Intersexuality And Scripture Essays - Gender, Sex, Intersex

Intersexuality And Scripture Essays - Gender, Sex, Intersex Intersexuality And Scripture Intersexuality and Scripture Sally Gross As a brute physical phenomenon, the bodiliness of people like us who are born intersexed challenges cherished assumptions about sex and gender made by many people within Western society. A variety of social institutions, including the dominant canons of medical practice and conceptions, much of the domain of the law itself, and some of the religious teachings which have loomed so large in the history of the West, tend strongly to support the notion that sex and gender is a dichotomy, and that any given human being is either deterninately and unequivocally male or determinately and unequivocally female. Congenitally intersexed physicality gives the lie to this dichotomous model of sex and gender. It is scant wonder, therefore, that fundamentalist Christians, who could be expected strongly to support the dichotomy which looms so large in the idealised model of the family, should feel threatened by the phenomenon of intersexuality and should seek to find religious arguments against it. It is not uncommon for Christian fundamentalists, faced with intersexuality as a brute fact, to adduce scriptural grounds for the condemnation of avowed intersexuality, at least, as ''unnatural'' and as something which is at odds with the will of God as expressed in the order of creation. This theological condemnation of lived intersexual identities also finds expression in unconditional support for surgical interventions, as early as possible, aimed at making the unacceptably ambiguous bodies of intersexed infants and children conform to the dichotomous model, in which there is no room whatsoever for ambiguity. This apparently religiously-motivated endorsement of surgery is insensitive to the fact that in most cases surgery is not necessitated by any real threat to the life or health of the infant, so that it is purely cosmetic in character. It is also insensitive to the fact that such aesthetically-driven surgical interventions frequently give rise to medical problems later in lif e, and can therefore be directly detrimental to the health of an otherwise flourishing intersexed person. Two Biblical proof-texts in particular tend to be cited as part of this rejection of intersexual identities and to show that intersexed bodies must be cut into conformity with the male/female dichotomy. The first of these texts is Genesis 1:27: ''So God created man [the Hebrew is ''Adam''] in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.'' This is claimed to show that human beings are, by virtue of the divine ordering of creating itself, either male and not female or female and not male, and that nothing intermediate or ambiguous is sanctioned. The second of these proof-texts is Numbers 5:3 which, in connexion with those who contract particular ritual defilements, commands that ''you shall put out both male and female''. Those who brandish this verse note that ''both male and female'' means everyone, and that this implies that there can be no-one who is not unambiguously male or unambiguously female. Both proof-texts, but particularly Genesis 1:27, are cited in defence of an absolute division between the sexes which will not tolerate anything in between. Let us therefore look at Genesis 1:27. I am not personally a Biblical literalist, and doubt that the two Biblical stories of creation (a priestly account, in Genesis 1:1 - 2:3, and what is called the Yahwist's account, in Genesis 2:4 - 2:24) were even intended to be taken literally. For all that, it is interesting to note that Genesis 1:27, the proof-text for Biblical literalists who wish to argue that hermaphroditism is somehow unnatural or unscriptural, is perhaps more ''herm-friendly'' than many Biblical literalists realise or than translations suggest; and there are early Jewish exegetical traditions which undermine its use as a scriptural rejection of intersex identity. Genesis 1:27 and Numbers 5:3 (which also has a section which the RSV translated as: ''both male and female'', used as synonymous with ''everyone'') have sometimes been thrown at me in order to argue that God created all human beings determinately male or determinately female with nothing in-between. It has been used, in my experience, to argue that a person like me does not satisfy the Biblical criterion of humanity, from which it was inferred that I am

How to Conjugate Influencer (to Influence) in French

How to Conjugate Influencer (to Influence) in French As you might suspect, the French verb  influencer  means to influence. Yet, when you want to say influenced in the past tense or influencing in the present tense, youll need to know how to conjugate the verb. A quick lesson will introduce you to the most important conjugations youll need. The Basic Conjugations of  Influencer French verb conjugations are not the easiest lessons and some are more challenging than others. Influencer is a spelling change verb and that may sound scary at first, but its not bad and theres a good reason for it. The spelling change affects the  c  at the end of the verb stem  influenc-. Typically, when that letter is followed by the vowels  a  or  o, the sound is hard as in cat. To retain the soft  c  sound in the conjugations with endings that begin with these vowels, the  c  changes to a  Ãƒ §. Other than that minor difference in some verb forms,  influencer  is conjugated like a  regular -er  verb. Using the chart, you can study these conjugations by pairing the subject pronoun with the present, future, and imperfect past tenses. As an example,  jinfluence  means I am influencing and  nous influencions  means we influenced. Present Future Imperfect j' influence influencerai influenà §ais tu influences influenceras influenà §ais il influence influencera influenà §ait nous influenà §ons influencerons influencions vous influencez influencerez influenciez ils influencent influenceront influenà §aient The Present Participle of  Influencer Due to the -ant  ending used to form the  present participle  of  influencer, the spelling change is required here as well. That gives us the word  influenà §ant. Influencer  in the Compound Past Tense Passà © composà ©Ã‚  is another way to say influenced in French. This compound past tense requires the  past participle  influencà ©Ã‚  and an auxiliary verb. To form this, conjugate  avoir  into the present tense for the subject, then add  influencà ©. This leaves us with phrases such as  jai influencà ©Ã‚  (I influenced) and  nous avons influencà ©Ã‚  (we influenced). More Simple Conjugations of  Influencer Among the other simple conjugations, you may need for  influencer  are  the subjunctive  and  the conditional. Both give the act of influencing some uncertainty, though the conditional says it will only happen under certain conditions. If you read or write much French, you will likely encounter  the passà © simple  and  the imperfect subjunctive. These are literary tenses and used frequently in formal French writing. Subjunctive Conditional Passà © Simple Imperfect Subjunctive j' influence influencerais influenà §ai influenà §asse tu influences influencerais influenà §as influenà §asses il influence influencerait influenà §a influenà §Ãƒ ¢t nous influencions influencerions influenà §Ãƒ ¢mes influenà §assions vous influenciez influenceriez influenà §Ãƒ ¢tes influenà §assiez ils influencent influenceraient influencà ¨rent influenà §assent It is possible that you will find some uses for  influencer  in  the French imperative.  When you do use it, all formality is dropped and you can skip the subject pronoun. Imperative (tu) influence (nous) influenà §ons (vous) influencez

Macro12C Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macro12C - Essay Example The unemployment rate reached a minimum of 5.5% from 7.5% at the start of term of President Reagan. The real median income for families increased to nearly $41,000 at the end of term; this was significantly higher than 10 years before and 10 years after President Reagan’s term. Inflation touched a minimum of 2% in 1986 and ended at 5% in 1989 compared to 11% at start of term in 1981. The growth of government spending was 1% during president Reagan’s term compared to 3.5% before him and 4.5% after him. Real income tax revenues increased by 16.3% even after top income tax rate had been reduced from 70% to 50% in 1983 and to 28% in 1986. The nominal federal revenues increased from $517 billion in 1981 to $1.031 trillion in 1989. On the downside, however, Reaganomics was used when US was at peace at the time, yet the national debt increased from 26.3% of GDP in 1981 to 42.3% in 1989. Secondly, the savings rate fell from 8% to 6.5% during president Reagan’s term as a result of his economic policies. Thirdly, the rich got even richer and the poor got even poorer. Reaganomics largely believed that if more wealth was given to the rich, they would re-invest this money, which did not really happen. Given the positive and the negative outcomes of Reaganomics, it can be said that while Reaganomics did work well for the years it was in force, it wasn’t a very sustainable economic policy as it relied mainly on increasing national debt to cover for the economic growth. Q2: Show graphically the effects on macro economy of a sharp rise in OPEC oil prices in a. the short run. b. the long run. How do you account for the differences in your answers to parts a and b? A sharp increase in OPEC oil prices occurs due to a supply shock that is a sudden drop in supply of oil. Below figures show its effects in the short and long-run. Short-run effect of a sharp increase in oil price is illustrated in figure 1 below: Figure 1. Short-run effect of Sharp increase in oil prices In the short-run, the supply shock causes price levels to increase due to inflation caused by high oil prices not only on oil dependant industries but also on transportation of goods and services. This leads to a drop in total output as well as price levels have increased but the wages have not in the short-run – leading to stagflation. Thus, the short-run effect is an increase in price levels and a decrease in total output. Figure 2. Long-run effect of a sharp increase in oil prices Due to increase in inflation in the short-run, unemployment starts to increase. Wages start to decrease. This leads companies to start hiring people. Also, the short-run effects bring about economic policy changes by the governments that are targeted to increase the output and to reduce inflation – which could be an increased government spending and/or decrease in interest rate. As the inflation comes under control, the real wages start to increase. This leads to an increase in demand in the long-run and the net effect is that

Describe your Out of Class Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Describe your Out of Class Experience - Essay Example school period is something not many people do normally and especially when the examinations are near and usually the norm is to be found strictly in reading zones. This was a new experience for me and also for the few friends I was with as i had never done anything like this as I am always busy in the libraries and engaging in group discussions just before an exam which builds up the pressure and tension making remembering harder. This was the exact opposite during this experience as I got to remember even without much reference to class notes and discussions. The insight I got from this whole experience was that education is possible anywhere as long as one puts their mind to what they are studying or being taught and is relaxed. It was during my summer holiday break last year, when i had an opportunity to experience another out of class experience by attend a seminar that is related to my course in school and that was being held near my home town. The seminar was a five days affair with five different motivational guest speakers most of whom were born in that town and had become successful in their careers. The aim of the seminar was to motivate and encourage the students pursuing this course and who are from my home town not to dwell on their backgrounds but think about the future and how they could change that whichever way they wanted. These were ideal speakers as they had experienced almost all the trials, tribulations and joys that are present in this town and hence the far they reached and whatever they had achieved by the time the seminar was being conducted was possible for the students residing in this location. This got me to start dreaming big about my future and how all the challenges I was currently facing in school and in life as a result of the geographical locations should not be a hindrance but act as a stepping stone towards a bright future. I even got one of the speakers to be my role model to help me in achieving this dream and

Dialogue Essay - Ron was Unhappy :: Dialogue Essays

Dialogue Essay - Ron was Unhappy Ron was unhappy with the way his life had turned out. He had always expected to be a celebrity; a wealthy celebrity. He had not realized that this would probably require a lot of hard work and discipline. He had depended on luck. Luck had let him down. As he looked back on his short life, he could see how often he had had the opportunity to take luck by the throat. But those opportunities were past now. His life no longer had the prospect of wealth or celebrity. He had been born to a couple of teenagers. They had never really grown up the whole time he’d known them. He was the mature one of the family, and he resented this. He had no brothers or sisters. His parents, though alive, were no longer together, and he felt as if he was all alone in the world. Holidays divided between different households was difficult for him to come to terms with. It robbed the holidays of the joy he so much wanted them to hold. He had long ago decided to forgo holidays altogether, not because they no longer had any meaning for him, but because they meant so much. He refused to see them turned into tugs-of-war. Ron had joined the service as soon as he got out of high school, not because he wanted to, but because he didn’t really have anything better to do, and no place better to do it. He was not a model soldier. He was in and out of trouble, but somehow managed to get out with an honorable discharge. He still had nothing better to do. He finally found himself a job in a factory. Nothing too demanding, and perhaps a little demeaning to his intelligence. But it kept him fed. He didn’t hate his job, but he had no loyalty to it. He smoked a little too much. He loved his cigarettes. He didn’t think he was addicted, and would quit from time to time, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months, and twice for a couple of years. But he loved tobacco. He knew it might kill him someday, but this did not cause his affection to waver. He also loved women. They seemed to love him as well. At least those who could get close to him. But there was something about him that they could not penetrate, no matter how much or how often they tried.

Product Team Cialis Getting Ready to Market Essay

Q1. In 2002, Viagra was the only clinically proven, FDA approved medication for Erectile Dysfunction (ED) on the market (Cialis – Dec 2003, Levitra – Sept 2003). Viagra had the highest brand recognition of any pharmaceutical product on the market. It had generated over one billion dollars in annual sales for 3 consecutive years since its introduction in 1998. In 2002, Viagra accounted for 5.3% ($1.73 billion) in sales of Pfizer’s annual Revenue of $32.37 billion, compared to 4.3% ($1.3 billion) of total revenue ($29.5 billion) in 2000. Viagra was expected to continue to lead the ED market due to its unsurpassed medical profile. Future Viagra sales growth was expected to come from increased patient presentation and physician diagnosis. Direct-to-consumer advertising has been effective in encouraging more customers to see a physician about ED. Even though Lilly ICOS and Bayer were in the process of bringing their products to market, Viagra was the front-runner and expected to retain its advantage in the ED market. A short half-life of approximately 4 hours, interactions with fatty foods, blue visions, and interactions with other medications like nitrates, are considered some of the weaknesses of Viagra. Q2. Our strategic Market segmentation for ED treatment is based on the types of population, by age and sex (socio demographic segmentation). The options available for market segmentation are: the concentration strategy, multi segment strategy, usage segmentation, and cohort segmentation. We believe Cialis should target the following segments: Usage segmentation – Lilly ICOS has the advantage of knowing which group is using ED medications (data from PCP’s, urologists and pharmacies). By using this data readily available, they can not only target the current users, but also the dropouts and dissatisfied customers. A large percentage of Viagra users did not refill the prescription. A significant number of them were not happy with the end-result after taking the medication, since duration of the effect was shorter than expected. Baby boomers (cohort segmentation) – because of increased prevalence of up to 60% of ED within this age group. Psychographic segmentation – age specific (40 – 60+) – as ED is increasingly more common in this age group, varying 20% to 60 %.  Spouse or partners (during their physician office visits) – 80% of the men using ED medication are married or living together. Q3. Cialis could either position itself as a â€Å"Market Challenger† or â€Å"Market Niche.† As a â€Å"Market Challenger,† the introduction of Cialis to the marketplace means that the dominance of Viagra is confronted, having alternatives to treat erectile dysfunction. However, the Lily ICOS team could not ride on this wave alone and would need to create brand recognition and loyalty. For doing so, they would need to ensure that consumers recognized Cialis as the solution to ED and not only as an alternative. The pro for Cialis is that they have a superior product; however, they are up against Viagra, with the reputation as pioneer of ED management in the marketplace. However, as a â€Å"Market Niche,† Cialis could segment their market to incorporate the emotional aspect of the product and its positive social implications in relationships, an aspect which the Viagra marketing team did not address. Therefore, to successfully create this concept, Lily ICOS involved its marketing team early into the development of Cialis, as this would enable them to better understand the core product, its benefits and how it affected the overall psychosocial perception of erectile dysfunction. One of the pitfalls of this approach would be that Cialis, a new product with little or no credibility in the market, would take extensive time and focused marketing effort to build a loyal consumer base. Based on their knowledge of the product, they would create more directed marketing research focusing on the needs, expectations and loyalty of the consumer. In addition, the marketing representatives would approach physicians regularly and remind them to offer Cialis as a potential solution to their patient’s condition and the overall benefits it could have on their social outlook and relationship. Basically, the Lily ICOS team would need to study the reasons why Viagra users were not repeat customers and bridge the gap from an initial user to loyal repeat business. Q4. The goal of the communication plan would be to ensure that Cialis gains credibility as superior product and consumers are pleased with its effect, both immediate and long lasting. Cialis need to demonstrate its potential to stand as an ideal solution to erectile dysfunction, not as an ‘Me too Viagra like’ alternative. Decreased side effects and the extended half-life of Cialis are the major marketing points to communicate (when positioned as â€Å"Market Challenger†); however, the positive social ramifications and increased self-confidence hence forth would add another level of emotional credibility to Cialis (when positioned as â€Å"Market Niche†). Q5. Our goal is to educate married couples and physicians. Patients will play a critical role for this drug to be successful, we need to be focus on their education with Direct to Consumer marketing, choosing programs that are watched by our target age group men who are married or with partners. This includes Television programs, evening news, and leisure sports programming, such as; Golf, fishing, or talk shows like Oprah, which is watched mostly by partners. There should also be emphasis on web-based marketing, including direct email to potential users, AARP sponsored Programs, etc. Advertisement should include magazines that cater to partners, such as; good housekeeping, cooking magazine, etc. Q6. Viagra was priced at $10 per pill. Since we are promoting Cialis as a better product, with its long-lasting effect and less side-effects – no blue vision or issues with meals, we would price it slightly higher. It is important for consumers to know the benefits of Cialis and create the awareness of a superior product. We would not want to price it significantly higher, since it would be difficult for consumers to switch to a new product from a product with a proven track record and marketed by one of the best companies in the Pharmaceutical industry. It is important for consumers to try Cialis, risk-free and feel the difference. This could be accomplished by providing free product samples, once satisfied; they would be the first customers. Q7. Pfizer has a number of options available at its disposal. It could wager the legal challenge stating the significant similarities between the products – a patent infringement lawsuit could be filed. However, Lilly ICOS could argue that there are significant differences in terms of onset, duration of action and food interaction, making Cialis different from Viagra. Pfizer could increase switching costs by incentivizing customers to return to their product. This could be achieved by offering one out of five prescriptions free, or a similar offer. Lowering the price of the prescription could also be considered a preemptive strategy. Lilly ICOS could offer free samples to practitioners during their advertising campaign and possibly offer a similar program later, for the frequent users. Pfizer could consider attracting new customers while using the increased customer awareness triggered by the Cialis marketing campaign. It could present Viagra as a trusted product with a long track record and safety. Pfizer could introduce new educational material about ED. Lilly ICOS could highlight the major differences between Viagra and Cialis, during their physician and DTC campaign. Lilly ICOS could target a specific segment instead of going head-to-head with the power of Viagra’s blockbuster title. Cialis could target couples, with a strong message towards intimacy and strong, durable relationships. This could result in increased marketing efficiency, as both partners would be targeted – avoiding the head-on competition with Viagra, which primarily targeted males.

Analysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell - 1369 Words

Present Day 1984 The book 1984 by George Orwell takes place in the fictitious dystopian country of Oceania. Orwell warns readers of the grim future that will occur if the government continues to use surveillance, propaganda, and manipulation. The world that Orwell paints is one that is greatly dystopian. The citizens of the state have no control over their actions to the point where the government even invades on their thoughts and emotions. Although the date of 1984 has long passed the ideals of Oceania seem to gradually sink into our current society. However with proper awareness and a deep passion for change, liberty could still be preserved. . Orwell’s protagonist Winston is the man that fails to achieve his goals. The character†¦show more content†¦The Ministry of Truth runs on the slogan â€Å"Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past†(Orwell). Throughout history to the winners goes the go the spoils. In our world the country that lost the World Wars were forced to pay debts and many of the leaders of such countries were tried and forced to surrender all power. While the atrocities that the losing side committed are often exaggerated and seem incredibly harsh, the winners often put euphemisms in textbooks to hide the terror that they instilled during war. The term that describes the Ministry of Truth in our modern society is Historical Negationism. This term mainly refers to history denial and distortion. Almost all countries try to paint a better image for themselves whether intentional or not. Historians themselves could be caught on by partisanship and bias and result in writing exaggerated accounts. Countries with stronger centralized governments that enforce harsh rules tend to participate in more Historical Negationism. Russian censorship often attempt to â€Å"minimize the scale and magnitude of the deaths caused by the Great Leap Forward (1958–61), the Soviet Purges, the Genocide in Ca mbodia, and the Labor Camps in Cuba†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Stoa). Japanese textbooks only gloss over the events of World War II and avoid talking about events like the Rape of Nanking. However, changing history to be more suitable doesn’t only apply for the winners of a war or for the power that is inShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell1362 Words   |  6 PagesKathie Tejada Professor Antonio Tomà ¡s Guerrero Dà ­az COLI 214B 1984 This novel, 1984, is a dystopia and takes place in Oceania where people live in a totalitarian society. The author, George Orwell, wrote this as if he was looking into the future and what it was going to turn in to. This group of people, called The Party, have control over everything and everyone, and they have a leader, known as Big Brother, who is everywhere throughout the novel and the people look up to him. They invented a languageRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell1084 Words   |  5 Pages1984 was written by British author George Orwell. The main character is an average man by the name of Winston Smith. Winston does not agree with the ideals of the party; this gets him arrested by the thought police. 1984 proclaims what could happen if people just let the government do all their thinking for them. 1.In the world of 1984, what is considered orthodox is not the same as the actual world. In the book in order to be considered orthodox one must never question the party or have any individualRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell1493 Words   |  6 Pagessteadily bringing us closer to the world of Big Brother because the government has the ability to collect information from devices that are constantly being in use such as cell phones, televisions, and computers without our consent. In the book entitled 1984, George Orwell reveals how Oceania was a world where no one could be trusted; an action as simple as thinking was considered a violation of the law and you could be arrested for it. Individuals were living in a society where their own thoughts, evenRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell1288 Words   |  6 PagesControlled freedom Present day society is very much like society in the book 1984. Although, some of the procedures have diminished slightly, they still do exist, and are still current in today’s society. it’s a shame that most people fail to see that our â€Å"free† nation is actually still controlled. we are being manipulated in such a manner that we do not see by propaganda, media, lies, and yes even torture. Many citizens can say that here in America we are free nation or have freedom, but do weRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell1088 Words   |  5 Pages1984 The book that I chose for my first book report was 1984 by George Orwell. The story begins by introducing a man named, Winston Smith, a simple man from the country known as Oceania. He lives in a small flat within London, on the Island known as Airstrip One. Winston is a part of the outer party, which is a part of the ruling party within Oceania, and is a low ranking member who works for the Ministry of Truth as a propaganda officer. The people of the ruling party are constantly being watchedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell968 Words   |  4 PagesThe book, 1984 by George Orwell, is about the external and internal conflicts that take place between the two main characters, Winston and Big Brother and how the two government ideas of Democracy and totalitarianism take place within the novel. Orwell wrote the novel around the idea of communism/totalitarianism and how society would be like if it were to take place. In Orwell’s mind democracy and communism cre ated two main characters, Winston and Big Brother. Big Brother represents the idea ofRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell1029 Words   |  5 PagesThe novel 1984, written by George Orwell, depicts a horrendous future in which the citizens of the tyrannous state of Oceania live under unceasing surveillance. The mysterious character of Big Brother serves as the leader of this dystopian society while members of the Party work for total power over the general public. Telescreens are installed in every room for constant investigation, language is continuously modified, and extreme actions are made in order to achieve the end goal of absolute controlRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell1253 Words   |  6 Pagesno point of trying to live a regular life. In the book 1984 by George Orwell nearly everyone in the book is brainwashed and given a lot of false information. Winston and other characters only provide a little bit of hope. With a little bit of hope i n the brainwashed world there is still absolutely no chance for any recovery unless the upper management screws up. This hope provides nearly no chance of humanity going back to normal. In the book, 1984, Big Brother is watching over everyone at all timesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell2321 Words   |  10 Pagespossible crime, thoughtcrime. In the novel â€Å"1984†, by George Orwell, Winston Smith rebelles passively against the idea of living in a complete uniform world under Big Brother’s dreadful surveillance. Thought crime’s impact on the novel’s population is devastating, so much so that it is somewhat hard to picture today’s society in its place. The sad reality is that thoughtcrime does impact the lives of the people in today’s society to some extent as it does in the book. The level of punishment for such a crimeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book 1984 By George Orwell1092 Words   |  5 Pages and opinions of its citizens; therefore removing the difference between state and society. The goal of a totalitarian government is to replace the existing society with a perfect one. In the novel â€Å"1984† by George Orwell, Big Brother is a dominant figure in the ways which he controls Oceania. Orwell portrays a society with a government that oversees and influences each facet of human life to the point that even having an unfaithful thought that is in disagreement with the law is forbidden. Big Brother