Immigration Reform in the United States

French Words with New Meanings in English

French Words with New Meanings in English French Words with New Meanings in English French Words with New Meanings in English By Mark Nichol Thanks to the Norman Conquest, and to the long dominance of France in European culture and politics, almost half the words and phrases in the English lexicon (including that of its American variety) are derived from French. The list below consists of words used in American English that acquired one or more senses distinct from that or those of the French words from which they are descended. After each term, the American English meaning(s) is/are listed, followed in parentheses by the French meaning(s). 1. accoutrement: accompanying items or accessories (a ludicrous costume or tasteless attire) 2. aprà ¨s-ski: socializing after skiing (snow boots) 3. auteur: a film director or other artist who artistically dominates a creative endeavor (an author) 4. au naturel: naked (acting or looking natural, unaltered or unadulterated) 5. bà ªte noire: someone or something avoided or disliked out of fear (someone or something hated) 6. boutique: a shop selling designer or distinctive clothing, or, as an adjective, describing a small, exclusive business (a shop) 7. boutonnià ¨re: a flower placed in a buttonhole (a buttonhole) 8. chef: a professional cook (a boss) 9. claque: a group of admirers (a group of theatergoers paid either to applaud or to criticize a performance) 10. corsage: flowers worn on a woman’s dress or around her wrist (a woman’s chest, and attire covering this area) 11. coup: a forced change of government (a hit) 12. coup de main: surprise attack (give a hand) 13. debut: a first performance by an artist or entertainer (a beginning) 14. dà ©colletage: a low neckline, cleavage (lowering a neckline, or, in agricultural and technical contexts, cutting) 15. en masse: a group or mass moving as one entity (a collection or crowd) 16. entrà ©e: an entrance, or the main course of a meal (an entrance, or appetizers preceding a meal or before the main course) 17. à ©pà ©e: a specific fencing sword (a sword) 18. exposà ©: published material pertaining to a fraud or scandal (a report or talk) 19. hors d’oeuvre: a snack (the first course of a meal) 20. outrà ©: unusual (exaggerated or extravagant, or outraged) 21. prà ©cis: a summary (accurate, precise; also, an abridged textbook) 22. premiere: a first performance or presentation (first) 23. recherchà ©: obscure, pretentious (sophisticated, studied) 24. rendezvous: a clandestine meeting, or a location for an appointed meeting or reunion or a joining of two spacecraft (an appointment, date, or meeting) 25. reprise: a repetition of a piece of music during a performance (an alternate version or cover version, or rebroadcast) 26. rà ©sumà ©: an employment history with a list of qualifications (a summary) 27. risquà ©: sexually provocative (risky) 28. seance: a gathering to communicate with spirits (a meeting or session) 29. touchà ©: acknowledgment of a point made, or of a hit in fencing (emotionally touched) 30. vignette: a brief description or scene (a small picture) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite AdjectivesRunning Amok or Running Amuck?Practice or Practise?

The Electronic Frontier Foundation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Electronic Frontier Foundation - Essay Example The Electronic Frontier Foundation The organization is a non-profit organization that relies upon donations for their existence. One of the major areas that EFF attends to is privacy rights. In 2008, the EFF challenged the NSA policy of wiretapping, suing the NSA to end the surveillance of Americans and hold the government officials accountable who pursue these measures. The two cases that they brought were Jewel v. NSA and Hepting v. AT&T. These cases involved a lawsuit against the NSA for directly conducting surveillance on ordinary Americans. Hepting v. AT&T involved a lawsuit against the telecommunications giant because it was helping the government in surveillance measures. These cases were dismissed due to governmental immunity, and is currently on appeal in the 9th Circuit (eff.org). The EFF has also argued in a Senate Judiciary Committee that warrantless searches of individuals’ laptops and other electronic devices are not considered to be a routine search, despite the fact that the Supreme Court found that border guards can conduct a routine search of people who are crossing the border. These are searches that can be conducted without a warrant or either a reasonable suspicion of any criminal wrongdoing. They also testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee that taking data from an individual’s laptop or other electronic device should be considered to be a seizure under the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of searches and seizures (eff.org). Additionally, the EFF has urged the senate to put more oversight on border guards. EFF has also argued, successfully, in a Pennsylvania court that the information stored by cell phone providers as to the location of an individual is protected by the Fourth Amendment, therefore the government has to have a warrant based upon probable cause in order to obtain theses records. The government appealed this decision to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and this is currently being considered by this Court (eff.org). The EFF al so has worked to protect e-mail privacy, stating that the Department of Justice’s policy of requiring an e-mail provider to save prospective e-mails with only a subpoena and a court order not based upon probable cause is illegal, as the government needs to, under the Fourth Amendment, obtain a search warrant based upon probable cause, and this warrant needs to describe exactly what it is that the government is trying to obtain. In this case, the EFF filed an amicus brief in the case, as the case was brought by Steven Warshak (eff.org). The EFF also has helped consumers by helping them get proactive. The way that they do this is by publishing an on-line guide for consumers that helps them understand what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to on-line and electronic issues. This is called Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD). In particular, this organization helps educate consumers about government spying on computers, as well as data that is obtained through electronic mean s such as cell phones, and communications stored by third parties (eff.org). Moreover, the EFF also has launched a program to aid people in foreign lands about their rights regarding privacy concerns (eff.org). Free speech is another broad issue that the EFF. They have resisted the misuse of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA gives providers immunity when they take down content, while not providing for a way to resist this. The EFF notes that there is a

Violence against Children and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Violence against Children and the Law - Essay Example Various inter-agencies, state as well as the federal governments have been adopting measures in attempt to curb this menace though they are faced by numerous challenges that make protecting children a difficult and almost an impossible task. There are numerous factors that significantly make the process of protecting children a difficult task. Some of them include the element of poor management of state and federal funds, lack of cooperation from the public, the high turnover rate for children protective services staffing and poor staff training, difficulty in proving that a minor is been abused as well as lack of adequate state children custodies just to mention a few (Mallon and Hess 68). Many people find it difficult to report a case of child abuse to the authorities thus completely frustrating the process of identifying and apprehending perpetrators. In most cases, people avoid interfering with issues concerning other families or individuals including matters relating to violation of children’s rights. Authorities find it difficult to identify children whose rights are been violated since only a small percentage of the population is willing to volunteer the necessary information (Epstein and Schwartz-Kenney 56). For the case of Joshua, it was fortunate enough that his step mother was bold enough to report that he was been abused by his father though in the late stages; after their divorce. The same thing applies to many other people who avoid interfering with other family issues considering them private, or wondering how they will explain it to the authority since they are not related with the children whose rights are been violated in any way. Proving a violation of a child’s rights is at times a difficult task especially if the offender is a close family member like the case of Joshua who was receiving corporal punishment from his own father. Proving a case of child abuse is also a difficult task more so if the victim cannot communicate

Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Response paper - Essay Example And so will I be. In the matrix, I am able to invoke self-awareness within me. I am able to separate my thoughts of the moment from who I actually am. These thoughts will enslave me in the real world. Not only my thoughts, but others’ thoughts will also enslave me. There is no red pill that will make me a hero that frees the humanity. I can only change myself. I can only free myself. And this is the harsh reality. I am myself in the Matrix. I get what I want. I can learn kung-fu like Neo. I can fly, stop a speeding bullet, and leap a mountain in one leap, in the Matrix. I do not want to keep finding for Oracles in the real world, who guide us which direction we should go. The Matrix means to me because it tells me that the constraints to my abilities and potential lies only in my mind, and not in reality; whereas, the real world is full of real constraints that are hard to combat. I am not forcing things to change for me in the Matrix, but am becoming self-aware of my inner se lf and talent without any limitations. Why would I like to go in the real world to face the same hardships again which Thomas Anderson faced? I cannot change the humanity and its problems. I can only change my own self and my own circumstances. There is no point going back to the real world after seeing how much powerful I was in the Matrix. I do not have control over the world and its people. I only have control on whatever is in my dominion. My hands contain my future only, and not of the whole world. Well, that may sound self-centeredness to the reader at first stance, but it is not selfishness, it is only the reality. My perception, or my decision, tells that I value my own world, which is in my command. I value myself, and will not give up the beauty of my life to indulge in something I cannot obtain. In short, I will refuse Neo that he can keep the pill to himself; rather, I would convince him to stay in the Matrix and be what he wants than going into the real

PESTLE analysis of Nike

PESTLE analysis of Nike Nike is a global brand specialising in the design and manufacture of athletic apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment; it is headquartered in the United States, Europe, and the Asia Pacific Region (Whitehead, 2012). Its products are available through over 20,000 retail outlets, including those in its own footfall outlets, e.g. Nike Factory stores (Whitehead, 2012). This study considers the contemporary business environment of Nike using a PESTLE approach, paying particular attention to any human resources management (HRM) issues that may arise under each heading. Overall, it is argued here that Nike has attempted to address various business and social challenges by harmonising its value proposition to ‘Consumers, shareholders, business partners, employees, and the community.’ (Ferrell et al. 2009, p.417). Political In the estimation of some observers, Nike has benefited considerably from the growth-orientated policies of the US government, which has maintained low interest rates, currency exchange stability, and internationally competitive tax arrangements (Whitehead, 2012). Nike has also benefited from cooperation with government initiatives in terms of transparency in the global value chain; one example of this lies in membership of the Clinton administration’s 1997 Apparel Industry Partnership (Wagner, 2009). As will be discussed further below, political pressures have featured more negatively in concerns over Nike’s employment practices (Whitehead, 2012). Economic In common with all consumer-facing organisations, Nike faced challenging trading conditions since the financial crises of 2008-9 and contingent economic slowdown; this has applied in both Western markets (such as the US) and the Asia-Pacific region (Whitehead, 2012). Conversely, Nike has used its established brand equity to take advantage of growing consumer demand in emerging economies (Whitehead, 2012). The corollary to this has been an expansion of Nike’s value chain in which it has also taken advantage of the lower wage rates paid in those economies (Whitehead, 2012). Nike has defended the contingent CSR critiques by arguing that it has provided employment in otherwise underdeveloped economies, and paid the established local rate for labour (Whitehead, 2012). In HRM terms, this implies a considerable divide between the higher-value strategic and design function retained in the US, and those in outsourced manufacturing (Davies, 2006). Social/Societal In the macro-economic sense, Nike (and its competitors in the sportswear sector) are the beneficiaries of a growing societal preoccupation with health and fitness (Davis, 1992). As Elliot and Percy (2007, p.52) indicate, ‘Brands can also be used to counter some of the threats to the self posed by post-modernity, such as fragmentation, loss of meaning and loss of individuality’. However, Nike also faces continuing challenges arising from its CSR (corporate social responsibility) position, chiefly related to the nature of its global value chain (Foster and Harney, 2005). Nike was caught up in the ongoing debate around globalisation, perceived by many pressure groups to be ‘Increasing the inequalities of political power and influence, as well as highlighting new dimensions of inequality’ (Hurrell and Woods, 1999, p.1). From the 1990s onwards, Nike adopted the standard industry practice of outsourcing much of its skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled manufacturing to emerging economies, including those in the Asia Pacific region (Foster and Harney, 2005). Sweated labour (including that of children) was allegedly being used in a manner that contravened both local and international standards, as well as Nike’s stated CSR position (Foster and Harney, 2005). Moreover, the corporation’s compliance with requirements regarding pay and working conditions was brought under further scrutiny, when it emerged that the relevant workplace and HR records were not being properly maintained (Foster and Harney, 2005). In some circumstances, it was suggested that these lapses were achieved with the connivance of local officials (Foster and Harney, 2005). To counter these allegations, Nike began to incorporate greater transparency in its reporting, providing the locations of specific manufacturing facilities (Carter, 2005). In 1993 it published its Memorandum of Understanding, clarifying its expectations regarding the conduct of suppliers and subcontractors (Hadjikhani et al., 2012). The point here is that Nike has to avoid being caught up in consumer boycotts, especially where these can be globally popularised via the internet; as Goul Andersen and Tobiasen (2006, p.205) point out, ‘Within the framework of globalisation, political consumerism takes on a particular significance, sometimes providing the only opportunity to influence outcomes as trans-national companies are outside the regulatory powers of national governments’. In HRM terms, these kinds of lapses can also undermine employee confidence in leadership regarding CSR issues (Schwartz et al., 2012). Technology In common with most consumer-facing corporations, Nike has been able to use enhanced levels of digital metrics to analyse customer demand and revise its segmentation accordingly (Myerson, 2007). In the optimum model, transaction and supply chain event management are linked via SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) and MPPS (Massively Parallel Processor System) systems (Myerson 2007). Meanwhile consumers will be able to make contact-less payments via mobile phone platforms (Myerson, 2007). These processes may however accelerate the speeding-up of the hollowing-out of the workforce, reducing the amount of employment on offer (Davies, 2006). Legal Nikes growth strategies have relied on internationalisation and, correspondingly, the corporation has to adapt rapidly to the legal and policy frameworks in all of its trading areas (Legendre and Coderre, 2012). Countries with a common law legislative framework (i.e. the United Kingdom and United States tend to favour a less interventionist approach that supports the interests of shareholders. Meanwhile, states which have code-orientated legal systems (e.g. Germany, France and Spain), tend to acknowledge wider stakeholder interests (Legendre and Coderre, 2012). However, Nike has still faced legal difficulties in the course of its international expansion; following allegations of sweated labour, it closed some factories in Pakistan and moved its operations to Thailand and China (Grisini and Seppala 2010). However, the contingent unemployment led to difficulties with the Pakistani authorities, as well as criticism over the resulting unemployment (Grisini and Seppala 2010). As the Asia-American Free Labour Institute (AAFLI) has argued, ‘Nike’s strategy is to pit six factories against each other and have them compete for orders based on who produces the cheapest shoe. The government doesn’t protect the workers, the union is complacent, and Nike looks the other way’ (Hadjikhani et al., 2012, p.23). In 2003 Nike countered claims that it paid below the minimum wage in countries such as Indonesia, stating that it had paid, on average, ‘Double the minimum wage as defined in countries where its products are produced under contract. History shows that the best way out of poverty†¦is through exports of light manufactured goods that provide the base for more skilled production (Jennings, 2012, p.156). Nike was subsequently sued under California’s Unfair Competition and False Advertising laws, on the basis that its statements were false (Jennings, 2012). Following initial defeat and later appeals to the California Supreme Court, Nike settled privately with the plaintiff, prompting speculation that it had done so to avoid further damaging revelations (Jennings, 2012). Again, such crises can undermine the role that CSR has in harmonising the HRM effort across the organisation (Schwartz et al., 2012). Environmental In formal terms at least, Nike maintains a positive position with regard to green (i.e. environmental) issues, with ISO 14000-compliance presented as part of its overall policy (Gallagher and Weinthal, 2012). Launching its initial sustainability policy in the early 1990s, Nike appointed 100 ‘sustainability champions’ to oversee pilot projects in various aspects of its business, such as the reduction of carbon emissions and elimination of waste (Holt et al., 2009, p.4). As Willard (2002, p.80) explains, externalised costs, such as those arising from human resources, ‘Must be considered if the market’s â€Å"invisible hand† is to reconcile the basic conflict between making decisions based solely on short-term profit and making decisions based on social and environmental responsibility’. In HRM terms, the involvement of employees in the operation aspects of environmental policy is calculated to have a positive effect on both productivity, and the psychological contract of staff (Schwartz et al., 2012).

Freedom :: Essays Papers

Freedom This book was written in the middle to late twentieth century. Generally, this book dealt with Indians living in East Africa. The book is set in native Tanzania where Vassanji was raised after his family moved from his birthplace Nairobi. This book is a collection of short stories that chronically move from the narrator’s early childhood until he returns to his homeland years later to find that much has changed from his childhood. There are many issues that are intertwined into the text that Vassanji incorporates to relay his stories. Being a part of the lower class Indian community in Tanzania during the 1950’s, there is much class struggle. There is an instance early in the book where massive discrimination is evident in the book. â€Å"Schools went through preparation and drill for the royal visit.† â€Å"But to my great disappointment only the higher forms were allowed to welcome the princess.† The narrator overcame this discrimination by working through the crowd and essentially got a glimpse of the young queen. This was one of the more symbolic scenes in the book. The narrator overcame oppression here on a small scale as he later will by leaving Africa and going to a University in North America. The market place called the â€Å"Mnuda† was a place of massive thievery and just not a good place to go. However, many members of the â€Å"community† would go to the â€Å"Mnuda† to pick up odds and ends. The point is that this is a low class society we are dealing with. Later on there is a mention of green government trucks that randomly show up in the streets of Tanzania during the night. Green government trucks just give the impression that the government has something to fear if they are sending out â€Å"watchdog† trucks to keep an eye on the demos or population. This example just shows the kind of totalitarian government that was in place during the mid-twentieth century in this part of Africa. Just a reminiscent of 1984 and the concept of â€Å"big brother † mentioned in that novel. It seems this type of ruling is in place around the narrator at this time. The family of the narrator would go on to have their own lives. When the narrator prepares for going to the University, he talks about his sisters already married.