Unregulated Capitalism Undermines the Legitimacy of Liberal Democracy E

Introduction In a capitalist system, businesses compete with one another to produce the most innovative merchandise at the most competitive prices; in turn, consumers freely select the most desirable products. According to Adam Smith, this competition, when left unregulated, fosters maximum wealth and the common good (Economist 2-3). Indeed, unmanaged competition may ensure prices are affordable for consumers (2). However, in a global free market that exploits cheap labour; market demand dwindles, resulting in excessive credit lending and debt crises (Li 295-6). In this way, capitalism’s efficiency and promotion of the common good is questionable. Since the resurgence of unregulated capitalism in the late 20th century, social inequalities have grown significantly, with one percent of the most powerful countries attaining more wealth than half the world (Dunklin 2). Canada’s income gap has also risen, exacerbating morbidity and mortality (Bryant 47). However, the extent that government should reduce social inequities is controversial in a liberal democracy, which prioritizes economic freedom. That being said, social inequalities may lead to wealthier individuals gaining an advantage in policy making (Bryant 54; Rein 63), undermining the liberal democratic value of political equality. Moreover, the ideal of economic freedom is shrinking in today’s global economy, which exhibits massive enterprises stifling competition and creating economic instability (Foster 2). In light of these issues, the aim of this essay is to detail how unregulated capitalism detracts from a liberal democracy by undermining political eq uality and economic freedom. Ideals of a Liberal Democracy The values of freedom and equality, which are pr... ...21-134. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete. Raphael, D., Curry-Stevens, A., & Bryant, T. (2008). Barriers to addressing the social determinants of health: Insights from the Canadian experience. Health Policy, 88, 222-235. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2008.03.015. Reich, R. (2007). How capitalism is killing democracy. Foreign Policy, Sep/Oct2007, 38-42. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete. Rein, S. (2009). Radical politics. In J. Brodie & S. Rein (Eds.), Critical concepts: An introduction to politics (4th ed.) (pp. 60-71). Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Education Canada. Shahrokhi, M. (2011). The global financial crises of 2007-2010 and the future of capitalism. Global Finance Journal, 22, 193-210. doi: 10.1016/j.gfj.2011.10.010. Workman, T. (2010). Renewing the left in Canada. Canadian Dimension, 44(3), 49-52. Retrieved from the Canadian Reference Centre.

Focal Dystonia of the Hand, And What the Brain Has To Do With It :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Focal Dystonia of the Hand, And What the Brain Has To Do With It The body is complicated, and often the origins of a condition are all but obvious. Focal dystonia of the hand is one disorder whose underlying cause has been found in the more recent past. Although it can be genetic (1), the form of focal dystonia of the hand I look at here is caused by environmental factors (2). Focal dystonia of the hand is a condition characterized by a loss in motor control of one or more fingers. A single muscle or group of muscles is involved: muscles in the hand and forearm tense and tighten, with the result of making the hand (or part of it) curl (2). Musicians who have intensively practiced their instruments over a number of years are a group most affected by this condition. The reason is that focal dystonia can be caused by the repetitive movement of the fingers over a significant period of time. The condition was long known as "occupational hand cramp." (3). It can easily be misdiagnosed as simple overuse or stress of the hand (1). Although it may not be obvious at first sight of the symptoms, the level at which the problem is caused is not the hand, but the brain. Researchers at the University of Konstanz report "overlap or smearing of the homuncular organization of the representation of the digits in the primary somatosensory cortex" (3). Given that functions such as motor control cross over from the right side of the body to be represented in the left hemisphere, they found that the distance between the representations of individual fingers was smaller in the somatosensory cortex side corresponding to the hand that had undergone continued repetitious training (the left hand in case of violin players for example). What does all this mean in terms of the brain? Looking at the central nervous system as an input-output system, in very simple terms we can observe that a specific input is presented over and over again - in this case the stimulation of the fingers that play the violin - and as a result the organization within the box changes. More specifically, there is a one-to-one correspondence between input and internal representations of this input: all fingers are individually represented on the somatosensory cortex. But somehow, as these regions of representation begin to smear or overlap, the one-to-one correspondence is blurred.

Sears Roebuck and Company

Sears, Roebuck & Company was once one of the largest retailers in the country. Their mission statement and cultural beliefs were something that they stood by firmly and gave their customers 100% customer satisfaction. Over the years, Sears have deviated from their original statements of what they promised their customers and employees. Because of this deviation their company perception and cultural views have completely changed.Sears, Roebuck & Company Sears & Roebuck, and Company was founded in 1893 as a mail-order catalog that based their entire business on the needs of rural American farmers. They were at the demands of their customers solely. They even compensated their customers for referring their neighbors. Their mission was â€Å"We sell everything by mail-order only. Your money will be promptly returned for any goods not perfectly satisfactory and we will pay freight or express charges both ways.† (www.searsholding.com) Then other retailers had a difficult time trying to reach the customer satisfactory that Sears were offering their clientele.Then in the 1930s, Sears began to shift more toward the urban American population. Sears, Roebuck & Company is still the same mail-order along with a few stores but the same expectations. The customer could shop from home, and the merchandise would be shipped to his or her door front. After the Great Depression, Sears experienced an enormous tumble that led them to terminate the catalog. This started the spiral downfall for their customer satisfaction.Nowadays, Sears & Roebuck Department Store mission statement is â€Å"We are committed to improving the lives of our customers by providing quality services, products and solutions that earn their trust and build lifetime relationships. To serve, delight, and engage our members while they shopn  their way! The stores cultural beliefs are:†¢Members First – I deliver a â€Å"wow† experience to each member by understanding their specific nee ds and offering them the right products and services. †¢Own It – I take accountability to close the gaps as I See It, Own It, Solve It, and Do It. †¢Embrace Feedback – I am open, honest, and respectful in my communications, and constantly seek, accept, and offer feedback. †¢Show Pride – I am an engaged member. I demonstrate passion and pride by leading by example. †¢Learn and innovate – I learn new ways to serve members and do my job better by embracing innovation and technology. †¢Earn Trust – I work hard to earn the trust of every member I serve and every co-worker I interact with. †¢Be Authentic – I am genuine in all my interactions, ask questions to understand and align my words and action to achieve the key results.† (www.searsholding.com)Espoused Vs. Enacted ValuesSince the early 1990s when Sears began to fall apart, their mission statement, and beliefs have been deviated from. They pay their employe es the lowest salaries of all retailers that cause their associates to keep from enjoying their employment. Possessing employees who do not feel appreciated causes them not to do everything they have promised their customers in their missions and beliefs.The misalignment between the espoused values and the enacted values of a store affects the perception because what the customer and employees have read and heard what he should be receiving from the store is not what he is getting. This makes the store seem to be unorganized and not professional. Organizations CultureSears culture seems to be very informal. Based upon what their cultural beliefs and mission statement (espoused values) is stated to be and what their behavior and customer relations (enacted values) are based on employee and customer feedback, it concludes that the culture is informal. CommunicationCommunication is determined by the culture of organization. Sears culture is informal so therefore the communication of th e organization would also be  informal. The communication of Sears follows the grapevine. It is â€Å"he says she says.† After completing research on the company and interviewing several employees, both former, and present, the chain of communication in the store is never given in the form of chain of command. If one associate hears any form of information, it is spread throughout the store by associate’s not upper management.PerceptionCommunication plays a large role in the perception of the company and in its organizational culture. If there is no formal and direct means of communication, the employees, and customers will never know exactly what needs to be done and how the store is run. This leads to the customers losing trust in the salesman who makes it more difficult to make a purchase with him or her. This leads into a train reaction. From the lack of sales because of the lack of trust, leads into a lack of good morale in the store, causing the associates to b ecome even more informal and not care less about their job and the entire culture and perception of the store consistently tumbles downward.ConflictGroup communication will always have some form of conflict involved in it. Whether the group communication is formal or informal, conflict will always be there. Whether the conflict is handled appropriately or not is the major problem. Organizations that practice informal communication will have a more difficult time working through the conflict and find a solution.Because Sears has an informal means of communication, handling conflict seems not to be one of their strong points. The more conflict in the store will only make the stores functionalities even more difficult and less functional. Conflict in Sears without better leadership will be a horrible situation.ConclusionSears, Roebuck & Company once one of the most customers satisfied retailers. Nowadays that is no longer the situation. Although their previous and current mission state ments are very similar in wording, they have deviated from the meaning so far. Because of this their cultural view and perception  has changed tremendously in the eyes of their customers. When a company moves away from the goals, they have set to accommodate and satisfy both their employees and customers, it is not successful for the company. The major obstacle for any company is to maintain truth to their values and beliefs published for their customers and if this one obstacle is achieved there is longevity of success ahead of them.

Race, Gender and Ethnicity Problems in Education Essay

Education has faced race, gender and ethnic problems for many years. This continuous problem in all most likelihood will not be solved. Educational issues involving race, gender, and ethnicity of all schools will always cause controversy in society as long as there is prejudice and hatred. Education should not look at ones race. We are who we are because that is the way that God intended us to be. Many blacks are prejudice and have hatred in their hearts for things that happen in the past that this generation has no control over. I believe that we all are equal and should be treated equal in every aspect. Every race has a right to the best educational opportunity available. Admittance in to a University should not be based on race; it should be based on the highest academic grade averages. Blacks, whites, Hispanics, and any other race should have the same opportunities. In my opinion if some, one of a certain race should not take priority over academic standings. However, on the other hand many black are very lazy and want to sit back and wait for the white society to give them every thing on a silver platter. Please do not take this comment in the wrong way, I am not a prejudice person, several of my best friends are black. In my opinion, this is why there is such a social and economical break down in the black society. Blacks have the same social and economical opportunities as whites or any other race or gender; it is just a matter of wanting to take advantage of opportunities and being willing to help their self. I totally disagree with the fact that students that come from an inner city school get the worse education. My children go to an inner city school and they are very much up to state standards for their grade level. In fact, Social Circle scored in the ninety percentile for the 2002 state graduation test. Social Circle City School is sixty-five percent black population. In conclusion, race, gender and ethic background should not make a difference in the type or quality of education that a child receives. All should be treated equal. If a black child earns a placement over a white child then  give them the placement. The same if the roles where switched. We need to stop making a difference in race, gender, and the ethnicity of students and treat them all equal according to their ability.

Education †teacher Essay

Education Many people in the world think that education is an absolutely wonderful thing and that its necessary by all means. Yes it is a good thing and is needed to be more successful but it is not necessary by all means. Education can set you up to be more success and in the long run make more money but also it can take away from the importance of outside experiences and street smarts. As school goes on it even becomes less enjoyable because its more of the things that they believe is what needs to be taught and not what the student is interested in. In many students’ opinions, most classes they take in college and even high school provide them with no type of worthy knowledge or experience for the real world. It is there to just suck money from you and act as almost like a filler. Throughout high school, the material learned often looks past fiscal obligations and real life challenges. In high school, most courses tend to deal with complex mathematics and scientific equations that the average American citizen wouldn’t dream of using in their daily routine. Most intellect that is used is often the simple knowledge that we acquired in elementary. Who has gone to the supermarket and whipped out a calculus equation? Who needed a scientific formula to mow their lawn? Usually the common individual doesn’t think about mnemonic devices, hominems, or other mnemonic devices that supposedly help us speak the english language. We just think what we want to say and in a matter of milliseconds what our brain has processed is out of our mouths. Personally, education began to become uninteresting as soon as Freshman year started. They started to give us all the unnecessary formulas and equations that mean nothing in the real world around this time. This is more of the system’s fault, not even as much as the teachers as you may think. The system comes up with all of these special requirements and expectations that we must achieve to graduate or move on to the next grade level. For example, you needed to take a public speaking class which some people might not need at all in life, or already might be a great speaker and then the class will just be another filler wasting your time. In this time you could be learning something useful to you or your overall well being. Another problem is the teachers. Not every teacher, but a good portion. Especially the teachers that don’t care about their students and you can tell they don’t. They’re just there for the money and nothing else. They’ll go through slide after slide of information and you sit there and write it all down in your notebook. That is not the way to teach because yes, there might be some students that like to learn that way and understand. But there are also at least a couple others in the class that don’t really know what’s going on and are just basically writing down words on the paper that almost mean nothing. Another thing that can be a problem is when teachers don’t connect with their students or try to mix in a little fun here and there. That’s what you need to keep the interest of a student on point. Throw a curveball in there every so often. Instead of taking notes one day, conduct a whole class activity or show some videos that pertain to the lesson or information you’ve been reviewing. Don’t think that it’s completely the teacher’s fault that students aren’t interested or involved. Some of the blame is to be put on students themselves! Most students don’t even bother to try to get involved or learn the material. You need to at least put forth some effort in whatever you do to be successful in it. So you cannot say that you are failing a class purely off the teacher or because the material. Because if you tried to learn and understand or talk to the teacher about it, half the the time you’d find yourself in a much better position than were you previously started. As stated before most think that education is a necessity in life by any means, it is not. It is still important and can affect how the outcome of your life will play out though. You will find that most young adults and individuals who do not attend school will end up in bad situations with not as good jobs, cars, houses, etc. But this is not all because they didn’t have a good education. Yes it may have helped but there are so many other factors that play into a persons life that you can’t go and say just because the education wasnt there is the sole reason that they ended up how they did. At most you could say that it played a major role. Overall education is still a very important thing but is not completely needed to be success by any means. There are a good amount of things that are wrong with the education these days, but then again there are also a plentiful amount of things that are very good about it. In conclusion education has things wrong with it at every level from the highest ranked individual in the system, to the teachers who teach and lecture, and even to the students who are there to learn and try to comprehend it all. Everyone along the line needs to try a little harder and rethink how to approach education altogether!

Community College Essay

After graduating high school a lot of people do not know what their next step in life will be. Some struggle between deciding to go straight into the workforce, joining the military, or continuing their education by going to college. The average person chooses college as their next step. A common issue about going to college is whether to go to a two-year college/community college or straight into a four-year university. I think community college is the smarter and better choice. People fail to realize that going to community college helps you save thousands of dollars. Not only that, but students with undecided majors better find their way while saving money at community colleges. They are very flexible and can provide students with a better transition from high school while benefiting from their smaller class sizes and campuses. As we all know, community college is cheaper to attend than a four-year university. Four-year universities cost thousands of dollars while attending a community college would cost less than half of that. For instance, the average cost of attendance at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is roughly 5,000 dollars per year for a freshman, compared to the cost of attendance at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) which is about 25,000 dollars a year for freshmen. The cost of attending VCU is fives times as much as attending NOVA where in retrospect the same material is being covered. To break it down, tuition and fees at VCU amount to about 12,000 dollars. One credit costs about 300 dollars while at NOVA a credit costs 150 dollars. Room and board would be 9,000 dollars at VCU, while going to NOVA in most cases you would not have to pay to live at home if you are a freshman. Books would still be around the same price because books in college are expensive regardless. Other expenses would vary depending on what a student would need. Looking back on it the cost of going to a community college saves you a tremendous amount of money and would be worth it in the long run. Growing up people would talk about community college as if it were basically the thirteenth grade. In a sense would not that benefit a student more? Classes at four-year universities can sometimes be overwhelming, having hundreds of students in one lecture class. With classes getting hard from the transition of high school to college, would not a student want smaller class sizes? It only seems reasonable. By having smaller class sizes a student would naturally be able to learn better than in a class full of 300 people. Lecture classes can be long, tiring, and filled with millions of questions. In bigger classes some communication issues might occur and information might not always get to a student depending on their seating. Also the professors might not always get to a question that a student may have which can get very frustrating. Having smaller class sizes, everything is right there in front of a student. The professor is there for easier access to questions, class discussions would be more beneficial and easier to get involved with, and a person would get to know their classmates more. Smaller class sizes would help students gain a better learning experience. Many people go into college undecided on what they want their major to be. Studies prove that 50% of students who declared their majors change them after their first year according to Dr. Firtz Grupe of mymajors. com. Some students even change their majors up to three times throughout college. Going to community college can help a student find out their major while saving money. When a student changes majors there are always some complications. Some classes that were needed for their previous major have nothing to do with the current major that they just switched to. The money that was paid for those credits is, for the most part, wasted. That can be very taxing on a student’s financial income. If these problems occurred to a student who was attending a four-year college they would have wasted thousands of dollars compared to if a student changed majors at a community college. Even though money is lost in both cases, the amount of money lost at a community college is far more manageable than losing thousands of dollars at a four-year college. Think about it this way, would you rather lose 100 dollars or 10,000? Community college is a great way for students with undecided majors to discover what they want to do while not losing as much money and time. Classes at community colleges are very flexible and can help students manage their classes around other things. People who attend community colleges sometimes seek jobs while in school. One thing that could be very frustrating for a student would be having class at a time that conflicts with a work schedule. That could be a problem if a student at a four-year university had a job because not as much night classes are offered at four-year colleges. Community colleges have better options in that case. A student working a regular 9-5 schedule would find problems trying to go to school after work. At community college classes could easily be taken after work with more night classes being offered at a community college. Students can go to work then school or vice versa, go to school in the morning then work some time after without any hardships. Having flexible classes are always a benefit because they provide more options and having options are always a good thing. Community colleges provide an easier transition from the laid back high school environment to the stressful college life. As Liz Addison says, it helps students begin. High school classes are easier compared to classes in college. Grading wise and tests, quizzes, etc. Community college can help ease a student into the college atmosphere. That classes are not that much easier than that of a community college but not as hard either. It is a step up from high school in terms of difficulty and helps to better transition students into the university world. Less stress is involved and things are more manageable. Some people argue many things about community colleges. The main thing often associated with community college is commuting . People say that commuting to community college cost so much money in regards to gas. Community colleges are in your community and most of the times have ways to get you to and from school. They are called community colleges for a reason. All the money that a student would save from not going to a four-year college would cover the cost of gas easily. Also most community colleges have operating bus systems and car pooling is always an option. Another thing people try to argue about going to a community college is that a person will not gain a true college experience. Some people go through life and do not experience many things like never being on a plane, not having a dog, or even never going to a football game. That experience is not something that a student would need to have to become successful in life. The rewards of getting to where you want to be in life are far greater than not getting a full college experience. In the long run you will make up for the experiences you have missed by gaining better ones. Going to a two-year college first before transferring to a four-year university pays off in the long run. People either do not know the benefits or are two proud to attend a community college. Money is saved, the learning experience is better, the transition from high school is easier and community colleges help undeclared majors find their majors. Seems like the smart way to go.

My Best Friend

â€Å"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never ever the same† (Unknown). What is a â€Å"best friend†? Almost everyone has one, and almost everyone is one. There’s something about a best friend that cannot be duplicated. Everyone has their own definition of what their own best friend is like and what an impact he or she has made in their life. In this essay I would like to take a better look at some of the simple things that we might take for granted when we think of our best friends. A best friend is a title held for the few and privileged.The term cannot be thrown around loosely. Not just anyone can be called your best friend. A best friend has to first meet several qualifications and have many outstanding characteristics to have the honor of holding such a prestigious title. Being a best friend is more than someone that you’ve seen everyday and grown up with. A best friend can be someone with whom you’ve known since childhood but can also be someone that you’ve just met, and similar to â€Å"love at first sight,† you just click with. The true definition of a best friend is someone that knows you inside Do you have a true best friend?I sure do. _____ is truly my best friend. She is always there for me. She knows everything about me; even my secrets. I can’t keep anything from her! She is the person who will help me when I am down, turn my frown upside-down, and make me feel better about myself. I can’t imagine any better of a friend. I love her more than anything and I would die for her. Megan and I are always together; no matter where we are! We go to places like the mall and movies, to the mountains and lakes! Together we go most everywhere! A few days ago we got Pose pictures together! We always go shopping My Best Friend My best friend Everybody always has friend or friendship. There are a lot of kinds of friends. We have friends, close friends and best friends. It is said a friend needs to be a good friend but it hard to find a best friend. Best friends need to know about certain qualities of each other. Best friends are always there for you when you’re down or having problems. A best friend is the person you can always rely on for anything no matter what. Best friends stick up for you even if you are wrong. Best friends have equal honesty for one another. There is no lie between two friends is just together.The last few years, I was in my country, I had one best friend. He is a nice person who I spent a lot of my time with. I spend a lot time with him more than another friend. I noticed he was the best friend for me. He was always truthful to me in everything that I told him. He never hesitates or confirm me what I did. He would always support and help me all the time. We never lie to each o ther. Sometime, someone asked him â€Å"why you always trust your friend all the time and anything? † Maybe, they were jealous of me because I had such a good friend in him.A best friend is a friend who spends more time than anyone together. He always went anywhere where I needed to go. I always ask him to go with me all the time. He never refused my request, even at night or when he was very busy. We always hang out together after school. We had fun together during we spent time together. He always told fun stories to me all the time. His stories were always fiction stories; what he had imagined by himself, but they were always little bit crazy and funny. I like to spent time with him more than other friend. Releted essay –  An Empty Purse Frightens Away FriendsI never took care of him at all. It may have not fair to him. He might think he wasted his time when he spent time with me. He could not do whatever he wants for himself. He might need his time with another friend. He is a kind person. He always helps me when I had problems. I always talk about my problems to him when I didn’t know how to solve it. He never leaves me alone. Sometime, I didn’t have enough money to buy something, he always share his money to me. Other way, I need to give back to him because I thought best friend never want something from another one.We need to help together when we have problems. It might hurt another one’s feeling who was his friend, and he could not do anything with them. A best friend is the best relationship between two peoples. There is need to do something and helping together. It can be happiness or give hand to another one. It cans honesty and trusts together wh en we do something and don’t lie to another one. Best friend can make us have fun and happiness in our life. It is the best memory when we thinking about our friend. My Best Friend My Best Friend Everyone has memorable experiences. It could be happiness, sadness, or tragedy. Of course I have memorable experiences. It must be the one who was involved in those cases. She is my best friend, Febri Afifah. I really admire her because she is very humble and helpful. I have many experiences with her. Because of that, I really know about her kindness and badness. In this essay, I will talk about her who was involved in one of my memorable experiences. Our relationship is always good.It might be because she is very patient with me, although I often made her disappointed. I have known her since I was a child. My house is close to hers, she is my neighbor. Her childhood was not as lucky as me, but she never gave up and she always looks happy. Unfortunately, she never went to kindergarten. At that time, her family did not have enough money to pay school fee. They spend their money to treat her mother. Her mother got an accident that made her legs could not run normally.Whe n I went to elementary school, she went to elementary school too. But we studied at the different school. Returning from school I played with her at my house, sometimes we studied together. We grew up together and we always have unforgettable experiences day by day. I remember, at that time we went to her new house. The traffic was jammed and we had to crossing the road. When we were crossing the road, I accidentally stepped on her sandals and then her sandals runaway from her feet.When we reached the other side of the road, she returned to the middle of the road to pick up her sandals. That moment made some cars honked, she was really surprised and I just could laugh to see her. I have many funny moments with her. She always makes me laugh when I need to laugh. If I cry because of some problems, she will be beside me and tells some jokes. It has always been a weapon to restore my mood. She is funny, cheerful, and always looks happy. It can make people very comfortable. I'm lucky pe rson because i know her. My Best Friend â€Å"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never ever the same† (Unknown). What is a â€Å"best friend†? Almost everyone has one, and almost everyone is one. There’s something about a best friend that cannot be duplicated. Everyone has their own definition of what their own best friend is like and what an impact he or she has made in their life. In this essay I would like to take a better look at some of the simple things that we might take for granted when we think of our best friends. A best friend is a title held for the few and privileged.The term cannot be thrown around loosely. Not just anyone can be called your best friend. A best friend has to first meet several qualifications and have many outstanding characteristics to have the honor of holding such a prestigious title. Being a best friend is more than someone that you’ve seen everyday and grown up with. A best friend can be someone with whom you’ve known since childhood but can also be someone that you’ve just met, and similar to â€Å"love at first sight,† you just click with. The true definition of a best friend is someone that knows you inside Do you have a true best friend?I sure do. _____ is truly my best friend. She is always there for me. She knows everything about me; even my secrets. I can’t keep anything from her! She is the person who will help me when I am down, turn my frown upside-down, and make me feel better about myself. I can’t imagine any better of a friend. I love her more than anything and I would die for her. Megan and I are always together; no matter where we are! We go to places like the mall and movies, to the mountains and lakes! Together we go most everywhere! A few days ago we got Pose pictures together! We always go shopping