Air Pollution Essays (1448 words) - Air Pollution, Smog,

Air Pollution Air pollution Introduction With the great concern surrounding the destruction of the earth's atmosphere due to air pollution, the immediate and direct harm caused to the human body is often over shadowed. While many are aware that our careless use of hazardous chemicals and fossil fuels may leave the planet uninhabitable in the future, most over look the fact that they are also cause real damage to our bodies at this moment. Such pollutants cause damage to our respiratory system, leading to the fluctuation of the life span of an individual depending on a number of conditions. Amongst these conditions are the individuals specific geographic location, age, and life style. This paper is structured as a series of relevant questions and answers to report on the description of these pollutants there affects on our bodies. What are the pollutants? And how do they affect our bodies? In order to understand how air pollution affects our body, you must under stand exactly what this pollution is. The pollutants that harm our respiratory system are known as particulates. Particulates are the small solid particles that you can see through a ray of sunlight. They are products of incomplete combustion in engines (example: automobile engines), road dust, and wood smoke. Billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels burn they produce smoke and other by-products into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke given off by power plants and automobiles, much still remains. Particulate matter (soot, ash, and other solids), usually consist of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, various nitrogen oxides, ozone, and lead. These compounds undergo a series of chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight, the result is smog (a term used to describe a noxious mixture of fog and smoke) The smog in this photograph of Beijing, China is so dense that you can barely see the mountains The process by which these pollutants harm our bodies begins by simply taking a breath. Particulates are present every where, in some areas they are as dense as 100,000 per milliliter of air. The damage begins when the particulates are inhaled into the small air sacs of our lungs called alveoli. With densities such as 100,000 per milliliter a single alveolus may receive 1,500 particulates per day. These particulates cause the inflammation of the alveoli. The inflammation causes the body to produce agents in the blood that in crease clotting ability, which leads to the decreased functionality of the cardiovascular system, resulting in diseases and increased mortality. In the blood, carbon monoxide interferes with the supply of oxygen to all tissues and organs, including the brain and heart. Particulates accumulate on the mucous linings of the airways and lungs and impair their functioning. Continued exposure to particulates damages the lungs and increases an individual's chances of developing such conditions as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Inside the alveoli of the lungs, particulate air pollution irritates and inflames them. While you may see pollutants such as particulates, other harmful ones are not visible. Amongst the most dangerous to our health are Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur dioxide, and Ozone. If you have ever been in an enclosed parking garage or a tunnel and felt dizzy or light-headed then you have felt the effect of carbon monoxide(CO). This odorless, colorless, but poisonous gas is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, like gasoline or diesel fuel. Carbon Monoxide comes from cars, trucks, gas furnaces and stoves, and some industrial processes. CO is also a toxin in cigarettes. Carbon Monoxide combines with hemoglobin in the red blood cells, so body cells and tissues cannot get the oxygen they need. Carbon Monoxide attacks the immune system, especially affecting anyone with heart disease, anemia, and emphysema and other lung diseases. Even when at low concentrations CO affects mental function, vision, and alertness. Nitrogen Oxide is another pollutant that has been nicknamed a jet-age pollutant because it is only apparent in highly advanced countries. Sources of this are fuel plant, cars, and trucks. At lower concentrations nitrogen oxides are a light brown gas. In high concentrations they are major sources of haze and smog. They also combine with other compounds

Critical Analysis of Elizabeth I

Critical Analysis of Elizabeth I Introduction This paper presents a critical analysis of the movie â€Å"Elizabeth I â€Å"produced by Shekhar Kapur, 1998 in UK (Kapur 2005). The film is also known as â€Å"The Virgin Queen†. It is imperative to note that the movie portrays the early years and reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Kapur 2005).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Critical Analysis of Elizabeth I specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The author of this movie portrays the Queen as a character who has remarkable skills in leadership. On that note, this paper will examine how effective leadership has been portrayed in the movie. Through a careful review of literature and reflection from the movie, this paper will also seek to portray how a chosen leader should demonstrate effective leadership. A critical analysis of the movie The film â€Å"Elizabeth I† is visually interesting as it unfolds by portraying the creation of the Virgin Queen. T his makes the movie to appear more fictitious rather than one that highlights the history of Queen Elizabeth (Schumann 2012, p. 24). In the movie, the events began in 1554 during the reign of Elizabeth’s half sister. It commences by exhibiting excellent performance whereby Elizabeth is portrayed as a real woman ready to face impending challenges to establish her reign. Notably, the author develops other characters such as William Cecil and Francis who were the Queen’s main protectors (Schumann 2012, p. 30). These characters help her to struggle to power. Notably, the author of the film uses other characters to enhance historical accuracy and, to develop themes such as romance and melodrama within the scene (Kapur 2005). As the plot develops, the author portrays huge divisions that existed in the 16th century in Europe (Gillett 1999, p. 2). These divisions result due to religious differences and wealth. Therefore, Queen Elizabeth is being portrayed as a pragmatic leader due to her performance regardless of the religious and political divisions. As a ruler, she faces numerous challenges including a chronic coup plotted to overthrow her reign. It is important to note that the movie depicts dramatization of how the Queen succession took place and also captures the adventures that occurred some years after her reign (Schumann 2012, p. 34). Several years after her reign, the Catholics and Protestants were in conflict, a factor that made the Queen to be excommunicated. At this time, she allows Judaism though it was outlawed by the realm where the largest proportion of the population England was Catholics (Gillett 1999, p. 13). It is evident that the conflicts marked a turning point for the Queen where she tireless influenced the Roman Catholic leaders to allow religious settlement (Kapur 2005). From this point, one can argue that the Queen was very liberal and opposed religious prejudices.Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's s ee if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Still in the scene, the issue of marriage has been addressed. Notably, most individuals perceive it as a preoccupation for success (Schumann 2012, p. 34). In the movie, the Queen deals with numerous marriage proposals though she fall in deep dilemmas on whom to be in love with. For instance, she could not get married to a foreigner since she would end up handing over her country’s rule to the foreigner (Kapur 2005). She even feared that if she got a local lover as her husband, he might have turned into a de facto king (Gillett 1999, p. 17). Therefore, she declined the issue and kept it to herself. She claimed that she was married to England (Kapur 2005). Notably, one can deduce that the Queen is a determined public servant who is boundless dedicated to serve her country. Needless to say, the movie has its legacy on the art and flexible development of politics and religion (Schumann 2012, 40). The reign of the Queen was engulfed by tremendous changes such as rise of new social class, conformity to state and religion. Nevertheless, the Queen emerges as a complex person, an individual with high level of intelligence that scholars could regard as a ruler in post modern monarch (Schumann, 2012, 50). A critical analysis of effective leadership as portrayed in the movie Gutted (2011, p. 27) argues that effective leadership begins with self-leadership. This implies that before any leader can think of leading a thriving enterprise, he must first possess and master self-leadership skills. Subtly, self-leadership employs premeditated plans in advance to ensure that the right action takes place at the desired time. Notably, some leaders are more naturally disciplined than others (Gutted 2011, p. 27). For this reason, there are those that struggle to boost their effectiveness in order to promote their professional will. Needless to say, self-discipline refers to the ability to contro l your time, resources, thoughts and emotions in such a way that you remain focused on the targeted goal. Hence, effective leadership is crucial in enhancing that leaders achieve the desired ends (Gutted 2011, p. 28). In line with this, is imperative to note that there are numerous ways can be used to assess the effectiveness of leadership portrayed by a chosen leader. For instance, one can evaluate the cognitive abilities of a leader to determine whether they can make a good leader (DuBrin 2010, p. 71). It is evident from the movie that the Queen was an effective leader. This claim can be supported by the fact that she is able to think and act rationally for the good of her country. For instance, she stands against religious conflicts and appeal to the Catholic Bishops to allow religious freedom in England (Gillett 1999, 12). On the other hand, personality can be used to assess whether a leader is effective. It is imperative to note that a leader should be impartial yet flexible (D uBrin 2010, p. 106). For instance, the Queen is able to silence her opponents though we find that she have got advisors.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Critical Analysis of Elizabeth I specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Needless to say, an effective leader can be determined by his or her passion to perform a particular task and the flow of experience (DuBrin 2010, p. 141). Notably, one can deduce that the Queen had a passion to serve the country and had a good flow of experiences. For example, she declines getting married to both foreigners and local lovers in order to protect her country. Moreover, as the film ends, it sets a legacy on the Queens ability to safeguard the monarch to an extent that it can be considered as one of the post-modern (Gillett 1999, p. 14). That notwithstanding, the Queen demonstrates her ability to desert traditional thinking and employs creative strategies for the good of her country. Con sequently, she breaks the culture that certain religious doctrines are unacceptable in the realm. Therefore, it is arguable that she has passed the test as an effective leader. It is imperative to note that there are several attributes that one can learn from the movie on effective leadership. For instance, when considering whether leadership is effective or not, it is important to recognize who holds the power. For example, Queen Elizabeth was born in power. Moreover, during her time, the society she grew in upheld traditional values including monarch (Kapur 2005). Therefore, once she reigned into power, she modeled the impending values perfectly. In fact the film had demonstrated her ability and commitment to execute duties while upholding traditional values. It is definite that she successfully follows the rulebook with sober personality a factor that makes her to beat all odds. Succinctly, it is arguable that an effective leader should possess a sober personality (Willets 2011, p. 5). Moreover, effective leaders should have virtues that will enable them to interact with the subjects. These virtues include courage, wit, truthfulness, right ambition and good temper (DuBrin 2010, p. 173). In the movie, the queen is able to interact well with her protectors and other colleagues in parliament. After her reign to power in England she emerges as a mediavel Godfather who understands the nature of her power (Kapur 2005). She uses political machinations to bring everything in control regardless of few restrictions which engulfed her. As a leader, she finds herself trapped between religious conflicts among Protestants and Catholics (Schumann 2012, p. 30). Nevertheless through her wit and support from the council member she is able to solve impending conflicts. From this analysis if is essential that effective leaders should be gentle but hardy in order to achieve stability. This will also help them to exert authority effectively and become self-imposed. That notwiths tanding, it is essential to note that the Queen possess practical wisdom that enables her to effectively reign and enhance the wellbeing of her people regardless of challenges (Kapur 2005). Inline with this, effective leaders should have moderate temperance in order to ensure that they take reasonable risk for the good of the subjects.Advertising Looking for report on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, integrity is a virtue that builds trust and encourages people to consider ones leadership as legitimate (Willets 2011, p. 5). In line with this, it is imperative to note that virtues, values, morals are the sum total of an effective leader. Nevertheless, scholars argue that these aspects often remain elusive since cannot be defined but they can be demonstrated (Willets 2011, p. 5). In addition, it is essential to emphasize that competence and commitment are key ingredients that make a leader effective. For instance, competence determines what a leader can do. Contrastingly, commitment determines what an individual wants to do. Furthermore, combination of the two concepts influences the effectiveness of a leader. Needless to say, character or personality is also a key element and plays a central role in influencing leadership (DuBrin 2010, 202). Researchers argue that character influences what leaders reinforce, notice or value in the immediate environment (Willets 2011, p. 5). Moreover, character is crucial in making effective decisions. Research has shown that most mistakes committed by leaders have their roots on poor character development. Nevertheless, it is apparent that there is no perfect leader when it comes to character development (Pater 2011, 58). Evidence can be derived from the fact that majority of them end up making inappropriate decisions probably due to overconfidence. Some aspects in their characters bide their minds to an extent that they fail to consider important contextual variables. In this case, they are led by emotions that hijack their selfs of common traits include extroversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness and openness to experience (DuBrin 2010, p. 302). Notably, out of the five major domains there are other traits that are worth consideration. These include perfectionism, dominance, rigidity, impulsivity and persistence. Research has shown that all effective leaders have their own personal style of execu ting their roles in leadership (Endersbe, Wortmann Therrien 2012, p.8). Nevertheless, there are specific aspects which they share. For instance, effective leaders have commitments geared toward making their roles effective. This implies that they use the aspect to enhance teamwork, increase productivity and build cohesiveness in their respective areas. According to Endersbe, Wortmann and Therrien (2012, p. 8), commitment in effective leadership entails three components namely clarity, rhythm and stability. According to Pater (2011, p. 58), leaders hold certain values or belief which they find essential to enhance their leadership. Research has shown that such values influence decisions and individual’s behavior. Common values that act as a guidelines in the movie include harmony, equality, non-violence and freedom. It is notable that the Queen is interested and determined to see people living in harmony regardless of their individual differences. She fights against religious violence to ensure that every individual has equal chances to determine their fate without being prejudiced. Moreover, these values influence the queen’s emotion and her behavior towards numerous aspects such as religion, politics and social life as depicted in the scene (Schumann 2012, p. 25). It is notable that as a leader, there are certain times when events take place unintentionally or unexpectedly. For this reason, a leader should employ effective leadership style to deal with uncertainties (Pater 2011, 58). As a matter of fact, the movie portrays how leadership can influence people’s reactions. In the movie, the Queen represents the establishment of aspects that were perceived as dignified, old fashioned and preserved. Nevertheless, the author uses her wit to establish significant changes in the society such as Judaism that was regarded as offensive by the realm in England. In this case, the Queen emerges as a leader who represents freedom and modernization. In a shift of focus, leadership style is an important factor to consider while assessing the effectiveness of a leader. Most of the styles adopted by leaders reflect their altitudes and ability to contribute to change (Nielsen Daniels 2012, p. 383). It is imperative to note that certain styles of leadership also influence the level of motivation and commitments among leaders. In line with this, different situations require dissimilar styles of leadership in order to increase competence, productivity and the well-being of those who are being led. Notably, one of the common and most accepted styles of leadership is transformational type of leadership (Nielsen Daniels 2012, p. 383). One can argue that the Queen was a transformational leader who strived to transform her country. Additionally, an effective leader should be transformational and work towards positive change whenever deemed necessary. Research evidences have revealed that effective leaders using transformational style have high levels of commitment and motivation. Moreover, they are envisioned to elicit trust and loyalty to the subjects. This is evident from the movie whereby the Queen opts to remain a virgin to devote her loyalty to England (Schumann 2012, p. 37). Notably, by the time she was interacting with her lovers from the foreign country, she could have been influenced to change her mind. Nevertheless, she remained focused and motivated despite the fact that the men were noble and strong-willed to marry her. Another lesson that one can learn from the movie is the essence of encouraging dialogue and sharing information. An effective leader should be able to initiate dialogue and listen to constructive feedbacks from the subjects (Pace 2011, p. 64). Research has revealed that dialogue has intellectual stimulating effects and often leads to creative problem solving. From the film, the Queen is being advised by Walsingham on how to deal with her opponents. Consequently, the Queen takes ruthless ac tion to wipe out any form of opposition against her reign. He warns the queen that sometimes she should take unpalatable decisions which he refers to the â€Å"removal of head† (Schumann 2012, p. 30). In this case, the Queen does away with tedious political machinations and opt for lucrative strategies to wipe out her opponents. Nielsen and Daniels (2012, p. 383) point out that intelligence in leadership is displayed in the manner in which a leader depicts maturity in relationship skills. Intelligence emerges in the movie to be very important in leadership maturity because it aids the establishment of solutions to complex situations. Additionally, the aforementioned authors further describe intelligent leaders as those who influence others and inspire through their words, competences and actions. The article by Endersbe, Wortmann and Therrien (2012, p. 8) points out that intelligent leadership is key in modern society as it embraces core components that hold the society. Thes e include horizontal components and the vertical components. The authors of the article exemplify that the vertical element of intelligence is placeless, timeless, divine, sacred conscious and of high power. The horizontal element of intelligence embraces the understanding that leaders must be of service to human beings and everything else in the world. The best description that can be given to the leadership of Elizabeth as reflected in the movie is definitely placeless. From a careful review of literature, it is apparent that leaders’ behaviors influence the environment which they operate and the relationship they establish with their counterparts (Pace 2011, p. 65). In this case, leaders’ behavior affects effectiveness in the various roles being played. One can argue that the Queen had used classic styles of leadership behavior. This made her to be recognized as the Godfather of the medieval era. For instance, one can note that to some extent, the Queen was authorit ative though liberal. In this case, she retained her responsibility and authority. Needless to say, the fact that she was a protestant, she faced strict opposition by the Catholic nobles after ascending to power. Nevertheless, it is imperative to note that the nobles were horrified by the Queen’s reign in power to an extent that they began plotting against her (Schumann 2012, p. 44). However, the queen does not appear vulnerable but determined to hold power for good measure at all cost. In this case, the queen did not care about the magnitude of the public’s reaction to stop her opponents from ascending to power. She asserts her strength and authority to silence them. The ability of a leader to have great focus, articulate professionalism in his or her duties, and maintain high ethical orientation that generates both local and international preference act as some of the most important traits for an all time leader. Perhaps, the best description that can be used for Que en Elizabeth is that of a leader who lived well beyond her time due to her peculiar view points and leadership skills that have increasingly become the driving force to many. While the notion of democracy by most leaders has often been considered indifferent in the public realms, the depiction of high democratic ideals by Queen Elizabeth in the movie is quite moving. To rhyme with modern scholars’ consideration of Queen Elizabeth, Pace (2011, p. 64) cites her ability to maintain a clear future focus that facilitated his ability to transcend from level to another. From a leader’s perspective, Queen Elizabeth was perhaps one of the best learners, a consideration that greatly facilitated her ability to curve new leadership trends. As Schumann (2012, p. 44) indicates, situational leadership requires highly sensitive people who can relate the existing trend with the core demands in the society. A leader should be able to demonstrate the ability to assimilate change and cont inued improvement. According to Pace (2011, p. 64), leaders should be able to see and create visionary outsets that can effectively guide their subjects for the sake of sustainability. As reflected in the movie, leaders also need to express willingness to take key responsibilities. One of the greatest considerations that 21st century leaders can learn from Queen Elizabeth’s operations is her willingness and ability to take responsibilities. This was depicted by her devotion to achieve desired results for every citizen. Besides, she was persistent in search for ethics. According to ethical theories, a leader must be able to pursue what is good even when the chances of winning are very slim. Queen Elizabeth also demonstrated immense levels of cooperation and support for unity of purpose. In her leadership, she indicated that the need for cooperation and unity is very critical in achieving goals. During her leadership as presented in the movie, her roles yielded successes which were only possible through cooperation with other people. The important lesson here is that the ability of a leader is to be endowed with great focus, articulate in terms of effective leadership skills and also the ability to maintain high ethical orientation. In summing up, it is imperative to note that another classic style that makes a leader effective is the democratic aspect that enables one to delegate duties while retaining much of the authority (Rus, van Knippenberg Wisse 2010, p. 992). Research reveals that democracy in leadership promotes collective participation. According to Nahavandi (2006, p. 57), democracy in leadership fosters effective decision making skills. In most cases, this allows downward and upward flow of communication. From the movie, it is notable that the Queen had master spies who were her advisors. In this case, she could delegate certain activities to Walsingham and were done regardless of whether they were good or bad (Schumann 2012, p. 33). Neverthe less, it is important to note that past performance is likely to affect the effectiveness of the present and future leadership. In this case, an effective leader should employ traits that are likely to foster cohesiveness, responsibility and motivation (Pater 2011, 58). Case analysis table A brief explanation of the scene Leader characteristics and traits displayed in the film Internal and external environment Group member characteristics displayed Leader behavior and style The plot of the film begins by exhibiting excellent performance of Elizabeth I who is in a race to reign as a Queen in 1554. In the meantime, her half sister Mary is the current queen of England. In the scene, there are characters such as William Cecil and Francis, the Queen’s protector who assist her to ascend to power. In the meantime, there is a lot of romance and melodrama whereby suitors come to woo Elizabeth for marriage. Nevertheless, she declines the affairs for the welfare of her country, Eng land. Meanwhile, as the Queen steps into power, there emerge religious indifferences among the Catholic and Judaism dominations. Additionally, political challenges also ensue whereby some activists plot to overthrow the Queen of England. Nevertheless, the Queen beats all odds and emerge successful by putting off the political and religious insurgencies Passionate Self-confident Determined Witty Ambitious Gentle Even-tempered Competent Hardy As a woman, she is faced by inner conflicts on whether to get married or remain a virgin. In the scene, she gets into romantic relationship with numerous lovers though she declines the affairs shortly. Moreover, she feels that getting married to a foreigner is like selling her country to a stranger. In line with this, she fears that a domestic husband might turn out to be an aristocratic king. Therefore, she eventually decides to remain unmarried for the sake of her country. On the other hand, she faces numerous challenges in the political arena. Some activists plot to overthrow her government. Nevertheless, she is witty enough and her supporters help her to remain in power. The group of characters in the scene has been displayed as supportive, helpful and determined to help the Queen to have an easy time in her reigning period. For instance, Walsingham, Francis and William Cecil protect and advice the queen on matters related to power The Queen uses a pragmatic leadership style. In this case, her behavior is influenced by the nature of the case at hand. For this reason, she remains flexible and impartial. Moreover, her leadership style is situational since she takes measures depending on the nature of impending situations. Needless to say, her performance and behavior are influenced by the situations surrounding her at that time. Recommendations On analyzing the case in the film, the following is a list of recommendations that can be used to boost the level of leadership performance. One should evaluate the level of se lf-leadership in a leader. This should be determined by the nature of professional skills. One should also analyze the level of personal efficacy and discipline to determine the leader’s effectiveness. Notably, the major benchmark in the analysis determining one’s ability to control time, thought, emotions and other resources. It is also imperative to consider and analyze both the external and internal factors. In this case, one should analyze their benefits and how they are likely to influence leadership. Moreover, one should consider the source of power for any given leader. Understanding and critically analyzing the group members’ initiatives and their individual potential. Needless to say, one should identify and analyze the qualities and traits held by a particular leader. By so doing, it will give room for further improvement. One should also try to understand how certain virtues, values and morals affect leadership It is also vital to examine the professi onal will, goals and objectives of a leader. References DuBrin, J. 2010, Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills, Cengage Learning Inc., Mason. Endersbe, T. Wortmann, J. Therrien, J. 2012, ‘Three Commitments’, Leadership Excellence, Vol. 29 no 4, pp. 8-13. Gillett, K. 1999, Elizabeth: Too Much Fiction in This Historical Tale. Web. Gutted, G. 2011, ‘Great Leadership Starts with Leading an Organization of One’, Agency Sales, vol. 41 no. 11, pp. 27-29. Kapur, S. 2005, Elizabeth I. Web. Nahavandi, A. 2006, ‘The art and science of leadership’,Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Nielsen, K. Daniels, K. 2012, ‘Does shared and differentiated transformational leadership predict followers working conditions and well-being?’ Leadership Quarterly, vol. 23 no. 3, pp. 383-386. Pace, A. 2011, ‘Leading development solutions for todays leaders’, T + D, vol. 65 no.12, pp. 64-67. Pater, R. 2011, Ã¢â‚¬Ë œ12-Step Leadership’, Occupational Health Safety, vol. 80 no. 11, pp. 58-67. Rus, D., van Knippenberg, D. Wisse, B. 2010, ‘Leader power and leader self-serving behavior: The role of effective leadership beliefs and performance information’, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 46 no 6, pp. 922-932. Schumann, H. 2012, ‘Elizabeth Film and History’. Web. Willets, A. 2011, ‘How you can become a better leader’, Public Relations Tactics, vol.18 no10, pp. 6-8.

Assignment prompt Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Prompt - Assignment Example Conflict is an essence of the plot. Conflict in a story builds the climax. The stories, â€Å"Two Kinds† and â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† encompass a struggle, both external as well internal, at the centre of their plots. â€Å"Two Kinds† displays a struggle of a girl and more precisely, a quest for self identity. â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† captivates a struggle in Connie’s life. The external conflict of Connie is with the society and family. Connie’s odd terms with her family and her mother in particular explains the same. But her internal conflict is severe and with the open ending of the story, it does not get resolved. Joyce actually keeps enough space for the readers to think about the conflicts and the respective resolutions in their own terms. In the story â€Å"Two Kinds†, the climax appears when the final quest for all the attempts to become the piano star starts to come true before Jingmei. The onset of the events preceding the predicament forms the climax of the

Testing Speaking Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Testing Speaking Skills - Assignment Example Speaking skills comprise the ability to understand the content of what is taught or spoken by the second person and providing the right response in terms of language and grammar. The difficulty in testing speaking skills is when large number of students needs to be addressed and tested. Test speaking is an arduous task. There is no question about that. And when the number of students to be tested is large, the problem is compounded both in terms of the content of the test and the time to devote to each student. It is well nigh impossible to test a large number of students by one or a handful of teachers. It may not be possible to hire a large number of teachers for the purpose if certain techniques, such as the computer, are adopted that could mitigate the problem to a good measure. (Oral Skills). There are certain dos and don'ts for testing. Testing must be planned in advance. There must be a good time gap between planning the test and carrying out the testing of speaking. In the meantime, there must be time for modifications or corrections. There must be a method for testing. The method must be selected keeping the students and the syllabus in mind. Then the person conducting the test must bear in mind that no testing is without anxiety. There must be some room for the tested to face and overcome anxiety. These are the dos. The don'ts are: never add any question outside the syllabus. If there are some tricky questions, keep the students informed that certain questions are bound to be testy, but they are within the syllabus. Do not ask more questions than the time set for answers (Functional Testing). Use the Computer The computer era has firmly set its grip over every individual and organization. The time has come when large number of students can be tested for speaking skills based on the use of the computer. However, the computer is just a machine. It is up to the teachers to use software with the questionnaire and audio receptivity to perform tests successfully on the large number of students. The computer can be effectively used for testing speaking skills. It is one medium that can be used in effectively teaching large number of students, and also testing large number of students. And this can be done in comparatively short duration of time. The content must be planned and drawn up appropriately so that students are able to get it on screen with a few

I have to choose a topic pertaining to software security or security Research Paper

I have to choose a topic pertaining to software security or security when it comes to programming - Research Paper Example On the other hand, the majority of software development firms as well as individuals believes that implementing security related features of a software or software development entirely is a post development activity and it has nothing to do within the software development lifecycle. In this scenario, software companies and end-users have to face severe issues and threats because of unaddressed security and privacy based issues in their software development life cycles and ultimately in resulting products. Thus, these serious issues and challenges invite the researchers and technology experts to recognize or build more efficient and effective approaches for ensuring the secure software development process as well as secure software products. The basic purpose of this paper is to address some of the significant aspects associated with â€Å"secure software development†. This paper outlines some the important aspects and factors that can affect the software development process. T he scope of this paper also covers a discussion on the reasons that can cause various security based threats and issues within the software development process. ... In the past few years, software applications are more and more facing both internal and external threats. The result that could be derived from this statement is that the software applications are still being developed with development errors and issues that make them vulnerable to security threats. In fact, this as aspect has turned out to be more serious for the reason that majority of the business organizations, governments and individuals at the present heavily rely on these software applications in order to carry out their daily tasks. On the other hand, the condition turns out to be further critical when these software applications have to be used critical and serious operations such as atomic energy or medical systems. Seeing the importance of security of software applications or software development process, the majority of organizations throughout the world have started to pay more and more attention to improving the security of software applications. Given that customers (s uch as organizations) have practiced unsuccessful security breaches, therefore it has increased disturbance and awareness regarding software development (Devanbu & Stubblebine, 2000; Kumar, 2009; Davis, Humphrey, Redwine, & Zibulski, 2004). The research has shown that in order to develop secure software applications, software development firms should perform various activities such as they should study and adopt secure software development approaches as well as follow them all the way through the software development lifecycle. In their paper (Devanbu and Stubblebine) discuss a variety of security concerns and guidelines in order to improve the software development process. According to their viewpoint, software development firms should make sure that they consider security

Should Forgiveness Be Conditional Philosophy Essay

Should Forgiveness Be Conditional Philosophy Essay The concept of forgiveness has been a central concern to individuals and communities throughout history. Present in theological ideas, the concept of forgiveness is widespread and has greatly influenced our moral attitudes towards one another and how we react when we have been offended . The standard definition in the Oxford English Dictionary for forgiveness states  ¿Ã‚ ½may be forgiven, pardonable, excusable ¿Ã‚ ½ (Hughes, 2010). However, by merely pardoning or excusing the offender, without them taking accountability for their action, can dismiss the moral significance and psychological emotions of the victim. I shall argue, with reference to Charles Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s book Forgiveness: A Philosophical Exploration, that the process of forgiveness is restorative. Forgiving has the ability to reunite a relationship disrupted by someone ¿Ã‚ ½s wrongdoing as well as aid in letting go ones negative feelings and hostility towards the offender. I will explore Bishop Butlers understanding of forgiveness, which is incompatible with my view of forgiveness. Thus I shall argue that forgiveness is only possible when conditional on repentance. I shall propose Professor Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s conditions which need to be fulfilled in order for forgiveness to be completely satisfied, whilst providing a counterexample in support of those who forgive unconditionally. Ultimately, I will conclude in support of conditional forgiveness as I would have demonstrated how unconditional forgiveness can understate the moral significance of the victim as well as the moral importance of the action. Bishop Joseph Butler understands forgiveness as the  ¿Ã‚ ½forswearing of resentment ¿Ã‚ ½ (Murphy, 1988, p.1). He treats resentment as indignation due to a moral wrong to oneself. According to Butler, forgiveness is compatible with some degree of continuous rage towards the wrongdoer for their action. Therefore, forswearing resentment does  ¿Ã‚ ½not require giving up every negative feeling associated with the injurious event ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold,2007,p.41) He argues instead, moderated resentment is necessary as it helps us to recognize the level of injury caused to us whilst also serving as a suitable response towards the wrongdoer for their action. For Butler, resentment is not inconsistent with goodwill and  ¿Ã‚ ½we may therefore love our enemy ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p.36) despite their actions towards us. Thus it seems Bishop Butler does not require the offender to meet conditions to gain the victims forgiveness,  ¿Ã‚ ½Because we are in need of forgiveness, consistency de mands that we be forgiving of others. ¿Ã‚ ½(Griswold, 2007, p.36). However, claiming to have forgiven your wrongdoer whilst holding a proportionate amount of resentment towards them seems counter-intuitive. I feel that in order to fully forgive someone, resentment has to be overcome in order to rid any hostility, moral hatred, and negative feelings towards the offender. Forgiveness benefits the wrongdoers as well as the victim, helping them to alleviate guilt and blame, thereby helping them to move forward in their lives and not reoffend. If resentment is consistent with goodwill, as Butler argues it is, the process is compromised and forgiveness for neither persons cannot be achieved. Instead, the injurer should make a conscious effort to ensure forgiveness is fulfilled, which requires attempting to abolish any resentment the victim bears towards them. If not, the victim has to accept they have been wronged and begin to deal with the pain of their injury, psychologically and physically, without the satisfaction of knowing their offender has repente d for their action. Bishop Butler thus understates the importance of forgiveness as a process the victim must go through to overcome their resentment and psychological hostility. Forgiveness should require modifying and changing ones moral judgements about the offender, through a process which makes them deserving of the victim ¿Ã‚ ½s compassion. Without this process the emotional complexity of forgiveness is lost. Unlike Butler, Charles Griswold argues that forgiveness aims to relinquish resentment whilst ensuring the offender is held accountable. He believes that although forgiveness is generally good and admirable there are circumstances which prohibit giving forgiveness to the offender, especially when the offender is unrepentant of their sins. For Griswold, forgiveness is not meant as a  ¿Ã‚ ½therapeutic program ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p.54) instead the conditions he outlines are  ¿Ã‚ ½conditions of a moral nature ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold,2007, p.54) meant to alter ones moral judgments of a person, and help to improve the victims view of the wrongdoer. Once these conditions have been met the offender is entitled to forgiveness from the victim (Griswold, 2007, p.47) On this view, forgiveness cannot be seen as a  ¿Ã‚ ½gift to the offender ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p.67) which is given freely without having met certain criteria which repudiates ones wrong doing. Forgiveness is therefore condit ional on repentance otherwise it  ¿Ã‚ ½would collapse into forgetting, or excusing, or rationalisation. ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p.46). Professor Griswold believes  ¿Ã‚ ½forgiveness requires reciprocity between injurer and injured ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p. xvi) which can be achieved through satisfying the six conditions he outlines.  ¿Ã‚ ½Firstly, it is important that the wrongdoer takes responsibility for their action, Secondly, ensure they repudiate the deed, Third, regret their action, Fourth, commit to being a better person, Fifth, show understanding from the injured person ¿Ã‚ ½s perspective, and lastly, offer a narrative of why they are worthy of the victims forgiveness by showing they are committed to changing their ways ,as well as committing to fully letting go of resentment ¿Ã‚ ½. (Griswold, 2007, pp.48 52) These conditions, when fulfilled, will reunite mutual respect and acknowledgment between the wrongdoer and aid in the return to the  ¿Ã‚ ½minimal state of civility before the injury was done ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griwold, 2007, p.49). However, Griswold argues forgiveness is only possible if the offender has become morally changed through meeting these conditions (Griswold, 2007, p.49). Conditional forgiveness is necessary as forgiving the offender without requiring anything from them conveys to them, and the rest of the public, they are not responsible for their action. If the offender is unrepentant of their sins, they have not been morally changed, and for that reason we would not know if the offender would recommit their wrongdoing in the future. Unconditional forgiveness denies all requirements for the offender to take responsibility for their action or try to repudiate their wrongdoing. Therefore I feel it downplays the moral significance of the event as it fails to endorse the extent of the offender ¿Ã‚ ½s moral wrongdoings. It also allows the offender to dismiss the harm to the victim which denies them respect for the wrongdoing against them. If the offender takes responsibility for their action and commi ts to becoming a better person, then they become worthy of the victims forgiveness. In agreement with Griswold, I feel forgiveness should only be given once the offender repents for their sins. Without doing so, it  ¿Ã‚ ½adds insult to the injury so far as the victim is concerned ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p.49). In fulfilling the conditions of forgiveness, the offender comes to understand and accept what morality requires of him. If he does not, the wrongdoer may never understand the moral significance of the act, pretending the injustice upon the victim does not carry any importance. . The conditions Professor Griswold outlines aim to show that forgiveness should not be freely given as a gift. The conditions are important because a wrong should not be disregarded, and if forgiveness is unconditional, the offender carries no moral weight for their action. Overcoming resentment and being able to forgive the offender may end psychological discomfort the victim longed for, only achievable through the repentance of the offender. Katie Hutchinson from Victoria Island Canada finally found peace after her husband ¿Ã‚ ½s killer confessed to the murder 4 years later and apologised to her. Only then was she able to forgive him and begin her healing process which finally allowed her to let go of the moral hatred which grew inside her. Similarly, it allowed her husband ¿Ã‚ ½s killer to understand the extent of his crime as he had the opportunity to directly relate to his victims hurt and anger. Forgiveness was conditional on his apology and confession which due to this, bot h parties psychologically benefitted. Forgiveness said nothing less about her feelings towards her husband, or how profound his murder was, it  ¿Ã‚ ½became an opportunity to create a new and hopeful beginning ¿Ã‚ ½ (Hutchinson, 2011). The murderer was not let off the moral hook and the moral significance of the action remained a crucial feature in their lives. As the offender did not demand forgiveness or had been given it freely as a gift, the victims self-respect was maintained, which like Griswold, I feel is lost in unconditional forgiveness. On this account of forgiveness, the moral significance of the action was not downplayed, and the self respect of the victim was maintained. The offender takes responsibility for their actions but also begins to amend the harm caused. Giving up resentment through a process in which the perpetrator satisfy ¿Ã‚ ½s conditions seems a necessary requirement in achieving forgiveness as an end, especially if the offender is alive and willing to repent. Thus conditional forgiveness avoids the main objections which apply to unconditional forgiveness. But, what happens with the offender is deceased or unrepentant? Should forgiveness still be conditional? Professor Griswold argues that  ¿Ã‚ ½if the forgiveness is unconditional, the intrinsically interpersonal character of forgiveness is lost ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p.64). I accept this assertion on the grounds that as there is no face to face interaction in the process, the victim may not gain full satisfaction from forgiving unconditionally. Yet Griswold allows forgiveness to be granted to the deceased without having carried out his six conditions. Forgiveness is possible if you are able to plausibly construct a scenario of what that person would do if you were to meet in the circumstances where they were repentant for their wrongdoing. Constructing a narrative on the reasons for forgiving the offender and why they deserve forgiveness may involve  ¿Ã‚ ½gathering data ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p.120) of why that person acted as they had done or indicate issues in the offenders past which caused or influenced them to commit this offence. Once understood, the victim can come to feel respected and let go of any resentment they may have towards the offender (Griswold, 2007, p.121). Once the victim sees the forgiver in a new light, forgiveness can truly be fulfilled. Forgiveness, in this case, may be  ¿Ã‚ ½lacking or imperfect relative to the paradigm, ¿Ã‚ ½(Griswold, 2007, p. xvi) however, this does not rule out the central role forgiveness plays in letting go the negative feelings and resentment one may hold against the offender. On the contrary, there are several non-paradigmatic cases in which unconditional forgiveness is essential in the natural process of psychological recovery. A counter- example to Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s conditional forgiveness can be demonstrated through the unconditional forgiveness given by the Pennsylvanian community. On May 16th 2007, 32 students were shot dead by a former student whilst many others were severely wounded on the campus of Virginia Tech University, USA. Before committing suicide, the former Virginia tech student had sent a manifesto to NBC news which stated that he believed his injurious and merciless act was benefitting the community in some way. Shortly after the shooting ended, the hurt was felt universally. A candle lighting memorial ceremony was conducted and thousands of people flocked together in support of those who were killed. Shockingly, amongst the tears and sorrow, banners were held by parents and students stating  ¿Ã‚ ½we forgive you ¿Ã‚ ½. Surely this forgiveness would deny the self respect and moral dignity of the victims? I argue against Griswold, demonstrating that there are circumstances which unconditional forgiveness does not collapse into condemnation. Although not always desirable, it is possible to forgive someone whilst continuing to pronounce indignation towards the offender, especially if this gives them psychological tranquillity through doing so. The Pennsylvanian community should not be regarded as weak or mentally deficient for forgiving the killer, instead they should be appraised and admired for their love and ability to forgive in such difficult circumstances. Although Griswold suggests  ¿Ã‚ ½to forgive someone undeserving of the honour, under the banner of a  ¿Ã‚ ½gift, ¿Ã‚ ½ may condone the wrong-doer, and even provide encouragement to more offenses ¿Ã‚ ½ (Griswold, 2007, p.63) he fails to consider those who do not condone their actions and will continue to voice their anger towards such cr imes against humanity. Forgiving unconditionally may be a difficult thing to do, but letting go of psychological hatred whilst fighting for justice is possible. Unconditional forgiveness  ¿Ã‚ ½is compatible with outright condemnation of the wrongdoing and a determination to fight against it, and thus with maintaining self-respect ¿Ã‚ ½ (Gerrard and McNaughton, 2003, p.6) If the wrongdoing is not overlooked, and the full extent of the crime is widely understood and not downplayed, I feel no reason to contest against the satisfaction the injured party gains through forgiving unconditionally. It is a personal option, experienced by only the person giving it. Thus Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s argument is unsound. He cannot dictate to those who forgive unconditionally their forgiveness is flawed, as he does not know or understand their reasoning for forgiving. Whether someone  ¿Ã‚ ½deserves ¿Ã‚ ½ forgiveness is completely subjective and questionable. He makes a generalisation which is not n ecessarily true. If forgiving unconditionally allows the victim to overcome resentment and their negative emotions, then so be it. Forgiving the offender can sometimes only be possible if the forgiveness is given without requirements. In the previous example the killer thought he was doing good, so carrying out Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s six conditions in which a scenario with the killer is imagined, would in this case, lead to further anger, resentment and moral hatred, instead of abolishing these negative emotions. Unconditional forgiveness is needed for the same reasons Professor Griswold gives for reciprocal forgiveness. Without unconditional forgiveness how would we re-establish trust in man-kind, ensuring we do not lose hope or happiness for the future after such tragic losses? There are positive reasons for forgiving even the unrepentant. Vengefulness and moral hatred are minimised whilst a sense of human solidarity increases. Gerrard and McNaughton strongly endorse this view of unconditional forgiveness, arguing that as we are members of the same species, in a  ¿Ã‚ ½shared human community, like a shared membership of a family, provides reason alone for forgiveness ¿Ã‚ ½ (Gerrard and McNaughton, 2003, p.10). They defend their view by arguing that if we are to produce a sense of commonality, we have to realise that sometimes circumstances are difficult, and if  ¿Ã‚ ½circumstances would have been less favourableI might have become the kind of person who acted in this way ¿Ã‚ ½ (Gerrard and McNaughton, 2003, p.11) Monstrous as the perpetrators may be, they still share the same characteristics as us. The human condition is sometimes fragile, easily manipulated, or clouded by false information and judgments leading us to act in terrible ways. But in some cases it is possible to see how the offender came to be or act in that way. Griswold does, to some extent, endorse this view in his conditional forgive ness for the deceased. He suggests by constructing a narrative about the offender, it is possible to find an indication why they have committed the offence (Griswold, 2007, p.121). In the example of the University shootings, it was soon discovered that the student had several mental disorders which triggered him to act irrationally and violently. Although his actions should not be condoned, based on the presence of a mental disorder, it does somehow allow us to understand the killer, and alleviate some of the anger and resentment we have towards him. If we somehow put ourselves in his shoes, perhaps we can relate to his sorrow, misery and anger towards the world. We all have the capacity to morally wrong someone, and if circumstances were different we too would be in need of forgiveness. (Gerrard and McNaughton, 2003, 11) I do not deny the fact the killer was deceased played an important part in the community ¿Ã‚ ½s ability to forgive unconditionally. Had the killer been alive, I doubt they would have given their forgiveness so readily without his repentance. Nonetheless, unconditional forgiveness has allowed them to relieve hostile feelings, reconcile their trust in man-kind, maintain self-respect and ensure the moral significance of the action was maintained. If we take forgiveness to be a process which the injured party must go through in order to overcome negative emotions, then unconditional forgiveness has the ability to do so. To recall Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s argument, condoning the crimes of the unrepentant would demonstrate to others they are not accountable for their actions. By forswearing revenge and committing to let go of resentment, the Pennsylvanian community hardly demonstrated to others that by committing such crimes you will not be held responsible. They do not condone his actions and never will. If the killer were alive they would have demanded justice. Letting go of your anger does not let the offender off the moral hook. Thus, I have shown unconditional forgiveness does not necessarily collapse into condemnation. I shall note that Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s approach to the topic is secular. Although he focuses on secular forgiveness he does not deny the widespread role of forgiveness in Christian and Judaic narrative. For people who are religious, the process of forgiveness can be easier and less complicated as their religion requires they be forgiving no matter what. Religious forgiveness about believes, having faith in God, yourself and man-kind. It is difficult to interpret whether God ¿Ã‚ ½s forgiveness is conditional or unconditional as this view differs amongst spectators. I do however argue that whether forgiveness is conditional or unconditional, forgiveness is always good and admirable. The benefits one gains from forgiving are more important than the process one goes through in order to get to the desired end. Whether or not forgiveness should be conditional ultimately lies with the decision of the injured person. Both conditional forgiveness and unconditional forgiveness have benefits which help re-establish a relationship harmed by someone ¿Ã‚ ½s wrongdoing. However, I do support Professor Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s argument that when the offender is alive, and unrepentant, he is not worthy of your forgiveness. But, this does not mean that forgiveness should not be granted, if in doing so, allows you to let go of the psychological hatred which consumes you. Unconditional forgiveness certainly has the same benefits of reciprocal conditional forgiveness. It does however seem a common type of forgiveness given more readily when the perpetrator is deceased. Enmity and abomination are far worse than human solidarity and peacefulness. Generally speaking, if the offender is alive, forgiveness should be conditional on the offenders repentance otherwise it is possible the moral significance of the victi m and moral importance of the event is understated. If however, the perpetrator is deceased Professor Griswold ¿Ã‚ ½s argument no longer suffices. Everyone has their own reasons to forgive but if forgiveness is to be truly fulfilled and satisfied, the offender should, at the very minimum, take responsibility for their actions and try to repudiate their wrongdoing.

Cicero Letters Translation

Nunc ea cognosce, quae maxime exoptas: rem publicam funditus amisimus, adeo ut C. Cato, adolescens nullius consilli, sed tamen civis Romanus et Cato, vix vivus effugerit, quod, cum Gabinium de ambitu vellet postulare neque praetores diebus aliquot adiri possent vel potestatem sui facerent, in concionem escendit et Pompeium privatum dictatorem appellavit: propius nihil est factum, quam ut occideretur. 2 Ex hoc, qui sit status totius rei publicae, videre potes. 3 16. Nostrae tamen causae non videntur homines defuturi: mirandum in modum profitentur, offerunt se, pollicentur. 5 Equidem cum spe sum maxima, tum maiore etiam animo, spe, superiores fore nos, animo, ut in hac re publica ne casum quidem ullum pertimescam. 6 Sed tamen se res sic habet: si diem nobis Clodius dixerit, tota Italia concurret, ut multiplicata gloria discedamus; sin autem vi agere conabitur, spero fore studiis non solum amicorum, sed etiam alienorum ut vi resistamus. 7 Omnes et se et suos amicos clientes, libertos se rvos, pecunias denique suas pollicentur. Nostra antiqua manus bonorum ardet studio nostri atque amore; si qui antea aut alienores fuerant aut languidiores, nunc horum regum odio se cum bonis coniungunt. 9 Pompeius omnia pollicetur et Caesar, quibus ego ita credo, ut nihil de mea comparatione deminuam. 10 Tribuni pl. 11 designati sunt nobis amici; consules se optimos ostendunt; praetores habemus amicissimos et acerrimos cives Domitium, Nigidium, Memmium, Lentulum; bonos etiam alios, sed hos singulares: quare magnum fac animum habeas et spem bonam; de singulis tamen rebus, quae quotidie gerantur, faciam te crebro certiorem.Now for the news that you chiefly desire. We have so completely lost the constitution that Cato,[11] a young man of no sense, but yet a Roman citizen and a Cato, scarcely got off with his life because, having determined to prosecute Gabinius for bribery, when the praetors could not be approached for several days, and refused to admit anyone to their presence, he mou nted the rostra in public meeting and called Pompey an â€Å"unofficial dictator. † No one ever had a narrower escape of being killed. From this you may see the state of the whole Republic. People, however, show no inclination to desert my cause.They make wonderful professions, offers of service, and promises: and, indeed, I have the highest hopes and even greater spirit–so that I hope to get the better in the struggle, and feel confident in my mind that, in the present state of the Republic, I need not fear even an accident. However, the matter stands thus: if Clodius gives notice of an action against me, the whole of Italy will rush to my support, so that I shall come off with many times greater glory than before; but if he attempts the use of violence, I hope, by the zeal not only of friends but also of opponents, to be able to meet force with force.All promise me the aid of themselves, their friends, clients, freedmen, slaves, and, finally, of their money. Our old regiment of loyalists is warm in its zeal and attachment to me. If there were any who had formerly been comparatively hostile or lukewarm, they are now uniting themselves with the loyalists from hatred to these despots. Pompey makes every sort of promise, and so does Caesar: but my confidence in them is not enough to induce me to drop any of my preparations.The tribunes-designate are friendly to us. The consuls-designate make excellent professions. Some of the new praetors are very friendly and very brave citizens-Domitius, Nigidius, Memmius, Lentulus[12]–the others are loyalists also, but these are eminently so. Wherefore keep a good heart and high hopes. However, I will keep you constantly informed on particular events as they occur from day to day.

How Have Western Views of Knowledge Changed over Time? Essay

Throughout history, cultures have held disparate views on the nature of knowledge. Epistemology, the branch of philosophy that focuses on basic questions such as: â€Å"What is knowledge? How do we know what we know? †, lies at the heart of these views. In Western culture, the answers to these basic questions have changed markedly over time. Throughout history, this evolution in philosophy has been inextricably linked to science and religion. Much of Western thought has been heavily influenced by the philosophy of the Ancient Greeks. In particular, the epistemological views of the Ancient Greeks dominated Western thought for centuries. Of all the Greek philosophers, Plato was one of the most influential. In his most famous work The Republic, Plato used the Allegory of the Cave to describe the role of sensory perception in knowledge acquisition. In his analogy, Plato described a cave in which people were chained down in such a way that prevented them from looking anywhere but forward. Behind them was a fire and in front of them was a wall that reflected shadows from that fire. The prisoner’s captors manipulated these shadows to create forms and stories. The forms and stories that the prisoners saw were the only reality that they knew. Eventually the prisoners left the cave and found true reality outside. It was only then that the prisoners understood that what they had perceived until this moment was a false perception. The Allegory of the Cave served to illustrate Plato’s epistemological views. Today, we describe Plato’s philosophical views as rationalist. He argued against reliance on sensory experience because he believed that it failed to provide us with any guarantee that what we experience was, in fact, true. He believed that the information we get by relying on sensory experience is constantly changing and often unreliable. It can be evaluated only by appealing to higher principles that do not change. In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato was comparing our sensory perception to the shadows on the wall of the cave. Plato saw us as the chained prisoners unable to know anything but this false reality. Only by leaving the cave and ascending to higher orders of thought are we able to know true reality. Implicit in this view was the belief that true knowledge cannot be found through empirical investigation. According to Plato, empirical knowledge was merely opinion. Only thought and abstract reasoning could produce true knowledge. The rationalist view of epistemology dominated much of Western thought for centuries. Eventually, progress in science during the Renaissance changed this. One of the first to change these dominant views was Andreas Vesalius. In 1543, Vesalius published De Humanis Corporis Fabrica (On the Workings of the Human Body), an elaborately illustrated atlas of human anatomy. While Vesalius’ published work had significant historical importance in the field of medicine, his most enduring legacy was his revolutionary challenge of the medical conventions of his day. For centuries, physicians had relied on reading texts from Galen for medical knowledge rather than participating in the direct dissection of human corpses. Vesalius promoted the practice of dissection and hands on experience. By overthrowing the Galenic tradition and relying on his own observations, Vesalius was advocating an empirical understanding of the human body. This shift from rationalism to empiricism became one of the defining characteristics of the Scientific Revolution. In direct contrast to rationalism, empiricism emphasized the acquisition of knowledge through direct observation and experiment. Empiricism not only encouraged but required reliance on our senses. This was in direct opposition to Plato’s epistemological view that had dominated for a millennium. This shift from Plato’s rationalism to scientific empiricism had significant ramifications for philosophy. While before this time there had always been collaboration between science and philosophy and religion, there had been no real distinction between them. Now, empirical knowledge served as a way of testing philosophical knowledge. This would ultimately lead to their incompatibility and their eventual separation. This separation is largely attributed to Galileo, one of the major figures during the Scientific Revolution. Even in his time, Galileo was a renown scientist and a philosopher. While he relied heavily on empirical methods in his studies of physics and astronomy, he also depended on rational thinking in his use of mathematics. It was through his combined use of empirical observations and rational thought that he confirmed the Copernican view that the sun was the center of the universe. However, the Copernican heliocentric worldview conflicted with the dominant geocentric view espoused by philosophers from the time of Aristotle. Making matters even more complicated was the fact that philosophers couched this dispute as a religious matter arguing that a heliocentric worldview went against the teachings of the Bible. As the geocentric view had been adopted by the church, the heliocentric worldview was branded as heresy. Galileo, certain of the physical truth of his heliocentric paradigm and at the same time devout in his religious beliefs, worked to reconcile this conflict by divorcing the church from â€Å"purely physical matters, where faith is not involved. † By working to separate science, philosophy, and religion, Galileo was attempting to reestablish the compatibility of science and religion. Despite Galileo’s attempts, the conflict between scientific and religious worldviews is still evident today. The epistemological tradition of today has created a dominant worldview based on evidence. As during the time of Galileo, this worldview has at times conflicted with widely held religious beliefs. This divide, empiricism vs. faith, has become an increasingly prominent conflict in American politics. A recent announcement by GOP presidential candidate, Rick Perry highlights this divide. Rick Perry recently publicly declared his disbelief in the theory of evolution in favor of intelligent design. The theory of evolution is an explanation of the origin of life widely supported across numerous scientific disciplines. Though science and empiricism overwhelming supports the theory of evolution, it does not largely accepted by the populace. The controversial nature of evolution has emerged because, once again, a â€Å"purely physical matter† has been politicized as a religious matter. Rick Perry’s views on evolution illustrate a larger phenomenon in U. S. politics. That is, views regarding the evolution/intelligent design conflict tend to be politically divided. Intelligent design or faith based arguments are generally forwarded by conservative Republicans such as Rick Perry. Evidence based empirical arguments, such as evolution, are championed by liberal Democrats. Science has become political as conservatives are aligned with religion.

Global Stratification A Sociological Examination essays

Global Stratification A Sociological Examination essays The industrialization and technology of the worlds higher income nations has a negative effect on the plight of the worlds poorer nations. The high-income nations industrialization encourages child labor, poor living conditions in exchange for material things, and higher world pollution. When the higher income nations became industrialized in the 1800s, the lower income nations were slow to catch up. Now, the low and middle-income countries are trying to catch up to the rapid growth that the world powers had. One drawback to this is many families, to earn as much money as possible, encourage their children to go to work in sweat shops, for little pay. This puts them at a great risk of accident, and shortens their life span by causing them to toil endlessly in a hot, vermin infested, disease rampant factory whilst still children. The sociological inequality illustrated by the norm of living for children in different countries is astounding. In the United States, children spend their summers in front of a television or computer, swimming in the public pool, or hanging out with their friends. Children in low-income countries, such as those in Southeast Asia spend their summer days in a factory for ten hours, making tennis shoes on insufficient food, and for few dollars a day. If you were to walk down the street in one of the worlds middle-income countries, like those in Eastern Europe, you would see signs of the (wealthy) Western nations all around. Teenagers would be sporting Levis and Nikes, stereos would be blasting music by the Spice Girls and the Beatles, and families would aspire to drive someday a Jeep into the driveway of their hovel. However, when you get back to their residence, the similarity to the West would end. Running water would not be safe to drink without going through a stringent filtering process, space in the cramped home would be at a premium, and the...

BMW Human Resoure Managment Project

BMW Human Resoure Managment Project Executive Summary Type of problem The automotive industry has presented humanity with a wide range of beneficiaries. However, it is pointed at as a major source of air pollution resulting in climate change, green house gases, human diseases and many other problems. In fact, the industry is among the biggest consumers of fossil fuels.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on BMW Human Resoure Managment Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The development of green technology towards mitigating the effects of air pollution is contemporarily critical in realizing sustainable development. The development of innovative systems and technologies possess the capacity to improve performance if appropriate resource management is put in place. Requirements In order to attain sustainable development in the automotive industry, the management of resources is crucial. Human resource management (HRM) is particularly important. HRM dra ws out the incentive of employees and assists in the development of expertise (Shatouri, Omar Igusa, 2012). An organization cannot perform at optimal level until every employee is dedicated to the organizational goals and function as an efficient team member. The input of the human resource function is therefore essential for an automotive company to produce automotives that will ensure not only sustainability development but also contribute towards the profitability of the company. Proposed business solution Strategic human resource management is the main means through which a company can mold the skills, behavior and attitudes of the employees to support the company’s strategic goals. In a company such as Bavarian Motor Works, the implementation of sound HRM strategy in view of employee will be beneficial to the company in moving towards the green technology in operation and production of automotives. The engagement of employees in decision-making is critical in individual and organizational performance. This study will address the importance of implementing a set of human resource management strategies that will elicit workforce’s motivation in developing expertise and innovativeness. The strategic practices proposed will allow BMW to realize and employ knowledge and skills in its employees. This will in turn accelerate innovativeness with sustainable environment practices in the mind of the employees. Main Body The proposed project portfolio-management method Project portfolio management is an assortment of methodologies and strategies that are intended to assist in managing a multiplicity of projects efficiently and successfully. BMW has been successful in managing other projects considering the financial endowment of the company. In fact, the company has the capacity to employ expertise in appropriate fields. However, this is usually costly as those engaged in specific projects disengage once the contract is over.Advertising Lookin g for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company then engages others to continue with the project. In order to minimize the costs incurred by the company in its efforts to develop green technologies, the HRM approach is the most feasible approach. The introduction of HRM to the company will ensure that a culture is developed. The culture will ensure that the company does not require engaging outsiders for growth, profitability and development of the company (Lopez-Nicolas Mero-Cerdian, 2011). The company will depend on the established employee loyalty, dedication, innovativeness and commitment to the endeavors of the company. This is only achievable if sound human resource management is put in place as a continuous process for the current and prospective employees. The approach will ensure that the employees will actively contribute towards innovativeness in the company. The proposal compri se of three HRM practices that hold up an innovation-based HR system. These include training, performance-based rewarding and team development. Training The quick rates of technological changes require regular training of the workforce in order to remain relevant in their respective roles. The acquisition of skills requires being continuous. Training the workforce enhances skills and knowledge essential in the development of new products. Organizations that are high performers invest time and financial resources in educating and training the workforce. The training will be aligned to the needs of BMW. Performance-based Rewarding Trained employees are typically competent based on the training they receive. However, different individuals employ the acquired knowledge differently. Learning behaviors that make individuals to improve their performance necessitate rewarding to sustain competitiveness. The approach will ensure that BMW benefits from the training mediated by the workforceâ €™s skills, behavior and attitudes. In this proposal, performance rewarding will be primarily based on product development. This does not translate to doing away with other rewards. Team Development Technology-oriented researches indicate that teamwork plays a fundamental role in eliciting innovation (Shatouri, Omar Igusa, 2012). Organizational development and performance significantly depends on team development planning. It influences organizational performance, improves productivity, innovativeness as well as workforce morale.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on BMW Human Resoure Managment Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More BMW requires implementing professional team development initiatives under the HRM function in order to encourage the teams to contemplate as a unit. It will also assist individuals in developing a range of interpersonal expertise including motivational, leadership and communication s kills. Rationale BMW’s overall plan to conducting business begins with the idea that an organizational competitive edge should be anchored on the value for individuals. BMW has a basic supposition that has been cautiously chosen and grown on employees for quite some time. The company assumes that the more people it has the more the production and consequently the profitability of the company. The proposed project aspires to diminish this aspect by introducing the ‘engaged, motivated and satisfied employee’. Instead of having a massive workforce that is not engaged in research and development, innovativeness and engagement, the project will seek to develop a workforce based on the aforementioned perspectives. This will lead the company in attaining competitive advantage and shared prosperity. Strategic efforts of BMW BMW is globally renowned for quality world-class automotives and technology initiatives. The company maintains an outstanding profile in its human re source policies and standards. The company believes that investing in human resources is the key to success in the production and manufacturing-oriented companies. The company in the past has made investments in the human resources by poaching professionals from other automotive companies (Zapata Nieuwenhuis, 2010). However, this approach regardless of being successful has not been sustainable. Other companies also poach employees from the company. BMW consequently has had to repeat the process thus making it a costly process. The programs that have previously been employed by the company were based on the belief that when the right tools are applied to particular problems through highly skilled personnel, the organizational performance will spectacularly improve in a considerably short duration. Such a program is targeted at labor cost and inventory reduction while minimizing quality challenges (Lopez-Nicolas Mero-Cerdian, 2011). Vision This project will create a large pool of kn owledge and motivated workers that will guarantee a stable flow of competent and innovative human resources to handle BMW’s global business. This will focus wider than the current practice in which the company believes in expertise in the production line only.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Goal This project seeks to establish an organizational culture that will assist the company in developing the skills and competence of the employees. The employees will require being motivated to contribute in attaining the objectives of the company. By having a dedicated workforce, the success of the company will be guaranteed in case other areas outside the human resource function will be well attended to by those concerned. This goal is specific in that it seeks to have a committed and satisfied workforce. It is measurable considering that the contribution of the employees can be assessed and compared to performance prior to the implementation of the program. The goal is attainable since it involves human interaction, employee satisfaction, creation of commitment and consequent innovativeness. HRM is currently the approach employed by many successful companies and it promises a worthy future for companies that will implement it. In fact, it is realistic since it has been done bef ore while the approach is timely for BMW. The company needs to reduce recruitment costs, gain competitive advantage and ensure environmental sustainability (Zapata Nieuwenhuis, 2010). Major Deliverables Organizational integration This is the primary deliverable of the project. This will be at personal and corporate level. The teams will be subordinate to the company objectives. The teams will be composed of individuals hence a relationship between the individual and the company will be established. Commitment This is an outcome of the initiative. Once the employees are engaged with the company at all levels, loyalty will be created. Adaptability and Flexibility There will be no single authority holding powers over teams. The team leader will only act as the link with other teams. The teams will be restructured according to the situation. Job rotation will be an aspect of the initiative to develop skills fully in all employees. Quality The training of the teams means that the indivi duals can assess their own performances, their peers and the entire team. This will be coupled with benchmarking and continuous process improvement. Change Management This approach will bring with it significant changes. The HR function will ensure that the changes positively influence the individuals and the company to maximize performance and motivate the employees. Timeframe for solution delivery January to February 2014 – Putting the necessary infrastructure in place March to June 2014 – Training of staff August 2014 – Assessment of the change in attitude September 2014 – Performance appraisal January 2015 onwards – Quarterly training and performance appraisal Table of resources People Equipment Materials Human resource manager Professional instructors Employees Computers Contemporary technology appropriate for automotive industry Any other necessary equipment to facilitate innovation Performance appraisal systems Stationery Le arning aids (including charts) Information from the internet Total Budget for the project Currently, BMW has programs that are designed to find the most skilled personnel for respective departments particularly the production division. The company will require purchasing equipment that will facilitate training and evaluation of performance. The total budget is estimated at $50,000. Description Cost (US dollar) Computers 30,000 Software 10,000 Stationery 2,000 Training expenses 8,000 Total 50,000 Key success criteria The success of the proposed initiative will be assessed according to the improvement in performance and the company. Using performance appraisal tools, the level of improvement will reflect whether the initiative is successful or not. The rationale in this is that the company already has a HR program. However, the proposed approach presents the company with a significant departure from the current practice. Stakeholders’ satisfactory levels T here will be evident change of attitude in interactions. Company performance will increase New products will be produced Conclusion Training, performance-based rewarding and team development present companies with the opportunity for innovation, gain competitive advantage and move towards sustainable development. The move helps an organization to reduce costs while ensuring environmental sustainability through innovative workforce. References Lopez-Nicolas, C., Mero-Cerdian, L. (2011). Strategic knowledge management, innovation and performance. International Journal of Information Management, 31(6), 502–509. Shatouri, R., Omar, R., Igusa, K. (2012). Towards a new era of sustainability in the automotive industry: Strategic human resource management and green technology innovation. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 69(2), 217-222. Zapata, C., Nieuwenhuis, P. (2010). Exploring innovation in the automotive industry: New technologies for cleaner cars. Journ al of Cleaner Production, 18(1), 14– 20.

The Tree of the Wooden Clogs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Tree of the Wooden Clogs - Essay Example More specifically, this tackles Olmi's and his movie's ability to share history and the impact that it has created to his viewers. More so, this answers the following questions: "The Tree of Wooden Clogs" is a movie which theme is focused with the peasants' experience during the 18th century, when tenant farmers worked for landlords under feudal relationship. Work, then is very important. It serves as the totality of these farmers' lives. Different household scenarios are shown in this movie. Scenarios, which some will still be familiar because they are still happening today, and scenarios which people of today's generation will consider as unthinkable. Typical farming activities such as the growing and harvesting of crops, and breeding and slaughtering of animals are shown in this movie. Moreover, typical housewives' such as washing of used clothes from dusk until dawn, taking care of the children (despite lack of proper food). There are also scenes wherein a child was shown walking several miles just to attend school, and one wife is shown being advised by a priest to give her son to some orphanage because she cannot maintain providing her son with proper food, clothing and education. These are the scenes that could either break the hearts of the viewers or make them feel bored and weary for they will think that it tells nothing but hardship and pains. The Unfolding of History History can be told by sharing all the success and victories of one personality, hero or group of people who have defended a country or who have provided a big impact to the majority of the populace. In this movie, the other part of life is being highlighted. Important personalities or heroes are not that important because what has happened and how that happened is what matters the most. This movie is a good venue or modern people like us to have a clearer picture of how it is to live during the olden times. This give the whole idea that life before is not just pure wars, territorial fighting, political indifferences, nor battles between race and skin color. This movie give us an idea that life itself was a big battle for the many farmers in Italy before. Because of this, this movie is able to reach a larger number of audiences. Though it talks mainly of what is happening in Italy, many other nations would be highly interested to watch this for this movie is disclosing some information which is not normally disclosed and discussed upon. In subtle yet powerful words, scenes and actions, a certain part of Italian history has been told through this move. And the director and writer of this movie should be highly applauded. The authors and writers of this move are not known historians. They are not even part of the history they have been disclosing, but do we need to be that way first before we can share something that we know of about history. Anybody can put history into writing. Anybody has the right to share what has happened

Webliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Webliography - Essay Example The site provides a copy of the actual investigation details including the investigation form, which lists the violations by Blue Bell. This is amazing because it will teach manufacturers to be socially responsible and it will show the consumers that the government is doing its job to promote the welfare of the people. CDC is a reliable site that offers research-based and investigative articles that may be used for academic and business research. Unlike other sites that offer data, CDC can be relied upon most because the statistics are based on government findings. The site is also very easy to use and understand even by young learners. Nevertheless, it can be improved by designing short quizzes or games, trivia, and other applications that are attractive to young users. The site offers a lot of information about the roles of NIDA. In particular, the site leads users to the clinical trial site, which encourages people to participate in the government’s research on abuse (drugs, alcohol, cigarette, etc.). This is amazing as it shows the studies that they are currently working on and those where they are recruiting participants. The site provides research-based publication that can be very helpful to researchers and students who need to find credible sources on drug abuse studies. Although most of the articles were published in the past years, they provide very important and reliable information. The site is privately owned, founded by the American Academy of Pediatricians. Authors are therefore from the said organization. The aim of the site is to provide information for parents and other users who need The site is supported by some of the biggest companies such as Coca Cola Bottlers, Gerber, Kellogg and Lysol. The homepage does not show the sponsors of the site. In fact, there is a separate page that lists all the sponsors. However, when