A Tale Of Two Schools: How Poor Children Are Lost To The World Essay

A Tale of Two Schools: How Poor Children Are Lost to the World   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jonathan Kozol wrote a book titled Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools. A Tale of Two Schools: How Poor Children Are Lost to the World is an excerpt from the book. The excerpt tells the story of two high schools in the Chicago area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Chicago area has a variety of high schools. Du Sable High School in Chicago and New Trier High School in a Chicago suburb are at different ends of the spectrum when speaking of the overall quality of education. New Trier has seven gyms and an Olympic pool. Du Sable is crowded into one city block while New Trier takes up as much space as a small college.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The courses at New Trier are completely geared for college bound students. For example, there are seven foreign languages offered there. With that in mind, try to understand that while the seniors at New Trier study authors such as Freud and Nietzsche, the seniors at Du Sable are just now learning how to read four syllable words. Only about seventeen percent of Du Sables students are in a college preparation program. No wonder the graduation rate, Kozol states, is twenty five percent at Du Sable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The outcome of the twenty five percent graduation rate is clear to all that live in the neighborhood. In his book, Kozol quotes a reporter asking a sixteen-year-old dropout about how much she would like to ...

The Business of the Ford Corporation :: Ford, automobiles, business,

The state where I live is ‘Ford Country†. There are many Ford auto products such as autos and trucks driven daily. Although I am not fully familiar with the intricacies of the Ford Corporation, the business dealing with this organization is endless. Ford’s marketing department responsibility lies with one state where there are 6 other competitors in the Ford organization, its product price is the area where a difference advantage for the Ford Company can occur. The ability to achieve such a goal for the Ford organization begin with the auto manufacturer production capacities and prices of its highest-volume cars, the target market and the buying patterns of its customers. Using the 4Ps –Production, and the Ford organization, the banks might watch the auto manufacturers sticker prices and the prices which the auto sales for. Plus, the Ford Company knows its sudden excess capacity in production of its auto has created capacity overload. As a result, the Ford organization competitive environment has prevented Ford and other auto makers from increasing its prices. As marketing director, Ford’s production of auto’s will continue but with less models. For instance, last year the Ford auto maker was able to hold the production line on its prices.[2].On the other hand, because of strong competitive environment, this prevents the Ford organization from increasing the autos and trucks prices [3]. The Ford organization can differentiate its product from rival competitors using price. The company can only offer lower price, by reducing the current line of autos and trucks costs. The marketer wants to consider the immediate an d future plant productions of autos made in its other plants. Especially, if certain auto and truck engine production plants will distinguish to meet Ford’s manufacturing according to each Ford production plant state engine need, thus, Ford can further differentiate its auto product. For example, in states where auto and trucks fuel emission engines are a concern the company will want to address this need of the customer. For example, Ford will want to reduce the emission cost of its auto and trucks in states such as California, New York and Massachusetts, or cut out the consumer cost.

Americas War for Independence in the 1770s :: essays research papers

The Americans managed to achieve independence from one of the strongest military powers on earth, England, after 1777 because of their home field advantage, successful military operations, and need to be free to governor themselves. The first sign of America being able to gain independence was its victory at Saratoga, which then led them to gain alliance with the French. The British thought they should move their troops south because that’s where their loyalists were. Then a few wins for the U.S. led Cornwallis to go to Yorktown to wait for supplies from Clinton in New York. With help from the French, Washington was able to defeat the British at Yorktown, which led to America’s independence and the signing of the treaty of Paris 1783. The American Revolutionary War was a war between Great Britain and revolutionaries within thirteen British colonies, who declared their independence as the United States of America in 1776. The war was the culmination of the American Revolution, a colonial struggle against political and economic policies of the British Empire. The war eventually widened far beyond British North America, many Native Americans also fought on both sides of the conflict. The Declaration of Independence is the document in which the 13 states, formerly the Thirteen Colonies, in North America declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained their justifications for doing so. The Second Continental Congress ratified it on July 4, 1776. The British wanted to take control of the Hudson River Valley to cut off New England from the other colonies. So General Burgoyne with 7,700 troops approached Albany, New York, from Canada. On his way, Burgoyne defeated American forces at Fort Ticonderoga. More troops, led by Lieutenant Colonel St. Leger and General Howe were to join him to attack the American troops. Unfortunately for Burgoyne, St. Leger's troops were forced to retreat back to into Canada by Benedict Arnold and his American militia. General Howe's forces were fighting with Washington at the Battle of Brandywine and then the Battle of Germantown, which kept him from joining Burgoyne. General Burgoyne's forces attacked General Gates’ American forces at the Battle of Oriskany and at the Battle of Bennington but were driven back both times. General Burgoyne attacked American for his third time at the Battle of Saratoga. This time Burgoyne and his forces were defeated and General Burgoyne was forced to surrender. The Battle of Saratoga in July and October 1777 was an American victory that was to result in France entering the conflict on behalf of the Americans during the American Revolutionary War.

The athletic apparel industry of Nike

The athletic apparel industry in which Nike is involved is a major money maker in the United States, but the fact that none of the factories are located in North America has brought some heat to the company. Nike controls more than 40 percent of the U.S. Market for sports related goods, but doesn†t have a single sneaker factory in this country (Miller 1). Nike continues to make millions of dollars yet exploits workers overseas by paying them very little, while requiring long hours without overtime pay in factories that are not up to â€Å"American† standard. Nike subcontractors employ nearly 500,000 workers in plants in Indonesia, China and Vietnam (Saporito 1). The exploitation of workers in Third World counties, where the majority of Nike†s labor is done sparks a controversial issue. People question why is it that Nike continues these practices. According to â€Å"Just do it, Nike,† Nike seems especially fond of doing business in undemocratic countries like China and Indonesia, where the military can be relied upon to â€Å"crack heads† if workers get out of line (Miller 2). The military monitoring has been a large controversy due to the fact that these are often Chinese working against other Chinese workers, or Vietnamese against their own people also. For Nike there are two benefits: it it†s a cheap way to monitor in an overseas factory and it creates a sheaper labor workforce. In turn making the labor cheaper for Nike. This makes it possible for Nike workers from the states to work on other things and only tour the factories when nessecary. While still assuming a stable workforce without good pay. The critics of Nikes labor practices have taken tours and witnessed the mistreatment firsthand. Time magazine reported saying,† The plants were found to be modern and clean, well lighted and ventilated and paying a decent wage by local standards-although by no means are they trouble free. Make no mistake: these are factories not amusement parks, and even in developing Asia, where jobs are scarce and getting scarcer, this is not the job of choice.† (Saporito 1) The wages that the workers overseas are paid is nothing when compared to how much we pay for a pair of shoes or the profit that CEO Phil Knight is making off his sportswear giant he once operated out of the back of his car as a college student. â€Å"A big issue that surrounds sweatshops is wage. The minimum wage often does not reflect the cost of living.† (Hepner Online) Is the wage fair? There are many people who feel the wage is fair and the cost of living is taken into account when the wage is looked at, but studies show otherwise in many factories. Just recently, CNN reported a raise to entry level workers in Indonesia, Nike officials said â€Å"the increase will raise the minimum monthly compensation package-which includes bonuses, housing, healthcare, transportation and meal allowances to approximately $37.14 a month.†(Nike Establishes Labor† Online) To many people living in the U.S., that package may sound good however the compensation package doesn†t do away with the long hours, the poor conditions or the low rate of pay. Many of these workers are young children working to help support their families. The benefits do not make up for the low pay rates that keep them in the work force. The pay is only enough to get by where these children want to be saving in order to leave the factories and return home. In â€Å"Taking a Look inside Nike†s Factories†, part of Bill Saporito†s, â€Å"Can Nike Get Unstuck?† this is what was found. â€Å"Americans pay $100 for a pair of shoes that a worker gets less than $3 a day to make. They pay Michael Jordan $40 million to endorse them. Can†t they find more money to pay the workers? The short answer is no, because corporations pay the going rate for labor whereever they are.† (Saporito 1) If this statement is true Nike pays the wage for the country the factory is in, then what is the controversy about? Much of it stems from the overtime that these workers are forced to work without over time compensation. Here in the United States there are regulations placed on businesses that require then to compensate their workers with a higher wage for over time hours. So since Nike is an U.S. based company should Nike have to pay overtime? The answer is no. Nike doesn†t have to pay overtime like here in the U.S. so they don†t. In Vietnam â€Å"Workers so want a reduction in overtime, the length of annual leave for the Indonesian workers making Nike shoes is more than 30 days though dozens of workers interviewed in November, said the actual amount is 10 days.† (Ballinger 2) There has been evidence of Nike breaking at least nine labor laws in China according to AMRC; a Hong Kong based human rights group that has been monitoring the abuse of human rights in China for the last 20 years. â€Å"Children as young as 13, were found employed in Nike factories, working from 144-192 overtime hours per month to make ends meet.† (Designer 1) Ernest and Young, an accounting firm, hired by Nike, to do research and the issue reported conditions in Vietnam â€Å"where young women toil sixty-five hour weeks for $10, in air so bad that 78 percent of the employees have respiratory problems.† (Miller1) Factory workers endure abuse on the job lacking a voice or ablility to do anything about it. Since Nike contracts out for their factory managers, it has been hard for Nike to regulate what goes on when they are not on their tour or walk through. â€Å"A Korean supervisor in a Vietnam factory was found guilty of beating 15 Vietnamese about the head with a shoe â€Å"upper†, and another Korean supervisor was charged with sexual molestation.† (Saporito 3) In this instance it was not an U.S. supervisor, nor was it a military officer but someone of a different nationality. The hard part is that there are no independent unions and meaningful corporate codes of conduct to discipline management. So workers must turn to the courts for help which is a long fought battle that no one wants to attempt. In one case that made it to, a Vietnamese court recently found a Korean supervisor guilty of beating workers and extradition may be sought for the accused sexual molester who fled. In Indonesia 24 discharged Nike workers are challenging the legality of their dismissal before the country†s Supreme Court (Saporito 3). These are major breakthroughs in the court systems to have someone tried and convicted in these distant countries whose courts are often corrupted. Factory conditions are consistently getting press here in the U.S., as many are angry with Nike for not providing for their overseas employees. The following account is of the conditions in a Chiniese factory: Twelve hour shifts several days a week; wages as low as 16 cents and hour; 16 workers to a dorm room; pregnant women fired. Workers are not allowed to talk. There is constant pressure to produce-workers are yelled at. If you don†t meet your high production quota you must stay until you do-without pay. The factory is noisy, filled with dust and fumes. Workers have fainted, overcome by the long hours and the glue fumes. One worker died; another lost an arm; other has had their fingers broken by the equipment. Most workers have never heard of the Nike code of conduct. There is no union and workers are afraid that if they complain, they will be fired. When a group of workers stopped working in March to protest had not been paid, they were fired. The supervisor warns workers in advance of any inspection, the factory is cleaned and if workers are interviewed it is in the presence of factory management. (â€Å"The Neediest and the Greediest† 4) This is only one description of the factory conditions and the requirements that are put on the workers of these factories, on contract with Nike. In order to deal with the criticism Nike gets about working conditions and pay, â€Å"Nike Inc recently established a new department with a mandate to continue to evolve it†s monitoring of subcontracted manufacturing facilities and to continue to upgrade conditions for workers in subcontracted facilities around the world.† (â€Å"Nike establishes† 1) This department will monitor, compensation issues, benefits, the work environments, recruiting and hiring policies, overtime policies, worker management, environmental issues and supervision of independent monitoring systems. All these are large steps by Nike to improve it†s factories and to repair the relations with people here in the U.S. who are appalled by the reports of poor work environment workers are forced to endure. â€Å"The company has been tarred by an image as a sweatshop operator that exploits Asian workers who make shoes and apparel for Nike subcontractors. Nike†s efforts to be a good corporate citizen, and they have been considerable, have yet to sway the public forum. Basically, our culture, and our style, is to be a rebel, and we sort of enjoy doing that,† says Knight, who created a jock empire based on hero worship backed up with good product and great advertising. â€Å"Now that we reached a certain size there†s a fine line between being rebel and being a bully, and yeah, we have to walk that line.†Ã¢â‚¬  (Saporito 6) According to Knight he will continue to make the sport-wear giant successful any way he can. â€Å"The estimated net worth of co founder and current CEO Phil Knight is $5.4 billion, one of the wealthiest people in America.† (Miller 1) The issue remains whether the sports wear giant, Nike, will continue to do work in other countries, where labor is cheap and regulations are few, and not monitored on a normal basis. Nike will continue to exploit workers in these countries as long as America continues to buy the products. Nike, who recently spent $978 million in one year on advertising worldwide, depends upon Americans and their children to purchase its sneakers. Yet it locates 150 factories and some 350,000 jobs in Asia. Knight recently made the absurd and arrogant statement that, â€Å"Americans don†t want to make shoes.†Ã¢â‚¬  (Sanders 2) Is CEO Phil Knight right? Are American workers not willing to make the shoes that are so popular in stores and classrooms across the nation. If so, the exploitation will continue and Nike workers will remain underpaid and over worked in poor working conditions.

The simultaneous leadership in social science

Understanding the scope of drug use and addiction in the world includes knowing the prevalence among various populations and researching the many health and social consequences. The United States is both the largest producer of drug research in the world and the world’s only â€Å"drug-control superpower.†The simultaneous leadership in social science and world agenda setting is not the result of a symbiotic relationship between American research and policy making.During adolescence, friends and peers become far more influential than before, and intimate dating relationships become primary interests (Laursen & Williams, 1997).Along with these important developmental changes, however, come increased risks of pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and abuse by and toward dating partners (Leaper & Anderson, 1997).As well, alcohol and drug use and abuse enters the picture, which may contribute to the occurrence of the other risk behaviors (Milgram, 1993; National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 1999). Although some of these developments are harmless, there is a growing awareness of the importance of education and prevention to increase teens' personal safety and responsibility.Not surprisingly, prominent adolescent risk behaviors are alcohol and drug abuse, unsafe sexual behavior, and dating violence-share many of the same contributing risk factors, although to important and differing degrees.These include problems related to the family, such as family conflict and violence, poor relationship attachment, early and persistent behavior problems, as well as peer and academic problems, such as school failure, peer rejection, and exposure to community violence. In addition to the above, teen pregnancy, early sexual intercourse, and risky sexual behaviors are associated with early onset of puberty, truancy, and delinquency (Kilpatrick, Acierno, Saunders, Resnick, & Best, 2000).In the absence of compensatory factors, such as education and social co mpetence, these varied risk factors can contribute to or become risk behaviors (e.g., alcohol use is associated with teen pregnancy and violence).Common Elements:A common family element found among teens who engage in these high risk behaviors is the amount of time spent without proper adult involvement or supervision (Dishion, Capaldi, Spracklen, & Li, 2005).Not surprisingly, children who grow up in caring and supportive homes are more likely to resist risky behaviors, while children who have grown up witnessing or experiencing alcohol abuse or violence in their homes, having poor family structure and insecure attachment-related experiences are more likely to be less resistant to these same risky, unhealthy behaviors.A description of the age, gender, and ethnic identities of youth who engage in high risk behavior is provided by the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, which tracks data regarding many health risk behaviors for adolescents in the United States.According to this data, bl ack youth, for example, report significantly higher rates of sexual intercourse before age 13 than do Whites and Hispanics, while White youth report the highest levels of forced sexual intercourse. Black youth also report less alcohol consumption at last sexual intercourse and higher condom use than do White and Hispanic youth.Not surprisingly, males report more alcohol use before the age of 13 than females, across all ethnic groups (YRBSS). However, these data on prevalence of self-reported adolescent risk behaviors is descriptive only, and tells little about the contextual factors contributing to such risk.While looking closer at some of the factors that may contribute to the mentioned risk behaviors, the one can see that alcohol use among teenagers remains prevalent in today's society. A national probability sample of 4,023 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 found that 15% of the sample used alcohol, 10% used marijuana, and 2% reported hard drug use in the past year (Kilpa trick et al. 2000).Although some alcohol consumption among adolescents is considered normative, there is great concern for the number of teens who are exhibiting signs of alcohol abuse or dependence with 7% of the above sample meeting diagnostic criteria for alcohol, marijuana, or hard drug abuse or dependence.Trends in alcohol use reported in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicate that binge drinking (five or more drinks on one occasion during the 30 days prior to the survey) has shown little variation over the past several years, ranging from 31.3% in 1991 to 33.4% in 1997 to 31.5% in 1999 (Centers for Disease Control, 2000). Binge drinking continues to be a problem among youth and needs to be targeted specifically.

The New Yorker July 21, 2008 Cover: Satire or Racist?

On the fourth week of July 2008, people were astonished as The New Yorker Magazine graced the stands. The cover page showed Barry Blitt’s illustration depicting Barrack Obama wearing a traditional Muslim outfit with a white cap or taqiyah, a white robe or thawb in light brown overtones covering a pair of black pants and brown sandals. Obama’s taqiyah covered a turban that showed his ear prominently unlike Middle Eastern Arab turbans that cover their ears. Moreover, his thawb length is midway between the knee and the ankle which reflects an orthodox Muslim dress code. Obama is also shown doing a knuckle greeting with his wife Michelle that â€Å"Fox News’ E. D. Hill calls a ‘terrorist fist jab’†¦ [that is] †¦usually seen used by other prominent terrorists†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The Acropolis). Meanwhile, Michelle Obama was shown in an afro hairstyle, a black blouse, camouflage pants and combat shoes. She also has a bandolier and a grayish-greenish, banana-type assault rifle slung at her back. The rifle looked much like an AK47 variant without the AK’s trademark brown, wooden stock. Barrack and Michelle stood at the oval office in a happy demeanor. Barrack was portrayed with his usual serious, but smiling face while Michelle’s smile was more obvious that revealed her prominent cheekbones in a blush. Michelle stood by the left side while Barrack stood by the right side. At Barrack’s back is a golden framed half-faced portrait of Osama Bin Laden in pure white cap and robe and just below the portrait is a fireplace showing the American flag with flames but not yet burnt. The New Yorker’s cover page certainly had shock value yet after careful thought and research, the illustration was really a satire rather than a racist statement. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, a satire is â€Å"a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn; and trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly† (â€Å"satire†). The Encyclopedia Britannica further elaborates that a satire is an â€Å"artistic form, chiefly literary and dramatic, in which human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, parody, caricature, or other methods, sometimes with an intent to inspire social reform† (â€Å"satire†). Racism, on the other hand, is â€Å"a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race; and racial prejudice or discrimination† according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (â€Å"racism†). Racism is further elaborated as â€Å"any action, practice, or belief that [says]†¦that humans are divided into separate and exclusive biological entities†¦[and that]†¦a causal link between inherited physical traits,†¦personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral features†¦[make]†¦some races†¦innately superior† than others by the Encyclopedia Britannica (â€Å"racism†). As a satire, the illustration has a meaning behind it and should not be taken literally as what it is shown. However, some people will easily take the meaning of the illustration as a racist statement and think that the artist, Barry Blitt, thinks Barrack Obama and Michelle are not worthy to lead this country. The New Yorker Magazine has been published since February 21, 1925 and is sold nationwide. Its format deals with political commentary and cartoon covers that are somewhat ‘unreal’ yet funny. It is also quite proud of its Cartoon Bank and â€Å"sells prints of†¦cartoons and covers†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A quick view on the contents of its July 20, 2009 issue show some topics as follows: a) Hendrik Hertzberg on Sarah Palin; b) John Colapinto on Senator Al Franken; and c) Elizabeth Colbert on America’s obesity problem, to name a few. The Obama cartoon was published on July 21, 2008 right at the heat of the US Presidential Election campaigns. Various rumors during that time have circulated accusing Barrack Obama as a â€Å"‘radical Muslim’ who ‘will not recite the pledge of allegiance’† (Snopes. om, â€Å"Barrack Obama†) and have sworn in on the Quran as Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison did (The Acropolis) (Snopes. com, â€Å"Who is Barrack Obama†). Issues also included President Barrack Hussein Obama Junior’s middle name ‘Hussein’ which was associated with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (Snopes. com, â€Å"Who is Barrack Obama†). Moreover, Obama’s wife, Michelle, was not spared from close public scrutiny. Her undergraduate thesis at the Princeton University in 1985 with the statement â€Å"blacks must join in solidarity to combat a white oppressor† has been quoted out of context (Snopes. om, â€Å"Michelle Obama’s Thesis†) and detractors have associated such statement with Black Panther Party for Self Defense political activist, Angela Yvonne Davis (Davis). The State of California charged Davis as an accomplice to conspiracy, kidnapping, and homicide for the shotgun registered to her name that killed Judge Harold Haley in an escape attempt of the ‘Soledad Brothers’ that the Black Panthers supported (Davis). Davis has been acquitted then she temporarily re located to Cuba before going back to the United States and ran as a candidate for the Communist Party USA (Davis). With these rumors, the Blitt cartoon cover for the New Yorker can now be more easily understood. Obama has been dressed as an orthodox Muslim to depict rumors about him as an Islamic radical. In addition, since Obama has been educated in Indonesia as a kid, his Muslim attire closely resembled Indonesian Muslim dress codes rather than the Middle Eastern Muslims’. Accusations against Obama for his ‘unpatriotic behavior’ have also been symbolized by the American flag thrown into the flames of the Oval Office’s fireplace. Michelle has also been portrayed in an Afro hairstyle that was synonymous to Angela Davis. Moreover, since Davis had ties to Cuba, Michelle was dressed as a Revolutionary in camouflage pants with an assault rifle at her back that looked like an AK47—a popular symbol among Communist revolutionaries. It can now also be easily discerned why Osama Bin Laden’s portrait was in the backdrop. First, Obama sounded like Osama. Second, Obama’s middle name ‘Hussein’ is the same as former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s. These two world figures tied Obama to the rumors that Barrack was a Muslim extremist. As John Aravosis of Weblog described the cartoon: â€Å"†¦New Yorker thinks it’s funny to make Mrs. Obama some radical black panther, Barrack Obama basically a terrorist†¦and they’re even burning the American flag in the Oval Office†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Stirland). The New Yorker cover on Barrack and Michelle Obama is a satire for the following reasons: a) the magazine has a reputation for satirical cartoons portraying political issues and personalities; b) the artist, Barry Blitt, is a known satirist and has made statements on the issues and rumors surrounding Obama; and c) the cartoon or artwork itself is full of symbolisms that convey irony and sarcasm. Following the same track, Blitt’s illustration is really not a racist statement against Barrack Obama because the New Yorker is a liberal, cosmopolitan publication and the symbolisms of the cartoon show otherwise. A quick look into the New Yorker archives show that the magazine has been consistent since 1925 on its satire, focus on American politics, and political humor. It has developed its reputation along these lines. In a pro-Obama blog entry in The Acropolis, Dylan the blogger has this to say: â€Å"Obviously, the New Yorker cover was satirical. It also elaborates that: â€Å"Even faithful Fox News watchers will have to see the cover and hear anchors admit that it is a satire—that the images it depicts are making fun of rumors that are not true. † Likewise, in an anti-Obama blog entry in the ‘Old Atlantic Lighthouse’ notes: â€Å"The New Yorker Magazine†¦is now in full retreat mode to say it was simply mocking Christianity, Israel, America, the West, white people, the Constitution, self rule, and the resistance to Islam. Most of all, New Yorker editor, David Remnick, explained the controversial cover: â€Å"The idea is to attack the lies and misconceptions and distortions about the Obama’s and their background and their politics† (Stirland). Also, Barry Blitt is a known satirist. He has nine illustrations in the New Yorker with the title â€Å"The Politics of Satire. † He has also made statements about the cover like: â€Å"I think the idea that the Obamas are branded as unpatriotic in certain sectors is preposterous,† and â€Å"It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is. Most of all, his illustration is titled:  "The Politics of Fear. † The title alone that Blitt has coined on his work conveys a message that certain politicians are playing on people’s fear that Obama was black, a Muslim, a terrorist and unpatriotic. Most importantly, the illustration was a satire because the artwork itself is full of symbolisms that convey irony and sarcasm. One, the Obamas were smiling. Two, Barrack’s thawb is not pure white unlike Osama Bin Laden’s pure white cap and robe at the backdrop portrait. A pure white cloth has unique symbolisms in the Islamic faith. Three, Michelle crossed her legs while standing up as if crossing her fingers in wishful thinking. Four, the assault rifle’s color did not really feel like the real AK47 with a brown, wooden stock and wooden barrel encasement. Finally, although the American flag was in the fireplace with flames, the flag was not in flames and is not burning. The flag stayed whole and was not even partially consumed by fire. Nevertheless, some people disagree and contend that the cover was an insult and racist. Jane Hamsher of FireDogLake observed: â€Å"†¦Most people who see this cover are just going to see the image of Obama in a turban. It reinforces a critical piece of misinformation that right wing propagandists have advanced in order to poison the political climate in this country and make it that much more difficult for a person of color to be elected president†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Stirland). Roger Simon noted: †It probably doesn’t encourage people to vote for him in America today. (Stirland). Likewise, John Aravosis of Weblog said: â€Å"†¦Is the New Yorker so out of touch that they don’t realize that much of America, or at least too much of America, harbors these very concerns about Obama and his wife? † (Stirland). Finally, Matt of The Acropolis, sarcastically observed: â€Å"†¦I’ve heard so many students at MSU tell me, ‘Aw, come on, man. Ever yone knows that guy’s a freaking Muslim. ’ Ok, maybe it was only, like two students, but I’ve heard even more adults say the same thing. It’s truly insane. † In conclusion, Blitt’s cartoon cover of The New Yorker magazine is a satire. The magazine is widely known for its criticisms and satires and literary views on social and political issues. This cartoon is not the first satire that The New Yorker had published or Blitt created. The magazine had no bad intentions for Obama’s political career or his personal life. The New Yorker was just trying to make business and doing what they were known for. Perhaps people should look more closely before making a judgment when they see something out of the ordinary.

Accounting Materiality Case Essay

After the release of the SFAC No. 8, your definition of materiality has been brought into question. In the past, your rule for determining materiality was based solely on quantitative data, where an event was only material if its impact was more than a given percentage of the income statement amounts. Using a quantitative measure is effective because it keeps the process objective; however there are also times when the quantitative difference doesn’t adequately demonstrate the true effect of an action. For this reason, â€Å"materiality is an entity-specific aspect of relevance based on the nature [quality] or magnitude [quantity] or both items,† as stated in Q:11 of the SFAC No. 8. For The Framework Company each of the following closing entries must be judged on a case-by-case level on the parameters of whether it could influence decisions that our users make. See more: Ethnic groups and racism essay 1)In this entry, the company is paying a fine of a foreign subsidiary. The amount is less than 3% of net income, making it quantitatively immaterial. The description of the case lists that after the fine is paid, business will go back to normal with only slight changes. However, this is qualitatively material because it shows that the company did something unlawful which makes users question the company’s integrity and ethical standards. 2)This entry shows an investment in an expansion of the company. The impact on the company amounts to only 4.3% of its total assets (it was predetermined that the bar for materiality is 5%) so it is not quantitatively material. However, in terms of this action affecting a user’s decision about the company, this entry is definitely material. It represents an expansion of the company which users can either see as promising for future growth or frightening because it’s a risky investment. 3)Generally a loss, no matter the size isn’t seen as material due to the fact that it tends to be a one-time thing, compared to an expense that occurs regularly. However, in this case the amount of the loss proves to be material both quantitatively and qualitatively. Its impact on net income is above the 3% predetermined materiality threshold, making it quantitatively material. Also, it was determined that more of these losses may be coming in the near future for this line and that it’s becoming more delinquent. These two qualitative aspects are very impactful for a user’s decision regarding the company because they show serious problems with one of the company’s most profitable line and puts huge question marks on the quality of the product. 4)In this entry, the management made the decision to self regulate based on a court case of a similar company. The amount of additional expense accounts for 4% of the net income, making it a quantitatively material. The main reason this decision is also qualitative is due to the fact that the additional $200,000 in expenses needs to be explained to the user to show that The Framework Company is being responsible and cautious by policing themselves. 5)The ruling in a litigation case is that The Framework Company owes credit customers 325,000 in damages, which is 6.5% of net income. The company plans to appeal the case and believes they have a good defense in that appeal. A large portion of their customer base was involved in this case, meaning if the ruling is overturned some of their customers could take their business elsewhere. That makes this entry both quantitative and qualitatively material. 6)This 200,000 dollar loan that didn’t show up in the financial statements would only increase the assets by 0.08%, making it quantitatively immaterial. This event is a one-time occurrence for the company, because the chance of a payment being â€Å"mishandled† should be small. Since it is a small portion of the balance sheet and is something that won’t frequently happen, this entry is quantitatively and qualitatively immaterial. Based on The Framework Company’s current accounting standards, this set of post-closing entries is quantitatively material because the sum of all the changes is greater than 3% of their net income and equal to 5% of assets. Even if the sum of the changes didn’t surpass the preset threshold, it would still be smart to report these entries based on the idea of conservatism. The accountants are responsible for the information released, so if they leave something out that a user would deem important, they are liable. So, when in doubt, it’s best to release the information. The SFAC No. 8 mentions a number of times that cases of materiality, such as this one, cannot be decided by a general set of standards. The concept of materiality is too difficult to restrain. Under our current system, the expansion branch (entry 2) would be considered immaterial due to is size relative to our total assets. However, this entry really is material because it means so much to the future of the company and that’s what financial report users are looking for. The only standard that can be set when dealing with materiality is does this entry â€Å"influence decisions that users make on the basis of the financial information† (SFAC No. 8, Q:11).