Rhetoric of Dissent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rhetoric of Dissent - Essay Example In this paper, I address a different kind of a protest organized by the FEMEN activists in Europe who use their bodies and street theater elements as tools to achieve goals and deliver messages. I address the FEMEN protests in the narrative of a body rhetoric theory of Del Gandio and the concept of a public sphere of Habermas in order to explain and interpret how these activists use their bodies and what messages they are trying to deliver. Ukrainian activists FEMEN represent a radical feminist group of young women, mostly students and young professionals, seeking for gender equality and political justice. They address various issues: women trafficking and prostitution in Ukraine, social inequality, and issues of political matter such as unfair elections in Russia (Rubchak, 2011). The geography of their protests is not limited by one country; it ranges from Russia to some countries in Western Europe. Del Gandio points out that â€Å"body plays a rhetorical role in promoting or contesting political agendas (Del Gandio, 2008),† and the FEMEN protesters precisely express their concerns via body language. FEMEN activists are normally topless and provocative. Their actions might seem flamboyant and even outrageous, but they definitely attract attention and make people think of the addressed political issue. They are accused of populism and fame-seeking behavior, however, they successfully advocate for changes of social stereotypes and views on females. Habermas’ (Habermas, 1999) ideas of public sphere revolutionized the views on civic engagement and participation. Various scholars pay their close attention to this concept and apply it to various social phenomena: from revolutions and demonstrations to online activism. Public sphere is a place where individuals can freely exchange ideas and experiences and it is not necessarily limited by the boundaries of the nation-state (Dahlgren & Sparks, 1991). Therefore FEMEN activism fulfils certain

Pros and cons of preschool and childrens development Term Paper

Pros and cons of preschool and childrens development - Term Paper Example Preschools arrange such outdoor activities that help children learn how to use their problem-solving skills and make choices. Children should learn in preschools the basic knowledge base which should help them in their academics when they go in kindergarten and the following years. The goal of preschools is to make the children learn comprehension, making predictions and decisions, solving problems, drawing logics, and interrelating images and language. Hence, preschools focus on the cognitive development of children preparing them for actual academics. They are taught concepts of time management, cleanliness, concentration, and innovation. Pros The activities and pretend play at a preschool is very efficient way of getting the preschoolers learn new ideas and skills that will help them in their coming lives. Their development can be â€Å"stimulated both by providing opportunity for children to learn on their own in play and by interacting in which the adults deliberately teaches s ome thing† (Dhingra, Manhas, & Raina, 2005). At 3 years of age, children want to initiate projects and play activities that help them build confident personalities, and the guilt or suppression can ruin their personalities for their entire lives (Erikson, 1994).

Understanding - Active Listening or Maslows Hierarchy of Need Assignment

Understanding - Active Listening or Maslows Hierarchy of Need - Assignment Example Here people want to be treated with loved, affection and feel parts of groups. The next level of needs is the self-esteem and the esteem from others. When all these have been satisfies, a person would now look for self actualization, where he will be seen trying to achieve individual potential like power in the society. Maslow then sys that if we are motivated by the fact that we want to self-actualize, the every other need will just work out. As managers, we need to concentrate on the client centered skill like active listening. This is the skill that will enable a manger to listen carefully to the customer’s needs and react according to the client’s likes or dislikes. In this kind of feeling, a person is guided by the feelings displayed by the client about the kind of service being offered. It therefore requires one to actively react to such feelings in order to meet the client’s

Design in its Golden Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Design in its Golden Age - Essay Example These rises were paralleled by a growth in export figures over the same period and by 1957 the world trade in manufactured goods exceeded that in primary produce for the first time ever " (Sparke, 1987). Such economical prosperity was mainly due to the rapid development of technology during and after the Second World War. Among the most significant achievements were creation of radar and work in aircraft production. For Sparke (1987) it was creation of the transistor, "which made possible the miniaturization of electronic equipment, including computers, which in turn were to play such a central role in the postwar period, both in the automation of production and in information retrieval". Manufacturing and trade expanded rapidly and soon achieved the international level. The outcomes allowed the consumers to buy more and more and the producers made their best to satisfy purchasers. Press and Cooper (2003) in the chapter "Design and consumer culture" argue that in the first part of the twentieth century the economy was organized on a national basis. Today people, commodities, and money circulate around the world. "The things we take for granted today - driving a Toyota made in England, foreign holidays, the overseas students with whom we study, our Levis made in the Philippines, bunches of flowers sold on New York streets that are grown in Africa, e-mail exchanges with friends in other countries - reflect a level of globalization that was unheard of a generation ago" (Press and Cooper, 2003). The number of choices grew and here the designers envisaged their major challenge: design became the means by which goods were distinguished. With the help of designers producers tried to make their product more desirable for the consumer. One of the most enduring images of design for consumer luxury was the image of American car in 50's, which combined the huge sweeping forms of streamlined luxury with chrome detail and space age tail fins. General motors' Designer, Harley Earl, was aimed to channel consumer spending towards a new car every year. "By 1953, everyone in the United States who really needed a car had already bought one, so the automobile companies realized that if they were to keep up their sales figures they would have to change their styling more often. The great idea was to use design features that were so extreme that they would date quickly" (Powell, and Peel, 1988, p.66). Press and Cooper (2003) provide their understanding of design. To them it "is a process by which a product is encoded with symbolic meaning both through product design and advertising design. This encoding aims to point towards a preferred reading of the product". As an example they give the Italian scooter, which encoded a preferred reading of it as a feminized form of transport. Press and Cooper (2003, p.15) quote sociologists Scott Lash and John Uny who explain, "we analyze, not so much knowledge - or information-intensivity in production, but design-intensivity and, with the decline of importance of the labour process, the growing importance of the design process". The combination of words "total design" appeared, the expression "form follows function" was turned into "design follows sales". Designers designed anything and everything in a new postwar world

DISCUSS THE AETIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WITH Essay

DISCUSS THE AETIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WITH RESPECT TO ITS PRESENTATION IN THE FOOT - Essay Example The disease, which lasts over a long period of time, can cause damage to cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments (DynoMed.com, 2000). Foot deformities are very common in RA. These deformities may affect patient functional foot, especially hallux rigidus and calcaneal valgus (Bal, et al. 2006). Human foot is more susceptible to arthritis because the human foot contains 33 joints. About 90 percent of RA patients will complain of problems with the midfoot and forefoot while 67 percent will have problems with the hindfoot and ankle. The ankle is usually the last joint to be involved with RA (DynoMed.com, 2000). RA causes inflammation in the lining (synovium) of joints, most often the joints of the feet. The most common symptoms of RA in the foot are pain, swelling, and stiffness. Symptoms usually appear in several joints on both feet. The signs of inflammation can also include a feeling of warmth around affected joints. In some patients, chronic inflammation results in damage to the cartilage and bones in the joint. Serious damage can lead to permanent joint destruction, deformity, and disability (FootPhysicans.com, 2007). With the progress in the disease the feeling of pain in the joint or in the sole or ball of the foot will increase. The joint may be warm and the way the patient walk may be affected. In addition the patient may develop corns or bunions, and the toes can begin to curl and stiffen in positions called claw toe or hammer toe. Corns, or even ulcers, may develop on the foot. Metatarsalgia, a general term for pain in the sole or the ball of the foot, is also very common. This indicates that RA is affecting the metatarsal joints of the toes. Hindfoot and ankle pain often involves the posterior tibial tendon. The ankle itself is usually the last joint in the foot to be involved with RA (DynoMed.com, 2000). As the disease progresses in the foot region, the joint space becomes narrow and bone begins to rub on bone, leading to painful arthritis. Besides, deformities may occur resulting in loosening of the ligaments and capsule lining of the joint. If the housing of the joint or the capsule loosens up considerably, the joints mostly in front of the foot may dislocate. This can cause painful swelling on the bottom of the ball of the foot that can make walking even more terribly uncomfortable. Later the big toe begins to deviate and bunions may form on the inside of the big toe (footandankle.mdmercy.com, N.D.). In cases where the hindfoot (back of the foot) and ankle are affected, the bones may shift position in the joints. This can cause the long arch on the bottom of your foot to collapse (flatfoot), resulting in severe pain and difficulty walking. Because RA affects the entire system, the patient may also feel feverish, tire easily, and lose appetite (AAOS, 2001). AETIOLOGY The exact cause for RA is still unknown, but there are many thoughts about what might contribute to it. A sudden and traumatic injury such as a broken bone, torn ligament, or ankle sprain can cause the injured joint to become arthritic in the future. According to Cotran et al, (1994)"...RA is triggered by exposure of an immuno-genetically susceptible host to an arthritogenic microbial antigen". Heredity, or the genes from the parents, may be a determining factor in who gets rheumatoid arthritis. Roth explains that this "genetic predisposition appears to be related to the

Is It Convincing to Propose That Matter Can Have Agency Research Paper

Is It Convincing to Propose That Matter Can Have Agency - Research Paper Example There are also scholars who argue that matter does not have agency. They say that it is individuals and societies who tend to ascribe some kind of agency to matter, but that is limited to continuums of time and space. The substance of this paper is to examine in depth the assertion in Sociology that matter has agency or a life of its own so to speak. This is understood in the context that human beings tend to attribute life-like characteristics to inanimate objects which give them conventionally accepted life and functional forms that they did not have initially. This paper delves into the extent of truth about this assertion that matter does have agency. Meaning of Matter in Social Life Human beings is essentially social beings. They do not exist on their own even if they do make individual decisions at times. In order to augment their existence, they inevitably use matter. Take the cross for example; in Christian ideology, the cross symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ by the Roman authorities in order to enable the salvation of mankind from sin. However, in a much wider sense, the presence of the cross on a building has become an insignia of Christianity as a religion (Christiano, 2008, 228). Another much-explored meaning of matter in sociology is on the question of security. The passport is considered an important document of identification in international travel. Once a passport is handed over at an airport, there are coded messages in it in the form of barcodes which can be read by a computer to establish identity. Moreover, there is an attached photograph and writings which identify the holder. A lot of communication takes place between the passport and the security agent examining without any input from the passport holder. As such the passport is capable to communicate on its own just as if it were a person (Carter, Simon, 2008, 8). These examples are seen as giving the cross and passport a life of their own independent of the people immediately using them. Since they both play an important role in social life; the cross being an agent of Christian identity and belief and the passport being an agent of individual identity and right of getting through a checkpoint; they are both seen as having agency (Carter, Simon, 2008, 8). An important factor to consider in analyzing this role of matter as having agency is the issue of individuality. An individual is a constant factor of sociological analysis. Though there is raging controversy on whether an individual is the basic unit of sociological analysis or there is no such thing as an individual outside the social setting; the bottom line is that any society is made up of individuals. Certain circumstances, like moving through customs, force persons to present themselves as individuals even if they are in a family group. Individuality is, therefore, an inevitable aspect of human existence and identity (Carter, Simon, 2008, 9-10). The passport helps in identifying the human person as an individual. At an airport, even in a family group, an individual has to produce his own passport which identifies him only and not as part of the larger group. Yet the individual is shaped by society and in sociology is therefore seen as part of the larger social group. To sociologists, therefore, the individual is always seen as part and parcel of the society that shapes his character and world view.

Safelite Glass Performance Pay Essay Example for Free

Safelite Glass Performance Pay Essay Before executives undertake to design a performance pay plan (PPP), they should carefully think about the objectives that they want employees to pursue. In Safelite case, they want to increase installers’ productivity, create loyalty among its largely transient workforce and combat the industry’s traditionally high turnover rate. A good PPP should address all those problems. PPP should have a good measurement for the performance to the people who is eligible to the plan. They should also try to eliminate the factors which can affect installers’ productivity but not under installers’ control. Otherwise, piece rate will let installers feel unsecure. A potential problem with Safelite Glass’ proposed PPP is that installers could be misled to pursue installing quantities over qualities. One can imagine that poorly installed glass can, over time, adversely impact Safelite’s reputation as a quality installer. That, in the long run, will hurt the company/shareholders’ best interest. The cost for the measurement should not be too high. If incentive plan do improve productivity, it can be self-funded in that profit gains or cost savings can be used for bonus payouts. Before and after PPP installation, surveys are good approach to find out employee’s satisfaction to the new plan. Base on the survey results, necessary changes will help establish a better PPP to build up loyalty. A good PPP should incentive better workers to stay. Overall: be smart, as you get what you pay for.