Buddhist Temples As Educational Centers For Spiritual Quest Essay

Buddhist Temples As Educational Centers For Spiritual Quest - Essay Example Buddhism is a choice religion for this, as it emphasises meditation, contemplation of nature, and non-traditional thinking. To understand how Buddhist temples can become educational centres for this kind of spiritual journey, one must first understand the nature of Spiritual quests and Buddhist faith, before looking again at the issue of questing and education. Spiritual quests have been an essential part of religious experience for most of recorded history. From shamanistic vision quests to the separations of Religious leaders, the spiritual quest is the path to enlightenment. These journeys often involve great challenges, difficulties or impossible tasks to be performed. Mythologies often depict heroes going on long journeys, and overcoming terrible odds in order to obtain valuable items, or important knowledge. The Scandinavian tale of Odin hanging from the world tree in order to obtain knowledge for human kind is one example of a spiritual quest. Often originating in personal cat astrophe, the spiritual quest seeks to bridge the divide between possible and impossible worlds. The seeker isolates him or herself from general society, and puts himself through an ordeal. Passing through that experience gives the seeker enlightenment, and they can then return to their society with the gifts that the quest has brought out and developed within them. In modern western society, the religious quest does not seem to be so important to us. Many people do not undertake these journeys - jobs, families and other ties mean that it would be extremely difficult to isolate yourself from the rest of society for long periods of time. In the present day, these quests are generally undertaken in less strenuous circumstances. Anyone wishing to perform an actual quest or journey can go on vacations to spiritual places, or join quest expeditions which Combine sightseeing with meditation, Yoga and other lessons in self-discovery and self empowerment (Andrews) Even if modern Western societies have adapted the spiritual practices of the past, then this does not mean that they are any less valid or challenging. In recent years, the spiritual quest has been compared with the scientific questioning of the world: The scientific quest is to discover the order in the external world of space, time energy and matter. The spiritual quest is to discover order in our consciousness. (Krishna) Krishna also emphasises the importance of personal experience in spiritual seeking. "In the spiritual quest, knowledge is not helpful" (Krishna). What is needed is an insight into the truth, the same insight which the spiritual leader once had: Buddha's student has to observe all over again and rediscover what the Buddha discovered, in order to come upon that order in his own consciousness. One simply cannot learn it like knowledge. (Krishna) Spiritual quests demand that the seeker not only know the works of the leader, but also attempt to go through the same journey than Buddha, Christ, Krishna, Odin, or any other religious leaders. In this sense, spiritual questing can bring about a greater understanding of the seeker's faith, and give true meaning to the texts of religious traditions. 2)Buddhism Buddhism is not necessarily what one would expect from a religion. Instead of teaching salvation though submission to a supernatural entity, Buddhist teachings focus upon the mind as the way to spirituality and understanding. While the Buddha is venerated as a god or gods might be in other religion, it is also true that he is seen as a

Education Role in the United States Essay Example for Free

Education Role in the United States Essay Through out the history of our nation, education has played an important role in the United States. Republican and Democrats can both agree that education is absolute necessary in out country. Recently, the federal government has take control over the states duties. The education system was first set out for the states responsibility but the federal government has taken over.so, with educaiton being the one of the polices in the agenda, george bush passes the No Child Left Behind act. This law was put into affect to make sure that all students are finding sucess in school. while, this act has a intantion the act   had fail and has actually caused harm than good.

japanese occupation :: essays research papers

The American occupation of Japan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fifty years after the end of the second World War, it is easy to look back on the American occupation of Japan and see it as a mild nudge to the left rather than a new beginning for the country. We still see an emperor, even if only as a symbol. Industry, when it was rebuilt, was under much of the same leadership as before the war. Many elements of the traditional lifestyle remained–with less government support and in competition with new variants. The Japanese people remained connected to a culture which was half western and half Japanese. Nevertheless, it is irrefutable that the surrender in 1945 had a major impact on the lives of the Japanese. Political parties, elected by the populous, became a great deal more influential in the government. This changed the dynamics of Japanese industry, even if the zaibatsu were sill the foundation of the economy. Financial success took on a new character; the production of high tech goods for sale to the world’ s most developed countries was now a better source of income. The affluence of the upper class was more evenly distributed. On a broader scale, for the first time, America had more influence than European powers. The prevention of the formation of a military put the focus of the government on trade, the United Nations, and the cold war rather than an empire in Asia. Simultaneously, social attitudes and lifestyle were more independent of the government and consumer led.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American military occupation of Japan was the driving reason for all of the changes in postwar Japan. Its first task, determined even before the surrender was to disarm Japan and to remove the wartime leaders from their influential government positions. This was part of America’s plan to demilitarize and democratize. The goal was to purge the government, media, and education system of war criminals. Once this was accomplished, the American focus shifted to reform. The American plan for reform was based on the idea that Japanese aggression had developed because of fundamental faults in the government, (not, as the Japanese said, from a temporary deviation from the course set during the Meiji period) and that these faults had to be corrected before Japan could ever become a respected member of the developed world. Democratization was what America wanted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first steps in the reforming process were obstructive to America’s goal of democracy.

New Faces for Mars

Mars often referred to as the Red Planet, has long been a subject of fascination; speculation about the existence of â€Å"Martians† was widespread early in the twentieth century; for example, issues of Scientific American in 1920 described possible communication with Mars using search lights and giant mirrors to reflect sunlight (Greeley 115). According to Greeley (2001), other proposals for communicating including digging huge trenches in the form of mathematical symbols in the Sahara Desert; these trenches were to be filled with kerosene and signal aflame to signal Mars. Based on Greeley (2001), although these ideas were never carried out, they reflected intense public interest in Mars. Telescopic observations of Mars began in the late nineteenth century and provided fuel for speculation about the nature of Mars. Space exploration of mars was initiated with the Mariner flyby in 1965; although it took only 22 close-up pictures covering a tiny fraction of the surface and showed the presence of a lunar like craters (Greeley 115). According to Greeley (2001), the geologic diversity of Mars was finally revealed by the Mariner 9 spacecraft. The Viking mission was the most complicated unmanned mission flown in the solar system according to Greeley; consisting of two orbiters and two landers. And in 1997, Mars Pathfinder landed and returned information for a third site on Mars; these missions have set the stage for more complex future missions including the return of samples to earth. It has been discovered before that more craters are older with some around 19 km across. Volcanism is also fascinating on Mars, which is said to have lava flowing but I’m not sure if this was really true. It is also said that the Red Planet has no plate tectonics and its outer layer doesn’t move horizontally, only its outer layer moves vertically. As for Mars’ other features, it is said that weathering and erosion are observed with dominated dust storms – global dust storms and sand dunes. It has also been said that there has been past flowing water before but this argument hasn’t been verified yet. As for the aliens wearing helmet, I doubt it because as of now there hasn’t been any findings of its existence. Maybe this might be true if water will be discovered in Mars. Due to advance research and technologies, I think that as time passes by, more and more findings could be discovered. If before, images are vague and cannot be distinguished easily, today, more and more sophisticated tools are being used to capture Mars’ images. Now, Mars’ tectonic features are more detailed compared before. It has also been found out that Mar’s volcanism is widespread and more diverse and young. Despite a virtual generation of studies based on newly devised technologies of space, Mars remains something of an enigma to man; fly-by, orbiting and landing missions by increasingly sophisticated space probes have revealed more about the Red planet in the last thirty years that had been gleaned in all previous centuries, but there are still many mysteries to be solved (Kargel ix). According to Kargel (2004), they range from the question of where Phobos and Deimos, the diminutive Martian Satellites, came from whereabouts of water which once sculptured much of the planet’s surface; these many more questions will only be answered after years, perhaps decades, of effort; and because the planet and its satellites preserve much of the ancient history of the solar system, they are important questions of science. Works Cited Kargel, J. S. Mars: A Warmer, Wetter Planet. New York: Springer Publishing 2004. Greeley, R. & Batson, R. The Compact NASA Atlas of the Solar System. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

The Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 1960’s

â€Å"If you want to know about the sixties, then listen to the music of the Beatles†. This quote sums up the impact of the Beatles, who have become unaccountably linked with the sixties decade and all that it involved. The appeal of groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones has transcended the generations and created an interest among young people today. Is this purely an interest in reminiscence or are there other factors, which have continued to attract fans? At every stage in history, there are a number of forces that contribute to creating the climate for change, and the 1960's were no exception. For the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 1960's one of these factors was the baby-boomer generation. This was when there was a big increase in the quantity of children being born. This was due to people putting off having children during the war, but now it was over they were able to do so. This meant that there were more teenagers during the 1960's than usual. So any trends or fads that became popular with youngsters became loved by hundreds. Another factor is that teenagers were starting to have more of an impact in the society and culture at the time. This was mainly because they had more money to spend on clothes, magazines and records etc, so they had more power on what was going to be popular at the time. This resulted in the Beatles and Rolling Stones music being bought and listened too much more, compared to if no one had any money. A further big factor was the advances in new technology at the time, for example television and radio. This meant that everyone could listen to the new music that was appearing and they were able to be the first to find out who was number one – which was essential at the time. There was also the transistor radio, which allowed people to listen to music wherever they were. A cause for the two bands being successful was also about being in the right place at the right time, pure luck. If they had released their singles in the 1950's, they may not have been so successful because of the popular cultures present at the time. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones also helped to â€Å"knit together a youth sub culture†. They were the ones who encouraged them to live their lives as they wanted too, and not how they were always being told to live, by their parents – they taught them to be independent, and that it was acceptable to be independent. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones brought a new energy and a distinctive sound to their performances, which helped them to match the moods of the 1960's. The Beatles had an enormous ability to satisfy their fans, and they had a great freshness in each single that they released. The image that youngsters were seeing from the Beatles was young and vibrant – exactly what they wanted to see. They were clearly normal people, with qualities such as humour, charm, wit, inventiveness and cheek. The Beatles also had regional accents – which has not been seen before! They were regular guys trying to make it big – and they did! These characteristics can be seen clearly in some interview footage that we watched, with Paul's humour and George's cheekiness, showing that everyone loved them. The people of the sixties loved these characteristics; they felt that they could connect with the Beatles, as they were no different to them. Every song of the Beatles was written by one of the band members, as was the music, which accompanied the lyrics. This meant that they had unique sound and were original, compared to others around at the time. Each song released by the Beatles was enthusiastic and participatory for their audiences, whatever their age, meaning there was not a soul that didn't like what was being drummed into their ears. This can be seen through the song â€Å"Yellow Submarine† – the fans wanted Ringo to write a song and perform it, so he did. He knew that he wouldn't be successful performing the song, so he wrote a humorous song. This also shows the characteristics that he had. It furthermore shows that the Beatles were so popular, that they didn't mind releasing a single that could end in a complete disaster, because whatever they did release was loved! Previous music that had been released was mainly by solo artists, whereas the Beatles was a band, the first â€Å"boy band†. They, along with other bands around, like the Rolling stones, marked the move away from the individual style to the importance of the group. One thing that can be said about the Beatles is their distinctive style. When Brian Epstein became their manager he changed the way they looked, with new, fashionable haircuts and an innovative style of clothes. This meant that they were appealing to every class in the UK – nobody considered them to be too posh or too poor, they were just right, meaning no one had objections to them – not even the older generation who were very much against the changes in culture that were currently taking place. This meant that the Beatles were popular with everyone, meaning they impacted everyone's lives, with people beginning to follow the style of the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones would never have made it without the phenomenal amount of help they received from their managers, from advertising and commercial success. Andrew Oldham made the Rolling Stones what they were. He was a very dominating manager, and liked to be in control of everything that they were doing at any one time. This can be seen from when he locked the band in a room till they had their own music and lyrics, this seems a cruel thing to do, however it made the Rolling Stones produce original and unique music, which everyone loved. Andrew Oldham was also responsible for the rebel image that the Rolling Stones had during the sixties, this encouraged people to follow in the footsteps of their image ideas, it also encouraged the youth of the century to become rebels and independent. Brian Epstein changed the Beatles from common looking boys to professional looking men. He cleaned up their image, changing it from jeans and T-shirts to suits. This impacted the Beatles in a big way, as it meant that older people, who were previously against the Beatles, were now agreeing with the band, condoling the band and buying their music. This growth in the age range that they were selling to caused a huge increase in their profits, purely because of a change of clothes, instigated by Brian. The Beatles also changed to ensure that they were the profile that the record company wanted, so they would be able to continue producing excellent music. Brian Epstein also encouraged a mass amount of the fans that the Beatles had in the beginning, to bring others to like them. Brian decided that to make the Beatles look massive from the beginning he would give money to people to buy their merchandise and pay girls to scream – resulting in everyone following what these people were doing, known as Beatle mania. This was a very wise move for Brian; at it meant the Beatles became enormous in no time. Brian also set rules for the band that would make more people think they were appropriate, such as don't smoke in public and always keep your girls in the background. He furthermore had a part to play in who was actually in the band, he was the one who chose the final band, with the last member being Pete Best – Ringo Starr, even though he had no personality Brian thought he fit the band well, and he was correct. In addition to doing all the background work for the band, he produced money for them in times of need; this made the band successful as it meant they were able to do what needed to be done to become big, due to their amazing manager. Brian basically decided where they went, who they saw, whom they spoke too and created advertising deals for them! Without this great input into their career, they would be nowhere. Another major person in the success of the Beatles is George Martin, their record producer, without him their music wouldn't have sounded like it does. He was the one who sat for hours and listened to the raw music which the band produced and mixed it and made it fit, resulting in it sounding amazing. George also ensured that new sounds were brought into their music regularly, he's the one responsible for keeping them fresh throughout their careers. He furthermore holds a vast amount of the responsibility for the band being so successful, as he's the one that actually decided which songs would be released, and which songs would be binned. Without the expertise of George Martin the music of the Beatles wouldn't sound like it does today! Without the amazing input of George Martin the Beatles wouldn't have had that fresh, unique sound to their music, it wouldn't be the greats material it is considered today! The increasing amount of Television ownership and advertisement played a huge part in the fast success and impact of the Beatles. The Television brought the Beatles to a wider audience, on shows such as Juke Box Jury and Top of the Pops. Without these programmes, the Beatles wouldn't have been known by so many people so rapidly. The Television also meant that the Beatles were impacting more into people's lives, with live performances of their songs, with their styles and with the attitudes that they are showing their viewers. The mass amount of advertisement that the Beatles received meant that people assumed they were excellent, because they were everywhere, resulting in people buying their music, whether they liked it or not. Without the huge input of advertising on Television and Radio the music of the Beatles wouldn't have been known throughout the country so much, and wouldn't have been loved by everyone. The impact of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles was greatly due to their ability to adapt to the changing moods and culture in the sixties. One thing that the Beatles were excellent at was changing with time. They were continually innovative in their music and their appearance, for example; their change in clothing style with the hippies and the change in music style with the increase in drug use – Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds. This resulted in them being loved by everyone, and influencing them on what they were wearing and what they were physically doing. The music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones was constantly eclectic, experimental and extremist, they were not afraid of the results of their music! For example: the Beatles during the era of drugs released two songs basically telling people to take them: Lucy in the Sky of Diamonds and Strawberry Fields. This showed that they were not afraid to release what they wanted too, and they were experimenting with a different style. They later released Black Birds, supporting the civil rights movement – showing they care about important matters in the world -, which is a great difference to the drug songs they had previously released. Also, to try and bring peace to the world once again they released ‘Back in the USSR', which was a pro communist song. This shows that they are not afraid of being different from the other bands around; they are willing to take a risk and broadcast what they are feeling. The people of the sixties loved this about the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, hence their huge impact on their lives, as no matter what the song words were the song was loved. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were also constantly breaking down barriers in their society, which was a constant feature of the trends of the 1960's. Barriers such as parents and older people being against anything new, different or independent for the youth of the sixties, but the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were so good that they even managed to get these generations on their side. Other artists that were around at the time were still providing easy to listen to music, but the Beatles and the Rolling Stones took the risk and released what they wanted, rock music! Older generations were initially against this, but because of the factors previously mentioned they managed to get this generation on their side, meaning they were impacting everyone's lives, and were valued by everyone. Both the Rolling Stones and the Beatles were at the front of new modes of self-presentation, which was a feature of the trends of the 1960's. The Rolling Stones and the Beatles had their own, unique fashion throughout their careers, both having great influences on fashions at the time. The Beatles were suited, clean-cut boys with mop-top haircuts and The Rolling Stones showed the opposite image; messy, and posing for publicity photographs. This made them very popular to many girls for their bad boy image; this soon made them a teen idol group. The behaviour that they were showing on and off stage began to shock many people in society. One example of this is that they were taking drugs. In February 1967 a raid occurred during one of the regular parties, and police discovered a moderate amount of cannabis. The raid also served as the start of made-up stories, mainly about the appearance and behaviour of Mick Jagger's girlfriend Marianne Faithful, which only served to increase their reputation for their bad behaviour. It was also rumoured that the raid was delayed on police instructions to allow Beatles guitarist George Harrison to leave, who was among the guests. Richards was charged and a few months later stood trial for allowing drug use in his home. Jagger was charged with possessing amphetamine tablets. Richards was sentenced to a year's imprisonment and Jagger to four months, prompting this created even more publicity for them. So their actins were starting to create many shocked reactions among the public. This created a great impact, especially on the youth of the sixties. The two biggest bands at the time encouraged them to rebel against parents, relatives, etc and to take drugs. Many saw this as the bad part of their careers, however it all depends on your personal opinion. The Beatles also had a magnificent achievement during their careers, and this was that they were the first British band to break into the American market, successfully transporting â€Å"Beatle mania† to the USA. During 1964 the Beatles swept through the great US cities, drawing tens of thousands to airports just to get a mere glimpse of them. They played for no more than half an hour at each concert, however this hard work guaranteed them star status. A British band conquering America was also a sign of international cultural exchange, and it marked the first of many exchanges between the two countries. The Beatles also made a stand for what the believed in, as they refused to play in segregated audiences, this influenced the people as they saw that it was ok to stand up for what you believed in, and it encouraged different races to mix and become one. The Rolling Stones also made a stand, as they decided to provide music for both their black and their white audiences. In conclusion, both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had an enormous impact of the people in the 1960's. They encouraged people to relax and live life as they wanted to. Many things influenced their continuing success, including their normality, their style, their music and their behaviour throughout their careers. The Beatles success can be seen clearly through Beatle Mania, wherever they went Beatle Mania followed. They couldn't help this; it was a form of real love for them. George said many years later: â€Å"The world used us as an excuse to go mad, and then blamed it on us†, but there is a parallel theory that it was time for the world to go that sort of mad – get down a bit, loosen up and have some fun. This amazing change in the people of the world was hugely down to the distinctiveness, uniqueness and influential music that the Beatles and the Rolling Stones wrote and released.

A Significant Day at School Essay Example

A Significant Day at School Essay Example A Significant Day at School Essay A Significant Day at School Essay The room was cluttered and messy. Frantic girls were anxiously foraging into their capacious backpacks, hoping to seize their dainty cosmetic products. Ugh, where did I put my burgundy lipstick? I muttered with a mixture of aggression and anxiousness. Elbowing my way through a sea bodies, I successfully manage to find my essential lipstick.Raven heads were fixed on the crystal clear mirrors, totally immersed in filling up themselves. It was pandemonium! Smearing on the burgundy lipstick, outlined my hazel brown eyes, instantaneously, confidence oozed out. With meticulous care, I donned on the vermilion gown with sapphire sequins, and fitted my feet perfectly into a pair of ivory black strappy heels. The absolute contrast of colors, complements each other perfectly. The annual festival, Chinese New Year is knocking on the door. Undoubtedly, our greatly acclaimed choir, which had won many accolades at national level, would be performing during the Chinese New Year celebration held in o ur school. A boisterous crowd had begun to assemble in the hall.Some sauntered, some sashayed, some pranced, flooding the hall. All were in a cheerful, merry, celebratory mood. Some trendy teachers were dressed in the traditional yet embellished with contemporary element crimson Qi Pao. They were alluring,compared to the mundane office attire. Amidst the uproarious noises, a myriad of flashy colored flashlights illuminated the stage. The wait was over, the concert was about to begin. Introducing the events for the day, the two MCs donned in the traditional rouge Qi Paos, stood sanguinely on the stage. Lets welcome the Chinese dance troupe! They announced with enthusiasm. Sashaying into the spotlight,the elegant movements of the feminine dancers captivated every pair of eyes. Their performanceended splendidly with grace. The uniquely traditional Tamil dance by the Indian dance troupe followed. The marvelous atmosphere altered when the potbel

Chinese Censorship Block Chinese People from Creativity

Chinese Censorship Block Chinese People from Creativity Introduction Internet has been one of the global most popular sources of information. Its extensiveness in terms of geographical coverage has, for instance, been facilitated by its cheaper cost and developments in technologies. In china an estimate of three hundred and seventy million people are believed to be using the internet.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Chinese Censorship Block Chinese People from Creativity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There has however been a lot of limitation in accessing internet information in the country because the government has moved in to regulate internet usage through censorship. This paper seeks to discuss the censorship issue in China and how it affects creativity of the Chinese people. The paper will look into the history of internet usage in the country, the censorship, effects of the censorship on people’s creativity and the war against government censorsh ip of internet usage in china. History of internet in china The first application of the internet which was realized through sending an email occurred in China in the year 1987. A series of developments then followed with initiatives from private institutions and government agencies to venture more into the internet technology. By the following year, Tsinghua University is reported to have started offering email services. With the development of the country’s first browser in the year 1994 and subsequent move by the government to â€Å"provide internet accessing services† in the year 1996, the use of the technology began to develop in the country (Enhai 6). The number of internet users then started increasing in the country from less than a million in the year 1997 to reach almost seventy million in middle of 2003. The increasing trend has since continued and is almost reaching four hundred million by now (Enhai 16). The history of regulation of the internet usage in t he country is reported to have been simultaneously developed with the establishment and development of internet in the country. The government has since the introduction of the technology in the country moved to regulate the way in which its citizens use the internet. The move is applied by denying citizens access to some websites and restricting access to others. This move has been facilitated by the country’s legislations that have left internet companies with little options in the country. Calls have however been made to the companies to unite and fight the government’s censorship move (James 1).Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Internet censorship in China The move by the government to regulate the internet has been identified as a step to protect itself from fears. Some of these fears are related to the government’s past actions while other s are with respect to the forces that citizens can exert against the government. It is with respect to these reasons that the Chinese government moves to restrict any form of information that is believed to have the capacity to facilitating these threats. Websites or even mail transactions that are suspected to carry such information are therefore either blocked or restricted. Specifications have been made to past actions by the government and information that relates to â€Å"Dalai Lama, the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen square protestors, Falun Gong, the banned spiritual movement and other internet sites† (New York Times 1) as elements that receives censorship. Such stiff regulations that are also dependent on global temperatures that are believed to have the capacity to influence the Chinese people still do exist. One of the most recent heightened censorship was realized in the first quarter of the year 2011 at the wake of revolutionary protests that was felt in the Arab wor ld (New York Times para. 2). Following these occurrences, the government of China increased its surveillance over communications by the Chinese people. Communications through emails and even access to the internet was greatly monitored to avert any fear of anti government protests in the country (New York Times para. 2). The government has been achieving its censorship move through interception of information that is not trusted, according to the government’s standards. The interception is then followed by blocking the information or the site if the government’s fears are significantly triggered. It is, for example, noted that Gmail services were disrupted by the Chinese government following anti government protests that were realized in Africa and the Middle East in the year 2011 (New York Times para. 4). Actions such as blocking sites that contained the word â€Å"freedom† were also realized in the country in the year 2010 and 2011 (New York Times para. 4). Th e censorship move was stepped up in around the year 2008 with ensuring that each internet provider company employ a team whose work is to ensure that information with particular content are not posted on their web pages. This was then followed by a move to ban social internet sites such as Facebook and Twiter.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Chinese Censorship Block Chinese People from Creativity specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another move that started as a regulatory measure over websites that published considerably immoral content such as pornography was later modified to include regulations on information with political contents. In this move, â€Å"online discussion forums, instant message groups, and even cell phone text messages in which political and other sensitive issues were discussed received a level of censorship by the government† (New York Times para. 7). Chinese legislations over cen sorship The censorship of communication system in China has been developed on two bases. One of the bases is a set of legislations that have been approved to govern the country’s communication systems while the other basis is being fueled by government forces with the aim of protecting their interest in power. As a result, government forces and influence has used means some of which are not constitutional to ensure that the media is properly contained to guarantee the security of those that are in power. Most of the government censorship measures that are not backed by the country’s constitution are normally done in secret and covered or if exposed to the public, are manipulated and backed by the country’s legal systems. Some of the major legislations that allows for the censorship of the internet and other media in the country are the â€Å"measures on the administration of internet information services and the provisions on the administration of internet news and information services† (Feng 1). The two regulations were enacted in the year 2000 and 2005 respectively. The measure on administration act, for example, provides that the state reserves the authority to grant permission to any internet provider company in the country. Once allowed to operate in the country, the companies are subject to â€Å"prior review and approval and specialized review and approval of the information that they provide to internet users† (Feng 1). Under these provisions, the government reserves authority which it can use to intimidate the internet companies as they seek permission to venture into the country’s market. Subsequent provision of the act that gives the government, through its agencies, powers to censor any internet information that is deemed to be â€Å"harmful† also renders unchecked powers to the government over its regulation of internet companies. With no clear definition of what constitutes harmful information or t he extent to which a piece of information should be considered harmful, the government is at liberty to pronounce an article to be harmful especially if it reveals information that is not favorable to the government. This act therefore gives the Chinese government powers to infringe on the rights of both citizens and the internet companies over expression and information (Feng 1).Advertising Looking for research paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The regulations on administration act also have a lot of impacts on the internet services. The necessity of operational permits to internet companies has also played a role in giving the government powers to control the companies. This is due to the intimidating aspects of possible cancellation of permits in case of failure by a company to comply with the demands of the government over the regulation of the internet. The definition of information about the government which includes political news and information of economic content among other category of information classifies almost all aspects of news into government regulation. Diversification of the act over the definition of â€Å"harmful information† also restricts the internet companies over the nature of information that they are free to publish without facing censorship from the government. Internet companies are also subjected to evaluation by government agencies that allows for their continuous operations. Failure by a company to abide by the needs of the government as pertains to the restrictions thus risks a company’s deregistration on the basis of disqualifications over evaluations. Owing to these regulations, the internet companies are forced to resort to self censorship and even yield to cases of government’s censorship in order to be allowed to operate in the country (Feng 1). Response of the Chinese people to the censorship The Chinese people have registered mixed reactions over the government’s moves that have over time censored the internet. When Google Company was on the verge of pulling out of the Chinese internet market, it had a supportive base from individuals and parties that felt that the government’s move to restrict internet was uncalled for. This was reflected in the level of disappointment that this group felt when Google gave in to work under the government’s censorship program. It is reported that censorship of the Chinese based Google was for example realized during one of the anniversaries of â€Å"the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen square massacre† leading to a public outcry (MacKinnon 63). It was actually argued that the blockage of the internet service provider was due to the complaint that was widely raised by people. According to MacKinnon Rebecca, â€Å"people responded with anger, directed primarily to whoever was creating the blockage† (MacKinnon 63) and many people and even groups were reported to have made public attacks to the party that was responsible for such actions (MacKinnon 63). Animated internet postings that were labeled â€Å"the person who makes it impossible to access Google† (MacKinnon 63) were also common responses at the time. The people at the same time blamed Google for not being strong enough to oppose the government regulatory measures that they considered to be unfair. It can therefore be perceived that there are a number of Chinese people who are not happy with such censorship. Individuals such as Xiaobo Liu have occasionally come out to openly criticize the government censorship and internet companies that have cooperated with the government in its internet regulation. A good example was his verbal attack on Yahoo following its â€Å"political cooperation with the Chinese police† (MacKinnon 41). Though there have been forces in the country striving to make success in opposing the government’s role in censoring internet access in the country, a majority of the population, especially the younger generation, are reported to not be concerned with the governments move to censor the internet. This is specifically because this population does not feel the difference between a censored and a free internet due to the lost history of the country which has been partially achieved by the government’s move to regulate information that is passed to the public. The government has used its powers to only allow for access to history that i s favorable to it thus creating a positive influence. A majority of the Chinese have therefore come to believe that their government has every good reason to censor the internet. This may have been facilitated by the government propaganda over the internet (Zhang and Zheng 11). The cost of Chinese internet censorship With the development of internet technology, educational and general learning set ups were facilitated and developed to give wider opportunities for explorations into topics of interest. It is also through such explorations that individuals and group can develop creativity. The move to censor internet which has been identified to be the cheapest and most readily available source of information, which include intellectual information, can therefore be seen to hinder developments and innovation through disempowering people. An unrestricted internet system for example has tools that can allow for online learning, research experimentations and innovations. The move by the g overnment to limit access to these facilities therefore restricts innovative creativity among Chinese citizens (Internet 1). A move to censor the internet has limitations to the benefits that can be achieved from such elements as globalization and advanced technology. These restrictions therefore limit exposure of the Chinese people to the developments that are undertaken outside the country. Information on political, economical and even social developments in other parts of the world is therefore either not available to the Chinese people or is only availed in limited extents. This is because of one of the governments intentions of shielding the Chinese people from external influences that can negatively affect their opinion over their government. Creativity in the country will with this respect be restricted to their environment that has over time been explored before. As a result, there will be fewer chances of creativity into new developments that can be realized outside the cou ntry’s cultural and environmental factors. Limiting people’s exposure to technological developments is also a factor to limiting creativity in a society. With censorship to sources of information over technologies, a person can, for example, not adequately know how to use that technology in order to generate another technology or even to use the technology to create a new product in the market. Ciecko argued that a high level of censorship is restrictive to â€Å"information flow, creativity and experimentation† (Ciecko 80). The extreme cases of censorships that have been extended to control the content that academic institutions can publish have also been a step that limits research and creativity in these institutions. This can also be extended to cover other research bodies in the country. Due to the censorship, individuals are restricted from conducting a research and creative exercise in their field of interest thus rendering them redundant and discouraged. This can also discourage other people to loose interest in innovative fields. The censorship has therefore made it unsafe and unfavorable to retrieve or share information (Amnesty 1). Conclusion The government of China has since the establishment of internet facilities in the country moved to control the use of the services by its citizens. Such regulations were later supported by enactment of regulations in the years 2000 and 2005 that gave the government authority to directly control the services offered by internet companies. Such regulations have drawn mixed reactions with a number of people and organization protesting against the censorship. A majority of the people have however been influenced by the government to either support the censorship or remain indifferent over it. This level of censorship has been identified to have negative impacts on creativity in the country. Though the censorship might have succeeded in preserving the interest of the government, it is characteri zed by disadvantages that have economical and technological impacts and can, in the long run, lead to a revolution for liberalization. There is a need for the government of China to lessen the restrictive measures it has on the internet industry as it in many ways limits creativity of the people of China. Amnesty. Who is affected by internet censorship? Amnesty, 2008. Web. amnesty.org.au/china/comments/10949/ Ciecko, Anne. Contemporary Asian cinema: popular culture in a global frame. Oxford, UK: Berg Publishers, 2006. Print. Enhai, Wang. Internet development in the Chinese mainland. Google Documents, 2003. May 21, 2011. https://www.google.com/url?sa=tsource=webcd=9ved=0CFkQFjAIurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apira.org%2Fdata%2Fupload%2Fpdf%2Fmeeting%2F2003%2FThe-Internet-China.pptrct=jq=history%20of%20internet%20in%20chinaei=_fTVTdH0CMywhAfb6rHJBgusg=AFQjCNFXLPKLuXxP7mA03byZwa5kg05voAcad=rja Feng, Bei. China’s internet censorship system. Human rights in China, 2010. May 21, 2011. hrich ina.org/content/3244 Internet. A guide for parents, teachers and young people. Standard, 2003. coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/internetliteracy/Source/Lit_handbook_3rd_en.swf James, Randy. Chinese internet censorship. Time magazine, 2010. May 21, 2011. time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1885961,00.html MacKinnon, Rebecca. CHINA Race to the Bottom Corporate Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch, 2006. Print. New York Times. Internet censorship in china. New York Times, 2011. May 21, 2011. http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/international/countriesandterritories/china/internet_censorship/index.html Zhang, Xiaoling and Zheng, Yongnian. Chinas information and communications technology revolution: social changes and state responses. New York, NY: Taylor Francis, 2006. Print.

Only Murder

Only Murder Only Murder Only Murder By Maeve Maddox A reader commenting on Persian Is a Lovely Word wonders about the difference between assassination and murder: Maybe Farsi is a racist word like hashassin is. I mean, why use assassin when the word is only used for VIPs? Why are ordinary people only murdered? Where do we draw the line? Certainly political speech writers, advertisers and religious leaders know how to choose words for emotional impact, but i have to disagree with the notion that murder is somehow a lesser word to describe the act of taking a persons life. The word assassination has a specific meaning that has nothing to do with class perceptions. By VIP I assume that the reader means any kind of wealthy celebrity, for example an actor or a star athlete, and not just a corporate executive, senator, or president. According to this definition, both President McKinley and John Lennon were VIPs, but McKinley was assassinated, while Lennon was murdered. The word assassin derives from an Arabic word. 1531 (in Anglo-L. from c.1237), via Fr. and It., from Arabic hashishiyyin hashish-users, pl. of hashishiyy, from hashish (q.v.). A fanatical Ismaili Muslim sect of the time of the Crusades, under leadership of the Old Man of the Mountains (translates Arabic shaik-al-jibal, name applied to Hasan ibu-al-Sabbah), with a reputation for murdering opposing leaders after intoxicating themselves by eating hashish. The pl. suffix -in was mistaken in Europe for part of the word (cf. Bedouin). Online Etymology Dictionary In English the word has retained its political associations. The most usual targets of assassination attempts are presidents, kings and other high-ranking political leaders. The hope of the assassin is to bring about social change on a large scale by eliminating a person perceived to be not just famous, but powerful. By extension, assassination can apply to a murder committed for ideological reasons. The murder of obscure employees of an abortion clinic could be classed as assassination if the murderer acted from a desire to put a stop to the activities of the clinic. The connotation that assassin has for English speakers may not translate to other languages. French, for example, has two words for murderer: meurtrier and assassin. As far as I can tell, they are used interchangeably. Murder is one of the most dreadful and powerful words in the language. The Old English word morà °or meant the secret killing of a person. Even in a society in which killing was common because of war and the tradition of the blood feud, the word murder was reserved for the most contemptible and horrendous of cowardly acts. Both assassination and murder refer to the deliberate taking of a life, but to me the word murderer carries a stronger emotional punch than assassin. More words to describe deaths resulting from other than natural causes: manslaughter: c.1300, from O.E. mannslà ¦ht (Anglian), mannslieht (W.Saxon), from man (q.v.) + slà ¦ht, slieht act of killing. Etymologically identical with homicide, but in legal use usually distinguished from murder and restricted to simple homicide. homicide: killing, c.1230, from O.Fr. homicide, from L. homicidium, from homo man + cidium act of killing. The meaning person who kills is also from O.Fr., from L. homicida, from -cida killer. execution: c.1360, from O.Fr. execution, from L. executionem agent noun from exequi follow out, from ex- out + sequi follow (see sequel). Sense of act of putting to death is from M.E. legal phrases such as don execution of deth carry out a sentence of death. suicide: deliberate killing of oneself, 1651, from Mod.L. suicidium suicide, from L. sui of oneself Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.What is Dative Case?The Two Sounds of G

Marketing Communications & Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Marketing Communications & Branding - Essay Example As part of analyzing the success story of ALDI, the company’s target market will be identified followed by examining the type of marketing communication tools the company is using to promote the corporate brand. After discussing the key external factors that may have affected ALDI’s brand, ways on how these factors could alter the company’s decision to select the best marketing communication tools will be tackled in details. The target market of ALDI includes people of all gender who are the price conscious, decision-maker, and purchaser of grocery products. Regardless of sexual orientation, financial standing in life, or educational background, the target market of ALDI includes people of all ages. In order to promote the ALDI brand to its target consumers, ALDI is using a wide-range of personal and non-personal communication channels such as company website, social networking sites, and mobile advertising (Grill, 2008). With the use of the company website, ALDI regularly reminds the people that ALDI as a company is a brand that offers affordable consumer products. This particular marketing strategy is effective in terms of keeping price conscious individuals loyal to the brand ALDI. As a result of having a positive experience with regards to the company’s product prices and the quality of customer services, it is the customers who share their personal experiences with other people. With regards to the company logo, initial ‘A’ in ALDI’s logo reminds the people that they can easily purchase a wide-range of affordable products simply by visiting the company’s store sites (ALDI, 2010 a). (See Logo below) Establishing a strong brand is important in terms of making the ALDI’s target consumers feel more associated and stay loyal with the brand. In line with this, public news report could either help increase or decrease the reputation of a brand such that a good publicity could encourage more buyers to stay loyal with the brand

Show the microeconomic principles involved in Ford Motor Companies Term Paper

Show the microeconomic principles involved in Ford Motor Companies recovery in the auto market compared to other American automa - Term Paper Example In addition, the microeconomic principle of competition has separately been taken into consideration as it would significantly help in identifying the recovery of the company in comparison to other American automakers. Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (Ford) is one of the leading auto makers in the global automotive industry. The company operates firmly in two sectors i.e. the automotive industry and the financial services. The company is known to manufacture and distribute the vehicles across six continents. During the year 2012, the company sold approximately 5,668,000 cars in the automotive segment (The New York Times, 2013). As a result, the company was provided with an opportunity to earn $126,567 mn in revenues. The two most prominent brands that the company has to offers include Ford and Lincoln. In addition, the F-series trucks have also played an essential in the growth and success of the company in the local and international world (Ford, 2012). The mission statement o f the company clearly states that Ford aims to provide the customers with quality cars across the continents. This has significantly helped the organization in providing satisfaction beyond the imagination of the customers. To provide the customers with best quality cars, the company maintains mutual relationship with the essential dealers, suppliers and other business associates (The New York Times, 2013). Microeconomic Principles Needs and Wants Ford is one of the leading vehicle manufacturing organizations that focus highly on meeting the needs and wants of the customers. To effectively do so, the company design, build and sells cars along with utilities and trucks to provide the global customer base with vehicles that could satisfy the needs of the customers. Customers are the most crucial factors for the survival and growth of the organization across the globe due to which the needs and wants are taken into consideration in all the products and services offered by the company. Moreover, the company has always focused on meeting the needs of the customers by designing vehicles that cover the full spectrum of global automobile requirement. This significantly helps in attracting the customers towards the brands that Ford has to offer. As a result, the company is constantly provided with an opportunity to meet the needs and wants of the customers through variety of cars, utilities and trucks in the domestic, national and international market (Ford, 2012). Profits Profit is the foremost consideration of Ford. In earlier years of financial and economic crisis in United States, the company’s profit level declined significantly. With the passage of time, the company was consistently provided with opportunities to enhance the level of profits by attracting and selling the customers with quality cars, utilities and trucks (Ford, 2012). The company aims to enhance the performance of the company across the globe which will provide the company with significant opportunities to enhance its profit levels. Due to the constantly rising demands of the cars, utilities and trucks in the local and international market, the company reported significant increase in the level of profits. In the year 2010, the company reported net income of $6.6 billion in comparison of $2.7 billion in the year 2009 (Esch, 2011). The method of intra-platform price discrimination is one of the prominent methods used by Ford to optimize the profits of the company. The company is continually providing the customers with fuel efficient cars to enhance the financial strength of the company. This has significantly allowed the organization to attract the customers in the market which will

Parenting a Genius Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Parenting a Genius - Essay Example However, there are rare situations wherein the gift is a clear portrayal of superb talent at an early age. It does not only manifest as a mere potential because it enormously exceeds being above average. Hence, a gift becomes a miracle because it appears innate and needs less effort for its development. People argue that if all are given potentials, why do some individuals fail to develop their talents? The answer lies in the fact that while all people are bestowed with capabilities, not all have the passion for the enhancement of these capabilities. Talent and passion come hand in hand. Passion is the fuel that can nourish one’s talent. It is noteworthy, that there is a thin line that separates passion from talent. One may develop interest in an area which is far from his potentials. The stimulation of this passion is the key role that one’s environment plays. The surroundings contribute highly to a person’s development. One essential component of this environme nt is home, which includes the parents. Parents are primary caregivers and the ones mainly responsible for igniting a child’s passion. A harmonious parent-child relationship fosters positive environment. The resulting positivity at home is an atmosphere conducive for refinement of a child’s talents. ... It is his empathic nature that compelled him to choose not to win. The subliminal message of innocence and conscience transcends into the viewers. The film also contains a brief comparison of how a father and mother view their child. The father is eager for achievement like winning, while the mother is unconditional and focuses on his son’s feelings. In a heated argument, the mother is willing to take away her son for the sake of the latter’s freedom. Although, the difference between a father’s and a mother’s love cannot be generalized, it touches the fact that family dispute is unsuitable for a positive parent-child relationship. This, in turn, leads audience back to the realization that home is a key factor in the development of a person’s character. It is a common trend when a family’s passion is into music that the children become inclined to music as well. This is the case for David Helfgott, an Australian pianist, to whom the 1996 film Shine centered upon. Director Hicks made an effort to bring Helfgott to the audience through the exploration of the deep core and complexity of the human character. It is with Helfgott’s father, that we came to realize that parents are human beings too - imperfect and vulnerable to egotistical mechanisms. Amidst these parental flaws, what is more important is the parents’ ability to overcome such temptations. In the film Shine, the father tries associating his past through imposing tension upon his son. Helfgott’s father creates an authoritative ambiance which seemed to be suffocating. As a consequence, Helfgott entangled himself with the pursuit of freedom which ultimately led to an emotional collapse. The mental breakdown of Helfgott opened the viewers’

Infectious Diseases within Inmate Populations Essay

Infectious Diseases within Inmate Populations - Essay Example The research has been carried out this way to give more of an interpretation on the realism of the prison environment and what is currently proving adverse and hard to control. The conclusion summarizes the main points and brings emphases to the strategies that have been implemented in the last few years to keep down the rate of infectious diseases among the inmate population. In just the past five years the amount of people being incarcerated in America has increased dramatically, topping the statistics of other countries who incarcerate individuals on a yearly basis. Because of this continuing problem disease has become eradicate in the prison environment and there are times when the attempt to control it is overwhelming to prison and public officials (Needels et al 2005). However, in years dating back to the mid 1900's, the spread of disease in prison was even more intensive than it is today. The only difference was the occurrence of disease was kept concealed and many people were exiting the prison system with infectious diseases without being aware of them. ... Therefore in order to appropriately detour disease in the prison and jail systems in the future there needs to be extreme precautions and remedies put into affect in today's time before this issue expels over into the community as an epidemic of disease related illnesses. Of course, one of the most difficult infectious diseases within the prisons in the United States is the wide spread illness of HIV. In fact it has been a difficult disease to try and combat for many years but this is due to the fact of the activities within the prison systems that can lead to the acquisition of HIV in the inmate population. For instance, many prisoners engage in activities such as homosexual acts, unsterilized needle usage for tattooing and drug use, unsanitary habits, etc; within the prison environment which leaves them open to contracting a major disease such as this one and therefore the contraction of it within an inmate population is extremely high and very difficult to keep at a minimal level. However peer education has proven to be an essential way to provide prisoners with literary materials that help them to understand how to protect themselves from contracting such serious illnesses like Hepatitis and HIV (UNAIDS 1996). Nevertheless, there are still many p rison and jail systems that are highly lacking in intervention methods to control infectious diseases. This poses many concerns for the officials who work inside the prison for not only are the inmates health issues a concern but the health of those trying to maintain law and order within the prison environment, and those who visit inmates from the neighboring communities becomes a major problematic area for health officials trying to keep disease to a minimum. This is why it was previously stated that

Random choose 1 out of 14 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Random choose 1 out of 14 - Assignment Example Charlie took a taxi and started rolling over the city to see the different places he remembers. His thoughts started taunting him as he though of how he had spoiled everything for himself at the city. He claims that he wasn’t realizing any of his actions. It was two years when all this occured, everything was gone and Charlie himself was gone too. Charlie and his daughter Honoria were both happy to see each other after a long period of ten months. Charlie was welcomed at her sisters in laws place where her daughter stayed in the care of Marion. As the discussion between Charlie and lincon started, Charlie explained how he was doing well now and how things are now better than ever. His last years income was bigger than it was when he had money. He told Lincoln of his interest on bringing her sister fro America to keep the house for him. This explains how Charlie is starting to get life over again. Charlie is responsible now on his drinking habit. Earlier on he used to spend most of the time in bars where he wasted a lot of money. He remembered when giving thousand-franc notes to an orchestra and hundred-franc notes given to a door man for calling a taxi. He has changed to drink everyday which leads him to deny Marions cocktail offer. This astonishes Marion but she hopes that Charlie will stick to that character. In this paragraph we see that Charlie has become responsible enough compared to olden days when he used to squander a lot of money. Charlie is showing much love to her daughter that he is determined give her anything she wishes for that day. He offers to take her to vaudeville and later on to the toy store. Her daughter seems to understand the financial situation they were in and considers only going to the vaudeville. Charlie was strict in the past but now he reached for new tolerance because he has to be the mother and father of her daughter. Charlie indulges her daughter in

Infectious Diseases within Inmate Populations Essay

Infectious Diseases within Inmate Populations - Essay Example The research has been carried out this way to give more of an interpretation on the realism of the prison environment and what is currently proving adverse and hard to control. The conclusion summarizes the main points and brings emphases to the strategies that have been implemented in the last few years to keep down the rate of infectious diseases among the inmate population. In just the past five years the amount of people being incarcerated in America has increased dramatically, topping the statistics of other countries who incarcerate individuals on a yearly basis. Because of this continuing problem disease has become eradicate in the prison environment and there are times when the attempt to control it is overwhelming to prison and public officials (Needels et al 2005). However, in years dating back to the mid 1900's, the spread of disease in prison was even more intensive than it is today. The only difference was the occurrence of disease was kept concealed and many people were exiting the prison system with infectious diseases without being aware of them. ... Therefore in order to appropriately detour disease in the prison and jail systems in the future there needs to be extreme precautions and remedies put into affect in today's time before this issue expels over into the community as an epidemic of disease related illnesses. Of course, one of the most difficult infectious diseases within the prisons in the United States is the wide spread illness of HIV. In fact it has been a difficult disease to try and combat for many years but this is due to the fact of the activities within the prison systems that can lead to the acquisition of HIV in the inmate population. For instance, many prisoners engage in activities such as homosexual acts, unsterilized needle usage for tattooing and drug use, unsanitary habits, etc; within the prison environment which leaves them open to contracting a major disease such as this one and therefore the contraction of it within an inmate population is extremely high and very difficult to keep at a minimal level. However peer education has proven to be an essential way to provide prisoners with literary materials that help them to understand how to protect themselves from contracting such serious illnesses like Hepatitis and HIV (UNAIDS 1996). Nevertheless, there are still many p rison and jail systems that are highly lacking in intervention methods to control infectious diseases. This poses many concerns for the officials who work inside the prison for not only are the inmates health issues a concern but the health of those trying to maintain law and order within the prison environment, and those who visit inmates from the neighboring communities becomes a major problematic area for health officials trying to keep disease to a minimum. This is why it was previously stated that

Describe the relationship between treaties and customary international Essay

Describe the relationship between treaties and customary international law - Essay Example On the other hand, treaties are deliberate agreements that create clear rights and/or obligations for the parties. Treaties are also referred to as convention, charter, protocol, covenant, pact, statute and concordat2. As far as customary international laws are concerned, peremptory norm (jus cogens) originate from principles of international/natural Law and surpasses all laws. Examples include those that govern international crimes such as slavery, mass evictions, torture, mass murders, aggression wars and criminal activities against humans. Peremptory norms and international customary laws cannot be interchanged. All peremptory norms become international customary laws after states adopt them. However, not all international customary laws are considered as class of jus cogens. States can move away from international customary law by creating treaties and laws, but peremptory norms are not derogable3. There are two elements that are crucial for formation of the CIL. These are the ge neral state practice behavior patterns and opinion juris, which is simply a legal expectation that certain point is appropriate. It is always a requirement that both elements coincide, as much as element two is the one that matters in practice. Opinio juris is gathered from the general legal expectations that are shared by humankind, and not some groups. It is worth noting that none of the two elements are subject to universal acceptance, yet CIL has a universal obligation for people and nations. Additional, no consents from nations is necessary but it seeks to align the international community. These features are reflected in various cases. In UK V. Norway Fishing case, UK suit Norway over its claims over exclusive fishing rights and control over expansive waters. The ICJ ruled that the claims by Norway were never in line with the international laws regarding water resources. In the Colombia v. Peru Assylum Case, ICJ made recognition of the Article 38 of the international court of justice statute comprising of general customs and local customs. Further stipulating that for customs to be proven they ought to have been uniformly and continuously executed. Countries that have an objection to international customary law may not submit to the laws unless deemed by peremptory norms. The ICJ statute recognizes the existence of international customary law enshrined in article 38(1)(b), which was incorporated by Article 92 of the UN charter4. Treaty and customary international law combine together for the benefit of general international law. Customary international law directly reflects state behavior and so it evolves naturally to meet the needs of the global society. Customary international law is flexible and it can be dynamic in nature. Customary international law rules may be unclear and they cannot be developed quickly. Treaties can clarify Customary International Law; for instance, the provisions of the VCLT codified CIL in this are of law. Treaties can develo p Customary International Law, for example, the provisions of the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982) developed CIL rules relating to the Exclusive Economic Zone. Lastly, treaties can inspire new Customary International Law5. Although treaty and international customary law are regarded as different law sources, separating these two entities is not

Planning for the Chevy Volt Essay Example for Free

Planning for the Chevy Volt Essay What Does the Chevy Volt Case Tell about the Nature of Strategic Decision-making at a Large Complex Organization like General Motors? Chevy Volt issues show how strategic decision-making at the leading complex company, for example, General Motors can be hard and exceptionally challenging. This is because they need more time to make sure that you have convinced other stakeholders to support the ideas for new work strategies (Holstein, 2009). In the case it showed that General Motors’ vice chairman and the head of RDD had agreed to make this in 2003, though other managers let them down; but later, in 2007, other managers joined their hands for Chevy Volt project’s success. The strategy is based on the assumption of reducing the emission of carbon and urges the citizens to avoid the produce of carbon in the environment (Holstein, 2009). The External Environmental Trends That Favored the Pursuit of Chevy Volt Project The external environmental trends that favored the Chevy Volt Project are lowering the oil prices. Introduction of lithium-ion sports cars by Tesla Motors in the market, concern for global warming issues which can end up to the tighter laws put in place to control the emission of carbon, falling costs for manufacturing batteries made of lithium-ion and selling of Toyota hybrid Prius indicated that clients demanded for vehicles that use fuel but do not produce carbon that affects the environment, causing environmental degradation ((Holstein, 2009). Impediments of Pursuing Chevy Volt Project Which Existed Within General Motors The factors that prevented the outcome of this project within General Motors are the finance and lack of enough support, needed towards the project, being afraid of failing once more at producing the non-working electrical vehicles and the issue in acquiring new technology to manufacture more lithium-ion battery. Finally, the total cost to promote the project was extremely high. The lack of agreement between General Motors’ managers for having different opinions hence ending up disagreeing. Chevy Volt Planning Seems To Be Based On The Assumptions Of Oil Prices Going Up, While In Late 2008, The Oil Prices Reduced And Even Weakened International Economic. The Nature of Strategic Planning The idea was mainly based on the existing trends and the market situation at that particular time. The strategic plan should focus on the present and future. Good company planning should be realistic and easy to carry out, specific and easy to track the outcome against the plan. Before making a decision, a good planning mechanism should be put in place to avoid future interruption ((Holstein, 2009). Strategic Planning Should Be Based On the Present and the Future The falling of oil prices means potential success of Chevy Volt. Specialists believe that the oil prices will remain high because supply of the commodity in the market is low, while the economy tries to recovers, the plea of the product rises and hence the return of a gallon gasoline. Will The Oil Prices Remain Low As Claimed By The Experts? No. Experts believe that the oil prices will remain high as the world economy grows. What will it take for the Chevy Volt to Be Successful? In order for the Chevy Volt to be successful, there should be introduction of new models and designs of vehicles that are being sold in the market and their ranking in the market and rise in fuel and production of competitive vehicles in the field of vehicle manufacture as compared to other companies producing the same product. It is necessary to make sure of proper marketing of its product through advance advertising of General Motors’ products in the best TV movies and even through celebrity shows to continue marketing of the new products. Proper advertising is done to the General Motors’ products, through appearing in hit movies, music videos, TV shows and other media (Gavarone, 2011). The choice of effective method of distribution depends on the market demand. The Analysis of How Risky Is It to Invest or Venture In General Motors When the new commodity does not sell in the market as expected or flops. Chevy Volt launching tends to be more expensive as it requires more finance and for General Motors to enjoy the benefits or return it will take several years. It can lead to disappointment because less return produced by the company at the selling time (Gavarone, 2011). The Costs of Failure of General Motors Decline in sales may be a result of recession in demand as compared to the previous years and hence losing clients to other companies. It may lead to the closure of General Motors due to poor management and production of new products in the market which could not be sold hence ending up in large loses (Gavarone, 2011). It failed as the company was unable to produce enough sales because of high prices and ignoring state’s rules and regulations. It may lead to the loss of more customers to other companies doing the same project becoming more successful. The Costs of Not Pursuing the Chevy Volt Project General Motors will fail if new brand of the car is the same with the one they have replaced. The cost of failure will be unusually high. This is due to the new product’s flop in the market and losses incurred during selling the new product that fails in the market (Gavarone, 2011). References Gavarone, G. (2011). Integrated marketing communications plan for the Chevrolet Volt. St.Bonaventure, N.Y: Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication, St.Bonaventure University. Holstein, W. J. (2009). Why GM matters: Inside the race to transform an American icon. NewYork: Walker.

Strategic management defined as consisting of the analysis and decisions

Strategic management defined as consisting of the analysis and decisions INTRODUCTION Strategic management can be defined as consisting of the analysis, decisions and actions an organization undertakes in order to create and sustain competitive advantages. Key attributes of Strategic Management Directs the organization toward overall goals and objectives. Includes multiple stakeholders in decision making. Needs to incorporate short-term and long-term perspectives. Recognizes trade-offs between efficiency and effectiveness. Strategy can be developed at many levels in a multi-layered organisation there may be: Corporate level strategy Business level strategy Functional level strategy Corporate level strategy describes a corporations overall direction in terms of its general philosophy towards growth and the management of its various business units. Such strategies determine the type of a business a corporation wants to be in and what business units should acquired, modified and sold. This strategy addresses the question what business are we in? Devising a strategy for a multidivisional company like Sony involves at least four types of initiatives. Establishing investment priorities and steering corporate resources into the most attractive business units. Initiating actions to improve the combined performance of those business units that the corporation first got into. Finding ways to improve the synergy among related business units in order to increase performance. Decisions dealing with diversification. Business level strategy deals with decisions and actions pertaining to each business unit. The main objective of a business level strategy is to make the unit more competitive in market place. This level strategy addresses the question how do we compete? Although business level strategy is guided by upstream corporate level strategy business unit management must craft a strategy that is appropriate for its own operating situation. Miles and Snow(1984) identified four modes of strategic orientation: Defenders, Prospectors, Analysers and Reactors. These strategies can help explain why companies facing similar environmental threats or opportunities behave differently and why they continue to do so over a long period of time. In turn the different competitive or business strategies influence the down stream functional strategies. Functional level strategy pertains to the major functional operations within the business unit, including research and development, marketing, manufacturing, finance, and human resource productivity and addresses the question how do we support the business level competitive strategy? The three levels of strategy corporate, business and functional form a hierarchy of strategy within in a large multidivisional corporation. Different levels of strategy of Sony Sony Corporation was founded by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita in 1946, now having head quarters at Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Sony is one of the biggest electronics in the world with revenue 7.7 trillion yen. Sony are making products like Consumer professional electronic equipments, Communication information-related equipments, Semiconductor, Electronic devices components, Battery, Chemicals, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music, PlayStation and Blu-Ray devices. Sony Corporation as a giant organization has divided its organization into five main business units as Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and Sony Financial. Sony Corporation has its own corporate strategy, and the each of its five business units having their own business strategy. Corporate Strategy Business level strategy Functional level strategy In Sony Group Corporate Strategy Update FY2008 FY2010 Sony has set out some goals and revealed about its corporate strategy. In particular, the company will focus on strengthening core businesses, enhancing network initiatives and leveraging international growth opportunities to build for the future and drive further growth and profits. Main considerations in the strategy of Sony are, Further strengthening the core business Network initiatives Capitalize on Growth in BRIC Countries and Other Emerging Markets Environmental Initiatives Financial Strategies for the Mid-Term A good strategy always leads an organization towards success and improvement, in the other way a bad or inefficient strategy always takes that organization into losses and bad reputation. As we know that Japanese are good at management and most of other countries are try to implement Japanese management techniques. The term is a Japanese word adopted into English referring to a philosophy or practices focusing on continuous improvement in manufacturing activities, business activities in general, and even life in general, depending on interpretation and usage. Sony Corporation was good at strategic plans by applying these management strategies. As we discussed earlier a bad or inefficient strategy leads the organization into bad reputation, in the case of Sony they are failed to implement an efficient strategy which Sonys net profit for the July-September quarter for 2006 falling 94% to 1.7 billion Yen, compared to 28.5 billion Yen for the same period last year. From there they are tr ying to implement better strategies and to regain their reputation and brand value and to regain their number one position in electronics industry. Portfolio approach to strategy Portfolio approach was one of the early approaches to chart strategy and allocate resources in multi-business organizations. As corporate strategists jumped on the diversification bandwagon they soon found a challenge in managing the resource needs diverse businesses and their strategic missions, particularly in times of limited resources. Responding to that challenge the Boston Consulting Group pioneered an approach called portfolio techniques that attempted to help managers balance the flow of cash resources among their various businesses while also identifying their basic strategic purpose within the overall portfolio. The top managers at larger farms need a method for spotting product lines that deserve more investment as well as lines that arent living up to expectations. So they conduct a portfolio analysis, in which they evaluate they evaluate their companys products and divisions to determine which are strongest and which are weakest. Much as securities analysts review their portfolios of stocks and bonds, deciding which to retain and which to discard. Strategic business unit (SBU) Strategic business units are the key business units within diversified firms. Each SBU has its own managers, resources, objectives, and competitors. A division, product line or a single product may define the boundaries of an SBU. Each SBU pursues its own distinct mission and often develops its own plans independently of other units in the organization. BCG matrix To evaluate each of their organizations SBUs, marketers need some type of portfolio performance framework. A widely used framework was developed by Boston Consulting Group. This market share/ market growth matrix places SBUs in a four quadrant chart that plots market share against market growth potential. The position of an SBU along the horizontal axis indicates its market share relative to those of competitors in the industry. Its position along the vertical axis indicates the annual growth rate of the market. After plotting all of a firms business units, planners divide them according to the matrixs four quadrants as shown in the figure. Stars represent High market share and High growth rate. These products or SBUs are high growth market leaders. Although they generate considerable income, they need inflows of even more cash to finance further growth. Cash cows command High market share in Low growth markets. Marketers for such an SBU want to maintain this status for as long as possible. The business produces string cash flows, but instead of investing heavily in the units own promotions and production capacity, the firm can use this cash to finance the growth of other SBUs with higher growth potentials. Question marks achieve Low market share in higher growth markets. Marketers must decide weather to continue supporting these products or SBUs, because question marks typically require considerably more cash than they generate. If a question mark cannot become a star, the firm should pull out of the market and target other markets with greater potential. Dogs manage only Low market share in Low growth markets. SBUs in this category promise poor future prospects, and marketers should withdraw from these businesses or SBUs as quickly as possible. In some cases these products can be sold to other firms where they are better fit.

Minimum of Two and Human Relationships :: English Literature

Don’t be a twit Clive. Minimum of Two presents a bleak view of human relationships. Discuss in relation to three stories. â€Å"Minimum of Two† demonstrates a bleak view of human relationships, however there are a few hopeful ones. The boy and the boy’s friend show negative and pessimistic relationships. Jerra and Rachel show a plain relationship at first, however it turns more optimistic during the end. The girl and the mother have a negative damaging relationship, which does not change. All these characters demonstrate a desolate view of relationships at some stage in the novel. The boy and the boy’s friend show a plain, windswept relationship. The boy’s friend and his girlfriend travel up the coast together to his mother’s holiday house. The boy is quiet and doesn’t want to lose his friend. He follows them wherever they go and doesn’t want to accept that things are different, â€Å"he swears things are the same†, No Memory Comes†. The boy has been friends with him nearly his whole life, and doesn’t realise that his friend his moving on. The boy knows that his relationship with his friend is becoming distant. The boy is trapped in the past and terrified that things are changing. He is going to have to let go of the past, but he does not want to be separated from it. The boy and the boy’s friend showed a very ordinary relationship, that was not going to last. In the start of the novel Jerra and Rachel do not show a very optimistic relationship, however it turns out hopeful during the end. They argue a great deal and are quite distant. Jerra has a difficult lack of family support, yet he tries to keep everything together, â€Å"too many things had gone against them†, â€Å"Forest Winter†. Their relationship was very quiet and there was not a lot of communication, so Jerra decided to have a baby in order to bring them closer together. After the baby Rachel became silent, â€Å"having the baby had muted her†, ‘Forest Winter’. Rachel also felt sad and pessimistic after she had been raped, however she finds the courage to overcome this in â€Å"The strong one†. At the end of the novel when Rachel has the baby, they become very close and Jerra does not want to lose Rachel or Sam. At this point it is shown that Jerra cares and has feelings for Rachel, â€Å"I love you†, ‘Blood and Water’. Rachel and Jerra have their ups and downs, however in the end they look forward with desire and more confidence. The mother and the daughter show a very sad and unhopeful

The Outsider’s

How would you like it if people considered you to be poor or rich? The outsiders is a novel of conflicts and is about two teen gangs that live on different sides and the country. Greaser's against socks in other words the poor against the rich. The book by S. E. Hilton and is about how the rich kids call the poor kid's socks and get beat up. Pony boy is a 14-year-old teen boy that is a sock and gets beat up quite a lot. Pony boy is really sensitive, intelligent and observant. â€Å"Pony boy reminds me of a house cat hat always know what's going on†.Body Paragraph 1 Throughout the novel pony boy is really observant because many different reasons that I will explain. He might not have that much common sense but he always knows what's around him and what's going on whatever the situation is. In the book his brothers say â€Å"he might lack a bit of common sense but he always knows what's happening†. This is really true it's like he keeps an extra eye somewhere and is one o f a kind. Also he is observant because in the book he says this mfou take up for your uddies, no matter what they do.When you're a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don't stick up for them, stick together, make like brothers, it isn't a gang anymore. It's a pack. A snarling, distrustful, bickering pack like the Socks in their social clubs or the street gangs in New York or the wolves in the timber. â€Å"(34) he is helping has brothers and the greasers and is observing and telling them before hand what they are. Body Paragraph 2 In the other hand pony boy is a really sensitive kid in this novel.When something oesn't go right has emotions well let loose and you will easily find out what kind mood he is really in. In the book it says â€Å"don't cry pony don't cry we'll be okay (75)†. Pony boy is in bed with soda and soda says remind about last night and pony starts tearing up and tells him to shut up. Another reason why I think he's sensitive is because in the book i t says â€Å"l wanted to cry, but Greasers don't cry in front of strangers. Some of us never cry at all. Like Dally and two-bit and Tim Shepard–they forgot how at an early age. 102) Pony was in the hospital and has throat was hurting and he was thinking of has brothers and was about to cry but kept it together because strangers where there. Body Paragraph 3 Finally pony is a really intelligent person you might think he's not but he sure is. In school he gets really good grades and is the best student from all the characters he excuses Darry tor getting bad grades and not doing g â€Å"He is always having a nose in a book. (13)† That's what Darry and has brothers say about pony boy in the novel would always read and loves doing it.Also he is a good writer to he gets put in the A class. Also his brothers say that he is really good in school and stuff but his street smarts aren't so good and don't really have any. Conclusion In conclusion pony boy is Just like house cat that always knows what's happening and might do something bad here and there. Overall pony boy is a good house cat that knows what to do most of the time. Finally remember it doesn't matter what people consider you poor or rich you are what you are and let people think what they think.

Software Testing and School University Graduate

Resume/CV Template Contact information Name Address Telephone Cell Phone Email Personal information Date of Birth Sex Optional personal information Marital Status Spouse's Name Children Employment history List in chronological order, include position details and dates Work History Academic Positions Research and training Education Include dates, majors, and details of degrees, training and certification High School University Graduate School Post-Doctoral Training Professional qualifications Certifications and Accreditations Computer SkillsAwards – if any Publications – if any Professional memberships – if any Interests Sample academic recommendation letter DATE: 20th August 2010 From Mr. Your professor name Lecturer, Department of Science, Your College, Chennai – 600018, India. | To whom so ever it may concern| Mr. Your name was my student during his undergraduate program. He is intelligent, hardworking and motivated student. His power of assimilation and his ability to grasp new concepts is good. His enthusiasm for work was conspicuous and he is proved himself to be a natural leader.Besides, he is also good in English language skills and has taken part in many debates and other literary activities. He has bagged many prizes in state-level inter collegiate contests. I am very sure that he will put forth all his efforts into any task he confronts. His positive outlook, capability to work with peers and his willingness to learn from his experimental situation bear testimony that he will do very well in this post graduate studies in your renowned institution. I strongly recommend Mr. Your name for admission to the post graduate program of your university.Thanking you, Yours sincerely (Mr. Your Lecturer name) Sample Work recommendation letter DATE: 12th June 2010 From Mr. Your professor name Project leader, Department of IT, Your Employer, Chennai – 600018, India. | To whom so ever it may concern| It is my great pleasure to write a letter of recommendation on behalf of Mr. Your name, for admission into your postgraduate program. I have know Mr. Your name since july 2007 in my capacity as senior HR executive with Your company name PVT LTd. Mr.Your name has exceeded expectations and has out – shined others in his work group. Mr. Your name strong work ethics, his ability to outperform and passion towards service excellence will be a value addition for your program. I am confident that Mr. Your name will be serious and enthusiastic candidate and someday a quiet successful senior level manager or entrepreneur that would be proud to call an alumini. If you need any additional information, please feel free to contact me over the phone or via email. Sincerely YOUR EMPLOYER NAME)| | Statement of purpose guidelines Review your essay by asking yourself the following questions: Are my goals well articulated? Do I explain why I have selected this school and/or program? Do I demonstrate knowledge of the program? D o I include interesting details that prove my claims about myself? Is my tone confident? Do’s & Don’ts Don’ts 1. Please give more importance in writing SOP, most of them takes it very easy 2. Don’t underestimate the length of time it will take to write your statement of purpose 3.Don’t give your SOP work to be done by someone else 4. Don’t include all your activities, just something which is more important is enough 5. Don’t use any particular name of universities; always prepare a general SOP that can be used for many universities 6. Avoid lengthy personal or philosophical discussions unless the instructions specifically ask for them 7. Don’t exceed more than two pages 8. Avoid grammatical or spelling mistakes this will show your carelessness is writing this SOP. Do’s 1. Always prepare a rough draft or outline of topics.Mostly the topics will include professional career goals, academic interests, research experience, pr actical experience, special skill sets and reason for choosing a course 2. Always find the course requirement from the university and stick to the points which are specified by university 3. Emphasize everything from a positive perspective and write in an active voice 4. Demonstrate your skill sets by experience 5. Your essay should be well organised and everything is linked with continuity and focus 6. Pay more attention to first paragraph 7.Ask others to proof read your statement of purpose. Sample Statement of Purpose Glad to introduce myself as Mr. YOUR NAME, a Software Engineer at present, with 5 years of experience in Software Testing, Quality Analysis and Management. My career is my passion, and it holds my fullest devotion, dedication and commitment. I belong to the field of IT Services Management, which had been the dream I had, the obsession in me and the long term desire that had lingered in me for a long while. And finally, when I got into this, I could give nothing from me but the best.To add more value to the same, I have decided with the best thought of doing my Masters Degree from a reputed institution which would give me not only a degree but also a new style of learning with international standards, innovative methods of self-development skills and the ability of survival among the fittest. Hence, I was left with no other ideas and suggestions from experts, other than to join you, the Bolton University, which I believe should shape me and make myself qualifiedly fit for the IT Services Management skills and to the progress in the modern globalized cultures, technology and era.I hold my Under-Graduate degree, B. Sc in Computer Science which I had completed in the period June 2001 to May 2004 from the YOUR University, Tamil Nadu. I pursued my UG Degree in the YOUR College, Rajapalayam. The syllabus covered here gave me immense knowledge on Software Development, Software Building, Software Techniques, Hardware Configurations, Mathematical skills and Personality Development. I was elected to be the Students’ Chairman at my final year 2003-2004 which had inspired me to know more about the management skills.I was an ardent speaker, athlete and player at my college and finally passed out with prominence winning the â€Å"Best Outgoing Student† Award at my final year. As a starting point in my career, I got employed as a Software Test Engineer with the YOUR PLOYER technologies, Chennai during the period June 2004. It was here that my zeal had taken an initial contour. I was poured with surplus opportunities around me to learn, to explore, to build, to experiment, to renovate and to give a shape to myself. I learnt the concepts of IT services practically.I gained buoyancy in myself. And with that hope I moved to Accenture YOUR EMPLOYER Pvt Ltd, Chennai during the period August 2006. I was promoted as a Senior Programmer. From that time until now, I keep on renewing myself to the changes in the technologies, to the new ways novelty, the exciting facts of Software Testing and many more. I got certified with the National Stock Exchange of India in Financial Services and Capital Markets. I got certified with the IBM Services in Rational Functional Tester tool.I got certified with the HP Services in Quality Center – Defect Management tool and the Quick Test Professional tool. I am also certified with the International Software Testing Qualification Board, as a certified Manual Software Tester. I had won the Celebrating Performance Award from Accenture thrice, for having achieved extreme satisfaction levels from the clients, building my technical skills and for the professionalism I depict in my job. But my journey towards success is still a few more miles away.I need to sparkle in my career with a Masters Degree in my relevant field – the Services Management, without which my career would not be fulfilled. For this to occur, I need your help, your support and your guidance. The Bolto n University gives its students a degree with a dignified knowledge of survival amidst the global standards and also makes you learn the professional development skills in creative leadership. I wish to be a part with you to develop myself in many such areas. Therefore, I request you to accept my purpose and make me move ahead in my career with more confidence and venerable knowledge.