My Obsession
I often wonder about myself: why does this obsession of mine drive me to such an extreme? Why does the right side of my brain surface in such a manner that even I can't understand? Is it out of boredom? Or is it overzealous creativity? What I'm talking about is decorating. Not just normal decorating (I do that well) but outrageous, full-blown theme decorating. Using vibrant colors, with a unique style, I express my whimsical personality. What makes this type of decorating so much fun is that the more outlandish and obscure it is, the more I am driven to take it to its fullest potential.
I can't remember how it all started, but it seems to have taken on a life of its own. Perhaps the small lawn sculpture shaped like a cheery Santa triggered the avalanche under which I find myself today. Looking into his electric blue eyes I was put into a hypnotic frenzy. I soon realized this loveable, jolly fellow required companionship on my front lawn. On my next jaunt to the Christmas shop, I found the most adorable reindeer to join my Santa. But wait, I couldn't buy just one; Santa had 8 reindeer. Now they needed a sled to haul, and it had to be big enough for Santa and all of his packages.
A beautiful holiday display was finally emerging in front of my house. What a shame that it was only visible during daylight hours. I needed to illuminate this Yuletide scene with lights, lots of lights! I found myself back at "Holiday Central" charging 3,000 of the brightest bulbs General Electric had to offer. I hung blue lights and white lights, chaser lights, and twinkling lights. There were so many lights my electric bill tripled during the month of December. I could have caused a power outage affecting houses and shops within a one-mile radius.
This newborn obsession wasn't limited to the holiday season. It seemed to have spilled over like a waterfall into my backyard. A tropical paradise was materializing before my eyes. I fell in love with those tacky pink flamingos often sighted in trailer parks or senior communities. These long-legged birds shade themselves from the searing sun under a pair of plastic palm trees, and occasionally quench their thirst at the tiki bar.
Evidently, myths have become the culprit of traditions. That being said, the contemporary and ancient myths of Santa Claus and Krampus can only be understood by determining the elements that devise their entireties. Both narratives involve elements of opposition, trickery, mythemes, repetition, symbols, and ritualistic processes all of which support the structure of each holiday myth and tradition. Overall, the individual elements facilitate a valid, detailed compare and contrast analysis when examining the myths of Santa Claus and Krampus in a North American culture.
"And the Flamingo was pink- a second and commensurate claim to boldness" (Price lines 30-31). American culture is very flashy and bold. By being bold and flashy, it makes Americans stand out from the crowd and be noticed. Pink was the thing to have, it showed wealth and status. "The hues were forward-looking rather than old-fashioned" (Price lines 36-37). The pink flamingos were a way for the Americans to show pride after World War II. The plastic flamingos were the Americans' way of coming back out after the Depression and the war. They are the symbol that marks the beginning of a new era.
Public relations are the practice of distributing the information between an organisation or individual and the public. The aim of PR practitioners by the client is often is to persuade stakeholders, partners, employees, investors and most importantly, the public. The practitioner’s communication stance is reaching the individuals or organisation ultimate goal. However many can examine and scrutinize public relations ethics to assert a PR problem within the industry. All PR organisations and individuals have a code of ethics of which the professionals are expected to follow. Regardless of these guidelines, ethics in individual practices seem to prove continuous and consistent violation worldwide. The James Hardie Industry, a company that is known for knowingly using products that caused thousands of people throughout Australia to grow to become sick and even resulting in death, from its products that produced massive profits is a prime example of the PR problem. However ethical communication and critically reflective practices are procedures that benefit both the public and the organisation when use correctly, opposite to the James Hardie case.
Most people know the story of Santa. While there are many different versions, the gist of it is the night before Christmas, while children are sleeping, a fat man slips down the chimney to distribute gifts to boys and girls that have been good all year. The story was meant to bring hope and joy to children. It was a tale of giving and of love. However, as time goes on characters change, sometimes for better, and sometimes they take a turn for the worst.
“Why,” you ask, “position yourself only to be disappointed upon realizing that all you hold as true is in fact false?” I will tell you that I grew up believing in Santa Claus—the jolly, old, fat man who annually descended the chimney with his endless sack of treasures. I will tell you that I still believe that Santa Claus exists, despite being told otherwise by both parent and peer. I will tell you not only that Santa Claus exists, but that he exists in you and your family and your friends and every person who gives a little extra in any way thinkable.
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There are many phenomena present in today’s world concerning both life and death. An extraordinary incorporation of these prominent values is a Near Death Experience (NDE). Near Death Experiences empower and affect the psyche of many, changing their lives forever and altering their perception of death. Many questions arise from this particular topic simply because you have to experience it to fully understand its meaning. Questions such as, What is it, What happens, and how do they occur are familiar to experts in this field or to the people who have first hand experience.
"Legalization of Drugs and Crime Rate." Food and Values --- Legalization of Drugs and Crime Rate. Google Sites. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/cchu9005legalizationofdrugs/the-team
The banking system in Panama makes use of the advanced modern technologies. In Panama City, there are approximately 100 internationally renowned banks. The presence of strict regulations regarding the banking sector by the government has seen the banking sector grow tremendously (Arboleda & Martín 152). For instance, the Panamanian government has come up with strict banking rules and guidelines, to scrutinize all the banking practices so that the banks can give good banking services to all people. To ensure this occurs, the government has ordered the submission of monthly auditing reports from all the banks to the National bank of Panama and to the Panama’s National Banking Commission. All the depositors in any bank need sureties of their securities,
Staying true to them will guide us toward continued growth and success for decades to come. As you read more about our vision and values, you will learn about who we are, where we’re headed and how every Wells Fargo team member can help us get there.”(Wells Fargo, 1999). The low accountability Wells Fargo has behind their statement makes them look worse after their 2017 scandal. They have a clear indication of how Wells Fargo is supposed to be running the company, but the company has acted in a different manner. It makes you ponder how reliable statements of those at the top of the company are when they speak to the public. Even though Wells Fargo has made vast changes to their management team, one must wonder if they’re way of improving the company has changed over time. Wells Fargo’s replacement CEO for John Stumpf, Tim Sloan, told the Senate Banking Committee that, “[Wells Fargo] is a better bank today than it was a year ago” (White, 2017). A year later, 2017, Wells Fargo has made no significant positive progress toward turning the company back into what it used to be before the
In today’s competitive and highly volatile market, the consumers’ trust and confidence is perhaps the most significant asset a company can have. In a blink of an eye, a company can lose years of progressive relationships and in effect, economic status, if its reputation is tainted, or worse, proven publicly to be corrupt. This is a lesson learned the hard way by Adelphia Communications Company, a business worth $3.6 billion and the country’s sixth largest cable company at the time (Leonard, 2002). This paper will examine how the executives of Adelphia Communications violated the trust and of the company’s shareholders and the trust of the larger public by engaging in the unjust enrichment and fraud. These two violations of business ethics will be discussed through the lens of deontological ethics. Discussion of Kant’s Categorical Imperative will be applied to provide further analysis of the two ethical issues identified.
crack, has gained such a reputation in recent years, just as heroin did in t...
Carols, snow, mistletoe, cookies and milk. These are all synonymous with the Christmas season. However, for many, the true staple of Christmas is Santa Claus. Every child has felt the joy of Christmas Eve, spending time with family, leaving treats out for Santa, tossing and turning in their beds in anticipation for old St. Nick’s arrival. Although what Santa does is well known, his origins are slightly less familiar to most. The man we identify with Christmas has developed over a long time and has encountered many changes. “The original St. Nicholas is for the most part a shadowy figure, lost in historical mists and religious myths. (Myers 318).
Frosty the Snowman waves hello alongside Santa 's reindeer that are ready to take off. Candy canes line the sidewalk and the ginger bread dolls dance in a merry circle. The trees all sparkle with thousands of red, yellow, purple, blue, and orange lights. Out back, Mary and Joseph stand over baby Jesus, Choo-Choo train’s chug in spot, stars twinkle with bright yellow bulbs, and Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause wave in the distance. Kerkhoven, MN, the location of the happiest house on the block. Every year my breath is always taken away as my eyes struggle to soak in the utter abundance of Christmas spirit. I 'm smiling and we 're not even inside yet.
A variety of groups are concerned in bank profitability for various reasons. The bank shareholders would want to know if the value of their investments is high or low. The investors also use current and past performance to predict future price of the banks’ shares traded on the stock exchanged. The management of the bank as trustee of the shareholders is evaluated and compensated on the basis of how well their decisions and planning have contributed to growth in assets and profits of their banks. Employees of bank also are concerned with profits, since their salaries and promotions are frequently tied to the profitability performance of their banks. Depositors use bank performance and profitability as indicators of security for their deposits in the banks. Finally, business community and general public are concerned about their banks’ performance to the extent that their economic prosperity is linked to the success or failure of their banks.