Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Reasons We Drink Beer

The reasons we drink beer There are most likely hundreds of reasons, good and bad, why people drink beer. Everyone who drinks beer has their own personal reasons. Beer is a worldwide commonly known and used beverage that has become a part of our society. It’s been brewed and consumed for over several thousand years. Why is this drink so popular? Today we’ll explore a handful of reasons why people drink beer. Taste – Beer is an acquired taste. I doubt there are many people who admit that the very first beer they ever tried in life tasted very good.But those who kept trying beer grew accustomed to how it smelled, felt in the mouth and tingled the tongue. Once your taste buds lose their training wheels a whole new world of flavors are opened up to you. Buzz – Let’s face it, alcohol is a big reason why many people drink beer. It provides mind altering capabilities that offer some people enjoyment, others a distraction, and still for others nothing more than problems. Getting a beer buzz is an attraction for many as well as a regrettable side affect. Everyone has different limits, so get to know just how much beer is enough to get your buzz on.Social – Sharing a beer with friends or acquaintances is one way of sparking conversation and just being, well, sociable. It becomes a common bond between partakers. Not only does it loosen the tongue a bit, but also causes some to open up a bit. Identity – It’s funny how some people find a beer they like and stick to it. For some, it becomes part of their identity. Brand loyalty is hard to break for some. The beers you started drinking when you were a young adult often become the beverage of choice later in life.Many beer drinkers will try other beers for a new experience and find a new brand to identify themselves with. The type of beer you drink may say something about you that you didn’t realize. Variety – Beer comes in over 100 different styles and in t housands of different brands. No one beer brand is identical to the next. You could spend your entire life trying to sample all of the beers that are available in the world and still not be able to try them all. Very few beverages can claim this kind of variety. Health – This could be an entire subject in of itself.There must be dozens of reasons why beer is healthy for you. Taken in moderation, beer: †¢ is good for your liver. It expands the blood vessels and helps speed up metabolism. †¢ can help lower your risk of heart attacks and stroke. †¢ prevents cholesterol from oxidizing. Some hop compounds prevent LDL from oxidizing and clogging arteries. †¢ boosts vitamin B5, B12, folate and other valuable mineral levels. Unfiltered beers have more of this benefit. †¢ may help in combating cancer. The compounds in some hops are showing promise for preventing certain types of cancer. Bingham report 1998) †¢ helps ensure healthy bones. Bone improving nu trients are leached from the brewing process in a form that is readily accessible to the body. †¢ helps you relax and sleep more easily. Two vitamins, lactoflavin and nicotinic acid are present in many beers and helps to promote sleep. Beer is also a natural sedative. †¢ Contains antioxidants that can help slow the aging process. †¢ Contains fiber. A liter of beer can have up to 60% of your daily recommended fiber. †¢ Helps fend off gallstones and kidney stones. Peer Pressure – One of the sad reasons why many drink beer.The pressure to conform and fit in with others is a constant issue. Many people, especially teens, drink beer just because their friends are doing it. For others, drinking beer is a right of passage in life. Heritage – Breweries have been part of communities for generations and generations. Many communities in ancient and modern society rally around their local brewpubs and breweries throughout the world. Beer was one of the many bou nties of a year long harvest. Locally made beers garner more loyalty. Colorado – we live in one of state’s that produces the most amount of beer in the nation.With nearly 100 different breweries and brewpubs, the availability of hundreds of quality craft beers simply can’t be ignored. Colorado is a travel destination for many of the world’s beer drinkers. Even one of the biggest beer festivals in the world, the Great American Beer Festival, is held here each year in October. Food – Beer makes the perfect compliment for lots of different kinds of food. Pairing food and beer is becoming quite popular, just as it has been for wine. There are beers that go well with just about every type of food, from meats, appetizers (cheeses, breads, snacks) and desserts

Monday, September 16, 2019

Immanuel Kant †Metaphysics of Morals Essay

In his publication, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant supplies his readers with a thesis that claims morality can be derived from the principle of the categorical imperative. The strongest argument to support his thesis is the difference between actions in accordance with duty and actions in accordance from duty. To setup his thesis, Kant first draws a distinction between empirical and â€Å"a priori† concepts. Empirical concepts are ideas we reach from our experiences in the world. On the other hand and in contrast, â€Å"a priori† concepts are ideas we reach as an end point of reasoning prior to or apart from any experience of how things occur in the world. Kant then claims that moral actions are supposed done for the reason of morality alone. This train of thought leads to the conclusion that an understanding of morality must be based on â€Å"a priori† concepts of reason. Truly moral ideas are then universally valid if and only if they are based on â€Å"a priori† concepts. From this idea of â€Å"a priori† concepts, Kant begins his thesis with the notion that the only thing in the world that is a qualified good is the â€Å"good will†, even if its efforts bring about a not necessarily good result. A â€Å"good will† is good because of the willing that is involved. Two main implications arise with this idea of the â€Å"good will†. The first implication is moral actions cannot have impure motivations. There are many impure motivations but Kant tends to focus mainly on the motives of the pursuit of happiness and self-preservation. Second, moral actions cannot be based on the speculations of the probable results. This action is not good in itself but good because it brought about a more desirable outcome. Thus, Kant arrives at the conclusion that for an action to be considered to have genuine moral worth its motive must be that of dutifulness to moral law. In Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, Kant lays out three propositions about duty. The first is the will is a morally good action if it is done in accordance from duty, as opposed to an action done in accordance with duty. The second proposition is that actions are judged by the â€Å"maxim† or principle that was the motivation behind the action. If someone undertakes an action with the only motivation being that of a sense of duty, they are following a valid â€Å"a priori† action. On the other hand if they decide to undertake an action in order to bring about a desired result, then their motivation is one that is beyond mere duty. Kant’s third proposition then explains that is not the respect for the power of the law but rather it is the moral motivation of an individual who acknowledges that the law is an imperative of reason that trumps our other interests. The will, as Kant describes, is of practical reason. A rational being is an individual who has the capacity to execute their behavior by the conceptions of laws. This discipline of action is also known as the will. Our judgment that advises us on our action is known as an imperative or a command to act on a certain motive. An imperative can be either hypothetical or categorical. In the hypothetical imperative one acknowledges an action as right or necessary if it is a manner in which to obtain or achieve a certain goal. As such you would act on an action if a previous circumstance has taken place. These types of actions come from our previous experiences and counsel us to a way in which our desires can be achieved. Thus, an action cannot be held universally valid at all times if its goal is to acquire some objective of desire under a certain set of conditions. If the goal is ultimately happiness, we are unable to set any universally hypothetical imperatives for happiness. This is because the definition of happiness differs from person to person. One man’s happiness can very well be another man’s misery. As Kant explains, a binding moral law then cannot be equivalent or parallel to a hypothetical imperative. Pure reason comes from the ability to consider neither a motivating condition accompanying another nor its intended results. With that, we then need to find a principle with universal validity or a principle that is valid no matter what issue is being considered. â€Å"A priori† principles of reason are the only principles that fit this standard on which a judgment or decision may be based. Hence, Immanuel Kant formulates that a moral imperative is one that is an unconditional or categorical imperative. A categorical imperative is our moral consciousness to do our duty because we ought to do our duty instead of pursuing our own desires attached to the duty. Such an imperative is driven by pure reason. Because we exclude our desires or maxims, we need only to focus on the form of our imperative. The form needs to be universally applicable or valid for all rational beings to follow. Thus, Kant gives us only one categorical imperative and it is â€Å"Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law† (Kant pg. 38). This universal law of morality states that we should act in such a way that we could will the maxim of our action to become universally applicable. This should be used as the criterion to determine whether or not a maxim is morally valid. Before we are able to apply a maxim to this categorical imperative, it is required that the maxim first, be fit to be a law of nature and second, is based on a notion that all actions have ends. The second pertains to the idea that men and women are ends in themselves. No maxim that does not impose or imply respect as a necessary accompaniment for men and women can be a moral law valid for everyone. Third, we must see every rational being as able to make universal laws. Last, the maxim requires the moral agent to act as a lawgiving member of all persons. From these points, two important ideas arise. The ideas deal with the autonomy of the will and dignity of the individual. Each person is essentially their own lawmaker, obeying the laws that they give themselves as a rational being. A person is not bound to a law by fear or hope of some reward, but freely bound to it by their lawgiving ability. This moral will is autonomous. Autonomy, which means self-law, is the only way Kant believes an individual to achieve the ultimate freedom. If an individual obeys laws from some other lawgiver, such as God and government, because of fear of punishment or hope of reward, he or she is not truly free. I feel the strongest objection to this thesis is Kant does not take enough consideration to human beings natural emotions. I believe his thesis weighs to heavily on mere reason alone without any emphasis on the emotional component of our morality. Kant’s perception that morality is a chore neglects the fact that by performing actions from duty individuals can obtain a somewhat subtle level of personal gratification from partaking in such acts that are not generally enjoyable to execute. I am not thoroughly convinced that if you are able to gain some happiness and reward from an action that is not generally alluring. The strengths of my personal view rely on the possibility of achieving a feeling of reward by completing an obligation. I feel there is an importance of doing something with a smile on your face. If you are unhappy to perform a moral action it will to reveal outwardly or make apparent that your heart is elsewhere, thus, tainting the action. However, if you perform these tasks seeking a somewhat level of enjoyment others will notice that you truly care about what it is you are doing and perceive the action to be a notable one. The weakness is obviously that you will be more probable to engage and look to engage in more actions that will give you this appeal and instant gratification. This is not an ideal situation because placing a slight neglect to a duty or obligation that you might not find appeal in defeats the purpose of completing all of the obligations set for us to go through with. Kant’s thesis has strength in the fact that the universal law seems closely related to the golden rule, which is do on to others as you would have others do on to you. With a statement as such it is awfully arduous to not perform a moral action. The weakness still lies in the fact Kant takes little to no consideration to humans’ natural emotions and feelings. Leading a moral life does not have to be a melancholy life, one in which you are bound to an endless amount of duties that you can seek no joy in. Whether or not Kant intended to make morality seem like torture, it appears it comes off in this manner. Kant’s overall view of morality appears near flawless. If there was a manner in which he could have incorporated a leeway for some emotions, I feel his thesis is in actuality how each individual should lead his or her life. .

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Mattel’s Toy Recall And Supply Chain Management Essay

Why do firms contract overseas for production of products they sell? Answer: The firms contract overseas for production of the products they sell to gain certain advantages from the different countries. One of the biggest advantages is cheap labor that cut down the cost of the products. To get the advantage of the cheap fuel prices and raw materials to make the products at effective cost. The companies can get the tax benefits and other government policy advantages by producing their products at overseas. The companies can also get the lower cost suppliers from different countries. The company can get the advantage of currency fluctuation to produce the products at lower currency rate. What were the primary causes of Mattel’s recall problems? Answer: There were several causes for Mattel’s toy recall. But the primary causes are problems in manufacturing, design and usage. Manufacturing Problems: One primary problem is the use of excessive lead paint in toys. Lead was commonly used in paint. However, it is a neurotoxin and is harmful to developing brains in children. Repeated exposure can cause serious brain damage. Design problems: A second cause for recall was defect in product design. That was the result of increasing use of small powerful magnets in children’s toys. If the designs of these toys were deficient and did not adequately encase the magnets, they could become dislodged and swallowed by the children. When a child ingested more than one magnet, the ingested magnet could be bind together across intestinal folds, eventually perforating the intestine and causing serious injury or death. Product misuse: Some recalls were due to the potential for misuse. Some features of the toys generally were not a ca use for concern if children used the toy in intended way, but children often found creative ways to play that were not anticipated by designers. So, if potential danger was brought to the  company’s attention, the toy might be subject to recall. What actions taken by whom to deal with the recall problems? Do you think these actions were the right one? Why or why not? Answer: In early July 2007, one of the Mattel’s European retailer discovered excessive lead on some of the company’s toys. Mattel stopped production and launched investigation of the problem. The company received data that convinced that recall is necessary. In August Mattel announced voluntary recall of 83 Fisher-Price products sold from May 1 to August 1, 2007. The recall involved about 1.5 million toys worldwide. Two-third of the toys were pulled from inventory before they reached retail customers. After first recall Mattel announced second voluntary recall for toys with excessive lead content. The recall involved 436,000 toys worldwide. After the second recall Mattel announced to recall the Sarge toy cars, an expansion of earlier recall due to small magnets. It recalled 18.2 million toys worldwide. All of the toys recalled had been manufactured in China. Two weeks after the August 2nd recall, the owner of the Chinese factory that used the lead paint committed suicide. According to my opinion, the actions taken by Mattel were absolutely right. Mattel has been criticized heavily for having to recall not once but twice in as many weeks 20 million toys manufactured in China with lead paint and/or loose, potentially dangerous magnets. Clearly Mattel did not have sufficiently tight quality control procedures in its supply chain to compensate for the extra risks of outsourcing to relatively new Chinese subcontractors. Clearly there were design flaws in the toys with the magnets that could come loose. Though the recall of the products had created serious problems for Mattel and for manufacturers of China, the products were highly dangerous for the children which needed serious concern. But the positive point was both the Governments of China and U.S. tightened the rules regarding product safety. They also raised the product quality standards and product testing. The CEO of the Mattel had taken personal charge of the situation. He has apologized publicly and taken immediate steps to tighten quality assurance requirements on Mattel’s suppliers. What should Mattel do now? What should China do now? Answer: Mattel has faced a series of difficult and potentially crippling challenges, including the lawsuits. Mattel should attempt to rectify its mistakes and to prevent future mistakes as well. Mattel should work hard for  restoring goodwill and faith in its brands, even as it continues to be plagued with residual distrust over the lead paint scandal. Mattel should upgrade its safety standards and quality control. Mattel should be careful for approaching international supply chain management strategies. Mattel should make sure its Chinese suppliers operate ethically, including treating their workers fairly. Whereas Mattel can do randomly test finished toys, as it should now test every single batch of toys produced. Safety checks should also get beefed up at the supplier and subcontractor level prior to the finishing of the product. Reputations are hard won and easily lost, but Mattel should appear to be steadfast in its commitment to restoring its reputation. After the recall by M attel, China’s export manufacturing sector, an important factor driving country’s economic growth, had been stung by suffering highly visible problems. The â€Å"made in china† brand was in real danger. At that point China needed to prove that they could produce products to the quality and safety standards expected by the rest of the world. China should ask companies to hire full time inspection staff and allow their customers to inspect their plants. China should enforce quality licensing system for product exports. Chinese agency should increase efforts to certify exporters and should severely punish and blacklist the companies that fail to meet performance requirements. Though Mattel had taken full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to the Chinese people and all of their customers who received the toys, China was fighting with the brand image in the international market. How can accountability be increased and better managed when production is moved overseas to other firms in the supply chain? Answer: There are many criticisms levelled at multinational organizations for choosing to relocate their manufacturing operations from domestic markets in developed countries to developing countries many thousands of miles away. Suspicion is often focused on cheap labor and possibly lower or less enforced health, safety and environmental legislation all contributing to lower production costs. But to increase accountability and better production management at overseas the company needs to have law inventories, flexible manufacturing and close relationship with suppliers and customers. Better managed supply chain requires close coordination with suppliers to achieve the desire level of quality and delivery. It also needs to have frequent communications with the suppliers  and customers. It entails to have close coordination among product design, engineering, the manufacturing plant, and suppliers. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that its products are produced to the highest safety standards that its workers are not exploited and that health and safety and environmental standards not compromised in the search for lower prices. In this case the stakes are very high since the safety of all our children is at stake as well as the acceptance of the ‘Made in China’ designation in world markets.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Poems from different cultures Essay

I am writing about a poem called ‘I Am Not That Woman’ which was written by an Asian poet called Kishwar Naheed. The poem is about how cruelly women were treated by men in the past and how they have become nowadays. It is time for them to ‘flower free’.  Women are expressed as really special in the poem. The poem shows that men do not realize the true identity of women. They regard them as something to trade with or use them for their house work. They do not know that in a way women are much better then men as the poet clearly highlights ‘my voice cannot be smothered by stones’. The poem shows that it does not matter how much men try to torture or hide the women the women will never loose their beauty, their ‘motherhood’ and their ‘loyalty’ because they are more special than men. The poem is mainly targeted at the fathers and the husbands because in the past and even in the present many Asians think of their daughters as a burden and want to get rid of them as soon as possible. The poet clearly mentions this in the first two lines of the fourth stanza ‘I am the one you married off to get rid of a burden’. This shows that even fathers are cruel to their daughters. Naheed then further on says to the fathers ‘not knowing that a nation of captive minds cannot be free’. This could mean that the Asian men only think about confining their women to the house and never think about letting them free. The verse could also mean that the father’s mind stays captive if he forces his daughter to marry someone. Basically he stays in depression or tension; he does not get his peace of mind by forcing his daughter to marry someone. The repetition of the word chastity shows that the woman believes in virginity. She is modest and is not like the woman on the posters ‘half naked’ and she emphasizes that by saying at the end ‘No, no, I am not that woman’. The end line shows that although Naheed believes in freedom she does not believe in woman being used for advertisements. She thinks that women are meant to be mothers and not some business advertisers. They are supposed to be loyal to their husbands and free from all outside marriage sexual acts as it is mentioned in the last stanza ‘†¦my chastity, my motherhood, my loyalty’. We learn from the poem that husbands were really cruel to their wives. They believed in confining their wives to their kitchens because they thought that that was the right place for the women. The men believed that the men should ‘roam free as the breeze’ whilst the women ‘hid in walls of stone’. They did not ever think that woman had the right to live a life outside their house and the men would ignore them if they ever argued for freedom. The men believed that their traditions were everything. They had to follow their customs or else they would be regarded as really bad in the society. The poet shows the woman point of view about that idea ‘†¦crushed with the weight of custom and tradition†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ this shows that the woman were crushed or in other words ignored when they told their husbands that they wanted freedom. The women had no right to speak against the traditions of their husband’s. The poet further on says to the husbands ‘not knowing light cannot be hidden in darkness’ which shows that even after all the cruelty the woman went through she still knew that the women are something very special. They are not affected by the torture and the ignorance of some men. The word ‘I am’ is repeated at the beginning of every stanza which could mean that the poet is trying to emphasize to the men that she is the one that they had tortured. She is the one that they had hid in their walls of stone but know she has become free. She is free from the captive of the men that had tortured her and they can do nothing about it now. She is trying to make them realize that they cannot abuse someone for too long. One day they would become free and they would fight for their justice whilst the tortures would just watch and be surprised. I think that the poem is very well presented and it gives a very clear image about how cruel the men were to the women in the past. They had no respect for them. They would just trade them for their chastity not knowing that women were supposed to be respected and honoured. The poem shows to us that women can fight for themselves as well but they don’t because they want to be loyal to their husbands.  The poem does not have a proper rhyming scheme but it does have a few rhyming words in some of the stanzas. It has a steady rhythm all the way through and the poem is written in simple language. This lets the poet express her message clearly and fully to the people.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Art theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art theory - Essay Example However, in the case of The Third of May, de Goya seemed to have been inspired by the political and social status of Spain during that time, believed to have been in Spain during the six year French occupation in his country. It is also speculated that he personally witnessed the killings of his own people through a telescope after which, he visited the shooting venues and took note of the situation in a closer inventory. The metaphors presented in de Goya’s painting are seen in the dead people. If the speculations are true that he had personal inventories of the aftermath, the dead men speak for other people who have been killed. The whole picture does not only speak for one event but for all the killing events during that time whose victims are mostly commoners as the clothes in the painting show. The Spaniards on the left side, the weak side could be a metaphor in itself. In addition, their clothes which give away their social status which could be miners, farmers or other hard workers, speak of inability to save oneself when he is faced with a giant, not only in the physical sense of it but holistically as their enemies are armed with rifles and swords. In contrast, the soldiers on the right side speak of strength and being in control. Their guns and fires also speak the same language as they face the Spaniards who have no strength or means to fight back in a fair battle. The emotions that the Spaniards exude in the picture represent the fear that gripped all of those who have been represented in the picture when they were facing death in the hands of their colonizers. The folded hand of the man nearest the dead bodies is the metaphor of the Spaniards’ being religious. In this painting, their only resort is shown as the Almighty drawn from the sign language of clasping one’s hands in prayer as well as bowing in reverence to God. Looking closely at the man with

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Sociological Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sociological Journal - Essay Example After Simpson was found not guilty in his criminal murder trial, a civil trial found him guilty of the same act. This labeled Simpson a murder. Under the Social Bond Theory, Simpson’s bond with society was broken. He was no longer considered just an actor or football player. Simpson was treated like a freak or pariah. This would increase his chances of committing a deviant act in the future. Simpson was put in the position for armed robbery by the civil ruling regarding Simpson to pay the Goldman and Brown family monetarily for their loss of loved ones. This would fall under Access to Illegitimate Opportunities. O.J. Simpson hid most of his assets from the courts. The armed robbery was of things that Simpson claimed were his own. If the Goldmans had not tracked down and taken most of Simpson’s possessions and money, then Simpson would not have had the opportunity to hid his possessions or reclaim them through force. This would also fall under the Differential Association Theory. When hiding his possessions from the Goldmans, Simpson could not hide them in a legitimate place. He had to associate with other criminals. This association could have pushed him into taking back what Simpson believed was his own. This association could have blurred right and wrong in Simpson’s mind. Under the Labeling Theory, the strength of labeling lies within those who are doing the labeling. In this case, the majority of the world followed the first case. Thus the strength of this labeling was strong. The Primary Deviance was Simpson’s involvement in the death of his ex-wife and her friend. The Secondary Deviance was the armed robbery. Simpson’s first crime was indictable, because it involved homicide. The second crime was also indictable, since it was a robbery. Both crimes would be defined as a Street Crime or Conventional Crime, since both were violent. This does go against the societal norm, because of Simpson’s age.

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The Effects of Acculturation and Assimilation on Second Language Research Paper

The Effects of Acculturation and Assimilation on Second Language Acquisition - Research Paper Example Both social and economic sectors have been affected by the respective transformations. In the social sphere, the education sector is perhaps the most affected. Increasingly, populations are being compelled to develop more integrated methods of transport and communication. Communication is particularly important in the environment because it enhances understanding of the knowledge that is passed across in various institutions. Indeed, it cannot be disputed that effective communication fosters understanding and enhances consumption of the respective information by the students. This is at the core of the primary goals and objectives of education. In essence, effective communication aids in promoting sustainable development in this sector. In the education sector, communication amongst students and teachers promotes the establishment and development of lasting positive relationships. Through these relationships, students are able to understand and appreciated the knowledge that the get and skills that are delivered to them. The teachers or instructors on the other hand have an easy time to pass on important concepts to the students. Effective communication prevents possible conflicts that are likely to emanate stem from incidences of misinformation. As indicated earlier, globalization trends have led to the free movement of students form one region to the other. As a result, it has diversified learning environments with respect to culture and particularly language. Current trends indicate that students go to great lengths to attain quality education. Certainly, this is requisite for effective functioning in the society. The students are compelled to pursue this good by the changing environments in the corporate sphere. Seemingly, successful business entities prefer personnel that are well equipped with respect to knowledge and skills. This enables respective organizations to attain a competitive edge and realize optimal outcomes in their endeavors. Likewise, most businesses always seek to enhance their performance with regard to profit making. One of the most important factors in the current education sphere pertains to language. In order to function executively and realize optimal outcomes in the current diversified learning environments, both students and teachers are being compelled to learn a second language. Usually, their first language includes their native language and is useful in the local learning institutions. When they get to national and international levels, they are always required to acquire knowledge about a second language. This enables them to communicate effectively in their learning environments and understand the information that is passed on to them. In addition, it enables them to address the challenges that they face especially considering that most of them learn from foreign environments. At this point, it is worth appreciating that language is an important cultural component that aids in understanding the ways of life of a certain community. Effective learning only takes place in environments that are peaceful and devoid of unnecessary conflicts. In most instances, conflicts that occur in the learning environments tend to be closely associated with cultural differences. In this respect, it is also worth noting that culture is a very sensitive social aspect that is intrinsic of a people’s behavior and general way of life. Relative conflicts are therefore equally sensitive and the likelihood of these spurring into more complex conflicts is very high. In the learning environment, this is undesirable and can compromise the wellbeing of the entire school fraternity. It is for this reason that