God Sees the Truth but Waits Essay

It’s just the simple act of picking one of the many pieces of paper from a black box, one of which contains the dot that speaks of its drawer’s destiny†¦ Question is, is it an act or a choice—or, if it were possible, destiny itself? But if one would stop and think—and lay aside the ironies of a tragic death through a single tragic mistake—and look into—and, similarly, look through—the eyes of Tessie Hutchinson, her husband Bill, her son Davy, and all the other people in their town, one would stop short to have found out that their minds are a clear mirror of one’s own. Clearly, the story is but a simple twist in the nature of man that man himself has tried to magnify. In the beginning, the characters in the story are we, the bored, uninteresting people walking around and talking and showing up for a yearly event with nary a care in the world. Their eyes have seen people die, as we find out in the end—their eyes have seen their own wives and husbands and children slaughtered through pain, but their hearts only remember, but do not feel. And when the moment of truth comes out—as it always does—the bored people become aggressive, the seemingly unstained—but otherwise—hands take on an evil stance, the wives and husbands and children turn into something less than a stranger, and the pain and slaughter begins. In the beginning, the characters are we. Also in the end. It is, perhaps, an unexplainable terror to face head-on the inhabitants of the ordinary—not only is it ordinary as it seems, but also as what it really is—town and see them as our own flesh and blood, our own savage, twisted selves. But it only takes a little listening to the desires of our hearts and the dreams of our souls to unmask the truth that is clearly shown in the story, the truth that also rules our existence today. They are we. We are they. We are one with them—and they are one with us. We walk around and talk and go about our chores and go through the same routine over and over—we, the unsuspecting—and at the same time, the unsuspicious—with nary a care in the world. It is a routine that we go through that who could have thought would come out the way it always does, a routine with an end of which we have often seen with our own eyes, but would also shock the undiscerning. And then the end nears†¦and we still don’t care. We draw our lot, and it is clean—as if our own souls are, that is—big deal, we put the  piece of paper in our pocket and it is immediately forgotten. And then the end springs at us†¦we look the person who’s drawn the dotted lot—look him as if our own souls are anything but the piece of paper he has picked—with stranger’s eyes. We stone him to death, we forget who he is—friend, family member, father, son, husband†¦and he dies. We go about our chores again and walk and talk as if our civil hands were clean and leave the slaughtered lamb with a triumphant smile because we have won again, we did not draw the cursed lot, he did. It doesn’t matter who ‘he’ is—as long as it’s not we. Our own eyes have beheld the same old scene, but the heart only remembers—and doesn’t feel. We do not care if it would be we who would die next year, as long as we are left living today. We see not nor expect the time of our own downfall—we caused the downfall of another one today and it’s what matters at the moment. But time will come that we will be the center of the tragedy, too, and we will be looked on with hostile strangers’ eyes by our own friend, father, son, husband. Time will come that it is our own downfall with which they will stain their civil hands with blood. And their heart will not feel, only remember†¦and you will no longer see yourself in them but in that which you had killed, that which had died in your own savage folly. Amidst the pain you will be crying out, â€Å"Wait—it’s not fair! It’s not fair†¦!† And then you die.

The First Australian- Aboriginal Australia

Indigenous spirituality can be defined as the incorporation of a community’s spiritual trail, alongside which it progresses to attain a given purpose, like a higher state of responsiveness, outreach understanding or empathy with the Creator. For example the Aboriginal spirituality is a feeling of unity, of belonging and mostly connected to land.To them land is their culture, food, spirit and identity. Spirituality is demonstrated by use of rituals, ceremonies and or paintings. It is dynamic and has assimilated rudiments of other beliefs (Beaman 2002).Source: http://wwwcreativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/ On the above picture the Aboriginal people are seen on a ritual to fill ochre in an old tree pit carving. This carving is a representation of a departed person’s court of arm. Its feeling symbolizes healing. Dreaming according to the Aborigines is used to illustrate the associations and stability between natural, moral and spiritual basics of the world. It goes beyond the literal meaning on that it depicts the period of time between the beginning of the universe and living reminiscence or originator ancestors.Dreamtime is a term used to describe the period during which the earth, the heavens above together with all their contents were created by the actions of paranormal and inexplicable beings. It is the surroundings in which the Aboriginals stayed in and still exists â€Å"all around us† as they say. This was an important aspect as the Aborigines were educated on the origins of the ethnic group through the dreamtime establishment myths which were the foundation of Aboriginal society dependable for proving conviction of existence.They played a big part towards their survival as evident in so many years. However, it is worth noting that ‘dreaming’ is mostly used in reference to believe or spirituality of a group or individual. Dreaming according to the Aboriginals offers a pleasant structure for individual under standing in the universe (Elkin 1993). One of the most horrifying aspects in the history of Australia is the forced snatching of Aboriginal children from their families. Young children were stolen from their parents and taken to children homes, foreign families and missions.The children brought up in the missions or through foster guardians were denied their Aboriginal traditions. They were tortured if caught speaking their native language and the young ones were not taught anything to do with Aboriginality. Boys were trained to become stockmen and girls to be household servants. In the missions the children were often subjected to physical and sexual abuse. It was only after reaching the age of majority that they were freed to the white society, habitually victimized by their occurrences.As a result of stealing the children of the Aboriginals the white people stole their future. Traditions, Language, dances, knowledge and spirituality were halted and the whites hoped that the Abori ginal culture would be demolished in a very short time. The effects on the stolen generation were loneliness, identity loss, mistrust to all, internal guilt, obscurity to find own religious believes, depression and Trans-generational traumas among others (Elkin 1993).In Australia the Aboriginal art dates back to more than a millennium, rock art and bark painting being the most common. These are usually painted with worldly colors especially from ochre. The Aboriginals poses painted narrations from Dreamtime. Today their artists carry on with their traditions using modern arts and materials. It is the most distinguished in the world and it makes me feel attracted to it. Source: http://www. creativespirits. info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/The above picture shows an example of an Aboriginal spiritual picture of the crucifixion. This was used in Sydney on The Catholic World Youth Day in the year 2008. This clearly shoes how the ancient Aboriginal art is being used relevantly in mode rn days. References Beaman, J, 2002, Aboriginal Spirituality and the Legal Construction of Freedom of Religion, Available At: < http://jcs. oxfordjournals. org/cgi/reprint/44/1/135. pdf Elkin, A. P, 1993, Aboriginal Men of High Degree. Inner Traditions, Carson.

The End of Plato’s Friendship

Plato’s Lysis takes on the issue of friendship and what, in essence, makes one a friend. Socrates encounters a group of boys who lead him to begin the discussion, in the effort to show Hippothales how he might act toward his beloved, Lysis, so as not to drive him away but rather to draw him closer. It is clear in this dialogue Socrates is seen as a wise, old man who the younger generations generally look upon for answers, and it is clear that these boys respect him enough to stop him on his way and ask of his opinion regarding several matters. The matter at heart of this dialogue asks, â€Å"What is a friend?† Here Plato is attempting to get at the essence of friendship, and he uses the innocence of youthful boys as a springboard for the conversation. The boys are themselves friends with each other, and it is appropriate that Socrates would converse with them about the nature of friendship in general. The dialogue begins with Hippothales asking Socrates for help regarding his beloved Lysis, the object of affection who is not within reach. Hippothales’ way, Socrates makes known, of loudly praising that which is not yet in his possession, is equivalent to a â€Å"hunter†¦who scares away his prey as he hunts† (Plato 21). After Hippothales makes known his method of showing his love for someone with whom he is not yet acquainted, he asks Socrates to show how he might converse properly with the object of his affection so that they can be friends, rather than scaring Lysis off and incurring loathing instead. Luring Lysis into a conversation with his friend Menexenus, Socrates begins to illustrate to Hippothales how to charm someone, â€Å"by humbling him and drawing in his sails instead of puffing him up and spoiling him† (Plato 29). Here the dialogue takes a turn away from the initial premise, and Hippothales more and more fades into the background as the dialogue progresses. By this Plato is suggesting what Socrates the character will later state, that opposites attract; Lysis and Menexenus are opposite of Socrates in that he is old and wise and they are young and naà ¯ve. In this they benefit from each other, as Socrates is able to impart his methodic wisdom to the boys, and the boys in turn learn from him. This is one of the main points in the conversation as the interlocutors attempt to get the essence of friendship. Another of the main points is that of proficient knowledge in a particular subject, such as cooking or tending to a herd, a discussion that serves to illustrate further that the boys are less knowledgeable than their elders, and thus is why there are limitations on their actions. Comparing the difference between a slave and a free person, Socrates shows Lysis that he is very similar to a slave in that he has many limitations imposed on his actions despite the fact that his parents love him dearly. Yet Socrates is able to get Lysis to admit the reason behind these limitations, â€Å"because I understand the one, and not the other† (Plato 27). By getting Lysis to admit that he is not proficient in many things, and therefore his parents set limitations upon him out of love, Socrates is showing all the boys the difference between slavery and limitations. He is also making the boys come to realize the base value of love behind setting such limitations, which is the base value in friendship. Limiting one to their knowledge does not necessarily equal complete master over one like a slave. Socrates slowly builds on the main points so that the interlocutors can agree on the basics, which include the attraction of opposites, the attraction of likes to likes, limitations versus mastery (slavery), proficiency in knowledge of particular subject matters, and the variations in which one can love and either be loved or be hated by the beloved. He must show these boys how it is possible to love someone who hates the lover—for the beloved to hate his lover—in order to get to the essence of friendship. The beloved who hates his lover is not necessarily a friend to his lover, but that does not negate the love the lover holds for his beloved, and therefore the possibility of friendship does not necessarily follow. This is important to the way the dialogue ends because it will illustrate precisely what Socrates means here. Such a distinction is possibly the closest Plato comes to getting at the essence of friendship. To love despite being hated is what makes a good friend possible. One more point is the argument Socrates brings to light regarding the possibility of good and bad people being friends. This is an interesting sidetrack because it raises some excellent questions, such as, â€Å"Is it possible for thieves and liars to be friends?† Here Plato is able to elaborate on the idea of the good inherent in all of his dialogues. Socrates brings up a good example of bodily health, desired in and of itself and therefore good. Disease is conversely considered evil because it aims to destroy bodily health. By association, the â€Å"medical arts† align with the good because it aims to restore bodily health. But without disease, there would be no medicine, and bodily health would be no issue and result in being neither good nor bad. Bodily health would just be. Similarly, without bad people there would be no good people, and there would just be people. The question of friendship would itself never arise. Plate takes aims to insure that the subject of his dialogue is relevant, and he seeks to prove its relevancy by showing how it is so. Such a sidetrack is important here especially for the youthful boys conversing with Socrates, for it allows them to distinguish why such questions are important. Plato stakes the importance of philosophy as a whole in this sidetrack, the undercurrent driving the conversation. The dialogue ends with Socrates and the boys no closer to the essence of friendship than they were at the beginning of the discussion. â€Å"For these fellows will say, as they go away, that we suppose we’re one another’s friends†¦but what he who is a friend is we have not yet been able to discover† (Plato 52). Such ends all of Plato’s dialogues, but this one ends peculiarly to topic at hand. The attendants of Lysis and Menexenus uproariously and seemingly disrespectfully interrupt the conversation to tell the boys that it is late and they must get home. Socrates speculates that they are drunk because they are so boisterous, and stubborn to the crowd gathered around Socrates’ urging the attendants to leave them be, â€Å"and we broke up our group† (Plato 52). After the whole discussion regarding the nature of friendship and what makes one a friend, the boys and the attendants are at odds with each other. The reader must then recall what Socrates mentioned earlier about the nature of slavery versus that of limitations, and how limitations are set because of the boys’ lack of proficient knowledge in general. The lack is the reason why the boys have attendants at all. The dialogue takes full circle in this way, while ending as it began. And yet they and even Socrates seem to forget the reason why the attendants are yelling at all. The group heeded the attendants only when the attendants refused to go away at the goading of the boys, Socrates included. Socrates sought to show the boys, first Hippothales and then Menexenus and Lysis, what it takes to make a friendship with someone. The dialogue turns into looking for what a friend, at its essence, really is. In dealing with friendship, it seems that the dialogue might have ended less aggressively, except that Plato made certain to state that though like may be resistant to like, like is more resistant to what is opposed to it. The attendants were the â€Å"others† while the group discussing friendship was a unit engaged in something they all found time worthy. For the attendants to disrupt the conversation in such a beastly way was to the group a signal that the attendants were opposed to the group, and therefore despite the reason for the attendants, the group felt a solidarity that was threatened by the attendants. Despite seeming like a terrible influence on the boys, Socrates actually was able to get the group to display friendship at its finest—they wished to stay together to continue talking about the virtue of friendship. Though the boys were, at bottom, resisting the attendants’ orders, they were, more importantly, displaying the nature of friendship Socrates was unable to articulate. It would not have been possible to show this without first going through the ideas of proficient knowledge, opposites and likes, and whether bad people can be friends. Works Cited Plato. â€Å"Lysis.† Plato’s Dialogue on Friendship. Trans. David Bolotin. Cornell: Ithaca, 1979.

Reflection ( Communication Around The World ) Essay

Reflection ( Communication Around The World ) - Essay Example I found it extraordinary the way the people there articulate sounds and give intonations to words. I recall at suppertime, while the whole family was dinning when I wanted salt because I felt the food did not have enough salt. I did not remember I was a visitor, and found myself speaking in my language. I only realized I was mistaken when all the family burst out in laughter. On inquiry, I learnt that the salt word in my language meant a frog in the new place. The experience embarrassed me and aroused an interest in studying the relationship between languages of the world and their cultures. What I learnt from my findings is that language is a unifying factor and an identity to people who can communicate effectively using it. However, behind this useful finding, there lies a barrier to the people of different languages. Along such lines, language ceases to unite, but instead becomes a tool of discriminating against each other (Chase & Shamo, 2013). A common language unites people, but a different language discriminates against others who do not understand it. Therefore, it is important to study the cultures of the people and relate with their

Quality Management at EMC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quality Management at EMC - Research Paper Example Two aspects of process capability relates to: measuring the variability of the output of a process; and comparing that variability with a proposed specification or product tolerance level (Wikipedia 2011). The output of any process is expected to meet the requirements of customers’ specifications or product tolerances. Before process capability can be determined a survey needs to be carried out to determine customer specifications. The process should then be allowed to run several times to determine whether the process is stable. Statistical process control is used to test if a process is stable or unstable. If processes drift or shift significantly process capability indices are not applicable as they require statistical control. If the process is out of statistical control then capability does not mean anything as it only points to a general problem instead of being specific. There seems to be some knowledge of what the problem is at EMC and so process capability studies sho uld be possible. The plating and finishing process needs to be given close attention since the complaints relate to plastic insert falling out and sharp edges on the brackets. Last year there were 56 complaints; however, within four months of the current year there are 49 complaints. The fact is that no information is given in terms of how many products were manufactured last year or if the products that were found to be defective this year relates to last years production. Since there is some uncertainty there a number of process runs will be required in order to find out where the problem lies as there may be more problems than those that have been identified so far. Statistical control can be carried out to determine the measure of variability of each process. Statistical process control or control chart is a graph which is used to study how a process changes overtime (ASQ n.d.). If the process is stable then the mean and standard deviation can be reliably estimated. Process capa bility studies and statistical process control can be implemented by EMC but this has to start with management. They have to believe that a problem exists. Additionally, they have to have a specification that they require and this should be based on the customer requirements. The survey will assist management to determine which processes needs to be improved and which does not add value and therefore needs be eliminated. Quality improvements need to be a team effort and all employees at EMC need to be involved. The information from process capability studies and statistical control will indicate what level the firm is at. This can be translated into Sigma to determine how far the company is from achieving Six Sigma and ultimately zero defects. If EMC does not have persons who are qualified to coordinate the process then a consultant needs to be employed. A systematic approach has to be taken to solving the problem and as Deming suggests EMC needs to practice PDCA - Plan what is need ed; Do it; Check that it works; Act to correct any problems or improve performance (Business Balls n.d). Utilizing a Six Sigma Program A number of companies including Motorola and General Electric have utilized the Six Sigma program in their program to help improve their bottom line. This led to Motorola achieving the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in

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Describe both the general and specific social conditions that existed for Nat Turner in Southampton County, Virginia, in the 1830s - Essay Example It is also important to consider whether or not the actions of Nat Turner were warranted or not. The aforementioned issues are what would be succinctly discussed in this paper. It was actually the horrors of the American slavery during the nineteenth century that triggered the rebellion of Nat Turner and his cohorts. It was the anguish that was caused by the alarming increase in the death of African Americans and the annihilation of slave families that triggered the actions of Nat Turner and his followers into conducting what could be described as a rather violent revolt. However, Nat Turner was regarded as a religious fanatic and this could also have precipitated his violent actions in the revolt against the white slave owners. It was due to Nat Turner’s religious zealousness that he was not apologetic in his confession when he was tried in a court in Southampton County (Oates 176-178). killing of his master and his family was unwarranted in any way. The manner at which Nat Turner conducted his rebellion gives one the impression that he was violent in nature. Nat Turner and his accomplices slaughtered defenseless women, children and babies during the revolt (Oates 101-104). It was due to Nat Turner’s rather careless approach to the issue of slavery that thwarted the abolishment of slavery in the South and made the movement to abolish slavery to lose its grounds in the South. It was after Nat Turner’s revolt that white legislatures from the South imposed austere laws on slaves in the South. It was due to the violent nature of Nat Turner’s led rebellion that it is described as one of the most bloody revolt in the history of the United States of America, a situation that led to the death of about seventy whites and over two hundred blacks. One would be forced to ask, what did Nat Turner gain from this rebellion? If the blacks he sought to free wer e actually massacred more than the white oppressors as the case may be (Oates). Thus, the legacy of Nat

Significance of Anishinaabe Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Significance of Anishinaabe Literature - Essay Example No matter what the content is, any piece of literature can only survive the test of time, and gradually transforms into a legend, if it fulfills the criteria of relevancy and righteousness. A fable, poem, play, or an anecdote, will have a continuing impact if it contains a moral lesson, which not only relates to the readers’ life, but also fills them with a sense of hope, and acts as a guide during tough patches of life. This is the reason Anishinaabe, also referred as Ojibwe, folklore, especially the short stories, had been, and is still famous among the Native American and general population. Long before Ojibwe had a written language, storytellers kept ‘Books’ of the tales, where few raconteurs were responsible for compiling the historical incidents, another group of narrators accumulated cultural myths, and the last group gathered religious traditions (Dunn, 20). Majority of these stories were transferred orally from an older generation to a younger generation, to convey the underlying moral messages, and to teach the wisdom within. Anishinaabe literature plays a crucial role in the life of indigenous people, as it richly portrays their dynamic history, guides their troubled and disillusioned younger generation, and serves as a moral support during turbulent times; whilst constantly depicting their abounding values, and their interconnected world of man and nature.Their accepted wisdom, regarding the initial development of life, is clearly delineated in the ‘stories of creation.... Historically it is believed that the process of creation took place in four sequences; first of all the physical world came into being, followed by the plant, and animal worlds, and lastly human race was formed (Johnston, 21). Johnston further describes that traditionally in Anishinaabe historical stories, the ‘Kitche Manitou’, the Great Spirit, and their equivalent of Christian God, had a vision of the world as it is today, and proceeded to create all four types of life, out of nothing. Kitche Manitou also bestowed special and distinct powers to each living being, for example, the sun was given the power of ‘light and heat’, the earth was bestowed with ‘growth and healing’ capacities, so that they all can effectively carry out their functions of life in this world, and also live in harmony with other creatures (12). An important fact here is that, in Anishinaabe historical accounts, the human race was created at the end, and is considered the w eakest of all types of living beings. It can also be said that this belief was meant to keep the mankind, known for his arrogance, and pride, humble and considerate of those around him. Bird quotes an Anishinaabe elder claiming that â€Å"If the waters stop flowing, there will be no life; if the plants die, there will be no life; if all the animals die, there will be no life; if, however, humanity ceased, life will flourish† (4). This statement eloquently captures the perceived interdependence of human race on other forms of life, and again strengthens the initial argument that to realize one’s rightful position in the world, one needs to recognize the value of other beings, and be grateful of what is

Service Quality for Retail Banking in the UK - Barclays, PLC Dissertation

Service Quality for Retail Banking in the UK - Barclays, PLC - Dissertation Example Responsiveness is a measure of the willingness to help customers and provide them with prompt service. Assurance measures the competence, courtesy, credibility and security of the service provided, while the empathy is about the caring and individualised service that the bank provides to its customers. This would help the bank in realising whether its customers are satisfied on all grounds and whether there are any gaps in their satisfaction level. We would follow the same standard set by the previously referred authors. A questionnaire survey method will be adopted to measure the service quality of the bank. The study is based on primary data from customers of Barclays and secondary data based on previous studies and shows the different dimensions of retail banking and issues related to service quality and customer satisfaction in case of UK banks. Although Barclays retail bank is considered as an example here, the thesis is to draw a general conclusion on retail banking and the service quality that would be appropriate for customer satisfaction. Several studies and published papers on banking and customer satisfaction and the associated service quality attributes are discussed here. Any research study should not only trace the existing parameters for the variables involved but also provide some future perspective of reference. Within this context, the levels of customer satisfaction could be found out from primary data in which customers are directly required to complete surveys and provide responses on what changes they expect in the future and what kind of services they have encountered in the banks. Their suggestions and recommendations from questionnaires form the basis for... This study is an assessment of how much this change has been implemented or is successful within the branches. The corporate strategy of Barclays has also been analyzed and showed how the bank strategy could or should change from an emphasis on sales to an emphasis on customer service. The attitudes and behaviors of customer service officials have also changed towards customers suggesting that changing of corporate strategy tend to have a direct impact on employee behavior and company functions and performance as well. In conclusion, there are several issues that have been highlighted through this study and shows that after an appraisal and interview and survey of customer attitudes and expectations. Some individuals, however, expressed their problems as seen in the qualitative dimension or analysis of the study and suggested that the bank should be more concerned with individualized attention and improve its services by being prompt and efficient. Improving certain online banking features and international banking features were also considered important for overall improvement of the bank’s functions. This study has shown that although Barclays has been largely known for poor customer services and focuses more on sales rather than customer services, it’s recent change of approach with greater emphasis on improving customer services than improving sales figures seem to have worked for positive results as customers seem to be more satisfied with the services offered by the banks.

Biography of Huey Long Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Biography of Huey Long - Essay Example This paper will discuss the biography of Huey Pierce Long and his career as a senator of Louisiana. Huey was born on 30th august 1893 at Winn parish in Winnfield, a small town at the north of the state (Collins and Smith 1). His father was Senior Huey Pierce Long (1852-1937), and a descendant of Tison William and Sarah Tison. Huey attended local schools at his young age, where he became a brilliant student. He was later expelled from school in 1908 after protesting against the 12th grade requirement for graduation. He had won a scholarship to Louisiana University, but did not afford textbooks to attend. He spent four years as a salesperson selling canned goods, books, patent medicine and as an auctioneer (Collins and Smith 2). In 1913, he got married to Rose McConnell, who was a stenographer. They got two sons Russel and Palmer and a daughter named Rose. During World War 1, the sales job became scarce and Long decided to attend Oklahoma Baptist University for seminary classes. He later joined the law school at Tulane University in New Orleans. Having studied law for one year at Tulane University, he took the state bar exam where he passed well and began private practice of law at Winnfield. He worked for 10 years representing plaintiffs against enormous businesses. He never took cases involving poor people. He became famous when he took on standard oil company for unacceptable business practices. He continued to challenge the company’s influence over the state politics and exploitation of the oil and gas deposits in the state (Boulard 49). At the age of 25, Long was appointed in Louisiana railroad commission in 1918 based on anti-standard oil company platform in 1918. He utilized the position at this commission to perfect his political career. He was a strong opponent of enormous utility and oil companies and fought against pipeline

Good Luck Chuck how love and sexuality are constructedrelated in the Essay

Good Luck Chuck how love and sexuality are constructedrelated in the movie - Essay Example A close analysis of the movie Good Luck Chuck in examination of how love and sexuality are constructed and related would prove that the modern texts of movies have great contribution to make towards the interest of Purdue students. It is on the basis of various elements in the relationship between love and sexuality that such an analysis of the movie needs to be carried out if the study should emerge with some implications to the Purdue students. In the introductory paragraph, we identified the movie Good Luck Chuck as a text which has got significant meaning to convey or communicate to the Purdue students in relation to love and sexuality and one may wonder how this movie becomes a text. The movie is a text that reads itself aloud to the audience the meaning and the relation between love and sexuality in the modern world. It means that, like a text of the conventional meaning, the movie has a great message to communicate to its audience which if listened to with utmost attention provides more meaning to life than an ordinary text of our understanding. Therefore, the movie Good Luck Chuck, though apparently just another comedy of life, assumes a greater role with immense implications and meanings in the modern environment. To exemplify, the climax of the movie tells how even the fate that had been indifferent all through Charlie's life turns in his favor acknowledging his insatiable efforts to overcome the same. This message is crystal-clear as if any conventional text would explain. It is in the recognition of this meaning that the movie realizes its meaning and scope and it acts as a text open to its audience. Only condition is that the audience needs to open this text and read for the implicit as well as explicit meaning in it. The implication of the meaning that the movie renders is that the movie itself with all its characteristic features such as the plot, theme, dialogues, symbols and pictorial images resides as if a great text of humanity in its love and sexual relation. When we look for some meaning in the protagonist's specific condition where he is able to have a single sexual relation with every lady he meets but cannot make the relation go ahead so as to end up in a celebrated love relation between the two, it reads, as a great text of life in its varied experience, that the construct that is called sexuality is entirely different from what we can gather about the concept of love. The text of the movie, we may conclude, makes a clear distinction between the concept of sexuality and love. What every human being is cherishing for at the end of each sexual relation is that the relation does not stop there, but reaches the greater stage, i.e. love. It is the same concept of love that drives Charlie fo rward to seek for an everlasting love relation with someone, remarkably Cam, rather than just enjoying a life of sexual satisfaction alone. The movie Good Luck Chuck, therefore, becomes an emblem all that human knowledge recognizes as the difference between love and sexuality. Here, sex is of momentary nature whereas love has a greater significance in human life with enduring value and implication. Not many a text would disseminate a greater message through its medium as the movie Good Luck Chuck does in establishing the real nature of sexuality and love. That is the reason why, movies are often considered

Traditional Marriage Essay Example for Free

Traditional Marriage Essay â€Å"In Sacred Rite or Civil Right,† Howard Moody, a Baptist minister, discusses his inner thoughts on the subject of marriage. He explains the tradition of marriage and informs the rights and freedoms of the people along with describing how it all affects people whether they are against it or with it. Most Christians of all denominations believe that a â€Å"traditional marriage† is the union between two people of the opposite sex and only have one significant other. Moody explains, â€Å"Christians feel superior about their ‘tradition’ of marriage, I would remind them that their scriptural basis is not as clear about marriage as we might hope† (353 Moody). He discusses how in the Bible that some important men have more than one wife and some children have different mothers and fathers. Most people forget this or choose not to see it that way. They â€Å"seem to be unaware of the real history of the institution of marriage† (Mataconis). Anti-gay religious groups and anti-gay individuals are people who discriminate gays and lesbians and believe that they should not be given a â€Å"traditional marriage† because they view them as sinful and damned in hell for all eternity. Moody explains that these religious groups and individuals do not realize that their so called â€Å"traditional marriage† isn’t as what it seems to be. In earlier periods of time, such as the 1700s and 1800s, â€Å"Marriage was about property and power rather than mutual attraction. It was a way of forging political alliances, sealing business deals, and expanding the family labor force. For many people, marriage was an unavoidable duty† (Mataconis). As Mataconis states, a â€Å"traditional marriage† was thought of as a legal contract; that a couple who was to be married should be married under certain circumstances, not out of love as people nowadays believe it to be. Freedoms and rights are also huge according to Moody. If freedom of choice means anything to individuals (male or female), it means they have several options. They can be single and celibate without being thought of as strange or psychologically unbalanced†¦ single and sexually active without being labeled loose or immoral†¦ single with [a] child without being thought of as unfit or inadequate† (354 Moody). He believes that if these options were fine with society, the rate of divorce would have never reached as high as nearly 50 percent. He also states the differences of marriage between religion and state. The state sees marriage as a contract between a â€Å"man and woman in order to protect money, property, and children† and religion sees marriage as a spiritual and romantic union between two people (355 Moody). ‘Faith in America’, a group based on religious views, even states, â€Å"Every American citizen has the right and freedom to marry the person they love without regard to race, gender, nationality, religion or any other social category† (FIA). This claims that one’s rights should not be taken away due to any circumstance, whether society views it correct or not. Many people, whether they are for a â€Å"traditional marriage† or not, are either extremely affected by it or just don’t care. Some people just ignore it and don’t bother to say anything while others are constantly bickering about the morality of the matter. Some see same gender marriages as disgraceful, wrong, and incredibly sinful, while others go about their ways and do not give it much attention. Why would we as Americans not want our government and its laws to recognize that same marriage sanctity for gay and lesbian individuals in their pursuit of liberty and happiness? † (FIA). Many see same-sex marriage as a way to gain rights that opposite gender couples have, such as tax breaks, medical insurance, dependency status, retirement benefits, social security benefits and inheritance rights. â€Å"Obviously, the only reason one can discern is that the opponents believe that gay and lesbian people are not worthy of the benefits and spiritual blessings of marriage† (356 Moody). Never the less, whether people agree with it or not, life goes on. In conclusion, everyone has the right to be married to whomever they please, or they should at least be able to live with whoever they want. Though people may see it as immoral, it is a God given right that every person should be able to love whoever they want without discrimination. Is it wrong? That is up to a person’s beliefs, whether society agrees with today’s â€Å"traditional marriage† or not.

Shang Dynasty Essay Example for Free

Shang Dynasty Essay The Shang Dynasty ruled a region of China in the Yellow River valley, an area of land that is now commonly referred to as the cradle of Chinese civilization?. The Shang Dynasty ruled their empire from around 1500-1050 B. C. E. and existed during the time of China’s Bronze Age. The Shang is the first Chinese Dynasty to leave behind sufficient evidence of its culture. This evidence has come in the form of written documents, several bronze works, and the Shang oracle bones. As a result of discovering these ancient artifacts and translating them, much is known of the Shang Dynasty and how it was run. Government was ran in the style of a monarchy and there was a class system in place as well. Over the course of the nearly 600 years that the dynasty ruled, there were about 30 kings in total that were served by officials who often held specialized positions of authority?. The Shang created a social pyramid not much unlike many other ancient cultures â€Å"with the king at the top, followed by the military nobility, priests, merchants, and farmers†?. The most distinguishable aspect of the culture between the upper classes and lower classes recognizable today is the burial process. It was not uncommon for the upper class to be buried in extremely extravagant tombs that often contained sacrifices and other gifts. It was also not common for the lesser class to be simply buried in pits that varied in size, while the lowest classes of people were occasionally thrown down wells when dead4. This organized government and society was one of the Shang dynasty’s many contributions to Chinese civilization. The Shang also made a few additional historical contributions to Chinese civilization that include the invention of writing in China, advances in bronze technology, and the use of the chariot and bronze weaponry in war. Most of the writings found from the Shang dynasty today are found in the form of the Shang oracle bones. This is most likely due to the fact that other forms of writing during the time was done on bamboo and silk, which have since decomposed, or on bronze where the writing was usually short5. Bronze in the Shang dynasty was used in very specific ways. This is known because â€Å"it is clear that only those with any degree of power in the kingdom had access to using bronze objects†6. These bronze objects ranged from food and wine vessels to military weapons, such as spears and bows. The Shang mastered the art of molding these bronze objects and weapons that helped them to be very religious and, even more importantly, extremely effective in maintaining its military supremecy7. This military supremacy along with the invention of writing and an organized government allowed the Shang dynasty to rule for many centuries and also make it one of the most historically significant times in Chinese history. A. Legalism Legalism is a philosophy in which power is concentrated with the ruler, there are strict laws, and severe repercussions for breaking the laws. Legalism was created by putting together ideas from Confucianism, Daoism, and Han Fei himself. Consequently, the largest advocate of this philosophy was Han Fei himself. He lived from around 280-233 B. C. E. and is said to have studied under a Confucian master named Xunzi. He also served as a minister during the Qin Dynasty which tried to put legalism in place. The whole idea behind legalism is that humans are born evil and selfish in nature and will only act in their own self-interest. For this reason, legalism demands a very strict agenda. Once set in place, â€Å"law must be enforced without any favoritism or exceptions, there must be no consideration of extenuating circumstances, and the law takes on a life of its own and its integrity takes precedence over any individual (except the ruler†¦)†8. Everyone in the society was required to do exactly as the law says and no less. Han Fei also believed that for such a law to be uniformly effective it had inflexible so that everyone could understand it. To this end, he also believed that that best rewards were the ones that were predictable. Legalism and Han Fei also called for severe and inescapable punishments for minor offenses in the hopes that fear would drive anyone away from committing major offenses that would call for unimaginable consequences9. This idea is extremely contradictory to Confucianism ideals, where rulers and their people should rely on morality. Han Fei didn’t believe people could ever change from their selfish state and for this reason didn’t believe Confucianism could be effective. Legalism may conceivably work, but it is not possible to create a set of laws that cover all possibilities and it holds flaws that over time tend to create separation in society that is detrimental to the state10. A. Indus Valley Civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization, more commonly known today as the Harappan Civilization, was the earliest society is South Asia that began at around 3000 B. C. E. and lasted until 2000 B. C. E.. The Harappan Civilization was based in the Indus River Valley where its two largest cities were located. Nevertheless, by about 2500 B. C. E. a uniform culture had â€Å"spread across nearly 500,000 square miles, including parts of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Baluchistan, Sind and the Makran coast†11. During the time this civilization was in existence it was extremely stable. The cities were well engineered and contained well designed infrastructures that were host to strong building built from brick and streets that were laid at the correct angles and lined with elaborate systems of covered drains12. The civilization had also grown to domesticate animals such as camels, goats, and water buffalo and cultivate crops such as wheat barley and peas13. In addition to domestication and cultivation, the Harappan people were also avid traders. This is known by the many seals discovered. There have been so many uncovered that it suggests each merchant or mercantile family had its own seal14. The civilization was extremely successful for an extended period of time, but at around 1700 B. C. E. it began to decline. By 1500 B. C. E. the Harappan people and their civilization seemed to disappear. There are many questions as to why this happened and also many theories. Some include ecological changes that forced them to move out of the region. An example could have been flooding along the Indus River. Another theory involves other groups of people, that could involve the Aryans or other barbaric tribes of the region, forcing the Harappan people out. A. Hellenism After Alexander died in 323 B. C. E. his generals divided the land amongst themselves and by around 275 B. C. E it was divided into three powerful Hellenistic monarchies. Hellenistic is defined as relating to Greek culture, language and history. These three monarchies were defined as such because although they lied separately from the former Greek empire, they all still embraced the Greek language and culture while sharing no political uniformity at all. The Hellenism allowed people from any monarchy to travel, speak the native language, and relate to the citizens, creating some uniformity between the three regions. These new states were ruled absolutely by kings, compared to classic Greek states where the people ruled. These kings were extremely interested in amassing large sums of riches and purchased items from all around the world ranging from India, Syria, Spain, and Cornwall15. Once these riches were obtained they were put on display for all to see. The kings made huge donations to zoo and libraries16. An example is the Library of Alexandria. The people of these states were not as satisfied. Not long ago they were involved in the workings of a democratic state and now they were a part of an impersonal empire that sought only wealth17. Many philosophers criticized this saying that money is not what brings happiness. The Hellenistic age did not last long and ended in 36 B. C. E. when the last of the Hellenistic people fell to the Romans. B. 1. The Origin of Death The story of the origin of death created by the Kono people of West Africa tells a story of an old man and a god. The last lines in the story read: In keeping with his promise, Alatangana had no choice but to let his children go and answer Sa, whenever he called. Thus even today, Alatangana’s children still answer to the call of Sa. All because Alatangana didn’t pay a dowry when he marries Sa’s daughter. The story arrives at this point only after a series of events play out between the old man, Sa, and the god, Alatangana. The first event is Alatangana creating a more habitable world for Sa, his wife and his daughter. Alatangana then begins to fall in love with Sa’s daughter and asks Sa for his permission to marry her. Despite being told no by Sa, Alatangana does so anyway. Alatangana and the daughter have fourteen children together, seven of which are male and seven which are female. Every one of them is a different race and every one of them speaks a different language. This is Sa’s doing and he also sends Alatangana’s children to every corner of the world. When his children ask to be taken of out the darkness Alatangana asks Sa for help. He sends birds back to Sa that will sing and bring forth the light of day. However, in return for this gift Sa tells Alatangana that he may now take a child of his whenever he so pleases. Alatangana must agree to this and the deal is done. In this story death is portrayed by Sa, who many now take any of god’s children whenever he sees fit. The last lines of the story demonstrate how the Kono relate such an ancient tale to today by stating that â€Å"†¦Alatangana’s children still answer to the call of Sa†. In addition, the fact that the dowry is once again highly stressed in the final line show the importance of that aspect in their culture at the time. This interpretation of how life and death came to be are historically relevant because it illustrates how earlier civilizations made sense of the world they found themselves in. It also shows us that the Kono believed that death was an equally, if not more significant, part of life compared to gods and other aspects. The story also shows that the Kono believed everyone was a child of god and that death did not choose a certain class to focus death upon, or deny a class death because of something such a wealth or power. The story suggests equality between all people with regards to god and death. B. 3. Purusha The myth of Purusha is one on how the world is created and is from the Rigveda. The Rigveda is the oldest Aryan scripture, being transmitted orally from around 1500-1000 B. C. E. before being written down in Sanskrit at around 800-500 B. C. E. The story of Purusha tell how that world is created but in a very symbolic way. Each part of Purusha’s body is used to make what becomes each of the social classes and gods of old. According to the myth â€Å"The Brahmin was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rajanya made. His thighs became the Vaisya, from his feet the Sudra was produced†. Each body part became a specific class for a specific reason. The Brahmin came from the mouth because they devoted their lives to memorizing all the Veda’s. They were the only ones who knew the Veda’s and therefore were called upon to recite a Veda when someone needed guidance. The Rajanya, or warrior class, was made from the arms because fighting required heavily upon your arms and strength. The Vaisya, or merchant and artisan class, were made from the thighs because they represented hard work and were the pillars on which the civilization ran. The Sudra, or laborer class, was made from the feet because they were the lowest of all the people created and could metaphorically be stepped on by higher classes. In the myth the two higher classes are also described together in the first sentence together, emphasizing the line between the two upper classes and the two lower ones. Along these lines, this myth is to show were these classes lie in society and give the people in the classes a reason to why they are there. This way, the people in power now have a reason to stay in power and give the people in lower classes a reason to stay there. Therefore, the story is used as a validation for the caste system of the time as a whole. It suggests that any other form of social structure would be wrong because it would not be divine. This small exert from the myth of Purusha on how humans were made played an important role on how the caste system was working at the time and gave people a reason not to question it. 3. 6. Analects The Analects is a text that contains hundreds of sayings of Confucius written down by his students after his death and completely out of context. Confucianism was based on the idea that all people had the ability to become good and that society should be run on morality. This is in contrast with other ideals such as Legalism which was based on the idea that everyone was born evil and selfish, could never change, and required to be severely punished for minor offenses. Confucius did not believe that this was an effective way to rule people and his reasoning is shown in the Analects. It is written in Book II, III. 1. â€Å"The master said, ‘If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame’†. By stating this Confucius believes that if a ruler is trying to obtain uniformity to obey a law by punishment people will simply try and avoid the punishment without conforming and will have learned nothing. In the second part of the passage he states â€Å"If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . With this he simply states that upon learning a moral philosophy that people will uniformly want to become good. With this in mind, Confucius also believed that the government should play a small role in the lives of the people and always hold the people in its best interest. The following saying recorded in the Analects go on to state how people should be treated when alive, while being buried, and how they should be sacrificed. All of these things should be dependent on how well you conformed to the acceptable standards of morality that should be set in place. These passages all sum up some of the main points of Confucianism such that morality should play a key role in how one’s life is lived and how ruling should take place. B. 7. The Apology In The Apology written by Plato, Socrates is being put on trial by the city of Athens and is giving his defense. He is on trial for corrupting the youth and being impious, although it is certain he has done neither of these formally accused things. During Socrates defense he states that Athens and other cities need people like him. Someone who would go around and ask questions in order to make people think. Socrates believed that people didn’t truly think about what they were doing and to do so needed to ask more questions. Socrates also believed he was wiser than any other man in that he knew that knew nothing. In fact, his defense against the charge of being impious was that he firmly believed he was carrying out the will of Apollo and was told by the oracle of the god that he was the wisest man. If he believed such things then there is no way he could possibly not be pious. With this that charge was somewhat thrown away. He tried to explain that he was only trying to promote productive thought throughout the city and its people. He felt that he was necessary for the city to be attached to just as a gadfly to a horse. Just as the city was unwilling to think without a being questioned, the horse was too lazy to move without a sting. He ended his defense by stating that instead of killing him they should reward him. With his argument that they needed him more than they knew it and somewhat sarcastic punishment suggestion, he was sentenced to death. This is only an interpretation by Pluto and states that it is beneficial for someone to be asking questions and trying to enlighten others. It also represents the philosophical style which Plato learned from Socrates and advocated during his lifetimes as well. A style that effected Athenian life by making the city more conscious and aware of the actions it partook on a day to day basis when put into practice. C. 1. Paleolithic to Neolithic The Neolithic Revolution marked the beginning of the Stone Age and set up a new form of lifestyle for early humans. The Neolithic Revolution was proceeded by the Paleolithic era. The people that were alive at this time are the oldest know people in existence. These people were hunters and gatherers, relying on the food they could find in the forest or the animals they could kill to eat. They were also nomadic people, never staying in one concrete place but rather moving to wherever the climate and was suitable for their style of life. When the Neolithic Revolution took place people began to work more on their stone working abilities. Thus, the Neolithic revolution coincides with the beginning of the Stone Age. The Neolithic revolution also marked several other large changes in the way people live. People began to farm and produce their own food along with domesticate animals. It is now known that the Neolithic people planted and grew primitive forms of wheat and barley. This crop could have been very useful because it could be stored and used at a later date18. For example, during a drought or dry season one could use their stored crop to help feed their animals. In this way agriculture grew alongside the domestication of animals. This time called for planning that involved picking the most productive grain to plant the next growing season and which of your most powerful animals you should have mate19. This newfound knowledge and ability to stay in one place allowed the human population to grow in concentrated areas. This was a very change from Paleolithic times where groups typically ranged from 20-30 people. During the Neolithic age it was not uncommon for there to be large farming towns and cities with thousands of residents. Almost every of life was changed during the Neolithic revolution and the way of life it brought was effective. Until recently, in the past couple centuries, Neolithic culture had survived in many parts of the world. C. 4. Polis The term polis in Greek means city-state, and its existence during the Archaic age and at the time of Alexander the Great had a large effect on Greek culture. The Archaic age burst from the dark ages in Greece and lasted from around 800-500 B. C. E. and with it brought a revitalized trade, agricultural and urbanization elements. At the height of the Greek colonization there were about 1,500 city-states that occupied a very large Greek speaking cultural zone. These city-states were often run in one of three way that included a democracy, and oligarchy, or a tyranny. The democracy is the one which the power is held in the people’s hands. In this system everyone may have equal power with accordance to the law but it was often recognized that the wealthy still retained more power. The system where the few wealthy and powerful did run the government was called and oligarchy. One in which only one person rules is a tyranny. The city-states at the time had no standing armies, were religiously centered, and also focused on the arts. By the time the Classical age came to be along with the great ruler Alexander the Great Greece was very powerful and rich with culture. This was due impart to the city-states that allowed the Greek culture to spread to all corners of the empire while retaining a stable social and political structure within themselves and therefore the entire empire. Notes 1. Selena Lai and Waka Takahashi Brown, â€Å"The Shang Dynasty, 1600 to 1050 BCE. † FSI Stanford Spice Digests, (2006): Accessed September 29, 2013, http://iis-db. stanford. edu/docs/117/ShangDynasty. pdf. 2. Ibid. , 1. 3. ushistory, 9b. Shang Dynasty — Chinas First Recorded History. Accessed September 29, 2013. http://www. ushistory. org/civ/9b. asp. 4. Ibid. , 1. 5. Lai and Brown, â€Å"The Shang Dynasty, 1600 to 1050 BCE,† 1. 6. Ibid. , 1. 7. Ibid. , 1. 8. Gregory Smits. â€Å"Legalism,† in the web-based book Topics in Premodern Chinese History. (accessed September 29, 2013). http://www. personal. psu. edu/faculty/g/j/gjs4/textbooks/PM-China/ch5. htm. 9. Ibid. , 1. 10. Ibid. , 1. 11. Tripod, The Indus Valley Civilisation. Accessed September 29, 2013. http://sympweb. tripod. com/IndusValleyhistory. htm. 12. Ibid. , 1. 13. Ibid. , 1. 14. Ibid. , 1. 15. The History Channel, Hellenistic Greece. Accessed September 29, 2013. http://www. history. com/topics/hellenistic-greece. 16. Ibid. , 1. 17. Ibid. , 1. 18. Edrene S. McKay, â€Å"Paleolithic Neolithic Societies,† in World Civilizations from Prehistory to 1500. Accessed September 30, 2013. www. Online-History. org. 2 19. Ibid. , 2. Bibliography McKay, Edrene S. , â€Å"Paleolithic Neolithic Societies,† in World Civilizations from Prehistory to 1500. 1. Accessed September 30, 2013. www. Online-History. org. 2 Lai, Selea and Waka Takahashi Brown, â€Å"The Shang Dynasty, 1600 to 1050 BCE. † FSI Stanford Spice Digests, (2006): 1. Accessed September 29, 2013. http://iis-db. stanford. edu/docs/117/ShangDynasty. pdf Smits, Gregory. â€Å"Legalism,† in the web-based book Topics in Premodern Chinese History. 1. Accessed September 29, 2013. http://www. personal. psu. edu/faculty/g/j/gjs4/textbooks/PM-China/ch5. htm). The History Channel, Hellenistic Greece. Accessed September 29, 2013. http://www. history. com/topics/hellenistic-greece Tripod, The Indus Valley Civilisation. Accessed September 29, 2013. http://sympweb. tripod. com/IndusValleyhistory. htm. ushistory, 9b. Shang Dynasty — Chinas First Recorded History. Accessed September 29, 2013. http://www. ushistory. org/civ/9b. asp.

Corporate Social Responsibilities in Kuwait

Corporate Social Responsibilities in Kuwait Corporate social responsibilities (CSR) are a form of corporate self regulation inducted into business models. The term Corporate Social Responsibilities was coined in the early 1970s that is after many multinational companies were born. CSR policies of corporate organizations are aimed at providing a positive impact of their actions on customers, employees and shareholders. In other words, its goal is to improve the social environment of communities, it is an organizations means of giving back to the community. This improvement is channeled through nurturing growth and development of communities, including elimination of detrimental practices that affect the public sphere. When a company is said to take part in corporate social responsibility, it means that they have ethical, social and moral responsibilities towards the community and society in which they are operating. Another important responsibility include in the CSR is the return given to investors and abiding by the national rules in the business dealings and functions. According to the traditional view of corporate social responsibility, it was related to the key stakeholders of the company only, which are its stockholders or owners. However today the corporate social responsibility of the business is required in every aspect of the business whether they are the suppliers, customers, investors, employees, government, social groups or owners etc (RFB, 2010). 2. Concepts related to Corporate Social Responsibility: There are several concepts and issues that have emerged today related to the corporate social responsibility. The CSR should now be addressed by the companies in various contexts and some of them are illustrated as follows: 2.1 SOCIAL ISSUES Due to the operation of the businesses having different internal environment and different cultural values, several social issues can emerge. Some of the social issues that emerge are mainly because of the operations of the business. The social issues would include all type of problems that can arise in a society because of the business. These can be environmental e.g pollution because of business operations, the cultural issues, ethical issues or technological issues etc. 2.2 CSR related to Stakeholders: Any individuals, organization, societies or elements of the environment that have a stake in the company and is affected by as well as affects the business is known as its stakeholder. Businesses have a number of stakeholders and it must ensure that the rights of all the stakeholders are delivered to them. For example the workforce of the company has some legal rights as well ethically and morally the company should give the workforce some rights related to the operations of the business. For example In a firm, the health and safety of the employee is the legal responsibility as well as the ethical responsibility of the organizations. The companies have various stakeholders as mentioned before. The stakeholders can be further categorized as the primary stakeholders and the secondary stakeholders. The primary stakeholders of the company are the ones that can impact the organizations business operations. While the secondary stakeholders are the one that can have both direct and indirect impact on the operations of a business. The primary ones are said to have a direct stake and these include the employees, the suppliers, communities, the customers, regulatory bodies, future generations, shareholders, government and business partners etc. even the nature and the environment that a company can have an effect on are a part of its primary stakeholders. The secondary stakeholders even if do not have a direct stake but can be positively or negatively affect by the decisions or operations of the company. These include the interest groups, social groups, political groups etc. The rights of the primary stakeholders of a company are often protected by the laws because they often have a legal link and have a direct connection with each other. on the other hand, the secondary stakeholders might not have legal rights and privileges but the Equity holders are the main stakeholders of any concern. Every organization has to fulfill some is a moral and legal duties and rights of their respective owners. Some of these include, seeking to make sure that the prime stakeholders receive an adequate return on what they have invested in the firm. This is not the only right but the basic right. Besides, the owner, employees are also major players in the business, they also have both moral and legal requirements that the firm must meet. The businesses also have a special obligation to its customers in connection with the marketing, advertising, production and quality of products. The products are also expect to offer functionality, safety and value of local communities. All these duties listed for the firm to follow can significantly affect the activities of national organizations and therefore a direct participation in their activities and other enterprises to do business with. Many social commentators also suggest that companies are directly responsible for future generations and wildlife. 2.3 Environmental Issues. Companies have long been criticized for their negative impact on the natural environment in which they operate. The negative impact of the firm on the environment can be related to terms natural resources and pollution and global warming. In many of the organizations there are no proper systems for waste management. Many firms use fossil fuels that release high quantity of carbon dioxide that is said to be one of the bigger contributors of global warming, and there are social pressure on government and businesses to meet strict standards for environmental and be volunteers in the change process of production which would be less damaging to the environment. Other issues related to the natural environment include acid rain, waste disposal, deforestation, and soil degradation. (Environmental leader, 2010).If an organization does not comply with the standards of environmental responsibility then they not just lose their respect in the eyes of the customers but also face opposition from g overnment, NGOs and various pressure groups. 2.4 Global Issues. More and more organizations today operate in a global environment. The globalization of trade seems to be an irreversible trend, but there are many opponents to it. Critics point out that globalization leads to exploitation in developing countries and workers, environmental degradation and increasing human rights violations. They also argue that globalization benefits mainly the wealthy, widening the gap between rich and poor. Proponents of globalization argue that open markets lead to an increased standard of living for all, higher wages for workers worldwide, and economic development in poor countries. Many large multinational companies are in scope and will continue to face legal, social and ethical issues posed by the increasing globalization of trade. 2.5 Technology Issues Another contemporary social problems relating to technology and its impact on society. For example, the Internet has opened up many new opportunities for marketing goods and services, but also opened up new opportunities for abuse of the companies. Issues of privacy and security of confidential information is handled. Biotechnology companies face issues regarding the use of embryonic stem cells, genetic engineering and cloning. All these things are ethical and social implications. As technological capabilities continue to advance, it is likely that the liability of companies in this sector will increase significantly. Research shows that companies are developing a reputation for being socially responsive and ethical enjoy better performance. But the final motivation for companies to engage in corporate social responsibility should not be an economic motive, but the moral and ethical. (RFB, 2010). 3. Corporate Social Responsibility in Kuwait: CSR is a tool that aids the organization on its mission and serves as dynamic guide as to the organizations principles. There is no formal act of legislation pertaining to CSR; however ISO 26000 is considered as an International Standard for CSR. Public sector organizations adopt the triple bottom line policy; People, Planet, Profit. Along with the mushrooming of multinational companies the scrutiny of their business activities have also increased. This means that organizations who adopt CSR policies have a greater chance of survival. Adoption of corporate responsibility supports business objectives; it results in increase in compliance, reputation and relationships which in turn increase shareholder value and profitability of the company. The International Business Report (IBR) 2008 states the three major reasons for incorporation of CSR in businesses are; Recruitment/Retention of Staff at 65%, Cost Management at 63% and Public attitudes/building brand at 56%. Other reasons perceived to promote CSR are tax reliefs that are provided by the government and investor relations. Tax reliefs are a tool that governments possess by which it may force a change in the attitudes of companies. This tool can be used to force companies to incorporate a CSR policy in their business models. Investors of the company have an impor tant say within company matters. Multinational companies are on the look for local and foreign investors. This provides Investor an edge to influence companies to adopt CSR plans. The Kuwait CSR conference, which is held annually, promotes incorporation of CSR within businesses and also discusses the performance enhancement that CSR offers. A CSR award ceremony held annually in Kuwait to appreciate the contributions made by organizations to Kuwaiti communities. This awards event honors companies for their achievements on the CSR front. Both the conference and award ceremony encourage organizations to adopt a CSR policy. A report by International Business Machines (IBM) Institute for Business Value voiced that companies are viewing CSR as a growth opportunity rather than a policy concerning regulatory-compliance or philanthropic issue. The report further states that 68% of the companies that were surveyed had interest in generating revenue through CSR based activities. Customer concern is considered to be the chief driver of CSR actions however 76% of companies state that they dont completely understand the customers CSR concerns while 16% of organizations claimed that they are able to engage with customers regarding CSR activities. The three major domains which have received contributions from organizations are health care, education and financing aid and charitable trusts. Within the health care domain, organizations sponsor construction of hospitals, medical centers as well as purchasing of equipment. Corporations also design programs that increase awareness of diseases and disorders among the population. In 1999, a telecommunications company; Zain, sponsored and supervised the construction of Sabah Ear-Nose-Throat Hospital. The Kuwaiti Projects Company (KIPCO) initiated a dyslexia campaign. The goal of the campaign was to increase awareness of dyslexia among students and professional alike. For this deed, KIPCO was honored with CSR award. The Annual report of Kuwait Finance House (KFH) 2007 highlighted that the organization provided KD 1.250 million to Bait Al-Zakat (Kuwait Zakat House), increases the provisions allocated for the construction of 15 ambulance centers on the motorways worth KD 1.450 million. The second major domain covered by organizations is education. Organizations aim to educate the local communities not only in traditional educational settings but also in educating in awareness of pollution of the environment, development of discipline and personal skills in young individuals, providing training to young professionals through internships. A Kuwait based multinational petrochemical company; EQUATE, sponsors educational programs, research programs and provides scholarships and awards for higher education. The company not only reaches out to students and educational institutes but also believes in knowledge transfer to regional companies. EQUATE also initiated the pollution free Kuwait campaign whose aims were to decrease the level of pollution in Kuwait and to create awareness of the effects of pollution within the masses (KMPG, 2010). The third area is that of financing relief efforts and charitable trust. Organizations donate allocated funds to trusts from their own accounts. Companies also allot a fixed portion of a sale towards charity. For Example, on the sale of a cell phone a company may forward 5% of its profit to chosen charity .Kuwait airways coupled with Kuwait Red Crescent to provide relief for the less privileged. This association resulted in the launch of a relief project Balsam, whose goals were to provide remedial measures for the needy. The collection of donations for this project is unique in its manner. Kuwait airways collected foreign currency donations from its passengers. These currencies were then forwarded to Kuwait Red Crescent where they were utilized as needed. Even though the report published by IBM Institute of for Business Value highlights that CSR is not focusing on compliance but on generation of revenue streams. The incorporation of CSR in local and multinational companies in Kuwait has provided a positive outlook to social activities. This not only has increased faith of the consumers within the companies but also has proven a source of proper ethical behavior for the companies themselves. 4. Example of Corporate social Responsibility in Kuwait: The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) long been a leader in addressing environmental sustainability issues. In early 1990, Kuwait in front of the worst environmental disaster in recent history, in the wake of the late Iraqi government on the country. Oil wells and gathering centers were in flames, and the uncontrolled flow of oil was filled with hundreds of huge oil lakes and miles and miles of shoreline contamination. It was imperative that the countrys oil infrastructure can be restored and its environment. Today, Kuwait has the worlds seventh largest oil exporter and holds approximately 10% of global oil reserves. KOC is the effective management of oil and gas upstream, acting in Kuwait and the storage of crude oil and deliver it to the tank for export. Significantly, KOC has also helped to clean and protect the environment, embracing corporate social responsibility and the launch of a series of bold initiatives on sustainability, using the latest technologies and industry best practices. Emissions monitoring for regulatory compliance and CSR Kuwait KOC EPA Data from multiple sources while minimizing the Rolling risk of errors or omissions Provide an accurate analysis in real time which translates into better decisions faster Overall 90% reduction in time spent on emissions data collection, processing and reporting from various systems Saved weeks of work and improved accuracy by automating the deployment analysis of corporate sustainability reporting in Gift HSE staff to focus on higher value tasks and increase productivity Koc Health, Safety and Environment Group uses essential result in multiple production facilities, with an unlimited number of users accessing the system via a software-as-a-Service or SaaS implementation is supported by BP Consultancy (PCB ). KOC and the PCB has started using the essential Air module to collect and manage air emissions data Standardization of data, coding data, models, process flows, data models and other functions to generate a wide range of reports and update system dashboards KOC. In the process, KOC not only fulfill its commitments to corporate responsibility, he also streamline the critical operations of the company.

The Color Purple By Alice Walk :: essays research papers

Alice Walker’s The Color Purple presents the life-long struggle of Celie, a black Georgia woman, who yearns to obtain confidence and self-esteem. During the early stages of the novel, references to wagons are made, signifying the â€Å"old days,† whereas towards the end of the work automobiles surface. Though Walker never discusses any specific time or place where the story actually occurs, the change in transportation suggests about a forty-year span of Celie’s life, from the beginning of the novel until the end. Written in first person, Celie writes a series of letters to God, explaining the torture that she faces, and begging him for some form of mercy. After years of abuse, both physically and emotionally, Celie discovers herself searching for some self-respect. Fonso, Celie’s abusive father, forces her to marry Albert, also abusive by nature. Celie finds a degree of hope through the depiction of Albert’s mistress, Shug. Shug serves as a tremendous force in Celie’s attainment of confidence, as the two eventually form a strong bond. Celie’s sister, Nettie, intelligent and caring who â€Å"mean[s] everything in the world† to Celie, also faces many of the same obstacles that Celie does, but Nettie first helps Celie overcome hers. As time passes, Celie gains more and more self-respect as well as some respect from others. The central theme flowing throughout the work remains that man often defeats his problems through the nurturing of close intimate relationships. The bond between Shug and Celie allows Celie to conquer her passive behavior. Likewise, her relationship with Nettie also instills a strong sense of courage and self-esteem within Celie. Celie refuses to allow the horrible deeds of the men in her life to control her towards the latter stages of the novel. The intimate relationships that Celie shares with both the energetic Shug and the loving Nettie provides Celie with hope that she will one day come out of her passive shell. Walker captures the audience with Celie’s series of letters to God that involve the audience. This unusual style of writing forces the reader to become directly involved in Celie’s life. Though the work is told by Celie’s perspective, the audience is able to receive adequate information about other key characters instead of only being able to venture into Celie’s mind. The language used throughout the novel serves several purposes.

Legalizing Marijuana :: Marijuana Illegal Drugs Weed Essays, hemp

Abraham Lincoln once stated that, â€Å"Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes†¦ A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.† In today’s society, this statement still applies in reference to the illegal use of marijuana. Marijuana prohibition causes far more harm than marijuana itself. Keeping marijuana illegal is expensive and causes crime. Out of four possible connections between drugs and crime, at least three would not exist if drug prohibition laws were repealed. First, crimes which occur billions of times a year are producing, selling, buying, and consuming strictly controlled and banned substances. If drug prohibition laws were repealed, these activities would obviously cease to be crimes. Next, many users commit crimes, such as robbery, dealing, prostitution, and running numbers to earn money to support their habits. If marijuana was less expensive and easier to obtain, which would be the case if it were legalized, the crimes committed under these circumstances would dramatically decline. The third drug-crime link I drug trafficking. Without prohibition laws, those people trying to make a living by selling and distribution would not be thrown in jail. Support for legalizing marijuana is at its highest level in 30 years, according to the USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll. Since 1996, voters in eight states have passed initiatives supporting marijuana for medical purposes at least. Polls show more than 70% of voters support medical marijuana. Polls in Canada and England show half the population now supports legalization. The USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll found support for legalization â€Å"highest among 18 to 49 year olds, people in the West, and independent voters. Opposition was greatest among the elderly, those who attend church weekly, and Republicans.† Those people generally do not accept change or want anything to be different. Marijuana should be legalized, if not completely then at least for medicinal purposes. Many argue that legalizing marijuana allows anyone to grow, smoke, and use the herb. The Lakeland Pol ice Department calls marijuana â€Å"a psychoactive drug which increases anxiety, depression, paranoia, delusion, lack of motivation, aggression, risky behavior, and depersonalization† (Marijuana Legalization Issues 1). Opposers of legalization say that marijuana can cause physical harm if ingested in great amounts for a long enough time. They argue that passing an amendment to legalize marijuana under the pretense of medicinal purposes gives all people, including children, felons, and prison inmates, a constitutional right to grow and smoke it for a headache, cold, or any other common ailment.

A room of ones own Essay -- Literary Analysis, Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf's ambitious work A Room of One's Own tackles many significant issues concerning the history and culture of women's writing, and attempts to document the conditions which women have had to endure in order to write, juxtaposing these with her vision of ideal conditions for the creation of literature. Woolf's extended essay has endured and proved itself to be a viable, pioneering feminist piece of work, but the broad range of ideas and arguments Woolf explores leaves her piece open to criticism over certain concepts which seem to contradict themselves. This observation can be explained most satisfactorily by critic Ellen Bayuk Rosenman, who posits, "the essay does not strive for the strict coherence of a jigsaw puzzle, composed of perfectly interlocking pieces in which no gaps exist and there is nothing left over...Woolf's essay has proved so durable because it often contradicts itself"(13). Woolf puts forth the notion in the end of her essay that the "androgynous mind" i s to be the apotheosis of all the perspectives of writing; yet this belief she conveys contradicts not only previous evidence she has expressed but also diminishes the value of the female as a significant contributor to the world of literature, and discredits woman's ability to write as she is attempting to praise and inspire us. Virginia Woolf uses A Room of One's Own as a platform to discuss past and current social inequities that exist within the realm of women and literature, attempting to document the negative effects that patriarchal society of the early twentieth century England has wrought upon the female psyche. From her analysis of these issues and her own life experiences, Woolf comes to the conclusion which becomes the basis for this essay... ...(13), exposes brilliantly the ambiguity present throughout Woolf's essay. And Woolf herself provides the most eloquent contradiction of the piece when she urges, "it is much more important to be oneself than anything else. Do not dream of influencing other people, I would say, if I knew how to make it sound exalted. Think of things in themselves"(2211). To 'think of things in themselves' in the most literal sense would be to allow every perception, every attitude, every emotion equal stature in one's mind and in the writing process. Perhaps it is not disregarding one's own sex that will make for the highest form of literature, but instead allowing the combination of experience and emotion, spirituality and materialism, belief and conjecture, to coalesce into a beautiful mass of ideas that will truly be a reflection of the author in her most complete consciousness.

Factors Affecting Food Selection Essay

1. Introduction The purpose of this report is to analyse the 4 main types factors that affect the food selection of adolescents and how each of these factors affect their diets. As a result of examining various internet websites and books about this topic, this report describes the 4 types of factors that affect food selection and the factors that influence the food selection of teenagers the most. Consuming food is vital for adolescents since they aren’t fully developed yet, and what they eat is influenced by various factors. The main types of factors are psychological, physiological, social, and economic factors, and each of them influence what choices people make when it comes to food. Over the past 20 years, teenagers have adopted the habit of consuming a lot of junk food, due to the influence of many economic, psychological, physiological and social factors. As time goes on, the factors that affect the food choices of adolescents may change. Overview of social factors Social factors that affect food selection refer to the cultures and societies that adolescents live in, along with how the interaction with other people greatly influence the food choices that they make. One of the reasons why social factors has a significant influence on adolescents is because their attitudes and habits relating to food usually develop through the interaction with their peers, friends and families. Social factors that have a great impact on the food selection of adolescents are the media, and their peers. Read more:Â  Factors that influence child development essay 2.1 Peer Influences A peer is a person that has the same social status, and is around the same age as another person. The influence of peers is the greatest in adolescence. the reason for this is because like fashion, trends come and go in the food industry. For adolescents, being ‘cool’ and being accepted among their peers is vital, so they usually follow the food trends that the majority of the group follow for that sake. Although, this causes them to disregard their parent’s influence on what they should and should not eat. In today’s society, teenagers are influenced by their peers to eat at popular fast food outlets such as Mcdonalds, since it’s a popular food trend among them. This affects them in a negative way since the food that is sold at these outlets can have poor nutritional values. This causes an increase in diet related diseases in teenagers such as type 2 diabetes, and according to the Department of Health and Aging, type 2 diabetes i s becoming more common in younger age groups. 2.2 Media In affluent societies, the media plays a significant role in food selection for adolescents. This is because they are exposed to the thousands of food advertisements on a daily basis. There are advertisements nearly everywhere they go, such as on television, the internet, school buses, radios, and magazines, so adolescents will be tempted to eat the product that is being advertised. The negative effect of these advertisements is that they are advertising food that is high in sugar, salt, and fat so they aren’t ideal for meeting their nutritional requirements. The media is one of the many factors responsible for the unhealthy lifestyles in teenagers and according to the Department of Health and Aging, 25% of children and adolescents were either overweight or obese in 2007-08, and to this day, this percentage has increased. 2.3 Education Education about food and nutrients is essential for adolescents, since it helps them to become more knowledgeable and educated about their options when it comes to food selection and the nutritional requirements of their age group. Also, teenagers that are informed about this will most likely make better and wiser food choices than those who don’t, although this all depends on whether the person is able to apply the knowledge into their everyday lives. Furthermore, adolescents that have the knowledge and skills to prepare their own food are also more likely to make better and wiser food choices. The reason for this is because making a meal from scratch can prevent buying prepared meals from fast food outlets, and home-cooked meals have a higher nutritional value than preprepared meals. Overview of psychological factors Psychological factors are linked with an individual’s emotions, and their thoughts. The psychological factors that affect a person’s food selection vary from individual to individual, since they are based on their lifestyle and childhood. They are also hard to describe and some factors even have a continuous influence on an individual (E.g. Beliefs, values.) while others can change each day. (E.g. Attitudes, self esteem). Psychological factors that are significant in the food selection of adolescents are beliefs, experiences and self-concept. 3.1 Self concept Self concept is how individuals feel about themselves (Also known as self esteem) and the way the see their body image. Self concept can change over time, or even a few times a day. E.g. A compliment can boost your self esteem. Over the past few years, people as young as 11 have started to become dissatisfied with their body image, especially females. The reason for this is because the media has presented teenagers with the beautiful, and talented people who have the ‘ideal’ body type, which has caused a decrease in self esteem, and the dissatisfaction with their body image. As a result of this, many teenagers have tried to get the ‘ideal’ body image by dieting, and the Department of Education and Child Development stated that ‘68% of 15 year old females are on a diet, of these, 8% are severely dieting’. Self concept is a reason why people diet, and it has a huge impact on food selection since it can influence teenagers to eat f ood that have a high nutritional values. Despite this, it can also lead to them eating next to nothing, which can potentially lead to life threatening eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. 3.2 Beliefs A belief is an opinion that isn’t based on scientific proof, and they are often based on religion and cultural heritage. Many religious communities have placed restrictions on what their people can eat. (E.g. Hindu’s cannot eat beef because cows are sacred in their religion.) The reason why there are restrictions is because in the past, people believed that it would protect others from diseases, and poor hygiene. Beliefs are very significant, since they can influence eating habits. The reason for this is because adolescents usually follow the food beliefs of their own parents, so the food that they choose to eat would depend on that. For example, a teenager will most likely be a vegetarian if their parents are vegetarian. 3.3 Emotions Even though it may not seem like it, emotions play an important role in food selection, especially during adolescence. The strongest desire for food happens when people are emotionally sensitive, and most are not even aware of it. Emotional eating is when people consume food as a way to deal with their emotions, and teenagers usually use it as a way to suppress negative emotions, such as grief, sadness, anger, and stress. It can be caused when they go through depressing events in life, such as the loss of a loved one, boyfriend/girlfriend breakups, divorce of parents etc. When this happens, ‘comfort foods’ are consumed, which are foods that are usually high in fat, sugar, salt (For example, ice-cream, chocolate, candy, potato chips) and are generally not good for the health of teenagers if it’s constantly happening. Overview of physiological factors Physiological factors affect the body’s craving (appetite), and need for food (hunger). The body needs a certain amount of nutrients from food in order for it to function properly, and to be healthy. The amount of nutrients required vary from person to person, and they are based on their age, gender, build, activity level and health. Even though teenagers should eat according to their nutritional requirements because they are still developing. Over the past few years, they usually eat according to what satisfies them. 4.1 Nutritional Requirements Nutritional requirements are the amount of minerals/vitamins an individual has to take in order to have a healthy lifestyle. The nutritional requirements of an individual depends on their life stage (Infant, child, adolescent, etc.), since each stage requires a different amount of nutrients. As adolescents, they are still developing so they need to have a higher calcium and protein intake (for bone and tissue growth), and carbohydrates (For energy). Gender plays in an important role in the nutritional requirements of adolescents. Females start to go through their menstrual period at this stage in life, so they require more iron to counter the blood loss during that time. They also need folate, because it decrease the chance of brain and spinal birth defects by 50-70% if they get pregnant at a later stage. Males on the other hand, they require more zinc in order to protect their prostate gland and more protein to maintain their muscle tissues, since they h ave a higher proportion of muscle tissue than females. 4.2 Aroma and Taste Aroma and taste are closely related. Plenty of food gives off a scent that can be tasted before the food is actually eaten.The taste and aroma of food is one of the most important factors when it comes to food selection. The reason for this is because it’s what determines what food is appetising, and what isn’t. For example, people wouldn’t eat something that has a bad odour. Adolescents tend to `choose the food they eat based on it’s taste, regardless of nutritional value and since junk food tends to be tastier than healthy food, the majority of teenagers eat junk on a daily basis. 4.3 Allergies/Food intolerance A food allergy is when the immune system reacts to a certain type of food and rejects it, where as a food intolerance is the inability to digest a certain type of food. If a teenager has a food allergy or intolerance, then it would affect their food choices, since they would have to ensure that the food they consume doesn’t contain the food that they’re allergic/intolerant to. When a person has If they were to consume food that they are allergic to, they would suffer from symptoms such as diarrhea, eczema,and asthma. Similarly, if a person were to consume food that they were intolerant to, it would cause symptoms such as migraines, breathing problems and diarrhea. 5. Overview of economic factors Economic factors relate to the food market and the costs. It is significant to food selection since the type of food that a person eats usually depends the cost, the market and the resources that are available to the person. Economic factors also determines whether people are able to eat the food they want, or the only the food that they can afford. For adolescents, they only can eat what their parents are able to afford and what they can afford while they’re not at home. 5.1 Cost of Food The cost of food is an important factor to consider. As an adolescent, what they eat at home relies on the income of their parents, since that determines the quality and type of the food that is bought. Also, teenagers usually don’t have a lot of money to spend on food while they’re out with friends. As a result of this, they usually have a habit of constantly eating at fast food outlets such as Mcdonalds because the food is cheap. Although this is convenient, it’s a bad habit because if junk food is constantly being consumed, they’re not meeting their nutritional requirements and can cause diet related diseases later on. It is estimated that roughly 9 in 10 teenagers eat junk food everyday. 6. Conclusion There are various factors that affect the food selection of adolescents. These factors are divided into four categories- Social, economic, psychological and physiological. They all affect adolescents in various ways, and are some affect them negatively (E.g. the media), by influencing them to take on bad eating habits. Despite this, there are also that affect them positively (E.g. Education) by encouraging them to have healthy eating habits.