Mass media Ethic case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mass media Ethic case study - Essay Example Accordingly, Monsignor Burke, the COO of the church has approached a public relations personnel, John Allen, for advice on how to handle this matter. In this case, the church wants to find out whether to declare the nightmare of sexual abuse a past occurrence that has no effects on the current welfare of the church or to blame predecessor bishops for the vice. In this case, there are two fundamental values on which catholic faith is grounded that are concerned. They include truth and justice. In the case of truth, the church advocate for accountability and transparency while for justice, the catholic affirms that each member of the society deserves to be served with justice at all time. The theory, developed to address the issue of Enlightenment rationalism, is grounded on the view that the only intrinsically good thing is a good will; an action is only good if its axiom  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the rationale behind it  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ is commitment to the moral law. In this case, the church should be guided in a way that will help in restoring the morality and public goodwill. As such, I would advise the archbishop to consider three dimensions when making a decision on what to disclose to the media: Firstly, he should consider the truthfulness of the matter. In this case, he should gauge the statement he wants to issue against the truth. In this case, he should uphold the principle of truthfulness. By doing so, the church will ensure that this character-tarnishing story will never haunt again. Secondly, I would advise to evaluate the intentions that the church has in this scenario. In this case, the intentions should reflect god wills and to a large extent, the principle of morality should be taken into consideration. Lastly, the decision reached by the church should uphold dignity and respect on the part of the church. In this regard, I would advise them to take a position that exhibits respect to the member of the congregation and the

The Significance of Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Significance of Place - Essay Example sions this word can be confined to the description; ‘A portion of space with definite or indefinite boundaries’, it could be a room, an office, a house or a chapel. But being less cramped, when it comes to the classification of a ‘Place’ in human life, it means ‘a vital dwelling or locality which may or may not change the behavior and perspective of a person which occupies it’. Hence, it is about time that we acknowledge the significance of place in our lives and study how it matters to us even when unbridled commercialism is eliminating the consistency and liveliness out of architecture as the world becomes ignorant of its important and moves on towards technological development. We cannot steer clear of the magnitude of a place and the effects it has on the human beings that reside in it. People live in places that are poles apart from each other. Alain de Botton bears out, â€Å"Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are, for better or worse, different people in different places—and on the conviction that it is architecture’s task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be.† (13) This goes on to suggest that the importance of place varies for all of us. We are born in hospitals, we grow up in houses, we are educated in schools, we confess in churches, we get married in chapels and then we are buried in graveyards. These places, as infinitesimal they might seem, hold immense value in our lives as they take away a part of us with them as soon as we step in. At birth our first ever body scent is pierced into the walls of hospitals. As we grow up, our emotions and thoughts are embedded into the wall s of our houses. When it’s time for us to confess, our honesty is implanted into the corridor of the church. While we go through the educational phase, our hard work is plastered onto the boards of our class rooms and when it is time for us to get married, a part of our happiness is instilled onto the deep walls

Circuit Protection and Utilisation of Electricity

Circuit Protection and Utilisation of Electricity Task 1 With the aid of suitable diagrams, describe in detail, the construction and operating principles of the following circuit breakers. Include in your description the advantages and disadvantages of each a) Oil circuit breaker An oil circuit breaker or OCB is a type of device which uses different kinds of oils as insulating materials/dielectrics in order to reduce the arc when activated. The circuit breaker will have two contacts that are forced to separate while being submersed in oil, the oil is there to evaporate any heat produced by the arc when the breaker is tripped. An OCB is made up of a metal tank to contain the oil and contacts, contacts for carrying the current and the oil which is the insulating material that stops an arc occurring. The operation of this type of breaker is simple, the contacts start off in the closed position so that the circuit is complete and when a fault occurs the contacts are then forced apart causing an arc to form. Sometimes an arc can emit heat which can damage the circuit and machinery, this is why we use the oil to evaporate the heat. The oil will be turned into gas(hydrogen) and then slowly displace any oil left, the arc will be extinguished when the contacts move fa r away from each other. The OCB contacts can sometimes get burnt when arcing has occurred and carbon can form in the area around the contacts. The carbon makes the oil lose dielectric strength and therefore means that the circuit breaker is less effective at breaking the current. The OCB needs to be drained and refilled when it has tripped, also the contacts need to be closely inspected for burning or carbon build up. There are two types of oil circuit breaker: Bulk Oil- This is a circuit breaker that requires larger amounts of oil so that the arc can be extinguished. These circuit breakers can also be known as dead tank'(Circuit globe, 2016) because the tank is positioned at ground potential. If the voltage is higher then more oil will be required as the arc will be stronger and harder to extinguish. Another use of this circuit breaker is to insulate all live parts in the breaker from the earth. Minimum Oil- This circuit breaker aims to use the minimum required oil that is possible, instead of extinguishing the arc completely using oil it also uses porcelain. The porcelain insulates the circuit breaker live parts from the earth. The chamber of the breaker is lined with bakelised (Circuit globe, 2016) paper, this paper has good mechanical and electrical properties. The tube moves vertically in order to break contact, when the contacts start to separate then oil is forced into the cylinder to reduce arcing. The advantages of OCBs: Due to the oil having a high dielectric strength'(Circuit globe, 2016) it can be used as insulation once the arc has been dealt with. The hydrogen produced due to the evaporation of the oil is good for cooling the device and diffusing. The oil creates a clearing in the conductors and the earth components. The disadvantages of OCBs: The oil is flammable which means that fires are able to be started with it. The oils dielectric strength decreases due to the carbon particles that pollute it. Since the tank isnt always air tight this leaves room for dangerous mixture of air which could result in explosive substances being created. -If the tank needed is large then it can be expensive. b) Vacuum interrupter A vacuum circuit breaker or VCB is a type of circuit breaker that uses a vacuum to extinguish the arc. This works best on weaker voltages, as higher voltages will be too strong to extinguish. The breaker can be made of steel and consists of a chamber which is the vacuum interrupter, the material for the contacts needs to be perfect as otherwise there wont be an effective connection. The application of this type of circuit breaker is to switch HV devices, they are as effective as SF6 breakers which have a big chance of leakage. The reason it is better than other circuit breakers is because when the contacts separate inside the vacuum they have a greater dielectric strength which builds up so that it is thousands of times higher than normal circuit breakers. Advantages to a VCB: Since there isnt any material or substance inside the chamber theres no risk of fire They have a good service life as they have minimal parts Due to the fact that it doesnt use harmful gases or substances it is safer for people to work on and for the environment. The replacement and maintenance is much easier. they can be used repeatedly. There are no gases inside which means that there is no room for gas emission leakage. Disadvantages to a VCB: when the vacuum has been damaged, failed to extinguish the arc or loses the vacuum it cant be repaired on site. This is due to the complex design and conditions that it needs to be fixed. the vacuum interrupter will need surge suppressors (Hub pages, January 2 2014) that are in parallel with the phase interrupters with low currents. they are uneconomical if only small quantities are being made c) HRC liquid fuse A HRC liquid fuse is a high voltage fuse which have a relatively high current rating and breaking capacity. This means that the fuse can be used in some high voltage applications, high voltage fuses need specific designs so that they can handle it without breaking. There are two types of HRC fuse: Liquid type HV HRC fuse: This type of fuse is filled with a fluid called Carbon tetrachloride (Circuit globe, 2016) and they can be used for a large number of high voltage applications. They can protect circuits that have a 400 A rating or higher, their breaking capacity is around 6100 A when used on a circuit with a 33KV supply. This fuse is made up of a glass tubing filled with the above fluid and it has brass caps on either end. There is also a fuse link which gets fixed to one of the caps and then the other end is attached to a bronze spiral fixed onto the other cap. When the limit of current is exceeded then the fuse link will be blown, this will retract the spring so that it hits a liquid detector. When the arc is created and extinguished a small quantity of gas will be produced, fuses arent normally used as the first protective method for a circuit. The circuit will have other circuit breakers, if the circuit breakers fail then the fuse will blow. Advantages: cheaper than other circuit protecting devices -Maintenance is not required Is able to be used in high and low voltage applications The operation/breaking of the fuse is automatic Disadvantages: the fuse needs be rewired or replaced when blown the fuse can sometimes have tripping time issues when dealing with different voltages. Cartridge type HV HRC fuse: This type of fuse is very similar to low voltage fuses however there is a specific component that makes it effective at extinguishing high voltage arcs. The only difference in the design I that the wire is wound into a ring shape so that the corona effect can be avoided, the corona effect is the ionization of a fluid surrounding a conductor that is electrically charged (wiki user, 2016). some applications may require two fuses to be put in parallel, one of them will have a low resistance and the other a high resistance so that the low resistance will blow first and slightly reduce the stress on the circuit when it breaks. This type of fuse can be used up to 33kv as they have a breaking capacity of about 8,760 A. Advantages: They dont deteriorate over time They have a high speed of operation No maintenance is required It is cheaper than other methods They can be used for both high and low voltage applications Disadvantages: After it has blown it must be replaced when an arc occurs it produces heat energy which means that it is a fire hazard and can damage some of the components inside d) HRC expulsion fuse This type of fuse uses gases produced by the arc and its lining to extinguish the arc, it also is vented to let the gas out. The fuse link can be surrounded by liquid which turn into gas such as boric acid (Wiki User, 2016) when the fuse is blown the heat from the arc will make the boric acid change into gas. The gas will then quickly extinguish the arc, the gas also will explosively burst out the ends of the fuse and this is the reason they must only be used outside. There is usually a type of pin so that you can manually blow all three phases in case only one had gone. This fuse can be used with very high amperage as well as low voltage. Advantages: No maintenance is required Cheaper than other types of circuit breaker Simple installation Disadvantages: Can be dangerous when blown as there is an explosive part in the process Damage to other devices may occur if they are in close vicinity to the fuse at time of breaking Needs to be replaced and repaired when blown Task 2 Produce suitably labelled diagrams and produce a detailed explanation of the principles of operation of an inverse definite minimum time relay. An inverse definite minimum time relay AKA IDMT relay is a circuit protection device that consists of an upper electromagnet which has two windings, There is a primary and a secondary. The primary winding is attached to the current transformer that is on the line that is in need of protection and has eight tappings. The tappings are connected to a plug which sets the bridge by the number of turns that will be used, the settings then can be adjusted so that required current setting can be achieved. The secondary winding is then energized by the induction effect and is wound over the limb in the middle of the upper electromagnet, it also spreads over the limbs of the lower electromagnet. There is a disc which has flux leakages, the flux leakage comes from the upper electro magnet and it is in phase with a disc on the lower electromagnet. Te disc has a spindle which has a moving contact that connects two of the fixed contacts when it has rotated into a certain position. The setting of t his position or angle varies, it can vary from 0 to 360. This device operates during overload conditions, when over current occurs this device will protect the circuit from any damage that may be caused. An 11 kV three phase system develops a 159 MVA line to line short circuit. The system is protected by a scheme using 500/1 ratio Current Transformer rated at 5 A and IDMT relays. Determine the operating time for the relays if the time multipliers were set to 0.45 s and the plug setting was 120 %. IDMT relay current characteristic curve Task 3 Describe with the aid of diagrams the importance of properly earthing equipment. With the aid of diagrams describe the following methods of earth fault protection: Earth fault relay. Residual current device. Use examples of earth fault protection at your place of work. a) There are many risks within my workplace however one of the main risks is electricity, it is very important that I am protected from this risk as it can cause severe injury or fatality. To ground something means to attach a path for the electrical current to return to the ground safely. This will stop the current using us as paths, when a short circuit occurs the current will find the easiest way back to the ground. There are a few main reasons for grounding all electrical equipment: Prevent Damage to equipment, injury or death This is the most important reason in my opinion as it will literally protect our lives. The most important aspect to work is safety which means making all equipment safe for use, we do this by earthing it and doing PAT testing. PAT testing (Portable appliance testing) is in place to make sure that the equipment works and will not hurt or damage itself/others. Electricity is very dangerous and can arc if not earthed or correctly encased, it can cause death and injuries which could affect the rest of someones life. Electrical overload protection this means that it will protect us from any surges that may occur, this could be a surge in current or perhaps a lightning strike. If the equipment is earthed then the surge will go straight into the ground, if however it isnt then it would go into whatever was in contact with the equipment. Direction of electricity- The electricity will have a clear, safe path to the ground which means it is much safer for people to use the equipment. The current will be able to move safely and efficiently throughout the system without risk of hurting or damaging the circuit/person using it. Stabilization of voltage levels Grounding also makes sure that all the currents and power are distributed around the circuit to their proper places. This means that there is little room for over current and the circuit being broken, it provides a reference point for the voltage sources in the circuit system. The earth is the best conductor the earth is a very good conductor, the electricity which is trying to get to earth will also take the route with the least resistance. This is why we are perfect for connecting the appliance to the earth, grounding the system will give the electricity a better path. Grounding can be done individually at peoples houses by use of a metal rod or extendable metal pipe that runs into the house from the underground water supply. There are different types of Earthing/Grounding: Plate type- this is a method where a small metal plate is buried no more than 3 meters below the housing, it is connected to piping which is then connected to the houses service panel. Pipe type- the pipe or rod will have a set of terminals that copper conductors can connect to, the copper conductors then will be put into the service panel for the house, this would ground the houses electrical appliances. Strip/Wire Earthing- These are used between casings of metal equipment to earth/ground the device or machinery. It can be attached from the casing to another piece of metal that goes into the ground. b) i) Earth Fault Relay A relay is a device that is able to detect unordinary conditions within the system, it enables the correct circuit breakers to trip when over current is detected. Most relays operate with the induction principle, this means that when the relay operates its contacts are closed in the circuit and the passage of current within the coil in the trip circuit activates a plunger. The plunger then will activate the appropriate circuit breaker to trip, this means that the area of fault in the system is disconnected safely. This type of relay is basically there to trip the circuit breaker if there is a fault with the earthing pathway, this could be damaged cable or a build up in resistance causing excessive current. The induction principle consists of moving parts such as an aluminium disc fixed onto a shaft and this rotates on two bearings between the poles of an electromagnet and damping magnet. The electromagnet gets wound and has seven taps. The seven taps are on the front of the panel, th e tap that is required can be chosen by pushing in the plug. There is a setting called the pick-up current which can be varied via the use of a plug multiplier. The pick-up current values of earth fault relays are normally quite low. ii) Residual current device- A residual current device AKA an RCD is an electrical device that breaks a circuit when it senses that the current is unbalanced or overloaded between the line and neutral conductors. These devices are more effective at keeping the operator safe than fuses and circuit breakers are, they will prevent fatalities if someone were to touch a live part. They do this as they are highly sensitive and will switch off electrically if there is any fault. They make sure that the circuit is switched off if it detects electricity flowing down a wrong path, this could be caused by a cut or damaged wire coming into contact with something other than the severed cable. There are a few types of RCDs: Fixed- This device is used in consumer units and will protect a group of circuits or individual ones if that is what is required. It will protect anything in the circuit including any appliances attached to the circuit, the fixed RCD will offer a very quick protection from fatality or severe injury. Portable- This device is able to be plugged into the socket and will protect the equipment, lead and person touching the equipment. However it wont protect the whole circuit, if someone were to touch another part of the circuit they may still get electrocuted. Socket-outlet- This is basically a socket with a built in RCD, it can be used as a regular socket would be. It doesnt protect the whole circuit, it will protect the equipment plugged in and the leads, as well as the person touching the equipment. References: Circuit globe (2016) Oil Circuit Breaker [online] Available: http://circuitglobe.com/oil-circuit-breaker.html [Accessed: 21/12/2016] http://hubpages.com/technology/Vacuum-Circuit-Breakers-Advantages-Disadvantages https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_discharge https://www.mepits.com/tutorial/472/Electrical/Electric-Fuse http://www.cooperindustries.com/content/dam/public/bussmann/Electrical/Resources/solution-center/technical_library/BUS_Ele_Tech_Lib_Fuses_E_Rated.pdf http://www.platinumelectricians.com.au/blog/importance-grounding-electrical-currents/ http://www.electricaltechnology.org/2015/05/earthing-and-electrical-grounding-types-of-earthing.html http://www.allinterview.com/showanswers/90014/what-is-idmt-relay-how-it-works.html http://cindulkar.tripod.com/lab13.pdf https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTCkXJ3-I36J7ZLdKZ_hKnaHhgwJc9W_ek37P1ZGxXfN0f_XAsUkzUtxYMmV_NIh9DpJ8A9_bsGrzeEDRyWbGKUBcQ7ak3lm903Z8oXLHLv755dnmtd55Dv4gIWKipBHUdEB_xi8UDUtw/s1600/power+system+protection+13.png http://www.itmikro.com/app/webroot/UploadedContent/images/pro_3_1.png http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guides-and-advice/electrical-items/rcds-explained/

Descartes’ Cogito Essay -- Philosophy small universal elements

Descartes’ Cogito It is the purpose of this essay to examine both Descartes’ Cogito argument and his skepticism towards small and universal elements, as well as the implications these arguments have on each other. First, I will summarize and explain the skepticism Descartes’ brings to bear on small and universal elements in his first meditation. Second, I will summarize and explain the Cogito argument, Descartes’ famous â€Å"I think, therefore I am† (it should be noted that this famous implication is not actually something ever said or written by Descartes, but instead, an implication taken from his argument for his own existence). Third, I will critique the line of reasoning underlying these arguments. Descartes attacks small and universal elements with the problem posed by the possibility of God being an omnipotent deceiver, but he seems to think his Cogito argument is immune from this type of criticism. Fourth, I will show how the Cogito is actually har der to establish than the existence of small and universal elements. And, fifth, I will establish small and universal elements as an Archimedean point (i.e. – a foundational claim). In Descartes’ first meditation, paragraphs 9-12, he arrives at the final and most devastating stage of questioning his beliefs. In his first two stages, he questions both small and distant objects and medium sized objects, and concludes that neither can be held as true with any certainty. He throws out the first because of the possibility that the small and distant object is a mirage, and throws out the second because of the possibility that we are actually dreaming while perceiving medium sized objects. In his third and final stage of doubt, Descartes’ examines sma... ...things. The lack of an omnipotent deceiver and the reality of the existence of small and universal elements lead to an even broader foundational claim; there is a world where the small and universal elements exist. Either it is the world around us at his very moment, or, if this is a dream, it is the world of the dreamer whose small and universal elements make up this dream world. In concluding, a few things must be noted. One, Descartes’ omnipotent deceiver does not and cannot exist in the manner Descartes relates. Two, even if the deceiver did exist, the Cogito would not be immune from the pall of doubt the deceiver’s existence would cause to fall on reality. Three, even without the deceiver, the Cogito is falsifiable because of the â€Å"Someone Else’s Dream† argument. Four, there is a world where small and universal elements we know of exist.

The World from Brown’s Lounge

With The World from Brown's Lounge: An Ethnography of Black Middle-Class Play Michael J. Bell provides a narrative and interpretation of the play behavior of middle class blacks within the context of Brown's Lounge, a neighborhood bar in West Philadelphia. At the time he did his field research at Brown's, Bell was a white, male, doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. The book appears to be either his original dissertation or a somewhat edited dissertation.The prose is accessible and not marked by the frequent subordinate clauses and qualification of statements that mars a good deal of academic writing (Bell xi, 1-7). According to Bell The World from Brown's Lounge is a â€Å"study in black American folklore† (Bell ix). However he does not use the word folklore in the traditional sense of myths, tales, and traditions usually passed on orally or through folk art, but rather as the â€Å"artistic communication . . . used by ordinary people . . .[that] links us tog ether in our day-to-day interactions† (Bell ix). This folklore is studied in context, not merely as an academic exercise that might be done by reading a textbook about the folk beliefs of a people without regard to their lives. Bell describes what he saw in Brown's and claims that it is folklore but pointedly refuses engage in an argument as to whether or not the material in the book is in fact folklore. For the purposes of The World from Brown's Lounge the reader must assume that the book is folklore.Frankly, this distinction seems artificial; the text can and should be judged on its methodology and analysis and not on attempts to fit the book to a particular niche genre. Bell claims that the black middle class is (or at least was at the time the book was written) largely ignored in research with the focus being on the behavior and lifestyle of the poorer class. Even when the middle class has been addressed it has tended to interview individuals who â€Å"exemplified† their race and not observe members of the black middle class acting with each other.In essence Bell contends that at that time the research was done, the literature failed to recognize that the black middle class existed at all (Bell 1-5). The methodology Bell used was to sit in Brown's Bar at various times throughout the day, observing the patrons and participating in their interactions for a period of about eighteen months beginning in 1972. The observation periods were typically three hours each. Bell describes himself as an active participant as he engaged in the discussions that occurred at Brown's as well as participating in the consumption of alcohol.The regular patrons were aware of what he was doing and that descriptions of their activities might appear in his doctoral dissertation and possible a subsequent book. Bell recorded the conversations that occurred so that he might study them later. In addition any individual who wished to could listen to any tapes, but no one cho se to do so. Although Bell was aware that his presence in the â€Å"black† bar would affect the patrons, by being up front with them he hoped to minimize his affects on the patrons.In the process Bell did extended interviews with some of the key patrons (Bell 1-5). Interestingly he received a grant to engage in this research, which is good work if you can get it. Bell intended that his work describe how the day-to-day activities in a neighborhood bar reflect the values of the members of the neighborhood. He claims the study describes how the activities at Brown's allow the patrons to conform to â€Å"their desire to create and live within a world that allows them to be both black and middle class† (Bell 5).To do this he describes interactions between the patrons, at times actually quoting entire conversations and then attempts to classify and analyze them. These conversations are, at times, interesting, but are common to many social situations and not indications of mi ddle class black behavior in the 1970s. Bell tries to make them so however. He claims that this behavior is an example of middle class blacks playing with each other verbally and non-verbally by â€Å"talking shit,† â€Å"styling,† and â€Å"profiling† (Bell). Bell writes that these conversations are improvisations with deep, sophisticated meaning for middle class blacks.For example in a discussion on page 110 and analyzed on page 111 Bell offers the following. The bartender Harriet asks the customers generally, â€Å"was a . . . was a . . . (four-second silence) Jimmy Sailor in here yesterday? † One of the patrons, Gill replies, â€Å"I didn't see him. † From these two sentences Bell draws the following analysis. Harriet was seeking direct information. Gill responded in the same fashion as â€Å"if it were a request for information and nothing else. † This is straightforward enough and patently obvious.However Bell is not satisfied with thi s explanation and seeks a deeper meaning, â€Å"[i]n asking after Jimmy, Harriet made it clear that she believed that it was appropriate for her to know his whereabouts. † One feels the need to ask why Bell decide would emphasize such a point. Fundamentally he may be correct, but a simpler, more straightforward conclusion seems to be preferable; Harriet was curious about Jimmy. It is difficult to believe that at anytime during this process that Harriet consciously assumed it was proper for her to know where Jimmy was the day before.Similarly, Bell analyzes other conversations throughout the book. Instead of taking the discussions at face value Bell appears to believe each â€Å"interaction is a continuous exchange of images of self—of who and what one is—in order to convince the others present that all present are capable of acting coherently and correctly† (Bell 8). This belief implies that each person at Brown's is taking part in an improvisation perfor mance determined to establish himself as an individual person and as a member of the group.In reality, it is far more likely that such conversations at Brown's and similar ones at other bars and coffee shops are just that, conversations between people trying to relax and have a good time. The book suffers from a variety of problems besides the over analysis mentioned above. While reading the book one feels that Bell was describing a species that he is completely unrelated to in the same way that a zoologist might describe the behavior of a species of bird or mammal.Although the motivation for this distance appears to be an attempt to be as neutral as possible, certainly a laudable goal, when Bell describes or analyzes the activities in Brown's and fails to place them within the contact of being middle class, black, or even human the book suffers. In fact, Bell states this is what he is doing in the preface, instead of limiting his study to a particular ethnic group, age group, or oc cupation Bell defines his study to a particular place, Brown's (Bell x). This tightly focused limitation seems to greatly restrict the relevance of Bell's work to other situations or people.Despite this self-imposed limitation, Bell makes frequent references to the behavior the middle class, though in Brown's it is not the middle class, it is the only class. Bell's research lacks a clearly defined identity. Although Bell purports to be providing a description of description of the black middle class at play, he provides no insight as to how the behavior of the middle class patrons differs from or is similar to the behavior of lower or upper class blacks as well as the behavior of classes of other races in their own neighborhood bar.Much of the behavior Bell describes seems to be no different than one might see in any local bar or coffee shop for even by watching a rerun of the television comedy Cheers. As pointed out in â€Å"A Note on the Author† in the last page of the book , Bell received his PhD and at the time of publication was an associate professor of English and folklore at Wayne State University. In addition he has published a variety of articles on urban folklore in a number of scholarly journals.A quick search of the databases at Questia reveal a number of books that referred to The World from Brown's Lounge, but for the most parts these were merely listings in the bibliographies at the back of these books, although Loic Wacquant refers to it in 2004 as a â€Å"fine book† in Body & Soul: Notebooks of an Apprentice Boxer (181). All in all, Bell has adequate, if not impressive academic credentials in this area. The book could do with more careful editing. Although naturally the conversation among the patrons should not be edited, when Bell is providing narrative he should maintain consistent, grammatically correct standards.An example of a failure to do so is his inconsistent of his treatment of some words. For example, the term â€Å"m iddle-class† appears in the book's title and on page 1 and â€Å"middle class† on page 5 even though both are used to describe the same thing. Occasionally Bell uses questionable grammatical constructions that should be corrected as well. To his credit, Bell uses occasional inline citations and provides an extensive bibliography that is useful. The World from Brown's Lounge has no index, a feature that would prove useful to students and scholars using the text for literary searches.Due to the unusual meanings of many of the words used in the context of Brown's a glossary would be helpful as well. Ultimately the book is not particularly satisfying. Perhaps in 1972 when the research was done or in 1983 when the book was published the book had more impact, but in today's world The World from Brown's Lounge seems remarkably flat and uninteresting. One questions just what if anything Bell contributed to anthropological academic knowledge that justified his receiving a PhD wi th this dissertation supporting his candidacy, much less what justified its subsequent publication as a book.Although some of the play was interesting to read, Bell's over analysis reduced it the trivial. Bell's attempts to provide significance to ordinary conversations in a bar read more like long academic stretches in hopes of securing a doctorate than to do meaningful work. Works Cited Bell, Michael J. The World from Brown's Lounge: An Ethnography of Black Middle-Class Play. Urbana, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1983 Wacquant, Loic. Body & Soul: Notebooks of an Apprentice Boxer. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Discrimination In Employment Essay

Two separate statutes specifically pertain to discrimination in employment. The first is the Equal Pay Act, which was passed in 1963 (effective date was June 10, 1964). The second is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While the Equal Pay Act deals solely with wages paid to women and men within the same company, Title VII focuses on discriminatory hiring/firing practices and advancement policies within companies (Crouch, 2001, p.37-38). Neither is specific to the issue of sex discrimination; however, they both encompass discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or national origin. Both of these statutes have been applied to interscholastic and intercollegiate athletics, primarily in suits brought by female coaches claiming sex discrimination.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Title VII was enacted as a comprehensive prohibition on private acts of employment discrimination. It forbids discriminatory employment practices based on the race, color, religion, sex, or national origin of the applicant. These categories may, however, be used to differentiate between applicants when sex, religion, or national origin is a bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ). A BFOQ is very narrowly defined as an actual job requirement, not merely a customer or employer preference. For example, race is never considered a BFOQ (Crouch, 2001, 38-40).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Title VII also contains a â€Å"nonretaliation† provision which prohibits all employers defined in the act from discriminating against any employee or job applicant who has invoked his or her rights under Title VII or who has assisted with or participated in any proceeding brought by someone else (Gregory, 2003, p. 28).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the analysis of the courts, the alleged sex discrimination action need not only be based upon a consideration of an unalterable characteristic (like gender) possessed by the discriminatee but which is not possessed by the discriminator (Minchin, 2001, p. 50). Thus, not only are acts such as terminating female employees when they marry or refusing to accept employment applications from any female actionable, but also acts taken by a member of one sex against a member of the same sex can be actionable. A demand for sexual favors directed by one male to another as a condition of employment can be just as discriminatory as a similar demand directed by a male to a female.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Title VII is applicable to all employers of more than fifteen persons, and it specifically covers almost all state and local government employees as well as employees of most educational institutions. It is enforced by the EEOC, which has the authority to process and investigate any complaints. The EEOC may also bring suits in federal court if necessary. A charge brought by the EEOC is based on what the EEOC perceives to be a pattern or practice of unlawful discrimination which adversely affects an entire class of individuals. The EEOC may also conduct industrywide compliance reviews. If the discrimination found by the EEOC in state or local government cannot be corrected informally, the EEOC may refer the matter to the U.S. Attorney General. In all other cases, the EEOC may go to federal court to enforce the law (Gregory, 2003, p.28-29). Enforcement of Title VII is not limited to EEOC actions, however, because the legislation also has individual and class causes of action. This type of charge originates from an individual or group of individuals who allege that they were adversely affected by some act of unlawful discrimination (Gregory, 2003, p. 29).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organizations can bring discrimination claims on behalf of their members if the alleged discriminatory action injured its members, if the claim can proceed without the participation of those injured members, and if the claim is relevant to the organization’s purposes. The requirements for filing a charge include the following: The person filing the charge must be or represent an aggrieved person (must have a personal stake in the outcome of the controversy and must have suffered a personal injury), except in cases in which the charge is filed by the EEOC itself. The charge must be directed against an â€Å"employer† as defined by Title VII. The charge must be filed within the specified time limits. The form of the charge must comply with certain procedural requirements (Saguy, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once these requirements are met, the EEOC will proceed with the charge. The remedies of both injunctive and affirmative relief are available to the winning party in an employment discrimination suit. The prevailing party may be awarded back pay and attorney’s fees as well as an injunction prohibiting the employer’s unlawful action. In addition, the court may order the employer to cease its discriminatory practices, to reinstate employees, and to implement an appropriate affirmative action plan to eliminate existing discrimination and prevent its recurrence. These remedies are guided by the two goals of the act: (1) to achieve equality of employment opportunity by removing barriers based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and (2) to make the victim of unlawful discrimination whole–to put the victim in the position he or she would have been in had the discrimination not occurred.Both of these approaches have limitations. Even taken together, they are not sufficient to enforce a prohibition against sex discrimination(Saguy, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the Equal Pay Act applies to all employers, Title VII has been limited to employers of more than fifteen people. Thus, many smaller businesses are not subject to the mandates of Title VII. The Equal Pay Act is limited in other ways. For example, it is directed only to discrepancies in pay levels once on a job. It does not address the problem of discriminatory hiring or advancement policies. The basic weakness of these acts is that neither is all-encompassing. They fail to address the overall problems of sex discrimination that exist outside of the workplace (Saguy, 2003). Thus, very few of the problems of discrimination encountered in athletics are addressed by either act. This legislation provides potential relief only in athletic employment.Another major problem in pursuing litigation under these statutes is the cost.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Neither statute provides any guaranteed basis for the eventual recovery of attorney’s fees and/or double or triple damages. Thus, litigation is not an option for many of those who might wish to file claims. Cases are seldom pursued, and the effectiveness of the legislation diminishes as the chance that an employer will be punished lessens. One last problem is that courts have been reluctant to interpret the statutes broadly. This reluctance stems from the fact that hiring and salary decisions are well within the area of management prerogatives allotted to employers. The court is reluctant to interfere in any discretionary decision unless there has been a clear abuse of that discretion. Thus, it is very difficult to establish a case based on a complaint regarding practices in either of these areas. Usually, the evidence is open to a variety of interpretations. Such circumstances can make it difficult or even impossible for a plaintiff to prevail in a sex discrimination case under application of the aforementioned statutes. References Crouch, Margaret A. (2001).   Thinking about Sexual Harassment: A Guide for the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perplexed. Oxford University Press. Gregory, Raymond F. (2003). Women and Workplace Discrimination: Overcoming   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barriers to Gender Equality. Rutgers University Press. Minchin, Timothy J. (2001). The Color of Work: The Struggle for Civil Rights in the   Ã‚  Ã‚   Southern Paper Industry, 1945-1980. University of North Carolina Press. Saguy, Abigail C. (2003). What Is Sexual Harassment? From Capitol Hill to the Sorbonne.University of California Press