Literature Review Analysis Of Online Social Networks

Literature Review: Analysis of online social networks Sai Sri Mahathi Potturi CSC 540A, Fall 2014 Date: 10-29-2014 Introduction: Social networks are largely organized around users, unlike the web: The web is organized around the content. The participating users join a network, publish their profile and content about themselves and links are usually created to other users with whom they connect with. This will result in a social network providing a foundation for maintaining social relationships by finding other people with similar interests, for locating content that has been endorsed by other users. Facebook, Youtube, Orkut, Flickr, MySpace, Cyworld, LiveJournal etc have exploded in popularity at some point and some of them still continue to remain popular. Similar to these, some online companies deal with buying and selling of products proved to be very successful and have contributed a lot to the success of online networking. Product reviews on Amazon and the reputation mechanism of Ebay contributed to the growth structure of online social networks. Owing to these success stories, social networking has beco me a subject for many start-up companies offering promising return on interest. Online social networks have been present since the beginning of Internet, though not in the conventional sense. For example, a social network is formed by the graph that is formed from the exchange of messages between email users. Many popular social networking sites rely on the idea ofShow MoreRelatedStimulus And Brand Selection1125 Words   |  5 Pagesthe available literature on the association of stimulus and brand selection. The present study measured the stimulus and its impact on brand selection or purchase decision in the Indian online retail. To assess this relationship, different models have been designed to investigate and measure the stimulus. 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The Revolution Of Sentiments And The American Revolution

A Revolution of Sentiments The American Revolution was more of an accelerated evolution than a revolution. However, the exodus of some 80,000 Loyalists left a great lack of conservatives. This weakening of the aristocratic â€Å"upper crust† let Patriot elites emerge. The fight for separation of church and state resulted in notable gains. The Congregational church continued to be legally established by some New England states, but the Anglican Church was humbled and reformed as the Protestant Episcopal Church. Slavery was a big, problematic issue, as the Continental Congress of 1774 had called for the abolition of slavery, and in 1775, the Philadelphia Quakers founded the world’s first antislavery society. This new spirit of â€Å"all men are created equal† even inspired a few slave owners to free their slaves. Another issue was women: they still were unequal to men, even though some had served (disguised as men) in the Revolutionary War. 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New Worlds for AllIndians, Europeans and the Remaking of Early America Free Essays

Collin G. Calloway’s â€Å"New Worlds for All† is a wonderfully written look into the relationship between the indiginious people and the Europeans who came to America. His work takes a different path than those of other historians. We will write a custom essay sample on New Worlds for All:Indians, Europeans and the Remaking of Early America or any similar topic only for you Order Now There is a creative genius in how he explores the historical facts and insight into the history of the two different people’s lives. It is a helpful look at the lineage of the time and brings a new insight into the historical facts of our time. Covering events from the Revolutionary war in his introduction where our fore fathers asked the Indians to not stand at their side but remain passive in the fight for freedom in the introduction. Quoting several of our fore fathers, the tact they used in their bid to get the native people to think that they were all one and that they stood together with them. Each of the ten chapters covers a wide range of subject matter from the interactions with the Europeans and the Natives, to the warfare of the Natives against each other as well as against the invading Europeans. We take a walk through the Seven years war as well as all the wars that came before and after. It takes a look at the way the Europeans arrived in North America and wanted to build societies much like the ones they had left behind in Europe. It also goes on to explain that while they thought they were superior they found that the Native people were in some cases more advanced and superior than their own culture. How their arrival changed not only the workings of the native communities but the very land they lived on with the cutting down of trees for homes and the over hunting of their lands for food making it harder for them to feed their own families. The chapter on disease and healing was an amazing look at how the European disease affected the natives. It also looked at how the natives dealt with healing as not so much healing as conflict as they were complementary. Calloway goes on to say that while Native America people were not completely disease free the magnitude of their diseases were actually rather simple, from aches and pains to snake bites. Medicine men had a vast knowledge of herbs and plants that could be used for medicinal purposes. He covers the decimation of entire tribes by disease some of them brought by the Europeans and others brought by the natives themselves as they traded in foreign lands. There were several ceremonial aspects to the trade with the natives that the Europeans tried to integrate into their own trades. The Stuff of life in chapter three goes into depth about the interactions of the native people and the Europeans as they not only struggled to coexist as well as integrate the bits and pieces of each other’s cultures into their lives. Learning how to do something’s differently like hunting for food and even the diets and clothing they wore took on the differences of what they learned from each other. In the next chapter Calloway talks about the integration of religious beliefs of the different people the Christians that brought with them their beliefs in one God and his word, it brought many of the natives into a new religious arena where they learned about bibles, churches, missions, priest and ministers. Indian religions tended to be less exclusive and intolerant than that of the Christians. It is an interesting look at the way they handled the integration of the Christians not only into their culture but into their lives and how their own beliefs were shaped outside of what the Christians believed. Chapter five takes a look at the ways the Europeans affected the Indians in their warfare not only against the Europeans but also against other natives. The face of the way war was fought not only between warring tribes. The turning point in the tribal warfare changed on one Instance, 1609 when the Algonkin and the Montagnais Indians, the use of guns made this an uneventful war and short lived but it opened the door way to the Indian people to guerrilla warfare as well as the use of guns. The introduction of guns made the native weapons basically useless. Chapter Six, the diplomacy and Foreign affairs of the Europeans and the Indians were at times bloody and deadly, fighting to preserve their own lands the Indians had to adapt to the foreigners as they invaded and the Europeans were after more land and more land, always fighting with the Europeans trying to maintain the balance between the two worlds was difficult one side or the other was always violating the treaties that they signed. As more Europeans moved into the new world and more warfare and diseases ravaged the lands the Indians were forced to move from place to place and rebuild their world and lives often in environments that were not their own and dealing with people that they knew nothing about, this often created tension and conflicts. As well as the need for the Indians were forced to adapt to the world around them. There is a lot of great information in this book, and a fresh perspective that takes the reader weather a professional historian or just the average reader into the lives of people from different worlds. It is a new look at the world that was created around us and the people who inhabited it, their lives and the changes that were caused by each interaction with the other. Mr. Calloway takes us on a journey through old and new in an enlightening way, exploring the world as it is new and discovering the different effects of the changes in cultures, beliefs, politics and life as the people of two different cultures learned, adjusted, and tried to build the world we now see around us. A great read for anyone interested in the history of America and the people in it.    How to cite New Worlds for All:Indians, Europeans and the Remaking of Early America, Essay examples

Solution financial 9 free essay sample

The SoftTec Products Company is a successful, small, rapidly growing, closely held corporation. The equity owners are considering selling the firm to an outside buyer and want to estimate the value of the firm. Following is last year’s income statement (2010) and projected income statements for the next four years (2011–2014). Sales are expected to grow at an annual 7 percent rate beginning in 2015 and continuing thereafter. Selected balance sheet accounts at the end of 2010 were as follows. Net fixed assets were $50,000. The sum of the required cash, accounts receivable, and inventories accounts was $50,000. Accounts payable and accruals totaled $25,000. Each of these balance sheet accounts was expected to grow with sales over time. No changes in interest-bearing debt were projected, and there were no plans to issue additional shares of common stock. There are currently 10,000 shares of common stock outstanding. Data have been gathered for a comparable publicly traded firm in the same industry that Soft-Tec operates in. We will write a custom essay sample on Solution financial 9 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The cost of common equity for this other firm, Wakefield Products, was estimated to be 25 percent. SoftTec has survived for a period of years. Management is not currently contemplating a major financial structure change and believes a single discount rate is appropriate for discounting all cash flows. A. Project SoftTec’s income statement for 2015. B. Determine the annual increases in required net working capital and capital expenditures (CAPEX) for SoftTec for the years 2011 to 2015. C. Project annual operating free cash flows for the years 2011 to 2015. D. Estimate SoftTec’s terminal value cash flow at the end of 2014. E. Estimate SoftTec’s equity value in dollars and per share at the end of 2010. F. SoftTec’s management was wondering what the firm’s equity value (dollar amount and on a per-share basis) would be if the cost of equity capital were only 20 percent. Recalculate the firm’s value using this lower discount rate. G. Now assume that the $35,000 in long-term debt (and therefore interest expense at 10 percent) is expected to grow with sales. Recalculate the equity using the original 25 percent discount rate. SOLUTION: (a)See the spreadsheet base case results below. Net sales grow to $374.5 thousands in 2015. This amount is 7% greater than the 2014 level. Net income increases to $54.1 thousands in 2015. (b)Annual increases in required NWC and in CAPEX are shown below in the spreadsheet base case output. (c)The annual operating free cash flow to equity is calculated as: net income + depreciation – CAPEX – increases in required NWC + increases in interest-bearing debt. Note: No changes in interest-bearing debt were projected and there were no plans to issue additional shares of common stock. Annual operating free cash flows are shown below in the spreadsheet base case output. (d)The terminal cash flow is estimated to be $232.4 thousands (rounded). This is estimated by dividing $41.8 thousands (rounded) by .18 (.25 .07). See the spreadsheet base case output below. (e)The terminal cash flow is estimated to be $232.4 thousands (rounded). This is estimated by dividing $41.8 thousands (rounded) by .18 (.25 .07). See the spreadsheet base case output below. (f)By changing the discount rate from 25% to 20%, to calculate the terminal value cash flows and the present value of the total free cash flows, results in a 2010 present value of $187.4 thousands and a value per share of $18.74. See the last section (Part F) of spreadsheet base case output shown below for these calculations. (g)See the spreadsheet revised case results (Part G) shown below. One difference between this solution and the base case results solution is the increasing interest expense on the income statement causes the net income to decline. However, this decline in net income is more than offset by the free cash flows contributed by the issuing of more long-term debt. The result is a higher terminal value cash flow as well as higher operating free  cash flows. Discounting these cash flows at 25% produces an equity value of $153.4 thousands and a value per share of $15.34.

American General Corporation Essays - Subprime Mortgage Crisis

American General Corporation At American General Corporation we started from looking at company's market standing from potential investors point of view. First we take a look at the companies profile. American General Corporation is a diversified financial services organization, provides retirement services, life insurance, and consumer loans. The company offers retail financial programs through fifteen thousand merchants. American General Corp. operates in 41 states. Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. Well, first we find out that American General Corporation is a blue chip, multibillion dollar company. This tells us right from the beginning that this financial giant is really worth looking at as a potential candidates to be added in our stock portfolio. Considering that this is a financial company dealing with investments, pension funds and life insurance we have to be very careful because these industries are most sensible to overall economy changes, and we know that at this point US economy is going through the period when recession is most expected. To get a better understanding of how this might affect companies risk we have to know how diversified companies investments are. For that we have to evaluate companies performance compare to market performance. ( for this purpose we use chart on returns for American General Corporation to S&P 500 ). As we can see from the chart behavior of the company is almost identical to the behavior of the market, this observation becomes more obvious when we take a look at company's beta which is .95. Well this is not such a great sign because as I already mentioned recession is expected., and as we know with recession overall market returns go down this is knowing the relationship between market and AGC we can predict that American General Corp. performance will decrease as well. The question is how deep will the market fall, and how long the recession would last, of course, if the recession will occur. There were no recent revelation, as far as, companies financial structure is concern, well, may be the only exception is a slight change in companies management structure which so far did not make any significant impact on companies market value, so the only major aspect in evaluating of how risky the company is how correlated it is with the market. Of course there are other things to be considered. There are couple of good signs that should lower the risk of AGC. For instance, the decrease in the charge off and delinquency ratios compared to prior periods reflect the positive impact of the company's credit quality improvement program, which included an increase in thee proportion of real estate secured loans and higher underwriting standards. The decrease in the allowance reflects the improvement in charge-off experience, partially offset by an increase in the allowance to support the growth in receivables. Also, company's operating expenses as a percentage of average finance receivables decreased to 5.8% for thee first six month of 1998 from 5.98% for the same period of 1997, and to 5.73% from 5.99% for the same comparable second quarter periods, due to the increase in average finance receivables, which more than offset the increase in operating expenses. Company rapidly grows in value. A decrease in interest rates and resulting increases in bond value in second quarter 1998 caused a $555 increase in the fair value adjustment to fixed maturity securities and related $335 million positive adjustment to shareholders' equity from December 31, 1997. So, the interest rate would be a very important fact to consider in evaluating this company. According to the latest news Federal Reserve has no intention to decrease interest rate any further, there is actually a great possibility of increasing it in defensive move against coming recession. Having such prediction for the future and keeping in mind how greatly American General Corp. influenced by the interest rate, AGC becomes more of a risky investment. The company is very careful with it's investments. AGS decreases its investments into the below investment grade securities ( have credit rating below BBB- ) from 5% at June 31 of 1998 to 4% at December 31 of 1997%. The company invests in below investment securities to enhance the overall yield of the portfolio. Investment income from below investment grade securities was $148 million for the six months ended June 30, 1998. This tells us that this company is not looking for the quick profit, so it does not through its money around passing on opportunities for greater rate of return on equity for stability and safety. For some investors this might

To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Elements Essay

To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Elements Essay To Kill A Mockingbird Literary Elements Essay Unit 3EA2 Sadie Whitney Mr. Diggins 4/1/15 Loss of Innocence Loss of innocence is a recurring theme throughout the book for both Jem and Scout. One of the loss of innocence scenes is when Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose’s flowers because she had been calling Atticus names, just like almost everyone in Maycomb. Jem snaps and caves in to the what recent events have brought to Maycomb. This passage shows multiple literary elements. The most obvious literary elements are imagery, setting, and external conflict. These paragraphs come to show just how easy it is to spot these literary elements. So now i’ll show how I found three simple literary elements in this small passage. In this passage, multiple literary elements can be seen. For example, Imagery is one of the literary elements found in this passage. Imagery is â€Å"the descriptive or figurative language used to create word pictures.† In the passage it says, â€Å"He did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camelia bush in Mrs. Dubose owned, until the ground was littered with green buds and leaves.† This helps show a picture in your head and shows how jem might of felt when he destroyed the camellias. In a book, to describe the setting, the author uses imagery. Imagery is often the only way of imagining the scenes. Without imagery and setting the book would be really boring and plain. Setting is one of the most important elements of a book or movie. The setting is, â€Å"the time and place in which a story happens.† Setting can change the attitudes of the character, their opinions, their tone of voice, setting can change everything. One quote is, â€Å"He did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camelia bush in Mrs. Dubose owned, until the ground was littered with green buds and leaves.† This quote fits with imagery perfectly by describing vividly what Jem is doing. When the book describes Jem destroying the camellias, it tells me that the setting has changed. Mrs In some cases changing the setting can either cause or solve conflicts. Another literary term found in this passage is the external conflict. The external conflict is the â€Å"struggle between a literary or dramatic character and an outside force.† This passage shows Jem trying to cope with his conflict (the people of Maycomb.) Both Jem and Scout have experienced children and adults calling Atticus names. In this case, Jem breaks after Mrs. Dubose calls Atticus a name. â€Å"We had just come to her gate when Jem snatched my baton

Employee Training & Development and Organizational Benefits Dissertation

Employee Training & Development and Organizational Benefits - Dissertation Example The economy demonstrates immense uncertainties which has made knowledge one the most important and reliable source of sustaining competitive advantage. Today, knowledge has evolved as the basic capital which triggers the process of development. Initially competition was primarily built on the foundation of the possession of specific resources at low costs. However, the trend has now shifted to the possession of knowledge and knowledge management, which forms a basic component determinant of competition between organizations. Today, modern organizations use resources like time, energy, money and information for the permanent advancement and training of their human resources. Organizations extensively involved with the creation of new knowledge, extending it within the entire organization and also implementing it with the new technologies have evolved as producers of quality goods and services (Vemic, 2007, p.1). Training and Development is an important component in the field of human resource management as it is concerned with those organizational activities which are aimed at improving or bettering the performance of employees in the organizational settings. Training primarily encompasses three activities, namely training, education, and finally development. It involves the transfer of skills and knowledge from a working expert to learners in order to improve their current job performance. The concept of development is much wider. It involves a multi faceted frame of activities aimed at bringing someone from his present level to a different threshold of performance. The project aims to bring forth the effectiveness of employee training and development activities in organizations. Firstly, it begins with presenting the aims and objectives for the purpose. This is followed by a literature review of the topic which emphasizes on different aspects of the subject. A primary research is also conducted which brings out the extent to which training and development acti vities help in the benefit of the organization. The results of the research is briefly presented, interpreted and analyzed at the end of the report. The project concludes by presenting the required recommendations on the subject. Research Aims and Objectives The report primarily aims to bring forth the requirement of training and development in organizations in enhancing employee productivity and organization performance. The main objectives of the research are To bring forth the effects of training and development in organization, To analyze the impacts of training in the productivity of employees, To investigate the different training and development practices adopted in organizations To determine the interrelationship between training and development and organization performance, and To analyze the changing trends in the training and development patterns in organizations across industries. Literature Review Employee Training and Development in Organisations Organisations in the U nited Kingdom and their managers have constantly exhibited

Challenges of Work Placement Feasibility Case Study

Challenges of Work Placement Feasibility - Case Study Example In order to ensure that no major conflict arouses between the company and the architect consultant, the following techniques were applied: a. A clear description of the requirement as follows was provided to the Architect: i. The project should be of a 5-star hotel category. ii.Number of rooms required: 100 iii. The purpose and objective of the project is â€Å"Customer satisfaction†. Hence, all activities involved with the project had to be looked at from a â€Å"Customer† perspective. Should carry facilities of the minimum standard requirement of a hotel such as: a. Minimum 25 let able rooms b. Located suitably c. Public areas and rooms well appointed & centrally located d. Kitchen, Pantry & rooms well designed and equipped e. Bathrooms with shower facilities, 24 hours hot & cold water and with modern design and high quality fittings. f. Ladies and gents cloakrooms furnished with high standards g. Architecture feat and construction of building should have distinctive qualities of luxury. h. Quality of walls and garden of high standards i. Adequate parking space for vehicles. j. Well designed and equipped swimming pool with recycling facility k. B/rooms modern in design & fittings of high quality with hot/cold water - 24 hrs. l. Reception, cash and information counters m. Well appointed lobby area n. Minimum of one conference and banquet halls o. Lifts to be installed for building more than two floors. p. Rooms to be spacious and well furnished with curtains and upholstery q. Lighting arrangements in all areas r. Dual telephone line facilities in each room s. Provision for relayed music in each room t. Remote control televisions to be provided. u. Flooring to be of high quality in all areas v. Elegant bar with luxury w. Special restaurant for entertainment x. Restaurant with multi-cuisine v. A plan was defined with the following: i. The layout should provide maximum capacity within the available space. ii. Handling of material in the most economical manner. iii. Human effort, material and space to be optimally utilized, where wastage had to be avoided. iv. No delays/bottlenecks in the completion of the construction. v. Should have no requirement of making changes of installed machinery vi. Service areas such as... Several contractors subscribed. The above-obstructing parameters were checked and a contract was awarded to one architect consultant - Velmar Inc. who was responsible for end-to-end execution of the project with a group of construction companies, and who qualified with all above parameters. c. Further, a Facilities and Administration Manager was appointed by the company to follow-up on the activities of the architect consultant. This manager was qualified with Engineering background and quality controls, and security aspects. a. Ensure the luxury property is members of an elite group of hotels that exhibit an exceptionally high degree of service and hospitality, and where the property displays an original design, elegant room decor, exceptional dining, and meticulous grounds. ii. Having other consultants carrying out other activities would bring in competition, thus quality would be better, because one consultant may fear that the other is doing good in quality, hence want to ensure that they are better.

Benchmarking Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Benchmarking Model - Essay Example , systematic process of evaluating companies recognized as industry leaders, to determine business and work processes that represent ‘best practices’ and establish rational performance goals† (Zairi, 1998: 13-14). The core principle of benchmarking is measurement and comparison involving the best practices, which helps significantly improve the existing practices and performance. It should be noted that the so-called â€Å"best practices† have different levels and in reality the most preferable type of the ‘reference point’ or ‘benchmark’ may not even exist either due to limited technological levels, scarce resources and/or time, etc. Consequently, the best available practices are used as reference points in this case, which helps set feasible performance goals in the environment by incorporating realistic practices into operations. Jarrar & Zairi (2001) performed a large survey of 227 organizations in 32 countries in order to understand and assess the major tendencies and future directions of benchmarking. The survey results demonstrated that the practice of benchmarking was gaining prominence worldwide and across various industries, from manufacturing education. Also, Jarrar & Zairi (2001) listed several benefits of using benchmarking, namely: improving quality; increasing speed of service; improving processes; understanding customer requirements; setting internal standards; influencing strategic decision- making process; managing resources more effectively; deploying resources; and improving personnel management and changing leadership style within the organization. However, these benefits are available only to those whom are aware about the specifics of benchmarking process, and particularly such essential aspect as various types of benchmarking. There are four major types of benchmarking identified in the literature: benchmarking against internal operations (Internal Benchmarking); benchmarking against external direct product competitors

The Culture And Practices In Islam Theology

The Culture And Practices In Islam Theology The origins of Islam are from Saudi Arabia, it is a religious tradition that is monotheistic. The literal meaning of the word Islam is submission to God Julie Williams, 2008 This complete code of life is based on the divine revelations preached by Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) it addresses all aspects of life: spiritual, social, moral, intellectual, political, economical etc. Its teachings show us how to surrender to Allahs will in every area of life, Who is the supreme creator and sustainer of this world. The sacred scripture of Islam is the Quran, which is the compilation of all the divine revelations sent to Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) and were taught by him. The underlying principle which is the foundation of Islam is that there is only one God, Allah. He has no equal or any partner. Five Pillars of Islam are its unifying characteristic; they are the primary aspect of religion. These five pillars include Tauhid, which is the first and most important; it is faith in one true God, Allah. The second is Salah or Namaz, which is the ritual prayer Muslims are required to perform five times a day. Fasting is the third pillar of Islam where Muslims fast for a whole month. Zakat, the charity compulsory on certain wealth is the fourth pillar, the fifth pillar is Hajj, which is a pilgrimage a Muslim with enough wealth is required to take at least once in his lifetime. Apart from the five pillars of Islam, there are also six articles of faith. These include: Belief in One God Belief in all the prophets Belief in the four original Holy scriptures Belief in the angels Belief in the Hereafter and day of judgement Belief in Divine verdict Muslims are usually distinguished by their devotion to the obligation of praying fives times to Allah in a day. Another defining characteristic of Islam is pre-eminence of the sacred places, which are Makah, Medina and Jerusalem. A ritual of Muslims is to gather in a congregation at mosque to pray and worship Allah, also study the divine scripture, Quran. The distinction as to who is better in the Muslim community is based on solely the individual Muslims devotion to serving in the path of Allah. The universal aspect of Islam caused it to expand almost instantly after it evolved in Arabian Peninsula, in the present world it has spread across Africa, Europe, Asia and rest of the world. Although most of the Muslims are born into faith but Islam always welcomes the coverts too (Julie Williams, 2008). Even though Islam originated from Arab region, the Muslims are not necessarily Arab; it is a universal religion which is for everyone across the globe. There are Muslims from almost every n ationality in the world, now the Arabs are only 20% of the Muslim population across the world. The influence of Arab culture on Islam has had effects on those who belonged to other cultures but adopted Islam too. This has created a cultural bond due to similarities that they share among their societies, although these different societies do still have characteristics that clearly distinguish them. The culture of Islam inherited an Arab culture that was originated in desert, which although is simple yet not in any way unsophisticated. It has a verbal tradition founded on the broadcast of culture by means of narrative as well as poetry. Although, the largest impact on Islamic civilization is that of the written scripture, the whole civilization is based on the teachings written down and compiled in form of Holy Quran and taught by the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h). A ts of animate beings. The focus of Islamic art is on Allahs omnipresence, which cannot be illustrate ts of animate beings. The focus of Islamic art is on Allahs omnipresence, which cannot be illustrated in any imagery. The calligraphy in Arabic is a famous art form to beautifully write Quranic verses. The Islamic art with its artistry as well as grandeur has not failed to inspire awe over the centuries.d in any imagery. The calligraphy in Arabic is a famous art form to beautifully write Quranic verses. The Islamic art with its artistry as well as grandeur has not failed to inspire awe over the centuries.n important part of the Islamic culture is its signature art and architecture (Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, Edwin R. McDaniel, 2009) which is marked by floral decorative patterns and abstract art. The fundamental aspect of Islamic art is that it is devoid of illustrations of living beings, especially humans according to the teachings of Islam, since it is forbidden in religi on to paint or draw portraits of animate beings. The focus of Islamic art is on Allahs omnipresence, which cannot be illustrated in any imagery. The calligraphy in Arabic is a famous art form to beautifully write Quranic verses. The Islamic art with its artistry as well as grandeur has not failed to inspire awe over the centuries. Critically outlines how the history and practices of Islam shape the lives of Muslims today in a short paragraph Most of the practices which are prevailing in Muslim world of today are not mentioned in The Quran. Although, the saying of Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) and his conduct of every day life provide the Muslims of today the basis for traditions and the practices of today in form of Sunnah. The Sunnah and Hadith of holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) provides a guiding path for all the Muslims of today from every day rituals like eating with the right hand, growing beard for men and hijab to cover the head for women, greeting another Muslim with salaam etc to major issues like marriage and legal problems. In the troubled world of today however, it is crucial to be able to differentiate as to what is true to Islamic nature and what only a part of culture. Many of the customs that prevail in todays Muslim world have no roots in either Quran or Sunnah. Compare Islamic culture with other cultures Islam is one of the three Divine religions, other two being Judaism and Christianity which preceded Islam but were annulled when Allah sent the message of Islam through Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h), which was to be the last and universal religion for the entire mankind. The preceding cultures have various similarities but major differences in comparison to Islam. Lets take Judaism for instance, there are many differences among these two religions yet they all originate from one basic difference. Although they both believe in One God, they have difference in the belief of Prophet, Islam is based on the teachings that Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) came with and believes him to be the Last Prophet. Where as Jews believe only in the prophet hood of Moses. According to Islamic belief any who denies that Holy Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was the last prophet would be doomed to an eternity in hell. There are other contrasting beliefs in both the religions too, for example Jews believe prophet Ismail to be an idolater where as Muslims respect him as prophet of Allah. Christianity and Islam have a lot of similarities. Both of them hold the belief in Prophets, Divine scriptures, day of judgement/resurrection, importance of religion. Many of the teachings in their scriptures are similar too, although the Original transcript of Bible has now been tampered with. Regardless of these similarities there are a lot of crucial differences too. Their Understanding of Allah is very different, in Islam God is one and only with no equals where as in Christianity they deem Jesus to be the son of God. In Christian culture, the belief of divine revelation is that God himself appeared to preach and provide redemption. Islam on the other hand looks upon revelation as a form of guidance. Aside from difference of islam with these two major religion cultures, since islam has spread across the world, its true culture has taken various changes depending on the region it exists in, for example in subcontinent, Malaysia and Indonesia. The influence of hindu culture is dominant on muslim practices too, since the people that converted to islam and formed muslim communities there were originally hindus. Practices like lighting candles on the last seven Ramadan nights has been adopted from a Hindu festival, so are many of the customs involved in marriage that require bride and groom to sit centre stage and get appraised and blessed by the crowd. These practices are contrasting to what is truly Islamic and have no origins in islam whatsoever.

Free Grapes of Wrath Essays: Steinbecks Portrait of Fear :: Grapes Wrath essays

Portrait of Fear in The Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck shows throughout The Grapes of Wrath that mankind is afraid of failure. Although that fear is present in both the desperate migrant workers and the big, ruthless land owners, Steinbeck uses Al Joad's character to his full advantage t model this characteristic of man. Al's personal fear of failure motivates him to do well in life in comparison to his male role models, as well as to help support the family. This is conveyed through Al's sense of responsibility to his family, his careful nature, and his moody and defensive behavior. Al's sense of responsibility to his family is a major element in his determination not to fail. His knowledge and operation of automobiles are Al's major contribution to the family: "He might be a musking goat sometimes, but this was his responsibility, this truck, its running, and its maintenance...And everyone respected him and his responsibility" (Steinbeck, pages 131 and 132). Al not only helps the family succeed in getting to California by taking on this responsibility, he also makes up for other areas of his character in which he feels he is failing or lacking. Such an area of character might be his apathy towards letting his family know his whereabouts when he disappears for days at a time in Oklahoma. Al's careful nature is another obvious sign that he does not want to fail. He feels that precaution is the only way to prevent something from going wrong and ultimately failing. This is visible in his meticulous care of the truck: "Al grew tense over the wheel. A little rattle had developed in the engine. He speeded up and the rattle increased...Al blew his horn and pulled the car to the side of the road" (page 225). Al's care, though obvious only in that of the truck, definitely suggests that should he fail to properly maintain the truck, he would fail himself and his family as well. To offset such an event, Al constantly watches for and prevents any possible problems with the truck. Al's moody and defensive behavior is also a strong example of his resolution not to fail. Although his attitude could be attributed to adolescent arrogance, one who examines Al's character can see that he has more pressure placed upon him than most of the other members of the family.

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Book Review

Eckhart Tolle's book, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, is a self help book that is a shortened route to spiritual enlightenment. One needs to become aware of the present moment in order to experience joy in life. It's important to live in the present in life because the current moment is all we have. This can be done by controlling the mind in order to become untangled from it. The unconscious mind, the egoic mind, and the â€Å"pain bodies† all need to be addressed and dealt with for enjoyment of life to it's fullest potential. Our mind is our worst enemy, according to Tolle. This is because it loves to get itself into problems. The unconscious mind is always thinking. It is constantly looking back on the past, or ahead into the future, and ignore's the focus on enjoying the current moment. â€Å"When thought isn't connected with consciousness, it becomes insane and destructive† (24). Your unconscious mind will always be reflected in the body as an emotion, which has a strong physical component that is felt in the body. This emotion should be felt in the body, without it controlling you. Emotional pain is the main cause of physical pain. â€Å"The more you are identified with your mind, the more you suffer†(33). By accepting the â€Å"now†, you are more free from pain and suffering. This enables you to experience joy in life by being satisfied with the current state in which you are in. This means you are free from the emotions that arise from the unconscious mind thinking compulsively. The egoic mind that focuses on the past and future does not exist because nothing ever happened in the past or the future. Everything happened in the â€Å"now†. Past and future obviously have no reality of their own† (50). There has never been a time in your life that there was not the now, nor will there ever be. Many of us are ruled by our thoughts, emotions, reactions and desires. Often we feel a lack of completeness, a wanting, needing, or craving for something more. This could be money, success, power, recognition, or even a special relationship. Our n ormal state becomes focused through thought on these things, which need to be out of our focus in order to get full pleasure out of life. â€Å"Don't let your egoic mind take over your whole life† (49). Awareness of the present moment and allowing ourselves to enjoy living in it will contribute to our enjoyment of life. There are negative emotions, or â€Å"pain bodies† that our mind brings up which can interfere with our enjoyment of living in the present moment. Some forms of this pain include resentment, hatred, self-pity, guilt, anger, depression, and jealousy. Negativity can be stopped from arising by being fully present. This negativity is resistance that triggers the emotional pain-body. This is when minor situations result in intense negativity. The ego thinks that it can manipulate reality to get what it wants through negativity. Once we have got our hands on something negative, we don't want to let go. â€Å"Negativity is totally unnatural. It is a psychic pollutant, and there is a deep link between the poisoning and destruction of nature and the vast negativity that has accumulated in the collective human psyche† (189). When we notice negativity has risen within us, we need to use it as a signal to â€Å"be present† and get out of our minds. By doing so, we can increase our enjoyment of life because we are living in the â€Å"now† and dealing with whatever it may bring before us. In the current world, some of us are chasing after temporary pleasures, such as success, fortune, and things we desire. All this stress and worry over these things are not worth it at all. What's more important is to live in the current moment. It's important to realize that Tolle's teachings can apply to anyone who seeks to increase their enjoyment of life. Focusing on the present moment allows us to enjoy the life we are living, instead of being trapped in a non-existent world of reoccurring thoughts of the past and future.

Incorporation of Snake Cult in Indian Religion Essay Example

Incorporation of Snake Cult in Indian Religion Essay Example Incorporation of Snake Cult in Indian Religion Essay Incorporation of Snake Cult in Indian Religion Essay Evolution Deities Aspect Introduction: India has seen the birth of many cults and religions. A lot of factor governs the beginning of these cults. It is common knowledge that many deities in Indian religion were began to worship out of fear. As humans it is soothing for us to believe in a super power which is capable of giving as well as ridding us off our problems. This principle applied for animals too and it became the basis of animal worship in India, as all the existing creatures are either useful of harmful to humans so it is better to worship them. Naga clan of ancient India were the first clan to begin the snake worship. Not only Hinduism but also Buddhism and Jainism are worshiper of snakes. Worshiping the deities of natural elements like water, springs and rivers also are symbolized by the waving form of snakes. Snakes are mostly depicted as gigantic cobras with many hoods or human upper torsos and serpent body and are believed to live in patal loka. Different religions have adopted snake worship for their own reasons. But there has always been a fear of snakes in human beings as they were the reason of many deaths. People also believed that if angered and disrespected snakes will course them and that action may result in sickens or death, and so they started worshiping and offering milk to snakes to please them. Evolution: Worshiping sun and snake with prayers and rituals have been practised in India even before the Vedic times. Snake or serpent worship is one of the oldest â€Å"denominations† of Hinduism. There are various myths associated with the beginning of the snake worship in India. It is believed that the custom of worshiping snakes was incorporated from the â€Å"Naga clan† of ancient India, and the Indo-Aryans carried forward the tradition by continuing to worship various snake deities. According to Puranas, snakes were believed to be offspring of Sage Kashyapa and Kadru. Whereas according Brahmanda Purana snakes were produced from water. The Linga Purana has totally different say on this, it believes that the snakes were produced from the first tear Brahma shaded after realising his inability to create universe single-handedly. Having such a close contact of snakes with varies sages and deities can also be one of the reason of worshiping snakes and association it with mainstream deities. There is mention of snake worship in Atharva Veda too. In Rig Veda, there are hints of snake worship, where earth is considered as the Sarpa-rajni or the queen of the serpents or the queen of all that moves†. On the walls of temples of Medieval era were founded the engraved paintings of snakes. This shows the existence of snake worship from early medieval era and in fact it started 500 years before Buddha’s birth. This tradition is still alive in India and in its religions as well as it got spread across different countries of the world. There are eight pre-eminent snakes mentioned in Hindu mythology having their association with one or the other god or goddess. Sheshnaga, a snake with 1000 heads and a messive hood is believed to have been born of what was left after the universe had been created. She is the couch of Vishnu on which lord rests. It is even believed that earth rests on him. This snake is worshiped as manifestation of lord Vishnu. Ananta, a very long snake, and dark blue in colour is also considered as manifestation of lord Vishnu. This snake is endless, and believed to encircle the whole earth. Vasuki is also considered as one amongst the royal snakes and Naga king with 7 heads. Vasuki means the divine being. He was used as a Churning rope for sumndra manthan. Mansadevi is considered as a queen of snake. She is sister of snake king vasuki. She is goddess who can save mortals from snake bite. Takshaka, saffron coloured snake with 9 hoods is worshiped as lord of nagas. Kaliya, was a five headed demon serpent living in river yamuna. He was a curse for people of vrindavan and have had also troubled Krishna in childhood. But later Krishna subdued him. Padmaka and padmanabha are two snakes believed to guard the south side of the country. And the last snake kulia is a dusky brown snake with half moon crescent on his head. Deities: In India, snake gods are linked with health, wealth and great securities when one is in difficulty as believed by Hindus. Snake gods are believed to live in their separate world. Large numbers of deities like lord Shiva and Vishnu are associated with holy snakes or snake gods in one or the other ways, and so are many temples dedicated to the worshiping of snake. Abul Fazal (the court historian of Akbar) stated that there are 700 places sacred to serpents. Lord Shiva: Lord Shiva has many associations with snakes. According to Puranas, Lord Shiva was associated with Naga cult. Shiva has snakes around his neck, arms, hair and sometimes around his body, symbolizing the yogic power of him for destruction and creation. Snake is compared as yogi living on mountains and forests, who carries nothing, builds nothing, can stay without eating for months living just on air. The Vasuki snake shown curled 3 times around the neck of Shiva symbolizes the time cycle- past present and future. Shiva lingam is also associated with snake and covered with snake hood. In the text of Mahabharata Harivamsa, sheshnaga was connected with Shiva rather than Vishnu as son of him. Lord Vishnu: SheshNaga also called AnantaNag having 1000 heads is the couch of Vishnu, and is also worshiped as a manifestation of Vishnu. Lord is believed to rest on the Nag during the process of destruction and recreation. Earth is believed to respite on SheshNaga. The snake is believed to be a representation of time and symbol of eternity. This snake is manly worship during the sacred Hindu festival of Nagpanchmi. Balram: Balram, elder brother of lord Krishna, is believed to be personification of the snake Ananta. MansaDevi: MansaDevi is sister of Vasuki and snake king Shesha, and she herself is also considered as queen of the snakes, possessing the special powers over the snake venom. Her body is ornamented with snakes. She possesses the power of both destruction and recreation almost like the snake shedding its skin and being reborn. If believed some legends, she is daughter of Lord Shiva with a beautiful mortal woman. MansaDevi is worshiped all across the country as a snake Goddess, and is mainly worshiped during rainy season when snakes are most active, to prevent snakebites. She is believed to be a pre Aryan Goddess worshiped commonly in different parts of West Bengal. Lord Buddha: Snake has always been a vital part of Buddhist icons. The Buddha with naga is called naga Buddha. He is depicted with the coiled up snake serving as cushion with seven heads covering the head of Buddha. Snakes have vital association with Buddha, cause it is believed that during the initial days of Buddha, snake saved the life of lord. According to legend the cobra once tried to harm Buddha but instead saved his life and became his disciple. Parshwanath Parshwanath, the 23rd tirthankar of Jain is most of the time depicted with snake hood over his head. This deity has association with snake before his birth. He is named Parshwanath after his mother saw a black snake crawling by the side of her bed. Parshwanath had soft corner for snakes since childhood. Nagarajan and Nagarani: Nagarajan and Nagarani are the male and female snake gods. Most of the Hindu temples have idols of both Nagarajan and Nagarani. Sarpa yakshi and Naga yakshi are the consorts of Nagaraja. In villages of southern side of India people worship them in their live form. These gods are offered milk and raw eggs to please them. Mannarasala temple is ancient shrine and internationally renowned pilgrimage centre located near Harippad. . Shri Rahu and Shri Ketu: Planetary deities of Hinduism Rahu and Ketu are also worshiped as snake Gods and are mostly have their icons in Lord Vinayaka temple next to him. These deities are associated with the accidents and adversity in the life of people as Shri Rahu is both averter and creator of these adversities, whereas shri Ketu is deity of gnan (knowledge). Some people worship these deities out of fear and to maintain their distance from any hardship in life. If worshiped Rahu and Ketu, one can obtain all the desirable things and fortune in life as they are also associated with horoscopic conditions. Vasuki Vasuki, one of the great kings of Naga with a human head and a gem engraved in his forehead is considered auspicious in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. According to Hindu mythology, Vasuki served as a rope wrapped around the mountain Mandara, to churn the ocean of milk to decide the victor of immortality between Devas and Asuras. This caused him immense pain which resulted in the exhale of his venom, considered most intoxicating venom ever and enough to destroy all the beings of the universe. To protect everyone from this lord Shiva had to swallow the venom keeping it in his throat. After which Shiva was named Nilkantha too. Vasuki with eight other snake kings were first one to be present during the first preaching of Lord Buddha and have always been even after that. They are considered responsible to save the life of Lord Buddha and are part of many of the Buddhist icons. Talking about snake gods, Sushavas and Padma Nagas were some tutelary snake deities associated with Wular Lake. Nila who is considered as lord of naga is worshiped in Kashmir (Muslim-Dominated city), specially during festivals and snowfalls. There are almost 527 Nagasworshiped in Kashmir itself. Vairoti devi, parshva yaksha, Janguli are some deities from Jainism showed with snakes. Kerala has many temples exclusively for snakes. Mpummaikatu and Mannarsala are some 2 main temples of Kerala worshiping snake gods. In some part of Karnataka and Kerala, Snakes are not associated with particular deities but have their own shrine under a neem tree, in corner of the garden. Killing snakes intentionally, especially cobra results in curse by snake till eternity. Sources: ecoheritage. cpreec. org/Viewcontall. hp? $mFiHPEyWNks6UXr4nWU indiancultureonline. com/details/Snake-Worship. html festivalsofindia. in/nagpanchami/Celebrations. aspx http://zenatrophy. blogspot. com/2010/06/buddha-and-snake-king. html koausa. org/Gods/God9. html http://hubpages. com/hub/THE-SNAKE-GODS-OF-HINDUISM bibliotecapleyades. net/sumer_anunnaki/reptiles/reptiles15. htm theholidayspot. com/nag_panchami/nag_panchami_history. htm indiamike. com/india/ yoga-spirituality-and-religion-in-india-f54/snake-worship-in-india-t8470/

Free Essays on Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli is revered as the founder of modern political philosophy. He was considered a â€Å"realist† because he concerned himself only with the political situations that actually arose in reality; where as previous philosophers were concerned largely with the theoretical politics of an â€Å"idealist† prefect society. Machiavelli presents Medici with a sort of guidebook of successful political practices. Machiavelli goes against Platonic philosophy. Whereas Plato believed that human kind was virtuous by nature, with evil men being but a small fraction of the species, Machiavelli felt that it was virtuous who were a minority in a world of evil men. Machiavelli goes on to say that the evil majority would generally overcome the virtuous few. Thus it is the duty of rulers to safeguard themselves from the evil men by committing non-virtuous acts. Rather than contemplating how one might change human nature, Machiavelli was more interested in using it to ser ve his own ends. Machiavelli begins by saying that the most difficult thing for a ruler to do is to acquire a new kingdom. This may be accomplished one of two ways, â€Å"either by the arms of others or by one’s own, either by fortune or virtue.† What he means by the â€Å"arms of others† and â€Å"fortune† is monarchs that inherit their kingdoms. When Machiavelli refers to using one’s own arms or â€Å"virtue,† he is in fact equating virtue with force. By advocating the use of force, Machiavelli became the first political thinker to suggest power politics. According to Machiavelli, acquiring a kingdom by force is perfectly all right, because the desired end justifies any means necessary to achieve it. He does however instruct Medici as to â€Å"the good and bad use of cruelties.† By this, Machiavelli is referring to both the effective and non-effective uses of force. Machiavelli states that â€Å"Good use is when†¦is wh en they [acts of cruelty] are perpetrated all at ... Free Essays on Niccolo Machiavelli Free Essays on Niccolo Machiavelli Niccolo Machiavelli is revered as the founder of modern political philosophy. He was considered a â€Å"realist† because he concerned himself only with the political situations that actually arose in reality; where as previous philosophers were concerned largely with the theoretical politics of an â€Å"idealist† prefect society. Machiavelli presents Medici with a sort of guidebook of successful political practices. Machiavelli goes against Platonic philosophy. Whereas Plato believed that human kind was virtuous by nature, with evil men being but a small fraction of the species, Machiavelli felt that it was virtuous who were a minority in a world of evil men. Machiavelli goes on to say that the evil majority would generally overcome the virtuous few. Thus it is the duty of rulers to safeguard themselves from the evil men by committing non-virtuous acts. Rather than contemplating how one might change human nature, Machiavelli was more interested in using it to ser ve his own ends. Machiavelli begins by saying that the most difficult thing for a ruler to do is to acquire a new kingdom. This may be accomplished one of two ways, â€Å"either by the arms of others or by one’s own, either by fortune or virtue.† What he means by the â€Å"arms of others† and â€Å"fortune† is monarchs that inherit their kingdoms. When Machiavelli refers to using one’s own arms or â€Å"virtue,† he is in fact equating virtue with force. By advocating the use of force, Machiavelli became the first political thinker to suggest power politics. According to Machiavelli, acquiring a kingdom by force is perfectly all right, because the desired end justifies any means necessary to achieve it. He does however instruct Medici as to â€Å"the good and bad use of cruelties.† By this, Machiavelli is referring to both the effective and non-effective uses of force. Machiavelli states that â€Å"Good use is when†¦is wh en they [acts of cruelty] are perpetrated all at ...

Negro Spirituals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negro Spirituals - Essay Example In the days of slavery, songs were the only way the negroes could voice how they felt about their lives. Within 30 years of the abolition of the practice, voices were able to be heard concerning the new plights of the negro race. With time came change. For the songs, each seemed to identify a definite area of a slave’s life, be it work, home faith or whatever and how they felt about that area. â€Å"Negro spirituals were the first uniquely American music to come out of this country. European classics, Anglo ballads, hymns, and Irish jigs and reels dominated American music until the slaves created their songs of sorrow and hope to sustain them while the institution of slavery lasted†¦ This music, so rich and varied, so deeply emotional and expressive, is a testament to the strength and tenacity of the African American people who adapted to and enriched all of American culture†¦Slaves used spirituals to affirm their humanity and to give them hope, faith and courage to go on living when life seemed to be nothing but endless physical toil, punishment and deprivation.†" (Negro Spirituals: Songs of Survival by Tom Faigin. www.jsfmusic.com/Uncle_Tom/Tom_Article3.html) One such spiritual is "Pick a Bale of Cotton." At first listen, the tempo creates a positive energy, leading the listener to believe that the person "speaking" is excited to be in the fields, picking the cotton and performing a day's work. A closer examination of the lyrics reveals, however, a completely different perspective. In the chorus, the phrase "Oh lordy" is repeated four times, giving the impression that the task is a chore, a job that must be completed. Some slave owners would hold their workers to a daily quota, so to "Pick a Bale of Cotton" was indeed a chore. The verses of the song basically repeat the same lines, and only the first verse shows any significant difference. The repetition could represent the drudgery of the work, the same routine again and again, with little or no hope for any changes-changes for better or worse. "Gonna jump down, spin around, pick a bale of cotton Gonna jump down, spin around, pick a bale a day Gonna jump down, spin around, pick a bale of cotton Gonna jump down, spin around, pick a bale a day." The chorus repeats the tasks, and the only real difference among the remaining verses is "who" is going to pick the cotton. Buddy, mother, father, etc-all are resigned and regulated to the same task with little hope for change. Slavery was abolished in 1865 and as, the years passed, Booker T. Washington emerged as an African American leader and spokesman. He addressed the new issues being faced by his race and one of his most famous considerations of the changes was when he addressed the attendees of the Cotton States and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia in 1895. He spoke of tolerance and understanding, and the hope that both races could live in harmony with each contributing to society. He asked the white race be tolerant as the negro's learned to adapt to their newly found freedoms. Washington spoke of how the negroes worked tirelessly for them, without recourse or any expectation of any reward. He said that it was with the help of negro race that the progress of the new south was able to move forward. (History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web www.historymatters.gmu.edu/d/39) Washington related that his race would find its own way in society, through means of work, education and the spirit of cooperation. He stated, that though many of his race wanted to begin their new lives at the higher levels of society, the reality would be beginning from the bottom and climbing upward based on their own merits. Earning their own way was of the utmost importance. Equality

System Feedback Loops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

System Feedback Loops - Essay Example The archetypes identified here are reinforcing loop and balancing loop. The Balancing Loop attempts to move some current state to a desired or reference state though some Action (Bellinger, 2004). A Gap is produced when the desired state interacts with the current state. When the gap is larger, it means the influence is stronger and produces Action which then causes current state to move towards desired state. According to Bellinger (2004), this is done until the Gap is reduced to zero where there is no more influence toward Action. A Reinforcing Loop is a structure which feeds on itself to produce growth or decline (Bellinger, 2004). State 1 either increases or decreases which influences State 2 to move in the same direction. This structure produces growth or decline, hence, it is reinforcing it. Learning Organizations for NutriSystem The increasing demand for healthy diet in U.S. has an impact in weight loss market. NutriSystem has been a leading provider of weight management. Usin g the system feedback loops, events can be affected by determining the patterns observed in behaviors and desired outcomes. These feedback loops illustrate the interactions between events or states. Based on the example of diabetes cases, many people are diagnosed with diabetes and NutriSystem is aiming at promoting health for diabetics. Sytems Feedback Loops 2 Figure 1 - Reinforcing Loop In this diagram, it shows one example of the relationship between diagnosis for diabetes and the number of potential diabetic customers. The more people who are diagnosed with diabetes, the greater the number of potential diabetic customers are for NutriSystem. In other words, the potential diabetic customers increase when more people are likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. The potential diabetic customers can be predicted because the likelihood of people having diabetes is evident. Getting a diagnosis for individuals is likely to be an outcome of predicted potential diabetic customers who are at high risk due to factors such as pregnancy, pre-diabetes conditions, or trends in sugar intake. In 2011, statistics from National Diabetes Fact Sheet show that there are about 25.8 million or 8.3% of U.S. population that have diabetes. There are 18.8 million people diagnosed with diabetes, 7.0 million who are undiagnosed, and 79 million who have pre-diabetes. There are millions of new cases of diabetes every year (American Diabetes Association, 1995-2011). This System Feedback Loops 3 was become an opportunity for NutriSystem to serve diabetics as they have formed a strategic alliance with American Diabetes Association to promote weight loss for people with Type 2 diabetes. A view of benefits of health and nutrition using NutriSystem can be depicted in the following diagram: Figure 2 – Reinforcing Loop NutriSystem offers over 100 food items designed to combine â€Å"good† carbohydrates, proteins and fats (Pechman, 2011) in addition to glycemic index (GI) prepared meal s for diabetics. They provide customers with home delivery meal program that includes balanced, pre-prepared, and portion-controlled meals. (Pechman, 2011). Demand for products such as that of NutriSystem has increased with the growth of obesity epidemic. System Feedback Loops 4 To make a profit, NutriSystem must target potential customers by using new and improved marketing strategies

Good and bad survey Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Good and bad survey - Research Paper Example The survey questionnaire on Appendix II is also about a short product evaluation, seeking to obtain information as to how many people used the product, know its efficiency and convenience of its usage and some suggestions to improve it. The point of the work at hand is to evaluate these two sample surveys as to why one of them must be a good or bad survey, with important justifications coming from Chapter 6 and Chapter 8 of the text. The survey questionnaire in Appendix I consists of questions that are of varying data levels with corresponding scale. The most common are the nominal and ordinal scales. The good thing about using the ordinal scale in the question is that it avoids overlap in question options, allowing the marketer to thoroughly evaluate their product performance in the market. The use of nominal and ordinal scale in the questionnaire also prevents the proponent to come up with a bias reporting. In the first place, the choices given were able to suggest the prevailing opinion of the users or respondents and this means that not a hint coming from the proponent or research conductor could be found. For this reason, all of the questions stated in Appendix I can lead the proponent to get rid of probable bias and misleading the respondents. All the questions simply employ words that are not overstating the condition. They all not require the respondent to guess, because they absolutely want to dig up th e real opinion of the respondents without any hint of influence or bias coming from the research conductor. In addition, the survey questionnaire also uses an open-ended question that seeks to find out the exact information that should have to come from the respondents. The open-ended question is free from any hint of bias and even will lead to the determination of the exact information that the research conductor would want to find out. Regarding all of these bases, the survey questionnaire in Appendix I is a good

Identity Thesis Essay Example for Free

Identity Thesis Essay Over the course of history, different theories have been formulated to help explain the complex relationship between the mind and the body. One of the theories elucidating the mind-body relation is dualism—the view that mental states are independent from physical states. Mental states are ones of thinking, feeling, and believing whereas physical states are those outlined by physical and biological sciences. In contrast to dualism, physicalism insists that mental states are somehow physical states. The most straightforward version of physicalism is the identity thesis—the theory that every type of mental state is identical to some type of physical state (Reasons and Responsibility, 285-286). Dualists and physicalists have disputed over the validity of the identity thesis; dualists denying its claim and physicalists defending it. The biggest problem facing physicalists and the identity thesis is the concept of qualia, the phenomenal quality of a mental state (Reasons and Responsibility, 281). Philosopher Frank Jackson offers what he calls the â€Å"Knowledge Argument† for qualia. Jackson’s knowledge argument presents that nonphysical facts can be devised from facts about phenomenal quality. Through the concept of qualia, Jackson’s knowledge argument shows that the identity thesis is false. The identity thesis holds that mental events are simply identical with brain processes—identical in the same manner that sounds are identical with density waves in the air. The thesis bases on the idea that mental states of thought, sensation, and awareness are alike those of physical states (such as those of the brain and central nervous system). An example of identity thesis is that lightning and an electric charge are two of the same thing. In other words, lightning is an electric charge. An advocate of the identity thesis is materialist Peter Carruthers. Carruthers argues that everything (including mental states) exists through physical causes. Carruthers’ argument for the identity thesis can be summarized from the beliefs that some conscious states and events are casually necessary for the occurrence of some physical ones, and that there will be no need to advert to anything other than physical-physical causality in a completed neuro-physiological science. Thus, some conscious states and events are identical with physical brain states and events (Reason and Responsibility, 301-302). However, the concept of qualia refutes the idea of physicalism, and is the foundation of Jackson’s knowledge argument against identity thesis. As a believer of dualism, Jackson uses the concept of qualia to support that the mind and matter are distinct and independent substances capable of existing without the other. Qualia are the subjective, felt qualities of experiences. For example, one may know all the physical properties of the color red and the physics behind why some things are red; however it is qualia that allows one to experience what it is like to actually see red. Jackson constructs his knowledge argument around the ideas of dualism and qualia. To further illustrate Jackson’s argument for qualia (and dualism), the case of Fred and his unique color vision will be presented (Reasons and Responsibility, 298-299). For some reason, Fred has the ability to see two colors where others only see one. His retina is capable of distinguishing between two wavelengths of red in which others familiarizes with only one. He tries to explain the difference between the two reds. However he fails in doing so because others do not comprehend the difference. Therefore it is concluded that Fred can visually see one more color than everyone else. Despite having all the physical information about Fred and his special trait, one cannot know what it actually feels like to see two different types of red. Thus, Jackson believes that the physicalist left something out in the theory of physicalism—the qualia or what it feels like to actually experience something. Consequently, quale explains how dualism is valid and physicalism is incomplete. The existence of knowledge through qualia (mental state) and that of physical facts (physical state) demonstrates the idea of dualism—the view that two fundamental concepts exist. Jackson’s knowledge argument derives mainly from his thought experiment of Mary; the brilliant scientist who has spent her life confined within a black-and-white room and has never seen colors. Mary learns all the physical facts relevant to the mind. She becomes an expert on the neurophysiology of vision and knows all there is to know about color. When Mary is released from her room, she experiences color for the first time. One would think intuitively that her color experiences provide her with knowledge she previously lacked, and that what she learns includes certain facts about what color experiences are like. The facts she learns upon her release cannot be physical facts because she already knew all physical facts before leaving the room. Therefore, the new knowledge comes from the concept of qualia, which indicates that not all facts are physical facts (Reason and Responsibility, 298-299). Thus physicalism is false. Jackson reaches his conclusion that the identity thesis is false by proving that mental states are not physical states. According to the identity thesis, states and processes of the mind are identical to states and processes of the brain. The concept of qualia refutes the validity of the identity thesis by presenting subjective forms of experiences. The knowledge acquired from subjective forms of experiences differs from those of physical knowledge about experiences. Since physicalism requires that all aspects of knowledge are the same, physicalism cannot be sound. Thus the identity thesis must be false. The cases of Fred and Mary show that physicalism doesn’t amount to all knowledge. The summation of Jackson’s knowledge argument can be illustrated by the following: before Mary leaves the room, she knows all the physical facts about color experiences. When Mary leaves the room, she learns new facts about color experiences—facts about what it’s like to see in color. Therefore, there are nonphysical facts about color experiences. Furthermore, the identity thesis is false because Jackson’s knowledge argument reveals that there is something about the experience of color (in Mary’s case) that cannot be captured by the physicalist view. So, physicalism is incomplete. Physicalism lacks the phenomenal quality of the mental state—the ability to experience something regardless of physical knowledge. Qualia and the mental experience can never be achieved from the premises of physicalism and the identity thesis. Thus, the phenomenal quality of experiences cannot be accounted for through physical properties of the brain. In conclusion, the identity thesis is false because nonphysical properties, like phenomenal properties, exist.

New Zealand Political Values

New Zealand Political Values Things generally influence one another even in small ways. The relationship among these matters can be just simple that have little impact on people. However, there are things which affect considerable number of individuals, a locality, a country or even the international community as well. Health is one of those things. A person, family, society, and nations are all involved when discussing this topic. There are factors that have direct and indirect effects which relate to planning, implementation and evaluation of healthcare mechanisms and interventions. These are the demographic distribution of populations, religious beliefs, political values, ethnicity, traditions, and human values. New Zealand has a small population with an estimated resident of 4,531,400 as of 30 September 2014 (Statistics New Zealand). Data from the year 2013 show that males are greater from children to middle age but the female numbers are greater during the latter part of life. The median age is 37.4 years; population growth rate is 0.85 per cent; birth rate is almost double compare to death rate but is relative low. Migration rate is 2.24 in a thousand people. Infant mortality rate is low with only 4.65 in a thousand live births. Life expectancy is higher among women with 82.94 and men with 78.79 years. Literacy has a very high rate overall. Data related to health have generally positive trends. Information like this is significant on how to make better intervention. The government has to scrutinize the details in order to give appropriate solutions to the issues, in relation particularly to the declining numbers of men during old age compare to women who live several years more. Programmes such as lifestyle modification and more education that improve the life span of men should be given more emphasis. Men are usually more exposed to health risks such as alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking and hazardous working environment. These can be attributed to the fast deterioration of health condition due to the accumulated damage on the body. Political values are acquired by the people through â€Å"political socialisation†. It can be from the family first, then schools, friends, work, travel, life experiences and media such as televisions, radio, and social networking sites via the internet. The present situation is related to the history of a certain nation in terms of how they experienced it. New Zealand had the British concept and ideas from a long time and up until now. There were important changes as time went by. As of today, people are empowered that they are able to participate in policy making in relation to health. For instance, the legislations are being passed after the involvement of different sectors during formulation. Groups and organisations are being asked to impart their opinions regarding a specific policy which can affect their interests. So in this way, it can have impact on the health interventions being formulated by the authorities. The citizens are able to see the government as their prot ector that takes care of their well-being. And also, this shows that the people are recognized, equality is evident, and the honesty on part of the government that it should serve its people. Another thing about New Zealand is citizens do not want any corruption from their public officials. They are not expecting that elected officials will use their positions to do illegal activities for personal interests. Religion affects health in terms of practices and beliefs. A country can have many classifications as far as faith is concerned. There are varieties of religion within New Zealand, majority are Christians that includes Catholic, Anglican, Methodist and Presbyterian. There are also growing numbers of people associated with Sikh, Hindu and Islam respectively. Since the migration is going up, people from other countries with different faith come in, along with them are diverse practices and beliefs as well that can be an issue one way or another in relevance to health. One good example is the prohibition of blood transfusion in other religion. Another is the food restrictions like not eating pork or beef, during fasting period, and many others. The government should recognize these situations thus providing necessary measures to deal with it. A way to address it is to review the existing policies to make it appropriate to the present circumstances. Human values refer to the behaviours of men that are correct in every aspect. These are the basis of legislations, guided by the concept of doing the right thing. Usually it starts in the family, parents being as the model showing values to their children then eventually learning from outside environment thru teachers at school, friends, and the community. Human values are significant part of the society because they provide identity and pride as well to the people living within a community. And leaders with human values can produce a direct impact in dealing with the problems of the nation particularly in making health interventions. The virtue of selflessness must be present in all elected and public officials. Every nation has distinct traits when it comes to health and human values. New Zealand is a country that is striving to put these standards into a higher level so that people will benefit in the long term up to the next generation. Ethnicity and traditions are interrelated factors that influence health interventions. New Zealand has a growing ethnic background which in connection to the entry of migrants from various parts of the world. It is undeniably adding to the list and starting to be part of the system. While health interventions are focused on European, Maori, and Pacific people, Asians have considerable numbers already living and settling in this country; also people from the Central and Latin Americas. Since the government chose to open their doors to foreign people, it should provide policies emphasizing the status of migrants in respect to health. Although, Maori health status has been recognized and being pushed to produce positive outcome for the natives of New Zealand after years of experiencing low health services and inequalities, the authorities should not take aside the large number of migrants currently living on their land. The presence of the aforementioned determinants provides an array of information to plan, implement and evaluate health interventions. These factors serve as guide to come up with the needed mechanisms, to improve services and to promote equality in health status of affected groups. REFERENCES Levine, Stephen. (2012). ‘Political values – New Zealand politics and political values’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/political-values/page-1 Levine, Stephen. (2012). ‘Political values – New Zealand politics and political values’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/political-values/page-4 Statistics New Zealand. (2014). Top Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/snapshots-of-nz/top-statistics.aspx

The Effects of Divorce on Children Essay -- Impact of Divorce on Child

Divorce is becoming a worldwide phenomenon, significantly affecting children’s well-being. It radically changes their future causing detrimental effects. According to (Julio CÃ ¡ceres-Delpiano and Eugenio Giolito, 2008) nearly 50% of marriages end with divorce. 90% of children who lived in the USA in the 1960s stayed with their own biological parents, whereas today it makes up only 40% (Hetherington, E. Mavis, and Margaret Stanley-Hagan, 1999). Such an unfavorable problem has been increasing, because in 1969, the legislation of California State changed the divorce laws, where spouses could leave without providing causes (Child Study Center, 2001). This resolution was accepted by the other states and later, the number of divorced people has been steadily growing. Such a typical situation is common for most countries in the world, which negatively affects children’s individuality. However, remarkably little amount of people can conceive the impact of marital separation c aused to offspring. (? passive) Many children after separation of parents are exposed to a number of changes in the future. They have to be getting used to a further living area, feelings and circumstances. Their response to divorce can vary and depends on age, gender and personal characteristics. This essay will show the effects of divorce on children under various aspects such as educational, psychological and social impact. In addition, it will contain data about the divorce rate in the US and present disparate reactions of children. It will also include adequate recommendations for parents as to how act to children after divorce, in order to minimize the adverse effect on children. Increasing divorce rate: During the 1960s and 1980s in the USA, there were signi... ...d become more successful. Works Cited Hetherington, E. Mavis, and Margaret Stanley-Hagan. "The Adjustment of Children with Divorced Parents: A Risk and Resiliency Perspective." Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines 40, no. 1 (January 1999): 129. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011). Sobolewski, Juliana M., and Paul R. Amato. 2007. "Parents' Discord and Divorce, Parent-Child Relationships and Subjective Well-Being in Early Adulthood: Is Feeling Close to Two Parents Always Better than Feeling Close to One?." Social Forces 85, no. 3: 1105-1124. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011). Shansky, Janet. 2002. "NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT." Journal of Pastoral Counseling 37, 73. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011).

Socio-Economic and Political Conditions in Sparta and Athens After 800 B.C.E.

Ancient Greece was in a pretty bad shape during the period from 1200 to 800 B. C. E, which is referred as the Dark Age of the Greece. Eventually, after 800 B. C. E, Greeks started expanding their empire from the Mediterranean towards east as far as the Black Sea, and towards west as far as the Atlantic Ocean. At this time, two prominent city- states named Athens and Sparta stood as two pillars in the Greek history. Although these two city -states are geographically close to each other in Greece, they were rivals and shared many differences.However, some of the social conditions were similar in these two city -states. During the Archaic age (800- 500 B. C. E. ), these two city- states progressed tremendously both politically and economically. Even though the Greeks came out of the Dark Age and were expanding with prosperity, they faced new problems with growing population, hunger, and land shortage. Moreover, their lands were not fertile to feed the needs of the growing population, an d there was turmoil everywhere because of the tyranny of the aristocrats.To improve their economical, social, and political conditions, the Athenians and the Spartans created new political systems, introduced important reforms and stood as the role models in the Greek political development. The Spartans responded to the economic crisis by conquering Messene, their rich neighbor, in 715 B. C. E so that they can add the rich region’s resources. Sparta is a city -state in the southern part of Greece which was under the control of aristocracy. In fact, Sparta’s asset was its powerful military, and it is the protector of Greece.Spartans oppressed the Messenian slaves after their revolt against the Spartans. In order to appease the non- nobles, who demanded equal rights, as they assisted the Spartans in the war, the aristocrats later, reformed the state system to â€Å"Lycurgan regimen. † According to this reform, all Spartans were given equal rights, and the state wa s ruled by two kings with the assistance from the nobles. Taking into consideration the economic situations in Sparta, the Messenian slaves called â€Å"Helots† did all the physical work while the men of Sparta devoted their lives for the military.Boys in their young age were forced into military training. Although family life was important to Spartans, their social life was compromised as men spent much of their lives in the military. So they established close relationships with other men in the military. The main aim of the Spartan men was to be trained as the best infantrymen and sacrifice their lives in the battle. Spartan women were good wives who devoted their lives in bearing children and had rights to own property.In the same way, Athenians implemented law of codes, reforms, and adopted democracy with the help of prominent and thoughtful aristocrats and ascended from the economic and political distress and oppression of the aristocrats. In the late sixth century B. C. E, Draco, an aristocrat, published the first law of code which asserts that law belonged to all citizens, Later, Solon, an aristocrat who became â€Å"archon,† a chief magistrate of Polis, reformed the prevailing social conditions by freeing the slaves, recalling exiles, and made enslavement for debt illegal.He thus introduced democratic ideals into their political system in response to the tyranny of the aristocrats and nobles on small farmers and landowners. Although Athens was under the aristocratic rule in the beginning, it later adopted the democratic form of government under the leadership of a prominent aristocrat named Cleisthenes. Undoubtedly, Athenians were the first to introduce democratic sovereign and legislation with a council (â€Å"Boule†) and an assembly of citizens (â€Å"Ecclesia†). They also developed their infrastructure, and â€Å"Acropolis† clearly reveals their love for architecture.Young boys were not forced into military and wer e given opportunity to excel in education, arts, and other talents. The Athenians enjoyed better social life than the Spartans, and family life was important. Like Spartan men, Athenian men maintained close relationships with other men. Women were confined to giving birth and raising children along with other household chores, and they were considered inferior to men. Unlike the Spartan women, they had less freedom. Even though Athenians adopted democracy, women and slaves have limited rights and were not granted citizenship. Ancient Greeks rose from their dark age in 800 B. C. E.  and started expanding their empire in the neighboring regions.With their progress several economic and social tensions appeared such as population growth, hunger, and food shortage. In response to this economic and social distress, the two city-states, Athens and Sparta, with their own distinctive social structure, developed into two significant political systems. Athenians emphasized not only on firm p olitical development, education, and culture but also on individual freedom and justice. Democracy and legislation with two presiding bodies were introduced into their political system and even the poor were allowed to vote in the election.On the contrary, Spartans focused on training their youth as soldiers and thus strengthened their military. With the military power they conquered their resourceful neighboring region, Messene, and later reformed their state system with two ruling kings and five noble overseers. Their reform system also presented equal rights to all Spartans. The above discussed political and social reforms were necessary for both the city-states at that time of chaos in order to survive. Even though they underwent many deadly conflicts, Athens and Sparta established themselves as prominent city-states in the political development of ancient Greek history. Socio-Economic and Political Conditions in Sparta and Athens After 800 B.C.E. Ancient Greece was in a pretty bad shape during the period from 1200 to 800 B. C. E, which is referred as the Dark Age of the Greece. Eventually, after 800 B. C. E, Greeks started expanding their empire from the Mediterranean towards east as far as the Black Sea, and towards west as far as the Atlantic Ocean. At this time, two prominent city- states named Athens and Sparta stood as two pillars in the Greek history. Although these two city -states are geographically close to each other in Greece, they were rivals and shared many differences.However, some of the social conditions were similar in these two city -states. During the Archaic age (800- 500 B. C. E. ), these two city- states progressed tremendously both politically and economically. Even though the Greeks came out of the Dark Age and were expanding with prosperity, they faced new problems with growing population, hunger, and land shortage. Moreover, their lands were not fertile to feed the needs of the growing population, an d there was turmoil everywhere because of the tyranny of the aristocrats.To improve their economical, social, and political conditions, the Athenians and the Spartans created new political systems, introduced important reforms and stood as the role models in the Greek political development. The Spartans responded to the economic crisis by conquering Messene, their rich neighbor, in 715 B. C. E so that they can add the rich region’s resources. Sparta is a city -state in the southern part of Greece which was under the control of aristocracy. In fact, Sparta’s asset was its powerful military, and it is the protector of Greece.Spartans oppressed the Messenian slaves after their revolt against the Spartans. In order to appease the non- nobles, who demanded equal rights, as they assisted the Spartans in the war, the aristocrats later, reformed the state system to â€Å"Lycurgan regimen. † According to this reform, all Spartans were given equal rights, and the state wa s ruled by two kings with the assistance from the nobles. Taking into consideration the economic situations in Sparta, the Messenian slaves called â€Å"Helots† did all the physical work while the men of Sparta devoted their lives for the military.Boys in their young age were forced into military training. Although family life was important to Spartans, their social life was compromised as men spent much of their lives in the military. So they established close relationships with other men in the military. The main aim of the Spartan men was to be trained as the best infantrymen and sacrifice their lives in the battle. Spartan women were good wives who devoted their lives in bearing children and had rights to own property.In the same way, Athenians implemented law of codes, reforms, and adopted democracy with the help of prominent and thoughtful aristocrats and ascended from the economic and political distress and oppression of the aristocrats. In the late sixth century B. C. E, Draco, an aristocrat, published the first law of code which asserts that law belonged to all citizens, Later, Solon, an aristocrat who became â€Å"archon,† a chief magistrate of Polis, reformed the prevailing social conditions by freeing the slaves, recalling exiles, and made enslavement for debt illegal.He thus introduced democratic ideals into their political system in response to the tyranny of the aristocrats and nobles on small farmers and landowners. Although Athens was under the aristocratic rule in the beginning, it later adopted the democratic form of government under the leadership of a prominent aristocrat named Cleisthenes. Undoubtedly, Athenians were the first to introduce democratic sovereign and legislation with a council (â€Å"Boule†) and an assembly of citizens (â€Å"Ecclesia†). They also developed their infrastructure, and â€Å"Acropolis† clearly reveals their love for architecture.Young boys were not forced into military and wer e given opportunity to excel in education, arts, and other talents. The Athenians enjoyed better social life than the Spartans, and family life was important. Like Spartan men, Athenian men maintained close relationships with other men. Women were confined to giving birth and raising children along with other household chores, and they were considered inferior to men. Unlike the Spartan women, they had less freedom. Even though Athenians adopted democracy, women and slaves have limited rights and were not granted citizenship.Ancient Greeks rose from their dark age in 800 B. C. E.  and started expanding their empire in the neighboring regions. With their progress several economic and social tensions appeared such as population growth, hunger, and food shortage. In response to this economic and social distress, the two city-states, Athens and Sparta, with their own distinctive social structure, developed into two significant political systems. Athenians emphasized not only on firm p olitical development, education, and culture but also on individual freedom and justice. Democracy and legislation with two presiding bodies were introduced into their political system and even the poor were allowed to vote in the election.On the contrary, Spartans focused on training their youth as soldiers and thus strengthened their military. With the military power they conquered their resourceful neighboring region, Messene, and later reformed their state system with two ruling kings and five noble overseers. Their reform system also presented equal rights to all Spartans. The above discussed political and social reforms were necessary for both the city-states at that time of chaos in order to survive. Even though they underwent many deadly conflicts, Athens and Sparta established themselves as prominent city-states in the political development of ancient Greek history.