Poverty in the United States Essay

In the United States, poverty is mainly classified into two categories, absolute poverty and relative poverty. It is measured in terms of poverty threshold which comprehend poverty as a lack of those goods and services that most of conventional people in the society take them for granted. Absolute poverty is defined as the lack of least amount of food and shelter indispensable for maintaining life. On the other hand, relative poverty exemplifies how income relates to the median income and not necessarily that a person is lacking anything. The results from the statistics indicate that approximately 20 percent of the American population lives in poverty. One main cause of poverty in America is existence of culture of poverty which passes from generation to another generation (Mink, O’Connor, 2004). Based on the conception that anything is possible in America, the poor are thus said to be the source of their poverty. They always prefer to live life for the moment and show less interest about the future. As a result, poverty continues to increase as the underprivileged people feel lesser, unreceptive, desperate and incapable. Fluctuations of economic performance in U. S have necessitated the high rate of poverty. For instance, during recessions, the rate of unemployment increases, working hours are abridged and family incomes stagnates thus leading to poverty. Various aspects of educational system can play a major role in curbing this problem. For instance, teachers need to be tuned in to the culture of poverty and be sensitive to the enormous assortment of needs that children of poverty bring to the classroom (Mink, O’Connor, 2004). Educational systems operate in various rules and norms that will allow harmonious relationship between the cultural values of the affected children and values of prosperity and wealth emphasized in schools. References Mink, G. & O’Connor, A. (2004). Poverty in the United States: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics and Policy, Volume 1. London: Routledge

Personal Hygiene And Beauty Products Essay

These products can be used at home or in a salon or spa. Personal Hygiene includes the following. Washing the body using bubble bath, shower gel etc Washing the hair using shampoo Cleaning of nails and hands with hand wash Washing the face using facial washes and scrubs Oral hygiene, taking care of the teeth and gums, and treating or preventing bad breath including daily brushing (with toothpaste) and flossing the teeth, to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. This also helps to treat and prevent bad breath cosmetic care of the body, such as shaving and other forms of depilation. Shampoo Shampoo is a common hair care product used for the removal of oils and sebum, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants, build up of hair product and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair. The goal is to remove the unwanted build-up without stripping out so much as to make hair unmanageable. There are dozens of different brands to choose from when choosing a shampoo, and even more types within those brands. The same goes for conditioners. Conditioners are meant to add shine, protect hair from drying out and allow for easier combing. Popular Brands of Shampoo Pantene Pro-V Aussie Elvive Herbal Essences TRESemme Dove Head and Shoulders Garnier Fructis Types of Shampoo There are many shampoo types when considering specific hair types, these each have different active ingredients. Curly/wavy – Example – Curly Treatment shampoo by curly hair solutions This shampoo is a concentrate of panthenol and magnesium that strengthens the hair’s elasticity (the ability for the hair to stretch without breaking). Silk amino acids were added to soften and repair even the roughest hair cuticle. Treatment Shampoo will deposit generous amounts of ingredients that are essential in rebuilding chemically damaged hair. Its effects are lasting and with continuous use will ensure healthy strong and fuller hair. Treatment Shampoo will dramatically prolong the results of colouring, perming and relaxing hair. Coloured – Example – Davines Alchemic Shampoo for Coloured hair Main Active Ingredients: Mild surfactants: Gently and carefully cleanse both hair and hair colour. Hydrolyzed milk protein: For an intense conditioning and protective action. Provitamin B5: For a deep moisturising effect Olive oil peg-7 esters: Derived from olive oil, restores the natural hydro-lipid balance, leaving hair that is healthy and protected. pH 5. 3 Frizz prone/ rebellious – Example – Davines Love Smoothing Shampoo This shampoo is specially formulated to nourish, smooth and soften harsh, frizzy hair. It delicately cleanses hair with a special blend of natural active ingredients containing intensive moisturizing and smoothing properties that respect the hair’s internal structure making it more manageable and easier to comb. It is infused with Indian Fig Extract to soften and smooth, and Olive Oil Peg 7 Ester to recover the moisture-lipid level which is essential for dry, frizzy strands. This essential moisture is vital for reducing the hair’s aging process that results from dehydration. Added Rice Proteins keep hair protected from environmental elements while eliminating static. Fine/flat – Example – PhytoVolume Shampoo Phytovolume is a volumizer shampoo for fine, limp, lifeless hair. Crustacean shell extract increase the moisture level in the hair shaft to make it swell for a fuller appearance. So tetrasodium EDTA is used to sequester the calcium and magnesium from the detergent, while keeping them soluble, so they rinse away without scum. Cocamide DEA (or MEA or TEA) is used as a foaming agent, to make the lather. The other surfactants will generate a certain amount of suds, but this foaming agent is added to get the amount just right. Besides its foam stabilizing effects, it is also a viscosity booster (it’s thick). Another foam stabilizing detergent is PEG-5 cocamide, which is a foam stabilizer, surfactant, and emulsifier. The detergent cocamidopropyl betaine is added for several of its special properties. It is milder on the skin than the benzine sulfonates, so adding it to the mix reduces the amount of the harsher detergents needed. It is thicker than the other ingredients, so it can be added to make the mix have the right viscosity. It has anti-static properties, so the hair doesn’t generate an electric charge and jump to the plastic combs and brushes used when drying the hair. It is a humectant, attracting moisture from the air, thus keeping hair from drying out. Lastly, it has antibiotic properties that can prevent spoiling of the shampoo. The surfactant ammonium xylenesulfonate is a hydrotrope, a compound that makes it easier for water to dissolve other molecules. It is added as a thickener, and to help keep some of the odd ingredients added for marketing effect in solution, including perfumes. Glycerol stearate is another emulsifier used for this purpose. Special effects The wax glycol distearate is added to make shampoos opaque and pearlescent. It has tiny flakes that mix well with surfactants, and stay in solution. They also add shear-thinning qualities, making liquid hand soaps pump out of the bottle easier. Sodium chloride (table salt) is used to thicken the mixture if the main surfactants are sodium lauryl sulfates. If the surfactants are ammonium based, then ammonium chloride is used. Salt can make the shampoo harsh and sting the eyes, so more expensive thickeners are used to keep the salt levels low. Modified cellulose based thickeners are ften used, along with the surfactant based thickeners already mentioned. Glycerine is added as a humectant (draws moisture from the air), as is propylene glycol, which is also a preservative. There are many additives put in shampoos and conditioners that appear to be there mainly for marketing purposes. Honey, various herb extracts, and similar items might add to the fragrance, but are unlikely to have any effect in the concentrations used. Amino acids can act as conditioners, but the source of the amino acid is not important. Silk amino acids are no different from soy amino acids, except in the proportions of which particular amino acids are contained. Preservatives Two widely used preservatives, DMDM hydantoin and imidazolidinyl urea are found in many shampoos, to prevent fungal and bacterial spoilage. They release formaldehyde to kill germs. Another broad-spectrum biocide is isothiazolinone and the related methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone. Sodium benzoate is another preservative used in shampoos. It kills bacteria, fungi, and yeasts, and works well in acidic mixtures. Another bactericide used is 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol. Body Washes and bath Products Body washes also have different types but they are categorised according to skin type or condition. As well as normal skin types which can usually use any products and combination skin types that should shop around for different products. There are anti-aging products, products for acne, dry skin, oily skin and sensitive skin such as a child‘s skin. Skin types and conditions Anti-Aging – Example – Dove Pro-age Beauty Bath Pro Age Beauty Body Wash is for dull tired skin with 1/4 moisturizing cream for vital luminous skin. It is made to give aging skin what it needs; including faster cell turnover and plenty of rich nourishment and protection. It combines functional ingredients like glycerin, emollients, natural soy oil and olive oil to optimize cell turnover while gently cleaning your skin. Other active ingredients of anti-aging products Vitamins and antioxidants are found in almost every antiaging formulation. The best around is tretinoin, a vitamin A derivative that regenerates collagen lost over time and also stops further damage. US-based Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical’s RENOVA, which contains tretinoin, is available by prescription only. However, studies published in 2007 reported that over-the-counter retinol-based lotions and moisturizers, if properly formulated and applied, can result in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals before they can damage the skin. The leading ingredients are vitamins C and E. â€Å"Each of these ingredients works to protect the skin from sun damage, but they are even more effective when used in combination,† notes Burke. Other antioxidants that have shown potential in laboratory studies include alpha-lipoic acid, the soy isoflavone genistein, selenium, the milk-thistle-derived flavonoid mixture known as silymarin and ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10). None of these has yet undergone rigorous studies to confirm effectiveness in products for human use. Examples of vitamin ingredients include Stay-C 50 (vitamin C sodium ascorbyl phosphate) and ALL-Q plus (vitamin E in combination with Coenzyme Q10) from DSM Nutritional Products. Acne – Example – Acne Skin Nourishing Milk Bath This product is a unique formula It has a milk protein base which is rich in nourishing vitamins, amino acids and minerals. This product contains natural plant collagen from Oat Extract and Japanese Camellia Oil to feed the skin whilst keeping it soft and supple. It is also excellent for irritated, sensitive and excessively dry skin conditions. It has Benzoyl Peroxide as its active ingredient which has anti bacterial properties. Other active ingredients of acne products The ingredient of an acne product depends on its use. Some acne products have herbal ingredients known for curing acne and removing acne scasr. One of the active ingredients of an acne product in the market is the anti-bacterial agent known as Benzoyl Peroxide (which is the active ingredient of my acne bath product). It destroys the acne causing bacteria that causes drying and peeling effect thus preventing skin breakouts. Another one was a beta hydroxy acid from the bark of a willow tree called Salicylic Acid. This agent has a bigger molecule size that helps the beta hydroxy acid stay on the surface of the skin, allowing it to penetrate effectively as it exfoliates inside the pore and prevents the pores from clogging. The ingredient sulfur and resorcinol are often found together as they are rarely used alone in acne products in the market. Removing dead skin cells that clogs pores and removes excess oil from skin is the primary use of this ingredient. The use of products with these may cause redness and peeling but can actually help break down whiteheads and blackheads. Products with alcohol and acetone found generally in astringents can be a primary solution in removing dirt and oils from skin that causes acne build up if ignored.

Critical Thinking and Decision Making Research Paper

Critical Thinking and Decision Making - Research Paper Example I am not the kind of person who just goes with a decision because it feels right; I have to be able to justify it through facts and evidence. The downside to this approach is that some times I can take too long to make decisions and by that time it is too late to change anything. Other people can become frustrated by my decision-making efforts because I don’t appear to know what I am doing, but actually I am sometimes guilty of over thinking things. If I am to speed up my thought processes, then I will need to set time boundaries that force me to make a decision by. I will also take to heart the words of Andrew Jackson: â€Å"†¦when the time for action has come, stop thinking and act† (Clark, 2012). If I can find a balance between strategizing and acting, then I should become a better decision maker. It is important to have a variety of approaches to management and decision making because there are some variables that can change at a moment’s notice. In order to be prepared for sudden changes, it is best to have a couple of backup plans that can be implemented if things don’t exactly turn out as planned. Part of being a successful manager is considering all the options on the table and then sticking with one but keeping some options in reserve. That way, the research and planning stages would have already been carried out and the new strategy can be integrated seamlessly. In Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools, the authors state, "Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated" (Elder & Paul, 2009, p. 2). What will you do to improve your level of critical thinking? How will this improve your abilities as a manager and as a graduate student? I will improve my level of critical thinking by sticking to the point. I have a bad habit of getting sidetracked from an issue, and this slows down my critical thinking. In order to change this, I will need to be â€Å"on the lookout for fragmented thinking,

Cause effect essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cause effect - Essay Example in Effects of Poverty 1). To join a school like fellow children may just remain as a dream for many children as their families do not have favorable financial positions. Struggling becomes common to those families in every corner of life. This can make their children grow up under continuous mental stress and inferiority complex as comparisons are inevitable while competing with others who are better privileged. Also, inability to afford nutritious food coupled with poor living standards creates a dampening effect on children’s physical well-being. They become prone to various infections and growth problems. Apart from these, poverty can make a person develop hatred towards society which may influence his/her attitudes towards others. Unfortunately, innocent people are often affected as a consequence of such attitudes. Various observations also suggest a strong correlation between increase in poverty and crime rates (Effects of Poverty 1). To conclude, poverty can severely impact the well-being of individuals. Lack of adequate financial resources make those people suffer from poor living standards, diseases, and distress which may collectively influence their behavior towards society in a dangerous

The Pro & Cons of Affirmative Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Pro & Cons of Affirmative Action - Essay Example imizing diversity in the society, it is easier for organizations and firms to serve a wide range of customers and consumers to achieve instantaneous success, just like Startbucks etc. Similarly, it also helps the society to redress the disadvantage of discrimination by having a quota of diversified workforces in firms. This will move the society towards anti-discriminatory policies and will make sure that equal opportunities prevail in the society for all communities, races and gender. The disadvantages of affirmative actions are that it leads to quota system which is against the norms of efficiency and performance oriented selection. This will discourage people to work hard as they will know that quota system will take lead over their performance. Another disadvantage of quota system is that people will have to learn how to manage diversified workforce. This will involve managerial training and it will add up additional expenses for the firms who are struggling really hard to fight the ongoing

Strategic Leadership - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic Leadership - - Case Study Example Routines Creation of the Central Research Laboratory enabled 3M to learn outside its defined domain by looking on opportunities generated by both external demand and internal capacity (Bartlett & Mohammed 3). Substantial organizational slack manifested through the policy encouraging researchers to spend up to 15% of their time pursuing projects of interest to them (Bartlett & Mohammed 4). Identifying and developing innovations arising from projects even when no large market potential was evident (Bartlett & Mohammed 4) Continued organic growth and spurning off of new groups, divisions and products strengthened 3M through increased product variation. Culture Creativity was encouraged via institutionalized individual entrepreneurship (Bartlett & Mohammed 2) Informal recognition given to maverick employees through semi-legend stories that were circulated in the company to encourage individual persistence and commitment to innovation (Bartlett & Mohammed 5). Tolerance for what McKnight referred to as â€Å"well-intentioned failure† and risk taking was encouraged as shown by management supporting those who were involved in failed projects quickly move on to something new (Bartlett & Mohammed 5). 3M has been able to retain its market leadership through technological innovation, market responsiveness and institutionalized entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship by its very nature is characterized by high risk and possibility of failure. Therefore it is necessary to have a management that encourages employees to innovate through incentives, and giving them time to actually pursue these innovative projects. Innovation requires research, which is resource intensive, therefore the company needed to ensure that these resources are available by making huge investments in R&D such as in the development of the Central Research Laboratory. However, we must note that this is a business where the ultimate goal is to maximize on shareholder return. Thus giving each of these innovative divisions a clear set of corporate financial performance targets ensures that they self-monitor themselves, by investing only in those products that show promise of a return. If say, 3M lacked this form of financial targets for each of its divisions we would probably see some divisions becoming less accountable than others. Is 3M an â€Å"innovation factory,† or does it work by a different model? And are those at 3M â€Å"T-shaped†? 3M is an innovation factory because we can identify within it the four intertwined work practices that characterize such a factory namely: capturing good ideas (3M spans multiple markets with multiple business units), keeping ideas alive (3M has a database containing over 25 years of information on hundreds of projects), imagining new uses for old ideas (3M encourages cross-functional interaction among all its divisions) and putting promising concepts to the test (3M encourages development of innovations from projects ev en when no large market potential is evident) (Hargadon & Sutton 324). The staff at 3M is T-shaped. This is so because we can identify several of the approaches highlighted by Hansen and von Oetinger as necessary for an organization to have so that its staff can effectivel be T-shaped. Firstly, we see that 3M constructed a facility at Austin, Texas whose specific purpose was to facilitate cross-functional interaction and encourage teamwork (Bartlett & Mohammed 12) which is line with the formalization of cross-unit

Legal Transplants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Legal Transplants - Essay Example The establishment of a market economy and the introduction of an ‘open door’ policy in China have necessitated the need for internationalising Chinese law and there is an increased stress on legal assimilation or transplant, which is to be based on market-associated legal mechanisms. There is a fear in some corners that legal transplantation may end up westernising Chinese law, but to be an economic super power, there is a necessity for China to modernise its law. Much Chinese literature has stressed the need for harmonising or assimilating China’s law with that of international conventions and practices and transplanting into China western laws on market-associated mechanisms. The main objectives of economic and structural reforms and the freedom of productive forces are the main criteria for internationalisation of Chinese law6. Legal transfusions have been carried out around the globe. The rest of Asia has benefitted from the import of laws from China and many South–East Asian nations have imported Islamic laws into their legal systems. There exists corroborative evidence that East African nations have benefited from the transplantation of Indian legal rules. The latest legal developments in Mozambique and Namibia have an influence from South African laws. And today, the close relationship between Africa and China could trigger a new transmission of legal models to support business transactions7. Laws that are consistent with the pre-existing social order or with the local atmosphere are more probable to be successfully transplanted and implemented. A nation is likely to derive economic advantage from a successful legal transplant, but this does not depend the legal rule’s country of origin but whether it is the most apt to resolve a given... This paper stresses that the PRC government does not refer the international human rights accords as an instant legal source but rather as a reference point of legislation. This connotes that PRC does not want to imitate the exact treaty provisions in its national human rights law but may prefer to fine-tune the substance of international human rights provisions to suit with the Chinese or local scenarios. The author of the paper talks that other human rights deficiencies include, as discussed above, included coerced confessions, restriction of the right to be promptly charged or released and lack of client-lawyer privilege. Freedom to assemble and establish trade unions falls short of ICESCR provisions. It is suggested that a radical change within the Chinese political system is needed to introduce the Human Rights Law in tune with international human rights treaties. Legal adoption of international human rights laws in China should be tailored to the needs of the Chinese one-party system with enhanced safeguards for the ordinary citizen within an authoritarian rule-of-law government is the current need. This report makes a conclusion that if China really wants a total legal transplant of the international human treaty provisions into its HRL, it should endeavour to implement the following: it should fine tune some chosen laws to the prerequisites of the ICCPR; produce a reliable understanding of the Constitution that is unfailing with the ICCPR; introduce a constitutional amendment to include the norms of the ICCPR; and insert a rule in its ordinary statutes or in its Constitution that requires a prior application of the ICCPR.