The Beanie Baby Craze :: Beanie Babies Obsession Essays

The Beanie Baby Craze â€Å"When you have something intended as innocent fun for children, you can count on adults to turn it into an obsessive, grotesquely over commercialized ‘hobby’† It all started with Cabbage Patch Kids, parents paying top dollar for those plastic headed and not so cute dolls. The next big wave to hit was the Tickle Me Elmo a character from Sesame Street, who you could squeeze and it would laugh and jiggle. And now we are in the midst of a tidal wave, that’s right, the Beanie Baby Craze. These small bean bag animals, which were first produced in 1994 by the Illinois based Ty Co., are a huge hit with children and adults alike. People of the Beanie Baby movement will go to great extremes, and pay an obscene amount of money for one of these small animals, taking this â€Å"hobby† past the line into absurdity. A couple years ago when I was at a BBQ picnic, a little girl came up to me and tossed me a fish beanie baby, having never seen or heard of them I looked it over for a bit, then I lobbed it back to her and she ran off throwing it up in the air and dropping it each time. At that time I would never have thought that people would go mad over them. I feel a certain obligation to shed some light on the strange even ridiculous behavior that some of you display while partaking in this madness. For instance, there have been stories of people following the UPS deliverers around town to see which store will be getting the latest beanie babies. When they do find a store that carries the new ones usually others have also, creating a mad rush to get the one that they want. Children have had these toys snatched right out of their little hands in this frenzy, arguments even fights have erupted. Some of you Beanie Baby followers will even try deception to get as many of them as they can. A clerk at a toy store recounts a day when they had received a big shipment of new beanie babies. To be fair, a three Beanie limit had been established. One customer had bought her three, went home changed clothes, put on make-up, and changed her hairdo and went back to get three more.

General Duty Clause: A Curse or a Blessing Essay

It is quite true that employers have the responsibility to supervise the health and safety of its employees in the workplace. Companies who ignore the need to assure its employees should be punished and those who render their workforce a secure facility should be hailed and honored as models. Government regulations are always implemented to protect the lives of workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHact) is one example of the various laws passed by the Congress. Nevertheless, there is one particular provision in the OSHact that is ambiguous; this section is often called the â€Å"General Duty Clause†. According to the act, the General Duty Clause states that: (2a) Each employer (1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees; (2) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act. (2b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health hazards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct. The increasing awareness of the various work-related accidents in society has urged the Congress to enact such provision of the law. The General Duty Clause obliges employers to recognize all types of hazards in their workplace. It also expects that employers should design and maintain the safety of the workplace to minimize any accidents that the identified hazards may bring to the employees (http://www. epa. gov). Due to this section of the OSHact, The Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) visit all working facilities to inspect any violations regarding the said provision. The employers should then devote some of their resources on useful expertise and knowledge to reduce if not to eliminate hazards. Furthermore, the General Duty Clause has a very broad scope that compliance to it seems to be so arduous (http://www. dem. ri. gov). The article expects that beside the accredited standards and hazards known to the OSHA, the employers also need to pin point unknown and undiscovered hazards in their facilities. Therefore, although there is no detailed standard regarding a hazard, the company can be cited for violation (Robins, 1988, p. 31). This can be very demanding since a single skipped hazard however simple may put the company into jeopardy if the OSHA representative finds it out before the management does. Another difficulty that the employer can encounter is the inadequate capacity of the management to accommodate the means to eliminate or reduce the hazard (http://www. dem. ri. gov). This is especially important to small businesses and companies who are not financially ready to solve such problems. The General Duty Clause is very advantageous to employees and workers. Such is so because the OSHA inspector has great power regarding this section of the Act. The inspector can manipulate violations and hazards in the way that can jeopardize the company. Since the inspector is supposed to examine the workplace and the system processes occurring in the workplace, he can pinpoint even the smallest hazard in the vicinity. He can even be paying attention at a possible hazard that to him is viable but in reality and in the company’s context is not a hazard at all. This is possible because the General Duty Clause does not only speak of recognized hazards that have written standards from the OSHA. The General Duty Clause, as its name implies, encompasses all possible hazards even those that are yet to be discovered. A violation in the OSHA can overthrow the success of a company. Thus, such a situation is one of the events that the employers are frightened about. An OSHA representative can simply walk into your factory and find pitfalls that can damage the profits of the company. Even at some instances, the inspector can find a new hazard that has never been known in the entire history and yet it finds it a hazard in your community. This simple violation can then cause the closure of the said facility. Another headache that can be caused by the General Duty Clause is the over assurance that it can produce to an employer’s workforce. In liberal and radical environments, the workers’ union can exaggerate the possible hazards that are not really potentially dangerous and file a case at the OSHA. These then can overly demand a pile of benefits that can deplete the resources of the company. Some accidents may happen in a facility and yet no hazard can be the root cause of such occurrences but the workers’ union can still file a case against the company because of the provision of the General Duty Clause. Although accidents do happen, sometimes these are not actually due to the dangers of the workplace but rather due to the incapability, carelessness or ignorance of employees. The General Duty Clause has an excellent aim that is to provide a safe working environment for employees. This is an important goal for the employer who regards his people as his most significant asset. Nevertheless, the whole text of the General Duty Clause has so much ambiguity that sometimes, some opportunistic employees and inspectors use it against the company and thus ruin its existence. It should therefore be used and implemented with dignity and justice to create a more cooperative interrelationship between the OSHA, the employer and its employees.

What to Do if Youre in Love With a Fictional Character

We love to read, and when were immersed in literature, the characters come to life for us! We know them—all their most secret and intimate details. Sometimes, we become too involved in a characters life (and situation). We know what they want, who they are, and sometimes, we may even imagine ourselves into the world of the novel. What do you do if youre in love with a fictional character? Step Back   Ask yourself: Why do I love the character? Perhaps one of the things you love the most about him/her is the fact that the character is without substance (he/she is not real, at least not in a corporeal, sit-down-and-have-a-conversation-with-you kind of way). How does the character (and the episodes in the novel that compelled you to love the character) compare with your real life experiences? Pros vs. Cons Consider the characters other qualities... For every perfect character trait, the author likely included a few undesirable personality characteristics. Make a list of the pros and cons (what you love about the character in one column, and what you dislike about the hero/heroine in the other column). At the top of the con list, you can write: _____ is not real. Hes a figment of my (and every other readers) imagination! Familiarity How many times have you read the book? Have you memorized all the characters main lines? If you have memorized all the scenes, and youve imagined yourself sitting beside your fictional love, it may be time to read other books. Get critical! Use your intense fascination with the book to conduct a full study of all works by the author, as well as an exhaustive study of the novel itself. (Beyond a simple reading and re-reading, track the characters, look at the critical reception, and learn more about the historical context of the work. Think of it as your way to get to know more about the character you love. Book vs. Movie? Ask yourself: Am I really in love with the actor who plays the character in the   film version? Im not suggesting that you suddenly become a stalker, or fall violently in unrequited love with all the actors as a  stand in for literary characters. But, its a bit easier to have a crush on an actor than it is to be in love with a character in a novel. Fan-dom vs. Real Love Sometimes its easy to confuse the feelings of real love with the enthusiasm you feel when you are an ultimate fan. That giddy-obsessive feeling that you get when you find a character that represents so many romantic qualities can be can sometimes be confused with the enigmatic (often confusing) feeling of love. Support Group or Book Club After talking with a great many readers over the years, Im convinced that there are many more of you who are in love with their favorite characters than you would imagine. Of course, part of the problem is that being in love with a character from a book is sometimes not accepted by our society. But, if you are really in love with a character, I urge you to seek out others to share your passion. Start a support group. You can even start a   book club—to share the favorite books with others who love their hero/heroine just as much as you do!   Read more about Fictional Heroes We Love... In The Secret Life of Prince Charming, Deb Caletti writes: It starts so young, and Im angry about that. The garbage were taught. About love, about whats romantic. Look at so many of the so-called romantic figures in books and movies. Do we ever stop and think how many of them would cause serious and drastic unhappiness after The End? Why are sick and dangerous personality types so often shown a passionate and tragic and something to be longed for when those are the very ones you should run for your life from? Think about it. Heathcliff. Romeo. Don Juan. Jay Gatsby. Rochester. Mr. Darcy. From the rigid control freak in The Sound of Music to all the bad boys some woman goes running to the airport to catch in the last minute of every romantic comedy. She should let him leave. Your time is so valuable  and look at these guys--depressive and moody and violent and immature and self-centered. And what about the big daddy of them all, Prince Char ming? What was his secret life? We dont know anything about him, other then he looks good and comes to the rescue.