“The torches of liberty contigent”- During the women’s liberation movement on Fifth Avenue, New York in 1929, rich debutant women marched in the Easter Parade smoking cigarettes. It was a big mile stone for the smoking industry because smoking was seen as something only prostitutes did and was completely taboo for women. They called their cigarettes “torches of liberty.” The whole thing seemed like a legitimate protest for equality but was actually backed by the tobacco company.
COSCA (The Coalition of Southern Africa)- Composed of Black clergyman promoted the idea of strengthening business communications between South Africa and the United States. There was talk of improving education and training for South Africans. It was all just a front group created by Pagan International. The group also had no resources or know how to carry out any of the stated goals it promised.
“Total Community Support”- Support that is made by persistently contacting people close to a specific politician and used to create a false sense of community report so that legislation is passed in that politician’s favor. Sometimes going as far as to make a board of members that are all hand picked to support the politician.
Creating a “grassroots” organization- a favorite attack against the “not in my backyard” tactic. An organization or politician asks an insider of the community to speak through or creates fake organizations that speak on behalf of the community. These companies can make strategic planning look like it is a grassroots issue.
Nevadans for Fair Fuel Economy Standards- a organization made by the auto industry in Nevada. It was made to kill the federal gas hike tax.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
the pharmacy...
well we talked about the pharmecutical industry in class today. I have a lot things to say about it actually. I was worried for my friend who was getting a test done, and basically waiting on some bad news. She kept getting shoved to the back burner by nurses and doctors. Their favorite question: "Well when can you come in???"
My friend would say. "I had to switch my insurance and I wont have any till march. How serious is it?" She got the run around for like three days. Come in come in come in...well...how serious is it? They finally told her to come in sometime in march to do a re-test. Now I'm sure my friend is not at death's door, but still when the question is so serious a straight answer would be nice. It's like doctors have become unfeeling...maybe they have patients every other day who find out they have cancer,but that doesnt make it any less traumatic for the person involved.
I had another friend who was on paxil..paxel? for anxiety because he had panic attacks. He didn't really like the way he felt on the medication and after a long time he decided he would like to get off of it. IT was really expensive and he wasn't having the attacks anymore.
well the doctor refused to get him off paxil saying he needed it. However, this doctor was not a psychologist or psychiatrist..so really how did he know?? This went back and forth of the patient insisting and the doctor refusing until my friend decided to get off the medication himself. Well that was a whole nother story..the stuff was hard to quit and he ended up cutting up little tablets into peices like an addict trying to get off drugs. It says alot about that medication doesn't it? He just couldn't afford it and the doctor wouldn't listen...
Now on how medicine only works 30 percent of the time well I have a complaint about that too! I have been on three different kinds of birth control pills because of the side effects. On the website for all three medications it clearly says that 92 percent of people will not get this side effect. well I did and its a side effect that also suggests worry. It could be something else wrong and its the number one reason women quit using the pill. Terrified i go to the doctor and tell them about my problem. They assure me its fine and I stay on the same medication for over 6 months the entire time experiencing side effects. They have changed me two other times since and it seems like my body is finally accepting this new medication..
but here's one thing that bothers me. When I told the doctor about my side effects their answer was "Oh yes..we see this all the time" Really??? Because the websites say a very few percentage will experience any problems.Yet I have on every medication and i'm not alone. I found a whole livejournal community to confide in all these women taking the medication and dealing with the side effects.
well I wouldn't have had to worry if i knew it was so common but i didnt because the website made it sound impossible and the doctors didn't tell me at first. I guess they dont want to discourage me because like i said its the number one reason women quit taking the pill. Well guess what I should have at least gotten to make that decision myself!
My friend would say. "I had to switch my insurance and I wont have any till march. How serious is it?" She got the run around for like three days. Come in come in come in...well...how serious is it? They finally told her to come in sometime in march to do a re-test. Now I'm sure my friend is not at death's door, but still when the question is so serious a straight answer would be nice. It's like doctors have become unfeeling...maybe they have patients every other day who find out they have cancer,but that doesnt make it any less traumatic for the person involved.
I had another friend who was on paxil..paxel? for anxiety because he had panic attacks. He didn't really like the way he felt on the medication and after a long time he decided he would like to get off of it. IT was really expensive and he wasn't having the attacks anymore.
well the doctor refused to get him off paxil saying he needed it. However, this doctor was not a psychologist or psychiatrist..so really how did he know?? This went back and forth of the patient insisting and the doctor refusing until my friend decided to get off the medication himself. Well that was a whole nother story..the stuff was hard to quit and he ended up cutting up little tablets into peices like an addict trying to get off drugs. It says alot about that medication doesn't it? He just couldn't afford it and the doctor wouldn't listen...
Now on how medicine only works 30 percent of the time well I have a complaint about that too! I have been on three different kinds of birth control pills because of the side effects. On the website for all three medications it clearly says that 92 percent of people will not get this side effect. well I did and its a side effect that also suggests worry. It could be something else wrong and its the number one reason women quit using the pill. Terrified i go to the doctor and tell them about my problem. They assure me its fine and I stay on the same medication for over 6 months the entire time experiencing side effects. They have changed me two other times since and it seems like my body is finally accepting this new medication..
but here's one thing that bothers me. When I told the doctor about my side effects their answer was "Oh yes..we see this all the time" Really??? Because the websites say a very few percentage will experience any problems.Yet I have on every medication and i'm not alone. I found a whole livejournal community to confide in all these women taking the medication and dealing with the side effects.
well I wouldn't have had to worry if i knew it was so common but i didnt because the website made it sound impossible and the doctors didn't tell me at first. I guess they dont want to discourage me because like i said its the number one reason women quit taking the pill. Well guess what I should have at least gotten to make that decision myself!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Corporate Responsibility
These last couple of weeks we have been talking about how to handle very sticky situations. We talked about the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Stars. I really was disturbed by the Cowboy's example. It seems to send a message that as long as they are winning super bowls, they are not obligated to tell the truth. I think that the way they handled it was smart in terms of saving their skin, but morally wrong. I don't even like that it was referred to as a street fight. No it wasn't they were not on the street they were not in gang...etc.
I dont know if it is true but I've heard michael irving came from a rough background where he was somewhat of a thug. Even if this is true, I don't feel there is any justification for stabbing someone in the throat with scissors. Ok so he came from a violent environment, well now he has to play by new rules. It is part of the deal. That is why there is a zero violence policy. It's not right to excuse someone's behavior based on their background. ITs almost like saying...oh it's fine you used to commit crimes and its fine if you do it now. Its not fine...period.. also referring to a fight between to guys in a locker room saying its a street fight if they are not former thugs..sounds racist. Like oh they are both black it must be a street fight. That really seems pretty negative to me.
On the stars? I think its an entirley different situation. Hopefullky no scissors or any other weapon was involved. I'll call this a white lie. It didn't really hurt anyone so yeah I think it was an ok move. I dont really think they have to report every time a couple of team members fight.
I dont know if it is true but I've heard michael irving came from a rough background where he was somewhat of a thug. Even if this is true, I don't feel there is any justification for stabbing someone in the throat with scissors. Ok so he came from a violent environment, well now he has to play by new rules. It is part of the deal. That is why there is a zero violence policy. It's not right to excuse someone's behavior based on their background. ITs almost like saying...oh it's fine you used to commit crimes and its fine if you do it now. Its not fine...period.. also referring to a fight between to guys in a locker room saying its a street fight if they are not former thugs..sounds racist. Like oh they are both black it must be a street fight. That really seems pretty negative to me.
On the stars? I think its an entirley different situation. Hopefullky no scissors or any other weapon was involved. I'll call this a white lie. It didn't really hurt anyone so yeah I think it was an ok move. I dont really think they have to report every time a couple of team members fight.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Cosmopolitanism Chapters 5 and 6
Well I do admit I'm starting to come around a bit more on some of the author's ideas. I took some time to read and really think a lot about it. It has been a good source of discussion in my family.
However I feel that one fact is very over looked in the book. I remember it being mentioned in class. "Why haven't we stopped all war by now." I think this is an impossibility. People have been engaging in war for as long as we as humans have been keeping records. It sounds terrible to say, but I honestly believe that war is a part of being human. No matter how times change people at their core remain the same. We are flawed, selfish, and emotional. No amount of logic or education will erase that. Am I saying war is good or right? No not at all. I just think that it is something we all choose to fight. Not very many people on this earth would say war is good. Some believe it is a necessary evil. No matter how you look at it good or bad, it is a big part of our history as humans. We should always strive for an ideal, but saying there will be no more war is like saying there will be no more theft, arson, murder, jealousy, anger, etc.
also on spanking. My parents never really spanked me, but if I had been super rebellious they would have. I don't know if spanking is necessarily wrong, but I do agree it should be a last resort. Why should hitting be the first option? It really shouldn't and there are more peaceful ways you should at least try first.
However I feel that one fact is very over looked in the book. I remember it being mentioned in class. "Why haven't we stopped all war by now." I think this is an impossibility. People have been engaging in war for as long as we as humans have been keeping records. It sounds terrible to say, but I honestly believe that war is a part of being human. No matter how times change people at their core remain the same. We are flawed, selfish, and emotional. No amount of logic or education will erase that. Am I saying war is good or right? No not at all. I just think that it is something we all choose to fight. Not very many people on this earth would say war is good. Some believe it is a necessary evil. No matter how you look at it good or bad, it is a big part of our history as humans. We should always strive for an ideal, but saying there will be no more war is like saying there will be no more theft, arson, murder, jealousy, anger, etc.
also on spanking. My parents never really spanked me, but if I had been super rebellious they would have. I don't know if spanking is necessarily wrong, but I do agree it should be a last resort. Why should hitting be the first option? It really shouldn't and there are more peaceful ways you should at least try first.
Monday, January 21, 2008
first blog of the semester....
I suppose I should start by explaining what groups I am in. I am a female student, a daughter, a girlfriend, an employee of Savoya, a nerd, a reader, a writer, an artist, a music lover,and a procrastinator. I feel these descriptions do not paint an accurate picture of what kind of person I am. I wasn't sure I totally understood the exercise.
I read the first two chapters of Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. I'm not sure I agree with everything, but I will have to read more. To me it's always seemed like a cop out to say that everyone is right in their own way. I don't believe that and I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to try to convince people who are in religions that preach an absolute truth. You are basically asking them not to believe their religion because most religions are all or nothing. That's why I thought it was kind of silly the author used the two religions that have been fighting for thousands of years as an example. It's as if he has some kind of magical answer no one has ever thought of.
It doesn't seem very "cosmopolitan" of him to not see that. I mean don't get me wrong. Do I want peace in the middle east??? Of course!! I'm not in anyway a part of that fight, but I do realize that it is a little more complicated than just coming to a mutual understanding.
People look and strive for certainty in this world. For a lot of people religion gives them this certainty. It gives them an answer for what is happening in the world, and this answer is often absolute. Who wants to believe in a god or gods that aren't sure of their own answers? People are almost religious by nature.
Now this is not to say that all parts of cosmopolitanism are bad. I am a big believer in getting to know and understand other cultures. I love all kinds of food from all over the world. I like to watch international movies. I like to read international books. I would love to travel. I think it's sad when people don't want to look outside their own country to learn or experience something or someone new.
Lastly I will talk about these flogs. Well I do really like the harmless and obvious kind of flogs. I Think it's a great marketing tool. For instance, the "Cloverfield" movie just came out. There have been clever marketing techniques to hype this movie for over a year now. The first was a fake drink company called "Slusho" that the main character is going to be vice president of. They even had a commercial contest and a website. They also put the drink in some popular shows such as "Heroes." The movie company began releasing small clues in longer trailers and in other areas. The company even created fake blogs for every member of the cast. In these blogs were small clues and events that would ultimately lead up to the day of the attack on Manhattan. Everyone new these blogs on Myspace were not real. It was just entertainment and not meant to deceive but to get people involved in the movie.
I just thought I'd point out one positive example
I read the first two chapters of Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. I'm not sure I agree with everything, but I will have to read more. To me it's always seemed like a cop out to say that everyone is right in their own way. I don't believe that and I think you'd be pretty hard pressed to try to convince people who are in religions that preach an absolute truth. You are basically asking them not to believe their religion because most religions are all or nothing. That's why I thought it was kind of silly the author used the two religions that have been fighting for thousands of years as an example. It's as if he has some kind of magical answer no one has ever thought of.
It doesn't seem very "cosmopolitan" of him to not see that. I mean don't get me wrong. Do I want peace in the middle east??? Of course!! I'm not in anyway a part of that fight, but I do realize that it is a little more complicated than just coming to a mutual understanding.
People look and strive for certainty in this world. For a lot of people religion gives them this certainty. It gives them an answer for what is happening in the world, and this answer is often absolute. Who wants to believe in a god or gods that aren't sure of their own answers? People are almost religious by nature.
Now this is not to say that all parts of cosmopolitanism are bad. I am a big believer in getting to know and understand other cultures. I love all kinds of food from all over the world. I like to watch international movies. I like to read international books. I would love to travel. I think it's sad when people don't want to look outside their own country to learn or experience something or someone new.
Lastly I will talk about these flogs. Well I do really like the harmless and obvious kind of flogs. I Think it's a great marketing tool. For instance, the "Cloverfield" movie just came out. There have been clever marketing techniques to hype this movie for over a year now. The first was a fake drink company called "Slusho" that the main character is going to be vice president of. They even had a commercial contest and a website. They also put the drink in some popular shows such as "Heroes." The movie company began releasing small clues in longer trailers and in other areas. The company even created fake blogs for every member of the cast. In these blogs were small clues and events that would ultimately lead up to the day of the attack on Manhattan. Everyone new these blogs on Myspace were not real. It was just entertainment and not meant to deceive but to get people involved in the movie.
I just thought I'd point out one positive example
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