Review of Stearns’ Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West :: essays research papers

Wow, I mean, your sister, she’s so fat that when she wears a yellow raincoat, people shout out, â€Å"Taxi!† Your brother, gosh, he’s so fat that his driver’s license says, â€Å"Picture continued on the other side!† About your mother, well, she’s so fat that when she walks in front of the television, you miss out on three commercials! I’m tellin’ ya! Fat!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those humorous one-liners are just a few of the many out there. In the United States today, we are obviously obsessed with weight, but how did this cultural craze with heaviness start? When and why, even? Are we the only ones? Peter N. Stearns is a Carnegie Mellon history professor and dean, and in his book Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West, he explores and compares the weight-consciousness over the past century in both the United States (arguably the most obese Western country today) and France (arguably the slimmest); he also attempts at explaining why such contrariety exists between these two countries, despite both being heavily infatuated with body and beauty. It is Stearns’ stance that this modern struggle against fat is actually very deeply rooted within our American culture, and dieting and rampant hostility toward the obese continue to become one of the underlying themes in our society today. He also notes the differences in attitud es toward the obese in both countries. He does not really believe that the French approach to obesity could so readily be adopted in the United States, but possibly recognizing a different attitude may help to later reshape the views and opinions that have been formed this past century in our society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With respect to the United States, Stearns reveals that before the 1890s plumpness was healthy and in fact preferred over frailness; full-figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s were linked to successful motherhood and were indeed quite fashionable. In the decade just before 1900, however, as we became more sedentary, fashion changed, and dress sizes became standardized, greater attention was drawn toward the more oddly shaped bodies, possibly creating a new public concern for body weight, especially for women. Fat-controlling devices like â€Å"reducing corsets†, dieting gimmicks such as Kissiengen water, and other advertisements for products to help against weight also began to spread during this time period. Morality even came into play, as obese individuals were seen to not only be lazy and weak but also on their way toward what one may call â€Å"fat hell†. Review of Stearns’ Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West :: essays research papers Wow, I mean, your sister, she’s so fat that when she wears a yellow raincoat, people shout out, â€Å"Taxi!† Your brother, gosh, he’s so fat that his driver’s license says, â€Å"Picture continued on the other side!† About your mother, well, she’s so fat that when she walks in front of the television, you miss out on three commercials! I’m tellin’ ya! Fat!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those humorous one-liners are just a few of the many out there. In the United States today, we are obviously obsessed with weight, but how did this cultural craze with heaviness start? When and why, even? Are we the only ones? Peter N. Stearns is a Carnegie Mellon history professor and dean, and in his book Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West, he explores and compares the weight-consciousness over the past century in both the United States (arguably the most obese Western country today) and France (arguably the slimmest); he also attempts at explaining why such contrariety exists between these two countries, despite both being heavily infatuated with body and beauty. It is Stearns’ stance that this modern struggle against fat is actually very deeply rooted within our American culture, and dieting and rampant hostility toward the obese continue to become one of the underlying themes in our society today. He also notes the differences in attitud es toward the obese in both countries. He does not really believe that the French approach to obesity could so readily be adopted in the United States, but possibly recognizing a different attitude may help to later reshape the views and opinions that have been formed this past century in our society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With respect to the United States, Stearns reveals that before the 1890s plumpness was healthy and in fact preferred over frailness; full-figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s were linked to successful motherhood and were indeed quite fashionable. In the decade just before 1900, however, as we became more sedentary, fashion changed, and dress sizes became standardized, greater attention was drawn toward the more oddly shaped bodies, possibly creating a new public concern for body weight, especially for women. Fat-controlling devices like â€Å"reducing corsets†, dieting gimmicks such as Kissiengen water, and other advertisements for products to help against weight also began to spread during this time period. Morality even came into play, as obese individuals were seen to not only be lazy and weak but also on their way toward what one may call â€Å"fat hell†.

Alternative Sources of Energy Essay -- Energy Research Papers, 2015

As the population continues to increase day after day, so does the demand for oil and other natural resources. Eventually we will get to a point where we will need to find different ways of efficiently producing energy at a low cost. Twenty to thirty years ago it was hard to imagine what sources of energy (other than obvious possibilities like solar panels and windmills) that could efficiently supply the world. The advancement of technology today is opening new doors in the energy field that are likely to change the way we think about energy. With so many different sources of energy that are prevalent around the world, the challenge is found in harvesting and securing the energy at its source, and doing so in an efficient manner. I decided to do some research about possible future sources of energy, and my search turned up some interesting results. One of the most basic yet potentially worthwhile investments was found on an alternative energy website. This particular article talks about the use of flying wind farms. These flying wind farms are essentially "airborne turbines spinning at high altitudes sending power down via nano-tube cable tethers to generate power." Basically there would be two turbine's attached via the nano-tube cables that would fly high in the sky like kites. The strong wind from the high altitude would allow the turbines to capture and transmit the energy down the cables. The idea was being explored by NASA who said that the t...

Organisational Behaviour: The Personal Nature of Leadership Essay

The title of this paper inspires examination of leadership style within the corporate culture with regard to personal traits in relation to organisational behaviour. The old standard of a leader being born rather than made is under review here as many concepts come into play when discussing modern corporate leadership. Many would argue and research reflects (Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. 2001) leaders adjust style according to situations. A situation is just one influence affecting one’s leadership capabilities. The organisational culture brings into play a myriad of factors that affect leadership. Stogdill (1948/1974) built the foundation for modern leadership where creative thinking and flexibility become key because personality became central to understanding situations found in corporate culture. Stogdill writes â€Å"no personal characteristics are predictive of leadership seems to over-emphasise the situational and underestimate the personal nature of leadership† (p. 35—check your book for ref). Research into the history of leadership lends another view entirely. Such researchers of leadership and organisational behaviours as Boddy and Burns find early on the icon of leadership was based on an egalitarian view of the best â€Å"man† for the job. Stogdill found different views but related findings to behaviour. Now many years later, is the nature of leadership based in situations? Or is it based in one’s personal experience and choices in reacting to certain situations? I believe the face of corporate culture has changed because of certain factors present today in the business world. Today, gender, race and other demographic factors play a large role in management. How people interact and how these demographics influence the behaviour of the organisation needs to be examined because this makes the culture. In today’s business world because competition is fierce, anything innovative and flexible to opening up channels of creativity is seen as a positive. Organisational culture is born out of an organisation’s core values and beliefs in completing its objectives (Robbins 2001, p. 544). This can also be said of people as a culture within race, religion and creed. How an organisation takes external factors like an individual’s demographic can be a complex task. How people perceive his or her is directly influenced by his or her personal experiences and make-up. In this respect because of globalization and multiculturalism, an organisation needs to be flexible to outside influences within reason. This means than an organisational culture has the means of redefining itself as more people join. Of course the organisation must conscious that these factors are at work and this means sticking to the core values. In this respect, I must agree with Stogdill’s statement because the human experience, these demographics touched upon above, makes one’s personality and makes culture personal. It makes the act of leading based from one’s experience and therefore, very personal. One can see such proof within the literature but really one’s personal experience and how they use these traits builds character and influences many areas of organisational behaviour such as tools for motivation, team-building and creative thinking. Personal Nature of Leadership The personal connection begins at a fundamental level of human sociology where the use of story is central. Howard Gardner (1995) reflects, â€Å"the ultimate impact of the leader depends most significantly on the particular story that he or she relates or embodies, and the receptions to that story on the part of the audiences† (p. 14). By telling stories, allows for a certain level of openness or vulnerability on the part of the leader and makes them human. By opening the line of communication, gives the employee knowledge of their environment and develops trust. The leader’s role is to sell the idea of commitment within a culture. Odiorne (1987) suggests, â€Å"if employees know what is expected, and what help and resources are available, they can then be relied upon to govern their actions to achieve the commitments they have made† (p. 138). This sets the stage for goals and achieving high performance. The culture in turn feeds off this energy and excitement. Bennis (1989) writes: There are three reasons why leaders are important. First they are responsible for the effectiveness of organizations. Second, the change and upheaval of past years has left us with no place to hide. We need anchors in our lives as a guiding purpose. Third, there is a national concern about integrity of our institutions. Being mindful of own context is difficult for us. (p. 15-16) Managers with a keen understanding of leading represent these three key attributes and create a foundation from which to act. A leader must also display curiosity and have the guts to be daring. This requires someone to make a choice based upon his or her ability to risk take. They must be a dominant force within the team. Bennis (1989) reflects, there are two kinds of people â€Å"those who are paralyzed by fear, and those who are afraid but go ahead away. Life is not about limitation but options† (p. 185). A healthy culture inspires options and the innovations that grow out of creativity. Research discovered that leaders use different leadership styles for different situations because of emotional intelligence and its tie to strengths or weaknesses in personal traits. In the book Primal Leadership, authors David Goleman, Richard Boyatzis , and Annie McKee (2001) present their research on leadership styles within the organisational structure. The research discusses the relationship that these executives have with their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the study of emotions and their impact upon the work environment. The research investigates the different leadership styles evident in most organisations today. Mainly, leaders were categorized as either having the visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, or commanding leadership styles. Among these, only pacesetting and commanding are assessed to be less effective than the other leadership styles. Emotional Intelligence relies upon the fact the leader will be able to have a competent level of interaction with the employee by changing leadership styles and adapting to each unique situation throughout the time at work. It reflects successful leadership by allowing for complex relationships for team members by recognizing relationship building, capacity of visions and personal development. Emotional Intelligence for a leader means being able to read people, be read and allow for open dialogue. Research stresses the importance of the leader’s flexibility and capability to adapt to his or her environment. An effective leader will understand not only their environment and people but also understand the potential for impact upon that environment. By understanding this key element, an effective leader will know how to define the environment. This is important because employees look to management for guidance. The leader defines the boundaries for the team and created an atmosphere for building relationships and open communication. This in turn creates stronger teams. Team Building For managers who put his or her people first; they are more focused on nurturing and training. Research suggests leaders are more interested in mentoring and training their team rather than focusing on output of numbers or turn around time. This development in team building allows for â€Å"providing people opportunities to learn from their work rather than taking them away from their work to learn† (Hughes 2004, p. 4). A healthy culture inspires options and the innovations that grow out of creativity. Still one could not ignore times of fear. Management sometimes creates fear on purpose or misused it to work employees harder. This does not create positive outcomes but promoted conflict and an unstable team. It is clear for management to be successful; it must communicate its vision but also create positive reinforcement (See Figure 1. ). Once key members understand people’s needs, then action could be taken to improve management’s role. Only then would a leader be taken seriously. Recognizing positive traits in a team member built trust, integrity and also met an important need while building a team.

Comparing Gender Roles of Americans over Past 100 Yrs

Kristal Smith Professor Ryan Enc 1101 Section 39547 November 22, 2012 Contemporary Roles vs Roles 100 Years Ago If we look at America 100 years ago, the changes from then to now are phenomenal. In 1906, the average life span was 47 years. Only 18% of the homes had their own private bathtub. There were only 8000 cars total in the United States with only 144 miles of paved road. [1] Today we have an estimate 250 million registered vehicles in the United States. There have been laws passed that every home must have its own bathtub and fresh source of water.Considering the changes the United States has made over the past 100 years, it is no surprise that the roles of men and women have changed as well. The roles of men and women in contemporary society verses their roles in society 100 years ago present a large gap of physical and psychological differences. The American woman of the 1900’s was to be seen, not heard. She was the homemaker and the one to raise the children. She cook ed, cleaned, tended the laundry, taught the children and took care of her husband.She had no rights or freedoms in the political or religious world. was Limited rights and freedoms with a full load of responsibility was a difficult task to succeed at however the role was well defined which provided a sense of security. She was able to maintain a soft and emotional dispostion simply because there were no expectations of her to be any other way. The 1900’s American woman is the definition of what we term the traditional role of a woman. [2] Her counterpart, the 1900’s American man, was the worker, provider and protector.He had a voice in politics and religion. He gained respect and prestige by his job, his wife, and his children. The role of the man was simple but very important. He was strong and secure with the emotional support of his wife. The roles of the 1900 American women and man complimented each other well and were successful. The American woman role of modern day society has evolved since the 1900’s. In modern day, woman have the right to vote and run for presidency if she chooses to.Women have equal rights as men in the political and religious fields as well in the work force. In modern day, many women work and help support financially for their family. The modern day American woman has more weight and stress to carry along with her rights and freedoms. This often prevents her from being soft and emotional. Their counterpart, the modern day American man, still follow the traditional roles of being the provider and the protector, but there are also a lot of â€Å"stay-at-home† dads which means they are now the homemaker.In some cases, he is not the protector and security which can affect his masculinity. It is complicated to adequately detail the modern day roles of men and women as the lines are no longer clearly defined. The past 100 years has served the American man and woman a diverse amount of changes from woman gainin g equal rights to men cooking and cleaning. In the 1900’s, the roles of women and men were clearly defined and accepted. Today, the roles are not defined and the expectations are confused.Men and women both can now be the political leader, the provider, the homemaker, and the protector. The modern day roles of men and women sharing rights and freedoms are perceived as a good thing. Perhaps the traditional roles were more successful at complimenting each other as they eliminated the problem of gender role confusion. Works Cited 1. â€Å"Women 100 years Ago vs Women Now† http://recomparison. com/comparisons/100358/women-100-years-ago-vs-women-now/ 2. â€Å"100 Years Ago in America† http://rense. com/general70/100yrs. htm Copyright  © 2002 JPS/Kitco Inc

Vikings Art and Culture

The Vikings Art and Culture At first thought of the Vikings, the comic strip â€Å"Hagar the Horrible† comes to mind. As this is probably not a good basis for reference, it still can give slight glimpse, if not a distorted one, of the Viking culture. As for Viking art, a more in depth search must be done, for â€Å"Hagar† was unfortunately not actually made by the Vikings. The Viking culture was a primitive one of agriculture, hunting, and fishing. Families lived on farms together and were a tight knit labor force. During sowing time, the men would all work together from before dawn until after dark to tend to the field, and the women would work on providing the daily necessities, such as food, clothes, and cleaning. The wife would also occasionally help in the fields, and the children would start helping out from a very young age doing their respective duties. There were less than five months of growing season in their northern climate, so the Viking husband of the farm would plant the crops and then look toward the sea. He would head out with his neighbors for a pleasant summer of pillaging in the south. Then, he would return in the fall in time for the harvest. His wife would control all affairs of the household until he returned. If he should not return due to an unfortunate accident, his wife would inherit the land, business, and any other wealth. The eldest son of the family would take over the family farm, and the younger sons would go out to find their own careers as they became of age, possibly Vikings. Family was very important to the Viking people; it was a powerful unit of protection. Much like today, families provided support and assistance, and it was to their family that a person owed their obligation. A close family bond is evident as husbands, wives, and children would erect runes in honor of each other; husbands to their wives, wives to their husbands, and children to their parents. Runes were decorated monuments with inscriptions and verses for their deceased family, much as a tombstone would be now, and were often placed in public places so that they would be seen. They also normally lived as a nucleic family, much like today, with the mother, father, and the children in the household. It was fairly uncommon to have extended family such as grandparents to live with them; most likely, because it was rare to live past the age of forty and most people did not enter the role of grandparent. As much as the Vikings were known as looters and pillagers, they were also formidable merchants. Many of their journeys were commercial and put them in contact with the farthest reaches of the world. Trade became a very important part of their culture. While there are many stereotypes of the Viking people, such as dirty, smelly, illiterate, drunkard savages most are probably misconceptions. While they probably were dirty and smelly after sailing across the sea and maybe did not bathe that often because of the cold weather, one can assume that it was for a purpose rather than just being ignorant. The notion that they were illiterate is wrong; they simply had their own writing system with an alphabet called runic. The letters were mostly made up of vertical and diagonal lines, which made them suitable for carving into wood. As far as the drunkard part, that is most likely the truest stereotype of them all. It is believed that the Vikings were very heavy drinkers. They would drink ale and mead, which is also called honey wine and made from fermented honey. Wine was something that was part of their trade voyages, as grapes did not grow in the cold Scandinavian climate. It is true that the Vikings pillaged many towns and killed many innocent people who came in their path, and while it was terrible, this description is coming from the people who were attacked and showing them in their worst light. In reality, a Viking was only a Viking while at sea, once he returned home there was no more pillaging. It was back to the farm, the family, and normal everyday life. So, were they savages? Yes, to certain people they were, but to others, no. The art of the Vikings was not really art in the sense of the word. There was no art for art sake; it was mostly applied art. Their skills were used to decorate items of daily use. Weapons and ships were intricately decorated, as were drinking vessels, runes, and jewelry. This proved their affinity for showing off their wealth and rank with whatever their possessions were. Most of the art that has survived is made of metal even though most commonly leather, wood, and bone were used. Their art was not naturalistic, but instead abstract. A common theme art was distorted and disfigured animals. Animals were a dominant subject, as they seemed to have an endless devotion to them as a source of inspiration. The gripping beast is one motif that started in the Broa Style; it is a strong, muscular animal that is shown full face with its paws gripping either itself or another nimal. The gripping beast is shown on the Oseberg ship along with two other animal motifs, S-shaped animals with ribbon-like bodies, and semi-naturalistic animals and birds. Being confronted with these images, one could not but be in awe of the energy of the decoration. Many different styles of Viking art have been identified, but no new style can be said to mark the beginning of the Vikin g age in Scandinavia, they grew out of the art styles of earlier centuries, the first being the Broa style, followed by the Borre, then the Jellinge, Mammen, Ringerike, and finally the Urnes. The styles all vary slightly, but still keep with the distorted animal theme. The art of the Viking age influenced many different cultures because of their worldly travels, and they have influenced our culture in a way that we may never comprehend. They have intertwined themselves into the fabric of so many different cultures, that many of us could be part Viking.

Appraches in Business Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Appraches in Business Psychology - Essay Example It is influenced by experience. To observe that a brain structure or a brain process is correlated with gender does not necessarily imply that brain differences cause gender differences. Gender differences in brain structure may result from gender differences in learning, experience, and socialization. All the elements of an organisation – the members, functions, rules, governing authority, revenue and ideas – must be regrouped around series of basic political issues. Thus, it becomes necessary to identify the issues so that politics in an organisation may be examined in dynamic terms. What issues are these? There are several issues, but the concern of this paper is the issue on the gender. Members are associated within the organisation; they must stand in some kind of relation to each other. In fact, the members are the most important element of the organisation. If the organisation is a pyramid then they were the base; therefore, they are the very foundation of the group. Authorities might be at the top directing and leading the organisation but they should have a thorough understanding of this element to able to run the organisation smoothly. Are all members placed on equal footing? Or are some superior to the rest? The truth is, no matter how bad it seems to be, members would always be categorized according to class in a society where they belong. This fact would tell us that business leaders, in order to interpret their mission and vision, must always conduct class analysis. Rowe (1994) asserted that â€Å"the measures we label as environmental (including such central ones as social class) may hide genetic variation† (p. 5). And how do genes create the environment? To Rowe, The answer is that the genes may construct a nervous system--and that hormones and neurotransmitters may then motivate behaviors resulting in the dramatic redesign of an environment.

3.Using an extended example critically discuss the view that a sector Essay - 1

3.Using an extended example critically discuss the view that a sector matrix gives a better strategic understanding of product markets than the concepts of product or commodity chains - Essay Example Some have limiting capabilities while one or two may be considered appropriate for a specific industry. Such is the case of sector matrix framework. It is perceived that this analysis tool gives a better strategic understanding of product market than global commodity chain, and value chain (Haslam, Neale & Johal, 2000). The aim of this essay is to critically analyze whether sector matrix framework is better in strategic understanding of product markets than the concept of commodity chains. Sector matrix has been proved to be most appropriate for analysis of markets especially considering demand and supply. It incorporates ideas from both commodity chain, and Porter’s value chain. Sector matrix is a framework with the capability of working with far much complex products and processes, unlike commodity chains and value chains. For strategic reasons, it is important to know the market demand of a product. Information about demand guides production considering consumer tastes, level of demand, and so on. Different industries and firms have different operations, production systems, and different sectors involved for the final product to be out in the market. These differences determine the level of complexity in a product market, hence the type of analysis tool to understand it better (Haslam, Neale & Johal, 2000). This essay shows why value chain and commodity chain frameworks, cannot be used in a complex industry like the automobile industry, and provide valid rea sons for sector matrix preference instead. The automobile industry is characterised by complex distribution channels, complex products, and high commodity price (Haaslam, Neale & Johal, 2000). This framework is established on the idea that every firm is a collection of activities that are performed to produce, design, deliver, market, and support its products. Within this chain of activities, each firm has to have a successful generic strategy which it