The Celebration of the Lizard Essay -- Analysis, Jim Morris

It was 1968's album Waiting for the Sun that marked the appearance of a new aspect of Morrison's image, the Lizard King. A poem entitled â€Å"The Celebration of the Lizard,† in which he pronounced â€Å"I am the Lizard King,† was printed on the album jacket. Morrison later claimed that this poem was meant to be partly in jest, but it took on a life of its own and would play an important role in Morrison mythology. In a 1970 interview, Morrison respond to a question about being called a Lizard King: Stevenson: How do you feel about some of the magazine articles that used to come out calling you the Lizard King and things like that? Morrison: Oh, I liked it! I enjoyed it! I thought it was, you know, I always liked reptiles, I always had a fondness for them . . . We did evolve from reptiles . . . I used to see the universe as a mammoth peristaltic snake and I used to see all the people, objects and landscapes as pictures on the facets of their skin, their scales. I think the peristaltic motion is the basic life movement: swallowing, digestion, the rhythms of sexual intercourse. Even your basic unicellular structures have this same . . . Stevenson: Fluidity and motion? Morrison: Yeah!14 Morrison used the attribution of Lizard King to expand on his image, as seen in this interview, by molding it to his ideals of proximity to the earth, suggesting that the motion of a reptile mimics the basic motion of all life. He further used the Lizard King image in the theatricality of his on-stage performances and, whether consciously or sub-consciously, to contribute to his own, as well as the band's, image. At best, it is possible to distinguish between Morrison as shaman and Morrison as the Lizard King,... ... difficult to confirm the cause of his death. Was it suicide? Murder? This uncertainty may have contributed to a Morrison-like image and myth. Now, that his physician has been convicted of negligence, the uncertainty is reduced. We will have to wait and see what develops. It is the public discourse, after the death of a celebrity, which results in the emergence of an icon. In books, films, and other media content about the celebrity, various narratives and central values become associated with the celebrity. After several years of continued public interest in the dead celebrity, the image and values associated with the celebrity become more significant than, and transcend, the factual details about the historical existence of the individual. The following section will outline elements contributing to the construction of the image of a celebrity, after their death.

Recreating the Norm in Single-sex Sports :: Sports Essays

Recreating the 'Norm' in Single-sex Sports When investigating the costs and benefits of an individual competing in a sport considered non-traditional for their gender, we must first answer the question of what makes the single-sex status of these sports so important. We know that much controversy often surrounds the assimilation of a certain gender into a sport not traditionally considered their own, but we might forget to ask why this is the case to begin with. First, it is important to acknowledge that the answer to this question will most likely vary a bit between genders. For men, I believe much of the drive to keep certain sports single-sex, stems from a dominance/power struggle. Most of the "male" sports mentioned focus mainly on pure strength, and in the case of boxing, agility. The idea that a woman can excel, or even surpass her male counterpart, in a sport relying so heavily on muscular prowess, seems to me like an issue that could be fundamentally threatening. When I mention power struggle, it's mostly in reference to a struggle for dominance, but I believe that many of the men who look down upon women who enter sports primarily relying on physical strength, may feel threatened in both respects. On the opposite end of the spectrum, much of what might drive them away from traditionally female sports, is the fact these sports are often considered too 'feminine' to justify male participation. It's almost as though the 'masculine' ele ment of a sport implies some sort of inherent difficulty, while a sport deemed 'feminine' is not necessarily thought to be quite as challenging. As for females participating in more male dominated sports, it seems as though they run into similar issues. Most women shy away form participation in male dominated sports in fear of coming across as too masculine. This also plays into the power dynamics that have defined men and women's roles for far too long. Women are either afraid to, or no longer even consider the idea of, pushing back against their stereotypically defined roles. There are obviously many men and women who have challenged these roles over time, and who continue to push these somewhat intangible boundaries. I believe the benefits of abandoning the gender roles in sports strongly outweigh the costs. The biggest benefit seems to me to be, quite simply, the opportunity for both males and females to feel comfortable participating in whichever sports they may feel drawn to.

As Fast as Food Essay

Fast food restaurantA fast food restaurant, also known as a quick service restaurant (QSR) within the industry itself, is a specific type of restaurant characterized both by its fast food cuisine and by minimal table service. Food served in fast food restaurants typically caters to a â€Å"meat-sweet diet† and is offered from a limited menu; is cooked in bulk in advance and kept hot; is finished and packaged to order; and is usually available ready to take away, though seating may be provided. Fast food restaurants are usually part of a restaurant chain or franchise operation, which provisions standardized ingredients and/or partially prepared foods and supplies to each restaurant through controlled supply channels. The term â€Å"fast food† was recognized in a dictionary by Merriam–Webster in 1951. [1] Arguably the first fast food restaurants originated in the United States with A&W in 1916 and White Castle in 1921. [2] Today, American-founded fast food chains such as McDonald’s and KFC are multinational corporations with outlets across the globe. Variations on the fast food restaurant concept include fast casual restaurants and catering trucks. Fast casual restaurants have higher sit-in ratios, and customers can sit and have their orders brought to them. Catering trucks often park just outside worksites and are popular with factory workers. HistorySome trace the modern history of fast food in America to July 7, 1912, with the opening of a fast food restaurant called the Automat in New York. The Automat was a cafeteria with its prepared foods behind small glass windows and coin-operated slots. Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart had already opened the first Horn & Hardart Automat in Philadelphia in 1902, but their â€Å"Automat† at Broadway and 13th Street, in New York City, created a sensation. Numerous Automat restaurants were built around the country to deal with the demand. Automats remained extremely popular throughout the 1920s and 1930s. The company also popularized the notion of â€Å"take-out† food, with their slogan â€Å"Less work for Mother†. Some historians and secondary school textbooks concur that A&W, which opened in 1919 and began franchising in 1921, was the first fast food restaurant (E. Tavares). Thus, the American company White Castle is generally credited with opening the second fast-food outlet in Wichita, Kansas in 1921, selling hamburgers for five cents apiece from its inception and spawning numerous competitors and emulators. What is certain, however, is that White Castle made the first significant effort to standardize the food production in, look of, and operation of fast-food hamburger restaurants. William Ingram’s and Walter Anderson’s White Castle System created the first fast food supply chain to provide meat, buns, paper goods, and other supplies to their restaurants, pioneered the concept of the multistate hamburger restaurant chain, standardized the look and construction of the restaurants themselves, and even developed a construction division that manufactured and built the chain’s prefabricated restaurant buildings. The McDonalds’ Speedee Service System and, much later, Ray Kroc’s McDonald’s outlets and Hamburger University all built on principles, systems and practices that White Castle had already established between 1923 and 1932. The hamburger restaurant most associated by the public with the term â€Å"fast food† was created by two brothers originally from Nashua, New Hampshire. Richard and Maurice McDonald opened a barbecue drive-in in 1940 in the city of San Bernardino, California. After discovering that most of their profits came from hamburgers, the brothers closed their restaurant for three months and reopened it in 1948 as a walk-up stand offering a simple menu of hamburgers, french fries, shakes, coffee, and Coca-Cola, served in disposable paper wrapping. As a result, they could produce hamburgers and fries constantly, without waiting for customer orders, and could serve them immediately; hamburgers cost 15 cents, about half the price at a typical diner. Their streamlined production method, which they named the â€Å"Speedee Service System† was influenced by the production line innovations of Henry Ford. By 1954, The McDonald brothers’ stand was restaurant equipment manufacturer Prince Castle’s biggest purchaser of milkshake blending machines. Prince Castle salesman Ray Kroc traveled to California to discover why the company had purchased almost a dozen of the units as opposed to the normal one or two found in most restaurants of the time. Enticed by the success of the McDonald’s concept, Kroc signed a franchise agreement with the brothers and began opening McDonald’s restaurants in Illinois. [3] By 1961, Kroc had bought out the brothers and created what is now the modern McDonald’s Corporation. One of the major parts of his business plan was to promote cleanliness of his restaurants to growing groups of Americans that had become aware of food safety issues. As part of his commitment to cleanliness, Kroc often took part in cleaning his own Des Plaines, Illinois outlet by hosing down the garbage cans and scraping gum off the cement. Another concept Kroc added was great swaths of glass which enabled the customer to view the food preparation, a practice still found in chains such as Krispy Kreme. A clean atmosphere was only part of Kroc’s grander plan which separated McDonald’s from the rest of the competition and attributes to their great success. Kroc envisioned making his restaurants appeal to suburban families. [4] At roughly the same time as Kroc was conceiving what eventually became McDonald’s Corporation, two Miami, Florida businessmen, James McLamore and David Edgerton, opened a franchise of the predecessor to what is now the international fast food restaurant chain Burger King. McLamore had visited the original McDonald’s hamburger stand belonging to the McDonald brothers; sensing potential in their innovative assembly line-based production system, he decided he wanted to open a similar operation of his own. [5][6] The two partners eventually decided to invest their money in Jacksonville, Florida-based Insta-Burger King. Originally opened in 1953, the founders and owners of the chain, Kieth J. Kramer and his wife’s uncle Matthew Burns, opened their first stores around a piece of equipment known as the Insta-Broiler. The Insta-Broiler oven proved so successful at cooking burgers, they required all of their franchises to carry the device. [5] By 1959 McLamore and Edgarton were operating several locations within the Miami-Dade area and were growing at a fast clip. Despite the success of their operation, the partners discovered that the design of the insta-broiler made the unit’s heating elements prone to degradation from the drippings of the beef patties. The pair eventually created a mechanized gas grill that avoided the problems by changing the way the meat patties were cooked in the unit. After the original company began to falter in 1959, it was purchased by McLamore and Edgerton who renamed the company Burger King. [7] While fast food restaurants usually have a seating area in which customers can eat the food on the premises, orders are designed to be taken away, and traditional table service is rare. Orders are generally taken and paid for at a wide counter, with the customer waiting by the counter for a tray or container for their food. A â€Å"drive-through† service can allow customers to order and pick up food from their cars. Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eaten â€Å"on the go† and often does not require traditional cutlery and is eaten as a finger food. Common menu items at fast food outlets include fish and chips, sandwiches, pitas, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, and ice cream, although many fast food restaurants offer â€Å"slower† foods like chili, mashed potatoes, and salads. CuisineModern commercial fast food is highly processed and prepared on a large scale from bulk ingredients using standardized cooking and production methods and equipment. It is usually rapidly served in cartons or bags or in a plastic wrapping, in a fashion which reduces operating costs by allowing rapid product identification and counting, promoting longer holding time, avoiding transfer of bacteria, and facilitating order fulfillment. In most fast food operations, menu items are generally made from processed ingredients prepared at a central supply facilities and then shipped to individual outlets where they are cooked (usually by grill, microwave, or deep-frying) or assembled in a short amount of time either in anticipation of upcoming orders (i. e. , â€Å"to stock†) or in response to actual orders (i. e., â€Å"to order†). Following standard operating procedures, pre-cooked products are monitored for freshness and disposed of if holding times become excessive. This process ensures a consistent level of product quality, and is key to delivering the order quickly to the customer and avoiding labor and equipment costs in the individual stores. Because of commercial emphasis on taste, speed, product safety, uniformity, and low cost, fast food products are made with ingredients formulated to achieve an identifiable flavor, aroma, texture, and â€Å"mouth feel† and to preserve freshness and control handling costs during preparation and order fulfillment. This requires a high degree of food engineering. The use of additives, including salt, sugar, flavorings and preservatives, and processing techniques may limit the nutritional value of the final product. Value mealsA value meal is a group of menu items offered together at a lower price than they would cost individually. They are common at fast food restaurants. Value meals are a common merchandising tactic to facilitate bundling, up-selling, and price discrimination. Most of the time they can be upgraded to a larger size of fries and drink for a small fee. The perceived creation of a â€Å"discount† on individual menu items in exchange for the purchase of a â€Å"meal† is also consistent with the loyalty marketing school of thought. [8] TechnologyTo make quick service possible and to ensure accuracy and security, many fast food restaurants have incorporated hospitality point of sale systems. This makes it possible for kitchen crew people to view orders placed at the front counter or drive through in real time. Wireless systems allow orders placed at drive through speakers to be taken by cashiers and cooks. Drive through and walk through configurations will allow orders to be taken at one register and paid at another. Modern point of sale systems can operate on computer networks using a variety of software programs. Sales records can be generated and remote access to computer reports can be given to corporate offices, managers, troubleshooters, and other authorized personnel. Food service chains partner with food equipment manufacturers to design highly specialized restaurant equipment, often incorporating heat sensors, timers, and other electronic controls into the design. Collaborative design techniques, such as rapid visualization and parametric modeling of restaurant kitchens are now being used to establish equipment specifications that are consistent with restaurant operating and merchandising requirements. [9] Business Consumer spendingIn the United States alone, consumers spent about $110 billion on fast food in 2000 (which increased from $6 billion in 1970). [10] The National Restaurant Association forecasts that fast food restaurants in the U. S. will reach $142 billion in sales in 2006, a 5% increase over 2005. In comparison, the full-service restaurant segment of the food industry is expected to generate $173 billion in sales. Fast food has been losing market share to so-called fast casual restaurants, which offer more robust and expensive cuisines. Major international brandsMcDonald’s, a noted fast food supplier, opened its first franchised restaurant in the US in 1955 (1974 in the UK). It has become a phenomenally successful enterprise in terms of financial growth, brand-name recognition, and worldwide expansion. Ray Kroc, who bought the franchising license from the McDonald brothers, pioneered many concepts which emphasized standardization. He introduced uniform products, identical in all respects at each outlet, to increase sales. At the same time, Kroc also insisted on cutting food costs as much as possible, eventually using the McDonald’s Corporation’s size to force suppliers to conform to this ethos. Other prominent international fast food companies include Burger King, the number two hamburger chain in the world, known for promoting its customized menu offerings (Have it Your Way). Multinational corporations typically modify their menus to cater to local tastes and most overseas outlets are owned by native franchisees. McDonald’s in India, for example, uses chicken and paneer rather than beef in its burgers because Hinduism traditionally forbids eating beef. In Israel some McDonald’s restaurants are kosher and respect the Jewish Shabbat; there is also a kosher McDonald’s in Argentina. In Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Singapore, all menu items are halal. North America Animal fries from In-N-Out Burger’s secret menu Many fast food operations have more local and regional roots, such as White Castle in the Midwest United States, along with Hardee’s (owned by CKE Restaurants, which also owns Carl’s Jr., whose locations are primarily on the United States West Coast); Krystal, Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits, Cook Out, and Zaxby’s restaurants in the American Southeast; Raising Cane’s in Louisiana; Hot ‘n Now in Michigan and Wisconsin; In-N-Out Burger (in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Texas) and Original Tommy’s chains in Southern California; Dick’s Drive-In in Seattle, Washington and Arctic Circle in Utah and other western states; Halo Burger around Flint, Michigan and Burgerville in the Portland, Oregon area. Also, Whataburger is a popular burger chain in the American South and Mexico, and Jack in the Box is located in the West and South. Canada pizza chains Topper’s Pizza and Pizza Pizza are primarily located in Ontario. Coffee chain Country Style operates only in Ontario, and competes with the famous coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons. Maid-Rite restaurant is one of the oldest chain fast food restaurants in the United States. Founded in 1926, their specialty is a loose meat hamburger. Maid-Rites can be found in the midwest – mainly Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and Missouri. International brands dominant in North America include McDonalds’s, Burger King and Wendy’s, the number three burger chain in the USA; Dunkin’ Donuts, a New England based chain; automobile oriented Sonic Drive-In’s from Oklahoma City; Starbucks, Seattle-born coffee-based fast food beverage corporation; KFC, a part of the largest restaurant conglomerate in the world, Yum! Brands; and Domino’s Pizza, a pizza chain known for popularizing home delivery of fast food. Subway is known for their sub sandwiches and are the largest restaurant chain to serve such food items. [11] Quiznos a Denver based sub shop is another fast growing sub chain, yet with over 6,000 locations it is still far behind Subway’s 34,000 locations. Other smaller sub shops include Blimpie, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Mr. Goodcents, Jimmy John’s, and Firehouse. A&W Restaurants was originally a United States and Canada fast food brand, but is currently an International fast food corporation in several countries. In Canada the majority of fast food chains are American owned, or were originally American owned but have since set up a Canadian management/headquarters location in cities such as Toronto and Vancouver such as Panera Bread, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Five Guys, Carl’s Jr. and Chili’s. Although the case is usually American fast food chains expanding into Canada, Canadian chains such as Tim Hortons have expanded into 22 states in the United States, but are more prominent in border states such as New York and Michigan. Tim Hortons has started to expand to other countries outside of North America. The Canadian Extreme Pita franchise sells low fat and salt pita sandwiches with stores in the larger Canadian cities. Other Canadian fast food chains such as Manchu Wok serve North American style Asian foods; this company is located mainly in Canada and the USA, with other outlets on US military bases on other continents. Harvey’s is a Canadian burger restaurant chain. The United KingdomIn the United Kingdom, many home based fast food operations were closed in the 1970s and 1980s after McDonald’s became the number one outlet in the market[citation needed]. However, brands like Wimpy still remain, although the majority of branches became Burger King in 1989. JapanTraditional ramen and sushi restaurants still dominate fast food culture in Japan, although American outlets like Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and KFC are also popular, along with Japanese chains like MOS Burger. NigeriaIn Nigeria, Mr. Bigg’s, Chicken Republic, Tantalizers, and Tastee Fried Chicken are the predominant fast food chains. KFC and Pizza Hut have recently entered the country. PakistanFast food In Pakistan varies. There are many international chains serving fast food, including Nandos, KFC, McDonalds, Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, Pizza Hut, Hardees, Telepizza and Gloria Jean’s Coffees. In addition to the international chains, in local cuisine people in Pakistan like to have biryani, bun kebabs, Nihari, kebab rolls etc. as fast food. South AfricaKFC is the most popular fast food chain in South Africa according to a 2010 Sunday Times survey. [12] Chicken Licken, Wimpy and Ocean Basket along with Nando’s and Steers are examples of homegrown franchises that are highly popular within the country. McDonalds, Subway and Pizza Hut have a significant presence within South Africa. China and Hong KongIn Hong Kong, although McDonald’s and KFC are quite popular, there are 3 major local fast food chains providing Hong Kong Chinese style fast food. These 3 major chains are Cafe de Coral, Fairwood Fast Food, and Maxim MX. In recent years, they have also been extending their operations to Mainland China. IsraelIn Israel, local burger chain Burger Ranch is popular as are McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC. Domino’s Pizza is also a popular fast food restaurant. Chains like McDonalds offer kosher branches. Non-kosher foods such as cheeseburgers are rare in Israeli fast food chains, even in non-kosher branches. There are many small local fast food chains that serve pizza, burgers and local foods such as falafel. New ZealandIn New Zealand, the fast food market began in the 1970s with KFC (opened 1971), Pizza Hut (1974), and McDonald’s (1976),[13] and all three remain popular today. Burger King and Domino’s entered the market later in the 1990s. Australian pizza chains Eagle Boys and Pizza Haven also entered the market in the 1990s, but their New Zealand operations were later sold to Pizza Hut and Domino’s. Two fast food chains were founded in New Zealand: Georgie Pie and Hell Pizza. Georgie Pie opened in 1977, and was based around the Australian and New Zealand meat pie. They went through a failed expansion attempt in the mid-1990s and became economically unviable, resulting in the chain being sold to McDonald’s in 1996; the last Georgie Pie restaurant was closed in 1998. Hell Pizza was founded in 1996 in Wellington, and is known for its satanic marketing. Today, it has 64 stores in New Zealand, and also has stores in the UK, Australia, Ireland and Canada. TrendsHealth concernsSome of the large fast food chains are beginning to incorporate healthier alternatives in their menu, e. g. , white meat, snack wraps, salads, and fresh fruit. However, some people see these moves as a tokenistic and commercial measure, rather than an appropriate reaction to ethical concerns about the world ecology and people’s health. McDonald’s announced that in March 2006, the chain would include nutritional information on the packaging of all of its products. [14] Consumer appealFast food outlets have become popular with consumers for several reasons. One is that through economies of scale in purchasing and producing food, these companies can deliver food to consumers at a very low cost. In addition, although some people dislike fast food for its predictability, it can be reassuring to a hungry person in a hurry or far from home[citation needed] In the post-World War II period in the United States, fast food chains like McDonald’s rapidly gained a reputation for their cleanliness, fast service, and a child-friendly atmosphere where families on the road could grab a quick meal, or seek a break from the routine of home cooking[citation needed]. Prior to the rise of the fast food chain restaurant, people generally had a choice between greasy spoon diners where the quality of the food was often questionable and service lacking, or high-end restaurants that were expensive and impractical for families with children[citation needed]. The modern, stream-lined convenience of the fast food restaurant provided a new alternative and appealed to Americans’ instinct for ideas and products associated with progress, technology, and innovation. [citation needed] Fast food restaurants rapidly became the eatery â€Å"everyone could agree on†, with many featuring child-size menu combos, play areas, and whimsical branding campaigns, like the iconic Ronald McDonald, designed to appeal to younger customers. Parents could have a few minutes of peace while children played or amused themselves with the toys included in their Happy Meal. There is a long history of fast food advertising campaigns, many of which are directed at children. In other parts of the world, American and American-style fast food outlets have been popular for their quality, customer service, and novelty, even though they are often the targets of popular anger towards American foreign policy or globalization more generally[citation needed]. Many consumers nonetheless see them as symbols of the wealth, progress, and well-ordered openness of Western society and therefore become trendy attractions in many cities around the world, particularly among younger people with more varied tastes. [citation needed] Impact of fast food restaurant availabilityOver time, fast food restaurants have been growing rapidly, especially in urban neighborhoods. According to US research, low-income and predominantly African-American neighborhoods have greater exposure to fast food outlets than higher income and predominantly white areas. [15] This has put into question whether urbanized neighborhoods were targeted, which causes a more unhealthy group of people compared to people from a higher socioeconomic status. It has also been shown that there is a lower chance of finding a fast food restaurant in a suburban neighborhood. In a study of selected US locations, Morland et al. (2002) found the number of fast food restaurants and bars was inversely proportional to the wealth of the neighborhood, and that predominantly African-American residential areas were four times less likely to have a supermarket near them than predominantly white areas. [16] Innovations timeline 1872: Walter Scott of Providence, RI outfitted a horse-drawn lunch wagon with a simple kitchen, bringing hot dinners to workers[17] 1902: First Horn & Hardart Automat opened in Philadelphia 1912: Horn & Hardart opens a second Automat in Manhattan 1916: Walter Anderson built the first White Castle in Wichita, KS in 1916, introducing the limited menu, high volume, low cost, high speed hamburger restaurant[17] 1919: A&W Root Beer took its product out of the soda fountain and into a roadside stand[17] 1921: A&W Root Beer began franchising its syrup[17]. 1921: White Castle opens its first restaurant 1926: Maid-Rite opened its first restaurant in Muscatine, Iowa. 1930s: Howard Johnson’s pioneered the concept of franchising restaurants, formally standardizing menus, signage, and advertising[17] 1948: In-N-Out Burger begins drive-through service utilizing call-box technology 1967: McDonald’s opens its first restaurants outside the U. S. [1] 1971: McDonald’s begins serving breakfast, test-marketing the Egg McMuffin in the U. S. [2] 1971: The first Starbucks store opens in Seattle, Washington in Pike Place Market to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment 1980: 7-Eleven introduces the 32-US-fluid-ounce (950 ml) Big Gulp 1981: Arby’s offers nutritional information 1987: Howard Schultz leads purchase of the Starbucks brand from its founders (who adopted the name Peet’s) and begins offering coffee drinks modeled after those sold in Italian coffee bars 1994: McDonald’s begins â€Å"supersizing† Extra Value Meals. 1994: Arctic Circle becomes the first fast food restaurant to sell Angus beef exclusively. 1994: Arby’s is first fast food restaurant to implement a no-smoking policy 2002: McDonald’s cuts back on the amount of trans fat by 48 percent on french fries 2006: Arby’s begins elimination of trans fat oils in french fries Criticisms Hot Dog The fast food industry is a popular target for critics, from anti-globalization activists like Jose Bove to vegetarian activist groups such as PETA. In his best-selling 2001 book Fast Food Nation, investigative journalist Eric Schlosser leveled a broad, socioeconomic critique against the fast food industry, documenting how fast food rose from small, family-run businesses (like the McDonald brothers’ burger joint) into large, multinational corporate juggernauts whose economies of scale radically transformed agriculture, meat processing, and labor markets in the late twentieth century. While the innovations of the fast food industry gave Americans more and cheaper dining options, it has come at the price of destroying the environment, economy, and small-town communities of rural America while shielding consumers from the real costs of their convenient meal, both in terms of health and the broader impact of large-scale food production and processing on workers, animals, and land. The fast food industry is popular in the United States, the source of most of its innovation, and many major international chains are based there. Seen as symbols of U. S. dominance and perceived cultural imperialism, American fast food franchises have often been the target of Anti-globalization protests and demonstrations against the U. S. government. In 2005, for example, rioters in Karachi, Pakistan, who were initially angered because of the bombing of a Shiite mosque, destroyed a KFC restaurant. [18] Legal issuesIn 2003, McDonald’s was sued in a New York court by a family who claimed that the restaurant chain was responsible for their teenage daughter’s obesity and attendant health problems. By manipulating food’s taste, sugar and fat content, and directing their advertising to children, the suit argued that the company purposely misleads the public about the nutritional value of its product. A judge dismissed the case, but the fast food industry disliked the publicity of its practices, particularly the way it targets children in its advertising. [19] Although further lawsuits have not materialized, the issue is kept alive in the media and political circles by those promoting the need for tort reform. [20]. In response to this, the â€Å"Cheeseburger Bill† [21] was passed by the U. S. House of Representatives in 2004; it later stalled in the U. S. Senate. The law was reintroduced in 2005, only to meet the same fate. This law was claimed to â€Å"[ban] frivolous lawsuits against producers and sellers of food and non-alcoholic drinks arising from obesity claims. † The bill arose because of an increase in lawsuits against fast food chains by people who claimed that eating their products made them obese, disassociating themselves from any of the blame. Fast foodFast food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in a restaurant or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for take-out/take-away. The term â€Å"fast food† was recognized in a dictionary by Merriam–Webster in 1951. Outlets may be stands or kiosks, which may provide no shelter or seating,[1] or fast food restaurants (also known as quick service restaurants). Franchise operations which are part of restaurant chains have standardized foodstuffs shipped to each restaurant from central locations History. Pulling wheat dough into thin strands to form lamian See also: Fast food restaurant history The concept of ready-cooked food for sale is closely connected with urban development. In Ancient Rome cities had street stands that sold bread, sausages and wine. Pre-modern EuropeIn the cities of Roman antiquity, much of the urban population living in insulae, multi-story apartment blocks, depended on food vendors for much of their meals. In the mornings, bread soaked in wine was eaten as a quick snack and cooked vegetables and stews later inpopina, a simple type of eating establishment. [3] In the Middle Ages, large towns and major urban areas such as London and Paris supported numerous vendors that sold dishes such as pies, pasties, flans, waffles, wafers, pancakes and cooked meats. As in Roman cities during antiquity, many of these establishments catered to those who did not have means to cook their own food, particularly single households. Unlike richer town dwellers, many often could not afford housing with kitchen facilities and thus relied on fast food. Travellers, as well, such as pilgrims en route to a holy site, were among the customers. [4] United Kingdom Fish and chips with mushy peas In areas which had access to coastal or tidal waters, ‘fast food’ would frequently include local shellfish or seafood, such as oysters or, as in London, eels. Often this seafood would be cooked directly on the quay or close by. [5] The development of trawler fishing in the mid nineteenth century would lead to the development of a British favourite fish and chips, and the first shop in 1860. [6] A blue plaque at Oldham’s Tommyfield Market marks the origin of the fish and chip shop and fast food industries in Britain. [6] British fast food had considerable regional variation. Sometimes the regionality of dish became part of the culture of its respective area. The content of fast food pies has varied, with poultry (such as chickens) or wildfowl commonly being used. After World War II, turkey has been used more frequently in fast food. [7] As well as its native cuisine, the UK has adopted fast food from other cultures, such as pizza, Chinese noodles, kebab, and curry. More recently healthier alternatives to conventional fast food have also emerged. United States. Neighboring fast food restaurant advertisement signs in Bowling Green, Kentucky for Wendy’s, KFC, Krystal and Taco Bell As automobiles became popular and more affordable following World War I, drive-in restaurants were introduced. The American company White Castle, founded by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson in Wichita, Kansas in 1921, is generally credited with opening the second fast food outlet and first hamburger chain, selling hamburgers for five cents each. [8] Walter Anderson had built the first White Castle restaurant in Wichita in 1916, introducing the limited menu, high volume, low cost, high speed hamburger restaurant. [9] Among its innovations, the company allowed customers to see the food being prepared. White Castle was successful from its inception and spawned numerous competitors. Franchising was introduced in 1921 by A&W Root Beer, which franchised its distinctive syrup. Howard Johnson’s first franchised the restaurant concept in the mid-1930s, formally standardizing menus, signage and advertising. [9] Curb service was introduced in the late 1920s and was mobilized in the 1940s when carhops strapped on roller skates. [10]. The United States has the largest fast food industry in the world, and American fast food restaurants are located in over 100 countries. Approximately 2 million U. S. workers are employed in the areas of food preparation and food servicing including fast food in the USA. [11] On the go McDonald’s first two-lane drive-thru was at the Rock N Roll McDonald’s in Chicago. Fast food outlets are take-away or take-out providers, often with a â€Å"drive-through† service which allows customers to order and pick up food from their cars, but most also have indoor and/or outdoor seating areas in which the customers can eat the food on-site. Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eate.

Bruce Dawe Poem Essay

Good morning/afternoon everyone. I am sure that many of you will agree with me, after studying and discussing in class war poetry, that war is destructive; it destroys properties and lives. It is also the meaning if not dehumanizing as Owen in his ‘Dulce et Decorum Est' has pointed out. The violence and destructiveness of war reduces men in the battlefield into something less than human; they are stripped of their dignity. Ultimately as Owen points out in his poem, war is senseless or futile. Whatever the reason for going to war, it's not justification enough for the senseless slaughter of young lives. Owen, as you know, has great ability in challenging the responders senses, to experience the horror of war. He allows us to see, to hear, to feel, to smell, even to taste the ugliness of war. Thus we see a group of soldiers trudging the muddy tracks blindly to safety. They are ‘drunk with fatigue' and Owen captures their dehumanization by a series of similes. They are ‘bent double, like old beggars, coughing like hags' and ‘deaf' to the sound and fury of guns and gas shells dropping around them. I still can visualize and hear their panic reaction to the chlorine gas and those who are not quick enough to put on their mask, literally drown in what Owen calls the ‘green sea' and our auditory sense is challenged by the guttering, the choking and the convulsed sobs. You will agree with me for sure, that the image that Owen conjures up of the victim of the chlorine gas is no less than grotesquely horrible. We see the ‘white eyes writhing' in his agony and the convulsions that are followed by the blood that comes gargling out of the victim's ‘froth corrupted lungs. Again a simile is used ‘bitter as the cud of vile,' effectively giving us the ‘awful taste' of the situation. I know of one other poet who also condemns war and who can effectively communicate the horror of war and the senselessness of it, simply by challenging our senses. Kenneth Slessor, like Wilfred Owen, has a strong indictment of war, if Owen's tone in his poem is angry because, for him , ‘Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori' which since the time of Horace was used by authorities to entice men to fight for their country – it is a big ie. From the images that he conjures in this poem, there is nothing glorious about dying in such an indignified, brutal and senseless way. In contrast, Kenneth Slessor's tone in his ‘Beach Burial' is elegiac; he laments the destructiveness, the dehumanizing effect and the futility of war like Owen, although his anger is tempered and what we get is a tone of frustration, he communicates just as powerfully an antiwar message. His ‘Beach Burial' presents a dramatic situation in which a group of dead sailors floats towards the beach at El Alamein in the Middle East. The dehumanization motif comes almost strikingly because the sailors is at the mercy of the sea, no longer in control of their lives, but subject to the ebb and the flow of the sea. The fact that they are ‘unknown seamen,' a mixture of allied and axis soldiers probably highlights the senselessness of war. A man who takes pity on the dead ‘snatched them from the water' and bury them in burrows along the beach. Clearly, the image portrayed here is one of dehumanization and responders feel great pity for them in realizing that these sailors ultimate protection is to be found within the earth as animals find comfort in the safety of their burrows. Slessor's irony is obvious in the way he describes the situation; ‘Between the sob and clubbing of the gunfire, Someone, it seems, has time for this, To pluck them from the shallows and bury them in burrows And tread the sand upon their nakedness' Our auditory sense is challenged by the words ‘sob' and ‘clubbing' in this line so that we can hear the destruction of war. When Slessor uses the word ‘pluck' to describe the man's action of removing the bodies from the water to be buried, I am reminded of the soldier smothered in gas in Owen's poem being ‘flung' behind a wagon. Both poets certainly capture the unceremonious brutality of war. The futility of war is further highlighted by the man's bewilderment, not knowing what name to write on the crudely made tidewood crosses that he used for each grave. ‘Unknown seaman' is the only thing he can think to write. And, at this point the voice of the poet is clearly mournful, as suggested by the repetition of the word ‘such' and the tone; ‘Written with such perplexity, with such bewildered pity, The words choke as they begin' Certainly there is no glory in either their death or their burial for their memorial, only stresses their anonymity. The ultimate senselessness of it all is captured in the last stanza; ‘Dead seamen, gone in search of the same landfall, Whether as enemies they fought, Or fought with us, or neither, the sand joins them together, Enlisted on the other front' In life these sailor soldiers where able to live together without enmity, but now in death they are peacefully united; they have come from so many lands and end up in the same landfall somewhere on the beach of El Alamein. I believe we should take the message of both Owen and Slessor seriously that war destroys, that it robs us of our human dignity, and that it is ultimately senseless. Both poets have experienced the horror of war, Owen as a lieutenant in the British army in WWI and Slessor as an Australian Official War Correspondent in the Middle East during WWII. If belligerent or war-like world leaders of today study these poems, I am sure the world will be a better place to live in.

Entrepreneurial Leadership Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Entrepreneurial Leadership - Coursework Example This essay describes the entrepreneurial leadership, that helps to grow our society. It involves instilling the confidence to take risks, initiative, responsibility and creativity. Case, Kouzes and Drucker recognized the importance and type of approach individuals need in pursuing entrepreneurial leadership. We will examine these three different theories/ philosophies and the highlighted components, which ultimately will formulate a new definition of entrepreneurial leadership. Additionally, entrepreneurs can access a wide pool of resources accessible via the website SCORE and Small Business Administration (SBA). Moreover, we will discuss the Small Business Administration, which provides useful information to entrepreneurs that are beneficial, especially to business persons just starting. Large and small businesses have access to online tools and resources on the SCORE and Small Business Administration website. The most resourceful one is the workshops geared towards building a busin ess plan. A business plan plays numerous roles, here are the following: demonstrates to entrepreneurs the feasibility of starting a business, demonstrate the tools needed to launch the business, it will highlight the cost of starting, it can open doors to funding agencies and individuals, for example, investors and it will show the intended customers or audience. Hence, all other important practices that come into play; such as, coaching, team building and motivating will fail if there is no solid plan.

Course work Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Course work - Coursework Example Josies firm practices ________ marketing. 24) Some fast-food restaurants offer tasty and convenient food at affordable prices, but in doing so they contribute to the national obesity epidemic and environmental problems. These fast-food restaurants overlook the ________ concept. 25) ________ marketing is socially and environmentally responsible marketing that meets the present needs of consumers and businesses while also preserving or enhancing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. 28) Nickson released a new range of watches that were titled after the famous mountaineer Adam Wills. These new watches were promoted through claims that the design is a favorite of Adam Wills who used a similar watch designed by Nickson for its high durability and quality on his expeditions. Such a measure to entice customers to buy ones products aims at creating ________. 30) Ryan attempts to deliver customer satisfaction every day in his installation business, Audio Expressions. The key to achieving this goal is to match the customer-perceived performance of his product with ________ Marketing is more of a social and managerial process through which either individuals or groups of people get what they want or need by producing and exchanging products and value with others; than just â€Å"telling and selling. It is a technique of combining products produced or services offered with value, satisfaction, quality, availability, price and needs, wants and demands from customers while pursuing the firm’s objectives (Kotler and Gray, 2009, p. 281). Consequently, marketing can be defined as management of markets in such a way that brings about exchanges whose aim is satisfying both customers’ needs and wants. Therefore, it is not just the act of telling and selling of products or services, but, a way of making people understand the product will give them solutions to their utility level, promoting as a way of creating

Transsexual Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Transsexual - Research Paper Example Negative, unoptimistic views towards transsexualism and prejudice normally accompany a number of cultural values or religious beliefs. There are traditions, which have no obscurity accepting individuals who switch gender. In fact, they hold them with high standards such as promoting them to leaders of the Two-Spirit individuals found amongst a number of Native American tribal groups (Ekins & King, 2006). The National Center for Transgender Equality estimates that one percent of the United States population is a transsexual population (Garcia & Swaab, 2008). It can be extremely wearisome and scary knowing that someone’s is different, but does not know why. Comprehending the nature of these distinctions can feel both frightening and empowering at the same time. Many transsexuals live in a â€Å"closeted† world hiding from who they are and convincing themselves that their thoughts are provoked by an over-active imagination. Even though, not everyone might support transsexu als, it is vital that they acknowledge and respect who they are, regardless of what others think. Diagnosis Transsexualism can be seen in the two main diagnostic manuals utilized by mental health experts globally, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). ICD defines transsexualism as an urge to live as a member of the opposite gender and still be acknowledged as a member of that sex, normally accompanied by a feeling of uneasiness with one’s God-given sex. APA does not differentiate between transsexualism and sex identity disorder, and explains transvestic fetishism as a distinct fact, which might co-occur with transsexualism. The APA diagnosis needs four components: An insistence or desire that someone is of the opposite biological sex. Proof of constant discomfort with the person’s biological sex The individual is not intersex Proof of clinically important impairment or distress in social or work life. Process of Diagnosis The recent diagnosis of for transsexuals who offer themselves for mental treatment is gender identity disorder (APA, 2000). This diagnostic label is normally vital to acquire sex reassignment psychotherapy with health insurance coverage. The labeling of gender identity disorders as psychological illness is not an authorization for discrimination such people. It does not also permit for the deprivation of transsexuals’ civil rights. Nevertheless, some individuals diagnosed with the disorder do not wish for sex reassignment therapy at all (Green, 2004). Whereas some consider that formal diagnosis assist in stopping discrimination, others consider that it simply adds stigma, feeling that the diagnosis is equal to claiming something is wrong with transsexuals (Green, 2004). The management of "gender identity disorder" is perceived as an insulting and inappropriate endeavor to some transsexuals, and might be regarded a causal matter in cases of harm occurring to tran ssexuals due to discrimination and prejudice when they are deprived of their own civil rights. A lot of transsexuals have requested the APA to eliminate Gender Identity Disorder from their guide (APA, 2000). These transsexuals feel that some