Invention that you wish it never exist Essay

Inventions, ideally, are result of needs and necessities of a certain generation of humankind. Human beings prospered and progressed over time because of his inquisitive nature and the ability to explore. Discoveries and inventions helped them to know more about the mother earth and made them to make their stay on this planet more comfortable. Needs and necessities of different ages and times encouraged humankind to come up with new inventions, however, some inventions simply originated to serve the whims and fancies of some men in authority who abused their influence and knowledge to invent something which put a questionmark on mere existence of human race on this planet. An invention without which this world would be a much better place is the invention of weapons of mass destruction also known WMDs. A weapon of mass destruction is a nuclear, radiological, biological, chemical or other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans or cause great damage to man-made structures (e.g. buildings), natural structures (e.g. mountains), or the biosphere. These weapons were developed initially by industrialized nations liks United States, Japan, Germany etc as a weapon of self defence to deter the enemy against any possible aggression and attack (Deterrence theory of international politics). However, in due course of time these weapons emerged as a threat to the very existence of human race on this planet. The deterrence theory failed to prevent wars and battles between nations and rather led to beginning of an arms race between nations. India and Pakistan, 2 south asian neighbours developed nuclear weapons in 1998 but still had a war in 1999 and still have skirmishes on their borders on almost daily basis. The application of nuclear bomb by United States against Japan, use of chemical weapons by Germans against Jews in concentration camps made the world to realize the ferocity and dangers of these weapons. More recently, the use of Chemical weapons in Syrian Civil War had brought the world to brink of another war when US tried to int ervene in order to maintain the sanctity of Chemical weapons convention. The world have realized the uselessness of these weapons and tried to control, ban and regulate their usage through conventions and treaties like Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC), Partial Test Ban Treaty, Outer Space Treaty, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Seabed  Arms Control Treaty, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT, has not entered into force). These weapons not only are capable of killing millions of lives but also affect future generations, cause irreversible and irreparable damage to environment, drain resources of nations on non-productive activities. Secondly, there is an imminent threat of misuse of these weapons by terrorist organizations and anti-human elements that can use it to kill thousands of innocent lives. Threat of possession of such weapons was a major reason for US attack on Iraq. Thirdly, such weapons lead to power struggles and pose a danger to establishment of world peace. Fourthly, even poor nations spend a considerable amount of their scarce resources on production and storage of these weapons instead of using these resources for the welfare of their poor and undernourished citizens. Thus, based on the arguments above we can easily conclude, this world would have been a much better place, had there been no weapons of mass destruction. After all, the ever more sophisticated weapons piling up in the arsenals of the wealthiest and the mightiest can kill the illiterate, the ill, the poor and the hungry, but they cannot kill ignorance, illness, poverty or hunger. Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory. It is high time that the world shall bid goodbye to WMDs and make this world a much better place to live in. References: 1. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/weapons.html#w4hFA17ZzOdtj8bc.99 2. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/weapons-of-mass-destruction 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapon_of_mass_destruction 4. http://sangwhopark.blogspot.in/2011/11/18-what-invention-would-world-be-better.html

An analysis of “Night” and “Beloved” Essay

In the list of the most tackled themes for literary works, freedom and love probably top the list. The Novels â€Å"Night† and â€Å"Beloved† are some examples of the literary pieces which intertwine these two popular concepts. Basically, the books dwelled on stories of slavery and brutality which ultimately destroyed the lives of the fictional characters. In this paper, the researcher tries to examine how these books address the importance of freedom and love in terms of living a life of meaning and purpose. The Lack of Freedom Can Deny Worth Both literary pieces demonstrate that without freedom, a person can ultimately loose his sense of self, and thus stripping the individual of his love for himself and his worth as a human being. The lack of worth is often initiated by the perpetrators or those who enslave. However, through continuous exposure to maltreatment, discrimination, and intolerant violence, the enslaved may loose hope, and in the end – accept the fact that he and his life are indeed worthless and that there is no point of loving himself and his fellows. This is clearly shown in the first novel. In the beginning of the â€Å"Night†, the Jews who were brought to the Nazi camp found relief in caring for each other. They also turned to religion and their God at times when they feared for their lives. In particular, Eliezer excessively prayed seeking salvation, security, and purpose in his faith and believing that God would not let evil prevail. The Jews also tried to seek relief from supporting Zionism. To a certain sense, the captives tried to preserve their worth as a human being through loving and caring. (Wiesel) However, brutal experiences forced them to thwart their beliefs and their worth. They had to see babies that were burned in open pit furnaces. Such event is very demoralizing to people since babies are often regarded as symbols of pure and innocent lives which needed love, not brutality. Apart from that, they were also forced to watch the hanging of their fellow Jews, people whom they loved and cared for. Such experiences combined with the inhumane treatment of Nazis gradually led the Jews to believe that they were basically nothing but slaves – individuals who have no purpose in life but to serve the superior race. They were somehow, undeserving of love and life, which will only be wasted through unjustifiable and imposed death. In â€Å"Beloved†, the slaves were liberated but one can see that their liberation was probably too late in the sense that slavery already ruined their â€Å"sense of self†. Take the case of Paul D. As a slave, he was treated with utmost cruelty by the â€Å"school teacher†. When he tried to escape with Sixo, they were captured and Sixo was killed. Paul D was then subjected to humiliation when he was forced to wear an iron bit much like a horse. He also suffered from pitiless beatings and torturing of the ‘chain gang’. As a result of these inhumane treatments, Paul D often felt insecure and unconvinced of his humanness and manhood. (Morrison) In the case of Sethe, she was also treated as an inferior being that, as the school teacher notes, has â€Å"animal characteristics†. She was violated by men and even whipped almost to death, despite the fact that she was pregnant. As a result of these experiences, she felt a feeling of self-hatred for becoming a slave. Sethe also cannot find a sense of satisfaction or fulfillment in her own self. That is why she saw motherhood as the only chance for her to redeem her worth. Thus, she regarded her children, especially ‘Beloved’ as her â€Å"best thing. † By being so selfless to the point of martyrdom, it seems that Sethe did not possess any love for herself. Rather, every loving emotion is directed to her children. The Lack of Freedom Can Distort a Person’s Sense of Life and Love The two novels also showed that slavery can greatly alter a person’s view of living and loving. Basically, the lack of freedom can introduce seemingly irrational and unreasonable perspectives that are derived from sheer fright, panic and anxiety. In â€Å"Night†, the lack of freedom reduced the lives of the Jews as nothing but mere struggles for survival. Through the extensive â€Å"selection† process promoted by the Nazis, the Jews developed the idea that the fittest are truly the only ones who can live. This is demonstrated by the fact that those who were considered as ill and weak were quickly exterminated while the â€Å"strong† ones were used for labor. The idea of the â€Å"survival of the fittest† was further enforced by the scarcity of resources in the camp. There was too little food and water and this prompted the Jews to compete against themselves. What’s worse was that the competition even prompted the prisoners to lose their sense of love and respect for their fathers. As noted by one of them: Listen to me, boy. Don’t forget that you’re in a concentration camp. Here, every man has to fight for himself and not think of anyone else. Even of his father. Here, there are no fathers, no brothers, (and) no friends. Everyone lives and dies for himself alone. (Wiesel) In a sense, without freedom the lives of the Jews became â€Å"animalistic†. They lost their regard for familial relations along with the loss of their hopes to be free. Without freedom, they had no love; and without love, their lives seemed to have no meaning. Elizier further demonstrates this point through his narration of a son’s beating of his father because of a fight over food on the train to Buchenwald. (Wiesel) In â€Å"Beloved†, the most twisted result of slavery is shown through murder. In the story, the schoolteacher wanted to take Sethe and her children back into the barn where slaves were dehumanized. Instead of surrendering her children however, Sethe decided to kill them rather than forcing them into a life without freedom. Through this act, Sethe demonstrated that life without freedom is worse than death. She somehow equated death as the only way to escape slavery and achieve freedom. For her, the act of murdering her own children – cutting their throat with a handsaw – was an act of love. Paul D explained Sethe’s actions: She just flew. Collected every bit of life she had made, all the parts of her that were precious and fine and beautiful, and carried, pushed, dragged them through the veil, out, away, over there where no one could hurt them†¦Outside this place, where they would be safe. (Morrison) In conclusion, the two novels, â€Å"Night† and â€Å"Beloved† show that without freedom, individuals can lose their idea of â€Å"love† – both in terms of self-love and love for others. Continuous demoralization and dehumanization can ultimately ruin a person’s concept of love and life. Moreover, such acts can drain purpose and meaning in living. Works Cited: Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Knopf, 1987. Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam Books, 1960.

Pursuit of freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pursuit of freedom - Essay Example It was only after her husband’s death that Mrs. Mallard feels the true sense of freedom. The emotion that is clearly identifiable in the story is the emotion of happiness, relieve and contentment. We in our daily lives feel contented and happy when some work gets completed or we get rid of some difficult situation. I felt contented and relieved when I got rid of my loan as it was always depressing me. Mrs. Mallard gets contented and relieved when she realizes that she is after all free and on her own to do anything she likes. I also felt the same when I realized that I do not have to pay any further to the bank. I felt as if I was free to use my money the way I like and with full liberty. I felt as if some responsibility or restriction has left my way. Mrs. Mallard considered her husband as a hindrance in her way towards freedom and after his death; she enjoyed her freedom as she said, â€Å"Free! Body and soul free!† (Chopin 1894). She regarded her body as well as her soul, both fully at liberty without any repression from her husband anymore. I can be related to the character of Mrs. Mallard in a sense as she also considers herself free and I felt the same situation.

Narrative Analysis of Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Narrative Analysis of Assessment - Assignment Example Experience in Administering the Pre-Test and Post-Test to the Student(s) during the IPPR Lessons Each of the IPPR lesson presented different experiences to the teacher. There was a common trend in almost all the lessons. The students were not performing well in the pre-test. This is despite the fact that they had internalized and understood the concept properly during the previous lesson. However, the performance of the students improved markedly during the post-test. For example, at the end of lesson 1, topic on place value, every student was expected to place numbers of up to four digits in the correct place mat to the thousand place with 100% accuracy. The students were assigned 2-digit problems without regrouping using base ten blocks on the overhead Place Value Mat to activate their prior knowledge. In this test, only five students managed to solve the problems correctly. As this was the first lesson, the students were not well acquainted with the teacher. They exhibited nervous ness and uneasiness when doing the pre-assessment test. Most of the students had not conceptualized the topic resulting in poor results in the pre-test. At the beginning of the lesson, students also demonstrated difficulty in using the teaching aids. The students were not very confident when using the place mat value, the deck index cards, and the base blocks. In addition, the students were unprepared for the lesson. Most of them had not removed their books when I first stepped into the class. When I was administering the pre-test, some of the students had not fully settled. In the post-test, there was a significant improvement from the pre-test. 15-20 students met the objective. They solved 8 or more problems correctly with 10 students out of them solving all problems correctly. Through guidance and continued reassuring by the teacher and a healthy student-teacher interaction, the students understood the concept properly. The students appeared more relaxed when doing the post-test. The use of teaching aids and teacher’s demonstration in the course of the lesson helped the students understand the concept thus improved performance in the post-test as compared to the pre-test (Schoenfeld, 2002). In lesson plan 2, students were supposed to learn computation of whole numbers. At the end of the academic year, the students were expected to multiply or divide 2-digit numbers with 80% accuracy with a calculator and add different digit numbers with regrouping without using a calculator with 80% accuracy. In pre-test, the students were assigned addition and subtraction to activate their prior knowledge. The students demonstrated significant improvement in the pre-test during IPPR 2 as compared to IPPR 1. The students were at ease. They were well acquainted with their teacher. Since the teacher had clearly stated what he expects from each student from the beginning to the end of the lesson, the students were well prepared for the lesson. They had all their books a nd reading materials ready when the teacher entered the classroom. In addition, the student had prior knowledge today’s lesson. However, the students performed poorly in the pretest as compared to the post-test. The teacher encouraged student participation in the class. The teacher called a group of ten students to the front of the class, one at a time, to demonstrate the concept of addition. As each of the ten students walked to the front of t

Negotiations - Getting to Yes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negotiations - Getting to Yes - Essay Example This paper tends to explain the significance of the theme stated above on the grounds of practical evidences and the findings of scholarly volumes on negotiation. To begin with, a person’s point of view of a certain topic has a straight-line relationship with his behavior as an individual. The intensity of his responses and reactions to counter arguments in a debate of win-to-win contexts reflects how passionate he is towards his ethics or prejudice. Hence, being soft on the people is important while at the same time being hard on the problem so as to achieve the goal. Planning covers the major portion of entire strategic negotiation procedures. When a manager utilizes all skills, knowledge, and potential to create a favorable condition for negotiating with someone, the tactics he initiates can be termed as ‘negotiation strategy’. According to Rojot, the first process of three-stage model of negotiation is ‘getting to know each other’ including their starting positions, range, and limitations. The second stage involves the attempt to reach a settlement either through official or informal actions; and finally persuading other group for decision making (174-75). While considering the scope of negotiation in a disturbed atmosphere, it is important to see that the process of negotiation passes through different phases that create stage for analysis, understanding, and effective communication. Importance and necessity of interaction are also determined only if the negotiation process is identified well. To be more specific, on initiating a negotiation process, one has to determine the actual reason for negotiating an issue. Although issues are more important than people concerned to them, ‘being soft on the people’ is also important. Otherwise, people tend to get defensive and refuse to listen (Chapter 3). On the other hand, gathering adequate

Bullying in Nursing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bullying in Nursing - Research Paper Example Bullying in nursing manifests in different ways including false accusations aimed tainting someone’s reputation and competency, personal attacks, allocation of roles beyond one’s skills and lack of assistance from the seniors, and lastly intimidation among other ways. The bullying behavior translates into psychological and physiological effects on the victims, poor bedside patient outcomes as well as compromise in the organizational effectiveness and efficiency. The menace can be controlled through cognitive rehearsal training programs, implementation of code of conduct, creation of awareness and zero tolerance on bullying in all health care organizations. Keywords (Bullying, interpersonal relationships, intimidation, reputation, competency, code of conduct, cognitive rehearsal) Review of the Literature of a Researchable Problem Workplace bullying has emerged as global issue in healthcare organization, particularly affecting the nursing practitioners. Owing to the serio usness of this problem and its effects on the performance of nurses, several studies have been conducted with the aim of understanding and establishing strategies to avert or control its occurrence. Despite the existence of aggression and harassment behaviors in almost health care organization, bullying is viewed as form of repeated behaviors resulting in creation of a hostile working environment (Hutchinson, Wilkes, Vickers & Jackson, 2008). Researchers have proposed numerous strategies of dealing with bullying in nursing including training programs, establishment of stringent measure to protect nurses, and counseling programs. This paper entails review of literature from different scholarly articles on bullying in nursing. Simons, S. (2010). Bullying in the workplace-a qualitative study of new licensed registered nurses. American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, 58 (7), 305-311. This article entails a qualitative study of bullying among nurses to establish the different ways in which bullying manifests in the field of nursing. Simons (2010) examined the individual experiences of nurses as well as incidences of bullying witnessed during their practice. The study applied a descriptive qualitative research design to examine bullying behavior among newly licensed nurse. A survey study was conducted in the State of Massachusetts targeting nurses registered between 2001 and 2003 and about 511 responses were obtained through the email survey (Simons, 2010). The results of study revealed that about 139 nurses had been bullied and 14 others witnessed bullying incidences. Several themes describing the bullying behavior were identified including feeling out of the group, structural bullying, senior or old nurses exploiting newly registered nurses and the feeling of quitting the occupation (Simons, 2010). The phrase ‘nurses eat their young’ was particularly used to describe the hostility subjected to new nurses by their seniors. Senior nurses prop agated bullying in the working area through subjecting the newly registered nurses to ridicule, lack of information sharing and lack of assistance from the experienced nurses. Bullying in nursing accounted for a significant percentage of the employee turnover in the nursing field. Some of the respondents reported having left their jobs due to unbearable bullying in their working environments. Most of the bullying beha

BP's Macondo Blow-out, Gulf of Mexico Research Paper

BP's Macondo Blow-out, Gulf of Mexico - Research Paper Example This explosion caused injuries to 17 people and led to 11 deaths of those who were working on the platform. The gushing wellhead was capped on July 15, 2010 after releasing nearly 4.9 million barrels of crude oil, the equivalent of 780,000m3.it was approximated that per day there was a loss of 53,000 barrels from the well before it was capped (Freudenburg and Robert 23). The daily flow rate had diminished with time beginning with around 62,000 barrels per day and this decreased as the hydrocarbons reservoir feeding the gusher depleted gradually. The relief well process was completed successfully on September 19, 2010. The location was at the Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi River Delta, United States. The spill date was between 20th April and 15th July 2010. It was officially sealed on 19th September 2010. The main cause was a wellhead blowout. The main operator who was working at the well was Transocean under contract for BP. The amount of the spill was approximately 4.9 million barr els in volume covering an area of between 2,500 to 68,000 square miles. The Gulf of Mexico is renowned as a rich hydrocarbon province. The oil and gas in deep water reservoirs in this area is often under extremely high pressure, which was a challenge to the drilling of the well. Prior to the blowout, the exploratory well was at a water depth of nearly 5,000 feet (1,500 m) (Freudenburg and Robert 23). ... In addition, the operations would have used complicated set of anchors, connected with cables that would have needed to be miles long. Initially, BP’s Macondo well was to explore prehistoric leftovers in the form of oil that was seen as a petroleum geologist’s version of literary license (Read 17). Prior to the blowout, the rig was constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries, which was a South Korean company. Its ownership was by Transocean and was under lease to BP from March 2008 to September 2013. The principle developer and main operator of the Macondo Prospect was BP with a 65% share while Anadarko Petroleum Corporation owned 25% and, Moex Offshore 2007, which is a unit of Mitsui, owned 10% share (Read 25). After the accident, President Obama created the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling to investigate the main cause. The commission summarized that the accident occurred due to oversights, a number of different risk factors, and outright mistakes including overwhelming of the safeguards supposed to avert such an event. According to the White House report on January 2011, the report accused BP and its partners for deliberately making a sequence of cost – cutting decisions. Lack of a system that would ensure well safety was another accusation. The spill caused extensive damage to wildlife and marine habitats and as well as affecting the Gulf’s tourism and fishing industries. Its effects were also felt worldwide (Macondo report 5). The team recognized a number of risk factors that were technical in the design, testing and execution of the Macondo well. A responsible personnel management, risk, and communications by BP and its partners would certainly have averted the

The Influence of Health Policies and the Future of Health Care in the Essay

The Influence of Health Policies and the Future of Health Care in the U.S - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that disparities among the American community continue to reflect within the healthcare system despite establishment and engagement of various care systems to foster the improvement of the health systems. Consequently, the population continues to suffer the inherent problems as they arise within the structural organization of the state healthcare systems. Notably, several inherent issues reflect the procedures of administering and acquiring successful and effective care process to the citizens. Firstly, there arises the issue of poverty and income versus the cost of the health systems. Most of the American population consists of citizens whose income levels cannot sustain their health needs. Thus, even as they seek the coverage of the various health policies as initiated by the government to facilitate affordable care to all people, they fail to achieve the required care. Thus, the continually increasing costs of the health care system are a leading factor in contention with respect to the healthcare systems of the USA. Secondly, there is the issue of the insurance cover. The insurance systems in the country continue to charge the citizens accordingly for their health coverage. However, the insurance companies do a disservice to the citizens despite their commitment to the insurance contribution. Most of the insurance provides coverage to limited levels, meaning that certain conditions such as asthma or cancer, which require high costs for treatment, may not receive adequate financial support from the insurance companies. Thus, the health insurance policies need to reflect accordingly to support the citizens of the USA in guarding their rights within these insurance coverage systems. Further, there is a disparity in acquiring healthcare due to the establishment of factors relating to the blacks versus the whites. These aspects of discrimination within the care system result from the multi-ethnic differences and perspe ctives, leading to insufficient and unhealthy care system procedures. Thus, as an issue of concern, the health care system needs to address this section f the arising matters. Lastly, professional perspective is also an inherent issue within the provision of health care in the USA.

Abortion Should Be Made Legal or Illegal Research Paper

Abortion Should Be Made Legal or Illegal - Research Paper Example Abortion clinics are the only medical personnel who have a â€Å"constitutional right† to suppress information even when directly asked by the patient (Szafran and Arthur 284). This right is apparently allowed so that â€Å"conscientious physicians† might ‘protect’ women from being frightened by the risk they face or upset by what the abortion process will do to their unborn children. It is solely up to the pleasure of the abortionist or his representative to decide how much information he chooses to give. Most women need support and not an abortion. According to Frederica Mathewes, no woman wants an abortion as she wants an ice-cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal, caught in a trap, wants to gnaw off its own leg. Pregnant women do want and need support (Wade). While pro-choicers often say that an abortion is a woman’s choice, for numerous women it doesn’t feel like one. Indeed, abortion often seems like the only choice. Most women think that pregnancy will mean loss of vital resources. This is because they lack support. Most women take abortion because they think of it as the only way out. Abortion is not an act of love. Many women say that they want to be good parents and that it is not the right time and that’s why the abort. Women say that they are not prepared for a child but still want the best for the child.

Business Idea Diary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Idea Diary - Essay Example It is well known that many persons have issues when it comes to waking up. People set alarms, but fail to wake up even after hearing one. Instead, they just press the snooze button and go on sleeping. The smart pillow comes in here. Connected to power, it shall analyze the persons sleeping pattern through brain activity and then through computer output, the software shall be connected to an alarm that predetermines the number of hours that person needs depending on their sleeping activity and give a choice of three specific time settings that the person can choose from to set the alarm. I will make money to make this product sustainable by placing a business proposal on popular funding websites for people with brilliant business ideas to get donations, funds and investments from. 2. This idea actually came up in mind as I was facing problems in my sleep. I had problems in rising up in the morning and also in getting to bed. I would set the alarm but would either not hear it or actually ignore it. Hence, I thought, â€Å"A smart pillow,† why not? 3. Rating my business idea on a scale of 1 to 10, I think my idea lies at level 8. The reason for this is because it is radical. It brings about a radical change to how pillows are normally used. On its feasibility, the idea is very much feasible. With many other smart devices out there for different purposes, scientists have come up with various ways to monitor brain activity which can be incorporated into pillows. What this product does is that it complements the existing products, in this case pillows that are already in use. This product creates an opportunity for more products of analysis to be brought nearer and create more interaction with their users without negative side effects in the near future. The hurdles that this product faces in the market are one, convincing the likely users that it does not harm them at all because it shall be used in contact with the persons and

Urban Regeneration Essay Example for Free

Urban Regeneration Essay The nature of urban policy in United Kingdom (or at least in England) in recent years seems to have set the agenda for the commentative literature to an unexpected degree. Writers on the subject (mainly urban specialists or geographers) appear to have become preoccupied with the same presentational and promotional matters to which the government devotes so much of its energies. Certainly, there is no want of critical discussion of competition as an allocative mechanism, but what is striking is the volume of wordage devoted to partnerships, synergy, community empowerment, sustainability, exit strategies and the like, with precious little reference to how they are to connect with the problems of poverty, unemployment, the never-to-be employed, the demoralisation of long-term or possibly permanent dependency, the intractability of the dependency ratio, the enormous social and economic divisions opening up between minority ethnic groups and between some of them and the white majority, the exclusion (both forced and voluntary) of some groups (definable on a number of dimensions) from civil society and effective citizenship and the denial of social rights that this entails. All these manifestations have spatial dimensions; all of them ought to be the subject of urban policy as well as social policy. And yet the urban policy literature is devoted (metaphorically speaking) to the synergistic qualities of multi-participant partnerships. (There are of course notable exceptions, but the literature that treats urban policy as social policy is very small; Dily Hills most recent work (1994) is one example. ) Any attempt to make sense of the direction that inner-city policy has taken in recent years and of the way the commentative literature has added its gloss, must therefore pay regard to the apparent gap between policy form and strategy on the one hand, and the substance of what needs to be done on the other. Does the seeming preoccupation with form in fact reflect, contrary to appearance, a considered interest in strategies and structures that are genuinely and strictly problems-directed? Is the gap between problems and policies, in other words, more apparent than real? The following paragraphs therefore will consider a number of key components (both organisational and conceptual) of urban policy in England to see how close they bring us to making at least some potential impact on those aspects of urban life that we consider undesirable (if not unacceptable). Community Empowerment There is a clutch of related concepts, each of which is difficult to discuss in isolation from the others. Besides community empowerment there are sustainability, capacity building and exit strategies These last three are more closely related to each other, however, and community empowerment has been around for much longeralthough under a number of different guises. For ease of discussion therefore we shall deal with community empowerment first. More rhetorical fluff attaches to community than to most other words in the social science lexicon (with the possible exception of empowerment). We still seem to have a romantic conception of community; all unitary values and communitarianism. It is far more likely that the first thing a family living on a ghastly peripheral estate would do were it to be empowered (like winning a million on the lottery orbetter stillfinding a permanent job) would be to get out. Does community empowerment really connect with peoples everyday lives? How do they feel when they have been empowered (or not)? Davoudi and Healey, commenting on the manner in which local issues had been discussed with residents in a City Challenge project, observe that Community participants often remarked on their sense of discursive marginalisation' (Davoudi and Healey, 1995, p. 173). Just picture it. There are so many possible interpretations of community empowerment that it would be pointless to enumerate them. Its rhetoric derives from the earlier rhetoric of powerlessness as being possibly the main functional disadvantage from which some of the urban deprived suffer (Cockburn, 1977; Sills et al. , 1988). However, since there was never any clear analysis of in relation to whom and in respect of what they were powerless, what is required of any subsequent process of empowerment remains unclear. Some of the uncertainties concerning empowerment in relation to the current debate about urban policy would include the following. What sort of communities are we mainly concerned with? Much of the literature, and most of the practice, assumes that it is spatial communities that need to be empowered and this must in part be driven by the fact that practically all regeneration policy requires the specification of a locus in which resources will be used. A number of consequential questions then arise. First is the point noted above about whether empowerment (whatever it means) would override commitment to the spatial community. Is it not more likely that given more power, and hence presumably more choice, people would exercise it by moving out? Secondly, it is at least debatable that peoples community attachments and allegiances are increasingly with interest rather than with spatial communities. The ties that bind for many religious, ethnic and racial groups are only incidentally spatial (proportional to the extent of their residential segregation). Thirdly, the argument for community empowerment, to the extent that it assumes . the acquisition of more power, influence or choice (or any combination of these) by the community vis-a-vis other agents and agencies outside the community, necessarily entails the existence of a community interest or value that is to be promoted in the face of external agencies. Now whilst there will be some interests around which all or most of the communitys members may unite, there will be many other interests over which members will be in opposition. The idea that a spatial community can be empowered in any significant way assumes the existence of a unitary set of values and interests. That simply is not plausible. Even in socially and ethnically homogeneous council estates, it would be naive to assume that everyones interests were common and it certainly would not be plausible in an ethnically and racially mixed area. In such a case, the empowerment of some may be at the expense of the influence of others. It follows thenand this is our fourth pointthat in heterogeneous communities or groupings, either someone has to exercise a bit of paternalistic influence over who gets empowered (with any luck, not self-styled community leaders) or you allow a hands-off, free market in internal power struggles and let the weakest go to the wall (again).

Chinese Communication Style | Essay

Chinese Communication Style | Essay Language is a multifunctional tool that allows people to satisfy variety of needs from socio-cultural to political necessities. The need to express its importance in communication does not have to be stressed since the two are intertwined. The communication style in China has its respective cultural milieus with different forms and purposes as well as varying intensity, emotional charge and dimensions. This has to be understood well by a person wanting to interact in an intercultural dimension. Choosing the appropriate language style is equally important especially in dealing with people from other cultures. The Cultural Revolution in China greatly affected the contemporary Chinese way of communicating particularly with the use of aggressive speeches during conflicts, formalized speeches during public gatherings, and humorous speeches during of turmoil. Dehumanization using undesirable animals was not uncommon during the period when enemies were considered as a class. Because of the diverse and complex communication style of Chinese, several commentators posited their view stating that such kind of communication needs to be improved or perhaps corrected. First, the arrangement of words and design of Chinese calligraphy make it hard for new language learners to embrace the language and adapt the communication style. Second, it deviates from the virtues of the simplistic alphabet. For Chineses part, the factors affecting their communication should first be understood and only then critics can truly appreciate the language. The tonal designs of the language as well as typographical structuring affect how they talk. The discipline as well in schools during early childhood of young Chinese gives them that sense of responsibility to include others and their talks and be concerned for the latters feelings rather than be self-contained. The two dichotomies often used to compare Chinese communication and English communication are the direct/linear style and indirect/circular style. The Chinese communication uses the indirect/circular style of reasoning. Kaplans findings in his contrastive study between English and Chinese communication style revealed that Chinese tend to be indirect, making illustrative and suggestive remarks first before going to the main issue. He called this pattern the Oriental style where people in diffused culture reason in a circling manner, starting from the farthest point, and ends with the main point. This is in contrast to the traditional American style of reasoning wherein they present first the main idea of an issue and then try to discuss the less important issues after. This style of Chinese reasoning appears to be lengthy and irritating for others, but for the Chinese, it serves as a channel in building relationships and saving face. Straightforward reasoning for them in turn appears to be harsh and arrogant. Such indirect reasoning is applied also in dispute resolution where statement of background information comes first before presenting the main argument. In all of these, the need to understand how Chinese think and communicate is important in the hope of a more interrelated world. The communication style of China has existed even during ancient times and up to now continues to be a heritage of the country. It gave them sense of pride as an individual and unity as a nation. INTRODUCTION Different cultures have varying systems of meanings (i.e. language) that makes it difficult to have a smooth flow of communication with them. Language is an important issue in ones intercultural marriage, interpersonal interactions, and interpretation and translation. It is a multifunctional tool wherein from the cultural perspective, serves as a channel in transmitting culture from generation to generation. It also creates linkages between individuals in order for them to establish a shared identity. And lastly, in the political sense, it unites the leaders and members of the society and identifies their boundaries as a country. Communication in China has its respective cultural milieus with different forms and purposes as well as varying intensity, emotional charge and dimensions. The Chinese language has a distinctive feature which has been interpreted by other cultures in different contexts. For instance, in a simple communication between Chinese and American, the latter may inte rpret the formers answer as yes when in fact he means no. A lot of people had posited comments saying that Chinese are very illustrative and suggestive in making statements and often do not go directly to the point. Because they have their own way of expressing emotions, they appear to be inscrutable and reserved to others. In dealing interpersonally, one must be aware that there are rules and standards for appropriate language style to be used. One should see to it that the style fits the genre and tone he wishes to convey. For instance, exaggeration during formal occasions usually gives listeners irritations since most wise people abhor advertisements where everything is over, hyper, or ultra. Better yet, one should remain reserved or attune himself. This study deals with how Chinese communicate, their communication styles, and communication issues. Hopefully after the end of the discussion, one would have a better understanding on the Chinese diaspora and a better appreciation of the Chinese communication style. BRIEF HISTORY OF CHINESE COMMUNICATION STYLES To have a better understanding and stronger foundation on the Chinese communication styles, it is important to tackle first some of the historical events that affected it. After discussing this, only then we can have the better ability to criticize their communication issues from its use in ordinary discourse to the more complicated situations (i.e. dispute resolution). We begin with Chinas Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) which greatly contributed to Chinas symbolic aggressive communication. Moral Language and Political Speeches. Moralistic and political languages are interrelated with one another and cannot be separated, at least in China. The moral language has been used mainly to persuade people. Political speeches from rulers were considered moral sermons. For instance, during religious wars and terrorisms, the use of moral message to justify these events were accepted by people. When a ruler says that a particular individual is Chinas enemy, then he must be so. The danger of moralistic language is that it gives a limited and a fancy sense of superiority and confidence. As an example, an ordinary speaker would try to memorize speeches and poems of a leader he idolizes and condemns the enemies of that leader. Rhetoric Dehumanization. The most common forms of dehumanization during the Cultural Revolution were through animal metaphors. Enemies of China were depicted in pictures as undesirable animals such as cow ghosts, monsters, demons; and parasites. These animal metaphors permeated the way Chinese write and speak. During rallies or political sessions, posters and slogans with dehumanizing animals were used to express their hatred to the social structures or enemies of the society. The use of these posters was the only way Chinese could communicate with the royal persons. Chinese communists created class labels distinguishing the people and the enemies of the people. The Impact on Communication of Chinas Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution of China not only altered its culture but also affected the manner Chinese people communicate both in official and interpersonal levels. The following are the rhetorical patterns relative to communication styles during the Cultural Revolution: Aggressive speech. It became common in China that when a person tried to express his disagreement on the majoritys opinion, he was expected to be disgraced and humiliated. Formalized speech. The formalized language was commonly used during political speeches. The tendency when always used was that it became dry and often gave burden to the listeners leading to linguistic impoverishment. Worse, political speeches were often plagiarized. Humorous speech. The Cultural Revolution also allowed Chinese not to take the current situation too seriously and instead make humorous sense of it. In a sense, it ironically tolerated the vice and evil of people. COMMUNICATION ISSUES OF THE CHINESE CULTURE Having discussed the historical background of Chinese communication in the Cultural Revolution, we now briefly discuss common issues relating to their communication mechanisms. There must be a clarification here with regard to the term issue. Issue on whose perspective? To the Chinese, these might not be issues, but to other cultures they are. For the purposes of this study, we put the issue perspective on the English communicators. In each subsequent topic, this will be explained more thoroughly especially the whys and the hows of Chinese communication. A counterpart of the alphabet. The Chinese lacks the virtues found in the alphabet language despite being a preserved language tracing back to the ancient times. For the critics, the alphabet is simple, easy to memorize, and convenient to draw than the Chinese syllables. Canonical word order. The Chinese has a unique way of arranging words and formulating sentences which when translated to a foreign language gives a different meaning. Unlike Chinese, the grammatical composition of English language is signaled by word order. Vast number of dialects. The Chinese have many dialects across different regions. This is not surprising since they have an ancient civilization and the is the most populated country in the world. There are eight major dialects Chinese use which have a unified writing system; however, this becomes unintelligible when spoken by the different ethnicities (i.e. Mandarin, Hakka, Cantonese). Some scholars consider these dialects as separate languages. Complexity of Chinese calligraphy. Aside from the numerous Chinese characters one has to be familiar with, the writing of these scripts presents an equally big problem. In fact, their calligraphy is now being considered as a form of painting. FACTORS AFFECTING THE WAY CHINESE COMMUNICATE The Chinese culture has complex communication patterns. Facial expressions, movements of body parts, or even styles of dresses affect how Chinese communicate and how a person from other culture respond to them. For the White people, Chinese appear to be humble and reserved, so much concerned about their image that they tend to avoid in all possibilities the discomfort of being embarrassed or humiliated. For Chinese, indirectness allows them to save relationship as a concept of Confucius harmony. Harmony will be discussed more thoroughly in the preceding topics. To understand why Chinese behave and talk like this, it is important to understand the factors that affect how they communicate. The following are some of them: Tonal language. Chinese has is its own syllabic structure and phonemics that differ from the other cultures language such that when they try to speak foreign language, say English, they would give a different tone or pronunciation. The most common is the word fry for fly where they substitute l for r. Typological differences. China has their own way of organizing ideas, connecting facts, or even stressing points. Moreover, their language has no distinction between plural or singular forms. Thus, when translated to foreign language, they would appear absurd, blank, or unrelated. Early education for children. Young Chinese are early nurtured to include others in their conversations by avoiding talking too much about themselves. In addition, they are taught to be cooperative and humble. In nursery schools, instead of requiring students to do recitals alone, teachers would make it a choral presentation. This attitude is expected to be brought into their adult lives. COMMUNICATION PATTERNS IN CHINA Fons Trompenaars, a famous cultural theorist, describes two kinds of communication patterns existing in diffused and specific cultures. People in diffused cultures allow others to relate his other areas of life. The topic is more diverse and less restricted than what the current relationship allows. For instance, an employer can talk about his private life to his employee in the same way as he can talk with him about his professional matters. On the other hand, people in specific cultures, restrict the conversation within the bounds of the existing relationship. In the previous example, the employer would not allow his employee to deal with his personal life since personal matters are different matters. The illustration below, according to Fons, illustrates the way people in diffused and specific cultures communicate. The dots in the center of both pictures represent the issue or topic that a person tries to explain. The image on the right means that a when a person tries to explain something, he begins with the main issue and explains the matter direct to the point. This can be observed often in specific cultures. The image on the left means that when a person explains something, he goes around the bush first before arriving to his main point. This is common in diffused cultures. China belongs to the left image. The Chinese tries to be indirect in their conversation by making the conversation lengthy in order to build relationship. As for them, this is a good strategy to save face and avoid arrogance. DICHOTOMIES OF CHINESE COMMUNICATION NORMS In comparing Chinese communication styles and English communication styles, most researchers fall on two dichotomies namely direct/linear style versus indirect/circular style and deductive versus inductive discourse patterns. These dichotomies help people understand the different communication patterns between English and Chinese in business negotiation, essay writing, and ordinary conversations. Kaplans (1966, 1972) contrastive rhetoric is the most famous work analysis used in distinguishing Chinese communication style and English communication style. Kaplan conducted a study of the 600 compositions of 600 students who were not native English speakers. The Chinese dominated the students number. The result was these dichotomies: Direct/Linear versus Indirect/Circular Style. Kaplan proposed the Oriental style writing wherein before arriving to the main idea the writer goes first around circles. As opposed to American style of writing which states first the main idea, Kaplan described Chinese to start from the broader concept first before arriving to the specific topic. This study supports Trompenaars theory of diffused culture which states that Chinese tend to be indirect in answering or discussing a topic. Oriental Style American Style Deductive Reasoning versus Inductive Reasoning. Deductive reasoning is the process of arriving to a logical conclusion from a general statement. On the other hand, inductive reasoning is the process of arriving to a conclusion from specific set of facts. The distinguishing factor between the two is that in inductive reasoning, one cannot logically make a certain conclusion-only a well-founded or probable conclusion. When one delays the introduction of the topic, he is said to have an inductive pattern of reasoning, while when one introduces the topic early, he is said to have deductive reasoning. The Chinese people first establish a framework before introducing the main topic. Thus, between the two reasoning styles, Chinese have inductive reasoning communication style. FACTORS THAT AFFECT DISPUTE RESOLUTIONS IN CHINA After presenting the styles, issues and factors affecting the Chinese communication, let us now apply such knowledge in dispute resolution among them or even in intercultural ones. The potential disagreement is huge when one is not aware of negotiation styles and barriers to a successful communication between parties having different cultural backgrounds. That is why here we first examine the factors that affect dispute resolution in China. Communication is greatly affected by these since these are the by-products of the Chinese culture (i.e. Confucian philosophy). The four major factors we need to examine are (1) harmony, (2) power, (3) relationship (guanxi), and (4) face (mianze). These factors can be used to establish a powerful framework of conflict management and resolution. a. Harmony (He) à ¥Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã…’. Among Chinese people, harmony is one of the most essential values which each one strives to have. Communication exists not to satisfy ones needs but rather, to maintain harmonious relationship with his fellow being. In a harmonious community, people act interdependently by analyzing every action to be done so that in the end, no one will be prejudiced with it. If however, conflict is inevitable, the role of harmony is at least to reduce the negative effects of conflicts in the relationship of the parties or at least to save their faces. b. Power (Là ¬lià  ng) à ¥Ã…  Ã¢â‚¬ º. The second factor is power which refers to how one party controls his resources, whether it be tangible or intangible. In the Chinese context, power determines the degree of ones inclination or cooperation to the others influence. Power in addition, may be equated to authority and seniority. Oftentimes, persons in authority are respected; and it is there advice that people obey since they are believed to be more knowledgeable and familiar in the field of dispute resolution. In addition, seniority gives the people the credibility and experiences which the young Chinese deeply value. c. Relationship (Guanxi) -à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ³Ãƒ §Ã‚ ³Ã‚ ». The third factor is the guanxi, which refers to the relationship existing between parties. In Confucius book of Five Code of Ethics, he specified different relationships a man has, which include the ruler and his subject, husband and wife, father and son, older brother and younger brother, and between friends. These relationships vary in degree, and thus have specific communication styles that one has to follow in order to avoid future conflicts. One needs to adjust his verbal and nonverbal ways of communication to show respect and regard for the position, power or authority of the person he is dealing with. For instance, a subject cannot be expected to disobey his ruler implying that a high degree of respect is demanded; else, he gets an equivalent punishment. In the case of husband and wife, the communication is more intimate and reciprocal. Friends tend to treat each other equally and less formally. d. Face (Mianze) à ©Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ­Ã‚ . Mianze refers to ones social status in life as perceived by other people based on ones position and prestige. Through hard work, a person achieves a high position in the society and in return, gains the respect and appreciation of the watching public. instance, in libel cases, there is a public imputation of wrong to a particular person, thus, the latter loses the product of his hard work and would find it difficult to regain the previous position in life. Without minding the image of the other, a serious conflict would likely result. Applying the inductive/deductive reasoning styles, the Chinese in dispute resolution appear to have an inductive reasoning. In a study regarding conflict styles, Chinese appeared to be less direct, less assertive, and less aggressive during confrontational situations. Answers to questions did not have direct relation or loosely connected to the questions asked. Further, background information comes first before information. The use of indirectness is a means of balancing harmony since in the process of avoiding direct answers, one establishes relationship with the other and avoids losing a face. RAPPORT MANAGEMENT AS A FUNCTION OF LANGUAGES Languages have a dual function. The first is the transfer of information and the second the management of social relations. Helen Oatey in her book Culturally Speaking, uses the term rapport management to describe management of social relations as an aspect of language since the term is broad enough to cover the concept of maintaining or threatening social relationships. Taking into consideration these domains when dealing with Chinese, would be a huge step in avoiding conflicts. The following according to Oatey, play an important role in the management of rapport when interacting with Chinese: Illocutionary Domain. This domain concerns about the speeches such as apologies, compliments, or requests that potentially puts at risk the rapports of individuals. For instance, when someone asks Did you put sugar on this coffee? the implication is that you want sugar. Discourse Domain. This domain concerns the content and structure of the communication such as the decision whether to include private topics or whether a particular topic should be discussed first. This domain should be taken care of because there is a tendency to raise sensitive issues and put lesser priorities on more important matters which would threaten ones rapport. Participation domain. This domain concerns the technicalities of the interchange like turn-taking, the decision whether a third person can be allowed to join the conversation between two people, and the permission from the party to the conversation whether someone will be allowed to ask questions or not. This domain should be guarded in order for a harmonious relation to exist. Stylistic Domain. This domain concerns the tone of interaction such as the choice of informal words, polite expressions, greetings, or jokes. Non-verbal Domain. This domain concerns the actions governing the interchange such as eye contact, facial expressions, and proxemics. In the same way as the above four, this domain needs to be guarded if harmonious relation is wanting. CONCLUSION In trying to adapt to a more interrelated world, it is important to know how the Chinese think and communicate. The language style may seem to be complicated, yet for the Chinese, regard for others is the key to choosing the correct style of communication. Communication for them is more than exchange of words. It is a conduit to building a relationship and establishing harmony in the community.

Cause and Effect of Religiosity on Life Satisfaction

Cause and Effect of Religiosity on Life Satisfaction The Cause and Effect of Religiosity on the Life Satisfaction and Psychological Wellbeing Rehmatullah Mirzaali Religiosity can be defined as â€Å"the term religiosity is derived from the word religion and it refers to numerous characteristics of religious behavior’s as well as fidelity and faith of an individual† (Khan, subhani Ara, June, 2013). This is while life satisfaction is usually explained as a critical process in which an individual assess the quality of their lives based on their own standard (shin Johnson, 1978). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the religion as a basic motivating force in the life of an individual that helps people to avoid the evil and practice decency which is directly associated with the mental health and physical status of the people (paragment hill, 2003). By looking in to today’s Islamic world we come across different criminalization, rape victims, injustice, honor killings, leading to a lot of negative outcomes involving depression, suicide, anxiety and other mortalities which is against the essence of Islam that teaches us pe ace and safety. Thus, in order to understand the true essence of Islam, which only gives us the message of peace, we must focus on some of the teachings of great theologian philosopher as Nasir khusraw who is well renowned and has major influence on the Ismaili Muslim communities of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. He has given some of the answer to some of the major issues of his time related to the religion and life satisfaction. In this paper, I am going to focus only on the Islam religion and its true essence and in the light of teachings of Nasir khusraw and its effect on mental health. I am very happy to start my paper mentioning what the Pakistan journal of psychology stated about the true essence of Islam. The journal explained that the result or the outcome of the research showed that out of religious involvement, influence and hope only religious influence had an impact on life satisfaction and it could have been different if the people were more focused on the true essence of Islam rather than the formalities and practices only. The journal further emphasized that people faith should be dependent on the questioning and logical reasoning to be strong in their faith and making them as a part of their true nature by incorporating them in the attitude and behavior which will make them more likely able to avoid things like jealousy, desire, pride, habitual greed and instead practice love, forgiveness, and respect towards others which shows the association between the mental and physical health. in order to understand some logical questioning and reasoning related t o the true essence of Islam we will look in to the logical reasons given by the an Ismaili poet and theoligist Nasir Khusrow to the people of its time so that they remain strong in their faith and can adhere to a sense of ultimate purpose and meaning even when life events are disturbing. Some group of people challenged Nasir khusrow (1998) that in order to believe in divine power and in ultimate purpose of God they questioned about the responsibility and freewill of the human being that â€Å"whether man is determined or free in what he does: If he is determined then God in which case, why does punishment become necessary? If he is free then can he do something which God does not like? Thus necessitating that he prevails over God?†( p.113). In reply of their query, Nasir khusrow said that this query was already asked from Imam Jafar al sadiq in his time in which he replied that â€Å"God is more just than to determine someone to disobey him and then punish him for it† (p.113). Then they asked him if the man is free to do what he wants? In reply he said that â€Å"Gods power is greater than ones transgressions in his kingdom† (p.113). In addition, they asked that what position does the man hold in this world, he said that man is in between the two positions in which he is neither determined nor free and farther he explained that the status of man is in between the animal and angel because mankind have both the carnal soul which is related to the physical especially sexual needs and activities as well as the angel soul which is related to the spiritual being. In case of the angel soul it cannot deliberately disobey and in case of animal soul it cannot deliberately obey because these two souls are already decided in their essence while mankind whose position is in between the two that’s why they are honored for being obedient and punished for being disobedience as in Quran, al mudathir, 74:38 it is mentioned that â€Å"every soul is held in pledge for its deeds†. Why mankind is entitled with the title of â€Å"Ashraf –ul makhluqat†? Because God has given mankind the insightful intellect which can differentiate the ugly from the fair and he has also blessed human beings with a sense of shame and humi lity which does not allow the mankind to act as animals do and we are not as free as animals due to the attribute of shame and modesty now as we know that man’s position is in between the two, the rational soul which is already determined in its nature to do good and the carnal soul which is free and not determined. So good and evil, wright and wrong is in our hand and there is no compulsion from God for the mankind in its religion because as we already mentioned that Islam is a religion of peace not of compulsion and force. As in Quran, Al Baqarah, 2:256† it is mentioned that â€Å"let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error; whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things†. Similarly, I remember that one of my teachers used to say about Hafiz shirazi a Persian poet, and I am quoting him, that: (The whole universe is summed up in the human bein g; devil is not a monster waiting to trap us. He is a voice inside. Look for your devil in yourself not in others. Don’t forget that the one, who knows his devil, knows his God). Further those doubters asked Nasir khusrow that â€Å"what’s the purpose of being here. What’s the cause of man’s indeterminate state between the animality and angelicity and what is the meaning of Iqab (punishment) and how should it be known, explain† (p.98). In reply Nasir khusrow replied that the reason why the mankind is indeterminate in its state is that their souls are uneducated and in order to gain knowledge they are given organs like eyes, hears, heart, and tongue by which knowledge can be attained and understood and internalizing it in their souls so that at last when souls leaves the body the soul must be able to return to his origin where soul was sent to cultivate knowledge so that the soul can find its way back to its origin. To make it more simple, Nasir khusrow further elaborated with an example of a landowner, farmer, farm and the agricultural instrument. He said that the universal soul is the land owner; farmer is the man; farm is the mat erial world; the instrument of the farm are your eyes, mouth, and other organs helping you in cultivating the seed; and, the seed is your intellect. Thus, you have to cultivate your intellect wisely in this world. The land owner has sent the farmer to the farm to cultivate the farm and not sit foolishly. The harness of the oxen is his body together with the animal soul. A wise sensible man would learn and acquire knowledge by using his instruments (organs) given to him as a gift in this world so that when he returns to the landowner he must have something to give back to the landowner as for the farmer and must please his landowner. Therefore we are all here for a purpose and we have to understand that before returning back to our origin we must gain and understand what we are sent for. Otherwise we will be failed in our mission. As God says to the ignorant and bad fortune people that â€Å"and indeed you have come to us alone as we created you at first and you have left behind wha t we bestowed on you†(6:95). So, if man does not use his instrument (organs) in this world according to the commands of God and his prophet he would remain puzzled and distressed when his soul leaves his body and there would be no any instrument to cultivate the intellect so he would be in agony as God says that â€Å"if you do good, you do good for your own selves and if you do evil, it’s against your own selves† (17:7). As for the word Iqab (punishment) it has already been discussed that whoever remains behind humanity the purpose of which is to be wise and act according to the commands of God and his prophet but instead chooses the carnal soul which is the animal soul and remains behind from reaching his origin that is his punishment being in the fire of ether. Now focusing on the act and commands of prophets we come to know that they lived very simply avoiding this world and evil practices instead focusing on their spirituality as Hazrat Ali bin abi talib son in law and cousin of the prophet who is described as the gate to city of knowledge by hazrat Muhammad (p.b.u.h) himself and who is the single most important intellectual authority in Islam according to the book justice and remembrance by Reza shah kazemi has quoted sayings of hazrat Ali that â€Å"By God this world of yours is more contemptible in my eyes than a chewed up bone of a pig in the hand of a leper†( p. 53). Further Hazrat Ali said that â€Å"the world is as worthless to me as that which drips from the nose of a goat† (p.53). keeping in mind that the causes which the holy prophets and a man who is known as the gate to the city of knowledge condemns this world and gives no importance why would its followers waste time on doing something against the teachings of their prophet and spiritual leaders. This is how Islam and its spiritual leaders has thought the people to follow instead of getting involved in crimes and other greedy things which leads to criminalization and further leads to a lot of unhealthy issues related to health as mentioned before that by chasing spiritual growth you are more likely to avoid evil doing and involve in behavior’s showing love, respect, compassion, and forgiveness which is directly associated with the mental and physical health status. However, in American sociological review by Durkheim (1951) and Simmel (1997) they have mentioned social dimension as the essence of religion because involvement in religious activities with the same minded people gives them a sense of friendship and social interaction to help each other. As all religions teach the same philosophy of compassion, love, and respect, therefore we can say that the effect of every religiosity would be the same. This is when people internalizes it in their behavior and lives it rather than showing, then the effect would definitely be stronger in mental health than physical health as Koenig (2012) explained that the relationship between the religiosity and mental health is stronger than physical health because it encompasses psychological, social and behavioral aspect which is related to the mental health. Furthermore, Ahmed M Abdel Khalek (2013) after doing his research he concluded that, there is a possibility of treating anxiety depression in Muslim clients using the psychotherapeutic religious involvement, because religion has high importance in the society. As we saw when we visited the Karachi psychiatric hospital they also used this religious involvement method to help patients of drug addicts. Concluding this paper, again I remember one of my teachers mentioned this and I quote that â€Å"your soul is the king of your body, your mind the scribe, your intellect the vizier (Divan, 91:15; Ruby of badakshan, 214).that your intellect controls your soul and your soul controls your body but the intellect is developed through knowledge. We must control our mind to have a control in our lives and we must internalize the knowledge in our nature to be free of desires and evils which has direct relation with mental health. it is clear from above teachings that Islam is a complete way of life which leads our lives in a healthy and prosperous way if we tend to act according to the teachings of Islam and and its holy prophets . Similarly, every religion has its significant impact on the mental health of its people in a positive way because they all teach peace and prosperity. References KHUSRAW, N. (1998). GUSHAYISH WA RAHAYISH (F.M. HUNZAI, Trans.). LONDON NEWYORK: I.B.Tauris co ltd victoria house bloomsburry square London WC1B 4DZ. (Original work published 1998). Khan, B., Subhani, B., Ara, A. (2013). RELIGIOSITY AND LIFE SATISFACTION.  Pakistan Journal of Psychology,  44(1). KAZEMI, R.S. (2006). JUSTICE AND REMEMBRANCE. London New York, U.S: I.B. Tauris co ltd. Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications.  International Scholarly Research Notices,  2012. Hill, P. C., Pargament, K. I. (2008). Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research. Lim, C., Putnam, R. D. (2010). Religion, social networks, and life satisfaction.  American Sociological Review,  75(6), 914-933. Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2013). Religiosity, health and happiness: Significant relations in adolescents from Qatar.  International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 0020764013511792.

Andrew Johnson :: essays research papers

Directions: Read the material in Henretta's Chapter 15 related to the career and impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Use the documents to answer the question, "Did Reconstruction involve intense political conflict between political parties or political points of view? What were the policy differences underlying the case for impeachment and are they represented in the eleven charges against the President? Why or why not? Read the overview and the eleven primary documents below. Prepare a three page, double-spaced, type-written essay analyzing and using the primary documents to answer the questions. The essay is due Week 2 in class. Articles of Impeachment: Article 1: That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord, 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, unmindful of the high duties of his oath of office and of the requirements of the Constitution, that he should take care that the laws be faithfully executed, did unlawfully, in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States, issue an order in writing for the removal of Edwin M. Stanton from the office of Secretary of the Department of War, said Edwin M. Stanton having been, therefor, duly appointed and commissioned by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States as such Secretary; and said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 12th day of August, in the year of our Lord 1867, and during the recess of said Senate, having suspended by his order Edwin M. Stanton from said office, and within twenty days after the first day of the next meeting of said Senate, on the 12th day of December, in the year last aforesaid, having reported to said Senate such suspension, with the evidence and reasons for his action in the case, and the name of the person designated to perform the duties of such office temporarily, until the next meeting of the Senate, and said Senate therafterwards, on the 13th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1868, having duly considered the evidence and reasons reported by said Andrew Johnson for said suspension, did refuse to concur in said suspension; whereby and by force of the provisions of an act entitled "an act regulating the tenure of civil officer," passed March 2, 1867, said Edwin M. Stanton did forthwith resume the functions of his office, whereof the said Andrew Johnson had then and there notice, and the said Edwin M. Andrew Johnson :: essays research papers Directions: Read the material in Henretta's Chapter 15 related to the career and impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Use the documents to answer the question, "Did Reconstruction involve intense political conflict between political parties or political points of view? What were the policy differences underlying the case for impeachment and are they represented in the eleven charges against the President? Why or why not? Read the overview and the eleven primary documents below. Prepare a three page, double-spaced, type-written essay analyzing and using the primary documents to answer the questions. The essay is due Week 2 in class. Articles of Impeachment: Article 1: That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord, 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, unmindful of the high duties of his oath of office and of the requirements of the Constitution, that he should take care that the laws be faithfully executed, did unlawfully, in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States, issue an order in writing for the removal of Edwin M. Stanton from the office of Secretary of the Department of War, said Edwin M. Stanton having been, therefor, duly appointed and commissioned by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States as such Secretary; and said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 12th day of August, in the year of our Lord 1867, and during the recess of said Senate, having suspended by his order Edwin M. Stanton from said office, and within twenty days after the first day of the next meeting of said Senate, on the 12th day of December, in the year last aforesaid, having reported to said Senate such suspension, with the evidence and reasons for his action in the case, and the name of the person designated to perform the duties of such office temporarily, until the next meeting of the Senate, and said Senate therafterwards, on the 13th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1868, having duly considered the evidence and reasons reported by said Andrew Johnson for said suspension, did refuse to concur in said suspension; whereby and by force of the provisions of an act entitled "an act regulating the tenure of civil officer," passed March 2, 1867, said Edwin M. Stanton did forthwith resume the functions of his office, whereof the said Andrew Johnson had then and there notice, and the said Edwin M.

Biography of Harriet Tubman Essay -- Harriet Tubman Slavery Racism Ess

Biography of Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman was born in 1820 on a large plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was the sixth of eleven children. She was born in a very small on-room log hut, that was located behind her families owners house. The huthad a dirt floor, no windows, and no furniture. Her fater, Benjamin Ross, and mother, Harriet Green, were both slaves. They were from the Ashanti ribe of West Africa. Edward Brodas, Harriet's owner, hired her out as a laborer by the age of five. The buying and selling of humans was a big deal in America between the late 1600's and the 1800's. By 1835 there were over two million black men, women, and children who were slaves. These people were bought and sold. No one cared if husbands and wives got weparated or if children were separated from their parents. Slaves were not treated like people. No one really cared what happend to them. Harriet was beaten by her masters all the time. They saw as a wild child. One tiem, Harriet saw a bowl filled with lumps of suger and decided to take one. Harriet's mistress, Miss. Susan, saw her take it and started chasing her with a whip. Harriet ran away and hid out with the pigs. She ahd to go bakc, because she was really hungrey. When she went back she got whipped over and over again. She said, "Now you know, I never had anything good, no sweet, no suger, and that sugar right by me did look so nice." By her early teens, Harriet was no longer allowed to work inside, so she was hired out as a filed hand. She work very hard and long hours out in the fields. There was no such thing as a rest for slaves. In 1835, Harriet came between her owner and a slave who was running away. The owner threw a lead weight, that weighed 2 punds, at the runaway, but it hit Harriet instead. the hit put hir in a coma and it took months for her to recover. She never fully recovered from the hit and after that suffered from blackouts, really bad headaches, and sleeping spelss for the rest of her life. In 1844, Harriet meet a free black man named John Tubman. They got married, but Harriet was still a slave. They got to stay in his cabin at night. Harriet's owner died and she knew she was going to be sold to someone else. She was really afraid of being shipped to the deep south. The deep south was the worse p... ...odist Episcopal Zion Church. In 1897, Queen victoria awarded Harriet a silver medal for being so brave. The church cimpleted the hime and it was done by 1908. Harriet got old and sick. She died of pneumonia n March 10, 1913. She lived to be 93 years old. Harriet had a hard childhood, but that made her the brave and caring woman she was. She risked her own life over and over again to free family and other slaves. harriet spent most of her life working to make life better for other people, and she did a really good job at ti. She was a very strong woman and she didn't let anything get in her way. Harriet Tubman opened up the eyes of white people all over America and told them why slavery was so wrong. WORKS CITED Merton Dillon, Teh Abolitionists: The growth of a dissnting Minority, pg 187 David Alder, A story of Young Harriet Tubman, pg 22 Mark Buller, Harriet Tubman: her Courageous Story, pg 45 Free states versus Slave States, The World Book of encyclopedia, pg 475-480 Louis Filler, The Crusade Against Slavery: 1830-1860, pg 203 Sarah Bradford, Harriet Tubman: The Moses of her People, pg 56 Tim Hopkinson, Railroad to Freedom pg 142

Eliminating Trade Distortion Policies in the United States :: Economy

Eliminating Trade Distortion Policies in the United States The corn bounty, it is to be observed, as well as every other bounty upon exportation, imposes two different taxes upon the people; first, the tax which they are obliged to contribute, in order to pay the bounty; and secondly, the tax which arises from the advanced price of the commodity in the home-market, and which, as the whole body of the people are purchasers of corn, must, in this particular commodity, be paid by the whole body of the people. Introduction The export subsidy, or bounty as it is referred by Adam Smith, has existed for many centuries. Created to augment an industry in need of assistance to the market, the export subsidy has become an outdated trade entity in the developed world. As stated above, export subsidies impose a greater hindrance to the exporting nation that must be compensated by their consumer population. As the United States prepares to host the next global round of negotiations for the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle, Washington, it establishes the perfect opportunity to initiate the abolition of all export subsidies from domestic policy books worldwide by eliminating our own trade distorting programs. Export subsidies are tools used to supplement the producer’s profits from selling a commodity. They are efficient and positive when used to initiate commerce in a developing society. Adam Smith realized their intentions by mentioning that, "bounties were given for the encouragement either of some beginning manufactures, or of such sorts of industry of other kinds as were supposed to deserve particular favor" (Smith, 1776: 450). However, their purpose of origin did not legitimize their existence to Smith. The problem begins when the society grows dependent upon these additional payments because the market has been so thoroughly distorted that prices are inflated beyond normally affordable means. Producers in other nations can no longer compete with the sale price of the commodity from the subsidized nations. The competition is thereby artificially defeated. Export subsidies have reached their expiration. It is time for world markets to convince their users of their inherent inefficiency and to proceed into the next millennium with an agenda calling for freer global trading practices. This process of opening markets and eliminating barriers to trade has already caused quite a stir throughout the WTO’s member nations. In particular, the United States and the European Union (EU) will be at the forefront of the chopping block when it comes the time for discussions regarding agricultural trade. Eliminating Trade Distortion Policies in the United States :: Economy Eliminating Trade Distortion Policies in the United States The corn bounty, it is to be observed, as well as every other bounty upon exportation, imposes two different taxes upon the people; first, the tax which they are obliged to contribute, in order to pay the bounty; and secondly, the tax which arises from the advanced price of the commodity in the home-market, and which, as the whole body of the people are purchasers of corn, must, in this particular commodity, be paid by the whole body of the people. Introduction The export subsidy, or bounty as it is referred by Adam Smith, has existed for many centuries. Created to augment an industry in need of assistance to the market, the export subsidy has become an outdated trade entity in the developed world. As stated above, export subsidies impose a greater hindrance to the exporting nation that must be compensated by their consumer population. As the United States prepares to host the next global round of negotiations for the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Seattle, Washington, it establishes the perfect opportunity to initiate the abolition of all export subsidies from domestic policy books worldwide by eliminating our own trade distorting programs. Export subsidies are tools used to supplement the producer’s profits from selling a commodity. They are efficient and positive when used to initiate commerce in a developing society. Adam Smith realized their intentions by mentioning that, "bounties were given for the encouragement either of some beginning manufactures, or of such sorts of industry of other kinds as were supposed to deserve particular favor" (Smith, 1776: 450). However, their purpose of origin did not legitimize their existence to Smith. The problem begins when the society grows dependent upon these additional payments because the market has been so thoroughly distorted that prices are inflated beyond normally affordable means. Producers in other nations can no longer compete with the sale price of the commodity from the subsidized nations. The competition is thereby artificially defeated. Export subsidies have reached their expiration. It is time for world markets to convince their users of their inherent inefficiency and to proceed into the next millennium with an agenda calling for freer global trading practices. This process of opening markets and eliminating barriers to trade has already caused quite a stir throughout the WTO’s member nations. In particular, the United States and the European Union (EU) will be at the forefront of the chopping block when it comes the time for discussions regarding agricultural trade.

Heights of Oppression

The hands maid tale is skillfully woven book that touches on plenty of issues. Though the book was written 1985, it has received present time praises that have increased its sales over the past few years. Serializing of the book on film also drew critics to it as it raised many touching issues; love, politics, religion, gender, language and sex among many other many other contemporary issues that still spark debates in the 21st century. We must acknowledge that the writer employed interesting writing styles to clearly depict the themes she wanted so as to achieve the rewards of a timeless masterpiece. Repetition to create emphasis was the main writing device. The recent buyers have had the motivation to acquire and read the book because each of them can at least find a sentimental issue to connect to from the book. My literature review will delve into on one theme from the book that will capture the attention of most of the readers because the society at large is by all means connected to it.I chose the theme of oppression because there a many people that will connect to this due to its diversity. In this theme are many other sub themes that can be expounded on; social oppression, religious oppression, economic oppression, gender oppression among many other forms. This paper is to make the audience aware of pressing issue and around them and motivate them to act to emancipate themselves. I will gauge the effect of my work according to how I will captivate my audience. The connection that my desired audience will feel towards my review will prove the sweat I put in it to. I will use online reviews to build my case and scholarly articles prove my point. Relevant examples with connection to the issues around us will be elaborated in the discussion part of the research. First I will elaborate and give a general meaning to the theme then state the specific types of oppression I will be touching on depending on how the book has presented it in its characters and stage setting. The scholarly references and online reviews will be stated and I will use my own arguments; that I will mainly draw from my culture to explain how my society perceives the matter and their notions or decisions they have on it. Where possible, I will be stating the origin of the notions and what they eventually lead to; either more oppression or redemption. My introduction will begin with the statement problem as depicted in the book. That will be followed by the research materials and research methods I used to expound on my themes. Finally, I will explain the main reason behind my writing and how it will help the readers connect to the real time issues. When looking for online reviews, ones made by literature professors would be most preferable. When selecting scholarly articles; I will stick to ones that expound to the theme of oppression to prevent myself from derailing the theme or my audience the chance of questioning my relevance. The links between the book, the theme in question, the reviews and scholarly articles capped with my earnest opinion about how the society perceives the matter will define the credibility of my essay. The main objective behind the essay is to show the audience that there exist unseen problems in the society; ones that happen as a norm and that there are solutions to them. This paper really matters to the society as it will give a guide on many other themes in the book and show the way to liberation from their miserable status quos. IntroductionOppression is the central theme in the book as it lays foundation to all other evils in the book. Sexism, gender discrimination, religious oppression and classism all lay allegiance to the theme. The major part of the book is a recollection of events from the protagonist; Offred. She is giving her take to her new audience after she luckily fled the dreaded city of Gilead. The language she uses; gives vivid picture to the grotesque status quo she was in. the authors base of emphasis also stresses on the key theme; oppression. Gilean is an imaginary authoritarian city that came into being when there was a significant drop in fertility scores and with them a drop of birthrates. The ruling class saw it relevant to come up with laws that would class people for the roles they were to do in that jurisdiction. Women were the main prey under the claws; they were to strictly bear children. No education or jobs were given to them as they would pose competition to men and divert them from their main role; reproduction. Margaret's description to them through the protagonist is; a set of ovaries encompassing a womb. They were barred from talking alcohol, caffeine or nicotine as it would reduce their fertility. The paradox is that it is women other female characters that take pleasure in oppressing other women either to please the regime or themselves. The society has also been oppressed as they have been classified and color coded. Different colors specified roles and authority to be used over the subject.Research methodQualitative literature analysis is the method I have employed in the whole research. The characters in the novel handmaid's tale are ones that I have used to extrapolate the theme of oppression. The settings in the book and the mood it presents made the book a choice as they all blended significantly to the theme in question. Carefully reading the novel was the first step. I had to be precise so as to note the stylistic devices used and their motive in either backing or refuting of the theme. My understanding of the book was enhanced by specific reviews of it that targeted the theme at hand. In order to relate the theme with the issues in the 21st century, I referenced the reviews and my own findings to scholarly articles that touch on the present issues. Watching the television series also clarified my view as it clearly depicted the situation as it was during the scripting of the book. The mood, setting and ambience set in the movie were a clear replica of the ones in the book. Apart from focusing on these only, I also touched on the other main theme to gauge if they are the ones that catalyzed the oppression or if oppression was the base that all other evils in the book were built on. That I did so as to cast away the shadow of biasness and portray issues as they were set to be by the author in a bid to convince my audience that the issues in the book were the exact semblance of the issues they faced.ResultsEven from the prologue of the book it was clear that oppression was the wind that sails of the evils in the book rode on. To be precise, it was gender oppression that lay founding to the utopian city and sexism that paved way for the ruling class. My own analysis revealed that oppression was so deep that the individuals and the society saw it as a norm and had no hope or motive to redeem them at all. The analysis put to record that there exist 2 measures of oppressions; systematic oppression and individual oppression. Systematic was one imposed by the regime; the formulated draconian laws and individual oppression was one that the individuals forced themselves to believe that what was being done to them was right and that they better contend with it or risk an immature end. From the commentary and remarks that the series got I noticed oppression was still the center stage in the present societies. In the book we saw the blacks and the Jews being treated differently from the rest of the ruling class; the whites. They even had names tags to refer to them; racial oppression. We see that the laws hugely disfavored them and they were given the crudest of all jobs and invoked the harshest form of punishments; death. Religion was seen as a catalyst to the broadening of them theme and not a savior to the situation; religious oppression. Color coding was done define authority, privileges and roles. Here I saw no form of rebellion to it and a society that was treated quite highly than the other always exploited the ones that were below it. This treatment and exploitation was toned down to individual level and done in the most sleek and dreadful ways; we notice that the characters mused at themselves for stamping their authorities over others. Depending on who was doing the oppression, why it was being done and where it was being done led to diversification and further classification of the evil; dictatorship, racism, sexism and sycophantism. Those were the exact settings that were portrayed in the televised series yet it spurred a lot of critics that it invoked bitter dissent in people. DiscussionIn this part I will be giving my evidence in support in the systematic then individual oppression format backed by speeches of the characters in the book and showing the page numbers. I will further give my own views about the cause and course of the speech and the motive behind it according to the setting and the situation the character was in. I will back my claim with a scholarly article then finalize this chapter with how the issues relate in our present society across the globe. Systematic oppression was prevalent to the book as it the law of gender classification and prescribed women to reproductive roles only. Women were raped and the whole thing enshrined in the law that formed ‘The ceremony'. This is the law that gave rise to handmaids (himberg-2018). Women are given no choice as the ‘Aunts' force them to commit themselves to the profaning doctrines or choose between that, death and the ‘unwomen'. We see the Offred justifying the act by saying â€Å"..nor does rape cover it; nothing is going o here that I haven't signed up for† (artwood-94). It is her justification and compliance that depicts individual oppression.The law that handmaids were only bear children with generals was another form of systematic oppression (haghi-2016). Twisted religious definitions also added weight on this saying that their God considered it a sin. The handmaids and ones that impregnated them would face automatic death penalties if found out. In this case we see Ofglen describe Janine's despondency she thinks its her fault..two in a row for being sinful† (artwood-215). This was after Janine had lost two of her babies. Janine is not happy with the situation but she justifies it. That statement reveals the height of individual oppression and that melted the people's willingness to stand for themselves.The laws Gilean were so ruthless to law breakers or even purported law breakers. We see a police force called ‘the Angels' that was basically an execution squad set to squash rebels; systematic oppression. A holy nun, aunt Lydia even works as spy in addition to being an administrator to the monastery that bred handmaids. A wall is even built to display the corpses of the rebels. In the heights of all we see the Offred justify the people hanged on the wall â€Å"have committed atrocities and must be made into examples, for the rest† (artwood-42).ConclusionThe above examples can be related to the scenarios prevalent in the present times. Back in 2014 we saw boko haram in Nigeria abduct 200 school girls and take them to militia camps so that they could sire a new generation of rebels. These are the same scenarios where gender discrimination breeds, we are aware of some primitive societies like the Maasai in Kenya that do not allow their girls to get education and they believe that their role is strictly to reproduce and take care of men (myers-2018). If we tone issues down we will see the need to dissect why Arab states dictate that women should never be their leaders leave alone drive cars. When names of heroin ladies like Rewiyya, Briska Bernard, Sayidat Zuhal get mentioned we see that women all over the world need saving as the vice has become a norm in the societies we live in (rea-2017). it his high time that people stop viewing these vices as norms and see the reasons behind the laws formulated or their adverse effects. ReferencesMargaret Artwood- 1985The Handmaid's TaleS Haghi-2016Suppressing Agency: transitive analysis of Margaret Artwood's The Handmaid's TaleJ Rea-2017Lessons from handmaid's taleJ Himberg-2018The lavender menace returns: reading gender and sexuality in the Handmaid's TaleN Myers-2018Hearing voices among the indigenous Maasai women in Tanzania: implications for global mental health