Workforce Planning and Employment Tanglewood Case 7

Management 364 A, Workforce Planning and Employment Case 7 Personnel selection and assessment activities are integral parts of this organizational life. Tanglewoods economic climate has seen an ever increasing level of staff turnover and personnel reorganization, and the abolition of the traditional view keeping a a job for life. Consequently, there is now more pressure on this organizations and HR managers to fill vacant positions quickly and with the most appropriate individuals. Decisions about hiring applicants have to be based on predictions about future work behaviors. Tanglewood needs to recruit new staff and start making promotion decisions about employees, there are various methods of assessment that are available, such as:†¦show more content†¦In assessing the resumes from job applicants for store manager, I decided to score the documents on the basis of very specific information. I gave points according to certain qualities that the candidate may or may not possess. It was important that each item to be score was related directly to the KSAOs required for the position of store manager. There were possible 11 points given on the resume using the chart from (Tanglewood Appendix A,). DEPARTMENT MANAGER TASKS KSAOS SPECIFIC TASKS TASK DIMENSIONS IMPORTANCE (% TIME SPENT) NATURE IMPORTANCE TO TASKS (1-5 RATING) Manage the department to increase sales and ensure efficiency. Coordinate department activities with the stores policies, in consultation with assistant store manager. Implement special promotions, displays and events. A. Planning and coordination 30% Knowledge of organizational policies and practices Skill in judgment and decision making Ability to think develop original solutions within prescribed parameters 5 3 3 Analyze sales figures and forecast inventory needs for future periods Ensure quality, customer service, and health and safety standards are met for the department. Enforce safety,Show MoreRelatedtanglewood case10700 Words   |  43 Pagesï » ¿ ââ€"  TANGLEWOOD CASEBOOK for use with STAFFING ORGANIZATIONS ââ€"  ââ€"  7th Ed. Kammeyer-Mueller TANGLEWOOD CASEBOOK To accompany Staffing Organizations, seventh edition, 2012. Prepared by John Kammeyer-Mueller Warrington College of Business University of Florida Gainesville, Florida Telephone: 352-392-0108 E-mail: kammeyjd@ufl.edu Copyright  ©2012 Mendota House, Inc. Herbert G. Heneman III President Telephone: 608-233-4417 Read MoreTanglewood Casebook19453 Words   |  78 Pagesââ€"  TANGLEWOOD CASEBOOK for use with STAFFING ORGANIZATIONS ââ€"  ââ€"  6th Ed. Kammeyer-Mueller | | TANGLEWOOD CASEBOOK To accompany Staffing Organizations, sixth edition, 2009. Prepared by John Kammeyer-Mueller Warrington College of Business University of Florida Gainesville, Florida Telephone: 352-392-0108 E-mail: kammeyjd@ufl.edu Copyright  ©2009 Mendota House, Inc. Herbert G. Heneman III President Telephone: 608-233-4417 E-mail: hheneman@bus.wisc.edu |INTRODUCTIONRead MoreEssay on Tanglewood Case Study16171 Words   |  65 PagesStaffing Strategies In reviewing Tanglewood case study 1, we evaluate all aspects of the company in order to determine which strategic staffing decision would potentially be suitable for meeting the organizations goals and staffing requirements. They’re 13 different staffing strategies which are distributed into two categories. Each one of the strategies is designed in a format of this one verses that one concept, making it so one would decide which would be best suited for the company. The two

Finance and Law Money Laundering and New Payment Methods Free Essays

Executive Summary In recent times, new and innovative methods enabling funds transfer through electronic methods across the borders have increased. These have opened new opportunities for money laundering and the financing of terrorism. As a result, this report explores the issues surrounding NPMs (New Payment Methods) and as such it has explored non-face-to-face typology as one of the most abused NPM typologies. We will write a custom essay sample on Finance and Law: Money Laundering and New Payment Methods or any similar topic only for you Order Now Moreover, the vulnerabilities the NPM could expose in relation to the firm and its products such as fraud, reputational, legal and operational risks have been discussed in detail. Outstandingly, special considerations that NPM should include in their AML systems have been identified with the likes of data encryption, antispam, antiphishing and privacy policies along with limitation of the accessibility of personal data. Again, measures like setting out in the law the customer Due diligence measures, have been identified as effective tools directed towards the regulation and guidance relating to NPMs in order to better protect the firm and the customer, from the risks associated with the new payment methodologies. Introduction In the modern times, new and innovative methods of funds transfer through electronic methods across the borders have increased. These have opened up new opportunities for money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Following this point, the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) Typologies Report of 2006 on New Payment Methods (13th October 2006) recognized the emergence of the new payment methods as being far different from the traditional methods of money transfer. With the emergence of the new and innovative methods of cross border money transfers, AML (Anti-Money laundering) vulnerabilities increased. Subsequently, FATF published their report â€Å"Money Laundering Using New Payment Methods† (2010), which revealed the potential risks of money laundering and the financing of terrorism using the New Payments Methods. Furthermore, the report revealed the actual risks through an analysis of new case studies along with the particular typologies. In the light of this point, the purpose of this report is to remind the regulatory Authority department of the issues surrounding NPMs. In connection to this point, an example of a NPM typology will be given explaining its mode of operation and its vulnerability to money laundering through a financial firm and its products. Accordingly, the report will identify and as such determine special considerations that NPM providers need to include in their AML systems in order to combat the abuse of NPMs through money launderings. Moreover, the report will reveal the measures which, if considered and implemented would improve guidance and regulation to NPMs translating to better protection of the firm and its customers. NPM Typology 2: Non-face-to-face NPM accounts Basically, typology two describes a model through which most NPMs rely on and as such it is a business model where minimal face to face interaction is utilized or it is absent. In the light of this point, Internet payment services (IPS) such as PayPal and moneybookers among others as such together with prepaid cards (MasterCard, Visa Electron, Maestro, etc) are utilized (Paulus, Pohlmann Reimer 2005). Under this typology, online banking, prepaid internet payment products and digital currencies are commonly used. Notably, the non-face-to-face nature of most NPMs can facilitate cases of money laundering through the abuse of the system by the criminals. On the other hand, typology one has to do with third party funding whereby cards can be funded through the bank, cash and person to person transfers. Additionally, there is the third typology (complicit NPM providers or their employees).There is also a high risk as portrayed in findings made in the past of IPS and prepaid card providers who were controlled by criminals and as such promoted cases of laundering How Non-face-to-face NPM accounts can be utilized for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes According to Financial Action Task Force (2006), several cases were brought out through which NPM products were used to launder illegitimate proceeds. This was accomplished by theft of identity together with money being stolen from bank accounts or credit and debit cards through the use of computer hacking. It was also accomplished through phishing, which describes a fraudulent e-mail designed to bring about the theft of information or identity. Owing to such abuses, the criminals managed to hack through the computers with such information and as a result, bank accounts, credit and debit cards were used as reference translating to funding of IPS or prepaid card accounts (FATF Report 2010). In such a case, it is not easy to determine or rather detect a suspicious activity. Likewise, the non-face-to-face typology facilitated money laundering through fake and stolen identities being used to create NPM accounts. In such cases, IPS or prepaid cards are used as transit accounts for the financing of terrorists’ activities and money laundering. Therefore, a firm wishing to offer NPM as one of its products, should critically consider the way NPMs makes AML systems vulnerable to money laundering activities. It is important to take note of the fact that most of the services offered in this typology are virtual in the sense that the customers dealt with are virtual and in such a case cross-border transfers are common. So to speak, identification, verification and monitoring systems should be implemented in such a manner that they can detect any form of money laundering. However, this may be limited by the fact that credit risk does not exist in this typology (FATF Report 2010). Therefore, the service providers may not be so concerned with the money laundering activity detection since this may not bring about credit risks to them. Vulnerabilities the NPM could expose in relation to the firm and its products A firm offering NPM products and services should be careful of misuse and abuse by criminals and terrorists since the typology deals with virtual customers. In actuality, a firm offering such a service or product should understand the risk of exploitation of the non-face to-face nature of NPM accounts whereby criminals may use fake identities, documents or stolen identities and documents (FATF Report 2010). The firms should understand the exposure of the firm and its products to money laundering activities carried out by hacking and phishing of account information and identities (Bidgoli 2006, p.399). In reality, the firm venturing in such a business should ensure that it has functional identification, verification and monitoring systems in order to avoid the risks associated with such dealings. Such risks involve the reputational implications if customer’s accounts are hacked. In the same manner, the firm should be careful of operational risks which refer to the loss incurred as a result of failed or inadequate processes, systems, external events and people involved (Bidgoli 2006, p.399). In addition, there is also a legal risk if the identification, verification and monitoring systems are not implemented with tight surveillance to detect illicit activities by terrorists. In particular, a legal risk has to do with the potential for law suits once involved in a money laundering case. Again, it may result in sanctions, unenforceable contracts, penalties and fines which may translate to significant financial costs (Steiner Marini 2008). Furthermore, the institution’s licences may be revoked and this may lead to the closure of the institution and as such, may be expensive for the institution since the losses involved may be costly (Fagan Munck 2009). Special considerations that NPM providers need to include in their AML system Following the increased use of NPMs, service providers should reform and as such restructure their AML systems from the traditional way of operation to a more modern one. In this sense, NPM providers need to involve verification, identification and monitoring systems to track records even in the real time. In line with this point, NPM providers should install anti-phishing mechanisms during login and as such, personalized images next to password prompts should be implemented (Moore 2010, p. 145). As a security measure, TLS Encryption and authentication should be applied by NPM service providers. In the same line of thought, NPM providers should also employ antispam policies and as such, employees should be restricted from interfering or rather exposing personal information of the accounts of the customers (Moore 2010, p. 145). In essence, controls to combat the abuse of the NPMs and counteract any potential risk to the firm should begin with customer due diligence (CDD). In line with this point, use of ATMs, prepaid cards, mobile and internet banking has presented a great opportunity for money launderers. However, there are some countermeasures that can prove viable. For instance, one countermeasure may be the implementation of robust identification and verification procedures (FATF Report 2010). In spite of the challenges associated with the use of NPMs, it is important to note that the electronic records produced in this case can help with law enforcement (Marks et al. 2012). Essentially, NPM providers should include a robust identification system and as such, should not allow a double holding on accounts by one user. This is to suggest that they should ensure that there is no confusion of identities. This is given to the reason that some individuals may hold several accounts under the same identity. At the same time, NPM providers should place limits on the transaction amounts and frequency and as such should include strict systems of monitoring on these aspects. Along with this point, Simplified due diligence, digital currency, and suspicious transaction reporting in cross border cases, and law enforcement against foreign providers with identification of secondary card holders should be applied (FATF Report 2010). As earlier on mentioned, CDD should be carried on the customers even if they are not in face to face contact. This can be accomplished by ensuring that the names of the customers are known, the location, country of origin, web data sources verified and as such customer contacts taken into consideration (Demetis 2010, p.64). One should also consider using financial transaction records of the particular customers from wherever the place in the world. For instance, moneybookers (Skrill) in its verification of identity, will ask for the name of the customer, verification of the identity through a scanned national identity card, address and location and they also ask for a utility bill, bank statement, passport or driving license, with which it is meant to verify one’s identification (Janczewski 2008). Obtaining such information may not be easy but it can be made possible by employing various agencies and expertise from around the world. This is due to the fact that customer base is worldwide and as such, national cultural understanding would be of paramount importance. Specific considerations NPM providers need to include in their AML system Therefore, the following considerations should be included in AML systems for a firm wishing to work as a NPM provider: The AML system should contain effective policies, procedures and processes while carrying out the identification and verification of the customers. It should as well contain protective measures such as personalized images next to password prompts in the case of internet based payment methods along with data encryption, antispam and antiphishing policies. Protective measures should as well be put in place within the web system and the computers themselves which contain personalized details and information in order to counter the hacking of computers. The AML system should as well ensure compliance with the legislative laws where applicable since some of the NPMs do not have clear provisions as far as compliance with the law is concerned Representatives from various parts of the world should be involved in the AML system in order to help in carrying out of CDD. This has the advantage of ensuring the right data sources are provided along with the verification of their authenticity (Rosenbloom 2002). AML system should involve a group of experts in human resource, IT (information technology) and experts with good knowledge of national culture just to mention a few (Rosenbloom 2002). This has the advantage of ensuring that the NPM provider operates competitively. The AML system should as well put flexible procedures in order to cope with the changing environmental factors since the legal framework for the operation of NPM providers is not well established. Risks involved in NPM business From a broader point of view, considerations that NPM providers need to include in their AML system range from law, human resources and various technologies among others as such. In this respect, it should be clear to NPM providers that engaging in NPM products calls for tight surveillance owing to its vulnerability to money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities. Again in this context, NPM providers should be careful with regards to how they carry out their CDD along with the whole operation of their AML systems. This is given to the reason that there are various risks associated with failure to carry out an effective Customer Due Diligence (Steiner Marini 2008). In particular, NPM providers, if caught in money laundering and/or financing of terrorist scandal, are faced with a considerable reputational risk. Following the globalization of businesses, global financial systems operate with clients from all over the world. In this context, it is important to note that if CDD measures are not appropriately applied, then, this gives an opportunity for various losses. As such, failure to conduct CDD can lead to a reputational risk which translates to adverse publicity as far as the practices of the business are concerned. Inaccurate application of CDD measures may in this case lead to a loss of public confidence and as a result, may jeopardise the integrity of the institution. Subsequently, borrowers, investors, depositors and other stakeholders may cease business with that institution should scandals arise (Booth et al. 2011). Apart from this point, AML system failure may lead to law suits whereby the particular NPM provider may be sued for facilitating money laundering. This is due to the fact that the institution has the obligation to conduct CDD and thus should be able to prove to any third party proof that every effort has been made to ensure CDD is carried out (Steiner Marini 2008). Similarly, if CDD were to fail, in such a case it would be advisable for the AML to close the account of that particular customer and as such to decline establishing a business relationship whilst ensuring that a suspicious transaction report is made. In view of that, any AML systems implemented should be in line with the law. At the same time, it should not leave gaps while carrying out Customer Due Diligence since this may result into operational risks (Booth et al. 2011). This has subsequent consequences of the suit by law and financial costs. A continued monitoring of the customers should be ensured and as such, this will help NPM providers to avoid cases of computer hacking, multiple accounts by the same Identity, fake identities, stolen identities and in the larger perspective this would prevent phishing of the customer accounts and information altogether. NPMs and the Law Notably, with an institution intending to make the use of NPMs, money laundering may be inevitable. NPMs are well known for their vulnerability to money laundering and terrorist financing. Use of ATMs, prepaid cards and mobile and internet banking has given a great opportunity for money launderers although there are some countermeasures that can prove viable. In this connection, one countermeasure may be the implementation of a robust identification and verification procedure (FATF Report 2010). Especially with the non-face-to-face typology, robust identification and verification would be of a supreme importance. In line with this point, limits on the transaction amounts and frequency should be monitored with strict systems of observation. In fact, not all NPMs are subject to law in all authority and as such, they take in the use of internet and mobile payment. Most of the NPM providers provide their products or services through both internet and mobile (i.e. virtual world) systems and the FATF recommendations do not specify the specific risks involved and as such, NPM providers may not apply the CDD measures (FATF Report 2010). In spite of the challenges associated with the use of NPMs, it is important to note that the electronic records produced while carrying out transactions can help to carry out law enforcement. Importantly, a firm seeking to provide NPM as one of their services should consider the fact that there are three typologies depending on which one chooses to use. As such, the first typology has to do with the third party funding whereby cards can be funded through the bank, cash and person to person transfers (FATF Report 2010, p.36). Furthermore, there is the second typology which takes in the exploitation of the virtual nature (non- face-to-face) of the NPM accounts (FATF Report 2010, p.40). This typology has the highest potential by its ability to facilitate criminals in money launderings. On the other hand, if the firm chooses the third typology (complicit NPM providers or their employees) there is also a high risk as portrayed in findings made in the past of IPS and prepaid card providers who were controlled by criminals and as such promoting cases of laundering (FATF Report 2010, p.33). In order to better protect the firm and the customer, from the risks associated with the new payment methodologies, new laws and regulations should be implemented in order to regulate the NPMs operations. Again in this context, measures such as the implementation of anti-phishing measures should be put in place. As such, it should be provided by the law that if they are not implemented, law suits should be applied. Besides this point, antispam policies (softwares, hardware and processes) directed towards combating proliferation of spam or keeping spam from entering the system should be implemented (Moore 2010). Equally important, measures to protect computers with personal details should be protected from hacking. Accordingly, for non-face-to-face NPM accounts, there should be provisions in the law to ensure that firms comply and as such put in place measures to prevent the cases of hacking, phishing just to mention a few. In the same line of thought, if implemented, tight surveillance within the various websites present in the internet should be carried out and as such, it should be a provision of the law for every NPM provider to carry out such surveillance. This can be possible in a virtual world through representatives in various countries with expertise in both identification and verification of data sources (Rosenbloom 2002). Technologies such as firewall, encryption of data, limiting accessibility to customer data and the development and implementation of privacy policy are of paramount importance as measures for combating activities of money laundering and financing of terrorist activities (Rosenbloom 2002). With such measures in place, both the firm and the customer can be protected from the risks associated with the new payment methodologies. Currently, where the regulation of NPM service providers is active, law enforcement agencies, supervisors, and legislators, among others as such, are faced by various challenges some of which include simplified due diligence, digital currency, and suspicious transaction reporting in cross border cases and law enforcement against foreign providers with the identification of secondary card holders among others as such. Therefore, the most important thing to do is to ensure that the requirement for implementation of AML systems for each NPM provider is set out in the law. At the same time, firms providing NPMs and the customers can be better protected if the regulatory authorities would set it out in the law that all NPM providers apply data encryption, anti-phishing, privacy and antispam policies and limitation of data accessibility. Conclusion The report has identified several considerations NPM providers need to include in their AML system in order to combat the abuse of the NPMs and counteract any potential risk to the firm. Non-face-to-face typology has been identified as one of the examples that is mostly utilized and as such the most vulnerable to abuse by money launderers and criminals. As such technologies such as data encryption, establishment of antispam, antiphishing and privacy policies have been identified as effective tools for combat. Limited data accessibility should be incorporated in order to ensure the protection of customer information and private details. In order to improve on regulation and guidance relating to NPMs and to better protect the firm and the customer from the risks associated with the new payment methodologies, measures directed to this effect should be set out in law. Again, identification and verification of data sources through representatives in various countries across the world in order to ensure the authenticity of various documents is an important tool and a consideration that NPM providers need to include in their AML system in order to combat the inherent money laundering vulnerabilities of the system. References Bidgoli, H 2006, Handbook of Information Security, Threats, Vulnerabilities, Prevention, Detection, and Management, John Wiley Sons, New Jersey Booth et al. 2011, Money Laundering Law and Regulation: A Practical Guide, Oxford University Press, New York. Demetis, DS 2010, Technology and Anti-Money Laundering: A Systems Theory and Risk-Based Approach, Edward Elgar Publishing, Massachusetts Fagan, GH Munck, R 2009, Globalization and Security: Social and cultural aspects. Introduction to volume 2, ABC-CLIO, California FATF Report 2010, Money Laundering Using New Payment Methods, Retrieved on 20th April, 2012 from http://www.fatf-gafi.org/dataoecd/4/56/46705859.pdf. Financial Action Task Force 2006, Report on new payment methods, Retrieved on 24th April, 2012 from http://www.fatfgafi.org/media/fatf/documents/reports/Report%20on%20New%20Payment%20Methods.pdf Janczewski, L 2008, Cyber Warfare and Cyber Terrorism, Idea Group Inc (IGI), Hersbey, PA. Marks et al. 2012, Middle Market M a: Handbook for Investment Banking and Business Consulting, John Wiley Sons, New Jersey Moore, T 2010 Economics of Information Security and Privacy, Springer, New York. Paulus, S, Pohlmann, N Reimer, H 2005, ISSE 2005: Securing Electronic Business Processes: Highlights of the Information Security Solutions Europe 2005 Conference, Springer, New York. Rosenbloom, AH 2002, Due Diligence for Global Deal Making: The Definitive Guide to Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, Financings, and Strategic Alliances, John Wiley Sons, New Jersey. Steiner, H Marini, SL 2008, Independent Review for Banks – The Complete BSA/AML Audit Workbook, Lulu.com, North Carolina. Tabb, WK 2004 Economic Governance in the Age of Globalization, Columbia University Press, New York. How to cite Finance and Law: Money Laundering and New Payment Methods, Essay examples

Mercury Essay Example For Students

Mercury Essay MercuryMercury’s symbol is Hg, its atomic number is 80, its atomic mass is 200.59, its in group 12 and in period 6, and it also has two valence electrons. Its standard state is liquid at 298K and it is the heaviest known elemental liquid. It has a silvery white color. It is named after the planet Mercury the origin of the symbol Hg is the Latin word hydrargyrum meaning liquid silver. Mercury was known to ancient Chinese and Hindus before 2000 B.C. and was found in tubes in Egyptian tombs dated from 1500 B.C. Mercury is the only metal liquid at ordinary temperatures. Mercury is sometimes called quicksilver. It sometimes occurs free in nature and is found mainly in cinnabar ore which is HgS. Cinnabar ore is found in Spain and Italy. Mercury is a heavy, silvery-white metal which forms alloys easily with many metals like gold, silver, and tin. These alloys are called amalgams. Its way of amalgamating with gold is made use of the recovery of gold from its ores. Mercury is a bad con ductor of heat and a okay conductor of electricity. The most important salts are mercuric chloride HgC12 which is a corrosive and violent poison. Mercurous chloride Hg2Cl2 which used to be used in medicine. Mercury fulminate Hg(ONC)2 used as a detonator in explosives and mercuric sulfide HgS used as a high-grade paint pigment. Organic mercury compounds are important and dangerous. Methyl mercury is a lethal pollutant found in rivers and lakes. Mercury is a virulent poison and is readily absorbed through the respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, or through unbroken skin. It acts as a cumulative poison since there are few pathways available to the body for its excretion. Since mercury is a very readily vaporizable element at a relatively low temperature, dangerous levels are readily attained in air. Air saturated with mercury vapor at 20C contains a concentration that exceeds the toxic limit many times. The danger increases at higher temperatures. It is therefore important th at mercury be handled with care. Containers of mercury should be securely covered and spillage should be avoided. Mercury should only be handled under a well-ventilated area. Mercury is well known because of its use in many thermometers. It was common to demonstrate the formation of mercury in the laboratory by heating mercury sulfide. This method forms the basis of commercial extraction to get mercury. The prepared cinnabar ore is heated in a current of air and the mercury vapor condensed.

Taoism 3 Essay Example For Students

Taoism 3 Essay In an effort to decide how I wanted to approach this paper, I decided to search the Internet to see what todays world held for me on the matters of Chinese Philosophy. One quote describing Chuang Tzu, the topic of my research paper, stuck out. In describing what this person thought was the overlying teachings of Chuang Tzu he stated, The individual could attain mystical unity with this One by achieving complete emptiness or hs -a timeless state free of worries or selfish desires, open to impressions but transcending all individual material objects. This is what truly made the biggest impression on me from our seminar class. Now, I know that in the beginning of the class we were lead to believe that none of these philosophies should change our life because for one, they where written a very long time ago, where being in a timeless state free of worries, could be possible. I have to say though that some of the material, especially Chuang Tzu really changed my outlook on many things.My parents could say that this philosophy has made me lazy, believing that I can go through life, living peacefully and harmoniously, in nature, with out a care in the world. I dont really believe this, but some of Chuang Tzus arguments have either made me strongly agree with what he was teaching, or go into the opposing view and really make me want to seek out more to life, than just my surroundings. We will write a custom essay on Taoism 3 specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now As a philosopher, Chuang Tzu has been under attack from the beginning. It has been said that scholars at the time could neither figure out what to do with him nor overlook his caustic attack on their root assumptions.(Wu, 2) He has been misunderstood from the beginning. Critics are always condemning him, and not fully understanding what he is trying to hear. His critics can be often heard describing him as a skeptic, nihilist, fatalist, relativist, and even an evolutionistIn other words, Chuang Tzu is a queer mystical negativist, an obscure prankster, who is not worth taking seriously. (Wu, 2)Chuang Tzu from the beginning effected me greatly and made the world around me seem different. His teachings helped me understand a lot of the emotions that I had been filed with as a child and through my many stages of maturing. In Section one Free and Easy Wandering, Chuang Tzu proclaims, If you go off into the green woods nearby, you can take along food for three meals and come back with your stomach full as ever. (24) In essence he is saying that food is not the only necessary means of filling a person. There is so much more out there in this world. A persons soul also needs nourishment. Being at peace can fulfill this need, and nature can bring you a feeling of relaxation and peacefulness. The truth is that it is easier to figure out what is going on around you while surrounded by gods gifts to the earth. The pureness of nature can satisfy more than any actual substance or material. The little quail laughs at him, saying, Where does he think hes going? I give a great leap and fly up, but I never get more than ten or twelve yards before I come fluttering down among the weeds and brambles. And thats the best kind of flying anyway!†¦ Such is the difference between big and little.(25) Now this is something that Chuang Tzu discusses that I disagree with. In his writings he believes that a person is given their talents by god or nature, and that it is the foolish person that tries to defy nature and experience and accomplish things that is beyond them. This quote about the little quail states that the quail is perfectly happy in his own world, content in his belief that he lives the best possible way, and that anyone who reaches outside of that realm is foolish, that nothing could possibly be better than what he knows. This seems ignorant to me. Why should people stay within what they know, why shouldnt they strive like Peng to fly as high as they can, and travel to distant lands, nothing should seem unconquerable? This is where I find some weakness in his teachings. He sees this pride of not trying to go further as a positive thing, as in his quote Therefore a man who has wisdom enough to fill one office effectively, good conduct enough to impress one community, virtue enough to please one ruler, or talent enough to be called into service in one state, has the same kind of self-pride as these little creatures. (25) I actually received a kind of re-enforcement from this quote, but it came from the opposite conclusion. That this statement was unsatisfactory for me, and why should I be constrained to my surroundings? This class and Chuang Tzu, and also the book Iron Silk, are some of the reasons that I decided to take Chinese and I decided to study in China. I wanted to defy what was expected of me, I wanted to break out of the Western World. It was fascinating when my fellow students in class spoke Chinese and I wanted to understand and be a ble to speak the tongue that sounded so foreign to my ears. Another quote that seemed fascinating to me was the quote from Section one, He drew a clear line between the internal and the external and recognized the boundaries of true glory and disgrace. But that was all. As far as the world went. He didnt fret and worry, but there was still ground he left unturned. Now I got two things out of this quote,One, that you should be free, recognize the obvious, but dont stress. Realize your surroundings, your boundaries, your limitations, but dont go beyond that. Just by being observant and understanding the atmosphere that you are in, you will be content. You should not waste your time trying to discover everything, because one, not everything was meant to be discovered, and two at this point you should just be content with yourself, and with this contentment, you will find peace and happiness. By discovering too much, you will discover things that you dont understand and that will make y ou unhappy. Basically, he is saying, the less you know, the happier you are, to just be happy with what you are given and taught. I dont really agree with this train of thought. How can you be content when there is so much out there to discover, how do you curb curiosity?Lastly the final quote from Section one that I found fascinating was, I have a big tree called a shu. Its trunk is too gnarled and bumpy to apply a measuring line to, its branches to bent and twisty to match up to a compass or square. You could stand it by the road and no carpenter would look at it twice. Your words, too, are big and useless, and so everyone alike spurs them! Chuang Tzu said, Now you have this big tree, and your distressed because its useless. Why dont you plant it in Not-Even-Anything Village, or the field of Broad-and-Boundless, relax and do nothing by its side, or lie down for a free and easy sleep under it? Axes will never shorten its life, nothing can ever harm it. If theres no use for it, how can it come to grief o pain.This is one of my favorite quotes because it shows the purpose for what others see as useless. It reminds me of the story of the Giving Tree, where the tree can not act out an activity, it is always there to provide something, and does not hurt a thing. This is what Chuang Tzu is saying. Why should people spurn what Chuang Tzu says, or criticize him? If what they are saying is true, that he provides nothing, but uselessness, than how can he be hurting anything, and if he is not causing any pain, why should he be stopped from what he is doing? But in actuality if there can be any good coming out of his lessons, than they should be taught freely and not shunned. Like the tree, he provides comfort in a world which always expects something back, like the tree which provides shade and a place to lie down and rest, he to shows people only good things in the world, and how to find peace with themselves, how can this be bad, when he expects nothing back?Section two, Discussion on Making All Things Equal criticizes society and what effects it has on people. Chuang Tzu believes that society can be detrimental to the human spirit. There is so much that drains the everyday person, so much that conquers them. So many expectations drag people away from an easy, spiritual life.Great understanding is broad and unturned; little understanding is cramped and busy. Great words are clear and limpid; little words are shrill and quarrelsome†¦.With everything they men meet they become entangled. Day after day they use their minds in strife, sometimes grandiose, sometimes sly, sometimes petty. Their little fears are mean and trembly; their great fears are stunned and overwhelming†¦They cling to their position as though they have sworn before the gods, sure that they are holding on to victory. They fade like fall and winter- such is the way that dwindle day by day. They drown in what they do you cannot make them turn back. (32)This quote is so sy mbolic of the way Chuang Tzu feels about the world around him. Simple men, who keep to the constraints of their life and what is expected of them by society become petty. They have no real understanding of the earth and of nature. They dont understand themselves or their purpose of survival on earth. They believe that survival includes competition for little mindless things. These things will not make men better humans, just ignorant to everything around them. They waste their minds and their talents. Men who are constrained dont even find their talents, let alone use them to their full potential. They hold onto meaningless things, that in the end will not help them better themselves. Becoming consumed makes these men fear things they should not, and worship things that symbolize nothingness. Chuang Tzu continues on to state that,Joy, anger, grief, delight, worry, regret, fickleness, inflexibility, modesty, willfulness, candor, insolence music from empty holes†¦Let it be! Let it be! It is enough that morning and evening we have them, and they are the means by which we live. Without them we would not exist, without us they would have nothing to take hold of. (32-33)This emphasis on acceptance of nature is a trend throughout his entire writings. All of these emotions that people let overtake their spirit and attitude are useless. They do not help man, they only hinder him. Chunag Tzu teaches that people can be at peace if they live life without these annoying personality traits. Emotions like anger, worry, and regret get the better of man, they control his actions and his view of the world around him. Whether it makes him insecure or overconfident, these emotions he describes as empty. We should just accept what is given to us by the gods and live with what is naturally bestowed upon us. Another concept Chuang Tzu discusses in Making All Things Equal is The Way. This is one of the most talked about conceptions in Taoism. He believes that to be one with The Way you must accept all things. No division is needed. When a person judges things, he bases it on right and wrong. If there was no right or wrong, then no judgment would need to be made. With this and that, in the manner in one describes something, a separation is devised. Once all is accepted the opposites that people conceive really no longer exist. Everything is turned into one with the Way, there is no division. Chuang Tzu accepts things as they are, though to the ordinary person attempting to establish values they appear chaotic and doubtful and in need of clarification. (38) He goes on to use many wordy theories to prove the point that there is no use in overanalyzing, just accept life and try not to understand it because there are so many things out there that we can not possibly understand. .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f , .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .postImageUrl , .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f , .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f:hover , .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f:visited , .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f:active { border:0!important; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f:active , .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf113883285190c81f5a5972b6cea7e8f:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Strategic Analysis For The Dominos Pizza Commerce EssayThe only possible way to describe The Way is to quote Chunag Tzu himself because the concept is so hard to grasp. The Way has never known boundaries; speech has no constancy. Let me tell you what the boundaries are, there is left, there is right, there are theories, there are debates, there are divisions, there are discriminations, there are emulations, and there are contentions. These are called the Eight Virtues. As to what is beyond the Six Realms heaven, earth, and the four directions, i.e., the universe the sage admits it exists, but does not theorize†¦.So I say, those who divide fail to divide; those who discriminate, fail to discriminate†¦Their sage embraces things. Ordinary men discriminate among them†¦So I say, those who discriminate fail to see. (39)The basic concept in this that I can devise, which according to Chuang Tzu, I shouldnt even be analyzing at all, is that the sage tells us not to probe into matters that are beyond us. The person that divides fails. He examines life in to much detail and does not just embrace what is given to him. Those who do discriminate can not comprehend The Way, they over-theorize, which is why the fail to see.Those who fail to see seem to think that the only way to exist on earth is to strive for meaningless things, by Chuang Tzus standards. Interesting enough, he explains that people really dont know what we are here for. He states, H ow do I know that the dead do not wonder why they ever longed for life?(43) This one statement seems almost profound. Why do people believe that this is the only life there is to lead, that they must achieve so much by societys standards, when they do not know what else lies ahead after death? So many people go through life fearing death, and this is one of the things that Chuang Tzu pities most of humankind for. This fear that is instilled in us seems worthless. People are afraid of the unknown, which is almost pointless because if you are never going to know, what is the point of wasting time being scared?It is fascinating that he believes, or at least presents us with the idea that everything around us could be a dream. Someday there will be a great awakening when we know that this is all a great dream. Yet the stupid believe they are awake†¦.assuming they understand things†¦how dense. (44) This is linked to the above quote by the means that people presume to know all a bout the earth. People assume that this life is the only life to lead, and the way in which they are living it is correct. He shows an interesting perspective with this theory. That everything we, as humans, believe to be reality, could be a great dream. He explains that stupid people take the world for granted. They dont question other possibilities, or other trains of thought because they are dense. Chuang Tzu tells us to Forget the years; forget the distinctions. Leap into the boundless and make it your home. (44)Section three continues along this train of thought of forget(ting) the years. The Secret of Caring for Life exhibits what Chuang Tzu really feels about how people should approach their lives. He believes that knowledge is endless, and there is such an abundance of it, and such a small span of the human life, that there is no point to strive for something we can never attain. He states, Follow the middle; go by what is constant, and you can stay in one piece, keep yourse lf alive, look after your parents, and live out your years. (46) This is what can make a person content and happy with their life. .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 , .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .postImageUrl , .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 , .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7:hover , .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7:visited , .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7:active { border:0!important; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7:active , .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7 .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u55f1b750fbe49545475dc329543d05f7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Eating Foods : Healthy Eating EssayIn the World of Men is section four. This quote exemplifies what he was trying to portray in this chapter:The future you cannot wait for; the past you cannot pursue. When the world has the Way, the sage succeeds; Good fortune is light as a feather, but nobody knows how to pick it up. Misfortune is heavy as earth, but nobody know how to stay out of its way. Leave off, leave off, (63)There is nothing that anyone can do in this world to change their fate. Fate is predestined and to try to change it or defy it is useless. If a person waits for the inevitable then they have wasted their life. Chuang Tzu advises to just enjoy what life gives yo u, and to try to stay at of harms way. That is the way to lead a successful life. The discussion of how a person should live their life is a great discussion topic in Chuang Tzu. He asserts that Life, death, preservation, loss, failure, success, poverty, riches, worthiness, unworthiness, slander, fame, hunger, thirst, cold, heat these are the alternatives of the world, the workings of fateTherefore, they should not be enough to destroy your harmony If you can harmonize and delight in them, master them and never be at a loss for joycreating the moment within your own mind this is what I call being whole in power.The central theme of the Chuang Tzu may be summed up in a single word: freedom. How is man to live in a world dominated by chaos, suffering, and absurdity. Baggage of old ideas, the conventional concepts of right and wrong, good and bad, life and death, that he lugged about with him wherever he went. It is this baggage of conventional values that man must first of all discard before he can be free. If man would once forsake his habit of labeling things go od or bad, desirable, then the man-made ills, which are the product of mans purposeful and value-ridden actions, In Chuang Tzus view, the man who has freed himself from conventional standards of judgment can no longer be made to suffer†¦He does not in any literal sense withdraw and hide from the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦He remains in society but refrains from acting out of the motives that lead ordinary men to struggle for wealth, fame, success, or safety†¦.In such a state, all human actions become spontaneous and mindless as those of the natural world. Man becomes one with Nature, or Heaven.

Take Care with Dysphemisms

Take Care with Dysphemisms Take Care with Dysphemisms Take Care with Dysphemisms By Mark Nichol You probably know what a euphemism is: putting lipstick on a pig, as in using the expression â€Å"pass away† in place of the word die, or â€Å"enhanced interrogation† instead of torture. Is dysphemism essentially, the opposite concept any more problematic? Just as a euphemism cloaks a disagreeable or offensive concept with an innocuous or vague label, dysphemism assigns a mildly or scathingly pejorative term to a concept or person that may be considered neutral or positive or may already have a negative connotation or reputation. For example, doctors are sometimes called quacks, and psychiatrists and psychologists are often referred to as shrinks. (Quack derives from quacksalver, from a Dutch word meaning â€Å"seller of salves,† or ointments; quack is equivalent to hawk, a verb meaning â€Å"to sell by calling out.† Shrink is a truncation of â€Å"head shrinker,† from the idea that mental health professionals are no more knowledgeable about the mind than witch doctors who shrink human heads for ritualistic purposes.) Shrink is often used inoffensively, even by psychiatric patients or by psychiatrists themselves. But quack denotes an unscrupulous doctor or someone posing as a doctor or otherwise fraudulently offering to heal others and is rarely used jocularly. Because of the variable connotations among dysphemisms, writers should take care when considering whether to use them. Such terms are unlikely to appear in formal writing, but they may show up in more casual prose, especially in opinionated comments. An accountant might, in jest, refer to himself as a bean counter, but the connotation is of an excessively meticulous person unable to focus on anything other than saving money, and the term is generally offensive. An attorney, on the other hand, would never call herself a shyster, even in a moment of levity, and the word is provocative. â€Å"City slicker†? I’m a relative newcomer to a rural area from a metropolitan one, and I might jokingly self-identify as such, but for anyone else who might think of calling me that, as the (mis)quote from a Gary Cooper movie goes, â€Å"Mister, smile when you call me that.† The same policy applies to tree-hugger or redneck, bookworm or â€Å"frat boy,† â€Å"pencil pusher† or â€Å"talking head†: Use with caution. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of AdjectivesTop 11 Writing Apps for iOS (iPhone and iPad)Ebook, eBook, ebook or e-book?

Death Penalty Ethics Essay Sample

Death Penalty Ethics Essay Sample Death Penalty Ethics Essay The death penalty has a long history in the society. During older times, the death penalty was used in giving justice to grave crimes which gave the idea that grave crimes definitely cost people their lives. The discourse on death penalty involves different concepts in the society especially ethics and morality. In the context of ethics and morality, capital punishment is never seen as the righteous way to achieve justice. This follows the idea that taking one’s life is equated to devaluing it. Of course, death penalty also exists in a religious context. Throughout history, the Church has been prominent in voicing out its strong opinion against capital punishment. Despite this, history also says the Church has somewhat given the state civil liberties in how justice is practiced. In these juxtaposing concepts, it is seen that the issue of capital punishment is an issue that gathers strong opposing opinions which identifies it as an important moral and ethical problem. The Ethics of Capital Punishment The ethical constraint that lies within capital punishment is the idea of life being taken willfully from an individual. For many, this follows a barbaric form of the justice system just like the â€Å"eye for an eye† concept. Furthermore, in the case of religion, taking a life of another human being is already sin in itself which widens the moral grounding against capital punishment. In short, this form of penalty is not reasonable enough to be considered â€Å"right.† This thinking has developed over present times which produced progressive movements against capital punishment. Many consider that the uproar against capital punishment is mostly ruled by emotions but it is important to know that this is completely fine. The discourse on death will never be technical and emotions can be associated to the functionality of morality in the society. Morality speaks of what is right or wrong, based on our inherent perceptions of the society. Just like with other ethical issues, capital punishment is perceived as unjust because it does not truly bring justice to those who need it. On the other hand, it is only a premature form of vengeance that does not truly satisfy anyone. In light of this, it is important to explore the different underpinnings of capital punishment in the society and how different nations have legalized it despite the continuous retort of several advocacy groups. Capital Punishment in the Society In the United States, some states allow capital punishment as the highest level of crime punishment. This is dedicated to grave crimes such as murder and the likes. For some people, this form of punishment can be considered as a â€Å"grave† or excessive showcase of authoritarian power. It does not give space or reform for change in the society; rather it instills a sense of fear among people that is usually misguided. Aside from this, the idea itself of capital punishment tends to paint a picture of justice which is cut short. Of course, death is not the solution in achieving justice. In nations that approve of capital punishment, their reasoning lies in the idea that through death penalty, people would avoid making crimes that would lead to their death. State ruling also reasons out that through capital punishment, people would fear being involved in great crimes. For experts on crime and psychology, capital punishment may have an effect that is opposed to this belief. Criminals who get involved in grave crimes do not have time thinking of this sort of logic; criminals would be more focused on committing their crimes rather than the repercussions of their actions. Instead, capital punishment in itself can trigger more grave crimes for criminals would see the crimes they commit as their last. Of course, this is only one side of the story and this also proves the multi-faceted orientation of the discourse of capital punishment depending on what context it is situated in. Despite all this, when the discourse is focused on morality, the automatic understanding is tha t the death penalty is unreasonable. Cutting short the life of a criminal may be reasonable to the victims but this is a blinded perception of the justice system. Ultimately, the issue of death penalty continues to raise debates because of how life is connected to what is ethical and death penalty is just one of the many wherein ethics is erased.

Ethical descion making-Healthcare ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical descion making-Healthcare ethics - Essay Example This paper aims to show two ethical issues/dilemmas in the health care area discussing and identifying the conflicting interests and the applicable ethical theories and principles. The Ascension Health organization website will be used to gather information and ideas for this paper. Ascension Health is the nation's largest Catholic and largest nonprofit health system, serving patients through a network of hospitals and related health facilities providing acute care services, long-term care, community health services, psychiatric, rehabilitation and residential care. The first case presented in this paper is about a rape victim who was brought to Freeman Hospital's emergency room. The hospital authorities refused to disclose facts about the morning-after pill which the rape victim requested for information. The hospital authorities' reason is that they are a Catholic Hospital and they are against abortion. The competing interest now is that the victim/patient has the right to make her own decisions regarding the treatment, and therefore, adequate disclosure of information must be provided so the patient can make an informed decision. However, the Freeman Hospital being a catholic institution refused to disclose information to the patient regarding the pill, claiming that they are against abortion or prevention and termination of pregnancy. The ethical principles and concepts involved in this issue a

Individual portfolio- pebble Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Individual portfolio- pebble - Essay Example l with responsibility for allocation of duties to her team, ensuring correct food service, ensuring reasonable waiting times for food, and handling food complaints. Jiawen Zhu, as front house manager, was tasked with allocating roles to members of her team and ensuring availability of staff to receive guests. Chandra was chosen as kitchen manager with responsibilities to oversee kitchen team, allocate their responsibilities, ensure correct delivery of dishes, and enhance communication between chefs and the team. Finally, Gerel Bold was chosen as setting/clearing up manager with the responsibility of ensuring tables were correctly laid, allocation of duties to team members, and ensuring timely setting up and clearing up. For this event, a British summer theme was chosen. The British summer is unique because the sun sets later than usual in the evening after clocks are set back by one hour. The event will take into account the perception of the British summer, as consisting of two fine days and a thunderstorm (Eden 2008, p. 1). This theme will seek to show the colour, fun, and sun that are associated with summer, which will be reflected via the design and dà ©cor of the event, as well as the drink and food. Three courses will be presented as part of the meal menu, aiming to reflect the fun atmosphere through fun packaging. The idea of a British summer will be represented using red/blue/silver runners as representative of the British flag, while a colourful flower bouquet will be reminiscent of the summer season. The customers targeted for this event are university students and staff. This customer base is well educated and considers specific information regarding cooking methods. Thus, members of the staff will be required to know about the food and beverages offered in order to offer advice and answer questions by the customer, improving customer service. This customer base will also be seeking to satisfy specific needs other than dining, which may be related to

The cyberpunk novel Feed Essay Example for Free

The cyberpunk novel Feed Essay Analyse how a writer used language to develop the theme(s) of the written text. The cyberpunk novel, Feed, is a book which explores the dangers of overpowering consumerism. Author MT Anderson uses language to develop the theme of a failing futuristic society as an outcome of constant consumerist influence. Anderson uses character dialogue, descriptions of environmental degradation and internally received ‘banners’ or advertising inside the characters’ heads to explore the problems encountered when a society fails to protect their most valuable resource – nature. The characters in Feed are all implanted with a chip at birth which allows them to access the internet without the need of any external device. Computers are no longer outside the body, but are referred to as â€Å"wetware†. This allows the characters to m-chat or text inside their heads. The feed also provides them with a near constant flow of advertising banners or pop-ups depending on current trends or a shop they may walk past. This corporate control of communication leads the characters to live a superficial existence, where their main concerns are for the latest hairstyles and show no interest towards political events, which are hinted at throughout the book. The story is narrated by Titus, a teenager who meets Violet while celebrating Spring break on the Moon. During the exposition the reader learns that in this society the characters have minimal vocabularies and use a lot of futuristic teenage slang. The group refer to each other as â€Å"unit† and describe a good looking girls as being â€Å"meg youch†.There is also a lot of swearing which illustrates how limited their vocabularies have become. The characters use the phrase â€Å"da da da† whenever they can’t think of what to say. This has happened because school no is longer run as a centre for education, rather, it has become â€Å"SchoolTM† and teaches students how to use their feeds, consequently how to consume m ore and more. The poor vocabulary, coupled with a preoccupation with peer pressure to keep up with current trends helps to create a mood of apathy and hopelessness in the characters thoughts and actions.

Compare and Contrast: ‘A desirable society’ Essays -- Literary Analysi

Both Andre Brink’s ‘A Dry White Season’ and James Joyce’s ‘The Dead’ display two very different societies undergoing artistic, cultural and political transitions. In 1914, Ireland saw the Nationalist party at its peak, where Irish society was desperately searching for a sense of cultural identity and political stability. Joyce takes an apolitical approach in order to objectively show Dublin to his fellow Dubliners in his ‘nicely polished looking glass.’ Andre Brink, in comparison, documents a temporal shift into 1976, during the Soweto uprising, in which the non-white population of South Africa protested against the Nationalist Party’s apartheid regime. Brink, like Joyce, draws upon this inspiration to offer a truthful commentary upon South African society. Although both novels are placed within entirely contrasting contexts, both display similar themes of political unrest and social division, which reveals two very flaw ed and undesirable societies. In this essay I will compare and contrast the ways in which Joyce and Brink portray the societies that they are a part of. I will compare the treatment of colonisation, segregation and both cultural and nationalistic identity in each novel, and argue the integrity of each author’s commentary and critiques upon two transforming nations. Colonisation plays an important role in both Brink’s A Dry White Season and Joyce’s The Dead. Brink bases the events of his novel around the Soweto uprising, in which South Africa’s non-whites fought against the Nationalist Party’s apartheid regime. The main conflict was over the Nationalist Party proposing schooling in non-white schools to be carried out in both English and Afrikaans languages. The non-white student population much preferr... ...ue of national identity, with the influence of colonisation and conflicting ideas. One detail that is consistent in both Joyce’s The Dead and Brink’s A Dry White Season is the completely apolitical and factual approach the authors take. Without forcing any ideas upon the reader, Joyce and Brink allow us to construct our own opinions upon the way in which their societies operate. Works Cited Deane, Seamus. 1982. Joyce and Nationalism. Sussex: The Harvester Press Diala, Isidore. 2002. History and the inscriptions of torture as a purgatorial fire in Andre Brink’s fiction. Texas: University of North Texas Levenson, Michael. 1994. Living History in â€Å"The Dead.† New York: St Martin’s Press Pecora, Vincent P. 1986. â€Å"The Dead† and the Generosity of the Word. PMLA 101.2 Schwarz, Daniel R. 1994. â€Å"The Dead† A Critical History. New York: St Martin’s Press

Political Culture Essay

How to face difficulty appealing to voters across gender or racial lines in the 2008 Presidential elections candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. For the first time in the U.S. history, the presidential nominees is an African-American man (Barack Obama) and a woman (Hillary Clinton) has been recognized by political expert as a ground-breaking.     The defining issues of the United States presidential campaign are gender and racial identity. 1) Do gender or race issues pose challenges to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama? Why or why not? Whether they like it or not gender and race issues will pose challenges to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.   Since Obama is an African-American black guy and Clinton is a woman, they can ¢t help voters divide according to gender and race as much as they prevent that to happen. In terms of my personal preference this is a no contest.   But of course they have different tactics to win for the Democratic vote.   For one moment let ¢s forget about race and gender that Obama and Clinton lie outside  ¡the norms of United States politics.   Every day in business the clash between them is being played out.   Barack as new and Young Pretender.   They are both energetic and full of ideas.   We always know they are destined to do very well but we never know when, or if, they will reach that level.   They are thoroughly likeable but sometimes selfish.   Clinton the executive who has risen over the years by undramatic effort and symbolize experience.   They ¢re both ready to compromise because they know no one ever gets all they want, but they are both steady and intelligent. I think that the emphasis of this election should be on the things that Clinton and Barack represent in terms of National choices rather than on the individuals.   2) Are American voters capable of voting across gender or racial lines? Why or why not? No.   The current generation of American voters according to political experts, argue that casting votes for candidates are capable regardless of race or gender. I think the most important thing in voting is that people simply have to follow the content of their hearts.   What they think and what’s on their mind that is going to be in the best interest of the country.   Even for those who are non-partisan, the important thing is that the issue that comes across most is the need for a change in the United States.

My Life as a Basketball Player Essay

My lifestyle of basketball part 1 Basketball is not a sport for everyone it takes a lot of dedication, strength, focus ,and teamwork. I have been playing basketball since I was seven years old. The love that I have for the game is indescribable, if by chance I could never play again, my soul would be a hollow lifeless shadow. From the Separating White Line I glance up at the scoreboard; the clock reads 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter. My team is down by 4 points; we have to score a three-pointer and have no time-outs left. I yell out the play for a three-pointer and a two-pointer, now the perfectly spherical ball is put in my hands. Taking a short glance to the clock I saw time was running out. The only objects I see are two tall defensive players bearing down on me. Somehow I release the ball, just in time as a defender tries to block my shot. Miraculously the ball finds its way into the hoop, with 6 seconds left and the clock stopped, the other team calls a timeout. I jog to our bench, my coach waiting on the sideline to discuss the most effective play for the situation. Upon my arrival I realize the scowl usually on my raging coach’s face has disappeared; in its place is a huge grin. He slaps me on the hand and tells me how good the offense is looking. The many things he has instilled in his players appear to be coming together for at least four quarters. It’s about time we have suffered through six straight losses, and have barely put any points on the scoreboard all season. My coach brushes the few hairs that have kept their pigment through the strenuous season. He is a man that really yells a lot†¦until he asks me how you get talented then I begin to tell him the story of my origins†¦

How to Conjugate the French Verb Accéder (to Reach)

How to Conjugate the French Verb Accà ©der (to Reach) When you want to say to reach or to accede in French, you will use the verb  accà ©der. As with all verbs, it needs to be conjugated to fit the meaning of the sentence. Its a rather simple conjugation, but there are a few things you need to watch out for. Conjugations for the French Verb  Accà ©der Just as we do in English with the endings -ed and -ing, its necessary to conjugate French verbs. By changing the words ending, the verb will match the subject pronoun as well as the tense of the sentence. By using these charts, you can quickly learn the conjugations for the various forms of  accà ©der. For instance, to say I reach or I attain in French, you will say jaccà ©de. You will notice that  accà ©der  has two options for the future tense and conditional forms. This is because stem-changing verbs  that end in  Ãƒ ©_er  have an optional change. You can use either of the E accents - grave à ¨ or acute à © - in these conjugations. Subject Present Future Imperfect j accde accderaiaccderai accdais tu accdes accderasaccderas accdais il accde accderaaccdera accdait nous accdons accderonsaccderons accdions vous accdez accderezaccderez accdiez ils accdent accderontaccderont accdaient The Present Participle of  Accà ©der The  present participle  for accà ©der is accà ©dant. The -ant  ending is used in a similar manner to the English -ing. This form can be used as a verb, but also works as an adjective, gerund, or noun when needed. The Passà © Composà © of  Accà ©der Besides the imperfect past tense, you can also use the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  form of  accà ©der. This is actually quite common in French and youll find it easier than remembering all of the imperfect conjugations. To use the passà © composà ©, you will need to conjugate the  auxiliary verb, which in this case is  avoir. You will also need  accà ©ders  past participle  of  accà ©dà ©. These elements come together to cover any number of subjects. For instance, for I reached, you will simply say jai accà ©dà ©. When you want to say we attained, it is nous avons accà ©dà ©. The  ai  and  avons  are the conjugations for  avoir. More Conjugations for  Accà ©der You may not use all of the following conjugations in your French, but as you learn more they may become useful. The subjunctive form refers to a mood and implies that the verb is subjective or uncertain. Similarly, the conditional verb mood applies when the action may or may not happen. It is dependent on conditions. Both the passà © simple and imperfect subjunctive are mostly found in formal French writing. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive j accde accderaisaccderais accdai accdasse tu accdes accderaisaccderais accdas accdasses il accde accderaitaccderait accda accdt nous accdons accderionsaccderions accdmes accdassions vous accdez accderiezaccderiez accdtes accdassiez ils accdent accderaientaccderaient accdrent accdassent Another useful conjugation for  accà ©der  is the imperative, which is used for direct commands and requests. For this form, you can skip the subject pronoun as that is implied with the verb form. For instance, instead of saying  vous accà ©dez, you can simply say accà ©dez. Imperative (tu) accde (nous) accdons (vous) accdez

A Burlesque Biography By Mark Twain English Literature Essay

A Burlesque Biography By Mark Twain English Literature Essay by Mark Twain (1835-1910) Two or three persons having at different times intimated that if I would write an autobiography they would read it when they got leisure, I yield at last to this frenzied public demand and herewith tender my history. Ours is a noble house, and stretches a long way back into antiquity. The earliest ancestor the Twains have any record of was a friend of the family by the name of Higgins. This was in the eleventh century, when our people were living in Aberdeen, county of Cork, England. Why it is that our long line has ever since borne the maternal name (except when one of them now and then took a playful refuge in an alias to avert foolishness), instead of Higgins, is a mystery which none of us has ever felt much desire to stir. It is a kind of vague, pretty romance, and we leave it alone. All the old families do that way. Arthour Twain was a man of considerable note–a solicitor on the highway in William Rufus’s time. At about the age of thirty he went to one of those fine old English places of resort called Newgate, to see about something, and never returned again. While there he died suddenly. Augustus Twain seems to have made something of a stir about the year 1160. He was as full of fun as he could be, and used to take his old saber and sharpen it up, and get in a convenient place on a dark night, and stick it through people as they went by, to see them jump. He was a born humorist. But he got to going too far with it; and the first time he was found stripping one of these parties, the authorities removed one end of him, and put it up on a nice high place on Temple Bar, where it could contemplate the people and have a good time. He never liked any situation so much or stuck to it so long. Then for the next two hundred years the family tree shows a succession of soldiers–noble, high-spirited fellows, who always went into battle singing, right behind the army, and always went out a-whooping, right ahead of it. Thi s is a scathing rebuke to old dead Froissart’s poor witticism that our family tree never had but one limb to it, and that that one stuck out at right angles, and bore fruit winter and summer. Early in the fifteenth century we have Beau Twain, called â€Å"the Scholar.† He wrote a beautiful, beautiful hand. And he could imitate anybody’s hand so closely that it was enough to make a person laugh his head off to see it. He had infinite sport with his talent. But by and by he took a contract to break stone for a road, and the roughness of the work spoiled his hand. Still, he enjoyed life all the time he was in the stone business, which, with inconsiderable intervals, was some forty-two years. In fact, he died in harness. During all those long years he gave such satisfaction that he never was through with one contract a week till the government gave him another. He was a perfect pet. And he was always a favorite with his fellow-artists, and was a conspicuous member o f their benevolent secret society, called the Chain Gang. He always wore his hair short, had a preference for striped clothes, and died lamented by the government. He was a sore loss to his country. For he was so regular.

Financial Markets and Institutions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financial Markets and Institutions - Assignment Example The basic foundation of a central bank serving as a lender of last resort is that in an economy, panics can occur which leads to bank runs. In such a situation, those maintaining deposits in commercial banks withdraw their funds from the bank as a result of economic speculation or fear over negative economic consequences. During a bank run, commercial banks can become insolvent, requiring the assistance of an institution (the central bank) to ensure that banks maintain liquidity is such a phenomenon occurs. Being the lender of last resort has become controversial, especially considering events during the recent global economic recession where many central banks injected capital into banks that were facing insolvency. Over-reliance on the central bank impacts other sectors in an economy. This essay explores the role of the central bank, emphasising why being a lender of last resort maintains many controversial implications from multiple perspectives. Evidence is that the controversy hails from irresponsible banking management and from poor fiscal policy developments concocted by the central bank itself. Central banks supply liquidity insurance to the commercial banking system which consequently endows liquidity insurance to other aspects of an economy, including corporations. Funds available for this action in a central bank encompasses notes held by public investors and reserves (deposits) sustained by a nation’s banks. These funds are manifested by the central bank as a result of autonomous will assuring that its value is comparable to products and services value in the economy. It is through these activities that an economy achieves macroeconomic stability. Concurrently, the central bank mandates the reserves that must be held by banks to insulate them from potential bank runs. Therefore, the central bank guarantees that commercial banks meet stringent standards of ensuring solvency. However, in 2007, many commercial

TACC203 Financial Accounting and Reporting Assignment

TACC203 Financial Accounting and Reporting - Assignment Example When depreciation is computed using this method, the depreciation charge throughout the useful life of the assets is equal. In this case, Long Board Limited purchased printing machine for $120,000 which had a useful life of 4 years. The deprecation charge is $30,000 (120,000/4) each year until the machine is sold. The accumulated depreciation is $60,000 in 2 years of usage. At the end of year 2 the company sold the machine for $50,000 cash which resulted in $10,000 loss on this sale since the book value of the machine at that time was $60,000(120,000-60000) as computed above. This method of depreciation is suitable when the economic benefits derived from the assets are equal in every year throughout useful life. Using this method depreciation is charged on the opening balance of the assets by applying the same percentage every year. The depreciation in the early years is greater than the following years because the value of the assets diminishes over the period of time. This method of depreciation is suitable if the benefit derived from the assets are greater in early years than subsequent years. Depreciation is calculated using this method when the economic benefits derived from assets are greater in the early years of its usage. In this case the machine is expected to be used in four years so we need to sum the digits from 1 to 4. In this method the depreciation is charged using the hours of production. It means when the production is higher the depreciation charge is also higher and vice versa. There is no fixed pattern of charging depreciation. It may be possible that the depreciation in the early years is lesser than the depreciation in the following years. Depreciation can be computed as below; Research is defined by IAS 38 paragraph 8, as the original and planned investigation which the entity undertakes in search of new scientific or technical knowledge and understanding. According to IAS 38 paragraph 54-55, all research

Has Apple done enough to help Foxconn workers Essay

Has Apple done enough to help Foxconn workers - Essay Example 12 on Apple products manufactured in China; there has been mounting criticism of labor malpractices in the manufacturing processes, leading to conduction of investigations by international labor groups into companies which contract to make Apple products. The makers of iPad have specifically largely been criticized for a number of labor related problems, some of which are quite serious in nature (Andrzejcyzk, 2015). Thus the workers who toil night and day at manufacturing plants in China to ensure that Apple customers are satisfied, usually do so under harsh working conditions including work hours beyond the 8 hour day, forced overtime as well as other health and safety risks(Chang, â€Å"Audit Faults Apple Supplier’s Factories in China†).Foxconn Taiwanese company is Apple’s key supplier for the iPad and employs over I million people there. In March 2012,Fair Labor Association(FLA) conducted research(almost 3,000 hours at 3 of the Foxconn factories) and found the following; that the average work week was 60 hours with 36 hours overtime for the month at all the Foxconn manufacturing sites, some employees did not have a single day off for the entire work week, with several employees logging in a 7 day work week before they got a day off, over 60% of employees surveyed claimed that their pay did not cover enough to â€Å"meet basic needs† .A group called Students and Sc holars also compiled a report in May 2012 against Corporate Misbehavior(SACOM).The report derived its content from interviews conducted with factory workers and supervisors in Shenzhen and Zhengzhou, China. The SACOM report cited that while the company increased wages, it also increased production quotas by some 10%.Moreover the living conditions were described as being â€Å"cramped and unpleasant† with at times as many as 30 workers sharing space in an apartment with just 3 bedrooms (Musil, â€Å"Foxconn Working Conditions Slammed by Workers Rights Groups†).Te employees were also strictly warned not

Image Analysis of Cleopatra

Image Analysis of Cleopatra This paper analyses non-literary sources in terms of what information they can provide about Cleopatra, including visual images, analyses of numismatic evidence, and analysis of inscriptions. The paper relies on six main sources: Austin’s The Hellenistic world: from Alexander to the Roman conquest. A selection of ancient sources in translation; Goudchaux’s 2001 essay entitled Cleopatra’s subtle religious strategy, found in Higgs’ and Walker’s Cleopatra of Egypt: from history to myth, which is also a source; Holbl’s History of the Ptolemaic Empire; Howgego’s Ancient history from coins (approaching the ancient world) and Pollitt’s Art in the Hellenistic Age. From these sources, images of Cleopatra, from sculptures, pottery, mosaics and coinage, amongst others, are discussed, and their relevance to Cleopatra’s image are analysed and discussed. As Howgego (1995) argues, coins have far more than monetary value, they can be important in defining power and power structures, in terms of politics and in terms of imperialism, recognising, however, that is difficult to describe ancient political and power structures in modern terms, as they were so very different from the structures that are around at the moment, and, as such, describing such structures in terms of modern definitions can often itself lead to misunderstandings and flaws in research undertaken. The vast majority of coins that are known, for example, show Cleopatra as a Hellenic ruler, although she was, of course, the last Queen of Egypt. This attests to the fact that Cleopatra was a great manipulator, and that, indeed, she manipulated her image whilst alive in order to retain power, in politics, and over people. Portraying herself in Hellenistic images allowed Cleopatra to show to her people that she was not only ruler of Egypt, but, through her control of Alexandri a, ruler of all of the Hellenistic world. As Goudchaux points out in his 2001 essay Cleopatra’s subtle religious strategy, Cleopatra was a Ptolemy who spoke Egyptian. She had claim to Egyptian territory, through her family, and also to Hellenistic lands, as contemporary coinage suggest. Cleopatra therefore had political and territorial control of many lands, and also moved freely between many cultures, accepted as she was in Egypt and across the Hellenistic world. Goudchaux (2001) argues that she was an innovative ruler, and most definitely a product of her family’s power and history. In this essay, Goudchaux (2001) makes the point strongly that Cleopatra wanted to understand Egyptian concepts of religion as she realised that religion was one of the bonds which united the Egyptian people and which created a bond with the land, in terms of people having a focal point in the temples, all of which were dedicated to Egyptian gods. As such, Cleopatra was aware that, in some respects, by controlling religion, she would control the Egyptian people. Priests, Cleopatra realised, were the highest peak of Egyptian society, with priests commanding great respect and holding society together. Cleopatra realised this, realised the power of religion in Egyptian society, and it is known that Cleopatra herself held great respect for Egyptian priests and did everything she could to understand Egyptian religion, in terms of keeping priests close to her and ensuring that they followed her rule. This she then used to form bonds with Roman generals, for example, Caesar, and, indeed, Cle opatra built a temple in Rome when she visited Caesar. Romans found Egyptian style to be in vogue at some point in their history, but as Cleopatra would later realise, this was a fleeting fashion, which soon fell out of favour with the majority of Roman rulers. Cleopatra, therefore, as Goudchaux (2001) makes clear, was a shrwed politician, who knew what needed to be done, and when, in order to keep abreast of shifting power struggles, and to keep hold of her territory, which many people wanted (including the Roman generals). Cleopatra’s highly political character, in which she used her connections with many cultures (Ptolomeic to Egyptian to Roman to Hellenistic) to achieve her political aims, according to the needs of her kingdom as she saw them, itself led to many images of Cleopatra being produced. We have images of Cleopatra looking Egyptian, and images of Cleopatra looking Egyptian but with some Greek features, for example. All of these images are useful in that they allow pieces to be dated accurately, according to Cleopatra’s known movements and interactions with other rulers. As Goudchaux (2001) argues, as we have seen, Cleopatra was well aware of the power of imagery, and she used imagery as a political tool, in terms of ensuring her self-presentation was faultless in order to achieve her political aims. As Walker (2001) argues, in his essay in Higgs and Walker (2001), Cleopatra was a master manipulator, allowing images of herself to be created as the need arose, such that we have images of Cleopatra that are Egyptian in origin, such as Egyptian reliefs, which show Cleopatra as regal, and all powerful. We also have Roman images of Cleopatra, which, whilst on the face of it seem not to be flattering, as they show Cleopatra as womanly and in almost pornographic positions, but, understood in the context of Roman society at that time, are actually a compliment to her womanliness, and a way of presenting Cleopatra to the Romans in a way which would be appreciated by this society. Other images of Cleopatra, from coins, for example, show Cleopatra with very str ong features, not at all beautiful as is normally supposed, and are thought to be a reflection, a re-take on the portraiture of her father, Ptolemy XII, as a way of recalling her lineage to her people. Imagery of Cleopatra is thus both complex and complicated, and in order to understand Cleopatrian imagery, one needs to read this imagery in the context of the time at which it was made, and what political happenings were occurring at the time of the image being made. Higgs and Walker (2001) analysed nearly four hundred artefacts relating to Cleopatra and her life, in an attempt to understand Cleopatra’s iconography. The book, which is essentially a catalogue of the British Museum exhibition of the same name, includes many new images of Cleopatra, including some papyrus bearing her signature which was recently discovered, has caused as much sensation as the exhibition, with many ancient scholars arguing against the book, that it does not contain sufficiently in-depth research, and that the research it does contain is not high quality. This caveat aside, the edited book contains many interesting essays, amongst them Higgs’ Searching for Cleopatra’s image: classical portraits in stone which makes it clear that it is, actually, extremely difficult to identify Cleopatra in ancient sculptures, in particular, because, as we have seen, Cleopatra was a master manipulator of her image, and as such, there are many different kinds of images of Cleopatra, and then, on top of this, because of the artistic licence that many artists took when defining Cleopatra in their work. Higgs picks out some of what he considers to be essential features of any image of Cleopatra, including snakes, hairstyles and heads which are separated from the body (representing, bizarrely, power), and shows that these features can be used, generally, to identify images of Cleopatra. Goudchaux’s essay in this volume, as we have seen, is extremely useful in coming to some understanding of the imagery of Cleopatra, in terms of her religious beliefs and her use of religion to gain, and maintain, political power, but it is also useful in showing how subjective analyses of images of Cleopatra can be, and how maleable these images are, in that one person can look at an image of Cleopatra, on a coin for example, and find it beautiful, whereas another person can look at that very same image and find not beauty, but plain regalness, for example. As Goudchaux states, the fact that many of Cleopatra’s coins were made not from gold but from silver alloys, means that some of these coins have not survived well and that, because of this decay, they can provide distorted images of Cleopatra, simply by virtue of their damaged condition[1]. This degradation of imagery also needs to be taken in to account, Goudchaux argues, when assessing the power and purpose of imag es of Cleopatra, and the information that can be gained from such images and imagery. This analysis of the various images of Cleopatra and the way in which Cleopatra manipulated her image, and allowed her image to be manipulated, as a way of gaining and maintaining power over her people and over foreign rulers shows, ultimately, the necessity for Cleopatra to act in the way she did, in terms of ruling over a land that many people wanted to gain control of, from a city that the Romans wished to rule. Her manipulation of her image, on coins she minted, for example, was, as Howgego (1995) argues, a direct way for Cleopatra to portray the image of herself that she wanted to portray to her people, in order to gain the effect she wanted to gain from her people i.e., submission and support. As Higgs and Walker (2001) show, through their choice, and cataloguing, of nearly 400 artefacts relating to Cleopatra, Cleopatra was not just a master manipulator of her own image: she used art and imagery as a political tool, in an attempt to gain influence abroad. Higgs and Walker (2001) argue, for example, that the Roman Palestrina Nile Mosaic, which, it is argued by Goudchaux (2001), is a dedication from Cleopatra to the Roman goddess Fortuna, was gifted to the Romans as a way of gaining an in-road in to Roman society. Such gifts, replete with political imagery and significance were a feature of ancient society, a way of gaining a presence in a foreign nation, for example, and so Cleopatra’s usage of such imagery can, perhaps, be better understood in this context: that it was a routine way of attaining one’s wishes, in political terms. As such, perhaps, Cleopatra, through manipulating her own image, was doing nothing more than repeating a routine occurrence. As Pelling (2001) argues in his essay entitled Anything truth can do, we can do better: the Cleopatra legend, in Walker and Higgs (2001), that exaggerated portrayals of Cleopatra were common within Egypt and across the ancient world, and as Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra had a great role to play in this exaggeration; contemporary and more modern accounts of Cleopatra as the ‘beauty’ and even, for example, Cleopatra’s adoption by the black rights movement in the United States is no more than a continuation of Cleopatra’s own manipulation, that the appropriation of Cleopatra’s image, and the continuation of the ‘myth’ of Cleopatra’s beauty and power is no more than a way in which to borrow power from her image and to lend power to contemporary arguments and causes. This analysis of the various images of Cleopatra and the way in which Cleopatra manipulated her image, and allowed her image to be manipulated, as a way of gaining and maintaining power over her people and over foreign rulers has shown, ultimately, as we have seen, the necessity for Cleopatra to act in the way she did, in terms of ruling over a land that many people wanted to gain control of, from a city that the Romans wished to rule. The debates over Cleopatra’s supposed beauty is rather peripheral to the life that Cleopatra led, as ruler of Egypt and as over-seer of the Hellenistic world. As this study has shown, images of Cleopatra were created not with the task of conveying her beauty[2], but with conveying her power and her abilities to rule, and her willingness to continue to rule. References Austin, M.M, 2006. The Hellenistic world: from Alexander to the Roman conquest. A selection of ancient sources in translation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Goudchaux, G.W., 2001. Cleopatra’s subtle religious strategy. In S.Walker and P.Higgs (eds.), Cleopatra of Egypt: from history to myth. Higgs, P. and Walker, S. (eds.), 2001. Cleopatra of Egypt: from history to myth. Princeton University Press. Holbl, G., 2001. History of the Ptolemaic Empire. London: Routledge. Howgego, C., 1995. Ancient history from coins (approaching the ancient world). London: Routledge. Pollitt, J., 1986. Art in the Hellenistic Age. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1 Footnotes [1] Coins recently discovered in a bank vault in Newcastle, however, which are in mint condition show Cleopatra in a very bad light, not at all beautiful, with hooked nose and chin. See The Guardian 14th February 2007 article entitled Antony and Cleopatra: coin find changes the face of history by Martin Wainwright. [2] Indeed, as argued by Hamer (2001) in her essay in Higgs and Walker (2001) entitled The myth of Cleopatra since the Renaissance, this obsession with Cleopatra’s beauty is a modern obsession, that developed from the Renaissance onwards, and was not a defining feature of imagery of Cleopatra that was produced during her time.

The Way We Really Are Essay -- Essays Papers

The Way We Really Are The author of this article portrays how the standard of the â€Å"traditional family† has changed over the past century. The article emphasizes on how marriages are becoming extinct and families are breaking away from the old fashioned way of raising children. For example, having both a father and a mother in the home full-time use to be the definition of â€Å" the traditional family†. The author seems to believe that the majority of society today is becoming accustomed to single parent homes and women being the major breadwinners in the home, thus making this the new â€Å"traditional family† lifestyle. As I was reading the statistics in this article I was very critical in believing the data that was given by the author. There were statistics given about the increase in unwed motherhood, divorce rates falling and rising, how much divorce has increased since the 1950’s and how many people are staying unwed in the later 1900’s. The author gave no indication of where or how she gathered her statistics. I do believe that the divorce rate in America is at an all time high for the start of the new millennium. I believe that Americans are forced to re-evaluate their opinion on what the traditional family is made up of. Children are forced to live with one parent, not having the traditional dream of both a mother and a Father, which is the image of what a real family is portrayed to be in the generation I was brought up with. The traditional ...