Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Speech - Essay Example With this idea in mind, she further stressed that their own government, who is supposed to be the one protecting their rights as citizens of this country, is treating women unjustly. Per the Fourteenth Amendment that was adopted in 1968, no legal rights could be denied to any individual born in the United States. Anthony decided to question the government against the context of the amendment by stating that women born in this country are citizens, and are hence entitled to their rights including the right to vote. The ultimate purpose of her speech is to encourage all citizens, both women and men, to come together and fight for a cause. In the following pages, the different concepts of persuasive speech will be used to critically analyze Anthony’s speech. To obtain her purpose, one could say that Anthony used both pathos and logos effectively in her rhetoric. As a backgrounder, pathos is one of the three modes of a persuasive rhetoric. It is the element that appeals to the emotions of the audience. Logos, on the other hand, is the element that appeals to the logical side of the audience. It is also one of the three modes of a persuasive rhetoric. Anthony started her speech by saying â€Å"friends and fellow citizens† to appeal to the emotions and logic of the listeners --- â€Å"friends†, to connect to the listeners’ emotions, and â€Å"fellow citizens†, to subtly hint that they are all equal, holding the same set of rights and privileges, and governed by one set of laws. She stated her argument in a way that expressed her anger, disgust, and rationale. She referred back to the preamble of the Federal Constitution and stressed out that the â€Å"we† that pertains to the people of the United States m eans every individual regardless of gender. She emphasized it further in the fourth paragraph by repeatedly pointing out

Design a balanced scorecard and linked strategy map and evaluate the Essay

Design a balanced scorecard and linked strategy map and evaluate the techniques used - Essay Example Thornton Chocolate Company has been going through a rough phase, as the company has to deal with consecutive losses. In this scenario development of balanced scorecard and strategic map for guidance become necessary for the company. A comprehensive discussion on balanced scorecard and the key performance indicators, targets, and objectives of the company are also ascertained to develop a strategic map for the company. The strategic map will put forward the strategies by which Thorntons Chocolate Company can pull up sales, minimise cost and increase their market share in the industry. The balanced scorecard has identified the unfavourable effect of performance indicators and stated strategies to pull up company’s performance. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Vision and Mission of Thorntons Chocolate Company 5 Strategic Direction 5 Balanced Scorecard 7 Balanced Scorecard and Thornton Chocolate Company 9 Strategic Map 12 Recommendations 13 References 15 Append ices 16 Appendix 1 16 Appendix 2 16 Appendix 3 18 Appendix 4 19 Appendix 5 20 Introduction Thorntons Chocolate Company was established in the year 1911, in Derbyshire, UK. The company was established by Joseph William Thornton and after the recent takeover of Cadbury it became the largest independent confectionary and chocolate company. Thorntons Chocolate Company has more than 360 cafes and shops and apart from this, it also owns 230 franchises that offer commercial, internet and mail order services. The revenue of the company decreased to ?217,144 million in 2012, which was ?218,255 million in 2011. This reveals a decline in revenue by 0.51percent and the company is also running at a loss since past few years. Thorntons Chocolate Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and it has more than 4200 employees. Presently the company holds around 7.9 percent of market share in the chocolate industry of UK, which the management expects would increase in the coming years (Jennings, 2005). Reasons like dull marketing, dismal display, or unappealing packaging are being put forward for escalating profit warnings for Thorntons Chocolate Company. The company however, blames it on the climatic condition and snow. Britain’s largest chocolate company has revealed a decrease of 23 percent in chocolate sales in the recent times. The franchises and shops are struggling hard to sell their products in the market. Even the share prices have fallen by 30 percent in the last 1 year, which is also posing as a profit warning for the company. Thorntons Chocolate Company was one of the best selling brands on High street, but the future projections do not reveal the same picture (Jennings, 2005). This study aims to develop a balanced scorecard for Thorntons Chocolate Company and link it to a strategic map. Keeping in mind the recent turn of events and financial position of the company, the balanced score card would be developed and strategic map would be prepared, so that t he management of the company can identify ways of reviving the company’s position and pull it up to the place that Thorntons Chocolate Company had, as one of the largest Chocolate makers (Haberberg, 2008). Vision and Mission of Thorntons Chocolate Company Thorntons Chocolate Company enjoy a 100 years of heritage of treating its customers with delicious confectionaries and chocolate. The vision of the company is â€Å"

Adolescent Sexual Development

Adolescent Sexual Development Kari Svendsen Abstract: This paper touches on the importance of providing public awareness and education to our educators, parents, and students so that we reduce the number of girls that have onset puberty. It also provides information on how we can teach parents to be supportive during adolescents, which can be a difficult and confusing time for students, which is more important than ever. With the improvement of sexual education programs taught in our school systems, parents and teachers can adequately prepare students for the negative effects of sexual activity before it is too late. The numbers of adolescents engaging in sexual activity, STIs and teen pregnancies can be reduced. Adolescent Sexual Development Sexual maturation and growth spurts both accompany puberty and can be a difficult and confusing time for adolescents, especially with children hitting puberty at an earlier age than ever. It is essential that adolescents have the support of their teachers, parents, and physicians at this transitional time in their lives. Even though sexual education is taught in our school systems, these students are inadequately prepared and a staggering number of students are exposed to sexually transmitted infections and teen pregnancy; not to mention the emotional distress that adolescents will endure. It takes years for the average adolescents’ body to go through the process of sexual maturation. The onset of puberty is not triggered by any particular event, but rather a multitude of things such as stress, genetics, nutrition and diet as well as the amount of body fat to name a few (Gentry, p. 1, 2002). There is also a growth spurt that is brought on by puberty when the skeletal system grows rapidly. This can occur in girls starting at age 10 and boy at age 10.5; this growth spurt usually ends around 19 for girls and 20 for boys (Headlee, p. 7, 2010). Hands legs and feet are first and then the growth spurt will hit the torso; in girls, the sexual hormone will attribute to broader hips. These growths spurts can be an awkward time for adolescent children as their bodies are evening out. Some researchers say there is no external cause for early onset puberty, while others say different. Some researchers have linked obesity as a contributing factor (Parent, p. 670, 2003). The inactivity and poor diet of our youth is putting them at risk for a higher percentage of body fat which leads to premature puberty. Environmental chemical have also been linked to an onset of puberty. Chemicals are added to almost all commercial cleaning products to include: shampoo, teething toys, bottles. Chemicals can also be in the food that adolescents eat. Another onset of puberty can be linked to the absence of a girl’s father; researchers have shown that the longer the girls has been away from her father the earlier she will start her first menstrual cycle (Parent, p. 671, 2003). Research findings show that girls who are ill-prepared for the physical and emotional changes brought on by puberty will have the most difficult time (Gentry, p. 1, 2002). This means that providing adolescents a stable and encouraging environment with family, teachers, and physicians is crucial. Beth Ross, Director of student services at Rockdale County School, expresses her concern of parent and teacher involvement after uncovering a syphilis outbreak in her school system. Rockdale County is a small, close-knit community, made up of wealthy families in a desirable part of Atlanta. Here, at least 19 females and 4 males were part of the syphilis outbreak (Ross, 1999). Through interviews and investigations it was learned that at the center of the outbreak were a group of young girls that were no older than 16 (Ross, 1999). The sexual activity would sometimes be accompanied with the use of drugs and alcohol, and the sexual interactions were with slightly older boys. These interactions would take place at one of the girl’s home when her parents were not in the house. These girls not only had sex with each other but also with all of the other boys in an open and communal environment. Beth Ross has been a counselor for over 16 years and says that the needs of children into today’s world are the same as 16 years ago when she started; they have not changed (Ross, 1999). These children have the same needs, the only thing that has changed is that both sets of parents are now working and have become too â€Å"busy† (Ross, 1999). She also points out that the young girls, who are at such shockingly young ages, that are sexually active and it stems from being asked as well as needing to feel loved and wanted. This comes from something lacking in the childhood for them to desire to become sexually active at such a young age. She mentions that these students are lacking limits and structure in their lives, lack of parents being there for them to say this is how far you go and what is acceptable. Sixteen years ago parents were more adamant about what children were and were not allowed to do so there was no question in their mind what their limits were. Some par ents say that they did not like the way they were raised and that they would never treat their child the way they were treated, but this is when the structure they hated as a child goes out of the window and where rebellion begins. Rules and structure are crucial to children. After the follow-up interview was conducted at Rockdale County, some 6-12 months later, a few of the girls were still sexually active and also still used drugs. There were just a few of the girls that said they were no longer sexually active due to the stricter rules and supervision enforced by their parents. The girls interviewed all seemed to agree that there was still a lack of communication with their parents and that no real action had been taken since the outbreak occurred. By the end of the follow-up interviews and investigation 8 of the over 20 girls were pregnant (Ross, 1999). An extensive study has been conducted by Selma N. Caal, in 2008, on high-risk sexual behavior. Caal reported that youth with highly cohesive families and low peer norms reported low risk sexual behavior; however, youth with highly cohesive families and high peer norms reported high risk sex (Caal, 2008). Youth coming from low cohesive families did not base their sexuality on their peers. If youth perceived that the peers were okay with and engaging in sexual behavior then they were more likely to be sexually active themselves (Caal, 2008). During adolescence teens try to separate from their parents and become closer to their peers, so parental communication regarding sexual behavior is crucial to the youth’s sexual activity. The more time that parents spend away from their children, the more room for risky behavior. In a time when dual parents are working full-time jobs is it harder than ever to stay in communication and enforce rules. Age also plays a factor with risky sexual behavior; as older youth were more likely for this behavior, possibly because of their sexual maturity level (Caal, 2008). Also media plays a very strong role in adolescent sexual behavior as they are exposed to it constantly, and can send messages that high-risk sexual behavior is welcomed and accepted. The age of youth engaging in sexual activity drops each year and is a great concern which proves that our youth should be better educated and monitored not only at home but also in the school system. The numbers of high-risk sexual behavior adolescents could be significantly reduced by educating our youth and holding them more accountable. Advocate for Youth reports the effectiveness of sexual education in schools has contributed to lower numbers in teen pregnancy, lower numbers of youth engaging in unprotected sex, and also delayed initiation of sexual behavior altogether (McKeon, 2006). Sexual education seems to be failing as a whole, as there are 1 million people a day who acquire a sexually transmitted infection (STI) (WHO, 2013). We are failing our youth and our world at a rate of 30 million people a month, 360 million people a year (WHO, 2013). Our adolescents account for nearly half of these numbers. STI’s are causing major infertility problems and in some cases even death. They are also costing billions of dollars annually. Unprotected sex and teen birth is still a problem; however, we are moving in the right direction as a 9 percent drop was recorded from 2009-2010 (Hamilton Ventura, 2012). This puts us at a record low rate of 34.3 births per 1000 girls between the ages of 15-19 (Hamilton Ventura, 2012). Although numbers are lowering, this is a still a major concern for both mother and child as they are rarely able to financially support themselves and cost the public 10.9 billion dollars annually (Hamilton Ventura, 2012). These staggering numbers can change if we start providing The Development Assets, created by the Search Institute, to our youth; this is a guarantee. These assets are 40 research-based encouraging qualities that affect adolescent development. By providing them to our youth, we are helping them to become caring, responsible, and productive adults. These assets have be proven to work and are quickly becoming the most positive youth development in the United States and globally. All across the world and now in other countries it is apparent the positive affect that the assets have been for all cultural and socioeconomic groups (Institute, 2007). Also, high-risk behavior is better predicted by the level of Developmental Assets one has, than their family, resources, or location. However, like with Rockdale County, most of our adolescents will have less than 40 Assets (Institute, 2007). The Developmental Assets include things such as family support, positive family communication, and service to others as well as integrity, honesty, and restraint to name a few. These assets are a stepping stone and a guideline for parents. They can especially be used in a â€Å"busy† lifestyle with both parents working full-time jobs. This checklist allows no excuses for parents who are at a loss and do not know what to do with their child. It also teaches parents and teachers how to hold the children responsible and how to discipline the children instead of allowing their actions to continue. These assets can be appropriately used from the time they are 3 years old through adolescence, and would help in never seeing situation like Rockdale County arise. The more Developmental Assets that a person is exposed to the more likely they are to thrive and be successful. Researchers show that parents can set their children up for a bright future and almost guarantee that they will not be involved in high-risk behavior such as drug and alcohol use, sexual activity and drug use, by providing more assets to their child (Institute, 2007). When our adolescents have more assets they are more diverse, have better opportunities and less likely to become involved in high-risk behaviors. There are also a few Developmental Assets that can possibly help our children to prolong their puberty. One external asset of empowerment is safety, which can be considered as the normal external world but also internal. Parents are responsible for what their children use as far as cleaning products and the food they eat, which both contain chemicals and can increase onset puberty. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide safe and desirable products and food for their children. This also leads to obesity, as it can promote onset maturation. Another external asset is constructive use of time; this means that children should participate in weekly sports club or organization within the school or community. By keeping our children active there will be less room for obesity. Another contribution to onset maturation was the absentee father, which is also covered in the assets in the support section; it states that family should provide children with a constant loving and supporting relationship. Some reasons for an absent father cannot always be avoided; however, providing the child’s father that just chooses to be absent may be swayed if he were introduced to the determent it would cause his daughter. Again, following the Developmental Assets will not only allow us to prolong puberty in girls but also allow us to provide a promising future for our children. Before researching and learning more about sexual behavior in our youth I would have said that if there were sexual education classes in our schools that they shou ld be kept to a minimum and not go into much detail on the topic, this is because of how I grew up. As a family and a school we were not open about our sexuality at all, nor did we have sexual education in our school system. And I personally, did not engage in high-risk sexual behavior nor did I know it was a concern. This could be contributed to my own Developmental Assets that my parents provided me with as there were very few, if any, that I was not given. My views have changed drastically on the need for better and more thorough sexual education programs in our schools after seeing the drastic change in numbers of teen pregnancy and STIs. We have to prevent the age of youth engaging in sexual activity dropping each year; it is a great concern and our responsibility to educate them in schools. We should provide the parents and teachers education classes addressing these issues as they may not have been educated themselves. Schools should make information more available to parents and maybe they will see the importance of this issue. Brochures that address concerns and causes for onset puberty would be beneficial to parents, and also providing information to parents at PTO meetings, and other meetings when they already have the parent’s attention. Our schools are concerned with meetings about budgets and addressing lunch programs and ignoring important issues such as sexual development. It is one thing to teach our students, but we must also teach their parents. Advocate for Youth reports the effectiveness of sexual education in schools has contributed to lower numbers in teen pregnancy, lower numbers of youth engaging in unprotected sex, and also delayed initiation of sexual behavior altogether (McKeon, 2006). I think this proves that sexual education in our schools without a doubt needed. Schools can provide sexual development information at correct ages instead of local news and radio stations trying to stop the spread of sexual activity and STIs. I know now just riding in the car with my daughter in the middle of the day listening to the radio with my daughter, there are condom commercials. She is 7 years old and should not be exposed to that for many years to come. I think the internet and television are far worse and if we are not around to monitor our children from a young age then they will be more likely to partake in these kinds of activities. School is the place to educate our children where they can ask questions and learn from adults, not just assuming on their own and among their peers. We can also offer students counseling and behavioral interventions, hopefully before, but especially after children like Rockdale County, as this would provide both parents and students to find out the underlying cause for wanting to engage in sexual activity. If counseling and treatment were more readily available student would not continue to engage in inappropriate behavior and quite possibly be prevented from becoming teen parents as we also saw with the Rockdale county students. These counseling sessions and treatments can be a more intense version of the sexual education classes in our schools that can provide students who are already sexually active and those who want to become sexually active. They can provide both pre as well as post STI test counseling so that teens can recognize symptoms of these infections, be encouraged to let their partner know, and not go untreated. Also, counseling and intervention should use condom promotion to influence students to practice safe sex and lower the risk of teen pregnancy. By providing public awareness and education to our educators, parents, and students we reduce the number of girls that have onset puberty. Parents being taught to be supportive during adolescents, which can be a difficult and confusing time for students, is more important than ever. With the improvement of sexual education programs taught in our school systems, parents and teachers can adequately prepare students for the negative effects of sexual activity before it is too late. The numbers of adolescents engaging in sexual activity, STIs and teen pregnancies can be reduced. References: Caal, Selma M. (2008) Adolescent Sexual Development: Contextualizing a Cognitive Process in the Decision to Engage in Protective or Risky Sexual Behavior. George Mason University.UMI. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. http://denhamlab.gmu.edu/Theses and Dissertations PDFs/Caal2008.pdf>. CDC. (2011). Effective HIV and STD Prevention Programs for Youth.Sexual Behaviors.http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/sexualbehaviors/effective_programs.htm Gentry, J. (2002). Developing Assests. Washington: American Physcological Assosication. Hamilton, B., Ventura, S. (2012). NCHS Data Brief. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 18, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db89.htm Headlee, K. (2010). Growth and Development, Ages 13 to 17à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ What You Need to Know. Developing Adolescents, 1, 7. Retrieved December 16, 2013, from http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/FCS/FCSPubs/Fact_Sheets/Growth_and_Development_13-17.pdf McKeon, B. (2006). Effective Sex Education. Advocates for Youth. Retrieved December 19, 2013, from http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications450 Parent, A. (2003). The Timing Of Normal Puberty And The Age Limits Of Sexual Precocity: Variations Around The World, Secular Trends, And Changes After Migration. Endocrine Reviews, 24(5), 668-671. Parke, R. D. Gauvain, M. (2009).Child psychology: A contemporary viewpoint(7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill. Ross, B. (1999). The Lost Children of Rockdale County. PBS. Retrieved December 21, 2013, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/georgia/interviews/beth.html Institute. (2007). 40 Developmental Assets. Search Institute. Retrieved December 12, 2013, from http://www.search-institute.org/what-we-study/developmental-assets Sexually transmitted infections (STIs). (2013). WHO. Retrieved December 20, 2013, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs110/en/

The American Dream in What’s So Great About America and Stupid White Me

The American Dream is so many different things to so many different people. While other countries around the World would like to argue that Americans’ only aspiration is to become infinitely wealthy, Dinesh D’Souza claims that it is not wealth that Americans want. He believes that it is simply a better life. Michael Moore too acknowledges Americans’ ambition, especially his own, to create a better life for themselves. These two views of the American Dream come from very opposite Americans, but it is their differences that make their ideals so beautifully unique. To begin the comparison between these two authors, I will first examine Moore’s ideology. As it is obviously stated in the title of his book, Moore is not exactly subtle person. He voices his contempt of what has become the American Dream through his own story of an underpaid and underappreciated pilot. Moore disgust for the pilot’s situation when he crudely utters, â€Å"Never, ever let someone fly you up in the air who’s making less than the kid at Taco Bell.† (Moore, 48) Moore, of self-admitted wealth, sympathizes with men that collect food stamps. These pilots, as well as the rest of Americans, are being robbed of our American Dreams by corporate minions that have been stockpiling income for the last, â€Å"two decades.† (Moore, 50) These same CEO’s and other suits are the greed at the tops of huge corporations that, with the absence of Clinton, have had a field day with ripping off Americans by and large through tax shelters, off-shore s ubsidies, and other means of defrauding the American Public. Moore drives this point home when he attacks Mercedes Benz tax dodging of emissions fines as a blatant tactic, â€Å"so that rich people could drive around big, fancy cars and ruin people lungs.† (Moore, 53) Although he admits to living among the rich people, Moore points out that the government too is among those that are flushing away the American Dream, because tax audits have increased among the less paid in American society. Moore reveals that his true vision of the American Dream is the success of people who have, â€Å"played by the rules, gave their heart and sole and first marriage to their company.† (Moore, 55) Certainly success is anything but guaranteed in any competitive Capitalistic society. This competition is what makes America thrive. However, Moore feels that it is not Capitalism fault, as much as it is... ...ti-patriotism. I see his aggressive style as his way of embracing our democracy and forcing it to make our country better in any way it can. What he is saying is to refuse mediocrity in our own government. I too believe we should always be striving to make our country better. It is this reason that I call D’Souza naà ¯ve. Our government did not become what it is over night. It has been hundreds of years of fight and struggle from people like Moore that pushed America through her weaknesses, like segregation, racism, injustice, etc.. D’Souza touches on this idea somewhat when he quotes V.S. Naipaul’s notion that Americans believe in an individual’s potential for, â€Å"perfectibility.† (D’Souza, 85) Because of our government, more directly its rule by the people, this perfectibility should also be extended to our every political ideal. Even though I admire D’Souza and his blind love for America, I agree that Moore’s head is in the right direction. Works Cited D’Souza, Dinesh., What’s So Great About America (Washington, Regnery Publishing, 2002). Moore, Michael. Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation. New York: Regan/ HarperCollins, 2001. The American Dream in What’s So Great About America and Stupid White Me The American Dream is so many different things to so many different people. While other countries around the World would like to argue that Americans’ only aspiration is to become infinitely wealthy, Dinesh D’Souza claims that it is not wealth that Americans want. He believes that it is simply a better life. Michael Moore too acknowledges Americans’ ambition, especially his own, to create a better life for themselves. These two views of the American Dream come from very opposite Americans, but it is their differences that make their ideals so beautifully unique. To begin the comparison between these two authors, I will first examine Moore’s ideology. As it is obviously stated in the title of his book, Moore is not exactly subtle person. He voices his contempt of what has become the American Dream through his own story of an underpaid and underappreciated pilot. Moore disgust for the pilot’s situation when he crudely utters, â€Å"Never, ever let someone fly you up in the air who’s making less than the kid at Taco Bell.† (Moore, 48) Moore, of self-admitted wealth, sympathizes with men that collect food stamps. These pilots, as well as the rest of Americans, are being robbed of our American Dreams by corporate minions that have been stockpiling income for the last, â€Å"two decades.† (Moore, 50) These same CEO’s and other suits are the greed at the tops of huge corporations that, with the absence of Clinton, have had a field day with ripping off Americans by and large through tax shelters, off-shore s ubsidies, and other means of defrauding the American Public. Moore drives this point home when he attacks Mercedes Benz tax dodging of emissions fines as a blatant tactic, â€Å"so that rich people could drive around big, fancy cars and ruin people lungs.† (Moore, 53) Although he admits to living among the rich people, Moore points out that the government too is among those that are flushing away the American Dream, because tax audits have increased among the less paid in American society. Moore reveals that his true vision of the American Dream is the success of people who have, â€Å"played by the rules, gave their heart and sole and first marriage to their company.† (Moore, 55) Certainly success is anything but guaranteed in any competitive Capitalistic society. This competition is what makes America thrive. However, Moore feels that it is not Capitalism fault, as much as it is... ...ti-patriotism. I see his aggressive style as his way of embracing our democracy and forcing it to make our country better in any way it can. What he is saying is to refuse mediocrity in our own government. I too believe we should always be striving to make our country better. It is this reason that I call D’Souza naà ¯ve. Our government did not become what it is over night. It has been hundreds of years of fight and struggle from people like Moore that pushed America through her weaknesses, like segregation, racism, injustice, etc.. D’Souza touches on this idea somewhat when he quotes V.S. Naipaul’s notion that Americans believe in an individual’s potential for, â€Å"perfectibility.† (D’Souza, 85) Because of our government, more directly its rule by the people, this perfectibility should also be extended to our every political ideal. Even though I admire D’Souza and his blind love for America, I agree that Moore’s head is in the right direction. Works Cited D’Souza, Dinesh., What’s So Great About America (Washington, Regnery Publishing, 2002). Moore, Michael. Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation. New York: Regan/ HarperCollins, 2001.

Experiences that have left us demoralized and demotivated

This famous quote by Corita Kent has become the philosophy of my life. A philosophy that has been imparted in me by years of experience. A look through the events in life reveals that despite the wonderful moments, there are too some worst flashes that are not worthy any memory. Experiences that have left us demoralized and demotivated.These events and experience are the most important in shaping our destinies. The road to success is paved with a rough path and sharp bends. It is in negotiating these sharp coners that we are armed with the necessary skills to overcome future challenges. Life is a learning experience and none of the events in life should be in vain no matter the consequences, each should be a learning opportunity.There is this particular experience that happened some years back in high school that though it left me slightly disturbed, it went a long way in creating an understanding about some of my classmates and also know that not all of us pursue the same goals and when we do, we don’t follow the same pass. Some just want to ride on other people’s back.This experience has helped me understand that we are different, not because of our skin colors or creed, but because of our personalities. It has made me to be wary of some students even here in San Joaquin Delta College.Whereas study group are methods used by instructors to impart leadership and team playing skills in students. Some students unfortunately see it as an opportunity to hide behind numbers and ride on the sweat and hard work of others. I recall one time we had been arbitrary allocated study groups by our grammar teacher. We were supposed to look at the history and the evolution of language. Specifically, we were to focus on English’s language relationship with Latin.Most of us were not familiar with each other and our first meeting was dedicated towards socializing and exchanging contacts. We agreed on our schedule and by plan or default I was selected the grou p leader. I had never before been in any position of leadership even of such a small number. I had not envisaged the sort of challenges that I was to face, but I believed in myself.You see, I have been brought up in a family that believes in hard work and discipline as the key to success in life. Although I was born in Mexico, I have lived in Stockton California all my life and have seen the fruits of my hard work, as I don’t have to work in college to pay for my school fees. I hence have the whole day to dedicate to my studies.In this study group we had been allocated a task that was to be completed within a certain specific however, there were these two male students, Tom and Harris that failed to turn up for any of the study group. Being the group leader, I took up the responsibility of calling them and urged them to turn up or else I would report to our instructor. They did not heed to my warning and I had to inform my teacher. They were struck off the groups list and had to redo the whole unit. They were not happy about these developments and confronted me one day after classes.I am not a coward but I am not brave either, but there was no way I could fail to stand up for what I believed to be right. I told them off and said I would do it again should we ever be in the same group in future.I could tell that they were angry and spoiling for a fight as I could see Harris clutching his belt. I new then that it would get nasty. They were shouting at me and hurling all manner of racist remarks. However I stood my ground and a small crowd began to develop out of curiosity. Seeing that I would not back off, they went away promising to do all manner of nasty things should we ever meet.They did not get to do it as they were transferred from the school later in the week, however this incident has left me cautious of some of my classmates knowing that some of them can be leaches seeking to survive on other peoples sweat and expect to get away with it. This int eraction has gone a head in shaping my study relationships as school and I have to take time in choosing my study partners   

China’s Threat to the United States Economy

For the last twenty eight years, China has been quickly growing into one of the largest economies in the world. China has accomplished this feat, in part, by radically changing their policies on trade and free market interactions with other countries. During this process, China has bought approximately one hundred trillion dollars of United States debt in the form of Treasury bills, notes, bonds, and Inflation Protected Securities (Amadeo). This debt has given China leverage against the United States which has enabled China to keep the value of the United States dollar high, while keeping the value of the Chinese yuan low. As the inflation of the dollar continues to negatively affect the United States economy, China has become an economic superpower. Recently, concern has risen that China is a threat to the economy of the United States. China has become a perceived threat to the United States economy because of the increasing trade deficit between the two countries, the ability to undercut production costs of similar products produced in the United States, and the amount of leverage that China has over the United States due to the amount of money that has been lent by the Communist nation. Trade deficits between countries are caused when a country imports more goods from one country than they export to that same country. In the case of the United States and China, there is approximately a two hundred and twenty five billion dollar trade deficit (Prassad). The United States imports nearly three hundred and thirty five billion dollars worth of goods and services from China, while exporting only a little more than eighty billion dollars worth of goods and services to the growing economic power (CRS). The disparity in trade between the two countries results in a flooding of Chinese made products that force their United States competitors to lower production costs. In many cases, lowering production cost of domestic products results in either the closing of these businesses or the outsourcing of jobs. Both of these cause the loss of jobs in the United States. One of the reasons that the United States has been unable to lessen the trade deficit is China’s ability to undercut production costs of similar products made in the United States (Elwell 27) China’s overall cost of living is much lower than their United States counterparts (Amadeo). Therefore, they are able to produce goods and hire labor at a much lower price. One of the main reasons for this economic statistic is China’s population. It is nearly three times that of the United States, giving China a much larger work force to produce electronics, automobiles, and clothing at a fraction of the United States production cost (CIA). Not only does this negatively affect employment in the United States, but it also impacts their ability to compete on the global market. Industries that involve manufacturing, such as automobiles, computers, and electronics have decreased by thirty four percent since 1998 (Prasad). This has a negative effect on the amount of goods that the United States can export. Finally, China has gained a certain amount of leverage affecting the United States economic policies, due in part, to the amount of money that China has loaned the United States. Starting in the early 1980’s, every time the value of the dollar would drop, China would buy Treasury bills, notes, bonds, and Inflation Protected Securities to keep the dollar stable in value (Elwell 36). After nearly thirty years of this practice, the United States has come to depend on Chinese loans to maintain its currency value and China has come to own a majority of United States debt. This imbalance of debt has created a number of different scenarios that could bring about potential political and economic problems for the United States. China could theoretically cash in their treasuries and bonds tomorrow, which would cause the United States dollar to suffer massive inflation. While this scenario is not necessarily in China’s best interest right now, the possibility should concern the United States government. Instead, China could use their debt leverage to impact foreign trade policies and more importantly domestic political policies that budget how the United States spends its tax dollars (Elwell 22). China has become a perceived threat to the U. S. economy because of the increasing trade deficit between the two countries, their ability to undercut production costs of similar products produced in the United States, and the amount of leverage that China has over the United States due to amount of money that has been lent by China. Although the United States has taken steps to close the trade deficit, such as convincing China to raise prices on their exports, there is still a considerable gap (Prasad). The United States government continues to print money that they simply can’t afford, therefore, relying even more heavily on China sustaining the value of their currency. Unless the United States is able to close the trade deficit and regain control of our economic flexibility, the problems caused by foreign countries owning our debt will remain eminent.