Making Headlines :: Articles New York Papers

Making Headlines At Dawn, the Bird (All NY Times headlines taken from the week of the shuttle crash--the first week of February) I. Possible Damage to the Wing We were watching TV when the bird hit the window and fell to the patio with its wing arched unnaturally beneath it. "Is it possible that it's still alive?" I ask. My father shakes his head. "Well..." he sighs. His face looks pained in the moment that the bird's body thumps against the window and drops to the ground--then it softens to grief. A small pool of blood emerges from beneath its body. I cock my head at the mystery of this bird that mistook our window for air. Your body grows cold already, Texas patio dove. Penguins spend up to seventy-five percent of their lives underwater--even those on display at the aquarium. We watch them dive headfirst into the water like fat arrows, their arms sleek and thick at their sides. Fish, freshly killed and slick like steel, slip down their throats without a word. In Chilean folklore, the penguin is not the only bird unable to fly. The Alicanto is a nocturnal sparrow that feeds on the veins of gold and silver. The weight of the metal is what keeps it from flying. II. Tracking Shuttle, Many Saw Long Trail of Flames Instead The Egyptians' bird of eternal life was what the Greeks would call Phoenix. Did it roost in treetops and cactus arms? Or did it fly, leaving trails of flames across the horizon? Did it scatter its ashes over the earth like the strewn answers to immortality; the clues to rebirth irreparably dispersed like the infinite pieces of a puzzle? I used to fall asleep to locusts. Their plump insect bodies sang a long and unanswered serenade. They lived on the trees outside my window. They left crisp skeleton skins behind them, whose leggings still clung to the bark. I have never seen them land, though I wonder if they do it all at once, or in pieces. If they gather to one tree over time, or if they descend in swarms, settling over the branches like a shroud--a skin of screaming scales. In Carlsbad Caverns, stalactites plunge earthward, stalagmites stretch heavenward. Like tapered tree trunks. Like lava. My voice trickles over the cool of the walls. Here and there, ends meet--a stalactite thinks it has reached the earth, and a stalagmite believes it's in heaven.

Applying Ethical Theories Essay

Summary Plagiarism in today’s â€Å"copy and paste generation† is an unremitting, complex issue that is not yet fully understood. The paper responds to this proposition with a thesis that understanding the ethical reasoning provided by students in defending plagiarism is crucial in preventing it in student populations. The reasons can provide the basis for specific action-orientated recommendations to reduce plagiarism and to design programs to encourage originality and academic honesty within the relevant educational institutions. Moreover, the authors explain that this study has broader implications, given the link between educational plagiarism and the organisation and profitability of businesses. The paper develops an ethical framework to analyse the reasons that students use when defending their plagiarism. This framework is based on previous research into the ethical reasoning of students in different contexts. The authors explain and apply six ethical theories in the paper: Deontology, Utilitarianism, Rational self-interest, Machiavellianism, Cultural relativism and Situational ethics. The paper uses content analysis methodology to implement the ethical framework described above. Consequently, the research evaluates the recorded content found in the confidential files of students found to have plagiarised work at a US university. This includes the formal process by which the students were charged with plagiarism and how they defended their actions. To ensure the research was not biased two judges were used to evaluate the reasoning. To ensure a sufficient level of inter-rater reliability, the judges evaluated 20 identical ads before being given the cases used in the study. Their results show students used all 6 ethical theories, deontology being the most common with 41.8% of using this reasoning. Variables such as â€Å"Sex, Ethnicity and GPA† had no effect on the student’s ethical reasoning. Students who used the Internet to plagiarize were more likely to resort to Situational ethics and Utilitarianism. The  paper concludes by listing a series of recommendations for each ethical theory on how to instil ethical behaviour and help prevent cases of plagiarism. Critical Analysis of the paper’s purpose Plagiarism and the internet Granitz and Lowey describe a new ‘plagiarism epidemic’ in the paper subject to review. The analysis that they present, that plagiarism is increasing due to the ease of which information can be lifted from the internet, is justified by previous academic research. The Internet provides as huge source of information which is easily available to students for use in academic papers (Weinstein & Dobkin, 2002.) Moreover, the way that information is presented and is accessible on the Internet has made plagiarism easier (Klein, 2011). Students have the opportunity to copy and compile information from a variety of sources with speed, particularly when compared with ‘old-style’ plagiarism using hard copy sources. However, since the publication of the paper in 2006, it could be argued that many professors have become more ‘tech savvy’, particularly with the development of technology in electronic detection tools (Klein, 2011.) Consequently, it is less easy to sustain the argument that transgression may present an ‘irresistible challenge’ to students, as technology improves and if teachers in academic institutions become more technologically adept. Applying ethical reasoning to plagiarism After a historical analysis of the development of the concept of plagiarism, the paper moves on to conclude that our modern perception of plagiarism is that it is ‘morally reprehensible’. I would critique this approach using the analysis of Morality and Ethics put forward by Klein in 2011. Granitz and Lowey do not appear to consider the extent to which the moral and ethical approach of students in academic institutions may differ from the general modern perception of plagiarism that they describe. Klein describes the research which suggests that there is ambiguity on what is perceived as plagiarism among learners. Quoting Weiss & Bader (2003), ‘ [a]n example of an area of ambiguity might include peer collaboration and knowing to what extent the collaboration is considered inappropriate’. Consequently, I would argue that the paper does not fully consider the extent to which the ethical  problems posed by plagiarism may be problematic because they are non-traditional and that they may not fit easily into existing and well used categorisation systems (Clegg et al., 2007). Instead, the paper seeks to apply ethical philosophies taken from different ethical contexts (albeit ideas used by students) and it maintains the general proposition that plagiarism is considered as morally wrong, without analysing this specifically in relation to students and academic institutions. Content analysis as a research methodology The paper applies a content analysis to review student files which record the formal process by which students in a large US West Coast university were ‘charged’ with plagiarism and defended themselves. The article recognises the fact that students may disguise their true reasoning whilst providing the reasoning, but concludes that ‘they are still exposing the logic that they use to defend plagiarism – and being able to counter that logic is valuable for the faculty. This problems has been considered in the business context, in which ‘virtually every empirical inquiry of issues relevant to applied business ethics involves the asking of questions that are sensitive, embarrassing, threatening, stigmatizing, or incriminating† (Dalton and Metzger, 1992, p. 207). Furthermore, since the early 1950s researchers in organizational sciences have expressed concern that the â€Å"tendency of individuals to deny socially undesirable traits and to admit to socially desirable ones† may impair empirical studies based on questionnaires which require respondents to report on their own behaviour or attitudes (Randall and Fernandes, 1991, p. 805) Recommendations The paper outlines a basis of recommendations based on the results achieved by the content analysis. Given the above critique of the content analysis, and the limit that the context of asking sensitive or incriminating questions in a business, and I would suggest academic, context, one could critique the assumption put forward in the paper that the recommendations for each ethical theory will achieve the effect of reducing plagiarism in institutions and provide a basis for the implementation of clear academic policies. Moreover, expanding on what I have suggested above, given the critique forwarded by Weiss and Bader (2003), it could be argues that poor  public perception of plagiarism in academic institutions may make any changes difficult to implement. I would argue that a more useful critique would be to consider the reasons offered by students in a non-confrontational and stigmatizing context, which could be used to understand the specific ethical context of plagiarism and to p roduce more specific recommendations. References Clegg, Kornberger and Rhodes: 2007 ‘Business Ethics as Practice’: British Journal of Management 18: 107-122 Dalton, D. R. and M. B. Metzger: 1992, ‘Integrity Testing’ for Personnel Selection: An Unsparing Perspective’, Journal of Business Ethics Kaptein M and Schwartz S: 2008 ‘The Effectiveness of Business Codes: A Critical Examination of Existing Studies and the Development of an Integrated Research Model’, Journal of Business 77: 111-127 Klein D: 2011 ‘ Why Learners Choose Plagiarism: A Review of Literature’, Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects 7 Randall, D., Fernandes, M. F. (1991): The Social Desirability Response Bias in Ethics Research. Journal ofBusiness Ethics Robertson, D.C. (1993). Empiricism in Business Ethics: Suggested Research Directions. Trevino, Linda K., ‘Ethical Decision Making in Organizations: A Person-Situation Interaction Model’, Academy of Management Review, 11(3), 1986, pp.601-617. Weinstein and Dobkin: 2002 ‘Plagiarism in U.S. Higher Education: Estimating Internet Plagiarism Rates and Testing a Means of Deterrence’, USA: Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects, University of California, Berkeley, USA. Weiss, D. H., & Bader, J. B. (2003) Undergraduate ethics at Homewood. Standler, R. B. (2000). Plagiarism in colleges in USA

Culture debasing Essay

The mass media is constantly around us, through newspapers and magazines, the internet, television and film etc. these are used by us everyday in our spare time and academic work. So are we influenced by this form of secondary socialisation in our lives to create a ‘mass culture’? And does this ‘mass culture’ debase ‘ordinary culture’? In this essay I will use secondary research and my own opinion to answer this question. The media itself plays a big part in creating images through the way they report and advertise consumer products and moral panics. I feel that the type of media presentation demonstrated influences different subcultures into believing that what they are seeing is true, hence the change in their attitudes to different topics, music and fashion. Especially young people today can be nai ve and believe everything they see or hear on television or the internet, which could cause primary socialisation to change for the children, because of these views. This ‘mass culture’, I believe could destroy and make an ‘ordinary culture’ into extinction through too much influence of â€Å"babble† and consumer products on television. Although you could ask what is ordinary and normal? Normal does not have a clear definition; as no one is completely normal, but ordinary seems to be defined as routine or customary, so an ‘ordinary culture’ is considered the norm way of living. So what is mass culture? An extra- ordinary way people live, or is it a negative perception of some people’s choice of life? By using the textbook ‘seventh edition Sociology Themes and Perspectives’. I found that the â€Å"development of the media was debasing the culture of ordinary people, which could cause problems for western societies†. This comment could back up my opinion of a negative effect of media through a mass culture which could destroy the traditional thoughts and practices of western life. Dwight Macdonald had a theory about mass culture. He claimed that mass culture was very different from high culture and folk art. He states that mass culture is standardized and a commercial kitsch (popular culture which could be considered worthless) used by business to create a profit. This shows that Macdonald as well as I believe that mass culture is â€Å"kitsch†- worthless babble used to sell products, which also influences or â€Å"brainwashes† people into believing that anything merchandised is right or â€Å"sick† as teenagers of today say. Dwight also stated that mass culture takes ‘less mental effort’ and that it ‘tended to undermine high culture’. So basically he is saying that mass culture is maybe for a different class of person.

Literature questions

1. What is the nature of Feudal society in the Middle Ages? How might Aquinas’ concept of Natural Law reflect the more general medieval belief in hierarchy and a hierarchical universe? How does Dante’s Inferno also reflect the medieval belief in hierarchy? In other words, how does the poem structure the punishment of sin in relationship to God’s love (or its absence)? Provide two examples to illustrate this relationship, one early, one late, to show the change as we descend. The nature of Feudal society in the Middle Ages was very much that the roles of people of various classes were very much defined. The feudal lords would rule over the peasants and each person’s role in society was defined by his rank and his birth. The concept of Aquinas’ Natural Law philosophy reflects the more general medieval belief in hierarchy and hierarchical universe because this philosophy implies that there is a natural state of things; for example, the poor should be beneath the rich. Also, the concept of what is right versus what is wrong is part of this Natural Law. This idea is evident in the beliefs of the medieval period and within that particular society. In literature this belief is also reflected, such as in Dante’s Inferno, a poem that deals with hell and damnation. In this literature the medieval belief in hierarchy is connected to the idea of man’s sin. The idea of purgatory is important to the medieval belief in hierarchy because it leads one to believe that there is a natural order in the universe as well as on earth. Just as the main character in Dante’s Inferno must go through various stages of hell and purgatory before he can be reconnected with God’s love, so is this seen on earth in earthly institutions and society. 2. What are the key features of Renaissance Humanism? How does it view the capacities of humanity in distinction to the views of the Middle Ages? How might Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing reflect the new Renaissance view of humanity? Renaissance humanism is a philosophical movement that put a great deal of emphasis on what mankind can accomplish. In direct contradiction to the traditional Christian beliefs in Europe at the time, which focused on the sinfulness of mankind and that he was nothing without God, the humanist movement steered people towards the liberal arts and the humanities in hopes that the potential of mankind could be appreciated. This philosophy was almost heretical because it places such an emphasis on beauty, art, and humankind and not completely on God. While the Middle Ages saw all things that mankind accomplished as being, by nature, sinful because of the sinful nature, humanism was all about appreciating what mankind can accomplish. In â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† by William Shakespeare the ideals of humanism are definitely reflected because of the strong emphasis on the arts and the importance of the individual as opposed to the group. In this play we see a lot of elements that are a precursor to the Romantic era, with the relationships between the lovers and the way that each of the characters interacts with each other. 3. How does the Enlightenment tend to view mankind and society? What do these thinkers believe will promote progress, happiness, and justice? How does Voltaire’s Candide both express and critique these Enlightenment assumptions? The Age of Enlightenment was a time when people were beginning to reexamine the accepted ideals and beliefs of times past. It was a time of reason, when they began to really look for their own answers and not relying solely on the Church to tell them what to believe, or the monarchs. The Enlightenment viewed mankind and society as having free will, not having innate virtues given to them automatically by God. Society was supposed to help create equality, liberty, and fraternity, and even accepted forms of government were reexamined. The thinkers of the Enlightenment believed that true progress, happiness, and justice could only be achieved by creating societies that nurtured mankind’s search for reason and establishing equality among people. In Voltaire’s Candide the writer shows the audience the transition from the beliefs of the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment in the difference between the attitudes of two of the characters. In this story Pangloss sees the world as being naturally right, while Candide feels that it is not fate that makes a persons life, but their own actions. This idea is seen throughout the story of these two characters as they progress through El Dorado, where gold is not worth anything because there is so much of it. This idea is also very rational in nature and reflects the Enlightenment view. 4. How does the Romantic movement represent a revolt against key Enlightenment values? How might Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights express some reservations about some extreme Romantic assertions, particularly about the passions of the â€Å"natural† self as opposed to the artificial constraints of civilization? The Romantic movement represents a revolt against key Enlightenment values because it was during this period that there was a shift in values and core beliefs from the logical and rational emphasis of the Enlightenment to a period that focused more on the natural passions of each individual person. While the Enlightenment focuses more on the head, the Romantic period definitely was all about the heart, and people projected that shift in values through their art and writing. Everything about the Romantic period challenged the view that science, reasoning, and society were what needed to dictate one’s actions. Instead, the focus should be on one’s own wants and needs. In a novel like Wuthering Heights, written during the Romantic period, these extreme Romantic assertions were even challenged. In this novel the characters are fighting with their inner passions and their natural selves. The love story between Heathcliff and Catherine is a perfect example of a Romantic relationship: she’s rich, he’s poor, and he is very much the antagonistic type of character and yet she loves him because of what is in her heart. While the Romantic period was all about opposing the artificial constraints of civilization and not worrying about what society dictates but instead depending on their own feelings to dictate them, this novel challenges this by posing questions about whether or not the relationship between these two main characters is really a good one. 5. Andre Gide’s Straight is the Gate, published in 1909, is set in the period just before World War One: in other words, at a time when it was still possible to hold nineteenth-century ideals. Even though Gide was unaware of the catastrophe about to fall on Europe, he still seems to sense that there is something wrong with the bourgeois world of the age. What does the story suggest is wrong with this pre-war world? How might Gide be classified as a modernist? In Andre Gide’s Strait is the Gate seems to suggest that there are problems existent in the pre-war world of Europe, mostly having to do with the bourgeois world of the age and the way that people viewed each other. This story at first glance is a love story that deals with the way that dedication to God can change the way people relate to each other, particuarly in the relationship between Alissa and Jerome, but it shows that the Romantic ideals of the 19th century were still being held onto by many people in Europe. Gide can be classified as a modernist because his style was very modern but, more importantly, his themes were modern in that he was a humanist that was moving away from the 19th century beliefs that were prevalent at the time and dealing with issues in society, especially issues dealing with homosexuality and challenging religious beliefs.

Microeconomics Summary paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Microeconomics Summary - Term Paper Example Demand relationship is the association between the amount demanded and the price it is demanded at. Supply and demand are expressed in terms of the price (J. R. Adil, 2006). The force which distributes the resources is triggered by the correlation of supply and demand. The theories involved in market economy suggest that the supply and demand theory can distribute the resources in a highly efficient manner. To see how that happens we will study closely the laws of supply and demand. According to the â€Å"Law of Demand†, considering all the other factors to remain constant, the price of a good is inversely proportional to its demand. If the price of a good is increased than less people would want it and if the prices are decreased then more people will want to buy the good. With the increase in price of a good or service, there is an increase in the opportunity cost of the purchase of that particular good or service and that is why less people buy that good. This will result in people not buying goods which will cause them to abstain from using goods which are more valuable to them. As shown in the graph below, the curve is a downward slope. The curve of demand has three points on it which are A, B and C on it. On the curve, the relationship between price (P) and quantity (Q) is being directly represented at each point. So the quantity and price at point A will be Q1 and P1 respectively, and so on. The inverse relation between the price and quantity demanded is evident from the curve. At A the price is higher therefore the demand is lower whereas at C, the demand is higher and the price is lower (Economics Basics: Supply and Demand, 2003). The law of supply exhibits those quantities which are sold at fixed prices similar to that in the â€Å"Law of Demand†, but the slope in the law of supply is upward. This means that the price and the amount supplied are directly proportional to each other. Higher the price higher will be the supply.

Restaurant field experience report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Restaurant field experience report - Essay Example The beverage manager is responsible for preparing drinks orders for the entire day for dining service. I, therefore, managed beverage stock as required and ensured that they are paid for. The other major role that I had to take estimate how much beverage would be consumed on each day and place orders with the suppliers. Additionally, I had to check for fresh deliveries in order to maintain high quality. I also learned how to solve on clients complaints about the served drinks.As a receptionist, I was responsible for greeting guests, show them their tables and provide menus. I also provided customer service and deal with all inquiries in a courteous and professional manner, either via email or telephone. Additionally, providing information to guests on requests to ensure their comfort, safety and satisfaction were also a principal responsibility for me. During this period I learned to offer exquisite customer care service, to solve their inquiring and complaints made via email or tele phone. I also developed adequate communication skills and to be professional at all times while attending to guests.The efficiency of the kitchen of a restaurant rests on Expeditors. This is the person who is responsible for setting the pace and flow in the kitchen. On this post, I ensured that the orders made by guests were completed on time, according to the menu, and ensures they are in good quality for their satisfaction. I was also responsible relaying orders made to the kitchen.

Beethoven, Symphony No.5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Beethoven, Symphony No.5 - Essay Example The word 'theme' and 'motif' have been used interchangeably. The first movement can be divided into the exposition section, the development section, the recapitulation and the coda. The first movement opens in c minor and finishes in c minor. There are two common themes which are introduced in the first movement and written throughout the symphony. The paper will analyze the first movement. The exposition section introduces the famous four note motif which is often referred to as the "fate motif". There are some who consider it an 8 note motif as it starts in C- and then goes immediately to C major. Throughout this movement the motif is never just four notes. There is always a duality. The first four notes are followed by a pause as though Beethoven is catching his breath. The second four notes which are also played by the winds and brass are also followed by a pause. This motif is used as the theme throughout the whole symphony. In the first section he opens the symphony with the fu ll string orchestra with the brass; then the string take the motif. We hear his strong Haydn influence. He uses Haydn's technique of contrapuntal use of the motif when the strings talk back and forth. There is a crescendo with the brass using the motif and changing keys to Eb major. He introduces a trumpet fanfare in the rhythm of the four note motif. It is followed by the strings. There is an introduction of a new theme with the strings and clarinets. This is a two note theme. The cellos still are able to play the four note theme. Knowing that Beethoven lived in the country, his joy of being able to hear the trumpets would have influenced his introducing the fanfare in the exposition section as he walked on the property singing to himself. We cannot call it pastoral but it is full of emotion and controversy from a man who realized he only had music in his head. In the development section, he interposes the harmonies and melodies of both themes. The instruments are separated where t he strings and woodwinds first start with the two note theme as they are going questioning each other; then go back and forth with one note. The four note theme is used to give an element of surprise: first by the brass then by the strings and woodwinds. The fate motif is used in a crescendo to build up to the recapitulation. In the recapitulation section, the orchestra is in the full forte with the four note fate theme. The timpani is the heart of this section. The strings answer but for the first time we hear the woodwinds playing the harmony ending the oboe solo which acts like a cadenza to the section. The strings build up in a crescendo to the trumpet and trombone fanfare with one bassoon, then the strings play with the woodwinds responding. The measures are played in staccato with the trombones, and strings repeating the chords of theme and the winds answering. In the Coda, the whole orchestra is playing the four note motif only to end the finale measure with the chords (V I V ) The ending on a fifth prepares the transition from the first movement to the 2nd movement. The first movement is the beginning of Beethoven admitting that he has a hearing loss. He shows to the world that it iwas fate and he would not let it deter from his composing. "The Fate Motif was fate knocking at the door"(Gibbs 2006) It has never been proven if Beethoven actually made the reference to his front door. His music is expressive jolting and full of severe emotions. Sometimes you can see yourself