins and loses throughout the war there were over 58,000 American casualties by wars end. The movie, â€Å"We Were Soldiers† focuses on the role of the United State’s 7th Calvary Regiment in the Battle of Ia Drang, which was the first large-unit battleRead MorePorter s Five Forces Framework992 Words   |  4 Pagespublished in Harvard Business Review in 1979. Each industry generates profits, and the industry competes against 5 competitive forces for the profits. If left unchecked, the industry’s entire profits will be siphoned off making it irrelevant economically. Those 5 competitive forces 1. Threat of New Entrants 2. Bargaining Power of Buyers 3. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 4. Threat of Substitution 5. Intensity of Rivalry Threat of New Entrants was little threat to the movie making industry in the previousRead More12 Angry Men1257 Words   |  6 Pages12 Angry Men-Influencing Other Group Members This movie was great to see again and to experience all the different dynamics that were occurring amongst the 12 jurors. The time frame in which this movie takes place is not too different than what we experience today in our judicial system. The major differences today would be we do not discriminate based upon age, race or gender. All three of these factors would influence how the jurors would interact with one another and would eventually haveRead MoreEssay Critical Analysis of Blind Side Movie1089 Words   |  5 Pagesyears, one movie comes to mind projecting lives of people that follow their dreams from a under privileged lifestyle to a well known role model. An inspiring movie has to give the audience that unique sense where they themselves have a different outlook on life. That outlook hits them right in the heart where some people leave the movie theaters with tears of joy in their eyes. In John Hancock’s â€Å"The Blind Side†, many young football players c an relate to the lifestyle young Michael Oher once had. TheRead MoreEssay1224 Words   |  5 PagesMovie Review: Equilibrium 1 Movie Review: Equilibrium The movie Equilibrium is an excellent movie to relate to our Introduction to Sociology class. Equilibrium follows the life of John Preston, an elite member of a military team used to locate and destroy all things considered â€Å"sensory stimulating†. In this society all citizens are forced to take drugs that suppress all feeling and emotion. The reason for this is the leader â€Å"father† of this society believes emotion is the cause ofRead MoreJust War Theory and the Movie Glory913 Words   |  4 PagesMovie Review – The Just War Theory and â€Å"Glory† RS-289-WB - Religion, War Peace Glory is a movie that reenacts the formation of the first Negro infantry, the 54th Massachusetts, during the Civil War. Led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the volunteer Massachusetts infantry endured grueling training and strict discipline. Under his watchful eye, they slowly transformed from being wild and unruly to proud, courageous, and patriotic soldiers. Although the North believed in the abolition of slaveryRead MoreMovie Review: We Were Soldiers Essay1368 Words   |  6 PagesMovie Review: We Were Soldiers We all like to take a time out and sit down with our loved ones, and watch a heart touching movie every once in a while. What we dont do is actually take time to really focus and understand completely what the point of the movie is or what it is trying to get across to the audience. I was able to take time and sit down, and enjoy and evaluate the movie, We Were Soldiers. I was able to come to the conclusion that it is a very accurate movie, give or take a few factsRead MoreTwelve O Clock High1186 Words   |  5 PagesClock High Introduction Leadership is an essential component of successful military action, especially in times of war. War is the type of crisis that has been said to separate the ‘men from the boys’. Leaders are molded from the situations thrust upon them. As they interact with the mix of people, resources, information and environment, leaders are affected by and have a profound effect upon the outcomes. To be effective, a leader must understand and identify with those that are to be lead. People

My Leadership Style - 3690 Words

Leaders set vision, strategies, goals, and values in order to guide for desired action and behavior. Leaders are characterized by certain traits which distinguish leaders from non-leaders includes Drive, desire to lead, honesty, cognitive ability, self-confidence and knowledge. Effective leaders must have two major qualities: knowledge and communication competence. Leader needs knowledge of issue and the ways of effectively leading a team. This knowledge will enable leader to identify alternatives available. He also needs to be an effective communicator as equally listener and speaker. Leaders should acquire qualities of flexible, openness, empathetic, courage, interactive, and positive attitude. (†¦show more content†¦But it was not easy for me because this was the first time when I was chosen for the leader of a team. I was so excited to show my leadership skills I got and I was not nervous at all despite this was the first time that I was going to lead a team because I ha d seen my cousin so many times to work as a team leader. She always used to tell me how to work in a team and how to lead in a team. She was an inspiration for me as a leader. The processes involved Next day I started my campaign outside the government hospital. I saw all the team members were on time. I knew that being a leader I had to take care that every team member was getting the things properly. I had to clear that my team member were getting every single thing and understood the things. Communication can be described as â€Å"CREATING UNDERSTANDING†. Communication is very important for a leader. The leader communicates effectively because effective communication decrease resistance, and encourage moving through the change more effectively and positively. The bottom line with all of this is if you screw up communicating with team members, even the smallest changes can result in ugly problems. (http://work911.com/articles/comchan.htm). Through words, actions, body language, voice tone, and other processes you send many messages about yourself, the changes, and your organization. This constitutes precisely one-half of the communication process. TheShow MoreRelatedMy Leadership Style Of Leadership1377 Words   |  6 PagesWhen this class started I had really never given much thought to my leadership style. What I have discovered is that I have the ability to be a good leader. As I completed the questionnaires and first review the results, I was somewhat surprised by what my strengths and weaknesses were and how I would be as a leader. Being at the end of this course, I can visualize myself as a leader now that I know I have good leader qualities. Upon analyzing the answers of the three people I interviewed, two reoccurringRead MoreMy Personal Leadership Style Of Leadership1758 Words   |  8 PagesLeadership is the ability to guide others in a way that all learn and grow in a responsible manner. It is the abilit y to place another before self in order to empower them. Leadership is the ability to see an issue, assess it, and work alongside others in order to move forward. It is the ability to take an educated risk or guess and guide others in the same direction. My personal leadership style is to be a delegate. Democratic leaders allow group members to make decisions. The leader cannot be anRead MoreMy Leadership Style Of The Workplace1541 Words   |  7 PagesMy Leadership Style in the Workplace What is leadership? There are endless variations of the definition of the term, however, the one that I agree most with as defined by Ledlow and Coppola. Leadership is the ability to assess, develop, maintain, and change the organizational culture to meet the needs and the expectations of the external environment. There are many great leaders today that anyone can name off in an instant. We all try to be leaders in some part of our lives whether it be at homeRead MoreMy Personality, Leadership Style951 Words   |  4 Pages In this reflection paper I will be reflecting on my personality, leadership style, how everything in my life has defined who I am and also the types of management or leadership that has influenced me. For the first part of this paper I was able to take a personality test. This test is known as a Keirsey Temperament Sorter. I was intrigued to see what this test would say about me. The questions were interesting. On occasion they were hard to answer. You have to really look into yourself andRead MoreMy Strengths And Weaknesses Of My Leadership Style1029 Words   |  5 Pagesweaknesses in my leadership style. I plan on improving my weaknesses and sharing my strengths with others. I have noticed a trend in all of the modules that I do not stop and try to process information. I try to innovate and insist on solutions for a quick fix. This can make me unapproachable for my subordinates because I am ready to implement a solution as soon as I hear of a problem. My peers can also feel as if I am being pushy when I hear of a problem and try to implement a solution. My supervisorsRead MoreLearning And Recognizing My Leadership Style1117 Words   |  5 PagesRecognizing My Leade rship Style Nurses play vital roles in health care organizations. How they are managed by their leaders can drastically affect their performance and influence patient outcomes. It is very important to understand the different leadership styles that are often found in the workplace, as well as their effects on the staff and those under their care. I will be discussing three very common leadership styles practiced and identified by most leaders today. Leadership is a processRead MoreThe Leadership Styles That Ball My Attention823 Words   |  4 Pagesthus far, the two resonant leadership styles that caught my attention were from the book Primal Leadership: realizing the power of emotional intelligence. The first is the visionary leadership style, which is strongly reminiscent of the charismatic style discussed in my leadership article review. This style of leader focuses on future possibilities and considered to be exceptionally positive and transformative in nature. The second leadership style is the democratic style which embodies collaborationRead MorePersonal Leadership Style Of My Career Essay896 Words   |  4 Pages1. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work for several leaders who in one way or another influenced and molded my personal leadership style. Although not all of them are revered as positive influences, each one of them provided me with the building blocks to develop myself as a leader and fi nd my place within the organization. 2. Remembering a Boatswains Mate Master Chief at my first unit. He taught me to be fair but firm. I can practically hear him right now saying â€Å"Don’t takeRead MoreSummary of My Leadership Style Essay1151 Words   |  5 PagesSummary of my leadership style Reflective practice is the best way for educators to search for ever-improved ways to facilitate student learning. Reflective practice also incorporates the belief that much resistance to change is rooted in the unexamined assumptions that shape habit. To create change, then, we must examine current practice carefully and develop a conscious awareness of these basic assumptions (Karen, 1991, Oesterman Kottkamp, 1993; Schà ¶n).Thus you must use reflective practicesRead MoreCase Study : My Leadership Style857 Words   |  4 Pagesto explain how 1SG Jeffrey Uth influenced my leadership style. 1SG Uth took over in Echo Company 305th Military Intelligence (MI) Battalion (BN) in January 2013. I was the training room NCO working directly for the 1SG and Commander at the time. The prior 1SG was not well liked, he like to micromanage and belittle the Soldiers and NCO s in the company. The moral of the company at the time was not good. At the first sensing session, I could see that my peers were already smiling and looked a

Harsher Sentencing Policies And More Punitive Laws

In the last few decades, there has been an increase in the number of individuals who have been incarcerated in both federal and state prisons. Indeed, research has shown that harsher sentencing policies and more punitive laws have resulted in the incarceration of more than 2.3 million people in the varied jails and prisons; thereby making the United States the leader as far as incarceration is concerned. Incarceration and sentencing systems have conventionally been aimed at having varying goals including rehabilitation, incapacitation, punishment and deterrence. Recent decades have seen the enactment of sentencing policy initiatives with the aim of enhancing the criminal justice systems deterrent effect. The term deterrence underlines the discouragement of an individual from doing something for doubt or fear (Tonry 24). Casare Beccaria, the father of classical criminology, believed that certainty, severity, and swiftness could deter crime. He expressed that as certainty of penalizat ion goes up, the less likely someone is to transgress the law. So if the criminals figure out that they would be penalized, they would be more discouraged to commit a crime. He strongly believes that the laws need to be very clear and must always be enforced. His second principle of deterrence expressed that the more swift the punishment is set in, the less likely crime will transpire. Beccaria believes that the less time between the crime and the penalization, the more vigorous impact it wouldShow MoreRelatedPunitive Model Of Incarceration During The United States1321 Words   |  6 Pages Examining the Punitive Model of Incarceration in the United States and the Changes that Brought It About Collin S. Lahr Ball State University Abstract This paper explores several different sources that cover some aspect of how the United States Penal System went from the Rehabilitative Model to a punitive system. Bryan Stevenson and Betsy Matthews have written about how drug enforcement and the â€Å"War on Drugs† are responsible. Yeoman Lowbrow’s analysis of the crime rate and statistics willRead MoreThe Goals of Sentencing in the Criminal Justice System1747 Words   |  7 PagesThe Goals of Sentencing in the Criminal Justice System By: Brian Ouellette Criminal Justice CCJ 1020 Mr. Leonardo Cadogan Abstract In the United States there is no standard when it comes to punishment and sentencing. This area of the  criminal justice system is in a constant state of change. Sentencing practices and goals are always being closely examined. From getting tough on crime to more rehabilitative approaches, the views and goals of sentencing are always beingRead MoreFailure Is A Compromising And Alarming Idea. When Thinking1575 Words   |  7 PagesFailure is a compromising and alarming idea. When thinking about the drug control policy of the past half-century, failure is the only conclusion that one can come to. A dated history of combatting drug abuse with punitive measures has not led to the annihilation of illicit drug use. It has not created safer societies. It has led to the stigmatization and isolation of a substantial proportion of society and stimulated drug crimes. Now it is time to look back and address the negative consequencesRead MoreGANG VIOLENCE AND HARSH PENALTIES1465 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Chen March 20 2014 Gang Violence and Harsh Penalties The presence of gang violence has plagued the United States for many years. Although it is more active in some parts of the country than others, gang violence affects every American: either monetarily as a taxpayer or directly as a victim. Regardless, it is a concern of every individual; therefore, the criminal justice system has been addressing it for years in different ways. The approach of emphasizing harsh punishments has been implementedRead MoreThe On The Juvenile Justice System Essay1236 Words   |  5 Pagesto the purposes clause would go against the primary purpose of the juvenile justice system, rehabilitation and treatment as opposed to punishment. During the 19th century, the American legal system tended to treat juveniles who violated the criminal law much as it did adult offenders. Consequently, if courts found children criminally responsible, they would then impose the same sentences, e.g. capital punishment, and committed these youths to the same penal facilities as they did adult criminals. DespiteRead MoreThe philosophy of probation has changed over the past several years. Originally, probation1100 Words   |  5 Pagesprobation has changed over the past several years. Originally, probation officers were considered social worker, able to focus on the individual offender, rather than statutory schemes of the legal system. This ideology aligned with the indeterminate sentencing structure that acknowledged individualization of the offender. However, today probation officers have been coined â€Å"the guardian of the guidelines† (Bunzel, 1995, para 2). Under this new philosophy, probation is a facilitator of the net-wideningRead MoreCanada Should Focus More on Rehabilitation and Less on Retribution 3217 Words   |  13 Pagesgoals of sentencing include deterrence, safety of the public, retribution, rehabilitation, punishment and respect for the law (Government of Canada, 2013). However, the type of justice system in place within a s tate or country greatly influences the aims and mandates of prisons and in turn targets different aspects of sentencing goals. Justice systems commonly focus on either rehabilitative or retributive measures. Canada is a country where rehabilitation has been a formal part of sentencing and correctionalRead MoreBlack Americans Receive A Stricter Punishment Than White Americans Essay1446 Words   |  6 Pagesit consequently threatens communities of color by â€Å"disenfranchising thousands by limiting voting rights and denying equal access to employment, housing, public benefits, and education to millions more (Kerby 2).† Two professors from the University of British Columbia and the University of Michigan Law School, M. Marit Rehavi and Sonja B. Starr recently conducted a study that confirms that Black Americans receive a stricter punishment than White Americans. According to the study â€Å"Black AmericansRead MoreAmericas War on Drugs - The Prison Industrial Complex Essay911 Words   |  4 PagesAfter viewing the documentary: Americas War on Drugs - The Prison Industrial Complex, it is clear that the Criminal Justice System is in desperate need of reconstruction and repair with policies such as the mandatory minimum sentencing act which has proven to be unsuccessful and unjust in its efforts to deter criminals from committing illegal acts as seen with the increase of incarcerations of the American people and the devastating effect it has had on those in prison and the family members ofRead MoreRacial Disparities Of The United States Justice System3104 Words   |  13 Pagesdifferences in the pro portions of a racial group in the system and in the general population. There is extensive literature detailing the higher likelihood of minorities, specifically African Americans, being arrested, receiving harsher sentences, and being incarcerated more frequently than Whites. As of 2008, African Americans comprised 13% of the general population, yet made up 38% of prison and jail inmates. Latinos comprised 15% of the general population, and 19% of the prison and jail population

Marriage Proposal Written By A Successful Business Writer - Free Sampl

Question: You are Alexis, female, age 33, and have been best friends with David, male, age 33, for 13 years. In your sophomore year of college, you took a semester abroad study program and met David, who was also a student at your same college. During the semester abroad, you had a passionate eight week romance, which ended in a nasty breakup. When you returned to the United States, you both ended up in several classes together, and you got back onto speaking terms. You ended up as study partners, and forged a close, non-romantic friendship. The friendship strengthened. Your group of female friends got to know David and his group of male friends. You all became inseparable. You confided in each other about your dates with others and shared dating and relationship advice, openly, and without sensing any tensions caused by your prior romantic relationship. Upon graduation, you both moved to the same city and shared an apartment with two other people your age. When your family and friends questioned whether this would lead either to romance or to uncomfortable encounters around the apartment, you both emphatically stated that you were so far beyond the brief romance and so well into the platonic friendship that the living arrangement was ideal. You both enjoyed a purely platonic friendship with each other, without a hint of romantic emotion or physical intimacy. You lived together for five years, in this purely platonic friendship, until your jobs took you to different parts of the country. You had both become highly paid business writers, well known for your business writing skills and sought after by Fortune 500 clients. After you moved apart, you texted constantly, and visited when you could, usually with several other friends in tow. The relationship remained purely platonic. Dave married, at age 29, against your advice, to a manipulative woman who you knew would hurt him. Daves wife cut him off from you, mistrusting your relationship. This hurt you deeply, and you threw yourself into your job and withdrew from most of your friends. Last week, Dave surprised you with a text saying that his job was bringing him to town and that he had something important to tell you. You arranged to meet for dinner. It seemed as if no time had passed since you had been close friends, together constantly. Dave told you that he had divorced and that he should have listened to your advice. His ex had cleaned his clock and broken his heart. She had divided him from all his friends, including you, and now he faced life without a spouse and without his friends. He had told you that he had something important to tell you, and you assumed that was his announcement of his divorce. But during the dinner discussion, it seemed as if he had something else he wanted to say that he was not able to articulate. He seemed less comfortable talking to you than he had seemed in the old days. You stayed and talked until the restaurant closed. You walked him to the taxi stand, wondering whether you should invite him back to your place, to keep the conversation going, with no intentions of crossing the friendship/romance line. You told yourself you had no romantic feelings for him, so why not ask him to drop by your place so you could keep talking. But you could not think of how to convey that to him. A cab pulled up, and just before he got in the cab, he turned and kissed you. The first kiss since your eight-week romance in your student days, in Prague. The kiss made you wonder whether it was the type that a very long-term friend and long-ago lover could get away with giving to somebody who was now purely a platonic friend, or if there was more than friendship behind it. And as your mind wondered about this, your body gave you the answer to the question, as your heart raced and you became dizzy and had to hold onto Dave tightly to avoid falling off the curb. He pulled away, got into the cab quickly, and disappeared. You knew he was leaving town in the morning, and you stayed up all night wondering what to do. The kiss had brought a rush of feelings and desire that you had no idea would hit you so hard. You froze, not knowing what to do. He experienced the same feelings of confusion, and 10 days passed without either of you contacting the other. You decided to follow your heart. The kiss opened your mind to the feelings in your heart that your mind had suppressed. You needed to be with him for life. You decided to ask him to marry you. You decided to send him a letter, instead of calling and putting him on the spot, or texting, which would seem too impersonal. What did you write to Dave? Exercise: Write the letter. Write a description of your strategy for the letter. Discuss your choice of direct order or indirect order, and why you made the choice. Answer: Insurance company letter 1. The letter has been written using Indirect Approach. Any letter that comprises of some negative and that which anticipates resistance from the recipient is written in Indirect Order (Mirzaii Bozorg Aliabadi, 2013). 2. In a letter written in indirect format often ties it is difficult to well organize the message that is to be delivered leaving no space for miscommunication. Thus, strategizing a business letter with the use of words that may have a positively inclined appeal to the recipient despite the message being negative is important (Frear Chiu, 2015). Replacing the phrase sincerely regret by humbly apologetic would leave a greater positive impact. 3. Dear valued insured, It has come to my notice that you have recently received a letter on behalf of the company that states the denial of coverage for your loss. We are humbly apologetic that we unfortunately could not aid you in these times. The terms and conditions of the insurance contract that provides coverage, we can only cater to those claims. Kindly appreciate this initiative of the company. This is a supplement for the original declination letter that did not contain language that may have been in relevance with your situation. Please do note that this letter includes language that is in line with certain specified appeal processes. If at any occasion you are of the opinion that there is dispute in our findings and that our position is inaccurate, you may follow the directions as have been outlined and the matter will be further reviewed by the company in detail. Marriage Proposal 1. Dear Dave, Your sudden text after so long was really a pleasant surprise. You have been a good friend to me all these years and I have tried to be the same from my end. I cherish our friendship. I believed that the romantic relationship that we had in the sophomore year of college was long gone and forgotten. But, your surprise visit and the following events have made me think over and over again in these past ten days. Finally, my delusional belief has been shattered pieces and I have no regret in admitting that I still have strong romantic feelings and inclination towards you. I believe that this feeling is mutual and was forcefully denied by both of us. I have decided that I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. I will be eagerly waiting for your consent. Yours faithfully, Alexis 2. This letter has been strategically framed in a manner that would gradually grab the recipients attention with the flow of the letter that is direct (Kamei, 2012). The letter ends with the actual message of marriage proposal to keep the recipient in the lag of the message. This letter has been written using the direct order since this approach is generally used while conveying a positive message. Here, organizing the message is also simple (Arnold, 2012). Another reason is that in this approach there are lesser possibilities of resistance from the recipients end. Reference List Arnold, G. (2012).Media writer's handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill. Frear, D., Chiu, Y. (2015). The effect of focused and unfocused indirect written corrective feedback on EFL learners accuracy in new pieces of writing.System,53, 24-34. doi:10.1016/j.system.2015.06.006 Kamei, T. (2012). The Letter.New Writing,9(3), 302-307. doi:10.1080/14790726.2012.659260 Mirzaii, M., Bozorg Aliabadi, R. (2013). Direct and indirect written corrective feedback in the context of genre-based instruction on job application letter writing.Journal Of Writing Research,5(2), 191-213. doi:10.17239/jowr-2013.05.02.2

War Against Boys Essays - Childhood, American Enterprise Institute

War Against Boys It is a bad time to be a boy in America. As the new millennium began, the defining event for American girls was the triumph of the U.S. women's soccer team. For boys, the major event was the mass killing at Columbine High School. It would seem that boys in our society face great difficulties and risks as they grow up. Yet the best-known studies and the academic experts are telling us that it is girls who are suffering from a decline in self-esteem. The experts say that it is girls who need extra help with academics and elsewhere in a society that favors boys. Christina Hoff Sommers, a Ph.D. in philosophy and a former professor of philosophy at Clark University, disagrees with the increasingly popular feminist views. Sommers believes that it is boys who are being shortchanged in a society that is rapidly becoming overrun with feminist views. There is no girl crisis, says Sommers. Girls are not being pushed aside, shortchanged, or repressed in American society argues Sommers. Girls are outperforming boys academically, and girls' self-esteem is no different from boys'. Sommers believes that it is boys who are lagging far behind girls and Sommers attempts to prove this in her book: The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism is Harming our Young Men. Sommers argues three main points in this book. First, boys encounter more difficulties growing up in America today and being successful in schools and colleges, than do girls. More boys than girls are involved in crime, alcohol, and drugs. Girls attempt suicide more often than boys, but boys actually kill themselves more often. In a typical year (1997), there were 4,493 suicides of young people between the ages of five and twenty-four: 701 females, 3,792 males (Sommers 26). Research shows that boys, not girls, are on the weak side of an educational gender gap. Boys, on average, are a year and a half behind girls in reading and writing; they are less committed to school and less likely to go to college (Sommers 14). More boys than girls are suspended from school. More are held back and more drop out. Boys are three times as likely as girls to be enrolled in special education programs and four times as likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)(Sommers 25). Larry Hedges and Amy Nowell, researchers at the University of Chicago, warned that the larger numbers of males who perform near the bottom of the distribution in reading comprehension and writing also have policy implications. It seems more likely t hat individual males with such poor literacy skills will have problems finding jobs in an increasingly information-driven economy (Sommers 34). Second, boys are being confronted with challenges that arise from a society and educational system that are increasingly biased towards them. A boy today finds himself caught up in the social crime of shortchanging girls. Yet the supposedly silenced and neglected girl sitting next to him is likely to be a better student. She is not only more expressive, she is probably a more mature, engaged, and well-balanced person. He may be uncomfortably aware that girls are more likely to go on to college. He may believe that teachers prefer to be around girls and pay more attention to them. At the same time, he may also be aware that he is considered to be a member of the unfairly favored dominant gender(Sommers 43). More and more schoolboys inhabit an environment of disapproval. Often considered protosexists, potential harassers, and perpetuators of gender inequity, boys live under a blanket of criticism, in a permanent state of responsibility. Third, this bias comes from the acceptance of certain major assumptions of feminism that have spread like wildfire through science, academia, the media, government, and more. The main promoters of a gender equal academic system have a lot of power in schools, but they are far too irresponsible with the truth, far too removed from the boundaries of common sense, and far too negative about boys to be properly playing any role in the education of children (Sommers 51). Feminists have been telling our culture for years that girls are falling behind in school, they're being repressed in society, and losing out