Monday, September 30, 2019

Shapes of Ice

Shapes of ice do depend on how fast they felt, no doubt about it. Here is what people ask. â€Å"Does the shape of an ice cube affect the rate at which the ice cube will melt?†, and the answer to that question is a definite yes.Have you ever looked at an ice cube and just watched it melt?It is surprisingly very, very interesting. All of us have better things to do besides that, but if you have, you won't regret it. Anyway, the answer to that experiment is yes because it is scientifically proven. Many scientists in the world have wondered this same question, and they all have turned out to get the same answer. When these people finally got their answer, they all have gotten close, if not the exact same answers if they have chosen the shapes to form. Scientists have done this experiment in many ways, such as choosing different shapes to form and melt, choosing the amount of water to freeze, and the temperature of the room they have to melt the cubes.( University of Illinois, 2007). One important thing that is looked at is the scientists' hypotheses. Many scientists' hypotheses are very different, knowing it is an educated guess, but the end result shows they all come up with nearly the same answer, and that is the rectangular ice cube will melt the fastest, no matter how large they make the cube. ( Zimmermann, 2017). The most complicated question behind this experiment is why is it the rectangular shape that melts the fastests. The rate at which the ice cubes melt is also called the fusion rate. Ice melts when a warmer medium, such as air or water comes into contact with the ice surface. Also, in order to know exactly which shape melts the fastest, they need to have the same volume, or the experiment will be pointless. An important thing to know is the greater the surface area, the quicker the ice cube will melt. Other people's experiments have been slightly different than what we have here, but they are known to choose the rectangular shape as one of their shapes the majority of the time. (â€Å"Ice Melting†, 2013). It also states that each scientists went through about the same struggles during the process of the experiment. ( l Zimmermann, 2017.). The most simple struggle was getting the particular shape out of the container without having it break or making it deformed. Because the shapes weren't the normal shape, it is tricky to get it out of the ice cube tray. Many scientist have had a question, and that is the exact opposite of the question people usually deal with. Not how fast they melt, but how fast they freeze. All in all, the rectangular shape, because it is flat and has more surface area than the others, will melt the fastest. If you think and picture in your mind, the larger the surface area is, the more heat will get to it at the same time, and of course heat melts ice. ( David Zimmermann, 2017.) ( â€Å"Shapes of Ice Cubes†, n.d.)

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Persenal Narrative on Stress Essay

Personal Narrative Stress is something that I hate in life. I have this stress of my grades in school and scared they might drop. In addition, I also have stress of thinking of my future and what I am going to do when I’m done with high school. However, if the stress becomes too much, I go to the mall or somewhere else and get a massage so I can relax and push all that stress that I had. Well the first stress I have is that since I am in school I always have stress about my grades. Since of all the work they give me it takes me longer to finish my work and because of that, I do not really get enough sleep. Therefore, because of not enough sleep I end up waking up mad and all stressed out. Another reason why I worry about my grades causes my stress is that my grades will be the only way I will have a future and a career when I am an adult. The next stress I have is when I start thinking about my future and thinking about which college I want to go to, I start thinking how far is it going to be. I also start thinking about the cost and how much scholarships I need in order to be able to go to the college that I want, like the college that I want to go to is the University of Central Florida. In addition, also start trying to think what career I want so I will be able to pay my bills and support my family. A few things I do in order to take away the stress is to either go to the mall or somewhere else or get massage. After my massage is over with, I feel like I am a brand-new that nothing and I can stop me. Until I get the stress back then I just go back to get a massage. On the other hand, what I will do is go and chill with my friends. What make it relaxing is that my friends and I, just make fun of each other, tell jokes, and tell funny things that have happen in our lives. In conclusion, for me stress is something I hate a lot. It makes me unable to sleep since I am all ways worrying about my grades. It makes me stress of my future, if I will be able to get into the University of Central Florida, and of what career I want to have so I can support my family. However, when I start getting too much stress I would go to the mall or somewhere else and get a massage or just go and chill with my friends to have a good time.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Applied Financial Analysis and Management Research Paper

Applied Financial Analysis and Management - Research Paper Example Question 2: Paul Thompson is the chairman of the company who has an extensive industry experience of 30 years. He was the president of SCA Australasia which is part of the SCA Group. He has also held director position at the Food & Grocery Council and councilor position at the Australian Industry Group. Presently, he is also member of the Audit and Risk Committee, Remuneration Committee and Nomination Committee. Michael Iwaniw is the company’s CEO who joined the board in 2011 and holds a Bachelor of Science and a graduate diploma in business administration. He is a vast experience at director position at the Australia Barley Board (ABB) and non-executive director for various companies in the Australian foods industry. The company has 3,227 shareholders at the year end 30/6/2012. Question 3: a Market Capitalization Number of Outstanding Shares 56,810,000.00 64,763,400.00 Â   Â   Price per share as of 21/9/2012 1.14 Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   b PE Multiple Price per share a s of 21/9/2012 1.14 6.79 Â   Â   Underlying EPS as of 30/6/2012 0.17 Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   c Dividend Yield Divided per share as of 30/6/2012 0.08 (Full Yr) 7.02% Â   Â   Price per share as of 21/9/2012 1.14 Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   d Bid Ask Spread Bid 1.13 0.01 Â   Â   Ask 1.14 Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   e Enterprise Value Market Capitalization 64,763,400.00 131,363,400.00 Â   Â   Net Debt as of 30/6/2012 66,600,000.00 Â   Â   Â   Interest Bearing Debt as of 30/6/2012 68,000,000.00 Â   Â   Â   Less Cash as of 30/6/2012 1,400,000.00 Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   f EV/EBIT EV 131,363,400.00 (57.11) Â   Â   EBIT (Underlying) (2,300,000.00) Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   g EV/EBITDA EV 131,363,400.00 33.68 Â   Â   EBITDA 3,900,000.00 Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   Â   h P/NTA Price per share as of 21/9/2012 1.14 0.52 Â   Â   NTA per share 2.19 Â   Â   Â   Net Total Assets (NTA) as of 30/6/2012 160,300,0 00.00 Â   Â   Â   Less: Intangible Assets as of 30/6/2012 35,700,000.00 Â   Â   Â   Outstanding Shares 56,810,000.00 Â   Source for Financial Information: (ASX, 2012) Question 4: Days inventory 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Select Harvests Limited

Friday, September 27, 2019

Agile software development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Agile software development - Assignment Example On the other hand, agile software development methodology is a software development process that is aimed at developing a software application quickly and allowing for late changes. In addition, CMMI heavily relies on documentation and everything is properly documented when CMMI is being adopted. However, agile software development approach relies on minimum documentation because its focus is on the development. Though, both agile and CMMI have their advantages and disadvantages and the research has shown that if they are implemented effectively, they can work jointly and can play a significant role in the improvement of software development. In fact, principles and practices offered by the agile software development approach ensures critical, long-standing process improvement, hence making it a perfect partner of the CMMI model, which provides an excellent structure of an organization-wide, effectively trained nonstop optimization and improvement. Hence, it can be said that there is no incompatibility between CMMI and agile. In fact, the mixture of both CMMI and Agile complete each other’s capabilities as well as can lead to quick, reasonable, observable, and the continuing benefits (Ropa, 2014; Glazer, 2010). In view of the fact that in the agile software development the programming starts immediately and the testing phase remains active throughout the programming. In this scenario, the software testers have to perform a variety of testing techniques again and again. So the automation of these tests becomes essential. In fact, agile development cannot be successful without automating its testing phase. However, the decision about which tests need to be automated is taken while planning for a given user story. At this stage, testers and developers work collaboratively to determine where automation can be used to activate acceptance/signal completion of the story. Without a doubt, automated testing is really a precondition to becoming a truthfully agile

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Comparative criminal justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Comparative criminal justice - Essay Example The ranking was done on 179 countries from the least corrupt to the most corrupt. The corruption perception index was 9.4 for Demark, which the least corrupt, 2.9 for Bolivia, and 1.4 for Myanmar, which was ranked as the most corrupt among the countries, studied (Transparency International Web). This paper will focus on comparing the official crime rates of bribery, and drug offences per 100,000 in Denmark, Bolivia, and Myanmar. The paper will analyze the degree of cross-national differences and try to explain the differences in crime rates in the three countries. Bribery and drug offences are two crimes that are illegal in addition to involving a lot of corruption. The eighth United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, which was done for the period between 2001 and 2002, showed that these crimes are still persistent (United Nations Web). In 2001, 37,553 crimes were committed in Bolivia, which is equivalent to 435.80 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. Crimes were higher in Denmark where a grand 473,290 crimes were committed in 2001, which equates to 8,831.69 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. In Myanmar, 19,873 crimes were reported which equates to 41.24 crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2002, the total number of crimes declined in Myanmar and Bolivia but increased in Denmark. The total numbers of crimes were 18,301 in Myanmar, 31,138 in Bolivia and 491,026 in Denmark. In relation to bribery and drug offences, Bolivia had the highest number of crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in both 2001 and 2002. The records by the United Nations shows that out of every 100,000 inhabitants 0.22 and 0.28 bribery crimes were recorded in Bolivia in 2001 and 2002 respectively. In case of Denmark, there were 0.09 and 0.07 bribery crimes for the years 2001 and 2002 respectively. Though ranked as the most

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Short Fiction Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Short Fiction - Term Paper Example The story takes place in the forest where old guard Long legs live with his wife and daughter. The Prussians, on the other hand, are patrolling the forest that is near the old town of Rethel. In their patrol duty, they come across the Long-legs forest home, tired and hungry. Amidst fear and uncertainty, Long-leg’s wife and daughter gives them a warm welcome, offers them delicious food, water and accommodation in his absentia. The fear in them drives them to long for his arrival to appear and protect them against these enemies. The French and Prussians have remained rivals for a long time. In the process of the wife and daughter playing their gracious roles, long leg arrives and is alerted about the Prussians presence. In a twinkling of the eye, long leg runs to town and summon the Rethels’ army freshmen. Monsieur Lavigne, the head, orders them to surround the house in an attempt to capture the Prussians. No killings are meant to take place at the time. The leader calls the Prussians to come out of the cellar peacefully but they relent. He orders the army to pipe in water into the cellar in an attempt of drowning them. As a result, the Prussians can no longer withstand the pressure of the pumped water; they surrender and agree to come out. They are then requested to submit their rifles, which they do, and the pumping is stopped. Monsieur Lavigne is crowned for capturing the most feared Prussian guard and Maloison; the fat beaker awarded a military medal for standing the wounds he got at the hands of the enemy. Together, the French army makes a triumphant entry into Rethel. In this piece, De Maupassant outlines the works of the anti-Prussians. It is remarkably well narrated with laughter evoking instances like the trapping of the soldiers in the cellar room. The narrative demonstrates high standards of writing and authenticity. The story is not frightening;

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Midterm Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Midterm Paper - Essay Example Sheiks, on the other hand, were young men with ukeleles, racoon coats, and bell-bottom trousers. Therefore it is correct to deduce that music plays a major role in the development of fashion trends. In the early 1910s, there arose a craze for orientalism after the performance of Rimsky Korsakovs Scheherazade in Paris by the Ballets Russes. Paul Poiret, a couturier, was the first to bring orientalism to the fashion industry. It marked the end of the tight corsets and the birth of clothing that was less restrictive. It is during this era that the harem pants were created. Harem pants are long and baggy trousers that are caught in at the ankle. Harem pants were also called harem skirts and were inspired by styles from the Middle East. Poiret is credited as the person who single-handedly invented trousers for women. At inception, harem pants were quite popular with the public because they offered more comfort and eased mobility1. However, Poirets sense of fashion was not a unanimous hit. Critics looked down upon the pants often referring to them as indecent and immoral. The critics’ views were based on the conventional beliefs that it was unnatural for Western women at that time to put on trousers. In contrast, the designer insisted that he only designed them to flatter the full image of the chic woman. The pants also liberated the fashion limitations of the Western women. Poiret’s new fashion trend consequently influenced Paquin, another couturier, and one of Poirets worst critics. Other designers who also invented trousers for women include: Jeanne Margarine Lacroix, and Bourniche2. Sheherazade was composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. It is based on pictures from One Thousand and One Nights, sometimes known as the â€Å"Arabian Nights† as well as other unconnected episodes. Considered the composers most popular work, it combines a bright and dazzling orchestration, and a unique interest in

Monday, September 23, 2019

Design Management and Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Design Management and Marketing - Essay Example As a result, an old person becomes overly concerned about certain issues that drive him to become much lonelier about his life. A person's attitude may need to be adjusted; it could be at the root of his unhappiness. For instance, some elderly people insist on living alone well beyond their ability to care for themselves. One woman who was disabled and was living alone on a large piece of property posted a sign on her door that said: "Keep Out!" She felt that all anybody wanted was her money or property; she distrusted everyone. Such a person is not growing old with understanding. What a sad situation! True, not everybody can be trusted. But how much wiser it is to accept the fact that some can be trusted and to receive the friendship and assistance of those genuinely trying to be helpful! Some elderly ones may feel that they have lived out their lives. But they are still living, and they will find it beneficial to keep their minds active and to use their thinking abilities to the full. Learning new things is not beyond their capabilities and can be enriching, although it may take longer for them to learn th an when they were young. For this particular reason, as derived from the explanations on the causes of old age loneliness, a product that would help old aged individuals deal with the adversaries of the fact that they are already living the last years of their lives, shall be introduced within the context of this paper. Knowing how marketing and innovati... In this regard, product for the elderly aimed to making the said individuals more active and lively in their old age is the focus of the said process. Keeping the elderly active and well functioning in terms of their mental and limited physical abilities even beyond their old age. Through this product, engaging the said individuals into more active events and socially acquainted situations shall be the main focus of the system so as to help the elderly become less isolated as old age comes into their face. The product noted herein is a self-motivation speech presentation video that shows how older people should accept their state as the "old ones". However, besides accepting the fact, the video shall better the situation to making it happen for the individual to realize his/her capability of living life fully besides the challenge of physical weakness. Each old person is to be encouraged by this video to socially better their health and rather relate to others instead of keeping themselves behind doors. What the Product Features It is believed that the physical attribute of a person deteriorates faster than that of the mind. This is the primary reason why a motivational video is introduced to the said demographic bracket as noted herein. Understandably, the process by which old people use their time is the target activity of the producers of this product. Most of today's elderly are finding the dilemma of not being able to find something to do when they really want to exercise their minds once in a while. Presenting the availability of the product to the said market would become much of an easier task to complete for the marketer. Through

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Dual Protection - Design and Copyright Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dual Protection - Design and Copyright - Essay Example Besides, under what circumstances can dual protection are offered. Body Firstly, it is important to understand the differences between copyright protection and design protection. Though both are intellectual property and both aim to protect the rights of the IP holder, the objectives and techniques of protection of each would differ. The copyright protection would aim to protect the designer from any abuse of his or her rights whether or not the particular property has been registered or not. On the other hand, the industrial design would aim to provide security to the industry. Hence, simply based on their means of protection, there would be divergences. With relation to the duration of protection, copyright laws ensure an almost perpetual protection, whereas the design laws would only protect for a specific duration. Design laws have to be renewed every 5 years and to a maximum of 25 years in total. Hence, even if copyright and designs could be applied simultaneously, once the desi gn term is over, hardly anybody would be interested in the copyright existing. Another important difference is regarding the infringement processes associated with the design. Designs do offer protection even from innocent violators who may not know that a particular design is already registered and is protected. On the other hand, copyright provides for a wider fair use circle that would effectively protect innocent and non-commercial users. By the very nature of the mechanism of protection, it can be asserted that both designs and copyrights are present for different purposes. The next important difference is the extent of protection, though copyright would protect only expressions of ideas and not ideas, it protects the design in every conceivable form including when it may be used in a 2-dimensional or a 3-dimensional form. However, a design would only protect the appearance or the aesthetic appearance to the article for which it is registered. The final difference noted is that copyright does not require a registration process due to which 99% of all designs are actually registered by this mechanism. This has lead to protection of designs for longer duration and in all conceivable forms3. The dual level of protection has arisen from the definition of artistic work4 under the copyright Act and the general definition of design under the Design Act (Section 1)5. The criteria for fulfilling copyright, is that the work should be original and should have been created by the author, and there it is not necessary that the work be registered. Artistic work more often represents visual representations of intellectual work or ideas to be presented in a material form. One possibility is that drawings or works of craftsmanship which is in fact artistic work may also be design drawings of industrial products or articles of manufacture of various goods. Copyright law offers certain rights to the owner including the right to make copies of the work, the right to distribu te or communicate the work to the public, the right to translate or reproduce the work from one form to another (e.g. from a 2-dimensional work to a

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The contemporary issue of technology Essay Example for Free

The contemporary issue of technology Essay Buddhism is an ever-growing religion with approximately 350 million adherents worldwide, prominently found in Thailand, Indo-China, Burma, and Sri Lanka[1]. The word â€Å"Buddhism† comes from â€Å"Budhi† which literally means ‘to awaken’. This essentially makes up the basis for the belief system as it originated when Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince commonly known as Buddha, was himself awakened during his lifetime. It is every adherent’s goal in life to reach this same state of enlightenment, or nirvana. Not only is Buddhism a religion, it is often a way of life for many Buddhists[2]. Buddhism is a traditionalistic religion containing aspects that remain constant over time but is also highly adaptable and advances with current global progressions and issues. Many aspects of the belief system represent notions of continuity and change including gender roles, sacred places and scripts and the contemporary issue of technology. Buddhism has been subject to both aspects of continuity and change almost from the time the religion originated. This was clearly highlighted in the role and acceptance of dissent in the belief system in 383BC. This was after Buddha’s death in a time known as the Second Council where a large change occurred and the significant split into two variants of the religion occurred. This was due to arising conflicting interpretations of Buddha’s teachings and the meaning behind them. The Buddhist movement divided into the Theravada (Teaching of the Elders), also known as Hinayana (small vessel), and the Mahayana (large vessel) movements. This division essentially arose from disagreements over matters of practice and doctrine. The most significant different between the two variants is the belief of the Theravadans that Buddha is a fully enlightened human teacher whilst the Mahayana’s developed a transcendental view of him. The Mahayana concept welcomes the idea of worship of a divine grace rather than the attainment of enlightenment through practice[3]. As well as this, there is also the slightly smaller Vajrayana variant, most prominent in Tibet. This variant is known as Tantric Buddhism, referring to the application of Buddha’s teachings in regards to unique explanations and meditation techniques used by Vajrayana Buddhists[4]. Gender roles in Buddhism have been subject to much change over time. At the time Buddha lived, women were placed in a domestic sphere, essentially denying them of authoritative positions. Women were expected to care for the family and men to provide for the family[5]. Siddhartha himself was not always accepting of women entering the monastery. His attitude solely changed when his closest disciple, Ananda, used the traditional Buddhist value of impermanence as a way to demonstrate how the position of women at the time should not necessarily remain this way. From this resulted the allowance of women into the sangha through acculturation. Despite the ordination of women into the sangha as well as the Buddhist belief that both males and females are equal is however not necessarily the case in practice[6]. For example, In Theravada, a conscious effort is made to follow the Buddhas lifestyle as closely as possible as outlined in Vinaya[7]. However, this can be viewed as merely a matter of culture. In many Buddhist communities it is often normal for a man to have more authority over a woman. This was the restraint women felt for a long time until recent westernisation and modernisation. Through globalisation and the emergence of Buddhism into western nations, the status of women is now changing in many countries, even traditionally Buddhist ones. There is an acceptance that western women are no longer subservient as well as the equal address of both genders in recent teachings and books[8]. Western women have even had the ability to influence powerful figures including the Dalai Lama to support women’s spiritual practice and leadership[9]. Gender roles in Buddhism are quite obviously changing over time, at a slow but steady pace. In a world where gender stereotypes are slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past, women Buddhists, from westernised countries or not, will become more aware of the patriarchal society they live in and inevitably push for equal gender status. Although, one aspect that may pose a setback to equal gender status is the fact that nuns must still serve the monks and cannot run services and have different roles in the monastery[10]. Although this slightly traditional notion continues, Buddhist communities are consciously making an effort to live out the Buddhist teaching that says both women and men are equal. In the Vajrayana variant there are many female Buddhas and bodhisattva including Green Tara, Kuan Yin and prajnaparamita who represents the mother of all Buddha’s as she is the anicca[11]. As well as this, the rapid increase of the religion, most notably in Australia, will undoubtedly create an incline in discussion of gender issues as it is a nation based on equality and multiculturalism. Buddhist sacred places and scripts are a highly traditional and continual aspect of the religion. Despite the split into separate variants of Buddhism, the message of Buddha remains the same for all. Initially the teachings of Buddha were passed down through oral tradition although as time progressed the four major councils formed the sangha and dharma consistent in practice and doctrine and had them form a written canon, the Tipitaka[12]. This text has not changed in any way since 250BCE and continues to be the foundation of all Buddhist communities. This is one of only a few things that have remained constant despite divergence and change within the religion. As time progressed, the Mahayana variant also created sacred texts, usually attributed to bodhisattva. These texts held a great amount of authority as they were held in likeness to the words of Buddha himself. These texts are an essential part of Buddhism as they are used in important activities and rituals that remain constant with tradition over time. The main story in the Buddhist tradition is the legend of the Buddha’s life and his search for enlightenment. This places high sacred significance on the location of Bodh Gaya and the Bodhi tree found there, where it is said Siddhartha found enlightenment and became Buddha. There are also many types of Buddhist shrines or temples visited by both monks/nuns and lay people for meditation and ritualistic purposes. Shrines often contain symbolic objects, helping one to keep in mind the ‘Four Noble Truths’ and the ‘Noble Eightfold Path’[13]. The continuous nature of the sacred texts and places visited can be expected to remain so in the near and distant future. In Australia; Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrana all assume the traditional practice and observation of the sacred texts and places. Being a western culture, this is highly significant as it is the one aspect of the religion that remains constant and traditional in a diverse culture. This is also the case with other western nations as well as the traditional Buddhist locations. Contemporary issues have arisen relatively recently within Buddhism with the continual advancement of technology in today’s society. Due to Buddhism’s highly adaptable nature, it is becoming more welcoming of the world’s technological advances. Global communications such as the internet are now allowing for readily available and easily accessible information including Buddhist sacred texts. This allows for people from around the globe being able to access and translate texts at their own ease and from the comfort of their own home. Buddhists view technology in a varied light[14]. On one hand, the consumption of technology causes problems geared to feeding greed, hatred, and delusion. On the other hand, ‘constructive’ technology is beginning to be adapted to, within the constraints of three principles; technology which is moderate, technology which is used for creating benefit and technology which serves to develop understanding and improve the human being[15]. Essentially, the basic traditional principles of Buddhism are maintained through the safe, beneficial and constructive implementation and use of modern equipment. Technology is inevitably an ever-growing facet of today’s society. Buddhism is learning to adapt to such changes. As Buddhists accept technology that does not harm sentient beings, it is having a significant influence in the western world. Buddhism is now the fastest growing religion in Australia. From 1991-2006 there was a 109.6% increase in adherents in Australia, making up 2.1% of the total population[16]. Much of this is reliant on the introduction of technology in Buddhism resulting in bringing people together through the communication devices such as the internet. Not only is this affecting Australians, it is evident throughout the world. As Buddhism is introducing more technology into their practices, information is readily accessible to millions of people worldwide. This allows for a greater knowledge and acceptance of Buddhism and so expansion of the religion will inevitably occur on a large scale. Buddhism is now ranked the fourth largest belief system in the world and will undoubtedly continue to rise. In summation, Buddhism is embarking on a continual journey of adaptation to changing cultures and climates. With this comes the continuation of traditional aspects as well as applying these in ways to suit the consensus of different cultures, most notably western. Many influencing factors attribute to the continuity and change of Buddhism including gender roles, sacred places and scripts and contemporary issues. Each of these play a fundamental role in underpinning the belief system in contemporary society and the religion will inevitability continue to change given its highly adaptable nature. ________________ [1] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/bud_statwrld.htm [2] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm [3] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [4] Vajrayana Institute, 2012, Vajrayana Buddhism, Australia, http://www.vajrayana.com.au/index.php?option=com_contentview=categorylayout=blogid=56Itemid=81 [5] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [6] TSC Learning, 2012, TSC Learning Inc., Australia, http://www.tsclearning.catholic.edu.au/groups/societyculture/weblog/2953c/Belief_System__Buddhism__Gender_Roles.html [7] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, http://www.buddhanet.net/ftp07.htm [8] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [9] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, Buddhanet.com [10] Enabling Organisation, 2012, BSQ Tracts on Buddhism No.7, http://www.enabling.org/ia/vipassana/Archive/D/DeSilva/WomenInBuddhism/womenInBuddhismSwarnaDeSilva.html [11] Vajrayana Institute, 2012, Vajrayana Buddhism, Australia, http://www.vajrayana.com.au/index.php?option=com_contentview=categorylayout=blogid=56Itemid=81 [12] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [13] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [14] Buddhism’s Impact and Appeal in the West, Culturescope Volume 79, April 2006 [15] Buddhanet, 2012, Buddha Dharma Education Association Inc., global, Buddhanet.com [16] Buddhism Australia, 2012, Census date from ABS, Australia, http://www.buddhismaustralia.org/census2001.htm

Friday, September 20, 2019

Natural And Conventional Medicine Health And Social Care Essay

Natural And Conventional Medicine Health And Social Care Essay This paper discusses and compares the two main medical traditions natural and conventional medicine. Both conventional and natural medicine have been practiced and found proven to hold many advantages but conventional medicine is regarded as the universal, hence, more popular method of healing illness. Conventional medicine relies on science and technology to contribute to the preservation and longevity of peoples lives and the leaps that this tradition has made has surpassed expectation. Nevertheless, with the rising cost of medicines, procedures, and hospitalization, and the preference for more holistic and non-invasive methods in the treatment of illness, naturopathy or natural medicine has grown in popularity. In its comparison with conventional medicine, this paper highlights the advantages of naturopathy including its effectiveness, safety, a good patient-healer relationship, the sense of being in control over illness, and its non-invasive nature. Naturopathys congruence with the culture and psychological belief systems of diverse peoples also contributes to growing preference of it. Moreover, conventional treatment has slowly incorporated natural methods such as the use of herbs, crossing over with acupuncture and other alternative practices, proving that the next best step for medicine is to maximize knowledge from both conventional and natural methods toward a better quality of life for mankind. Introduction In the current world, medical practice is dichotomized. Medical practice may either be classified as conventional or alternative. Sometimes, classifications go by conventional versus natural or traditional. These medical traditions and their respective practitioners are often pitted against one another. Yet, a closer look reveals that these classifications are arbitrary and are not actually in blanket opposition. Conventional medicine also has a long history of utilizing natural resources in the past. Meanwhile, various natural methods of healing are now using technologies too. The real nature of these categories are hegemonic. Conventional medicine which was developed by more dominant societies and cultures arose as the dominant and in this respect, the most scientific way of healing. Meanwhile, indigenous, natural and traditional forms of healing that have long histories of local practices were simply lumped together in opposition to the conventional. This is similar to how various forms of traditional music have been clustered together under the banner of world music despite obvious aesthetic variations. Sadly, the burden of proof was pushed more to the side of the alternative or natural medical traditions. This paper intends to give a brief discussion and comparison of conventional and natural medicine. Being the less dominant one, this paper will put stress on the strengths and positive attributes of natural medicine. Although the historical importance and contributions of conventional medicine are recognized, this paper asserts the need for a greater recognition, utilization, and further improvement in the realm of natural medicine. Conventional Medicine Conventional medicine, sometimes called allopathic medicine or even Western medicine, is the most widely used medical system in the world today, particularly in the Western hemisphere. It is largely based on the physical and biological sciences. Its universality lies in its materialist and standardized approaches and to its positivist and experimental tradition. The materialism of this medical school enables the easy translation of the discipline to different countries and cultures. This enables its practitioners to speak the same language and to have a unified view of medical problems. Advances in the field of conventional medicine owe to its strong research tradition. Conventional treatments are all supposed to subscribe to proven treatments based on evidence. Of course, many researches are now being done by multi-national pharmaceutical corporations owing to conventional medicines strong commercial nature. Thus, the price to pay for getting oneself cured can be very high due to the commercialized and increasingly privatized treatment facilities, medicines and other diagnostic procedures. Indeed, it is undeniable that conventional medicine has gone through great leaps and bounds in preserving the quality and longevity of lives of people around the world. This owes very much to advances in diagnostic and treatment procedures and preventive measures. The use of X-rays, CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies now give more accurate diagnoses over a shorter period of time. Vaccinations are now preventing the spread of diseases over large populations. Advances in the pharmaceutical industries are now presenting greater potential in curing some of the worlds deadliest diseases. Even medical doctors (M.D.) who recognize and advocate and use alternative medicine, like Weil (1998), still point out the greater ability and efficacy of conventional medicine in treating particular diseases as compared to alternative medical systems. Particularly, they mention the management and cure of viral infections; allergies; chronic degenerative diseases; autoimmune problems such as AIDS; bacterial infection; trauma; many of the serious forms of cancer; mental illnesses, which require medication; other functional illnesses; and medical and surgical emergencies. However, there are still many imperfections in conventional treatments. For example, there are drugs that are effective in treating particular problems but may bring about ugly side effects. For instance, thalidomide, a morning sickness drug is known to produce severe birth defects. The taking of malarial prophylaxis, such as doxycyclin, can damage the liver over long use, thus deemed inadvisable for usage of people living in malaria-infested areas. A recent online news report told how Americans get the most radiation from medical radiology. Viruses also evolve every day which presents continuous new challenges to the medical world. Natural Medicine The term natural medicine for the purpose of this paper refers to alternative medical systems that lean towards the usage of more natural means of healing, especially in comparison to conventional medicine. This adoption of a more simplified definition is due to the existence of several yet still similar and related definitions. The term is oftentimes almost equated to alternative medicine which was defined by Brannon and Feist (2007) as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not currently considered part of conventional medicine (p. 190). In actuality, the term alternative medicine covers a wide array of medical systems which evolved more or less independently from different cultures. Examples are the Chinese traditional medicine, from which acupuncture and acupressure arose; Ayurvedic medicine from India, Naturopathy from Europe; macrobiotics; chiropractic and other various massage treatments from all over the world. When these methods a re incorporated by conventional doctors to their practice, the treatments are termed complementary medicine. The clustering of these diverse medical systems and traditions, some of which from great civilizations, either under the term alternative medicine or complementary medicine, implies how the former is deemed only secondary to conventional medicine. On the other hand, natural medicine is also treated as synonymous to naturopathy. Naturopathy is a cure system which targets the prevention and cure of diseases with the use of safe and efficient natural remedies (Muetzell, 2008). The practitioners central belief is that the human being in his normal state is healthy and that disobedience to natural laws results to illnesses (Brown, 1988). It then follows that nature has the power and resources to heal and that the human body has the ability to maintain, nurse and heal itself back to health. It is said that the movement became sufficiently coherent in Europe in the 19th century. A man named Benedict Lust, a German patient who was treated for tuberculosis through hydrotheraphy and other natural means, migrated to the United States and popularized the movement. The naturopathy movement was popular in Germany and in Britain during those days and was later popularized in the United States (Brannon Feist, 2007). In spite of the varying definitions of natural medicine, the various alternative medical systems named early in the paper have significant similarities in their principles, which like naturopathy leans towards the healing power of nature. The seeking of natural balance is quite universal to various traditional and indigenous medical systems. In reverse, naturopathy employs various healing practices from various cultures. Increasing Popularity in Conventional Medicine-Dominated Countries More and more, natural medicine has been enjoying increasing popularity and patronage in countries with advanced levels of conventional medical practice. Eisenberg et al. (1993) reported that the unconventional medicine usage frequency of the United States adult population had been way higher than stated in previous reports. Particularly, they estimated that one in three persons in the U.S. adult population had been utilizing unconventional medicine in 1990. This figure also implied a greater number of patient visits to unconventional medicine practitioners as compared to visits to conventional medical practitioners. They added that the amount spent by these adults on unconventional treatment was also comparable to the amount spent by Americans for all hospitalizations. A telephone survey in Britain revealed a 20% usage of alternative medicine, most popular of which is the use of herbs, aroma therapy, acupuncture, massage and reflexology (Ernst, 2000). This increasing patronage of natural and other alternative medicine may also be attributed to the increasing number of physicians who practice or recommend alternative therapies to their patients. Astin (1998) mentioned how a 1994 survey showed that more than 60% of the surveyed variably specialized physicians in Washington State, New Mexico and Israel recommended alternative therapies to their patients in the previous year while 38% had done so in the previous month. Meanwhile, 47% of these physicians use alternative therapies on themselves and 23% of the physicians have incorporated alternative therapies to their practices. The practice of naturopathy as a discipline is also becoming more and more regulated and consolidated with the creation of professional associations such as the American Naturopathic Association. More so, various schools have been accredited to teach naturopathy such as the Bastyr University, National College of Natural Medicine and the Broucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine. More mainstream medical schools are now tackling or offering alternative medicine. Examples of such schools are Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown and Duke (Barney, 1998). Many conventional medical practitioners critique the usage of natural medicine. According to Ernst (2003), alternative medicine is largely opinion-based. Practitioners tend to give inconsistent and different prescriptions for the same diseases or medical conditions. For example, he cites how 100 different complementary therapies were recommended for asthma, while systemic reviews failed to back up a single treatment for this indication (p. 1134). Ernst was also disappointed at the scarcity of systematically gathered evidence. Yet, he is not against alternative medicine per se. He advocated for a more objective and scientific usage of alternative medicine. Why the Shift towards Natural Medicine? Overly-commercialized Conventional Medicine Weil (1998) tells how the commercialization of orthodox medicine is discouraging patients to continue seeking conventional treatments. He characterizes how mainstream medicine continues to become more expensive and technology-reliant. He tells how the popularity of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) has gravely affected the health care system. HMOs, he claims, want doctors to see as many patients as possible for the purpose of profit. Sadly, doctors spend less time with their patients which translate to less detailed medical and family histories, thus affecting the quality of diagnosis and treatment. In contrast, naturopathic consultations involves long and thorough interview with patients. Interviews look at medical and family histories, patient lifestyle, emotional health, and other physical features. Ernst (2000) points to various motivating factors for trying complementary and alternative medicine, which he divides into two positive and negative motivations. Positive motivations consist of the attributes of alternative medicine itself while negative motivations refer to negative attributes of conventional medicine which pushes patients to try alternative medicine. Examples of those enlisted as positive motivation are the following: 1) perceptions of effectiveness; 2) perception of safety; 3) control over treatment; 4) good patient-healer relationship; and 5) non-invasive nature. Meanwhile, enumerated as negative motivations are: 1) dissatisfaction of- and case-to-case ineffectiveness of conventional medicine; 2) rejection of science and technology; 3) rejection of the establishment; and 4) desperation. Education, Poorer Health Status and Congruence to Patient Beliefs and Principles The national study of Astin (1998) revealed that the most significant factors leading to the use of alternative medicine are the attainment of a higher level of education, having a poorer health status and the greater congruence of alternative medicine to the patients values, beliefs and philosophies. Patrons, he said, tend to hold a philosophical orientation towards health and holism. He also found out that dissatisfaction with the conventional medical system is not as significant as the earlier mentioned factors. Key Principles of Natural Medicine and their Implication to Treatment in Comparison to Conventional Medicine As mentioned in Astins study (1998), the principles of natural medicine appeals significantly to patients. The key principles of naturologists can be summed up into six guidelines, which are: 1) Promote the healing power of nature; 2) First do no harm; 3) Treat the whole person; 4) Treat the cause rather than the symptom; 5) Prevention is the best cure; 6) The physician is a teacher, teaching patients to take care of themselves (Brannon Feist, 2007). Holistic (system-oriented vis-a-vis disease oriented) The most common word to describe naturalistic treatment is holistic. This owes to natural medicines strong faith and reliance on the natural balance of nature. Particularly, the body was said to have a stable state that when bothered can lead to illnesses. Natural medicine also believes that excretion of wastes is a valuable part of this system and a stoppage to this normal functions lead to an unhealthy state. To illustrate, Chinese traditional medicine believes in the concept of Chi, a local concept which closely translates to vital energy. Chi, the Chinese believe, flows throughout the body. In line with this, illnesses are attributed to the blockage of this energy flow. Acupuncture for instance targets to solve this blockage. Natural medicine practitioners look at patients in their wholeness as individuals. Practitioners usually look at factors that may be disrupting the bodys natural balance. They are not only focused on the physical body but also looks at the mind and spirit. It is common for natural medicine practitioners to look at the lifestyles of patients and tries to being out the natural healing capacity of the body. They advise and help patients incorporate stress reduction methods and healthy eating into their lifestyles. This was in contrast to the treatment of conventional medicine which commonly isolates the physical body from the exclusion of mind and spirit (Weil, 1998). Barney (1998) a medical doctor who subscribes to medical complementation, criticizes the rigidity of conventional medicine in its approach to diseases. Particularly, he describes conventional treatments as disease-oriented. For instance, to address an infection, doctors may prescribe antibiotics that can weaken the kidneys. This shows a disregard to the body as a system only comprised of body parts. He said that treatment options must be expanded to fit the specific needs of each patient. Regard for particularities While natural medicine practitioners look at the whole in everyone, they also do not forget to look at the particular attributes of the individual. For instance, Ayurvedic medicine subscribes to the belief that there are different types of human bodies and that each body type must be given customized medical treatment. People who are fat or thin are also not automatically considered unhealthy in Ayurvedic medicine. Whereas in conventional medicine, normal body mass is calculated based on the height and weight of a person compared to universal standards. Also, some of the healthiest food prescribed by conventional medicine for a healthy person can be classified as unhealthy in Chinese medicine based on individual conditions. In this tradition, the definition of healthy food varies from person to person, even to those who may be classified by conventional medicine as being in a state of good health. Bias towards the Natural Natural medicine also attributes illnesses to actions and activities which veer away from natural laws of the body. For example, in macrobiotics, it is viewed that meat and poultry products being sold nowadays are very characteristically un-natural due to the hormones and chemicals being fed to the animals to facilitate speedy growth. Thus, natural medicine avoids or minimizes the usage of synthetic drugs such as antibiotics, radiation technologies, biomedical technologies such as vaccines and major surgery. Furthermore, it uses more natural substances and medicines found in the body and in the natural environment such as water in hydrotherapy. It has a far greater respect for herbal medicines which was used by a great number of people around the world. In contrast, conventional medical treatments can sometimes suppress the bodys efforts and capability to self-heal. Conclusion The fact that natural medicine is enjoying widening and growing support especially in the Western world gives credence to its claims of efficacy in relieving problems of the mind, body and soul. It also reflects particular weaknesses in the current conventional medical practice, which translates as negative motivations for usage of natural medicine. This validates the importance of the key characteristics of natural medicine which are: 1) holism; 2) bias towards the natural; and 3) attention to the particular. Outside the efficacy in dealing with physical problems, I think that the greatest trait espoused by natural medicine that conventional medicine lacks is in the formers attention to the mind and body. This translates to patients feelings of peace, control over their bodies and feelings of being valued and respected by their healers. Like Ernst, I believe that natural medicine and other alternative medical systems can benefit from addressing the critiques of conventional medical practitioners. In particular, it would be beneficial if natural medicine practitioners from various traditions can take steps in systematically documenting and gathering our- and other unexplored healing practices and their results. This is a positive step towards a maximization of knowledge from all over the world and the integration of various know-hows and towards more informed choices among patients.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

An Examination of Standardized Testing Essay -- Standardized Testing Es

Do standardized tests really improve the quality of public education? For years they have been used to judge schools' academic performance and assess the needs of students. No longer can illiterates be graduated from high school. No longer can teachers pass a student from one grade to another without having taught that student anything (Spellings). While these advances are beneficial, standardized exams often hurt already disadvantaged schools, promote states to lower their standards of education, and cause schools to focus more on the exams themselves rather than on their students' actual learning (Karp). One of the major foundations of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, a national law requiring public schools to distribute standardized tests at least once a year, is that schools may be sanctioned by the federal government as a result of poor test grades. Obviously, this threat places an extraordinary amount of stress on schools to do well on their exams and holds teachers and administrators more accountable. However, it also causes teachers to teach the test rather than their curriculum, allowing students to perform better on exams without actually understanding the tested material (Karp). Test-teaching has become so common that students may actually take classes helping them to improve test scores, and whole days of public school are spent teaching kids better and faster ways to eliminate wrong answers (Gallagher). Such usage of classroom time and faculty effort is by no means useful to any child?s education, and its pervasiveness is unacceptable. Indeed, the pervasiveness of test-teaching is now remarkable. Former president of the National Urban League Hugh Price urges parents to ??make certain your children can pass?a... ...on Gale. Cedar Park High School Lib., Cedar Park, TX. 11 December 2007 . Spellings, Margaret. ?Is Standardized Testing the Correct Answer? YES.? ED.gov. 14 October 2005. U.S. Department of Education. 9 December 2007 . Path: Press Room, Fact Sheets, Op-Eds, Op-Eds & Letters to the Editor, "Is Standardized Testing the Correct Answer? YES" appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ?Standardized Tests.? PVCC Assessment Initiative. 20 October 2003. Maricopa Community Colleges. 9 December 2007 . Path: Employees, Assessment Initiative, General Assessment Resources, Standardized/National Exams. Whitaker, Mark. ?Byline.? Newsweek 2 June 2003: 6. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thompson Gale. Cedar Park High School Lib., Cedar Park, TX. 6 December 2007 .

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Educational Value of Platos Early Socratic Dialogues Essay

The Educational Value of Plato's Early Socratic Dialogues ABSTRACT: When contemplating the origins of philosophical paideia one is tempted to think of Socrates, perhaps because we feel that Socrates has been a philosophical educator to us all. But it is Plato and his literary genius that we have to thank as his dialogues preserve not just Socratic philosophy, but also the Socratic educational experience. Educators would do well to better understand Plato's pedagogical objectives in the Socratic dialogues so that we may appreciate and utilize them in our own educational endeavors, and so that we may adapt the Socratic experience to new interactive educational technologies. Plato designed his Socratic dialogues to arm students for real world challenges and temptations. First, in both form and function the dialogues attempt to replicate the Socratic experience for their audience. They demand from their readers what Socrates demanded from his students: active learning, self-examination, and an appreciation for the complexity and importance of w isdom. Second, the dialogues challenge the conflation of professional and personal excellence, best exemplified by sophists such as Hippias, and exhort their reader to pursue personal aretà ª separately from and alongside practical and professional skills or technai. Third, they aim not to transmit some prepackaged formula for success, but to teach students to learn for themselves; that is to love and pursue wisdom. The Socratic dialogues, and philosophic dialogue itself, are educationally important in that they teach us to be philosophers in the literal sense. It is instructively ironic that scholars look immediately to the Republic when considering Plato's theory of education, yet most of... ...oral sense from being good at a particular skill . (3) I am here reminded of one of my own student's reaction to Socrates. A meek Vietnamese woman who said barely anything in class wrote, "Socrates gives me the courage to stand up for my belief and not to be afraid of others who tell me I'm wrong." (4) For this description I am indebted to Prof. Kostas Michaelides of the University of Cyprus. (5) This image is expressed eloquently in Socrates' elenchos of Agathon in Symposium [199c-201c] and of Menexenus in Lysis [216c-221d] (6) See, for example, Laches 192e ff. and Charmides 164bc. (7) I am indebted for this eloquent distinction to Prof. Gerhard A. Rauche, Professor Emeritus of the University of Durban-Westivile, South Africa. (8) These characteristics of the Platonic telos are advocated by Prof. Apostolos Pierris of the University of Patras, Greece

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Creation Stories :: African Creation Tales Essays

Creation Stories Hegemonic myths are integral to understanding not only where a culture came from but also where it is going. The norms, ethics, and mores of a society are imbedded in its oral and written tradition so that it can subtly be relayed from generation to generation. The myths themselves are not consciously constructed with this intention. Rather the messages are subtextual – hidden in the creative story lines and characters. Since they were such good teaching tools, every culture has some kind of creation story to relay its early beginnings and important lessons. Although each society has its own version there are similarities and differences among the different cultures. For example, within West Africa there are comparable and contrasting creation stories, and then between West Africa and Egypt there are additional points of comparison. There are a variety of categories upon which the different creation stories correspond that it is difficult to find an overall theme. However, it can be said that each culture truly believed that its society was the center of the universe and its story was unequivocally right. I cannot help but be reminded of a scene from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. When Misses Anna shows the emperor’s children the map of the world, they are astounded that Siam is so small and not the center of the world. Additionally, they do not believe the world rotates on an axis. Rather, it is carried on the back of a giant turtle. Although it may seem rather comical, this is another creation story that, like those from West Africa and Egypt, affirms that the society holds their cultural myths as fact. In addition to the ethnocentric view that each story purveys, there is an inherent need to explain the unknown. This was probably their intended purpose, in addition to providing entertainment. The stories were necessary for people to understand the world around them and their place in it. The elements, the origin of man and his vices and natural occurrences, such as the cycles of the sun and moon, are topics that each myth addresses. It is interesting to note the circumstances under which humans were created. In both the Egyptian and West African Mande myths, man upset the equilibrium that existed between him and the Gods.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Pest and Porter’s Five Forces Analysis of Barclays Bank Essay

PEST Analysis Barclays Bank identified the sustainability as a means of recognizing and managing the economic, social, and environmental issues across the Group, and at the same time, contributing to the wellness of the society. PEST analysis is created to identify the factors that might affect the sustainability of the organization. Political Analysis The sustainability of Barclays’s agenda has expanded rapidly. It reflects the company’s increasing focus on the wider nature of business and made the stakeholders growing interests in competitive world of business. There is now a great awareness about the global challenges such as climate changes, poverty, scarcity of resources, and demographic shifting. The responses came from the government and from different businesses, as well as the non-profit organization helped the Barclays made it possible for the sustainability. Economic Analysis The approach to the sustainability program is useful and encourages the company to be open and transparent to the issues such as the initiatives in further research and development, dialogue with the government and various organizations, and their priorities. Barclays enable to broaden their focus on corporate responsibility to prove that they play an essential role in establishing an economic advantage in the country where they operate. Social Analysis The sustainability strategy focuses in their objective to improve the value of the business and their stakeholders. They give importance on the customers and clients such as maintaining the understanding of their needs and promoting the company by measuring satisfaction. It can be only possible  by focusing of their global performance by their assurance to develop an innovative solution and enhancing performance. On the other hand, the people working under their organization make a great advantage in the performance of the business. In addition, they attract employees to collect the talent, develop them according to the competent world, and retaining them as much as possible. Technological Analysis The Barclays uses the means of technology for their business especially in the areas of inclusive banking. Their aim to help the people in fight against poverty is possible through their financial system. The technology makes it possible to empower the system and establish a competitive advantage. Pioneering the new ideas, adding the skills and operational excellence are part of the guiding principle of the organization. Read more: http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2010/09/pest-and-porters-five-forces-analysis-of-barclays-bank.html#ixzz14SgOwmCo

Summary of the Biography of Edgar Allan Poe

Biography of Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. That makes him Capricorn, on the cusp of Aquarius. When Poe was 6, he went to school in England for 5 years. He learned Latin and French, as well as math and history. He later returned to school in America and continued his studies. Edgar Allan went to the University of Virginia in 1826. He was 17. Edgar Allan had no money, no job skills, Edgar went to Boston and joined the U. S. Army in 1827. He was 18. He did reasonably well in the Army and attained the rank of sergeant major.In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe went to New York City where he had some of his poetry published. He submitted stories to a number of magazines and they were all rejected. Poe had no friends, no job, and was in financial trouble. In 1835, Edgar finally got a job as an editor of a newspaper because of a contest he won with his story, â€Å"The Manuscript Found in a Bottle†. Edgar missed Mrs. Clemm and Virginia and brought them to Rich mond to live with him. In 1836, Edgar married his cousin, Virginia. He was 27 and she was 13.As the editor for the Southern Literary Messenger, Poe successfully managed the paper and increased its circulation from 500 to 3500 copies. Despite this, Poe left the paper in early 1836, complaining of the poor salary. In 1837, Edgar went to New York. He wrote â€Å"The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym† but he could not find any financial success. He moved to Philadelphia in 1838 where he wrote â€Å"Ligeia† and â€Å"The Haunted Palace†. His first volume of short stories, â€Å"Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque† was published in 1839. Poe received the copyright and 20 copies of the book, but no money. Poe found himself without a regular job once again.He tried to start a magazine called The Stylus and failed. He won a hundred dollars for his story, â€Å"The Gold Bug† and sold a few other stories to magazines but he barely had enough money to support hi s family. Often, Mrs. Clemm had to contribute financially. In 1844, Poe moved back to New York. Even though â€Å"The Gold Bug† had a circulation of around 300,000 copies, he could barely make a living. He and his family moved to a small cottage near what is now East 192nd Street. Virginia's health was fading away and Edgar was deeply distressed by it. Virginia died in 1847, 10 days after Edgar's birthday.After losing his wife, Poe collapsed from stress but gradually returned to health later that year. On September 27, Poe left Richmond for New York. He went to Philadelphia and stayed with a friend named James P. Moss. On September 30, he meant to go to New York but supposedly took the wrong train to Baltimore. On October 3, Poe was found at Gunner's Hall, a public house at 44 East Lombard Street, and was taken to the hospital. He lapsed in and out of consciousness but was never able to explain exactly what happened to him. Edgar Allan Poe died in the hospital on Sunday, Octo ber 7, 1849.Quotes from Edgar Allan Poe â€Å"It will be found, in fact, that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the truly imaginative never otherwise than analytic. † – from â€Å"The Murders in the Rue Morgue† â€Å"It is more than probable that I am not understood; but I fear, indeed, that it is in no manner possible to convey to the mind of the merely general reader, an adequate idea of that nervous intensity of interest with which, in my case, the powers of meditation (not to speak technically) busied and buried themselves, in the contemplation of even the most ordinary objects of the universe. † – from â€Å"Berenice†

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Annotated Bibliographies of Glacier Extinction Related Articles Essay

Al gore delivers this book the impinging global warming by combining the truths through presentation of scientific evidences from experts and helping the audience visualize the facts laid by science through pictures and other forms of visual presentations. Al Gore has been venturing with environmental issues, emphasizing the importance of preserving the environment. The article argues about the different ways of viewing the issue, either politically, scientifically and morally, which actually does not hinder people from different disciplines read it. The reading material wishes to convince readers to make some action regarding the inconvenient truth, which is the title of the book. Human race can be affected by these natural disruptions. Compared to other books, personal touch was added to the book by attaching personal opinions and anecdotes, relating his personal experiences being an advocate to the environment for a more effective and affective learning experience to the readers. 2. Jowit, Juliette. â€Å"Speed of Melting Glaciers’ destruction revealed†. The Observer January 2007:7. Academic Search Premier. Lexis Nexis. City University of New York Library, 9 October 2007 http://web. lexis-nexis. com/. Underlined with the statements of the article are factual evidences that strengthen the stand of the author. The article dwells much of its attention to the factual evidences of the effects of global warming but does not mention that much on its possible effects in humanity. The article, being short, provides a lot of important points that can be informative enough to satisfy the thirst for knowledge for those who seek information regarding the issue. Numerical figures put an intense effect on the reader that engages him to thinking that people should already make their actions to save the environment from a slow to fast approaching disruption of natural processes. The melting of ice that increases the sea level as a common notion was added with the fact that reflection of sun’s harmful rays is one of the important functionalities of glaciers. Presented here are a number of reference organizations that dedicated themselves on the study of glacial behavior that helps in making this article reliable. This article could actually deliver in an understandable sense the importance of the glaciers and how the humans consume them, knowingly or unknowingly, and how the nature is trying to get back what losses humans have caused. 3. Khalil, M. A. K. â€Å"Non—CO2 Greenhouse Gases in the Atmosphere†. Annual Review of Energy & the Environment 24. 1 (1999):645-662. Khalil, who focused the article only about greenhouse gases, emphasizes in the article that CO2 is not the sole greenhouse gas that is the reason for global warming. It has been pointed out that many industrial, agricultural and those that produce gases such as CH3, NO2 and CFCs can individually contribute to global warming insignificantly; but when all these combined and through time, the effect is magnified and becomes even more significant than CO2. The author suggests of the possible answers to avoid the additional hazard of these gases, that is the formulation of other gases (perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride, which are inert in the atmosphere) of the same application as the three mentioned. The extinction of glaciers was not touched by this article, but same problem is tackled which are of about the same impact to the environment. Also, the danger it might cause to forms of life was not mentioned. 4. Raper, Sarah C. B, and Braithwaite, Rojer J. â€Å"Low Sea Level Rise Projection from Mountain Glaciers Icecaps under Global Warming†. Nature 439 (2006): 311-313. The rise of sea level due to global warming was introduced in the article, which was then connected to greenhouse gas emissions, that would result in 0. 387-m rise on the 22nd century. Several factors are mentioned including thermal expansion, which contributes 0. 288-m rise, 0. 106-m rise as caused by melting of glaciers and ice caps, 0. 024-m rise as influenced by Greenland, and a fall of 0. 074 due to Antartica. A modeling technique was done to further improve the discussion which talks about the effects of melting, which has some corrections to avoid error. The melting of mountain glaciers and ice caps were differentiated and compared to other existing computations. Effects on the biosphere is not mentioned in the article. 5. United States. Environmental Protection Agency. â€Å"Coastal Zones and Sea Level Rise†. 9 October 2007 http://www. epa. gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/index. html. This paper is filled with scientific evidences referring to the coastal zones and the rise of the sea level related to the climate variability and changes. The article introduces the possible areas that can be affected by sea level rise, then tackled each area in relation to it and with each other in some sense. Subsiding coastal lands being the reason for sea level rise, where the extinction of glaciers is mentioned. Actually this is the only portion of the paper that mentions about glaciers, and the rest do not, but then everything connects with the rise of the sea level, but then it is not directly emphasized that the reason for all is the glacier’s extinction. The author’s knowledge makes interconnection among the plausible effects of sea level elevation, which is mainly due to the melting of glaciers. This article compared to the 2nd one is more scientifically supported, and is actually lengthier and more statistically played upon. The readers will be able to extract many things from this article.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Prima facie Essay

Introduction According to the article, Rhino poaching is in no way shown as moral. The ethical issues I see are that people are ignoring the fact that this horrible act is occurring and many people who do know about it won’t do anything about it, but are able to waste time watching pointless videos. The You Tube interventions took a moral approach to help with the petition. Although some were offended, the majority signed the petition and became more aware of the world around them. Utilitarianism When studying the supreme principle of morality as utility, we must first examine the definition of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism the effort to answer the question of man ought to do. For a utilitarian, the answer is simple: Act to produce the best consequences possible for the greatest number of people possible. In this, liberty and harm are treated as an equal. The end goal is to produce a general welfare or Arthur’s collective well- being. Jeremy Bentham, one philosophical view we examined defined utilitarianism as the ethical system that judges actions to be moral to the extent they maximize happiness, producing pleasures, and preventing pains. According to Bentham, there is a possibility of good and bad consequences however; preventing suffering is what matters through pleasure and the avoidance of pain. John Stuart Mill was a follower of Benthams, and he came up with the principle of utility. He stated that â€Å"Nature has places mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters† these masters are pain and pleasure. This is an experience based principle. We learn through experience that we are governed through pleasure and pain. According to Brandt’s view on utilitarianism, if all you do is add up numbers, there still a possibility of producing an immoral outcome. Singer’s principles also exemplified this. In the article â€Å"YouTube Interventions to Save the Rhino†, Utilitarianism is exemplified in that there was a greater outcome for a greater number of people. Sure, some were offended, however in the cases that the petition was signed, the rhinos and animal activists were impacted positively. Also, the new act allowing this method of communication will help when it come t other disastrous situations. Also, the whole world was able to be impacted. This effort had a mass effect on the petition. In the end, rhinos could be saved and a great idea was introduced, even the offended learned that their time was not being used effectively and therefore had somewhat of a positive outcome. Deontology In the study of deontology, we use Kant and Foot’s philosophical views. Deontology can be considered duty-based ethics, and reason alone should be used when finding the moral duty this concerns and reason in turn will cause a respect for rationality. Kant believed that morally you should act so that the maxim of your actions can and should be considered a universal law; morally you should have respect for human dignity. In this principle one should never for any reason intentionally harm someone who is believed to be innocent. Philippa Foot expands of Kant’s principle of hypothetical imperatives in an argument. She argues the Kant contrasts acting out of respect for moral law with acting from an alterior motive. Taking this into consideration she believes is crucial to shape Kant’s moral Philosophy. All in all, morality can only involve rational beings because only rationa l beings have the capacity to reason the way things are and should be and the ability to exercise freedom. Perfect categorical duties allow for no if’s and’s or but’s. Others are not, under any circumstances, to be used just as a means to acquire morality. In summary of this moral standing and the three forms of hypothetical morality according to Foot and Kant, â€Å"If you want x, you should do y, Because you want x you should do y, and because x is in your best interest, you should do y†. For Kant the second and third principles are one in the same. The article answers the supreme moral question â€Å"Did anyone use anyone merely as a means? † The answer is simply yes. The multiple videos that were altered were used as a means to get the communication across about animal poaching. The You Tube interventions had a positive outcome however in that a mass majority was made aware of what was going on in the world and how much time the viewers were actually wasting watching the highly viewed frivolous viral videos. Deontologists would agree with the interventions campaign. They wanted people to be aware of the issue of rhino poaching and wanted a petition signed so they included a link to the petition and urged people to sign it by noting that it wouldn’t take much time. They also wanted people to be aware that the silly videos were simply a waste of time and that was noted. Deontologists would have resolved these issues in a very similar manner because no one was hurt, they were just helped. Prima Facie Duties The prima facie duties introduced by W. D. Ross, a professor from Oxford University, argued that the right and the good are properties known intuitively and these duties may conflict holding only prima facie. There are no supreme principles involved. All focal points in the argument of what makes right acts right and wrong acts wrong are taken into account when looking into prima facie duty. Prima facie is judgment based on considered opinion. The article doesn’t really exemplify prima facie duties in that the article agrees completely with the study of deontology, and Ross argues with deontology. The duty to sign the petition however did arise from the obligation to save the rhino’s from poaching. This exemplifies the opinion Ross had on duty in itself. Conclusion I thought that the approach this article took was completely effective and I agree that the awareness of rhino poaching was done morally. When others want to make you aware of things like the animal fur industry, they walk down runways with imitation blood dripping from a fur coat. This was done in a way where most were not offended, a majority of people were impacted and action was taken. The petition was signed and an increase of 400% of the signatures was reached. I think that deontology supports the article the most. The x and y principles were exemplified as Foot and Kant had demonstrated. I think that all of the principles we studied in this section can be applied to the article. The article least agrees with prima facie ideas however. There are ways to apply it which I stated earlier in this essay. So what makes right acts right and wrong acts wrong? How many are influenced, how they are influenced, and act to include intent of agent and consent of person affected by act.

Friday, September 13, 2019

The organisational change of a packaged manufacturing company of Essay

The organisational change of a packaged manufacturing company of Australia named Amcor - Essay Example The paper tells that in present day’s dynamic and competitive business context, organisations need to adjust with the fluctuating environmental situations by constantly introducing changes so that they can stay competitive and cost-effective. Substantial transformations take place when an organisation carry out changes, for instance, apply new technology, develop union, make acquisition, reduce tasks, reorganise operations, or introduce new programs. Organisational changes are generally encouraged by a requirement to maintain or develop organisations’ efficiency. The efficiency relates to the organisations’ capability to utilise resources competently, to accomplish immediate objectives as well as to embrace the prerequisite to changing business condition. Thus, organisational changes help organisations to stay competent for longer period of time. According to Ackerman, there are three kinds of organisational change which are developmental change, transitional cha nge and transformational change. Developmental change refers to the change for augmenting and developing the present situation of an organisation. It often emphasises on developing the abilities and the procedures. The transitional change denotes shifting from present condition to anticipated condition where provisional shift happens over an organised time period. The transformational change is fundamental in nature and necessitates an alteration in expectations on the part of organisation and the employees. (Ramanathan, 2009). Organisational Development Organisational development is a procedure and activity which helps to bring transformations and accomplish greater efficiencies such as augmented financial performance, improved customer satisfaction and better employee participation among others. The focus of organisational development is to assess the present functioning of organisation and accomplish the objectives by increasing the ability. Organisational change is a wider conce ption than organisational development and can be used in managing the organisational transformation (Cummings & Worley, 2008). The nature of change in Amcor is developmental change because it had applied change across numerous locations, divisions and business units in order to develop the safety measures and improve the performance through reduction of time and cost. Amcor had used the constant improvement approach of change which empowers the employees to lead towards alteration from bottom-up stage. The strategic objective of change for Amcor is to maintain accountability in packaging experience (Manufacturing Skills, 2007). Context and Background Amcor is a manufacturing organisation based in Melbourne (Australia), which produces varieties of plastic, string, copper and glass wrapping products and delivers packaging oriented services. Its business has spread in 24 nations and almost half of the income is derived from outside of Australia. It is known as one of the most significa nt organisations on the basis of market capitalisation, sales and profit in the international market (Charles Sturt University, 2011). With the increased competition in the global market, Amcor had faced the challenges of high raw material price and the need for improving customer and market competences. These aspects had resulted in the requirement of organisational change in Amcor. Amcor operates in a progressively competitive business environment where only the fittest and capable organisation can survive and prosper. Thus, in order to survive in the market, Amcor had transformed the organisational culture and behaviour by implementing lean manufacturing in their

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Pre Calculus Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pre Calculus Questions - Assignment Example However, I later discovered that integration is the easier of the two concepts through practice. Using numerical data, differentiation proved to be the most difficult concept to use and in some case, I realized when doing trial questions that it was difficult to use differentiation. I realized that differentiation was only nice when using explicit formulae to solve functions. Integration seemed impossible explicitly but it was comfortable numerically. Natural exponential function can be used to estimate the size of a population with a constant relative growth rate. In estimating population growth, the formula P (t) = P (0) e kt where P is population after a period t, k denotes constant relative growth rate, and P (0) denotes the initial population size at t = 0. The measurement of time used in the formula is in most cases proportional to the life of the organisms under study. In the case of bacteria, hours or days are utilized while for human beings, t is normally in

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Patton Lessons in Leadership by Alan Axelrod Essay

Patton Lessons in Leadership by Alan Axelrod - Essay Example The main focus of the said work is the collection of the knowledge and the lessons brought about by George S. Patton, one of the most successful military general in the US. The most significant of the said concepts is the application suggestions to the corporate America even in the absence of war (Axelrod, 2001). The ideas of George S. Patton can be considered innovative but unconventional for his time. Although this is the case, upon the study of the published work, a significant affirmation regarding the feasibility of the ideas can be considered as the driving force for the popularity of the presented concepts and ideas. The views of Patton covered an extensive variety of experiences he related to leadership in any form, specifically the needs of the present era (Axelrod, 2001). One of the most evident attributes of Patton is his confidence to execute his decisions and views, a character that can be considered to have an important role in his capability to achieve goals, act upon what he planned and motivate his people. When one observes a leader such as Patton, at some point, following his goals and views can be inevitable. This can be attributed to his achievements during his leadership. The different concepts in leadership based on Patton can be related to the leadership image, communication in the organization, setting up of priorities, teamwork, performance, loyalty and achievement. The ideas presented in the published work mainly revolve in the corresponding applications of the concepts and methods Patton applied in military leadership during the war and the needs of the corporate world in terms of leadership. One of the ideas is projected in the development and upholding of the image of the leader. According to Patton, to be able to achieve success as a leader, the image for the people to follow is one of the most important factors.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Art World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Art World - Essay Example It is this position that Danto (1999) saw as misplaced and lacking basis to consider art as coming to an end. Indeed, the basis for revisiting the subject of the end-of-art thesis in the present seminar is to compare the validity of the arguments presented by the two writers in today’s era of art world. The opinions that are going to be expressed on the article will therefore be broad enough to capture the entire relationship between the artist’s power of innovation and the influence it has on art world. Much of the argument would also focus on modern day art so as to have an understanding of the power of the artist in using some of the world’s modernity to transform the art world. In the article, Danto (1999) identifies two modes of thought in art. These are subjective and objective spirits. According to Danto (1999), subjective spirit deals closely with the artist’s cognitive interpretation of the world around him, based on which themes of art world are presented. Largely so, Hegel (1975) had argued that in the application of their subjective spirits, artists have refused to have an awakening of thought that is based on the need for the output of their works to be based on genuine truth about human reasoning. This is a notion that Danto refuses to accept because in the opinion of Dante, generational dynamism is necessary for giving the artist much room to try out more innovation that presents the art world with an era of social thinking that is based on the artist’s own cognitive empowerment. Indeed, taking the arguments presented by the two writers on subjective spirits of artists and presenting it in modern social art, one would say that the new era of artist subjectivity where genuine truth of life no longer exists as the subject matter for most forms of art has been accepted as being fairly befitting for the changing society. A very typical example that can be cited of this is the use of sci-fi art where artists create i deas from their subjective reasoning that are not based on original human reasoning. Indeed, record sales of sci-fi movies and books such as Inception and Men in Black glorifies the point by Danto that the trend of subjective spirit in modern art does not necessarily mean an end to art. There is also the second mode of thought that has to do with objective spirit. Under this mode of thought, Dante (1999) explains in his article that it has to do with the reasoning of art that is taken from a broader social perspective such as political institutions, moral codes and forms of family life. From this score, Hegel had argued that artist are no longer doing society much good from their themes of art work because they had taken new position in the art world where sensationalism had become the order of the day. Yet again, Danto does not see eye in eye with Hegel. In the opinion of Danto, â€Å"It is from the perspective of objective spirit that any institutional theory of art is credibleâ €  (p. 4). This means that once a piece of art that is produced from an objective spirit becomes accepted by society and judged as credible, not much can be said against it in terms of whether or not it is contributing to a dying art world. Clearly, any modern day artist who takes up an objective perspective of art

Monday, September 9, 2019

LOREAL BUILDING A GLOBAL COSMETIC BRAND. Pages 644- 651 of your main Case Study - 1

LOREAL BUILDING A GLOBAL COSMETIC BRAND. Pages 644- 651 of your main text Ghauri and Cateora text book (2010) - Case Study Example L’Oreal has managed to penetrate the market deeper because of the strength of its brand. Mostly, it is its association with top models and proper marketing that has aided the company to fly high. Amid strong competitive environment, L’Oreal has fully engrossed in one line of product production to achieve quality. Unlike its competitors who have diversified, L’Oreal has only opted to stay fixed to one line of production. Branding is a major asset of a company and through it; a company can either achieve market or financial advantage (Jayachandran 2004). A brand can be defined as a name which influences buyers. Throughout its entire period in the market L’Oreal has managed to grab the attention of customers. At the display of its products customers are easily evoked to make a purchase. L’Oreal has adopted a method of saliency, differentiation and intensity to market its products globally. Being an attention driven economy brand campaign is a requirement, bringing to the fore the major attributes of the product aids the sale of that product; these are the mechanisms which L’Oreal has incorporated in its strategy (Cant 2006). L’Oreal’s brand has been a certitude and risk reducer in the market. Each moment a customer comes across these products they feel contended about the quality and use of them. L’Oreal’s product images portray a quality and functional product which is essentially attractive in the eyes of the customers. It is these appealing techniques which have spurred the growth of this company. A clear observation at the taglines of the company is a sign that its planning mechanisms are up to date; ‘because you are worth it’. These Cathy taglines are what pull customers continually to remain loyal in the company’s products. It gives a sense of caring and concern to customers in the market (Little & Marandi 2003) The logo chosen by the company is a simple and easily interpreted

Sunday, September 8, 2019

ETHICAL DILEMMA IN THE CLINICAL RESEARCH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ETHICAL DILEMMA IN THE CLINICAL RESEARCH - Essay Example The first is on the issue of disclosing all the information to the participants including all the risks of the trial or to just disclose the most important of the information and let the rest of the information be disclosed after the trial as a debrief. The dilemma comes in where the full disclosure of all the information to the participants may lead to some of them not giving informed consent and opting out in which case it will take longer to find others without any guarantee that they will also stay throughout the whole exercise. The lack of disclosure will lead to signing the consent and the trial continuing as scheduled (Gad, 2009). The other ethical dilemma comes in in the issue of publication of the findings of the clinical trial. The clinical trial may be marked with several problems which may render the drug unfriendly to most people. If this information is released to the public through the findings, the drug may either be banned from manufacture and production or harm many people. On the other hand, the lack of issuing of publication will mean that no one will know of the drug and hence the whole process of research and trial will have just been a waste of time and money and hence a loss which many pharmaceutical companies cannot handle (Verdu-Pacual and Ponce, 2001). They therefore have to make the hard choice of risking the lives of people and a future lawsuit by publishing or cutting their losses and going back to the drawing board. Lastly is the issue of patent rights versus the rights of patients. A patent lasts for 4 years at which point it is given to another company or group. Every company wants to maximize these 4 years in order to have covered the expenses of production and made enough profit to sustain them (Lo, 2012). The dilemma comes in where in order to be able to do this within this short time, they have to overcharge the consumers for the drugs which is considered totally unethical and even inhumane and especially if the

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Strategic HRM Approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic HRM Approach - Essay Example HR experts and researchers (Armstrong, 2009) focus on multiple issues related to human resource management. First, they explored which factors lead an organization to adopt a strategic approach to HRM as well as the consequent formulation of this strategy. This also raises the question of which firms will be more likely to adopt a strategic approach than others are. For instance, do such firms have a specific set of external and internal characteristics and conditions? Secondly, the experts looked into the policies and practices that are characteristic of distinctive HR strategies. Is it reasonable to assume that there can exist, different sets of HR policies with the different models of HRM? Finally, an important issue that they have explored at length is the organizational performance that follows each of these sets of policies and practices. This brings in the question of whether HR strategy is important for organizations, and the answer that it is an essential factor for the HR s taff to consider when refining organizational performance. The main aim of HRM in this respect is to recognize, select, and implement activities that the staff thinks will be helpful in selecting a direction and a course of action, which would in turn enhance the long-term performance of an organization. This will occur if the chosen actions help synchronize the internal capabilities and skills of the company with the growing demands of its external environment. There are three main organizational frameworks (Armstrong. 2009) related to the several broad approaches of strategic HRM. One is universal, which is the best practice according to experts (Ehnert, 2009), s it focuses on broader aspects of business environment instead of narrowing them down, thus enabling the firm to derive competitive advantage from their strategy, regardless of the circumstance. Then there is the contingent approach (Ehnert, 2009), designed based on specific business environments. This is a narrower approa ch as compared to the universal framework, but is beneficial to specific companies as it provides them with competitive advantage, which is ‘contingent’ upon their reactions to situations arising in their strategic environment. Lastly, there is the organization-specific framework, which is unique for the firm, which designs and implements it. This introduces the concept that the individual characteristics of a firm necessitate a unique approach, as its unique resources such as human capabilities will enable it to derive a certain type of competitive advantage through the correct strategy. To explore each of these frameworks further, paper looks at the examples below, which present an idea of how a strategic approach would be designed based upon the framework. If the organization chooses to operate according to a universal framework, they will design their strategy in the light of the ‘best’ practices, which they will then implement into the overall organiza tional structure. This collection of HRM practices, or rather, this ‘HRM bundle’ could include ‘high ground’ components such as the goals of employee loyalty and commitment to the organization, high quality operation, and product, functional flexibility in the company structure. One goal could even be to corroborate the corporate objectives of the organization with the human

Is Science a Religion Essay Example for Free

Is Science a Religion Essay Is science a religion? This topic has been debated by many creationists and scientists alike. The philosophy of science makes no claims to knowledge about the supernatural or metaphysical and, by not so doing, is left with an enterprise that although hugely successful is also permanently on trial (Manne, 2010). The only thing scientists can agree upon is the empirical nature of science, but the steps from observations to theory are not without philosophical problems. DISCUSSION Thomas Kuhn thinks that scientific paradigms are essentially pictures of the world that are consistent with observations and logically coherent. But such pictures are necessarily always incomplete, at least until such time as we know everything, and our minds seem to struggle to accept this; it seems like there is an aesthetic compulsion to create harmonious images, even if that means filling in the spaces with metaphysical constructs. Andrew Brown states that the dictionary is wrong; science can be a religion too. He explains that if you strictly use the dictionary definition of science then it cannot be considered a religion, but if you look at science objectively you can see how it could be considered one. He makes a strong argument that religion has too many definitions for science to not be considered one. Richard Dawkins believes the opposite. He states that science is based upon verifiable evidence. Religious faith not only lacks evidence, its independence from evidence is its main virtue. Dawkins makes a good argument for science not being a religion. He even goes so far as to reconsider his stance only if science can get as much education time as religion does. Dawkins’ Atheist views are widely known but there are many more scientists that believe religion has no place in the world. Michael Ruse, on the other hand, asks why religion is not being taught in public schools while science is. His argument is that if â€Å"God exists† is a religious claim, why then is â€Å"God does not exist† not a religious claim? And if Creationism implies God exists and cannot therefore be taught, why then should science which implies God does not exist be taught? I am sure Dawkins was referring to Sunday school and bible study when he referred to science getting as much education time as science, but Ruse has a valid point. Science is taught in schools due to separation of church and state, therefore everyone has to learn science. Sunday school is voluntary. Peter Harrison demonstrated how the role of religion in the rise of modern science often focused on the way in which religion motivated particular individuals, or provided the essential content of approaches to nature. These relate to the origins of science and assume that, once established, modern science becomes self-justifying. However, seventeenth century criticisms of science, such as attacks on the Royal Society, suggest that science remained unimportant for quite some time. The rise of science to cultural importance in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was possible only because science was eventually able to establish itself as religiously useful initiative. Religion played a key role not only in the origins of modern science, but in providing the ongoing social sanctions that ensured its persistence and rise to prominence. This is a concept I am sure Dawkins would not appreciate, yet it has merit. The relationship between Science and Religion can be explained from two discrete points of view. Some would argue that scientific explanations are the only means of explaining our existence, while others would argue that religion and the story of creation provide a sufficient amount of the worlds conception. Religion and science both have the same basis, which are truth and understanding. It is this similarity that allows a direct link between science and religion. I believe that there is sufficient evidence to prove that science and religion are compatible. Albert Einstein had the same opinion when he presented the idea of the nature of light that was argued for hundreds of years. Scientology is also a proven example of compatibility between religion and science. Also, when looking at the two from a more general point of view, it would be obvious to say that they can both work together to give us a better understanding of the universe. In the early 1700s, a constructive debate on the true nature of light led to various arguments and theories. The corpuscular theory, which was more religious based, depicted light being tiny particles that were transferred from a source like the Sun to a destination. A more scientific theory suggested that light was a wave phenomenon where the energy was carried by a wave motion and not by movement of actual particles. In the early 1900s, Albert Einstein discovered that light was both a wave and it was composed of tiny particles. He felt that both sides were right all along and both contributed to finding out the true nature of light. With this discovery, he felt that there was a strong link between science and religion. Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind (Einstein, A). Saying this, he believed strongly in the fact that religion and science were compatible. He believed that religion was a byproduct of fear and a tool to help the primitive human mind deal with it. He believed that many leaders and rulers incorporated religion into their daily functions to secure their rule. The question â€Å"is science a religion? † still remains. The problem may lie in how science and religion differentiate in their distinct methodologies of searching for knowledge and belief. Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, it attempts to collect accurate information about the shared reality and to model it in a way that can be used to make reliable. They have concrete and quantitative predictions about events; everything has a hypothesis and has reasons to prove it. Science gains their knowledge through scientific method: testing hypotheses to develop theories through elucidation of facts or evaluation by experiments. It develops theories of the world which best fit the observed physical observed evidence. It can be categorized into two major types of sciences: human science and natural science and they rely mainly on empirical evidence. Religion is a set of beliefs and is related to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. Theologians believe in the omnipotent power that God has, they put faith on God and use religion as a tool to satisfy their unanswerable questions and desire to know. Some religious people maintain that religious knowledge is absolute and infallible. However, the knowledge each person believes in varies as religious knowledge varies from religion and each individual. Science tends to be more tangible while religion is more imperceptible according to senses. There is domestic danger in being a world religious leader and technological powerhouse. Religious commitment and leadership in science and technology greatly enlarges the potential for conflict between faith and science in the United States. The relationship between religion and views of science should be of interest not just to scientists and social scientists concerned with public opinion research, but to policy makers as well. Public opinion has significant impact upon the making of public policy. Commonly held perceptions about particular scientific findings could help determine the eventual shape of laws and other policies for issues such as abortion or climate change (Keeter, 2007). Tradition has taught mankind that religion and science are two competing theories that can never be intermixed. Science and religion put forth competing theories on how the world was created, who is responsible for such creation, and what happens to individuals when they die. Further, science proposes solutions for many of society’s problems that many religions clearly define as wrong, such as abortion, stem cell research, and cloning. Early scientists and philosophers integrated science and religion to explain the course and state of the cosmos. For instance, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, and Newton all asserted that mathematical relations, the foundation of science, were a product of God. According to the four, it was God who invented mathematics and then imposed mathematical laws on the universe to back them up. More than 100 years ago, William James remarked, â€Å"I do not see why a critical science of religions might not eventually command as general a public adhesion as is commanded by a physical science†. In James view, studying religion by way of science could shed more light on the issue than philosophy alone. James believed that philosophy fell short in that it failed to â€Å"capture the depth, motion, and vitality of religion†. By focusing on religion from a scientific point of view, researchers could better determine the concreteness of the religious experience. So, is science a religion? The answer is it depends on who you ask.  There is no concrete evidence to prove that it is or isn’t. I tend to believe that it could be. People like Richard Dawkins say emphatically no, yet he has blind faith that â€Å"what science cannot explain today, it will be able to explain tomorrow† (McGrath, pg. 148). Some have even gone so far as to compare Dawkins’ â€Å"infatuation† with Darwin with the Christian’s worship of Jesus Christ. I have not read anything that proves this but it could be another example of how science can be viewed as a religion. Either way, it seems that some level of faith is required for both and we can learn a lot from each one.