The French revolution collapse of the feudal systems and monarchies of Essay

The French revolution collapse of the feudal systems and monarchies of 18th century Europe - Essay Example The French Revolution which took place between 1789 to 1794, â€Å"marked the advent of modern society†1, both bourgeois and capitalist, in the history of France. The revolution brought about the national unity of the country through destruction of the privileged feudal orders considered as remnants of the Middle Ages. It is historically significant because the revolution successfully established a liberal democracy. Due to these double outcomes, in the perspective of world history, it can be considered as a classical model of a bourgeois revolution. However, the history of the French revolution is an integral part of European history. Earlier revolutions in other European countries such as Holland in the 16th century, and two revolutions in England in the 17th century, as well as the 18th century revolution in America paved the way for the French revolution. In all the European countries, the evolution ultimately resulted in the formation of modern society. With the different revolutions opposing the old economic and social system with its feudalism, the bourgeoise could benefit to varying degrees. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons for the French Revolution and the collapse of the ancient monarchies and feudal systems of eighteenth century Europe. The Revolution began an era of change from the nineteenth century onwards, with the evolution of a democratic and equitable modern society. The Bourgeoisie Uprising: Cause of the French Revolution Lefebvre2 was a lifelong socialist, under the increasing influence of Marxism which assigns the bourgeoisie with the key role of representatives and beneficiaries of capitalism. According to this scholar, the rise of the bourgeoisie was the main cause of the French Revolution. After several centuries of increasing in numbers and wealth, the bourgeoisie class took control of power in France in 1789. Medieval society had been ruled over by a landed aristocracy, because the only f orm of wealth was land. However, by the eighteenth century, â€Å"economic power, personal abilities and confidence in the future had passed largely to the bourgeoisie†3 who were supported by a new form of wealth and a new ideology that was clearly defined. In 1789, the bourgeoisie overthrew the remaining aristocratic, feudal lords who had retained their dominance despite their economic decline. It was possible for the bourgeoisie to overthrow the aristocracy because the monarchy’s political authority had collapsed due to the lack of adequate funds. The reason for their inability to pay was that the aristocracy or privileged classes of nobility and clergy clung to their age-old privileges and immunity from paying. Moreover, they used their political power to prevent the king fom undertaking necessary reforms4. Following their ousting, the bourgeoisie established a regime based on the new distribution of economic power. Significantly, Lefebvre5 refers to four revolution ary movements in France between 1787 to 1789. First came the revolt of the aristocracy, which destroyed the monarchy. It was the culmination of an aristocratic resurgence which took place for over a century, in which the nobility had struggled to regain their pre-eminence in the social order, which Louis XIV had removed. In order to carrry out their revolution, the nobility had sought the support of the bourgeoisie; however the successful implementation of the movement provided the bourgeoisie with ideas to resolve their own problems. In the September of 1788, the parliament of Paris which formed the driving force behind the aristocratic reaction, required that the Estates-General promised by the government for 1789 should be constituted as they had been in 1614 at their last meeting. For the bourgeoisie this was not acceptable, since the forms of 1614 underscored aristocratic predominance. Under these circumstances the revolution of the bourgeoisie

English-Drama Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English-Drama - Assignment Example erican Dream does have some common elements such as a house, leisure time and the natural result of average effort, yet each individual must realize that their idea of home and their concept of leisure might be vastly different from another person’s. Unless you know what the dream means to you, it remains impossible to attain, but many people fail to provide themselves with that clear sense of definition. In his play, Death of a Salesman, playwright Arthur Miller presents the story of Willy Loman and his last ditch efforts to achieve the American Dream he envisions for himself and his family. This paper argues that Miller’s play illustrates the problem of fuzzy definition, discovers the actual elusiveness of the American Dream and that the play itself argues for an adjustment of our concepts of this term in favor of something more personal. Throughout Miller’s play, Willy Loman continues to compare himself to a vague notion he has of the American Dream. The idea of the house being an integral part of the Dream is brought in almost immediately as Willy observes to his wife â€Å"Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it† (4). This statement reveals the emptiness Willy has found in the accomplishment of providing his family with a home of their own as his sons prepare to leave again. As Linda tries to soothe him, he reminds her â€Å"some people accomplish something† (4). By making this statement, he is indicating that simply owning a home and raising a family isn’t enough to give him the sense of satisfaction he’d thought he’d have at this point in his life. Willy’s ideas are shown to be flawed as he talks with his boys in several memory scenes. In these scenes, he is seen to be attempting to inflate his own importance and the prestige of his job: â€Å"they know me boys, they know me up and down New England. The finest people. And when I bring you fellas up, there’ll be open sesame for all of

Ethical Dilemmas Faced by KFC

Ethical Dilemmas Faced by KFC 1.0 Introduction There are many ethical dilemmas that an organisation face and one of the organisations which faces major dilemmas is the Kentucky Fried Chicken. Firstly, the main objective of this report is to provide a discussion about the dilemmas faced by KFC and the ethical dilemmas that the company encounters. Secondly, evaluate the relative importance of these dilemmas and how Kentucky Fried Chicken is currently dealing with them. Then introduce the Kentucky Fried Chicken ethical best practices and values. Last give recommendations and strategic options to Kentucky Fried Chicken. 2.0 The main ethical dilemmas facing Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC is the most popular fast food brands in the world. The company was found by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952. KFC now boasts of operating, franchising, and serving a worldwide chain of around 11,000 fast food restaurants that prepare, package and sell a menu of ready to eat foods. (Source: KFC office website: http://www.kfc.com/ ) With the development of the living standard of the people. People can found obviously, more and more people change the health and nutritional attitudes and behaviours. People more concerned with their health and figures than ever before. Obviously, the reason for this increased concern is because of the fact information be reported in everywhere and every reports and research about fast food has no nutrition. It is junk food. It can not eat much. and so on. This is a dilemmas for KFC have faced, because it has already gain the reputation of a fast food that continuously provides greasy unhealthy food; .The company should do something about potential increase of shareholder value. Being one of the most popular fast food restaurants and with millions of people patronising the products and foods offered by the company, it is important the company adheres to ethical standards specifically in terms of providing healthy foods. However, it has been observed that Kentucky Fried Chicken is using oil which contains Trans fatty acids. This kind of oil is noted to increase cholesterol and even increased the risk of having heart disease. As authorities discovered this, the case was being carried over by the consumer group centre for Science in the Public Interest and told the company to use healthier cooking products than the one they are using.( Source : Ethics Management KFC) China has large population. To KFC, it has a large market and has got great success in china. It happen a great important event ‘ADK. KFC use food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red in their new product called New Orleans Roasted Wing. Chinas health ministry found it and stops KFC using the food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. Let KFC use the safety food ingredients for cooking instead. ( Source: KFC Falls Prey to Sudan I) The shareholder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation in order to gain competitive advantage, reduce the cost. Kentucky Fried Chicken is using oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. Do the bad job; it is not act as supervisory role. The supplier supplies the oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. It price hikes for exorbitant profits. This kind of behavior was a fraud. The government agency in case of finding defects, take corrective action accordingly. Then let the company to use healthier cooking products instead. It is protecting the interests of consumers. 3.0 Evaluate the Kentucky Fried Chicken dilemmas and Kentucky Fried Chicken deal dilemmas 3.1 Elevate the Kentucky Fried Chicken dilemmas KFC use the oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red in their new product called New Orleans Roasted Wing. It influences the brand and brings some negative effect, such as: bad press, media report, even in some countries, people demonstrated for boycott Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken may have said that they are not using these kinds of oils and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red in their new product called New Orleans Roasted Wing to adhere to ethical standards of protecting the health of their customers. In order to increase international competitiveness and lead in competition than any other competitors, such as, McDonald, Subway, Pizza-Hut and so on. The traditional ethical stance of the company is to prevent actual problems on health and nutrition. However, there is an obvious lack for long term plans that will also maintain these developments even in years to come. Kentucky Fried Chicken should then realize that the company does not only have a responsibility to their current customers but to future generations as well. The scope of responsibility as cited in this discussion should include the provision of respect for others, honest and pure intentions as well as protection from harm. The management of the company should be responsible in maintaining that healthy and nutritional foods which future generations will need as well so as to survive. But Kentucky Fried Chicken realizes the gravity of the situation. It stopped use the kinds of oils and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red and take effective steps to plan a rescue operation for the dilemmas. The Kentucky Fried Chicken has its own principle. It is customer focus. The companys ethical stance should not be based on short term goals. The company is still encountering negative issues brought about by its negligent behavior. But these efforts do not directly address the problem. The company is still encountering negative issues brought about by its negligent behaviors. 3.2 Kentucky Fried Chicken deal dilemmas KFC though the media report, make a public apology for use the oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. KFC also make a promise for consumers in general. Never use the oil which contains Trans fatty acids and food ingredients for cooking with the Sudan Red. It has promised a thorough investigation into the affair. KFC find a sound business firm to cooperation. Let the government agency reinspection.The firm dropped its supersizing options, and put a range of new healthy options on the menu, including salads and grilled chicken flatbreads and so on. Due to use the oil which contains Trans fatty acids, provide some negative effect, it make the consumer reduce. Overall sales are down. So KFC make the promotion, like produce economic suite, increase profits by reducing costs or distribute special discount voucher in public places also can download from KFC official website. 4.0 Kentucky Fried Chicken best practice s and Value Kentucky Fried Chicken often join the in public service activities and committed to its communities. Kentucky Fried Chicken in China often giving back to the community. From 1992 to 1997, the Kentucky Fried Chicken contributes funds for Chinese† hope project† every year. It has sponsored the One Million Peoples Love Movement and the 1 (family) + 1 (dropout) Help Movement, mobilizing the entire society to help dropouts return to school. From the 1996 to 1997, only two years, the collection of funds runs up to 2.5 million. (Source: KFCs community activities ) May 12th, 2008. The Sichuan province of China suffers an earthquake. Kentucky Fried Chicken contributes funds15.8 million through the China Charity Federation, Chinese Red Cross Foundation and China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation. Except the donate money, Kentucky Fried Chicken also offer the supply of some essential goods like purified water, bread, sunshade, health gauze mask †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦for earthquake in Sichuan . (Source: List of Donors of Sichuan earthquake ) Kentucky Fried Chicken contributes funds. One aspect is Kentucky Fried Chicken make contribute to social benefit. On the other hand, it will bring the intangible benefit to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Such as, join the public benefit activities, Brand name awareness will increase. Kentucky Fried Chicken has attracted a lot of publicity. For example: Kentucky Fried Chicken joins the public benefit activities, the media report, newspaper and internet will report the current events. People will know the best practice of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The Kentucky Fried Chicken behavior left public a very good impression. This is intangible benefit, intangible asset. Brand name awareness of Kentucky Fried Chicken was improved. Kentucky Fried Chicken buy the chicken, vegetables, bread, packing chest equipment and building construction materials from materials suppliers. Kentucky Fried Chicken evaluate and to train the related materials suppliers. The kind of behavior bring the tangible benefit to Kentucky Fried Chicken, It helps the materials suppliers improve the product quality. Kentucky Fried Chicken can use good raw material, make tasty food. 5.0 Recommendation to Kentucky Fried Chicken With the dilemmas faced by Kentucky Fried Chicken, the recommendation for the company should be able to use an ethical management strategy that will uplift the image of the company. 5.1 The way for creativity spread Kentucky Fried Chicken though the media, internet and other ways to uplift the image of the company. For example: The new advertising creative design is remarkable. In a short period of time, KFCs brand image will be into the minds of consumers. Looking back the past three years, Kentucky Fried Chicken ad is easily find, KFC more often reflect the image of its localization. Through nutrition, health, and thanksgiving brochures design, it has let the customer out from the â€Å"2005 Sudan incident† shadows. It is more of recognition of its brand and products. So it needs creativity of media to spread. In the market, it should confirm and locked on target customer. Though creative advertising, to achieve the product image and brand effectively increase and promotion. Kentucky Fried Chicken can advertising on bus. It can show the KFCs slogan an also can show the promotion information.   It should related peoples life. 5.2 Innovative promotions Sales promotion is an important market tool to enhance product sales. Meanwhile, we also can see that this was also an important way to show the corporate brand image. For example: In Malaysia, McDonald makes a promotion. It is Mc Value lunch 12 noon-3 pm, Monday-Sunday. It gets good effect. So when Kentucky Fried Chicken in the design of promotional programs, there must be new and unique. Let the consumer and media also can join it, the media reporting and dissemination initiative. The promotions plan can get the consumers allow. Corporate image and brand in their promotional activities have been further consolidated and increased. 5.3 Take effective measures Due to more and more people change the health and nutritional attitudes and behaviours. People more concerned with their health and figures than ever before. Obviously, the reasons for this increased concern is because of the fact information and KFC use the ingredients include hazardous substance. KFC should take effective measures. KFC can establish dietician department. Make the healthy and nutritious food and make the nutritional survey and food inspection report to the product. The dietician department also should to make a food safety inspection. In order let public set their mind at rest, KFC can invite the food inspector to food inspection. In respect to choice the suppliers, it cant careless .It should choice a sound business firm and prevent bad things from happening again. 6.0 Conclusion Business ethics is currently a very prominent business topic, and the debates and dilemmas surrounding business ethics have tended to attract an enormous amount of attention from various quarters. For a start, consumers and pressure groups appear to be increasingly demanding firms to seek out more ethical and ecologically sounder ways of doing business. The media also constantly seems to be keeping the spotlight on corporate abuses and malpractices. And even firms themselves appear to be increasing recognizing that being ethical (or at the very least being seen to be ethical) may actually be good for business. Ethical issues confront organizations whatever line of business they might be in. (Source; business ethics 2nd edition, author; Andrew Crane, Dirk matten.) In a word, it can be said that business ethical is very important to a business organization. It can help a business organization easily earning the respect of clients and win general acclaim. Contrary to the belief that social responsibility undermines businesses profitability goal, this actually help in generating profit through customer loyalty and good company image. For Kentucky Fried Chicken, the KFC Company must be able to ensure that the products that they offer are healthy and nutritional, so that it can make sure that Kentucky Fried Chicken can gain customer trust, loyalty, respect and the corporate image will be protected and developed.

Thoreaus Elements of American Romanticism Essay -- essays research pap

Elements of American Romanticism Henry David Thoreau pens his book Walden during a revolutionary period of time known as American Romanticism. The literary movement of American Romanticism began roughly between the years of 1830 and 1860. It is believed to be a chapter of time in which those who had been dissatisfied by the Age of Reason were revolting through works of literature. All elements of Romanticism are in sharp, abrupt contrast to those types of ideas such as empirical observation and rationality. An online article describes American Romanticism in the following manner, â€Å"They celebrated imagination/intuition versus reason/calculation, spontaneity versus control, subjectivity and metaphysical musing versus objective fact, revolutionary energy versus tradition, individualism versus social conformity, democracy versus monarchy, and so on† (Strickland). In 1845 during that period of time, Thoreau decides to spend two years of his life in an experiment with Mother Nature in a cabin at Walden Pond. H e tells exquisite tales of life in natural surroundings in his book, Walden, through a most primitive organic style. Walden is a key work of American Romanticism because of its embedded ideas of solitude, individualism, pantheism and intuition. Romanticism seeks nature as a means for obtaining knowledge, and while Thoreau heavily spends his time in the woods and around the pond by himself, he inevitably feels a sense of solitude. Solitude is not necessarily loneliness or intentional isolation of oneself. It is merely an acknowledgment of the fact that he or she is alone. Thoreau has his own thoughts about solitude in which he writes: In the midst of a gentle rain while these thoughts prevailed, I was suddenly sensible of such sweet and beneficent society in Nature, in the very pattering of the drops, and in every sound and sight around my house, an infinite and unaccountable friendliness all at once like an atmosphere sustaining me, as made the fancied advantages of human neighborhood insignificant, and I have never thought of them since. Every little pine needle expanded and swelled with sympathy and befriended me. (88-89) He acknowledges his distance from humanity in the preceding passage, yet he does not feel lonely because Nature upholds him. Additionally, he clearly states that the living organisms around him are what he dwells upon for his emotional su... ...ing Henry David Thoreau into a prominent American Romantic writer. Such elements include his writings about life in Nature having great solitude; he became friends with the surrounding plants and animals. Secondly, he wrote about what was occurring day to day at Walden’s Pond which showed him as being individualistic. Moreover, there was the idea that God can only be found in nature, and pantheism was constant idea in his book. Finally, Thoreau wrote about intuition as a means of obtaining knowledge, and his use of senses as a tool for building intuition. These ideas time and time again show the various aspects of Thoreau being portrayed as an American Romantic which has lead to a great historical achievement as a writer that he well deserves. Works Cited Harrison, Paul. â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions about Pantheism.† (1996). 10 December 2004 . Pohle, Nancy C. and Selover, Ellen L. â€Å"Awareness & Intuition.† 10 December 2004 . Stata, Raymie. â€Å"What is Individualism.† (1992). 10 December 2004 . Strickland, Brad. â€Å"AMERICAN ROMANTICISM (1828-1865) OVERVIEW.† (1997). 10 December 2004 . Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and Civil Disobedience. New York: W. Norton & Company, Inc, 1966.

Southern’s Middle Ages

Southern’s Middle Ages In the novel, â€Å"The Making of the Middle Ages,† author, R. W. Southern, calls attention to the events during the years of 972 and 1204, and how they  influenced the intellectual, religious and cultural traditions of our modern era. This period, lasting well over 200 years, is usually associated with waring knights and starving peasants rather than highly developed intellect and great innovation.However, Southern explains that there were considerable academic and sociological advancements made during this period, that go relatively unnoticed. He refers to these events as a â€Å"secret revolution† and explains that, â€Å"The significant events are often the obscure ones, and the significant utterances are often those of men withdrawn from the world and speaking to a very few. † (Pg. 13)   He reiterates this theme throughout the book, focusing primarily on Christianity, society, and thought.There can be no dispute that the pr ominence of Christianity, during the Middle Ages, has done more to shape the world, as it is today, than possibly any other religion. This is primarily because Christianity offered a unifying, stabilizing force throughout Europe, where a majority of areas had an â€Å"incoherent jumble of laws and customs, difficult to adjust to each other and hard even to understand. The survivals of barbaric codes of law jostled with varying mixtures of Roman law, local custom, and violence†. pg 15) Christendom provided Europe with a unified identity in language, government, and education. It is no great mystery that language plays an important role in the creation of personal relationships between individuals. So when applied on an international stage, language can mean the difference between war and peace. The church’s use of Latin acted as a merging factor in areas where people spoke in diverse and various dialects. As stated by Southern â€Å"This broad similarity of language fr om the lowlands of Scotland to Sicily was a real bond between men. (pg 17) The unifying quality of Latin not only bound men together linguistically, but also allowed those from different countries to move about freely with little or no language barrier. â€Å"The likenesses of language over this broad area were sufficiently pronounced to facilitate ease of movement both of men and of ideas: it took relatively few alterations to make a Provencal song intelligible in England, and a member of the English baronage could, without uch difficulty, make himself at home in Italy† (pg 20). As a side effect of the church being the one constant variable of the European continent, individual governments became subjugated to the power of the church. Christendom had developed such a loyal following that the peoples of the European nations, including those in power, were dependent on the church for moral and political authority. In this way, Christianity helped to unify countries that would otherwise be at odds with each other.Through the unification of these nations, the church grew to be the most commanding institution of Europe, enforcing that â€Å"all paid a form of tribute known as Peter’s Pence, which was the foundation of more or less determined claims to Papal overlordship; and when Bohemia finally became a kingdom, its new status was guaranteed by a Papal confirmation† (pg 27) The influence of the church was so great that all countries were reliant upon it, and were only recognized as sovereign nations, when determined as so, with the expressed confirmation of the Pope.Above all though, the most distinguishing impact that Christianity had, was a result of the crusades. Southern states that, â€Å"Even the Crusades only touched the fringe of this hostile world. But they had one great effect: they opened men’s minds to the size of the uncovered world. † (70) These wars brought people to the edges of their culture and introduced to th em to thier neighbors of the Muslim world where there was a literal collide and infusion of new thought, which Southern calls â€Å"The great period of acquisition†. pg 68) At this time, the advancement in the Muslim’s refined scientific knowledge and mathematic skills, which â€Å"had been intensively cultivated by Moslem Scholars† (65) were transferring and even being sought after by those in academia. The Jewish culture was instrumental as well in that they were effective in the translation of the two different languages. Maribel Dietz, author of â€Å"Wandering Monks,Virgins and Pilgrims† writes on the effects the journeys of the pilgrims had on not only the institutional church, but on society and thought.As stated in her novel â€Å"In an environment of religious, political, and social change, movement itself was now open to a multiplicity of meanings, interpretations, and purposes. †(pg 42) The crusades resulted in a surge of material and in tellectual wealth coming back to Europe from the front lines. Southern discusses the transfer of Muslim knowledge during these wars, Throughout his novel Southern looks at society and the individual. He writes about the importance certain groups and individuals within a particular community as well as the growth of society global scale.One particular group he writes about is women. Women, during this time period, were often given very little recognition. However, the power they wielded during the middle ages was far greater than many have been led to believe. Henry Chaucer often wrote on the subject of women. In his famous poem â€Å"The Canterbury Tales† he gives an in depth look at the power that women held. In one particular section of the poem the wife of bath describes a great deal of her life, omitting very little detail.She describes herself as being a strong woman who makes a habit of manipulating her husbands. â€Å"I will have a husband who will be both my debtor a nd servant, and have his tribulation upon his flesh, while I am his wife. As long as I live I, and not he, have the power over his body. † Regardless of the fact that history shows men as having all the power, in reality women held a great deal of power often through the manipulation of men. While Southern does not address the manipulation of men by women as Chaucer does, he does address the binding nature of marriage.He states in one passage â€Å"the way for this diffusion of rules of conduct and guides to statesmanship was prepared by something less tangible than ideals – it was prepared by the bond of marriage. † During the time in which Southern is writing about, marriage was more that just an expression of love by two individuals. It was an event that could mean the literal difference between life and death. The marriage of a couple was a binding of two families and often two nations if the individuals being married were nobles. In particular he focuses on the influence women have in marriage.Women during this time were married to men for many reasons, each having some sociopolitical ramification. Often times they would leave their home country as a result of a marriage which meant that they were immersed in a new culture, absorbing new ideas as well as spreading ideas from their own homeland. Southern makes a point of this by stating â€Å"Women were less rooted in the soil than men; they brought new influences from distant parts and established bonds between men of little or no identity of purpose or of interest. † This bonding of men from different cultures through women could and did have vast ramifications on society as a whole.One such example is that of Agnes of Aquitaine who was married the King of Germany, and the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry the 3rd. 13 years after their marriage in 1056 Agnes was left widowed and became regent for her infant son. Her reign lasted for 6 years at the end of which she was run out by an upr ising. After her reign ended she became well known for her religious devotion and was the chief ambassador between the Papal court and her son, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry the 4th. She was well known and had considerable influence in the political world. The case Agnes is just one of many that show the power women held during the this time period.Southern moves from the world of women and marriage into the world of men and the nuances of class that men could hold. A common term used when talking about class in the middle ages is the term serf. A serf was a person who was essentially a volintary slave who worked for a lord or religious institution, often working the land and paying a portion of their harvest to their master. It was also possible to be born into serfdom if one was born to parents who were serfs or were promised by their parents to a lord or institution. Education during the middle ages is often seen as something that was essentially non-existant.While it is true that it was more difficult to learn, as a result of geographic restrictions, the enthusiatic pursuit of knowledge never ceased or deminished during this time period. St. Augustine wrote the De Doctrina Christiana, which Southern refers to as â€Å"the most comprehensive syllabus of Christian Studies. †(pg 170) Augustine’s book outlines the way that science is too be used to better understand the bible. It is at this time during the middle ages when science and religion not only go hand in hand, but are practically indistinguishable from each other.And it is not until Boethius attempts to revive the ideas and philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome that this system began to change. Boethius’s dream to translate Greek science and philosophy into Latin, was the precurser to the renaissance and inspired others such as Gerbert, who revived the art of rhetoric. It is at this point that one can begin to see the shift from Augustine’s combination of science and religion i nto a new era when the two begin to split. Southern calls itâ€Å"the divorce between Divine and Secular learning† (pg 173) .What started out as a way of understanding religion was becoming a secular endevoure. Southern, R. W. The Making of The Middle Ages. Fredericksburg, Virgina: BookCrafters, Inc. , 1953. (accessed November 4, 2012). toatinthe Ancien Early in the period covered by this novel scientific knowledge was something that went hand in hand with the search for biblical truth. St. Augustine was wrote on this subject stating that clergy should use science to better interpret the meaning of the bible, and theological studies where indistinguishable with scientific.This changed later on when (insert name here) began to draw a p The majority of the european continent consisted of a rural and uneducated society, with diverse political and religious practices, besieged by violent invaders. Conclusion â€Å"Countries which , in 972, appeared so menacing had become by the end of our period an integral part, and to all appearances a permanent part, of Western Christendom† (pg 27) education the popes kings and emperors united in defensive of the perceived threat of islam and roaming tribes

The Long Campaign against Social Security

Bush has proposed allowing workers to invest some of their federal retirement taxes themselves to earn a better rate of return — a partial privatization of the 65-year-old retirement system.For such a long time the Social Security have been viewed by most conservative as a way in which the power of the government expands. The Social Security is owned by the government. It is an insurance program that runs for more than 69 years and is designed as something that compulsory collect from the public as a payroll tax.The benefits that can be derived from the insurance program are disability, retirement and survivor benefits.   The problem with the Social Security arises on 1983 when the payroll tax that a person pays sometimes exceeds the benefits that the Social Security offers. In order to compensate with such a â€Å"hoax† as people started to call it, the Social Security invested the money in the Treasury Security that are deposited as a trust fund under the Social Sec urity.Most people and politicians believe that the Trust fund does not exist anymore. Some say that it should have been invested into a private sector so people would know how the government spent the money.Since those who would benefit from the Social Security comprise a large number of voters, politicians have been extra careful when dealing with policy changes that would affect the Social Security. Since it was projected that the Social Security would face bankruptcy on the near future there have been several proposals regarding the way in which it could be run to yield more benefits in the future.Reagan in his early campaign suggested that the Social Security can be privatized. According to him, the privatization could be done by an introduction of voluntary features that would give the citizen a capability to act in accordance to their will. He further stated that he is against forcing any citizen into joining a compulsory public program regardless of the need.Nonetheless, when Regan have been a president he did not address the issue on privatization of Social Security and instead work on increasing taxes and the age of retirement to answer the possible problem in the Social Security. Regan have influenced the campaign on privatization but proved that radical changes needs long preparation and evaluation.President Bush proposed to partial privatized the Social Security in order to solve the upcoming bankruptcy.   Bush aims to give deliver the benefits of the Senior Citizens or the people who have invested in the Social Security while at the same time helping the younger generation to build their wealth through the system.Bush proposes the possibility of an individual and voluntary retirement account. President Bush’s proposal was known as progressive indexing which suggest maintaining the benefits for low income earners while slowly cutting down the benefits that high income earners receive.Works CitedThomma, Steven. Social Security Overhaul is L ong-Standing Conservative Dream. Commondreams.org. 2005.Retrieved on December 5, 2007. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0205-05.htm

Free Essays on GM to Sue California

The Wall Street Journal Date: Monday February 26, 2001 Article Title: GM’s Move to Sue California Over rules On Emmissions Leaves Auto Makers Split. On Friday February 23, General Motors Corp. filed a law suit in California Superior Court against the state Air Resource Boards that by 2003 all cars and light trucks sold or leased in California by big manufacturer’s emit no pollution. Ford Motor Co. and Daimler Chrysler AG decided not to endorse GM’s legal efforts. GM says that the new standards and are both economically and technologically difficult to meet. Air boars officials felt that they were not being unreasonable, and that GM should rely on their engineers rather than their lawyers. This suit can have large impact because other states have already agreed to the same emission rules as CA. Ford issued a statement that it was prepared to meet the requirements and that they are headed in this direction anyway by promising to try to improve the gas mileage on all their sport utility vehicles by %25 over 5 years. Toyota Motors Corp., said they are not planning on taking any part of this even thought they ha ve been arguing the same issues. GM says that they have been trying very hard to clean up the air in CA.. They introduced their battery powered car their five years ago, and have supplied electric power transit busses as well. GM says that sales of electric cars has been so small that they might have to resort to selling golf cart like cars. They say they are not being given enough time to meet the standards.... Free Essays on GM to Sue California Free Essays on GM to Sue California The Wall Street Journal Date: Monday February 26, 2001 Article Title: GM’s Move to Sue California Over rules On Emmissions Leaves Auto Makers Split. On Friday February 23, General Motors Corp. filed a law suit in California Superior Court against the state Air Resource Boards that by 2003 all cars and light trucks sold or leased in California by big manufacturer’s emit no pollution. Ford Motor Co. and Daimler Chrysler AG decided not to endorse GM’s legal efforts. GM says that the new standards and are both economically and technologically difficult to meet. Air boars officials felt that they were not being unreasonable, and that GM should rely on their engineers rather than their lawyers. This suit can have large impact because other states have already agreed to the same emission rules as CA. Ford issued a statement that it was prepared to meet the requirements and that they are headed in this direction anyway by promising to try to improve the gas mileage on all their sport utility vehicles by %25 over 5 years. Toyota Motors Corp., said they are not planning on taking any part of this even thought they ha ve been arguing the same issues. GM says that they have been trying very hard to clean up the air in CA.. They introduced their battery powered car their five years ago, and have supplied electric power transit busses as well. GM says that sales of electric cars has been so small that they might have to resort to selling golf cart like cars. They say they are not being given enough time to meet the standards....

Writing Confident Query Letters

Writing Confident Query Letters As someone who runs a website for writers (TheInternationalFreelancer.com), I see a lot of query letters from new writers. The thing they miss most often? Confidence. Writers who are confident know their story, what it hopes to achieve, and how theyre going to get the work done. Those who arent ramble on, send editors two different sides to a story and refuse to take a stand. If an editor has limited time and is paying good money to hire someone, which freelancer do you think shell hire? What can you do to become that freelancer? 1. Prove it to yourself James Clear, who is an entrepreneur, weight lifter, and travel photographer, writes on his blog about the time in his freshman year of high school when his basketball team had started the season with a losing streak. One day, their coach pulled them together and uttered these words: Confidence is just displayed ability. Put another way, youre not going to achieve something because you believe in yourself; youre going to achieve something and only then will you start believing in yourself. 2. Be cool Weve all met the writer who is so lacking in self-confidence that he emails you every week to please vote for me in this contest that Ive entered. Dont be that guy. You want the work, of course. Thats why youre writing. But youre not desperate for it and will walk away if the terms dont suit you. Even if you arent feeling confident, act like you are. 3. Sound like you know what youre talking about Youre pitching the story, correct? So it would be normal for an editor to assume that you know what youre talking about as regards that story. Make sure you do enough background research to know exactly why this story should be published and why it would fit into a publications pages. Look at it from the editors perspective: Why should she hire and pay for someone who isnt yet clear on what the story is and why its important. 4. Take responsibility Maybe, perhaps, usually, typically, most likely, and other such words and phrases dont have place in your query letter, especially if youre new to freelancing. Dont say He seemed to be angry, when in reality youre pretty certain he was furious. 5. Make a point If you have something to say, say it. Many writers are afraid of taking a controversial stance because the editor might not agree, but that is part of the reason youre writing the pitch- to suss out whether this editor is the right fit for your piece or not. And you cant do that if you tiptoe around what needs to be said. This is especially true in science stories and in most international reporting. Be confident in not only the data you bring to her, but the inference and the conclusions that youve reached as a result of it. 6. Practice Finally- and yet again- there is no weakness that practice cant overcome, no lack of confidence that practice wont make disappear. Practicing writing (and sending) queries helps you get better each time you do it and the better you get, the more confident your queries naturally start sounding. This is why Im a big believer in pitching as much as you possibly can, especially in the beginning. And that will translate automatically to the words on the page.

Phonics Definition and Examples in English

Phonics Definition and Examples in English A method of teaching reading based on the sounds of letters, groups of letters, and syllables  is known as phonics. This method of teaching reading is commonly contrasted with whole language approaches, which emphasize learning whole words in meaningful contexts. During the 19th century, phonics was commonly used as a synonym for phonetics. In the 20th century, phonics acquired its present meaning as a method of teaching reading. In practice,  phonics  refers to several different but generally overlapping methods of instruction. Four of those methods are summarized below. Analytic(al) Phonics During the 1960s, numerous basal reading series included a manual outlining how to teach each story. The manual included a program for ​analytical phonics instruction that recommended that the teacher use known words and ask children to analyze the phonetic elements in these words. . . .Analytic phonics relies on readers knowing a large number of words at sight. Drawing from known sight words, teachers directed students to make inferences about the phonic relationships within words containing the same letter combinations. In other words, the student matched the sounds in a known word with the sounds in the new word (Walker, 2008). . . .However, in the 1960s, some reading programs differed from the mainstream basal readers that used analytic phonics. A few basal readers included instruction using linguistic units that had recurring patterns. The linguistic-phonics system used the idea that the English language had recurring written patterns that were systematic to develop their program.(Barbara J. Walker, History of Phonics Instruction. An Essential History of Current Reading Practices, ed. by Mary Jo Fresch. International Reading Association, 2008) Linguistic Phonics In linguistic phonics, beginning instruction usually focuses on the word patterns found in words like cat, rat, mat, and bat. These selected words are presented to the students. Children need to make generalizations about the short a sound by learning these words in print. Consequently, linguistic phonics lessons are based on decodable books that present repetitions of a single pattern (Mat saw a cat and a rat). . . . Linguistic phonics . . . is like analytic phonics in that it emphasizes word patterns rather than individual letter sounds. However, linguistic phonics is not typically espoused by top-down advocates, because it does not emphasize naturally occurring text.(Ann Maria Pazos Rago, The Alphabetic Principle, Phonics, and Spelling: Teaching Students the Code. Reading Assessment and Instruction for All Learners, ed. by Jeanne Shay Schumm. Guilford Press, 2006) Synthetic Phonics The sounding-out-and-blending approach to decoding is known as synthetic phonics. In a synthetic phonics program, students are taught to decode new words by retrieving from memory the sound that each letter, or combination of letters, in a word represents and blending the sounds into a recognizable word (National Reading Panel, 2000). It is a parts-to-whole approach (Strickland, 1998).(Irene W. Gaskins, Interventions to Develop Decoding Proficiencies. Handbook of Reading Disability Research, ed. by Richa Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen. Routledge, 2011) Embedded Phonics Embedded approaches to teaching  phonics involve students in learning phonics skills by reading authentic texts. This approach may be compared to whole language; however, embedded phonics involves planned skills taught within the context of authentic literature. Embedded phonics formed in response to the intense criticism experienced by the whole language movement, and highlights the role of phonics instructions within the context of authentic literature. (Mark-Kate Sableski, Phonics. Encyclopedia of Educational Reform and Dissent, ed. by Thomas C. Hunt, James Carper, Thomas J. Lasley, and C. Daniel Raisch. Sage, 2010) Summary In summary, deep and thorough knowledge of letters, spelling patterns, and words, and of the phonological translations of all three, are of inescapable importance to both skillful reading and its acquisition. By extension, instruction designed to develop childrens sensitivity to spellings and their reactions to pronunciations should be of paramount importance in the development of reading skills. This is, of course, precisely what is intended of good phonic instruction.(Marilyn Jager Adams, Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print. MIT Press, 1994)

Pick an art work that is influenced by chemistry of physics Term Paper

Pick an art work that is influenced by chemistry of physics - Term Paper Example Quantum Man is a sculpture that was produced by Julian Vos-Andreae in 2009. Quantum Man is a piece of sculpture that was influenced by chemistry of physics. Quantum Man is ten and a half feet high in terms of its elevation and is placed at the center of The Bravern shopping are that is located in Bellevue, Washington D.C. It is one among many of the sculptures produced by the Julian Vos-Andreae that quantum themes. The Quantum Man has a front and back view and appears as a huge hunk of metal that was cut to represent the shape of a man walking. However, when the sculpture is looked from the side, it becomes almost invisible. The effect in Quantum Man is derived from the layers of stainless steel, which are more than 100 sheets that are layered from the front towards the back, and separated by metal rods. Quantum Man appears like a diffraction pattern of a wave. When in motion, a viewer can see the sculpture from the front or back. However, it keeps appearing and disappearing as a vie wer moves. Julian Vos-Andreae sculpted the object in a manner that shows its aesthetic value and ability to show stillness. Julian Vos-Andreae said that, â€Å"...the weirdness of quantum physics...see how far I could get in trying to understand it.†1 The sculpture was intended for metaphorical purposes on the way the complex and counter-intuitive quantum physics could be explored. It is symbolic of the dual face of matter. The Quantum Man presented Julian Vos-Andreae with two challenges. First, he makes a standard representation of classical quantum objects that appear to please in terms of its aesthetics. He has achieved this by sculpting an object that appeals to the eyes of the viewer. The second challenge is the background of physics with which he develops Quantum Man. He uses physics to link the classical representations of quantum objects to certain philosophical interpretations about human body2. The Quantum Man shows that Julian Vos-Andreae to develop an artistic cre ation that depicts a man in the sense of both time and space. The parallel sheets of metal that he used are representative of the wave fronts of a man as he moves forward through space and time. He placed each metal sheet with a definite spacing by connecting them with metal rods irregularly put horizontally and vertically to represent integral formulation of quantum mechanical style. This also helps achieve duality in his sculpture in terms of the true nature that exists underneath the sculpture and the reality as seen by a viewer. He shows that the real human body appears as a static figure (stillness) at any moment in time. Through Quantum Man, Julian Vos-Andreae exemplifies that the human body moves in waves. However, the waves are not perceived in most cases3. Therefore, Julian Vos-Andreae through the Quantum Man emphasizes that human body and everything around it is matter. He clearly exemplifies that every part of matter is considered as a well outlined path through space and time. It also brings forth the notion of continuity. This is seen in the Quantum Man in the sense that it seems to appear, disappear and reappear in different anglers. However, it does not disappear and disappear in real sense. The Quantum Man possesses an equivocal identity where its pieces are considered to be touching each other or appear as separate. However, the pieces do not penetrate through each other. The object shows that objects do not have hard edges or well defined boundaries in places where one piece ends and

Should the U.S. Stop Buying Some Imported Foods Essay

Should the U.S. Stop Buying Some Imported Foods - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in recent years there has been increasing consumer demand for imported food within the U.S., with a desire for numerous varieties of exotic food and out-of-season foods, fueling the controversy over whether allowing so much imported food into the U.S. is in our collective best interest. Legislation has been passed to improve inspection of imported food, but it would be too expensive to inspect all of it. My position is that the U.S. should stop buying food imported from some countries because it puts our public health at risk, undermines the U.S. economy, and puts the U.S. at increased risk for bioterrorism. Imported food increasingly puts our public health at a greater risk   One reason for this is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety testing has been cut in half since 2003 and the number of FDA employees involved in food testing has dropped 12 percent.   Only 1.3 percent of imported food was inspected in 2006. This has been enough to erase the gains made in inspections following 9-11 when concern about the safety of imported food was the highest. Imported food faces the same health risks as food grown locally, which in recent times has caused E. coli and Salmonella food poisoning illnesses. But it would be much more expensive for FDA inspectors to inspect the farms and other sources of tainted food when it is overseas if they were even given the authority. These problems make limiting imported food appears to be a wise choice, in order to avoid outbreaks of disease.

Epidermiology process in movie Outbreak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Epidermiology process in movie Outbreak - Essay Example However, it is unknown to many that, the carrier of the virus which is a monkey, was brought to the U.S by a freighter. It is through an under-table bribe by a young man that the monkey escaped being tested for the virus in the animal testing lab. This man then gets infected and the Col. Sams ex-wife, Dr. Keough, who is currently with the CDC, is called to a Boston hospital where the man is admitted, to assist with the situation (Wolfgang, 1995). The doctor soon confirms the death of a young man that has been caused by a virus. At the same time, there was an outbreak of the virus in a little town in California. The concerned organizations then set up a quarantine that would stop the virus from spreading. However, Fords boss, sinister Major-Gen. McClintock has an agenda with this situation, where he wants to use the lethal bug as a bioweapon. At the point where the President wants to order a fuel-air bomb to be dropped in the small town to stop the spread of this virus, Col. Daniel tr ies ways to unravel the plan of McClintock. The process of epidemiology is presented in the movie just from the point when a scientist identifies the virus as Motoba. They then understand the pathogenesis of the disease as well as its infectiousness. The mutations of the virus were then determined and classified. The scientists then work hard with the results of their research to develop a drug that can treat the virus. They then embark on treating the infected people and contain the outbreak in the most effective ways possible to stop further spread of the virus. On epidemiology, the geographic prevalence was first considered. Here, the concentration was on the small town in California where the outbreak was first experienced. This town became the center of focus where people from outside the region were advised not to visit the town at the moment. Similarly, there was no movement outside the town, since that could spread the virus even further.

Techonolog Discusssion 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Techonolog Discusssion 3 - Essay Example There are various ‘Internet filtering software’ available to date. Two of them are Mcafee Safe eyes and Cyber Patrol. Mcafee Safe eyes allow users to control social networking and email accounts. Moreover, it also restricts certain keywords entered in search engines so that parental control can be applied to certain pornographic materials on the web (Internet filter software review 2012). Furthermore, it also allows setting the time limit for Internet usage. On the other hand, Cyber Patrol provides parameters for websites to be blocked, as they can be categorized in the black list and the allowed sites can be categorized in the white list (Internet filter software review 2012). In terms of user ratings, as per ‘internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com’, Mcafee gains five stars in categories such as feature set, ease of use, ease of installation and filtering effectiveness. On the other hand, Cyber patrol gains 3 stars in all these three categories. The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) focuses on issues associated with offensive material on the Internet that can be viewed on school and library computers. Likewise, CIPA enforces certain requirements on schools and libraries that are funded by E-rate programs. The E-rate program facilitates to make information technology more affordable to the eligible schools and libraries. Likewise, schools that are subjected to CIPA must establish an Internet safety policy that will address some of the clause provided below (Childrens internet protection act, n.d): The Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act COPPA is an act that is applicable to online collection of personal information from the age groups of 13 year old. Likewise, from April 1st 2000, a privacy policy is mandatory that will address how and when to find the verifiable consent from a guardian along with the responsibilities of an operator with regards to age

Cloud computing (Opportunities and concerns (security)) Essay

Cloud computing (Opportunities and concerns (security)) - Essay Example Cloud computing greatly scales down the business resources, this is because you do not have to own these resources but you can get them through the web. These resources include software and business applications, development and runtime platforms and infrastructure (Hauck et al 2010). Hayes (2010) describes this phenomenon as programs and data being transferred from personal computers and corporate server rooms and being installed in constellations or clouds. He cites an example of making an excel spreadsheet using Google docs. In this case you may not have the software installed in your computer but you can access it over the web services and web APIs. Cloud computing has come with several opportunities especially for the business people but there has also been several security concerns over this innovation. This paper discusses the opportunities availed by cloud computing and also the security concerns. 1.1 Opportunities 1.1.1 Time to market products and services can be reduced Clo ud computing provides businesses with an opportunity to market their products via the services available on the internet. The old method was that one had to use the computer software to publish posters to advertise their products and services. These posters had then to be distributed to the potential consumers. However, businesses can now use cloud based systems such as emails, Facebook and Twitter to market their products and services. I think this is a good opportunity for businesses that have embraced technology. 1.1.2 Reduction in cost of IT investment Cloud computing offer businesses and organizations an opportunity to reduce on their cost of investing in information and technology. Traditionally, businesses, individuals or organizations had to install the software they required and maintain them. This software comes with a price and they may need regular updates. The software may also crash and lead to lose of all your data. The introduction of cloud marketing has reduced the risks and costs in information technology. The software or programs are available over the internet and you only pay on demand. You do not need to pay for the maintenance cost and the risk of data loss is greatly reduced. However, I think cloud computing also needs some investment in IT. 1.1.3 Reduction of barrier of entrance The introduction of cloud computing is a game changer for rules of competition in the business sector. Traditionally, only large business could manage to own and use computer services and programs in their business activities because of the cost of installation and maintenance. Cloud avails the infrastructure to all business on rent. This offers small and medium enterprises an opportunity to efficiently use the infrastructure and enjoy the benefits as large firms. With that, the platform of competition will be levelled. This might be true, but it is my view that it is the already established companies that can better utilize the opportunity of cloud

Regions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Regions - Research Paper Example The research also analyzed the government involvement in promoting good relations between the people and the international capital market. The research examined the relations in the fisheries, mining, and equipment applied and the overall contribution to the growth of the economy. The researchers based their arguments on the literatures published on the canoe trade in Central American Mosquitia region. It then contrasted the literatures with the contribution of the canoe trade to the economic and social relations development. The researchers analyzed the statistical data on the region and drew the relevant conclusions. The trade practices open up a people’s imagination and appreciation of the motives of trade, that is, profit oriented. The trade between the international markets and the remote isolated rural populations re-synthesizes the aspects of the people’s livelihoods. The objective of this research is to establish the dependence of wealth generation to the social relationships between the trading parties. The economic growth of a particular region depends on the trade activities of that region. Trade results into the exchange of cultural activities and crucial information between the partners. The information opens up the people’s perception of the natural phenomena and hence appreciates the essence of trade activities and good relations. The research herein reviewed three resources and drafted reasonable conclusions. Analysis of trading activities takes into account the measures put across to help establish the favorable business culture. Sound infrastructural facilities, equipments and social relations are essential aspects for consideration. Trade promotes the economic growth, which in effect promotes establishments of social amenities such as education centers. The investors also introduce endogenous projects into the regions that promote the rural development in effect. The development takes into

Cloud computing (Opportunities and concerns (security)) Essay

Cloud computing (Opportunities and concerns (security)) - Essay Example Cloud computing greatly scales down the business resources, this is because you do not have to own these resources but you can get them through the web. These resources include software and business applications, development and runtime platforms and infrastructure (Hauck et al 2010). Hayes (2010) describes this phenomenon as programs and data being transferred from personal computers and corporate server rooms and being installed in constellations or clouds. He cites an example of making an excel spreadsheet using Google docs. In this case you may not have the software installed in your computer but you can access it over the web services and web APIs. Cloud computing has come with several opportunities especially for the business people but there has also been several security concerns over this innovation. This paper discusses the opportunities availed by cloud computing and also the security concerns. 1.1 Opportunities 1.1.1 Time to market products and services can be reduced Clo ud computing provides businesses with an opportunity to market their products via the services available on the internet. The old method was that one had to use the computer software to publish posters to advertise their products and services. These posters had then to be distributed to the potential consumers. However, businesses can now use cloud based systems such as emails, Facebook and Twitter to market their products and services. I think this is a good opportunity for businesses that have embraced technology. 1.1.2 Reduction in cost of IT investment Cloud computing offer businesses and organizations an opportunity to reduce on their cost of investing in information and technology. Traditionally, businesses, individuals or organizations had to install the software they required and maintain them. This software comes with a price and they may need regular updates. The software may also crash and lead to lose of all your data. The introduction of cloud marketing has reduced the risks and costs in information technology. The software or programs are available over the internet and you only pay on demand. You do not need to pay for the maintenance cost and the risk of data loss is greatly reduced. However, I think cloud computing also needs some investment in IT. 1.1.3 Reduction of barrier of entrance The introduction of cloud computing is a game changer for rules of competition in the business sector. Traditionally, only large business could manage to own and use computer services and programs in their business activities because of the cost of installation and maintenance. Cloud avails the infrastructure to all business on rent. This offers small and medium enterprises an opportunity to efficiently use the infrastructure and enjoy the benefits as large firms. With that, the platform of competition will be levelled. This might be true, but it is my view that it is the already established companies that can better utilize the opportunity of cloud

Changing the Way America Fuels its Cars Essay Example for Free

Changing the Way America Fuels its Cars Essay When President Bush declared that Americans were addicted to oil, he was right. Americans do not eat, travel or shop without oil. Robert Bryce admits this, but then asks, â€Å"So what? † Almost every other western nation is too, he declares. But Bryce takes the problem too lightly. (Bryce, 2008) There are four answers to Bryce’s question. First, America’s addiction to oil might be contributing to dangerous climate change. According to Romm (2008), it is speeding up global warming. Carbon Dioxide emissions, he says, cause rising temperatures, which may leave the world barren and desolate, wiping out species and drying up human water supplies. America’s oil addiction also threatens its national security. Indeed, according to Stein (2008), if America continues to purchase oil from unfriendly countries, it could fund the development of military technology, thus allowing its enemies to make and buy weapons and training that could later be used against Americans. According to Stein (2008), Relying heavily on foreign oil is also expensive for Americans, who are left paying whatever OPEC thinks they ought to. As gas prices go up, so do the prices of everything else in America – even food. Finally, America’s investment in foreign oil might be immoral, since, according to Romm (2008), most of that oil is purchased from undemocratic countries. These countries engage in many practices which the U. S. does not condone. While the problems caused by America’s oil addiction are clear, finding a solution is difficult. There are several potential substitutes for oil that can be produced domestically. For instance, America has its own oil. Recently, President Bush lifted a ban on off-shore drilling, in order to allow oil companies to obtain oil domestically (Upton, 2008). Another popular alternative is hybridization. Toyota, Honda, Ford, Mercury and Saturn are among the car companies that have already invested in such technology. Using a combination of electricity and gas, the cars produced by these companies can get over thirty miles per gallon. While some oil is still required to fuel these cars, using them reduces the amount of oil consumers will need to buy substantially. Meanwhile, some counties are moving toward fully electric cars, which would eliminate the need for foreign oil completely (Romm, 2008). Another alternative is bio-fuel. Ethanol – fuel made from corn, has been the most commonly used bio-fuel, and can be produced in the Midwest, rather than abroad. Other crops could also be used to produce oil. The Midwest is also a good place to harvest wind energy. Indeed, windmills and turbines can be placed throughout the United States, where they can be used to produce electricity. According to Stein (2008), Wind power has already been used successfully in Europe. It accounts, he says, for a fifth of Denmark’s energy. Meanwhile, many congressmen support the â€Å"coal to liquid† process, through which coal is turned into gasoline and diesel fuel (Roskam, 2008). Another alternative offered by some scholars and officials is increasing the use of nuclear power. While, according to Upton, France produces 80% of its electricity through nuclear power, and even has electricity to export – using American technology, Americans barely use nuclear power at all (Upton, 2008). Many have suggested that, in order for America to break its addiction to oil, the federal government must act, either by offering tax credits to consumers who invest in alternative fuel, or by penalizing gas companies and consumers by increasing gas taxes. Indeed, according to Stein (2008), taxing gas can reduce its popularity. Meanwhile, according to Tucker (2006), state governments have begun to step in themselves, seeing that the federal government is slow to act. These states, says Tucker, have begun to invest in solar, wind, landfill gas, and coal mine methane, biomass, along with hydro and geothermal energy. But which alternatives ought the government –or consumers, for that matter – invest in? Some alternatives are more risky than others, yet some of the alternatives with the greatest perceived risk are the most effective (Tucker, 2006). Representative Boehner recommends off-shore drilling. While he does not believe America has enough oil to fuel cars permanently, he does think such drilling will provide temporary relief to consumers at the gas pump (Boehner, 2008). But what can be done for the long-term? / Roskam advocates the use of coal. After all, he says, â€Å"America is the Saudi Arabia of Coal,† holding perhaps one fifth of the world’s coal supply (Roskam, 2008). According to Roskam, coal is cleaner than it used to be, and can be used to create gasoline and diesel fuel. Coal can also be used to produce electricity (Roskam, 2008). Indeed, Stein submits that the Co2 emissions from coal-powered electricity are much lower than those produced by traditional horsepower (Stein, 2008). According to Romm, creating Hybrid cars is costly, but, he says, if the government aids consumers with tax credits, such cars will become affordable. Furthermore, according to Romm, electric energy is the only alternative fuel source that costs less than gasoline. â€Å"It has a per-mile cost about one fifth that of gasoline, even when made from low-carbon sources,† he says (Romm, 2008, p. 14). He also points to the practicality of a move toward electric energy, stating that Israel and Denmark are already moving toward using fully electric vehicles. Although he does not expect America to jump to fully electric cars so quickly, he says that Americans will make the transition by investing in hybrid cars that can go up to forty miles on just electricity. Because, he says, most Americans only travel thirty miles per-day, the fuel savings would be substantial. â€Å"Cars could pay for themselves in fuel savings,† he says (Roskam, 2008, p. 14). He also nods to Toyota, GM and Volkswagen, who plan to release this sort of hybrid in the next two years. Meanwhile, Representative Upton argues for the use of nuclear power, saying, â€Å"â€Å"Nuclear power is the cleanest, most efficient, and most reliable source of electricity. † (Upton, 2008, p. 1) Not only that, says Upton, but nuclear energy can be recycled. Furthermore, unlike solar and wind power, nuclear energy can be used around-the-clock. France, Upton says, is remarkably energy independent, while Germany, which phased out nuclear power, is completely energy dependent. While the United States is currently independent as far as electricity is concerned, says Upton, we may not be, down the road, if we continue to avoid using nuclear energy. Stein supports Upton’s remarks, saying that NASA scientist Steve Lovelock believes that the only way to escape harmful global warming is to begin using nuclear energy (Stein, 2008). Yet, each alternative has a negative aspect to it as well. According to Romm, America should not engage in off-shore drilling, because it will not meet the needs of the American consumer, nor will it truly reduce energy dependence, because it will leave Americans addicted to oil, which they will obtain from foreign sources, once domestic sources dry up. Drilling in Alaska, says Romm, â€Å"would cut gas prices only 2 cents by 2025. † (Romm, 2008, p. 14) Romm also sees harm in the use of bio-fuels. â€Å"Using crops to make energy is unwise,† (Roskam, 2008, p. 1) he says. It will not, according to Romm, reduce greenhouse gasses substantially Meanwhile, as energy prices go up and the world’s population increases, while at the same time, climate change makes less land usable, people will need to use the land they have for crops and they will need to use the crops they have for food, or they will starve (Roskam, 2008) Stein (2008) also agrees that using food for energy is not a good idea. Furthermore, according to Asrar, Ethanol has a very high production cost (Asrar, 2007). Romm doesn’t think America’s current hybrid efforts go far enough either. Current laws, he says, require only that cars get 35 miles per gallon by 2020. This is less, he points out, than what cars get in either Europe or China. â€Å"We should aim,† he says, â€Å"for all new cars to get more than 100 miles per gallon by 2040. † (Romm, 2008, p. 14) Meanwhile, Upton admits that the current system for disposing of nuclear waste is not adequate. But he says, if the government invests in it, that waste can decrease, from the size of a soda can, per individual, to the size of a half-dollar (Upton, 2008). According to Stein, Greenpeace and the Sierra Club also sees harm in using nuclear energy. They will not even consider using the fuel, because they are afraid that an accident could have catastrophic effects, like those brought about by the accident at Chernobyl (Stein, 2008). Environmentalists also worry about wind power. They are afraid that windmills might cause harm to migratory birds. Although, Stein says, harm to such birds could be avoided by making windmills higher, environmentalists also worry that this makes them an obstruction and that placing such technology around America will disturb animal habitats. They also argue that the amount of land needed to create wind farms will lead to the loss of farmland and recreational space (Stein, 2008). If farmland is lost, Americans could face the same problems they would face if they used bio-fuel. Yet, if land becomes unusable due to global warming, Americans would have plenty of recreational space. According to Roskam (Roskam, 2008), Nancy Pelosi stands in the way of any Coal-to-Liquid programs – not even letting bills providing for investment in such technology come to a vote in the senate. Yet, according to Stein, coal-to-liquid is not an effective alternative, anyway, as it is still polluting and because synthetic fuel cannot compete with the real deal. Yet, using coal to produce electricity is, he says, a good idea (Roskam, 2008)X. While the experts agree that relying on bio-fuel is more harmful than it is helpful and that drilling will not meet the needs of Americans, most of the other options have some merit. Of all the alternatives, nuclear energy is the cleanest. Modern technology has made the use of it very safe. France’s successful use of nuclear energy shows that it can be harnessed and effectively used. Therefore, the government ought to invest more heavily in nuclear power. Meanwhile, because America is so coal-rich, the government ought to invest in finding ways to produce electricity through coal more cleanly. Government incentives for hybrid and electric cars ought to be increased, and the government’s requirements for automakers ought to be made more stringent. Works Cited Asrar, G. R. (2007). Americas Farms: Growing Food, Fiber, Fuel And More. Agricultural Research , 55 (4), 2. Boehner, J. A. (2008, July 15). We Need an `All of the Above Energy Strategy. US Fed News Service, including U. S. State News . Bryce, R. (2008). Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence. New York: Perseus Publishing. Romm, J. (2008). End This Addiction Immediately: Record gasoline prices are affecting every aspect of the U. S. Economy, and the nations burgeoning energy problems have become a frontline issue in the presidential election. U. S. News and World Report , 145 (2), 14. Roskam, P. (2008, July 14). Energy Independence A Question of Will. US Fed News Service, Including U. S. State NEws . Stein, S. (2008). Energy Independence is Not Green. Policy Review (148), 3-18. Tucker, P. (2006). Thinking Globally, Acting Locally on Energy Use. The Futurist , 40 (4), 8-9. Upton, F. (2008). Recycling of Spent Nuclear Fuel Offers Great Promise. US Fed News Service, Including US State News .

Reflecting On The Incident And Making Necessary Application Of Theory

Reflecting On The Incident And Making Necessary Application Of Theory Introduction The aim of this assignment is to identify and reflect on a critical incident that happened at my work place and making an analysis for learning experience. The following will be identified and defined: critical reflection, the value of critical reflection and health and social care theories to support my personal and professional development. The full description of the incident is available in Appendix.1. White et al (2006) defines critical reflection as a process which incorporates individuals analyses of thinking with regard to the influence of socially dominant thinking. The material reflected upon in critical reflection is screened through the analysis based on critical theory. Foook, (2002) in Pranee Limputtong (2008 p.266) points out that critical reflection is a process of identifying the ways in which we might unwittingly affirm discourses that work against us, and shape people we are working with through examining our implicit assumptions. The value of reflection is to generate evidence to confirm or contest the link between reflection and improvement in social care work practice and also has a potential to enhance the quality of care delivery (Burns and Bulman 2000). Reflection stems out of particular experiences of professionals, including their experiences of critical reflection in some of health subjects such as social care and social work. Critical reflection seeks out to engage professionals into their studies making them aware of situations that may have noticed and taken for granted in practice. The method of critical reflection is also interrogating and debating the aspects of a particular practice in order to generate an understandable study (White et al 2006). According to Palmer et al. (1994) reflection has been proven to be a key tool for practice learning, practitioners need more than experience knowledge for competence. Professional development is a way of equipping practitioners to be competent and be in a better position to respond well to changing needs in the world of practice. Pranee Limputtong (2008 p. 266) states that the reasons or aims of critical reflection is to dig how we participate in communicating our ideas which shape the existing power in relations. Johns and Freshwater (1998) cited in based learning.org (2008) points out that, the value of reflection is a way in which professionals can enhance their learning as it involves questions about self, actions beliefs and values. There are several models of critical reflection, only a few have been identified in this assignment. Kims (1999) model is a three phase of reflection which helps the practitioner to continue the journey of reflection as he or she gradually develops the abilities to reflect. This model is used to develop a novice reflective practitioner to begin with simple descriptive reflection and gradually progress to the more complex levels under close supervision and guidance (Rolfe et al 2001). Johns (2000) model for reflection is a cue of questions built into a very comprehensive framework for structuring reflection-on-action furthermore Rolfe et.al (2001) states that some consideration should be made, whether his fifth way of knowing of reflexivity is really reflective. His model does not make any provisions for making changes to an on-going experience. Gibbs (1988) model of reflection a cyclical cue of questions arranged in the similar way with Tandiwe Dube 0921769 Johns (2000) learning cycle. This framework is centred in learning from experience rather than attempting to change the experience. The model does not encourage any reflexive path back to the action from which learning is derived (Rolfe et al 2001) I have chosen this framework as it gives the foundation of reflection and has three cues of questions that are designed to be open and can be revised to meet specific needs for different practitioners in different situations. It pays particular attention to Bortons (1997) model as its macro structure. The three set of questions completes a cycle which enables the practitioner to continually improve on learning from experience for better practice. The first set of questions is the description level of the situation. The second level is the building level of reflection where the practitioner is encouraged to make a personal theory and knowledge out of the situation. The third level is for the practitioner to reflect on the consequences of their actions and considers how to improve on practice. This final stage is considered as the stage which can contribute more to practice (Rolfe et al 2001). Mr. B. was not offered his cup of tea and toast in the morning as he was incontinent of urine and faeces and needed to attend to his personal hygiene before being offered a cup of tea. This interrupted with his normal routine in the care plan which made him unhappy. As Mr. B was coming downstairs my colleague shouted from upstairs that I should ask Mr. B to go back to his bedroom. ( See Appendix) I used my voice and hand gestures to tell him to go back upstairs (Mr. B has learning difficulties), but he did not respond and continued coming down towards me. I felt intimidated and scared as I could not get through to Mr. B. I was concerned and I thought of my responsibility of duty of care, personal hygiene, respect, Tandiwe Dube 0921769 privacy and dignity as he was not appropriately dressed to come downstairs. I could tell that Mr. B was not listening to what I was saying as he seemed to be furious then hit the fish pond with his fist out of anger. Nazarko (2004) suggests that one should not repeat if the person does not understand what is being said but try to rephrase and speak a little more slowly when communicating with the service users. The way I raised my voice trying to be assertive and the way I used my hand gestures was wrongly interpreted by Mr B. In the process I have learnt that as a bank staff every time I get to a particular residential/care home, I need to first read the service user care plans before giving any nursing intervention to avoid putting myself and others to any risks as there might be changes in the service users care needs. As a social care worker, according to the GSCC (2002) I am accountable for the task delegated to me as well as my actions of carrying out the task. I should also identify my training needs as stated by Palmer et al (2000) that many practitioners suggested that reflection had encouraged them to identify their learning needs, assess their level of competence examine their accountability and articulate their concerns before undertaking a new task. When I saw that there was communication breakdown between myself and Mr. B, I should have called my senior, the manager or one of my colleagues before Mr. B hits the fish pond and gets hurt. According to the GSCC (2000) as a social care worker I have to work with others to protect the health and wellbeing of those in my care, seeking assistance from the employer or appropriate authorities if one feels not adequately able to carry out any task or not sure how to proceed. If this ever happened again I will call for assistance immediately when I realise that I am not Tandiwe Dube 0921769 competent to deal with the situation. As a practitioner I should recognise the limits of my professional competence and only undertake a task and accept accountability of those activities that I am competent in doing. In future I will make sure that I undertake necessary training to build my competence. To practice competently one needs the knowledge, skills and the required ability to lawfully, safely and effectively carry on a task without direct supervision. The senior came after hearing the noise and she spoke to Mr B using both verbal and non-verbal communication de-escalation technique. Through this incident I have learnt to continue developing my knowledge and skills as it is a requirement for every practitioner to take fresher courses to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date. In conclusion critical reflection is quite important as it seeks out to engage professionals into their studies making them aware of situations that they may have noticed and taken for granted in their practice. Also the value of reflection is vital to generate evidence to confirm or contest the link between reflection and improvement in nursing practice and also has a potential to enhance the quality of care delivery (Burns and Bulman 2000). Reflecting to the incident one has learnt the importance of engagement and communication skills in that I could have used the de-escalation techniques situations before the situation got out of hand, and build my confidence and be more competent. Tandiwe Dube 0921769 References: Burns, S. and Bulman, C. (2000) The Growth of the Professional Practitioner. 2nd ed. Blackwell Science Ltd. Fook, J. And Gardner, F. (2007) Practising Critical Reflection. Open University Press Ghaye, T. And Lillyman, S. (2006) Learning Journals and Critical Incidents. Reflective Practice For Health Care Professionals. 2nd ed. Quay Books Division, MA Healthcare Ltd, St Jukes. Gould, N. and Baldwin, M. (2004) Social Work, Critical Reflection and the Learning Organization. Ashgate Publishing Limited Lmputtong, P. (2008) Knowing Differently: Arts- Based and Collaborative Research Methods. Nova Science Publishers. Palmer, A.M. Burns, S. Bulman, C. (1994) Reflective Practice in Nursing. The Growth of the Professional Practitioner. Blackwell Science. Ltd Oxford. Rolfe, G. Freshwater, Dawn and Jasper, M.(2000) Critical Reflection for Nursing and the Helping Professions. Routeledge White, S. Fook, J. and Gardner, F. (2006) Critical Reflection in Health and Social Care. Open University Press. http://www.practicebasedlearning.org/resources/resources.htm last updated on 04-09-2008 accessed on the 22-11-2010. Tandiwe Dube 0921769

Free Nature vs. Nurture Essay -- Biology Genes Science Essays

Nature vs Nurture The exponential growth of scientific and biological knowledge over time has facilitated the genesis of radical fields of specialization, namely biological determinism, sociobiology and eugenics, just to mention a few. The common thread between these fields is this- their proponents collectively postulate that all human traits, including weight, strength, intelligence, aspects of personality such as temperament (aggression for example), criminality and morality, are ultimately determined by the information encoded in DNA. They espouse that "we are who we are" because of our genes solely; that biodiversity in man is ultimately precipitated by phenotypic variations, caused by purely genetic differences, amongst individuals, therefore ostensibly offering little or no gravity to nongenetic factors. Nongenetic factors, generically labelled as the environment, encompass not only the physical, chemical and biological criterion, but also the numerous social and psychological ones that shape our lives as we grow and mature. Can we seriously take the influence of the env... Free Nature vs. Nurture Essay -- Biology Genes Science Essays Nature vs Nurture The exponential growth of scientific and biological knowledge over time has facilitated the genesis of radical fields of specialization, namely biological determinism, sociobiology and eugenics, just to mention a few. The common thread between these fields is this- their proponents collectively postulate that all human traits, including weight, strength, intelligence, aspects of personality such as temperament (aggression for example), criminality and morality, are ultimately determined by the information encoded in DNA. They espouse that "we are who we are" because of our genes solely; that biodiversity in man is ultimately precipitated by phenotypic variations, caused by purely genetic differences, amongst individuals, therefore ostensibly offering little or no gravity to nongenetic factors. Nongenetic factors, generically labelled as the environment, encompass not only the physical, chemical and biological criterion, but also the numerous social and psychological ones that shape our lives as we grow and mature. Can we seriously take the influence of the env...

Modernism And Cinderella :: essays research papers

Research Writing Though there are many fairy tales that have been created through the years, Cinderella is into our subconscious by stimulating the part of us that sympathizes with the mistreatment of Cinderella. Others say that the theme of a down-and-out poor girl rising up to become rich and happy appeals to any normal person. This theme is the common bond between all the stories. Recently, however, modern versions of the tale have surfaced in an attempt to relate to modern audiences. In the textbook Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum the editors decide to take out a chapter entitled Fairy Tales: A Closer Look at Cinderella. This chapter includes the stories, The politically Correct Cinderella, A feminist View, and America's Cinderella. The changes were made because the content was outdated and not "true" Cinderella stories. In the politically correct version, the author makes a mockery of today's obsession with correct terminology. Every detail is explained so that no one is offended and pretty much makes a mockery of the story. The Politically Correct Cinderella is merely a satire on the left leaning views that our nation has been taking over the past decade. Excluding this version from the main stories was a good move by the editors because the politically correct issues that were so important years ago are losing steam today. The editors of the textbook also ousted the feminist orientated version. This feminist criticism was totally unnecessary because there were two of them. Having Pretty Woman: A Modern Cinderella as well as a segment on the feminist voice is totally redundant and unnecessary. Both segments give the reader what they need to know about femininity and its impact on literature. Karol Kelly in her Pretty Woman piece compares the Perrault version with the Pretty Woman story. She explains the changes that have occurred because of the women's movement especially the impact on information. We now have a lot more information that has led to societal changes. The feminist criticism that was omitted hit on several feminine issues in the actual variations of the Cinderella story. "The slipper, the central icon in the story, is a symbol of sexual bondage and imprisonment in a stereotype." The author then explains how this small slipper idea originates from the ancient Chinese act of foot-binding eventually leading to the mutilation of their foot. She hits on many other feminine aspects in the Cinderella stories.

Big five Personality Traits and Effective Leaders Essay

Q.1) What do you think Terry Leahy’s personality traits are for each of the Big Five dimensions of personality? Identify and justify with reference to the case. Q.2) Considering the 9 narrow personality traits required of effective leaders, how would you rate Terry Leahy on all these 9 narrow traits (i-e which ones he rate high, medium and low)? Why? Justify? Q.3) The first weakness he mentioned was his â€Å"Irish Temper†. Explain and justify whether Terry Leahy has a bad temper or not. Q.4) Is Terry Leahy really modest. How do you remain that modest in spite of the success and the accolades? Does this man have no Ego? Q.5) What type of Self concept does Terry Leahy have and how does it affect his business success? Does Terry Leahy posses a theory X or theory Y attitude? Q.6) According to McClelland’s Achievement motivation theory, which of three needs Terry Leahy rates high, medium and low on? Justify. Q.7) According to the 3M Leadership competency framework there are 12 competencies required of effective leaders (i-e 1) Ethics and Integrity 2) Intellectual Capacity 3) Maturity and Judgment 4) Customer Orientation 5) Developing People 6) Inspiring People 7) Business health and results 8) Global Perspective 9) Vision and Strategy 10) Nurturing Innovation 11) Building Partnerships and Alliances 12) Organizational Agility). Considering the above 12 competencies for effective leaders which ones Terry Leahy good at and which ones he is less good at and Why? Q.8) Effective Leaders need to have skills and take actions on three different fronts i-e as strategists, as architects and as mobilizers (both internally and externally). Working through the case how would define Terry Leahy’s role as a strategist, as an architect and as a mobilizer. Q.9) What evidence is there that Terry Leahy’s leadership has evolved over time? How has he developed his career? Q.10) Identify some of challenges (or dangers) facing Terry Leahy today and in coming years.

Importance of Personality Development and Influencing Factors

An individual’s ‘personality’ is their unique and relatively stable patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings. The key word is ‘relatively’. It implies that there is scope for change, that one’s personality is not necessarily constant. The influence of various aspects of our environment may affect our inherent behavioural traits, and can modify our personality. Personality development, therefore, is to allow new ideas to influence our personality, and to allow introspection to bring to the forefront latent qualities, effecting a change for the better. There are four aspects to an individual’s personality: body, mind, heart and soul. Several factors contribute to one’s personality, to the development of one’s personality. These are all integral to the above mentioned aspects. The recognition, and consequently, the maintenance and progress of these factors – whether physiological or psychological, whether internal or external – is essential for ‘personality development’. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmities. Fitness is a measure of the body's ability to complete activities necessary for everyday life effectively and efficiently. The basic difference between the two is that health is a definite requisite for one’s life, while fitness is only a measure. Both terms are relative, but health is more of a necessity than fitness, especially for developing one’s personality. An important aspect of our personality is our intelligence. It is important to note that intelligence is not restricted just to the scholarly; it encompasses the various sides to one’s personality – linguistic, logical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, and spiritual, to name a few. And improvement is required in all these spheres for an overall development of one’s personality. Our ‘social skills’ or interpersonal relationships, our ability to establish, nurture and fulfill relationships with others around us – family or friends, plays a pivotal role in our lives. This ability, too, needs to be developed. Our Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) – the ability to perceive, use, understand and manage emotions within ourselves and in others, is very important. Emotions are our responses to events around us, and are created by the combination of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. What is most important is that we create our own emotions. Our responses are shaped by our thoughts – by what we tell ourselves. As we clarify our understanding of our own beliefs and patterns, we learn that we are actually choosing our own lives. Feelings are the internal expression of the emotion and can be differentiated from body sensations and states: â€Å"feeling depressed. † The emotion ‘behind’ the feeling of depression: sadness or anger. Emotion, therefore, includes the situation, the interpretation or perception of the situation and the response or feeling related to the perception of the situation. Our speaking and listening skills are another important element. Speaking, or conveying our thoughts and emotions, and listening, or paying enough attention to what someone else has to say, both are essential for developing and maintaining relationships. Communication is a two-way process, and we need to be able to eloquently and adequately put across our thoughts to others, as well as be able to listen (hear, understand and judge) to the ideas of others. We express ourselves non-verbally too – through our postures and body language. This is also an important tool for communication. Our body language not only gives away our emotions sometimes, it also allows people to guess whether we are confident when we are speaking, whether we are actually listening to the other person, and so on. Our relationship skills are also influenced by our prejudices – opinions or judgements, frequently unfavourable, based on irrelevant considerations, inadequate knowledge or inaccurate stereotyping, and the consequent discriminations we make. People have prejudices for diverse reasons and these biases affect many spheres of their lives; they are negative manifestations of integrative power: instead of bringing or holding people together, they push them apart. Ironically, even prejudice and discrimination imply some sort of relationship, however. If there is no relationship people would be completely unaware of another person's or group's existence. The act of discrimination is an unjust practice or behaviour, whether intentional or not, towards a category of persons. These categories range from sex, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, to class, and more recently, age and physical disabilities. Prejudices and discriminations are deeply imbedded at both the individual and societal levels, and will eventually result in the dissolving of society. The next important aspect that needs to be attended to is our academic and career requirements. We should adopt some basic â€Å"study skills† to successfully remember what we learn from an adequate period of time. The following is an example: P – Preview: get the overall picture of what is to be studied before doing it in any detail. Q – Question: ask questions while reading or studying; answering them will help to make sense of the material and to remember it more easily because the process will make an impression. R – Read and Review: read actively; to be able to answer questions you have asked yourself or questions the instructor has asked. A review is a survey of what you have covered, of what you are supposed to accomplish. S – Self Evaluation: testing yourself to see how much you have accomplished. T – Time Management: Time is the most valuable resource a student has. A good schedule keeps you from wandering off course. A good schedule, if properly managed, assigns time where time is needed. Certain methods and strategies can be adopted for more effective studying and more adequate preparation for examinations: making schedules first and sticking to them; reading and getting the main idea, extracting the important details and taking (or making) notes, reviewing and revising the actual substance, as well as the notes. After the more ‘material’ aspects comes, what some claim is, the ultimate intelligence. Spiritual intelligence is about the growth of a human being. It is about pondering over life's purpose. Just being in touch with that question is fulfilling. About having a direction in life and being able to heal ourselves of all the resentment we carry. It is thinking of ourselves as an expression of a higher reality. Finally there is the realization that there is an immensity within us. As we move along the path, deeper levels within us get unfolded, leading to fulfillment. Ultimately, we discover freedom from our sense of limitation as human beings and attain ‘moksha’. Indeed, this is a highly idealized perception of spiritual intelligence or spirituality; most humans are essentially spiritual beings asking such fundamental questions as â€Å"Who am I? , â€Å"Where am I going? â€Å", â€Å"What do others mean to me? â€Å", but spiritual intelligence itself is extremely relative. It can, perhaps, more simply be defined as the realization of one’s purpose in life and the achievement of the same, the feeling of being in control, of being aware of oneself and one’s environment. Life’s purposes are varied for different individuals, and it requires inspiration to be able to recognize them, and moreover, to live by them. We need to: Listen to our inner voice. It takes practice to hear our true desires. The passion will come as a whisper or serendipitous event hat reminds us of what is important and what makes us happy. Dwell in possibilities. Our passions could lead us in a lot of different directions to find fulfillment. We have to explore our lives and unearth all the things that bring us joy. Decide what kind of person we want to be. Rather than concentrating on what we want to do, we should think in terms of what kind of person we want to be, and let that guide our choices. The ultimate attainment of fulfillment will come naturally, in time, with the gradual awakening of our spiritual senses, like the well-deserved rest at the end of the day.