Dogs Essay -- Shelter Dogs

The results of the study scaled the dogs on five dimensions of behavior temperament: playfulness, curiosity/fearfulness, chase-proneness, sociability, and aggressiveness (De Palma et al., 2005). Dogs living in rescue shelters were assessed as demonstrating a low degree of playfulness, showing distraction by the environment when being enticed to play. The sheltered dogs also scored low on curiosity but, high on fearful behavior. The cortisol levels for the sheltered dogs were significantly higher than the cortisol levels of canines living in households, indicative of stress and anxiety associated with shelter lifestyle. Shelter dogs showed a low proportion of chase-proneness supported by demonstrations of low physical activity and excitability. Shelter dogs were assessed as exhibiting low levels of sociability toward conspecies but, a high sociability when concerning humans (De Palma et al., 2005). This trend was also demonstrated when observing levels of aggressiveness; the dogs seemed more antagonistic toward conspecies than humans. It should be noted that shelter dogs displayed rare bouts of hostile behavior and results were supported by little data. It is interesting to find a set of shared characteristics existing in canines living in rescue shelters. Such findings lead one to speculate if the shelter environment may be partly responsible for inducing behavior characteristics? After all, dogs living in shelters are subjected to a variety of stressors including isolation from attachment figures, loss of control, intense noise, and a multitude of other distressing stimuli (Tuber, Miller, Caris, Halter, Linden & Hennessy, 1999). A dog enduring such a harsh environment is likely to acquire abnormal social behavior, retarded ... ...able the rescue staff and volunteers to be proficiently skilled in executing canine behavioral therapies. As a result, shelters would be able to help community members eradicate problem behaviors and improve the bond with their pets. This would allow shelters to become a first resource, not just a final solution. Part Two Review of Personal Experiences Since as far back as I can remember, I have always loved dogs! As a young girl, I would often beg my parents to let me adopt one, but they refused. My father was not keen on dogs and had a low tolerance for their typical behaviors. I was determined to get a dog, despite my parents’ denial. Whenever I would encounter a dog unaccompanied by its owner, I would take it home with me. When I was confronted by my parents, I would cry and make up some elaborate story as to why we had to â€Å"rescue† that dog.

Philippine Gaming Industry

Despite the surge of Pagcor income that has succeeded immensely in supporting the cash-strapped government, several lawmakers, nongovernment organizations and especially the religious sector are still firmly against government engaging in the business of operating casinos. Edward King, spokesman for Pagcor chairman Efraim Genuino, told The Manila Times that first and foremost, one thing that people should remember is that Pagcor is a creation of law. Pagcor, a government-owned and controlled corporation was established to regulate all games of chance in the Philippines. It was born in 1976, created by then-President Marcos to oversee the operation of gaming casinos, to generate funds for the government’s developmental projects and to help curb illegal gambling. An unaudited Pagcor report shows that Pagcor, â€Å"a vital arm of the government in nation building, â€Å" netted P25. 4 billion in income making it one of the biggest earners for 2006. † So is Pagcor a proof that casinos and legalized gaming can be a valuable source of government funding and an effective engine for national development? â€Å"We are created by law, we are just following what the law orders us to do. It is not a question that is up to us to decide. We must obey the law,† King said. Under the law, he explained, Pagcor is required to run casinos. He said that the most important thing about the government running casinos is that all funds that generated from Pagcor goes back to the government â€Å"100 percent. † â€Å"We are operating the casinos but here is where everything lies: 100 percent of the income that we generate goes back to the government,† King said. The state-run gaming firm surpassed its earlier record-breaking P21. 9-billion total annual income in 2004 and breached its target income of P23. 1 billion for 2005. It surpassed the P24. 5 billion target for 2006 as well. Pagcor’s 2005 total income of P23. 4 billion was 6. 8 percent higher than the P21. 9 billion it posted a year before. The issue of privatizing Pagcor is also very controversial, with several lawmakers pushing for it and even more congressmen against it. King said that while the act can be considered purely from the noble and idealistic viewpoint that government should not be in the business of gambling, one has to think from the point of view of generating funds for the government. He said that if the government would privatize Pagcor, then all income goes to the private sector leaving only a small amount in taxes being paid to the government coffers. â€Å"If you give Pagcor to the private, they will just be paying taxes. There is a huge difference between a fraction of income from taxes to 100 percent,† King said. An official from Pagcor who requested anonymity even claimed that perhaps the lawmakers have their own personal agenda. Maybe they want to be the ones who will buy and operate Pagcor, they said. Its simple, privatize Pagcor they get the income, the lawmakers may perhaps be getting their own kickbacks from certain lobby groups who want Pagcor for their personal purpose,† the official said. King merely laughed at the statement of the official adding that he did not want to comment, not wanting to get into trouble with the congressmen. King, however, added that if Pagcor is run privately, all measures such as that of the antimoney launderi ng might be removed and the private personalities owning it may use the gaming for the bad purposes that the antimoney-laundering council wants to prevent. Pagcor is created by law with the purpose of bringing much needed funds to the government. Certainly if you are run privately mahirap bantayan. How can you impose legislation on it which means how can we protect ourselves now from money laundering, how do we prevent this money going out of the country,† he said. â€Å"We are able to ensure that these things do not happen since the protective mechanism are all in place here. ’Yung mga private casinos for instance maaaring lumalabas iyang pera at magamit for money laundering once they are privately owned,† he said. We do what we can,† King said. King also thanked Congress for granting them a fresh 25-year franchise. King explained that government departments are dependent on Pagcor. The Department of Education is seeking more money from us. Even many church organizations get donations from Pagcor despite the opposition to Pagcor of some bishops. Pagcor, in President Arroyo’s own words, is an important part of Philippine nation building. In its endeavor to generate more funds for the governmen t’s pressing concerns, Pagcor has ventured beyond casino management. To meet the challenges of the new millennium, the gaming corporation is constantly looking for ways to improve its gaming products and maximizing the efficiency of its gaming operations. Philippine Gaming Market Sports betting is, to a vast population of Filipinos, a way of life from cockfighting to horseracing and basketball. Betting on number combination games such as lotteries and basketball â€Å"ending† offered by illegal bookies, has become part of millions of Filipinos’ daily routine. The gaming market in the Philippines is estimated to be over P100 billion a year. Illegal gaming accounts for half of the country’s gaming industry revenues. Internet Gaming Market The Internet gaming global market is estimated to be US$10 billion in 2002 and is predicted to reach US$14. 5 billion in year 2006. Internet Sports Betting and Internet Casino dominates most of the revenues. Although US now accounts for half of industry revenues, the gaming market is changing and the biggest area of growth is in places like Europe and Asia. Pagcor aims to go global and is keen on gaining a share of the Internet gaming revenue. Internet gaming will allow Pagcor to reach out to local and foreign gaming enthusiasts with less investment cost. About Philweb Capitalizing on its Internet technology experience, Philweb in early 2003 made a deliberate decision to focus on Internet Gaming. It established partner relationship with leading software providers in addition to establishing its own gaming software capability. On the basis of this expertise, Philweb was successful in concluding a contract with Pagcor, whereby Philweb became Pagcor’s overall service provider for Internet Gaming technology. To date, Philweb has concluded 2 Internet Gaming agreements with Pagcor, as follows: Acknowledging the Filipino’s yearning for sports and gaming as well as the continuing popularity of local sports betting, Pagcor, in partnership with Philweb Corp. , designed and deployed a new and innovative way to utilize Internet technology in fueling the Filipino’s passion for sports—Internet Sports Betting. Pagcor aims to compete head on with illegal bookies and migrate most, if not all, of the illegal gaming revenues into additional source of income for the government. Recognizing Philweb’s extensive knowledge in Internet technology, software development expertise and its nationwide marketing distribution network, Pagcor signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Philweb on November 28, 2002, engaging the latter as its technology service provider and marketing consultant for Internet Sports Betting. Subsequently, Philweb and Pagcor likewise entered into several supplemental agreements to cover the expansion programs of Pagcor on Internet Sports Betting. Philweb is a PLDT subsidiary. Pagcor license for Internet casino Pagcor has decided to offer casino games outside the land-based casinos via Internet Casino Stations. Compared with the land-based counterpart, Internet Casino Stations require less investment because of their low overhead as well as operating and marketing costs. Also, Internet Casino offers gaming enthusiasts the opportunity to play casino games in the privacy and comfort of their homes at any time of the day and at their own pace. As an additional feature, a prepaid card system will be incorporated in Pagcor’s Internet Casino betting platform to avoid credit card fraud and fast-track its nationwide distribution. Philweb is partnering once more with Pagcor to accelerate the market entry of the latter’s Internet Casino products in the Philippines. With a management team rich with Internet Casino business expertise, Philweb expects to realize with Pagcor the revenue potential of Internet Casino. Currently, Pagcor and Philweb are pursuing for the expansion of their Internet Gaming relationship to now include Internet Casino. Philweb will provide its technology and marketing services to Pagcor. These services shall include the following: Recently, Philweb, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) affiliate that oversees the operation of an Internet casino business on behalf of the government, expects to report a full-year profit for 2006, the first since it was set up in 2000. Philweb reported net profit of P42 million ($861,848) in the first nine months of 2006. The company, which oversees 45 Internet casino stations, most of them in Manila, said gross betting volume in online casinos had surged from P562 million in 2004 to P10. 8 billion in 2005. It is likely to rise by another 30 percent in 2006, according to Dennis Valdes, the company’s president. That forecast looked optimistic on a recent Saturday night in Manila on the basis of competition between a bookmaker’s office, crowded with laborers betting on horses, and an Internet casino station a few feet away where no-one was queuing to play. But the relative quiet outside the online casino belies the vast and rapid flow of money into the newest game of chance to hit Manila. On entry into what looks like an Internet cafe, where about 25 desktop computers are linked to a powerful server running gambling software, customers are asked to buy at least P500 worth of credits, and it is not uncommon for players to spend P1,000 in just 15 minutes. â€Å"We started out as an ISP [Internet service provider] and it was only recently that the company refocused on Internet gambling,† said Valdes. In November 2002, Philweb won a contract to provide consultancy services to the state gambling monopoly, which is trying to curb an illegal market that it estimates to be worth about P50 billion a year. Stock market investors are making a big bet on Philweb, whose share price more than doubled in 2006 and has risen by about a 10th so far this year. Its market capitalization of P3. 9 billion is now almost a quarter more than the combined market value of the two bigger and older companies that run horse races.

Role of Media in Society

Role of Media in Society Introduction In today’s society, the flow of information among the citizenry plays an important role towards the development of an informed society. To this effect, the media has been instrumental in ensuring that the population gets current news and information on different issues affecting various societies.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Media in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Arguably, without the media, the world would consist of an ignorant population devoid of any relevant information relating to issues affecting their environment. With this in mind, it could be argued that the media provides the backdrop against which we make sense of any new conditions and information that we encounter in a world that is increasingly becoming globalized. Since its conception, the media has been hugely influential in the development of the society. The media can be used to drive public opinion, repor t on current news and advance some social values. The media is at best a complex genre which may be broken down into a large number of subs include movies, sports, music and news. Truth be told, football clubs would never have gained such a strong and wide fan base were it not for the media. In regards to change in journalism, Pavlik highlights on how journalism has been affected by the transformation of the new media (Fernback 163). In his opinion, new media technologies have greatly affected the traditional perspective of journalism. This he explains by expounding on the new journalistic trends such as changes in the contents provided to the audience as news, changes in how journalists work, structural changes in news organizations and changes that have occurred in the correlations between media outlets, journalists and different audiences (Fernback 163). These changes brought about by new media technologies have to a large extent led to the contextualization of journalism; a situ ation whereby journalism has become less objective and practical. On the same note, Palvik (as cited by Fernback 163) further notes that these new trends perceive journalists as interpreters of current events who in their efforts â€Å"empower the audience and reconnect communities (Fernback 163).†Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Palvik, the new transformations being experienced in media outlets can be attributed to the availability and emergence of online infrastructure, high degree of customization, instantaneity and interactivity that characterize new media. In his point of view, Palvik believes that such developments will at the end make journalism a better tool to promote democracy (Fernback 163). Evidence of such developments can be derived from the emergence of the internet and the online architecture that supports this vast source of information. Through online encyclopedias such as Wikipedia and the various search engines, people are able to access information and learn about different issues that affect their lives. In addition, students in all academic fields are able to do more research in their designated fields and as a result, they become more knowledgeable in these areas than they would have been while using the traditional means of acquiring knowledge. Similarly, the internet ha s also provided people with a global means of communicating and learning about each other through websites like â€Å"facebook† and â€Å"twitter†. People from different countries globally are able to interact and socialize in the comfort of their homes without the inconveniencies caused by travelling as well as the enormous costs that would have otherwise been incurred. These facts prove Palvik’s assertion that new media is at the forefront in empowering the masses (by providing useful information) and connecting communities (interactive nature of the internet, radio and TV talk shows e. t. c.). On the other hand, Preston (as cited by Fernback 163) contends that the transformations being experienced in media are as a result of political, social, economical and communication patterns rather than technological developments. Preston asserts that the interrelation that exists between social and informational sciences accompanied by non-academic and industrial liter atures can be used by media so as to develop an equitable society and ensure social order (Fernback 163). In his book reshaping communication, Preston uses the aforementioned aspects to develop a model that explores the social role of information and communication in societies today (Fernback 163). In his opinion, Preston argues that our cultural, informational and social bearings are hinged not on technological advancements, but on the socioeconomic, political and communication trends that we adapt (Fernback 164). In this regard, it can arguably be stated that the role of the media in society is not determined by technological advancements, but by the socio-technical paradigm (Fernback 164). The positive view of the media has greatly been challenged with time. No longer do the various media outlets stand out as the ‘last front were nobility and idealism still had a foothold.’ Instead, the media just like any other business has been influenced by competition and ratings . As such, it has been noted for a fact that media outlets do at times express their own biased opinions which may not always be ideal or noble at that. For example, Gay Talese attests to the fact that the New York Times editor Gerald Boyd refused to print a story about an interracial wedding simply because it never emphasized on Black victimization (Kramer, Meyers and Rothstein 575). According to Gay Talese, any story that would soften the perception people had on such issues was disallowed and could not be printed (Kramer, Meyers and Rothstein 575). In this case, the Media’s actions which were previously perceived as being selfless and socially motivated have been exposed to not always have been driven by benevolence. These actions are at times resounded with self interests and personal gains for the media houses and the corporations that sponsor them. The previous view of the media’s ability to correctly reflect on the society’s mood has also been greatly que stioned as the media does at time appear to affect the set the society’s mood as opposed to reflecting it through the use of propaganda. (Kramer, Meyers and Rothstein suggest that the one of the media’s greatest power is in its ability to subtly influence our opinion (575). They further assert that in events that elicit a lot of public opinion, propaganda plays a great role and polarizes people along lines that they may not necessarily have taken had they not been persuaded to do so. This subtle psychological nudges can be used to further the cause of big corporations in the form of advertisements or by politicians who want to sway public opinions for their own good. To this effect, the people’s previous trust in the media report has therefore been greatly clouded by this realization. In terms of the unbiased reporting which had for a long time been viewed to be the hallmark of the popular media, it has been noted that some media reports are actually aimed at ma king the recipient of the information form a certain pre-determined opinion thus destroying any illusion of un-biasness (Kramer, Meyers and Rothstein 575). Media outlets can therefore set out to further some social cause which they believe in. Using the cultivation theory, Burton propose that exposure to some kinds of media often cultivate certain attitudes and values (Steffen 455). As an example, Steffen sheds some light on how Arab media has in the recent past adopted the western form of journalism and media presentation (455). In this regard, the author states that even journalists from countries such as Egypt and other Arabic countries which has stringent media policies accept western media values such as accuracy and balance (Steffen 455). As such, the reporter’s opinions and attitude will rub on the general population thus coloring their view of some events. In addition, the aforementioned assertion that advertisement aired in different media outlets is aimed at making the consumer better informed has been changed by evidence which strongly suggests that advertisements are aimed at actively influencing the decision that the consumer makes or may make in future (Steffen 456). What this means is that advertisement is no longer a primary tool for marketing, instead, it has been used to combat the aggressive competition. To this effect, only the consumers suffer because the advertisements no longer help them make informed decisions about the products but instead, the advertisements influence their judgments by giving half-truths. An especially troubling fact that revealed through various research efforts is that uncontrolled media in some instances leads to desensitization of the population on issues such as violence. Continuous exposure to media violence especially on the young and impressionable segment of the population can lead to catastrophic results as has been witnessed before in the various random shootouts that occur in our schools. Research shows that media violence encourages aggressive behavior and leads to pessimism in children (Burton 123; Steffen 456). This information contradicts the aforementioned perception of the media as a guardian and propagator of social values since the compelling evidence presented by research showed that media also leads to breaking of social values and leads to a disruption of harmony through the violence it encourages. On the same note, rampant advertisements through media outlets have in the recent past characterized modern media. These advertisements aim at influencing the consumer to maintain or develop some form of ideology (Bernt 194). This close relationship that media and advertising have developed raises concerns over the influences that the media may be willing to wield so as to achieve the advertising objectives. A closer observation of the movies and other entertainment forms presented by the media revealed heavy advertisements therein. These rampant acts of branding were pr eviously unknown to many and their effect though unconsciously administered is substantial. The medias promotion of social values is also at times only used as a cover to influence consumers by use of advertisement (Fernback 164). Due to these advertisements, naive recipients of the information presented are unwittingly influenced into buying the products that the particular advertisements promote. This is at best a very irresponsible behavior by the media since most people are favorably disposed to agree with sentiments that are projected by the media. These misuses of social issues as a marketing tool have also changed the positive role that the media was supposed to deliver. This is mainly due to the fact that the media is being used as a tool for furthering the objectives of corporations at the cost of an unsuspecting population. Conclusion The role played by the media in today’s society cannot be understated. However, caution should be taken because as expressed in this study, not all media is healthy. Through this research, the knowledge that has been transferred herein should not make the public skeptical of the media but should help them become more skeptical about the issues being addressed through various media outlets. This will invariably transform them from being passive, unquestioning and all-believing recipients, to active and questioning recipients of the information which is provided by the media. Nevertheless, a free and vibrant media is necessary for the good of the society. An unfettered media is the hallmark of a truly unbiased society. However, one should adopt a more questioning stance when dealing with any information provided by the media. Bellah, Robert. ET AL.Community, Commitment, and Individuality. Literacies: Reading, Writing, Interpretation. New York: W.W. Norton, 2000. 65-74. Print. Bernt, Joseph. P. â€Å"Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture: Advertisings Impact on American Character and Society.† Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly 78.1 (2001): 193-194. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. Fernback, Jan. Journalism and New Media / Reshaping Communications: Technology, Information and Social Change.†Journalism Mass Communication Educator 57.2 (2002): 162-164. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. Kramer Hilton, Michael Meyers and Edward Rothstein. The media and our countrys agenda.† Partisan Review 69.4 (2002): 574-606. Research Library, ProQuest. Web. Steffen, Brian. J. â€Å"Media and Society: Critical Perspectives.† Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly 83.2 (2006): 455-456. Research Library, ProQuest. Web.

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo Book Review

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo Book Review Flora Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures would simply be the poignant story of a lonely and cynical 10-year old named Flora if it werent so funny. After all, how sad can it be when one of the main characters is a squirrel who becomes a poet after the life-changing experience of being sucked up by a giant vacuum cleaner and rescued by Flora who names him Ulysses. The more serious story of how Flora learns to cope with her parents divorce and her relationship with her mother, makes a friend, and begins to exchange hope for cynicism is brilliantly woven into the adventures of Flora and Ulysses. Summary of the Story It all starts when the next-door neighbor, Mrs. Twickham, receives a new vacuum cleaner that is so powerful that it sucks up everything in sight, indoors and out, including a squirrel, which is how Flora comes to meet Ulysses.  Getting sucked into a giant vacuum cleaner turns Ulysses into a  superhero with great strength and the ability to learn to type and write poems. As Flora Belle would say, Holy bagumba!  While Flora is thrilled with Ulysses, her mother is not and conflict ensues. As the story unfolds with the illuminated adventures of Flora and Ulysses, the reader learns that Flora is a very cynical child who expects the worst at all times. Now that her parents are divorced and she is living with her mother, Flora misses having her father around all the time. Flora and her father understand one another and share a great love for the comic book series The Illuminated Adventures of the Amazing Incandesto!, which her mother hates. Flora and her mother do not get along well. Floras mother is a romance writer, always busy trying to meet deadlines, writing what Flora calls treacle. Flora is lonely she feels abandoned by her mother and unsure of her love. It takes a master storyteller to weave the wacky story of a squirrel with superpowers with a poignant coming-of-age story, but Kate DiCamillo is up to the task. In addition to the imaginative story, the reader benefits from Kate DiCamillos love of words. Children tend to be intrigued by interesting new words and DiCamillo has a lot to share, including: â€Å"hallucination,† â€Å"malfeasance,† â€Å"unanticipated† and â€Å"mundane.† Given the story and the quality of the writing, its not surprising that DiCamillo won her second Newbery Medal for young peoples literature for Flora Ulysses. An Unusual Format While in a lot of ways the format of Flora Ulysses is like many other illustrated middle-grade novels, there are some notable exceptions.  In addition to the black and white one-page illustrations that are interspersed throughout the book, there are brief segments in which the story is told in comic-book format, with panels of sequential art and voice bubbles. For example, the book opens with a four-page comic-book style section, which introduces the vacuum cleaner and its incredible sucking power.  In addition, throughout the 231-page book, with its very short chapters (there are 68), a variety of bold typefaces are used for emphasis. A recurring phrase, in bold caps, is one Flora has adopted from her favorite comic: TERRIBLE THINGS CAN HAPPEN. Awards and Accolades 2014 Newbery MedalParents Choice Awards Gold AwardPublishers Weekly Best Books of 2013 Author Kate DiCamillo Kate DiCamillos has had a successful career since her first two middle-grade novels, Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newbery Honor Book, and The Tiger Rising. DiCamillo has gone on to write more award-winning books, including The Tale of Despereaux, for which she won the 2004 John Newbery Medal. All About Illustrator K.G. Campbell Although he was born in Kenya, K.G. Campbell was raised  in Scotland.  He was also educated there, earning a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Edinburgh. Campbell now lives in California where he is both an author and an illustrator.  In addition to Flora and Ulysses, his books include Tea Party Rules by Amy Dyckman and Lesters Dreadful Sweaters, which he both wrote and illustrated and for which he received an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor and a Golden Kite Award. In reference to illustrating Flora Ulysses, Campbell said, â€Å"This has been an expansive and joyful experience. What wonderfully oddball and charismatic characters people this story. It was a thrilling challenge to bring them to life.† Related Resources and  Recommendation There are additional resources on the Candlewick Press website where you can download the Flora and Ulysses Teacher’s Guide and the Flora and Ulysses Discussion Guide. Flora Ulysses is one of those books that will appeal to 8 to 12-year-olds on multiple levels: as a wacky story filled with eccentric characters, as a coming-of-age story, as an engaging story with an intriguing format, as a story about loss, hope and finding home. As Flora copes with the changes the squirrel brings to her life, she also finds her place in her family, realizes how much her mother loves her, and becomes more hopeful. Her feelings of loss and abandonment are ones many kids will easily identify with and the books outcome will be celebrated.  However, it is the addition of a healthy dose of humor that makes ​Flora and Ulysses a must-read. (Candlewick Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780763660406) Sources Candlewick Press,  Flora and Ulysses press kitKate DiCamillos websiteK.G. Campbell’s website

Response papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Response papers - Essay Example Being involved in sports as school children, athletes do not realize that emulating the big league is a useless, futile and expensive proposition, as there is no income and no media adulation. Parents' and society expectations take a serious toll on the athletes, with extreme peer pressure to succeed. This leads to suicides and depression in a very large number of school athletes, who lead their lives bearing the burden of expectations of their families and their school team coaches. In the article, Bissinger has explained in some detail the excesses that constitute a school sports system becoming an obsession. Although suicide and extreme emotional stress is talked about, a mention of the organizations and support groups who help these school kids would have not only exhibited the despair, but would have shown us the hope. Man is a social animal, and physical attractiveness is an important part of social interaction. The human baby is almost universally considered cute, as are the young of several other species. A case in point was Tai Shan the Panda, who generated an almost global wave of adoration when he was displayed in a zoo. Natalie Angier explains through an extensive range of examples, the advantages and the evolutionary need of being 'cute', whether for an animal, a human, or a product. The article explains the importance of humans finding their and other species' young cute as it evokes a desire of care-giving. Due to the physical vulnerability of human infants, evoking such a response in adults ensures their very survival. There are distinct physical traits in animals we find cute, such as forward facing eyes, a sideways walk and floppy ears, that we find appear enhanced and more prominent in children's' cartoon characters, at the cost of authenticity. The author cites evolutionary evidence and shows that humans are genetically hardwired to react positively to their young's need for care. Children's products all over the world exploit this uncontrollable charm in cute objects, by creating products that are found so by their target buyer. Everything from cars to dolls have been designed to evoke this emotion. The article does go into reasonable depth on the anthropological and psychological aspects of this perception, but could have additionally touched upon the potentially dangerous cosmetic surgeries that are performed all over the world to achieve attractiveness. The author could also have touched upon the distinction between feelings of care-giving and feelings of pity, as felt while looking at a malnourished child on TV. It will answer the question whether the feelings of adoration are stronger, or of pity. "Talk about editing" response paper Newspapers have served as a barometer of the times for more than a century, and the New York Times is an established name in daily newspapers, known all over the world for its objectivity and lucidity of style and content. An important part of the newspaper is the op-ed page, where anyone with an opinion and point of view on any topic may submit an article and have it printed. David Shipley's article explains in detail the process by which a submitted article is edited, including the importance of maintaining the purity of thought and the constant interaction of the editorial staff with the writer throughout the process. Editing starts with spelling and grammatical

Simone Weil regards Christianity as a religion for slaves. What does Essay

Simone Weil regards Christianity as a religion for slaves. What does she mean by this, and is it a justified claim - Essay Example universe good outweighs evil†¦ Thus the object of this certitude is an eternal and universal dispensation constituting the foundation of an invariable order in the world. Diving Providence is never represented in any other form, unless I am mistaken, either in the sacred texts of the Chinese, the Indians, and the Greeks, or in the Gospels. She believed that such pseudo-universal religious idea was significantly transformed by the Romans in their unique and odd acceptance of Christianity, with historic outcomes: â€Å"†¦ when the Christian religion was officially adopted by the Roman Empire, the impersonal aspect of God and of Divine Providence was thrust into the background. God was turned into a counterpart of the Emperor.† Weil believed that the ideas of nationalism of the Jews and the Romans were the same—both were cruel, profane, and agnostic, both supported the exploitation and persecution of the inferior by the superior. Associated with this sameness of outlooks was a shared subject matter in the spirituality or worship of the two groups. Both the Romans and the Jews, regardless of their dissimilarities in other aspects, had a similar idea of slavery, essential to the cosmological beliefs of both people. The Jews believe that: In the texts dating from before the exile, Jehovah’s juridical relationship to the Hebrews is that of master to his slaves. They had been Pharaoh’s slaves: Jehovah, having taken them out of Pharaoh’s hands, has succeeded to Pharaoh’s rights†¦ He orders them indifferently to do good or evil, but far more often evil, and in either case they have to obey. It matters little that they should be made to obey from the basest motives, provided that orders are duly executed. With regard to the Romans, â€Å"Such a conception as this was exactly on a par with the feelings and intelligence of the Romans. With them slavery had undermined and degraded all human relations.† Therefore, Weil claimed, in addition to the

Irish Migration in the 19th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Irish Migration in the 19th Century - Essay Example Ireland once belonged to England as one of its oldest colonies. It became officially absorbed as part of United Kingdom after the Act of Union on January 1, 1801 (Moving Here Ireland in the 19th century, par2). English was the official language of the country. Statistics showed that the percentage of people speaking in Irish decreased to less than 15% by 1891. In terms of economy, Ireland was largely agricultural. People largely depended on potato crop as their main source of livelihood. "By 1840, it has been estimated that 3 million people depended upon the potato, sometimes supplemented by buttermilk, with an adult male consuming up to 6.3 kg (14lbs) a day." (Moving Here Agriculture, par.4). Poverty is evident in their social class- the laborers who depended on the success of their crop harvest and the unemployed who live in wretched cabins and miserable huts. The living conditions of Irish in the 19th century can be depicted in the common notion of what an Irish notion is. It was stated in an article in the website of Moving here Gallery that the miserable hut of an Irish man consists of "an unpaved clay floor below, a roof of straw and weeds, dank, and soak, and rotting overhead, miserable bed in the corner, an iron pot over a peat fire, a black and filthy sink before the door." (Moving Here Living Conditions, par.3). To say that Irish people only have a meager amount of income is an understatement. The uncertainty of their lives was similar to the uncertainty of nature where most of them depended. The potato crop failure known as the Great Famine which hit Ireland from 1845-1850 left many people starving to death. This compelled Irish to leave their country and look for their fate and luck to other countries, mostly in the United States and Canada. "It is estimated that almost one million people died, and almost the same emigrated." (Moving Here, par.3). Ireland's population dramatically decreased by 2 million which was from 8 million to 6.5 million from 1841 to 1851. "Early 19th century emigrants tended to come from the more prosperous northern and eastern countries, including Wexford and Dublin." (Moving Here Other Parts of Ireland, par1). Hence, immigration can be characterized as the people's mechanism to survive although later discussions would show that the early Irish immigrants or the early settlers experienced poverty, oppression, social injustice, and inequality. To illustrate this, an article entitled Irish Immigrants in America during the 19th Century found in the website of Kinsella indicated that "even as the boat was docking, these immigrants to America learned that life in America was going to be a battle for survival. Hundreds of runners, usually large greedy men, swarmed aboard the ship grabbing immigrants and their bags trying to force them to their favorite tenement house and then exact an outrageous fee for their services. As the poor immigrant had no means of moving on, they settled in the port of arrival. Almshouses were filled with these Irish immigrants. They begged on every street" (par.2). Early settlers in both countries experienced most of the struggles and hardships in establishing their lives in another country but their efforts paid off as their descendants became better educated and skilled. Irish migrated to prosperous countries such as the United States