Workers Need a Living Wage Essay -- Its Time to Raise the Minimum Wag

It's 6:00am and that annoying beep of your alarm is ringing in your ears. You get up, start the coffee maker, shower, and get dressed in your work attire. You start your car and back out of your drive-way before noticing that you're running on the last fumes of your tank. You drive to nearest gas station where you see gas prices have, once again, risen. The aforementioned scenario is only one of many examples of the depreciating value of the dollar. In fact, in the past five years, the CPI-U has increased from 168.8 to 190.7 - that's a 12.97% inflationary increase (Historical CPI)! Sure, to Corporate Joe in his fancy sports car, a few extra pennies for gas isn’t much, but what about the school janitor who is trying to successfully raise a family of four on minimum wage? The most immediate reality behind Living Wage organizing is the dramatic erosion of the minimum wage. Even with the 1996 increase to $5.15 an hour the buying power of the minimum wage is still 30 percent below its peak in 1968. This is true despite the fact the economy was about fifty percent more productive than in 1968. A minimum wage that had kept pace with productivity gains would be roughly $11.20 today (Pollin and Luce, 58). In fact, in 2003 the poverty rate rose from 12.1 to 12.5 percent leaving 35.9 million people at or below the poverty line of $18,660 for a family of four (U.S. Census Bureau). These 35.9 million people trudge through their manual labor occupations day in and day out only to see the (few) dollars they earn slowly depreciate in value. In 1906, John Ryan, advocate of the living wage, wrote "Every man who is willing to work, has, therefore an inborn right to sustenance from the earth and on reasonable terms or conditio... ...ome of the fiscal burden they experience. With the increasingly inflating dollar and therefore the depreciating value of the minimum wage, an implementation of a universal living wage would be the humanitarian thing to do. Works Cited Historical Consumer Price Index. Historical CPI. 2003. 4 March 2015. Pollin, Robert and Stephanie Luce. The Living Wage: Building A Fair Economy. New York: New Press, 1998. U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty 2003 Highlights. 26 August 2004. 25 February 2015. Glickman, Lawrence. A Living Wage: American Workers and the Making of a Consumer Society. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997. Acorn.org. ACORN: About Acorn. 2005. 2 March 2015.

Visualizing Eternity in Walt Whitmans Song of Myself Essay -- Song of

Visualizing Eternity in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself Whitman's poem "Song of Myself #44" stands as a confession and testaments of not only who he is and what he is, but also as who we are, we being people in general. The poem is not about a self-idolizing author claiming to be the greatest being of all time. Instead it paints a picture for all mankind alike to relate to. It puts a mirror in front of the world and presents an angle of an image that, though familiar, we have never seen or realized before. In the very beginning of the poem, Whitman addresses the world upon a pedestal, asking them to stand and explore with him the unknown. And what is unknown is eternity and the meaning of life. From this beginning there is a tone of a confession or a speech that is set out to reveal something new and something of importance. He "strips away" what is known, or rather, all the little things of life, that which really does not matter much, and tries to get to the bottom of it all. And what lies at the bottom is eternity. This is the unexplainable, the unattainable, but also the essential. Eternity cannot be captured by people, it "lies in bottomless reservoirs"(1136). It is a force that has been present for many years, and will continue forth for more than anyone will ever know. But it is through this force that people have grown and learned to exist. The poem puts in writing the constantly moving force of life and time. We were born somewhere along the line of life and will die somewhere as well, but we still were present in the nurturing existence of time; everyone has his or her time, place, and moment of life. In line 1142, Whitman writes, in my opinion, a kind of commentary of society, that whi... ...nd then to "Monstrous sauroids" or dinosaurs roaming the earth. The whole process has "been steadily employed to complete and delight me"(1167). I do not feel that he intentionally means that he alone is the product of the universe's existence, but I feel that he speaks of himself in such a way but does not exclude everyone else from the realization that they too are the end result of history. It reads to me more like a confidence boaster rather than an egotistical look at life. But this is arguable as, in the beginning of the poem, he says "It is time top explain myself"(1133), but he includes as along by saying "I launch all men and women forward with me into the unknown"(1134), so it is a matter of perspective. I feel, however, that it is not just Whitman but everyone who can now stand as the completion of nature, the final product of history, which is life. Visualizing Eternity in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself Essay -- Song of Visualizing Eternity in Walt Whitman's Song of Myself Whitman's poem "Song of Myself #44" stands as a confession and testaments of not only who he is and what he is, but also as who we are, we being people in general. The poem is not about a self-idolizing author claiming to be the greatest being of all time. Instead it paints a picture for all mankind alike to relate to. It puts a mirror in front of the world and presents an angle of an image that, though familiar, we have never seen or realized before. In the very beginning of the poem, Whitman addresses the world upon a pedestal, asking them to stand and explore with him the unknown. And what is unknown is eternity and the meaning of life. From this beginning there is a tone of a confession or a speech that is set out to reveal something new and something of importance. He "strips away" what is known, or rather, all the little things of life, that which really does not matter much, and tries to get to the bottom of it all. And what lies at the bottom is eternity. This is the unexplainable, the unattainable, but also the essential. Eternity cannot be captured by people, it "lies in bottomless reservoirs"(1136). It is a force that has been present for many years, and will continue forth for more than anyone will ever know. But it is through this force that people have grown and learned to exist. The poem puts in writing the constantly moving force of life and time. We were born somewhere along the line of life and will die somewhere as well, but we still were present in the nurturing existence of time; everyone has his or her time, place, and moment of life. In line 1142, Whitman writes, in my opinion, a kind of commentary of society, that whi... ...nd then to "Monstrous sauroids" or dinosaurs roaming the earth. The whole process has "been steadily employed to complete and delight me"(1167). I do not feel that he intentionally means that he alone is the product of the universe's existence, but I feel that he speaks of himself in such a way but does not exclude everyone else from the realization that they too are the end result of history. It reads to me more like a confidence boaster rather than an egotistical look at life. But this is arguable as, in the beginning of the poem, he says "It is time top explain myself"(1133), but he includes as along by saying "I launch all men and women forward with me into the unknown"(1134), so it is a matter of perspective. I feel, however, that it is not just Whitman but everyone who can now stand as the completion of nature, the final product of history, which is life.

A Garden Lover in my family Essay

It gives me immense pleasure to talk about a garden lover in my family. As we all know gardening is a creative activity in which nature is made to order. Garden provides inexhaustible sources for paintings and poems all over the world and it is a home for many species of birds and flies which lend charm to the verdant looks of the garden. The heartening sounds of birds distract us from the monotonous regimen of our daily lives. My father is a garden lover. He devotes his leisure time in gardening. I think it is natural in human that he likes gardens. After all the first man Adam and first woman hawa ever lived in the garden of Eden. He has a piece of plot to practice and pursue gardening. There he has varieties of crops and vegetables and a couple of fruit trees. The vegetables include spinach, bitter guard, chillies, tomato, lady’s finger, cucumber etc. Also there are roses, jasmine which turn the garden into a rich feast of colors to eyes. The fruit trees include mango, bana na and guava. Many birds visit the garden and some lives there. Gardening keeps him physically fit, mentally alert and fresh. The air here is fresh, fragrant and invigorating. The atmosphere is quiet’ calm and soothing. Gardening involves digging, weeding, cutting, grafting, watering, maturing and tilling of the soil. These activities give him sufficient physical exercise to keep me bodily fit and mentally alert. Many of our friends and relatives appreciate his hobby and skills in it. Moreover we help him in maintain the garden during our spare time. Plants are as sensitive as we human beings are. They react to our actions of love, affection or cruelty. But one requires a very sensitive heart and acute senses to understand their language. He never feels lonely, sad, unemployed or bored because of his hobby. Plants, flowers, birds and butterflies give us a pleasant and delightful company. We feel amidst them very happy and fortunate. There are beauty, pleasure, education and instructions in their company. Sometimes, he seeks help and advice from a gardener as well. He spends all his pocket money in purchasing seeds, manure, fertilizer, gardening implements or books on gardening. He never misses a program on gardening if it is there on the television. He also visit flower-shows, vegetable and fruit exhibitions. The delight he derives from gardening helps him a lot in concentrating on his working. He feels more close to nature and  God when he is in his garden. To him gardening is like a prayer. It inspires his imagination and gives him noble thoughts. We are nearer God when we are in the garden because in the garden there are peace, calmness, beauty, pleasure, colors, coolness, purity and leisure. And these are some of the qualities closely associated with God.

International Paper - Business Biography

International Paper - Business Biography Free Online Research Papers International Paper employs 66,500 employees and of those employees, 47,100 are located in the United States. International Paper is ranked 93rd among Fortune 500 companies and No. 1 in the forest products sector for the Most Admired Company. The stock is traded internationally on the New York, Swiss and Amsterdam exchanges. The customers of International Paper are distributors and chain and restaurant stores. International Paper produces bags, corrugated board and boxes. The Charlotte location produces bags. This will be the topic of this paper. International Paper’s has a long-standing policy of using no wood from endangered forests. They are also committed to environment protection and have partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, State agencies and non- governmental organizations to ensure the protection of endangered species and forests. The vision of IP (International Paper) is to â€Å"be one and most respected companies in the world-as measured by our employees, our customers, our communities and our shareowners† (internationalpaper.com/Our%20Company/About). Their mission is based on why they exist, what they do and how they do it. IP upholds these by being dedicated to making people’s lives better. The employees use renewable resources. The customers succeed because of their innovative products and services. The communities welcome them because of their philosophies to protect the environment and still provide good products. The shareholders benefit from the superior financial performance. This is all done because International keeps their promises that deliver results. The Charlotte bag plant has not been able to accomplish most external and internal goals with the exception of some plant operations. Externally, they are being competitively beaten to the point where they are unable to produce a profit in the current market. Internally, the company is relatively new, 18 months on the East coast and is trying to slim operations to be competitive on the outside. The issue is the sales personnel are giving extreme pricing and rebates to remain competitive with a long-standing company who’s under-pricing is working at the moment. International Paper has been dominant on the West coast as well as in the Central part of the United States and is trying to establish a presence in the Southeastern part now. Operations have made improvement to help the overhead and the bottom line. Machine target rates have been over achieved. Waste has been practically eliminated. Two new supervisors have been brought in to help with training issues to ensure quality is top priority so re-work has been decreased by 80%. Shipments are at a 99.8% arrival rate with no shortages. The only two issues the operational overhead has had are buying roll stock and freight cost incurred. Roll shock prices have increased 20% and freight has gone up 38%. This has off set the savings described above. Even with the improvements made these aren’t in line with the other plants. Machine speeds, roll stock costs and overhead determine costing which in turn is higher than what is being charged by our other plants and our competitors. We are selling our products below what we can produce them for. Our average ROS (return of sale) is -39.10% with the largest being –106.08% for Winn Dixie. This is also due to the credit terms and the amount of rebate we are given our customers. We only make a positive net profit on 2 customers, Corporate Express and I-Supply. This is because we give no rebates to them. In the next 2 months, intensive research needs to be done on what our customers needs and wants are not what they think they can get out of us. We also need to do extensive marketing research on our competitor here on the East coast. This compile of information needs to be analyzed within 2 months of its existence so that we can compile an aggressive strategy to combat the pricing war that is going on between us and find a common ground for the plant to make a profit. The plant is losing anywhere from $300k to $800k a month so this is a time sensitive issue. While the research is progressing, certain measures already in existence need to remain there but continuous improvements in the operational area need to remain focus to help keep monthly losses at a minimum. It will take everyone to ensure that overhead as minimal as possible. The sales team needs to reconsider the pricing they have set forth. Once the research comes in and a plan of action has been established, pricing needs to reflect that plan. The sales team is going to have to â€Å"sell† this new approach to our customers. This is going to be a gradual thing. This is going to be in increments and should be completed by the end of the 3rd year of business. Monthly progress reports will have to be initiated in order to ensure that the team is on track to switching our customers over to the new sales terms and to also make any necessary adjustments needed to the plan. We also need to reconsider the amount of rebates and credit that we are issuing. We have spent $65,000 last month in credits with no foundation and over $100,000 in rebates to customers that we make no net profit on. Revising the criteria set forth on which we give rebates will help immensely with losses we currently have. New policies need to implemented and relayed to our existing customer base as â€Å"incentives† for doing business with us not used as the only way to keep our customers happy. The generic strategy that should be used is focused. The Charlotte based plant has only been open for 18 months so a pricing was is something that is not wanted but yet we need to stay competitive. The way to do this is to also differentiate the company from our competitors. This will allow for certain â€Å"higher† prices because of customer loyalty and our superior products (Pearce-Robinson, 2008). Our specialty bags will play a major role in this. We will need to continue to improve our â€Å"lean† approach to our processes to help keep cost down. There are certain products that do not produce sufficient profit and may need to be reconsidered for future sales. For example, #2 bag isn’t in demand enough to warrant keeping the bag available. The downtime and change over alone makes the bag expensive to produce. The #8 bag is in high demand and we are having to buy this bag from the outside at $250k a month. If we considered another #8 machine at $600k, the machine would pay for itself in a little over 2 months. Mean while, our sales personnel will have to revise their thinking and bring our product back to the forefront of innovation when selling it to our existing customers as well as to new customers. We need to remain competitive in the market without being edge out in a pricing war with our competitors for this will certainly put us out of business. In conclusion, research is vital to the implementation and the success of the Charlotte bag plant at this moment. The plant is in a newborn state and needs to mature with the demand of the market relatively quickly. Certain measures can be taken to help with the competitive demands of the market but it is well advise to strategically place a plan into action, to have means to measure the success and way to improve any necessary adjustments as they come up. It is also advise that the actions involved every entity of the Charlotte plant so that the greatest success can be achieved. References: 1. Pearce-Robinson (2009). â€Å"Strategic Management† New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Company 2. www.internationalpaper.com 3. McFarren, Tracy: Finance/Planning Manager, International Paper 4. www.marketingteacher.com/ Research Papers on International PaperWhat are Stock OptionsGap Analysis: Lester ElectronicsA Marketing Analysis of the Fast-Food RestaurantGene One the Transition from Private to PublicDefinition of Export QuotasCash or Card?Exempt vs Non-Exempt EmployeesCombating Human TraffickingProject Management 101My Writing Experience

Ap History Essay essays

Ap History Essay essays Declaration of Independence is considered one of the most important documents in world history because its effects were felt around the world and not only in its place of origin, the United States. While blacks used context from the declaration to challenge slavery in the United States, the French used its ideals to start their own revolution. The Declaration of Independence can be seen to be one of the few documents that had a profound impact on the world, and this can be easily seen because of the changes it brought forth. The Declaration of Independence was a document made by several delegates of the U.S. in 1776. It was simply made as a document that declared the independence of the 13 British colonies in America. On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration after a few changes were made to it. Even though I think the Declarations main purpose was to declare the colonies independent, there were many other ideas the declaration addressed. There are many important abstractions in the Declaration of Independence. These abstractions such as: rights, freedom, liberty and happiness have become the foundations of American society and have helped shape the American identity. Power, another abstraction that reoccurs in all major parts of the Declaration plays equally important role in shaping American identity. One forgets the abstraction of power because it appears in relation to other institutions: the King, the earth, and the military. Even though power is addressed very indirectly in the declaration its existence is still valued. All of these important abstractions collectively have led to major changes in the world. A very simple phrase: all men are created equal which is included in the Declaration of Independence was quickly used by blacks in the U.S. to question slavery. They wondered if all men were indeed created equal then how could one m ...

Cooperative Learning Sample Lesson

Cooperative Learning Sample Lesson Cooperative learning is a great technique to implement into your curriculum. As you begin to think about and design this strategy to fit into your teaching, consider using the following tips. Present the material first, cooperative learning comes after students are taught.Choose your strategy and explain how it works to the students. For this sample lesson, students will be using the jigsaw strategy.Assess students individually. Although students will work together as a team they will also be working individually to complete a specific task. Here is a cooperative learning sample lesson using the the Jigsaw method. Choosing Groups First, you must choose your cooperative learning groups. An informal group will take about one class period or the equivalent to one lesson plan period. A formal group can last from several days to several weeks. Presenting the Content Students will be asked to read a chapter in their social studies books about the first nations of North America. Afterward, read the childrens book The Very First Americans by Cara Ashrose. This is a story about how the first Americans lived. It shows the students beautiful pictures of art, clothing, and other Native American artifacts. Then, show students a brief video about Native Americans. Teamwork Now its time to divide students into groups and use the jigsaw cooperative learning technique to research the First Americans. Divide students into groups, the number depends on how many subtopics you want the students to research. For this lesson divide students into groups of five students. Each member of the group is given a different assignment. For example, one member will be responsible for researching the First American customs; while another member will be in charge of learning about the culture; another member is responsible for understanding the geography of where they lived; another must research the economics (laws, values); and   the last member is responsible for studying the climate and how the first American got food, etc. Once students have their assignment they can go off on their own to research it by any means necessary. Each member of the jigsaw group will meet with another member from another group that is researching their exact topic.For example, students that researching the First Americans culture would meet regularly to discuss information, and share information on their topic. They are essentially the expert on their particular topic. Once students have completed their research on their topic they return to their original jigsaw cooperative learning group. Then each expert will now teach the rest of their group everything that they learned. For example, the customs expert would teach members about the customs, the geography expert would teach members about the geography, and so on. Each member listens carefully and takes notes on what each expert in their groups discusses. Presentation: Groups can then give a brief presentation to the class on the key features that they learned on their particular topic. Assessment Upon completion, students are given a test on their subtopic as well as on the key features of the other topics that they learned in their jigsaw groups. Students will be tested on the First Americans culture, customs, geography, economics, and climate/food. Looking for more information about cooperative learning? Here is the official definition, group management tips and techniques, and effective learning strategies on how to monitor, assign and manage expectations.

Is the U.S. and U.N. doing all they can do to assist and protect the Research Paper

Is the U.S. and U.N. doing all they can do to assist and protect the victims of FGM - Research Paper Example The United States, on the other hand, has also chipped in with funding and lobbying efforts to eradicate FGM. But these efforts have not been sufficient to significantly reduce the occurrence of FGM. The rest of this essay will foray into the successes and failures of the US and the UN in protecting victims of FGM and also in preventing it. The United Nations has brought up the issue of FGM under its broader program for women's health. In the United Nations assemblies in Vienna (1993), Cairo (1994) and Beijing (1995) women's issues were deliberated upon. Most nations of the world then committed themselves to act and promote healthy reproductive practices for women and also to upkeep the rights endowed them by the UNDHR. Also during these meetings, major UN agencies and programmes have pledged their support to Governments in meeting these commitments. (Germain, 1998, p.22) But when one looks at the United States' record on alleviating FGM globally, it has acted counter to United Natio n programmes. This detrimental tendency was especially acute during the Bush Presidency, where some of the the Republican party's Christian fundamentalist roots had an effect on the American government's policies. As early as the first month since his inauguration in 2001, Bush exerted pressure on humanitarian organizations across the world into downplaying abortion rights. Since his Administration's priorities were to promote Christian fundamentalist values, it took a reactionary approach to women's rights in general and their reproductive rights in particular. (Prescott, et, al., 1999, p.45) Since FGM falls under these categories, issues pertaining to it were either neglected or left unacknowledged. Since FGM is usually performed on babies and girls, the Bush Administration's hostile attitude to children's rights indirectly undermined progress on FGM awareness and prevention programs. For example, â€Å"He then stripped the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) of 12.5 percent of its budget , withheld $3 million from the World Health Organization's Human Reproduction Program and is now earmarking $33 million--almost exactly the amount he took away from the UNFPA--to augment domestic abstinence- until-marriage "sex-ed." He dispatched his emissaries to throw colossal tantrums at the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children, the World Summit on Sustainable Development and, most recently, the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference, bringing all three negotiations to a near-halt over objections to no-brainer public health concepts like "consistent condom use" for HIV prevention and "safe abortion" where it is legal. Together, joined by the Vatican, these culture warriors fought to purge the world of comprehensive sex education for adolescents, restrict STD- prevention and contraceptive information to heterosexual married couples, and redefine "reproductive health services" to exclude legal abortion.† (Block, 2003, p.18) Hence, what we learn the American government, especially during the Bush reign, has acted in a manner that is counter-productive to the programs initiated by the United Nations. Since FGM is said to increase the chances of HIV infection, the American government's opposition to condom use (a position derived from its Christian fundamentalist allegiance) has not helped in controlling FGM occurrence. The American government's obsession with abortion issues and its insistence on abstinence