Argumentative (intermarriage) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argumentative (intermarriage) - Essay Example It is notable that the article primarily focuses on the policy implications of the new dichotomy suggesting that it is specially targeted for political audiences. By using a political approach, Lind highlights the major challenges which will be faced by the American government as a result of this transition. Lind argues against the preconception that the United States will become a â€Å"true racial melting point† characterized by the â€Å"blending of black and white into a universal brown† (paragraph 1). The article refutes the claim of the US Census Bureau that there will be no intermarriage within the four major racial groups. Instead, he reveals the major trends in intermarriage in the United States, that is, Hispanics, Asians, and Indians have a higher incidence of marriage with Americans than with their own races (paragraph 5). Lind supports these claims through the use of various statistics. On the other hand, the article also recognizes that while intermarriage within the aforementioned racial groups with whites, blacks are left out (paragraph 8). In paragraph 10, Lind reveals that this is due to the â€Å"conservative attitudes† of the blacks which frowns upon the idea of marriage with another race and view this as disloyalty. Second is the prevailing anti black prejudice in the American society which is â€Å"picked up by immigrants† (paragraph 10). Another is the general disapproval between blacks and white (paragraph 11). Lind also examines the political implication of the beige and white dichotomy: â€Å"On the positive side, the melting away of racial barriers between Asians, Latinos, and whites† but will facilitate a division between the â€Å"enormous mixed race majority and a black minority† (paragraph 13). Lind also predicts the possibility of institutional binationalism (paragph 14). He also does not discount the probability that black Americans will also join the melting pot. The main strength of Lind’s article is its use of

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning - Essay Example For this product, the targeted segment to deal with is sports clubs. The segment that has been targeted is sporting clubs within the locality where the entrepreneur seeks to start the company. By sporting clubs, reference is being made to soccer teams, football teams, hockey team, and rugby teams. Characteristically, most of these teams own private fields and pitches that are well gardened and parked with various grasses and flora. Constantly, these grasses and flora are mowed by the teams to keep them attractive and within standards where they can be used for the various sporting activities. It can therefore be said that the robotic lawn mower comes with a functionality that is directly focused on the needs of the sporting clubs, as far as their fields and parks are concerned. Another characteristic is that this segment often has institutionalized organizational structure that put staff in charge of finance and accounting. What this means is that by targeting them, the entrepreneur and the company will be dealing with them on a business to business basis. The reasons for selecting the targeted market are directly reflected in the major characteristics that have been given about the segment above. In the first place, the size and number of these sporting clubs would mean that there will be a readily identified market for the robotic lawn mower. Indeed, the more the machines are sold, the more likely the company will be expanded. It is therefore important to choose this segment which guarantees ready market due to the type of business in which they are engaged in. Again, the financial risk in dealing with business to business marketing can be said to be relatively lower than dealing with business to customer marketing. This is because businesses guarantee quicker and assured payment of their debts than individuals do. This is another reason that makes the selected segment ideal and convenient,

Passive movements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Passive movements - Essay Example To optimise the benefits from the passive movements and passive therapeutic exercises, more experimental evidence needs to be gathered in order to better understand things like specific tissue effects and physiological mechanims of action involved (Frank et al. 1987). A clinical approach utilizing skilled, specific hands-on techniques, including but not limited to manipulation and mobilization, used by the physical therapist to diagnose and treat soft tissues and joint structures for the purpose of modulating pain; increasing range of motion (ROM); reducing or eliminating soft tissue inflammation; inducing relaxation; improving contractile and non-contractile tissue repair, extensibility, and/or stability; facilitating movement; and improving function (AAOMPT, 1999). Some recent research has demonstrated significantly better outcomes for patients who used manual therapy in conjunction with other forms of therapy, such as exercise and proprioception training, than when manual therapy was used alone (Jull et al. 2002). Within manual therapy, the administration of passive movements is generally denoted by the term "mobilization". The APTA (American Physical Therapy Association), and the AAOMPT (American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy) define mobilization as a manual therapy technique comprised of a continuum of skilled passive movements to joints and/or related soft tissues that are applied at varying speeds and amplitudes, including a small amplitude/high velocity therapeutic movement (Olson, 2004). In this essay, we are specifically concerned with joint mobilization, which differs from soft-tissue mobilization (massage therapy) or manipulation (chiropractic). We shall be discussing the specific physiological pathways underlying the manifest effects of passive movements. We shall begin, though, by better familiarizing ourselves with the nature and scope of passive movements as they are employed in a clinical setting. Neurophysiological Response to Joint Mobilization Physiotherapy aims to bring about musculoskeletal rehabilitation. To this end, PT prominently involves the use of a combination of exercise and manual therapy techniques. Joint mobilization is a manual therapy procedure involving loosening up of the restricted joints and increasing their range of motion by providing slow velocity and increasing amplitude movement directly into the barrier of a joint, moving the actual bone surfaces on each other in ways which individuals with compromised musculoskeletal function cannot move by themselves. By subjecting motion-restricted joints to gentle movement through a particular segment of the full range, joint receptors can be by and by reeducated to allow a range of motion. Such release from stiffness happens with a concomitant relief from pain in most cases. Administation of passive movements to an affected joint can lead to restoration of the optimal length of muscle fibres, besides resulting in the reduction of the pain-spasm cycle (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 1991). A joint can primarily move in two ways: a) in physiological movements consisting of extension, flexion,

Hollywood’s Dilemma Essay Example for Free

Hollywood’s Dilemma Essay After two decades of labor peace, Hollywood is now facing a major dilemma as movie and television writers embark on an industrywide strike. The walkout brought the first widespread shutdown of the entertainment industry since the 1988 writers’ strike which lasted five months and cost the industry more than $500 million. The call for strike resulted after more than three months of contentious negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the 12,000-member Writers Guild of America (WGA) whose contract expired last October 31. The dispute sparked after the writers demanded that they be given a bigger slice of DVD profits and revenue from the distribution of films and TV shows over the Internet. Producers however brushed off the writers requests, arguing that industry economics and still-shifting technology made accommodation impossible. The series of negotiations began as early as July with a demand by the producers that compensation for the new media be postponed until an industry group could study the matter. It also demanded that writers accept a radical restructuring of the residuals system, under which companies would make payments only after they had recouped the cost of movies and programs. Both demands were rejected by the writers. The producers then withdrew their demands but refused to grant the writers’ requests. Failures to come up with a compromise led to writers’ warning that would stage a strike if their demands would not be met. The writers’ guild drew up an aggressive set of strike rules that forbid members from working during the walkout. In response, producers published on their website a road map for writers who might want to invoke their rights under federal labor law to keep working during a strike. Other last-ditch talks occurred but these failed to avert the strike. The strike began after the failed negotiation talk on November 4. Writers in Los Angeles started picketing 14 studio locations in four-hour shifts from 9a. m. to 5p. m. On the other hand, 50 striking writers wore red strike T-shirts at Paramount Studio’s gate. In front of NBC studios at Rockefeller Center in New York, strikers used a giant rat to impersonate network executives and chanted, â€Å"No Contract, No Shows. † Unlike the 1988 writers’ strike which led to flourishing of reality television, cheaper production costs, and decent ratings for broadcast and cable networks, this year’s strike seems to result to more negative effects to the entertainment industry. The first casualties are the late-night talk shows which depend primarily on current events. Also expected to feel the strike’s impacts are the daytime television shows and soap operas which usually tape about a week in advance. Production of movies and primetime TV programs shall also be affected though the effects will not be immediate as most of the studios have stockpiled dozens of scripts which could last until early next year. The strike really has great implications not only in the entertainment industry but in the country’s economy as well. It affects not only the 200,000 workers in the movie and television industry but other industries as well. It also threatens to affect the economy of Southern California. The entertainment industry contributes an estimated $30 billion annually, or about seven percent to the economy of Los Angeles County. The local tourist economy shall likewise be affected as there is a tendency that tourists who observe that the entertainment industry is shut down will conclude that the economy is also weakening. In conclusion, the two parties must give way to each other’s demands and come into compromise for the sake of the industry itself and the national economy. After all, strikes or its any other forms are useless if none of the parties involved would find way to compromise. Works Cited Cieply, Michael. â€Å"Hollywood Producers Drop a Key Demand† The New York Times. October 17, 2007 â€Å"Hollywood Writers Strike† Ohio. com. November 5, 2007 http://www. ohio. com/news/break_news

Collusive Behavior in Soft-drink Market Econometric Analysis

Collusive Behavior in Soft-drink Market Econometric Analysis Brief Summary This paper proposes a methodology to study a firm’s strategic behavior by combining game theoretic concepts and recent economic developments. It analyses various forms of collusive behavior of firms on two strategic variables-price and advertising- in a differentiated market dominated by a duopoly. The econometric methodology adopted is fully structural. The methodology involves specification of demand and cost functions and hypotheses about the strategic interactions among players. The parameters of the demand functions and the cost functions are estimated under different strategic hypotheses. Prior work have modeled strategic interactions (output and pricing decisions) in a non-cooperative static method using static conjectural variation models. However, recent developments in game theoretic work as well as experimental evidence have shown evidence of cooperation among players in repeated game contexts even under the assumption on non-cooperative behavior. Such kind of cooperation is referred to as tacit collusion. Given the complexity of empirical study of collusive behavior, the authors deal with the black box of strategic dynamic interactions by selecting a sufficiently rich range of formulations expressing various degrees of collusion. With two observable instruments of competition-price and advertising, the authors offer various simple formulations of collusive behavior and select among them. The merits of each formulation is based on the range of possible levels of collusion. Since the econometric models are nonnested, tests for nonnested hypotheses is performed to select the most adequate model. The models are estimated by full information maximum likelihood methods. This study also extends the traditional conjectural approach for the empirical analysis of market power. The proposed methodology is then applied to the soft drink industry which is dominated by The Coca-Cola Company and Pepsico duopoly. Three models of non-collusive behavior and three models of collusive behavior is estimated. Based on the results, the hypotheses of non-collusive behavior is rejected. The results suggest some tacit collusive behavior in advertising between the Coca-Cola Company and Pepsico for period covered by the sample data. However, collusion on prices does not seem to be well supported by the data. The methodology allows for various switching regimes specifications because there is a potential change of behavior in the middle of the sample. The paper estimated models with two regimes- before and after 1976. Results show that Coca-Cola is a Stackelberg leader in price and advertising until 1976, and after 1976 there is collusion in advertising and prices. Results also show an increase in market power for both the firms after 1976 based on the Lerner indices calculations. Key Strengths Simplifies demand and cost specifications by imposing restrictions on parameters as per economic theory On the broader level, there is a formidable task of simultaneously estimating demand and cost functions, and to determine the most adequate collusive hypotheses. Because of this enormous demand on data, there is a need for simple specifications that limit the number of estimated parameters with the risk of having results that can be strongly affected by the implied misspecifications. So a simple demand specification is chosen for analytical and empirical tractability. This is done by imposing restrictions on parameters based on economic theory. So based on economic theory, constraints are imposed on the parameters signs. The given demand specification implies diminishing returns in advertising and also allows for a wide range of cross-advertising effects. The effect of advertising has also been restricted only for the given quarter. This restricted form of advertising effects decreases the complexity of the reduced form. Constraints are also imposed on the parameters of cost functions based on economic theory. A choice of constant marginal cost is made for analytical and empirical tractability. Takes into account model misspecification with respect to statistical inference Model misspecification can happen when the models are simplified as in this case and when the models are not correctly specified. So the models that are statistically dominated by another competing model are misspecified. However, statistical inference can be made on the parameters of these models provided White robust t statistics are used. Adopts full information maximum likelihood method for getting reliable estimates Limited or full information estimation by 2SLS and 3SLS methods have certain drawbacks. One such drawback is that it does not provide estimates of some structural parameters such as the collusion parameter and the coefficients in the cost functions. Another drawback is that they produce unreliable estimates. Also, the standard Wald statistics cannot be used directly because each set of nonlinear restrictions appear in the explicit or parametric form. Instead one must use the generalized Wald statistics that requires a nonlinear minimization for each set of restrictions. The last drawback is that selection among the models can only be done indirectly through these generalized Wald tests. This may lead to undesired outcomes. To avoid the above mentioned issues, the authors adopt a direct method that estimates by maximum likelihood (ML) each model with its defining set of nonlinear constraints. This method produces in most cases very reliable estimates. Computes multiple elasticity measures to get a better grasp of the magnitude of parameter estimates The authors are able to calculate own price, cross-price and income elasticities for each demand equation. They also calculate the own and cross-advertising elasticities. The cross advertising elasticity has been further decomposed into predatory advertising elasticity and global advertising elasticity based on the concepts of predatory and spillover effects introduced by Roberts and Samuelson (1988). Predatory advertising elasticity gives the rate of change of the market share of firm j caused by a 1% increase in the advertising of firm i. Global advertising elasticity gives the rate of change of the total market demand caused by a 1 % increase in the advertising of firm i. The spillover effect of advertising corresponds to a distribution of the change in total demand due to the advertising of firm i in proportion to the share of firm j. This can be defined from the decomposition of cross advertising elasticity. The model allows for various switching regimes specifications The price of Coca-Cola showed an unusual increase in fall 1976 and was immediately followed by a sharp fall. This period corresponds to the mid-1970s sugar crisis. So on the basis of this observation the authors have extended their work by formulating and estimating models with two regimes- before and after 1976. The two regime models are estimated using a switching dummy variable which has the role of imposing the proper set of nonlinear constraints on the general linear model within each period. The results indicate that Coca-Cola is a Stackelberg leader in price and advertising until 1976, and that collusion in advertising and competition in price takes place after 1976. Extends the conjectural variation approach and compares it with the collusive models used The authors extend the traditional conjectural variation approach to the case of differentiated products with two control variables- price and advertising. When contrasting this approach to theirs, the authors find evidence that their collusive models cannot be viewed as special cases of conjectural approach. The conjectural model and any of the collusive models used in the paper are nonnested. Particularly, the conjectural model imposes a different set of restriction on the parameters of the general linear model in comparison to the restrictions imposed by collusive models.

The Signal-Man and The Monkeys Paw :: Free Essay Writer

How do the writers create a sense of suspense? Fictional text need to be interesting so that the reader likes it. Many writers use many different things to capture their reader’s interest. Both Charles Dickens and WW Jacobs, in the Signalman and the monkeys paw both use different ways to try and keep the interest of their reader. The Signalman and the Monkey paw, are very similar both are horror stories set in 0ne location with very few characters. Even though they seem similar, they are actually told in different styles. Throughout the story the Signalman, Charles Dickens uses a Varity of methods to create atmosphere, tension and mystery. The author of this short story Charles Dickens was motivated to write this story because of a terrible train wreck at Staple Hurst, Kent, which he was involved in on 9 June 1865, in which several passengers died but he survived by luck. The story â€Å"The signalman† starts with the quote "Halloa! Below there" as the story unfolds this quote becomes very important. At the start of the story â€Å"The signalman†, suspense is created when the narrator calls out to â€Å"the signalman†; the signalman seems to stare at him in shock. It seems to be weird because the signalman seems to fear the narrator, or is somehow astonished by his presence. The signalman’s actions create ambiguity, which is successful to create the overall suspense. Both the writers use conflict to create suspense, for example in the signalman, the narrator and the signalman seem to show a sense of conflict. For example the narrator presence, seems to astonish the signalman. The signalman says† before he stirred I was near enough to him to have touched him, not even then removing his eyes from mine, he stepped back one step and lifted his hand† the signalman is implying that he is uncomfortable with the narrator. Even the narrator notices the weird behaviour that is displayed by the signalman he says, â€Å"You look at me, I said forcing a smile, as if you dread me†. They do not understand each other at this moment; the both think that each other are ghosts. The signalman says, â€Å"I was doubtful, he returned, whether I had seen you before, where? He pointed at the red light he looked at there? I said†. The signalman was implying that he had seen the narrator, under the red light that was the same place which he also said he had seen the ghost. The narrator also believes the signalman is a ghost he says, â€Å"A monstrous thought came into my mind as I perused the fixed eyes saturnine face, that this was a spirit not a

Tribal Feminism

Paula Gunn asserts in her work â€Å"Pushing up the Sky† that tribal life of Native Americans possess an acceptable and dominated element of matriarchy and female- dominance. But she also make it clear that â€Å"tribal feminism† present in the tribal life was different to the concept of feminism that surged the modern society since late 1960s. The cotemporary feminist movements consider the tribal society as lame centered in which women were subjugated and oppressed. She suppose that this misconception on the part of the new feminists are due to tampered literature that present a distorted image of women condition in the tribal societies. She provides examples from a specific narrative (that conveys a totally different meaning and context of a ritual ceremony and woman role in it in the tribal society) to prove her point. Let’s examine her point of view in details.Paula Gunn Allen has juxtaposed modern feminist approaches to that of â€Å"tribal feminism† as persisted in the Native American tribes. She further implies that pre-conceived notions of the modern feminists can not be attributed to the tribal feminism and that feminism (tribal must be observed and analyzed in its contextual framework using employing the basic tenets of feminist thought. She provides reason for this as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"[t]he contexts of Anglo-European and Keres Indian life differ so greatly in virtually every assumption about the nature of reality, society, ethics, female roles, and the sacred importance of seasonal change that simply telling a Keres tale within the an Anglo European narrative context creates a dizzying series of false impressions and unanswerable (perhaps even unoposable) questions.† (p. 238)For this purpose she takes the example of marriage. According to modern feminist approach, marriage is considered as an operational tool for masculine supremacy and dominance. (p.237)   It provides justification to every masculine act of domestic opp ression and subjugation of women in way or the other. But for Keres and for most of other American Tribes, it has no anti-feminist connotations. She says in this regard, â€Å"[P]aternity is not an issue among traditional Keres people; a child belongs to its mother’s clan, not in the sense that she or he is owned by the clan, but in the sense that she or he belongs within it.† (p. 238)Modern feminist viewpoint will consider the information that the have received through different information channels. The foremost of these channels are the narratives that are written by Anglo-European writers. For example the narrative of Gunn describe Kochinennako as cause of conflict and thus maligned the woman character in the tribal society but Paula is of the view that truth is different from what a modern feminist takes from Gunn’s narrative. She asserts that from a native point of view, Kochinnenako is serving as a social tool in the narrative and â€Å"it is through her ritual agency that the orderly, harmonious, transfer of primacy between the Summer and the Winter people accomplished.†(p. 238) So she is a dominant force according to Keres viewpoint that enables the society to create harmony and balance in the tribal life.Paula further sustains the viewpoint that a modern feminist will read a Gunn’s version of a story, will consider tribal society as patriarchal and male-centered   in which Kochinennako marries an indifferent and violent person against her will. Her will or approval is not considered necessary. So tribal society   bvdoes not take into account the feminine feelings and their ultimate right to choose. A rather radical supposition that will come out of this reading is about the abuse of power where common folk is afflicted with pathos and miseries due to Kochinennako’s â€Å"unfortunate alliance†.Paula further illustrate that these interpretations of Gunn’s story are not in align with tribal soc io-economic patterns and structure of Keres but rather it’s manifestation of Anglo-European tradition that are forcefully and/or wrongly implied to the tribal structure of Keres. She further asserts that it is the narrative structure of the Gunn’s story that is woven in a way â€Å"to confirm a feminist’s interpretation of the tale as only another example of low status of women in tribal cultures.†(p. 235) Gunn’s narrative version itself is tampered with Anglo-European sexist, classicist and racist notions and concepts.Consciously or unconsciously, these notions and other related values are immersed in the mainstream tribal thought in a subtle way that an ordinary reader can not detect them. Furthermore, the linguistic inability of one language to transmit the concepts and values of another culture is another problem that renders alteration to the cultural concepts of one culture. Paula says in this regard, â€Å"So while the problem is one of tra nslation, it is not simply one of word equivalence. The differences are perceptual and contextual as much as verbal† (p.225) Third factor that further deteriorates the situation is non-understanding of a proper contextual framework in which values, rituals and traditions operate.To understand a tribal narrative it is mandatory to comprehend its contextual framework. So Paula assumes that Gunn’s version is tampered on the same pattern and his story contains notions of â€Å"Christianization, secularization, economic dislocation† patriarchal tradition of Anglo-European life etc. together â€Å"with linguistic inequivalence and lack of contextual understanding. Or this purpose she provides the example of Hiut-cha-mun-ki-uk. Guinn has translated this as â€Å"broken prayer stick† but Paula says that it originally means â€Å"——-. Furthermore, Gunn is unable to provide cultural assumptions and orientations related to these terminologies. Thatâ⠂¬â„¢s the reason that these terminologies are perceived in wrong connotations.Paula further says that Gunn has neglected the broad contextual framework in which the whole story operates. This narrative version is related to a ritual that celebrates the seasonal change i.e. the coming of Summer. Additionally, as this story is taken from yellow woman story, and;  Ã¢â‚¬Å"[t]he themes and to a large extent the motifs of these stories are always female-centered, always told from Yellow women’s point o f view. Some older recordedVversions of yellow woman tales (as in Gunn) make yellow woman the daughter of the hocheni’s. Gunn translates Hocheni as â€Å"ruler†. But Keres notions of the hicheni’s function and positions are as cacique or Mother Chief, which differ greatly from Anglo-European idea of rulership.†(p.226)Paula further reinforces the idea that woman has a special place in the Keres of Lagua and Acoma Pueblos. Yellow woman is regarded as an ep itome of certain extra human abilities. Paula elaborates that â€Å"in many ways Kochinennako is a role model though she possesses some behaviors that are not likely to occur in many of the women who hear story†. (p.227)   Paula wants to imply that her feminine character is different not only on the chronological basis but due to a different concept of woman hood in the tribal societies of Native American. So distortions and immersion of western thought in the narrative of Gunn also blur the vision of Modern feminists who consider a different view of â€Å"women status in the tribal life† that has nothing to do with real tribal society and its feminist notions.Paula assertions seem valid about the distortion of contextual framework and its negative effects on the feminine perception of tribal women life. She thinks that incapacity of Western mind to understand and interpret the true tribal mindset and values pertaining to feminism in particular and other socio-cultur al phenomenon â€Å"because they are generally trained to perceive their (tribesmen) entire world in ways that are alien to tribal understandings.† (p. 243).Her point of view about the linguistic tampering due to various mentioned facts is also convincible. But sometime she draws upon far-fetched arguments to prove her point of view. The tribal society as depicted by her illustrations of Gunn’s narratives, clearly manifest a balanced and just society where both male and female members of the community are on equal terms. Although particularly in the domestic sphere they have dominance but they are absent from other aspects of mainstream social life. However, the arguments of Paula contain logical assumptions. But the supposition about the difference between modern feminist concepts and â€Å"tribal feminism† due to the misconception due to biases of the narrator and narrative structure is valid and authentic.