Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Wat Buddharangsi Of Miami Essay - 1377 Words

Religion is an important and prominent aspect of life. There are hundreds of religions established that influence thousands of followers. Personally, I am a follower of the Christian faith. My worship experience is in a church of like-followers praising an omnipotent God. In preparation for this research paper, I visited a worshiping venue for a religion outside the comfort zone of my own. In anticipation for the day of my visit, I did some prior research to a get a bit of background knowledge on my venue of choice. After some research and deliberation on a particular religion and venue to attend, I chose the Wat Buddharangsi of Miami: a Theravada Thai Buddhist Temple. Theravada Buddhism is a type of Buddhism that places emphasis on human pain in regards to God’s permit of evil on Earth. It is summarized by the Four Noble Truths that are based on the acknowledgment of suffering, its cause, and how we overcome this law of life (Livingston 246). Many of the practices of this rel igion include meditation. This alone peaked my interest because I see meditation being beneficial for not only religion, and not just specific to Buddhism, but useful for everyday life. Solidarity and peace gives you the opportunity to not only affirm your thoughts and beliefs, but also gives you a chance to focus on self-control. From the information I have gathered thus far, I could tell it would be an amazing learning experience that I wouldn’t regret. While beginning some research, I came upon someShow MoreRelatedWat Buddharangsi Of Miami : Theravada Buddhist Temple1799 Words   |  8 PagesBianca Abreu Wat Buddharangsi of Miami: Theravada Buddhist Temple Site visit: Saturday, 7/15/2016, 2 hour meditation Interviewee: Sunny â€Å"Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it. Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Joy follows a pure thought like a shadow that never leaves.† (Siddhartha Guatamma) This is one of the many wise words spoken from the kindhearted Buddha. AfterRead MoreA Buddhist Experience : An Internal Moment Of Peace And Joy925 Words   |  4 PagesExperience: An Internal Moment of Peace and Joy Never would I have imagined deviating from my traditional Catholic Sunday Masses filled with corrupt priests and materialistic individuals, and entering a place of such solace as I bared witness at Wat Buddharangsi of Miami, a Theravada Thai Buddhist Temple. Raised a Roman Catholic, all though not regularly attending Sunday Mass, I still follow customs instilled and preached by the Catholic Church. As a Catholic, one is brought up to believe in a divine beingRead MoreReligion Is A Conception Of One s Own Beliefs1289 Words   |  6 Pagestransition between the twelve years of education one is mandatory to receive and the journey through attending a university has allowed me to relinquish the beliefs I was compelled to. This course of study, along with the impactful visits to the Wat Buddharangsi Temple, has expanded my views toward religion. Theravada Buddhism, one of the earliest schools of thoughts of Buddhism. Theravada means â€Å"Way of the Elders† because the central figures are the monks, the elders that, with monastic preparationRead MoreAn Unforgettable Moment Of Insight1905 Words   |  8 Pagesresearch paper ordered in class, I decided to visit a Theravada Buddhist temple. This temple is located in 15200 SW 240th St, Homestead, FL, Miami, and it is called â€Å"Wat Buddharangsi of Miami.† Before visiting this site, I did some researches about the building of this temple. The design of the temple was conceived by Noppom Poochareon, an architect from Miami. He built this structure thinking in a refuge for the local Buddhist community. His vision for the sanctuary was a peaceful place, full of lightRead MoreVisit A Theravada Buddhist Temple1900 Words   |  8 Pagesresearch paper ordered in class, I decided to visit a Theravada Buddhist temple. This temple is located in 15200 SW 240th St, Homestead, FL, Miami, and it is called â€Å"Wat Buddharangsi of Miami.† Before visiting this site, I did some researches about the building of this temple. The design of the temple was conceived by Noppom Poochareon, an architect from Miami. He built this structure thinking in a refuge for the local Buddhist community. His vision for the sanctuary was a peaceful place, full of lightRead MoreThe Life Of The World1764 Words   |  8 Pagesgo, for my site visit. Although a Buddhist temple in the Latin America’s capital sounds a little impossible, after asking Siri, I realized that there are more that one; and then I decided, that the Wat Buddharangsi of Miami, a Thai Theravada Buddhism temple, was a good place to visit. Wat Buddharangsi is a place where you feel yourself welcome from the moment that you pick up the phone and you try to contact them. Even the second sentences in their website tell us that everybody is welcome. ThatRead Morereligious exploration through Buddhism Essay1923 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Joel Lopez 05/25/2014 Person Interviewed: Sanit Songphrawas Wat Buddharangsi Theravada Religious Exploration through Buddhism There are over 7 billion people on this world and over four-fifths of these people identify with a religion in one way or another (Livingston). Upon the hundreds of religions on Earth it is difficult to even begin to comprehend all their most basic beliefs, their scriptures, or even to whom they worship. The least any person can do is to learn about one of them andRead MoreEssay about Wat Buddharangsi Buddhist Temple 1756 Words   |  8 Pages On Sunday, September 8, 2013, I visited the Wat Buddharangsi Buddhist temple of Miami in Homestead. Every Sunday, they present a meditation service in English for two hours from three to five in the afternoon. Once I parked, the place of ritual was conveniently located across the parking lot. There was a shoe rack outside of the temple. Before I came to this temple, I read the guidelines from their website. The requirements for new guests are to remove your shoes before entering inside. Therefore

Monday, December 16, 2019

Government tell us what to do Free Essays

From a small town to a cosmopolitan city on an island bustling with economic and social activity, Singapore has ensured our place in the modern world as we have an economic status better than other developed nations and a multitude of races. To further improve, the ‘Keep Singapore Clean† campaign had also told us to make Singapore clean and to rid indiscriminate littering and poor environmental conditions, so that with the cleanliness, we could boost our economy and make Singapore a better place. Also, through the National day rally speech and the ‘Good speak good English’ campaign, Former Prime ministers had also tell us to speak good English as this could improve our connection and communication with the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Government tell us what to do or any similar topic only for you Order Now Thus, it will also improve our economic status as English gives us a big advantage over our competitors. However, in this time of stability and prosperity, we have become apathetic. The government has taken good care of us, and sometimes over-protective, there is no need for us to be concerned and worried about almost anything in this country. With the good life the government had given us, Singaporeans are more dependent and are reluctant to take risks. Being in our comfort zone, this allows us to turn a blind eye to the political scene and we just have to focus on what we are supposed to do, such as studies and work. Hence, we might even forget about our social graces, and this explains the hostility. Singapore government then realised that the locals’ behaviour and values are as important as the economy, and finally they play a big part in shaping us and telling us what to do. This spiral effect of over-protecting us and inculcating values in us is now imperative to ensure that Singapore’s economy, standard of living and hospitability is in the acceptable range to be a prosperous yet courteous country. As the government trying to inculcate values in us so as to make this place a more courteous one, they tell us what to do and how to behave by the campaigns and speeches done by Ministers. Firstly, we had the â€Å"Kindness, Bring it on† campaign to improve on our social graciousness. Since we are dependent on the government, we follow what the government tell us how to behave i.e. to display kindness. Therefore with the government tell us what to do and how to behave, we are more cautious with our actions and behaviours. As we speak Singlish today, many people will naturally correct us to speak good English. Also, we are more aware not to litter or spit so that we can maintain our clean environment, all these show that the governments have successfully shape us into what they want us to be. How to cite Government tell us what to do, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Impact of Globalization on Value Chain Globalization

Question: Discuss about the Impact of Globalization on Value Chain Globalization. Answer: Introduction To many managers, the term globalization has always elicited mixed reactions relating to anxiety and fear. Globalization has formed dynamism in the market which has precipitated high degrees of efficiency, the new model of competition, and need for highly qualified expertise in the supply chain management. Through globalization, various competitors with efficient supply chains from developing economies have entered the world market and decided to compete with already-established global market leaders in the supply chain. Value chain and globalization are interrelated concepts which play a significant role towards organizational prosperity. Through economic liberalization, companies have been able to access new markets, cost-effective raw material, and skilled human resources. A firm which needs to extend its operations to a global scale needs to observe various aspects. The elements include political, economic, social, and technological considerations. Value chain involves all activi ties required in designing the product, production, product marketing, and distribution. In this paper, I am going to explore the way globalization has affected value putting into consideration various aspects such as financial, human resource, technology, competitive advantage, corporate social responsibility, political, and cultural issues. Globalization has created a wider market for companies with various forms of competitive advantages. Countries such as China have established various companies in countries where the cost of labor is low. With world-class machines, China economy has improved significantly due to the establishment of markets in different nations where consumers can quickly acquire the goods and services easily and at a dear price. To the value chain, taking the competitive advantage of low cost has not only led to lower commodity prices but also it has made the goods and services to be near the customers. Efficient logistics ranging from cheap and efficient means of transport has increased the outsourcing activities for the companies. Cost-effective means of transport has facilitated the transport of raw materials from the countries where their cost is low. (Frick Laugen, 2012, p.276). This has, in turn, led to lower production costs for the firms. Lower cost of production has resulted in low prices. Additionally, effective logistic means has also given the buyers various buying alternatives. Consumers can outsource the goods and services from the economies where they feel the price is low. Economic globalization has also enhanced the marketing scope for various companies which possess it as an added competitive advantage. Organizations with global products such as Sony, Samsung, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota have engaged in aggressive marketing in various countries as a form of promoting their goods. This world marketing has led to multiple benefits both to the consumers and the sellers. To the sellers, the strategy has made it easy for the companies to launch a product in various economies within a very short period. Marketing has led to the increase in sales revenue, tax savings and access to finance. (Naghi Para, 2013, p. 168-169). Additionally, product marketing has helped to reduce the operational costs due to the product's unique name. To the consumers, it has led to quality improvement, lower cost, and the variety of choice. About financial consideration, globalization has led to increase in sales revenues and decrease in expenses in the supply chain. Unlike old days when businesses used to focus on internal logistics, nowadays through economic globalization organizations have come up with ways of eliminating every type of risk and increase revenue through the creation of relationships across the globe. One of the strategies which many companies have adopted is the integration of the customers and the suppliers. This game plan has considerably led to a sound financial performance for various firms. It is important to keep in mind that company expenses cover 30% to 40% of most companies' sales while 20% to 30% goes to the profit. (Trunick, 2011, par.5). The goal of many financial managers is to find ways of either turn around the 20% to 30% or eliminate the 30% to 40%. Creating an efficient integration between the suppliers and the consumers has become the core strategy of various supply chain managers. I t has to the attention of many organizations that the only to reduce financial expenses and increase revenues is through creating a proper value chain. Economic globalization has opened avenues for various companies to increase their revenues through the concept of vendor-managed inventory (VMI). VMI is a business model which aims to enhance the value chain by making sure that the consumer has continuous flow of products. The manufacturer and the supply share information regarding the supply quantity and the time of supply. With VMI the producer can track the stock level and identify the right time for replenishment. Through VMI, commodity manufacturers have been able to increase the amount of sales and minimize expenses such as waiting costs. The producers are now able to link with distributors in various parts of the world, and this has helped to only increase the sales, but also increase the product marketing. Global technological changes across different firms in the world have improved the whole concept of value chain. With high levels of competition exhibited within the businesses operating in the supply chain, technology has been seen as an integral part of value chain. Technology has enabled the supply chain managers to improve their perception of physical operations. Information technology has assisted the organizations to gather data regarding the value chain. This information collected has, in turn, helped the managers in faster planning, implementation, and evaluation. (Marinagi, Trivellas, Sakas, 2014, p.588). Also, technology has played a great role in providing crucial information about all the customers, suppliers, and competitors around the world. This has helped to boost the managers' perception on the organization's value chain. Firms with established infrastructure on IT have taken a more advanced route by running parallel value adding process through virtual teams. This creation of a parallel virtual value chain is meant to improve the capability of the physical value chain. With the help of globalization, virtual members of the team can communicate effectively through communication channels such as teleconferencing and CAD (computer aided design). Using virtual value chain (VVC) has improved the speed, flexibility, and lower cost of operations. Apart from improving the level of services, IT has enhanced the extraction of the value from the customers. Extraction of value has been fostered by the creation the of relationship with consumers in the virtual world through the internet. To the customers, global technology has facilitated better decision-making regarding which product to buy. Customers can search for details concerning a particular a product and compare it with various products to come up with the best decision regarding the best commodity to buy. Apart from getting the variety of products, searching the information concerning the product reduces the cost of research. Nowadays customers can negotiate for prices online without physically visitin g the premises. Globalization has also enhanced the operations of value chain through human resource management. Through economic globalization, developed countries have been able to acquire skilled labor from developing countries. Human resource is an underlying asset towards value chain, and most companies have realized their importance. Various companies nowadays have widened their scope when it comes to recruitment of new staff. Multinational companies (MNC) with services and goods across have embarked on the serious hiring of skilled labor especially from developing economies due to low costs involved. Having a pool of skilled labor has always acted as a competitive advantage to the company since it can execute most of the operations efficiently. (Hahn, 2013, p.40-45). With sudden shift in demand for certain types of personnel, most HR managers have decided to find ways of retaining or sourcing the tops talents. Retaining prolific talent has forced the organizations to adopt various strategies such better salary package and motivation especially for those employees who meet specific goals. Also, liberalization has changed the way organizations perform the recruitment process. Nowadays companies have increased the scope of employment opportunities by allowing individuals from various countries to apply for the positions advertised. This is meant to open more avenues to get best people who will come with ways of improving the value chain. Due to the shortage of particular talents in developed countries, organizations in such countries through globalization have been able to hire the required skills from developing economies at a lower cost. To the developing economies, this practice of brain drain has significantly affected the economic prosperity of the developing country. For example, the amount of young professionals in developing economies such as China is expanding at an average rate of 5 .5% annually which is more than five times the number of professionals emerging from developed economies such as Germany, India, and USA. It is approximated that the number of graduates from low-income economies has surpassed that of the high-income economy. Globalization has led to cultural diversity which in turn has facilitated easy distribution of goods and services to areas where they were available before. Take for example McDonalds and Coca-cola Companies which are found close to every country in the world. Cultural diversity has helped to eliminate cultural barriers between communities. Understanding other people's culture has helped organizations in defining consumer segmentation. Knowing other people's culture has helped the managers to identify the particular type of commodity, features, quality, and size which are required in a certain type of the company's market. This has helped to increase the level of sales and reduction of losses within the value chain. To the workforce, liberalization has brought in different personnel from various segments of the world. Employing people from diverse cultures regarding race, religion, language, ethnicity, and nationality has enabled management to sell its products, increase its consumer base or even set up branches in those areas. Additionally, it has helped to enhance the spirit of creativity and innovation. This has helped the firm to come up with better ways to improve their product and minimize losses. It has also played a prominent role towards decision-making process. When people from different cultures are put together to solve, we are likely to obtain a most formidable solution due to diverse perspective towards a problem. A study conducted by Al-Jenaibi (2011, p.49-81) in various companies in UAE showed most employees preferred to operate in the culturally diverse environment for the purpose of improving team performance. On the other hand, cultural diversity in the workforce has negatively affected the performance of certain employees due to due to resistance to change and the tendency to engage in interpersonal disagreements. Placing culturally different employees in a team has been seen to affect the performance of the whole team due to deep-level incongruence that exists between the members. This phenomenon has forced management to come up with new policies regarding what is expected each employee and the importance of cooperation. Political instability due to regime change and violence in the community has become one of the most threats especially to the organizations which engage in the global supply of goods and services. Ukraine and Syria is one of the countries which have become the victims of political unrest. As a result, companies with global supplies to such have shifted their operations from such areas while others are on high alert ready to evacuate in case the crisis continues. More than 620 Germany firms with business operations in Ukraine have stopped the delivery of goods and services while others such as Astras have reported a more than 20% worker turnover. This political reverberation has been felt by the global companies which supply goods and services and those which acquire raw materials from such countries. Political and economic tension has also been observed between two world-class economies of China and Japan. The two economies have been on the wrangle for several years by now over the ownership of an island located in the east of Chain Sea. This political dispute has spilled over to the economic relations between the two nations. As a result, there has been massive decrease in the number of supplies especially those which come from Japan. (Ferrari, 2012, par.1-4). Toyota Company being one of the biggest manufacturers of automotive has reported a decrease in the sales of its products in China. In fact, the firm has opted to eliminate the supply of various models such Lexus due to reduced sales revenues. Other companies such as Nissan, Mazda, and Honda have reported flat sales in China due to political disagreements between the two economies. On the other hand, good political relationship between countries such the UK and the United States has led to massive development and value supp ly especially when it comes to automobiles. For multinational corporations taking part in global supply, economic liberalization not only just brings more benefits and opportunities for multinational companies, it additionally makes the MNCs adjust to the changing economic environment and acknowledge the business-related difficulties at the global level, industrial and different levels. CSR has been considered as a standout amongst the most critical viewpoints facing organizations in the value chain. Nowadays global companies have chosen to include, ethical, social, and moral issues during decision-making process regarding the business operations and strategies. Globalization has advanced the development of corporate social responsibility everywhere throughout the world. In one hand, globalization additionally has made organizations and public see the way negative results, for example, the increase in income inequality, the abuse of work, and environmental pollution can contrarily influence their supply chain. Companies engaging in international business are not only held responsible for labor and environmental practices in their home country. (Information Resources Management Association, 2013, p.1560). They are also expected to observe all regulations when dealing employees, suppliers, and the environment. There has been pressure to the MNCs from external and internal stakeholders such as workers unions, customers, NGOs, and government concerning the offshore operations of international companies. This pressure has forced the firms to come up with a code of conduct which will adhere both to the buyer company and the supplier. The behavior specifies the rules regarding how the organization should conserve the environment and its contribution to the society. (Anderson Larsen, 2009, p.78). Companies which have been able to observe the environmental regulations have been able to attract more consumers. Consumers are more likely to purchase from firms which follow environmental laws. Treatin g employees fairly through equity payment also enabled international companies to flourish in their supply chain hence increasing the revenues. Workers are likely to deliver their best if they are treated equally and paid equitably. Conclusion We can conclude that good performance of organizational value chain depends on various factors which lie under globalization. Through globalization, countries with shortage of skilled labor have been able to source quality workforce from developing nations. This acquisition of labor has helped the organization to increase diversity in the workforce which has resulted in creativity and innovation. Technology is also another aspect which has boosted the sales for MNCs. Customers have been able to access information about particular commodity by just click of a mouse. This has enhanced the consumer's decision-making process. To the business, the internet has enabled them to increase the level of sales and lower the expenses. Stringent environmental and labor laws also have transformed the way companies conduct their business. References Al-Jenaibi, B. 2011. The scope and impact of workplace diversity in the United Arab Emirates an initial study. Journal for Communication and Culture. Anderson M. Larsen T. S. 2009. Corporate social responsibility in global supply chains. [Online]. Available from: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.464.4438rep=rep1type=pdf [Accessed December 16, 2016]. Ferrari B. 2012. The Political Dimension of Supply Chain Disruption and Risk. [Online]. Available from: https://www.theferrarigroup.com/supply-chain-matters/2012/10/16/the-political-dimension-of-supply-chain-disruption-and-risk/ [Accessed December 16, 2016]. Frick J. Laugen B. T. 2012. Advances in Production Management Systems. Value Networks: Innovation, Technologies, and Management IFIP WG 5.7 International Conference, APMS 2011, Stavanger, Norway, September 26-28, 2011, Revised Selected Papers. Berlin, Heidelberg, Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Hahn C. 2013. Impact of Globalization On Labor Market. [Online]. Available from: https://www.eria.org/RPR-FY2012-04.pdf. [Accessed December 15, 2016]. Information Resources Management Association. 2013.Supply chain management: concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications. Hershey, Pa, IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA). https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=truescope=sitedb=nlebkdb=nlabkAN=498637. Marinagi C., Trivellas P., Sakas D. P. 2014. The Impact of Information Technology on the Development of Supply Chain Competitive Advantage. ScienceDirect. [Online]. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814040804 [Accessed December 15, 2016]. Naghi R. I. Para I. 2013. The Effects of Globalization on Marketing. Journal of Business Review. [Online]. Available from: dl6.globalstf.org/index.php/gbr/article/download/1285/1301. [Accessed December 15, 2016]. Trunick P. A. 2011. Innovative supply chain management delivers financial benefits to your bottom line. [Online]. Available from: https://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/finance-and-the-supply-chain-show-me-the-money/ [Accessed December 15, 2016].

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Sir Isaac Newton Was Born On December 25, 1642 At Woolsthorpe, Near Gr

Sir Isaac Newton was born on December 25, 1642 at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham in Lincolnshire. When Isaac was three years old his mother left him in the care of his grandmother to get remarried. After his mother was widowed a second time, she sent Isaac to grammar school in Grantham. He was later sent to Trinity College, at the University of Cambridge in the summer of 1661. Newton received his bachelor's degree in 1665. After avoiding college because of the plague he returned to Trinity, which elected him to fellowship in 1667 and then received his master's degree in 1668. He pursued his own interests: mathematics and natural philosophy ignoring the established curriculum. Isaac investigated the latest developments in mathematics and the new natural philosophy, and almost immediately made a few discoveries. Newton's first achievement generalized the methods that were being used to draw tangents to curves and to calculate the are swept by curves. He recognized that the two procedures were inverse operations. Newton made the fluxional method by joining them and created the mathematics that is now known as calculus. This was a method that carried modern mathematics higher than the level of Greek geometry. Another of Newton's interests was optics. Newton tried to explain how colors occur and he had made a theory that the sunlight is a heterogeneous blend of different rays. He also thought that each of these rays represents a different color and that reflections and refractions cause colors to appear by separating the blend into its components. Newton demonstrated his theory by passing a beam of sunlight through a transparent prism. The prism had split the beam into separate colors. In August 1684 Newton got a visit from Edmund Halley, a British astronomer and mathematician, who discussed with Newton the problem of orbital motion. He had pursued the science of mechanics as an udergraduate, and at that time he had already entertained basic notions about universal gravitation. During the next two and a half years, Newton established the three laws of motion. He applied these laws to Kepler's laws of orbital motion and derived the law of universal gravitation, which explained that all bodies and space on earth are affected by the force called gravity. Newton published his theory in a book that marked a turning point in science, and also caught a lot of attention of others. Robert Hooke claimed that Newton had stolen from him a central idea of the book: that bodies attract each other with a force that varies inversely as the square of their distance. Most historians do not accept Hooke's charge of plagiarism. Sir Isaac Newton made important contributions to science and mathematics as you can see. He was part of the foundation of calculus, created three laws of motion, and the law of universal gravitation.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Music Cultures essays

Music Cultures essays Early music is based mainly on the music of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras. Many people like to define Early Music as ending in 1750, with the death of J.S. Bach. This is a handy date, but it misses the various stylistic changes taking place around that time, i.e. the emergence of the gallant and pre-classical idioms in close proximity to the final flowering of the baroque proper. To add even more confusion, this is also not clear-cut. As with everything else, Baroque music ended gradually and sporadically, if we are to say that it ended all. Perhaps the significant factor defining these eras as early music is that they do not have a continuous performance tradition. In other words, this music ceased to be performed after its time had passed and needed to be revived in our own era. This is not true of the classical music of Mozart, Beethoven, et al. Which possesses a continuous performance tradition. This means that, to some degree, it is this revival which dominates EM (that is, early music as a movement), at least in spirit. Of course, things are not clear-cut here either. For instance, late Baroque composers like Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and etc. Were revived relatively early and therefore have a fairly long performance tradition which is not dependent on the present early music movement. Now we are seeing an increasingly large number of performances of Mozart, Beethoven, and others in the content of early music; this further muddies the waters. There is the question of pre-Medieval music. While early musicians would undoubtedly be happy to claim it as their own, unfortunately there is very little surviving evidence about music from earlier times. Indeed, there are no music manuscripts from Western ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Curium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Curium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements Periodic Table of the Elements Curium  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 96 Symbol: Cm Atomic Weight: 247.0703 Discovery: G.T.Seaborg, R.A.James, A.Ghiorso, 1944 (United States) Electron Configuration: [Rn] 5f7 6d1 7s2 Curium Physical Data Atomic Weight: 247.0703 Element Classification: Radioactive Rare Earth Element (Actinide Series) Name Origin: Named in honor of Pierre and Marie Curie. Density (g/cc): 13.51 Melting Point (K): 1340 Appearance: silvery, malleable, synthetic radioactive metal Atomic Radius (pm): 299 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 18.28 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.3 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): (580) Oxidation States: 4, 3 References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.) Return to the Periodic Table Chemistry Encyclopedia

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Conservation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Conservation - Research Paper Example Consequently, the government has limited fishing and tourist activities in this region, as a result. Sadly, this wonderful feature has recently come under threat from the least expected source: the government. While an argument is being fronted to justify the government’s decision, conservationists feel otherwise. This paper seeks to highlight the present state, including facts, about the Great Barrier Reef. Further, the steps taken by various bodies, including the government in preventing damage to this all-important habit will be provided. In short, this paper provides some of the features associated with the Great Barrier Reef, threats it faces and the most effective efforts to save the habitat. Right from the onset, factual statistics shows that Australia has close to one million species, which includes 80% of the mammals in the world, and a further 90% of reptiles. Sadly, its ranking concerning the most endangered animals is alarming as it is currently ranked first (Seay, 2013). Beneath it is a diversity and abundance of shapes, colours and sizes. For instance, there is a semblance of soft and hard corals; annual migration of whales, nesting turtles and coral spawning occurs annually. In addition, the renowned Cod Hole found on the Lizard Island is actually a major reason for tourists to visit Australia. Some of these animals have the Great Barrier Reef as their habitat meaning the region ought to be a highly conserved place. Currently having more than 2,900 reefs, 900 islands and covering an area of 1400 miles, this region found on the coastal side of Queensland, gives life to a number of animals in Australia. In addition, Great Barrier Reef offers a great resource for scientific research with scientist visiting the area to conduct important tests. In addition, the Sea cow, commonly known as dugong and the green turtles are only found here, and face extinction

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Business acquisitions are among the most important strategic Essay

Business acquisitions are among the most important strategic investment decisions - Essay Example The location of businesses in other countries, either in the form of greenfield FDIs, crossborder M&As or other forms of direct investment, entails a set of challenges and risks which impact on the business that seeks to gain entry into another country. One of this is the risk associated with currency exchange rates, which will be discussed in the succeeding section of this report. At this point, more attention shall be devoted to discussing the other sources of organisation risk. Economic nationalism. In a report by the Economist Intelligence Unite (Chance, 2006), certain events the author chose to call â€Å"backlash† after decades of liberalisation and openness to FEI and crossborder M&As (more pronounced against M&As). Recent resurgence in protectionism against FDIs and M&As, for instance, is seen in the attempt to block the acquisition by Lenovo (China) of the personal computer (PC) division of IBM (US), and the takeover bid by Mittal Steel (Netherlands) for Arcelor (Luxembourg). Both of these deals, despite the attempts to prevent them, were consummated. Some deals, however, failed because they were successfully blocked by the local elements: CNOOC (China) of Unocal (US); Dubai Ports World of P&O Steam Navigation Company (UK), and Pepsi (US) of Danone (France). Behind some of these cases is the negative sentiment with which developed countries perceive takeover bids by companies in emerging markets, because of the impression (not necessarily just ified) that these less-developed countries were more prone to undesirable behaviour such as poor standards of governance and less socially responsible behaviour. The shock of seeing Chinese and Asian companies, for instance, take control of prominent brand names, acquire technology, or securing natural resources has prompted a German politician to compare such investors to â€Å"the biblical plague of locusts† (Chance,

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Equality Act and Disability Essay Example for Free

Equality Act and Disability Essay The primary purpose of the Act is to codify the complicated and numerous array of Acts and Regulations, which formed the basis of anti-discrimination law in Great Britain. This was, primarily, the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and three major statutory instruments protecting discrimination in employment on grounds of religion or belief, sexual orientation and age. This legislation has the same goals as the four major EU Equal Treatment Directives, whose provisions it mirrors and implements. [1] It requires equal treatment in access to employment as well as private and public services, regardless of the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. In the case of gender, there are special protections for pregnant women. However, the Act allows transsexual people to be barred from gender-specific services if that is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. [2] In the case of disability, employers and service providers are under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to their workplaces to overcome barriers experienced by disabled people. In this regard, the Equality Act 2010 did not change the law. Under s.217, with limited exceptions the Act does not apply to Northern Ireland Defining disability under the equalties act – this is the part of the legal aspect of my job as a TA supporting students with individual needs Under the Equality Act 2010 you are disabled if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. What substantial and long term mean:- †¢ ‘substantial’ is more than minor or trivial eg it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed †¢ ‘long-term’ means 12 months or more eg a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection There are special rules about recurring or fluctuating conditions, for example, arthritis. Progressive conditions A progressive condition is a condition that gets worse over time. People with progressive conditions can be classed as disabled. However, you automatically meet the disability definition under the Equality Act 2010 from the day you’re diagnosed with HIV infection, cancer or multiple sclerosis. What isn’t counted as a disability Some conditions aren’t covered by the disability definition. These include addiction to non–prescribed drugs or alcohol. To find out about the conditions which aren’t covered, download the ‘Equality Act Guidance’

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Victor Frankenstein Essay example -- Literary Analysis, Mary Shelley

The wise Uncle Ben once told Peter Parker, â€Å"remember, with great power. Comes great responsibility.† There is no greater power than that acquired by the infamous Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein when he discovers the secret to creating life. Shelley’s Frankenstein is a tale of creation that depicts acts of human conception and discovery. The Oxford English Dictionary defines creation as â€Å"the action or process of bringing something into existence from nothing by divine or natural agency; the fact of being so created.† It defies the natural order of things and creates a world of its own. The multiple acts of creation and discovery bring upon a certain set of responsibilities and implications as depicted by David Collings who analyzes the responsibilities that come as a result of these acts in his essay â€Å"The Monster and the Maternal Thing: Mary Shelley’s Critique of Ideology†. The main act of creation is evident through Victor Frankenstein’s creation of the Being which is depicted most prominently in the novel. However, there are multiple other acts of creation and discovery that may not be apparent at first sight. One of the most important being, Victor’s discovery of the knowledge required to create life. Apart from initially creating the Being, Victor also plays a critical role in the Being’s evolution into a raging and vengeful creature. Perhaps above all other acts of creation and discovery is Victor’s personal creation of himself into a monster. As stated by Collings most of these acts of creation on Victor’s part are subconsciously brought upon because of their lack of a maternal figure but also in part because of his desire for fame and glory. However, he is blinded by his motives and forgets that with his... ...eatures. Victor Frankenstein is given this power when he discovers the secret to reanimating dead remains, by which he creates the Being we have all come to call Frankenstein. In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley depicts this amazing power and the change it causes in not only Victor’s life but in the world. Along the way the young Victor Frankenstein creates more than what he initially believed but his greed and vanity shield him from recognizing the responsibilities and implications that arise, all of which are analyzed the by David Collings in his essay â€Å"The Monster and the Maternal Thing: Mary Shelley’s Critique of Ideology.† As Uncle Ben once told Peter Parker â€Å"remember, with great power. Comes great responsibility.† Victor acquired great power but disregarded all responsibilities that resulted out of his creations, therefore creating himself as a monster.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Belonging: The Crucible

Belonging is a far-reaching yet complex idea that is powerfully explored in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. It illustrates a variety of aspects of belonging, where it can be compared and contrasted with ideas in other texts such as Oliver Parker’s film Dorian Gray and Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poem We Are Going. These texts present ideas of power and isolation, which consequently lead to individuals either belonging or not belonging to the community. Through the use of a variety of literary, film and dramatic techniques, the composers can emphasise and convey the similar (or differing) aspects of belonging found in each text. Power is an evident theme in The Crucible that suggests it controls the fragile town of Salem. As such, an individual’s feeling of belonging is influenced by Salem’s theocratic and authoritative government. The characterisation of Hale allows the audience to realise this, as he immediately belongs and assumes a position of power. Initially, Hale is the driving force of the witch trials, as he represents the theocracy, is educated and possesses books that are â€Å"weighted with authority†. This feeds his ego as the ‘expert’ and demonstrates his ability to exert power onto the townspeople. He also stresses that â€Å"Theology is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small†. This clearly shows that you either belong or don’t belong in the community, and that those who choose not to belong do so at their own peril. However, Hale’s guilt grows throughout the play when he realises the bitterness of the accusations and metaphorically describes his actions with â€Å"What I touched with my bright confidence it died, and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up†. This evidently shows the extent to which Hale can exert power and his consequent feelings of guilt. Ultimately, Hale questions his faith and removes himself from the sense of belonging fostered in Salem. His assertion of â€Å"I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court! †emphasise his withdrawal from the community and decision not to conform. The same idea of power can be compared to Oliver Parker’s film Dorian Gray, and suggests that there can be devastating consequences when one allows themselves to be influenced by others in order to belong. Since Dorian possesses wealth, beauty and eternal youth, he is a powerful but vain character. Being a newcomer, Dorian wants to belong and so therefore, he allows himself to be influenced by Henry Wotten’s hedonistic way of life. When Dorian announces â€Å"Perhaps I should nail my soul to the devil’s alter†, he contemplates the idea of conforming in order to sustain power and belong. Dorian does eventually follow Henry’s example and becomes accepted by society. Parker also uses the technique of slow motion to emphasise this. When Dorian enters and announces â€Å"Well here I am†, time temporarily slows in order to accentuate his power and influence. Dorian’s friends, who are now old and bitter, are awestruck by the sight of him. As such, his sense of belonging is heightened due to the admiration and acceptance he receives from society. However, Dorian eventually develops a conscience and recognises he has led a sinful life. Parker uses the motif of a deteriorating painting to demonstrate this. The painting reminds Dorian that he should maintain his own values and firstly belonging to himself before belonging to society. As a result, he realises the negative consequences of trying to conform and loses his power by destroying the painting as a sign of self-belonging. Isolation is another idea explored in The Crucible, suggesting that indivuals can face barriers to belonging, which therefore lead to feelings of alienation. Abigail and her circle of friends are the ones who feel the most loneliness since they are young and unmarried. This forces them to secretly rebel and dance in the woods. For Abigail, the need for acceptance is shown through her affair with John Proctor. Miller juxtaposes love and lust to highlight their differences. Abigail’s exclamation of â€Å"You loved me John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me! † shows her repetition of the word ‘love’. However, Proctor only uses ‘lust’ to describe their relationship. As a result, the audience sees that Abigail is a character who is constantly rejected with a desperate need to belong. Furthermore, Abigail’s crying of â€Å"Child! How do you call me child! †emphasise her failed attempt at belonging, and suggests that the only way for a woman to be accepted in society is to be a wife. John Proctor is the opposite of Abigail and ultimately chooses not to belong. His words â€Å"I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man† are metaphorical and signify his rejection of the Salem justice system. Although he believes he is unworthy of anything due to his affair with Abigail, Proctor eventually finds â€Å"a shred of goodness† in himself by maintaining his own values and choosing to belong to himself. His redemption is also shown through Miller’s stage directions. The drumroll crash and streaming sunlight in the final scene contrasts with previous scenes and signifies that he has done the right thing by choosing to die and belong to himself rather than sign himself to lies. In comparison to The Crucible, Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poem We Are Going also conveys themes of isolation. Similarly to Abigail, the Aboriginal persona faces a barrier to belonging. The alienation of which the persona feels is due to the white settlers and the consequential loss of culture and identity. â€Å"Many white men hurry about like ants† is an example of a simile that suggests that the settlers are busy and stressed. This is a contrast to traditional aboriginal life, and shows the differing perspectives between the settlers and the narrator. Here, the juxtaposition of the two ethnic groups is parallel to Abigail and Proctor’s view on love and lust, and reinforces the idea of isolation. Furthermore, Noonuccal uses repetition, particularly with the word â€Å"Gone† to emphasis the lost feelings of belonging. Noonuccal writes: â€Å"The scrubs are gone, the eagle is gone, the bora ring is gone† to stress the loss of culture and connection with the land. The poem also uses collective first-person narration to give the audience a personal understanding on the frustrations of not belonging. â€Å"We are going† are the three words in the title and conclusion. It implies that the aboriginals are not welcome in their homeland and will let go of the past and their old ways. This echoes the idea of belonging to one’s self, which is found in The Crucible. Like Proctor, the aboriginals choose not to conform and decide to leave in order to preserve their individuality and â€Å"self belonging†. The Crucible exhibits situations where humans have the need for power and acceptance. These ideas of belonging (or not belonging) can also be compared in Dorian Gray and We Are Going through a variety of dramatic, film and literary techniques. Therefore, these ideas are delicately communicated with a greater impact on the audience’s understanding of the concept of belonging.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Pride and Prejudice Essay

The novel Pride and Prejudice was written during the middle of the Romantic period in western literature, but it is itself rather uncharacteristic of other fictional works of the period. Unlike the great Romantic novels and poems of the period, which usually praised youthful passions, Austen’s work minimizes them. Austen’s works are models of restraint. Instead of the wild force of nature, Austen concentrates on family life in small English towns. Instead of rampant emotionalism Austen emphasizes a balance between reason and emotion. Instead of suicide and unrequited love, Austen offers elopement and marriage. â€Å"Austen’s prime theme of marriage is far from trivial† (Walder 1996, p. 52) as it is considered today as marriage was an important issue in Austen’s time and it was the only time when a woman had the freedom to get upward socio-economic mobility [though some critics thinks that she considers that considering money as the criterion for marriage is highly terrible. (Collins p. 161)] This extract explains this correlation between socio-economic status and marriage. Irony or the contrast between the expected and the actual is the chief literary device Austen uses to comment on the manners of English gentry in Pride and Prejudice. Her irony takes different forms for different. Another stylistic feature that one can observe in this extract in general and throughout novel in particular is her formal style. Perhaps the first thing about Jane Austen’s style that strikes the reader is its formality by modern standards. This is a characteristic of her time, and of the outlook she shared. The decorum of her prose represents a disciplined habit of mind and a disciplined attitude towards life. But the formality has about it nothing of the pomp us or verbose. On the contrary one of the chief qualities of her narrative style is precision, lucidity, and economy. With these is combined a habitual tone of irony. The irony is the cutting edge, as it was an instrument of moral perception which was Jane Austen’s sensibility. Mr. Collins speaks about his conception of a true marriage. He takes the conventional notions about marriage of true minds where partners have similar dispositions and ideas about life in general. Mr. Collins philosophy of marriage reminds Charlotte’s reminds Charlotte’s matrimonial ideology as she also consider the harmony of characters and minds as the ultimate source of matrimonial bliss and place no importance to money or fortune. She says in Chapter 6; â€Å"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other, or ever so similar before-hand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always contrive to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are to pass your life. † Mr. Collins also suffers from the same fictitious idealism like Charlotte. That’s the reason he says; â€Å"My dear Charlotte and I have but one mind and one way of thinking. There is in everything a most remarkable resemblance of character and ideas between us. We seem to have been designed for each other. † (Chapter XXXV) Furthermore, he longs for same matrimonial felicity for Elizabeth in her married life without knowing what is her ideals of marriage and what she wants to be come out of marriage. Jane Austin has beautifully employed irony as Mr. Collins wishes something for Elizabeth that she does not like. Furthermore, Jane Austin juxtaposes this conception of matrimonial bliss with his own conception of marriage and its preconditions that prevail throughout the novel. Jane Austin has Marxian conception of marriage and she considers wealth and socio-economic well-being as the foremost pre-condition of marriage. For the author, in the persona of Mr. Bennet’s daughter Elizabeth, however, irony’ is potent toy and a defensive weapon in the war against stupidity. The author uses Elizabeth to skewer self-important characters such as Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet. Yet Elizabeth is also blind to her own character faults, and her very blindness is another example of Austen’s use of irony. In her misunderstandings with Darcy, she (who is blind to her own pride in her ability to read character) accuses him false and excessive pride, while he (who is prejudiced against people with less money than he has) accuses her of prejudice. The rest of the episode shows the haughtiness and pomposity of Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins is a type of character that Jane Austin uses to highlight the posing and pretensions of English society of the time and the vain self-importance of an individual. His acquisition of fortune by chance to get an approval of Lady Catherine de Bourgh has made him to think of himself in higher terms and opinion. All his haughtiness and snobbery in the extract is a manifestation of this high opinion of his own self. His high opinion of Charlotte is also a product of this imagined high placement in society. He earns a handsome income and owns a house, so he requires a wife at this stage that can enrich his own fortune. Here Jane Austin elaborates the interrelation of marriage and money. If Mr. Collins would not have owned a house and would not have made a good fortune by chance, he would never think of having marriage. So he imagined conception of marriage as a bond between tow souls that are alike in their dispositions and character, seems only a caprice of imagination only. Establishing a correlation between marriage and social status is an important theme of Austen in this extract. Jane Austen also makes her reader see the correlation in the light of her contemporary social conventions. Earlier in the novel, when Elizabeth refuses the proposal of Mr Collins, he is unwilling to accept it. It was highly improbable that a woman of Elizabeth’ social status would reject the proposal of a well-off person. His self-importance is another factor that contributes toward his un-acceptance if her refusal. He disapprove of Elizabeth’s social status in these words that Elizabeth’s â€Å"portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of [her] loveliness and amiable qualifications†. His social status reassures himself by saying that; â€Å"you are not serious in your rejection of me, I shall chuse to attribute it to your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the usual practice of elegant females. † There is a dichotomy of Elizabeth’s refusal to Mr. Collin and her manifestation as an ideal woman of Austen who thinks marriage in terms of money. Walder (1996) has rightly pointed out; â€Å"In a social world where only possibility of movement in a women’s life was through marriage, choice of partner was as serious a business as choice of career was for a man. † Seen in this light, Elizabeth’s refusal of Mr. Collins is as brave an act as that of a young man who refuses to enter the family firm. † (Walder, 52) Jane Austen used Elizabeth as her mouth-piece to ridicule the fictitious idealism of various characters throughout the novel. In this case, Elizabeth does not directly say any word about Mr. Collins viewpoints but only show her contempt by feeling sorry for â€Å"Poor Charlotte† but she revisits her thought about her and says that she is not innocent as she herself has decided to marry Collins and choose a pretentious society. Jane Austen reflects here that if someone is placed in this situation, then it is tragic but someone has consciously decided to go for a vain marriage proposal, he ore she should be fully responsible for it. So it was Charlotte own disposition rather than chance that her placed her in that situation. But when Elizabeth herself refuses the proposal of Mr. Collins, she was also caught in fictitious idealism. She is of the view that as her father is a gentleman; she is on equal terms with Darcy and Bingleys. (Brooke, 1999. p. 158) Jane Austen beautifully shows her fictitious idealism as well. Jane Elizabeth also shows, through the character of Maria, the vainglory of English gentry. Unlike Elizabeth, Maria is amazed and amused by the social decorum. She was still startled at the nine dinners at Rosings and several teas. This extract further another aspect of Jane Austen’s art i. e. handling of dialogue. She had a remarkable ear, and must have been a shrewd observer of mannerism in speech. The speech of her characters is always consonant with their personalities yet it never approaches caricature. In the extract, Mr. Collins dialogues are true reflection of his personality yet it does not portray him as a caricature. Maria’s dialogues are equally expressive of her self and her tender age. So this extract and other textual examples from Pride and Prejudice clearly manifest that Jane Austen has skillfully conveyed her basic theme of money and marriage through her subtle style. She does not waste her words and there is uncommon clarity with economy in her art. References Austen, Hane. (2006). Pride and Orejudice. New York: Poenguin Classic. Brooke, C. (1999). Jane Austen: Illusion and reality. Rochester, NY: D. S. Brewer. Walder, D. (1996). The realist novel. Approaching literature. London: Routledge.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Listening Comprehension Strategies

Listening Comprehension Strategies Listening comprehension, also known as oral comprehension, can present a struggle for learning disabled children. Many disabilities can make it difficult for them to attend to information delivered orally, including difficulties in processing sounds and prioritizing sensory input. Even children with mild deficits may simply find auditory learning difficult since some students are visual or even kinesthetic learners. What Disabilities Affect Listening Comprehension? Auditory processing disorder, ADHD or a language-processing deficit can have serious impacts on listening comprehension. These children can hear, but imagine a world in which every noise you heard was at the same volume- its just impossible to sort out the important sounds from the unimportant ones. A ticking clock may be as loud and attention-grabbing as the lesson being taught by the teacher.    Reinforcing Listening Comprehension at Home and School For a child with these kinds of needs, listening comprehension work cant only happen in school. After all, parents will have the same struggles at home. Here are some general strategies for children with auditory processing delays. Reduce distraction. To help regulate volume and keep a child on task, its essential to eliminate extraneous noises and motion. A quiet room can help. Failing that, noise-canceling headphones can do wonders for easily distracted learners.Let the child see you when you speak. A child with difficulty interpreting sounds or making them on her own should see the shape of your mouth as you speak. Let him put his hand on his throat when saying words that present difficulty, and have him look in a mirror while speaking.Take movement breaks. Some children will need a refresher in the struggle to listen. Let them get up, move around, and then return to the task. They may need this support more often than you think!Read aloud, at least 10 minutes a day. You are the best example: Spend time reading aloud one-on-one to kids with auditory deficits. Its important to cater to the childs interests.Help her with the process of listening. Have the child repeat what youve said, summarize what shes read, or explain to you how she will complete a task. This builds the foundation of comprehension. When teaching a lesson, present information in short and simple sentences.Always check to ensure that the child understands by repeating or rephrasing your instructions or directions. Use voice intonation to keep his attention.Whenever possible, use visual aids and or charts. For visual learners, this can make all the difference.Help children with organization by presenting the sequence of the lesson before you teach it. e Reference them as youre giving instructions.Teach strategies to these students that include rehearsing mentally, focusing on keywords and using mnemonics. Making connections when presenting new material can help them overcome the sensory deficit.For students for whom distractibility is not the main issue, group learning situations may help. Peers will often help or direct a child with deficits and lend additional support that will preserve a childs self-esteem.   Remember, just because youve said it aloud doesnt mean the child understands. Part of our job as parents and as teachers is to ensure that comprehension is happening. Consistency is the most effective strategy to support children with challenges in listening comprehension.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Reflections on Versus

Reflections on Versus Reflections on Versus Reflections on Versus By Maeve Maddox The following sentence from an editorial about a money-saving measure taken by our local county government caught my eye: Its about cost-effective verses cheap. The misspelling of versus was the eye magnet, but then I started thinking about the use of the word itself. I dont hear the word versus or see it written out very often anymore. It may still have currency among sports writers, but I dont read the sports page, so I cant say. As a legal term, versus has been in the language since the 15th century: preposition denoting action of one party against another, from L. versus turned toward or against When I was in school, versus was commonly abbreviated as vs and italicized: McCulloch vs Maryland (1819) Miranda vs Arizona (1966) Now the usual practice is to abbreviate versus as v. and not italicize it: Roe v. Wade (1973) Gregg v. Georgia (1976) When it was still being written vs, the abbreviation was read as versus. Nowadays the practice is to pronounce the v as the letter name: Gregg [VEE] Georgia (1976) By now, many younger English speakers may be unaware that the v. in the name of a court case stands for versus. 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 General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples)80 Idioms with the Word TimeParataxis and Hypotaxis

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Treatment Plan for Severe Heart Failure and Diabetes Research Paper

Treatment Plan for Severe Heart Failure and Diabetes - Research Paper Example It is imperative for him to take his situation seriously and consult with his physician on a regular basis, so that, if his health condition worsens, then it can be treated timely. This problem of breathlessness could also be early symptom of lung cancer, due to this possibility; Herbert’s complete physical is strongly recommended that will help in diagnosing any subtle diseases prevailing in his body. Government should also play its due role in saving this man’s life, because he is not in a good financial position, so it is the duty of federal agencies to pay his medical dues. In many cases breathlessness and hypertension are directly responsible for heart failure (Lavine & Gellman, 2002). In the light of this observation, the role of nursing and other medical staff becomes significant in saving the life of a patient. Healthy lifestyle with mild level of exercise, minimize the breathlessness, as respiratory system has to inhale sufficient amount of air to compensate fo r fatigue, in this way it starts working properly. On the other side it also causes an individual’s appetite to normalize (Nodari, Metra, Cas, & Cas, 2003). At the same time, formalized group discussion panel containing professional doctors, was unable to develop a more effective and efficient way for the treatment breathlessness and appetite disorder, in comparison with existing ones (Kasje, Denig, Stewart, Graeff, & Haaijer-Ruskamp, 2012). A revolutionary finding is being highlighted by Mangiavacchi & et al, (2008), which points out towards the increased death rate, due to heart failure, in those diabetics who were suffering from respiratory issues, and were treated by insulin, thus concluding in the favor of non-usage of insulin on diabetic heart patients. At the same time, Metformin is recommended for the treatment of diabetes in heart patients with breathlessness (Eurich & etal, 2009). Breathlessness is caused by a malfunctioning part of a respiratory system, starting fr om nose to lungs (Bennett, 2003). On the other hand, this situation can be caused by blockage of air passages of nose, thus limiting the airflow to the lungs A problem in human’s circulatory system can also cause an individual to feel breathless, because with the sufficient amount of oxygen reaching to the cells of the body. The nerves system, therefore attempts to compensate for oxygen deficiency (Bennett, 2003). By pushing respiratory rate to a higher level, as a consequence patient feels breathless. It is believed that an early detection of breathlessness and appetite loss in elder people could be helpful in treating the disease (Boonman-de Winter & etal, 2009). In the case study Mr. Herbert has been diagnosed, with breathlessness earlier, so it will be relatively simple to devise a healthcare plan for him. Along with this, his caring attitude regarding his health is commendable. Metaformin treatment is suggested for Herbert, because it does not endanger the life of a card iac patient with breathing disorder, unlike insulin (Andersson & etal, 2010). Along with the medication, proper, light and routine exercise is also prescribed for the patient under study. However, relax home environment is critical for the health of the patient. According to the findings of a preliminary study, breathlessness could

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Legalizing Marijuana in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Legalizing Marijuana in Canada - Essay Example One of the bodies that have been vocal on the issue of the use of marijuana in Canada is The Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The body earlier this year introduced a new evidence based report for marijuana policy framework with recommendations of strict regulations on controlling the harm associated with the use of marijuana. In 1960s, the laws against marijuana were tough with where an offender found to possess small amounts of marijuana was to be sentenced for six months or a $1000 fine. However, in the recent past, pressure on the parliament to legalize marijuana has amounted with the House of Commons special committee on non-medical drugs releasing a report suggesting the reform of laws on marijuana possession and supply. Even as the issue of whether to legalize marijuana or not is debatable, legal access has been granted to people with HIV/AIDS and other individuals with serious illnesses.   With these deliberations on the policies that has been stipulating on th e control and use of marijuana in Canada, the focal point that has been echoed by different stakeholders articulates on the viability, and applicability of legalizing the drug. Factors to be considered when deciding on whether to legalize it or not are depicted below.      Evans and Berent (1992) argued that legalizing marijuana would lead to more jobs creation.   This would go a long way in growing the economy of the country. In addition, the government will be in a position to earn revenue from the taxes.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Is rationalism best understood as a rational phenomenon Essay

Is rationalism best understood as a rational phenomenon - Essay Example tion of the earth and the stars (the earth is the centre of the universe; the stars are fixed to a crystalline sphere and are unchanging and eternal) went on for about one thousand years. Even though scientific quests existed, it was not till the 16th century that our worldview actually began to change. A host of new thinkers made radical changes in the world by ushering in rational and scientific investigation. Let us take a look at the important path breaking events in the development of modern and scientific and rational view of the world: Thus with the new dawn of Rationalism in the 16th century came a new spirit. The Rationalists held the view that one could arrive at knowledge, not by religious faith and revelation, but by reason. Their faith in the human reason brought in a new phenomenon in the thinking trends of the world. Their basic principle as given by Leibniz’s Principle of Sufficient Reason was that everything taking place in this world can be explained rationally and that knowledge (truth) can be gained by deduction. This new phenomenon is also evident in the Rationalists’ implicit faith in human intellect and understanding power, which can also be termed as intuition. If a man throws a ball into the air, what can we expect? The ball will come back to the earth. I know that this incident is only confirming the truth about the laws of the world. But there are two ways to come to this ultimate truth. The man can throw the ball a number of times and comes to a conclusion that the ball does not stay up but comes back to earth, or he can understand that some basic principle or law makes the ball come back to earth. The thinkers belonging to the first school of thought are called Empiricists, who believe that law of gravity can be established by observation. Throwing the ball up countless times will give the same result. So, we see that the empiricists’ point of view is dependent upon experience. If experience changes in this regard, the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Connections Between Stalin And Lenin Regimes Politics Essay

Connections Between Stalin And Lenin Regimes Politics Essay If the words of traditionalist historians from the cold-war era are to be taken as fact, then the answer to the topic question dictates that there is a real connection that exists between Leninism and Stalinism. It was the socioeconomic and political base created by Lenin that became the plant from which emerged the excesses of Stalins era. Stalin promoted an entirely personal viewpoint when it came to his soviet policy i.e. he took on the role and accumulative advantages of being the Lenin of his rule. His behavior highlighted his own policies and made evident the failing totalitarian arguments resulting in his regimes being termed a nations tragedy (Ulam Stalin; the Man and His Era 12). There are several people who disagree with this view; mainly Trotskyitesis who put forth that Stalinism broke away from Leninism. They are in favor of the nature of Stalins rule; he pulled his regime away from the progressive and democratic nature of Lenins rule and pulled it towards a dictatorship that seemingly served his self-interest. It has been termed a Thermidorian negationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [and] betrayal of the basic Bolshevik beliefs (Cohan 41). Deutscher further went onto state that Stalin was only able to maintain the status of a revolutionary leader because he was able to implement a new and fundamentally different practice of socioeconomic and political organization, as opposed to staying true to the older definition of revolution (Stalin; a Political Biography 550). Khruschev famously took up the vast break between the two regimes when he tried to validate the presence of his Leninist-Marxist regime. He went against the notion that Stalinsim exhibited any qualities of Leninism and by way of de-Stalanization promoted the concept of the excesses that occupied Stalinism. Some theorists attempted to elaborate the two regimes in a more neutral tone and point of view; however, the revisionists insisted that although there were discontinuities and continuities between the two regimes, Stalinism had been influenced heavily by other historical events from within Russia. The prevailing argument is now a balance of the straight line intentionalist theory that Bolshevik Marxism determined the character of post revolutionary Leninism as well as the main traits of what we call Stalinism, and the revisionist research that has shown the difference of extremity between the two regimes (Cohen Rethinking the Soviet Experience: Politics and History since 1917 42). While Leninism slowly began to work its way in the direction of political totalitarianism, economic liberalization did not necessarily have to result in Stalinist authoritarianism. The demise of the communist regime led to a kind of rebirth in Sovietology, and also set in stone the fact that distinguishing between a good and bad Lenin is becoming less and less sustainable (Pipes Three Whys of the Russian Revolution 84). Although it cannot be stated as fact that out of the totalitarian embryo would come totalitarianism full blown, it is certain that Lenin had played a significant role in creating Stalin. The one thing to note is however, that Stalin escalated politics and terror to an entirely new level. (Cohen Rethinking the Soviet Experience: Politics and History since 1917 43). Several people are in agreement over the fact that a significant change took place when Stalin introduced economic reforms which stemmed from a policy of concentrating peasantry into collective farms after collectivization the effectively abolishing private property and swiftly industrializing through five year plans. Stalin believed that it was a Great leap forward. Alev Nove came to the conclusion that Stalins economic policys infiltration was a great turning point in Russian history, whereby Stalin challenged the Marxist theory and turned it upside down to determine the character of the economic arrangement through political system (Hartfree 27). The collectivization policy initially was a change to the semi-capitalists policy of trading under the NEP. Stalin, while restructuring the USSR, portrayed that wholesale collectivization and industrialization were not only representing the continuation of the Bolshevik blueprints that were set by Lenin but in his words was A path of socialism. People like Trotsky totally disagreed with Stalin and his principals. Trotsky during the process of bringing about a change in policy portrayed how Stalin had deviated from the Bloshevik ideology and that opportunism à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ turned into its opposite à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ adventurism (Trotsky Eastman 45). Trotsky being an ex-Bolshevik in refuge, irrespective of everything would have still criticized Stalin out of personal revenge. Stalins contention of collectivization as a branch of Leninism did not hold much significance, even though it was coupled with Grain requisitioning tactics and Kulak liquidation during the Civil War. Stalin validat ed his actions using quotes by Lenin, who claimed collectivization as an eventual socialist goal and referred to Kulaks as bloodsuckers, vampires, robbers of the people (Hartfree 28). Stalin claim to his theory leading to the destruction of the last roots of capitalism in the country, to the final victory of socialism in agriculture, and to complete consolidation of Soviet power in the country side is unreal. The reliability of Stalins evidence was doubtful not only due to the omissions from some of Lenins writings (which were put away in sealed archives) also because of his selective manner towards economic arguments. Stalins reasons were based merely on words that strengthened his views and ambitions alone while completely being oblivious to Lenins wise warnings towards collectivization: coercion towards the middle peasant is a supremely harmful thing, to act here by means of coercion is to ruin the whole cause, and collectivization should be based upon not, pressure, but examples and persuasion (Hartfree 28). Deutscher, through the western study of Stalins economic policy, was identified as the first to object to the Soviet thought by stating that a breach in policy of communists had occurred and had claimed on noticing a Great Change. He further stated: Soviet Russia embarked upon her second revolution, which was directed solely and exclusively by Stalinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [and which]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ was even more sweeping and radical than the first (Deutscher Stalin; a Political Biography 296). Deutschers distinction of it being the second revolution states his perceived difference that existed between both the revolutions. He stated collectivization as a Military operation, a cruel civil war (Full Text of Facts on Communism). Deutscher stated their experiment of placing 150 million peasants into 200,00 kolkhoz as piece of prodigious insanity, in which all rules of logic and principals of economics were turned upside down, (Deutscher Stalin; a Political Biogr aphy 326), he blatantly specified that Stalin undertook to drive barbarism out of Russia by barbarous means (Full Text of Facts on Communism). Even though Deutscher comprehended the price of such means, it is quite vague whether he possessed all the facts for writing in 1949, his prospect to view the material in person was quite limited, hence even while stating Stalin as having borrowed so much from Marxist thinkers and economists, that he might well be charged with outright paligrism he wraps Stalin up with a positive note (Full Text of Facts on Communism). Duetschers compassion towards the communist ideology reflects a socialist nature in his political inclination, he discusses the rewards of such policies and describes Stalins economy as the first truly gigantic experiment in planned economy, the first instance in which a government undertook a plan to regulate the whole economic life of its country, and to direct its industrial resources towards a uniquely rapid multiplication of the nations wealth (Full Text of Facts on Communism). He outlines that the plans had allowed Russia to modernize and develop into a society, and that a vague idea had been given practicality for the first time. For Duetscher the breach in policy was not as catastrophic as what later historians would describe it as, but he did consider that behind Stalin were tramping the myriads of weary bleeding Russian feet(Full Text of Facts on Communism). Intentionalists stated collectivization as useless and that it only damaged Russia, they classify the Stalinism perio d as a struggle on the same scale as of the First World War (Conquest The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the torror-famine). According to Ulam, when questioned if the Civil War had ever concluded, answered stating that collectivization as a war against peasantry (Lenin and the Blosheviks: the Intellectual and Political History of the Triumph of communism in Russia). According to the totalitarian school of thought, lenin and stalin both classified peasants as filth, flexible towards the disposal of the party. According to Ulam had Lenin lived he would have bought and end to NEP long before Stalin did. To both the revolution was taken over by financial radicals that handicapped the economy, and they initiated institutions which later provided as a form or advancement for Stalins revolution from above(Full Text of Facts of Communism). Conquest in order to link both the oppressors deduced that both had martyred almost the same number of people using their economic polici es. During the Peasant War of grain requisitioning held by Lenin, an estimate of 14 million people died where as in the Revolution from above of Stalin an estimate of 14.5 million were found dead. Conquests last words in respect to the Leninist-Stalinist policies were When the Stalin regime moved into excessive requisitioning in late 1932, it had the experience of 1918- 21 behind it. Then the experience had resulted in disastrous famine. If it was again to do so, this cannot have been for want of understanding in the Kremlin. (The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine). 1933s Terror Famine did it. He claimed that Stalin disregarded Lenins advice and embedded his own exploitation and destruction of the muzhik. This perspective further more damaged the Stalinists claims for further Bloshevik policies; which is clear to us that had they been accomplished NEP would have lasted. Ulam justifies his statement by stating that Stalins war was not for power alone bu t also did not support ideology, the faith of Marxism-Leninism (Ulam Stalin; the Man and his Era). Upon proper comprehension of Marxism, it would have required a safer, more reasonable method of transforming Russia into a modern industrial society (Full Text of Facts on Communism). Conquest grasps differences from both the Leninist and Stalinist policies and does not consider the Stalinist economics as an utter continuation of the Leninist war communism. He states that Although Lenin shared Bolshevik antipathy towards the peasants as the archaic element in Russia, his main concerns were to understand them in Marxist termsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and to decide how to organize the countryside (The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine), whereas Stalin only wanted to, frighten the Kulaks into submission (The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine). The only factor that made up for Lenin was that he perceived peasantry in Marxist terms and his policy was based on trial and error, with a changeable mixture of ideology and pragmatism (Lee 180) and at the last moment, Leninà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ listened to the voice or reality (Conquest The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine). None of this stands as a justification to the policies but simply outlines the imperfect characteristics of the Stalinist policies, unlike Deutschers view, which werent simply a continuation but also an intensification of Stalins course which would end in A cruel mockery of the peasant (Ulam Stalin; the man and His Era). It is said that one cannot make omelets without breaking eggs. In that case, perhaps one should not make omelets, if the menu happens to provide other choices (Nove 379). Quite a number of eggs were broken when speaking in terms of Russia, which not only according to the totalitarians, but was later also accepted by the Soviets, like Gorbachev who persisted on introducing Lenin like perestroika and glasnost reforms to amend the Stalinists red tape. They claimed that a lot of stress had been placed on what Gorbachev described as the centralization and command system, and illustrated to the soviet people the horrific nature of collectivization: Flagrant violations of the principals of collectivization occurred everywhere. Nor were excesses avoided in the struggle against the kulaks. An atmosphere of intolerance, hostility and suspicion was created in the country. I am putting things bluntly- those were real crimes stemming from an abuse of power. Many thousands of people were subjected to whole sale repressive methods. Such comrades is the bitter truth (Gorbachev). In Noves words Stalin was required to bring Russia into the 20th century, loses were i mmense but such was the only available option for Russia. It had become more explicit that Stalin had taken the Leninist method and made it further extreme to a notch unconceivable under Lenin, and even though it is true that the foundations were there to be exploited, Stalin was not a Leninist but a Stalinist who was knowledgeable about Leninism, the events that followed would most probably not been approved by Lenin. According to the totalitarians, politically both of them were considered as dictatorships; each was a single party system, each had secret police apparatus; both inculcating ideas within their citizens; each had control over the economy and the political organizations of the country; both used terror as a practice; To be clear: Lenin bequeathed to his successors a fully functioning police state (Amis 32). Even though each had a one party state, Trotskyite Deutscher implied that Stalin was The rule of a single fraction [which] was indeed an abuse as well as a conseq uence of the rule of the single party (The Prophet Unarmed Trotsky 1921 1929). This was fully argued by Khrushchev who, claimed that in respect to political ideology, and procedures towards the party, Lenin was a true Marxist. In a discrete speech he justified this by stating that Lenin had upheld democracy and collegiality in the Communist Party or which he named The Leninist method of convincing and educating (Crankshaw). He concurs with Figes perspective who stated that, despite the ban on factions, the party still made room for comradely debate (Figes). The political behavior inside the part faced a direct split for Stalins heir. In practice Stalin ignored the norms of Party Life and trampled on the Leninist principal of collective Party Leadership. This was despotism for Khrushchev and Co. The totalitarians portrayed Stalin as someone who ruled with an iron fist from inside the party, but he ran the country much more brutally than the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This particular kind of Soviet judgment in the mix of the huge amount of writings by the Liberals is quite a minority. Liberals completely deny the split between the two political ideologies. On the other hand western historian had no reason to justify their beliefs like the Soviets, so stuck to agreeing with Pipes in his statement Stalins megalomaniac and other odious qualities should not obscure the fact that his ideology and modus operandi was Lenins. A man of meager education, he had no other source of ideas (A Concise History of the Russian Revolution). Historians that are persuaded by the American values of democracy consist of the same modus operandi as Lenin. His theoretical and practical solutions fueled the party which gave birth to the totalitarian Stalinist. Pipes does not indicate coming a cross any such signs that hint whether Lenin ever considered Stalin a traitor to his definition of Communism. According to Pipes the reason for this was the dictatorship of the proletariat which gave a rise to the dictatorship by the vanguard, and in both cases terror was struck by death. The odd fact was that these views were similar to those of the pre-revolutionary, utopian idealist Lenin, who was not affected by the hardships of the Civil War Government So long as the state exists there is no freedom. Pipes in particular did not have any freedom during the regimes of Lenin and Stalin. Another revisionist named Service, maybe not as intense as Pipes; but in accordance to recent archival research, shows that he sides with the totalitarians, and also indicates to the violent Bolshevik political ambitions. He explains the one party state as arbitrary rule, administrative ultra-centralism, and philosophical amoralism. Lenin was not graspable as it was first thought, and the specula tion that if Lenin had survived, a humanitarian order would have been established is hard to square with this garment of agreed principals of Bolshevism (Service). Volkogonov was a reformed communist who held similar totalitarian beliefs of the red tape, sabotage, and bureaucracy that was commonly railed against by Lenin was infused through the system that he had created. Peoples freedom, power, human rights were concepts deemed unnecessary (Volkogonov and Shukman 77-78). By Lenin, the party had become a state within a state, its dictatorship a fact Party absolutism replaced tsarist autocracy. Democracy and civil rights became bourgeois manifestationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ [and]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ human life a soulless statistical unit. (Full Text of Facts on Communism). This continued till Stalins death. On top of that revisionism proved that a instead of a continuation the finalized Stalinist product was poles apart of the primary Leninist system. Reevaluating the Soviet experience Cohen concluded that the party had a considerable amount of change from 1917 to 1921 alone, in terms of composition, organizational structure, internal political life and outlook. Stalins party was thoroughly different from that of Lenin. For, if ideology could influence events, then it was also shaped and changed by it, (Cohen). If Lenin was impacted by the Civil War, then Stalinist had gone through different stages of evolution as well. Stalinist ideology changed in essence and it did not represent the same movement as that which took place in 1917 (Full Text of Facts on Communism). Nationalism, conservatism, reactionism, and dogmatism was revived where as there was a switch in the prominence of proletariat to the leaders as creators of life. Cohen concluded that, disc ontinuities were secondary to continuities. (Full Text of Facts on Communism). Although in terms of political continuation the difference between both the terms is quantitative, not qualitative (Full Text of Facts on Communism), and, as Cohen states excess was Stalinism (Cohen), is what differentiates between the two. The extent to which they differed not the manner in which they differ. Essentially, the basic elements of the Stalinist regime were all in place by 1924, Stalin simply prolonged it to feed his own personal satisfaction (Full Text of Facts on Communism). Continuous and discontinuous can be found both economically and politically but it is risky to jump to a conclusion like the Soviets stating that no link was there between Stalin and Lenin or enforcing the fact that no difference is there between the two. It is vital for one to see and understand the link between the two regimes. Had precedents of economical and political nature not existed terrors such as those witness ed during Stalins time would not have existed. Conquest derives that Stalinism did not emerge from nothingness, like any other historical phenomenon, it had roots in the past, but it would be deluding to state like Solzhenitsyn who claimed that a direct chain of events led to Stalin (The Great Terror: A Reassessment). The terror of Stalinist made an impact on history and led to plain simple human barbarity which inhabits mankind. The Mongols, Ivan the Terrible, and many other dictators used Lenins Logic of the axe (Volkogonov). Although there is a similarity between the Cheka of 1918 and the NKVD of the 1930s, the core difference between Lenin and Stalin was the extent of how far either would go. As evidence has it, majority agrees to the fact that Stalin took things further, both hold records showing that they had killed but Lenin did not kill fellow Communists, and Stalin did so on a massive scale; Lenin spoke of collectivization whereas Stalin implemented it, Lenin commented over the bureaucratic red tape, whereas Stalin wrapped the USSR in it. (Pipes a Concise History of the Russian Revolution)

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Irrationality of Existence Essay -- Literature, Gilgamesh

One of the most fascinating traits of humanity is the tendency to reflect and to create art on the basis of that reflection. In the days before writing, cave paintings and the oral tradition of storytelling demonstrated ways that people expressed their feelings – taking the time after winning, even if only briefly, the struggle against the demands of subsistence to leave a product behind, for posterity. Even the earliest recorded examples of literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, poignantly express the struggles that humanity faced when dealing with such abstractions like mortality and grief. The most recent bestseller books published last week may have cooler cover art and use figurative language more intricately than that ancient poem. But the anger and grief that Gilgamesh felt after a snake ate the plant of immortality was much greater and powerful. It was the plant he found after a long and bloody journey. Because of one careless moment when he stopped to take a quick dip in a pool, he lost it to the snake. The absurdity of life comes into high relief at this moment, and while the writings of Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller and Sylvia Plath are just some of the many that express the same theme, none will be displayed more vividly than. Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Michael Seigneur de Montaigne’s Of Experience also mirror the irrationality of existence. These books suggest that what is important in life, and what gives life meaning is much more than what we are able to accumulate and acquire during our time on the planet; it is how we respond to what Hamlet would term the â€Å"slings and arrows of outrageous fortune† (Shakespeare). The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio was written in the 1350’s... ...es. Throughout European history, such movements as the Age of Reason and the Romantic Era represented different schools of thought as the way to find happiness and contentment in life. Boccaccio, Shelley, and Montaigne are just three of the many writers who have taken on this idea as a theme. Ironically, there may be as many answers to the question of finding the significance of life as the number of people trying to answer it. Works Cited Boccaccio, Giovanni, and George H. MacWilliam. The Decameron. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 2003. Print. Montaigne, Michel De. "Of Experience." Essays By Michel De Montaigne: 633-88. Print. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Web. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/ Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Joseph Pearce. Frankenstein. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2008. Print. The Irrationality of Existence Essay -- Literature, Gilgamesh One of the most fascinating traits of humanity is the tendency to reflect and to create art on the basis of that reflection. In the days before writing, cave paintings and the oral tradition of storytelling demonstrated ways that people expressed their feelings – taking the time after winning, even if only briefly, the struggle against the demands of subsistence to leave a product behind, for posterity. Even the earliest recorded examples of literature, such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, poignantly express the struggles that humanity faced when dealing with such abstractions like mortality and grief. The most recent bestseller books published last week may have cooler cover art and use figurative language more intricately than that ancient poem. But the anger and grief that Gilgamesh felt after a snake ate the plant of immortality was much greater and powerful. It was the plant he found after a long and bloody journey. Because of one careless moment when he stopped to take a quick dip in a pool, he lost it to the snake. The absurdity of life comes into high relief at this moment, and while the writings of Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller and Sylvia Plath are just some of the many that express the same theme, none will be displayed more vividly than. Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Michael Seigneur de Montaigne’s Of Experience also mirror the irrationality of existence. These books suggest that what is important in life, and what gives life meaning is much more than what we are able to accumulate and acquire during our time on the planet; it is how we respond to what Hamlet would term the â€Å"slings and arrows of outrageous fortune† (Shakespeare). The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio was written in the 1350’s... ...es. Throughout European history, such movements as the Age of Reason and the Romantic Era represented different schools of thought as the way to find happiness and contentment in life. Boccaccio, Shelley, and Montaigne are just three of the many writers who have taken on this idea as a theme. Ironically, there may be as many answers to the question of finding the significance of life as the number of people trying to answer it. Works Cited Boccaccio, Giovanni, and George H. MacWilliam. The Decameron. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 2003. Print. Montaigne, Michel De. "Of Experience." Essays By Michel De Montaigne: 633-88. Print. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Web. Retrieved 4 December 2011 from http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/hamlet/ Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Joseph Pearce. Frankenstein. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2008. Print.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Decision making Essay

My personal ethics development has been a process and it has changed over the years from people influencing me and myself maturing. As a child, I was raised well by my mother who always taught me to do the right thing when no one was looking. She always made sure I respected my elders and had good manners. I went to a Catholic school when I was in grade school and high school. My family and I would go to church every Sunday and have dinner together every night. My family always taught me to have good values and morals, to be a part of the community in a productive way. The people that raised me in my earlier life played a huge importance on the man I have become. At this point of my life ,I thought my compass was true north as we heard Mr. O’Rourke talk about in the video lecture. I had strong values at all times or at least I thought I did. As my life went on I realized that my compass was north ,but it wasn’t true north. I still had room to grow and become more mature in my decision-making. Sometimes it can be very hard to judge how ethic you are like a person because you are judging yourself. I graduated high school and soon after that I decided that I was going to join the Army instead of going to college. I was 19 years old when I joined the United States Army and enlisted for four years. The minute I arrived to boot camp I was introduced to the seven Army values which are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. We had to memorize these army values ,as well as The Soldiers Creed and Warrior ethos. The warrior ethos is, I will always place the mission first, I will never quit, I will never accept defeat, and I will never leave a fallen comrade. Every morning we would stand information and have to repeat these creeds and Army values as a group. At the time ,I did not understand why it was suppose important memorize all these things. They would make us do team building exercises, where you would have to trust your fellow Soldiers. Then the next six years of my life will change how I looked at my moral decision making for the rest of my life. I went to Iraq when I was 20 for a 15-month tour and came back 22 years old. Within those six years ,I deployed to Iraq three deferent times for a total of 33 months. While you are deployed in a war situation you will be faced with unethical decisions on a daily basis this is where you got to separate your religious and personal ethics with your jobs ethics. Sometimes you need to make a decision based on a duty-based principal, were right and wrong is determined by an outside source. You do things you don’t necessarily believe in ,but it’s for the better of the workplace, work or in this case for the Army. I look back to the days of basic training and throughout the nine years I have been in the Army and I realize why the Army puts so must stress on values. We have classes all the time on ethics, decision-making and critical thinking. The Army prepares you for the hard decisions you are going to have to make with using sound judgment and values. All the training I received from the Army and them instilling values and standards in my brain helped me to always make ethical decisions in the most distraught instances. It helped me that I was raised with good ethics, morals, and values. It made the transition in the Army easier for myself than some of the other Soldiers. The Army is a perfect example of just because you were raised with bad ethics or values do not mean that you will always live that way. People are brought in from all over the world and have to work with each other on a daily basis and trust each other. The Army will teach you how to have good ethics and values. I see people change all the time over the course of time. They will make you have a role model character once they make you believe in the values and ethics. I am not saying everyone will change or will be able to change but if a person truly wants to change they can change with strong leaders in place with good characters. Ethics is crucial in the business world because there is so much room for corruption and misbehavior in the workplace. There is many chances to make unethical decisions in business that is why it is so important to have mandatory training and have people who believe in you work for you. Every company or business needs to come up with some policy such as code to ethics in the workplace environment. Just cause someone grew up a bad apple does not mean that the person is going to be a bad apple there whole life. People who impact them throughout their lives can change them or a certain job with high ethic standards could change their point of view. It could be as simple as one person who influences that person for them to change to the perspective on their ethics. Without ethics in organizations, there would be no sense of trust among employees and as well with customers. You want to know your employees are making ethical decisions because you cannot watch everyone that works for you all the time. You want them to act the same way whether you are in a room with them or a thousand miles away. It is your responsibility as a leader to influence these people and instill these values and ethics in them. You need to make your employees believe in you and your ideas. Throughout my life ,I feel I have had strong morals but many people have influenced me in a positive way. Most people just need positive influences in their life to shape them to have good strong ethics. I was just lucky enough to have these people in my life from an early age and throughout my life. I have never been the person who does things for entitlement-based, I do not find myself making decisions solely on the basis of what is best for myself.