Kite Runner by J. D. Sallinger - 1245 Words

The main character of the Kite Runner is an Afghan boy named Amir and his family, including his servants, Hassan and Ali. At the start of the book, Amir and Hassan are about 12 years old and live in a new, wealthier part of Afghanistan because Amir’s father (Baba) is a big business man in Afghanistan, so he is wealthier. Amir is a Pashtun, which means he is a Sunni Muslim, while Hassan is a Hazara, which means he is a Shia Muslim. This means that the two would’ve been enemies most likely if they had not grown up together from the day they were born (not the same day, of course). Amir repeatedly says that Hassan is his brother because they were both nursed and breast fed by the same women, and that creates a special bond between two boys, even though Amir and Hassan are not biologically related in any way. Amir and Hassan grew up together the way that Baba and Ali (Amir’s father and Hassan’s father respectively) had a generation before them-they were brothe rs no matter the religion or history of violence between the two different groups of Muslims. Amir is literate and can read and write because he is Pashtun, while Ali and Hassan cannot because they are Hazara, so during the summer, spring, and fall months, Amir goes to school and Hassan stays home to do laundry, clean, and do other various chores. During the winter, it is kite flying season. Amir and Hassan used to build their own kites for the kite flying contests, but after they figured out that they weren’t really

Argumentative Essay on Cigarette Smoking Free Essays

â€Å"Cigarette smoking in the Philippines should be banned because it poses a great threat to the health of the family members† Argumentative essay I. Introduction A. It has been an increasing concern about the effects of smoking in the family. We will write a custom essay sample on Argumentative Essay on Cigarette Smoking or any similar topic only for you Order Now B. Cigarette smoking not only affects the smoker but also the others around the smoker. II. Body (Discuss the issue) A. Smoking is mostly caused by sociocultural factors. * They smoke to gain adult status. * They smoke to conform to their social group. B. Smoking causes cancer and other respiratory diseases. C. When there is a smoker in the family; it is most likely that the members of the family will be influenced by smoking. III. Cigarette smoking should be banned to decrease the health threats. Cigarette smoking is the inhalation of gases and hydrocarbon vapors generated by slowly burning tobacco in cigarettes. The harmful substances found in cigarettes and cigars are the carbon monoxide, nicotine, and tar. Carbon monoxide is the gas that impairs the capacity of the blood to supply adequate amounts of oxygen to the vital organs of the body and is responsible for the shortness of breath among smokers. Nicotine is the substance that creates dependence on tobacco and is responsible in raising blood pressure and heart rate. The tar is the brownish viscous substance found in smoke known to be a cancer-causing agent. Cigarette smoking is a major cause of preventable diseases and premature death. Smoking has been associated with lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Taking in a lot of these chemicals harms your body in severe ways. You will have incurable diseases and suffer from it. Most of the smokers know that already, they just can’t quit yet because of its addicting content. But, they do need to be aware that cigarette smoking causes harm not only to the smoker but also to the people around him. It has been an increasing concern about the effects of the smoking habits of a family member to other members of the family. Secondhand smoke also known as passive smoke, â€Å"is a mixture of 2 forms of smoke that comes from burning tobacco: Sidestream smoke (smoke that comes from the lighted end of a cigarette and mainstream smoke (smoke exhaled by a smoker)† (â€Å"Secondhand smoke,† 2011). It is passive smoking when non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke (â€Å"Secondhand smoke,† 2011).. When they inhale secondhand smoke, they take in nicotine and other chemicals just like the smokers do (â€Å"Secondhand smoke,† 2011). According to the quittersguide, â€Å"secondhand smoke immediately affects the heart and blood circulation, and over time it causes heart disease and lung cancer† (quittersguide, 2008). Smoking is mostly caused by the sociocultural factor. They smoke because they need to fit in with their social group who smoke (Cortes, 2011). It is because some think when you are smoking cigarettes, you would look cool. For teens, they smoke because they want to attain adult status (Cortes, 1998). Some teens think that if you smoke cigarettes, you would look mature because normally, adults smoke but now even teens do it. Sometimes, they learn how to smoke because of curiosity. A Youth Tobacco Survey by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Philippine Chapter has been conducted among grade school and high school students in Metro Manila. Dr. Lopez said that â€Å"the DOH survey found that an estimated 42 per cent students have tried smoking cigarettes, with 15 per cent admitting they smoked their first stick before reaching the age of 10. Twenty-two per cent, practically the same as the ACCP survey s 18. per cent, admitted to being current smokers. † (â€Å"Cigarette smoking among teens is high,† 2006) In addition to that the DOH also found out that exposure to cigarette smoking in the environment is very high with 60 per cent of parents of the respondents smoking at home. Peer influence also came up with 3 out of 4 students reported that their friends s moke in their presence (â€Å"Cigarette smoking among teens is high,† 2006). Ye (2001) stated, â€Å"The tobacco or cigarette is the most substantial and successful economic enterprises † (p. 1). It provides jobs and gains taxes for the government (Ye, 2001). Cigarette production greatly helps the country’s economy as well as being an import and export material. However, effects of cigarette smoking turned bad. According to Bihari (2007), It was 1950 when the first major evidence that links cigarette smoking to serious studies by Doll and Hill (1950) and Wynder and Graham (1950). In July 1954, Reader’s Digest published a lead article (Miller Monahan, 1954) that exposes the health hazards of smoking by linking smoking and lung cancer (Bihari, 2007). The results were a drastic decline on cigarette consumption per head (Bihari, 2007). By 1955, cigarette consumption rose again. Although there have been an increasing number of medical studies linking smoking to serious diseases such as cancer and respiratory diseases, the government began to consider measure to control smoking (Bihari, 2007). Smoking is a major factor in heart diseases and â€Å"seems to be the most common factor in an environment which leads to heart attack† (Andrada, 1993). Even though the government was largely swayed by the tobacco lobby, they began to take action because of the pressures from anti-smoking lobby and the growing concerns of concerned people (Bihari, 2007). They have already put a ban on advertising cigarettes on television and other types of Medias (Mizrahy, 1998). Even from constant reminders from the media, the anti-smoking people and even the cigarette package has a warning, many people are still smoking. A member in the family who is a smoker immediately harms other members of the family. Children in particular are much more sensitive to secondhand smoke (â€Å"smoking and your family,† 2008). Risks of asthma, ear infection and lung diseases increases when they are exposed to secondhand smoke (â€Å"Smoking and your family,† 2008). Some of these problems can be serious and even life-threatening. Others may seem like small problems, but they add up quickly: think of the expenses, doctor visits, medicines, lost school time, and often lost work time for the parent who must take the child to the doctor† (Secondhand smoke, 2011) Some people when they smoke at home, they are aware that it is their body that they are d estroying. However, they are not aware that it is not only them that are harmed, but also the other people around them especially their family (quittersguide, 2008). According to Bantle and Haisken-DeNew (2002), â€Å"We find strong evidence, that parental smoking significantly increases the probability that their children likewise become smokers. Youths living in families with both parents smoking are 3. 3 times more likely to smoke themselves, while a smoking father raises the probability by the factor 2. 8 and a smoking mother by the factor 2. 1. † It is also agreed by quittersguide (2008) that the children of smokers are most likely to be smokers but they will probably start in their teens which may make it difficult for them to quit. When parents smoke, it is also most likely that the addiction will be passed from one member to another so that the whole family will be smokers. Tolerant attitudes of parent towards smoking creates higher smoking risks while parents who do not approve of smoking and â€Å"does not make it known are less likely to raise children who smoke†(OMalley, 2010). So, why won’t we ban cigarette smoking and its production? It is because of production of this provides jobs and gains taxes for the government (Ye, 2001). Moreover, some officials won’t permit to it because they work for the government and the government gains taxes from those who buy cigarettes. Additionally, if you ban cigarette production, circulation, buying and selling, addicted cigarette smokers will go crazy because cigarette contains nicotine which is addictive and relatively damages the brain so it will be hard to ban. But, even if it provides jobs and gains taxes for the government which is a good thing economically, the result of the product they produce harms and kills people even though the some of the people are not into smoking. So, it would be a good thing to ban cigarettes and find a new source of income like those handmade stuff or they research about a new product to manufacture which will be a hit, at the same time not dangerous. The government has taken 17 years(1987) when the first bill on anti-smoking was introduced in the Philippines for it to be passed into law (Mercado, 2010). It should be clear that cigarette smoking should be banned in the Philippines because of the effects poses a great threat to the people. Fortunately, some voices were heard some provisions were made that smoking will be banned in public places (Tan, 2011). And, what should be done is that smoking should be discouraged to the people. References: Bihari S, B. A. , M. S. W. , M. C. M. , M. S. A. E. (2007). History of government regulation on cigarette industry. Essays on the Effect of Government Intervention on the Conduct and Performance of Cigarette Firms. Retrieved from http://0-proquest. umi. com. lib1000. dlsu. edu. ph/pqdlink? RQT=306;TS=1313073324;clientId=47883 Ye, Y. (2001). Introduction. A Microeconometric Analysis of Cigarette Consumption. Retrieved from http://0-proquest. umi. com. lib1000. dlsu. edu. ph/pqdlink? RQT=306;TS=1313 How to cite Argumentative Essay on Cigarette Smoking, Essays

CSR Strategies Corporate Social Responsibility

Question: Discuss about the CSR Strategies for Corporate Social Responsibility. Answer: Introduction: In the recent years, a new trend has emerged in which the business organizations are identifying the viability of adopting green and environmental-friendly initiatives. The application of environmental-friendly processes creates a healthy environment for the employees, increases customer loyalty and reduces waste. It is also related to the image development and building. The business organizations also realize that it is their duty to contribute back to the society from where it generates its profits. At present, the environmental-friendly activities of the organizations are names as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities. There are numerous reasons that motivate a business organization to take the plunge to become environmental-friendly organization (Hart, 2009). Future Fuel, Colorado is a small oil company. The top management and the CEO of the company are focused to create an environmental-friendly organization. The company realizes that sustainability practices are not only beneficial for reducing the operational costs but also foster innovation in the organization (Urip, 2010). The mission of the organization is to provide quality services to the customers and contributing to the society as a whole. The sustainability practices of the organization are integral in supporting the society and giving back to the community. With the sustainable practices, an organization can foster innovation, reduces its expense and can step forward towards the sustainable development of the society. The sustainable practices allow the organization to progress without compromising the interest of the future generations. The goodwill obtained through the environmental protection and the sustainable practices will assist the organization in attaining new customers and establishing a brand name (Roettgers, 2011). In the present, the organization is supportive towards the initiatives regarding environmental protection and sustainable development. However, the present stand of the organization is more passive and it does not actively indulge in the environmental protection activities. The present stand often comes out as a neutral stand as the company has not yet taken any strong initiative for the environmental protection. The current corporate philosophy of the organization suggests that the company must strongly support the environmental initiatives. Currently, the company is making a substantial financial investment in the research regarding the identification of new sustainable energy resources (Hart, 2009). Nonetheless, the organization is also indebted to pay back to its shareholders. Currently the organization, being a small business enterprise, is making significant progress in the oil industry. The profitability ratio of the company is at par with the size of the firm. However, if the company wants to grow it has to invest heavily on the inclusion of the sustainability practices in the organization. The present profits of the company are limited; however, adopting the green practices will reduce its operational costs in the long run. Various companies are adopting green methods to attain competitive advantage over other firms in similar industry. Sustainability practices increases customer confidence and employee engagement with the firm (May, Cheney, and Roper, 2007). Going green is the new trend among the business organizations. The companies are quickly adopting the sustainability practices due to the increased customer awareness and government control. If Future Fuel does not ch ange with time, it will become obsolete and collapse wit time. Present is the high time that the company adopt these practices (Roettgers, 2011). Although the investment in research and development and equipping the sites with the solar and energy power systems will be huge financial burden on the company initially, it will provide benefits in the long term. Using the renewable energy resources will reduce the operational costs of the organization. The company will also get benefitted by the reduced energy bills. Using these energy resources will also reduce the amount of waste generated in the sites which will reduce the cost associated with the waste management to the company. It has been approximated that the financial investment made by the company in attaining the sustainability practices will be compensated in the coming decade. Then after, the cost saving by the company will be transformed into the companys profit. Other than that, the company may boost its image in the inter national and national marketplace by adopting the sustainability practices. It will be beneficial for the company in the upcoming future expansion plans (Wills, 2011). Conclusively, it can be stated that adopting the sustainability practices are beneficial for the business organizations. Future Fuel, Colorado should also adopt the green practices to achieve competitive advantage. The sustainability practices are beneficial for the organizations in uplifting their image, increasing their operational cost and increasing consumer confidence. Although the adoption of the sustainability initiatives is costlier for the organization, in the long run it reduces organizations expenditure. References Hart, T. (2009). Nonprofit Guide to Going Green. London: John Wiley and Sons. May, S.K., Cheney, G. and Roper, J. (2007). The Debate over Corporate Social Responsibility. Oxford University Press. Roettgers, F. (2011). Going Green Together: How to Align Employees with Green Strategies. Environmental Pioneers. Urip, S. (2010). CSR Strategies: Corporate Social Responsibility for a Competitive Edge in Emerging Markets. John Wiley Sons. Wills, B. (2011). Green Intentions: Creating a Green Value Stream to Compete and Win. CRC Press.