The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero Essay Example

The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? Essay Odysseus a hero? The only heroes I know are Superman, Batman, and Ironman. How can someone as normal as Odysseus be compared to someone as strong as Batman? The truth is Odysseus, raider of cities, is in fact an archetypal hero. The four characteristics Odysseus exemplified to make himself a hero are: bravery, faithfulness, intelligence, and determination. First off, Odysseus was a very brave person. Even though and underdog, Odysseus never backed down. His first act of bravery was his ability to face the mighty Trojan army. He was selected to join the war and refused. So the Greeks put his baby Telemachus in front of a plow. He quickly stopped it and accepted the challenge being the brave person he was. † But the ‘draft board’ was smarter than Odysseus. They threw his baby Telemachus in front of his oncoming plow. †(David Adams Leeming 643) Another act of bravery on Odysseus’ part, was taunting the massive Cyclops Polyphemus. †O Cyclops! Would you feast on my companions? Puny, am I, in a caveman’s hands? How do you like the beating that we gave you, you damned cannibal? †(Homer 476) The last act of Odysseus’ bravery was his willingness to go to the underworld. There Odysseus met Thebes. Thebes requested that Odysseus let him taste blood. We will write a custom essay sample on The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Odyssey and Was Odysseus a Hero? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Odysseus, the brave man that he was, cut himself to please Thebes. â€Å"At this I stepped aside, and in the scabbard let the long sword ring home to the pommel silver as he bent down to taste the somber blood. †(Homer 615) Odysseus, as brave as he was, was also faithful. His first act was his ability to leave Calypso. He said he had to get home. In the process Odysseus gave up eternal life. â€Å"If you could see it all, before you go all the adversity you face at sea-you would stay here, and guard this house, and be immortal. †(Homer 104) As with Calypso, Circe also fell to the faithful Odysseus. Circe was the goddess of lust. It is told that Circe was the most beautiful woman for miles. Again, Odysseus pleads to go home. † Odysseus and his men beg Circe to help them return home. †(Homer ) The final way Odysseus was faithful was he fought all of the suitors for Penelope and Telemachus. He wanted to serve his duty as a father and save Telemachus. Instead of letting the suitors steal his wife Odysseus fought more that a hundred men. â€Å"Although Odyseeus is ready to reclaim his rightful kingdom, he must first confront more than a hundred hostile suitors. †(Homer ) He faced off for his wife and defeated all of the suitors. Odysseus, you’ve probably already guessed is a very determined person. He never thought about giving up on home. â€Å"Yet, it is true, each day Odysseus long for home, long for the sight of home. †(Homer 117) He also wanted to see his son. In the 20 years Telemachus was alive, Odysseus hadn’t seen him one. Telemachus was born shortly after Odysseus left for Troy. Although his determination was greater than ever, It didn’t stop the obstacles in his way from appearing. One of the obstacles that really tested his determination was Scyclla. Scyclla was a three-headed serpent that lived between a strait. As we sailed toward Scyclla I said nothing, as we could do nothing. †(Homer 791) Scyclla proved no match for the small boat as the boat and some of Odysseus’ warriors were diminished. Still, Odysseus trudged on. Last, Odysseus was intelligent. He first tricked the Cyclops into thinking his name was nohbdy. This way the Cyclops would tell his frien ds that nohbdy was there when he attacked. â€Å"Remember the gift you promised me and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy. †(Homer 360) The Cyclops believed him because he was drunk and was eventually defeated by him. He also fooled the Trojans. The Trojans believed the horse that Odysseus made was a gift that the greeks surrendered. When, in fact, the the Greeks were hiding in it. The Trojans partied and when everyone was sleep, the Greeks went in and slit everyone’s throat. Last he had his friends move all the suitors weapons. The suitor’s died from the strength of Odysseus and their lack of weapons. Overall, Odysseus was a strong and powerful hero. He was: brave, faithful, intelligent, and determined. These four things make Odysseus an archetypal hero. He preserved and won the battle. Now, only now may Odysseus rest at home.

Conflicts in Old Man and the Sea essays

Conflicts in Old Man and the Sea essays The Old Man and the Sea is as deep as the ocean. There are many conflicts occurring in the novel, some subtler than others; but each contributes to Santiagos suffering and reveals different depths of his character. Two examples of conflict are between Santiago and the marlin and between Santiago and the other fisherman. Santiago suffers a great deal through these hardships, but with strength and determination, he is able to overcome them. The main conflict of the story is between Santiago and the Marlin. He first sees the Marlin when it jumps up. The marlin is two feet longer than the skiff and very strong. When it tries to swim away, it pulls the skiff with it, far out to sea. For days the old man sits alone in his skiff, battling the marlin. Through this, he is able to overcome hunger, weakness and a cramping left hand. You are killing me, fish, the old man thought (92). At one point Santiago believes he is too weak and that the fish might actually kill him. This is when he is able to find his strength and reel in the now tired fish. He harpoons the fish and stains the ocean with its blood. Another conflict exists between Santiago and the other, younger fisherman. They think that Santiago is salao because he has not caught a fish in 84 days. They do no respect him because he is old and unlucky. They do not recognize or venerate his skill. In fact, they ridicule him. This affects Santiagos confidence and isolates him further. Santiago does not have any friends other than the boy because no one respects him. When Santiago comes back from his trip with the gigantic marlin carcass with shark bites in it, they realize that Santiago has great skill and determination for his age and they begin to respect him. When the old man tells the story about the Campion, he reveals that being honored is important to him. His pride is bruised by the lack of respect by the other fisherman. His honor is finally restored wh...

Assingment 4 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assingment 4 - Coursework Example Example: Suppose a firm produces 1000 units with 10 laborers, remember the main objective of any firm is to maximize revenue, the management may opts to hire more workers to increase output which will lead to an increase in profit but if the contribution of 11^th worker will lead to a decrease in output, then it will only be important to employ enough employees who maximize the output without causing the marginal product to diminish. Largo Publishing House is not making the optimal choice on input amounts. This is due to the fact that there is underestimation of printers employed. A simple calculation can prove this. If the last printer can add 20 books to the total output and press is adding 1000 books, if you take (1000/2 = 50). This shows that fifty (50) printers can be used to do the work of one printing press machine hence the publishing house will be saving $ 4000. cost of one machine is $600.This indicates that the company should not install the textile machine since its total cost overweight’s hand labor cost which is $1350 compared to machine cost which amounts to $1500. i.e. ($1500

Critically evaluate the role and effectiveness of the Environment Essay

Critically evaluate the role and effectiveness of the Environment Agency (UK) in improving air quality in the United Kingdom - Essay Example The organisation plays a regulative role in reducing the emission of air pollutants into the atmosphere from huge industrial processes and thereby improving the air quality in the country. Recently, the agency has planned to extent its operational area to large scale agricultural activities too while giving exception to some agricultural activities that cause release of air pollutants. This paper will critically evaluate the role and effectiveness of UK’s Environmental Agency in promoting air quality in the country. Air pollution in UK Air pollution is a drastically growing issue in the United Kingdom at both local and national levels. Although the air pollution in UK has been better improved over the last decade, it still struggles with air quality issues. Official data indicate that CO2 emissions significantly contribute to the UK’s pollution issue. The UK Air Quality Strategy gives specific focus on emission of air pollutants including benzene, 1,3-butadiene, lead, o zone, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides (DEFRA, 2012). Road transport, fuel combustion, and industrial emissions are some of the major sources of air pollution in UK. Historically, the UK has been greatly suffering from sulphur dioxide and smoke emissions. Nowadays, traffic emissions are growing to be a potential impediment to the UK’s air pollution control efforts. Combustion of fossil fuels has an increasing impact on the UK’s urban air quality. As we mentioned above, air pollution has a range of negative effects on both health and environment. Even though moderate levels of air pollution are not likely to have any serious effect on a normal individual, continuous and long term exposure to air pollution may result in threatening health conditions including inflammatory and respiratory system failures. Air pollution more severely affects the long term sustainability of the environment. Emission of air pollutants like CO2 causes depletion of ozone layer and allows i nfrared and other harmful rays to enter the earth’s atmosphere. Such rays are dangerous to a number of ecosystems and therefore cause to destroy the balance of ecology. Researchers argue that air pollution can have devastating impacts on biodiversity and crop yields. In UK, several studies are being conducted to accurately explore the effects of air pollution on vegetation. Primarily, the UK has started its response to air pollution by the middle of the 20th century when issues like urban smog, black smoke, and sulphur dioxide had begun to threaten the country’s environmental safety. The United Kingdom started to monitor its air pollution issues on a national scale in 1961 (UK Air Pollution, 2003). In the strength of such initiatives, the country could notably reduce coal burning emissions to a great extent. When the country focused more on the reduction of combustion related emissions, transport sector grew to be the most potential source of air pollution in most regi ons of the UK. In order to effectively address this historic change, the UK government’s focus has progressively turned to traffic pollutants including ozone, fine particular matter, and nitrogen dioxide. Some data indicate that UK’s air monitoring networks have noticeably developed over the last two decades; but, this growth did not much contribute to air quality level improvement. Increasing awareness of environmental sustainability, UK’

Criminal Justice Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminal Justice Planning - Essay Example On the 16th of April 2007, this student went on a shooting rampage, killing 32 people, and injuring many others, before committing suicide by shooting himself. This shooting incident in campus shocked the entire world, and while the bereaved and distressed families are still trying to put their shattered lives in order, a lot of questions have emerged, chief among which are how a mentally disturbed and psychiatrically treated patient came into possession of guns and such large quantities of ammunition, to be able to murder and main by dozens. "Under federal law, the Virginia Tech gunman Seung-Hui Cho should have been prohibited from buying a gun after a Virginia court declared him to be a danger to himself in late 2005 and sent him for psychiatric treatment, a state official and several legal experts said." (Luo, 2007). Most significantly, it has raised questions about the current levels of security and safety available to students, faculty members and staff, in present day campuses. The incident has raised disturbing questions regarding public life in the surroundings and how harrowing a real life experience, such as this would be for its traumatic spectators and sufferers. In the light of the killings it became necessary to evaluate the problems in all its perspectives- social, medical, psychological and legal. The writer has made forays in order to establish a strategic Plans which could, alleviate the extend of damages and sufferings caused to innocents and also methods, by which these kinds of incidents could be avoided in the future, with the active co-operation of all concerned- the State and Federal Agencies, the student community and their parents/guardians, the teaching faculties, support staff and the administrative personnel involved in the day to day scholastic activities of the institutions. Most significantly it is also necessary for the law enforcement agencies to be able to deal effectively with the crisis and move out for relief and rescue operations with alacrity and speed and also take necessary precautions to reduce the levels of fatalities and injuries. Further the lacunae between the State and Federal laws have been glaringly mani fested in this case "Mr. Cho's ability to buy two guns despite his history has brought new attention to the adequacy of background checks that scrutinize potential gun buyers. And since federal gun laws depend on states for enforcement, the failure of Virginia to flag Mr. Cho highlights the often incomplete information provided by states to federal authorities." (Luo, 2007). Mission Statement: To minimize campus violence by planned, co-ordinated and effectively executed methods. One of the reasons why the Virginia killings took place was because although the killer was undergoing psychiatric treatment, as an outpatient, this fact was not considered when the guns were sold to him. The lacunae in the laws that provide that only someone who is "involuntarily committed" or a person "ruled incapacitated" could be disallowed from the purchase of firearms was not applicable in this case, as he was just an outpatient. He had undergone medication after psychiatric evaluation and assessment, but at the time of killings, he was not under drugs, as the post-mortem reports did not reveal any drugs in his body. Therefore, it is necessary

Freedom of Speech in Saudi Arabia

Freedom of Speech in Saudi Arabia Twitter is one of those social media that has revolutionized the way of sending thoughts to the whole of the world. It has rapidly changed the way of communicating with the people living at any place of the world. Its importance cannot be denied in any case. There are billions of people that are well aware from this medium. They have maintained their accounts in it to get the latest happenings in the country and in the outside world. This medium has become the reason for awareness in the Kingdom Saudi Arab. People are attached to it to get the information they need. They are not in exception and are making full of this facility. In the recent years, the amount of accounts prepared by the people living in the kingdom has been increased. People have started recognizing its importance. There are many reports issued by independent research institutions of the world that are supporting this fact. People in KSA are now well aware of its benefits and are recognizing that it is the best source to connect them with the world. It is not only the reason of creating a contact with the people, but they can also express their views with the world. The world has changed, due to this sort of medium. The awareness of the issues has been spread about in the world. People are now able to discuss these issues and provide their suggestions on them. Openly and bluntly speaking, the revolutions in the recent years, in the Arab countries are brought because of Twitter. In Saudi Arabia people can come up to one stage to share their thought. They know what else is better than this. While being at home, using twitter on their computers and mobiles, they are promoting freedom of speech. It was considered that there was lesser freedom to talk and express one’s views in KSA, but this is not the case anymore. People have got the environment that is performing its duty very well for them. Statement of purpose It is significant to know what is happening in the world. If you are not aware of all, this means, you are losing something important. Twitter is about knowing whether the people are concerning themselves with the innovative ways of chatting and expressing thoughts with others or not. This medium has created awareness among the people in KSA, and how you can raise your voice while being there. It has become the best platform for spending time on reading and discussing the news. This platform is not only limited to the news of the world that sometimes bore a person, but the entertainment stuff also exists in it. People in the Saudi Arabia are also having fun while reading funny and entertainment tweets. People were unable to criticize the policies of the government before this, and the local media were always talking about the qualities of the kingdom. Now the people are well aware and have a platform that will make sure that their voices and thoughts will be conveyed to the relevant authorities and the issues will be solved. One of the important things is that you can promote the things that you are doing. The persons living in the society come near to each other and they become able to convey their thoughts to a huge amount of people. it was not possible in the recent past. Importance or relevance of the project This project is very crucial for everybody to know about. People spend their whole of the lives searching for something that will make them able to show their beliefs to the world. There are still many people who do not think that it has become simpler than the past to convey their suggestions and views to the rest of the people. The reason for this might be that they are not having opportunities to do so; it is the responsibilities of the people living nearby them to make them aware of any such change and to provide them facilities. KSA is a place where the people have started recognizing its importance. The world has been changed and the processes of doing things have also been modernized to a large extent. The people should be told to use this medium to convey their problems and views to the whole of the world. The time has been changed and the importance of Twitter has been increased all around the world. Now the public gathering is held due to the help of these like media, that are very easy to access by everybody and are less expensive or sometimes, they cost nothing to the users for connecting themselves with the world. This creates social awareness among the masses especially in the countries like KSA where the kingdom prevails and it is difficult to convey the opinions and the views over any issue, like the criticism on the government for a project that did not suitably solve the issues of the people. Now the people are capable to show their concerns to the relevant authorities of the country. The rules and regulations and the ethics should not be exploited in the wake of freedom of expressions. Sharing views and making a tweet means you have to be in a limit that should not be crossed by hook or by crook. If the people are being provoked to destroy the system of a country, their minds are being agitated with the hatred by using a social medium. Relevance to communication theory Twitter also understands to fulfill the requirements of the communication theory. This theory is very vast and covers all the factors that occur in the social media including the face to face, chats, and likewise sort of communication. People in Saudi Arabia are able to follow to their desired personalities as in it the â€Å"following system† prevails. You get tweets in which, the persons to whom you are following, share their thoughts. It is the communication software that is being used widely by the people of the world. They are getting most of it by connecting themselves by following the people they like. Twitter is evolving with the passage of time. More and more features are being included into it so that the people could make full of this media. Various sorts of companies with their twitter accounts attract the employees from all around the world. This is known as innovation, which was never thought in the past. When there are many benefits of it, there are many factors that are becoming the reason of its misuse. Some people are negatively using it and are becoming the reason of many problems. They are making the environment unsafe, which is not policy of any social media. Still, there are a lot to do to make it safer place to be at. The management of the Twitter is not able to have check and balance on all the tweets of the people. It is the people’s social responsibility to make sure that they use it for the positive works. Communication has become very easy and comfortable with the invention of this medium in the KSA. It is least expensive and affects the huge amount of people. Their number is being increased in the Saudi Arabia. They are concerned about this media and provide their feedback when needed and when they think it is suitable to take participation in the issues being discussed. Just an account is what you need to get your message spread all around the world. The multi-national, educational, charity and governmental organizations in KSA are using this medium and making full of this facility. They share their message in the shape of tweets and call for the opinions of the people. They are not required to spend huge sum of money on the advertisements whereby the feedbacks of the people is difficult to take and provide them the solution at spot, if they have any problem. The other pitfall of them is that the message of only one side comes into scene and the other party waits for the right time to get in contact with the first one, to tell him, what the issue was with his message. This might be creating barriers in the way of all freedom of speech. People of the Saudi Arabia are well known with all these kinds of factors. They know attracting a huge amount of people has become very easy now. Communication theory is all about transferring the information from one person to another. It should be conveyed effectively and this is what is provided by Twitter. The feedback is taken from the audience, whether desired or not, they are not bound to provide or not to provide the reply to a certain situation. Nobody is there to halt their ways in this regard. Feedback is very crucial without it; the process of communication is not completed. When the people are able to provide their feedback with ease, there is no issue with the freedom of speech in the society. It is what the society of the KSA has started recognizing.

Is Mary Shelleys Frankenstein typical of the horror genre? Essay

Is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein typical of the horror genre? To answer the question above, I firstly need to be clear about the term 'genre.' Genre is a particular style in art or literature, some examples of genres are: romantic, Romance, science-fiction and Gothic. Each genre has its own personal features, for example the romance genre deals with love, it normally has exotic settings and it deals with emotional issues. I am going to try and categorise the book and then try to decide whether or not it is just a horror story, or if it is more than that. If it is just a horror story then it will focus on death, darkness, fear and terror. It will also try to shock the reader and it will use suspense heavily. With this in mind, Frankenstein is definitely a horror story, for example Victor Frankenstein said, on the day when the creature was born, "a dreary night in November." This shows that the day is dark, which is typical of a day in a horror story. "Infuse a spark... into this lifeless thing" this is when he is talking about the creature, and there is definitely and emphasis on death and darkness. Victor says he also has "astounding horror" this shows that he is feeling especially horrified with the monster. From the beginning of the book, the horror genre is the primary genre in the novel, even before Victor Frankenstein's story has even begun there is evidence of horror. Just before he starts to tell his story, he tells Robert Walton that his story has "unparalleled misfortunes" and that he has "memories of evil" this is meant to strike fear into the reader and into Robert Walton, it shows that Victor Frankenstein is deeply horrified with what has happened to him. There is also evil in this story a... ...ypical through out all of the book. I believe that Frankenstein is definitely a horror story and that it is also a Gothic story, because it has many features that are typical of these genres. I do not believe that they are the main genres though, as the Romantic genre is a lot more dominant in this novel. I believe that this is mainly because of the time period that it was set in, as it was written in 1818, and this was when people were starting to discard the horror genre, and they were starting to believe in nature. Also the horror genre is only present in a few of the chapters and the Romantic genre is present in most. There are many other genres present, but none of them are feature as much as the Romantic genre. I do believe that Frankenstein is typical of the horror genre, but only in some of the novel, and it is more typical of the Romantic genre.

Minimum Wage in California Research Paper

Minimum wage is the minimum hourly, daily or monthly wage that must be paid to employees or workers. Each country sets its own minimum wage laws and regulations, and more than 90 percent of all countries have some kind of minimum wage legislation. In the United States, statutory minimum wages were first introduced nationally in 1938 (Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia). The minimum wage was enacted in 1938 as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The first minimum wage was .25 an hour. This has increased over the years and the current federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour (Minimum Wage from http://jobsearch.about.com/od/minimumwage/a/minimumwage.htm) California minimum wages is based on their law to be implemented and imposed for the employer to follow for the protection of both the employee and the employer. Body of the Paper The California State Senate and Assembly have approved legislation that would give 1.4 million minimum-wage earners a $1-an-hour raise and boost annual pay to keep up with inflation. The Federal Minimum Wage Labor Law for California stated that employees under 20 years of age may be paid $4.25 per hour during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment with an employer. Certain full-time students, student learners, apprentices, and workers with disabilities may be paid less than the minimum wage under special certificates issued by the Department of Labor. California law is strict and pitiless to employers who have improperly paid the workers less than $6.75 per hour. Not only that an employers entitled to pay the unpaid minimum wage pay, but also the interest and penalties as well. But, the right to collect unpaid minimum wage pay does not last forever. In fact, if u delays in claiming the unpaid wages, you risk of losing unpaid minimum wage for work occurring more than three years prior to your filing of a lawsuit. Although there are some exceptions, because almost all employees in California must be paid the minimum wage as required by state law. Effective January 1, 2002, the minimum wage in California is $6.75 per hour. There are some employees who are exempt from the minimum wage law, such as outside salespersons, individuals who are the parent, spouse, or child of the employer, and apprentices regularly indentured under the State Division of Apprenticeship Standards. (Minimum Wage Order, MW-2001). California Wage Law has an exception for learners, regardless of age, who may be paid not less than 85 percent of the minimum wage rounded to the nearest nickel during their first 160 hours of employment in occupations in which they have no previous similar or related experience. There are also exceptions for employees who are mentally or physically disabled, or both, and for nonprofit organizations such as sheltered workshops or rehabilitation facilities that employ disabled workers. Such individuals and organizations may be issued a special license by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement authorizing employment at a wage less than the legal minimum wage (Minimum Wage Labor Code Sections 1191 and 1191.5). Minimum wage legislation may be interpreted as making it either unlawful for employers to pay workers less than the minimum wage, or unlawful for workers to provide labor or services for less than the minimum. White trade unions lobbied for the introduction of minimum wage laws to exclude black workers from the labor market. This minimum wage law prevents black workers from selling their labor for less than white workers, the black workers were prevented from competing for jobs held by whites although it is the employer who is fined and/or imprisoned for violations, and the workers also loses their freedom to do what they want for themselves. The minimum wage offers substantial benefits to low-wage workers without negative effect. The best recent research shown that the job loss reported in earlier analyses does not; occur when the minimum wage is increased. If the minimum wage were increased nationally to $7.25: almost 14.9 million workers would receive a raise, and 80 percent of those affected are adults age 20 or over, and 7.3 million children would see their parent’s income rise that can make the family’s income stable. Families with affected workers rely on those workers for over half of their earnings.46 percent of all families with affected workers rely solely on the earnings from those workers. Some minimum wage workers remain in low-wage jobs for substantial periods. The best recent research on the economic impact of the minimum wage shows positive effects without job loss. Even the research that suggests a negative labor market effect shows only a minimal impact that is more than offset by the higher wage levels. The states that have adopted higher-than-federal minimum wages have seen low-wage workers incomes rise with no negative side-effects. Over 650 economists, including five Nobel Prize winners and six past presidents of the American Economics Association, recently signed a statement stating that federal and state minimum wage increases â€Å"can significantly improve the lives of low-income workers and their families, without the adverse effects that critics have claimed† (EPI 2006). Conclusion Starting   January 1, 2002, the minimum wage in California is $6.75 per hour it is strictly imposed and implemented by Law to be follow by all the businesses both public and private sectors. In this Minimum Wage law there is the difference between the state and federal minimum wage? It stated that most employers in California are subject to both the federal and state minimum wage laws. The effect of this dual coverage is that when there are conflicting requirements in the laws, the employer must follow the strict standard; the one that is the most beneficial to the employee. Since California's current law requires a higher minimum wage rate than does the federal law, all employers in California who are subject to both laws must pay the state minimum wage rate unless their employees are exempt under California law. The minimum wage is an obligation of the employer and cannot be waived by any agreement, including collective bargaining. And in this law any remedial legislation written for The protection of employees may not be violated by agreement between the employer and employee (Minimum Wage, Civil Code Sections 1668 and 3513). California law of minimum wage stated that there is no distinction made between adults and minors when it comes to payment. And an employer may not use employee’s tips as a credit towards its obligation to pay the minimum wages If the employer doesn’t pay the employee it is also stated in the law that an employee can file a lawsuit in court against the employer to recover the lost wages and it is the duty of the court to order the employer to pay the attorney’s fees, and if your not working for this employer, you can make a claim for the waiting time penalty pursuant to Minimum Wage Labor Code section Today, the earnings of a full-time minimum wage worker with a family of three would earn $10,712 a year, thus falling below the official 2006 federal poverty level of $16,600. Although the federal poverty line is an inadequate measure of the income needed to support a family, this comparison highlights the severe insufficiency of the current minimum wage (Fisher 1999). Finally, the earnings of minimum wage workers are essential to their families’ total income. While not all minimum wage workers are poor or are the sole breadwinner for their families, it is striking how important low-wage workers’ income is to their economic well-being. On average, families with affected workers rely on those workers for over half (59%) of the  Families’ total earnings. Nearly half (46%) of all families with an affected worker rely solely on the earnings of those workers. References: Laws of Minimum Wage in California, Retrieved November 18, 2006 from http://www.mcmillanlaw.us/California_Overtime_Law/California_minimum_wage.htm Minimum Wage, Retrieved November 18, 2006 from http://jobsearch.about.com/od/minimumwage/a/minimumwage.htm Minimum Wage, Retrieved November 18 from Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia Minimum Wage in California, Retrieved November 18, 2006 from http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm ;

The 10 Best Places For Dads to Work in 2017

The 10 Best Places For Dads to Work in 2017 The United States is pretty terrible when it comes to family leave- but it’s even worse for dads. Very few employers even provide paid parental leave for fathers. As Simon Isaacs, co-founder of Fatherly, told Business Insider, â€Å"This means a lot of new dads are not able to take time to bond with their babies and be at home with their families.† Isaacs is quick to add that paternity leave is not â€Å"time off.† â€Å"There is an increasing body of evidence,† he says, â€Å"behind the importance of father-child bonding beginning in the first few weeks†¦ With more couples than ever sharing responsibilities at home, paternity leave is also important to support your wife or spouse.† The conversation is happening, and hopefully, change is in the works. But in the meantime, Fatherly has compiled a sweet list of companies leading the charge. Here are some of the highlights, taking into account leave policies, flexible hours, and telecommuting opti ons.1. NetflixNetflix wins all the praise from Fatherly. And should have our respect anyway given their â€Å"Unlimited Vacation† policy. Their parental leave policy is stellar; parents (mothers and fathers) can take up to a full year of paid leave. They can also change their hours around to work as much or as little as they need at different times. And they can come in and out, go full-time, part-time, etc. and keep receiving their salaries as normal. As long as you do your job at Netflix, the company trusts you and takes care of you.2. EtsySecond on Fatherly’s list is Etsy, giving its employees a gender-blind blanket 26 weeks of paid leave. You have to take the first six weeks consecutively (at the beginning, i.e. the first six months), but then you can spread the rest out over the course of two years (post birth or adoption) as needed. Their Brooklyn office also boasts dedicated parents’ rooms and a twice weekly communal meal called â€Å"Eatsy.†3. AmE xGo Platinum with AmEx’s parental leave policy. First of all, if you adopt, undergo fertility treatment, or use a surrogate, you’re eligible for $35k in medical assistance. Then, you get 20 weeks of paid paternity leave. Then an additional 20 days of subsidized backup dependent care per year. Plus, at some of their office locations, you can take advantage of â€Å"Summer Flex† and compress your work weeks to maximize weekend time off with the fam.4. SpotifyYou get 24 weeks of paid paternity leave with no restrictions on how to use it- until your kid’s third birthday. (You even get this retroactively as a new recruit if you come in with a child under three.) Their â€Å"Welcome Back† program lets your return gradually to full-time status with the added bonus of telecommuting options. And they have a Dad-centric â€Å"Focus on Fatherhood† group with activities, programming, and networking breakfasts with top execs giving advice about work/life balance.5. FacebookFacebook offers $20k in family planning benefits for fertility treatments, egg freezing, surrogacy, etc. Then 17 weeks paid leave, plus the standard 21 days of PTO and unlimited sick days, including an additional three days per year for â€Å"taking care of sick dependents.† If your kid gets the flu, take the day off, then log into Dads@Facebook (the company’s online dad space) for advice.6. TwitterTwitter is more like Netflix than Facebook, in that there is no PTO policy. Do your job well and take all the time you need otherwise. They’ve just doubled their paid paternal leave to 20 weeks. And they have great company perks, including a prep class for Dads about to go on leave to help in the transition.7. VMware, Inc.This company offers $5k to help with adoption or surrogacy ($10k lifetime limit), a $250 â€Å"Welcome Baby† gift, and 18 weeks paid paternity leave. And they have a non-accrued vacation policy to let you shape your own tim e off- as long as you’re delivering good work.8. Bank of AmericaBank of America offers a lot of support to new parents: a Welcome Kit, free financial planning, Lifecare advice and assistance, and 16 weeks paid paternity leave. You also get a 25-day backup child care allotment and a 25-day adult care allotment for when a caregiver is not available.9. PatagoniaFathers at Patagonia get 12 weeks paid leave to be used at any time before the child’s first birthday. They have a great work-life balance reputation, and are very concerned with employees and their children thriving. There are lots of ways they help a new family get set up, including FSAs and stipends.10. DeloitteYou’re eligible for paternity leave from day one of your employment, to the tune of 16 paid weeks. They offer child-care coverage and reimbursement, and employees get an average of 40 paid days off per year regardless. Managers here won’t track time off either. So do your work, and get your life in order without stress.

International Involvement Paper

International Involvement Paper Introduction During the first half of the 19th Century, America experienced no major involvement in international affairs. Most of the American expansion during this period was towards its bordering lands which were occupied and readily became part of the US. The last half of the 19th Century saw America’s expansion into possessions that were separate from the American continent. The United States was now joining a league of other countries, such as, France and Germany that were scrambling for the control of the underdeveloped world.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on International Involvement Paper specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Imperialist America The period between 1890 and 1905 saw the US become an aggressive imperialist state. America engaged herself in several international affairs including her involvement with Hawaii and Samoa islands, the war with Spain and controversies over Cuba, Puerto Rico and Philippine (Brinkley, 2007: 559). Fear of dwindling natural resources was among the factors that motivated international involvement. Other drivers included the American politicians’ aggressive push for a foreign policy to address the bloody labor disputes amongst other humanitarian courses and foreign trade. Hawaii and Samoa The involvement with Hawaii is among the earliest of the American international involvement. The island of Hawaii served as a very important way station for the ships belonging to America in its trade with china. America wanted to establish a permanent base for the Navy and Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. The number of Americans settled in Hawaii was also increasing and by late 1880s were dominating the Hawaiian economy and politics (Brinkley, 2007:442). These events were exerting pressure on the native Hawaiians who saw Americans as wrestling power from them. American penetration into this island state started as early as 1790 when the first Americ an set foot in Hawaii. Since then, many merchants, missionaries and planter settled in Hawaii and began devastating the society. In 1887, America opened a naval base at the Pearl Harbor. By 1890, most sugar plantations in Hawaii were owned by the Americans who depended on immigrant Asian workers. The rise of a powerful Hawaiian queen into the throne in 1890 who challenged American dominance resulted in the lifting of the privilege granted to Hawaiian sugar in international trade. This action by the US greatly hurt the economy of the Hawaii islands prompting American planters in Hawaii to conclude that the only option for them was to join the US. In 1898, Hawaii was fully adopted and became part of the US. During the period beginning in 1878, America was eyeing the island of Samoa with an aim of establishing a naval base at Pago Pago harbor. America successfully convinced Samoan administration to sign a treaty that granted US permission to establish a station at Pago Pago in exchange for the American arbitration of any difference that would arise between Samoa and any other nation.Advertising Looking for assessment on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Samoa also attracted other powers who were also interested in controlling her harbors. Great Britain and Germany too secured treaties that enabled them get privileges from Samoa. After a long intrigues between the three powers, Samoa was divided between the US and Germany with the US retaining Pago Pago harbor. The Spanish-American war The war between the US and Spain arose as a result of events happening in Cuba. Cuba was under the rule of Spain and since1868 fought in a bid to attain independence. Cubans again took arms in 1895 complaining of Spanish misrule. Both the Spanish and the Cubans side and the outcomes were devastating. Spain established concentration camps where civilians were confined and died in their thousands due to malnutri tion and diseases. This time round, the conflict received much attention from the press and shocked Americans sensibilities. Cuban immigrants flocked into the US and gave strong support to a party based in New York and also supported Cuba’s bid for independence. The rise to power of President McKinley in 1897 set the war into action (Brinkley, 2007:549). McKinley strongly protested the uncivilized and inhuman conduct of the Spaniards in Cuba. Fearing reprisal, the Spaniards agreed to modify conditions in the camps and to grant Cuba semi autonomy. However, a letter written by a Spanish minister and the blowing up of an American battleship in Havana harbor ignited hostility from America (Walter, 1963:425). Though at first McKinley was reluctant to go into war, there was push by others in his administration. A declaration for war was received in April 1898 leading into the ‘splendid little war’ as john Hay, the America secretary of state called it. The war started i n April and was over in august 1898 and gave the Americans the victory. The major reason for this fast success was because the Spanish were already weakened by the Cuban resistance. Immediately war over Cuba was over, the Americans the wrestled Puerto Rico and the Philippines from the Spanish rule. Conclusion 1890s was a very significant period in the American history as she plunged herself in international affairs. This era saw America acquire several overseas colonies. It was a period of the American imperialism that initially took the form of humanitarianism intervention. It is worth noting that the purpose of this international intervention was initially unclear. America became a new voice in international affairs and her decisions were listened to by other world powers.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on International Involvement Paper specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Brinkley, A. (2007). Ameri can History: A survey, 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Walter, F. (1963). The New Empire: An Interpretation of American Expansion, 1860-1898. New York: Cornell University Press.

Benjamin Franklin and his contribution to US Essay

Benjamin Franklin and his contribution to US - Essay Example He is favourably considered by many historians as a person who valued personal freedom and fought to see the wishes of the people prevail. This paper is dedicated to the analysis of the contributions of Benjamin Franklin to the country he played a role in founding. Fire was very a dangerous threat to Philadelphians therefore Benjamin Franklin created the Union Fire Company in 1736 to remedy the situation. The company became one of the first volunteer firefighting companies in the United States of America. In 1752, Benjamin created the Philadelphia Contribution for Insurance against Loss by Fire to help those who often suffered irreversible economic loss because of fire damages (Brands 83). Those who had insurance policies were lucky because they could not be wiped out financially by fire damages. In London Benjamin opposed the Stamp Act but failed to prevent its passage. Consequently, he made a political miscalculation by recommending a friend of his to the post of stamp distributor for Pennsylvania. This act annoyed the Pennsylvanians and they threatened to destroy his home in Philadelphia because they believed he had been supporting the measure that they were against all along. However, Benjamin soon realized the extent to which the colonies were resistant to the Stamp Act and gave a testimony before the House of Commons that led to its repeal as noted by Brands (56). In his testimony he said that the Americans would not pay taxes if the Stamp Act was adopted. This made Benjamin the leading American spokesman for American interests in England. He wrote famous essays on behalf of the colonies and was appointed by as an agent of many other colonies to the crown. In 1773, Benjamin wrote two essays that were his most celebrated pro American satirical writings. His essays were An Edict by the King of Prussia and Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One (Houston 312). After the return of Benjamin to Pennsylvania, in 1963, the western frontier

You choose A topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

You choose A topic - Essay Example Brave Orchid studied in a medical school, and had spent nights in a room haunted by ghosts. She encountered actual ghosts there, and made a successful exorcism. Brave Orchid lived in the caves which served as shelter to the Chinese people in Japanese air raids. She calls Moon Orchid in the fourth chapter, her younger sister, and continuously badgers her to defy her husband who has abandoned her and had gone to America to a second wife. The final chapter discusses how Chinese women are quiet as compared to the American women. The chapter brings up Kingston’s childhood memories of her school. One of the main themes that â€Å"The Woman Warrior† presents is femininity. Kingston dreaming of being a warrior named Fa Mu Lan, motherhood and bravery of Brave Orchid, the role of Moon Orchid as a wife and sister, and Tsai Yen whose Chinese songs the grandma loved, all are a depiction of the femininity the Chinese women are believed to have. Kingston states, â€Å""Im not a bad girl," I would scream. â€Å"I’m not a bad girl. Im not a bad girl." I might as well have said, "Im not a girl"† (2.152). This statement shows how Kingston feels that her femininity is a shame for her when she observed the world treating her differently. Another theme presented in the novel is identity. Kingston has given the name ‘memoir’ to the collection of her stories, which means that all the stories are her personal experiences. She identifies herself as a Chinese woman who cannot understand the double standards women are subjected to in the Chinese culture and the identity of women in the American culture. â€Å"Chinese-Americans, when you try to understand what things in you are Chinese, how do you separate what is peculiar to childhood, to poverty, insanities, one family, your mother who marked your growing with stories, from what is Chinese?† (Kingston 1.12) shows how Kingston explores Chinese identity in America. Third main theme is communication. Kingston has tried to