Emily Dickinson Essay

Emily Dickinson’s great skill and unparalleled creativity in playing with words and their connotations in her attempt to convey to the reader the power of a book are evident. In this poem, she is considering the power of books or of poetry to carry us away from our immediate surroundings to a world of imagination. Her poem is suffused with (full of) metaphors, as she is desirous of likening a book to various means of transportation. To do this she alludes (allusion-noun) directly to concrete objects such as â€Å"frigate,† â€Å"coursers† and â€Å"chariot,† which carry archaic (ancient) connotations. The difficulty inherent in the use of these vehicles has to do with the reader’s knowledge concerning the properties and characteristics evinced by a â€Å"frigate,† â€Å"coursers† and a â€Å"chariot. † The poetess associates the swiftness of a â€Å"frigate,† â€Å"coursers† and a â€Å"chariot†Ã¢â‚¬â€as well as their use to explore new lands and seas—with the power of a book or poetry to usher (lead, guide) us into another dimension, perhaps shrouded (covered) in mystery but definitely rewarding. If the reader is not acquainted (familiar) with these means of transportation that reigned supreme, so to speak, centuries ago, he / she is denied access to the meaning that the poet seeks to impart by means of these vehicles. But Emily Dickinson does not limit herself to these vehicles alone; the whole poem is reminiscent (suggestive) of a past era when people used â€Å"frigate[s],† â€Å"coursers† and â€Å"chariot[s]† to travel â€Å"lands away. The words â€Å"traverse,† (to cross an area of land or water) â€Å"oppress,† (stress) and â€Å"frugal,† (simple and inexpensive) with which the poem is interspersed—all of them are of Latin origin, thus lending it a formal hue. She has been careful to choose kinds of transportation and names for books that have romantic connotations. â€Å"Frigate† suggest exploration and adventure; â€Å"coursers† beauty, spirit and speed; â€Å"chariot,† speed and ability to go th rough air as well as on land. Chariot reminds us of the myth of Phaethon, who tried to drive the chariot of Apollo (Greek god of sun), and of Aurora (Greek goddess of dawn) with her horses. How much of the meaning of the poem comes from this selection of vehicles and words is apparent if we try to substitute steamship for â€Å"frigate,† horses for â€Å"coursers,† and streetcar for â€Å"chariot. † How would the poem sound if, instead of likening a book to a â€Å"frigate,† â€Å"coursers,† and a â€Å"chariot,† one resolved to use a â€Å"Mercedes Benz,† a â€Å"GMC† or a â€Å"Porsche† to convey the same meaning, that of speed and swiftness? Emily Dickinson’s shrewdness in selecting the most appropriate diction is superb and undoubtedly holds up a mirror for the reader to see what it is that she had in mind when writing the poem. On a more technical note, related to the rhyme scheme, it is obvious that the poem is written in open form or in free verse (from the French vers libre), as indicated by the lack of a regular rhyme pattern, as a parallel to â€Å"prancing poetry† or the power of a book to carry you to foreign â€Å"lands† where no man has ever trod before. Liberated from the confines and shackles of rhyme, Emily Dickinson’s â€Å"There is no frigate like a book† makes a permanent impression on the reader, as it â€Å"entangles†¦ a part of the Divine essence,† to quote W. B. Yeats. Allusions in There is no Frigate like a Book 1. The story of Phaeton In Greek mythology, Phaeton or Phaethon was the son of Helios (Phoebus). Perhaps the most famous version of the myth is given us through Ovid in his Metamorphoses (Book II). The name â€Å"Phaeton† means the â€Å"shining†. In the version of the myth told by Ovid in the Metamorphoses, Phaeton ascends into heaven, the home of his suspected father. His mother Clymene had boasted that his father was the sun-god Apollo. Phaeton went to his father who swore by the river Styx to give Phaeton anything he should ask for in order to prove his divine paternity. Phaeton wanted to drive his chariot (the sun) for a day. Though Apollo tried to talk him out of it by telling him that not even Zeus (the king of gods) would dare to drive it, the chariot was fiery hot and the horses breathed out flames. Phaeton was adamant. When the day came, Apollo anointed Phaeton’s head with magic oil to keep the chariot from burning him. Phaeton was unable to control the fierce horses that drew the chariot as they sensed a weaker hand. First it veered too high, so that the earth grew chill. Then it dipped too close, and the vegetation dried and burned. He accidentally turned most of Africa into desert; bringing the blood of the Ethiopians to the surface of their skin, turning it black. â€Å"The running conflagration spreads below. But these are trivial ills: whole cities burn, And peopled kingdoms into ashes turn. [3] Rivers and lakes began to dry up, Poseidon rose out of the sea and waved his trident in anger at the sun, but soon the heat became even too great for him and he dove to the bottom of the sea. Eventually, Zeus was forced to intervene by striking the runaway chariot with a lightning bolt to stop it, and Phaethon plunged into the river Eridanos. Apollo, stricken with grief, refused to drive his c hariot for days. Finally the gods persuaded him to not leave the world in darkness. Apollo blamed Zeus for killing his son, but Zeus told him there was no other way. This story has given rise to two latter-day meanings of â€Å"phaeton†: one who drives a chariot or coach, especially at a reckless or dangerous speed, and one that would or may set the world on fire 2. (Aurora, goddess of the dawn, equivalent to the Greek goddess Eos ) In Roman mythology, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky in her chariot, announcing the arrival of the sun. Her parentage was flexible: for Ovid, she could equally be Pallantis, signifying the daughter of Pallas,[1] or the daughter of Hyperion. 2] She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon).. In Roman mythology, Aurora, goddess of the dawn, renews herself every morning and flies across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun. Her parentage was flexible: for Ovid, she could equally be Pallantis, signifying the daughter of Pallas,[1] or the daughter of Hyperion. [2] She has two siblings, a brother (Sol, the sun) and a sister (Luna, the moon). Rarely Roman writers[3] imitated Hesiod and later Greek poets and made the Anemoi, or Winds, the offspring of the father of the stars Astraeus, with Eos/Aurora.

Hammer Wines Business Report Essay

Introduction Colin Hammer, after arranging an independent review, has found that many of his employees have been avoiding work and other responsibilities by searching the Internet for non-work related amusements. This act is known as cyber slacking and it is said to cost companies billions of dollars each year and often results in managers blocking or limiting access to certain websites. Concerned for productivity, this report will outline the current usage and array of sites potentially being used by the Hammer Wines employees. The sites include those for entertainment or work purposes, and restrictions based on these findings should be implemented. These restrictions must be forever changing and expanding, as each website has a different effect on the varying departments its respective employees. These modifications will also affect the productivity of Hammer Wines and will be discussed in the report by making an â€Å"internet use† policy. Findings Department Spending Most Time on the Internet Cyberslacking is a prominent occurrence amongst the Hammer Wines employees. However, of all employees, the Receptionists spent the longest time on the Internet throughout the one-week trial (see figure 1.0 below). This may or may not be detrimental to Hammer Wines. Often, receptionists complete their work before their set time, meaning that if they’re browsing the Internet, still answering their phone and have completed required work, productivity will remain normal. Studies also show productivity can increase when employees are less restricted with the Internet. This productivity can swing both ways. Negative productivity will be detrimental to Hammer Wines if the receptionist fails to multitask and therefore ineffectively completes required jobs. Internet Productivity and Cyberslacking From the array of websites (see figure 1.1 below) it is difficult to tell if Cyberslacking is present at Hammer Wines. This is because many websites, such as facebook.com and twitter.com, are huge social marketing websites, but can also used as a cost effective methods for company awareness and advertising. These sites, however, can also be misused for personal use. Unless the employee is caught directly misusing these sites, it is hard to tell weather they are cyberslacking or not. Facebook.com is one example of Cyberslacking. It is Hammer Wines’ second most visited Internet site, being used by Sales and Marketing, Reception, Manufacturing and Distribution, Human Resources @ Training and IT Services. Sales and Marketing are the only employees likely to need the site for work purposes. For all other departments, employees must use Facebook.com for personal interests. Websites, including deals.com are often used for both work and leisure. Reception, Human Resources @ Training, Manufacturing and Distribution, Sales and Marketing are all using this site. Assumptions cannot be made in relation to website use. Human Resources @ Training, Manufacturing and Distributing, and Sales and Marketing departments all have valid work-related grounds to use Deals.com, as it is great for promotional and comparative purposes. IT Services were found to be using Games.com. A total of 120 minutes was recorded throughout the week. This is a website purely dedicated to fun and games. This is the seventh most used website recorded. Although it is only a small fraction of the Internet usage, it is clear that productivity has decreased in the IT department, and through the given statistics, Cyberslacking is present. Similarly, Tatts.com was used by the Sales and Marketing department, for up to 80 minutes throughout the recorded week. Tatts.com is a betting website and has nothing to do with the Sales and Marketing of Hammer Wines. However, productivity can be increased in the workplace, with employees having some freedom on the Internet. The use of social media and other personal websites can release stress and tension, thus not wholly being to the determent of Hammer Wines. Conclusion Hammer Wines has a vast array of websites being used by employees for both personal and work use. Cyberslacking is present amongst all employees, with websites aimed at socialization and productivity which both highly used. This, however, is hard to monitor as some sites – such as Facebook.com or Deals.com – are used in the companies Sales and Marketing department, but also used in recreational down time by most, if not all, other departments. It is important for Hammer Wines to implement a strategy to monitor all Internet usage. Receptionist work productivity remained high in correlation to time spent on internet, however, it was obvious the Cyberslacking was overruling the IT department, as they spent 120 hours over the duration of the week on a games and entertainment website. Solution Internet Use Policy Hammer Wines should enforce an â€Å"Internet User Policy† in the employees contract, defining the terms of use for recreational Internet. Any employee found misusing the Internet for purposes strictly other than work, may lead to disciplinary action, and their position at the company may be compromised. Blocking Sites Permanently blocking all Internet sites at Hammer Wines could result in a drop in productivity. Alternatively, a system that allows employees to have an allocated time throughout the day, to specifically visit sites such as Facebook.com and Twitter.com will allow staff members to have high productivity through compromise and strategy. One example of strategic blocking is unblocking all websites for 15 minutes every 3 hours, enabling employees to use restricted sites that coincide with structured break times (lunch, snack and end-of-day). A second option for Hammer Wines is to block all websites, only allowing those who hold a position of authority (manager) or employee that has spoken to someone in a position of authority, to get a specific code to access a blocked website. This code then unblocks all sites and remains unblocked until the page is exited. This could be implemented when departments wish to use sites such as Facebook.com for marketing or promotional purposes.

Legal, social, and economics of Business Essay

The scenario in question gives us the portfolio of a person that likes to do things around the home and has come up with an idea that might benefit his/her home and perhaps other homes globally. Another version of this idea already exists on the market but the person believes his invention might further simplify and make the â€Å"appliance† more user friendly and safer. This person does not have available funds for the project and would therefore have to look to an outsider to complete the task at hand. The inventor has researched the market of the other â€Å"appliance† and found that it has an annual growth of 2%. He believes this invention could increase that growth because he thinks this invention might be used in many other â€Å"appliances† making the product quite versatile and therefore appealing to a wide range of markets. For the person to be able to make a wise decision about how to make his project a reality we look at three types of business, the sole proprietorship, general partnership and corporation, while considering the advantages and disadvantages. After looking thoroughly at these types of businesses, we try to make an informed decision in which type to recommend for the project, keeping in mind all the aspects of the persons â€Å"limitations†. These three types of businesses all have their advantages and disadvantages and based on those we determine that general partnership would be the smartest way to proceed, as the persons â€Å"limitations† minimize the chances of the two other options succeeding. Let us start by looking at closely at the three business types in question regarding the scenario. Sole proprietorship, a business owned and operated by one person. Advantages: He would be in full control, and accountable to no one but himself. In the case listed this could be good because he could manage his time between his business and the home equally, on the other hand it might also bring difficulties both to the home and business as one might suffer from the other. Managing a business by oneself must be a difficult task. It is easily achievable. The startup of a sole proprietorship would be easy, but does success come from ease? There must be some risks and difficulties involved. Less money to be raised for starting up the business. As written in the scenario, the subject does not have access to large funds, therefore this could be a less financially upsetting way to start. Disadvantages: He would be liable for all the debts of the business personally, there is no limit to his liability. Putting his family’s financial security at risk might not seem a good idea and hardly appealing to his spouse, but taking a considerable amount of risk would be necessary. He might find it difficult to attain funding. Being an individual with low â€Å"net worth† banks and other loan facilities might not want to take the chance of lending the money for the project. General partnership, two or more persons whom share monetary responsibilities. Advantages: Growth possibilities. As described in the scenario the idea could be usable with several â€Å"appliances† making the project likely to have considerable growth potential in time. Easier to attain funding. If two or more individuals take up partnership it is more likely to be appealing to monetary facilities to fund the project because two individuals are worth more than just one. Both partners are taxed as individuals. Only one level of taxation. Partners are taxed according to their partnership agreement and have full control over how their income is allocated in accordance to their interests as long as there is economic reason. Disadvantages: One person may be liable for all debts. If for example a person would only be letting someone use their name in the partnership agreement, that same person, even if he or she could prove never to have had anything to do with the business itself, could be liable. It is therefore extremely important to have a good, detailed partnership agreement that covers all aspects of the partnership. Conveyance of ownership can be arduous. If for example one of the partners died, the partnership would go to his next of kin or whomever is his or her heir. This could be a problem if that person is not interested in the partnership or for any other reason is unable to uphold the partnership agreement. Corporation, a business where owners have separate status from the business itself and are only financially liable at part. Advantages: The owners are only liable for the funds they bring into the business. There is an exception from this rule, if the incorporation of the company was not â€Å"up to par†, an owner can be held liable. The business is not reliant on the owners to continue. The board members can easily agree on â€Å"pushing† an owner out of the corporation, which can be become a reality in this particular scenario if the inventor or initial owner of the corporation does not have a â€Å"bulletproof† agreement and/or patent of the product of the corporation. If an owner dies or by any other means cannot uphold his status in the corporation it does not affect the corporation itself. Disadvantages: Costly startup. As written before, the subject is not a person of great means. Starting a corporation could be extremely difficult for this person. Rules and regulations. There are different rules and regulations in accordance with where the corporation is incorporated, for the subject it might be a wise decision to incorporate in another state than where he lives, which in turn could make the spouse unhappy for it would obviously make the home life difficult and/or resolve in them having to move the whole family to a new place. The owner as well as the business are taxed separately, making the income double taxed. â€Å"First, a corporation pays income taxes on company profits. Then stockholders pay taxes on their income (in form of dividends) returned by their investments.†( Ebert, R. J., & Griffin,R. W. (2011), page 48) To make an informed decision regarding the type of business that best fits the person’s interests, abilities and the product, the first step for the person could be to have the idea assessed. There are several businesses that offer that kind of services and for this particular scenario it might be the best thing to do. From reading the scenario it is apparent that the persons spouse is insecure about the whole affair and by having the idea or invention assessed the inventor could get an experienced professional in this field to assess the product regarding manufacturing possibilities, consumer needs, legal aspects and distribution, before he jumps in â€Å"at the deep end† and puts his family’s financial security at risk. Having done that, based on the assessment, he could make an informed decision regarding the business type best suitable. After reading the scenario and studying the business types it would be likely that the best type in this case would be General partnership. That recommendation is based on the fact that the person is low on funding options and taking in consideration the families security, sole proprietorship seems too risky because the person would have to create large debts in the beginning to just produce the product, that is, if any type of monetary company would want to risk lending to the person in the first place. Also by opting for sole proprietorship, all obligations of the business would fall on the person, making the venture potentially minimize family time. Even though sole proprietorship could result in great personal success and money if all went as planned, the initial risk would be too great, especially when taken into consideration the fact that the person has little or no managerial skills. By choosing general partnership, the person could, after having the invention assessed, and perhaps patented the â€Å"appliance†, make detailed business plan that could be presented to one or more potential business partners with access to large funds and /or good credit, being careful in choosing someone who can bring to the table something that compensates his shortcomings, like his lack of managerial skills. General partnership also divides the risk, making the project more appealing to the persons spouse. By creating a â€Å"bulletproof† detailed partnership agreement it minimizes the risk of all factors of the disadvantages in general partnership. Choosing the corporation type at this time would not be wise because it requires large funds and could prove too large an undertaking for the person at this point. That however does not mean things cannot change in time.

High Mortality Rate - Bostwana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

High Mortality Rate - Bostwana - Essay Example Geographical location Botswana is a country located in southern Africa. It is a landlocked country as it is surrounded by four countries which hinder its access to large water bodies such as the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Botswana covers approximately 224,607 square miles. It is located inside the geographical location of the Kalahari Desert. Approximately 73% of the country is a desert as only the eastern portion of the country fall outside Kalahari Desert. The country experiences a semi arid type of climate which consists of warm winters and very hot summers. The topography of Botswana is made up of flat and rolling land. Population The country is scarcely populated because of the large portion covered by the Kalahari Desert. It is made up of a population of 2,003,910 people. The total population of male gender in the country sums up to 1,006,531 while that of the female gender is 997,379. The age structure of the country indicates that the there is low life expectance rate in the nation. Children of age between 0-14 years make up 33.5% of the total population. Young people between the ages of 15-24 years make up 21.9% of the total population. ... Death rate is estimated at 12 per a population of 1000 people. Life expectance in Botswana is highly affected by the high rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the country. The harsh desert conditions have also played a role in the current population radar. Infant mortality is another factor that affects the growth in population of Botswana. The total infant mortality rate in the country is estimated at 10.49 deaths per 1000 live births. The male gender takes the larger potion of infant mortality rate as it is estimated at 11.03 deaths per 1000 live births while the female gender is estimated at 9.94deaths per 1000 births. This analysis shows that the life expectance of Botswana is highly attributed to health practices and health services in the country. AIDS is the major course of death in the country. It was declared a national disaster 2003 after Botswana registered the highest rate of HIV/AIDS victims in Africa. These aspects portray the level of poverty in the country thus leading to po or social amenities and the ability to create public awareness. There are four major ethnic groups that sum ups the total population of Botswana. This include: the Twsana, Kalanga, Basarwa and Kgalagardi. Tswana is the most famous and important tribe in Botswana as it makes 79% of the total population of people in the country. The tribes are rich in culture thus partake cultural activities seriously (Horowitz, 2011). According to the culture of most of the tribes in Botswana, natural home birth is considered the best form of child delivery. This promotes the rate of infant mortality cases in the country as the method is prone to dangerous errors. Child delivery process needs the modern medical facilities to ensure a higher percentage chance of survival for the infant as well as

With reference to the UK and a country of your choice, discuss the Essay

With reference to the UK and a country of your choice, discuss the limitation of GDP per capita'' as for a basis for comparing living standards between countries and over time - Essay Example In this paper, a comparison will be made of the GDP per capita of the India, a developing nation and the United Kingdom (UK) a developed nation. The state of the country as a whole as a result of this GDP per capita will be the main focus. The differences in income earned between people in the developed world and people in the developing world have been the subject of much research in the past (Maddision, 1983). India is a developing country located in the Indian Ocean. It is a former colony of Great Britain. India has an open market economy. In recent years, there has been much economic liberation such as privatization of former governmentally owned ventures, a reduction in foreign trade and development and deregulation industrially. This linearization was set in motion in the early 1990’s and has worked well to increase the growth rate of the country as a whole. The growth rate of the country has stayed at an approximate 7% every year since the year 1997. India has managed t o accomplish significant economic growth in the past decade or so (CIA-The World Factbook, 2011). The economy of India covers a multitude of things like modern agriculture, traditional village agriculture, a number of different services ad handicrafts. A comparison of GDP by sector in the country showed that whole over half the country works in the agricultural field, it contributes to only 16.1% of the country’s GDP. Industrial activities contribute about 28.6% where as the sevice industry makes up a bulk of the economy contributing 55.3%. All of these values are figures from the year 2010. This is particularly evident in that India has a large percentage of the population who speak English and has become a player in the global field in the export of information technology services and software personnel (CIA-The World Factbook, 2011). In light of the recent economic crisis, India was seen to bounce back in 210 as growth actually went above 8% in 210 and due to a demand for services domestically. In fact, India has the second highest labour force in the world with an approximate 478.3 million wanting to work. The unemployment rate was fairly low compared to the rest of the world in 2010 with it staying at 10.8% (118th place in the world) (CIA-The World Factbook, 2011). Despite doing relatively well on the economic front, India has numerous issues to deal with within the country. Parts of India are becoming increasingly overpopulated, there has been much destruction the environment and there is widespread poverty. A staggering 25% of the country’s population lives in poverty (CIA-The World Factbook, 2011). In addition, corruption seems to plague the country of India. There is also seen to be a lack of physical and social infrastructure in certain parts of the country and there is not enough access to higher education. There is a widespread migration from rural to urban areas dues to a lack of jobs in the agricultural sector (CIA-The World Factboo k, 2011). The GDP per capita of India is about $ 3400 as of 2010. In comparison to the rest of the countries of the world, this is 163rd place. The GDP per capita the UK, on the other hand is $35 100 and was 36th place in the world. This is a marked difference from India and a comparison will be made of these two countries (CIA-The World Factbook, 2011).it has been argued that developed countries such as the UK, already had a much higher lead to economic growth than to developing countries who growth started only relatively recently (Maddison, 1983). The UK is a group of islands located in Western Europe. In stark contrast to India, the GDP contributions by sector are extremely different. Only 0.9% of the GDP comes from agriculture, 22.1% of the GDP is as

Shown in the instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Shown in the instruction - Essay Example Atoms link up to form molecules. These atoms might either be of the same element or of different elements. Depending on the characteristics of these atoms, molecular or ionic bonds are formed. The number of electrons present in each atom is what really determines the kind of bonds to be formed. Electronegativity is the tendency that an atom has to attract electrons in a chemical bond. An ionic bond is formed when the elements involved have significantly different electronegativity. This means that the probability of ionic bonds being formed is higher when the difference between the electronegativity of the two elements is greater. It is also important to note that electrons are lost and gained by atoms in order to obtain a stable electron configuration. The atom with lower electronegativity loses an electron to the one with higher electronegativity. The net charge of the atoms then becomes positive or negative due to the loss and gain of an electron respectively. The two atoms thus charged oppositely attract each other and this is an ionic bond formed. Atoms are then interconnected through attraction throughout a substance. Substances whose atoms are bonded in this way are termed as ionic. These substances have common characteristics although they might differ slightly due to factors such as the strength of the bond formed. Covalent bonds are formed when atoms share electrons forming molecules. Sharing of electrons depends on the orbitals among other properties. Quite a number of theories have been formulated to explain how covalent bonds are formed. Electrons are shared to obtain a stable electron configuration. Many molecules of this type then make up molecular substances. Molecular substances generally occur as gases, liquids or solids with low melting points. This is because the intermolecular forces of attractions are relatively weak. The

Marekting Concepts - Classic Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Marekting Concepts - Classic Airlines - Essay Example In addition, there are high levels of uncertainty in the firm. These uncertainties range from reduced customers to a flight of a half full aero jet. As a result, there is a considerably increased charge to cater for these uncertainties. The fact that there are a number of other airlines is a challenge by itself. Competition is high in this business and leads to a reduction in the number of customers with time. Since the year 2005, there has been a problem in customer loyalty. Existing customers (even today) are trying other airlines hence switching from Classic Airlines. Due to the prominence of the first four airlines, this particular one has lost market (Kotler & Keller, 2006). Due to the tough economic times, costs of most items go up by day. Labor and fuel go up at an alarming rate and at times fluctuates. It makes competition for Classic Airline a big challenge, therefore. In a move to try fighting these challenges, this airline had to call for a crisis meeting which cost the company a lot to finance for the transport of major stakeholders as well as cater for their sitting allowances. There was some workforce downsizing, which affected the company a great deal. When experts are sent home, this is the beginning of trouble; less work will be done by the few remaining workers. Machines are deemed to fail at times. According to University of Phoenix Material (n.d), many lives have been lost in this mode of transport. Paying salaries for the expensive expertise becomes a challenge and the burden is transferred to the customer. As noted by University of Phoenix Material (n.d), Classic Airlines have one of the challenged corporate cultures in the world. On the contrary, there are departments that are not working to realize the requirements of their customers. For this reason, there has been a problem in bringing together some of the company processes and operations. There is the use of customer relationship management that is catered in the marketing

ART (Fauvism) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ART (Fauvism) - Essay Example Also evident in this era is the use of pure and unmixed colors that identifies Les Fauves literally translated as â€Å"The Wild Beasts†. Intense colors were not only used by the artists as an expression of themselves but also used as a vehicle to describe light and space (theartstory.org). With the influence of his mentor, Matisse experimented on the use of bright colors to express his emotional state and some other painters followed the same path such as Derain. Their subject matters are often landscapes, cityscapes and scenes of bourgeois leisure, still life, portraiture, domestic and studio interiors and particularly focused on the female figure (Dabrowski & theartstory.org). The Reclining Odalisque is an example of the latter which shows a woman reclining on a bed, half-naked. The woman appears to be resting with one of her hands under her head. she is clothed in a white robe that is partially exposing her body. The blanket is also white with streaks of blue color that is in contrast to the color of the bed sheet hanging over the bed as well as the background which is bright red. From the characteristics of Fauves described earlier and the objective of the era, which is for the artist to express his state of mind, it could be said that Matisse was expressing or communicating carnality. The woman lying on the bed is half-naked and this seems to be symbolical of sexual desires. The color of the background does not only catch the attention of the audience because of its brightness but also for its symbolical meaning in relation to the painting. Red is known to be representative of love, passion, desire and warmth. The color is used as a means to emphasize the meaning of the painting. This could show the painter’s state of mind when the painting was done. Of course the statement is not meant to say that there could have been an affair between the model and the painter rather, it is possible that the painter was

Aviation Cyber Threats Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Aviation Cyber Threats - Essay Example However, there were several laws that were passed in the congress after September 11 terrorist attacks. In the process, a series of homeland security presidential directives were issued for sustaining domestic security (Vacca, 2009). However, on the other hand, despite an economic turmoil from September 11 attacks, the aviation industry continues to grow at a rapid pace and is considered as a fundamental transformation. Moreover, there is also a significant change for managing air traffic via net-centric approach (Markarian, Kolle, & Tarter, n.d). The acquisition of this change will replace the traditional approach for controlling air traffic that is constructed on Information technology solutions. By focusing on aviation security, there is a significant increase in utilizing computerized systems onboard of an air carrier. Likewise, these systems facilitate high airborne and internally located system connectivity, operational and maintenance requirements (Markarian, Kolle, & Tarter, n.d). Moreover, the net-centric ATM connectivity raises concerns for cyber security threats and vulnerabilities. Propagation threats are critical because it is capable of rapidly broadcasting traffic on the Internet along with bypassing intrusion detection systems (Hatahet, Bouabdallah, & Challal, 2010). Likewise, for augmenting the primary phase of work propagation, it uses a ‘hit list’ comprising of overflowed users i.e. users consuming heavy bandwidth. By identifying users, worm spreads itself at a rapid pace when compared to traditional spreading worms (Hatahet, Bouabdallah, & Challal, 2010). Moreover, this type of attack saves a considerable amount of scanning time by only attacking a visible target. In the context of any cyber threat to an airport, the airport cannot be the primary target, as the Spanair flight JK5022 crash was successful by one of the contributions from a Malware (Markarian, Kolle, & Tarter, n.d). System Wide Information Management (SWIM) that is a program for delivering foundation that is vital for renewing the national airspace system in to an operation that is represented as ‘network-centric’ (Markarian, Kolle, & Tarter, n.d). Likewise the SWIM is sponsored by the umbrella of SESAR for Europe and in the United states, it is sponsored by NextGen. Commonly, the SWIM program is stated as ‘aviation intranet’ (Markarian, Kolle, & Tarter, n.d). Likewise, by utilizing ‘publish and subscribe mechanisms’, the intranet will demonstrate a ‘net- centric’ approach. Apart from all these advantages, there are always cyber threats that are associated with it. As mentioned earlier about the net-centric approach, that will utilize point to point connectivity, any single vulnerability will result in a complete network compromise because of distributed application and network resources. Aviation information systems must be resilient, redundant, ensure integrity of data and most importantly ‘always available’. These features are associated with safety principles that are applicable to operational functions in the aviation industry. For instance, control messages are communicated from the control tower to the pilot, who is one of the crew members on the flight. Any mistake or manipulation in communicated messages may result in a catastrophic event or disaster that may

Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research Proposal Example Knowing any potential impact would further lead to the investigation on how creditors would create any important accounting-related adjustments just to be able to ensure survival of their business. Thus, the following questions will be answered at the end of the study. This study will employ both quantitative and qualitative method of research through a survey questionnaire and personal interview. In the end, this study will lead to understanding the micro-level impact of DRO on lending and banking institution, and increasing the knowledge on the specific probable moves of banks and lenders to maximise their revenue on short-term loans amidst the implementation of DRO. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether the perceptions on Debt Relief Order (DRO) have significant impacts on the revenue of creditors especially those who have potential profit in offering short-term loans with high interest rates. Knowing any potential impact would further lead to the investigation on how creditors would create any important accounting-related adjustments just to be able to ensure survival of their business. One of the ways in order to protect an individual or a company from exact financial obligation from creditors is to file bankruptcy (Elias, 2011). This is a way of doing something to secure any form of financial obligations that could no longer be handled accordingly. However, in any way this is also a remarkable opportunity to actually create a fresh start when it comes to financial concern of an individual or organization. On the other hand, this also has a remarkable impact on the part of the creditors. Although, individuals who are in financial trouble may actually find it hard to secure financial support in the future for not being able to pay any accounts payable, insolvency on their part could create at some

Banyan Tree Research Essay Example for Free

Banyan Tree Research Essay 1. Growth and development of Banyan Tree. Banyan Tree Holdings Limited is a leading, international hospitality brand that manages and develops premium resorts, hotels and spas. From a single boutique resort in Phuket in 1994, Banyan Tree has grown into a multi-business operator globally. Listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange since 2006, the group currently consists of 30 hotels and resorts, over 60 spas 80 retail galleries and two golf courses in 27 countries, with aggressive expansion plans for the future. Below shows the milestone of Banyan Tree Resort: Banyan Tree Group garnered some 117 international awards and accolades in 2010, bringing the total number of awards it has received close to 640 since the first Banyan Tree property opened in Phuket in 1994. In 2010, Banyan Tree Phuket and its Spa continue to be recognised by industry experts, having won 14 prestigious awards and accolades The Banyan Tree organization has seen very dynamic and expansive growth in the last few years. Banyan Tree attributes is success as a company to their strong brand recognition, command pricing, and superb management. Revenues increased from $187.3 (million) in 2005 to 335.3 (million) in 2006, which is an increase of 79%. In 2007, Revenue increased another 26% to $429, 859 (million). 2. Success factors of Banyan Tree Banyan Tree Capital has its own dedicated construction, project management and cost management capabilities, enabling it to fulfill the role of a developer and assume full ownership of any projects. * Brand Building Branding has started right from the locations of the Banyan Tree resorts and has been consistent through the designs, the facilities offered, and the ambience created in each of the resorts. In line with the â€Å"romantic escape for couples† theme, Banyan Tree has placed a strong emphasis on the locations as a key element of the brand identity. The company has chosen exotic locations with exclusive access to sun-bathed beaches, exciting environment around and a good transportation infrastructure to connect the resorts to the main destination highlights. * Company Growth and Health The Banyan Tree is a rapidly growing company with lots of investment all across the globe. Their expanding nature, coupled with a positive stock price, solid financial earnings, and continual success at all resort locations, is exceptional in the competitive hotel and resort industry. Not many hotel companies can brag about recent success like the Banyan Tree. * Good Brand communications Banyan Tree promotes their product through mass international media. They invite travel editors and writers who could potentially increase editorial coverage on Banyan Tree to use the service. This can make â€Å"Banyan Tree Experiences† distribute to people by word of mouth and it is more effective. It is also make brand awareness and brand value that generated largely through public relations and global marketing programs. * Being a socially responsible and environmentally sensitive organization Banyan Tree Exercise caution with respect to the environmental impacts of their operations, and taking an active role in the protection and remediation of our global ecosystem. * Creating a good culture By combining the Asian culture and heritage with world-class service and luxury, Banyan Tree has been able to build a brand that has appealed to people across countries in Asia and beyond, and successfully been capitalizing on the pan-Asian sentiment. 3. Marketing Strategies * Collaboration with marketing agencies Banyan Tree Holdings appointed a few key wholesalers in each targeted market and worked closely with them to promote sales. Rather than selling through wholesale and retail agents that catered to the general market, they chose to work only with agents specializing in exclusive luxury holidays targeted at wealthy customers. Global exposure was also achieved through Banyan Tree’s membership in the Small Luxury Hotels and Leading Hotels of the World. Targeting high-end consumers, they represent various independent exclusive hotels and have sales offices in major cities around the world. * Winning awards Banyan Tree resort management believe that to publicize their properties, word of mouth is more important than advertisement. Therefore, one of the marketing strategies they adopting is to win awards. Banyan Tree sought recognition in service, innovation and, more importantly, its environmental efforts. To date, it has won more than 570 awards, with two given last week for its excellence in social and environmental responsibility. * Expanding Brand portfolio Banyan Tree to come out with a brand extension in the form of Angsana Resorts (launched in 2000), targeted towards young families and at different price points – typically 20-30% lower than Banyan Tree resorts themselves. It also operates stand-alone Angsana Spas. These measures not only allow Banyan Tree to increase its awareness in new markets and gain international momentum, but also create a strong platform for a portfolio of sub-brands that can be a source of long-term revenue generation. * Online marketing Banyan Tree sets up company website to conveniently update latest information and offers for customers. In additional, the online website allows customers to do bookings for their holidays. Online bookings rapidly increase over the year and it definitely generated more revenue. 4. Future Challenges * Competition There is only one other resort that is comparable to the Banyan Tree: Amanpulo. Amanpulo is situated on a private island in Palawan. The island boasts white sand, crystal clear water and tropical vegetation. They, too, respond to a leisurely lifestyle for the affluent and rich worldwide. In addition, Amanpulo is just as concerned as we are in building environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing resorts. * Copycats The market is crowded with many entrants running similar branded resorts in the upper-end. Particularly in Asia Pacific, where Banyan Tree has its stronghold and traditional base, new entrants are facing only small barriers-of-entry other than huge capital requirements and availability of good locations. A new entrant can always try to copy the â€Å"romance-intimacy-rejuvenation† theme and replicate the serene locations with beautiful villas providing it at lower prices to gain foothold in the market. * Natural Hazards The Philippines sits astride the typhoon belt, which means it’s prone to be struck by dangerous storms. In addition, the country is known to be home of active volcanoes. Other natural hazards known to occur are landslides, earthquakes and tsunamis. * Environmental Issues Existing issues that the Philippines are dealing with, and trying to combat, are uncontrolled deforestation, soil erosion, air and water pollution, coral reef degradation and increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps.

Education - Teacher Essay Example for Free

Education Teacher Essay Discussion of aim of education is a function of the philosophy of education or educational theory. The aim of education in the fullest and deepest sense of the word is in keeping with the nature of the human personality or human nature. Human nature is defined in terms of the cultivation and development of perceptive intelligence based on experience i. e. creative intelligence. Creative intelligence or intuition combines reason of understanding with wisdom of compassion depends on human awakening or enlightenment. aim of education is to cultivate creative intelligence required for adaptation to changes in the social environment i. e. adaptability. Life is very complex and complicated. But an aim in life can make the complex life simple and purposeful. Aims give us direction to work and without aim, destination, or objective life becomes incomplete and haphazard. Individual has different interests, attitudes and needs. Every individual wants to achieve certain goals in life. But a clear-cut aim makes the road of life easy. Educational aims are varied. They have their different role in different fields. Some specific aims are listed below: (i) Knowledge Aim: The aim of education is the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes. It helps to adjust properly in one’s own environment. Knowledge helps the man to overcome the nature and satisfy human wants. It links the teacher and taught with social situation. It helps with certain skills to live in a society as human being and civilized one. Philosophers and educationists of the world believe in knowledge. It is the valuable asset of life, which helps the individual to overcome misery and problems of life. (ii) Vocational Aim: Knowledge aim of education is narrow by nature. The theoretical knowledge will never meet our basic needs of life. We need bread and butter to fill up our belly. We can get it if education is vocationalised. Gandhiji realized it in 1937 when he introduced Basic Education. Vocational aim develops the social efficiency of the individual. It reduces mental tension after completion of education. Those who are lower, intelligence in vocational education or training are a blessing for them. Realizing this aspect. Indian Education Commission (1964-66) introduces work-experience in the curriculum. (iii) Character Building Aim: The Indian concept of education believes in self-realization. Self-realization is possible through moral education. So the individual should cultivate moral virtues or values which constitute character. Swami Vivekananda said, â€Å"We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on one’s own feet. † (iv) Complete-Living Aim: The individual has various aspects to be developed. Every aspect of the personality is reflected in various activities to be performed. Education should help the individual to fulfill the various needs and necessities of life like self-preservation, fulfilling necessities of life, rearing and bearing of children, performing civic responsibilities and utilizing his leisure time properly. Firstly, the individual must know the art of self-preservation. Secondly, education should enable to him to earn his living. Thirdly, he should know how to take care of his own children. Lastly, he must have the idea how to utilize the leisure hours properly in a profiting manner. (v) Harmonious: Development of the personality aim- Gandhiji said, â€Å"By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in the child and man-body, mind and spirit. † The meaning itself indicates to develop all-round aspects of individual-physical, intellectual, social and spiritual. All these aspects of the individual should be harmoniously developed. True education is development of 3H’s instead of 3R’s. The development of Head, Heart and hand of an individual makes him happy. (vi) Democratic Aim of Education: One of the important aims and objective of education suggested by Secondary Education Commission (1952-54) is to develop the democratic citizenship. India is a democratic country. Even citizen must have to realize the duties and responsibilities carefully. So the aim of education is to train carefully the future citizens. Training should be provided to develop the following qualities of the individual. (i) Capacity for clear thinking (ii) Receptivity of new idea (iii) Clarity in speech and writing (iv) True patriotism Further the democratic aim of education develop vocational efficiency, personality and leadership quality. Indian Education Commission (1964-66) under the chairmanship of Dr. D. S. Kothari suggested the following as the aims of education in a democratic set-up. (i) Increasing productivity (ii) Developing social and national integrity (iii) Making education modernized and (iv) Cultivating of social, moral and spiritual values. Each individual teacher has an opinion about what the aim of education should be, not only in their own classroom but also in school in general. Many issues occur when differing opinions about the purpose of education collide. It is important to recognize that other people, including many of your coworkers, administrators, and your students parents might have a different point of view concerning what education should be all about. Following is a list of different aims of education that individuals might espouse. 1. Knowledge to Get By. This old school belief holds that school is important in providing students with the knowledge they need to get by in their day-to-day lives. They need to know how to read, write, and do arithmetic. Even though these core topics form the foundation of a students education, most educators today would probably not agree that this should be the extent of a students school career. 2. Knowledge of Subject Matter Being Taught The purpose of education to some teachers is to impart knowledge about the subject matter they are teaching without much thought to other classes. When taken to the extreme, these teachers focus on their own subject matter as being more important than what students are learning in other classes. For example, teachers who are unwilling to compromise their own subject matter for the good of the students can cause problems for the school at large. When the school I taught at tried to implement senior projects, we got push back from a couple of teachers who were not willing to change their lessons to include cross curricular activities. 3. Desire to Create Thoughtful Citizens. This might be considered another old school belief. However, this is held by many individuals, especially within the larger community. Students will some day be a part of a community and need the skills and mores to exist within that society as thoughtful citizens. For example, they will need to be able to vote in presidential elections. 4. To Gain Self Esteem and Confidence While the self esteem movement often gets ridiculed, we do want our students to feel confident about their learning abilities. The problem comes in with inflated self esteem not based on reality. However, this is often cited as an aim of the educational system. 5. To Learn How to Learn Learning how to learn is one of the key elements of education. Schools need to teach students how to find information they will need once they leave school. Therefore, the specific subject matter being taught is not as important for future personal success as is the ability for students to understand how to find answers for any questions and problems that might arise. 6. Lifelong Habits for Work. Many of the lessons that schools teach are necessary for success in their students future lives. As adults, they will need to be able to get to work on time, dress and behave appropriately, and get their work done in a timely manner. These lessons are reinforced on a daily basis in schools around the nation. Some individuals see this as one of the main reasons for sending students to school. 7. To Teach Students How to Live Finally, some individuals look at school in a more holistic manner. They see it as the means towards right living for the rest of their lives. Not only do students learn information in their individual subjects, but they also learn life lessons in and out of class. As previously explained, proper work etiquette is reinforced in the classroom. Further, students have to learn how to deal with others in a cooperative manner. Finally, they learn about how to learn information they might need in the future. In fact, one of the things that many business leaders cite as being necessary for future workers is the ability to work as part of a team and problem solve.

The African Union And Its Potential Politics Essay

The African Union And Its Potential Politics Essay On the 23rd of April 2007, an article was published in the New York Times entitled Africas Crisis of Democracy, which discussed the troubled presidential elections in Nigeria. According to analysts and observers, Nigeria was moving down a worrying path. Politicians and voters alike were becoming more and more disillusioned and started to lose confidence in the Nigerian political system and in democracy as a whole. Peter Lewis, director of African Studies Program at the John Hopkins University, was one of the researchers that conducted a survey on African public opinion and he ascertained that the political scenes in different African countries differed strongly from one another, especially during elections and in their aftermath. He stated that some countries have vibrant political scenes, while others go through the routine of elections but governance doesnt seem to improve (New York Times 2007).Lewis used the information generated through the survey to confirm the claim that people s confidence in democracy has drastically decreased. The results of survey showed that there was a 13 percent decrease, from 58 percent to 45 percent, in trust in a democratic political system since 2001 (New York Times 2007). Nigerias 2007 presidential elections were plagued by chaos, violence and fraud. These phenomena are not only present in Nigerian politics, but form a reoccurring theme in African politics in general. Many African democracies, according to Western standards, can be characterized as failed. In an article written by Ali Mazrui, states are claimed to be failed when they are unable to meet the following six criteria: exercise sovereign control over their territory; supervise their resources; effectively and rationally extract revenue from people, goods and services; build and maintain an adequate national infrastructure; provide for basic services like sanitation, education and healthcare; and lastly, states are bookmarked as failed if they are unable to bring up the capacity for governance and maintenance of law and order (Mazrui 1995: 28-29). Keeping these criteria in mind, it may be cautiously concluded that many African states are in trouble. The Angolan government can be drawn upon a s a relevant example; the government lost sovereign control over many regions of the country and as a result of this, the government also lost control over many of its resources, infrastructure and revenue (Mazrui 1995: 29). Apart from Angola, many other African states are unable to effectively control many of their countrys resources and set up an effective tax system. The consequences of these failings are that states become paralyzed by the lack of income and therefore cannot exercise their duty to provide basic services for their people, or even worse, a crisis of governance ensues. In the search for an overarching solution to these national problems, many scholars and heads of state have looked in the direction of the African Union (AU) to offer some relief and support. But what kind of organization is the AU and how can it be expected to help in solving structural political, economic and social problems that African states have? In this paper, an attempt will be made to answer these questions. Understanding Africas History It is important to understand the historical background of the African continent before even attempting to formulate a possible solution for the structural political and economic problems that the African states face today. Before colonialism and the formation of African nation states, the different regions of the continent were ruled by tribes with different ethnic backgrounds and cultures. Due to these differences, the tribes were often in conflict with each other over, amongst others, their territorial boundaries. Therefore, it could be said that there were already significant political centers and territorial division based on the heritage of common identity. During the scramble for Africa, the African continent was divided along the straight edge of a ruler, completely disregarding the already existing political formations and territorial divisions. Logically, the political elites of pre-colonial Africa had different political practices which strongly differed from those of the West, specifically on their concept of sovereignty. First of all, in the different regions of pre-colonial Africa control was exercised over people rather than land and secondly, political practices tended to be shared amongst the different political elites. That being said, it was not uncommon for different communities to have allegiances to a number of political centers (Herbst 1996-1997: 127-128). The political landscape of pre-colonial Africa was a web of territorial boundaries, defined by ethnic differences, and political allegiances to more than one political center. With the coming of Western imperialism these already existing divisions were abruptly disturbed. The initial transition from colonial status to independence in many African states proceeded quite swiftly and without major problems. This relatively peaceful transition can be attributed to the fact that in the last years of colonization, many of the leading African political figures were, for most parts, already in charge of their countries affairs (Emerson 1962: 277). After the abolition of colonialism, it was widely assumed that Africans would undo the boundaries that were set by the imperialists, but this did not happen. Also, the political structures introduced by the colonial intruders stayed intact. There were a few important reasons for why the expected territorial and political change did not occur in African countries. The first was that the leading political figures needed the state structure left behind by the West, because if the structure of the Western state was removed, there were no fitting alternatives that could compensate for it (Emerson 1962: 276). The only eff ective political structures present in Africa were the tribes, but these were of too small a scale to be of any significance (Emerson 1962: 276). Second, the inherited state system was in itself very fragile because of the absence of old-established political entities and robust communities which could lend stability the states (Emerson 1962: 279). Nevertheless, allowing the tribes to take over power as dominant elements, would have spiraled African countries into a state partial, if not total anarchy (Emerson 1962: 279). After colonialism, African states were left with a fractured internal situation. Many different tribes had been lumped together in attempt to achieve an easy governable unit, but in doing so, colonialism left behind great internal divisions that needed to be overcome in order for the states to function effectively. Apart from internal unity, the political elites of many new African states tried to achieve African unity through the ideology of Pan-Africanism. The most simplest and satisfactory definition of the phenomenon Pan-Africanism is that all Africans have a spiritual affinity with each other and that, having suffered together in the past, they must march together into a new and brighter future (Emerson 1962: 280). This idea of a united Africa and a shared African destiny sparked the initiative of the organization of Africas political elites into an intergovernmental organization. They joined forces in what was first known as the Organization of African Unity (OAU). However, the establishment of the OAU did not come to pass without a struggle, for there were definite differences in the objectives of the political elites that participated. There was a distinct schism between the post-colonial African states who envisioned an African partnership; the states were divided into two groups, the Casablanca and the Monrovia group. These two groups had slightly different ideological backgrounds, with the Casablanca group being more radical and the Monrovia group taking in moderate position. The Casablanca group envisioned a new Political Kingdom in which the participating states gave up most of their sovereignty, whilst the Monrovia group held firmly to the concepts of state sovereignty and self-determi nation in a partnership with other African countries. After long and numerous deliberations, these groups were dissolved by the establishment of the OAU in 1963 in Addis Ababa (BBC News 2001). However, in 2002 the OAU was replaced by a new organization, the AU, because the OAU was judged to be no longer adequate for the region (Packer and Rukare 2002: 365). The Constitutive Act of the African Union entered into force on May 26, 2001. The OAU as well as the AU were in part set up to help overcome the ethnic and social cleavages within the different African states, but before continuing with a further analysis of the AU and in which way it differs from the OAU and other intergovernmental organizations, it is important to broaden our understanding of these ethnic and social differences, and in which way they undermine a strong and legitimate state structure. In the case of Africa, overcoming these cleavages has proven to be quite difficult. The colonial era has left a deep mark on the African continent; because the imperialists divided the continent without taking the already existing divisions into account, many of the post-colonial African states are plagued by civil wars and unrest. The lack of an overarching national identity and the weak nature of the state system do not help in resolving the problem. What is needed is the reactivation of communalism; a common denominator which many, if not all Africans can rel ate to. According to Julius Nyerere, this may be found by introducing the ideas and beliefs of African socialism to all African communities. In a speech he made on the 13th of July 1966, Nyerere spoke of the difficulties that the formation of African unity faces. The development of the individual nation states will always be more important than the development of an African unity, because of the obligations that national governments have towards their people. This does not only pertain to political development, but also to the development of the national economy. So, when national governments take steps to develop themselves, it is inevitable that they will be taking a step way from African unity (Nyerere 1965 1967: 210). Nevertheless, Nyerere still believed that unity within and between states was possible; internal conflict and disunity can be overcome by the promotion of nationhood (Nyerere 1965 1967: 209) and an African unity can be achieved by deliberately moving to unity in every int er-state action (Nyerere 1965 1967: 210). In the Arusha Declaration of 1967, the precise ideology that formed the bases for African socialism were laid down. A few of the most important elements of the Declaration were: the absence of exploitation, the major means of production and exchange were in the hands of the peasants and the workers, the existence of a democracy and the conviction that socialism was a belief and not just an ideology (Nyerere 1965 1967: 233-234). There are many more important statements in the Arusha Declaration, the one just as important as the other, but they all amount to the following: respect thy neighbor as you would want to be respected, because all men are equal irrespective of race, religion or status and all share the responsibility of building up a strong nation state, through hard work and intelligence, that is free from poverty and inequality. Research Question The main purpose of this paper is to first of all understand what type of organization the AU is and if it can be compared to any existing inter-governmental or supra-national organizations. As the saying goes, with which one of these geese does the AU flock? After determining its nature, a further analysis of the Unions potential will be set out. The concrete research question is formulated as follows: What type of organization is the African Union and in which way can it contribute in solving any of the structural political, economic, and social problems Africa has? Employing a predominantly qualitative methodology, which will take the form of a literary analysis, this paper will try to answer the research question by first answering a few sub categories or questions. First, the AU and its goals will be compared to that of its predecessor: the OAU. After that, a short comparison with the UN and the EU will be made in order to determine what kind of structure the AU has. Then, the potential of the AU will be discussed by focusing on its Charter and the areas in which it succeeds and those where it fails. By using academic papers, commission reports of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, the official website of different organizations, books and other sources, the objectives of this paper will hopefully be achieved. Comparing structures From the Organization of African Unity to the African Union The OAU On 25th of May, the OAU was established in Addis Ababa on the stool of Pan-Africanist ideals (Department of International Relations and Cooperation 2002). The basic ideas that underpinned the establishment of the organization was that African states needed to be strongly united against colonial oppression and racism, and also needed to improve the lives of the African peoples. Starting off with 32 member states, the OAU grew over the years to eventually gain a total of 53 member states. Unfortunately, by its fifteenth anniversary, the organization was seen to have failed in achieving its set goals: responding to serious intra-African conflicts and to act against foreign intervention (Packer and Rukare 2002: 365). Also, the OAU was plagued by an internal schism between radical (the Casablanca group) and moderate member states (the Monrovia group). Adding to this list of setbacks was the fact that many member states were troubled by a worsening economic situation. There was a drastic a nd immediate need for reform mainly because the contemporary challenges of the continent had changed. By 1988, the goal of eradicating colonialism and bringing forth independence in Africa was almost completely achieved. Still, the economic crisis was a very significant problem which was not being dealt with adequately, mainly due to two important principles in the OAU charter. The first was the sovereign equality of all member states and the second was the non-interference in the international affairs of states (The OAU Charter 1963: 4). According to experts, these two principles needed to be revised (Packer and Rukare 2002: 367). To say the least, the OAU was thwarted by the boundaries set by its own charter. The insistence of the OAU to maintain the territorial boundaries that were set by the colonizers prevented it from taking action in territorial claims, but also the insistence of upholding the two principles stated above restricted the OAU in intervening in many of its member states to stop economic degradation. The organization was also structurally and functionally weak, particularly with regard to the secretariat and the secretary-general (Packer and Rukare 2002: 369). The insignificant authority of the secretary-general made it impossible for him to supervise peacekeeping operations and act as negotiator in resolving conflicts. Furthermore, it was extremely difficult to achieve consensus in the OAU Assembly, because the member states were often unable to transcend their national interests (Packer and Rukare 2002: 369). The final problem that the OAU faced was chronic underfunding. In spite of all these problems and the proposal for the reform of the OAU, the African political elites chose to establish a new organization (the AU) instead of reforming the OAUs structure and revising its Charter. The important question that comes to mind is whether the AU can overcome the weaknesses of that the OAU and its Charter faced. The AU In 2002, the AU was established and replaced the OAU. The principle goal of the AU was to protect the security of the continent, rather than the sovereignty of individual states (Hanson 2009: 1). This is the first and foremost difference between the AU and the OAU, but the AU also plays an increasingly high-profile role in peacekeeping (Hanson 2009); another area where the OAU failed. The main objectives of the AU are the increase of development; combat poverty and corruption; and ending as many of Africas problem as possible (Hanson 2009). As one of the only international organizations in the world, the AU recognizes the right to intervene in the affairs of its member states on humanitarian and human rights grounds (Hanson 2009). These guidelines were based on the recommendations of a report entitled: The Responsibility to Protect. The report stated that sovereign state have the responsibility to protect their own citizen from avoidable catastrophe from mass murder and rape, from starvation- but when they are unwilling or unable to do so, that responsibility must be borne by the broader community of states (ICISS 2001: VIII). This key principle sets the AU apart from all other international organizations, including its predecessor the OAU. The European Union and the United Nations The European Union (EU) is an economic and political international organization founded under its current name in 1993. The objectives of the EU are the promotion of economic and social progress and the representation and assertion of the European identity on the international scene (NATO publications 2001). The EU hopes to achieve and maintain economic progress through the creation of a boarder-free Europe with an economic and monetary union, strongly represented by a single currency. On the issue of social progress, the EU promotes economic and social cohesion between its member states (NATO publications 2001). The EU asserts its identity on the international scene through a Common Foreign and Security policy as well as a common defense policy (NATO publications 2001). A commonality share with the AU is the basic principles of respect for national identities, democracy and fundamental human rights (NATO publications 2001). The United Nations (UN), founded in 1945 after the Second World War, is an international organization that tries to maintain international peace and security; develop friendly relations between nations; and promote social progress and better living standards (UN: website). The UN also tries to safeguard the human rights of all the world citizens (UN: website). The UN has a unique international character that assists in the Union in reaching every corner of the world. Apart from peacekeeping and international security, the UN also works on a broad range of fundamental issues from sustainable development to the promotion of democracy (UN: website). While both the EU and the UN are both inter-governmental organizations, the EU takes on the form of a more supra-national organization. Both of these organizations were also created through the decision of different states to cooperate in order to serve over-arching purposes in different issue areas. Nevertheless, the UN is able to tackle more problems than the EU, because it is not bound to one specific area of the globe. Also, the EU has the power to sanction its European member states to comply with the made agreements, by for instance threatening with economic sanctions. While the UN strives to achieve equality and respect for human rights, the EU is mainly concerned with regional economic integration. The African Union tends to resemble the UN more that the EU. Even though the AU can only have member states within a certain geographical area like the EU, the AU still lacks the power to force its member states into compliance due to the lack of legitimacy. This legitimacy can only be attained if and when member states agree to give up a part of their sovereignty to the AU. Also, the issue areas with which that AU is concerned include other issue beside economic integration. In concurrence with the UNs objectives, the AU also takes on the responsibility of peacekeeping role and promotes social progress and unity within and between the different African states. Even though the AU was intended to be somewhat of a supra-national organization, it still has a long way to going before it is able to reach its fully functional and reaches its true potential. The African Unions Potential and Shortcomings As stated above, the main objective of the AU is to protect the security of the African continent and promote African unity. The AU has embarked on a number of peacekeeping missions under the inquisitive eyes of Western observers, who were not too convinced of the ability of the AU peacekeepers. Amongst the achievements of the AU are a number of successful interventions in a few of the member states (Hanson 2009). The 2008 intervention in Anjouan resulted in the successful expulsion of the Islands separatist leader (Hanson 2009), and the 2003 intervention in Burundi by the AU was acknowledged as a success by the international community. Still, the AU has more shortcomings than it has successes. The short life span and experience of the AU in peacekeeping lead to an unsuccessful intervention in Somalia and Sudan. This failure can be attributed to the lack of sufficient political and material support. Like the OAU, the AU faced a number of organizational and financial barriers as well as the same tremendous challenges with respect to poverty and civil war. The inability to effectively organize regional economic communities, on which the AU was also dependent for funds, was another one of the numerous shortcomings of this relatively young organization (Hanson 2009). As things stand, the AU is still somewhat fragile but has all the makings of an effective organization. In order to achieve its full potential a number of obstacles need to be overcome: the first and most important being the financial boundaries that it faces. In order to overcome this boundary, that AU needs to invest in strengthening the economic community on which it is reliant for funds. Furthermore, it needs to find new ways of generating fund from the international community. The second obstacle that stands in the way of an effective AU is the successful cooperation between the political elites of the different member states. Only when consensus is reached between the political elites of the member states, can the AU act in uniformity. Conclusion: Answering the Research Question The research question that this paper intends to answer is: What type of organization is the African Union and in which way can it contribute in solving any of the structural political, economic, and social problems Africa has? Before initiating the analysis on the similarities and differences between the AU and other international organizations, the relevance of ethnic and social differences within the different African states was discussed. This was an important starting point, because the problems that ensued from these ethnic and social cleavages were partially the reason for the establishment of the AU. The fragile state systems, left behind by the imperialists, were unable to fortify their legitimacy strengthen their institutional structure, partially due to the absence of internal unity. One solution to this problem was put forth by Julius Nyerere in the form of African socialism, which advocated national communalism which would unite Africans at the national levels and unit Africa as a whole. After ascertaining the relevance of the social and ethnic cleavages, the AU, OAU, EU and the UN were compare with each other in order to uncover what kind of organization the AU was. The AU was discovered to share the most resemblance with the UN and therefore, like the UN, tends to be more of an inter-governmental organization than a supra-national one. In answering the next part of the research question in which way the AU can contribute in solving any of the structural, economic and social problems of Africa the potential and shortcomings of the AU were discussed. The AU has a very promising structure, but the organization still has a long way to go before it is fully functional. Therefore, it can be cautiously concluded that if the with the coming of years and through the overcoming of the many obstacles it faced, the AU will be able to make a relevant contribution to solving some of Africas many problem.

Greek Gods - The Historical Background Essay -- Classics

Greek Gods - The Historical Background Greek gods were an essential part of Greek mythology. Our proper knowledge of the ancient Greek gods can be traced back to Homer who wrote The Iliad and The Odysse. It is also believed that the myths were heavily influenced by the Mycenaean culture that existed in Greece from 1700 to 1100 BC. However there is some evidence that the beginnings of Greek mythology and beliefs can be traced back to the ancient Middle Eastern cultures. There are many similarities between the mythology of these ancient Middle Eastern cultures and the ancient Greeks. Greek Gods - Religious & Social Background The Greek gods were created in order to explain the world around them in order to put a reason or explanation behind everything, and to provide entertainment for the masses. In the Greek religion however there was not a sole source or reading that could be studied and preached, i.e. Muslims study the Koran, and Christians the Bible. However the Greeks were broader and less strict in the way they practised their faith, each different Greek city-state would devote itself to a particular god or a set of gods, and depending on the location of the state the characteristics of the gods could vary many city-states erected temples to their particular gods, and these gods were honoured in festivals and animal sacrifices. The ancient Greek gods were believed to take on human form and lived in a society similar to human society, ...

Directing the Actor Playing Macbeth in Act 2 :: Drama

Imagine you are a director. Direct the actor playing Macbeth in Act 2 Scene 2. Shakespeare's Macbeth has been a play out of the ordinary. It was written to upset, and show life at its most cynical and brutal. It is among his darker pieces of work along with Othello, King Lear and Hamlet. It was also written to please the current King of England at the time, King James I. The play is based on real Scottish history, as King Duncan was killed by one of his kinsmen who then became King. It is set within a Scotland in which frequent wars occur. Returning one of theses wars are Macbeth and Banquo - generals of the Scottish army. Lady Macbeth has made a soliloquy, in which she has asked demons to take away her sexuality and have it replaced with evilness. She asked literally to have her 'breast milk replaced with bile'. Having her milk replaced with bile would supposedly give her the ability to do masculine actions. She desires power and starts to mildly bully her lover, Macbeth, and ridicule his masculinity. She talks about a smiling baby and then one with it's brains smashed out she'd prefer this to having a husband unwilling to kill in cold blood. Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth to prove his masculinity, by aiding her in killing King Duncan, who will soon be a guest at their house. The conspiracy is that they kill the King and smear the blood on his guards, which would make them the prime suspects. Macbeth is next in rank and is likely to become the next King of Scotland. Between them, there is an enormous desire to gain power and become leaders of the country. With this desire and Lady Macbeth's challenge combined, you have the play of Macbeth. Shakespeare has cleverly set the play in certain themes, such as ambition, good vs. evil, disorder and the supernatural. In this scene, Lady Macbeth will rendezvous with Macbeth in the courtyard as he returns from his challenge - the murder. Act 2 Scene 2 is an early climax of the Macbeth play. Anticipation has built whilst the conspiracy has been planned and the audience would be very eager to see what happens, as they have been posing questions in their head which need answering, such as 'Will they get caught?' or 'Will Macbeth become the King of Scotland?' A murder always attracts interest, and a murder of high treason would multiply such interest and excitement. It is highly significant as the infamous murder is committed here (not chronologically - it is not shown in the play).

A Missed Opportunity :: Personal Narrative Writing

A Missed Opportunity Every time we had visited Williamsburg, my mother had always wanted to see the famous Fife and Drum Corps. Dressed in full costume of red coats and tri-corner hats, these re-enactors parade down the Duke of Gloucester Street playing their instruments in a â€Å"call to arms† of the town’s militia. These men have always been one of the main attractions of Williamsburg and one of the symbols of the colonial area. They perform only once or twice a week and by either bad luck or fate, my mother has never actually seen them march. The single time that she did wait for their performance to start, it was cancelled due to bad weather. It was the second day of our family’s annual three-day trip to Colonial Williamsburg. We had spent the majority of the day strolling about the colonial area, and tensions were getting high. My brother, as the middle child, always picked the most inopportune times to annoy my sister, the youngest. After several near fights, my parents thought that a little separation was in order, at least until dinner. My mother suggested that we go see a program entitled â€Å"Dance: Our Dearest Diversion†. Of course, she knew that neither one of us would care to go see the show, being as uninterested in colonial dancing as a cat is of swimming. Per tradition, my brother and I had earlier in the day bought colonial styled games. He had chosen a handsome set of Fox and Geese, while I had decided on the more exotic and unknown Mancala. All the game consisted of was a flat board with fourteen pits on it, two of the pits being slightly larger than the rest. The bigger pits were at the ends of the board, and the other twelve were in two rows between them. Those pits had four stones (or flattened marbles) in them, and the object of the game was to capture the most stones. According to the little pamphlet that came with the game, Mancala required more mathematical reasoning than sheer luck. We had sat under the shade of one of the numerous trees that lined the main street of the colonial section, to try out my newly bought game and to rest my tired feet. The cool breeze soothed my scorched my neck as I contemplated my next move.

Disappearance of Family Farms Essay

There are many things in the world that have been disappearing over recent years. These types of things include, but are not limited to: encyclopedias, tape players, typewriters, and even books. Another thing that has been a huge part of history that seems to be disappearing at, frankly, an alarming and scary rate is family-owned farms. Less than one third of family farms that existed in the United States in 1935 are still remaining (Toews). Family farms are disappearing because of the expenses incurred in owning one, the hard work and long days the family must put into them, and because of the appeal of city life to younger generations and the development of land throughout the United States. Family farms are expensive. And, unlike what one would expect, the rewards are not too extravagant, either. The expenses are rising while the income is declining, and that is an equation none of us want to see when it comes to our own future. It was even predicted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that farmers would see the biggest decline in income than any other industry (Toews). However, if we lose all of our family-owned farms, all we have to rely on is larger industries, which includes travel and transportation costs, chemicals, and most likely the mistreatment of animals. Good work ethic seems to be something that has become rare in America. There is an unexplainable amount of work that goes into farming, especially on smaller farms with less man and machine power to help out. Farmers, on average, spend between twelve and sixteen hours a day working. And, tying this back, they are not being rewarded properly for the hard labor they put into their jobs each and every day. They have no vacations, no holidays, and no sick or personal time. They have to be there. As younger generations look to their elders, they realize all of the suffering with little reward, and question if they want to go down that very same path themselves. Lastly, farms seem to be disappearing because of development and the desire for the city life. Younger generations of the 21st century seem to be drawn to city life, to fast paced life with easy access to anything and everything they might need at the drop of a hat. To make these accommodations for malls, plazas, parking lots, and buildings, we need to develop land somewhere. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 3,000 acres of land are being lost due to development each day as of 2008 (Gilbert). So, why should it be saved? It is a piece of history, something that all of us, if traced back far enough, can relate to in some way. It is healthy, for our bodies, ethics, the economy, and the environment. If we were able to afford more local farms, then we could cut transportation costs and fumes extravagantly. If more people worked on farms, I can almost guarantee the work ethic in the United States would skyrocket. Also, with more people actually doing work consisting of hard labor, we may be able to cut health problems such as obesity. And, if that assumption came to be untrue, the community would still have fresh food. So, if it’d be so great, why can’t we do it? It’s expensive. Plain and simple. Family farming is not something that will come back easily, as would a piece of apparel in the fashion industry. On the contrary, it is something we need to fight for. Buy locally grown. Support your local businesses and economy. It may not seem like a huge step, but every little bit will count when trying to save what we have left of this farming history. Works Cited Gilbert, Sarah. â€Å"Top 25 Things Vanishing from America.† DailyFincance. N.p., 20 Jul 2008. Web. 1 Oct 2012. . Toews, Jacob. â€Å"The Disappearing Family Farm.† Real Truth. 01 Jun 2010: n. page. Web. 1 Oct. 2012.

End of Life Care

Nurses’ Perceptions of End-of-Life Care After Multiple Interventions for Improvement Lissi Hansen, Teresa T. Goodell, Josi DeHaven and MaryDenise Smith Am J Crit Care. 2009;18: 263-271 doi: 10. 4037/ajcc2009727  © 2009 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Published online http://www. ajcconline. org Personal use only. For copyright permission information: http://ajcc. aacnjournals. org/cgi/external_ref? link_type=PERMISSIONDIRECT Subscription information http://ajcc. aacnjournals. org/subscriptions Information for authors http://ajcc. acnjournals. org/misc/ifora. shtml Submit a manuscript http://www. editorialmanager. com/ajcc Email alerts http://ajcc. aacnjournals. org/subscriptions/etoc. shtml AJCC, the American Journal of Critical Care, is the official peer-reviewed research journal of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), published bimonthly by The InnoVision Group, 101 Columbia, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656. Telephone: (800) 899-1712, (949) 362-2050, ext. 532. Fax: (949) 362-2049. Copyright  © 2009 by AACN. All rights reserved. Downloaded from ajcc. aacnjournals. org by on February 11, 2010 Nursing Education in Critical Care PERCEPTIONS OF END-OF-LIFE CARE AFTER MULTIPLE INTERVENTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT By Lissi Hansen, RN, PhD, Teresa T. Goodell, RN, PhD, CNS, CCRN, ACNS-BC, Josi DeHaven, RN, MPH, CCRN, and MaryDenise Smith, RN, CNS, ACHPN Background Nurses working in intensive care units may lack knowledge and skills in end-of-life care, find caring for dying patients and the patients’ families stressful, and lack support to provide this care. Objectives To describe nurses’ perceptions of (1) knowledge and ability, (2) work environment, (3) support for staff, (4) support for patients and patients’ families, and (5) stress related to specific work situations in the context of end-of-life care before (phase 1) and after (phase 2) implementation of approaches to improve end-of-life care. The approaches were a nurse-developed bereavement program for patients’ families, use of a palliative medicine and comfort care team, preprinted orders for the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment, hiring of a mental health clinical nurse specialist, and staff education in end-of-life care. Methods Nurses in 4 intensive care units at a university medical center reported their perceptions of end-of-life care by using a 5-subscale tool consisting of 30 items scored on a 4-point Likert scale. The tool was completed by 91 nurses in phase 1 and 127 in phase 2. Results Improvements in overall mean scores on the 5 subscales indicated that the approaches succeeded in improving nurses’ perceptions. In phase 2, most of the subscale overall mean scores were higher than a desired criterion (

Immediate environment Essay

The human condition presents us with unavoidable difficulties which, in turn, require us to make personal choices. The capacity to make a choice and its corresponding responsibilities render reflective thinking as constitutive of what it means to be a human being and what it means to be a Self. It is in this conscious activity of making a choice that the will makes itself manifest. In a sense, a choice is an expression of one’s will, of one’s subjectivity. For Kierkegaard (1999), this subjectivity constitutes the uniqueness of the individual’s existence. Kierkegaard provides us with an idea of how to approach the problem of existence, that is, by focusing our attention to the concrete individual who makes personal choices and acts out on these choices. He breaks away from the ancient Greeks’ extreme emphasis on rationality and objectivity and its general problems. This is evident in his critical appraisal of the Greek tragedy. He claims, â€Å"The reason is of course to be found in the fact that in the ancient world subjectivity was not fully conscious and reflective† (Kierkegaard, 1992, p. 142). He goes on to add, â€Å"Even though the individual moved freely, he still depended on substantial categories, on state, family, and destiny† (Kierkegaard, 1992, p. 142). This is another way of stating that even if the self can experience the state of freedom and in fact actualize this freedom by portraying its capacity to perform autonomous acts, the self continues to be affected by the factors in its immediate environment. Kierkegaard’s elaboration sheds light on the importance of authentic choice in terms of generating our conception of selfhood. In the case of the tragic hero, the fatalistic mindset of the ancient Greeks can bring serious doubts on the question regarding the authenticity of the tragic hero’s choices. Given that the individual cannot really divorce himself away from substantial categories, how can we establish that it is the individual who defines himself and not the other way around? Choice is an integral aspect of Kierkegaard’s gradual development of the Self. It is important to note that the development of the Self is gradual as it goes through certain stages where the quality of one’s existence is improved via an act of choice. This is to say that the individual and his conception of the Self ascend from one stage to another. Such ascension indicates that the individual is in the process of actualization. For Kierkegaard (1992), the aesthetic stage is a stage where one’s sense of the Self is governed by the sensual, impulses and emotions. This stage presents the individual with an illusion of freedom. In essence though, the aesthetic stage, although seemingly attractive, is in reality, destructive. He claims, â€Å"We said that every aesthetic life-view was despair; this was because it was built upon what may or may not be† (Kierkegaard, 1992, p. 525). These are the reasons as to why the aesthetic stage cannot lead to a progressive actualization of the individual. Apparently, it is also the attractiveness and the emptiness of the kind of life in the aesthetic stage which leads the individual to transcend sensual existence and ascend to the ethical stage. From reading Kierkegaard, it seems to me that the substantial differentiation between the aesthetic and the ethical person/stage rests on the is-ought distinction. Kierkegaard claims, â€Å"The aesthetic factor in a person is that by which he is immediately what he is; the ethical factor is that by which he becomes what he becomes† (1992, p. 492). The ethical person is, therefore, a person who subscribes to the demands of reason; and the ethical life is a life devoted to the pursuit of moral goodness. It is, however, important to note that Kierkegaard’s phrase â€Å"by which he becomes what he becomes† implies both commitment and choice on the part of the individual. The difference between Descartes and Kierkegaard is, at this point, very obvious. Descartes focuses on the grand problems of universal import, such as existence in its universal sense. Kierkegaard (1992), on the other hand, focuses on the concrete individual and his concrete existence. In the end, it can be said that the conception of the Self is a product of the concrete choices of the individual as they present themselves in the course of the individual’s existence. The actualization of one’s Self requires something more than choice, that is, action. Aside from action, something more is required, that is, committing oneself to the choice that he makes and his actions as a product of one’s rational deliberation. Reference Kierkegaard, S. (1992). Either/or: a fragment of life. London: Penguin.

Different cultures have different truths Essay

â€Å"Different cultures have different truths.† â€Å"A truth is that which can be accepted universally.† What are the implications for knowledge of agreeing with these opposite statements?  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set yet free.† A powerful, simple statement, taken from the bible. The eternal struggle of mankind, however, has been to find the truth, and this has proven rather difficult. Is there, as suggested in this quote, only one truth? Or are there different truths, dependant on cultural background or society? Unfortunately, the question as it is phrased is flawed. Both statements are false, so any knowledge gained from either one is also false. Truth is not determined by how many people accept something, whether those people all belong to a single culture, or to the whole world. Truth is determined by reality, and â€Å"truth† is the quality of any statement that correctly describes any aspect of reality. If a thing is true, it does not matter if nobody accepts it, it is still true. If a thing is false, it does not matter if everybody accepts it, it is still false. Everyone in the 12th century accepted that the Crusades were for a good cause, although with historical insight we can see that they were not. Another problem with this question is that there is a difference between accepting something and believing in it. People often accept things they are told because authority tells them, or because they do not know enough to find a better answer. Many people are also willing to accept answers because they make them feel good, not because they have any basis in fact. It seems impossible to agree with both of these statements, since they are both false. If, however, we do agree with these two statements, we find that they are mutually exclusive. If we look at them logically, statement A excludes statement B and vice-versa. This means that either one of them is false, or they are both right in certain situations and wrong in others. To answer this question, we must also ask ourselves â€Å"What is truth?† If we define truth as a reality, as something that is always correct no matter what, and as something that can be accepted as fact, than the first statement is cannot be agreed with. If different cultures have different truths on the same subject, than there is no truth. Just because my culture says that the world was created by God in seven days, that does not mean it is the truth. It is what we believe, but that does not make it true. Contrarily, scientists say that we evolved from lesser beings, and that the world was created through a ‘big bang’ which created the universe. This is what they believe to be the truth: it does not mean it is. If nothing can be agreed upon, and there are differing opinions, than there is no truth. The opposite statement, that truth is something that everyone agrees with, is more valid, at least in my opinion. Everyone can agree on some things, and would consider them truths: the world is round, people should be born with two eyes, the Second World War started in 1939. That there is a group agreement on these issues, from both those who are expert on these topics and amateurs, means that we can most likely accept them as being of reality. However, this method also has drawbacks: just because everyone agrees with something does not necessarily make it true. For hundreds of years everyone agreed that the world was flat, although it is not, and with photographs to show it, it has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Each statement’s value also depends on what area of knowledge we are considering: for logic-based disciplines, like the Natural Sciences and Mathematics, there should be no differences in what is considered truth. Algebra does not change no matter what country you go to, and neither does the rotation of the earth. Although there may be religious or cultural differences concerning these truths, such as in Kansas where they banned evolution from textbooks, this does not change that the facts are still the same if you talk to people who are knowledgeable about the subject. For disciplines that are based more on perception, emotion, and language it can be much more difficult to come to a conclusion: these cannot be proven with figures and objective data. What is learned in an Ethics class is more a matter of cultural influences. People in Nigeria may believe that they have the right to stone a woman to death for adultery, while in Europe we would consider this a most improper thing to do. In Japan, it is considered rude to look a superior in the eye whist talking to them, but in America it would be considered rude to not face them. Because of these differences, it is most certainly not true to state that â€Å"Looking someone in the eye is rude.†, although that is the truth of the culture. As I said earlier, truth cannot be changed. What would be correct is to state that â€Å"In Japan, looking someone in the eye is rude.† This is true everywhere to everyone. These two statements also come from opposite schools of philosophy: those that believe in subjective truth and objective truth.  To agree with both of these statements is impossible, since they both contradict each other. Agreeing with either of them, however, is also wrong. Even if no one knows the absolute truth about something yet, that does not mean that the present answers are a suitable replacement. Truth does not change, no matter who accepts it.