3 Important People in My Life.

3 important people in my life. There are several people in my life that have served as a source of influence. However, there are three people who have not only impacted a decision or two, but have drastically altered my way of life. These people have completely transformed my life in a positive way. Without these people, my life would not have the same meaning and purpose. These three important individuals are my mom, my dad, and my wife. First and foremost, there is my mother. She has served her role as my mother dutifully and out of love. That would explain any mother in this world.However, she has gone beyond that and has provided a very nurturing childhood while growing up. Growing up in India, there was a large emphasis on academic success. For some of my friends, that meant doing well and succeeding called for praise while failure was simply looked at with disgust. My mother never judged me for my successes or failures. She acknowledged my successes, but also taught me how to l earn with my failures. This applied not only to school, but also to sports. Perhaps, this is why I excelled in both. I received the encouragement and proper guidance I needed.Furthermore, my mom always had a calm attitude. She never worked with a hot temper. I learned how to be patient and how to deal with problems that came my way. Thus, my mom did not only provide me with an exemplary childhood, she role modeled and taught me positive life skills. I always refer back to a problem in terms of what my own mother would do. The second most significant person in my life is my father. Growing up, he was very present in my life even in a patriarchal society. He encouraged me to succeed and excel in everything I do.Not only that, but he also taught me some of the tougher life lessons. I remember that as a child, whenever I wanted something new, I had to wait it out until it was practical to replace whatever I wanted to replace. If I whined or cried, it would be completely out of the quest ion. Thus, my dad in a way taught me how to appreciate the things in life as the way they are instead of always hoping for a change. He also taught me to be strong and patient with goals because crying and whining only leads to time wasted. It is a weakness that only sets you back instead of moving you forward.Another aspect my dad has influenced me greatly is to look at every individual with equality. Growing up, I was raised to not judge a person based on who they were or how much money they made. My dad instilled these values into me and hoped that I carried them forward. He wanted me to understand that people may differ from the surface, but they should all be taken equally. Without my father, my social interactions and way of setting goals and achieving them would not have been the same. Finally, the final person of significance in my life is my wife of 4 years.Right after I moved to Houston, I did not know many people and my life was very simple and bland. I would go to school , focus on my studies, interact with my family, and repeat the same routine every single day. My life was missing an important social sector. I had no one else to talk to. However, I met a girl from Houston and she was very friendly and kind. She did not judge me like others did. She did not concern herself with my style or who I was. She took me like any other person. Perhaps this mindset was what I was looking for in another person.She not only was there when I needed her the most, but she became another reason and another motivation to keep my life moving strong. Thus, she has inspired me that there is always hope even in difficult times. However, the key is to maintain hope and a positive attitude. One of the most important things she has taught me is to always smile and life. Life is too short to carry a frown on your face and to not enjoy every single moment of it. As a result, these three people have served as great source of positive influence. Without them, my life would be incomplete.

How Economics Have Changed My Life Essay

They say that if you look at it things closely, you will see the essence of economics going about its daily routine. Indeed, from the man buying his morning coffee to the woman calling for a cab, the economic system is all around us. Not many people notice it (or are just apathetic about it). But surely, it’s everywhere. Day and night – it never stops. The moment the sun sets in one part of the world, money starts circulating on the opposite side. The buying and selling of goods begins. Services now continue with their proceedings and processes. And infrastructure construction resumes. Truly, depending on how one views his or her own surroundings, one will be able to see the active nature of economics. Economics, in the simplest sense, refers to the study of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. As a field of study, economics aims to comprehend the daily processes of the subjects mentioned. As such, the study of economics helps people understand the never ending activity of economics within their daily lives. Apart from the study of the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services, probably one of the most important aspects of economics is the study or analysis of scarcity. Scarcity, in the economic sense, means the availability (or unavailability) of resources (insufficient) that are used to satisfy the needs and wants of the populace. As what the late Lionel Robbins – a British Economist of the late 20th century – had claimed, â€Å"Economics is the Science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. Using Robbins’ definition, it can be deduced that the study of economics is the study of man’s choices over how to fulfill his needs and wants through the regulation and use of scarce natural resources. In its activities, economics attempts to make full use of scarce resources efficiently. This nature of efficiency helps the adherents of economics – and in the general sense, the entire world – to understand the world around them. Simply said, it helps the person who is familiar with economics understand how or why a certain product’s price goes up or down. Likewise, a person who understands the study of economics will be able to determine the economic health of his or her own country; thus, paving the way to understanding and interpreting some possible implications to the politics of the nation, its society and its environment. Truly, people who understand economics are people who understand how the world works (at least in terms of human resources and human activity). Let us take, for example, the Stock Market. How does a stock price go up? Why does it go down? How do people profit from it? Oppositely, how do people lose money from it? Economically speaking, the Stock Market is or can be used as a determinant for the country’s economic growth and development. As such, people who understand the Stock Market will be able to understand the aggregate economy of the country. However, before everything else, one must first understand the study of economics before one can understand the working’s of the Stock Market. This statement only highlights the importance of economics in our daily lives. Personally, my study of economics has helped me advance my life in many ways. For starters, it has helped me understand the law of supply and demand. The law of supply and demand is undoubtedly one of the strongest foundations of every economy in every country in the world. As the law dictates, the higher the demand, the higher the supply and consequently, the higher the supply, the lower the demand becomes. Basically, the law follows a simple cycle of product prices fluctuating in response to the populace needs and wants. Understanding this law benefits me in more ways than one. For instance, I am able to anticipate whether a certain product’s price will go up or down. By understanding that higher demand tempts sellers to increase their prices, I am able to expect such fluctuations and then make my monthly budgeting more versatile and frugal. Likewise, I am able to anticipate whether a certain product’s price might go down due to excessive supply and low demand. In that way, I am able to make certain changes in my spending habits by carefully predicting the right time prices will go down; thus, maximizing my available purchasing power. Indeed, knowledge about the Law of Supply and Demand can make an individual more frugal and less prodigal – simply said, it makes a person more â€Å"economic†. This knowledge may seem to be irrelevant for some people. But personally, I find this knowledge an advantage against others. Being able to hold a sort of reading reference for possible future circumstances pertaining to product prices can truly serve as an edge over other consumers. And this advantage does not stop there. The more a person studies the field of economics, the more he or she will understand the workings of the economy and ultimately use it to his or her own advantage. Let us take, for example, the Banking System. In the past, I found the system of banks and their proceedings to be an intricate process that is too much for the average person to understand and take advantage of. After understanding the basic foundations of economics, however, I was able to somehow comprehend the normal workings of the Bank. By being able to do so, I am able to take advantage of the Bank’s perceived benefits without ironically putting myself within the economic damages of the Bank’s perceived detriments. Furthermore, I am able to understand the workings of borrowing and paying loans – both in its deadly and beneficial aspects. Now armed with this knowledge, I am now able to perform financially competent within the economy of the country. I am able establish businesses with the help of the bank; of which, technically, results to the creation of jobs, the stimulation of buying and selling of products and materials and the circulation of money – all done accordingly in contribution to the aggregate economy of the nation. The study of economics, as some historians and economists suggest, has been around since the time humans first initiated commercial relationships with different societies within their own kind. Indeed, humankind started out with some simple trade rules and processes. The most famous of all (and probably the most ancient) was the trade process known as barter. Barter is simply an act of exchanging one’s goods in trade for another’s. Many traders and/or merchants from different societies have used this method for centuries – trading valuable goods in exchange for the exotic, the priceless for the unique and the old for the new. It is through this type of trading process that humankind first developed a sense of importance for this activity of buying and selling of goods. For one thing, security and trust was a problem. A lot of traders mostly lie about the quality (and sometimes the quantity) of their goods. Some even resort to petty thievery and conning activities – mostly after the trade has been conducted. Furthermore, people faced problems with regards to the implications of their activities. Imagine a situation in the past where we assume that a Chinese trader decides to bring Jadestones to India. The traders of India are delighted. They then exchange their goods. The next week, the Indian traders demand to the Chinese traders to bring more Jadestones for the people of India somehow found it both exquisite and valuable. Since trade was done merely through barter, Jadestones poured into the Ancient Indian Society in exchange for more important goods such as rice, wood and other agricultural or mineral products of lesser value. The end result would be a disaster: Jadestones overwhelming the country without any way of determining its value to other foreign traders whom they wish to sell it to or who wish to acquire it. If the study of economics was prevalent back then, this situation could have never happened. Speaking of commerce, history suggests that humankind eventually evolved from barter to the use of currencies through the development of ancient coins. Initially, currencies where first developed through the creation of small metal coins that were used to represent stored values of cargo and commodities. Eventually, these coins began storing value themselves. Coins made from many different kinds of materials – ranging from plain metal to solid gold – started becoming valuable. Thus, came a different era where trading no longer requires the loss of one’s goods in exchange for another. Coins of different kinds were now used to determine the value of the goods that were being taken – or in the economic sense, sold. Purchases and exchanges were now done in accordance with the value of the coins being exchanged. For instance, gold coins were used for large purchases and the backing of State activities. Silver coins represented large transactions between traders and merchants while copper coins represented common transactions between citizens. Eventually, the era of coins was put to an end when the introduction of paper money and credit money began in as early as the 7th century in Ancient China. Being that major traders were now trading in huge volumes whilst bringing and using large amounts of coins during their trips in order to conduct their proceedings and processes, the weight of their carriages became intolerable. Thus, ancient traders and merchants resorted to putting their name and the amount of coins they had on paper – indicating to their counterparts and colleagues that that were the amount of coins they had (which, unfortunately, they cannot bring). It was less burdening for merchants and traders alike. In fact, the Ancient Chinese Emperors found it so convenient that they began establishing the act (the putting the amount on paper) as a business norm. Paper money was then regulated among the populace and among traders and merchants overseas. The rest, as they say, was history. Governments, Empires and Monarchies alike began issuing a unit of currency for their paper money and no sooner, the era of currency trading began and at present, major international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and others now regulates the entire foreign exchange system of the world. All of these were made possible through the study of economics. And for that, I can safely say that economics have already made an impact on my life even before I was born. I can only imagine what life would be if currencies were not yet introduced in the world of business. Purchasing products would probably be a hardy task. Obtaining resources from other countries would also require intricate processes and mechanics. Ultimately, governments would probably find it hard to conduct businesses, regulate the economy and build infrastructures. The study of economics has helped me understand all these concepts and contexts (even though only in a minimal level). Indeed, though the existence of these ancient currencies may have been one of the earliest foundations of the development of the study of economics, it cannot be denied that it was the study of economics which made the nature of these currencies become more comprehensible. The creation of paper money and credit money has benefited humankind in many ways. First of all, people are now able to carry with huge amounts of money with as little weight as possible. Second, the value and goods can now be easily determined (coupled with the law of supply and demand). Finally, business transactions and salary payment can now be easily conducted. All these benefits have undoubtedly manifested themselves generally from the study of economics. The study of economics have helped me changed my life in more ways than one. Apart from making my life a lot easier (as compared to the absence of the knowledge of it), it has also made me change my view of a lot of things. Studying economics has made me understand how the country’s economy runs. It helped me understand how banks and other financial institutions work. Furthermore, it has also helped me understand the daily workings of everyday life – from the buying and selling of goods to the acquiring and paying of debts. As such, I am able to see things in a more â€Å"economic† view. And indeed, it has made my life more fascinating, if not complex. Learning economics is not an easy task. Economics, in general, covers a lot of topics and sub-topics ranging from microeconomics to macroeconomics. As such, it is important for its recipients to devote as much time as possible in order to – not necessarily master but – be adequate about it. For one thing, economics is not a walk in the park. With all its benefits and privileges comes a different set of detriments and sacrifices. I am not implying, though, that those who do master all the concepts and contexts of economics will be the ones who’ll practically lead better lives than others – that is a different issue. I am implying, however, that those who do master economics in all its wonders and intricacies will lead very different lives as compared to those who are completely ignorant or apathetic to the knowledge. As said before, economics is all around us. It never sleeps. Its processes and activities are present in every society, in every community. It is a sort of quasi-invisible force that, if viewed consciously, would guide our everyday lives. As such, it is important to note that having the knowledge of economics is better than having none.

Information system High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Information system High School - Essay Example It employs effective communication between the project team and the end-users. Project management practices when used properly, effectively and efficiently would address the problems encountered during the project life cycle. This paper covers the potential problems and the different best practices for an IT project. IT professionals and specialists are considered optimists and often assume that everything will go smoothly and as planned (Wiegers, 1998). They never worry about problems until they happened. This attitude often leads to unwanted surprises which might throw the project off track. In order to prepare for potential risks on the project and its implementation, the project management team shall create a formal risk management process. A formal risk model provides a structured mechanism to identify and control threats. The team can collaboratively address their shared risks and assign responsibility for risk reduction. Members can bring together their experience and knowledge in order to identify opportunities to control the risks. The best practices for tapping members' know-how are brainstorming, education, process improvement and application of software engineering and management techniques (Kliem & Ludin, 2000).

Teaching recovery heart and soul Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Teaching recovery heart and soul - Thesis Example abused may provide a feeling of temporary relief from their emotional problems but this always results in bigger problems for the affected individuals†(33). In addition, individuals undergoing recovery may occasionally be faced with the challenge of how to deal with their feelings and emotions. With regard to its definition, heart and soul approach as a recovery strategy refers to the incorporation of spirituality and mindfulness as a therapeutic tool to enhance the recovery of drug addicts. On the other hand, spirituality can be defined as any practice that enable an individual to discover his or her being while mindfulness is all about purposeful paying of attention to the present moment in order to enhance self awareness. According to educator Parker, J. Palmer (2003), spirituality is an individual’s eternal yearning to connect to a higher power. A number of authors (George DuWors, 2011, Galanter, 2007 and Avants, S. Kelly, 2011) have also defined spirituality as the belief in a higher purpose and meaning of life. Generally, the use of spirituality in the addiction recovery process is quite distinguished from religious based sectarian practices and other theistic connotations. Davis (2010) argued that â€Å"the use of spirituality and mindfulness therapy in the recovery process of addicted adolescents and youthful students generally focuses on the spiritual side of addiction recovery by cultivating a belief in a higher being than one’s self to improve their emotional sobriety† (104). The two interrelated concepts are critically important pillars of the current holistic therapeutic approach used in drug recovery process. For example, spirituality and mindfulness is increasingly becoming one of the most commonly used therapeutic options in the addiction recovery process of adolescents as a complement to the mains tream approaches. The increasing use of spirituality and mindfulness in the contemporary Western psychotherapy is particularly attributed to a

MIH514 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives Module 2 - SLP Essay

MIH514 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives Module 2 - SLP - Essay Example They are able to guide proceedings in the household, although in the present set up, with wives also playing more important earning roles in the household, the overall dominance of the male has dramatically reduced in modern times. However, according to South Korean culture, the traditional dictums of male supremacy is slowly declining, especially when women are as adept in seeking and pursing gainful employment for the upkeep and maintenance of the family. While traditionally, it has been the eldest male who is bestowed the honor of being the earning head of the family and controls the purse strings, in the modern changing context, this has become more flexible and the role of the fairer gender is also assuming greater importance. The major goal, obviously, is the sustenance of family values and its enrichment. Besides, it is also necessary to take good care of the family bonding and economic growth and development. There is need to take an overall view of family goals and priorities in terms of education, heath care and seeking interventions that go to improve living standards of families in South Korean context. This country has been endowed with very hardworking people with strong character and valued principles in life, and has been able to hold its own, despite being split from North Korea. â€Å"Koreas population is one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogenous in the world. Except for a small Chinese community (about 20,000), virtually all Koreans share a common cultural and linguistic heritage. With 48.6 million people, South Korea has one of the worlds highest population densities. Major population centers are located in the northwest, southeast, and in the plains south of the Seoul-Incheon area.† (Background note: South Korea, 2009). The development tasks that have been undertaken by South Korea at grassroots individual, family and community levels are indeed exemplary. Moreso, in the

Stem Cell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stem Cell - Essay Example Stem cells seem to be the only option available for leukemia patients. In my opinion, stem cell research should be allowed when we consider the terrible nature of leukemia and other diseases for which stem cell treatment seems to be the only option available at present. Medical researchers are of the view that stem cell therapy has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of human diseases. For example, bone marrow transplants are believed to be the only treatment option to counter the threats of leukemia. In order to develop more in treating leukemia with born marrow transplantation, stem cell research is necessary. Researchers believe that technologies derived from stem cell research can be effectively used in the treatment of many other diseases also. However, still there many controversies surrounding the ethics and effectiveness of stem cell research. Some people believe that the transplanted stem cells could form tumors in future because of the uncontrolled cell division. Stem cells have the ability to renew themselves even after long periods of inactivity. Moreover it can regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. According to Goldstein, & Schneider (2010), the potentials of stem cell research is huge. It can find solutions for the devastating disease like cancer, Parkinson’s disease, diabetics’ heart diseases, etc (Goldstein, & Schneider, p.5). Many of the genetic diseases and other serious diseases like the ones mentioned above are threatening the sustainment of human life on earth at present. Irrespective of developed or developing countries, cancer is a big health problem everywhere in the world. Millions of people all over the world are losing their life because of cancer and other serious diseases. The discovery, isolation, and culturing of human embryonic stem cells has been brought glimpses of hope among the patients who are suffering

The player Maradona Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The player Maradona - Essay Example Which clubs did Maradona play for in his active football life? What are the awards that Maradona has won in his professional football life? Which clubs has the former football player managed after his retirement from playing football? I used research materials available on the websites as quoted in the reference section of the paper. The research materials describe the football career of Diego Armando Maradona from his youth career until he retired from professional football. The research is confined to the football career of Diego Armando Maradona to both the football career of Diego Armando Maradona both at club level and international career. Several parts of the search bogged me down. One of them is time limitation. The time allocated for this research was not enough that made me, as the researcher, to work under pressure. Moreover, I was faced by the limitation of insufficient materials with reliable information from where I could obtain the data. Several parts of the research p rocess sparked a breakthrough. One of them is that I was able to retrieve information from other sources that are not available on online media such as the books in printed form. Moreover, I was able to obtain information from newspapers available from the libraries that had sections focusing on the football career of the player. ... From the research, I realized that, Diego Armando Maradona began his professional football life at the age of 16 with Argentinos Juniors where he played between 1976 and 1981. At the club, Maradona scored 115 goals for the club in 167 appearances and helped the club win several awards including the league title. After 1981, Maradona was transferred to Boca Juniors football club in Brazil for a fee of 1 million pounds ( Maradona and Weinstein 5). In 1982, Maradona and Boca Juniors Football Club won their first league championship title. An English club, Sheffield United, made a bid for $180,000 for the services of Maradona but the bid was rejected. In 1982 after the World Cup, Maradona was transferred to FC Barcelona for a record fee of $5 million. The club won Copa Del Rey, a Spanish annual national cup competition by beating Real Madrid in the finals, and won the Spanish Super Cup the same year after beating Athletic Bilbao in the finals. Maradona won the respective awards for his e fforts in helping the club win these competitions (Deutsch 5: Cockcroft and Cardona 2). According to Burns, 47, after a series of wrangles at the club, Maradona was transferred to Napoli Football Club for a record fee of $ 6.9 million in 1984. It is at this club that Maradona reached the peak of his career. At the club, Maradona became an adored figure and a fans favorite where he elevated the club to its most successful era in history. He helped the club win the Serie A Italian championship in 1986/87 season as well as the 1989/90 Serie A Italian championship. Moreover, Diego Maradona helped the club to emerge as the first runner up in 1987/88 and 1988/89. Apart from the league, Maradona helped Napoli Football Club to win

Toy Central Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Toy Central Corporation - Case Study Example People with variety of roles, such as those who formulate and implement policies and those monitor systems are accountable for the success or failure of the process. The findings from interim audit procedures conducted in July and August 2007 reveals that the controls over the purchase and payments systems are managed efficiently. However, the delayed production to satisfy the enormous demand during 2006 holiday selling season had also created a lag in the smooth running of the business. Though a fair quantity of this product was sold out for Valentine’s Day 2007, rest of them was returned to TCC for a full refund. This created an adverse situation within the firm in managing the inventory. But it does not sound nice to go into the holiday season selling with the same stock again. This control issues must be looked into by the management. The physical environment in which companies conduct their business continues to change dramatically, and it requires the firms to make chang es in their policies. Economic factors, advances in technology, and increasing global competition are some of the elements that force the management into greater challenges to control and manage liquidity while increasing sales (Preparing for internal control reporting, 2002). TCC executive have been putting efforts to boost the sales in September, the month that is â€Å"quiet before the storm† by negotiating with the Fathom Studios to obtain the right to produce the plastic-cast of the movie Delgo. Even though TCC had accrued $500,000 of sales revenue in September 2007 as expected while making the agreement, it had a delay in reaching the objectives. There was a delay in reaching the final licensing agreement which in turn delayed the final completion of the character toys. In the same way, TCC had invested nearly $150,000 in creating state-of-the-art software tools to develop Linux games. This decision seems to be a wrong one and shows the weakness of the control over fina ncial reporting of the firm. On the other hand, the companies who hold the intellectual property rights to produce popular games currently produce consoles and computers that run on Windows based software. Therefore, investing too much on developing games for Linux based consoles may not bring the expected return over the investment. Most of the disbursements made by TCC were for purchase and of raw materials from suppliers in Taiwan. Though all items were properly accounted, there was inaccuracy in the accounts. One item seemed unusual in comparison to the sample. The transaction involved a $10,000 payment to the International Transport Union, requisitioned by TCC’s VP-Operations and approved by the CFO. The VP explains that the payment was â€Å"a gesture of support for U.S. transport workers—a gesture we believe is important these days, as transport workers believe they are significantly underpaid and talking about organizing work stoppage and strikes† (Earle y &Philips, 2008). Though it was a non-operating expense, it shows a too much expense on the non-productive functions. The TCC’s management had fallen short in making correct financial analysis and preparing effective financial reporting. The findings of the interim report reveal that the retailers dramatically reduced the quantity of toys that they were willing to undertake in 2006 and sustained it through 2007. This reduction in the supply had intensified competition among all manufacturers of consumer

Increasing or Restricting Andragogy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Increasing or Restricting Andragogy - Essay Example This paper outlines that we have to take into account both the objective semantics of the term as well as try and locate it within a specific twentieth century educational context. The term ‘adult education’ is a comparatively new one, coined much after it was actually in practice. It is a result of many years of evolutions, and its meaning, even now is far from simple and monolithic. Even as early as in 1927, Hall-Quest conceded the difficulties in defining the term. One of the biggest problems related to the definition of ‘adult education’ is, whether it refers to a set of methodologies by which ‘adults’ can be taught, or is it a holistic term that includes the general endeavor of educating adults in a specific way as well as a detailed study of government adaptation and subsequent implementation of policies that target the adults specifically as the subject of educational instruction. Theorists like Alan Rogers have defined adult education as a process ‘whereby anyone over 16 (or whatever) are treated as adults – capable, experienced, responsible and balanced people’. Such a definition has two major problems; first ‘adult education’ becomes synonymous with ‘andragogy’ thus affecting the semantic rigor of the term.  

The Patriot Act Essay Example for Free

The Patriot Act Essay After the atrocious terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001, the Government has focused an overwhelming amount of attention on combating terrorism. On October 26, 2001 the Bush Administration passed the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, infamously known as Patriot Act. Practically, Patriot Act significantly expands the power of the federal government to investigate, detain, and deport those people who the government suspects are linked to terrorist activity and other crimes. Although the US Congress while enacting this bill thought of the ways to protect America from future terrorist attacks, it failed to balance acceptably the Act with Americans’ civil and constitutional liberties (Strickland, 26). Ironically, the bill created to protect against terrorism extends beyond its limited goal, jeopardizing the civil liberties of Americans more than necessary and creating many opportunities for privacy and freedom violations. History illustrates that, in times of peril, hastily taken measures often weaken governmental restrictions against coercive and intrusive powers and often infringe on civil liberties without substantially enhancing security. Throughout United States history, the country allowed civil liberties to be sacrificed in face of what seemed to be legitimate exigencies of war: the Alien and Sedition Acts, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, the blacklisting of supposed communist sympathizers during the McCarthy era, and the government’s surveillance of civil rights leaders in the 1960s (Pike, 20). These abuses should not be forgotten in this war against terrorism, but rather used as a lesson that the risk of governmental abuse is substantial. As Louis D. Brandeis explained, â€Å"experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the governments purposes are beneficent . . . The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding† (Gastil and Sussman, 116). This history of abuse indicates that civil liberty violations will likely be a reality if the governmental actions are not carefully constructed with safeguards. From the critical standpoint, the US Patriot Act evidently lacks these safeguards. According to professor Chimerinsky, â€Å"some loss of freedom may be necessary to ensure security; but not every sacrifice of liberty is warranted . . . The central question must be what rights need to be sacrificed, under what circumstances, and for what gain† (Congress Hearings, Lexis-Nexis, 2001). From the very beginning, the Act does not define what a â€Å"suspected terrorist† is, or how the government may go about suspecting someone of terrorism. Potentially, this lack of transparency gives the government an opportunity to use the norms of the Act virtually on every American. The US Code of Federal Regulations defines terrorism as â€Å"the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives† (28 C. F. R. Section 0. 85). However, this definition is rarely adhered to in practice. Title 2, section 201 of Patriot Act, entitled â€Å"Authority to Intercept Wire, Oral, and Electronic Communications Relating to Terrorism† amends Section 2516(1) of title 18, US Code. It allows any criminal violation relating to chemical weapons or terrorism to authorize eavesdropping on the perpetrator. Section 215 also gives the United States government the right to gain â€Å"access to records and other items under the foreign intelligence surveillance act. † This includes everything from dental records to fingerprints and criminal history. Perhaps the most menacing part of the Patriot Act, however, is Title V, entitled â€Å"Removing Obstacles to Investigating Terrorism,† which features sections which allows DNA identification of terrorists and other violent offenders, forces local law enforcement to relinquish control and all data over to federal law enforcement, allows disclosure of educational records, and allows disclosure of information from NCES surveys. Not only these provisions make the Act to be unjust and inappropriate, but they also violate all the norms established by the US Constitution regarding civil rights and liberties. Guaranteeing the security of the United States is the most fundamental governmental objectives and intelligence surveillance plays a critical role in the protection of national security. However, protecting civil liberties is of great importance, and that is why the issue of surveillance went through years of debate. The values of the Constitution of the United States have united the country for more than 200 years. The framers designed the Constitution to protect civil liberties in times of war as well as in times of peace. It necessary to remember that the Constitution was designed at the time when America won the Revolutionary War; the time that was not comfortable or easy, and enemies posed a real threat. However, protecting civil liberties remained a central goal. Similarly, the current threat of terrorism cannot now be used as justification to disregard civil liberties provided by the Constitution. American ideals and values must be respected to maintain the strength of the United States. Commitment to the principles of the Constitution in the face of terrorist atrocities will serve justice and demonstrate the strength of the United States to the world. Even before September 11th, the government acknowledged that terrorists hope to provoke responses that undermine the Constitution of the United States. For instance, a report published before the Patriot Act argued that counterterrorism policies must be effective, but must also respect the democratic traditions (Bernstein, 29). Meanwhile, the Patriot Act could have profound implications on the democracy of the United States. Privacy involves the relationship of the individual to the state, the most fundamental aspect of a government. Since the beginning of the United States, â€Å"Americans have been committed to the idea that people have the right to control how much information about their thoughts, feelings, choices and political beliefs is disclosed† (France M. et al, 83). Privacy acts as the boundary that provides protection from the outside world and maintains human dignity. Privacy works to shield minorities and outsiders from persecution, something America prides itself in providing. â€Å"By reducing our commitment to privacy, we risk changing what it means to be Americans† (France M. t al, 84). The analysis of the Act’s sections depicts whole unconstitutional character of this controversial bill. For instance, Section 218 blurs the essential distinction between criminal and intelligence surveillance. It requires only that â€Å"a significant purpose† of a search or wiretap be â€Å"to obtain foreign intelligence information† (Hearings, Lexis-Nexis, 3162/218). The addit ion of the word â€Å"significant† eliminates the previous FISA civil liberty safeguard that separated criminal surveillance from intelligence surveillance. Now the Patriot Act allows a search to be performed under the previous surveillance guidelines even if the motivation is to get criminal evidence, not foreign intelligence information. In contemporary context, this change allows the FBI to conduct secret searches or to secretly record telephone conversations without probable cause when their primary purpose is to obtain criminal information, not to gather foreign intelligence (ACLU, 2005). As a result, Section 218 threatens the civil liberties of Americans who pose no terrorist threat. Moreover, the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution requires the government to prove to a judicial officer that it has probable cause of a crime before it conducts an invasive search to find evidence of that crime (US Constitution, AM IV). Before the enactment of the Patriot Act, if the primary purpose was a criminal investigation, the law enforcement officials had to first prove the higher standard of probable cause. Investigating criminal activity cannot be the primary purpose of surveillance. However, the change made by Section 218 authorizes unconstitutional activity by impinging on the Fourth Amendment protection that requires probable cause. Section 218 now provides law enforcement officials with a tool to avoid probable cause when conducting criminal investigation surveillance. As long as law enforcement officials can find some aspect of the surveillance relating to intelligence gathering, the surveillance is now very likely to be allowed even if the surveillance is primarily conducted for criminal investigation purposes. Form the critical standpoint, the word â€Å"significant† is not enough of a safeguard to protect the probable cause requirement for criminal investigations. Prior to the Patriot Act, the statutes that governed the use of pen registration and trap and trace devices were structured according to the understanding that the telephone was the predominate method of communication across a distance. To obtain a court order, the law enforcement officer needs to attest that the information to be obtained is â€Å"relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation† (18 U. S. C. , 3123 (a), 2001). In order to have access to the contents of the telephone communication, the officer had to prove probable cause, that is, that a crime has occurred, is occurring, or will occur (18 U. S. C. S. , 3122, 1993). Therefore, previous policy somehow limited the access law enforcement officials have to obtain call content. Not only has the Patriot Act simplified the procedure of obtaining court orders, it also extends the rights of law enforcement officers to access everything from hard-wire telephones to Internet communications. Now, Section 216 gives law enforcement agents access to â€Å"dialing, addressing, routing or signaling information transmitted by an instrument or facility from which a wire or electronic communication is transmitted,† once they have obtained pen register and trap and trace orders. In addition to the outgoing dialed telephone numbers and the origin of the incoming telephone calls, pen registers and trap and trace orders now give access to much more information contained in an electronic communication: the routing, addressing and signaling information of an electronic communication. Taking into consideration that in the US modern history, the FBI has repeatedly abused its powers, the Patriot Act jeopardizes significantly Americans’ right to privacy as well as other civil liberties. For example, during 1960s the FBI has investigated people because of ethnic background or political viewpoint, both of which unjustly invade the sacred American right of individual privacy. Reasons why the government, blindfolded congressmen and other officials allow the possibility for infamous historical incidents and violations to happen again remain unclear. For now, the only thing which is clear is that my personal privacy as well as privacy of my family and friends is under constant threat. Quite possibly, my email correspondence with my foreign friends or relatives is under careful watch of FBI or other Homeland Security agents. My educational records along with other private information are easily accessible for unclear and non-transparent purposes. And although my correspondence, my online diaries, weblogs, email, etc do not represent any threat for the United States, there is no justification and reasons for why they should be available for surveillance. Finally, the US Patriot Act is apparently neither effective vehicle to protect citizens from terrorism nor it conforms to the Constitution. Practically, it impedes your, my, their civil liberties. The Government should have first determined and analyzed the barriers inhibiting effective use of existing policies that protect against terrorism, and only then utilize such aggressive control over our liberty.

The structure role and relationship between parties in communication

The structure role and relationship between parties in communication Explain the structure, role and relationship between parties in communication industry 1. Identify the different parties and briefly describe their role i.e. the functions of these parties (advertiser, client, ad agency etc.) in the communication industry Centralized This is the structure in which the key decisions are made by the head or top managers. This structure is used in order to have as much control as possible. Organizations with this kind of structure have several layers of management that control the company by maintaining a high level of authority. Staff and employees have limited authority to carry out any decisions without any approval from authority. It has a top-down management style where the top level communicates with the middle managers who further communicate with other staff. This kind of structure usually has decreased span of control. This type of structure is also becoming rare because of its many disadvantages. If the company is too large with such structure then its operations could become less efficient. Also lower level employees can become less motivated. On the other hand it can be advantageous too. It is a good structure for small business also it helps centralized authority may have a better picture of the organiz ation. Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/organizational-structure Decentralized: This structure is the opposite to the centralized structure. This type gives less control to the top managers for the decision making, rather decisions are made at the lower levels in the organizational hierarchy. Usually companies tend to start off centralized and then progress towards decentralized style. Decentralized structure lets everyone participate in the decision making process. It lets employees use their mind, experience and skills to improve inefficient areas without having to wait for any approval. This structure helps to eliminate any unnecessary levels of management and to let first line mangers/staff to have the authority. This increases the span of control and has a botton-up management style. It also lets the higher level managers to concentrate more on important decision and let other decisions be handled by the lower level. The disadvantage can be that managers often lack training and understanding of advertising. Source: http://www.learnmanagement2.com/centraliseddecentralised.htm Parties In communication Industry: Advertiser (Client) Advertiser is a sender or communicator who develops a marketing program and at the end makes the final decision of that plan. An advertiser can be a person, an organization or company who plans, executes and places advertisement in order to target customers. Their main aim is to promote a product or service. The advertisers need to be prepared for their interaction with an advertising agency, advertising departments or In-house agencies. They need to understand the companies objectives clearly, identify the distribution channels appropriately and manage the budget accordingly. Source: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/advertiser.html In-house agency In-house agency is an advertising agency in an organization that is set up, owned and operated by the advertiser. Sometimes there are advertising departments too. Instead of outsourcing the advertising to some agency, the ad campaigns are handled by its own in-house agency. This lets a business have more control n its advertising activities, it reduces advertising and promotion costs and is time saving for the advertisers. Source: http://advertising.about.com/od/advertisingglossaryi/g/inhouseagency.htm Advertising Agency This is an outside organization that specializes in advertising development. It provides marketing and promotion services such as planning, preparing and placing of advertisements. Usually big clients use many advertising agencies and because of its continuous growth and use, agencies are becoming partners as well. They provide clients with very skilled, specialized, experienced, expertise services and objective view points because of which it is preferred over in-house agencies. There are different types of services that different agencies provide such as: Full Service Agency: Provides marketing, communication, research, promotion and all other services Account Services : it is the link between the ad agency and the client Marketing Services: provides all marketing services such as marketing research, planning or marketing selection Creative Boutiques: they provide creative services for extra creativity. They emphasize on creative concept development and unique artistic services. Media Buying Services: This is media related and lets a client buy radio and television time. This is quite commonly used these days which offers media strategy consultancy. Media Organizations: these are television, radio, newspapers and etc. It has its own policy that attracts particular customers. Specialized Marketing Communication Services These services include direct marketing agencies, sales promotion agencies, public relations, sampling programs, contest arrangements, interactive agencies for website development and etc. 2. Discuss the relationship between the different parties of the industry Relationship of different parties: Advertiser In-house ad agency: The relationship between an advertiser and in-house agency is that an advertiser is who runs the in-house agency. He is the person in charge of what and how things go around in it. It can sometimes be owned by the advertiser as all. He operates all the operations, handles advertising activities and deals with outside ad agencies if any. Advertising agency Advertiser: In this case the advertiser is the client who outsources its advertising plans to an advertising agency. All the working, planning, preparing, and marketing activities are carried out by the ad agency. They take the responsibility of marketing and promotion services. Also these days they are becoming partners as well with bigger companies in order to be more efficient and productive in their dealing and working. They help advertisers define and refine their marketing strategies. It is important for an advertiser to do all its homework before getting into a relationship with any agency. Media organizations Clients/ad agency: Media organizations are media specialists who help in giving consultation to advertisers or even advertising agencies regarding buying media time and space. Since Media organizations buy media time in large quantities, they can help them to acquire media time at much lower cost than advertisers or ad agencies themselves could have. In-house agency ad agency: Sometimes even in-house agencies acquire help from ad agencies regarding different matters seeking for expertise and specialized help. Outcome 1.2 Identify the trends in advertising and promotion and evaluate (advantages and Disadvantages) of their impact 1. Discuss the current trends in the advertising With the growing competition in the advertising sector and evolution of trends with the passage of time has led advertising agencies to come up with different techniques, other than the traditional tv, radio, newspaper ways, to attract and retain customers. Some of these new trends include:  · Media fragmentation  · Micro-marketing  · Brand proliferation Media fragmentation: Media fragmentation is dividing and increasing the range of media, its choices and consumption in terms of more different channels, mobile, Internet, more websites, radio stations, magazines, satellite tvs and etc. This has given consumers a new set of habits and expectations. Advantages: Since a long time (and even still) cable channels was the only way of distributing video signals on a large scale, which meant small number of channels to large audience. Now the number of different channels as well as satellite tv has reduced this problem. Media fragmentation is just the right thing to divide and target its audience. The web specifically has increasingly divided its audience and has fragmented the media at large. Internet, online ads has played a big role, similarly the radio and mobile networks have helped in delivering their message efficiently as well. Moreover it has given increased consumer control. It has created a lot of opportunities for media buying businesses. This is one of the current trends that helps in reducing the difficulty of reaching its audience Disadvantages: Yet at the same time fragmentation had made it difficult to reach everyone too, because consumers now have a wide range of choice of what to watch, listen and read. It has decreased the attention since there is so much variety therefore media has become less efficient and more complex. Following are some factors related to media fragmentation. Source: http://moneyterms.co.uk/media-fragmentation/ Micro Marketing: Micro marketing is basically niche marketing in which the tailoring of products and marketing strategies are made locally within a smaller region. In this type marketing message is made a lot more personally to the buyer. A good example would be of local cable advertisements. Advantages: micro marketing helps in focusing and specializing on a smaller segment from a larger market. Locating a profitable micro niche is important and quite beneficial in terms of less competition. One can specialize on a smaller target. It has become easier to figure out the relevant market segment for a specific product, to keep in contact more often and to become more closely acquainted with a smaller crowd. Disadvantages: Through micro marketing the economies of scale and the sales growth is limited. Since a business focuses on a smaller segment, the survival of the firm may be difficult if the sales begin to drop. It is not very beneficial to larger level firms. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micromarketing Brand Proliferation: When one company introduces and puts new brands under same product lines is called brand proliferation. More items are brought in with new brand names to cover each and very market segment for that product line. Advantages: It helps in expanding a companys market share as well as the market. The basic aim is usually to keep the prime brand intact while competing with the lower brands. It also brings variety to the customers and excitement to the sales team. For example Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic are of same product line but with different brand names and price range. Disadvantages: This sometimes hurts the prime brand sales figures because of higher sales of other brands in same product line. This increases competition in the market as well as among themselves too. Revenue might not increase because of brand proliferation. Source: http://www.citeman.com/3193-brand-proliferation-and-the-other-strategies/ 2. Identify at least two of the trends in Pakistani market and discuss with examples. Two trends in Pakistan that are very common these days are micro marketing and telecommunication. Telecommunication: We are in an era where globalization and telecommunication is increasing at a fast pace. This is having a great positive effect on the economy of Pakistan. The country now boasts 5 major operators that are Telenor, Mobilink, Ufone, Warid and Zong. This has helped to reduce call charges and improve the quality of service. All of these in competition have offered a lot of different, unique and new innovative value added services such as MMS, low international call rates, low SMS rates, GPRS and recently Mobile tv. The telecommunication trend has offered a huge potential for advertisers to reach out to new markets in a totally new way. Source: http://pafkiet.edu.pk/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=u7RC2hLlgQ0%3Dtabid=515mid=1805 Micro-marketing: This has recently become quite common trend in Pakistan due to increase use of local cable services and channels. For example the local ads of Sona jewellers, Karegar, Rsheen on local cable service in Peshawar. Also telemarketing such as Televantage on channels has also become quite common too. Online advertisement is another new trend increasingly developing. This has cost loss to a lot of newspaper agencies as well as traditional advertising media companies. 3. Evaluate the impact of these trends on the industry and parties of the industry These trends have had a great impact on the over all advertising industry as well as the parties of the industry. It has opened up new markets, opportunities and chances for advertisers, clients, ad agencies and etc to reach out to everyone. Due to media fragmentation there is wide range of variety and options for them to choose from. Moreover it has provided Media buying businesses with a lot of new opportunities to target its market specifically and earn profit. Mobile phones have become one of the most popular devices and have increased capabilities of technologies. It has enabled access to email, internet browsing and multimedia thus giving advertising yet another channel to reach the audience. Media fragmentation has allowed advertising delivery on a per user basis according to the viewers interests, location, habits, demographics and etc. Source: http://www.wikinvest.com/concept/Impact_of_Internet_Advertising Outcome 1.3 Use any two response hierarchy models on the two ads selected by the students 1. Select two ads which have to be evaluated considering the response hierarchy models. 2. Discuss how these ads confirms to the response hierarchy models being discussed AIDA response hierarchy model: AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action which are the four stages of the sales process. It can be used as a checklist or guideline to determine where they stand and help them increase the sales if they fulfill the checklist for a customer. A : Attention, attracting and gaining the attention of the customers. The customers dont want to watch, listen or read long stories and long advertisements therefore keeping it short and the first few seconds attractive is important. Maybe a pleasant surprising element for example. I : Interest, after attention is gained it is the focus on customers interest by mentioning the benefits and advantages. Making sure not to bore the audience. D : Desire , To initiate a desire in a customer or convince a customer for what you want them to do or to buy a specific product. A : Action , Convincing the customer enough to take some action in purchasing a product. Souce: rhttp://changingminds.org/disciplines/sales/methods/aida.htm The AIDA model for Ufone advertisement: Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx0-nrjp0bM ufone Attention: Yes, the advertisement uses a good humorous approach that grabs attention. The format is very colorful and catchy. Interest: Yes, The slogan its all about you creates an interest and question in the mind of the customer, to see how well the product meets upto its claims in the advertisments. Desire: Yes, the low prices and attractive promotional packages were able to create a desire to try the product. Action: Yes, the advertiser was successful to be able to force the customer in a light humorous manner to switch to their product if they want a better quality. This package has been running very successfully. The AIDA model for Pepsi: Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYsO5PAWSPs Attention: Yes, The expensive advertisements and use of celebrities grabs attention. Interest: Yes, their catchy slogan Ye dil maange more provokes interest whether one can really have enough of it. Desire: Yes, the colorful ad, use of cricketers/celebrities creates a feeling of desire to try the product. Action: Yes, the advertisement showed what length do people go through just to have a Pepsi and it is a more common drink in the easy as compared to Coke. Hierarchy of effects model: This is a sequence of five steps that a consumer passes through before purchasing a product. It basically shows how advertisement works. It is said that a consumer passes through thinking, feeling and intention phases. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/hierarchy-of-effects.html Awareness: creating awareness and capturing attention of the main target audience. Knowledge: Along with the awareness it is important to give knowledge about a product and brand. Liking: Next is to create liking in a customer for a product. It is important to find if the product is liked or not and the cause for it. Preference: Building customer preference of their product through values, quality, image, performance and etc. It should be made sure that the customer not only likes your product but prefers it over other products. Conviction: Next is to make the consumer come back again and again for your product. Advertiser is to convict the target customers and develop a firm belief in them to always come to you. Purchase: This is the evaluation of the purchase whether its made or not. The problematic area and reasons should be found as to why a certain product wasnt purchased or liked in order to fix faulty areas. Hierarchy of effect model for Ufone Advertisement: Awareness: Yes, the advertisement is creating awareness about the launch of the new sms package. Knowledge: Yes, knowledge is given to the customer about the pricing and detail of the package being introduced. Liking: Yes, a humorous approach in advertisements is always attractive and helps in gaining customer attention. Moreover the low prices will automatically create a liking in them. Preference: Preference is created by introducing a unique package of lowest rates. Conviction: yes Purchase: Yes Hierarchy of effect model for Pepsi Advertisement: Awareness: Yes, awareness to the product is made in the advertisement. Knowledge: No, there is not much emphasis on knowledge of the product (for example price, deals etc) Liking: Yes, the use of big celebrities helps in gaining customer attention and liking. Preference: No emphasis was made to create a preference over competitors (for example seasonal deals like buy one get one free) Conviction: yes Purchase: Yes For Merit Outcome 1.3 12 Make an effective judgment on the ads selected whether you think the ads are appropriately developed to satisfy the hierarchy models. Give reference to books or internet sources used. The two hierarchy models i used in the previous question were AIDA and Effects model. They were applied on two selected ads (Pepsi and Ufone) to determine their effect. Based on my observation and study it can be concluded that these ads were appropriately developed to satisfy the hierarchy models. They were both successful in gaining the attention, interest and develop the desire in the customer. Ufone is using humorous theme in its ads which has become its benchmark. People enjoy watching, discussing and following Ufone ads the most and it is the biggest achievement of Ufone in recent times. Ufone became a part of the Emirates Telecommunication Corporation Group (Etisalat) in 2006.Since its inception, Ufone has focused on the people of Pakistan, empowering them with the most relevant communication modes and services that enable them to do a lot more than just talk, at a price that suits them the most. With a strong and uniquely humorous communication direction that has now become Ufones signature across all advertising media, Ufone gives its customers many reasons to smile. (source: http://thecurrentaffairs.com/ufone-ufone-pakistanufone-call-packages-ufone-jobs.html) Moreover with its success Ufone has been able to build a subscriber base of over 20 million, network coverage in 10,000 locations, international roaming to more than 260 live operators in more than 150 countries. As the world of telecommunications advances, Ufone promises its customers to stay ahead, developing and evolving, to go beyond their expectations, because at Ufone, its all about U. http://www.amcy5.com/Reports/marketing/amcy10.htm http://www.recipeapart.com/ufone-best-funny-ads-and-tv-commercials/ Pepsi on the other hand is already a successful brand which uses advertisment to just remind the customer of their existence. The pepsi ad i chose has used two most popular celebrities of Bollywood (Shahrukh, actor and Sachin, cricketer). Shahrukh was the Brand ambassador till 2008 and so was Sachin at some point. Pepsis style of advertisment has almost always used a celebrity for their advertisement to gain customer attention as well as create desire in them to use a brand popular among celebrities. source: http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2009/shahrukh-pepsi-thrown-out-160209.html Therefore both the advertisements till some extent satisfies and fulfills the hierarchy model criteria. However Pepsi company could have made this advertisment a little more innovative and creative by developing a more effective story line stating its preference and more knowledge regarding price for Pepsi. Ufone could have also given a bit more knowledge about their rates and number of sms offering.

In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke Essays -- Philosophy essays

In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke I wish to defend and support John Locke's "The Causal Theory of Perception" because it is a logical argument with many useful applications. Primarily, this argument allows us to make more objective judgments about the world we perceive - it allows us to more accurately see reality by telling us how to separate the object itself from our own opinions or qualitative value judgments about the object. However, just the fact that a particular theory is useful does not mean that the theory itself is correct, even though that might be the motive for trying to prove its correctness. Therefore, I must also address George Berkeley's argument, put forth by his character Philonous in Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, that "to exist is to be perceived." To tackle Berkeley's argument, I will take Hylas and Philonous's Tree Argument. This is a nice variation on the common riddle of "If a tree falls in the middle of a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Philonous is trying to prove that everything that exists is perceived, and therefore exists only in the mind. If this is true, then nothing exists without the mind, and it is therefore pointless to distinguish between primary and secondary qualities as Locke does. Philonous challenges Hylas to conceive of any sensible object that exists without the mind. Hylas responds with the idea of a tree existing by itself, independent of, and unperceived by, any mind whatsoever. Philonous then points out that this is a contradiction - conceiving a thing that is unconceived. However, these two riddlers are failing to take into consideration one crucial element - time. Now, I intend to prove that ... ... Locke gives another good illustration with his flame example. A flame can have a definite temperature - a primary quality of something that exists. It can also have warmth - a secondary quality that we see in the object that is closely related to the primary quality, but is a value judgment. And there can be the perception of pain - an idea which exists only in the mind, independent of the flame, even though associated with it. If one accepts these ideas, one has a useful tool to help oneself be objective about a certain thing. If we remember these distinctions, then we can identify and separate from each other those qualities which exist in the object itself, those judgments we make about those qualities, and those ideas we have independent of an object. Separating primary qualities from secondary qualities allows us to more accurately perceive reality. In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke Essays -- Philosophy essays In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke I wish to defend and support John Locke's "The Causal Theory of Perception" because it is a logical argument with many useful applications. Primarily, this argument allows us to make more objective judgments about the world we perceive - it allows us to more accurately see reality by telling us how to separate the object itself from our own opinions or qualitative value judgments about the object. However, just the fact that a particular theory is useful does not mean that the theory itself is correct, even though that might be the motive for trying to prove its correctness. Therefore, I must also address George Berkeley's argument, put forth by his character Philonous in Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, that "to exist is to be perceived." To tackle Berkeley's argument, I will take Hylas and Philonous's Tree Argument. This is a nice variation on the common riddle of "If a tree falls in the middle of a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Philonous is trying to prove that everything that exists is perceived, and therefore exists only in the mind. If this is true, then nothing exists without the mind, and it is therefore pointless to distinguish between primary and secondary qualities as Locke does. Philonous challenges Hylas to conceive of any sensible object that exists without the mind. Hylas responds with the idea of a tree existing by itself, independent of, and unperceived by, any mind whatsoever. Philonous then points out that this is a contradiction - conceiving a thing that is unconceived. However, these two riddlers are failing to take into consideration one crucial element - time. Now, I intend to prove that ... ... Locke gives another good illustration with his flame example. A flame can have a definite temperature - a primary quality of something that exists. It can also have warmth - a secondary quality that we see in the object that is closely related to the primary quality, but is a value judgment. And there can be the perception of pain - an idea which exists only in the mind, independent of the flame, even though associated with it. If one accepts these ideas, one has a useful tool to help oneself be objective about a certain thing. If we remember these distinctions, then we can identify and separate from each other those qualities which exist in the object itself, those judgments we make about those qualities, and those ideas we have independent of an object. Separating primary qualities from secondary qualities allows us to more accurately perceive reality.

The Fast Food Culture is Detroying America Essay -- Fast Food Research

The typical American diet, with its emphasis on fast food and frozen food, is a consumption pattern reflective of, and symptomatic of, our production patterns -- what kind of jobs we find ourselves going to day-in and day-out, and the way these jobs encourage us to see the world we live in. If people are more apt to think of themselves as consumers rather than producers, if gratification is associated with consumption rather than working, doing, and making, we have only to bear in mind that this is a society where work is either unattainable or alienating. (Willis, A Primer For Daily Life, "Learning From the Banana," page 59) The psychological impacts based on today's workplace lead us to believe we have no time. We no longer make our own food. We no longer cook our own food. We experience an alienation from its sources; food comes to us ready-made, pre-packaged, and/or frozen. Our usual food choices are commonly referred to as "junk-food," and when we happen upon someone cooking a meal entirely from scratch, we often joke, "What's this, real food?" Our relationship towards food has become so skewed that we no longer expect quality. If, by chance, we happen to encounter it, we are genuinely shocked and surprised, and almost threatened, for the rare presence of quality exposes that there usually is none. We have no idea what is in our food, or where it comes from. We are alienated from the land which gives us food, and from the actual production of our food. Do we know whose hands our food has passed through before we see it stacked neatly on shelves, or handed to us in a bun at Burger King, ready for us to consume at leisure? Contrary to McDonald's "educational literature" passed out to young children in schools, hamburge... ...5; call 408.423.4069 Vegan Outreach, 10410 Forbes Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235; e-mail mba8+@andrew.cmu.edu Other Useful sources : McSpotlight -- contains over 1600 spotlights of McDonald's wrongdoings (Once you click, choose the server nearest you: Netherlands, Finland, USA, New Zealand) Viva!Guides -- some interesting literature and ideas; "How Now Mad Cow," + others... McDonald's Very Own Dietary Info -- ingredient lists of every product, complete with calorie, fat, fiber, etc counts Screwing McDonald's -- in case you missed the McSabotager earlier in the page... McDonald's is suing people who call their food unhealthy Opposing Viewpoints : Myths & Facts About Beef Production -- The incredible health benefits you will receive by eating beef! (Curiously, funded by...) Beef Handbook--Nutrition & Health -- the U.S.D.A. tells it like they see it...

The Five Main Sets of Value Paradigms :: Papers

The Five Main Sets of Value Paradigms According to the text there are 5 main sets of value paradigms: values from a perspective of traditional certainty, values from a perspective of post modern Relativism, values from an environmental perspective, the new-age perspective and values from an eclectic perspective. So lets examine that fundamentals of each paradigm to get a better view. The first and probably the most formal of all the paradigms is the perspective of traditional certainty. This set of values is more or less religious in nature, with the majority of its followers espousing monotheistic or one-God beliefs. Despite all the differences between the ideologies of monotheistic cultures, the one truth that holds constant is that of â€Å"divine order†. This cultural universal constant contends that everything has intrinsic value and therefore must be studied and protected. And out of the chaos that comes with our daily mundane existence, there will ultimately be a supreme order, which everything adheres to. The values of postmodern relativism on the other hand are completely different. This paradigm concentrates almost exclusively on the mundane and materialistic aspects of life. Postmodern relativism can be divided into two major parts: the pragmatic/weak form and the nihilistic/or strong form. In the pragmatic view, one’s main goal in life is to strive for all the luxuries that the world can offer and achieve personal happiness. A pragmatic believes that there is no ultimate reality, but chaos. But despite this seemingly bleak overview of the world, they still believe that we must strive to be decent and merciful to other people. To quote David Greegor â€Å"we must act as though we still believe in absolute values favoring a â€Å"good† in which we no longer believe†. According to the nihilistic or strong form of postmodern relativism there is no real meaning to anything. They espouse a sort of â€Å"anything goes attitude† wherein they believe whatever h appens happens and there is nothing more. According to this view, the world around us is just an illusion and the fundamental building blocks of all that is considered real, are in fact more real than the entities they make up. Ultimately a nihilistist’s fate will fall into the hands of entropy and once again turn toward chaos. Values from an environmental perspective are somewhat different from all the others mentioned here. The environmental perspective stresses that nature is a main source of many of the values we see everyday.

Short Story the Painted Door

The Painted Door Summary Short story A Painted Door written by Sinclair Ross is a story that hides many meanings. The intelligent usage of symbolism and comparisons also add to the amount of thought and understanding being put towards the overall picture. It is clear that the author is not only about telling the story, rather he focuses much more on the voice, setting, and symbolism of the piece. The story was relayed to the readers in third person; the author also being the narrator.This gives him much more power to portray images and descriptions that could not be shown any way else. â€Å"She went on blowing against the frosted pane, carefully elongating the clear place until it was oval-shaped and symmetrical. † In this particular statement he is making the readers think about why this is being done. The setting of the story allowed for a lot of symbolism to be used; it was an average farm in the midst of the winter season. Feature Article – Short Story  The Plane of the Sleeping BeautyA lot of white colors being described and the cold and emptiness were also to the author’s advantage. As John the farmer goes to visit his father for the evening, his wife Ann tries to hold him back. As the final decision is made by the male character, we are introduced time and time again to the cold and emptiness of the setting. These tools are the author’s way of telling us how she feels and to prepare us for what is to happen next. As Steven, a close friend comes over, Ann begins to pretty herself up.These are all things that build towards the ending; of Ann’s Affair and Steven’s Suicide. The painted Door is a very interesting short story considering its great usage of symbolism as well as its setting. The author does a good job in portraying to us not only happenings but feelings and emotions as well. â€Å"The leap of light and shadow sank, and a chill crept in again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The Painted Door Cover Page Rationale While creating a cover page for short story The Painted Door by Sinclair Ross, I considered many elements.In the end I chose aspects of symbolism because they would be the most effective and powerful way to portray the meaning of the story, without giving away the ending. The color white was very significant throughout the entire story, whether it was snow or the paint Ann used. This is why I chose the main color to be white and the whole picture to be washed out and faded. The background picture was that of a cobweb, implementing the idea of old or lost. This is telling us that the love of Ann and John is as such.The wood as another background simply describes the setting; an old farm house â€Å"unpainted† which is the whole reason Ann begins to paint. The chain coming across the entire picture is a symbol of the connection between Ann and her husband John. Many links form a chain holding them together even if they both don’t realize it. If you look closely to the bottom right corner, you will notice there is a cat looking towards a faded couple in midst of a kiss. The cat is a representation of deception and slyness, whereas the couple represents the affair between Ann and Steven.By having the cat face towards that direction, it portrays the fact that the affair was a total act of deception. Overall, I think my picture is a accurate presentation and cover page to the story because of the specific choice of used symbolism, given examples and relation to the setting and plot. The fact that everything is faded together almost gives it a look as if it all were a memory, also adding taste to the story; being portrayed from the past. For all these reasons, I have made my picture look how it does. Works Sited Ross, Sinclair. The Painted Door. 1, 10

Life Transitions Counseling Essay

A detailed and very interesting research about the problems of classifying, analyzing and coping with life transitions in our life, was written by Lawrence Brammer, Ph.D., who is Professor Emeritus of Counselor Education at the University of Washington in Seattle. This work was published by the Educational Resource Information Center.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his research L. Brammer introduces the concept of life transitions and presents the most common types of such transitions. After that he addresses to three theoretical models of life transitions, which are supported by tips on counseling them. And in the end of the article the author presents some attitudes and skills necessary for successful coping with changes and life transitions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The author defines transition as a sudden and fundamental life change, which brings certain disconnection with the past. He classifies the transitions as positive and negative (painful and tragic) in respect to human reaction, as voluntary and involuntary by human factor of the cause, and as on-time and off-time transitions by expectations. Also, he defines developmental, social and political changes among the transitions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to this research, there are three ways of human perception of life transitions. These approaches are based on the developments of other specialists in this field. The first approach was suggested by Bridges (1980), who offered using metaphors from classic literature when describing life transitions.   Counseling approach in such case can be focused on encouraging people to look for some meaningful metaphors when managing with their life transitions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second concept is called Social Interaction Model, which was created by Schlossberg (1984). This specialist offers to consider social and personal characteristics of an individual when coping with life transitions, like age, maturity, sensibility to stresses, etc. According to this model, the counseling approach will concentrate on analyzing the impact of transition on the person and looking for the inner and outer resources, which would help the person to cope with the situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The third model is called Predictable Overlapping Stages, which was created by the author himself, using the works of Kubler-Ross, Parkes and Hopson. This model presents the development of human perception of hard life transitions, like sudden death of a close person, etc. The author states that there are some stages, which any person experiences when coping with a hard life transition. Firstly, there are initial feelings of confusion, discomfort and shock, followed by the stages of denial and fantasy, then very long process of mood stabilization comes, which is accompanied with depressions, mood disorders, and then one or another level or recovery comes. Counseling in this case is also focused on determination, on which stage the person is now.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the end of the research there are some concepts about coping attitude and skills, which are mostly based on the developments in psychological literature. The author states that coping with life transitions is self-initiated problem solving, which requires development of proper and satisfactory coping resource. Also, the author offers some directions, which can be effective for creating the concept of recovery when coping with life transitions. Those are: creating support networks, cognitive reframing, analyzing personal stress responses, etc.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This research is very constructive and useful; it reveals some interesting theoretical information about view on life transitions and the ways of coping with them. The author suggests studying the problem more thoroughly, and in the conclusion he directs the readers into the most important field of studying life transitions: learning more about particular human personalities, about ourselves and our surrounding.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maybe the only disadvantage of this research is the absence of more practical information on coping with life transitions. Other numerous researches introduce mental (acknowledging the problem, looking for some positive sides, fighting with anxiety and depressions, etc.) and physical (doing exercises, interacting with other people, paying attention on nutrition, etc) tips, which can be very helpful in our daily activity when managing with transitions. Besides, the majority of life transitions is connected with stresses, so coping with life transitions frequently becomes coping with stress. It is also important point, which had to receive more attention from the author of this research. But in any way, the work of Laurence Brammer is very useful, especially for students and specialists, who are interested in studying the perception of life transitions and stresses by human psychology. Bibliography:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brammer, L. M. (2001). Coping with Life Transitions. Educational Resourse Information Center. ERIC Digest. ED350527. Retrieved December 1, 2005, from .      

Culture and Diversity in Decision Making Essay

The definition of the mission and goals of the enterprise is the foundation for any business. Mission – is the answer to the question, what is the activity of the company is and what it intends to do. Procter & Gamble has a pretty clear statement: â€Å"We are there to improve your life† After the mission, the organization needs to define the purpose. In this case, the goal – to produce goods and services of the highest quality and customer value that improve the lives of today’s and future generations around the world. Consumers help to take a leading position in terms of sales, to ensure the prosperity of the business that contributes to the well-being of employees and shareholders, as well as those areas where employees live and work. The goal unites workers for the common cause of the growth strategy. It has great potential due to a simple idea to improve on daily lives of consumers around the world. It is this setting allows P ; G to achieve maximum f ull growth. So, from the above we can highlight the important goals of the company: A. Providing quality products, customer focus; B. Creating a stable, growing company. 3. About the P;G company’s culture signs. The company provides a certain amount of self – dependence divisional governance structure that provides greater flexibility and faster response to changes in the business environment compared to the linear and linear- staff. Managerial responsibility for the activities of the company both in the domestic and foreign market is shared between them. This type of structure combines centralized coordination and control of centrally managed. Key figures in the management of an organization with a divisional structure – not heads of functional units, and the managers in charge of the production department, the so-called divisions. The company groups are formed by categories, each of which includes experts in marketing, sales and advertising. These narrow specialists provide each its part under the direct control of the manager category. The level of the manager is very high. 4. Factors that caused the organization to embody this particular culture. P;G company has been working toward keeping its reputation and standards in all field. Since it was established, P;G has built rich heritage of touching consumers’ lives with brands that make life a little better every day. Here is to motto says â€Å"Do the Right Thing – For each other† The culture of the company is based on the basic moral and ethical values – leadership, striving for the victory, the host’s respect, honesty and trust. These values are not something abstract – they define the actions of the company. 5. What type of leader would be the best? In my opinion there are many reasons that this leader structure will be effective. First, as part of a huge company it managed to create an environment where every employee is interesting to work with. The responsibility of each employee, including the manager is the main driving force effectiveness. And this is the result of the constructed system of management, whose main task is to create conditions for the moral and material interests of each employee. Second, the complexity of management and collective management style in this company is proposed to use a single control method. The management system is structured in a complex of  functional subsystems. That is, they include highlights key subsystems within each of which formed goals, measurable indicators are introduced, developed a system for calculating them are formalized standards, business processes and organizational procedures. Disconnected from the management of the business functions of the company’s managers are moving to a collective system of integrated management of business functions. 6. Imagine that there is a decline in the demand of products. What the change in culture would be need to be in response to this situation. I think company’s CEO should work with the sale’s department. Look up their regular planning and control of the department and its employees, hiring, selection and adaptation of staff; employee motivation, training, exchange of experience, the general debriefing, evaluation of the department, the calculation of cost of sales, cost of sales regulation, evaluation of individual performance of employees. In one word they have to find out their mistake and fix it, because without a reason demand not decreasing itself. References CNBC television channel – Documentary film about Procter ; Gamble company. Retrieved from http://www.hulu.com/watch/286095 Charan, R. (2008, August 26). P;G’s innovation culture: How we built the world-class organic growth engine by investing in people. Retrieved from http://www.strategy-business.com/article/08304?pg=all Procter and Gamble. (2013). Our worldwide business conduct manual. Retrieved from http://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/company/governance/Policy_Worldwide_Business Conduct_Manual.pdf Schermerhorn, J. R. (2012). Organizational behavior (12th ed.). Danvers, MA: John Wiley ; Sons, Inc

Animal Farm Extended Response Essay

Do you think Animal Farm’s message would come across effectively to someone who knows nothing about soviet history or the conflict between Stalin and Trotsky? What might such a reader make of this story? George Orwell’s novella ‘The Animal Farm’ is directed at Russia during the Stalin era. The novella’s characters reflect on actual people during the Stalin era. The novella tells of what happened during Stalin’s reign including the controversy with Trotsky. Many of Stalin’s traits were shown through Napoleon as he made his decisions on the farm but whether or not the reader could connect it to Stalin is another matter. For an individual to read this book and fully understand what it is talking about, the reader would definitely need a vast understanding of the era and the personality conflicts. The novella portrays Stalin as a power hungry pig that swindles his way to the top, with the assistance of some associates as well (further pigs). This is exactly what transpired during the soviet era when Stalin took control. For an individual to make that connection they would need to first try link the actions of Napoleon and the similarities should give it away, but for someone who doesn’t identify anything about the era then no, they have nothing to link it to, but it is still possible for the individual to notice the communism occurring throughout the farm and make the connection to the politics side of the aforementioned. Stalin and Trotsky’s controversy is easily depicted through the two main animals, Napoleon and Snowball, but only to those who have the knowledge of their disputes. If someone without this knowledge tried to make sense of it then they wouldn’t understand the soviet side to it but they would still understand the logic in Napoleon being worried about Snowball taking first actions against him and taking him out of the picture. George Orwell’s message in Animal Farm is quite obvious. The reader will get the message but not the social commentary. The novella includes all the historic moments of the Soviet Russian world and lifestyle even if the  reader cant link it to history it still can play a big part in today’s society as it can be applied to many day to day occurrences such as family, work or generally everyday life.

Rights associated with land Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Rights associated with land - Essay Example Fishing rights in England and Scotland are private as opposed to public rights in USA, while water rights follow a riparian system in the UK and USA, except the western states where an appropriation system is used. Mineral Rights are provided to property owners who may have the right to allocate subsurface rights to other parties, but in England and Scotland the rights to precious and energy minerals rests with the Crown, while rights of ownership to other minerals may also rest with community bodies. Mineral Rights: In Scotland, land ownership is based on a feudal system whereby the owner or feuar was subjected to title conditions with reservations of mineral rights. Under the feudal system, previous owners of property known as feudal superiors, retained rights over the land even after it was sold, together with the right to enforce title conditions. (www.hmitchell.co.uk). This system was recently abolished under the Abolition of Feudal Tenure (Scotland) Act 2000, however despite the abolition of the system, a reservation of mineral rights in the feudal title still remains valid. As a result, it may restrict the mineral rights of owners of property. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 provides communities and crofts with the pre-emptive rights to acquire mineral rights, with the exception of oil, gas, coal, gold or silver.(www.lindsays.co.uk) The ownership of the rights to precious and energy minerals is vested in the Government. Throughout the U.K, mineral rights to gold and silver are owned by the Crown and the mines of these metals are known as mines royal.

Analysis for the 7Cs Framework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Analysis for the 7Cs Framework - Assignment Example With the information provided on the website, it is easy for a potential customer to book a room because the site is enough to keep the visitors updated. All the content available on the website has been developed by the company in an effort to ensure that users of the website are well-informed (164). Community  The Le Meridien website presents a strong community because it promotes interactions between different customers. The website has a page that allows guests or visitors to share their experiences with other visitors. The page is highly interactive because new visitors can post questions to the authors of the current reviews concerning their experience at the hotel. The page serves to create a highly connected community that allows all the users to interact. The page is under the close monitoring by the site owner. Notably, this aspect is a remarkable feature of the Le Meridien website (169).Customization  A close analysis of the Le Meridien reveals that it is generic becau se all visitors to the website see the same phase of the website. The fact that the site is information dominant, it does not present an opportunity for personalization or tailoring by the site owner. All the functions and windows in the website are permanent and are the same for each viewer. Therefore, there is a salient need for the company to introduce a measure of customization so that visitors may experience a measure of freedom and exercise their self-expression (173). The communication between the users and the site owner.

All forms of tobacco should be made illegal Essay

All forms of tobacco should be made illegal - Essay Example In light of this, the discussion on whether to legalize all forms of tobacco or not is critical in ascertaining the best course of action. Additionally, it is indispensable to focus on both the advantages and disadvantages of legalizing them. With this in mind, it is arguably correct to assert that the current findings of the effects of tobacco can form the basis for the argument. Therefore, as Gottfried (21) noted, legalizing all forms of tobacco would be creating more problems in the society than the perceived gains accrued to them. Drugs in general have been linked with the increased cases of crime in many states. For instance, a study on the effects of marijuana by Morgan (12) found out that although there are unconfirmed facts of the medicinal advantage of the use of marijuana, it is yet to be scientifically confirmed that this can help in curing different disease. Therefore, the most obvious consequences outline the reasons why marijuana should not be legalized. For example, when people engage in drugs, they tend to neglect most of their duties and responsibilities due to the addictive nature. Cigarette has been found to have very addictive nature to the smokers. Since many people start smoking in childhood, their behavior changes and most of them engage in different anti-social behavior. To a broader sense, smoking has been viewed as an activity of people that have reached maturity, and this has always brought problems in the society. For example, youths and older children smoke cigarette as a sign or proo f to their peers that they have also reached the maturity age. In the event, some of them engage in different forms of crime especially fighting as a way of proving their maturity. Since marijuana is form of a tobacco, it is clear that all negative effects associated with it would be increased by deciding to legalize it. For example, marijuana has been associated with mental

Article Review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Article Review - Research Paper Example he research used the case study method and qualitative analysis to reveal that through the development of an information behavior model, the findings indicated the need to emphasize both information capability and information technology capability to motivate knowledge workers and assist in improvement of performance. 1. What was the statistical problem, issue or debate discussed in the article and where did it fit in the context of the course? The statistical problem was the need to design an information behavior model to understand how employees effectively use information as a large insurance company. Accordingly, it fits the context of the course in terms of defining the statistical method used to analyze and interpret the results with the application of average scores and gaps using Microsoft Excel statistical analysis functions. The major theoretical aspects focus on the use of the information orientation model that would effectively measure the link between performance of knowledge workers and information use. The applicability was identified in terms of defining accurately the most crucial elements of effective information management. 3. What research methodology was used and why was it appropriate for this problem, issue or debate (archival, survey, case study, etc.)? The research methodology used was a single company case study in conjunction with an online survey and analyzed through quantitative approach. 4. What conclusions were validated by this research and what was the overall contribution to the field of statistics? The findings revealed that from among the variables, both information capability and information technology capability were regarded as the most crucial in improving performance. Having identified these, the study has proven the relevant role that statistical analysis played in generating conclusive findings that validated hypothetical contentions. 5. Why did you feel that this article was appropriate for your review; in other