Discussion board Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Discussion board - Assignment Example Serving the poor is an ethical issue and should be done by everyone as response to humanity. A major and most tragic manifestation of poverty is hunger as described by Mohammad Yunus in his book Banker to the Poor. In 1974, famine struck Bangladesh and Yunus wrote about his experiences of witnessing agricultural lands left uncultivated due to lack of irrigation technological awareness among the villagers. He described the scenario in Bangladesh as hungry people multiplied every day, â€Å"Hungry people were everywhere. Often they sat so still that one could not be sure whether they were alive or dead† (Yunus, vii). Yunus nurtured the dream of eradicating poverty from the world. He has taken a bold initiative to help the poor people in Bangladesh. At first he physically stepped onto the fields to show the farmers how to cultivate rice to optimize yields. Although his hands-on approach received skepticism, his next step was the launching of Chittagong University Rural Development Project which provided the poor people academic credit. In order to do more for the poor, he next focused on providing small loans to the very poor to buy raw materials. Initially he became personal guarantor to Janata Bank which is one of the largest government banks in Bangladesh. From this concept, Grameen Bank evolved that provides un-collateral loans to the poor. He encourages repayment of the loans on weekly and even daily basis to prevent accumulation of large debts. Yunus’s efforts have proved to be fruitful and he dreams of a poverty free world by 2050, â€Å"poverty does not belong in a civilized human society. Its proper place is in a museum† (Yunus, 248). There are ways in which people can move towards fulfilling the mission of making this world free of poverty, and the process lies in desire among all people to do something for the poor. Rich countries often provide financial resources to the poor countries, but this is not

The Central Intelligence Agency and the Bay of Pigs Invasion :: Cuba, Fidel Castro

The story of the failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs is one of mismanagement, overconfidence, and lack of security. The blame for the failure of the operation falls directly in the lap of the Central Intelligence Agency and a young president and his advisors. The fall out from the invasion caused a rise in tension between the two great superpowers and ironically 34 years after the event, the person that the invasion meant to topple, Fidel Castro, is still in power. To understand the origins of the invasion and its ramifications for the future it is first necessary to look at the invasion and its origins. Part I: The Invasion and its Origins. The Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961, started a few days before on April 15th with the bombing of Cuba by what appeared to be defecting Cuban air force pilots. At 6 a.m. in the morning of that Saturday, three Cuban military bases were bombed by B-26 bombers. The airfields at Camp Libertad, San Antonio de los Baos and Antonio Maceo airport at Santiago de Cuba were fired upon. Seven people were killed at Libertad and forty-seven people were killed at other sites on the island. Two of the B-26s left Cuba and flew to Miami, apparently to defect to the United States. The Cuban Revolutionary Council, the government in exile, in New York City released a statement saying that the bombings in Cuba were ". . . carried out by 'Cubans inside Cuba' who were 'in contact with' the top command of the Revolutionary Council . . . ." The New York Times reporter covering the story alluded to something being wrong with the whole situation when he wondered how the council knew the pilots were coming if the pilots had only decided to leave Cuba on Thursday after " . . . a suspected betrayal by a fellow pilot had precipitated a plot to strike . . . ." Whatever the case, the planes came down in Miami later that morning, one landed at Key West Naval Air Station at 7:00 a.m. and the other at Miami International Airport at 8:20 a.m. Both planes were badly damaged and their tanks were nearly empty. On the front page of The New York Times the next day, a picture of one of the B-26s was shown along with a picture of one of the pilots cloaked in a baseball hat and hiding behind dark sunglasses, his name was withheld.

The weak are forced to create alternative realities Essay

The brain is a crucible: a melting pot of intersecting ingredients that forges a reality that is deceptively the same, but often vastly different for each individual. That reality is a construct is a fashionable term these days; it means that we tend to see reality from a particular frame of reference. There is always a context, whether it be political, social or cultural. For those who are unable to construct a satisfactory reality, it is then that they are forced to create an alternative reality, perhaps that fulfils their dreams and meets their views and values. In the words of cognitive neuropsychologist Kaspar Meyer, â€Å"what is now clear is that the brain is not a stimulus-driven robot that directly translates the outer world into a conscious experience. What we’re conscious of is what the brain makes us be conscious of, and in the absence of incoming signals, bits of memories tucked away can be enough for a brain to get started with†. Reality for each individual differs according to their past experiences and memories, as well as what they choose to perceive to be true. Those with weaker frames of minds – such as individuals suffering from mental disorders, or solely living under delusion – tend to create alternative realities in order to escape the harsh truth. Consider the materialism of the post-war United States. Motivated by prosperity and wealth, all Americans were expected to achieve the profound ‘American Dream’, of which Arthur Miller critiques throughout his play ‘Death of a Salesman’. The play’s lead character Willy Loman struggles to face the true reality, but instead, chooses to believe he is leading the life he had always dreamt of. Willy believes himself to be the best salesman of his company, claiming he is â€Å"well liked† by all, and â€Å"vital in New England†, when in fact, his true reality proves to be quite the opposite. Willy struggles to pay his mortgage, as well as fails to support and provide for his family. Despite his favourite son Biff finding the words to call him out to be what he truly is – â€Å"(a) fake†¦ (a) big phoney fake† and â€Å"a dime a dozen†, Willy remains ignorant towards the truth. Willy’s alternative reality provides him with the motivation to continue his life, despite the loss of his job and loss of  respect from Biff. Alternative realities provide temporary relief from the harsh truth of reality, which is sometimes necessary for those who are considered mentally weak. It is often easier to support the alternative realities created by the mentally weak. Due to their mental state, disregarding what they believe to be true can carry several consequences. In ‘Death of a Salesman’, Willy’s wife Linda remains supportive throughout her husband’s delusion. He claims she is his â€Å"foundation (and) support†, which is simply conforming to the expected role of a 1950’s housewife. Another example includes the 2010 movie directed by Martin Scrosese titled ‘Shutter Island’, which clearly highlights the importance of accepting the alternative realities created by the mentally weak. The film’s protagonist Teddy Daniels believes himself to be a U.S marshal assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Boston’s Shutter Island mental institution. However, in true fact, Teddy is actually Andrew Laeddis, one of the institution’s most dangerous patients they have because of his delusions and his violence towards the staff and the other patients. Andrew (or Teddy’s) delusion created an alternative reality in which he was able to escape the truth about his murderous past. In order to support his alternative reality, the staff at the institution developed a scenario in which Andrew was able to live out his delusion, therefore preventing the otherwise dangerous psychological effects of his true nature. If Andrew was in fact exposed to his true reality rather than living as his alter ego, he may have not been able to survive, hence proving the importance of supporting a mentally weak individual’s alternative reality. Alternative realities may not always be negative. In these cases, the alternative reality protects the individual from harm or negative attention due exposing their true self. Consider the death of Whitney Houston, or the even more recent Robin Williams. Despite their true reality consisting of depression and substance abuse, these two renowned celebrities developed and maintained an alternative reality to allow others to portray them as role models and successful artists. In the case of Robin Williams, his severe  depression led to his suicide. As a comedian and successful actor, Williams was perceived by the majority to be a motivated happy man. In true fact, despite working to ensure other people were laughing, he was diagnosed with severe depression, to the point where he eventually took his own life. Robin William’s alternative reality forced others to see him as he was not, but without the negative attention of showing who he really was. In Whitney Houston’s case, despite her perception as an iconic successful singer, her alternative reality consisted of a cocaine addiction to the point where she drowned in a hotel bathtub. Following their deaths, the public was finally made aware of who they truly were, regardless of what we had previously perceived them to be. Alternative realities such as these can be crucial to ensure happiness and satisfaction for the individual, without highlighting their true selves to the world. Those who are mentally weak tend to create alternative realities in order to avoid their true selves. Whether they are living within a delusion – such as Willy Loman – or suffering from a mental condition – such as Andrew Laeddis, (otherwise known as Teddy), alternative realities may be beneficial for the individual, however difficult for others to accept. Due to individual differences in realities due to social, emotional, cultural and political factors, each person must construct a reality that is most suitable for their views and values, even if that results in alternative realities being created. In the words of author Mignon McLaughlin, â€Å"a critic can only review the book he has read, not the one in which the author wrote†, and therefore we cannot judge an individual’s choice of reality or alternative realities without experiencing it ourselves first hand.

Teaching Teenagers about Sex in Schools Essay - 1805 Words

Introduction As millions of teens are heading back to school, they are going to be learning the same old stuff, the usual studies include-history, math, science. But many students and parent’s surprise, there will be an extra class included in the curricula: Sex Education. In most public schools, there is some form of teaching of sex education. However, there is an even bigger question that is arising. â€Å"What kind of sex education are our children getting and is it enough to help?† There is a huge national debate going on over whether the whole ordeal over if kids should or should not be taught in school about sex. It shouldn’t matter what side of the fence you are on or your school, what is important is to know how to†¦show more content†¦By the prohibition of the discussion of the certain topic, there have been less students learning about the topics such as pregnancy prevention and STD prevention than students have in the 1990s. At this time, there was around 750,000 adolescents were experiencing an unintended pregnancy, along with every one in four sexually active teens contracted a sexually transmitted disease annually. It goes far as some states trying and having succeeding in censorship or distort information for political purposes, â€Å"people become the instruments or tools of the state policies that deprive them of the knowledge and info necessary to make and implement decisions about the reproductive and to express the sexuality safely. It thus involves the state control over some of the most basic elements of what it means to be human.† (L.R Freeman, Censorship and Manipulation of Reproductive Health Information) Abstinence-only programs’ funding was greatly expanded when a welfare reform was passed in 1996. The Community-based Abstinence Education programs have provided grants directly from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to communities and many faith-based programs to help and even a third of f ederal programs was created for the use of abstinence only education in 2000. In many people’s beliefs, these abstinence-only programs are doing much more harm than good. Such programs are violating numerous human rights and ethical principles as these areShow MoreRelatedSex Education And Sexual Education1253 Words   |  6 Pageshave public schools teach sexual education classes, or teach abstinence education classes? Pregnancy rates in America are slowly decreasing, but are still extremely high. According to K. F. Stanger-Hall (2011), Pregnancy rates in America are more than double the rates of other countries with 72.2% per 1000 girls between the ages of 15-19 becoming pregnant. The best way to lower teen pregnancy is to teach about prevention in schools with sex education or abstinence classes. Teenagers need to learnRead MoreSex Education : A Part Of American Culture1566 Words   |  7 PagesFor decades, sex education in US public schools has been a debatable issue for a minority of people (Shindel Parish, 2013). Healthcare workers insist that with a rise in sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies among teenagers, sex education is desperately needed in school. On the other hand, there are some parents and other citizens who strongly believe that sex education is something that parents should be teaching to their children. These individuals feel that sex education coursesRead MoreSex Education Are Essential For Teens1479 Words   |  6 PagesSex Education is a controversial but extremely important topic. Yet, we are doing very little to address it. Teaching sex education in schools are essential for teens to help build a strong foundation of sexual health. Although sex education must begin at home, some parents feel uncomfortable talking about the topic with their children and they believe teaching their children about sex can end up encouraging them to engage in sexual intercourse. Due to that, parents and schools try to em phasize theRead MoreSex Ed By Anna Quindlen963 Words   |  4 Pagescollege before returning to the Times in 1977. â€Å"Sex Ed† by Anna Quindlen in the Wake Tech Reader is an article that distinguished her as being a feminist. Even though â€Å"Sex Ed† was written long ago, it is as relevant today as then because teens today are not much different from then. In Anna Quindlen’s essay, ‘Sex Ed,† she expresses that parents and teachers need to come together and talk to teenagers about sex. In Quindlen’s essay she talks about when she was sitting in a clinic in the poorest neighborhoodRead MoreShould Sex Education Be Taught? High School?997 Words   |  4 PagesTeenagers and sex are two words that are often heard together, whether we like it or not, teenagers are having sex. Some schools don’t teach sexual education and because of that students are suffering. There’s no way to make teenagers not have sex but there is away to teach them about having safe sex, that is why I believe that we need to require sexual education be taught in high school. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, â€Å"Only 22 states require public schools to teachRead More Education Is Key: A Comprehensive Approach to Sex Education Essay1579 Words   |  7 PagesSex education is about informing students about sex so that they can make educated decisions when the time comes to have sex. Sex education helps students protect themselves from unintended pregnancies, STDs, and HIV/AIDS. Students should leave a sex education course with the right tools so they make informed decisions about their sexual health and well-being. The goal of sex education is to provide a student with as much information as possible so that they can use the skills they learned inRead MoreThe Adolescent Family Life Program Teaches Teenagers About Abstinence1365 Words   |  6 Pagesprogram teaches teenagers about abstinence. The AFL differs from other primary prevention programs, but also has complications to its solution for teaching teenagers about its a bstinence-only program. This paper is to display the effective approach of the AFL in how it contrasts from other programs, but also, how it can be revised. In the end, the program needs adjustment, from its abstinence-only education, in order for it to effectively teach adolescences the consequences of sex. Primary PreventionRead MoreThe Issue Of Sex Education1429 Words   |  6 Pagesteens are very common. Teenagers in schools across the US are at risk of getting pregnant. They may even have a sexually transmitted disease and not know it. Many teenagers and even some adults do not know a lot about sexual health. That is because schools are not giving out some of the most important information to their students in sex education classes. All public schools should require that sex education teaches more than only about abstinence and STI’s. First, schools need to make sure thatRead MoreUnited States has the Highest Rate of Teenage Pregnancies Essay1687 Words   |  7 Pagespregnancy, about 500,000 births per year from girls under twenty. Second in the statistic is Poland, who only has about 30,000 teenage births in a year. When the topic of sex arises, people become uncomfortable because it is a subject that is thought of as personal and secretive. However, people aren’t only uncomfortable with the subject because of it being taboo, people try to avoid the subject because they aren’t always informed correctly about it and don’t have a way to learn about it, excludingRead MoreThe Rate Of Unwanted Teenage Pregnancies And Sexually Transmitted Diseases1502 Words   |  7 Pagessafety precautions and informing teens about healthy sexual activity. Sexual Education is the act of educating others about intercourse, the anatomy of the human body, sexual reproduction, abstinence, and contraceptives. Elizab eth Boskey, a STD expert, believes that schools should teach sex education because of the positive effects it has on the students. However, Sol Gordon believes that the parents should be responsible for teaching their children about sex. Even though Elizabeth Boskey and Sol