Exposure to Stereotypes Essay Example for Free

Exposure to Stereotypes Essay â€Å"Stereotypes are stubborn beliefs, overgeneralizations, myths, and distorted information about groups of people that shape people thinking and form the basis of prejudice. Stereotypes are projected through the media, become part of the collective consciousness, and are used to justify discrimination (York, 2006). † The media plays a huge influence on stereotypes, whether it is pertaining to race, gender, culture, or even socioeconomic status it is still influencing the views of those who are exposed. As I researched for this paper I realized that I have been so overexposed to these stereotypes that I may have never recognized them without it being pointed out. This paper will discuss the influence that the media has on stereotypes, and strategies that could be used to counteract these influences. Children between the ages of 2 and 5 spend an average of about 32 hours a week in front of the television watching movies and television, and children between the ages of 6 and 11 spend about 28 hours a week in front of the television (No Author, 2010). With that being said, I think that our biggest influence on children is television and movies. Although children’s television shows seem to be making a more conscious effort when it comes to equality among race, there are still subtle influences that many parents may not recognize are being taught to their children. I think that the biggest stereotypical area I have seen on television have to do with gender. Even 30 second commercials can make a lasting impression on children. When thinking of commercial about teddy bears and toy cars it is easy for most people to determine which commercial girls would play in and which commercial boys would play in. As children grow and remember what is presented to them they begin to believe that girls and boys are different and that they deserve different things. Learned stereotypes extend into the school setting, and, if not recognized and handled early on, can also extend into adult life and the work atmosphere. Teachers often see stereotypical events play out in their classroom daily. Children may not want to play with their peers because they are a boy, or because they speak differently, or because they look different. This can have a huge impact in the classroom on social skills including self-esteem, problem solving skills. At this young age students are learning which of their peers are the bullies and which are the bullied. They are learning which students have power, and which students are powerless. In a study on gender stereotypes within the classroom there is evidence that stereotypical influences are not just found on the television screen, they are also found in the classroom in textbooks, and even sometimes presented by teachers. In this study a woman named Erinosho analyzed 76 science textbooks. In the pictures found in the textbooks 75. 6% showed males, and 24. 4% showed females. Erinosho observed that females were often presented as hairdressers or secretaries, while males were often presented in professions like doctors or engineers (). Exposing children to these subtle stereotypical pictures only make it more difficult to overcome issues with stereotypes in the school setting. There are a few great strategies that teachers can use inside of the classroom in attempt to counteract the stereotypes that children are regularly exposed to throughout their daily lives. Teachers can make subtle moves such as adding culturally diverse materials to the classroom, ensuring that housekeeping areas are appealing to both males and females, and adding dolls to the classroom that present our differences. Teachers can also put up pictures in the classroom of different cultures, races, and genders working together equally to achieve a common goal. In my opinion the best way to counteract stereotypes is to take the bold move and openly talk about our differences and similarities as a class. Students should have the chance to discuss their cultures and beliefs openly amongst their peers. As educators we can oversee the discussion and ensure that the children are learning from each other and not taking the opportunity to put each other down. As children learn they are different they will quickly learn that they are also very similar in more ways than one. It also may be beneficial to involve parents. Having educators, students and parents working together to accomplish is usually very helpful to any situation. No matter what precautions we take children are going to be exposed to stereotypes regularly. Parents and teachers can work together so that children are also exposed to the idea that through our differences all people are people and deserve to be treated and thought of as the same.

Organic Biofumigants Essay -- Agriculture Biology Farming Farm Essays

Organic Biofumigants In recent years, production of many crops has become inhibited by taking several herbicides and pesticides off the market. If a producer wishes to be in organic production, this is even further inhibited by products useable to stay within organic guidelines. Biofumigants are basically any product used to control pests and competing weed species within a crop. This has become a hurdle for many producers due to labeling issues as well as the desire to keep the crops and their land feasible for â€Å"organic† production. There has been a great deal of research and discoveries pertaining to alternative methods of controlling the crop inhibitors (weeds and pests) in a more organic matter. Organic biofumigants have become one of the most feasible options for carrying out this daunting task. A big problem that today’s producers face is the control of nematode populations. Certain crop rotation systems may greatly increase the control a producer has over these problems. There are several crops that can be implemented into a rotation that can perform several tasks including: bio-fuel production and the control of pests and weeds organically. According to Klein et al. (2006), glucosinolates are natural products that when degraded in a soil can have profound impacts on the defense of insects and fungi invading a crop. Many of the crops that contain glucosinolates are in the Brassicaceae family. One of the most popular cover crops for the purpose of releasing glucosinolates is mustard and its different varieties. Mustard can be planted as a cover crop before several different crops. The crops that we found to benefit the most from this type of system were tap-root crops such as potatoes and sugar beets. ... ... Mohammad , Akhtar, Abdul Malik. "Roles of organic soil amendments and soil organisms in the biological control of plant-parasitic nematodes: a review ." Bioresource Technology Volume 74. Issue 1.August 2000 Pages 35-47 . 03/27/07 5&_user=2532480&_coverDate=08%2F31% 2F2000&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000057783&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=2532480&md5=0f8465d8d83ce62f9ccf3fa585e54c76>. Zasada, I.A. and Ferris, H.. "Nematode suppression with brassicaceous amendments: application." Department of Nematology, University of California 18 February 2003 3/27/07 . Wilson, D. â€Å"Lecture: Mutualism.† Given 28 March 2007. University of Wyoming Department of Agriculture.

Benefit of information system for business Essay

After several years of turbulence of internet stocks and the resulting failure of many companies, it is easy to understand the impact of information system in daily life. Yet, everyday we read article about IT technology helping the growth of the business. They are many advantages that most people agreed: they create value largely or exclusively through the gathering, synthesizing and distribution of information, they formulate strategy in ways that make management of enterprise and they use technology-mediated channels which are subject to measurement and tracking in unprecedented and granular ways. With those advantages, the company can gain a better position in the furious competition. Among the main advantages of the information system been used in the business are its ability to facilitate business activities with huge amount of information and organized resource and the ease of transaction in terms of speed and cost. In this report which is presented to Mr. Oracle, the manager of Basket Company, I am going to exam the three vital roles that information system can benefit for the business: Support of its business processes and operation, Support of decision making by its employees and manager Support of its strategies for competitive advantage In the traditional business environment, business operating is a manual, time-consuming and labor-intensive process involving requests for quotation, purchase order submissions, order approval and confirmation, shipping, invoicing and payment. But with the help of information systems, business can gather information more quickly at a relatively low cost. For example, 1800-flower Company provides a broad range of give products. The company’s information system collects and stores data on birthday and invitations, as well as a record of gifts send to specific recipients. It maintains a customer information file holding all such data which alerts them of  forthcoming events. At the appropriate times the company sends customized message to the customers with suggestion for flowers and presents. The company gains a world-wide reputation. Therefore, good management information systems fast the business operation and use resource more effective. Basket Company also involves similar business actives we discussed above, by equipping the management information system, will greatly support business operation. Now the competition of basket market is very furious, it is not enough to improve only the product, we should impress the customers as a person who cares them more than their selves. To achieve the goal, we have to identify the trend of customer needs. Like large office goods supplier—Staples. The company system maintains lists of previously ordered items. Over time, Staples learned a great deal about its customers’ preferences and use that information to offer new items. We value our employees as they play an important role in company success, but only with the helps of those tools, our employees and managers can easily make the decision on buy from supplier and predicate the profits. Thus, the good management information system plays a more important role in the competition. One of the outcomes of information system is the strategies for competitive advantages. The three basic strategies for competitive advantages are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Management information system can have a considerable part to play in a competitive strategy, cutting the labor and administration cost during business operation, the business can sell goods or provide services at a price that is lower than the competitors. Surveys and feedback sessions will be conducted from detailed transaction records and various data to access the ongoing project. To sum up, management information system is necessary to meet the extensive and diverse market competition. It supports business operation, support decision making and gain strategies for competitive advantage. If we use information system in our business, the company will have higher chances to success. Leppert, P. A., 1996. Doing Business with new technology. Fremont, California: Jain Publishing. David whiteley 2000 introduction to e-business McGraw-hill international UK

Raptors The Bird-like Dinosaurs of the Mesozoic Era

When most people think of raptors, they picture the lithe, lizard-skinned, big-clawed dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, smart enough not only to hunt in packs but to figure out how to turn doorknobs. In real life, though, most raptors were about the size of small children, almost certainly covered in feathers, and not quite as intelligent as the average hummingbird. For the record, what Steven Spielberg called Velociraptors in Jurassic Park and Jurassic World were really modeled on the much bigger Deinonychus. The time has come to set the record on raptors straight. First, you might be surprised to learn that raptor itself is a semi-made-up, Hollywood-type name: paleontologists prefer to talk about dromaeosaurs (Greek for running lizards), which you have to admit isnt quite as catchy. And second, the raptor roster extends far beyond the mass-market Velociraptor and Deinonychus mentioned above, including such obscure (but important) genera as Buitreraptor and Rahonavis. By the way, not all dinosaurs with the word raptor in their names are true raptors; examples include such non-raptor theropod dinosaurs as Oviraptor and Eoraptor. The Definition of a Raptor Technically, paleontologists define raptors, or dromaeosaurs, as theropod dinosaurs that share certain obscure anatomical characteristics. For our purposes, though, raptors can be broadly described as small- to medium-sized, bipedal, carnivorous dinosaurs equipped with grasping, three-fingered hands, relatively big brains, and huge, solitary claws on each of their hind feet, which they probably used to slash and occasionally disembowel their prey. Bear in mind that raptors werent the only theropods of the Mesozoic Era; this populous class of dinosaurs also included tyrannosaurs, ornithomimids, and small, feathered dino-birds. Then theres the issue of feathers. While it cant be flatly stated that every single genus of raptor had feathers, enough fossils have been unearthed bearing evidence of this unmistakable bird-like trait to lead paleontologists to conclude that feathered raptors were the norm, rather than the exception. However, feathers didnt go hand-in-hand with powered flight: while some genera on the fringes of the raptor family tree, such as Microraptor. seem to have been capable of gliding, the vast majority of raptors were completely land-bound. In any case, theres no question that raptors are closely related to modern birds; in fact, the word raptor is also used to describe big-taloned birds like eagles and falcons. The Rise of the Raptors Raptors came into their own during the late Cretaceous period (about 90 to 65 million years ago), but they roamed the earth for tens of millions of years before that. Utahraptor dinosaur running in the desert with a calamite forest in the background. Stocktrek Images​/Getty Images  Ã‚   The most notable dromaeosaur of the early Cretaceous period was Utahraptor, a gigantic predator, approaching 2,000 pounds in weight, that lived about 50 million years before its more famous descendants; still, paleontologists believe that most proto-raptors of the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous periods were relatively tiny, scurrying beneath the feet of larger sauropod and ornithopod dinosaurs. During the late Cretaceous period, raptors could be found all over the planet, with the exception of modern-day Australia and southern Africa. These dinosaurs varied enormously in size and sometimes in anatomical features: the above-mentioned Microraptor weighed only a few pounds and had four feathered proto-wings, while the fierce, one-ton Utahraptor could have whomped a Deinonychus with one claw tied behind its back. In between were standard-issue raptors like Dromaeosaurus and Saurornitholestes, swift, fierce, feathered predators that made quick meals out of lizards, bugs, and smaller dinosaurs. Raptor Behavior As mentioned above, even the brainiest raptor of the Mesozoic Era couldnt hope to outwit a Siamese cat, much less a full-grown human being. However, its clear that dromaeosaurs (and, for that matter, all theropods) must have been slightly smarter than the herbivorous dinosaurs they preyed on, since the tools required for active predation (a sharp sense of smell and sight, quick reflexes, hand-eye coordination, etc.) require a relatively large amount of grey matter. (As for those lumbering sauropods and ornithopods, they only had to be slightly smarter than the vegetation they munched on!) The debate about whether raptors hunted in packs has yet to be settled conclusively. The fact is, very few modern birds engage in cooperative hunting, and since birds are tens of millions of years farther down the evolutionary line than raptors, that can be taken as indirect evidence that Velociraptor packs are a figment of Hollywood producers imaginations. Still, the recent discovery of multiple raptor track marks in the same location hints that at least some of these dinosaurs must have roamed in small packs, so cooperative hunting would certainly have been within the realm of possibility, at least for some genera. By the way, a recent study has concluded that raptors--and many other small- to medium-sized theropod dinosaurs--most likely hunted at night, as evidenced by their larger-than-usual eyes. Bigger eyes allow a predator to gather in more available light, making it easier to home in on small, quivering dinosaurs, lizards, birds and mammals in near-dark conditions. Hunting at night would also have allowed smaller raptors to escape the attention of larger tyrannosaurs, thus assuring the perpetuation of the raptor family tree!